Tortilla Soup...

    Yesterday was loads of fun!

    Being a Friday, some friends and co-workers from my previous job decided to have a long lunch. We gathered at a burger joint. There was an accountant/bookkepper, the sales department manager, my bestie Missy and myself. All four of us was placed in a nice corner in a very cozy restaurant. The sun was bright but the wind was brisk..Jacket weather..well, in my case my good old denim jacket.

     Let me not mention names and I apologize I cannot post pictures of the ever so lovely ladies but I am posting food..second best thing.

     The lunch was 1 1/2 hours and it was packed with sharing and laughter, giggles and teasing and lots of keeping everyone updated. There were some revelations but it should be expected, I haven't seen the lovelies in a long while with everything that was happening and all. But, we are planning a second get together..we are hoping it would be a "liquid lunch"..that would be fun, with a capital "F".

     Burger joint. So they had burgers (see the Maui Burger) and I had the small bowl of Tortilla Soup ( and all time fave of mine from this restaurant!!) and a chicken soft taco. I shared the beans with Missy. I did not have the salsa as well, I wanted the tacos au naturelle.. and I liked it. Spicy but very good.

    And for drinks, we opted for the safe ones, since the three ladies were still going back to work..I got the passion fruit sugarless tea - it was very good.

    My Cali-besties are great. we have always worked great together and yesterday was an affirmation that I have been gone and away from them for too long. It is nice to see and feel the warm and sincere hugs and kisses they gave me.. I mean, I love it when everyone is so real and no hidden agendas or anything. Just us girls talking our hearts out and laughing about where and what we have been up to all these years. I felt sad as we parted ways in the parking lot of the restaurant. I miss the good old days with these lovelies.

Enjoy the photos. Have a safe weekend everyone.

Passion fruit sugarless iced tea..

Hahaha..that's Missy with the yellow top (that's her wedding ring showing) and the Maui burger with fries. I had the tortilla soup with the soup spoon in it! The tortilla strips were crunchy and there were cubed avocados in it. YUMMERS!!

I opted for the flour tortilla for my chicken soft tacos.

Tarta de Espinaca..aka, spinach pie

   After finally deciding to make some spinach pie, we gathered the ingredients and had it over the weekend. With some tweaking here and there of the recipe, I could say that it came our splendidly great.

   It is varied from any given internet recipe for the tarta but altogether considering we did not have the "actual size pan" we needed, a few adaptations and compromise to the recipe - it was great.

   R, rolled the dough to the size that would fit the pan-size we had handy and I taught him how to improvise a non-stick pan when none is available. It was fun and very enriching experience and let us not forget the pie came out very good. Look and see at the photos..

This is the filling that was inside the spinach pie.

And when it was inside the oven..almost done...

And here you go...

Sliced...

It was very good. Spinach with fontina and romano cheese - wow! The dough was also sooo good. I had it with beer :-)

Enjoy and sorry for my late post.

For eveyone who loved the taco Baja Style post - THANK YOU for liking that post. It was good. If you really want to know where I have them..all you have to do is ask.

See you tomorrow...

Fish and Chips..fish tacos (Baja-style)

   Saturday, and the plat du jour is FISH.

   A place that serves very good fish and chips was on the TO DO LIST. I opted for the fish taco (Baja-style). I am not sure what makes this Baja style but it has the battered slice of fish, the pico de gallo salsa, shredded cabbage and a sauce wrapped in corn tortilla and lined with a piece of tin foil to catch possible sauce and salsa drippings. Oh yeah, it is served with wedges of limes.

   If you are in California find a nice joint that makes good fish and chips and try the Baja style fish taco...spicy and hot with the bits of jalapenos in there.

  Enjoy the photos.

Empanadas...Argentinian-style

   Last night, R made some out of this world empanadas caseras..it was made with so much love it tasted heavenly. Never too greasy and so full of flavor. And since it was _Saltena style, it had cubed potatoes in the filling.

   I will let the series of pictures speak to you. I wish they have invented the smell-blog because it smelled so good when it was baking in the oven. It tasted so good, it was better than being in Argentina waiting for an order to go on these empanadas. Enjoy!

