CERTAIN THINGS

Originally posted : Thursday 09/10/2009

There are days that you want certain things to happen but instead of sunshine, there comes rain

...that you wanted pancakes for breakfast but you only have cereal

...that you craved for ice cream in the evening but all stores are closed

...that you wanted a white Chuck Taylor but only the red one fits you

...that you wanted to watch Ice Age in 3D but when you get to the movie house, they don't have the 3D feature

...that you wanted the whole day in Disneyland yet you only get a few hours

...that you wanted a strawberry smoothie but they ran out of fresh strawberries

...that you wished for a good parking space but you get none

...that when you asked for Mango iced tea and you get soda instead




...that you expected for an ultimate orgasm but you only get foreplay.

Saved By The Sunnies

It was a busy morning shift. And I barely got any sleep last night. I have a sleeping problem that is why morning shift doesn't always work for me. Anyhow, I sprinted to the tram stop right when I got out from the building. Just when I was a few meters away from the stop, I saw the tram pass by. It came 2 minutes earlier than scheduled, and the next one is coming in 12 minutes, yet. I saw a bench nearby. I lied down while no one was watching, then took a selfie. The next thing I knew, a guy was standing in front of the bench. Darn, I fell asleep. I stood up and shyly offered half of the bench to the stranger, but he refused.

Stranger: No, thanks (then he smirked). You seem tired. Haven't you slept last night?

Me: No, and I just came from work. It's a busy day. What makes you say so?

Stranger: 'Cause you were snoring. (big smile)

Good thing, I was wearing my sunnies. It makes it less embarassing.

Thank You 2014

All I see in my Facebook or Twitter timeline are wishes for 2015 for a good or a better year to them. Some threats like " 2015, you better be good to me" . Before moving forward, let us not forget about 2014. I would like to take this moment to thank and give credits to 2014 for what I have been through.

In 2014, I started a job that makes me fulfil my promise. When I was younger, I watched this film " In Her Shoes". After watching the film, I said to myself that someday, wherever I may be and whatever job I will land on, I will make time to work, volunteer, or visit a nursing home and care for the aged on behalf of the family who cannot be there for them. At least for the last few days of their lives I will be able to provide care and support them. I know it is going to be lonely when your family could not be there for you and all the more when you feel helpless. In addition to that, I am now working in a Jewish organisation, and most of the residents that I am dealing with are survivors from the Holocaust. I have been fond of the movies from that era. To name a few: "Fidler On The Roof", "The Sound of Music", "Life is Beautiful", and my favorite, "Schindler's List". It is with great honor to be caring with the survivors who went through starvation, stripped off from their rights and properties, as well as mental and physical torment.

Although I had a bad start in my work dealing with colleagues, I stayed strong and determined not to give up. For the good shifts and good staffs that I have been working with, thank you. And for the not-so-good ones, thank you for making me realize that I am stronger than I thought I was. 

Meanwhile, juggling with studies and work is very challenging. Not to mention, sleepless nights doing research and writing essays. Thank you for pushing to my limits. It is then I realize I can do more and better than I could. I am thankful for my family, new found friends and old ones as well, for standing by me and making me happy in so many ways.

To 2014, cheers! It was a hell of a ride and it is all gooood! Thank you!



 Here's wishing for another good year!

Boxing Day

On Boxing day, we did not join the parade to the malls and department stores. It was either we avoided the crowdy shops or, we avoided impulse buying , or we apparently don't have funds for shopping. Either way, I think it's a wise thing to do... wise on the pocket. Instead, we hosted a " bring a plate " ( a potluck party for the Americans ) party with friends. Wearing fancy clothes, or red outfits for Christmas party already bores me. So we decided to have an " Ugly Christmas jumper party ".

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

Christmas in Oz

Christmas is not celebrated by all here in Australia. It is a multicultural place composed of Islams, Buddhist, Hindus and Jews. And everybody is working on Christmas. It's kind of lonely here especially when an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) is spending Christmas away from home. But ... they say that happiness is a choice, so, loneliness is also a choice. I spent Christmas eve preparing for "Noche Buena", a feast that Filipinos traditionally partake at midnight on Christmas day. I cooked the savory while my roommate, a patissierie student prepared the dessert right when she got home from work. The other flatmate, helped assemble the meringue into a cone shape, resembling a christmas tree. Noche Buena prep. Pardon the clutter at the back. Happy Christmas everyone !

