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.

This is not a clickbait. But I made the best pork inalamangan (alamang=shrimp paste) today, and I am just so proud of it!!! Before I forget the recipe here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

1 kg pork cut into approximately 2-inch cubes

2 cups water

5 cloves of garlic

1 medium-sized onion

3 medium-sized tomato

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground pepper

1 pc jalapeno or habanero (if you want it spicy)

2 tbsp salted shrimp paste

1.5 cup eggplant (optional)

1 tbsp brown sugar

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Boil the pork cubes in water for 15-20mins or until the amount of water is reduced. Remove the brown bubbles and oil coming from the pork when it is boiling.

2. While waiting for the pork cubes to boil, mix the onion, tomato, jalapeno and garlic in a food processor or blender and blend them altogether until all the ingredients are ground.

3. Put this mixture to the boiling pork once the amount of water is reduced. Add salt and pepper. Mix and let it simmer for 10-15 mins.

4. Add the salted shrimp paste and sugar and mix very well. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Not all people like eggplant but if you do, you can add the eggplant and boil the mixture until the eggplant is cooked and the mixture is thicker (approx. 10minutes).

6. Serve with hot steamed rice.

 Ano nga ba ang itsura ng pagmamahal?

Kapag ba binigyan ka ng tsokolate at bulaklak?

O di kaya ang ipakilala ka sa buong angkan nya?

Marahil siguro kung binibigyan ka nya ng oras at atensyon

Hindi ko din alam noon

Sabi nila dadating na lang ito nang kusa

Hindi mo daw dapat habulin, hanapin

Sabi nila madali lang daw

Hindi mo daw dapat maramdaman na lagi kang lumalaban

Sa unang pagkakataon ay may taong dumating Inakalang siya na

Sya ang nauna at inakalang siya na dapat ang huli

Lumaban kahit paulit ulit na sinasaksak

Kasi sabi nila pinaglalaban ang pagmamahal

Nakakapagod pero wala akong pagsisisi

Natagpuan ko ang isang bagong lente

Lente kung saan mas nakikita ko na kung dapat bang ipalaban o ipaubaya

Ang lenteng hindi pa perpekto pero bibigyan ka ng ibang perspektibo

Lente na hihinangin ng panahon at karanasan

Nakikita ko na nang mas malinaw

Pagmamahal na hindi mo susukuan

Pagmamahal na sigurado

Pagmamahal na hindi ka pinaghinihintay

Pagmamahal na nakakaunawa

Pagmamahal na tatanggapin ka

Pagmamahal na walang hinihinging kapalit

Pagmamahal na susugalan mo panghabangbuhay

Pagmamahal na yayakap sayo malamig man o mainit ang gabi

Pagmamahal na pipiliin ka araw-araw

Disclaimer: I do not mean to brag but to inspire future licensed agriculturists to give your best shot! Also, I did not garner the first spot but I was part of the top 10 during the 2014 LEA’s.

Aside from getting a government I.D., I am sharing with you some perks I got after getting in the top 10 highest places in June 2014 Licensure Examination for Agriculturists:

1. No need for another government certification test

If you are aiming for a government position, you can use this instead of taking the civil service examination (even if you are not a topnotcher).

2. Job offers

In my case, a week after the results came out, I got several job offers that I did not take since I was already employed that time. But, if you are a fresh graduate and getting frustrated to find a job – it will be a good opportunity.

3. Medal

It sounded silly but yes you get to have a medal during the oath taking ceremony. I am guessing you will also get this even if you decide not to attend the oath taking. It was just a piece of metal but it will gonna be a remembrance that you did your best and you made it!

4. Ego booster

At that time, I was questioning if I made the right choice of doing agriculture as a profession because I felt that I was dumb for the job but after 2014…I still feel dumb. LOL. A dumb professional who can persevere in a competitive world. It makes a lot of difference. LOL.

5. Adds value in your resume

I told you in the previous post that the grade would just be a number and will not define you. I still firmly believe on that. But getting a place in the top 10 in any licensure examinations in the Philippines will give your resume an extra edge over other applicants in the same career level.

