Showing posts with label ureshii. Show all posts

Awesome July: Part 1


At least, the first half of my July.

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. 

Why I Love Miss Bennett (or Why My Heart is About To Be Blown To Smithereens From all These Feelings)

[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.

This is how I get high.


Ureshii + Calooh Callay!


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. 

Callooh Callay!  

  • 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. 

 This amazing child. I have no words. 


Help, I can't stop listening to and watching this video! 
Or maybe you can just watch this with me. 

There's this unsettling and manic quality to the song 
that I find prettily rendered when paired with the video.

While the original version can be quite the kawaii earworm,
I like this male version a lot more.

And, that's it for my list. What made your week?

Ureshii!


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! 



*Psst. Plus points for getting the references in the list up yonder!

The weeks that were. (Part 3)



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.

The weeks that were. (Part 2)


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: 

The weeks that were. (Part 1)


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. ^_^*

These holidays, I am thankful for...


... family reunions big and small.
.. good food shared with great company. 
... unexpectedly geeking out and squeeing with fabulous cousins and friends, gay, straight, and more. 
... a pint-sized princess of a kitten. 
... the feel of yarn and kitting needles. 
... heaps of pretty, pretty fabric to play with. 
... pretty, pretty Christmas lights. 
... Sea monkeys.
... discovering and enjoying the past decade's TV shows for the first time.
... RuPaul's Drag Race Seasons 1 and 2.. 




... surprise packages from relatives across the globe. 
... hanging out sleepless with good friends, and talking about silly things. 
... the hand-made goodies that come with said friends. ^_^"
... friends who get me with books, videos, links, and more food for thought.
... friends I share girl time, secrets, and crafting joys with.
... learning from online buddies. 
... scrumptious old-fashioned bibingka galapong ang puto bumbong. 
... sewing machine hijinks and conundrums, for clarity of thought.
... flying paper lanterns to try out with my dad come New Year's.
... delicious food discoveries, and sharing them with loved ones.
... a job I love, and great bosses who cheer me on to do my best. 


... exploration and inspiration, in all forms. 
... a mom who supports me in my decisions 100%. 
... a dad who teaches me wisdom and balances me out. 
... long, restful naps. 
.. anime series marathons. 
.. escapes to comic and anime conventions, and making mundane tasks a joy to do.
... cuddle time. 
... crunch time. 
... a wonderful and amazing partner who makes all the above possible, and makes life an adventure. 
... permission from the Universe and myself to enjoy life, to pick myself up after a stumble and laugh it off, to shine, and to feel good about myself.


There are probably so many other aspects of my 2010 that I do feel thankful for, but elude me at the moment. For all these, and so much, much more, I am grateful. 

What are you thankful for these holidays?

Ureshii: 16


 Hello, beautiful people. I can't think of anything else right now; my head is too filled with a warm fuzzy feeling of happiness and gratitude. 

Ureshii: 15



Hi everyone. sorry for the long, long bout of blogging silence. You know how it with life: when you're not blogging, you're living, and boy, I've been doing a lot of living lately.

Mostly of the domestic persuasion, but yeah, still living. :)

To be honest, I'm not sure how to begin. What do I tell you?

I'd like to say I'm lucky that May is a month full of French holidays. This means I get to rest at home --- "rest" translating into "cleaning and refurbishing the house and forgetting to relax all the same."

Oh no. Yours truly has been a chronic homemaker this May.

Here, let me show you.


Meet _____, the crockpot. I still haven't named him yet, but I am deadly sure it's a him. He doesn't look like a Gordon, nor an Emeril, nor an Alton. Here his being christened with my first slow-cooked chili, recipe made on the fly. Ditas and Irl had a taste of it, and said it was dee-lish. *curtsy* I'm on a roll right now with cooking my fourth crockpot dish, and wow!

I'll also write post recipes and my own exploits with the crockpot, so please stay tuned.

