The Filipino meal: Breakfast or Almusal

   The best part of the day as an ordinary Filipino citizen was the breakfast or almusal. The ultimate power meal that will surely delighting every pinoy's morning.

Coffee - First and always on the list. Just a cup of hot kape ("Kape" is the Filipino term for coffee) always brighten the day. Kapeng barako of Batangas and Kapeng alamid are some of the best and high quality coffee that are loved by Filipinos.

Photo source: The pinoy warrior

Sinangag - Leftover rice from last night's dinner, fried with garlic sauteed until golden brown and onions and simply seasoned with salt, sometimes incorporated with other ingredients such as celery, onion sprigs, chopped carrots, green peas, etc., Sinangag or fried rice can be eaten even without side dishes.

Photo source: Pinoy cook

Daing & tuyo - Daing na isda (cured and dried fish) and tuyo (dried fish) is the best partner of sinangag. Commonly served as fried. In some provinces, they boiled it with herbs that are present in their yards such as saluyot, malunggay, sili, etc. The most commonly known daing is dinaing na bangus. Daing na bangus (milk fish) is marinated in salt, vinegar, ground pepper and finely chopped garlic and set aside for a matter of hours or even in days and served fried.

Longaniza - Longganisa or langgonisa? Smoked, chicken, skinless or garlicky? From vigan or iloco, lucban or pampanga, doesen't matter how you say it, no matter what flavor it is or where it originates, it is still the same sausage every Pinoy loves to pair with sinangag in the morning.

Photo source: Visit Pinas

Egg - Some like it scrambled, some like it boiled, but some like it on top of TAPSILOG.

Photo source: Pinterest

Kakanin - On the go? Kakanin are easily found in every corner of the streets in the Philippines. Heavy, sweet and in different kinds, kakanin is not just for breakfast and snacks, but also the superstar of Pinoy fiesta.

Photo source: Visit Pinas

The SI-LOG - TapSiLog (tapa, sinangag, itlog) is the most common among the combinations that are considered the all-time Filipino favorite breakfast. Sinangag at itlog (fried rice and egg sunny side up) paired with other different fried dish

Here are some of the Si-Log combinations:

• LongSiLog (Longaniza, sinangag, itlog)
• DaSiLog (Daing, sinangag, itlog)
• TuSiLog (Tuyo, sinangag, itlog)
• HamSiLog (Ham, sinangag at itlog)

TapSiLog

From old piano/keyboard stand to a artistic drafting table

    From the clutter at the stock room, I found an old Piano/keyboard stand that had been there for almost five years. Good thing is that it hadn't been covered with rusts although it has been stocked there for many years. It has a good quality of coating that preserved the metal for over the years.

   Since it is my responsibility to make use of the things that I refuse to give away. I decided to turn it into a drafting table.


   Using some scrap woods and my small knowledge in carpentry, I made a board and tucked with a wood screw underneath where the keyboard was placed and put a long piece of wood in front as a support. 

   For the board, I used a felt paper as a wood cover instead of applying a varnish. I did some Paper cut design covered with a colorless varnish below the drafting area to make it more stylish and not just as a plain drafting table.

Too much of the designs for inspiration

Flor de lis... Close enough

Trying to capture the gloss

Paper Cut designs as a decorative peice of art

   While surfing on the waves of clutter, another idea from the childhood landed on my mind when I saw my old art book (thank God it is still in good condition and not have been dined with termites). Paper cut was the best part of my art projects when I was in 5th grade.

   There are a lot of tutorial on how to do this paper cut art so decided not to make one.

I am so impatient on making patterns, but not on this one ^_^

    I found it very useful for a decoration, here's how I imagined it to be displayed at home:

1. Under the glass table.
2. Framed and displayed on the wall.
3. Notebook cover.
4. Furniture design.
5. (Insert another creative design here)

    Actually, I had been used this paper cut deign for my drafting table which looks pretty cool every time I touched it. I was planning to buy a special paper and cut beautiful patterns in it and replace my mom's paper cut decor under her antique glass candy container that she displayed every new year.

Patterns. . . I wonder how pros do those much amazing paper art.

Sopas

 In every carenderia, served hot, sopas (Filipino term for "soup")is always present and is the best dish to start the day of an early bird Pinoy.

Makes 4 servings
 
Ingredients:

• ¼ kilo elbow macaroni
• 1 cup shredded carrots 
• ¼ cup chopped onion & garlic
• ¼ kilo of shredded cabbage
• ¼ kilo of ground meat
• Chopped celery
• Oil for sautéing
• Salt and pepper 

Procedure: 

1. In a pan, sauté garlic and onions in oil.
2. Add meat. Stir until slightly brown.
3. Add carrots, celery and macaroni.
4. Transfer into a boiling pan and add water.
5. Let it boil unlit the soup thickens and pasta turned aldente.
6. Make-it-more-Pinoy tips
7. Since Sopas is commonly ordered by kids, local Filipino restaurant or carenderia overcooked the pasta. 

