The Tale of An Old Bicycle and The Tyrannical Glutton

Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.
Karl Kraus 

If there would be a single word to describe the Elected heads of Baguio City, the perfect term would be "tyrants". As I was going about the business in the City market, A man who happens to work in the city hall approached the announcement area and spoke through the microphone talking about another Bullsh!t that our incredible City mayor came up with about the use of public streets and access roads. Apparently, the street surrounding the market (All streets within the area actually), which the buyers, dealers, and business owners park at form time to time to load and unload goods have become a pricey commodity. Cars, both public utility and private, that park along the streets are now to be charged with a certain amount. 
Prices:

• PHP 35.00 for the first 2 hours

• PHP 10.00 for the succeeding hours

It has come to our attention that a city ordinance was abruptly implemented without us, the public, which makes up the city, knowing about it. There was neither consultation, nor any discussion that took place that the citizens heard of. How did this come to be? After the fight against "Jadewell Parking", now we are addressing this issue once again. Ironic that both cases have the same mastermind, The Mayor who is selling Baguio city like hot pancakes.
The streets within and surrounding areas of the market were recently cleared of illegal vendors and businesses to make way for vehicles and pedestrians to park and move freely which should really have been done ever since the Public market have started operating. These peddlers should not be tolerated to sell their products anywhere in the vicinity since they are not paying taxes and other fees that licensed sellers come across to in a daily basis (Business registration fee, Mayor's fee, Sanitary fee, Separate fees for Wholesale and Retail, daily collection of fees for the accumulated goods that enter the businesses [in ilocano, it is called kortais which can then be loosely translated to inventory], etc.). You name it, we have it. Without any benefits from the government since we maintain the buildings and premises out of our own wallets if we ever own one.

Charging fees is somewhat a way to collect more funds that taxes from business entities in the city can barely/cannot provide. However, it's worse that the citizens cannot reap the benefits of the taxes that they are paying for. Worst, A large business that stands on a property owned by the city, Luneta Hill (It has been leased to them but they are claiming that they own it) To be particular, I am talking about SM (Shoe Mart), a rather large mall at the heart of the city who happen to pay their taxes, guess where, Makati City. By the way we look at it, The operation takes place within Baguio City on a land within the summer capital itself and where do those taxes got to? Obviously not Baguio. Think of the City as an old bicycle that you can be able to rent for rides in the biking area within Burnham park. The two-wheeled mechanism can be rode after paying a certain amount for an hour or two. The accumulated money then goes to the owner and partners and some for the business taxes. The bicycle on the other hand gets dusted off, however, it is not maintained with the money that it earned during the day. Now compare that to yourself as a citizen who works his/her butt off, but do not reap the benefits after paying his/her taxes. I would be more than happy to put the city officials in that position to turn the tables. The mayor should grow a pair and sort this out if he wants more funds for his unending projects which are actually deemed nonessential. 

Speaking of projects, where most of it contributes to the heavy flow of traffic, It seems unnecessary to fix what is not broken just to make it look good or rather to show the public that the collected taxes are being used wisely (pork barrel....*clears throat* that is indeed an epic masking- truly genius that I almost bought your shyt). Instead of spending public money on something useless (for show) how about sorting out the smelly area along Malcom square that reeks through Tiong San Bazaar along Magsaysay Rd. and Lower Session Rd. How about the broken sidewalks along the Central business district specially the one surrounding Burnham Park and Melvin Jones. Someone might trip and die and I'm speaking through experience about something I actually witnessed a person who flew from his wheelchair after hitting a ridge on the broken sidewalk. Bless that poor soul.

• A question still lingers: Will they be collecting a parking fee from the Garbage Collection Dump Truck since they need to park along the Hangar market when they collect rubbish? If yes, then someone should give the geniuses a pat on the back to fix their crookedness.

Panagbenga2014: The Villain's Story

The NIGHTMARE begins as early as November when I am awoken by the sound of drums beaten and lyre being hit as loud and as off key as it can get. I don't mind if the local primary school does their practice for an entry in the Panagbenga 2014 Flower festival parade. It's a way of showing kids how to work hard at an early age, but don't you think education is greatly affected?

