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Pixie Hollow, Neverland
This blog existed originally as a project for my Journalism class as a Communications neophyte. But I decided to continue it still because I do love what I do, and I can't just leave this blog to rot. So far, I've got 2 blogs. The first one is a really bad version of a college-survival blog. And the second is a more personal blog dedicated to venting out the many debates that go on in my Egyptian head.

16 May 2012

A new chapter!

Hello again readers. It's been so long. I blame my terrible consistent inconsistency when it comes to doing... anything in general. My closest friends know that about me, I can't keep up with one thing for too long. But this blog, I promise to care for it and cherish it as a mother would of her child.

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post regarding certain personal issues I'm having trouble deciding. So well, decisions have been made (sort of). I've moved to the capital of the Philippines, I'm accepted in a new school, I'm doing a new course and I'm living on my own with a surprisingly tight budget.

I'm quite excited about this because I feel like now that I'm on my own, I can definitely write better blog posts that would truly help other lonesome college students. I don't have internet at my place, so I'll try to write as much as possible at home and post them whenever I visit the coffee shop.

My sincerest apologies for leaving my blog for a while. I promise to revive it soon!

Love, love, love.
Superapple.

22 Mar 2012

I'm not leaving!

Dear (20) followers,

As you all have been told from the beginning, this blog's original purpose was to serve as a project for my second semester's Journalism class. But after writing quite a number of blogs (and a few people talking me into it) I have decided to continue the blogging in the hopes of sharing a bit of my knowledge with you all while improving my writing skills. I do hope that you all continue to follow and share what you learn from my posts.

I found it quite hard to make it formal, so to make it easier for me, I'm going to make it sound however the hell I want it to. So, pardon my French from time to time and share your insights as well. :)

12 Mar 2012

Conflicted

Everything we do is a result of our decisions. These decisions are made upon our unfortunate encounter  to conflict. You'd think now that I'm referring to conflict between us and the forces of the world (see previous blog post on the Unavoidable Laws of Nature) - but rather, it a conflict between us and ourselves.

This conflict is the heart of what is to be human. As much as we'd like to say 'Oh, I've got total control of myself' the truth is.. we don't.

You want to eat that juicy steak that's screaming your name but you also want to be healthy and stay fit. 
You want to be an advocate for environmental cleanliness but you also want to get rid of your wet ice cream wrapper like.. right now. 
You want to finish your term paper but you also want to finish the 4 chapters left of that awesome book. 
You want to help others but you also want to have a little more for yourself.

Your brain is this organic structure that works through chemistry. It's got competing interests, and all these want to act out. It's not fair to say the brain follows one path of thinking.

It's an unceasing dispute between what we want.. and what we want. We end up choosing something because we were conflicted in the first place. That's the whole logic behind choosing in the first place. It's a battle between which one advertises better, sort of like marketing, like the media. You make a better decision when one side is able to entice you better than the other.

That blueberry cake-batter cheesecake looks better than the steamed fish soo..


thank you, sethgodin

8 Mar 2012

Madge Café: Native Coffee for the Troubled Soul

(Click on the pictures for a larger view)
Finally, I get to share my sanctuary, my favourite thinking spot, and the best coffee I have tasted so far in my 17 years of existence (no joke).

In the midst of a busy Lapaz Market, lies an unknown coffee shop that offers fast service, friendly greetings and what might be the cheapest breakfast you can obtain outside. 


Tito Pete (the friendliest man ever), together with his effervescent team that serves freshly brewed coffee to the customers, never fails to make the customers feel like they're welcome to their own variation of home. Despite its lack of proper ventilation (no air conditioning, only fans; sorry dears) and its close proximity to well.. what you may encounter in the mundane public market.. I find that the place makes me feel very much comfortable. A plus factor is that it's student-friendly in terms of expenses.

In spite of the heat, I've always rather enjoyed my coffee hot. For just P22, you can get a good cup of perfectly brewed  native coffee. Feeling hot? Add P8.00 and get a bigger cup of iced coffee.

If you're in a rush, get your coffee to go for free which they put in a tin can. Many times, this is frowned upon by people who wondered why I get my coffee in a tin can, but honestly, I couldn't ask for a better container. Their resourcefulness (tin cans come from the evaporated milk) also adds a native touch to it. Yay for non-conformation to society!

As I mentioned earlier, they have rather cheap food available. Here are a few of my favourites:

You can't go wrong with the classic pancit canton noodles and a good egg (P30) which is why when I come to this café rather hungry, I order this immediately. 

