The Famous Filipino Adobo

Most people say the 1st dish that one would learn making is ‘adobo’. Why? It’s easy and simple. The ingredients are very basic too not to mention that it doesn’t get spoiled right away even without refrigerating. Sure I know how to cook ‘adobo’ but I think I prefer Irvin’s…

I just asked him to modify it a little by adding some potatoes which he never did before. And it’ll definitely taste better with salted egg and tomatoes on the side. No salted eggs? Hard-boiled eggs can be a substitute too.

Hmmm... now I feel like eating 'adobo'. What about you? :) This recipe might help...

Recipe:
8 whole chicken legs (about 4 pounds), cut into drumstick and thigh sections
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, crushed lightly
1 cup water
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Chopped scallions, for garnish

Accompaniment: Cooked rice

In a large kettle combine the chicken, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 cup water, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the soy sauce and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken with tongs to a plate and boil the liquid for 10 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 1 cup. Let the sauce cool, remove the bay leaves, and skim the fat from the surface.
In a large skillet heat the oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it saute the chicken, patted dry, in batches, turning it, for 5 minutes, or until it is browned well. Transfer the chicken to a rimmed platter, pour the sauce, heated, over it, and serve the chicken with the rice.

*You can also use pork meat instead of chicken if you wish.

Happy Birthday, Mama!

I just wish you the best of everything that you truly deserve! I love you!

Vachon's Wildlife Sanctuary

Backgrounder: Tita Laling, a 1st cousin of my mom, is married to Kenneth Vachon from Leominster, MA since 1988. They have a son named Joseph “Joe” Edmour Vachon who is now 13 years old.

For 40 years, the Vachon family has operated Grandview Country Club. Uncle Kenny said it was never easy being a greens keeper… you start from 2AM till 2PM everyday. They think they had enough and so they shut down the golf course on November 2001.

They have then decided to make the former Grandview Country Club into a wildlife sanctuary. Uncle Kenny and his family has donated 148 acres of land for wildlife… a home for black bears, moose, hawks, deer, red foxes, beavers, coyotes and other kinds of birds. Charles Wyman, a representative of the Audubon Society said they are very grateful for this gift. This land will forever be protected and preserved, he added.

I remember when we had to make a trail for this land. Uncle Kenny was cutting down the small trees using a chainsaw. Tita Laling, Joe and I had to pick those up and throw on the sides and put a pink ribbon to mark the trail. It was an extraordinary experience for me. I had fun! I even saw the trails which the American Indians did hundreds of years back.

Furthermore, they have renovated the 2-storey building which they plan to rent out for weddings and other events next spring. Uncle Kenny, Pepey (Irish term for grandfather), Tita Laling, his brother Uncle Dennis, his friend Tim, and David have worked so hard for this project. They have just started when I came to the country more than 4 years ago. I was a witness to everything they did. I recall Tita Laling saying she didn’t even think she could paint. She has just done so many things she thought is impossible for her to do. Uncle Kenny can actually hire a contractor to do the job but… he just has this “passion” which maybe not many of us have.

The party they hosted on October 7th to introduce Vachon’s Wildlife Sanctuary was a fun-filled event full of support from friends including the mayor and the ex-mayor. The flowers for the centerpieces were gorgeous. Their planner Erin did a great job. Food was good. The Mariachi Band performed really well that the people really had fun listening to and dancing with them.

Two thumbs up to the Vachon family!

Click here for more photos…

And for some articles from their local paper…
Worcester Telegram and Gazette News…

Sentinel And Enterprise…

1st Wedding Anniversary, etc.

Anniversary

It was around this time (10:42AM) a year ago when Jasmine was preparing me, using all her powers to make me look and feel beautiful on one special day… my wedding. Yes it’s been a year since we got married. I couldn’t believe how fast time flies! I couldn’t be happier knowing that he’s now here with me. We’ve waited for such a long time… I’m very thankful for having a husband who loves me so much… who accepts me for who I am… who supports me in any way he can… who understands my flaws… who adjusts to our differences.

Originally, we’ve planned to go to Tavern on the Green to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. We really want to make it special. For us, there is nothing like the 1st for anything. But everything that we planned just remained a plan. Irvin has to work today (this’ll be another story). He just got home a couple of hours ago and right now, he is sleeping. I’ll just go out later to buy some Chicken Caesar Pizza and Shrimp Parmigiana which he likes very much.

