Bread Roll

A few hours from now (as of this writing),  I will accompany my precious one on her 2014 Educational Tour. We will see a lot about the weather system and faciities, some about our solar system and the Philippine toy museum. Indeed it is another great experience and interesting event for the students. Thank you to the school administrators because they allowed the parents to accommpany our young one. One of the foods that I will prepare for her is the "Bread Roll". 

I needed to prepare it a few hours before cooking so that the egg mixture and the japanese bread crumbs will combine well. I only needed to fry ham, hotdogs, thinly sliced some cheddar cheese and beat two eggs. Roll-wrap the sliced ham, hotdog, and cheese and roll them over a beaten egg mixture. And after that, roll the bread over a japanese bread crumbs. Regular bread crumbs will work well too. I hope they will enjoy this finger food today and savor it with a glass of pure pineapple juice or water. 

  (hehe.. aspiring cook for my family only)

Financial Resolutions 2014

It is 2014 now and it will be tight in terms of budgeting since I won't be out for onsite work. I found one blogpage which caught my attention as talks about budgeting is truly worth hearing. 

[repost]

"It would be apt that I share my financial resolutions like others. These are a few inspirations that can help my finances better. And I hope yours too. Plus, these are relatively easy that anyone can keep and realize all year round.

Setting up a financial goal. I already have a financial goal to reach this 2014. I want to have this particular amount before 2014 ends. Having a goal in mind will motivate you to work hard and save harder to reach it. This will also dictate how you will handle your finances for the year. Plus you can also serve this as a motivation to pursue other cash flow avenues. Check the cash flow quadrant I shared here. Setting up this goal does not only limit to how much you would want to save for the year. This also includes saving up for retirement or more. When making this one, make sure it is attainable and realistic.

Keep track of my finances. This year I want to keep track of my finances. Knowing such items would let you identify just how much you are spending in a day or in a month. With this, I already have a mini notebook with me that I shall be taking wherever I go. I also downloaded an Android app in my phone that also does the same thing. I shall be sharing this app in my future posts. Noting my expenses will also help me identify where my money goes.

Pay off debts. I still have major debts to pay and I carefully planned it to finish within the year. Thank God for salary deduction that I would be force to pay it. It is better to have a plan to pay the debts that you have. If you don’t have an automated salary deduction, it is your responsibility to do the paying. However, the house mortgage is still the major concern for me now so I must prioritized it. 

Five Envelope Salary. "My Maid Invests in the Stock Market" book by Bo Sanchez suggested following the five envelope salary. This means dividing your salary to five envelopes. These are Tithe Fund, Expenses Fund, Support Fund, Emergency Fund and Retirement Fund. When I have my salary before, I normally divide it into two, savings and expenses fund. Now, the book let me realize that you also need to give to the church, beef up your emergency fund and also your retirement fund. The retirement fund may be in a form of investment like stocks or mutual funds. For my Tithe Fund, I plan to set a portion of my salary for charity. For support fund it would be dedicated to education of my kid and budget for my mother and an unemployed sister. GOD will provide! 

These might be pretty hard to keep but with discipline, dedication plus GOD's help, I know I can make it. 

The most popular these days is the "52-Week Money Challenge". This became viral in the Philippines which started this week. In this money saving challenge, you have to save up on something really nice at the end of the year. This could be buying a new gadget or having a vacation somewhere. You can also build up your emergency fund or retirement fund from here.

The 52 week money saving challenge is certainly a great way to save this year. After all, you are compounding the money in different intervals making it simple and cost effective. To get you started with this challenge here are a few items that you need.

• A goal. This will keep you motivated to save and save. Simply imagine getting your most coveted gadget by the end of the year. Or perhaps buying gifts for your family and friends. Simply pick an item that you normally don’t splurge. From there, break it down in terms of your weekly amount to save. Thinking of the item I would want to buy made me giggle and happy. I simply can’t wait to get started.

• A piggy bank. The original poster has a clear bottle where he puts the money. I prefer a covered one though so I won’t see the money stack in there and count how much I already saved. You can use a plastic container, a bottle, a jar or just about anything. This will be called a grownup piggy bank. 

• Template. The challenge has an existing template that we can print out and tape in our piggy bank. However, since the amount is in dollars, it can be translated nto Philippine Peso and altered the dollar equivalent to Php50. "

Moon Tonight - 2014-01-13

If you live in the Philippines, go outside tonight and check the orbit around the moon which is so bright.

