James turned 30 on the 5th. This is the story of the celebration.
Right after my shift on the 4th, I asked around for a great 24-hour restaurant. PJ enthusiastically pointed me to Borough at The Podium, and armed me with with a number of her own recommendations.
I remember walking up to the outside entrance to Borough in my rough-and-tumble denim skirt, pink everyday flip-flops, and an unremarkable tee. "Okay, this is your first time at one of the higher-end restaurants in the metro. Be cool. How difficult can it be?"
Hello huge, elbow--and-shoulder-rubbing, beer-bottle-wielding crowd singing in unison to Axl Rose and Bon Jovi songs. It was a 4th of July party, and everyone was in a merry and huggy disposition. Ehehe.
[In the ever-so-slighty-off-a-million-in-one chance Miss Bennett sees this, I do humbly and sincerely apologize in advance. The happiness made me do it.]
This week. Has been wonderful.
So much love has happened on my Tumblr, and now I want to share the love here, too.
So, you folks know of my love for Steam Powered Giraffe, yes? Well, a bleary and troubled mid-week somehow led me to Rabbit's Tumblr, and...
The name is Bunny Bennett, esteemed sirs and madams.
I cannot begin to tell you how my heart feels right now. Her responses to people's questions and her stands on certain issues made me feel valid, brave, a bit wiser, and a bit more courageous.
I cannot begin to tell you how my heart feels right now. Perhaps I can, because I dared to write about it.
And that's how I fangirl -- I go all Cyrano de Bergerac inside, in a non-romantic way.
I slept immensely well that night, no nightmares. I felt thankful and very, very lucky to have reaped some wisdom from her, and then, you know what happened?
This.
My heart. Oh dear Miss Bunny, you are going to send me to the hospital for this.
Which is perhaps all well and good. I would trade this weak, bloody pulp of a heart for one made of steel and gears and springs, if only to be a little bit more like her.
[Pour la Lolita]A mini tricorn hat tutorial, with free downloadable patterns! If you've been lusting over Marie Antoinette's hat in the movie, now's your chance. (PS: Naergi is in the process of reproducing the entire costume! I'm dying here! We're rooting for you, Naergi!)
The pocket-tie -- be free from clunky-pocket syndrome and wrecked pant lines!
DIY fish-tail skirt. Also known as "the mullet skirt" -- business in the front, party in the back!
If you've been weeping over books with beautiful covers lunched on by termites, weep no further. Give the beloved book a stylish second life as a DIY book clutch.
Hi, everyone, and welcome to a delightfully conjoined post of my two (mostly) weekly segments.
Things that made me happy this week:
Being well-taken-care of. I've unfortunately had to stay home on absolute voice rest for majority of the week due to the combined efforts of laryngitis and pharyngitis. (Wow, talk about another two-in-one.) However, it feels great to be pampered and seen to by James. Our days have been idyllic and quiet, and all in all, I think this was the kind of rest I was looking forward to.
Hot shrimp porridge in the morning. 'Nuff said.
Currently savoring Catching Fire of The Hunger Games trilogy. I'm constantly a ball of emotional emotions when I read it. Yes, you read that right, it makes my emotions have emotions. God, that President Snow, I hate him. And Peeta! Poor bebe.
Anime I love right now -- Aquarion EVOL (great opening and ending music themes, great character development, and oh the relationships!), Acchi Kochi (for light-hearted fun), Sankarea (love and zombies), Kimi to Boku 2 (the hijinks these boys get into), Medaka Box (I swear, that girl does everything -- and can do everything -- in epic proportions), and Tsuritama (for the bright colors, fun art, and fishing trivia!)
In this cold weather, the cats are perfect hot water bottles. They vibrate, too.
Tidying up corners in the flat. It feels good to be able to do some focused cleaning. I've still half a mind to toss out certain boxes we don't need anymore, though.
Bonding over Immortal Throne and lean pizza. While most of the gaming world are right now slugging it out with demons, abominations, and surprise error stops in Diablo III, James and I have gone Greek and hunt satyrs, cyclops and medusae. My Corsair and his Soothsayer are getting along quite famously. Yes, the family that plays together, stays together.
Manga reads -- Ooku.An epidemic in Edo-period Japan has wiped out three-fourths of the country's male population. Women have taken on traditional male roles in the home, on the streets, even in positions of great power. Male survivors, the seed-carriers, are deemed precious, and the most beautiful of them are sent to serve in the Shogun's Inner Chambers. It's a very intriguing view on gender roles, politics, and relationships, rendered in archaic language.
Ah, seaweed. Your variety, crunchy freshness, and strong sea smell warm the cockles of my heart. You're quite easy to prepare, quite nutritious, and are one usually interesting addition to the menu. The fact that you sometimes raise eyebrows in young and old alike is a big plus in my book. Also, you're quite cheap. Like really cheap. Did I mention cheap? Oh, right.
Now for a bit of education. This type of seaweed is known by a number of names. Scientists will know it as Kappaphycus alvarazii, a very good source of carragean. Carragean is used to help keep things viscous, moist, and gel-like, and can be found in a lot of things -- fire extinguishers, lipstick, shampoos, bread dough, beer, and ham, to name just a few. It's also commercially known as cottonii seaweed. If you find yourself in a local wet market, just ask for Guso. (Remember, say it with a glottal stop on the last syllable.)