6. Your constant reminder

After the exam, yes you may use it to get a job but after some time, it will be forgotten. And if you decide to walk on a different path, you may question the value of your LEA results. You will still face inevitable opportunities and challenges that may lead you to question your worth as an individual. In my case, there are days I feel like I am the most stupid person in my profession and all the things I do are not good enough. During those days, I remind myself that I am good, and bad days are experiences to humble me and keep my feet on the ground.

If ever you become part of the top 10 and decide to serve the country, I hope you still remain grounded and be the best agriculturist for a better agriculture of our country.

Good luck takers!

We went to Yellowstone and when we were heading back home (Nebraska), we decided to stop by the hot spring pool and spend the night in Saratoga, Wyoming to get some rest after a long drive before driving again.

We found the Sage Motel which was a 2-minute drive from the hot spring and was really cheap (paid $60 excluding the tax), clean and smells so good. Anyway, we intentionally wanted to stop there for the hot pool.

We were seeing good reviews about the Saratoga Hobo Hot Spring and it did not fail us!

The place has 3 pools namely main, small and lobster pool. During our visit early in September, the weather was cool but not freezing and for me it was a good weather to swim in a hot pool but I am guessing that winter would be a great time as well.

But, the best thing was it is free and open 24/7. Whenever you arrive or whenever you like, you can use these hot pools. The temperature of the pool varies and they put the temperature of the day in a white board so you can gauge if you can endure the heat.

The small and lobster pools were clearer than the main pool. But, the main pool was the one I endured and enjoyed the most because the other two were too hot for me.

In all the three pools, you will smell the sulfur which you may or may not be able to tolerate. For me it was not that bad and does not stick on the skin. Also, you may find small particles of moss in the water which did not make me itchy (I have a very sensitive skin btw).

Adjacent to these hot pools was a regular swimming pool which you need to pay a small amount of entrance fee. Unfortunately, this pool was closed when we were there. There was a river/stream nearby you can do sight-seeing.

The place has shower rooms to rinse. Make sure to bring your own towel and toiletries.

After swimming and you get hungry, the town has interesting cafeteria we tried. They have good pastries and beverages.

If it is on your way, plan to stop, relax and rest a bit before heading to your destination. It is worth a visit even just for a 30-minute dipping.

Before leaving the place, make sure to please do not litter and follow their rules.

Are you dreading for your up coming licensure examination for agriculturists? Do you feel like you are not prepared? You are not alone! I was in the same shoes 9 years ago! All the energy I used worrying whether I will pass or not was wasted. I passed and luckily got one of the spots in the top 10. Here are the 3 things I did that made me pass:

1.Focus on important things.

When previous takers told you to use the past reviewers from different universities, they were telling the truth. You will not have enough time to study all the things your professor in college taught you. The previous years’ reviewers really have magic. Some of the questions could be found in the actual questionnaire during the exam. And if you think you are running out of brain cells, focus on where you believe your weakest subject and use the available reviewers to refresh your mind on the information you needed.

2.Pay attention and be prepared with the examination requirements

Do you need to wear a specific color of shirt? Do you need to bring black or blue pen, or a pencil? Is the scientific calculator allowed? Make a checklist of the documents you need to be able to take the exam and a week before make another list of what you need to bring to the examination. Find the assigned room and check for the schedule (usually you have to be a bit early on the first day for the proctor to check you in and your documents) — this will reduce the panic and anxiety on the first day of the exam that you already have and will help you calm once you get to your seat.

3.Do your best and God will do the rest

During the exam just do your best. Try to relax – this will give you clarity to allow you to remember what you studied. Do not attempt to cheat. Aside from the big danger that you may get caught (that will do actual harm), you are also cheating mainly yourself. You got this. Believe in yourself. Manifest that you will pass. And after the exam just have faith that you will pass because you did your best. Prayer worked for me. I honestly did not expect that I would garner a place in the top 10 but I was praying really hard for months until the day of the results and heaven did not fail me.

Whatever the results, remember that it will just be an exam that should not define you. Yes, you may not probably get the permanent position now in your office but maybe the universe has a different plan for you. Keep believing! You can do this!