I made pancakes. It doesn't look so enticing but it was good with a little butter and my Smuckers Strawberry Syrup. Yum! I might just eat it again tomorrow. Pancakes, Coffee and Orange Juice works for me all the time. And how lovely can it be when you're eating breakfast in front of someone who's never near but not that oh-so-far... Thank God for Skype.
I went to the mall (there are only 3 malls in Guam to date), and I gladly came across this store that had a very pleasant smell that my body has sort of commanded my brain to go inside and not just pass by, and so I did.
The sales lady is a real-talker. She blew me away with all her free treatments and trials she managed to perform on me. And I liked it, I really did that I bought a trial set. I've never tried Organic Products on my face so this is my first and it better be great or else...
THANN is a range of natural hair and skincare products formulated from botanicals, derived by combining the art of natural therapy with the modern dermatological science. It is made in Thailand.
I bought these trial set. An Oatmeal Facial Scrub, a Toner made from Jasmine, and a Rice Extract Moisturizer. I am just finishing off my moisturizer and after which I will be purchasing their Rice Extract Moisturizer and their Shiso Collection of facial and body products. I can't wait!
It has been my second day off to date and my day was very well spent. Let me tell you why...
I watched the movie Valentine's day with my friend Tedi. It was a very nice movie. It's all about LOVE. You must watch it.
Perfectly Brewed Iced Tea always works for me. This is one of the drinks I missed when I was back home. Here in Guam, they brew their own tea, most of the restaurants use Oolong Tea from China. They make a syrup which is 1 part sugar and 1 part water and they bring it to a boil after which they allow it to completely cool off. This is what they use as sweetener for the Iced Teas they serve. It's refreshing with a slice of Lemon as well.
I went to Sheraton Hotel with my friend Tedi. My friends initially discovered that there is a STARBUCKS outlet in Guam. Thank goodness for that! Well, there are few decent coffee shops here but nothing beats Starbucks for me and for most people I know.
Our server. His name is LOVEJOY. How often do you hear or even encounter a person by a name like his'? I was blown away. His parents must have been so in love.
I had Caramel Frappucino. It was good! Tedi got Caramel Macchiato. He said it was good as well. I am sure we will be returning there anytime soon. They don't have much choices but it's alright at least we've got Starbucks on Island.
And so I went home and fixed myself a little dinner. I had everything, it was just a matter of putting everything together. I had CHEESEBURGER. It was a happy meal. And speaking of that, I will be posting more of the happy meals I created at my tiny kitchen soon.
During the Lenten Season, I always give up SWEETS and MEAT. I have been religiously doing that for 3 years already. It's hard but when you get to the 40th day, it's all worth it.
It's very tough here on the island to give up meat since its the only one that comes in available mostly at the supermarket. Fish is somehow way expensive than meat here. So, this year, I will try my VERY best not to eat meat during the Lenten Season but it's not my main abstinence.
This year, I am abstaining from...
Alcohol (This photo was taken at our patio during my internship days.)
I am in the real world. The world where theories taught at school aren’t pertinent to any further extent. The world of unexplained shortcuts, magic powder, and MSG has dwelt amongst my hands. And I am not fond of it. Although I have welcomed it but in my heart distinguishes the real deal, what my mentors educated me with is at rest in my memory box fresh and uncontaminated.
I’ve come up to grasp that you will always have to learn it the hard way. Back when I was at school, shortcuts were a major no-no. Everything had its own preparations and the end result is always almost great. These times I miss school. I miss my favourite Chef Uli, who is Swiss and looks like my late Lolo Paquito. Chef Uli had his own way of preparing a dish and it was always smooth. He would deliver every single step with his hand mounting up and down flashing his gigantic vintage rings, which I really admire. I love huge vintage rings and I have been collecting it for some time now.
Say, hollandaise sauce for instance, the classical recipe would require you to make a reduction of white wine, white wine vinegar, onions, parsley stems, bay leaf, whole black peppercorns and a little water. You must carefully reduce it into half. Meanwhile, you must set up on a clean bowl egg yolks and on a separate bowl prepare clarified butter. Clarified Butter is butter that has been heated on top of water bath in a low heat so as to separate the buttermilk from the butter solids. The buttermilk will settle on the bottom and it really doesn’t have any use at all. I more often than not discard it. Then strain the reduction and let it cool down a bit. Once it has completely cooled down, gently pour it into the bowl with egg yolks and slowly combine it together with a wire whisk. Using both hands, lightly pour clarified butter unto the reduction and whisk it in one circular motion. Do this until you achieve a creamy consistency. Season it with salt, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. This sauce is good up until 4 hours.
