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	<title>The Semi-Charmed Life of Che CaparasThe Semi-Charmed Life of Che Caparas | The Semi-Charmed Life of Che Caparas</title>
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		<title>An Advice For Politicians From Your Boss</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/an-advice-for-politicians-from-your-boss/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/an-advice-for-politicians-from-your-boss/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 03:31:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elections 2013]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[job hunting advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[what employers look for]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062366</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last weekend, the University of the Philippines conducted their commencement exercises for this term. I can say that most graduates of this state university (which happens to also be my alma mater) are very hopeful that the universe will be good to them, that they will have it easy finding a job. After all, they are from one of the best schools in the country. Sooner or later, they will realize that there will be companies who will reject them, or tell them that they&#8217;re just &#8220;not what the company is looking for.&#8221; And it&#8217;s true. It happened to me plenty of times I stopped keeping track. Sometimes, no matter how awesome we think we are, we are just not the one. It sucks, but it&#8217;s true. There are certain qualities that an employer needs that an aspiring applicant cannot provide. It varies from job to job, but it generally follows are certain train of thought – do you have relevant experience? Do you have the proper skills to do the job? Do you have what it takes to handle the position? Simply put, what can you contribute to this company? I am tempted to ask the same question to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>A First-Timers Guide to Diving</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/a-first-timers-guide-to-diving/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/a-first-timers-guide-to-diving/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:43:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anilao]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[diving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[philippines]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062350</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pixar recently announced that they will roll out a sequel to Finding Nemo, which is, well, Finding Dory. It&#8217;s not all that surprising. After all, Finding Nemo is one of the most successful Pixar films of all time as evidenced by everyone calling all clown fishes as Nemo. In fact, in my recent trip to Babuyan, I asked someone if there was any clown fish in Babuyan seas and the local said there was none. But he said they had other cool fishes like &#8220;Nemo.&#8221; Recently, I was introduced to Nemo and his friends while diving in Anilao, Batangas. It was my first time to dive since I&#8217;ve always been afraid of drowning. Surprisingly, I survived and enjoyed the whole experience. I did stumble across some road sea blocks but all in all, it was a very cool experience. As a first-timer, I didn&#8217;t know what to expect so I asked a few friends on how to go about it, like finding an instructor, going to a dive spot, getting gear, etc. I also read a lot of articles online but I found that there wasn&#8217;t really anything written on how to prepare for your first dive. So that is [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Stache 2nd Pop-Up Resto</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/stache-pop-up-resto/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/stache-pop-up-resto/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:43:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pop-up resto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stache]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062327</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Did you have a fun weekend? Good. I had a fantastic one, too. I would like to tell you all about it in detail but it might take a long time so let&#8217;s just focus on the highlight, and that is my pop-up resto session with my friends. Pop-up restaurants first started in London in the mid-2000s, mainly for culinary mavens to experiment with fun, crazy menu. It is usually a one-night-only eating extravaganza that caters only to a limited number of diners. It is very appealing for people who have adventurous palates and those who want to be in the know as pop-ups have a sense of exclusivity. In my case, I learned about it from a friend who is friends with the chefs. Very word-of-mouth. Fine, through Facebook and Twitter as well. Haha! So I got invited and went last Saturday night to The Cookery at The Fort for the second Stache pop-up resto. &#160; They prepared a 4-course Live Dangerously Menu. What comprises a Live Dangerously Menu? &#160; Did you just have a mini-heart attack? Hahaha. I almost did. The food was very sumptuous, albeit being on the heavy side. I was kidding that they could also [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Holy Mother of Nature!