There are a whole lot of lovely things I experienced along with extremely bad internet in almost every place I stayed, from Manila to Boracay.
The internet was below average at best and no matter whichever restaurant or bar of cafe I went to and connected to their local wife networks the speed was pretty sad and it was a fight to refresh and upload.
Having said that I found myself sleeping to random asmr sounds and I don't know whether I like it or not, also my right ear seems to have water stuck in which refuses to shake out.
Friday, 31 January 2020
Food situations
If you're a vegan, Philippines might be a bit of a challenge to travel through.
I ordered a spaghetti, the one out of the two options under the subheading vegan foods and there was chicken in it despite it saying vegan spaghetti.
On asking why there's chicken in vegan pasta the faces drew a blank, because what's the relation between chicken and vegan pasta really?
Okay.
I ordered a spaghetti, the one out of the two options under the subheading vegan foods and there was chicken in it despite it saying vegan spaghetti.
On asking why there's chicken in vegan pasta the faces drew a blank, because what's the relation between chicken and vegan pasta really?
Okay.
Thursday, 30 January 2020
Out and plans
This afternoon. 
I will be going to the beach again in the evening. Basically take in as much sea water as I possible can before leaving.
The thing is that almost all I tired will look the same after a point and damn I'm missing my little babies.
Dip baby dip
Just about ready to plunge in and enjoy the last couple days I have here before I go back to locking myself inside my house.
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
A bit about reality
If I didn't have my kitty cats back home I wouldn't have travelled to Shanghai during this mess of an outbreak right now.
My pets are the only reason imma brave it all but goddamn it I won't be leaving my house, not for a moment.
The offices are shut, the school holidays have been extended and rumours are that it's a leak from the virology institute in Wuhan where biological weapons were being developed.
Rumours are exactly that and I won't believe it until it's been proved but the fact is that this outbreak had happened in the mid of December last year and no one said anything about it.
Why?
Now an entire city of 5 crore people is in lockdown and the foreigners are being airlifted by their countries.
India will be evacuating its residents too but I hope to heavens they will quarantine everyone before letting them out because almost everyone living in Wuhan is infected.
Anyone from that city who ever came in touch with anyone else outside the country infected that person and this is contagion level madness in how it's spreading.
Shanghai situation isn't grave (yet) but the paranoia has everyone in their grips.
The compound I live in isn't allowing anyone from outside to enter. No delivery people, no taxi's and one can only imagine how difficult it is going to get from here on.
The only thing to do is stock up on supplies and for me that also includes cat food and litter along with everything else.
Just writing about it makes me shudder.
Why did this have to happen?
My pets are the only reason imma brave it all but goddamn it I won't be leaving my house, not for a moment.
The offices are shut, the school holidays have been extended and rumours are that it's a leak from the virology institute in Wuhan where biological weapons were being developed.
Rumours are exactly that and I won't believe it until it's been proved but the fact is that this outbreak had happened in the mid of December last year and no one said anything about it.
Why?
Now an entire city of 5 crore people is in lockdown and the foreigners are being airlifted by their countries.
India will be evacuating its residents too but I hope to heavens they will quarantine everyone before letting them out because almost everyone living in Wuhan is infected.
Anyone from that city who ever came in touch with anyone else outside the country infected that person and this is contagion level madness in how it's spreading.
Shanghai situation isn't grave (yet) but the paranoia has everyone in their grips.
The compound I live in isn't allowing anyone from outside to enter. No delivery people, no taxi's and one can only imagine how difficult it is going to get from here on.
The only thing to do is stock up on supplies and for me that also includes cat food and litter along with everything else.
Just writing about it makes me shudder.
Why did this have to happen?
Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Morningthings
This Is a bunch of people going for scuba diving.
Some good some bad food experiences
Literally everywhere I've visited, specifically nations that have zero to none veg dishes on their menu, from Japan to Korea to Vietnam have happily circumvented their set menu and created something easy by either replacing the meat protein with tofu or making something absolutely new by altering the meat broth with seaweed and mushrooms to come up with a something more vegan friendly, but not here. No sir!
They are very set and absolutely stubborn in what and how they make it and any expectations regarding just omitting the dead items on their dishes is an absolute no go, almost everywhere which creates a few problems.
I have stuck to eating only and only clams, mussels, oysters and though some places I can get by with a few seafood items in their default food most places that have meat galore I try to avoid and so lunches are in places where I can eat my weight in clams and oysters and dinners are mostly Italian places where others can eat something too.
Phew I tell you.
Me miss
Is it strange that I'm missing my little babies back home and all the free time I spend at looking at my little cats through the camera.
I miss them and I'm happy and so very lucky to have a friend who agreed to become a cat sitter for some extra cash which she wants to donate to animal shelter.
That kind of idea I can get behind and she is a good cat sitter too.
My little felines look fattened and happy.
Sighs.
I miss them and I'm happy and so very lucky to have a friend who agreed to become a cat sitter for some extra cash which she wants to donate to animal shelter.
That kind of idea I can get behind and she is a good cat sitter too.
My little felines look fattened and happy.
Sighs.
