Weekends are supposed to be avenues to get some much needed rest and relaxation. It is supposed to give you some of your sanity back. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. I woke up last Saturday at 3 AM and could not get back to sleep no matter how hard I tried. Ok, ok, I'll be the first one to admit that playing Plants vs Zombies Survival Endless Mode is not exactly the most effective way of going about it.
To make a long story short, my body clock is so messed up. My body is telling me that it is already Friday even though there are still four more workdays to go. I either keep myself awake through countless cups of coffee or prop my body upright with a stick. The way I am feeling, I may even need to do both...Somebody HELP!!!!!
Showing posts with label weekend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weekend. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Happiness in the little things
Last weekend, we finally were able to push through with a family gathering of sorts with my brother and his family. It is true what they say that life has the habit of getting in between of things so even if we all wanted to meet up more often, we just have to make do with the scarce opportunities that are given to us.
The last time that we met up was for Patrick's birthday last July. This time it was for Neejay's birthday. As always, it's a treat for me to see my brother, Neejay and his family. I can't get over how much Rich looks like my brother when he was still toddler. We tried one of the Japanese restaurants in Rockwell, Zaifu. Yummy. Well, I'm biased when it comes to Japanese food but one sure sign that the restaurant was good was that there were at least two Japanese families eating there when we came in. I don't think you can see that happening in Tokyo Tokyo anytime soon. Special mention goes to Spicy Tuna Cheese Roll. I'm not even sure if it's their specialty but I loved it nonetheless. Hehehe.
It is also worth mentioning that after months of scouring various bookstores for a copy of Anna Karenina, a classic by Leo Tolstoy, I finally hit jackpot last weekend. Considered to be one of the greatest novels of the 19th century, it is really sad that when I try to look for a copy (or even any book by Leo Tolstoy), the closest I get is Android Karenina. Just goes to show how much books are valued or not valued in this country. Fully Booked in Rockwell only reopened last Saturday so it was really luck in my part that I happen to be there last Sunday and that we had a few minutes to burn. I was also lucky to chance upon an extra-helpful employee who was patient enough to look for the book despite the chaos.
Last weekend reminded me that happiness doesn't have to be in the extravagant things. Most of the time, it is in the small things that we tend to overlook. Happiness is finding a book when you least expect it...it is in watching my nephew's eyes light up while watching the water fountain...it is in the silent moments when you don't feel like doing anything else but just hold hands with the one you love....
The last time that we met up was for Patrick's birthday last July. This time it was for Neejay's birthday. As always, it's a treat for me to see my brother, Neejay and his family. I can't get over how much Rich looks like my brother when he was still toddler. We tried one of the Japanese restaurants in Rockwell, Zaifu. Yummy. Well, I'm biased when it comes to Japanese food but one sure sign that the restaurant was good was that there were at least two Japanese families eating there when we came in. I don't think you can see that happening in Tokyo Tokyo anytime soon. Special mention goes to Spicy Tuna Cheese Roll. I'm not even sure if it's their specialty but I loved it nonetheless. Hehehe.
It is also worth mentioning that after months of scouring various bookstores for a copy of Anna Karenina, a classic by Leo Tolstoy, I finally hit jackpot last weekend. Considered to be one of the greatest novels of the 19th century, it is really sad that when I try to look for a copy (or even any book by Leo Tolstoy), the closest I get is Android Karenina. Just goes to show how much books are valued or not valued in this country. Fully Booked in Rockwell only reopened last Saturday so it was really luck in my part that I happen to be there last Sunday and that we had a few minutes to burn. I was also lucky to chance upon an extra-helpful employee who was patient enough to look for the book despite the chaos.
Last weekend reminded me that happiness doesn't have to be in the extravagant things. Most of the time, it is in the small things that we tend to overlook. Happiness is finding a book when you least expect it...it is in watching my nephew's eyes light up while watching the water fountain...it is in the silent moments when you don't feel like doing anything else but just hold hands with the one you love....
