Don't Send Them the "Yes, Rob Me, Please" Message*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

MRT (photo from tourism.gov.ph)

While residents near Manila Bay and Sofitel's guests were being evacuated as big waves hit the bay's seawall due to a storm surge, and while situation in Marikina and other flood-prone areas were being closely monitored by authorities, my primary concern during Typhoon Pedring's battering was the power outage that halted MRT operations.

MRT, with all the pushing and shoving, is a convenience most commuters fail to notice, much less appreciate. And if you have an extreme harpaxophobia (fear of robbers or being robbed) and scelerophobia (fear of burglars or being harmed by wicked humans) just like me, no MRT equals more chances of being robbed or harmed. I can handle the wild ladies on the train because I am pretty good at forcing my way through a crowded door to the middle of the coach where there are fewer people. But robbers? Who can handle them?

The 32nd MIBF: The Written World and Beyond*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

Trucks of bookstores and publishing houses were parked on the side of World Trade Center one Sunday night in September 2006. I did not know what the event was but it was a good sight. Pardon the ignorance but it was 2006 and I was a new girl in the Metro so I knew little about events like this, save those that my sister dragged me to. The next day, the great "F" friends were abuzz with great books they bought at a good price. It was all about the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF).

The Nativity, techie version*

 *This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

It's almost the end of the first "ber" month. Have you felt Christmas yet? Yes or no, I scoured youtube for this video that "Señora" was watching about a week ago. I hope this makes all of us remember the "real" story of the Nativity and the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Enjoy!

video courtesy of ExcentricPT , http://www.excentric.pt posted on youtube on Dec. 13, 2010

Keeping it simple with Aglio e Olio*

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

Simplicity has perhaps propelled the popularity of pasta all over the world. This is one dish that is not exclusively made heavenly by professional chefs, but a staple suited for home cooking. Italian cuisine is rather big on the quality of ingredients than focusing on techniques elaborate and complicated for the ordinary home cook.

For the rookies in the kitchen, cooking pasta would be a great start to experiment and play with. In every dish, a newbie can try chopping the onions, or garlic, or both. The instructions are practically easy to understand with simple steps like boil this then throw that to the pan then mix this next then tadannnnnn, your very own pasta. It can also unleash the "cook's" creativity with the variety of sauces that can be made or the shapes of pasta that can be used.

Aglio e Olio (spaghetti in oil and garlic)                                                                                                                                   

Shams and Miss U

*This post was originally written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog.

After all the glitz and glam the ladies from all over the world showed in the Miss Universe pageant, it is the impersonators' time to shine! The lady with character and the one who made an impact will definitely find herself hilariously copied.

The Becky Miss Philippines

Miss Universe 2011 Shamcey Supsup Q&A (Becky Version) with socialite and becky Divine Lee.

Hello, World!*

*This welcome post was written for The Athena, Cheenee's previous blog. Read her new welcome message here.

Finally, a blog!

I have always been a little girl with great ideas. They remain stagnant until they get bored and voluntarily leave. It was a different scenario when I was in grade school and high school, when I was still able to contain my fears and write and speak confidently. That was more than a decade ago. I have already fallen under the thin line (or rather imaginary) between the reluctant and confident me.

College gave me reasons not to be confident but it was fair enough to give me MORE reasons to be and these are reasons I'm trying to live by. Not! [HAHA] As usual, it took me days (weeks and months) before deciding to start this blog because I doubted if I would be coherent and comprehensible. The idea sent me to deep thoughts. My mind debated with itself, unnecessarily weighing the pros and cons. Fact is, this is not my first attempt. A blog site was already on the works months ago until it lost its appeal. Then it kept popping out my mind until I finally did something about it on September 10 and was able to come up with this blog in one day (for the record).