A few things and today
This morning as I sit for breakfast and stare at the sea, deciding on all the activities I might go for. 
I want to do a bit of snorkelling, the coral reefs are wonderful I hear, some suggest a bit of cliff diving but I'm not in the mood to jump from heights into water. Who knows my mood might change and I might dive after all but the changes look bleak because I'm going through a moment of happy neck and there's no way I'm going to jeopardise it.
The doctor told me to do a lot of floating, which is to just stare up at the sky and float and pretend to be a flotsam and that has helped me so much and so perhaps I will try and stick to the regime and snorkel, but not for long. Maybe just float a lot.
Monday, 27 January 2020
Sunday, 26 January 2020
Night on the Beach
Once out of your respective hotel/shack/resort all you've to do is walk straight in either direction and there's only light and music and food. That in essence is Boracay each night. Lovely night and mornings..well..I shall report tomorrow .
Saturday, 25 January 2020
Lost ones
There's a long list of posts that just didn't make it to my blog last night.
Life , such as it is.
Perhaps I can post only two pics at a time.
Life , such as it is.
Perhaps I can post only two pics at a time.
Friday, 24 January 2020
Thursday, 23 January 2020
Bits and bobs
Today started somewhere late. Much after 3 in the pm because for one sleep was needed and then it took a while to get ready and jettison out but once out I've only just returned and to say that it was lovely out today would be pretty much accurate.
The weather was pleasant, the people are lovely, the place is gorgeous with its own pockets of what on earth much like every city in developing world but overall it was fabulous, but Manila!! What is up with you traffic?
The traffic alone was the most perilous and time consuming chapter of today and I don't know how one can circumvent that issue.
The traffic is insane and exhausting.
Life here starts pretty early.
The town was buzzing with activity a little after 6 in the morning and shops were opened and everyone was out and about while I sat in the hotel lobby surveying the area outside and realising that the hotel is bang opposite an unbelievably gargantuan and luxurious mall called 'greenbelt' with every luxury and designer brand under the sun along with many high street ones and hundreds of restaurants .
There is a bookstore I mean to visit tomorrow but yes, early morning and everyone is alive and shops shut business except the eateries and 7/11's by 20:30 max and it's amazing how soon it all suddenly went quiet.
Of course some glitzy areas will still be alive but for the most part the city shuts down early and wakes up much too early.
I visited an important park here, home to a monumental site of their national hero called 'Rizal' who was a physician and much like Filipino Bhagat Singh and the work was heavy with people and life .
Think India Gate only much greener.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with a
Mixed bag of sightseeing and shopping and I shall update .
The weather was pleasant, the people are lovely, the place is gorgeous with its own pockets of what on earth much like every city in developing world but overall it was fabulous, but Manila!! What is up with you traffic?
The traffic alone was the most perilous and time consuming chapter of today and I don't know how one can circumvent that issue.
The traffic is insane and exhausting.
Life here starts pretty early.
The town was buzzing with activity a little after 6 in the morning and shops were opened and everyone was out and about while I sat in the hotel lobby surveying the area outside and realising that the hotel is bang opposite an unbelievably gargantuan and luxurious mall called 'greenbelt' with every luxury and designer brand under the sun along with many high street ones and hundreds of restaurants .
There is a bookstore I mean to visit tomorrow but yes, early morning and everyone is alive and shops shut business except the eateries and 7/11's by 20:30 max and it's amazing how soon it all suddenly went quiet.
Of course some glitzy areas will still be alive but for the most part the city shuts down early and wakes up much too early.
I visited an important park here, home to a monumental site of their national hero called 'Rizal' who was a physician and much like Filipino Bhagat Singh and the work was heavy with people and life .
Think India Gate only much greener.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with a
Mixed bag of sightseeing and shopping and I shall update .
Bits and bobs
The weather was pleasant, the people are lovely, the place is gorgeous with its own pockets of what on earth much like every city in developing world but overall it was fabulous, but Manila!! What is up with you traffic?
The traffic alone was the most perilous and time consuming chapter of today and I don't know how one can circumvent that issue.
The traffic is insane and exhausting.
Life here starts pretty early.
The town was buzzing with activity a little after 6 in the morning and shops were opened and everyone was out and about while I sat in the hotel lobby surveying the area outside and realising that the hotel is bang opposite an unbelievably gargantuan and luxurious mall called 'greenbelt' with every luxury and designer brand under the sun along with many high street ones and hundreds of restaurants .
There is a bookstore I mean to visit tomorrow but yes, early morning and everyone is alive and shops shut business except the eateries and 7/11's by 20:30 max and it's amazing how soon it all suddenly went quiet.
Of course some glitzy areas will still be alive but for the most part the city shuts down early and wakes up much too early.
I visited an important park here, home to a monumental site of their national hero called 'Rizal' who was a physician and much like Filipino Bhagat Singh and the work was heavy with people and life .
Think India Gate only much greener.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with a
Mixed bag of sightseeing and shopping and I shall update .
Where art thou brain?
That Filipino word for thank you is Salamat it's not funny how often I have gotten startled and looked around.
