Category: Life & Love

From Fried Fish to Fish Soup

August 23, 2017

Life & Love
At home, we normally have left-over food that I put in the refrigerator for breakfast. Last Sunday, we had left-over fried milkfish and fried round scad (galunggong). When I was about to re-heat them on Monday, they looked dry and hard so I thought of recycling them into another dish, instead of throwing them away.

Ingredients:

2 pcs. medium-sized sliced tomatoes

3 pcs. crushed garlic

1 pc. medium-sized sliced onions

1 tablespoon of gourmet fish sauce (I use Barrio Fiesta patis)

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

2 bundles of jute (saluyot)

4 cups of water

Instruction:
1. Saute garlic, tomatoe and onion. Do not burn the garlic.
2. Put the fried fish and saute for a minute.
3. Pour the 4 cups of water and let it boil.
4. Put some fish sauce.
5. Put the jute leaves.
6. Let it simmer for another minute.
Note: You can add other vegetables like squash and eggplant. Others use fish paste (bagoong) instead of fish sauce (patis). Be creative and customize according to your taste!

🙂

On Online Reselling and Pricing

August 18, 2017

Note: Pictures taken from the web.

My friend resells Richoco Big Rolls for PhP 139.00 each and Super Delight Brownie Bites for PhP60.00. I am surprised to see other online resellers selling these items at PhP200.00 and PhP 100.00 respectively!

		Reseller A		Reseller B
Item	SRP (PhP)	Reseller’s Price (PhP)	Profit	Reseller’s Price (PhP)	Profit	Price at 15% Profit (PhP)	Price at 20% Profit (PhP)
Richoco Big Rolls	100	200	100%	139	39%	115	120
Super Delight	50	100	100%	60	20%	57.5	60

For the sake of comparison, the table above gives us an idea about how much some resellers are making profit out of their self-proclaimed limited supply of these goods to the market. If that is the rule, then consumers must also be wise in spending their hard-earned money to make the best value out of it.

Consumers must check, check and check about the availability of the goods that he/she wants to buy. Do not believe that an item as rampant as the ones mentioned above is so limited as the appearance of the northern lights.

Check and compare with the other resellers about the price of the product. Check the label and as well as the expiration dates. As much as possible, transact with resellers that are known to you so that when there is a problem with the item, you can easily discuss it with them.

Consider buying wholesale from Duty Free or even at the grocery if you are really into an item. (To date, I have yet to see a Richoco and Super Delight on the display shelf of the grocery.)

Road Accident

August 17, 2017

Life & Love

I’ve always been paranoid about road safety that’s why I am always alert whenever we are traveling. Yesterday, netizens and tele-viewers were glued to their phones and TV to witness the rescue operation of a family of 5 that was trapped inside their car when a cement mixer fell on them after it tripped over the center island. Looking at the picture above, one would assume that nobody made it but as of last night, the mother and her three children were declared out of critical condition. The father, whose rescue operation was witnessed by many, did not make it. Time was a critical factor to his rescue because he was trapped for at least three hours. Meanwhile, the cement mixer driver has been arrested and put in jail.

How can we really avoid road accident? As a person, we know our capability. If you are a driver, don’t drink when you will drive. Drive within the speed limit. Check your vehicles if it is in good condition for long travels.

As a pedestrian, use the footbridge and cross on the right lane. Don’t assume that your body is made of steel.

As a would-be driver, learn how to drive defensively. Learn the street signs. Learn the traffic rules. Don’t get a driver’s license because you want to drive. Get a driver’s license because you are capable and competent to drive.

As a co-passenger, avoid sleeping on the car. Four eyes are better than one so be alert on the road as the driver. If you are seated on the back, behave. Don’t make a distraction because the driver might miss something on the road. Accidents happen in a split-second.

