The Happies and the Crappies

taken from the jeepney last weekend

As soon as I woke up today, I immediately turned on the television to hear news about the Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name - Haiyan). Goosebumps all over my body and my tears just fell without warning upon seeing its wrath... and I could only whisper a prayer for all the people affected by the typhoon. This one's very strong - it almost covered the entire country, and I just feel sad with all the things this country had to endure - war, string of typhoons, massive earthquake.

So okay, let's start this post with the crappies.

• Receiving a statement of account from my Internet provider, even if my account has been disconnected. Well, the bill stated I owe them ZERO pesos, but it was a little irritating that after a staff of their office told me it was indeed disconnected, I learned that it wasn't permanently disconnected yet. I will be visiting their office to request for permanent disconnection this weekend.
• Heartburn. I ate fried food yesterday and today... and now I am feeling a lot of discomfort.
• Sniffles and coughs. 
• An old lady bullying me while I was at the nearby supermarket. What's irritating was that this lady owes my mom some money and she had the nerve to speak ill of her. 

Even with the crappies, there are still reasons to be grateful.

Taking time to walk, and enjoy the beauty of nature.


Baking cupcakes using the oven toaster.


Receiving the Starbucks Card I won from a giveaway hosted by The Peach Kitchen. Sister was happier than I am because she loves Starbucks and she was the one who told me about the giveaway, and to up the chances to win, I joined, too. I told her that if I win, I will give the card to her, so when I finally received it, I immediately gave it to her.


Book happiness! One week ago, me buying three bottles of nail polish caused me not to buy two books from Booksale, and when the family went back to the mall a few days after, I was really thankful that the books were still there... and I also got to buy a book costing just 5 pesos! Yesterday, I finally received the books I ordered from a seller I met through Instagram... and I am very happy that my Fifty Shades books are now complete! :D

More random happies:

• My mom supporting our crazy ideas. I painted my nails blue, sister asked me to paint her nails white. We thought it would be nice to have our pictures look like the flag, so I painted my mom's toenails red. Hehehehe.
• The scale said I lost one pound. :D
• K sent me an e-mail sharing pictures from a family member's wedding... it makes me happy that he treats me as part of his family by sharing personal images from home. Congratulations, N & T!
• After a week of taking my Biotin Multi supplements, I am starting to feel its good effect - my hair is becoming stronger and fuller, and my nails are becoming stronger, too.

It's been raining here since this afternoon. It's not heavy, but it's not stopping as well. We here may not feel the typhoon's wrath, but our heart and prayers goes to everyone who are affected.

* Jenn *

 

The Happies and the Crappies

This week was a busy one for me that I didn't devote enough time to exercise and read books. Biggest crappie for the week would have to be my body not feeling good because I was still having bad reactions with the pork belly binge we had when sister went home with a kilo of belly lechon. It was difficult to cope up with headaches, dizziness, and heartburn, but eating vegetables and not eating pork for about 5 days seemed to help.



Last Wednesday, I went to attend an event at the Fort, and my day started on a crappie note when I woke up as early as 5am to prepare breakfast and leave home in time for the 10am event, only to realize that I misread the invitation and the event was actually at 2pm and not 10am. Five hours to kill (I arrived at 9am), what to do? I didn't bring my book, and I couldn't read using my phone because I needed battery juice to take images at the event.

Despite the hot, sunny weather, I decided to walk. From the Fort Pointe Building, I walked to Bonifacio High Street to stay and read books at Fully Booked, but when I got there, I was sad to see that the book store opens at 11am. Oh dear... I walked further to Market! Market! and checked out different shops, until the mall opens.

I spent time browsing books at Booksale, checking every nook and cranny of the bookstore, but even if I got to see a few interesting books, I didn't have the money to burn. I did get to buy a book at 25 pesos, so from then on my dad was turning into a happie.

I walked back to the Fort Pointe Building for the event, and was happy to see familiar faces. The event was short and I didn't get to take a lot of pictures, but I was able to take enough for my upcoming blog post. Another long walk for me as I had to walk back to Market! Market! to take the BGC Bus to Ayala where I took the jeepney going to my sister's workplace.


My sister's shift at work was until 9pm, giving me enough time to spend time with a dear friend. From Benavidez Street, I walked all the way to Glorietta to have dinner at Cabalen... my first time to eat pork after a few days. It was a great dinner because I spent it with a person dear to me, but this food trip will never be featured on my food blog because I wasn't totally happy with it. There were enough choices for the buffet, yes.. but the fatty dishes outweighs the amount of grilled fish / veggie dishes, so I felt I had no choice but to go with the fatty dishes. The Kare-Kare tasted great, though.

My friend and I shared food and conversations and he dropped me right in front of sister's workplace and sister and I went home together. A lot of walking which included stair climbing... my legs burned and I was so tired. Tired, but happy and fulfilled.



