Compensating

For some reason, July has been quite... melancholic so I tried to compensate by doing things I love.

I made mangoes and cream cheese muffins.

My Kindle Fire gave up on me after just nearly two years (yeah, too short a lifetime) and though Amazon Japan offered to give me a replacement at a discounted price, the discount was too small so I decided not to buy anymore. Suddenly, Fully Booked went on sale so I bought myself two new books. And though I love paper books a lot, I do miss Kindle's dictionary function and being able to read in the dark. I'll probably buy a Kinde Paperwhite once I have the budget.

I made a new bag for my shinai (the bamboo sword we use in kendo).

I bought a couple milk cotton yarn skeins and they're in progress of being turned into beanies. My hat-loving friend who lives in Japan recently came home for vacation so I'm making one for him as a gift.

The color reminded me of House Gryffindor hence the Time Turner and the Snitch

After not having held a paintbrush for more than a month, I made a new 8" x 10" poster.

I also made an attempt at painting a self-portrait. It's not good but I hope it's not bad for a first time lol.

Oh, and I colored some parts of my hair with blue dye! Don't be fooled by the photo-- they're just highlights. As much as I'd love to have a full head of blue hair, I don't have enough patience to maintain that.

I can't wait for July to be over and I hope August will be kinder.

Kyoto, Japan in my Seat

How do you go to places without leaving your seat? You read of course!

Last October 2011, I got my hands into a book that I really wanted to read: Geisha of Gion. It's the autobiography of a geisha, Mineko Iwasaki (whom Arthur Golden acknowledged at the end of his book: Memoirs of a Geisha). Come to think of it, it's my first time to read an autobiography!

Memoirs was able to bring me (or at least my consciousness) to Gion in Kyoto but there's still a difference between reading fiction and reading an autobiography. To be honest, during the short time I was reading Geisha of Gion (it's a short book after all), I really felt like I was in Gion in Kyoto.

Gion Shirakawa (photo from japan-guide.com)

Kyoto is one of my dream destinations. If I were given the chance to go to just one place in Japan, I'd really like go to Kyoto where traditional Japanese culture is preserved. 

My only setback is that the book was written by a geisha and not by a writer by profession (it's an autobiography after all). There are a few things I couldn't quite understand because of sentence construction. A lot of times, I'd jumble up the people because I couldn't decipher who the author was referring to. I guess it could use a lot more editing. But in any case, it's a good read if you'd like to know more about a geisha's life and what goes inside her mind.

I'm dying to see Fushimi Inari Shrine...

the torii gates to Fushimi Inari shrine (photo from japan-guide.com)

...to stay in a ryokan (traditional Japanese-style inns) even just for one or two nights...

ryokans are expensive X___X (photo from japan-guide.com)

...to bathe in an onsen (hot spring)...

public onsen (photo from japan-guide.com)

...to attend a matsuri (festival) wearing a yukata...

Gion Matsuri (photo from japan-guide.com)

 ...and of course to see and take a photo with a real geiko or a maiko.

(photo from japan-guide.com)

Someday. Definitely someday. :)

Things New and Old

When I passed by NBS Recto yesterday and saw "up to 75% off on books" signs, I knew I wasn't going home without a new book that day. I got the Watkins Vanilla Classic Recipes book for Php61.25. Well, the fiction books weren't to my taste and I couldn't find other books on crafts.

And then today, I went to Ever Gotesco Caloocan to get an NBI Clearance (which failed, I only got an appointment for August 16 after three hours of standing and lining up) and the NBS there was also on sale so I checked it out and got three more books.

All four of these for Php235.00. They were all on 75% off, super cheap! I don't feel guilty at all even though I haven't gotten my paycheck for my two months of being an instructor and many months of being a researcher (I was and am hired by the government... you know how slow it gets especially when it comes to money). I never feel guilty for buying books even when they drain my week's budget.

Four pretty books. Full color. Php235.00. Score!

