A hoax

I have a confession to make-- I don't read forwarded messages. I couldn't be bothered because I feel that the effort was not solely intended for me. The only time I'd bother, if ever, is probably Divine intervention or when "I'm so bored I'm close to catatonia." Like now.

My friend in Cebu forwarded me and a hundred others this:

"I'm sure many of you watched the recent taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show where her guest was Tommy Hilfiger. On the show, Oprah asked him if he had said, 'If I had known African-Americans, Hispanics, Jews and Asians would buy my clothes, I would not have made them so nice. I wish these people would not buy my clothes, as they are made for upper-class white people.' His answer to Oprah was a simple 'Yes' when she asked him, and she then immediately asked him to leave her show."

Why would somebody jeopardize his business by such a tactless statement? I smelled a rat right away so I clicked on Oprah's site. Sure enough, this is all a hoax. Click here to read the real story.

Happy buys

Do you buy on impulse? I don't. When I like something I have to think whether I need it or not and most of the time I'd end up exiting the shops empty-handed. I'm such a cheapskate especially on clothes but I admit there are some things I splurge on: plants, housewares, food, and travel.

This week A and I splurged on these:

Calamansi - I've been salivating over this plant since Daisy discovered it being sold here. The flowershop at Chodov had it for 780kc a few weeks ago. OBI-Europark had it for 600 something. Daisy said she bought hers from OBI near our previous flat for just over 300 so I was crossing my fingers to find one at a reasonable price. Ta-dan, a visit to Hornbach (Cerny Most) last Sunday made me happy. They were selling it at 450kc/plant (x 2.3 in pesos). I already picked one fruit for my marinade last night. The marinated porkchop was so yummy A gobbled everything to my delight.

Tea pot and mugs- Okay, okay, I bought these on impulse during our trip to Vesely Kopec with the kids last Thursday, but they look so nice I couldn't help myself. The owner of the shop talked animatedly to me in Czech. When I told him I don't speak Czech he exclaimed "Ah, Japonka?" Ne, Filipinka. "Ah Filipiny! Krasna, krasna Filipinka." I'm sure he was just pulling my leg because I shelled out so much at his shop.

This one will probably be our greatest spending binge this year-- our Philippine trip! We bought our tickets today. I haven't flown for over two years so when we were given just a printout of our itinerary, I was like "Where are the tickets?" I had to send Grace a message and called Eva to ask if this is how it's done now. Pagka way glamour uy! Bisaya kaayo. Apparently, flying is paperless these days. Anyway, I'lll finally be back in P.I. in a month. I'll soak in the sights, sounds and tastes of PI for 37 days! I think I'll be fat when I come back, but who cares?

The week in photos

I was in a spring camp with 23 kids. I thought I'd lose my mind being surrounded with them 24/7. I was totally exhilarated when I got off the bus which took us back to Prague this morning. Finally, I have my life back.

This is where I lived for a week, from May 19-25. The place is called Pilnuv Statek, which is in a town called Libice nad Doubravou.

We missed the dandelions because they bloomed too early this year, but the daisies were a delight for everyone. We picked a lot and used them for some potpourri we made for my kids' Moms.
You think life is uncomplicated for her. Not when she thinks she doesn't cycle too fast to catch up with the rest of her friends, and not when her friends tell her she's right. Nevermind, she bounced back and won the race in the end.

A trip to Vesely Kopec on Thursday broke the routine. It's an open-air museum that is worth a visit. We took a 5km hike from this place to catch the bus that would take us back to the camp. It was probably the best day of the camp for me.

Didn't I tell you before that I'm a terrible tourist? I don't know what this building is. It's right in the middle of Libice n/D, across the restaurant where we ate everyday. I didn't see a single soul going inside the building so I don't know if it's abandoned or used for tourism, but it surely looked interesting.

I'm not kidding- this WC really exists and it's behind the place where we were staying. I took a double take when I saw it-- I thought I was in a remote barrio in PI. When we went cycling the first day one kid told me he had to go wee. I told him to run back to the house for the bathroom. Guess what he said? "But that is a toilet," pointing to this version of WC and ran to do his business inside.

My boss thought the place we were staying was probably a graveyard years back because of the trees lined like a pathway leading to the church at the other end. Whatever, I really loved it when we did our lessons under these trees.

This photo will never win any prize but it will always remind me of my last night at the camp. I took this past 8pm when my kids were already in bed. I never thought I'd survive it there because I didn't last year. I've never felt such an extreme desire for the night to be over so I can be back home at last.

