Category: Yelly Writes
My life is extraordinarily ordinary and this is celebrating and writing about my beautifully ordinary moments.
Oh no he didn’t!
So a candidate for the Philippine presidential elections made a crass joke about a rape that happened in his town whilst he was a mayor. I think it was either in the late 1980s or the early 1990s.
I actually didn’t take notice of all the swearing, the crude language, the unstatesman-like behaviour. I thought he was a reasonable choice (although, had I been able to vote, I wouldn’t really choose him). But this was a deal breaker. I can understand vulgarity (within reason) but this is a no-cross zone.
How can you vote for someone who cannot be respectful of 50% of the population?
My mugshot
After weeks of inwardly wincing every time I took my mug out of the ground floor kitchen dishwasher (where all pretty cups go to crumble) and heaving sighs of relief, the worst has happened. My cup has got a chip.
I mostly wash my cup before I leave the office. I make sure it’s clean so I don’t have to put my dishwasher. I’ve seen so many cups and coffee mugs get chipped in that monstrous thing. The one time I needed to rush out of the office to catch a train, I forget to wash my cup. A well-meaning soul put my lovely cup in the office monster and when I came back to work yesterday, I found my cup stuffed in the back of the cupboard with a humdinger of a chip!
I can’t help but mourn my beautiful mug. It was the perfect shape to cup so that I could warm my frozen hands when the office was cold. It carried just enough coffee or tea for me not to feel shortchanged when I drained the last drops of my drink. It kept the drink warm (miraculously) but you didn’t burn your lips when you sipped from it whilst the drink was still piping hot (I still marvel at the seemingly miraculous insulation!). I don’t think Starbucks make that mug anymore…at least I can’t find it a Starbucks near me anyway.
After the appropriate grieving period, I’m going to have to find my next perfect cup.
Looking around
I used to have a lot of time reading other blogs. I miss it. But as with everything, growing up has this really strange ways of changing one’s priorities. I was quite the voracious blog reader and I used to visit blogs and put my two cents in (because I always thought one’s opinion was always welcome…I mean hello, why post a blog publicly and allow comments, right?).
Times have changed. Sometimes I am saddened by the fact that I no longer seem to have the time to do the things I used to love doing. But I did promise myself that I would make changes to my current behaviour patterns because I noticed that I wasn’t, really, very happy anymore. I didn’t feel very creative anymore. I became caught up in what I thought were more adult things to do (make dinner, clear up, laundry, ironing, vegetate on the sofa staring somnambulistically at the telly or whinge about how tired I was). I think it affected my appetite for life…either in real life or online. I was quite social. I realise that now, I am making myself sound so old!
Anywho, the next Blogging 101 assignment was to visit the neighbours. To read what people were writing, to get inspiration. I laughed because the assignment gave me permission to be nosy! And well, to look at other blogs so that my blog would know what it wanted to be when it grew up!
One of the blogs I came across (thank you Stylist!) was Sara Tasker’s blog Me & Orla. I can’t remember how I came across the Stylist article. She’s one of those amazingly creative people who have managed to quit the day job and do what she loves because of Instagram.
The blog layout is amazing in its simplicity. It’s crisp and clean. Because she takes amazing photos (hence her success on Instagram), the photos take priority. I love “the voice” of her blog. When you read the words, it’s like you’re included in this weirdly personal conversation. I like it though. I’ve also downloaded her pdf on her virtual Instagram retreat. I love how some of the new internet creatives are so generous with their experiences. Some people won’t share because they want to keep the niche they discovered on the great WWW their little secret monopoly.
If you have time, go and visit her website!
I might do this on a regular basis. Look at blogs and write about them. It’s good for content plus, it’s the perfect excuse to be nosy! Not that I really need an excuse.
To long-distance friendships
Che, one of my oldest and dearest friends, posted a photo of the four of us on Facebook. Apparently, the photo was taken 10 years ago. But before that photo was taken, we had been firm friends for ages.
