The Butterfly Project

A lot of people around the world are suffering silently, emotionally and mentally, causing some to commit suicide. I, for an instance, have done the same thing once in the past. I’m not proud of what I did but I’m becoming open about it and I’m trying to make an effort to be a better me. What I did wasn’t a desperate cry for attention. That time, when I was in deep confusion and fear, giving up was the only option I had. Of course, I know it’s not an answer to any problem. But when you were in a situation where you feel like everyday, something inside you is dying, it’s not very easy to fight the suicidal thoughts.

My butterfly ❤

As a support to self-harmers, I did this thing called The Butterfly Project. The idea is to draw a butterfly to where the self-harm occurs( if you’re a self-harmer). If you cut before the butterfly fades, it dies. If you don’t cut, it lives. A great motivation to those who want to stop self-harming. Even if you don’t self-harm, you can still participate, to show your support.

Still Breathing

Wew, 2 months of no blog post! So where should I begin? Well, let’s just say a lot has happened over that 2 months of hiatus. Let me start with my vacation in Singapore. My mom and I stayed there, at my uncle’s place, for almost 2 months. It was my 5th time to go there, I think. But still, I won’t get tired of visiting that place over and over again. There are so many reasons why… The disciplined people, the clean surroundings, the food(oh the food!), the convenient transportation and a lot more. Thanks to my generous and kind relatives there, we won’t be able to see and feel Singapore’s beauty if not for them. SG holds a special place in my heart.

On a more personal note, I also gained new friends. I met them in a support group(won’t go into details anymore, though). I still haven’t met most of them, but it feels like we’ve been friends for a long time already. Our bond is very special because we’re sort of going through the same difficulties in life. They’re the reason why I’m still looking forward for tomorrow.

Anyway, I still have a  lot of stories to tell from my SG trip but I think it’s better to make separate posts for it. And I’m kind of getting lazy now. :p

We Can Make It Through The Rain

It’s been pouring buckets here lately because of a tropical storm named Maring. Most areas in Manila and some parts of Luzon were covered in water(including our place, though not as deep as other places). It really is heart breaking seeing all the sad news on TV about those who were greatly affected. Some have lost their homes while some  have even lost their lives.

(I do not own the photos)

Good thing, we still have this “bayanihan” trait within us which makes us all unite in helping each other during times like this. But inspite of the challenges this typhoon brought us(just like in the past typhoons we’ve encountered), we Filipinos could still find ways to make each other feel better. We could still smile, find humor and be positive amidst any crisis. Indeed, it’s more fun in the Philippines! Here are some photos I stumbled upon the web which shows how united and happy we Filipinos are.

 

 

 

♥

 

Butter-less Vanilla Cake (w/ Chocolate Syrup Dip)

Yet another food post! My love for eating is getting so obvious now.  Hihi. Anyway, last rainy Sunday, I suddenly had this strong urge to bake a cake. But I didn’t have butter at home , so I searched online if there’s any recipe of butter-less vanilla cake, and lucky me, I found one from Mayuri and Ma’s Cookbook that is easy to follow.  Although honestly, I was a bit scared to try it at first ‘cos I’ve had failed attempts of baking cakes already. Buy hey, we’ll never get it right if we won’t keep on trying. So yeah, I tried it and it was a success. My first successful cake! 😀 (omg I’m gonna cry) Btw, I used sunflower oil instead ‘cos it’s only the available oil we have at the moment but it still turned out nice. It’s so moist and fragrant, loveeet. 🙂 I also reduced the sugar ‘cos I wanted to pair it with a chocolate syrup dip. Yum.

Here’s the recipe from Mayuri:

Ingredients.
2 eggs,
3/4 cup sugar,
1/2 cup oil(olive or vegetable oil),
1/2 cup milk,
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour,
1/2 tbsp baking powder,
1 tbsp vanilla.

Method.

• Beat eggs well. Add sugar to eggs and beat well.
• Next add oil and milk and beat well.
• In another bowl mix flour and baking powder.
• Gradually keep adding a tbsp at a time of flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix, till all the flour is used and everything is well incorporated.Finally add the vanilla and mix.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Grease and flour a loaf pan(8×4) or a 7 inch round pan.
• Pour the batter in the pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes, till cake is done.
• To test for doneness insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake and see.
• When done take out of oven and cool for 15 minutes and then invert the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Frost if desired. We prefer ours plain.

