Cold Weather in the United States of America

I am so lucky that I have the chance to visit the one of the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America. For this blog post I will talk about this country's Weather. In this country they will experience 4 season; the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

I arrived here during the last week of the summer season. So I was able to experience how hot the summer here. They said that the temperature during summer is hotter compare to the Philippines. Since fall season well come in a weeks or days, so the temperature were started to go down and the wind was getting colder and colder.

During the fall season, the average temperature was between 40-60F. It's not kinda too cold or hot; its in the middle, where you can still tolerate the coldness. But there was one time that the temperature drop to ~30F, I did not imagine with that temperature, that your body will shake voluntarily. I feel like my body was started to freeze, I also feel like that my hands were already frozen because I can't make my hand move.

Born in a tropical country like the Philippines where there are only two season, the sunny season and rainy season. I have not used to the cold winds that the temperature will drop to below freezing point. So I have to wear multiple clothes to keep warm.

But this is America, we have no other choice but to be prepare for this kind of season.

Famous Tuslob-Buwa in Cebu City

The most famous food delicacies in Cebu City, the Tuslob-Buwa. It is originated in Pasil Cebu City where I grow up. It is mainly made of pork brains and a broth. It can also be paired with a marinated pork liver. It is very vast in our barangay Pasil. Whenever you visit our barangay you can easily find this Tuslob-Buwa almost in every street inside the barangay. Tuslob-Buwa came from two Cebuano word the Tuslob(to dip) and Buwa(bubble), it means "to dip in the bubbles".

Many establishments offers Tuslob-Buwa for an affordable price but was not able to go beyond the original taste of it. I have tried it in the city of Mandaue which they offer Tuslob-Buwa but it doesn't taste like the one in our barangay. Some establishments who offers tuslob buwa only contains a small amount of pork brains which is the most and main ingredient of the tuslob buwa.

The Tuslob-Buwa becomes trending in social media and it was also being featured in some TV programs.

Tuslob-Buwa is very fun. It is more fun if you eat it together with your friends. Be prepare to be hurt on the hot surface of the skillet and the Buwa(bubbles).

Recipe:
1 whole Pork Brains (most important)
1/2 kilo Pork Liver (optional)
1 broth cubes (preferred pork broth)
onion and garlic
water
Pork oil (secreted from pork fats)
Puso or hanging rice

Preparing the pork brains and broth
Instruction:
1. Cook the Pork brains in a boiling water. Once it is cook get the cooked pork brains from the boiling water and set it aside and don't waste the broth because it will be used later.
2. Chopped the onion and garlic
3. Sauteed the onion and garlic
4. Add the cooked pork brains and add salt to taste.
5. Once done. Transfer it in a bowl and set aside.

For the broth.
1. Re-boil the pork brain broth
2. Add the pork broth cubes
2. Add soy sauce and salt to taste

For the pork liver, you can cook it first like an adobo or have it marinated and cook it together with the pork brains

Instruction for the Tuslob Buwa
1. Prepare the skillet.
2. Add a spoonful of pork oil
3. Add a spoonful of the pork brains
4. Add half a cup of the broth and a little soy sauce (it depends on your taste)
5. Stir it well and wait for it to boil. (like the one in the photo above).
6. Start dipping your puso into the buwa.

Have fun eating.

Coron, Palawan - My second Out-of-the-Province Getaway

Banol Beach in Coron Island, Coron, Palawan

Coron, Coron, Coron, why are you so lovely and beautiful in pictures. I was fascinated when I do research about you as I was planning my trip to visit you. I was like day dreaming looking at your photos.

At last, I was able to visit you. Despite of what Yolanda did to you. You still look gorgeous, your stunning white beaches and rock formations.

I was very overwhelmed when I arrived and we were welcomed with a tribal music upon entering the arrival area.

I'm so excited to stroll around in your town with no worries about bad beings. Your people are very accommodating and friendly enough that you can put your heart at ease. 

