Learning to Cook: Chicken Tinola

May 22, 2012Noelle De Guzman

Ever since we moved to our small two-bedroom condo unit and had to let go of our househelp (she still comes in once a week to help us with laundry and cleaning), I’ve had to learn how to cook. I can’t rely on my mother to do all our cooking since she has a day job of her own, and that would just be too much to ask, especially since I’m also an adult and need to pull my own weight in this household.

I’m not talking simple fare like sauteeing onions before pouring canned corned beef into the pan, or frying hotdogs and eggs. I’m also not talking about making waffles and pancakes from scratch. I knew how to do those things before we moved here. I’m referring to real, home-cooked dishes, slow-boiled in a pot and seasoned to taste.

My parents never asked me to start cooking; I thought of doing so on my own. I think it was in August last year when I decided to make myself some chicken tinola because I wasn’t feeling well and wanted soup. After a false start accidentally burning the ginger, I started again with fresh ginger, and it was a success! I got even sicker the next day and was thankful for the tinola leftovers because I didn’t have appetite for much else.

For me, the key to being a good cook is the ability to cook a delicious dish many times without the taste varying between each batch. So a few weeks ago, I cooked tinola again and it turned out even better than it did the first time!

If you haven’t tried cooking this simple dish, here’s the recipe I always use. It’s pretty lazy since it doesn’t have amounts or cooking times. I cook by feel, mostly. Read more →

Tatt Awards!

May 11, 2012Noelle De Guzman

When I got the invitation to the Tatt Awards event a few weeks ago, I actually thought I’d missed the whole nominations thing and that it was the awarding ceremony. To my relief, when I got there I realized this was just the beginning of the whole process.

We all had to bring glasses along.

Bloggers and social media users were the stars of the night, since the Tatt Awards is meant to celebrate the best use of social media and blogging in the Philippines. The crowd at the Tatt Awards party was pretty diverse, ranging from simple bloggers like myself to celebrities who are avid Twitter users. And then there were the special people who are a mix of the two worlds, like Jenni Epperson, a celebrity in her own right who received a regional award for best lifestyle blog (at the Nuffnang Awards).

With Jenni and fashion blogger JP

There are 10 categories up for nominations at the Tatt Awards:

Tech Junkie: the blogger who’s the most up-to-date with the newest technology, gadgets, and games
The Advocate: the one who’s doing his part in making the world a better place.
The Indie Rocker: knows the ins and outs of music like the back of his gig-stamped hand!
Video Slinger: the most creative and exciting vlogger whose videos we found worthy of streaming into our homes!
#Thought-Mover: the hashtag that trended the most online.
The Visualizer: best photo blogger who’s able to immortalize moments, objects, and just about anything online.
Game Changer: best sports blogger (and the category I’d like to be nominated for)
The Explorer: Pumped-up travelers, adventure-seekers, and frequent fliers who blog about travel
Stylisimo: the chic-est virtual fashion blogger
The One: The best blogger. Period.

I know my blog KikayRunner.com is small fry in the larger world of blogging (and In My Pocket is even smaller fry that small fry feed on), but I know as a running blogger I make a difference. I’m asking you to check out the Tatt Awards website and nominate KikayRunner.com under the Game Changer category. But only if you think I really deserve it. Thanks!

with Dong Ronquillo, head of Globe Tattoo

One Bad Night in Boracay

April 27, 2012Noelle De Guzman

A story in tweets.

Great day… Following an awful night.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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After 6 years coming to this island, that was the first time someone offered me something other than drinks & got upset when I refused.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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Even worse, when I wanted to pull my friends from the situation, she told me it was my fault they were there. I say, So what?

