Sunny Side Up

Sad Heart

2012-02-11T06:41:00.000+08:00

I have always maintained that I am not going to blog when my heart is sad. A sad heart is not a sunny-side-up heart. Today is an exception.

I think I have to face it. Chielo is gone. For many months now I have long pretended that she is just ignoring me and we just have our first ever "tampuhan". I thought my missing her would somehow go away after a while. I has been four months now and I still feel sick about it. I guess, it is because I feel so sad this week that I missed her more. So I say, "Dear God, I miss Chielo very much, please allow me to write her a letter and pretty please tell her to read it." I have tons of letters for Chielo already. Many times in the past, I just kept myself busy with my little girl, and now work.

Chielo has done many things in my life in a very short while. I met her in January 2007 and lost her in September 2011. I thought I never really lost her, that she is just somewhere out there. But no, I think I lost her. It has been very difficult to admit that. I haven't cried since. I really want to cry. I really want to move on. But I just couldn't. I miss you so so so so much today. I do not want to burden you with the heavy things in my heart but I know you wouldn't mind.

By the way, Federer lost at the Australian Open. Nadal lost too. You know better who won. And the only thing that makes me thankful about you not following tennis anymore, it is that you will not have a chance to root for Djokovic. I hope you have a sunny day wherever you are! I love you!

Safe House - Denzel Washington

2011-11-16T10:51:00.001+08:00

I am getting too excited about Denzel's movie (of course being his fan). Nowadays, there are not much movies to look forward to. Thanks for another Denzel movie.

Disclaimer: got this photo online.
I have nothing to do with how Denzel looked like there. Ugh!

Survival of the Fattest!

2011-11-16T10:46:00.000+08:00

Charles Darwin was wrong. Scares all the fats out of me. This is supposed to be funny. But please be scared!
Oink! Oink! Oink! Bring in the angry birds!

I love you on a Binary Day!

2011-11-11T13:50:00.002+08:00

Happy Anniversary Mahal! Today is November 11, 2011 (11-11-11) which makes it extra special because we are also celebrating our 11th Anniversary. Like 11 years on 11-11-11. It's a binary day, except that it's not. That pesky 2, hahaha. But it is fine, it is binary enough. I don't know what it was like on November 11, 1111. I guess binary system was not yet discovered at that time. In any case, this is one good day to play with binary and pretend to be nerdy!

I love you on a binary day like today. It is so special to remember 11 years ago already dreaming of Sofiya Methuselah. More so special to hold her in my arms 11 years later. I love you Daddy. I love you Fiya. You both make me feel so special.

Birth Announcement

2011-10-27T20:38:00.000+08:00

Hi Everyone! I have not been able to post anything (errm do i need to stress the obvious?). I wasn't good at blogging while being pregnant. At the 3rd trimester part, was even difficult. I was waddling the whole time! And for all those difficulties plus blogging, breathing was my priority. So there, i think i have made up a better excuse.

I am introducing our first born -- our little girl whom we fondly call Fiya.

She was due on October 10, 2011 (40th week) but she came a week earlier. At exactly 39th week she came out via C-Section, 7lbs. Her voice was the only sound to hear inside the Operating Room. When she came out, she cried very loud and I heard the anaesthesiologist saying, "hmm its a girl" - which was almost a whisper. Like everyone already knew she is a girl. =) At that instant, I immediately fell in love with her.

Her name. Almost 11 years ago, we already decided that our daughter will be named Sofiya Methuselah. Her Dad graduated from AB Philosophy and has always loved philosophy. We tweaked Sophia a little bit and came up with Sofiya. I call her Fiya,Sophie, Sofi plus all the other endearment in the world. Methuselah came from a biblical name whom i really like since. Sofiya means "wisdom" and Methuselah lived the longest and i'd like it to mean "long life".

We love you Fiya. We hope you will grow in the Lord and live your name. Thank you Lord for such wonderful gift.

It's a G I R L!

