Three Things

Three things that scare me:
- Death
- Heights
- Failure

Three people who make me laugh:
- Ma and Dad (family)
- Weng
- PW Bear

Three Things I love:
- Weekend trips and travel
- Taking photos - family, friends, flowers, landscapes etc.
- Chocolate

Three Things I hate:
- Stinking office politics
- Slow DC Metro and 270 traffic
- Politicians who lie all the time

Three things I don't understand:
- Dichotomy between good and evil
- Space
- Religious debates

Three things on my desk:
- Glass of water
- Planner
- A box of tissue

Three things I'm doing right now:
- Typing
- Staring at the glass window
- Drinking soda

Three things I want to do before I die:
- Travel around the world
- Own a house in Hawaii
- Write my grandfather's WWII story

Three things I can do:
- Play guitar
- Compose poems
- Cook (sometimes)

Three ways to describe my personality:
- Antisocial
- Quiet
- Private

Three things I can't do:
- Calculate tips - anything that deals with numbers
- Run very fast
- Drink alcohol

A Piece Of Thought

It's already mid-March and this month is slowly chipping away. My weekend was blessed with a lot of rain, so staying at home was the most practical thing to do. I spent most of my time watching movies, drinking tea, and doing laundry. Call it boring, but I did manage to relax and get my mind off from work for at least two days. All I could think of was how to start my vegetable and flower garden this spring. Just the thought of it makes me smile and excited. What can I say, I'm a farmer's daughter and I love to get dirt on my hands and tending to vegetables and flowers gives me a feeling of accomplishment and joy. I was thinking of tomatoes, green beans, peppers and perhaps a couple of herbs. When Sunday evening finally arrived, I winced at the thought of going back to the office this week.

Donut Adventure And The Big Footed Bunny

It's been months since I had a donut, so my friend, PW Bear, and I decided that we should have donuts for breakfast on Saturday. We were itching to go out because: 1) the weather is warmer; 2) we were deliriously suffering from spring fever; and, 3) nothing beats donuts for breakfast. Apart from my favorite glazed donuts from good ol' Krispy Kreme, I found out they have a new featured donut - banana cake donut. Whoa, the glazed banana cake donut absolutely rocks! Has anyone tried it yet?

After our early donut adventure, we drove to Germantown to visit a favorite - the Lancaster Dutch County Market, which is a collection of family-run Amish stores. I absolutely love buying my fresh vegetables and meat there. They also have freshly baked bread and pastries, and their soft pretzel and hotdog rolls are to die for. Plus, there's this shop that sells all types of sweets and snacks. I wish I could take photos, but I respect the Amish request not to be photographed. Anyway, I bought two milk chocolate bunnies and a spotted dog made of milk and dark chocolates.

And here's a biggy among my Easter chocolate collection this year, the Big Foot Bunny made of milk chocolate and crisp candy. I've decided to devour this on Easter. Although my friends say it won't make it until then. Speaking of Easter, just a sweet reminder that DST is also upon us. Do not forget to turn your wall clocks or watches an hour forward on March 14.

I hope everyone's having a sweet week!

Puerto Rico For The Foodie

Traveling is never complete without satisfying the foodie in me. Although I feast my eyes with the sights and scenery when I travel, majority of the time I also make sure the foodie in me gets its rightful share to experience the host country's food specialties. Puerto Rico did not disappoint. Anywhere I looked at the Old San Juan port, there's a stall, a tent, and colorful street food signs beckoning to be tasted, to be tried and to be enjoyed.

The Puerto Rican version of "ice cone" or what we call "shave ice" in Hawaii.

Pinchos or kabobs are made of either pork or chicken served with a slice of bread. Our dinner on our first night in Old San Juan. It was a warm, balmy night and we ate our dinner at a park.

Puerto Rican native sweets made of coconut, milk and nuts. I'd say very similar to our Peanut Brittle.

Street food sign - pick your favorite. I like the Bacalaitos and the Empanadillas, which are similar to our Empanadas in the Philippines.

La Muralla is a great place for snack after exploring El Yunque Rainforest. We enjoyed our snacks while that cute dog watched. I kept coaxing the dog to jump but the cutie just looked at me.

A closer look. She or he melts my heart.

Great menu for an inexpensive meal.

The hotdog looking one is called Sorullito made of corn bread with a cheese filling. Next to it is the the Empanadilla de Pizza, sort of a pizza turned over.

These are the famous Pan de Mallorca, Puerto Rico's version of the Danish.

I went for the simple Pan de Mallorca and found it similar to Enseymada without the margarine and the sugar. This one was warm, soft, buttery, sweet, simple in taste, but absolutely a mouth's delight. We bought this at the La Bombonera, a bakery featured on Rachel Ray's TV show.

Apple/Strawberry Danish pastries (left), Bread Pudding (middle), Pastelillos de Queso (right). The Pastelillos de Queso is my favorite and for the duration of my stay in Puerto Rico, I had to have them every single day.

La Lechonera and oh yes, there's a pig roasting in there.

My ever first real Lechon meal since moving to the US. The meat was succulent and that skin was so crispy I was in heaven.

I ordered my Lechon with Mofongo also called as Fufu. Mofongo is made with plantains or yucca, fried, mashed and seasoned with garlic and olive oil. I heard there are several versions of how to make a Mofongo. My order came with a Chimichurri Sauce, which you drizzle over the Mofongo. I like the Mofongo just plain without the Chimichurri Sauce. It was an adventure to actually finally taste this after reading about it on travel books. Verdict? I like it.