a cool idea for summer: frozen mint tea

Summers here in the Philippines are scalding, so surviving one means having to think of clever ways to beat the heat.  Frozen mint tea is one of the smartest ideas ever.

Mint has a sweet taste that delivers a cooling sensation, and it's real nice when it's ice-cold.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

1. Make mint tea.
   (Boil water, pour over fresh mint leaves; cover for 3 minutes, strain.)
   
   
2. Freeze.
   
   
3. Stick in blender for a refreshing drink.

Sometimes I like to turn it into a sorbet of sorts.  I don't have an ice cream maker, so I have to do things the creative way:

1. Make mint tea.  Pour into a container with a cover.
   
   
2. Add sugar.  Maybe milk too, and/ or a tiny bit of citrus.
   
   
3. Cover and place in freezer.  Break it up with a spoon every 30 minutes or so to keep it from completely solidifying.

It's a really divine treat for a scorching afternoon. Mint tea cools and refreshes, and it also relaxes, so it's perfect for when you're winding down in the evening.  It aids sleep, lifts your mood, clears the sinuses and promotes healthier skin, too.

painting again

In the last few days of my Vegas visit, I spent some time painting again.  It's been a long while since I put my brushes to a canvas, and it felt nice being reunited with my "old friends".  A perfect opportunity to go on Artist Mode opened up - my Mama needed artworks for her bare walls, and a fantabulous arts & crafts supplies store was within walking distance from her home.  As a pleasant plus, top-quality art materials are much cheaper in the U.S. than back home, so it was fun to go shopping for ready-made canvases and paints.  

My Ma showed me a photo that she wanted me to use as a peg, and after four days, voici:

20x23 acrylics on canvas by me.

This, beside a painting made by my sister, now hangs in Mama's kitchen wall.  It's not quite done, as I would've wanted to add more detail and create more depth, but I needed to do a lot of packing that week.  I thus needed to curb my obsessive horror-vacui impulse and settle for the above finished product.  

Even if it isn't exactly as I intended it to be - and though it was a rather stressful week that week with all the packing and last-minute stuff going on - there's this sense of satisfaction over painting again.  At my core I know I'm an artist, and making visually interesting things feels like home to me.

how to make peppermint bark

Cheers to a brilliant, easy, Christmassy gift idea that doubles as a dessert!    I've never tried making (or  eating) peppermint bark before, but I've recently become acquainted with it and I reckon it's a common holiday treat.  I learned this recipe from a girl named Allie, whom I've had the privilege of meeting during my short stay in Vegas.  

You Will Need:

8 oz semisweet chocolate
8 oz white chocolate
Candy canes or peppermint candy


How To Make Peppermint Bark:

STEP 1: Crush the candy canes (or peppermint candy).  Make about 1/3 cup of crushed candy, then set this aside.

Note:  The finer the candy bits are, the less they will stick to the chocolate later on, so you'd want to make the pieces rather coarse, not pulverized.  About the size of rice grains.  We used a kitchen knife today, but I think using a mortar-and-pestle is a smarter option.


STEP 2:  Melt the brown chocolate using a double boiler.  If you don't have a double boiler, improvise with two saucepans:  boil water in one saucepan, and put another pan on top of that one.  Place the chocolate in the top pan.  The steam from the bottom pan will rise to the top pan, melting the chocolate nicely.

It's important to use this double-boiling method so as not to scald the chocolate.  Burnt chocolate = gross = not good.

(Uh ...  I'm really no good at photo-documentation because I get distracted so easi... oh look, a teddy bear!  I'm so sorry I wasn't able to take shots of the other steps. *sheepish grin*  )


STEP 3:  Pour the melted chocolate in a cake pan. Spread with a spatula to make a nice, even first layer.

The size of the pan you use would depend on how thick you want your peppermint bark to be.  We wanted ours to be real thin, so we used a 10x12 pan to make quarter-inch-thick pieces.  A smaller pan of course will yield thicker layers.  A rectangular or square pan is ideal, but I suppose a round one will do if you're not the type of person to obsess over even-sized pieces.


