Applying for my first ever credit card!

 

So okay. I'm sharing the news that I'm applying for my first ever credit card! 

 

Yes. I know I'm a late bloomer when it comes to this kind of thing being a 30+ lass that I am. In my defense, I don't ever see the need to own one previously as I don't usually make purchases with big amounts. In this past two years being in a pandemic state that we are still in and hopefully we'll get out soon, we were somehow forced to do our groceries, dry and wet goods included, in the supermarket. Way back into the lockdown, one trip to the grocery store would amount to 10,000+ in expenses. We used my sister's credit card so that she could reap the rewards for swiping that amount. As for me, though I paid what I owe to my sister in cash, I got to delay the payment a little later. And so it is a win-win for me and my sister.

 

Anyway, you may ask why would I need it now? The sole purpose of why I am applying for one is that I am starting to establish a credit history. As you can see, first time credit card applicants might have a hard time trying their application approved if they don't meet the requirements (which are almost higher than those who have already have approved credit cards regardless of the bank) of the banks that they are submitting their credit card application. I'm trying my luck and so I'm hoping that it gets approved!

 

Cooking Recipe: Making An Affordable Burger Steak at Home

Cooking Recipe: Making An Affordable Burger Steak at Home

If you want to make an easy-to-cook food, this is one of my recipes that you can count on. I made this yesterday and it turned out good.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of CDO Ulam Burger (6 pcs)
• 1 whole head of garlic, chopped 
• cooking oil for frying
• 1 beef bouillon cube (I used Knorr cubes)
• 1 big can of Jolly mushrooms whole, drained then sliced off
• cornstarch or flour,
• 500 ml of water
• Buttercup butter/margarine
• 1-2 caplets of soy sauce
• Black pepper, ground

Instructions:

1. Using a non-stick pan, fry the burger patties until cooked and a bit crispy-charred on the sides. Take it out on a plate and set aside.
2. Fry the garlic on the same pan until the garlic turns light brown. Take it all out and set aside. This will be used as a topping later on.
3. Stir fry the sliced mushrooms for around 15-30 seconds in a medium heat then add the cornstarch/flour into the pan. Cook for around a minute or two or until you see some transparent stuff into the mushrooms.
4. Add 500 ml water and the beef bouillon cube in the pan. Mix thoroughly and stir until water evaporates and the liquid turns viscous.
5. Add 1-2 caplets of soy sauce and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust the taste according to your preference. 
6. Put the cooked burger patties. Simmer for around 5-10 minutes. 
7. Turn off the fire. Add a bit of butter and mix until dissolved. 

Enjoy!

Review: PureIt Classic 9L Water Purifier

Review: PureIt Classic 9L Water Purifier

My mother and I had to decide to buy a water purifier as my siblings were about to transfer to the apartment. They are the ones who consumes a huge portion/quantity of  water (With them, two 5 gallons of water is only good for 1 day). Relying on water refilling stations would mean that it would cost us a ton as a 5 gallon water container in our area costs around 35 pesos each. My mother actually wants a UV type of water purifier. However, due to certain restrictions when you are renting out an apartment instead of your own, I was able to convince her (or maybe not - maybe it was her sister who was able to do it?) to let us try the PureIt Classic 9L water purifier instead. This type of water purifier is non-electrical and basically it works by gravity. It is made by Unilever and the water we put into it flows into 4 step purification process. We bought a unit at the nearest Abenson last September 5 for around 4500 if I'm not mistaken. I was setting my eye on the PureIt Excella 23L but when I confirmed with the salesman, the PureIt Classic is their latest model and PureIt Excella is already phased out. Fret not which I initial did, as Abensons also carry the PureIt refill kit if ever you have to replace the filter. Filter kits for Excella are the same as for the Classic which I believe costs around 2000+.

Upon setting up and installing the purifier. I had to discard the 2 cycles of filtered water (with a total of 18L of water) first before the water can be consumed just to be sure. The process took me around an hour or two. The filtered water was okay taste wise but several days later one thing my brother noticed is it's chlorine-like taste when the water is taken directly from the faucet.

And so in order to avoid this, my mother would fill the 5 gallons water container that we have and would set it aside for at least 24 hours. I was amazed to discover that when I drain out the latak or the water that remains in the water container, it was yellowish in color. 

Realizations

I've learned the hard way not to make yourself too available for anyone. Things or people who'll pose as a safety blanket will always be taken for granted. It irked me at that time but then I realized that she was wise all along. Finally understood what she meant not my business and I don't care. It's not your business to make people happy at your own expense. Got burnt and will never go there again.

