Oh my gosh. I regret that I have been sleeping on Quiche all along these couple of years.
Yesterday, my friend took me to a market and recommended it.
At first I'm unsure if I'm going to like it but out of curiosity so I've purchased a bigger size. Surprisingly, I liked it.
To be honest, I've encountered quiche in the supermarkets and even heard of my colleagues talking about it at work but it didn't caught my eye. Back in the Philippines, pie means dessert. Buko pie? Peach mango pie?
I believe Quiche is commonly found in Britain. However, when I did some research, this is actually a French tart!
At some point previously, you may have heard between the beef between South Korean netizens (known as K-netz) and the SEAblings (countries within the Southeast asian countries). It all started with the local people calling out Koreans that attended the said concert and has broke off the camera rules during a Kpop concert in Malaysia. It escalated real quick to nasty and racist comments due to K-netz hitting below the belt first.
If these K-netz have the spot of being a top tier level of bully (mind you, their own artists whether idol or actor are not spared and even pushed to their death because of these anonymous online commenters), the SEAblings are on another level mind you.
I would like to believe that millenials and generation Z are not new to trash-talking because most of us have hobbies which includes people: playing online games and rapping (they even hold competitions).
So, they retaliated back with the most witty and savage comeback. I was laughing really hard when I read those comments.
And because of that, a silver lining had opened. Those SEA countries fanbase had turned to artists coming from SEA. I am grateful that it did. Or else I might have missed this amazing girl group called No Na. No Na consists of four members, Baila, Shaz, Esther and Christy.
I think they are just a newly formed group (just a year) but they are popular in Indonesia. I liked the song Work and all of the members are charming and magnetic that I had trouble picking a bias. If you are going to take my opinion, here's why: Shaz is the the hot one (that body tea, demn), Christy's body lines are chef's kiss. Baila's charming aura that you can't take your eyes off her (I think she's the center of the group)and Esther's voice.
I also like their Shoot
They also recently released a new Bop song called Rollerblade
In the first of the oral hygiene series, let's talk about the foundation of oral hygiene - brushing our teeth.
Why do we brush our teeth and why the need to?
Our teeth has gaps to which the small bits of food can cling into. The food is usually broken down into simple sugars with the enzymes in our mouth. And when it stays long in the teeth, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and cavity begins because when these guys chomp on those sugars, it produces acids which then erodes the enamel.
The commercial that I grew into would remind to brush our teeth three times a day. But how well do you know the basics of brushing teeth?
I can vaguely remember if I was taught right. But along the way, I learned a lot and that is why I'm writing this down so if ever I forgot about it, I would just go over this post.
Do you know that you shouldn't rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth?
I know.
The first impression was either Eww or "I cannot"
Hahaha
But it takes time to it getting used to.
Because to where I came from, we always rinse with water after brushing our teeth.
However, we we're doing it wrong because we are just washing away the flouride.
Do not get me wrong, do not swallow the flouride. You have to spit it.
How about the proper way of brushing teeth?
Up and down, up and down - round and round
I found this cool video for kids and you should take at least 2 minutes to brush your teeth.
Mixed all ingredients except oil and marinate overnight at least 9 hours.
In a pan/pot with low-medium heat, add oil and then add the marinated beef. Let it boil until liquid evaporates. If oil is coming out, mix and serve with fried garlic and fried egg.
Just when I am so excited for my anticipated annual leave going to the Philippines because I was thinking that finally I would be able to taste again my Filipino street food cravings, that's when war struck out in GCC and Middle East was bombed by Iran this 28 February 2026. They were retaliating and dropped the missiles in the US bases in the GCC because Trump and Israel bombed Iran. The end result: Airspace was closed in Qatar until government officials says that it is safe to fly. (I was due to take Qatar Airways to Manila from London and later).
Anyway, that's what's life is. You'll never know. Bummer, I know! And it would mean more expense for me. But I'm still thankful for I am alive.
To be honest, I don't like war. At the end of the day it's a lose-lose situation especially to the most vulnerable.
