Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Things I Miss: Room Decorating

I noticed recently that aside from being my memory storage, I haven't been able to stick much to my blog's purpose. This is also supposed to be a place to show my love for crafts, baking and pretty things. Unfortunately, my super busy schedule has not allowed me to do those things recently. Things I Miss (TIM) series will be dedicated to... well, things I miss and these will mostly be about crafts, food and pretty things I made in the past or if a miracle happens and I manage to make these things despite my busy schedule. I will not restrict myself to food and crafts, though.

Warning: This is going to be very disjointed/incoherent.

***

Today, TIM is about decorating my room.

This is my bed's headboard. Those colorful things were either given to me as a gift or bought from Landmark. I've had them for years! And no, they don't disturb my sleep. For one, I don't move when I sleep (I only roll around my bed when I CAN'T sleep) and perhaps I'm also used to the sound it makes.


Monday, August 22, 2011

A Cactus Tale

I don't know anything about gardening. But thankfully, I have a friend, Ron, who does. He collects cacti. Two summers ago, we went to their house in Zambales before going home from Anawangin Cove. I asked for one of his cacti because it grew flowers and I love flowers. He gave me one. This is how it looks like when it blooms:

April 2010

Friday, August 12, 2011

Milk Tea, Mug Cake and Rose Petals

I discovered milk tea around second or third year college when my orgmates dragged me to Bubble Tea. Back then, Bubble Tea prices were still reasonable. Eventually, however, I stopped the Bubble Tea routine because their prices got too steep. And then I discovered Moonleaf in Magiting Street last November through Krinkle and Nadine and I love the place! Nowadays, I rarely have the time to go to Moonleaf so here's what I do when I'm craving for something.

Yakult Jasmine

Steep jasmine tea in a cup of boiling water for about ten minutes. Add sugar or milk (or creamer if you want). Pour into an ice-filled glass and then pour a bottle or two of Yakult. It's going to be like Yakult with a tinge of sampaguita. No, really. :))

One time I shared my jasmine Yakult with my brothers and here's the conversation:

Kuya: "Ano to?" *drinks*
Me: "Yakult na may sampaguita" (sampaguita is a kind of jasmine after all)
Kuya: "Pucha kaya pala kalasa ng air freshener ko."
Bunso: *drinks* "Ano to?! Lasang lason!"

There goes a typical conversation among us siblings.

But if you don't have Yakult at hand, you may want to try Muscovado Milk Tea. Steep some black tea in a cup of boiling water. Add muscovado sugar and milk. You may want it hot or iced. :)

I didn't give measurements because you have to adjust everything to your liking (even the steeping time of your tea).

And you know how well cake goes with tea. Lately, I haven't been able to bake cakes and cookies. Now here's what I do when there's Nutella at home and I'm craving for cake. Recipe is not mine. Found it somewhere in the internet but I forgot where. Tell me if it's yours so I can credit. :)


Nutella Mug Cake

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons self rising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Procedure:
Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug.
Whisk well with a fork until smooth.
Microwave on high for 1 1/2 – 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave wattage. Mine took 1.5 minutes.)
Top with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce if desired.

Reminders from me:
Don't overcook as the mug cake will turn rubbery.
If you think you've cooked the mug cake enough, remove it from the mug so as not to cook it any longer.
You may grease the mug with oil beforehand.
Also, this recipe yields quite a lot for a single mug so I actually mix it in a bowl and pour into two mugs.

Doesn't look as good as oven-baked cakes but good enough to appease cravings

I've tried making mug cakes before but they always end up rubbery. This recipe fixes the said problem using Nutella. :)

And here's something that made me happy last night while I was reviewing my ES 11 (Statics of Rigid Bodies) and making problems for our students to solve. Imagine studying and then suddenly you find these between the pages of your book...

Pressed rose petals!

I actually have a habit of pressing flower petals (and sometimes leaves) between books whenever I get the chance. (Un)fortunately, I don't get flowers a lot so I don't have much to press haha.


But honestly, I no longer remember where these roses came from (I don't even think they're mine... prolly my mom's) and I can't remember how long they've been pressed (although I'm sure it's been years).


Maybe I'll start pressing more flowers from here on and then put them into my books so that I'll get more surprises. That is if I have flowers to press. Haha.

Monday, August 1, 2011

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