Sunday, July 31, 2011

How to Make Home Made Gravy

Fried chicken will not be complete if there's no gravy served on the side. This certainly makes a chicken meal more interesting and special here in the Philippines. However, we can usually see this sauce on Fast food chains and of course we will not be able to go there everyday. A friend of mine gave me a recipe on how to make a home made gravy which I doubted at first (haha!). Nonetheless, I still tried it and surprisingly it's not really that bad at all...or shall I say, it's really good!!

Ingredients:

2 cups of water
Half of Knorr Beef Cube (or whole, it depends on your taste)
1 tablespoon of  Butter
Flour melted on half cup of water
**note: the ingredients depends on your estimations (I am not really good at it if I am not in the middle of cooking. hehehe)

Procedure:

Put the 2 cups of water on a pan and let it simmer on a medium fire. Add the butter and the beef cube. Just let those ingredients  melt  on the boiling water. When already melted, add the flour that was mixed with water and then continuously stir it until you get the right consistency of thickness.


The ingredients that I have given above are somehow already available on our kitchen instantly. That's why it's not that expensive and is very easy to do...

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Ladies of Goth

The Awakening
Goth is a culture associated with death, paranormal, darkness and oddness. It is a style that is not really thorough accepted by most of the people who will have a chance to be exposed to it. For me? it is a reflection of being eccentric and being open-minded to all sorts of ideas, be it negative or positive in nature. You can see goth influence in so many aspects such as Arts, Fashion, Literary Works and most of all Music.

Gothic Rock, a genre that was developed way back 1970's and comprises of two sub-genres which are post punk and alternative rock. The poetic side of the gothic rock lyrics includes romanticism, morbidity, religious symbolism, and/or supernatural mysticism. Gothic singers usually has a deep and dramatic vocal timbre in order to give justice to this sound, an example of such is David Bowie. Moving on, it also became a smash hit to all those female fans out there which pave the way of bands that are being formed with a lady singer. Who would not recognize the songs of Evanescence? I bet almost all of us do. However, do you know that Europe is the home of the greatest female gothic bands out there?

Lacuna Coil - an italian gothic band which was inspired by gothic imagery and music and was co-led by Cristina Adriana Chiara Scabbia who was also featured in Megadeth's song "A toute le monde" and Apocalyptica's S.O.S.


 Nightwish - a symphonic metal from Findland that mainly concentrates with mythological and fantasy themes. Anette Ingegerd Olzon, is a swedish soprano singer who became the lead vocalist after Tarja Turunen left the band. 


Within Temptation - a dutch symphonic metal band that was founded way back 1996. that defines their work as epic and cinematic According to them they do not want to be called a gothic rock band rather a symphonic rock band. Nevertheless, people are still recognizing them to be part of this particular genre.  Sharon Den Adel, a mezzo-soprano dutch singer is the lead vocalist of this band. She previously worked for a fashion company and decided to quit after the success of their song "Ice Queen"



ELIS - is a gothic band from  Liechtenstein which has Simone Christinat as its current vocalist but was previously led by Sabine Dunser who died last July 8, 2006 due to cerebral hemorrhage at the age  of 29 (may you rest in Peace Sabine).




Sirenia - is a band from Norway that incorporates their song with death metal and symphony. Various female singers became members of this band namely; Ailyn (current lead), Henriette Bordvik, Monika Pedersen,.


 These are just few of the bands that really proved their role on Europe's Gothic Rock scene. So many other great bands out there were not included on the list above such as Delain & Leave's Eyes.  Personally, I noticed that this genre should really be tagged as an artistic creation because of its uniqueness. I would say, let's read "Interview with the Vampire" while listening to this music. :)

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Banana Article

Ready to eat this banana
Now what? I was thinking of a something that I can write about.. then I just suddenly thought of BANANA because this is what I am currently munching on. Here comes the banana article, in our native tongue that  is Filipino (not Tagalog ha!), it is called "Saging". What are the benefits of eating Saging?  do you know that eating banana will help to lessen depression? That's why for all of you people who wanted to write a suicide note at this moment, might as well try to eat banana first before doing any stupid act. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, this is a kind of protein that the body usually converts into serotonin. It is known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier (just like what I am feeling right now.. *wink*)

When you are drunk, try to make a banana shake with honey as it is the quickest way of curing hangovers. The banana calms the stomach, while the honey builds up depleted blood sugar levels. If you are acidic and a candidate for Ulcer, banana neutralizes over-acidity. It also reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.. In addition to that, it also restore normal bowel movements if you are finding it difficult to do your thing.

