French Ratatouille

I have always wanted to try French cooking but somehow the complexity of their food preparation scares me. So I thought I'll try one simple dish, the Ratatouille also known as Provençal vegetable stew. It's so simple that the vegetables needed are cheap, ample and colorful.

Cut the zucchini and eggplant into slices but don't peel. Place those vegetables in a bowl, cover with water and let rest for 30 minutes. Drain.

Sauté the eggplant and zucchini with olive oil in a skillet. Set aside.

Cook the diced onions with olive oil in the same skillet. Stir in the minced garlic and add salt and pepper. Add diced bell pepper.

Cut the tomatoes into slices and add them over the onions in the skillet. Cover and cook.

Put the eggplant and zucchini. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of parsley and fresh basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put 3 Tbsp or more of white wine. Adjust seasoning.

Serve with pork chop steak or sauted chicken.

Bon appetit!

Singaporean Chili Shrimp

I was feeling like a zombie that night...the effect of staying up all night. But I was in the mood for something spicy. It has been known that spicy foods can help speed up your metabolism. The main source of the heat, capsaicin is responsible for creating this effect, as it genereates heat and raises body temperature when eaten. Capsaicin is found in jalapenos, habaneros, cayenne, and on other chili peppers. For today's meal I used our local chili pepper, siling-labuyo (Bird's Eye Chili). Have you ever heard of the saying Great things come in small packages? The bird's eye chili is small but it produces a lot of heat.

Singaporean Chili Shrimp: Clean, remove the shells and set aside. In a hot pan add 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 Tbsp of finely minced garlic, thinly sliced onion and finely minced ginger. Add 1/2 kilo large white shrimps, 2 small chopped red chili pepper (labuyo), 5 Tbsp tomato sauce, a dash of salt, ground black pepper then squeeze some lemon juice and finally a dash of basil leaves. For best results, serve with white wine. Enjoy!

Beat the Heat

I have a splitting headache...a sign that the weather is really hot. 34.5 degrees celcius the weather report says. The highest temperature reading so far of the state weather bureau. That's what the news says. I spent the whole day sleeping and praying that the headache would go away.

When the weather is too hot to handle, I often return to the memory of my adventures at Dahilayan Adventure Park, Bukidnon. I love the comforts of the cool 14 degrees Celcius and the mouth-watering steak served for dinner at Cowboy's Grill. We stayed at those cozy little huts where air condition is no longer needed. I love the smell of the trees, the flowers and even the red earth. A few minutes of walk is just what I need to forget the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Not far from the inn where we stayed is the Dahilayan Adventure Park where you can find Asia's longest zip line about 840 meters. I will never forget my nervous silence while prepping up for the big Superman fly with my brother. I kept screaming while my brother turned deaf after the whole ordeal. My poor kuya...tsk.tsk.

The headache is almost gone now...

Going back to basics

I was making creamy scrambled eggs for breakfast when this image just popped out of my head... me jumping to the sizzling sound of frying. I had Mageirocophobia or the fear of cooking. I would cringe away from the sight of pots and pans. Just kidding. I just don't want all the fuss and the mess. And I prefer washing the dishes rather than cook. It's quite a shock knowing that I can now cook let alone learn how to cook and experiment with ingredients I've never thought of.

I realized when you cook, you just have to keep these basic ingredients:

salt

pepper

olive oil

basil leaves

parmesan cheese

parsley

Even the simplest dish like scrambled eggs or a can of sardines would taste better with these basic ingredients. It's just a matter of seasoning. If you season well, you'll end up having a great dish.

Life also provides us with these readily-available ingredients. How do we cook these basic components?

a dash of yourself

When you lose something, it gives you a lot of time of think. It may sound so cliche, but it's true. You learn that everything doesn't always end up according to your plan. So you learn to let go and let God. "If something doesn't work, you reflect on it and then you make yourself better." Words from a friend who shares my zest for life. It's my coping mechanism and a better version I would say. Instead of drowning my sorrows over alcohol, I prefer going out of my comfort zone. Don't get stuck in the same place, clinging on to a past you're not even sure if it's worth holding on to. Realign your goals. Reinvent yourself. Learn a new skill and master it. Go back to your first love - running and writing. Meet new friends and explore opportunities that would make you a better person. With all these, you become better AND you feel good.

a pinch of family

Life is short. There are some things that can't be borrowed. Our parents will not stay with us for the rest of our lives. They too, will get old and wither away. Grab every opportunity to spend time with them while they are still alive. Their wisdom makes sense most of the time especially in this topsy-turvy world.

season with friends

Surround yourself with people who will help you stand up when your face is stuck in the mud. Reconnect with friends whom you've lost contact over the years. Expand your social network. Join a club, a group meditation, or a salsa dance class. Meet new and exciting people.

serve while still hot

While you're still alive and kicking, explore this vast world. Learn something new. Travel. Get to know other people on the other side. Life is an endless source of new experiences waiting to be unraveled.

The thinking cap is on

When should you consider an opportunity?

When it falls on your lap the second time?

Or when all else fails and you need the change of scenery...

I worry too much. I think I need to get rid of some of these samskaras. As my prefect says unless you practice it on your own, you'll never know the difference. Hmm...I need to stick to my night and morning rituals.

How do you know if something you really want so bad is not really good for you? Do you wait for "signs" that would give you the answer? Or do you base it on logic by doing a comparison of the pros and cons?

I came across this one funny article from Bo Sanchez's book. He said people wait for the extra ordinary signs to figure something out when in fact the ordinary signs will give them the answer they need. What do you call that? The art of overlooking the obvious.

Discernment takes time even years for some. I hope I get mine soon...

For the love of gray

“ Once upon a time there were only two colors–black and white. The beauty of this lay in its simplicity. But as life became more complex, people learned how to mix the two colors, yielding various hues of gray.” - Shall We Dance, Rediscovering Christian Standards

Why do we love gray? Because of its complexity. People find complicated things interesting. That’s why if your FB status says “It’s complicated”, your friends will most likely ask you a lot of questions. So why not just black or white? Black. Death. White. Clean sheets. Both colors signify directness and simplicity. It’s easy to understand. No fuss. No confusion. Then why do we like to complicate things? Is it the thrill of scheming and having control over mind games?

I say if it’s giving you too much drama, get out before it eats you alive. Life should inspire you to do great things and not pull you down. Life is too short to sweat over the small stuff.

"Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt,sing like no one is listening,and live like it's heaven on earth."- William Purkey

Does size matter?

They say it does. But I say it doesn't.

I'm referring to the size of the malls here in Manila by the way...

I just want an organized mall...where the shoe stores are located at the 2nd floor, the appliances on the 3rd or the restos at the ground floor.

I was never a fan of MOA or Megamall. The stores are disorganized. It's big but everything is all about WALKING...Sigh! It's exhausting my dear. Even my feet hurts just by the thought of it. And the worst part is, the rest rooms are located at the far most part of the mall. It's like it's saying "hey, if you really need to pee that bad, come and find me..." By the time you get to the rest room you probably peed in your pants.

So I'm sticking with Greenbelt and Glorietta. They're not that big but they can give you all the comforts that you need...rest rooms everywhere...