STEP 4:  Stick the pan into the freezer until the chocolate hardens.

STEP 5:  Melt the white chocolate this time.  Pour the molten white chocolate over the hardened brown chocolate layer - and similarly, spread to make it even.  Let cool.

STEP 6:  Before the white chocolate hardens, sprinkle the crushed candy canes over it.  Let this sit in the freezer awhile to let it solidify completely.

STEP 7:  Slice into neat, even-sized 2-inch squares.

Okay, fine.  It isn't so easy to slice them neatly.  Irregular, uneven pieces are an excellent idea too.  You can tell your friends later that this adds character.  :)


Yields:6 to 8 regular servings, or
2 candy-lover servings


Prep time:1 hour (it depends on your freezer's capabilities, actually)

Serving Suggestions:

I think peppermint bark is pretty straightforward, but I imagine it would look good with green jellybean garnish and / or those edible sparkly thingies.
Several pieces in a clear candy bag tied with Christmassy ribbons would make nice giveaways.

* All photos in this entry are mine.
.

a clever christmas tree idea

Photos mine.

I put together this "tree" for my Ma at her house.  It's a fun holiday craft idea inspired by something we saw on Pinterest. It's a brilliant space-saving idea if you live in a teeny apartment.  It's also something you can do with all your mismatched ornaments.  

The "branches" are actual branches sawed off a dead tree, held up by the powers of push-pins, thread, and a bit of imagination.  Nylon wire or hemp twine would be ideal, but I used beading floss in this one.

As with most of my craft projects, I chose to challenge myself by not buying anything, but using only what I had available.

You don't even need to hang actual Christmas ornaments.  You can use odds and ends you have around the house, then holiday-ify them with red (or gold, or green) ribbons.  If you  look closely, you'd notice I put a key chain in there  :)  I also used a glass pebble, a pine cone I picked up, a gift tag and a plastic something that I found on a cake.

Clever, huh?

sharpie art

Visiting my Mama in in Las Vegas,  NV - been staying in the lovely lovely guest room in her lovely lovely house (This arrangement is more practical and way better than staying at a hotel, me thinks).

I couldn't help but notice that one of the closet doors had a bit of adhesive-and-paper residue surrounded by chipped paint.  Apparently a poster was previously glued on and later peeled off (My kid sister attempted to hide the damage by plastering a Yoda sticker over it but that only made it more obvious, considering that the sticker didn't match the overall aesthetic and that there were no Star Wars fans in that household).  That unsightly scar on the closet door nagged me day and night, egging the obsessive freak in me.  I finally decided to do something about it.

I grabbed the available materials - a bunch of multicolored Sharpies - and with my Ma's permission, drew freehand on the door in an attempt to camouflage the damage.  On the other door were existing letter decals spelling out a love proverb, so I decided to draw something complementary.

Love proverb = heart visual.  A heart is too cliche, I know.  But it works

Yes, Sharpies - a.k.a., felt-tipped pens.  Good thing there happened to be a lot of them lying around; I didn't feel like making a trip to the the nearest art supplies store (which isn't exactly that near) for paints and stuff I'd only be using once.  It pays to be frugal and resourceful.  :p

And voici, the end product.  I'm  not too happy with how some of the parts turned out (I didn't pencil everything in), but I'm generally pleased with it as a whole.

home de-cluttering

I am once again at that juncture:  'tis the jolly season for de-cluttering (hooray!).  After watching a few episodes of Biography Channel's Hoarders,  I felt the impulse to clean out my closet, my shelves and most especially that unruly conglomeration of file boxes, doodads and whatzits squatting in our hallway.  I've already cleaned all those up in the past, but clutter tends to reproduce asexually when no one is looking, and you can end up with twice as much junk at the end of the year if you aren't careful to keep everything in their respective bins.

So here I go:

home de-cluttering tips

1. Take one room at a time, one day at a time.  Depending on your mess, you may take several days, so pace yourself.
   
   I started with the easiest room - the bedroom.  Then I slowly conquered the hallway.  Then I took a break and made strategies for the living room and dining area.
   
   Still strategizing.
   
