Saturday, August 8, 2009

Double Eight and Honest Ten

I love 8's, today's 8/8 and I'm feeling extra great! It's the weekend and exactly two months before the 8th of October - my 26th birthday. Yahoo! :D It's never too early to get excited about one's special day, right? Right! This morning, I woke up at 6 and the sun was already beating down hard so no run for me. Instead I did some yoga and after an hour or so started my weekend eats with porky pancakes. Using whole wheat flour for the first time, I was quite worried how it will turn out but the results were so good I ate two right after they came off the pan and decided to bake the rest of the batter into my fave - whole wheat banana bread. Are you sick of reading about my banana breads yet? I can't help it! I just love them. Haha.

This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant. This award is about bloggers who post from their heart, who oftentimes put their heart on display as they write from the depths of their soul.

Awww, Katharina is a real sweetheart and passed me this award. Thank you! So I'm supposed to list 10 honest things about myself. Well, here goes nothing:

1. I love that I am able to amuse/entertain myself with whatever way I can. While I enjoy spending time with others, I am perfectly comfortable being on my own. There's the tv, internet, running, cooking, and reading to keep me busy. Other times, I play with my camera and whatever catches my fancy. Salt and pepper shakers were two of my first subjects when I first got my camera.

{Salt&Pepper Wedding}

2. My family and I are fortunate enough to be able to afford balanced meals everyday. I often write about my obsession with fruits and vegetables and you may get the impression that everybody eats the same way as I do back in the Philippines. It's sad to admit though that malnutrition is a huge health concern in my country where about 28 million Filipinos are unable to buy food to meet their nutritional requirements and other basic needs.

3. Issues (such as the one mentioned above) and current events (from Mischa's meltdown to wars) sometimes seem too distant or too huge for me to comprehend that I feel nothing but apathy. It's been said that being indifferent is the worst state and I hate that my apathy stems from feeling like I can't help the situation at all.

4. They say (Who are
they anyway?) that one may choose to live life whatever way s/he wants. Only rule is not to hurt others while living your own life. I'm guilty of this attitude sometimes (read item 3) but I'm working on not only loving myself but loving others as well. I know I love my family and friends to death but I have to work on being a better person for other people as well.

5. Maybe items 3 and 4 are the reasons why I'm still single? Haha! Is it really too much to ask for somebody just like my Dad for a boyfriend - handsome, humble, smart, and funny?

6. While I don't care much for makeup, I take the time to prettify photographs. Since I forgot to snap a picture of my breakfast, I took a pic of my pan. Here's why I called them porky pancakes. I wish I could send a pan to each one of you; I really do!

{Unwashed Porky Pancake Pan: Haha, how very classy!}

7. Sorry, TMI but I like getting sweaty. After a run, I relish the moment when I'm doing my stretches and the sweat just pours out from my uhmmm, pores. It feels so cleansing. Makes the shower feel 13,453 times more refreshing! Don't worry; I drink more than enough water throughout the day and after a workout for optimum hydration. :P

8. I don't get contented easily. Don't we all? I feel like my writing, pictures, running, and many other things are so so. Compliments are reassuring but then I'd always find faults and imperfections. It can be seen in a positive light though - a passion for continuous improvement maybe?

9. I can never follow a recipe to the letter. :s I improvise and experiment with my cooking after taking inspiration from others. Oh yeah, Julia - here's the recipe for the kinako banana bread. For everybody else who can't read Nihongo - it's basically mixing bananas with store bought pancake mix (bonus points for honesty)! :D Since I just have to mess with every recipe, I nixed the sugar and doubled the banana. Then I added kinako since I'm addicted to it. Here's my freshly baked BBread from today's breakfast leftover batter (without kinako) which was so moist. It was a good thing I added a bit of water since I read that WW flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose flour.

{Whole Wheat Banana Bread}

10. PB used to be my crack but when I moved to Japan (where food is the best but lacking in PB awesomeness), I found a worthy replacement in kinako. It's toasted soy bean flour and is used in Japanese traditional sweets. Everything kinako flavored, I tried it - mochi, Kitkat, donuts, ice cream, soy milk (soy overload much?), everything. But the best way for me is to eat a spoonful straight from the bag. Haha!

{KinakoDonut by MisDo: Check out their mouth watering summer goodies!}

I'm going against the rule and not tagging 7 fellow bloggers but I'd love to hear about a random fact or two about yourself at the comments! :D I'm off to watch fireworks tonight, still no plans for tomorrow, and half marathon training starts next week! Eeep! Enjoy your weekend, dolls!

13 comments:

  1. OMG hot for sure, it will be 99 tomorrow!! Cute pan!!!!
    Random fact about me ...
    I am afraid of squirrels! I'm getting over it, but I still hate them!
    -muffy

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  2. That pan is so so cool. My mom used to have a heart-shaped waffle maker when I was growing up and I LOVED having heart-shaped waffles! I've been on the hunt for one just like it but haven't had any luck :-(

    Guess that's a random fact about me right there :-)

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  3. I love that you're so positive! Happy 8th!

    Great list. And did you really take the Salt&Pepper Wedding photo? It's awesome!

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  4. I love your blog, it's so upbeat and full of energy and heart. :-)

    LOVE the salt and pepper wedding photo...I've never seen anything like it, and it's just so unique and cute. :-)

    Okay, random fact about myself: I've never flown in a plane before!! I plan on my first trip via plane, to be heading towards Paris. I'd love to eat bread, cheese and drink wine in front of the eiffel tower...hehe. :-)

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  5. What in the world are porky pancakes?

    I think your banana breads look great, banana bread is so good! (Banana anything is so good.)

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  6. It was so great learning more about you! :)

    Random fact about me: I have been on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with all the yelling people! it was awesome and exciting!

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  7. i am also searching for a younger version of my dad haha - daddy's girls all the way. :) and i completely get what you mean about never feeling contented - i go through that so often in terms of writing/photography/styling. i think we're too hard on ourselves though.

    loved all the insights about you!

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  8. Great post, great pan & great bread!!

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  9. congrats on the award girlie :D
    mmm great bread.

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  10. I loved reading your 10 things!

    Your banana bread always looks and sounds like a heaven.. if only I could have a slice of it hehe :D I love your variations on it too.

    Take care, and I hope you have a wonderful week!

    XO

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  11. Now I see what porky pancakes are... thanks!

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  12. LOVED this post! hahahaha! Love the way you entertain yourself...salt and pepper wedding! Hahaha! We would go along very well. And dear, EVERYONE goes through the same struggles to be able to love others. That's the hardest thing in the world, so you are NOt alone. But the fact that you WANT to love others more already says a lot abt how beautiful you are inside.
    Oh, and FREAKING CUTE pan!!

    Random fact abt myself: I adore anything made with green tea. Green tea oats, green tea cookies, green tea cake, green tea cheese, even green tea wipes!

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  13. I JUST noticed that salt&pepper picture. That's so adorable!!!!!!

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