Also, why am I sitting in the lobby of a hotel at 6:14 and waiting for a room to vacate?
Also, I have grown so absentminded that it's not funny .
I forgot my my detangling comb and also my wallet!
Yes I forgot to bring my wallet here, not that it matters because it's full of stuff that is of no use here but I do miss my cards that made personal transactions easier and for that I feel like kicking myself!
What is wrong with me?
How does someone forget something so basic and important?
I never included wallet in my checklist but seeing how I am prone to forget almost anything owing to my ever growing senility I am now going to update my checklist and repent for my foolishness.
I think I need to see a therapist .
My mind isn't where it should be. There is something subconsciously always playing inside my head .
Maybe I need to eat more almonds, maybe I should be more responsible which I thought I was but apparently not.
In Manila today and let's see what are some nice places to be around here.
Also, why am I sitting in the lobby of a hotel at 6:14 and waiting for a room to vacate?
Also, I have grown so absentminded that it's not funny .
I forgot my my detangling comb and also my wallet!
Yes I forgot to bring my wallet here, not that it matters because it's full of stuff that is of no use here but I do miss my cards that made personal transactions easier and for that I feel like kicking myself!
What is wrong with me?
How does someone forget something so basic and important?
I never included wallet in my checklist but seeing how I am prone to forget almost anything owing to my ever growing senility I am now going to update my checklist and repent for my foolishness.
I think I need to see a therapist .
My mind isn't where it should be. There is something subconsciously always playing inside my head .
Maybe I need to eat more almonds, maybe I should be more responsible which I thought I was but apparently not.
In Manila today and let's see what are some nice places to be around here.
Wednesday, 22 January 2020
Virus
Morning and a peek out of the window reflects the level of panic and concern that has spread in regards to the latest virus which has gripped China.
Everyone outside is either wearing recommended precautionary mask or lining up outside a pharmacy to buy it but these masks are now in short supply and in fact almost no pharmacy is carrying them anymore because they've all been sold out.
Reminds me of the movie Contagion somehow.
I have to travel tonight and will be in one of the busiest airports in the world where who knows how many people traveling from god knows where will be converging and I am glad that I have two masks on my person because it's the thought of being in a very heavily populated area that concerns me.
This entire episode started from Wuhan..a place not very far from where I used to once live and now there is mass quarantine being carried out through the region in every place of migration.
Temperature screens have been set up everywhere and this is a bad time because the Chinese New Years is the largest human migration in the world and people from the entire country travel great distances to be with family or make travel plans.
I am successfully keeping myself isolated and hopefully this situation will soon get better or at the very least a solution to this will soon be upon us.
Here is hoping.
Everyone outside is either wearing recommended precautionary mask or lining up outside a pharmacy to buy it but these masks are now in short supply and in fact almost no pharmacy is carrying them anymore because they've all been sold out.
Reminds me of the movie Contagion somehow.
I have to travel tonight and will be in one of the busiest airports in the world where who knows how many people traveling from god knows where will be converging and I am glad that I have two masks on my person because it's the thought of being in a very heavily populated area that concerns me.
This entire episode started from Wuhan..a place not very far from where I used to once live and now there is mass quarantine being carried out through the region in every place of migration.
Temperature screens have been set up everywhere and this is a bad time because the Chinese New Years is the largest human migration in the world and people from the entire country travel great distances to be with family or make travel plans.
I am successfully keeping myself isolated and hopefully this situation will soon get better or at the very least a solution to this will soon be upon us.
Here is hoping.
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Gallivanting
Sometimes I like to think
that perhaps my plants recognise me
when I water them
and wipe their leaves
and maybe even thank me
with their roots
for feeding them
or maybe not
because I always try to smile
when I greet them
you never know
what might offend someone
or maybe if I upset them
perhaps they'll stop blossoming
or looking as vivid
who knows.
that perhaps my plants recognise me
when I water them
and wipe their leaves
and maybe even thank me
with their roots
for feeding them
or maybe not
because I always try to smile
when I greet them
you never know
what might offend someone
or maybe if I upset them
perhaps they'll stop blossoming
or looking as vivid
who knows.
On the face
And you darling
with those guiltless eyes
and unstained smile
Going about your life
in pursuit of both mundane and extraordinary
with those guiltless eyes
and unstained smile
Going about your life
in pursuit of both mundane and extraordinary
Anger mode
I tried to gather the floor
in my fists
by the stubborn tiles
they wouldn't budge
so I rolled a dish cloth
into my fist
and flung it in the air
to let out some steam
in my fists
by the stubborn tiles
they wouldn't budge
so I rolled a dish cloth
into my fist
and flung it in the air
to let out some steam
Hunger and thoughts
This is such an uneven time to feel hungry because it's just been a couple hours since lunch and dinner is still a few hours away and it's not even 4 pm when I usually have some tea and right now I'm not just hungry but ravenous .
Maybe I can make some popcorn.
I think have some kernels which maybe I will pop in a hot pan and add some seasoning and make it spicy and yummy or maybe I should just forget about it and get on with packing, speaking of which is the room warm yet?
