Arlene Manocot's Blog, page 4
March 17, 2025
Sinigang na Baboy Recipe in 3 Easy Steps (Pork Ribs)
Sinigang na baboy is one of my favorite Filipino dishes. I love it when my mother cook it for our family whenever we have the budget to spare for a meat viand. I really like it paired with a freshly and steamy cooked white rice. I get to eat vegetables because of Sinigang na baboy. When I was young, young enough to not know the importance of green leafy vegetables, I had really hated eating them, but through this delicious dish now I can get some of the nutrients I missed in my childhood.
I crave for home sometimes and the way to somewhat satisfy it is through our stomach. One of my favorite Filipino dishes is Sinigang na Baboy or pork sour soup. I tried cooking it for the first time just recently and it turned out good or quite decent. I guess the sinigang na baboy I cooked the first time was edible.
Ingredients:
1 whole clove of small Garlic 1 piece medium size Gabi1/2 bulb of Yellow Onion (White or Red Onions will do)1 string of Pechay1 string of Mustard Leaves1 piece medium Jalapeño 1 medium size White Radish1 piece Tomato1 pack of 1.41 oz Sinigang Mix2 lbs Pork Ribs Seasoning: Salt Ground Black Pepper Fish Sauce
Procedures:1. Sautee chopped onion, garlic, tomato and Jalapeño. Add salt, pepper, fish sauce to taste.2. Add 7 to 8 cups of water and put the Sinigang Mix. Boil the mixture with the pork ribs for about 45 minutes.3. Add the vegetables one at a time: Gabi, Mustard leaves, and Pechay. Add fish sauce and ground black pepper to taste. Best serve when warm.
Not the best picture, but the best taste so far 😋🤤“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”~Matthew 4:4 NIV
March 5, 2025
Banana Bread Recipe in 3 Easy Steps
Banana Bread is the first ever bake goodies I have ever made. It is tasty and easy. I am sharing with you the recipe I found online and change it a little bit. I have used this recipe a lot of times so I can vouch of its success and taste.
Ingredients:3 Bananas (ripe & large size)1/2 cup vegetable oil2 large eggs 1 cup brown sugar2 cups of all purpose flour / wheat flour1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1 cup chocolate chip / fresh cranberries / chopped walnuts etc.
Procedures:1. Pre-heat the oven for 350 degress Farenheit.2. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients.3. Pour the mixture in 8x8 baking pan and bake for 55 minutes.
Enjoy! Yum!
Banana Bread for him that I made with love ❤️😀 “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”~Matthew 4:4 NIV
March 3, 2025
Zoom-zoom, broom-broom in NASCAR-COTA Experience
Car racing has not always been a thing for me. It left an impression of danger and recklessness. Though I am not fond of it, I did not want to miss having a live experience with all the zoom-zoom and broom-broom spectacles in the event.
Thanks to the two complimentary tickets I got from the previous institution I used to work at, my boyfriend and I got to see a car race event for the first time and what more, it was one of the most popular car race event in the world which is NASCAR.
What is NASCAR?
NASCAR, an acronym for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. NASCAR has three national series that it sanctions for racing.
In a historic shift for the sport, beginning in 2020 NASCAR’s premier series became known as the NASCAR Cup Series and featured cornerstone brands as Premier Partners: Busch Beer, Coca-Cola® and Xfinity. The partners are prominently featured in multiple platforms across the sport, including integrations in broadcast, NASCAR digital and social channels, event entitlements, in-market promotions and at-track activations.
There were a lot of people walking towards the main event place from the parking lot and it was a bit of a walk. All the parking lots were full packed and I was just relieved when we got to have a parking space because I thought we might run out of parking spot. They did a pretty good job in organizing and arranging all the cars. Kudos to all the staff at the parking lots!
I am not knowledgeable about car racing or more so NASCAR. I had to research for what the acronym stands for. Google search engine comes in handy always and revealed "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing" as the meaning of the acronym.
The NASCAR experience was fun and awesome. The revving cars impressed us with their deafening noise we had wear to headphones.
We sat in two of the chairs at grand stand near Turn 15. It was loud and crazy everytime the cars were racing right in front of our eyes.
What is COTA?
