Last day...

...of May 2012.  And my last (supposedly official) day as "Madam Horrible" in the oldest University of Asia. 
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by PAM


Ya didn't see that comin', did ya?  Yeah, "that"... that I'd ever admit to being horrible! Haha....  Well, and that, too.  But, surely, you knew about that!

And so, that means there's going to be no more of this...

Test papers grading saga, ah-gaga... ugh, gah!

...and this...

Sleepless nights (night after night, after night...) preparing lectures...
...for five (sometimes seven) different courses! Gah!

...this, too...

The "agony" of watching them "agonize"...
...and watching them "move on"... year after year. Oh, well....

...for a long, long time.  Am I allowed to let out a heartfelt sigh of relief?  Yeah?  *sigh*  There!  Aah... so that's how a sigh like that felt?  Wow!  So worth it!  :)

Sadly though, there's going to be no more of these too...

Incredibly wonderful people... in an incredibly wonderful place!

But you're wrong... 'cause, nah, I'm not "walkin' out", not "walkin' away"... just movin' on... just because there is still a great stretch of road ahead, and it beckons.  And, it would be a shame not to get myself out of my comfort zone and try to find out what other exciting things lie ahead... now that there's still plenty of time... not to mention these reserved cylinders of energy and enthusiasm yet to be consumed.  Curiosity... and quenching this numbing thirst for "new adventure" aren't all that horrible, are they?  Then again, that's right... I'm "Madam Horrible"!  I have no "excuse"... I can't have an excuse!  Oh, well.... ;) 

I know I said there won't be a post on this... but, whatever! =)  Obviously I will talk about this again pretty soon!  Y'see? I'm lookin' back already!  Tsk!  ;)  Let's just watch French Open, shall we?  Please? Thank you! :)

***  

Sunday foodie

Another day of enjoying a Pinoy snack.
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by PAM


The other day my sister and I were in a "snacky mood".  So, we checked out our cupboard of snacks... there are a number of choices, but none appealed to us - surprisingly.  We thought of baking something creamily and sweetly decadent... but, on second thought, we weren't really in the mood for anything sweet.  "How about balut," she asked.  Hmmm... too indulgent.  Green mango with bagoong and siling labuyo?  Nah, too "to-die-for" for a regular snack... and we're not "emotionally prepared" for that!  Haha...  At least, we knew we were both thinking Pinoy street food!  Fish balls?  isaw?  adidas?  okoy?  Huh...  OKOY! Jackpot!

But UP (University of the Philippines) is too far to drive from our place, especially it was close to rush hours, traffic would kill our appetite.  Not to worry, we have...


...Mommy's!  A "depot" of Pinoy delicacy classics...

 ...and it's just "two stop lights" away. :)  So, to "Mommy's" we went... and, boy, was it a "torture" to see so many, many (maaaaany) mouthwatering Pinoy goodies!  But we've made up our minds... okoy was it for us!



Irresistible!  Whew!

 Okoy (shrimp fritters) is a common Pinoy snack or appetizer.  It is a delectable mix of shrimps (shells and heads included... aaaw!), bean sprouts, sweet potato and/or tofu, gathered in a flour batter (preferably rice flour for extra crisp), shaped in small- to medium-sized flat patties, and fried until brown on both sides.  Eating it is enjoyed best while it is still warm and at its optimum crispyliciousness, and sprinkled with or dipped in vinegar sauce with minced garlic and onion (chopped chili pepper, optional).   

Want some?  Maybe, it's time to locate the nearest Mommy's in your neighborhood on Google map or Foodspotting app on your iPhone/iPad?  Or... c'mon, just make some!


Crrruuuuuuunch....

Oh, and don't forget to sanitize your hands, and just eat with 'em for maximum enjoyment!  Hmmm... simple joys, simply Pinoy!  Indeed, it's more fun in the Philippines! :)

***

Saturday photo

Sunset? 

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by PAM

Nah...

A new beginning peeks in the horizon...

 ...it's sunrise!  It does look like sunset, with that familiar burst of dramatic colors... matching the powerful emotions that befit a wonderful ending that sunset brings.  But alas, it is sunrise... new day, new beginnings! 

If we did think about it though, there could be no sunrise without sunset.  An old day comes to a close... and dies, as the sun retreats to its hiding place and the fingers of darkness seize and grip the surroundings to a standstill.  And, in the silence of darkness, a new day is coming to life and being born into the break of dawn... and the sun greets the new day with a cheerful smile... but not before struggling to emerge from its hiding place, exploding with the same dramatic colors with which it ached and wept, and eventually fallen to darkness, on sunset, just one spin of mother earth ago.

In spite of the melancholy feeling that it brings, I do love sunset, too.... just because I love the exhilaration of looking forward to a new day and savoring the trememendous joy that sunrise brings ater the sadness of darkness. 

***

So, yeah... here comes the sun! 



It's alright!  :)

***

'Best friend'...

...he insists!
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by PAM


After a challenging, 'suspense-filled' (hehe...), and incredibly fun day of teamwork and camaraderie at the Research Center earlier today, a furry cuteness took over... 


Back in those first couple of months when he still sat on one's lap...
...willingly - for one whole mimute.


...and powered the rest of the day with mega arf-arfy energy!  Yep, we have a 'furry friend' at home and, gah, he's so full of energy and winning antics, always on his hilarious elements, just too lovable for words!  :)

It didn't take long before he discovered his tank of mega energy!  

