Friday, December 30, 2011

Appeasing hormone-induced food cravings

Last night, I was having really random (but not weird) food cravings. (I blame the time of the month!) I was craving Sliders (basically sandwiches) from Wichkraft, Kuya Stephen's "authentic siomai" (found in Area 2, near SC and Lutong Bahay) and Gong Cha wintermelon milk tea. I also badly wanted to try Papa John's pizza because a branch opened in SM North and I've read some blogs with good reviews on Papa John's before. Looking at their website last night didn't help either.

Luckily, I was able to drag Ron, Airis and Yanyan to Papa John's on short notice! I'm lucky that my friends love food as much as I do and that we usually (not necessarily always) share the same taste in food!

Cheese sticks

Onion rings, spicy potato wedges and cheese sticks. They serve dips too.

I already said before that I can't become a food blogger because I'm usually unable to take photos before I dig into the food! I wasn't able to take a photo of the pizza, haha.

We went to Gong Cha afterwards. At least my cravings are now appeased. TAKE THAT, HORMONES!

Monday, December 26, 2011

What's Cooking

Christmas was mostly spent in the kitchen.

For noche buena, I made lasagna and fruit salad. I also cooked spaghetti with meat sauce for guests.

I baked Oreo cheesecake (I still prefer the blueberry cheesecake though). I also baked chocolate cake for guests and food for the gods (date and walnut bars) for my parents' friends.

Not much pictures because I was super busy to even bother taking photos.

Oreo cheesecake

Needless to say, I was so tired. My mom was also helping but still, it's tiring. My hands were hurting because of the alternating cooking and washing. Exposing one's hands to hot (heat from the stove fire) and cold (water) make them hurt. Seriously.

I also tasted some mint vodka that my Kuya got from Poland. Mint!

Don't even ask me to pronounce that. Polish is a difficult language. LOL

I also lost the money inside my wallet (gave them to godchildren and relatives). When I was a kid, I rarely get aguinaldo (Christmas money or cash gift). Mom and dad's families aren't well-off. This Christmas, I was even the one to give aguinaldo to my uncle. I know it's weird (maybe sad, even) but I guess I should actually be happy because I am blessed so I have to share my blessings.

That's Christmas for me.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

2011 in Photos

Maginhawa Street hangouts with friends
photo from Maginhawa Street Facebook page

received a few commissions for headbands, mini-top hats and crocheted hats

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

In which I wore my sablay on my left shoulder

There goes another reward for years of hardwork. :)

photo from Cathy

another photo from Cathy

Ah, I miss these boys. :( I usually sit in class and study at the tambayan with them during college.


Just wore my old grad dress (it doesn't matter much, the sablay covers the clothes anyway) and my Tonic shoes, blow-dried my hair myself and did my own makeup because I didn't want to spend anymore

Oath taking of new civil engineers last Saturday at PICC.

I didn't really want to attend the because I knew what's going to happen: basically sit, stand, raise your hand and swear. And it's not worth the PhP 700 per head. TOO EXPENSIVE! Even the person who's taking the oath has to pay. But my parents wanted to go so we paid a total of PhP 2,100. Isn't that crazy? We could have spent the money on more important things. :(

But oh well, enough with the rants. At least I sat with my batchmates. We wore our UP sablay with Barong Tagalogs or white dresses like what our upperclassmen did before. It's great because our clothes stand out so it's easy to spot schoolmates. 

After getting my documents (PRC license included!), we were very hungry so my mom asked me where I wanted to eat. I seriously answered "Jollibee" because I didn't want any more spending and I don't eat fastfood much anyway. But she said that it's not fitting for my clothes so we ended up at this Japanese restaurant along Roxas Boulevard, Shiro Shiro (literally means White Castle, judging from their logo). Great interiors and good food. I totally love the Ebi Kani Salad! :) Although for me, Sambokojin is still a better run for money.


Ebi Kani Salad and Salmon Sashimi

Seafood Chahan

Omurice (omelet rice) and Ebi Tempura

Floor


Interiors

Monday, December 19, 2011

I Love Lantern Parade!

The Lantern Parade is an event in UP Diliman held during the last day of classes before Christmas break. The UP community celebrates Christmas with different units, colleges and organizations parading around the academic oval with their respective floats and lanterns.