   
2. Set up three huge boxes (or garbage bags).  Label one as "THROW AWAY", another as "RECYCLE", and the other as "DONATE TO CHARITY" or "GARAGE SALE".  You may even want another one marked "GIVE AWAY TO RELATIVE".  Pitch things in accordingly.
   
   
3. If you haven't touched it for more than a year, let it go.
   I gave up any illusions that I will someday fit into that slim pair of jeans.  Bye. I found a couple of dresses I wore back in college but can't possibly wear now without looking like I'm desperately trying to appear young.   Bye . That pair of shoes that always slices into my heels.   Bye. That cookie canister that has long been empty but is just too cute to throw away and is now eating shelf space. Bye. Silly useless kitsch gifts.   Bye .   Bye .   Bye .
   
   
4. If it's gross or useless, throw it away.  Especially if it's a health or fire hazard, forget sentimental value. Don't even think about fixing it up.  If you're having second thoughts about something, think about how you'll keep chancing upon it every time you clean the house, and how you'll always wonder whether to throw it away, so you might as well do it now.
   
   
5. Give stuff away.  I've previously said elsewhere that giving away your stuff is an antidote to selfishness (try it, it really works!).  If there's someone else who could appreciate it more, give it to that person.
   
   While I was sorting the old clothes in the garage, our driver picked up this sun dress saying how his teenage daughter happens to love that particular style.  I never was able to use that dress since I acquired it, and I gave up trying to fit into it a long time ago, so it's time to pass it on.  Not to the driver, ok - his daughter.
   
   Old clothes: Take them to your church.  Most churches have ongoing charity collections. But nix on the ball gowns and party stilettos.
   
   Old books: Donate to a library.
   
   
6. Hold a garage sale.  If you have a lot of stuff you no longer want but are still good, and it would seem too much of a waste to throw/ give them away, sell your second-hand items to your neighbors.
   
   It depends on your neighborhood, but you generally have to price things incredibly low, or they won't sell.  Unless of course they're genuine antiques or items of special interest.
   
   
7. Employ smart storage solutions for the stuff you do keep.  Candy-colored plastic storage boxes come in various sizes.  There are also a lot of sleek Ikea-ish shelving aids, and nifty things like pegs, racks and bins. 
   

... And after several days of going through our stuff, I'm still not done.  But it feels grrrrrreat to have more space in my closet already.  And I'm so proud of the fact that I singlehandedly defeated the evil dragon of debris that has been living in our hallway, using only a broom, some trash bags and storage bins. Now I'm thinking about painting the interior of the house a crisp, fresh white ...

how i plan to have a fruitful week every week

In line with starting a new year, I thought of an easy way to remember my weekly To-Do list. I'm not a "resolution" kind of person, but I don't mind writing out goals and tasks that would place my life in a good direction. 

I've assigned my chores and tasks into days of the week, and I've given each day a nickname for easy recall.


Every Monday is Bun-day
... Or bunny-day, in which I make sure to spend time with my rabbit and see to it that his home is clean and his supplies are well-stocked.
The personal / health-related dimension of Bun-day: This will be the time I eat only fruits and vegetables, a sort of weekly detox.  I'll be eating just like a rabbit naturally would - no carbs, no junk, no processed stuff, no added salt or sugar. 
I think I will also pick this day to wear no make-up or any hair product.

Tuesday is Shoes-day
... In which I dust my shoes and bags and place them back in their proper boxes and shelves.
The health-related part:  This will be when I pamper my feet and nails.

Wednesday is Cleanse-day

... In which I ensure the bedroom is clean and suitable for a good night's sleep, and that the living room is presentable enough to receive guests.
The personal cleansing:  This is when I take longer baths and exfoliate my skin.  I can do this more than once a week if needed of course, but Wednesday will be my fixed, no-rush day. 


Thursday is Thirst-day
... In which I drink lots of water.  I know that eight glasses of water are part of a good daily diet, but I forget to drink that much sometimes, particularly when I'm busy.  I'm slating Thursday to be the day I have to do it. It will also be my "drink water only day" - no juice, tea, and especially no soda.

