Tuesday, January 10, 2012

free linking buttons


Below is a collection of buttons I've made.  I've used most of them on my blogs before, so they're kind of second-hand ;)  I thought maybe someone else would like to have them.  

Transparent background PNG images. Grab as you like.  ^_^

If you don't know how to add elements via html, here's the easy way to use these buttons:  
  1. Right click to save image to your computer.
  2. From your Blogger dashboard, go to Layout.  
  3. Click "Add a Gadget" and select "Picture".  Browse to upload your image.  In the "Link" field, input the URL of the site you want to link to.  Hit "Save" and drag gadget to desired spot.  Save arrangement.


puffy twitter buttons




  
other glossy / puffy buttons



silver

 

       
flat squares




paint blobs






Saturday, January 7, 2012

a summary of my 2011

General Climate of 2011:
The first half was good and easy.  The third quarter was dull, though not exactly bad.  The fourth quarter was horrible and difficult, spent crying inside daily.

The best decision made:
2011 wasn't a year of big decisions, so I don't remember a "best" one.
But I suppose the the nearest-best was making an impromptu trip to the U.S. to see my Mama.

Photos mine

The biggest joy:
Traveling.

The biggest challenge:

Not having as much financial resources as I think we should.

Best trip out of town:
Las Vegas and Southern California, May to June.  I went to see my Mama, her husband (who I met for the first time) and my little sister in LV, and other relatives and friends in SoCal.

It was such a sparkling experience; it's partially why the latter half of the year seemed dull in comparison.

Best discoveries:
Mercato Centrale in BGC.
The ukay-ukay in Tagaytay.

Greatest finds: 
Cover Girl Clean liquid make-up. Topnotch quality; I'd buy it all the time if it wasn't so pricey in manila.

And I must mention the $5 platform shoes on sale at the Glendale Galleria - they're not exactly current fashion, but they're just the kind I've been hoping to find - covers my toes, adds to height, just enough chunk and in brown - and just the perfect size.

Worst loss:
My beloved bunny Pepper.  :( :( :(  I'm still not over it.

Spiritual principle of the year:
The unforced rhythms of grace.

The year's ministry:
Mostly volunteer work here and there, since the Hubby and I wanted to make good with our pre-planned rest year. 
In the latter part of 2011, we slowly started with the new youth ministry - which we refuse to call "youth ministry".  Hip new name still being conceptualized.

Most fun project:
Putting together my "i make pictures" blog.

Photos mine.
Prettiest thing I made:
"L'arc-en-ciel" necklace.  Put together while watching The Jane Austen Book Club.

The most painful experience:
Losing Pepper.  I was inconsolable.

Biggest disappointment:
Not being able to fly back to the U.S. in September as planned.

Biggest frustration:
Being too young to be credible, too old to be naive, too ugly to be likeable, and female as to be limited by people's narrow minds.

Best reads for 2011:
Nonfiction: Blue like Jazz.
Fiction: Lolita. Nabokov.

Fave movies for the year:

The King's Speech.
Black Swan.

Fave TV series:
Doctor Who.  I crammed all six seasons within the period of two weeks.  And I understand why most of the Doctor's female companions fell in love with him.

Dr. Who is property of BBC.


Fave snack:
Red velvet cupcake.

Fave thing of all for the year:
Coconut oil.  ^_^

Fave gifts received:
Plane tickets.
Black boots from Mama.
A lovely new bag from my mother-in-law on Christmas.

Most thoughtful gift received:
Just before we left Las Vegas to head home, my sister gave me a necklace with a little key for a pendant (she gave me two actually; the other one was to be delivered to our other sister when I got to Manila).  She has a matching necklace with a little padlock pendant that can be opened by our key-pendants.  Real sweet.

Fave place visited:
Valley of Fire State Park, Overton, Nevada.

Photo mine.

Fave photo taken:
Atmospheric. June 13, 2011, Overton, Nevada.

Photo mine.

Fave month of 2011:
The intersection of May and June.

Worst month of 2011:
The intersection between October and November.

it's more fun



I quite like the new tourism tagline. :)  It's not as concise as "Wow Philippines", but it makes more sense communicates more directly.  And it's definitely waaaay better than "Pilipinas kay ganda".
.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

holiday-leftover sandwiches

What I both love and hate the most about post-holiday season are the leftover food.  I hate it because I don't enjoy eating tira-tira.  But I love it because Christmas food is often of the special-sumptuous variety (why, why, why is holiday ham available only in the holidays?) , and as long as I keep things refrigerated, I wouldn't have to cook for a few days.  :p

Leftovers don't have to go to waste, but they don't have to look like leftovers either.  I like to pile some of the holiday ham and holiday cheese onto wheat bread and pretend I'm eating gourmet sandwiches.


pear, cheese and ham

I got the idea from Cameron of  Modern Family.  I was marathon-ing that sitcom yesterday, and in one of the episodes Uncle Cam said his favorite was PB&J - pear, brie and jambon. We don't have any brie around, but we do have a medium-sized queso de bola.

Most Pinoys have a habit of buying at least a dozen kinds of fruits for New Year (the superstitious believe it's for good luck, but I think most people just want something to snack on), so you will probably have a pear or two around the house.  Apple would be good too.

You will need a few slices of:

  • Pear (or apple)
  • Queso de bola
  • Christmas ham

Optional:

Lettuce
Mayo or jam

chicken salad samwich


Lechon manok is a Pinoy go-to ulam. Chances are, someone brought a variation of roast chicken to one of the gatherings you attended, and then put some of it aside in a Tupperware for you to take home.  If  you've gotten sick of chicken, chicken and more chicken, turn it into a sandwich.

You will need:

  • Shredded chicken
  • Celery, finely chopped
  • Mayo
  • Salt and Pepper

Combine ingredients and spread on bread.


tomato, cheese and basil

You will need:
  • Cheese (I personally prefer cream cheese or cottage, or kesong puti on pandesal, but since we're consuming the leftover cheese in our crisper, I'd have to go with queso de bola again).
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Tomatoes (not the tart, native variety; sweet fat salad tomatoes are best)