musings of a part-time hedonist

feasting like a teenage girl

dinner was extra huge last night. i had five slices of pizza, a big slice of cake, and a tub of strawberry ice cream all to myself. the chocolate ice cream was a "shared responsibility" between me and my kids.

the four of us then cuddled on the couch to watch “argo” and when it got to the part where the six hostages were at the airport about to escape from iran, i realized that i shouldn't have consumed that much food. the thrill was too much for me as it was for the pepperoni pizza that clung on to the all-meat special that gripped the cake so tightly. the strawberry ice cream tried to stay still—but well, failed. 

but like most realizations in life, that one, too, came too late.

i just had to ask for a glass of wine. pleasure was promptly served. 

i'm not a tv person but i was feeling self-indulgent last night. i spend an average of 1.5 hours watching tv in a week. i know. insane, huh? i sat down for a few hours to discover “amish mafia” (appropriately) on discovery channel. baffled yet curious at the same time, i think i may have found a new sort of like-like on the boob tube and may stay on for a few more hours to watch each week. the other stuff i've recently rekindled with on tv are brain games, scam city, taboo, and the sitcoms on diva. they're showing old episodes of “sex and the city” on betv, but i'm always with the kids so unless i chance upon those episodes late at night then there's no satiating in carrie's somewhat engaging new york life. a little bit more of tv and my life would be mundane.

the controversial "amish mafia"

when two episodes of “amish mafia” ended, i checked the time and realized that i already turned 38. 

i find my age amusing. i did not find the number lying around, nor did i just randomly pick it. i went around in long-winding avenues, and some confusing fork roads to get here. being 38 is a prize, a true test of survival. after one goes through flawed relationships, feigned friendships, damaging mistakes, hurtful exchanges or extreme indifference, going through countless embarrassing moments, running around with an empty pocket and a head full of doubt... all that among other things...

daedalus' labyrinth has nothing to claim.

my 38^th sunrise hid behind the forlorn house across us where two old people live. i've learned they've been living there for 20 years now. they watch through their windows quietly, barely smiling. life imitates melancholic art.

us, we're moving-- again. the pure delight of being in a new house once again permeates me. most of our stuff are in their respective boxes now. it was like this when i turned 37. i sat on top of our boxes grinning. i’m sitting on them again now. a new home means a new beginning and a whole lot of rays of sunlight to live for.

38 didn't just happen. i got here bringing with me an ounce of strength and gaining a ton of it like a snowball rolling in snow. or in my reality, a ball of wet sand rolling in the shore. 

birthday manila, homeschooling manila, hedonist philippines, pizza, cake, wine manila, amish mafia, daedalus, labyrinth pasig, moving to a new home in manila, boracay sunlight, snowball manila

sweet bella cafe at burgos circle, bgc

lunch was beautiful last weekend. we went to see “da vinci the genius” at the mind museum and headed off to forbes town, burgos circle after to have late lunch. sweet bella cafe is famous for its delectable cakes and all things sweet and nice, but which, ironically, we did not have the time to stay for. our 11-year-old was in a hurry to meet up with his best friend. they had not seen each other in three years or so, so it was really easy to give in to the plea (in exchange for a peaceful family lunch).

once in a while when you go out for lunch, it’s nice to have it in a quiet place where no one’s hurrying up to finish their food; or shaking their legs anxious to grab the bill and run; or talking with their mouths full—all because life’s like that. it’s a race and the one who can walk and talk with his food is always the winner.

we entered sweet bella and the waiter outside promptly communicated with another waiter through a two-way radio and the latter was enthusiastically waiting to seat us inside. impressive. you pay for that and it’s all good. i like being treated like an important customer sometimes because it is a good break from the queues that we have to experience in our very ordinary lives everyday. well, i don’t wait in line for my mother’s escabeche tilapia, and that’s a sweet fact of life, too. 

my boyfriend always takes his time when deciding what to eat. it is advisable to send the most patient waiter our way because i really mean that he takes his time. his lengthy deliberation with himself finally ended with a chateaubriand steak.

as of this minute i’m digging inside my purse for our receipt from bella cafe because no matter how wonderful and unforgettable a meal is, food names always manage to escape our heads. 

and now, the boyfriend officially declares throwing out the receipt that i was looking for seconds ago. we can always manage with photos, can’t we?

we have had other lovely gastronomic experiences. you can find them here.

A top Philippine women’s empowerment blog covering travel, style, fashion, opinion, latest trends, technology, events, manila, Luzon, visayas, mindanao, best asia blog, bipolar, anxiety, depression, enlightenment blog sweet bella cafe, da vinci the genius, mind museum, forbestown, burgos circle, the fort, fort bonifacio, bgc, chateaubriand steak, lunch, escabeche tilapia

gratitude

my friend, gigi, recently got a new ink on her wrist. the tattoo (by a multi-awarded filipino tattoo artist) is nothing too detailed nor too fantastic. as a matter of fact, it’s just a word. one word. it says “gratitude”. what an  excellent choice for a tattoo. whenever she’d go through a hump, she’d look at her wrist and it would give her back her balance. this is a visual aid for life that works wonders.

one thing that i learned over the years is that gratitude is an innate power that fritters away because we forget to say “thank you” and mean it. i may not be the kind to remember to say “thank you” the moment i wake up (the very first thing that i have to respond to in every waking moment is the emergency call for milk.) but i believe that i have become better in appreciating all that the universe has showered my family and me with. we don’t have a fat bank account, not even a chubby one,  and we’re not keeping land titles in our drawers. but we have each other — to laugh with; to cry with; to give to; to take from if we need a hug, a kiss, a piece of rainbow cake… and everything is for free. well, except for the cake. 

 currently, we have the sea, the sand, the sun — oh, what a pesky cliché! but yes, those are our wealth… and we have fresh seafood delivered to us everyday at a very cheap price. (notice how food always manages to squeeze itself in between these lines?) we are free to make choices for our own lives, which others simply cannot afford to do because they are limited by life’s circumstances or by the execrable dictates of culture (think about very young yemeni girls married to men four times their age), or simply by arrogance (think about people who have acquired too much money that they have forgotten what life really is about.)

it may not sound much to some because what i just described as our wealth does not come with an exorbitant price tag. that is exactly what’s challenging yet rewarding in this whole thing. if you removed all the hefty material things from your life, would you still be able to attach the word “happiness” to your name? get a cup of coffee, sit down and think. we need to do this kind of exercise once in a while because it leads us to only one road — gratitude. even if we had nothing, we would always have the people who matter to us. so yes, say “thank you”, and since the word “love” functions correctly as a verb,i don’t think a shiny new car is capable of giving you that.

i am a grateful person, i know, but not grateful enough. i will never be rhonda byrne. my goodness, i will never even be the most grateful person in this tiny town we’re in now. but i keep working hard on it. the universe hears me, i know. 

the universe hears you, too. 

the constant reminder on my friend’s wrist must have opened up the channels to the universe and it heard her. on the month that she got inked, a bundle came with it. something that she has longed for especially since my goddaughter, ally, is turning three this month. gigi is on the family way, again, finally. 

cheers to life!

 

kenneth iwarat is a multi-awarded filipino tattoo artist. his kilometric clientele list, which includes celebrities, local tattoo aficionados and foreigners, speaks well about him.
his shop is “get inked custom tattoo” located at the 3rd floor, diamond arcade, cubao, manila, philippines

contact him at +639498979452

boracay cake, cheap boracay accommodation, draven manila , get inked tattoo, gratitude, kenneth iwarat, rhonda byrne, tambisaan boracay, the magic, diamond arcade