ufo banana chips.

there is an abundance of saba in our house thanks to our friends at montalban! yesterday we decided to make banana chips since the saba is still very raw. making banana chips is very easy! all you need are the following items: good quality bananas (raw ones), a sharp knife, a pan and a lot of oil. a strainer would also come in handy so you can let the oil drip as you wait for the chips to cool :) sugar or salt optional.

we placed the chips in a nice retro strainer...

... that folds up into a UFO shaped container! saba chips ready for lift off!

going bananas over saba

my cat has been acting really weird lately! first with the boots and now with the saba. as soon as i placed the bananas on the table he immediately he jumped on the chair to get a closer look. he then started sniffing and rubbing against the bunch. and after a few minutes i found him licking and biting them! it was soo strange!nugget looking at the sabathe possessed lookcan i eat this?hmm... yummy!

* thanks to our friends at montalban for the yummy saba!

still loving the boots!

i went out this afternoon to take photos of the boots for Montalban :) as expected, nugget was there again! there must be something in these shoes! he seems to love them so much. haha!all snug!please don't leave me!

my cocoon collection.

i found an old photo of my cocoon/chrysalis collection way back when i was in high school. the cocoons are obviously long gone by now... they have probably turned to dust or something! anyway, i'm just really glad that i was able to document them :)the newer cocoons or chrysalis and the caterpillar in the photos above were taken last year at a butterfly farm in Bohol. i love their smooth glassy appearance :) pretty amazing, huh?

burger king toys rule.

i chanced upon the secret robotzz collection at burger king today! wow!!! for P99 i got a cute yellow tin bot plus a meal. actually, i bought the kiddie meal for the robot ONLY! i almost forgot to take the food too! good thing the waitress called my attention before i left the counter.
the collection comes in 6 designs, but i only got one because the other designs are NOT robots! now i wonder why the toys are called secret robotzz... maybe its because of the shape. hmm.
the bot comes with a cute box too! i love it :)

a red dragon fly, a shiny bug and some ants.

my little sister got so excited when she saw a red dragonfly outside our balcony this afternoon. it's not often that we see dragonflies nowadays... which i find really sad and disturbing. i remember catching dragonflies when i was younger. i liked looking at their wings and the patterns on it. but i would always set them free (unlike some sadist kids who would tear them apart or set up insect fights). the same goes for bugs such as beetles, lady bugs etc. (except roaches of course!) speaking of bugs, i rescued a shiny bug from the escalator last week. it was on the corner and very close to getting crushed or stepped on. so i picked it up and brought it home :) i haven't seen it in days though. i'm hoping that it was able to recover or die in peace (and sana hindi kinain ni nugget!)

on a high!

i cried last night... not because i was sad but because i got a very positive e-mail from my online employer. this is what he wrote:

* * *
Hi Katrina,

Wow - I have to tell you, you are an excellent graphic designer. I am very impressed with your work and hope that you can produce many more cards that look as good as these. Once again I am VERY HAPPY with your work - you will go far in your field and I am lucky to have you working on my team. The cards that you have made are exactly what I'm looking for, you've done an excellent job!
* * *
i have been questioning my decision about leaving the security of my office these past few days but after getting this message in the mail-- i felt reassured that i did the right thing :) i woke up this morning feeling giddy and excited! but i don't do that often (kasi baka mapagkamalan ako na baliw or something!)


anyway, when i went online i saw more good news! i won in a contest and i did not even know that there was a contest to begin with! all i did was send a few photos to anton (one of my fave blogs) just to say thank you for the free genki umbrella a few weeks back and there... i won something! hahaha. what a great way to start the day :) btw, more umbrella pics here.

puss AND boots

we got a new batch of donations for the montalban shoe project which drove my cat wild! he must be thinking: wow, so many new smells! he even went around and sniffed each and every shoe! anyway, i was very surprised to find him asleep beside the delivery later that night! (baka napagod sa kaka amoy!)



nugget knocked out on the side! zzzz!

mystery fork.

i have a mystery fork hidden in my cabinet. i call it a mystery fork because i don't really know where it came from and why we have it. i found it in our cupboard along with our normal cutlery several years back and just decided to keep it in my cabinet instead! this tiny fork measures 4.5 inches and is made out of silver. i'm thinking of polishing it but somehow i think its aged color gives it more character. the detail on the handle is amazing... so intricate and delicate. it's too bad that they don't make forks like this anymore.

need to get things organized ASAP.