The corned beef that they offer is marvellous specially if paired with the butter-toasted bread. To be honest, just the buttered-toast is enough to satisfy my tummy. 

All these orders up here won't go above P50, so you can just imagine how much you'd save if you eat here everyday.

On the days when I'm really (I mean REALLY) running out of money, a good order that would do my wallet justice is the Native Puto.

 I have never tasted a better variation of puto (A kind of rice cake in the Philippines) compared to what they offer. And these, both the coffee and rice cake, are less than P35.

When my coffee-buddy and I go to Madge and are exceptionally hungry, we could get a complete meal and be extra full for (wait for it).. not more than P70.
Another thing fascinating about this place, is at the wall facing the main counter (first picture), is an entire collage of either their daily customers or famous people who have visited the café. Also included are news articles and blog posts about them.


Like me, you can come here in between classes (I have two 3-hour breaks a week) with a book and read all afternoon. If you're not much a reader (start!), then you can go there with your iPod and listen to some good French music and feel like you're in a different country.

It's my sanctuary because I can go there by myself, drink good coffee, read my books and not have to worry about bumping into someone I know who will converse with me about mediocre issues, so I get the peace that I desire. If not by myself, I go with my closest guy friend, Sieggy, and we constantly debate and talk about issues or quotes/beliefs that allow us more insights. I highly suggest this place for anyone who finds that they have similarities with me. Do enjoy! If you'd like to go, contact me and I'd be willing to bring you there. 

3 Mar 2012

Young hearts, uncertain aspirations

I, like every other college kid and graduating high school Senior, am a dreamer. In terms of comparison.. I'd like to suppose I'm greater a dreamer compared to quite a number of my peers. Is there a means, however, to measure the degree of ambitions sought after? Perhaps, one day, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubne (two astonishing authors and economists) may someday devote an entire chapter to this subject, but at present, there is no means of assessing such. So if you were to be rather kind and if you were to trust me, believe me when I say I am indeed a bigger dreamer, and frankly, it freaks the crap out of myself.

I resolved to write this post and do a lot of soulful thinking so that by the end of this, I may be able to arise with an adequate and rational resolution. For.. the young hearts that exist today that have an entire list of ambitions to select from. For those who can't quite make up their minds. For those who.. are idealists but have boundaries to sucker punch them in the face (believe me, it wounds more than it's ironically funny). So I fancied the best way to approach this is by figuring out my own issues. Let's begin with the basics and what I want.
  • I'm currently taking AB Communication Arts in Iloilo but I wish to shift to Manila.
  • I desire to study Film in France (Lol. But no, for real)
  • I want to be a travel journalist.
  • I'm considering remaining in Iloilo and finishing my course here so that my parents can save up enough money to send me to:
  • a) USC (my dream school) for Masters in Communication Arts
  • b) Law School
  • I want to be an Independent Film director/producer
  • I want to take up a Science Undergrad because I know it would be an adept pre-law degree.
  • I can finish my course in Manila and just get Masters years after when I save my own money.
  • I want to take a year off so that my parents can save and I can travel around, get in touch with my artistic side.. (parents wouldn't quite agree though)
See how many troubles I face? And they completely contradict one another, it's kind of freaking me out. Which one do I pursue? Which one will actually answer to majority of my bucket-list? If you form a list right now and compare, I'm certain there would be a couple of things that contradict. I, for instance, want to be a travel journalist, but I likewise want to be a lawyer. I'm not quite sure how that'll work, so I'd have to pick one, right? No? There's no definite response to that.

I wish I could avoid saying this succeeding statement, but there's a reason clichés are cliché, because they're impossibly dead on target: Set your priorities straight. It's subservient to pick a path that would be flexible enough to add or rid other interests/concerns. So I may just wind up in Manila. While I'm there I could pursue my passion for art. I could also apply in the exchange student program. And then upon graduating, I get out, pursue a vocation in journalism, go to Law School in USC and would you look at that.. I got to cross out a great deal already. But.. as we all know it, the unavoidable laws of nature will discover a way to fit into my plan and somehow alter my course of action. In a world right now where people struggle for practicality and impracticality; pursuing the course you really want, or opting one that provides an assurance of stability.. It's difficult to know if the stakes are high for us. It doesn't matter if you have the most thought out plan for yourself, the forces of nature will attempt to modify it, because let's face it, the world sucks sometimes and there must be some sort of divinity (not pertaining to any faith, no premature discernments) that basks in poking our arses with what might be his/her variation of a knife-like toothpick.

