My Korean Summer ( Food)

    One of the most diverse culinary centers in Asia is Korea.  There,  dishes are composed of a main dish of either pork, chicken, beef, or fish plus numerous side dishes which all compliment each other in terms of taste and nutrition.  But there are also lot of other foods in Korea aside from kimchi, samguipsal and ramen that we might  not be familiar with. Here are some of the food that I was fortunate enough to sample during my 2 month stay in Korea.

Cakes are exceptionally beautiful

Korean - made cakes usually have fresh fruits

Breads are of many many varieties

Breads are of many many varieties

And ice creams are also bread-flavor inspired

Watermelon ice cream even has "seeds"

Strawberry sundae

Bingsu- shredded  flavored ice with different toppings

Their ( Korean's) version of the pinipig crunch

Tastes like watered-down cough syrup

Their ( Korean) waffles are an inch-thick and flavors are added to make it more delish

Ice Cream droplets

Galbi

Our hosts during our Seoul trip who took us to the best galbi restaurant in Korea

Another round of bingsu

Carbonara, anyone?

Their ( Ricco Papa Restaurant) steak dish was accompanied with this

Steak!

Macha Green Tea Sundae on a hot afternoon

Obsessed with Boracay

           With rise of airlines offering lowered airfares, traveling to the different islands of our country  has become more convenient and affordable to Filipinos.  Airlines like Air Asia, Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airline usually offer affordable fares to destinations like Cebu, Davao, Puerto Princesa, Bohol, Kalibo and other places.  Just make sure to subscribe to them so that whenever there would be promos, you'll be informed.  Watch out for Air Asia's 0 Seat sale and or Cebu Pacific's piso sale.  Sure, the travel date may be 6 months or a year away but that's ample time to save up for your trip or get the beach ready body you have dreamed of.

The best bargains are for travel date that fall on weekdays

The sale usually starts at midnight, be sure to log on to take advantage of it.

        One of the most visited island in the Philippines in Boracay in the province of Aklan.  To get there you need to take a place ride for Kalibo International Airport ( the fare would have to depend on whether you were patient enough to wait for seat sales during midnights or not, since most seats go up for sale during the early hours of the morning) them from the airport you may either take a bus ride or van ride to reach the Caticlan Jetty Port.  The ride usually takes one hour forty-five minutes to 2 hours.  The fare would be 200 for the van ride or 250-275 for the bus ride. 

       

        Or you may opt to take the Manila- Caticlan flight which saves you 2 hours of land travel.  But be warned that the airfare is much more expensive than the Manila-Kalibo route.

        Upon arriving at the Caticlan Port jetty, all tourists, whether local or international would have to shell out 100 pesos for the port fee and 75 pesos for the environmental fee. Plus 25 pesos for the jetty ride which will last for 15 minutes and takes you to the island of Boracay.

        After the jetty ride, you need to ride once more to reach your hotel or accommodations in the island.  Do not be intimidated by the cost of this vacation for there are a lot of affordable accommodations in Boracay, some of which are beachfront, some would make you walk a little.

       Life is never dull in Boracay nor expensive.  At night, bars of different kinds are there to entertain you.  In the morning, you can walk around or avail of the various activities that Boracay has to offer like parasailing, helmet diving, snorkeling and many more or you can just find a shady spot, rest with a good book and let the day pass by .

          

      When is comes to satisfying your taste buds, you may sample the local catch and go to D' Talipapa, buy your favorite seafood and have one of the nearby eateries cook it for you the way you want it.  Fast food joints like Mcdonald's, Subway, Andoks and Mang Inasal are also found in the island. Or if you really want to satisfy your huge hunger, buffets are always available, from Mongolian, to Italian to Steaks, name it, Boracay offers it.

Fresh Seafoods at D' Talipapa

Crabs of all sizes.  They say that the female ones are a bit expensive than the males

Lobsters! 800 pesos or more per kilo

These giant babies costs around 1500/ kilo

Shrimps are relatively cheaper at 400 per kilo

Had sweet -chili crabs and buttered scallops. Yum!

       I first visited Boracay on July 2010, fell in love with the place, spent new year's day of 2012 there, then went back on February 2012, then again on October 2012, the went back again on April 2013 and spent new year's day of 2014 again in its sands.

2012

Island hopping

ATV Ride

We didn't dared to try this for the current was too strong and the waves were too high

Enjoying the white powdery sand

While waiting for our flight which was delayed for 9 hours

2013

Got a good deal with Air Asia, only 800 pesos for round trip tickets ( had to wait for a year for the flight though)

Steaks are a regular thing here

Drinks, anyone?

How could you say no to this?

or to this

or to the clear waters?

I couldn't

The Tikbalang on Halloween

Zombie

Night of the Living Dead

       We didn't.take much pictures for 2014 since there was really nothing more that we wanted to do than just lie on the sand and let time tick by without worrying about anything, which is actually what vacation is about!

         Boracay has so much more to offer.  Go and experience it for yourself!

Things that I Experienced at BSU

Benguet State University is nestled in the heart of La Trinidad, Benguet, the strawberry capital of the Philippines.

         It started as the La Trinidad Farm School with 30 grade V pupils in 1916. The Farm School expanded its services and heightened its prominence in La Trinidad. According to earlier reports, the Farm School was “planned to develop into a large normal school where the best Igorot pupils will be trained to be teachers among their own people with emphasis on agriculture.”

