2023

I wonder what qualifies as a fantastic toilet πŸ€”

Do I get an “Awww?”

A restaurant pet cat rests inside his(?) box

“Take me to your leader.” That’s what came to my mind when I saw her.

We did not have a lot of time to explore the area of Dongdaemun Design Plaza this snowy Christmas Day. This lady did not seem to mind the cold so it’s just right to say hello to her.

A tall sculpture of a naked lady beside the very futuristic dome of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Snow continues to fall.

The best part of freezing my behind off in arctic places is the chance to wear some of my handknit sweaters and accessories. These are just a few of them. Most of the time here in Seoul, I bury myself in them to make sure I don’t end up like an icicle. I’m grateful to be here though, especially when we are reunited with our daughter.

A collage of three sweaters and an accessory that I knitted for myself

Want a spoonful of perfect snow crystals?

Snow crystals collected on an ornamental leaf

A thin blanket of snow greeted us this morning

A thin blanket of snow covered the street

Pleasantly surprised to see a reminder of home in a subway in Seoul.

It’s the last moon that I will see over Manila. See you again in 10 days.

A half moon clearly visible over Manila amid clear skies

I’m on a roll… I recently finished Nelson and Alex DeMilles' The Deserter (4.5 stars for me) so I grabbed another book from the pile.

Book cover of Harlan Coben's The Stranger

My husband watched this limited series on Netflix and DNF (Did Not Finish). He swore off any work by Harlan Coben since then, that’s how badly he received the first couple of episodes. I’ve read a few of Mr. Coben’s novels before hence I don’t understand Husband’s reaction. (Well, he didn’t like Where the Crawdads Sing film either which I read and totally enjoyed.) I prefer reading books to watching TV and movies so maybe my reception to the story will once again be the opposite of his.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…. This huge brightly lit Christmas tree stands beside a local Starbucks, twinkling the night away.

a huge brightly lit Christmas tree stands beside a local Starbucks

Korea, we are a go….

The family got our travel visas and we whooped collectively. We are really looking forward to freezing our butts off in the land of kimchi and k-dramas as we count off the last days of 2023.

Applying for a visa (for citizens of third-world countries like ours haha) is always a pain. So many docs to present during the application. And then there’s often that anxiety when the embassy does not return sensitive documents like birth certificates, bank certificates, SEC articles, etc. I hope data privacy law in this country really, truly works. FINGERS FIRMLY CROSSED.

Incidentally, I am equally amused and surprised our visas are just paper copies. There goes my penchant for collecting visa stamps in my passports.

It’s the First of December in my corner of the world.

Caught my son browsing the shelves

Cover of a random book in a store reads&10;"You Drive like an Asshole" &10;among other things

I picked up this book during a recent trip to National Book Store. It’s my first Nelson DeMille work. Not bad…. It keeps me reading which keeps my hands from knitting. I need my hands off my knitting needles because I can feel some pain already at times. The writing style reminds me of James Patterson. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. πŸ“–πŸ“š

A softcover copy of the novel The Deserter by authors Nelson and (son) Alex DeMille

Hot Off The Needles and already I am planning to frog it. 🧢

I'm modeling my latest hand-knitted scarf. It is brown, it is 100% silk, it is super long. I am not comfortable wearing such a long scarf and I did my best to drape it around my neck in the most flattering way I know how.

This is the Little Lace Scarf by Lisa Hannes.

TBVH, I dislike the finished object. The pattern is great, the design is too, but I realized now that my yarn was not ideal for the project. I used Knitting for Olive Pure Silk, which is, as the name suggests, 100% silk. Which means, it is crazy soft and drapey. Not good for something that is long and narrow. I feel like I have draped a basahan (that’s our local word for cleaning rag) around my neck, huhuhu. I have yarn left over because I initially intended to make two tassels for it. Luckily, I still have not gotten around to cutting the yarn.

I’m really sorry I don’t love this scarf at all. I feel like I wasted a lot of time doing it. Maybe I would have been happier had I used a rounder, plumper yarn instead and it’s not as long. (I measured the finished scarf and it’s more than 2.5 meters long tip to tip. Oh, my goodness.)

Once I’m ready, I will frog it and make another Silke by Justyna Lorkowska. I think that design and this yarn should be a better match.

Once in a while I get it in my head that I want to knit socks. 🧢

(On a scale of 1 to 10, I am a 2 as a sock knitter. I just don’t enjoy it. Second Sock Syndrome? I practically invented it.)

