Sweet pork patties, rice noodles, fresh greens A creature of habit, especially when it comes to food, I usually always order a favorite when I'm craving. So whenever we visit Pho Hoa there is always one thing I'll surely get: Vermicelli Salad.
Since there isn't any Pho Hoa's here in Legazpi and I don't get to leave for Manila on a whim, I decided to fulfill New Year Resolution # 4 (experimenting in the kitchen) by learning how to make the salad from scratch.
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Where did I leave off? Oh yeah -- SLEEP!! After a good night's rest we were up by 8am. I found it pleasantly surprising that Lal-lo had a very cold weather. The northern winds were really blowing!! We had breakfast which featured a regional staple: LONGANISA (Blood sausage). It may be the Ilocano side of me but I have always preferred the manner by which the northerners prepared longanisa --- a real strong Garlic kick. To burn off the calories, Mart and I went for an impromptu bike ride. The scenery surrounding the house was full of rice paddies-- as far as the eyes could see. After the bike ride, it was time to tour the area with the rest of the family. For the entire day, it was devoted to smelling, seeing, tasting and feeling the culture of the area.
We were able to see the following: 1. Oldest forged bell in the Philippines (1595) 2. Taste Tugegarao Longanisa fresh from the Market 3. Visit Sta. Ana the northern-most part of the Philippines 4. Eat at a really delicious local restaurant Allow the photos to do the talking for me! Averaging 500kms per day, we went through an epic journey of North Luzon from December 26 to 30 travelling a total of 1,500+ kilometers from Manila to Lal-lo, Cagayan to Laoag, Ilocos then to Batangas.
Martin likes to call it the Luzon 360! And it feels like it! We started our trip meeting up with my dad in Petron Edsa on Dec 26 at 5am. Excited to the bones, we were readying ourselves for a 12 hour journey to my dad's hometown-- Lal-lo Cagayan. I have never been there -- as most of my family-- so we didnt know what to expect. All we knew is that this area becomes the hottest part of the Philippines during the summer. And is the center of agriculture -- rice, vegetables, you name it. We made our way through the North Luzon Expressway and was met by the sea of humanity as Martin puts it. Perhaps many had the same idea of going north for the holidays to the point that there was a 3km gridlock leading to the toll plaza. However, after this hurdle it's easy going along the SCTEX and TPLEX. (How I envy the expressways leading to the North, when will there be one to replace the South Road leading to Legazpi, Albay?) We exited in La Paz, Tarlac and drove our way upwards through Isabella until finally reaching Lal-lo about 17hours after we started. (Of course we made pit stops one of which included a stop at the Carabao Institute in Munoz to buy fresh carabao's milk -- DELICIOUS!). The convoy was met by my uncle, Tito Jun who then lead us to dinner and housing in his home shared with his wife, Tita Patsy. The weary travellers ate their fill of kambing (goat), rice and sleep! Tomorrow the real exploring happens. Yehp this is it! FORMALIZING my 2015 Resolution and putting it on the world-wide-web so there are no take backsies and regrets. (During a family/business trip to Angeles I stopped by National Bookstore and finally got myself a planner-- first order of business and writing this list down!) So what are my plans for 2015? What crazy-hairbrained idea(s) have I decided to do to make this year an extra special one? So here goes: I, Isabel , do solemnly swear to try to achieve to the best of my capabilities the following resolutions I have enumerated herein which shall include, but not be limited to, the ff: (so formal!) 1. LEARN HOW TO DIGITIZE CALLIGRAPHY The next step to my "Artistic" journey is digitizing. Prior to the christmas break I have laid the groundworks by installing Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator on my mac (Thanks Carlo and Mark!). Two application that are extremely foreign to me and hard to use! But for 2015 I resolve to conquer the confusion and weild these powerful tools to better my calligraphy!! 