Book Break

It is a wonderful, sunny, windy, and summery Sunday!

And I am working (^^U)

It's for my sister's project (for her consumer research company) and I intend to finish everything by tonight. I am just currently finishing my tea before it gets cold so I get to write something here and check some interesting Pinterest pins, then after this it's all going to be working straight until I go to bed.

Times like this, I motivate myself by thinking of the things I intend to do after. It shifts from gaming to drawing to reading to blog organizing to crafting, but right now, it is mainly just the idea of sitting out in the backyard or on my bed by the window, reading my books. I am further inspired by the memories of past travels, when my sister and I would take a break from a lot of walking or shopping by going back to the hotel, putting our feet up, and spending a couple or so hours just reading while munching on chips or drinking some milk tea or chocolate milk.

Kowloon Dairy Chocolate Milk from 711 across Eaton Hotel

I am currently reading five books as listed in my Good Reads account, and I can hardly wait to get back to them when I am done with this urgent job. So now, I shall go and continue, keeping in mind the books that are waiting for me (^_^)

HK: Past, Present, Future

I just realized that I never shared photos and did not really write so much about our trip to Hong Kong on October of last year (^^U) Anyway, it was basically a last-minute decision. Fortunately, we were able to book a room at a discounted rate in Eaton Hotel, and we totally felt right at home in the area. Next time we go back to Hong Kong (probably for next year's kendo), we will fly early again and come back home much later, and we will definitely visit our "home" spot near Nathan Road. Last month, we were near the area but I was tired and we came from all over the city, so all I could think of was to get back to New Territories and soak my feet in warm water and just bond with my sister. 

Anyway, while last October's trip was pleasantly warm and laid back and peacefully happy and made me feel briefly like I did not want to go back home, last month's was a mixture of a lot of stuff, in a whirlwind of cold weather and intense emotions. 

A nice, quiet walk in Kowloon Park

It brought with it plenty of realizations, though, and while falling in love brought about that pleasant, giddy feeling, it also caused me tremendous pain that has now propelled me to move forward faster and to work even harder to move Away from that emotion and Towards what I really want to do and where I want to go. 

Taking long walks and exploring places with my sister in a foreign country is always fun and liberating.

So anyway I am already thinking of flying to Hong Kong next year at least a couple of days before the actual kendo days, and then extending for at least three nights after. I intend to go back to our "home" area near Nathan Road and find time to just really sit or walk and enjoy the weather. 

Temple Street - where we were caught in the middle of some kind of magic spell in October

I know it's too early to think about next year's Hong Kong when I have not even gone to the beach for this year's local trip. Speaking of which, I have booked my flight going out of Manila but I have not booked for the flight home. Maybe later. (^^U) I can't wait to go back to the beach! After that it's either Malaysia or Vietnam (uhm yeah Malaysia is back in the picture although Vietnam still makes me catch my breath, mainly because of the fact that Vietnam makes me catch my breath), and then our annual Singapore. (I really have to work hard because I intend to shop again in Singapore! I rarely shop so much, except maybe in Singapore. I am already thinking about Kinokuniya and Rose Citron and HMV, among other places.) 

Yesterday I have reached some kind of calmer state than the one prior to and during my birthday. I still feel the ache from the T-etch on my heart, but I feel I am starting to move on. He still does inspire me so much, though. Maybe in my next lifetime I will seek him out. Or make sure he finds me, before anything else takes place.

Birthday Prayers

Today is my birthday :D

My godmother sent me mail - it was a card that supported St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School, and inside was a very special message:

I like gifts like this (^_^)

And because today's my birthday, I declared it a Free Day - meaning I do not have to work and I get to do as I please :3 (I got to watch some TV after about 45 million years.)

I still went running first thing in the morning, because it calms my mind among the many other things running does for me. Before that though, I dropped by the village church to catch the early morning mass, though I still had to look for it so I came in just as the priest was saying his homily. I don't really go to church to hear mass, so mostly I just sit there and listen and quiet my mind and find peace when everyone sings. After that I went running as I do on other mornings, then I went home to make the most out of my Free Day. 

