Living a Sugar Free Sweet Life

Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa naka-imbento ng food delivery. Nitong nagdaang Byernes kasi ay ika-10 taong anibersaryo ng kasal namin ng aking kabiyak. Como nga ika-10 taon, nagplano naman ako ng munting salu-salo para sa aming pamilya. Nung una'y binalak namin na kumain sa labas at manood ng sine kasama ng aking anak at biyenan. Kaya nga lang, noong araw na iyon ay kinailangang pumasok ng aking asawa sa trabaho at ginabi na ng todo. Ang pagkain sa labas ay naging sa loob na lang ng bahay. At dahil nga hindi na ako nagluto ng hapunan dahil nga balak naming lumabas, nagpa-deliver na lang ako ng pizza, pasta, at chicken. Bumili naman ang aking kasambahay ng beer at vodka sa kalapit na grocery. Ayun, nakaraos din ang aming munting salu-salo. Nagustuhan pa ng lahat? Oo naman! At sa tingin ko'y mas naging masaya pa kaysa kung kami ay natuloy lumabas.

I am indebt to whoever invented food delivery. Last Friday was our 10th wedding anniversary and we were supposed to celebrate by having dinner in a restaurant and watching a movie. However, my husband had to go to work that day and had to stay late in the office. All our plans of going out were cancelled. I called a restaurant nearby and had pizza, pasta, and fried chicken delivered. My houseboy went to the supermarket nearby to buy a bottle of vodka and some cans of beer. We had dinner as soon as my husband arrived. Did everyone like our celebration? Yes, of course! And I think what we had was even merrier compared to what we could have had if our plan pushed through.

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Kung noong isang linggo ay madilim na larawan dahil sa makapal na ulap ang aking naibahagi, ngayong Huwebes naman ay isang maliwanag na kuha ang aking lahok at ito'y dahil sa maninipis na ulap.

Ito'y isa sa mga kinuha kong larawan sa aking Basic Digital Photography class noong Nobyembre. Sabi kasi ng aking asawa, nag-invest na din lang naman daw kami sa DSLR ay dapat malaman ko na rin ang tamang paggamit nito. Ewan ko ba, nakinig naman ako ng mabuti at nagsulat pa nga ng notes. Kung bakit nalimutan ko ang "Sunny 16" rule na iyan. Alas dos ng hapon kasi, tirik na tirik ang araw. At kapag ganyan daw, dapat naka f/16 ang aperture at ang ISO ay 200 para hindi masyadong maliwanag. Naayos ko na nga ng konti yan sa Photoshop. Nabawasan na ang liwanag. Pero subukan mong i-click ang larawan at buksan ang Flickr page niya, mabibisto mong f/11, ISO 400, at shutter speed 1/500. Mali-mali talaga. Toinks!

OK lang naman. Kahit paano'y nalaman ko na ang mga dapat at hindi dapat gawin sa pagkuha ng larawan. Ngayon, kahit paano'y gumanda na ang mga kuha ko.

Last week, my entry was a silhouette shot whose darkness was produced by the thick clouds that hovered the day of the shoot. This Thursday, I am finally showing one of the shots that I took during the Basic Digital Photography class I took last November.

This shot was taken at 2 in the afternoon and it was truly a scorching hot day. I dunno what happened but I totally forgot about the "Sunny 16" rule that told us to use f/16 and ISO 200 on a sunny day. This photo looks ok already since I already adjusted its brightness through Photoshop. But try clicking it and opening its Flickr page. You'll discover that I used the wrong settings (f/11, ISO 400, and a shutter speed of 1/500)!

It's totally ok with me. I know there's always a first time for everything. At least, now that I already know the basic do's and don'ts in digital photography, my shots have noticeably improved.

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Sa wikang Griyego, ang salitang photos ay nangangahulugang "ilaw" at ang graphein ay nangangahulugang "pagsulat". Sa dalawang salitang ito nagmula ang terminong photography. Kung kaya naman, pinaka-importanteng aspeto sa photography ay ang ilaw. Sa totoo lang, ang mga larawang nakikita natin ay iginuhit ng camera gamit ang liwanag.