Note.
Can double the recipe and bake in a Bundt pan.
Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to the above batter to make chocolate cake.
Add chopped nuts or raisins if desired.
If eaten the same day the cake is usually crusty and a bit dry but if eaten the next day it becomes very soft and moist.
Can substitute any other liquid(orange juice/coffee/wine) for the milk.

For the chocolate syrup, I just melted some chocolate chips on a double broiler and add a few tablespoons of milk. Try to make it yourself and enjoy! 

Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

Yesterday, I tried this buffalo chicken wings recipe from allrecipes.com and it was a hit! My mom and brother loved it. Although I tweaked the recipe a bit. I added a little bit of soy sauce and brown sugar in the sauce ‘cos I find the original recipe lacking in salty and sweet taste. And of course, I also added more hot sauce to give it the extra hotness that me and my family want. Indeed, it taste like the ones you can eat at restaurants, only that, this one’s better. :p

When It Rains, It Pours

These past days were a challenge for me and my family. I don’t know how we managed to get through those but all I’m sure of is, God helped us. One of the challenges we’ve encountered is that our house got flooded, again, last Saturday. We’ve been flooded before but it still affects us somehow every time it happens. Though, we’re thankful we are always able to survive. Again, thank You. And despite of these obstacles I’m still grateful for the blessings I’ve been receiving now. I got depressed a few days back and thought I couldn’t do it anymore but then He let me realize that there are a lot of things I should be thankful for.  So after some realizations, I decided I’ll strive to be more positive and not focus on the not-so-good stuff.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This morning, I baked some cookies from a recipe I found on the internet. Ahhh, how I miss baking! It’s called Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies from Ambitious Kitchen, which is awesome ‘cos it doesn’t call for flour and butter. I altered it a bit, though. At first, I removed the sugar and put banana instead as natural sweetener. The first batch turned out flavorful but lacked sweetness, so I added brown sugar and turned out just perfect. I also put in some raisins as per my mom’s request. They’re so soft and chewy that my cousin almost finished all what I made! Glad she left me 3 pieces. This week I’m going to make Fudgy Nutella Cookies!

Busy Bee and Some Burger Talk

Oh hi there people! I’ve been very busy with my design gigs these past few days that’s why I haven’t blogged here for a while. I took a huge web design project for the first time, with the help of my awesome web developer friend of course. If not for him I would have probably declined to take it as I’m not versed in that area. I submitted the revisions just minutes ago, so yay I can blog now! I just hope that they approve of the revisions already, ‘cos damn, web design is no easy peasy. And because my creative juices flow mostly at night till wee hours, my body clock is completely messed up again. Izzo hard to earn money ya know.

Anyway, I got to taste McDonald’s new McSpicy last Wednesday when me and my mom went for a quick grocery shopping.  It was good but it’s not as spicy as I expected it to be. It’s more on the milder side (to suit most Filipino’s palette, I guess). I want it more spicy, though!  And speaking of burgers, take a lookie at this…

I’m no hamburger lover, but I sure would love to be sandwiched inside that burger bed! 😀

Cory Monteith’s Sudden Death

I was going through my Facebook timeline when I saw a post that Cory Monteith, Finn from the hit series Glee, had died already. At first, I thought it was just some kind of a hoax news again but found out after that it’s really true. News say, he was found dead in a hotel room in Canada. What a shocking death.

Photo from Facebook

To tell you honestly, I’m not really an avid fan of Glee. Well, I have watched some of its episodes and man, was he so talented! What’s more shocking to me is the fact that he’s been dealing with drug addiction ever since he was young. He must have struggled a lot. Well, he’s in a happy place now.

Filipino “Foot Animation Artist”

I want to share with you this inspiring story of a Filipino animator that I’ve been seeing in the local news lately. Well, he is unlike any other animator out there because he uses his feet to draw. Yup, you heard that right. That is why he’s called a foot animator. Amazing, isn’t it?

Photo from Take One Animation Studios

Charles Rodriguez was born without arms but was gifted with the ability to draw using his feet. He works as an animator at Take One Animation Studios, under the management of Eric Tansingco, for almost a year now. Actually, Mr. Tansingco have been hiring persons with disabilities for its animation services. What a good man he is.

I’m a self-taught graphic designer and there would be times when I’d doubt my own abilities, but stories such as this gives me so much inspiration. My hats off to these awesome and inspiring people.