22 - 28 March 2013

Since it's Good Friday today, I just had a laid back morning and afternoon... no major chores to do (by choice), but here's a recap of my week.



I finally joined Instagram last Saturday, but because we still don't have a router at home, I can't upload much just yet. Right now, I am using Insta Pic Frames for the collages... nice, but not so. Any suggestions for a good collage app?

Inserting some fragments of thoughts:

• I am glad I have my cats to drink the milk from my cereal bowl, after I finish eating. I really don't slurp the milk, I just use it to soften my cereals.
• At first I didn't like the nail polish I put on this week... but it does have its way for me to like it.
• I will surely miss pigging out.
• My first godchild is now a mother. Really? That means at 32, I am old enough to be a grandmother, as I am just a year younger than my godchild's mother.

Wednesday, I received a surprise package. I truly wasn't expecting any packages, so when the delivery man called my name and handed me this big package, I started to wonder. Turns out, the package is from the Maya Kitchen, and it contains a shirt, a big box of Maya Pancake Mix, a bag of Maya All-Purpose Flour, and a box of Maya Instant Champorado (rice chocolate porridge). Awww, so sweet of them to send a package... my siblings were over the top happy with the Champorado Mix.


Yesterday, I was able to spot this sunset from our front door. Quite sad that I couldn't get a decent picture of it as the house in front of ours totally blocks the view, but it was still a great experience to be seeing a good farewell to a wonderful day.

Today marks the fifth day of my week-long Salad Project, and I am still in love with it! For today's lunch, I cooked Chopseuy, which allows me (somehow) to have my veggie fix, but for tonight's dinner, I had this salad (nothing more). Very simple one, but I used Ranch as a dressing - just 1 teaspoon because I added 10g of cheddar cheese in it. I still can't say if I like Ranch dressing, but this salad of mine was like eating Kani Sandwich, minus the bread. Adding white onions added more flavor, by the way.

Five random things about me as a salad girl?

1. I don't like the seeds. That's the reason why I buy very slender cucumbers, and why I take out the seeds of the tomatoes.
2. I love Romaine Lettuce. Iceberg is my least favorite.
3. I don't like eating the white parts of the lettuce.
4. Caesar is my favorite dressing.
5. I prefer to grate the carrots rather than cutting them into dice or chips, because there's something about the carrot flavor I don't like. By grating the carrots, it is easier for me to eat.

Next week, I still would include salads into my diet, but not as part of everyday meal, because I just realized... buying salad ingredients can be expensive. :)

Not so good parts of my week?
☹ I just found out that one of my favorite celebrity chefs - Ed Quimson - already passed away. It makes me sad because I always dream of meeting him and maybe have a picture with him, but it won't happen anymore.
☹ I lost the copy of the Sitaw at Kalabasa Salad (string beans and squash).
☹ I wasn't able to cook a recipe this week.
☹ I got sick last Saturday, so I wasn't able to attend the class at the Maya Kitchen, as well as attend the food event at Yellow Cab Pizza.
☹ I lost track of the movies I watched this month... I totally fail my Movie Project this year. 

Still... there's a lot of reasons to smile... biggest smile comes from the fact that me eating less this week is going to be beneficial for my fitness plans next month.

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas, darling.
We're apart, that's true.
But I can dream, and in my dreams
I'm Christmas-ing with you.
- The Carpenters, "Merry Christmas, Darling"

Day 85
24 December 2011


The night before, I was asking my family if I will go out and walk today. Mom answered a very sounding "yes," and I told her I was sort of hoping she'd say, "Don't go out and walk, it's Christmas." She said, "Well, it's not yet Christmas tomorrow." Toinks.

I woke up a bit late (because I did wake up around 4am again, but I went back to sleep because it was chilly - bed weather), but I still prepared and went out to walk. Very few people walking around Colinas Verdes today, but I was happy to still see several people walking and jogging, at least I wasn't completely alone.

Before going home, I passed by the market to buy ingredients for the Pansit Bihon, but I only brought along p150 and I was only able to buy chicken and the vegetables. My money wasn't enough to buy the pansit (haha), so brother and I went back to the market around 9:30am. Late afternoon we went back to the market again, just to see the chaos. Hahaha. Wow... I walked a lot! :)


I wasn't expecting any material gifts this Christmas (our family isn't into gift-giving), but I received a wonderful gift today - a message from Stephen. He was one of my very first online buddies, and he will always be one special man in my life because he is the only person who has given me flowers (you can read about that HERE). Well, a few weeks after I received the flowers, we got into an argument that caused us to stop talking, but sometime this year, we started talking again, but no talks about past feelings - just pure online subjects. Last time I spoke to him was last August, when I asked him about placing social networking buttons on my blog.

He's a friend on Facebook and he's on YM buddy list, but even if I see him online, I don't talk to him - I guess we've grown apart already. I was surprised to see a message from him saying he misses me. We got to chat after that exchange of PMs on Facebook, and it was great to talk to him in much personal tone again. However, like what I wrote on my personal blog (if you happen to click the link on the last paragraph), we will never be lovers. None of us are still willing to relocate, and he is still in the process of re-building his life and currently, he can't even support himself so he said even if he wants to, he can't be my boyfriend yet.

Well... the fact that he and I are friends again, I am already thankful. I love reconnecting bridges!


Around 9pm, us girls went to the nearby chapel to hear mass. I wore a blouse that I used to wear - my mom bought this for me sometime in 2002 or 2003, but I only got to wear it once because it was too small for me - my arms were so big for the sleeves, and my tummy bulges were too visible. After that one instance, I quickly placed the blouse inside the "for donation" bag, but never really gave it away. Every time I'd attempt to lose weight, I'd try it on, but I never got to fit into it again - until now.

Sweet gift indeed to be able to fit into something so small to me before.

Okay, about the homily. It was short and sweet... and it was about the reason for today's celebration: the gift of life. God gave us His son, and each and every one of us is a gift. This year, I am certainly most thankful about the gift of life, and I thank God for giving me a loving family (far from serious sickness, harm, and other negative forces), I thank God for giving me awesome friends - I don't have much friends, but what I have I truly treasure, I thank God for letting me meet people who has inspired me in more ways than one, and I thank God for gifting me the wonderful gift of being myself - being able to handle problems, sickness, pressures, and heartaches. Life truly is the best gift I have received.


What I ate today -

• 8:45am - 2 squares Biko
• 11:49am - 1/2 cup rice, Paksiw na Bangus (1 steak cut), 1 tablespoon Eggplant Omelet
• 5:20pm - 1 slice cake, some chicken cartilages (after flaking the chicken for the pansit we plan to cook for Noche Buena)
• 6:47pm - 1/2 cup rice, 3 medium sized prawns, 1/2 cup Pansit Bihon

Total Cups of Water: sorry, I wasn't able to count, I stopped updating the white board at 6 cups.
About the slice of cake... it wasn't too thick, just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.

We had Noche Buena around 12:45am of December 25, so expect a longer food list for tomorrow's post. :)