Sampaguita Gardens

(post backlog)

Yup, that's the tagline of Sampaguita Gardens in New Washington, Aklan, Philippines.

Sampaguita Gardens Resort, Inc. is the brainchild of Samuel John Butcher, an American artist and creator of Precious Moments artworks that promote messages of loving, caring and sharing.

As a boutique resort, Sampaguita Gardens' world class amenities, facilities and services has scored many firsts, most notable of which is Jojo's Christmas Cottage, the first all-year round Christmas store in the Philippines.

The Samuel J. Butcher Mansion is one of the most popular and most photographed portion of the resort, with its vast antique collection and stunning pieces of bric-a-bracs and other Orientalia such as a rare collection of Ningyo (Japanese dolls) showcasing the hierarchy of Japanese society.

Sampaguita Gardens has become famous for celebrating Christmas all year round. It is currently being marketed as more than just a destination but an experience.

+ + +

I have fulfilled my childhood fantasy of having that Christmas feeling everyday!

And in the middle of January, it really was quite an experience!

Night Lights

Sometimes, you walk into a place you seldom go to...
because there comes a time when you really need to.
And then you see the usual ordinary things around...
but this time, you look beyond the ordinary
and appreciate the beauty.

I'm back!

I startled a couple of people at the office last Friday when i said "happy weekend and see ya next month!"

Go figure.
;p

+ + +

It's a new month!
Another workweek is approaching.

I feel like starting over. See if my early streak lasts longer than last year.

+ + +

As always, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, preparing for the worst but always hoping (and working it out) for the best.

;)

Friday Random Thoughts

Another Friday. Another workday has passed. Another workweek... (feel free to add some of your thoughts to the list of "another ______ has passed")

I guess it's gonna be the theme of today's post. Or maybe not.

Random thoughts don't necessarily need a theme, right?

Or they wouldn't be called random thoughts at all.

+ + +

Anyway...

I was in rant mode the past few days this week. Work has never been so toxic.

And then there are some "personal stuff" to take care of. There are always some things to do, to take note of, to consider, to facilitate, to work on, to think about. WHAT EVARRR!

I found myself in the middle of a mess that mostly people other than myself has created.

Yeah, i usually get to be the "clean-up" girl.

Or the female version of the "incredible absorbing man".

I am calm... I'm serene
Not a word is getting through to me when you scream.
I'm a sponge... I soak it up
All the crap you put me through won't make me give up.
Because I'm the incredible absorbing girl /woman
And I'm gonna do the best i can 'til you finally understand.

I will never falter... I will never quit!

+ + +

I'm not one to "wash my dirty laundry in public" or rant in detail. I know there's no perfect family. Mine isn't perfect, either. Every member has their own quirks. I may not be able to tolerate them sometimes but i just have to grin and bear it.

Yeah, i suffer in silence.

Thank God for coping mechanisms.

+ + +

Around this time last year, i was also "fighting" a different battle within me which manifested a couple of months later when i couldn't keep it any longer.

I didn't have a lot of "diversions" during those times except go to church and sing to get my mind out of it. And in the end, it did help me a lot in coping with the situation.

Acceptance is sometimes a bitter pill but you just gotta swallow it.

I'm over it now.

+ + +

Kinda ironic that i was thinking about killing myself a couple of hours earlier. But i slapped myself out of it, counted all the people around me and figured out that they're still few.

Gusto ko maraming iiyak pag namatay ako. Lalung-lalo na yung lahat ng nagpaiyak sa'kin. Hehehe!

No, it's not funny. I know.

Now's a different battle. But i will prevail.

+ + +

I've been holding it in for quite some time.

I've had days when i would cry without knowing why. Or laugh over the most mundane of things. Most days i just wanna pull my hair out of frustration or let out a couple of deep sigh--an alternative to shouting my lungs out.

There's something within that badly needed some form of release.

And then i saw red.

+ + +

I'm ok.

This, too, shall pass.

+ + +

Happy weekend!

And see you next month!
;)

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing!

Got this through e-mail...
as you might notice ;)

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If all of the eight desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose (sorry, you can only pick one)!
Trust me...this is very accurate. Pick your dessert, and then look to see what psychiatrists think about you.

REMEMBER - No Cheating. Make your choice before you check the meaning.
After taking this dessert personality test, send this e-mail on to others, but when you do, be sure to put your choice of dessert in the subject box above.


