Our USB Numpad

No doubt the USB has given rise to whole new array of buyables in your local IT shop. We have bought alot of USB stuff; some are necessary -- like the mouse -- while some are, well, let's just say they are novel ideas like mini-electric fans.

The USB numpad is by far my favorite and I find most useful.


For one, I'm used to a "full" desktop PC keyboard which has a built-in numpad. Useful for many things... Most especially when playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance :))

- via BlogPress in iPhone

Our Mario Figures Collection

We have always been a collector of sorts. Wifey likes bags, I like containers/boxes. We both like food and Transformers. She likes Marron and Strawberry Shortcake, I like Marvel Super Heroes and Super Mario.

Here's some of the Super Mario figures -- I guess these are the medium-sized figures, standing at 4 inches, more or less, depending on the character.


From left to right: Goomba, Yoshi, Mario with Fireflower Powerup, Toad, Luigi, and Donkey Kong.

No intention of completing the series anytime soon, though. Barely have the time sleep some days. Much less go hunting for the other figures in the set. :))

- via BlogPress in iPhone

Trolley for your Shopping Needs

And yet another common object found in most homes here in Singapore...


Can't count the number of times we used this trolley around the neighborhood. Guess that what happens when there's more than one market within walking distance of where you live.

Better get shopping...


- via BlogPress in iPhone

EDSA Anniversary Phone and Wristwatch

It's been 24 years since the EDSA revolution. And by that, I mean the REAL EDSA revolution. Not the mockery of that which placed the incumbent president in power for almost a decade.

Anyway, early morning, while watching TFC, the new Cory phone was introduced by local Pinoy phone brand MyPhone.





Nice!

Aso introduced were Cory-themed wristwatches. Forgot what it's officialy called though.

Can't wait to see the news for tonight... Pretty sure politicians will be taking advantage of this event...

- via BlogPress in iPhone

The element of life - available hot or cold

Yet another necessity for any home no matter where you are on earth. No doubt purified or distilled water is way better than ordinary tap water.


One downside though: it shoots up your electricity bill! Had to do something about it. First off, we don't actually use hot water that much; not morning coffee people. So that can be turned off outright. We have extra pitchers here, so fill that up, so we can turn it off overnight. Also, same with the ref, we had placed somewhere away from sunlight.

Hmmm... Wonder what else we can do to reduce power consumption around the house?

- via BlogPress in iPhone

Where we hail the cab

Countless times we had to take the taxi instead of the bus or the MRT. And most of the time, this is the spot where we hail for one.


The lined up trees, small they may be, provide the all important shade during a hot day.

Hmm.. I spent alot on taxi fares the last few weeks going to the office. Usually, I'm already on the road -- or the tracks -- before 7am or 7pm. I spend an extra 15 to 20 minutes by my wife. By that time, travel by bus or train is absolutely out of the question. Taxi is the way to go.

But yeah, it's all worth it.


- via BlogPress in iPhone

Nothing Box: A Plant by the Office Entrance

Okay. I'm on night shift, almost 2am in the morning, and I'm wasted. Too much work... Nedded to get some air like most of us do. I stepped out, stood there, and thought of... Absolutely nothing. I didn't mind the cab driver's lined up in front of the office waiting for passemgers. I didn't mind my fellow night shift workers smoking by the trashcan. My head was absolutely empty...

After a few minutes, I felt relieved. Ah yes... The relaxing effect of an empty mind... The healing power of the nothing box...

It does have some weird effects though... The first thing I saw was this plant that I haven't noticed before. For some reason, I took its picture. Don't know, but it linda felt right at that time. Go figure! :))


- via BlogPress in iPhone

A Taste of Home: Champorado

Or tsamporado. However you want to say or spell it.