Let's see what will happen later. I hope to update you if time permits.
Easy and simple Samgyupsal marinade by Sanegeal Farmhear
After all the trial and error, I finally found the taste of the samgyupsal that I like. It is also important to use fresh meat and with good stripes of the fat and pork.
Put knorr seasoning in the pork belly and massage in both sides
season lightly with salt and pepper in both sides
Leave in the room temperature for a day or two. Ensure room temperature is a bit cold
Oh my gosh. I can't wait to tell you how I managed to cook my preferred taste of garlic buttered shrimp! The last time was I think a decade ago and it was a failure that I didn't dare to do it again.
But I'm elated that I got the taste which I like
Shrimp, marinated in cola overnight with generous amounts of ground black pepper (180g unshelled and raw)
Butter 1/3 (Lurpak)
1 bulb garlic minced
After marinating the shrimp overnight, drain and set aside the marinade.
In a pan, heat the butter in low to medium heat and add the chopped garlic, let it cook for a while
Add the shrimp
Add magic sarap granules
Add Mama Sitas oyster sauce
Add tomato ketchup
Add ground pepper
Add 1/2 teaspoon char chiu chili oil
Mix and cook for a while until reduced
Add the marinade, let it boil and reduced.
In a small bowl, add a bit of corn flour and mix the liquid from the pot. Add it to the pot.
Merry Christmas!! I hope you are all well, happy and healthy. This is my second year of spending Christmas in the UK. Sad? A little bit. But eternally grateful. This is suppose to be a celebration of the coming of the baby Jesus.
I was on a day duty and it ended well. And when I was walking down from the hospital to my house, a cat with a collar just walked past me, we had eye contact and I stopped on what will it do. To be honest I was a little scared. It went over to me and my left leg and rubbed it's body on my leg. Such a friendly cat gesture (I hope). Anyway, I talk to it wishing it to take care and went on my way again to the house where I was staying.
See... Miracles showing even when the day has just ended. Praise to be the Most High and all exalts and praises to our Lord Jesus!
I've finally purchased my first ever boots and it is from Sorel! I've never tried this brand before and I only got it for 82.5 GBP from its usual price of 149.99 GBP from Amazon.
It's because I'm tired of feeling a cold damp feet whenever I go outside.
I've tried to wear them outside and it keeps your feet warm. Though it is heavy and it is not squeaky (Yay!)
I had my day off yesterday and was a bit lazy so I got on the bus in the afternoon. I went to few shops to look around and bought some stuff and didn't realized that it is already 14.30. I went to my usual Filipino restaurant and sadly they are cleaning so I went to Subway or Dominos, but when I went there I don't think that they're open still so I just went to a nearby Asda. Luckily, I saw their cafe as I was famish already, didn't have any food.
Their Brunch is around 7.00+ which is much more cheaper than that of another British restaurant. I liked the little balls there and they served it hot.
If you are not yet aware (or maybe I didn't tell it here... yet), I'm actually mad for Kowloon Teahouse's Chili Garlic. I absolutely loved them! I was always wondering how they make them. Though it's a bummer that they just provide a dollop/ half a teaspoon (or less!).
Whenever I went home, I would purchase a siomai from them and it is the reason why I always go to back.
Another bummer is that there are no more kiosks in the MRT Ayala where I always purchase them.
However, this is a breaking news today.
Yesterday, I bought a chili oil in TESCO because I want to do a better dipping sauce for the Har gow or Hakao. I meant to combine it with soy sauce and others, but when I taste tested it first, I'm absolutely surprised that there is umami. When I read the label, it has already spices, soy sauce and other stuff in it.
What I purchased was no other than the Chiu Chow Chili Oil of the brand Lee Kum Kee.
When I tried it to see how spicy it is, the taste seems oddly familiar in my palate. Then I thought of Kowloon.
An idea struck. I added Hoisin sauce. And I'm in heaven because I struck gold! It might not be the same as of Kowloon s but this is my sauce. I just need to add lots of fried golden garlic next time!
