My humidifier is famous!

I found it on Engrish.com. LOL


see more Engrish

Too bad hubby loathes it. I love it!

One Rainy Saturday Afternoon

What happens when it rains all day, cool and oh so nice to stay in bed?




Buttons slept with Daddy while I played on my computer (on Farmtown in Facebook). I thought it was so sweet that I took a video of them snoozing together. Buttons had a happy dream where she was running (her little legs kept twitching and moving). Unfortunately, that I didn't catch on the video.


Aren't they too precious? :)

Billy's First Model Kit Assembly - The Hwacha

Remember the Korean seige weapon that the Mythbusters that tested and proved it could work?


Mythbusters "Hwacha Episode"

The Korean Hwacha fired multiple arrows into an approaching army and was used by a Korean king during the Joseon Dynasty. Billy and I had a chance to go to the National Museum of Korea in Seoul a few weeks back. Billy bought a model kit of a woodcut Hwacha. It was laser-cut and the pieces could be assembled together easily (although one broke while Billy tried to get it out of the kit).

Here's Billy's Hwacha and it's about 4 inches X 6 inches wide.

The Rose Garden in Lake Park (Ilsan City)

One of our favorite places to visit in Ilsan City on our vacation is Lake Park. Lake Park has the largest man-made lake in Korea, with the lake covering almost 73 acres. To walk around the lake at a brisk pace will take almost an hour. Good thing on one side of the lake is a dragon tram that will take you halfway one side of the lake. There are a lot of fun things to do at the park such as biking, inline skating, walking, renting those family bicycle carts and there's even a jogging trail that encircles the entire lake.


If one wants to just go sight-seeing, Lake Park also has a cactus arboretum, botanical gardens, and a toilet museum (?!). What we also enjoy is the area surrounding Lake Park which is really large and sprawling commercial district. You can find Lotte Department Store, Grand Department Store as well as the huge La Festa shopping complex and the Western Dom that has hundreds of stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, and bars.

But our favorite place to stay in the park is the Rose Garden. It is a circular garden which has over a hundred varieties of rose plants and it is breathtaking. There is a mini-gazebo in the middle of the garden, with wooden benches dotting the garden for those who just wants to rest and take in the rose splendor.




This is exactly what we did. Hubby and I sat down to rest (it was a fairly long walk to the garden from the park entrance). Billy took this picture of us. Isn't he becoming a budding photographer? After promising to be careful of my camera, Billy asked permission to take pictures of the roses. So I agreed and let him wander off but only within our gazing distance. Billy then set out to take pictures of the roses.



Here are some of Billy's rose pictures.












Then we did what tourists did at the garden, pose and take pictures...






Billy took a gazillion more pictures while hubby and I just sat there (again) and inhaled the rosy scent surrounding us. It was an overcast day and it was perfect for picture-taking (something I learned from Photography 101). The overcast sky bathe the flowers in a soft, muted light. I have more rose pictures to post but I think it will use up all my alloted image space on Blogger. So here's me waving goodbye and the next post will be the World Flower Festival...

Ilsan Vacation (April 2009)

My family regularly goes off to a 2-day to 3-day vacation to Ilsan City. Ilsan is a satellite city about 45 minutes away from Seoul using the subway. We go there for our winter and summer vacation days. Why Ilsan you may ask? Well it's a relatively new city with lots of parks, malls, restaurants and places to sightsee. That is also where hubby got his first job here in Korea and we really enjoyed our first year of living in Ilsan.

To quote Wikipedia: "Ilsan is the name of two districts or wards (Ilsandong-gu, literally “Eastern Ilsan district”, and Ilsanseo-gu, literally “Western Ilsan district”) in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Ilsan-gu has been divided into two wards of Ilsandong-gu and Ilsanseo-gu in May 16, 2005.

