And The Countdown Begins…

yes, i am off… off to China!  yay!

after a whole day and a half of processing my visa, i am finally off to China in a couple of days.  i’m so excited.  not just because the company thinks i deserve to be sent on a business trip like this but because this is also my very first international trip!  and to such a rich country, culture-wise, as China to boot!!!

also, there’s the simple fact that i went though a hole in a needle in getting that visa.  whew!  see, the Chinese embassy imposed stricter rules after all the issues that have been happening between our countries.  they were so strict that the travel agency we contracted to process the visa for me decided to backdown and that is why  i ended up processing my visa myself.  but, all’s well that ends well, i just ended up loving this experience all the more.

so, yeah.  i am going and i have decided to take a photo of my very first visa, as a memento.

Chicken Schnitzel

i recently started to watch Junior Masterchef Australia.  and in one of the episodes Gary Mehigan held a cooking class with some of the top 50 contestants who did not make it into the top 12.  he cooked Chicken Schnitzel and it looked both interesting and easy.

so, i decided to make my own version of it.  i say it’s my own version because i couldn’t find some of the ingredients and had to use alternatives.  and you’d have to forgive me if my recipe is a bit incomplete as i do not take measurements, i just estimate them all.

 

Ingredients:

chicken breast fillet

bread crumbs (i used packaged ones but Gary Mehigan used crushed crutons)

dried thyme, rosemary, oregano (Gary Mehigan used fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary)

egg

milk

flour

salt and pepper

nutmeg (Gary Mehigan did not use nutmeg)

vegetable oil (Gary Mehigan also used some butter in frying the schnitzels)

 

1.  using a small knife, cut the chicken breast fillet into thinner slices.  sandwich them in cling wraps and pound them using a mallet to get a more even thickness.  then season it with a little bit of salt.

2.  prepare the breading mix by mixing the bread crumbs with the thyme, rosemary, and oregano.  set aside.

3.  beat the egg with milk, a little bit of salt, and a dash of nutmeg.  set aside.

4.  prepare the flour by mixing it with salt and pepper.  set aside.

 

 

all prepped and ready to go

 

 

5.  heat the pan and add some oil.

6.  take a chicken fillet, coat it with the flour mixture, then dip it in the egg mixture, and coat it with the breading mixture.

7.  fry it for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown (some of mine got burnt. haha).

 

 

Chicken Schnitzel

 

 

 

my Chicken Schinetzel tasted good but it was a bit bland when eaten with rice.  so, if you are planning to eat it with rice then i suggest you season the chicken more.  that’s what i plan to do when i cook it again. 🙂

 

A Few Hours With Mother Nature

it’s my sister’s birthday.  and as she is migrating somewhere else real soon, we decided to do something other than just dine out.

we killed two birds with one stone by going to Lamesa Ecopark! 🙂

Lamesa Watershed is a property owned my Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewage System (MWSS) and is the main source of drinking water of 12 million Metro Manila residents.  in an effort to save, rehabilitate, and protect the watershed, ABS-CBN, in partnership with MWSS and the Quezon City glocal government, renovated  started the Lamesa Ecopark.

all proceeds of the park goes to maintaining and protecting the watershed.  so, visit now and actively participate in saving the Lamesa Watershed.  and to entice you further, here are some photos i took with my phone.

 

 

116 steps (my father counted them)

 

 

beyond this hill lies the dam

 

 

a shot of the creek

 

view from the hill

 

interesting cottage

 

the bday girl exploring the forrest

 

Drillon Orchidarium

 

flowers at the orchidarium

 

we had more interesting photos in my father’s camera.  too bad my sister accidentally deleted them all.  😦  it’s ok though, we have memories.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Light

 

light

this was taken in Tagaytay a couple of years ago with a point and shoot.  wished i had a better camera but i think it still worked out.  🙂

Off To China!!!

well, not now but soon.  🙂

our company was invited by one of our suppliers to send representatives to attend a technical training and suppliers’ meeting.  this year it is going to be held in China and the big bosses in our company decided that i am ready to accompany my immediate boss.

so, yes.  i am going to China this month!

i can’t even begin to tell you guys how excited i am.  after all, this is going to be my first international trip and to a culture-rich country to boot.  i mean, i would have been happy to be sent to Singapore or Hong Kong but i feel extremely lucky that it is going to be in China.

i already know that i will insist to see part of the city and will try my best to go to the Great Wall.  i just hope that i can convince my boss to go sightseeing with me and to be my official photographer.  hahaha…

i am so excited!  but, first, i am praying with all my might that i will be given a Visa and that the trip will push through.  🙂

Started Out A Bit Rocky But Ended With A Bang!

i must admit that my day started a bit rocky.

i was not able to convince one of my customers to try and test some of our products.  he is adamant to block me from entering their market in that particular type of product.  but, i promised to myself that i will not give up on him.  i will pester him until he gives in.  😀

after this i got some good news.  the one account i have been trying to seal was finally confirmed!  this means several FCL’s in the bag for me again.  this, started to smash the rocks and made me smile a bit.

then, the rocks became a much smaller as i talked to another customer.  this one was a little bit more open to test one of our other products.  and he even gave me tips on how to deal with one of our suppliers because, and this made sense, the way we are approaching things seem to be a bit off.  and the rocks became much smaller because he felt a bit more comfortable with me as he chatted about the fundraising activity we had last Sunday.

after that visit, the rocks literally became pebbles as my boss called me to officially tell me that we are going to China!  this is for the long awaited training.  although, i must admit, that it is for a different supplier and not the one that i was waiting for.  but, still, a huge thing because this will also be the first time i am going to travel outside the Philippines.  so, yeah.  i am definitely happy.

