Distance.

This is the year of running. Now I get why people wax poetic over this sport.  I learned how to push myself past my physical limits and discovered that the limits are self constructs. I can do it.

I am more patient and forgiving of my own failures.

I know there is a finish line,  and I can make it no matter what.  I will cross that line when I’m good and ready.

I am my own competition.  Any improvement and decline about my performance is of my own doing.

Running gives you back exactly how much you’ve put in.

You may run with friends,  but in the end it is you who crosses the line.

You will never wear the finisher’s shirt unless you are one.

You learn to push yourself harder, and want to.

Halloween prep.

Halloween is one of my favorite secular holidays.  Aside from it being so close to my birthday, it’s a chance for people to dress up and wear costumes. It’s like Comic Con for normal people!

I didn’t have time to fully decorate this year except for finding me a really cool skull from Dapitan Arcade. Good thing my sister’s office was having kids over and they planned to make their office a haunted house. She got some stuff from the mall and asked for my help.

That being said, I went to work for the better part of Monday (while we were also preparing for guards to come for  my pre birthday get together).

Out of the round styro balls,  I made bloody eyeballs. Dumping them in an empty jar makes for a gruesome desk display.

Then, the body bag. We used a long body pillow and a regular pillow to shadow the torso and legs.  Got a neck pillow to shape for the head. Old running shoes we placed inside a paper bag and shaped to face forward.

We stuffed them inside giant black body bags and wrapped electric tape around the right pieces to shape them right.

For final touches we wrapped another set of black bags and used twine for a more realistic view. The kind that you see in CSI!

Here I am, hard at work:

The third one was the floating ghost. I made him out of a round styro ball, an old hanger, wire, black scrap paper and old white fabrics.

He looks pretty scary, no?

33!

My birthday was technically in a Tuesday but I had work that day. Taking the day off was not an option.  Since Monday was a holiday for us,  we did it s day ahead instead.

My family celebrates birthdays in small intimate dinners and this year was no exception.

The awesome part was when I opened the cake box and saw this!  A storm trooper red velvet cake! I have cool siblings.

Handwriting.

I’ve kept a journal of some type throughout my life since I was ten. Putting feelings into paper helped me organize my thoughts. In the beginning I wrote about day to day things. Eventually I used my journal to document emotional highs and lows, not keeping a strict journal date or time. Sometimes I don’t use real names anymore, just focusing my writing on what I feel and think.

Constantly writing in long form has helped me maintain a decent handwriting. I have friends who are barely legible now that they’ve been using the keyboard for years. Still, for me, nothing beats the ebb and flow of a writing instrument and paper.

I’ve turned that into fancy handwriting on my favorite quotes. I don’t want to call this “calligraphy” at the moment, since this is just me making the words pretty on paper.

But there really is something to be said about  pretty type and a great turn of phrase.

From my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice.

I was reading Scripture and did the same thing for a few lines that caught my eye.

Thinking about placement, sizing and font type helped put me on a contemplative mood that afternoon.

Lemons.

I’m not sure exactly why, but last weekend I was seriously craving for lemons. Lucky for me the cafe at the Book Fair sold lemon gelato and the grocery we went to sold lemon sorbet ice cream. Destiny!

I’ve always loved the zing and tang of lemon flavored food. Anything lemon, actually. I don’t know how that came about though, as the sibs aren’t big on sour food. I read somewhere that sour tasting food is our body’s animal instinct for Vitamin C. Maybe homo erectus munched on a citrus fruit while having a cold and immediately felt the snot disappear. When I was a child, in a choice between flavored vitamin c pills I’d take the lemon or lime ones.

At the book fair (Day 2 with Mom), I stopped by the cafe (Caffe Bene) before going in. My sister and I had been there before and she was bitterly disappointed to find the gelato wasn’t available. I was lucky, and obviously chose the lemon flavored one, and a mocha frap. These two really don’t go together, flavor-wise, but that was fine with me.

It was the smoothest gelato I’ve ever tasted, with a ripe balance of tangy and sweet that I really like. It melts in your mouth with none of the gritty ice bits that sometimes happens when slushies are misrepresented as “gelato”. I’m not the only one who likes this flavor though. It was the only flavor that was halfway sold out.

I had Mom taste some and she liked it too. She liked it so much that when I belatedly discovered my hands were full (gelato in one, frappe in another), I offered her the coffee. She said, nope! She’ll have the gelato, and we’ll just see each other after shopping.