</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/holy-mother-of-nature/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/holy-mother-of-nature/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2013 04:20:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062325</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The end of the Holy Week means it&#8217;s the start of the campaign season for aspiring politicians. Some have already started, but the local ones are just about to bring out their campaign jingles. I&#8217;m not particularly fond of getting myself involved in politics but since I started working on a regional project on climate change and migration, I&#8217;ve become more critical about the politicians&#8217; stand on the environment. If I could ask these candidates one question, it would be, &#8220;What steps have you taken to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country and in your own household/community?&#8221; I&#8217;m sure there will be people who will regale me with their tree planting projects or recycling projects or what have you. While these are good initiatives, they probably won&#8217;t be getting good marks from me, much less a vote. We need environmental policies for the country that can trickle down to the communities, not just one-off tree planting projects. Is there someone out there who has done anything worth mentioning about climate change? Please let me know because right now, the only person I can think of is Loren Legarda, who authored the Climate Change Law. I know this [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Why Babuyan?</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/why-babuyan/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/why-babuyan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:26:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[babuyan islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[philippines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062302</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few weeks ago, I was telling everyone about my upcoming trip to Babuyan Islands. As expected, everyone thought I was crazy for even thinking of going there because, well, nobody goes there. Also, by virtue of stupid names, Babuyan Island (baboy is pig and so babuyan would be piggery) would be an instant reject. But I decided to give the place a chance, albeit being unpopular with most people. I thought if everybody is a bit iffy about Babuyan, then it&#8217;s either I&#8217;m onto something possibly dangerous or something possibly awesome. Now, looking back, I think I got a little bit of both. The Journey Babuyan Islands is located in Cagayan Valley in North Luzon. It sounds near enough, right? But it isn&#8217;t. Hahaha! Babuyan is composed of five major islands: Calayan, Camiguin, Babuyan, Dalupiri and Fuga, and many smaller islands. I picked Calayan because it is the most developed of all, meaning there is an actual community and actual tourists have been there. Here are some route options: Plane Option 1: Plane to Laoag (1 hour 20 minutes) – Bus to Claveria (2 hours) – Lampitaw to Calayan (4 to 6 hours) Option 2: Plane to Tuguegarao – [...]]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>First Impressions Matter But It Is What&#8217;s Inside That Counts</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/first-impressions-matter-but-it-is-whats-inside-that-counts/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/first-impressions-matter-but-it-is-whats-inside-that-counts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:14:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Sunday, Gretchen and I went to the new Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Bistro in the hopes of salvaging our failed afternoon at Mind Museum&#8217;s V-Day Exhibit. We were CBTL loyalists after having worked with the brand when we were still in PR, and we thought the new bistro looked neat. The interiors were very modern yet gave off a very relaxed vibe. It was looked very inviting and so we settled there to have an early dinner. I wasn&#8217;t able to take pictures but thankfully, this blogger has. When we came in, a server ushered us to our seats and gave a really palpable speech about the menu. Gretch, who&#8217;s forever searching for the perfect fish and chips, ordered fish and chips, while I settled for a chicken pot pie. The order came a few minutes later and from the looks of it, it was mouth-watering. I dug through my pie and was surprised at how watery it was. I tasted it and it was ok, not really super yummy but, you know, acceptable. I thought I was the only one having problems with the food until Gretch asked for some lemon for the fish. For me, using [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Fluffy Butter Mamon</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/fluffy-butter-mamon/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/fluffy-butter-mamon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:59:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[mamon recipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sponge cake]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062288</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few weeks ago, I bought a pack of two of my favorite candies from childhood, Peter&#8217;s Butter Ball and Kendi Mint, and said I would bake something inspired by them. For the butter ball, my baking thoughts revolved around buttercream cupcakes and butter cookies. I thought they were too common so I let go of the project for a little while so I can let