(No Brandy) Alexander

    Last time, I posted a topic about my happy Sundays with my family; This time I am going to share to you my own recipe of Brandy Alexander.

    First, how to make a non alcoholic Alexander (Brandy Alexander originally) that you can serve to your family during special occasions or even on an ordinary day.

Yields: 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of Vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup All-purpose cream
• Chocolate syrup
• Ice
• (Add 3 jigger of Brandy for BRANDY ALEXANDER)

Procedure:

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender. Be generous with chocolate syrup.

2. Blend until the texture turns smooth.

3. Garnish the glass by frosting the rim with cocoa powder or rolling drops of chocolate syrup inside the glass.

4. Serve and enjoy!

Family Day: RETRO SUNDAY

    I just finished having my lunch with my family and now I am sitting here in front of my desk, tapping new entries for my blog while the ideas in my head is still running. (I can hear them right now teasing me 'you will get fat if you sat for an hour after taking your meal!' I wish I could gain weight just because of sitting after meals.)

    Today is Sunday on our meantime; Instead of having a barbecue party today (which we usually do every Sunday as a part of our family bonding), they decided that I must show-off my bartending skills by mixing something new for them.

    I made a Non-alcoholic Alexander for the kids; And, Pomegranate Deluxe for my parents. Proudly saying that these are all my original recipe.

    The non-alcoholic Alexander was originally Brandy Alexander, but my friends who are non-drinkers tend to dislike the bitter taste of brandy, so I developed this new recipe for non-drinkers. Pomegranate deluxe was inspired by the ice scramble mixture that I always bought beside the school building every afternoon during my high school days.


    Going back, upon all the days on my calendar, Sundays is my favourite day not just because everyone in the family are present, but because it is the only day where we could not think of work nor the school and such--we are free to do everything like what we always did when we were younger.

    We are carefree. We don't have to think of either doing things maturely or act like someone so perfect so that people won't judge you negatively. Everyone accepts your personality whether good or bad. Not because we are family that we understand every aspects of ourselves, but because we respect each other and that is what brought us together.

    We are all busy the whole week and Sundays is the only day wherein everyone is free from work and school. So, we make sure that we could bring out all that we can to make this day the happiest, most exciting and the most unforgettable Sunday ever!

    Unfortunately, NO GADGETS ALLOWED every Sunday except for the only telephone, old radio playing retro songs and a television that can be used after four in the afternoon (4:00 PM). (Obviously, I cheated this time! Ha ha!) I wanted to take a picture, but my father refused.

    By the way, my recipes for the drinks will be posted here soon. :)

    Happy Sundays!

Library as heaven

    The Library. My heaven, but seems to be hell to some who don't own a card or afraid to face a frowning librarian.

    Today, in the generation where everyone owns a tablet/laptop or any gadgets with an eBook application installed in it, the library seems to be too old-school and most of the time, forgotten.

    It makes me feel sad to know that (some) people forgotten the use of library or they don't even know they have a library in their own town. Maybe to some urban poor area, maintaining or having a library is not a major priority. But, having a library that is free for everyone who is willing to learn and at least try to read on their own, makes a place out stand (It is just my opinion).

::Source::

(This next part is what I hate most) Students are afraid of entering the library.

    I don't know why, they are afraid of facing the librarian! They are just too scared to borrow books or even having an application for a borrower's card. Gee! What in the world would they think the librarian will do by the time they enter the library. And, they even scared of touching books like those books will eat them the moment they touch them!

    Library is a paradise. For real.

    People might think it sounds geeky or whatever, but if you value your right to enrich yourself, library is the place to be.

    I know that those gadgets and applications (e.i. eBooks) occupied and replace the use of library and real books and they have the same practice, which is reading. Technology has lessen the hassle of carrying large books or even going to libraries.

    Let me clear first that I am not against the technological innovations. But, holding a real book while cherishing the silence of the place will give you that certain authentic feeling that only the library could bring. And on the other hand, you will help authors in their fight against the copyright problems and plagiarism. It is where real treasures can be found that the new generation can't realize--Knowledge. Knowledge is the only thing that can't be stolen nor rot in this world.

    And, the library  is like a temple of endless knowledge. I don't want to see the future without a place like this that is vanished by the idea of modernization and technology and worse, by the people's ignorance.

My sweet mom makes me cry again; Strike 21!

    I think it is worth to be shared.

    I have this behavior of checking my e-mail first early in the morning. But today, my mom let me extend my sleeping hours until past eight.

    She tried not to make noise, not even a knock at my door to wake me. Unknowingly, she was into my desktop, already started to the boot-up scan while preparing my favorite breakfast combo—fried rice, my mom's homemade daing na Bangus (milk fish, marinated overnight and fried), unripe mango salsa perfectly goes with the daing, egg sunny side up, cabbage soup and a hot cup of black coffee.

    I woke up past eight and was surprised by the moment and absolutely touched by her effort...

    This, after a long time, was the first time again that she prepared a breakfast for me.

    As I sat and took a sip of the coffee she had prepared, she whispered, "My only princess deserves a dish served with love." She smiled with tears in her eyes and left me in the kitchen.

    I can't help myself, but to cry like a child. I just murmured my thanks because I can't say a thing. Overwhelmed, she never failed to make me cry first in the morning of my every birthdays.

I saw this Google Doodle on the home page. It was so delighting that a doodle
will greet you on your birthday. Nice one Google!

