Motor Ride at Antipolo City 2013

Long vacation, no school and no work. We took the time to have a joy ride to Antipolo City using our motorcycle, easy to avoid and get through the busy and heavy traffic.

Going up the mountain is a splendor, fresh air, cold breeze, relaxing sounds, great view of the city. Unluckily, our phone camera was not able to capture the city, foggy and bright, reflecting the lens and I cannot find a good angle.

Writing a Simple Young Filipino Poem

Being a Filipino takes pride for every individual who practice Filipino cultures and proud of being who we are. Poem below created by my daughter and I in an effort to accomplish a project in Araling Panlipunan Grade 3 level.

The project is to create a poem describing the adorable physical traits she have and why she adores it.

ANG KAIBIG-IBIG KONG AKO

Tula ni Jahaziah Castillo

Buhok ko ay itim at mahaba

Mga mata ko ay tsinita

Ilong ko ay matangos, labi'y manipis

Balat ko ay kayumangging makinis

3 Thrifty Tips for a Schooling Kid

I have set aside a daily allowance for my daughter to spend in the school. With her money allowance, we as parents gave her the right to choose what to buy for herself whether snacks, lunch, or treats. Or sometimes an unexpected need for school projects or supplies for writing. With her 100 pesos daily allowance, a surmountable change is still left in her pocket. Twenty pesos, fifty pesos, five pesos and most of the times nothing - NADA.

As a kid she is, it is inevitable for canoodle wishes to buy her additional foodies and goodies at sari-sari and convenience stores nearby our house. Thus as loving parents, we give in with her “lambing” not thinking that this small amount is reduced from our family budget.

How to Cook Fried Rice with Chorizo

Last night, we overestimated rice servings so this morning we still have more than a handful of leftover white rice. Well, I cannot let it go to waste considering that I store it inside the fridge and some people are not lucky to have three meals a day. I made a quick sniff if the rice is spoiled and it was not.

How To Cook HamSiDog (Ham, Sinangag, and Hotdog)

It is seven in the morning busy surfing the net and my daughter sneaked behind me shouting "I'm awake, I'm awake". I was a little bit startled unknowing she woke up early today considering it is their summer vacation.

She immediately turned on her PS2 game "God of War" and quickly turned to me and requested that I will make breakfast. I checked the fridge and gladly, the hawaiian ham is still on stock and the cheesedog comes in handy. Jaha loves ham except if it is fried.

Concocting Watermelon Fruit Juice

Summertime and the family decided to go to Quiapo, Manila where all society status roamed around looking for good stuff for an affordable price. Yes, that is the glorious place where the rich and famous attends mass at the Catholic Church beside the Miranda and the poor and middle class mingled to buy or to sell along the sidewalks. Bystanders are scattered everywhere, finding easy-money extra job.

After circling around the market area window-shopping and bargain hunting, we happened to spot little stores near the bridge where they sell varieties of fruit. Jaha quickly exclaimed to buy watermelon and she chose the biggest fruit she could see.

Simple Macaroni and Squash Soup

We visited my doctor and he advised us to intake foods that are soups and can be easily swallowed. He advised to stay out from hard, crunchy, and chewy dishes that may harm my recovery. Well, as usual, I am not worried from myself but I am concerned again what will I cook so that my daughter will also take additional nourishment through proper eating.

As I opened my fridge, I can still see my leftover pieces of squash and elbow macaroni. Hmmm, some of the corner eatery serves macaroni soup but this time, I need to invent something that is good and high in vitamin A.

Squashy Macaroni and Cheese

My daughter is coming home soon from her last day of school and I haven’t thought yet what would she like to have for a late lunch or snack maybe.  My daughter is very picky with her food choices and it gave me a hard time deciding what dish to serve for her today. Well, as I rammed through my minds, I only knew that she loves to eat pasta preferably macaroni provided that is creamy. My problem adds up when I realized long before that she is not fond in eating vegetables and it is very vital that vegetables should be in her dietary requirements.

