So happy together...

On September 25, 2010, I happily married the man that I love with all my heart: Floyd Masga. Floyd and I have been together since 2002 and just last month, we made a commitment to God and to each other. Our wedding wasn't a grand one, and that's exactly how I wanted it to be. I had a tropical theme for my wedding and my colors were (surprise, surprise) PINK and beige. For those of you who know me, you know how much I love the color pink. I was just happy that Floyd agreed to have it as part of the wedding.

After we were married, some people asked me, "After being together for so long, and finally getting married, is it different?" I simply tell them, "We're both so much more in love now. It is a different feeling to be married because now we are fully committed to each other." I guess that's why they call it, "Tying the knot".

In the Chamorro language, the word "Masga" means "enough" in English. Hmm, that should've been a sign from the day we met, because Floyd is one man that is enough for me :)

Back blogged...

I've been such a bad blogger lately. There's so many things going on since my last post and I didn't have the time to write. Well, maybe I did have time. I just didn't want to think too much. Updating my status message on Facebook alone sometimes requires my brain cells to work. LOL!

To my blog followers (if they're still following me), my apologies. I promise to try to be a better blogger.

Island Beauty

Today I had lunch with Floyd at The Revolving Restaurant 360 and lucky for us, it was a beautiful day in paradise! As we slowly revolved, I took note of how much of a different perspective you have from being way up high. I literally felt like I was on top of the world!

I took only one shot from above, but also realized how much our island is rich in color! Check out the Flame Trees in bloom. Aren't they stunning?

This photo was taken one morning after mass at the Chalan Kanoa Cemetary when I was on my way to my dad's grave.

This photo was taken at my mom's house. She plants a wide variety of flowers around the house, but these orchids really caught my eye.

And of course, just because I work indoors doesn't mean that I will only allow myself to see the bright white walls around me. So this picture that I found online was hard to resist as my desktop photo. For the record, I did not take this photo of the plumeria. I found it online.

Personally speaking, I know that I've taken all this island beauty for granted. When I was in Las Vegas, I was super home sick. I didn't enjoy the dust, dirt and dryness (literally) of that place. I missed so many things we had out here. But I'm back at home and I'm so happy to be here to enjoy all this beauty our island of Saipan.

who wants the last piece?

A couple of nights ago, my family and I went to Capricciosa's for dinner. We ordered our favorite: Salmon Linguini in Cream Sauce and Quattro Formaggi pizza. While we were enjoying each other's company, conversation and the food, before we knew it, there was only one slice of pizza left.


DA DA DA DUMMMMM!!!





I couldn't help but laugh and snap a shot of how the last slice of pizza looked. I then asked why this happens and no one could give me an answer. This is not an uncommon thing with us Chamorros. It is almost inevitable that this will happen if there is food around. When we eat and there's only one piece left of something, it's almost shameful that you take the last piece. But the reality of it all is that if you don't eat the last piece, someone will either have no shame and eat it or it'll go to waste. I ended up being the shameful person that night, but I didn't feel shameful. It could have been because the pizza was too delicious to waste.


So why does this happen every time we eat? Some say it's because the last piece is for the 'Taotaomona' (Chamorro people before us). Do they even like pizza?

Red, Red Wiiiiine....

Remember that song by UB40??? Who doesn't? It would almost be a crime if you didn't know that song or even heard it in your lifetime. Especially if you lived on the islands. That song was so powerful that when it played at a party, a dance club or even on the radio, you couldn't help but sway your body to the rhythm of that song. It was the song that made you feel mellowwww and relaaaaxed. You feel me? Ha ha ha!!!

I'm not a big drinker, but when I want to relax and unwind, I drink some red wine. When I first tried red wine, I thought it tasted awful! It had a punch to your palate and it made me make a sour face. However, that was then. Now that my palate has "matured", I am more receptive of drinking red wine...and without making the sour face. My favorite type of red wine is Cabernet Sauvignon. And depending what the brand of the wine is, sometimes I prefer the Merlot. I'm not a wine geek so don't ask me questions about red wine. The basic knowledge I have about wine is that it comes from grapes, it's smashed, fermented, stored and then sold to people like me who want to enjoy it. Oh, and I also know that red wine is good when eating red meat. White wine is goes will with a white meat dish. I'm not so into white wine. The closest thing to a white wine that I'll drink is champagne, but only if it's mixed with orange juice and turned into mimosas.

So the next time you hear that song, "Red, Red Wine" by UB40, grab a glass of red wine, sip some down and celebrate life!

Orange eggs and mangoes.

So on my last post, I mentioned the start of mango season on Saipan. Now, the mangoes are overflowing that I don't know what to do with them. Even the people we were giving the ripe mangoes to were saying they didn't want them anymore because they didn't know what to do with them.

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Going to the Thursday night street market is a treat for me. I usually get fresh coconut juice and some yummy apigigi (coconut dessert). I also enjoy walking around to see what each vendor has to offer. At the street market, vendors display the food and drinks that they have for sell.

One particular food item caught my eye. Can you guess what it is???

It's a deep fried boiled egg! Now I like fried food and I like boiled eggs, but that is one thing I was not dying to get a taste of. Talk about making something healthy so unhealthy.

I love you like a mango

Mango season has begun around the island, but all the mangoes are still young and not fully ripe. At this stage is when the mango is perfect to become what is known to our local islanders as "koko". For those of you who don't know what koko is, it's basically something pickled. On Saipan, we call almost anything that is pickled, "koko".

Today was the first time I made some mango koko. I was quite nervous as one wrong move in the mixture could mean starting the entire process all over again. But I was confident after verifying the ingredients with my mom. THANKS MOM!

The process begins with a bunch of mangoes that I had to wash and skin. I tried to use a potato peeler to skin the mangoes, but using a smaller, sharp knife worked best for me.

Then the mangoes were cut in half and then sliced. One mango usually makes 4-6 peices, depending on the size of the mango. After the mangoes are all sliced, they're quickly washed and the water is drained so that there is no excess water.

A few light sprinkles of salt is added together with some diced fresh garlic (about 4 big cloves). This is mixed in well and then about 4 table spoons of vinegar is added. I also added a dash of TLC while mixing everything together. That always makes a difference when I make anything :)

Most people add local hot pepper and a little bit of food coloring at this point, but Floyd asked to make this without hot pepper or food coloring so we kept it natural. Everything is then placed into a container, preferably one with a cover that seals well. Thankfully we saved this container and we were able to make just the right amount of koko to fit into it.