Winter Buy: Hot Pack

Winter must-have:

This one really worked for at least 5 hours. I wasn't sure about the remaining one hour as promised coz I was already in bed but yeah...it came to last longer than what I bought last year from Daiso. I also got another one at that time after a quick stop at Kyobo and it was better than the one I got from Daiso. I had never  thought of buying again from Daiso until yesterday.

Good thing, it was t that bad. It didn't need a lot of shaking. It said it will heat up after 5 minutes out of the package. 

I'll keep a couple handy in my pocket and bag these days. I have yet to check how it will "perform" once used outdoors though. 

I'm tempted to use one again indoors now since my hands are a bit cold date using cold water. I'll try it out outside later anyway.

Orchestra Winter Performance

24살설희,..., 외로운, 오빠들, 선톡주세용,~ㅋ-ㅏ툑 45782 썬툑해줘용

Here I am waiting for my son's orchestra performance at 7 o'clock. And I got here at 5 something! Two hours to kill while head is throbbing because of lack of sleep. I had a class today at lunch followed by a language exchange so I decided to just head out straight even though I am way early.

The lengths that parents go through for their children. I was so stressed since last night looking for the bow tie since they just mentioned yesterday that he needed it. I almost panicked coz I only have a few clues on where I can possibly locate it. And I still have to iron his shirt and prepare his pants which were still wet. Goodness! I slept late last night with that bow tie hanging over my head figuring out that I have to try again to look for it in the morning or I may have to resort to buying a new one perhaps. I've searched the most likely places last night yielding nothing. My brain was still mentally searching other possible places: P's drawers, closet and finally my husband's! I found it in my husband's drawer along with the masks. I can finally think of my own class!

One must be cool under pressure and just tough it out! Being a parent is a hard job! An unpaid one at that. Monetary wise, that is. One will truly appreciate their parents only when they become one themselves. Why one still want to have kids can be hard to understand at times. I do understand why most Koreans nowadays opt/prefer not to have any kids at all. The little sacrifices that parents do for their kids are invaluable.

This post is bleeding my sore eyes now so let me go through the lighter side.
It's funny how this last minute rehearsal started earlier. The wind group is pretty weak. They don't have enough players in the first place. They had to import three trumpet players.

They are now on the Pirate's part. There's this part where the drums have to speed up, and it's just funny to see the teacher double playing with the kid, and then she has to rush over to the other two drums as well. It's also pretty interesting to note each group own sound. The oboes, clarinets and flutes each have their own sound and audible at times. 

I am Thankful

In simple moments like this that I am thankful for a job that I can afford to eat a simple yoghurt topped with nuts and honey. 

The one that I made yesterday was even better with an overnight oats mixed with yoghurt, raisins, dried cranberries, frozen blueberries, cashew and pecan nuts. I packed it and ate it on the long bus ride after a class. It was delicious! 

I totally appreciate the availability of reasonably priced fresh milk here for homemade yoghurt after trying it in my hometown where we had to drive a long way to get fresh milk only to find it all gone! This is really why I prefer to live here. 

It made me wonder where do we get our calcium/ milk back home? We had plenty of anchovies! But I cannot make yoghurt from anchovies!! Heck! I'll enjoy this yoghurt and just be thankful everytime. 

Gotta head out to the market for produce now!

PSY

PSY - It's been almost a year since we moved here and I haven't been following any Pinoy series. Plus I was so hot on learning Korean so I kind tried to let go of other language series. But middle of this year or sometime during the summer break, I happened to start one.

I just have to admit this that I've been following a couple of series lately a bit. It's mainly the PSY Remake. This week has been pretty interesting. Fan girl mode: The lines are pretty cool. The writers sure know their job.

The kilig moments of Jodi and Ian, their acting and lines are just perfect. Jodi is really a good actress ever since Tabing Ilog days. She has the charm and grit when doing her roles. Simple and subtle scenes may look easy but she pulls it off splendidly without overdoing it. She can also deliver the hard and heavy ones well. I wonder why she hasn't won best actress in a lot of major award-giving bodies yet.

As for the main characters of the series, what can I say? They're also good. Kilig din, overkill nga lang minsan ang editing. Hay, commercialism at its finest. Milking every second of each episode.

That's about it for now. Will pass this month with this series and my light gigs.

Novice Home Baker Series:Homemade Oat Pandesal

Double batch of pandesal for tonight! 

This time it was a success even if I tweaked the flour content and added oat grains. There was a bigger mixing bowl on hand (Glasslock MBCB-400) so I managed to mix roughly about 5 cups of bread flour 1/2 C soaked and ground wet whole oat grains. I had to halved it though when I started kneading. My arm power is only for 3 cups capacity. 

So for future reference, here is basically what went in this batch.

(adapted from my fave recipe from another fil blogger)

5 C of bread flour + 1/2 C when shaping and kneading

1.5 t salt

1/2 C whole oat grains (soaked and grounded or blended)

1 2/3 - 2 C water (including the one with soaked oats after draining roughly)

4 t yeast (original was 2 1/4 t, I didn't exactly double it coz I think yeast can be forgiving, I don't want very yeasty taste, plus I was really running out of yeast)

2 t sugar (to feed the yeast well as starter)

+ 8 T sugar

4 T oil (I usually use canola)

Did the yeast starter. Luckily, my last batch of yeast didn't die.

Mixed the dry. Added the liquid to the dry one and patiently mixed them well.

Halved it and started kneading each one at a time.

