Squash Soup without a Recipe

Posted on August 19, 2011 by adminjona

It is true that cooking is an art. Like Chef Michael Smith, my cooking secret is cooking without a recipe. When doing grocery shopping, I buy ingredients that I either love to eat or like to try. I would then build my recipe out of what I have. I usually check the vegetables first since they have a very short shelf life. I know we all hate to buy things, bring them home and just eventually throw them into the garbage.

I was thinking about what we have been eating for the past few days and realized we have been eating more meat and fewer vegetables. It was time to cook for dinner so I checked on the vegetables on hand and found I have on whole squash on hand. Aha! I checked and I have Chinese okra, basil, ginger , small shrimps and coconut milk. I made a delicious and hearty squash soup or “dinuldog” in Cebuano with a hint of Thai basil and nutmeg. That was what we had for supper and it went well with the leftover grilled milkfish.

When cooking a very flavourful dish like squash soup, the possibilities are endless. You can sneak in green vegetables into the dish and it would still taste great. Okra, green beans, string beans, spinach or any other green leafy vegetables work well with the dish.

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Wild Birds as Pets

Posted on August 9, 2011 by adminjona

My husband and I visited my aunt’s family in Maryland twice. The first was during spring of 2009 and next was Christmas of 2010. On all occasions, there were plenty of birds everywhere. The reason was that my aunt had several feeders installed throughout their three-acre property.

When we moved to our new place, we bought two bird feeders. We just hang the feeders around the cherry tree at our backyard. It was not  long before warblers flock to our feeders. I could see at least twenty birds feeding at the same time at any day. Most of
them, picking up seeds on the ground that fell from the feeders.

Sometimes I could not see the small birds feeding when they usually do. The bigger birds would scare them away.  It is either the robins are picking on the ripe cherries or there are magpies resting by the tree.

It is such a joy to see birds right outside our windows. They are present everyday and are always chirping and calling out to each other. I enjoy their presence so much that it makes me feel I have pets.

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Upgrading to a New Home

Posted on August 1, 2011 by adminjona

It has been exactly two months since we moved to our new home in SW Calgary.  I can say that  we are now 80 percent settled in terms of house setup.  We got a bigger place than
before so we needed to buy a lot of stuff to get it all together.

We were kind of upgrading the things that we already own.  We have a pair of JM Lab- Focal floor-standing speakers and we wanted the surround system. We bought the center speaker, subwoofer and back speakers, same brand for all to maximize the sound effect.

My husband had always wanted to buy a bigger TV but we kept  putting it off because of space issue. What we had before was a 32-inch Samsung TV. Now that we have the space, we bought a 55-inch Samsung Smart TV 3D and LED. The purchase also came with a pair of 3D glasses, Skype Chat camera and headset and a complete set of Shrek blu-ray discs in 3D.   I am really amazed at how so many things can  be done with just a TV nowadays. The future is promising.

The reclining navigator sofa from Ashley has been with us  for more than two years.  If you look at it, you can tell that it is obviously old but it is still in near perfect condition. We paid the same store a visit and we added love seat, center table and corner table from the same series. We also got a few accessories for our  living room.  Our living room now looks very welcoming and cozy.

Shopping for appliances and furniture can be a headache, what with the limited budget and endless options.  As for us, we just had to upgrade. We were already satisfied with what we already have so going with it was a smart choice.

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Birds Sighting

Posted on March 12, 2011 by adminjona

We woke up early today and was stunned by the view right outside our glass
door.  There were probably over a hundred black birds feeding on our lawn.  It
rained hard at dawn for the first time this year and the earthworms must have
been out due to the wet ground.  The birds were having such a grand buffet.

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New Year at ROM

Posted on January 5, 2011 by adminjona

My husband and I visited the Royal Ontario Museum on New Year’s Day 2011. We have
always been fascinated by world cultures and natural history.  We had been planning on doing this for a long time and could not seem to find the time. When we learned that they have the Chinese Terracota Army Exhibition, we knew it was the best time to go.  We spent the whole morning there checking out all the artwork displays. We were in awe at how people in the past could do so many amazing things with such limited resources and tools. It was a time well spent indeed.

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Summer Shopping

Posted on June 22, 2009 by adminjol501

Summer has officially started and there are so many outdoor activities we want to do. We want to go camping, biking, fishing, etc.  There are so many things we need to buy for us to make those activities happen and mind you, they are very expensive. This is our first summer together in Canada so we have yet to buy a tent, bicycles, fishing poles, to name a few. We buy these things for keeps so we have to make sure we get the best quality at the price we can afford.

We got lucky when we did our grocery shopping last Friday. It was a no tax shopping day at the superstore. I only intended to pick up a few food items since our fridge was still well-stocked but my husband wanted to make the most of the no tax shopping. We picked up items for summer like the two folding outdoor chairs in a bag, a tower fan with remote control and a small blizzard fan. It’s not really that hot in our apartment but we bought the fans just in case we need them.

I paid 348.50 dollars with my shopping and with no tax and I got a gift card worth $25 dollars because I paid more than $250. That was a surprise bonus. This will help me save for the major summer items that I have yet to buy. It is so true that buying wisely will help you live better.

