New Release: Journey, Chapter 18

Tropical Storm Maring had caused a lot of destruction in the Philippines this week. Everyone has been affected by the torrential rains last Tuesday.

At six in the morning, we woke up only to find that flood waters had already entered the ground floor. Jigger, one of our dogs, had run downstairs ahead of us and got disoriented after landing on water. Her head looking down and a foreleg raised. LOL! But she recovered quickly and seemed to enjoy playing in the flood like a little kid. She looked like she just took a bath when she came up to the second floor.

It would have been more amusing if we weren't so harassed in rescuing our things from the water. There was nothing we could do about the family car by then. Sadly, I was not able to help long after slipping down the wet stairs and injuring my foot. The fall was really bad. The whole house heard the impact when I landed on my rear. Thankfully, I didn't fracture anything. I have a nice bruise as souvenir, though.

With nothing to do and to distract myself from the pain, I finished Dragon Heir by Gem Higa in Wattpad. It won the Watty Awards last year, 2010. If you're into dragons and kick-ass heroines, I recommend this to you, dear reader. But beware, the author is currently making revisions to the story.

It's not the only thing I've been doing, though. I continued writing my story. After completing a chapter, it got me thinking of turning the novel into a series. I want to focus on specific issues in this book but there are certain things that keep on emerging as Journey progresses. After giving it much thought, I  finally decided that I would write book 2. I'm really nervous about this because the idea never really crossed my mind until now.

Now that it has a sequel, I've created another title for it. Journey is now part of Liyanna Series. So, if you wish to search for the novel in Wattpad, just type M.C. Babasa (author's name) or Liyanna Series. I'm still open for ideas in the series' title. So if you wish to make suggestions, please feel free to comment below.

To date, I've made certain changes in the overview, posted a Characters list for reference, and the newest is Chapter 18. It's in the point of view of Kristina's friend Mindy.

Journey: Chapter 15 is out!

Hullo, everyone.

I've just posted Chapter 15 of Journey in Wattpad.com. I wasn't able to put it up yesterday since I was out most of the day. It describes the role Merleina has been up to for ages.

What you see online has been encoded and edited in MS Word before it was uploaded in Wattpad. Sadly, I'll be busier very soon with office work. So, there will be less time for me to write. Hopefully, I'll be able to allocate at least an hour of my free time; alternately writing and encoding. The second hour for reading a book or ebook, the third for socializing offline and online, and so forth. Hehehe.

Wish me luck. J

Journey: A Novel

Hi, everyone.

I've signed up in Wattpad.com after reading one of its books, The Awakener by Amanda Strong. It's ideal for light reading. Its history is based on the Bible, so expect quotations or excerpts from the Good Book. But, the author made a good job of the characters not sounding overzealous with religion and I like how the guardian angels and demons were portrayed.
The book also inspired me to write a chapter of a novel I've been trying to complete (one of my projects this year), which became a turning point for me to finally commit with my first novel by uploading it in Wattpad.

I like to write the draft the traditional way - that is, in pen and paper. In my experience, it feels more personal than typing it directly on the computer. So, most of it is either still in my notebook or in my head. But I'll be uploading more chapters soon. :)

Read the book: Journey by M.C. Babasa or continue reading this post for the overview.

Journey 

by M.C. Babasa

Kristina
Her life has always been ordinary as far as psychics go, until she draws the attention of a mysterious stranger, who seems to know more about her than any other person.
But there are others who want something from her that only she possesses. 

Arturion
Impulsively, he offers friendship to Kristina. But when she falls ill, he must divulge his secret to help her.

Excerpt
He stood at least six feet tall, his dark hair and clothes dry in contrast to the weather. He held an umbrella which served more as a costume prop rather than carry out its initial purpose. The rain didn’t touch him not even his “prop”. It seemed to hit an invisible shield surrounding his person... 

Lenguas de Gato

Lenguas de Gato is the Spanish name for cat's tongue, named for its shape and size. It's crispness and rich buttery taste makes it a good complement for ice cream and coffee.

I found this recipe from my Abuelita's possessions, a collection of recipes from newspaper clippings from the fifties or sixties. I tried the recipe as an alternative for disposing egg whites left from leche flan. It's a lot easier than meringues and an ideal gift for special occasions.

Lenguas de Gato

Yields: about 5 dozen

Finished product: Lenguas de Gato

Ingredients

½ c. butter

⅔ c. sugar

1 c. sifted all-purpose flour (if eggs are large ones, use 1 ¼ c. flour)

¼ c. egg whites (2 egg whites)

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Add unbeaten egg whites little by little, beating well after each addition.
4. Add flour a little at a time. Then, salt and vanilla.
5. Place mixture in a piping bag with plain tip and drop in oblong form (2 ½ inches long) on a non-stick baking sheet.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
7. Remove from sheets while hot.

