Playing with Watercolor

Rooster

I think I copied this image from the backcover of the Readers' Digest.

Manila, 1981. Summer vacation. I was a 3rd year college student with nothing to do then. I tried to pass the time by attempting to paint using watercolor. After reading some tips on watercolor painting, I bought the basic materials - watercolor paint, brush and the watercolor paper. I copied pictures from magazines and objects in my sorroundings.

In watercolor painting, planning is very important. You must have an image of what the outcome will be before putting that first stroke of color on paper. You start with the light colors, then proceed to darker colors and finally apply the darkest colors or shades. In watercolor painting, you can not erase a mistake especially the dark colored strokes. Here are my watercolor paintings in 1981. After this venture on watercolor during that summer vacation, I just stopped. I don't know why. Maybe I got busy again with my studies and now with my work. The experience was fun and relaxing. Here are some of my watercolor paintings.

Afternoon at Sulucan

This is a painting of the window in our apartment at Sulucan St. in Manila where we live then during my college days.

Wooden Bridge

Rocks and Cliff



Alien

In this painting, I used a toothbrush to produce the

dotted colors of green on the bright yellow background.



Coconut Tree



Good Companion
(Copied from the original by Jack Pellew)

Happy Days
(Copied from the original by Jack Pellew)

 

Curve Ahead

Lola Cons' New Paintings

Lola Cons' painting of "Day Lilies", a commisioned work for Elsie

"Colorful flowers". A Monet-like painting.

 

This painting reminds of scenes of fields and old churches. This is also similar to Monet's paintings.

This is my favorite - strong colors and strokes. Reminds me of Van Gogh's "sunflowers."

A serene scene of a nipa hut with a mountain and the sun



"Day Lilies"



What is Kapampangan Cuisine?

If you want to know more about the real Kapampangan cuisine, visit the Museo ning Angeles' Culinarium

 

The Culinarium at the Museo ning Angeles displays photos of Kapampangan cuisine. During Kapampangan tours, cooking demos are presented and the tasty Pampango dishes and snacks - tibok-tibok, tarts, halo-halo - are served to the guests. 

Sisig" means "to snack on something sour." Do you know that the original sisig is actually made from vegetables?  The present sisig actually originated at Angeles City when the Americans were occupying Clarkfield Airbase. Aling Lucing is known to have started the popular sisig with oxbrain. The sisig is now a popular appetizer for beer drinkers.  Variations of the sisig have evolved - with mayonaise (yaks), with chicharon, lechon, bangus, chicken etc. - but no recipe can match the original Pampango sisig.

We tasted the Aling Lucing's sisig at the Nepo Mall. Half order is P75.00.





Various regions have their own version of the sinigang.
In Pampanga, we call it "Bulanglang."



"Buru", "Balobalo" or fermented rice is a partner for the crispy or grilled hito or tilapia and vegies like the mustasa, okra and eggplant. The crispy chicharon also taste good when dipped in buru.

Frogs are usually harvested from the rice fields. Want to taste a frog? In Pampanga, the frog is a delicacy. Frogs are clean and taste like chicken.

Batute or Frog Cuisine - it can be stuffed or simply fried or grilled! I dare you to try this and you will crave for more.

Mole crikets or "kamaru" feed on the roots of the rice plant. Adobong kamru is one Pampango exotic dish. When you eat this dish, you will taste the sour flavor and feel the crunch as you bite the crickets. YUMMY!

Julia visits "Museo ning Angeles"

Julia infront of the Museum of  Angeles City, Pampanga - July 28, 2012

Old photos of Angeles City

Sketches of Costumes of Filipino Soldiers

The diorama displays very detailed designs of dolls
with the costumes created by Patis Tesoro

A Filipino Wedding diorama

Tita Dina tells Julia about the diorama.

Harvesting palay diorama

A "kusina" or traditional kitchen diorama

Harvesting sugarcane diorama

The Church as seen from the museum

Tita Dina and Julia

Traidtional cooking tools at the Culinarium of the museum

Tita Dina organizes Cultural and Culinary Tours of the Province of Pampanga. A visit to the Museo ng Angeles is one of the highlights. If interested to join a Kapampangan tour, email: dina_maglalang@yahoo.com.

Amazing Lola Cons at Work!



Photo of a Day Lily by Elsie Crawford

I am a big fan of Lola Cons! And I am really impressed by her beautiful paintings especially the flowers. One time I sent her a sunflower photo and she easily painted the photo and gave the painting to me. View the sunflower painting.