The Premier Sports and Entertainment Destination
Circuit of The Americas is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Set on 1,500 acres in the rolling hills just outside Downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music since 2012. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world’s most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences
The Circuit
Circuit of The Americas is more than a race track – it’s the only purpose-built facility in the United States designed to host the premier motorsports championships in the world, including Formula 1, MotoGP, NASCAR and more. With a blend of sweeping, fast sections and tight, technical corners, Circuit of The Americas has challenged the world’s greatest drivers and riders.
The food at event were extra-extra pricey. I think triple or quadruple of the regular price. Good thing, we brought our own food and drinks. We got to save some money.
NASCAR is an event that I would like to experience but not something that I badly want to do again. I am glad I got to experience the event. We had to leave early to make sure we would not be trapped in the traffic.
Being able to attend NASCAR event for free is a good experience for me and my boyfriend. Zoom-zoom, broom-broom, racing cars!
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”~Philippians 3:14 NIV
Nature of God and Man: The Blaming Game
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. ~1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
The blaming game has been happening since the beginning of time, in the garden of Eden. Sometimes we blame God 🥲
The man blamed God 🥲 Adam did. ~Genesis 3:12 ESV
We are in agreement with God that we are sinners.
God is not the source of temptation though He allows trials and they can lead to blessings or vice versa.
Trial can cause you to draw closer to God if it has served its purpose.
It is God who orchestrated everything. ~James 1:13-18
NATURE OF GOD
James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted,“I am being tempted by God,”for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
~God tempts no one. It is the evil who tempts.
Hebrews 7:26 ESV
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, untrained, separated from sinners, and exalted above themselves.
~God doesn’t delight in evil.
Habakkuk 1:13 ESV
God has no experience with/in evil that’s why He does not delight in evil.
James 1:14-16 ESV
Each person is tempted when is lured and enticed by his own desire, then desire has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived.
NATURE OF MAN
Temptation is not external, it is what’s in your heart. Sin does not begin in the external, it starts with our desires, emotions, longings. It begins from within. It starts from within.
Beware of a bait or a lure! The physical world lures us. One thing leads to another.
Lust. Avoid triggers. Avoid appearances of evil. Don’t put yourself in situations that could lure.
Temptation is still resistible.
Soak your mind to what is pleasing to God. It will overflows in your mind. Fill your heart and mind with the words of God. He reminds us. To live a blameless life.
Don’t make excuses.
God’s commanded, "Be holy, because I am holy." ~1 Peter 1:16
Once you have a desire, you begin strategizing to fulfill your will.
When desire conceives, it gives birth to sin. Don’t let the desire take over your will. Sin gives birth to death.
Sin does not bring anything good.
NATURE OF OUR GODOnly good and perfect things come out of good. God is unchanging. ~James 1:17
God never changes. He knows how to give good gifts. ~Luke 11:13
His words stand true. All things work together for good. ~Romas 8:28
February 21, 2025
World's Largest Buc-ee's in Luling, Texas
Buc-ee's in Luling, Texas is considered the largest of the franchised store and I was so excited to find out when my boyfriend mentioned that we would be going there during the weekend.
After church, we head straight to Luling, Texas. From Austin, it was fifty minutes drive. The travel was smooth and the traffic was light. Google Maps took us to the toll road even though my boyfriend preferred the non-toll road, even though we proceeded to the route.
The biggest Buc-ee's was the goal of this trip. I was looking forward for a huge or humongos infrastructure when I heard about the largest and biggest Buc-ee's. I have SM Mall of Asia in the Philippines as my reference.
It turned out Luling's Buc-ee's was not as big as I imagined it. I thought a day would not be enough to explore the place. I guess I exaggerated my expectations and it was alright that my expecation was not met. I enjoyed the place and there were a lot of interesting products to check out from Buc-ee's merchandise to variety of foods. They got clothes, books, kitchen utensils, stationery, pastries, snacks, drinks, sandwiches, jerky, and a lot more.
Who is Buc-ee's?
Ever since our inception in 1982, we have been committed to providing a clean, friendly, and in stock experience for our customers. Regardless of where you may find us, if the store is big or small, near or far, the mission remains the same.
Cleanest RestRooms in America!