         In 1920, the farm school was elevated as the Trinidad Agricultural School with 188 students enrolled in first year high school. Re-opening after the war in 1946, the school became the La Trinidad Agricultural High School. Four years later, a provincial normal curriculum was abolished in 1953 and a two-year post-high school certificate in agricultural education was offered.

         The school was renamed La Trinidad National Agricultural School (LTNAS). After four months, it was nationalized and named the Mountain National Agricultural School. (MNAS). It was soon converted into the Mountain National College (MNAC); Mountain Agricultural College (MAC); and eventually, the Mountain State Agricultural College (MSAC) in 1969 through RA 5923.

         On January 12, 1986, the college was converted to a state university by virtue of Presidential Decree (PD) No. 2010 signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

         At present BSU is awarded SUC Level IV, the highest category in the SUC leveling classification of State Universities and Colleges by the Commission on Higher Education. (http://www.bsu.edu.ph/content/history-0)

Aside from housing the   Graduate School, College of Agriculture, College of Teacher Education, College of Forestry, College of Home Economics & Technology, College of Engineering & Applied Technology, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Nursing, College of Veterinary Medicines and the Institute of Public Administration and Institute of Human Kinetics, it also prides itself of being home to one of the few Open Universities in the Philippines.  BSU OU offers Master in Development Communication, Master in Community Development, Master in Community Health Development, Master in Urban Management, Master in Non- Formal Education, Diploma in training Management, Diploma in Urban Management, Certificate in Community Health Development, Certificate in Organic Agriculture and Ladderized Degree on Masters in Organic Agriculture.

What  enticed me to enroll at BSU aside from the fact that it has the degree that I see as interesting was  is its cool climate and proximity to  the strawberry farm which is a novelty for a low- lander like me.

One of the things that I experienced at BSU was that during the time that I was processing my enrollment, I was waiting in line to have my picture taken for the ID, only to find out that there was only a limited number of students that may be accommodated per day and that I had to come back on another day for the picturing taking for the ID. Lesson learned:  Read the notices, and when in doubt, it’s not bad to ask. ;-)

 Even if BSU caters to a lot of students, I appreciate the fact that transaction such as paying at the Cashier’s office, medical check-up at the Clinic and transactions at the Registrar’s office didn’t take too much of my time, I didn’t have to wait so long to get my business done and that there were student assistants who aided in making sure that cues were followed and lines were kept in order. 

And since BSU is laid out on a very large campus, my classmates/colleagues had a very relaxing time walking around the campus to explore the place and of course to take pictures as well

Classroom at BSU may not be as modern as compared to other universities in the country but nonetheless this is compensated by able teachers and experienced facilitators .

10 Things I Experienced at BSU- OU

1. Inconspicuous as it may seem, this silent witness stood as a sentry to all students, new and old, a silent spectator to the numerous minds seeking for new leanings and knowledge.  Time may have worn away its former self, but it did not wavered in its message, one might not see it immediately but the message is just the same- with open arms, BSU OU WELCOMES everyone who wants to learn.

2. Leading up to the BSU- OU office is this nondescript staircase that not only serves as a pathway but also a offers  momentary relief for tired feet and legs, for it does not only serve as a walk way but its steps also serve as  “chairs or benches” while waiting for facilitators or classmates or for just passing away time.

 
                          


3.  What I appreciate about BSU –OU is the fact that the support staff is student-friendly, questions are answered as soon as  possible, and request are granted  whenever possible, even if a times they are swamped by queries and complaints, they try to take handle them all with a smile.

4. One of the things that I experienced at BSU was that during the time that I was processing my enrollment, I was waiting in line to have my picture taken for the ID, only to find out that there was only a limited number of students that may be accommodated per day and that I had to come back on another day for the picturing taking for the ID. Lesson learned:  Read the notices, and when in doubt, it’s not bad to ask. ;-)

5   5. BSU-OU provides it students the opportunity to earn their degrees even if they are far from the school itself or cannot regularly attend their classes religiously through the Open and Distance Learning Program.

 

  

 
6. Since BSU-OU offers the option of distance learning it provides students the opportunity to develop in themselves a sense of self-reliance and discipline in finishing the coursework. Likewise, the once-a-month face to face class also gives the students a chance to meet and interact with  individuals who may serve as sources of new information and insights, after all, learning is not solely the work of the mind but leaning also blossoms from social interactions.

                      



7.  Speaking of interactions, after classes, my colleagues and I can go around Benguet and Baguio to savor its cold and relaxing weather, a welcome relief from the hot and humid weather of Tarlac City. 

    8. One of the most intimidating requirements for any degree is the thesis or the dissertation, these researches are done with the aim of finding new innovations, knowledge and learning that may benefit the target respondents, here at BSU- OU copies of researches are made available and accessible to anyone who might need it. They are found not only at the library but also at the BSU-OU office.

  

9.  Even if BSU caters to a lot of students, I appreciate the fact that transaction such as paying at the Cashier’s office, medical check-up at the Clinic and transactions at the Registrar’s office didn’t take too much of my time, I didn’t have to wait so long to get my business done and that there were student assistants who aided in making sure that cues were followed and lines were kept in order.

     10. And lastly, studying at BSU- OU was a great chance for me to meet new classmates and very good facilitators that make learning very fruitful and enjoyable at the same time.