Paano na lang kung kulang ang liwanag sa isang lugar? Paano kaya kukuha ng magandang larawan? Ito ang challenge sa aming mag-asawa noong Bagong Taon at kami'y nasa Camsur Watersports Complex. Makakapal ang mga ulap sa Bicol mula noong kami'y dumating ilang araw bago mag-Bagong Taon. Siguro'y dahil na rin sa pag-aalburuto ng Bulkang Mayon.

Ang solusyon, gamitin na lang ang makakapal na ulap para magkaroon ng drama ang larawan. Silhoutte effect na lang. Maganda na, naitago pa ang aking mga bilbil, hahaha!

Light is an important aspect in photography. In fact, the word "photography" originated from the Greek words "photos" and "graphein" which mean "light" and "writing" respectively. The pictures that we see are actually products of light written by our cameras.

My husband and I were quite challenged during our New Year's Day celebration at the Camsur Watersports Complex. Thick clouds hovered above the Bicol region since we arrived days before the New Year. It's probably because of Mayon Volcano's ash emissions.

We resolved our light problem not by using the flash but by maximizing the darkness that the thick clouds brought. It allowed us to shoot silhouette photos. The results were beautiful and dramatic. And the best thing about my silhouette shot is that it hid my love handles! Hahaha!

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Ang Pinoy nga naman. Saan ka pa makakakita ng ganitong sign kundi dito lang. Nakakatawang nakakaloko! Ito ang bumulaga sa amin sa aming pagdating galing sa Subic. Palibahasa'y hindi naman kami madalas magbiyahe pa-Norte kaya first time ko lang talaga makita ito. Mas madali nga namang matatak sa isipin ang mensahe ng isang hudyat kung may dating ito. Sa pagkakataong ito, maliwanag na ginamit nila ang humor. Natawa ka ba? Sana ay mabisita mo rin ang ibang hudyat na kasali ngayong Hwebes sa Litratong Pinoy.

Filipinos are known to be happy people. Probably this is why we can come up with funny signs like this one. We saw this along EDSA on our way home from Subic. I think that for signs to be really effective, the message has to be written with something that can attract attention. In this case, they used humor. Do you find it funny? I hope you can also view the other Litratong Pinoy entries.

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Sinong Pinoy ang hindi paborito ang bagoong? Bihira lang siguro. Di ba kahit na sa totoo lang ay hindi kanais-nais ang kanyang amoy ay nakakatakam pa rin? Kaya nga kahit na bawal ay marami pa ring nakakalimot sa sarili at kumakain ng bagoong o binagoongang karne o gulay.

Unang beses ko lang makatikim ng bagoong na walang amoy, hindi masyadong maalat, at medyo maasim. Iyon ay ang balaw (bagoong) ng Balaw-Balaw Restaurant sa Angono, Rizal. Simpleng gisadong balaw lang yan na may kasamang talong. Masarap isabay sa inihaw na baboy o isda. Pero nung araw na yan, ang naging ka-partner niya ay ang Sinagang na Malaputo at Lechong Kawali. Dati'y talagang dinadayo pa namin ang Bala-Balaw para makakain ng kanilang kilalang balaw. Ngayon, nakakabili na ako ng naka-botelyang balaw na produkto rin ng restawran at itinitinda sa grocery.

Natakam ka ba? Bisitahin mo rin ang ibang larawang kalahok, may amoy man o wala, ngayong Hwebes sa Litratong Pinoy.

Most Filipinos find bagoong (fermented shrimp) irresistible even if the smell is not that delightful. They still eat bagoong or any other food mixed with bagoong even if it is not allowed in their diet.

The first time that I was able to eat bagoong that is not too salty or smelly was when we ate out in Balaw-Balaw Specialty Restaurant in Angono, Rizal. We had balaw (Angono's version of bagoong)sauteed with eggplants. It is actually yummy to eat as a compliment to roasted pork or fish. However, that day, we had balaw with Sinigang na Malaputo and Lechong Kawali. In the past, we drive to this place to taste their balaw. Nowadays, I just buy Balaw-Balaw's bottled balaw from the grocery.

Are you getting hungry already? I hope you can also take time to visit the other photo entries, whether they smell good or not, in this week's Litratong Pinoy.

