Tears for Fears

"All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces"... familiar?
Yup, they are coming to the PI.
Tears for Fears in Araneta and in Cebu.

Convincing BH to watch...

Image from philippineconcerts.com

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Busog Trip 14: Suam na Mais and Gatang Biya

Last weekend, was really a food trip.After the Celtics and Pacquiao losses, we decided to splurge our palates with something different. For a change, my in-laws and BH cooked something exceptional! Mmmmm!

Being served with a mouthwatering Gatang Biya (Long-finned Goby with coconut milk) made dieting regimen buried into oblivion. In the Philippines, a common idiomatic expression (coined perhaps by anglers) used by locals when pertaining to id**t  is "Utak-Biya" (Goby fish-brained). Why associate the "biya" to an id**t? Some say, it is because it's so effortless to catch the fish in rivers and streams. Regardless of the not-so-good characteristic attached to the fish, when it comes to the palate, everything changes.

We went to the local public market. BH agreed to cook biya with coconut milk. I don't know if it was the coconut milk or the fish that made the difference. But it was far better than OKAY. It was delicious!

Ingredients:
  1 kilo biya (gills removed)
  1 medium onion
  2 tomatoes (optional)
  garlic
  ginger
  siling haba (long chili)
  coconut milk
  salt
  black pepper
  half cup water

In a shallow but wide pan, mix all the ingredients except the coconut milk.After simmering, add the coconut milk. Let it simmer until the milk thickens. Put additional salt if needed. Serve hot.

Biya baybeh!

One of my in-laws prepared "Suam na Mais" (Pinoy Corn Soup). Why it's called suam, I am not sure. It's actually a Kapampangan dish but Bulacan version is also delicious. The corn they used is white, not the usual Japanese corn. Its sticky texture could have contributed to its thick soup. My in-laws added ground pork for the protein.

Ingredients:
    2 cups shredded white corn
    ground pork
    2 bundles squash leaves
    2 cups squared squash
    crushed pork cracklings (chicharon)
    onion
    garlic
    oil
    4 cups water
    salt or fish sauce (patis)

Saute the garlic and onion in hot oil. Add the ground pork and fish sauce. Cook until it changes color, then add the squash. Add the corn and water. Simmer then add the squash leaves. Stir until soup thickens. Serve topped with pork cracklings.



Suam na Mais, whammy!

What a weekend! Pacman may have lost to Tim, but we were all winners when it came to the food after the fight. Rematch wooooh!


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Bicol: Caramoan to Legaspi City(Sea, Volcano and Semi-Air)

Muscles now sore, we went on with the last leg of Bicol journey.
My five senses were all awake. The sweet smell of longganisa and the pungent aroma of daing dragged me to the inn's dining area. Mmmm... seeing the smoking hot cup of coffee perked me up.

After emptying the plates, we went to  Caramoan town proper to visit the old Catholic church of St. Michael in Tawog. It was built in 1619. Thereafter, we were brought by the tour guide to souvenir shops. Guess what we got?!? Shirts of course...

Done with packing, we were brought to Guijalo Port for our trip back to Naga. With a heavy heart, we were off to Guijalo and made a promise to return to Caramoan.


It's MV Harry again



serenity



beautiful Mayon in the background

 Okay, just 10 minutes into the sea, something went wrong. Uh-oh! 
The engine just went off and won't restart. MV Harry was drifted by the current. A loud siren made me jump from my seat. Goodness! It's MV Calixta coming from Catanduanes ready to dock at Guijalo. It's a RoRo vessel (roll on-roll off)  plying Lagonoy  to Caramoan. Alright, a boat passed us by and stopped a few meters ahead of us. A boatman jumped into the water carrying a thick rope and swam to the other boat. Voila, towboat(hahaha, tow truck for MMDA!). We were towed by said boat for an hour. Then we stopped again as we approach Rose Islet. Change boat! A sister boat (similar in size with MV Harry) stopped and the rope was transferred. We were towed for another hour. Good thing, the sea was very calm.

Towed

MV Calixta

second boat near Rose Islet

We reached Sabang Port and hopped in a van going to Naga. When we arrived at Naga terminal, we got in a van going to Legaspi. It was already 1230 and DS was hungry. This time, I bought Dunkin Donuts and juice. The lady who sold me juice two days before still recognized me."Travelling again Ma'am?", she asked. I said, "Yup, Bicol is so big that a week is not enough."

After more than an hour of smooth rainy ride, we reached Polangui, Albay. The majestic Mayon showed up despite the rain. Words are not enough to describe it's beauty. I was so perfect from a distance. DS took this photo using my mobile phone.

At Polangui, on our way to Legaspi

We arrived at Legaspi terminal at 245pm. It was humid and we checked in at Ellis Ecotel at Embarcadero Port. It's a new hotel that's located inside the Embarcadero Mall. Embarcadero boasts of a zipline above water (traversing the port end to end). BH and DS tried. I declined. Afraid of heights, sea and steep climb. "Anong pwede mo gawin",asked BH. Go ahead guys, not for me! So I became the official photographer.

