Missing Blogger

Weeks. Yes, I have not posted anything new for weeks. Really bad, huh? I have been so busy with work that I haven't written anything for so long. I haven't visited any other blogs. I miss all my blogger friends. I miss posting. I miss blogging!

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My Dream Laptop

For the past days, I have been as busy as he--. I didn't have time to blog, to surf and to go visit around other blogs. For the whole mont od September, I will be loading up with tons of work. All because I plan (and I am determined) to buy a laptop by December. Who knows, it might even be earlier.

I will work myself like a slave every single day. I am determined to raise enough funds to buy my dream laptop. of course, I have to think of everyday expenses too: fare, food, bills, waaaaah. I need to work, work and work. Hopefully, I can earn, earn and earn so I can save up for this baby. LOL!

Sonya's Garden

For the last three days, I spent many hours stuck in the car with my husband because of the Manila flood and traffic. During those hours, we had nothing better to do than talk. We talked about so many things and we have realized that we haven't done that for a long time.

One of the things we talked about was his birthday plan. He asked me what I wanted to do and I told him I want to travel to a nearby city or province. And stay in a place that I have never been to. I told him about a place I have read on one website. I said I wanted to go to Sonya's Garden.

Sonya's Garden is a bed and breakfast place in Tagaytay. Just a few hours from Manila. It offers bed space and dining services catering to the visitors of Tagaytay. It started as a private place for Sonya's guests but eventually opened to the public some years ago. The place offers cottages, a magnificent garden, a restaurant, a spa and the general feeling of being in a magical land (my own description). My husband wasn't much for my idea, he wanted a more exciting trip. As for me, I can imagine myself waking up to the sound of birds and the smell of flowers. I would love to just spend a few hours in one of the garden benches, reading a book.

The place is for those who want to take a break from the noise and clutter of the city. A weekend would be the perfect time to spend in Sonya's Garden. You may visit their website here.

Sea Isle City Rentals

One great thing about having a blog that covers travel is that you get to write a review about great places. In evaluating places for vacations, real estate, hotels, or any place suitable for home-building or travel treats, it would definitely be useful to have someone take care of the details for you. People travel mostly for leisure or business purposes, yet is any of these classifications, it is important that the venue be the best to provide your specific needs and wants. In real estate hunting, it is doubly more important to have the guidance of a trustworthy person or company to help you in getting prime property.

I have come across Freda Real Estate Agency and I can say that this company is the right group to handle real estate and vacation rentals especially in Sea Isle City, New Jersey. Freda Real Estate has been in that line of business since 1955 so they are the right people to talk to when looking for Sea Isle City rentals or real estate. Whether you want to buy, sell or acquire city rentals at Sea Isle, Freda Real Estate Inc. can be your best bet. I also navigated their site and found it very user-friendly --- I can actually do the search online and get sufficient information about Sea Isle property.

Test Drive and Bulaluhan sa Espana

Finally, our car is working. After almost two months in the auto mechanic, they have finally told us that we can now use the car. Late last night, J and I went driving around Metro Manila to test drive our old but much-loved car. It has been very fun because J missed driving and I missed being his backseat driver. For dinner, we went to one of our favorite food establishments... Bulaluhan sa Espana.

Bulaluhan sa Espana is a restaurant-along-the-street of Espana and they offer steaming hot bulalo. We love eating there when we feel like eating lots of rice and sipping hot bulalo soup. The price range is also quite cheap, P150-200 would be suffiecient for 2 persons who eat much! They usually offer bulalo (2 kinds), inihaw na liempo, inihaw na tilapia or hito, kare-kare and other Filipino dishes. Bulaluhan sa Espana is frequented by people from all walks of life (from the tambays of Sampaloc to the Expedition-driving rich of the city). If you are the type of person who loves hot delicious yet cheap Filipino food and not mind eating on an open-space restaurant, then Bulaluhan sa Espana is worth a try.

Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice

One of my favorite activities in this world is eating. I have always been a person who enjoyed meals truly. I cook and I experiment on cooking, looking forward to creating sumptuous dishes. I also love eating out if the budget permits. I am the kind of person who is easy to bring anywhere as long as eating delicious food is involved. I especially love seafood. My favorite food trips is to Dampa, one of the seafood market-restaurants here in the country.

I recently read about a seafood cook off and reading about it (plus seeing the photos!) made my mouth water. Suddenly I couldn’t wait for dinnertime. In the cook off, there were five finalists and the recipes were Colorado Striped Bass Panzanella (Chef Paul Anders) , Pan Roasted Glazed Rockfish with Peas and Carrots (Chef Tafari Campbell), Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice (Chef John Currence), Texas Gulf Shrimp (Chef Mark Holley), and Louisiana Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet (Chef Brian Landry).

Among the five recipes included in the cook off , I chose and voted for Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice by Chef John Currence of Mississippi. I read the recipe and I realized that cooking it by myself is actually possible. Also, I am determined to try it in the kitchen by next weekend. What I liked best about Chef John Currence’s recipe was the seafood rice. As a daily rice eater, I never thought about making my rice more exciting by mixing bacon, chicken liver, shrimp, onions, beer with fish stock into it. I would definitely try this recipe, make a special Saturday lunch for my family. I would probably cook the rice in a pot, though, and not using an oven since I do not have one.

If you are aiming to have the best seafood recipes, I would also suggest getting home-grown or domestic seafood. Not only do you get them in the local price (great for haggling for better prices too) but you get them in their freshest state. For unique seafood recipe ideas, visit www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com , make a vote, and you might also get inspired to cook a tasty dish or win a trip to New Orleans prize package! Happy cooking and happy eating everyone!