R, is folding the edges of the dough disc with the filling as you can in the glass container, next to the blue rimmed lid. Perfection, right?

The parchment paper lined tray was full. And ready to be placed in a pre-heated oven.

This is how he filled the dough disc with the beef filling. Those babies were filled to the max...

This is how they looked inside the oven as they were turning a golden brown..yummy, right?

Et Viola! They are done..it was trumpeted that dinner was ready...Vamos a comer!

And after the first bite, I took this photo. Yes, that is a bottle of beer on the background, thank you very much. Thank you R for making this dish. Brought back some very, very good memories.

Enjoy these photos I am sharing with you and everyone, please have a safe weekend.

Ramen

   Ramen or noodles are not all the same. One of our favorite place that makes ramen, the way we like it, and make it consistently very good is a nice small place in the same city we live in and we make the drive there, even if it is a tad bit far away.

   Photos below are a few of our all time favorites. R, likes the miso ramen with a side of fried rice and I have been liking the negi (green onion) ramen. The miso based ramen is very good. It comes with slices of bamboo shoots and a fish cake but the barbequed pork atop the whole bowl is so delicious. The broth is as the name denotes is made from miso.

   The negi ramen is a new discovery. I saw the photo on the menu and adventurous that I am when it comes to food, I thought I should try it. And, I love it.

Oh, we also go to this place on the weekend and they used to make good ramen (shoyu) but it is not as good as it was before. But I included a photo anyways.

 

Why the ramen post for today? It was cloudy and 'sorta' chilly today so I decided to post something warm hence the ramen noodles. It is good to stick to the ones we know that are good when it comes to food but trying something that is on the menu and well recommended by the waitress can surprise and delight you. Ramen, it is a very good thing.
  

ARGO movie review

   Wow! Ben Affleck did it again.

    Yesterday, a Tuesday, I took "my R"  to the movies. Actually, I took him to see ARGO. We caught the 6:30pm preview. And as always, we had a great time. Note that everytime I take R to the movies, he never knows what movie we are watching. The element of surprise is something I revel on. I like to surprise him so he gets the chance to relax after a hard day at work. This time I threw in a little bit of history into the mix.

   ARGO is a well-told story. Based on a true story, one can never go wrong when trying to understand "what really happened" in a time in history. The fact that it was a Ben Affleck movie really made the decision to watch this movie easy for me. And for me to share it with R made it more poignant.

   Ok, now onto my review. The story was very well-told as I have mentioned. Ben Affleck was great as Tony (Antonio Mendes) the CIA agent whose task at hand was to rescue the six US Embassy of Iran employees who were able to escape during the seige of the Embassy and had sought refuge at the Canadian Embassy in Tehran. And the saga begins.

  All six employees were very good actors. The fright in their eyes were so palpable. So believable. The plot to rescue them was so far-fetched it might just work. Each one of these six people, played their part so well. Well, with a line like, "this is the best bad idea we have so far" brough a light moment in during a turning point in the movie.

   John Goodman who played Chambers, the connection Mendes had in the Hollywood world was great. I hope he gets nominated for an award. He deserves it. I also love Alan Arkin - he played Les, the movie producer who wanted "to make a fake movie, a fake hit" and the very one who coined the phrase "Argo..f*ck yourself!" was also wonderful to watch. Arkin, was an excellent choice for this part. Great acting is when the actors don't seem like they are acting. Everyone was a natural! We miss great acting, like what was delivered by this assembled ensemble in ARGO, in our movies nowadays.

    The historic and accurate depiction of the turmoil of the times were so wonderfully executed. The riots, the grotesque hangings, the TV coverages, the interviews on television by Mike Wallace, Diane Sawyer, etc. I felt transported to the exact place and time of the movie. The costume designs (the pants, the glasses, the decors, the cars, etc.) was brilliant. I remember every single aspect of the 70's as shown in this movie. The attention to detail was amazing (the TIMES magazine, the neckties, the smoking, the phones, the typewritters, hairstyles, haircuts, etc.).