(A-ha! We shall name him Cooking Master Boy! 

-- such decisions are made when one needs to stay up late, getting nostalgic over episodes of the anime of the same name, and watching Stephen Chow's God of Cookery. Yep.^_^*

The past few weeks have also brought some unexpected chaos to the house.

One, the main water pipe leading to my apartment exploded. Again! It's specially tough when the pipes go all 'round the main house before they reach our apartments, and with some crafty placement of the water meters, it seems the repairs for my bused pipe are my sole responsibility. *sigh* Ah, well. I'm just glad Mang Julio once again came and put a stop to my waterwork woes once and for all. Instead of having to constantly repair and rely on the weak old pipe, he  decided to dig a shorter path from my water meter to the apartment, and installed a brand new PVC water pipe route. We now enjoy hot bath water in the afternoons and cold water in the evening, courtesy of the cement surrounding the pipes. And to think, he just did all this in three days!  If he's not a wonderworker, then I don't know what he is!



Err, second.

I've finally upped and gone done rearranging and cleaning the bedroom, for the sake of mobility, breath-ability, and my own personal sanity. Right now, the room still has much in the way of order, but I'm glad with the progress it's made so far.

This excavation attempt, the first of many to follow, have also not been without its treasures. Again, pictures and an exposé to follow.


I also took a leave to celebrate my dad's birthday last Friday.

A brief background, if I may.

For the past two years, I've always had the strange experience of getting all excited for Papa's birthday -- and then missing it by a week, either earlier or later. *sigh* I just have this terrible tendency to forget dates.

Now this year, I made it a point to be right on the dot, show up on his doorstep, large confectionary gift in hand, and surprise him. Wow! I actually and unbelievably got it right this time!

And it turns out the entire family's out and about, packed with work to the gills, and have left the front porch  to the supervision of my dad's two birds.

Ah.

Well, more to this narrative in a few posts to come.

Then there was meeting up with Mikhal and George for for a grand file-swap escapade that started in Starbucks Eastwood Mall, to SM Marikina, to Mikhal's House, and home again home again, jiggety jig.
Comics scans and episodes and movies and documentaries galore! Right now, I snuggled quite comfily into issues of Alan Moore's Promethea, Thank you, Mikhal, for helping me fall in love with comics all over again.

Then, of course, there's the shirt-to-grocery-bag tutorial I've still to write up. Que Barbaridad! 

So there: three recipes, and two stories promised.

I now leave your with Tombe the Cockatoo, and Noddy the Sun Conure, with matching videos to entertain. enjoy.







Ureshii:14 -- Mmm, ice cream.


... of which this post has absolutely nothing to do with, save for me having a mug of chocolate ice cream while writing it.

So here I am at home, with the cat going crazy with his teddy bear behind me.  (The teeny bear used to be mine, and then the cat decided to claim it for himself, so.) James has joined his colleagues for a weekend of sun and surf in Palawan on a  company-sponsored trip, and he is indeed one lucky puppy. I've always wanted to go to Palawan! Think of it -- the underground caves, the wildlife, the beautiful sea, the grandness of it all! Gosh -- now that I  think of it, I do believe the last time I've been on a beach was wen I was fourteen. Yeah, really. Well, one day, one day soon. :)

I also want to say I am very honored to have been once more given a spot in Gala Darling's weekly Carousel. Ohmyohmyohmyohmy.This calls for a curtsy. You can't see it, but I shall do it anyway because you've been such a wonderful audience. Merci beaucoup!

Ureshii: 13



Wow, what a week! Wait, week? What week?

The week's gone by in a blur, and there is just so much to be thankful and happy about!

Ureshii: 12

source unkown.

Hi, every-all. It's 8:27pm right now, and business is pretty slow at my cubicle. I'm really glad it's been a happy week so far, and I'm just in the middle of it! Wonder what's to come for the next few days.


Ureshii: 11



Painting by Audrey Kawasaki.