Let it rise for about an hour beside the stove while I heat up some dinner.

Then I carefully dumped it on my glass board without punching it out much. Flattened, rolled and started cutting into one-inch thick pieces.

Rolled it in bread crumbs and placed on the pan.

Ready to pop them in the preheated oven at 190 C.

I accidentally took a shortcut here coz I didn't let them rise for a second time for long. Maybe just about ten minutes while I was preheating the oven.

After 10 minutes in the oven, I turned the pan around just to make sure the inner ones will not be burned since my oven has this crazy thing sometimes.

Total oven time was 30 minutes, including the preheating.

Pretty much a decent size of two dozen pandesal was the result. This is way better than my previous week attempt of adding the oats which resulted to a soggy dough and a flat-bread-looking pandesal. Tasty nonetheless.

I sit here staring at the leftover for tomorrow's breakfast with my belly full of pandesal. Happiness!

One Ball Done!

This week had totally been a slow one for me because I finally caught the cold/cough. I went home last Sunday from my class, did a little sweat out zumba, took a shower, went to sleep feeling cold and felt worse after it. The virus has caught up with me. I was running a fever, and the my throat was starting to hurt.

I was too sick so I decided to stay home this week. I resorted to going to the doctor's clinic by Thursday and I started feeling better after the shot. I also had enough energy to get back to knitting and finally finish the few remaining ball of my initial yarn. Even though it was already past 12, I cannot stop. I just needed to finish it. So I did!

Woke up the following morning with red scary eyes.

Article Re-post: Korean Unis News

a. SNU at No. 1 in university survey

University rankings

"In the survey, two types of university assessments were conducted: one was a comprehensive assessment of four-year colleges with four or more faculty departments, including humanities, social science, engineering, natural science, medicine, art, music and physical education, while the other appraised different education methods. "

b. Early admissions rate set to increase in 2016

Next year, 197 universities in Korea will select fewer students in the regular admissions process and more in the early admissions process. 

About 32.5 percent will be accepted during regular admissions, down 2.3 percent from the 34.8 percent this year, making it the lowest rate in history. 

The change is just one of the terms outlined last week by the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) for regular university admissions in 2016. 

It is set to see the number of students selected through regular admissions decrease from 127,569 to 116,162.

The KCUE said the reductions were based on increasing early admissions quotas and a drop in the overall number of incoming freshmen. 

The majority of students (86.7 percent) accepted through the regular admissions process will enter university based on their College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) scores. 

Of the remainder, about 11.7 percent will be accepted based on practical skills tests, 1.2 percent judged on comprehensive high school records like extracurricular activities, personal statements and interviews, and 0.4 percent based on academics. 

“In the 2016 CSAT, the Korean language, mathematics and English sections are likely to be easy. So the social and natural science sections will become more influential and decisive factors [in college admissions],” said Lee Young-duk, who heads the Daesung Intensive Clinic. “Therefore, students should check beforehand which sections the universities they are applying to focus on.” 

Students accepted during early admissions or who are put on waiting lists cannot apply for regular admissions.

Cheating Cough and Cold with a Shot

Few more minutes before it strikes midnight and Wednesday is officially done. I'll try to sum up what I've managed to accomplish tonight after I got the shot from the clinic around five today.

I managed to attend only one hour K class, clean my son's room, wash the dishes, clean the kitchen, run the washing machine, hang the clothes and even start the rice mushroom porridge in the slow cooker set to low. It's my first time to use the slow cooker overnight (1.5 C rice + 8 C water) and I'm curious how it will turn out tomorrow morning after 6 or 7 hours.

Just can't believe how strong this shot was, plus the baggie of tablets and capsule I got today. I just need more rest and sleep. More details tomorrow about my clinic visit, my first at this one. That should be about it for now.

Flying Dream

So, what's running on my mind lately?
A flying dream was what I had again last night. It's the one where I try to teach my son to levitate. I woke up with that early this morning and made me think about what I had been trying to be free of. 

I need to get that driving license. Even if I got a car and don't have that license, I won't definitely be able to drive. With that license thing out of the way, then I can focus on the next bigger step. 

There's budget for that now but I still kept on procrastinating on going to the center. I've already saved enough for it. I really should do that when I get better. I'll schedule it for an afternoon, around 2 o'clock. Yes, this winter. Rain or shine. Face the worst. Budget and schedule had paved a way for me this month so I'd better do it the soonest.  I'd even thought about putting the fund in a short time deposit until I'm ready to use it by spring but as luck would have it, the teller only accepted a part of it. The remaining cash is burning a hole in my pocket so why not just dive into it and get driving now. It's better than it going away to some unnecessary shopping list I have on my gmarket account. 

I'd better be ready when I finally get a car to drive by next year! Crossing my fingers on that. 
I know that Korean transportation system is reliable but having to compare a 20-minute drive to almost an hour via public transportation is waaay better. It's very liberating. I have to adjust to my current location now compared to before when I really didn't need one since most of my gigs were just walking distance from each other. I can either walk, ride a bike or just take a quick bus ride without a lot of waiting time. I didn't pursue the idea of a driving at that time since I was earning enough without the need for it. But right now, I think I can maximize more if I can drive around. I know, it will ensue additional expenses but I can fork that one out. It will be another investment plus even if I don't need to drive later, at least I had already acquired the skill and am able to when I need. That is the plan. 

And now that the internet is back, I will try to put this up and get back to some serious studying. 