If you’ve been to Buc-ee’s, you may already know that this friendly neighbor along the highways has the cleanest restrooms in America. In 2012, Cintas ran a nationwide restroom contest and made it official!
Food we got:Dried ProductsBanana Chips. He got this for a healthy snacks. I have not tried it yet.Sweetened Mango Slices. My favorite fruit! I like mangoes. Dried mango from Cebu is really good. This one that I got from Buc-ee's is dried apple mango.
PastriesLemon bar. Tasted sweet and tangy, it was not really my favorite but he liked it.Peanut Butter Cookies. Love the nuts and peanut chocolate chip style.
SandwichesSliced Brisket Sandwich. The beef brisket was what he got and it was really good as it was and also with the bun and barbecue sauce. Pulled Pork Sandwich. I got the this since he already had the brisket and in that way we could share our sandwiches with each other. It also tasted so good. I ate the Pulled Pork Sandwich with pickled cucumber, onion, and barbecue sauce.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.~Isaiah 26:3
February 14, 2025
Tired, But Happy Feet in NY
We were tired on day 3 and desired to rest our feet. We walked less this time, but it was still a lot. As part of our goal to make the most out of our budget, we intended to visit some famous or well-known tourist attraction in NY. Though, we were tired we still walked towards our destinations. Tired, but happy feet!
Places we visited:Greenwich Village. The place looked so vintage and imbibed liberalism for some reason maybe because from what I heard some of the most famous writers lived there.
Chelsea Market. Another vintage place we went to, and it was so fancy. I ate kimbap beef rolls and it was so good. I got the rolls from an Asian store inside the Chelsea Market.
The High Line. I was not what we were looking for when we were trying to find this place. When we got there, I just realized that The High Line wa like a platform above the service road. It had glass walls to view the slightly busy road.
The Vessel. Another tourist spot that I was not do familiar with. When we got there, the infrastructure looked like a honey comb for me and I did not know what was the purpose of the honey comb like building. The Vessel was near another tourist spot called The Edge and we did not get to see it up close.
Macy's. The world's largest store. Wow! It has scalator made out of wood. Wood!
Edge Hudson Yards. We did not avail this tourist attraction. It was too pricey for and did not make any sense why would I wanted to go there.
Empire State Building. Tall, old, elegant, and wow! We did not do the tour for this one too because it was pricey for me too, and again did not make sense. We just took some pictures outside the building and inside which specifically at the lobby part only.
Jollibee. We missed Jollibee food. The Jollibee branch was at Time Square. Yey! Yum!
Food we ate:Kimbap Beef Bulgogi Rolls. I had at Chelsea Market. It was a bit pricey and if I was in the Philippines I would hesitate to buy it. But I had to try it and treat myself a little. I felt like I was eating sushi rolls.
Jollibee. Yey! We had fries, fried chicken joy, spaghetti, and pies. Yay! So yum!
Snickers. Sweet treat for my sweet tooth. Chocolate was my dessert.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~Matthew 11:28-30
February 7, 2025
Go Green in Greune, Texas
I was a fourth wheel in a parents and son trip. My boyfriend's parents were kind to let me tag along on the Gruene, Texas trip. Thank you. I enjoyed it!
Gently resisting change since 1872. -Gruene, Texas
When I heard Gruene, Texas, I thought it was spelled as 'Green' and it turned it was not. Tada! It was one of the coolest places I visited in the US. I am fond of the downtown vibes and Gruene downtown did let me down. I am glad the government continue to preserve and take care of the place.
What about Gruene, Texas?
Originally settled over a century ago, Gruene is a snapshot of Texas culture and history come-to-life. With 15 walkable acres designated a National Historic District, visitors can shop, dine, and dance within the walls of the original township buildings.
The ideal balance of preservation and progress, Gruene Historic District is a Texas travel industry darling for good reason. From tacos to onion rings, antiques to cowboy hats, and Americana music to blues, every doorway leads you to something unforgettable. Gruene is for people who love good music, fun times, and old things!
Cool places we visited in Gruene, Texas:
Gruene Outfitters. It has a lot of cool stuffs for the wild. From shirts to fishing rod, the store has a lot to offer for you to be born to be wild.The Pomegranate. It has a lot of girly things and they are little pricey. There was a sale but I did not get any that I might need.