Compared to Deogyang-gu, which makes up the rest of Goyang, the recently developed area of Ilsan-gu is more organized and planned, and its residents are generally more affluent. Ilsan is located northwest of Seoul. Like other satellite cities in the Seoul National Capital Area such as Bundang and Pyeongchon, Ilsan was planned in order to alleviate housing shortages in the city of Seoul. Ilsan has experienced phenomenal growth in the past 15 years, usually drawing in younger generations of upper middle-class Koreans."


Now everytime we go for a vacation, it's a choice whether to go to Seoul or to Ilsan (usually we go for the latter). This time, the Biennial World Flower Festival was being held again in Lake Park (Hosu Park). The previous festivals were held inside trade exhibition halls and we didn't think it was going to be as beautiful and as fun.

So off we went to Ilsan for a 3-day vacation. Here are my men enjoying our hotel.


Here's hubby mugging for the camera. He usually parks himself at the free computer that is provided by the motel. That is the neat thing about motels here in Korea. Inside the rooms, you get a computer with speaker and free internet connection, 24/7. Some of the computers are even hooked up to the TV should you want to watch a DVD played on the computer and then watched on the TV screen (usually an LCD Plasma screen).



And while Daddy is on the internet, Billy plays with his PSP (Sony Personal Playstation). If you're looking for me, I am usually stretched out on the bed, watching tv or taking a nap. It's that time when we recharge our batteries and just have fun.

For pictures of Lake Park (specifically the Rose Garden) and the World Flower Festival, let me post that in the next few posts.

***The Rose Garden

***The World Flower Festival

Words of Wisdom from My Father

"As for mortgages, office intrigues and other worrisome things, keep in mind you can't do anything about them at that time of night. So why worry about them? It is best to get the bad blood out of your system before falling sleep. This way, your sleep will not be marred by frightening dreams."

"Every person is unique and what is a chore for one will be an uplifting experience for another. Take the time to look into yourself and find out what is good for you. If something or someone leaves you drained either physically or emotionally, then that is an activity or a person to be avoided whenever possible."

Thanks Dad. I really needed this today.

Why a Boy Needs a Dog

The Cycle of Abuse

Last night was a harrowing night of tears and misery. Not from me but from a Filipina neighbor friend of mine. She sought refuge in my home when her hubby tried to strangle her. She has been a victim of abuse before and the violence is escalating.

I tried my best to counsel her and warn her about going back to her korean husband. I called our church and our pastor came over late last night to whisk her away to a safe house somewhere out of town. Her husband already told her that she is not welcome to come back at all.

My friend is 50 and after a decade of marriage to this bastard, she is cast away like these old pair of boots.

Korean Houses

I love seeing old Korean houses. Take a gander on this Buddhist home. See the colorful lanterns waving in the wind? I would admit seeing the Buddhist symbol on the flag jarred me when I was new in Korea. I thought it was a Nazi symbol but was corrected that it is primarily a religious symbol.



Even old, abandoned houses have a certain charm of their own. Like abandoned shells of humanity. A haven of lost souls...

Billy's Spring Flowers

Nothing spells spring than a bunch of fresh flowers. It was fine sunny, spring day and Billy and I went walking with Buttons to the nearby park. We walked, Buttons smelled everything on the ground (and peed every now and then) and then went looking for 4-leaf clovers. When we finally headed back, Billy picked a bunch of flowers for me.




I had a new yellow vase (given to me by my friend Imelda) and was going to arrange the flowers. Billy asked if he can do it and I said "Why not?". Isn't what he made so lovely?




My budding ikebana artist. :)

Birthday Calculator

I plugged my Birthday in the Birthday Calculator site and got these interesting results.

31 July 1969

Your date of conception was on or about 7 November 1968 which was a Thursday.

You were born on a Thursday
under the astrological sign Leo.
Your Life path number is 9.

