Recipe 103: Chicharong Manok (Chicken Cracklings)

One of the good things of staying in the accommodation provided by my company, though I hate it when the place was first introduced to us, is the unlimited source of fresh chicken skins. In the accommodation we are only three Filipinos, my co-site nurse and an agricultural engineer, out of hundreds of our company’s manpower mostly of Indian, Nepalese, and Syrians. Here in the Middle East, every Friday is considered as the weekend or the rest day from work. Hence as a treat, the mess hall (where the workers take their food) served them special biryani rice with fried chicken wherein the chicken skin is taken out before cooking/frying. Imagine how many would it be if hundreds of chicken skins were taken out? Last week we started asking for the skins and they handed us a plastic bag full of chicken skins! In short, we have unlimited source for making this crispy chicharon manok.

Here’s how I make this kind of cracklings:

1.       Clean the skin with water and drain.

2.       Add a considerable amount of vinegar, salt and crashed black pepper. Mix.

3.       Heat a pan with oil and deep fry the chicken skins until golden brown.

4.       Serve with or without garlic-vinegar dip.

Chicharong Manok

Personally I really like this one as a finger food during drinking (inuman) sessions because once I started eating this one, I felt like I never stops ;) But just a reminder, this is high cholesterol food so take in cautiously and moderately for those with high BP’s. Enjoy!

My Alma Mater: Continuing the Feat

The results of the April 2012 Midwifery Board Exam had been released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). According to the results, a total of 1,078 out of 2382 hopeful examinees successfully passed the board given by the Board of Midwifery (BOM) in various testing centers across the country last April 15-16, 2012.

I am proud to post this outcome because a student from my alma mater, Bicol University Tabaco Campus topped the board exam. Mr. Rho Vince Caño Malagueño got the highest passing percentage of 89.65% and four others were included in the top 10. They were, namely, Iana France Salvador Villania, Mary Lovely Cavite Cate, Ellah Mae Cultivo Bos, and Maria Angela Bermundo Bedis with passing percentage of 88.85%, 88.10%, 88.05% and 88.00% respectively.

Because of this current achievement, Bicol University Tabaco Campus again dominated and topped the list of schools in the April 2012 Midwifery Exam with 67 passed out of 68 takers (98.33%). Click the link to view the complete list of passers, top ten and top performing schools.

Bicol University - Tabaco topped the top performing school for Apr 2012 Midwifery Exam
Data taken from http://prcboardresultph.blogspot.com

Since the addition of the midwifery in the nursing course in Bicol University Tabaco Campus Nursing Department as part of their ladderized curriculum several years ago, the department is making excellent performance in the board exams. Based on my own experience, our batch in midwifery (2005) also brought the bacon when my classmate and I received the 3^rd and 10^th place respectively and 3 of my other classmates made it at top 20. As a result, BUTC topped the top performing schools with 80-99 examinees category.

That triumph, on my part, was one of the happiest and saddest parts of my life. It was happiest because the fruit of my labor came to a sweet end by being in top ten in the board exam. Yet, it was the saddest because I was mourning that time of my father’s demise when I learned the news (my father died due to heart attack during the 1^st day of my midwifery exam). Since he was the one who deeply influenced me to shift a career in nursing but unfortunately, his untimely death never gave him a chance to celebrate his son’s feat. It was disappointing but as what others say, that’s life all about. I have to be grateful on what life offers and accept the fact though it’s hurtful.

On the other hand, in behalf of other BUTC alumni, I would like to express my deep gratitude to our professors especially to our former adviser and ex-chairman of the nursing department, Dr. Virgilio S. Yorobe, for crafting us good students and productive professionals of this generation. For without your genuine effort, we would never be as what we are now today - An angel of the sick room.

Tribute to the Greatest Father

Hay, heto na naman ako, I can’t help myself but to share the greatness of my father through this video as a tribute. Tomorrow, April 12 is my father’s death anniversary. Actually, it’s his 7^th year already since his death due to heart attack on 2005. His unexpected death was the hardest and painful thing I have ever felt. It was very heavy to accept the fact that he’s gone too soon. It was too soon for me and my siblings because all his dreams are just starting to fall into place at that time.  Overwhelming ang mga nangyayari sa amin noon. It was February when he began to build his two-storey family house - a longed dream house of our own; my eldest sister also had her first ever vacation in the Philippines since he moved to America two years ago to work as a nurse; my youngest brother had his graduation from his architecture course on March; and I had my midwifery graduation on April for my nursing course. All these events were all his ambitions for us. His dream was to witness each one of us receives our degree diploma in which he and my mother never had the chance to experience due to poverty. And now that all his wishes came into realizations, I couldn’t help but ask “What if Papa is still alive?”

look at 3:44 and 4:03 of the video; he is wiping his tears during my youngest brother's graduation
ceremony on 2005. A dream came true to see us all with degree.

