Cooking

'I didn't have any nightmares after that phone call last night, thank God for that! If not for Craig I probably would not be able to get an ounce of sleep and look like a panda. After that call with him, I saved his number on my phone and kept the paper he tucked in my pouch.'

'To take my mind off to what happened last night, I browse the internet to find ideas or any videos that will be helpful for the project. I saw a lot of videos of a couple doing a lot of romantic things with each other and watched it for 10 minutes or so. Half of what they did made me squirm in sweetness but the other half made me cringe. If Craig was with me and we're going to watch it together, I don't know if he will even pay attention to what will happen in the ending. I think he will probably, no, not probably, I am certain that he will walk out and leave me to watch all of it alone.'

'After watching the video, I took down some ideas that might be helpful for our project. I started visualizing the info I've gotten on the internet and after 10 minutes, I had conceptualized a story in my mind.'

'In the meantime, I went to the kitchen to create a new dish. It's called adobo. It is considered the national dish in the Philippines. You could either use chicken or pork but today I will be using chicken. In my recipe, it is seasoned with salt, pepper, bay leaf, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and red chili. I added my own spin of the classic dish by putting a little bit of oyster sauce and potatoes.'

'I peeled and chopped the potatoes into even sizes to enhance the appearance of the dish and boiled it to cook evenly. Chicken and potatoes paired together on any kind of dish scream comfort food to me because it is a little bit heavy but fulfilling. I got a fork and poke the potatoes to know if it is soft in the center or if they need a little bit more cook.'

'The adobo is braised for a long time, then, I added the potatoes and put the chili in the end until all the flavors nurtured. When it was done cooking, I place it on a bowl and I finished it with some chopped parsley to look appealing. I took a picture of it and posted it on my Instagram.'

'I took a bite of the dish and it was delicious. The flavors are balanced because it was not too salty or sweet and I could taste a little bit of spice because of the pepper and chili. I am happy with the outcome of the dish and I am proud to say that the chicken adobo with potatoes is a success!'

'I wrote down the recipe and put the name of the dish in my cookbook. The ingredients are easily found in the market or your own kitchen and although it is a simple dish the flavors need to be balanced. It must not be too salty, sour, sweet, or too spicy.'

'Some of it I put in a container because I am planning to give it to Craig as a thank you for what he did to me last night. Hoping that he will like it. After putting the adobo in the container, I went to my room to take a bath and prepared myself for my class. I left my house a little early that's why I decided to just walk to reach school.'

'While walking I realized that cooking is something that I really enjoyed a lot and had been a part of my life. I was just seven years old when I learned how to cook different types of dishes. As I grow older, I realize that cooking is not just a hobby or a pastime, I wanted to become a chef. With the variety of ingredients, I can create any dish that is conceptualized with the help of my palate.'

'Cooking is not just cooking. It's a passion; It's an art; It's what inspires and made me happy. I know to myself that this is the career that is suited for me and I dream that one day people will line up in my restaurant to taste all of my creations.'

'Sadly, I'm not on the same both with my parents because they don't want me to be a chef because for them it is a waste of money and time, but I know that their real reason for not wanting me to be a chef is that I will just fail. They think that if I fail I be like others who once failed in their life and failure is not an option for them, they aim for perfection.'

'To tell you the truth, my parents are wrong because perfection is not always the key to success. Sometimes that perfection leads to people being too overconfident and not allowing mistakes to be part of their life. What they forget is that there is also success in failure because it possesses pain but it is not fatal.'

'Failing once doesn't mean that we are incapable of redeeming ourselves, It indicates that in this lifetime we need to have the courage to fixed our mistakes, learn how to stand again and face reality.'

'To be honest, I know what I want to do with my life. What I want is to achieve my dreams and that is being a chef. If I will be discouraged by my parents for choosing the career that they didn't pick for me then, so be it. I will still respect them and regardless of the fact if I will fail or not, at least I was independent to make a decision that I know in the long run will be worth it. If I could turn back the time, I will still choose to stand by with my decision because I know to myself that I made the right choice, I was not impulsive nor rash in my decisions and I don't want to develop myself to be someone I am not.'

'If ever some of you are facing the same problem, what you should do is fight for what you want, what you want to achieve because if you listen to what other people will tell you then you will not grow up. If you choose the career that you know is not suited for you or within your capabilities, then this is what you call wasting time, money, and effort for doing something or rather being someone that you are not.'

'We only have one life that is why I want to do the things that will make me free, cherish what I have and be happy. Still, I can't help but yearn for my parents to trust and believe in my capabilities. Is it too much to ask for?'