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.

Tea Bag. Tea Back?

A woman is like a teabag; you never know how strong she is until she's in hot water

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Am I in hot water?

Is this my hot water?

I'm so tired.

I feel so tired.

I feel so tired of feeling inadequate

I feel so tired of being unappreciated

I feel so tired of being backstabbed

I feel so tired of those pitiful looks

I feel so tired of deadlines

I feel so tired of feeling so tired.

Is this my hot water?

What am I doing?

Am I giving up?

Am I giving in?

Am I not strong enough?

Well, even teabags have their limit.

Once you've exhausted its essence, no matter how hot the water you put in, it will taste like nothing.

Am I at my limit?

Is this still worth pushing my limit?

Is this still worth it?

Are you still worth it?

I want to tell the person who wrote this this:

If every person who ever got depressed, failed, stressed, pressured and cried gave up, there wouldn't be any Thomas Edison, Michael Jordan or even Steve Jobs.

If all diamonds cracked at the pressure of being carved, there wouldn't be any pretty engagement rings to offer during proposals.

If all mommy dogs shunned the pain of giving birth, there wouldn't be any cute puppies to cuddle.

If all the people who got their hearts broken never loved again, the world would be in a grand state of chaos.

We all have our own pains given according to how much we can take, plus a little bit more so that we can improve.

Pain is good. Pain justifies that you are still alive. Pain justifies that you have the opportunity to feel joy and love.

So, to you, stop all these negativities. Half of it is your own doing. Make things happen. Make good things happen. Never lose sight of your priorities. Enjoy the pain. Joy will come soon after. Aja Myka!

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.