Rock The Poser

I'm Taking A Break

2009-01-16T23:09:00.002+08:00

With my blog, that is.

You guys have all probably noticed how long I have been posting less often. I've been trying to keep to my posting schedule but I'm just really overwhelmed. Scanning the pictures, placing borders, and even finding the words get more difficult as the time passes by.

Guess it all started when my grandfather died. Not that I'm down in the dumps about it; I'm pretty happy he's gone to heaven actually. It's just that his death reminded me to pay more attention to people and my relationships. This led to me spending more time with my living grandparents, parents, friends, and all my other loved ones who I don't connect on a computer with. And since I'm about to end the fourth year of my five-year college education, the pace is also stepping up like crazy. I hardly have time to sleep these days --- I never mentioned how I fell asleep on the wheel during a particular long sleepless bout, and woke up in the other lane, have I? --- and I've had to cut out loads of things so I can keep my more important un-school-related commitments.

Which is why I'm bowing out of blogging for now. I will still answer comments --- and by all means, drop me a line if you'd like to, and even email me to check up on things --- but there won't be any new posts until... Well, until posting doesn't seem like just another chore anymore. Until I don't dread posting so much.

My friends with blogs (Catherine, Linda, Henri, Cookie, Claire, and some others) need not fear: just because I won't be blogging anymore doesn't mean I won't be interacting on their blogs. On the contrary, not worrying so much about my own posts will free up time so I can actually read their blogs.

I really need the break. Hopefully, I'll be back with a clear head on my shoulders.

Take care, everyone!

And Christmas Break Begins!

2008-12-20T04:48:00.005+08:00

I'm really sleepy so this post will be quick.

Anyway, I'm free for two weeks! Woohoo! *does a little dance*

And I'm really tired. I haven't slept well --- maybe three hours a night --- for the whole month because of projects and exams. I'm so tired I fell asleep while driving once and scared myself awake. We all got pretty sick in class, and we pretty much hibernated. I don't ever want to go through all that again.

The projects did turn out great though --- we got overwhelming applause for our one-and-a-half-hour movie for History class on the life of the national hero --- and the exams seemed okay. Some were good but one was failing. We couldn't change anything though but to do better next year, so Henri invited me to celebrate our freedom by going to the mall.

Hi, mall! Long time no see!

And it really was a long time. Lots of new shops opened, there were gigantic Christmas trees and decor all around, and even new trends (Would you, dear Reader, believe we saw ten people wearing winter scarves in tropical weather?).

We were glad to be there but we were starving. It's hard work to fail an exam, so we tried out a new restaurant for lunch.

our appetizer

Our first dish was fried mozzarella cheese with spiced tomato dip, and it was good. We scarfed it down pretty quick. We do wonder whether it was really good or whether we were just really hungry. Hm.

Either way, the taste of warm melted cheese with cold sour tomatoes agreed with us. Then the main courses arrived.

Henri's meal

Next came Henri's humongous meal of grilled pork with rice and vegetables. I say humongous because it was big enough for a person to subsist on for a whole day; Henri brought half of it home for dinner. She said it was delicious but so filling that she couldn't take any more bites.

If that looked like a normal serving to you American readers, this is the moment to realize that the rest of the world often eats less. Much less. We have buckets the size of your extra large sodas, America; I can still remember how overwhelmed I was the last time I had a meal in that side of the world. I ended up ordering kiddie meals so I wouldn't waste food.

my meal

I had salmon with some sort of caramelized onion glaze, grilled corn, and pilaf rice. The salmon was pretty fresh, and very good with the sauce. The rice was sticky and perfect with the salmon. All in all, it was great and I finished it. It was still a bit too big for me though; I overate.

In other words, Henri and I have agreed to share a main course the next time we eat there.

It was a fun meal though: practically the first one out we've had in a while. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for Christmas presents --- especially our own gifts from ourselves --- and just having a cool time. We enjoyed poring through a new bookstore for hours, and came out with an appropriate number of new books.

We met some other friends in the evening and had a large pitcher of lemonade. Commiserating over bad grades was never so refreshing.

I later joined my sister and another good friend for dinner to top off the day.

Dexter, Daphy (my sister), and me

It was cool to catch up with people I hadn't seen in weeks since I'd stopped leaving the house altogether for anything other than schoolwork. I did sleep with my grandmother to keep her company after my grandfather died, but it seemed more like going home to sleep than a social visit. In other words, we'd talk then drop into bed until it was time to go to school again.

I am so glad it's over.

I will now be catching up on my reading, and I promised my dog that we'd watch some movies over the break.

I'm looking forward to just taking a rest.

One of Those Meals

2008-12-11T20:22:00.005+08:00

My posts haven't been as often as they used to be, nor have they been as full of photos as I'd like (read: almost zero). I thought I'd change that by posting the last photos I took of a meal out --- which was a long time ago, by the way, since I've been practically living in my Ama's (Grandma) house since my Angkong (Grandpa) died.

My Mom, my sister (Daphy), and I trooped out for food that sizzles on our plates.

uncooked meat on sizzling hot plates

Yes, I did say uncooked. This particular restaurant had something new: cooking your own food on hot plates that stay hot for more than a half hour.

We were pretty game. That last dish up there is mine: cubed Japanese steak with rice and little vegetable pieces. We all basically turned our food over and over until they were as done as we liked. Then we mixed everything and drowned it in sauce.

Let's watch Daphy do it.

It was interesting, especially mine. They all turned theirs over on two sides while I had to roll the cubes around on all six faces. You can understand, dear Reader, why it took me a bit longer to start eating.

Or maybe I'm just persnickety about how cooked my food is --- I like medium rare to medium well, by the way.

Anyway, my steak was delicious. It was just chewy enough without being too weird, and the sauce was good. The aroma of the whole dish was also wonderful. I tried that dish more than a month ago, but I still clearly remember how it tasted.

my Mom's chicken dish

Mom said it was good, and it did look good.

Daphy's dish

Words can't really describe how fun the experience was. That meal happened right after my sister and I got back from a long trip, and my Mom missed us loads (yes, we missed her too, if you were wondering).

The pictures still make me smile when I look over them.

Yes, I'm Alive

2008-12-04T01:34:00.002+08:00

I just haven't posted lately because my internet connection's shot in the foot. Both my parents and our computer technician are out of town --- on different sides of the world, by the way --- so I haven't updated. I really needed to get on the Web for a project though (a 1 hour to 2 hour movie on about seventy pages of the life of the Philippine national hero due in two weeks), so I broke down and practically started camping in my uncle's house. Which is where I am now, enjoying the Wifi.

I'm pretty tired and so are my classmates. I keep running around borrowing suits and other props for the filming, and we're polishing the script as I type this out. I just thought it wouldn't be fair to leave blog readers hanging without nary a peep from me.

I will also take this time to thank my wonderful uncle and aunt for taking me in like a lost child and feeding me, clothing me --- would you believe I stained my clothes while I was in their house? --- and putting a roof (with Wifi) over my head. I keep showing up with my laptop and they've been so helpful that I'm almost ashamed. I'm even sleeping in their house tonight so I can have conferences over the internet with group mates tonight. Same goes for my other relatives whose suit jackets, tuxedo shirts, and other pieces of formal wear I've snagged for the project.

Oh, and my paternal grandmother who has allowed the group to ~~bring chaos~~ film in her home. And my maternal relatives for taking care of our dog, housesitting, etcetera, etcetera. Loads and loads of things, really.

Thank you, Family, for being there for me.

I have more homework to do so I have to leave. Now.

I'm sorry if I haven't had as entertaining (read: photo-laden) posts lately. I will try to make up for it next week.

Until then, this (un?)faithful correspondent will go back to filming in borrowed clothes.

8 Facts

2008-11-26T22:49:00.004+08:00

This is the first night I've been home since Angkong (my paternal grandfather) died. It's been a strange and crazy time, but it's getting better. Our family's crying sessions have lessened, and we're all laughing again. My sleeping habits have also been improving which means I won't be late for class anymore.

But we still remember in good ways. I miss him a lot, and looking at my mourning clothes reminds me not to forget the memories.

As a result of the exhaustion, I haven't been able to take any food trips or pictures lately. I did eat some sea cucumber last night, but that didn't seem very blog-worthy. Then here came Chunks with a blog meme, and so I've got something to post this week!

The tag rules are as follows:

1) Each player starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.
2) People who are tagged need to write in their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3) At the end of your blog post tag eight people and list their names.
4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged and to read your blog.

1) I'm slightly obsessive compulsive. I arrange books in bookstores in alphabetical order, and fold clothes into similarly colored piles in department stores. I also don't like different foods on my plate to touch each other. Realizing these are all pretty neurotic urges and deliberately keeping them at bay makes me normal though.

Our department chair over at my university did mention a lot of Chemical Engineering students are obsessive compulsive. That's pretty strange.

2) My dreams are like a television series; there are continual episodes. Like I'll dream of three old ladies telling me of my true superhuman self one night. Then the next night, I'll dream buildings blow up and I'm doing extremely cool things. The night after, I'll dream of having an identity crisis as the baddies take my family hostage. And so on... These dreams can go on for weeks. I can write books on them.

Lora has mentioned I must be a sister of the main character of her web comic The Dreamer (click the link on Lora's name to see it).

3) I knit a lot. I have yarn stashes all over my room and projects on the back burner. I'm knitting a large stuffed toy at the moment.

4) I play the violin, the piano, and the guitar. But the violin's my favorite; I play two or three times a week at church. I also play at weddings.

5) My three favorite foods are my maternal grandmother's pork rib soup straight from the slow cooker, spicy beef soup with rice from this Japanese restaurant about twenty minutes away from home, and Shakey's Mojo potatoes.

said spicy beef soup, yum!

and my beloved Mojos

Returning readers should know by now that I love food.

6) My mental age is one hundred years old. That's what my cousins like to say anyway. They call me The Dowager.

In direct contrast, they say my nineteen-year-old sister is five years old in her head. They call her Princess.

Yes, it's a running joke.

7) I really really REALLY love to read. I've carried a book with me everywhere since the librarian let me bring library books to the playground back in kindergarten. I've read about eighty and counting this year, and more than a thousand --- someone asked me to estimate the number once --- my whole life.

8) I don't like sweets; I never even liked candy as a child. These days, the only chocolate I eat --- and not even that often, for that matter --- is dark chocolate. I don't even enjoy eating ice cream. When my family goes to the ice cream parlor, I order a rice meal while everyone gets banana splits.

Who to tag? Hm...

Henri, Claire, Joni, Cookie, Vandana, and Kat.

It's not eight, I know, but the people I usually tag were the ones who tagged me!

Anyone else I haven't tagged who wants to try it may do so, of course. And the ones I tagged are not required to really do it if they're too busy.

I guess the post ends here for the week. Take care, everyone!

Grieving

2008-11-18T00:51:00.004+08:00

My cousins and I in our white clothes with black mourning pins.

Angkong's (my paternal grandfather: see last post) buried now so in a sense, it's over. And yet it seems like the grieving's barely begun.

Lots have happened since my last post. The family's all so tired but also very overwhelmed by --- as my uncle phrased it --- "the outpouring of affection". Less than thirty minutes after Angkong died, we had to pull out the phone at the house because people kept calling past midnight to offer condolences. More than a hundred flower arrangements arrived for my Angkong before our own flowers for his coffin could even be delivered. We still wonder how everyone found out so quickly; the obituary almost seemed like an after-thought.

And the people who attended the burial and the services each night... We'd made the whole thing simple but the services were standing room up to the funeral parlor's parking lot. My uncle always said Angkong was rich in friends; we didn't realize how true that was. People just kept surprising us from those that cried for him though they weren't family relations to those that attended the services from all over the world. I have a wonderful memory of a quiet Japanese man who sat in the kitchen during the services because there was no room, and came to pay his respects from his home country just because "it was right". I'm also reminded of a lady that told me my grandfather had character, and a friend who'd met him only once but visited because our love for our Angkong made an impression on him.

So many sad and happy tidbits intertwined from that occasion. I just wanted to thank all those people for supporting us the way they did. And for still supporting us now when we have to pick up the pieces. It's bittersweet to put on our white clothes every day, and almost embarrassing to cry over the silliest things that just remind us of him. For instance, I cried when I received my new Chemical Engineering textbooks for the semester because I remembered how proud Angkong was that I was getting an education.

We're also getting pretty busy with keeping my Ama --- grandmother --- company. Cheering her up is practically a full-time occupation. I find myself hurrying to finish studying during free breaks in school so I can zip by my grandmother's house at night. Though our whole family's actually pretty low these days. We joke, laugh, and enjoy being close to each other, but we all will have to comfort each other in the days ahead.

Then there are the traditions: I think I'll be wearing white in all my blog pictures until next year, and no reader will see me in red until 2011.

I feel like I'm sort-of babbling now but I guess it's my way of coping. I know he's happy in heaven, but we all miss him. We were all blessedly close to him, and we're thankful for that. Some people might not understand that --- my cousin's still a bit sore about her classmate informing her that a dead grandfather wasn't such a big deal to cry about --- but that just makes this whole experience a bit dearer.

This is getting pretty long, and I'm feeling tired so I guess I'll go now. Hope you guys are all doing well. Keep happy!

My Angkong

2008-11-08T11:09:00.001+08:00

No internet at home for a week so I broke down and went to my cousin's house to blog on his laptop. Sorry for the long wait, all. Here's the post I was supposed to post last Friday (yesterday):

I was planning to post on the trip I've just taken, but that'll have to wait. Things happen. Like Angkong --- the Chinese name for my paternal grandfather --- dying at 9:56 pm last night. November 6, 2008.

It was so sudden. But then, in a sense, it wasn't. My Angkong's been bedridden after a stroke about eight years ago. That didn't stop my uncles and my Dad from getting him to enjoy life though. We brought him on a trip to see his roots in China about three years back. I can still remember how happy he was, and how my Dad and uncles would crawl with him on their backs to get him to a First Class airplane seat without a wheelchair.

But I'm digressing. I've been doing that a lot; I guess I'm just tired. My eyes are still a bit swollen and my head's pounding slightly. I keep misplacing things today, and I've suddenly gotten this huge appetite (which often happens when I'm tired).

My Angkong was an amazing person. He migrated to this country alone as a kid during the beginning of the Communist era in China. He worked and sent money home. He subsisted on bats and cats, and hid from war planes during the Second World War. He worked hard, and loved to learn. I mean, he adored it when I corrected his English. I never heard any "I'm-much-older-than-you-I-know-much-better" monologues from him, just thanks for helping him get the words right.

Not that he was perfect, you understand. Far from it. But in the end, he loved us all loads.

My family is glad he isn't suffering anymore, that he's in heaven looking down on us and feeling the youngest he's been in years. Listening to his breath rattle and watching him struggle was difficult. And we're also glad we've spent so much time with him through the years. There were no real regrets; just memories.

For instance, he was the first and only person I told that I was the high school valedictorian before my graduation; my parents and everyone else only found out during the ceremony. I remember what a kick he got out of that; he laughed through the tubes attached to his neck.

I remember loads of things from last night. Some are inconsequential like my aunt wearing Lee jeans. Others are sadder like my Dad, who'd gone on a business trip, crying and telling me "I don't know why I'm here!" over the phone when he couldn't catch a flight home. Then there was my uncle just arrived from a delayed plane trip and running in to hug Angkong and burst into tears. The wailing from forty people crowded around the bed when we all realized Angkong had died. And my hysterical Ama --- Chinese for paternal grandmother --- being pulled off the dead body.

My mind is spinning, but there's still so much to do. Old pictures to go through for the wake, a full white wardrobe to get for the next few days of mourning (a Chinese tradition), eulogies to write, and people to comfort. And on top of it all, school.

But I know we'll be okay. We'll live, and work, and do our best. I suddenly remember how happy he was that I'd taken Chemical Engineering, and I know he'll keep being proud of me. And one day, I'll get to see him again.

Until next time then.

Words Are Not Enough

2008-10-28T02:22:00.010+08:00

I'm actually beginning the third week of my semestral break now. And I haven't mentioned it because it's overwhelming to post about. Overwhelming in the sense that I've been doing so much stuff every day, and it's just hard to keep posting about it with pictures and whatnot.

Plus I got this strange feeling every time I tried typing stuff: I felt like I was just repeating myself. I couldn't find new ways to describe what I'd been eating, and doing, and who I'd been seeing. And I dislike repeating myself.

Thus, I just decided to summarize my past two weeks with some well-placed photos. And so, here it is!

My semestral break has been awesome so far. I've been bumming on the beach --- which is clear by my previous posts --- and have been there multiple times with different people.

One of my favorite things these days is to lie on a lounge chair in the stifling heat and fall asleep.

I didn't want to keep repeating myself every single time I went to the beach, so here are some photos that speak for themselves.

I was actually staying in at a nearby hotel with my Mom and sister. It was fun. Not to mention the hotel had a humongous breakfast spread.

I ate all that and then some.

Another favorite thing I've acquired is eating breakfast with honey and drizzling the sticky sweet substance on almost everything: my tea, pastries, breads, oatmeal...

And speaking of food, I decided to just round up some photos of the more memorable eating experiences of the past two weeks.

Japanese bacon roll thingamajigs

These weren't that great for me, but I'm not a bacon lover. Those who were with me who did like bacon said it was awesome though. And the picture made it look pretty delicious, thus its inclusion here.

Beef steak my friends and I had on another beach

The steak wasn't perfect but it was delicious. I guess it had something to do with where we were eating too: under a beach umbrella with the sea breeze going through my hair and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. I think most everything would taste good while eating at such a setting.

An accidental feast cooked up with college friends

"Whose birthday is it?" my friend, Cookie, wanted to know. We were supposed to just be making ourselves pizzas. Then someone contributed the linguine, and another brought the drinks, and another brought the fried rolls, and another brought the fresh chickens, and another... You get the idea.

We couldn't finish the food but we had fun trying.

Speaking of friends, I got to catch up with lots of them over the break.

Angel, a buddy since Daphy (my sister who is also in this picture) was born, and I got to catch up.

We missed each other. Angel's real busy becoming the World's Greatest Nurse and that sometimes means not leaving her schoolbooks for weeks at a time. It was cool to get to talk.

April, another childhood friend and secret(?) blog reader

April and I were classmates / schoolmates in six of the seven schools I've attended throughout my twenty or so years. We're not classmates anymore, but we still try to do stuff (read: eat or watch videos) when we have the time.

Then there were my college friends...

...who went swimming! We also swam another time which I'll elaborate on when I get the pictures --- *cough* when my friend, Henri e-mails them *cough* --- but suffice to say, I have acquired a tan.

We ate out too.

Me and Henri

We both went out today with my sister and a cousin to watch --- go ahead and roll your eyes at us old biddies --- High School Musical 3. It was corny but fun. The sort of movie that's just very feel-good without trying to be high-brow (which is why I didn't take the bad reviews too seriously). The songs were cool, the dances were wild, and we laughed ourselves silly a number of times.

We also laughed about how we seemed to be the only non-minors in the theater. We had half a mind to get Daphy acting like an eleven-year-old and pretending we were babysitters.

Daphy and I also went shopping.

We tried on a lot of clothes, and enjoyed walking around the malls without any real purpose. Though we did make a huge dent in our Christmas shopping list.

And lastly, I worked on a short story.

It isn't finished yet --- still lots of kinks to be edited out --- but it was something different and fun to do. I won't talk about it much unless it comes to anything in the future, but I'm glad I got to create characters and make them do things in my head.

I did do lots of other stuff but these are the more relevant parts.

And now I'm so sleepy that my eyes won't see straight. I'm going to bed.

By the way, will be on a trip for the next ten days or so. I'll post on it when I get back. Bye!

A Very Chinese Dinner

2008-10-24T16:36:00.008+08:00

I haven't blogged per my usual schedule because I'm overwhelmed. I have so much I want to post about, and so many pictures to edit that I just shut down and don't feel like doing it anymore.

A real procrastinator, that's what I am.

So all the pictures in my "to blog" folder have been eating at me so here I am.

I've been posting a lot on food lately so I started thinking about what kinds of food people would find interesting to look at. I checked my statistics and since most visitors here are from America, I figured a normal meal had by my very Chinese self would interest most of you.

And so let's continue, dear Reader, with this very Chinese dinner I partook of with wooden chopsticks.

My uncle and the pretty dishes.

Daphy (my sister) and my Mom were also around.

And let me introduce you to my aunt and my maternal grandmother.