My friend who lives in the US usually posts photos of her flowers in her garden at FB. I download them and send them to Lola Cons for her painting hobby. This time I downloaded a photo of a "day lily" from Elsie's photos. Elsie says that she will buy Lola's painting when she finishes the project. Here is Lola busy painting the day lily flower. Amazing Lola at 89+ yrs old!

Lola Cons applies her pastel with precision

Magic strokes by Lola Cons

The final painting of "The DayLilies" by Lola Cons

Wooden Spoon

Wooden Spoon is a new and cozy restaurant which is located at Katipunan Ave. infront of Miriam College and Ateneo De Manila University. The place is owned and managed by Chef Sandy Daza from a family known for their cooking - remember the TV shows, "Cooking with Nora Daza" and then "Cooking with Sandy Daza" - these shows were one of the pioneering cooking shows which we watched before the many cooking and chef shows in cable TV. Intrigued by what Sandy is cooking for Wooden Spoon, we tried the resto for lunch.

We ordered Lumpiang Sotanghon, Stuffed Pechay and Shrimp Pampango.

Lumpiang Sotanghon (3 pcs @ P95.00)

The lumpia is an imitation of the Vientamese lumpia. Good but oily.

Stuffed Pechay (P195.00)

The stuffed petchay was tasty, a little spicy but has a unique taste. Will order this again when we return.

Shrimp Pampango (P225.00)

The shrimp pampango is their version of nilasing na hipon. What makes it different is the dip made from taba ng talangka.

The resto occupies two floors with a seating capacity of about 40. Parking may be difficult so we suggest you park nearby or inside Ateneo and walk.

Photos by Apple

I love Chicharon Bulaklak!

In my past blog on "Chicharon Bulaklak", I was complaining about how difficult it is to buy this crispy and sinful delicacy. But this time I have good news to all chicharon bulaklak lovers like PNoy. I discovered Teresita's of San Fernando at Walter Mart, EDSA beside the LRT Roosevelt Ave. Station. I was having snack of pancit palabok there when I noticed this guy enjoying a chicharon bulaklak meal. So on my next visit, I ordered it.

At Teresita's of San Fernando, they serve a chicharon bulaklak meal for P105.00. The meal goes with rice, a little of achara and vinegar. After dipping  the deep fried dish in the vinegar and put it inside my mouth and chew, I can just imagine the expression of PNoy whenever he eats his favorite dish. The chicharon bulaklak is crispy at first bite and chewy after. The taste is different from an ordinary chicharon. I suggest that you just try it and enjoy. However, don't eat this dish too much otherwise you may have  problems with uric acid.

Geof's Animations

Last summer, Geof attended an animation class at the Young Artists Studio. He created the scripts of his animations using clay, simple objects, paper and pen and sand. To create an animation of 30 seconds requires about 50 images. Geof creates the animations and his teacher takes the photos. Watch his animations which I produced using Power Director. Enjoy!

Animation of simple objects

Clay Animations

Cut-out and Flip-book Animations

Sand and the Magic Hand Animation

Moonlight Mystery: Julia's 2nd Pony Story

Julia wrote her second pony story for about five days. Before sleeping she writes her story on the bed. The story is seven pages long in her journal. The story has also drawings of the narrative per page.

Her second pony story is entitled, "Moonlight Mystery." Moonlight is one of the four the pony characters in her pony series. Enjoy!

Moonlight Mystery by Julia 

Julia plays the piano

Julia at the UST Conservatory of Music Recital Room

During the summer vacation 2012, we enrolled Julia at Crave School of Music at QC to learn how to play the piano. Three times a week for one hour for a total of 10 hours, she was taught how to read notes and play the piano properly by Teacher Rex, a faculty at UST. "Julia learns fast and she can read the musical notes correctly", commented her teacher.  Indeed she learned a lot. I bought a music book and she easily played the piano pieces by just reading the notes. So we extended her lessons for additional 10 hours.

Last June 1, 2012, Crave School of Music organized a Summer Recital at the UST Conservatory of Music. There were 26 performances by the students and teacher - voice, guitar, paino and violin. It was a marvel to watch and hear the guitar duo performance of two brothers who played "When you say nothing at all." Apple should have been part of the recital for guitar if she continued her lessons with Crave. Julia played three peices: "The Steam Shovel", "The Hotdog Stand", and "Old Macdonald."  Here is a video of her recital for the two pieces.



