Home-made Chicken Nuggets

Hey, hey hey, it's Fri-YAY!!

I am not too busy at work earlier today, and I was thinking what to eat for lunch. I found some ground chicken on my freezer and wondered what I could do with it. Then, the idea of making chicken nuggets from scratch came up.

I called it garlic and cheese chicken nuggets (with sweet and sour sauce)

Good thing it was a success! So yummy! There are just few minor flaws that can be adjusted next time; like I put in too much egg, and the sizes of the nuggets are not the same as the other (hehe)

What I needed:
1/2k Ground chicken
2-3 cloves of garlic grated or you can also use garlic powder
Dash of Salt & pepper to taste
Cheese cut into strips
2 Egg( one to mix in, the other one for coating later on)
3 table spoons of flour
Bread crumbs

What I did:
I just mixed the ground chicken, grated garlic, salt, pepper, 1 egg, & flour into a bowl. When they have been mixed properly, I shaped it rectangularly, putting some strips of cheese in the middle. Then I soaked it with flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.

I put it in the freezer for 3-5mins. so that it will be easier to fry. Then I deep fried it, and...tadah! A home made chicken nuggets.

I am not a professional cook(obviously) but I grew up in a household where my mom used to cook so many delish stuff for us. Now it's my sister, (who just graduated culinary arts) who is continuing mama's legacy. I am super lazy when it comes to cooking, though I know how to do some dishes because of my curiousity when mama was still alive. I would sit in the kitchen, watch her cook, and ask her too many questions on how these stuff works.

Maybe someday, if I'll have to cook for "someone" that is the time I'll get more active, and practice what mama told me. :) For now, I am a proud professional taste-tester of my sister's cooking. ;)

Baguio City, Revisited

February is a special month for Baguio City because this is the time when the Panagbenga Festival, also known as Flower Festival is celebrated.

I 've been to Baguio numerous times; with friends, family, but this time, I decided to go alone, to visit a good friend as well whom I haven't seen for years already.

I decided to take the Victory Bus going to Baguio, and back home. Just a quick tip, if you want to have a smooth trip, especially during peak seasons like this, I encourage you to book your ticket in advance. I booked mine few weeks before my scheduled trip in their Cubao (new York) terminal. For fare rates and trip schedule, you may want to visit their website. Their buses leave on time, and they have the friendliest staff. So I had a good experience riding the said bus line.

We left Cubao at 4pm sharp and with less traffic and 2 stop overs, I arrived in Baguio City at around 10pm. It was a Friday by the way

The next day, Saturday, we went to some places which I haven't visited yet, and some, I've been into but I can say that there were some changes since the last time I've been there.

Our first stop is the Tam-Awan Village, which I haven't visited yet. It is a place to visit if you love art, Cordilleran craftsmanship with an artist’s concept for a village adapting to Baguio setting.

Then we visited the usual spot- Mine's View Park, Botanical Garden, Wright Park, The Mansion and the all time favorite pasalubong center- Good Shepherd Convent.

By the way, we had lunch in Ketchup Food Community, It is a cozy, nice place where there are around 4-5 restaurants with different cuisine which you can choose from. There is the Rancho Norte (where we ate) where you can find yummy Filipino food, Green Pepper who offers pasta, salads, Rumah Sate offers Indo-Malay cuisine,Canto who is popular for their ribs, pizza, pasta and other Western American dishes, and Happy Tummy who offers Thai cuisine.

The next day, Sunday is the much awaited Panagbenga festival. It is my first time to witness this kind of float parade in Baguio, and I should say that it is a bitter sweet experience. I was awed by all the floats because I realize how creative the people behind these were. Everything was beautiful! The hard part is, you need to wake up early.. as in early to get a nice spot because session road was already flooded with people even before the parade started. We have experienced a lot of pushing and everywhere is crowded. it is also important that you eat heavy breakfast, and wear comfortable clothes to avoid fainting.

Just wanted to share few photos my friend and I took. Sorry, we are not professional photographers, and these photos don't do justice on how beautiful they really are in real. :)

Then I went back to Manila by Monday night to avoid all the crowd going home, cause I am pretty sure if I'll go back by Sunday, I won't make it through, as I did not book a ticket in advance. 

This experience had helped me to relax more, because I believe I deserve a vacation like this for working hard, and it is also a best time to catch up with a long time friend. 

Fun with a Cam: What is Photo a Day Challenge?

I started joining photo-a-day challenges on instagram in 2013. With just a smartphone, imagination and guts. I enjoyed taking part in these challenges that's why up until now, I am still snapping pictures for fun, with a hope that it can be featured. I am not in anyway a professional photographer, but these challenges can bring out the creative side of me, and it also helps me discover myself more.

What you need to play along?

-Social media sites: Instagram / Facebook
- Cameras / smartphones
- Creativity and imagination
- Follow and tag instagram pages or users that do photo a day challenges. In my case, here are some of the pages that I follow and join:

@hiyapapayaphotoaday
@365_happysnaps
@fatmumslim (for #FMSphotoaday)
@nothingisordinary
@at_diff
@two_themes
@icu_philippines
@ig_treasures
@jj_mobilephotography
@ig_4every1
@its_my_week

How does a photo a day challenge goes?

When you follow these users/site, they usually give daily, weekly or monthly themes which you need to follow and take a snap on. Post the photos in your instagram and be sure to use their hashtags. It's that easy (and fun!)

Moderators of the page choose the best photos that catches their eye, and include them in their features.  You will surely know if yours have been chosen because they will tag and mention you.