As a public official and somebody in authority, do your job! Review the traffic route of heavy vehicles. Repair damaged road and as well as broken traffic signs.
Heart Don’t Change My Mind (My Version)

August 14, 2017

Life & Love

I said we’d try again
But tryin’s not enough
Acting like strangers ain’t no way of saving love
It’s never gonna work
It’s time to stop pretending
Time to turn the page
All stories need an ending
It makes no sense to stay
Livin’ my life in yesterday
I’m leavin’ I’m leavin’ and I’m beggin’ you

Heart don’t change my mind
Oh heart be strong this time
And try to help me tell her goodbye
It’ll only bring pain for me to stay
Oh heart it’s hard for you I know
Let me let him go

Don’t let me think about
How good it was before
I know you’ll try anything
to keep me from that thought
It’s hard to leave him when
You’ve loved him for so long
Now how can I walk away
If you’re still holdin’ on now

I finally found the strength
Look at me I can finally say it’s over, it’s over
So I’m beggin’ you

It makes no sense to stay
Sad that it has to end this way
It’s over, it’s over
BFF Goals

August 4, 2017

Life & Love

Steph and Annie used to be my officemates in my first job. The pair was inseparable then and you could feel genuine friendship between the two. Steph migrated to the US sometime in 2005, leaving Annie devastated. Annie was happy for her bestfriend but the reality of living without her was just hard to accept at first. A month after Steph’s migration, Annie sent us an inspirational chain message about the good in good-bye. I felt sorry for her because just five years earlier, I was in the same position when my best buddy left the country to settle in Canada. I did not expect that Annie and Steph’s friendship would survive the test of time and distance.

I was wrong! Very wrong! A few days ago, I saw them TOGETHER in the US through Annie’s Facebook post. I was ecstatic to see them together and I realized that there are really some friendships that are meant to stay, no matter what.

Some friends will be there for you as long as they get something from you.

Some friends will dine with you as long as you have the money and fame.

Some friends will forget about you as soon as they leave.

Some friends will claim that they love you though you can hardly feel it.

I am glad because my faith in true friendship is back. To be a good friend to others, you must accept the other person’s flaws and weaknesses. To be a good friend to others, you must be there during his highs and lows. To be a good friend to others, you must open your heart and soul. Steph and Annie made it and will continuously make it. There’s just so much love to share between them. 🙂
Paranoid, Hoax or Traumatic Truth?

July 10, 2017

Life & Love
A certain Ralph Miranda appealed to Facebook users to inform him about the location of his girlfriend, a certain Cheanne Diaz, who was said to be riding on a UV express with a driver and two male passengers who were ignoring her pleas to pull off the vehicle.

The last time he saw Cheanne was 11:30 AM in Cabanatuan terminal. Travel time to Cubao would have been 3 hours so Cheanne most likely reached Cubao before 3:00 PM. There were exchanges of chats between Ralph and Cheanne at around 6:50 PM so if she went straight to the UV express, she would have been travelling for another three hours now.

Ralph got a lot of bashing from the netizens later when he declared that Cheanne was safe and home. A lot doubted his story and some posers made the situation worse for the two. Some called him a paranoid boyfriend while others said that it was just a bad joke or a hoax!

While I was very much relieved to know that Cheanne was safe, there were some questions that need to be answered to set the records straight.
1. Was the UV express a colorum?
2. What time did she ride into the UV express?
3. Which part of the UV express was she seated?
4. If the driver and two passengers meant her harm, they could have gagged her and nobody would have known. But instead, she was able to chat with her boyfriend until the driver allegedly asked her to stop.
5. It took her three hours before she finally escaped. Was it because of the traffic situation or she was simply let go after a hold up?
I hope that there are CCTVs around the area so the perpetrators will be caught. No female deserves to be harassed!
Mano Po

July 10, 2017

Life & Love

Adi’s classmate saw me in school this morning. The little girl went straight to me and did the “mano po” gesture. I was surprised and at the same time, elated to know that children of this generation still value this.

On our way to work later, I reminisced about my good old days at the province wherein children were expected to be home by 6:00 PM to participate on the angelus. Then after that, we were required to do the “mano po” to all the elders around.

We also did the “mano po” whenever we were at my father’s side of the family. There was a quick introduction for each that served as a subtle reminder of how and why we were related. As a very shy child, I did not look forward to meeting my numerous relatives from my father’s side except for some who were very close to us. Now that I am a parent myself, I realize that my children are not given the opportunity to know and bond with their relatives because we live far away from them.

I want my children to grow up knowing about old Filipino traditions and practices. My challenge is to let them embrace what “mano po” is all about. 🙂