Sick Monday

(3:30 PM)

Our router is currently being aired out in the veranda as I write this entry. I'll just have upload this later when our internet is back. 

I'd been sleeping to get some strength back since I've finally caught a cold from my husband. He was the first one last week and I managed to get by without catching it until my period got my already-weak-immune system weaker. I didn't see that coming. I should have been more careful last week. Instead, I still end up sleeping late, and still went to my regular schedules. I even went to the three-hour class class last Sunday, travelling to and from being factored in. It's really a bit of a stretch for me to go there. But I had already said yes and it's supposed to be the first session for the month. 

My body still feel sore and my throat still itchy. I have a dry cough which I try to manage with chewing on dried ginger and drinking water. Beat the ginger tea sitting in the fridge that hasn't got much kick. If my throat hurts, I'd prefer something that I can feel when I take it. 

I've also taken a Tylenol yesterday until last night since I got a fever yesterday afternoon. But so far, I haven't had one today. I'm hoping I won't get any fever anymore today without that med. I've slept, eaten and only did light stuff around the house. My muscles are still a bit sore and I still have headache with very little sudden movement.

I feel bad missing out on work but let's just face it, I gotta shape up to be more resilient and effective in other aspects of my life. Now I'm starting to think about those dark parts but I don't want to go down that road today. Better stick with good vibes for now.

So while waiting for the net connection to come back, I am writing this entry, and eating my lunch/snack. I plan to read my Korean storybooks later to keep me occupied. I won't allow myself to be bored just because we have no internet connection! Coz I am not an internet junkie. :)

The Chicken in Me

As much as I want to eat a non-meat diet, chicken is really the hardest one to say goodbye to. Filipinos love chicken. Koreans love chicken. There are a lot of chicken restaurants everywhere. In my hometown, it was grilled. Here, it's fried. I would say that the former is the better one, and healthier at that.

We used to live near a famous chicken resto that sell well-marinated grilled chicken and we almost order at least once a month, usually delivered or picked up. My family liked their chicken and it's near so we would occasionally find ourselves having it for lunch or dinner.

Fast forward to Korea and I am just starting again to explore the dozens of "chicken houses" (chicken jib 닭 집 in Korean.) There are a lot of Korean chicken delivery restaurants: Nene's Chicken, Mexican Chicken, BHC, 동갔집, Kyochon, Mom's Touch, Pelicana, Bonchon, among others. These are just a
few of the ubiquitous ones you'd find scattered across the peninsula.

I only remember Mexicana, Pelicana, Bonchon and Kyocheon from ten years ago. I preferred the Mexicana's oven chicken over the more famous one of Kyocheon which was heavily seasoned with soy sauce. I like my chicken grilled anytime.

Nowadays, I've tried to get myself familiarized with the different chicken houses nearby and have yet to decide on which ones to order from regularly. The Mexicana chicken doesn't seem to have a a very aggressive marketing in this area so I'm not very sure if they still have the oven chicken. I've tried Nene's Chicken upon a couple of recommendations. But my son prefers the tenderloin from Mom's Touch.

There was a flyer that I saw from Kyochon chicken last week. A Lee Min Ho calendar is free for every order of a chicken set plus side dish. I am not really a fan but I thought it would be a kick to get that calendar and taste Kyochon chicken again after all these years. Two birds in one shot. Or better yet, three birds since I can also taste the potato wedges that my son's friend mentioned before when they tasted our homemade baked potatoes.

It turned out that they were not kidding. Our homemade baked ones was waaay better than the Kyochon potato wedges. I am not sure how these wedges were made but I'm pretty sure that it was fried. Baking still rocks although it does take more time. The potatoes were as bland as you can get.

As for the chicken, I chose honey chicken to make sure it won't turn out to be spicy and me being able to eat it. The outer glaze is yummy and addictive but I prefer my chicken to be delicious inside out. Like the Max's chicken's tag line, "Delicious to the bone." No, it didn't get my chicken bones vote. :(

So far, I have come to this rough conclusion.
1. Healthy, oven-baked chicken (preferably from Mexicana or Mom's Touch)
2. Tenderloin (from Mom's Touch)
3. Nene's Chicken

The latter have some good detailed reviews like this one Nene's Chicken Review plus I don't remember being disappointed when we tried it before.

Fast facts that I found while writing this entry:

• Chicken Jib business has a usual three-years life span. Strong competition maybe one factor with more than 30,000 fried chicken eateries as of 2013. The franchise-based fried chicken places at about 22,,529 and the remaining ones are independently-owned. (Korean Herald Oct. 2015 article.)
• Chimaek - coined from the word chicken and maekchu (beer) became more popular in 2010 during the World Cup. (No wonder my hubby didn't know when his brother mentioned when since we came back coz we were out of the country at that time.) 

A more detailed feature on the Korean Chimaek culture can be found in a CNN article. I, myself, have learned a lot from this.

Well, that's about it for this Korean chicken entry. I got that Kyochon calendar sitting on my desk, waiting to be opened but I have other things planned for it. And the leftover Kyochon chicken waiting to be heated up and eaten with a warm rice later.   

Almost Ending November

It that title even grammatically correct? I wonder.

Nonetheless, I'm killing time in between classes and really feeling very sleepy. I've been watching some TED Talk videos which are interesting but my mind is really numbing down and I need some physical thing to engage me and kick out the sleepiness.

This week has been the start of feeling what winter is like in Korea. It's been two weeks since the calendar has officially heralded the winter season but it has been almost warm as autumn until last weekend.

