September 27, 2016

On Short Trip to Isabela and Rice Classification


Last week, I was sent by the management to conduct and audit to some of our raw material suppliers in Isabela and Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

I was excited since it will be the first time for me to visit Isabela.

Together with my colleague, we headed Nueva Ecija first as one of the lists in the suppliers. Since the said rice mill is in my hometown, I decided to drive and leave the car to my parent’s house. Afterward, we headed Isabela via bus.

We traveled for 8 hours with two stop-overs before reaching Cauayan, Isabela and had our stay at Ocho Rios Hotel. We had our dinner at the near carinderia. I heard that food in this place is inexpensive. And I have to agree, our dinner cost only 180 pesos for the two of us.

The following day, we have to do our work to audit several rice mills. There is information that I learned on this audit.

First, commercial rice sold in the market are all the same. If you heard of Dinorado, Sinandomeng, Jollibee and other name of rice differs only by the percentage of whole grain.

Second, brown rice is also of the same with commercial rice. This kind of rice is the product of the first step in rice milling – the dehulling. After the skin of paly has been removed, brown rice is the output. This is healthier since the bran is still intact which contributes fiber in the rice.

Third, to attain white rice, the grains passes three steps of a whitening procedure. It will then pass through a polishing step where water is sprayed to give a glossy finish to the grains.

Fourth, there are certain customers that like to have the rice came from at least 3-month old palay. This rice is best used for fried rice since it has. The younger the age of palay, the stickier the rice.

After the visiting the rice mills, we need to go back to Bulacan so we don’t have time for leisure. All I got is this picture while waiting for the bus in front of the Provincial Capitol Building.



We reached Nueva Ecija around 11pm. I just get the car and drive going back to Bulacan.

To fight sleepiness, I had to set the car in full volume. At that time, we were listening to a radio station where the DJs sing live accompanied by guitar. I guess that will be better if used drums are added to give more beat to the music.

Have you been to Isabela too?


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September 23, 2016

Things to Consider in Home Renovation


About two more years to go and we are finally done paying our small but home sweet home. Time flies so fast na parang kailan lang I was visiting the house weekly until we finally set there.

Our house 8 years ago.


After two years, Mommy and I plan to have a major renovation. We want to fix the room for Matthew, more space in the kitchen, another bathroom upstairs, a relaxing spot on the second floor, and many more. At ang nakakagulat, Matthew wanted to have a swimming pool!

Before having a house renovation, here are some factors that you need to consider in pursuing home renovation.

Design
Though there are many things we wanted to change in our home, having a final design will guide the people who will do the renovation making the process smooth. Also, by having a design in advance will give you an estimated value for the materials and time frame.

Others consider consultation with a Feng Shui expert for good lucks. If the budget for this is not included, here are some basic tips that can be used as a guide: http://www.americanclassichomes.com/blog/feng-shui-for-american-homes/.

Budget
After having the desired design, next thing to put in consideration is the budget. Without considering the budget, a delay in finishing the project will be encountered.

Tip: If you are on a tight budget, doing DIYs can help a lot.

Season
In my previous experiences, the best season for home renovation is during summer. The probability of encountering heavy rainfall is very rare making the process of drying on some areas like cement and adhesives faster. 

Furthermore, in case the project is not yet done especially in roofing, worrying about getting the entire house wet will be reduced.

Furniture and Fixtures
Choosing the right fixtures and furniture must be put into consideration too. After having the home design, searching for the right furniture must be made. 

If hiring an interior designer, a close communication with the renovation team is needed to determine what size and forms of the furniture will fit the new house.

Fire Safety and Home Security

Also, it is very important to make our home fireproof and burglar proof. Because we don't want to go to waste all our hard earned investments right? Invest on the right fire extinguisher and home security system are good investments too. To know what's the right fire extinguisher to buy check out fire protection online.

There are still other considerations that are not yet mentioned above. Can you think of something?

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September 6, 2016

Basic Works at Home That Every Dad Should Learn


Having your own home is not as easy as you think of. There are many  things need to learn especially by dads like me. Simple or complicated tasks were taught to us in our primary school days just like I mentioned in my speech last year. Though you can hire someone to fix it but knowing how to do it will save you a lot.

Here are some things that every dad should know:

Electrical

Simple replacement of busted lamps, reconnecting cut wires, changing electrical plugs, making your own extension wires are just some that I think every dad must know. This will save you much than asking help of the nearest electricians. Just be sure that you are connecting the right wires to the right way.

Cooking

Most of the dads used to assign this task to moms but cooking is one of my passion and I am happy working in the kitchen. I used to wake up earlier to prepare for our breakfast and lunch.

Preparing the ingredients is the most time consuming part of cooking. Preparing all the ingredients at night and store it in the fridge is a way to save time para sa umaga, salang na lang. In less than an hour, you have already your breakfast and lunch ready.

Daddy A. planting dragon fruit cuttings

A home without greens is quite dull. Having pots of ornamental plants will give additional accent and making a fresher look at your own home. Having pots and plants does not end there, you need to know how to take care of it. This year, one of my targets is to have a plant box in front of our home which leads the next skill – masonry and carpentry.

By the way, as I was checking my lemon plants this morning, I saw couple of flowers starting to emerge. Seeing how your plants develop is a great achievement.

