Important tips when shopping on a market

   Not all the people are expert on shopping, especially when it comes on buying goods. I found that forgotten simple dos and don'ts are very destructive. I have been in a group work on my culinary class last semester and they are (I don't really want to say it but...) the worst group I've ever seen. Most of them don't know how to buy GOOD ingredients and always goes to the market, but don't have any idea what they are going to buy. So I came up with the idea of making "to do" list for shopping.

   Here are some of the thing that you should remember before and during the shopping that are commonly forgotten by some:

Before leaving: 

• Before going on a market (Super markets or public markets), make a list of the goods you NEED to buy. 

•  If you are always assigned to do the shopping, take note of the prices of the goods you already bought and is always needed (Previous receipts will help).

• If you are aware of the prices, make a computation of all the goods you supposed to buy in advance. This will help you to adjust with the budget (If ever you're in a tight budget). 

• Bring pen and paper so you can do a manual computation. Or enlist the things you are planning to buy in future just in case you found interesting things along the way. 

• Bring Calculator with you.

• Bring an extra shopping bag (Tote bags for shopping are available anywhere). To avoid buying plastic bags just in case you needed one. 

Photo source: Baguio Public Market

While on the market area: 

• Buy what you NEED. If there's an extra change that's when you could have what you what. Buying things that are unnecessary and or buying other goods without completing the list will cause to shortage of budget. 

• Make use of your discount coupons. 

• Always check the expiration date. 

• Check the items condition before buying a discounted item. Some items that goes in packages don't always have a good quality (I'd experienced buying a tray of pears once, and I was really disappointed when I opened the container and noticed that the spoiled part of the fruit was hidden under.)

• It might be tiring and takes a lot of time, but try to roll from stall to stall to find better goods. 

• Compare prices of brands, but consider the quality of the goods.

Rainy Days Tips

• Always bring your umbrella. Rain or shine, it's definitely the basic, but it really helps. 

• There's jelly shoes available in the market and sold at a cheap price, why don't you try to buy one? Just in case you don't want to ruin your red heels. Jelly shoes can be folded and can't do such clutter inside your bag. 

• Recycle used, but still clean plastic bags by bringing it with you and use it for your wet socks so that it won't do mess with the other things inside your bag especially your phone and papers. 

• Used to have umbrella, but still arrived like a wet chick? I heard there are available fashionably and cute raincoats that will protect you and your bag from the rain. You heard it right, even bags too.

•  Having fun with boots? Go fashionable with printed and specialle designed boots that are available in the market

• Even if it's raining, don't forget to apply sun block.

Filipino Delicacies: Suman

     No Filipinos have not tasted the sweet and savory kakanin. Who wouldn't persist to taste it's sticky yet sweet and delicate taste?

     Kakanin, or Rice cakes as they refer to call it, is one of the best delicacy that Filipino should be proud of. Aside from the famous Lechon and pancit, kakanin gain its popularity in fiestas and other special celebration. Every region has their own variations of kakanin. Appearance, taste, ingredients and preparation depends on the region or town where it originated or even on the person's family where he adopted the recipe.

1. Suman - I put it on first on the list because of its being common and availability in the market. Usually made out of glutinous rice wrapped in a coconut or palm leaves and steamed. Here are several types of suman

• Suman sa Ibus - Glutinous rice wrapped over a coconut or palm leaves, steamed with water and small amount of salt. These yellow leaves that serves as its container will attract everyone's eyes. Its sweet taste from the rice yet salty flavor matches hot chocolate and coffee for breakfast or simply match it with ripe mango on an afternoon as a miryenda or snack.

•  Suman sa lihiya - Another favorite on the list. Glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves and steamed with coconut leaves instead of water. It goes with the latik, made of coconut milk's residue, cooked over medium heat. 

Ranchero's Merienda

•  Suman sa Kamoteng Kahoy (Cassava) - Made of grated or finely ground cassava, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed in coconut milk and sugar.

When adobo met feijoada

From Old Fashion Shirt To A Cute And Fashionable Hobo Bag

(I'm not good at tutorial so I decided not to do one, but it appears to be a tutorial in the end.)

     I was in the middle of fixing the clutter in my mom's old closet when I saw my mom's old shirt .

      It has a good fabric (It's a stretchable patterned fabric... and I don't know what exactly they call it) and is still in good condition. I decided to make it a hobo bag since I was planning to go back to Uni this coming semester (Which happens that I'm not financially not able to... There's still a next semester -___-.)

• To avoid errors in cutting the shirt, I traced the pattern on the canvas. The canvas will serve as the cloth inside the bag.

 

(My marker's not yellow and green, avoid messing with fabric ^-^. I just do SAI paint program to put a mark on the pic.)

