Ganbatte, Nippon!

Monday, March 21, 2011 Jonette 0 Comments

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Dear Japan, 

It's been a couple of weeks since you were first hit by the earthquake and tsunami. We saw the pictures, heard it and watched it on the news, kept abreast of it on live translated newsfeeds. We gasped in horror and cried in pure sadness for you, and prayed and hoped, hoped, hoped everyone within your shores would be fine. 

And to our surprise and utter amazement, they were. We saw your kids calm and collected, and making sure everyone else was alright -- both for people and animals. High school kids and fashion deviants helped in their own way; truly, there is generosity and a sincere desire to help even in places where you least expect it. Artists have lent their craft to help refugees stay cheerful throughout the calamity. Shops and offices constantly shouted "Please help yourself to our bread; it's free! Please use our toilets, sit in our lounges! Rest a while, we're all in this together." 

And so we are. 

A few days ago, a fifteen-second earthquake shook my office building, and I thought of you, Nippon. I believe we here in the Philippines could learn a thing or two from you on peace in the face of panic. After the disaster, time to get on with life. 

It's been a few weeks since the earthquake, since the tsunami, and now, kamusta na? Dou deska, Daijoubu? I'm sincerely hoping you and your kids are alright. I do know for a fact that as long as you keep on keeping on and everyone looks out for each other, you'll be fine. Ganbatte! 

I just hope we can measure up to that too someday. 

Links: 

Japan Quake as Seen From Twitter 

Japanese TV Anchors -- this is true professionalism. 

Dog Won't Abandon Injured Friend -- there is precious lesson to be learned here. 

The Shinto Way

Philippines to Send Bananas to Japan





A simplified version of the situation in Fukushima. It pays to know who the real heroes in this situation are.  

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The weeks that were. (Part 3)

Monday, March 21, 2011 Jonette 2 Comments



On the other hand, it seems James' work has opened an opportunity for me to flex my time management and crafting muscles.

His work holds a dress-up theme every Monday, and he sometimes asks me for advice on what to wear, how to do it, and so on. Last weekend was something of a crash course for him on making props and headgear. they had an Angels Vs. Devils theme, and he was assigned to look for weapons. He was quite set on the devil tridents that sold so well on Halloween. Alas, Toy Kingdom was fresh out of them, since there were no stocks.

Some imagination and resourcefulness was needed, stat.

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The weeks that were. (Part 2)

Monday, March 21, 2011 Jonette 2 Comments


as I mentioned last post, I've been doing my best to keep our meals healthy with plenty of variety and experimentation. (read the word Experimentation as "tossing random stuff together and hoping it tastes decent".) 

So far, the past three weeks' packed lunches were: 

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The weeks that were. (Part 1)

Monday, March 21, 2011 Jonette 0 Comments


Hi, everyone. I've been away from the blog living life and getting lots of action and fresh air. It's been great, really. 

In a nutshell, I've been doing my best to keep being mindful and inventive of what I cook and what lunches I pack. I've been making more home-made versions of store-bought snacks and desserts. I've been playing Facebook games a lot less (and if you see any activity on my end, that would most likely be James.) 

I've been budgeting, planning and mapping my goals for the year, getting the house in order bit by bit, giving work its due, with a number of shenanigans and surprises on the side. 


Meet Mama Grizzle. Mama Grizzle is a queen who decided to give birth under my computer window. I found her nursing her kittens on a Thursday afternoon just as I was heading off to work. Dino, a plurk buddy, said she's one protective-looking mama. I do agree -- she certainly didn't survive the streets and carry her babies to term for nothing.

She was wary of James and I at first, but later on agreed to take a bowl of kibble we offered her. We figured that as a mom, she can only get so much nutrition from scavenging through trash bins, and her kittens will certainly need all the nutrients and anti-bodies in her milk if they are to survive. Way later on, she started letting us pat her on the head. She was amenable enough to let me lift one of them and follow her baby with her gaze.