I bravely forego my down jacket today in favor of the autumn jacket and a thick wool sweater underneath today. Wrong choice. Moreover, I forgot any other extras except for my neck warmer that doubles as a cap. I found myself needing to cover my head, neck and even my nose. Even a pair of finger gloves will be welcome. As I get off the bus, I kept on thinking about just buying that pair of finger gloves, the infinity cowl and a mask.

I survived the day but I ended up buying the infinity scarf. I needed to cover my neck and an extra one for my head so it should serve both. I ended up using my neck warmer as a mask since I'm not comfortable using a mask that's newly bought and hasn't been washed at all.

I was considering a black, a light gray, a light blue but I ended up buying a red. My conscious choices of colors nowadays has been blue or red. I'm naturally drawn to yellow but it just doesn't suit my skin color very well specially when it comes to clothes or accessories. Blue is almost the default color when I buy things since it's neutral and slightly brighter than black that I used to choose when I was a younger. This time, my feelings towards red has slowly been changing positively.

I am waiting for Uniqlo to have the same neck warmer that I bought last year. This time, I will get a red one --- a good alternate with the gray one that I have now. Until my next Uniqlo haul!

First Knitting Project

Seven inches! Almost two weeks after I've purchased the yarn and needles, and a lot of trial and errors with pulling out the strings and restarting all over...I have finally made it past the 6-inch-milestone. I got 1/4 done if my plan won't change on the length that I want to go. 

I initially wanted to make an infinity scarf but I might try on making it a little shorter as a neck warmer of sorts instead. It depends how it will hold up once it takes a better shape. I tried to do a knit stitch and purl combination at first but purling got me frustrated I ended up restarting a couple of times. I had to be more realistic to get down to the basics first and just try to complete a simple one for a first project. 

I may try the a project with a different knit next time once I've finished this one. 

The Country Mouse and the City Mouse (The Country Mouse Goes to the City)

City people can be such snobs. This is based from an observation. But I know that this culture has become a norm in urbanized areas where a lot of people come and go in a speed that its almost stressful to keep track of the people that you meet, much less create relationships -- deeper connection. It can be hard to find genuine people. One should not expect that much though if heading to an urbanized locality. It has led me to a greater understanding of human psychology. I should not take it personally.

Hubs asked me if my downtown trip worth it? Yes. But not for the main purpose solely. I was able to figure out where the local express bus, where it goes, one way how to get to the underground subway, navigate the labyrinth of Line 4 of the subway, pick up a couple of the winter pjs for me and P, (forget about H coz he's a hard person to shop for) and generally get a small taste of the financial hub of my adoptive country. Almost right in the center of it!

Korean Fields in Autumn

Korean rice field in autumn looks funny for me with balls of hay usually rolled up in neat white plastics or sometimes black ones. The rice fields that I regularly pass by are really an interesting to look at starting in the spring when the farmers are just starting to plant the little rice seedlings and the field looks greener as the summer rolls on. By that time, it would be colored in bright green.  It gradually turns into golden shade as autumn comes. When the grains are harvested, the hay are left on the ground to dry a bit before being rolled up into white giant-marshmallow-like balls on the field by some farming equipment. They are usually neatly piled up at some part of the field but it is interesting to catch sight of these before that when are randomly scattered dotting the field with those white marshmallows.

I've seen these yesterday on our way home from a Kimjang Festival. It was almost dark but I can still clearly spot those white balls. It was a delight to see them through the window during the subway ride home last night.

All in a Day : Knitting and Take 2 for an Apple Pie

There was a meeting downtown that I had to attend even though I had no exact idea about it. The time kept on changing and from 1 to 2:50. I got there around 2 so ended up having to kill 50 minutes.

Heading out of the parking lot, I found myself in front of the knitting shop. I've been there once to check out things but had to hurry out. This time, I had extra time and a little cash with me to buy something under 10K just to get started. It helped that the store owner was willing to teach me to get started. The time just flew by until I realized that it was already three o'clock. Off to the meeting I went.

It took an hour or so to finish the meeting which has dawned upon me to be an internal and complicated one. A little at least for me. I honestly don't want to write much about this except I was surprised to see another fellow pinoy as sort of a guest. I totally had no idea.

I had to stop by at Daiso, my favorite place, to pick put some kitchen things. I impulsively bought an apple corer which did not work as it should be when I tried it out. I ended up peeling two apples that I had to eat or really make into an apple pie finally so I can try out the pan.

This I started before 7 o'clock with only about an hour before my Korean class starts. Surprisingly, I manage except for the clean up. I was able to pop the pie in the oven and had it smelling good before we hit out 10 minute break. Awesomeness. Never had such an exciting 10 minute break. Yet, I had another hour at least to cool it and a Korean lesson to finish. Once we finished, I had no other thought but to attack the pie.

The top crust didn't turn out that well coz I forgot to brush it with milk or sugar in my hurry. I also didn't have enough foil at hand so some part was slightly burned. However, I think it baked well compare to before when I used another pan. Moreover, it didn't turn out to be very sweet this time. I'd say, it turned out better. I ended up eating 1/4 of the whole thing.

I went back to learning knitting before bed with some youtube vid. I hope my interest will be sustained to finish an infinity scarf at least until this winter. I'll go back to gardening next springtime. My husband had been teasing me about my all-the-time changing interests. One thing that might stay around is baking specially this coming winter. It will warm the house with good-smelling edibles to boot. As for knitting, that might be another possibility specially if my sweaty hands will not act out a lot.

