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Business

Craving for chicken adobo and pork barbecue

The thing I miss most while being away from the Philippines is the delicious, though not always healthy, delicacies.  As I was browsing through my Christmas photos, I saw these two yummy pictures of pork barbecue and chicken adobo.

Pork Barbecue

Last Christmas, my dad prepared the pork barbecue with his own special recipe.  I don’t really know how he does it.  But my dad has always been the best cook in our family.  Every dish he prepares is simply the best I’ve ever tasted.

Chicken Adobo

One of the more popular Filipino dishes is the chicken adobo.  Every town seem to have its own version of this delicacy.  Some like it hot.  Some don’t.  Some like to have a bit more sauce, while others like it dry.  As for me, I like how my dad cooks it.  It’s tasty.  It’s juicy.  It’s delicious.

Although I can certainly try to cook these dishes on my own, it’s never the same having your family around with you, sharing stories, laughter, and delicious food.

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Business Life Updates

Trip to Ilocos – welcoming arches, amazing bridges, and refreshing sceneries

About two years ago, me and my fiancee (now my wife) went to my hometown – Ilocos.  Instead of taking the usual bus trip at night, we decided to drive the whole stretch of Manila to Ilocos during the day.  We wanted to explore and do some sight-seeing while taking the long trip to Ilocos.

We departed from Manila around 5am in the morning to get away from traffic.  Since it was still early, we were able to reach Tarlac City at around 7am.  Just in time for breakfast.  As we were feeling a bit adventurous, we decided to park on the side of the national highway and eat our breakfast behind the refreshing view of corn fields and sunrise.

Here’s a picture of the sunrise while we were having breakfast on the side of the road.

 

 

Look how near we are from the road.  I could feel the trembling when a big truck passes us by.  It was an adventure and it was certainly fun. =)

 

 

The trip was long but certainly full of unusual and very interesting sights along the way.  Here’s a picture of a small shanty anchored atop of a tree-less mountain.   I can’t imagine having to climb the mountain everyday just to get to your house.

To prevent boredom, we took some pictures from each town while driving.  It’s amazing to know that each town actually has it’s own arch to welcome visiting guests.  Here are a few of the arches we were able to capture.

La Union

I was told that the province of La Union is actually a “union” of lands taken from surrounding 3 provinces: Ilocos, Abra and Pangasinan.  La Union is considered one of the top surfing destinations in the country with its beaches’ powerful waves.

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Upon reaching Vigan City, visitors are welcomed by a modern steel arched bridge connecting the city from nearby Narvacan town.   The 300-meter length bridge is breath-taking as it is supported by the scenic view from the mountains on both sides and adorned by the peaceful river down below.

About 30 minutes from the bridge is the main plaza of Vigan City.  Here lies the junction, welcoming visitors with its lovely arch.
Vigan is one of the most popular destinations in Ilocos region mainly due to its historic Spanish villas along Crisologo street.  Vigan is also famous for its mouth-watering delicacies like Vigan Longganisa, Royal Bibingka, Empanada, and many more.

Ilocos Norte

After almost 10 hours of travel, we finally reached the province of Ilocos Norte.  Here’s a picture of the province’s welcome arch supported by bricks.  Ilocos Norte is known for its tobacco, garlic, and especially for its most famous citizen, the late president Ferdinand Marcos.

Laoag City is the capital of Ilocos Norte.  You can learn more of the tourist attractions in Laoag City by reading my previous post “Laoag City Philippines – Sunshine city of the north.

Further along north is the tip of the Luzon island, the beautiful town of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.  The town is popular for its untouched natural resources like Saud Beach, Maira-ira Beach also known as “Blue Lagoon”, and some waterfalls along the way to Cagayan province.

There’s also a breath-taking view of the “Patapat” viaduct.  This is a very long stretch of majestic beauty: the green mountain view on one side and the refreshing mist of the wild sea from the other.

So many towns and cities.  So many arches and bridges.  So many beautiful places to see.  Take a trip to Ilocos.  Explore the refreshing sceneries of northern Philippines.

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Business Life Updates

Laoag Philippines – Sunshine City of the North

Last December, me and my wife spent our Christmas vacation in the northern part of the Philippines.  As I grew up in the north and am a true born Ilocano, I had special memories to reminisce as we visited the sunshine city of Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

Scenic view from the Gilbert Bridge

laoagriver

“Laoag” is the Ilocano term for “light” or “sunshine”.  It was a shiny day as we were welcomed by the scenic view from the Gilbert Bridge.  The bridge is the first  one to greet visitors of Laoag city and the last thing that will say goodbye when they leave.  I took this picture from the bus while travelling on the bridge.  As a kid, I have spent many times riding the bus going through and out of Laoag and it’s always a special feeling when I take a step into this beautiful city.  I have very fond memories here.  I spent some of my most cherished personal victories like when me and my high school classmates won the provincial statistics quiz.   Or the time when I took and passed the UPCAT (UP College Entrance Examination).  Now, I am adding more beautiful memories as I tour the city with my wife.

Sinking Bell Tower

laoagtower

At the end of the Gilbert Bridge lies one of Laoag’s most popular tourist spot – the Sinking Bell Tower.  Yes, it is still sinking.  Well, at least that’s what some of the people are saying.  The “sinking” of the tower is mainly due to its sandy foundation.

Calesa

laoagcalesa

While waiting beside the Sinking Bell Tower, I caught a glimpse of this very peculiar transportation in Laoag City – the “Calesa”.  The “Calesa” is a very eco-friendly horse-driven means of transportation within the city.  I remember when I was still in grade school, my family and I rode the “Calesa”.  The “kutsero” (a local term to refer to Calesa driver) was very nice and offered me to sit beside him in front and let me try to drive the Calesa by myself.  It was one of the most exciting things I’ve done as a child!

