sunday currently vol. 18

currently:
reading: the world according to bertie by alexander mccall smith and maid for a rockstar by demelza carlton. strange combination, i know. i just finished reading nightmares of caitlin lockyer by demelza carlton and i loved it. disappointed that it's the first installment of a trilogy and since it ended in a cliffhanger and left me with lots of questions, i have to get the next two books. grr. come to think of it, the world according to bertie and maid for a rockstar are both part of a series as well, the former belonging to the 44 scotland street (which I have) series but not the two books in between (which I have to get now!); and the second one being the first book again of a new series, and loosely connected to nightmares. i enjoy reading these books, but i would really like to stick to a standalone story.  

writing: this, and an article.

listening: acoustic version of 7 days by craig david. come to think of it, where is that guy?

thinking: of deadlines

smelling: nothing.

wishing: on a star

wearing: plaid button down shirt over a black tank top and khaki shorts. no cycling shorts this time woohoo!

loving: i have no idea. maybe the cool weather still pervading at nighttime. go hanging amihan! wish the weather could always be like this.

wanting: to get more references.

needing: stable job. hohoho. while i went back to enjoying the buhay raketera aka freelancing, i still think a stable job in a stable company would do wonders for yours truly.

feeling: stupid

join the sunday currently link up! please click on the sunday currently label and look for the link in one of the posts. too lazy to put up the link here, sorry. 

happy sunday y'all ;)

grateful

normally i would do my thankful twenty as the year ends. but as i was too busy doing everything but the work i'd hoped i'd be doing already, i didn't have the time to do so last december. then i found this lovely little printable by Holley Gerth, a writer whose blog I follow. and then i thought, i'll answer these questions and make this my thankful twenty post for 2016 even if it won't be literally a list of twenty things i'm grateful for. Ms. Gerth originally shared this printable for thanksgiving last year.

God, I'm especially grateful for...

1. Person / People I love: family and friends who would know who they are if they ever come across my little slice of the www.

2. Blessing I've received: reached my mid-30s. Sometimes I still can't believe I've reached this particular age. when I remember how old I am, I get surprised. harhar.

3. Something small that brings me joy: when somebody treats me to a delicious burger.

4. A favourite memory from this year: all my travels: Kalibo, Kuala Lumpur, Tagaytay, and Baguio. The first two being for work, and the next two are the weddings of my bro and cousin, respectively. Another cousin actually got married in 2016, but the wedding was held in Antipolo, which is practically a part of Metro Manila already so it doesn't count as a travel item. So I guess I can say another favourite memory of mine from 2016 was the three weddings. All happened one month after the other, and all were really beautiful in their own way. and oh. Grey's Anatomy season 8. heehee.

5. Your provision (ex. Health, house): I'm still standing, getting through day to day. I'll just leave it at that. Because that's all that matters.

6. This prayer You answered: a very beautiful wedding for my brother. There were so many things that made the preparation so difficult, such as the fact that his then fiancée of six years is an OFW who arrived only a month before the wedding. The bulk of the preps was of course delegated to those who are here in the Philippines including me who isn't even the maid of honour, but I still did more than the actual maid of honour and best man combined... well that's all in the past now. The most important thing is that it turned out to be such a lovely wedding in spite of all the hoops we all had to jump through to prepare for it.

7. Who you are (ex. Caring, strong, kind): sarcastic, cynic, spineless loser. If anyone wants to know any good side of mine, better ask my friends. Although I can say I'm a good listener. Cos my friends say so.

8. Who I am because of You (ex. Loved, accepted): loved, accepted, saved. Sometimes though I can still be really stubborn to the point of being stupid. Oh dear.

9. One thing I have to look forward to next year (which is now, 2017): that call I've been waiting for half a year now. Also a new prospect that will allow me to help my family.

10. Open - Whatever is on my heart today: I really don't know what to think or feel. I ended 2016 with such a pessimistic view that I could not remember much of what had transpired. Or maybe I do but I want to forget everything except those nice memories. Like what most people say, expectation is the root of all heartache. If only. Those two magical words out to express regret. Still, I'm grateful to have experienced the things I've, well, experienced the past year. I can only look forward to the rest of 2017 with hope. (come to think of it, I also greeted 2016 with hope and look where it got me... ok, I'll stop the pity party right here lol).

And yeah. How I wish I could hang out with the people (friends) I love more especially those who are so hard to set a schedule with.

