Robinson’s Lipa EB
I met with my bestfriend Leslie today at SM Lipa. We haven’t seen each other for a long time so I was really looking forward to seeing her again, plus I was supposed to meet Neil from WPP. So while waiting for his text as to where we’d meet, Les and I went around the mall to find baking materials for my baking and we bumped into one of the malls sports shops. Meh. I got guilty because I saw the treadmills they had and I remembered that I haven’t been going to the gym for a long time, and my aunt has paid for my membership for a year. Yikes! So I better make sure I lose weight even if I don’t go to the gym so that my aunt won’t get mad. 
After an hour (Neil said 1.30 but he texted 2.30 already…lol) we finally met with him in Robinson’s Lipa. He gave me a lesson about earning online -insert evil laughter here- plus he even paid for the food. Free consultation plus free food, that’s how nice Neil is. Hahaha. I’d treat him back once I get rich from all the lessons he taught me. 
We almost forgot to take a picture but good thing we remembered, lest we suffer the wrath of Ate Kengkay (joke…haha). So here’s me, Leslie and Neil after eating a family super pizza, spaghetti marinara and lasagna:
P.S. See the tissue? That’s where I wrote the lessons I learned. Lol.
Popularity: 5% [?]
I <3 Finesse.
I’m back to using Finesse for my hair. Many years ago I used Finesse and it worked great for my hair but after having a hard time finding the shampoo (we had no large malls then near the province) I had to use the local shampoos we had. I eventually forgot to change my shampoo since I haven’t gone out for a long time so its been quite a disaster since then. Local shampoos either make my hair extremely dry (something that resembles a witches broom I suppose) or extremely oily (like you’ve been drenched under Enchanted Kingdom’s Rio Grande with all the soot and icky stuffs clinging to your hair). Finding Finesse the other month made me squeal with joy. Haha, I’m finally starting to resemble a human being again. Good thing I didn’t have to suffer hair loss and actually use a hair loss product. I love my hair too much, Rejoice | Pantene | Lux | Vaseline | Palmolive | Pert etc. made my hair a daily disaster. Lol. Plus what I love about Finesse is that they offer a shampoo and conditioner in one variety. My hair seriously hates a separate conditioner. It makes my hair feel like goo. Eeeew. That’s why I don’t really like the local brands we have. They all changed into separate shampoos and conditioners. No wonder we take so long in taking showers before going to school or work in the mornings. We have to use so many stuff in the bathroom.
Popularity: 4% [?]
I love window shopping.
I love window shopping. Its one of the things my mom, sister and I like to do when we go out and visit malls. We frequent the furniture sections because we really love fixing the house we are in and we always have dreamed of decorating our own home. Seeing all the colors and textures also help us piece out what we’d like our dream home to look like when we finally get the house. We have seen some home theater seating furnitures that we’d like to get for Dad someday. He loved to watch movies so having a theater room in our dream home would be on our list. We know that he comes home tired each night and that watching his movie collections is one of his stress relievers.
I frequent the bedroom and kitchen section. I always wanted to get my own king sized bed with all the soft pillows and bed covers. I like beds, too much that I try to get as much time as I can in them. xD When we went to SM Lipa for Mother’s Day, we saw a store that sells customized kitchen counters and cabinets. The set that I liked run around P100+ thousand, so I think I’d have to save more before we can afford that.
The other week, I went to MOA with my sister since I need to look for some baking equipments. We headed to Living Well and we got some of the stuffs that I needed and fitted in my alloted budget for that trip. The 3k I had went by too fast, especially since the baking stuff I bought aren’t cheap. Lol. Better to have high quality ones than to end up buying a new one after just a few uses.
Hehe, tomorrow I might be able to window shop for furniture again since I’m meeting with my best friend in Lipa. -woot-
Popularity: 5% [?]
Summer Blues and Rainy Days and Mondays ahead.