Once in a while though I get rewarded with something nice and functional, like this pair.

Owing to the beauty of the self-striping nature of my sock yarn, I knitted myself something that I could wear with my flip flops. It’s basically all vanilla until I reach the toes. I followed the instructions from Sake Socks (a free pattern by Jackie Tabor www.ravelry.com/patterns/…).

Maybe it will take a long time before I knit myself socks again but for now, I will enjoy these and thank the sock gods for holding my hand along the way.

Aren’t they cute?

I knitted a vest for my husband.

A handknitted gray short-sleeved vest with my eyeglasses on it for visual interest

Admittedly, it has a feminine silhouette but he’s not complaining. Or dares not πŸ˜‚ . He reasons he’s wearing a jacket over it anyway so it’s hardly visible. The important thing is the wooly garment will keep him warm in winter. The family is going to Seoul this December so we’ll be needing a lot of cold-weather clothes on this trip.

Another look at the gray vest

The yarn I used was repurposed from a test knit I did two years ago.It used to be a woman’s open cardigan. Now it’s a man’s vest. Something tells me this might not be its final journey yet πŸ˜‰

It’s no secret that I am an avid knitter. I can be incorrigible as well for I insist on making garments that are not suitable for tropical Manila weather.

One of my favorite pastimes is pattern searching on Ravelry - a monster internet resource for all things knitting/crochet/weaving-related patterns. And this morning while I was watching a YouTube video podcast, the host featured a design that immediately caught my eye. Naturally, I jumped to Ravelry and checked it out.

A fluffy white handknit sweater with a turtleneck as worn by a model

This is the Soft Loop Sweater by Other Loops. The design can be seen and the pattern purchased here www.ravelry.com/patterns/…

I love the softness of the fabric as seen from the project photos. I love the way the turtleneck wraps around the model. I just don’t like the amount of positive ease (or how loose the garment is going to be), especially since it is boxy in silhouette. I’ve done a few of those boxy sweaters and know that it’s not for me; the deep armscye is a major turnoff for me personally. However, since I have a few years of experience in knitting, I am quite confident that I can work my way around that. Now all I need is to take a deep breath, push this thought aside in the meantime, focus on finishing some of my WIPs (works in progress), and then come look at it again in the future. If I still want it then Bob’s my uncle.

Some days it helps to keep this is mind.

A shelf bearing miniature bicycles among other things and a sign next to them with the words, LIFE IS LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE. TO KEEP YOUR BALANCE, YOU MUST KEEP MOVING.

Irreverent but wacky.

Wacky figurines of famous people with their pants down, poop under their exposed bottoms. These are sold in a shop in Barcelona for €21

Yesterday was our 30th wedding anniversary. Time indeed flew. Lately, I have been saying that if I were given a chance to go back 30 years, I would choose not to have children. I am sorry I will be leaving them to deal with the poor state, not just of the Philippines but also of the world in general. Is there still time to turn things around? Things are looking bleak.

A vintage clock hangs on the wall, a lit chandelier in the foreground

I slept too soundly last night so I missed the heavy downpour that went on for half an hour according to my husband. There’s an incoming typhoon (International name Koinu, renamed Jenny when it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility), that’s why. It’s extra special humid at 8 in the morning and I am sweating buckets, LOL. There’s a local saying, “Pana-panahon lang iyan” to mean whatever is happening is temporary and is likely to change without warning. Because Filipinos are very jolly people, we sometimes say, “Weather weather lang iyan.” It’s funny but accurate. If the weather bureau says it’s going to rain, I’m not leaving home without my rain gear.

Day 30 - TREASURE

A treasure trove of ideas and knowledge that’s visually appealing

πŸ“Fully Booked in BGC, Taguig, now gone

A mosaic of books depicting a lady and a cat

Day 29 - CONTRAST πŸ“Έ

Breathtakingly beautiful

πŸ“Playa Roja, Paracas, Peru

The red sand of Playa Roja contrasts beautifully with the blue waters.

Day 28 - WORKOUT πŸ“Έ

Going up these 256 steps was a workout. Going down the same steps aint no joke either, especially with joints as old as mine.

