From Musings to Adventures

Hey there!

In case you haven't noticed (if you're one of the few people who regularly visit my blog site), I changed my blog description from "musings of a damsel under stress" to "adventures of a damsel under stress". I just think my posts here are too shallow to be considered musings. My posts usually talk about new food finds, restaurants, books, films, and travel. They can hardly be considered musings. Yes, I've posted twice or thrice about my personal issues, but believe me, I thought about the decision to do so a thousand times before I hit the publish button. So tonight I've made another decision. From now on, I'm going to write about my "real" musings on my other blog. I've stashed it in a very private location so no amount of guessing will get you there. Ha!

Like other [strange] people, I keep a lot of blogs, and by a lot I mean more than two. I find that weird myself. I mean, who keeps three or four blogs?!

I have that may blog sites 'cause I do a lot of writing and I have a lot of target audience - varying target audience. This blog, for example, is free for everyone to read. My other blog is a Tumblr blog where I usually just reblog other people's posts. My last blog is my "personal" blog. Most of my posts there are private, and yes, that's the secretly hidden blog site you'll never find!

Counting the number of blog sites I have made me realize how much I love to write. I'm talkative in cyberspace! I can go on talking and talking here without even noticing that I haven't made any sense, like now. Haha.

I used to think about using my blogging skills to earn money, but every time I try, I back out. I love writing so much that I was afraid if I use it to earn money, I won't love it as much any more. I didn't want writing or blogging to be a chore. I didn't want to be forced into writing. I wanted to write just because. Plus, I wasn't very confident about my writing skills.

But two weeks ago, something inside me pushed me to give it a try. Just one go. I figured, if it works out, then I'll have extra income. If it doesn't, then I can go back to loving writing the way I used to. Surprise surprise! It worked out!

Last week, I got a job as part-time online article writer. To date, I've finished a couple of articles and so far, I haven't received any violent reactions and degrading comments from my boss. Haha. The better news is: I didn't fall out of love with writing. I became even more in love with it. I get to practice my writing skills everyday. It's just like blogging, only more frequently. And I'm even doing that other thing I love: research! Wow! I'm so blessed to be able to practice my two loves at the same time!

Hopefully, by the time school starts again, I've already gotten used to this new job of mine. Wish me luck!

And, a word of advice: if you're thinking about giving something or any thing a go, just give in. You never know how things are going to go. Best case scenario: you get what you want. Worst case scenario: you lose but you've gained the experience. Just my two cents.

So... Does this blog post count as a musing or as an adventure? Do I keep this post here or do I move it to my other site? Hahaha.

Dine In: Cool Beans Cafe

Most people spend Friday night partying, dining out, or doing just about anything to welcome the weekend with a bang. I am most people, I think. Haha. There just seems to be something wrong with staying at home on a Friday night. Well, I'm in my mid-twenties so you'll have to understand. For the record, I'm way past partying so that leaves you with dining out and doing-just-about-anything-to-welcome-the-weekend. Haha.

I'm not a foodie and I'm not adventurous when it comes to trying out new cuisines, but I do love to dine out. My sister and I love to spend Friday or Saturday nights trying out hole-in-the-walls or just hanging out. Last Friday was no different.

During one of our strolls along Maginhawa, we spotted a newly opened cafe which really caught our eye. Cool Beans Cafe is the newest addition to the ever-growing Maginhawa restaurant family. The best thing about Cool Beans is that their customers can borrow their books while they're eating or having coffee. Really cool, right?

By the way, you'll have to excuse my photos. They were taken during one of those rare times when I was caught unprepared. I didn't bring my camera so I had no choice but to use my Blackberry.

 

I once dreamt of owning a business like this one, but I guess someone already beat me to it. Haha. This is place is my ultimate dream hangout. I would like to commend and offer my heartfelt gratitude to the owner for coming up with Cool Beans and combining my two loves: eating and reading. 

Their book selection is quite commendable. They have everything from Archie comics to biographies to popular novels. Aside from the selection of books, I also like the way they've set up the place. I like its interiors 'cause it gives you a homey feeling. It's really conducive to reading. They have wooden chairs and tables for people who only come there to eat. Those who'll only want to read can sit anywhere on the two sets of couches. 

Ate and I went there hoping to do both, but given it was a Friday and the place was almost packed, we had no choice but to sit on the wooden chairs. And just when I was really looking forward to lounging on the couch. Haha. Anyway, here's what we ordered:

Iced Tea and Iced Chocolate. They may look the same, but trust me, they're not. The one on the forefront is my iced tea and the other one is Ate's iced chocolate. My tea was a bit sour for my taste, but it was ice cold. If you want a sweeter one, you can add syrup for twenty pesos (I think). Ate's chocolate tasted like your regular iced Milo. 

Pan Grilled Chicken Fillet. When I saw their serving of this dish, my eyes instantly popped out. See how big that cup of rice is? It was impossible for me to finish it all up! The fillet was okay, though it was a bit bland for my taste. Health conscious people, on the other hand, will definitely give it two thumbs up.

Vigan Longganisa Penne. I liked Ate's pasta better. The red sauce was made with Vigan Longganisa, but we were hardly able to taste the longganisa on the pasta. It tasted like regular ground meat. The penne was cooked al dente, and the herbed foccacia was good.

The place is still on soft opening, so I guess they're still trying to get everything right. The food prices aren't all that bad. But I do hope they add more choices to the menu. So far, they have two pasta dishes, sandwiches and paninis, frappucinos, and a few rice meals. All in all, I think the place is worth going back to. Three out of five stars.

Visit Cool Beans Cafe at:
67-A Maginhawa Street, UP Village, Quezon City
Mobile number: 0917.706.4711
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/coolbeansph

Kitchen Battle: Calamansi Loaf

I confess. I have no use in the kitchen. With the exception of eggs and canned and instant foods, I don't know how to cook anything. I'd love to enroll in a cooking class, but my frugal self just won't allow me to. Let's face it - cooking classes may just as well be as expensive as film classes.

There. Now that you know I can't cook to save my life, I'm gonna share with you a little something I achieved over the weekend. I baked! *confetti*

Okay. I know it's not as big as learning how to cook, but hey, it's one step closer.

And this time I call it an achievement 'cause I didn't use ready-mixed ingredients! *more confetti*. Haha.

Mama is frustrated by the fact that I can't cook - even more frustrated than me. Haha. That's why she lets me hang around in the kitchen and poke my nose into her or our angel's cooking. Last Saturday, just because she had something to attend to, she let me do the baking all by myself.

I've heard about Real Coffee's Calamansi Muffins but I've never actually tasted them. And when I saw a recipe on PEPPER.PH, I knew I found my first ever serious baking project.

And before you react violently, yes, I didn't bake muffins. I didn't have a muffin pan handy so I had to improvise. The only baking pans we had were the ones good for making brownies or a loaf. I chose the loaf. It was, after all, only an experiment.

I had to make a few more changes to the recipe. You must be wondering why the color isn't exactly similar to the one found on PEPPER.PH. Well, it's 'cause I used coco sugar instead of the usual. Papa is a diabetic so he's not allowed to have too much sweets. I didn't want him to miss all the fun so I had to use his sugar. Also, instead of the required oven temperature, I baked the loaf in preheated 170 degrees Celsius oven for 30 minutes.

Mama and Ate said it was good but I could do better with more calamansi. And the next time I bake these, I'm gonna make sure there's a muffin pan somewhere.

So, how's that for a first-timer? :)

Throwback: Kalesa