Here she is a week and a half later. She's been eating her kibble well, thus James said the fur on her face was regrowing. Can you spot her three babies?


Here's two of them. 

Alas, two weeks after, Mama Grizzle decided it was time to move on with her kittens in the dead of night. Next morning, I was surprised to find she was gone, but I suppose it was all for the best. From time to time, we still hear the mewl of her babies although we can't find them. She also visits us on occasion, and when she cares to stay long enough, we set a bowl of kibble out for her. We hope she and her family are okay and are being treated well by whoever's nest she chose to nest under.

 More to come. stay tuned for Part 2. ^_^*

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Handwritten meme

Saturday, March 19, 2011 Jonette 0 Comments

... as tagged by Mai. 


Incidentally, Mink has developed a taste for ripping paper. This list was rendered to shreds within a few minutes of laying it on the table after taking the shot. This cat.

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A long overdue Valentine's Day story

Friday, March 11, 2011 Jonette 0 Comments

Featuring FOOD!

Thus goes the rom-com of me and James, where Com is definitely bigger than the Rom most the time, and it still turns out into a kooky-quirky kind of Rom altogether in the end. We're kind of awesome that way.

So! I am quite happy to say we absolutely did not go anywhere to celebrate this Valentine's Day, and with very good reason. Why go out and spend big bucks to celebrate when you can pretty much do the celebrating at home? 

Nnnnnnno, not just that way, and I'd appreciate it if you could put the hur-hur-hur-that's-what-she-said away, thank you very much. 

We were both at work on Valentine's eve, but since I got off work earlier, I wondered: what would be a quick, easy, and fitting way to celebrate Happy Hearts Day without breaking our budget?


Banchetto is a midnight food fair that happens every Friday night/ Saturday early morn. A portion of Ortigas' Emerald avenue is closed off, and three long columns of tent-sheds are pitched. Soon, the sounds and smells of excited chatter, lively hawking, and sizzling, grilled, steamed, what-have-you food waft above the silence of the sleepy business strip. Here, one can very much feast on almost-gourmet food for less. Angus beef kababs? check. Freshly-chopped lechon? Check.Salads and freshly-made fruit juice and smoothies? Check. crepes made right before your eyes? Check. Cakes, macarons, and local bonbons? Check! Customers are free to sit on tables, plant boxes and stone steps and enjoy their meals al fresco.

My many thanks to great galpal Jicel for taking me here, urging me to try a crepe, and giggling over sweet treats with me.

Pictures! I wish I'd taken more, but you can only do so much with a sputtering battery.

If you think the Oreo cheesecake is mouth-watering, wait 'til you try their Ube cheesecake. 

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Dad homework

Thursday, March 03, 2011 Jonette 0 Comments

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Have you ever tried making clothes for your parents? I do. 

And I'm stuck. Sorta. 

One, I'm glad I can finally say the pair of cotton drawstring pants my dad requested already has its front panels cut and "serged". 

The rest of the pants will follow. I promise. 

I think I may have mentioned in a previous post that my dad handed his most well-loved pair of Kamuning-made khaki drawstring pants for me to deconstruct and clone in black. If there's anything I've learned so far, it's (1) I'm more comfortable with drafting patterns from scratch, and (2) the tailors in Kamuning build their menswear with industrial-strength reinforcement. I now have a new-found respect for their diligence, foresight, and industry. 

I'm still stuck, though. Oh dear. Maybe starting a simpler project might  make things come easier. I do want these pair of pants ready to wear before the first quarter of the year ends, though! 

And of course, I do want these pants to fit my dad well, and for him to feel comfy in them, no matter where he takes them. It's the very least bit I could do for him. ^_^ 

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Wednesday, March 02, 2011 Jonette 0 Comments

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Word. 

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Video time: Prague Astronomical Clock - 600th Anniversary Show

Tuesday, March 01, 2011 Jonette 0 Comments

this video's been around ever since the beginning of 2011, and I wanted to share it with you all. It never fails to blow my mind.

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