Hi guys! I moved my “life” to Miscellany (another WordPress blog). I decided to incorporate my food, travel, fitness, ramblings and random shorts into one blog. Meanwhile, I left my poledancing blog and crafts blog as is. See you in a jiff!
Falling and Getting Back Up
My whole life is under construction so I’m sorry if my thoughts are left unattended. I wasn’t sure where to put this up. First, I thought it best to publish it on my latest blog after all I’m most active as a “crafter” these days. Partly, it’s because there’s this (more) popular blogger with roughly the same name plus the URL is generic and sounds nothing like me. Meanwhile, the other one has my name, my name!
Anyway, I’ve been battered with losses this year and I have given up trying to win. Rather than fight, I’m in this “take it all” mood. I’m spent. But of course I do say yes if things are thrown my way. So when coupons for aerial hoop classes in Ortigas were exhausted and new ones came out at Footworks, I got those. When a CrossFit Alpha Strike near our house announced a big discount for the holidays, I grabbed the opportunity. When my aunt said she wanted to learn how to make pasta from scratch, I found her just that and enrolled with her. When the resin workshop was announced, I signed up. And of course, I said yes for the very first time to pricing/selling my stuff.
I’m pretty much booked. Don’t let this fool you though because I’m still as lost as ever. Keep going even if you aren’t sure where you’re going.
Ramen Night!
When I was in college, I dreamed of throwing parties doing everything from start to end. And I made that happen many, many times on occasions such as my birthday, my boyfriend’s birthday, despedida and welcome home parties, holidays and whatever reason I can find. Most of the time I cook for 6-15 people and I prepare 2-5 viands. I plan it, buy ingredients, chop away, cook and wash the dishes after. I don’t gush when people are impressed because I put a lot of hard work and yes I kind of spend hard-earned money for it.
Whenever I throw such a party, I always try to think of new gimmicks. Not so long ago I fantasized about throwing one with soup kitchen as a theme. In my head, there was a big black cauldron and people will fall in line so I can give them a ladle of steaming hot soup. In my head, it was raining.
So, Ramen Night was TSG’s (my flag football team) first taste of my Ramen. This 4th version has sake, enoki mushrooms, Shitake mushrooms, miso, fresh ramen and bokchoy. I did two variants (pork and chicken). I then halved the pork variant and added chili to one. I think there is still room for improvement because it was too sour. I think I would have to skip putting vinegar and just let sake and miso help with the tang I am after. The next shot I have at ramen, I will try making lava eggs. Yay!
Can I just say that it was raining that night. It was perfect.
It’s September
I look back as my birthday month draws to a close and I got to say it’s not that bad. After over two months of inactivity, my doctor finally gave me the go signal to get back to it. I hit the gym, attended a poledancing class and also played a fun flag football game. Yes I’m back and I’m fantastically aching all over!
I turned 33 and idiotically planned writing 33 posts and put them all up on my birthday. I only got to 13 so that did not happen. But I am now on Instagram! I’ve been wanting to do that early this year but I’ve been stalling because I was too attached to my Tumblr site.
Apart from my birthday “trek”, I met up with a lot of my friends. I splurged on accessories for my cutter plotter so I can play with it more. I refurbished an old piece of furniture and let it sit in my room. And of course I hosted Ramen Night for my teammates, something that I’ve been putting off for some time.
So you see we can still turn things around even if more than half of the year has been spent. Here’s to more adventures!
Birthday Trek: I turned 33
Last year, it was an adult gymnastics class. This year, I went back to the stream in our province. I think it’s my third climb. I was with my boyfriend the first time and we didn’t have a guide or anything like that so it got pretty scary even if there was a path to follow. There was a farmer there who had 11 dogs yapping around us so it was quite awesome. And then mama, papa and my uncle’s wife went with us the second time we went there. Our trek was longer then. That time, we went to a part of the forest. My mom identified a lot of the plants and we also had a lot of photos taken.
This is the third so I had to think of new antics to make it special. We went there with a bunch of kids this time! The kids (my nephew and cousins) ended up swimming even if it was very cold. At first they were just splashing water but soon enough they were wet from head to toe. It was a riot! My uncle used to fish for shrimp and crablets so he showed Phil and my cousins where to find them. I brought Hungarian sausages, longganizang Lucban and hotdogs for grilling too because I wanted Sikhay to experience “cooking” in the woods. My uncle worked on making the fire but we did have a butane stove. I also had a lot of Yakult and Milo for the kids. Of course it wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t roast marshmallows so we did!
I’ve been telling myself to go try swimming in the stream but I guess I would have to go back for that. I have fantasized about going there with kids and now that’s done. I keep on saying you can make ordinary days spectacular so you’ll never run out of ideas what to do on occasions as such. I wonder what I’ll do next year. Cheers!
Workshop Wishlist 2015: Cooking and Baking
The only reason why I am checking out culinary schools and bakeshops is so I can find a cheap workshop on fondant and royal icing. This is stupid particularly because I don’t like icing and I am not big on sweets. My purpose is to understand how it works so I can try my hand at decorating. I am quite thrilled in making my own molds after discovering food-safe silicone. But anyway, I came across this list of short lifestyle workshops and it’s becoming problematic because I want them all!
Now, I know I don’t have time and money to take up even half of these but I love lists and oftentimes lists make it more “serious” and tangible. In short, I’m praying that listing it down will make it a step closer to happening.
MOST POPULAR KOREAN CUISINE (3000) – Hello! Hello! I think this is just a demo class but who cares. I bet I can pick a lot of things up and start experimenting on my own fusions.
