Kalinawan Resort

I was recently in Davao for vacation, and one of the highlights of my trip was a visit to Kalinawan Resort, one of the newest resorts in Samal Island that offers unique thrills for the adventurous beach bum. This resort is unique in more ways than one, but what sets it apart from your usual, run of the mill resort is that it channels the weekend warrior inside of you by offering activities such as zip-lining, rapelling, and rock-climbing that's sure to get the blood pumping in your veins. Sounds thrilling to you?
Imagine zip-lining from a tree where you rely on the force of gravity to take you downwards to the next point while crossing a patch of ocean with intimidating rocks jutting out from the water.


Picture in your mind rapelling or rock climbing (the difference between the 2 is that the goal for one is to go down, while the other takes you up) a natural rock cliff, with the sea as a backdrop as you make your descent...or ascent.

That's Kalinawan for you...the adventurous type's wet dream. Oh and by the way, there are no sandy beaches in this resort (apparently, sand is for sissies). No chlorinated pools either. In Kalinawan, you commune with nature. What mesmerizes me about this resort was that its geographical appearance would suggest that a resort could never be built there. Somehow, the owners managed to carve out a resort from a steep cliff, which took my breath away upon fully taking in the sights.


Their idea of a dip in the pool would be swimming in a barricaded segment of the ocean, which is pretty deep by the way, but offering you a view of a patch of coral should you want to go snorkeling. They also have a couple of kayaks should you want to channel your inner boatman, and request for a fish feeding session from the owners.


As of the moment, the resort can only accomodate 25 visitors at any given time, as construction is still being done on cottages. Overnight stays are not yet an option, as there are no private rooms available. At a price of P1,750.00 per person for a day trip, which already includes a buffet lunch and snack, its a steal considering the fact that you get to have a unique experience. Speaking of the food, I just have to give props to the food that they served us that day. Their version of kilawin is one of the best I've ever had. And the biko they served us was also memorable. The onwers were also accomodating and very gracious hosts. They also served as our cheerleaders as we conquered our fears to go rock-climbing and rapelling.

Getting to Kalinawan is relatively easy. In our case, we took the Davao-Samal ferry boat. Upon arriving in Samal Island, its less than an hours drive away to Kalinawan, or depending on your driving prowess, it could take less (We fortunately had a Formula 1 driver with us that day). Expect a bumpy ride though, as the paved road turns into a dirt road at the halfway point. When you go to Kalinawan Resort, leave all your fears and inhibitions behind and channel your sense of adventure and danger.

For more information visit their website at www.kalinawan.com

I'm finally back online. After 2 weeks with no DSL, a higher power took notice of my misfortune and misery and decided to give me access to the Internet once again. So, did any of my 4 readers miss me during my brief hiatus?

I got back from a trip to Batangas last night. Vacation. Today, I'm having an extended vacation, cause you sure well know that you need a "vacation from a vacation" to recuperate and condition yourself that you're back to reality again. I've been cooked rare and I've got the tan to show. In fact, I think I'm still giving off heat from being under the sun too long. I'm looking forward to another trip this week, as i'm leaving for Davao over the long weekend. Vacation, yet again. And the good Lord knows that I'm gonna ba taking another "vacation from a vacation" upon my return.

Christmas is just around the corner.

If someone out there really loves me, I hope that person gets to read this entry and decides to give me this as an early Christmas present.

I'm currently drooling for the Battlestar Galactica Complete Series DVD. I haven't seen an episode of the show, but the geek in me is telling me that I'm going to like it. I can already feel it in my hands - 25 discs of sci-fi geekery!

C'mon, it will only set you back $279.98

But I'll be indebted to you for life!

My chef gave me hell today. For almost a week now, I've been assigned as one of the class leaders in the kitchen. One of my responsibilities is to make sure that the mise en place is in place (i'm being redundant - mise en place literally translates to "everything in its place" - hence, the redundancy). When you say mise en place, it involves having everything to do with cooking ready and available, from the ingredients down to the tools and utensils to be used. Today was just one of those days when everything you set out to do suddenly f*cks up for no reason whatsoever. That's behind me now. I just have one more kitchen day to go for the rest of the week, then I'm out.