My Monday has been an interesting one to say the least. Now, off to finish my apple pie! (I'll have to make another one for P tomorrow afternoon when he gets back from the 3-day camp.

Checking In for October

The month's almost done. I've made a couple of changes in my schedule this month, starting from Korean language lessons to yoga lessons. I took a break from yoga classes, started online Korean language classes, shifted to language-exchange format rather than attending a regular class, while balancing these with a few gigs here and there.

I've had a few hungry moments in between these classes, saved a few times by the vegetable sandwich at the Subway, finally tasted the Han's Taco which was absolutely spicy even if it was just the plainest one. All I ever tasted in that burrito was spiciness overpowering any other spice if there was any at all.

I also got another offer for a gig so I have to prep the lesson outline before the end of this month. Hopefully, this will also be a regular one. I'm almost done with KIIP (well, until next spring that is). Plus I still got that license to complete, then I can probably start with the Immigration thing. I got to outline those next year as this year is coming to a close pretty soon.

Almost lunch time now, so I got to check on the Miyuk Guk I am boiling for lunch.
State of Mind: Generally contented but still things can get better. And it will keep getting better by next year. It has changed greatly (from zero to three.)
State of Tummy: Hungry. Time for me to Scram! (Just gotta love that word.)

Busy October Here I Come!

It's Chuseok holidays right now in ROK and most Koreans are really busy. Foreigners, on the other hand, who doesn't really have any Korean connection can be pretty much free. I don't belong on that category. I have to be involve somehow this weekend. The two days after that are the chances that I can do something else.

As much as I want to go somewhere or do something fun, I don't think I can since see my October becoming a little well-filled with new classes for me. September had been good to me with new teaching classes while October is another start to get back to the Korean language opportunities.

What do I have to do in order to prepare? At least I can try to print out my month-long outlines for these classes. With that, I only need to worry about the dailies which I can do on weekends. I'm a big-picture kind of gal so I need to be able to see the whole-big-month-thing so I can tune in to the details of the task at hand.

And this is what I will have to do today until Monday. I should be able to send out emails by Monday and start prepping for my classes. And I am just doing part-time or both now! The bulk of my time nowadays is work as it has shifted from mostly studying like before. I have to hang on to this for a while.

Now, if I can only squeeze the driving lessons somewhere. I need to get that thing out of my life's to-do list until my next birthday. Can do this in November? Or in the cold December-February? Or wait it out til March or April? Or push it more to warmer May? That is a long shot! Let's take it one at a time.

But not only that, I should also be able to do the month menu (or skeleton at least) and sort out our fall/winter clothes before I end up buying new ones which we might have better done without. It's all about planning a little ahead in order to survive and have less stress in my daily life. I really don't like to panic coz I just want to be chill since I had already got some plans anyway. Whew! Now to get started on that planning!

Parents as the First Teacher

This truly resonates with me as a parent. Even before I got married and had a son, I knew that my kid will have to enjoy reading as much as I do. Why? Because I will totally expose him to the printed world, a world that can be altogether different from his everyday life. 

Once he gets into reading, I am pretty much sure that half the battle of making a kid succeed in school is won. I don't exactly mean having stellar grades or such but keeping him interested in learning and finishing school can be easier. You won't have to beg or bribe your kid to go to school everyday because he will want to go not only because of his friends but also because it's fun to learn.

Instead, you will have to beg, bribe, and punish him to put his book down to stop reading and do something else. We went a little overboard in his reading although my husband doesn't think so. I, myself, was addicted to it specially during my adolescent and early teen years. I can almost imagine how my mom felt being frustrated when I simply disappeared to my room to read. Or how my Social Science teacher got mad when I kept on reading furtively while she was discussing history. 

Nonetheless, the value of reading in one's academic and real life is not something that can be overlooked. A parent's responsibility is not just about feeding their mouths but also the mind and spirit. And all of these starts at home. With the mother. And the father.

NHBS: Judy's Choco Chip Cookie (Canola Oil) and Maangchi's Milk Bread

Sept. 18
Tried the Judy's choco chip cookie today. Either the recipe is actually a bit dry to start with or I over baked it. It's pretty crunchy and not that sweet coz I didn't totally filled up the sugar to the brim.

I started trying out Maangchi's milk bread tonight with the first proofing. It should only be an hour but I'm planning to leave it overnight. Then do the next proofing tomorrow morning for the 2nd round for 30 mins. Divide into six and shape it. Then wait another 1 hour proofing before popping it in the oven.

180 C for 15-17 pre-heated oven. Milk wash + 1 more minute bake.
Her recipe steps seems a bit strange but we'll see how it works tomorrow. I will have 1.5 hours waiting before tasting it.

Update: Sept. 19
Finished baking the Maangchi's recipe for milk bread this morning. It wasn't very sweet. We needed to put strawberry jam on it. (I think I will let P eat all the cookies now. He will REALLY like it.)
I just proofed it for another 30 minutes after shaping it in the pan. Then baked at 180 C for 15-20, plus the remaining heat in the oven. I like the crust crunchy. 

Tech Notes

This coming days are going to be a bit of another adjustment. I have to get my notes and tech stuff organized. I got to figure out which app to use according to my need and availability.

I think Evernote can also work the list but it's a bit complicated to access for me still.

