Once every 2 years Blogger??? :-D

Had I not been reminded about this blog, I would have completely forgotten that this even exists. Shame!

Shame because I used to enjoy writing and this blog used to be my comfort zone. It is a shame that life got in the way of things :(

As of this writing, I am 500  miles away from home, and in 15 minutes, I shall be leaving the office to attend an Executive Meeting. Yep, I am living life on the fast lane and it's sometimes killing me, BUT, I love my job and as long as my job loves me back, I will continue to do what I do.

I promise I will blog more. I will write about how I was able to successfully stay away from social media, haha! And how I gained weight, and how I got addicted to Netflix, :-D

Alright, got to go!

Once a year blogger?

Yes, I guess I should call myself that, haha. My last blog post was in November 17, 2015, and today is November 1, 2016 - so, okay almost a year.

Anyway, lots have happened in the past 12 months and I am actually very eager to write about these things, I just do not know how to manage my time these days. Let me just enumerate a few things I want to write about and hope that I get the time to really sit down and write about them:

1. I got promoted as FVP/Head of Branches and Lending Operations (July 2016) - Yay!
2. I started coloring again using colortherapy and I would love to post here some of my artwork someday
3. I am back to school taking a 3-month short term course called Middle Management Development Program. It is sponsored by my company and La Salle School of Business Management. I started in August and will be finished in December. I fly to Manila 3x a month.
4. Our company opened two branches in Cebu and we inaugurated them in September. We stayed at Moven Pick Hotel while in Cebu - this is a 5-star hotel resort and the experience was awesome :)
5. I became a Mabuhay Miles Elite flyer on September 23, 2016   - BIG YAY! Affords me a little comfort when in the airport :)
6. My family and I went to Cavanico il Mare Resort in Samal on October 30 - would love to talk about it and post our photos here, someday.

Life's been good to me overall, and I would also like to write about that, someday :)

Kalamansi Turmeric Drink

You know how I love green smoothie but when my heavy duty blender broke down, the replacement blender I bought just would not do that job. So,  in lieu of my green smoothie, I discovered a drink that may not be very rich in antioxidant but is equally beneficial to our general well-being.

Kalamansi Turmeric drink.

I don't like turmeric, I ran away from this spice ever since I can remember BUT the health benefits of turmeric outweigh my dislike for it and I was encouraged to give it a try.

I have been drinking this stuff every morning for about three months now. I mix it in my warm kalamansi drink and I add honey to sweeten my kalamansi juice just a little bit. In addition, I add cinnamon and nutmeg to my drink. It's very simple to make and it's very healthy.

Here's my Kalamansi Turmeric Drink recipe:
Kalamansi or Lemon juice extract (3-4 pieces of kalamansi or half lemon slice)
A teaspoon of turmeric
A teaspoon of honey
Half a teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
A dash of nutmeg (optional)
Warm water

You can buy turmeric powder in grocery stores. Try to get an organic turmeric, if you can find one. This spice is very cheap but its health benefits are simply amazing. Check Turmeric Health Benefits for more information.

Cheers to healthy living!

Regrowing plants using cuttings

I've successfully propagated sweet basil using a technique I learned from this blog: 17 Apart (check out this blog, very reader-friendly, lots of encouraging photos, too).

It's very easy to regrow basil using this technique. In fact, it's not only basil that I regrew using cuttings, I've also tried this technique with my tea plant. New roots sprout after a week, it's amazing :-)

Kulitis in my Smoothies

Organic kulitis in the backyard

 I did not plant this, they just grow in the garden and they grow abundantly when I started to take really good care of them. Kulitis provides a wonderful healthy ingredient to my green smoothie.

One day, I took a half day leave from the office and decided to eat my lunch at home. My cousin served fried tuna and ginataang mongo - yummy! I was famished but had to stop myself as I looked at the unfamiliar green leafy veggie in my ginataang monggo. I asked her what it was and she said, “that is kulitis.” Kulitis, what? Right, it’s the plant that I kept on pulling from my small garden thinking it was a grass. Yes kulitis for me was just a perennial, annoying grass that grows anywhere that has soil. Oh boy, was I wrong!

Greens: Kulitis, Sweet basil, Orange mint, Gynura procumbens

Fruits: A little portion of pineapple, mango, avocado and guyabano

Superfoods: Spirulina, Maca, Camu camu berry and Cacao nibs

I initially only used romaine lettuce in my green smoothie. But romaine lettuce is a bit pricey and sometimes unavailable, I had to substitute it with cheap but equally (or more) nutritious greens. Also, the experts are saying we should not use the same leafy veggie in our green smoothie for longer than a week – we need to substitute it with something else. Anyway, I alternate romaine lettuce with kangkong (swamp cabbage), pechay, bok choy, camote tops, saluyot and alugbati. When I learned that kulitis is edible, I took special interest in growing them and grow them, I did! I grow them because I want to stock up on green leafy veggies at home for my green smoothies. So now nothing beats having my own fresh (yes, super fresh!) greens in the backyard, I have them when I need them. Awesome!