Masonry and Carpentry

Daddy A. does the drilling
I have a weakness in this part. As of now, I don’t have an idea on how to prepare concrete mix. Though there are some instructional videos on the net, doing it in actual is still different. Whenever Papa visited us, I used to ask him to make the masonry and carpentry works.

Plumbing

Leaks on a sink, lavatory or toilet bowl, drips in a faucet, changing shower knobs and fixing broken water pipes are the most common plumbing problems in every household. Looking for a plumber and someone to assist him is quite a problem for me who works full time.

Painting

This year, Mommy and I agreed to change the paint of our home. Though I can hire someone to do it, I don’t have enough time to supervise the workers. With this, I decided to have the task on my own. Though I can only do it during weekends, I know I can finish it naman kahit papano. All you need is to know the basic mixing of paint and how to apply and re-apply it on the part you need to paint.

Last holidays, Papa told me that having simple DIY tools at home like a drill, saw, pliers, hammer, vice grip, and crew drivers is all you need to complete the different tasks mentioned above.

Though I am not an expert in the above-mentioned skills, my knowledge of the basics is more than enough to fix simple things at home.

Before I forgot, I haven't included baby-sitting, laundry, crafting, and house cleaning in the list. But I think you may skip cleaning, and even save time, if there are industrial cleaning services uk available in your place.

How about you?

What other skills do you think every Dad at home should know?
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September 5, 2016

Free Instant treat Using HSBC


Good news to HSBC Gold, Advance, Red or Classic Credit Card Holders. By using your card anywhere, you can get free KFC meals or SM Movie Cinema Tickets.

The mechanic is as simple as 1-2-3!

For every 2000 single-receipt worth of purchase will qualify you to get an Instant Reward.

For every qualified transaction, a claim code will be sent thru SMS. This code will be used to claim the rewards at participating branches.

Sample Claim Code SMS
Sample of SMS with Claim Code

Claim the reward at participating branches by showing the claim code together with the HSBC Credit Card.

Rewards are:
For minimum spend of 2000 – 1 KFC Chicken Burger (ala carte)
For minimum spend of 3000 -  1 KFC Fill-up Box or 1 SM Cinema Movie Card worth PhP100
For minimum spend of 5000 -  1 KFC Fully-Loaded Meal or 1 SM Cinema Movie Card worth PhP200
For minimum spend of 10000 – 1 KFC Streetwise Bucket Meal or 1 ePlus entertainment Kit worth PhP500

Just a simple note: KFC redemptions will be processed individually per claim code. Other purchase will be processed separately.

Promo Spending period starts on July 08 until September 30, 2016 while redemption period is on August 15, toNovember 30, 2016.

For more details check HSBC's Website.

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September 3, 2016

Movie Sharing: Eddie the Eagle


Rio Olympics has recently ended and in connection to this, I just watched a movie about Winter Olympics – Eddie the Eagle. This is a true to life story of Eddie Edwards, an Olympic Ski Jumper.


Eddie-the-Eagle-Movie-Poster-2
Photo Source: OXSTU
Since the age of 10, Eddie wanted to participate in joining the Olympic games. He kept on practicing in various events but fails miserably.

On his teenage years, he gave up joining the Summer Olympics in exchange of skiing in the winter Olympics. Though he is good at it, he was rejected by the British Olympics officials. Because of it, ventures into another event – ski jumping since the country hasn’t participated in this event for 6 decades already.

He went to a training camp in Germany and self-trained. After having success in the 15-meter jump, he was injured on his first try in the 40-meter. Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) discouraged him in continuing his becoming Olympic Jumper but Eddie is full of spirit to fulfill his dream.

Eddie knew that Peary was a former Olympic champion and asked him to be his trainer. The 1988 Winter Olympics will start soon and Eddie needs to make just one jump to qualify for the said game. He landed on the 38 meters. However, the British Olympic officials decided to change the rule and need to jump at least 61 meters. This is to avoid Eddie from joining the team.

With full of determination, Eddie decided to continue his training. He landed exactly on 61 meters on the practice. Unfortunately, during the official game, Eddie falls and disqualified. He returned home with a feeling of devastated and decided to work for his father. One day, he receives a letter that his practice jump is a valid one making him eligible for the Winter Olympics.

Eddie talked Peary about the decision but he was discouraged to continue because he will make a complete fool of himself and his country if he continues. Still, with full of determination, Eddie decided to join the Winter Olympics.

He placed last in the 70-meter jump landed on 60.5-meter mark but this sets a new British record. He became famous and was known as “Eddie the Eagle”. He decided to make the 90-meter jump where he never tried before. Though he landed last, again he sets a new British record. He was cheered by millions of spectators around the globe. He was eventually accepted by the British Olympic officials afterward.

Though he didn’t win a medal in the Winter Olympics, he received a heroes welcome as he returned home.

The movie shows us that if you dream of something, always keep the determination on fire and never give-up.

By the way, I like one of the songs played in the movie entitled Jump by Van Halen. This is the song played when Peary made the 90-meter jump. Listening to such song using a nice audio system will definitely make you dance with the music. It is better to use speakon cables to make the audio quality better.

Have you watched this movie too?
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