Meet our new dog: Chibi

I've always wanted a new dog since  Ogie died of old age (*cry) and in my mind's eye, it is always a black furry girl dog.

So, when a good friend of mine from highschool posted cute black ShihPoo pups for sale, I immediately texted her. And after  a little reluctance from Neva's father (who doesn't want to be parted from the cute puppy), we came home with a new member of the family: Chibi.

 

 

 

My siblings and I have thought of the name Chibi for the dog. Chibi is is Japanese slang word for something small and cute. We came across this word while watching the anime, Prince of Tennis where the members of Seigaku team fondly calls Ryoma (the lead character) "O'chibi" because he is the smallest in the team. (Well, being the only freshman to be eligible to the team, this is justifiable.) Since Chibi is the smallest of the pups, we knew the name was perfect.

 

Ryoma is the one at the front most with the white cap

It turns out that name is not the only thing Chibi and Ryoma have in common. They also both have relentless energy. Chibi is such an active dog. She will only stop once she is dead tired. In the photo below, she actually has a cut in her right eye because of being too playful. She loves being tickled in the belly and licking faces. Her favorite game is the pabitin where you will dangle a cloth or a rope and she will catch it.

One of the rare moments when she would sit still

She is a certified stress reliever and cuddle toy. I look forward to going home this weekend to play with her.

Pentax Q: My New Camera

Yay!
After months of searching for reviews online and lurking camera stores, I finally purchased a camera to substitute my phone camera.

I have been taking pictures with my Galaxy Note. It takes great photos and offers a lot of apps for post processing.

But it:
-doesn't do well in low light

Selfie at a night party.

-doesn't offer any zoom power

Jason Mraz Concert in the Philippines. I was in Upper Box A.

-can sometimes be scary to take out because it might get snatched or something.

A bit grainy picture of the Manila Bay post sunset. I was so scared to take out my phone I lift my bag with it

I just knew I had to get another camera.

My first love was the Samsung Galaxy Camera having a powerful zoom with access to all the post processing apps.
But being a clumsy girl, tt was a big and awkward camera for me to hold. I almost dropped the display while trying to shoot and with one hand. Eeeks.
And then there's the price, P25,000 for a camera? Cannot be.

My second choice was the Fujifilm S2980. It was at the other end of the price range amounting to only P7,000. Image quality is not that stellar but for the price, I could live with it. Plus it offers more manual controls compared to other cameras in its price range.

The turn offs were the size (it is almost the size of a DSLR) and the AA batteries. I have doubts with regards to the power. I also find it sad because the rechargeable batteries and charger are not yet included.

My third choice was the Pentax Q. I first saw it while looking around for a camera. My initial thought was that is was a scaled down model of some camera. So I was shocked when the saleslady told me it is a working camera.

Of course, I googled it and I fell in love. It is dubbed as the world's smallest interchangeable lens camera.

According to a lot of forums and reviews, the only negative thing about it is its price. It was launched 2011 in the Philippines wih a hefty P39,000 price tag for a single lens kit. WOW.

Well, it is now only P17,000 for a two lens kit so I went ahead and bought it!

Stay tuned for my next posts on the unboxing, first impressions and features!

Labor Day Adventure Part 2: Panguil River Ecopark

After resting, we traveled to the Panguil River Ecopark. It was a thrilling ride. The road is like a 1 hour long roller coaster

And the sights varied from the lake,

rolling hills,

and rice fields.

It was already 5PM when we arrived at the Panguil River Ecopark. A sign outside says entrance fees are P60 for 6AM to 6PM and P80 for overnight. We waited for somebody to ask for our payment but no one approached us. Haha. So we just made our way inside. We were greeted by a hanging bridge.

Abs po yan. Abs with a T.... Tabs.

We went straight to the guide's table hoping to participate in the trek to Ambon-Ambon Falls but according to them, the last trip left at around 4:30 PM. We were 30 mins late. Aww. So instead, we looked for a spot by the river for a quick dip.

The river was cold and clear. It looks green from afar because of the moss that grew on the rocks.







