Postin' It!

hey ZJ,

sorry for being so out of touch again. i didn't mean to, it's just that too much technical stuff (mostly ISP-related), the pc needed to be reformatted, things at work, my never-ending to do lists, and trying not to fall too deep in matters of emotional attachment (if that is possible!).

since we've done YM earlier, i've told you about these mixed emotions right? i'm on a trippin' mood. it's like being in high school all over again. i think the word is: tuliro! hehe, that's the word! like you've told me this morning: give it time. give him time because he could just be waiting for the right time to tell me whatever he wants to tell me. give myself time. oh well, since i haven't seen the guy for 8 months, i think i could still hold out for a bit more time. patience is always a virtue.

also, safety first is key. in anything. anywhere. anytime. good that both you and R have looked into insurance. it's a practical investment. it's ok to start on lower premiums because you always have the option of being able to increase your monthly contributions in time. it earns dividends, too. just be sure that you're getting your money's worth by way of legit financial planners or underwriters (or whatever fancy names they have now for insurance agents).

these will be for now. i will be posting my reply to your tag soon - after i've re-installed the software i need to be able to upload my pictures.

until then, amiga.
Sam

You're Tagged: What's In Your Bag?

Hi Sam. I was tagged by a blogger-friend (in my other blog) to reveal the contents of my bag. I got hold of her tag two Wednesdays ago, just as I was preparing to leave town again for another fieldwork. I promised her I would do it but I was delinquent on this one because of the many other things - all screaming at me to be completed at the same time.

So what's in my bag, you ask?



There were loads of stuffs in my bag, especially that I was leaving town at the time I was asked to reveal what's in it:

1. Backpack for the laptop (and everything else!)
2. Camera and camera bag
3. Eyeglass case
4. Organizer
5. Wallet
6. Mobile phone
7. Laptop (partly covered)
8. USB Flashdisk
9. Laptop charger
10. Mouse
11. Batteries
12. Battery-operated (mini) fan
13. Flashlight
14. Revlon Just-Bitten lip color
15. Pens
16. DVDs
17. House-keys
18. Virgin Mary of the Lourdes, a present that R brought from Lourdes, France when he was on a cycling trip of Europe
19. Cross prayer, from my mother

Other miscellaneous items, like toiletries, clothes and other stuffs were in my other bag. I know, friends and colleagues kid me about this habit of mine, carrying my whole house in my bag. But I do get bored or I don't fall asleep easily when I am away from home (especially on the first nights) so I bring with me DVDs to lull me to sleep. I used to bring hankies, too, but stopped doing so because I lose them all the time. Natak-an na ko sige bakal bag-o. I got too frustrated buying new hankies to replace the lost ones, only to lose them again. Anyways, on ordinary workdays, I just bring with me items #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 15, 17, 18 & 19.

I thought it was fun doing it, especially that I have been always curious about what people have in their bags. So I thought, you should answer the tag, too. Come on, Sam... do tell :)

Also I would like to know what things our friends Armie and Roselle.

Stuffs we do when no one is looking :)

Yo, Sam.

Don't fret, there is no lewd content in this post. Akala mo kung ano na, ano?

Looking at your cookies made my mouth water! Now, I am so craving for it. I am imagining freshly-baked cookies dunked in hot-chocolate... hayyy, siram na! Thanks for the recipe and I am so excited to make some this Saturday. R promised me that we will go to Pencil Supermarket this Saturday to get some decent baking utensils to support my new-found hobby. Actually, it's our new-found hobby.

Where in the world can you find a supermarket named Pencil? Hah, only in Cambodia!

These past two months, there were lots of red-letter days in the Cambodian calendar. Some times, we drove to the countryside... to Kep, actually. Kep is like our second home - away from home - and the town never failed us. The mountains (although in Philippine standards they are just mere hills), the rice fields, and the sea all remind me of Roxas City, my hometown.

Anyways, I digress.

On most times, we just stay at home and do stuffs. You know... like cleaning the house. Doing the laundry. Tidying up the rooms. Cooking up a storm in the kitchen. That's right! R and I found a great way of spending holidays - and that is whipping out some goodies to fill our forever-hungry stomachs. No wonder we are gaining weight at an exponential rate!

Sige, uya ang ebidensiya:



Now our blog is beginning to look like a food blog and we are already showing signs of domesticity, but I do not mind it a bit. It clearly shows that we both can handle the pressure at work and at the same time tackle the rigors of our domestic affairs. When I have more time this weekend, I will jot down the recipes for the pizza a la R (I just made it up!) and the chicken burritos so that you may, one day, have a go at it. Have a great weekend.