So perhaps the solution is that there isn't one. Not to break your hearts, but it's simply the only conclusion I can surface with. There's no way to to be certain concerning what we want to achieve. We can only at the very least plan out what we want in our life and hope they turn out the way we wish it to. It's a gamble, going to this place, choosing a course, attempting to try something new. The gamble is risky but it's also very exciting. If you end up going to Manila and realizing on graduation that you can't go to USC for Masters, then you can't turn back and wish you resolved to continue in Iloilo. You can't fight the injustice of fate; you can only suffer with it and hope that one day.. it might be different.

You can not.. you simply just can not fight the injustice of fate. You can only suffer with it and hope that one day.. it just might be rather different.

29 Feb 2012

Degrees of Steak Doneness

I'm a boastful fan of steak (and I'm entirely frustrated they don't have good steak where I currently reside), but with that, there are what I'd like to address.. "strings attached". You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself by making an off remark when the waiter says 'How would you like it' would you now? I didn't think so.
Personally, I don't quite like my meat bloody, as compared to my brother who invariably requests for his steak to be medium rare (ew, brother) so I normally go for Medium Well or Medium (because, well, if it's cooked a 100% chances are you'd get a steak that isn't quite juicy inside). So without further ado, look at the picture, study it, remember it, and sound professional the next time you order at a steak house.


The Natural World: It's Unavoidable Laws

You know that incredibly pesky instant when you get your hands dirty (grease, mud, chicken gravy) or someone hands you 4 thick books that demand both your hands? And then a few seconds after, your nose abruptly becomes itchy or a fly uninvitedly lands on your face? Ladies and gentlemen, The Law of Mechanical Repair.

Perhaps when affairs don't function the way we'd favour it to, as human beings, rational and logical in our natural state, we'd rather believe that the occurrences are all concurrent. That when you least anticipate it, something will take place that'll bother you to a great extent. But, lo and behold, there are written laws. Written and created by the genius minds that be in today's cosmos. Or perchance.. minds that are so absolutely blasé, they actually had time to produce a set of laws for the daily matters we are not inclined to acknowledge too much. So today, I will share with you my favourite 10.

Law of Workshop. At one point, while you're working with a certain tool (a pen, scotch tape, hair pin), it will circumstantially be dropped and it'll land in the most inaccessible corner. Yep, you now acknowledge that this has happened to you. You are a living witness and it drives you bonkers, does it not?

Let's operate with proportionality this time. There's a mathematical formula for mortifying instants. The probability of being watched  stupidity of your act. Simply put, the more awkward the act (hugging the wrong person from the back thinking she's your friend), the more likely a big group of her friends (and yours) will be around to witness it. This is what we call the Law of Probability.

There are those days when you hardly have the interest to show up for work or class so you come up with the best and most plausible excuse. But if you knew the next law, the Law of Alibi, you probably wouldn't make up an excuse because if you were to say you had a flat tire, soon enough, you will have a flat tire. 

Now the Variation Law, probably my worst enemy really. It claims that 'If you change lanes (traffic, in the groceries), the lane you were previously at will move faster" and this cannot be any more dead on target.

Law of Result. So your mum asked you to set up the automatic dishwasher, and you attempted to but it didn't work. So you moved to the living room and watched TV. Your mum caught you and got mad 'I thought I told you to start the dishwasher?' "But it doesn't work" you try to reason out. To prove it, you lead her to the dishwasher and testify you're honestly an obedient kid. But because the odds are against you, the dishwasher works, so your mum arrives at the conclusion that are you, indeed, a sloth.

From your school uniform, you change into casual clothes simply to recognize the absence of your extra shoes. You're stuck with those horrifying black leather shoes that don't go well with your shorts. The Law of Close Encounters then acts out. By this I mean, right when you wish someone you know won't bump into you, the probability of it materializing heightens. Same applies when you bump into someone when you're with someone/thing you wish not to be seen with.

Law of dirty rugs/carpets. Your mum will hate you for this. This law states, and I quote directly 'The chances of an open-faced PB&J sandwich of landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness, colour and cost of the carpet/rug'. I'd like to personally add, dropping a gadget is also directly correlated to the newness and cost of it. (First day of getting my first iPod and I dropped it hard on the floor. Could I be any more gawky?)

