Temptations

I love to bake.

I remember baking butter cookies, lengua de gato, polvoron and yema then selling them back in grade school.

Later, baking became a hobby, sharing instead of selling them. Took up a few classes in between and believe it or not, I am a certified Pastry Chef. haha But I must admit, I'm no master chef.

I miss baking. In recent years, my parents are very conscious with eating healthy. Undeniably, baking pastries would mean use of processed ingredients. Sigh, I don't get to do this as often anymore otherwise my mom will nag endlessly. A trip to a desert shop is satisfying but nothing beats the freshly baked goodies.

On the other hand, I've been trying to learn to cook. I find it more difficult, but practice make perfect they say. I just need to spare some time to experiment, hmm... when will that be?

Anyway, let me share some of those best kept secrets here.

It's a beautiful day

It's a beautiful day, tara-ra-ra-ra... Fine, i don't know the lyrics. I'm never good at that in the first place.

It's been days and the melody just keeps on playing on my head. Last song syndrome? More than that, it brings back fond memories of our European tour. This song is played everytime we were about to make a pit stop.

I've been terribly loaded with work lately. Yet a hectic weekend awaits me - Friday hiphop class at Holiday Gym - Saturday buffet dinner at Marriott - Sunday scuba dive at Cabilao.

Aaah... it's a beautiful day, tara-ra-ra-ra!

The battle continues

I prayed for her. The biopsy result is negative but she still has to undergo a series of therapy & gamma ray treatment.

I flew to Manila to visit her and brought her request of dimsum steamed rice. It broke my heart to see her in her current physical state. Her left side remained weak, she can't close her eye to sleep, her arm & leg feel heavy. Thanks to my friend who warned me beforehand to put up a brave front when I see her, otherwise I would have broken down. She's in a much better state now, they say. She didn't want to be pitied, she remained to be a fighter for herself & for her baby. All she said was, "good thing it's the left side".

This experience was also a test of friendship, it brought our barkada even closer. Talks of her bring us to tears but the constant exchange of thoughts is comforting. We can only find solace in the company of good old friends.

Two months after C-Section and two weeks after brain surgery... the battle is not over.

Who cares?

In a small community like ours where everyone somehow knows everyone; it is amazing to learn how people get the latest buzz or have an impression even without meeting the person.

I admit, I am as guilty as anyone else. You just can't help to judge a person by the reputation of the people around them, especially that of his family without knowing them personally based on what you see or hear.

For us, I am lucky that the legacy my late grandfather left behind is something to be proud of. Perks comes with it, coz I can easily introduce myself and gain their confidence. On the otherhand, what comes with it is a standard of how I am perceived to behave. What bothers me most is that some get intimidated for no reason or reasons based on perceptions.

In a casual conversation, someone I haven't met commented that it is so not us, that we got no curfews and we get to do adventure sports like diving. Such comment made me laugh out loud in disbelief! It makes me wonder so what is their standard for being us?

Hermit

Parting is such sweet sorrow. I am happy for them who have finally take on the challenge to move out of their comfort zone. Yet, I am sad coz five goodbyes is more than enough to handle.

It's starting to sink in... in their absence, I could be an hermit in the making, oh no!