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Sa totoo lang, masinop naman ako sa gamit lalung-lalo na kung ako ang nagpundar nito. Kaya naman mahal na mahal ko ang bahay na tinitirhan namin ngayon. Parang beybi din na kailangang alagaan. Heto nga, at pagkatapos ng dalawang taon ay nagkaroon kami ng pagkakataon na makapagpalit ng pintura ng mga pader sa loob ng bahay. Nagdagdag din kami ng mga istante sa loob ng banyo sa kwarto para maiayos ang ilang gamit at ang aking koleksyon ng pabango.



Hehehe... kikay po talaga ako at walang nagawa ang asawa ko nang mag-desisyon akong PINK ang tema ng kwarto namin. Maganda naman ang kombinasyon hindi ba?


Naalala niyo ba yung isinali kong larawan noong Mayo para sa temang "Simula Pa Lang"? Hindi na ako nakasali noong sumunod na Huwebes kaya't hindi ko naipakita ang kinalabasan nito. Heto na siya ngayon.


Bachelor's loft ang tawag ng anak ko dyan sa itaas ng kanyang study area. Nakakatuwa naman talaga para sa isang bata ang may ganyang tulugan. Parang sariling bahay-bahayan.


Hay,sana'y laging ganyan kaayos ang bahay namin. Kapag abala kasi ako sa trabaho ay ang kasambahay lang ang nakakapag-ayos ng aming mga gamit at kadalasan ay hindi nakukuha ang kaartehang hanap ko.

Masinop ka rin ba? Ipakita mo ito at sumali sa amin sa Litratong Pinoy.

I am really a neat and careful person especially when it comes to things that I myself bought. This is why we love our home so much. We treat it as our baby. After two years, we were given a chance to have the walls repainted. We also had shelves made and installed in our master's bathroom to house some knick knacks and my collection of sprays and perfume. My husband wasn't able to say no when I decided that PINK will be our bedroom's motif. The color combination turned out pretty well, don't you think?

Remember way back in May when we had our "In The Beginning" theme? I wasn't able to join the following week so I did not have the chance to show how it turned out. Here's my son's study area now. He calls the upper part his bachelor's loft. He loves his sleeping area because it's like he has his own pad.

How I wish that our home is always this neat. I fail to clean our place regularly because of my busy schedule. It's the househelp that does this for me but it's still different from how I clean and arrange things.

Are you neat? Show this with photos and join us at Litratong Pinoy.

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Bahay na malinis. Ito yata ang meron ako ngayon at wala ang kapatid ko. Isang malaking milagro talaga na ang aking bahay sa Cainta Junction ay hindi pinasok ng tubig habang ang bahay naman ng kapatid ko sa Vista Verde ay nalubog sa tubig at putik nang dumaan ang Bagyong Ondoy. Hindi pa rin kami tapos sa paglilinis pero pasasaan ba at maibabablik rin ito sa dati kahit paunti-unti. Makikita niyo rin ang mas marami pang larawan ng pananalasa ni Ondoy dito.

A clean house. This is what I have now while my sister does not.It is a really a miracle that my house was spared from the flooding brought about by Typhoon Ondoy. My sister who lived in a bungalow house in Vista Verde lost almost everything. We are not yet done with our clean up operation but we are hopeful that everything will return to normal in time. View more of my Ondoy photos here.

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Ang mga larawang ito ay kuha mula sa aming lakad nitong nakaraang long weekend. Walang kaplano-plano, basta na lang naisip namin noong Linggo ng gabi na papasyal kami sa La Mesa Ecopark. Nakakahiya mang aminin, laking Maynila ako pero first time kong makarating dito.


Masarap maglakad lalo na kung presko ang lugar at maraming halaman. Nakaka-mangha talaga na mayroon palang ganitong paraiso sa Quezon City. Salamat na lang sa mga naka-isip na i-preserve ang La Mesa Watershed. Sa pagbisita lang namin dito at sa pagbayad ng 50 pesos na entrance fee ay nakatulong na kami sa pagpapaganda ng lugar.

Ito nga pala ang hagdan na aming inakyat para masilayan ang watershed. Hindi pwedeng kumuha ng litrato o video sa itaas kaya ito na lang ang aking souvenir.


Mas lalong presko sa itaas pero talaga namang nakakapagod. Heto nga't pagkababa ay umupo na lang ako sa pinakamalapit na pwedeng maupuan. Uy, naka-LP t-shirt pala ako!