The College of Arts and Letters's float celebrates Rizal's 150th birth anniversary on June 16
CAL

AME members in their haori parading with CAL


with Red who's parading for the College of Music

College of Music



Gorgeous ladies from the College of Home Economics

UP Tomokai. I like their sakura tree!


UP National Institute of Geological Sciences


UP NIGS's float

Dragonair!

My PI 100 professor, Sir Nilo Ocampo, parading for UP Mountaineers

The College of Fine Arts is a special case though. As far as I know, first and second year students are required to make lanterns, costumes and floats and to join the parade. So unlike other units with only one lantern or float, CFA has several. They're also at the tail of the parade because they make the prettiest and the most interesting floats. I have orgmates from CFA who told me that during December, their classes are usually cancelled because they're very very busy making lanterns and costumes. Sometimes, they even spend sleepless nights inside their college.

Actually the Lantern Parade has several functions. Aside from being a Christmas celebration and a venue to showcase each unit's creativity, the Lantern Parade can also be a venue for protests and for certain causes. It's UP, after all!



The Lantern Parade is also contest, as far as I know. The best float gets an award. The College of Fine Arts, however, is already disqualified in this because obviously, if they did, they'd just win every year. Anyway, as far as I know, the College of Engineering usually wins. I don't know who won this year, though.

Cars designed and made by the Department of Mechanical Engineering for competitions abroad


This year, the College of Engineering's float is inspired by Disney's UP.


Sir Gab and Sir Ji

UP Aggregates in MERALCO-sponsored shirts (MERALCO has been sponsoring shirts for UP College of Engineering's parade for some years already)

I really love Lantern Parade! I like standing at the sidewalk, amongst the crowd, taking photos if I have a camera, sitting down the sidewalk gutter when I'm too tired, and sometimes, eating food from the many food booths around. Although this wasn't the case a few years ago.

During my first year in college, 2006, the Lantern Parade was cancelled due to political reasons. I couldn't understand why my senior orgmates were so disappointed. I wasn't really interested in the Lantern Parade after all. I thought, "They're just lanterns." That year, as far as I know, the Lantern Parade still kind of pushed through but it wasn't a official anymore. In 2007, I didn't attend again. Still, I wasn't interested. Although I managed to see the amazing floats made by Fine Arts students while going home and I was satisfied just by passing by them.

During my third year, 2008, however, I attended. I can't remember why. Maybe because my friends were going so I went too. That year, I had fun! I was amused with the floats, especially by the floats from Engineering and from Fine Arts. During my fourth year, I couldn't attend again because I was very busy with Miss Engineering 2009, which coincided with the Lantern Parade. Although during my fifth year and this year, I was able to attend again.

This year, I positioned myself in front of the Faculty Center. It's probably a habit because I'd usually watch the parade with AME people before. There weren't much AME people in front of FC this year but at least there was something interesting. UP KONTRAGAPI (a CAL-based student organization) setup their instruments in front of the Faculty Center and played.


Many people took photos with this setup by UP KONTRAGAPI

Unfortunately, this year, my camera's battery decided to die right before the floats from the College of Fine Arts arrived. Too bad because there were many interesting floats like the rotating Narda-Darna float and the Gundam float. Oh well.

Monday, December 12, 2011

This is how crazy it gets






Miss ERG, why so pretty?


Last Thursday, Miss Engg candidates made an appearance during Smokers Night (an Engg Week event). No, people don't smoke cigarettes during Smokers. I'm not sure either why it's called Smokers Night. But basically, it's an event where orgs make a performance to vent all their frustrations toward other Engg orgs, faculty, and Engg admin. "Org-bashing" as they call it. But it's fun stuff. People take little offense or no offense at all. As they say, "ang pikon, talo". :))

Anyway, I did Gio's makeup that night for his appearance. And that's my best photo of him that night. LOL. He should stop slouching.

Cute mo sana 'teh, kaso lalaking-lalaki pa rin ang posture!

That's Gio and his pretty Mommy Yani. The girls members of the orgs who help their Miss Engg candidates are called "Mommies". Of course they need mommies to help them with their clothes, wigs, makeup, etc. On the other hand, "Daddies" are also necessary to help the candidate with guy stuff (e.g. dressing up in the men's room, hiding what needs to be hidden, etc.), carrying stuff and errand-running.


Miss Aggregates


I look so small. ;_; 


Yani with Miss CREST and Miss Aggregates