ZJ

My Treat

Hola Zar,

I'm sharing with you this recipe. Well, it's adapted from The Joy of Cooking Cookbook. These chocolate chips cookies are so easy to make and bake. They're versatile and are best kept in a tin can. Serve with either coffee, milk, juice or plain water. You may adjust the amount of sugar, use semi-sweet or bittersweet choco chips and your choice of chopped nuts. Happy baking!
Note: I've made 100 pieces of these cookies the other day.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

preheat oven 375 deg.
mix: 1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder
beat: 1 stick softened butter, 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 packed light brown sugar
beat well: 1 large egg, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
stir: 1 c choco chips, 3/4 c chopped nuts
blend all the ingredients
drop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet
bake 8-10 minutes

for crispier cookies:
add 2 Tbsp flour more and bake 13-15 minutes

Sam here

Up For Air

Hi Zar,

Yep, I'm taking a breather to post my reply. Please excuse my silence for the past weeks. Been working on overdrive, catching deadlines, dealing with a nasty co-worker, dealing with life and other extra after work raket. Well, you know...stuff.

I hope that R's ok now. Glad to know that you guys have a first aid kit at home. It's your easiest, fastest and best line of defense against ultra-emergencies. That and taking care of yourselves.

Speaking of which, I think I've not been able to look after my well-being lately. Still having the sniffles, really bad headaches and feeling icky. I'm actually looking for a cute single guy to pass on this virus, hehehe. Just goes to show how toxic my workplace is - even my mind gets filled with crappy thoughts like these.

Wish I could enjoy the perks you get at work, travel and all. (Altho I get unlimited broadband access at work, it's like being in another world without leaving my desk). I won't mind going to the beach on a midweek! (It's been raining buckets here!) Or being part of a group that creates virtual networking. (Some folks I work with don't have SIR - Smooth Interpersonal Relationship) skills. I bet you don't even get to hear swear words all the time out there! (Swear words add color to my working world, to say the least, even when I'm not exactly the recipient.)

Other than that, and all the crazies in between...Andito ako.
Take care,
Sam

By the way, I like the blog award. Nice touch. And the adverts, keep 'em coming!

Too quiet

Dear Sam,
How have you been?
I know it's been quite here for a long while. I had to focus on work stuff in the last days. You know, to cover for the previous days when I was feeling lazy. I suppose it is good to busy from time to time, do you think so too?

Anyways, life here is so-so. Nothing out of the usual routine. I am scheduled to go on a field work again this week, from Wednesday till Friday. It's the time of the year again when all the project staff meet and discuss the issues pertaining to the project. It is also a good excuse to meet the project staff of both pilot sites and talk about things outside work. This time, the Kep Pilot Team will be hosting us and we are all going to see the beach! Sounds good, I say. We've (I, particularly) been bored to death by paperwork, sitting in front of the computer each day and the beach would be a welcome treat! But of course, before we could enjoy the beach, we will still do some work stuffs!

How about your work? The last time I spoke to you, you were rushing some paper works. I hope you were able to beat the deadline. But then, knowing you, you don't worry much about deadlines because you always finish your tasks way ahead of deadlines. It's one of the things I admire about you. You don't dilly-dally like me. When it comes to work, it's work. No more ifs and buts. As simple as that. I am trying too, but, I guess I get lured easily. Hahaha.

Rob's on the mend now, thanks to his presence of mind and to our first aid kit at home. It really pays to be prepared, I say. In a few week's time, the wounds will disappear but scabs will take its place. But as they say, all's well that ends well.

I hope you are doing fine. I am also giving you this... tadaaaa! Nice Blogger award. I received this from Zam of the Verb, and as is the tradition, I am passing the torch to you. I hope you can put it up in your other blog.

We'll catch up again through YM, I hope. Take care, and hope to hear from you.


Cheers,
ZJ

P.S. I took the liberty of adding adverts on the side column. Who knows, we might earn enough moolah for a shopping spree when I visit you! I hope you don't mind.

A day in our life...

I’ve taken some time off the blogosphere the past weeks one, due to work stuffs (as always); two, its Pchhum Ben holiday, a perfect excuse to go somewhere nicer; and three, my husband R had an accident, so we just stayed at home and watched DVDs during the holidays.