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Making a case for the Ipad
Blogging can be quite tricky sometimes, especially if you're trying to be consistent. My previous posts have mostly been on my personal impressions on the books I am reading as part of my goal for 2012. The hard thing for me is that there are times that I am able to think of what I want to write about a particular book or thing but I am not able to do so because I am in the mall or whatever and then when I do get the chance to sit down and write, I find myself staring blankly and trying to squeeze out every word.
I guess that makes a good case for getting myself an Ipad. Bwahaha. I was skeptical about this when it was first introduced (and the fact that the name tends to remind people of something else does not help) but thinking about it, it would certainly be more economical than getting a Kindle.
The Ipad would have been especially useful last weekend. Last Thursday, we suddenly decided to go to the province because of the declared holiday on Friday. I have already finished The Age of Innocence and Their Eyes were Watching God and was supposed to blog about it over the weekend but our change of plans made it impossible to do so. The lack of internet connection could account for that. Flashes and glimpses of what I want to write about those two books haunted me during the long weekend. Oh well, I guess that is the sacrifice one has to pay. That and about a thousand bucks. hehehe It was well worth it because I finally got the chance to get some rest and relaxation away from the distractions of the city. Sometimes I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Internet age that I just want to "disconnect" myself from everything. No facebook, no twitter, no YM, no cable tv, no nothing.
I was also able to finish Sense and Sensibility during the trips to and from and the down times (somehow, there are a lot more of these when you are in the province..hehehe). All that seafood (and well food in general) also goes a long way to make up for whatever inconvenience. The only real downside is that the fact that I spent the whole three days doing practically nothing made the monday blues yesterday even more acute. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.
I guess that makes a good case for getting myself an Ipad. Bwahaha. I was skeptical about this when it was first introduced (and the fact that the name tends to remind people of something else does not help) but thinking about it, it would certainly be more economical than getting a Kindle.
The Ipad would have been especially useful last weekend. Last Thursday, we suddenly decided to go to the province because of the declared holiday on Friday. I have already finished The Age of Innocence and Their Eyes were Watching God and was supposed to blog about it over the weekend but our change of plans made it impossible to do so. The lack of internet connection could account for that. Flashes and glimpses of what I want to write about those two books haunted me during the long weekend. Oh well, I guess that is the sacrifice one has to pay. That and about a thousand bucks. hehehe It was well worth it because I finally got the chance to get some rest and relaxation away from the distractions of the city. Sometimes I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Internet age that I just want to "disconnect" myself from everything. No facebook, no twitter, no YM, no cable tv, no nothing.
I was also able to finish Sense and Sensibility during the trips to and from and the down times (somehow, there are a lot more of these when you are in the province..hehehe). All that seafood (and well food in general) also goes a long way to make up for whatever inconvenience. The only real downside is that the fact that I spent the whole three days doing practically nothing made the monday blues yesterday even more acute. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Miserable Me
I dived into the weekend determined to get as much rest and relaxation as I possibly can, after all, that is what weekends are all about, right? But there are times that it doesn't matter how much you want something if your body is just as determined not to cooperate.
Last Sunday was one of the most miserable days I had in recent memory. My tummy woke me up at 3 am after only 3 hours of sleep and refused to give me a moment's rest (I will spare you the gory details). I was only able to get some sleep when the sun was already up and the roosters have long stopped crowing. To make up for the miserable start of my day, I decided to make a well-known comfort food here in the Philippines, Arroz Caldo. After some searching in the net (get the recipe here), I came across a fairly easy recipe to follow and with some improvising (we did not have sticky rice and chicken thighs or drumsticks), I made my first Arroz Caldo ever. Although I originally planned it to last until Monday breakfast since I also cooked Adobo for lunch and dinner but it didn't even last until Sunday dinner. (hehehe)
Back to my uncooperating tummy, even though I can't really blame anyone (no one made me eat all those popcorn Friday night), I was still so miserable about being sick and I actually had tears at one time. It is not really the pain but the feeling of helplessness that gets me. Another thing is that it made me think about my mom. Although my fiance does a pretty job of taking care of me even when I'm not sick, it's still different.
On a positive note, no Monday blues for today because of the president's declaration that September 10 is a holiday. I plan to catch up on my reading then since I was not able to get any reading done last weekend, I just hope my body will cooperate with me this time.