my room is a good indicator of who i am as a person... messy and unorganized but interesting (or at least i hope i am!) i rarely throw stuff away and bring home so many unnecessary items such a fliers, free magazines, cute paper bags, soda cans etc. which just adds to the clutter on the floor. almost 65% of the floor is covered by these items. i have a fairly huge cabinet for my clothes but have turned my bed into a one as well. my newly washed clothes are stacked by my feet when i sleep. actually, piled up would be a better term instead of stacked! this is why i go around in wrinkled shirts. the closet for my shoes has remained organized though but this is because i hardly open it! out of the 15-20 pairs of shoes inside, i have been using only 1 pair and they are not even stored inside! i have a collection of stickers which i have kept in plastic for almost 17 years, about 5 rolls (each roll contains 10 pcs) of Christmas wrappers that i hoarded from a hallmark sale and a HUGE roll of thin garter that i bought for a bargain price of 5 pesos (ang mura kasi)! i tried cleaning my room the other day but somehow got distracted by finding my dad's baby kit! after that i sort of "forgot" to go back to cleaning... right. anyway, i have given myself a week to finish the task. hopefully, i can discard some old items and try a clutter free/minimalist kind of lifestyle. haha. i wish.

time to sleep.

i've been sleeping really late these past few days mainly because i am overwhelmed at how much time i have to myself! but it does not mean that i spend my days just lying down and watching tv... in fact, i feel busier than ever. i have just started my online job and at the same time still have design requirements from my clients. working from home actually requires more effort than working in an office because you have to be very very disciplined with how you manage your time. also because there is nobody but you to keep you on your toes! but despite all that i'm really enjoying my new found freedom. i really wish i had tried this sooner!

jabon, talco y aciete para niños

found my dad's baby kit when i was cleaning my room this afternoon. the kit contains a can of unused talcum powder, a bar of soap and a bottle of aciete de manzinilla. the packaging is amazing! somehow i can't believe that everything is still intact after about 60 years or so.

the powder is contained in a cute rectangular can which has to be punctured manually on the top to be opened. the soap was spared from insect attacks and is still wrapped in wax paper. pretty cool, huh? :) (click on the photos for a bigger view of the items.)

dreaming.

i spend my days dreaming...

growl.

meow's anger checklist:
1. increased blood pressure (check)
2. irregular breathing - like a puffing dragon (check)
3. clenched fists (check)
4. strong desire to fight... (check)
5. ...or cry (check)
okay, so i was angry this afternoon. but that didn't ruin my day. in fact, a really bad day turned into a good one as soon as i left the office... yes, i went back to settle some unfinished business. anyway, i was very happy to meet a new donor who had stuff for Brigada. we got 7 books, 4 raincoats and 3 flashcards! triple yey!!! it's really amazing when i think of all the people who help out. god is really good :)

shoes shoes shoes!

our shoe drive for the kids of montalban was a success! we were able to collect about a hundred pairs of shoes, but only 63 were for kids. the rest were shoes for grown ups (which we plan to give to the teachers) and babies. we also collected about 60 pairs of socks! yey! hopefully, there will be more shoe donations before our first drop off on june 22, sunday.





nugget helped out by sniffing out the stinky shoes! (kidding! haha!)









yeow!

*for more info about the shoe drive please visit brigada eskwela.

happy father's day

this old picture frame which contains a photo of my dad and i (and my uncle's horse!) is one of my most treasured possessions. i keep it on my bedside table so that i am reminded of my dad often. my dad passed away 13 years ago and there not a single day that i do not think about him. happy father's day, dad! i miss you :)

yummy alert!

i was so amused when i saw this yummy looking cookies and cream muffin at kenny rogers. the mini cookie on top is absolutely the cutest! a box of 6 muffins cost p60 (p10 each), not bad huh? :) as for the taste, i will have to ask my little sister if it passed her yumminess test!



the muffins come in assorted flavors aside from kenny's usual corn. i got the banana and caramel as well. yumm-o!

nugget vs. jute mouse

nugget is such a sweetie!

fight!

almost everyday for the past 18 months (except for saturdays, sundays and holidays) my morning activities have been the same.

1. get up at 8-ish (most of the time i scream to jolt myself out of bed. usually its "Noooo...." or "ayaaaw ko...")
2. spend 5 mins to greet and hug my cat
3. take a bath, get dressed
4. talk to my cat again and say goodbye
5. take a 5-7 minute walk from home to the office bldg.
6. if i didn't bring breakfast i will stop by at either mc do, 7-11, mini stop or county style and buy something to eat. i always buy coffee (extra creamer too)
7. rush to the elevator to get to the office.the elevators at our building are almost always jam packed. everybody is trying to squeeze in. especially in the morning when people like me are rushing so that we won't be late for work. har. somehow it is like going to the mrt station (CUBAO). and in a way the people act the same too! yesterday a woman got mad at some guy for pressing too close to her.

woman: excuse me, bakit mo dinidikit yung pwet mo sa akin!!!
guy: ay, sorry po.

i had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing out loud.

2 days and counting...

Only 2 days left in the office :) unemployment here i come!

we're here!

finally! after 5 long years of working in an office meow has finally decided to quit her job. i mean, why spend most of your time (yes, also your youth and energy) cooped up in the office while there is so much to explore and experience outside? hahaha. i know it sounds a bit silly and irrational but hopefully things will fall into place soon.