Here I am again, thinking about going back to Wordpress for blogging. Crap! Why can't I just stop thinking about what blogging engine to use? CRAAAAAP! This is insane---I'M INSANE!
But, no, I'm not moving. If I do move, it will be to buy a domain name for me, but I won't be leaving Blogger.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Let's talk about the trip to Hyderabad
I'm sure it's obvious that I'm back from Hyderabad. I got home Wednesday afternoon, around 4 p.m. Thankfully there were no delays on the flights. We even left Hyderabad a couple minutes earlier than scheduled. I love trips like that!
Unfortunately I did not get to shop as much as I had been planning to in Changi Airport. I did not get much sleep because my flight was at 12:20 a.m. (GMT+5.5). In Changi I had to keep going back and forth because the gate where we got in was far from the gate where I'm to board the flight to Manila. And I did not see any sign about what direction to take to get to Gate E28 (We got in gate E7 or something). I did not even get a decent breakfast at Changi, even though I wanted to. I was just too tired and did not feel like eating. I had maybe $20 to spend on breakfast and all I got at Spinelli's was Earl Grey tea. Blech. I managed to buy a neck pillow at that $20 store in Changi. I did not bring my blow-up neck pillow and was having a heck of a time sleeping because I couldn't position my head comfortably.
Anyway, you obviously also know that I had a great time in Hyderabad. I wasn't sad or weepy or anything. Not like I was my first two days in Munich. You know, I forget why I was sad my first two days in Munich. I better go dig up that blog post about it. I'm sure I'll laugh reading it because I can't imagine why I was sad and weepy then. All I could think of is that Munich is the first city I've been to where people spoke languages other than English, and I wasn't used to it. I felt lost, and scared that I will stay lost. And the town where my hotel is is a place where very, very few people spoke English. The up-side to the Munich trip was that I wasn't as apprehensive going out by myself, taking public transportation. In Hyderabad, I was advised by a Hyderabadi not to take the auto-rickshaws. I e-mailed this guy whom I found online. He had a website about Hyderabad. A week before my trip I asked him what places would be nice to visit and where I could find so and so stuff. He told me a bunch of things including what kind of transportation to take.
My teammates met me at my hotel, Ista, on Sunday morning, 11 a.m. Before I go into what we did, let me tell you about the Ista Hotel. The Ista is a wonderful hotel! I totally loved my stay there. It was my first time to stay at a five star hotel so you can just imagine how awed I was by the service and the facilities. They were so wonderful! I've mentioned it once here, I know, but I want to say it again: I still think those two boys from in-room dining are very, very cute! I only got one of the names, though—Jacob, I'll never forget you! If I could've stayed pen pals or e-mail pals with you, I would. You are too cute! I wish I could've gotten the name of the chinky-eyed dude. He was also cute.
At the end of my stay I gladly filled out the guest survey form and made sure to give it to them. In return, one of the hotel managers sent me an e-mail to thank me for taking the time to fill out the form. How about that! Too bad I never got the chance to check out the pool. I was wanting to but I found out that some people from our other sites (one from Tempe and one from Marlborough were also in Hyderabad visiting our office) were also billeted at the same hotel. I didn't want to run into them at the pool. Yeah, I'm shy that way (as if you didn't know).
So... I felt a little stupid when I first met my teammates. I immediately handed them the stuff I got for them (dried mangoes and a mini jeepney to remember the Philippines by haha!) and after saying hi and asking who was who, I led them outside so we could look for the driver and the car I had reserved for that day. When we were in the car, I was mentally smacking my head—I should've sat down at the hotel lobby with them first and gone over the itinerary. I'm stupid, what can I say. Plus I was also feeling way too shy and felt that I needed to keep things moving/going so I won't have time to feel so absolutely shy.