Just came home from the office and I missed this one. 

It is indeed an amazing view up there.

                    (not my photo)

Egg Roll Omelette (similar to 계란말이) Gyeranmari

There are different ways of cooking chicken's eggs. Omelette type is a winner mostly for Asians. 

Gyeran mari is typically made with one or two types of chopped vegetables, most commonly with scallions and carrots. The filling options are endless - onion, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, ham, bacon, cheese, etc. Gyeran mari, literally translated to rolled eggs, is Korean-style rolled omelettes. Basically, the beaten eggs are cooked until almost set, then tightly rolled/folded in layers, and finally cut into slices. It's usually eaten as a side dish for any meal, not just breakfast, and hugely popular as a lunch box item. To me, this is another delicious side dish that I can whip up last minute. 

Another popular ingredient for this dish is gim (aka nori). Gim can be used along with the other ingredients or by itself. I'll show you how to makegyeran mari with gim in my next post. Making this dish is simple once you have the basics down. The key is to be patient and cook the eggs over gentle heat. If the heat is too high, you'll end up with tough eggs that will break when folded. If you don't cook the eggs enough, the rolled egg will be runny in the middle. So, let me show you how you can successfully make gyeran mari that's tender and delicious! Don't worry, if it's not perfect the first time, it will definitely come with practice. 

1 - 2 servings as side dish

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 1/2 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• vegetable oil for frying
• medium size non-stick pan (9 to 10-inch)

Finely chop the scallion and carrot.

Crack and beat the eggs, in a bowl with a poon or a fork, until the yolks and whites are blended well with no visible strings of whites. Stir in a pinch of salt. (The vegetables can be stirred in at this point or sprinkled over the egg in the pan.)

Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to a medium size non-stick pan and distribute the oil evenly using a napkin or paper towel. Preheat over medium low heat, until it feels hot when you place your hand 2 to 3 inches above the bottom of the pan.

Add 1/2 of the egg mixture to the pan. Swirl it around to cover the pan. 

(Skip this step if you added the vegetables in the egg mixture.) While the egg surface is still runny, sprinkle the chopped vegetables evenly over the egg. Let it cook until the top begins to set but is still wet.

Using a spatula, lift one end of the egg (about 1-1/2 inches) and fold it over to the other side. (Reduce the heat or raise the pan away from the heat for a little while if the bottom is browning.)

Lift the folded part and fold it again. Pull the egg to the rolled side, making room on the round end for an additional egg.

Add 1/2 of the remaining egg and spread to cover the open space.

When the egg addition is set, lift the folded part and fold it again. Pull the egg to the rolled side and repeat the process with the remaining egg to make an about 2-inch egg log.

Remove from the pan and let cool for about 5 minutes. Slice the egg into thick, even pieces (3/4 to 1-inch thick). 

Beautiful Man (Korean) Bel Ami (Yeppeun Namja in Korean)

During my vacation for the 2013 Christmas and New Year season, I made some researching trying to de-stress and found myself into watching Korean dramas. I am not really into it since I am more focused on my work and my family when I am at home.

I would like to give my opinion, comment and rating in general for this Korean drama. This Korean drama currently aired in South Korea, which starred JKS has some real good flavor in it. I've started peeking what the real story is about while trying to understand the deepest motive of the story. Hearing the simple title "Beautiful Man" would not attract listeners right away unless you watch the entire story. When I saw this title, I thought it is all about just a show off of his beauty but I was wrong. It is more of a kind of an inspirational Korean drama teaching those who will watch more about struggling, failures and successes in life. It is a twist between putting your fate in a hands of fotune telling or bringing your ownself up the ladder of life. The role of Hong Yoo-ra is awesome because she gave Ma Tae a chance to strive by going to 10 successful woman who are going to be his good business mentors and he will learn from their abilities. It's a little awkward for men though because in this Korean Drama, it emphasizes more on female's dominance over the business world. 

However, there is a saddening story that the TV rating of this Korean drama series is not good. That only means that Koreans are not more into watching inspirational-love-story type. I can sense that they are more dragged into sulking on their sofa or laptop watching a romance-comedy type. 

Done watching Episode 5 as of this writing. 