I think this is a fairly unknown dish on this part of the world. Or at least in the restaurants here in Singapore. I often wonder what dishes here use glutinous rice. Haven't really explored that aspect of this country. Something for me to think about. ;)

Anyway, let's go Iron Chef on this one: the harmony between the soft rice and the cocoa powder goes very well with the texture of the condensed milk. The contrast between the flavored rice and milk forms a balance; a Yin-Yang, so to speak. It's very delicious. And I like it.

Okay enough of that. :))

- via BlogPress in iPhone

Good Ol' Pressure Cooker

And here's perhaps the most important cookware in our kitchen: the pressure cooker.


Just half an hour is enough to tenderize the hardest of meats I've encountered so far. :))

Come to think of it, what do I use this cooker for anyway? Mostly beef dishes, I think. Never encountered pork so tough that I need to cook it here. Even more so for chicken and fish.

Ah hell... All this talk of food... :))

- via BlogPress in iPhone

My Little Pouch of Goodies

Here's one of the most important things that I must always bring to the office: my pouch containing my lunch or dinner, as the case may be.


So far, this pouch works best for me for carrying my food. It's big enough to store two Biokip/Lock'N'Lock containers, but not bulky like other lunchbags.

When I have this, I know that my benefits are twofold: one, I save time and money, since I don't have to go downstairs to the mall to buy rather expensive food; and two, I know that what I'm eating is a lot healthier than most foods that you can buy from the mall.

Of course preparing the food takes some time. It starts all the way from planning the stuff to buy at the grocery, to the amount of rice we have to cook, to which foods work well together.

Speaking of which... What will I have for dinner tomorrow...

- via BlogPress in iPhone

Keeping the fresh air

This is one of our home essentials:


Can't live without our trusty air freshener! Especially useful when we or our neighbors are cooking the likes of fish, curry, or other foods that... uhm... release some quite powerful smell. Or when neighbors are burning stuff during funerals. Or when the trash collectors pass by...

Yep, no doubt one of our essentials. :)

- via BlogPress in iPhone

A possible solution to the power crisis

We were watching "How Do They Do It" in Discovery Channel and voila, the possible solution to the current power crisu in the Philippines is right there, staring us in the face.

The episode features the making of an artificial island in Singapore. It was pretty straightforward; you don't have to be rocket scientist to understand the fundamental concept.

Simply put, the island is a large underwater landfill. Obviously, it's no ordinary landfill. You don't just dump the garbage in this landfill. All that trash first goes through a process that addresses several concerns in Singapore: waste management (getting of all that trash), power management (using garbage as fuel), and future investments (the island itself).

So first, all the trash is collected then segregated. Recyclables are to be recycled, the others are incinerated. That should be alot.

Then, truckloads of the non-recyclables are sent to the incinerators. Now here's the good part. The incinerators double as power plants, supplying part of the electrical needs of the country. The trash serves as fuel that generates electricity. So your trash today provides power to your lightbulb a few days later.

Then, the ashes from the incinerator is sent by the shiploads to the landfill which, in the future, will become a new island, providing more living and/or commercial space for the country.

At this point, I hope you can see how this can benefit the Philippines.

While our landfills are choking up the land around it, this landfill actually creates land. We no longer have to coerce the bayans in Rizal to swallow up the trash of Manila. Instead we use all that trash to provide electricity which is the biggest concern at the moment -- besides the election.

Now for those Clean Air Act supporters out there, not all incinerators are as dirty as the ones presented to the Senate roughly a decade ago. This current artificial island project in Singapore is proof of that.

Oh, and by the way, landfills do not necessarily mean that there is no air pollution. You don't believe me? Well then. Go to a landfill and smell the aroma of the place. See if the air is polluted or not.

It has many benefits. Don't really have to explain it, right?

We have lots of trash. We can always use another reclaimed area or two. Or at least reduce the need to desecrate more land as landfills. The major component lacking is the incinerator-power plants.

Then again, I was wondering whether we could actually use the current trash that we have as the fuel? I mean why not? Garbage burns just like coal.. Oh well. Have no idea how powerplants in the Philippines work nowadays. Just something to think about.