The ice cream on the other hand, was from Day 1 of the bookfair. My sister and I passed by Rustan’s grocery where they featured the British brand, “Waitrose”.

I peaked in their ice cream box and saw Lemon Sorbet! The flavor here is much stronger than the gelato, and more sour. I guess the British consumer prefers their sorbet to be as real to the actual fruit as possible. As a result, I really don’t have competition for this ice cream in the family ref. I’m sure I can leave it there for weeks and no one (well except maybe Mom) will eat it.

Lemon is a flavor that I’ve learned never to say no to. Since I live in the tropics, lemons can only be imported here. Krispy Kreme has a rare seasonal lemon-filled donut that I always buy when it’s sold. I have vivid memories of Dunkin Donuts having that as a mainstay flavor along with Boston Kreme and Butternut. Alas, the flavor was discontinued eventually.

Is there such a thing as sour tooth, like people have a sweet tooth? Because Im pretty sure I have that.

Final Count.

This year’s final count:

I went back the next day to grab a few more paperbacks. This rounds out my take for the book fair. I cannot wait for Christmas season to put these things into motion! I already have a couple ideas I want to get started with.

Last 10k of 2013

Look what I got in the mail! This rounds up my participation in all three Run United events of this year. I got all three race shirts, and pushed myself out of the 5k zone and into 10k.

To be honest, I slacked off in August and Im starting to get worried about my prep work for October. I know I’ll make it, I don’t question that. What I am getting upset over is that I should’ve trained more.

Ive been reading up on Murakami’s musings over running and I can relate to some of his opinions. One thing that made me think was, What do you think about when running?”

That stopped me. For him, running was zen time where the silence is welcome. For me it was different.

I pray and talk to God on those journeys, and many of our fruitful conversations happen. I think of thr pain in my joints, the sweat popping off my pores, my heart beating like a drum, and I think, Lord this is nothing compared to being nailed on the cross, I would think. I had no excuse to whine, and I keep on going.

Book Fair and My Growing Library.

My loot from this year’s book fair!

I try to go to the book fair every year since I’ve been able to. By this I mean when I was younger Id ask my parents to drive my sister and I to the fair. Normally it’d be located in warehouse type buildings, an industry kind of event with different book suppliers giving heavy discounts on resource texts they wanted to unload. It didnt matter to me, since Id still get gems and discover new books at these places. I’d blow my allowance (saved over weeks) on book series and authors I was building a collection on. I remember holding on to armloads of books and ruthlessly trying to decide between one or the other because I only had a budget for one and not both.

Those internal battles are never easy!

The past few years my book loot from these events have been disappointing. Too many book sellers were just selling titles they currently have at 20% off at the most. With that kind of selection I didn’t need to do the book fair, Id just rather go to the store for paperbacks.

This year though was different! I rarely see afoordably priced crafting books here. As the Christmas season draws near Im stocking up on gifting ideas this early. My friends know me for personalizing gifts, and I get my inspiration from these resources. I’ve always been good with my hands, and use crafts as a creative outlet to keep sane. I’ve made miniature teddy bears, soft furnishings and tried my hand at skirts and some clothes. If Im not sewing or cross stitching Im thinking of my next painting project or mentally prepping myself for my next run.

New books, yay! I’ve always liked the look of Cath Kidston prints, and been looking for inspiration in making dolls. This was an easy decision to make. The book is pretty and the contents good for practical application (essentially it is a book on how to make and dress a soft doll).

The British Sewing Bee is a compilation of tips and tricks from a BBC show of the same name. Far from being just another sewing book (there was another similar one they wanted me to check), they had anecdotes and some British history of these sewing socials during WW2. Being a fan of WW2 history in the western front, that was the reason why I chose this book over the other one. It also contained illustrations and tips for the beginning and mid-level sewing person.

A Skirt A Day! Who wouldnt want to know about that? I’ve found sewing skirts surprisingly rewarding and been dying to know more. Online resources have been helpful but I really want to have a reliable hard copy onhand. Sewing your own skirts also gives one the opportunity to garments that are more forgiving to your figure instead of odd fitting clothes off the rack. Plus, Im growing tired of jeans and slacks. They are bulky and hot to wear.