    So, to continue...the movie was peppered with personal touches of the life of Mendes, his son, his wife, his house..his diet of hard-liquor, chinese takeouts and beer..and how Canadian Ambassador Taylor is such a class act and his wife was tenderly there for all of them. The househelp was a memorable persona in the movie, though her role was short, it was significant. 

   If there is one movie, you have to watch this Fall 2012, this is IT! 

   The music was also a big part of the movie. I am a fan of the 70's music and they did not fail to deliver on this aspect.  The musical score left me not wanting anything else.

   There are a few memorable one-liners in this movie. It gave the movie  lighter moments. Moments that made the whole ARGO experience complete. And learning about declassified information about the CIA Agent Mendes and his courage, conviction and dedication to his country and task at hand is commendable and inspiring. A man of true conviction and devotion to what he needs to do and being very good at doing his job - WOW!!

   From the very first second the movie began down to the last name on the credits...this movie is a winner! Kudos to Ben Affleck and the stellar cast of the movie. Every single one of them told a piece of history that made us understand what happened then during the nail-bitting and gripping time of our history. The agony must have been so much and the ordeal spirit-breaking but behind all these, due to the concerted effort of two countries and people like Mendes great things indeed can happen.

   ARGO a five-star movie! So when the awards are handed out by the end of the year from the International Press and the Oscars, you can relive the great experience of being part of validating great movies we want to keep watching in our cinemas. We love good movies but we also love great movies like ARGO!

  Thank you Ben Affleck for bringing this movie upfront and close. We need to be part of the movement that spells togetherness - with nations like Canada we can do better for the world. And for reminding us not to forget history and its significance. For servicemen like Mr. Mendes, we thank you for your service. Unsung heroes like you, who put your own life and family on the line for the betterment of all, thank you very, very much.

   Hopefully, the younger generation will watch this movie and take a lesson from it. After all, this is not a fiction movie and short of being a documentary, it is a test in understanding history and keeping humanity in perspective. Again, ARGO is a movie to watch.

   To end this review in a high note, there are things that you thought you know what this country is all about, but this movie will dispell some ideas and make one realize that what makes the US of A great are the Mendes' that make each day count and every person count. With all the cloak and dagger view we have of the CIA, we are pleased to know that the heart and pulse that beat in every single heart that works for that organization and their "defiance" to structure at times when it really matters and needed, gives us hope that we are indeed united in our pursuit to freedom and democracy.

    This movie is timeless. I am so glad I took R to the this movie. I hope you take a couple hours to watch this great story as well.

     Good morning to one and all.

  

Moisturizer

   Good morning.

   I love the sunny days but by golly Holy Mary and Joseph! Isn't it Autumn already? I mean what gives? When can we go around wearing our boots? And what about the autumn fashion that I had so deliriously anticipated about? Will I ever have the chance to wear my biker black boots again? Urgh!!

  Oh well, it has been warm lately. I mean H-O-T! So we stick to our summer wear and an occassional light cardigan for the evening. And it does havoc to our skin. At least my skin..I am perpetually dry skin (face) and I need moisturizers as soon as I wake up in the morning, before putting my make-up on and then again slathering some moisture rescue lotion in the afternoon and then again in the evening. I have discovered that moisturizers are not made the same - what I use during summer is a no-Go for autumn heat now winter cold. I have to switch products as soon as the temperature either soars or drops. How exciting is that? I have not only to pay attention to what I should wear but skincare is of utmost importance. Let alone making sure whatever I put on has SPF 15 or more. Sun damage is never in fashion!

  So here I have found what is best for me. I am sharing because I am not oily faced nor combination nor normal skin. I have dry skin and if the "canvas" is dry when putting makeup on..it can spell disaster for my desired look for the day. I have blotting when sweaty and touching up conjures up images of women putting makeup on in public - never a pretty sight. Just not appropriate I'm saying.

