TROOH 5 - Yes Virginia, less expensive houses do exist!

If you haven't read our previous posts, TROOH really means "The Roof Over Our Heads". I started this because I'm worried that when the time comes, Malou and I won't be able to move into our own house because of high prices. If you want to to check out my previous posts, just check the archives.

I am in the unfortunate (if you look at it that way) position of currently living and working in the East Coast. If we choose to live here after the wedding, we will have to look for houses somewhere outside the city limits. That usually means the 'burbs. Anyway, to find a house that would fit our budget, we would probably have to travel almost two hours to and from the city where we work. In this article (check out this site for a free login) though, if you look at the housing market outside New York, Washington, Miami and along the coast of California, you would find decently priced homes. This has made me rethink where we could possibly start our family. I do hope that when the time comes for us to purchase a home, we won't be turning down house after house just because our pockets are not that deep.

Don't like the gift, swap it!

I've always wondered what to do with my aunt's gift. It's a small cooler to keep your lunch warm but it's pretty bulky. I eventually saw my gift being reused as a bill refuse (bills are kept in it). I read an article about "regift" gifts and thought the idea of going to a party and swapping "unusable" gifts was pretty good. So, if you want to have a post holiday party and need an idea for an activity, use that one. Bring all your "unusable" gifts, wrapped properly of course, and swap them with another person. You could keep swapping until someone announces that you have to open the gift you currently have. Hey, the worst that could happen is you get your regift back

About those pesky logins...

I know some of you have been prevented from reading an article because you have to sign up for something. Well, I saw this website a couple of months ago but didn't come across it again until today. You may be able to find other logins for pix sites as some of those sites require an account on their service just to see those shared pictures.

http://bugmenot.com/

stress relief

If you need to release some stress after a long day of planning/preparation/running everywhere, go to this site. Have fun!

Hey Pare (Buddy)/Boss!

My sister and I were talking yesterday about what would happen if we both worked for the same company. We both just looked at each other and laughed as we both knew, it wouldn't work out. I would probably disagree a lot with my sister over technical details. Now I wonder what if I was the boss of a good friend of mine or I was the underling of my friend? It'll probably test our friendship when something big comes up. Read this article if you want to know more.

That ugly side ...

During the month of October, alienated youths, from the French suburb La Courneuve, burned cars, broke shop windows and attacked police in anti-riot gear. This was triggered by the death of two youths who were accidentally electrocuted while hiding from chasing police. Just today in Sydney, Australia young people smashed cars and destroyed shops in response to drunken white youths attacking people they believed were of Arab descent. It's hate, hate and more hate.

Those articles (which might require a login) have pictures that show how much resentment has built up all these years from people who will inherit this earth. It is frightening to see how far these young people would go to beat people to a pulp, just because they are different from them. In the article about La Courneuve, you could feel Looping's hopelessness in a system that was supposed to be color, race and sex -blind. His mother Djamila sends him to school but they are not expected to succeed. With an Arab name, he cannot find a job that will accept him. In Sydney hate begot hate as drunk white youths started beating Arab-looking people. It said in the article that the instigators where members of white supremacist groups but why were there so many? Why did others join in?

What is it with skin or hair color, the size or shape of one's eyes, height or accent?

Day of days...

Today is the feast of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I just realized that this is also the official name of the Manila Cathedral (Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Manila Metropolitan Cathedral). Malou and I are also "celebrating" our thirty-third month together, leaving us 90 days before our wedding. A lot has already happened since our last monthsary and there is still a lot more to do. Malou is doing such a great job preparing everything that I am glad I am just in the sidelines letting her do what she does best. Occasionally I get to help but mostly it's all her.

I love you Malou and I'll be seeing you soon!

Garlic with a side of botulism

About a year ago I removed the dry skin of a garlic bulb and separated all the pieces. Then I dropped it into a small bottle and filled it with extra virgin olive oil. I just left this in the spice rack we have in the kitchen. Over time, I finished using the garlic infused olive oil on salads, eggs, sandwiches and whatever else I fancied the flavor of garlic infused oil. I also ate the pieces of garlic. I was just reading another blog when I came across an entry about placing infused olive oil in the refrigerator and removing the garlic least I get foodbourne botulism! Apparently garlic can be a breeding ground for the bacteria that causes botulism. That just sucks! I'll be a lot more careful next time I try this.

Fat in a can/bottle...

Go to any school and you know what you'll find? A cafeteria that serves terrible food and a vending machine filled with chips and soda (softdrinks in some countries). Now just imagine all those thirsty kids who just came from gym class and looking for a drink. Where do they go? If a soda vending machine is nearby you'll see them line up. These lawyers from Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the top soda makers and their local bottler so that "sugary beverages" are banned from school. When I was in school I never used those vending machines as I already had food with me and at the same time I'm cheap. Why spend extra money on soda when there's a water fountain? Hey, sometimes I even bring my own water bottle or fruit juice from home. Why bother? Sure parents have varying schedules but to encourage their kids to buy soda by just handing them money for lunch borders on irresponsibility. Can't you at least give them a water bottle so that they have an option? Fill it up with calamansi or mango juice! Don't give up on your kid's health by just giving in to easy solutions.