The children who pay to study in a public school endure months of practice for either street dance or drum and lyre band competition. The government keeps saying through the media that it is indeed a great way to attract investors. It's free as well as the administration does not need to exert any extra work since the kids do the advertising for them. Think of it like a queen bee who just lays the eggs for the colony while the workers bust off their butts to gather food/honey, feed the young and protect their habitat. Only the government do not lay eggs. It has both positive and negative outcomes and it's an issue that the department of education should sort out. By the way, all the "positives" are credited to the councilmen and women, not to the kids.

What is it like to rent a stall along Session road for the annual "Session Road in Bloom"? Well, according to an interview with one of the participants for the past years who by the way wishes to stay anonymous, It is like getting ripped off right under your nose. Take note that some of the facts that are about to be unfolded, came from their personal experiences so it does not apply to all businesses that took part in the event. Some of the stalls which is a mere 36 square feet of space is rumored to be priced at a whooping PHP 100,000.00 wherein utilities and tent are excluded (I will be investigating this matter later on - last year was PHP 60Kcontrary to the one announced to the public which was P24, 000 per tent with a P2,000 bond). At the same time, breaches were fined, an example of this is a food stall that failed to wear face masks and hair nets were charged P 4,000.00 times the number of employees that were involved. Now how about providing them what they deserve first? How about installing a drainage system for the food stalls? Or perhaps a recycling centre for the entire community? Since the costs are so great. Absurd isn't it? Where/Whose pocket do these monies go to?

Panagbenga 2014 will be chaired by Mayor Mauricio Domogan, BFFI Executive chairman Anthony de Leon and Executive Committee co-chairman Frederico Alquiros. This bunch of fellows has rejected a large amount of applicants who wanted to participate in the SRB as they do not abide by the guidelines provided by the trio. What were the guidelines anyway? Apparently, These blokes target the much larger fish which are mostly high class hotel and restaurants. Now isn't that really nice? (for them..cough cough..indeed it is) I will be straightforward,  the visitors that came during the past Panagbenga festivals are mostly people of the middle to low class who have little amount of disposable income. Large part of this group is composed of primarily students who cannot afford the so called high class services/commodities that are being promoted during the SRB. What's your objective exactly? I myself am not afraid of change, however, this seems very drastic. How about taking it one step at a time? Perhaps you can be more strict in implementing HACCP to food stalls since the cost wouldn't be as high as what they have paid for. Wouldn't it be nice to be service oriented than being business minded all of the time?

This time of the year is my personal retreat month where I tend to travel as far as I can though I do indulge in some activities like the "Let A Thousand Flowers Bloom" wherein I let the paint brush do the talking by creating a masterpiece that is based on whatever comes to mind and also heavily depends on how I feel that day. During the Panagbenga, the streets will be very crowded that moving a distance of a meter would take a minute. The number of people can reach to millions composed of visitors plus the 300K residents. Nevertheless, vehicle traffic will be much more of a headache. This phenomenon contributes to the rise of city's temperature and my temper, sadly, the city forbids me to walk about the streets with my 4 foot long sword and rifle.

Getting Ready for Panagbenga 2014

Let's talk rubbish! Over the course of almost two decades, the local residents have suffered a lot cleaning up the garbage that was brought into the city by tourists who come to see the Baguio Flower Festival a.k.a. Panagbenga. How difficult is it to hold on to your refuse until spotting a bin where you can chuck it in? Perhaps you can carry around a small bag where you can temporarily put away your accumulated scrap if you cannot find a dumpster. Waste segregation will also be very much appreciated.

Photos from Panagbenga 2010

 Aftermath

Below is a List of Events, dates when it will take place and location
Feb.1

• Kickoff: Opening ritual -  Panagbenga Park
• Drum and lyre competition - Athletic Bowl
• Opening of Baguio Blooms: Landscaping competition -Burnham Park

Feb. 14

• Philippine Military Academy Alumni Homecoming - Obviously PMA

Feb.16

• Handog ng Panagbenga sa Pamilya Baguio - Burnham Park
• Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom painting activity - Melvin Jones Field

Feb. 22

• Street Dancing Parade - Session Rd.

Feb. 23

• Grand Flower Float parade - Session Rd.

Feb. 24 to March 2

• Session Road in Bloom

March 1

• Pony Boys' Day - Wright Park

March 2

• Closing Ceremonies and Grand Fireworks Display - Best places to see the fireworks are at the Melvin Jones Field, Burnham Park, Baguio City Hall Mini Park, Maharlika Livelihood Complex Rooftop. 

