Cotton buds

What the hell are you talking about?   I have always talked about love and relationships, on how my husband and I started out as friends and now as a married couple.  It may be cliché but not everything happens over night, it will always take time and relationships (strong ones) are made from a lot of drilling and not just happy moments.  Like you can feel Heaven in your Marriage but we should also remember that Thunder and Lightning are also from heaven!

When you have been with a person that is a part of who you are, in my case my husband; it’s a nice feeling when you know that you can almost talk about anything under the sun and moon.  Joy, Sorrow, Happiness, Love, Fear or even Pain and anything that will make your relationship grow is something that a couple (married or not) should not take for granted. 

For me, asking my husband how he was for the day is just a simple thing but it will kick-start the conversation.  Constant communication is important and thus when at home, I make it a point to set a time for our casual discussions.  I make it a point to find something interesting, I don’t want to be monotonous; being monotonous is like a candle melting to the ground; monotonous for me is the ritual questions like “How are you?”, “How was your day?”, “What did you had for lunch?”... As an interested individual we should not settle to just these types of questions, we should ask more, more and even more.  Find out what made the day bright, what at work interest him a lot, what about cars that he liked.  Eventually through time, as you build your relationship with your partner you will know the right and interesting questions to ask.  This is one great way to build your relationship.

Discussions need not always be serious.  If you are very comfortable and interested with your partner, you can talk about anything as simple as a rainbow or the rain and still end up laughing at each other.  Learning from each other’s experiences and thought processes. These conversations are the most stress free ones and helps build relationship little by little.  However, to be honest, this feeling does not last long.  More often than not, this happens only at the START of the relationship which is a trap that we all should avoid falling into.

As you go along with your relationship, there will be times that you will get used to what you talk about, and then you will not even notice that you are driving away from your partner.  Your attention now is with your gadgets, tv, vices, friends or basically other things.  Therefore, an advice to myself is:

“Always find something exciting!” 

            “There is always something new!”

Quick Sugar Fix!

The idea started when my office mate (Jessica) talked about having cheesecake in her new house.. Then she told me about her experience of making "Batik Cake".  It was like a ref cake / crema de fruta but made of chocolate.  There is no need to bake it and thus I got interested and researched about it.


There were several ways to cook Batik Cake but I chose two of my favorite blogs and combined it.

I needed the following:


200g Milo
4 pieces medium sized egg
Marie Buscuits
150g Butter
I can condensed milk (depends on how you want the cake sweet)
Unsalted Almonds


1. Beat the eggs and then pour in Milo, Mix until the Milo is all soaked in egg
2. Add the crashed Marie Biscuits (in my case, I just cut it into small pieces and not totally crashed it)
3. Add the condensed Milk
4. Mix until the texture is thick
5. Pour in the mixture in a low heat pan and mix well
6. Once heated, add the butter and mix continuously
7. When the texture thickens, remove from heat and pour to container


To add a twist, before pouring the entire cake mixture to the mold, I crushed some almonds in it to add a crunchy feel.  Once I poured the mixture, I put several Marie Biscuits on top and then pour the mixture again to create a layering effect.


Freeze for 2 hours or overnight can also be done.
Serve with coffee!!

I don't do recipes in this blog but I want to say how proud I am to be able to do this (even a 7 year old child can :P).

Critics says:
Just the right sweetness 
The moist effect of the cake was just nice to see and feel!

Is it fair? Sure or not?

During the Chinese New Year, my husband and I were always out in the malls celebrating and eating our hearts out.  Why not? we are celebrating Chinese New Year and we have a number of holidays and the best thing to do was to eat.


After that week long (yes we celebrated CNY for one week, although for Chinese it was celebrated for 15 days) celebration, my husband and I decided to check our weights because we just felt that we gained because of the food that we ate during the holidays.


True enough, both of us gained 2kg each. Now what?? We didn't regret eating our hearts out because we enjoyed ourselves.  We just need to do something about this 2kg increase.  Since we do not want to go to the gym, run or do exercise because of lack of time (or we are just lazy :D), we figured to lessen our carbohydrates intake by not having rice for dinner. Simple but we were sure that this will result to something.


For two weeks, we were successful to sustain our no rice dinner! Then here comes the moment of truth when we hit Mr. Weighing Scale... 


I lost 1kg! yey!  Then when it was Sweets' turn, he lost a whooping 4kg 
(wide eyes!) @_@

How did it happen!????
We do the same things
We do almost the same chores
We walk almost the same distance going to work (I even walk 10 min more than he does)
We ate the same food
We slept and woke up at the same time


What could have been wrong?!
There was nothing wrong! Sweets never did something extraordinary nor I did any miss for our goal to lose weight.


According to exercise.about.com men tend to lose weight faster than women.  this is unfair (i know!) but there are physiological reasons for the difference:


1. Men have more muscle. This allows them to burn more calories, even when at rest.
2. Women are predisposed to store and retain fat. Women have higher levels of estrogen, a hormone that works to keep fat on a women's body so it's easier for her to get pregnant.  That means women have to work harder to lose weight at the same rate as men.
3. Men's bodies respond more quickly to exercise.  Women's bodies, meanwhile, actually go into a sort of starvation mode, slowing the metabolism to hang onto more fat.
4. Women may have lower tolerance for exercise.  Women have smaller lung capacity than men, which make women feel as though they are working harder than men even if the women are working at the same level.  This can also make exercise feel harder in the heat of high humidity.