Sometimes browsing through images helps you focus. A blue rainy window. Backlit paper parasols. The words "I'm out of clever things to say". Red orbs on bare branches hanging against a heavy. blue sky. Clothes wearing a woman in bed.

That sort of thing.

So, what has been happening lately? I've been crocheting hats and more hats, and now I'm trying my hand at knitting one. I'm starting off with this particular piece in earthy brown, just to see how it looks in real life. 


I'm hungry. Oh, just a passing thought.



A few weeks ago, I've also finished a second denim skirt made of two pairs of jeans. Yep, that's right, two -- and it feels just as heavy. Truth be told, it feels like I'm wearing something made from a World War II parachute, haha! but it's funky and pocket-y and I love how the tough material moves when I walk. Makes me feel like an ancient forest ranger.

Pics and a proper post to follow, I assure you.

Recently, James and I have been entertaining ourselves with two things.

  The first one is Torchlight, a game that we like to describe as Diablo Light, or Diablo's baby brother. I love it for the art, the gameplay, the fantasy-steampunk-y feel to it, and um, the dressing-up bit. Oh, if only the female range fighter's armor didn't get more stripperific the higher she levels. but at least you get to have a pet who will help you fight, carry a portion of your booty and take it back to town to sell. Er... Items! I meant items!

The second item (or items?) on our list would be a number of decks James composed from the humongous tin box of Magic:The Gathering in my bedroom. Y'see, one of my cousins bequeathed this box to me a long time ago and told me to keep it well. James soon discovered the box, and here we are, putting decks together, mixing, matching, experimenting.


the box in question.




We do our best to sort the cards by color, then by creature and non-creature types, then by name. This pretty much confirmed that I'm terrible with names, but I'm better with faces -- in this case, art.




a sea of blue -- and that's not even half the contents of the box. 




The ability's not much game-wise, but I think the art and the creature concept is pretty.




Tweed being ghostly.




James sifting through the cards. I love this shot of him.

So! For now, I'm being a good little employee, giving lessons, finishing reports on time, and coming to work early. In between, I work with yarn, and when I get home, I plop right into bed and get some sleep. I've got two big projects niggling at the back of my head -- a pair of sort-of-tailored, zippered drawstring pants for my dad, and the corset for the corset challenge. *sigh* Well... we'll see. I'd best get around to these one way or another.

Other things we've been on:

  • Movie time! We've recently enjoyed watching  James Cameron's Avatar on 3D, and Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. and before that, we've had a back-to-back viewing of District 9 and Terminator: Salvation on James' PC. Nothing quite like having a mini-movie theater for two, with chips and cold A&W Cream Soda in reach. :D Avatar and and District 9 do rightfully deserve their accolades. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus may bewilder and befuddle at first, but just look closer, and leave your judgement at the box office. As all Terry Gilliam movies, this one is honest, unpretentious, and invites you to have a sense of wonder to better understand it. Terminator: Salvation? Honest opinion: Sam Worthington is the better actor.  

  • Brian Jacques' Redwall series. It's high adventure, cryptic riddles, secret chambers, a bit of romance,epic battles and above all, good vegan home cooking -- with woodland creatures as players. Trust me -- It's better than it sounds. We owe our thanks to workmate-and-neighbors Irl and Ditas Pangilinan for making us cheer for valiant mice and light-hearted hares. Eulaliaaaa! 

Somewhere out there, the Redwall Cookbook is waiting for us to find it. Oh, yesssssirree.

    Things that made my week:













    for mature viewers of all ages. ;)











    Ureshii: 10


    from the studio of David LaChapelle.


    Hello, hello rainy Manila skies and showers all around. The weather's perfect for a number of things for me -- hot beverages, warm beds, good reads, snuggly cuddling-up to the one you love under the sheets -- most of them related to staying home and none of them with working in the office. (ha!)