R was having a shower before his afternoon class last Tuesday when he knocked down our bathroom mirror. It broke on the sink and shards of glass sliced his feet, and the sight of it (a la CSI crime scene) freaked me out. For some strange reason, the sight of blood scares me and turns me immobile for a moment. I panicked and couldn’t think straight, couldn’t act normally. Luckily, R has great presence of mind and patiently guided me in what to do. First, we applied pressure on the cuts for 20mins or so, furiously changing rolls of cotton and tissue paper every minute. When the bleeding stopped, he cleaned his wounds while I looked on, handing him whatever he needed. We have a first aid kit at home and so, under his direction, I carefully applied Betadine and bandaged his wounds. We also have Savlon, a skin antiseptic sent by R’s mum months ago, and applied it on the scratches on his arms and hands. Just a reminder, please be warned of the graphic nature of the picture if you intend to view it on a large scale.

No, we didn’t go to a hospital or clinic - knowing how inadequate the medical facilities are here - we thought we could apply first aid ourselves. Besides, R said that while the cuts are not minor, they are still “manageable”.

This accident would be his second, our second (and hopefully will stay that way). The first incident was involving the two of us in a moto accident in Kep where I was assigned last year. He broke his right clavicle and two ribs while I had bruises and scratches.

I am so relieved that all his toes are still intact, there’s no sign of infection, and the wounds are healing nicely. In a few weeks, we hope it will all be completely healed and only scars will be visible to remind us of that fateful afternoon.

*Cross-posted to my other blog.

'Desperate' apology over Philippines slur

Yahoo News, Thu Oct 4, 6:46 AM ET

Makers of hit US television series "Desperate Housewives" have apologised for a slur against Filipino medical workers that caused an uproar in the Southeast Asian country.

The apology was sent to Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN's bureau in the United States and aired in the Philippines on Thursday following protests by the Manila government.

"The producers of 'Desperate Housewives' and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere," cable news channnel ANC quoted the statement as saying.

"There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines," it said.

The episode showed actress Teri Hatcher, who plays Susan Mayer, asking during a medical consultation to check "those diplomas because I want to make sure that they're not from some med school in the Philippines." ...

My Take: FAIR ENOUGH.

Desperate Susan and Her Racial Slur

Hey there Zar,

How are you too? The chicken burrito looks yum! I can't wait to eat a piece (or more). Perhaps you could share the recipe? hint-hint. By now, you've known about Teri Hatcher's uncalled for dialog in Desperate Housewives. Yeah, the same dialog which caused an uproar amongst Pinoys here and overseas. Eventhough the people behind the network have been apologetic, I can only say that it was such "an irresponsible act to disguise creative genius". Well, that's just my thinking. So sue me!

I've always thought that really good Hollywood (or home-grown) actors (even 40-somethings-making-a-comeback) are smart enough to research on their scenes beforehand. Why is it that a supposedly sexy (well?), smart (huh?), classy (hmmm?) Hollywood actress got away with it? Somehow, not entirely. Pinoys are proud beacons of good genes, talents, skills, hard work, perseverance, loyalty, honesty, patience. Even taking on the responsibility of taking care of others all over the world. In case they don't know, the EXECUTIVE CHEF for the White House (yep, she cooks for the First Family there) is a Pinoy. And Chef Cris holds the distinction of being the only Filipina with such an esteemed post in the US' White House.

We don't deserve this treatment from anyone, you know. Paninira para kumita at para mag-rate ang show? Total crap.

Excerpts: Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - A scene in TV's "Desperate Housewives" that used Philippine medical education for a punchline prompted angry calls from viewers, an online petition demanding an apology and criticism from Philippine officials.

In the season premiere that aired Sunday on ABC, Teri Hatcher's character, Susan, goes in for a medical checkup and is shocked when the doctor suggests she may be going through menopause.

"Listen, Susan, I know for a lot of women the word `menopause'" has negative connotations. You hear `aging,' `brittle bones,' `loss of sexual desire,'" the gynecologist tells her.

"OK, before we go any further, can I check these diplomas? Just to make sure they aren't, like, from some med school in the Philippines?" Susan fires back.

PS. In my book, that was so KAKAINIS. Don't blame me when I say that I don't really like Desperate Housewives, hehehe.

Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sam ini

Chicken Voila!

Hi Sam,
Kumusta ang tutorial mo tonight? Did it go well?

I just want to tell you that we had a splendid dinner last Monday night, and that's courtesy of the instant herb and garlic sauce you sent me. It even saved us from an unpleasant drive out for dinner on that rainy night.

Feeling lazy, we raided the fridge and took note of the available veggies and meat for a quick-cooking meal. In the freezer, we still have chicken breast and thighs, pork chops and corned beef. In the veggies section, we still have some tomatoes, okra, carrots, lemons, potatoes, and shiitake mushrooms. Still scratching my head not knowing what to prepare, I absent-mindedly opened the cupboard and lo! packets of instant sauce mix welcomed my sight; and to the left was the burrito wraps that had been purchased not too long ago.