Last Sunday was one of the most miserable days I had in recent memory. My tummy woke me up at 3 am after only 3 hours of sleep and refused to give me a moment's rest (I will spare you the gory details). I was only able to get some sleep when the sun was already up and the roosters have long stopped crowing. To make up for the miserable start of my day, I decided to make a well-known comfort food here in the Philippines, Arroz Caldo. After some searching in the net (get the recipe here), I came across a fairly easy recipe to follow and with some improvising (we did not have sticky rice and chicken thighs or drumsticks), I made my first Arroz Caldo ever. Although I originally planned it to last until Monday breakfast since I also cooked Adobo for lunch and dinner but it didn't even last until Sunday dinner. (hehehe)
Back to my uncooperating tummy, even though I can't really blame anyone (no one made me eat all those popcorn Friday night), I was still so miserable about being sick and I actually had tears at one time. It is not really the pain but the feeling of helplessness that gets me. Another thing is that it made me think about my mom. Although my fiance does a pretty job of taking care of me even when I'm not sick, it's still different.
On a positive note, no Monday blues for today because of the president's declaration that September 10 is a holiday. I plan to catch up on my reading then since I was not able to get any reading done last weekend, I just hope my body will cooperate with me this time.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Exuberant weekend
The long weekend is almost up and surprise, surprise, I am almost 3 days behind on my reading. I find it somewhat ironic that I get more reading done during the weekdays. Although I was able to finish "The Crying Lot of 49" last Saturday afternoon, I haven't been able to squeeze in any more reading time after that. It is almost as if reading is akin to work. Blasphemy! But oh well, I just have to comfort myself with the fact that I cooked 3 new dishes over the last weekend.
As a spur of the moment thing, we bought sapsap or ponyfish last Saturday night. I only had a vague idea of what I was going to do with it, more like a dim remembrance of how my lola used to cook it. Good thing I came across a recipe for Pangat na Sapsap (find the recipe here) and we cooked it for lunch yesterday. I find the dish really simple and it goes perfectly with rice (one proof of that is that Fil consumed twice than what he normally eats for lunch...hehehe)
We went to Greenhills last Saturday and I tried out the Raspberry yogurt of Golden Spoon. It was nothing spectacular and Fil even went as far as to compare it to Tempra but it was not as bad as that. I definitely prefer it compared to the chocolate icicle passing off as yogurt from Tutti Frutti. It just made me miss White Hat's Green Apple Yogurt even more.
After Greenhills, we went straight to Robinsons in BF to do the groceries (well, our main destination is really the building beside it...hehe). We tried out the pizza place in the 2nd floor of Robinsons and it was a good thing that we did. As a rule, my fiance and I don't really eat in pizza places because he is not a fan but the Buffalo Wings of that restaurant (for the life of me, I cant remember the name of the place) quickly made a convert out of him. I opted for the traditional pepperoni pizza and I loved it. Can't wait to taste their other pizzas and stromboli.
The Sunday and Monday was spent lazing around and catching up on DVDs. Fil made me watch "Cinco" and as my revenge, I made him watch "I'll Be There" with me. As they say, all is fair in love and war.
On a totally unrelated side-note, I was really happy to hear that Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) won in the Emmys for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. I am so in love with him and I am even willing to learn Klingon for him. Can't wait for the new season of the Big Bang Theory.
As a spur of the moment thing, we bought sapsap or ponyfish last Saturday night. I only had a vague idea of what I was going to do with it, more like a dim remembrance of how my lola used to cook it. Good thing I came across a recipe for Pangat na Sapsap (find the recipe here) and we cooked it for lunch yesterday. I find the dish really simple and it goes perfectly with rice (one proof of that is that Fil consumed twice than what he normally eats for lunch...hehehe)
We went to Greenhills last Saturday and I tried out the Raspberry yogurt of Golden Spoon. It was nothing spectacular and Fil even went as far as to compare it to Tempra but it was not as bad as that. I definitely prefer it compared to the chocolate icicle passing off as yogurt from Tutti Frutti. It just made me miss White Hat's Green Apple Yogurt even more.
