Nakakulong sa rehas

Kung tawagin ay bilanggo.

Maaring literal na rehas.

O, di kaya ng ibang bagay.

Bilanggo ng pagibig.

Bilanggo ng salapi.

Bilanggo ng trabaho.

Bilanggo ng nakaraan.

Bilanggo ng kalungkutan.

Bilanggo ng kahirapan.

Bilanggo ng digmaan.

Bilanggo.

Tila madaming kahulugan.

Ngunit iisa ang hantungan.

Pinipigilan na lumago at magbago ang kaisipan.

Hindi matanaw ang kinabukasan.

Nagtatanong sa araw at buwan.

Kung makakalaya ay kailan?

Kasagutang hindi matanaw.

Bilanggong mananalig sa bahagyang ilaw.

Balang araw makakamit din ang kalayaan.

If you have been reading my post in the past months you may know that I am currently out of the Philippines to work. Home is home and if I get to save enough, here are the places I would buy a property and why:

1. Gumaca, Quezon

Aside from being my father’s hometown, I love how the sea and mountain is so close to each other. You can have the calming sound of waves or the song of birds.

2. Los Baños, Laguna

Needless to say I studied here and it was 30-min drive from home. I love that this is a small city and a quiet town at once. You can also do coffee shop hopping as there is a lot around the area.

3. Sipalay, Negros Occidental

Again, mountains and sea meet – I will be your market! On top of that who will not want to be here and see these islets? How about a location close to a beautiful ruin!

4. Guimaras, Iloilo

It is a small and beautiful island that is a 10-min boat ride to the main island of Iloilo. The sweetest mango in the world is here and living there you will have access on that every year!

5. Guinobatan, Albay

I came first 10 years ago as an intern for 3 months and it became my core memory. Having agricultural lands is one of the investments you could start with on top of the calmness it offers.

6. Siargao, Surigao del Norte

If you are into coconut farming this is one of the places you may want to live in. As you can see, the common denominator here would be that mountains and beaches keep me alive.

7. Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro

If you are into a simple life, this is a place to be. This place is rich of commodities like onion, rice and corn as well as sea life such as different kinds of fish and shellfish!

8. Argao, Cebu

This place has all of the above I guess. Mountains, sea, farm lands and sweet mangoes. Plus, old churches, calm and happy neighborhood.

9. Malaybalay, Bukidnon

One of the reasons why I wanted to work abroad aside from the better pay was because of cold weather. This place is cool literally and figuratively, and vegetables grow better around this area.

These places are top 9 in my head whenever I imagine myself starting buying properties back home (although I am far away from even buying a half hectare of land but let’s go! MANIFEST!).

Last year around this time was when I had to let him go.

It was not an easy prayer.

Asking God to take him was not something I imagined.

I would always pray for him to have extra years to be with me.

But, last year was the hardest prayer I had to ask.

I saw how hard he was going through.

He wanted to ease the pain.

I saw his love.

But also saw his tears.

He had enough but he still wanted to give more.

He could not talk.

So, his eyes talked to me begging to let him go.

I had to.

We had to.

And then he left.

I miss you tatay.

I miss you everyday.

It was so hard to go on with life with a broken heart.

It has been a year.

Your memories still give me the same amount of tears and pain.

They say that when things start to get difficult remember why you started.

You were the reason.

My journal was my mute witness.

That you are the reason why I get up everyday energized to do what I love.

Cause I love you.

And now it is hard to look back when things are difficult.

Because the main reason is gone.

I miss you.

Dinengdeng or inabraw is a mixed vegetables dish in the Philippines that originated from the Ilocos region. Unlike pinakbet, dinengdeng has fewer vegetables and more soup base. The vegetables used are usually those that are available during the season.

Below are the vegetables I found that is used in this dish and their scientific names:

Ingredients:

(Vegetables):

Jute/saluyot leaves (Corchorus olitorius)

Winged beans/sigarilyas (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)

Malunggay fruits (Moringa oleifera)

Malunggay leaves (Moringa oleifera)

Tomatoes/kamatis (Solanum lycopersicum)

Ladies’ finger/Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Squash fruit/kalabasa (Cucurbita maxima)

Squash flower/bulaklak ng kalabasa (Cucurbita maxima)

Sweet potatoes/kamote (Ipomoea batatas)

Bitter gourd/ampalaya (Momordica charantia)

String beans/sitao (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Eggplant/talong (Solanum melongena)

Ginger/luya (Zingiber officinale)

(Non-vegetables):

water

fish paste (bagoong isda)

salt and pepper

fried or grilled fish or pork (I love it more with fish)

Procedure:

Basically, you just combine all the ingredients and let them boil in the water. BUT, I prefer to cook the tomatoes in the water first until it disintegrates then add the ginger. Then, place each vegetable depending on how long it cooks. Put first the ones that take longer to cook like squash fruit and potatoes, followed by string beans, okra, bitter gourd, eggplant, malunggay fruits, and last would be the squash flowers, malunggay leaves and jute leaves.

Add the fried or grilled fish/pork. Add the fish paste and mix. Season with salt and pepper.