2011-06-20T12:37:00.000+08:00

It has been 6 months and it was just like yesterday. Finally, I had the long awaited ultrasound. I did not understand anything explained to me, except that she is a she. Just exactly like what I dreamed of. =)

True to my form - i was in my best element. Shopping Mall. We bought her crib and a few clothes. I'm just excited and the feeling was overpowering. I couldn't think of the present. My mind is set in October already. Like she is arriving tomorrow.

Hurray. I love you my girl. Your presence in our lives makes us more closer to the Lord. You are such a perfect gift from heaven. I always thank God every time i think of you -- and I always think of you. Love, Mom and Dad. xx

Pregnancy: 9 weeks

2011-03-11T06:39:00.000+08:00

It’s been a while. After Cebu, I was busy with being pregnant haha! Thank you Lord for such great blessing =) Super thankful. I am looking for this book on Pregnancy (with journal) and so far, I am failing. =) Let me know where I can find one.

Some pregnancy bits I'd like to share:

Morning sickness. Well, I am not really a morning person. Right now I am experiencing a nauseous feeling every afternoon like 4pm onwards until I hit the sheets. Weird, but even afternoon sickness is actually called “morning sickness”.

Coffee: I so miss coffee. I feel like crying every time I smell the aroma from the coffeemaker. Even 3in1 coffee makes me feel crazy.

Huge Pre-Natal Vitamins. Whoa, almost the size of almond seed. I need a lot of concentration in order to take all of them.

Skyflakes and crackers. I suddenly find this long forsaken food as super important. Mood-saver!

Milk. I don’t really hate milk but this overdose of milk is just absurd.

Love is all around me. This is the best thing I receive the whole time. Love from husband is really overwhelming (in a very very wonderful kind of way). Thank you Babe! You make me feel super =)

Unknown - Liam Neeson (2011)

2011-02-25T09:52:00.002+08:00

I have been waiting for this movie for the longest time and its not even shown yet in the local cinemas. I am just a little bit disappointed.

Travelling Cebu: Travel Tricks and Tips

2011-02-05T09:38:00.001+08:00

Okay okay, here we go. I have promised to post some travel tips for travelling to Cebu, Philippines. Before I drafted our itinerary, I consulted friends and online forums. I decided that there has to be some water splash, some uphill and some historical spots which we will need to include in the schedule.

Airfare. Before anything, you have to get a low low airfare, so first tip, book ahead and book when there are seat sales. Cebu Pacific Airlines have seat sales every now and then and you will work on your itinerary, factor in the budget in the travel details and start saving.

Historical Value. Months before our travel, I also checked the historical sites that are (tentatively) part of the itinerary. Write down travel details going there, means of transportation, cost, entrance fees, contact numbers. Sometimes, museums have schedules – sometimes they open from Monday to Saturday, there are also those that are not open on Mondays and Fridays or closed on weekends - some are not open 8 hours a day. That should be checked so you can make an effective itinerary, you can adjust the time and day for the best hour to visit. Another thing: bring a notebook and a pen. You have to write down what you see in there and since you cannot take pictures, you can share what you have seen in museums.

Resorts. Well, I love and always look forward to water spa. We chose Imperial Palace because it is new and it has lots of water adventures, plus the lunch is sumptuous. But! Careful because on weekends, they charge plus 30%. I love weekends because there are lots of people around. But yeah, you have to pay the price. Try other hotels too, such as Plantation Bay Resort, Shangrila Mactan, Microtel Mactan and there are also cheaper resorts such as Tambuli Resort, Cebu Beach Club – they charge less than 1,000 for a day tour, with buffet lunch.

Food. Well, there are lots of good food in cebu with Casa Verde being my favorite. Casa Verde has a branch in Ayala but I prefer their main branch near Fuente Circle (near Velez Hospital) because of the ambience. Although, getting there is a bit tricky.