We all just wanted to spend some time together, and well, eating's a good excuse as any.

It was a cool restaurant.

It was in a hotel nearby and very authentic. We were looking forward to the food. We started with the appetizers.

Crunchy cucumber sticks with garlic and minced spicy chicken.

My grandmother announced that the cucumber sticks were delicious. I agreed, but preferred the spicy chicken.

Then came the soup.

Minced beef with tofu

The soup was great. The beef added flavor, and the tofu was nice and chewy. I don't really like tofu, so the fact that I liked the soup is saying something.

Roasted chicken in rose wine

I didn't have much to say about the chicken but it was all right. Maybe we should have gotten the Hainanese chicken my mother originally suggested...

Sweet and sour pork

The pork wasn't the usual dimsum style. It was crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. The sauce was just tangy enough, and it was pretty good overall. We even ate the pineapple bits and onion rings that came along with it.

Vegetables with yam, I think

I say I think because in my bout of procrastination, dear Reader, I've forgotten this dish's exact name on the menu. I do remember it was a vegetarian dish though. The pastry crust --- sort of the kind you find on spring rolls --- was perfectly browned and not too oily. The vegetables were a good combo and created an interesting flavor.

Noodles with beef

I had doubts about including this dish because it didn't look too good. It was really delicious though so I guess that could make up for it.

Cod fish fillet

This was the unanimously favored dish of the night. The fish disappeared pretty quickly and who could blame us? The fillet was chewy inside and not dry at all (my one great peeve with fried fish fillets). The outer crust was a bit crumbly and almost crunchy. The sauce was also pretty good.

We were getting full but no one thought of missing dessert.

Coconut ice cream with chocolate syrup and whatnot

I'm not sure how this tasted since I dislike coconut. My sister said it was fabulous though.

Mango with pearl sago

This is the usual dessert in Chinese parties. For those who don't know what sago is, I linked that term to Wikipedia. It's a bit like tapioca if that helps. We usually include vanilla ice cream and mango puree with it.

It's really delicious. The mango flavor is great and the ice cream makes it creamy.

Red bean cakes

These were also pretty cool. They had an unsurprisingly beany taste with really cool cream.

After being stuffed, we comforted our bloated tummies with oolong tea.

Check out the glass --- or maybe it's glass-looking fiber? --- teapot.

I think I drank a whole teapot of it by myself and paid for it by increased trips to the bathroom.

The meal was worth it though. I like having Chinese meals now and then to remember my heritage. Though my cousins and I do get a bit sick of it sometimes: that's when we convince our grandmother to just get us pizza!

Another Memorable Meal

2008-10-13T19:43:00.006+08:00

I wasn't going to post about this anymore but I can't seem to help myself. It was a memorable meal. Maybe I'm just food-fixated but most of my meals are memorable to me.

My sister once said it might have something to do with our being Chinese and how food-oriented our culture is.

I mean, most Chinese I know are very interested in eating and food in general. It's not unheard of for Chinese families to be celebrating birthdays by eating out without the celebrants. My own family had a great lunch party once for my aunt's birthday. Seeing as she was in the United States at the time, she definitely wasn't with us so we sensitively called her in the middle of the meal to offer our best wishes and tell her what we were doing.

Cultural quirks aside, my Mom, my sister, and I moseyed over to a restaurant for some food last Wednesday. And the food was good!

Their paella's so pretty.

Paella's a famous Spanish dish with seafood, vegetables, and golden yellow rice. Since the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish, it's a very familiar food to eat in a restaurant or cook at home.

This particular paella was delicious. The seafood was chewy without being fishy, and the rice was flavorful. It tasted a bit like broth but was a little sweet too.

Happy with my dish, thanks.

That caption was my reply when the waiter asked me if I had a great meal. I think he'd have keeled over if I'd waved my hands in the air and described the gastronomical delights my stomach went into, so I opted for a more understated reply.

My sister was happy too!

She got grilled chops that I've already rhapsodized about enough on a previous post so I won't repeat myself. Suffice to say, it was amazing and I had to tie myself up into knots so I wouldn't order it again and miss trying something new.

The third member of our party.

My Mom was happy as well. Her ribs came out nicely.

But they were a bit harder than I was used to.

I prefer ribs with the meat falling off the bones but that's just me. The sauce was smoky and delicious though.

And who could forget dessert?

It said panna cotta with raspberry sauce on the menu but it tasted more like panna cotta with strawberry jam. No complaints here since strawberry jam's one of my favorite things to eat.

So that was it. Our meal.

I'll stop now. If my descriptions are more enthusiastic than usual, it's because my stomach's grumbling as I type. We have dinner with my parents when they get off work, and it'll be a while yet so... yes, I'm really hungry. Maybe I'll pop downstairs for a banana or something.

Until later!

Meme!

2008-10-06T23:29:00.004+08:00

Ooh, a new post so soon after my last one! :D It's a meme I got off Linda; it seemed really fun.

Here goes nothing!

1.My uncle once: Dressed up as Maria from The Sound of Music for a "let's-pretend-to-be-female" beauty pageant.

2. Never in my life have I: Been able to balance on a bicycle without training wheels.

3. When I was five my parents: Worked sixteen to twenty hours daily.

4. High school was: An unusual experience since I moved to a new school three years out of the four. I was editor-in-chief of two school papers and had my photo in more than one yearbook!

5. I will never forget to: I don't know. I forget a lot of things these days (e.g. forgot to eat breakfast and lunch today).

6. Once I met: Wee Kim Wee (former president of Singapore) and he showed me how to be truly humble.

7. There’s this boy I know: Who has the most charming personality but literally bites his classmates.

8. Once, at a bar, I: Shot a video for a project on Character Building.

9. By noon, I’m: In any number of places --- sleeping if studied late, studying if not sleeping, out with people, but never eating.

11. If only I had: The ability to balance my life down pat.

12. Next time I go to church: I will bring my pastor some stuff from my Mom.

13. What worries me most is that I: have a huge exam tomorrow that I have studied for but am not confident about getting a good grade on.

14. When I turn my head left I see: My sister going through photos on some networking site.

15. When I turn my head right I see: My schedule for studying during my coming week of final exams.

16. You know I’m lying when I: Tell you that I have it all together.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: Some of the music.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Portia from The Merchant of Venice.

19. By this time next year I will: Hopefully be wrapping up my college education to be a Chemical Engineer and preparing to take another degree.

20. A better name for me would be: Mother.

21. I have a hard time understanding: The implications of charts and graphs in my Chemical Engineering majors.

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: Be more serious about understanding my studies and not just getting good grades. (I'm still in school but I'm talking about my earlier years.)

23. You know I like you if I: Tell you so.

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: God for the right circumstances to get it and the capacity to do so.

25. Take my advice, never: Say never, or you'll eat a pie of crow. I spent years saying I would never take Chemical Engineering in college, and well... look at me now!

So that's it. :D Bye!

I Did Nothing & It Was Fun

2008-10-06T01:06:00.007+08:00

I've been pretty stressed lately, and it's been coming out in various sicknesses (e.g. insomnia, cough, colds), lower grades --- it's hard to ace an exam with a fever and a migraine --- and a pretty large weight loss. I realized I had to learn to make time to relax if I wanted to enjoy life at my best. And get better grades for that matter.

So when my Mom suggested we go to a resort, it seemed the perfect way to get back on track.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Thank you, Mom.

I wasn't the only one who needed to rest either.

I'm so glad Dad's snoozing after replying to a truckload of emails.

Daphy (my sister) brought along her friend, Ian. He may show up on this blog occasionally so I thought I'd introduce him. Or let Daphy introduce him anyway.

Daphy: Hi, this is Ian and we're having lunch under a cool hut.

said cool hut behind a psychedelic boat

I did have to study, and ended up bringing my laptop. I worked pretty quickly at it though so I could practice a newly acquired hobby.

Which is the art of doing nothing.

I don't know what it is about a beach that makes you want to doze on chairs while the sea breezes waft about you. It makes me so lazy. That wasn't a bad thing either considering my aforementioned desire to relax.

I floated around the ocean until my fingers pruned.

It was wonderful. I noticed a lot of foreigners enjoying the beach, and that's when I learned to really appreciate living on a tropical island. I mean, I went swimming a whole lot as a kid, but it's different experiencing it as a grown-up and realizing how lucky you are to be doing it.

I thanked God for the sun, the white sand, the clear skies, the friendly beach people around me, the warm water, and the fact that the beach is about a twenty-minute drive from my house.

God is so good to me. It's funny how I want to see exotic places and forget I'm living in a natural paradise. I guess we all get that feeling sometimes: taking for granted the things we have and the place we live in.

my fresh Four Seasons juice: yum!

and people to enjoy my juice with

It was so cool to slow down and realize my life is not ruled by how much I do everyday and whether I've finished my daily to-do list or not. I should be responsible but I have to remember to have fun too.

We eventually went home.

But not before learning some lessons about gratitude and squeezing the most out of life. And not before curing my stress symptoms, and being able to start over with a healthy slate.

As I get into gear for my final exams this week, I'm reminded to pace myself and take it easy. I am so glad I had a break before that.

Antfestation!

2008-09-29T00:22:00.004+08:00

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah hurrah...

I don't know who actually wrote that song lyric I used as a caption up there (Note: I googled it but couldn't find anyone to credit but my cousin who sings it to me quite often.), but it seemed appropriate.

It all started with our dog, Reese, and his hobby of eating the grout keeping our bathroom tiles together. We've scolded him and sassed him to no avail; those gritty cement-like things somehow find their way into his diet when we aren't looking.

Because of this, Reese has opened up parts of our bathroom wall and floor. And because of this, the ants have come out to bravely explore our world. They run about our sink and under our toiletries. They eat Reese's food. They're even crawling on my laptop's screen as I write this post.

I don't feel like killing them since they aren't trying to bite me.

On the other hand, Daphy (my sister) has been killing as many of these little --- and I quote my Mom here --- "helpless pitiful things" as she can. I can't really blame her though since she's had the more unusual pest experiences since this ant struggle has started.

Once she was washing her hands at the sink when she accidentally splashed water in a hole under our faucet. The hole, by the way, seems to be some design thingamajig of some sort. Anyway, she splashed water in and a large regiment of really big black ants came out and ran around the whole sink. She killed them and left their carcasses on the sink as a warning to other ants to leave the area.

Yes, she actually said that last sentence.

She also looked out the bathroom window last week, and scared herself by encountering the same kind of ants crawling all over the screen. Now, the bathroom window being quite high and me being two inches shorter than Daphy kept me from having the same experience.

At least Daphy has turned to pesticides in her anti-"ants in the house" stand, and it has resulted in less ant attacks and more dead bodies lying around the floor. She's gotten the holes in the bathroom plugged as well.

I hope the ants are smart enough to retreat to greener pastures in our backyard.

Something Yummy

2008-09-24T20:43:00.003+08:00

I haven't been able to post on a Wednesday in ages.

That I actually did it today bodes well for my blog. :D

Look what I found!

If you like to cook --- like me --- and like learning the technical side of how food turns out the way it does --- me again --- then Cooking For Engineers will be interesting.

I've read a few posts from different sections, and it's pretty cool. It reminds me I really have to finish reading On Food and Cooking soon...

Some recipes I'm planning to try off the site include Ratatouille (which I recently had in a hotel last Sunday), Dark Chocolate Brownies, and Biscotti (My Dad's favorite, and thus a surprise for him. If you know him, please don't squeal!).

So that's about it. I'll be back to doing a project for my Psychology class. It's pretty interesting, and will probably be mentioned here when it's done. :D

Until Sunday then!

Italian, Please

2008-09-21T18:11:00.003+08:00

I haven't written a food post in a while. I guess it's because I got out of the habit of taking pictures of the dishes I'm eating.

A friend noticed though, and got me taking them again.

In short, this is a food post.

A few friends and I went out for dinner last Friday. We decided Italian food agreed with us.

Henri and me like the food.

Joni and Suy2 are enjoying the food too.

We had different pastas and other sumptuous choices.

Henri's bacon carbonara thingy

my amazing AMAZING grilled chops with herbed rice

There was a lot of rice, by the way. About half the plate. But that didn't mean I got tired of its herby goodness. The meat was quite soft as well.

In short, it was perfect.

And of course, what's Italian food without...

the prerequisite spaghetti bolognese with meatballs?

Everyone was happily full. But we just had to have dessert anyway. There's always room for dessert, after all.

mango panna cotta

We couldn't finish our Garlic Mushroom appetizer though. In the end, we broke the cardinal rule: Never play with your food.

Our veggies are smiling at you!

The pictures speak for themselves but dinner was fun! We don't often go out so we enjoyed it loads.

The Six (or Seven) Have A Sleepover

2008-09-14T18:26:00.007+08:00

That title sounds like one of those Enid Blyton books.

So let's start with The Six (yes, with a capital T). Why The Six? That's the name an international airline gave my sister, me, and my cousins when we travelled to the United States by ourselves last year. They were apparently on a minor alert over a group of kids flying globally with the oldest (me) being only 19 years old.

Guess they thought we'd be taken advantage of or that I was a hapless leader.

So once at the gate where we'd board the plane, an airline employee came up to us and asked solemnly "Are you The Six?"

Since those cousins became my pseudo-siblings in the long run, the name stuck.

We are also occasionally The Seven because one cousin we were all extremely close to couldn't come on that trip. Thus, background information done, The Seven had an amazing beach sleepover.

Yes, we took the time to take pictures.

It all started with everyone admitting we missed each other. We had gotten really busy the past month with schoolwork, and hadn't really talked in ages.

So when my amazing Mom suggested we could go to the beach parent-free --- it's interesting how coming back from America unscathed leads to more freedom to be alone on shorter trips --- everyone jumped in the wagon.

We brought some movies to see that night, and lots of junk food.

Jonny says Doritos ROCK!

We thoroughly enjoyed the psychological horror movie we'd brought. We enjoyed the next very teeny un-horror movie even more since it got rid of any scary after-"horror movie" feelings.

And because this was a sleepover...

Secrets were spilled. Shh! (Caption by my sister, by the way)

We slept really late, and woke up to a huge breakfast that we had to cook first.

Chrissy, chief cook

Those hand signs are absolutely necessary in the making of delicious pancakes.

Because this was a beach, there was also the swimming, of course.

The boys get very wet.

The girls sit pretty instead.

We had a great time! There were tons of laughs, and new inside jokes made.

I love The Six (or Seven) loads for bringing out both my parental instincts and my sillier side.

I leave you, dear Reader, with this picture.

I wonder if this is what navel-gazing actually means.

And no, my cousin wasn't spaced out. Daphy (my sister) told him not to look at the camera so he figured his stomach was as good a place to look at as any.

'Til next time then!

Quoted Tidbits

2008-09-03T18:57:00.002+08:00

Lots of little things happened after I got back from another trip two weeks ago. They're all too short to make into individual posts, so they will now be mishmashed into a list of tidbits. In chronological order.

Airport

Daphy (my sister) and I sat by each other a bit of time after my birthday.

Daphy: "You know, our cousins and I thought of giving you a gift."

Daisy: "Really?"

Daphy: "Yup. We thought of money since you'd probably save it for some internet shopping thing."

Daisy: "Cool."

Daphy: "Except, because we're all kids, all the money we came up with was PhP 300 (US$7)."

Daisy: "Oh."

Suffice to say, they decided not to give me the money. It was a cute intention though; it's the thought that counts.

Adam, a good friend, and I went on our bi-annual / occasionally tri-annual lunch out to catch up on things. So there we sat, laughing and eating when the waiter plunked a large glass of iced tea on the table.

"Free for you and your girlfriend," he said. He walked away, leaving a slightly awkward and hilarious silence.

"OK," Adam said. "I think I'm going to blush."

Two single people mistaken for a couple in such an er, interesting way. Who wouldn't blush?

At least the iced tea was free.

Chrisy over the weekend: "Jonas Brothers! JoBros!" X 1000000 times

Yes, my cousin is a fan of that band. We bonded by listening to the brothers' songs over and over, and dancing on the bed. Daphy, sleeping on one end of that bed, kicked me when it got too annoying.

Daphy and I sat in the car waiting for the stoplight to turn green. Then we saw a person throw trash on the road.

"Littering," Daphy says eerily. "May God smite you!"

Enough said.

I sat on the floor rubbing my dog's tummy when a medium-sized cream-colored spider came out of my shirt and hung on the collar.

Me: "Oh frick!"

The spider was actually on my classmate's bag back in class. How it came home with me without being seen before then is beyond me.

I think I might have picked up that expression of surprise from the Maximum Ride trilogy I just finished reading. For anyone who's looking for a good read, those books were incredibly awesome: great plot twists, appropriate teen angst, and very human characters. Reading them was a real ride!

So that's about it. Thanks to all the well-wishers, by the way. I'm feeling loads better!

Until next time then!

The Long Silence

2008-08-31T23:23:00.002+08:00

......

......

Or, in other words, "the complete lack of posts that is so unlike me".

I was just really tired. I caught up on sleep, did homework, and read a lot of books.

And I took another trip over the weekend.

Sorry, internet.

I was just... tired. There's no other word to describe it. I didn't feel like doing much anything, and my whole routine went out of whack.

I guess I just need a rest.

It all started with a bad migraine that went on for weeks. Not being a sick kind of person --- I'm healthy as a horse, even --- it bowled me over. I missed a few classes, bombed on exams when my Advil (headache medicine) wasn't working, and even missed church.

I'm feeling better though, thank God.

Hopefully, my posts will be normal again.

A Lovely Night

2008-08-18T23:41:00.010+08:00

I remember mentioning in my last post that I'd update on Sunday. Except I forgot a teeny-tiny detail: I wouldn't be here on Sunday.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Manila (our country's capital) about an hour ago. And why was I there, dear Reader?

Because my parents sprung the most amazing twenty-first --- or twenteen-first, as my cousins like to say --- birthday present on me:

The chance to see a Broadway-standard stage play version of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella...

with my sister (my partner-in-crime when watching great musical stage plays)...

and Mom...

and many other friends...

and with all the memorabilia as souvenirs.

To quote the play, it was...

"A lovely night, a lovely night
A finer night you know you'll never see..."
A Lovely Night from Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella

The play was awesome. The effects, costumes, and backdrops were imaginative. The voices of the characters were perfect for their roles. I loved how the people onstage could act while they were singing: the Prince's voice breaking like he was going to cry while singing a sad song, Cinderella pretending to be happy while singing a hopeful song (and how you could see she was pretending to be happy), and other little things like that. There was also a lot of unexpected humor.

One of my favorites was when the stepmother / aspiring mother-in-law-of-the-Prince quipped "Let's pray the Prince is stupider than he looks" after her daughters' lack of ladylike qualities became clear. Then one of the deluded stepdaughters went down on her knees, and started to pray very fervently that the Lord would "please, please, PLEASE let the Prince be stupider than he looks!"

It was the most unexpected and perfect gift my parents could give me.

I guess it's because I don't see a lot of good musical stage plays. Broadway-style productions are a rarity in my country, and if ever they are done, they're usually hard to watch because I have to take a plane to the play's venue.

They definitely deserved the applause.

Thanks, Dad and Mom. And thanks to everyone who has greeted me! :D

That night will be another beautiful memory worth keeping.

Happy Birthday To Me

2008-08-18T23:40:00.000+08:00

I am so doggone tired that my eyes are starting to close by themselves.

I haven't slept much because I've been on a cool weekend trip I can't get into right now.

Because:

1) my birthday's ending --- I have to sleep

2) I just arrived off a plane two hours ago, and I'm tired

3) I'm just really tired.

I mean, look at me, I'm repeating myself.

I will replace this with a proper post on the trip by tomorrow.

Just wanted to actually post something today though.

Good night, everybody. This newly twenty-one-year-old is going to bed.

Really Busy Week

2008-08-13T10:49:00.003+08:00

So where have I been?

a) hibernating on my study table

b) playing Nintendo DS with friends

c) thinking about the distribution of contraceptives

d) all of the above

I bet most people would bank their answers on a).

But no, it's actually d) all of the above.

First, the hibernating. I've gone through two or three sleepless nights since I last posted. I had to cut out almost everything else I was doing to catch up with school. Partly because schoolwork was really piling up; partly because of Elise.

She's the one in the middle.

It was worth it though to finally meet up with a good friend my sister and I haven't seen in eight years. The first words we all said were "We're so grown-up now!"