I was not born the poorest which I will be forever grateful.

They said it was not their fault.

Maybe their stars’ fault?

I do not know.

Lately, I’ve been watching documentaries about poor kids from a poor family trying to survive a month with $20. A family with at least 4 members.

I heard people saying the parents were irresponsible, bearing a child knowing how hard it is to get at least three meals in a day and then adding another mouth to feed.

But, can you blame them?

Maybe.

Maybe it was their reckless decisions.

Maybe the fucked up environment.

Maybe the selfish government.

I have seen tons of documentary showing poverty.

They eat once a day.

Steamed rice and salt.

It was heartbreaking especially seeing these malnourished kids.

It was easy to put the blame on their parents.

The common denominator I saw was their parents were hurting seeing their children starving.

They actually work.

Hard work.

Most of them spend at least 10hrs of work.

Or sometimes even more.

Under the scorching sun until late at night.

Everyday.

If you will talk to them they want the best for their kids.

They want to send them to school.

They want to give them three meals in a day.

They want to clothe them.

But, they felt helpless.

I bet they came from a poor family as well.

Being poor is a blindfold that is hard to remove.

A metaphorical piece of cloth that keeps poor people poor.

They do not see how to get out of that hell.

Their energy is focused on how to survive the day.

Finding a way to make ends meet.

Trying to keep going.

When you are there, it is so hard to get out.

I was once there.

But luckier.

I was first in the middle class.

Then, health stole that status.

We became poor.

Eating steamed rice and soy sauce in a day.

Walking miles to get to school and go back home.

Recycling school uniform.

I am acknowledging that it is way better than my poorest countrymen.

But with that glimpse of poverty, I saw how blindfolding it could be.

I was blaming my parents for being irresponsible.

My environment and government were no help as well.

I did not dream because what was the point?

We were poor.

We needed to survive everyday as a family.

What made the difference?

How was I able to free myself from that blindfold?

I was not born poor.

It was a privelege.

It was an advantage.

I had the chance to open my eyes first.

See the world in a better shape.

Until unfortunate events led me to having that blindfold.

It was there.

I fully know it was there.

It was so hard.

Just one simple step was a struggle.

Walking on a path not seeing anything was so scary.

It was so dark.

I could not see.

The way to go out of the poverty line was nowhere to be found.

But, being in the middle class first gave me an edge.

An opportunity to find where they tied the knot.

A knot that was painful and frustrating.

Why would I go through hardships if there was no light at the end of the tunnel?

It was not easy to untie that knot.

Tempting to just keep it or see again what was behind the blindfold.

Some ray of sunshine other people died not seeing or even knowing it existed.

A light that shows life differently.

A life not worrying about where to get your next meal.

A life not being anxious where to get help when you or your family get sick.

A life to let you experience the joy and challenges of life in a different lens.

A lens that you have a better view.

A lens that give you a chance to choose.

A lens to see how limitless they could possibly be in life.

Yellowstone will surely enchant you with its natural geysers and mountain view. It will give you rest from your city life. There are areas with no internet which is a good opportunity to disconnect from a weekend of mindless scrolling.

I won’t put so many photos to not spoil you of what you will see in this place. Also, try not to search too many photos/videos and let this park do its magic to you.

But can you enjoy this beautiful place in two days?

My personal take? Yes! Definitely.

We recently had a very spontaneous trip to this fist national park. We stayed for 2 nights and 1 days. The weather was not the most favorable when we were there although they said that the weather there is unpredictable year-round.

Before we drove there, I looked up and most blogs said that it is best to visit during the summer. And I second that motion. We went there last September during the long weekend of labor day, and it was raining a lot and bit cold. However, I still enjoyed our very short trip.

Here’s our unplanned itinerary:

September 2 (Saturday):

10am – 1am: Drove from Omaha, NE to our motel (Island Park Lodge, ID)

Note: make sure to call the reception of your motel that you will arrive late.

September 3 (Sunday):

9am-10am: Drive to West Yellowstone; entered and paid the entrance fee that was valid for 7-day entry).

10:40am-1pm: Old Faithful, watched a free film about geysers and Yellowstone while waiting for the eruption close by. It was raining a lot!

1pm-3pm: Walked around Old Faithful and saw different colorful hot pools.

3pm-3:50pm: Drove to Black Sand Basin and walked around to see big and colorful hot basins.

3:50pm-4:50pm: Trekked a close by trail that I do not know the name. LOL.

5pm: We decided to call it a day and get some dinner because of the rain forecast and it was a good call!

5pm-6:30pm: On our way back to our motel, we stopped by the Slippery Otter Pub to have dinner. The place was neat and food was fine but a bit pricey.

September 4 (Monday):

9am-2pm: we drove around the mountain range on our way back. We stopped to lots of places inside the park and saw a falls, rock formations and geysers. We wanted to see a bear or wolf but unfortunately prolly because of the rain, we only saw Bisons.

3pm: we stopped by a friend’s house at Sheridan, WY.

