I first heard the word "carbonara" from a classmate back when I was in elementary. At the time, I had no idea what that was, all I knew was that it was a kind of spaghetti dish. As I started experimenting in the kitchen, I came up with a recipe, cream, cheese, and milk, that I called carbonara, bless my heart, which I so firmly believed it to be. Then, later on, when we finally had paid cable at home, I watched a cooking show, I think it was Nigella Lawson's but I forgot exactly which one, and she made that similar dish but to my surprise, she used eggs and cheese. So to enlighten us a little bit... Filipino Concept of Pasta (Spaghetti) Dishes Spaghetti - as the name suggests, this dish uses spaghetti noodles topped with tomato-based meat sauce (to the effect of Bolognese) characterized by a sweet and slightly spicy taste. Now the meat sauce can sometimes contain, hotdogs, sausages, ham, etc. And depending on availability or the amount of spaghetti to be produced, ketc...

My angel and I went to his pediatrician early today for his second flu shot. It was just like any other visit to the clinic only there weren't that many patients yet. The doctor wasn't there yet when we arrived so my little bundle of joy was giving me the time of my life by squirming in my arms while toting his bottle. And, mind you, he was not light (therefore I look like a haggard housemaid after a full day's chores). A few minutes later, our pediatrician arrived. She was in a nice mood upon seeing little Ram squirming in the clinic waiting area trying to escape from me. We had to wait a few more minutes as she got ready to receive patients. So we went in and she started her check-up. I told her about the issues Ram has been having since our last visit. Then after the check-up and as she was preparing the shot, I asked her about WVSU where she graduated from. I asked her if it was hard to get into WVSU and about the new curriculum, WVSU was implementing (Problem Based L...

Nothing like comfort food on a rainy day. I made this using parsley instead of basil. And surprisingly, it came out heavenly either way! Ingredients: 250 g linguine or any kind of pasta 1 can tuna in brine 1 small onion chopped 50 g curly parsley 1/2 cup olive oil 2 dashes of McCormick Italian seasoning 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese (powdered or shavings) 1 tsp crushed peanuts (pine nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds may be substituted) 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) 1 tsp vinegar 6 cloves of garlic Process: 1. Mince the parsley and garlic. 2. Combine all ingredients in a mortar and grind with the pestle in a circular manner. 3. Keep grinding until the consistency is thick and pasty. 4. Taste occasionally to check the saltiness. 5. Boil water for pasta according to package instructions, add salt to the water to make it taste like seawater. 6. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil, add tuna. 7. Add pesto, high heat, then toss the pasta. 8. Remove from heat and ...

Back when we were kids, there was a time when Japanese animation broke through the Philippine airwaves. For me personally, it started with Sailormoon and for the boys, I think it was Slam Dunk or Ghost Fighter... Well anyway, that was the start. Then bit by bit, Philippine channels were swamped with anime, lots and lots of it. And with the animania going on, so did the fanaticism to anything Japanese. Japanese restaurants have been thriving all the while but gained more attention from kids wanting to try that "sushi" thing they see on one or more shows they are absolutely crazy about at the time. And I was no exception. I became so obsessed with Japanese food that I drove my mom and dad near crazy to have our Sunday dinner in a Japanese restaurant. Those were my first experiences in eating Japanese food. Now, as most people know, Japanese food is known for some of their raw dishes and of course having to eat them with wasabi on the side. (Though I read somewhere that true...

The day started out pretty well. I was actually playing with my cutie little angel all morning. The worry of puncturing my kid's eardrum was actually at the back of my mind. We watched Ratatouille and Despicable me while I prepared breakfast. Time went by fast and I was actually reviewing chemistry at work. I knew that I had some catching up to do since I was not able to come to work last Thursday and Friday. But somewhere along, there was a turning point, the day suddenly took a turn for the sour. I was suddenly feeling depressed. One, my period is creeping up on me. Two, I was doing some research and behold! The Pinoy MD scholarship will be discontinued this school year. Three, I don't have enough money to fund my dream. Four, I have class with a student that I really, really dislike. Five, my dinner sucks. And so the list goes... As the day wound down, I actually felt a little better. During the torturous class with student X, I was actually telling myself, "Well yo...

Don't you just hate days when nothing seems to sit right? I know I do. The day actually started really well, it wasn't raining for one... But maybe my period is due and maybe partly to blame would be my medications, I just don't feel like doing anything today. Blame it on hormones! But I really hate this day... Today is chemistry day and I have to get psyched with my review. After all, if this dream does become a reality, I should get used to "always" studying. Every free second should be dedicated to reading and understanding. Then again... how do you deal with the annoyances you encounter and not let them stack one after the other? I can feel my patience slowly slipping. Why does the world have to be full of annoyingly stupid people who aren't using their brains properly? Sorry, I am just really, REALLY annoyed right now. I have to learn to deal with annoying situations and not let them stress me out. After all, if I really want to succeed with this ...

The weather is a bit depressing today. The sky is gray and it had been raining lightly all day. It's colder than usual, and the lazy bug bites again. This is particularly one of those days you just want to lay around in bed and sleep, drink hot chocolate or eat some hot instant noodles and watch anime re-runs. But alas, you have responsibilities. So you get up and make breakfast. Carry the screaming toddler who just loves to watch you cooking. You ponder how to get a copy of that Physics book you need for your review while waiting for a call from a job you are eyeing to land. You go on your day, automatically as if programmed. I wish there were more excitement to the day. But alas, you just have to settle with what you have. Anyway, like any other day, this too, shall pass. Today is Physics day. I just have to figure out how to get a copy of a Physics book, as well as a Chemistry book for my review. These so far are my first trials towards my impossible journey. But hey, as...