Banana Nutella Matcha Crepe

I've been thinking about making this for quite sometime already and Yey!!!

I got the time and the mood to do it.  WOohoo! 

Well, I took the recipe from the internet and it's very simple.  And I would like to share it with you just in case you wanted to indulge in this sinful food. 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon Matcha Green Tea Powder

Pnch of salt

1 Large Egg

1 cup milk

Butter for the pan

Banana (or any fruit that you'd like to mix in)

Nutella

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, salt and matcha powder in a medium bowl.  Whisk together.  

2. Add the egg and half of the milk.  Whisk until smooth then add remaining half of the milk and whisk again. 

3. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

4. Pour in about 1/3 cup of the batter into the center of the pan.  Immediately tilt and swirl the pan, allowing the batter to fill out the pan.  Do this quickly as possible. 

5. Cook the crepe over 15 sec and using a spatula, turn the crepe on the other side and cook it for about 15 sec. 

6. Once cook, transfer the crepe on a plate.  Spread Nutella and put banana over it.  Then flip on the sides. 

7. Eat immediately.  Enjoy! 

* You may add whipping cream and other nibbles like cocoa nibs to add a variety of taste. 

Carabao Island : Ngiriton Cave

Ngiriton Cave

A cave that's located at the top of a hill surround by forest is the so-called Ngiriton Cave.  The word "ngiriton," has the same meaning in Bicol dialect, which means smiling.  I guess our close proximity to the Visayan islands makes it means identical.  

By the way, the cave is part of the half-day tour which can be reached by riding a habal-habal and doing a few hikes up the mountain.  

* For formalities, when you reach the area, one needs to register in the Logbook just to keep track of its visitors, and he needs to pay an entrance fee of Php 100.      

The hike up was not as tiring as it seems because it is not that long but for some, it might be taxing. 

*Just an additional information, they used to climb up the cave on an uneven soil while holding to certain roots but now, they have provided the site with stairways so it'll be easier for visitors to climb up thus avoiding injuries.  

When you reach the opening of the cave, on its right side, you'll notice 2 cave rooms that are barred with wood.  They said that the ancient people used them as a hiding place against guerillas.  

When you turn your back to the cave, a beautiful sight welcomes you.  Here you'll have a view of Carabao Island overlooking Boracay.  :)  Awesome, right?

Moving a bit down and to your left is the rest of the cave.  The magnificent greenish structure of the cave welcomes you with some swirling bats.  They are not that many, however, compared to that of in Samal Island, so it isn't that smelly.  :) 

*Caution: Just mind your head as you explore the rest of the cave.  

Inside, you'll see some bats sleeping and comfortably hanging on the walls of the cave.    I tried capturing them, but my photos will not give justice to what I really saw.  

I also spotted stalagmites and stalactites.  Again, my photos wouldn't give justice to its beauty.  

spot the smiling face 

A bench for resting is also provided just outside the cave.  

And of course, to quench your thirst, a fresh buko juice, taken straight from the coconut tree,  is provided to you as a complimentary drink when you descend.  Actually, it is included in the entrance fee so don't worry. :) 

Compassion Fatigue + Work Burnout

I was making my homework for a small talk (only about 2 mins) tomorrow when I got this thoughts along the way.  

Well, my topic tomorrow is about the story of A Good Samaritan where it presents the value of compassion.  I bet we all knew the story of this as this is known and taught while we were still in school.  Anyway, as I was browsing Google for examples, I came across this Compassion Fatigue.  And I was like?  Seriously?  There is such a thing like that?  Coz, it was my first time to see it and I wonder what it meant.  *Curiosity alerts*

So what I did was searched for it, read a few and told myself, "Ooops, I know this." Haha!  I was actually pertaining to myself.  I don't know but I guess, I came to this point when I am overly tired of almost everything.  Work, family, friends and life as a whole.  I don't know.  

However, according to one definition of compassion fatigue, it is a state of tension and preoccupation with the individual and cumulative trauma of clients in one or more ways including re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance/numbing of reminders of the event and persistent arousal.  While work burnout is associated with work overload and other environmental factors like assignment levels and scheduling.  

I think work burnout and compassion fatigue somehow go together.  I mean they are somewhat related to each other.  Others might just mistaken it as burnout when you could be feeling the other.  Oh, well, let's just look deeper as we try see its signs and symptoms. :) 

The warning signs of Compassion Fatigue are: (those that are applicable to me)

- blaming others

- complaining too much and too often

- not expressing emotions in a healthy manner

- isolating from friends and family

- tired all the time

- loss of purpose

- emotional rollercoaster

- anger

- self-doubt

- lack of self-satisfaction

- irritable

- impatient

And what I can do as self-care for CF:

- be aware of the symptoms (recognize and monitor the changes)

- make personal life a priority

- make a connection with family and friends

- revitalize sense of life's purpose and meaning

Professionally, this is how you can beat CF according to NurseBuff:

1. Set boundaries at work

     - accept that you're not superhuman

     - you can't fix everything

     - determine until when or where you shall intervene

2. Talk about your emotions

     - don't keep negative emotions all to yourself

    - vent out your feelings

    - seek help professionally 

3. Don't go beyond the limits you set

    - learn to say "no"

4.  Practice positive self-talk

     - makes you aware of your feelings and issues

     - identify when you need to take care of yourself first before others

5. Smile

      - easiest way to brighten up your day a little

      - take a deep breath and smile

     - having positive outlook improves positivity at work

6.  Forgive and move on

     - don't keep the hate all to yourself

     - forgiveness is not something you give to others but to yourself

7. Socialize

     - spend time with friends and participate in social events

     - attention is diverted into meaningful activities rather than sinking deeper into depression