BH

 

DS


 Okay, we had dinner at the port since it's the birthday of DS. After dinner, we checked Embarcadero mall and went back to the hotel with a tub of ice cream. After watching Topshot (History Channel), we went to sleep.
We woke up at 6am, had breakfast at the port and headed back to the hotel to get ready for our Cagsawa and Lignon Hill tour. Well, it was cloudy and Mayon is nowhere to be seen. we proceeded anyway. Thirty minutes after, we were already in Cagsawa. Beautiful!




Mayon vs. Cagsawa

Then off to Lignon Hill. I learned that below the hill is Legaspi Airport.When we were at the entrance of the attraction, a loud siren sounded like there's fire. It's a signal that an airplane is about to take off. We just too pictures at the entrance. I was informed that we still have to climb 800 meters more. No way! My muscles are still aching from the Caglago climb. Also, we need to go back to the hotel and get ready for our trip back to Naga. Our flight is at 4pm.

Lignon Hill

Below is the Legaspi Airport. DS pointing at the airplane that took off.

Back to Embarcadero, I decided to try the zipline. DS agreed to do it one more time. I climbed the steep stairs and almost threw up when I realized how high the tower is. Goodness, forgive me for my trespasses. DS went down first. I followed and shouted as the guy in charge pushed me to the edge. I shouted until my ear drums popped like a softdrink bottle being opened. " Waaah, mamamatay na ko. Nakupo! Ayoko na." Halloooo! When I was already in the middle, I saw tiny BH's frame perhaps recording my embarassing moment. I shouted even louder " Ibaba nyo na ko, ayoko na". Shame, shame, shame.... I reached the other end. The guy who helped me suggested he remove the slippers tied at the back of my harness. I snorted" are you kidding, let me out of this first. Can't you see I'm shaken to death." Natakot ata! Wahaha!  I swear, there's no way I'm going to try that thing again. Whew!

Umaygas! Am I going or not?

the tower

that's the hysterical X

  


That's where I came from, dangling.

 Bicol surely will be one of my best trips. I had fun. The adventure was exceptional. Notwithstanding the frequent moving from one attraction to another. Take note, I haven't been to Donsol yet.

Back to the Dornier.



Wearing our Caramoan shirt



Mt. Isarog at Pili Airport. The first and last attraction I saw in Bicol

See you soon Bicol. I shall return!

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44 Book 4

Spoilers alert!

I am sorry Jools, but I liked Book 3 and the previous books much more. Maybe this is because I was expecting for something significant or life changing will happen to Abby, or that there would be a revelation of sorts. In the end, there were unsettled issues between Abby and her boyfriend Ty, which makes us look forward to the next book, at least for this aspect.

I will still look forward to the next book. I hope it will be worth the wait.

xoxo, Y

Tito Chef

This evening, we dined at Tito Chef. It is a relatively new dining place at BF Homes Paranaque. We got there just past seven, and we noticed that by 7:30, the place was packed.

I didn't expect anything spectacular so I wasn't ready with my food blogging gadgets. But when we finished eating, I thought that it is worth blogging about, and the place is definitely worth going back to.

There were 3 of us, 2 grown-ups and 1 child. Our bill was P1500, but it was worth it.

For starters, we had Truffled Mushroom Soup Puree. It was very rich and tasty. It has shitake and porcini mushrooms, oyster and truffle essence.

For the entree, I ordered Barbecued Chicken Jambalaya. The Big Boy snorted when I announced my order, because on our way to Tito Chef, we were just talking of this short-lived fastfood called Pop Eye which served Louisiana food. I loved that fastfood, but it's a pity it didn't take off. (Haha, sorry I had to justify my choice of entree with this sentimental thoughts.). But it was alright. I was a bit confused though because the dish was described as spicy barbecued chicken filet, but the chicken was not boneless (well that is how I understand filet or fillet). I was happy though because I got the thigh- leg side. The jambalaya rice was worth ordering again, and it was topped by a coleslaw which balanced the flavor of the sausage in the jambalaya.

The little boy had American Burger which was served with potato allumettes, which turned out to be thinly shredded fried potatoes.

The Big Boy ordered Steak & Mushroom Pie. This was good. The steak was served with mushrooms, vegetables (I saw carrots and celeries), gravy and creamed potatoes. And of course, he ate it with a separate order of rice pilaf. We were disappointed that they don't serve plain rice, but only rice pilaf.

Both Steak and Burger were served with romaine lettuce with just a dash of dressing which tastes like it has some apple cider vinegar in it.

(from the Tito Chef website)

For dessert, we had Tiramisu which is alright. We vowed not to skip dessert, next time we eat there again, because the other desserts on the menu look as yummy as this Tiramisu.

Yummy!

xoxo, Y