This week, I also got to try something new. My mom went out with a friend and the boring afternoon prompted me to cook these empanadas. Crappy moment happened when the LPG tank ran out of juice while I was frying the first batch of empanadas, but two hours after, I resumed cooking and these became our dinner (we left some for sister, too, of course).

More happies from this week -
♥ Buying cheap, pre-loved books via Instagram. The first book I already received, the other two books, I still have to wait.
♥ Because I was out all day last Wednesday (sister and I got home around 11:30pm), my cat missed me so much that when I went to bed, he immediately hopped next to me and didn't leave my side until I got up the next morning.
♥ My mom posing for an OOTD (outfit of the day) picture. My mom's fashion is usually monochromatic and I was quite amused seeing her wear blue top, blue jeans, and blue pair of shoes, that I asked her to pose for a picture, which she was game to do. Actually, when she left to attend a prayer meeting, I didn't realize she was also using a blue bag... and when I exclaimed my surprise about it, she complained that we need to take one more picture because the early pictures I took didn't show her bag. Ohhhkay mom. :)
♥ Batangas beef!
♥ Sister's work at a restaurant allowed her to know about different suppliers, and now we know where to buy super affordable salmon belly, cream dory fish, and squid rings. How affordable? 1/3 the price of that being sold at the supermarkets.
♥ Winning two giveaways - Starbucks Card Giveaway hosted by The Peach Kitchen and the Ghoulish Giveaway via Instagram hosted by China Glaze nail polish. Thank you, Lord for the blessings.

Crappies?
♥ Me not attending a restaurant opening last Tuesday.
♥ Borrowing 500 pesos from my sister just so I could pay the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book I ordered. #bookwormproblems #somanybookssolittlemoney
♥ I painted my nails red this week, and although the nail polish had a good coverage and I had to use just one coat, it was quite difficult to work with and it chipped too easily that I actually painted my nails three times for it to be worthy of a picture.

This weekend, I am going to spend my Saturday morning with my mom, attending a class at the Maya Kitchen, then in the afternoon we will meet with sister and go to SM Mall of Asia. Come night time, mom will attend a party and sister and I will spend it by trying to bake some carrot cupcakes.

Sunday will be a rest day.

* Jenn *

 

Maundy Thursday

My brother is currently in the province of Laguna doing Visita Iglesia (church hopping) with his friends at the church org we both belong to. I do feel sad that I wasn't able to join them (brother didn't actually ask them if I can tag along), but there are still many things to be thankful for today.

1. We participated in the Way of the Cross here in the neighborhood. Our house was the 11th Station, and although I don't understand why it had to start very early (5am), the family is thankful for such honor, as the last time our house was chosen to be part of the Way of the Cross was more than a decade ago.


2. I was able to download an e-book reader through the Google Play. Using my phablet, I couldn't search the Google Play site to find an e-book reader, and when I was online yesterday using my netbook, I searched the site and found Aldiko Library. I clicked install on my netbook (yesterday), and this morning while I was cleaning outside the house tidying up the table and cloth we used for the Stations of the Cross, I noticed that the Aldiko Library has been installed on my phablet (grasping the free WiFi from one of our neighbors). I quickly transferred four of the seven e-books I have in my netbook (White Fang was already there upon installation) and I was very impressed with it. The "Fifty Shades" trilogy has been in my netbook since August or September last year (given by my friend), but I haven't read it yet because I truly don't like the way it was presented using Acrobat PDF Reader. I still prefer having the feeling of reading a real book (and not like reading a school project or a document), so now that I have the Aldiko Library, I can now start reading the series. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" I downloaded the day I learned about the movie version (a friend told me I have to read it first before I watch it).

Anyway, Booking Through Thursday asks,

Movies have a rating system to help guide the consumer weed out adult/violent/inappropriate kinds of films. Video games do, too. Do you think BOOKS should have a ratings system? 

I really do think Books should have a ratings system, too. I remember, when I bought "The Nature of Air and Water" by Regina McBride, reading the synopsis at the back cover of the book made me buy it because I thought it was about the relationship of a mother to her daughter... and although that was indeed the case, I was quite surprised at the dark, sexual tones the book had towards the middle of it. Judging by its cover - a lady wearing a cape - it really seemed wholesome and child-friendly, so it was really surprising to read certain anecdotes in the book that teenagers may not understand. Having a ratings system would not only help the parents keep track of what their children place in the cart, but it also helps stores selling books appropriate for certain ages.

3. Organizing my Nail Polish Stash. I don't know why, but we just had the urge to clean the house today. I tidied my closet, and I found an old scrapbook container, which was a great way to organize my growing number of nail polish bottles. I just took of its lid and started arranging the bottles. 15 of those I have already swatched and blogged... the rest I have yet to use.

4. Going out to walk. After lunch, it started to rain, but thankfully, it stopped around 3pm, so sister and I were able to go out. We were just thinking of checking the nearby market if there will be business (as some establishments are closed from today until Black Saturday), but because it was still early, we decided to walk all the way to Tungko (possibly 4 to 5 kilometers away).

