Sunday, July 24, 2016

Tom Yum

   
             Serves:  5                                                                  Cooks in:  15 minutes
             Preparation:  15 minutes                                              Country of Origin:  Thailand

             Ingredients:

             1/4 kilo shrimps                                              green leafy vegetables         
             mushrooms                                                    dried chili
             lemongrass                                                    salt                   
             kaffir lime leaves                                            lemon             
             galangal                                                             
                                                                       
             Method:

           1.  Boil water.     
           2.  Add shrimps, mushrooms, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and dried chili.
           3.  Season with salt to taste.     
           4.  Top with green leafy veggies. 




Click here for another Thai dish recipe.  Click also below for related posts on Amazing Thailand!  #tosomtravels #tosomeats #tosomcooks



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Friday, July 22, 2016

Feature Friday: Puesto

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

Photo Grabbed from Maria Suzanne Saulong
Puesto is the Spanish word for post.  Since we have been under the Spaniards for more than 300 years, we had adopted their words into our language.  So puwesto in Tagalog and Cebuano means post, position, rank, seat, or place.  And Puesto in Ozamiz is the newest place in town which opened last month as a restobar.

Located at the 2nd floor of the de Barras building near the City Hall Grounds of Ozamiz, Puesto offers a beautiful view of the sunset at its left side.  I just found that out yesterday afternoon as I looked up the sky and was surprised by the glorious sight I just witnessed.  Behind the clouds were the radiant rays of the setting sun, making me imagine that God was residing there at the other side.  So no need to go to the roof deck of Temples Bar in Cambodia just to witness a beautiful sunset (might as well tell Atsi Ann this).  It is actually here in our very own city that we can experience one and let me insert, watching nature in awe also depends on a person's state of mind and heart.  Now go out and smell the flowers, all you who are stressed!

Anyway, aside from the wonderful sunset, Puesto had turned the place inviting with its bright lights.  Its newly furbished interior gives it a cozy ambiance.  Rustic in design, I love its laidback style.  It just suits my personality of simplicity and minimalist lifestyle.  In addition, they also have their placemats customized and mason jars for the utensils.  With only these minor details, I can say that Puesto can be at par with posh restos we visit in big cities.
Now with the food!  The food is really good and not commercialized.  It reflects the design of the place which is homey in attitude.  In our language, lutong bahay.  Cashew Waldorf Salad for starter opens up your appetite.  It's a mix of apples, celery, and I could see that they were not using cashew but walnuts instead.  It was such a delish!  So light and low in calories.  Then the Sinigang Tuna followed which Papa loved so much.  It's asim-kilig as a TV ad goes.  For the main course, Crispy Tadyang is the specialty of the house.  It is fried beef ribs that is sarap to the bones.  And though calamares, sisig, and chicken buffalo wings are classified as beer match or pulotan, we had 'em as viands because we are Filipinos and anything will do for viands for us Filipinos.  Hehe.....  Moreover, I loved the chicken wings which tasted almost the same as Chef Lau's.  It's sweet, spicy, and flavorful with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top.  By the way, the portion of their servings is just right to the price for each entrée.   
So for a relaxing aftie for yourself, a bountiful dinner with your family, or just a quick drink with your friends, head on to Puesto!  My apologies for not getting its exact address but it's just at the right side of Ozamiz City Hall.  The former Gat's Bar and Across actually.  Get the picture?  Now tag along your friends for another food tripping adventure!  #tosomeats
With Kuya Rio de Barras

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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Whimsical Wednesday: When Mentoring Becomes Mothering

Whimsical Wednesday shows my fancy in a myriad of beautiful things.

What's the difference between a dream and a vision?  When a dream felt so real, is it already a vision?  I asked after calming myself down as I woke up from a dream last Sunday morning.  It wasn't a bad dream actually, but I cried in it and woke up with a heavy heart plus tears in my eyes.  Oh, I could just cry right now as I'm thinking about it again.  It just gets me too emotional, you know.

In that dream, I saw my student Jubillo watching a baby in a crib about to fall into a big deep hole with water at the center of a street.  Then he turned around and motioned for me to help.  So I hurried past him with a great pounding in my heart but I haven't rescued the baby.  The baby fell into the pit in just a blink of an eye!  But after a second or two, a stroller surprisingly materialized in front of me, with the baby lying in it (the rolling crib became a stroller).  I got so worried, looked at the baby, didn't know what to do, until the baby choked with spritz of water coming out from his mouth.  Aside from being happy that he has been rescued (by an unknown force), I still felt pity over him.  I could see that he needed comfort.  I could see how helpless he was.  I could clearly see how he was grasping for breath.  So I felt the urge of getting him out from the stroller.  

