I have always been a Harry Potter book and movie fan.  I have been following Harry’s adventure in every flip of the books’ pages.  It was fun and I can’t wait to see this next sequel.

The teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has debuted online, and offers a glimpse at what’s in store for everyone’s favourite boy wizard.

The first look at author J.K. Rowling’s sixth installment in the Potter saga arrives ahead of the film’s November release. Read the rest of this entry »

I have been making this recipe for about a year now.  This turned out to be one of my specialties.  Although each batch of pork chops is different every time I cook it, it has never failed me and it always turns out to be perfect!  The breading doesn’t fall off the meat and the meat cuts almost like butter that you don’t need a steak knife to slice it.  What’s more important is that, these pork chops are baked so it is healthier than those that are fried or grilled.  I have shared this reciipe to my sisters and it turned out well for them too.  My sister- Rorie in Florida has prepared this last week with an attempt to use the available chicken breasts in her fridge, she substituted the pork chops with chicken breasts.  Adding extra 5 minutes, it turned out perfect! The images above are my sisters’ version of this recipe. Click on the image to zoom in.

Thanks to Emeril Lagasse of Food Network for giving me this scrumptious recipe that has delighted every single person who has tasted it.

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He has always been different.  Even before when he was still a baby, he has manifested the qualities of being smart.  It makes me smile to recall that at an early age of two, he already know who invented the telescope, the monetary unit of japan and 20 more trivias like that.  Not only that he possesses sheer intelligence; he too is very talented.  He can sing, dance and yes act.  He has the looks to back it all up.

He finished his elementary at Holy Rosary School of Pardo and studied in Pope John XXIII Seminary in Mabolo for his secondary education.  He has developed his confidence without being braggart.  In the surface, he’s shy but cool.  But he knows what he is capable of and he knows what he can achieve.

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Man existed to pursue his own happiness.  We are motivated to do something because it will make us happy.  We tend to make decisions with happiness at the back of our heads.  Just like in Marriage, we marry the person who we think will give us the feeling of happiness.  We marry someone who makes us feel good about ourselves. Our daily actions are directed to our ultimate goal of being happy.

I have always been a selfless person.  Tatay and Nanay (my father and mother) taught me that.  I put everyone else especially my significant others ahead of me.  My happiness rely on them.  If they are happy, then I am happy.  It was a big mistake.

For the past days, as different encounters start to unravel, I have realized that my happiness does not  depend on other people’s happiness.  It should come from within and let it shine to others.  I have the capacity to pursue my happiness and I will do just that.

I will be happy because I can.

After I made an entry about Acquiring a Schengen Visa, google search has brought enough traffic to my site.  Many people came to my site to find answers to their questions.  Because of this, I am setting up a Schengen Visa FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) based on the searches they made on google that lead them to my site.  Hope this will be a good help.

Can I travel by road, boat or plane to other countries with a Schengen Visa?

Yes.  You can use whatever means of travel you prefer as long as the country you are visiting is a member of the Schengen organization.  According to the so-called Schengen agreement, tourist and business visas issued by a mission of one of the following countries are valid for travel to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.  As of 21 December 2007, 24 states and Monaco (treated as part of France) had abolished border controls on persons among themselves, an increase from 15 on 20 December 2007. The nine new countries which entered the Schengen travel area in 2007 were: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Switzerland has finally joined the Schengen Agreement last December 12, 2008.

Can I change my main destination after I get my Schengen Visa?

Yes.  You can change your main destination or even your port of entry even after your got stamped for Schengen Visa.  When I applied for Schengen Visa, I presented a plane ticket reservation to enter and exit Amsterdam.  When I got my visa, I found a better airfare deal and I can fly sooner if I enter Brussels, Belgium and exit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  So, I took that flight and had no problems whatsoever with the Immigration Officer.

