Something i wouldn't miss

I love listening to music. I love singing even if I'm a bit off key. TV is one thing I can live without. Music is something I can't.

Living in Prague has its perks. Entertainers hit the stage frequently here. Big names in music industry like Madonna, Christina Aguilera, to name a few, graced Sazka Arena just recently. I missed their concerts because though I like their music, I can afford to let them pass without a heavy heart.

One concert that I sorely missed last year was U2's. It wasn't here in Prague, it was in Vienna. Driving from Prague to Vienna is just like driving from Cebu to Bacolod so the distance wasn't the reason I missed it. It was because it was too late when I checked the net for their European tour schedule. Yes, U2 is one of the concerts I wouldn't miss in the world.

I also wouldn't pass on Sheryl Crow. I'm truly, madly, a fan of her music. There's also Norah Jones I love listening to. And of course, Sarah Mclachlan. Her "Surfacing" album is for me one of the best.

Then, there's Tori Amos. "Boys for Pele" was my bible-- I slept and woke up with it. It was my journal-- I dreamed and shared dreams with it. There was also a time when "A Thousand Oceans" was my national anthem, and so many other songs of hers depending on the phase I was experiencing. Listening to Tori simply creates and recreates memories.

And I'm going to her concert!!! I. Can't. Wait.

To see list of upcoming concerts in Prague, please click here.

So ironic

How ironic life is-- the things I ignored in the Philippines are the things that cost me much in Prague. This is the most expensive fruit I've ever bought in my entire total years of both living and existing. This mango costs 90kc. Multiply it by 2.3 and it's more or less 200 pesos. Right, just for one mango.

Last night the owner of this Asian food shop I've been raving about texted me that she has fresh mangoes from Thailand. This news was like the Second Coming especially for A so we immediately went there this afternoon after my class. I knew it would be expensive but really, my calculations didn't even come close to 90kc each. Well, it's imported and as long as it's sweet I wont complain at all. (We decided we'll eat it in two days for it to ripen a bit more so we'll see..)

Other fruits and veggies I totally ignored in P.I. that cost so much here are:

1. Kamote or sweet potato-- more or less 50kc/kilo
2. Balingbing or star fruit-- more or less 20kc each
3. Avocado (small)--more or less 20kc each
4. Banana (tungdan or lakatan or whatever you call it since we have several kinds of them in P.I.)-- the smallest is like 6kc each.

And the list goes on.

Still on fruits-- this morning my co-teachers and I were talking about which ones grew in our gardens when we were kids. I swear they were green with envy when I said we had avocados, both red and green, in our backyard. We also had pineapples growing wildly in our garden. They asked if I knew how lucky I was to have such tropical fruits 24/7. Of course I didn't. Oh yeah, it always seems to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.

Blogs I frequent

Another post to answer Daisy's tag. I admire this friend's patience. She doesn't give up though I feel the meme stops with me since I don't have other friends to tag other than Eva and Mae. :) These two girls are too busy to update their blogs often so maybe this meme will really stop with me.

The rules are; I should choose random blogs from my blog roll and select posts that I like. When a blog is chosen the blogger is considered tagged. The last time Angie in Germany updated her blog was like a million years ago. I think I shouldn't bother her. Monica of Prague Yoga was (past tense because I haven't been to her studio for months) actually my yoga teacher so she couldn't be bothered with this either. So you see, only Mae and Eva are the prime candidates, as usual. Anyway, there is one blog that I also frequently visit though the blogger probably only knows my existence from my IP address. I will tweak this meme a bit and include her in my chosen few:

1. Mae - ang akong kinakusgang amiga sa Cebu. I particularly love her post about missing D when he was here in Europe for a job. Mae, D, and I were officemates before. I remember how inseparable they were so the months of living continents apart must have been tough for them. Though I conceal it well, the truth is that I'm a certified romantic from head to toe. I just love it when two people are so in love and happy. Check out this post. Daniel Bedingfield's song is a bonus, by the way.

2. Eva - moje kamaradka v Praze. I chose this post not because I have a morbid sense of taste but because I can relate to it well. I lost my Mom when I was 15 and life was not the same again. My Mom's passing was unexpected as she was just 46. Eva lost her Dad a week ago, only three months after she learned the terrible news of him not lasting long. I wonder what's worse-- knowing it will happen or not knowing at all. Life is so fleeting we better make the most of it.

Saving this blog for last-- Celia's English Patis is the ultimate food blog. I visit it everyday. I caught this bug of cooking something, anything from an unknown source so I turn to this site for help. Look at those cakes and muffins, don't they look heavenly? The salads, the pandesal, the noodles, oh my.......My stomach is growling I better end this post and fix myself a hearty breakfast.