We give You thanks. (Rev. 11:17)

:)

my birthday is coming up and i have no idea what to do. originally planned to go to japan but circumstances do not allow for that now. so yes, no idea. maybe i'll just stay home. it sounds appealing more and more as the days go by.

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so i just tried to watch lexie grey's death on youtube cos i keep reading fan comments on chyler leigh's instagram about she shouldn't have been killed off from grey's anatomy. man, that was so hard to watch. it reminds me when prue was killed in charmed. that hurt my heart so bad. and now after watching that particular lexie grey scene, ouch. sigh.

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not feeling well the whole day. hopefully i'm better by tomorrow. wala lang.

sunday currently vol. 15

currently:
reading: warsaw requiem by bodie and brock thoene. this is the 6th book of the zion covenant series. i have the first two books and would have loved to read it chronologically but since this series is not readily available, i'll have to make do with chance encounters. actually found danzig passage, the 5th book, but it was printed by a different company and i just have to have the series come from the same printers thus have the same type of cover as well.

writing: fanfiction. as to what show, it's a secret! haha.

listening: to electric fan and the commentators in giro d'italia showing on eurosport.

thinking: of so many things. the training, my birthday which will be in a few days, so on and so forth

smelling: nothing.

wishing: i could start flying again

wearing: Tank top and cycling shorts (here i go again with this cycling shorts!)

loving: i don't know.

wanting: potato chips bbq flavour or cheetos cheddar jalapeno! but i can't!

needing: losing weight is soooooo hard to do and yet i really, really, really need this now. i can't believe it's so hard to do that now compared to just a few years ago when just 3 months of boxing was effective in burning out those unwanted fats. aging does make losing weight much more difficult. and i'm not happy about it. grrrr

feeling: frustrated because of my slow weight loss

that's all! good night!!!

Food Trippin' at Maginhawa

Just another Friday night at home. So quiet, except for the music playing and the drone of the electric fan. Almost 11pm and my stomach is growling again for some munchies. Unfortunately it wants  chips and what I've got in the ref are fruits. Wow, what a big problem that is.

Ten days before election. The heat is so freaking on! Mudslinging on all sides from candidates and voters alike. It's hard to be a calm island in the midst of all these. I could very easily avoid Facebook until June, July, or even August, but no cannot be. Just skip, skip, skip any political post as I scroll down my news feed. 

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Last night I went out for dinner with my friend H in Maginhawa Street. Of course the conversation turned to the subject of the elections and we almost had a discussion on our choices, specifically mine as H wanted to know why I chose that candidate. But I never got to explain because we were more focused on exploring the eats along the road, which gets the higher priority over anything else. Cravings over politics, I say! As a side note, I couldn't help but marvel at how much that stretch of road had changed over the years as we used to work there. There was only one restaurant near our workplace and the rest are houses with the occasional sari-sari store and Mini Stop. Now, there is a restaurant everywhere I look. Good business, awesome food, bad parking. But that's just me.

Good thing that we decided to walk it out, as it's much easier that way. We could easily check out an establishment and leave if we feel we could get something more substantial from the others instead. It was a weeknight though so those who do drive did not have a hard time getting a parking slot. Weekends are a different story so it would be better if those who would like to visit should go there early or do as we did, which was to walk. Tricycles also are aplenty so it is really easy to get around.

We went to the Lost Bread, a restaurant specialising in French toast and out-of-this-world desserts and drinks. They also offer savoury food ranging from Php150-Php300. I ordered their Spicy Corned Beef Aglio Olio while H got the Beef Tapa with Coffee Fried Rice.

Sorry no photos. But this I will say:

First, my Spicy Corned Beef Aglio Olio. It is a pasta (spaghetti) dish served with corned beef sauteed in oil and garlic, and garnished with marble potato chips, fresh rosemary sprigs and a generous amount of red pepper flakes. The portion size is normal though it could be a bigger one. I like how the sauce was not overwhelming; it's not too oily, not too garlicky. Corned beef is also in between chunky and stringy which gives a nice bite to it. The spice level however was a bit much so next time maybe I could have the pepper flakes served on the side. This is also a dish best enjoyed hot to experience the flavours swirling in your palate. I ate mine cold already cos I was too busy marvelling at the pictures from my friend's recent trip to Siquijor. Haha! Anyway, all in all, I like this dish.  

