Baking Food and Not Tasting Them

The long weekend was indeed a blessing to me who doesn't actually have weekends. My next weekend will happen around October so I made sure to make the most of Monday and Tuesday.

The dates and walnuts inside the ref...

...were turned into these:

Date and Walnut Bars (which come by the nickname Food for the Gods)

We also have a super huge box of oatmeal and a tub of raisins...

...and I used them to make these:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I wasn't able to taste them even a bit because of my dental splint. But it's very rare nowadays that I get the chance to bake so I just baked anyway. I made these last Tuesday afternoon but I think they're gone now.

Anyway, I've been able to speak with this splint although I'm having a hard time pronouncing "s", "sh", "ch" and "th" sometimes especially when they come together in one word. It's like I have candy inside my mouth whenever I talk. It's also difficult to smile for the camera. I also discovered last Monday (when my friends and I hanged out at Maginhawa Street) that I can actually chew food but only very soft food and slowly too. CAKE INCLUDED!! So I can actually try The Coffee Beanery's unlimited coffee and cake for Php150! It's not so bad after all!

By the way, here are my dragonfruit cacti. I noticed that they grow really fast! These were the cacti ELEVEN DAYS AGO. Look at them now!

Dragonfruit: September 2, 2011

Growing crazy fast!

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

Reasons to Be Happy

Your cactus has formed a bud. Last year, it bloomed during April. It formed a bud quite late this year that you thought it's not going to bloom anymore. But you checked on it last Monday and saw it. I really hope it doesn't fall though.

There's an occasion...

...so you made some quick blueberry cheesecake. I had to do the quick version. I was so busy with research and besides, it's my first time making cheesecake so I thought I'd try first the easy no-bake recipe. By the way, it's their silver anniversary. Sorry if my note on the ref is cheap-looking. It's actually scratch paper. Haha. I was much too tired at 3am to make something prettier.

Seminar/progress report for the PHIVOLCS-UPD ICE joint project this afternoon. My first time attending something like that. It's also the research I've been blabbing about and the thing that has been making me so busy recently. I reported a little something in front of seismologists and structural engineers (take note, I'm just a fresh grad). It was well and okay except my voice shook a bit when I realized that there was a mistake in my slides that I overlooked (even after numerous times of checking). I also managed to drop the microphone after I reported and placed it on the table. Good thing I turned it off and the floor was carpeted so it didn't make a noise. Haha mishaps. But anyway...

Now that we're done with the progress report, we can finally take SOME rest, relieve stress and go back to work perhaps by Thursday night. I swear I'm not doing anything research-related tomorrow.

Eating the cheesecake and having everyone at home say it's delish except for my younger brother who says he can't taste anything from it. I dunno what's wrong with him or with his taste buds.

I'll treat myself to spa or some shopping once I get paid. So much things/problems came up and I've been so stressed lately so I'll need a little pampering.