Butterflies

The original idea was to use coffee filter for the wings. I went to school thinking we had a pack of them but when I opened the cupboard, nothing, nic, nada. I had to think quickly what I could use as a substitute because in no way I would change my plan of making butterflies with kids that day. The next cupboard provided the answer. It was filled with a stack of colorful paper napkins.

How To:
1. Kids draw on paper napkins using markers.
2. Tie the napkin in the middle using a string or a thread.
3. For the body and antenna, glue pipe cleaners on a lolly stick.
4. Glue or tie the wings to the lolly stick. Now you can spread your wings and prepare to fly coz you now have a beautiful butterfly. :)

Just so my fans would know (yeah, I do have some :), I wouldn't be blogging for a week. I'm off to the countryside with the kids tomorrow for our annual spring camp. Catch you, guys, soon.

Insomnia and birthdays

The Insomnia Chronicles: Last night I slept before 11. That's good news, right? Wrong, because I woke up an hour later and couldn't go back to sleep. Yes, been awake since 12MN and up till now. Not only that, my stomach feels she also needs to show her talents so she's been having cramps since midnight. Darn.

Anyway, today is two of my friends' birthday. Happy birthday DAISY! Good health, good life, good looks, always! Awaiting excitedly for Cindy Kate's arrival.

And to my co-teacher and gossip buddy (hehe), ANNE, more crazy circles and restaurant-huntings to come. I'm so glad there's someone at school who is as crazy as me-- and maybe even more. :)

Cheers!

Crazy about Safir

These days I'm crazy thinking I might have hyperthyroidism. I'm taking a daily dose of Letrox because for some reasons my thyroid glands went ballistic when I moved to Prague. The last time I visited my doctor she said I'm perfectly fine. Just that I wonder how can I eat so much and not gain weight? Sure I have an ongoing love affair with the bathroom. Everything I eat wont stay more than 24 hours in my stomach, but is it normal to eat almost a loaf of bread just for breakfast and still look like a twig? Not that I am complaining. Just wondering, wondering if my insomnia is somehow connected to my not gaining weight despite being a pacman personified, and that these could be symptoms of something else.

Oh well, wonderings will get me nowhere. I'll visit my doctor in less than a month so we'll see.

On to a lighter side, to my most favorite topic-- food. This fastfood is one of my favorites in Prague. It's fastfood without the grease, a rarity in this world. It's at Novy Smichov mall in Anděl. I go there almost every week, even if we live at the other side of Prague. I love their Falafel with Humous or just the Pita falafel with salad in it. Can't get enough of them. When you're in Prague and ready to try another cuisine, do visit this place.

SAFIR-- located inside Novy Smichov mall in Andel has Lebanese food that will make you crave for more. If you're a vegetarian or a vegetarian wannabe like me, try their Falafel with humous and pickles. It's worth every crowns you pay. If you're a meat lover, try their grilled chicken with shredded carrots and cabbage, or "Daut Kabsa" something, or "Okra," or....oh, I'm hungry already.

Flying the EU style

This year has been a series of dizzying events such as buying a flat, furnishing it, and getting ready for our Philippine trip in July. I've been dreaming of this trip since I got here but now that it's getting closer, I suddenly wish it would be in a few months yet to give me time to pack and buy "pasalubongs." I haven't bought a single gift for my family and friends. I just couldn't find the time and the energy for it.

My sister said to just bring tons of chocolates and that would be enough for everyone. Ok, no problem with me. Chocolates are relatively cheap here. Then again, how many boxes are we allowed to carry? Are we even allowed to carry them onboard? I haven't flown for two years and I know a new set of airport regulations was implemented in all EU countries last year. I decided to check it out.

WTH, not much liquid allowed onboard?! Not only water and softdrinks but even creams, toothpaste, gels, and lipgloss are subject to security check. But I can't be parted from my overused and abused sparkly Maybelline! The EU regulations state that you better put these items you think you need in a resealable transparent bag or you'll lose them. "Bag them or lose them" is their mantra.

Then the hand luggage is down to one teeny tiny 56x45x25 cm. bag. I haven't measured my bag yet which I carried onboard from PI two years ago, but I have this nagging feeling that it's too big. And it's not even big, mind you! Another thing is if you carry a shoulder bag, that's already considered your hand luggage, so no more extra one for you. Excellent. Exactly what I need. *sarcasm activated on*

They didn't say anything about chocolates though. My only concern now is if they wont melt considering we will take the flight from Vienna. To quote my sister in verbatim: "Nevermind if they melt. We'll spoon them up." Oh, okay.