My 10 Favorite Books

Tagging friends to post their 10 favorite books is a game making the rounds on Facebook and making social media more fun these days, BUT none of my friends has tagged me yet, maybe they think books are only for intellectuals? LOL. 

Some of the books I own and treasure

 I don’t claim to be intelligent but I do have a share of books that I like and I have some at home  that date back to my glorious High School days, some I have read a couple of times. I was a voracious reader as a teenager but the stuff I read were mostly novels and magazines. I practically grew up with Mills and Boon and Barbara Cartland - ahhh, those romantic stories about Royals and Aristocrats, Castles and Palaces, of Kings and Queens, Dukes and Duchess, of Earls and Countesses, that kept me awake all night and made me dream of them in my sleep! How I enjoyed reading those books and fantasizing about my own prince, the perfect man I’d meet and marry some day.  Oh I did not meet a prince nor did I marry the perfect man, but who did? LOL.

 I don’t have my Mills and Boon anymore, nor do I have my Barbara Cartland books but I still keep many of the books that brought lessons, happiness and meaning to my existence, books that kept me company when I was sad, alone or just wanted to relax. My collections include novels, magazines, self-help, business, Christian, and even reference books. Some of the books I like were written by lesser known authors but I like them anyway.

I don’t want to limit myself to 10 books, but the game says only 10. So, here are my 10 favorite books (in no particular order).

1.       Living, Loving and Learning – Leo F. Buscaglia

2.       God wrote a Book – James Mcdonald

3.       The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

4.       Couplehood – Paul Reiser

5.       Five people you meet in heaven – Mitch Albom

6.       Mom and Me and Mom – Maya Angelou

7.       The Alchemist – Paulo Coello

8.       You’ve Got What It Takes – Wesley Harris

9.       The Heart of Healing – Ardy Roberto

10.   The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey

Three of these books are in e-book format but I'd still one day would like to get a hard copy. E-books are a dime a dozen these days rendering them easy to get, easy to discard. I can hardly finish a book in e-book format. I don't know, but for me, reading a hardcover or a paperback book is different in a way and owning one is classic. The feel of turning a physical page is a joy in itself. Physically seeing books in my shelf evokes a proprietary feeling that I don't get with e-books. I don't connect with e-books, but for some strange, nostalgic reason I do feel a great connection with hardcovers and paperbacks. I am not saying I don't like e-books, I do. They're handy, they're cheap, they're easy to acquire. All I am saying is, I prefer printed books, I like them that way, they are beautiful to look at. I feel happy to see them sitting peacefully and comfortably in my bookshelf, a constant reminder of the joys I get from reading and for learning new things and for taking me to places I have never been to and possibly will never be :)

Luli Island, Puerto Princesa City

This is a long overdue blog post :)

I visited Puerto Princesa on September 8, 2013 on business (yeah, almost a year ago!). And the short trip to LuLi Island was part of that business. LuLi is the easiest to go to since it is one of the closest islands to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. It is also one of the stopover islands that people visit as part of the famous Honda Bay tour.

At LuLi Island, Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

LuLi is actually just an islet. It’s not big enough to be called an island. It boasts of a long stretch of fine pinkish white sand that you only get to see on low tide. That’s why it’s called LuLi. Lu for Lulubog (part of the islet sort of “sinks” during high tide) and Li for Lilitaw (part of the islet appears during low tide).

The stretch of soft and fine, pinkish white sand that disappears during high tide

Luli's own boat

You can still see the cottages during high tide but you'll have to wade in water if you want to go there

LuLi has clear blue water perfect for snorkeling and swimming. At the time of our visit, activities in the resort were fish feeding, diving, banana boat riding and kayaking.  Swimming was fun because you get to swim with the fishes! And if you want to meet Nemo, the life guards and staff would just be too happy to introduce you to not just one, but two Nemos!

The diving board was something I did not expect to try. But the adventurous in me took over and I braved the almost 8 feet springboard. Yes, I jumped! I am not a good swimmer but I was confident to go for it because lifeguards were around, haha! Hmmm, and I think I'd do it again ;)

There, I did it!

 At the time of our visit, the restaurant was not fully operational, and so, food choices were limited. But no problem, we did not go there to eat, we went there to see LuLi, and yes, to swim!

 

Luli's Restaurant stands proud in the middle of the islet

 
By the way, the restaurant offers Kakanin ni Jillian (these are native delicacies) and they were really, really good!

I call these kakanin the green and purple suman, so tasty!

Container Gardening

I am very determined to grow my own vegetables. The thing is, our soil in the backyard is unsuitable for vegetable gardening. I have grown some veggies in my yard but they don't grow as healthy as I want them to. I have potted herbs at home and I’m glad they are thriving but I’m not satisfied. Some of my herbs don’t look healthy. This week, I bought a protector net to give my herbs a little shade since they are directly under the sun. I hope it’s going to help. Maybe what my herbs need is a little tender loving care.

