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Showing posts from 2012

Midnight Munchies #2: Microwave Choco Chip Cookie in under 5 Minutes

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Saw this from a post in Facebook and decided to try it out.  Midnight munchies part 2. It turned out pretty good, although not like a cookie, but more of a choco chip hotcake. Maybe if I let it cool first or put in another minute or so in the microwave, it's texture would be like a cookie. Ingredients: 1 tbsp melted butter 1 tbsp white sugar 1 tbsp brown sugar vanilla flavoring pinch of salt 1 egg yolk 1/4 cup flour 2 tbsp choco chips Use non-stick cooking spray, a little oil, or the melted butter to line the cup or bowl to prevent the mixture from sticking. Mix all ingredients together. The original recipe said to microwave for 40-60 seconds but for this one I microwaved it for a total of 2 minutes and 30 seconds, checking it every minute to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

Midnight Munchies: Chili Corned Tuna Omelette in under 5 Minutes

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I woke up around midnight with my stomach grumbling since I skipped dinner.  Decided to try to make an omelette but felt too lazy to wash a pan to cook it in hehehe.  Sudddenly, a thought popped into my head, "Why not cook the omelette in a microwave?"  So I did, and in under 5 minutes! Ingredients: 2 eggs salt, pepper dried rosemary & thyme 1 small tomato, chopped 2tbsp chili corned tuna (about half of the can's contents) oil or cooking spray to prevent it from sticking to the bowl (for this one, though I used the oil from the canned tuna) Mix all ingredients together in a wide soup bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (we have a plastic microwaveable cover at home) Microwave for 30 seconds on high (ours was set at 900watts) then mix Microwave at 1 minute intervals for 2 minutes, mixing after each minute Put in the bread in the last 10-15 seconds of heating There are numerous recipes for cooking an omelette in the microwave that can be found on the inte

Day 2: Firefly Watching at Iwahig River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

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After we got back from Honda Bay, we decided to do the Firefly watching tour (P600/person) at the Iwahig River .  It's not as popular as the Undeground River or Honda Bay Island tour but I would recommend this educational/ecotour, especially if you have school-aged kids with you.  It's a joint project of the ABS-CBN Foundation together with the Iwahig community who manages the place and the boatmen/guides are knowledgeable and are proactive in preserving this ecosystem.   Travel time was about 45 minutes through some very dark and creepy-looking roads and the only vehicle on that long stretch of road is yours.  We scared ourselves sh!tless by imagining about the appearance of white ladies and mysterious creatures (not a wise thing to do.) Tsk tsk. I've seen a few fireflies around our backyard when I was a kid and we used to catch them by trapping them inside our white shirts so you could see them shining their light underneath.  Fireflies are one of the indicators

Day 2: Honda Bay Island Hopping in Puerto Princesa

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Day 2 started out early.  A fter a quick breakfast at the inn, we bought a few snacks and bottled water to bring with us for the trip  and we were picked up for our Honda Bay island hopping with Ms. Jackie of Inland Tours.   Tips:   Wear your swim suit underneath your clothes because there's no decent changing area when you get there. Slather on the sunblock several times in the day and don't forget your sunglasses. Bring bread if you want to feed the fishes at Pambato Reef. You can rent snorkeling gear and underwater camera cases at the port for P150-200.  Not sure if they have DSLR cases though.  We paid P150 each for the snorkeling mask rental. The trip to Sta. Lourdes port took about 1 hour because we had to stop over and pick up our food for lunch.   Boat rental ranges from 1300 to 1500 for 6 people and then P220-250 for each additional person.  Life vests are given once you get into the boat. Registration is done at the port and then we rode the boat to Pambato

Day 1: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

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Trip Summary: Travel Time: approximately 2 1/2 hours from Puerto Princesa City  (land travel and boat ride from Sabang pier) Undeground River paddleboat tour: 40-45 minutes Footwear: Comfortable walking shoes/sandals for beach, boardwalk Not wheelchair-accessible. Elderly or persons with walking difficulties.   Getting to the boat at the Sabang pier involves the use of concrete stairs. Basic restroom (sometimes with wet/muddy floors) at the Sabang pier and at the registration area;   pail-flush (aka buhos system) Kids younger than 7yrs should be with parents/guardians at all times due to open waters. Lifevests and hard hats are required for all guests.  Sweat, perfume, and body odor included.  Plus-sized guests might find it difficult to find one that fits them. Bring sunblock, sunglasses, and mosquito repellent. Photo ops: Yes!  But know that water (cold) and bat pee (warm) drips down from inside the cave.  Low light conditions inside the cave.  Your only light