From experience, I never took a baby (an infant actually) by my own hands.  I am always afraid to break the infant's bones.  I am always afraid I could hurt him/her.  I am always afraid to drop a fragile tiny little being whose life I could not replace if anything happens.  But while watching the baby catching up for breath, I gathered all my strength and concentrated on how to cradle him safely.  Then I did it!  In my dream, I finally lifted up a baby in my arms and the feeling was so overwhelming!  It was beyond nice, beyond good, beyond compare!  Oh, I could just feel him in my arms!  In that brief moment of concern to make the baby at ease and comforted, I felt that my whole being is fulfilled!  I don't know, but I felt some kind of great satisfaction washing over me until, I saw from a distant that a woman with a toddler in tow is approaching us.

Unfortunately, she was the baby's mom.  The baby's real mother.  Without hesitations or any word from her, I handed her the baby carefully.  But as she turned away from me with the baby in her hands and another child following her, I suddenly felt so sad.  And in a voice choked with tears, I said to the woman (whom I considered irresponsible and not deserving of the baby), "Not everybody has what you have, please do take care of the baby.  Please do take care of your children."  And that ended by dream, leaving me to tears while waking up.      

As I'm pondering about that dream now, I still get emotional but I have somehow got the meaning of it.  On my 7th year of teaching, I already had my fair share of students whom I've cared for and love even.  Looking at my “so-called” anaks grow and being proud of their accomplishment just makes my heart swell with joy.  But at the end of the day, no matter how happy I am for them, it however makes me sad.  Because they are not mine.  They have never been mine to keep.  They are only borrowed.  They come and they go.  They arrive and they leave.  I always wish that they'll not grow up so I could hold them longer.  Now that's absurd and the problem is, they do grow up.  


They don’t remain to be that adorable little child you always want to pinch ‘coz of their cuteness.  They mature, develop their own thinking, and eventually become a pain in the neck.  I remember telling a former student, “Yan, how I wish you didn’t become big so you will still be that charming little boy singing Chinese songs” after a classroom event.  Maybe I didn’t want to remember the hurt he caused me that day and thank God I can’t even remember the feeling anymore ‘coz today, I still see Yan2x, my Yan2x as the innocent child who expresses himself through his songs, an angel’s voice singing a language I couldn’t even understand.

That’s just only one of the hundreds heartaches I had in my whole teaching hullabaloo which reminds me of my very first heartache as a teacher – The Bucket of Tears.  This one happened in my first or second month of teaching in Chinese School.  I instructed my advisory class to tidy up their classroom during homeroom in the afternoon.  I gathered the lab materials first to return to the lab and I said that when I come back, the room must already be tidy.  Then I went to the lab and when I returned, I was shocked by what I saw.  My book, ballpen, chalk box, etc. are already inside a bucket!  A Minola bucket to be exact!  I was so disheartened, furious, and asked the whole class who put all my things inside the bucket.  Then they went finger pointing to each other and the moment that I was about to cry 'coz of my seething madness, I left the class, went downstairs, and burst out into grumbling at the faculty office.

With that, my colleagues rounded up, comforted me, and reported the incident to the school's administration.  As a chemical engineer, I felt so humiliated by what my students did.  In my impression, that's how rich kids treat their teachers.  Oh, why did I ever attempted to become a teacher!  This would not have happened to me.  Rich kids see their teachers as garbage.  My things were put in a bucket like garbage so I felt like a garbage too.  Then I regretted so much and sworn to death the situation I'm in!  Why did I chose to be a teacher of these ruthless children?!!!


The next day, I still came to class.  Actions were made like calling the kids for investigation questions, summoning their parents, the like!  Then it boiled up to finding the student who was responsible for putting my things in the bucket and it was Laurence.  Laurence was the least person I suspected to have done the crime.  Laurence whom I found meek, Laurence whom I found kinder than any other boy in the class.  I did not believe it at first but after he apologized and explained his reason why he did it, I understood.  He was seeking for attention.  Well, every kid does!  And together with his classmates, they really got my attention 'coz I haven't slept for 5 days straight just to dwell in my misery of choosing to be a teacher to them!