THINGS TO REMEMBER FROM REDDIT

THINGS TO REMEMBER FROM REDDIT

Don’t memorize answers, understand answers.

Get an advanced degree. BS is good and you will always be employed, but MS is better to move up. It is possible but harder to move up with just a BS. BA’s are worthless, don’t do that.

Competency outweighs bullshit.

Be a “get things done” person.

Stay competent. Study, read, learn constantly.

People skills, if you want to get along you have to get along. If you are a techy nerdy type (like I am) take some courses in working with others.

Making Pork Steak!

Making Pork Steak!

My mother went to the province to have her long awaited vacation that's why I now cook for me and my siblings. The first recipe that I decided in making is the pork steak. This recipe was inspired by my co-workers. They said that pork steak is easy to make and their baon seemed delicious. Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces of pork chop, halved
• 9 caps of soy sauce ( I use the cap in the PET bottle of the soy sauce)
• 6 pieces of kalamansi, juiced
• Pinch of rock salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 medium red onion, cut into rings
• 1 big size white onion, cut into rings
• 1 tablespoon of oil

Instructions

1. Marinade the pork chop in soy sauce, kalamansi juice, rock salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat the pan/wok and put the oil. 
3. Pan fry first the meat without the marinade. If the meat has already turned into light brown, add the onions and fry it for a few seconds to a minute or two.
4. Add the marinade into the pan and let it simmer until cooked.

The finished product was a success as it turned out not too salty and sour. I was wondering why my pork steak has no sauce. My co-worker said that I should have put water in it after the marinade. She also fries the onions first in the oil and she'll put them later after the meat is cooked.

Anyway, it was a learning experience. So there!

Making my First Nilagang Baboy (Pork Stew)!

Alright! How are you all doing today? I've been meaning to do this viand but laziness got me as I was tired coming from work and bought siomai instead for our dinner yesterday. I was able to make my first pork stew this night and it turned out okay according to my brother! Too bad, I forgot to buy ripe saba because my mom don't usually put saba in pork/beef stew but I heard it would enhance the flavor. And so here's how I did when making pork stew:

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of pork adobo cut (I've cut it in smaller portions, put a pinch of rock salt and pepper, let it sit for an hour or more)
• 3 medium size cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 3 pieces of potatoes, peeled and halved/quartered
• Around 5 pieces of Napa cabbage 
• Around 5 pieces of cabbage (In case you're wondering why it's pieces and not one cabbage halved for example, it's because I was using the outside portion of the vegetable only and would use them for later - para tipid!)
• 2 liters of water
• 2 pork cubes
• A pinch of salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Put the oil into the pot under medium heat. Pan fry the meat for around 1-2 minutes until light brown.
2. Sauté the garlic, onion and whole peppercorns.
3. Add water and let it boil under low heat. Upon boiling, turn it into medium to high heat and skim the foam in the soup.
4. Drop the pork cubes and the potatoes into the pot. Add a pinch of rock salt. Let it simmer until the potatoes are soft. 
5. When the potatoes are cooked, put your napa cabbage and cabbage into the pot in low heat setting and let it cook for awhile. Put on some freshly ground pepper and adjust according to your preference.

My Do-It-Yourself Dishwashing Liquid Review

As you might know already, I recently made a do it yourself 15-16 liters of dishwashing liquid from a dishwashing liquid kit that I bought from an online shopping site. We are currently using this in our household and I would like to give you my opinion regarding this product.

The finished product is thick in consistency. In comparison to your usual dishwashing liquid, the lemon scent in the product is more pronounced. Without diluting the product with water, the product can eliminate the grease in your pans, plates, utensils easily which actually surprised me as you don't get this the first time with other products. If you are going to use it as a hand soap, you might be disappointed as it won't bubble as much. However, when I put this dishwashing liquid in a good sponge and try to make a foam, it makes a lot. For only less than 20 pesos a liter, I can say that I can vouched for this product. As long as it can do what it is supposed to do, I think that you get way more of your money's worth with this product.

Making Do-It-Yourself Dishwashing Liquid!

Making a Do-It-Yourself Dishwashing Liquid!

A portion of what we typically use in the household on a daily basis is the dishwashing liquid. When washing the dishes by hands, you'll need water and either a dishwashing paste, dishwashing liquid or if without those aforementioned, a laundry bar soap can suffice.

One goal that I always have in mind is to find ways to lessen my expenses without compromising comfort. As long as the product works, I'm fine with it.  

