Chicken breast in cream and parsley sauce

Because this was a product of an unsuccessful 'white chicken karahi' experiment that turned out surprisingly good, this needs documentation.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 whole garlic, chopped
• 1 whole medium-sized yellow/white onion, chopped
• approx. 2 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 kg chicken breast fillet, sliced to desired sizes
• approx. 500 ml water (adjust if needed)
• approx. 300 ml cream (we used whipping cream)
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• dash of salt
• dash of pepper
• 2 tsp white sugar
• approx. 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil leaves

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat a large wok. In low heat, put in the oil and butter. 
2. After the butter has melted, add in the garlic. Saute until the aroma comes out, then add in the chopped onions and saute until they become translucent, then add in the ginger. Saute for around 2 minutes until the garlic turns a little brown.
3. Add in the chicken fillet and saute until it becomes brown.
4. Add in just enough water to cook the chicken and have a base for the sauce. If you accidentally added a lot of water, boil it using high heat.
5. When the chicken is almost cooked, add in the cream. Stir and boil for 2-3 minutes until the sauce becomes thick and until the chicken is completely cooked.
6. Add in the Worcestershire sauce. Stir and boil for a minute.
7. Add in the chopped parsley and dried basil leaves. Stir and boil for 2 minutes.
8. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.
9. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.

This is our finished product, with a side of mashed potatoes, and a mug of Iced Lemon Mint.

Chicken Mushroom Sopas

This is a recipe that was brought out because we had leftover elbow macaroni and we had chicken and we wanted to incorporate mushroom soup, and we were lazy to cook rice.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 whole garlic, chopped
• 1 whole medium-sized onion, chopped
• 500g chicken fillet, diced
• 250g elbow macaroni
• 750ml water (adjust if needed)
• 1 can of button mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup or Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried basil leaves

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat saucepan. Add in the oil and butter. 
2. After the butter has melted, add in the garlic. Saute until the aroma comes out, then add in the chopped onions and saute until they become translucent.
3. Add in the chicken fillet and saute until it becomes brown.
4. Add in the water to cook the chicken.
5. When the chicken is already half-cooked, add in the elbow macaroni and cook using the instructed time.
6. When the pasta has been cooked, the chicken should already be also cooked at this time. Add in the canned soup. Bring to a boil until the condensed soup has been completely dissolved.
7. Add in the sliced mushrooms, stir in and boil for around 2-3 minutes.
8. Add a dash of salt, pepper and dried basil leaves.
9. Serve hot.

The finished product, serves 3-4:

Spicy Misua Soup with Tuna

This is one of our random brunch menus that just came from what we had in our pantry which is based from the typical Sardines (in tomato sauce) with Misua soup dish but just a little different.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 cup chopped (red) onions
• 1 can tuna chunks in oil
• 1 pack Mama Sita's Menudo/Afritada mix
• 500 ml water
• 150-200g misua noodles
• 1 sachet of chili flakes (from your favorite pizza place)
• 2 tsp patis

Cooking instructions:

1. Heat a saucepan/kawali. Add in the oil until hot.
2. Saute onions until a bit transparent.
3. Add in the tuna chunks. Saute with the onions.
4. Add in the Mama Sita's Menudo/Afritada mix.
5. Add in the water and let it boil until the mix is fully dissolved.
6. Sprinkle the chili flakes, and add the patis. Mix in and let the soup boil for another minute.
7. Add in the misua noodles. Mix it in with a fork to separate the strands.
8. Boil the soup until the misua noodles are fully cooked.
9. Serve hot with rice (yeah, for intense carbo loading).

Additional notes:

Mama Sita's mix was used in the absence of tomato sauce. Next time I'll try to use tomato sauce and for sure it will taste better, and maybe, add in some herbs for a western twist. But for now, the mix is already tasty in itself.

So, the finished product, serves 2-3:

Personalized Pre-Cana seminar

Me and my fiance are very lucky to have received a personalized Pre-Cana seminar by no other than my future parents-in-law. I was not able to take down notes on that afternoon but here are some of the items that I can remember and I am writing it here so I can always go back to it.