I was supposed to do kendo tonight but I decided not to go, because at some time in the afternoon I had some kind of anxiety attack about something else, so I felt that it was best that I stay home and continue doing things that are not according to schedule, that way my mind feels more quiet  and less tied down, so that I can begin the process of letting go of something. 

It's a tough thing that I have to do right now, but the best way to do it is to just carry on with whatever I need to do each day, focus on goals that I can do something about, prepare for my next trip, and try my best to not think about things that I need to let go, until I just grow out of them, and they are just effortlessly out of my system. And then I will have room for better things, better people, and better experiences. 

O_O

Suddenly, I receive a promotional offer in my email. For hotels in Hanoi. Like, all of a sudden. 




I would prefer to get The Other Email from Hanoi though (>.<)

Hehe.

Hay. Such craziness XD

:D

I want one!!!!!!!! :D

Hehe. :D

This Morning's Morning Pages

I know I'm just supposed to write away in my morning pages and just let it go and not reread it and dwell or anything. But I decided to share the one I wrote this morning because I think it may also provide even a tiny bit of help to some of my own friends or any random readers who are going through their own thing.

Just as an overview, as I cried the other day I started wondering if God hated me because of several things I choose not to enumerate here (but mainly it was all triggered by a certain discovery). And then last night, I went to bed early but I could not sleep, and my heart felt like it was going to burst, and I stood in the dark looking out my window, wondering (again) what the point is of having been so intensely drawn to one that I cannot possibly be with. I mean, I have always managed to see the Whys in all the others in the past (why it didn't work out, why it cannot be, why it should not be, etc. etc :D) and I have always managed to be cheerfully up and about in no time, except this one and its harsh reality sort of crushed me like never before (**U) So after about a couple of hours being in that lost, unproductive state, I grew tired in so many levels, and sat on my bed. I started talking to God and wondered where he is, for the first time in my life, because while I have learned and read and known that God is inside all of us, for the first time in my life, I felt empty inside and almost dead, and thought maybe God had left me when I got angry at him last month because of the huge family trouble / commotion that I had to witness and deal with and which broke my heart to bits. And then finally I felt that okay, God does not hate me. And then I decided that I will just do nothing and Listen, as wide awake and as anxious as I was.

And then I just heard it, that the only thing God has to tell me was to go to sleep.

Very briefly, I resisted, but sleepiness suddenly overcame me and I just lay down and fell asleep. My last thought was that "bukas, ikaw na bahala sa akin." 

And then after yoga and breakfast with my mom, I went to write my morning pages (with minor edits, like I took out the name XD and added tiny details to make it less riddle-like). 

Last night I talked to God. 

I said I know he does not hate me really. 

I said I just wanted to listen to what he was going to say, and then I started talking for a while, and then I started to listen, and then I fell asleep.

While I was still awake I figured God was telling me to just go to sleep, rest, sleep it all off, and wake up to a new day. The moon even watched over me as I slept. (My room was so bright because of the moonlight. I could see it right across my window.)

When I woke up I remembered my T~ reality again, and this time with his wedding ring on it, as my friend Joy apparently saw on his finger during last weekend's dinner. 

This morning I read the email of Denise and she said there's a clear sign to move on. Yes, there is. 

Although I still feel strong, hurting pinches to my heart every now and then, I feel as though a protective hand is on me, allowing me to feel this reality while giving me a firm squeeze, like a reminder that I should never falter, that I am stronger than I think, that I CAN move on, that there IS reason to be happy and grateful, and that there are other things to focus on. 

I love T~ so dearly (yes, already), but I have to move on. I have to trust in what the Universe has in store for me, and I have to help myself to it. Really help myself to it. Not just sit here and sulk and wait for it to be handed to me. I have to help myself. Like in dinner parties. Help yourself. Don't wait for others to put things onto your plate. And sulk if no one does. The food is all there, served for your taking. Help yourself. In the same manner, I will do my part - get dressed, prepare and present myself well, be cheerful and polite to the other guests, know my manners, and trust in what the Universe has in store to serve to me - for my taking. And then I help myself, and take part in the Universe's dinner party. And it's not even a matter of getting something first or getting the most of something because there is always more than enough for everyone and there are many, many choices. 