10pm-11pm: Checked-in a motel close by Saratoga Hobo Hot Springs (check out my previous post about this hot spring gem). Went for a 15-min swimming.

September 5 (Tuesday):

9am-10am: Walked around the Hot Spring and went swimming for 20 minutes.

11am: Started driving back to Omaha.

That almost 2-day trip was still worth it for me but if you will plan ahead for longer days, it will be a lot more fun (especially in the summer time)!

Do you have an upcoming travel with layover in Japan? Whenever I traveled to the US, I usually had a layover in Japan first. I have been to different airports in Japan such as Narita International, Kansai International and Chubu Centrair International airports where I had 4-22-hr layovers. But, whether it is as short as 4 hours or longer, here are 7 things you can do that would give you a glimpse of Japan but won’t make you miss your flight.

1. Check out restaurants

The airport and nearby areas (depending which airport you are) offer different restaurants you can try. We were hungry and planning to try out a legit traditional ramen but our flight got delayed and the starvation landed us to this restaurant wherein you could eat a rice meal in 4 different ways and it was a beautiful and yummy accident.

If you only have 2 hrs of layover, and do not have time to go out of the airport. Airports in Japan usually have sushi restaurants that serve great sushi!

2. Visit variety of shops

Outside and inside the airports there are variety of shops. You can find anime stuff, souvenir shops, skincare and makeup kiosks stores that are worth a visit.

3. Roam nearby areas

If you have extra time to go out and roam around, why not? Every corner in Japan offers a refreshing view of how the area functions everyday.

4. Hop on the and experience the train

This is possible if you have more than 6 hours of layover and planned your trip very well. Japan is know for their very good train system. From the airport, the train ride can give you bigger panorama scene of Japan from the airport to a specific train station. Just make sure you have enough time to go back before your connecting flight.

5. Taste unique-flavored snacks

Aside from the souvenirs you may find in the souvenir shops, you can find unique flavors of some snacks like this Godiva macaroons. Not only in souvenir shops, but their convenience stores are surprisingly offering a wide variety of things you won’t expect they have like different sake-flavored KitKat or curry-flavored Pringles. And, they are worth a try!

6. Get some goods from the vending machine

Japan is also known for their colorful vending machines. Inside and outside the airports you will find one so do not miss the opportunity of trying out any of those. I tried the drinks and ice cream and they are worth your loose coins!

7. Walk around the airport

If your schedule will not allow you to go out or walk a lot in the airport, close to the gates you will find interesting stuff like these random ninjas on top of the check-in kiosks or even restaurants when you go upstairs.

The key is know the amount of time you have to walk around the airport or even go outside and feel the Japan atmosphere even for a half a day. It is really a fun experience.

While I was driving to go to an event, I thought about my bananas that are starting to turn brown and I was bothered because I do not want to put them into waste also I forgot what you call the process — which Google reminded me as ENZYMATIC BROWNING. Do not trash them! They may be brown and overripe but they are perfect for your banana bread! But make it easy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not powder)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar (1/4 sugar if you want it less sweet)

3 overripe bananas (size does not matter whatever size of bananas you have will work)

1/3 cup melted butter

1 beaten egg

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional; if you want the extra aroma)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir well.

3. Mash/grind the bananas manually using a fork or use a blender/food processor.

4. Make a crater in the flour mixture and add your wet ingredients such as mashed bananas, melted butter, egg and vanilla.

5. Mix all together the wet and dry ingredients using a food processor or spatula until you get a thick batter consistency.

6. Brush the loaf pan with butter or vegetable oil. Add your banana batter mixture.

7. Put in the oven and bake it for 45-55 minutes. You can poke the bread using a toothpick or fork to check if it is done. The fork should not have any wet batter as indicator that it is done.

Here are the 10 major crops produced in the Philippines and their scientific names:

1. Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)

2. Palay/Rice (Oryza sativa)

3. Coconut (Cocos nucifera)

4. Banana (Musa sp.)

5. Corn (Zea mays)

6. Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

7. Cassava (Manihot esculenta)

8. Mango (Mangifera indica)

9. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

10. Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis)

(source: PSA)

So I had some crispy double chocolate brownies I got from the store and it was so good but expensive. I also love cookies. I was like how can I make this crispy chocolate brownies and cookies in one. Below was the ingredients and procedure. And I was able to successfully create this combination. ❤

Ingredients:

1 1/4 all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not powder)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

3/4 cups dark chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven at 355 F.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and sugar. Stir them until it is well blended.

3. Create a hollowed center from the dry ingredients mixture and add the melted butter, beaten egg and vanilla. Mix them using a food processor or a spatula until you get a dough consistency.

4. Add the chocolate chips in the dough and mix it very well.

5. In a baking pan, place a parchment paper. Get a teaspoon of the dough, round it and place them on the pan with parchment paper. Make sure to space them well as the dough will expand into flat cookies. (You can experiment on the size you like – make it smaller or bigger!)

6. Place them in the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes. Since they are dark, it is hard to see if they are cooked but you can use a fork to touch the side of the cookie. If they are not soft, it is ready! Baking it for 20 minutes or more will burn the cookie.