FRESH PASTA WORKSHOP (2800) – After trying out making pasta sauces from fresh tomatoes, this sounds like the next step.
JAPANESE HOME COOKING (2800) – The secret of a cuisine lies in a few flavors and once you pin it down, trying out recipes will be a breeze. I would love to take this because I want to be able to cook authentic tasting food items for vegetarians/vegans/those in a hypoallergenic diet and many others!
SUSHI CLASS (2240) – It doesn’t say if this is a demo class but even if it is, I just want to know how to make sure it’s fresh, how to cut it, where to get it in Quezon City and other practical stuff you won’t learn from online recipes.
SAUSAGE WORKSHOP 3 – FEATURING HOUSE OF LONGGANISA (3200) – I’ve just told my boyfriend that I want to learn how to make sausages from scratch and how to smoke fish. This is very close. Isn’t that something?
THE ART OF RAMEN (2800) – Ah I’ve tried making ramen and so far they’re alright. In fact I’m on to ver. 4. But a class on ramen is always welcome. I’m sure to pick up a lot of secrets there!
BAKING 101 for the Oven Phobic Workshop (2800) – Even the title of the workshop is a win!
COOKING IN THE OVEN (3360) – I do a lot of cooking but as a Filipino I’ve shunned the baking part. I mean most houses have ranges with ovens but I bet more than 80% never used theirs.
BEGINNERS FONDANT CAKE (3920) – Suddenly I am not so interested in taking this up after the world of possibilities I discovered. Ha ha!
Check out the complete list of workshops with descriptions Short Lifestyle Courses.
Birthday Wishlist 2015!
Ah I’ve lost so much this year and me not updating my Technicolor Life blog is proof of that. But enough drama, my birthday is coming up and I came up with a wishlist. I doubt if anyone will get me these because they’re either expensive, hard to come by or not something you can get from the mall. But really, getting them is not the point.
- portable sewing machine
- hoop
- giant soft box
- torch
- fabric blade
- dresser
- slippers
- desk lamp
- camera belt bag
- and my coccyx to get better!
Here’s to tomorrow!
Battle Scars
Once I overheard a conversation of surfer girls showing off injuries from their exploits. I couldn’t help but glance and perhaps even stare at the scars which were still visible despite their super tanned skin. Anyway, I have my own set of battle scars and I’ve been meaning to write about it for some time now. I think it’s a perfect topic considering it is well-documented.
My left wrist got beaten during the first B-League tournament our flag football team joined in. It wasn’t until it was over when I realized how bad it was. I had to stop attending poledancing classes for over 2 months and forced myself to go to the gym instead.
The next major injury was a twisted foot pad which I got from trying out skimboarding. I wasn’t even successful getting on the board which was such a bummer. I was pointing my toes when I attempted it so it was a bad fall. It’s funny because I did quite well in surfing.
And of course there’s my shoulder injury in doing a silk trick called salty egg which has video documentation meaning I can show the docttor what happened instead of simply describing it. Of course these do not include the limitless bruises, abrasions, beat joints and inflamed muscles.
The point of putting it all here isn’t just so I would look kind of tough. I am. But more than that, scars from my exploits prove only one thing. I love the things I do and I did not let a fall, a pull or a twist discourage me. I don’t think I’m a daredevil but I want to live like I am not scared to get hurt..
Fitness: Adult Gymnastics at Club Gymnastica
Follow up gymnastics classes after the first try on my birthday last year finally happened. As always it was thrilling. It’s perfect for people who wish to have more cardio variations. Their warm up is very thorough with balanced execises for both the upper and lower body. This means it is ideal for those who are after improving flexibility. You just have to tell your coach your goals so the exercise can be adjusted after all not a lot of people attend adult gymnastics. But more importantly this is the best class for people who always wanted to learn how to do handstands, cartwheels and backbends. Prepare yourself for endorphin-filled linework in doing what you shoukd have when you were in your teens. Prove everyone wrong that it is never too late and you are never too old to try something you want to do. On our third class this quarter my nephew Sikhay joined us. He learned quite fast compared to us who were quite old.Haha!
Meanwhile, some reminders.
- Bring a water bottle although they sell drinks there.
- You can’t go wrong with a hand towel because you’ll get really sweaty.
- Bring hand soap, facial soap, towel and a change of clothes because the carpet tends to smell.
- If you are diet conscious, bring baon. I think the nearest establishments include Tiendesitas, Eastwood and Rockwell but traffic is always a problem so have a snack before your commute/drive.
- Bring friends! Because laughing and having fun is contagious!
I think I’ll post another one for my nephew’s class.
I ran my first run!
Running has always been hard for me. I hated getting the stitches. My knees always felt like seconds away from an injury. And it was just never fun. Maybe it’s psychological but I never got that high I get from other forms of exercises. I always tell people that if that’s the only way I get to trim flab to show off my toned muscles then never mind.
But the thing about never is that reasons will find you. I gave in and joined a fun run for the first time because it was a fundraising event for my nephew’s school facilities. My whole family was there and my cousins and their kids also went out of their way for the Isko Iska Takbo Na UPIS K-2 Fun Run.
I wasn’t planning to finish the race but kids were cheering me on so it was kind of embarrassing to give up in the middle of it all. Besides, both my mom and dad finished despite being two of the last few who did so let’s just say I had to finish 4 rounds, a total of 2.4 km. Don’t laugh, I told you it’s not my thing.
So a big congratulations to me! hahaha. I was terrible.
Ah, I forgot that my boyfriend was with me!
Technicolor Blog 