Moreover, I also get invited to such dinner parties because I also did my part in living my life a certain way so that I get included in such guest lists, for such kinds of dinner parties, where everything good is served. And in reality, all the Universe has are good things.

Good things come in different colors :3

In case there are spills or the occasional deadly spicy morsel, it does not mean that the dinner party has ended. It does not mean that everyone should stop enjoying themselves just because of a spill or an accidental bite on a super spicy morsel. It also does not mean that all the food and drink has been spilled or spiced up! 

There is water, or wine, or tea. Or ice cream! There are ways to shift an otherwise troublesome or unpleasant experience to a better one. You can pause. Pause and talk to others to take a break or to rest from filling yourself up. Connect with others. Stand up and stretch your legs. Laugh while quietly listening to the stories of others. Learn. And all the while, things are there for your taking. The Universe has it all taken care of. 

Oh, and don't forget the soft, pleasant music in the background. The flattering way the lights shine on you. The perfection of the setup. 

I am in the dinner party of life which the Universe has prepared for me. I should focus on and enjoy what the Universe has laid out for me. Anything outside of this dinner party (like wonderful, beautiful, perfectly imperfect men who turn out to be married, with kids, and cannot be in the same dinner party as I am in) should not burden me or cause me any further sorrow. If there are other things in store for me, they will come to the dinner party or they will be brought to the dinner party by other guests or perhaps even a wrong delivery. Then HE will come to the dinner party. The right one. And sit beside me. And make me smile. And perhaps ask me to dance. He may have seemed absent and I may occasionally have had to seek him out. But he will come. He will come for me. The Universe will lead him to me as it takes care of me and makes the wait worthwhile. And then he will come and find me. And then he and I will walk out of the dinner party together, into another place, another time, another bigger room for bigger parties where we will be attending and enjoying together - another place, another phase of life, which the Universe has lovingly prepared for us. Where we will help ourselves, because we have helped ourselves. 

Lemon Life

When life gives you lemons....

...appreciate them with chocolate XD

Conveniently, individually packed sticks of lemon chocolate :3

I had this Meiji Fruity Lemon (the one I got from Okashi Land) for the first time yesterday and it was really good and pleasantly... lemony XD It's such a "cheerful" taste and I think it's perfect for today's perfect sunny and windy weather (^_^) Makes me want to bring it with me on a nice quiet walk in a park :3

This park is more like what I have in mind (^^U)

In any case, life gave me an avalanche of lemons yesterday and I'm still struggling to move forward despite their still ongoing avalanche, rolling down at me from a mountain of lemons from everywhere. However I need to see that these lemons were necessary to make really good lemon chocolates. So I guess I just have to wait for the chocolates that will come after the lemons. I may not understand yet why-so-many-lemons and why they made me cry so much yesterday but I will continue to try to move forward. 

LAST :D

Okay, so that previous post will be the last of my "rant series" about this whole heartbreaking thing :D Sorry :D 

It was really silly of me to even think on it (I think silly is an understatement), but anyway, even though my head is still reeling from this harsh reality, my next posts will be more about moving forward than lying crushed (and alone) in some imaginary rice field. :D

I can't wait to go running tomorrow :) 

Will really get back to work now. Will post next time (^_^) 

O_O

Okay, a part of me wants to disappear, because I don't even know why I had to go through this again, and how I could even think about the tiniest bit of possibility, and even look so CHEERFUL while I was at it. 

(I was back to work already, really :D I just thought I'd post my last thought.)

This makes me picture myself walking towards a dark chasm with a wide grin on my face, knowing it'll be the death of me but not quite knowing it'll be the death of me. (I never use this phrase but I think I'll use it now, because it is my moment for it: EPIC FAIL.)

O_O

I just finished doing my laundry, and was about to get back to work.

