Sashimi

Today is the tommorow of yesterday and the yesterday of tommorow. How confusing! Anyway, I wake up today with a headache. May be due to my high blood pressure. Its because I've been eating a lot this past few days. Last night we went to Jerry's Grill and ate Oriental Tuna Sashimi. I love sashimi. I love the taste of the wasabi sauce, specially when the spicy scent of the wasabi goes out into your nose... Hmm...

SMILE

"Frown and you frown alone; smile and the whole world smiles with you."

A smile is a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth. It can also be found around the eyes.

Think happy thoughts. The easiest way to a great smile is to be happy. You can be happy all the time, but not everybody is; when you are not, you can think happy thoughts instead. Think about something or someone that you care about, or think about a joke that you just find hilarious. Remarkably, when you're feeling down, smiling can help cheer you up, even if you have to coax a smile out at first.

SERVING WINES

Drink dry wines before sweet wines. The taste of a sweet wine in your mouth can make the dry wine seem flat and dull in comparison.

Drink light wines before heavier wines. The heavier flavors - whatever the color of the wine - will follow nicely after a glass of light wine, but will overpower the lighter wine if drunk first.

Drink white wines before red wines. There are exceptions - a full bodied white wine can follow a light tasting red. However, sweeter white wines sshould be drunk after dry reds.

Kare-kare

Kare-kare is one of the Philippines favorite cuisine. It is a popular dish among Pampanguenos. Here is a very quick and easy way to cook this savory meal, viz:

Ingredients:

1 oxtail, boiled and cut into serving pieces

1 kg. ox tripe, boiled until tender, cut into serving pieces

6 pieces eggplant, cut into 2-inch thick slanting pieces

1/4 kg. string beans, kept whole and cut into 2 inch lengths

2 pieces banana blossom, cut both into halves, cut halves into 4 pieces crosswise

1 small bottle of peanut butter

1/4 cup atsuete (annatto), for food coloring - extract the juice after soaking in water

cooking oil

broth

dash of pepper

Procedure:

Saute the garlic. Add the oxtail and ox tripe except the broth. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. Add the atsuete juice and peanut butter, cover and simmer stirring once in a while. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender. Serve hot with sauted bagoong (shrimp paste).

Pocahontas

As a trivia, on this date in 1614, John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married in Virginia.

Mayon Volcano

Regarded as the world's most perfect cone volcano, Mayon Volcano reigns over the province of Albay, and got its name from the legendary heroine Daragang Magayon (Beautiful Maiden). This summer, try to visit Legazpi City, south of Manila and experience not only the beauty of the majestic Mayon Volcano but also the hospitality of the Legazpenos.

This April, Albay Province will be having its Magayon Festival. Local and international tourists can have the taste of the different products and festivities of the province. At night, local bands are performing near the Albay Capitol Building and Penaranda Park where stalls/bars caters to the public, offering different delicacies and pika-pika foods.

So, lets enjoy the summer this Magayon Festival 2010!

Words to live by.. .

1. You're going to make mistakes in life. It's what you do after the mistakes that counts.

2. People are not the best because they work hard. They work hard because they are the best.

3. No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an unchartered island, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.

4. Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible.

5. To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only dream but also believe.