Also, we went out for dinner last Wednesday. Let’s just say it was an advance celebration of our anniversary. We were supposed to go to Cheesecake Factory but ended up going to Red Lobster. It’s been a little over than half hour that we were waiting for the bus to go to Cheesecake Factory and it was getting late. I was so desperate asking Irvin why we can’t push through our plans. He enjoyed the food anyway. We had…

New England Appetizer Sampler (Crab meat with Mushroom, Scallops wrapped with Bacon, Breaded Shrimps)

New England Clam Chowder Soup





Caesar Salad and Biscuit





Shrimp and Lobster Pasta





Salmon New Orleans





And he had Heineken Beer and I had Strawberry Margarita…





Yep there was no dessert! We were just so full we didn’t even finish what we ordered. Too bad I missed the best part! :)

Irvin’s job

Irvin has been working for almost 3 weeks now as a cashier at a BP station. He is ok with it so far other than the shift being 12 hours and he has to stand most of the time. He doesn’t have a permanent schedule yet so there are times he works during the day and sometimes at night. It’s kind of hard for us at 1st. Imagine not being able to see each other for a few days! He leaves in the PM before I get home and arrives in the AM when I’m already gone. That’s one big sacrifice that we’re currently facing. He works mostly with Filipinos so I think that’s a plus. He has already adjusted in a way with his sleeping pattern.

Anyway, he would always set the table with the food already prepared before he goes to work. I remember the very 1st day he went to work when there were two plates on the table which made me cry. Why? He said he did that so I won’t think I’m eating all by myself.






Then there was a note saying…






He would leave me love notes most of the time and I find it really sweet. Oh and there was this time that he was on a rush and he just sautéed sardines for our dinner. He sprinkled it with parsley making it look like an Italian dish. Haha!





Party in MA





We are going to MA on October 5th to attend the opening party of the Vachon Wildlife Sanctuary. Tita Laling has been so busy these past few days and so is Uncle Kenny. Everyone is just excited for this. We’ll be there for 4 days and we hope to come back for Thanksgiving. Probably not… Irvin said he couldn’t ask for a vacation every month. We’ll try our best to spend Christmas there. Anyway, it’s not really a formal party. The invitation said… casual. So here’s what I’m going to wear…





TV shows

I’m getting so hooked on Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t know but the twists of the story… the life’s experiences of these interns just makes me so interested that I wouldn’t want to miss an episode. Irvin and I have also been watching Prison Break and Vanished on the Fox Channel. Actually, there are a lot of nice new shows this fall on TV. I just couldn’t watch everything. I kind of feel bad also that I can’t watch CSI because of Grey’s. But maybe I should since I noticed they’ve been replaying Grey’s episode during Fridays for 2 weeks in a row now. Hmmm… Oh and I shouldn’t forget Dancing with the Stars. I also like this show. It’ll be great if I could learn to dance the way they do. If I could just dance like that, I think I could lose a lot of weight and have a nice lean body. What do you think?! Haha!

Birthdays, New Baby, New Job

August 30 - Dudes
September 9 - Manuel
September 15 – Uncle Kenny
September 18 - Rene
September 24 – Tita Laling & Tito Ariel
October 1 - Olan

Happy Birthday, guys! All the best! Mwah!

Congratulations, Rommel and Cherry for a healthy and pretty new baby!

My sister Aou has finally found a job at Watson Wyatt. Though it’s just a contractual job, I’m still happy she was able to get it. Congratulations, Aou!

Storms in the Philippines

’Milenyo’ (Int’l Name:Xangsane) has just left a few people dead when it struck the southern part of the country. And now ‘Neneng’ (Int’l Name:Bebinca) is coming in. Read more...

Let’s just hope that it will not cause much damage and that everyone will be safe.

*****

This is all for now! I hope to blog often in the coming days.

busy! busy! busy!

Hello, friends! Thanks for dropping by. Sorry for not updating my blog lately. I'm so busy with work that I couldn't really find the time to blog even on my break... not even at home. I am just so tired from a day's work and there are still some chores to do.

I'll try to get back to the usual soon so please come back again... :)

9/11 remembered

It’s been 5 years since the gruesome attack of the then Twin Towers in New York City. Many people died. And for the ones that are left behind, it was a painful and shocking experience. Some have already moved on. But some are still mourning… finding it so hard to accept what happened. And so today, let's offer some prayers for everyone affected by the terrorists’ attack of 2001.