That truly, exceedingly, tremendously bothersome moment when you're at an event that has assigned seats (say you're  at a movie theatre) and the person(s) at the furthest seat(s) from the aisle arrive(s) late. Yeah, we've all been there (especially embarrassing when we're the ones who are assigned at those seats & are running late). This, my dear readers is the Theatre Law. You will have to scoot over to make way for that person, more than half the time. 

The last law I'd like to share is called the Bath Theorem, but I'd like to modify it because I feel that.. Well, I just want to. I call it the Comfortability Theorem. This.. this gets to me and it's kind of my pet peeve, I suppose. Two different scenarios, same issue.
First: You are, at long last, in the shower, shampooing and singing to Natasha Bedingfield's Pocketful of Sunshine when the telephone/doorbell rings.... Really now?
Second: You are in a comfortable position in bed, on the couch, or at the dining table when you realize you have one more task to do or you forgot the ketchup at the kitchen. But you don't want to get out of that position cause you're just so comfortable already! What on earth are you to do? Curse at the Comfortability Theorem for ruining the simple joys of life.

What I love most about life is that it doesn't always take much to make people happy. There are simple things we enjoy such as finding a good spot on the couch, or scratching our nose when there's a tad bit of an itch. But what gets to me is that the chances of these little happiness(es) being ruined or detracted are high. There's really nothing we can do to change it, I guess. They are, after all, unavoidable laws. The most we can do is understand them and.. share it with others. So that when we suffer, we know that at least, we're not the only one. Because let's face it, we're not the most altruistic people on this planet. 

27 Feb 2012

Coffee: A Citizen's Guide


Coffee lovers, behold. We love our coffee but we don't quite know what or how it's made. So voilà. I honestly can't wait to blog about the awesome native coffee that I drink almost 6 times a week here, but I can't right now as I'm still collecting pictures. So in great anticipation, here's a picture that all of you can enjoy and learn from. To view it a tad bit clearer click SUPEROSSUMAPPLEPOSSUMLOVESCOFFEE

Food: French Toast

Food, again. You can already see how strong my sweet tooth and appetence for food are. So, here, we have the classic French Toast that I just love so much, I could survive with this for an entire week. Let's get to it as I'm entirely ecited.

What you'll need:
  1. Flour 1/4 cup all-purpose (I used to not use this ingredient, but I found that it makes quite a great difference in the mixture) 
  2. Milk, 1 cup
  3. Salt, wee bit (a pinch would do)
  4. Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp (powder)
  5. Eggs, 3 pieces
  6. Vanilla extract, 1 tsp
  7. 1 tbsp white sugar (but since we live in the Philippines, we all know you'll be using brown sugar which is just as good, if not better)
  8. 12 slices bread (I like using white bread, but you can use whole wheat if you prefer a healthier option)
To be rather honest, I've never utilised a particular recipe such as the one I just posted. I know what ingredients are involved, and I simply put in whatever amount of each I deem fit for the moment so you don't have to follow this recipe to the dot. I learned this style of cooking from my brother Albert (thank you very much) who isn't the most prominent fan of Martha Stewart's precise measurements of each ingredient. I acquired this recipe off my favoured recipe website (I'll share it soon enough), and it's a recipe for Fluffy French Toast (stress on the fluffy). I believe self-generated recipes are the best so put more sugar, more cinnamon, more vanilla if it pleases you (We all do enjoy our sweets differently). So here's all you need to do:
  • With the flour in a flat bowl (I hope you get what I mean. Also, make sure it's big enough to fit the toast), whisk in the milk.
  • Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix. The mix doesn't have to be smooth.
  • Heat a pan that's lightly oiled or buttered.
  • Soak both sides of the bread on the mixture until it has a generous share (the more soaked, the better) and fry until golden brown (Remember: the good ones are always golden brown)
  • Optional: I lightly sprinkle a bit of confectioners' sugar (or icing sugar, if you're from England) as it adds a bit more sweetness and I like mine sweet.
And this is how it's supposed to look like:

Okay, not exactly like this, but this does look
 tremendously marvellous, doesn't it? 

If it doesn't look this good, no reason to fret. It's the taste that matters (Mine doesn't always look so scrumptious, but they sure do taste delicious, not to brag of course). If you're not satisfied with the degree of sweetness, play around with the ingredients as I mentioned earlier. Add or lessen, nothing can go wrong. I have a high school friend who makes the most incredibly luscious French Toast ever and up to this day, I cannot seem to make mine taste as good as his. That's why I constantly add, remove, and lessen different spices.. I can never seem to determine his secret. 