Maybe I can make some popcorn.
I think have some kernels which maybe I will pop in a hot pan and add some seasoning and make it spicy and yummy or maybe I should just forget about it and get on with packing, speaking of which is the room warm yet?
Suitcase up
Who me?
Trying to avoid and procrastinating packing for the travel tomorrow because packing is just such a painfully long and boring process but I've to do it, only the point is when? Cuz not right now.
But soon maybe.
Let me start with heating the room where I'm going to pack.
Trying to avoid and procrastinating packing for the travel tomorrow because packing is just such a painfully long and boring process but I've to do it, only the point is when? Cuz not right now.
But soon maybe.
Let me start with heating the room where I'm going to pack.
What has tea got to do with it?
The only thing I'm possibly not allergic to up till now is air and it's only a matter of time now .
Over the time I have realized how much we are affected by the things we put into our bodies. From something complex like fast foods to something as simple as tea and this is what has been happening for a while now.
Many a times there would be moments in my day, sometimes few and far in between, sometimes regularly that I'd become extremely stressed, anxious, upset to the point of nausea and heartburn and feel absolutely cynical and resentful and on the precipice of meltdown and often times I'd just begin crying.
I often thought I was depressed but the feeling would dissolve in a bit and I'd be alright and in fact even forget about that awful moment when I randomly started crying while cooking food.
It was odd that mostly these moments of extreme sadness and hurt came in the evening and by the time I sat down for dinner they'd dissipate.
Almost every time that I went through something like this I'd immediately blame the cup of coffee I had which sometimes can upset the stomach and give heartburn resulting in mild nausea and shortness of breath, symptoms of acid overload in the system and I'd immediately go on a caffeine purge for weeks which is why over the time I have started drinking a much milder version of coffee or just avoiding it completely on days that I feel unwell but this utterly black void of a mood sometimes overshadowed my evenings completely and I couldn't for the life of me understand what was depressing me.
Yesterday while I went about cooking food in the evening, the same feeling which I can only explain as a sudden eruption of an extremely dark cloud bursting into a tirade of dark thoughts and sinking feeling began thrusting my totally normal mood into a very hurtful place and I remember turning off the flame and sitting on the floor and crying.
The only time I surfaced up, trying to breathe and hold back my nausea was to sip some tea from my large mug in which I'd steeped some absolutely luscious rooibos tea.
Which is why it was strange that I kept feeling dehydrated and out of breath, my heart palpitations were screaming, my pulse shooting over 120 I and wanted to kick myself for drinking some coffee in the afternoon, but then something clicked and I realized that I'd been feeling absolutely fine after the coffee and it had no ill effects on me and that I'd been feeling this way only the past fifteen minutes, ever since I started drinking my favourite rooibos tea.
What on earth.
I staggered to my diary where I log my daily health and meals and everyday that I'd written about going through depression, mood swings, upset mood and meltdowns were the days I'd drank Rooibos tea.
In fact I'd regularly gone through this mood during days of caffeine purge when I was drinking more of non caffeinated teas because rooibos was my tea of choice.
I could not believe it.
I would not believe it.
I stared at the pack of 60 I'd bought yesterday from the imported goods shop and wanted to tell myself differently.
Half an hour later I was fine and my mood was much better.
I had mascara tracks running done my cheeks from mindless crying for no reason and my heartbeat felt it was coming back to normal.
This is silly I'd thought.
A non caffeinated tea made from some shrubs, full of antioxidants and what not can't do this to anyone and I looked up the Internet to reiterate my foolish thoughts except the Internet very precisely mentioned every symptom I suffered for anyone who was allergic to rooibos tea.
So there was such a thing as tea allergy!
I have been allergic to this tea, my absolute favourite for which I have often raved on the blog and it was harming me every time I drank it and I didn't even realize it.
The tea is since packed to be given away to someone who'd be able to reap its benefits better than me and it's sad that in my long list of allergens I've had to add rooibos tea as well.
Oh the things we learn.
Of all my mindfulness and careful planning and eating and drinking only the best for me I was duped by a tea..and one of my favourite ones at that.
Perhaps oolong tea is all I'll stick to apart from the usual black milk tea I have each morning.
Sighs.
Over the time I have realized how much we are affected by the things we put into our bodies. From something complex like fast foods to something as simple as tea and this is what has been happening for a while now.
Many a times there would be moments in my day, sometimes few and far in between, sometimes regularly that I'd become extremely stressed, anxious, upset to the point of nausea and heartburn and feel absolutely cynical and resentful and on the precipice of meltdown and often times I'd just begin crying.
I often thought I was depressed but the feeling would dissolve in a bit and I'd be alright and in fact even forget about that awful moment when I randomly started crying while cooking food.
It was odd that mostly these moments of extreme sadness and hurt came in the evening and by the time I sat down for dinner they'd dissipate.
Almost every time that I went through something like this I'd immediately blame the cup of coffee I had which sometimes can upset the stomach and give heartburn resulting in mild nausea and shortness of breath, symptoms of acid overload in the system and I'd immediately go on a caffeine purge for weeks which is why over the time I have started drinking a much milder version of coffee or just avoiding it completely on days that I feel unwell but this utterly black void of a mood sometimes overshadowed my evenings completely and I couldn't for the life of me understand what was depressing me.