We first went to the Golconda Fort. I had read about it in an online forum and thought it would be a nice place to see. It was a nice place to see, but the timing could've been better. We should've gone there later in the day when the sun wasn't so annoyingly bright and hot. We didn't get to go to the top of the fort because 1) it was tiring, and 2) it was super hot. We'd have collapsed had we tried. I had fun looking at the empty rooms in the fort. You'll just have to get on Wikipedia to read about it because I can't remember half of the details. What was interesting about the place was their means of informing each other when there's trouble. Several places had this diamond-shaped depressions in the ceiling. This structure created an effect that helped them communicate with each other over long distances. For example, if you stood in the center of the place where the diamond-shaped depressions were, you could clap and the clap would echo 24 times (I think is what they said) and you could hear the clap from way beyond. There's also this room where they said the guests of the king were made to wait or sit, and in that room, whatever they talked about could be heard by the king from way up in his room! It had the same diamond-shaped things in the corners of the ceiling.
Oh, funny story at the Golconda. There's an entrance fee and it's 5 rupees per person and 100
rupees for a foreigner. The guy at the ticket booth said I was okay to go in for 5 rupees but the security guard would not let me get away with just 5 rupees. My teammates argued with him about it and they told him that I was from Northern India and that's why I looked the way I did. So then the security guard started talking to me in Hindi and I was like, "I'm sorry? What are you saying?" LOL! Raj had to pay the 100 rupees for me to get in. It was really funny.
We finished at the Golconda at past 1 in the afternoon. We went to a shopping mall and had lunch at an Indian restaurant. Seena treated us to lunch as it was her birthday the week before. Lunch was very good. Unfortunately I took no pictures. I was too hungry and didn't want to make them think I was weird or something if I had to make them wait before they could eat just so I could take pictures. Plus the server started serving the food as soon as it was on our table so I could hardly ask him to stop and put things back. LOL. I'm glad my teammates were not into anything too spicy. I asked them to keep things less spicy because I wanted to be able to eat the food and taste it. :-D They were very accommodating.
Hyderabad is a lot like Metro Manila—the crowd, the traffic, the driving, the motorcycles, it was all similar and very familiar to me. They have places that remind me of Quiapo, Divisoria, Quezon Avenue, etc. The area where the Charminar is looks very, very much like Quiapo and Divisoria. You can buy all sorts of stuff there. I got my sister's beads and stones at some stall in Charminar. But Seena says that the Charminar isn't the cheapest place to buy souvenirs. She says it's even more expensive there as it is a tourist spot. I'm thinking the vendors at the Charminar know how to play the tourists.
I'm glad I was with my teammates when I bought my sister's stuff. If they were not with me, I'd have probably been scammed! You won't believe how much one dude was charging me for a couple of strands of stones and pendants. It was crazy.
We didn't get to visit too many places that Sunday but I still had fun. They showed me the Hussain Sagar Lake and we drove around it before we went back to the hotel. I was so tired that evening that it was easy to fall asleep. I had a very, very good dinner of Murg Ka Raab soup and lemon cheesecake.
It was back to work on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday I took them to lunch at The Spicy Venue restaurant, and then they took me to this crafts village near the office. Unfortunately, we did not get to go through the whole place because I had to get back to work to get in touch with someone. :-( There were so many cool things to buy at the crafts village and it would've been nice if I had had the chance to go through each stall and bought stuff to give to friends. Not having enough time is a bitch, I tell you.
I wish I had stayed one more day like I had originally planned. But I had stuff to do back home. I'm hoping there will be a next time. I want to spend time with them again! They are my teammates after all and I manage them now. Hopefully the company will allow a second business trip to Hyderabad?
Click here to see pictures in my Hyderabad Flickr set.
Unfortunately I did not get to shop as much as I had been planning to in Changi Airport. I did not get much sleep because my flight was at 12:20 a.m. (GMT+5.5). In Changi I had to keep going back and forth because the gate where we got in was far from the gate where I'm to board the flight to Manila. And I did not see any sign about what direction to take to get to Gate E28 (We got in gate E7 or something). I did not even get a decent breakfast at Changi, even though I wanted to. I was just too tired and did not feel like eating. I had maybe $20 to spend on breakfast and all I got at Spinelli's was Earl Grey tea. Blech. I managed to buy a neck pillow at that $20 store in Changi. I did not bring my blow-up neck pillow and was having a heck of a time sleeping because I couldn't position my head comfortably.
