How To Make Polvoron

Polvoron became widely known in Philippines when it was introduced during the Spanish colonization. The suffix "polvo" means powder. And now, polvoron is usually eaten by Filipinos as snack or dessert after meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of powder milk

1/2 cup of pinipig

polvoron molder

Steps:

1. Sift the flour in a bowl.

2. Cook it in the pan in a medium heat. Stir until the color turned into golden brown.

3. Lower down the heat. Add the milk and sugar.

4. Add the butter then mix it well until the butter dissolves.

5. Mix the pinipig.

6. Using the polvoron molder, mold the mixtured powder and placed in a tray.

7. Put the finish product in the refrigerator to make it more hard and stiffed.

This will make 2-3 dozens of polvoron. 

Comments or suggestions are highly appreciated! :)

How To Make Oatmeal Cookies Using Oven Toaster

Our baking oven is not working so I decided to use the oven toaster instead. In using the latter, make sure it has a controller wherein you can switch the upper and lower heating elements since the heat produced by the latter is different from the former.

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

1 cup unsalted butter (in room temperature)

1 cup white sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups of oats

1. Preheat the oven toaster in 100 degrees Celsius.

2. Beat the butter either using an electric mixer or through hand mixing.

3. Add the sugar. Mix it well until the sugar dissolves.

4. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix it.

5. In a separate bowl, mix the all purpose flour, baking soda and salt.

6. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Lastly, add the oats.

7. Put a parchment paper in the rack or a bond paper with oil.

8. Drop a spoonful of cookie dough in the rack with 1-2 inches apart from each other.

9. Bake it in 100 degrees Celsius for 5-10 minutes switching on the lower heating elements only. Then if the lower part of the cookies turned golden brown, switch off the lower heating elements while turning on the upper ones only. After the cookies turned golden brown, let it cool in a room temperature.

The minutes of baking the cookies depends actually upon your desired texture. So it is up to you if you want chunky or crispy cookies. I baked mine for almost 20 minutes since the temperature is low and I want to make it crispy.

Comments or suggestions are highly appreciated! :)

How To Make A Simple Mashed Potato

In the Philippine culture, mashed potato is one of the foods that is not so common being served in the dining table. Potatoes were first known in Europe during 16th century (lovin' history, ayt?). Until due to the dramatic changes brought by globalization, Filipinos learned to cook and serve foreign dishes. 

We can usually eat mashed potatoes in hotels and restaurants before. Until fast food chains are also starting to include this on their menus. So for those who are curious and haven't tried eating mashed potatoes or those who loved this dish, then here's my blog to help you in making your own one.

Ingredients:

1 big potato (Good for 1 person)

Cups of water

1 pinch of salt

1/4 cup of cream

4 tsp. of honey (or gravy)

Steps:

1. Wash the potato in the water. Peel off its skin. The number of potato depends upon the number of servings that you want so this one big potato is enough already for 1 servings (1 person).

2. After its skin has been peeled, slice it into half in lengthwise and slice it again to quarters.

3. Put the sliced potatoes in the sauce pan. Add water until the potatoes are covered. Add 1 pinch of salt. Simmer until it boils. You can use fork in poking the potato to see if its cooked and soft already. This would take 15-20 minutes in a medium fire.

4. In a plasticware, mash the cooked potatoes using a tablespoon

5. After mashing it, place it on a small bowl. For additional taste, you can put gravy.

Then enjoy eating it! One small bowl of it can make your stomach full already. Comments or suggestions are highly appreciated! :)

Hagimit Falls at Samal

I've heard about Hagimit Falls when one of my friends shared her experience during their trip there last 2011. After knowing that there was this so-called tiny falls in Samal, I immediately had a desire to go there as soon as possible. It was supposed to be last summer 2012 yet I was in Hong Kong during the time when my relatives had a visit there. However, thank God to my uber kulit cousins and they forced my Tita's and Tito's to spent our family day there last Sunday.

It's a 20 minute trip from Davao City's Sasa Wharf. It's not that far since it is just located within the barangay of Peñaplata, next to Babak. 

At the first entrance, you need to pay P5.00 each for the environmental fee. Though they didn't specify or explain where does that five pesos go however I think it's obvious already. For the second entrance, the picture below shows the needed fees to be payed again.

 I haven't took the fees for the cottages however as far as I can remember, I think we paid P200.00 for these two cottages exclusive for us in the middle of the lagoon. Cottages there are not that big compared to the usual ones.

