Borrowed Time

Yes, we all live in a borrowed time. No one can really be sure where he will be heading to at the end of the road for the future is very uncertain. There are no guarantees, no securities. I believe that only God knows what's instore for us and for this realization, I decided to live every moment meaningfully. I am happy eventhough life is just a borrowed time, God has sent me someone who would walk with me, who would be my protector and would never let me be alone.

In my ocassonial bouts with sadness, I am envelope with so much fear on what's ahead of me, with my hun, with my family and friends. But this kind of thinking is never healthy. I am so determine with just living life with much appreciation. To rediscover the beauty of the things around me. To treasure every moments with my love ones. To LAUGH OFTEN, SHOUT MY HEART'S DESIRE and just BE HAPPY.

LOVE YOUR LIFE. MAKE IT WORTH LIVING. :)



xoxo

Ace

Wonderful day

I just had a wonderful night should I say, instead of day (coz i work in a gy shift). I came to work and went home with my hubby. It's been a while. I just miss driving to work and back home with him. Still GY is not a very nice sked for us, but it buy us more time to be together.

Before heading home, we decided to eat breakfast at Margaritaville. We had SOS (it's his fave), a hashbrown for me and two hot mugs of Swiss Miss hot chocolate. It was an ultimate american breakfast which we both enjoyed. *SOS is best served at Margaritaville instead of Rumpa. So for SOS lovers, go and visit margaritaville.

Upon arriving home, we decided to chill for a while instead of hitting the bed directly to get our much deserve sleep. We both decided to go online, I often tease him on who gets to connect first since my laptop is faster than his. Nyehehehe. Of course, daddy being a workaholic (really he is and he keeps on denying it) immediately signed on his business account to do some work and attend to his numerous business e-mails while i directly loaded up Youtube to watch the previous night's episode of Lobo. He can't really see and hear what I was watching since I had my headphones. till... DARN! I was crying my heart out just watching the night's episode. It breaks my heart to see Lyka and Nessa's scene and much more to see Papa Piolo begging Lyka to look at him. It made me feel so sad till I almost had hiccups due to heavy crying. Then daddy saw my tears... he told me not to watch Lobo anymore if it makes me sad. You see, he doesn't want to see me crying because even if its just a scene, I take it so seriously that I even sleep afterwards with a heavy heart.

Hay Lobo! Can't wait for Monday night's episode. Hehehe

Now since I am still on the SOS hype, allow me to share an uncomplicated recipe of SOS.

* SOS (an army's favorite)

What you need:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cube beef bouillon
3 tsbp butter
salt to taste
pinch of ground black pepper
2 cups milk
1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Toasted breads

Brown beef in butter on a large skillet over midium high heat. Stir in flour, bouillon, salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes until the flour is absorbed. Gradually stir in milk until thick and bubbly. Add Worcestershire. Allow all to simmer. Spoon it over your toasted bread and top with a sunny side up egg (optional). Guaranteed a hit for meat lovers and heavy breakfast eaters.

Since we are talking about meat, let me share a photo of grilled burgers we had in Boracay

My burger and dad's burger


Daddy's exaj big bite

xoxo

Ace

Pressures in life

I had such a bad day. A very demanding client was bugging me non stop. I can't even think, I can't focus on work because he keeps on bombarding me with messages regarding his varying requests. Do I really need this kind of pressure in my life? Yes, I know... money wise its good, I really felt bad having to forgo a possible good project but I know my limits. Daddy told me that I need to learn when to say NO and STOP. I still feel so gloomy....On top of this, I just declined an interview this afternoon. It was such a short notice that I didn't even have the time to prepare and travel. I was so passed out in our bed when I received that call, I can't barely remember what I just said to the girl who called me. Would I still have a second chance?

It made me reflect about my own personal bout with pressures in my life. Hubby fondly calls me pressure and worry. He said that my name should be change to these two words. I think pressure is inevitable. For all of us specially professional people trying to make a living, there's always bills to pay. There's also pressure at work. There's something about work that would even make you go against what your heart dictates you to do, makes you almost compromise your beliefs just so to satisfy the whims of your boss. But is this what you want? Is this what your heart dictates you to do? All these kinds of pressure are so agonizing.