An Unexpected Arm and Chest Workout..Kneading

Since I'm a chef who is into fitness as well then I would like to share a secret with you on how to build muscles and enjoy what you have been working on minutes after. Ready to find out what it is that can help you with your fitness goals?... Well actually, I only recommend doing this for your cheat meal so heck, let's get to it.

Surprise surprise! Who ever thought that pizza dough making would actually be a good workout but of course it won't include any squats nor push ups, just a series of multi directional movement that involves the arms shoulders and chest.

What you will be needing are a few ingredients:
4 cups flour (all purpose)
1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar/ for a healthy option use stevia mix
2 tbsp olive oil
dash of salt
A cup of warm water

Procedure:
1. Dilute yeast in the warm water together with the sugar and let it sit for a while. The foam should appear on top after a few minutes which is a good indication that the yeast is working
2. Add the oil and salt and mix well before gradually adding the flour cup by cup except for the fourth one.
3. Mix them well by kneading the dough. This is where your workout starts.
4. Add the fourth a little by little just to make sure that the dough is not too moist nor too dry.
5. Knead on a lightly floured board by pushing the dough away from you until it becomes smooth and elastic.  Both board and hands should be clean. It probably takes 10 or more minutes
6. Cover a bowl and dough with a bit of oil and put the dough in to let it rest, cover with a damp towel or cling wrap and let it rise in a warm place until the volume doubles. Around 30 minutes to an hour.
7. Punch the dough down and gently knead over a floured board.
8. You can flatten and mold it into your desired shape by using a rolling pin or by simply pulling the dough. (It sucks that i still don't have a video making a dough)
9. Top with tomato sauce herbs, choice of meat or vegetables and mozzarella. Usually takes 15-18 minutes to cook in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius.

The motion and when kneading the dough requires you to use your own weight at a certain angle which allows your arms and shoulder to get involved in the process. You should be sweating a bit after and if not then you are not doing it right. Claories burnt? - no idea.

Notes: Its fun to make your own dough at home since you are aware of the contents unlike the ready made dough that can be bought in the supermarket which may contain stabilizers that can have a negative effect on your fitness goals. I prefer pizza for my cheat meal after my workout and enjoy eating healthy for the rest of the day.

Bonus tomato sauce recipe:
ingredients:
500grams fresh tomatoes - blanched then peeled
1 medium onion peeled and minced
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp tomato paste
Fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley - minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar/white vinegar
2 cups water/ chicken or vegetable stock

Procedure:
1. Heat oil and sweat onions until transparent, add tomatoes and cook till soft
2. Add garlic and saute for a minute before adding tomato paste to cook for another 30 seconds
3. Deglaze with white wine vinegar and let it reduce to a quarter the original volume then add the stock till it simmers
4. When desired consistency is achieved, add the herbs and let it simmer for a few more minutes to infuse the flavours and aromas. Season with salt and pepper.


A rich Pizza Recipe to enjoy:
Ingredients:
10-12 inch pizza dough
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup bacon - cooked and sliced into pieces
1/2-1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup onion fresh onion rings
1/2 cup button mushrooms sauteed with minced garlic
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius
2. Pour tomato sauce over the dough and distribute evenly leaving 1/2 inch indentions on the edges
3. Top with the cheese then bacon and rest of the ingredients. Make sure they are evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper
3. Bake for 15-18 minutes until crust becomes lightly coloured.

Enjoy with freshly squeezed fruit juice: No i won't share my fruit juice recipe, that's asking too much LOL

The egg and flour phenomenon..a guide to making your own pasta

To make pasta from scratch and no it does not mean that you have to buy a package of pasta and scratch the label. What you need are simply two things, pasta flour and egg yolks. For the flour, you can use all-purpose flour that can be found in the grocery or tough flour. I recommend using durum wheat semolina often called semolina/wheat flour since it contains a lot of protein which gives a fuller flavour. As for the egg, you can use whole eggs but if you want your pasta to be of good quality then by all means use the yolks only. I usually keep the whites for omelettes or meringue.