Yesterday while I went about cooking food in the evening, the same feeling which I can only explain as a sudden eruption of an extremely dark cloud bursting into a tirade of dark thoughts and sinking feeling began thrusting my totally normal mood into a very hurtful place and I remember turning off the flame and sitting on the floor and crying.
The only time I surfaced up, trying to breathe and hold back my nausea was to sip some tea from my large mug in which I'd steeped some absolutely luscious rooibos tea.
Which is why it was strange that I kept feeling dehydrated and out of breath, my heart palpitations were screaming, my pulse shooting over 120 I and wanted to kick myself for drinking some coffee in the afternoon, but then something clicked and I realized that I'd been feeling absolutely fine after the coffee and it had no ill effects on me and that I'd been feeling this way only the past fifteen minutes, ever since I started drinking my favourite rooibos tea.
What on earth.
I staggered to my diary where I log my daily health and meals and everyday that I'd written about going through depression, mood swings, upset mood and meltdowns were the days I'd drank Rooibos tea.
In fact I'd regularly gone through this mood during days of caffeine purge when I was drinking more of non caffeinated teas because rooibos was my tea of choice.
I could not believe it.
I would not believe it.
I stared at the pack of 60 I'd bought yesterday from the imported goods shop and wanted to tell myself differently.
Half an hour later I was fine and my mood was much better.
I had mascara tracks running done my cheeks from mindless crying for no reason and my heartbeat felt it was coming back to normal.
This is silly I'd thought.
A non caffeinated tea made from some shrubs, full of antioxidants and what not can't do this to anyone and I looked up the Internet to reiterate my foolish thoughts except the Internet very precisely mentioned every symptom I suffered for anyone who was allergic to rooibos tea.
So there was such a thing as tea allergy!
I have been allergic to this tea, my absolute favourite for which I have often raved on the blog and it was harming me every time I drank it and I didn't even realize it.
The tea is since packed to be given away to someone who'd be able to reap its benefits better than me and it's sad that in my long list of allergens I've had to add rooibos tea as well.
Oh the things we learn.
Of all my mindfulness and careful planning and eating and drinking only the best for me I was duped by a tea..and one of my favourite ones at that.
Perhaps oolong tea is all I'll stick to apart from the usual black milk tea I have each morning.
Sighs.
Monday, 20 January 2020
Tat
I mean what the actual hell? 
Look at Abhishek's tattoo on his neck.
This is some low rent prison art parody except it's supposed to be legit.
Today an essay
To say that my day started with a lazy whimper and escalated into a full on atomic explosion would only be a mild overstatement because one moment I was doing crunches with little plans for the day ahead except getting on with my drawing and the other I was lunching, caffeinating, shopping and socialising right into sunset.
That I had the hindsight to make some bread dough before leaving house was only a miraculous afterthought to dreaming of pizza's all night and all thanks to that I am now in the process of making some pizza sauce because dinner tonight is pizza, albeit homemade but still.
The only setback today was that I couldn't finish my workout because right in the middle of it I had company in the form of friends who had been trying to get in touch with me all morning and my phone was somewhere in the creases of my bed.
That they thought it best to come over and drag me out in person was extremely infuriating but one has little choice in such matters when said friends can't stop raving about a hot pot restaurant that has been raved to them for a while and now want to check it out because that is what one usually does on a Monday, right?
I have still to finish my exercises I protested.
They agreed to watch and I lost the heart to continue and so a bit of a shower and some well formed curse words later I was beaming at a very small, local, almost grimy Chinese restaurant that served hot pot old school and that it was excellent would be only putting it mildly because I must have eaten my weight in veg and tofu.
That done, next step was the superstore because someone had to buy some specific cookies and by the heavens those specific box of cookies looked so alluring only because they were assorted macarons that everybody went ahead and bought it after which a newly opened Starbucks reserve roastery was visited because, well, people apparently like Starbucks and it's rude to protest in company especially when prevailing democracy is not in your favour and a quarter of a litre of Nicaraguan Chemex brewed coffee (surprisingly delicious) later we were shop hopping in specialty imported products stores which happen to line a particular area and though I went in with no agenda to buy anything I came back with a solid list of things I surprisingly really wanted, not needed..of course not.
Eco friendly plant based dishwasher anyone? How about some some cantuccini meant to be eaten with wine? And oh some goat milk soap and hand wash please, along with sliced sharp cheddar, manuka honey and assorted cookies to give as gifts to everyone whom I have to suddenly meet either for a small favour like moving their car or coffee.
Small things keep coming up you know.
Ok the way back, which was a long languorous wall of over 3 kms, vegetables were bought, familiar people walking their dogs were met and finally we all departed at the gates of the compound and now here I am stirring tomato sauce for pizza.
Alrighty then!!
That I had the hindsight to make some bread dough before leaving house was only a miraculous afterthought to dreaming of pizza's all night and all thanks to that I am now in the process of making some pizza sauce because dinner tonight is pizza, albeit homemade but still.
