to south korea with my best friend

  *posting this on 01/02/2022 to fill up the missing parts of the blog (and for me to remember things by)

It was a dream for us to be able to travel together and I am so happy that we are doing it now! =) It took a lot of planning for us: timing for her, our itinerary, and where we're staying.

Ours was an early evening flight, meaning we will be arriving at our place of stay late at night but we never expected to arrive past 1am the following morning. The weather was not really good and it took a while for our plane to take off because of the weather and the number of planes wanting to take off as well. We are just lucky because the one who manages the place we booked waited for us.

Waiting for take off.

Arriving in the wee hours... it was also raining a bit

Our room at Doo Guesthouse, which was only walking distances to the palaces and Insadong

day 1 in seoul

 *posting this on 01/02/2022 to fill up the missing parts of the blog (and for me to remember things by) 

There were just a lot to see! Our feet hurt after a good day's touring and soaking everything in... I am just glad that my best friend is an avid walker and eater, too! =D

Just right outside our room early in the morning

Street art around Bukchon

Doors of Bukchon

Art installation near Gwanghamun Palace

Changing of the Guards at the Gwanghamun Palace

Inside the palace complex

One of the houses inside the palace complex

Inside the Changgyeonggung Palace complex

One of the views in the secret garden tour of the Changgyeongguk Palace

We also looked for the Mampo (something) bridge to see the fireworks at night but we got lost after walking so far and so long. But still, the view by the river at sunset was really refreshing.

Somewhere along the river

Happily hopping from place to another at Myeongdong, the shopping capital at Seoul 

Be Committed

Month Three of my Kendo training. 

Last Saturday, there were only a few who attended training as most of the regular, active members were participating in the HK Open. That meant that even though there were just a few of us, training went on, with the last batch of try out people being entertained. That also meant that training was a little bit more intense.

It was hard, yes, but I learned new set of moves today: kote-men and do. I also got to properly practice Kata 1 sitachi role with a senpai and I actually did pretty good. Then keiko went on from men, kote, kote-men, and do. From all these, I finally (finally!) realized that I had to learn how to do the suburi properly because I, from time to time, miss to hit men and kote properly (sometimes even missing them altogether!). But the most interesting lesson for that day was when I was hitting do with my Kata senpai partner. Since it was my first time to try do, I was afraid of hitting him in the wrong places so my hits weren't that hard. Senpai said that I must look where I am hitting and I am not hitting very well because I was not committed. Be committed.

Now one of the questions posed to me by one of my friends is answered. What am I gonna learn from Kendo which I can apply outside the dojo?

In life, in everything you do, Be Committed!

New Year, Post 1

So I totally missed out on blogging last year. Never again this year. I will write. I will learn to reflect more and put them in words. And to welcome this new year, here is my first post! :)

And to make up from missing out on blogging this year, I will look back from the year that was and write from time to time the highlights of that year. All in all, it was a good year although it is sad losing our grandmother. But then again, she is probably happier in heaven with Lolo, so it must be a blessing, too.

singapore overnight

written on 16/09/2018 to remember days by (and because I realized I lost all my pictures for this day except those that are in Facebook)

Who would have thought that I would really feel like a jetsetter? Imagine, me, going to Singapore for a meeting today and coming back home tomorrow. Wow! So I even had to wear a formal attire because we would directly go to our meeting place. It sounds so surreal but it is true.

Business first but fun later. So after the meeting and checking in to our hotel, my companion and I went to walk around the Singapore Botanical Garden where our friends were about to meet us. After that, I had so much fun to go to a Nando's restaurant for dinner. I know I can't just miss it because I haven't eaten at Nando's in a long, long while. It always brings back a memory of Cambridge for me.

