Family Time

Losing the Battle

Seriously now...how could one say no???

Hermosa, Bataan

I have the strongest attachment to my hometown that in college, up until I was working in Manila, I went home religiously to Hermosa no matter what. Even now, I miss the simplicity of the place where I grew up and if I could have my way, I'd take any chance to go home for a vacation.

So when typhoon Gener hit the Philippines, I was so surprised to see my very hometown on national TV. It was amusing at first, seeing the familiar onscreen, but when the southwest monsoon kicked in, I couldn't stop the panic that heightened in congruence with the flood level.

I am so relieved that it's over, and that my kababayans have weathered the storm literally and figuratively. Here are some news reports on my beloved  town:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/regions/08/01/12/hermosa-bataan-submerged-deeper-floods

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/128623/unangbalita/update-ng-pagbaha-sa-hermosa-

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/128528/balitanghali/9-na-barangay-sa-hermosa-bataan-binaha-dahil-sa-pag-ulan-kagabi

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/129398/stateofthenation/maraming-barangay-sa-bataan-lubog-sa-baha-bunsod-ng-umapaw-na-mga-ilog

Sooooooo Excited!

Proof you're Filipino: you show up too early for the Bourne Legacy premiere thinking there would be a line and that you absolutely positively have to get the best seats in the house. 

Turned out there weren't a lot of people who were as eager as us to see it. But that doesn't dampen our spirits!!!!! Go go go Philippines!!!!!!

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UPDATE: What I thought of the movie I'll write later on but I just wanna share this.

We got home from the movies and we turned on the TV to see today's episode of Charlie Rose featuring the three lead actors and the director of Bourne Legacy. At the very end of the show the conversation went to why Manila was chosen for the film. Director Tony Gilroy only has this to say: That Manila is very Bourne-ish because it's so colorful and ugly and gritty, raw and stinky and crowded. I'm not even gonna argue about that but knowing the excitement and interest and hospitality of the Filipinos in welcoming this Hollywood production, I can't help but feel like this is a one-way love kinda thing. They needed Manila for the chaos that it is and they're done with it. Let's not be the pathetic ex-girlfriend that hangs on after being dumped!

The Return of My Japanese Obsession

I came across the Japanese discount store Daiso through Yelp and I thought it'd be interesting to see what it has to offer. I have fond memories of the 99cents store that closed down in Subic years ago. So when I realized that Daiso is less than 10 minutes from Sunnyvale and that beside it is a Japanes food mart, I dragged Gary (who was still in his Army uniform from his weekend duty) to do some spending.

Now Gary is your typical guy--he hates shopping. But since we haven't spent time all weekend, the boy obliged. We scoured Daiso and I got me some cheap kitchen tools--some cooking spoons for $1.50 each, a knife for $5 (I just hope that despite being dirt cheap, it lives up to its reputation, what with it being a Japanese knife and all) and a wooden mat for $1.50. I would've stayed longer at Daiso to ogle to my heart's content but I knew Gary was tired from his run this morning so I went on to Marukai, which specializes in Japanese food.

They have heaps of beef sukiyaki and yakiniku, ready-made bentos and aisles and aisles of Japanese snacks. I bought a sushi mat, some nori, sesame seeds and Japanese mayo. I can't wait to make me some California rolls! We also bought some treats, which we ate as soon as we got to the car. The visit was a little too short so I'm definitely going back!


My Daiso/Marukai haul--the other goodies vanished without a trace :)

What's for Brunch?

I used to hate Sundays. Sunday used to signal the start of another work week and my need to commute from Bataan to Manila. These days however, I enjoy it more than any day of the week. Gary rolls up all the window drapes early in the morning while I make my shopping list. Everything's bright with the sunlight hitting our white furniture and fresh air circulating from our porch. We head out for the Asian store where we buy fresh meat, vegetables and seafood. We also tidy up the place and do laundry on Sundays then go to church at night. I guess I appreaciate Sundays more now because I feel productive and so much more connected with my partner. Today after our grocery run, we were both starving and needed a quick meal so I took the palabok sauce that I made yesterday out of the fridge and assembled pancit for brunch. The sauce is fairly easy to make. I saute onion, garlic, tiny cubed tofu, ground pork and finely minced shrimp. On two separate pans I boil eggs and shrimp for garnish. I use the shrimp stock to dissolve 2 packs of Mama Sita's palabok mix and two cans of cream of mushroom. I add that to my pan, throw in the ready made tinapa flakes that I get from the Asian store and some fish sauce and pepper to taste. I wait for the sauce to thicken and that's it! So I cooked the noodles and transferred it on my serving dish, lather the sauce on top, sprinkle the surface with ground chicaron, line up my shrimps and egg slices and top with onion leaks. I paired this with the ripe mangoes that Gary and I picked up today at the store and voila! A hearty Sunday meal 😊

What's for Dinner?

I am inexplicably addicted to the cheap jambalaya that they serve at Popeye's. So the other day, realizing I had mussels, shrimps, sausages and a chicken thigh sitting idly in my freezer, I decided to do a rice dish for dinner. Last minute jambalaya meant I still needed to do my internet research and go to the store to get the right spices and I didn't have the time, so I decided to make it easier on myself by making paella (or close) using my imagination.

Gary and I went to King's Seafood to buy saffron (I didn't think the tomatoes would make the rice red/yellow enough) but they wouldn't let me use Visa for anything under $15 so we went to the tiny Filipino store by Duane instead.

When we got home, I started to cook rice (using uncooked rice on my "paella" seemed too complicated) and boil the chicken while we watched TV Patrol. By the end of the program, I was chopping garlic, onion, tomatoes, green and red bell pepper, the seafood and sausage while my rice was happily getting cold in the freezer. I stir fried everything, fished the stuff out except for the sauce after 10 minutes, then dumped the rice in my pan. I added a chicken-flavored cube dissolved in my chicken stock, the saffron, red chili pepper and some fish sauce and then assembled everything in my baking dish.

Voila! My makeshift paella that earned me heart-warming praises from the boy. Beginner's luck, so I have no idea how I'd manage to do it again--as obviously there will be requests to have this dish on the table in the future :P

Going Domestic

Gary and I made our usual Saturday drive around town and came back with some stuff to add to our place

The husband got his latest man-toy, a really cool bench press that he's been eyeing for quite a while. The porch is now judiciously divided into two sides: his exercise equipment and scooter on the left, my old sofa, table and the blooms I picked up today at the orchard supply to the right. I also got some wall decor for our bedroom.

The Daily Grind

I've heard all this before and it all turns out to be true: life in the States is all work, work and work. That's why I feel fortunate that i actually like my job; it's challenging, each day's different and despite the undeniable stress I deal with, I feel rewarded accordingly.

My little corner of the world.

Army Dinner

This was taken months ago at Gary's platoon event☺