This is the perfect breakfast, topped with a few fruits and fresh orange juice, but even without these extra bits, the French toast is adequate on its own to satisfy your tummy in the morning. If you want to try a couple of variations, here's a few to get you started:
  • If you are able to acquire some nutmeg (please do tell me where I can get, you cannot imagine how desperate I am), add a bit of it for more flavour. 
  • Double the cinnamon and vanilla. Go on.
  • Mash some bananas and add it to the mixture.
  • You may add a bit of butter and maple syrup before serving.
  • I've heard that a shot of dark rhum makes it taste good as well. I've never tested this, but maybe I will in the future. (If you try this ahead of me, do tell me the results)
Do post any suggestions, if you've tried it and how'd it go! When we meet, I promise to cook you some of my own Egyptian version. :)

Ciao. 

24 Feb 2012

Food: Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I always seem to misspell sandwich.. 
The classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich. This has to be one of the simplest yet tastiest recipes the average person can ever encounter. It requires just two main ingredients and it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. And it's CHEESE (I have a friend who's quite the cheese addict. She's actually talking to me right now about the different types of hot dogs in America, which I will blog about sometime soon. Get ready for a really easy and amazing recipe of the famous Chicago/New York hot dogs).

Back in high school, a friend and I had to do a project where we taught each other simple recipes and I was quite shocked when I found out Grilled Cheese wasn't quite a common dish in their household. As a kid, I grew up with this being a regular recipe prepared by mother dear and so, it has grown into me.

This works incredibly well with college students as we don't always have the time to prepare meals for ourselves and quite frankly, eating a good sandwich > a rice meal ANYTIME. It's easier to eat, rids of other unnecessary necessities (utensils and whatnots), and for crying out loud, it's the classic Grilled Cheese!

I'll stop talking now and get on with the recipe. Here's what you'll need:
  1. Slices of loaf bread (toast bread)
  2. Cheese (Cheddar works best but you can add Mozarella, Gouda, whatever. The cheesier, the better)
  3. Butter
I guess you can pretty much guess how this works.
  1. Preheat your skillet (best if it's a grill skillet so the bread gets that awesome slice-y shape sort of).
  2. Generously butter one side of the bread and place it on the skillet.
  3. Add your cheeeeeeesee.
  4. Butter the other piece of bread and place it on top of the cheese, butter-face up (lol butter-face. Ah, the simple joys of life).
  5. Flip until both sides are golden brown and cheese has melted.

Sometimes, when I crave for a Grilled Cheese sandwich but feel it isn't fulfilling enough, I add ham or bacon to fill it up a bit. There are many variations that people have tried, so go ahead and do the same. Just remember that there's a reason it's called Grilled Cheese.. Never forget to add a lot of cheese.

This is a really simple recipe, but we tend to forget about it. Go ahead, and prepare this as you study for your Final examinations. 

If you have requests for certain sandwiches, comment below. If you try this and add your own special ingredient, tell me about it. :)

Bil hana wish shifa! (Equivalent of bon appétit in Egyptian Arabic)

New recipe AND a phrase in Arabic. Ossum apple so ossum!

Wall DIY Decor

Let's all be very honest, we all wish to have our rooms/dorms to look like this or this or even this (okay, I really do love the latter) but we just lack the time, patience, and resources (why must it be sooo hard to budget? It always looked so simple for our parents..) to even go halfway through. We want this new room to somehow reflect our personality, so when people walk in they acknowledge what sort of individuals we are. Buuuuut that's not quite the case. We move in, make an effort to set up our belongings and assure ourselves that we will continue soon. But with the projects piling up and the deadlines coming up, you forget to.. what was it again?

So here I am, with a simple solution for that empty space on your wall. If you are the type who owns quite a few hats, this would be perfect for you. It would take but a few items to assemble and most likely half an hour (or less, actually) from your Saturday morning.

Right, so these are the items you will need:
1. Hats
2. Clothes Pins
3. Adhesive tape (removable)

Try to get the adhesive tape to be the same length & width as the clothes pins. You may work with the traditional wooden pins but if you feel rather funky (did I just use that word?), go ahead and get the coloured ones. If you're extra originative, you can design them as well.