The Pony Treasure Hunt: A Short Story by Julia

Julia's write-up of her story

Julia, now seven years old, attempted to write a short story. With her little notebook and pencil, she painstakingly, wrote a story. Along with the story are images she also drew. Her first story is about a treasure hunt which was inspired from one of the books she read. The title of her story is "The Pony Treasure Hunt." Here is a powerpoint version of her story. We hope you'll enjoy reading her story.

A Mother's Day Tribute: Missing my Mom's Cooking

I miss my mom. I miss her dishes. Her cooking is an expression of her heart's or Corazon's love to her children. That's why her dishes always fill our tummies with nutritious food and make our hearts more loving. This mother's day, I pay tribute to my mom, Corazon Coronel Oreta (June 15, 1931- June 22, 1979) through a list of three dishes that she cooked and that I really miss.

1. Ginisang Bulaklak ng Kalabasa

When we were living inside Basa Air Base, Pampanga, I remember our vegetable garden with flowers of the kalabasa (pumpkin), alugbati and root crops like kamoteng kahoy. The ginisang bulaklak ng kalabasa my mom cooked from the flowers harvested from our garden always come to my mind whenever I pass by an open market and see the yellow flowers of the pumpkin. Cooking this vegetable is so simple yet I sledom find this in restaurants. You  may saute the vegetables and flowers with bagoong or coconut milk to introduce a different taste. Make sure the flowers are not overcooked so that when you eat it you will feel the crispiness and rough texture of the flower.

2. Pork Humba

Humba is a sweet pork dish like the adobo but it is highlighted with certain ingredients such as brown sugar, salted black beans, and sometimes banana blossoms. It is a dish not for those who are in diet or reducing in cholesterol.

My mom cooks her humba in a claypot until the pork is so tender that it melts in your mouth. I've tried the humba at several restaurants in Metro Manila but  so far no resto was able to equal the quality and taste of my mom's version. At home, too much "taba" or fat is a NO NO especially to my wife. But it's the fat that makes the humba awesome!

3. Nilagang Baboy

Nilaga is a simple dish and easy to cook. You just throw everything - the pork, the vegetables, onions, potato, etc. and let it cook until tender.  I can easily cook the nilaga but I still miss my mom's version. I remember my mom saving a bone (from a ham) and let it dry under the sun. Whenever she cooks the nilaga she includes the bone with the other ingredients. So when you taste the soup, there is that unique taste of ham in the nilaga which you will not find in an ordinary nilaga.

Our Bohol Trip: Alona White Beach at Panglao Island

Alona White Beach, Panglao Island, Bohol

Bohol is known for its 'Chocolate Hills' and Tarsiers.  But in our recent vacation in Panglao island, what remains as the most memorable is the quiet, placid, and relaxed atmosphere of the beach.

I am not a huge fan of beach parties and adventure tours; a friend told me it's probably the age kicking in. Alona White Beach in Panglao island, Bohol offered what I wanted (and needed) - rest.  The Alona Kew White Beach Resort (where we stayed) combines the hotel ambiance with the feel of a beach resort.  While there were some quirks at the beginning of our stay, it eventually turned out fine in the end. Our cottage room is beside the pool. The rooms are clean and the staff regularly clean them. Buffet breakfast is satisfactory - main viands (corned beef, longaniza, danggit, bangus) change every other day. The waiters are very attentive to the costumers, always ready to serve the hot coffee or chocolate. The resort rests in front of the beach, so we can go to the beach anytime we want to.

The sand in the beach front is comparable to Boracay - powdery white (although admittedly, Boracay sand is more fine than Bohol's). There were the usual massage service offered by local masseuse; ambulant vendors selling arrozcaldo (congee with chicken),  guinatan (sticky rice cooked with coconut milk), beach wears, etc; and tour service offers (island hopping, dolphin watching, scuba diving).  During nightfall, there are also 'shows'/ performances - we saw some local bands, a fire dance, a group doing the hula or hawaiian dance - but they are sparse and hence do not dominate the whole beach front.  In other words, the beachfront offers whatever suits one's fancy  -- restful and relaxed mood or party-adventurous mood.

Julia enjoyed playing in the sand. She collected shells and corrals.

Julia enjoyed the beach the most.  Geof had his bonding moments with the little sister in the beach front and the pool fronting our cottage.  Andy and I enjoyed the slow and leisurely ambiance of the place. The verdict?  We all enjoyed Bohol and are looking forward coming back again.

Geof and Julia bonding at the beach

Enjoying guinataan and congee at the beach

Kuya  plays "horsie" to Julia

Alona Beach at night.  Dining and drinking while listening to acoustic music
and watching a boy doing a fire exhibition

Man and beast enjoy the sunset at Alona White Beach