BTW, for reference, check out "How Do They Do It" season 6 episode 18.




- via BlogPress in iPhone

Nice Idea for a home

We've been watching "Everybody's Fine". There was a scene there that really captured my eyes:



Not sure how I can get a home like this... But I'm just keeping this for future reference.

So let's see... It's white, so it should be cooler than normal. It has a pool. Nice grassy lawn. Flat rooftops which can be used as an eco-rooftop. Or something..

Okay... Need a lot of money fpr this one... Guess I'll just have to figure that one out later...


- via BlogPress in iPhone

Home reinforcements have arrived

Yesterday, I fetched my mother-in-law in Changi Airport. It's been a few months since she had been here and now she's back.

At least now I feel a little more relaxed knowing that wifey is not alone when I'm at work.

Now seriously considering to get maid from an agency here. A bit expensive, but should be worth it. Learned a lot from the experiences of our close neighbors... The extra levy every month seems steep, but you get a really well-trained hand to help you out around the house... Oh well, that's something to think about for another time....

Anyway, going back to my biyenan. She's really made a big impact right away. In less than 24 hours, she has already fixed the other bedroom, cooked several dishes at the same time, and finished off the rest of the laundry. Wow! She just kept goin' and goin' ang goin'. Can't stop her, saying she needed to do something. Talk about workaholics.


- via BlogPress in iPhone

Long lost prayerbook

I fetched my mother-in-law today from the airport. Among the things that she brought along was Che's long lost traveller's companion prayer book.

It was lost in a pile of our old stuff, I guess, so it's really lucky that she managed to get it.


It has all the the different prayers and novenas. Che's very happy to have it back.


- via BlogPress in iPhone

Trying something new in McDo

As requested by Che, I got the new Deluxe breakfast meal for us to try out.


So it has scrambled eggs, hotcakes, buns (or was it muffins?), and sausage. It's not so bad... Sorry, I'm just not a big fan of the muffins, but I do enjoy the spiced sausage.

- via BlogPress in iPhone

My Favorite Breakfast Meal

Finishing up my night shift, I decided to end my day with my favorite breakfast meal: KFC's Waffle and Egg Meal.


I really love the crispy texture of the morning waffles. Had too wait for awhile though. I guess not so many people actually prefer this... I had to wait for about 15 minutes before I had it.

- via BlogPress in iPhone

Annual Ang Bao

With Singapore's favorite holiday just around the corner, our company gave us the annual ang bao (or ampau, whatever).


- via BlogPress in iPhone

First iPhone Post

Just testing out the newBlogPressLite application for the iPhone.

Doesn't have the full set of tools as the actual blogger site, but at least you can blog anytime, anywhere... Of course in my case, I need to have a wifi connection to do so. I didn't get a postpaid plan, but now I'm entertaining the thught of getting one. :))

This is the free version only. Haven't had the chance to take alook at the full version yet. Guess I was a bit on a rush after finding out about this . Hehe :))

Oh well, back to work...

Baby's 4th Picture

It's my second day shift, so unfortunately, I could not come with Che to her checkup with the OB, after last week's scare.


Anyway, baby's doing great! Yey! Yipee!!! :)

- via BlogPress in iPhone

My Favorite Pick-Me-Up

Had quite a difficult day today. It's the first day of my workweek and it's promising to be a hard one right off the bat.


Times like this, I rely on my favorite pick-me-up Snickers bar. Keeps me going for awhile. Then after the sugar rush tapers off, I get all drowsy and woozy! :)) oh well... At least I got the job done.

- via BlogPress in iPhone

Pork ribs afritada

Here's my own version of the afritada I made earlier for dinner:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg pork ribs, sliced
  
• 1/4 kg lean pork, diced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1 large red onion, chopped
  
• 1 large Russet potato, diced
  
• 1 red bellpepper, sliced
  
• 1 cup (Maggi) tomato sauce
  
• 2 pechay
  
• 3 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
  
• cornstarch

Steps:

1. Fry potatoes until golden brown. Set aside.
   
2. Using the cooking oil above, sautee garlic and onion, then drop in the pork. Add fishsauce. Wait till you can smell that distinct cooked fish sauce smell.
   