Which we were, considering that we were all tomboys last we saw each other. And now, well, Elise and I were wearing dresses.

We went out shopping --- which amused us since we never would have done so eight years back --- and just talked non-stop for a day and a half. In between eating and the few hours we slept, of course.

We also did a few of the same kiddie things though. We still had fun playing video games --- thus, the Nintendo DS --- and we still read a lot of books. It was a blast.

And now, she's back home half a world away. And we're all studying again.

Oh, and the contraceptives? That was a 26-page paper I was doing on reproductive health in the Philippines (read: one of the sleepless nights).

I guess that's about it for now. Until the next post (Sunday) then!

Joy

2008-08-03T22:39:00.004+08:00

I was having a short chat with Soham Das, a fellow Post to Post member, when he mentioned that his joy came from photography. I don't know many people who go around talking about their sources of joy, so that was pretty interesting.

And it got me thinking: what is my joy?

Aside from acting like a kid now and then.

1) My relationship with God. I can't explain the overwhelming happiness I get out of this. Knowing Someone up there loves me so much and will continue to do so no matter what I do is freeing. It's my reason for getting up each morning.

2) Learning Chemical Engineering things. I've chosen to be happy about every bit of information I can wring out of my college major. I'm learning new interesting things that force my mind to stretch its capacities. Yes, it's challenging and sometimes tiring. The positives outweigh the negatives though; what's not to like about that?

3) My family and friends. They strengthen me, and remind me to loosen up a little. They're just always there.

4) My pets. My dogs. My cat. The way animals get really excited about the little things --- like how my dogs will go crazy with excitement when I get home from school --- reminds me to enjoy every bit of life.

5) My graphic design hobby. I've always been passionate about my art. Even before I cracked open that 800-page Adobe Photoshop manual that led me to where I am now.

Making that list has made me even more grateful for the things I have now.

So, dear Reader. What's your joy?

Doodles Speak A Thousand Words

2008-07-28T08:41:00.004+08:00

I'm going to be real busy the rest of the day though, so I thought I'd update my blog before the craziness starts.

And since I can't say much --- class starts really soon --- I'll just post a few things I've drawn the past two days.

Anyway, this doodle describes what I've been doing in school better than words could ever say it.

I'm the knight with the angelic scientific calculator flying over my shoulder.

And yes, that's a monster pipe.

God has been very good to me though; I've had time to do other things as well.

Like draw little Japanese anime blobs (translate: chibis) for the bulletin board at school.

Yup, these are supposed to be my classmates.

I'm not sure if I got them right. Either way, it was an interesting exercise in using the vector tool in Photoshop.

I put them up in my deviantArt account since they turned out all right.

And now, I have to go. Class starts in a half-hour.

Until next time then!

A Break From Schoolwork

2008-07-23T19:11:00.004+08:00

I'm busy busy busy, but it's a happy kind of busy. I was getting a bit worried about what to post about since I didn't think anyone wanted to hear about my schoolwork all the time.

I mean, I read large textbooks, take notes, listen in class, and go through problem sets featuring flow with negligible energy dissipation and regular solution theory. If I write about that extensively, I think all you not-so-chemically-inclined readers will pass out.

Or lob rotten vegetables at me through the internet.

Anyway, I had a great break last Monday from all those happy but brain-frying activities. My family went to watch Mamma Mia! together. Aside from the fact that we haven't gone out with the family in a long time, we were also looking forward to it since we'd enjoyed the original play so much a few years back. I think my Mom even saw the play twice.

Here's the movie trailer.

It was fun. I'm not going to make a critique on its qualities (there are dozens of reviews ranging from the great to the terrible), but it just made me laugh so much.

The singing was also very enjoyable as a whole.

Not to mention Colin Firth is one of the actors whose movies I usually like.

And now it's back to schoolwork again! I'm really thankful that God gave me some time I could spend with my family.

Huzzah For Lora Innes!

2008-07-19T00:04:00.005+08:00

I was actually planning to post about something else (like why I didn't post last Wednesday like I was supposed to) but after checking out the weekly update of one of my most favorite self-published comic series in the world, I just had to say something about it.

You might have noticed that there's a link on the lowest part of this blog's right column with the words The Dreamer emblazoned on it. Ooh, you haven't? You have permission to scroll down to look at it then come back.

Anyway, that goes straight to a web comic I read every Friday. It's about a modern-day teenager who dreams (literally) of living another life almost three hundred years back. There's some conflict, drama, and the occasional war tragedy. The characters are also very lovable.

Well, with all that said...

The Dreamer's getting published!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Yes, that was a very uncalled-for fan girl moment.

Still. I'm getting excited just thinking about how I can actually hold my favorite comic in my hands some day soon. I'll be able to leaf through the pages and indulge in beautiful pictures that tell an unusual story.

I mean, really. How many comic books tell stories based in 1776 accurately?

I've always loved the history of the American Independence so that detail caught me quickly last year. And I've been hooked ever since.

Visit if you can!

I'm also especially happy for Lora Innes, the comic book's creator. She's put a lot into this comic even though it hadn't been making her money; she even quit her job.

And best of all, the comic's still going to be on the internet even after it's published. Huzzah!

Here's a cute and silly meme I did in support of the comic last week.

I'm just so happy for her, and for us readers, of course. I wish Lora and the rest of The Dreamer team all the best as they support Lora's dream as a comic book artist.

A Minor Prison Break

2008-07-13T15:43:00.003+08:00

Note: A short apology for the photo quality, dear Reader. Taking good photos wasn't the objective at that time.

You know those hidden object games where you look for things to get the plot going? The ones where you're shown a large pile of ~~junk~~ varied stuff worthy of any hoarder's stash, and expected to pick through the pieces.

Sort-of like I Spy or The Secret of Margrave Manor.

Well, have I got a hidden object game for you!

So what's wrong with this picture, hm?

It's actually pretty easy. Saw it, yet?

(Do not scroll down if you don't want to find out the answer.)

Hello, reptile.

This was the sight that greeted my sister and me as we headed out of the house last Saturday. Our house may be a veritable zoo, but like a zoo, most of the animals are in cages.

So how'd we react?

"Oh my gosh, isn't that a monitor lizard?"

"It is! What's it doing there?"

"Oh, if it falls, it'll scratch Mom's car!"

"What are we going to do? No one else is home!"

We then realized it was my Dad's lizard. It had been in pursuit of liberty before my sister caught it er, red-handed.

This made it even worse. We couldn't just leave and let said lizard go free like any other animal. It was a pet.

The household help couldn't do much since we didn't have any ladders high enough to reach it. Not to mention that no one wanted to touch its slippery body and menacing claws.

So we called in the reinforcements. In other words, my uncle (who lived nearby) and some of his employees.

The ladder is still too short.

With a few nets and longer ladders, the lizard did get down. Only to proceed on a high-speed chase.

I sadly cannot offer pictures of said chase since I was also on the run.

It then jumped into the closest fishpond --- I did tell you we had a zoo, dear Reader --- and squeezed into a hole in the artificial waterfalls.

Here Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy...

After a prodigious amount of poking, the lizard did get caught. We were all understandably relieved.

One of our maids mentioned how this was worse than finding my sister's python in a drawer a few years back (yet another story, dear Reader).

The whole debacle was a bit tiring --- we missed the appointment we were heading to --- but looking back, it was also kind-of funny.

Stuff happens, and when you live with extreme animal-lovers (like my Dad and my sister), animal antics become quite normal.

Learning / Panicking

2008-07-10T20:03:00.002+08:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted my usual Sunday post.

I've been learning material for my exams. My internet connection also conked out the past few days so there was no chance to post anything.

But never fear, dear Reader! I have things to say and pictures to go with them.

They'll have to be posted on Saturday though. I'm still knee-deep in Transport Phenomena, and getting pretty nervous too.

But I'm trying to keep calm because I don't want to freeze up while taking the exam.

Besides, I've been studying for this exam since last Monday. I guess I'll just be praying for guidance, and reviewing like crazy.

I hope I don't forget any formulas. And that I can imagine exactly how the insides of pipes look like.

Argh!

I'm happy though. I've been thinking a lot about my life, and I feel I'm in exactly the right place I should be right now.

I will write more soon!

Under The Weather

2008-07-03T18:37:00.004+08:00

I got sick.

I've been having the sniffles, the coughs, and other unmentionable things.

My standbys: tissue, a glass of water, and medicine

I also had to give up my breakfast cereal in normal milk because it's been making me even sicker. I had no idea I was mildly lactose-intolerant. I was allergic to cow's milk as a kid, but I thought I'd gotten over that.

Sigh.

Moving on from my inconsequential troubles, I'm not the only one who's gotten under the weather. Look what a typhoon did to this ship for starters. (You can read more about this here.)

Uh-huh, that's a capsized ship.
(Screenshot off news coverage in TV Patrol, a local news show.)

Loads of people are still missing; some people have lost their whole families on that ship. The unsuccessful rescue attempts and legal battles ensuing between the shipping company and the rest of the world are also depressing to read about.

I've actually ridden this particular vessel quite a few times with friends, so it's freaky to see it like that. I'm just so glad that no one I know was on the ship.

Though a good friend of mine did end up on another local ferry that collided with an oil tanker last week. Thankfully, she's fine though a bit shaken.

This all definitely doesn't put Philippine domestic transport in a good light. Hope things get better quickly.

I will post more when I feel a bit better. Take care, everyone!

The Lasagna Adventure

2008-06-26T11:30:00.008+08:00

I've often heard opinions on what college kids do. Apparently, normal college students go out a lot, party as much as possible, and study when they can't avoid it. They slog through college with passing grades because school is boring. Sometimes, they don't even show up for class.

I don't really know how other college kids act. Maybe popular opinion is wrong (which often happens) or it's just a stereotype. But if that's the way things are supposed to be, no thanks. I don't want to get into it. I'd rather be different.

I'm just happy I've ended up with friends who choose to be different too.

Here we are!
(L to R: Joni, me, Henri, Arn, and Cookie)

With the boyfriends this time.
(L to R: Teof, Suy2, Cookie, Hen, Arn, and Joni)

We've been doing pretty well so far and thought of going on another escapade. Among other things, we've flown kites and gone to the beach. So what should we do next?

Cook lasagna!

Arn, our resident cook, invited us to taste her lasagna dish. Joni's house happens to be the nearest house to our university, so we drove over with ingredients yesterday afternoon.

Me and Arn

Arn's a very happy cook.

Anyway, we all helped out with turning meat, tomatoes, spices, and a baguette into lasagna and garlic bread. I've never cooked lasagna before (my cooking hardly involves the oven) so I found it really interesting. I especially liked the layering bit.

Pasta squares on the bottom first.

Meat sauce on top.

Creamy cheesy concoction on top of that.

Pasta squares again. Rinse and repeat.

I've always been obsessively interested with how raw food turns into something totally different when cooked. Learning about how the molecules change their behavior when cooked fascinates me. Maybe that led to my inclination in Chemical Engineering?

Back to the lasagna though. Joni has made sure I won't forget this step.

Don't forget to pile on the cheese!

So the lasagna went in the oven. Being highly improvisational, Arn and Cookie didn't bother to time the baking. There wasn't even a recipe.

"We'll just check it from time to time," they said. "The smell tells if it's done."

As long as it isn't burnt, it's fine by me.

And now the garlic bread...

Suy2 and Joni think they turned out good.

Henri almost stole a piece.

With the lasagna cooking and the kitchen clean, we decided to kill some time. In other words, let's play some Wii.

Hen, Teof, Kie, and Joni on the couch

We laughed a lot, and enjoyed the games. My left arm is a bit sore today though.

Teof attempts to defend himself after missing a shot.

The games came to an end with the lasagna perfectly baked. We had to eat after all.

It was delicious.

And so ends another adventure. Times like these remind me to be grateful for the things I have, and the people I care about. I'm glad God put people in my life who don't need to smoke, drink, or do risky things to have fun.

It's cool being different.

Thoughts on "Techie"-ness

2008-06-22T14:19:00.006+08:00

Note: Apologies for the lateness of this post. A typhoon swept by my country and disconnected our internet connection for a while. It's back now though, and I'm blogging once more!

Technology's a funny thing. It's changed so much of what we do. Everyone would agree that the way our parents, their parents, and the rest of our forefathers lived is a far cry from the way we live today.

Like last Wednesday. I was in school --- no more summer vacation, you understand --- and had just sat through a Philosophy class. We had an hour-long break, and my classmates pulled out iPods, mobile phones, and other gadgets. Most memorable was the group of guys glued to a tiny television and rooting the Boston Celtics on in the fourth quarter of Game Six.

What the heck, I was rooting for them as well. I'm thrilled they finally won the championship!

But moving on, that pretty normal scene made me think about how dependent people are on technology today. Even me, for that matter. I don't leave home without my two mobile phones --- not unusual in my country --- and an iPod. I read books online, and I download study material my professors e-mail me. I draw, paint, blog, and mind-map on my computer as well.

It's just crazy.

a drawing of some of my gadgets in my journal

I still do a lot of things sans computer though. For instance, I'm more comfortable planning my schedule on a generic planner from the bookstore. I still draw in my sketchbooks and write in a journal by hand. I continue using Postits to fashion my To-Do lists for the day.

And my favorite thing in the world is going through a book on a rocking chair in our home library. I love the way I can turn a page, the way the words look on the paper, and the quiet atmosphere. I love how I can stay engrossed for hours (or until my dog steals one of my slippers).

But most of all, I love how reading the old-fashioned way reminds me that "techie"-ness isn't the be-all and end-all of existence. Just because all these bits and pieces of machinery make my life easier doesn't mean they should be my life. There are lots of things they could never replace: enjoying nature, talking face-to-face with family and friends, playing with my dog, and especially my relationship with God.

I think that's just pretty cool.

Because He Can't Eat Without You

2008-06-16T07:54:00.002+08:00

My cousins / pseudo-siblings are lounging about the bedroom as I type out this post. They're playing with the dog, trying out cartridges in our old Game Boy, and singing modified nursery rhymes. I can't help but laugh as I listen to them.

I love you, guys!

This brings to mind a conversation we were having a few weeks back. It all started when KD and Chrisy --- two of my cousins in case you were wondering --- decided to play mancala at lunchtime.

Ken, KD's big brother, then comes in from their house next door to make KD eat lunch with him.

"You're playing now?" Ken asked. KD looked up from where he was crouched on the floor.

"Yes. What's wrong with that?" KD answered. Jonny (Chrisy's brother) and I just watched them as we inhaled large amounts of spaghetti at Jonny's kitchen table.

"It's lunchtime! Come eat with me!"

"No."

"KD!"

"No, I'm not very hungry. You eat first if you like." KD stopped looking at Ken, and started concentrating on his mancala pieces.

"Please, KD!"

"You go first."

"But I'm hungry!"

"Go first!" Jonny and I were trying not to laugh. Ken started pacing around the mancala players.

"Your turn, KD," Chrisy announced as if Ken wasn't throwing daggers at KD with his glare. KD started putting his pieces into place.

"But I'll feel so alone," Ken admitted. There was an awkward pause before I started humming a sad song.

Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely...

Ken shook his head and left. The game continued without distractions while Jonny and I ate more spaghetti.

The front door then opened. Again.

"I thought you went first!"

"We have hotdogs, KD," Ken said in the manner of the Devil enticing a hapless passerby into sin.

KD shrugged.

"CHEESEDOGS!"

"OK, just eat first," KD said.

"But I might finish the food before you get back!"

"Then I'll eat something else." Suddenly, Chrisy started crowing like a hen that had just laid a basket of eggs.

"I'M WINNING! OH YEAH!"

"Aah!" KD shouted. Chrisy started cackling in a disturbing hag-like manner.

"Aah!" KD repeated. "I'm going home!"

"Yes!" Ken pumped his fist in the air.

"Or maybe not," KD added. "I'll beat you, Chris!"

"KD! Please!" KD looked at his brother in slight disgust. He then sighed.

"I'll be back after lunch," he announced. I just laughed.

"You know," Jonny called after them, "it's fun to eat alone. No one will make you diet."

"Uh-huh," I added. "You can eat everything, Ken!"

"Still!" Ken shot back before closing the front door.

Those same cousins are calling me down for dinner now, so I guess this ends my post. 'Til next time!

Summer's Last Stand a.k.a. CREPES!

2008-06-11T16:58:00.003+08:00

Angel, a friend I've had since my kindergarten days, got through a particularly trying year of her Nursing college course. After the special ceremony commemorating said milestone passed by, she decided to celebrate.

By treating a few relatives and close friends to delicious crepes.

some of the people we were with

Jill (a cousin), Angel, and Daphy (my sister)

They were seriously tasty; I got on a high from all the cream I lapped up.

my blueberry, mango, and Nutella crepe

I couldn't decided exactly which crepe I wanted so I made the shop put together all my favorites. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their dishes as well.

Daphy and her Rocky Road crepe

KD and his unknown crepe

By the time I got to KD for a picture, he'd eaten most of the toppings. I don't recall what he was eating.

Ken and his crepe

It was cool to go out together after not seeing Angel for quite a while. School had taken its toll apparently, but she's happy as can be. So were we; this is free food, after all. *wink wink*

That short friendly foodie adventure was just the thing to end of summer. We laughed, talked, and commiserated over how quick the summer had gone by.

School may be starting again --- it has started, in fact --- but I've got wonderful memories to go over as I go back to studying all over again.

To Iloilo I Went

2008-06-08T17:55:00.003+08:00

So. The trip.

I headed to Iloilo (another province in our country) for a special Bible conference last week.

the conference venue

It took a bit of time to get used to things. I guess that's the funny thing about the Philippines; every island seems like a whole other world. There are similar styles of dress and buildings, but people speak other dialects and eat in different ways. It was all so fascinating though, and fun to be somewhere new.

The area aside, I made new friends and caught up with a few old ones. The conference itself was also food for thought, and God spoke through it to everyone there.

some of the people I went to the conference with

my cousins and me

The conference was about seeking God in our lives. The topics ranged from having faith that God was in control to loving Him because He loves us.

One thing I needed to hear was about the world coming to an end. Scary, but true. The speaker reminded us how the Bible talks about the world coming to an end someday. It doesn't really matter when, but the fact we know it will happen means we should be prepared for it. He likened it to knowing your office building was going to collapse before it actually happened. Would we still go to work if we knew it would happen?

Or would we move to a new office and take everything valuable with us instead?

I thought that made a lot of sense. I mean, everyone knows the world will probably end someday. Prices keep rising --- has anyone filled up their car's gas tank lately and not shuddered about the increase? --- and people keep dying because of hunger, disease and increasingly severe natural disasters. Then there are those scientific findings on water shortage and global warming. It's all got to come to a head somehow. We just don't think it'll crash anytime soon, and life is too busy to think of things like that.

But if we really knew about how God loves us, we'd be crazy not to hold on to Him and invest in what's eternal. The speaker said investing in the world is empty. Say you work to become the richest guy in the world. What then? There's no meaning; that's why the richest people give most of their money away. When you die, you can't take anything with you.

This doesn't mean we all become hermits, of course, and sit around waiting for the sky to fall. It just means we choose to follow Him and do right for Him. We choose to love Him and trust that we'll be with Him someday in the best ending of all.

"If you don't see how much more wonderful God is than the rest of this world," the speaker announced, "then pray that you'll see it. The joy you get from God is so much more than anything else; it'll change your life. But you'll only know what I mean when you've tried it."

I can't write down everything we talked about, but God's love was just so overwhelming. People came back changed for the better. Seriously, I can't believe how different some people I went with are now.

Some have dropped bad habits. Kids have told surprised parents they would listen to them more. Others who were fighting have started getting along. And everyone's just the happiest I've ever seen them. It's pretty cool.

I'm really glad I got to go though I didn't take as many pictures as I'd have liked. I didn't get much down time because of stuff --- like playing violin for the meetings --- I'd promised to do. I did get photos of the cool ceiling in one of our rooms from a friend though.

And an amazing sunset we enjoyed while going back home.

The trip was really awesome, and I'm glad I got to go.

Be Sounds Almost Like Pee

2008-06-03T11:01:00.001+08:00

Note: I'm back! But the pictures from the trip aren't ready yet, so thought I'd just post a funny conversation we had on the trip. Take care!

The Main Characters
(Or Allie, Daphy, and me)

Allie sighed.

"I want to pee with someone," she announced. Daphy (my sister) and I looked at each other.