Lastly, I love this fact that....banana helps to fight stress!!! When we are stressed we tend to have a high metabolic rates which reduces our potassium level that is helping our body to have a normal heartbeat, regulates our body's water balance and sends out oxygen to the brain. However, if we take a banana snack, it will be able to re-balance everything when we are stressed as it is rich in potassium.

I am not judging what an apple can do, BUUUUTT if you compare it with banana, it also has the power to make us healthy and to cure so many irregularities in our body. 

So guys, grab a banana once you read this article and munch to a better health ^_^.


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Me and my work... Perfect Combination

These past few weeks, I admit that I have felt so much stress on my job. To tell you honestly, I really can't understand the feeling. There's a part of me that's saying "what will happen next?" but the greater part is saying "I know you can do it! It's time for you to grow up and get smarter every single day that will pass".

To give you a brief background on where I am coming from, this is about me...being left alone on a role that once was being handled smoothly by four people on our office. Of course, it's nobody's fault because it's just a matter of choosing the options that we all feel like taking. I chose to stay, that's why I really deserve all these challenges that I am facing right now. I am just taking one step at a time and continuing to go with the rapid flow. I know everything will be alright because just as what everyone's saying "there's a light at the end of the tunnel".

All I can say is that, I am happy and contented with what I am doing. I am happy to share my knowledge to the new colleagues that I have right now. I am happy seeing the team still standing despite of all the circumstances. Stress is just a feeling.. that I really would want to defeat.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Taken by.. Taken by cars

It's a new breed of sound for the Philippines music scene. Though they are not really new anymore, many people don't really know that this great indie band exists. With the mix of electro, shoegaze and new wave genre there's no question that everyone who loves unconventionality will definitely love their style as well. Who would think that their only goal then was just to play at Saguijo Makati, a haven for all those indie rock enthusiasts out there. Having no materials and no major record label, the band just uploaded their videos on MySpace and earned their fans from all over the world. Now, they've signed up already to Warner Music Philippines and their debut album "Endings of a new Kind" was released way back 2008 under the production of Mong Alcaraz who is also part of the bands Sandwich and Chicosci.


This is one very promising band that needs to watch for.

Band Members:

Sarah Marco on Vocals,
Bryce Zialcita on Lead Guitar
Derek "Siopao" Chua on Rhythm Guitar
Isa Garcia on Bass Guitar
Bryan Kong on Drums and Sampler

Monday, July 25, 2011

A Rainy Monday Morning

I woke up on this gloomy Monday morning and I will be off to work later again. I think there's a storm coming and I just Heard that DepEd (Department of Education) here in the Philippnes already suspended the classes for Pre-School and High School level. At this point, the rain is heavily pouring at our place. I just wish that it won't flood.. I'll cross my fingers to that.

An Approximately 5.9 magnitude Earthquake (Manila, Philippines)

I just felt it.. yes! I thought I was kinda dizzy but then again the sway of the electric fan proved that it was indeed an earthquake. I have just seen this site from one of my colleagues, giving the initial findings (http://geofon.gfz-potsdam.de/eqinfo/event.php?id=gfz2011olwg). There's actually no news regarding this right now, but tomorrow we will be able to know the real intensity that occurred..

I was afraid or shall I say I am still afraid. After Japan's big earthquake, well who would not be?

Let us pray, pray pray... but it's really strong eh!


oooohhhhhhh.. New York.. Concrete Jungle where dreams are Made of

It's just a song, but it means something to me. I really like to go abroad but not to settle there but just to go for a short trip. I often say that I like to go to Canada, particularly at Vancouver; then next would be at Europe; UK, The Netherlands and Switzerland but of course this is just another wishful thought of mine :( . First of all, I don't have the money and I don't have something that will lead me to those places, that's why there will be no luck to that one. Poor Me....