The only setback today was that I couldn't finish my workout because right in the middle of it I had company in the form of friends who had been trying to get in touch with me all morning and my phone was somewhere in the creases of my bed.
That they thought it best to come over and drag me out in person was extremely infuriating but one has little choice in such matters when said friends can't stop raving about a hot pot restaurant that has been raved to them for a while and now want to check it out because that is what one usually does on a Monday, right?
I have still to finish my exercises I protested.
They agreed to watch and I lost the heart to continue and so a bit of a shower and some well formed curse words later I was beaming at a very small, local, almost grimy Chinese restaurant that served hot pot old school and that it was excellent would be only putting it mildly because I must have eaten my weight in veg and tofu.
That done, next step was the superstore because someone had to buy some specific cookies and by the heavens those specific box of cookies looked so alluring only because they were assorted macarons that everybody went ahead and bought it after which a newly opened Starbucks reserve roastery was visited because, well, people apparently like Starbucks and it's rude to protest in company especially when prevailing democracy is not in your favour and a quarter of a litre of Nicaraguan Chemex brewed coffee (surprisingly delicious) later we were shop hopping in specialty imported products stores which happen to line a particular area and though I went in with no agenda to buy anything I came back with a solid list of things I surprisingly really wanted, not needed..of course not.
Eco friendly plant based dishwasher anyone? How about some some cantuccini meant to be eaten with wine? And oh some goat milk soap and hand wash please, along with sliced sharp cheddar, manuka honey and assorted cookies to give as gifts to everyone whom I have to suddenly meet either for a small favour like moving their car or coffee.
Small things keep coming up you know.
Ok the way back, which was a long languorous wall of over 3 kms, vegetables were bought, familiar people walking their dogs were met and finally we all departed at the gates of the compound and now here I am stirring tomato sauce for pizza.
Alrighty then!!
Sunday, 19 January 2020
Nightkiss
You know I will let you
tread all over me
darling,
I'm your red carpet
a fabric of velvet
inlaid with gold
dusted with diamonds
a platinum note to my creases
and you have only
to glide all over
maybe lay down
and play within my folds
tread all over me
darling,
I'm your red carpet
a fabric of velvet
inlaid with gold
dusted with diamonds
a platinum note to my creases
and you have only
to glide all over
maybe lay down
and play within my folds
Stray bits
That time of the night
when a far away light
enters my silent room
bringing dread to gloom
and now it begins to fade
under a whiter shade
of a new lamp shining bright
when a far away light
enters my silent room
bringing dread to gloom
and now it begins to fade
under a whiter shade
of a new lamp shining bright
Fizzle sticks
The bones exploded into fertile soil for foundation of beautiful flowers that gave way to ugly trees and the mirth began in uproarious vulgar sign language that few could decipher and none could master.
Winks
Night,
only slightly less darker
than the screen
of a switched off television
asks me
to push its buttons
only slightly less darker
than the screen
of a switched off television
asks me
to push its buttons
YouTube says
The wonderful things YouTube throws at me.
I just got recommended a channel called Allblanc TV which is a bunch of Korean guys working out at home and it all looks pretty good, like the kind of exercise someone can actually do at home and they look both effective and helpful.
Definitely something I'd recommend if you're looking at doing home workouts that are extremely doable and as easy as they might make it seem the whole circuit is a definite sweatfest.
I just got recommended a channel called Allblanc TV which is a bunch of Korean guys working out at home and it all looks pretty good, like the kind of exercise someone can actually do at home and they look both effective and helpful.
Definitely something I'd recommend if you're looking at doing home workouts that are extremely doable and as easy as they might make it seem the whole circuit is a definite sweatfest.
And it was all yellow
Dinner is/was a vegan yellow Thai curry, though not absolutely authentic it was devastatingly delicious . 
Bye fangs
According to my shopping history 'apparently' I was suggested a 'psychic vampire repellant' to shop for, a sort of a spray to get rid of people with bad vibes and negative energy and it's sold by Gwyneth Paltrow's company called Goop which is basically based on a whole model of pseudoscience, but wait!
Why would I get suggested something so obviously idiotic??
I mean yes I was looking for some healing crystals but that was only out of curiosity not that I'd actually buy it but dear gods! My whole suggestion list has now gone berserk!
Oh come on.
Why would I get suggested something so obviously idiotic??
I mean yes I was looking for some healing crystals but that was only out of curiosity not that I'd actually buy it but dear gods! My whole suggestion list has now gone berserk!
Oh come on.
Dream on
Talking of dreams, mine got a little out of hand last night.
All night I was in some sort of a power battle with everyone and the way to get on top of the game was through menacing others by way snarling and growling like cats and by the heavens I was at the top of my game in it.
I growled and snarled my way to being the best until such time as I got into a fight with a woman at a clothes shop who snarled like a tiger and I inhaled all my lung power to growl at her and so terrible and terrific was my growl that I did not realise, as one doesn't in sleep that my menacing sounds had crossed realms and that I was screaming in sleep and it was loud enough to wake people who then shook me up to check if I was okay.