This summer has been quite a frustration for me. I had plans to go to Puerto with a friend when Mom asked me to postpone it because we had to go to a family affair. She said our whole family will go swimming on one of the weekends this summer so I did tell my friend that I couldn’t go with them. So now its the end of summer and our family didn’t get to go out swimming. Well thats not really correct, since they all were able to go out swimming (Dad with the office people, Mom (with her friends) including my two youngest siblings, my two younger sisters got to go with their own friends in their swimming trips) and only I wasn’t able to join in any of my friends trips.
Ugh. Why did my schedule have to coincide with the family affair that I couldn’t get out of. Maybe next year in case I get to leave the country for work I can go look over some of the vacation houses offered in Outer Banks and get the rest and vacation I want. I’d rather wait for next summer than go swimming these past few days. Its been raining hard here in Batangas. T_T Rainy season here we come.
Popularity: 5% [?]
House House House.
Heh, my sister and I have been having this discussion about getting a house loan through Pag-ibig to get a house for our family. We don’t own the house we live in so we really want Mom and Dad to have a place to call their own once we start having our own families. Since I don’t have regular work, I have no taxes, no deductions - and the people around us think I’m a bum though they really don’t understand the concept of working through the internet - and I really have started not caring for what they say since like what Paulo Coelho said in one of his reflections in the book “Like the Flowing River” with the title, “Looking at Other People’s Gardens”: The fool who loves giving advice on our garden never tends his own plants at all.
Okay back to earth, since my sister has regular work she can apply for the loan. We agreed that when she gets the housing loan, we’d share the payment. But now my sister has hanged her mind about getting one here in our province. She was thinking of getting one in Montalban or in anywhere near Rizal. Lol. I told her is she wanted that, I’d have to back of it. My Mom was raised here in Tanauan and she has lived here for so long (as our whole family did) and I don’t want her to be far away from her friends and her roots. So I said I can just get one when I start working, or maybe I can get one through those free mortgage loan I see everywhere in the internet. If not, I think we can wait some more until everything I need to fly abroad gets settled.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Updating my closet.
Okay, since I have plans of really working now I have to update my clothes. I don’t really have much in my closet unless you include the things I wear at home. I’m more of a laid back person and I’m after comfort most of the time so the only things I buy are jeans and t-shirts. Of course I do have one set of clothes for business attire since I had lots of business presentations back in the university since I am a business management student, but aside from that I don’t have other clothes that would suit going out.
I suppose I really have to update my style but in the meantime I can still stick with my t-shirt and jeans until I get work that included getting my butt of my computer chair and actually stepping out of the house.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Tanauan City is getting violent?
Lately, Tanauan City has been all over the news. Many stories regarding crimes have been reported and we’ve heard from other residents many stories about robberies and such. Its really saddening to see how much the crime rate has increased for the past few weeks.
A couple of weeks ago, one of the people I know, a teacher I had in grade school got mugged while they were going to the Church in the morning and her sister got killed in the process. This kind of events makes me think of getting self defense products as a safety precaution. Though I do hope peace and order would be installed as soon as possible. I miss the quiet peaceful Tanauan I grew up in.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies
Okay, I decided to share some of the things I’ve been making for our family here. This domain was supposed to be a cooking site before I used it as my personal blog so I think sharing my favorite recipes would sit well with my blog. :DSo for today, I’d like to share the recipe for the Chocolate Drop Cookies that I’ve been feeding my little siblings as well as random people in our village. Its really easy to make and it takes just a few minutes to prepare the cookie dough. This recipe is based from Hershey’s Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies but to save money since a large box of Hershey’s Cocoa Powder here costs P300+, I decided to substitute it with regular baking cocoa. I found some in one of the local bakery supplies shop in our supermarket here so its easy to find and cheaper too.
********
Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease cookie sheet.
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture. Using ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop dough about 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until cookie springs back when touched lightly in center. While cookies are on cookie sheet, sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 1 dozen cookies.
********
I’ve tried using butter and margarine on two separate batches and they turned out the same way. Though I prefer the batch where butter (Magnolia Gold was the one available in the grocery though I usually use Anchor butter) was used since it felt more creamy and it tasted more like chocolate cake. I used unsalted butter because I prefer using it. If you only have margarine (like Dairi Creme) at home you can use it as a substitute.