(>.<) 

As I posted in my Facebook:

Heartbroken weather from the Mood Weather Report

So I will just get back to work and try my best to move forward O_O

T_T

(*^_^*)

As of this morning my voice has improved (been hoarse since the weekend due to the cold weather in Hong Kong) although it was aggravated by last night's practice (^^U) In any case I hope I get my voice back fully by Saturday so I can practice kendo properly. Last night when my voice would falter, my actions somehow got affected to :T And I didn't sound fierce at all XD

Anyway I have to get back to work now, have loads waiting for me. Despite my busy schedule and my impatience for getting my voice back, I have something that keeps me smiling and feeling all girly inside XD

As girly as ever (^^U)

It's not something so huge, but it does make me smile from time to time (*^_^*) And I don't mind if it does become something huge XD (I wish XD) In any case, it's a simple, joyful thing, writing letters with someone you like (*^_^*)

ただいま！

Yup, I'm back :D

Although it's kinda late for the title, because I got back Monday morning! (^^U)

My last four nights in Hong Kong only had less than eight hours of sleep - total, not per night (^^U) On the last night I did not get to sleep at all, and our flight back to Manila was the first one, so now I cannot even imagine how I lasted at all.

So when I got back last Monday, I napped, then I worked in the afternoon, then slept early so I could run at the park as soon as it opens at 6 am. I did that yesterday morning and this morning, so it feels great to have been sleeping for about eight hours and then going for a run as soon as I get up (^_^)

So since my last post, I've been really busy and preoccupied, until we went to airport on the wee hours of Wednesday, since we were taking the first flight out. We arrived at Hong Kong before 8 am, then we took the bus to New Territories.

Our friend PW and my sister, on the way out of the airport.

Our first two days were mostly walking and eating and buying things. Although my feet ached at the end of each day, I really enjoyed the long walks (and the frequent trips to Sasa) and the weather was great (^_^)

Strawberry Hair Curlers - among other loot

Although everyone says that there is Nothing in New Territories, I still like staying there because there are less tourists and I like seeing the locals going about their regular, daily life. It's also quiet and there are several spots where one can just sit and read or have coffee or talk with someone, especially near Harbour Plaza Resort City where we stayed. There are also a number of options for good places to eat in.

Clockwise from Top Left: Cheesy Milk Tart, Ostrich Pie, and Pork Neck Pie

Apart from their 711 having good onigiri available, we discovered Pie & Tart and its sort of addicting variety of... pies and tarts :D All the varieties of their milk tarts are really good, and we also tried some of their dessert puddings.

Ostrich Pie - It was my first time to Eat Ostrich Meat (^^U)

Because I want to try something different as much as possible whenever I travel, I decided to get the ostrich pie XD My sister also said she has tried ostrich before somewhere in the Philippines where they really breed ostriches and use them for various dishes. So, I tried the pie and I think it tasted a bit like chicken with an aftertaste of beef. I am not sure though if ostrich meat really tastes good or Pie & Tart just makes really good pie whatever is in it :D

Time for unusual chocolates (^_^)

Of course, we also went to Okashi Land, which Denise and I raided last year XD I wanted to get my dose of unusual chocolate so I picked Ginger & Milk, Fruity Lemon, and a Spicy one with "orange bitter and chili pepper."

Spicy Chocolate!

I came across this bunch of cute darumas, with each daruma representing money, love, or anything else that one might need some sort of "help" or luck in. It also comes with a chocolate inside. I wanted to get the one for money, but I wanted a pink daruma, so I just got it instead XD

Pink Daruma Mascot

I immediately used the daruma mascot when we got back to our hotel that day, and then I started seeing it differently after a couple of days XD Although that is another story.... (*^_^*)

Daruma-san joins my kendoka and Kaonashi

On the day before the exam, we still all went out and explored, but my sister and I decided to go "home" early, so we could relax and try to sleep early. 