It was also a fun night with friends as we walk along Orchard Road to see their Christmas displays. Truly, Christmas is in the air! And I love it! But Christmas in the Philippines is still the best because it feels more like family, like love, laughter, and fun, and hope. And all the things that make you smile inside. Then again, I am just in Singapore for one night. So how will I find out if it's really different or just the same. As long as everyone is smiling, everyone is happy, then I am happy and it feels like Christmas just the same =)

helping

This past week, the world saw the devastation that Typhoon Haiyan brought to the central part of our country. I am grateful for all my friends from all over who took the time to ask me how I am and my family. We are okay. We had been spared by the wrath of the typhoon. But I cannot say the same thing for my fellow countrymen. Most of them lost everything, including loved ones (that's the hardest part), and it seems that relief couldn't get there fast enough because of logistics problems (and politicking).

I am just in awe though on how Filipinos respond to the call of the needy. In just less than a week, relief operations all over the country materialized, people volunteering their time to pack relief goods, people who have extra gave what they can. Everyone just moved to help the needy.

I am just proud that I am surrounded by friends who are giving more than they can. Our office has willingly given up our annual Christmas party and give the money to the victims; my Geol friends gave part of their travel fund to Red Cross and one of my friend's office will match that amount to give to the Red Cross; another friend of mine went around collecting goods to send to the people of Ilo-Ilo who were also affected. My sister and I collected clothes that are still good but are not being used anymore and we have given away most of our toys for the kids who needs these more now than ever.

Sending our love to the kids who suffered from Typhoon Yolanda

 
I just hope with the little we have, those who receives it feels the love that we are sending them.

*****

Some of the stories that have touched me this past week. Truly, every Filipino today is a hero:

A lady military personnel breastfeeding babies in the evacuation centers
People with vehicles shuttling people arriving from Tacloban to their relative's homes
Fellow UP alumni raising money to support UP dormers whose families were affected by the typhoon
Students abroad with less still giving cash to send to the relief aid

***** 

Lots of thanks going out to the countries and private sector who had been helping out. I just realized that the Philippine military has a long way to go in terms of improvement. We do not lack brave and honorable military servicemen. Our government lacks the vision and left the military to decay. Imagine, only three C130s servicing the whole country of almost 100M people and 7,107 islands. Well, that is just my opinion.

yolanda

It was only after I watched the news on TV that I saw the massive destruction brought by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) to the central area of the Philippines. Footages of gusty winds with its noise like a car being revved forever hurling stuff, taking away roofings, storrm surge coming into the city of Tacloban are being flashed on tv. I just can't imagine what the victims are feeling right now. It seems that most of them lost everything, and sadly, including their family members.

It is times like this that you feel helpless for other people. The same feeling when I heard my hometown being attacked by the rebel army.

new tumbler

A few days ago, I broke my one and only tumbler given to me by my friend two Christmases ago. I love it and I can't help but be sad because I can't use it anymore. So just to make up for it, I bought a new one from the same store. I love it but it will be able to replace the first one.

calamansi muffin

A friend requested that I make a calamansi muffin, which she really loves after tasting the one from Boracay. As I've never been to Boracay in years and that shop was not even around when I went there, I got curious. Also, I've tasted one before, made by a friend's sister, and it really tastes good. I looked up on the internet lots of calamansi recipe, until I found one which looks really good. It also says that they "hacked" the Boracay recipe into a 95% "hackurracy."

It was pretty simple to make although one needs to be prepared for crinkly fingers after squeezing a lot of calamansi. The calamansi muffin turned out well but it cracked on top unlike the picture shown in the original blog. It is also dense and as recommended, it should be enjoyed with coffee.

I also followed some suggestions online, and my friend, to glaze the top of the muffin. So I used powdered sugar and calamansi juice and made glaze out of it. It turned out well, too!

Note: To make sure that I don't burn my muffins, I make sure that I set the alarm at half the time it takes to bake these things and check or turn it around to even the baking process at both sides of the pan.

Thank you to Pepper.ph for the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 pcs eggs
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup calamansi

Procedure

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Mix together milk and calamansi in a bowl, set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well.
5. Add in milk mixture and flour mixture.
6. Mix until well blended, don’t over mix.
7. Scoop in non stick muffin pans.
8. Bake in preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 18-23 minutes.

home made pandesal

My first attempt at baking pandesal and they turned out so yummy!

Thank you to Ms. Connie for sharing her great recipe to first time bakers. View her recipe here.