Related articles:

Solemn tributes mark 9/11's fifth anniversary

Special Reports - 9/11: Five Years Later

The Victims

How We Should Remember September 11

Children of 9/11 old enough to ask about Daddy

Pataki: Why we remember 9/11

hilljohn is in CA!

Hilljohn, a friend of Irvin since childhood, arrived on the 6th with his Mom. Irvin said he might go to a school in CA. I could tell how happy and excited Irvin is. Too bad CA is not anywhere near. We could actually go there but I don't have any more vacation days left. We'll just see him and Bernard (also a friend of Irvin) next time. He'll be here for a while anyway.

Labor Day Weekend

I was so exhausted with all the shopping that we did. Actually, I still am. We went with Manang Fely and her family, 2 days in a row, to Woodbury Commons on Sunday and Tanger Outlet on Monday. Shopping is really fun in the US whenever there is sale. You can get a lot of good deals from brand name stores. Irvin and I, having no car yet, took this opportunity to get some of the things we need/want. I have nothing else to say… well, I’m freaking too busy with work these days.

past weekend...

Tito Nilo along with some friends reached NY at around 3pm last Friday, August 25th. But we didn’t get to see him till almost 9 that night. Also, we were glad to have met a lot of people from Cavinti (Irvin’s hometown)… and it’s as if they’re just around the corner being only a few blocks away from us. Tito Nilo stayed at our apartment that night.

Come Saturday morning, Tito Nilo was busy preparing for the party at the Sheraton Hotel while I was making breakfast. I cooked tinapang bangus, longganisa, fried eggs and fried rice. I also made sure Tito Nilo had his coffee (since we don’t usually drink). So we all had breakfast and soon enough, Tito Nilo’s friend came to pick him up. I was so tired that I just slept the whole afternoon. Then we went to the house of “Tita Dulce” for dinner. We brought a cake from Tai Pan as it was her birthday the day before. There were endless chatting, reminiscing of the past and laughters. We had so much fun! It was so great to have mingled with those people. Well, we didn't get home till 1AM. :)

Tita Luding’s (Tito Nilo’s wife) niece took us to the flea market on Sunday. We were just lucky to find reasonably priced coffee so we bought some (to be sent to the Philippines). Tito Nilo left that same afternoon for Canada.

joke time... cool signs?!

A friend (Hi, Cielo!) forwarded me this email. I don't intend to make fun of Filipinos. No offense po! I just think it's cute! And I'm sure this will make you smile. Would you believe there are also 'cool signs' here in NY?! I just don't take pictures. Hehe! Anyway, here it goes...

BAKA DIPINDI SA KINAIN?!.. nyahahahah


o ano pa hinihintay mo?!.. mura lang ang Bres! nyahahaha


Flease Pollow Rules! nyahahahaha


Wow Kol Shus! nyahahahaha


Bagong Ani eh! hahahaha


Eto malupit!!!.. pinag-isipan talaga yang mga "RULES TO BE FOLLOWS" NA YAN!.. nyahahahaah

A friend's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Badoodles! Wishing you all the best as always! Mwah! Take care... :)

celebrity look-alikes

I learned about this website through Pat. I think it's cool and fun so I tried it. Now...

Which celebrities do I look like?
1. face fully made up (picture from the wedding)



2. regular day photo



What about Irvin? - This only proves why a lot of people mistakenly think that he is Chinese...

Tito Nilo is visiting!

The phone rang at almost 10 pm last night. Irvin and I don’t usually pick up the phone. For all you know it might just be some telemarketers (I know they’re just doing their job but sometimes it’s just hard to make them understand what the word NO means). Anyway, as soon as I said hello, the caller said “Who is this?” I was like... WHO... IS... THIS (with a kind of sarcastic tone in my voice)? Then he said “This is Nilo”. In my mind I was like... Uh-oh it is Irvin’s uncle from Canada! I felt really awkward having heard that and said “Tito Nilo, si Faye po… blah blah blah”. Whew! I apologized to Irvin afterwards. I don’t know but I have this attitude that I believe I should be the one asking who the caller is and not the other way around. It’s no big deal! I just hope he didn’t take any offense on that.