Anyway, you obviously also know that I had a great time in Hyderabad. I wasn't sad or weepy or anything. Not like I was my first two days in Munich. You know, I forget why I was sad my first two days in Munich. I better go dig up that blog post about it. I'm sure I'll laugh reading it because I can't imagine why I was sad and weepy then. All I could think of is that Munich is the first city I've been to where people spoke languages other than English, and I wasn't used to it. I felt lost, and scared that I will stay lost. And the town where my hotel is is a place where very, very few people spoke English. The up-side to the Munich trip was that I wasn't as apprehensive going out by myself, taking public transportation. In Hyderabad, I was advised by a Hyderabadi not to take the auto-rickshaws. I e-mailed this guy whom I found online. He had a website about Hyderabad. A week before my trip I asked him what places would be nice to visit and where I could find so and so stuff. He told me a bunch of things including what kind of transportation to take.
My teammates met me at my hotel, Ista, on Sunday morning, 11 a.m. Before I go into what we did, let me tell you about the Ista Hotel. The Ista is a wonderful hotel! I totally loved my stay there. It was my first time to stay at a five star hotel so you can just imagine how awed I was by the service and the facilities. They were so wonderful! I've mentioned it once here, I know, but I want to say it again: I still think those two boys from in-room dining are very, very cute! I only got one of the names, though—Jacob, I'll never forget you! If I could've stayed pen pals or e-mail pals with you, I would. You are too cute! I wish I could've gotten the name of the chinky-eyed dude. He was also cute.
At the end of my stay I gladly filled out the guest survey form and made sure to give it to them. In return, one of the hotel managers sent me an e-mail to thank me for taking the time to fill out the form. How about that! Too bad I never got the chance to check out the pool. I was wanting to but I found out that some people from our other sites (one from Tempe and one from Marlborough were also in Hyderabad visiting our office) were also billeted at the same hotel. I didn't want to run into them at the pool. Yeah, I'm shy that way (as if you didn't know).
So... I felt a little stupid when I first met my teammates. I immediately handed them the stuff I got for them (dried mangoes and a mini jeepney to remember the Philippines by haha!) and after saying hi and asking who was who, I led them outside so we could look for the driver and the car I had reserved for that day. When we were in the car, I was mentally smacking my head—I should've sat down at the hotel lobby with them first and gone over the itinerary. I'm stupid, what can I say. Plus I was also feeling way too shy and felt that I needed to keep things moving/going so I won't have time to feel so absolutely shy.
We first went to the Golconda Fort. I had read about it in an online forum and thought it would be a nice place to see. It was a nice place to see, but the timing could've been better. We should've gone there later in the day when the sun wasn't so annoyingly bright and hot. We didn't get to go to the top of the fort because 1) it was tiring, and 2) it was super hot. We'd have collapsed had we tried. I had fun looking at the empty rooms in the fort. You'll just have to get on Wikipedia to read about it because I can't remember half of the details. What was interesting about the place was their means of informing each other when there's trouble. Several places had this diamond-shaped depressions in the ceiling. This structure created an effect that helped them communicate with each other over long distances. For example, if you stood in the center of the place where the diamond-shaped depressions were, you could clap and the clap would echo 24 times (I think is what they said) and you could hear the clap from way beyond. There's also this room where they said the guests of the king were made to wait or sit, and in that room, whatever they talked about could be heard by the king from way up in his room! It had the same diamond-shaped things in the corners of the ceiling.
Oh, funny story at the Golconda. There's an entrance fee and it's 5 rupees per person and 100
rupees for a foreigner. The guy at the ticket booth said I was okay to go in for 5 rupees but the security guard would not let me get away with just 5 rupees. My teammates argued with him about it and they told him that I was from Northern India and that's why I looked the way I did. So then the security guard started talking to me in Hindi and I was like, "I'm sorry? What are you saying?" LOL! Raj had to pay the 100 rupees for me to get in. It was really funny.We finished at the Golconda at past 1 in the afternoon. We went to a shopping mall and had lunch at an Indian restaurant. Seena treated us to lunch as it was her birthday the week before. Lunch was very good. Unfortunately I took no pictures. I was too hungry and didn't want to make them think I was weird or something if I had to make them wait before they could eat just so I could take pictures. Plus the server started serving the food as soon as it was on our table so I could hardly ask him to stop and put things back. LOL. I'm glad my teammates were not into anything too spicy. I asked them to keep things less spicy because I wanted to be able to eat the food and taste it. :-D They were very accommodating.