On the part where we stayed, the water was only mid leg to waist deep. But, I think there are parts where the level reaches the chest to shoulder since some kids managed to dive in.



After about 15 minutes of swimming, we had to leave because it is still a 3-hour long drive to Mendez. We went to the shower rooms but as expected, it was jampacked. There are only 5 shower cubicles in the shower room we entered. We opted to change in one of the toilets instead. After freshening up and changing clothes, we headed home.



We parked by a mall and ate our dinner (Jollibee 1 pc Chicken with Spaghetti + the rice cooked by Dad + Sundae Mixins Cookie Berry) with bare hands. We had some sort of a picnic inside the car. It was so much fun.



I realize a lot of things after this impromptu trip.
1. Don't get disheartened when your plans don't materialize. Open your eyes. God must have a better plan.
2. Your friends will inevitably leave you. People will get mad at you for screwing up. But, your family will always accept you for who you are and will support your craziness (if you want it badly enough).
3. If you care for the people you are with, you will always have fun no matter where you go, no matter what you eat.
4. The world is full wonder. Explore! Curiosity may kill but ignorance is suicide.

Stove Top Pizza With Stale Bread Base

I was craving for pizza yesterday but it wasn't in my budget for the week. So, I realized why not make my own?

I have stale bread, tomato sauce, pineapples from the fruit snack, cheese and hotdog.

I figured, I'll just make the conventional loaf pizza. But after minutes of googling, I found this site.

She used stale bread as base for her pizza. She first broke it into little pieces, added milk and water, mashed it and pressed it to a pan. She then placed her favorite toppings and cooked it inside the oven.

It was a great unconventional idea compared to ordinary loaf pizza. And I have all the ingredients right here in our kitchen.

My next problem was I do not have any form of oven, just the stove and a rice cooker. Mr. Google did not fail to give me a solution to this one too! I found this incredible site listing several methods of cooking pizza without an oven.

So, here's the fusion of the two ideas.

Stove Top Pizza With Stale Bread Base

Ingredients: -6 slices of loaf bread
-100 ml evaporated milk
-1 cup water
-1 egg (I figured I need the egg so the bread would stick to each other when cooked in the pan)
-oil (for greasing the pan before putting the bread mixture)
-tomato sauce or pizza sauce
-your favorite toppings

Tools needed:
-large bowl where the bread will be mashed
-stove
-pan with lid

Instructions:
1. Break the bread to pieces



2. Pour in the milk and water. Do this gradually while mashing the bread. You know you got it right when you have a mashed potato consistency.



3. Grease the pan and press the bread mixture to it. It will slide around at first because of the oil but once you fill the whole pan, it will stay still.

4. Brush the top with tomato sauce and place your favorite toppings (splurge time. Haha)

5. Cover and pan and cook in low heat for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

6. Once done, scrape the sides of the pan and slowly lift the pizza off. Don't worry if the underside is a little burnt. I think it's because of the milk so it will still taste fine.


Sorry I dived right in without taking a picture of the whole thing first. Haha.


As you can see, I like my crust thin. It is very soft but not sogging with oil. It tasted great. I'll be sure to experiment with other toppings soon.

Myka Danila: Naughty or NIce?

At least! May pag-asa pang igrant ni Santa ang wish ko for Christmas!

Margaret Mitchell

Totorothoughts

June 7, 2011

My wish for the two of you has finally come true. And please believe me when I say I'm genuinely happy for the two of you. I have loved you both with all my heart albeit in different ways and nothing makes me happier than two of my friends falling in love.

Friends are the best anti-depressants as well as destressors

Songs played in the office everyday:
"I'm no beauty queen. I'm just beautiful me"
"That should be me holding your hand. That should be me making you laugh"
"Don't be a drag just be a queen"

Quote galing kay RM:
Ang pagkabigo sa pag-ibig ay parang pagkalaglag sa hagdan. Sa umpisa masakit, pero maya-maya tatawanan mo na lang.