πŸ“Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Climbing 256 steps to get close to the Tian Tan Buddha

Day 27 - EMBRACE

Seconds before she fell asleep

My beloved white cat hugging my arm seconds before she fell asleep

Day 26 - BEVERAGE πŸ“Έ

I often get brain freeze from ice-blended drinks but I never let pain get in my way.

Two ice-blended drinks on the table

Day 25 - FLARE πŸ“Έ

As if it needs any more attention….

πŸ“ Everyone knows where this is 😊

Sun shining behind the Eiffel Tower cast a flare of blinding light.

This hand-knit shirt project is my constant companion these days. It’s growing faster than I expected and I can’t be happier.

The little square thing on my knitting needle is called a stitch marker. It marks the place in my work where something different from the one before it is about to be done. I crafted that cute stitch marker myself. Sometimes, I feel inexplicably anxious and it helps when I can make something with my hands, however small.

A knitting work in progress on the needles with a square-shaped  handmade stitch marker sitting in between stitches

Day 24 - BELT πŸ“Έ

Sushi coming off a conveyor belt may not be top-notch quality but we tried it for fun and the experience. There were chefs behind the counters whom one could order directly from, and we also did that.

πŸ“ Sushi Tatsu in Hiroshima Station in Japan

Empty plates stacked on one another in a sushi restaurant

Day 23 - A DAY IN THE LIFE

Because of the poor air quality that hangs over the metro, not to mention the heavy rains and expected flooding, we decided to forego our plans and just stay home today.

My Mac gets an update

Day 22 - ROAD

Nathan Road from 17 storeys high πŸ“Έ

πŸ“Kowloon, Hong Kong

light streaks from cars along Nathan Road

“If you’ve got the trunk for the junk, embrace the junk in your trunk. You do you.” - Tayler of the Wool Needles Hands YouTube podcast.

It’s the advice I didn’t know I needed.

Day 20 - DISRUPTION

You always hope your flight leaves/arrives without a hitch.

πŸ“ΈπŸ“ Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands

flight schedules are displayed on an electronic board in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam

Day 19 - EDGE

I pinned the edges of my handknit shawl to show off the picots.

A red handknit shawl that is pinned to a rubber board

Day 18 - FABRIC

A lot of fabric must have gone into the making of this shirt. We saw this on display in Albert Cuyp Market the day we went.

πŸ“ΈπŸ“ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

An oversized t-shirt advertised to be 8XL and being sold for €9.00 in the market

Day 17 - INTENSE

To this day, Kobe has kept his intense stare, presumably to scare off predators while he protects his little half-siblings.

Two cats in a carton box, a bigger tom and a smaller calico.

Day 16 - OOF!

Mila the Chonky: So many toys, so little time.

A chubby gray and white cat splayed out on the rug, trying her best to play with all her toys at the same time

Day 15 - RED

πŸ“ΈπŸ“ Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

A red junk carrying tourists ply Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong

Here’s a jar of butter cookies that I made this afternoon. It was very tiring, especially in the hot kitchen. But I feel good knowing that my family has something to snack on that doesn’t have preservatives or additives.

Freshly made, home baked butter cookies in a plastic jar

Day 14 - STATUE

If anyone’s looking for him, he’s in Hong Kong.

πŸ“ΈπŸ“ Hong Kong Avenue of Stars

A statue of Hong Kong martial artist Bruce Lee in Hong Kong Avenue of Stars baywalk

Her cuteness knows no bounds.

a chubby gray and white cat with her mouth open looking at the camera

Day 13 - GLOWING

In these uncertain times, it’s what we hope for.

πŸ“Έ πŸ“ Toronto Christmas Market

The letters P E A C E all lit up in a Christmas market stall

Day 12 - PANIC

Will you?

Don’t worry, this fake-looking python was a result of a Google 3D image app two years ago. We played with the app a lot because we were super bored during covid lockdown.

A 3-D image of a python slithering on the living room floor

Day 11 - Retrospect

I should have paid closer attention and seen the signs. Run free, sweet angel. Hope you are having fun chasing birds in a land far, far away.

🐱 one of the last pictures of five week-old Sully Pusa before she crossed the rainbow bridge

A month-old gray and white kitten looking straight at the camera

Day 10 - Cycle

See what happens when you drive someone up the wall…?

πŸ“ΈπŸ“Mitsuyado Sei-men, Pasay City, Philippines

Interior of a Japanese restaurant with a bicycle aesthetically glued to the wall

I went looking for stuff but found treasure instead.

