Nespresso capsules

While roaming around Brisbane yesterday, my friends and I made a brief stop at the Nespresso store to try a random cup of coffee. We tried 3 out of the 23 different coffee variations: (1) Vanillo, (2) Caramelito and (3) Dulsão do Brasil. The names of the first two coffee varieties I mentioned are descriptive. Vanillo has a hint of vanilla flavor while Caramelito has a subtle caramel taste. I cannot, however, write a concrete description of  the Dulsão do Brasil espresso because my friend poured a stick of brown sugar into it and the sweetness was too overwhelming that I simply refused to drink it. Maybe I have peculiar taste buds; but I really love the bitterness of coffee.

Among the three, the one that won my heart was Vanillo. I was easily captivated because vanilla latte happens to be one of my many favorites. I actually have two favorite coffee aromas: vanilla and hazelnut. The latter was out of the list so it was not really a difficult choice to make.

How have I been?

I have been living in Brisbane for nearly four months now; and I must say I am really having a good time. Everyday I wake up elated and excited to spend yet another day in the lab. My experiments have not been going so well though. It's not because I have been slacking off; it's just that some things simply don't work and it takes courage to admit that it doesn't work and one must simply just give it up and try to find another solution. After all, it's not the end of the world. 

To lift my spirit up, I am proud to say that, barely four months into my PhD, I already wrote one book chapter which was accepted for publication. My Professor asked me to write the book chapter a month ago. He said, "Where did I get the impression that you can write well?" I racked my head and silently answered, "maybe you read my blog which I haven't visited for ages?" After completing the book chapter, I was so ecstatic to hear that my Professor was very pleased with my writing technique. This only means I should keep working on my writing skill and never give up. You see, there are also some things one should never give up on even though it apparently does not work.

That's why I am writing in my nearly abandoned blog again. 

Aside from spending a great deal of time doing lab experiments, reading papers and writing the book chapter, I have been exceptionally busy doing activities completely unrelated to PhD starting from 7 o'clock Friday until Monday morning the following week. Having a balanced life is crucial especially for someone who is a thousand miles away from home. However, sometimes I have to sacrifice several hours on my weekend to do menial work-related chores. It's inevitable for a PhD student. Last weekend, I had to spend 2 hours working in the biosafety cabinet. The air flow creates so much noise, it's tragically deafening. While working, I kept thinking about aimlessly strolling near the lakes inside the campus. I love lakes so much I can probably spend the entire day gazing at the wild ducks as they create ripples on the water! While I never had the chance to spend the entire day beside the lake as it was getting dark when I finished my lab chores, I was able to steal a glance of the lake's breathtakingly serene beauty for nearly an hour. I also had the chance to lie on the green grass as I stared blankly at the deep blue sky. At that moment, I thought I was living forever!

Puto Seko

Grandma and I have been spending the afternoons together at our very tiny veranda where we can catch the cool breeze. Our idea of spending time together isn't anything out of the ordinary. We simply stay in the same corner of the house, occasionally watching each other as we drift off into our own worlds. She sleeps while I read and write. At around 4 in the afternoon, I have to prepare her snacks. She eats everything I make regardless of the taste. For grandma, everything I do is perfect. However, among all my recipes, there is one simple type of cookie which she probably thinks is beyond perfect.

I honestly haven't perfected this recipe as I am still trying to figure out how to achieve the texture similar to the commercially sold puto seko. Nevertheless, here is the recipe I am using:

2 pcs eggs

3/4 c confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup butter

4 cups cornstarch

2 cups powdered milk

2 tsp baking soda

The steps are simple: Mix. Knead and shape into circles. Bake at 190 C for 5 to 10 min.

Grandma and I really love eating puto seko together. It's a very simple cookie. What's extraordinary about it is the texture. It's so creamy and it melts in your mouth when you eat it.

Jollibee spicy chicken

I had to do an errand for mom and a bit of shopping for me awhile ago. At quarter to one, my stomach roared loudly, I was a bit embarrassed. Lucky the mall was too noisy no one heard. I was craving to eat this unhealthy but very tasty fried chicken from the Philippines' most popular fast food chain: Jollibee. Every time I go there, I usually order the spicy chicken joy value meal which comes with a cup of rice and a glass of Coca-cola. The meal only cost me 87 Php (that's around 1.8 euros or 2 US dollars).  It was so spicy, the mucus in my nose started dripping. (Embarrassing again, but who cares?) My mouth burned as hot as the wildfires in Australia. It was so hot, my tongue was getting numbed. Nevertheless, I never once entertained the thought of quitting. The skin was too crispy and the meat was too juicy, I wouldn't dare abandon the entire ordeal. The spiciness made the meal less boring. The sensation lingered in my mouth for more than 5 minutes. 