  I use Garnier because of its longevity and effectiveness on my skin. I love the texture - never greasy. And when it says results in 24 hours - you betcha - it gives you supple skin and hydrated firm skin within 24 hours. Then you have to mix it up a bit.. I used both of this and as you can see I used up the one in the jar, it lasted me 25 days and one more day to go and I have hit bottom of the jar. I am now on the Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV Lotion and I am loving the hydration. It feels lightweight and never eeky now "too much". My skin just drinks it all up. Leaving me with smooth and "relaxed' skin on my face. I love these Garnier products. Do not get me wrong, I love other products but FOR NOW, and all these wacky weather, this is a life saver for me. If you have dry skin, flacky after intense exposure to heat/sun try this and let me know. Grape water extract is a good source of Vitamin E and they threw in some apple extract in there as well, now we all love that. Natural.

I hope I have helped someone in making their skin "breathe" during this horrendously warm Autumn of 2012.

We hope to wear the boots sometime next week...have fun. And let me know how these products had helped you as much as it did help me.

See you tomorrow..another day..

Halloween decorations

   Yesterday, being a Sunday and with a planned "asado" for the evening, R and and I took our walk along several blocks in the neighborhood quite early in the evening. The sun was still up and we always enjoy our stroll. We try to do it daily, as much as we can.

   As we walked the sidewalks, we noticed how several homes are really into Halloween. We saw a few takes on how to spook kids and create that Halloween atmosphere for October 31st. I like them. Some are funny and others not so well-planned just strewn cobwebs here and there. Others are detailed and with a macabre sense of humor to it, which I think keep things on the lighter side.

   It reminds me I need to get some candy for the trick-o-treaters.

   There were spiders all around. Others too large to be taken as real but we were lucky enough to find one that had made a cobweb that was so big we were left wondering how a small spider can create such intricate cobweb - wonders of nature, I suppose.

   Enjoy these photos. Once is real and the other obviously just a decoration on one neighbors terrace/balcony.

   Happy Monday morning, everyone.

My lunch with Missy..

   This week has been dedicated to finishing and completing loads of errands.

   But, I had a day where I was able to sneak in some quality time with Missy. She and I used to work together. She still works there, I have moved on to farming.

   We tried to catch up, exchange stories, share photos and just have a good one-hour lunch together. The pictures below are that of a serrano torilla soup and dessert. I forgot to take a picture of the main course, so I will skip the details of that - if I have no pictures of food, why detail it, right? Right!

    The dessert photo is something I really like - ok- love. Since it is pumpkin season now, I thought to end a nice chat and giggles with Missy is with something sweet. Then we were told of the double pumpkin cheesecake - TO DIE for!! I loved it so much that I ate only half of the slice and brought the rest home. SO I can savor the decadence in slow motion...

    Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone...

Serrrano soup topped with tortilla strips. The drink is raspberry cooler - sort of lemonade but better with raspberry flavor.

This is the double pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce and a dallop of whipped cream - fresh!! This is so declicious. Gotta have it again.

Be good and stay safe everyone..more next week, I promise.

  

Peppers Galore

These various peppers pictured here are the last peppers "standing" in the garden. Autumn is almost here and yet, they still continue to thrive.

                            These are the jalapeno peppers. Hot! Hot! Hot!

This is the serrano pepper (capsicum annuum). Red one, at that. My friend said that this is a rare color for a serrano, for usually they are green. And there used to be two on here, I ate the other one, diced up with everything. Spicy!!

Quotes on Love and Devotion

Words of wisdom that I live by. See if one or two quotes can help you out.

by Anonymous
Love has nothingto do with what you are expecting to get, it is what you are expected to give - which is everything.

An English Proverb
Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.

D. Yeats
People who are sensible about love are incapable of it.

V. Sharma
Love the heart that hurts you, but never hurt the heart that loves you.

R.M. Rilke
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart. And try to love the questions themselves.

D. Shore
Trouble is part of life - if you don't share it you don't give the person who loves you a chance to love you enough.

B. Johnson
Never let a problem to be solved be more important than the person to be loved.

W. Cather
Where there is great love there are always miracles.

G.W. Von Liebnits
To love is to place our own happiness in the happiness of others.