I understand, good soil equals good vegetables. But constrained by our depressingly hard backyard soil, I decided to plant my veggies in containers and pots. Yep, the answer is Container Gardening So, to help materialize my plans (and to please me, I supposed *wink*), my dear hubby bought commercial garden soil, the ones sold by sack. They don't come cheap, so I hope they are good.

Anyway, going back to my determination to grow veggies, I bought vegetable seeds from, guess where? The hardware store! Yes, hardware stores sell packs of flower and vegetable seeds. Check out their lawn and garden section.   

The garden stuff I bought. Two sacks of garden soil, 6 rectangular pots, fine compost, protection net, 
a couple of garden tools and vegetable seeds. I bought all these from Ace Hardware (SM Store)

Here are the seeds I’ve bought so far:  Okra, regular and cherry tomatoes, black beauty eggplant, baby carrots, onion, mustard and pechay. I bought some really nice containers, too, and yes, additional garden tools. I am really excited. Oh, and I also bought fine compost to condition the soil I bought. I am going to check out some stores for organic fertilizers. Yes, I am also determined not just to grow vegetables but to grow organic vegetables.

I have spent about PhP1,700.00 for everything. I know, I could have bought lots of veggies with that amount but I don’t’ mind at all. The cost is not the point, it’s the joy I derive from working in the garden, seeing my veggies grow, harvesting them, and yes, enjoying them!

The Lowly Calamansi

I love calamansi! This unpretentious tiny citrus fruit is packed with nutrients and super rich in vitamin C. It is indigenous to the country, cultivated by farmers and housewives alike, and sold very cheap in the market. And yes, often regarded as common and unimportant. For me, calamansi is a special fruit. It has so many uses. It makes a great thirst-quenching drink when freshly squeezed in water, mixed with honey and lots of ice. It also adds zest to an otherwise ordinary dish. It goes well with soy sauce as dip for fried fish, it makes any vegetable or seaweed salad extra tangy and it is a perfect ingredient for beef or pork marinades. Not to forget, it gives some nice flavor to your ordinary iced tea and even to hot green tea. And yes, you can eat the fruit when ripe, just suck the fruit and enjoy its sweet and sour taste.

Almost ripe, the pulp is already turning into a beautiful orange

 

 A glass of water with one or two calamansi taken first thing in the morning is good for cleansing the body.  Its effect is alkalizing and it's not acidic at all. According to some literature, drinking calamansi water can also contribute to weight loss as it flushes out body toxins. I drink this concoction every morning not to lose weight but primarily to cleanse my system and I have been doing this for a long time now.

But, not only is the lowly calamansi good to eat or to drink, it is also very good for the skin when applied topically. It is a powerful skin lightening agent because of its acid content. It is also a cheap and effective way to treat pimples, lighten the face, neck, underarms, knees and groins. When bathing, a calamansi water makes your skin smooth and your hair shiny when used as your final rinse. And my favorite of all, it’s perfect to mix with brown sugar and honey as body scrub.

 

Yep, I have calamansi tree in my backyard and it is growing beautifully,
 bearing fruits enough for the family :)

 
I am very fond of using natural products, calamansi is as natural as you can get, and it's not only effective and comes with many health benefits, it's very cheap too, and it is available anywhere, anytime.

Decorative bottle for the kitchen

Okay, here's my first attempt at making a decorative bottle for the kitchen:

Now I have two options:

1. Forget about my project and simply buy ready for the kitchen vegies in a bottle; OR
2. Buy decorative bottles for this purpose and continue the project

Haha, of course, option 1 is easier but I think option 2 is more fulfilling, so yeah, am going to look for nice bottles and continue my project. Way to go!

Of Veggies and Herbs

This is one of the things I do during weekends...gardening.

My potted herbs

I love veggies (ok, not when I was younger, hehe) and I have always wanted to have a vegetable garden, more than a flower garden.  I am fortunate to have space at home for a veggie garden but not so fortunate as to the quality of soil I have. To satisfy my desire for a veggie garden I bought garden soil and put my plants on pots. I have veggies that grow on the ground but most of my plants are potted.

I have four greens in my garden. Pechay, Amaranths (Kulitis), Water spinach (Kangkong) and Malunggay. I used to have kale but they were not bearing good leaves anymore I had to pull them out.  

Anyway, in addition to my green leafy veggies, I also have herbs. Oh I love herbs! I mix them in my smoothies and also in my green salad. I have rosemary, tarragon, sweet basil, Thai basil, mints (choco mint, spearmint, apple mint, orange mint), stevia, onion chives, Italian oregano, parsley, fennel, dill, lemongrass (tanglad), yellow ginger (luyang dilaw) and green onion.

I also have green tea plant and gynura procumbens (for hypertension).

Some fruits and veggies in my backyard

In addition to my veggies and herbs, I also have fruits trees. There's mango, rambutan, calamansi and guyabano in our backyard.

Gardening makes me happy. It gives me healthy food, it brings me peace and it allows me to exercise at the same time. So yes, gardening is probably one of the most pleasurable things to do in the world ;-)