I don't know why I'm reviving this blog again. A light switch came on in my head, and I suddenly remembered, "Hey, I had a blog, didn't I?". So after more than half a year of not posting, I once again find myself spilling my thoughts onto this online page, for everyone (who am I kidding, I'm probably the only one who remembers I had a blog to begin with) to see and scrutinize. This time, I'd like to see how far this "creative" spurt takes me. Speaking of creative spurts, I find it amusing that my creativity does come in spurts. I have about a few months of inspired bursts of sarcasm and wit, only to be followed by a long period of creative drought. I hope this new cycle lasts longer though, cause I do have a lot to say about many different things. Not just verbally though. I'm a lot more restrained when it comes to saying the words. But when it comes to writing them down, I almost always hold nothing back. I guess this is good enough for a first entry.

I've got a practical exam tomorrow morning on Knife Skills. And I've been cutting up carrots, chopping onions, and turning potatoes since Monday. I'm hoping that I do fine tomorrow. I'm not going to rush my cutting, or else I'm bound to lose a finger. Tomorrow's strategy is to work a steady pace, but work accurately. I'm not planning on joining a speed cutting challenge anytime soon, so I don't care if I don't end up the fastest.

I'm On A High

Woohoo! I got my test scores back today, and I couldn't be happier with my grades.

Basic Stocks - 44 /45
HACCP - 77 / 80
Stocks and Sauces - 60 / 62
Kitchen Terminologies - 29 / 30
Kitchen Organization - 36 / 36

I got an average of 97%! I didn't even get grades like these in college. All those days spent studying don't feel like a chore all of a sudden.

I had a tough set of exams today. It wasn't hard in the sense that I couldn't answer the questions because I didn't know it - it was tough because it was long and tedious to answer. I felt battered and tired right after taking it. I needed a good pick-me-up, so I decided to watch a movie to lift my spirits. I watched Hellboy 2, and it was one of the most visually entertaining movies I've seen this year. It was the perfect distraction and reward from the stress of the day.

I've been trying to make a habit out of cooking at home whenever the weekend rolls by. Weekends are pretty much the only free time I have from the busy week at school, so I try to make the most out of it by practicing my would-be craft. Anyway, I prepared a couple of things over the weekend. Last Saturday, I made a Pesto sauce and a Pesto Butter. I didn't know that pine nuts were expensive, until someone pointed out that we didn't harvest pine nuts in the Philippines, so there you go. Anyway, I think I made a good pesto, since my mom couldn't get enough of the pesto butter I made. Yesterday, I tried my hand on Minestrone Soup, which was the highlight of my week. Before I started school, I didn't even know the ingredients to making minestrone, yet here I was yesterday, chopping up all these vegetables. This was the first time I felt confident in my cooking skills. I was like, if I can cook minestrone, I can cook anything. Today, I made pasta with the left over pesto from Saturday and I'm going to be cooking a Swedish dish called Pork Emincer for dinner. I'm turning out to be quite the week-end cook, and I'm very very happy.

A week of kitchen work is finally over! Its been both fun and exhausting. As I type this entry, I can barely keep my eyes open from fatigue. The hours working in the hot kitchen, where aching knees and feet are commonplace are over for now. What's to look forward to in the coming week? A 4-day weekend, an exam on cooking methods and a recipe quiz, and 2 days of lecture that will run from 2 - 8 PM. Yay...

Being a chef is physically demanding. Its the third straight cooking day, and I feel physically tapped out. I've felt pain in my legs, knees, and back for the first time. I'm probably going to run on fumes for the rest of the week and suck it all up. In the future, I think I have to condition my body to be able to withstand the physical exertion that working in the kitchen demands

Today was a good day as the kitchen session was not as hectic as the day before. We were cooking ahead of schedule, so Chef Uli gave us a couple of long breaks that allowed us to catch our breath and rest our feet. Today's recipes consisted of Cream of Tomato Soup, Buttered Vegetables, Buttered Parsley Potatoes, and Pork Ragout (Stew). I was assigned to prepare the Potatoes ala minute, which meant that I had to saute the potatoes right before service time. This was kind of stressful, because you had to watch out if guests/diners were coming in so that you could start cooking, but I could definitely say that this was the good kind of stress. It was all good, except for the comments I received from diners that the parsley on the potatoes were a bit burnt. I kind of took offense at that, but what the hell, shit happens in the kitchen right? Besides, I was scanning the plates of those who finished eating, and I didn't see a trace of my potatoes coming back uneaten. I guess that they didn't mind the burnt taste of parsley. Its either that, or they were just really hungry.

Today was my first day back in the kitchen after the week-long break preparing for and taking the exam. I was a bit slow in adjusting to the frenetic pace of the kitchen today. I tried my best to keep up though. Anyway, it was officially the first kitchen day where we prepared the meals for students and the staff to eat. They also say that its one of the most important weeks in class because they get to see who has what it takes to survive and thrive in the kitchen. I don't know how they'll be doing this since I didn't really notice anyone watching. My take is that they'll say this each and every week just so we remain on our toes the whole time.

