COMMUNAL COFFEE: San Diego Review

Communal Coffee is a café located in North Park neighborhood. There’s a floral shop named “Native Poppy” that the café shares its location with – which I appreciated a lot. It’s really bright inside the shop – lots of sunshine is drawn in, and the shaker design makes for a communal feel they were probably going for. There was a lot of variety in the colors and textures of the flowers found in the shop -- many were displayed for sale up against a wall but many were also in vases throughout the café.

The coffee shop’s color palette was neutral – tones were muted, the untreated floor in the sitting area was bare, designs in the furniture were simple. The overall simplicity complimented the flower shop. Everything was aesthetically pleasing; I found it easy to just sit and reflect – on myself, on my thoughts, with my surroundings. The music they played consisted of a great selection – good for things like reading, studying, and working. 

To the coffee – I’m going to be completely honest: I’m not a coffee connoisseur… and I’m not even close. Arabica, Robusta, Liberica is a foreign language to me. However, when exam week comes around and I’m unbothered by how bitter my coffee is whilst having Nescafe readily available in my household, robusta becomes a life saver on late nights. Other than that, anything on the menu with hazelnut or white chocolate will have me electrified. 

I got an iced mocha the day I went, and I loved it. This was most likely due to being incredibly sweet and having a Hershey’s chocolate syrup-like taste. It had kind of a grainy-texture to it, so it didn’t go down very smoothly at times. However, like I said, it was sugary and satisfied my sweet-tooth tenfold. My friend got the lavender lemonade, I think – they didn’t have the other item he wanted. The quick sip I got from the bitten down straw was refreshing – he said he didn’t taste the lavender much, but I think the scent was still present. I definitely want to go back sometime this week and try something new. 

Book Review: Me Before You

If you know me at all, you know I don't really read books. When I was younger, around second grade, I loved books -- it'd be a treat to drive to the library and check out six books on my library card -- if I behaved that week, sometimes my dad would let me borrow more books under his library card. This summer came around and I've had a ridiculous amount of free time, so I figured I'd try reading again. I read a few books before this one, but I found myself really looking forward to picking it up each time that I did. I got the book for one dollar from BOOKOFF USA, and I'm glad I did.

The writing itself is an easy read -- I don't find myself missing information or details because the rhetoric and syntax is appealing to me. Moyes writes with depth -- each character I read about had a memorable presence -- their interactions are interesting, the humanity is depicted genuinely. One thing I didn't like so much about the book was the ending -- I found myself frustrated although I knew in the back of my mind it was bound to happen. Predictable, but I still found myself hoping for something different. It was definitely undesirable, but it addresses several sensitive and relevant topics. Through the writing and through the ending, readers can enter conversations already happening -- covering topics ranging from bioethics to family involvement in psychiatric care.

Being nineteen years old, so badly did I want to find romance in this book -- I was rooting for the main characters to come together for a happily ever after, but eventually settled for what it was. There are themes of love in certain parts of the book (ie: the idea that love can overcome obstacles, affection between characters (or lack of), etc.) but ultimately, there's more to the story. The main character, Louisa Clark, had a personality that I was simultaneously frustrated and entertained by. To some people, her insecurities and doubt in herself might be irritating -- as a reader, I wanted her to grow and empower herself. However, her vulnerability led me to seeing new perspectives. I find myself wondering what's happened to her after the novel was over. I can imagine other readers making the statement that Will has helped her "find herself," but I really believe she needs to do that on her own. Will simply made suggestions -- and although I agree with some of them, Louisa is capable of choosing for herself and deciding what she wants her future to include.

There's a movie out, so eventually I'll get around to watching it. I am not in a rush, but I look forward to it. I also look forward to reading a few more books this summer and making some blog posts!

I'm Back and (Possibly) Better?

The last time I posted something on this blog was back in 2013. There were only a handful of posts, but I kept a few of them on the site so we can reflect together on how terrible my writings and ideas were. I am hoping to produce some type of content in the next several months -- I've been itching to write but I am honestly not sure where to start. It's been over four years since my last post so I think it's fair to assume I've changed a lot. For now, follow me on my social media accounts and don't hesitate to reach out with suggestions!

Summer's been over?! My favorite #OOTD.

I try to dress cute often.
It's hard to choose because I have plenty of favorite outfits.
This outfit was worn near the end of my summer vacation.
I chose this one because I received many compliments on it!
Pictures are below.

I got those rainboots in the background for less than $13 at Macy's in Cinci!
I have a new phone case as well!
Fun Fact: You see those Xbox 360 games on the floor? 
The one closest to the bottom costs more than everything I'm wearing in the picture.

The top is a dark chambray, peplum tank. I got it from Charlotte Russe. It was only $4! 
The jeans are Bullhead Denim Co Solid Colored Skinnies in Dark Coral. I found them at TJMaxx a few months ago. They were only $10!
The shoes are a pair of "Parade Tribal Print" BCBG flats with a dark coral lining. I bought them at Dillard's over the summer with a 65% off discount!
I painted my nails a shiny gold color and wore gold & pearl dangling earring I bought from Claire's a long time ago.

This outfit went perfectly with the purse my Momsy was kind enough to give to me.

Dooney & Bourke "Leather Happy Bag"
(Apparently, these can be found in many colors!
My mom bought this one earlier this year).

The white watch I wore was from Meijer. I bought it at 1 in the morning. (That was irrelevant). 

