How I Am Going to Spend My Vacation

12 - How I Am Going to Spend My Vacation

"My plans for the summer"

     Once again, we've reached this time of the year, summer. I'm sure that, by now, every one must have already planned out how they're going to spend their long-awaited vacation. I'm also sure that majority of you guys are probably planning to go somewhere out of town, like the beach or the province. I, on the other hand, have a feeling that I'm going to spend my vacation at home. I have a month to relax before the next school year will start, and, unlike most people, I'm staying in the shelter of what's feeling more and more like jail. I mean, we would be able to go to malls and other places, but it's not like staying overnight at some place out of town. Furthermore, I would really enjoy being able to go to places like the beach since we don't always get to go there. However, my parents are having issues about travelling to these kinds of places, so it looks like we're not going anywhere. But do not fret for I haven't lost all hope on making this vacation the best I can make it. I have thought about it and realized that there are still some things I can do at home and enjoy.

     One is that I can paint. Recently, I have been polishing my painting skills and I'm loving it in the process. I feel so free and have a lot of fun when I paint. It kind of makes me wish I didn't have to stop and wait for it to dry before I can work on the next layer (when I'm using oil paint), especially when I'm in my "painting zone". I just want to keep painting till I'm satisfied with the result. Hopefully, I will get more into my painting zone this summer, so that I'll be able to make as much paintings as I can. I also want to sell some, so that I can earn some cash. I don't really want to leech off of my parents all the time. So, I'm thinking I should probably do something this summer, and, so far, painting is all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure I'll have some other ideas on how I can make some money later.

This is from the game, Sacra Terra: Angelic Night

     Another thing I plan to do is play computer games with my little sister. It's kind of what we do every summer actually. We play games which we both enjoy, like Virtual Villagers and hidden object kind of games. We usually play the ones from Big Fish Games; I like some of their detective and horror themed hidden object games. If you're wondering why we play hidden object games instead of two-player games, it's because, we argue a lot when we play two-player games, and I like taking control of the mouse. I don't know why but I do, when it's with her. I'll just say it's because I'm older. So, in order for everyone to be happy, we play hidden object games since I can control the mouse while she can still be satisfied with trying to search for the stuff we're looking for. It's a win-win situation. Plus, I let her pick which game we'll play too, so that it's really fair. Happy?

     I also plan on catching up on some television shows, like How I Met Your Mother. So far, I've only finished the first season because, college never ceases to keep me busy from doing anything fun. Hopefully, this time I'll have enough free time to finish all the seasons. I am also planning to watch The Walking Dead, since most of my friends watch the series and say that's it's really awesome. I just hope I'll be able to catch up to them, if that's ever possible. I will also await the release of weekly upcoming episodes to some shows, like Hunter x Hunter (2011), and Adventure Time, which I am a very big fan of, just so you know.

     Let see, what else? Exercise... That's a very tentative subject. I guess, I will try to do some jogging in the evening. Because if there's one thing about summer, it's that my junk food intake increases dramatically, due to boredom. I am more aware of how my stomach feels when I have nothing to do, or to put it simply, I eat when I'm bored. So, I feel like, in order to prevent myself from getting fat, I should probably do some exercise. Why is this plan tentative? That's because once I get there, I end up being too lazy to do it. So I'm also looking for something that's going to motivate me enough to do it. So far, doing it for my boyfriend is all I can think of, but I think that's enough to make me do it, hopefully. Wish me luck!

     Another thing I am going to do is play the piano. I haven't been playing it in a while now, so I'm planning to practice again. I just want to learn some pieces really. Like this song called, My Freeze Ray, which was sung by Neil Patrick Harris in Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog. It's a movie, I think, which I watched on Youtube. It's a short song but I want to learn it on the piano, mainly for my boyfriend. You should listen to it; it's kind of cute actually. Besides that, I'm going to "try" to compose some songs. We'll see if that works out.

     Finally, I also plan to spend as much time as I can with my boyfriend within the first 10 days of my vacation, because he'll be going home to the province for the whole month of May. This will actually be our first summer together, at least for a week, so I don't really want to waste it. I don't think we'll be able to be together every day of that week though, but as long as we could spend some days together, then that would suffice. I wouldn't really care where we would spend our time together either. Being with him is what matters after all.

     Honestly, I don't actually think that I will be able to accomplish everything on this list. I might end up spending most of my days sitting in front of my laptop and idling away my time browsing Facebook or 9gag. However, I will definitely make an effort to accomplish as much as I can. Laziness is a cunning adversary but it can still be defeated with the power of motivation and action. You will never get anything done if you just sit around all day anyway. By the way, if you are some one who's going to spend his/her vacation cooped up at home, then I hope this has given you some ideas on how to enjoy your summer.