Friday is Pray-day
... In which I spend a longer time in prayer, and make sure to pray for others.  Of course prayer should be done everyday, but Fridays will be for prayer requests that I might have forgotten about during the week. Sometimes people ask for prayer, right? ("Please pray for me / for my father who is sick / for my daughter who is taking an exam / etc.")  To be honest, I don't always remember everything people tell me, so I'm setting Fridays aside to recall all those.  This will also by the time I will pray for what goes on in the country, or something disturbing i saw in the news, so that I won't have to spend every day worrying about it.



Anything goes on Weekends... and I will see to it I lay back and have fun on Saturdays and Sundays.

oceanarium outing and thoughts on extended family

On my Papa's 66th birthday, we spent the afternoon at Manila Ocean Park with the cute little Nephew and the cute little Niece.

This here is my brother with his boy.

It was the most outrageously tiring of outings (the lines were suuuuuuuper long and inconvenient), but it was so nice to see the pamangkins smile at the sight of multicolored fishies, sharkies and friendly penguins. 

 

Photos mine.

The best sight of all was Papa having fun with his grandkids. It's not that often that we see my brother and his family, so a day with them is a special treat of sorts.

Family is a blessing.  That includes the extended part - aunts and uncles, cousins, in-laws and so on.   Mine is far from the warm, fuzzy Disney-movie kind of family, and there could be unnecessary drama sometimes (or a lot of times), but the bottom line is that there's a lot to be thankful for.  I kinda think we prefer not to see each other so much (hahaha, it works for us that way), but we make sure to make time every now and then.  Things don't have to be perfectly hunky-dory always, but you just gotta create happy moments and revel in them - realistically, you'll never know for sure if it's the last time you'll see each other, right?  Might as well make things golden when you can.
.

constructing cruciverbs

It may not seem like fun to many, but I enjoy solving crosswords. The past few days were huge, satisfying servings of left-brain candy as I kept myself busy composing my own puzzles.

My screen shot of Puzzle #1.

Yup, I made my own cruciverbs. I'm not aware of what software to use for this sort of thing, so I drafted them in Excel.

I got my cue from Sandra Bullock's character in All About Steve. I wasn't able to see it at the cinema when it was released last year, but I lately managed to stumble onto it while flipping channels.

Image from here.

Sandy plays the quirky, goofy, hyper-intelligent Mary, who falls obsessively in love with Steve (played by the gorgeous Bradley Cooper). She follows him around and pursues a chain of unfortunate but humorous events that make up a romantic comedy.

Cute storyline aside, Mary is the local paper's cruciverbalist. I watched her manually pen her words into a grid and thought, "Hey, I can do that!" I recalled that I'd previously took a shot at construction using shorter words, and that I had a good, geeky time of it; I then became pretty confident I could make semi-professional / print-worthy puzzles.

Now I don't really need to get a job at the local paper, but I could do it for my own personal fun. ^_^


I've come up with two 15 x 15 themed ones so far; maybe I should get someone to test them. If they turn out to be as good as I think they are, I could perhaps share them with other puzzlers and/or send them to some publication.

i walked the walkway

All photos mine.

This year's Holy Week, the Hubby and I spent whole chunks of time volunteering for Walkway: Reflections on the Stations of the Cross at Bonifacio High Street. It's an interactive installation exhibit with applications on the death and resurrection of Christ.

The past week was an exhausting one, but it was fun and enriching at several different levels.

We've visited it the past two years and we decided to help out this year. since we first stumbled upon it in 2009, I found it so brilliant - a refreshing, current and effective way of taking the message of Christ outside of the church and into the community. I've always loved the idea of it. This year I took this a privilege to step outside my own comfort zone, to be part of this large-ish event that forwards the Gospel.

I was often positioned at Station 14 (the last one), handing out communion elements to participants - if I wasn't there, I would've been at the merchandise table selling shirts and stuff - so got to interact with people after they've gone through the whole exhibit. I sometimes asked people how they found it, and it was very uplifting to hear their positive feedback on Walkway. I didn't hear a single negative one, not even a neutral one.