Establish balance in your life. Meditate. Talk to your inner self. Ask God for assistance. Pray hard. Forgo destructive thinking which won't do you any good, live free. Value life more.

When its time to let go, just let go. Free yourself from pressures. Seek something that would make you happy and not entirely worthless and empty inside. Be happy, okay?

Ghostly encounter

Hmmm how do I start... just 30 mins ago, I was with gara in the gym. She was playing PSP while I was using the threadmill. Lights in the gym were dim since not all were turned on. While using the threadmill, I can actually see my shadow infront of me due to the poor lighting. Then suddenly, I saw a second shadow at my back. I thought it was Gara, I look back and saw her seated and still playing. I caught a glimpse of the shadow in white and her black hair. That's it.

Mami Wheng, beware when you sleep at the gym. According to Leny, there is a mother and child inhabiting the place. boooohhhhhhh. You know im watching...

Oh and let me add this, ate lhen felt someone was scratching her leg (am I righ, ate lhen)

Let's go organic

In this new age, advanced beauty regimen is the IN thing. Every beauty institute comes out with anti aging products, whitening products or anything that can smoothen the skin and would make you look close to perfect. For me, it's what you call vainness with a cause.

I am guilty of being vain at times but not the irritating vainness. I can sometimes tolerate it and sometimes not. I would never think twice of trying out new products which I think would work on me. Too bad, I have such sensitive skin that I can't really commit to the regimen much as I want too. Even Shiseido's facial wash irritates my skin. So for now, I just want to go organic. Atleast it is cheaper and everyone can try it at the comfort of their own home.

Since I started to work on the nightshift, it gave me more freedom to spend longer time in the bathroom, in our room and just put on different creams on my face and hair. I was unable to do this before, hubby gets piss off with the scent of different creams.

Now, allow me to share my uncomplicated yet time consuming beauty au naturel regimen.

Before sleeping, I make sure that I have already showered, brushed my teeth and changed into my sleepwear. Prior to hitting the bed, I make sure that my face was cleansed with my very own *green tea toner and my hair glazed perfectly with VCO. I also use green tea for my **last wash before heading off to work.

So you see, primping yourself is not all that costly. Just be wise and embrace tbe beauty of organic treatments.

* What you need for the Green Tea toner

1 mug of hot water

2 green tea bags

1 crushed Vitamin C tablet- I prefer using the Vitamin C tablet with Rosehip 500 mg

To do:

1. Steep your 2 green tea bags for about an hour

2. add a crushed (powdered) Vit C tablet to your hot green tea (optional)

3. Stir

4. Chill in the refrigerator

5. Apply on your face and neck using a cotton or spray it directly to your face and neck. Whichever you prefer

You will notice change in your skin texture after awhile. Your skin becomes supple.

** Green Tea last wash after bathing

normally, I would reuse the tea bag I have previously steeped. I cut open the teabags and pour boiling water on a mug. Strain it using a sieve and tranfer on our "tabo". Let it cool and add some more water. Then wash your face and body with it. You will notice that your skin will lighten after continuous usage.

*** For softer hair

I normally wax my hair with Virgin Coconut Oil and leave it there while I sleep. Afterwards, wash normally with shampoo and conditioner

-for a weekly use, I mix 1/4 c honey and 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil. Cover with shower cap and leave it for about an hour. Then rinse.

****for a rosy skin... use fresh tomatoes

What to do:

Cut a tomato into half and gently rub on your face. Let it stay for 15 mins then rinse with your preferred facial cleanser. Tomatoes work wonder. They can make our skin whiter, smoother and rosier. It is best for treating pimple marks and blackheads.

Other organic beauty regimen will be posted soon. Hope it helps. :)

xoxo

Ace

Let's talk about pasta, pansit, rice noodles and so on...

I suddenly felt the urge to blog about different pastas upon receiving an email from gara detailing the process in making your own pesto sauce. I love pesto, actually, I think I love all the possible sauces that can be mix with pasta.

I can't remember when my love for pasta started. All I know is I can eat a pasta with a plain sauce, without its trimmings.

My favorites include:

1. Sbarro's spinach lasagna and Baked Ziti - Sbarro's signature tomato sauce is to die for, though their white sauce is also good but you can never go wrong with their plain tomato Sauce. You can actually savor the goodness of their secret herbs and spices topped with Romano cheese. Yummy!