Milk Tea in a really nice cup :D

So we just spent time with our friends until the early evening, and then they went off to meet other friends for dinner. Before heading back to our hotel, we checked out this interesting matcha + soft cream shop called Cha Cha :3

I wish there were more of these XD

I picked the matcha with soft cream (I think it was made with Hokkaido milk) topped with red bean and mochi. 

The bottom of the cup was matcha jelly - by the time the soft cream melts and the red bean mixes with everything, I died XD

Back in the hotel my sister and I soaked our feet in the tub as we ate garlic noodles and drank grape soda, and talked about girly stuff and the things we bought and the others we wanted to buy, deliberately avoiding any mention of the exam XD 

Cute perfume bottle :3

We then started packing our things because we would be transferring to another room in the other tower of the hotel the next day, where we were "officially" checked in under kendo. 

Butterfly Powder Case

I was already starting to feel quite tense about the exam, but our loads of snacks and purchases cheered us up as we packed them into our bags.

Powder Puff for a Powerpuff Buttercup :3

I woke up quite early the next day and found my sister already up. Then we moved to the other part of the hotel and everything kendo began :) In a nutshell, I did not make it (^^U) Of course I felt bad about it, especially since all my sempai who were present got to watch my keiko, because their exams were done by the time it was my turn, and as we waited for the results, they said they saw me and said it was good. So when I found out I didn't make it, I was quite disappointed. However, it immediately surfaced in my head that I could not do anything anymore except continue to practice, even though it was not clear to me what exactly went wrong. 

Everyone was quite happy and in good spirits even after the exam (^_^)

In the evening though, despite many of us not being able to make it, everyone was in good spirits and one of my sempai encouraged me to continue and to take the exam again next year. I was still quite unsure about taking it next year, but after sleeping it off, I woke up on Saturday feeling much more inspired and motivated than ever, so I knew I will want to try again next year :3 I also realized that Not Making It kind of took away some kind of pressure from me. It is not that I did not want to pass - of course I wanted to pass - but there was also a strange form of "relief" (for lack of a better term) in me and it was like I am just at the right place where I should be now, in terms of my level. And then I could move forward at my own pace. 

Ippon! :)

The rest of the weekend was all competition and free keiko, and we went to support our own during the matches. The point above was made by one of our best players ~ he won this match :) Watching all the other players and being able to practice with people from other countries was so great and inspiring just like last year. Because of this, there was also a part of me that was happy that I will be going back next year since I did not make it this year :D 

Kitty Packaging Tape to seal my shinai bag

We headed for the airport on the wee hours of Monday. Prior to that I spent a long time packing and trying to fit everything in my bag (^^U) As my sister and PW slept on their beds, I packed away while listening to my iPod and thinking about someone who stayed at the same floor as we did (who is also the reason why I started looking at the daruma mascot suspiciously). After I finished packing just a few minutes before our alarm went off, I stood by the window and said my goodbyes to Hong Kong and promised I will be back again soon, and said my thanks for all the wonderful things I experienced in it just like my previous visits. 

I Will be there, Viet Nam :3

Suddenly, there is Viet Nam in this post XD Must be the daruma mascot! Anyway, just as suddenly, as I sat in the plane on the way home, I picked up the magazine in front of me and saw the Hanoi Special on the cover. I stared. 

And remembered my decision the day before to replace this year's trip to Malaysia with Viet Nam, all because... (*^_^*) 

Viet Nam is really on my travel list, though I was thinking of scheduling it next year. It has won over Malaysia now, though :3

Then just as I was thinking if flights were easy to book (Viet Nam's kendo players had to fly back home Tuesday because as it turns out there were only specific days when there are available flights to Hanoi), I came to end of the magazine's articles:

March. That's like, tomorrow :D

Today is the last day of the month (and it's a Leap Year at that!) and tomorrow is a new month, a new day. Many things in February did not turn out the way I wanted or expected them to, but I know that they happened this way to make way for even greater things and for me to take even more cheerful steps with a more positive outlook as I move forward (^_^) 

Travel List

Time to make a list of the things I should pack for my trip this week (>.<)

Some really cute pencils I picked up from a Japanese store :3 - for making my lists!