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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Everyone’s got the right to say no anytime anywhere. I may be a buzzkill but at least I didn’t let myself get forced to do something illegal

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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After the druggie got in my face, I wanted to call the police on them so bad. You would too if you faced that kind of abuse. Pinepersonal eh

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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I guess I expected better from everyone.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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Ang sarap nyo i-blind item sa Fashion Pulis. Yun lang.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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If that’s what it means to hang out with the celeb crowd, forget it! I’m going to stick w/ better people. They’re the real cool kids.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

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So I Thought I Could Dance

April 6, 2012Noelle De Guzman

The great thing about staycationing during Holy Week is catching up on TV shows through the series marathons channels show. While everyone else is out of town and maybe outdoors splashing about in pools and oceans, I’m at home indoors watching So You Think You Can Dance reruns.

SYTYCD Season 4

Being a BodyJam instructor, I have to educate myself about dance styles. The great thing about SYTYCD and what differentiates it from other dance shows, like America’s Best Dance Crew (Filipinos represent!) or Dancing With the Stars (*shudder*), is the variety of dance styles showcased and the technical excellence with which they’re performed. Over the past few hours sitting here watching SYTYCD I’ve seen ballroom, latin, hip hop, jazz, contemporary, Broadway, even Bollywood.

SYTYCD Season 8 Group Number

One of my delusions is that I can approximate the dance styles we use in BodyJam. I’m not a trained dancer, but I think can fake my way through the latin, jazz, and hiphop routines we use in class and I do pick up Jam choreography relatively quickly.

Compared to these dance giants, I am a mite.

Melanie & Marko

I’m really happy that I still do get to dance for a living even though my dancing isn’t on that level. I also love that I can share my love for dance with my class participants. I try to take them with me to that rapturous place where only the passion for dance can take a person.

We’re launching BodyJam 60: Mambos and Moombahton at 360 Fitness Makati next Friday and I’m super excited to dance like this:

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BodyJam 60

Get on Your Feet!

March 31, 2012Noelle De Guzman

I thought that when I transitioned from working in an office to being more on the go as a fitness professional, I was leaving behind the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Apparently, the amount of time I spend sitting, whether it’s in front of a computer screen, at a table doing arts and crafts, or commuting in heavy traffic, also exposes me to a risk of a shorter life. According to an Australian study, people who reported sitting for at least 11 hours a day were 40 percent more likely to die during the study than those who sat less than four hours daily.

For the new study, van der Ploeg and her colleagues surveyed about 220,000 people from New South Wales, Australia between 2006 and 2008. The surveys included questions about participants’ general health and any medical conditions they had, whether they smoked and how much time they spent both exercising and sitting each day.

Then the research team tracked responders using Australian mortality records for an average of almost three years, during which 5,400 — between two and three percent –died.

They found that the extra risk tied to sitting held up regardless of whether people were normal weight or overweight, how much time they spent working out and whether they were healthy or had pre-existing medical conditions, van der Ploeg’s team reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

She said too much sitting may affect blood vessels and metabolism by increasing fats in the blood and lowering “good” cholesterol levels.

“When you are standing or walking your leg muscles are constantly working, which helps to clear blood glucose and blood fats from the blood stream,” she said. “If you are sitting this is not happening because the muscles are not active.”

So, time to peel yourself away from your laptop, or your iPhone playing Draw Something. It’s summer; get up and do something!

Planetshakers + Israel Houghton & New Breed on April 21

March 31, 2012Noelle De Guzman

I was able to attend Becca Music Inc.’s BLOG THE BEAT event two weeks ago and got updated on their planned concert events for the year. In case you’re not familiar with Becca Music, they’re the events company that organizes concerts featuring contemporary Christian music artists. I remember going to the Becca Music office some years ago to buy tickets for the Switchfoot concert (can’t remember if it was the first concert or the second one). They also organized the Saved Music Festival at Araneta Coliseum last year featuring Gary V, Quest, Jodi King, Sideshow, Parachute Band, and Starfield.

This year, their first major event is the PlanetShakers + Israel Houghton back-to-back concert on April 21 at Araneta Coliseum. At Victory church we often use PlanetShakers songs for praise and worship: the most memorable one for me is “Nothing Is Impossible”.

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It’s going to be a great worship experience. I’m going out of town and won’t be able to watch it, but I was super happy to win tickets for the concert at BLOG THE BEAT because I could give them to Michael and Marielle.