• Husband: Head of the family. The chief decision-maker, with the suggestion and support of the wife.
• Wife: Supports the husband, and is mostly in-charge of home activities (such as household chores *ouch!*), but also with the support of the husband.
• Married life is about teamwork.
• Other people may give advice and counsel but in the end, it will all boil down to the two of you.
• Most arguments are unresolved because it is being solved at two different view points, based from each one's upbringing. Both then should understand where the other comes from.
• The universal rule to the wife: do not nag. *ouch!*
• My future in-laws' personal advice: don't argue over money.
• During an argument, when one has a hot head, the other one should be calm and cool enough to control the situation. Wag makipagsabayan ng init ng ulo dahil kung anu-ano lang ang pwedeng masabi. Wait until both are calm before discussing the issue at hand.

25-month update

Again, it has been sooooo long since I last wrote here.

At present, it is already past my second year anniversary here in Malaysia. Time really does travel fast. And from that two years, what has been happening in my life?

Couples for Christ and Singles for Christ - Kuala Lumpur
On that first working day I had here in KL, one of the first things that I did was look for the Couples for Christ community. Luckily, I found sis Lina's number in the website of the Philippine Embassy. I was able to get in touch with her and attend the CFC - Ampang (a.k.a. all-Pinoy) household.

By the time I joined, there were 7 couples, 2 Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD), 3 Servants of the Lord (SOLD), and 2 SFC sisters. All of these people in one household so just imagine how long the worship takes.

Two CLPs plus various hanapan sessions (like how some SFCs met during the SFC ICON 2012 live stream, or how some SFCs were able to recognize us by just seeing the shirt we wore in church which were incidentally SFC conference shirts) later, the CFC - Ampang HH grew into four separate households: SFC, SOLD+HOLD, CFC "New Perspective" (Elders), and the CFC "Team Bagets" (Young Couples). SFC itself even grew by separating into two households, SFC Brothers and SFC Sisters, to a total of almost 20 active members from three, 2 years ago.

Some members and leaders may have come and gone (migrated to other parts of the world, went back to 'Pinas, or were just part of the household temporarily), but still, this is one of the biggest blessings I have witnessed here in KL. Added to that is the service we did and are still doing in St. John's Cathedral, and being able to attend the conferences in Singapore and the SFC International Conference in Manila last February (which was the first time I went back to Pinas for vacation).

Such joy.

Working matters
The first client where I was assigned was another blessing because it gave me the opportunity to be assigned for three weeks in Tanzania. It was a really great experience. People were very nice, although the job that time was really hectic, we didn't even get to go to a safari or to go island hopping.

After finishing the contract with the first client, I was temporarily assigned for an in house project with my employer. Though the working schedule was really hectic, the workplace was behind a really nice shopping mall and I was with a former colleague and we actually had fun working together again.

A month and a half after, thankfully I was assigned to another client. A very big company here in Malaysia, the workplace is near our residence, I am learning a lot, and I am a few days away from my one year mark.

Personal matters
Five months after I arrived here in KL, my boyfriend was able to follow me here in KL. A year after, we got officially engaged, and less than 10 months to go before we get married. ^_^

Selamat Datang Ke Malaysia!

That is, in Malay, "Welcome to Malaysia!"

No, I am not on a tour. In fact, I just moved here.
Yup, you read that right. From the busy city of Metro Manila in Philippines,  I am now living here in Malaysia.

God has blessed me with this wonderful opportunity to be here, because of a new job. So I am writing this blog post (after my frustrated 30-day challenge posts, which only lasted me a week), in order to share some of my experiences of my (as of this day) three-week stay here in Kuala Lumpur.

Arrival

Since I took a Saturday night flight from MNL, I arrived in KUL early Sunday morning. That is 3.5 hours of travel (in fairness to Cebu Pacific, the flight was on time, unlike the usual delays in their domestic flights). Of course I thought that I would be landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) which is an architectural sight to see. But since I took Cebu Pacific, we landed at the LCCT (Low-cost Carrier Terminal).

I think I expected too much. Their LCCT? Well, let's just say that our NAIA Terminal 1 looks better. And if you'll be taking Air Asia (which flies from Clark, Pampanga to here in KUL), you'll also be landing at the LCCT. But if you'll take Malaysia Airlines, then you will go down at KLIA.

Transportation

From the LCCT, you can ride a bus that goes to KL Sentral (the "central" station of almost everything, from trains, buses, even flight check-in when you're taking Malaysia Airlines) that is just around RM8.

The roads and vehicles? Right hand drive. The wheel is on the right side of the vehicle, so the roads, and everything, are on the left.