...... one word : DAEBAK!!!

quoting a comment from another forum:

[Luna

Jan 12 2014 4:16 amA good drama yet underrated in its home country, it is. But yeah, viewership rating is indeed a matter of personal preference of some selected individuals. We can't really blame those who like light romance or cinderella story or alien and time travelling story more than a self-development story like this. Anyway, overall, I am satisfied with this drama although if they made it more than 16 episodes (18 or 20, for example), the storyline might have been developed even better. The casts have done a decent job with their acting skills. I never doubt nor get dissapointed by Jang Keun Suk's acting skills, Lee Jang Woo and Han Chae Young are pleasant to watch, too... senior actress like Kim Bo Yun deserves thumbs up from me while IU the rookie actress gets an extra credit from me. Kudos to the production team. Daebak!]

This drama is indeed a good one although I will agree to a comment that it's a little too short but overall the production and casts did a good job. Let us set-aside the position of being a fan of a celebrity of some sort, this TV drama series has indeed taught the viewers a lot. I know that it should receive a lot of applause, thumb-ups, and give them a high rating. However, it ended with an NR (no rating, which means it did not belong to the Top 20 best TV shows) in all categories. It is saddening.

One thing for sure, it is a language learning experience for a student like me. 축하 해요!

Tranquillity

Composure. "It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

It is indeed ideal to just stay calm and do not let your mind ramble with less relevant thoughts in a situation of uncertainty. Remember that anything you do will be worthy when offered to GOD. All your works will not be put in vain and that someday, you will get what you really deserve. It is still best to do it on your own and let your pull potential be at its best. It is a great fulfillment that you can definitely share with others in the future. Look forward to anything positive, forget about how cruel your past was, just enjoy what you're doing; enhancing your fondness in the best interests because when the time comes that you need to separate yourself from your current world, you will gain great composure. A growing self-esteem that is intensely developed by the unfair world. Let a cackle over your weakness surpass your aspirations and when languishing. With all these, it is an assurance there will be striving courage which will be refined by deprived situations. 

Moreover, with all these realities; there is one truth that our LORD JESUS CHRIST is so alive in us. Just let Him live in yourself because it is better to gain confidence and respect from Him than have false praises from people. 

Let the unfair world speak falsely against your truth because GOD is watching over you. You will be judged according to what you do when the right time comes.

Rejoice in the LORD always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The LORD is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto GOD. And the peace of GOD, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 KJV)

Reminiscing Simple Travel Gigs

Indeed these are the unforgettable moments of my life in my journey with my college friends in the Philippines. Before I went to my on-site assignment last December 2011, I was able to join them in our adventure around our country (2010 - 2011). We went to Davao City, Bohol, Cebu, Laoag, and Pagudpod, in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. I am so proud of my country's beautiful places. 

           

                                            Loboc River, Bohol
                                             (floating restaurant)

Last September 23-28, 2013, the same group of friends went to Malaysia without me and my bestfriend because I was away outside the country and was not involved in the planning because they are not certain if I will be back or not to my on-site assignment. They went there without me and the bessie of mine is now living too far away from Manila. I would like to spend memorable moments with my dearest, most intelligent and kindest best of friends i have. GOD has indeed blessed me. I won't forget them really. I pray that I can join them again in some of their travel gigs.

Cebu resort

 

touchdown in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Hinagdanan Cave, Bohol, Philippines

 I miss all of them.. :[

Stretch Out

Today and the past few days of my life seemed to go so slow but unenlightened by some circumstances that my awareness is so confused about. It bears longings and trying to find something not certain what that is. It skipped getting knowledgeable of the fact that the world behind exist. I need to move on, live, and face the surrounding responsibilities. You are different and must be different from others since you have something big ahead to look at. There will be a lot of things you let passed your way for a thought of putting it for a better purpose. That is simply called "sacrifice". You have Him, and He has You in His Mighty Hands. He is just watching over to know if you will loose heart or back down. Yet, the moments are too tough, thinking that Someone up there cares is indeed everything to me. 

You needed to do your best even if the opportunity to learn is not easily provided. Broaden your mind of the things you must do in order to achieve enough learning for a specific purpose. If you must overcome something, you need to stretch out for it. Let the spirit be lifted up and manage to hold on tight. 

Happiness does come easy. Sometimes, it does not involve getting what you dreamed of. It is packed in a different wrapper and you won't notice it until you realize that the gift has been specially crafted. There is a way to your heart's dream and though the path might be gloomy to see, it is so clear that you will reach the destination in many ways possible. Learning is fun!! ^___^ 

I wish to learn more of these:

• SQL
• XML
• IIS 7
• Metadata
• VBS
• Crystal Report
• Component Services
• Process Control and Automation