Sky adventure. We did not push our luck to try the Sky Adventour at Crowne Regency. I chickened-out (unsurprisingly). They say it is really nice to try it at night. They 888 package, and that includes a buffet. The said hotel is just located at Fuente Circle too, along Jones Street I think. Next tip: when it is your turn, be sure not to chicken-out! Just pig-out! :D

Pasalubong. Best for pasalubongs are Otap (shamrock, conching, Titay’s), rosquillos, and my favorite Masareal. You can find them anywhere – SM, Ayala Mall but Shamrock has a branch at Fuente Circle too.

Happy Travelling!

Travelling Cebu

2011-01-31T18:55:00.000+08:00

Wohoo! We had a great trip to Cebu. Ours was a post “sinulog” trip and the sun was unbelievably energetic! The previous week (sinulog week), it was a rainy week and tourists did not enjoy the festival very much. Not on that weekend we were in Cebu. Yey, happy!

First let me share our itinerary. We almost had a 100% completion if not of my utter cowardice to try the sky adventure at Crowne Regency Hotel (see link). But no regrets! Hehe. Also we did not go to Top Hills in Lahug, I do not find it nice – we will just have beer and food and I don’t think that is cool.

On the first day (Jan 21), we checked in to this cheap pension house. Well, it was not really cheap but given its location – at Fuente Circle, very near fastfood chains, accessible to the malls by Jeepney and Taxis – it was an acceptable rate. At lunchtime, we enjoyed a treat to Gerry’s Grill by a friend of a friend. Then we had a stroll at the mall, bought some groceries and slept early.

The second day (Jan 22) was a blast. We took a taxi ride to Mactan Shrine after a hearty breakfast. We took notes of historical markers, took pictures and bought capiz jewelries. Yeah, I am addicted to Capiz and Mother of Pearls. I do make my own jewelries and accessories, but the capiz – I can’t make something like that. Then, the highlight of the day, we proceeded to Imperial Palace in Mactan. We had a splash and well, since I am a water person, I really enjoyed it. They have really long and winding sliding tubes and I find them really fantastic. Plus their Madagascar River is really something, you can feel the current pushing you to the turn around that Madagascar circle. And the Lunch – well, the lunch was too much. It was very hard to decide which cuisine to focus. I had Japanese (yeah, I am so into sushi – errmm I am so into anything), and a little Chinese, some pasta and salad too. And the sweets were sinful. I suddenly hate Imperial Palace. Haha. We went back to the hotel at 6PM. We surely had a great time.

On the 3^rd day (Jan 23) we went to Taoist Temple. It looked nicer than the last time I went there. But of course we can attribute that to the coming Chinese New Year. There were lots of Koreans too. There not much improvements done in the temple, but it surely was well maintained. The Taoist Temple is sitting in the priced Beverly Hills of Cebu, haven of the financially well-off people. We took a taxi to Beverly Hills – it is actually just very near Fuente Circle but you need to have a taxi waiting, or else you may need to walk down on your way back to the city. So if you love walking, you may just take a metered taxi. It would cost you 50 pesos from Fuente Circle. We took our late lunch in SM Mall and a massage at Banyan Tree in Fuente Circle.

The 4^th day was our history date. We went to Basilica Church, Magellan’s Cross and to Sto Nino Museum. Then we proceeded to Fort San Pedro, toMuseo Sugb and ended the history trip at Casa Verde for that historical baby back ribs on a 3pm lunch. Then we bought some pasalubong in Ayala and prepared for the early trip for the next day. Hurray! :)

Cebu City

2011-01-23T09:36:00.000+08:00

Finally, we are having our short vacation! I am always saying it is not on the length of your vacation -- it is how memorably you spent it. That is the argument of someone who cannot get a long vacation. Haha. But hey, in Cebu, I think 4 days is enough. I personally made our itinerary. And well, here it goes:

Day 1 - Travel Time, Lunch with friends, shopping, candlelight dinner
Day 2 - Jog at Mactan Shrine, Breakfast sa damuhan. By 9am, water spa at Imperial Palace
Day 3 - Historical trip to Magellan's cross, Spanish Forts, Old churches, Museums
Day 4 - Taoist Temple in the morning, and Crowne Plaza Skytour adventure in the evening, baby back ribs
Day 5 - Travel to Cagayan de Oro, breakfast, hug dogs, back to office

Watch out for my travel guides! ^_^ Love love love! Hello Sugbu!