"Well," I ventured. "You could use that bottle over there if you don't feel like going to the bathroom. I'll volunteer to empty it first." We were on an overnight boat trip for a Bible conference in another part of the country. It was understandable why she didn't feel like using the public bathroom stalls. They didn't even have locks, and I had seen a few cockroaches the last time I used them.

Allie laughed, and hugged the bottle. She mimed sleeping beside the bottle. Daphy just looked at her thoughtfully.

"Seriously, if you really want to go to the bathroom, I could come," I offered.

"I could come too," Daphy added.

"But why would I want to go to the bathroom?" Allie asked.

"To pee," Daphy answered.

"Yeah, we'd go with you," I said.

"But I don't want to pee."

"What do you mean you don't want to pee?" Daphy asked. "You just said so."

"I didn't say I wanted to pee," Allie protested.

"Yes, you did."

"Uh-huh, just now!"

"No, I didn't!"

"You said you wanted to pee with someone!"

"No, I said I wanted to be with someone!"

There was a pause.

"Pee?" Daphy asked timidly.

"No, be. B. B. Beeeeeeee," Allie said. "I wanted to beee with someone. I don't like being alone."

"Oh, she wanted to be with someone," Daphy told me loudly. We thought about the whole debacle in silence.

"So that's why you told me to use the bottle," Allie mumbled.

We all started to laugh.

Matters Of The Heart?

2008-05-28T15:40:00.002+08:00

Note: A friend requested I post this particular experience since she said "it sounded like a scene from the movies."

It was raining. Hard.

I sat on the steps outside the school's laboratory, and watched muddy water swirl by in small streams. The rain pounded on the pavement like a drumbeat as my friends and I waited for our lab classes to start.

We didn't talk much. Rather, I didn't talk much and my friends talked with their respective boyfriends. Not that I minded; I liked having time to think to myself.

Someone padded --- or shall I say, splashed --- by and stopped in front of me. I looked up to see the school janitor struggling with a cart of wet paper. We often said hello to each other in the hallways; he knew my friends and me.

Before I could say anything, he parked the cart in the shade and plonked beside me.

"Whew! I've got to bring those papers across campus, but it's raining so hard," he said.

"I know! Is it okay if they get so wet?" I asked.

"It's fine; they'll just be recycled." The janitor looked up at the dull sky. "I think I'll wait for the rain to lighten up before I move on though."

We made small talk. Eventually, the conversation petered out as we took to watching the rain come down in droves. The janitor glanced at my friends and got a mischievous look on his face.

"So, they all seem to be getting serious now, huh?" I looked over at the couples, and nodded.

"That's good," he commented. "How about you? Have a boyfriend too?"

"No way!" I laughed out loud at the thought. "Well, not yet anyway."

"That's good too," he said. "There's no need to hurry."

"True," I mused. "There's still school to keep everyone busy."

"Seriously, you don't have to go looking for a boyfriend. You're fine without one." The rain was slowing down to a light drizzle.

"I am?" I grinned at the nature of our conversation. I mean, how often do I get to hear advice on my love life from the school janitor?

"Yep." He put out a hand to see if the rain had stopped. "If it's the right time, he'll come. And there's still a lot of time left for that."

"I guess so." I watched the janitor stand up and head for his cart.

"I'll be going now," he announced. "I might get to the next building before it rains hard again."

"I hope so. Hope you don't get too wet!" I saw my teacher coming toward the building from the other direction.

The cart's wheels squeaked as the janitor was in motion again. I waved goodbye, and stood up to go into class. I smiled at my beaming friends; they were content.

And I was content too.

Edit: Heading on a four-day trip tonight. You guys won't be hearing from me until next week. Keep happy!

Heard Of Sanctus Real?

2008-05-24T23:11:00.002+08:00

Chances are you don't know them. Every person I've asked doesn't, anyway.

Sanctus Real is my favorite band. They sing catchy songs with thoughtful lyrics, and just keep improving. Their lead singer, Matt Hammitt, has one of the clearest voices I've ever heard. His voice reminds me a little of Bono from the band U2.

Their background vocals and other instruments are cool as well. Finally, the lyrics are really easy to understand --- a big deal for me in my choice of rock bands. I'm very picky about lyrics.

Anyway, why am I talking about this? I guess it's because one of the songs off their latest album is lodged in my brain. It's actually been going through my subconscious since the album came out last February.

I'm not annoyed though since it's a pretty good song. Just wanted to share it with you guys!

We Need Each Other
(Sanctus Real)

I think I caught a glimpse of 
Life without friends 
Bitter, empty, hollow, dark and lonely 
We never meant to hurt each other
 So can't we trust again 
And take it as a chance 
To keep on growing

  I don't know why it doesn't come easy
 But I know that we could be happy
 If we'd only learn to love  

Oh oh we need each other
 So what's the fighting for 
Oh oh we need each other 
Please don't close the door
Oh oh we need each other 
Through all the highs and lows
 Oh oh we need each other
 'Cause no one's meant to live alone

  Life revolves around the need
 Of having someone 
Causing every complicated feeling 
Oh and I don't want to lose you 
And there is nothing wrong with 
Telling me what you need
 To keep our love strong  

It's just a part of being a family
 Taking the good with the bad  And the ugly
 If we could only learn to love  

Oh oh we need each other 
So what's the fighting for
 Oh oh we need each other
 Please don't close the door
 Oh oh we need each other
 Through all the highs and lows 
Oh oh we need each other
 'Cause I don't want to be alone  

Well I need you 
You need me
'Cause that's the way
 It's meant to be
 I need you 
We need each other 
I don't want to be alone (2x)

Climb Every Mountain

2008-05-21T11:23:00.003+08:00

"We're headed to a park in the mountains this Sunday," Ghe (or Abigail to you, dear Reader) said. "You want to come?"

Of course!

This led to another summer escapade with a bunch of friends from church. Specifically, it was Glynnis, Judy, Ghe, Miong (or Michael, depending), Patrick, Marlon, Ryan, and me.

Judy and me

Judy likes to think I'm her older sister --- which I'm not because I'm younger than her --- since I'm supposedly more mature than her. We get some laughs out of that.

Well, the weather was cool, the skies were wonderfully rain-free, and the view was awesome.

the city from where we were

The gadgets Ryan brought created a whole other dimension to the outing. I mean, just check out the light we used to cook dinner!

We all agreed that Miong resembled a surgeon with that thing on his head.

He also brought an unusual lamp, canned gas to light the grill, and some compact utensils. And let's not forget the little PSPs most of the group (read: the guys and Glynnis) whipped out.

"It figures. Even here, they just have to play video games!" Ghe grumbled good-naturedly.

They eventually kept their toys as we all helped grill the meat and various seafood.

Ghe cooks.

The food was delicious; everyone got pretty stuffed.

And the part I'll always remember? Us talking and laughing the rest of the night while hotdogs and marshmallows sizzled in the darkness.

It was cool.

Seen Iron Man Yet?

2008-05-08T18:22:00.003+08:00

This just popped into my head after seeing the movie.

Not that this superhero ever seemed to do chores in the movie. He was as rich as Croesus; his assistant did all the dry cleaning.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading Marvel comics as a kid. I didn't get to read a lot of issues --- a consequence of not living in America, I suppose --- but the ones I got to read fascinated me. I guess it's the whole superhero idea; it used to make my mind go on overdrive as a kid.

This led to me watching all the superhero movies that have come out in the past ten years or so. It also led to a bit of skepticism. I mean, how many of these movies can people come up with that are actually good?

Well, Iron Man was really good. The gadgets and effects were eye-popping (as they're supposed to be). It's just so cool watching the guy fly around, and his computer system was beyond my imagination.

Underneath is a pretty good story too. Some parts were a bit predictable, but the way the characters grew in the film was great. The acting was mostly top-notch --- Robert Downey, Jr. made Tony Stark a more likeable and real character --- and the storytelling was amazing. Nothing was boring, and there were subtle layers to a lot of the characters. There was also a lot of humor (and chemistry!) balancing darker parts of the film.

All I could say after watching that movie was WOW. It was an enjoyable ride. I occasionally forgot I was watching a movie; that's how cool it was. I recommend it for anyone who wants to see something fun.

I've Been Scribbling

2008-05-08T17:25:00.004+08:00

I'm embarrassed that I forgot to update my blog last Monday.

I got so excited over a shirt design I'm doing that I dropped some other activities. I've been sketching since last Sunday.

As a reward --- peace offering? --- for waiting around, dear Reader, here's how the uncolored draft looks like:

The concept goes "Sidekicks: Real Power Comes From God Alone".

It's actually for our church's Sunday School t-shirt. I've been tinkering a bit with the light rays and the bird's position. I hope to get this colored and sent for printing by next week.

I normally don't watermark my drawings --- they look better without my nickname emblazoned in big ugly letters --- but repeated thefts of my work have changed my mind. They were never a big deal; I knew most people didn't do it intentionally. It wasn't worth troubling myself about.

Getting accused of stealing my own work last month was the final straw though. The whole experience disgusted me, and caused a lot of stress. Thus, some of my drawings will now sport ugly but light lettering.

Happily, I won't be putting them on everything. They won't be going on stuff that have been resized considerably, or have been clearly copyrighted.

Moving on to less serious topics, I also doodled a lot, and went through my sketchbooks for ideas.

I'm not sure if I got any great ideas. I did enjoy the doodling though.

Random doodles

And here's a hurried sketch of a tower in Belgium from my last Europe trip. It's not really that great, but it did bring back great memories.

There were lots of windows.

I guess that's it for now.

Looking back on the first half of my summer vacation, I can't believe how much I got done. I got in touch with God, worked a bit, had fun with family and friends; and just had a cool time. All I can say is "Thank you, God!" and "WOW!"

I'll be spending some time finishing work and learning a few programs this month. I hope it turns out really well.

'Til next time!

I've Crashed & Burned

2008-05-01T04:19:00.003+08:00

Note: If you're tired of reading about my work angst, the light at the end of the tunnel is near. My deadliest deadline is today, so you will not be hearing me rant about work for a long time.

I'm sorry if the whole work thing has been tedious (I can just hear people saying "Hmph! You should hear about my experience!" right about now.), but please forgive this newbie. And cheer up, dear Reader. Sillier posts are just around the corner!

The Oswegan (or Scott) told me to relax on my last post. It's good advice; I tried to stand by it. It is my summer vacation, after all.

Things just seemed to pile up though: the job, church, family, and some other uncuttable --- Yes, I know that isn't a word, but my vocabulary isn't stretching much today. --- tasks. And it wasn't even caused by overworking myself; it was just that some things I was supposed to finish by last week kept taking longer to do.

I mean, the job --- which I will not detail so that you, dear Reader, will not go into a deep coma --- was done two weeks ago. Then it was redone a week ago. And then it was done again. And again. And again.

"This is how work really is," my always wise Mother quipped. "It's different from school; you just have to get used to it."

Sigh. Getting used to it made me feel like the car below.

I'm pretty burned out. (photo by blmurch)

How dazed was I yesterday? Well, I worked until 2 am to meet today's work deadline. I had already met said deadline a few days back but revisions were made. I then woke up at 3 am to catch the first flight to Manila, our country's capital, for an appointment at 8:30 am.

I managed to catnap here and there, and was back at the airport to catch a flight home yesterday afternoon. I was already planning to sleep a bit before heading to work. And then it happened. The plane was delayed. Long enough that I'd have to go straight to work when I got back.

So I was flexible (I tried, anyway). I slept in one of those metal chairs at the airport, and woke up every few minutes to ask if the plane was leaving yet.

I got home with a raging headache, ran around in the office for two hours, and popped over to church for a calming meeting. Yep, calming. Church often does that for me when I'm in over my head; it reminds me to trust God with my best and not stress about the uncontrollable. When I forget this and panic about everything, it just makes me tired.

I rested a lot more today --- with Oswegan's advice continuously marqueeing through my head --- but re-editing my re-re-re-edited revisions for another deadline was still stressful.

Here's how I'd look like now if I was a car. (photo by cheeky needle)

Work is hard, but in an interesting and mind-bending way. The funniest thing is my job isn't even as hard as other jobs are! It just shows I have a lot to learn.

At least I'm learning this a few years before I really have to work. I have more time to strategize towards my ultimate goal: working well and keeping sane in the workplace.

I think it'll be strangely fun!

Daughter, Pay Attention

2008-04-25T12:37:00.007+08:00

Here's what you need to know.

3 Things I Learned From My Dad

That's my Dad: the only non-winged creature in this photo.

Work hard. That's the only way you'll learn things.

Work hard. That's the only way people will take you seriously.

Work hard. That's the only way you'll reach your goals.

3 Things I Learned From My Mom

And there's my Mom: in front of everyone else.

Work smart. Remember to say no to others when you have a lot to do.

Work smart. Remember to kill distractions and focus on the important things.

Work smart. Just remember the work will never really end. Take breaks before you burn out.

Any questions?

Old Old Drawings

2008-04-23T14:47:00.003+08:00

I've been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I often drew pictures in the inside covers of books --- I know, shame on me for abusing the written word --- and copied pictures in my Mom's magazines. I would type out stories on a typewriter, and illustrate them with silly drawings.

Then came the computer and it fascinated me. Especially when I figured out I could draw on this large machine.

My first drawings were done with Microsoft Paint and an overused mouse. Now I use upgraded equipment --- think a Mac and a graphics tablet --- and draw graphic design pieces. But I still remember the thrill of getting that first scribbly drawing done right.

Being the pack rat I am, I realized I still had some old drawings buried in my hard drive. So let's go through some tidbits of my childhood, shall we?

Little Purple Fairy

I think this was the first imaginary person I drew right. This was done in the fifth grade; my sister used to rib me about how long I spent on these drawings.

The Short Fairy

That last drawing was all out of proportion, wasn't it?

Her Ladyship

And just to show I wasn't always thinking about fairies and imaginary characters, here's a more, er, sporty scribble.

Soccer! Or Football, depending...

Not that I played soccer. I just liked the patterns on the ball itself.

It's nice to look back sometimes, and see how much fun I had. It reminds me why I got into graphic design all over again.

I Love College

2008-04-17T19:10:00.000+08:00

That's the way I feel after work.

Not that I dislike work. I love it, in fact. I love beating a deadline and getting things done right. Getting things done wrong isn't all bad either, since I still have a lot to learn. I even like working overtime as long as it doesn't happen every day.

But what I really hate about work is how it encroaches on your time. It's so easy for work to become my life, and I find that scary. I'd like my work to define me but I'd also like to have a bit of a life --- a hobby, actual meals with family and friends, and a great relationship with God --- outside this "primary" occupation.

"It can be balanced, you know," my Mom commented.

I hope so. Because I don't want to wake up one day, and realize I've spent fifteen-hour days in the office. For the past thirty years.

On a more playful note, here's one of the things that can lessen stress after a day at the office:

Reese, the little doggie

I have a new appreciation for this dog's giddy welcome every time I finish a day working. It fills my insides with ecstacy and glittery sequins.

Here Comes The Sun

2008-04-10T23:20:00.006+08:00

Note: This post actually happened last March 27. A lot of other post ideas made writing this a tad late. I'll be catching up though. And if you're wondering what's happening to me now, I'm working my butt off. More on this later!

I have a really easy riddle for you, dear Reader!

Where do five college friends go in a tropical country at a sweltering 90°F? (Hint: The ocean's about a 15-minute drive away.)

This is a no-brainer.

Answer: The beach!

So happy days are here again!

Arn, Henri, Cookie, Joni, and me packed up food, games, and swimming gear and traipsed off to the beach.

And cameras. Who can forget the cameras, really?

Well, photo-taking partners Henri and Joni sure wouldn't. They spent a lot of time taking photos of everyone.

an almost candid photo by the two of them

They engineered most, if not all, the photos in this blog post. Thanks, friends!

On the other hand, Arn took on the role of Unofficial Gourmet Chef. She turned our raw food --- which I'm not allowed to include pictures of, by the way, since Cookie says the poor things are naked --- into edible goodies! And all on a shoestring budget, too.

Arn's Amazing Porkchops

Yes, they were tasty. The marinade itself was interesting: orange juice, rice wine, different spices, and other mysterious secret ingredients. They're so secret that even Arn can't remember what they are.

We just hope they'll come to mind the next time she cooks. Her (in)famous Tofu With Cheese & Egg was also in attendance. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.

We had a lot of fun swimming and getting sunburn. I'm still peeling dead skin off my shoulders, but it was worth it.

Too much information in that last sentence, you say? Sorry.

And moving on...

We also played the classic Clue board game. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Clue is a murder mystery game where the one who figures out whodunit wins.

our many guesses

It created a lot of laughs. Especially when everyone knew who the murderer was, and were scrambling to accuse him first.

More pictures were taken for posterity.

This is my personal favorite.

That photo took a lot of effort since everyone wanted to be in it. Cookie ended up looking through the lens, and arranging our arms --- er, natural tripods --- to support the camera the right way.

Thanks, Kie!

All in all, it was loads of happy-clean-and-almost-kiddie fun. We laughed a lot. And we laughed some more.

It was a perfect way to end the school year!

I'll Be Hibernating

2008-04-03T01:44:00.003+08:00

For the next few days anyway.

I've been offered a few jobs designing things (websites, shirts, et cetera) this summer, and I'm pretty thrilled. It's a great way to get some work experience, and work on one of my passions at the same time.

It also means I'll be incognito as I channel all the creative bits of my brain into my projects. I'll be stopping work to go to church, and have meals with my family. That's about it.

And no, it doesn't mean I will do everything at once. I am not running for Burnout Poster Child of the Year, thank you very much.

But deadlines are deadlines; they have to be met. Doing so sometimes involves working undistracted.

So here's hoping everyone else is doing something they love as well!

See you all next week, about Wednesday-ish.

Tagaytay: A Lot of Wow

2008-03-31T01:42:00.007+08:00

I've been putting off writing a post on my trip to Tagaytay last week.

It's just that I don't know what to say. The trip was wonderful in different ways; it seemed like such a huge task to actually describe it.

But since my two months of vacation from all things scholastic started last Friday, I think it's time to take the bull by the horns.

So. Tagaytay.

It's a great place.

I'm not going to start spouting tourist information anytime soon, so you can just click here to find out more about the area. The views are awesome though, and the weather is neither too hot nor too cold.

I actually attended a Bible conference over there with some relatives and church friends. And it was just WOW.

For one thing, I got a lot closer with some of my cousins.

Like Jonny.

And Allie.

I also started a conversation with a cousin I hadn't spoken to at all. Since I was born. It was pretty awkward, at first, but it turned out great.

Cousins aside, I got to know a lot of other people better. A few people who often got on my nerves --- due to personality differences, actually --- just didn't anymore. They ended up being pretty cool.

Most of all, I got closer with God. He became more real to me.

I've always thought there was a God somewhere, and that He loved me. There just seemed to be too many coincidences in life that could only point toward Someone who made it all happen.

I'm not trying to argue with anyone here, and I respect you, dear Reader, even if our beliefs differ. I guess I just can't help bringing God into my posts; He's an integral part of me.

Well, that conference taught me so many things --- more things than I can post about with an acceptable number of words. I learned I wasn't as serious about following God as I could be. I mean, I said I loved Him and talked about glorifying Him in the things I did. But, like a speaker said, love is spelled as T-I-M-E. I couldn't say I loved God when I was always racing through my time with Him so that I could do other "more important" things.

I'm definitely putting more of my time into my relationship with God. Because nothing else matters as much.

I was also reminded to do everything with joy for God. How did the speaker say it?

Many Christians live like Jesus is dead. They get moody about little things, are very superstitious, and act like everyone else. We should be different. We're supposed to be joyful because we know Jesus is alive!

Now, this does not mean Christians are supposed to walk around like they're giddily high on drugs. There's a time to be happy, and a time to be sad. But I'm reminded to always be hopeful, and not to make it difficult for others when things don't go my way.

So what if things go wrong, and people leave me? I don't need to whine incessantly because I have hope that the story of my life has a great ending. A great Author has made it perfect for me; I just don't know it because I'm still in the middle of the book.

And lastly, God reminded me that He loved every part of me. Even the dark parts that no one knows about. I remember sitting with my head in my hands, and asking God what He wanted to say last week. I suddenly felt like I'd been dropped into a warm ocean; I was drowning in God's love. I felt so strongly that God was hugging me and telling me He'd forgiven me for every stupid thing I've ever thought or done.

That's a pretty tall order, and it made me cry.

I came back from that trip a bit wiser, a lot happier, and much more assured that Someone up there was in my corner.

