Christmas is Coming Soon

Ah, the TV news programs have already started  the countdown for Christmas. The night is also beginning to be adorned with shimmering Christmas lights and colorful lanterns hanged along the streets and houses. Truly, I can already smell the sweet scent of anticipation for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ. How I love Christmas, and surely everyone else does!

I plan to put a small Christmas decoration inside our room in the boarding house so that even when we study, we may never give up and lose hope. And perhaps, we might even forget that Christmas is already nearing due to our busyness to studying. Isn’t it beautiful when everyone’s heart is aching tenderly for the birth of our Savior? I also plan to download some Christmas songs to liven up the stiff mood of our room.

And now, here are my Christmas wish list:

1. YOUCAT book
2. Books by Saint Josemaria Escriva

• Friends of God
• The Way
• The Forge
• The Furrow

3. Catholicism of the Catholic Church
4. Any books (as long as it’s not SciFi)

• Culture-related books
• Alex Rider series

5 Comprehensive 2012 planner
6. DLSR Canon/Nikon Camera!
7. Geisha books

• Geisha: A Living Tradition (Kyouko Aihara)
• Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Lesley Downer)
• A Geisha’s Journey (Komomo)
• Geisha: A Unique World of Tradition, Elegance, and Art (John Gallagher)
• Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile (George Braziller)
• Geisha: The Life, the Voices, the Art (Jodi Cobb)

8. Suikoden III Manga Volumes: 1, 5, 6, 8, 10
9. 100+ Crayola Set
10. Blouse/ornaments

Gelato Goodness

I never thought that gelato would taste this good!

My dear friend brought us to Gelatissimo for our finishing dessert in her birthday dinner treat. I was looking forward to this part because It would be my first time to eat gelato.

Gelato, as I have expected, was quite expensive so it was really kind of her to treat us there. As far as I know, it is an Italian dessert which contains less fat and air than ice cream depending on the flavor, thus giving it a  richer consistency, Speaking of Italian, I can’t help but remember Italy of Hetalia. According to one episode of the anime, the Italian army loved gelato so much that they even brought them during the war.

Now coming back to the story of our gelato trip, there were a lot of flavors to choose from! I asked for a free taste of strawberry cheesecake and mango yogurt flavors. Mango yogurt was definitely better, hands down. I love its fruity sour taste which I found very pleasing to my taste buds. After ordering our own gelato, we went outside the shop and offered each one of us a free taste. Some said that my gelato was very sour. Truly it was sour, but its sourness was really interesting for me. And I didn’t like much the flavors they have chosen. Mango yogurt gelato is just the best.

Now, I’m craving for more gelato. I wish I could taste the same thing again.

Instrumental Music

Recently, I developed a fascination with instrumental Celtic music. And so, I have downloaded all the possible Celtic music I could get: The Corrs instrumentals, Chrono Cross soundtracks, and other Irish music. Celtic music is really good, melodic, and pleasing to the ears because of the unique combination of fiddle, tin whistle, drums, and more instruments. And these characteristics mainly contribute to the mood of the song, they can be very cheerful or very somber, though usually Celtic music are more cheerful because of the heightened playfulness and colors of the melodies.

This is my favorite instrumental song from the Corrs, entitled “Lough Erin Shore”. Video by orionisprime.

Chrono Cross soundtracks are also good and Celtic-inspired. My favorite song is “Arni Village (Home)”. Every time I hear it, my heart aches as if I needed to reflect onto something. Maybe I should play this song every time I need to contemplate about Life. Video by illmatic28.

I usually listen to instrumental music while studying, especially when I need greater concentration (reading, understanding, writing a paper) because I am easily distracted to the lyrics of the other songs.

Speaking of instrumentals, the next genre I am planning to download are palabunibunyan and rondalla music.

Sandwich Galore

Sliced bread  prove to be an indispensable food and stomach filler for very busy college students like me. Sometimes, I do not have enough time to buy and eat real food like rice and viand, so most of the time, I eat sandwiches. And I have tried a lot of brands of sliced bread, but Gardenia whole-wheat bread is the best for me. Every bite is filled with grains that you could really feel while chewing it. Just now, I googled  about Gardenia whole-wheat bread and they mostly say that it is bland. But I find it really good,  I can eat it even without a spread! (just as they proclaim)

Most of the time though, I prefer an extra taste by applying sandwich spreads. My daily morning routine includes preparing sandwiches, which I really enjoy doing. And I have tried a lot of spreads: chicken-mayo spread, egg-mayo spread, Clara Ole mango jam, Kraft Cheez Whiz, and Magnolia Cheezee Spread. I like the combination of Magnolia Cheezee Spread and Clara Ole mango jam. The taste is really something, a complex mixture of saltiness and sweetness. Or maybe I just have a weird preference of taste.

Pictures coming soon.