The first fall which will meet you is the lowest accessible fall in the area. Though this is also the nearest one from our cottage yet some people don't like to go there since all water coming from the top where a lot of people are swimming and diving will eventually flow down to that lagoon. The floorground of such is muddy and not rocky compared to others.

However, you can ride a boat on your own within that lagoon with a rental fee of P100.00 per hour. 

Second part is somehow taller than the first one. However, since it has a better view, a lot of people are staying in this area. I say, A LOT. :P

At the top of the said second part is this. Eventhough it is highly advisable not to dive because of those big rocks below yet there is a shallow level on this area which is good for diving/jumping. But if you're really unsure, don't ever try it.

There is an another resort 100 meters away from Hagimit Falls and Nature Park - the Hagimit Rocky Spring Resort. And yes, there is a separate entrance fee if you wanted to go here. 

Inside this resort is where the water flows first which means, the water is so cold yet fresh.

And this is the source of all waters flowing through Hagimit Falls. It flows from the underneath of that cave which is so shallow making the water colored blue. 

Kaputian Beach Resort at Island Garden City of Samal

Though the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) or commonly called as Samal is just a one hour ride from Davao City, I didn't get any chance to visit the almost bottom part of the former which is the Kaputian. Kaputian is the last stop of the bus coming from Davao before it goes back again to its route.

If you don't have your own service, you can ride a bus which parks in front of Magsaysay Park (Magsaysay Avenue, Uyangurin, Davao City). Each bus differs depending on your destination so just read the big signage placed in the bus' window. The bus will head to Sasa Wharf and will be carried by a barge going to Samal. It will take one to two hours before you reach Kaputian depending again to the speed of the bus and flow of traffic especially during at night wherein people and cars are now rushing in to go back to Davao.

Upon arrival, you will see the resort's signage just in front of the gate. Entrance fee for kids is P5.00 each, adults is P10.00 each and those who brought domesticated animals, owners also need to pay P150.00 each. Small cottages cost P400.00 and big ones are P800.00 each. There also rooms for those who want to stay overnight. Tree houses are P500.00 while family rooms are P200.00. Good thing with this resort is they don't collect corkage if you bring your own food and drinks since the resort itself doesn't have any restaurants available except for a mini sari-sari store. 

The white sand is sparkling and the blue sea water is shimmering against the scorching hotty Mr. Sun. You can tell that the water is really clean since there are still a lot of sea water creatures below such as crab and sea urchins. Don't worry, it is still safe to swim or dive there. A good recommendation if you wanted to visit places like this is you should have a water-proof camera or DSLR so that you can also capture wonderful views below the sea.

Sea urchins.

There is also a display of a preserved sea cow or commonly known as Dugong in a hall beside the entrance gate.

Aside from this, the only amenity that they have is a beach volleyball court. You can rent a ball from the resort management but it would be better if you bring your own. For the frustrated singers like me, they don't have any karaoke for rent available so it is up to the discretion of the visitors/customers to bring his/her own one. Yet, since it is a hassle to bring television set, microphone and speakers in a travel, you can bring medium-sized speakers instead then just plugged it to your Ipod/MP3 player and enjoy the music while feeling the sea breeze.

There is also some rasta men providing tattoo and henna services inside the resort. The picture below is my cousin's chosen design from their samples. The cost relies to the size so the bigger the size is, the higher the price.

Henna Tattoo

The number of people going here depends upon the day which is if it's weekends or summer, obviously family trips usually head to beaches and expect for a lot of them there. However, it doesn't mean that it would be too crowded.

And don't forget also to throw your garbage/left overs in the trash bins/baskets and not anywhere to save our environment. :)

Some Things Are Worth Fighting For (Quasi States)

Territorial disputes, self-determination, recognition, genocide, civil war and many more are just few of the many issues which are still incessantly cycling up around the international community for many years. These words have been constantly present in media, internet and even in the streets which also signified the tears fell from the cries, blood dropped from the killings, wounds that can’t be healed and memories that were being tried to bury despite of the long years of struggle. And with that struggle, many people sacrificed their selves even it was a matter of life and death.

As time went by, quasi-states have been continuously escalating. These states that still tried to fight for their respective sovereignties have different motives. It could be to protect their ethnicity, culture, language and to be free from the exploitation and maltreatment from the first and second-class states. And so no one could blame them for having such kind of reveries. But this matter about the limbo world can still be resolve in different ways depending upon the situations that are encountered. 