As for the Icloud thingy, it makes me feel so ignorant because of the incompatibility with my chromebook, as well as software versions. I need to find alternative way to get around the current blocks but I just don't want to. It makes me frustrated if I go that way coz I'm not really that techy and patient to spend extra time to work it. I'll deal with it in a less "time intrusive" way.

So here is how I'll try to work it out for now. I'm giving it a year, until my next birthday, to decide if I can stick with Iphone or go back to the more flexible android phone.

My Game Plan:

(input in chromebook, syncs with iphone, works offline when out)

For list: Icloud reminder (this will be mostly for to do lists, personal one or quick lists)

For longer notes:

1. Icloud notes (after syncing phone online)

2. Evernote (work related, longer notes, clothes plan or something that will use photo or audio file)

As for the google docs, and other net related, do it in advance. I got to clean up my NI Folder in my old android. Now, off to executive mode!

Mini Loaf Pans

What makes me happy? Something that puts a smile on my face even though it's not smooth-sailing all the time? Baking. Teaching. Small scale gardening.

Atm. 5pm. Waiting for my mini-loaves to cool.
My new mini-loaf pan arrived today! Four of them and it fits well in the oven. I had a basic bread proofed and ready by the time pans got here.

The first kind of bread I proofed was 3 C of AP flour. I halved it, then divided the second one into two to check how much it will rise. I ended up freezing up 1/4 of the whole thing. Why? Because I also decided to try out the a banana bread loaf. The 3 C filled the two mini pans. It was just perfect after its final rise during baking.

Only two made it in the oven. One of the smaller ones went in the freezer. 

The yeast bread, on the other hand, also filled the pan pretty well. So basically, 1.3 C is enough to fill the pan. It crusted well. I had to stop myself from cracking it open while cooling because I was afraid inside will still need the extra heat to finish.

After dinner, I decided to make another batch which I can bake tomorrow or the next day. I decided to double the recipe ending up with 6 C, 2 C ground oats and 4 C AP. It wasn't that easy mixing and kneading it.

I'll let it rise overnight and see how much it would have risen by tomorrow since I also changed the margarine into canola oil and did not double the 3 t of yeast. A lil bit too much in the substitution but we'll see. It's time to sleep and wait for the result.

(Note that they have almost the same baking time and temperature so I had no problem baking them together.)

Here is the original recipe from instructables.
10 mins rise, 350 degrees F for 30 mins

For the Banana Bread (from the freshloaf.com)
Makes 1 full-sized loaf or 2 small loaves
Preheated oven to 350 F or 180 C.

I mashed the bananas inside a ziploc bag. 

Bowl 1: 

2 or 3 very ripe bananas (roughly 1 C mashed bananas in a ziploc bag)

1/2 stick (4-5 tablespoons) butter, softened

2 eggs
2/3 C sugar (this was too sweet so I reduced to 1/2 C on my next try)

Bowl 2:
1 1/3 C all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon (optional)

1. Prep the 2 Bowls.
2. Mix Bowl 1 into Bowl 2. Optional to add: chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cherries or apricots, or chocolate chips. A handful (about a half a cup) is about right.
3. Pour the dough into greased baking pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Small loaves: 30 minutes, a normal-sized loaf: 50 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven. This bread is great warm, but it is excellent cold too.  
5. After they have cooled for 5 or 10 minutes the loaves can be removed from the pan to cool. Once they are cool they can be individually wrapped and frozen.

Left one was 1/4 of the dough, which I added some cinnamon.
Right one is 1/2 of the dough, almost plain. 

A decent loaf at last! After 14K worth of 2 sets of mini-loaf pans, hours of proofing and mixing, I have finally tasted a decent loaf of bread I had made myself. 

The plain bread turned out okay, but the banana bread was a bit too sweet for our taste. I'll have to decrease the sugar content from 3/4 C to 1/2 next time since the banana, specially over ripe ones, can be sweet enough. I decided to freeze the other banana loaf to be used on the following weekday when I'm a bit too busy to do some real baking.  

***Currently watching "the Healer."
1 AM.

Mummy's Thoughts

My son started (again) swimming lessons this week. This isn't the first time that I tried to let him join a class. We tried before when he was still younger but he just can't get over his phobia. I still feel very guilty that he had that phobia. It feels like the time when he fell off the toboggan when he was 2.5 years old. I was the one with him. The same thing when he got to a bit deeper part of the beach when he was below 5 years old. I'm always the one who's with him whenever he gets into trouble in some physical activity. The guilt can sometimes eat me up whenever I remember those.

That is why I really don't like him trying other possible risky sports. I know, it's a bit over reacting. I try to stretch then limit sometimes and loosen up myself. He wanted to try skiing and ice skating but neither my KH nor me will go with him. Good thing, his uncle likes skiing and took him last winter. The multicultural center also gave him a chance to try out ice skating and now, swimming. Hopefully, he'll be able to finish the basic until the December session. Maybe after he got familiar with the water, we can continue the lessons together at a different location next year.

This week's experience was a bit trying one for us. Why? He really doesn't want to do it in the first place. We just pushed harder this time coz he is getting way older. He was one of the older ones when we first got there. Good thing is a classmate and another boy showed up later on. Thing is, it seemed that he is the only real beginner since the other two had already taken lessons before.

I went with him for the first half of the hour but had to go out for a class before I really saw him in the water. The pick-up time went awry because his phone didn't work. And his Dad didn't bother to look for him inside or around the entrance. He opted to wait somewhere in the area in his car. My son, on the hand, also just hang around the hotel entrance and wait. Goodness! I had to go over to the place right after my class and found the kid there to my relief. He also looked relieved and about to cry when I saw him. I'd like to believe that he is old enough to understand and get hold of his feelings now.