Stuffed Animals. I have friends that have started having children and whenever I look for gifts at toy stores I am astounded by how much it all costs now. A lot of them are wastefully plastic too, and I really don’t like the idea of non-durable toys for children. Stuffed animals are both age and gender neutral too. All it takes is a little creativity and fearlessness and you’d have a pretty cool gift for people.

Not in picture: Medieval Heraldry. I’m also a fan of medieval British history. I saw a BBC series on illuminated manuscripts and saw this book at P450, which was a steal!

Also not in picture: Easy Muffins. Not just the sweet kind, but the bread-y breakfast savory ones that I can bake. Should be good!

Im excited about this year’s books because it also reflects a change in my book buying. I dont have a lot of space for temporal paperbacks. I read pretty fast, so I finish these books in a few hours. I reread them eventually but until I do they end up in a pile. Since then, I’ve switched to ebooks.

I did grab one paperback from an author I’ve always been intrigued by but intimidated by his other books. As I need to train again, this was the perfect inspirarional read:

Resource crafting books though are another matter! Im so glad I found these (about P1k or less each), at a price range that is less than normal rates (they are generally 20-25% more expensive).

I’m going back there tomorrow!

Marinara!

I was fairly surprised at myself when, at the end of a gruelling week, I found myself craving to make spaghetti. Not exactly eating the spaghetti, but making it. For some reason, the active labor of chopping, peeling, grating and mixing was the perfect way to destress.

How:
Meats
200g ground pork, 200g ground beef.
Thaw meat from freezer till room temperature.
Saute chopped garlic and onion.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on meats to season.
When onion is translucent, cook meats.
Sprinkle hot chili flakes to taste. I wanted my meats spicy so that I didnt have to do it with the sauce.
Take off from heat once browned.
Drain oil off using strainer. Let drain.

The Sauce.
Chop an onion and half a clove of garlic (more if you used just a little from the meats)
Chop tomatoes in half. Scoop out the insides. Set aside. Chop tomatoes further into small cubes.
Peel off basil leaves and roll into tubes. Cut across at an angle so as to make basil ribbons.
Eyeball olives and capers.
Add mushrooms if you feel like it.
Cut a 1L pack of red sauce.

Get cookin!
Saute garlic and onion.
Put back browned meats.
Toss in cubed tomatoes, olives and capers. Cook a little while for flavors to release.
Pour red sauce and stir.
Roughly mash the tomato innards and toss them into the pot. This adds more tomato texture into the sauce.
Sprinkle herbs.
While the sauce is simmering, throw in the chopped basil last.
Grate cheddar cheese to melt on top of sauce.
Cook until you see volcano bubbles hissing out of the surface.
Taste. Add more spices as needed.

Creative Juices.

I haven’t picked up a paintbrush in decades. In fact I think the last time I actually painted was when I did a still life in watercolor for my sophomore year in high school. It didn’t stop me from still wanting to do something creative in my life. I figured painting was too expensive a hobby, so I did other things.

Sewing.
Cross stitch.
Scrapbooking.
Paper crafts.

Over the years I’ve accumulated a ton of colored papers, glitter glue, rubber stamps and all sorts of minutiae for crafts. I never thought of falling back into canvas, paints and mixing color.

Until last Saturday. On an invite from a good friend she brought us to Sip and Gogh, this place in
QC. Over wine and a cheese plate, you get to paint your own version of art with the help of their friendly staff. I didn’t want to come unprepared (what, me, obsessive?), so I was armed with a photo of the art I wanted to make. Plus, I was overdue for good company and a new piece of art in my home.

I have to say it felt as natural as riding a bike. The most stressful part was staring at the blank canvas:

What to do?
Can I do this?
What the hell was I thinking??

Old fears crept in and soon enough I was telling myself to get a grip. I had a reference shot, I knew how to handle color, mix paint, and I wasnt a dunce at using a paintbrush. Soon enough I had something to work on.

These made me calm. At last I put something on canvas. Pretty soon I was filling it all in and the frame started to fill. Every once in a while one of the staff would approach me for some tips and comments. I  had forgotten some techniques, and they were great in pointing out how to apply the brushstrokes to get what I wanted out of the painting. Early on I thought my mixing palette was more visually appealing than my canvas and I was getting amused (also probably because of the complimentary wine and cheese that went with it)

..and the big reveal:

It turned out quite well, considering my insecurities. What I loved from this exercise is that it kickstarted my love of paints again. There is an art supply store right outside the office entrance where I got a new set of paints and brushes. I can’t wait to do this again!