Now, I'm not entirely sure if I should even but calling this entry "Cook It!", because, well, there's practically no cooking involved. None whatsoever. (Except maybe for the blanching bit, but you wouldn't call that cooking per se, would you?)
Guso is usually seasoned with a mix of vinegar, chopped red onion, and some green peppers. If you want your seaweed with a nice spicy bite, that's fine. Let me show you my own sweeter version.
Ashita no Ousama. Yuu is a simple country girl who most people think could learn to be more stylish. An afternoon at the theater lights a spark inside her, and many mad-cap circumstances take her well into the art of the stage. Seriously, the manga had me at "Theater".
Kaming Mga Seroks, a sci-fi short story by David Hontiveros of clones, culture, civil rights, and a conniving conspiracy of continental capacities.
Cean Irminger's fabric prints made me go nuts in glee. I will own these pretties and make beautiful things out of these one day, so I do swear by my left hand. It is a good hand.
How to style two types of braids: a reverse crown braid, and a braided hairstyle that I now realize is so like Dominique Swain's in Lolita -- this time, with bangs. Both quite elegant, and great for hot weather.
About a year and a few weeks ago, Mik and I found ourselves stranded in a whale shark-watching resort in Donsol, no thanks to man-high floods on the main road and terrible weather. The resort staff and tour team kept us mostly-dry and warm, and fed us, educating our palates a bit more.
Corn. I love corn. When I was in college, my trips to the UP Physics Building often meant a chance to sneak out and buy a pack of Japanese Sweet Corn and bring it home. It tore a gaping hole in my backpack for sheer size and bulk, but hey, I was bringing three kilos of wholesome deliciousness home, so there.
Then there's grilled sweet corn at stands that dotted the campus. It seems my dad was one of the blessed few who were privy to their locations and hours.
And there's Hominy, or White Corn.
I love White Corn. It's got body and chewiness to it, and boiled long enough, it pops and puffs up and coagulates into a mushy porridge of deliciousness. Add some sugar and grated coconut, and you have some wonderful form of heaven-in-a-bowl called binatog. (Another wonderful recipe for yet another time.) . I went out to do my wet market run earlier this week, and went home in sleepy-addled glee with a kilo of the stuff nestled in one of my bags. James and I ate well the morning after, and here's how we did so.
Butler's been part of our household ever since the earlier months of 2012. He's currently four or five months old, and weighs about four kilos.
I... guess that explains the picture, yes?
Butler does not mew. He yips. Like a puppy. and I think, a bit like a high-pitched Basenji.
He also has a thing for going after dangly things (that includes towel corners, watercress, and unhooked bras, oh my), talking to himself all by his lonesome, and being yaoi with Bandit.
He seems to enjoy being seme more than uke, but let's Bandit have his fun anyway. I love my yaoi boys.
Here's another shot of Butler, being all cute and sleepy:
Hi everyone, and welcome to all-new, tasty-fresh, and piping-hot edition of Ureshii! It's been a while since my last ureshii post, and it's good to be back in the swing of things.
Things I am thankful for:
Sewing again. Aside from the eco-bags you've probably already seen, I've begun cannibalizing my own petticoat to re-sew and fit it according to Susan's measurements. For all the work I have cut out for her, she'll need the extra poof, not me.
Reminiscing with James about schoolyard treats and comics over a spaghetti breakfast. An assortment of candy, chibi Street Fighter stickers, plastic Ultraman inch-high figures, and twenty-peso comics that made our fingers smell of glorious dusty newsprint. Yeeeeeeeah, those were the days.
Spending time with lovely like-minded folk like Mary, Fai, and Arman talking about creativity, confidence, public opinion, and doing what you have to do, for you. I'm also very thankful for friends like TJ, Anton, Adrian, and Mezarc for pointing me to right direction and widening my creative "review of related literature".
Relishing two of Nick Bantock's books -- Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence, and The Museum at Purgatory. Many, many thanks to Fai for letting me in on this new pleasure. Mr. Bantock has this gift for creating characters and telling stories through crafting almost anything he can set his mind to -- fake correspondence, tops, games, stamps, postcards, you name it. The Museum left quite an imprint on me, and I find myself wanting to tell stories with the same caliber that he does, in my own way.
Making a speech for PJ for her wedding day!Omigoshomigoshomigosh. So stoked! Again, take it way, Rainbow Dash.
Playing catch-up with my dad and grandmother on the telephone. It's been five months -- five months! -- since I last saw them. Talking to them and taking in their wisdom and experience is a balm to my soul.
The Avengers. Need I even say more? This movie, I like it. Another! Joss Whedon is our king.
I er, think I just became a Whovian. I just became a Whovian! Woo-hoo! I have currently added Doctor Who to my roster of loved shows, and I am love-love-loving it! The Ninth Doctor is a pretty cool fellow, and I can't wait to see more of his adventures. I'm also looking forward to meeting the Tenth and the Eleventh! Bowties. Bowties are cool.
Aaaand, that's it for now. Allow me to leave you with the TARDIS, and may your adventures be ever amazing!
Since there's quite a number of pictures to go through, I've arranged them in a little slideshow for easy viewing. I'm looking forward to making more bags from other colorful sacks.
There’s a new city mandate going around in Pasig — No plastic sando (shopping bags) allowed.Heading into a grocery store will have you carrying out paper bags for smaller items, or large cardboard boxes for larger quantities. The fruit stalls near my place have also resorted to using non-handled plastic bags to carry your fruit in.
