trail run at macritchie reservoir park

'twas august 18, i'm scheduled to run 16km for my full marathon training. i thought of running from ang mo kio to macritchie reservoir park.

running towards there was a bit of a challenge for me, as i've only been there once and i took a bus that time. but i was thankful i found my way with some traffic violations ;) 

upon reaching there i continued to run to the west direction along lornie road. after a while, i found myself running alone but once in a while one or two runner would pass me. later did i realized that i'm running on a trail. i only not saw few runners but there were few monkeys along the way, too.

wet & muddy trail

the trail was wet and muddy. it was a cool and challenging run, not knowing how long and when the trail would end. i was happy that by the time i came out of the trail i completed 16km. 

great & wonderful sunrise in the middle of red dot city

it was my first time to run on a trail :) i't s a great experience to blend with nature along the way.

adidas king of the road - singapore 2013

i went home last tuesday night and made sure to be back here on saturday to be able to join the adidas king of the road singapore 2013. i had to sleep early as i have to run 16.8km for the said event.

not knowing that the first trip of train is 6:00am on sundays, i found myself alone on the platform bound for marina bay. i went out of the train station, and found another filipino runner waiting for his friend, both joining the race. the three of us ended up taking the same cab to esplanade mall. on our way, the rain started to fall heavily :( we were confused as to what will happen on the race. 

runners were waiting under the comfort of esplanade mall & theater from the heavy rain. at around 6:14am, i received a text message from adidaskotr, "according to the weather forecast report from nea, lightning and thunderstorms are expected. we will advise all runners by 6:15am if the race is delayed." 

second text message was, "nea reports continued thunderstorm. for the safety of all runners, 16.8km race is now postponed to 6:50am..." original flag-off time was 6:30am. 

but it was already 7:00am and it was still raining. after a while someone announced that the race is cancelled. indeed, at 7:08am another text message was received, "due to unforeseen weather conditions, we regret to announce the adidas king of the road race is officially cancelled. we apologize for this inconvenience but the safety and health of runners are our utmost priority." 

runners dispersing after the announcement

i was so sad that the event was cancelled :( i could have stayed one more day with nanay... they'll be sending the medals to all registered runners though...

chicken tetrazzini

it's another easy-to-cook pasta menu that i spotted on rappler by marie pascual.

she was saying that her dad saw the recipe of this simple stove-top pasta dish in a magazine. it got her dad curious because it was said to be a favorite of the late jaime cardinal sin.

as i read through the recipe, it really looks an easy-to-cook.

you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken breast with bone
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into squares
• 1 small pack frozen veggies 
• 1 can of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 block of cheese, grated
• 1 can good quality cream
• 2 teaspoon butter
• 1 pack of pasta, 400 grams, cooked al dente (spaghetti, linguini or penne)
• salt & pepper for seasoning

i wasn't able to find frozen veggies. instead i used 1 can corn kernels, 1 can green peas and 1 piece carrots cut into cubes.

1. Boil chicken breast with salt and pepper in about 2 cups of water until cooked. Make sure that the chicken is submerged to ensure even cooking.

When cooked, set the broth aside. Slice the cooked chicken into small squares/pieces.

2. Place a deep pan over medium heat. Put in butter and sauté onion until transparent and aromatic.

Add the green bell pepper, then the mushrooms. Continue stir frying for the next 3 minutes.

3. Add the cooked chicken and about 2 cups of the broth. Should the broth not be enough, just add water. Bring to a boil.

4. Lower the heat and add the frozen vegetables, cream and half of the grated cheese.

5. Immediately add the cooked pasta and turn off the heat. Toss the pasta until totally coated with the cream mix. Transfer to a baking dish and top with the rest of the grated cheese.

chicken tetrazzini

if there's an excess, you can put it in the fridge and heat it using the microwave or just steam it whenever you feel like having it again.

by the way, this is the first white sauce pasta i cooked :) and yes! it was good ;)

prison break

it's never too late to have a date with michael scofield, lol... but the date's over now... i just finished watching the entire four seasons of prison break :D

it's a nice series that i've been wanting to watch way back in cebu, that was year 2007. but i never got the chance to borrow or buy (pirated) dvd of it. thanks, to available torrents on the internet nowadays ;)

photo by imdb

a structural engineer, michael scofield, robbed a bank to sent himself where his elder brother, lincoln burrows, is on a death row for the murder of the vice president's brother. he has plans to get his brother and himself out of the prison. 

