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☺

:)

so random

Gary has been very busy since he started his Army reclassification course in Dublin, CA this February. He's still serving the military as a cavalry scout, and because we (okay, I) would like him to have a non-combat designation, he signed up for the Human Resources Specialist position with the Reserve. He needs to get certified for this, so for almost four weeks now, the husband has been driving back and forth everyday to get to his early morning class and back home to me just in time for dinner. He's been so caught up learning all these Army regulations and taking qualifying exams everyday that we didn't even realize he's almost graduating next week. So proud! :D

Which leaves me home alone on weekends because, yes, he has school Saturdays, even Sundays. And really you would think boredom would squeeze productivity out of me, but besides doing the dishes and picking up clothes from the floor, I just can't help releasing my inner slob. This morning, knowing that I was in no shape to whip up breakfast from scratch, I opened myself a can of clam chowder and jammed a slice of leftover pizza in the turbo broiler. (Yes, we have the very Filipino turbo broiler, which has got to be the best kitchen invention ever. Gary and I have been brainwashed by this contraption into believing anything cooked in it is Top Chef-material. Thus, my household's star dish is tinurbong manok, a recipe I inherited from my parents. I'm glad Gary loves it as much as I do; so much so that I think we will pass the love for this dish on to our future kids.)

After my makeshift meal, I turned my attention to the computer, which Gary rebooted last night. As I type this, I am re-installing all the programs that we lost last night, especially messenger and the webcam. It is Sunday in the Philippines, and I'm waiting to see Chok strut his stuff.

Speaking of the Philippines, Gary's parents are going home this Tuesday, and Gary and I are soooo jealous. Looking at all the balikbayan boxes, it seems like yesterday when it was us heading home. I don't think we'll be able to go this year because I still have to earn my leave, and Gary has Army duties. We want to go to the Philippines during the Christmas season next time. I miss the shallowness of Mall of Asia. The great bargains at Greenhills. The laid back atmosphere of Subic. The at-homeness of Hermosa... :D For Gary he just misses sitting at my Auntie's store, sipping on Pop with a straw, killing time :D

So yeah, this is pretty much it for now. Between waiting for my Sephora delivery and contemplating how I'll survive lunch, I think I'll hit the bed again. Ciao bella!

Thank you baby :)

Yogi Bear made BooBoo really happy last Valentine's Day with a tasteful gift :)

I'm still here! :D

Can't remember when I really last blogged!

Updates:

Gary and I just moved into our own place about a week ago here in Sunnyvale, CA. Needless to say, we've been busy unpacking and fixing our stuff. California weather is very lovely, although the current freezing temperature makes it impossible for me to get out of bed in the morning. We are also closer to things we missed: for Gary his family; for me, Filipino groceries :D

I started working for an ISO-certified staffing firm based here in Silicon Valley, which places candidates in leading companies in the IT, Finance, Administration, Engineering, Bio and Manufacturing industries nationwide. It is a slight deviation from what I used to do in the Philippines, but I'm really enjoying myself learning the ropes. The company is full of well-educated, kind people, and is already showing me a tremendous opportunity to grow my career. I love it!

Gary is back in the Army, this time as a member of the Reserves. As I type this, I'm alone in the house while he's reporting for duty in Moffett Field, a military base in Mountain View about 10 minutes from here. This morning he wore his ACU after so long and I didn't realize I kinda missed him wearing it. The husband should be back before dinner.

So everything's looking up for us after so much moving around, and I'm happier than ever :D

Halloween!

my cube

rory in her costume

saroj as a geisha

me and megan

margaret as frida kahlo

lauren, me and megan

me and annber