the canDIshhh tales

I dislike going to wet markets.  For one, I cannot distinguish a fresh seafood from an old one.  I remember being given tips to look at the eyes of the fish, to pinching a particular side of a crab.  Those tips have remained tips as I do not personally go to buy fresh fish in the wet market. In this day and age, I am so very very thankful that good quality seafood is available in supermarkets.  I first saw Pacific Bay packs in S&R.  I assumed that this was imported as the packaging and design was really nice.  It was only last year that I learned that Pacific Bay is 100% Pinoy!  It was so refreshing to learn that Pacific Bay is Pinoy and that they are making seafood available for home cooks!  You know, it makes cooking so much easier AND convenient for us moms. I remember seeing a pack of Pacific Bay clams in the supemarket - I was so happy!  I bought it and for dinner that day - I made Pasta ala Vongole!  Cooking that wa...

I have very early memories of Perla.  I remember seeing them in my Ama's house's sink.  My Ama would have a bar in EVERY sink in her kitchen, beside it was a laundry bar.  I often wondered, why did she put Perla bars on the kitchen sink, why were two different kinds of bars?  When I got older, I finally asked her - she said that the Perla bar was for the hands and to soften the washcloth that was washed using the *more matapang* laundry bar.  I was still very confused really, but I understood it better when my aunt explained to me that Perla was used to make the washcloths softer again, in our generation - Perla was the fabric conditioner. Fast forward to when I was pregnant.  I was told to use Perla by friends and family to launder the clothes of the baby.  They said it's the mildest amongst the brands in the market.  I followed this advice for the first three months Kailee.  I stopped, I think because I found the scent not overly *m...

Footwear is very important.  I know this because my Panget is flat footed.  I used to complain of achy feet and lower back during my travels.  It was I think 2005 when I discovered a footwear that was so comfortable (but it wasn't very stylish) that I finally understood the significance of a comfy footwear.  I know they say that rubber shoes are the best, but you see - well, I don't think I carry rubber shoes very well.  So I opted to sacrifice comfort with vanity.  I think at one point in our lives - we had shoes that were *tiis ganda*, right? For my kids - I want only the best.  It shows with the kind of footwear my Panget and I choose for Kailee and Connor.  My Panget is very lucky that nowadays, kids' footwear is not confined to just being *white*. Bibi shoes from Brazil embodies the *perfect* type of footwear.  It's comfortable AND stylish!  I used to not care what Kailee wore (shoes), for me it was always rubber shoes. ...

I honestly didn't have an idea on what PayMaya was.  I had to ask a blogger friend about it, hahaha - yes, I was that clueless.  It's a very interesting concept - PayMaya.  I was glad to be able to listen and see what it's really all about. PayMaya is basically a prepaid card.  One that needs to have load in order to be used similar to a debit card.  You can pay your utilities, make online purchases and more using PayMaya.  One thing I really liked about PayMaya is the convenience it has because of it's mobile app.  You see, you won't need an actual card to be able to pay your bills and purchase stuff online anymore.  When you register - you are given a virtual card (with a corresponding 16 digit card number that is powered by Mastercard if you're on the Smart/Sun network and Visa if you're on the other network)  You literally have the same benefits like those of a credit card - in terms of shopping online (Amazon & other shopping s...

I was surprised to learn last year that Ballet Manila has opened in Fisher Mall.  I remember seeing posters of Lisa Macuja near the mall advertising ballet lessons, but I never knew where it was exactly, I assumed it was at the village nearby.  It's quite nice actually that they chose to have a studio in Fisher Mall because it can be more accessible to kids who wanted to learn ballet. So, when an opportunity came up for Kailee to try ballet in Ballet Manila, I immediately said yes.  I made sure to buy Kailee her ballet shoes and leotards.  It was sort of exciting to be honest, because Kailee has been interested with ballet because of her cousins.  I was quite excited for her.  Honestly, it wasn't a priority to enroll her in ballet, but I'm glad that Kailee got the chance and was able to join the class and learn ballet at the studio of our country's prima ballerina, Ms. Lisa Macuja. During Kailee's first class, I was so critical of her.  It was n...

Ever since tasting the Beef Bourguignon of Duck and Buvette in Shangri-La Mall years ago, I have so been looking for a recipe to do at home.  Most recipes I found online were very tedious, they require a lot of cooking steps.  I'm sure the best recipe has to be Julia Child's - but reading through the ingredients and procedure, it was tiring.  But I guess, the labor of love would be worth it. I finally came across a simplified version that involves a slow cooker.  So I bought all the ingredients and did my first attempt.  Since the recipe used a slow cooker, I assumed that I could just put all the ingredients together and let the slow cooker do it's magic.  And so I waited patiently for hours, checking every so often if the meat has tenderized.  To my surprise, after 3 hours - the meat was still tough.  It thought to myself, why not add 3 more hours to the cooking time, I mean - I already waited for 3, what is three more?!  And so ...