And so, he called to let us know he’s coming this Friday. He’ll be attending a 90th birthday party of another relative (which Irvin doesn’t really know of personally) on Saturday. Irvin offered our apartment for them to stay so he’ll meet them up somewhere tomorrow.

I can tell that Irvin is really happy and excited so I’m giving it my best to support him. I, too, am excited. This will be the 1st time we’ll have guests in the apartment... a relative you know! We then went to bed kind of late talking about what we are going to prepare for them… where could we take them if ever… and that we also need to take them to the party. Tito Nilo used to live in NY about 30 years ago. A lot of things have changed already so it’ll be a good time for him.

Life is never easy... abroad!

Economy in the Philippines has not really been good lately… prices of commodities continue to rise, unemployment is still a problem, pay is not that pleasing to majority of people, etc. etc. Each and every individual faces different challenges everyday. And with that, most Filipinos aspire to come to America or let’s just say to go abroad. They think that coming to America is the solution to the many problems they’re dealing with. (Admit it or not, being abroad, they expect a lot from you which sometimes makes me sad. I hate to say this but I feel like I have a big dollar sign written on my face whenever they see me or talk to me.) But hey, it’s not only in the Philippines that you’re to struggle at. Life is hard everywhere. Having a better life demands a lot of sacrifices. It doesn’t just depend on money. We all have our own challenges to face... only that in different forms.

It is true that America is the Land of Opportunity. But it’s not as easy as you think it is. There are laws to comply with and there are procedures to follow. As days pass, they get stricter and stricter because of the terrorists threats. There are also a lot of people here who don’t have jobs believe it or not. Luck doesn’t always knock on your door. And unfortunately, not everyone gets it either. Yes it’s easier to save up if you’re earning dollars. Imagine an exchange rate of P50 to a dollar! But… consider the cost of living in the state you’re at. You also spend dollars for your day to day needs. Sometimes you become sick as hell worrying about your future. There are so many what ifs in your mind. There’s no one you can really count on but yourself being in a foreign place. Some people here couldn’t even get support from relatives… being said, what more can you expect from friends then? I’m just lucky I have Tita Laling and Tita Gie. Likewise, Manang Fely (then landlady and now a principal sponsor in the wedding) has treated me like a family ever since. Also, homesickness will be your greatest enemy. It’s difficult to be away from family and friends. Perhaps, you may be thinking you can overcome that but it’s hard and costly. Tendency is for you to make an overseas call often. The only benefit that I got from that is I lost a lot of weight. You also have to adjust yourself to a new culture. Back home you have helpers to do the chores for you. Here, you have to do everything yourself. Oh and let’s not forget the weather! Imagine yourself chasing the bus in a snowy and chilly weather. Do you still think life is easy abroad?! You tell me…

facing my fears...

Many say I’m too organized… from being orderly, neat, keeping things on schedule down to planning the days ahead. Tita Laling even calls me a ‘neat freak’. My manager at work always reminds me to loosen up. Well let me tell you something… I may look like I’m fine… it may seem like everything is manageable… it may look as if our life is on a really smooth-sailing ride… it may seem like nothing is wrong… but I also have my own fears.

Back then… whenever people would ask me when I’m going to get married, my favorite tag line was “it’ll come”. I was already past the age of 25 but still I felt that it’s still not late. I was 31 when we tied the knot. We’ve waited long enough for that day. And everything seemed to be taking its place little by little. I'm one of the few lucky ones who made it to America where I feel like saving up is easier. I was able to finally get Irvin to join me here. God has been so good! I know that and I’m very thankful for that!

Now I’m already at a stage where I want to start having a family… to have a baby. But can we manage it? Irvin doesn’t even have a job yet. He couldn’t find an employer to sponsor him. Getting an odd job hasn’t been easy either. We can’t even buy a car. It’s ok though… anyway we both agreed that it’s not a priority for now. I’m currently helping my family too financially. Economy has been really bad these days in the Philippines. And in as much as I want to give more, I just couldn’t. There are bills to pay and with me being the only one working, I’m afraid my earnings won’t be enough if we’ll have a baby. Uncle Ken (Tita Laling’s husband) once said that I should have a baby now… that I don’t have to worry too much… that planning is good but sometimes it’s better off taking the risk… that I’m not getting any younger… that we’ll be able to figure it out when the situation comes. Irvin and I also think the same way. We feel that it’s better to have a baby now while he’s not yet working. Well you don’t want to be working and spending all of your earnings for a baby sitter! This is the perfect time… He can take care of his own child and maybe after all my papers are done, our kid will be 2 or 3 years old already. Then we can just take him/her to a daycare and Irvin can start working. And Irvin doesn’t have any problem with that. Whew! What a very great plan I have!