Mongolia to Philippines

2010-12-19T21:49:00.002+08:00

This chronicles my travel from Mongolia to Philippines last October 2007. I decided to take the train from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and see Beijing and Hongkong on my way back to Phils. I was traveling alone -- all by myself with all those 70 kilos luggage. I left Mongolia at -18 Celsius, 7AM. The train was on time - still came from Russia on a Trans-Siberian Route. On board were tourists, businessmen, locals --- travelers who are not in a hurry and some having no choice. Beijing is 30 hours from Ulaanbaatar. I chose a soft sleeper cabin of 4.

This is my neighborhood. This is the place i left behind with its chilly autumn days.

This is my place. This is my place no more. =)

I am blest with great friends. We ate beef rendang. My special request on my last Mongolian dinner.

Thanks to you =)

I chose a soft sleeper cabin of 4, but there were only 3 of us in the cube, so I had an extra bed to store my luggage. Lucky!

Passing under the great wall. People are so busy looking at their Lonely Planet travel guide. I wasn't. I was busy thinking how on earth will be able to haul my luggage out from the carriage all by myself - 6 hours to Peking! Argg.

There are no lone travelers. I thought i was a lone traveler. I wasn't.

This is the place I stayed in Beijing. I think I love Beijing. I particularly love this Hostel. It is cheap, clean and has affordable delectable food. This is called Far East International Youth Hostel. I think I paid only 70 yuan per night. Or maybe 40...

Around Beijing, on foot. Yes i did some little shopping trip =)

Beijing is a nice place to walk around. I'll surely be back.

Ancient Feel.

Trip to Mao's and to Beijing' University of Arts.

9 months without Mc Donalds -- the revenge. =)

Beijing: Bike, McDonalds, KFC and artistically designed houses.

Can't get enough of Mc Donalds. I need additional Rice, please.

Tianan'men Square. A huge square in Beijing.

Nathan Road. Hongkong. Shopping area in the city that never sleeps.

I met Pinoys in the train from Beijing to Hongkong. They helped me find a place in HK. We stayed at Chung King Mansion. It is cheap and relatively clean, with TV and own bath. And WIFI too and a common ref and kitchen. But it is a crowded place. It is a perfect place because you can access the ferry, the malls, ticketing centers on foot. Plus, the double decker bus going to Airport is just right outside the building. The great thing is, the hostel is managed by Filipina. I paid 120 HKD for 2 nights. Three in a room.

God sends people in your life at the time you need them.

Chocolates makes me crazy.

Ferry.

Star Cruise behind me.

Smog in HK.

HKIA. and some last minute shopping!

Labanan ang antok! Mag starbcks!

Arrived safely in Cebu. Started the day in Kublai Khan, Ayala, Cebu.

Hello Philippines! Mabuhay! =)

Cartoon YOURSELF, Campaign your face!

2010-12-18T02:02:00.000+08:00

Errmmm, there is this campaign against Violence on Children all over facebook. In a span of 2 days, majority of my friends changed their profile photos into animated photos. *sigh* I never thought I would feel this ignorant about cartoons! Haha! The profile pictures of my friends, ohhh I could not even recognize who they are! I can’t figure who Cinderella is and which one is Sleeping Beauty. Let me see, hmmm I know Mulan, Quasimodo, Alladin, Pocahontas, Barbie, Hello Kitty, Tom and Jerry, Dexter, Spongebob, Dora, Powerpuff girls, Princess Sara, Popeye, piglet, Pooh – I know a lot more. Yet I felt so ignorant this time not recognizing the cartoon domination over facebook. Hah. I mean, huh!