Moving on, to make your noodles, start with creating a well at the center of the flour. Add the yolks and gently mix with the flour until incorporated. If you think it takes a lot of effort then my only advise is to do it in a heavy duty food processor or mixer. Start at the lowest speed setting until ingredients are mixed to avoid flour dust from flying off and build up the speed until the dough easily comes off the equipment. Make sure that the bowl is clean when taking the mixture out. If not then let the mixer do its job for a couple more minutes. Ratio of flour to egg: 1cup flour; 2 medium egg yolks.

The job does not end there, the next step is to knead the dough with your bare hands. First step is to sprinkle a thin layer of flour on the prep table and knead the mixture on top of it. Gradually add flour if the dough is too moist. Work the dough for about 8-10 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved. It should be smooth and elastic at the same time. The warmth of your hands helps to break down the protein in the flour making it smooth and elastic. Cover with cling wrap or put inside a clean plastic bag and seal so it does not dry out. Let it rest at room temperature (20minutes) or put in the fridge until ready to use. I would advise you to use it within three days to be able to enjoy the quality.

To make your noodles, take the dough out of its wrap and divide into desired sizes. Roll it out with a rolling pin before feeding into the pasta machine. If you don't own a pasta machine, then use a rolling pin (some kitchen nowadays uses a 1.5 ft. PVC pipe which I won't recommend) flatten the dough until the desired thinness is achieved. From there you can make varieties of noodles such as spaghetti, lasagna, cannelloni, tortellini, tagliatelli, ravioli, etc.

One advantage of using fresh pasta for restaurants is that it only takes around four to five minutes to cook. Fresh pasta provides more flavour and can be as well stored long enough by air drying. Here in Baguio city, it is rare to see restaurants that serve fresh pasta. This explains why some are soggy due to overcooking. The quality is rather not at par and culinary art is totally ignored. Though I am still hoping that someday, the passion of cooking among the local chefs would come back.

Just a simple recipe:
1 cup cooked spaghetti
2tsp butter
1tsp mixture of chopped chervil and chives
1/2 tsp pureed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure: melt butter in a pan over medium heat, add the pasta and heat thoroughly, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant add the herbs turn off the heat, mix well and season to taste. The dish can be eaten as it is but you can add your own tomato or white sauce if you wish. I enjoy this dish served with beef stroganoff or pan fried tilapia with creamed spinach. Yummy.

The Most Epic Christmas Ham

December 2013 has arrived and have not started to make ham yet so I had no choice but to think of a quick way to make one. I made ham a couple of years ago but the time frame is not enough until Christmas eve. What I did was to look back into some of my notes that I gathered from past research and experience. I also came to face a decision on which one to make. Should it be Italian, french or maybe German. Growing up and observing my family with their likes about food, I realized that they developed a taste for Chinese food which by the way had a high impact to our local cuisines here in the highlands. Though majority are pretty adventurous when introduced with an unfamiliar dish. For example, It's rare that I get a praise and see them enjoy a food I made which I adopted from European cuisine while using local produce. They would sometimes tell me that they wouldn't have thought that doing "that" would make the food excellent.

As for the Ham I decided to go with Chinese style ham which is not really easy since it requires a lot of effort to make compared to European versions. Here are the ingredients and methods of preparation:

• 10 kg belly of pork - had to trim the bones and skin off (used bones to make jus[recipe below] and skin for cracklings[recipe below])

Trimming off the bones and skin

• For the dry cure: 3 tbsp salt, 5 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp Prague/curing salt. combine ingredients and rub on the meat specially the fatty parts. let it cure hanging at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 6-10 days.

Dry cure

Studded with cloves and bay leaf

• for the marinade and cooking solution: 10-15 pcs cloves, 3 pcs whole star anise, 1 tsp cinnamon powder/half a stick, dried oregano(optional) 2-3 cups pineapple juice, 3-5 cups sugar(brown) - gather all ingredients and heat on a stock pot over medium heat for 10 minutes until fragrant, let it cool.

The marinade after being reduced and thickened for the Ham sauce

• wash pork under cold running water for 90 seconds. pat dry and put in a zip lock bag before pouring marinade. vacuum seal if possible to make sure that the marinade covers every area of the meat. let it sit for 24-48hours turning once midway.
• Drain meat while saving juices for later. roll the pork making sure that the fatty part is exposed, wrap with ham net or use butcher's twine/string to tie the meat together and hold its shape. bring the juices to a boil and chuck in the tied ham, lower heat and let it simmer for 90 minutes turning once midway.