Mommy, why does that car smell like french fries?

These are the days of rising prices, what with the price of a barrel of crude oil hovering at $60. Since your food is being trucked from one location to another, gas has to be processed to get to your house, water has to flow to your pipes, all of these things add up. I was comparing what I paid for gas this month with the same month last year and there is a significant increase. So I've resumed what I always did when I was a kid and I would turn off the lights in any room when nobody is there. Every little bit counts.

Over the summer, the company I work for wanted me to work at our sister site. It would have cut my commute time in half but I had to drive to get there! It was a good thing I refused as oil prices went up after a couple of months. I would prefer to walk rather than spend $50 a week to fill up a gas tank.

I wonder what would happen if I switched to biofuels. This article (this may require a free login) reports a merchant who uses the byproduct of his company as fuel for his converted car. Though using this type of fuel may render void the warranty on his car and he has to make the fuel for himself, he still keeps doing it. Hopefully as more and more alternative sources of fuel are made available for vehicles, car companies would make more cars that can use them.

Pipa is a "Good Time"...

Since Malou is doing our food tasting today, I thought I should share with you the wonderful dinner I had last Friday. Hopefully sometime this week Malou can also share how good the food is for our wedding.

I've always been interested in eating at a tapas bar for a while now. How many little plates will it take to fill me up? I've eaten at restaurants where they serve multiple courses and after about five courses I can't eat another bite. Will it take more with saucer sized portions?

Pipa is a taperia near Union Square. My sister recommended this place when we were deciding what restaurant to go to for our "monthly" (or whenever we feel like treating our other siblings) siblings night-out. I was glad we got reservations as the place was pretty packed by the time we got there. The restaurant was in a large room with chandeliers hanging everywhere. I was wondering why there were tags on them and then I realized that the restaurant was connected with the furniture store next door. Hey if you found something you like, you could easily head over to the store to buy it.



One of the first things I checked was the wine list they had. I was particularly interested what riojas they had. They had Spanish (of course) and French wines. I couldn't particularly see the rest because they were priced per bottle. It was a good thing I saw one rioja that they served per glass. When our waiter came around I asked about that particular red but he was not that enthusiastic about it. When I mentioned that I wanted a rioja but was uncertain what to pick, he suggested one that I was interested in. That and it was in the right price range. You can click on the image to see the bottle we had.

It was a good thing we ordered quickly as it took them a while to deliver the little plates. By the time they arrived, we were famished. I started with the Pulpo Gallego (sauteed octopus, calamata olives, roasted potatoes, and smoked paprika). The octopus was cut in bite sized portions and really mixed well with the rest of the ingredients. It was very tender and quite tasty. The olives gave it a salty kick but it was not overpowering. Hmm maybe it was the wine?

We then proceeded to eat seared scallops with caramelized onions, melted manchego cheese and crispy serrano ham (Scallops a la Mancha). I tell you those were pretty good scallops! The sweet onions and the mild cheese helped it along.

I asked for a piece of mushroom coca (or Catalan flatbreads) as it looked pretty tasty. It had wild mushrooms, figs, thinly sliced serrano ham, toasted almonds and white truffle oil. The sweetness of the figs with the slightly salty ham accented the mushrooms. I didn't notice the truffle oil that much. You could think of it as some sort of "Spanish pizza".

I then had more mushrooms by reaching for a mushroom croquette. Have I said how much I like mushrooms? I really, really like mushrooms. It was breaded and wasn't oily at all! The mustard dressing was a little mild. I expected a sharp zing but all I got was a small pop.

By this time my other sibling calls and tells me to order Gambas Al Ajillo. I do so because I was sure it would arrive just as she came in. It came a little later but it had a lot of garlic! I also really, really like garlic and I am glad Malou doesn't mind. It was good enough for us to get more toasted bread to scoop up the olive oil and bits of garlic.

I also had a Pipa coca which had Spanish chorizo, roasted peppers and tomatoes, artichokes, manchego cheese and paprika. Mmmmm....

Speaking of peppers, a small clay plate no bigger than a coaster contained a stuffed sweet pepper, filled with lump crab meat and shrimp. It was COVERED in a smoky type of cheese. I don't recall what it was called but it was lip smackin' good!

Oh and I saved the best for last. We had dates stuffed with almonds and cabrales and then wrapped in bacon. It was placed on an endive leaf. Out of all the tapas we had, this was the one I liked best. I could have ordered more but I reached my limit. Hmm, so it looks like I had about four small plates of food considering we shared all everything. That includes the sherry I had for dessert.

Ahh, that was some dinner.