3. Add 1 cup water and 1 cup tomato sauce. Let it boil then add the potatoes and bellpepper. Continue to boil until the pork is tender, adding water as necessary.
   
4. Add cornstarch until you get desired consistency of the sauce. 2 tbsp should be ideal.
   
5. Add pechay. When it boils, turn off the fire.

Comments:
Key component is tomato sauce. Selection of the tomato sauce brand can make or break the taste. During my initial "trial run", I used the Maggi tomato sauce, which has just the right amount of sweetness.

If pechay is not available, cabbage leaves can be used instead.

Sprinkle fried sesame seeds before serving.

Long silence... hidden fears realized... and forging ahead...

It's been a while... Been scared most of this time... So scared of the what ifs and what may have beens....

My wife Che is pregnant again. Just a few months after the loss of our Angel, we're there again. Though I'm very happy that we're blessed again, at the back of my mind, I can't shake that same fear we had faced just a few months before.

Guess our fears are understandable... And for a while, we've been coping well... Several check ups with the OB and everything's clear so far. We thought this time would be better. Smooth sailing from here on.

Still, couldn't find the strength nor the will to post about it... Not sure why, but I think my fears got the better of me. Plus the fact that we've been legitimately busy, with her birthday last week and all... Guess that trauma is still with me... Posted the first scans of Angel a few months back. That was one of the happiest moments of our lives. Only to last a few months, happiness replaced with extreme sorrow... Yep, guess that sums up why I can't post about it...

Then fear struck again....

Che was bleeding. She was scared as hell. What's worse is that I'm in the office; she's all alone facing that ordeal. Thankfully our good friends are onhand and helped her along; took her to the hospital and everything.

Thankfully, the baby is okay. Our OB explained this as a "threatened miscarriage", quite common during the first trimester. After an overnight stay, we checked out of the hospital.

A couple more weeks before the first trimester is over and everything becomes peachy again. Just need to get over this few weeks. That means minimal physical exertion. No stress. No nothing. Nothing bad for the next few weeks. Coping well so far.

As I'm the designated "houseband" for the next few weeks, I've become fully domesticated. :)) Hehehe... Doing laundry, cooking, washing dishes, grocery, cleaning. You name it. Not a new thing for me, mind you. Ever since we settled here, I did my share of household work. Of course this time, it's gonna be 100% on me. I welcome the challenge.

I think I'm actually doing good; the fact that I have time to write this post since I've finished my work for the day kinda proves that. Not bad. Guess all that time management training in the office is finally paying off. :))

Oh well, better plan the lunch and dinner for tomorrow and the next few days. I will be at work starting this Thursday, so I need to plan and cook food for her such that she only needs to reheat the food. Don't want her to rely on food deliveries; not that healthy and definitely more expensive. The pork ribs afritada I cooked for dinner earlier was a surprise hit. I wasn't expecting too much from it; didn't follow the cooking instructions and made a lot of improvisions. Anyway, glad that Che liked it... so did I! :)

Anyway... Guess I've moved on. Or at least in the process of moving on... Writing something after a long time of silence. That's a big step for me. Now motivated by the renewed desire to share experiences, good and bad.

Should heed my own advice. I always tell Che when she's down that there's always good side to anything. That it's up to us whether we look at the bad side or the good side of the story. In this case, better to share fears and experiences. Might help some people some day. Maybe.. Maybe not. Whatever...

Uhh... I'm babbling again.... Well not babbling, babbling, since I'm actually typing... Anyway, I lost my train of thought. Guess I shifted to my nothing box a few sentences ago. Hehehe :))

Oh well, thanks for reading.. :)