Day 1: Enroute to Puerto Princesa Underground River

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 Also known as the St. Paul Subterranean Underground River or the  Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP), it's a recognized UNESCO World Heritage site  and recently became one of the New 7 Wonders of the World after a global poll.  It is considered the 2nd longest underground river stretching 8.2 km and flows directly into the sea. Travel to Sabang from Puerto Princesa City takes 2 hours by van with some zigzagging roads.  Our tour guide gave a brief orientation about the place enroute to Sabang, with a marked emphasis on not bringing stuff in plastic bags to avoid being stolen or harassed by the monkeys endemic in the area.  The monkeys think that all plastic bags contain food so once they see it, they'll try to grab it from you.   A permit is required before going to the site since the city government has set a carrying capacity to protect the river (see  Tourism Advisory for Puerto Princesa Underground River Tour ).  One can book a packaged

Marianne Home Inn Review (Puerto Princesa, Palawan)

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We were booked at Marianne Home Inn for 3 days and 2 nights.  It's less than 15 minutes from the airport and     includes roundtrip airport transfers and free wifi in the rooms.  The market is less than a 10 minute walk from the inn. Breakfast included in the package consists of rice, hotdog/fried fish/ham, fried egg, 1 banana, and a sachet of Milo or instant coffee.  They also offer free mineral water thru a dispenser located at the end of the corridor.  Rooms are air-conditioned with an intercom, small LCD TV, desk & chair and the bathrooms include soap, shampoo, and toilet paper in the dispensers.  White towels are also included but you might want to check it first before using. This bed is good for 2 people but can fit 3.  The mattress is a little firmer than what I am used to and the yellow blanket is a little thin for my liking.  We should've booked for twin beds instead. closet, LCD TV (with TV out), bathroom, desk & chair Our room had an ensuite ba

A Trip to Puerto Princesa, Palawan

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Went to Puerto Princesa, Palawan with my college friend last October 2011 .  After nearly being scammed by Ensemble travel agency thru Metrodeal , I booked our flights via Air Philipines at their regular fares at P5,042 each for roundtrip tickets. I've also managed to book the accommodation and tours via a forum member from PinoyExchange . We left Manila last October 21, 2011 Friday.  The flight took about 1 hour and landed at Puerto Princesa airport at around 9:20am.  Like most most provincial airports here, you'll need to walk across the tarmac before going inside the terminal.  Since we didn't have any checked in luggage, we headed towards the exit where there was someone waiting for us from Marianne Inn .  It took about 10-15 minutes to get to the inn including traffic along their main highway. Tip: If you do not have airport transfers, you can just walk towards the tricycles stationed out front or walk towards the main road and take the trike from there (che

PRC License Renewal 2012

Just came from PRC Manila yesterday afternoon to renew my license and got stuck at Sucat Exit for almost an hour due to flooding along Sucat Road. -------------- I already printed and filled up the form  before going there.  Renewal instructions can also be found at the PRC website ( see here ) although it's best to check their site for more updated information.  You'll need the accomplished form , 1 photocopy of your license (front & back), and 2 pieces of passport-size photo with white background and name tag .  I arrived at 12noon and proceeded directly to Window 17 and gave my form.  Took less than 3 minutes.  Hmmm, this should be easy.  NOT! I proceeded to the cashier (Window 2) and lo and behold, a long snaking line that took me 80 minutes to finally pay for my renewal fees (P150 for 3 years) at the cashier window.  Maybe the other one was on a lunch break.  Tsk tsk.  Window 1 opened up after 1 pm which made it a lot quicker.  After payment, I went back to W

Trying out Wordpress for Android

This is my first blog post on my Asus Transformer TF300 tablet using Wordpress for Android which is free from the Google Play store.

Beware the Tempting Travel Deals on Group Buying Sites

I've decided to split my previous post  into two   on how I refunded the payment for the travel voucher I bought from Metrodeal (Palawan offer from Ensemble) .  I've listed a few tips below to help other prospective buyers of accommodations & travel deals online. 1.  Know what you're buying and what you're paying for.   Read and double-check the terms & conditions for the voucher as listed by the group buying site and the merchant .  You might want to print a copy for your reference before paying and after payment once you've downloaded the voucher.  Some people had noticed that the package inclusions or inclusive dates for the voucher were changed without prior notice. 2.  Check the inclusive dates on the voucher .  Some vouchers can only be used on weekdays and  some establishments consider Fridays as weekends  (unbelievable, but sadly true).  National holidays and peak periods are usually not included but if it's not listed, verify with the establ