Hyderabad is a lot like Metro Manila—the crowd, the traffic, the driving, the motorcycles, it was all similar and very familiar to me. They have places that remind me of Quiapo, Divisoria, Quezon Avenue, etc. The area where the Charminar is looks very, very much like Quiapo and Divisoria. You can buy all sorts of stuff there. I got my sister's beads and stones at some stall in Charminar. But Seena says that the Charminar isn't the cheapest place to buy souvenirs. She says it's even more expensive there as it is a tourist spot. I'm thinking the vendors at the Charminar know how to play the tourists.I'm glad I was with my teammates when I bought my sister's stuff. If they were not with me, I'd have probably been scammed! You won't believe how much one dude was charging me for a couple of strands of stones and pendants. It was crazy.
We didn't get to visit too many places that Sunday but I still had fun. They showed me the Hussain Sagar Lake and we drove around it before we went back to the hotel. I was so tired that evening that it was easy to fall asleep. I had a very, very good dinner of Murg Ka Raab soup and lemon cheesecake.
It was back to work on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday I took them to lunch at The Spicy Venue restaurant, and then they took me to this crafts village near the office. Unfortunately, we did not get to go through the whole place because I had to get back to work to get in touch with someone. :-( There were so many cool things to buy at the crafts village and it would've been nice if I had had the chance to go through each stall and bought stuff to give to friends. Not having enough time is a bitch, I tell you.
I wish I had stayed one more day like I had originally planned. But I had stuff to do back home. I'm hoping there will be a next time. I want to spend time with them again! They are my teammates after all and I manage them now. Hopefully the company will allow a second business trip to Hyderabad?
Click here to see pictures in my Hyderabad Flickr set.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Second attempt to crochet a Christmas sock
I bought a pattern off Ravelry for crochet Christmas socks. They're supposed to be for decor and come with crochet snowmen and gingerbread men. I keep making a mistake following the pattern for round 29 onwards. It's doing my head in! I frogged my first attempt because I just knew I was doing it wrong. So here's to trying it the second time around. I hope I do good this time!
Not feeling well
I called in sick again. *sigh* and it's true. I have been unable to sleep. The only reason i'm awake right now is because i still haven't been able to sleep. This really sucks!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Weirdness on the plane
I can't believe that after all this time he still gets to me. On my way back to the Philippines, I cried on the plane ride from Hyderabad to Singapore. Thinking about it now makes me want to tear up again. I guess it just reminded me of how lonely I was when I went home in September 2008 after spending 12 days with him. You won't believe how pathetic I was---me, crying over a guy?! Eww.
But, yes, I cried. And on that plane ride to SG, I cried. I kept thinking about how things should have been if all had gone according to plan. I was sure he was the one. I felt it. It just really sucks that it was a failed relationship. Again.
It's funny how during the first few days after we had broken up I was happy that I was taking the break up quite well. I wasn't weepy. I wasn't catatonic. I was not the the girl who could hardly eat or sleep in 2005 when another relationship fell apart. I thought it meant that I was okay with it all. I guess I'm really not. On December, it will be one year since we broke up. We were broken up longer than we were together. That thought alone makes me want to cry and hurt him or whoever really bad. I want to inflict pain on someone, anyone, because I am still hurting. Even after all this time.
But, yes, I cried. And on that plane ride to SG, I cried. I kept thinking about how things should have been if all had gone according to plan. I was sure he was the one. I felt it. It just really sucks that it was a failed relationship. Again.
It's funny how during the first few days after we had broken up I was happy that I was taking the break up quite well. I wasn't weepy. I wasn't catatonic. I was not the the girl who could hardly eat or sleep in 2005 when another relationship fell apart. I thought it meant that I was okay with it all. I guess I'm really not. On December, it will be one year since we broke up. We were broken up longer than we were together. That thought alone makes me want to cry and hurt him or whoever really bad. I want to inflict pain on someone, anyone, because I am still hurting. Even after all this time.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Again?
I'm going to lose another person I admire and respect at work.
When is it going to stop?
I fukken hate writing goodbye/thank you letters. I hate it!