What I had in mind was to prepare a dish that's 1) quick, and 2) yummy at the same time. Then it hit me -- chicken burritos!!! It's such a no-fuss, really, taking me less than 30mins to prepare the dish. And it helped that R pitched in as well... Just a little dash of oil here, and a little frying there...

And look, this is the end result... ta-daaa!

Truly, finger-licking good!

Ahh, simple pleasures in life made special... :D
I can't wait to visit you in Naga and cook something together!

Love,
ZJ

Me, myself and coffee

Hi, Sam... nagkape ka na?

For as long as I can remember, Sam is such a coffee-buff.

Moi? I have this long standing love-hate relationship with coffee. Years ago when I was working in a tv company, coffee was a main staple... it was the air we breathe at that time. It's our source of energy, providing us the much needed nutrients or whenever we couldn't go out yet for a meal and the much need jolt whenever we are on the verge of falling asleep right in the middle of something urgent. Over cups and cups of steaming coffee, we made it through the many sleepless nights, beating deadlines for our news and features. But that was long time ago, when I was much younger, and my caffeine tolerance was still high.

Nowadays, I could not even finish a cup without experiencing anxiety attacks. Yes, it's that bad. However, I only assume that taking coffee results to my anxiety attacks. One day I went to see a doctor to get a medical explanation on this "assumption" brewing in my head. The doctor neither confirmed nor denied my assumption. Over-thinker daa ako. Basta ngaya, inuman ko lang daw dakul na water everyday and I'll be okay.


And since I am blabbering about coffee, read this:

You Are a Peppermint Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new.
However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like.You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation.You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please.

What Kind Of Coffee Are You? Take This Quiz :-)

:D Hahaha. So true.
How about you, Sam?
Tara na, mangape na kita.

Coffee Bliss

Hi there, Zar!

Over the weekend, I found out that muscovado sugar is best for coffee , even if it's instant coffee you prefer or brewed (if you enjoy a sweeter cup, that is). Since then (well, it's only been like two days ago), I've upped my usual daily consumption to 3-4 mugs. That's quite a small amount to drink (as other coffee-holics would say). Coffee is bliss for me. It has flavanoids and anti-oxidants which are good for the heart. When siesta hour strikes, coffee perks me up. When I feel sad, coffee keeps me warm inside. I like the buzz it leaves inside my head, hehehe. Coffee-dating even has a nice ring to it. What's a better partner to heart-warming conversation than a shot, a cup, or a mug of this rich concoction (whether it's iced or scalding hot)?

I could go on and on about coffee...but then, what is coffee without having Zar around to share it with? Well, we found a way to share cups, send each other different variants and even compare notes about this or that particular brand. Altho we are not on the expert level yet, we're able to tell whether our daily dose is good or just average. And that coffee talk makes up for the miles between us!

Yep, coffee.
How about a cuppa, Zar?

My Take

Having a soul sister, cheerleader and all-around bestfriend is one of the GREATEST gifts in the world! For me, she is Zar. She is very smart, an achiever, an amazing person, a witty writer and a really brave amiga who is ready to take on the challenges of creating change in peoples' lives. It's good to know that she's always there. Zealous. Attentive. Real.

We're as different as two peas in a pod. We can be quirky, cruel, gross, cute, happy, mean, twisted, radiant...just by being ourselves. Our online chats, emails, snail mails and gifts (via post) are proofs that distance can never be a hindrance to friendship.

And this blog is our way of letting you know: "friendship is a gift and it's meant to be shared".
Go ahead, immerse yourselves. Take a peek. Ride with us. It's going to be fun, fab and fantastic.

I say...

Hey there... welcome to our new blog!

A blog to share, a new venue to rant... with none other than my bestfriend, Sam.
Sam and I, we're soul sisters. Behind us were 10years of solid friendship - 3 years together and 7 years apart. Even though we can't be there physically for each other, in spirit, we know, that the other is there... supporting, teasing and most of all wishing good things for each other.

Though in my 7 years away from my country, Sam and I makes it a point to connect with each other... be it by snail mail or email. We also discovered the wonders of Yahoo Messenger and so now, there's never a day without a quick chat with each other (most of the times lasting the whole day!). Through this blog, we can still chatter away like we always do... we can gush about things, or rant about almost anything, like we used to.

I miss you, Sam. I miss all the fun things - big and small - that we did all those years. I am so looking forward to seeing you soon...

Cheers to us... and happy blogging, amiga!