Dear gods! Of course I was okay but upon waking up and realising that I had actually been growling in real made me laugh so hard that I woke my cat.
I laughed and laughed and then slept and forgot all about it until now.
Hahaha but what the hell.
All night I was in some sort of a power battle with everyone and the way to get on top of the game was through menacing others by way snarling and growling like cats and by the heavens I was at the top of my game in it.
I growled and snarled my way to being the best until such time as I got into a fight with a woman at a clothes shop who snarled like a tiger and I inhaled all my lung power to growl at her and so terrible and terrific was my growl that I did not realise, as one doesn't in sleep that my menacing sounds had crossed realms and that I was screaming in sleep and it was loud enough to wake people who then shook me up to check if I was okay.
Dear gods! Of course I was okay but upon waking up and realising that I had actually been growling in real made me laugh so hard that I woke my cat.
I laughed and laughed and then slept and forgot all about it until now.
Hahaha but what the hell.
To do
It's a Sunday and would you believe that it's a working day in China because of the spring festival holidays just about the corner and so today I'm with myself and happily so if I might add because apart from the workout this morning there is absolutely nothing I am looking forward to doing today not even stepping out of the house despite it being sunny out, something of a miracle after almost a week of rains.
And so I shall listen to music, dance with my cats and trim the money plant.
And so I shall listen to music, dance with my cats and trim the money plant.
On Sunday
It was a sweatfest but I finally got around to doing HIIT, albeit 25 minutes of it and not all of it was extremely high intensity because there were some cardio only exercises but I feel good to have been able to do it with very few breaks and of course I'm a puddle of sweat but loving it and how. 
Saturday, 18 January 2020
Dichotomy
If I were bulimic I'd have started a mukbang channel by now. :(
If only I could eat and eat and not get fat!
I mean eat all that crazy beige coloured crunchy food and not get fat because my inner morbidly obese girl craves sodium drenched chips everyday, and as much as I like to think I would eat it every time it's not true because I can't.
Theoretically I would love to be that fried fiend but practically I'm unable to.
If only I could eat and eat and not get fat!
I mean eat all that crazy beige coloured crunchy food and not get fat because my inner morbidly obese girl craves sodium drenched chips everyday, and as much as I like to think I would eat it every time it's not true because I can't.
Theoretically I would love to be that fried fiend but practically I'm unable to.
Friday, 17 January 2020
Ding ding ding ding ding
Among the few things on my agenda today were listening to the new Korn album 'the nothing' once again because it's absolutely fantastic and I wish to do it justice, but seeing how today flared up from a tiny splash of morning to an explosion by daytime I found my edges frayed and now that I'm finally free it's too damn late but night is here and I am awake.
There is always that.
:)
There is always that.
:)
But I’m here
If I held the phone in my hand today it was but only for a few minutes because today menaced me with a voiceless threat to spill over into the weekend with all the things I had lined up to finish and that isn't something we can let happen now, can we?
The day began with me unable to throw away my warm duvet to exit the bed with the alarm uselessly chiming on one hand and my need to sleep some more triumphing with a winning deck of merciless unwillingness to do anything else but on the other, and so began Friday.
When I finally made my way to my phone after a whirlwind melange of chaotic energy which is needed to finish the chores each morning, the poor thing that is my phone was dead on account of not getting charged ever since it lost its usefulness last evening and so it lay forgotten.
I am, as you can understand going into a bit of an explanation as to why I posted absolutely nothing today.
Plugging the phone into the charger I got on about my routine forgetting all about it once again and seeing how today was also a recipe day I found myself suddenly remembering the phone's existence when it was time to click some pictures on it, as it is my wont to click a few pictures on the phone as well after having done so with the DSLR to correspond the recipes to their pictures so as not to have any gaps (just a method I work upon) which is when I saw a dozen notification from a friend asking me to come over for coffee and a chat.
Photography done..I changed and strutted to my friend's house for a cup of caffeine and to play with her numerous cats and it was only near 5 that I reached home.
As warm as the embrace of home is it also welcomes with a flurry of activities that need be immediately addressed like picking up a broken pot of sugar and vacuuming said sugar from the floor because the little cat somehow didn't see eye to eye with that piece of ceramic after which a chorus of meows indicated that food had to be shoveled into my cats' ever-expanding stomachs and the litter tray needed cleaning.
It was well past 6 by the time I was done and dinner loomed on the horizon.
What is a girl to do?
I am now two caipirinhas down and full of food which I didn't just graze but gobbled on and washed it all with vulgar amounts of chocolate and now my lord I am exhausted and slightly buzzed.
The day began with me unable to throw away my warm duvet to exit the bed with the alarm uselessly chiming on one hand and my need to sleep some more triumphing with a winning deck of merciless unwillingness to do anything else but on the other, and so began Friday.
When I finally made my way to my phone after a whirlwind melange of chaotic energy which is needed to finish the chores each morning, the poor thing that is my phone was dead on account of not getting charged ever since it lost its usefulness last evening and so it lay forgotten.