Things I've Always Wanted To Do

11 - Things I've Always Wanted To Do

"I always wanted to ___"

     Do you have a list of things you have always wanted to try doing but know it's impossible, illegal, or wrong? I'm sure everybody does. I mean, who hasn't thought about those kinds of things, right? I walk into a store and all these crazy ideas start coming into my mind. I start wondering how it would feel like to do this or that or what would happen if I had done it. In fact, here are a couple of things I have thought about doing, if I ever could.

     One is going to a convenience store, like 7- eleven, Finds, Select, etc., or even a fast-food restaurant, like Mcdonald's or Jollibee, going over to the ice cream dispenser, placing my head under the nozzle, pulling the lever, and filling my mouth with as much vanilla ice cream as possible. As you can tell, it's a crazy idea and something I can't do (unless a zombie apocalypse were to happen and those kinds of stores were no longer being watched over), but I have always wanted to try it. If you're wondering why, it's because I love ice cream. However, I have thought of another way to fulfil this dream of mine. Instead of waiting for a zombie apocalypse, I'm going to buy my own ice cream dispenser (once I have the money for it), then I can have all the ice cream I want, before diabetes comes after me.

     Another is being like Banksy and making meaningful graffiti art. If you don't know who Banksy is, he's a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter, and if you haven't seen his works, then check out this link. I know that vandalizing is wrong but if it's to convey an important message then I think it's a better way than doing rallies or anything violent. Plus, it's art; you're using these drawings or sprayed paintings to send a message to people. So, I thought, I wouldn't mind doing something like that if I could. Who knows, maybe I would, but you wouldn't know (like I'd tell anybody... wait... this doesn't count).

     Another thing I've always wanted to do is to ride a bicycle to school and to work. You're probably wondering why this is on my list, you see, I have always studied in a school that was miles away from my home. In fact, it was a 30 minute drive, if it wasn't traffic. Due to this, I was never able to experience going to school on my bicycle. However, I am now in college and this time it's quite near to where I live. It's practically just one Jeep ride away. Unfortunately, I still can't go to school on a bicycle because, I have to wear corporate attire during most days since that is our uniform, and I currently don't own a bike any more. I would buy one but I don't have any money, so looks like this is going to stay a dream for a while. But don't worry, I still have a long way to go, and maybe I could ride a bike to work one day, depending on the circumstances. If you're also wondering why I want to ride a bicycle to school and to work, it's because I wouldn't be polluting the earth if I did.

     There are a lot of other things on my list, like entering a bank dressed in weird costumes, but I can't really remember all of them, so you'll have to settle with what I have just mentioned. They say that life is short, and I guess it kinda is, but it doesn't really mean you should be hasty about it. I'm in no hurry to do all these things. I know that I will get the chance to do them when the right time comes (not sure about the illegal ones though because that's a bit too over the top). Anyway, I'm just going to do what I know I can do now, and I'm going to enjoy it.

My Top 10 Favourite Food

10 - My Top 10 Favourite Food

"Write the names of ten things you like to eat. Describe them."

     When I eat food, I tend to savour its taste or flavour. I don't usually just munch it down and swallow like what some people do. I enjoy what taste the food has to give me. I mean, isn't that what cooking is all about? Playing around with the food's flavour, making it something new. What's the point of adding seasoning if you're not going to take the time to taste your food? I eat slow, because I like to taste my food. A lot of people don't realize that about me, but now you do since I've just told you.

     Anyway, I have made a list of my top ten favourite food. I like these foods mostly because of the taste, but I have my other reasons too which I will explain as we go on. This is probably not the healthiest list of meals but I did say that this is going to be a list of my "favourites", and usually one's favourites are never the healthiest of kinds.. usually. So, we're going to start form number ten then descend to the first.

10. Tempura 

These are the ones from Mann Hann

This is basically deep fried prawns and is usually accompanied with a dip (I'm not sure what it's called though). The best place where I like to eat Tempura would be at Mann Hann. You can find one at Mall of Asia (MOA) or at SM Megamall, but I think you can find some in other places too. Those two malls are just the usual places where I go to.
I really love seafood which is why I love Tempura too. It's so crunchy and "prawny", I don't know, I like how it tastes. Especially with the dip (which I still don't know the name of).