Get together with my long-time friends

    A day before my 21st birthday, I managed to make time today with and gather the people that I loved most--my two long-time friends, Enrico and Rea.

    I haven't been in touched with them for almost three years and this time around, I took the opportunity of the holiday tardiness that resulted to cancellation of class and use my free time to see them again. (I doubt I shouldn't have attended my class today; I waited for about six hours for nothing that even my Entreprenural class, which was the last of the seven subjects I have today.)

    We have been through a fast food and ate spaghetti (thing we never done before) and talk about the moments we are separated from each other and the and, of course, life talk that we miss doing for a long time.

    They change a lot—physically. We have not been speaking to each other for the last three years, but they are still the same person that I used to be with for the past 12 years of my life.

::Having fun in the
Enrico got the first place::

    ::Enrico:: was my first guy friend. He transferred to our school when we were in third grade. And, as I remember, he was the tallest among the boys and the first among the class to wear eyeglasses for medical reasons. I have never been too close to any boys in the class, except him. Actually, we became friends unintentionally; it was like the same ordinary, daily conversation together with the other classroom mates. And, we became comfortable with and get used to talk with each other each day. We are like the geeky type on the class before and we always feel awkward and teased by the bullies. Then, on, we always look up to each other's back like warriors with swords and shields (like a normal kids do, during our daydreaming hours). We never noticed, the years have passed and still, we got each other's back. That is why I really value the friendship we build together.

::preety Rea:

    ::Rea:: was a transferred student from Dubai. That was when we were in third year high school (/junior high/ last of the two years we had in high school). She came back to school late that was a month and a half after the start of the school year. At first, we feel unease because we thought she wasn't talking in Filipino language and we always teased each other, saying: "Nose bleed!" (It can't be said without ending a demonic laughter, ha ha!). Yes, she can speak Filipino language, but not fluent. We taught her of some common terms that she is not familiar with especially in our Filipino Literature subject, which even us are having a hard time dealing with the deeper words. She's three years older than all the girls in the class aside from her step sister, which is also our class mate. Though she is the eldest in the class, she always treated as the "Bunso" or the youngest and fragile (like a youngest sibling in a family). She is fragile in all aspects of her being—emotional. That is why we always smooth and careful with of her.

    We had an enjoyable night together—from arcade games, food, small talk, and most of all, the pleasure of having them, again, by my side after a long time. I am overwhelmed and delighted with this moment to the point that I almost cry, but I just stopped myself a hide the tears just not to break the momentum of each other's amusement.

    I am looking forward to another fun-fun Friday night with them, but this time, I am planning to invite my two best of girlfriends together, ::Joanna:: and ::Christine::.

    I think this is the best birthday gift that I had given myself—a gift that captivate my sentimental soul and an enchantment to my life.

New school, new friends, new life

    The last two months of 2012 was the busiest months I've had since I came back to college to finish the last three semesters of my degree.

    Busy for the documents for transferring to another school (by which, apparently, still on process), but I am able to enroll to another college school. Busy working for Big Boss (which is father) as her auditing/marketing/production assistant which makes me, again, stay away from the web.

    Going back, I have to transfer to another school. This time, not in a university, but just a college school. Anyway, I am thankful that I am able to study again and finish my degree.

    I met new friends and are very understanding and has a good personality amid their pasts, they stand strong and inspires people—inspire me.

::Gladys::

    ::Gladys::, a returning student on the same course, is so pretty and has an inspiring story that has shared to me; I am not in the place to tell what it is, but it is something that has tested her faith and loved her husband even more. I saw their pictures on Facebook and the way that she describes to me her husband every time she opens her notebook with his picture in it in front during class makes me say: "I wish I could meet the lucky guy". They are very lucky to have each other.

::Marivel and her sister Marites::
My shot :) at Madagascar
Christmas adventure

    Down to earth and a real description of "Dalagang Filipina" and "Maria Clara" is ::Marivel::. She's from Samar and an Octoberian student. Same as me, this is her first semester at the same school and I feel blessed to be with her because she resembles my old time friend, Rea. They have the same characteristics. She makes everyone smile, effortless.

      Lovely as she was named, ::Lovely:: is a true lovely girl with a unique charm and simplicity in her own ways. We are in the same Entrepreneur class, just one subject, but I think we have spent half of our days together chatting about our past universities. I think we are bound together because we share the same situations—stopped for two years and returned as transferred students.

::Study Harder!! lovely in her term papers::

     Though, every day was very tiring—physically, these people who are making me happy in every single ways and enthuse me to make my daily living more splendid. I hoped to have more wonderful days with them.

Back to blogging--with a new life

    Happy new year everyone! It has been months since the last time I posted something here. The last two months of yesteryear was the best months I've had for the year 2012.

    I continue studying my degree, although I had to transfer to another school. Returning to school this time was the best timing since I think I had nurtured myself from other things that has nothing to do with what I my degree scope is. Two years away from school have been a very long time of learning, maturing and making one self intelligent enough and responsible for making decisions and actions. I saw the great difference from what I am two years ago and what I am today, and I can see how gaining confidence and using it in a good way out stand myself from others.

    I met new friends and build a good reputation in my new environment; since I promised to myself that this chance of returning to school will be the time that I will start to live the life that I wanted--with freedom to choose and follow my dreams as I go with the flow of life.

    I hoped this would be the start of enjoying myself and loving the life that I have and say that “I live my life the way I want, just laugh and smile for the good and even the bad things that will come and live longer and make this world a better place”

    Happy New Year!!!