Overlooking view of Coron Town from Mt. Tapyas

Late afternoon on the day that I arrived. We did climb the Mt. Tapyas and made Island Hopping on selected beautiful spots in Coron Island.

We went to Kayangan Lake and take a dip on your natural cold water. We take our lunch in one of your white sand beach the Banol Beach and we made snorkeling in the surface of one of the shipwreck.

Nemo

I was also able to meet Nemo (a clown fish from the movie Finding Nemo).

I said to myself that I must visit you sometime again.

First Time in Metro Manila

I already made a step in the land of the Capital of the Republic of the Philippines, Metro Manila. When I arrived, I just thought that it just meet my expectations. What will I see and I must experience.

There are lots of vehicles from bicycles to trucks. The main streets are dangerous to people walking along the road. Fast moving trucks and buses.

I thought that Metro Manila is a high level land because during the day, everywhere has a fog. I thought it was fog, but I was wrong because it is the pollution cause the by the vehicles around the city. Vehicle smokes are every and it's not good for human health. I was shock by how populated the city was. It was beyond more my expectations and what I've seen in the television.

But on the other side, I'm also grateful that they build and preserve  a place where pollution does not exist like the parks specifically the Rizal Park which contains lots of trees and they declare this place a Smoke-Free park.

The city has lots of high rise building and multiple stories sky ways. I was captivated how this sky ways was built and also the tunnels under EDSA.

I finally and personally saw the EDSA Shrine. I thought it was huge Shrine as what I've seen on the television. But it was just like an ordinary stage, a small stage alongside the EDSA.

I was able to ride the LRT and MRT. This is my first time to ride a train. The experience was great and I enjoyed. I also experience a very compressed situation in the LRT and MRT. For me, it was the most compressed because I hardly able to move but my colleagues said that it was not the MOST compressed. He jokingly called it the zip (it is a compressed file using a WinZip), he added that it is only a zip. There's more than this, they called it .rar.7zip.zip a super compressed of people, where they're very hardly able to mode there body.

... continued

First Android Application

This is my first android application. This application was created based on the VisualBasic.Net version of the application. This application includes only the half of the functionality of the VB.net version.

This application was started last 2013 and was finished just this month of January 2014 with the basic functionality.

This is my first project in my journey to Android Development.

A Wishlist item achieved (Laptop)

At long last, for ten years, one of the item in my wishlist was already achieved. That item was a laptop. It is a Lenovo Ideapad Z400. It has the following specifications:

* Intel Core I7 3rd Generation
* 4GB DDR3 Ram
* 2GB Nvidia GeForce video card
* 1TB Hard drive
* Camera, Bluetooth, Optical Drive, and a WI-FI

I was so happy that I already have this item. I really wish it since I was a freshmen student and planning to be a Software Developer. Though it's not the first item that I got from my wishlist but it is one of the top item that I should have when time comes.

I bought it last October 14, 2013 at NGenius Ayala Center Cebu. The price is more cheaper than the value I got. With the specification, I expected to have it more expensive than the actual price, and I also got a free 16GB USB Flash Drive and a Lakwatsa voucher worth Php 1,200.

The next top item that I targeted to achieved is a DSLR Camera a Nikon brand, probably a D71 or D90. Both their prices are higher so I need to save more to achieved it.

Camiguin Island Escapade Day 2

this is a continuation of my Camiguin Island Escapade...

Day 2

On our second day in the island, the weather is still not good to us. There are light rain showers around the island.

We went first to Katibawasan falls to reminisce the mountainous ambiance and the breeze of the waterfall and the coldness of the water, but sad to say, the waterfall was full of colored brown water due to flash floods caused by the heavy rain the last night.

So, we change our itinerary for the day, we went straight to Benoni to take our lunch and also to try their 700+ meters superman zip line.

Entrance of the Cafe Restaurant at the Benoni

Going to the platform of the 700 meters superman zip line

Preparing ourselves for the adventure

Final preparation for our flight.

A picture capture during my flight going to the second platform of the Zip line

First part of the Zip line adventure

Second part of the Zipline adventure