Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths

Keep On Moving

We recently moved… again. And that’s just after two months of moving to a new place. My sister’s going to UST High School so we had to move somewhere nearer to her new school (blame traffic!). So this is us, saying goodbye to our two-month home. We’re smiling because we didn’t really like that place anyway. Haha. It had some sort of weird, heavy energy that made you feel lazy to go out, or do anything for that matter. 

Me looking haggard after clearing the house and packing and loading things to the truck all day. 

Ryl looking fresh even though she did more work than me. She was trying to teach me how to mop the floor without stepping on the parts you’ve mopped already but I always get slipper marks on the floor. 

Fooling around with our pillows wrapped in a bed sheet. I really don’t know what I’m doing here. I thought it was gonna feel like rolling on those bouncy exercise balls, but it didn’t. And I sort of hurt my neck doing this. Haha. 

Tired eyes

We had drinks after to wash down the long and tiring day. Haha. Cheers to moving forward!

5.22.12. moving,

“ There was a pause. I was still scared by every gap in our conversation, fearing that this was it, the point where we had nothing left to say. ”

The Lover’s Dictionary, David Levithan

5.15.12. the lover's dictionary,david levithan,anthem,

5.15.12. calendar girl,stars,

5.11.12. your ex-lover is dead,stars,

Jo’s Man-debut

Who says you can only celebrate your debut once? My friend Jo celebrated hers twice - her 18th birthday and just yesterday, her man-debut! Haha. We traveled all the way to Manila for her celebration at Shakey’s España. But we were about an hour early so we bought her cake first at Goldilocks. It was supposed to be a surprise but she saw us by the window. Fail. Haha. 

At Goldilocks writing our message for her

With the man-debutant, Jo! 

Playing with the miniature effect on Sarah’s cam

My US ladies!

Then we gave Jo her not-so-surprise Spanish (because she likes Spanish football players) dulce de leche cake! Jo, we forgot to write in the letter “We offer you this cake as a symbol of our love that’s as wide as a football field.” Haha. 

After Jo’s surprise, they surprised me by giving me a belated man-debut cake, too! I had nooo clue. Haha. 

Blowing the non-existent flames on the candles. Haha.

THANK YOU, US! <3 

Had drinks at Spazzio after! 

Can’t wait to see you again! <3

*Some photos grabbed from Sarah, Reg and Aira

5.11.12. US,man-debut,birthday,drinks,

Arabian Nights

Tonight, I made shawarma rice for dinner (no, I don’t own a spit). Shawarma is traditionally meat cooked on a spit (the vertical grill where the meat is constantly rotated seen in shawarma stands) and wrapped in pita bread with tomatoes, cucumber and onions with a yogurt sauce. When shawarma was brought to the Philippines, shawarma stalls had to think of a way to make it more appealing in a rice-eating country, thus coming up with the shawarma rice - the same meat, vegetables and sauce, except served on a bed of rice instead of pita. 

Actually, I don’t really know if I can call what I made shawarma since it wasn’t cooked on a spit but the taste was close enough. Basically, I cooked thin beef slices in a pan in oil and butter, flavored it with spices used in Middle Eastern cuisine - cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper (I did do a little research on shawarma recipes before so I know that these are the spices usually used for it), a little sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. 

I topped it with tomatoes (I didn’t have cucumber and I don’t like raw onion) artistically radiating from the middle (though I was really going for an effortless I-just-threw-the-tomatoes-on-top-of-the-beef-and-it-naturally-looked-good plating but failed). And of course, to give it that ‘restaurant touch,’ nothing says Persian food than a chunk of butter slowly melting on top of hot, steaming rice. Oh, that artery-clogging goodness. 

5.10.12. shawarma rice,persian food,food,cooking,butter on top of rice,

Even when not in Rome, do as the Romans

They say “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” But sometimes, even though you’re not in Rome, it’s still good to do as the Romans, especially when it comes to cooking their food.

I felt like cooking today and after watching the Rome episode of the food and travel show No Reservations where they featured how Carbonara is traditionally made in Italy, I wanted to try it. In Rome, the white sauce of the Carbonara is made with just eggs and parmesan and pecorino cheese. No cream. This was a revelation to me since Carbonara sauce here in the Philippines is usually just cream - no eggs and you’re lucky if you get grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of your pasta. Unfortunately, I had very limited resources (i.e. whatever was in our fridge) so I had to improvise.

Even though I wasn’t able to use the traditional ingredients, I was still happy with the way it turned out. It was rich and creamy without being heavy. The bottom line is, traditional carbonara does not have cream. And that’s what I did.

I also made some oatmeal crusted Italian herb chicken to go with the carbonara. It’s not really an Italian dish but the flavors from the herbs (basil, thyme, etc.) are. And I decided to put a twist on an ordinary fried chicken by using oatmeal instead of flour to coat it. It’s a healthier option but it still makes the chicken juicy and crispy.

If you wanna learn more about how authentic, traditional carbonara is made in Rome (you know you do, haha) and read more about my carbonara improvisation endeavor, you can read it here. 

I used to love to cook but somehow school work got in the way and ate up most of my time, leaving none for cooking. But now that I have the luxury of time, I shall make the most of my temporary unemployment and cook while I send out resumes and wait for possible employers to contact me. Sending out applications and sauteing - sounds good to me. 

5.08.12. carbonara,oatmeal crusted italian herb chicken,food,Italian food,no reservations,

Sunday Clingy-ness

Because Ryl wanted to take pictures.

5.07.12. ryl yalung,sister bonding,

“ I remember that day
When our eyes first met
You ran into the building to get out of the rain
‘Coz you were soaking wet
And as you held the door
You wanted to know my name
Timing is everything ”

Country Strong (2010)

5.05.12.

“ Will I be paid?”
“Yes, as usual - in love. ”

The Beautiful and the Damned, F.S. Fitzgerald

5.03.12. the beautiful and the damned,francis scott fitzgerald,