ALSO, SEND IT TO THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO YOU. DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR DESSERT CHOICE IN THE SUBJECT BOX BEFORE YOU FORWARD IT.


Here are your choices:



1. Angel Food Cake

2. Brownies

3. Lemon Meringue Pie

4. Vanilla Cake With Chocolate Icing

5. Strawberry Short Cake

6. Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Icing

7. Ice Cream

8. Carrot Cake


No, you can't change your mind once you scroll down, so think carefully about what your choice will be.



OK - Now that you've made your choice, this is what the researchers say about you... SCROLL DOWN---No Cheating





















1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE -- Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.



2. BROWNIES -- You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humour and direction. You tend to be very loyal.




3. LEMON MERINGUE -- Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent caregiver and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, you set your own style because you do your own thing. You shine when it comes to helping others and have many friends.



4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lacking motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.



5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE -- Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. You can be very emotional at times but a true person in every way. You like to do things for yourself and help others learn about themselves.



6. CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.



7. ICE CREAM -- You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centred and high maintenance.



8... CARROT CAKE -- You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends. You were meant to lead and teach others. A wonderful role model.



SEND TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS....INCLUDING ME! DON'T FORGET -

PUT YOUR CHOICE OF DESSERT IN 'SUBJECT BOX' ABOVE BEFORE YOU FORWARD IT


+ + +

I had quite a difficult time choosing among items 2, 5 and 6.

But in the end, i chose item 6.

+ + +

So, what kind or dessert are you?

;)

In Review

The past week was a whirlwind of activities--with all the preparations for a two-day out-of-town consultative workshop and then there was the feast of the Holy Trinity over the weekend.

In two days i have gone through every emotion i could possibly feel: from apprehension and anxiety, and then being harassed by the rush of things. There were even times when my team and i seemed to be running on adrenaline alone. And then finally feeling that sense of accomplishment when the workshop was over.

And then there was our community fiesta. Another roller coaster of emotions. But i'd rather focus on my high moment when my pork piña hamonado and pichi-pichi became a hit with the folks. Too bad I only doubled the hamonado recipe which left the people asking for more. And too bad i wasn't able to take pictures of it. But then, my hamonado was just a sort of "pilot testing" of my newly acquired skill in cooking.

- - - - -

Now back at the office catching up with the paperworks. They got in when i was out and no one else was left at the office to work on it. The other staff had work of their own to be bothered by it.

So i'm the one rushing with the documents riddled with "urgent" notes.

I feel like pulling my hair out of frustration.

*sigh*

It's just another manic Monday.

More Puto Pix

Dr. Puto and his clone, mini-puto


Plain version











Bullied.






Here's mini-puto who got lost in the midst of the "beautiful ones" (special puto with cheese and salted egg toppings).

Maja Blanca (or is it Blanco?)

Another post backlog.

Before puto, here's the first recipe taught to us in Food Trades evening class:

ROYAL MAJA BLANCA

- 2 cups of coconut cream or what we call "kakang gata"
- 6 cups of coconut milk (it's when you put warm water to the grated coconut meat and squeeze to get the milk)
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 can of sweet corn, cream style

- chopped nuts or grated cheese for toppings

Procedure:
- Dissolve the sugar into the coconut milk then bring to a boil
- Dissolved cornstarch into the coconut cream then pour into the now boiling mixture of coconut milk and sugar. Notice the mixture will instantly thicken.
- Stir continuously to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot
- Stir in the cream style sweet corn until the mixture is thick enough to be poured into moulders (or a tray)
- Top with chopped nuts or grated cheese

= = =

Now this recipe brings back memories of my teenage years when my mom cooks them for me to sell in school.

Yup. I was a "working student" when i was in high school. Sort of.

Times were tough back then so my mom had to do something to get me to stay in school. Everyday she would cook maja then i'd sell 30 pieces of them for Php2.00 per piece.

In the early 90's, Php60.00 served as my allowance for four days (that's Php15.00/day).

*sigh*

Those were the days.

= = =

My siblings were more fortunate than me coz mom was already working abroad when they were in high school. I was in college that time and making extra money by selling those pocket sized packs of facial tissues. My mom was laughing when i told her about it.

Perhaps i was just the most "enterprising" one among her children. Always thinking of ways to make ends meet.