I used refined sugar in making this and I used confectionair’s sugar for the sprinkled sugar on top. For the recent batches I made, I opted not to add some sugar on top since the cookie is pretty sweet already. I tried adding chilled Nestle All Purpose Cream on top of the cookie after baking and it tasted like eating an ice cream sandwich. xD So far my little siblings love it, and the neighbors approved of the taste so I’d be keeping it in my little recipe box since its a great thing to serve when relatives come over since they got lots of children in tow when they do visit.
That reminds me that I have to go window shopping again for some coffee tables. We need a new one for the veranda where we have our coffee in the morning.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Weight Discussions
I have been talking with a friend of mine about diet pills. I do need to lose weight because my doctor said my weight doesn’t match my age. I’ve tried some pills before like Xenical which was really yucky because it seriously makes you feel bad after eating some oily foods. I hated it when it made me soil my pants. I’m too old to soil my pants every now and then so I decided to drop it. I tried some of those chinese pills but I didn’t stick with them either. A friend mentioned Leptovox but I really have decided to avoid taking pills to lose weight because I take pills for my headaches too. I don’t want to have severe side-effects from chemical reactions of all the pills I’m taking.
Besides I hate drinking pills because it hurts my throat. I seriously have to get back to the gym. or I’ll be in trouble with my aunt. Lol.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Just when I thought I was over you…
I had thought I was over with my plans for working in a call center. Things have changed though so I have to apply in one to make some ends meet with regards to my sibling’s tuition fees. So I am psyching myself with the idea of working in one and maybe even making a career move in that direction at least until I save enough to start my own business. I have just started with my baking but I would have to set it aside and take classes when everything has been settled with the family expenses.
So there, I hope I get accepted in the center I sent my resume to. I haven’t really gone to Manila to apply, I just sent my resume to one that sent my resume to their HR, so I hope I hear from them. Its in Alabang so I think I can still commute back home everyday if I do get to work there. If however I don’t get in that company, I’d try in Makati next since my sister works there. We can save more by staying in one place (especially one that has its own kitchen). I seriously can’t live without one. I love to cook and I prefer making my own meals. Its cheaper that way compared to eating out. I’m cheap.
On a lighter note, this week has been quite eventful for me. My oven finally arrived! Wooohooo! So I had to test it at one and so far my family has been eating lots of pizzas for the past week so I can perfect my dough. Tadaa:
My first try with bread (I was aiming for pandesal…) didn’t go so well. It was quite heavy like a rock. I haven’t tried it again for fear of making some more rock hard breads. I was even joking my sister about the saying that goes something like, “When someone throws a stone at you, throw back bread.” My sister said she’d think twice at throwing a stone at me because the bread I made was really hard. Lol.
Then I had to try thrice before I got my pizza right. So far I’ve been making three good pizza batches. I’ve run out of mozzarella cheese so everyone at home can eat something else aside from pizza for this coming week. Also, I tried twice to make sugar cookies, and I still need to try it again to make it just right. Lol. The first one ended as cookie bars, and the second one just needed to be a little thinner to give that crunchy ooomph I was looking for. Hehe.
My Dad celebrated his birthday on the 25th and since I am the house cook I prepared a mighty meal for the whole family. Dad can’t eat much meat nor chicken so I had to make a dish that he can eat while we chomp down on my roasted chicken and vegetables and my fettuccine carbonara. We’ve been addicted to mussels lately so I decided to prepare baked creamy tahong (mussels) for Dad as well as the whole family.
As for the cake, I didn’t want to mess it up by trying my very first cake from scratch… so I opted to get a Pillsberry cake mix that the grocery offered. It didn’t come with frosting and I couldn’t find any in that small grocery so I had to improvise a bit and had to make my own cocoa frosting. I kinda messed it a little bit because the frosting was still quite sugary in texture (I ran out of butter, hehe).
But I’m not giving up yet. I know I’ll master that frosting soon enough. I’ll get my own Kitchenaid mixer soon. I just have to work first to get it.
Popularity: 4% [?]
-
Join now!
Check these out:
