Back in Sunny State ..for awhile

Aww..how sweet, right? I know.

I am back in the Sunny State, for a little while that is..just got to take care of the unit, you know.

not posting anything here for weeks now. Where I was, the internet connection is soooo bad or non-existent at all most times..I got frustrated trying to load a photo. So, here I am and posting my fingers interwined with his fingers. Aww..how sweet. I know.

Lots of good veggies here that I miss, In n Out protein burger, Snapple iced tea, Ceasar salads, cheese, yogurt, Aquafina, Trader Joe's, shopping malls, friends, Mexican food for dinner, etc. --awww how sweet it is.

I do not want to think about reality right now, this will be over vry soon that I don't need to thing about it, until I really have to.

It is good to be posting again. Thank you for checking my blog out.

See ya tomorrow...

Viernes Dolores

This is the only picture, I can post to share what I did today. The flowers seen here are a selection of gladiolas, mums in white and lilac color.

The "santo" is called - Dolorosa. The Mother Virgin and her seven sorrows. This is in line with spending my Lenten Season here.

My bedroom door

The portal to my bedroom has this marking on the door.

The letter "G" means:

a) Girl

b) Goddess

c) Gregarious

d) None of the above

Note: Give the correct answer and you win a prize

Lunch at Mexican-inspired Restaurant -

Today, some friends and I went to this Mexican-inspired restaurant called Mooon Cafe. The name - Mooon Cafe -has 3 letter "o"s after the three owners.

That is Angie in the picture, she was our server for the day and at the latter part of lunch was also one of our photographer. (I took this particular photo though.)

This small cafe is so reflective of the festive colors one would see at a Mexican restaurant anywhere. It had lots of bright colors all around. The cloth napkin was a bright orange and you can never go wrong with that. The restaurant is in a two-story building and does occupy both a ground floor and "upstairs" - where we gathered and fested on Veracruz tortilla among other and fruit shakes. I had the mango shake before settling on the beef stroganoff. My choice is not exactly Mexican food but I know I wanted something with button mushrooms and creamy sauce so for me it was beef stroganoff.

It was more of whom you are with than what you are eating that made the gathering lots of fun.

The place is easy to find and ample parking because it is next to a major shopping mall. My friends meet now and again to catch up. And as high school friends gathered together we had years of stories to tell.

After a freshly brewed cup of coffee, we parted ways. But the girls being girls could never pass up the chance to shop since it was right next to a mall and all.

Another day...

After the rain..comes the sunshine.

There is nothing like working with nature.

Living in Asia can have its benefits. And just like any place of residence, often times it has its downside as well. Weather changes has been drastic and sporadic in terms of farming but the payoff is so much more when you work in an area like where I am.

The picture to the left is where I spend most of my sunny days. If you could enlarge the photo, you will see a small hut, I had that built with nipa materials and bamboo floors. It is the closest I could get to have a place for shade and still use native materials to blend with nature. The breeze next to the tall bamboo trees and the shade from the mango tree is heavenly. Beyond the hut I could set my eyes on a series of coconut trees, tall ones and short ones. And right before I get to the hut, I would pass by the rice paddies (foreground of photo) and as you can see there is also a cow in the picture. Pastural, is a word that comes to mind but it does not cover the entire scenery. It is farming 101, basics of crops growing next to each other and still not deplete nature.

I hope you like it. I sure do. Ciao. Until more photos for another day...

Random thoughts...

Over the weekend, with nothing decent on cable, I grabbed my scribble pad and wrote some random thoughts...let's see what I have..

a) Politics here defies any definition in any legal books. The Senator is a fugitive, Congressman is into illegal gambling , you get the idea.

b) The only diplomatic relations this country has with China so far is requesting, more like begging, for death sentences of 3 citizens found guilty of being drug mules to be commuted to life imprisonment.

c) There are more moviestar sex-tapes circulating in the internet than there are cable TV channels on TV.

d) Green- silvery eyeshadow is IN. Yuck!

e) Orange lipstick is fad. Just because it looks good on Lady Gaga does not mean, you can rock it! Geez!

f) Boys, Justin Beiber already had a haircut!

g) Speak softer please, I can hear you more if you don't scream!

h) Large almost-exposed breasts only look good on Pam Anderson, she had a sex video tape to prove that!

So far that is all I've got.

Flowershops

For the weekend posting, I would like to share one photo of a plethora of flowershops one will come across when strolling the "straats" in Amsterdam. Most flowershops one can find in this canal city sells both flowers, seedlings and other flower arrangement material. This particular flowershop also sells postcards, as seen on the rotating racks.

The various beautiful flowers in a variety of colors, textures and lengths just sweetens the smell and the experience.

Enjoy, have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe until another day...

Rainy days are still here

Enough already! It has been raining here daily. I mean rain makes muddy road and muddy road is a mess.

We are looking at 2 typhoons coming in over the weekend, it's not like we are low on rainfall (sarcasm inserted here). Work has been slow due to bad roads. The morning drizzle brings heavy down pour by early afternoon until night time. We farmers can't do much with so much water. We wait and see - or as I call it - the cornerstone of farming.

Tomorrow, I hope to visit the farm and see growth progress of what I had planted. I am excited to see the sprouts of what I planted several weeks ago, I mean it should be growing well now because of the recent rain.

I pity the farmers who are still harvesting because they cannot move their products from the field because trucks have a hard time going in and out (loaded) of the fields.

Rain, rain go away come again another day....

The cheese is so - GOUDA!

It is GOUDA!

I am not sure if it is the norm or it was just a fluke but on my way back home taking the KLM flight from Schiphol airport, we were partaking on several meals and even more snacks. Loads of water were served and during the main meal the wine, beer and cocktails were for free and the bread buns were served hot/toasty warm.

I will post 2 pictures of the main meals I had in the future but today I am sharing with you a picture of the GOUDA cheese we were served for breakfast. If you look to the top left corner of this photo you can make out a fruit tray and to the right you can see the tub of butter (yum-my!) that was part of that so delish of a breakfast. I remember a cup of yogurt as well. I am not a fan of plain yogurt but I vividly remember the rest of the passengers cleaning out their yougurt dishes to the last drop. I was really into the cheeses. Cheesy...

from my balcony to yours...

On a rainy day like today, I thought I should look at some very pretty flowers from a balcony I had spent hours watching people and enjoying the warmth of the glorious sun. Can't wait for summertime.

Enjoy the blue flowers, they were so pretty then, and they still are pretty now, though only in memories and so alive in this photo.

Ciao..

P.S.

Oh R, I saw the comment, thank you. I decided not to publish it, I will keep to myself. But I appreciate your visiting my blog. :-) really!

Or maybe you prefer Tsingtao?

R, this is for you. Salud!

Would you like a beer with that?

It is the weekend once again. And for the end of the day drink to relax, a
nice tall foamy glass of beer or suds sounds very inviting just about now,
right? But what is your beer of choice?

Every chance I got when I was in Amsterdam, I had a bottle of this Heineken Oud Bruin dark beer (lick and smack lips here) seen in the picture here. This is a must-have when in Amsterdam. I think this dark beer has everything I am looking for, the suds itself when poured into a tall pilsen glass is very good. Well-bodied and just right - never having a hangover afterwards. You gotta try it to believe it! It is that good.

There are blue flowers

I have seen only one other kind of blue flower in the whole world, and I saw it during one springtime in Argentina. Oh, I love flowers that are rare and unique - especially blue ones. That color beats any bright orange or red ones. I never thought I would be so lucky to be growing one. One variety of orchid is called waling-waling. I have 2 kinds of this aerial plant ( meaning, it requires no soil to grow roots) one is orange and the other one is...you guessed it...blue!

Here is a photo my blue waling-waling. I took the photo today, it was drizzling but I thought it was a good day to snap the picture. Enjoy!

A fruit...called MARANG

This fruit is native to a few countries in Asia. I only know them as "MARANG" (ma - rahng).

It looks like jackfruit in the outside but totally different inside. This particular one is sweet to the taste. These fruits are so rare now because of constantly tree cutting for charcoal in the mountains. Too bad because this fruit is sooo good! You pop each pulp coated seed into your mouth then release the seed and that's it. Due to the excessive rainfall this year I think this fruit will not be sold in the market and groceries. If you have a marang tree - you are so lucky.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Now you are introduced to a new kind of fruit.

Bangles galore

What I have here is a portion of my bangles, wristbands and bracelet collections.

My bangles are all placed in tubular bracelet stands like you see on the left, the stand is covered with felt material (fuzzy and soft). I like placing them like so, to make it easier for me to see them all. Again, these are bangles, my bracelets with trinkets and charms are arranged differently (we will go over them another day).

These ones here, let us start from the left are my silver ones with and without studs. They have various designs and width. Some are thinner than others. The gold colored ones, I prefer the thinner ones because I can stack them and I love the clinging sound it makes when they rub against each other when I have them on my wrist.

My bangles shown here usually come from H & M, Charlotte Russe or Guess shops and boutiques. The last three items are the dearest ones of all my collection of bangles - the green one, my friend gave to me when she went to China years ago, the white one was given to me by another friend who thought I always wore white - not true - but I do love wearing white pants and white tank tops, the blue one my boss' wife gave to me when she returned from Beijing. All these 3 colored bangles are enameled with wonderful detailing and they open with a spring - not with a clasp or any mechanism like that. So no snaps mean no snags. I love all my bangles.

Just wanted to share my little trinkets. I hope you come back to see more of my collections.

Thanks for visiting. Ciao..hope you like the photo.

Why you are not my friend in Facebook

Years ago, I started a Friendster account. I do not have it now and cannot even remember my log-in name nor my password, and it does not matter now really. I just hated the fact that people just got crazy on that networking site.

The photos posted there were just a contest of who took the best pictures during their Napa Valley weekend trips and it was just a contest of who garners more friends in the shortest amount of time. Argh! I hate competition when it comes to unimportant matters.

Now, we have the Facebook! I promised myself I would only get in there because my high school friends are in there, besides that - I have a love-hate relationship with it. I do not "friend" confirm others that wants to make friends with me, unless they are in my high school class. It could really get out of hand at times. I almost lost my cool when an arse of a high school classmate, I do not want to "unfriend" that person at this time. I give myself 2 weeks then "unfriend" the arse!!

Those that post in that facebook page of mine I tolerate but if one gets to be so personal, then I just have to do what I have to do, unfriend. It is a choice that is put in there to get rid of people you do not want to be in there - plain and simple. I love that feature.

I do not want to apologize for having to do this, because I would like to reserve the very little privacy that I have and the precious time I seem to find myself wanting more these days. I would rather not log-in and check if what others are doing and where they are and all that junk...since we are almost slaves of our cellphones, laptops and now a time consuming facebook. I would rather grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks and do things in person, face to face, than spend time tapping the keys on my cellphone or iphone or laptop to update my facebook homepage.

I am not really interested in petty stuff nowadays. Oh, please do not get me wrong if that excites you or what floats your boat, go for it, but I still love the personal, up close and intimate ways of talking to people - and facebook is not my cup of tea, really. So, if it is for you - you go ahead and relate to the world via your laptop or iphone.

The day letter writing became a thing of the past, was a sad day for me. Nobody sends postcards anymore when they travvel to places, I still do though. I love the personal touch of signing my name under a foreign stamp. It shows my way, I remember that person and thought of them during my travels. It is a personal choice and style. Now, people just send emails and photos via the convenient internet (sigh) oh well..

To answer the statement above why - you are not my friend in Facebook, it is because I would rather see you in person, if at all possible and not in the cold world wide web.

And to the arse of a classmate of mine in high school, I would end up with the last laugh anyway.

Sometimes, not being friends in facebook can be a very good thing. Now I have an extra hour to spend doing the things I really love to do, personally.

Take care and see y'all tomorrow, another day!

A moment to reflect

Being in Asia makes me realize that the islands in the Pacific though separated by bodies of water, culture, religions and degree of advancement in governance, industrialization, and politics, the event of last Friday's tsunami devastation after the 9.0 earthquake in Japan clearly shows how one island's tragic event can reverberate to other parts of the world.

There are hundreds of thousands of OFW (overseas foreign workers) from the various neighboring countries that are working in Japan, and some or maybe most of them have families there now as well. The 10 meter tsunami might not have hit the neighboring shores from Japan but it has affected families almost everywhere.

How sad it is that, it has to take such levels of tragedy for everyone in Asia to get to be ONE. How sad, indeed.

I have a friend, who knows a friend that have family members still unaccounted for, the thought of not knowing where a close relative is after such a calamity must be heart-breaking. . yet what can anyone do? Really?

At church we took a moment of silence and we have been encouraged to say a daily silent prayer for those we do not know, but what counts is that we pray to give those that cannot pray for themselves that we, together, extend strength and determination to make it through this very,very tough times. The fear of a nuclear fallout is scary but we must hope for the best. For the dark clouds that loom over Japan can affect everyone in any country in Asia, with radiation threatening to cross the waters anyone is in danger of what this can bring. We are all fearful of what this might do to a poor nation in its immediate proximity but again we can only hope for the best.

Japan has always been disciplined and have been known to rise from the ashes, we admire them for such qualities. And they will recover, we are sure of that. Our thoughts are with you.

Tomorrow will be another day.

Let's talk java...

So where was I?...oh, yeah coffee or java, it is! These 3 items on your immediate left are.. sugar, creamer and Lungo forte coffee - must have when making your own morning cup of java in Amsterdam.

As a java lover, I have tasted coffee from various parts of the world, I have had them in South America, North America, in various points in Asia, even in Brussels but there is no perk-me upper like this one in Amsterdam.

The best part for me in having java is first the aroma that engulfs you (and your room) first thing in the morning as your cappucino maker brews the first cup in the morning. You can tell - I was up for my best coffee so far when I first brewed my very first up. It can be addictive, I tell you. So consider yourself warned! You know, when they say, you can never have enough of a good thing - they meant this coffee, I am sure of it. The sugar was sweet but not too sweet, and the "kreamer" was just right. You are left not wanting anything else - or add anything else. Now how sweet is that?!

The left photo is my cappucino maker that brewed the said cup of java.

Enjoy your java..but aim for one of this, someday. There is just nothing like it anywhere. You can take my word for it. In Amsterdam, they make everything just right. Here I share with you my finds, and hopefully one day you will get to sip, slurp and gulp such divine java. Give up your bad cups of coffee for the best! And so far, this is it! Ciao...another day..see y'all.

My typical Amsterdam breakfast

Okay, let us talk food today. Refer to the photos above, please. These two photos are typical breakfast items that I would devour and savour each morning in Amsterdam. The left photo is the Cream cheese spread that I would smear over the multigrain crackers, seen on the right photo.

So you say, what is so special about these items. Remember, foremost that we are in Amsterdam, they make food GLORIOUS in this parts of the world. The creamcheese redefines creamiest to another level. The taste is just perfect, with the right amount of milk and a tad of salt to tickle the right part of your tongue, savory is the precise word that comes to mind. Now, we get to the crackers...you can try to find this in your neck of the woods but you won't. I mean it. I have heard others buy "similar" ones but no equal. The cruchiness is just right, the grains are abundant on each piece and then when you smother the said creamcheese on it - WOW - it is an explosion of flavours that can titillate any choosy tongue. Pleasing is the combination that to stop at two pieces takes a truck load of self control...hahahaha..not an easy feat.

Usually I would have these items for breakfast with a cup of coffee (postings of brand and cappucino maker tomorrow) cargado o fuerte. I mean when your mother said - breakfast is the most important meal of the day - she must have had an Amsterdam cracker and dairy products and coffee in mind. I mean, there are things you must experience to believe that it exists - this is one of them. Never miss the chance to have breakfast in Amsterdam, it an item that should be in everyone's bucket list. Trust me, you just never had breakfast like the one's that you will have from this lovely country. The food is superb there. What can I say, what can go wrong after a breakfast as delicious as this and a cup of strong coffee starts your day. Nothing! Everything else is icing on the cake of your day.

Tomorrow's post will be even better. Promise.

New Profile Photo

Hi y'all!

Today, I decided to share a little more personal glimpse of myself by showing one of my favorite pairs of shoes..My Carlos Santana pair..my cobbler calls it "my tango shoes".

I love the tie-dying splash and whirl of bright colors and it being a hig-heel can only be a plus factor. I love the fit and the way I feel when it cups my feet. It is a perfect match. Oh, and comfort is also a factor but not that determining when it comes to my selection of shoes. I like good looking shoes in general, high heels preferably but I will bear the discomfort if it just looks good..I know that it is not wise to do so, but I do not walk that much when I am in heels. Makes sense right?

I hope you all like the new pair of shoes posted here. It shows my willingness to share a more personal side of me. Enjoy!

Thank you for the comments and emails

For awhile in the past, I have received some very sweet comments from readers and other bloggers about previous posts. I have decided then not to post their comments. Others, I did but that was on the latter part of 2009. Others I kept because they were personal in nature. I love each and every email I get from readers and fellow bloggers.

But I would like to keep my blog to stay on the lighter note. So to those who email me thank you so very much. I treasure each email and/or comment I get. I promise to post the comments starting 2011, as long as they are for General Patronage in rating.

And at times if I am unable to log-in into my account (work, you know) I cannot publish then ASAP, but I will make a point to publish comments.

You took the time to read my blog the smallest thing I can do to show my appreciation is to publish your comments.

Thank you for each and everyone of you.

For those that stuck with me, all the way back since I was in Argentina, USA and now...Hugs to each one of you.

I will try to post some nice photos for you.

But sometimes since this is a diary-in the making, some posts can be personal in theme, I will understand should you not want to stick it out with me - really!

Thank you again from the cockles of my heart.

Ciao...see you tomorrow. Something new will be posted tomorrow. Watch for it!

My latest fave

I know how it is about having favorites in terms of "blings" but lately I have been partial or biased towards these 2 necklaces (see photo). I love the floral bib, with all the hot colors that pop - baby pink, yellow, aqua, deep purple and mango orange. The hot and vivid petal hued bib and then the green marbled- stone collar are the bomb!

I wear it with whites (standing collar) and t-shirts (no printing) and so far everytime I use it I put my hair up and let the accessory speak for itself and so far, girls love it.

One day I will give it away, so others will enjoy the great feeling of getting such positive comments about it. Someday...but for now I use it not so often to not wear it out. Somebody would be lucky to get to own it someday.

Another day...hope today was fun.

Ahhhmsterdam Sandwich ...

(sigh) Ahhhh...the very thought of this humungous or simply gigantic BLT sandwich makes me salivate! Imagine the best wheat bread ever baked with crispy, fresh and crunchy lettuce with very juicy red and thick slices of tomatoes (I am allergic to them - but ate this one! ha!) with out of this world mayo and the best tasting bacon perfectly cooked and make that a triple decker sandwich!

It drives me crazy just thinking about it and how delicious it was. I can still almost smell it if I concentrate hard enough to relive the glorious gourmand experience. Boy, things a girl would do for a sandwich as close to perfection as this, I cannot begin to tell you. I am counting the days..literally to get another bite of one of this. Cravings can be torment after you have tasted something like this - I mean - I do not eat tomatoes - EVER - period. But on a sandwich like this why change or take out anything. The fact that I am blogging about it -means it was memorable and I WILL have another one...soon. :-) I will share with someone special next time, I am sure it will taste even better - if that is at all possible.

Another day...another photo of food. I am a foodie after all.

Do you recognize this corner?

Actually, this is a photo of an intersection. Where in the world is this, you might ask? Enlarge the photo and maybe the landmarks around it will divulge its location. Good luck! Happy guessing! Have a great weekend everyone.

Best description I ever found of me...

Likes
. solitude to dream in
. mystery in all its guises
. anything discarded to stay discarded
. the ridiculous (really!)
. like to get lost

Dislikes
. the obvious
. being critized
. feeling all at sea about something
. know-it-all
. pedantry

Farming

Please view the new addition to the agriculture work I am presently working on, at my neck of the woods. I love the fact that it has coconut trees on the north, banana plants on the west and a small brook on the south with rice paddies on east of this area. Farming, is the closest way I know I can commune with nature. Loads of work but lots of spiritual rewards. More photos to come, I promise. Enjoy!

My internet stinks!

Allow me to vent just a tad bit. The whole day I have been trying to download a photo for today's post but after numerous (more than 5 times) attempts still no luck!

So apologize for that. Sometimes, I log in here and I loose my connection, or worse I log-in and then BAM! no signing in happens and much worse, it is NOT in English.

Man, sometimes you really get a stinking day. And I think I got my ration for this week.

Oh well, I hope tomorrow, it being another day, would be more promising, and a photo appears on here. Wish me luck. Ciao. Goodnight. Thanks for listening :-)

I am beat but not defeated, so so speak...hahaha...

My Capuano

A few days ago, I remembered a neighbor from the past.

The moniker, Capuano, came to life when referring to him.
Here is candid shot of him . To protect the innocent, there are

three people in this photo - guess which one he is.

Happy Guessing!

Japanese Bento box...my favorite food on EARTH!

This here is a sushi bento box, a Japanese delicacy that evades words to describe how delicious it is. I love having this particular dish when I am in San Diego, California. Need I say, I love the experience of feasting on it with my green tea (cold) drink. You can see a small portion of the bottle on the right top corner.

The tune rolls and cucumber rolls are great with the wasabi and soy sauce dip...Yummy! The assortment on the picture includes red tuna, white, mackerel, ebi, fish fin and tako (octupos). It is served with pickled ginger. My stomach is growling already just thinking about it. (sigh) I just have to wait a little bit to enjoy it again. Did I say it was delicious? It is! Worth the drive and the cost. Love, love, love it!

My Garden

Welcome to my garden. This here is a small portion of my little garden. These plants are indigenous to the country I am in. Most of these were taken from other parts of the country to be planted here. I was standing on a higher platform (found in the middle of the garden grounds)when I took this photo. I hope you like it. I will post more in the future. Welcome, once again.

Change..loving it.

It is great to be back! Blogging has always been very good for my inner spirit and I have gotten my spunk back. It is great to be back..blogging again. Thank you for the kind emails, I am well.

I am living and doing lots of new things. In due time I will tell all but for now. I just want to assure everyone that I am in good health and working, lots of working :-)

I live in a new continent (yet again, I know) and doing one of the things, I am learning to love and enjoy - farming. More in future blogs..I promise.

To one very avid reader..I say..it is very good to know you are looking out for me. Thank you.

I have photos to load and share with y'all.

It is great to be back! Big hugs to every one.

But tomorrow will be another day.