it's funny that i get fritz hooked on it, too... 

it would be nice if wentworth miller will have another series...

phuket: best transportation around

if you'll walk along kata road, you will notice a lot of boards displaying taxi fares on corresponding places you want to visit.

on our third day, we wanted to visit the big buddha and wat chalong. the taxi fare going there is 800 to 1000 baht. but one thing that catched my eyes were some tourist driving motorbikes with their helmets on. we've learned that the hotel were staying have motorbikes for rent ;)

they don't require any driver's license, well of course at your own risk, as long as your a guest. and guess what?!? it's only 250 baht for the whole day rental, that is 12 hours, plus the fuel.

ride of the day

so, if you could just drive and brave enough to go along with the traffic around phuket, rent a bike and save some for shopping or yummy thai food... 

thailand drives on the left side of the road, so if you come from a place that drives on the other side, be reminded! you could be driving on the wrong side, but don't worry locals understand...

full crazy for scms 2013

this is it...! am i full crazy...? yes, i will be, hehehe... after running for few 10kms and 21 kms, it's time to run for 42kms :))

there's no turning back...! i finally registered for full marathon this coming 1st of december on standard chartered marathon singapore...

let's do this... i just hope i would be able to finish the race in 5 to 6 hours time and could still walk the next day, hehehe...

fifty shades

the first time i've heard of fifty shades of grey is from a friend of a friend a year or two ago... then, few weeks ago, daryl posted on her facebook status that she is willing to give away ebooks. and out of curiosity, i asked her if she has fifty shades of grey...

and yes! she does ;) in two weeks time i finished reading the three books... 

by el james

it is an erotic romantic novel, "... trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, anastasia steele, and a young business magnate  christian grey..." (wikipedia)

thank you, da for sharing :) i had a great time reading it ;)

child-ish

i believe i'm always a strong person... having overcame some depressing and bad experiences in life. 

but being a strong person doesn't mean i would not feel sad and lonely at times, shed tears and just be emotional once in a while...

and when i do, does it mean i'm being child-ish...? as much as i can i always try to be cool and strong... i can also be vulnerable but not child-ish...

pocari sweat run 2013 race result

yah, i know this is quiet late a post of my race result for pocari sweat run 2013...

i found out the race result last 18th which is two days after the race... and i think something is not right about it. take a look...

result 1

my nett time is longer than my gun time... maybe there had been some error... 

when i take a look at my result today, as i wanted the link to be inserted here in my blog, look what i've found ;) i think they had corrected it... and maybe this applies for everyone...

result 2

i would agree on the second result as i crossed the start lane a few seconds after the first row or runners at the gun time ;) and it almost coincides my runkeeper app timing as well...

here's to pocari sweat run 2013 result...

a year after

yes..! it's been a year since i'm blogging... and i'm happy i made it thru, hehehe... though this is just a blog of anything about me and nothing in particular as other blog about travel, cooking, gardening, etc... 

i hope to continue and not miss a blog every month and hopefully one or two or three in a week... whoah... lol...

though, i don't know who are my readers are or were... but thanks to all of you :)) 

pocari sweat run 2013

yesterday, was my first long run of my 20-weeks training for full marathon. i'm supposed to run 8kms but I ran 10kms for pocari sweat run 2013… 

i ran alone with thousands of runnners 'coz my running mates and friends were not around, but it was still fun. 

the nearest i could be on starting lane

we had a cool and a bit tough route as we have to run up twice marina barrage. first was in between 3km & 4km mark and the second was between 8km & 9km mark... 

sweat for pocari

as per my runkeeper app i finished a 10.52kms at 01h 17m 05s... will be waiting for the official result in the next few days...

my full marathon training schedule

an addition to my bucketlist, which is still to be updated as i have more to come ;) is to run a full marathon...

i've been joining running events for over a year now in various distances, from 10km to 21km... and i wanted to feel and experience how it would be being full crazy, that is to run a full marathon...

i found this 20 weeks intermediate run marathon training plan that can be customized for the upcoming race day. but i have to modify it to accommodate my monthly visitor...

