Soonish...

We (the fam and i) also went on an adventure.

Will post more photos when I get the rest of it =)))

Alamar

[To the Sea]

This is a docudrama about a boy and his father.

About love, loss, and the sea.

Simply done, yet very satisfying in a way.

It's a meditation on life.

When you have the time... check it out.

Happy 2011!

Here's to...

... more love

... traveling

... more meeting new lovely/awesome people

... friendship

... happiness and good health!

Cheers!

love always,

A =)

Thanksgiving 2010

We decided to go away for Thanksgiving.

Initially, the plan was just to go to Oregon-Washington state.

We ended up in Vancouver, Canada and beyond.

We strolled. Ate. Laughed. Relaxed.

Interesting and a charming City.

Everything looked new, architecture-wise.

And the people were great.

Shops and boutiques were everywhere.

We ate in-between our destinations.

This was at Memphis Blues.

The southern style B-b-q here was fabulous!

And yes, the cold did not deter us from getting our cold treats =).

*my family loves their ice cream.

We went to Whistler.

I wanted to go skiing but my brother wouldn't come with me =/

Canada, eh...

Who doesn't like Hugs & Kisses?

I'm not a fan of anything mass-produced and corporate-made, esp. when it comes to food. But I DO make an exception now and then.

Hershey's Hugs and Kisses, have always been a cheap favorite when I'm craving for something chocolate-y.

I'm not fond of Hershey's Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate, but like in many social situations, I generally can never say no to Hugs and Kisses.

The combination of the outside white chocolate with milk chocolate stripes, and the milk chocolate inside, is addicting!

Perfect combination.

Although, you can't beat Hershey's Milk Chocolate in S'mores =). That's another exception.

ps: if you can't find them in AUS. and you'd like to taste 'em, let me know =). and i'll fed ex you some.

Monin

I roamed the aisles of every grocery and specialty store I came upon, for this...

Le sirop de Monin

For a few seconds there, I was the happiest person. Lol!

hm... refreshing <3

this'll cure what ills ya...

I've been itching to make Chicken Barley Soup for quite some time now.

So, since I wasn't feeling so hot [when i made this], I decided to call M's Mum and asked for her recipe.

It wasn't difficult, tho' a bit time consuming.

Ingredients.

Stalk and leaves of celery.

Parsley

Barley

Rutabaga

Carrots, Onion, and Turnips.

Green Beans.

Zucchini.

I also added some peas.

the result...?

Tada!

Winners

SF Chronicle front page.

SF Giants won the NL West Division!

Beyond ecstatic.

We've been screaming and jumping!

Blue and Lots of Patterns

My finds in our local Goodwill =)

So happy when I saw this patterned top.

I went to this vintage shop a while back, and they were selling this similar top for about $30.

In Goodwill, I snagged it for only $2.74 =)))

Yippie!

I got this dress for $3.74

Pretty isn't?

I heart the little details of the neckline.

Happy treasure hunting!

Hello Autumn!

First day of Autumn here, today.

I can feel that the changes are coming.

Autumn has arrived, but summer lingers.

As is typical in California---beautiful blossoms and sunny weather remain.

"Take me out to the ball game"

America's national past-time --- Baseball.

A few weeks ago, I've become an official fan.

I'm in high spirits when my team (SF Giants) wins

and I'm dismayed when they lose.

I like it; I usually don't watch sports on TV

(i prefer to watch sports live).

It helps also that the SF Giants are winning most of their games

---they are in the pennant race.

In the spirit of the game...

Chicago style hotdog

(toppings: jalapeno, tomatoes, onions, mustard, pickles, and ketchup---

of course, everything is organic and sustainably raised).

and Becks.

and Chili Dog

(toppings: vegan chili, jalapeno, and cheese)

Game on!

Sewing Machine & the Lady.

This is one of my many reasons why I want a sewing machine =/

Transform unappealing dresses [into something I would wear].

Her name is Marisa Lynch, her story is a bit like Julie, from Julie & Julia the movie (which is where she acquired the idea).

She got laid off, and instead of moping about her situation, she decided to "Transform 365 unattractive frocks in 365 days, for $365." (Yahoo)

Marisa's current stat: 104 days to go and $105 left.

***Photos courtesy of Marisa Lynch (New Dress A Day)

Hapa Ramen @ Fort Mason, SF

I was able to fin'ly go and check out Off The Grid (street food carts coming together) last Friday.

Yes, it is what it is in the photo --- cold and windy, such a drag! But that did not deter me from going and enjoying the scene and the food =). They have live music, drinks, and great foods =).

They have different vendors every Friday. But my sole reason for going was to taste Hapa Ramen bowl of noodles.

I got the Slow Cooked Pork Ramen Bowl.

They do offer vegetarian ramen noodle, the Miso Market Bowl.

The greens (chard and green beans) were perfectly cooked.

The egg was slow-cooked and super delicious!

The braised pork was tender, juicy and flavorful.

But... the only component that was a letdown was the salty broth =/ Yups, it was a tad salty (even for can't-help-salt crazy like me), otherwise, everything was great. Barely tasted the "flavor between delicate-sweet-dashi and rich-fatty-porky." (haparamensf.com) Must have been bad timing.

I will give them another try...

Unreplaceable

My "Filipino pride" bracelet unraveled =/

Like all material things, it wasn't meant to last... but the memories will =)

My Path to Ramen Enlightenment

Lately, I have been in search of the BEST ramen in the City.

So far, my search has led me to some awesome findings and tasty treats.