What can I say? The trip was awesome.

My Sister Can Punch

2008-03-22T10:00:00.002+08:00

Daphy and I were getting into the car last Thursday after attending a church meeting. We often talk --- sometimes seriously, mostly silly --- as I maneuver us home through untamed roads full of people whose driver's licenses should be revoked.

"People worry more about this spot than I do," my sister announced while pointing towards a pink discolored area on her cheek.

"That's pretty understandable considering it's a half-inch in diameter," I answered.

"Seriously, I didn't really care. Is it that big?" My sister looked at it in the mirror while I got the car on the highway.

"Well, it was big enough for the pastor to wonder if someone had punched you."

"Maybe it's a pimple." I turned up the volume of the radio. My favorite song was playing, and I didn't want to miss it.

"Right. You could also have just hit your face somewhere."

"I don't think so." I looked at her in alarm.

"You don't mean someone hit you, did you?"

"No way!" My sister looked horrified. I turned my eyes back on the road as we got caught in traffic.

"Well, if someone does, especially some suitor, drop him," I advised offhandedly. "Especially if it wasn't accidental."

"If it wasn't accidental, I'd break his nose!" my sister added.

"Uh huh, but even if it was accidental. You know, like he was upset and couldn't control his temper."

"I get it. But if it was really accidental, like if he was running past and bumped me against a wall in the hurry, I think I'd just cry." Daphy started rummaging in her bag while I mused about how my little sister could think of crying and breaking some guy's nose at almost the same time.

Good girl.

Together Again

2008-03-19T01:16:00.008+08:00

Through all the studying I'm buried in, there's been good news: some cousins from far away are visiting!

They're the ones in red and green.

To celebrate this unusual turn of events, we decided to have dinner together last Monday. Everyone was excited.

Until my grandmother told the two that they had to go to a party with her instead. We all shrugged our shoulders and listened to our elders.

So it was just the Six, after all.

We still had other reasons to celebrate though. Like cousin Ken's extremely surprising perfect grade in his Chemistry finals. Then there was the fact that everyone --- yes, including me, dear Reader --- except Chrissy (another cousin) were leaving on trips this Wednesday.

So we had a farewell party for the one who would be left behind. Chrissy --- being Chrissy --- was still pretty happy.

She spent most of the night laughing with Ken.

While we're at it, I might as well include shots of everyone else.

Jonny, Daphy, and their pretty happy grins

KD & I kidding around

It was a slightly loud gathering where everyone consumed large portions of food with gusto. The food was a lot better than what we had at our last dinner out. As always, the company was pretty great.

It was totally worth the studying I'd been doing for days so I could come along without guilt.

I'm going to miss those kids on my trip tomorrow.

This is a good time to mention that I won't be around until Monday. Just wanted everyone to know so that nobody would keep checking for new posts.

Not that you check for new posts incessantly, dear Reader. I know you have better things to do.

So, bye, everybody! See you next week!

Last Hurdle Before Summer

2008-03-13T18:50:00.009+08:00

I once dreamt my class was taking a long exam. It was so long that the testpapers piled up five feet tall. It was so long that two days passed in my dream, and we were still taking it. I can recall hearing my professor scream at us in the background about how long we were taking.

Suffice to say, I was glad to wake up from that dream.

Well, it's finals time where I'm from, and that dream is partially coming true. Everyone's schedules are disjointed, exams are popping up as far as the eye can see, and people face the gloom and doom of failing grades. Yet somehow, you can almost smell summer in the air; it's like waiting for the sun to come up when the sky's getting lighter in the mornings.

Anyway, my friends and I are all drowning in Chemical Engineering data. I think it's caused slight damage; I can't seem to even think about subjects unrelated to my college education. Subjects like food --- which I've often forgotten to eat lately --- and even sleep.

In a queer way though, I'm still having a lot of fun reading and learning everything.

Times like these, I am so glad I love the course I've taken for college. That last sentence is the thought that keeps me going when I'm reading six or seven textbooks at the same time. It keeps me going when I read about equations and concepts I still can't define after three years. It gets me memorizing details, and makes reading about batteries and whatnot much more enjoyable.

Not to say that it isn't difficult though. Sometimes, my brain just wants to fall apart so badly that I end up doing mindless things during my breaks. I've been reading light fiction books, and watching cheesy teenage movies lately. I've also been praying a lot. I guess God's helping me grow through this.

Friends help too. Like today.

I was starting to panic after a three-hour exam this afternoon. I'd studied hard (harder than I've ever done, in fact) and prayed I'd get enough questions right. But when said questions were given out, I couldn't answer anything. Nothing I'd studied seemed to be the right answers.

I did eventually come up with some solutions --- we're talking three hours, after all --- but I was in trouble. Especially after I finished the test and found out my answers didn't sound like anyone else's.

I really didn't want to fail. I mean, I could do so much better.

Hubby (that's Joni to you, dear Reader) made me feel a lot better though. She reminded me how well I'd done on two other tests, and how that would count. She ribbed me about how good my grades were on a class project, and how there wasn't anything to worry about. We compared results, and I realized I didn't do so bad after all.

Hubby and me

That was a relief.

The thing that touched me though was when she said she'd be praying for me. It's quite a simple thing, but not many people have told me something like that. I guess it was God's way of reminding me to quit worrying. I'd done my best; now I'd trust God to take care of what I couldn't control.

And a very appreciative thanks goes out to all my friends (you know who you are) for making the finals less stressful this year.

Thanks a lot.

4 X 4 Meme

2008-03-08T00:57:00.003+08:00

Catherine tagged me to do this meme, and it seemed kind-of fun. Though I wonder what I could come up with considering how young I am (read: no experience).

Here goes nothing.

Four Jobs I Have Had

1. I designed large advertising banners for a shop once. It took a lot of work; I remember feeling pressure --- from no one but myself, really --- to do well. It turned out all right, and the owners loved the stuff I came up with. The real reward came from the thrill of seeing those larger-than-life banners at the mall though.

2. I manned the redemption booth at an event once. The experience taught me to be nicer to salespeople, even if they were extremely rude. Being in their shoes made me realize how hard it was not to be rude after hundreds of people ask the same questions, and get upset when they don't like the answers. I remember how bad I felt after a particularly insulting customer left the premises.

I mean, I do know business isn't personal but yelling and cursing at sales personnel about how stupid they are seems to cross the line.

The job was great though; I learned a lot from it.

3. Linda talked about how every teen must have done a stint at McDonald's. I worked at Jollibee, a leading fast-food chain in my country, instead. I remember cleaning tables and welcoming people to the restaurant. I also remember my breaks vividly, and the egg sandwiches I often had at those times.

4. Then there was "the accounting nightmare". I was paid to organize six large cartons of papers into one neat spreadsheet. The papers spanned about four years and included receipts, bills, tax statements, and even the occasional violation. Nothing was in order, and almost everything was crumpled or printed in faded ink. I felt like I was practically swimming in old paper. Finishing this job was its own reward though; I remember staring at the mountains of paper and not believing I had actually gone through it all. I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest.

Four Shows I Have Been To:

1. I ditched the backdrops I was painting for a high school play to watch Jars of Clay on an open field. The music was great; I sung along to a lot of my favorites. My friend, Ralph, and I were also right by the stage, and that made it more fun. I still remember how upset Ralph was about not being able to get the guitar pick the lead singer threw into the audience. I personally thought it was just a piece of plastic, and that being touched by the singer didn't turn said pick into the Holy Grail. I also knew that such a view wasn't shared by a lot of people.

I came home from that concert, and painted backdrops the whole night to make up for playing hooky. The music was good enough to make the drudgery worthwhile.

2. The first Broadway production I'd ever seen was The Phantom of The Opera. The show --- that whole trip to New York, actually --- was pretty memorable. I remember how fun it was to sit in that theater and just drown in the beautiful music. I also remember how annoying a certain Japanese tourist was with his unappreciative noises (read: exhausted snores) echoing from a seat nearby.

3. I watched an acrobatic show with fifty-or-so relatives in China two years back. The performers did amazing feats of strength and balance. They also managed to curl into frighteningly weird postures that made us cringe. I mean, really, if you saw three girls leaning over backwards with their heads poking out between their legs, what else would you do?

This might help you imagine what I'm talking about.

4. The O by Cirque du Soleil at Las Vegas was also something else. The music was haunting, and the performance was both mysterious and fun. I still remember how someone from the audience volunteered to be part of the program. He was hooked to a cable, and pulled up to the ceiling in about two seconds. He then proceeded to do his own thing which led everyone to realize he was a part of the show after all!

Four Cars I Have Had:

1. The first car I drove was a dark blue Honda Civic. Being a new driver (and a very bad one at that) resulted in me denting that car on every possible surface. The car was so banged-up that my sister was embarrassed to be seen in it. I remember scratching a guy's car with it, and then becoming good friends with that guy after having to meet and discuss how to go about the damage repeatedly.

And when I learned how to drive well, my parents had that car refurbished as a present. My sister's driving that vehicle now.

2. The next car I drove was (and still is) a silver Honda CR-V. It's brought me, my friends, and even my family members everywhere. It's been a makeshift locker for my college stuff (complete with possibly needed school supplies), and has weathered more mishaps better left to the insurance company. None of the succeeding accidents with cars were my fault, by the way.

Tooti and I are still trying to find a good nickname for my loyal means of transport. It's a girl, by the way. Any suggestions?

3. Does the car my parents used to bring me in count? The oldest one I remember was a small brown Nissan. I recall fine afternoons sleeping on the back seat. These were the same afternoons that involved going with my Mom to my favorite fast-food restaurant for some bonding-with-Mommy time.

4. I figured I might as well mention the newest car in my parents' possession: my Dad's black four-seater convertible. He always ribs me about how hard it is for me to get in said car. I guess I'm just clumsy, but I can never get through a ride on it without banging one of my legs on the door. But it's fun driving through a windy night with the top down, a breeze blowing through my hair, and the stars twinkling when I happen to look up.

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Monggo Soup (better known as Mung Bean Soup) is one of the few vegetarian dishes I really love. It's basically small monggos boiled with water until they crack open. It's very filling, and delightful on a rainy day. It's a bit like lentil soup, actually.

2. I love fresh salmon sashimi. The raw fish tastes so good, and slides down my throat in a nice way. I could pop about fifteen pieces into my mouth without getting tired of it. I don't even dip these babies in sauce; I like the fishy taste.

3. Tortellini is something I really enjoy. I had the chance to have it in Rome a few months back, and it was awesome. No one really makes tortellini where I come from, so it was a rare treat.

This photo brings back wonderfully tasty memories.

4. I couldn't go through a list like this without mentioning my maternal grandmother's pork soup with potatoes. It was a pretty simple dish; she often let it cook in a crockpot while she did other things. Still, that first taste I got of home cooking --- no one ever cooked in our house --- was amazing. I used to have three or four bowls of it heaping with rice for lunch back in first grade. I do believe eating so much of this indirectly resulted in how chubby I was back then.

I'd like to tag the following people, but only if they want to do it. I'm not forcing any of you.

- Cookie
- Sister In Conflict (and yes, I do know who you are now LOL)
- Hubby
- Finella
- Elfie
- Claire
- Kat
- Tooti

That was fun!

It's A Bee Thing

2008-03-05T23:06:00.007+08:00

Meet my parent.

My Father is the kind of guy who's always in a hurry. He's got people to meet, appointments to keep, and a pack of assistants to keep track of his schedule.

Due to all the hustle, he is also the kind of guy who gets into the weirdest scrapes. He has gotten locked out of our house more times than the rest of the family put together, has gone to work with his clothes inverted, and has left various items --- most memorable were the eyeglasses in the refrigerator --- in all kinds of places.

So it is practically no surprise how he got injured while playing golf this morning. I don't think his friends and business associates will ever forget it; one has even said he's never heard of such a freak accident before.

And it all began with a bee.

Everyone knows what a bee is; everyone also has a unique response when one is present. Some people I know run screaming from the little fellow (A bee! A bee! It'll sting me!). Personally, I don't react since I figure it'll go away by itself.

In my Father's case, the bee was buzzing too close to ignore. So he batted it manfully with his hand; the movement often scares the bee to find other territory. Except the bee must not have been normal since it settled between my Father's fingers instead.

My Father then waved his hand vigorously in a get-off-you-silly-creature gesture. And then he broke his finger.

In conclusion, my Father is now walking the streets of our fair city with an unsightly splint on his middle finger. If you happen to see him, you may be slightly offended by the rude gesture he seems to be making. But never fear, dear Reader; he means well.

Sharing Her Joy

2008-02-28T11:44:00.004+08:00

Note: Names have been shortened because I know this will embarrass said parties a little. I just wanted to post this because it's been on my mind. And if you know who I'm speaking of, please do not mention it. At all. Thanks.

Friendship's about sharing, isn't it? So you can imagine my reaction when B. took me aside last week.

"G. and I are together now!" she whispered in my ear. My eyes widened and we started to giggle.

"Really? Where? When?" We talked about the details in hushed tones, and I ribbed her about how I seemed the last to know.

Not that I was the last to know, you understand. It was just fun to watch her feel self-conscious; it doesn't happen very often.

"I'm so embarrassed," she announced before we parted. She was embarrassed, all right; she was also really happy.

I was just happy that she was happy, if that makes sense. Her other friends and I have agreed that if G. does something stupid, he'll get quite an earful from us. Of course, we're not saying we run their relationship! We would stick up for B. though if he was really wrong.

Why do I mention this relationship in my blog? I guess it just takes getting used to. You could say it brings back some memories, dear Reader.

And it's all G.'s fault, as B. and I jokingly say. If he hadn't been in "like" with me back then, we wouldn't have all this awkwardness to sift through. B. wouldn't have to worry about whether I'd be OK with her happiness. We wouldn't have to rehash our friendship and see if there would be a strain.

But I think it was great for B. and me. We became a lot closer, and we learned to laugh at our situation. Who wouldn't laugh when we realized I could totally understand her when she talked about meeting G.'s parents?

I am over G. though, if anyone asks. And my gosh, a lot of well-meaning people have asked.

There were things about him that just weren't right for me. But that doesn't mean they aren't right for B.

I'm just glad B.'s in the best place she could be now. And I'm glad our friendship's more than boys and other not-so-important things.

I wish them both well. I just wanted to say I love you, B., and I love all our other friends. And that won't really change.

When Seeing A Movie

2008-02-26T18:21:00.005+08:00

It was 2 am. My cousins and I were watching a movie in the dark.

I guess the time, the place, and the excitable company are the only reasons we reacted the way we did.

In other words, we got scared of a totally un-scary movie.

I mean, look what we were watching.

"Can I sit here, Ahia* Ken?" Jonny asked as he sat so far back that he squeezed Ken's legs.

"Sure," Ken answered a little uncomfortably.

The movie's background music started to rise in volume. Then the heroine screamed.

And so did everyone else in the room.

"RUNNNNNNNNN!"

"TO THE LEFT! I MEAN, THE RIGHT!"

"SOMEONE HELP HER! HOW ABOUT THAT OTHER GUY; HE'S THE FATHER!"

"OH MY GOSH!"

Five of us stopped yelling as the action got more intense. Everyone was riveted.

Jonny was still screaming though.

"GET IN! GET IN! YES, GET IN THE TUNNEL! OH MAN, SHE'S GOING TO MEET THAT GUY ON THE OTHER END!"

"Think positively, Jonny," my other cousin quipped.

"OH, THERE'S THE GUY! I TOLD YOU!" He moaned sympathetically until the heroine was surrounded by stocky muscled villains.

"OH NOOOOO, THERE ARE GUNS INVOLVED! OH, OH, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO USE THE GUN! AAAAAAH!" Jonny was practically apoplectic. The rest of us just couldn't take it anymore.

"JONNY, SHUSH!"

Pause.

"Oh. Sorry." Silence reigned once more.

What can I say? We're pretty enthusiastic.

* This means older brother in our Chinese dialect.

And My Tummy Ached

2008-02-19T22:05:00.002+08:00

I've been going over some funny stuff friends told me to read and watch.

And I just couldn't stop laughing.

Here's some clean fun from me to you!

some stand-up comedy on the guy who narrates movie trailers

And one of the funniest blog posts I ever read: Johnny Storm by Curdled. It's pretty long but worth the effort. Here's an excerpt:

Nobody saw exactly what happened - I'd venture that it had something to do with a cigarette - and nobody could help noticing when David came bursting out of the bathroom, trousers around his ankles, with flames dancing from where no man would want flames ever to dance.

Have a nice day!

A Single's Guide To Enjoying Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T17:54:00.002+08:00

Note: This is a tongue-in-cheek bit of fluff my friends and I wrote for Speech class. Some of my friends are recently taken or almost taken, but all of us have been subjected to all manner of stalkers and Very Creepy Guys this past year. We thought making something like this would be fitting for the occasion.

image by Art Brom

It’s time for Valentine’s Day. It’s time for the hearts, the flowers, and the candy. It’s time for couples to suddenly start sprouting as far as the eye can see. Some people think it’s really sweet.

Do you agree? Or do you think it’s all so irritating? Do you feel like killing any lovey-dovey couple that gets too close for comfort? Do you sometimes wonder why you’re so, well, alone? If you exhibit any of these symptoms, you, my dear, are a Single.

Some people find being single uncomfortable on Valentine’s Day. They just feel out of place during the occasion. With all the hype about Valentine’s Day and couples, who can blame them? In the same way, who can blame you?

But you can get rid of the awkwardness. You can keep your peace of mind, and still be happy about yourself without a special someone. It all starts with your mindset.

First, remember that February 14 is just one day. It’s like any other day. You go to class, do homework, and continue on your daily routine. There’s no rule that you have to be part of a couple and exchange sickly sweet sentiments. You don’t even have to celebrate the occasion. For instance, some people don’t celebrate Christmas and that’s a bigger holiday! There’s really nothing to be stressed about.

Second, February 14 is St. Valentine’s Feast. It was created for a saint, and not for every couple in existence. So go to mass, and pray. Read the Bible, and think about God’s love for you. All this would still honor the occasion, and allow you to be more grateful about blessings you’ve received.

Third, if you must show love, do so! Show it to your friends by writing them appreciative notes or giving them little gifts. Show it to your family by going out together. Show it through charity by surprising the needy at an orphanage or some other institution.

Fourth, enjoy being alone. Try something you normally wouldn’t do with others. Take a new sport without worrying how bad you are at it. Eat something completely different. Watch a movie you know no date would have wanted to see anyway.

Fifth, you can also go out with other single people on this momentous occasion. Have dinner together. Watch a movie. Enjoy the videoke experience. Who says only couples have all the fun?

Sixth, treat yourself for not being desperate about getting a date. You chose not to settle for losers; good for you! Buy a small gift. Eat your favorite food. You can even exercise the next day if all that food makes you feel guilty.

Seventh, remember the people you’ve broken up with for good reason. Was someone too possessive? Was another person a liar? Or did the two of you end up being too different? Either way, you must be glad some of those relationships are over. Celebrate the exes who are gone! Thank God you’ve moved on, and that you’re ready for something (or someone) better around the corner.

Eighth, do not hate love. It isn’t love’s fault that you are where you are today. Besides, your story is not over yet; who knows what the ending may be? Love will come for you one day.

Choosing to enjoy Valentine’s Day as a single is a brave task. This is especially true if all your friends are in relationships. But it can be done. It all starts with the decision to relax and love yourself. So what if you haven’t found your better half? Big deal! Being single isn’t that bad. It can even be a blessing.

Until then, spend time learning more about you. Nurture relationships with your loved ones and with God. The peace of mind and enjoyment you get from this holiday will be worth the effort.

And I Didn't Know What To Say

2008-02-09T00:55:00.000+08:00

I was lurking around DeviantArt yesterday when Adam --- a good friend of mine --- asked me this question.

So is Chemical Engineering what I'm supposed to be doing?

(Note: You can click on the picture to make it bigger.)

I couldn't say anything.

I guess I haven't been thinking about the future very clearly. I mean, I know I'll leave school, work, and do everything grown-ups do one day. I've just never thought about the future as something pending. It seems so far away; it doesn't bear thinking about just yet.

But how far could it really be? I'll be finishing my degree in Chemical Engineering two years from now (if things go according to plan). Then what? Will I choose to work on machinery and chemistry in a plant forever?

That's sobering.