and, the final blow that crushed those rocks happened a few minutes when i checked and saw that my hits now reached 1000!!!  woohoo!!!

i started today dreading all the things i have to do and ended up absolutely loving it.  😀

 

A Dash of Fun with a Pinch of Reality on a Sunday

started my Sunday early and ran my heart out…  well, actually, just jogged my heart out. 🙂

it was a fundraising thing for work.  i did not participate to win.  in fact, i only planned to be there so my customers will see me and, probably, just walk the entire 3km.  however, a month before today, i decided to “train” myself so my unused muscles won’t complain so much.  and during those few times i jogged, i found out that i liked it.  so, i went there and was determined to jog the entire 3km.  i had no hopes of winning the race especially after seeing that there were professional runners who joined.  but i wanted to prove to myself that i can jog 3km.  and i did.  🙂

it was a nice feeling knowing you contributed, even just your presence and your time (as my registration was taken cared of by our company), for a good cause.  also, my customers were there.  and they saw me participate.  so, all’s good. 🙂

however, after the run i realized that there are people who probably made a living out of running.  either that, or they love to run so much that they actually find ways to do it on a weekly basis.  because every single one of the winners of the 3 distances (3km, 5km, and 10km) were outsiders.  i mean, they were not connected to our industry in any way.  at all.

and those guys were fast.  it took the winner of the 10km only 28minutes to finish the race!  the same time, i think, it took me to run the 3km!  so, yeah.  i’d give up my left arm if he wasn’t a professional marathoner or something like that.

and this got me thinking.  i’d like to be able to train my body enough so i will be able to run at least 5km and at a faster pace.  then, i will try to participate in runs at least once a month.  i still won’t join to win but just to participate and contribute because most of the runs these days are also fundraising activities.  and that alone is enough inspiration for me to try and be a marathoner.

so, wake up, get your lazy ass off bed, and help! 🙂

3 Reasons to be Proudly Pinoy

i have never been so proud to be a Pinay than i am today.  and this is because of 3 reasons:

1.  Thia Megia makes it to the Top 11 in American Idol.  i have always been very vocal about the small fact that i am a fan.  although, i think she might not make it into the finals as competition is very stiff this season, i have been praying and hoping that she at least makes it into the Top 10.  this is already a big deal as being in the Top 10 means she gets to join the tour.  she made it and i believe that this is such an achievement for someone as young as Thia!  only this time the Top 11 is going on tour because the judges decided to use their save and keep Casey on.  so, i am not sure if this means they will be eliminating 2 contestants next week or just one.  whatever the situation is i really hope Thia will still be able to move on and make us prouder than ever.

 

2.  the Azkals won vs Bangladesh in the AFC Cup qualifying rounds!  after 2 disappointing games (1-1 against Myanmar and 0-0 against Palestine), they came back with a resounding bang against Bangladesh (pun intended), bringing home the bacon with an exceptional win of 3-0.  granted that at least half of the players are only half-Pinoys, the fact that they still wanted to play for the Philippines and make us all proud is already something to be proud of.  not to mention that some of them are already playing in the “big leagues”, so to speak, but still chose to play for the Philippine team.  add to that the fact that our pure-blooded Pinoys also did us all proud.  With Caligdong doing his best to score and Araneta scoring the 1st goal against Bangladesh.  so, to the entire Azkals team, we are so proud of you!

 

Azkals in Mongolia

 

 

3.  after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it is very heartwarming to learn that Pinoys are extending aids to those who were affected by the calamity.  because, as most would say, charity should always start in your own backyard.  and, we are doing just that.

so, yes.  i am so damn proud to be a Pinay right now.  🙂

Just a Tad Ashamed…

read a blog and it made me a bit ashamed of mine.  haha!

this blog belongs to a high school classmate and i viewed it because she posted her inspirational speech on it.  yes, she was invited by our high school to give an inspirational speech during their commencement exercises.

and, like the blogger that she is, she posted it on her blog.

one look at her blog  and i felt my cheeks blush.  not because it was graphic or anything like that but because her posts actually made sense while mine are just full of… sh*t.  😦

granted, she was always a better writer than me even when we were still in high school but i also know that i can come up with better write-ups than my outputs now.

so, taking inspiration from her blog, i have decided to upgrade mine one step higher.  from now on, i am vowing to come up with write-ups that, will not only make sense, but will hopefully help and/or inspire my dear readers.

and that also means no more nonsense about unrequited love and stupid headaches that won’t go away…  here’s to hoping i could do this! 🙂

I Need a Neurologist!!!

i got home a little late tonight.  not, because i got held up with work but because i went to seek a second opinion.

i have been having headaches since Monday last week.  and at first i thought it would just go away, like it often does.  but, two days later, it intensified.  so, i went to see two doctors.  one is an ophthalmologist, who told me my right eye has a -0.25 grade, and the other is an internist, who gave me a pain reliever that makes me so dizzy i can’t drink it if i want to drive.

so, i went to another ophthalmologist when i finished early with my customer calls.  and this particular ophthalmologist told me that there’s nothing wrong with my eyes and ruled that out as the reason for my headaches.  he thinks it’s one of those cluster headaches (at least that’s what i thought he said) and he wants me to see a neurologist so we could find out what is the real reason for my headaches.

but, the neurologist in that clinic only has one schedule, every Sundays at 12:00 nn – 2:00 pm.

so, now, i have no choice but to wait for Sunday to come so i could have a consult with that female neurologist.  and hope that i won’t have really bad headaches before then.