Your fortune cookie reads:
Love is the only medicine for a broken heart.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 6 & 9.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 7 & 11.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 4, 8 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2440433.5.
The golden number for 1969 is 13.
The epact number for 1969 is 11.
The year 1969 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/17/1969 and ending 2/5/1970.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Rooster.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Salmon; your plant is Raspberry.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Paopy, the second month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 16 Av 5729.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 17 Av 5729.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.15.17.9 which is
12 baktun 17 katun 15 tun 17 uinal 9 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Thursday, 16 Jumadiyu'l-Avval 1389 (1389-5-16).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 6 April 1969.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 13 April 1969.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 19 February 1969.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 25 May 1969.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 1 June 1969.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 13 September 1969.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 3 April 1969.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 18 February 1969.

As of 4/13/2009 5:44:27 PM EDT
You are 39 years old.
You are 477 months old.
You are 2,072 weeks old.
You are 14,501 days old.
You are 348,041 hours old.
You are 20,882,504 minutes old.
You are 1,252,950,267 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Eric Lively (1981) Dean Cain (1966) J.K. Rowling (1965)
Jim Corr (1964) Wesley Snipes (1962) Bill Berry (1958)
Barry Van Dyke (1951) Geraldine Chaplin (1944) Curt Gowdy (1919)
Milton Friedman (1912)

Top songs of 1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In by Fifth Dimension In the Year 2525 by Zager & Evans
Get Back by Beatles (with Billy Preston) Sugar, Sugar by Archies
Honky Tonk Women by Rolling Stones Everyday People by Sly & the Family Stone
Dizzy by Tommy Roe Wedding Bell Blues by Fifth Dimension
I Can't Get Next to You by Temptations Crimson & Clover by Tommy James & the Shondells

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.67553816046967 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)

Your lucky day is Sunday.
Your lucky number is 1 & 4.
Your ruling planet(s) is Sun.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Aquarius.
Your opposition number(s) is 8.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 109 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 40 candles.

Those 40 candles produce 40 BTUs,
or 10,080 calories of heat (that's only 10.0800 food Calories!) .
You can boil 4.57 US ounces of water with that many candles.


In 1969 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US.
In 1969 the US population was approximately 179,323,175 people, 50.6 persons per square mile.
In 1969 in the US there were approximately 1,800,000 marriages (9.3%) and 479,000 divorces (2.5%)
In 1969 in the US there were approximately 1,712,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1969 the population of Australia was approximately 12,407,217.
In 1969 there were approximately 250,175 births in Australia.
In 1969 in Australia there were approximately 112,470 marriages and 10,930 divorces.
In 1969 in Australia there were approximately 106,496 deaths.

Your birth flower is DELPHINIUM

Your birthstone is Ruby

The Mystical properties of Ruby

Ruby is said to open one's heart to love.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Carnelian

Your birth tree is
Cypress, the Faithfulness
Strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, happy,content,optimistic, needs enough money and acknowledgment, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered,unruly, pedantic and careless.



There are 256 days till Christmas 2009!
There are 269 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were born was waning gibbous.

The Newest Member of Our Family - Buttons.

Meet Buttons, she's a Yorkshire Terrier and she's the newest member of our household. Buttons was rescued 3 years ago in the dead of winter when her (insert your choice of expletive here)owner kicked her out because he couldn't potty train her. My friend, Imelda, was the one who rescued her and brought her to her animal shelter.



Buttons has already taken over our home and our hearts. She is a very gentle and loving dog who always wants to be cuddled, held, stroked and carried around. This delights Hubby since he adores dogs and always carries Buttons around. Billy loves playing fetch with her and runs all over the house with her at his feet. They sleep together on his bed and wake up together in the mornings.



Sometimes, she just lazes about and relaxes on our beds. Buttons loves burrowing under the covers, under mounds of pillows and even under mattresses. She has provided us with a gentle, loving nature that is so calming and reassuring. Spending some quality time by brushing her long silky hair everytime lowers my blood pressure and I've enjoyed every minute of it.