Though I've regretted, though I kept on asking myself why I chose this path, I was surprised that I didn't give up.  In fact, I'm still surprised by myself up to this day why I ever continued being a teacher!  This is just beyond my imagination.  I hate, love it.  Love it, hate it.  I've had my ups and downs.  If I've described it as a roller coaster ride before, it is now a deathly sky dive for I've fallen!  I fell deeply into teaching, swallowing me whole.  For if I've hated my students that much, I've also come to love them wholeheartedly.


That's the time when I realized that I've done an extra mile in teaching 'coz I've become a mother to my students.  I learned how to rear them.  They might not come from my womb but I birthed them through my heart.  It's just so sweet to my ears every time they call me ma'ama, ma'amy, or ma'amsy.  But I was still confused in pursuing this teaching career.


Then came the time when I heard that we’re not gonna be having first year college students for 2016 some two years ago.  So I happily told myself, “Yes!  Finally it’s gonna be the end of my teaching career!”  However, I was called to duty last month ‘coz I’m still gonna be teaching the incoming Grade 11 students.  Some fate it is, huh?  Now this is another one of the million confirmations that I, truly I, am destined to become a teacher.  I may not be a true-blue teacher by profession but I have learned how to become a teacher by heart.  So as long as there will be students to teach, I’m gonna be a teacher.  I have learned in the longest time through the hardest way.  I had accepted my fate and consider this as my purpose for living.


So now, senior high?  I often complain 6 sections with more or less 50 students.  6 x 50 = 300.  300 students to teach, 300 students to reprimand, 300 test booklets to check every grading period, 300 responsibilities!  "300 students!"  I always exclaim in my mind.  But I got reprimanded.  A gentle reminder not to complain and to do away with inner grumblings.  Because as I’ve posted, teaching is not my profession but a mission, not my job but a vocation, I must do this with great pleasure in my heart.  And to process and condition myself for these 300 students, I actually have 300 new souls to win for the Lord!


Now let's go back to the question.  A dream or a vision?  Well, I now consider it as a vision.  I was awake feeling the baby wrapped in my arms.  I was awake feeling the baby taken away from me.  I was awake feeling fulfilled and dejected at the same time.  Yes, my students do come and go.  My loves bring joy to me as they also bring me disappointment.  Though I only become a mother to them for a short period of time, I'm being an FC stage mother to them all the time.  And this also brings me into thinking.  Can I still be a stage mother to my real anaks someday?  I pray that God will further extend my youth so I can also do the same for them whatever it is that I’m doing to my anak-anakans for the meantime.  Lord, give me strength!


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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Angkor Wat: City of Temples


When I was younger, Disneyland was my place to be!  But as I was maturing, I desired to visit exotic places in Asia so I started out with timeless charm Vietnam, amazing Thailand, and just recently, kingdom of wonder Cambodia.  Well that's of course, after visiting the more modern and progressive Singapore and Hong Kong.  And with all these places, with all due respect to my first love SG, I really, really, overly fell for Cambodia!  I just can't get over with my "Angkor feels", just not yet.  So after sharing to you how Angkor Wat bewitched me in my previous post, let me take you to a quick tour around this spellbound temple!