If you weren't able to check it out last week, you can go here to read the text for all 14 stations, and see some photos from the 2010 display.

cash out of trash

Yesterday, the Hubby and I held a garage sale. There was so much stuff in our house that we wanted to get rid of; instead of throwing everything away, we decided to sort the ones that were still usable and make some money out of them.

At 9 in the morning, we arranged our makeshift spread of used clothes, bags, home accessories, books, toys, kitchen appliances and trinkets. Customers started coming in even before we were finished setting up. I was so surprised that people actually came though we didn't even advertise. I guess a lot of people really have a nose for these things.

We made P 4k on our first day. Not bad, huh? Considering that we marked most of our items at fifty bucks and below (We chose to price them really low to attract buyers - and it worked. We weren't seeking to get rich anyway; our main objective was to get rid of the stuff we didn't want).

It's also surprising how other people could be interested in things we were ready to throw away. Like for example, we had a few of these glass pot-lids (the pots were long ago worn away) that were pretty much useless. A young-ish couple who came in happened to need a lid for their pot, and we happened to have the exact same size they needed.

We initially thought it would be fruitless, but we're really glad we did it. We were so glad in fact that decided to hold a garage sale every Saturday until we get rid of all our unwanted stuff. We also thought of maybe asking some friends to sell their used items too, just to bulk up the "showroom".

i, night person

Artwork mine.

It's not that I can't function well during the day, and not even that I don't have the discipline (because I'm quite certain that I do) - it's just a matter of preference.

I've been told it's a health hazard to habitually stay up late, but i.m.h.o., it's only bad if you deprive yourself of sleep. In my case, I don't really have to wake up early for anything so I can sleep in a bit (I am totally enjoying that right now, because sleeping in is not likely a privilege that I will have forever, so I might as well take advantage of it).

I appreciate the silence and the cool of the night and find it more conducive for thinking. There isn't much ambient noise to shut out, no one trying to get my attention, no schedule to hurry for, no annoying videoke-ing neighbors. Besides all that, I have the laptop to myself and enjoy a better connection speed.

I've often found myself more creative at night time, particularly after midnight. I still am creative during the day, but after it gets dark and everyone else has quieted down, my thought processes are unobstructed and my mind is thus granted more freedom to explore. Which is why - though most of my activities are done in the day - I sometimes (just sometimes) prefer to write, pray, make accessories, read or do stuff that requires thinking after everyone has gone to bed (Like what I am doing right now).

saturn in the night sky

So that planet I spotted somewhere around the hind legs of Leo (I mean the constellation) isn't Mercury after all. After some good clicking in astronomical events sites, it's pretty clear that it's Saturn.

This is an actual photo taken by myself. Sloppy identifying markings photoshopped in.

I've also read that right about now is the best time to view the ringed planet, because it's right now in opposition this month- that means it's directly opposite the sun and therefore at it's most reflective. It's going to be around Leo / Virgo for a few years , but that part of the night sky is only visible in the first half of the year.

Leo is quite easy to spot - it's almost directly overhead from 10pm to midnight at this time of the year (at least in this part of the globe) . The sickle-shaped formation is the lion's head (see right side of photo). A line of stars leads to a right triangle made by three brighter stars (see left) - that "triangle" is the lion's rear end.

Image from here.

Just in case you live in the city (like I do), it would be kinda hard to spot the fainter stars that form the crescent shape. There's another easy way to spot Saturn though:

Three of Leo's brightest stars are very visible --

• Regulus [alpha leonis, or the brightest star in Leo] - that's the lion's heart, found at the "base" of the sickle shape.
• Denebola [beta leonis, the second brightest] - the "rearmost" end of the lion.
• and Zosma [delta leonis] - the lion's tailbone... or the arch of his spine, depending on the artist's interpretation.
  
  

These three bright ones form a cross with Saturn, like so:


Normally, where Saturn is, there should be a fainter star there. The planet's brightness eclipses the star. You can tell it's a planet because the light is steady; stars flicker.

Man, I really wish I own a telescope. I must go to an observatory sometime soon. The hubby was able to view Saturn some years ago, from an observatory in L.A., and he says the view is just spectacular.