Meringue Cookies

Meringues dropped in rough rounds onto lined baking sheet

We've been making leche flan at home for quite some time using a dozen egg yolks per batch that we were quite at a loss on how we could salvage the egg whites. The first thing that came to mind was meringues.
A recipe was already at hand and I started baking it alongside my sister, who was preparing the leche flan. My first batch was okay considering it was my first time making it. The meringue's middle portion was still soft and whole thing stuck on your teeth when you eat it. The second, the output was the same.
My third trial was a disaster. I left the meringues to cool on their trays to eat dinner. The rainy season had started. When I returned for it, everything was sticky.
The fourth was an improvement. I researched for other recipes and adapted it to the ingredients I have. Moreover, I wanted something less time consuming. You have to make sure that the sugar completely dissolves and not to over-mix the mixture.

I've included some advice, which are based on my research and experiences.

Reminders/Tips

You can use granulated sugar. The recipe below uses caster and powdered sugar. Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar but not powdery in form. It is easier to dissolve than granulated sugar. If you wish to make caster sugar, use a food processor to refine granulated sugar until it can pass through a sieve/sifter.
Before you decide making meringues, check the weather forecast for rain and make sure your work area is not humid. This dessert does not like moisture.
In preparing ingredients, use clean and dry equipment. 

Eggs must not be cold. Egg whites at room temperature would allow it to expand more. 

Use a weighing scale instead of cups for precise measurement of ingredients. Baking is a science. ☺
Adjust the cooking time, if you wish to make smaller meringues. 

The meringues will weep when cooked on very high heat. The oven's low temperature would allow its shell to set and dry the interior.

Meringues must be cooled gradually, which is why you have to leave them in the oven after baking. You will see cracks on its shell when it is cooled too quickly.
Store them in a dry airtight container.

Meringue Cookies Recipe

Ingredients
6 egg whites, at room temperature

175 g. caster sugar

175 g. Peotraco confectioners’ powdered sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat convection oven 100°C (conventional oven 110°C / gas ¼). Line 2 baking sheets with Glad Cook ‘n’ Bake non-stick paper.
2. In a large clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed with electric beater until soft peaks form.
3. Shift to high speed and gradually add a spoonful of caster sugar at a time. Continue beating mixture until it is thick and glossy or form stiff peaks.
4. Sift ⅓ of the powdered sugar over the mixture. Gently fold it in with a big spoon or rubber spatula. Continue pattern for remaining powdered sugar.
5. Scoop large spoonfuls of the mixture and drop them in rough rounds onto baking sheets.
6. Bake for 1 ½ - 2 hrs. in the oven, until meringues sound hollow when tapped underneath.
7. Turn off oven and let meringues cool inside for 3-4 hrs.

Adapted from:

• Ultimate Meringue | BBC Good Food
• BBC - Food - Recipes: Meringues with clotted cream and strawberries
• Meringues recipe - Kids cooking

Eggplant-Zucchini Lasagna

An experiment my mother ventured into after eating a dish similar to this recipe in an Italian restaurant somewhere in Manila.

The family at that time was divided into two. types of diet. The majority are what one of us coined as "any-tarians" since we all enjoy good food and trying out new dishes. The minority, actually two, which I am a part of, has some limited food choices with our pesco-vegetarian diet.

For everyone to get to taste something new, it was better to serve a dish that all of us could eat. The recipe has been modified for personal preferences. We like a lasagna that has more tomato sauce, just like its meaty counterpart. You may visit the websites at the end of this recipe, if you wish to make the original dish.

Eggplant-Zucchini Lasagna

Yields: 6-12 servings

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, cut crosswise into ½ inch-thick slices

2 large zucchini, cut diagonally into ½ inch-thick slices

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. pre-cooked lasagna noodles

Parmesan mixture

1-2 cups grated Parmesan

¼ tsp. dried basil

¼ tsp. dried oregano

Tomato mixture

3 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. dried basil

1 ½ medium cans Capri whole-peeled tomatoes

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini w/1 tbsp. olive oil and ½ tsp. salt. Place in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes until brown. Set aside.
3. Repeat procedure no. 2 for eggplant.
4. Sauté ingredients for tomato mixture. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add water if needed.
5. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
6. In a 9-inch rectangular pan, cover its base with tomato mixture.
7. Arrange noodles over mixture. Top with eggplant and zucchini, then pour tomato mixture and sprinkle with parmesan mixture. Repeat pattern.
8. On topmost layer of noodles, spread evenly remaining tomato and parmesan mixture.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until parmesan melts and turns golden brown. Cool for 5-10 minutes.

Adapted from:

• Zucchini Eggplant Lasagna
• Meatless Monday: Eggplant-Zucchini Lasagna with Fontina

Short Film: Wing It

I came across this film by accident while watching movie trailers. The makers are actually students from The Animation School.

It's a story about how an inventor successfully created a plane. The animation and music is impressive. In addition, there is humor injected into the plot. Watch the story unfold below:


Source:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARHVR9BkOWU