Wanna have coffee with me?

It... was a cafe latte. And it met me with a smile.

cafe latte (from Google)

It was a cold day. My best friend (Madel) and I decided to meet up and chat like the friends that we are. Hehehe. Surprisingly, she was wearing short shorts (which she rarely does AND on a cold day) but we both had sweaters.

We happened to pass by Coffee Bean when she casually asked if I wanted to have coffee and I glanced at her in horror. Okay, so maybe not that much. :) But still, it gave me a pause. Coffee has never been included in my drinking list (which includes water, tea, coke light and juice). Though it has been some time since I told myself to start drinking coffee. (one of my personal goals this year, didn't know it'd come earlier than expected).

Coffee is bitter, it has caffeine and it gives me a weird feeling after wards. And call me mental, but I've always thought of it as an "adult" drink. You know, something you drink to perk you up when you're stressed and all that. I didn't want to be an adult yet. Hehehe.

still from Google

But most of all I didn't like the bitter taste. So anyway, there she was waiting for my reply and I said, "Uh... Ok! I've been thinking of it anyway, let's give it a go." But we did have something else on the agenda and so we postponed it after our trip to the plaza. (we should have brought cameras, I know). And so finally, it came. We ordered 2 cafe lattes and a blueberry cheese cake.

There I was... staring at the smiley shaped frothy thingy on top of the coffee. And it stared back in all its cheerful attempts at coaxing me to take it. Didn't really need much coaxing, I was ready to take it on. One sip at a time. Of course, the first sip was bitter, it made me wanna gag. But I refused to lose. The journey was just starting. Madel suggested I eat the cake while drinking, after all it does compliment the coffee. Hmmm.... bitter and sweet.... interesting combination. After several sips and bits of cake, the bitterness became something familiar and palatable. The warmth slowly spread to my belly relieving the cold stiffness of the day.

Our favorite!

"hmmm... coffee isn't too bad," I thought. My mind was still wondering if I liked it as the cup became half empty. (My goal was to finish the whole thing). But coffee and cake was not the only treat I had for the day. Oh, Madel had much in store (Doesn't she just love me? XD). Meiji chocolates! Our favorite! Yum!!!

But I think the credit goes to Ed for the chocolates. :)
So, we had Meiji and Blue berry cheese cake to accompany this bitter drink. Not to mention, a good conversation and a whole lot of punch lines.

The half-empty cup soon dwindled down. Conversations turned low to keep others from hearing, the lot of secrets we were sharing. A cold day it was for sure, but the presence of my lovely Madel and of that enigmatic topaz colored liquid made me feel blessed and thankful and warm.

Soon enough, my hate for coffee (was it exactly hate?) receded into something I have yet to define. Is it love? It was too soon. Yet I feel that my coffee experience wasn't over. There were still a lot of varieties to try. Wanna have coffee with me? :)

The Rain and the Sun

Rain. For several weeks now its been raining. I wake up in the morning wanting not to get up but the fullness of my bladder gets me rushing to the bathroom and I can't go back to sleep again. The water's cold. My shoes get wet sloshing around in the mud outside the house. The scary black waters of Colon street.

rain

Rain just ain't what it used to be for me anymore. Rain used to remind me of wet crystals falling down from the sky. Splashing around wet mud used to make me feel like I can handle everything. We even sprayed hoses on each other to make sure we were wet. We didn't mind the wet noses or the chills after wards. Mom didn't even scold (though she made sure we were super dry after baths.)

Something hasn't changed though, watching the rain from our window and looking at the plants in the garden. It feels like watching a passionate embrace. The love of the plants for the rain, the unconditional gift of the sky to the ground. It feels like watching a smooth ballet... There is just something precious there that you cannot grasp.

The sun is something different though. It was prickly. It was sticky. It was dusty. The world was a little noisy when it was hot. Tempers rose and people wanted to get out of the brightness and look around for shade.

El Salvador Beach, Danao

The sun was hot and dry for me though it meant I could go out and play. Sun meant beaches when I was young. Swimming was the best activity I could find and it I loved it when I floated and just stared at the clear blue sky with an occasional cloud here and there. The sun's beauty was not evident in the sun itself (no offense to the astronomists) but on where its light touches. Watch it from where its light shines through stained glass windows. The colors dance and even the dust follow. Hehehe

I am just simply amazed at how all these things are. It repeats itself and yet I haven't grown tired. I just hope that others too, will appreciate their beauty and just pause.

Heels versus Flats

On a normal walk-around-around-the-city day, I normally wear flats. But during events, I really wanna wear heels. There’s nothing sexier than a good 2 to 3 inches worth of additional height. Maybe even higher but since I’m tall enough I don’t require much more. It’s kinda awkward to be above the people you’re talking to.

Flats, pic from Google

Flats are practical, comfortable and fashionable for everyone. We can almost say they are always better than high heels. But that is not always the case.