When I was young, like zero to 10 years old, TV was simply not anywhere near 50 KM radius from where I grew up. When I was 10 (I live closer to TV!), I watched Dayuhan, Mara Clara, Okidok – and then I was into movies… I mean, I watched movies too. I never had Barbie Dolls, just a teddy bear. When I was in high school, Julio and Julia were on TV then Cedie. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer became favorites too and Little Women. I think I love classics J I’m sure I must have watched other cartoons, but these names kept staying in my memory.

I placed in my profile photo – Julio at Julia! Since 2 days ago, I kept remembering the tagalong theme song. I think I just love it. These kinds of cartoon series should frequent TV nowadays. I have Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in my collection now. I need little women too. If TV will no longer show them, I will show them to my kids. Gone are the TV shows that are value-based rather than stunts-based. Make no mistake about it, I kind of love Transformers --- ermmm, I love Transformers.

Choices, choices. I chose Julio at Julia over Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Why, why not. It is the only cartoon series which theme song I still memorize and still smile every time I hear it. It reminds me of a happy childhood – hopeful, caring, encouraging, trusting.

I knowwww. It doesn’t contribute to the reduction of violence against children in anyway directly or indirectly. The only thing it has done is make other FB Members wonder why people change their profile pictures into cartoons. And people call it a campaign! I don’t think so. People are even indiscriminate in choosing the cartoon characters. Tom and Jerry is a violent series. Bart Simpson is a “bart” (bad) influence! Who else they have in the cartoon network that is not worth showing as a campaign material for Violence Against Children? Lots of them. And people are not even making informed choices. Campaign your face!

Unstoppable -------------->

2010-11-21T15:51:00.001+08:00

Denzel W. did it again! This guy is amazingly unstoppable. I love every inch of the movie - it was nail-biting and everything was so real (and realistic). Congratulations to Denzel and Chris. Me and hubby had a great time at the movie. I am very glad that Denzel will have movies released next year too. Errmm, its not about movies actually, it is more about Denzel and his acting. It entertains me very well. I can easily say "pass" on other movies, even how interesting to other people. I also watch Liam Neeson, and of course, Gene Hackman and Harrison Ford.

Photo courtesy of Celebuzz

Authentic Mongolian Barbecue

2010-11-14T20:37:00.000+08:00

Hiyaaa! I have been talking about Mongolian Barbecue and I have not even showed a single photo about it. So here it is. During our chace to visit Gobi, we were given "honorary" reception --- and the famous Mongolian Barbecue locally known as "Horhog" was served, and nothing else, except watermelon as desert. Needless to say I ate only watermelon. But i thought i need to say that. Haha!

So there. You can still see the stones together with the mutton. Before eating, there is this ritual that people do, they put the stones in their hands and feel the heat of the stone on one's palm. I do not understand its health value (the locals keep saying it is good for one's health and said it is a Tibetan practice), but i would always oblige to do so. But eating Horhog... it is a huge challenge on my part. Super.

Mongolian Barbecue, NOT!

2010-11-14T08:58:00.003+08:00

Mongolian Barbecue is a mutton stew. It has soup in it. That's it. It is not in anyway a barbecue. So there, let's make it clear. The photos below, that is NOT the one that is authentic. Please be guided accordingly. :D

But in Mongolia there are 2 or 3 restaurants that offered "authentic mongolian barbecue" . It is an eat-all-you-can restaurant where you select from a variety of uncooked ingredients - from crab meat to beef to pork to mutton to veal down to a range of all-vegetable choices. You then select your sauce, you seasonings and condiments and hand them over to the chef. The "chef" will then fry your mixture while you watch. Well for me, it is pretty exciting! Of course the entire process in not barbecue. An entrance fee costs 10,000 MNT, that is roughly 500PHP. Not bad. I mean, it is Mongolia, where would you get a crab meat except from Korea and China? Probably, the crab-meat, chicken and pork -- they have been in their freezers for a month already. So if you are picky, get mutton or beef, those are freshly butchered. :-)

This is how they cooked our meal.

