It's been awhile. I have been enjoying my own company for these past months. I have been reading, and watching movies.
I tried and attempted to write a blog post, but I don't know what to write about. So, I didn't force it.
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I was cleaning my email today, and saw a note I sent myself in 2011. It was a conversation I had with the 11 year old boy.
We were at the park, about 3 miles away from our house. I asked the boy when we passed by a flock of ducks by the creek. I asked him what's "itik" in English, and in a flash he said, "bird poop". Oh well, at least he tried.
Hi. It was gloomy and a wet Saturday. I meant most of the day. The boy went to prom with his friends in the early evening. The mister tested his bike around our hood even if it rained lightly after the boy left.
Because I was left at home, I thought of cleaning our oven. Our oven is old and it came with the house when we moved here in 2002. It has a self-cleaning feature. I have tried that feature many times already. Except this time, I heard a soft (((poof.)))
Oh gawd! The fuse burnt out.
I told the mister about it the moment he came back.
"Dear, ang oven murag naay nibuto sa sud. Gi-on man gud nako ang Auto-Self Clean.'" (Dear, it seemed like there was an explosion inside our oven when I turned it on to Auto-Self Clean.)
Guess what he answered?
"Ayay! Wa 'tay presko nga pan de sal sige ani ron!" (Oh no! We wouldn't have a regular supply of fresh pan de sal from now on!)
Hahahaha!
He's not worried about the oven at all or if we have to buy another one. He's just worried of the regular stock of fresh bread at home.
It's been weeks already since I left Facebook. I haven't been updating Instagram too. Been soooo busy with work, and loving it. I sold a few pieces in my shop to be used for TV shows and a movie. Ain't that great?
Aside from work, on my me-time, I have been reading a lot, watch international movies and TV series, listen to old records, and write handwritten letters too. This was life before I got sucked into Facebook and other social media.
Remember Eduard?Well, he told the young lady that that school wasn't a good school at all, and it's considered a low ranking community college in London.
Hehehe.
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I tried to ignore the print on her shirt, but I just couldn't! (as seen on Taiwanese drama, Just You episode 29. Her shirt says, "YOU ONLY LIVE ONES."
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I have been baking too. A whole lot. I'm sending (via the mister's colleague) a pack of freshly baked moringga pan de sal to a friend in Virginia one of these days, plus an extra pack of ube-filled soft bread too. She'll be surprised. I hope.
Hello from my kitchen. I have been so busy these past few weeks. 24-hours a day isn't enough. But truthfully, I am loving it. There is no idle time. I just get overwhelmed with the lists of things to do, and accomplish in a day. I get confused which one to do first.
The weather here is gloomy and wet. It's been like this for a couple of weeks already. My daily walks and lunch break bike rides have been on hold. I really miss sitting outside when it's nice and sunny. Gardening has been on hold too.
Oh! ...and I am so happy today. I got an email from someone very famous, and one of the kindest and the most generous person I know from afar. I only know her online. Her message made me jump for joy. I'll blog about it one of these days.
Yesterday, I had ginisang ampalaya (sauteed bitter melon) for lunch with my steamed white rice mixed with red quinoa and brown rice. But I also wanted to have soup. I had okra and squash in our refrigerator, but I ran out of greeneries---spinach, bok choy or kale will do. What to do?
By the way, my ginisang ampalaya wasn't really plant-based. There was one egg in it.
I remember the previous night that the mister told me about his mother using talbos ng kamote (sweet potato tops) in her Sinigang. And I remember too that we have a kamote growing in a glass goblet by our dining room window.(I forgot to boil this potato and it grew in a basket from my kitchen, and I let it continue to grow in a goblet with a small chip.) I wanted to plant it in the new garden plot that the mister built but the weather wouldn't let me.
Since, we are growing food indoor, I chopped off some of the kamote tops, and added it in my all vegetable Sinigang. There are more food growing inside in those plastic containers beside the kamote. (Check above photo.) We also have some spring onions in our family room. There were mint and thai basil too but it died when I left it outside last month, and it suddenly freezed overnight.
Okra, squash, tomatoes, onion, and kamote tops in my sinigang. Yum!
I can be an indoor home farmer now. Until next time.
So I went to see my doctor yesterday. It was just a visit to tell me of my lab results since I wasn't able to see her after I had it done. We went on a vacation around that time, and then when we came back, she went on a vacation too.
I told the mister the previous night that I'd walk in the morning to the doctor's office. It is about a 2 miles away. My appointment was at 8:45 a.m. I left the house at 8:17 a.m. I almost changed my mind because I might not make it on time, and what if I'd sweat a lot and wouldn't look and smell fresh? But still, I walked anyway.
When she came in the room, Doctor T had a huge smile.
Doctor T: You look different! Me: Really? Is that a good thing?
Then I grinned! In my mind, I kept saying it, loudly,
"Please tell me I lost more weight! Please tell me! JUST TELL ME, Dr. T!"
Doctor T: Hmm? I believe it's your hair. You've grown it! It's much longer this time. I used to see you with either a shaved head or a really short do.
Deep inside, I was...
Me: Oh! Yes, I opted to grow it back.
*sigh. I really thought she'd notice it! Hehehe.
I believe I have to put in more effort this time. We can do this, Lili!
Got to go! I'm going to earn thousands and thousands of steps today.
I know it's Friday, but it's a choose day for me. The young lady brought one of a kind socks for her father and her brother as pasalubong (homecoming gift) from her month long stay in South Korea last summer. It was a dollar per pair.
I loved the socks, and I wish the young lady brought more. Since the delegates of the Korea-America Student Conference were coming to the U.S. for this year's month (last July) long affair, I asked the young lady if she could ask any of her Korean friends to buy a dozen or two for me. I use this kind of socks everyday. I wear sneakers daily, that's why! It's my uniform.
Last August, the young lady came home with all of these from her friend, Jiyeon.
YUM! YUM! YUM! Jiyeon didn't accept any payment for these. She's so sweet! What's sweeter about her was she also gave something for the mister.Today, I had a hard time choosing which one to wear first. What would a Bisaya mama do in times of confusion? I did the "sanggutot kinsay pala-utot" (eeny meeny miny moe) this morning.
The young lady also bought a couple of mismatched socks from Daiso in San Francisco. I call these as Solmates Socks wannabe.
Compare between the authentic Solmates at $20 a pair to $1.50 per pair wannabe at Daiso, I'd take more from Daiso of course. I also have several pairs from Solmates. I just can't get enough of socks.
Another choose day! Yesterday, I texted the mister...
Me:Dear, kakan-unon ko'g cake! (Dear, I want to eat cake.) Him:Ako kay donut! (I want a donut!) Me:Okay pod ko ug donut kung way cake. (I'm okay with donut if there's no cake.)
I was willing to compromise.
Him: Sale ang donuts ugma sa Giant Eagle. (Donuts will be on sale tomorrow at Giant Eagle.) Me: How do you know? Him:Abi ko'g kada Friday ang $5 dozen donut?! (I thought it's always $5 per dozen donuts every Friday?!) Me: I'll check it tomorrow.
...and he's right!
I came to the store around 2:30ish in the afternoon already. I should have come earlier. I wasn't able to get my favorite---the plain chocolate donut. There were not a lot of choices to choose from, but this is, I think an eyegasm already! I did't do the eeny meeny miney moe this time. I made the boy choose a flavor for me. I had half of the no filling one--the second from the top at the right. Oh! By the way, a dozen is priced at $7.99 regularly.