week 1 to week 10

my day 1 started yesterday and i hope to have determination and discipline to go on with this schedule and run the full marathon for standard chartered this coming december 1...

week 11 to week 20, the race day..!!!

encouragement and inspiration are welcome to help me finish the race and fulfill this from my bucketlist...

tuna pasta melt

i have this recipe for quite a long time, maybe almost or more than a year… got it from del monte kitchenomics. at long last i had it prepare last saturday for dinner...

it is an easy to cook, easy to prepare recipe… try it!

here's what you'll need:

1/4 tsp - pepper
1 tsp - salt

237 g - del monte italian style spaghetti sauce (i used what is available which is 200g)
184 g - tuna chunks in brine, drained
1 pc - large onion, sliced
6 cloves - garlic, crushed
200g - del monte elbow macaroni (i used shell macaroni)
1 can - sliced champignon mushrooms (not in the original recipe)

1/2 cup - quickmelt cheese (coarsely grated)

for white sauce:
1 tbsp - margarine
1/4 cup - water
1/4 cup - water
2 tbsp - all-purpose flour

procedure:

1. suaté garlic until brown. add onion and cook for 1 minute. add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. add del monte spaghetti sauce, 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper to taste. simmer for 5 minutes. add tuna chunks. set aside. 
2. white sauce: mix well all ingredients. season with salt and pepper to taste. Ccok over low heat with constant stirring for 3-5 minutes or until thick.
3. blend spaghetti-tuna sauce with cooked elbow/shell macaroni. arrange in pan. pour white sauce all over and sprinkle with grated cheese. if desired, bake until cheese melts.

yummy tuna pasta melt...

it turned out good and having it the first time, i would say it taste good and i liked it ;)

phuket: beautiful sea phi phi island tour (p2)

not far from the viking cave is an amazingly nice and wonderful cove. it would feel like your swimming in a pool. our tour guide even said, "welcome to your pool..." i wish we could have stayed longer than we did... me and brad were the last to be backed on board...

clear sea water, just amazing...

we had so much fun in here... brad jumped from the head of the speedboat twice and of course me, too but only once... one tour guide, a french-speaking lady also had a few jump from the boat... yah, we were the only three who bravely jumped...

jump shot! yey! i was able to capture it...

after enjoying the natural pool we headed to the famous maya bay. it is where the movie 'the beach' by leonardo dicaprio was shoot... there were alot of parked boats and a lot of tourists as well. i think no matter what time of the day it'll still be crowded... but still i was so happy that this time i was able to set my foot on the sand... coz last time i was in phuket, we only saw maya bay from afar...

entry to maya bay

we walked for like ten minutes to be on the other side of the island. there was a small platform to view some other islands around.

view from the platform

dipped feet at maya bay

and it's time to leave maya bay and head back to phuket boat lagoon marina...

maya bay, view from the shore

it was a wonderful hot sunny day... would love to be back again anytime...

phuket: beautiful sea phi phi island tour (p1)

upon arrival at phuket international airport we were picked up by a van courtesy of jc tour. it comes with one day trip that we booked on them, beautiful sea day: phi phi island discovery. there were only me and brad inside the big van. the driver was nice that he even stopped along the way to let us buy some mangoes, rambutan and santol :)

phuket boat lagoon marina

we were picked up on time, that is 7:45am, at the hotel on our second day at phuket for the trip. after more or less an hour drive from kata beach we arrived at phuket boat lagoon marina. it took the group for awhile to leave as we waited for few other tourists. while waiting we fitted our snorkeling gears...

there were 16 tourists on board the speedboat and all of them were white (caucasians) except for me ;) and all of them, sitted inside the boat with a nice shade of the roof but me, brad and two other couple comfortably enjoyed the wind and the heat of the sun infront...

the island where we snorkel...

first stop: snorkeling… with our snorkeling gears on we all jumped into the water and enjoy the life underwater. it's amazing to see different color and size of fishes. we were given by the tour guide some ripe bananas to feed the fishes. it's a lot of fun to let them swim on different direction even in front your face with the food by your hand. i wish we had a waterproof camera...

next stop: swimming… we stopped on an island for a swim. the water is just crystal clear you'd love to swim even if it's very hot.