    Nonetheless, the days seemed to have gained velocity in so short a span of time. The lessons are pouring in, and I can hardly keep up with my crafting! Nonetheless, we do as we can, as we please.

    This collection will be a great big mish-mash of attractions and assortments, so strap yourself in and do keep your hands in the car at all times.


    • First of all, Salabat. This dark-brown concoction is pleasure enough with its heat in a mug for a pair of chilly hands. The tang of ginger and the sweetness of brown sugar make this a perfect beverage for blustery weather. Ah, but the real secret, however, is in the brew when it goes down your throat and into your belly. Hmm.... perhaps not so much as "go down" as "plummet with burning torches in hand".

      Here in the Philippines, we have the pleasure of enjoying salabat two ways. The first is boiling raw ginger in water, then adding brown sugar, sweet potato, or tapioca (or all three!) to taste. The second, which I favor for efficiency, portability, and convenience, takes the form of an insta-brew-mixit in a glass jar. I brought a big jar of the stuff to the office, and in a couple of days -- vroop!-- all gone. It certainly isn't the punch of choice of many an online agent for nothing.







    • Tweed's growing so quickly. Our kitten is now about two months and counting. He's taken to pouncing on yarn balls, obstructing sewing progress, using Susan (the bodyform) as a perch, and weaving in between my legs affectionately as I climb down the stairs in a hurry. Yeah, he loves us. XD


    • Nintendo DS Games. James recently acquired for himself a Nintendo DS Lite, and now pretty much considers it his new baby. Super Robot Wars: Endless Frontier gets him hot-blooded, and when he's on it, he means business. (don't fret that the site's in Japanese. browse around, enjoy the movies, the art, and the voice-acting.) Mid-way, there's Fossil Fighters, which is pretty much like Pokemon with dinosaurs. Real-world Dinosaurs. (I kid you not. Head for the site's Fossil Museum for info, and let Wikipedia shock and awe you.) Fossil Fighters comes highly recommended for kids and kids-at-heart from both of us. And then there's Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends. (that would be mine. ^_^* )


    • H'ray! H'ray! The LC-A Race is on! Join me in cheering Clair as she and Team Manila race to capture the best and most brilliant pictures around the city. Head over to her entry, show her some love, and cast your vote! You'll be glad you did. ^_^*


    • A brand-spanking new blog template in the works! Woo-hoo! Carlo Canlas is the man, and damn he is. If he can't rock his Super-Robot Pilot tresses, no one can.



    • Tikbalang, as illustrated by Keith Thompson.


    • Keith Thompson Art. If you have a taste for steampunk, machines, sci-fi and horror, this is the man to go to. what I love the most about his art is how he tempers wild, unabashed imagination with research -- both for science and ancient lore, not unlike our beastie above. The result is sheer mad genius, and talent. Oodles of talent.


    • Burdastyle's Fatina Puff Sleeve Dress Variation. I love simple yet how lovely the entire piece is. It feels oddly very Filipina to me: the sleeves echo the butterfly sleeves of the terno, and the exposure of the nape of the neck and a little bit below it is very Asian. The Kyla dress is also a winner for me. Its modernity, versatility, and youth make it a great design in my book. And speaking of designs...






    • Awesome Cosplay! Raymund shared with me yet another great find. A_Riddle's Flickr photstream is a choc-ful of cosplaying goodness, as well as her photos of her trip to Japan. Above are her pictures of Batman's Villains as ladies in the 1940's (and one lone heroine... can you spot who's who?), and the one below it is A_Riddle as Wonder Woman Amazonia. Absolutely stunning.


    • Mr. Hayao Myazaki. Aaaaw.


    • and one strip to say it all.


    But wait, there's more!



    Watch the music video here. My thanks to Mik Watkins -- she's a great friend, and she can make a real mean batch of fudge and other baked goods. Seriously.



    Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.




    Kick-ass!