I am, as you can understand going into a bit of an explanation as to why I posted absolutely nothing today.
Plugging the phone into the charger I got on about my routine forgetting all about it once again and seeing how today was also a recipe day I found myself suddenly remembering the phone's existence when it was time to click some pictures on it, as it is my wont to click a few pictures on the phone as well after having done so with the DSLR to correspond the recipes to their pictures so as not to have any gaps (just a method I work upon) which is when I saw a dozen notification from a friend asking me to come over for coffee and a chat.
Photography done..I changed and strutted to my friend's house for a cup of caffeine and to play with her numerous cats and it was only near 5 that I reached home.
As warm as the embrace of home is it also welcomes with a flurry of activities that need be immediately addressed like picking up a broken pot of sugar and vacuuming said sugar from the floor because the little cat somehow didn't see eye to eye with that piece of ceramic after which a chorus of meows indicated that food had to be shoveled into my cats' ever-expanding stomachs and the litter tray needed cleaning.
It was well past 6 by the time I was done and dinner loomed on the horizon.
What is a girl to do?
I am now two caipirinhas down and full of food which I didn't just graze but gobbled on and washed it all with vulgar amounts of chocolate and now my lord I am exhausted and slightly buzzed.
Monday, 13 January 2020
That is fine
Me?
I travel everyday
into primrose realms
and muddy swamps
from a second of smile
to lingering moments of heartache
I travel everyday
into primrose realms
and muddy swamps
from a second of smile
to lingering moments of heartache
Unpromise
Just a moment after the height of blossoming
when the smell ripens to extra sweetness
we hope to preserve it a little longer
to persevere harder
To let the firmness of the leaves not begin to wilt
staving off the wrinkle to keep a glossy sheen
when the smell ripens to extra sweetness
we hope to preserve it a little longer
to persevere harder
To let the firmness of the leaves not begin to wilt
staving off the wrinkle to keep a glossy sheen
Retro crimes
Watching an 80's Hindi movie and looking at the costumes that have my head in a tizzy.
What are these blasphemies? What are these heinous atrocities committed on fabrics?
Why were men wearing sweaters all the time?
Puffed sleeves and shoulder pads that could serve an as a landing strip.
And what's with these hair? And the hair accessories at that?
Why?
What are these blasphemies? What are these heinous atrocities committed on fabrics?
Why were men wearing sweaters all the time?
Puffed sleeves and shoulder pads that could serve an as a landing strip.
And what's with these hair? And the hair accessories at that?
Why?
some updates
Is it evening already?
yes.
Time is not my friend seeing how it flew by.
It's already time to start thinking about dinner and of course, I don't think about it now a few moments before making it because I had thought of it last night just as I will think about all of tomorrow's meals today.
--
My cats have been asleep for hours now which means my night will be rather colourful.
-
I started with a new drawing today and the challenge is real.
Almost propped the easel on a pillow to get better leverage and angle but the damn thing kept slipping.
Need to come up with a more ergonomic way of dealing with it.
Okay then.
To the kitchen
yes.
Time is not my friend seeing how it flew by.
It's already time to start thinking about dinner and of course, I don't think about it now a few moments before making it because I had thought of it last night just as I will think about all of tomorrow's meals today.
--
My cats have been asleep for hours now which means my night will be rather colourful.
-
I started with a new drawing today and the challenge is real.
Almost propped the easel on a pillow to get better leverage and angle but the damn thing kept slipping.
Need to come up with a more ergonomic way of dealing with it.
Okay then.
To the kitchen
What the actual rubbish
Morning and I had an awful night not least because I was awake until 2 in the am talking to my cat who was a sleepy listener.
All this because I was foolish enough to keep drinking oolong tea until late evening because I'd forgotten that I am caffeine sensitive and that the tea in question is quite caffeinated and this thought didn't strike my until it was very late at night and I couldn't sleep.
Also in news is that there is a volcanic eruption in Philippines and Manila airport is shut down and I'm traveling there soon and by the heavens if this trip gets canned once again then it will be the second time that my trip to Philippines is cancelled which means that I am absolutely not fated to go there and I shan't make anymore plans.
This is upsetting and my morning is angry.
I shall now get on with my workout.
All this because I was foolish enough to keep drinking oolong tea until late evening because I'd forgotten that I am caffeine sensitive and that the tea in question is quite caffeinated and this thought didn't strike my until it was very late at night and I couldn't sleep.
Also in news is that there is a volcanic eruption in Philippines and Manila airport is shut down and I'm traveling there soon and by the heavens if this trip gets canned once again then it will be the second time that my trip to Philippines is cancelled which means that I am absolutely not fated to go there and I shan't make anymore plans.
This is upsetting and my morning is angry.
I shall now get on with my workout.
Saturday, 11 January 2020
Sordid good
It was either grape soda or Ramune and by the heavens it was a difficult fight but Ramune won and this is my first soda after maybe half a year and the last for most off of this year but it was a moment of indulgence and utmost satisfaction as this cold peachy Ramune made its way down my gullet and into my heart. 
Plastic shine
What's up with this water?
Is it a joke or something that's a different language of packaged water?