I still can't fathom why someone would throw away such a delightful, loving animal. All I can say is that, now Buttons has finally found a new home. Our home.

Earth Day

Last week, Billy kept reminding me that Saturday, 8:30 pm was Earth Day - an hour long observation of turning off all lights, TV, computers, etc. I told Hubby about it (on the night itself) and he wasn't too thrilled about it. There was a K1 fight going on and he wanted to see if the guy got the crap beat out of him.

But we did do the Earth Day thing and turned off all of our appliances and electronic stuff. Well, except for the fridge. To occupy the time, I took out all our leftover, extra birthday candles and decided to let Billy light them one by one. Did you know that it takes about 10 minutes for an average birthday candle to finally burn out?



The things you learn when you're in the dark. :)

Korean Garlic Pizza ... bleagh.

Hubby and I went to our local grocery store and found this in the frozen section...



It looked interesting enough. Garlic Pizza. I love garlic and I love pizza. I told my hubby to get me one (it was only $2.99) and that would be my dinner for the night. When we got home, hubby ordered pepperoni pizza from Sijang Pizza (he didn't trust the packaged pizza). I opened up the package...



...and found shrimp (yay!) and pineapple (what the heck?). Pineapple belongs in a fruit cup or a salad - NEVER ON A PIZZA. I tried to pick out all the yucky pineapple chunks on it and broiled the pizza in our oven. It was bland, I couldn't taste the cheese, let alone the pizza sauce. And I was still hungry. So I took a hot slice of pepperoni pizza from my hubby's pizza and finally felt full.

Justice League cartoon ala Daddy Bill

Remember the supercool Justice League animated cartoons on Warner Brothers? The ones with the great storylines, adult humor and snappy one-liners?

It was a family favorite and we [Jai, Billy, moi and hubby] would all watch it (on our bed and usually with snacks and drinks).

If y'all can remember the opening sequence, here's hubby acting it out for us. (Listen for Billy singing along with the song and then giggling at the funny movements).

My Favorite Things

...Brown paper packages tied up with string
these are a few of my favorite things...

I love getting stuff from the mail. Living in another country means that sometimes, there is just some stuff that is hard to find here. Like freshly grated coconut, exotic spices, local chocolates and snacks from Manila... sigh. Good thing that I belong to several internet communities and have exchanged care packages with friends.

So far, I have sent a Korean clay pot, Korean nutty goodies and candies, "gochujang" (red pepper paste), sparkly celphone accessories, metal chopsticks, etc. And in return, I have gotten packages of gravy mix, US chocolates and candies, "lokum" (Turkish Delight from actual Turkey - thanks Sazji!), asthma relief aids, my beloved Terry Pratchett books (his latest) and lately...

TimTam chocolate cookies and Milo bars from Australia!



Thank you so much Sephie! My friend, from the Terry Pratchett Message Board, sent me these goodies from Down-Under. We were talking about the delights of eating Milo powder (kinda like Ovaltine and Hershey cocoa powder) straight from the jar. She promised to send me Milo bars and thought of sending these 3 kinds of TimTam cookies. Sephie also instructed me to make a Timtam straw and that I would have to do before I gobble up all the cookies.

I sent Sephie my favorite chocolate covered cookie here in Korea, plus some other goodies too.

By the time my goodies from Australia arrived, another package turned up in my mailbox. It was from the US, sent by my Singaporian friend Edwin who was vacationing there. I asked a favor from him if he could send me cayenne pepper spice. A tiny bottle of cayenne pepper costs about $7 here. And Edwin was nice enough to send me two.



I can't wait to do another goodie-swap with an internet friend. Sometimes, the best things do come from the mail.

I said it once...

And I will say it again,

SPAMMERS/HACKERS SHOULD BE HUNG BY THEIR WAZZOOS.

Or be dealt with this kitty's intentions.