I am so proud of the four of us, Che, Joanne, Maries and me. We hadn’t all grown up together. Che and Joanne went to the United Methodist church my mom transplanted us to (I stuck it out at the church I grew up in for a few weeks and then finally moved too). Maries and her family moved to Fairview and looked for a Methodist church and found ours. We weren’t all immediately friends. Che and Joanne and I were friendly, but I don’t think we became close until we all went to summer camp together. I am however, very thankful for the time when we became “real” friends. I don’t think I would’ve made it through my formative years if it hadn’t been for them.
Our friendship isn’t perfect, it’s got cracks. We’ve had arguments, some unspoken and I’m sure there are heartaches we haven’t expressed. But I think we overcame them because we grew up together in faith. I don’t know how you define religious, but my faith is important to me. I know their faiths are important to Che, Joanne and Maries too. I believe that what makes our friendships strong is because the foundations of our friendships is our faith. Our first, proper steps in our journey of faith were taken together. I firmly believe that our friendships are stronger because we grew in the Lord together.
We’re all a lot older now…and on other sides of the globe! I’m in England, Maries is in solicitor training in Australia, Joanne is mum to two darling babies in the Philippines and Che, well, Che is our resident jetsetter (I think she’s in Taiwan…at the moment!). I haven’t seen Che in years (8 to be specific) because when I went home (2 years ago!) she was away. I miss living so close to Maries (we lived on the same street in our little subdivision on Quezon City) and I miss Joanne being a text message and a quick 10 minute drive away (Che and Joanne are sisters by the way).
I wish my friends were with me. Because they would find it significant that we were living in the UK, where the Methodist faith started. I wish I were with my friends, because I miss THEM. It’s easy enough to make friends, but you miss the friends who KNOW you. I miss our Starbucks coffee dates (yes, there are other coffee chains available). Our gossiping at each others’ houses. I miss going out to movies with them. I just miss being with them. I do find myself wishing that there wasn’t such a huge time difference between us. Because there are times when I just want to share with them what I’ve seen, or something I saw on TV that I think they’d find funny too!
I suppose that is what happens when you follow your dreams. This what happens when we all grown up. You’ll need to expand your territory and you’ll have to leave the people that keep you grounded. It’s not the best of situations. In a perfect world, you grow up and live exactly where you were born, with the people you love and love you back. But it’s not a perfect world, is it? Not really. So we all go away and find ourselves and stretch our wings.
What is comforting to me though, is the fact that when we are together, it’s like we all never left Quezon City, or Fairview Park United Methodist Church, it’s like our friendships were never paused or there aren’t several thousand miles between us. Till we meet again girls!
Duvet days
Sometimes it’s just what it is. I am unwell and I need time away from everything.
Sometimes all you need is time in bed.
Happy Easter!
Amidst all the feasting, all the fun and games, all the time off, not to mention all the chocolate, remember the real reason for the season:
Easter celebrates true, unconditional and everlasting love. God’s love for us. He gave up his one and only Son for our salvation.
Budget Day 2016
Today, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announces his plans for Britain for the next 5 years.
This was a busy day for me because I work for an accounting firm and we always have a post-Budget Announcement presentation for all our clients, so our firm can let them know how the Budget Announcement can affect them. Our tax team were busy preparing the materials for the e-shot which came out 6 hours after the Budget announcement with an analysis of how things would turn out. There were figures to check, powerpoint slide presentations to proof read, and handouts to prep.
Needless to say it was a busy day and there was a lot to do. I missed the train I usually get on by a mile (not that I was there on time by any stretch of the imagination – by the time the train doors shut and the train pulled away from the station I was still proofing the notes on the slides!). I got home later than usual, nursing a pounding head and my cold has gotten worse (yes, I would like to have a little sympathy, thanks!).
After reading all the Budget analyses I could bear, and reading the statement from the Chancellor saying “This will be a Budget for the working people,” I think Gideon may have got it (very) wrong.
What’s in a name?
The next Blogging 101 assignment is to take control of your title and your tagline.