So what's up with that, we did not even had a single run or exercise! Hmmm..
Good to know about these things, thus now I know I need not compete with Sweets' in terms of getting slim.  


He can do it 3x better than I do! :D

What are you abstaining for?

Ash Wednesday marked the start of the Lenten Season.   

This traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of believers – through payers, penance, repentance, almsgiving and self denial.  This is our preparation before Easter.

For some, this is the time for fasting.  For some this is the time for recollecting everything that happened from before and why we are in this situation right now.  For me it’s both.

 

Now, in observance of the Lenten season, what are you abstaining for?  It is not always avoiding eating meat; it is abstaining for something that you know you can do without in 40 days, any type of luxury as a form of penitence.  Abstaining from something is our faithful commitment of avoiding something that we were used to doing.   

In doing so, we are committing in reflecting on Jesus Christ’s suffering and sacrifices, His Life, death burial and resurrection.   In doing so, we are slowly turning our lives more completely over to Christ and His way of life.

It is a time of staying away from sin and bringing ourselves into the realization that we can always do a better job for ourselves in doing things the right way, rooting out sins from ourselves little by little.

I liked the gospel for Ash Wednesday “Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18”

In summary it tells us that whatever it is that we do and we believe it’s a good thing, is something that we should not boast about. Whatever we do, wherever we do it, whoever we do it with is already seen by Him and we will be rewarded according to what He knows is best for us.

Every year, during this season, we are always given the chance to move forward in His direction and slowly driving ourselves away from sins.  It may not be easy but everything can be done “One Step at a Time”.

Trip to the Historical place called Melacca, Malaysia

We planned to have our pre Valentines celebration in the third smallest state in Malaysia, which is Melacca.  Melacca is one of the most popular cities amongst tourists in Malaysia.  This city is rich with history and is surrounded with architectural palaces and buildings.  There are a variety of cultural and historical places scattered throughout Melacca.

If you are going to drive by car, it will take you two hours from KL to Melacca. Since we didn’t have any car to drive, here are the modes of transportation that we had.

1. From Menara Jaya condo (Asia Jaya Station) we took the LRT going to KL Sentral. [Kelana Jaya Station]

2. From KL Sentral we took KTM to Bandar Tasik Station

3. From Bandar Tasik Station, we walked all the way to the TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan)

4. From TBS we took Metrobus Ekspres the for the 8am trip to Melacca.

We arrived to Melacca at around 10am and first off was to have breakfast.

After 30 minutes of eating we then went off to the local bus station to take another bus ride to the City Proper.

The first bus stop was the famous Christ Church Melacca and thus we decided to drop off and start our journey there.  It was actually near the Queen Victoria Fountain, Studhuys and the Red Clock Tower.

 When we went to take photos around, we saw a couple standing wearing Melacca’s National Costume.  It was bright and colorful and we went to them to see them closely.  We found out that we can rent these costumes and wear it all we want then take our own portraits.  We were already there so why not grab the chance to wear these costumes and simply have fun.

 It was hot definitely! But it was worth it because we had fun and even other tourists were taking our photos for souvenirs.  We instantly became their souvenirs from Melacca. =)

While we were busy with our photo opps we needed to stop to be able to check in first to our lodge. 

We chose to stay at the Voyage Cottage Lodge (72, Lorong Hang Jebat, Jonker Street, Melaka, Malaysia 75100).  It was recommended by one of our friend and she was right.

ü      - Cheap home stay

ü      - Clean rooms and bathrooms

ü      - Wifi

ü      - Accommodating Hostess

ü      - Walking distance from China Town

ü      - Walking distance from Christ Church Melacca

ü     - Walking distance from any restaurant

ü      - Overlooking Melacca River

After 15 minutes of rest we went out for our lunch at Tbowl.

It was a typical lunch but with a different ambiance with the entire toilet bowl as seats and toothbrush under the glass tables.

After burping from our lunch, we decided to walk going to our next destination.  While we were walking, we did not have anything in mind to go and just decided where our feet will take us.

First was at the Dataran Pahlawan Field!

While we were walking we saw my Alma Mater! Yes, in Melacca there was a Canossa School! It was the Sacred Heart Canossian Convent.

After a few more walks, we arrived at the Porta De Santiago.  Porta De Santiago was one of the four gateways into the Portuguese fortress of A’Famosa. The Porta De Santiago was gazetted as an old monument and historical site under the Antiquities Act No. 168/1976 on 12^th May 1977.

Of course, we didn’t want to miss some shots in this place!

Then just up we go to the stairs was the St. Paul’s Hill! St. Paul’s Hill was a small hill of average height, contained in the area bordering the river and the shores of the Straits of Melacca.  The area was originally a settlement of seafarers (Orang Laut) who were mainly fishermen.