    Wolverine: The Musical! XD



    A classic Palmolive commercial that gained cult status in the Philippines. Was it the costumes? The colors? The set? The singing? Don't ask me, we still love it. I can feel it! :D

    And if that's not enough, here are a couple of paper dolls to keep you preoccupied. Go on now, play along. :D

    Ureshii: 9



    嬉しい (ureshii):

    To be glad, happy, delighted, joyful, overjoyed, cheerful, pleased, contented, grateful, elated, jubilant, exultant, ecstatic, euphoric, enraptured thrilled (to bits), over the moon... you get the picture. ;)


    Yay! Ureshii is back, and sprightly and joyous! (Sprightly and joyous on a Monday... must be something in the water? haha!) a good weekend can do that to you.


    • Lost kitty, found! In the middle of the week, I found a lost little kitten in street and took her in. The poor thing refused to eat for five whole days, but got by with cuddles. (aaaw. ♥) we next took her to the vet, and we discovered she preferred prescription food. Wow.

      the kitteh in question.

      She now enjoys more cuddles from James and me, long naps on flannel and thigh, and being a kitten-hat on occasion, like so:


      ** Update: we've named her Tweed, by the way.


    • Finally starting on Clair's second scarf. I think the most difficult part of knitting something is deciding what pattern to best use, specially when you already have yarn waiting to be used. Clair first wanted a pink scarf, but later on, I had to put my foot down and decide. The pink stuff I ended up buying for her was not going to work, and I opted to use one of my prettiest yarns for her second scarf.

      And it sparkles so nicely in the light.



      So, from this huge pupal skein, this is what the scarf has grown into so far:

      I'm really happy to say she's growing quite beautifully. All my thanks go to Miss Spillyjane's Midori pattern. Loverly!
    • Monday lunch with James' mom and sis. Home-cooked meals and great company beat fast food anyday. (and all because I forgot my phone at his place last night!) rice, bean sprout rolls, pork roast, last night's fried chicken, some breakfast sausage, hot beef-and-mushroom soup. Tell me this is not heaven.




    • Compliments from kids. Cay, great co-trainer and cool mom, brought her two kids to the office to have their eyes checked and get their flu vaccine shots. (oh, and that too: eye check-ups and vaccine shots, on the house, courtesy of the office. Yay!) Her eldest son look like the smart, witty lad she'd told us about, and her daughter was such a cutie! I went up to say hi, and was pleasantly surprised to hear from the little princess "Hi, I think your hair's pretty!" I beamed, and replied, "thanks! I think your hair's pretty too." ^_^

      Compliments from a kid. how cool is that? :D
    • Zoo Tycoon. Zoo Tycoon Dino Digs and Marine Mania. Ohmigodohmigodohmigod it's Zoo Tycoon! Yes, it's old, yes it's nerdy, and I do so luv luv luv it! I've always had this love for creating zoos to keep the animals happy and cared for, even if they're virtual. (Hey, it's the only place I can feel like a million bucks -- or 50 million for that manner. Haha! shift+4, you are so hot.) James loves the expeansions for letting him reconstruct Jurassic Park -- and make it work. Muhahahaha! (but damn, those dinos are so expensive maintenance-wise!) Oh, and you can have mermaids in your Marine Park. ;)
    • Overlord 2. (or at least, watching James play it while I gape and squawk in excitement, and maybe wince a bit.) Our favorite silent big bad boy is back for more mayhem, giddily insane (and adorable loyal, mind you) demon minions, and hot, moxious tower mistresses. The humor is dark and wicked funny, and the storyline and verbal exchange will make you want to think twice about reading your kids old musty, conventional bedtime stories. The writer and co-designer of the game is to blame. The gods bless Rhianna Pratchett's dear heart, she makes her father proud.
    • Make your own Ceiling Cat!









      I love how the director used influences from Matisse and other surrealist painters.


      Dance! Dance, I say!


      I love how honest and opinionated and bashful she is in this interview.