Home Away From Home

Our ( me and three other flatmates ) humble abode down under. From the suburbs, I moved to the city to get closer to my university and to where I work as well. As much as possible, we made the apartment as homey as we can. A home away from home.

Throw pillows, throws, lamp, flexible wooden man and phalaenopsis orchid from IKEA. A place, where I consider you can never come out empty handed. Their building was built like a maze where they keep the customers inside as long as they can. The items sold are very tempting and lure you to pick up few impulse purchases. It is a trap but a beautiful one.


Plastic chair, synthetic turf and potted plants are from Bunning's Warehouse, Australia's largest hardware and household stores. Not to brag, but we have the prettiest balcony in the whole building.

Plain and Printed. Rent is dear here in Melbourne. That is why, it is wiser to share it with friends ... friends that I consider family.

Bathing Boxes

My friend and I are suckers for sunsets or sunrises. The view is just awemazing . It’s the best time to read, write journals or planners, or perhaps just gaze at the view with an empty mind. We went to Brighton Beach where the colourful bathing boxes in Australia are located. Actually, we first saw it in a Samsung advertisement. So we looked it up. When we got there, the place was too beautiful not to have photo opportunities. We got preoccupied on getting good shots that we forgot our purpose of going there. Anyhow, we will go back next time with little less of pictorials and a little more of the reading, writing or simply enjoying silence and the view.

New Year's Eve Down Under

First New Year down under. All roads lead to the city. Thousands of people flocked to the city to witness Melbourne’s fireworks display. Some rocked at the concert in Federation Square while some laid their mats on several parks and gardens of the city, and picnicked while waiting for midnight. And to top it all, New Year in Melbourne is to experience the adventure of the metro train ride. The trains were filled to capacity, to the extent that you wouldn't worry falling from standing with nothing to hold on to because people are tightly packed inside. Nevertheless, it was all good.

Holiday Paradise

It’s been a pretty long while since I last posted. Things got busy applying for a job while on school vacation and as usual, I suck on time management. Anyway, catching up ---- on Christmas Eve, my housemates and I went to a birthday party. We partied and chatted with fellow Filipinos in the community till 1AM. And on Christmas morning, we started the day hearing a Holy Mass. As time went on, I watched the tellie while chatting with my sister Lili on Viber, the best communication application for people miles apart. My Christmas day may be boring for some, but for me, nothing is boring when you are happy and in so much comfort doing the things you love.

The next day, the 26th is Boxing day. It is like Black Friday or Thanksgiving day for the Americans . Everything in Melbourne is on sale; sale over sale; discounts over discount. My friends and I didn’t spend boxing day or post-Christmas day in the mall, rather , we roasted on the beach. We had sandwiches and of course, Christmas isn't  Christmas without the Kris Kringle. While people up north are having a white, chilly Christmas, people here down south are enjoying a hot summer one.

Our sunny Christmas is a holiday paradise.

Filo Dido

Remember the first time I boiled sweet potato ( Click here )? I must admit it did not go as well as I expected it to be. It was too soft for me. I guess, I must have boiled them too long than it should be. I boiled them for about 25 minutes. I only ate one sweet potato and set aside the rest. The next day, I thought I must do something with the leftover. I went to the grocery, then I saw and bought a pack of filo. Filo, phyllo or phyllo dough are paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough used for making pastries in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. It is often used in croissants, turnovers and sometimes, empanada. When I got home, I mashed two sweet potatoes and sprinkled brown sugar. I only mashed two just in case the plan would fail, at least nothing much would go to waste. And then, I gingerly laid down the filo pastry since it is too thin that it can easily rip off. I scooped the mashed sweet potato and placed it on top of the filo pastry. I rolled it and sealed it with a dab of water. I tried to brush some of it with egg as what my sister Lili suggested. I placed it in the preheated oven and waited for the pastry to brown. Ta-da! The matte finish were the ones sealed with water while the glossy ones were brushed with egg. I didn't really like it that much. I'm not even proud of it but, it wasn't bad for a first time. The sweet potato was sweet and the filo pastry was crunchy and tasted good too. However, I think I should have used more filo pastry in each piece to make it more thicker. The fillings breaks out after a while since the wrap is too thin. Moreover, it doesn't even look pretty. Next time, I'll wrap them in prettier designs,like a triangle perhaps or a pretty roll. More effort and luck next time.