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Yesterday I posted about the first dish that I prepared for Travis with the mention of the Kip Saté a La Mina recipe. When Travis arrived home from work, he had with him all the ingredients I needed to cook the Kip Saté.  So, I decided to prepare it for dinner and Travis loved it! He is not very good in words but his plate speaks more than words.  It was totally clean and spotless! So, I am sharing you this recipe courtesy of my sister-Rema Beckers.  It is a chicken dish with peanut butter sauce.  The recipe is a home-made invention so measurements are based on your own judgement.  I played it by eye and tasted it every now and then.  It turned out perfect.  It’s a delicious, simple and easy meal for everyone to enjoy.

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While I was having a good time chatting with my sisters on Yahoo! Messenger, it  came to a point that we were just exchanging recipes.  The recent one was the Kip Saute a la Mina of which recipe I will share later on when I am able to get a good picture of the dish.  For the meantime, allow me to share to you one of my successful recipes called the Breaded Chicken Fillet.

Ingredients:

• 4 pcs chicken breast fillets
• Chicken Cubes
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• oil for frying
• lemon wedges
• green peas, buttered

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“Freedom in general may be defined as the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires.”

-Bertrand Russell

Nope! It’s no typo. It just so happen that on the same month as the Americans celebrate their Independence and the same date as the Filipinos celebrate ours, Travis and I have finally achieved the Independence that we have been waiting for. Yes, we are out of the basement and out from the responsibilities that shouldn’t be ours in the first place.

We rented an apartment with Travis’ bestfriend in one of the beautiful suburbs of Minneapolis. It is just a stone throw distance from a small lake and about 0.7 miles from a way bigger lake. This is where Travis always wanted to live.  It may be a longer drive to his work but with the beautiful neighborhood, he said it’s all worth it.  We have made few steps closer to our dreams. I know that we can’t realize our dreams overnight.  It takes hardwork, perseverance, determination and yes it takes time.  And we are conditioned to have just that.

This entire experience has given me enough transformation.  Three days of cleaning and still counting earned me the title of being domesticated.  I now understand when they say that the home is what brings pride to a wife.  I am proud of what I have done although I haven’t cooked yet and there is a mountain pile of clothes to sort, I have done enough to please Travis and most of all myself.

Tomorrow is going to be another day for me and I plan to start it by attending mass in church.  Luckily, the Catholic church is just 0.2 miles away from our place and it has a daily mass schedule at 8am.  Just about time after Travis leave for work.  And the rest of the day will be spent cleaning or relaxing and enjoying the freedom that I have all been yearning for.  It is just a wonderful feeling waking up not to noises but to the sound of birds chirping outside our window.   Freedom is just sweet!

Minnesota has been known as The Land of 10,000 Lakes and that is no exaggeration. In fact, Minnesota for real has 11,842 lakes over 10 acres in size. In warmer months like this, outdoor recreation often involves water. Weekends and summer vacations to family cabins in the numerous Minnesota lakes are a way of life for many residents. These activities involves water sports like water skiing, boating, canoeing and fishing. More than 36% of Minnesotans fish.

Last weekend, I made my first attempt to discover why a lot of people get hooked with this hobby called fishing. Travis and I bought a combination Angling license (husband and wife) online for only $26. Individual license will cost you $18 for residents.  Licenses are also available to purchase for non-residents.  Here are the different types of fishing license and its corresponding fees: LICENSES and FEES

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If you’d like to build a nest egg with your paycheck, it may be time to give up New York and head for Plano, Texas.  I read this on Yahoo! Financial section and thought I should share it.

A survey by pay experts at Salary.com evaluated 69 cities with more than 250,000 people and ranked the Big Apple last. Plano came in first among American cities in which to build personal wealth.
The survey, based on census data and Salary.com analysis, focused on local salaries, the cost of living and unemployment. Secondary factors, such as diversity of the local economy, residents’ education, percentage of population below poverty level and commute time were also measured.

According to the survey, the top five cities are home to some of the nation’s largest companies and have recorded strong periods of growth. Following first-place Plano came Aurora, Colo., Omaha, Neb., Minneapolis and Albuquerque N.M.

New York’s diverse economy and highly-educated residents couldn’t save it from sinking to the bottom due to its high cost of living and paychecks that just aren’t “inflated” enough to make up the difference, the report stated.

Looks like I’m in the right place… so far!