Bisitahin niyo ang aking travel blog para makita ang mas marami pang larawan at kwento. Nag-boating at zipline pa kasi kami pagkatapos nito.

These photos were taken during our recent visit to La Mesa Ecopark. It's really a shame that it's my first time to visit the place. It's amazing to discover that a place like this exists in busy Quezon City. By visiting the place and paying the minimal entrance fee of 50 pesos, we have already done our share in contributing to the preservation of the La Mesa Watershed. The photo of the steps to the watershed is my only souvenir because taking of pictures and videos of the watershed is prohibited. Going up is very tiring but the breathtaking scenery up there made it all worth it. To view more pictures and to read more about our trip, please visit my travel blog. We road a boat and the zipline after that.


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Ang tindahan ng kakanin ni Aling Kika ay kilalang-kilala dito sa aming bayan ng Cainta. Ang bayan daw namin ay kilala daw noon bilang lugar ng may pinakamasarap na mga kakanin. Sa katunayan nga ay kilala ang Cainta bilang Bibingka Capital of the Philippines. Kung kaya naman, kapag pyesta ng bayan tuwing Disyembre, inaasahan na ng lahat ang napakahabang mesa ng libreng kakanin para sa lahat. Masarap naman talagang merienda ang aming mga katutubong kakanin. Masarap na ay masustansya pa.

Bago kayong lahat ay mag-panic, gusto ko lang ipaalam na hindi ko nilantakan lahat ng iyan at masyadong mataas sa sugar at carbohydrates ang kutsinta, sapin-sapin, leche flan, at Coco Jam na iyan. Tumikim-tikim lang ng kaunti. Kayo naman, minsan lang. Pagbigyan niyo na! Hehehe!

Aling Kika's Food Products store is well-known in our town of Cainta. Cainta is known to be the Bibingka Capital of the Philippines. Every December during our town fiesta, all the locals expect a spread of various native delicacies that is free for everyone. Truly, our native delicacies are yummy snacks that are not only delicious but healthy as well.

Before everyone of you panic, I'd just like everyone to know that I did not eat everything up. I cannot eat too much kutsinta, sapin-sapin, leche flan, and coco jam since these foods are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. I only had a few bites of each! Yum!

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Wala nang sasarap pa sa tanghaliang hindi lang ikaw ang nagluto kundi ikaw pa ang humuli!

Kahit na masaklap ang katotohanang nagbayad pa kami para lang humuli ng mga tilapiang ito ay ayos na rin. Sa una'y talagang maghihintay ka ng medyo matagal. Idagdag pa na hindi pwedeng malikot kundi'y gagalaw ang pisi sa ilalim ng tubig at lalayo ang mga isda.


Pero tanggal lahat ng pagod at paghihirap kapag nakahuli na. Ang sarap pa ng tawanan at asaran sa kung sinong may pinakamaliit na isda. Kita niyo nga, natalo pa ng aking anak ang kanyang Daddy. Ayun, back to the waters ang isda ng asawa ko. Bata pa kasi. Nasa isang kilo rin ang aming huli, tamang-tamang pananghalian ng lahat.


Tsaraaan! Piniritong Tilapia. Sariwa galing sa Fishing Lagoon ng Eco Village, Pili, Camarines Sur. Masarap na kasalo ng sariwang kamatis at sawsawang toyo at kalamansi. Masiram (masarap) kumbaga sa aming mga Bikolano. Tara, kain na tayo.

Masarap din ba ang tanghalian niyo? Ibahagi mo ito sa amin sa Litratong Pinoy.

Nothing tastes better than lunch that you did not only cook but also caught as well. Never mind the fact that we paid a fee to be able to catch the fish. It was all hard work because you cannot move too much so as not to scare the fish under the water. Nevertheless, it was all worth it. We had so much fun laughing at my husband who caught the smallest fish. We had to throw it back to the water. We fried the fish and served it with fresh tomatoes and soy calamansi dip. This photo was taken on our fishing trip to the Fishing Lagoon of the Eco Village in Pili, Camarines Sur. In Bicolano, we say it's masiram meaning yummy!

Is your lunch masiram, too? Share it with us on Litratong Pinoy.

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