Almost A Former Romantic

I used to be a romantic. I'm not really sure if I still am.

I used to believe that there was that one person who was meant for you. Your destiny. Your kismet. Someone fate dictates will complete your life and make it whole.

I'm starting to believe that there may not really be someone destined for you. That the stars will not align to make him yours and yours alone. I'm starting to believe that you make a person your own destiny. That you need to choose someone who will fill your life with happiness and love. Someone who will be there. Who will wake up everyday, rain or shine, and still be willing to work things out till the bitter end.

I'm even starting to believe that love is not what a good relationship makes. It's commitment. It's the conviction and faith in a relationship and the willingness and wanting to make it work. It's waking up every morning no matter how weary your soul may be and getting up the courage and strength to see things through.

I used to think that it was going to be difficult finding my destiny. Now I know that this may be even harder - finding a man who will stick.

But I do know that it isn't impossible. He's out there somewhere.

And because I have that hope, I may still be a romantic afterall.

3 indications that it's almost Christmas

1. The cool evening breeze.
2. My broken heart.
3. Very heavy traffic.

Poetry

III.

Tell me, is the rose naked
or is that her only dress?

Why do trees conceal
the splendor of their roots?

Who hears the regrets
of the thieving automobile?

Is there anything in the world sadder
than a train standing in the rain?

by Pablo Neruda from The Book of Questions

It's been a while since I've had some poetry in my life. I thought it was about time to bring it back.

Random Facts

For some reason I've always liked totally random facts. I always seem to be able to recall these useless pieces of information at the most inappropriate times. These are some random facts I discovered today. Totally a waste of my time (I know) but interesting anyway.

1. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair
2. Our eye remain the same size from birth onward, but our nose and ears never stop growing
3. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching tv
4. A person will die from total lack of sleep sooner than from starvation. Death will occur about 10 days without sleep, while starvation takes a few weeks.
5. When the moon is directly overhead, you weigh slightly less.

Veteran Traveller

"carries a lot of suitcases but all of them are empty because she's expecting to completely fill them with life by the end of this trip & then she'll come home & sort everything out & do it all again"

I got back from Cebu yesterday and I'm still unpacking the life lessons I learned from there. I don't think I'll ever finish. Family and love and friendship and laughter is what I brought home with me. Those memories will stay with me forever even after I've unpacked and sorted them all out. I plan on going back though so I'm emptying my suitcases for more.

Car Dancing

Car-Dancing by the French Toast Girl

The other day I was driving to work, and as I was stopped at a light, I happened to glance in my rear-view mirror and noticed that the man directly behind me was car dancing. He had his hands in the air and he was getting down with his bad self. While the majority of the general population might think: freak; I thought, wow, there goes a happy soul. Now, I'm not condoning dangerous driving or anything, but I've decided that for the next few weeks I, too, am going to car dance and maybe brighten up someone else's day. Or else, give them something to laugh about; in any case, I'm having fun.

(from: http://www.frenchtoastgirl.com/thoughts/cardancing.shtml)

I tried car dancing today as I hooked up my iPod to my car stereo. Unfortunately the heavy traffic made it difficult to keep to the beat and step on the clutch at the same time. Oh well, maybe next time.

Mow's the Word

Mow \ˈmau̇\ verb 1. to cut down standing herbage (as grass) 2. to cut down with a scythe or sickle or machine.

I read this word today and thought that it looked weird. It also sounded weird as I said it in my head. I guess I haven't seen this word in a long time.

Living Memory

it reads:

I carry you with me into the world,
into the smell of rain
& the words that dance between two people
& for me, it will always be this way,
walking in the light,
remembering being alive together

from: storypeople.com

One word. So little time.

Yet another website discovery. www.oneword.com. Load the page and this is what you'll see:

simple. you'll see one word at the top of the following page.

you have sixty seconds to write about it.

as soon as you click 'go' the page will load with the cursor in place.

don't think. just write.

The word was VIBRATE. This is what I wrote:

vibrate with the music in your head. dance. sing. move with the rhythm of your heart. life is music waiting for you to dance with it. so vibrate.

Veronica's Before 30 List

The initial reason I started this blog is for me to keep track of my progress on my Things to Do Before 30 List.

On my 29th birthday I sent out an SMS to my closest friends asking them what, in their opinion, are the 5 things I should do before I turn 30. I got a variety of responses, some shocking but others worthwhile projects to savor life before the big 3-0. I've come up with my list based on the answers that I received and am posting it now onto this great void in the hopes that someone out there can help me figure out what else is left to be done. Feel free to comment and add your 2 cents worth to my list.