camera pose before swimming

lunch time… we had a buffet for lunch. there were good choices of food... also, there were a lot of tourists on tour on that restaurant...

after lunch we headed to stop by and say hello to the monkeys. brad had a chance to feed one of them as it jumped on the boat...

monkeys everywhere... they're harmless

we also passed by along the viking cave... there were ladders inside the cave, and we were told that there are some few people that stay there to collect bird's nest...

viking cave from afar

to be continued...

phuket: kata beach

the last time i was in phuket with laurence, we stayed at clubmed along kata beach... this time, i chose to stay nearby kata beach again as it is a quiet area, not so much of a night life compared to patong beach...

after checking-in we headed to kata beach with our beach towels. it's only around ten minutes walk from where we stayed. and yes, it's just behind clubmed...

kata beach

kata beach

it was a very hot, hot day... there are chairs with umbrellas lined up along the long stretch of kata beach. we picked one and enjoy the shade of the umbrella until one thai guy approached us and asked if we would like to rent it... i said no and instead found a shade at one spot while my baby is enjoying the sun and the waves of the sea... 

this is us, not knowing we have to rent the chair lol

we enjoyed our first day in phuket, walking barefoot on the long stretch of kata beach... i'm still amazed how white people could last the heat of the sun laying on the sand having a tan... that includes my baby ;)

brad with crab island behind

spoiled summer surprise

all the while, brad thought we will be at bintan, indonesia for few days on his last visit... well, that's what i told him, hehehe... but then, i already arranged everything for our summer getaway to phuket :D yes! to phuket... it was my second time and i would still love to go back ;)

i wanted to surprise him until upon check-in at the airport... i didn't make it, i spoiled my own surprise three days before our departure... it was the best way to cheer him up that time. no regrets though...

we were there for 4 days and 3 nights and we both had a great time... 

pepper lunch madness

on brad's first visit our first and last meal were at pepper lunch...

just recently, we had our first meal together on the same place ;) i like their beef pepper rice and he came to love it as well... 

for two weeks, we had lunch and or dinner at pepper lunch for at least five or seven times... when we don't seem to know where to eat, pepper lunch was the answer.

his favorite, curry beef pepper rice with cheese... 

focused much ;) he's hungry...

chinatown

on brad's first three days here in singapore, i was working and so he had to go around the city by himself...

but the only place he kept visiting was chinatown. he was there everyday for the first three days. he wanted to buy some stuff he liked but then he listened to me ;) ... i asked him not to buy anything until i am with him, hehehe... 

on the last few remaining days, we were back for few times there and were able to buy some stuff he liked for himself and for his family back home...

he also shopped for me :D i was so grateful for his gesture... it is something i haven't experienced in the past... 

a surprise from the mom

along the way, brad told me that he has another surprise for me but this time it's not from him... i was in awe, when he said his mom has something for me...

when he finally hand it to me i was out of words... it's a silver necklace with 14k palm tree pendant. i tried it on and it looks so nice ;) though i never really wear any jewelry... 

but she didn't know that the price tag was left inside the box hidden... another speechless moment for me when i saw how much it is...

i feel so happy and so special to experience such gesture from brad's mom...

gorgeous :))

happy(iest) days again

yey...! after months of waiting my baby is here again :))
it's his second visit after he's been here last christmas and new year's...

this will be a fun, fun, fun summer...

we were both paranoid few days before his departure from his place because of bad weather... there had been storm and flood in chicago. but we're glad that on the day of his flight the weather is just fine...

the next two weeks will be happy(iest) days again...

#bostonMarathon

the last thing we want to know early in the morning is sad news... we always wanted to start our day with something good and wonderful...

but this morning we read news about bomb explosions on boston marathon... it's so sad :( 

runners poured so much passion and dedication in their training prior to the said event. each respective supporter were their to cheer them up to finish line.

but only to be ruined by such incident, by heartless people... 

finish line is where fulfillment is achieved not grief... 

egg sarciado

i tried to cook an egg sarciado and it turned out nice... as always fritz and 'te azon liked it :))

i have to try cooking it before saturday. lerie, uncle boon cheow and me have to prepare for lunch after sabbath worship...

another easy recipe from del monte kitchenomics... click here, for the recipe...

i used 32 quail eggs instead of 18... also, i used italian style tomato sauce so i had to add 2 tsp of white sugar...

egg sarciado...

