Photohunt 8: Garbage


Yey! I'm early today. For some reason, I promised myself that I will be early this week. So happy 'cause I made it.
This photo was taken last month in a beach park in Romblon; the same beach park where our wedding was held. In the picture is the cottage where my family stayed. Notice that there is a large green garbage can right next to the door.

2009 Close-Up Commercial


I looooove this new close-up commercial so much. The jingle "Come Closer" is really nice and catchy as well as the guy model. Everytime I see it on air, I have to stop and watch really close.
According to my research, the guy model from this commercial is J. Jetrin Wattanasin, a singer/ actor from Thailand. He is cute, right? A lot of girls wonder about this guy. I was able to trace his website, but unfortunately, I don't know anything about Thai language. His site is not available in English. Errr!

Photohunt 7: Pink


I know I shouldn't miss this week's theme, so here's my share. My hubby took this photo of me over 2 years ago. This was taken in the SM Mall of Asia. I was wearing my favorite i ♥ cosmo shirt. Notice that the ♥ is PINK in my shirt.

Yellow Tail Fusilier in Sour Soup


What is your favorite seafood? As for me, my favorite seafood is fish! On the top of my list is the yellow tail fusilier (dalagang bukid na lapad). One bad thing about this fish is it's smell. But once properly cleaned and prepared, it can give you an unforgettable taste. Just make sure to buy the fresh and fat ones.

Today, I'm sharing a very simple recipe that my grandparents taught me. People in my province usually cook this way. We call it Inasluman, which translates as 'soured' in English. Anyway, if you want a provincial fish soup, here's the perfect recipe for you.

Ingredients:
- 2 heads of yellow tail fusilier
- 2 fresh tomatoes, cut into halves, seeds removed
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 4 stalks of spring onions, snipped into pieces
- 3/4 cup water **
- salt to taste

Procedure:
- Bring the water into boil together with sliced onion and tomatoes.
- Add the fish and cover for 5 minutes.
- When the fish is almost done, stir in spring onion, then add salt to taste.
- Let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Serve while hot.

* This recipe is good for 2 to 4 people.
** The bigger the size of the fish, the more water is needed to cook it.

Choosing the Right Baby Stroller


Last weekend, we spent over 30 minutes in choosing the right baby stroller for our 9 month old baby girl. We checked infant strollers of different sizes, colors, and features. Some of them have average price. Most of them are expensive. But just a few are cheap.

Anyway, we ended up buying a three-way stroller which price is twice the cost of our monthly cable, water, and electric bill altogether. Whew! Why do babies don't come with a bank account? Haha.

We actually have an infant stroller for our little darling. We bought it when she was around 2 weeks old. It was lightweight and easy to carry. The problem was it's seat. Not like other strollers, the seat cannot be reclined into a sitting position. We had to use a pillow to support her back. Now I'm sending it off to a distant relative in the province. What a waste of money, right? If we only considered the following things before buying it.


2 Important Things to Consider Before Buying a Baby Stroller

  • Number of Children You and your husband must have talked about family planning. If you want to have two or more kids then why not make the stroller a little investment? Decide on something with very good quality. Something that your other kids could use in the future.

  • Family Lifestyle Do you love picnics or out-of-town trips? How about long walks in the mall or jogging in the park? These days, there are lots of baby strollers to choose from that could fit either a farm life or urban living.



Baby Stroller Features to Check Before Buying

  • Brakes They should be able to lock the wheels in place. This reminds us of Mr. Bean babysitting in the park. Tsk! tsk! tsk!

  • Adjustable seat From 0 to 6 months, your baby won't be able to sit yet. However, from 6 months and up, he/she might be able to at least hold his/ head or sit. In this case, having a stroller with adjustable seat to sitting and sleeping position is very important.

  • Buckles It should include crotch straps. They prevent babies from slipping out.

  • Canopy It's always sunny here in the Philippines. The adjustable canopy will be able to protect your baby from too much sun or rain.

  • Materials Strollers made of steel and aluminum usually last longer, but they can be a little heavy. Stroller made of more plastic are lightweight though they may not last longer that you expect it.

  • Fabric Babies can be messy. Very messy. Check if the seat of the stroller is removable and washable. Most of them can be easily cleaned, though.

  • Adjustable handle height The father could be higher than the mom (or vice versa). The adjustable handle is the only answer to this one.

  • Storage Basket Very helpful while shopping. The stroller we bought has a basket which capacity is up to 5 kilos.

  • Easy open and close mechanism This is self-explanatory.

  • Wide wheel base / Swivel wheels These last two make it easy for you to maneuver the stroller.

Lovely Blog Award vs. Best Blog Award






Wow, these are my 2nd and 3rd award since June! Love it! Thanks Viva Pinay for this twin awards..^^

The rules for these awards are:
- Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
- Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'm passing these awards to the following friends in the blogosphere:
Sweet Seoul of My Lapland
RJ's Mom of my bLogbook
Yami of Mom Writes for a Cause
Rors of On my Left Hand Corner
Shy Kulasa of Shie's Asylum
Michelle of Hits and Mrs
Larla Anne of Larla's World
Jhaney of My So Called Life
Soapaholic of Confessions of a Soapaholic
Janelle of Embracing the Clutter in my Head
Larla Anne of Larla's World
Golden of One Proud Mom, One Proud Wife
Lily White of MixNotes Etc.
Chie of Chuchie's Hideaway
Anita of Anita C. McCants

Tuna Steak Solo


I cooked this fish a couple of days ago. Took the picture before my husband could finish it all. It was funny 'cos I thought I could help him a bit with it. He normally leaves his fish unfinished, but not this time. So, I bet I just created the best recipe for his tuna. This is why I'm sharing it now.

Ingredients:
- 1 big slice of tuna
- 1 tbsp. calamansi juice
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion, sliced into rings
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Procedure:
Marinate the fish with calamansi juice, soy sauce, black pepper, and salt for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better).
Heat the oil in a pan. Remove the fish from the marinade and pan-fry both sides until brown. Cover it with marinade and onion rings. Remove from heat when the sauce thickens. Serve hot with rice.

A Beach Wedding on my Birthday


I don't really celebrate my birthday with a party every year. I didn't grow up blowing candles and receiving presents, so to make a difference this year, we decided to have our beach wedding on my 29th birthday!

June 8
I arrived in our home in Romblon with my daughter and sis-in-law.

June 10
I went to the municipal hall to get the wedding on schedule.

June 11
I was in Odiongan to meet Langga of Ramietess Bakery to book our cake.

June 12
The ticketing office told me that there will be flight schedule from Manila to Tablas for dates June 16 and 17.

June 13
I called the groom about the inavailability of flights. Talked to him about some options to make it at least a night before the wedding.

June 15
Langga apologitically informed me that they can no longer bake my cake for some reason. So, I ran to Looc, met the owner of Ashley Bakeshop, talked about the details of the cake, paid it, and got home relieved.

June 16
The groom took the Batangas to Odiongan trip. My uncle accompanied him to the Batangas port for safety reason.

June 17
He arrived home around 7 in the morning. We went to the barber shop before lunch time then managed to check the wedding hall for decorations.

June 18
As planned, the wedding ceremony was held by the beachfront, the reception in the big hall, and the birthday party at home. It was all fun!


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Check more of my wedding photos here.
My wedding motif and theme here.
I was not able to wear my dream bridal gown for my beach wedding, but hopefully, I could wear it with our Istanbul wedding. You may check it here.

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You may want to read more about weddings, so here they are:
Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo's Wedding
A Modern Civil Wedding
Wedding Gift Ideas
Marth Stewart Weddings