When is it going to stop?
I fukken hate writing goodbye/thank you letters. I hate it!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Trust what you know about yourself
I always, always think I will change or be better at accepting things especially when it comes to food. This evening I learned (what my mind keeps saying to me time and again, and yet I fail to listen) that I could only do 'heat' at the jenfur (i.e., me) level, and never the level that Indians or whoever else likes spicy things could. I ordered Dum Biryani for dinner and asked if they could make it less spicy. Unfortunately the mix is pre-done so they couldn't adjust the heat. After maybe five spoonfuls of the thing (I valiantly tried, mind you), I quit. I just couldn't take the heat. I couldn't taste the food anymore because it was too spicy (for me). But boy could I smell it. It smelled so good, so delicious. But it was too spicy. :-(
I don't know why I keep insisting on doing things the opposite way, the way I'm unaccustomed to. It's insane that I keep trying because past experiences show that there are things that are meant to be done the way I have always done them. No amount of pepping or getting egged on will change it. In the end, if I do things a different way, try things I normally would stay away from, I become sorely disappointed. And then I mentally smack my own head for thinking that I could do things differently.
And, yes, the second para also hints at a recent situation at work. If you're in Plurk, you know what I'm talking about.
I don't know why I keep insisting on doing things the opposite way, the way I'm unaccustomed to. It's insane that I keep trying because past experiences show that there are things that are meant to be done the way I have always done them. No amount of pepping or getting egged on will change it. In the end, if I do things a different way, try things I normally would stay away from, I become sorely disappointed. And then I mentally smack my own head for thinking that I could do things differently.
And, yes, the second para also hints at a recent situation at work. If you're in Plurk, you know what I'm talking about.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Saturday in Hyderabad
I haven't done much except call R and talk about the plans for tomorrow.
I finally got my dollars exchanged for rupees. I also just ordered lunch; it's 2:18 p.m. here and I'm hungry. I had to wait for the guy that I was getting my Indian currency from and had to get bigger notes changed to smaller ones to use for tipping.
I also called for transportation because I need to go to the bookstore and to the supermarket to get some supplies. The food items in the mini bar are too expensive! I already opened the Doritos they had because I was so hungry! I did this at 2 a.m. this morning as I was still up then. I have to get paper bags for the dried mangoes and miniature jeepneys I got my teammates for souvenirs from the Philippines.
Tomorrow we're all going out! :-D I hope the transportation service isn't too expensive for our trip tomorrow.
I finally got my dollars exchanged for rupees. I also just ordered lunch; it's 2:18 p.m. here and I'm hungry. I had to wait for the guy that I was getting my Indian currency from and had to get bigger notes changed to smaller ones to use for tipping.
I also called for transportation because I need to go to the bookstore and to the supermarket to get some supplies. The food items in the mini bar are too expensive! I already opened the Doritos they had because I was so hungry! I did this at 2 a.m. this morning as I was still up then. I have to get paper bags for the dried mangoes and miniature jeepneys I got my teammates for souvenirs from the Philippines.
Tomorrow we're all going out! :-D I hope the transportation service isn't too expensive for our trip tomorrow.
Cute guy alert
A cute guy brought up the breakfast I ordered earlier. He was *really* cute! I wish I had asked if I could take his picture. I just don't know what reason to give. I hope I run into him again (if I manage to venture out of my room!) and take photos of him in secret. LOL!
Man, I'm hungry.
I created a photo set for Hyderabad in Flickr. The photos that are up were taken in Changi and some are pictures of my hotel room. Hehe! Just keep checking my photostream for updates.
Man, I'm hungry.
I created a photo set for Hyderabad in Flickr. The photos that are up were taken in Changi and some are pictures of my hotel room. Hehe! Just keep checking my photostream for updates.
Finished socks
I finished my mom's socks about a week and a half ago.
She wants more! LOL She also asked that I make one for my dad.
I'm so happy I finished the socks. This is only my third finished knit object. Hee hee.
She wants more! LOL She also asked that I make one for my dad.
I'm so happy I finished the socks. This is only my third finished knit object. Hee hee.
Hello from Hyderabad, India!
Yes, friends, I am in Hyderabad.