My most favorite of all is one that was said by Sir Hugh Walpoe:
The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a glowing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing it cannot be found by looking for it, or by passionately wishing for it, it is sort of a Divine accident.

Carabao..what one might see in the farm

These are carabaos (singular form is carabao). I was thinking of my work today and thought of searching my photo files and maybe sharing what beast of burden is most common in my area in Asia. These two photos shows you one on the field and the the bottom photo shows you how they like to rest under a large shady mango tree.

Sisterhood...

   This is my Ode to Sister.

   I guess, being a Filipina girl at heart has a lot of things to do about my desire to have a TRUE friend and a sister rolled into one. Family is very important to me. And the truest (to the nth degree) when it comes to friendship is like nothing other than a sister can give you. Almost like looking in a mirror and she shows you the REAL you!

   I do not have a blood sister. What I have is a "Sister", both in spirit and heart. What we lack in blood relations we make up for in our indestructible connection, the invisible ties that bond us together. On matters that really count, she has always been there for me. I might have not been all there for her on her toughest times, but I am with her now. This sisterhood, defies explanation and supercedes any friendship, I have ever established with anyone, past and present, both in blood and non-blood relations.

   I first met sister in high-school. She was the "mother hen" to our click of seven girls. She was smart and her heart has always been in the right place. She values honor, honesty and family. I have an affinity with her; when she and I can talk for hours and never notice the passing of time nor the fact that we never ever ran out of things to talk about. We love to recall things that had happened to us as little girls and had shaped our young minds. I love to read, she loved to read. We watched the same shows on TV and talk about it some more.

  I will not bore you with the details of our high-school escapades (though it makes for a very good read, one day..) but we never really lost that bond we established years ago. I went to college and she left for the bigger city, so to speak. We lost touch but she was always in my mind and even more so, in my heart.

  I have heard years later that she never sold me out. What I mean by that, is that, when guys would ask her where I was after I graduated from college, though she knew, she never told. She was aware of what was happening to me, she never told. She never lied. She always wanted me to try and spread my wings and see the world for what it truly is. I will forever be thankful for her on that.

   And with a family of her own, she is a career woman now but family and church is always important to her. I am finding out now that though I had strayed from that path, I am back on track. Thanks to her. Prayers do change things, I know that now.

   High school best friend. A friend is not someone whom you know the longest but the one who came and stayed true to you and never left your heart. She is better than Santa Claus, she knows when I have been bad or good and when I have been naughty or nice. We have lunchdates now. We talk and laugh on the phone. We send each other pictures about everything and nothing. We cry together and we scold each other. We always respect the fact that we are adults now and advises are only given when really necessary even if at times unsolicited. Our love has stood the test of time. There were those that wanted to tear our sisterhood apart (jealous ones) but we know each other's guts almost that we do not get easily swayed by gossip. We talk things out ad nauseam at times. But we keep each other grounded. She gives me space and I give her the space she needs.

  I love the time she asked me for blouses. She never asks me for anything! So when she did, the following day I was there, designer and non-branded tops and blouses in tow. She loves them all. I notice her favorite colors. And I surprise her with little things here and there. And she does the same for me. Silly girl.

  She hates it when I lie to myself. She calls that to my attention. Her best gift to me ever, is her kind heart and willingness to listen to my endless heart talks. She ask about the people that matters the most to me. She loves them all. Even those that she has not met in person yet.

   We share secrets. I tell her things without meaning to because she can read me and my thoughts (almost). I also know when she is feeling low and I try to cheer her up. We giggle about things. She is my sister because she keeps that element or a piece of childhood and innocence in me forever alive. We are so much alike yet we are different as well, and we balance that together and we have a great sisterhood. I want no more friends. I just want my sister, God's gift to me and remind me that HE never wanted me to be alone.

   My Sister's name starts with the letter "R". She is the a strong person because of her faith and that can only be a very good influence on me. I look at her and see what fulfillment she gets in praticing how it is to be humane and living the christian life. I admire her. She is a fighter and she a believer both in love and life. She tries to see the good in people. But she can cross you out her friend list as well, cross her once and it is next to impossible in getting to her good side again, now that is what I love about sister.