That's my meal - the reddish thing. If you are Filipino who lived in Mongolia, you would understand my choice. I chose crab meat, pork, pineapple, mushroom, bell pepper, onions and a mix of soy sauce, oyster sauce, little salt, pepper, and tabasco and peanuts and lemon. It was a perfect ginisa! I liked it.

That's Alain - and he paid for my meal! Thanks Alain :-)

with Glenn. My eating buddies. That is our prelude to our BARAHA session. Who would not love these guys? They are both perfect cook and they make me happy.

A pose outside BD's Mongolian Barbecue.

Happy November 11!

2010-11-10T20:43:00.002+08:00

For the past 10 years, hubby and I are looking forward to November 11^th of each year. Tomorrow will mark 10 sweet years of love and faith and fullest grace from God. Thank you Lord for November 11s, and for the great love and respect we have for each other. Thank you Lord for all that has been that made us what we are now.

Happy Anniversary, Mahal ko. Ten years and counting! ^_^
I love you more and more.

The North Face - BOA

2010-10-30T08:28:00.002+08:00

Salivating on this very comfy BOA running shoes from The North Face.

I love posting from MS Word

2010-10-27T21:31:00.002+08:00

Despite the increasing task piling up everyday, I feel good about something. I feel good about being able to blog using MS Word, and click – Publish! Voila!
I knowwwwww. I am just so overrated, they call me a techie and I'm really not! J Ohwell. People at the office call someone a techie if they know how to make graphs in excel. I did not say that is something stupid. Haha. Your guess is as good as mine. But this thing, I love this. I can blah blah anytime. And I do not have to postpone my sudden urge to blog. This is just perfect for me. Yey!
What went well for me today? MMM. I did a mountain of task. I timed them all, per minute per hour. Like I am a mafia lawyer detailing my billable hours so the big boss can pay. Haha. Is it "The Firm"? Yes I am making it a habit to write down my tasks and the hours I put into it. I call them level of efforts. I sound like a pro ha. Haha. I could say I have been good today. Like a saint! J And I thought I have a tough week. It is just a Wednesday. On Friday, it is going to be bummer, bummer bummer!
I keep saying, bring it on!

Posting from MS Word

2010-10-25T11:52:00.001+08:00

I gotta love this. I have synced my MS Word to my blogger account. I hope I will love the outcome. Haha. I find it coo because I am thinking I could personalize my fonts and I could spell check each time! In the past I have been blogging directly. I seldom use notepads or MS Word. Well, I am that kind of person I guess. I am a random kind. So yeah, this is a trial!

Yey!

Blogging to the max

2010-10-25T10:06:00.000+08:00

This is weird. I have been blogging the past 24 hours non-stop. Thank God for importers, I was able to import my previous blogs posted in other sites. All i needed was to organize and tag them properly. Whew.

What's even weird is that, I was able to create some post relating to my travel in Mongolia. I know i have lots of things to post - I am trying to find the time since then. So abangan ang iba ko pang posts! See the side tabs on "Etiquetas", those are my blog labels. I classify my posts according to what is it about. If you want to see "Mongolia" related posts, click "Mongolia" or if you want to see "Travelling" or "Serious thoughts", etc.

That's it!

Trip to Terelj, Mongolia

2010-10-24T22:20:00.000+08:00

The day after our arrival in Mongolia, VSO gave us a tour to Terelj in Nalaikh, ourskirts of Ulaanbaatar, the Capital of Mongolia. We got excited and I charged my batteries and brought extra so I could capture the scenic spots in that famous park.

That's me outside the hostel / guest house we were staying. It is a relatively nice and cheap guesthouse in the City. It would cost 1 tourist 5 USD per night. They have laundry service although they do not clean regularly - but we do clean ourselves. It provides hot and cold running water, electric cooker, a fridge, cookpots, double decker beds, 2 bedrooms, on the ground level floor.

So there, I'm ready to go! Terelj, here I come!