First thing is a referendum must be applied so that the voices of the people in a certain territory would reign. It should be their decision if they want to become an independent state or to remain as an autonomous region within a certain country since the state should be for the people and by the people although this is exceptional for the territories who do not uphold democracy. Just like how the new established state of Southern Sudan underwent a referendum. According to the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, there were 98.83% or 3,792,518 voters who agreed for secession. This was a big step for the Sudanese people to achieve their goal for independence. However, referendum like this has its own limitations too. Not all voters have the capacity or knowledge to make decisions about the issue at stake and not all of the votes that are being casted would directly mean that these represent the whole people. 

Secondly is to follow the Montevideo Convention or the declarative theory of statehood including the recognition from other states. Although it is being adopted nowadays, yet there is no any strict implementation of it. The qualifications for an entity to become a state must be observed strictly and there must be certain standards that should be met. This is for the reason of preventing the incessant occurrence of the so-called failed states. Like for instance, the Sovereign Order of Malta. Yet even though it has its own people, government, territory, sovereignty and recognition, the international community had not provided any clear basis for such qualifications which eventually making such state as one of the failed states. That’s why, Malta is still currently dependent with the different aids given by Western countries like Monaco such as medical and humanitarian programs since they still have the hard time to improve on their own. 

Furthermore, the UN Security Council should firmly observe its functions as what the chapter five of the UN Charter stated. Such body has an important and critical role in resolving different issues specifically in maintaining international peace and security. The UN Secretary General must strengthen their role as mediator in international issues. One of their achievements was the Resolution 1244 that they made for Kosovo and Serbia in order to prevent further casualties on both sides although Kosovo’s desire to be independent didn't happen.

Not all territories can be real states. Some would take different processes first before it happen whereas some would dare to struggle even risking their lives just for the sake of protecting their will, believing that they could achieve it someday. However, eradicating these problems is too far from the reality but it could be lessen if the parties involved would cooperate in maintaining peace and to highly discourage immense hostilities with each other. As what Ronald Reagan highlighted, peace is not the absence of conflict but the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.

Reference:

EISA. (2011). Sudan: 2011 Southern Sudan Referendum Commission. Retrieved from:

http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/sud2011ssrc.htm.

Sovereign Order of Malta. (2011). Latest Interventions. Retrieved from:

http://www.orderofmalta.org/?lang=en.

Sovereign Order of Malta. (2011). First Concert Hosted By the Prince and Princess of Monaco is Held in Support of Humanitarian Works of the Order of Malta. Retrieved from:

http://www.orderofmalta.org/news/50918/first-concert-hosted-by-the-prince-and-princess-of-monaco-held-in-support-of-humanitarian-works-of-the-order-of-malta/?lang=en.

Man as a History-Making Existence

We may can’t deny the fact especially when we were still young and maybe even until now, we rely on the so-called destiny of our lives. We came to a point that we thought that everything is dependent upon God’s will. That’s why if we failed, we started saying that it is Him who is the one who decided that it should really happened to us. That we thought there’s a reason why it happened. Or our decisions became dependent to Him making us fatalistic. It is like we believe everything which happens to us is inevitable because that is how destiny controlled our lives, that is how God wanted it to happen. 

Like for instance, in my situation as a student, whenever I get a failing grade in any of my subjects, I think that it’s God’s will and there’s something that He wanted me to do and that is something I can’t control anymore because it is His will. But we don’t know or not all of us are aware that being a human is also being a history-making existence. We are labeled to be history-making existence because we can create civilizations. We can create our own history. Human beings are temporal beings and at the same time we are free beings. Free beings in such a way that we all gained sovereignty. In other words, we ourselves control our own lives. It is us who can make our lives meaningful. What’s the use of the freedom given by God if He is the one who decides for us? 

Maybe we could say He guides for us but He never interrupts with our lives. He gave us full freedom, no more, no less. Thus, we have the task and responsibility to write our own stories in our lives. We are not destined nor living alongside with our fate. The world is a man’s work and fruit of his labor. However, there are instances that the freedom gained by people could also be controlled by other people. As we remember how Adolf Hitler killed millions of people specifically the Jews which became known as the genocide incident wherein the lives of these Jews were controlled by a dictator. A dictator who also made a history that is still remembered until now. 

Then there goes the “history repeats itself” statement being connected here which is at the same time, not a valid explanation to use whenever an inevitable incident occurred which also happened before. History will not repeat if people would not do it again also. History does not work on its own. It depends on us on how we create it. Thus, such holocaust will never happen again if we will not let it happen also.

Freedom has been one of the wonderful gifts given to us by the Divine Providence. And since it is a gift, human beings should also learn how to take good care of it and not to take it for granted or use it not in a good way.