Sipping Pina Colada

I should be going to the library this afternoon and go for grocery shopping but the rain kept me home. I'm the kind of person who's not fond of bringing an umbrella, it's an extra effort for me. When in a middle of a shower, I would rather get wet than bring out my umbrella and worry after on how to store it when I arrive to wherever my destination is. Anyway, it's just rain. However, when it is really pouring hard, then I practically have no choice. Today, I wasn't in the mood to walk in the rain and embarrassingly drip rain water inside the library. I decided to stay home and listen to, Buenavista Social Club as I imagined myself in a tropical island, sipping pina colada.

 


 An addition to my ambitious bucket list is to see them play live ( click here ).

Passing Afternoon

A girl with a curly hair pays a bunch for a hair rebond while a girl with a straight her gets a perm. When it's pouring rain, one wishes for sunshine but when the sun is shining so bright, one misses the cold rainy day. Life is complicated as it has already been. When I was in the Philippines, I crave for Italian dishes, Japanese bento or a greasy Chinese food in a take out box. And now that I am miles from my homeland, I am missing Filipino foods.

A nearby store sells sweet potato for a $2.99 a kilo. Sweet potato or " kamote " in Filipino. For a second, I was battling with the thought whether to fry it with melted sugar on top or just boil it. It was actually a no brainer, of course I opted for the healthier option and the easiest one.    

I cleaned it, drowned in water and brought it to boil. Easy peasy!

P.S. This is the first time I have actually made this in my entire life. Don't judge me.

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

I'm missing the Philippines, therefore I went to an Asian store for some goodies. On the same morning of the same day, my housemates and I talked about Filipino dish and one of which is " sisig ". A popular Filipino dish made from pig's face, ears and liver seasoned with vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi, chili peppers and et cetera. Unfortunately, I never really learned how to cook "sisig" and it's one of those days that I crave for some. If I want to feel less homesick, I go to an Asian store. And so, I came, I saw and bought a canned " sisig " of Purefoods. zoom in! I'm afraid that what seem on the cover of the can does not reflect to what it really looks like inside. A clear example for " Don't judge a book by its cover" . Oh well, marketing! Whatever it takes!

Happy Pill

My housemate was in search for the perfect stocking fit for the perfect dress to wear for a perfect party. And she dragged me to come with her to the mall. While on the verge of finding that perfect thing, a chocolate shop beacons. Koko Black. We went inside Koko Black and drooled over displays of chocolates. Then I said to myself, " No way I'm giving in. This is way way sinful ". We immediately went out from the shop but after a few steps from the doorway, we went back inside. A sudden urge to give in. The shop was too tempting to refuse.





Chocolate treats made to share as gifts.





I had Chocolate Affogato ( $8.50 ), a carafe of hot chocolate poured over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Affogato is italian for " drowned ". From the traditional Italian dessert, gelato drowned with espresso, Koko Black created a chocolate version for the chocoholics. The whole concoction of vanilla bean ice cream and hot chocolate drink is superb making it more creamy. A perfect union of ICE cream and HOT chocolate drink. You can either eat it with a spoon or drink it from the glass. I did both. The whole serving comes with a cookie treat which tastes like the traditional Filipino baked polvoron.



She had Hot Chocolate ( $6.50 ), their signature beverage freshly brewed to a traditional Belgian recipe. I got to taste her drink too. It was rich, creamy and flavourful. It was not too hot and not too cold. For her, the temperature was just right. But I prefer my hot drink to be hot, not warm. However, taste wise, it was heaven in a cup.



And we shared a traditional platter of chocolate which includes two pralines, florentines, chocolate cake, mousse and ice cream. A Belgian spoil. The mousse was divine; scooped perfectly with a little surprise inside. The pralines were of perfect crunch. I did not get to taste everything on the platter, my gut could no longer endure another bite, the chocolate affogato left me with a heavy stomach.



Service was fast and the attendant took time to explain which one is which from the dessert platter.



You can tell a chocolate parlor serves good food when the place is packed. Good thing there were two tables available so that we need not queue outside.



Find me.

" Chocolate doesn't ask silly questions, chocolate understands. "

Koko Black 

Chadstone Shopping Center

Chadstone, VIC 03148