Gruene Hat Company. Yeehaw hats for y'all! I tried one hat and it fell on the floor a few minutes after I hanged it back on the hook. My bad! I thought I embarassed my boyfriend and his parents because of what happened because he asked me to move on to the next store heheGreune Antique Company. Lots of old, vintage, and curious stuff and memorabilia were in the store. Wow! Cotton Eyed Joe's. It is a souvenir shop for y'all! I got a small pocket keychain kinfe for my father.Gruene General Store. My boyfriend and I tried a lot of different peanut butter spread with free itsy bitsy crackers too. Free taste is for the go always y'all! My favorite was salted caramel paenut butter. Yum! I also tried the coin vending machine souvenir at this store. I forgot what it was called, I have to asked my boyfriend. Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar. We had our lunch at Gristmill and I ordered Chicken Fried Steak with Original Round Cut Fries. It was so good, but they could make the fries crispy. My boyfriend got BBQ Ribs and I got a taste of it. Yum! His mom ordered the same as mine but had green beans on the side, and it was also good in all fairness, and it provided the additional fiber I needed. Yay! Healthy! hehe His father got a burger and fries. The weather was getting cold and it was expected since there was a storm warning. It was winter season after all.
The Company Store. It was another souvenir shop we went to and I noticed on the informational brochure that the store was not listed there. Probably, a new shop. They had shirts, caps, and Christmas tree ornaments.
Gruene Hall. The Texas Oldest Dance Hall, y'all! It looked so olds and there was a lot of framed pictures on the wall of singers and actors who performed songs and shot a film. My boyfriend and I got to dance on the hall and it was a silly-sweet dance, that was so much fun!
The Great Texas Pecan Candy Co. They all got varieties of candied pecan. The store staff handed us free pecans for tasting. Yum! I ended up buying Pecan Beer Nuts. Yum! I thought it had beer, but when I read the ingredients it only had pecan, salt, and sugar.The Black Smith. The name spoke for itself. The store had tools made out of metal. They forged most of their products on sale. They had knives, bags, and accessories. San Marcos Premium Outlet. Last stop was the outlet. I did not buy any and my boyfriend got two books from BAM which stood for Books A Million. They had a lot of books and a huge manga collection. Yippie! Yey!
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”-Luke 12:15
January 31, 2025
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.-1 Corinthian 13:13
The Great Divorce is one of the many books written by C. S. Lewis. I just have known recently that he is a Christian and some of his books deal with idea, philosophical, or spiritual views of Christianity. Growing up, I have known him for the movie series The Chronicles of Narnia which based of the book he wrote.
This is the first book I finished reading this year 2025, thanks to our reading date I finally made a little progress to my books to read backlogs.
What is the book about?
C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce is a classic Christian allegorical tale about a bus ride from hell to heaven. An extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment, Lewis’s revolutionary idea in the The Great Divorce is that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis’ The Great Divorce will change the way we think about good and evil.
The book style of story telling got me confused at first. I did not know who's who. The point of view had me questioning what was happening in the story. In the quarter part of the book, I finally realized that it was being told in the first person point of view. There were ghost, bus ride, hell, heaven, life on earth, and after life on earth throughout the story.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.-Matthew 6:19-20
I stayed with the book despite of being confused and totally lost at the plot of the story, since it was giving me a sense of promise about the great divorce between heaven and hell which the book title strongly suggested.
The ongoing war between good and evil has been existing even before human race realized it is actually happening. The Great Divorce will give a refreshing view of good and evil. At one point while reading the book, I was reminded that what may be considered good on earth may not be good in heaven, and sometimes what humans may consider bad or evil on earth is what is right in heaven.
The bus ride with C.S. Lewis maybe one of the rides you may be needing right now. I enjoyed reading this book even though I had difficulty in the beginning of the story and was able to reach the end. Life is the same. No matter how hard life is we just have to keep moving towards the end of our story. The end that is orchestrated by the most powerful being. He is in our story, God is in this story. I just pray and hope we all make it according to His purpose.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,who put darkness for light and light for darkness,who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.-Isaiah 5:20
January 23, 2025
NY: Traveling on a Tight Budget (NY Trip Part 2)
One my of goals when travelling is to make the most out of the expenses. I am travelling on a particular budget I set. I do not want to spend too much, but at the same time I do not want to miss anything during the trip just because I am sticking on my set budget. As much as possible I try to decipher the negotiable and non-negotiable during the trip and so far I have happy and memorable moments and contented with all the experiences.
