fourth runner-up ain't so bad, miss venus :)

Photo from here.

Venus Raj at the Miss Universe Pageant is a big breath of fresh air after yesterday's messy hostage drama. Of course we kababayans of hers wish she won, but fourth runner up is already huge accomplishment. She might have botched the Q&A but she did pretty well in everything else - so I still applaud her and everyone else on Team Venus.

(Given, she later admitted she was nervous. But in my opinion, it's not that she gave a poor answer. I think she got a bad question. The other ladies' questions had socio-political dimensions to it, so it was easy for them to appear smart simply by giving their thoughts. )

Besides, Miss Mexico was a tough one to beat - I think she really deserves the crown. First Runner-upMiss Jamaica was gorgeous too (I wasn't a fan of her gown though :p ), so I don't mind if our Miss Philippines lost to them.

Congratulations, Philippines!

i won a bunny photo contest :)

Been busy for some time so I wasn't able to do much updating. But I make my comeback to the blogospere with today's cute, happy thawt.

A few weeks ago, I entered my favorite picture of my rabbit, Pepper in this photo contest in BunSpace.com. BunSpace is a site for bunny parents / bunny owners; I've been subscribing to it since Pepper and Davey were a few months old and I've picked up a lot of useful rabbit-care info from it as well as interacted with other bunny-parents. Anyway, there are around two themed photo contests each month. There isn't any cash prize or anything like that, but they give away cool, bunny-related stuff that aren't available locally, like chew toys (for rabbits - to prevent them from destorying my house) or collectibles (for humans) . Since I lose nothing and gain the possibility of winning something nice, I enter photos every now and then.

This particular contest had the theme of Close Up. I happen to have a really stunning photo of Pepper taken some time ago:


I submitted it and let the site-members' votes decide, and tah-daaaah! Pepper won Second Place!

The prize isn't any nifty bunny-stuff though. But I get three months of free upgraded membership at BunSpace - which is pretty cool too! That upgrade will allow me access to special features and more interaction.

I think I'd like to take more cute photos of Davey and Pepper in the hopes of winning again. And maybe next time I could get to take home some stuff.

linking up: bc bloggers 4

I've been enjoying blogging for a while now and I've decided to take it up a notch. I'll be grabbing this chance to join BC Bloggers 4.

Click here for more info

If you're a blogger and you're looking for new friends in the blogosphere, want more traffic in your site and/or want an easy way to link up, this is for you. Hop over to Paula's Place to find out how to register your blog. Really simple and convenient. :)

girls talk: i love the spiritual and mental side of me

I didn't have time to participate in Girls Talk last week, so I'll be inserting the I Love Me Mentally below too. I'll try to make this quick as I have to head out pretty soon


I Love The Spiritual Aspect of Me

I am a follower of Christ, and I'm proud of it. I am not the religious type - I'm a bit of an asker, a rebel of sorts, admittedly not a very nice person.

But I love God immensely - though imperfectly.
I love church - though I must confess I don't go every Sunday.
I love the Bible - but I admit I don't read it daily.

Following Christ is really not about tradition or "the things we've gotten used to". I personally prefer a more practical, relevant and honest faith. A meaningful religion is about knowing the Lord and growing in him. It's about loving God above all things and loving your neighbor as yourself. I'm not the poster girl for this (i.e., I've got a lot of flaws and stuff), but in some way God is still able to use me to bless others.

I love that I am imperfect, because it makes me see how much I need God. Don't get me wrong though - I don't settle in my weaknesses; if i had my way, I'd slake all my imperfections off. It's just that I celebrate God's grace daily, not having to pretend to be someone I am not.

There's more of my brand of spirituality in my other blog, the (ir)reverend.


I Love The Mental Aspect of Me

When it comes to the mental part, I am what I call an aberration - and I am proud of it. I happen to be bipolar: I was born with a chemical imbalance that causes cyclical shifts in emotion and energy levels. People think it's a psychological disorder, but it's actually a biological one - kind of like a disability that has no cure.

Wait- it's not as tragic as it sounds. :D I quite think it's a blessing. I look normal and act normal; bipolars aren't "crazy". In fact we tend to be very talented and brilliant. A lot of artists, musicians, poets, politicians, theorists and history-makers are bipolar. This will seem like bragging, but I'm just stating a fact: because of this condition, I happen to be very intense and genius-prone.

Most people either left-brain dominant (logical, analytical) or right-brain dominant (artistic, emotional). I happen to be both, being able to switch as needed. I also have this capacity for abstract thinking - something that is rare among women.

The downside is that all this giftedness comes with mood swings, nasty thought patterns and a general challenge in managing life. :p

I discuss more about being bipolar in my other blog, Soul Marmalade.


And that's it for now. To check out what the other Girls Talkers have to share, shimmy over to Beauty Queen Gene.

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i love pesto

Basic Pesto Recipe

I love how the rains make the herbs in our garden grow bigger and faster. When there is a flourishing, that means yummy recipes. One of the things I like making out of our garden greens is Pesto.

Everybody likes pesto. You walk into a restaurant, that's all you hear: pesto, pesto, pesto.

- Seinfeld's George Costanza

Ingredients

• 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves (or 2-4 loosely packed cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup of pine nuts or walnuts, crushed (subsitute: Cashew)
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated (substitute: Edam or Queso de Bola)
  

Note: Make sure the leaves have been thoroughly washed, and then blotted dry after washing.
You don't want any excess water on them because (1) wet leaves will clump and will be messy; and (2) the water will diminish the flavor.

Procedure

Mince the basil and oregano leaves in a blender or food processor.
* The traditional way is to use a knife and / or mortar and pestle, but that will take ages)

Add the garlic, nuts and cheese. Blend.
* Be careful not to overdo it; you'd want the leaves to look very finely chopped, and the mixture smooth but not too souplike.

Pour into a bowl and stir in the olive oil.


Serving Suggestions

• Serve over pasta. Pesto can be used as a pasta sauce by itself, or with chicken flakes and/ or sun-dried tomatoes on the side. Pesto can also be drizzled on top of red or white sauce to add extra tang.
• Slather over fish or chicken dishes. Real good!
• Spread over garlic bread.
• Mix with mayo or all-purpose cream and use as dip.
• Use as a sandwich spread to spruce up a burger or chicken sandwich.
• Add a few spoonfuls to chicken soup or tomato soup for that Mediterranean-ish taste.
• Stir into risotto or plain rice.
• Mix into mashed potatoes.
• Bake into pastries.
• Drizzle over a baked potato or tomato for a unique side dish.