Who are the PlanetShakers?

Formed for the first Planetshakers Conference in 1997, Australian Christian Worship band Planetshakers is passionate to see generations worldwide unite together to worship God. Their heart is to see people encounter God, be transformed by his presence and empowered to make a difference in their world. Hailing originally from Adelaide, the Planetshakers Band is now based in Melbourne at Planetshakers City Church, under the leadership of Senior Pastors Russell and Sam Evans.

With over 20 internationally acclaimed albums, the band tours annually to the USA, UK, Europe, South Africa, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Since 1997, the band has grown substantially with two teams now travelling the globe regularly.

Who is Israel Houghton?

Israel Houghton is known for injecting contemporary gospel and worship with a blazing energy that has made him among the most influential tastemakers in his field. As a singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist,
producer and worship leader, he has created a canon of songs that have become standards in houses of faith around the globe. He has accomplished this largely as the leader of “Israel and New Breed,” a Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award-winning musical ensemble and ministry organization that has amassed gold-selling albums and critical platitudes.

Planetshakers + Israel Houghton & New Breed on April 21

March 31, 2012Noelle De Guzman

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Who are the PlanetShakers?

Who is Israel Houghton?

Surf Bound: Bali

March 25, 2012Noelle De Guzman

Even though my surfing has been in stops and starts (I pop up at Club Manila East only every 6 months, and haven’t been on an ocean surfing trip in ages), it’s one of the things I try to do every opportunity I get — if I have a companion to come with me.

And that’s the problem: I’ve got a great freelance schedule, but everyone else is tied down to a 9-to-5. So any time I look for a travel companion, they all have work.

But I don’t think anybody could refuse a free trip to Bali, though. I mean, it’s BALI, one of Asia’s top beach and surfing destinations. This year, Aloha Boardsports’ Surf Bound: Bali is sending one lucky winner and a companion on a paid three-day getaway!

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For every P2500 worth of products purchased from Aloha Boardsports stores, you’ll be entitled to one raffle entry. The lucky winner will receive a paid surf trip for two to Bali, Indonesia, inclusive of airfare courtesy of Air Asia, accommodations, and products from RVCA, Billabong, Dakine, Von Zipper and Sony.

Surf Bound: Bali prizes

Even if you don’t get the grand prize, three winners will also be chosen to win a Sony NEX-5N digital camera, a pair of Von Zipper eyewear, and P5000 worth of gift certificates from Aloha Boardsports and Billabong. The grand raffle draw will be held on June 4, 2012 at Aloha Boardsports Mall of Asia.

If you’ve been thinking about refreshing your beach staple wardrobe this year, this could be a win-win situation. For more details, visit the Aloha Boardsports Facebook page or AlohaBoardsports.com

I'm surf-bound to Bali!

I Drop My Phone Back and Forth

March 21, 2012Noelle De Guzman

I hate getting my phone scratched and banged up, so I use jelly and hard cases, screen protectors, socks, etc. to keep my phone from looking the worse for wear. Still, I can’t completely avoid accidents, such as when my phone falls out of a jacket I’ve draped over my arm, or when the screen protector peels off during a trip and something scratches the screen before I can replace the protector.

Having a damaged phone bothers me to the point that I just have to buy a new phone. It’s why I have a new BlackBerry Curve 9360 when my old Curve 9300 has better battery life: I couldn’t stand the scratch on the screen and the banged-up trackpad.

Replacing a phone has a heavy price, so when Otterbox held its Drop Test tour last week at Power Plant, I went to see what it was all about. You can drop a phone in an Otterbox case? I thought in disbelief. When I arrived, two girls were juggling phones back and forth. Well, if they were juggling those phones they weren’t doing a good job; every three throws they dropped a phone.

Oops, I dropped it again!

