Lighthouse

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.” - Dwight L. Moody

Yukata

Some of  my sisters and brothers in faith  during a convention. Obviously, the yukatas will tell you where they're from. 

The Japanese people of the war ain't the Japanese people of today. The war itself was very bad but there are  those who found forgiveness in their hearts (thank you). I hope you find it in yourself too. (Watch this video on youtube and read the comments to know what I mean.)

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Takoyaki, Palabok and a 50 mm lens

(Wiener Secession, facade)

The Canon 50mm 1.8 is surely the lightest lens I've had. It weighs 130gm only...not bulky when I carry it around in my bag, not too heavy when I mount it with my already heavy camera. It works efficiently at night, gives an excellent background blur for my food shots, gives you great detail for portrait shots and  just add an extension tube to it and you got a reliable macro lens. There's a handful more good reason why you should own a Canon 50mm 1.8 but the downside is you can't get everything in a frame easily when you are too near your subject. Take above example...the Wiener Secession is located near the Naschmarkt and there's very little space in front of it...very few steps from the Friedrichstraße...either one should go to the other side of the street or be in the middle of the road...one that I wasn't able to do and another that I won't risk...so here the top part of the photo has been cut off.

Partly you see three gorgon heads, they represent architecture, sculpture and painting. The side walls  feature owls, formed by Olbrich himself. Together with the Gorgons they attribute to Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, victory and the crafts.

On both sides of the entrance, are each a blue mosaic flower pot.  These pots are carried by four turtles though only one is visible on the photos of my boys. There are also owl figures which I unfortunately don't have photos of.

Flashback: We visited Tita S again. Kuya O was there already when we arrived. They both have been waiting for us so we can eat Tita S's palabok and puto (rice cake). Palabok is a pancit (noodle) dish of round rice noodle (often specifically labeled for pancit luglug or palabok) smothered with a thick, golden shrimp sauce or other flavored sauce, and topped with:

* Shrimp, (the size and shell-on or shell-off depending on preference)
* Crushed or ground pork rind
* Hard-boiled egg (sliced into disks or quartered lengthwise or chopped)
* Tinapa (smoked fish) flakes
* Freshly minced green onion (lifted from wiki)

I love the meal! Little D ate a lot of the eggs there. We were really full so we decided to walk to burn the calories off even when the sun has almost set. We took the bus to the city center, got down at the Naschmarkt where we bought fresh salmon the last time. I suddenly remembered that that Nippon-ya where I buy Japanese stuff has an ongoing sale. So I asked Tita S and Kuya O to accompany me there. I got me a small, red bowl and a white tea cup, matcha powder and what I'm most excited about - Takoyaki! It's a good thing that they were deep frozen because we walked about a lot and took us 3 hours more before getting home. 

We visited the Manner store just across the Stephansdom (St. Stephan's church). They sell mostly food that manufactured by Manner and merchandise targeted for tourists...a souvenir shop at most!

The takoyaki got thawed when we came home. :D I heated them up for 10 minutes in the microwave oven and topped them with mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce, katsuoboshi (dried bonito flakes) and aonori (seaweed powder). You'd know authentic takoyaki at first bite and these surely are the real ones. I was not so careful back when we were in Manila...I bought takoyaki but they have a very different taste...I later on learned that a lot of stalls sell these balls with different filling. Con!

My orders from Bento&Co arrived last week. Those are condiments and accessories for my bento boxes...here are some of the veggie picks I got...designed for my little girl, flowers in different colors.

Enjoy!

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Green Caviar and other stories

(non-moving Mozart impersonator, a clown who doesn't smile...his heart must be really achin')

In Vienna, Saturday is when you'll meet faces from different places. Well, for me at least. Saturdays and Sundays are hubby's days off from work so we get the time to play or take a walk, eat out and take photos. Since the kids still have colds, hubby decided to opt out of our trip to Kahlenberg, a mountain (not so much of a real mountain) at Vienna's 19th district. It is reachable via bus that would take about 20 minutes  of travel time. There were a lot of locals alight because the weather has gone up a bit. Kuya O, Tito C, Tita S and I didn't pass up this trip.

Visiting Kahlenberg is like being at home...standing there on top of the mountain viewing the foggy skyline is reminiscent of Tagaytay City (Philippines) were all four of us have lived closely. (More photos soon!)

After our trip to the "mountains" we went down to civilization (lol) and walked about taking more pictures. There were still demonstrations going on with regard to Libya's situation. There are locals and tourists up and about doing their shopping, sightseeing and of course employees tasked to promote their stuff. One of those that we were so happy about is the Jaguar on display in front of the casino. We can't help but have a snapshot by it. :D (Errmmm, I'm not in the photo once again.)

All the walking didn't make me hungry, why? I had a dürum kebap earlier and Tita S brought some homemade empanada that we munched while we were on the mountains. Then again, having dinner with my kababayans is inevitable. May Lee was where our feet took us. It wasn't our first time there so I'd be posting photos of the place when I get to write about our first experience. It is a little restaurant serving Japanese, Asian and other asian dishes (no pinoy food though :( bummer!). I still got some GCs from Groupon so we made use of three. Two GCs of chicken noodles for two and one with two large orders of sushi.

