Dinner

Hello to you all! It's dinner time for me here. By the way, did you hear that melon becomes vegetable meal?  I thought melon is a fruit and you can extract its juice. But in the province, we also eat melon with rice like a vegetable. That's my dinner tonight. My auntie cooked it for us. Glad we have melon at our backyard. We can cook one whenever we want.

I can tell you all how to cook a melon: First you need to peel the raw melon. Once you're done peeling it, you have to slice it in small pieces. You will need coconut milk for the melon, and if you want to mix it with dried fish, it is also fine, because it makes the vegetable more tasty. I love most kinds of vegetables except salad. I can't eat salad. We didn't spend money on our meal tonight. I'm happy for that. Sometimes simple meal is much better than buying meat and chicken at a store.

My rice cooker is broken

I am usually a nice person. I am never bad or selfish with anyone around me. When someone needs my help, I try to help (except when it comes to money, since I am poor). So, when my friends wanted to borrow my rice cooker, I gave it to them, because I know how it feels not having one. They have not enough money to buy their own, because they have family to support, hence their salary goes to the family right after they get it. So I let them use mine while I'm not using it.

But now my rice cooker is broken and nobody takes responsibility for it. Neither of the three of them admitted their mistake to me. I was disappointed when I tried to cook rice but the rice cooker was no longer working. Nobody mentioned anything, they just returned it to me like nothing happened. This is sad. If I ever get a new rice cooker, I will keep it for myself.

Octopus for lunch and dinner

Today my brother went to the sea. He caught 7 octopuses. Six are of the same sizes but one was huge. My bother was so lucky that he got to catch those in just a few hours of fishing in the sea. It was low tide when he went out, that's why it was easier for him to find them.

He planned to sell all the octopuses, but I told him not to. We had no side dish for the rice, and it was actually lunch time when he got back. Perfect timing we didn't have to buy food for lunch, except for the ingredients. I never cooked octopus before. My father prepared it for us. It was good. We had it for dinner, and we even shared it with neighbors.

I hope my brother will go to the sea again tomorrow. I'd love to see him come home with fishes, or octopuses on his hand tomorrow. LOL!

Big fish for lunch

My brother just got home from fishing this morning. Luckily he caught a huge fish which will be our lunch. Actually, he caught 2 big fishes, but you can see in the picture only the larger one. My father cleaned and sliced the fish and I was watching him while doing that. I will help with the cooking.

I'm glad that we don't need to spend money for meat. I'm always proud of my brother, he is a good fisherman. He learned that job from early on since he was 15 years old. He is now 22 years old, that is 7 years fisherman already. Fish is our daily food, there are rarely days without seafood. My dad knows how to catch fishes as well, but he doesn't catch big fishes like my brother does. The fisherman job in the Philippines is different than in the USA or Europe, as we are not using big nets on big boats. Instead, people dive into the sea to catch fishes. My brother and my father go to different areas in the ocean. My brother always dives in deep water, but my dad can't dive anymore as deep as my brother. But that difference does not really matter as long as both get home safely and we always have some seafood to eat on the table.

What I did Today

Today was my first day of classes, and I missed it already. Too bad! I wasn't in the mood to go to school earlier, so I didn't really bother to even get up from my bed. I stayed in bed until noon, that's when I decided to cook something for lunch.

Then after I had my lunch, I noticed  that I haven't done my laundry yet. My basket was full of dirty clothes. So I ended up washing them. I had so much energy this afternoon, glad I was able to sleep more than 8 hours. It was already 4pm when I finished my laundry. After I hang all my clothes, I sat on a chair for a little while, then I got hungry again. It was perfect timing, because I had spam which I had kept for days. I cooked rice first, then I took the spam out of the can, sliced it, and them I put it on the hot cooking oil. Simple as that, then I had a nice dinner. Spam is my favorite food. That was just great.

