Mónica

Chillin’ in Silly SG

I have no words, just laughter.

I hate…

Job hunting…

i-Nako

Apple is killing me

Flood

A cat pees and the city is under water. This was the scene today and it felt weird seeing a sea of water around me while in the car. Needless to say, people stranded unable to commute home. And of course, traffic.

It made me think of this movie. Anyone seen it? Comments? Violent reactions? If anything, David Suchet stars in it, so perhaps it has the potential to be good?

That’s Amoré

Homemade pizza made with much amoré, was this evening’s dinner made by yours truly. The best thing about making your own pizza is that you can put everything you want in it. I made the sauce with chopped tinned tomatoes, oregano and chopped fresh basil. The pizza itself had salami, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, green and red pepper, onions, black olives and fresh basil. It turned out really good, except the crust (store bought) didn’t cook very well and I will have to improve on that. But definitely not a bad start and quite fun to do!

The Making of Buko Juice

Flickr only lets you upload 90 seconds of your video, so unfortunately this isn’t the directors cut. Enjoy!

Homemade Green & Black Champo

Champorado is a typical Filipino dish that can be eaten at breakfast or as an afternoon snack. It is basically chocolate rice porridge that is made from glutinous rice, sugar, cocoa and milk. Growing up, we normally would buy the champorado mix at the supermarket. But I learned from my sister that it was dead easy to make and decided to give it a go.

I have come to the conclusion that Champorado originates from Mexico (Galleon Trade connection, I assume). Champurrado in Mexico is a warm thick chocolate drink which they drink for breakfast. It is made from masa harina, piloncillo (small blocks or bricks of unrefined solid cane sugar), water or milk. Just like the Philippine version, their Champurrado is also available as a mix in the supermarket. (Must ask Paula to send me some!)

The best way to have the Philippine Champorado is chilled the next day, which is exactly how I will have it tomorrow. Yum!

Indian Cuisine 101

If anyone tells you they loooove Indian food and follows that statement with either phrases such as “chicken tikka masala” or “I’m having a curry tonight, innit”, chances are, it is going to be far removed from Indian food as it can get. Chicken Tikka Masala is a westernized Indian dish, which apparently is Britain’s National Dish. …And they wont give me rights to live there…bastards! I’m not bitter, really.

Anyhoo, if you want a glimpse of what Indian food is really about, here are just two examples of what to expect.

Dahi vada, or Dahivara is an example of what you might get as, one of the many, appetizers in your meal. It’s mung beans, that have been soaked, dried and pureed to a paste, seasoned, shaped and fried. It’s almost like a potato pattie. I am guessing it is chilled, and thick yogurt is added on top and also some tamarind sauce. It’s very tasty and cooling. Indian food, doesn’t necessarily have to be spicy like a vindaloo.

FYI: Vindaloo actually came from the Portuguese (vinho de alho or Vindalho) when they brought it to Goa. Ahlo or Aloo in Indian (one of the few words I know btw) means potato, apparently traditional Vindaloo doesn’t even contain potato. Hmmm…

Did I digress? I think so! Moving on…

Dahl Paratha, two separate items but works quite well together. Dahl is basically skinless chickpeas which has been stewed in flavorful spices until thick. Paratha, is a crispy flat-bread made from white flour, herbs and other things I am not sure of. There are many variations to this, it can be soft and flakey, or it can be stuffed with aloo (remember, it means potato). It can be eaten with a savory dish as shown in the photo, or it can be dipped in chai. In Singapore it is called farata (I don’t think this has to do with p-f syndrome), and in Burma it is called palata, just incase you find yourself in these countries and fancy some Paratha, you now know what it’s called.

I apologize to family memebers who are living abroad and find these pictures torturous. If it is any consolations I could use some Janssons’s Temptation, Chevap Chi Chi, or Treacle Pudd’n', right now.

Nostalgia

Ixora Coccinea also known as Dwarf Santan or Jungle Geranium, but to me this flower is simply known as Santan. I was in my grandparent’s drive way and saw how perfectly this round cluster of Santan formed. My grandmother explain that it is ’spring’ and this is why all the flowers have bloomed so beautifully. ‘Spring?’ I thought to myself, ‘it is 33 degrees and in the height of summer!’. I was immediately reminded of the summers when I was a child and I would sit on the grass, by the Santan bush in my grandmother’s garden. I would then pull out one stem among the cluster, remove the pin like part on the top of the flower from its tubular stem, invert and sip on the juice of the flower. It’s amazing how seeing simple things like these can bring back memories from 20 years ago.

Regret

Regret |rɪˌgrɛt|
–verb
1. to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.)
2. to think of with a sense of loss.
–noun
3. a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.
4. a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc.

I never used to feel regret. My theory was that whatever it was I did in the past, I would be mature enough to take the consequences and be mindful of not making the same mistakes again. I used to rationalize this feeling by looking at the good things that came out from such situations and learn from it. Regret, to me was just a useless dead-end energy that didn’t change anything.

However, with recent events in my life, I can no longer use the same rationalization. No amount of maturity assuage ones loss. There isn’t a brighter side, only plain old regret. It’s a constant daily mental chastising of thoughts — ‘I should have spent more time’, ‘I should have been more patient’, ‘I should have read between the lines,’ etc… It doesn’t change anything nor does it achieve anything. Still, it is the only thing that enables us to cope with what we perceive to be our mistakes, and aid us to rationalize with our emotions.

But are we really rationalizing? Or are we merely torturing our souls for something we cannot accept in the chance that we are able to make sense of it all? Would the source of our regret really want to see us tortured by our hearts and minds, making sense of an emotion that is perhaps to huge for one to comprehend?

Perhaps we regret because it is easier to regret than to surrender to the feeling of emptiness and loneliness, and lead us straight to that bridge of hope and acceptance for the future. Perhaps we regret because it is the only thing that will let us cling to the past, which is all we have left really.

Tea for Two for the Sickie

Resting in bed, watching Scrubs, sipping on Earl Grey tea and eating sponge cake (the cake and tea - best combo by the way). Literally doctor’s orders. Apparently my sore throat and light-headedness were just symptoms of Tonsillitis and Nasopharyngitis. Sounds worse than it is but feels just like it sounds. The doc orders lots of rest and sleep (stress induced), anti-biotics, no hard food but he did say to have ice cream. I told him it wasn’t too bad after all (the fact I was obliged to eat ice cream) he wasn’t amused and said it is bad if it doesn’t get better. He obviously hasn’t tried FIC ice cream.

Flipped-flopped

Sitting in the car infront of a petrol station nicking their wifi. Took this photo a week ago. Good advertisment for Havaianas (or however you spell it - flip flops). Also, it’s typically of Philippine culture. You are always bound to find a missing pair of a shoe or flip-flop on the road. Speaking of flip-flops, summer is in full force. Send me some snow please.