Back to the new EU airport regulations, you can read about it here. I hope we wont experience a long waiting time. When we will be at Vienna airport, I just can't wait to be back in Cebu again-- see the familiar sights and hear the familiar sounds.

Another salad on the table

Yesterday I came home from work inspired to make vegetable salad for dinner. This time I didn't want another straight from the bottle dressing. I wanted some chicken strips mixed with the veggies so I rummaged through a few unpacked bags, searching for the powder mix that does the trick. I was experimenting with chicken recipes several weeks back and this one, without so much in it but a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of powder mix, is definitely a keeper. Yup, I finally didn't care about greasing the bathroom sink with a dirty pan. The delicious smell of the chicken circulating the flat was certainly worth it.


In case you didn't get it yet, this is purely my own chicken recipe. Mine, got that? :) It isn't really worth bragging about because it's so easy. Just cut the meat in strips and season it with salt and this Gyros Kotanyi mix. Stir fry in vegetable oil, add half cup of water when meat is brown, and cover for a few minutes, occasionally stirring it. It's ready to serve with your salad when water is mostly absorbed by the meat. Adding nuts such as cashew or almonds to it is optional but recommended.

Dobrou chut!

Desperately seeking snoozing

I am so desperate for a good night's sleep. Insomnia has crept back to plague my nights. I have been sleep deprived for days now there are already dark circles around my eyes. The dark circles made me look like Morticia Adams' long-lost sister. Yay, I'm the newest addition to Adams family. Great.

The problem is not having a hard time to go to sleep. It's waking up at the wee hours of the morning and not being able to snooze back. Last night I woke up at 2am. I tried what all the experts (meaning the experts on the net) say; try to relax, don't force sleep to come, but after an hour I was so done with counting sheep I threw the pillows out of frustration.

I don't think I'm stressed or worried about something to summon this much unwanted disorder. Is it because after two years I now live in a different surrounding and sleeping on a different bed? Whatever. I just hope it will leave me alone tonight so I can finally snooze back in peace.

Wild spots and stripes

Didn't I say I love it when we have Animals as a topic at school? There are a million and one things you can do with kids. Making masks is one of them. This activity is an all the time hit because not only they love sounding like their fave animals, they absolutely love "looking" like them.

As simple as painting the paper plates orange or yellow and then painting black stripes or spots on them and your kids will now have a tiger and leopard/jaguar masks. For the zebra, kids will just paint the black stripes directly on the paper plate. Pre-cut the eyes for them. Glue on lolly sticks for the handle. Have lots of fun!

The quick fix Queen

Yup, that's me, the self-proclaimed Queen of easy to do and easy to prepare stuff to right away silence the want and the need. I'm talking about food here, or were you thinking otherwise? Hehe.

We've been living in our new flat for a week now. I should be jumping up and down with joy for finally living in a place and be surrounded with things we call ours but maybe I'll save the jubilation later when we finally have our kitchen unit installed. It takes six weeks the earliest for the shop to deliver the materials. We've been washing dishes in the bathroom sink, and the thought of greasing it with a dirty pan doesn't appeal to me at all. Maybe I'll only resume experimenting in the kitchen when everything is installed to my heart's content.

Still, eating outside is unhealthy for both body and pocket. Our quick fix to this is to eat salads in the evenings. A likes his vegetables without any dressing but I sometimes like mine to have a bit of this and that. My co-teacher showed me how to prepare a really tasty and easy to prepare dressing when one day we made "farm salad" with the kids at school as an activity for the Farm theme. Here it is:

"Pepřová omačká s korením," which means pepper sauce with spices, and (nevermind the Czech version) garlic-flavored vinegar. Two spoons of this pepper sauce plus a few drops of this vinegar (or according to your taste) really makes a good dressing.

You can also add cheese in your salad if you feel like it. We used this Chevre du Poitou goat's milk cheese. It's so good I dumped several slices on my plate. It's a bit expensive though, a small pack costs more than a hundred crowns, but it's certainly worth it.

This is one of our cuties who carefully selected the veggies and fruits to bite. Me? I right away stuffed my Hruška (or pear as what A likes to call my stomach) with big bites of lettuce, strawberries, almonds, cheese and whatnot, along with suitably agreeable noises...hmm...hmm...this is good...the dressing is excellent...Can I have some more, please?