Fingers crossed that it won't be hard to get him to go back there next week. I may need to train him more to be street smart. We need to walk around the streets more, and be able to figure out how to work out the streets: reading a map, taking in the streets' layout, remembering the routes and landmarks, asking help, being aware of possible dangers and how to avoid these.

I've tried to teach him a couple during the time we go out for our field trips but I'm not sure if any of those stuck. Like last time when we went to Seoul, he had his nose on his ebook reader most of the time on the way there. He didn't bother to look around, figure things out and absorb his immediate surrounding. I specially noticed this when we got on the bus going to Itaewon and he was still reading. It's almost his first time to head that way (he was too young to remember when we brought him in that area years ago.) I may have to reiterate some street smart skills soon. Off to my list now!

Roasted Chicken

Yay! I've made roasted chicken on the pit in my new oven last night. It was just a hurried one, nothing fancy. I only rubbed salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and basil. I may have to find some other ones next time. Though, it may take a while coz I still feel guilty about eating the flavorful skin. 

Since it might be a while, I really have to take note what I got to do better next time. 
1. Thaw and marinade the chicken longer, at least an hour. Maybe even try to peel off the skin and just rub the seasoning right on the meat

2. Tuck the chicken wings on the pit. It was a pity watching the wings stretched and be deformed when it start turning on the stick.

3. Preheat the oven. I did not preheat the oven last night and it took me more than an hour to cook it. 60 mins @ 200 degrees Celsius, 10 mins @ 250 (getting desperate) and lowered to back to 200 for the remaining 10 mins. 

If I happen to make a bigger one next time, I may need to adjust the temperature and allotted cooking time. I can probably dream about trying something like Balinsasayaw chicken as the goal. But of course, that is totally a different one coz it's grilled on fire.

Speaking of goals, I've finally placed the order for mini-pound bread pan last Thursday. I forgot to pay it on the same day so I had to go out early the next day at the NH bank to put in the cash. I'm expecting it to be here later today.

What will I bake on it to test it out? Hmm..maybe a simple bread or milk bread that my husband wanted to try a few days ago. :) KH tried to make the tortilla last night which turned out to be crispy. Why? He made smaller balls, stretched out the dough which in turn produced a thin wide irregular disk. Didn't really looked like any tortilla that can be folded at all. And he thought tortilla is just easy to make? I'm curious if it will try it again. He already mentioned last night about making a pizza dough might be easier. Ha! 

Dear Diary

"Do a what you love and you will not work a day in your life."

This week has rolled in pretty well for me as I started two new classes, as a teacher. I've just finished the second new class today and it just felt good. I've noticed that even though I'm not feeling good before a class, I tend to feel lighter after. I'm usually in good spirits after a class. Not because it's over but because I enjoyed doing it. Although it's not always smooth, there is the sense of fulfillment whenever I hear my students get to practice and speak their minds in the target language. The line above resonates with me as I've found myself in the teaching world.

Today has been pretty upbeat in a sense starting from my language exchange in the morning. I feel more free to speak in Korean than before. I can be pretty talkative once I find my voice and confidence. It helps that I have a language partner whom I can practice without a lot of inhibitions. She helps me practice in a healthier environment unlike if I do it with my husband who has no patience and have the tendency to try to teach me very hard and be frustrated if I don't get something right. Not very helpful at all.

There are still more things that happened today, along with P's swimming lesson. But that will be in another entry somewhere. I'm just thankful for the people I've met and the good things that happened today.

Por Diyos Por Santo...

"Por Diyos por santo...mag-iwan ka naman ng tatak mo." - Alicia Magos, Ph. D., UP Visayas 

(You may try to be open to other culture for Pete's sake, leave something of yourself.)

This came from an anthropologist in Panay who had closely studied the Binukots and cultural epics of the island. It's not saying that one should be open to to learn and adapt new culture but one still has to know and try to keep their own culture. One should not forget and disregard the old ones. One should leave something of himself as his own.

I just had to write this one after watching this Iwitness segment. I seldom get to see this interesting program, as most people also do, because it's airtime is pretty late. That is altogether another blog entry though.

This is really pretty interesting for me because I, myself, is a product of local race but never really learned a lot specially the language. I grew hearing the old folks use it but I  had never thought of using it until when I was an adult. It's not easy. I can barely speak although I can pretty much understand. Between me and my brother, I am not sure if one of us is fluent.

Well, a little effort every once and a while might be good. That's just about it for me. I'm really more comfortable in the English language. But Dr. Magos nailed it.

 "Leave something of yourself."

"Mag-iwan ka naman ng tatak mo!"

Teen Class: Take 2

I just got in fresh from my teen class stint today. This one is a bit more dynamic than the one I tried last year. I started calm with the first ones in class but it got messed up when the C group showed up. There goes my hope of a productive class. I had to adjust my lesson on the spot. It was a bit easier since most were of the same level except for a few. And I already prepared for the lower level.

Based from my initial class, I can probably wing it with simple conversational dialogues. I don't need to into detailed grammar but I do have to cover the vocabulary. (Note to self: translate the "Nice to meet you" things) Next, I'll also design the class flow so that it won't be that chaotic when the late comers show up. I do feel for the U group when they might want to learn but the C group is somewhat disrupting the class. I'll have to let them follow a seat plan.