The Beef Tapa with Coffee Fried Rice is a delight as well. Now this one is a big serving. Tender slices of beef top the coffee fried rice. I expected the coffee flavour  to permeate the rice thoroughly but I found it to be a bit faint. The dish is served with a sunny side up egg sprinkled with coffee and Lost Bread's version of ensaladang mangga which consists of salted egg, sliced cherry tomatoes and mango. The mango used is in that stage where it is almost ripe, therefore giving it a nice twist of tangy and sweet. I'm not entirely sure of what sauce was used for the ensalada but it is indeed refreshing and it complements the dish beautifully.  

While Lost Bread certainly has a reputation for its desserts, I had my mind set on The Nook, this book cafe that serves butterbeer and where guests can try on different costumes from Harry Potter. I guess there's no need to say that I'm a Potterhead, but there, I went ahead and said it.

We actually got a bit lost looking for The Nook cos we took a right at Malingap Street instead of going further down Maginhawa. We backtracked and eventually found the place... full of people. So it's either we wait or go to our next choice, which was whatever we found first. H wanted to try the Wicked Kitchen for its s'mores (she is currently in love with s'mores) or The Sweet Spot.

Both cafes are in the same building along with more of the featured establishments in the Maginhawa Street Map. We chose The Sweet Spot and we chose well. A junior-sized Blueberry cheesecake for me (as always) and a slice of salted caramel chocolate cake for H. For drinks we tried the kiwi lime juice (mine) and Speculoos frappuccino (H).

As it is with my pasta dinner earlier, my cheesecake was not overwhelming. It is creamy and surprisingly light that I was even able to eat the whipped cream that topped it. The kiwi lime juice is also a good combination for my dessert. I wanted something that would balance out the creamy texture of the cheesecake and I knew that getting any coffee variant won't do the trick even if I got it black. The first thought that came to my mind as I sipped my drink was that I was drinking in a nice sosi spa. Yeah I know it's a weird description but what the hey. It is sweet and tangy and cleanses the palate. This is also not in the menu so it would be good to ask for anything that might possibly be available but off the menu.

The salted caramel chocolate cake was nice and moist. I couldn't detect a hint of saltiness in the caramel though. Or maybe that's just because I already have my cheesecake that it battles with the flavours. The slice is generous and is good for sharing. Good for one if you're a rabid fan of chocolate cake!

The Sweet Spot is one of several establishments that serve speculoos frappuccino/shake but this is the first time that I got to try one. At first sip of the drink, H's face lighted up which meant that it was a great choice. I agree with her. It is light and the creaminess of it doesn't overpower the taste of the speculoos.

For my first Maginhawa Street sojourn, I would rate this an eight.

And as I end this post, let me just say that writing this made me feel full again. Which is awesome. I feel so healthy.

Whaaat?

Whatevs.

Good night!  

Notes:

The branch of The Lost Bread that we went to is in a building a few steps from the StrEAT Food Park where the original The Lost Bread is. 

The Sweet Spot: Ground Floor, Maginhawa Building, 189 Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City

      

sergio mendes - tristeza

in my heaaddd, in my heaaddd...

man, i shouldn't have overexerted myself in the games yesterday. i still feel weak even if i'm lying down. to top it all off, i'm feeling a bit nauseous.

*mind* but hey, your team won overall champion, right? your pain's worth all the effort that you gave. so you should be happy.

yea i know that. and i'm happy, really i am. but i'm a bit annoyed at myself too coz i didn't prepare my body at all for the games. now i'm suffering the consequences of it. i can practically hear my joints creak when i try to move!

*mind* (taunting) yeah baby, it's all your fault! and creaking joints are signs of aging! ooh, will it now take your muscles a week to be okay? would you like to use a cane to guide your way?

do you want me to puke on you right now? coz i don't have the energy to get up and hit you.

*mind* (suddenly contrite) all right, all right, i'm sorry. i'll give you something to ease your nausea.

sure, whatever.

*mind's mind* ooh, touchy, touchy. *mind* (speaks) here you go, dear.

thank you. (takes a sip, spits it out) augh!!! what is this poison you gave me? it tastes like grass!!!

*mind* (very patiently) that liquid you refer to as poison is called chamomile tea. it will soothe your queasy stomach and  will even help you sleep. now go drink it before it gets cold. that's a good girl.

mm, it gets easier in every sip.

*mind* yes, it does.

but i still don't like how it tastes.

*mind* my gulay, you're such a big baby. come on, drink up. the sooner you finish it, the sooner you'll get better.

one hour later...

hey you're right. my stomach's not queasy anymore. thank you.

*mind* you're welcome.

now that you've helped me ease my nausea, can you also give me a massage? (stretches) ugh... that would really help ease my muscle pain. and i really don't want to go to work tomorrow moving  like a thousand year-old lola.