I am usually bursting with excitement a few days before a trip but I have mixed feelings about now since it's for something else ~ details next time (^^U) For now I can only try my best to Keep Calm and Carry On XD When I get there, I can only make sure I do my best!!!!! And then whatever happens after, I can only keep stepping forward and giving my best and never giving up!!! Of course, though, I wish for great results :D But since I can only know that After everything, I can only stay calm and do my best for now (^_^)

*internal scream* XD Gambarimasu!!!!!!!!

I am also quite excited though about my two whole free days for Doing Nothing :D Just traveling and wandering (and buying some really cute stuff) are totally Happy Things (^_^)

The pretty pencil case I bought from a Korean store (^_^) This is also where I keep my drawing pencils :3

So I won't be around for a while :) Photos and updates when I get back :) Will make lists to do, to buy, and to pack, and fly off! *wave*

My Mom's Artwork

Recently my mom has dug out her old drawings, paintings, collages, and handmade cards (from way back in the 60s!) because my sister wanted to look at them and has been thinking of framing them and putting them on display, among other things. We've seen many of these drawings and collages before, but seeing them again now made us realize how the gift of art runs in the family and that the beautiful things I see in Nick Bantock's books are just like the things my mom had been doing since she was young, except that she made them on cards and her personal journal pages. 

An old card she made for my dad

She took on after her dad, our grandfather, who drew and painted for most of his life. My grandma on the other hand was very good in sewing, collaging, and making things with her hands, which my mom also got from her. So for most of her teen years, while she dreamed of getting into art school (she got accepted but could not afford to go) she drew and painted her sorrows, joys, and thoughts away. She also made some kind of journal posts onto several sheets of papers that she turned into collages. 

Dreaming about going to art school - a drawing from a series of drawings that talks about her daily life

A drawing of herself on the way to the market early in the morning

The funny thing is that in one of her drawings, she drew herself and my dad, and added two little Indian girls - but they were not married yet at that time which means my sister and I were totally not around yet XD

A sign! XD My sister said this drawing explains why we were born with big hips (^^U)

Nostalgic Rain

There is something nostalgic about today's kind of Rainy.

It does not seem to be one's typical bed-weather. It is more like, Comfort Weather. It is the kind of rainy that makes people Feel from really deep within them. This is the kind of rainy that magnifies a girl's affections for a boy though she just adores him from a distance. Or they could be friends, and it makes her rainy day when he sits close to her and she can smell his jacket. 

Maybe it is because it's this kind of Rainy that made the music of the Smashing Pumpkins tugged at something from inside me. 

It is the kind of Rainy when, if you are together with someone, you would opt to stay home and have dinner and watch movies rather than eat out and go to a coffee shop. 

This is the kind of Rainy which, as you listen to your favorite indie band performing onstage, you experience their music on a whole new level and you suddenly feel a bit more grown up than you were before this Rainy weather. 

Even after the rain has stopped, it leaves behind something - a breeze, the smell of leaves, the sound of car passing by across a wet road - that makes you remember old relationships, happy moments with family, or the first time he asked you out, or the first time you heard her laugh out loud. 

This kind of rainy kind of brings about feelings of comfort about the past and about things you used to love to do, that it also inspires you to make a big change now or start something completely new. 

Recycle Your E-Wastes

For quite some time, I have been consciously recycling things or repurposing them, or giving them away for others to use. I have also shifted to using eco bags when shopping and refrained from using plastic materials as much as I can. 

My grandma recycles everything - she washed and redesigned old drinking cups and turned them into window decor last Christmas instead of throwing them away. Practically everything in her home is handmade or sewn by herself and by my aunt.

However, among the things I could not just dispose of nor reuse are old and broken cell phone chargers, cables, power cords, adaptors, and headsets. Eventually they accumulated dust and used up space and they all lived in a box for several months - until early this week. 