I ordered a Do-It-Yourself dishwashing liquid kit in Shopee. I picked out the Wise cleaner kit with a lemon scent. This kit would yield around 15-16 liters of dishwashing liquid. The kit costs around 230 pesos while the shipping fee is 45 pesos. So in total, the cost would be 275 pesos. If we are going to compute the cost per liter excluding the materials like the pail, stirrer/PVC pipe and the water, a liter of this dishwashing liquid would cost around 17.1875-18.3333 pesos which is a lot more cheaper considering that an SM bonus dishwashing liquid of 190 ml is at 23 pesos already. I was using Maxglow dishwashing liquid before but because of the shipping fee, a liter of that product would shoot up its price from 32 pesos to around 40-50 pesos.

The DIY Wise Cleaner Dishwashing Liquid kit comes with an instruction manual that you should strictly comply.

Here are the materials included in the kit:

Let's start off with 14 liters of purified water as per instruction. You can use tap water but I prefer to use the purified water so the end product would last longer. By the way, I got the 5 gallons Megabox pail for 175 pesos at Landmark Makati while the PVC blue pipe is around 70 pesos at Handyman.

The second step:

This is what it looks like after you put the surfactant. No mixing yet. You have to let it stay first for 10 minutes.

Time to mix in one direction! See the transparent gelatinous like coating in the pipe? It is the surfactant. It took me about 45 minutes to an hour to completely dissolve the surfactant. Patience is the key! 

It would look like this after mixing the materials in the step 3 and 4.

After dissolving the thickener completely, cover the pail and let it sit for around 12 hours. And because I was eager to do this DIY as earlier as possible which is at 4:30 pm, I had to wake up at 4:30 am to mix the last ingredient (Viscosity enhancer). Then afterwards, let it stay again for another 12 hours.

 

Finally after 12 hours, you can transfer the dishwashing liquid that you just made to your preferred clean containers. 

The end product would look like this:

On Shampoo bars: MediHerbs Aloe Vera Shampoo Bar Review

On Shampoo bars: MediHerbs Aloe Vera Shampoo Bar Review

Shampoo bars are not new to us Filipinos. They were already introduced and became a trend in the Philippines way back 2019 or earlier as part of going green. Shampoo bars were considered as environmental friendly as they contain less chemicals. Though it may be one of the reasons why I'd became curious on trying to switch from the usual liquid shampoos, I thought that maybe it would cost me less. 

For quite some time, I've been browsing shampoo bars on the online shopping website Shopee but I didn't have the courage to check out as I find these expensive. However, I came across MediHerbs Soap Aloe Vera Shampoo Bar as I was searching for an oatmeal bath soap at Landmark. I decided to finally take the plunge and try it out because for a 150 grams at 74.75 php, I could say that this shampoo bar is very much affordable.

First impression: The shampoo bar soap comes in a violet package. Upon opening, you can smell the mild scent which is a plus for me.

The instruction in the package goes like this:  Wet hair thoroughly with warm water and use Mediherbs Aloe Vera Shampoo Bar. Lather and gently massage scalp working thru hair strands. Rinse off well. It is optional to use light hair conditioner to smoothen hair strands however, avoid the scalp area. Safe for daily use.

In my first time usage, the shampoo bar smells nice but is not overpowering. When I rinsed my hair, I was surprised that my hair has this waxy but squeaky clean feel. It is like when you are washing the pan and you don't feel the grease on it. When I combed my hair, it was a bit difficult even when the hair has dried off. Maybe I should really apply on some light conditioner later.

I don't know if it is just me but I noticed that my hair became less frizzier though it is still frizzy. I've been using it for a few days now and it sometimes make my hair itch and it flakes. I will still use this as it may still be a transition period for me.

Holotropic Breathwork

One thing that I discovered in the non-fiction book that I'm reading at present is holotropic breathing. It claims to induce a psychedelic state without the use of LSDs. But wait: if you have a medical condition, you might want to check it out first with your doctor before attempting this. Holotropic breathwork is an active type of meditation through breathing. I'm hoping to try it out real soon.

Reminiscing a good old PC game: Taipan!

I've been mulling over a game that I liked playing when I was in my first year in high school. It was kind of a prompt type game way back. And I can't recall the name of game for a while. 

But after a couple of tries using Google search, I finally found what I was looking for: it was Taipan!  I found it with the help of these keywords "old trading ship pc game shanghai"

This is a logo, title-card, or title-screen owned by Mega Micro Computers/ Avalanche Productions for Taipan!

I thought it was created in the 2000s but it turns out that it is a 1982 turn-based strategy game.

It was an offline game when I played it when I was younger, but now, you can access it online.

You can check it out and play at this link. Enjoy!

I Have a FEVER. Now, what?