I have never been to an observatory - not even in those elementary school field trips. Grade school kids have trips to one every year, but I have always had the misfortune of being in the section that is scheduled to go on a day the observatory is closed (the ceiling is being painted, the projector is broken, whatever). I tried going with my cousins when I was ten years old, but I had the same luck. And then I have no idea why I never took advantage of our university observatory when I was a college student. So now that I am planning a visit to an observatory, I don't know how to go about it, haha.

Hey, I just learned that Jupiter was around the same spot in 2004. :) Hee hee. Geek trivia.

scenic and stellar

This is the time of the year when a lot of the brightest stars make an appearance in the evenings. The dark skies seem fuller and relatively brighter, and more-or-less romantic.

Of course we hardly ever get clear views from the city, still the magnitude 2, 1 and 0 lights are very visible. Luckily there's this whole stretch enclosed by second-magnitude and brighter stars, Sirius, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Procyon, Capella, Pollux, Castor and Aldebaran.

This week I've tried to do some amateur astrophotography again. Given that I use a camera that isn't my own and thus one I don't know how to manipulate, and that I have nothing near a decent tripod, my shots were not quite how I hoped they would turn out.

Nonetheless it's been fun to spot stars. I pulled out my decade-old photocopy of a star-chart and did the roll call.

Those present:

EARLY EVENING
Orion
Lepus
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Cancer
Pollux and Castor of Gemini
Auriga
A portion of Argo
Star clusters Pleiades and Hyades and a few stars in Taurus

AROUND MIDNIGHT
Big Dipper and a few lesser-magnitude stars in Ursa Major
Leo
Virgo
Corvus
Crater
Hydra
Bootes (with alpha star Arcturus)
The head of Scorpius just peering over the horizon, and its heart, Antares

I also spotted two planets:

Mars, with its bright, distinct yellow glow, somewhere in the area of Gemini. It kinda forms a straight line with Procyon and Sirius.

There's another planet which I suppose is Mercury, somewhere between Leo and Corvus. I noticed that there was a bright "star" there that didn't belong, and realized that it didn't pulse like normal stars do. It was definitely a planet.

I'm hoping I could get the Hubby to agree to a trip to a beach or a mountain, where the stars would be more visible ^_^ I'll have a field day. I'll be sure to bring my camera and my worn-out chart.

happy accidental baked chicken

I was very hungry and wanted to eat something good and satisfying without having to go out and spend. I checked our understocked kitchen to see if anything was available for me to be able to concoct a good meal.

... a few slabs of chicken breast ... no vegetables whatsoever except potatoes ... a jug of soy sauce, a few ounces of vinegar, a bit of olive oil ... leftover homemade pineapple syrup ... a whole lot of spices and dried herbs ...

So once again i challenged my creativity; the goal was to make a yummy, semi-impressive dinner for the Hubby and myself and whoever else wanted to eat with us. I'm glad to say that the objective was accomplished. My only regret is that I didn't take note of how I made it, so I may not be able to make it again.

In an attempt to maybe sort of preserve the recipe because I might want to cook it again, I'm retracing my steps.

So I combined soy sauce, a drizzling of vinegar (I wanted to use calamansi juice but I was too lazy to cut and squeeze and strain), crushed garlic, a bit of curry powder, a bit of ginger, pepper and a few tbsps of cinnamon in a pan for marinade. I did not bother to measure nor take note. I was thinking of throwing some pineapple juice in but later decided I wanted to drink it instead (Oh well, maybe next time). I planned to put in some fresh rosemary from the garden but forgot to. I let the chicken breast soak for twenty to thirty.

I preheated the oven for - I don't know, I really wasn't paying attention. While that was happening, I massaged the chicken breast in the marinade because It seemed fun.

I found me a right-sized baking pan. I poured some of the marinade into the pan, just enough to cover the bottom. I sat the chicken breasts on it, and rubbed them with black pepper and dried basil. They looked yummy already. I put some potatoes and an apple onto the pan to bake with the chicken.