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Taking A Break

Posted on June 21, 2009 by adminjol501

A trip from Canada to the Philippines entails a lot of spending. The fare alone already costs a lot of money. You also need to book your plane ticket way ahead of your trip because you might have a problem with the availability later because Christmas is peak season in the Philippines. This is the reason why balikbayans (returning Filipinos) would always make the most of the trip.

My husband and I are considering a visit to the Philippines before this year ends. Nothing is final yet but it is best to think ahead. Our old folks are still living and it is always a pleasure to have them around. They don’t want to travel so we really have to visit them whenever our budget would allow us to.
To make the most of our trip, we would like to visit local attractions and it’s Palawan this time. It will be our first time there and we are already very excited about it. We are both nature lovers and so Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is a must-see for us. It has always been our wish to be able to visit Palawan even before we left the country but we never had the budget then.

Philippines is a beautiful country with many unique scenic spots. We do not want to be strangers in our own country but travelling is expensive and oftentimes, when we have the money to spend, we don’t have time to go. For most of us, lost time also means lost income. Going on a vacation is a pleasure with a price but also inspires us to do more. This makes us feel better, think better and live better. Going on a vacation need not be expensive. I’m sure there’s always a good place to camp nearby. What’s important is that you take a break once in a while, take time to smell the flowers and appreciate what life has to offer and be grateful for it.

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A Dozen Roses For No Reason

Posted on June 13, 2009 by adminjol501

Flowers are so irresistible to women. Men use flowers to earn precious brownie points from their wives and girlfriends. There are even certain types of flowers and different colors considered fit for every occasion. There’s always a flower for every season and every reason. In fact, our hunger for flowers is causing an alarming rate of depletion of the world’s water resources.

Flowers make us feel good and loved. Flowers smooth over women’s disappointments and frustrations. Oftentimes, flowers make us give in to our partner’s wishes and requests. Men use flowers as a powerful tool when dealing with women. Flowers delivered by the giver himself at the recipient’s office or workplace conveys a stronger message than when delivered at home. We like to think that for men, carrying a bunch of flowers is like stepping outside their comfort zones. When you think that your man has to go through that, it just melts your heart or simply takes your breath away.

My husband gave me a dozen of red roses last Friday after our grocery shopping and for no reason. He was not trying to win me over something; he just wanted to give me flowers. We both had a long day and he definitely made my day a whole lot better. It also made him very happy seeing I was overjoyed with the flowers. Oh boy, I just love receiving flowers for no reason. What I’m really trying to say is that I love receiving something for no reason. It could be chocolates or something else, does not really matter. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.

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Looking Good and Feeling Good

Posted on June 11, 2009 by adminjol501

Cellulite is one of the reasons why most women are reluctant to wear bikinis and swim wears in public. In spite of the fact that it’s common to have cellulites, we still do not want to accept this. We want our skin to be even and smooth, no matter what race we are. We want to get rid of our cellulites by any means possible. We go through diets, exercise, using lotions and creams and bodywraps.

The media is partly to be blamed for our obsession to try to look like the models in magazines and television. Although we are well aware that technology makes it possible to edit pictures, we still take pictures in the magazines as it is. We also forget that make-up, lighting and other factors help make pictures look perfect. We would like to believe that models are really perfect in the truest sense even if they too, have flaws just like everyone else.

While technology advancement makes us want to try to look like the models in the commercials and advertisements, it is also the exact same thing that provides us with the tools and products to help us look and live better. An excellent example of this is body wraps. This product has become so popular around the world because of its proven efficacy. When your cellulite is smoothed out, you actually lose some inches off which makes it even better. Most BODY WRAPS are done in spas before but now, there is a wide selection of products which you can use in the privacy of your own home with the same results.

Summer is just around the corner and this means a possible trip to the beach. This is the time when we need our bodies to be fit and our skin smooth. A nice website to check out for products that I’m quite sure everybody especially women, would love is shimmerfx.com. There you can find products that can dramatically improve your well-being without your having to go through the knife. Everybody needs to be pampered once in awhile. When you work hard, you have to treat yourself with good things that make you look great. We are not born perfect but I’m glad that there are products that help us look great. When we look good in the mirror, we feel good. When we feel good, we feel like we can do everything and we project that good feeling with everything around us.

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Homemade Designer Cake

Posted on June 3, 2009 by adminjol501

I had a chat with my friend in Australia the other day. It’s been a while since our last chat. She said she had been busy preparing for the birthday party of her daughter. She is a hands-on mom and would like to do most of the preparations herself. She made the cake for her princess. I knew she could make a cake and decorate it nicely but I wasn’t’ expecting the cake to be that fabulous. She has a great deal of creativity and she makes unique and sophisticated designs of handicrafts. She makes good business with candle designs and decorations. Then came the cake which was a surprise. She only bakes cakes during special occasions. If we were only neighbors, she would have baked a cake for me on my birthday.


Designer Cake by a Friend

I’m just very happy that in spite of her endless chores (being a mom of two), she still managed to nurture her creative side. Way to go, friend. Someday all those hard work will pay off.

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