2. LOSE WEIGHT Looking back at past family christmas photos, I have become increasingly depressed that my form has transformed to a "fuller" figure. I therefore promise to bring back the discipline of running in to my life to achieve at least a 20kg loss. 3. RUN A 10KM RACE When Martin was in the states for studies, Ihad promised myself to run one 10km race a month. And suprsingly, without much effort, I was able to achieve this! Nowadays running 10km is a very tiring affair. At the same time, my running buddy Boston has also gained significant weight. So, to keep the pounds at bay for BOTH of us, we will run a 10km race this year. 4. START EXPERIMENTING IN THE KITCHEN A few years back, our Christmas gifts were home-made cookie butter. In the pretense that I would sell the product after they tasted it over the holidays. The stress of making jar upon jar dissuaded me from the idea, but now looking at all the goodies we ate during the holidays it doesnt seem like a bad idea to be proficient in the kitchen. So I vow to learn how to cook better by making/cooking/creating one poultry/beef/fish dish a month that is totally new! 5. BE RELIGIOUS WITH THIS BLOG I started this blog to initially get on the bandwagon of everyone baring their thoughts to Mr. Internet. (And also because I had become bored with Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter) So far I think I've done a good job of updating this site. This time though I want to vary the content. I notice that it's all about Calligraphy, when my life is so much more than that. I want to make this website become a true representation of all facets of my life--not just my struggle with learning how to control a nib and pen. 6. BE MORE RELIGIOUS Moving to Legazpi has made me grow in many aspects, but has also make me regress in some. Particularly in my spiritual journey. Back in Manila I belonged to a religious community-- one that I no longer have in my present residence. Additionally, the language barrier has made it difficult for me to really commune with God. Although I can speak and understand Bicol, the dialect they use in mass is a different kind of Bicol with words that even Martin cannot comprehend-- making mass and prayers very hard to do. So for christmas I bought myself a Gabay reflection book to really focus on daily bible readings and medidation. (adding No 7 & 8 today) 7. SAVE MORE MONEY I will try to make a conscious effort of raising my savings level to the 6 digits. Savings to me means UNTOUCHABLE -- money I will not and cannot touch unless I am in desperate need of it. To do this I will save 20% of my monthly salary in a separate account that will also accrue interest. 8. START A GARDEN Unconsciously I have begun training my green thumb by saving the ends off the leaks and spring onions I used to make tinapa rice. These ends have slowly thrived and are not healthy looking shrubs on my fence. Coming off this success I shall make 2015 the GREEN year of growing my garden to include other herbs. Hopefully they will survive long enough to be used in the kitchen. So here are my 8 Resolutions for 2015. What do you think? Are they "SMART" resolutions? Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic with a Time table??
I will update you-- perhaps QUARTERLY? haha toodles! As the fireworks dust settles and 2015 is underway how are you starting the new year? where I am it's rainy and wet, meaning Jan 1 beginnings have to be indoors. I still haven't started on my 2015 resolutions. (Im waiting for my planner before I tackle THAT! haha) So instead I am welcoming 2015 with calligraphy drills.
Ever since I started dabbling with this last September, Ive gone in with so much zeal that Martin has been impressed with the marked improvement of my finished materials. Like a kid Id go running to him excitedly showing him my finished "masterpieces", and like a doting parent he'll congratulate my minor successes even if sometimes they arent successful at all. Ive begun browsing thru Eleanor Winters' "MASTERING COPPERPLATE CALLIGRAPHY" which has been regarded as the bible for beginners. Going thru the drills I understand now the mechanics between strokes and how they correlate to create letters then words. As I go thru the lines I see how my strokes become more mechanical and ingrained. Hopefully when I do use a nib & pen the drills will manifest themselves thru an improvement in my calligraphy. Until then Im going to savor the coffee, rain and my drills. hello 2015! |
Who is sab_adventures?I have always wanted to write. This will now be a creative outlet-- home to all my arts and crafts. So feel free to browse around my everyday adventures. Interests
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November 2016
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