2. C Italian's Fettucine with Alfredo Sauce- it was the best alfredo sauce I have tasted.

3. Pizza Hut's pasta- If you are looking for a cheap treat which won't sacrifice good taste, you can head to Pizza hut. They make good fettucine with alfredo sauce and spaghetti bolognese. You can actually order a big serving of Spaghetti Bolognese for just a hundred bucks.

4. Siam House's Pad Thai: I can rave about their Pad Thai all night long. Whenever I am sad and don't have the appetite to eat, hubby would suggest that we go to Siam House to get my fix of Pad Thai. And just like magic, everything turns out fine. Their pad thai is so rich and spicy. Maybe dry for others but just enough for me. I love it with lots of peanuts, shrimp plus extra spicy sauce.

5. Pasta Aligue of Northern Brew- loaded with cholesterol but guaranteed to be a good choice when dining.

Meatballs Spaghetti of Sbarro


Lets talk about different Pancit this time. Pancit or pansit (and my friends and I call it chinese, hehehe) is define in Wikipedia as a stir fried noodle dish common in the Philippines (I strongly agree!), though it has a chinese origin. The word pancit was derived from the Hokkien word pian i sit.

The most famous pancit would have to be the Pancit Guisado. This pansit is a staple meal in our dining table whenever there is a celebration. My mom cooks mean pansit. They would even hire her to cook pansit whenever there's a celebration within our clan (mostly every birthdays)

Other varities of pansit are:

1. Pancit Palabok/Luglog (in Pampanga) - I love Susie's palabok

2. Pancit Malabon- its the marinara version of pansit palabok hehehe

3. Pancit Habhab- from Lucban Quezon, this i want to try.

4. Pancit Molo- there's actually no pansit here. Just clear chicken broth with wontons. Hubby's aunt in Manila cooks the best Pancit Molo. This is a good substitute for chicken soup.

5. Batchoy- I don't like this. Innards doesn't appeal to me.

6. Pancit Canton-probably the most famous pansit which with its instant pancit canton counterpart.

7. Pancit Lomi- I dont have the guts to eat this particular pansit. I am just so scared. It looks like... nevermind. Create your own imagination.

8. Pancit Sotanghon-made of cellophane noodles.


Pancit Palabok


Other Varieties of Pancit


I have also included a recipe of the Pancit molo. This is courtesy of Puto Pinoy blog.

Ingredients:

2 pcs crushed garlic
1/4 kg ground pork
1 pc chicken breast
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic head, crushed and fried
1 tbsp ginger, cut into strips
spring onions, cut into rings
3 pcs chicken cubes
1 liter water
black pepper for seasoning
cooking oil
fish sauce to taste


Utensils:

cauldron
wooden spoon or ladle
aluminum bowl
stove


Procedure:

Put all the ingredients (ground pork, onions and 1 tbsp of fish sauce) together in an aluminum bowl.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly with the help of a wooden spoon. The mixed ingredients will serve as fillings of the molo wrapper.

Put a spoonful of the filling into each piece of molo wrapper. Make as many as 20 pieces of wrapped molo. Set them aside while you prepare the broth for the pansit molo.

Heat a little amount of cooking oil in a pan and saute garlic, ginger and onions. Stir the ingredients well.

Next, add the remaining filling. Stir ingredients again.

Pour one liter of water slowly into the sauteed ingredients. Stir ingredients well and then cover the pan. Let boil fpr 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, put the wrapped molo one by one into the broth. Do this carefully so that the wrapped molo will not stick together. Season broth with black pepper.

Add spring onions and fried garlic to the broth. Stir lightly. Reduce heat once the pieces of wrapped molo are fully immersed into the broth.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Pancit Molo


Before closing my posting for tonight, I would like to add my don'ts when blogging. Dont/never blog about work, your leaders, or your colleagues, specially if your contacts are mostly from your company, that is if you dont want to get in trouble. Guys, get real. It is the age where everything is ruled by the Internet. Anyone can have access to your blog, so be safe than sorry.

xoxo

Ace

Behind the scenes of lobo

You know u like this.....







Photos below were grabbed from sixthfiddler. Thanks sis :)

Gara hates her hahaha

Bigtime Angel


Slifi u???