Notice the tree. It looks dead to me. They said, it is just hibernating. It will turn green in June.

Wow, can't wait for June! =)

First Stop! This is the viewing deck, first stop towards Terelj. Every troop has stopped here, so we just kind of follow. Haha. The summer houses down there looked so small! Yes they are exclusively summer houses. You will die if you live there on months that are not July, August or September. Not even exclusively on those months. The weather in Mongolia can be so unpredictable.

It doesn't snow very much in Mongolia. But make no mistake about it. It is lethally cold. I had to hold my breath many times just to manage the cold. And i thought i was gonna die. Had to run fast to the car.

Had to pose before running to the car! =)

I'll remind myself to get a moisturizer and loads of petroleum jelly. My mouth has dried up.

Cold and Dry. Nosebleed!

The rock formation looked nice, i thought.

And this one, this is perfect sky. The blue sky of Mongolia somehow has psychological effect on me. It makes me feel comforted.

But don't get tricked, you get the blue sky all year round (or almost!) and still feel cold each day.

The blue sky and Camp Site. We are yet to find where the resto is. Cold cold cold!

Seems like this is our Ger! Way to go!

Ger is the traditional dwelling of nomadic Mongolians. Ger, in Mongolian language meant Home and not a specific kind of dwelling. This one actually is a "Yurt".

But since Mongolians call this a Ger by operation, yeah, this is a Ger. Welcome! ^_^

That's me inside the Ger. The bed has its built-in drawers where you could arrange your clothes. The Ger can accommodate at most 5 beds. This one is a commercial place, so it has designs and all. But mongolian gers can be colorful in the inside even in slum areas.

Notice the details of the roof and its columns. Those are delicately carved by Mongolians. The opening in the roof is actually for ventilation purposes especially during the summer. It doesn't rain in Mongolia --- 20 days of rain per year is not rain, just some...well, drizzle. Hehe. It makes sense the nomads live in yurts, it the can be easily assembled, it can be carried, it is warm.

This is the heating system inside the Gers. Fueled by Cow and Horse's Dungs and sometimes with wooden sticks. Use of wood is not really environmentally friendly. Hmmmm.

That's Urnaa, our guide.

Pose before leaving. =)

Every Ger has a "bantay" - a guard dog. This is how Mongolian Askals look like. Most of them are rabied, so be careful!

That sums up my 2nd day in Mongolia.

Cheers!

The Marmot Barbecue

2010-10-24T16:53:00.001+08:00

Mongolian barbecue is actually a mutton stew (read: isang putaheng may sabaw). They call it barbecue because they barbecued the entire pressure cooker! The traditional Mongolian barbecue is actually ermmmm – well, at least for me it is not edible. First the sheep is butchered, and no, it is not going to be washed properly, Mongolia is way too cold to do that --- then you have to scrap the skin, stash it somewhere, chop the whole poor sheep into huge cuts, and throw them all into a huge pressure cooker in a shape of a feeding bottle. Plus, stash a basket of un-peeled still soiled carrots and potatoes, throw in the firey stones too. Some salt, no, just little salt! Then barbecue the entire pressure cooker in a mountain of horse/cow's dung. Oh by the way, they put some water too. When the camp fire is on, singing is the next big thing. I mean, THROAT SINGING!

The MARMOT barbecue is way cool. But for starters, yes I ATE BOTH MENU! Darn! I got too hungry in Gobi, sorry. The marmot, being a popular carrier of Bubonic Plague, is “carefully” hunted. Yes it is not for hunting anymore. The Mongolian parliament has passed into law the prohibition of hunting Marmot. The Marmot’s fur can make a beautiful muffler or shawl.. and they say it is really warm?

Anyway, when I was in Gobi desert, we had a little excursion. The team went adventurous, well, except me! Someone went hunting --- i knowwww they should be imprisoned! Haha. And so, they got a marmot. What is that rodent doing in the Gobi??? You thought the rats would feast on human bodies – at that time, it was the other way around! We were feasting on that poor RAT.