Creamy Stroganoff Rice Toppings

Hectic day of cleaning our home today, stayed late last night doing movie marathon and I still have to wake up early to tend to my family. Hmmm, crazy thinking and wondering what would entice my dear Jaha to eat and savor nutritious food and of course meat. She does not like eating meat with her small teeth. I am now accustomed to really cook the meat tenderly. With my gregarious personality, I am happy I could somehow deceive her (in a good way) of eating her meals! :-)

The Day Before The Pagudpud Experience

We are now at the last week of March 2015 and the heat is terrible around Manila City. School has ended and summer has officially just began. With the excitement of getting relieved from school's stress, office burnout, and heavy load of house chores, we thirst of a relaxing break. To get out of the busy city, polluted environment, and just go where we can unwind and recharge our strength.

So we decided to go to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte where they call it the untouched Boracay of the North. So secluded and 2 hours away from Laoag City, we can experience a bit of out of the civilization. We went there before sometime of April 2011 and it was fun, though I was not able to get pictures because of unpreparedness.

How Much Is An Emergency Fund?

It was inculcated on my mind that I need to save enough money for the rainy days. Rainy days are times for future financial need, mostly unexpected events where money requires to spend for.



Since then, I learned to save. Every time an extra dime or more comes in a handy, I usually keep it in my clay  jar bank and break it when it is full to deposit in a bank. When I started working, ATM or electronic banking makes it easier to save in just few clicks.

Having Your Cake and Eating It, Too

One day, I was sorting old newspapers in my drawer and I happened to stumble a great article with regards to finances. I noticed that the author is one of my Facebook friends and also, we went to the same high school! I love the thought of sharing it on my new blog site as a new avenue to spread excellent thoughts. Gladly, Liza heartily gave me the favor of re-publishing it.



Read on...

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This article was originally published on OpinYon’s Vol. No. 1, Issue No. 42, and is edited for this blog.

The saying ‘have your cake and eating it too’ seems to be an embodiment of all that we want – we want to achieve our dreams, and enjoy life in the process.

‘Having your cake and eating it too’ means being free from financial pressures to able to enjoy the freedom to choose; and the opportunity to create and share.  The good thing about having more than enough money is it frees us from having to worry about where are meals will come from next or whether we will be able to pay our bills on time.

5 Ways to Riches

One of my avid financial advisers is Francisco Colayco and his colleagues in the Colayco Foundation. One of the great basic principles and teachings that inculcated on my mind are the different ways to become rich. I know that many people aims to have a humongous stash of money so that they may able to buy the things their hearts desire.

1.     Inheritance
Few people are lucky to be born with silver spoon thus this way does not come easily. About 2% of the country's populations are gifted with this untimely splash of wealth.

The EnfaKid Photoshoot

Having the continuous busy days these past few months and anticipating ahead on the workloads that will be coming, I happened to browse my old files and stammered on an unedited picture of my daughter. I subconsciously smiled at the photo wherein my little daughter was just starting to pose in front of the camera deliberately and the timid smile is slowly emerging as she makes herself adjusts to the people in front of her.

The flashing grin from us (her parents) gave her the courage to stand up and let the standing director guide her on her first photo capture in front of the crowd.

23 Brilliant Life Lessons from Anthony Bourdain

If you do not know Anthony Bourdain, he is an American chef, author, and television personality. He is widely known for his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and in 2005 he began hosting the Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure programs Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover. 

I usually watch him on cable with all his travels and food trips experiencing different culinary culture or food explorations all over the globe. It gives me new hindsights what the other countries are offering and provides awareness to those who are confined in their own country.

Sharing these 23 life lessons from the man himself, truly very inspiring.

1.) “Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don't have.”

Snacking at MXT Tea House

One afternoon of July 22, 2011, my daughter is very anxious in convincing me to go out and stroll around the mall. She looks unsteady as she waits for us (daddy and mommy) to get up and move :-)

As usual, she is very quick in dressing up herself and asking me to finish up her clothes and accessories.