*mind* sorry, no can do.

why not?

*mind* coz i'm just in your head!

but you just gave me chamomile tea...

year 1

because it's been a year since i started this blog.

and because i needed to be reminded of this. always.


image from holley gerth

super fun day of randomness

I turned a year older last week and I must say, it was somehow weird that I felt bored about the whole thing. I didn't know how I would celebrate it and whom I would celebrate it with, as proved by this conversation.

Ma: Gusto mo magdinner mamaya? (Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?)

Moi: Ehhh... bukas na lang, may gagawin kasi ako ngayon. (Ehh, let's just go out tomorrow, I'm doing something today.

Ma: O sige. Gusto mo tawagan ko sila Tita J? (Ok then. Do you want me to invite Tita J?)

Moi (in a bored whiny tone): Maaa.

Ma: Eh gusto mo tawagan ko friends mo? (How about I call your friends?)

Moi (more bored and whiny tone): Maaaaaaaa!

Ma: (leaves)

Yet in between those pockets of weirdness, boredom, and indecisiveness still lay a bit of excitement that it was my birthday. Yeah cos I'm strange like that. or maybe that's a sign of aging?! You tell me.

For all that was stuck in my head that day was that I had to work. It is not that bad however, because the person I was doing business with is a good friend of mine. The 100 million dollar question was what to do after that. I had no idea, and I didn't really care. I could have gone straight home if I wanted. But I didn't. A trip was in order since my friend F and I wrapped up by merienda time. How convenient is that, yeah? It was just the beginning of a simple yet fun celebration.

The trip we went on was so random, it became one of the highest-ranking random manila trippings F and I have ever done. First up, we went to a Taoist temple which I promptly forgot the name of. All I remember is that is it's located on Adriatico St. We were the only visitors in the temple at that time. F lit some incense while I looked around to admire the ornately decorated place. We took some photos afterwards and then left.

F and I continued walking along Adriatico until we reached Padre Faura. We then proceeded to Solidaridad bookshop, which is owned by premier Filipino writer F. Sionil Jose. An aria playing softly from the speakers and the cool, gentle blast from the airconditioner greeted us as we entered the bookshop. Oh, I was in heaven. Even if I didn't have any plans of buying a book, just the fact that I am surrounded by lots of books is enough for me. Browsing through shelves is just as enjoyable as purchasing a book that catches my fancy.

But of course, my reader's nose is just too keen that I found the book written by my beloved high school English teacher stacked in one of the displays in the bookshop. I immediately snapped one up without batting an eyelash, making it the first "expensive" book I've bought in years. (if it satisfies your curiosity, I love bargain bookstores. My cheapest find to date was sold for five pesos. ha!)

So. have I mentioned that it was merienda time? A trip, even a mini one at that, would not be complete without food. So we left the comforting coolness of the bookshop and tripped over to Hizon's in J. Bocobo St. for a late afternoon snack. An institution which was established in 1946, Hizon's boasts of its cakes and pastries. They also offer sumptuous selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner that it is no wonder that the great Philippine comedian Dolphy considered Hizon's his favourite place to eat.

Our merienda consisted of toasted special ensaymada with queso de bola, special halo-halo with a scoop of ube ice cream and a slice of chocolate cake. I know, it's sugar rush galore! I especially loved the grilled ensaymada. The bun has a light and flaky texture that gives it its melt-in-your-mouth character, and has just the right amount of sweetness that blended beautifully with the subtle saltiness of the grated cheese. Needless to say, F and I left Hizon's with satisfied tummies, and planning the next food trip at this place.

Some people celebrate their birthdays the whole month long. Some celebrate on their birth week. some just on the day itself, and some don't even celebrate at all. So far the only type I haven't tried doing yet is celebrating the whole month. Oh well. Just the thought of it makes me feel tired already. (uh-oh, another sign of aging, perhaps?) Well, all I want is a simple, fun, and random (if this is applicable) celebration with family and select friends in one of my happy places. It's my kind of recipe.

P.S. One funny thing that happened on that day was I actually asked F what the date was. Now if that's not a sign of aging, I don't know what is.

P.P.S. Top two photos taken in the Taoist temple; bottom left and center photos, Solidaridad bookshop; bottom right, gate at aurora plaza where Solidaridad is located. sorry, no photos of the scrumptious feast. Here's a  link to a photo of the toasted ensaymada tho. :)