where is this sun you speak of?

(I just realized that we didn't take any single photo on that pizza night. So, hi . Here's is a photo of my cereal. ) This I realized over a planned pizza dinner with two close friends since college, Eileen and Tip. Conversation about what happens after graduation, getting a job at the moment, and goals in life, were just a bunch of topics we have discussed among others. In those fast-paced moments, for more than hours, Tip suggested about making a goal for every month. It was one of those striking, fleeting moments that led me to pause for a while and thought about that idea. I didn't get serious about it that time and while moving on from one conversation to the next, it's always popping out in my head like it wants to be focused on quickly. After dinner, we decided to play Battle Realms just because it's what we used to do back in college. While playing for hours, I couldn't help but think about it over and over. After playing, we decided to tak...

Very old photo of us lined-up together. Eldest to youngest (with Mama) (A letter of the youngest kid among six children about feeling hopeless at times, about missing the good old days, and about contentment.) Dear Siblings, Isn't it amazing how we are bound together by love? That no matter how each of us fail at some point in our endeavors, we still accept each other just because. As the youngest, all I want is the best for all of you. Even though I am always left behind, I still hope and pray that I will be okay because I understand that all of you want to live your lives away from home. Whenever I think about the past, when Mama and Papa were still alive, I become happy and sad. I miss those times together. Those times when we always eat together, spend time in the garden together, watch television together, share everything we have with each other, celebrate Christmas Eve and New Year's celebrations together. Thank you for making my life exciting sometime...

I have a lot of pens. So I needed something that can hold them together but I don't want to buy something ready-made because that would be expensive (although I would love to have that Hedgehog pen holder!). I have two pen holders now. The other one is a personalized tumbler I got on my birthday two years ago. It can't hold additional pens anymore so I figured I have to make a DIY pen holder. Materials you need: A clean can of soda or beer/any kind of jar Fabric tapes (or washi tapes!) Scissors Printed paper (optional) Using a can opener, take out the cover of your can. Make sure you cut out the sharp edges before working on it. Cover the sides of the upper part of your can with a printed paper or you can use your tapes. I used a printed paper because I want it to look kind of rugged. Hehe. For the body,  I used my fabric tapes. Stick them around horizontally and alternately. You can do it vertically or diagonally, or checkered. It's is up to you! ...

  Sylvia Plath . I've stumbled upon writings about her and so her name sounds familiar to me. Later on, with the help of the internet, I learned who she was. I'm not a fan or whatsoever, but I would like to know her full story. I've been wanting to read her novel but unfortunately I couldn't find a copy in bookstores yet. One afternoon, while browsing through old books in a book sale, I saw a book not by her but about her. Without any doubt, I bought it.  Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill is a portrait of her life compiled in poems. Poems are written describing Plath from different perspectives, from different people whom she had shared her life with. I wish I have read her journals before reading this book but so far, I believe, Hemphill had written them in a way that a reader like me, who doesn't know Plath entirely, would understand how she was. Most poems are written in free verse and sometimes inspired by Plath...

It was my very first job application here in the city. I feel kind of nervous at the time because I didn't know what could happen and there were hundreds of applicants. While walking towards the end of the line, I kind of feel uneasy and (again) nervous. As I decided to go home, I found myself at the end of the line. So I stayed. It was after a minute or less when you lined up next to me. A guy looking very neat with a backpack on. While waiting in the line, I checked my things in my bag and realized I don't have a pen. So I had to hurry and go to the nearest bookstore to get one. I was kind of hesitant to ask you for a reservation but I did anyway. You were very pleasing and said "sure!" . I came back and realized the line got shorter and you were almost near the entrance. You smiled at me and I said "thanks!" . I feel kind of aloof because almost everyone is with a friend. I was just standing there... waiting. You were busy talking to your friend about...

I made and sent two postcards last month. One for Beverly from England and Dina from China. Beverly is the first person who inspired me to write. She doesn't know it, I guess. But I mentioned it, finally, in my letter. At the age of 13, I started keeping a notebook full of poems and whatnot. And I started keeping a diary before I started blogging back in 2005. She's one of my heroes. :) Back in high school and early years in college, she was my pen pal. We used to write novel-like letters but it suddenly stopped. I can't trace back who stopped replying but it doesn't matter. I hope someday our paths will cross again. I want to tell her a lot of things. Things that I didn't understand years ago but I do now Dina is a postcrosser from China. I made her a dream catcher-inspired card because that's what I thought of while thinking about what kind of postcard should I make for her. I hope she gets it! :D

  One of my favorite things to make during Summer season is smoothie/shake! This time I made some pineapple smoothie! I'm lucky to have bought a sweet kind of pineapple in the market. Anyway, my point of making this one is to have something to drive me to exercise. It's the best prize right after a heavy workout!  Pineapple Smoothie Serving: 2 tall glasses Ingredients: 2 cups of pineapple chunks 1/4 cup of sugar syrup 1 cup cold water 2 tbsp. powdered milk Procedure: Put everything in the blender. Blend until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes or so. You can add crushed ice in the mix if you wish to drink it right away. For me, I decided to do work out while having it chilled. So when I'm done, I could just take it out from the freezer and reward myself for a job well done! If we're going to talk about workouts then count me out. Hahaha! It happened for several times though but it didn't last. I have done some exercising in the ...

One of my favorite Filipino dishes is Braised Pork or, in Filipino, Humba . It's almost always present during fiesta, birthdays, graduation, or any other celebration. It's a go-to recipe for most Filipino families. There are different ways to cook Humba. I like it when it is kind of sweet, less oily and with boiled eggs on the side. Boiled eggs aren't necessary for the recipe but I like having it because it is my favorite. :p Here's how I made my version. 1. Boil eggs. Boil for 2 minutes. Let it rest in a covered casserole for 7 minutes. Set aside. This is a technique I learned to have a perfect hard-boiled eggs. So far, it never failed me. 2. Heat oil in casserole. Add pork belly over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Add 4 tbsp. brown sugar. Add 1 cup of water. 3. Add 4 cloves of garlic, minced. Sprinkle some black ground pepper. Bring to boil. Lower heat until meat is fork tender. 4. When meat is fork tender, let it simmer. Add some spring ...