Anyway, I went to karaoke last Friday night with my co-faculty members. It was fun! Although a bit weird if you really think about it because most of them used to be my professors. (Didn't take everyone's photo.)

Me and Ma'am Imee

I also went to AME (my student org) Batch 11 applicants' acquaintance party last Saturday immediately after my review class. I spent the first 30 or 45 minutes there going around tables and hugging everyone (kunwari daw debut ko). And then rest of my stay there was spent talking to people and still hugging people.

Now look at these boys (Nigel's missing again). Or should I say young men? I've always looked at them like younger brothers but they've grown up so much. I first met them in 2008 when they were still freshmen. They're from the College of Engineering too. But now one of them is already doing his thesis and another is going to Japan this October as an exchange student. *sigh* I keep telling them how weird it is to see them growing up handsomely, doing thesis, pursuing love, etc. Has it been that long? I feel old! Haha.

Boibando minus Nigel

That's a nice flower you have there, Sty.

And here's an old drawing I found while I was looking for scratch paper. It's supposed to be called "Wallflower". I drew it probably when I was in third or fourth year. It's not yet finished, you see and I still have to redo it because the proportions are screwed up. I'm looking forward to the day when I can draw again.

Wallflower

No More Escaping

Last vacation of my life and I've been stuck in the city, mostly. I'm going to Batangas with my friends in less than two weeks. And that reminds me that I need to find a swimsuit. Sigh. I'd really like to go to many places this summer but I only got Batangas. Well, I guess it's better than nowhere. Although I wish someone would drag me to Ocean Park. Or to Enchanted Kingdom. Or to Tagaytay. Or anywhere nice but not too expensive. I'm pretty easy to please, really.

Shoes, Books and Apple Pie

The past week went like this:

 

This week's planner page. Full with acad things. Spell STRESS.

But I'm still happy. For one, I got an awesome apple pie last White Day. Thanks bunch to Kuya Pchan!! (I gave him giri choco brownies last Valentines Day hence the apple pie on White Day.) I was really down and stressed recently because of acads so the apple pie meant a lot to me.

Apple pie kinda got broken while commuting but it's still tastes awesome

Sean also lent me his copy of Stardust by Neil Gaiman, which I read this week. Yes, I was actually able read fiction despite all the requirements. But it's so awesome so I couldn't resist. I haven't read fiction in years (blame English 12, that's when I got sick of reading) and I never thought I'd start liking reading again.

And look, I even got myself a Neil Gaiman book to read today. It's an impulse buy, actually. I was choosing between Coraline and The Graveyard Book inside the bookstore. There were very few copies of Coraline left in the bookstore so I just grabbed it. The Graveyard Book, YOU NEXT!

And finally, awesome shoes from Grendha to reward myself for my thesis final presentation.

Books and Crafts

I got myself two new books last Friday (I wasn't feeling very well to attend fin swimming class so I went to school late and dropped by SM first).

I told myself before school started that I'm going to save money and that I'm not going to learn new hobbies until I become a bit better on my other hobbies (jewelry-making, cooking, baking, crocheting, hat and headband-making, etc) but I still bought the book on knitting.

Well, they were cheap enough for me to actually spend on them impulsively. Php90 each from Book Sale and you don't really get pretty books at that price. Also, I don't really mind buying books impulsively because I don't read books a lot (I only read textbooks for school, ugh).

Here's one of the scarves I've crocheted. Just a long, thin, white scarf that I can wear like a loose necktie while it's still cool here in Manila.

I'm currently making a piano-patterned sleeve for my little planner. I started it yesterday and it's almost finished. I just have to weave in the ends of the yarn (there's so much yarn-changing) and to stitch the sides together. I'll post a picture when it's done. And yeah, whatever happened to my supposedly thesis-making, laundry and room-cleaning yesterday. I was crocheting (and complaining about my burning lower back pain) almost the whole day. Fail.