I guess the idea of being a chemical engineer is something I'm passionate about. I'm interested in the different chemical theories and how they shape my world. I enjoy solving tricky problems, and getting experiments right. What I'm learning in my university right now really challenges me, and I think that's cool.

On the other hand, there are other stuff I love to do that have no relation to Chemical Engineering. For one thing, I love to draw and take photos. I also love writing stories, knitting stuffed toys, and playing my violin. Did I mention I also enjoy designing blogs, webpages, and the occasional product label?

This paradox sometimes makes me wonder: can I do all these at once? Sure, I could try making time to do everything. But life gets busy and complicated; I know I'll eventually have to make life-changing decisions. I'll have to give up some stuff I love to make room for other things that matter.

A friend once told me it's hard to focus and do well on what you love if you love too many things. It's sort-of like trying to take five different paths when you can only go in one direction. That seems so true now.

I don't really have any answers. All I can do is listen to God, learn from others' experiences, and go with my gut feelings.

The Bible says God has great plans for me that are perfect and satisfying. I'll take comfort in that as I walk through life.

So there's your reply, Adam. It's quite long and pretty thorough. Some would even call it complicated. But I guess that's just the way it is.

Every Girl's Weakness

2008-02-04T12:18:00.000+08:00

People make slightly gender-discriminatory remarks about girls and their ginormous amount of shopping. Not that I resent them; they're all in good fun. They are also mostly true.

Take my sister. She has talked about buying a pair of shoes for weeks. "Just one pair to match everything I own" is how she describes this elusive search.

And she found them after three hours at the mall yesterday.

TADA!

Rather, she found three pairs of shoes, and couldn't part with a single one. My Mom, the very female associate on said excursion, bought four.

I'm not complaining though since they rarely go to the mall anyway. I also seem to make up for it with my indifference regarding shoes.

Or maybe not; everyone has a weakness after all. Mine just happens to be books.

I can't remember a time when I didn't love books. I remember drawing pictures in worn children's books before I learned to read. I used to finger pages, and marvel over the different textures. I would sniff the pages until my Mom --- worried about having a daughter high on varnish, I'm sure --- would make me stop.

My first words were cab and cat. My first novel was a Nancy Drew book I finished at the age of 5. Unsurprisingly, my second home was the school library where I'd pore over books for hours. I'd borrow books and sit in the school playground reading. My teacher had to show me how to use the slide before I'd put my book down.

My choice of reading material has obviously widened since then. I've gone on numerous adventures, and made friends with all kinds of characters. I've taken in life lessons of historical figures, and cried over silly sad endings. I even learned how to knit and design graphics through instructional books.

All that reading burns a hole through my wallet though. There are no public libraries in my area, so I end up buying or borrowing friends' books before I can get the ones I want. I've taken to saving a fund for books, and that helps.

It's a small price to pay for the enjoyment I get. I guess my books are like old friends; they made my world so much bigger and more colorful.

No Painkillers, Thanks

2008-01-29T18:14:00.000+08:00

I'm tired of staring at equations.

I can't really write much this week since I'll be spending my time deciphering what these equations actually mean.

I've also been sleeping a lot because of my newly-acquired daily migraines. I've spent so much time snoozing that I haven't been able to keep up my routine.

The first migraine of my life started last Wednesday. At least, I think it's a migraine; I'm not really sure.

What's important is it hasn't stopped yet. My head's been pounding all week, and it's getting a little annoying.

My Mom thinks I should be checked by a doctor. I probably will. Just so the hammering in my head will actually stop.

There's still so much to be thankful for though. God. Family. Friends. Still being able to study with the ticking in my head. The peace in my heart and mind.

And the cool music that makes my schoolwork more bearable.

God Spared My Dad The Heartache

2008-01-22T10:59:00.000+08:00

my Dad's car problems

(Note: OK, so it's not a photo of what really happened. But what kind of daughter would run through mud to her Dad and tell him to STOP TRYING TO GET THE CAR OUT because she needed a picture of it for her blog first?)

"Goodbye, and thanks for inviting us!" I waved at the family hosting the ginormous children's party we were attending as I stepped out the gate of their ginormous house. I was immediately surrounded by a ginormous amount of white odorous smoke.

"Uncle, what is that smell?" I asked a family friend standing close by.

"That is the smell of burnt rubber."

"Burnt rubber?"

"Yes, from the lining of your Dad's tires."

"My Dad's car is making this smoke?" I was slightly horrified. My Dad loves his cars.

"His car fell into a ditch when he left his parking space. Some men just went to help pull it out." Behind him, I saw my Mom and sister talking worriedly as we waited for Dad to get the car out of this mess.

"What car did you bring?" my Uncle abruptly asked.

"What? Oh. The white SUV."

"Well, it's good he didn't bring his convertible!" He chuckled at the thought.

I later found out there was a wide --- and deep --- gap spanning the whole unpaved road. It was partially covered by rough pieces of metal and a lot of mud. Apparently, my Father drove over the uncovered places.

"I just thank God," my Dad said as we drove home. "My convertible would have gotten banged up. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision not to bring it. I mean, I was standing in front of it with the keys when I suddenly thought to drive this other one."

Coincidence? Maybe. But something William Temple said comes to mind. When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't pray, they don't. I definitely agree.

The Meal Of Doom

2008-01-20T18:00:00.000+08:00

Let's have dinner.

"I think they think we're posers," my cousin, KD, quipped as we --- my cousins KD, Jonny, and Chrissy; my sister Daphy, and I --- sat around a large amount of unfinished food.

"We could ask our waiter to eat with us," Jonny offered.

"We could ask all the waiters to eat with us," KD returned.

"This is an embarrassment to our family," Chrissy put in. "How are we going to eat everything?"

It started quite innocently. The five of us, hungry from doing errands at the mall, went for dinner at a restaurant we hadn't visited since Chrissy was in kindergarten. We ordered some fried chicken, pizza, and individual pasta dishes.

The servings were all American sizes, but we had finished much bigger portions before. Except we didn't count on feeling unable to eat after five mouthfuls.

"It's so... creamy," KD said about the meat and veggie fettucine we had both ordered. And it was overly so. We were disappointed with how we couldn't taste the meat, vegetables, and even the peppers. We saw them go into our mouths, but we could only feel their different textures. All we were really eating were wide lengths of pasta drowned in bland cream.

Meanwhile, the other three people in our party had ordered spaghetti with various toppings. They fared a bit better than KD and I did, but ended up disgusted with how the pasta was the minority of the dish. They were left with different kinds of chopped edibles floating in a large amount of sauce.

So here was the problem: we were so grossed out that we couldn't take another bite. Of anything.

"Nothing should be wasted," Chrissy announced. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we should let them pack the food now," KD suggested. This was immediately followed by a quiet but long burp. Everyone just started laughing at the absurdity of it.

We had half the food packed.

But there was still the other half.

Jonny started going at his chicken with the enthusiasm of a lumberjack chopping wood with a dull ax. He pounded the poor animal with his table knife for about ten minutes before I told him he could use his fingers.

"I feel full but unsatisfied," Daphy said.

"I don't even know if I'm full," KD added.

"I'm full but not with that 'bloated stomach' feeling." Chrissy frowned. "I'm so full that I'm scared." Everyone snorted at the comment while others choked on what they were eating.

"Can't we just overturn the plates to hide all the unfinished food?" someone else chimed in. "I feel like I'll never eat again!"

The madcap dinner did end with us somehow finishing the rest. But a unanimous vote was taken to never go back there. Ever.

This is probably how God punishes gluttons.

I Am Procrastinating

2008-01-16T20:09:00.000+08:00

Or I was, at least.

For the past two hours, I've been doing important things. I printed my report in English that is due tomorrow. I arranged my stuff. I answered messages from friends. I read some stuff off my list of "Articles to Read Soon". I even worked on homework.

But all this pales into insignificance when I count the fact that I haven't done the one thing I was supposed to do tonight. I was supposed to study for my Chemical Calculations exam on Friday.

I did give it a half-hearted start a while back. I read through the stuff I'd written for that class, and I looked up some important values that I needed to go over the subject matter. I even got out my calculator to do all the problems.

That was it, though.

I still didn't get down to the nitty-gritty part of the work. In fact, study Chem Calc has been on my To Do list for the past three days.

I know, I know. Just do it, everyone says. That's what my sister --- who is really disciplined and outstandingly good at prioritizing, by the way --- would be saying if she were here now.

I've been procrastinating since I was in primary school. Maybe even since kindergarten. And all I can say is it's one of the worst habits I have.

Maybe it's because I'm such a perfectionist. I often freeze up when I think about how big the task I'm supposed to be doing is. Thoughts like "How am I going to do this?" and "Oh gosh, this is so hard!" go through my brain like the marquee at a movie showing. And so, I. Just. Stop.

I think about other things to do that seem easier. I go out, answer my e-mail, check inconsequential accounts on the internet, and whatnot. I do all these things with the Very Big Task hanging over my head. And I pretend it's not there until I can't do a thing about it.

I can remember two or three times when I actually cried because there was too much to do for the next day. Those times were usually accompanied by sleepless nights and a lot of frustration. It would be an understatement to say those times were extremely stressful. They could have been prevented if I'd been doing work weeks before though.

On the bright side, I am recovering. I've gotten into the habit of telling myself things that look overwhelmingly difficult to do aren't so bad in baby steps. I've started studying for exams about three days in advance. I do school stuff the day I get them so I won't end up frazzled the hour before they're passed. And best of all, I do things I enjoy after the work is done so that I actually get to enjoy them without worries in the back of my head.

But like any recovering addict, I still occasionally slip up. Like now.

It'll be a long climb before I end up kicking this habit, and I pray God will guide me through it. But I guess nothing's worth having if it wasn't hard to get.

Losing procrastination will definitely be worth my peace of mind.

The People I Didn't Deserve

2008-01-12T13:52:00.000+08:00

"I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends."
Walt Whitman

Anyone who's been clicking on my links on the column beside this post --- and if you haven't ever clicked them, I forgive you --- have probably noticed this picture in the About Me section.

Who are they? Aliens? Unmentionables? Random strangers I got to make the photo look better?

I just realized I banged out posts for two years without ever talking about them in detail.

Well, I'm finally introducing them two years too late: these are the people willing to take on being friends with someone as complicated as I am. They've weathered my silliness and perpetually running mouth. They make some of our classes bearable, and keep me awake when other classes are beyond bearable. They'll eat with me even if they're not hungry --- I believe I return this favor often --- and have also influenced me to give my studies the right amount of seriousness.

They're the friends I found in college, and the people I'll look forward to seeing in future reunions.

I'm not trying to be sappy, but I've just realized how blessed I am to have friends like them. They listen, they laugh, and they even give little unnecessary gifts just because. We're not perfect, but just seeing them in class is beyond wonderful.

I've been thinking about them lately, and thought this would be a good time to say thank you to them. Thank you for not judging me, and making me a better person at the same time. (Yes, they read this blog from time to time.)

I hope I could be a much better friend to all my pals this year.

Note: The photo's not complete. One or two friends are lacking, but this is the closest I could get to a group photo.

I'll Keep It Simple

2008-01-09T11:42:00.000+08:00

I was looking through last year's posts and drowning myself in happy memories just now. And I have something to say.

2007 was AMAZING.

I became a lot closer with my family and friends. I traveled the world. I got over some fears and got rid of a few bad habits. I did some things on my "10 Things To Do Before I ~~Die~~" list.

And I became a better person. Thank God for that!

The past year was just one beautiful bit of life to keep in my memory bank.

the good times

But there were some things that weren't so great either. Like how busy I was. Last year's planner was a testament to the hurried running I was always doing. I put a lot of the important --- talking with family, and nurturing my time with God --- in the back burner last year because I was overwhelmed by how many urgent things there were to do.

And most of the stuff I was in a huff over wasn't even worth the effort anyway.

So this year, I'm trying something different. I'm going to make my life simpler.

I'll sleep earlier and wake up earlier. I'll take time for prayer and actually savor the meaning of the words in my Bible instead of scanning quickly and running to do the next thing.

I'll clean my room so that looking for things I need won't be such a stressful job. (The mess is so bad that I lost some Christmas presents I'd been saving. I actually had to run to the mall at the last minute and shell out more money to buy presents for people I already had presents for!)

I'll cut out what doesn't really matter. I'll stop reading magazines I don't really care about. I'll turn off the TV, and delete most of the sites I've bookmarked more than a year ago that I'll never get around to reading anyway.

I'll stop creating things to do so that I'll have time to do things that really need to be done.

Not that I think everything will be a breeze now. I know I'll get myself into a busy rush now and then. I'll probably catch myself stressing over something useless a few hundred times this year.

But with God's help, I'll focus on the things I always say I've no time for. I'll focus on them now since it's the only time I'll ever have. I don't want to look back when I'm older and regret wasting what I've got.

Life is too short to be stupid. Instead, I'll make the time to enjoy life, nurture my God-given dreams, and connect with the people around me. And I won't forget to praise the God who made me just the way I am and gave me everything worth living for.

Reflecting on the Holidays

2008-01-04T13:14:00.000+08:00

The holidays were magical. Sort-of like the photo of my cousin, my sister, and I up there.

New Year's Eve was spent uproariously with family. We first went to my maternal great-grandmother's for some food and together time with a few relatives we hadn't seen in a while. We then went to my paternal grandparents' house for more of the same from a different branch of the family.

Games were played --- it was fun to see how excited the kids were --- and old albums opened as everyone remembered times gone by. A certain checkered shirt was poked at as we saw it on four of my uncles in their childhood pictures.

"Why are you always wearing that shirt?"

"Because it's the only good shirt I had! I think your grand-aunt made it from some curtains."

My parents used to scrimp and scrounge for everything. Times have really changed; we've been blessed a whole lot.

The fireworks display was amazing. I, as usual, was caught without my camera on this occasion.

We only watched those fireworks for a few minutes though; everyone then went to greet my bedridden grandfather a happy new year.

a cousin and me

(Note: The quality of that last picture was really bad. Yet another reason to bring my good camera around instead of settling for my cellphone.)

and some of the others too

We basically spent the whole holiday season with each other (which is why I haven't been on the computer as often). And now it's time for goodbyes and tears as everyone heads back to work as usual. I'm really going to miss them, but these past few weeks have been great memories.

A belated happy new year to everyone! I hope your season was as enjoyable as mine.

Europe: Paris

2008-01-01T03:22:00.000+08:00

OK, it's 2008 and I didn't get to post this as soon as I'd hoped to.

Oh, well.

Photo-laden post coming right at you!

Paris. Everyone knows (or seems to know) about that city. It's been showcased in a huge number of movies, and occasionally ends up on the average person's I'd-like-to-head-to-that-little-corner-of-the-world list.

"You'll love this place," my Dad said. "You'll love it more than all the other places we went to."

I'm not sure I agree with the more in that sentence, but I do love it as much as most of the other places we went to.

So, first stop?

Where do you think we went?

The famed Eiffel Tower was something to see, all right. My camera was overwhelmed.

The tower looms menacingly.

And why wouldn't my camera be quaking in its metal casing? Just look at how intimidating that last photo was.

a more romantic perspective

The Eiffel Tower was just WOW. It was everything I thought it would be. The engineering part of me was especially fascinated with how the elevators going up the tower sort-of moved sideways up the base to get to the top. I hope that last sentence made sense.

I also took some photos of the tower at night, but I figure I've already given you enough shots of this structure.

Moving on, we passed by a cool garden.

The statue isn't really talking to the birds, is it?

A Canadian tourist we met in Italy explained how Paris was one big architectural museum. He said you'd go down a corner and say "Hey, look there!" then you'd turn your head and say "No, I mean there!" then look back and say "That was cool too!" And he was right.

yet another famous tourist spot

The Arc de Triomphe was stunning. Imagine grumbling through traffic then getting to look up at that beautiful monument. Or maybe people who've lived there a long time don't notice these things anymore.

Maybe they just go shopping at the Champs-Élysées in front of said monument.

The sun setting makes the buildings look cool, doesn't it?

That's just what we did. The shopping, I mean. We went through a lot of stores just looking through bags, perfumes, CDs, and even stuffed toys. Almost everything was designer and amazingly expensive; I spent most of my time just looking. I did buy a few French CDs I'd been looking for, but that was about it.

We also ended up in Notre Dame.

Wow.

I kept expecting a hunchback to ring the bells or come out on the steps. This is probably what happens when a Disney freak who's seen The Hunchback of Notre Dame (or read the original novel) comes to see the real thing.

More wow up close.

I couldn't take any photos inside but it was mind-boggling.

I am also quickly running out of adjectives to describe everything that fascinated me in Europe.

We actually met an aunt in Paris. She had come a day before to take a look around. My Mom happened to mention my one reason for coming to France: macarons. And what is a macaron, dear Reader? Only one of the most interesting French pastries, in my honest opinion. I even made a blog design on it once.

Anyway, the macarons I've tried back home are terrible. Too sweet, and without the crumbly goodness I've heard so much about. So when I learned we were headed for Europe, the foodie in me started screaming for these delectable treats.

And I got them. Or rather, my Aunt got them.

She couldn't tell which kind I wanted most. She didn't even know which bakery I liked best. So she visited three bakeries and bought a macaron of every flavor. I kid you not.

Three boxes!

Numerous flavors!

And then, she explained how I have to try each flavor by the next day because we were going back to get my favorites.

Wow. Is my Aunt awesome or what? Thank you if you happen to be reading this, Aunt Ping!

I skipped breakfast the next day to bite into every pastry. And boy, was it good! The crumbliness perfectly gave way to some really cool fillings.

I'm getting happy goosebumps just thinking about it.

I did notice differences in taste and amount of filling, and ended up going for Pierre Hermé's version.

I finally got to eat some top-of-the-line macarons!

So I shall stop salivating now, and return to the rest of the trip. And what kind of Parisian trip would be complete without visiting the Louvre?

Cool sculpture #1

Cool sculpture #2

My sister and I got chummy with the snazzy marble sculptures.

Daphy and I loved the Louvre museum. We tromped through the maze-like halls checking out artwork we'd only seen in my art history books. My parents followed us in a daze since they had never even heard of most of the stuff we were so giddy about. I guess art wasn't exactly one of their interests but at least they humored my sister and me.

It was awe-inspiring to see all the paintings. One famous portrait was pretty disappointing though.

"That's it?" my parents asked as we watched hordes of tourists snap photos of a 30 inch by 20 inch portrait cordoned off and encased in glass. The Mona Lisa was just. So. Small.

I guess I expected such a buzz-worthy work to be... You know. Bigger.

I'm actually running out of words because it is 4:18 in the morning here.

We continued on to a chapel my Aunt liked. She liked it enough to climb the steps to get it.

And these were long flights of steps.

We could have taken the tram going up to the church. But where's the fun in that?

No, we decided to walk off a few infinitesimal calories instead.

It was worth it.

Check out those massive ceilings, and all that great architecture.

And the really detailed stained glass windows.

I thought it had a pretty nice atmosphere for a church. Not to mention they let me take photos.

These are the candles people light up for prayers.

At least, I think they're for prayers. I'm not a Catholic so I can't really say.

We later went to dinner in an interesting restaurant called Julien. I was pretty interested in how Parisians ate. If you wonder how they ate, they ate really close to each other.

Those two people in the foreground may look like they're eating together, but they're not.

I felt like my personal space had been invaded. I couldn't even stand up without moving the table a few inches forward. Or maybe the restaurant was just pretty crowded.

So we looked at the menu.

And we couldn't read said menu.

I bemoan the loss of my French. I actually took classes once, but with no one to practice with, I've lost my fluency. Heck, I've lost most of my vocabulary.

Fish soup

This is what I eventually ordered. It had the consistency of broth and was actually quite good. Fishy without tasting too fishy, if that makes sense. I mean, has anyone ever noticed how bad fish is described as fishy?

Or maybe that's just the way my family says it; I'll have to check.

I was a little tickled by the grated cheese they included with my soup. I tried dumping the cheese in but it didn't seem to improve the flavor much.

Continuing to the main course...

My meat dish --- I believe it was steak --- was quite good. I loved how the potatoes had been cooked too.

I didn't like the sauce though so that ruined it a bit. My Asian taste buds were probably just getting used to the new cuisine.

Either way, we had a lot of fun.

And --- can you believe it? --- that ends my jaunt to Europe! That ends the series as well.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! And now, I need to sleep. Goodnight!