I'm NOT going back to Ikea

Shopping is not my thing. I dread it more than the plague. I only go when the situation deems me necessary to but not without a heavy heart, or should I say, heavy legs. I mean it both literally and figuratively because too much standing gives my varicose-veined legs excruciating pain. Simply put, shopping for me is nothing but a pain in the... legs.

Goodness, I'm so politically correct.

We had to go furniture shopping yesterday. Our new flat has nothing in it, not even a single chair and we plan to move next month already. Ikea seemed to be the perfect solution to this. It was our first time to shop there. We thought all we had to do was --choose a bed, a dining set, part ways with hard-earned cash, and give our address to the delivery men to find it like a breeze-- just like that. We were in for a surprise.

A: Sweetie, they said we need to go down to their sort of like a warehouse to find the furnitures we are buying.
Me: Whaaat! Are they out of their minds?
A: No kidding. They gave us the rows and racks where we can find each piece.
Me: You mean we are going to carry the darn bed and dining set all by ourselves? Don't they have people to do it for us?
A: Apparently not. We have to load them on a cart and take them to the cashier, then we will arrange for the delivery.

Rows and racks like these are where you will have to find the parts of furnitures you're buying. I say parts because yes, that's right, you will be the (un)fortunate one to assemble them later.

Heaven help me, this never entered my mind. Maybe I'm stuck to the third world way of shopping where you can be a self-proclaimed queen when you have enough cash to feed the store's register. Such is not the case here. I learned it the hard way by pushing kilos of wood and steel around Ikea. At least I was only tasked to push parts of four chairs. A had to lift hundreds of kilos of bed and table parts which, unfortunately enough, weigh 50 kilos each. Puffed was the word to describe him at those moments.

"The load we had to carry." Assembling them later would be the greatest challenge of a lifetime.

Puffed and pissed were the perfect adjectives for me. This is the so called first world. Things should be first class. It's ironic how the service isn't so. I'm not just talking about Ikea though it was the last straw. From restaurants to grocery stores, service isn't on the A-list. Or maybe I'm just really a stuck-up third world shopper. Whatever, there remains a fact that I'm not going back to Ikea when I want to buy something that requires heavy lifting.

"Happy Feet"

I remember my co-teacher did this activity with the kids last year. It came in handy last month when we talked about Antarctica and the animals that live there. The kids got tickled about the idea that penguins go skiing so they were enthusiastic to do it. Well, anything to keep their attention and interest going.

I told them to draw their penguin a face. Three year old kids still have difficulty to do it so most of the time we help them. Our little Annie, the youngest in the group, insisted on doing it all by herself. You bet, the one with the "Scream" face is hers.

You need:

black cardboard paper, white paper, lolly sticks, markers and glue.

1. Cut out two penguin shapes, in black cardboard and white paper. Glue them together.

2. Fold the bottom part of the cutout and glue it on two lolly sticks.

3. Draw a face.

Counting down the days

The countdown begins: three or four more months to go and I will be lazing under the scorching sun in P.I.! I can't wait to spend weeks of sun and fun again. Though I have to say preparations of our P.I. trip are sidetrackted by tons of paperwork concerning our new flat, nothing can stop me from travelling back down memory lane, stopping by each favorite beach in P.I., especially in the Visayas, that I want to visit again and again and again...

Santa Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu - there are places that leave imprints on us without trying. This endless stretch of white sand is one of them. I spent wonderful summer days with my sister and her friends here. A and I also spent the first leg of our honeymoon in this beautiful island where time is of no essence and moves in slow motion.

Malapascua, Cebu - it wasn't love at first sight between me and this teeny-tiny island. Too crowded with foreigners, waiting for eternity for a super expensive meal to be served, locals not leaving you in peace. But I believe every place deserves a second chance so I went back there after a year. I was right-- the island is flawed but it certainly grows on you. I wanna go back for the third time.

Panglao Island, Bohol - this may be unsolicited but you'll thank me later; don't forget your shades when you come to this place. The sand is sooo blinding white it hurts to look at it without them. Affordable and/or high end resorts are scattered around the island. What I love best about Panglao is there are areas untouched by commercialism where you can be alone to commune with the wind, the sand and the sea.

Siquijor - contrary to popular belief that Siquijor is nothing but a wicked place populated by witches stirring huge pots of God knows what, this small island is one of the most peaceful places I've been to. My first impression of it was it seemed like a lonesome place. Maybe you get lonesome when you're judged through hearsays by the outside world. I've been there numerous times and I plan to go back someday. (Note: My first visit to Siquijor was very funny. I'll write about it maybe soon.)