The roads
In Metro Manila, you can only see "major" highways in C5, South Super Highway and Skyway. Here in KL, these kinds of roads are what connects most of the city's towns. So you'll be seeing SCTEX-like roads almost everywhere.

The cabs/taxis
Taxis, or in Malay, Teksi, has a flagdown of RM3, and increments 10 sens. A note though, some of them, like Pinoy cab drivers:
-choose/turn down passengers
-trick passengers (yeah, experienced this once, because he could tell I was new here, he did not use the meter and didn't even have change so I had to give him RM20 for a destination that would only cost RM10)
-and/or just be a total asshole (me and my friend, Donn, experienced one cab driver who did not even drop us to where we want to, and was hurrying us..he even sped the car as soon as we got out).

If like me, you don't have a choice but to take a cab most of the time, at least be vigilant and know that they are using the taximeter.

The trains
A better mode of transportation, these are waaaay better than what we have in Manila.

LRT Kelana Jaya line (Laluan Kelana Jaya)
-the pink line, travels from Kelana Jaya to Gombak. If you want to go to the Petronas Towers, take this train and go down at KLCC station. This station is underneath the famed twin towers. Usual interchange stations are Masjid Jamek (to Ampang line) and KL Sentral. Usually crowded since it is the longest and I think has the bigger "market".

LRT Ampang line (Laluan Ampang)
-the yellow line, travels from Sentul Timur, has a joint station Chan Sow Lin, and from here, the tracks separate, one goes to Sri Petaling, and the other goes to Ampang. Usual interchange stations are Masjid Jamek (to Kelana Jaya line), and Hang Tuah and Titiwangsa (to KL Monorail). For Pinoys, Plaza Rakyat (or Masjid Jamek) station is a landmark since this is near Kota Raya, a sort of like 168 mall in Divisoria, where most Pinoy stores are. Chinatown (Jalan Petaling) is also near Plaza Rakyat station.

KL Monorail (KL Monorel)
-yes, a train that looks more like a bus, that runs on one rail (hence the name, monorail). Usually crowded since per train, it only has two cabins. A bit expensive by 20sens. Interchange stations are Hang Tuah and Titiwangsa (to Ampang line) and KL Sentral (but is not directly connected to the mall-like train station).

Why is it better here than in Manila? Because even though there's a crowd when riding the trains, most of the time, people fall in line at the sides of the door and leave a space open in the center so that the people coming in and coming out are not blocking each other's way. Unlike in our prestigious MRT3.

Also, we have this electronic and reloadable (much like our stored value) card, Touch 'n Go. You can just load it in any LRT station and you can just tap the card the entry gate. It saves time spent on falling in line just to buy a ticket.

Food

Since Malaysia is a cultural mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese, expect all these kinds of food to be found almost anywhere.

Average cost per meal (bought in cheaper areas/restaurants) would be around RM5. That would include at least one meat dish, and rice, or if you're eating Chinese food, that's one order of noodles. If you're eating in a restaurant inside a mall, average meals would be around RM10.

Wherever you are, if you'll ask for (tap) water, it's not free. And if you won't have ice put in, they'll serve the water, warm.

Since Indian food is rampant, expect to see a lot of curried dishes. A tip: redness is the measurement of spicy-ness. If you see that the food is a dark shade of red, you might want to reconsider, unless you really are used to eating spicy foods. Oh yeah, hot is different from spicy. I just forgot the difference.

Also, Chinese serve their dishes, besides chopsticks, with the soup spoon, even though you ordered noodles. Well, it's a bit of common sense right? Since not all foods can be picked up with chopsticks. I was just wondering why in the Philippines it isn't such.

Accommodation

For working professionals like me, the usual is room rentals, most of the time in a condominium or apartment, or sometimes in a link house. For small unfurnished rooms, a month's rental would range from RM250-RM400. For medium to master's bedroom with furnishings, a month's rent would range from RM450-RM900. It could include the utilities payment, or it may not, but the utilities are shared will all the people in the house/unit. Usual initial payment is either 2 or 2.5 months rent as deposit, plus first month rent. It is good if you'll look for a unit near your workplace, and is accessible to where you can buy food and other necessities.

Need help in finding a room? Visit http://www.mudah.my and http://www.ibilik.my.