    She reads this blog and I know she will get all emotional on me, but I want her to know that I appreciate her, value her and love her. She is a gift and for that I will nurture and be there for her. She keeps my feet firmly planted on the ground as I gaze up in the heavens hoping to reach for some stars.

    I could have not survived my tough summer of 2012 if it was not of her. She was quiet as I told her things, never judging me. She listened. I was not blessed to have a sister in my family but GOD found a way to bless me with a sister, nevertheless. And I am blessed.

    I count not the years we were not together and but I trasure the minutes that we share together now. I never believe in coincidences. She was meant to be part of my life and I, of hers.

    Sister, forever is a short time for us to be silly girls at heart, but we try to make each moment we have coffee and cupcakes, sleepovers, shopping, lunches, phonecalls and all that count. Thank you for being the best sister a girl can ask for. You are wonderful.

     So, get out of bed and go to the clinic already! Hahahaha..

     See you soon....

   

The balance of things..

   It is the weekend again. I love weekends.

  

  Since I have not posted anything on here for the last week, let me try to give you an update..on where I am .. This will be an introspective update on how I am doing in my healing process. Man, this process has long been drawn out and tiring to me (you too?). Exhausting at times, but this is the pace I am going and I cannot do anything about it. Forcing to hasten the process might render me emotionally limp. A relapse is definitely, definitely, out of the question. I abhor having to slip again at the bottom of the proverbial hill of depression just to start from zero again.

   I still get my bad days, honestly. I am just getting better at channeling my energy into something positive and smiling as I do it. Pretending is easier but not being honest with myself, so I just occupy my mind and time with something that is more productive. Bad days can be worst and a test at times. It would be easier to give up rather than dealing with doubting myself if what I am doing or decision that I have made is the right one. Nothing worst than doubting not oneself but second guessing one's decision on affairs of the heart.

  Like I told R, a life without drama does not make for a good story but I can live with a peaceful and quiet life. I am too old for all the dramas or anymore dramas in my life. A little comedy, I can handle any day. Give me more of that, please.

   Since I got back from the boondocks and back to the US, it has been a daily dose of trying to stay focused on what is important and what really matters. At times, my resolve to the whole "let us start fresh and give this another go" approach still bothers me. Yes, it still bothers me. There, I said it!

   I am not sure what it is that really "bothers" me. Let me share what I have done so far..I went through a phase where I stepped back and looked at the whole picture; I have accepted the fact that "sh*t" happens in life; I am not perfect, will never be, so people I love will not be perfect but human; I am not always in control; what others might think of me is not important to me, not anymore; being unforgiving is just another trait of mine, people must accept me and not want to change me on that matter; I will never know all the answers to all my questions regarding relationships and heartbreaks; I am happy with who I am and comfortable in my own skin now more than ever; I have not hurt anyone; I have learned that my heartaches cannot kill me; friendships have an expiration date; to move on means to love thy self again; like Katut said, to loose your balance in love is to live a balanced life.

   I have stopped crying a long time ago. 

   So there. As far as the "healing" goes, I have gone leaps and bounds to get to where I am today. But more work is up ahead. I am strong. To be "bothered' by aspects in love is okay . In time, I will be a better version of me. I live for that day. Questions will always be there. Not having the answers might be the very answer I am looking for. Only time can really tell where all this is headed. I know something bigger and better is around the bend. I would like to think so.

  Change is what makes tomorrow worth waiting. And I as long as I am good to the ones I love, that is all that matters.

   If you get one of those bad days and all you wish is to curl in bed and draw the covers over your head, don't. Bad days too will pass. Find a reason to smile and start with that. Healing starts one day and one step at a time. The answers will come. Hope is the last thing left in Pandora's box and might not remove of all life's worries but it gives us a light to go on.

   Think that no matter how hurt we have been, those people that had hurt us, showed us who they really are and showed us how brighter our light really is, inner light. We should thank those that hurt us, for they make us stronger and then we close that door so we loose no more light to unnecessary darkness.

   Smile a little, laugh a little...

   Tomorrow, will be another day..