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Today, I’m halfway through Kusamakura by Natsume Sōseki. I only realized a few days ago that January was quickly coming to an end, and that I had only read two books for this month (the first being George Orwell’s 1984, and the second being Albert Camus’ The Stranger).  Given that the first goal that I listed in my goals for 2012 is to read at least three books a month, I realized that I only had less than a week to make sure I don’t fail one of my resolutions on the first month of the new year. Luckily for me, Kusamakura is proving to be much easier and lighter to read than 1984, as the latter took me about more than two weeks to finish.

I also finally, finally actually wrote the first part of a story I’ve been thinking of for a long time. After letting Pepito read it, we discussed the idea I had and how I could go about it, but we both agreed that the only real way to flesh out the story would be to write it and see where it goes. It’s exciting; the last time I wrote something (or at least recognized something I wrote as something really written) was way back when I was still writing for RF Online. And that’s at least four years ago.

It feels good, to feel that I’m actually doing something, accomplishing something. I’m still worrying about a lot of things though, such as my pending job applications, my dwindling funds and my sanity in the next few months, but all I can do is stick to my guns, put myself out there and keep on pushing myself.

Traveler

Traveler
by Heather Sommer

Your first time out of the country
of your own skin, I didn’t bring a map.

You always hated that I’d been lucky
enough to pick my way through streets

I couldn’t pronounce to find cathedrals,
graveyards. If you were a city, you said,

I’d only like to know your suburbs.

If you were a city, I said, I’d like to know
your poor neighborhoods, your inner parts.

Read your graffiti. Drink your tap water.
Feel your smog and dirt stick to my sweat.

Hear your orchestra of sirens and gunshots.
I’d know which of your streets to walk.

If you were a city, I’d expect to be robbed.

a place for our words

Pepito and I bought a domain.

I’m excited, and feeling sentimental; it’s our shared space.

sweets and afters : oreo madness

New post on my food blog about T.G.I. Fridays’ Oreo Madness.

Oreo Madness

Right before the new year settled in, I had the chance to hang out and have dinner with my closest cousins at Bonifacio High Street. One of the things I love about my family is that the same-aged cousins/the younger group of cousins are close with one another, such that we actually do like hanging out with each other and do look forward to reunions and family holidays and such. What’s so great about it is that our family is crazy, and our times together equate into crazy-fun times together.  A large portion of my immediate family was going to celebrate the New Year at my house, so my close cousins from the province whom I rarely see were in town for a visit.

We met up in BHS and lollygagged about while waiting for my brother, who was also visiting from the US for the holidays, and another one of my cousins who was with him playing tour guide and chauffeur. When they finally arrived and we were deciding on a place to eat, I immediately suggested T.G.I. Fridays, since our uncle had given us cash to burn and one of my cousins had never eaten there before. (!!) Of course, I believed that this had to be remedied!

We nearly ordered too much, haha! But considering how many there were of us (8), we were able to finish everything. It was only until after one of my cousins suggested that we have dessert that I realized that, despite liking TGIF a lot, I’ve never had any of their desserts. So, we decided to try TGIF‘s Oreo Madness.

It doesn’t look as perfect in person, but oh, where do I begin with this amazing dessert?

To start, the ‘cookie’ is about 2 inches in size, and about 1.5 inches thick, and looks absolutely delish. I took the time to take a number of photos of it, and I was surprised to see that the ice cream didn’t melt much as I was admiring it. It’s drizzled with chocolate and caramel syrup with a dash of chocolate powder.

It had great texture: the ice cream was firm, yet the oreo cookie parts were chewy in a lovely way. The cookie didn’t fall apart, even though we were impaling it repeatedly with our forks. And even better, it wasn’t too sweet. It was ~*~perfect~*~. I’m daydreaming about it at this very moment.

At the price of 205ph for a single cookie and 354 for two, the Oreo Madness is definitely a must-try. One cookie is actually good enough for two people, though three of us ripped right through two. TGIF has a very lively ambiance and friendly waiters, and tends to usually fill up at around dinner. I’m looking forward to my next mealtime at TGIF.

You can find out more about T.G.I. Fridays in the Philippines at their website.

all year long

Despite the current threat of family imposed deportation once again, I’m feeling a bit calm. I suppose this is because there is still hope, but also because I feel that maybe I do need to let go a little. My mom was right when she told me that I’m the type of person who places value not so much in monetary or material things (though I am very sentimental) but rather  in the relationships I have, and tangible experiences. However, I think that it’s this very value that I place on these things that have kept me from growing. Like I’ve said so many times before, I am always afraid, afraid of a lot of things. Afraid of new things, afraid of something different, something away from what I’m comfortable with, separated from people I know and places I know and things that are important to me. In that sense, I’ve kept myself in one place. For nearly a year, I’ve kept myself in more or less the same place. Maybe I do need to be placed elsewhere, elsewhere being elsewhere: maybe abroad, maybe back in school, maybe in a stable job that will keep me away from the house, away from what I’m used to, away from what I’ve been holding on to so dearly and force me to move from where I’ve been standing.

2012

Goals:

- read at least three books a month. More is better.
- either finalize post-grad studies plan or find a stable job.
- be as financially independent as possible.
- create something once a month or more.
- blog at least thrice a month.
- learn something new, such as a language or a skill.