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