I am holed up in my room enjoying air-conditioning. It looks to be quite hot outside, just judging by how bright the sun is.
I am staying at the Ista Hotel in Gachibowli. While my room isn't as big as what I'm used to when I go on a business trip to the US, it *is* pretty nice. I just discovered a couple minutes ago that the TV automatically mutes when you are on the phone (room landline)! How cool is that? I've never been in a hotel where they had that feature. Amazing!
I don't feel too good, though. It may be because of all the coughing and sneezing at the boarding area last night in Changi airport, while I was waiting to board the flight to Hyderabad. I am ordering breakfast in the room because I don't feel too well to go downstairs to get breakfast.
Today I have to call my teammate to tell him what time is okay to start tomorrow. Yes, my teammates are all meeting me tomorrow here at my hotel and they are going to take me around the city! I am so excited about this! Then I have to call the travel agency to ask them to have someone from their company come over so I can change US dollars to India rupees. I had US$100 changed in Changi last night so I have money to pay for the cab. The exchange rate was INR41 to US$1 so I got INR4100. I'm missing INR600, if we are to go by the going exchange rate. But 41 to a US$1 is still a pretty good deal I would say. Not like when I changed US$1000 to Euros in Schiphol. I only got around 600 Euros for US$1000. Can you believe that?!
I am waiting for breakfast while typing up this post. I should try to remove the SD card from my mobile phone so I can use my card reader to download pics. Windows sucks in that I can't use the bluetooth to connect to the phone and browse the SD card. Sucks! That's one of the things I love about my Mac---it lets me connect wirelessly to devices and browse its contents. The annoying thing with my phone (a Nokia 6700 classic) is that the SD card is a pain to take out! I think the probability of me taking off a fingernail is higher than getting the damn card out.
I am holed up in my room enjoying air-conditioning. It looks to be quite hot outside, just judging by how bright the sun is.
I am staying at the Ista Hotel in Gachibowli. While my room isn't as big as what I'm used to when I go on a business trip to the US, it *is* pretty nice. I just discovered a couple minutes ago that the TV automatically mutes when you are on the phone (room landline)! How cool is that? I've never been in a hotel where they had that feature. Amazing!
I don't feel too good, though. It may be because of all the coughing and sneezing at the boarding area last night in Changi airport, while I was waiting to board the flight to Hyderabad. I am ordering breakfast in the room because I don't feel too well to go downstairs to get breakfast.
Today I have to call my teammate to tell him what time is okay to start tomorrow. Yes, my teammates are all meeting me tomorrow here at my hotel and they are going to take me around the city! I am so excited about this! Then I have to call the travel agency to ask them to have someone from their company come over so I can change US dollars to India rupees. I had US$100 changed in Changi last night so I have money to pay for the cab. The exchange rate was INR41 to US$1 so I got INR4100. I'm missing INR600, if we are to go by the going exchange rate. But 41 to a US$1 is still a pretty good deal I would say. Not like when I changed US$1000 to Euros in Schiphol. I only got around 600 Euros for US$1000. Can you believe that?!
I am waiting for breakfast while typing up this post. I should try to remove the SD card from my mobile phone so I can use my card reader to download pics. Windows sucks in that I can't use the bluetooth to connect to the phone and browse the SD card. Sucks! That's one of the things I love about my Mac---it lets me connect wirelessly to devices and browse its contents. The annoying thing with my phone (a Nokia 6700 classic) is that the SD card is a pain to take out! I think the probability of me taking off a fingernail is higher than getting the damn card out.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Socks for big people
I am knitting my mom a pair of socks!
I finished the first half very early this morning, around 4 a.m. I couldn't sleep so I thought I would just keep on working on the socks.
I am very excited about this! But I have to say, my hands hurt a bit with the repetitive knitting motion. My mom is excited, too! She was surprised when I made her fit the sock this morning. She probably did not think I would finish it. :-) Technically, I am *not* finished, but I am determined to see this through.
I finished the first half very early this morning, around 4 a.m. I couldn't sleep so I thought I would just keep on working on the socks.
I am very excited about this! But I have to say, my hands hurt a bit with the repetitive knitting motion. My mom is excited, too! She was surprised when I made her fit the sock this morning. She probably did not think I would finish it. :-) Technically, I am *not* finished, but I am determined to see this through.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
I made chocolate muffins!