9. Kimbap (Korean Sushi Rolls)

When I was in high school, I befriended some Koreans namely, Chloe and Cecilia (those are their English names). They became some of my closest friends and they also introduced me to some dishes native to their country. One would be Kimbap, which is basically their version of Sushi, however, nowadays you can put in any type of fillings you would like. So it kinda evolved to being more like a sandwich that looks like Sushi. That's one way to put it at least. If  you guys are interested in making some then check out this website for the recipe on Korean Sushi Rolls (Kimbap).

8. Ramyun

Another food which my Korean friends introduced to me was Ramyun. It's actually instant noodles but you could probably make it traditionally as well. However, I don't really know how to make it from scratch so I just cook the instant noodles instead. It still tastes good for me. I really enjoy how it's so spicy but still kind of sweet in my mouth. I should also mention that I really love spicy food too. The way it burns my tongue while being so savoury is just awesome. Although, some Ramyun noodles are also not spicy, but I prefer them spicy. It tastes better for me.

7. Myeolchibokkeum (Dried anchovy side dish)

Here's one more dish my Kroean friends made me try, it's dried anchovies. I like the ones that they make because it tastes either sweet, spicy or even both. It's just so good. Every time one of my friends would pack some for lunch I would always ask for some because I could never get enough of it. If you guys want to try it out then check out this link for the recipe.

6. Pizza

Ah, pizza, one could never get enough of it. Unless the ingredients used would make it heavy in your stomach which would make you feel very full, then I guess you would have had enough. Anyway, I love eating pizza but it depends on how it was made. I kinda like it when it has a thick crust rather than a thin one. Like the ones at Pizza Hut; their pizzas are really good. I also like it when it's loaded with meat because I'm a carnivore. I like to eat pizzas at Sbarro because they have all sorts of pizzas there. They seem to be more adventurous with the toppings, so they come up with the most delicious dishes there. You should try eating there sometime. One slice of their pizza would make you feel stuffed.

5. Cupcakes

Who doesn't love cupcakes? They are like mini versions of cakes except, this time, you can overload them with as much frosting as you want and it will still taste amazing. I love desserts and I will definitely place cupcakes in that list. If I were to think about which flavour I like the most, it would probably be Red Velvet. I just like how it tastes so sweet and how it looks so red. I mean, I like chocolate flavoured ones but I don't always get to eat Red Velvet cupcakes, so I guess that's why I like them so much.

4. Apple Pie

I love apples. For me, they're the best fruit. So what better way is there to eat them than by turning them into pie? Now that's like rolling two delicious things into one dish.
My boyfriend made me home-made apple pie once. It was delicious. I loved it so much that I wished I didn't have to share it with my dad, but unfortunately, he is also a big fan of apple pies so I had to give him around 1/4 of it. I'm hoping that the next time my boyfriend makes some more, I won't have to share it. Because It's so good. (You can't have any either, reader).

3. Crab

This was the best picture I could find.
The ones on the right are my favourite.

Of all the seafood that I love to eat, crabs would definitely top that list. For me, crabs are the best. I love the way my mother cooks it. We have to eat it with our hands though, but it is worth it since it's so savoury. Especially when she makes it spicy. I love that. Also, I feel like eating it with your hands, like breaking it apart and reaching in for the meat, makes it taste even better since you would have to work your way to get the good stuff. I'm sure that some of you would think, "why would I have to work hard just to eat my food?", well, you're missing out on a lot. It makes me appreciate the food that God gives me more. Besides, those crab sticks that you can buy ready-made and packed in the groceries just aren't the same. Fresh is always the best.

2. Chocolate

Yes, I am a chocoholic. Guilty! But I can't help it. It just tastes so awesome. If I were to narrow down what kind of chocolate do I like the most though, I would say "the ones that look like shells" or "shell chocolates". Why? Because they remind me of my childhood (and they taste amazing too). When I was a kid, sometimes, my mother would buy those shell chocolates and we would share them with my dad and younger sister. That would always be how I would depict those moments whenever I would think about "shell chocolates". It's like a moment of togetherness or bonding. We don't do that any more, which is why I appreciate those memories these chocolates always remind me of. However, it is so difficult to find them. I almost never see them whenever I go to groceries. So I don't always get to eat them any more either. They're like a rare thing.

1. Ice Cream

Look at that delicious delicacy hand-crafted by angels!

Finally, my number one on my favourites list is ice cream. My favourite flavour would be vanilla. I like how it's so sweet and plain I guess. But, sometimes, anything with vanilla would do, actually. Like Cookies n' Cream, or the ones by Selecta that's got Hershey's Kisses in them. So, if I think about it, vanilla would be my favourite. Chocolate being my strong second. But I love it when you mix them together. They make an awesome combination. Man, I'm complicated. It's hard to explain.