= = =

*sigh*

Those were the days.

Haizz!

i feel like a blushing high school girl...
it's waaay out of my style...but i'm actually feeling like one.

and yeah, he's waaay out of my league but i didn't mind.

i just took a deep breath, held on tight, and made a leap of faith...

... with eyes wide open.

Twister

A new "toy".
Y'all might have seen it on tv (who else haven't?)
My new fitness buddy told me it was on sale. So i got one.

It's so easy to use/operate. Just step on it and twist to your heart's content! Hehehe!
5 - 10 minutes a day isn't bad at all to augment my twice-a-week aerobics session and weekend jog.

I tried it the other day for 10 minutes and i really felt it work up my midsection. And i was surprised that the simple twisting movement made me sweat!

The best part is it's friendly on my knees!

One Fine Day...

Snaps from my Saturday morning jog!

Morning has broken...

Approaching the Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant...

Closer shot

Sunbathing?

Today's catch...
A lifetime of togetherness...

Upgrades...

Here's a continuation of yesterday's post.

Yesterday's batch of puto came with cheese filling and salted egg as toppings.

shown here with a mini (but plain) version

It was sold for a higher price but the office people didn't mind. They must've really liked my creation that they didn't have second thoughts about shelling out a few more pesos for the yummy munchies. Or it could've been that they had no other options for their afternoon snack. Whichever way, it was a good thing that my puto were sold out.

I'm already thinking of other ways to make these yummy little munchies more interesting. There had been suggestions from my colleagues that i should experiment with other flavors like ube (purple yam) or pandan. The suggestions were noted down and shall be considered for subsequent batches.

How about chocolate-flavored puto?
We'll see about that later...

Ciao!

Shawty!

I'm talking about my new hairstyle.

From long, soft waves of crowning glory...

to a short, geometric style, wash and wear cut.

And then there was more!

The excitement about my new preoccupation hasn't worn off yet (and showing no signs of wearing off me probably for a couple more months). The second batch of puto was a hit with my officemates (it sold like pancakes!) that they asked some more of it the following day.

Unfortunately i didn't cook another set, thinking that if i do it on a daily basis, people might get used to it and eventually get bored by it. But i guess i was wrong. My colleagues were clamoring for it. Hehehe!

So i did another batch last night.

Let's just wait and see what happens...

Magic!

now you see it ........................... now you don't! ;)

Duet

two of my office friends singing Points of View

Points Of View
By Joey Albert

Look, It's Happened Once Again
it Happens Every Now And Then
feeling The Hurt And Hating All The Men
ready To Stop It All

that's When I Need A Friendly Face
to See Me Through These Lonely Days
just To Put Some Sunshine In My Place
don't Take Too Long I Need You

refrain:
here I Am
i Haven't Gone That Far Away
and Since I Am
that Kind Of Friend You Know
would Stay With You Through All The Pain
never To Leave You In The Rain
ready To Listen To What You've Been Through
your Woes And Blues And Share Each Other's

chorus:
points Of View
we've Been There Once Before
and Kept Our Points Of View
it Doesn't Really Matter If They're Never Quite The Same
we Have Our Rules In Different Ways
we Play The Games Of Different Folks With Different Strokes
and Keep Our Points Of View

see The World Seems Bright Again
it Only Darkens Now And Then
most Of The Time There's Just No Telling When
look Up And See You've Got Me

refrain:
here We Are
we May Have Gone Our Different Ways
but Since We Are
the Kind Of Friends Who'll Always Stay
no Matter What The Pain
learning To Love That Cap O Rain
ready To Say We're Here To Stay In Every Way
although We'e Got Our Different...

chorus:
points Of View
we've Been There Once Before
and Kept Our Points Of View
it Doesn't Really Matter If They're Never Quite The Same
we Have Our Rules In Different Ways
we Play The Games Of Different Folks With Different Strokes
and Keep Our Points Of View

points Of View
we've Been There Once Before
and Kept Our Points Of View
it Doesn't Really Matter If They're Never Quite The Same
we Have Our Rules In Different Ways
we Play The Games Of Different Folks With Different Strokes
and Keep Our Points Of View

You can listen to the song here.
It's got to be a nice BFF anthem ;)

Family Affair

(Another one of them post backlogs)

One fine Saturday, a private pool, family members, lots of food and drinks, fun and laughter. Nothing beats spending time with the family.