Papaya Rice Dinner

I was thinking what we are going to eat for dinner. Sure, we have cooked rice, but we need to add something else. So I asked my cousin whether she likes papayas, which we will cook it with coconut milk. She agreed to my idea, and then we picked four pieces of papayas, we peeled it, washed it, and then we sliced it in small cuts. When we were finished with the papayas, my auntie arrived from her work, and unfortunately told us that we have no coconut for the vegetable.

I thought to myself, how stupid we are, we thought we have coconut for sure. I feared already that the work was for nothing. But my uncle was around so he tried to look for coconut somewhere, and he was successful. He came back with coconut milk. Our dinner went well. I didn't eat lunch, so I ate plenty during dinner. Preparing food makes me always hungry. It was a very simple meal, but it was fun to eat with the crowd. It was a lot of food, and we shared with my dad and brothers who live not in my auntie's house but who came by. Food with coconut don't last more than a day, so it is better eaten all ar once. It would be easier if there was a fridge, but my auntie has none. Anyway, it was a good dinner.

Easter Gift in Borongan, Part 2

Finally, we arrived here in Borongan. Wow, that was quick travel! It didn't even took us an hour to get here. The van-van is more expensive than the jeepney but it is so much more comfortable. I might take jeepney going back home if I have no things to bring.

I am already here inside the LBC to get my package. I still have no idea what is inside. I already gave my ID, a little bit more then I'll get to see my stuff. Afterwards, we'll head to Jollibee to eat lunch, as it is my cousin's wish. We are very hungry since we did not eat anything all day long. I guess I'll have to end this blogging for now. The lady called my name already to claim my package. She didn't asked me for any of the tracking numbers. I think everything is going good now. Bye everyone, have a great day!

This picture shows what was in my packages

Rice harvesting

What a wonderful day here in Samar! The skies are brighter than yesterday. Farmers who harvested rice are lucky that today the weather is good for drying their rice under the sun. Last month was the time to harvest rice in the fields. Most people in our barangay grow rice for their own needs, to avoid the high costs of buying it in stores.

Rice farming has a specific time cycle. I think once you planted rice, you'll have to wait 4 months for the harvest. Hence you can harvest twice per year, if the weather is good. Working in rice fields is hard. We all know that province life can be difficult sometimes, but city life is much more difficult though if you have no money. In the province, you can live self-supplying your needs, so you won't go hungry, as long as you are willing to work hard in the fields.

To dry rice, it is just laid on the flat ground exposed to the sun. At that time, the rice looks like gold, but once it is peeled ot becomes whiter. Seeing golden rice makes my heart filled with joy. I am happy for the people who can provide their own rice.

Craving still for Lechon Kawali

It's been two days since my friend cooked us Lechon Kawali but it feels like just today. When I look at the picture that I took on the table, I can still taste it. I really liked the Lechon Kawali. I wish I could cook as perfect as she did. I'm willing to try to make it soon, and to see whether I can pass as a good cook to my future husband. LOL, just kidding! What I mean is that I want to prove to my auntie that I can cook better that the frying of fishes that I usually do.

I'm excited to cook Lechon Kawali although I'm nervous thinking I might fail and would waste the meat instead. These days, meat is much more expensive. It seems the price goes higher everyday. Well, I need to try to cook, how would I otherwise know whether I am capable of cooking. In fact, what my friend told me about cooking Lechon Kawali was enough for me to learn. I'll keep you guys updated once I succeeded on this. I'll probably write about it later.

It's all about getting fat

We just had our dinner! We didn't spend a penny for food tonight still we had fresh seafood catched ourself. Happy to be in Samar, I get to eat home food.

When I am in Tacloban, I mostly eat chicken. It is easy to buy, but I am not sure it is always healthy. Now that I am taking vacations in my province, I want to make a change, and eat more fish, vegetables and other healthy food. When I am in Tacloban, I always lose weight. I am much skinnier now than I was last year. College stress, lack of appetite, or tight budget makes me to skip dinner sometimes. That's the reason why I lose weight.