In no particular order:

• learn basic French (I've always wanted to do this)
• buy a digital camera
• learn photography
• buy a laptop
• set up my own business
• travel to Cebu
• write my Mission statement
• go diving
• learn to surf
• learn to appreciate classical music
• learn about Italy
• learn about art
• visit a museum
• spend more than P30,000 in one day
• go to Batanes
• travel alone
• go on a roadtrip
• spend a day doing something absolutely selfless
• read Catcher in the Rye
• save P100,000
• go to Boracay
• buy a really nice dress for no reason
• drink wine on the beach and make a toast to the sunset
• stay at a cafe all day long doing nothing but read and listen to music
• buy myself a stuffed toy
  
• have a horribly expensive dinner for no reason at all
• buy myself flowers
• go to a karaoke place and sing my lungs out
• read The Alchemist (I can't seem to finish an entire book by Paulo Coelho)
• apply for my MBA
• redecorate my room
• have my picture taken with a celebrity
• be debt free
• have a pizza delivered to the house
• meet Piolo Pascual (haha)
• take boxing lessons
• gamble
• contribute an article or have my 'letter to the editor' published in a magazine
• get up early enough to have breakfast at a coffeeshop before work
• attend a poetry reading
• buy a lottery ticket
• read a Newberry Prize winner
• consult a fortune teller
• read Moby Dick
• go to Sagada
• be able to wear a bikini and look good doing it
• attend a creativity workshop

The Cupcake Checklist

I had another sugar craving and since I was in the area I decided to stop by Cupcakes by Sonja to grab another box of sweets.

I tried to control myself so I just got my favorite (Chocolate Surprise) and the Cupids Berry Delight. It's supposedly a cheesecake with strawberries in it. Notice how I used the word supposedly. Haha. It wasn't as bad as the chocolate cheesecake I had at Starbucks but it wasn't that great either. It was too airy for a cheesecake and just like Miss Desserts next door the crust was almost non-existent. Oh well. On with the search for the best cheesecake in town.

The trip was not wasted since I still do have my Chocolate Surprise to look forward to.

Kudos to Sonja for now providing plastic bags with your pretty little boxes. Oh and they now have a box for one (it's really cute!). I liked your old box sticker though.

The Ongoing Hunt for the Best Cheesecake

I had a minor car accident the other day and just had to treat myself out to feel better about my day. So on my way home from work I planned to make a side trip to Serendra to buy some cupcakes from Sonja. The long line in Cupcakes (by Sonja) and a newspaper article taped to the window of Miss Desserts stating that it had THE best cheesecakes in town made me change my mind. I opted to take a detour and try it out for myself.

I ordered the New York Cheesecake. The serving was a little small and the price a little steep (P75) but considering it would be almost the same price I would have to pay for a cupcake I didn't complain. I sat down to enjoy my dessert not really expecting much. My first bite was not a disappointment. It was very rich and very cheesy. Nothing spectacular but probably better than most cheesecakes I've tried. I think it would have rated higher for me if it was a blueberry cheesecake with a thicker crust (I like my crusts thick).

All in all not a bad detour. I did temporarily forget about my smashed-in bumper.

Oh just a note for the owners of Miss Desserts (not that they'll read this), you really need to do something about your AC. It was kinda hot in the cafe. My friend and I ate outside because it was cooler and considering it's summer and pretty humid out, that doesn't really say much about your store.

One last aside. I was pretty impressed with the pictures I took from my phone (both for this entry and the view from the bathroom). Pretty clear for a Motorola RAZR V3. Yey Motorola!

View from the Bathroom

I had brunch at Breakfast at Antonio's (there's something wrong there somewhere) with a friend a few days ago. I've been meaning to write about it but just haven't had the time. Actually I wanted to post the picture together with my entry and just haven't been able to download it from my phone. Finally here it is.

It was essential for me to post the picture of the view from the bathroom because I think that was THE best thing about the visit. If I could have a view like that from my own bathroom I'd be there right now writing this entry. Not only was the view fantastic but the cool morning breeze that touches your face was another reason to be thankful for the day, never mind the feeling of being spied on by anyone with a powerful enough telescope.

I would be remiss though if I didn't mention the sumptuous brunch I had with the Bacolod Grilled Spareribs. I was going to share with my friend but I cleaned up my plate. He never had a chance.

Comic Strip for the Day: The Argyle Sweater

Surf's Up!

I can't believe that I've spent an entire day surfing. I wish I were on the beach, with the sun burning my skin and the sand getting into my toenails but alas I am sitting on a very uncomfortable chair as I catch some waves. I hope this isn't my idea of exercise (I've recently committed to working out 3 times a week). Anyway, I have my brother to blame for this recent obsession. He introduced me to the StumbleUpon add-on in Firefox. It's this ingenious button you click on if you're bored with the websites you've been browsing for the past 10 years. So I clicked on it, and clicked on it and clicked on it. True enough I did stumble on some really unique sites.