      Ok, your turn. What made you smile today? :)

    Ureshii: 8


    photograph courtesy of ~diP.


    嬉しい (ureshii):

    To be glad, happy, delighted, joyful, overjoyed, cheerful, pleased, contented, grateful, elated, jubilant, exultant, ecstatic, euphoric, enraptured thrilled (to bits), over the moon... you get the picture. ;)


    Gongxi Facai! Happy Chinese New Year, everyone. (and that's pronounced Kong-shi Fa-tsai!) A prosperous and wish-fulfilling Year of the Ox to you, no matter what animal your stars have borne you under. )




    A few things in my personal sphere right now.




    1) A Theater-date with my grandmother at the end of the week. Miss Frances Makil-Ignacio, Grand Dame of the Philippine stage, invited us to watch her performance in Atang this Sunday. Such a honor it is! I've had the opportunity to work with her a couple of times. Through the many slip-ups and mistakes, I've learned so much from her. Watching her perform on stage is proof for me that there is a God.

    2)I'm in the papers! This was the result of an afternoon chatting with food writer, journalist, and galpal Joan Teotico. she asked me her thoughts on the population in Manila, and a week later, poof! There it was. How she worked her magic, I have no idea.

    3) Personal-sized Tikoy! although I grew up watching my mother dip the slices in beaten egg before frying, I prefer frying it naked. It brings out the gooey, chewy sweetness in the delicacy. Nothing quite like really getting into your food, chewing with all you've got.

    4) Lion Dances. I always look forward to running into these monstrous beauties. A giant animal puppet manipulated by two expert martial artists is always a feat worthy of hearty applause. (Um, I also can't help but gush when it cocks its head and bats its elids and lifts its ears and wags its tail and does all sorts of animal-y things. I'm a sucker for that kind of cute. ^_^")

    Offerings of the Internet:

    Cynthia shares with the Plurk world 40 Tips for a Better Life.

    From XKCD: This. And this.

    From the Boyfriend: This rocked my day. so did this and this! (Mythbuster guys do it again.) This one too.

    Epic Win, Win and Win! I remember growing up on the two movies, singing the songs and knowing the lines by heart. As for the Viewfinder, my dad handed me down his own prized set. His viewfinder was particularly awesome because it had an audio function -- you popped the cartridge in and listened to the narration while peering through it. I recall ooh-ing and aah-ing to The Bible and the Dragon Fist (featuring Bruce Lee!) :D

    And now, a reprieve from the lovely Helen Reddy from Pete's Dragon -- Candle on the Water.



    We ♥ Aled Lewis' designs, yes we do.

    How to extract your own DNA, with everyday items in your home. Never know when it could prove useful. ^_^*

    Thi is definitely useful to budding photographers. A beginners guide to capturing motion in your photography -- get your SLRs and Holgas out! ^__^*

    The beauty of ice storms. On a nature thought, The Wish-fulfilling Tree.


    Itzhak Rabin and his Broken String.


    The world needs more kids as bright and inventive as this one and this one!

    This is one very good reason why adopting a pet from a shelter is all worth it.

    Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, 2nd Movement (or is it his 3rd?)... as played by your computer.



    The Cabinet of Curiosities is an intriguing romp for the discerning curio collector. Miss Colette Calascione's Gallery is but one of them.



    Signore Carlos Alberto from Portugal converts a Vespa into a wooden mobile masterpiece.


    Manhattan in Pictures.

    Neil Gaiman retells what happened The Day The Saucers Came.

    StumbleUpon buddy Mikhal de Dios sent me this video. I asked Irl Pangilinan, a musician and work buddy of mine, for help identifying this piece. He was stumped as to what it was, but we were both sure that it was a Mozart piece. Any idea what it is folks? Extra points if you do.



    Boom De Yada! Boom De Yada! This video had me singing all week. Never fails to cheer me up.




    From TED.com: Helen Fisher tells us why we love, and why we cheat.






    Followers