Coleman (cooler) saved the day!

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It took 5 days for Meralco to restore our power supply after #GlendaPH badly hit Tagaytay and the rest of CALABARZON and NCR.

Luckily for us, sleeping at night was not a problem because of the cold weather. The dark also gave us the perfect excuse to sleep early (very early, in fact, we were at bed before 8pm!)

I almost did not miss the electricity and really didn’t mind another two to three days of brownout if not for the food we have in the fridge. Good thing, though, the typhoon happened mid-week and by the time #GlendaPH hit, our stock in the fridge was already halfway-gone. But we were feeling the need for the fridge by Day 2 of brownout due to the opened can of butter (we use canned butter), bottle of mayo, and a few kilos of meat (chicken & pork).

That’s when we decided to bring out our Coleman 45L cooler which we bought last May to use during summer outings. I was, at first, hesitant to buy it but after either losing or misplacing each of the the styro coolers we bought every time we go on outings, I finally said it’s time to ‘invest’ in this cooler.

It proved to be a wise ‘investment’ not just for summer outings but during brownouts as well! It saved our meat, cheese, butter, and other spread from spoiling!

Coleman 45L cooler. P3,125 at Coleman Store in Alabang Town Center.

Unli Buko! (Post #GlendaPH Update)

How are you, guys, during and after #GlendaPH?

We are just too glad #GlendaPH spared our house from its wrath & fury! I know a lot homes were not as lucky. Some lives have been lost too and I am one with their famiy in sympathy.

Our mini-farm, however, is a mess post-Glenda. Smaller vegetables like pechay, sitao, mustasa, and sili were all destroyed. Most of the eggplants, however, and the papaya trees survived. We were also lucky that the three coconut trees surrounding our house did not fall on us! My Dad had a sleepless night when #GlendaPH came for fear that the nearest coconut tree would fall on us due to the strong winds (and ‘strong’ is an understatement here)!

They (the coconut trees!), did, however, give us their fruits without us exerting too much effort in harvesting them (it is always a challenge to think of ways to harvest from our coconut trees!) As you can see from the photo below, #GlendaPH gave us about a hundred  or so coconuts — whether macapuno (we have one macapuno tree), niyog or matured coconuts perfect for coconut milk (Bicol Express, here it comes!), or young coconuts perfect for buko juice which I now drink with my every meal.

Sometimes, nature has its way of telling us that there is something good that can come out of the worst situation.

I’d like to see it that way.

Ang Mahal Kasi ng Bawang! (Alternative to Fresh Garlic)

(Disclosure: This post is NOT sponsored by the brand featured here.)

My Dad went into panic mode when he heard that the price of garlic went up to P300 per kilo. 

In Tagaytay public market where he (yes, he's in charge of 'marketing' in our household) buys fresh produce, the price of garlic is as high as P320 per kilo. One 'lolo' he bumped into at the wet market confessed that in their household, they stopped using garlic due to its high price and just resorted to all-in-one seasoning used for sauteing. Knowing I detest (notice the word in bold) these seasoning products (we don't even use MSG!), he, creatively I must say, thought of a way to "avoid" buying fresh garlic without sacrificing both the taste of the food we cook and our health. 

And so, off he went to the supermarket and bought this:

(Photo Credit: http://store.mccormick.com.ph)

I must say, I was impressed he thought of that! A 500g bottle of McCormick Garlic Powder costs P330 -- a little over the price of 1 kilo of garlic, but according to McCormick website, 1/4 teaspoon of this garlic powder is equivalent to 1 clove of garlic. Best of all, it's made of pure granulated dehydrated premium garlic -- no additives or artificial coloring and flavoring! So I'm guessing this 500g bottle will go a long, long way than a kilo of fresh garlic.

So far, I have not noticed the difference in taste in our fried rice and sauteed vegetables. I don't think I'd be using this powder for my garlic bread anytime now but beyond my garlic bread, I'm happy with this garlic powder for now (until the price of garlic stabilizes).

Product name: McCormick Garlic Powder

Product Description: Granulated Dehydrated Garlic

Size: 500g

Price: P320 (Robinson's Supermarket, Nuvali, Laguna)

Manufacturer: McCormick

'The Regular Consumer' Rating: 4 out of 5. Can't still use it for my garlic bread :)

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!