Random Memories

When my siblings and I were just in high school, our ‘ulam’ is usually meat dish either of pork or chicken and he seldom brings home fish. As a student who brings packed lunch in the school, I was happy with that considering my classmates were typically comparing our foodstuff during breaks.  As a result, I usually preferred meat dish for lunch. Until he said to us that we should be thankful if we found fish in our table because he had the money to buy, otherwise ‘inutang nya lang yung karne (meat) sa kanyang kumpareng nagtitinda sa market.’

Way back long years ago, my eldest sister was in grade six. My second sister and I were in grade two and grade one respectively. When the school year ended, my eldest sis finished salutatorian, my second sis got high grades and I got the lowest. I remember my father saying to my mother, “Anong gagawin natin sa batang ito, lahat patok ang grades! (What should we do to this kid, his grades were all axe!)” I know what he meant at that time because my mean grade was 77. These words motivated me to put extra effort to do better in class. The following school years, I received honors in the elementary and maintained to be in section one in high school.

I remembered the years when we still rent a house, my sisters and I awfully hate the rain. Because after few minutes of heavy rain fall, all of us were starting to get busy including Papa in lifting up the stuffs inside the house because an unwanted visitor will comes in – the flood from the drainage.

Way back 2003; Papa encouraged me to follow the footsteps of my eldest sister and enroll a course in nursing. At first I never bought that kind of idea since my best friend and I just graduated a year ago from computer science degree. To convince me more, he said the idea came from my best friend’s father because he is also encouraging his son to take up nursing (my best friend’s father and my father were used to be kumpare). In short, I took up and passed the qualifying exam for nursing only to find out that my best friend refused his father’s idea.

Back in early 1990s; Papa entered politics and run for barangay kagawad (councilor) in our place. Fortunately he won one of the seven seats. His fellow kagawad whenever they went to our house sometimes they called him Kap. I wonder why they called him such because Kap is usually termed to barangay Kapitan (chairman). I find it humorous because what they actually mean by Kap is – a short for Kapuret (bicol term for being the last in kagawad seat).

My Papa loved watching movies and current news such TV Patrol or Saksi. So that he would not be disturbed, he put the remote control of the TV beside him. However in the middle of his watching, he usually fell asleep and starts snoring. So what we did was we either turned it off or transfer the TV to our preferred channel. But as soon as we made that, he instantly awakens. Sabay sabi, “bakit nyo nilipat? O kaya, Bakit nyo pinatay?”

My mother is my Papa’s one true love. They get married on 1973. But when my mother passed away on 1991 at age 47, I know he was very sad and felt so alone at that time. I was also aware that some of his comrades are encouraging him to look for another partner in life but Papa never cared at all. He didn’t want to replace his love to my mother. His all time favorite songs express his unconditional love to my mother. (You can hear few of these songs in the video I have posted here). Several days before his death and few days after my youngest brother and I had our graduation ceremony, my Papa’s co-workers told us during his wake that Papa visited my mother’s grave and he said “mission accomplished.”

Papa was an excellent cook. He loved to cook different dishes and it’s very scrumptious. Sometimes, he gets upset if I we were not looking at or trying to learn his way of cooking. If he was out, I was automatically in charge of the kitchen. That’s how I learn cooking.

Papa also loves kids. Every time he visits his younger brother (my uncle) in Manila, he never failed to bring some present to my cousin’s baby child. And so he did the same to my two cousins (in my mother’s part) who had one kid each. If he had extra money, he bought some things such as diapers or clothes for them. He even cuddles them. It’s quite regretting his time fell short and he never had the chance to hug his own granddaughter and grandsons.

Every time the calendar hits April 12; all the memories about my father comes back to mind instantly. Papa gave us so many memories of his life. Be it as good or bad memories. I am so thankful for the countless moments he shared with us. It’s so many too look back. Though the pain of losing him untimely is still hard to accept, but I know I already moved on. Reminiscing about my father’s memory is somehow a tribute I could express how I missed my father at this moment of time. He left a legacy to our lives. And most of all, he is worth remembering.

Letting Go of the Ultimate Dream

My eldest sister is a registered nurse. One of my closest cousins is also a registered nurse. And so I am. However, the main difference is that, my sister and my cousin are both working in the US of A whilst I am here in the Middle East.

One of the main reasons why I entered the nursing profession is the opportunity to work in the “Land of Milk and Honey” in the years to come. I was highly motivated then by the sensational demands of the hospitals in United States for foreign-educated nurses. That’s why I was very studious during my stay in a certain state university in our province (Albay). After four long years, I received my bachelor’s diploma of the university with very high hopes that sooner or later I would be working in some of the first-rate hospitals in America. Then, I took the Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) few months after graduation and passed it successfully at once because, I know, my mind and heart were focused to my ultimate American dream.

The real ordeals of realizing my ultimate dream start upon receiving my Philippine license to practice nursing. I thought it’s quite easy to pursue my dream to be part of America. But I was wrong. It’s terribly hard. It’s really, really hard.