Oh, and these days, he makes sure we know that he can't sleep without his electric fan switched on and set to 'gentle' mode. Oh, well... arf, arf!  :)

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Sunday foodie

One bite... and you get lost in all that sweetness and creamy taste, mingling with slightly burnt aroma, stuffed together in a variety of textures...


Egg pie!

...just insanely delicious! Simple joys, simple wants, simple recipe and procedure... simply Pinoy!  Hmm, life is good!

***

Saturday photo

So much beauty 'here'... and 'out there'.

And I'm curious... what's hidden behind those mountains?  Hmmm... looks like it's time to get "new hiking shoes"?  Yep, I guess it is!  :) 

***

Wednesday nostalgia...

...because I need a break!

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by PAM



Uhm-hmm, when it comes to my "everyday music", I don't care very much about "perfection", and all that... I prefer uniqueness and personality.  Yep, and they are usually wrapped in some "silliness"... but the endearing kind, and the type that leaves you speechless when unwrapped...

...and can't get enough of - "strangely".  It's probably because beneath the "silliness" is a breathtaking depth that inspires the listener to a sweet contemplation, which, to me is the measure of true artistry!  And they usually endure the others' obssessive desire for "perfection" that, alas, is skin deep in its mimickry of another artist's music - but, sure, still a talent nevertheless.  

That's the thing that's baffling for me y'see... many "perfect-pitched" singers leave me in awe... of them... but I do not remember anything about the song they sing, the music they "slay"!  But artists make me curious about the song they sing, they make me see an old song in a different light because of the way they interpret it - be it by pulling the "big ones" from their vocal artillery at the right moments, or by rendering a different texture to the song by stretching their thin vocal skin to wrap around the song, which then comes alive... they make me contemplate on the message of the song, to think about the joy or the pain that the composer/writer of the song was going through while writing it and how they themselves now feel such joy or pain.  And this is what I mean by "artistry"... it's not just about slinging a guitar, or "toying" with a ukelele! :)  Perhaps, some of them accompany themselves because they are eager to tell a story - a good story... and they wanna make sure it's told in the way that they see it at every turn, with every note, so the listener may relate with the song, the music... rather than striving to get everyone to be impressed by their vocal prowess.  While that "vocal wow factor" is part of the whole "singing business", the artistry should come first... in my book.  Hmmm... or, maybe I'm just that shallow?!   Ah, so much for "imperfection" and "silliness"! :) 

But, yeah, it's all a matter of preference... and these "silly" types, "rebellious" in their uniqueness, admirable in their passion for their artistry, are the ones that I appreciate and remember in a pool of budding music figures - for a long, long time!  So, yeah... Jason Castro!  

***

Happy Mother's Day!

The womb is a place where a forming life's heart starts to beat... in the same rhythm as its biological mother's, as it mingles and becomes one with the spirit that God breathes into the new life that then becomes a soul, and becomes one with God.  And it is what this heart beats for that puts meaning and beauty to this life... and nurturing this fragile life to full bloom as a lovely soul so its heart keeps beating joyfully in the rythym of God's love, making its borrowed time in this world worth living for is a mother's most unique blessing.  Today, we show how much we cherish the mothers among us who lend themselves - biologically and/or otherwise - to the creation and/or nurturing of lives so they blossom beautifully to ageless souls... and make this world a wonderful place to live in. 

Happy Mother's Day!

***

QOTD

QOTD #3

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by PAM



"...the road to success is always under construction." 

                            - Steven Tyler

                              Comment on Phillip Phillips's Top 4 performance
                              in American Idol - Season 11

I was just sharing a laugh with a friend a few days back, commenting that the road to progress can be too congested, traffic can sometimes be punishingly slow moving... and "some clown" of a "road block" at the bottle neck usually aggravates things. :)  But Steven Tyler of American Idol, Season 11 put it in a more optimistic light a couple of nights back... well, probably only because he said it to critique Phillip Phillips's so-so performance of "Have you ever seen the rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, which was followed by an oh, so exquisite performance of "Volcano" by Damien Rice - a delicious respite from all the "screaming" and over the top impassioned declaration of "I want to win this", or a desperate plea to keep them in the running, from the other Top 4 talented contestants. 

Pinoy street food...

...delicious - according to CNN! :)
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by PAM


As has been illustrated a few times in this blog, my family and I patronize Pinoy street-food. :)  In fact, on our table right now, is a left-over balut from an evening snack yesterday, and in our fridge is left-over sweet corn from this afternoon's snack that our father bought from his "regular" (or suki) roving vendor who rounds the Village every afternoon.  Even our doggie usually joins me sampling taho in the morning, bought from the street vendor, while enjoying the morning sunshine! :)  Therefore, we were ecstatic to find a feature on Pinoy street food on CNN International's CNN GO. :)


A street food stall at the University of the Philippines,
which my family and I last visited while on Visita Iglesia last month... yum!


There is also a wonderful, wonderful feature on Pinoy street food on the May issue of "Appetite" magazine, published by One Mega Group, Inc.  The photos are  fantastic (they're guaranteed to make your mouth water... uhm, you may consider that a warning, too!) and the recipes are for keeps - really worth reading.

Ah, truly, a visit to the Philippines is never complete without trying our street food... which is one of the reasons why "it's more fun in the Philippines"!  :)

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