the idea/recipe come to me. And it did. One day, while I&#8217;m home from my indefinite holiday, I got hungry and decided to check the cupboard for snacks. I found a bag of Red Ribbon Butter Mamon that my mom bought. I ate two pieces, but my childhood memories of eating mamon made me want more. It was so good! Then I realized, I can make this! So I Googled it and found out that mamon was also known as sponge cake. I found several recipes so I combined all of them and made my own. It wasn&#8217;t very easy to make (read: there were too many bowls and cups to wash after), but it all made perfect sense the moment I took a bite. It was heavenly! Since I don&#8217;t have the proper [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Salt &amp; Herb Crusted Baked Potato</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/salt-herb-crusted-baked-potato/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/salt-herb-crusted-baked-potato/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:38:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[baked potato]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipe]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062280</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My super long vacation has its perks. It made me more active in the kitchen. I decided I should use the idle time to practice cooking new things. I have made a few things that you can see here and here. I also decided to catch up on Restaurant Impossible to get ideas on how to run a restaurant. In one episode, Robert Irvine made a herb crusted steak and I thought I should make one, too. Only problem is, I don&#8217;t have steak. I only have ginormous potatoes. So I decided, why not create a salt and herb crusted baked potatoes? That&#8217;s exactly what I did this evening. I also made olive pimiento cheese sauce. It&#8217;s very easy to make and yields gourmet-gourmetan results. &#160; Salt &#38; Herb Crusted Baked Potato: Large potatoes Olive oil Salt and pepper Herbs (I used basil and thyme) Scrub potatoes until clean. Brush olive oil until entire potato is coated. Mix salt, pepper and herbs. Rub on potato. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. &#160; Olive Pimiento Cheese sauce: Cheese (use whatever cheese you&#8217;ve got. I used cream cheese, Cheese whiz and cheddar) 3 tbsp cream Olives Pimientos 2 tbsp butter [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Mango Meringue Trifle</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/mango-meringue-trifle/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/mango-meringue-trifle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[trifle recipe]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062273</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rainy days have a way of slowing people down, semi-forcing them to take it easy, stay indoors and indulge into their guilty pleasures. Coming from a family of diabetics, my guilty pleasure is of course sweets. In fact, it&#8217;s not just me – my parents and my brother all love sweets. So since everybody was in the house (which rarely happens), I decided to whip up something sweet and decadent, which we can all indulge in. I thought of making a Mango Meringue Trifle since mangoes are cheap these days due to excess in supply. Trifles are very easy to make. Here&#8217;s how: For the Base: 180 grams crushed plain biscuits (I used Fita) ½ cup maple butter, melted 1 large can of condensed milk ½ cup mango nectar 3 egg yolks 1. Mix crushed biscuits and melted butter and press into a pie plate. Refrigerate to set. Cut into pieces after. 2. In a pot, combine condensed milk and mango nectar over low fire. Add in slightly beaten egg yolks. 3. Stir until incorporated. When it&#8217;s starting to bubble, remove from heat. Set aside. For the meringue: 3 egg whites 1 cup powdered sugar 1. Beat egg whites until [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Old-Fashioned Potato Salad</title>
		<link>http://checaparas.com/old-fashioned-potato-salad/</link>
		<comments>http://checaparas.com/old-fashioned-potato-salad/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:20:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Che</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[potato salad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipe]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://checaparas.com/?p=9795062269</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The holidays are over, but there are still some leftover Christmas ham in our fridge that I&#8217;m dying to finish. I had to think of a way to repurpose the ham so it might still be appealing to my discerning housemates a.ka. family. I thought of making potato salad and using the ham as one of the ingredients. Potato salad is easy to make and yields really yummy result. Enjoy! &#160; Ingredients: 1 lb marble potatoes 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tbsp mustard 2 tbsp red wine vinegar chopped Christmas ham 1/4 cup diced shallots 1 tsp chopped chives salt and pepper &#160; Steps: 1. Rinse potatoes. I don&#8217;t peel marble potatoes that&#8217;s why I clean it thoroughly with a brush to remove the dirt. 2. Boil potatoes in water until cooked. Drain when done 3.Combine mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Add ham, onions and potatoes. Mix well, then sprinkle with chives. 5. Chill in the fridge before serving.]]></description>
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