Anyway, I eat ice cream whenever I feel sad or depressed because it helps lighten up my mood. I always refer to it as my cure for sadness. I'm pretty sure it can work for other people too, depending on how bad the problem is. However, if you're lactose-intolerant, then you should look for another solution.

     So, did you realize that my tenth post is about my ten favourite food? It's a weird coincidence. Really, I only realized it while I was writing this down. Anyway, I hope that you all found this very informative. Go and enjoy your day by tasting foods you haven't tried before, you just might find a new favourite.

Warm Embrace

9 - Warm Embrace

"Poem"

Alone, I seek his warm embrace.

One that envelopes me as if it will never let me go.

One that will save me from when I feel as if every one is against me.

One that tells me that he will never leave me.

For in his arms, I feel at home.

I feel like nothing can hurt me.

I feel like it can protect me,

From the world and the judgement around me.

There is no other like it,

For his is what I dreamed it to be.

He could hold me forever and I would love it.

For how could I possibly tire from being in his embrace?

I could never trade it for anything else,

For there is nothing that can replace it.

The comfort, warmth, protection it gives,

How could all these be found in one gesture?

When he is not present, it is all that I crave for.

His warm embrace during the cold nights.

I only wish that I could return the favour,

By giving him my embrace in hopes that he feels the same.

     So, yeah, we were asked to make a poem for class today, inspired by one of our past blog entries, and I chose my blog post entitled "In His Arms" for reference I guess. We found out that poems don't necessarily have to rhyme so this was a bit easier to make. However, I always did have a difficult time making metaphors and such. Anyway, enjoy the poem. I hope some of you guys can relate to this. Have a happy Valentine's Day!

A Strange Nightmare

8 - A Strange Nightmare

"Write about a terrifying nightmare."

     Nightmares are usually supposed to be scary. I mean, that's how you classify them as one. If it made you feel uncomfortable or scared then you call it a nightmare, a bad dream. But, for some reason, my nightmares are not always 100% horrific. Most of the time, it has its weird and funny moments that just don't make sense. It's like my mind wants to scare me but does not want to scare me at the same time. Sometimes, I would question the strange things that my brain comes up with when I'm dreaming.

"I'm the devil and I'm gonna chase you now,
 MWAHAHAHAHA!
(and I'm taking the moon with me)"

"holy" cupcakes I guess?

     There is this one nightmare that I had when I was in fifth grade. I found it to be so scary that I never forgot about it. However, it was also quite weird. Here's what happened, I was alone, walking on the street, on my way home I think. Then, I looked up to the sky and saw the moon. It was a full moon and it was really big. Then, I noticed that something was behind it. I saw a dark figure with horns and wings. It was the devil.  After seeing it, I panicked and ran as fast as I could. But I was having a difficult time running because, apparently, I was wearing these slippers that I only wear at home (my brain loves giving me a difficult time). While I was running, I kept looking back to see if he was still there. As I kept looking back, I noticed that he was getting closer and closer (or he was getting bigger and bigger, either way he was still chasing me). So I got even more scared. But, I saw this building from afar, it was a church, and there was a mob of people with torches and pitch forks rallying around it. Desperate to get some help, I ran towards it. When I got there, I told them about the devil that was chasing me. So they did a ritual to defeat him. The people joined hands and formed a circle. Meanwhile, the children, who were present, were given these "holy" cupcakes to eat (yeah, I have no idea why cupcakes, I think I was hungry). Anyway, in the centre of the circle, there was a box. Then, I think the people started saying some kind of incantation. When I looked up at the sky, I saw the devil. But when he got near us, the ritual started taking effect. He slowly began to shrivel unto the box that was in the centre until he formed the letter S on it. After seeing what happened, every one cheered. But I didn't. For some reason I felt like something was wrong. When I looked up at the sky, once more, I saw that he was still there! We all thought that that had destroyed him but it didn't work. So, some one told me to run home because there were some people there who could help me. So I did. I ran as fast as I could. Then, in the midst of all that confusion, I suddenly saw my classmate, Cheska, in one of the houses. She greeted me, "Hi Kim!", as if nothing wrong was happening. So I replied, "Not now Cheska, I'm being chased by the devil." then continued running to my house. Then, when I finally reached my home, the front door opened and I saw a bunch of people inside wearing these black robes as if they were members of a cult or something. Just when I was about to go in and ask what was going on, I woke up, shivering and sweating.