8.  Be creative

     - do creative activities like writing, dancing, etc to release stress and negative emotions

     - focuses you more to your inner self

9.  Go on a retreat

      - change your surroundings 

      - will have a refreshing break from your life

10.  Develop  a career plan

      - to have a good reminder of your dreams and aspirations

      - serves as a driving motivation in getting yourself together

11. Relate with other nurses

       - talk to fellow nurses and take note of their advices

      - older nurses have time-tested strategies in overcoming CF

12. Keep in mind that you have a purpose

       - remind yourself that nursing is a noble career and everything happens for a reason

       - take sad experiences as opportunities to learn and grow

13.  Whenever you feel yourself going down the slide, reach out for your victories

        - celebrate moments of triumphs

  
That's a lot of information, right?  But I thank my leader for giving us this task.  At least I've learned something today.  :) 

What to do in Tibiao

When in Tibiao, Antique

There a number of things you can do when you caught youself in Tibiao. 

* Ride habal-habal (motorcycle) if you want to go around places although public transport like buses and jeepneys are available.  Just hail one and hop in. 

* Visit the Tourism Office to check out the activities that you can do. :)  And don't forget to interact with locals.  It's fun and educational. 

*Go trekking towards the waterfalls, Bugtong waterfalls that is. 

* Be mesmerized by the rice terraces as you head towards the waterfalls. 

*Cross over the bamboo / wooden bridge. 

*Spot carabaos grazing around.  (Carabao, by the way, is the Philippine's National Animal which is a swamp-type domestic water buffalo) 

*Take in and dip the magnificent waterfalls of Bugtong. 

*Head on and indulge yourself in an adrenaline rush adventure, whitewater river kayaking. 

*Take a plunge into the river. 

*Relax your sore muscle from the day's activities by immersing yourself in a warm kawa bath. 

*Appreciate Tibiao River as rain pours. 

We were stuck at one of the nipa huts after our hot bath in the kawa because of the rain.  So instead of rambling around, we approached the "balcony" of the cabin and watched the water gush along the river as the raindrops fall.   

How did we get here:

From Culasi to Tibiao

     Ride a bus plying to Iloilo, alight at Baranggay Importante (or you can ask the conductor to drop you off where the Kawa Bath is famous); the travel time is like more or less an hour. 

Expenses Incurred: 

Bus ride from Culasi to Tibiao (Brgy Importante) - Php 2O/head

Habal-habal ride from the highway to Polly's Place  - Php 70/head, one way 

Bugtong Waterfalls Guide - Php 150/hd

Tourism fee - Php 50/head

White water river kayaking - Php 900/head

Hot kawa bath - Php200/head

Entrance fee at Polly's Place - Php 25/head

Tibiao: Kawa Hot Bath

Antique, named after the enormous red ants found in the island, is one of the provinces located in Western Visayas.  It can be found on the western side, as well, of Panay Island. :) 

the location of the pans when we arrived. 

Well, apart from the waterfalls, Malalison Island, and whitewater kayaking, 

experiencing the hot kawa bath is another reason to see Antique.  

There are many inns where you can enjoy the kawa bath, and the choice is yours.  

For us, we chose the one located beside the river and neighbor of Kayak Inn because they usually don't have a lot of visitors; therefore, I (we) can have my (our) me (us) time.  

I spend the warm bath time contemplating while listening to the strong sound of the river, tweeting birds as if they are singing a beautiful song and the swirling music of the leaves as the wind blows. 

Oh, it is just relaxing.  I can live here. 

Tibiao River, where we did the river kayaking

So how do they prepare the Kawa for the bath?

      Initially, a fire, using firewood or bamboos, is set up under the large and thick casted iron pan called "kawa" to heat it up.  The process usually takes time to prepare, less than an hour maybe, depending on the size of the kawa you're going to use.   Once the heat is on, they will start filling the "tub" with water, just enough to soak your body.  Meanwhile, they will throw in some ornaments like green leaves and flowers to add effects to your bath.  And when the water is warm enough, you can climb in and have the time of your life in it.  

Usually, the warm, soothing bath lasts for like an hour, but because we were the only guests in the inn during our visit, we spend more or less 2 hours.  The caretaker though had to adjust the fire because it was cooling down.  

Side Notes:

* They advised not to take a shower after the bath because of it's medicinal purposes (warm bath + the herbs added).  

* The pan was previously used by the natives to cook muscovado sugar. 

* The pot doesn't heat up quickly so there will be no burn. 

* Price is Php 200/head 

*Entrance fee at Polly's - Php 25/head

Antique: Whitewater River Kayaking

Antique, which is one of the provinces in Panay Island, has now become an eco-adventure destination on the island.  Aside from the Kawa Hot Bath, trekking and dipping in Bugtong Bato Waterfalls, one can indulge in a wet and wild whitewater river kayaking in Tibiao River which is being offered by Kayak Inn.  And we were so fortunate that we got the chance to try it.  Yey!  Adrenaline rush na!!! 

When we arrived at the tourist waiting area, which was our meeting place, our guides for the river kayaking were already waiting for us. (Ooops! We apologize that we were a bit late. We just had so fun dipping into the cold waters of the waterfalls.) We went up to them, and they introduced themselves before finally escorting us to the nearby street where the kayaks rest.  They didn't give us any pointers yet, but they assisted us in wearing the safety gears.