Sinaing na Tulingan

Tulingan or Mackerel tuna is a type of fish abundant in our province. They have a silver-gray color and always looked firm and fresh. Usually, it is cooked as a Sinaing (boiled) dish. During this Holy Week, almost all households in our community cook Sinaing na tulingan.

I grew up having Sinaing na tulingan almost every week and having it is not something I look forward to during mealtimes. As they say, when you have something all the time, it loses its charm and significance.

But now, I'm starting to revive my appreciation to this ubiquitous fish. Sinaing na tulingan is part of my culture and history and I always think of my former colleague who always got excited when I brought her this dish.

Fish vendors in some markets can prepare tulingan for you. They will gut the fish, score both sides and press the body. The flatter, the better.

Here is how we cook Sinaing na tulingan at home:

1. Salt the prepared tulingan. Don't be shy on the salt.

2. At the bottom of a clay pot, put banana stalks, banana leaves, crushed garlic, ginger, and chilies. Sometimes, we put pork fat for more flavor.

3. Place the tulingan in the clay pot and put water, just about the middle of the pot.

4. When the water comes to a boil, lower the fire and let it simmer until the fish is very tender and much of the water has evaporated. The juice of the fish will mix with the water, creating a salty, fishy, sauce.

Here is the finished product. It may smell funky to unfamiliar noses but it's delicious, especially when eaten with tomatoes and onions. Tada!

Palm Sunday

Dynamite - The Appetizer

Last weekend, my sister brought her friends from the office to our home. They would be going to a beach resort in Laiya and they spent the night in our house.

Inay and I were busy preparing their food for dinner, breakfast, and merienda. Our household was not used to serving meals for guests but, entertaining friends and colleagues from the city was an exception.

My sister told me that they might be drinking that night so I prepared an appetizer -- the Dynamite. It is a spicy appetizer made from siling haba (green chilies), cheese, and lumpia wrapper (spring roll wrapper). 

Tip: Buy green chilies used in cooking Sinigang, they are midly spicy. The chilies we bought were long, about 3-4 inches, and they were super spicy!

Here are the steps for making Dynamite:
1. Wash the green chilies. Slice lengthwise, but not totally slicing the chili in half, and remove the seeds.
2. Cut the cheese approximately the size of the chili.
3. Cut the lumpia wrapper in half.

4. Put the cheese inside the chili and roll inside the lumpia wrapper.

5. Fry the chili rolls until golden brown. Serve with mayonnaise or ketchup.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

Thinking about Mortality

Over the weekend, the remains of my father's aunt were laid to rest. She suffered a stroke, was hospitalized for four days, and the Lord called her a week after the stroke. She was 83. 

Her family is not wealthy, they barely have the basic necessities in life. During that tumultuous week, their relatives came to visit her and give assistance, may it be financial, food, or emotional support.

I can't help but think about a person's mortality, especially of my parents who are in their mid-60s. How does it feel to bring home a loved one because you can't pay the hospital bills? It must be very difficult and heart-wrenching to feel useless. When is it OK to pull the plug? What can I do to prepare for a relative's demise? What should I do for MY passing in the far future?

Sorry if I sound morbid but that's life. Death is inevitable. We may not know when our time will come but it's not an excuse not to prepare for it.

Exciting Project!

Fresh produce from the local market

My cousin who is a classically trained chef in the US launched a website dedicated to Filipino cuisine. I was excited when she asked me to help her write articles in her website. She sent me her ideas and topics to be covered and my mind was racing on what to do first. I've been dreaming of being a part of a project which will highlight Filipino food and this is it! With many fastfood chains mushrooming here and there, it's good that we still show the goodness of having home-cooked meals. Our food and local markets represent our rich culture and we want to share it around the world.

Food + writing = FUN!

Working in oDesk

I got the idea of working in oDesk from my colleague in my previous company. At that time, I was still in the company and joining oDesk was just for fun, nothing serious. It was my backup plan.

A year after joining, I now enjoy using oDesk. I've passed some free tests in the website and updated my resume as well to increase my job application quota. I explored the website and read the Help Center to know more about working in oDesk. I kept applying to jobs, hoping that a client would hire me. 

One day, a US-based client hired me to write articles for his events website. Cool! I was so thrilled to be hired. As a newbie, I wanted to impress the client. I have no feedback yet in oDesk and I wanted to prove that I'm a qualified contractor. Halfway through the project, the client asked me to apply to his other job in oDesk. I was excited, knowing that the client liked my work and would hire me for another job.

However, the thing that worries me is I've been hired for a fixed-price contract. Meaning, payment is not guaranteed. It is up to the client when and how much to pay. :( I do hope that my first job in oDesk would be good, money-wise. Otherwise, I would just let this be in my "Lesson Learned" folder. :)

Maxicare

I've been browsing the Internet for a good HMO. I was comparing two prominent HMO providers and to test them in the customer service area, I sent an inquiry to both their email addresses to see which would reply to me immediately.

Obviously, Maxicare noticed my inquiry and sent me a reply. So long, other HMO provider! The reply to my inquiry said that I should wait for their call to initiate my application. After a few weeks of no call, I sent Maxicare a message via Skype. Their customer support immediately emailed me the application form, list of accredited hospitals and dental clinics, and brochure.

I sent my application form via email (since I'm in the province, going to the city is limited nowadays). After a week, my application was approved and I got my billing statement. That fast!

The due date was 15 days after the release of the billing statement. According to their email, if I paid within day 1-10 of the month, my coverage will start on the 15th of the month. Since I wanted to activate my membership and have my health card ASAP, I paid the next day after receiving the billing statement.

Now, I'm waiting for my Maxicare health card.

Updating my Records

The thing that I miss about being a regular employee of a company is not worrying about the monthly payments for SSS, Philhealth, and HMO.

Now that I'm organizing my schedule as a freelance writer, I also have to face the tasks of updating my public records and taking care of my HMO. I want my records to be as clean as possible, without those missed payments and whatnots. 

My main priority is paying off my salary loan in SSS in time to avoid penalty fees and getting health insurance. I've been confined in a hospital for a week last 2011 and my company's health card and Philhealth helped alot in the bills. So, I have to make sure that my Philhealth contributions are updated and I have an HMO to cover my bills should I (I pray not) get sick.

These things are easily ignored by some employees but it shouldn't be.