2XU compression run 2013 race result

official result is out :))

and i'm glad that i beat my previous time on the two previous half marathon...

first, the singapore bay run & army half marathon 2012, i ran for 3hrs 2mins 8secs...

second, the standard chartered marathon singapore 2013, i ran for 2hrs 52mins 30secs...

third, 2XU compression run 2013, which was last sunday, i ran for 2hrs 46mins 48secs...

i'm happy for the improvement of my race time... hopefully, next time i would be near 2hrs 30mins, that would be amazing, hehehe...

2XU compression run 2013

yey...! i thought i won't be able to make it to the finish line... but i wasn't only able to reach the finish line, i was able to beat the time of my two previous 21km run... i finished at 2hrs 47mins :)) as per my runkeeper app.

i planned to run with 2:30 pacers but i was left behind after 6km point... i was running side by side with them but was so worn out and started to walk... without so much training i am still motivated to finish the race...

unleashed! the me i never knew :) my first finisher tee

 

 

 

at almost 18km point, i received a text message from lerie :) cheering me that i can do it... lerie, it helped..! thank you so much :))

thank you also babe for having faith and believing in me...

again, i ran with fritz today but she was on 10km category...

10km & 21km finishers...

waiting for the official result this week...

happy birthday, nanay

nanay, may God bless you all the time, guide you and protect you. i love you and i miss you so much...

how i wish we can be together today just like last year. be somewhere and have fun... maybe, next time...

happy, happy birthday, nanay...

credit 2

another credit from standard chartered marathon singapore :) few days ago, they left a comment on my instagram photo asking my permission if they can use it... and of course who am i to refuse that, hehehe... especially if it will inspire other runners as well ;)

they posted it on their facebook, twitter and instagram account... it feels so cool that they like it... feeling awesome here, hehehe....

credit

hahaha, my posted photo on instagram was shared by standard chartered marathon singapore on their facebook page... 

cool..! hehehe...

pininyahang manok

nanay is a very good cook, and i'm inspired of it... so, once in a while i try to cook new dishes...

the latest was pininyahang manok... 

for this, you will need:

    2 tbsp stripped ginger 
    6 cloves crushed garlic
    1 large sliced red onion
    3 pcs chicken leg & 3 pcs thigh (cut in two)
    1 to 2 tbsp patis & 1/2 tsp pepper
    1 medium bell pepper (cut into cubes)
    1 can (154mL) evaporated milk
    1 can drained pineapple tidbits (reserve syrup)
    5 pcs potato (sliced in bite size, boiled)

it's just an easy one, two, three cooking procedure.

1. saute ginger, garlic and onion in cooking oil. add patis and chicken. saute for 10 mins or until the chicken is slightly brown.
2. add pepper and pineapple syrup. cover and simmer for about 15 mins. stirring once in a while.
3. add bell pepper, milk and drained pineapple tidbits & potato. simmer uncovered for 3-5 mins, stirring continuously.

creamy & delish :))

originally the recipe doesn't have potato in it... next time i will add carrots, too. sometimes, i really don't follow the exact measurement on the recipe ;) it's fun to have some twist on it...

i always look into del monte kitchenomics, their recipes are simple but delicious... 

i'm glad that my housemates liked it... babe, i'll cook this again when you're around :)

de jesus couple

nanay's high school classmate were here in singapore on a short trip... they happened to be fritz' parents high school classmates as well...

fritz and me picked them up at their hotel after work. we had dinner at makan sutra at marina bay. i could say that they enjoyed and liked the dinner we had. it's a nice place with not so expensive food(s).

after dinner, we ushered them out at the bay. uncle romie and auntie nenet enjoyed the nice city view at night, especially marina bay sands.

i stayed for a while at their place at antipolo last time. they were so very nice and so kind to accommodate me while i was hunting for a job at manila...

hope to spend time with you again... 

summer challenge

summer is the time to head to the beach and splash in the water, have a good swim, have a tan and a lot of things to have fun and enjoy...

challenge is on with myself for this summer... i'm challenging myself to get rid some of my stored fats for a better look in a two-piece swimwear. though i would not look that lean and sexy...

yes, will be off for a summer getaway this year... and what's more fun with it is i'll be with my baby...