The real world. They have clarified butter but the problem is that they let it boil before adding it into the egg yolks. There was no reduction, just eggs and butter. Imagine how this would taste, it’s like eating oil. Yuck! Here comes the clincher, they seasoned it with white wine, lemon juice and CHICKEN POWDER. Goodness gracious! The Hollandaise was murdered more than two times. But I have to keep mum since in school we were taught not to interfere with our workplace’ method and recipes. We had the basic knowledge etched in our minds yet we can’t even do it just because it wouldn’t be right for them.
I’m sad. Frustrated at its site. But what can I do? Nothing. Keep my silence because at the back of my mind I know I can make a much better Hollandaise Sauce.
Here’s another one. The French Onion Story. The way I was taught on how to make a right one is to smother thinly sliced onions in butter until it becomes translucent and then golden brown. And then you drop a thyme twig and mix it in. Deglaze with white wine and let the wine evaporate so as to reduce the acidity of the wine. Then you pour chicken or vegetable stock. Let it cook through then season with salt and pepper. That’s it. When you serve it, cut a piece of rye bread or any hard bread and place gruyere cheese on top of it. Place the bread on top of the soup carefully and gratinate it in a salamander until the cheese starts to melt and eventually turns into golden brown. That’s it!
The real world. The first step is the same. Smothering the onions in butter, but just before it gets golden brown, lots of KIKKOMAN soy sauce was added. I asked why??? with a strong impact. And the cook said, for colour. My goodness! And then he added sugar and maybe a tablespoon of white wine. And then let it simmer for awhile. The cook seasoned it with tons of CHICKEN POWDER. Murder again.
So, eventually I made an agreement to myself that the real world is the world of magic. And that I carry all the treasures of the hidden magic that they will never ever find.
And so I will end this blog with Chef Uli’s favourite line, “it’s the same old story...”
My house is not really a home. For the very reason that I don’t feel at home. Despite the fact that I am trying, getting there somehow... When my comfort zone is ultimately nearby in all corners of the house then possibly I can say, I am home. But my boyfriend tells me that this is just a house because my home is in Ormoc. He is right in every way.
But still I am lucky and grateful that I have a living space. I have a functional kitchen, a decent dining table and chairs, a tiny living space, 2 bedrooms and a small bathroom. And oh, I do have a small patio and a garden. The garden needs a little work to make it lovelier, and I will work on it before long.
And so here are some snapshots of my home, my house rather. I am now using my new camera, my new-fangled baby, a Canon 500D. Many thanks to Lucy and Richard for helping me out on my camera.
Welcome to my Nipa Hut, my fragile hut...
My sliding glass door leading to my patio and garden. I open it every morning as I love the feel of air inside the whole house.
My kitchen space. I do a have a refrigerator. A big one. And I have one cooking pan and this tiny pot. That's it.
My dining area. I got these rooster place mats at ROSS, my favorite store. There so many other things there that I've been wanting to buy but they are just my wants and not my needs. There's a very big difference between them.
My living room. I wish I could put an indoor plant on the left corner and a flower arrangement on the coffee table. I wish.
My tiny bathroom.
My bedroom. This is my favorite spot. Well, of course I am here almost all the time. I wish I had a pretty lamp shade. But I am still working on that, finding one...
My window. This is what I see every time I wake up. Light fills up in my bedroom through this window.
My closet. These are the only clothes I brought along with me. Meaning I should wash often...
I will post pictures when my house will be my home. :)
I am now staying in a 2 bedroom apartment with nothing but I am alive. I made it. It's been 4 days here in the island of Guam and I have never felt alone in my entire human existence.
I wasn't in touch with my loved ones not until today. 4 days seems so short but these days we're like months for me already.
I got locked out of my apartment this morning, swarmed by cockroaches yesterday, my internet flash drive failed me last night and so much going on here that I need not share but I am still alive.
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