It always takes me ages to think of a blog title…mostly because I think my blog title should also be my blog address. I must admit that it can be a frustrating exercise because when you think of a title that is completely you and you find out that someone else has thought about it and the domain name is no longer available, it can be frustrating and very disappointing. I’ve always known that blog titles should be snappy, unique and memorable. I am thankful, however, that my father named me the way he did. My name makes for interesting blog title permutations! Toda rabah Abba! Oh and no, he didn’t name me Yelly or Welly! Ha!
A blog tagline is certainly as important as a snappy title. I’ve gone from not having a blog tagline to having an über long one, to have a sort of acceptable one, to the one I have now. I quite like the one I have now. It focuses on the things that I am enjoying at the moment – food and photography, hence “bites and snapshots”. My blog really is a place where I talk about the absolutely ordinary life that I lead and the things that make me smile (a great recipe, good food, a great read, a breathtaking photo – all of which don’t have to be mine!).
I’m happy that people are coming to visit the blog a wee bit more. I’d love to be able to chat to people on the comments section of the blog though. Please leave me a few words in the comments section! I’d love to hear from you!
Who am I and why am I here?
I’m late to the Blogging 101 Party but I thought I’d still work on the assignments. I need to redirect my blogging efforts and relight the blogging fire so to speak. So in this case, this start is better late than never!
Those two questions are probably the scariest questions a blogger can face…well, to me it’s very scary. Because sometimes, I forget to focus on the who and the why.
I remember starting a blog on another blog host site. It was mostly a journal for me. I place where I wrote about my rants, where I made fun of people who made grammatical mistakes, where I talked about me. I’m not exactly sure that’s where I found my voice…if I’ve ever found it at all. But I’m a lot more serious about this blog. Because I think I’m much more selective about what I write and share online. I find that as I grow older, I’m more sensitive to how what I put out in the universe affects other people – ripples in the water, and all that jazz.
So, why don’t I just write my thought down in a journal. I don’t know is the answer to that question. Sometimes it’s just knowing that you can send things out into cosmos and somewhere someone goes, “Oh I get that completely!” I think it’s a deep-seated human need to fit in, to belong or just feel like we’re not so different – am not entirely sure that that’s a good reflection on my individuality because it speaks volumes about my need to conform to the mores of society!
I write because I want to talk. I think I write because I want an audience. But at the same time, I sort of want the imagined anonymity. I mean I can hardly be anonymous if I use my photo as my Gravatar image, now can I? But it’s the ease of putting stuff out there. Of seeing if anyone finds what I have to say interesting.
I also want to talk about my food journey. I love to cook and bake and I want to share what I’m learning. Food for me isn’t just about the physical nourishment. It also holds a lot of happy memories of family and friends gathered around a table. Food is an intrinsic part of my growing up, so being so far away from my family, a way for me to reconnect and cheer myself up.
I also love to talk about Filipino food, which I think is a long-ignored Southeast Asian cuisine. I thought if I wrote about Filipino food then people would see a new facet about the Philippines. I want to get people talking about Filipino food. I mean I know that Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern have both visited the Philippines and they rave about Filipino food. So we have been featured on TV. There are a lot of tutorial videos about how to cook Filipino food floating about on the internet but I want to add my voice to that. I want people to know how good Filipino food really is. We need to be as known as our other Southeast Asian neighbour’s cuisines: Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese.
I have no idea how the blog is going to help me turn my food passion into something that I do everyday. If that is even possible (yes, I know it’s been done, but in this saturated market, can I carve out a little niche for me?). But I’d like to find out what is out there, if there are opportunities.
I think the first goal is to connect to other people. See blogs that I have a lot in common with, actually read them, learn from them. Refine my writing style. Find my voice. Fall in love with blogging again (I used to blog everyday…sometimes even more than a blog post a day!). Find out if this is something I want to take further of this will evolve into something else. I want to hear from other people. I want people to come to the blog and say things, react to what I have to say. If it’s negative, please be gentle, but thoughts are welcome!
I’m excited again. That’s a brilliant start.
Yellywelly 