THE KIDDIES

i love this particular shot where the water seemed to float mid-air!


waiting for their turn with the mic!


while bro opted to meditate ;)

and later that night.... hehehe! you know what i mean ;)

As Billie Jean plays...

We’re having a light dinner at Chef’s
Complemented by some laughs and banter
When music filled the air

My head started nodding to its beat
And a smile slowly showed
Stretching from ear to ear

“I like that sound,” I said.
“It’s a classic 80’s sound…
I’d recognize that bass line anywhere”

Then he smiled, kind of amused
At the way I acted, but nevermind.
What mattered was he was there
(with me!)

And I love that smile
That it sometimes moves me to tears.
I’d recognize that smile anywhere.

Puto!

It’s past 2 o’clock in the morning and I have just finished cooking my 2^nd batch of puto.

When I cooked my first batch, I didn’t have my own steamer and mold. But knowing myself, I constantly think of ways to improvise. So I got our big wok, deep enough to fill it with water and spacious enough to fit an 8"x11" aluminum tray. That's quite a big puto that had to be sliced into 3"x2" little pieces.

But this time for my 2^nd attempt, I borrowed my aunt’s steamer and bought those little plastic cups to serve as mould.

the finished product

still in their mould, fresh from the steamer

And here's the recipe that you can try for yourself:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup oil (coconut or vegetable oil)
1 tsp. vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup evaporated milk, mixed with 1/2 cup water
slices of cheese (to serve as toppings)

1. Sift flour for 3 times.
   
2. Add all the other dry ingredients and mix well.
   
3. Gradually add the oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix well in one direction. This prevents it from bubbling.
4. Pour by teaspoon and fill up to 3/4 of the moulder.
5. Put the cheese slices on top.
6. Steam for 10-12 minutes.

I hope you have fun doing it as i did.
Enjoy!

I, Food tripper

So.... it's been quite a while since my last "blogging spree". Unfortunately, i've been busy with tasks in the office, places to visit, and all those things in between that i got too tired (and sometimes lazy) to blog about them. I have a lot of backblogging to do. The pics are waiting to be posted, too!

But what i'm excited the most to talk about today is about my recent kitchen/cooking adventure. I signed up in an evening vocational class at my high school alma mater and is now three weeks into my course on Food Trades.

Now i'm not really new into cooking and kitchen stuff. My mother taught me how to cook some Pinoy dishes like Tinola, Sinigang, and Pinakbet to name a few, before i reached my teen years. I even had some experimentations with leftover foods or have come up with my own dish from scratch.

So there were questions why i signed up for the class.

For one, i can say i am a "food tripper". Given the chance, i can be pretty adventurous with food, but lately, i've been pretty much into those carinderia stuff--those little sort of restaurants that can be found in almost every street corner or even small alleyways or backstreets and they serve some mean lutong bahay (home style kind of food) . So, yeah, it's kinda like an adventure too! Manny and i are constantly on the lookout for new carinderias to crash into, for variety with our workday lunch.

But why stop at just eating? Why not make my own food and be able to profit from it? I think it's more fun to be able to create something that i and my family (and friends too!) can enjoy plus the option of earning some dough from it.

Armed with newly acquired knowledge from last Friday's class, i made some puto last night and brought it to the office for some "taste test" before i could finally announce that i am open for business, although Papa and my siblings already gave a thumbs up with the taste.

And i was very happy to see that my officemates appreciate and actually liked my puto! Perhaps i could post some pics later when i cook my next batch coz i was pretty much excited last night and very serious in following the recipe to the dot that i forgot to take snaps of it.

This will surely make Mama smile!

More to come! Have a nice day y'all!

Brownie Boy (one of them post backlogs)

I was at the office when i got a text message from my brother. He said he had just baked his "perfect" brownies (after some hit-and-miss episodes!).

Now usually, it was my sister who bakes the yummy foodies, armed with her baking know-how and experience (she took up culinary arts as an elective in high school). But somehow, she gets frustrated everytime her brownies don't turn out the way it should be.

So when bro told me the "good news", i told him to save some for me-- not just for my consumption but because i also wanted to take some pics of it so i can send it to mom (and also showcase it here in my blog, for the world to see! hehehe!)