Last weekend, my firewall got breached and a [unprintable expletive] hacker got my Google password. My Gmail password and alternate email got changed and I spent several frustrating days trying to email Google that I couldn't access my account. So I gave up on this blog and created a new blog instead
A Box of Jalapenos (part 2). Like Murphy's Law, Google came through and gave me my Google account back.

Great. Now I have two blogs. Well, what the heck. From now on, my newest blog would deal mainly with food and recipes. This old blog will be mostly family updates and other topics such as the perils and tribulations of living abroad.

Corned Beef with Cabbage Filipino Style

When I was little, I would love to read the Manila Bulletin newspaper comic section. It was a full-page of comics ranging from US cartoon strips (Peanuts, Spiderman, The Phantom, etc) but what really got my attention was a strip called "Bringing Up Father". The mom in the cartoon, Maggie, would ask Jiggs what he wanted for supper. The answer was always Corned Beef and Cabbage.

I once asked my mom to fix it and she said that she has always been fixing it. Then she pointed out that our lunch that day was corned beef and cabbage. I knew it wasn't the same thing that Jiggs wanted for supper but the Filipino version is still very tasty and satisfying.

So, I'm sharing my mom's recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage. What we use is the canned corned beef called "Argentina Corned Beef". Click here to see what it looks like: Argentina Corned Beef. It's a tiny can, maybe as big a round like a tomato paste can.

Recipe:

1 can Argentina corned beef
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp corn oil
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into shreds
2 cups beef stock or 1 beef boullion cube + 2 cups water

1. In a wok, heat up the oil and fry the garlic until golden-brown. Add the onion slices and stir-fry until the onions are translucent.

2. Open the can of corned beef and dump the contents into the pan. Stir-fry everything for about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir-fry everything for a minute.

3. Add the beef stock. Cover and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, take the cover off and let simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked (to your liking, I like mine a still with some crunch).

4. Take off the heat and serve into bowls.

This is a good side dish for fried fish like "galunggong" (Scad). Of course, with freshly cooked rice, too.

Ampalaya and Sardinas (Bitter Gourd with Sardines in Tomato Sauce)

I used to hate "ampalaya" or Bitter Gourd in English. It is also called "amargoso" in some parts of the Philippines. Ampalaya is usually served thinly sliced with beaten egg (like a veggie scrambled egg stir-fry) or sauteed with beef slices and then drenched with a thick oyster sauce-based dressing.

What changed my mind about the ampalaya? My friend and neighbor Elena had a vegetable garden and she grew ampalaya there. She kept trying to give me ampalaya fruit which I constantly refused, recalling my childhood days of being forced to eat the bitter vegetable. She assured me that her ampalaya wasn't that bitter and with proper preparation, most of the bitterness would be gone anyway. I changed my mind and accepted several ampalaya fruit. It was wonderful. And not bitter at all.

The ampalaya dish I made today for breakfast is Ampalaya and Sardinas (Canned Sardines in Tomato Sauce). The sardines I used is of the Ligo brand (I think the most popular canned sardines in the Philippines). You can get for a buck here (which means it's probably 40 to 50 cents back in Manila.

So on to the recipe.

RECIPE

1 medium-sized ampalaya
1 can of sardines in tomato sauce (any brand will do, even the spicy one)
1/4 cup rock salt
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil

1. Wash the ampalaya, cut the ends off and then cut in half. Using a spoon, scrape the inner white portion of the fruit (that has seeds in it) until you come to the firm green flesh. Cut into thin slices, pile into a bowl and mix thoroughly with rock salt. (This will leach most of the bitterness out of the sliced ampalaya). Set aside.

2. Get a wok or pan and set over medium fire. Add the oil and when it is hot, add the garlic and fry until golden-brown. Then add the onion slices and stir-fry until the onion is translucent.

