where the moon shines

It’s my niece/god-daughter Shanti’s birthday. She turned 15 today.

She’s a good student – currently in third year high school in one of the Science sections in a good public school. She graduated from gradeschool with honors too.

She volunteered to teach at the VCS last summer.

I hope she enjoys this year, and the many years to come in her life. Happy birthday sweetie!

Because I am her ninang and just because I like to, I normally give her a gift for her birthday. Today, I haven’t even seen her yet. I wonder if she’d still want to read Nancy Drew? She’s probably the only one among her cousins who might have some interest in books, next to the little boy Esban. And I’d like to encourage her in that. I’d probably get her a Fully Booked GC or maybe take her with me to the bookstore and let her pick up a title or two.

The photo I posted yesterday was taken using my new toy, a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens, slapped onto Maxine. I introduced her here.

It takes some getting used to, if you know what I mean. But I really quite enjoy using this wonderful gem of a lens. I took her with me to work yesterday, almost leaving the battery behind haha. I had a terrible headache while trying to work, and it was really bad timing because there was a mountain of stuff that I needed to do. I ended up being only about 60% percent productive on my official office hours, and having more stuff done after hours.

That was after I went down for a good brunch.

I hung out at Starbucks for about 40 minutes. Had Hungarian Sausage and Egg on Ciabatta bread, with hot White Chocolate Mocca. Elizabeth Gilbert kept me company.

I was recharged when I went back and sat in front of my computer.

I must say though, that having a Starbucks brunch isn’t something I should be doing. I should be saving money, not splurging. I could have had a free meal at the pantry, or a less expensive meal at The Loop. But it felt like a simple pleasure that will give me much relief. It felt just like what I needed. And I was right, it gave me the lift I was looking for.

It meant though that I had to walk through the regular Friday bazaar at ELJ. And I ended up splurging on this:

This is a leather checkbook purse, all hand made locally. I have no intentions to take my checkbook with me every where I go so this one’s just going to replace my Le Sportsac (a fake really) purse. I love how the material feels on my hands. And the color, it’s just love! It cost me 580 pesos. I showed it to my mom today, and she wants one too.

Before I went home, I also picked up fudge brownies and chocolate cupcakes. Yummy.

I got home and was finally headache free. Seems like all I really needed was some retail therapy. And a little splurge.

When was the last time you truthfully answered someone who asked you this question? How are you?

Kumusta?

I was asked this very same question this morning. And I was only able to give a perfunctory answer: okay. Am I really okay? I guess I am if that’s what I say right? But how am I really? I haven’t had much time to think about that. To think about how I’m doing. I just do. I mean, I just be. Eng?

I go through each day as it goes, my routine keeps me going. When I have a baking project, I look forward to it. Otherwise, it’s all just the same to me.

And that’s just sad isn’t it?

Let me think of something to actually look forward to each day as I get ready for work. Think of one for yourself

As I was Entrecard hopping today, I hopped through Pinay Backpacker’s blog about Manila’s Best Kept Restaurant Secrets. It’s a book available at the National BookStore, about the many  wonderful places to dine in and around Metro Manila. I was at the NBS Quezon Avenue branch sometime last week and I saw this on the shelves. You see, I love browsing through the baking books section, and it shares the stands with cookbooks and other books on restaurants, wining and dining.

I had been tempted to get tear this book open, and checkout the restaurants they were suggesting. It has a map somewhere there and I checked out their recommendations for QC, my city. There were only two! Is this for real? Maybe I didn’t check hard enough? But it is quite interesting. Go buy the book, then lend it to me, okay?

But I’m mentioning this today, because seeing Pinay Backpacker’s post reminded me of what was going through my mind while I was browing through that section. I had wanted so badly to learn more about baking. There were so many baking books there that looked so attractive to me. But I could not justify the cost of buying any one of them when I still have not gone through The Art & Soul of Baking, which the boyfriend gave me for Christmas last year. Only when I finish through it, I told myself, would I allow myself the pleasure of another baking book. I also have The Field Guide to Cookies, and Hello! Cupcake.

I saw these two on the racks, and I got even more inspired to devote time for baking:

The second isn’t really just about baking, but a cook book. I don’t cook. But looking at cookbooks just makes me want to start learning. Seriously.

I don’t know if anything will come out of this really, even the boyfriend sorta doubts that I’ll really learn to cook. It might seem easier to build a house, than to get me to cooking. Haha. Yeah, only if you get a manufactured home (something that also always fascinates me, think Brad Pitt and his Make It Right/The Pink Project). But who knows. It’s never too late to learn a new skill.