Europe: Pisa

2007-12-31T12:58:00.000+08:00

Before I begin, happy holidays to everyone! I'm going to try to finish all my Europe posts TODAY. Uh huh, you read right, TODAY. There have been a few interruptions --- like my Father's snake getting into our couch and the ensuing chaos as everyone tries to get it out --- but I hope I'll get this series done soon. Like in a few hours.

And hopefully, the snake will come out of our overturned couch with the sign Do not sit. SNAKE inside. on it soon. Like in a few hours.

OK, so we're still in Italy, people!

In Pisa, actually. Can anyone tell me what everyone goes to see in Pisa?

My sister shows us the answer.

The tower doesn't lean as much as we thought it would though. Apparently, the government has been hoisting it up as much as possible to prevent the inevitable fate of any building that becomes increasingly unbalanced: utter destruction. According to our witty guide, "we are lucky to see it now since it may collapse tomorrow". That was a direct quote.

up close and personal

We didn't climb it though. For one thing, a ticket can only be gotten two months in advance. There are also very strict rules on anyone who enters its leaning halls. First, you only get to stay there less than 30 minutes. This means one must run up all those flights of stairs, take a photo on top, then run back down said flights of stairs like one is competing in a foot race. Only a little more than a hundred people at a time are allowed to have this privilege of extra exercise since overcrowding could cause --- see above for the fate of all unbalanced buildings --- utter destruction.

I think the building's actually quite pretty.

the pretty building

It's also an architectural mistake. Is this all we came here for, ladies and gentlemen? To see a slightly drunk-looking tower?

Apparently, it is.

We moved on to look at other buildings in Pisa, dear Reader.

the other buildings

We started with the baptistry.

I think it's pretty too.

In the olden days, the unbaptized heathen was refused entrance into God's holy house without first having water poured (or sprinkled?) over him. Thus, it was convenient to have a building for this rite beside the church. So, you know, people could go at it as quickly as possible.

I'm not sure if it went as speedily as my commentary seems to indicate, but that was the general idea.

We couldn't get into the baptistry --- or maybe the tour group didn't bother; I'm not sure --- so we continued on towards the church.

the entrance

See that maroon pillar near the top that sticks out like a sore thumb? The guide announced that it was pilfered from a temple of Venus, and used here instead. Apparently, there is an old tale about how looking at said pillar for five minutes would keep your lover faithful. That's right, just five minutes.

The powers of the pillar would fade after twenty-four hours though, so keeping your partner from straying would involve staring at that column for five minutes every single day. The guide helpfully added that we could take a photo of it to bring home and look at for the required amount of time every morning.

The church doors tells a story.

I forgot what the story was though. Something historical. I was too busy being fascinated by the detail on the doors. I can imagine some long-forgotten artisan hunched over that hunk of metal and pounding for hours on end.

His body must have been pretty sore after all that work.

going inside

Everything was just so cool.

Check out the ceiling.

That's gold leaf at the top, and a really beautiful painting on the other side.

The lamp of Galileo is also pretty known. It's supposed to be the one Galileo, the famous scientist of the 16th century, used to figure out the swings of a pendulum (Physics talk, people). Legend goes he would watch it sway during mass.

That probably meant he wasn't listening to the sermon, but it's still quite an accomplishment.

mosaic work in front

and more detail at the sides

There was just so much to see. Large wall murals were colorfully splashed on the sides of the cathedral, but they were too dark to get on my camera right. At least without fiddling my camera more than usual, and following the tour group didn't leave much time to fiddle.

Here's the kicker though: the baptistry and the church are also leaning. It's not as clear as the tower because they both have bigger foundations, but they are. The guide explained that the soil in Pisa was quite soft, and foundations there needed more work than in other parts of Italy.

We emerged to sit on marble steps and enjoy the view. I actually have some pictures of myself at that moment --- very rare since I'm usually behind the camera --- since my sister was taking the shots.

The weather was fine enough to remove my coat.

My sister also enjoyed the breather.

My parents were actually running around taking shots of the tower, but I'll always remember goofing off on the church steps with my sister.

We also did take the prerequisite tourist shots with the tower behind us. It took a lot of work to get the whole tower into the pictures though.

My sister doing all that work.

My Dad tries out the same thing.

The pictures weren't half-bad though so it must have been worth all that effort.

We left Pisa to the tunes of a flutist playing in the square. It was wonderful.

See the flute?

We stayed only a few hours but it was one of the most memorable parts of our trip.

Happy Birthday, Jesus

2007-12-25T01:54:00.000+08:00

original untweaked photo by Erik Rudolfs

To quote a certain book, "the baby Jesus' birthday" found me on the balcony of my Grandmother's house watching the city burst into fireworks. Of course, the whole baby Jesus thing is figurative; he must be pretty old right now. I also hear December 25 wasn't even his real birthday, but that's a whole other irrelevant piece of trivia.

Anyway, the fireworks display was pretty good. But then, it always is since my Grandmother's house is on a hill overlooking the city. Not to mention I'm always surrounded by my cousins, some of the closest friends I've ever had.

I always feel really blessed when Christmas rolls around. For one thing, I get to be with both my paternal and maternal sides of the family (about 70-130 people depending on who's around). I get to enjoy the riot induced by screaming and excited children who get to run around all night while their parents have cups of coffee in the kitchen. I get to watch my cousins and nephews --- no nieces just yet --- get all googly-eyed over how perfect the gifts we gave them are. It was worth every shopping trip, and every headache over what each kid would want without him knowing he'd want it.

I know there'll be times in the future when I won't be with them for Christmas, so I'm milking these moments for all they're worth.

Times will also change; people get old. My cousins joke that we'll stop screaming one day, and our children will do it instead.

I am just so glad to have the family I have right now. I love every one of them, and it's so great to have everyone home for Christmas.

And like I've mentioned, it is "the baby Jesus' birthday". It's amazing to remember how he morphed from Almighty God to Squirming Baby just for us. Talk about doing pretty crazy things for love.

The fireworks are still going off outside, but I think I'll just drop off now.

I'm spending Christmas day with my large family at the beach. Then we'll be heading to church in the evening. This is the country with snow-less Christmases after all.

Goodnight, everyone. And a very merry Christmas.

Note: The Europe posts will continue after this post.

Europe: Florence

2007-12-18T18:17:00.000+08:00

Some people have been asking me when the Europe posts will ever end. Well, including this post there are three more places on my list.

I'm actually itching to write about what's been happening to me since Europe but I guess that'll have to wait until after this series is over. Because if I start now, the Europe commentary will never be finished. :D

Let's start with a beautiful view, shall we?

said beautiful view

Stopping in Florence, Italy for two days was wonderful. The buildings were mostly built with brick and stone; they practically had Renaissance written all over them. I guess that's understandable. Florence practically began the Renaissance.

a few of those old buildings

We began our stay in Florence by imbibing cups of gelato.

Kinder-inspired gelato

That's right, folks. Some clever Italian made gelato out of Kinder chocolate. It seemed weird at first, but it turned out pretty good. My sister practically inhaled all that creamy chocolate goodness.

Tiramisu & Cookie Dough

The Tiramisu in my cup was genius. It had cake crumbs and a slight tinge of alcohol buried in all that creaminess. It was quite good. The Cookie Dough flavor wasn't that bad either though pretty forgettable. In fact, I don't remember much of how it tasted like.

It was still a lot better than most gelatos I'd tried back home. But still, it was disappointing.

We followed behind a tourist group and saw the sights.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is striking, isn't it?

The name is a bit of a mouthful though so I shall refer to it as Duomo --- the Italian word for a cathedral church --- from now on. It was this large building with more detail on its walls than my camera could handle. As often happens in Europe, there were loads of tourists. This immediately took away the desire to go in said church and walk through its hallowed halls. The Girl Who Ate Everything did post about huffing and puffing to the top of the Duomo though, so you can check her out for more details.

But the outside was already so cool. Even the doors of the baptistry --- where people were baptized before they could go in the church --- were meticulously done.

Each panel on the door was a story, and made out of metal besides. That must have taken a lot of effort.

the Duomo in the fading light

We also saw some other old stuff. We passed through the Medicee Chapels, a testament to the glory days of one of the greatest patron families of Florence. It housed the tombs of the Medici family, and even a few glass ornaments containing their brown bones and teeth. I don't think it was very good photo material, but I guess I wasn't allowed to take any pictures anyway.

The marble sculptures by Michelangelo blew me away though. I mean, every figure was so detailed down to the veins on a person's arm. And marble is hard to sculpt. It was also fascinating to hear about the different themes and hidden meanings behind all the art. I couldn't get my mind around some of the ideas; I think I was just surprised those deep ideas would be lurking behind marble positions and faces and whatnot.

one of the statues I was allowed to take shots of

No, that last one wasn't in a museum. It could be though. Statues like that dotted the different squares and intersections of Florence. It was so cool.

We also looked at what people were peddling in the markets.

a really interesting chess set

I would have bought the set and brought it home. Except I didn't want to carry it back almost half a world away.

baked yumminess

Then there were the usual cookies, cakes, and baked goods. We didn't get any though; we were trying to save space in our stomachs for dinner. We hoped it would be as good as this guy's dinner seemed to be.

I just had to snap a picture.

Dinner did come along eventually at a cafe by a square.

It won't surprise readers that I have forgotten the cafe's name.

My Dad opted for a pizza and a beer. My Mother, for some reason, was not feeling very hungry. I think I remember her getting dessert. But my sister and I had the most amazing meals.

Daphy, my sister, found the lasagna delicious. It was also extremely cheesy; I helped finish it since Daphy later found it too rich to continue gorging on.

Risotto with Salmon

My risotto was darling though it came in twice the amount I'm used to eating. That's always been my main peeve about eating abroad; the servings are all so large. Maybe tourists who visit our area also get nitpicky about how small the dishes are.

Either way, little bits of salmon in a warm pillowy bed of risotto was a wonderful way to go. It also helped that salmon is one of my favorite kinds of fish.

Unfortunately, the amount of carbohydrates in that dish --- and my sister's besides --- made me too full to really enjoy a good dessert.

We emerged the restaurant to find the city of Florence lighted up. I especially loved passing by this really cool merry-go-round. It's been a long time since I've seen one of those. In fact, the last time I rode one, I was too short to climb on the horse.

Isn't it pretty?

the carousel up close

All in all, Florence was a great place to visit. Every place we went to was a great place to visit. :D More on the rest later!

Europe: Venice

2007-12-10T11:32:00.000+08:00

Oswegan described Europe as a photographer's candy store. And I totally agree; I had my camera looped about my wrist most of the time I was there. There were too many shots I could miss.

This is my roundabout way of apologizing for the large number of photos in this post. Does the apology make you feel more goodhearted towards me and the rest of the photo-chasing generation? Will you forgive me for how long it'll take to scroll down if you see nice pictures?

a nice picture

I hope so.

We arrived in Venice about 9 or 10 in the evening. Tired? Extremely. Plans to immediately fall asleep at our beautiful tucked-away-in-that-itty-bitty-corner hotel? Absolutely not. When you're in a new place with so much to see, who wants to sleep?

Not to mention we hadn't even had dinner yet.

Daphy and her Spaghetti Bolognese

We stopped at a little restaurant a few bridges away from our hotel. It had photos of celebrities splashed all over the walls, and a small TV that showed us what the rest of the world was doing. We didn't watch much TV though; we watched our food.

my Aglio Olio

OK, so Aglio Olio's a pretty simple pasta dish that even I could make in my kitchen. It's still my favorite, along with great vegetable soup.

I say great because that's what it was. The vegetables were wonderfully soft and chewy while the broth was delicious.

vegetable-y goodness

Silly captions aside, we did enjoy our meal. The food wasn't half-bad.

Dad and the pizza he felt we had to order

We emerged from said restaurant at peace with the world due to our comfortably full stomachs. There was a surprisingly large number of people strolling about at 12 am so we decided to join them.

Check out how the moonlight looks on everything.

We ended up in a really large square with a church we were going to visit again in the morning. We also ended up terribly lost. Venice makes me feel like a test hamster in a maze.

It's an urban jungle out there.

We did eventually end up in our beautiful tucked-away-in-that-itty-bitty-corner hotel for some much-needed shuteye.

breakfast

I wish I could remember my breakfast's name but all I recall is that it started with arrio and sounded really Italian-ish. I console myself that it is perfectly natural to forget a meal's name more than a month after I've eaten it. This is another sign that my mind isn't going anywhere just yet.

Breakfast was good though. The vegetables protruding from it were lightly grilled and fit each other quite well. It was a bit sour, sweet, salty, and bitter depending on the vegetable I happened to stick between my jaws. Extremely flavorful and highly satisfying.

We did a little shopping the next day. The displays were very pretty, and my sister and I needed to buy a few trinkets for friends back home.

Ooh, look. Small people.

Who has the patience to arrange all these little beings in said arrangement? I don't.

Yet another reason to start painting again.

The pigeons of Venice were very much like their other European counterparts. They hopped about with their vapid stares in hopes of receiving peanuts for their trouble.

Pigeons line up at their version of a soup kitchen.

The pigeons were occasionally disturbing though.

Attack!

Their large numbers could mean the conquest of Venice! If they actually had plans, that is. Their primary aim in life seems to be the conquest of peanuts and other tidbits. They seem to like peanuts but are obviously not very picky.

We went on to the Piazza San Marco or St. Mark's Square. This was the square we ended up in the night before.

Check out the tourists in the foreground. They look pretty awed.

And why wouldn't they? Especially with buildings like the one below to see.

Isn't the arch of St. Mark's Church jaw-dropping?

I wish I had more pictures of the interior but photos weren't allowed. I guess it's a church, after all. How could anyone be reflective with the incessant clicks of camera shutters in the background?

It was beautiful though. Think mosaic floor patterns of different colors and intricate ceilings. You can also think of St. Mark's bones ensconced behind the table for the Mass. I know people consider his body holy and everything, but wouldn't it be creepy to stare at it during the whole service?

To each his own.

more gorgeous carvings with hidden meanings outside

Did I mention we were following a tour? Hearing about all the carvings and historical whatnot was pretty cool.

The tour continued to various smaller squares and churches. We got to hear about how people lived in this city (Where do they get water? How about the marketing?) with some cute little folk tales about generals, Casanova, and Marco Polo's Chinese wife to spice things up.

one of those smaller churches I mentioned

artists sitting on top of a well and sketching said church

I can understand why so many sketches and paintings of buildings keep popping up in Europe. When you're surrounded by them and have a remotely creative bone in your body, you just can't resist imitating them on paper. I drew some sketches myself.

all water and blue skies

Venice was pretty romantic. I'm not getting all mushy here; it seemed just the setting for lovey-dovey movies. A lot of couples seemed to think so; I passed quite a few walking around in their respective dream worlds. Some pairs seemed right out of the movies; I remember a teary-eyed couple shouting at each other in impassioned Italian. In front of the train station, if you can believe it.

And I thought all those emotional confrontation scenes in movies didn't resemble reality.

Of course, all beautiful things come to an end and our Venetian excursion was one of them.

Goodbye, Venice.

What can I say? It was lovely.

Europe: Rome

2007-11-27T20:19:00.001+08:00

FINALLY, AN UPDATE!

At least I think that's what you're going to say when you see this, dear Reader.

I'm sorry about the weekly but unpredictable updates. I've been knitting and making designs for work, church, and school. Then there's homework and spending time with friends and family so that I won't end up a hermit chained to my laptop. And I got sick last week. A strong typhoon also happened to shake up my neck of the woods at about the same time. There was also a small but sharp earthquake a few days before that.

And yes, all of this happened last week.

So. Rome.

Ooh.

its streets

its alleys

There were lots of beautiful things to see, and lots of cobbled streets to get lost on. (We did get lost, by the way.) Again, I was reminded about how Europe was a mix of both the old and the new just by looking down at my feet on said cobbled street.

the old and the polka-dotted

I don't know if the average person gets tickled by how his average footwear looks so new against the old stones. Or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, we joined a tour on occasion. I say on occasion because when we got bored, we just went somewhere else and left the other tourists gawking at everything ancient. Only to arrive at another old spot where even more tourists were gawking at something even more ancient.

My cousin Ken's jaw dropped when he saw that last picture. And he yelled "You went to the Pantheon?!?!"

I would like to take this opportunity to say yes, Ken, we did.

We saw some famous (dead) people in their graves there. The architecture was also really cool with massive pillars and everything.

Wow.

And who can forget the hole in the Pantheon's roof?

We traipsed onward to a certain square with a name I've forgotten. But I remember it's built on top of some really old Roman ruins. A pope used to live there and commissioned the church and fountains on it from rival artists. I can recall some of the statues in that square being subtle ways the artists used to insult each other's work.

I can recall all that but I can't even give you the square's name. It's pathetic, really.

the church on the memorable square whose name I forgot

Most people passing by Rome drop by the Vatican. Our family did so as well.

St. Peter's Square

It was pretty majestic. Everything was so detailed and really worth looking at.

Even the statues surrounding the square.

I don't know if those were supposed to be saints or something. We weren't really on a pilgrimage --- We're not Catholic. --- so not knowing who they were didn't seem to matter. I did see the window the Pope appears in weekly though.

We continued on to a place so famous that every person I've showed the next picture to immediately knew what it was.

The Coliseum

This was also where I got my first scoops of...

REAL ITALIAN GELATO!

I've always wanted to try out different foods in their native lands. So I enjoyed pistachio and lemon gelato in Italy.

It was just beautiful. The pistachio was appropriately nutty, and the lemon was the right blend of sour creaminess.

I'm almost drooling just remembering it.

Anyway, the Coliseum didn't disappoint. Neither did the Forum a few blocks away.

my sister at said Forum getting jostled by eager tourists

Did I mention how many people were milling about? Well, there were droves. Herds. Whole villages of them. And they were all tourists.

We were blessed enough to head to the tourist spots earlier than the rest of the crowd. Like the Trevi Fountain we passed by that morning. This was the same fountain we passed by later that day only to find tourists crowding into our personal space.

And we wondered why no one was around that fountain that morning. They must have been sleeping. Or they knew the fountain would be lighted in an unflattering way at 8 in the morning.

The Trevi with some glaring sunlight and contrasting shadows

This was also where I got my second helping of gelato. Because, you know, I wasn't full yet.

strawberry, banana...

...and the rest of that tiny gelateria's selection

All mouthwatering. All creamy. All yummy.

Did I mention I normally don't like ice cream?

Those who often visit this blog know I cannot --- yes, cannot --- end this post without chronicling what I had for lunch in a tiny hidden Roman cafe that day.

glorious tortellini

I'd been craving this pasta dish since The Gustavian post a month back. But I'd just been looking for said dish in my area. Who would have thought I'd get the chance to fulfill my tortellini dreams in its cultural home?

Looking back at the trip, I can say God's been so wonderful to me and my family.

And now, it's homework time. I bid you all adieu. Or ciao if we want to say goodbye in Italian just to keep the context.

Europe: Amsterdam

2007-11-18T15:44:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: This post is overflowing with photos. And also quite long.

With that said...

Hello from Amsterdam!

We stayed in this part of the Netherlands for about two days. It was colder than I was used to --- most of Europe is colder than I'm used to, in fact, since the temperatures back home are between 75-90°F --- but the views and everything else made up for it.

Pretty occasionally leaning houses line the canals.

I'm on a beautiful bridge.

How about looking under those bridges?

Some extremely observant readers may have noticed the abundance of bikes in most of these photos. If you haven't, you can scroll back up and look. See the bikes? Good. Well, the Netherlands is Bike Country --- I have a sinking feeling I should not have capitalized that term. --- which means there were more bikes than people once upon a time. I think the ratio of bikes to people is about one to one now, though.

The guide on our Amsterdam tour waxed poetic about these two-wheeled contraptions: exercise, frugality, decreasing the amount of poisonous car fumes in our atmosphere and saving the world. Among other things.

This is all pretty good but very demeaning for people who are as imbalanced as I am.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I do not know how to ride a bike. I can drive cars with automatic (and even manual) transmission, but I can't pedal a bike without falling for more than five seconds. Some people say this impaired my childhood antics but I think I found other crazy things to do back then.

This doesn't mean everyone pedaled around the city though. There were also buses and other modes of transportation.

other modes of transportation

So what else is synonymous with Dutch culture? Aside from those wooden clogs, of course.

windmills

My sister felt we just couldn't leave the Netherlands without seeing an antique windmill. And though we missed the tour we actually wanted, we did get to see one.

This puts the phrase tilting at windmills in a new perspective. The phrase is derived from Don Quixote's fictional attempt to fight a windmill with large sails that was so much bigger than him. What was he thinking?

