I AM OTAY

Ingredients

• ½ kg gabi (taro) leaves 
• 1 cup coconut cream (1st extraction)
• 3 cups coconut milk (2nd extraction)
• 2 tbsp black bean garlic sauce
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onion
• siling haba or labuyo (chili) 
• salt to taste
• veggie chicharon for toppings

Directions

1. Sauté garlic, then onion and ginger. Then add the black bean garlic sauce.
2. Add coconut milk. Cover until boiling.
3. Add gabi and do not stir, just press the leaves to soak into the coconut. Over low heat, cover until all the leaves are wilted and tender. 
4. Add the coconut cream (thick coconut milk), sili (chili) and salt. Cover until coconut milk looks like oil.
5. Serve hot with rice and veggie chicharon.

Original recipe is from astigvegan.com

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

• cooked sushi rice 2 cups 
• rice wine vinegar 2 tbsp
• sugar 2 tbsp
• salt to taste
• roasted nori seaweed 4 sheets
• English cucumber 1/2, thinly sliced
• carrot 1/2, peeled and thinly sliced
• ripe avocado 1/2, thinly sliced
• ripe mango 1/2, thinly sliced
• red bell pepper 1/2, thinly sliced
• light soy sauce for dipping
• wasabi paste (optional)

PREPARATIONS

1. Combine the rice and water in a rice cooker. If you don’t have a rice cooker, combine the rice, water and 1 teaspoon of olive oil and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the rice from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. Let it cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir well to allow the sugar to dissolve.
3. Prepare and slice the filling ingredients for the rolls and set aside.
4. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and pour in the vinegar mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold in the rice until the mixture is fully incorporated. The rice will start to look glossy. 
5. Place a small bowl of water and a kitchen towel near your work area as your hands will get sticky. Place one nori sheet, glossy side down, onto a bamboo mat and press a handful of rice onto the lower two-thirds of the sheet. At the bottom of the rice place your toppings. Don’t overfill or it will be more difficult to roll. Use the bamboo mat to tuck and roll the nori. Once rolled, use the bamboo mat to gently press and shape the roll. Place the roll to the side, cut side down. Repeat with remaining rolls.
6. Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the sushi. Wipe the knife clean with a damp towel between cuts.
7. Serve immediately with kikkoman soy sauce and wasabi.

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Colourpop is one of the most popular brand of liquid lipstick nowadays. They are all over the internet and I decided to get myself one set from their mini-size lip kits for a trial. These lip kits are super small but you still get a decent number of uses. They are perfect if you are on a budget!


The packaging is frosty matte with the usual black cap. A lightweight, comfortable, bold lipstick with a Satin finish. This lipstick is extremely long wearing, although not completely kiss proof– you may leave some marks on your coffee cup! I start by prepping my lips with a lip balm to moisturize and improve my lips texture.




Magic Wand: it is a light nude shade and works for every complexion.

Mess Around: I love this grey and beige combination that compliments my skin tone.

Stud: this one is my favorite of all the shades. It is a warm brown terracotta and suits my personality.

TooLips: is a deepened plum brown and perfect for a night out.

Dopey: this shade is a muted pink and my least favorite because I'm not a pink shade lover.

They’re lightly hydrating on the lips. They dry down to a comfortable, satiny finish and are long wearing, but not transfer proof. These wear about 6 – 8 hours on me, and last pretty well through eating and drinking, but you’ll likely have to reapply. They fade evenly and retouching is no problem. They’re also very pigmented and fully opaque in one swipe. And I love the fact that they have no taste or scent.

Overall, this mini set is worth the money and I don't regret buying them at all. I will definitely purchase again on full size. I have been wearing them everyday at work and I get compliments all the time. I wish I could swatch them one by one but I just have no time. Xo

What do you usually do when you get your salary? When it comes to money, there are certainly no shortage of ways to spend it. After we receive our salary, we tend to pay our bills and expenses first and whatever is left goes to savings. That is the most popular practice of Filipinos but it should be the other way around. Pay yourself first then the rest follows. We have to save enough and divide our income according to priority. In my case, I only got to fill 3 funds in this list excluding the charity and travel fund (for now). But if you earn more than I do, these should be the funds you got to fill every payday:


1. INVESTMENT FUND
Pay yourself first. This should be for your long term plans. This should be 20% of your income. You have the option to put this on a mutual fund, variable unit linked (VUL), unit investment trust fund (UITF) or stock market. The goal is to beat inflation (which happens to be ~5% yearly in the PH), so you have to find an investment that yields more than 5% rate of return yearly.

2. OPERATING EXPENSES FUND
This is often called the fixed costs. Bills and expenses that needs to be payed. However, this should not exceed 50% of your income. Just as businesses have operating expenses, so should you. This involves necessary costs for your upkeep. Things like rent, transportation, education and food. Whether to include your everyday coffee or your gym membership is your own call.


3. TRAVEL OR VACATION FUND
This one is a must for every person. I mean, we all work so hard and we should reward ourselves with at least one or two travels per year. I put all my extra money in this fund but this is not my priority right now.

4.EMERGENCY FUND
This fund is for emergencies only and should not be touched unless very important. Experts says that you should have at least 6 months of your operating expenses in this fund. This is an account used to set aside funds needed in the event of a personal financial dilemma, such as the loss of a job, a debilitating illness or a major expense. It should be kept in an easy accessible place such as savings account.

And last but not the least,

5. CHARITY FUND
This fund is giving back a portion of our earnings to the Lord. Tithes as we usually call it. Whether you give it to your parish church or to the charity of your choice, it doesn't matter as long as it is used for helping others.

So there you go guys. Till my next post..

 A CC cream cushion infused with a serum base and glacier water for a dewy, natural finish (P1,198). I got the natural beige. The mirror is also big and it covers the entire face.

Combine the water and ginger in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and let steep at least 20 minutes; 30 minutes is even better.