I found that the best way to deal with the "spicy after shock" was to eat sundae. My favorite is the large ube crispies sundae from McDonald's (It looks like this but ube flavor and not strawberry). Because I always devour the ube sundae as fast as lightning strikes, I never ever had the opportunity to snap a photo.

My favorite winter boots

I finally booked my flight! I will be departing on the very last day of February. Aside from the emotional baggage I have to bear once I part with my family (especially my grandma because I love her dearly), I will have to carry along with me a limited amount of necessary things. To ease the burden of choosing what to bring, I have decided to avail of the 40 Kg baggage allowance. I am also entitled to 7 kilos of carry-on luggage. The total weight is a kilo heavier than my body weight. And although the thought of carrying that much luggage frightens me, I still availed of such as it is extremely necessary.

For instance, I need to bring my favorite winter boots. The pair is really of good quality. Not to mention, it's pure leather. The sole is rubberized with "ridges." The combination of these two features enables the sole to "grip" the ground more firmly. I used to run with this in thick snow and I never slipped. It's also very comfortable to wear. Thank you Tamaris for making this incredible shoes! 

Oh, I forgot to mention the most important bit! It weighs 1 kilo. That leaves me 46 more kilos for everything else.

Bignay Wine

This bottle of bignay wine reminds me of my childhood.

I spent the first five years of my life in a small town near the famous cone-shaped active volcano in the Philippines called "Mt. Mayon." When I started walking, I also started disobeying my grandmother especially when (before she would leave for work) she would persistently instruct me to, "stay at home and don't go to the rice fields!"

I don't know how I found my way to the rice fields; but for some reason, I managed to find my way through so I could happily play in the rice paddy which was too quick to swallow me whole. I too was too quick to cry and my grandma's sister who was supervising the laborers had to pull me out immediately. Discovering the dangers of the rice fields, my cousin and I decided to find another playground. 

In our massive playground, we found an area lined with trees bearing red and blue fruits. At that time, the species' name was unknown to me. It was only recently that I learned of its name: "bignay." These bignay fruits did not taste nice; they were a bit sour. They were barely even sweet, in fact. However, they were the only trees we could manage to climb, so we had to be contented with our new find. My cousin and I would climb these trees whenever we had the chance. I remember I was really enjoying my time picking up the tiny red and blue fruits. My hands were too tiny to hold the bunches of fruits we picked so I had to wrap and tuck them with my t-shirt. My grandma always appeared shocked to find my t-shirt all covered with red and blue stains. You can just imagine the look on her face. But all she could say was, "Just stay at home tomorrow, Ok?" I had to do my best to stay cute while replying with a "yes grandma" so I wouldn't be castigated. However, the next day, I would  once again freely run, play and climb in our massive "playground."

I had a wonderful childhood.

Coke Float

I had to do some errands for my bro and sis awhile ago and my parents dropped me off at McDonald's near Victoria Plaza. I had to wait for an hour before the mall opens so I decided to use the McDonald's coupon my bro gave me the night before. I told him, "I don't really need that. I don't like McDonald's." He said, "Someone just gave it to me. Just take it!"

That was the biggest mistake I made the other day. I shouldn't have taken it. If I didn't, I would have probably just ordered coffee. But because I thought the coupon was a good deal I decided to get myself coke float and medium fries.

I think it was the third time I ever had coke float in my life. Coke float, by the way, is a regular coke drink with a floating chocolate sundae. The first time I drank coke float was during the first few weeks it was being offered as part of the regular menu. The second time was when I attended a meeting for my cousin's wedding. 

I don't think I'll ever drink coke float again. It's just basically sugar on top of sugar. I don't like it when the sundae melts and makes the coke creamy. The combination is just so wrong. No one has ever manufactured a creamy soda for some reasons.

Many of my friends love coke float though. I think it's because they love coke and sundae. The combination of the two makes the deal really good. But for a person who doesn't like coke but who likes sundae, the combination is deplorable. I'd rather just drink water!