There are a lot of talented individuals that you will discover and follow along the way. You will discover how beautiful the world around you is, when you participate in these photo challenges. It will also teach you to try to think outside the box and enhance your creativity.

I remember when I had my very first photo featured, I really felt so ecstatic! (And proud even) especially when you realize that out of these thousands of participants, your photo was noticed and given credit.


P.S Please follow my instagram account:
@aissa.mae

Here are few of my photos that has been featured before:

#FMSphotoaday:

#sunnypicchallenge

#snap_ish

#nothingisordinary

#two_themes

#at_diff

#ig_4every1

Passport Renewal in SM Megamall: Hassle Free...NOT!

My original plan is to renew my passport via Robinson's Galleria's DFA Satellite branch. But Unfortunately, when I was trying to get a schedule online, no dates are available since I prefer to have it renewed on a Saturday so that it won't interfere with work. By the way, passport services on Saturdays cost more  compared to the fee that you'll be paying if you get it on weekdays. It is considered as "rush fee" of Php1,200 compared to the Php950 on weekdays.

Anyway to cut the long story short, I got a Saturday schedule in SM Megamall. The date I got was May 17,2014 at 2pm. I arrived there 1 hour early, and I was surprise to see a bunch of people queued in line. I don't know if it was just my misfortune that I got a wrong date, if it was really that crowded on a Saturday or what. I've asked few people for feedbacks before, and they told me that it was just like a 20-30 mins. process. I renewed my passport on a total of 3 hours! I really didn't expect it would take me that long.

To add salt to the wound, or to make this process even more annoying for me, my passport is scheduled to be delivered last May 29, but unfortunately it was not delivered on time. In fairness to them, they sent me a text message telling me that there has been a problem in the printing of the passports in DFA, that's why they can't deliver it on time. The thing that annoys me is that, I sent them a message asking them of the exact date when they can deliver it, but I didn't get any response. Their so called hotlines are also useless. If that is the case, maybe it is better if they just don't give out USELESS cell phone and landline numbers.

The thing is, there are other things that I need to do rather than to wait for my precious passport to arrive. My only worry is, what if they deliver it here and no one's home? If they only fix their process and deliver the passports on time, there will be no problem at all.

This is one of the many reasons why our country is still one of the "poorest" with less improvements at all. Aside from corrupt politicians, poor and unimproved system specifically in government offices are the reasons why our country sinks from all the rest.

PS: My worry about not receiving my passport sooner was fueled with the feedbacks I read from this site :  http://dfa-pampanga-passport-appointment.blogspot.com/2013/03/dfa-at-sm-megamall-contact-number-email.html
If I already found this page before I went to schedule my renewal in Megamall, I would have decided differently and tried other satellite offices other than here.

Quote of the Day: Contentment

Source: http://www.brahmakumaris.org/

Top 5 Tips to Grow as a Single Man/Woman

Oftentimes, when we see our friends, or relatives find their one true love, and their dreams are slowly taking place, we always ask when will our turn be? Is there anything wrong with me? Why am I still unattached?

Here are top 5 tips to grow as a single  man/woman:

1. Love yourself. If you want someone special to love you, how can you expect them do that if you, yourself don’t love the person that you are? There may be a lot of things that you hate about yourself, about your body; your thighs are too big, hair is frizzy, or something about how awkward you are in front of others. May it be in physical aspect or your attitude; there will always be things that you hate about yourself. But, remember this: We are all made in the likeness of Christ. We are all special in our own way. Throw away the insecurities and avoid comparison with others. Always remember: You are special, you are loved, and you are love itself, because you are created out of it.
2. Focus on other things. Of course it is true that love makes the world go round. But, there are other things around your world that you should focus on. Like your career, your family, friends. Do things that you know you can’t do when you are inside a relationship. Go out often, meet new people, do the things you thought you couldn’t do and surprise yourself a little. Be crazy, have fun, live free. Live your own adventure, cause someday, when you find that special person, there will be a new chapter of adventure that you two can start together. At least for now, you can say that you had lived well, and enjoy the life that God had blessed you with.
3. Don’t find love, let it find you. Remember that one day when you are looking for your favorite pen or shirt but for some reasons, you cannot find it, until one day, you forgot about it, got tired and stopped looking and it appears, just like that. Just when you are not actually looking for it. Same with love. They say that love is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it’ll fly away. But if you let it come to you naturally, it will stay. Same thing with love. Let it come to you naturally, and it will stay, more than you could ever imagine.
4. Be happy. Make someone happy.. No man or no person can ever fall in love with someone that is full of drama, or full of negativities. Even though it is hard to be happy when you still lack that missing piece in you, you should always find a reason to smile, be happy and make someone else happy. A simple smile to a stranger, a tap at the back for your little brother, little words of encouragement for a best friend, do anything that when you know you made someone else’s day happy, yours will be happy too. There are countless of things that can bring happiness to our days. May it be ordinary or simple; it is still the thought that counts. Remember to wear that perfect smile all the time. Who knows the person next to you might fall in love with that smile, and that could be a perfect beginning.
5. Believe in God’s perfect timing. More often than not, we always lose our patience, especially when we want something so badly and we want it right here, right now. Always remember, God does not answer us with just a “yes” or a “no. Sometimes, he answers us with a “wait.” Be patient and know that God knows what He is doing. Tell yourself that someday, God will lead you to that special person because He loves you, and He wants you to be happy. For now, He is still preparing the heart that deserves your love.