Birthday Surprise

It was a beautiful evening and I was feeling so down again. Good thing nobody noticed because I would surely cry if anyone asked. I was sad because I am tired. I was sad because I feel like I'm killing myself. I was sad because the world seems to contradict my wants, my ideas. I just wanted to work, work to my limits so by then I could rest. The difference between being tired and being sad is that the former has an over-the-counter solution which the latter apparently lacks.

It felt weird smiling all the time when you know deep inside that there was no reason to do so. I was this much depressed. When a friend handed a picture of a certain person to me, i was infuriated. The first thing that popped on my mind was "Did you actually think my whole world revolves around this guy?! What good is a picture if you can't have the real thing?" I was more sulky after that. But then again, the tides turned. I am the worst person to give a surprise to because I always manage to find out (not that i'm trying!) They formed a circle with each holding candles and the next thing I know there was a loud "Happy Birthday" being sung while passers-by curiously look at us. They made me blow 21 candles not once but twice. And, I actually had a cake! A second cake for my birthday! My sadness seemed to drain away. I am very happy not because of the cake or the candles or the party hat but because the people I love were there singing at the top of their lungs that they are happy I was born, that is the best thing in the world. I don't give a damn about the people who don't know or even care if it's my birthday because I already have the ones who matter singing to me. I am happy, very happy.

Now I know that if God were to grant me a post-birthday wish, I would ask that He guide this people and give them the best of health because I don't know what I'd do without them.

And if God so loved me to grant me a second post-birthday wish, I would ask for a day with he-who-must-not-be-named when we could just talk all day without anybody throwing meaningful glances at me and teasing me inside their heads. I find it a great relief to be able to talk to him.

I am expressing this wishes now because God taught me this week that you must be careful what you wish for because you just might get it but you have to be extra careful not wishing for anything because you will get nothing. As goes the old Bible saying "Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find." God always knew what i want even before i could put them into words and He gave me exactly that: my friends, my good friends. They are the best birthday gift ever.

birthday fast approaching.....

in less than a week i'd be turning 21. according to the laws of society, by then i could get married without my parents' consent. i am actually excited (not with the opportunity to get married without consent). For me, spending birthdays means being thankful of another year given by God and saying "happy birthday to you " is like saying "i'm glad God gave you one more year to be with me."

i think i won't be asking for anything this year because God always knew how to make my birthday very special. i won't be asking for you. i already gave you up to God. what he wants to do with you, with us is all up to Him. and that goes for you too. they say it takes 21 days to make a habit and counting the number of days i've not seen you would mean i have already acquired the habit of not needing to see you. and i think that's a good thing.

evaluating the year that was for me, i can say that i am proud of myself. i've had so much love and less hate. i've been very open about my feelings. i have less "what -if's", ""i-should-have's" and "why-didn't-i's". more "i-love-you's", i'm-sorry's" and 'thank-you's".

i am happy being 20 and i bet being 21 is a whole lot of fun.

Proud StatSocer

ang saya-saya ko. perhaps, throughout my entire lifetime, this is the day when i said the most number of  i love you's. i never say it unless i mean it. but today in StatSoc's bonding activity, it just flowed out of me. The activity wasn't anywhere near perfect. magulo. maingay. but it's the people, the StatSocers who made it a success. akala ko hindi ako iiyak kasi sobrang masaya ako. but i was wrong. i realized that the more i am happy the more i shed tears. i share my smile with only the most special people but i share my tears with only the most special of those special people. it feels so good to not hold back anything. it feels so good to be totally honest with the people that matter so much, with the people closest to my heart. i realized that i love who i've become because maybe if i hadn't been me, i wouldn't meet these wonderful people or maybe it's the other way around, because i met these wonderful people, i have become who i am and i am not ashamed of that.

nalulungkot ako para sa mga taong hindi naging StatSoc, mga taong hindi nararamdaman ang nararamdaman ko ngayon. we're not a perfect organization because we're not just an organization, we're a family. sa mga taong ayaw magStatSoc, kebs ko sa inyong lahat. You may be happy now but you're missing the chance to be happier. and that is not an overstatement.

sana maging mas masaya pa ang StatSoc! Stat WHAT???????