5. Sharing a small glass of Halo-Halo with my sister. She and I got tired from walking (mainly because of the heat), so we decided to cool down a bit... but instead of buying a glass each, we decided to share a glass. Just the regular size, for we just want to cool down.

6. Saying my prayers. Near the Tungko Market is their church, and Maundy Thursday is the day in the Holy Week when Catholics go out and hop to different churches - some say we have to visit 13, others say we just have to visit 7. My sister and I weren't able to plan for this day, but entering a church, saying my prayers made me feel much better.

7. 4th day of Salad Days Project, a success! I still had the usual ingredients - lettuce, carrots, cucumbers - but thankful to a small feature on last Tuesday's news, I was able to learn a new salad recipe. Aside from the usual ingredients, I added three types of mangoes - unripe, ripe, and dried, and added onions, bell peppers, and cashew nuts as well. The vinaigrette was amazing (even if I only used 2 tablespoons of it for all these), and sharing this with my mom and sister, the three of us had a great dinner. Also, this is the 4th of day of no-meat week... and even if I am very much tempted to taste the chicken sister brought home from work, my control and discipline surprised me. By the way, I was able to buy some curly lettuce at the Tungko Market for only 25 pesos. Not bad at all!

My brother sent a text message saying my camera won't zoom, which worried me terribly because as much as I accepted the fact that my camera is slowly retiring, I still am not ready to let it go. Yes, I am eyeing on a new camera now - a Nikon camera with 21x optical zoom - but I still haven't saved enough money for it. Thankfully, I received another message that all is well already. What a sigh of relief! Since brother has my camera, I am also thankful I have my phablet to capture images from today.



PS - I just read from Lyn of "Escape From Obesity" that blogger Lorrie of "The Token Fat Girl" just passed away. My deepest condolences. The Token Fat Girl is one of the blogs I read (I even added the blog on my blogroll).

Spring Means New Life. Hello, Monday!

It's a very hot summer here in the Philippines, but I like to believe that the country still goes through all many seasons, even if there are basically just two main seasons. For instance, it can get very cold during December 'til January, and it feels spring come February. Though very short of a period as summer comes in March, it is still a month to celebrate many things.

those aren't leaves.... but flowers. trees blossoming every february. awesome!

10 Things I Love About Spring:

1. It's synonymous to having a new life... or turning over a new leaf.
2. Life is just full of positivity.
3. Renewed spirits.
4. Everything just feels so light.
5. Pastel colors!
6. Letting go of negative vibes and embracing changes.
7. Fiery sunsets.
8. Flowers all over.
9. Exercising is much easier.
10. It makes you anticipate for summer. :)

- * - * - * - 

Like I said, it is summer now... and temp is just way too hot today. Weekend, there were rains (with lightning and thunder), so today was a total opposite scenario. It gives me headaches, and after this post, I will take a time off to cool down before I hop on the elliptical machine. New week, new things to say hello to:


Hello, Instagram!
Hahahaha... finally. Yesterday, sister and I went to the mall to pay the Internet bill, and I also took the time to buy a new memory card for my phone. While having early dinner / last pig-out (for a while) at Ristorante Bigoli, I used their free WiFi to download some apps from the Google Play Store. First choice is Instagram (I think this is the reason why I wanted to own an Android phone), then sister requested I install Fruit Ninja (a game), too. The WiFi signal was quite weak, but I was able to do the things I "needed" to know... another plus point for this phone. :)

I only have two pictures on my Instagram page, I admit I still have to buy a router so I can fully use this app... even if I can login on Instagram using my netbook, I can't upload any pictures.


Hello, Salad Days!
I like to say I like salads, but because I never really got used to eating it, it is something I need to work on. Don't get me wrong.... I love having lettuce on my sandwiches, and I order salads every now and then, but it is not something that comes natural - like rice. Before, we bought some greens at the Sidcor weekend market, and didn't get to eat much of it. This week, my sister is going for detox (I don't know what program she's going for)... and because it's already the Holy Week for us Catholics, we are encouraged to give up something. For me, I am going to give up meat (pork, chicken, goat, and beef - including processed meats) this week, and will go for salads for dinner... giving up rice for dinner, too.

Yesterday, part of my bonding time with sister is buying stuff at the supermarket, too. Most of the fruits are hers (but we share the lemon and the papaya), the veggies are all mine. I also bought some packs of prepared salad dressings as I still don't know how to make my own dressing and vinaigrette, but I made sure I bought the small packs, so I can use less of it.

For lunch today, I had fried tofu and a bowl of salad consisting of lettuce (I looooooove romaine, by the way, cucumbers (minus the seeds), and a little caesar salad dressing a tablespoon of grated cheddar cheese. I loved it...and I think this is a great avenue for me to appreciate salad totally.

This week, I am saying hello to file burning, too! Time to secure copies of precious photo files! And one last hello to tomatoes... I just planted the seeds, hopefully they grow... because our next door neighbor has this one tomato plant and it has a fruit now! Wow! :)



Hello, Monday!