27 Things I'm Grateful for at 27 Years

Photo from Unsplash

Note: This is not enough to count all the blessings I have received in a lifetime and the blessings I receive everyday. But it is a list from my heart, a list of gratitude for all the people, circumstances, blessings in my life. So, in no particular order, here are things off the top of my head—things I'm truly grateful for:

Beyond the Barricade: A #LesMisManila Review

As far as spectacular experiences go, I'd say this was pretty first-rate. If you haven't seen Les Miserables yet and are going to and you don't want things spoiled, go no further. If you are easily annoyed by excessive fangirling, this post isn't for you. But if you love Les Miserables, whether or not you have seen the current play in Manila, whether or not you are going to, whether or not you have memorised the songs, whichever version you think is the best, join me in fangirling, though I must warn you that this is going to be a long post. (However, if you think Nick Jonas was the best Marius...)

Foodventure: The Chocolate Kiss Café

Location: Bahay ng Alumni, U.P. Diliman
Cuisine: Filipino, Italian
Prices: Ranging between P195-295 for a meal; P85-90 for a cake slice
Food Rating: 4/5
Service Rating: 4/5

I chanced upon The Chocolate Kiss again last Saturday—a delightful little café situated in one of the cosier corners of Bahay ng Alumni in U.P. Diliman. I'd only been there once or twice and for cakes (that are absolutely delicious, by the way), so this was my first time to taste their savory dishes.

My Life According to Literature (2015)

Oh my word! This has been so much fun to do! Huge thanks and shout out to Kara from Flowers of Quiet Happiness. I think I'm going to be doing this every year starting forward. And, just like Kara, I did this for my 2015 reads only because 2016 has just begun and my reading list is quite short and everything else would take forever for me to decide which ones to put.

Foodventure: Wabi-Sabi

Location: Tomas Morato, Quezon City
Cuisine: Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese
Prices: P180 for ramen; P80-100+ for side dishes
Food Rating: 4/5
Service Rating: 4/5

Raise your hand if you love Japanese food!

Oui, moi aussi, j'adore la cuisine japonaise!

Join the Little Women Read-Along in February

Picture from here.

Wondering what to read this February?

Join us for a read-along of Louisa May Alcott's best-loved classic, Little Women which follows the story of the four March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. This is one of the very first books I read while I was growing up (after Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables). I've read it a few times over the years, but not recently, so I am excited to be doing this challenge. Little Women takes a special place in my heart because it is about four girls and we are four girls in the family who bear several similarities to the March girls in the exact same order too!

Top New Books I Read in 2015

I've read a great deal interesting books this 2015. Some were old (which I did not include in this list because Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery would win. Every Time.) and some were new. Some I liked a great deal and some I didn't. Here are my favorites for the year (in no particular order):

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay will probably always hold a special place in my heart and in my favorites list. Think Jane Austen's Emma meets Jean Webster's Daddy-Long-Legs. Cue in the warm feels and reading this in one day over a cup of tea. I know I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. Every letter I read from Samantha to Mr. Knightley made me curious to know more about her. Of course, since I've read both Daddy-Long-Legs, I knew who the mysterious "Mr. Knightley" was right away, but that did not make the book any less pleasant or interesting to read.

Read my complete review here.

Some Thoughts on Friendship

Photo by Unsplash

I'm taking a trip down Memory Lane to the time when I'm sitting in one of the swivel chairs in the office of the dean as she helps me edit my speech for the graduation ceremony after four years in college, four years of paperwork and homework, presentations, and in- and out-of-classroom drama. I had originally typed down that our batch (we call ourselves the B.I.N.G.O. Batch—don't ask; it's a long story) would be having monthly reunions and regular meetings. She advises me not to, not because she wants to break up our happy bunch, but because we do not know what the future holds. The president agrees with her, "After college, our batch promised to see each other regularly. Now, I only see them after every x number of years. It's my high school batch that I get to see quite often."

Don't Miss This #EpicRide

Photo from The Horse and His Boy by Trumpets

Once upon a time, there was a young boy with a fair face who lived with his father by the sea. His name was Shasta and his story is something you don't want to miss.

I got to watch Trumpets' The Horse and His Boy last Saturday at Meralco Theater. For Narnia fans, literature fans, theater fans, I repeat: You. Do. Not. Want. To. Miss. This.

Why The Hobbit (and Its Lessons) Make My Life Wonderful

Photo from here.

It all starts with a wee little man embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Bilbo Baggins, certified Hobbit (a race of little people from the wonderful fantasy land called Middle Earth) and Peaceful Person gets the surprise of his life when a wizard storms into his door and declares him to be the fourteenth member of Thorin and Company, a band of dwarves with the mission of taking back Erebor, the once-majestic dwarven kingdom that has fallen into the hands, er, claws, of a dragon. Imagine Bilbo's bewilderment and protests as he declares himself unfit—and disinterseted—in such a venture. But curiosity and something else—perhaps a desire to see the world, to step out of the ordinary confines of a day-to-day life?—has him running off to join the dwarves.