It's hot! 

Okay, that's an understatement. The scourging heat of the summer sun is unbearable. I have turned off the heater (we live in Tagaytay so our water is cold) to enjoy the feel of cold water during showers and refresh me somehow. But as soon as I step out of the shower, trickles of perspiration run through my back and I hate it! The fan and a small hand towel is currently my best friend!

With this heat, it is important that adults, especially kids, stay hydrated. I literally count the number of glasses of water I drink everyday. For my kids, since drinking water isn't fun, I bought them calamansi & dalandan concentrate so they can drink more liquid and keep them hydrated. (I stay away from buying them powdered juice and iced tea for obvious reasons but more on that in another post.)

In search for natural juices for myself and my kids aside from our usual canned pineapple & four season juices, I found this 'organic calamansi concentrate plus sugarcane' from Bendurya I bought from a bazaar in St. Luke's BGC. It costs P200 for 550ml. I was sold into the 'organic' proposition so even if I find it a little bit pricey than other brands ('organic' is priced more premium), I bought it. 

Having finished the 550ml bottle in one week, I can't say I became a fan. The liquid is thick as expected of a concentrate but I think it's too thick because of the sweetening agent used (sugarcane, I assume). It takes a bit of stirring when mixed in cold water to ensure it's fully diluted. It is also missing the sour, tangy taste I'm expecting from a calamansi concentrate. It's just pure sweetness.

So although I appreciate the fact that it is organic (I hope they really mean 'organic' meaning the calamansi &; sugarcane and other ingredients were grown through 'organic' means and not just because they didn't use chemicals as an ingredient) -- and I tend to patronize organic produce if it is reasonably priced (some do bank too much on being organic they put a hefty price tag on their produce) -- I didn't like the fact that it is too sweet for my liking and it did not deliver on the sourness I expect from a calamansi juice.

And since I decided to finish it rather than give it to my kids (you guess right, because of the sweetness), I bought them other brands to try -- Squeeze 4U Calamansi Concentrate &; Phil's Best Dalandan Concentrate. More on these two in my next post.

Product name: Bendurya 100% Pure Organic Calamansi concentrate plus sugarcane

Product Description: Organic Calamansi concentrate with sugarcane

Size:550ml

Price: P200 (Summer Bazaar at St Luke's, BGC)

Manufacturer: Unspecified, from Batangas City

'The Regular Consumer' Rating: 3 out of 5. Too sweet.

Stop Smoking in the Streets of BGC!

I love BGC! The air is a lot fresher than in Makati perhaps because there are more wide and open spaces and trees.

Our office moved to BGC in 2011, the time when there are still a lot fewer people, there's an absence of queue in the bus stations, and there's no traffic jam at McKinley going to Ayala-EDSA. Fast track to three years and all those changed faster than a blink of an eye. Too many people now, perpetual queues in bus stations, buses that take ages before they arrive, and horrible traffic jam.

With the flock of office workers and residents now in BGC comes expected 'sanitation' issues that I hoped BGC anticipated and start to manage. I used to complain about lack of trash bins not just in BGC but elsewhere in the metropolis which I believe is the cause of trash being thrown just about anywhere. 

I have noticed a few weeks ago that BGC has been installing more and more trash receptacles around the area. Good thing...or not. Unfortunately, this gave smokers permission to smoke in the streets of BGC which I hate! Worse, some do not even bother to throw their cigarette butts in the trash can. I wish BGC can be more like Davao in banning public smoking! After all, they're encouraging joggers in the area and open smoking in their streets does not fit into that proposition.

 

Please. Stop smoking in the streets of BGC!

How Not to be a Call Center Agent (Globe)

I recently called the technical support hotline of Globe Telecoms to inquire about the guarantee on minimum upload speed of a broadband package we're about to sign-up for.

After discussing to the call center agent (CCA) my requirement and the urgency of my requirement, the conversation went like this:

CCA: So, ma'am, upgrade to 10mbps or 15 mbps (with a very self-righteous tone)

Me: (After telling her 2x or 3x that in our office building, only up to 5mbps is available) But only 5mbps is available in our building...

CCA: Then wait for the 10mbps to be available in your building! (again, with that self-righteous tone!)

I put down the phone. There's no point conversing with this woman.