They didn't look great but they tasted okay (I'm still debating on whether I should put up the one photo I took or not). I wasn't expecting it to taste super duper great since the mix I bought wasn't the best. It was a local el-cheapo mix that I thought I'd try. I just followed the instructions for muffins on the back of the box. When I poured in the mixture, I added Nutella to it. I think I should've melted the Nutella a bit so it swirled inside. Oh well. Better luck next time. Next time I'm going to mix my own batter instead of getting the ready mix ones. And then I'm going to melt the Nutella a bit to make it more like chocolate syrup. :-D Can't wait to do that!
But first, I really gotta buy my mom better bakeware. The lack of nice bakeware in our house is frustrating!
But first, I really gotta buy my mom better bakeware. The lack of nice bakeware in our house is frustrating!
I feel like doing something, but what?
I was supposed to have gone to a wedding today but I skipped. I'm not particularly close to the person getting married and I have no doubts about not being missed. I also do not feel like getting dolled up and enduring making small talk with people I often see at work. I'll see them again at work on Monday so I doubt I'll be missing anything.
I feel like going out today, though. I want to go to the mall to get a gift for my friend (who's been my friend since college) who is celebrating her 30th birthday tomorrow. I'm not sure what to give her. I'm thinking about buying a book, but we'll see.
There's also the matter of just going out to get coffee and cupcakes, people-watch, and knit. I really also want to get a couple of local yarns to knit into decorations for our Christmas tree. I want to put up a Christmas tree this year. We totally did away with decorations last year because my mom, sister, and I were too lazy. But my mom and I were talking yesterday about re-arranging the furniture in the living area to free up some space and get some areas cleaned, and hopefully we'll have room to put the tree in.
Last night my mom and I also talked about what we're preparing for Christmas eve dinner. We both want to keep it low-key and stress-free. And so we've come up with the following food to serve on Christmas eve:
*****
I'm kind of torn between using electronic devices to keep notes and using pen and paper. I have an E2 Tungsten that Robert gave me when we were still together. I have not been using it at all. I also bought this notepad from Barns and Noble a couple years back and it has since been gathering dust in my cabinet. Let's not even get into my cell phone that is a smart phone and you can use it to keep notes as well.
When I think about going electronic, I think about how it's a pain to keep the item charged. I mean, it has to have power so you can use it. But what's nice about electronic devices is you don't need other lighting to use it because it has its own lighting. If I go with pen and paper, I can't write in the dark.
*****
Where am I going with this post anyway?!
Nowhere, it seems. I just want to "talk". And Plurk is dead-zone land today what with the North Americans sleeping, and my European friends sleeping or working.
I feel like going out today, though. I want to go to the mall to get a gift for my friend (who's been my friend since college) who is celebrating her 30th birthday tomorrow. I'm not sure what to give her. I'm thinking about buying a book, but we'll see.
There's also the matter of just going out to get coffee and cupcakes, people-watch, and knit. I really also want to get a couple of local yarns to knit into decorations for our Christmas tree. I want to put up a Christmas tree this year. We totally did away with decorations last year because my mom, sister, and I were too lazy. But my mom and I were talking yesterday about re-arranging the furniture in the living area to free up some space and get some areas cleaned, and hopefully we'll have room to put the tree in.
Last night my mom and I also talked about what we're preparing for Christmas eve dinner. We both want to keep it low-key and stress-free. And so we've come up with the following food to serve on Christmas eve:
- Hotdog cocktails—We plan to go to a deli to get cold cuts to use with the hotdog cocktails and some yummy cheese!
- Lumpiang shanghai—I think this is what other people call spring rolls?
- Fresh lumpia—fresh spring rolls as opposed to fried
- Pancit
- Margarita—drinks for the girls (water for the boys haha!)
*****
I'm kind of torn between using electronic devices to keep notes and using pen and paper. I have an E2 Tungsten that Robert gave me when we were still together. I have not been using it at all. I also bought this notepad from Barns and Noble a couple years back and it has since been gathering dust in my cabinet. Let's not even get into my cell phone that is a smart phone and you can use it to keep notes as well.