 

Christmas decor from old jogging pants

    I was busy lately, enjoying the pleasure of surfing, literally, over the clutter on our stock room (everything-from childhood until present-is still there, with spider webs and dusts)
 
    I found my old school pants for physical activities. Ah, the atmosphere was so nostalgic. It has been there for almost 4 years. My mother wants to get rid of all the stuff there by donating all of it to make the room functional. But I refuse not, what a very sentimental lady, it is hard for me to let go of things that are part of me especially, my childhood.

   


From an old pants, I made myself a very own Christmas decor. I also made a tutorial that is posted at my Youtube account. I'm not a professional at making tutorial, so I give my best on making the video easy to understand.

Christmas Decor Video tutorial

Procedure: 

For the petals:

•  Cut a pattern of leaves and petals into a hard paper.
• Trace the pattern into the red cloth for the petals and green cloth for the leaves. 

• Make 6 pieces or 3 pairs of bigger petals, same number of pieces with the smaller ones, then cut and sew.
• Cut a smaller version the pattern for the smaller petals.
• After sewing, fold the petals inside out.Fold the petals into fourths.
• Connect each by sewing at the bottom end of the petals.
• To give an illusion of wider petals, sew in between the sides.

For the yellow balls: 

• Cut 3 pieces 2x2 inch square of yellow cloth.
• Use small pieces of cloth as a filling to make small balls.
• Repeat step #5 (petals) to connect the balls.

Layering:

• Layer the petals; put the smaller ones on the top.
• Then add the yellow balls on the top of the petals and sew.
• Arrange the leaves; do the same pattern as to the petals.

Sirena: Song from a gay's point of view

    It was early morning when I do my daily habit-Reaching for the remote and search for my favorite music channel MYX-and I already missed the half of the countdown because I was a bit late waking up that day. A song caught my attention, that was new to the perception of the Philippine culture.

    The video of the song featured in the new album, "MNKM: Mga Kwento Ng Makata" of Gloc9, Philippine Blacksmith of words, already gained over a million of viewers in Youtube.

    The story of the music video was perfectly genius! If you're not familiar or can't fully understand the language, the video itself will tell you the story of the song.

    A middle aged guy with a heart of a lady that is always been harassed by his own father and is always discriminated by his neighbor since his childhood. And, as the time goes by, his family members are already living independently and his father was left alone. Amid the pain-physical, emotional and verbal- that his father has given to him, he chose to live and take care of his father who happened to have cancer.

My favorite part of the lyrics and was the best line of the lyrics that I have read in my life so far was:

Isang gabi, ako'y iyong tinawag, Lumapit

ako sa'yong tabi ika'y tumangan, kumapit

ka sa aking kamay kahit hirap magsalita

Anak, patawad sana sa lahat ng aking nagawa

Di sinusukat ang tapang at ang bigote sa mukha

Dahil kung minsan mas lalake pa sa lalake ang bakla

 And this is my rough translation of the lyrics:
 
One night, you called me and I came
And, with me on your side you cried
Held my hand though you can't hardly speak
"Son, sorry for what I've done,
Bravery and mustache are never been
the measurement of being a man,
Sometimes, Gays are manlier than a straight guy."




    I almost cry when I heard that line of the song. It was very effective and surely always catches the heart of everyone who will hear the song. No wonder why it is still on the countdown of the said music channel and stays on the same position for over the weeks at number two.

    I hope you will appreciate it the same way as I appreciate the brilliance of the song and its music video.

Watch the video of the song directly from the Universal Records Philippines official YouTube Channel and read the description below to know how to and where to download the song.

Support Original Pinoy Music.

Stop Internet Piracy

Pinoy style spaghetti

   Filipino loves spaghetti. Pinoy party won't ever be completed without this dish. The sweet tastes of spaghetti and its generous amount of cheese on top is what Filipinos always wanted. 

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente
• 1/4 kilo ground lean pork
• 1/4 kilo hot dog, sliced thinly
• 750 grams Filipino style spaghetti sauce (If not available, use ordinary spaghetti or tomato sauce)
• 150 grams banana ketchup
• 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup garlic, chopped 
• 4 cups or 32 oz water
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Olive oil for sauteing
• Grated cheese (Any cheese you want) 

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Tips:
  To make it more pinoy: after the 5th procedure,
put all the pasta into the sauce mixture and mix it
thoroughly to absorb the sauce. Transfer it in a
serving container and put a generous amount of
cheese on top.
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Procedure:

1. On a heated pan, Put 2 tbsp. Olive oil and saute garlic until brown. Then, add onions.
2. Add the ground pork and carrots and saute until the meat release its juices.
3. Add the hot dog, sugar, soy sauce and water. Simmer for 2 mins.
4. Then, add the spaghetti sauce and ketchup.
5. Simmer for a minute and then remove from the heat
6. You can now top it with cheese into your pasta. Enjoy!