The stone were called Laterite Stones which were commonly found in coastal areas and on islands near Melacca.  During the Portuguese Occupation, such stones were used to build forts and churches.

Some more photo opps! Definitely we can’t miss it!

After the hill we felt the need to eat and recharge for a quick snack.  We chose Nadeje to fill our cravings.

Tiramisu and Mango Yogurt

Next stop was to have a view of Melacca up there! We tried the Taming Sari.

From 80 meters above the ride, it will offer you spectacular and panoramic view of Melacca.  It was a 7 minute ride but worth experiencing.

A few meters away from the Taming Sari was the Marine Museum.  The Marine Museum was a replica of the ship Flor de La Mar and it was built in early 1990.

 

After this we went for the Melacca River Cruise. It was a 40 minute cruise along the river and along the river banks there were old churches, mosques, bridges, clan houses, warehouses, temples and villages that have withstood the test of time. The best time to ride the cruise is at night because the lights along the river were very promising.

After this, we had dinner.  We didn’t have any restaurant in mind and what we did was to search for one restaurant along the Jonker Street! 

To learn more about the night life in Jonker Street, visit this site.

After walking back and forth in Jonker Street we decided to end the night and went back to Voyage Cottage Lodge.

The following day, we had our breakfast at Heeren Hotel and then went to go back to Christ Church Melacca and Studhuys then followed by another Dutch place near the river.

We ended our stay in Melacca by having our lunch at Laguna Restaurant!

Our entire trip to Melacca was one fulfilled and juicy weekend!

Our Malaysia Valentines Day!

Love is truly in the air for me and for my husband!


Just last week, I was teasing my husband that he should not bother to give me anything for Valentines because I don't like flowers and chocolates.

Therefore, I really did not expect anything from him.  Besides, it's enough for me to know that he is always there to guide me and be with me forever.


Yesterday night, he told me that he wants to have lunch with me.  He will go to my office for lunch but I told him that it would be great to have dinner instead so that we have more time to talk and to celebrate hearts day.


This morning, he said that he might need to go overtime and thus he cannot make it to dinner.  Then we went to the original plan for us to have lunch near my office.


At around 10:45am, I was busy looking at my laptop because of work. Then my office mate, came to me and gave me the flowers.


Eben: Hey Kristine, it's for you!
KL: What? it's for me?
Eben: Yeah, it got your name in it!
KL: Wow!
Eben: Also this Teddy
KL: You Sure??
Eben: Yes


When I touched the flowers and the teddy, tears just came out from my eyes. It was definitely tears of joy as I REALLY NEVER expected anything from my husband.  I am a mushy and cheesy person but I was very touched with this gesture.


It may be a normal thing for a guy (husband, bf, fiance) to give something to their partners on this very special occasion but I had a different perspective.


For me, even if you are already married or have been with someone for quite some time, the feeling of excitement and kilig once you receive something from your special someone is STILL priceless!


It is truly the THOUGHT THAT COUNTS.  It doesn't matter if it's as simple as a letter or as an extravagant dinner cruise, it's the intent to make someone happy, smile and remember the day for the rest of their lives that matters most.


That's why Sweets wants to have lunch it was because the teddy and the flowers should have been delivered to me before our meet up!

I am happy and I know that I will forever be!

Mission Papansin: Dress Code

If you are interviewing a couple or a person truly in love with one another, one famous line that we ask is “When and where did you meet?.  In my case, I don’t remember the exact date but I know some more details about it.

I was an HR Representative at Accenture and I handled a lot of projects.  One of the project is where I met my husband.  I was doing my weekly “project visits” – we do this to make sure that we (HR Reps) are visible to our clients and that we have a personal image to them rather than just a name in another email. :)

Usually, when I do project visits, I just sit in any available cube and inform the project that I am in their area.  One normal project visit day, I sat in an available cube and announced via email that I was in their area.. people came to me to ask about HR stuff. One employee came to me, she was with another employee, it was Jacqui, and she asked me an HR Question.  While I was casually answering her question, I noticed her team mate, whom I don’t know who.

KL: Bakit ganyan ang suot mo?
Employee: Galing kase ako sa recruitment activity eh?
KL: Kahit na, Thursday ngayon eh pang Friday ang suot mo.

Employee: Eh pinayagan naman ako ng Manager ko.
KL: Kahit na, dapat nagbaon ka ng damit na pang Thursday.

After that quick conversation with the employee, I turned my attention to Jacqui and continued to answer her other questions.

A week after, I had my weekly project visit again in that same project area.  Similar to before, I announced via email that I was in the area so people can ask HR questions to me. A man approached me, he was wearing a white polo barong with eyeglasses.

Employee: Hi, im Noel Fernando
KL: Ok

Employee: Ako ung napagalitan mo sa Dress Code last week

KL: Okie, buti naman okie na ung suot mo.

That quick chat started everything and up to this moment I can still clearly recall when, where and how I met my husband.

It was one Thursday of August 2007, at 32F UBP Bldg. Ortigas.