Gray and white cat peeking out from behind boxes and looking straight at the camera

Day 9 - Language

Something might have gotten lost in translation….?

πŸ“Osaka, Japan

Japanese words translated to English

Day 8 - Yonder

“How much farther?” huffed the husband.

“Almost there!” I huffed back

πŸ“ΈπŸ“Mt. Misen hiking trail, Miyajima, Japan

Finger pointing to the top of the mountain hiking trail

Day 7 - Panorama

The day we went, there was major reconstruction work going on around the Parliament. Viewing it from this angle hid the cranes and scaffolding πŸ˜‰

πŸ“ΈπŸ“ Major’s Hill Park, Ottawa

Young lady in the foreground of a panoramic view of Parliament Hill on the left and the Ottawa River next to it.

Day 6 - Well

I assume there is one somewhere….

πŸ“ΈπŸ“ Hobbiton, Auckland, New Zealand

buckets on the ground used to get water from presumably a covered well

I have a ton of yarns waiting to be transformed into wearable items. Among those are acrylic yarns that I amassed back when I was just starting to learn to knit by hand. I took a hard look at them and picked out Caron One Pound which is as big as a baby’s pillow. 100% acrylic. But who’s gonna know based on these pictures?

a handknit sweater in dark magenta modeled by myself

P.S. This color is the queen of pain when it’s time for official photos. I can never get it right.

another look at my handknit sweater

P.P.S. I may be an able knitter but I can’t sew to save my life.

Clothing label with the words handmade with love sewn on the collar of the sweater

Day 5 - Forest

Found this forest on a paper coaster

πŸ“ΈπŸ“Kyoto, Japan

Forest drawn with calligraphy brush on a piece of paper coaster

Want something beautiful to start your day with?

Here you go… Happy Tuesday πŸ’–

πŸ“ΈπŸ“ Domain Wintergardens, Auckland, New Zealand

The brightest, most perfect pink magenta chrysanthemum in the garden

“Even when all hope seems lost, keep talking because somebody might be listening.” - Jeff Probst, Survivor 34.

Day 4 - Orange

There’s plenty more where they came from.

πŸ“Έ πŸ“Major Hill’s Park, Ottawa, Canada

Fallen maple leaves in the park

Mila the Chonky goes into monorail mode again.

A dark grey cat hangs on the arm of the couch

Day 3 - Precious

My Precioussss

My precious cat Snow carried by me

I meant to walk to the corner store to buy some fresh essentials (and additional food for the cats) but it has been pouring since early this morning. It’s been wet, wet, and more wet the last four days. I guess we shouldn’t complain as water from the heavens represents blessing in more ways than one.

πŸ“Έ πŸ“ Diosdado Macapagal Blvd, Manila, Philippines

Water droplets on car window as viewed from inside

Day 2 - Buildup

How long before moss entirely covers up the rock?

πŸ“Έ Mt. Misen in Japan

Moss grows on the side of the big boulder.

Who doesn’t wish that?

πŸ“· taken in Mt. Misen on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima, Japan

Stone slab with the words 'May Peace Prevail On Earth'

Day 1 - Abstract

In silent contemplation

A person admires a piece of abstract art on a wall

I finally got collars that fit both calico kittens. Now, the outside world knows there’s someone who takes good care of them.

Arvi gets the red collar. Cali wears orange collar.

ANOTHER LOOK AT HONG KONG IN 2023

Back in March, my son and I were beyond delighted to find out that we were among the winners in Cathay Pacific’s World of Winners campaign. We both won free round-trip tickets to Hong Kong. How cool is that? Before I left for Canada, we booked our flights (together with my husband who paid for his) to this very cosmopolitan country for July 6-9. The last time we were in Hong Kong was in 2006 and we did the usual touristy activities- Disneyland, Ocean Park, Victoria’s Peak, among other attractions. This time around, we will be braver and try to get around the twin cities of Hong Kong and Kowloon using a wider range of public transportation. Let’s see how we fare.

It started out as dried coconut with strawberry and blueberry. I wanted to recreate a Bounty (chocolate bar with coconut filling) dairy-free counterpart for Meg. But the coconut mix turned out too sweet so I chucked it in the freezer and abandoned the plan.

A week later, I took out the coco mix from the freezer and filled a bread dough with it. Roll, cut, two twists later, and voila, delicious coconut twist bread for breakfast. Never throw out anything that can be reused and recycled, LOL.