I really enjoy making blog posts like this one.
I'm a very thrifty person and I hate over-paying for things.

Even though my school has uniforms, I still think my personality shows through my accessories.
Of course, I always get these accessories on sale.

I love sales.

Until the next post,
Ainna

Lunch on a Summer Day! Panda Rice and Ramen Noodles by Ainna

I don't really know how to cook.
Whenever I make something, I just kind of wing it.

A long time ago, I remember seeing rice and seaweed shaped to look like pandas.
My siblings and I were hungry so I decided to make us lunch.

I would give you a detailed recipe but I really just improvised with what I was able to scour from the pantry.

First, I made some rice. I wanted it to be soft so I put 2 cups of rice and almost 4 cups of water in the rice cooker.
While this was cooking, I started on the shapes for the "rice panda." I used scissors to cut these shapes out of the seaweed I found. It became very tedious but it was definitely worth it.

 They looked like this.


I cut the seaweed into strips first. This made it easier to cut the shapes out and waste less of it.

By the time I finished cutting, I decided to start on the ramen noodles. I don't really need to go into detail with that, but here's a picture because it looked tasty

The kind of ramen I cooked was the Lucky Me Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein).

My favorite from the Lucky Me brand is the calamansi flavor, but we didn't have any.

The rice was a bit difficult to work with!

I didn't use the Sushi Powder Vinegar we had because I didn't even know we had it until Buzzer handed it to me. I just took about 3/4 of the rice I made and put it into a blue container, adding a little bit less than 1/4 cup of white vinegar. I kept mixing it until the rice became sticky. I shaped them to look like this.

 There was enough rice to make about six more after I made six. I would have continued but my siblings and I have been snacking on the rice while waiting anyway.

I added the eyes, nose, and ears but also cut strips to horizontally fit the back of the panda and the butt of the panda.

They were really cute to look at.

I don't know if anyone will ever try this after reading my post, but it was fun anyway.

I'm a happy rice panda :)

Voilà!

Old CD-R in the Storage Closet!

          Today I found an old CD-R in one of the storage closets in my room. It read, "Ainna, Buzzer & Ponchay PICTURES" in Ninang's* handwriting. First of all, my little brother's name is Ricardo and my little sister's name is Ysabella. I'm not quite sure how they ended up being called "Buzzer" and "Ponchay" but they just did. No, "Ponchay" doesn't translate to anything in Tagalog. I popped the CD into the computer and the pictures I saw brought back memories.

          The awkward girl (yes, girl) in this picture is me. The day this picture was taken was the first day I learned how to ride a bike. It wasn't even my bike. I remember wanting to learn how to ride a bike while I was living in a small subdivision in the Philippines. The old bikes we had weren't exactly ride-able but it didn't matter because they were too high anyway. The neighbors to our left had a son named Joshua--he was the "Little Joshua" my family knew, not to be confused with the "big Joshua" who lived a couple more houses to the left. "Big Joshua" wasn't exactly "big" --he was fairly tall but he was my age. "Little Joshua" was closer to Buzzer's age.

          Little Joshua had a bike. I remember watching him ride it down the streets to the tindahan* while I sat outside. One day, one of our ya-yas* asked Little Joshua's ya-yas if we could borrow their bike. They said yes but also let us know that Joshua fell from it not too long ago, causing one of the training wheels to break off. I remember feeling a light sense of fear--which was soon masked by how excited I was to finally be able to know what it's like to ride a bike.

          I remember feeling so tall while riding that bike. I kept looking down because I couldn't believe I was actually doing it. Looking back at the picture, the bike looks much smaller than I remembered it. I know I grew and everything, but if the bike was even just a little bigger, maybe I would still feel as valiant as I did on that day.

Even though it may seem much more humble now, I think it was a feat I can still be proud of.

***

*Ninang -- this is similar to "Aunt" in Tagalog.
Fittingly, I found a picture of us on the CD also.

She's still as pretty as she was years ago.

Farther down is a very recent picture of us.

Hopefully I age as gracefully as she does.
She's definitely my favorite Ninang.

*tindahan -- small neighborhood store
*ya-ya -- family helper, nanny, caregiver, etc.

I Tried to Stripe My Lawn?

          The neighbors that are behind us always seem obsessed with their lawn. I really feel like they mow their lawn every other day just to keep it perfect. The cliché saying "the grass is always greener or the other side" fits them perfectly. 

          I'm an amateur lawn mower. I only mow when my parents ask me to. A couple days ago, Momsy said the lawn needed mowing again. It felt like it had only been a week since I mowed it. Whatever. I mowed it anyway. This time, however, I didn't do the boring vertical lines Popsy always does when he mows the lawn. I mowed it diagonally. (This was, of course, after I spent half an hour on YouTube watching videos of people "striping" their lawns.) 

          I didn't really think this would work, but it didn't turn out too bad. If you look really closely and squint your eyes a bit, you can kind of tell. I looked ridiculous trying to do this, but I think it was worth it. I'm also secretly hoping our neighbors see it. Maybe they'll be impressed. Yeah, probably not. I also got too excited and thought I somehow became a landscaper, so I also edged the sidewalks. The edging was actually really difficult and I do not plan to do that ever again. My arms and shoulders still feel funny. Boo. 

          According to one of Justin Bieber's songs, "...the grass ain't always greener on the other side; it's green where you water it." I like my lawn better than my neighbors. Even though there's absolutely nothing in it.