Holiday Paradise

It’s been a pretty long while since I last posted. Things got busy applying for a job while on school vacation and as usual, I suck on time management. Anyway, catching up ---- on Christmas Eve, my housemates and I went to a birthday party. We partied and chatted with fellow Filipinos in the community till 1AM. And on Christmas morning, we started the day hearing a Holy Mass. As time went on, I watched the tellie while chatting with my sister Lili on Viber, the best communication application for people miles apart. My Christmas day may be boring for some, but for me, nothing is boring when you are happy and in so much comfort doing the things you love.

The next day, the 26th is Boxing day. It is like Black Friday or Thanksgiving day for the Americans . Everything in Melbourne is on sale; sale over sale; discounts over discount. My friends and I didn’t spend boxing day or post-Christmas day in the mall, rather , we roasted on the beach. We had sandwiches and of course, Christmas isn't  Christmas without the Kris Kringle. While people up north are having a white, chilly Christmas, people here down south are enjoying a hot summer one.

Our sunny Christmas is a holiday paradise.

Filo Dido

Remember the first time I boiled sweet potato ( Click here )? I must admit it did not go as well as I expected it to be. It was too soft for me. I guess, I must have boiled them too long than it should be. I boiled them for about 25 minutes. I only ate one sweet potato and set aside the rest. The next day, I thought I must do something with the leftover. I went to the grocery, then I saw and bought a pack of filo. Filo, phyllo or phyllo dough are paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough used for making pastries in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. It is often used in croissants, turnovers and sometimes, empanada. When I got home, I mashed two sweet potatoes and sprinkled brown sugar. I only mashed two just in case the plan would fail, at least nothing much would go to waste. And then, I gingerly laid down the filo pastry since it is too thin that it can easily rip off. I scooped the mashed sweet potato and placed it on top of the filo pastry. I rolled it and sealed it with a dab of water. I tried to brush some of it with egg as what my sister Lili suggested. I placed it in the preheated oven and waited for the pastry to brown. Ta-da! The matte finish were the ones sealed with water while the glossy ones were brushed with egg. I didn't really like it that much. I'm not even proud of it but, it wasn't bad for a first time. The sweet potato was sweet and the filo pastry was crunchy and tasted good too. However, I think I should have used more filo pastry in each piece to make it more thicker. The fillings breaks out after a while since the wrap is too thin. Moreover, it doesn't even look pretty. Next time, I'll wrap them in prettier designs,like a triangle perhaps or a pretty roll. More effort and luck next time.

Sipping Pina Colada

I should be going to the library this afternoon and go for grocery shopping but the rain kept me home. I'm the kind of person who's not fond of bringing an umbrella, it's an extra effort for me. When in a middle of a shower, I would rather get wet than bring out my umbrella and worry after on how to store it when I arrive to wherever my destination is. Anyway, it's just rain. However, when it is really pouring hard, then I practically have no choice. Today, I wasn't in the mood to walk in the rain and embarrassingly drip rain water inside the library. I decided to stay home and listen to, Buenavista Social Club as I imagined myself in a tropical island, sipping pina colada.

 


 An addition to my ambitious bucket list is to see them play live ( click here ).

Passing Afternoon

A girl with a curly hair pays a bunch for a hair rebond while a girl with a straight her gets a perm. When it's pouring rain, one wishes for sunshine but when the sun is shining so bright, one misses the cold rainy day. Life is complicated as it has already been. When I was in the Philippines, I crave for Italian dishes, Japanese bento or a greasy Chinese food in a take out box. And now that I am miles from my homeland, I am missing Filipino foods.

A nearby store sells sweet potato for a $2.99 a kilo. Sweet potato or " kamote " in Filipino. For a second, I was battling with the thought whether to fry it with melted sugar on top or just boil it. It was actually a no brainer, of course I opted for the healthier option and the easiest one.    

I cleaned it, drowned in water and brought it to boil. Easy peasy!

P.S. This is the first time I have actually made this in my entire life. Don't judge me.

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

I'm missing the Philippines, therefore I went to an Asian store for some goodies. On the same morning of the same day, my housemates and I talked about Filipino dish and one of which is " sisig ". A popular Filipino dish made from pig's face, ears and liver seasoned with vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi, chili peppers and et cetera. Unfortunately, I never really learned how to cook "sisig" and it's one of those days that I crave for some. If I want to feel less homesick, I go to an Asian store. And so, I came, I saw and bought a canned " sisig " of Purefoods. zoom in! I'm afraid that what seem on the cover of the can does not reflect to what it really looks like inside. A clear example for " Don't judge a book by its cover" . Oh well, marketing! Whatever it takes!