There's this place called Suzu, Noodle House in Japantown. And I think their noodles are to die for! Chewy, great texture, and homemade.

Below is the Spicy Mabo Ramen (tofu, crumpled tasty pork, boiled egg, and green onion).

Lol! I guess I was sooo hungry that I forgot to take a photo of this ramen at Oyaji in the Inner Richmond.

It was not great, but decent. I came to this place in particular b/c I heard that the broth of their ramen was fresh tasting and didn't have that weird MSG taste.

I thought otherwise, it was good but not the best.

Izakaya Sozai in the Sunset, I heard/read that this place makes one of the best ramen dishes.

Now... in comparison to the broth (pork) in Suzu and Oyaji, this one is the best.

Fresh and tasty, simply delish!

And the cha-su (roasted pork slice), I've never had anything like it. Didn't have that weird taste, it was tender, juicy, and no chemical taste. For the first time, I actually ate my cha-su, instead of shoving it aside.

Below is the Tonkotsu Ramen.

Next... is Namu.

Carob Almonds

Can't stop eating this... so hooked!

I can only find this in one particular store in the City, which blows b/c it's a bit far.

But so worth the drive...!

Part 3: Philippines Journey 2010

Thanks Much!

--- especially to Mum, Dad, Rej, Mikey-Ike, my aunties and uncles in the Philippines, my maganda's (beautiful in English) and pogi's (handsome/cute in English) cousins in the Philippines. I'll be forever grateful.

***Next time I'll try not to be careless with my camera [seriously, every time i think about i want to scream --- i lost tons of photos that were taken in Bicol =/].

Until then...

w/ Love always,

Allura

Part 2: Philippines Journey 2010

Part 1: Philippines Journey 2010

There are 3 parts of my Philippines Journey movie.

Here is the first one.

Enjoy!

Preview of "Allura's Philippines Journey"

*** To the lovely other half of DibaDaba, I submit my preliminary travel report and debrief.

Here are snippets of what's to come from my Philippines Journey movie which I will upload soonish.

Places I visited:

- (Bicol) Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon 

- (Mountain Provinces) Banaue . Sagada . Baguio 

- Manila 

- (Palawan) El Nido . Sabang . Puerto Princesa 

- (Bohol) Panglao . Tagbilaran 

- (Cebu) Cebu City . Mactan Island . Badian 

- and Boracay

We stayed in this native thatched hut in Uhaj (about 30-45mins by car from Banaue proper)

My super-cool travel buddies [from L-R: Janet, Bethanie, and Moi].

Good thing I had them...  I knew from the get-go that this journey was going to be exhausting and emotional ---- sure enough, the inevitable happened...

I had a panic attack when I was leaving Bicol (the day before this photo was taken).  It was the first time it ever happened to me...  I think it was the combination of leaving something I was becoming familiar with all over again and leaving that for something that's totally unknown. 

In retrospect, I think I was a bit overwhelmed by the scope of my itinerary.  

For the next leg of my journey I wasn't sure if my companions were going to show up or flake on me.  Plus, I was feeling sooo homesick [and lovesick] and exhausted.  

I am super lucky that I had Mikey-Ike to call and cry on.  

Seriously, the tears wouldn't stop streaming, no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

  

This is in Batad, where the famous amphitheater Rice Terraces are located.

This is Tappiyah Falls.  

I don't know what it is... but I've always had this fascination with waterfalls.

Next destination: Sagada.

One of our many hikes through the rice terraces --- so surreal.

Thinking twice about the 'jump' (wait for the movie).

Local Kids swimming in Bomod-Ok Falls in Sagada.

3rd destination: Baguio.

Tourist sight: Lourdes Grotto.

I had to have a Balot - sorry Miss E.  

I don't eat the *you know what*.

From this point on, I was solo.

Sunset in El Nido, Palawan right behind my lodging.

I like El Nido: small town, clean, and quiet.  

Those limestone cliffs are part of the Bacuit Islands; where I went island hopping and snorkeling. 

 

  I've been practicing and I am now a better swimmer =))) Lol!

The local beer - San Miguel Pale Pilsen.  Pretty Good, I must say.

One of the many secluded beaches in El Nido.

Beyond is the South China Sea.

Locals fishing.

Sabang, Palawan.  This is also where the Underground River Cave is located --- nature is amazing.

Next: Bohol.

This was the ferry to/fro Cebu and Bohol.  The boat travel was about 2hours.

I was a bit nervous traveling by boat in the Philippines because of what I had heard and read in the news (ferry accidents), but during summertime the water is not rough and these boats are pretty modern, comfy, and clean.

This is the altar of Baclayon Church, which I will show more photos of later in the movie.

This is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, built by the Spaniards in the 1500s.

My other fascination -- rivers!

This is Loboc River.  

Tourist sight in Bohol.  I was taking this photo from a floating restaurant  

Tourism like in many other parts of the world, has been the primary source of income for the locals here.

Cebu City, the second largest city in the Philippines.  

I came here to see the historic sights: Magellan's Cross, Lapu Lapu's Shrine, etc... (which will be featured in the movie) 

Lapu Lapu's Shrine in Mactan Island.

The famous White Beach in Boracay.

Lol!  To be honest, this reminded me of Waikiki.  

Tons of restaurants and hotels just a few steps away from the beach.  Tons of tourists.

But the water is clean... 

The Philippines have sooo much to offer.  I wish and hope its locals would take care of it and know that they have a gem.

I didn't know these places I visited existed in the Philippines.  So naive.  

But there it was...

 

Now back to editing my movie...