When I see dandelions, Sid the Sloth (Ice Age) starts to speak in my head : “A dandelion! Must be the last one of the season!”

A single dandelion in a field of many

I’ve been in Toronto for a good month already. Most days I am bored, crazy bored especially when my daughter has to go to work on-site. It’s good that my YouTube Premium subscription allows me to watch all sorts of videos without the ads. Frankly, I didn’t think I could use my paid account here where I am far away from my home in Manila. Anyway, I’m not one to complain.

I whipped up a batch of oatmeal cranberry cookies just because. I ate one and whoa, it’s good. Very, very good. It is crunchy around the edges while soft and chewy in the middle. It’s a recipe by John Kanell of the Preppy Kitchen YouTube channel. I subbed raisins with cranberries because they’re what I have available ATM. Here’s the link to the video if you want to try it yourself.

youtu.be/HNB1b5mod…

This is the most delicious cookie that I have ever baked. That I used oatmeal makes for guilt-free eating.

It was my first full moon in Toronto this year and I was in awe.

When I am knitting and the heretofore aloof cat decides to make my birthday (yup, turned a day older today May 3rd) extra special.

Mila is the floofy and fat one (her sister Misty is quite the princess) and she knows how or when to turn on the charm. Ah, yes, she watched the video tutorial with me. Adorable, isn’t she?

My daughter’s senior manager teased her, “Are you getting pampered by your mom yet?”

I told her to show him what we were having for dinner.

Food on the dining table - fresh salad, fresh fruits, adobo, rice

And so I thought I got this jetlag thing beat… I’ve been awake since 2 this morning. Sigh.

A mug of hot coffee

It is said that the eyes eat first. When food as lovely as these arrive on our table, we can’t help but drink everything in with our eyes.

avocado toasts on a plate

My daughter ordered Avocado Toasts. chicken and waffle I just had to try Chicken and Belgian Waffles when I got here. The food was excellent as I expected.

MARCH 2023 PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE

I am incredibly proud and pleased to have completed my first photoblogging challenge. Each day in March was assigned a theme and I confess I had a field day rifling through my photo library for the best fit for the daily challenge.

The themes were: (1) secure (2) weather (3) solitude (4) zip (5) tile (6) engineering (7) whole

(8) walk (9) together (10) ritual (11) gimcrack (12) shiny (13) connection (14) horizon

(15) patience (16) road (17) early (18) portico (19) analog (20) houseplant (21) tiny

(22) insect (23) chance (24) court (25) spice (26) instrument (27) support (28) prompt

(29) slice (30) mirror (31) practice

I learned that every person has a unique way of interpreting words and a special way of viewing life and the world. Oh, and no matter what, our pets will always find a way to fit in.

During insanely hot summer days, cold drinks offer welcome respite. Let’s stay hydrated, folks.

Is there a surfeit of these people in your life? Maybe it’s time to hang a “No Vacancy” sign.

P.S. Thanks to my friend Seth for sending laughs my way.

Sign of a man who speaks: ATTENTION! All positions for stupid people in my life have been filled. APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

My quartet of happy fishies - a calico ryukin, a black oranda, a golden fan-tail, and a golden ranchu. Not seen are the trio of cory catfish that keep them company

4 goldfish in a newly cleaned aquarium : a calico ryukin, a black oranda, a golden fan-tail , and a golden ranchu

“When you change a relationship, the relationship changes.”

(I overheard the line from a movie the husband was watching on the television)

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 31- PRACTICE

I spent countless hours (nay, years!) practicing until I finally got better at knitting. It’s so rewarding being able to wear clothes that I made with my own hands.

A knitting work in progress

How can you say no to these?

the underside of a cat's paw showing black "beans"

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 30 - MIRROR

Auckland’s Sky Tower is mirrored in one of the city’s skyscrapers.

Auckland's Sky Tower is mirrored in one of the city's skyscrapers.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 29 - SLICE

The fight path from Taipei to Toronto appears to slice the planet in half.

flight path from Taipei to Toronto appears to slice the planet in half

I made Spicy Pork Floss Bread Rolls. Despite the maddening heat, I persevered because the pork floss I have in my pantry is closing in on its expiry date. The rolls ended up shaped unevenly and irregularly but who cares? What matters is every one is delightfully yummy and we have bread for the next two or three days.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 28 - PROMPT

You can bet your bottom yen the bus will arrive on time when the board says it will.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 27 - SUPPORT

Restaurant people, especially when the food and service are good, deserve our support.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 25 - SPICE

You’ve got your wine samplers; we have our vinegar.