Today's the 2nd day of exams. Yesterday's tests were a breeze, actually. The whole class finished in under an hour - and we were given 4 hours to do the test. My hunch was right - the exam can't be that hard. And here I was, preparing for the worst and the hardest. Sometimes, more that actually studying hard, its more important to be confident that you can ace the exam. I saw really bad nerves in some of my classmates yesterday. It was as if they were going to face a firing squad rather than take a test. They were reading like crazy, not eating, and getting unnecessarily nervous and tense. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

My 5-day "week-end" officially ends tomorrow as I return to school to take the first month exam. I've been stressing over that test since it was announced 2 weeks ago, but now I've learned to accept the fact that whatever happens tomorrow is out of my hands. I've done my part to study, but I know that my mind can only take so much information. Now, I'm trying to be mellow about this test and psych myself that its not going to be as hard as I'm expecting it to be.

I'm glad to have had that relatively long break, and I'm thankful to have been able to make full use of it by being able to study, practice cooking, hang out, and be lazy during the last 5 days!

I cooked up a storm yesterday...well, not really. However, at the current level I'm at, cooking more than 2 dishes at the same time would qualify as a storm. My relatives came over for a visit and they wanted to try some of the dishes I've learned in school so far. It was nothing fancy really, as I prepared no-brainer dishes that even the most amateur of cooks couldn't mess up: Creamed Potatoes, Pasta Aglio Olio, and Pan-fried Fish Fillets with Parsley Cream Sauce. I'm glad that it was well-received by my family. Really, thats all that matters.

Today, I had a taste of how the culinary profession is like. We had our first cooking session and I had to stand all throughout the duration of the class, which ran from 7 AM - 12 NN. It didn't end there though, as we still had to do our debriefing and mise-en-place for tomorrow which wrapped at 3 PM. I guess God really did listen to my prayers to take me out of my boring desk job, and decided to put me in the kitchen where the action never stops! I can't complain. Anyway, I had fun today, notwithstanding the aching feet and back.

I learned how to truss a chicken and a tenderloin today. To truss something is to tie up a particular ingredient using string in preparation for roasting. It helps to keep the shape of products such as chicken or pork loin or beef tenderloin, for example. Otherwise, your meat would just be splayed all over the food pan with no fathomable shape to speak of. Our chefs vividly demonstrate how an un-trussed chicken would look like: They would raise their both their arms in the air at different angles and raise one of their legs from the ground. Its funnier when you see them do it, and we get the picture. I've been practicing my trussing skills on a rolled up towel, which finely mimics the shape of a beef tenderloin. Trussing a chicken is much trickier, so i'll probably buy myself a chicken carcass tomorrow to work on it. All I need to know now is how to properly roast these things, and I'll be on my way.

I love being a student again. The rules of the "adult" world simply don't apply to a student. Today is an example - I don't have class today. While the rest of society are back to work after a 3-day weekend, I'm still here at home, taking the time to blog. Ahh, the simple pleasures in life!

I've been practicing cooking at home for the past 3 days. Its more in order to gain the confidence in the kitchen more than anything else. Last Saturday, I tried my hand at making stock. My chef instructor mentioned something during last Friday's class that struck a chord in me and motivated me to prepare my own stock - "You cannot call yourself a good chef, unless you know how to prepare a good stock." Thus, I took up the challenge and made myself chicken stock over the weekend. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I could say that I made a textbook preparation of stock.

On Sunday, still feeling confident from the day before, I once again challenged myself to cook. This time, I tried making tomato sauce from scratch. None of that processed, heavily colored stuff. However, my tomato sauce was not as successful as my stock experiment. Taste-wise, I believe I made a passable, borderline good sauce. My shortcoming on the sauce were on two things. The first being that my sauce was not thick enough. The second was that it was not as red as we made in class. I analyzed where I could have missed something and I concluded that it was probably from the lack of flour (thickness) and tomato paste (color). Anyway, there will be more opportunities to practice to come, what's important to me was that I gain the confidence to cook.

Yesterday, I helped my mom prepare a traditional chicken milk soup, also known as "sopas". I did the mise-en-place of the vegetables as well as shredding the boiled chicken. We also used the chicken stock that I prepared the other day. The verdict: dishes really do taste better when made with authentic stock. It adds a different dimension to food. Using the processed stuff, laden with MSG doesn't give food the authenticity from preparing things from scratch.