Year: 2013

A long time coming

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SO, that was probably my longest hiatus from WordPress thus far. In the four months I’ve been AWOL, I: suffered a wisdom tooth extraction — and consequently, lost five pounds. started contributing articles to a local website, Kristn.com (check out my latest article about my trip to Siem Reap) got a part-time gig editing — guess what? — thesis and dissertation abstracts (I. KNOW.) traveled to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore — where I managed to watch The Killers perform at the SG Grand Prix (for cheap!) underwent testing for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome — which turned out to be negative (thank God!!!) joined and won NaNoWriMo 2013, continuing with the same plot I used last year (and still haven’t finished -_-) was beset by freaking GERD again — and still am, at this moment :(( finished the first draft and initial edit of my first manuscript. FINALLY! I won’t go into those in detail, even though my multiple trips to medical practitioners could fill an entire post. Suffice it to say that I pray 2014 will be …

Meet Jen Horn, Nomad Manager

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People have different reasons for traveling. Some do it for the fun and excitement, others, for the shopping, still others, to learn and explore. Then there are those who go for the escape—to find something more. Jen Horn has experienced traveling for most of the reasons above, but it was only last year that she crossed the final one off her list. After deciding to take a hiatus from the company that she co-founded, Jen took off on a solo trip that spanned several countries in South and Southeast Asia. Armed only with her trusty backpack, an ancient BlackBerry and an open mind, she challenged the traditional Pinoy belief that it isn’t safe for women to travel alone. Two and a half months later, she came home with a renewed spirit and went on to pursue the idea that had been germinating in her head. Today, her brainchild, Muni PH, has already gained recognition for its environmental campaigns and promotion of local culture and arts, and Jen’s only getting started. Here’s a little peek into …

Because you’ll never go wrong with a classic

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Taking a break from my usual coffee fare to indulge in an old favorite. No one does hot chocolate quite like Starbucks–it’s just the right amount of sweetness with those oh-so-delightful shavings (or chunks?) of chocolate. Even with non-fat milk and “light” whip (supposedly), it’s the perfect treat after a week with a stuffy nose. Now I feel like cozying up with a favorite blanket while listening to the rain pour outside. ❤ (Unfortunately, it's still quite warm where I am; thus, the 'over ice').

Coffee’s Tale

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*I wrote this entry last July 4, but didn’t post it then because my sister didn’t know until Sunday that our dog was shaved. Forgive the rambling. A few days ago, our dog went to the pet spa kicking and howling, and came home two hours later bald and defeated. Our dog is a Siberian husky, turned six last June, and is the prince of the house. He has doors opened for him, owns his personal electric fan, and he stays in air-conditioned rooms longer than most of us do. We named him Coffee, after the family favorite beverage, and only because the name Cappuccino–Cino, for short–ended with the syllable “no”. According to the dog trainer, that would be negative reinforcement. Or some other psychological mumbo jumbo.

Saint’s Alp Teahouse

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While coffee might not be the first thing you’ll think of when you say Saint’s Alp Teahouse, it definitely shouldn’t be overlooked. Call me weird for ordering coffee in a self-proclaimed teahouse, but Saint’s Alp has become one of my go-to places for good, reasonably priced coffee. (Besides, I hate tea.) Saint’s Alp Teahouse is a Hong Kong-based chain that boasts of authentic Taiwanese dishes aside from its popular teas. I’ve never actually tried the food there, though, save for one of their pastry bars. I just go there for their coffee.

Starbucks Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino

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Yessiree, today’s the day! I woke up extra early to finally apply for my Social Security I.D. card, a process that took me about an hour. Surprising–in a good way–considering the other stories I’ve heard. As a reward to ourselves for completing our morning agenda, my mom and I stopped by Starbucks on the way home. She knew that I’d been waiting for this new drink, and since she was a fan of Dark Mocha Frappuccino, she was happy to oblige my requested pit stop. One of the first things that I noticed when I approached the counter was the announcement about the buy one, take one promo for the new drinks from 2 to 5 pm today. Of course, my initial reaction was: “Dang, should I just come back later?” (That was past nine in the morning). Then I figured it was too much effort. Besides, I wasn’t about to drink two of those drinks in one day when I hadn’t even tried them to begin with! And there’s the GERD factor to consider. So …

To Making It to the Finish Line

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Last January first, I promised myself that this would be the year that I’ll finish and submit my first novel. You see, I’m pretty good about starting new things…it’s the part about finishing them that I can’t seem to get a hang of. I can’t count the number of notebooks and diaries I have that are half-full of ramblings and chapters of different stories that have since then been left unresolved. The finishing part also applies to the actual notebooks themselves–sometimes I get tired of a specific notebook and switch to another one even when there are still a lot of clean pages remaining. I know. Deplorable. Thankfully, I’ve switched to Evernote since getting a smartphone so there’s no need to waste any more paper. Anyway, the reason for this post is that I now have four–FOUR!–unfinished novels sitting pretty in my laptop. The first of the bunch, the story of Matty and Ty, was the one I started last NaNoWriMo and was what I was supposed to finish this year. Then I joined this …

Achievements and Rewards: SBC Sea Salt Caramel Javakula

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Achievements Unlocked: Complete Feature Writing Workshop Revised resume Started Zumba-ing again Went to the dentist Yes, I do consider going to the dentist an achievement. I’ve mentioned my fears of hospitals before, but I don’t know if I included dentists there. I do have my reasons to dread dentists, count ’em: two tooth extractions in preparation for my braces, braces for almost four years, one surgery to remove an impacted wisdom tooth, one root canal which led to one apicoectomy (but not before I had one heck of a swollen upper palate–I’ve got pictures but I’ll spare you the sight of ’em). Toss in a gross number of cavities, and you’ll understand my trauma. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of that, it’s that I shouldn’t delay going to the dentist when I feel something aching–though surprise, surprise, I still delayed it this time. I finally sucked it up and went earlier this afternoon. My appointment took two hours, and it involved a dental cleaning, five new pastas–and I don’t mean the delicious Italian kind–and …

Things that made me smile

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So I had this whole serious blog post planned for tonight, but since my eyes are bugging the heck out of me (time to visit the doctor again for my abnormally dry eyes), I’ll keep this short and sweet. Here are two things I spotted in Makati today that made me smile. Should you even be surprised that both of them have something to do with coffee? I don’t think so. One of the things that made my day–a photo teaser of Starbucks’ third quarter feature drink: Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding. The white chocolate bit alone’s enough to get me excited about this drink, and the dark mocha’s a plus. Not too sure about the pudding part, but I’m game to try unique coffee concoctions. Could this be the Frappuccino to restore my liking for blended coffee drinks? Watch out for my review next week! Monday  Tuesday can’t come soon enough ❤