I put the pan in the oven, put the heat on max and waited. I passed the time drawing in my sketchbook. I enjoyed my baking so much that I forgot that something was baking in the oven. Good thing the Hubby decided to check. It must have been ready in fifteen to twenty.

I poked the potatoes to see if they were cooked. They were still a bit hard so I decided the whole pan should go back in for a few more minutes.

In the meantime, I decided to make some topping-sauce. I minced two small red bell peppers freshly picked from our garden. I let them boil in around a fourth of a cup of water. I added some of the marinade and the leftover pineapple syrup, brought it to a boil.

While the rice was cooking, I put in a handful of dried lemon basil into the water. This gave the rice a fresh, herby flavor. After i scooped it out of the rice cooker, i drizzled a small amount of olive oil.

I served the chicken breasts side-by-side on a rectangular plate, their surfaces spattered with the pepper-and-pineapple sauce . I put the baked potatoes and apple (now sliced) on the side. I did not think of taking a picture because i didn't think it would turn out that good.

The nameless, amazingly good, happy accidental baked chicken was a delightful surprise - kept the Hubby and me remarking how good it was. I'm hoping I can duplicate the flavor some other time, or perhaps make a better version of it. Maybe next time I'll put that pineapple juice into the marinade.

bunny apartment

Pepper (foreground) and Davey (background) checking out the new bunny apartment.

I just assembled a new cage for my bunnies out of interlocking grid panels - it's a simple, see-through, 2 x 2 x 3 bunny-apartment with a small second floor. I furnished it with a toilet (i.e., a litterbox in a carboard hidey-hole), newspaper, a small towel, a plushie, a drinking bottle and some food. I asked Davey to try it out - he's liking it, so far. He just marked the four corners with his pee - that's a rabbit's way of saying "This is my space." He kept us up last night making a racket with his redecorating (i.e.,throwing and ripping the newspaper)

Our bunnies actually started out as free-roamers (i.e., not caged - because caged bunnies are unhappy and sickly) but ever since they reached adolescence, those boys have become too aggressive toward each other so we've had to keep them separated. Two big cages are out of our budget - as well as out of our floor area - so we made do with their taking turns in the 1 x 1.5 x 2 cage that we bought for them when they were babies. Eventually of course they've gotten too big for that tiny space, so we've had to acquire a bigger one. Luckily the Hubby saw those grid panels on sale - we've seen some BunSpace pictures of bunny apartments improvised from those grid panels, so we thought we'd give it a try.

So there, the bunnies have been upgraded from a tiny studio flat to a split-level loft. Since Davey isn't complaining, I thought of leaving him in there for a few more days while Pepper roams free. When the Hubby and I find a new, more spacious residence, we'll get another cage so they can both have their own apartments.

digital photography

I was musing this morning about how digital tech has made the art of photography so much easier and thus more enjoyable.

For one, it's much less time-consuming.

For another, you could immediately see your capture in the LDC-equivalent of the viewfinder, in just a second after you clicked your cam. It is certified true through-the-lens viewing. You don't have to wait until printing while tensely hoping that you got the right balance of light and color. You could view it right then and there, and have a retake immediately if you decide that you don't quite like how it turned out.

Gone are the days of trial-and-error bracketing. Thanks to the new digital viewfinder, you more or less have an idea of where to start after the first shot. No more need for a wide bracket. You no longer need to consume time on several permutations of f-stops and shutters in the hope of getting just the right exposure.

It's just as well if you don't have a light-meter. For that matter, you don't really need a light-meter anymore.

It's ultimately easier on the money. You don't need to buy several rolls of film with various speeds because the ISO-equivalent is easily simulated with the turn of the DSLR's dial. You don't need to purchase different grades of photo paper that create different contrasts, because contrast can be adjusted on the camera's settings too.

You don't need to spend several thousands on converting your extra room into a darkroom, no need for its numerous trappings - panels, electricals, plumbing, fireproofing ... enlargers tables pans chemicals canisters darkboxes curtains equipment ... Because there's no messy darkroom processing. No need for the tricky step of prying the roll with a pair of pliers in a dark box and winding the film around the coil, relying solely on touch, nor the time-consuming process of shaking-and-slamming a chemical-filled metal canister while anxiously hoping you have no kinks, sticks or bubbles in there.