I applied in one of the government hospital in my hometown as a volunteer nurse though I applied there as staff. At that time, the influx of nursing graduates was starting to swell. In our batch (June 2007 NLE) alone, we were 37,000 plus who successfully passed that exam. Forty thousand plus passed in December 2007, 27,000 plus in June the following year and counting on. The numbers are rapidly increasing so each one of us has little chance to be employed as staff. Whilst on hospital I applied for Certification Program of the CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) and started to review by myself. I was morning shift in the hospital on weekdays and review lessons on weekdays. This was my routine for several months. But since I needed stipend to sustain my financial needs, I worked as private duty nurse to a terminally ill woman at night every week. When my patient expired due to colon cancer, I resumed my normal chores. But then, someone referred me to work as a private duty nurse again to a non-ambulatory stroke woman breathing only in a tube through her trachea. Since this woman requires erratic shift, I gave up the hospital and accepted to care for this special patient. But same as before, I did my responsibility daily and I did my review sessions after my duty. And after another several months I quit my job a month before my CGFNS exam so I could focus on my review. Then few months later, I received my CGFNS exam result as PASSED. 

Here came another test– IELTS, an English language proficiency exam. It’s a must to pass this to obtain the CGFNS certificate which is also needed in applying either the US immigrant or working visa status. And the test result? Though, I passed the overall band score but unluckily I fell a bit short in the interview (speaking) part of the exam. Oh what the heck! To some, this is the easiest part of the exam and I just failed it! So I need to retake the exam again! Although it was very disappointing on my part, I postponed the retake and I resumed my hospital work in another hospital instead. Months passed and I was offered again for a special patient recovering from a post-myocardial infarction with advanced diabetes. In short, I was a private duty nurse again for the nth time after my hospital contract ended. Being a nurse in my own country is awfully tough. Only very few nurses were able to obtain a long contract or genuinely hired by the hospitals. They are called the fortunate ones. However, several numbers of nurses gets hired by government hospitals due to “backer system”. They are called the lucky ones. And how about the thousands of others? They are called the ill-fated ones – including myself!

When I accepted the job offer of my current employer (construction and trading company) based in Qatar as their company nurse, I know beyond my mind that this choice will surely deflect me from my ultimate American dream. But I have no other option. I was compelled to divert my plans to survive from the struggling nursing career in the Philippines. This choice bestowed me uncertainties with regards to the future of my ultimate dream.

Just this week, I stumbled at the news regarding the future of Filipino nurses aspiring to become nurses in America. According to Representative Arnel Ty of LPGMA Party List group, he appealed to the Filipino nurses to forget their ambition to work in the United States. He said the shortage of nurses in America ended in 2011 and retrogression is still apparent. At this time, America has ample supply of US-educated nurses wherein foreign nurses cannot take until 2020. He added that the America alone purportedly produced 938,552 nursing graduates from 2006 until 2011. Thus leaving the Filipino nurses a very tiny chance to work there. He even provided some figures that less and less Filipino nurses are taking the NCLEX (National Council License Examination) nowadays, an affirmation of withdraw of interests by some Filipino nurses to qualify as nurse in America.

This kind of information or reports is not really new to me. I had already accepted the fact that my ultimate American dream is slowly fading away. As soon as I inked my contract to work as a company nurse in the Middle East, I have already given up half of that dream. My utmost concern at this time is to grab any opportunity along my way. It might not be as good as what my sister and my cousin get, but at least I am doing my best to utilize my profession. I know this ultimate dream is not yet the right time for me to chase which is somewhat elusive and uncooperative to my own plans. That ‘right time’ might not be too sooner or later. Kung kelan? I really don’t know. Only God knows when..

Happy Easter Everyone!

Image taken from Wikipedia

Let’s rejoice for Jesus Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! All Christians believed that Jesus was crucified then died and after three days he resurrected, ascended to heaven and seated at the right hand of God the Father. As a Christian these incidents are very crucial to my own belief and faith to God. This is the fundamental concept why I choose to become and will always be a Christian by heart.

But did you know the Muslims have contradicting belief with regard to the Jesus resurrection? Staying and working in a country wherein Islam is a dominant religion, I acquired a little bit knowledge and views of Muslims with regard to Jesus resurrection. Sometimes I couldn’t escape to tackle with my Safety Officer (an Egyptian and Muslim) some religious topics like this. According to him (based from the Quran), Jesus is not a God but only a messenger of God just like their prophet Mohammad. They have a doubt if Jesus was really crucified or not but they were really sure that Jesus never died. But they believed God (Allah) lifted him to heaven to his presence.

It’s really hard to balance which one is really the truth. But for me, one thing is for sure, FAITH really matters. Exposure to the country wherein religions are multiple, only my faith to God would keep me from going on – appreciating my life and living the most of it with others will make the difference. Have a happy Easter Sunday to all!