Libby concerns - Locked chapters from a borrowed audiobook
I recently talked about using Libby and just now, I had a problem. I had borrowed a book and it's only the book sample that I could access. Did you also encountered this?
I did some few google search and they say it has something to do with Manage Loan. What I did was from the Manage Loan button, go to the Download and disable it. You'll know that you're on the right track when you can see the Download which is hyperlinked. Restart the application and go again to your borrowed audiobook. It should show all the chapters unlocked.
I believe that what happened was that I had accessed the sample (before borrowing it) and the app downloaded automatically.
I'm still in the process of gaining the motivation in reading books again.
It's just that, what hafen Vela? (IYKYK, sense of humour in the Philippines)
Kidding aside, I've been meaning to go back to where I was in the last decade. I felt like I was more intrinsically motivated through self imposed routines before.
I think that this all started when the pandemic happened. Maybe due to the uncertainty, stress and all of that especially at that time I was working in a hospital. My love for reading books had waned and unfortunately, I wasn't even able to read a book in a year this past few years.
Way back, I could finished 100 or more books in a year. (But I guess at that time, it was more of a challenge and to-do list rather than that of a take-your-time-to-savor-up-the-moment).
Anyway, I was able to accidentally found about the Libby app through notifications in my work e-mail. I think that I might have encountered Libby before when I was still in the Philippines but access comes with subscription, I presume. (Addendum: I googled it and I was wrong, Libby is free of charge. You'll just need a digital library card for you to loan audiobooks, magazines, etc from a public library. This is a heaven-sent! :))
Libby is an mobile application where you are able to access audiobooks from your library (or employment?). I am now listening to Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson - I think I might benefit from this.
I got all the time in the world but is it just me that why do I find it hard?
It has been some time now since I've opened an account with Maya/PayMaya.
I believe that it is one of the digital banks which yields high interest conservatively out of the options in the market.
As an experiment, I've put a time deposit for 6 months for at least a year now and it yielded approximately 4.7%. (Though it will say it is 6% per annum every 6 months). But still it is not bad.
According to Maya's website, you can add up to 5 active time deposits with a maximum of 1 million each. This is for the Time Deposit Plus. Any amount that exceeds 1 million will not earn any interest. So the maximum amount here would be 5 million if you have 5 accounts.
For the Personal Goals, you can add up to 5 accounts. Though I don't know how to get the 8% per annum in this account.
One cons of living in the countryside is there are not enough shops for your Asian grocery needs. So I was craving for a samgyupsal meal and a banchan/s is/are a must! (Do not forget the most important item which is the kimchi!). I was planning to use the leeks for the miso soup but I thought of trying of using leeks instead of spring onions (which is not available in the supermarket here) was good actually.
I had some gochugaru flakes and was feeling lazy going upstairs so I used the gochujang paste instead!
Anyway, here is what I did:
Banchan - Leek Salad by Sanegeal Farmhear
Cut the leafy part of the leeks ( this will be used)
Cut them into strips (I found that leeks initiates more powerful tears), clean them thoroughly sometimes debris can be found inside them
Soak them in a cold water (to lessen the tears)
Soak them in hot water along with splash of vinegar and salt. Leave it be for some time.
I am still trying out different kinds of hotdog, or sausage in the market here in the UK out of curiosity and I stumbled upon this Ye Olde Oak Hotdog. I think this costs around less than a pound?
Below are the ingredients:
This is already pre-cooked and can be eaten hot or cold straight from the can.
To be honest, this hotdog is like a bland and less peppery version of a Vienna sausage for me. Wikinger still tops the list in my opinion.
I was craving for pasta and looked up a carbonara recipe in the internet and tweaked it according to my taste and vision. The first sauce that I made was edible but a bit on the salty side as I only used 1 cream and there's no spinach. I also used the large flat mushrooms instead of the chestnut mushrooms
Ingredients:
1/2-1 bulb of garlic, diced
1-2 pieces of Onion diced
5-7 pcs of smoked bacon, cut into 1//2 strips
spinach, washed
2 double cream 300 g each
1 beef cube
cheese de grano
chestnut mushrooms, sliced
pepper
dried parsley
Oil
Butter
Saute garlic, onion and bacon in oil.