There were many things I still wanted to go to and visit in Laoag but we needed to get back home to Batac (nearby town) to prepare for Christmas celebration.

How about you? Have you been to the sunshine city of Laoag?

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Business Life Updates

Tagaytay, Philippines – Sonya's Garden Anniversary Lunch

Last December, my wife and I along with my in-laws went to Tagaytay, Philippines to have our anniversary lunch at Sonya’s Garden.  Tagaytay is a 2-hour drive south from Manila, the Philippines’ capital.  It’s a windy place similar to Baguio (the summer capital of the Philippines) with its scenic hills and slopes.

In Tagaytay, there’s a very popular place they call "Sonya’s Garden".  It’s a favorite place for weddings and other special events.  Their specialty is serving home-grown salads like the one below.

Although I am not a big fan of salads, the experience at Sonya’s is certainly a delight. I even had a great time drinking their bottomless tea.

After lunch, we went around the garden and took some pictures of lovely flowers.

There’s also and old wooden bench with wheels on the side.

Sonya’s Garden is wonderful place to relax, have some fresh salads, appreciate the natural beauty that is within us. Although it doesn’t come cheap, I am glad my wife and I spent a few moments to enjoy the food and take a walk along the garden paths and appreciate the beautiful flowers, reflecting the wonderful experiences we had the past year.  Maybe I’ll come here again next year.

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Life Updates Money Mindset

Goals for the year 2009

First day of the year 2009. I was on a plane going back from my home town in the Philippines to my work in Malaysia.  It was an interesting flight for me for two reasons: 1) It’s New Year! and 2) I didn’t need to go to work the next morning, which was a Friday.  I’d have the whole weekend to rest and reflect.

Since my wife has 1 more week of vacation before flying back to Malaysia, I had the whole weekend all by myself.  I used the time to reflect on the past year.  What were the things I learned?  What I would like to improve?

There are 3 things I learned from last year.  One, that the most important things in life cannot be bought – like time, family, happiness. Two, there are so many things I wanted to do last year, but for one reason or another, I always found an excuse not to be able to do any of them. Lastly, we can never know what the future may bring.  We can be afraid to take a step, we can stay relaxed on our own little world, we can work hard, but at the end of it all, the day that has passed can never be brought back.

So for the year 2009, I’d like to focus on three things: 1) passion to pursue my dreams, 2) courage to act in spite of fear, and 3) staying alive in the present and treasuring the happiness that today brings.

Next year, I’d like to go back to this 3 things again and see how I did!

Happy New Year!

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Life Updates Money Mindset

Love on the sands of time

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Business Life Updates

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all! It’s been a long time since I wrote on this blog.  Almost a year has passed.  So many things have happened.

New year. New perspective.  New beginning.

This year I’d like to focus on three things: 1) my own financial education, 2) my new photography hobby, and of course, 3) my sports, TV & DVD tidbits =)

Let’s get it on!

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Business Life Lessons

Yesterday

Here’s my personal recording of the Beatle’s Yesterday. Enjoy! 🙂

UPDATE as of May 8, 2009:  Unfortunately, about a month ago, SINGSHOT was no longer available as EA discontinued the service.  Too bad.  Anyone know of any other alternative for online videoke site?

Rate this performance at The Sims On Stage

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Business

American Idol: will it be David vs David?

Will it be David vs David in the Final Showdown?

That will be the question for tomorrow’s American Idol.   Earlier this evening, I was able to watch the first songs of the top 3 American Idol contestants.  I thought the performances didn’t really make someone stood out. 

They had pretty much the same performance as their previous weeks style and it made the show a bit predictable.  The requested songs from the judges suited the contestant’s style, except for David Cook’s rendition of “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face”.  The song was requested by Simon Cowell, perhaps to see how the hard rock artist would perform the non-rock, sweet melodic song of Roberta Flack.  It’s obvious from David’s reaction upon receiving the SMS message from Simon and tonight’s performance that it wasn’t easy for him.  It was not David’s best performance, but he also did not make a mess of himself.  It’s amazing how he was able to sustain his voice during the successive long and high notes at the end of the song. 

David Archuleta sang “And So It Goes” as requested by Paula Abdul.  David’s rendition is as expected: very soothing, not forced, but also did not make David the odds on favorite for the night. 

Syesha Mercado, on the other hand, sang “If I Ain’t Got You”.  It’s also a tricky song.  The fact that the song is very popular made it hard for her to create some personal touches and not mess up.  She did not mess up.  But she also did not put on an unforgettable performance.  

In the end, everyone played it safe.  I think this will work out to the two David’s advantage.  But who knows?  Perhaps, America has other ideas in mind.  So, will it be the two Davids in the final showdown?  Or will it be Syesha and one David?  Who will it be?

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Business

Windows Live Writer

I have just downloaded and installed Windows Live Writer on my laptop.  Let’s see how this post will look like in my blog.  But first, let me try to change the font color to blue.  This looks fun.  The good thing about the Windows Live Writer is that it looks like a standard Microsoft Word document.  It has the same menu and word formatting features.  Well, it’s from my Microsoft… =)

Now, let me just try to insert one of my favorite pictures. 

Allan Inocente

This was taken during my trip to Chicago.   On my background is a big, shiny, droplet-looking thing they call “The Bean”.

Ok, what else can I do?

  • hhmmm…I can try to create a bullet point..
  • and another bullet point…
  • and some more…

 

Alright, that’s enough for now.