Here are the sites I've StumbledUpon:

• finetune.com - It's an addictive website that lets you create playlist after playlist. I've been sitting in front of my computer all day thinking about all the artists I love as well as some of my favorite songs. It's great for people who don't like the hassle of having to wait to download songs all day, although the drawback is that you can't take your songs with you or load them onto your ipod (unless you buy them from amazon or itunes). You can share your playlists though with friends by embedding them onto your blog (just like I did with my tribute to summer and the beach). It's annoying though that playlists have to be at least 45 tracks long, I've been racking my brain for songs and artist I like. It would be easier if they allowed you to load more than 3 songs per artist on each individual playlist. Growing pains of a new site I guess.

• musicovery.com - Another great website for those who love music. It's a web radio that lets you choose the genre of music you'd like to listen to. An interesting site for those who want to discover different types of music.

• isnoop.net - I haven't discovered exactly what this website is all about but it's got some really interesting stuff. Ok, maybe interesting is not the proper word to describe it. Mindless maybe, but fun. Check out the "thoughts" bit, it's pretty funny(but then again it could just be me). The comic strip snagger is pretty cool as well.

• re-date.com - A website for people who track all types of anniversaries. Useless really but fun for those who have nothing better to do.

• addictinggames.com/punkomatic.html - It wasn't really addicting for me, but then again I have no talent when it comes to making music. It was nice to pretend though for a good 5 minutes.

• blifaloo.com - As the site's description says, it's temporary boredom relief. There are several things you can do like play online games, learn magic tricks, try out some quizzes or do what I did, read an article about useless/useful information. I read an article about how to detect lies. It was interesting although I don't think I'll be able to work for the FBI as an interrogator.

And so goes my brief foray into the vast internet jungle. Or ocean as the case may be.

Tribute to Summer and the Beach

Power to Single People!

There are engagement rings and wedding rings, but there was no such thing as a ring for single men and women. Why not? If anyone needs to signal one’s civil status, it’s a Single.

As a single person, you are on your own, but you are not alone – there are many of us around the world. We should stand up for what we are – we are always more attractive to others when we are comfortable being single. Dare to be a proud single!

That's what you'll read on the website of Singelringen. I thought it was just so empowering to single people that I just had to have one. So on the 13th of February, the day before Valentine's Day I went and bought me one of those rings. I bought it on that day as my form of rebellion against Valentine's Day (I never liked that day, it just mocks single people all over the world!)

In a culture where you are judged by the company that you keep (and most of the time by a lack thereof) it's so empowering to be able to proudly display your independence. On days when you get sick and tired of being single, just look at that shiny blue beacon on your right hand and remind yourself to celebrate your freedom from all obligations.

Power to all single people! (I hope it takes you a while to get one of these rings though cause I'm very snobbish about other people discovering my favorites. hehe. I am not like Oprah in that respect)

Cupcake Checklist

When I heard about Cupcakes by Sonja I knew I just had to try them. I was told that they were heavenly and worth the steep price I would have to pay. So one day while craving chocolate I went in search of these cupcakes.

They were good and I did come back for more. But should you go there and try some for yourself? Here's my checklist of cupcakes from Sonja to help you decide:

Vanilla Sunshine, a classic and fluffy yellow cake topped with either vanilla or buttercream, P48. The verdict: not so great. a little too sweet actually.

Chocolate Surprise, Valrhona chocolate cupcakes topped with either our signature vanilla buttercream or creamy chocolate frosting, P62. The verdict: YUMMY!!! My favorite so far, but then again I am a chocoholic. If there's one flavor that's worth trying I believe it's this one. My brother-in-law thinks it's too sweet though so if you don't have a sweet tooth you may not like it as much as I do.

Lemon Drop, delicious vanilla cake smothered in our signature lemon buttercream frosting, P55. The verdict: I don't think I can give a very educated comment on this one cause I only had one bite but I guess for those who like lemon (yes Danee, that would be you) this one is a good one too.

Mocha Motion, moist chocolate cupcake dolloped with a perfect frothy mocha buttercream topping, P68. The verdict: Again, too much sugar. Too sweet for me.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Flourless Chocolate Cake, dense Valrhona flourless chocolate with rich, velvety texture, dissolves in your mouth with pure sublime flavor, P98. The verdict: It's another cupcake made for chocolate lovers like me, although I really think it's to expensive to have to end up with chocolate all over your face. Definitely not something you want to eat on a date.

Bunny Huggers Carrot Cake, very moist cake made with fresh carrots topped with cream cheese frosting, P55. The verdict: It wasn't as moist as they say and really not that great. I like the carrot cake in Figaro better.

I've still got a long way to go in sampling all of Sonja's cupcakes so I'll keep you updated.
Till next craving....

Starbuck's Triple Chocolate Mousse

It is definitely not worth the P110 price tag that they put on it. It was more like gelatine than mousse. Really sad actually because it looks very chocolately and even has a name that could entice any choco-holic like myself. The chocolate mousse in Red Ribbon definitely tastes better (and you can even have 2 slices).