Ginisang Sayote and Carrots

I woke up today feeling low and bloated from overeating meat from last night's family get together. I felt like munching some fresh raw celery or straight vegetable menu for the day. As I search the fridge of the remaining vegetable stocks from last week's groceries, this is what I cooked for breakfast...ginisang sayote and carrots.


Ingredients:
100 grams ground pork
2 large size sayote, julienne cut
2 large size carrtos, julienne cut
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, minced
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

*** julienne cut is cut into long thin strips
*** sayote in english is chayote or chayote squash or vegetable pear
*** pork can also be substituted with shrimp

Dried Pork Dinuguan (My Grandma's Style)

Last Friday, December 16, 2011, it was my late grandmother's birthday (well, i'm not sure how old she is now). Being raised up by her and the favorite grandchild among her grandchildren :-), I had the luxury of eating first her cooking dish every time she  prepares it. Lucky also that I remembered how she cooks it without crashing my budget.

Unlike the casual dinuguan ingredient of pork stomach, intestines, or any organs, we used the solid meat and some fat instead. We usually picked the belly part.

Ingredients:
1 kilo of pork belly, cut into small cubes
1/2 kilo of pork liver, put it to blender until juiced, set aside
500 ml of fresh pork's blood
5 green chili peppers, 1 cut into small pieces and the rest mixed as whole
1 whole garlic, crushed
ginger
2 whole onions, minced
2 bay leaf
1 tbsp of cooking oil
1 cup of bread crumbs or left over bread, hand tear
salt and pepper to taste

You might wonder why there is a bread crumb...this is how my grandma add some texture on the dish.

Our "More Than Century Old" Piano

The old piano we have in the home province is a record of many memories for 5 generations. Serving me as the 5th generation who played as amateur, not even a piece of the skilled great-great relatives who mastered the art of music. The piano has been with the family since late 1800s as told by my grandaunt who currently lives in the old house. It has been passed by next generation to the other who has the love and mastery of playing it. I think the last person who still has the mastery of it is still our grandaunt, currently residing.

Some of us luckily had the chance to play it with enthusiasm but never acquired the high level of mastery of it. Maybe of the advent of technology that we joined and moved into web games and social media? Am not sure... but evidence shows that none of us in the current generation advanced in playing the piano instrument.

Cheesy Creamy Beef Kaldereta

Instead of indulging to traditional kaldereta cooking of my late grandmother, I tried diverting it to my version as mostly watched from different cooking shows at GMA7, QTV, ABS2, Bio (Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, and TLC (Bobby Chi, Man vs. Food, Nigella Express, etc.)

Ingredients:
1 kilo of beef cubes
1 pack of Nestle all purpose cream, 250 ml tetra pack
90 grams of Eden cheese original, grated
1 big can of Reno liver spread, 230 g 
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 medium red bell pepper, cut striped
1 medium green bell pepper, cut striped
20 baby potatoes, you can add more if you prefer more potatoes
5 large carrots, cubed
1 head of garlic, minced
1 large size of onions, minced
1 tbsp of vinegar
cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Have Some Cotton Candy

Sugary sweet is what I can savor from this good old puffy candy. It has been with us for many years, even when I was a toddler. Flavors may differ, transforms into many forms, and yet when you have it, happy memories comes with it. 

Either events like town fiesta, kid's party, school activities, family gathering, or just roaming around, this cotton candy never get out of the trend. '

Even sadness or desperation kicks in our lives, the sugar from this candy gives a little lift to our raving hearts. 

Afternoon sweetness with Jaha, playing in the park and sightseeing. Cotton candy is everywhere!

The Kalesa Ride

A kalesa (also caritela/karitela) is a horse drawn calash used in the Philippines. It was one mode of transportation introduced to the islands in the 18th century by Spanish colonizers, and was initially reserved for only nobles and high-ranking civic officials.

Manila has still numerous kalesa ride particularly near Luneta where Dr. Jose Rizal shrine is located and Intramuros area where Fort Santiago can be found.

Some parts of the Philippines have still kalesa prevalent and use this as important mode of transportation. Vigan in Ilocos Sur still use this ride for tourism and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte have many and serves as regular transportation.