Blog entry post made April 2009

Fever is a natural mechanism of the body when there is something wrong is going on inside the body.

How do I know if I have a fever?

• Oral temperature is above 37.5OC

• Axillary temperature is above 37 OC

• Rectal temperature is above 38.1OC

• Tympanic temperature is above 37.9 OC

(Note: There is a slight difference in the temperature of the babies, children and the elderly.)

What to do if I have a fever?

Everybody (especially moms) knows what to do when somebody has a fever. But for the benefit of those who do not, here are the things which you can do:

1. Provide TSB or tepid sponge bath.

First is that you need to get two towels: one dry and the other one is wet. Whenever we had a fever during our childhood days, my mother would use water with ice. But I learned that it was a no-no! Note that you cannot use ice water. The water from the faucet is preferable but the temperature of the water should be 80-98OF. When you use ice, the area (towel is usually placed in the forehead) where you put the towel vasoconstricts. You wash the face and body using the wet towel particularly those who are generating more heat (armpits for example) followed by the dry towel. Perform TSB every 15 minutes.

2. Take a sip of hot soup.

3. Increase fluid intake.

Basically, we increase our fluid intake in order to prevent dehydration. Did you know that there is water expelled when we exhale? Our body tries to compensate in order to maintain homeostasis so respiration is increased. Thus, the water in the body also diminishes.

4. Get bed rest.

5. Provide or remove blanket to provide comfort.

Give a blanket when the person feels cold and remove the blanket if he feels to hot. This is done in order to enhance the comfort of the person.

6. Take medication.

Paracetamol is usually taken every after 4 hours especially when temperature is 38.5C and above.

If the temperature still rises or persists for a week and though you have done your part but still show no improvement at all, then I suggest that you bring him to the hospital NOW.

-----

Update 2021: I would like to correct the part regarding paracetamol and ice bath. Paracetamol is usually taken when you have an axillary temperature of 37.8 C and up. Ice bath is only indicated when the body temperature is very hot like 40 C to lower the temperature abruptly. High temperature such as 40 C could pose a risk for convulsions in children. But nevertheless, we do first the tepid sponge bath.

Cooking Tip: What to Do When the Cooked Rice in the Rice Cooker/Pot Spoils Easily

Cooking Tips: What to Do When the Cooked Rice in the Rice Cooker/Pot Spoils Easily?

If you're new in the kitchen, there might come a time that you might encounter that the cooked rice in the rice cooker or in the pot where you cooked your rice spoils easily. It may be because of the hot weather  when you put your rice at room temperature. Or you forgot to put the rice in the refrigerator and let it in the room for a day or two or more than that.

One tip that I heard is that you put salt in the rice cooker/pot, but honestly, this tip I haven't personally tried. What I did was to scrub the pot thoroughly with soap and water then put on bleach let it sit for a few minutes and rinse. It did the trick some time but I found out that you have to do this again and again.

Consistent warm temperature makes bacteria proliferation easier. And that's why rice spoils easily. I realized that since bacteria is the problem, why not try to eradicate the problem? Since bleach might not necessarily worked every time, I thought why not try to put the pot in the gas burner and heat it up until it becomes piping hot?

I was ecstatic to learn that it worked! You won't have to do this technique over and over. That is only when you feel the need to, when your rice spoils easily.

Try out this Epub Reader PC Application: CALIBRE - how to show page number and percentage

Previously in my blog post, I mentioned and recommended Calibre as an epub reader application for the computer. To those who are not familiar with an epub, it is one type of file format of electronic books or what we call e-books. One thing that I noticed is that it consumes a minimal file type size compared to when it is in your PDF format.

I wasn't able to do as much reading as I have like in the year 2019 and way back because these past year up to to this mid year have not been so kind. The laptop short circuited and a lot of not so good things had happened. It was then that might been the reason why I suddenly had no appetite to read books which I love. Fortunately, I've been getting better in getting back the control in my life. That is why I'm starting to read again.

Anyway, back to the topic. I was a user of Calibre for a couple of years now and you can download it free in their website: 

https://calibre-ebook.com/download

Download according to your computer specifications. What I downloaded was a portable type so that I could move the library files whenever I want.

Before, I was used to seeing the page number in Calibre. However, the default setting wasn't like that in the new interface. I tried to research on how and luckily someone pointed out:

This is the sample default page you'll see:

In order to see the number of pages and percentage, here are the steps:

• Once you have opened the book, right click on the page so that you can see the menu:

•  Click Headers and Footers

• From this:

• Change both the Footer Left and Middle from Empty into Position in Book:

• Click Ok and then this will show:

Hope this helps!