I want to gain some weight, and I think being here with my family will help me. Eating together with the whole family helps to eat more. It also helps to eat at a fixed time point each day, not at random time points. When I'm alone, I am often too lazy to eat, so I sometimes end up not eating anything. But now I need to recover from the times when I skipped food. I will eat a lot while I'm on my vacation.

Grilled Bangus for Dinner

I think grilled bangus for dinner would be good! I haven't had it for a while now. I am craving for grilled bangus with rice. I already told my friend (the landlady here) that we will have it for dinner. Her husband will go shopping for bangus since he has a motorbike, so I'll just hand to her the money good for 2 pieces of bangus, one for them and one for me. Her husband is good at grilling, so he will be the one to cook it. All I have to do is wait for it.

I haven't eaten anything yet today. I was too lazy to go out and get food, because it's raining. I'll just wait the dinner. It's really good to eat when you're really hungry, as food tastes much better then. I'm excited for my dinner and happy because the couple agreed to my plan. The kilo of bangus does not cost much and to treat them is good. Luckily, I don't need to cook myself today and I don't need to eat alone.

Rafaels'

This restaurant in Tacloban is called Rafaels'. This is the place where students usually eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Why? Because this is one of the closest places for ACLC students.

Rafaels' is inexpensive. The food tastes better than in most other cheap restaurants here in the city. I often go here with my classmates. Aside of being affordable, they have the soap that we like a lot. They serve it for free once you ordered a dish.

For those who want to travel here to Tacloban City, you have now an idea where to eat if you're looking for a cheap place. Then Rafaels' suits your budget. Also, you can meet lots of students here. So, come and see!

Too much seafood

I am really full right now and my stomach is hurting. I guess, too much eating is bad for me. I ate four times today, which rarely happens. I am back home here in the province with my family. Food here is fresh, specifically the fish and other seashells. They can easily be found during low tide. My brother is good at collecting sea food. I can do that too. When I was younger, I used to go to the sea during low tide to get seashells, and sometimes I went to catch fish.

I wonder if I still can catch fish now. It's been so long since the last time I was doing that. Maybe I'd try to go if one of my brothers comes with me. I don't usually go to the sea alone, as I am scared of seasnakes. You can see them everywhere in the sea. I wasn't scared of seasnakes when I was younger. Snakes in the sea don't really bite unless you hit them. But exactly this happened once to me. Afterwards, I can no longer go to the sea alone.

Hungry evening

Just got home from school. My stomach needs food, but it is raining, and nearby stores are closed. It is just now that the nearby stores closed so early. I should have gotten myself something to eat at McDonald's in front of my school before heading home. Oh well I planned of grabbing food at Robinsons Mall. The problem is the closing time is 8:00pm because it is weekdays and I forgot that. I arrived in the mall around 7:50pm, all the store were already closing and they weren't accepting customers anymore.

I hate planning and get disappointed in the end. Next time I'll make sure to get what I need first before going home. I'm really hungry! How I wish the rain will stop soon so that I can go out and get food.

Stomach problems

The past few months I did eat less food. First I wasn't worried about why I was losing my appetite but now it bothers me. Because I am realizing the difference of my body now and then. My stomach was always hurting and whenever I ate food I felt like vomiting. Sometimes I threw up after I ate and I feel so weak whenever I do something now. It's hard to guess what's wrong with my body. I am not so sure what's really happening to me.

I know what you think! No, I am not pregnant. If, then I would probably gain weight, not losing weight. I am definitely not pregnant, as I have no boyfriend or husband so there's no way to get pregnant. I am losing weight without really knowing any reason. I feel so skinny now. I just hope this isn't a serious matter. I don't want to get sick, I just want a happy and healthy life. Just like what everyone of us wants. Maybe it is just the stress in school.

Jollibee

It is just crazy how people love Jollibee here in Borongan City. Whenever I come to this place, it is always crowded. A lot of people and family go to the city just to eat at Jollibee. I don't think this branch here will ever be going bankrupt at all. Too many people come, too many money flows over the counter. I have been here few times, but often I did not dare to order as I hate waiting. But now I ordered something and it took me so long to finally get my orders. I waited for about half an hour and spend that time to write this blog post. I was so hungry! Finally the wait was worth it, since the Jollibee food is good. I just hope they would not think of opening a McDonalds or Mang Inasal at this town so that Jollibee won't get bankrupt. So I am sitting here in the restaurant and write this blog to let everyone know that Borangan City has a Jollibee branch. Come here and taste it!

