‘Been to IBlog4

The Iblog4 Summit was over but the pleasure of having attended the event remains. It was very educational for one newbie blogger like me.  I have met many bloggers and my first time to see and listen to Manujel L. Quezon III.  I have read some of his commentaries on the Inquirer and I can’t help but admire the brilliance of this young man.  I caught him outside the Malcolm Hall after the event and I couldn’t help but ask for a photo opp with him. He willingly obliged and even handed me his business card. Oh, so kind of him!

MLQ III on Election Blogging

 The other Speakers were equally talented,  They discussed how the bloggers community can actually help in improving the political atmosphere here in the Philiipoines, specifically the 2010 election, They also gave informations on how we we can create and improve  the  “Filipina” image on the net. They   also touched  ” legal issues of  blogging”, and the "countryside blogging” which roughly discussed the Mindanao bloggers activities. Looked like they are one highly spirited blogger group.

 The Bloggers Party

A Party for the Bloggers followed few hours after the summit.  Held at Katips Bar and Restaurant in Katipunan Ave.. The party was fine but not so much. It was fine because I was able to mingle with other bloggers a little more.  Not much because I was disappointed with the party’s food.  We were lucky that we stopped for a snack along our way to that supposedly party sponsored by 88DB.com.  What, if  we didn’t?! 

They might have thought many bloggers were on diet, so four small chicken strips would be enough for each. And the three bottles of light beer would complete the bloggers celebration.  Oh well. .   I hope, there’d be more next time. If there would still be a next time.

Grapevine

I feel like I’m a real computer pro when I can directly figure out some computer puzzles new to me.  You may not believe it, but up to this moment, I still haven’t gotten over the joy of knowing how to use the computer, much more discovering the uses of each and every little formats, tabs and what- have-yous this laptop of mine consists of. Fortunately, after discovering how to blog, I began to unearth one very interesting site especially for females that are between the ages of 25 and 49. It is the Grapevine.com.  It is an interactive and a serialized story of four tough ladies who are competently talented, interestingly trendy and severely self-reliant. They serve to be a role model too for females of ages I have previously mentioned.
 
What’s more fascinating in this site is these ladies, Gabby, Liv, Shannon and Raqui tackling every thing from entertainment to lifestyles, food and almost anything a girl would fancy. All coming from Chicago, their favorite spot to go to is the Grapevine Café and Boutique. The female gender would definitely enjoy how these four ladies’ share their travels, their wardrobes, caring for their parents, kids and pets alike. Well, there is so much information awaiting the Grapevine Viewers. So expect that there would be an endless topic of feminine interests. Just check it out!
 

Gift for Mom

Mother’s Day is here once again. I wish Ina is still here beside me, healthy and strong, I miss the days when she would cook for us her specialty that is “Bulanlang” with grilled fish.  She was good at cooking veggies. Maybe, that is one reason why she had  long life. Oh, how she loves veggies so much!

On Mother’s Days such as this, I was one of those mother’s children who were spending time to get their mom a little piece of present for her day.  And if I remember right, I would see that she was always very delighted with every single gift I wrapped for her. She wasn’t hard to please. In fact, a simple Batik Duster gave her so much joy. I miss scouting for another gift to be given to Ina. I would have wanted to give her some tulips from 1800flowers.com, but Ina is no longer around. I will never feel her hugs and will never see the smiles in her lips again.

 But for those of you whose mothers are still around, take the chance to make them feel they are loved and cared for.Give them a mother’s day gift.  Whatever type your mom is, there is always a right gift for her. Don’t neglect your mom.  Let her feel your love, now and forever.                                                                                                                                       

Back to Cooking

For quite sometime since I learned how to manipulate my techie machine, I have been neglecting my original interest which is cooking.  I have not taken formal lesson in any culinary course but I always try to experiment  on any food that we fancied from our dining out experiences.  On our way home from our outing in Nagcarlan last Friday, we bought “Kinulob na Itik” from a specialty store in Victoria, Laguna.  Because I have been missing the Peking Duck of the Peking Garden Restaurant for sometime now, I settled for this Victoria town delicacy.  Also, we haven’t tasted the Chinese dish that is Pato tim lately, so I ordered an extra piece of uncooked duck. I haven’t cooked such dish yet, but I can always depend on my reliable taste bud if ever. Nah!  Nevertheless, I have been busy grabbing some ops and going for some errands lately. This duck from Victoria has got to stay in the freezer for days.  Last night though, I brought it out to a cooking pan and   It has become one Chinese dish I love a lot, …the Pato tim!

Tom seemed to like it and reminded me to take a picture of it. It is one success recipe of experimentation once again. (That’s by Tom’s point of view.)  It hasn’t been so presentably arrange but the taste got a good review from him.. That’s one reason why I cook, primarily for hubby’s satisfaction and for kids as well. Very seldom did I entrust my family’s meals to my house angel. (That is, whenever I have one.)  That, in return is where my satisfaction lies.  Cooking for my family.   

Quenching Summer Heat

We went out of town last Friday, for Mamang’s sake.  Tom took a leave from office because we won’t be available on the following day, Saturday as we were to attend the Blogggers Summit.  We went to Real Resort in Nagcarlan. This wasn’t our usual outing place but just to give Mamang a different ambiance, we trekked the long road to this hidden town of Laguna.  Nonetheless, the tiresome journey was well worth it.  How I loved the clear, jacuzzi like waters of the river. It was sooooo…fantastically cool! For nature trippers like me, this is one great place to be. Just don’t mind the resort’s amenities, they are far from the starred resorts you knew. However, it certainly quenched our summer heat. See how inviting the water was,