After Greenhills, we went straight to Robinsons in BF to do the groceries (well, our main destination is really the building beside it...hehe). We tried out the pizza place in the 2nd floor of Robinsons and it was a good thing that we did. As a rule, my fiance and I don't really eat in pizza places because he is not a fan but the Buffalo Wings of that restaurant (for the life of me, I cant remember the name of the place) quickly made a convert out of him. I opted for the traditional pepperoni pizza and I loved it. Can't wait to taste their other pizzas and stromboli.
The Sunday and Monday was spent lazing around and catching up on DVDs. Fil made me watch "Cinco" and as my revenge, I made him watch "I'll Be There" with me. As they say, all is fair in love and war.
On a totally unrelated side-note, I was really happy to hear that Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) won in the Emmys for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. I am so in love with him and I am even willing to learn Klingon for him. Can't wait for the new season of the Big Bang Theory.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Multi-tasking Weekend
Last week, I posted here my goal of finishing 151 books from the 1001 books you must read before you die. In order to gain some headway, I spent several hours finding electronic copies of the books on the list. It is actually surprising the amount of literature that is already available for free in sites like the project gutenberg. You just have to download it in the format readable by your favorite reader.
It is not really that practical for me to buy the hardcopy version of every book in my list. Aside from the obvious economic concerns on my part, there is much to be desired in the bookstores here in the Philippines. Everytime I enter a branch of the leading bookstore here, I can't help but compare it to one of the bookstores along Orchard Road that I visited when I went to Singapore. One can actually get lost in that place. But of course I still plan to buy the actual printed copies of some of the books in my list, especially the long novels (e.g. 2666). There is a different thrill in reading an actual book...the actual act of turning the pages, leaf by leaf...so tangible and old school. Many of the contemporary works in my list are also not available so I have to scour for them in the bookstores here.
But I am happy to report that I now have enough ebooks to keep me occupied until end of this year. On a side note, I was also able to finish "The Island of Dr. Moreau" over the weekend. I know, I know...it is really not that much of an accomplishment since the book is relatively short. Still, I am happy to count 1 book down and only 95 more to go.
I am actually happy with last weeked as far as weekends are concerned. My fiance and I cooked Pork Binagoongan (Pork in Shrimp Paste). Well, he actually did all the prep stuff and I just supervised. Hehehe. We were also able to finish all season 21 episodes of "The Simpsons" and we also watched a HK movie (Magic Kitchen). The series was mostly funny (I still prefer the older seasons), movie was so-so (to think that it stars Andy Lau...so disappointing), and the food was uber yummy. I am actually looking forward to the next weekend already.
It is not really that practical for me to buy the hardcopy version of every book in my list. Aside from the obvious economic concerns on my part, there is much to be desired in the bookstores here in the Philippines. Everytime I enter a branch of the leading bookstore here, I can't help but compare it to one of the bookstores along Orchard Road that I visited when I went to Singapore. One can actually get lost in that place. But of course I still plan to buy the actual printed copies of some of the books in my list, especially the long novels (e.g. 2666). There is a different thrill in reading an actual book...the actual act of turning the pages, leaf by leaf...so tangible and old school. Many of the contemporary works in my list are also not available so I have to scour for them in the bookstores here.
But I am happy to report that I now have enough ebooks to keep me occupied until end of this year. On a side note, I was also able to finish "The Island of Dr. Moreau" over the weekend. I know, I know...it is really not that much of an accomplishment since the book is relatively short. Still, I am happy to count 1 book down and only 95 more to go.
I am actually happy with last weeked as far as weekends are concerned. My fiance and I cooked Pork Binagoongan (Pork in Shrimp Paste). Well, he actually did all the prep stuff and I just supervised. Hehehe. We were also able to finish all season 21 episodes of "The Simpsons" and we also watched a HK movie (Magic Kitchen). The series was mostly funny (I still prefer the older seasons), movie was so-so (to think that it stars Andy Lau...so disappointing), and the food was uber yummy. I am actually looking forward to the next weekend already.
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