Kalamay

Kalamay or Calamay is one of the sweetest delicacies in the Philippines.  A lot of part in the country is making the common delicacy that is made of sugar, vanilla, coconut milk, sticky rice and can be added also with peanuts.


The provinces making the sweet delicacy has been claiming that the kalamay is originated from their place but the most common known kalamay makers are the Boholano’s. Kalamay in Bohol came from the various town of the province but the taste of kalamay from Jagna Bohol is the best. Its sweet sticky taste is best savored if paired with bread and of course a cold soft drinks or water.

Below are the ingredients and the steps in making a Kalamay

Ingredients

10 liters of water

10 kilos of white sugar

2 gantas of malagkit (sticky rice)

20 pieces of coconut

Procedures in making a Kalamay

-          Soak the malagkit overnight

-          Grate the coconuts

-          Extract coconut milk from the grated coconut first with 5 liters of water then next with 3 liters of water

-          Pour the malagkit into the first coconut milk extract and grind the mixture

-          Mix the sugar with the second coconut milk extract and boil to make a latik

-          Pour the ground malagkit into the boiling latik

-          Stir the mixture for 4 hours or until the mixture becomes very sticky

-          Put the mixture into half of the coconut shell

-          Cool for 3 hours

-          Cover with the other half of the shell

As mentioned above the kalamay is packed inside a smooth coconut shell and sealed with a red tape. 

The kalamay when exposed to great sunlight decreases shelf life so make sure that the shell is intact and 

no holes around it.

In Jagna the kalamay can be bought 35 pesos per piece or can be bought 3 pieces for 100 pesos. There are 

also now kalamay that is placed in plastic canister round-shaped white Tupperware that is sold for around 

40-50 pesos.

The Calamay also is best served especially if you are doing your past time activities like reading your

favorite novel The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Chocolate Hills

Have you heard of an unusual geological formation? Yes you have read it right a geological formation. What I am talking here are thousands of land formed hills that is spread over a 50 square kilometers land.

Chocolate Hills in Bohol

One of the best tourist destinations in the Philippines is found in the small island of Bohol and called the Chocolate hills. This is composed of 1,776 hills that is scattered in three towns in the interior part of Bohol, the towns namely Sagbayan, Batuan and Carmen wherein the tourism development is based in Sagbayan “Sagbayan Peak” and Carmen “The Chocolate hills”. They are so called the chocolate hills because the green grass that covers the hills turns into brown during the summer or dry season.

Chocolate Hills Recognition

The chocolate hills have been declared as the Philippines 3^rd National Geological Monument and once belong to the 7 wonders of the world and are proposed to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Chocolate Hills Philippines

The hill which is a coned shaped or dome shaped is made up of limestone covered with grass. It is estimated to be at least 1, 268 individual mounds to about 1, 776 mounds. The height of the hills differs from 98 – 160 ft. with the largest being 390 ft.

The chocolate hills have been declared as a geological monument and are covered under the National Integrated Protected Areas System in which being headed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This means that quarrying and mining activities are prohibited in the towns of Sagbayan, Batuan and Carmen where the Chocolate hills are situated. 

Answers to oDesk Readiness Exam

We have learned that Odesk is The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk is one of the site that offers a highly reliable freelance job online. Before working on oDesk one must pass the Odesk Readiness Exam.
As a means of help, below are list of oDesk Readiness Exam questions and answers for you.

Q: Can I start my own company on oDesk?
A: Yes! oDesk allows you to build and manage a team of workers, colleagues and collaborators. You can even subcontract other workers on oDesk to other customers oDesk (and take a cut).

Q: Which of the following actions are NOT allowed when applying to job openings?
A: All of the above

Q: ‘How does feedback work on oDesk?’
A: All of the above

Q: Which of the following is true of your oDesk timelog?
A: All of the above

Q: Which of the following break the oDesk user agreement?
A: All of the above

Q: Which of the following statements about the oDesk Team application are true?
A: All of the above

Q: What do you need to do to ensure guaranteed payment on hourly jobs?
A: All of the above

Q: If you have not done so please download and install the oDesk Team application. With the client running right click on the oDesk Team icon in the system tray (or doc for Mac users). Which of the following options is listed first? Note that you do NOT have to log into any actual Team Room to answer this question.
A: TeamRoom..

Q: Which of the following statements are correct about oDesk fees?
A: All of the above

Q: How does oDesk’s dispute resolution policy for work?
A: All of the above

Q: Buyers set weekly limits on hourly assignments, how do these work?
A: All of the above

In the actual exam the questions are arranged in random orders so it is not the same order as shown above. Have a nice time working as a freelance at oDesk

Freelance Work - Odesk

A lot of people are having difficulty in finding jobs. There are also many who are having a hard time looking for someone to do a work for them.

As technology is innovating, the way of finding jobs and hiring for people is made easier. Online working is one of the trends now days. Yes you can work even if you are at home. This kind of job fits for single mothers or a parent who take care of the kids and at the same time is earning.

There are many jobs available online but one must be alert because as the demand of home based work increases online fraud has been increasing as well. It is necessary to take extra care in looking for a job online and hiring for someone online.

The best thing to do before applying and hiring is to check the authenticity of the site. Check for frauds relating to the site if there are available or not.
A lot of freelance sites now are available and one of this site is The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk. Like any other online job service sites Odesk mediates between the employee and the employer. Odesk provides a good system that caters both needs of employers and employees.

To join odesk you must pass the Odesk readiness exam that will determine how ready you are to work in Odesk. You do not have to worry because the exam is made simple to widen your opportunity to join The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk

Philippine VAT to be Increased, from 12% to 15%; Cut Corporate and Income Tax Rates

Department of Finance Secretary Margarito Teves whose term finishes on June 30, 2010 suggested that the incoming administration should increase value-added tax (VAT) rate from 12% to 15% and cut other taxes such as the corporate tax and income taxes and approve pending reforms to strengthen the revenue collection and the budget position.

According to Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, the ratio of tax collection to the economy’s overall output was only 12.6% which is below the 16% average among South East Asian Nations (Asean).

Some other propositions include lifting redundant duty-free privileges enjoyed by some businesses and imposing a much higher excise tax on cigarettes and alcohol. Finance Secretary Margarito Teves also urge the incoming administration to pursue privatization of government assets.

The budget deficit last year was PHP 199 billion and is equivalent to 3.9% of GDP. But if the next administration will implement the proposal; the reforms on approving bills to rationalize fiscal incentives, restructure excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol products and simplifying net income taxation and corporate taxation would generate PHP 33 billion in the first year and if handled efficiently it can have a positive effect to the nation’s economy. The government budget deficit would decrease to 4.4% of GDP next year from the expected 3.6% this year.

The irony is President Benigno Aquino III firmly said that his administration would improve the fiscal situation of the country by collecting taxes rather than increasing tax rates.