Fried rice turns Korean

I don't know what to call this dish I made. It started with wondering what to do with leftover rice. I would personally not deal with white rice since I prefer brown rice over it, but I can't help but feel bad that it will go another day in the fridge.

For me, keeping rice stored in the fridge for days is the most despicable thing to do to food. Rice definitely tastes better freshly made, no matter what you do with it.

Anyway, I have white rice to eat. What should I do with it?

I also happened to be nursing a craving for anything Asian for two weeks now. All last week I desired for noodles--may it be Vietnamese pho, Japanese ramen, or Chinese, you name it.

I'm also cashless so a call to the nearest Japanese restaurant is out. Rice is defintely not noodles but beggars can't be choosers. So I rummaged thru the fridge and pantry and found soybean paste (doenjang as the Koreans call it, and I happen to have the spicy type too on hand), garlic, mushrooms and sesame oil. That was basically the ingredients of this slightly spicy treat.

I went on to saute the garlic and mushrooms and then added the ground pork. After a couple of minutes, I added some water and cooked the pork some more, lightly seasoning with salt and pepper. I thought the water will help make some sort of a sauce that will be easily absorbed by the rice. So far so good...:)

I realized that the ground pork wasn't enough when I was already done. So I went through the same process, and added it on top..:)

In hindsight I realized that this dish is somewhat like bibimbap with way fewer ingredients and no hot stone bowl to mix my ingredients up. All I had was a skillet pan and a stove. It's not gourmet or traditional Korean, and I need to work on my presentation for this dish, but heck it satisfied my craving for Asian food this week.

Blog Short # 1

Here I go again saying I should be eating more vegetables, but here I am gorging on pork and beef. My cravings hasn't really left me yet, and I really need to discipline myself.

Why are we always betrayed by our bodies?

looking at food with new eyes

I made this delicious penne pasta the day before Valentine's day--and it couldn't be any timelier with its luscious red color! For some reason the sauce combination I created resulted in a sauce with a bright red color. The meatballs were made of turkey and no Parmesan cheese so that my father (who can't eat dairy) could eat it. I've also taken care not to use a lot of oil in sauteing and used olive oil exclusively in frying the meatballs, though canola oil would be better to fry it with as olive oil can't handle heat as well as canola.

look of the day: feb 14

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! A single lady in SL has no reason to cry and be lonely on this day of hearts as there are always lots of free things for us to collect and appease our addiction for gifts, specially for this particular day.

happy chinese new year!

It is taking a really long time for me to fully furnish my apartment in zenshi, mainly because I easily get distracted by new releases inworld, and offline, I had been getting sick to the stomach for some reason. 

virtual writeups: for AVENUE Magazine Jan 2013 issue

Here's a my latest offering for AVENUE Magazine, which is a feature on Apple Fall.

I interviewed a content creator who used to make content for The Sims 3. This young, talented Brit is off to a great start by making your interiors look pretty awesome this year! 

Read more on issuu at his link: http://issuu.com/avenue/docs/avenue.january2013, or just flip through the magazine below:

Open publication - Free publishing - More apple fall

As always I thank you for reading! 

Adventures in the Kitchen: Carbonara

So last Saturday I decided to make "carbonara". Utilizing quotation marks as this dish was in no way done like the way Italians do their Carbonara-- as in prepared with egg and just a lot of tossing.

Something I picked up at Vero Modero

I really should pay attention to monthly gifts from the groups I join. Sometimes I just forget...for instance, this fabulous gown from Vero Modero. 

bucket list for 2013...or beyond if i don't stop procrastinating!

It's 3AM here in the Philippines, and there are still no sign of the world ending. I guess it's not happening this year, huh?

So with that out of the way, and to have a really meaningful year, I'm going to write down my bucket list for 2013.

Provided that I don't procrastinate the whole year, I would be able to do this. What I'm having in this list will not be dependent of a lot of money being spent to fulfill the list, but will seek to take advantage of the time I am rich of. So here goes:

virtual closet: Sam and Gia go on a danger zone by going tribal by the purple moon

Readers unfamiliar of my virtual clothing obsession won't have a clue of what's behind the title. It does really look like a racy title meant for a tabloid, and besides, I find it funny and you will probably like what I've put together this time.

VIRTUAL FASHION (Second Life): Mish Mash

Sometimes I like to wander around the grid just to shop and hunt for great deals. Over the years, freebies in SL has become more and more accessible without any compromise to quality. Hunts are pervasive gridwide and is part of SL culture and exclusive Marketplace deals are every shopaholic's dream.

virtual writings: AVENUE Magazine September 2012

Hello Everyone,

AVENUE Magazine released its new issue last week with my article on fashion icon Vikeejaeh Xevion. Miss Xevion was one Second Life's group of models that pioneered the way for more unique and diverse-looking avatars in the grid.

a friendly little announcement

I've decided to put all of my writings in one blog. From now on, my Second Life posts will be on my personal blog. I find it pointless and tedious to post in TWO blogs.

This is to also make a personal statement that I AM ME wherever I go. Miss Issy may dress better, wear more makeup, and roam around more often than Ismelina, but it's still the same brain, heart and soul that's writing.

From now on, posts are not displayed in whole, and to read, you need to click "Read More" to jump to the whole post.

THANK YOU! :)

virtual living: My day in Second Life

Second Life has a lot of fun and diverse activities to offer and yet offer something really riveting and profound for the mind. 

For instance, Monday morning PST, I went online to look around at the newly launched exhibit, "And So She Danced" by Kylie Sabra & Olympes Rhode. It was a lovely exhibit of photographs with charming subjects and lovely verses. Sabra and Rhode's works are both captivating and looking at their work was a delight for the eyes.

virtual life: interiors of my SL home

interiors, a photo by creme_brulee on Flickr.

I'm a sucker for furniture and houses and I'm almost never without a home. I lived in many sims and experienced living in parcels big or small. I would stick to one kind of sim though, and that is of a beach theme. Perhaps its the Filipino sunlover in me, but I don't stay in the snowy mountains long.

social commentary ala issy: of tito sotto and our forgotten originality

I would tend to agree to the point that the internet age makes everything overblown. Sotto's plagiarism, though undeniably wrong, and his attitude, and our general reaction to it is, overblown. Yes what he did was wrong, we've embarrassed him already, he's shown his true colors about the situation, and in the process we discovered (or rediscovered) a lot of things about his past. I am sure because of what happened, most of us with our brains still working would decide to skip his name in the future polls.

But enough of kicking an already dead horse and let's move on....after this post, that is..:)

Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I haven't written a proper review in years, so please bear with me. This review will also contain some spoilers.

My full review is after the jump, just click on the Read more link...:)

Me in Second Life circa 2007

The virtual world of Second Life is where I write and let my hair down. I've been a "resident" for a little over five years and it's the only virtual world I go to. The people here are just like you and me, albeit more creative and more able to make use of the platform for their own benefit.

Why You do What You Do

"WYD, Why You Do What You Do, is a show that aims to inspire and motivate YOU to do what YOU want to do. The show does this by featuring artists, entrepreneurs and organizations that have transformed an idea into reality out of their passion for a certain craft. WYD believes in the intersection of YOUR passion and social responsibility." --About WYD

cooking: Korean Recipes I've yet to try

Behold, Korean recipes I've yet to try!




Bibimbap- my sister already made this and it seemed easy! yummy!



Jjangmyun-Korea's "spaghetti". Haven't tried this yet, and no Korean restaurant I know here serves it.



Korean Fried Chicken-a trendy dish here in the Philippines, double fried and yummy!