When I think about going electronic, I think about how it's a pain to keep the item charged. I mean, it has to have power so you can use it. But what's nice about electronic devices is you don't need other lighting to use it because it has its own lighting. If I go with pen and paper, I can't write in the dark.
*****
Where am I going with this post anyway?!
Nowhere, it seems. I just want to "talk". And Plurk is dead-zone land today what with the North Americans sleeping, and my European friends sleeping or working.
Monday, October 5, 2009
First knit sock!
OMG, I was able to knit my very first sock!
Pattern: Just Your Basic Baby Sock by Patti Pierce Stone
Yes, it's just a sock. LOL.
You see, I'm planning to send knitted Christmas items to some friends so I tried to see if I could follow a sock pattern. Thankfully, someone in Ravelry put up a free pattern for a baby sock! It was easy to follow---just as soon as I had figured out what to do after googling for videos of sock knitting. I made a few boo boos during the course of following the pattern because I had never knitted using DPNs before. The videos I googled helped a lot and it became very easy after that.
I also lucked out on the kitchener stitch. I followed a written tutorial (without practicing!) and just did it! I'm not sure it came out the way it's supposed to, but, heck, who cares?!
I also want to show you the hole in the gusset that I forgot to close after I weaved in the loose end.
Pattern: Just Your Basic Baby Sock by Patti Pierce Stone
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Cheesecake!
I don't know what happened but I've been into cheesecakes lately. I'm still very particular about how it should taste like, meaning I don't want my cheesecakes to taste like the cheese you use when making cheese sandwiches. Ugh.
Anyway, I've been following a blog called Bake at 350, and she posted a recipe for a no-bake freezer cheesecake. I am so going to make this!!!
I also shouldn't forget that I want to make snickerdoodles. Rho (an NFF*) talked about it in Plurk and shared a recipe from Martha Stewart's website. I so cannot wait to make this cookie!
Wish me luck!
*NFF: new-found friend
I ❤ Burt Bacharach
I've been listening to his songs whenever my dad plays them but I never bothered to find out who composed it/sang it until this afternoon.
I was rolling some bilo bilo for guinataan that my mother's making when I heard "This Guy's in Love with You" playing.
I can't get it out of my head. I wanna head outside and sing it in karaoke.
Just look at him. He may be old and he probably has trouble playing, but he still ends up playing it so well. I love it!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how much I love it except by plastering this post with a lot of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!
Can I also just say he looks so damn good? He's super sexy for an old dude. And look at the Japanese girl, she looks just about ready to swoon or drop dead at Burt's sexy feet.
This Guy's in Love with You
by Burt Bacharach
You see this guy
This guy's in love with you
Yes, I'm in love
Who looks at you the way I do
When you smile I can tell
We know each other very well
How can I show you I'm glad
I got to know you, 'cause:
I've heard some talk
They say you think I'm fine
Yes, I'm in love
And what I'd do to make you mine,
Tell me now, is it so?
Don't let me be the last to know.
My hands are shaking
Don't let my heart keep breaking, 'cause
I need your love
I want your love
Say you're in love
In love with this guy,
If not I'll just die.
I was rolling some bilo bilo for guinataan that my mother's making when I heard "This Guy's in Love with You" playing.
I can't get it out of my head. I wanna head outside and sing it in karaoke.
Just look at him. He may be old and he probably has trouble playing, but he still ends up playing it so well. I love it!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how much I love it except by plastering this post with a lot of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!
Can I also just say he looks so damn good? He's super sexy for an old dude. And look at the Japanese girl, she looks just about ready to swoon or drop dead at Burt's sexy feet.
This Guy's in Love with You
by Burt Bacharach
You see this guy
This guy's in love with you
Yes, I'm in love
Who looks at you the way I do
When you smile I can tell
We know each other very well
How can I show you I'm glad
I got to know you, 'cause:
I've heard some talk
They say you think I'm fine
Yes, I'm in love
And what I'd do to make you mine,
Tell me now, is it so?
Don't let me be the last to know.
My hands are shaking
Don't let my heart keep breaking, 'cause
I need your love
I want your love
Say you're in love
In love with this guy,
If not I'll just die.
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