To start with, Angkor Wat covers a vast expanse of land.  At first, I thought it was smaller than Disneyland Hong Kong but it's not.  Disneyland just appears to be bigger since it's colorful, eventful, and not monotonous as the Angkor.  I also thought that there is no greater park than Ocean Park Hong Kong only to find out that Angkor is much vaster than it.  With a land area of 49.9 hectares for Disney and 91.5 hectares for Ocean Park, that's incomparable to Angkor's total area of 162.6 hectares!  Yes, 162.6 hectares.  That's equivalent to 402 acres which is equivalent to 1,626,000 square meters!  Don't cha worry, guys.  I'm not gonna let you do the maths here 'coz there's always Google to the rescue.  Hehe...... (Source:  wikipedia.com)  So, can you now imagine how immense Angkor Wat is?!  Then why did it appear small to me?
To answer that question, I guess I couldn't just get enough of the place.  The one-day pass was just so bitin!  We only spent two days in Cambodia which I truly regret.  Because to tell you the truth, visiting its ancient temples deserves your one whole week, your one whole month even!  If you're not into history and archaeology, you'll surely end up loving these social sciences after immersing yourself into these Cambodian temples.  These are the country's gems, enthralling tourists from all over the world, boosting the country's economy.  So how did we get around Angkor Wat?
Before entering the Angkor complex, we queued for tix as early as three quarters past 4 AM so we could experience the must-watch and must-experience Angkor Wat sunrise.  (Please do click here to see how we enjoyed attaining our travel goal.)  The ticket building (it's not just a booth to cater approximately 6,500 tourists per day) is a good 8-10 minutes tuktuk ride away from the complex.  Yes, it's that far and I couldn't contain my excitement during the ride!  With a pounding heart, all that I always thought was sunrise, sunrise, sunrise!
1-day pass is $20 USD, 3-day is $40 USD, and 7-day is $60 USD.  Free for Cambodian citizens or if you are related to a Cambodian.
Then we passed by the main entrance gate, tickets checked, traveled another quiet distance, and I saw the moat!  So I exclaimed, "Here we are, ladies!"  And slowly, the towers became visible to my eyes one by one and I could jump right out from the tuktuk!  When our driver, Mr. Khien decelerated and finally came to a stop, I hopped right away and almost ran to step into the Angkor grounds!  There were already tourists camping before the moat with cameras ready and picnic breakfast.  Upon another ticket check, one of the guards joked us, "Do you also want to see the moonset?", gesturing at the setting full moon up behind us.  We had a good laugh with the same guard telling us, "Sunrise on your left."  So we hurried past them.
While getting inside, we were flustered on what to take photos first.  Left and right, up and down, everything demands your attention!  Just as I've said the Angkor is only stone (which by science is classified as dead matter), it seemed like it was poking me and whispering to my ear, "Hey, look at me!", "Hey, how about this carving?", "Oh, com'on!  This one's gonna get you a photography award".  However, I ain't no photography buff.  I appreciate photography, yes but I can't play with my camera as the others do.  Though my photos here are no equal to the others, I'm still proud to show 'em to you.  Hehe.....
I was beyond amazed by the artworks engraved on the walls, by the sculptures way up high in the ceilings, and by the other bas-reliefs intricately decorated all over the place.  If you're gonna be dissecting Angkor Wat, you'll surely become a master of Hindu mythology with its symbolism, deities, heavenly nymphs, and seven-headed mythical serpents!  As we passed by the outer wall through the avenue, two libraries in both sides materialized.  We haven't checked it out for what we had in mind was the sunrise.  
So off we went to the lake with the other tourists, waiting for Mr. Sun to reveal himself.  And when he surfaced, oh, what a sight!  Do click here, click here for you to see the time of our single lives!
As the sun rises, more tourists arrived so we headed to the Central Complex.  This is a three-story building with interlinked galleries, one of which is the Hall of a Thousand Gods.  In this inner chamber, I suddenly experienced my God as I've shared to you in my previous post.  This is where I felt the jolt of my so-called "Angkor feels"!  
And speaking of gods, the five lotus-bud towers represent the five peaks of Mt. Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology.  The tallest of these towers which is at the center is the Bakan Sanctuary.  Dressing modestly is required here.  You have to cover up so sleeveless and short pants/skirts are not allowed.  This is the holy of holies where the statue of Vishnu is enshrined and many more Buddhas.  
However, getting to the top was no easy task.  The stairs were so steep (symbolizing that if you want to go to heaven, you have to work for it), making my feet quiver as I'm thinking about it at the moment of writing this.  But we conquered it!  Though I'm still acrophobic, I enjoyed looking down, relishing the moment of just being there, and taking in the sight of the sun setting.  Yes, we absolutely chased sunrise and sunset in Cambodia!  That's a bonus to our squad goal!  Hehe..... 
Oh, I could just do anything to zap me up right now there!  Atsi Ann said that if you've been to a certain place, the best time to come back will be after five years.  Will my "Angkor feels" stay the same by that time?  Oh, I hope Angkor Wat will still stand the test of times.  As I've observed, Buddhas were already broken without heads due to looting in the past years.  Balustrades were already incomplete and stones from stupas already crumbled down due to earthquakes.  However, the Cambodian government already took steps in preserving their national treasure, the world's largest religious monument which is a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism.  Continue to be magical through the years, Angkor Wat!
    