That’s how confident Otterbox is in their product, which absorbs the shock and abuse thrown at it so that the phone inside is protected. In fact, Tenkie Box, the sole distributor of Otterbox in the Philippines, has been told by the Otterbox mother company to replace Otterbox cases damaged by drops, bumps, and falls, no questions asked. (Replacing the phone is a different story :D)

Also present at the Drop Test event was one of the local Otterbox brand ambassadors, Lorraine Lapus. I’ve known Lor since 2008 when she was a fulltime surf coach for the Philippine Surfing Academy based out of Club Manila East. These days she still surfs, but is a bit more jetset as the brand manager for Rip Curl at Stoked, Inc. Otterbox is a perfect fit for her active lifestyle in the city and out-of-town on surf trips.

Otterbox Drop Test Tour: Defender Series w/ Lorraine Lapus

Lorraine Lapus uses the Defender series

Apparently, BlackBerry was one of the first smartphone manufacturers to work with Otterbox, which is why I had so many options when it came to choosing my own Otterbox (with special thanks to Tenkie Box!). I could go with the sleek Reflex series (a hard shell that slides off and on for easy docking), or the attractive yet affordable Impact series (a durable silicone skin), or the heavy-duty Defender series (hard shell covered by a silicone case).

I'm such a sucker for pink.

I went with the Commuter Series Strength case. Aside from its attractive pink outer shell, there’s a soft silicone inner case that absorbs shock and cradles my BlackBerry like a baby. Also, 10% of the purchase price goes to support the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.

Of course, we had to show that we had full confidence in our chosen Otterboxes, so we had to do the drop test with our phones as well. I think my phone traveled the farthest when it landed and skidded across the platform. :'( But thanks to Otterbox, I won’t have to worry about my new phone getting beaten up. Much.

Media and Bloggers at the Otterbox Drop Test Tour

Trippin’: The Long Drive, Attempted

March 7, 2012Noelle De Guzman

my old travel blog header image

I remember years back when I started my now-defunct travel blog that I set out some travel goals I wanted to achieve. One of them was to go on a road trip where I would be driving most of the way.

Driving within the city, the challenge is to avoid traffic and accidents and get to my destination in a reasonable amount of time. Long drives out of town, the challenge is to stay awake and not get lost!

Last February I had the opportunity to be a support crew driver at the Bataan Death March Ultramarathon 160. We took my car, so I was driving when we left Metro Manila at 12 midnight, arrived in Mariveles, Bataan at 3am, and supported our runner until 11am. This meant I was in the driver’s seat for 11 hours (!!!). We then drove to San Fernando, Pampanga to check in at our hotel, which meant another hour of driving. If I wanted to, I could probably drive to Camsur myself next time I feel the need to wakeboard.

(I’m going to fly off on a tangent and tell a story about the last time I was on a bus back from Camsur. It was after the Camsur Marathon where I had been invited as a media guest, and I had a return flight to Manila. Unfortunately a storm hit the Bicol region and my flight was cancelled. Tessa Prieto-Valdes was in the party and arranged for a van ride instead for those who needed to go home. Buti na lang I chose to get on the van; others who took a chance that there would be return flights or bus rides the next day had to wait out the storm for two more days!)

So, the other weekend was my first solo long drive. I attended a triathlon camp at Pico de Loro in Nasugbu, Batangas and decided to drive there the day before so I’d have enough rest going into the tri weekend.

I printed out directions from Google Maps and thought they’d get me there, but unfortunately they only took me as far as Nasugbu public market! Thank God for the foresight to download the BlackBerry app for Google Maps; I was able to use it with my Globe BBMax subscription to get real-time location and directions to Pico de Loro. Sure there were big directional signs every so often on the highway, but it was nice having a safety blanket.

Coming home I also drove alone and decided to make a stop at Bag of Beans in Tagaytay City. Even though the cafe was on the only road I could take to get into Tagaytay, I turned on Google Maps so I could find out how long it would take me to get there. I wanted to be back in Manila at a certain time, so if it took too long to get to Bag of Beans I would have just skipped the stop. As it turns out, I had just enough time to get a cup of hot chocolate and some sylvannas for take-out. Just the right thing to keep me awake on my long drive back home.

I’m excited that I can now drive myself that far. Where will my little car take me this year?