Steps:
1. Gather all the hats and from now & try to arrange them in the manner you'd like them put up on your wall. In time, the arrangement may change, but it's good to have a head start.
2. Cut out the adhesive tape to fit perfectly behind the back of the clothes pin and stick it.
3. Clip the pin onto the hat and stick the pin on the wall, where the hat best fits. Do this until all your hats are displayed.

And that's about it! What makes this project great is that the pins and adhesive tapes are removable, so there's no permanent damage caused (many decorations and plans do have permanent damage). What makes it even better is that it can work for girls and guys. And, what makes it even much more better (I need to work on my choice of words), it can work with a whole lot of things. If you're not a hat person, try photos, little cardboard cut-outs, recipes, and anything lightweight! Be creative, young mammals! Not only is this functional, it's also a wonderful piece of art. Made by yours truly.

Tell me if you get to do this project and I'd be more than thrilled to see a picture of your final work.

Thank you, Elsie Larson.

22 Feb 2012

Wicked Oreos: Sweet & Easy

It's difficult being on a budget and sometimes it can get really annoying specially when the cravings come in. Aside from this, we don't really have much time to bake cheesecakes (took my 2 hours the first time) or pies. But as I came here, I was introduced to this lovely recipe that requires merely 3 ingredients and less than 5 minutes of prep time + cooking. In addition, I can't quite imagine someone who doesn't quite enjoy the classic pancake breakfast, oreos, and especially ice cream so putting it together just makes this recipe even better.

Here's what you'll need:


1. Pancake mix (preferably the fluffy kind). Or if you prefer making your own mix,  go ahead. Either would work.
2. Oreos. Getting the double layered one would make it extra tasty.
3. (optional) Ice cream. Personally, I feel Vanilla is best because I like to keep it simple, but you can go with whatever you prefer.
Of course you will also need the essential oil, water and other ingredients needed to prepare the pancake (I use a brand called Maya as all you need to add is water)

Steps:

  1. Prepare your pancake mix. If you decided to make your own pancake mix, you can click on this link for a video of a simple recipe. 
  2. Dip your oreos in the batter and make sure they are coated well on both sides.
  3. Deep fry the oreos and flip until both sides are golden brown.
  4. (optional) Add a scoop (or two) of ice cream on top and voilà! 

Straight off my plate, this was my breakfast sometime last year when we became quite addicted to this easy recipe. 
I hope you all enjoy this easy recipe and if you try it, tell me how it turns out! Stay tuned for more easy recipes just like this.

And so He said: Let there be online blogging

Dearest (possible) readers,

This is the commencement of what I hope would be a successful blog that would perchance award me an A+ for my Introduction to Print Media & Journalism class.

It took me a while to decide on what to blog about. As an unmistakable rookie in the world of journalism, I had to pick a certain theme to blog about whilst (I do realize quite a lot of you lot rarely see or use that word but I find that it manifests a sort of beauty that is lacking in the current spoken English so leave me to it) applying the rules of journalism that I have acquainted myself with. I am rather fond of writing but I am aware as well that I may not be blessed with the talents of Shakespeare or Jane Austen.. or merely Sarah Kay (If you don't know her, I advice you watch this video and acquaint yourself with her. She is of awe-inspiring talent & I admire her greatly), but I reckon I'm a youthful damsel who has years ahead to learn and succeed. As I was saying earlier, it took me quite some time to figure out what theme I'd like this blog to portray. Food was my primary choice (you will later discover my great passion for food) but I wasn't quite sure what about food I would write. I had at least 7 different matters on my list that I ended up crossing out before arriving at a decision.

So as the heading somewhere in this blog already says, this blog is somehow a how-to-survive-in-a-new-place kind of blog + a bit of this and that. Expect to read about:
  • The good places I go to here that are budget-friendly & how you can find a place of your own just like these
  • DIY crafts that may (or may not) be useful for you
  • Reviews/promotion of books, music, movies (maybe. I'm not the best movie critic, really), films, and other works of art
  • Easy recipes you could do at home
  • (Useful) tips on surviving on your own (*note: it may not be useful per se, but possibly something worth knowing anyhow)
  • My stand on issues (I am a debater, take note) + excerpts from a book I am currently reading and loving SuperFreakonomics
  • My original articles about news stories I find interesting (because we all need to know what's going on around us)
aaaand possibly a few more subjects that may appeal to me later on as this blog progresses. I look forward to filling this up, writing my thoughts and having you all (If I ever gain followers) read as I advance as a young and very much raw journalist.