challenge is on..!

birthday cake

yesterday was my friend's son 7th birthday... though away from him, she still prepared something for her son's birthday. we had a tiny cake, our favorite vanilla cashew ice cream and i cooked bihon guisado. her colleague and a friend also came over to join us. 'twas a good time to give thanks and celebrate...

but when she called her son, she felt so sad and so we were... she asked if his dad bought him a cake for his birthday but poor little son said, his dad didn't want to...

when i was a little kid, there were only few times that i can remember i had a cake on my birthday... and i understood as it was only my mom who was there for us...

but for this kid, her mom works overseas... it could have bring a little joy for her son had he blown a candle on his birthday...

u run 2013

i'm happy 'cos i think i did pretty good ;) on my 15 km run for u run 2013 yesterday. i finished after 1 hour and 43 mins even if i haven't train for the past three weeks. the last time i run for adidas kotr 2012, i finished my 16.8km in 2 hours 3 mins. it's quite an improvement :)

it was a fun experience as it is my first time to be on the first few rows at start point. i was able to start at 0:00:00 gun time.

i was with fritz but she run for 10km...

coming up is 21 km for 2xu compression run 2013 on 31 march... see you fellow runners!

u run 2013

sarangani highlands garden

it was so nice of anne to asked me and lm to have dinner together when we came home last week...

we went to sarangani highlands garden with nanay, te vian, jm, jay ar and dab... the place is quiet, has a nice view of the sarangani bay and has a great landsape. it's only few meters away from national highway towards gensan fish port...

this place was also featured on kris tv that week for kris' birthday celebration... the food was good but a bit expensive...

anne, thank u :) i had a great time...

*photo grabbed from jay ar's fb page

binignit

i've been craving for nanay's binignit two weeks before i went home for chinese new year holiday...

and i'm so happy that she cooked binignit for me when i was home... friends who came to visit liked it also...

it is a local dessert with finely ground sticky rice in small circles (bilo-bilo), sweet potato, jackfruit, sago and coconut milk...

thank you so much, nanay :)) missing you and your delicious dishes... 

valentines day

every day is a day of love...

but today is full of love and lots of love :)) today, i'm surprised by a bouquet of roses from my baby, a hug me heart-shaped pillow and a sweet valentine card...

baby ko, you never fail to make me feel so special, you never fail to shower me with so much love... and i'm always left speechless by your surprises...

happy valentines baby ko :)) iLoveyou...

gift

i feel so happy and grateful every time i receive gift(s)...

but this time, it's my turn to give myself something... i've been thinking of rewarding myself of something after completing half marathon for standard chartered marathon 2012... 

finally, i got myself something :)) it's an all-in-one gift for myself :)) sometimes we deserve something good for our self...

thai mango salad

yesterday, while heavy rain poured heavily, fritz and me had a lunch date at thai express in paragon... i asked her if she would like to try thai mango salad as it's a yummy side dish...

last time, me and brad also had a thai mango salad and we both loved it that we left not a single slice. but yesterday, i was surprised when they served it with lots of tiny red chili... and fritz is not a fan of hot & spicy food...

but still we managed to eat everything with teary eyes along the way, hehehe... next time, i will surely let them know that i don't want a chili on my thai mango salad...

thai mango salad (before & after) :))

dessert

last tuesday, lerie asked me to bring dessert as it's our turn to prepare for church's lunch...

i was wondering what to bring... and decided to prepare a fruit salad...

it's a mixture of chilled fruit cocktail, tiny skinned apple slices, cheese, raisins, cream, mayo and condensed milk... easy to prepare and one of my fave ;) 

and i'm so happy that everyone loved it :)) not a tiny bit was left...

yes..! it's yummy :))

hamper (no more)...

this is my fourth chinese new year at work... 

every year they will give more than a hundred dollar worth of hamper to every employee. on my first year, i didn't get any as you can only have one if you worked for at least one year...

the next two years, i was able to have a hamper... but i can't eat most of it. and so, i sold it to my colleague but bought it at a very cheap price, less than a hundred dollar... got no choice...

but this year, the company break the tradition... and i'm so happy as it favored me, hehehe... this year they gave us a hundred and fifty dollar worth of gift voucher. 

my $150 gift voucher :))
ready to roam around ntuc...