love is the ultimate trip.

this is my march wallpaper. so proud of the circle design.

balance of life.

they say (whoever they are) that life is all about balance. does that mean the bad things too?

garet.

so excited! my sister is coming to nyc! finally!

mayon.

i found these photos of mayon volcano hiding in my dad's cam. so beautiful. this is where i am from. i cannot believe i grew up seeing this everyday. i grew up seeing a great wonder of the natural world everyday. a perfect cone shape volcano - active volcano. in elementary we would have drills in case of an eruption and earthquakes. i have experienced both.

profile pic.

omg i hate picking a profile pic. how do you pick one? when i pick one, it usually stays forever. this is my friendster pic and i guess it's still there - the last time i logged on (aside from tonight to get this photo and oooh friendster changed their look and layout but i'm still scared to go on friendster coz i got a virus once) was probably 2007. i call this one passport pic. i actually took that years ago using the bathroom mirror at work. i was bored, so what? lol. so anyway i used my boss' camera and of course being me i forgot to delete all the pix. and oh boy i took lots of photos. what's worse is that he took the camera home and his whole family saw my photos. yes photos of me making different faces and trying different smiles. barf. yup that is one of my most embarassing moment! this one is my main profile pic on facebook. taken in 2006, las vegas wearing my favorite shirt! hahaha, just noticed that there is a really wierd guy making a really wierd face sitting behind me. wierd. lol. and then there's this. i think it's a good choice. my face is the background and blurred because i am shy. and there's this frog that has no connection to me whatsoever. and my cam strap which i'm very attached to right now. hahaha, just kidding. it's the best one i can find right now. i don't make a big deal out of anything especially a photo of me. i just like to think i have a lot of layers like dan brown's book. yes you, dan brown, you did this to me. btw, i finished the lost symbol over the weekend. it's. so. good.

rockville, maryland.

yey! i finally got to use my new camera. i'm addicted. took so many pictures over the weekend. this shot is my favorite. my aunt au loves plants and flowers. i think these are tulip bulbs.

pan de sal.

mwahahahah! my latest creation! pan de sal and egg salad. yup i made the pan de sal from scratch. yummy. next time i will make bigger pieces to house more egg salad. so good with ham and cheese.

snowman.

aaaah i can't see! snow can be blinding in the sunshine. i think i o.d.-ed taking photos. so priddy especially when the sun's out. it's so clean and calm - in the backyard of course. in the front of our house is so the opposite.

so yeah i finally made my first snowman ever! it's not as fat and cute as the typical snowman but it'll do. i actually used a carrot for it's nose. i positioned it in front of our bedroom window so that sophie can say hi to it when she wakes from her nap. grrrrr i'm so excited! i hope it doesn't melt.

history of neckties.

“…despite the headmaster’s claims that the origin of the cravet went back to the silk fascalia worn by roman orators to warm their vocal chords. langdon knew that etymologically cravet actually derived from ruthless band of croat mercenaries who dawned knotted neckerchiefs before they stormed into battle. to this day, this ancient battle guard are dawned by modern office warriors hoping to intimidate their enemies in daily boardroom battles.”

yup i am reading dan brown's the lost symbol. love reading his books. aside from his amazing writing skills, i learn so many random facts throughout the read. like the history of neckties. who would've have known. now it makes more sense why uniforms especially in the military usually have neckties. i've always noticed that political figures usually wears red ties. is there a connection, probably not but it does make a statement. i thought its because red wears out the evil eye as my boss always say or maybe just to add a pop of color in their outfits.

snow day.

my first experience of snow in my whole life was in 2000. of course i wasn't dressed properly. i refused to wear hat and gloves. it was like a special occassion. me, my aunt and cousins drove all the way to sports authority parking lot just so we can take pictures. lol. hey that can be a good topic for my brother to write on his pinoy in america blog. haha.

just finished shovelling outside. i actually like doing it. it's a good workout i think. i love sprinkling the salt and wait for the snow to melt. after that, took sophie outside - omg she loves the snow! and eating it (shhh don't tell daddy-o). we took some photos. and now we're just relaxing, drinking our hot choco. yummy!

up next, snowman! (yup. wish me luck.)

superbowl hot wings.

for superbowl sunday, j wanted some hotwings. and since i don't eat 'em, (yeah i am the only bicolana who doesn't like spicy food) i didn't even know how a good hot wing taste like. so i googled some recipe and being me, i mixed 3 recipes that i found. i think it came out good! next time, i will definitely use a good hot sauce brand. note to self: do not be cheap by using store brand ingredients. lol.

an isteytsayd life.

shout out to my brother, third. or as i like to call him: toyd (when i was young i couldn't pronounce third) he's an english professor in up and now works for san bernardino times. his blog, pinoy in america, will soon become a book! tentatively titled, "an isteytsayd life: not-so-random thoughts from a pinoy living in america".

just read his last blog about home and moving. i have lived so many places too. i was born in san jose, ca and spent most of my childhood until elemantary in bicol. in highschool, i moved to makati - san antonio village and bormaheco. in 2000, i moved to new york - i stayed at my uncle's house (45th st) in sunnyside for 2 years or so, then when i could finally afford rent i moved in a house 3 blocks away (49th st). then a year and a half later, moved to an apartment on 43rd st. in 2006, i moved in with j.

i remember having a conversation with j before when i was feeling home-sick (usually i get home-sick after a long shower or after swimming when my fingers are wringkly, i don't know why i just do) - i didn't know which home i was home-sick about.

genius.

rb forwarded me a link to this amazing rainbow cake recipe! i don't think i've ever been this excited about a cake before! can't wait to make this!

the guy in the wheelchair.

every morning i take j to subway station on main st. and i see this guy in a wheelchair "walking" his daughter to school. they always look so happy. i see them almost everday. i saw them last week when it was cold and raining so hard, he had his daughter sitting on his lap with both their hoods on. i guess an umbrella would be pointless because he needs both his hands to maneuver his wheelchair. if the daughter held the umbrella it would just block his view. nevertheless they had their big smiles. seeing them like this made me feel wierd inside. it almost feels like a heartbreak.

today, j is working mid shift so we left around 11:00 am instead of the usual 7:45 am. it turns out that that same guy also picks his daughter up from school. happy as usual. i realized that i don't feel sorry for them in fact i am happy for them. i don't know them and i am proud of both of them. my heart breaks not for them but for me. i feel a little guilt because sometimes i forget how easy i have it. i think it's safe to say that we are all like that sometimes. just like on that same rainy day, j and i couldn't stop complaing about how bad the weather was. there's so many things to worry about in this world but for now it's just about now.