But I’m still confused... not sure on what is the best thing to do! It’s so funny how I detail all my worries and yet, I’m also the one justifying them. Am I really scared? Or I’m just being paranoid? What should I do?

Aou

As per my April 18th post, I can’t be happier that my sister finally graduated from college. It was also in that post where I’ve attached a photo taken from a personal camera… disposable I think?!

Now… here are the graduation pictures taken by a professional photographer…

Aou looks radiant and pretty though… I asked her… How come you look like Gladys Reyes (a drama actress in the Philippines) in these pictures?! Do you not agree? Or is it just me?!

Message for Aou:
Iba talaga nagagawa ng make-up at camera na pang-pro noh?! Joke lang ha! :)

it's been 5 years i think?!

I totally forgot to blog about this that even the date I can’t remember anymore…

Anyway, I think it was between July 10-12 when Irvin and I had a petty fight. Irvin has this attitude that he often gives you an indefinite answer which will make you think or guess I should say. Even his ‘no’ answer would mean a yes sometimes. And so what happened was I asked him if he was tired before dinner. He said… no, not really! Then we started talking about the deli owner and he was really upset. I can’t honestly remember what I told him that he suddenly just stopped talking and when I asked him what’s wrong… he said… ‘I’m just tired!’ I didn’t know how to react other than… ‘What? Didn’t I just ask you that earlier?’ I even asked him if I said something that he didn’t like and he kept on saying he’s just tired. We finished dinner… he watched the tv while I cleaned the bathroom… I took a shower then said my goodnight to him and went to bed… he took a shower then went to bed… AND… we were still not talking. It hasn’t been 5 minutes that passed and he was already snoring. So I told myself, he must be really tired. I couldn’t sleep that I was just watching him while he sleeps until tears starting running down my cheeks. I tried not to create any noise as much as I could but he still heard it. He asked me why? I said nothing! He said you wouldn’t cry for no reason! For a few times he’d asked me, I said I’d rather have him tell me everything…exactly how he feels…instead of me guessing what’s on his mind. He said sorry… he said he didn’t mean it…. then we went back to sleep.

When I woke up the next AM, my eyes were swollen and I had a bad headache. I still went to work. And when I reached home that night, I saw this rose taped on the light switch as I opened the door. Wow! It has been years since I last got one from him…yeah not even when he picked me up at the airport when I went home for the wedding. It was really appreciated and… apology was immediately accepted! Haha!

learner's permit for now

Irvin has already been driving in the Philippines for quite sometime now but for him to be able to drive in NY… he still needs to go through the process as if he’s applying as a new driver at the DMV. So he went there this AM. He had to go to the SSA first to get the certificate of ineligibility (form SSA-L676). This is being issued to prove that he can't have a SS Number. Anyway, he took the exam which had 20 items in all in 10 minutes. He said he got a perfect score! Wow! The next thing he’ll do is get the 5-hour class certificate so he could request for a road test schedule.

We don’t have a budget yet for a car especially that he’s not working up to now. But who know right! And at least he can legally drive in NY…

he's had enough!

I’ve mentioned before that Irvin works part-time at a Deli. He got bored staying at home and applied for the job. He will only make sandwiches anyway and come on… it is still money. Soon enough he became like an all-around person. He has been patient all this time not to mention that he is underpaid and that the owner has an attitude. Irvin gets paid every Saturday for a week’s job until this past weekend that he only received half of his pay. He was asked to come back Sunday in which he did after the 10AM mass. To our surprise, he was told it was too early and there is no money yet. Imagine he still had to come back that night! Irvin couldn’t stand it any longer and finally quit his job.

It’s so hard to understand how some people can be so unreasonable and very inconsiderate! It’s not really about the money… it’s about what is fair!

Anyway, I told him to just look for another job. Meanwhile, he needs to finish reading the driver’s manual so he could get a NY driver’s license.

how am i feeling today?

-Down in the dumps

-Bewildered

-Troubled

-Vulnerable

-Exasperated