It was the first thing i asked for when i got home because i was excited to see (and taste!) it for myself. He'd sprinkled confectioner's sugar and ground cornflakes (for texture, i guess). As per ate's suggestion, he placed halved cherries on top for added color (and perhaps some flavor). And voila!

the tasty treat!

And guess what...

It really tasted good! Not bad for someone without formal training.

San Lazaro Fiesta

As they say, "the show must go on". So despite my stuffy nose and constantly parched throat, i still had to sing the responsorial psalm for yesterday's celebration. We had no choice. I didn't have an alternate for such "emergencies" and we didn't have extra time for an alternate to practice.

Unfortunately, i ran late for our slot. I arrived just in the nick of time but i wasn't able to sing. Apparently, Robin got so worried that he asked Krisha to take over. Oh well! Things happen.

But just when i thought i have failed, Robin told me that i would take over in the afternoon slot. I was not spared. But that was fine with me coz i really love singing.

Some scenes up at the choir loft:

this dude caught some snooze time
to recharge before our next slot in the afternoon.

Different Jeep, Different Town...

Same f*cked up feeling....



the jeep song

i've been driving around town
with my head spinning around
everywhere i look i see
your '96 jeep cherokee

you're a bully and a clown
you made me cry and put me down
after all that ive been through
you'd think i'd hate the sight of you

but with every jeep i see
my broken heart still skips a beat
i guess its just my stupid luck
that all of boston drives that same black fucking truck

it could be him or am i tripping
and i'm crashing into everything
and thinking about skipping town a while
until these cars go out of style...

i try to see it in reverse
it makes the situation hundreds of times worse
when i wonder if it makes you want to cry
every time you see a light blue volvo driving by

so dont tell me that you're off to see the world
i know you wont get very far
dont call me if you get another girl baby
just call me if you get another car

the number of them is insane
every exit's an exboyfriend memory lane
every major street's a minor heart attack
i see a red jeep and i want to paint it black

it could be him or am i tripping
and i'm crashing into everything
i can't wait til you trade that fucker in
by then they will have stuck me in the looney bin

it could be him my heart is pounding
its just no use i'm surrounded
but someday i'll steal your car and switch the gears
and drive that cherokee straight off this trail of tears

romeo and juliet

our beloved Ebony and an unidentified suitor

Saturday rundown

Been battling with a head cold since Wednesday, and now it's gone worse despite taking double doses of vitamin C and guzzling gallon after gallon of water (hehehe!). Our choirmaster once again assigned me as the psalmist for our 9am slot for the feast day masses tomorrow, so despite my condition, i went to the shrine to practice.

Coincidentally, Krisha (a fellow soprano from the Angelites Choir) who's also their psalmist for the 8am mass, has a cold too! But we still did our best to practice, in between sniffles, stuffy nose and all.

Angelite Krisha
still had time for a pictorial of some sort. hihihi!

Meanwhile, one of our LecCom member celebrates her birthday today.

Sarah.
I hope you had a blast on your day ;)
Happy Birthday!

Lost?

it's not their "lost" ;)

Kiddies

Pix backlog from my short vacay...

Babies of my 2nd cousins back in Antique.

my cousin Apple's baby girl (her name slipped my memory though...teehee!)
the latest addition to the Macuja clan

here's Heidie who's so malambing

Mikee (my god daughter) and Akong's son (who's name also escapes my memory)

and here's Ken (last year's addition to the Macuja clan!)

Goofballs! v.2

Me and my bro.

Can't take a decent pose from him! Take this one.

Macho!

This local band is so funny! Parokya ni Edgar never ceases to amuse me.

Mini Mango

This has got to be the smallest mango i've ever seen...

Told ya it's small

Slice it up and eat it with tomatoes and salted egg.

Elevated

The St. Lazarus Shrine was full of people last Monday because the Holy Mass (and the 4th Novena Mass) was celebrated by none other than the Archbishop of Manila, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.

the streamer and the newly landscaped area in front of the Shrine

And for the first time, the choir loft was finally opened to accommodate the St. Lazarus Choir.

View from the top.
We used to occupy the 5th & 6th rows at the right side.

there's Cardinal Rosales during the Communion

It felt good to be up there for the first time and sing our hearts out even without the microphone to magnify our voices. The acoustics at the loft was excellent.

We'll be up there again on Sunday, the Feast Day of St. Lazarus. See y'all there!