I’m sitting here waiting for my turn at the doctor’s clinic. I looked up and saw this sign. What will we talk about, I wonder.

πŸ±πŸ“· Who’s got time to stop and smell the flower? Apparently, Blu does.

gray cat smelling flower called "rosal" hereabouts

My Two Loves πŸ’– πŸ’–

two pet cats, white on the left, gray white on the right

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 24 - COURT

Channel your inner LeBron and shoot that trash.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 23 - CHANCE

Would you pin your hopes on a fish? What are the chances your wish will be granted?

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 22 - INSECT

Hola, little bug. Which one are you - John, Paul, George, or Ringo? πŸ˜‚

a beetle perched on a leaf

SEE WHAT DROPPED IN MY INBOX πŸ§³βœˆοΈπŸ™€

I won a round-trip ticket to Hong Kong. Amazing! And you know what? My son did too! UNBELIEVABLE.

Thank you, Jesus, for this blessing. πŸ™

It’s been almost two decades since we visited HK. My son was about five, if I recall correctly. This windfall is a good opportunity for us to see the cosmopolitan city and its surrounding neighborhood once again, this time with a more mature mindset.

2023 is shaping up to be a year of travel for my family. πŸ€—

I bought a new watch for myself, my first in many years.

Swatch watch in mauve color

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 21 - TINY

To this tiny human, everyone must seem gargantuan.

PUZZLING PUZZLES

I love my number puzzles. It’s a great way to be entertained and keep the brain on its toes. Whenever I’m on the plane, whereas my companions watch movies and stuff on their monitor, I pull up the sudoku puzzles.

I am particularly challenged by a variation of the 9x9 grid. Samurai Sudoku is 4 such grids stacked with one corner square intersecting a 5th grid. I have an app on my iPad and my laptop which sees much use every day.

Yesterday, I discovered a site on the web puzzlemadness.co.uk which allows me to play (for free), not just sudoku, but a whole lot of other number puzzles. I also enjoy Minesweeper and Kakuro, so finding the site was a moment of pure joy for me. Register an account and you can save your current game to continue playing later on. I think it’s a pretty good site for puzzle lovers like myself.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 20 - HOUSEPLANT

When my paternal grandma, Ah-ma (η₯–母) lived with us, she had so many of these in the house. I often saw her cut across the aloe vera stem and run her comb against the juicy pulp. She then combed her thinning hair with the aloe gel. Did it work for her? Not at all.

Healthy aloe vera plant in a pot

Cooling Our Heels

Coffee for the boys, tea for me.

CBTL in Robinsons Galleria is very busy today.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 19 - ANALOG

My trusty, rusty oven thermometer has carried me through good times and bad times.

πŸ€— Many thanks to my friend Seth for helping me out on this one.

an analog thermometer inside the open cavity of my oven

Because making and baking your own bread is tiring business, I ate one straight out of the oven. Yikes, the filling burned, hahaha.

cross-section of pandesal showing the corned beef filling

My passion for making bread started when the pandemic hit and everything suddenly ground to a halt. Cooped up in the house, I got doomsday feels especially when our mobility was hampered. Thank goodness for the internet, I watched many videos and zeroed in on how to make pandesal. Pandesal is a local bread that is soft and covered with bread crumbs. It is many Filipinos' comfort food.

bread dough after it has risen

So I had it in my head that pandesal will be my first-ever bread project. My first attempt wasn’t my best; heck, it wasn’t the best of my worst even. But I did not let that failure stop me. I have always been obsessive, especially when my interest is piqued and I like what I’m doing.

baked pandesal fresh from the oven

After a yearlong hiatus (Chronic tendonitis sidelined me, that’s another story), I started baking again. Following a spate of savory and sweet bread, I asked the husband what he wanted and he asked for pandesal. I made a batch and, right before the last proofing, divided the portions- half with corned beef filling and the rest just plain pandesal. Most of the time, I like my bread to have filling because it simplifies eating, just heat it up and voila, instant breakfast or snack. How lazy can one get, right?

baked plain pandesal on the left, filled with corned beef are on the right

BTW, I knead my dough by hand 100% of the time. My husband offered several times to buy me a quality mixer (Hello, Kitchen Aid) but I decline. Not yet. My hands are my best tools. Besides, I love the smell of butter and dough on them. Nothing even comes close to the feeling of home.