Lazy Sunday

Today is Sunday and I'm just here laying on this comfortable bed, with the air-con and TV switched on. I woke up at 7am. I called the front desk and ordered breakfast for myself. Ok, I'm at a hotel called the Z-Pad Residences right now. I've been staying here since Tuesday the 19th and will be checking out this coming Tuesday. I'm here for one week and it's gonna be over soon. The room I've gotten for myself comes up with free breakfast. So every morning I wake up just to order breakfast as I don't want to waste anything. The food I like most from the menu is the 'Beefsteak Tagalog'. This is so good that I can't get enough. Hence I eat that every morning since I am here. What do I do today? I just love this room. I might just stay here all day and night and wait for Monday so I can do more searching about school. Luckily I found already a student room so that I am not homeless when I leave this hotel.

Easter with my cousin

I had a great time with my cousin Venus on Easter weekend. We did lots of fun stuff together. There was this moment when we played children games at SM mall and we felt like we were kids again. We watched the movie "Batman v Superman" which she enjoyed watching and so I did, even though for me, the movie wasn't really that surprising as the movie was given away in the trailer. I did mention it already in one of my previous blog post. But it was great that we could watch it together.

Besides movie and games we also ate dinner at T.G.I. Friday's, since I still had some gift certificates for that. Their food is really good but expensive. I had those baby back ribs (it's really called like that, no joke) and a glass of ice tea while my cousin ordered the pacific grilled pork chop and also a glass of ice tea. For desert we had ice cream. In my opinion, they serve the best food in town, it tastes really awesome. The only problem is the price. T.G.I. Friday's is expensive. But as we are Asian, we ordered only half each. That was still enough for us, and we had to pay only half. It was my first time to have such a fancy dinner with my cousin and same for my cousin. She told me to tell to the sponsor of the gift certificated: "THANK YOU!" We both are grateful for letting us dine in such a special way together. But how I wished my mom was around then so that I could treat her too :( She is just too far away living with her husband. I wish her well anyway and I love her. After dinner, we went to the seaside and sat there while watching the people walking by. There were also live bands. You could listen if you are into live bands and also you could eat. That's what we did on Easter weekend and it was fun. :)

Easter gift

Yesterday was a good day! I was at my friend's apartment and I know it was Holy Week. When I and friends decided to go home to our apartment, the neighbor handed me a box that arrived from postal and said it's mine. I wasn't expecting anything for that day as I'd thought it's just a normal Holy Week. I never thought of receiving a gift on Easter. So I opened the box and I saw candies and chocolates along with the easter eggs toy. My impression was priceless: it made me smile because I felt like I was still a teenager who've got to received something for Easter. I felt like I wasn't an adult that day. I was happy like a little kid. I did forgot that I am already 22 which is older and no reason to having any Easter gift. But still I am grateful that I am experiencing those kind of gestures which I hadn't experienced when I was a little kid. I do believed that it's never too late for everything, hence sometimes I enjoy being treated sweet like a kid, because time was hard 10 years ago when I was really a kid. Sometimes surprises happen when you don't expect it.

Pork Adobo recipe

My homemade of spicy pork adobo Recipe.

Ingredients

1 kg of pork. chopped
3 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tbsp garlic. crushed
35 grams onion. minced
8 chili pieces chili. chopped
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 pcs of tomato. cut
25 ml vinegar
100 ml water
3 pcs laurel leaves
2 grams whole black pepper
2 pcs red bell pepper. cuts




Method

1.Saute garlic and onion in oil. Add pork and continue sauteing until cooked.
2. Pour the water, vinegar, laurel leaves, sugar and pepper.
3. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the chili and potato and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the laurel leaves and the red bell pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.