And of course, my Surigao. There are several beaches there that are unknown to many, that only me and a few people know they exist. I like it to remain that way. So many memories were made there. Someday soon more will be made when I visit them again...

Tacos: another quick fix

As you might have noticed, I'm a fan of easy to do stuff. The quicker, the better....well, in cooking, that is. Why, what were you thinking? He-he.

March was international month at school. One of the countries we talked about was Mexico. We prepared tacos with the kids to give them the feel and the taste of the country. There were mixed reactions; some liked it, some refused to eat a bite. I was one of those who really liked it so I decided to include it on my growing "quick fix" list.

TACOS:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless chicken breast meat, cut into small, bite-size pieces
3/4 c. water
1 package (1.25 ounces) Vitana Taco Seasoning Mix (or any other brand. Vitana is the only brand I found at Tesco)
1 package (12) Vitana Taco Shells
Vitana salsa
Cheese (grated)
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Red Onion
Red or green bell pepper

1. Heat vegetable oil in a pan or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken and stir occasionally until meat is no longer pink.
3. Add water and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally until mixture is thickened and the meat is cooked.
5. Chop lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers.
6. Fill taco shells with chicken mixture and top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, cheese and salsa. (in any order you like)

Two years already?

Yes, I've been here two years this day. Two years ago I arrived at Ruzyne, dragging my enormous red luggage, heart pumping with joy at finally being together with A again after five long months of living apart. Time flies so fast.

The first few months were difficult for me. I felt disoriented. I didn't have friends. I wasn't working, something that I didn't have the luxury to get used to, so it somehow made me more disoriented and restless. I became a cry baby. I missed my friends. I even missed my job which I thought I had grown allergic to. I felt like a fish out of water.

Now all of these are just a memory. I like it here. Over two years time somehow made it impossible for me to imagine living in P.I. again. I will always, always heart Cebu and Surigao wherever life would lead me to. These are the places that shaped and made me what I am now, yet Prague is slowly weaving itself for me to call it home.

LP: Tissue paper flowers

This activity is very handy, not to mention that it's so easy to do. You can use this for several topics like Spring, Summer, Gardens and also for International week/month especially if you talk about Mexico as Mexican girls are usually featured to have colorful flowers on their ears.


You need:

-colorful tissue papers
-pipe cleaner

Tie a knot at one end of the pipe cleaner. Cut out pieces of colorful tissue papers and stick them one on the other end. Pull them up to the knot and twist the pipe cleaner to hold the tissue paper together. You now have a very pretty flower!

Tongue in Czech

I don't know why it took me months to feel motivated to learn to speak Czech. There were always other priorities (or excuses) like I had to get used to living here first, find a job, find friends, and then of course when I got and met all of the above, my ultimate excuse was I can't find the time for it. Now I'm slowly trying to learn it, not just because I have to but because finally I want to.

Our headteacher, who happens to be Czech, offered to give me a lesson and in return I can help her polish her written English. We started our lesson this afternoon. It went pretty well and I just hope we'll continue to "find time" for this.

I never thought learning a new language can be so difficult. I had Spanish in my college years but it was a breeze because Surigaonon and Cebuano, the dialects I speak, are mixed with Spanish words. Even Tagalog have words borrowed from it. I must confess though-- the moment I finished the course the language instantly went puff from my head. Then I had Niponggo but really, I can't remember more than five words. Much ado about nothing, huh?

So now I have another language to soon reside in my head. I just hope my brains, rusty as they are, would welcome it without so much difficulty.

Choco-Chip Cookies

Cooking or baking is one thing the kids really love doing. It's also a great learning experience for them. Lots of discoveries take place during cooking activities. They learn about math when they measure something or science when they see a dough rise. They also develop small motor skills by peeling, mixing or any other actions required in cooking.

I have to say again that I've never baked anything in my life until I came to Prague. The first few times we baked bread and cookies at school I was like one of the kids, amazed at how an unassuming flour can turn into such a delectable snack. I was one of the pupils. I still am but one that is gaining confidence in the subject.

Today my co-teacher and I baked choco-chip cookies with the kids. This is such an easy recipe, given by another co-teacher. A no-sweat one like this is what I like best.

CHOCO-CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven at 200 C.

1. Cream: 125 g butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
1 cup crystal sugar

2. Add: 2 whisked eggs. Mix. (the orig recipe only had 1 egg but the dough was crumbly)

3. Add: 2 cups of very fine flour
1/2 sachet baking powder (or a spoon)
1 cup coconut (shredded)

4. Mix.

5. Add: 250 g. choco chips. Mix.

6. Roll into small balls. Gently press and place on a baking paper covered tray.

7. Bake for approximately 15 mins or until they begin to brown.

8. Cool for 10 mins.

Dobrou Chut!