That bloody hunter (who i think should have been living in prison by now) looked so prepared and got a blue torch and cow's dung handy. It looked so simple to cook the poor rodent. Scrape the skin, chop the body into pieces, burn stones in a pile of horse’s dung, when the stone got firey enough, stash them back into the marmot skin – both the stones and the meat, one after the other. Once everything was inside, put some salt, tie the skin – makes it look like an inflated monstrous RAT. When all was set, he blue torched the RAT until it looked oily enough on the outside. Then he washed the entire thing, sliced the miniature lechon rat in tiny pieces. FOOD WAS READY!

Here is a Step-by-Step Process:

1. Slice the throat part. Remove the bullet!

2. Scrap out the skin. Set Aside. Remove the heart and internal entrails. Eat the heart "fresh". If you don't eat it, i will! That's the attitude. If you don't behave like that, the locals will make you eat it. Boooo!

3. Set the horse/cow's dung on fire. Put stones in it. Put some more dung. And some more.

4. Slice the meat in small cuts. Set aside. Do not throw away anything. Every cut is priceless. Hihi.

5. Get the scrapped skin. Pour in the cutlets and the firey stones. Tie it securely. Put it down.

6. Get the blue torch. Blow the poor thing. Notice the fur will be wiped out. The thing becomes a lechon-lookalike.

7. Here it is! Well Done!

8. Wash it up to make it look decent. Get the knife!

9. Slice the subject carefully. Remove the stones and the cutlets. Cut also the skin - it is called food too.

Have fun! :-)

I told you, the place is a vacuum.

Microsoft Word and Blogging

2010-10-24T13:49:00.000+08:00

Finally, I can write on MS Word. Ugh. I was actually on “read-only” mode the past weeks. My MS Office trial version needed to be activated. Sigh. I’m glad I found some means. Yeah, your guess is as good as mine. Haha.

Early on, I cross-uploaded my blogger account to my multiply account. I am contemplating of transferring and buying a premium account at multiply and just publish teasers rather than the whole posts. I kind of like it. I am not sure yet what for. I think, for privacy. Of course there is no such thing as privacy in this techno era, but I want to at least try. No, not yet. I am not buying yet. :-)

Woot woot!

Losing Someone

2010-10-23T09:51:00.000+08:00

One of those times that i stop and think about losing someone dear to you. Many times, most of the time, i tend to brush the thought away. But it is real. So now, i want to talk about it.

My friend Mariezl lost her father last week. I can almost feel her pain. I say almost because you cannot really say you felt their pain... even if you are sisters by blood, you cannot say you understand what they felt. She told me, you cannot really say you felt someone else pain, until you experience it yourself. I thought so too. When she cried to me, it breaks my heart knowing she felt way beyond extreme compared to mine. Chielo also has a kababata who recently passed away and she could not believe it. Life is fleeting.

Since my childhood, i dreaded places like cemetery and events like funeral or wake. I always look away from the coffin. I never look at dead people. I don't know why and how it started. I've never lost someone dear to me. And i thought about preparing myself --- and it dawned me, no amount of preparation can make you feel at ease with losing someone. I have aging parents too and it makes me scared.

It should begin with "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding". It is trusting that life and death is in God's perfect time, in God's perfect command. It is believing that Christ died for all mankind so that a perfect life after death would be possible.

About the pain of losing - God the Father must have had so much pain losing His only begotten son. It must have been a lot of pain compared to humans, i mean knowing He is God and He has the power to stop things and turn those bastards into salt, i mean, He is God for all you care. He can do anything. But he did not. Because it was necessary. Because a sacrifice was necessary.

Still, I do not want my parents or any of my lovedones to leave or die or anything. It drives me sleepless with just the thought of losing them. So i pray:

Dear Lord,

Please hold my heart

Erase my doubts on your commands

Switch the pain into understandin

Brush away my fears into believin

Because you are the same God that holds them

Comfort my friends in their time of grief

You are the same God

I praise you.