•  The length of the handle of the bag depends on how long the shirt is and on how long you want it to be.

• This is how the shirt looks like after tracing.

• Leave at least one inch for seaming. 

•  Sew the bottom of the shirt same as the canvas. Put the canvas inside the shirt before sewing it to make sure that the canvas won't look too bulky inside the shirt.

•  After having a sudden change of mind, I decided to put belt loops instead of pockets.

• This is how the bag should look like.

• I use the lace as the belt of our bag. It pretty works well with the fabric.

This is how the bag will be after tying the lace in it.

Writing Rituals: Listening To Music

I used to listen to music before and while I'm writing. So I made a list of the songs I used to listen.

 Thou shalt not - If I only were a goth 
I really love this song. I wanna play it over and over.

 Acel Bisa - One love

I was actually listening to this song while doing this posts. I can't help myself but to get blushed every time I hear this song

Bamboo - Muli

I fell in love with this song. I was disappointed when bamboo disbanded.

Tears for fears - Everybody wants to rule the world

Tears for fears - head over heels
Another song from TFT. this is the first song from TFT that I had heard

Owl city - Vanilla twilight
Even my friends got mesmerized by this song.

Coldplay - The scientist
I've listening to this song since I was in grade school.

Coldplay - Every teardrop is a waterfall
One that I always listen to lately.

Kamikazee - Girlfriend
Lastly on my list, I could relate my experience to the meaning of this song. (-___-) I really bet you should listen to this.

Overcoming Writer's Block

 

     I'm having a writer's block recently. I can't say exactly why, but I had a lot of ideas, but I can't put it on the blog or even on a paper (which I usually preferred to do before posting stuff). Maybe because of the distraction (getting excited with going back to University) and or having problems with the language; I could write five pages essay on my language, Filipino, but having hard time when translating it on English in the same number of page (usually turned out less than two pages since paragraphs in Tagalog tend to have a shortcuts when translated in English). 

     I, someone who's having a writer's block lately will give some advice on how to survive this kind of scenario (I wish I could insert a laughing audio here.) 

1. Read... A LOT

 

     Better be reading a lot rather than copying someone else's work. It happened to me while I was in high school while doing my mini-thesis. It's not a good Idea, yes it is. What do we call that thing? Plagiarism. Reading, even if the thing you are reading right now would be as catchy as you think, in time it'll be as useful and precious. I read a lot in times that I'm in the mood and even I don't have to gather idea, I just use it as a stock knowledge. 

2. Know when you are able to write; Ritual-like WRITING time

      I do believe that a writer do have a time when he is able to write no matter how destructive the place he is into. Instead, he uses the destruction as part of his writing. But the shortest way to explain it is it is like a ritual. My Rituals on writing are listening to some music (Genres doesn't matter as long as it doesn't sound disturbing) before and while writing articles. I can't write during day, it supposed to be midnight (I don't know why). No one should be around-watching me writing. I can't write serious topics and long posts when someones around. 

3. Know your interests 

     Of course, you can't be able to write about things if it isn't what you like. Knowing your interests will give you much of ideas in no time.

4. Catch your idea with your pen and paper 

     You're not with your laptop/PC/tablet/Cellphone all the time, so you should have your pen and paper at all times. Ideas come and go without saying so you have to write it down and save it in your pocket. And when you're ready to write about things you want to share, you have something like a resource of what you are going to post or share. I preferred to have a mini fountain pen and a pocket notebook with me all the time and I used to write while walking since I entered the Uni. 

5. Some preferred to have inspiration 

     Does getting inspired makes you as a good writer? Then, Find a way to be inspired. If Listening to music, watching movie or even looking to the empty sky will make you inspired, then do it a lot.

6. Don't limit yourself

    There's a lot of topics around. Get out of the box. If you used to write about love, why don't try heartbreaks? It's still relative. Every topic has a broad definition and has branches and roots too...

7. Write 

     As simple as that. Even if there's no relativity on the words you are writing right now, there will be... soon. Yes. It's nonsense to say that you have to write no matter what word are going to appear on that paper or screen, there will be a thought that will pop out in no time.

She is Elyza

    She's Elyza, four years old and she's often mistaken as a boy. She has these attributes like a cute young boy-short haired, never been on a dress and hyper active. She's my youngest sister.

    She loves doing a power ranger pose. She'll do that over and over every time she's aware that there's a camera. Very talkative, she'll tell you a lot of what she had at school (she's a pre-school stud as of this year) though she can't pronounce her words perfectly.
 
    Elyza is adorable as they say. She keeps say: "Hello!" to everyone she sees and smile back at others.

    Wish I could be as active as she is. :)

    She took a picture of herself using a lomocam ▼▼

Elyza on her power ranger poses