J.Co opens in SM Mall of Asia

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I've been to Mall of Asia 3 times in the past few days to meet up with friends and cousins even if I live nowhere near the area. Met up with a friend today and had dinner at Sbarro and when we were parting ways at the shuttle terminal, I saw the J.Co sign right across the terminal. So I went back, curious to try some doughnuts. They're still at their soft opening since May 11 and the store clerk said their grand opening will be on May 25. The store looks cheery with a bright orange interior with the enticing array of doughnuts greeting you as you walk through the doors. Bought Green Tease and Al Capone to try and I liked it. Not too sweet and cloying.  Looks like I'll have another reason to visit MOA (aside from Sebastian's).  :D

Gouda's Gilde Stroopwafelen (Dutch syrup waffles)

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Yay!  After 7 years, I finally got my hands on a pack of Gouda's Gilde Stroopwafel (Dutch syrup waffles) again! First got a taste of it when my uncle from Germany gave us a small box.  You put it over your cup of coffee or tea to soften the caramel for a few minutes before eating.  It's the best I've ever tasted and since then I tried searching for it here in Manila but to no avail.  Until the package I ordered arrived today.  :D   I've tasted some from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and those sold at 7-11 and the supermarket but it doesn't compare to the taste of the ones from Gouda's Gilde.  Seriously. I'm saving some for the rainy days ahead where a hot cup of milk tea and some stroopwafelen is enough to put a smile on my face on an otherwise gloomy rainy day. Update: Recently found someone selling it at Shopee . A bit pricy though.

Yay! My New PC

Finally, got my new computer up and running. Bought a new Intel G620 with Asrock U3S3 LGA1155 motherboard and 2 sticks of 2GB memory. Got stumped for almost 2 days after installing Windows 7 Home Premium and the motherboard's onboard video drivers. The screen blacks out but still with a mouse cursor showing and the hard drive light actively blinking. Searched on the net and found out that you need to switch to VGA first and lo and behold the Windows desktop showed! tsk tsk. I plugged in both VGA and DVI in my Samsung EX2020 LED monitor and apparently the Windows desktop with the onboard video used the VGA output. I'll have to switch it to DVI later though. Specifications: Intel G620 2.6 Ghz processor Asrock U3S3 motherboard (LGA 1155 with USB 3.0, SATA III) Kingston 2GBx2 DDR3 memory plus my old Seagate 1TB SATA 2 drive, LG combo drive Next project: 64GB SSD drive  :D

Rant: UnionBank sucks

I've had numerous frustrating visits to the UnionBank branch near me and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels the same way.   Imagine waiting 90 minutes for you to be able to transact with the teller at the counter on 3 separate occasions!  Had I not needed to add funds to my Eon account which is linked to my Paypal account, I wouldn't go through all the trouble.  I was used to depositing through the ATM machine near my workplace which was convenient at the time. The two bank tellers work slowly.  Why are there only two?!! On the occasions that I went to the branch, it was not even their peak hours and days.   I've never waited that long in any other bank even on peak times . And on one occasion that I had to turn in my card because of a false alarm on an online charge, they questioned my signature even if I showed them a valid ID!  And this employee was asking her superior what to do as if I wasn't there.   It's rude. I'm sitting right in fron

Getting an NBI clearance the hassle-free way (apply for e-clearance online)

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I've read lots of horror stories in blogs and fora regarding people's experiences with applying for an NBI clearance and fortunately I also discovered that others applied using the E-clearance on  NBI's website . I applied online using the E-clearance and followed the instructions which are pretty straightforward.  They also have a list of FAQs or frequently asked questions   (click here) .  Make sure to read and understand it thoroughly before proceeding.  The NBI branch I will be referring to in this post is the U.N. branch. The main advantage of using the E-clearance is convenience .  You can go at your  preferred time schedule (based on your booking), have your picture and biometrics taken, and get your clearance in less than 1 hour.  If the NBI's branch in U.N. Avenue is more accessible to you, you can opt for the e-clearance. I'm not sure if you can also use the e-clearance for the satellite centers (like those in Robinsons malls and city halls in th

Philhealth: Changing Membership Status from Employed to Self-employed

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Disclaimer :  I am not connected in any way to Philhealth, so any other inquiries please call Philhealth hotline directly. Philhealth Call Center : (02) 441-74-42   (Mondays to Fridays 8am -5pm only) Email: actioncenter@philhealth.gov.ph Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/PhilHealth/ Twitter page: https://twitter.com/teamphilhealth ----------------------------------- I've been a member of PhilHealth since I was employed by a private company in 2009 but since my contract was finished, I decided to change my membership coverage to self-employed.  One of the important things you have to do before separating from the company you work for is to ask HR for a copy of your appropriate registration/PIN/membership numbers for SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig etc.  Not everything can be retrieved online and it's too much of a hassle to go to each branch and fall in line and stuff. What if I don't have a Philhealth ID but am registered to Philhealth? If you don't hav