Kate's Little Nook

Photo grabbed from her FB account.           I have been thinking a lot about you since the day I heard of your passing. I still cannot believe I will never see you again-- your positive disposition and your smiling face. As I pen this message to you, I repeatedly scrolled back our chat history and the pictures that we were in together to make sure I do not miss anything.      Thank you for the times you have opened your home to us. I remember the first time I took a trip alone to Manila ten years ago. My date of departure was nearing and I haven't found a place to stay yet. To make sure I will not be turned down when I approach you, I went to Auntie Tita first to ask if you were the type who does not mind accepting visitors. Truly the gracious host, you welcomed me and let me stay and even offered to send me to the airport upon my return to Cebu. I also had the chance to experience Baguio because of you and your family. Thanks a lot for let...

RIP March 23, 2018 " Si Wilson napusilan (Wilson was shot)," said my mother who just came out from the bathroom very uneasy and was in a haste.  This was what I woke up to in the morning of March 24, 2018.  At first thought, I pictured my cousin in a hospital bed safely recuperating and that he just got entangled with some drug-related altercation the night before.  And so I went on to attend my first Fairchild cooperative assembly that Saturday.  It was during the event that I finally understood the situation.  I saw his blooded corpse plastered all over Facebook.  Imagine how it felt like as a relative seeing the pictures?   As I Know Him... Everytime my family visited the ancestral home in Mandaue City, we used to play a lot.  Kuya Wilson grew up in that house.  I remember him pretty much the joker, with Kuya Owie and him ganging up on us girl cousins with their antics.  He loved dogs too.  By the time he pas...

No matter how many times I fail, cooking will always be something I will not be quitting from.  I rarely cook but I always give in to the urge when I am craving for something. What's so good about pork belly roasts?  It is very easy to prepare and yet you get a heavy meal you'd be leaving the table with your bellies so full. Sans the electric oven, I experimented on my roasted pork belly using the turbo broiler.  Yielded the same results: extra-yummy and extra juicy.  And while people rely on salt and pepper for its flavors, I relied on the brine so that the flavors seep in on the entire meat itself. Here's my recipe guide:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVsVg75Rjlg Brine Ingredients: Bay Leaf (optional, depends on your preference) Lemon Grass Salt Pepper Corns Garlic For The Belly Filling: Salt White Pepper Powder Garlic Shallots Lemon Grass Bay Leaf (again, depends on your preference) * I had the last 4 i...

The decision to leave Lexmark will remain to be a pivotal part of my working life.  Was I able to establish a career in there?  No.  Had I imagined myself establishing a career in there?  In one way or another, yes.  Lexmark has set the bar high so much that where ever I will go, it will serve as a benchmark on my future choice of companies.  Leaving the company was a suicidal decision because I was saying goodbye to a good employer with nowhere to go and no company to transfer to. What makes Lexmark stand out from the rest?  Here are my reasons: A Convenient Hiring and On-boarding Process.   Once you get identified for the position, a background investigation is conducted.  After passing such, the company makes the job offer and at the same time provide you a list of items required to prepare you for the on-boarding process.  My second on-boarding process took faster than the first.  I guess this depends on h...