Filipinos

If you're beginning to be homesick or you are missing Filipino food, head to Kota Raya. As mentioned, it is a mall between Masjid Jamek and Plaza Rakyat LRT Stations. This part of the city is quite crowded though.

A few meters away from Masjid Jamek (Kelana Jaya line) LRT Station, you'll see St. John's Cathedral. This is the church where most Filipinos go to mass every Sunday, especially in the morning. You'll also find outside the church gates, a few food stalls selling Filipino food. Also, a few feet away there are Pinay manicurists/pedicurists. (Haven't tried them though, maybe one of these Sundays.) And one more thing, the parish church has a small building for Archdiocesan Single Adults and Youth Office, and one room there is called Tahanang Pilipino.

Places to hangout (well, from where I have been)

Bukit Bintang
A mixture of Eastwood (Libis), Session Road (Baguio), Greenbelt 5 (Makati) and Chinatown (Binondo).
How to get here: take the KL Monorail and go down at Bukit Bintang station.

Suria KLCC
This is much like Glorietta and Greenbelt, which is a mall beneath the Petronas Towers.
Get here by taking Kelana Jaya line LRT and go down at KLCC station.

Other things that I could share

-Thou shall not go to a tourist destination (most especially in Genting Highlands) on a public holiday. We tried once, and as expected, our tour was somehow a "fail".
-There have been reported incidences of misfortunes (including snatchers and acid splashers, riding a motorcycle) happening on the streets. Just be cautious on the surroundings. Petty crimes, like in the Philippines, are reportedly quite just as "usual".
-At least try to learn their language (Malay), even just the basic ones that you may use when buying food or something else. Some Malays do not know how to speak English. Indians and Chinese, even if they do speak in English, may sometimes be a bit hard to understand due to their certain accent. Don't get intimidated if they speak Tamil and Mandarin/Cantonese (respectively) around you. Just grab a Filipino friend then talk in Tagalog.
-Public restrooms are not as clean as what you expect. Also, females, be ready to squat. Most of their toilets are those that are on the floor.
-Planning to hop on to Singapore? It is just a 3.5 hours bus trip, for only RM40 one way.
-IT jobs are in-demand here. Interested? Leave a comment.
-Old Town White Coffee is a must-try, plus their Kaya toast. This coffeehouse beats Starbucks.



So, these are what I could share for now. I may add in a bit of details maybe as I go along. Watch out for my next blog posts. :)

Day 7: Yogurt and Halo-halo

Summer is officially in the Philippines! And what else is left to do besides swimming and outing? Look for cold treats, of course! :)

Yogurts

I am a fan of frozen yogurt, which is already taking different brand names, presentation, etc in every place that you'll be. My personal favorite is White Hat, in Glorietta 4. Their plain yogurt tastes like real yogurt (because I like eating those fruit flavored ones) and not just like ice cream.

So I wondered what a plain unfrozen yogurt tastes. I bought a small pack (well, the photo below is a big pack) of Nestle Creamy Yogurt.

I got a teaspoon, opened the pack, got a small amount, tasted it and...

"WTF??"

It did NOT taste like frozen yogurt!

You know what it tasted like?

Yes. That plain yogurt tasted like the garlic sauce we usually put in our shawarma.

I remember that detail being told to me by our officemate Mark (Mirandilla), because they previously operated a Shawarma business, and the sauce they used was yogurt.

Now honestly, as of this writing, that pack of yogurt is not finished yet. And frankly, I am not quite sure how to finish it.

Halo-Halo

Me and my boyfriend we're craving for halo-halo last Sunday. I wanted to have one from Goldilocks, but since SM Bicutan is about to close already, we just went to Sieg's, Better Living, to try their halo-halo.

Their Halo-halo Special is at P95, with a scoop of ube ice cream, and halayang ube, macapuno, red mongo, banana for the halo. The ube ice cream that came with it tasted good. And because I do not eat red mongo much, I just scooped every bean out of my bowl and gave it to my boyfriend.

But what is still the best halo-halo for me?

Razon's.

Aside from the finely crushed ice, what I love about Razon's Halo-halo is the fact that all of the things that I hate in Halo-halo (beans, mongo, pinipig) are not included in their concoction. Hahahaha! And yes, siyempre sobrang sarap. 

Haaaay, Razon's Halo-halo. Kelan kaya kita matitikman ulit?