I was surprised to see green  caviar for the first time. I'm used to having Ikura (salmon roe) when eating Japanese. I asked Kuya O being familiar with authentic Japanese food but I never got a clear answer. So I googled and found about Wasabi Tobiko (flying fish roe) flavored with wasabi (japanese horseradish). You put them over sushi meshi (rice) and wrapped in toasted seaweed (nori) just like ikura sushi. A different kick from the usual sushi fare that I love. The noodles were good, served in large portions too and separate heaters!  We were full not just from the food but the stories that came with it. It's nice to have people you know who know people you know around. :)

Will write about May Lee (staff and ambiance) on Thursday. Have to eat for now (it's not a good idea to blog about food, you really wanna eat what you write about).

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May Lee Asia

Wiedner Hauptstraße 37 | 1040 Wien

4. Bezirk - Wieden

Küche: Asiatisch, Japanisch

Lokaltyp: Restaurant

Tel: 01 505 14 82

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Enjoy!

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Night out

It's winter, school still going on and we were doing what we're supposed to on lazy Saturdays at home. That would be any of the following: watching Miyazaki films, finishing a PS3 game, tickling each other to laughter, baking goodies and most of all: sleeping like logs.

Had we not scheduled a visit at a gallery, the day would have ended up with spaghetti and more sleep. So out we went, 5 train stations and 4 more plus a few minutes tram ride to the gallery. We chatted with the owner, a Filipina who has been in Vienna for 28 years now and who has made a name in the European art scene but has not done so unscathed. (I'd be posting more about this and the art display on my other blog.) 

We arrived around  3 but there were so many stories, many questions to answer that it was already dark when we parted (although it was nearly 5 pm only). Good! I can practice night photography (was what really in my thought bubble).

The kids expressed hunger not long after leaving the gallery. So Hubby decided we eat out. We went to the nearest fast food even if I insisted we travel the city center and use up one of my Groupon gift certificates. Well, I get his point, kids are the most impatient people in the world. ;) Not complaining though, I totally understand and despite, I love the kids just the same.

BK (Burger King) has a drive-thru branch so we went there. Not surprisingly, there weren't much people. I ordered long chicken but forgot to say I'd want it with cheese. On first bite I already realized that there's something missing so I looked and I instantly knew, it was the cheese gone that made the sandwich taste bland. At the counter, I asked for cheese slices and they were handed to me at 20cents each! :D

Hubby had a traditional charchoal-grilled burger while the kids munch on chicken nuggets (they had noodles later on at home).

Hubby joked that should there have been a Pinoy (Filipino) the cheese were given free, the fries already salted and the meat would be much tastier! lol.

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It's winter so it is but natural to dress up in layers. I got all three kids red jackets but little boy used a blue one as spare. My daughter matches hers with the red beanie I made.

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Red Velvet cake

Last week, the weather was as beautiful as could be...gentle winter breeze sans the gray skies. The sun was shining, coincidentally the kids were on a break from school so we enjoyed the whole week out with our friend from Japan. We visited the Schönbrunn Palace, the Naschmarkt and simply walked our way around the city sharing stories, hearty laughs and whatnots. These stories are better told through photos which I'd certainly show you one after the other.

The weekend was far different from all the hustle and bustle of the previous days. We were simply at home reading books, laughing at the sound and antics of angry birds (the game) and giggling over a Japanese mushy movie. Sometime on Saturday afternoon we visited a gallery owned by a Filipina at the farther district from our end. The place was more of eclectic than eccentric as other museums or galleries in Vienna are. They showcase not just European artists but Asians as well. 

Sunday was another different story. It was not as mild, the sounds of utensils clattering in the kitchen woke the kids up but it was a welcome one. Little boy was the willing helper...I'd accept his help as long as he gives it because I know that sooner or later he would prefer going out with friends than staying at home. :) These are some of those memories that I would surely look back to.

We made cupcakes and a cake. A request from my elder son, he always love having something different; like a cake that's red and not the usual chocolate or vanilla. I got the recipe again from Joy of baking, one with ingredients that are readily available in our area except for the distilled vinegar...I mean, learning what they are in German I was able to find them easily from the store opposite our place.

The cake was moist and had the right sweetness with the icing complementing it wholly. I had trouble piping as always...but in time I'd surely perfect this art. ;)

I thought my two other kids won't be as ecstatic as the one who requested. Surprise! They ate with much gusto just the same.

With all the excitement about the red cake, I had to omit the bigger part of letting the cake cool. The author behind Joy of Baking did said it is better to cool but the kiddos at home couldn't wait, perhaps the reason too that the frosting didn't thicken. Well, patience they say is a virtue...it is something that baking will teach me and my kids in the process. For red velvet recipe please click here. For the cream cheese frosting, please click here.

Have a lovely week.

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