No need for the meticulous methods with the enlarger - no contact prints, no test strips, none of the endless adjusting just to get the print right. No need to wait for the fixing and drying.

The digital "darkroom" is so much more convenient - plug cable to USB port and download. Contrast and color correction is a piece of cake. No need for testing various lengths of exposure against various enlarger f-stops against three different kinds of photo paper. Placing borders and watermarks - even fancy ones - is a cinch with Photoshop. You no longer have to cut cardboard for the borders or make an acetate overlay.

And when you want to create a special effect on your capture, you don't need to waste time and expensive photo paper experimenting, because you can just click on the various filters and styles on Photoshop, and easily undo if it isn't quite what you want.

Printing is just a few clicks of a mouse. Just install your photo-quality paper of choice into a good printer, click here, click there, and voila! For that matter, you don't even need to make prints. You can easily share your photos by uploading them on your site or FB account.

Digital photography is so easy, that anyone can be a "photographer" these days (That's not exactly a good thing though :p ) . But lemme just say not everyone can be an artistic photographer.

i learned a new skill: fishing ^_^

I mean, actual fishing - real fish. I don't mean the other kind(s) of fishing (because those aren't exactly new skills).


On day two of our trip to Batangas, the Hubby and I spent a whole block of daytime on a decent-sized boat with his Uncle J and our brother-in-law D. Good thing I brought sunblock. Well, not that i needed it much; it was cloudy and cool the whole day, and we had sufficient shade on board. Uncle J taught us - uh, me (I was the only first-timer there actually) how to put together a line and cast it. The knotting business was kinda tricky since it required a special kind of knot, but I caught on quickly and had my line ready promptly.

And oh, I got my fingers and arm nicked a couple of times by those nasty little hooks.

Things were uneventful at first, but picked up pace when we got to reel in some. It was pretty exciting to see an occupied hook after another. I caught three serving-sized threadfin bream or bisugo. I was surprised to see that live bisugo are a bright orange and patinum, with neon-yellow streaks (no kidding, NEON). I've only seen them cooked or cleaned before, and I never thought they were this pretty when fresh. (I also caught two small, yellow fish, but they don't really count since I put the first one back, and I used the second one as bait since the hook went through its eye already anyway).

Fishing turned out to be a lot more fun and a lot less complicated than I thought it would be. It would have been more fulfilling if we started our day earlier (my bad - got up late and delayed the whole schedule), but it was nonetheless a satisfying experience. I mean, even with the nausea and lightheadedness that lasted until bedtime.

cooking for fun

I just cooked some Honey Mango Chicken for the Hubby and me for dinner tonight. It was so easy to make, and really yummy. I experimented some and it turned out quite successful. I'm so proud of me, whee!

Cooking can be so fun. Sometimes, I mean. I can't say I love cooking, can't even say I'm good at it, I don't even cook that often, but I take pride in whatever yummy stuff I manage to make.


Things I Love About Cooking
[I mean, at those rare times that I like to spend time in the kitchen]

• There's a bit of excitement because I anticipate enjoying the eating. It makes the boring chore of slicing and dicing and peeling and boiling a lot more worthwhile.
  
  
• When other people appreciate my cooking, it's really flattering. I'd feel like a real pro. I'd forget that I was a kid who managed to turn meat loaf into corned beef from the can to the pan.
  
  
• I find that cooking is another channel for creativity. It's not like creating a poem or a painting, but it stimulates my right brain, particularly when I substitute and improvise.
  
  
• I enjoy experimenting with flavors and colors. So far, I've been lucky not to have had any major disasters.
  
  
• I've found that preparing food with another person is a great bonding activity. In fact, when I hold a sleepover for my young disciples, I make sure we include cooking a dish or baking in the list of activities. We've made some pretty good paella and chocolate chip cookies in the past.
  
  
• Cooking's a way of loving. Whether it's as easy as butterscotch syrup or as challenging as risotto, I get to put my heart into what I serve to the people I love.