Here is a list of places we visited on the second day in NY:
The Brooklyn Bridge. It was a long walk. The bridge looked so vintage. Wow!
Staten Island Ferry and Statue of Liberty. We got free rides back and forth on a boat ship. We saw the Statue of Liberty from a far. We did not get to explore the island and I wished we could have.
Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange building was impressive. Wow! It was a street for stock exchange.
Charging Bull. The charging bull statue was also at Wall Street. I was not so fond of taking a photo with it, so I decided not to, and I was fine with it.
9/11 Memorial. There were two huge water fountain or waterfalls in place of the two tall building in memory of those who died on the 9/11 bombing of the twin towers.
New York Public Library. It was closed and just took a picture outside for posterity sake. Yay!
Grand Central Terminal. It was big. So huge! So vintage! Wow! So grand!
Time Square. meh :( rainy :( cold :( I have to say it is a Divisoria of New York. In the Philippines, we have a shopping district called Divisoria and it is somewhere in Manila.
The foods we tried:Churros. They were cold already. It cost me $5 to buy 3 pieces of Churros. I had been curios how a churros would taste like and finally got to try it at the Brooklyn Bridge.
Nathan's Chili-dog. Cheesy and meaty hotdog in a bun. Yum!Mcdonald's. Fastfood for y'all! hehe We wanted Jollibee, but could not get into the closed parameter around Time Square because of the ball drop. So we just settled for Mcdonald's that day.Starbucks. Yey! Chocolate chip creme frappe hehe 
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ~Matthew 6:19-20
January 16, 2025
In NY, You Never Stop Walking (NY Trip Part 1)
New York is one of the many top destinations of most of the Filipinos I know. Like everyone wants to mark it check on their bucket list. I was not prepared of what was in store for me in New York, yet I was so looking forward to what it could offer. I had this impression that NY was an amazing and magical place, maybe like Disneyland or Universal Studio. That's the kind of expectations that I had even though I was aware that NY was not a theme park.
I never thought that New York would be a state I so badly wanted to go and I am not saying that I just forced myself to go there. I was in for it more to experience and had a say that I got to visit one of the most famous cities in the world.
My NY experience was okay. I was glad I got to visit the place but it would not be something that I would be so keen to visit it again. We did a lot of walking and for me it was a form of exercise so I was fond of it. My friends and I heard from one of the people who were passing the Ray's Pizza place that in New York you never stop walking and I definitely agree with whoever said that. We did thousands and thousands of steps on the first day. Our feet got sore from walking.
These are the places we visited and truly in New York we never stop walking:The Central Park Manhattan. Wooooooooow!
The Mall and Literary Walk. Wow!Shakespeare Garden. It was closed and under renovation.The Belverde Castle. We just saw it from a far.The Bow Bridge. The floor of the bridge is made out of wood.
Alice in Wonderland Statue. It is made out of wood, I think. The children seemed to enjoy the statue as they climbed on it.
Fifth Avenue. It is where the luxury stores are and some of the historical landmarks. It looked so classy.
Roosevelt Island Tramway. We had a view of the city, bridge, and river as we rode the tramway. We need a two-way ticket to go back where we came from. The price ticket per ride was three and twenty five cents US dollars. The view was magnificent. St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was huge and we saw a number of few Filipinos.
The Rink at the Rockefeller Center. We did not do the skating, but we saw the huge tall Christmas tree. There was a luxury chocolate store too nearby and the price was a little expensive and beyond my budget at that moment.
Broadway. Only one of us had the budget to watch a broadway. I was not that one. Maybe, next time I would be able to watch a broadway musical. God willing.Foods we tried:Hotdog in a Bun. At Central Park, tasted like New York!
Gongcha. Pearl Milk Tea with Coconut Jelly. Favorite!
Ray's Hawaiian Pizza. Yum! Tasted like island experience.
Chinese Restaurant. We were craving for rice and satisfied it at a Chinese Resto for our lunch. It was okay and pricey.So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.-Galatians 5:16 NIV