I noticed that some are confused with the English alphabet so I may have to review it again. Spelling. First meeting questions. What's your name? What's you first/last name? How do you spell that? Where are you from? May need to use the projector next time. It does work.

And one more thing! I'll have to remind them of three things before I finish next time:
Respect. No phones. Speak out in English only.

I've just had KH order the book for me so I think I'll wait for a while before typing out my next LP.
I want to type some out now but I do need to rest my brain that has been suffering with headache since this morning.

Mid-Term Test (Long Version)

(This is a long, rambling version of the test experience. A shorter one is in my kimchilandiaries)

Done with the test and I'm fairly confident that I will fail. hahaha...

I didn't really study well, and there were a lot of excuses. It will be a miracle if I do pass. But wait, passing mark is 60. Do I have hope? LOL

My hubs was quite kind enough to give me a ride, and save me the trouble of going via public transportation. We left for Daejeon at around 10:15, 15 minutes later from what we planned. We got to the area without a problem at 

around 11:30. 

I checked my name on the list and ate our packed food in spacious parking lot. My usual driving-out food are boiled eggs and bread. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up the habit of adding some fruits next time. I used to add some peeled and chopped apples before but it wasn't that popular. It's just a bit tricky with fruits like apple coz it can easily be oxidized. If it's something else, I'll have to bring a knife to peel it or if it's something else that doesn't need peeling, I will still need to peel for myself. hahaha.. Picky-eater me. My best fruit of choice will be bananas! 

Well, today was a bit special coz I managed to bake pandesal earlier this morning. (It's getting better.) I also packed a few banana muffins that I baked yesterday. The pandesal, muffins, and egg was our lunch, along with the misutkaro drink and iced water from the thermal bottle. It was pretty filling, enough to last me until the test ended. 

I went up to the testing room a few minutes after 12 only to find the the room is very small for the 53 test-takers. And it was also pretty noisy. I'm not very used to this kind of noise anymore. Flashback to my high school days. 

12:30 The test proctors showed up and started to quiet the folks down. I know it's a test so I got my old copy of Reader's Digest to read while waiting silently. I don't understand why other people just can't quiet down and contain themselves. It's a test after all. 

Luckily, I was not seated far in the back so I can hear the proctors better amidst the noise. It would be totally dismal if I wasn't coz I'd have to hear them well to be able to better guess what they're saying. 

The proctors gave the general information on the test, as well as the instructions on writing the name and other details on the answer sheet. We were also told put our bags at the back of the room, turn off the mobiles and put a sticker on them before they were collected and put on small plastic trays. We were told that we'll get them back after the speaking test. 

1:00 Signal to start. I skipped most on the first page which was sad coz it was the vocabulary page. It should have been easy. 

1:30 I hurriedly went back to the skipped numbers with the remaining ten minutes on the clock. With still a minute or two, I finished off the last item that I only guessed the answer. It wasn't such a bad test if only I understood everything. hahaha..

One question that stuck me funny went like this:

Which one is wrong? An guy who is called sabunim by a younger lady or a 30-year-old single lady who is called ajumma. Seriously? Now, as I ask my son, he says the latter is correct. Why? His reasoning goes like this, "so will I call a 70-year old unmarried lady agassi?" 

1:40 Part 1 done. A round of excited chatter erupted again while the proctor wrote the test question for the written part on the board after handing out the answer sheets. 

The answer sheet has around 5 lines of boxes for the characters, small text boxes below those, which from what I can guess, are the guidelines in writing and checking the answer. If only I can understand any of it. 

All done in five minutes. I managed to write 2.5 lines. Wasted precious miutes writing over my penciled answer. It seems that pencils are not a regular for test-taking in Korea. They provided a permanent small-tipped marker for the machine-checked part but I had to use a smaller-tipped one for the writing part. 

Papers were collected and another round of chatter and "be quiet please." Someone asked if they can go to the rest room and was given ten minutes. I also stepped out because of the noise at first but decided to check out the rest room in the end. 

Then, we were told to stay put in the room, and behave so we can all start and finish the remaining part of the test. That, I can only totally agree. We were given another set of papers, I'm guessing for the speaking test. I say "guessing" coz by then, I had read enough Korean for the day and my head just can't manage to try to make heads or tails on what's written there. 

2:00 We started in batches of four. As luck would have it, I was on the second batch. Yes! I get to go home early. Thank you. I just have to be able to muster out a few more spoken Korean and I'm done.

Four people were called out, each pair is sent to a room where two proctors wait. One was the same guy from our room. My speaking test buddy was a Cambodian lady who looks younger and darker than me. I actually thought she was a "kabayan" at first. We sat and waited just outside of the testing room. I managed to chat a bit and practice my limited spoken Korean. All within the 5-minute-limit of my ability. We'll maybe 7-minutes now? :)

The minute I sat and saw the pictures on the paper, I knew I was doomed! There were two photos: pork and shrimp. Both of which I do not eat, knows practically nothing much about and you expect me to talk about it? Incomprehensible. I managed to say that anyway, I think. 

The rest, I can only hazard a guess if I made sense with my answers. I can imagine what points they have to write on the speaking rubrics paper that I handed them. 

The whole actual speaking test lasted at least about five minutes, I think. I had no concrete watch on hand coz our phones were handed back to us after that. 

I turned it on and hurriedly went out to look for my hubs so we can go home and eat with our son. It won't be that soon coz the drive home still took almost two hours. 

2:30 We set to home.

4:25 We got home.