Used Abaka twine to tie the roll of meat together before cooking in the marinade solution

• let it cool before removing the string/net for glazing (i used brown sugar to cover the fatty parts and used a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar)

Ham after cooking

• for the sauce: reduce the cooking juice and add sugar just enough to make it taste sweet but does not over power the pineapple. add trimix just enough thicken sauce ( i used toasted flour)

Glazing the Ham with heavy duty Blowtorch..Yep that's me holding the torch

That's how it should look like close up, that's a bird not not the pork

There you have it. an ordinary slab of meat turned into a magnificent dish.

jus - pork bones (roasted till caramelized), mirepoix, herbs, tomato paste, water- simmer over low heat and slowly reduce to 1/4 the original volume.

pork cracklings - pork skin -fats trimmed off - boil in salted water for 30mins or until tender. drain water and let the skin dry under the sun until tough. when desired dryness is achieved, deep fry in fat until it puffs up and triples in volume, enjoy with salt,vinegar and crushed garlic.

Just a short entry for today

iT has been a long time before i decided to write some blogs again and i Have no excuse for it. i simply wanted to step out of the limelight (as if something like that even existed). i'm not a good conversationalist And prefer to keep my thoughts to myself except on some occasions. i'd rather slap the idiot who caN't keep his mouth shut. though sometimes i post some of my rants on facebook which helps in a way. to be honest i pretty much like writing and talKing through chat (you cannot get anything out from me verbally). i also like to think before i Speak, i have to be careful of what i say (since i'M the insensitive type just in case you didn't know..i believe the right term iS "jerk") 

so what inspired me to write aGain? that's a good question. It would be something that I would dEscribe as a strange phenomenon. Strange, but in a good way. magicaLLy wonderful and delightfully astonIshing. I'm really thankful about what happEned and can't say anything more. it was a blessing in disguise.

Even if i speak in codes, they all come from the heart

The Gentleman's guide to a baby butt like....

Oi oi oi..how come you got the map of Brownsea Island on your face? Did you have a lot of man milk to spare that they accumulated on your cheeks? I can fry an egg on your forehead ya know!

These are some common sentences or better yet, judgments! That you can hear from your mates when you suffer from pimple/acne invasion on your handsome asset which is your physiognomy. Your face. So  gentlemen, gear up your vanity kit with some of the following:

Something to apply to your face:
Don't be skimpy with cash! Rather than spending them on booze (which I highly regard to) why not throw  your hard earned money (allowance which you beg from mum) for some items for up keeping.

1. Cleansing foam/wash - this helps you get rid of dirt off your face including oils and pollutants that you encounter on a daily basis. Choose products that have minimal chemical in it and something that won't dry out your skin like regular soap does (antibacterial soap is only recommended once a week) since some bacteria are important to help you aid in the reconstruction of certain tissues to make you look young

2. Antibacterial wash - recommended to be done once a week only, to kill those pesky little bugs that causes pores to clog

3. Toner - I would recommend something like an astringent since the cotton helps in a way to wipe off excess dirt from your face leaving it clean and healthy. Do that in the morning and before going to sleep. That's it nothing more than that!

4. Moisturizer- try to look for something that works for you. I did try a lot of products and ended up being oily though some of them were really effective but costly, so it does not hurt to do some experiment some time to see what works for you in the long run

5. Facial scrub - if you have not encountered this before then you should start maybe reading about it and its significance. There are some facial wash out there that comes with micro beads and some use apricot which I won't recommend. It's a bit gritty when applied to the face and it really helps to unclog the pores and remove dead skin as well. Limit use to once a week

Internal solutions:

1. Drink plenty of water. It's the best advice that I can give you so far. H2O regulates your body fluid which in a way improves the consistency of your blood and makes it easy for your body to do its natural cleansing of free radicals.

2. Though nuts are very healthy, they contain high amounts of  (healthy) fats which sometimes contributes to oily face which clogs the pores and results to pimples/acne. A handful of pistachios won't hurt if you're craving for it. Try to limit consumption to about twice a week.

I would like to sum it up  by saying that not everything that works for an individual works for everyone [Disclaimer]. And my blog exists for people who had the same experience so if you want to throw in your knowledge then please do.

There you have it!