One man's trash

...is another woman's treasure.

One great thing about living here in Korea is that Koreans throw out everything. You name it - TVs, electronic stuff (cameras, phones, etc.), appliances, clothes, furniture and most especially kitchenware.

Being a Filipina, I have inherited the hoarding gene and it pains to for me to see stuff in good working condition, thrown out in the recycling bin. Lemme show you the kitchen "treasures" I have rescued.

A steamer pot that has served me well. It is great for steaming dimsum, sweet potatoes, potatoes (for mashed taters), etc.

I actually found a Vision pot. Granted it is good for a single or two serving, but hey it's perfect for us.


This charming little duo I use for making ramyeon, boiling eggs, cooking chestnuts, etc.

A wide flat-bottom pot perfect for stews and veggie dishes.












So next time you pass a recycling bin, trash yard or garbage can, don't be afraid to dumpster dive. You'll probably be surprised at the treasures that you can find.

Cake-Inna-Mug

I found this great recipe while browsing online. It said bake a cake in a mug in just 3 minutes using your microwave. Now how cool is that? The neat thing about it is that there are only 5 basic ingredients that you need: flour, cocoa drink mix, egg, water and cooking oil. The recipe can be found HERE.

Here's the cake baking in my oven. See it tower majestically above the mug?



Now open the microwave after the alloted 3 minutes and watch the cake deflate back into the mug.



Carefully take the mug out using oven mitts and set it on the kitchen counter. The freshly baked cake smells awesome!



Now dump the cake on a plate and cut into thick slices to release the steam inside it. From this on you can serve it topped with ice cream, icing, whipped cream, nuts, chocolate syrup. etc.



My little one preferred whipped cream and ice cream for his toppings. And he gave it a thumbs up. :)

I won! I won!

There's a certain thrill and satisfaction when somebody tells you that you're a winner. Be it the lowest prize in the daily Lotto or some trinket from a friend. Last time I won, it was from an online Bingo game hosted by my friend - MissyK. There was very special prize for the person who chose a certain actor's name. The prize was a small stuffed polar bear and a Lei.



Then Walk this Way's Carlos Celdran hosted a game called "THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING BAKYA." Bakya in Filipino means "tacky" and also means a pair of Filipino wooden clogs (well, they used to be wooden in the past but now they're more of plastic and rubber). And after almost a month's wait, I won! My entry was a picture of woman in heeled sandals at the same time wearing socks. Ugh!



I had the winning certificate mailed to my mom so she can pick out her Happy Feet sandals. It wouldn't do good for me to have it mailed to me anyway. It's too cold for sandals here in Korea now.

A Writer's Enemy

It's been over a month since I wrote in this blog. It's hard to explain when you stop writing. You can chalk it to laziness but deep inside, I feel something else. It's selfishness. Yes, sometimes we writers don't want to share our writings, our thoughts, our prose.

A couple of nights ago, I dreamt a story that was pure fantasy and magic. It would have made for a great short story, even a novella. But even as I pondered in setting it into writing, something made me stop and not write it down at all. Now the dream was just a dream and just fragments of it float into my memory.

Now as I tappity-type on my keyboard while "The Bridge of Teribithia" blares on the TV, I find that the urge to write has been sparked again. I shall post more on my thoughts, what has happened and what will be. I just need to overcome the enemy again.