I've been wanting to reorganize my box of chargers, cables, and adaptors, but I always put it off. However, I decided to do it right at the moment as I was passing by the perpetually avoided box :D 

I sorted out the contents into Frequently Used and Occasionally Used, and took out all the ones that were broken or forgotten. I placed the Frequently Used ones (phone cable, Kindle charger, camera charger and cable, and DS Lite charger) into a smaller container inside my room, then left the Occasionally Used ones in the box. With the Frequently Used ones and the broken/forgotten ones taken out, I had more space in the box for placing a Wii and Playstation One unit. Then I placed the entire box at the storage above my closet. 

Now what to do with the electronic wastes...

I searched online and found HMR - their services include Recycling and Asset Disposal Solutions. Although this service seems to cater only to companies, I sent an inquiry anyway if they would accept e-wastes like those I have accumulated. 

And very quickly, I got a reply from Mariecris of Envirocycle which is an HMR Group Affiliate. Basically they accept all sorts of e-wastes, but the e-wastes are not brought to the HMR Showroom in Mandaluyong since that is just a showroom :D One can bring stuff for recycling to the Envirocycle plant directly. But since it is all the way in Laguna, one can choose to go to Envirocycle's monthly Waste Market Fair and just bring stuff there for proper disposal (^___^)

This month, they have a Waste Market Fair in Alabang and Sta. Rosa - tomorrow at the Alabang Town Center parking lot, and at Nuvali Sta. Rosa on Saturday. Their usual time is from 9 AM to 2 PM. 

I am closer to the Makati area so I will wait for Mariecris' advice on when next month's Waste Market Fair would be (since it will be somewhere be in Glorietta), then I'd bring the things that need to be properly disposed of. I will also be telling people about it so it can help them get rid of old electronic wastes and to help promote this monthly Waste Market Fair. I think there are other stalls or buyers there for non-e-wastes like paper, so it would be good to check it out. 

Will post more details when I get them next time. Mariecris of Envirocycle was so helpful, quick, and informative - because of her, my sister and I now know where to bring much of our accumulated things which we need to get rid of (^___^) Updates on the next Waste Market Fair's schedule next time! :)

A Dozen Shoes

Yay. So yesterday we have completed the redesigning of a dozen shoes. (The thirteenth pair is still on the craft table, but that can wait :D)


I did the last two of the 12 yesterday afternoon, one before my tutorial and another after. 

Another perfect-for-Valentine's pair (^_^)

I discovered a lacey ric rac in pink, and decided it would make a nice pair of plain red shoes a bit softer and girlier. Throw in some pastel-colored buttons and tiny glassy beads. 

I didn't think these would go with bright red but they did :)

Red shoes ready for wearing. Gifting. Receiving. 

I like the pink button with the striped edges. 

Next was a pair of pink floral shoes. 

Those sea green sequins make me think of mermaids.

I decided to add the dark green ribbon to complement the pink beads and white pearls.

I didn't fix the sequins and pink beads that way; but somehow they look like they posed for the photo XD

This pair of shoes will go well with some of my own clothes XD

Suddenly, pretty girly shoes.

Will post a mosaic next time of all the shoes from this fun batch, so you can also see the pairs designed by my sister :)

Food: All Here Now

I have finally finished going through an old food blog which I have stopped updating a long time ago. I deleted a number of posts, and moved some of them here. There's just one more food blog that I need to go through, but it's not under i.ph so it can wait. 

Chocolate mochi from Dezato Cafe - for chokomochi - both the person and the blog :D No more food blogs!

Eventually the contents of that other blog will be incorporated here. There will be no more food blog for me :3 I don't get to update it regularly anyway :D It was fun writing about the places I checked out and the food I enjoyed, but it became chore-like for me at some point, and there are places I go to so often that I cannot keep writing about the same thing all the time. Besides, it's not like I go out there and eat to blog about it or to review a food place. I just blog when I happen to come across an excellent place or try out some new dish, and that's just it. I'm not quite a food blogger :D Far from it (^^U) So I will still share about food here, it will just no longer be a focus or a separate page that's all about food and what people should know about them. 

PS. The mochi in the image above are really good. Feel free to send them to me for Valentine's :3 Hehehe.