3. Wash and rinse the ampalaya slices. Drain and add the ampalaya to the pan. Stir-fry everything for about 2 minutes.

4. Open the can of sardines and dump everything into the pan. Add about a can of water (use the empty can for measurement) and add that to the pan too. If you like, break up the whole sardines into little pieces. Stir everything and let simmer.

5. When the sauce has reduced to half, the dish is done. Turn off the heat and serve with rice.



This dish is usually served for lunch but like what i said, I had it for breakfast. Well, brunch technically since I woke up late (almost lunchtime). Ampalaya is rich with iron and is usually prescribed to persons with anemia. It is also promotes digestion. Recent studies are now looking to ampalaya extract to help combat HIV infections. Now if that is not enough for you to try ampalaya, I don't know what will. All I know, my brunch this morning was really mighty tasty. And healthy too. ;)

Making Deokkbokki (Korean Ricecakes in Red Pepper Sauce)

Deokkbokki is a popular street snack in Korea. You can find it almost anywhere there is a food cart. Most food sellers have a hot plate of deokkbokki in its fiery red sauce, simmering away. Deokkbokki is basically long rice sticks cooked in gochujang (korean red pepper paste). The basic ingredients also include slices of fish cake, leeks, onions and sometimes whole boiled eggs.

Korean kids usually buy it in a paper cup (costs about 50 cents) and eat it with a toothpick (which they use to stab the deokk (rice cake) and shovel it into their mouths. The first time I tasted it, it was so hot that it brought tears to my eyes. But kids here are so used to the spiciness that it doesn't faze them a bit. I have to drink two gulps of water before I can eat another rice cake.

I finally had a chance to learn how to make this snack when hubby's school hosted an post-Christmas party for the kids. Stella, the school's secretary, showed me step-by-step on how to fix deokkbokki. I can't believe how simple it was. She had to fix large amounts of deokkbokki for the school event so I'll include measurements in ( ) for those who want to fix a regular amount of it.

In a flat-bottom pan, add the following (1 cup) julienned cabbage, (1/2 cup) sliced leeks, (1 tbsp minced garlic) and (about 2 cups) water. Turn the heat up to medium and let it come to simmer.

Add about (2-3 tbsp) gochujang. This is red pepper paste and can usually be found in Korean grocery stores or Asian food marts. If you need some, email me and I'll send you some authentic homemade gochujang. There's a large jar in my fridge and I swear this stuff lasts forever.

Next is a very important step, the sugar. Yes, deokkbokki has some sugar in it, this is to counter the gochujang flavor. Add about a (tablespoon or two) of sugar.

Last is beef bouillion powder. Stella says that this is optional since one can use plain salt and pepper. I used about (1 tbsp) of beef bouillon powder. Stella also added a smidgen of MSG (I know some of you are cringing about this but I use it too). You can omit this too, if you prefer. Mix everything up and continue to let it simmer.

Now cut the deokk into 2-inch pieces and the fish cake into 2X3 inch slices. If the deokk you bought is fresh (like what is available here for me) you can simply add the pieces to the pan. If they are packaged and bought from the supermarket, you would need to soak them in hot water for 5 minutes and then drained before adding to the pan. You would need about (4 cups of) sliced rice and 2 cups sliced fish cakes. Add both the rice cakes and fish cakes to the pan ( that would be simmering by now). Mix everything very well and let simmer until the sauce has reduced and become sticky.

Taste the sauce before turning off the heat. See if it needs more salt, more sugar. Or if it is too sticky, add more water to it. And if it is too watery, just let it cook a little longer. To avoid using beef bouillon, I suggest using vegetable or chicken stock. And deokk or rice cake doesn't only come in long thin tubes. Some shapes are thin oval slices, long big tubes (the size of water hoses) and even fun shapes like snowman figures. You can use any shape you want. And optional ingredients also include slices of shitakke mushrooms, sliced carrots, broccoli, etc.

Next time, I'll post another deokkbokki recipe, only this time, the sauce is soy-sauce based. :)