Credits to all tourists whom we bumped into for taking our photos especially these two very tall Europeans and lonesome Japanese cutie!  Sorry, I'm bad at remembering names but from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you!  The world is not that big enough for us not to bump into each other again in the future! :) 

There are still two other temples that I'm going to share with you, guys so stay tuned only here on The Other Side of Mae! #tosomtravels


They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." 
- Acts 16:31
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
-Ephesians 2:8

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Wednesday, July 06, 2016

The Magic of Angkor Wat

"If you still believe in magic, you're subject to enchantment." - Toba Beta

(c) Tita Lilibeth
Captivated, in awe, tranced. Still can't find the right word to explain what I felt when I was there.  Just take a look at my face in the above photo and you'll definitely agree with me.  Thanks to Tita Lilibeth for capturing this "starstruck" moment though kinda awkward for my nganga (jaw-dropping) expression!  Angkor Wat, oh, Angkor Wat!  Bato ka lang (you're only stone) but there's something in you!  "Bato lang ka!" - exclaimed Atsi Ann in our vernacular as we talked about our Angkor Wat experience when we got back to our hotel.  So, what's really in you, Angkor Wat?

Angkor Wat is of course, a temple!  Wat means "temple" in Siam (old Thailand) and Angkor means "city" in Khmer (Cambodia) so that makes Angkor Wat as the "City of Temples".  Temples with the "s" now 'coz it is not only Angkor Wat which is nestled in the complex but there are also other small temples, making Angkor as the world's largest religious monument.  Yes it is religious, one which is a big contrast to my faith again.  However, something in me was stirred and I just can't fathom the depth of my thoughts in this inner chamber.
(c) MM
Around 900 years old, Angkor Wat was built for the "god-kings".  It is a representation of Mt. Meru, the counterpart of Greek mythology's Mt. Olympus in Hindu faith.  Oh, so that explains it!  If Mt. Olympus is home of the gods, then Angkor must be heaven on earth!  I actually walked into the steps of a sacred place as I experienced divine intervention.  It was sensing something extraordinary, conjuring any emotion of what might happened in the past right on that spot where I was sitting.  Now I call that my "Angkor feels"!  But apart from the feeling, apart from the emotion, I started to commune with God.  With my God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.  Just for a brief moment, His Spirit was on me, speaking to me that kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall.  Man, in his quest to have a god to look up to, make images and establish religions.  But all these have an end.  No matter how grand a kingdom is, it always comes to an end.  As it is written:  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.", says Jesus in Matthew 24:35.

(c) Atsi Ann
So there I was capturing every corner of the ancient city temple.  Point and shoot, point and shoot, that's just how I do it (as always).  But as I was checking my shots when I got home, I realized that I badly need a photography workshop.  It's about time to be serious in this stuff!  However, no matter how badass shutterbabe I'd become, I could never get into the lenses what a place had gone through, all through the years.  The revelries, the battle cries, the solemnities!  I can still actually smell history all over the place, of old, mossy, pungent, rich, kumakausap (speaking right to you).  It's like poking you, telling you stories of the past, making you imagine of knights, princes, princesses, queens, and kings though Angkor Wat is not a palace.  It is instead a holy ground where Buddhists come to worship (it transformed into Buddhism from Hinduism), a dedication to the Hindu gods (originally), and a grand display of Khmer architecture.  If only I could capture the enchantment, I'd bring it to you but it is only God who can speak right to your heart.  So let us take a quick look at the story of Daniel.  Daniel answered before the king and said, "As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.  However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days." - Daniel 2:27-28.

(c) Atsi Ann
Hay, Angkor Wat!  You are only stone but it seems like you are alive!  You're more than an architecture, more than a piece of art!  At first I thought that you're comparable to Greece's ruins and Egypt's archaeology (only that you are affordable).  That's why you have every right to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  But you are more than just a site, more than just a tourist attraction!  Though you are not nature, a direct work of God's hands but you are handmade, out from the talent, skills, and knowledge God endowed to His people.  You're a living testimony that there is really God, a God all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present.



Thank you, Lord for Angkor Wat.  Thank you for letting me enjoy it with the company of my friends.  And thank you for revealing more of Yourself that it is not magic to encounter You but it is the truth!  As Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6  With all these, Cambodia indeed is the Kingdom of Wonder!

(c) Tita Lilibeth
Though I turned away and left, I still came back!  Know more about Angkor Wat only here on The Other Side of Mae!  #tosomtravels