Then it comes New York!.. uh huh! nope! there's also no chance of getting there as well hahahaha.. but I suddenly find myself wanting to go there also. I probably want to know if Alicia Key's song is right...that  
"there's nothing you can't do when you're in New York"

Rescue Me

Unknown

When I first heard this movie, I thought that it was a horror type of film. Who would not have that eerie feeling when there is something that is "unknown". However, when I learned that Liam Neeson is the main character on that movie (lead actor in "taken"), i suddenly thought... might as well give it a try. The shots were taken at Berlin, Germany which really gave me the urge to watch it because I personally find Europe to be a very interesting continent. With the budget of only 40 million dollars, It's gross revenue had turned out to be at smashing hit of 134,887,487 USD (whew!). It only proves that the main contributor for this success is not mainly the effects but the story itself.

The plot is about a scientist who arrived at Germany's airport together with his wife in order to attend a Bio Convention. However, due to some unfortunate and complicated events they got separated from each other. Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) found himself in a hospital and realized that he undergone comatose for 4 days due to a vehicular accident. Roaming around a foreign country he suddenly remembered his wife who was left alone on their hotel. Not minding the advice of his doctor, he made his way to find his wife and fortunately he was able to find her but she can't recognize him any more. He believed that his identity was stolen from him by another man who is saying that he is the real Dr. Martin Harris. That's where the confusion will take place on the viewers as you will continue to have that feeling of wanting to know the truth...why are there 2 Martin Harris???? his impostor was so convincing that you will also question Liam's character.


I will not be giving the answer to this question, I really recommend this film to all of you who want to tickle your imaginations a bit. It's unique premise will definitely leave you smiling and saying..."oh.. now i see!"

Sunday, July 24, 2011

On Amy Winehouse..



They tried to make me go to rehab but I said 'no, no, no'

Contralto vocals, that's what made her unique compared to all of the female music artists that I've known. I am not an avid fan though, but I must say that I really love her deep female voice. Winehouse is a British Singer-Songwriter who made her way out into the genre of Soul, Jazz and R&B which I would definitely say is a great mix of sounds. Before we have all made known of Adele and Duffy, there was Amy Winehouse who not only influenced the world's music industry by her music but also by her attitude and fashion.

Despite of the great talent that she had, her personal life was not aligned on that success. Allegedly, drug abuse and personal turmoil became a battle that she has fought with for some time. Sad to say, this Grammy award-winning soul singer was found dead at her London flat on Saturday (July 23, 2011) with an unexplained cause as of the moment, per the Police.

Nevertheless, Rest in Peace and literally sing your soul out.

Baby, it's a Guitar Man (Exchange Link)

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A guitar is somehow associated with the so called "boy thing", because they are the gender that is mostly associated with it. That same premise gave me the idea to pursue my will to learn as well. From my childhood days until now, my love for music is so evident that I really can't imagine myself not knowing how to even play a single chord on a guitar.

I remember how it all started, it was during my elementary days when I'm always hearing my big brother played "More than Words" by Extreme. Do you know the feeling of a child when she sees her playmates eating a chocolate that looks so good? well, imagine how I looked like during those times. I asked him to teach me on how to play it, then luckily he taught me the very important thing to start from.. the BASIC.

Actually, the first thing that one should have is the drive to learn on how to play it. Believe me, it definitely sucks when you feel the strings of the guitar pushing through your fingers because it really hurts at first. However, I was informed that callous will help to ease the pain when it already develops on the tip of your fingers. It is not a good idea though if you are a feminine type, who would not want your hands to be loaded with this extra hard skin. The next thing to do is to know how to read the chord chart (which will be tackled on a different article) as it will be your guide on your way for your first strum. Normally, the very first chord that I am suggesting for people to start from is D-A-G-A. Don't underestimate that group of chords, as there are lots of songs that you can play with that one; an example of such is "When you Say Nothing at All". You just have to learn on how to press the strings hard enough in order to come up with a melody and not a tragedy when you start strumming (hahahaha). The last thing to do is to "Listen to music", because you will definitely find yourself getting the right rhythm when you start to strum or pluck if you do so... Your ears , your mind and your hands will definitely jive with each other.

So everyone (especially girls) who wants to learn this stuff, just always remember to do it not because you would want to prove that you too can, but learn it because you love it.