Meanwhile, the Engineering part of me --- you know, the part that goes to school and studies equations and stuff --- was fascinated by this early attempt at harnessing wind for power.

We also headed for Amsterdam's Flower Market.

More bikes line said market.

The place was filled with everything you'd need to grow a garden: tools, plant seeds, and even garden decor.

And of course, a flower market has flowers in it.

And carnivorous plants.

My Dad got hungry so we headed for Chinatown. This involved cutting through the famous Red Light District.

The red stop sign seems to add a nice touch.

Passing all those drug shops, garish bar signs, and glass windows with scantily clad women staring back at me was sad. I mean, is this what brings people happiness these days? Real happiness? From people I know and stories I've heard, it just seems to cause a lot of trouble, and doesn't make anyone completely happy. Yet people keep coming back, and that's the saddest thing of all.

That place reminded me of how we often look for lasting joy in the wrong places, and fail to see the all-encompassing and completely accepting arms God has opened wide for us. Either way, I'm still praying people will find how wonderful God's love really is.

Dad, Mom, & Chinatown

I've always found it unusual how every country has a Chinatown. I mean, I know it's because the Chinese seem to be scattered all over the world, but it's funny how the Chinese seem to bring a part of China with them. Many of them never live that far apart; they make a whole town. Being a Chinese myself, parts of that place reminded me of home.

We started looking for restaurants and found the one above strange. They charge you on how fast you eat and not how much. This puts really quick eaters like me at an advantage; but have they heard the word indigestion before?

Daphy, Mom, and our Aunt Ping

We ended up with steaming plates of roast duck and pillowy beds of rice. It was just like the food I often had back home. And it was cheap.

That's the tip I can give frugal people heading for Europe: eating in Chinese restaurants is so much cheaper. Even if they charge you a few euros for cleaning the tablecloth.

This is getting pretty long and I have to go somewhere, so I'll be quick.

Here pigeon pigeon pigeon.

With full stomachs, we later communed with the pigeons. They were pretty cute with their glassy-eyed stares and lack of fear toward human beings. I imagine they have never been shot at in their lives.

I also saw one of the scariest rides ever.

It was disconcerting to watch people being rolled about in that manner. And so high up too. It looked so unstable.

In short, I watched them but didn't even try to get a ride.

So that's it for Amsterdam. The post was long so I thank anyone who happened to read this far. 'Til later, everyone!

Europe: Brussels

2007-11-13T17:53:00.000+08:00

We emerged from the depths of the train station in Belgium, specifically Brussels. The plan was to look around a bit and join a city tour before popping back into a train and heading somewhere else.

The weather was perfect: blue skies dotted with unusual cloud formations. I say unusual because I've noticed the types of clouds floating above Europe are totally different from the clouds I see back home.

No, it didn't rain.

With map in hand, we got lost on the way to our tour's meeting spot: the Grand Place. And boy, was it grand!

I couldn't believe I was surrounded by so much history. (OK, I know most people probably don't get excited about stuff like that, but I'm a history nerd. I read history books for fun as a kid, so sue me.) There seemed to be something worth seeing in every direction I happened to go.

And when in Belgium, who could forget the chocolate?

Salivating, anyone?

Practically every street had a chocolate shop. My family eventually succumbed to temptation and bought a few pieces to munch on. Considering I'm not a big chocolate fan, I found it pretty good.

Lunch time!

We passed by a pretty cool Greek restaurant, and decided to fill our tummies with whatever they could cook up. They cooked up lots of meat.

beef medallions

The pasta, rice, and potatoes were especially good.

Beautiful chunks of animal flesh...

My sister's looking over my shoulder right now and yelling "It was so good! I can't believe how good it was!" repeatedly. And it was. I remember happily gorging myself on the meaty juices and whatnot that accompanied my medium-rare medallions.

Maybe I take such delight in this because good beef is hard to find back home.

I guess it is time to introduce you to my father's camera, dear Reader. And its tripod.

Let's take photos of a camera taking photos!

That tripod allowed us to have family photos without asking the strangers around us to take our shots. It was kind-of queer smiling at a camera wrapped around posts at first, but you get used to it.

After that meal, we went on the slightly disappointing city tour. I just didn't hear as many fun facts as I wanted though it wasn't the guide's fault. He was leading a multilingual tour and had to say everything in three different languages. This obviously takes quite a while.

Brussels had one tourist spot that bears mentioning. It was pretty amusing and almost bordered on strange.

Yes, droves of people come to watch this guy pee.

That's the Mannekin Pis, ladies and gentlemen. They say his urine killed the fuse on a bunch of enemy explosives during a war. Some also say he was an infant lord who peed on the enemy troops and increased the army's morale. Either way, this must be the reason car stickers featuring characters in similar poses have flourished.

And so our trip to Belgium came to an end.

It was beautiful, wasn't it?

We said our goodbyes as we headed for the Netherlands.

Europe: Köln

2007-11-07T21:18:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the technical difficulties, guys. I actually intended the posts on Europe to come out daily. That is, until the wiring connecting my laptop to the internet and beyond went belly up last Sunday. I don't know exactly what happened; it's enough to say I got cut off from the internet world.

It's like what people say about the best laid plans. They often go awry.

At least my internet connection's back now. So, going on to Köln...

Here's one view.

And another view.

Köln was, like much of Europe, a bit of the old and new. The place was teeming with galleries and old architecture. There were a lot of people out and about; everyone looked pretty busy.

We couldn't check out everything since we didn't have the time. We did go to the Cathedral --- or the Dom to the Germans --- though.

It was...

HUGEEEEEEEEEEE. And yes, it was big enough to warrant all the Es in that last sentence.

The Dom was so dark and dramatic. Gargoyles and other strange stone creatures littered the cathedral's eaves. The cloudy day we chose to go see it also added to the effect. For the rest of my life, I'll picture the Dom when I hear the word Gothic.

My camera couldn't quite capture how intimidating it was. The stained glass windows were also pretty grand.

I think it's great how Europeans seem to appreciate art a lot. There are accordionists, violinists, mimes, and even artists on a lot of street corners. I even saw someone playing a special Chinese instrument once.

That quality is practically non-existent where I come from. I even heard of some company trying to bulldoze one of my country's big tourist sites for profit. That's just sad.

a guy drawing cool pictures in chalk outside the Dom

We eventually got hungry and stopped at a bakery.

Wonder what Merzenich is supposed to mean?

bread men

Those bread people looked like soldiers lined up for battle. I can just hear their war cry: "Death to those who would devour usssssss!" Not that I ate any of them; I needed something more filling than that.

Isn't the sandwich gorgeous?

It was a delicious sandwich. My sister's apple pie wasn't half-bad either, though we fed a lot of its fat crumbs to the fatter pigeons at our feet.

said pie

Someone else feeds the pigeons.

Tourists like us are probably one of the biggest reasons these pigeons can survive in large numbers.

We also did some shopping. I enjoyed going in the bookstores and attempting to decipher the German titles.

My sister and I also found some cute furry slippers.

More like feathery slippers, actually.

We didn't buy them though. Because if we did, our dog (Reese) would attack them. Then he'd munch on them and get all those threads stuck in his throat. Then he'd choke. To death.

In short, we didn't buy those slippers so our dog wouldn't die horribly.

And that's about it on Köln. I'll post on the other places soon!

Europe: The Amazing Food Fair

2007-11-03T14:53:00.000+08:00

It took a long time to get to Europe.

But as my cousin said before I left: "Who cares? It's EUROPE!"

We met my Dad at the airport in Frankfurt (Germany). He'd arrived earlier to work and boy, he was happy to see us.

Smile with him. :D

We then proceeded to Köln for the largest food show I (and a lot of other people) have ever been to. The Anuga.

their mammoth floor plan

It was huge. Every possible food and beverage industry seemed to be in those eleven halls. The companies setting up shop had pulled out all the stops; some even built booths with two floors.

Some booths were colorful and unique.

This particular booth selling Asian wares had a whole line of pots and pans for playing on. Seriously, two Thais dressed as chefs came out at timely intervals to tap out dance-inducing beats on the kitchenware. It was fun!

I'd post a video of it but I don't really know how to do so on my blog.

Other booths were pretty sophisticated.

Samples were freely laid, and the tables taken up by businessmen inquiring and making the deals businessmen generally make.

There was so much to see. So much to eat. And I ate a lot of everything: cold cuts, steaks, Asian rolls with tangy sauces, energy bars made of meat, ice cream, juice, and even a few cocktail drinks.

The booths were all different, ranging from the cozy to the quirky.

Oh look, an outdoorsy cafe.

Quirky is right.

But the products themselves were also cool. Some were positively genius. For instance, anyone heard of the Unistraw?

It's one of the most unusual things I found in the show: a straw packed with little balls that change flavors. I got one, dropped it into a glass of fresh milk, and drank chocolate milk. My Dad got another one, and sipped water-turned-into-orange-juice through it. I heard they sell these things in my country now; I'll probably buy them since I don't like the natural taste of milk.

Not that I'm selling you anything, folks; this is not an ad. It just seemed worth sharing. And the kid in me jumps excitedly and thinks it's magic.

The show eventually closed for the day, and clusters of professionals swarmed out of the building.

I wonder if they noticed how pretty the sun was setting.

We trudged out as well. It was a wonderful beginning to our trip. More on the rest next time!

Where I've Been

2007-10-31T15:54:00.000+08:00

Apologies for how delayed I've been in putting up my next post. I can imagine you, dear Reader, tapping impatiently at your keyboards and getting increasingly madder at how I've forsaken my blog.

Or not. Seriously, you guys have better things to do with your time.

Anyway, where have I been?

My planner gives a strong hint.

This is actually the reason I'm having a bit of trouble posting. I mean, I went through a large part of a continent. Should I be typing a very detailed account that includes what I said & what I ate? Do you even want to know what I said & what I ate?

I also have 2000 photos from the trip, and I'm trying to decide which ones are actually going up on this blog.

In short, I think I won't have anything ready to be posted until Friday or Saturday. Sorry, folks.

Until then, keep doing the things you've been doing while I've been gone. Eat! Sleep! Do things!

It is becoming apparent that I did not leave my silliness & lack of maturity in Europe.

*** EDIT: This post will end up having links to the rest of the Europe series for convenience to the dear Reader. I went to Germany (the Anuga food fair and Köln), Belgium (Brussels), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence, and Pisa), and France (Paris).

Freedom!

2007-10-14T17:10:00.000+08:00

I'm on my semestral break: three weeks to recover from all things chemical, and three weeks to do everything else I want to do. Hooray!

Sunny days are here again.

It's just on time. I can't handle any more three-to-three-and-a-half-hour exams with five-minute breaks between them to eat lunch. I'm also tired of hibernating with my schoolbooks.

I think I'm becoming slightly unbalanced because of too little sleep and too much unhealthy food. I mean, I've started to dream about listening to lectures on Thermodynamics & taking my final exams.

But that's over now. On to the fun stuff! What will I do with three weeks?

Plenty.

1) I'll spend more time with God through prayer, reading, & reflection. This is a given. I have all this time. What excuse could I have for not giving some of it back to Him?

2) I'll spend time with my family. We're actually taking a two-week trip tomorrow. I don't think I'm taking my laptop --- We're hopping from one place to another almost every day and a laptop isn't exactly light. --- so my blog will die for two weeks from lack of updates.

I'll make it clearer:

My blog will remain unchanged for the next two weeks. Do not visit looking for something new. Thanks.

I'll resurrect it with photos and stories you don't necessarily want to hear after I get back though, so it's all good.

3) I'll organize all my stuff. That includes clothes in my closet, my study table, and the rest of the furniture in my room that's crying because I piled too many belongings on them. If my stuff were alive, they'd picket me for abuse. I'm also fed up with not being able to find anything. I missed an important class a few days ago because I couldn't find my admission slip!

4) I'll play with my graphics tablet. I'll draw, and draw, and draw, and get better at it. I hope.

5) I'll catch up on my reading. I actually joined a book club before the nightmare that is Finals Week. I'll be speeding through the pages so I can actually join the excerpt discussions again.

6) I'll knit my cousin a little rabbit. It's for her birthday in November.

7) I'll practice my violin. I miss playing it. It's just one of those things I had to put on hold for schoolwork.

Those are the high points. Other things I want to do are mandatory like sleeping eight hours every night & eating regular meals again (No more dinners nuked in the microwave at 11:30 pm!).

I can almost hear some of the feedback on this post. I thought she said this was a break! She's as busy as she ever was. I guess my definition of vacation differs from some people. I've always believed it was a little gift from God so I could do what I couldn't do otherwise. All that time is precious; the last thing I'd do is waste it.

Not that kicking back is a waste of time; it's good in small doses. Either way, I'll be having a lot of fun. See you all in two weeks!

Improving My Vocabulary

2007-10-11T20:34:00.000+08:00

This is one of the words of the week. Rather, it became a word of the week after what happened yesterday.

faux pas
(foupä)
n., pl. a social blunder

"Your exam results will be distributed at 5 pm," our professor comments when he finds us loitering about the hallowed halls of our college department.

But it's 4:00. No one actually says this out loud, of course. Except Arn, one of my extremely good friends.

"You mean we have to wait for you?" Everyone stares at her in horror as she proceeds to mentally kick herself.

Our long-suffering teacher shoots her a glance as he passes by.

"Why not?" And he's out of earshot, leaving a bunch of students going I can't believe you said that!

Live and learn, dear Reader.

Another word of the week is graphics tablet.

or technological thingamajig (photo from here)

A graphics tablet is a device you connect to your computer that gets what you draw by hand onto the computer screen. Immediately. Wikipedia will give you a better idea on its superpowers than I ever could.

I first used this when a friend lent me hers for a time-consuming project. After it cut down on the time I took to draw said project by more than half, I started researching brands, prices, and tons of feedback on the internet. I liked the Wacom model best, and had some money saved up. Suffice to say, I got one.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not someone who buys on impulse. Most of the time, I won't even buy what I wanted in the first place. But when I've thought it through --- Will I actually use this? Why do I want it? Is this the best deal? --- and gotten a positive answer on all counts, I don't mind shelling what I've saved up.

It's going to be really useful with my side jobs and drawing projects for school this week.

The Thingie

2007-10-08T18:33:00.000+08:00

This post is subtitled "Or A Short Post To Tide My Blog Over Until My Exams Pass Me By".

Anyway, Oswegan gave me --- drum roll, people --- A Thingie.

Campy X-Files-like music starts to play as I blink at it a few times & wonder what The Thingie is supposed to be.

Is it a button you clickety-click to get to a happy land with kittens & puppies romping over fields of wheat? A giant red splat that will splatter its little red splat babies onto my blog?

Well, no. It's a really cool award for reaching a certain standard in the blogging world. I cannot believe I had to use Google to find out what it was supposed to be. I'm quite behind on the times.

So, thanks, Oswegan!

And thanks to everyone else who reads my blog despite its (occasional?) silliness!

Fooding At The Gustavian

2007-10-04T05:49:00.000+08:00

On one of my few study breaks, my Mom and sister pulled me from my schoolbooks and projects for some dinner in the real world. I had an enormous headache but went along willingly. This is food we're talking about, after all.

Ooh, look. Monogrammed candles.

We ended up in an interesting bakery that my Mom explained had real food. Not that I'm saying a heap of pastries could not count for dinner; it's just that we were hungrier than that.

I wasn't up to picking anything because of said headache and my propensity for picking things on the menu that are not in stock. (Seriously, I once ordered three meals to be told they didn't have them at the moment. When I asked what else they had, they said everything else but what I ordered. I'm the kind of person who gets the bent fork or goes into an empty bathroom and chooses the one cubicle with a destroyed lock. OK, so back to the topic.) Or maybe I was just lazy. Either way, their set menu looked good to me.

I attempted to order a ginger ale that was not in stock, and ended up with settled rootbeer and free bread. I also got a look around.

The place was lined with bread and wines of different vintages. The decor wasn't bad, sort of garden patio meets art museum.

My Mother, a mirror, & a teetering waiter

Then my leek soup arrived.

I don't think the camera makes it look very good. Actually, I'm not sure it even looked good in real life since my Mom gave it a dirty look. But it tasted great: warm broth that left a little zing in my mouth. Leek is also one of my favorite vegetables while my dirty-look-giving Mother hates it.

My Mom and sister oohed and aahed over their soups so I guess all their soups must have the same quality.

I continued with a salad of lettuce, green beans, red beets, pork, & horseradish dressing. Yes, you've caught me reading off the menu again.

It was interesting. I loved how everything melded well though I think that's the general idea. Maybe they just taste better together because they're all partying in my mouth. Did I just say that?

Pityful description, but I'm not a great fan of salads. I'll eat them, of course, but they're not my favorite food. I like the main course more.

And the main course was wonderful. I dug into the beef tenderloin in red wine. The red cabbage was slightly sour yet sweet, while the cheese --- is this an irreverent observation? --- actually reminded me of Macaroni & Cheese. Again, they all went so well together.

"What's that yellow thing?" my Mom asked.

"Cheese. It's nice." I didn't bother to look up since the only other yellow thing on my plate was butter.

"No, I mean that yellow thing." My Mom pointed at the cheese.

"Cheese. It's nice." There was a pause while my Mother thought about this and I ate a bit more.

"OK," she said.

This was about the time I started to get full. I don't know if anyone else gets this but I've always had a clock of some sort in my stomach. It rings when I'm filled up, rather like the first click when you fill up your car with gas.

Anyway, my stomach rang. I could not accept this. I was only half-way through the main course! There was still dessert! My stomach was betraying me!

The other members of my family were also getting rather lethargic.

Did I mention they ate much less than I did?

I soldiered on manfully (or womanfully if we're getting technical about it). I mean, I don't often eat this much anyway. I usually have a plate with rice and some form of meat/vegetables and a glass of water without ceremony. That's the outline of my five-minute meals.

So, on to dessert!

Cake made more delicious by a lovely camera angle

All I can say is wow. Wow, I like the picture. You can see my Mom and sister sleepily talking in the slightly blurred background.

Oh, and the cake wasn't bad either. It didn't seem as good as the rest of my meal but don't take my word on it. I don't like cakes so it takes a lot for me to give one good marks. The little chocolate shavings were delicious though. The only thing I had against it was the sourness of the yellow plums. Well, they probably weren't fresh anyway.

So with our tummies happily full --- OK, a little too full. I think they were all crying. --- & the bill paid, we went home so that I could continue putting my nose to the grindstone. It was a good meal out; I haven't done anything like that with my family in quite a while. Not to mention studying a lot also means I occasionally forget to eat.

Goodbye then! :D

I update on Sundays.

2007-10-01T08:50:00.000+08:00

And Wednesdays, in general.

But it's been a bit busy lately. And it will continue to be so until this nightmare ends with the semestral break two weeks from now. I can't wait.

Until then, this is how my weekly planner's going to look like.

I think I'm defiling the planner's prettiness with all my scribbles.

Don't worry if you can't read my handwriting; most people can't. Basically, my weeks are generally filled with reminders, prayers, comforting Bible verses, and comments on how I've spent my time ("Aah! Overslept!" and "Yummy lunch!" for instance).

Anyway, I'm getting a little nervous. I have a Powerpoint presentation to do, a Flash presentation to make (which will be interesting since I know next to nothing about Flash), about six written reports, five commercials to do, candles and floor wax to make, exams, reading assignments, soap, detergent, and shampoo to finish up with packaging labels and stuff. At least, I think that's it. For this week.

If you stopped reading in the beginning of the last paragraph, I forgive you wholeheartedly. It scares me too.

I did get a lot of help from a song I heard yesterday. It goes:

There will be times
When I'm frightened
Times when I'm amazed
Where You're creating miracle moments,
I'll need a heart that's full of faith.

(More of the lyrics can be found here.)

All the stuff I have to do, and how overwhelmed I'm feeling right now are setting the stage for miracle moments. I just need faith and the drive to do my best. And somehow, I'll pull through with good grades. I'm praying hard.

Oh. For those who wondered how my sudden trip went, it was good.

I'm eating lunch between plane trips.

I did get to class a little late, but it didn't signify since I finished the exam in record time. Now if only I got the answers right...

Well, class starts in a half hour, and I have to run. Or drive if you want to get technical.

I'll be keeping my blog updated though I may miss my original blogging schedule by a day or so. This may also mean replying to any comments will take a bit longer. Either way, cheers, everyone!