     That was the most frightening dream that I had ever had at that time. I had no idea why I had it. I had so much questions like, why was the devil chasing me? What's with the letter S? Why did I think about children eating holy cupcakes? Days later, I tried looking up what those things might have meant from a book I found in our school library that had the meanings to some things that you could find in a dream. All I learned from it was that I could have been facing a problem or a troubling situation at that time. I wasn't sure if I was, but I could never forget that nightmare. That weird, weird nightmare.

The "Haunted" House

7 - The "Haunted" House

"Describe a place from your past."

     I miss my childhood. How everything was just an adventure waiting to happen. I can still remember all the fun things I used to do like, play with random kids in the playground, climb the post where the basket for the basketball was (since it looked like a vertical monkey bar), ride my bicycle, get injuries from playing in the playground, play make-believe with my sisters, etc. Sigh, those were the good old days. Speaking of my sisters, I remember this one time we came across this haunted-looking abandoned (at least it seemed abandoned) house on the same street where we lived in.

     My big sister was the one who told us about it actually. It sounded creepy so she, my little sister and I decided to go check it out. We went to the house on our bikes, even if it was practically just a short walk from our place, to give it a sort of undercover spy feeling since we felt like we were on a secret mission to infiltrate the "haunted" house. When we got there, we parked our bikes in front of the gates. The house wasn't so big, it seemed like it didn't have a second floor. Also, from what I can remember, the place wasn't very neat and tidy. The driveway was covered with thick vines which almost reached the gates. The house itself looked old and rickety. The walls were white and dirty. The roof and the gates were painted green which blended with the vines and other vegetation. This is why we thought that the place might have been haunted and abandoned. Anyway, we opened one of the gates, which was only up to our shoulders, which made it easy to get in. Then we walked over the vines which covered the driveway and went over to the front door. The door wasn't locked so we were able to get in. The place was dim and everything was covered in dust. I remembered that only my big sister had a flash light. Also, the room we were in (which was probably the living room) was filled with these cardboard boxes. I opened a few but I did not find anything of particular interest. I can only remember finding a box that had dusty old feathers in it. There was also a giant broken television at the end of the room, right next to these stairs. Its screen seemed like it was gone, and it looked like something was going to come out of it if I got near it so I stayed away from that part of the room. My little sister stayed close to me since she did not want to be alone (honestly, I did not want to be alone either) but my older sister went over to the stairs, next to the broken television. She didn't go too far though, she only wanted to see what was in there. I remember asking her what she saw but I don't remember if she told me. Afterwards, we decided to leave. But before I left I decided to go around the back to see what was in there, only to find detergents and other cleaning supplies for laundry and things. This surprised me since they didn't look as old as the things we saw in the house. They looked like they have been used, but not recently. So I wondered if this house was really abandoned or not. But then, my big sister called me so I left in a hurry. It turned out that our housekeeper found us trespassing. So she scolded us. Totally worth it though. I mean, how often can you get to explore a, seemingly haunted and abandoned, house?

     It's experiences like those that make me wish I could relive my childhood because It was fun while it lasted. But I'm not going to let adulthood stop me from having those kinds of experiences again. Maybe next time I could explore an actual haunted or abandoned house and not get scolded for trespassing this time. I mean, at this point, anything can happen. So, I'm going to live through it to the fullest. If I do get to explore a haunted house, I'll try to write about it one day.

In His Arms

6 - In His Arms

"Describe the most comfortable spot you can find."

     In the dictionary, the word "comfortable" means producing mental comfort or ease. But we also have our own connotations for it. For some of us, it could mean being in a certain place, having a certain thing or being with a certain some one. Whatever it is, it gives us this sense of comfort. For me, the most comfortable spot I can be in is being in the arms of my love. That is Emmanuel Benedict Burgos Briones.

     There's just something about being in his arms that I find so comforting. The way it feels so warm and caring makes me feel safer. Like nothing is going to hurt or judge me. It's as if, the world slows down, and what anybody says about us doesn't matter. And knowing that he's right there for me makes me feel like I'm needed. Most of all, it makes me feel like I'm not alone. I don't know if he knows just how much I love being in his arms. There's nothing like it. If we could, I would hug him for hours and I would never get tired of it. I know, it sounds pretty sappy but I mean it. That's just how much I love being with him. Even if we didn't utter a word, I would still enjoy his company. I don't mind because his presence is enough for me. I have always wondered how it would feel like to be in some one's arms and I'm very lucky that I get to be in his.

     I'm sure that other people know how I feel. They must enjoy being in the arms of their lover too. But other people probably enjoy being in the arms of some one else like their mother, father or friend. However, it doesn't matter who he/she is to you. As long as that person makes you feel comfortable, safe, loved, cared, and needed, then being with that person is where you would want to be in the most.