If anyone is interested, here’s the recipe youtu.be/4RiNlBSRi…

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 18 - PORTICO

Something about this walkway spelled haunting, literally and figuratively. I am glad I was able to preserve this memory on my phone.

πŸ“Domain Wintergardens, Auckland, NZ

It’s a slow Saturday so here I am thinking what bread I’ll make today. Do I go with my trusted recipes or do I try to be adventurous?

Note to Self: What I cook, I MUST eat.

Two of my handmade items come together.

yellow handknit shawl with a purple and beaded shawl pin

Blu is the second cat to share our home. Being a junior cat, she’s quite a handful, always jumping over Snow, thus getting on her nerves. She gets her quiet time once in a while which allows Snow to breathe a little easier.

A gray and white cat looking directly at the camera .

After plowing through more than three hours of LOTR: The Return of the King: Extended Edition, I see Frodo finally standing on the precipice of boiling fire inside Mt. Mordor. Destroy it, Sam urges him. Damn Hobbit is taking FOREVER deciding whether to destroy the ring or go home with his preciousssss. Ai-yay-yay, I just want to shove him and be done with it, πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

Poor Sam for having to put up with this nincompoop. Really.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 17 - EARLY

We took a sleeper train from Amsterdam to Munich. While it was a unique experience (to us, at least), I slept fitfully. At a little past midnight, I felt the train shudder to a stop. I peeked outside and saw we were on German soil already. Guten Morgen, I said to whoever was ‘listening’ 😊

But that was the funny thing about wishes. Sometimes all it took to make them come true was a first step.

~ Klune, TJ. The House in the Cerulean Sea

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 16 - ROAD

Come walk with me….

πŸ“Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

Walking path with Lake Ontario gently splashing against a breakwall

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 15 - PATIENCE

This mosaic rendition of Birth of Venus was done entirely using discarded railway tickets. I can’t imagine the depth of patience needed to accomplish this!

Birth of Venus mosaic done entirely using discarded railway tickets in Kansai Airport, Japan

Someone finally got his cravings… Kebab for him, schnitzel for me.

Basmati rice is the longest grain variety of any rice that I have ever eaten.

πŸ“Arya Persian Restaurant in Shangri-la Mall, Mandaluyong City.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 14 - HORIZON

This photo paints a thousand words. No caption is necessary 😊

We were pleasantly surprised with this dish which we ordered out of curiosity - Wok-Fried Black Curry Lamb. My picture does not do it justice. @BananaLeaf in Estancia Capitol Commons, Pasig.

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 12 - SHINY

The biggest attraction in Arashiyama, Kyoto is the famous Bamboo Forest. We were very surprised to discover the Kimono Forest which was right there where the train stops. Pillars bearing kimono silk textiles light up the path, simply breathtaking especially at night.

I’m so hungry I cut up my Sausage Roll at once, thus ruining its photogenic state. This coupled with #StarbucksPH hot Coffee Americano was a great way to start the weekend.

I just finished from getting my blood taken for diagnostic tests. I can’t be the only one who looks away just as the needle is about to prick my skin 😊

Bruno Mars’s Just The Way You Are is currently playing in the car radio. I used to love the song but a nephew’s lavish wedding “spoiled” it for me. Now I can’t hear the song without thinking of them, 😊

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 11 - GIMCRACK

This Coffee Smoothie looks better than it tastes. The coffee flavor is barely discernible, it’s too sweet for my taste, but the worst part is the tapioca pearls. They’re not chewy ; they’re hard.

RANDOM CAT SIGHTING

The cats that roam in Ayala UP Town Center all look well-fed and taken care of. This fat calico did not mind all the humans that were passing by.

A fat calico cat watching people pass by

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 10 - RITUAL

Purify oneself before entering Itsukushima Shrine for prayers

I love how this shawl is knitting up!

COMFORT FOOD....

These definitely bring back happy memories of my childhood

MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 9 - TOGETHER

Kobe and Blu sleeping and growing older together

I made a shawl pin to go with the shawl I handknit. The pair is going to a friend tomorrow. I hope she’ll be happy with them.

My father had a similar one in his bedroom. Whenever I see a pendulum clock, I am reminded of him. He passed away in 2017.