Add butter.
Add the mushrooms and cook until halfway cooked.
Add the beef cube.
Add the double cream and the spinach. Simmer and cook until boiled.
Add the cheese and simmer for a bit until thickened.
Add freshly ground black pepper and add sprinkle of parsley.
Serve the sauce in a cooked linguini pasta (I watched a video that Italians did invent different types of pasta for different purposes - linguini pasta would tend to hold a lot more of the cream sauce) and toasted bread. Add salt, pepper or parsley according to taste.
How to Properly Store Food in the Fridge - Food safety and hygiene
I came across a video in a social media where she talks about how to properly store food in the fridge.
Upper most section - ready to eat meals, leftover foods
2nd - dairy products (butter, cream, milk eggs ) milk and the eggs not in the door - as temperature in the door is not consistent and eggs need cold consistent temperature for it to remain fresh in the fridge
Meat - always on the tray or in a sealed container right the bottom as it is the part where it is the lowest, the coolest and the meat requires that
All the sauces, condiments, spices that survive in the temperature slightly or higher can go in the side of the fridge. Always write the expiration date if you can.
Fruits and vegetables they need to be below separately because the boxes below in the fridge maintain the humidity level keeping your fruits and vegetables fresher for longer
Air vents in the side should not be blocked
If you want an odorless fridge, use an expired baking soda (can be also used for cleaning
I recent learned this website where you can check if an area in the Metro is prone to flooding. This is extremely helpful to those who are looking for properties or for rent. The flood in Metro Manila is getting worst year after year so it is wise to strategize where you reside.
Imagine my elation when I found a Mogu Mogu drink in Home Bargains which costs around less than a pound ( I think). It doesn't carry the white one which I like and instead I bought the Peach flavoured one.
I attended today a catheter training and the take-aways that I learned were as follows:
When there are clots when inserting a catheter, remove and insert a new one.
For the encrustations, encourage patient consume food and drink which contains vitamin C. Encrustations are calcium deposits which are small sharps. Encourage to avoid milk, calcium containing, medications.
It is better to insert a new catheter to a patient when it is blocked. You might dislodged a big calcium deposit in the bladder and this might cause trauma.
I recently attended a continence training and one idea that I learned is that holding your pee and making it a habit will bite you later in the back.
How?
When you hold your pee, the muscle in your bladder weakens. Which will cause incontinence.
Aside from that, it could predispose you to urinary tract infections. Because there is stasis in the bladder and this is a good breeding place for bacteria to multiply.
Recently, I opened my bag of chia seeds. I haven't had any before and chia seeds from what I researched in the internet is a good source of fiber that can hydrate your gut. But, I noticed that I am bloating and farting a lot so I decided to decrease my consumption of almost daily chia from 2 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon and it worked out so well! I still fart sometimes though (oopss!!)
I actually intended to consume chia seeds because aside from the fact that they're tagged as superfood, I'd like to have a stress-free and smooth defecation in the toilet. Talking about poo, you might want to check out the Bristol chart.
Anyway, here is my recipe on how I prepare my overnight chia seeds with granola
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
125 ml/ 1/2 cup of almond milk
mix these two first in an empty glass like a biscoff jar so it would me easy mixing with no mess (just close the lid tightly!)
then add
1/2 cup granola (nutty)
another 125 ml/ 1/2 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of honey
splash of vanilla extract
mix thoroughly
put it in the fridge at least overnight
Put in some berries or fruits of your choice. But I liked it as it is.
I've been on the look out for the best duty shoes that doesn't squeak and would make my feet comfortable since I mostly walk at work. I paid 155 gbp for this (not on sale!) and I've been wearing it for 9 months already. One thing that I can say about this shoes is that it is very much light to wear which surprised me. Though I still have squeaky shoes. I wonder if is it me?