A podiatrist has shown concern over this type of shoe. Flat shoes have no caution against shock and almost no heel support. They can strain the Achilles tendon that runs from the back of the heel and also the calf muscles in the back of the leg. But pain can’t be felt directly. It can be felt around two weeks later. It can even cause a painful heel condition called plantar fascilitis. A painful inflammatory process than can cause degenerative changes in the plantar fascia. A symptom of this disease is pain on the underside of the heel during the first steps of the day and another is knee pains.

Flip flops are a common wear here in the Philippines. With our climate and rushed schedules (for laag, hehehe), they’re readily available and easy to wear. But do you know that flip flops can cause blisters (especially the thin ones) and arch problems. It can also slow down circulation to your feet. They are contraindicated for diabetic persons and anyone with knee, hip or back problems.

high heels; pics from Google

On the other hand heels are loved by all women. They’re hot, they’re expensive and they’re a bit uncomfortable. Though, I don’t think they’re uncomfortable often. They’ve also been called health hazards. Let’s see why. Heels can alter your posture and place excessive force on the inner knee and altering your body alignment. It can also tighten the calf muscles. Some diseases that result from wearing high heels are Bunions, Hammertoes, Pump bumps, Metatarsalgia and the familiar ankle pain. 

If those words are too unfamiliar. Google it. Hehehe. But seriously speaking wearing uncomfortable heels can cause a lot of problems. They can start from nerve compression to bony malformations.

So what do we wear now?

Podiatrists say that foot wear should not be totally flat. There should at least be half an inch of a heel. They also advise against wearing thin soled flip flops. These can easily be punctured by sharp items littered on the ground and can also cause blisters.

High heels should not be worn for a whole day. Give your feet some rest in between so the calf muscles can relax.

It would also help circulation if you raise your legs after a long day of being on foot. My mom raises hers against the wall but I think propping our legs above a stool and a pillow should be okay.

Shoes should fit your feet properly without feeling tight. Shoes should be broken (get used to) 1 hour at a time to a day.

My 2011 Plans

I'm looking forward to the year ahead and there are so many things that I want to do this year. I may as well make a list and check them by the end of the year. ^_^

By the end of this year will I....
1. Be a better daughter.
This one is soooo hard coz I have to sacrifice a lot of things to accomplish this. One would be my laziness (well, glad to be rid of that) but a harder one would be my GCI activities (the few that I have been participating in... sigh). But for this year, I'll really try extra hard and I'll pray. :)

2. Be more prayerful.
Sure, I pray once in awhile. I heard from a sermon that God shouldn't just be a "Sunday God" or even a "desperate-times God". He should be part of our daily lives. And on top of that go to church every Sunday. "Try harder" said the priest I talked to. ^__^

the creators

3. Save more.
This one's also a little hard. I have little allowance and don't even have a part time job yet so I can't save much. But I'll try harder this year. Somehow. :p

4. Be a better sister.
I've been lacking in that area for many years now and I'll try to make up for it.

5. Be a better student.
I've been an honor student before (okay maybe that was waaay to far ago but still...) and no I'm not hoping to be one again but I would like to be a little studious now. After all, I've finally found a goal I want to reach.

6. Lessen my Facebook time.
I don't really spend that much time on Facebook. I usually just log on and see what's up and get on with other businesses but I should really lessen it coz Facebook is really a waste of time.

Reviving Pulse

7. Write more.
I've always wanted to write but 2010 was like a blank page for me. Barely a doodle here and there. I mean really, it was like... drought. So, this blog will help me more. Also, need to add more structure in my writings. Lessen the scattered notes. Hehehe

8. Be more active.
Exercise not only the mind but also the body. ;p

hai!

9. Pursue my dreams.
That's actually a goal. One step at a time as they say it. And I've got a lot to cover.

10. Ignore the useless, Pursue the wise.
Didn't quote anyone for this, my words... atleast I think so. Hehehe. What I mean is that there are so many things happening in our lives, things that aren't that important, we should learn our priorities and ignore the distractions.

looking forward

Sure, sounds easy enough but let's see how my 357 days would go. :)

General Cleaning of the Body and Soul

Night of Gratitude

What better way to start a year than to cleanse your mind and spirit. Last January 4 and 5, Our class and another went on an overnight retreat to release our negative thoughts and pray. We prayed for forgiveness, we prayed for our future, we prayed for our families and we prayed for gratitude. It was truly a memorable and lightening event. :)

Now and Then, Here and There

Have you ever heard of the title,"Now and Then, Here and There"? Its actually a deep anime about the cruelties of humanity. But that isn't the reason why I chose that title for my blog. I chose the phrase to represent the thoughts I have "now and then, here and there".

a pic from the series

Let's see... my hopes for this blog is for it to be full of.... my thoughts. Hahaha!
But anyway, let's just see how it goes. Happy New Year everyone! ^_^