The Adventures of Abby

Ever since college, I dreamed of living in an apartment in the city. It was exciting to me, the thought of having to take an elevator to and from home, getting fast food because it’s convenient, and looking out the window at night to see the lights.

I grew up in a small town in Manila — simple, quiet and generally slow. Sundays were always lazy, there was nothing but trees to block your view of the sky, nights were dark and buzzing with the sound of cicadas. We were always in the suburbs, and it was lovely.

But I suppose I got my wish. Hong Kong, especially the places where I’ve lived, is the definition of a busy city. Sunday is probably the busiest day of the week, the average view is more building than sky, and nights are filled with the sound of construction, party music, or the army of vehicles driving by right in front of your apartment.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the city, but I realized why I liked it so much. It wasn’t about comfort or convenience per se. It’s about what it symbolized for me — independence, a faster lifestyle that hopefully meant I was taking charge of my life and career. Was it all in my head?

I still love the city, but oh do I miss the suburbs. Like they say, you don’t know what you have till it’s gone.

First, let me say again for the record that I’m a Bible-believing Christian. But like most Christians, I didn’t believe in the May 21, 2011 rapture according to Harold Camping. I say that with no joy or hint of mockery to Camping’s followers.

People quit their jobs, dropped out of school, used up all their life savings for this belief. Over US$3 million were reportedly spent by those who believed on spreading the message about the rapture. But before you call them ‘idiots’, let’s think about that info for a minute.

When people heard of the prediction, I imagine that there were 3 major reactions: Acceptance, curosity (which may lead to one of the other two), or rejection. Considering their actions, the people who accepted it obviously had their reasons for doing so, or they wouldn’t have risked it all like that. I never followed Family Radio, but after doing some research it does look like Camping made some very strong arguments.

Those who were curious most likely did their homework and eventually decided whether to accept or reject it, either that or they just decided not to care. We who rejected it also have our many different reasons — some educated, some not. But what we have in common is that we all made a stand, we picked a side.

My point is, we all have our beliefs. Whether it’s about rapture, doomsday or what brand of ketchup is best, we all make our choice based on what makes sense to us. This isn’t to say that I think all beliefs are correct (this is just not possible), but my point is, I don’t think anyone should be ridiculed for their beliefs. This world isn’t simply divided into ‘smart’ and ‘stupid’.

Now that the prediction has failed, I think we should just move on. No gloating, no mocking, especially since some people lost so much over it.

If you ask me what I believe in, it’s that no one knows when the end is. But no one knows when their death will come either, so either way, I think we should all have a stand on afterlife, and a reason to truly, truly believe it. If we don’t, it’s time to start looking.

Behold, this dish — skillfully made by my aunt as she and other relatives visited for the Holy Week.

This is Ginataan (literally “made with coconut milk”) a very Filipino dessert with sweet potato, yam, taro, plantains, tapioca pearls, jackfruit and glutinous rice balls. Probably sounds weird to you now, but unless you don’t like sweets, this is satisfaction guaranteed.

Just last week I was trying to explain the dish to my BF. I knew I wasn’t doing it justice with my explanation, but I remember wishing more than anything that I could have some.

And now I’m home for the weekend! Yesterday, eating this, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. As awesome as Hong Kong is, the lifestyle and the experience, it’s never gonna beat the sheer bliss of being at home with family, eating good food like this.

Man, if only I could go home every weekend!

As much as we love our ideals, Valentine’s Day as it is now is not about Love in its purest form. It’s all about couples, in fact it seems there’s no clear reason as to why the mysterious “St. Valentine” was ever associated with the celebration of love. This day, as far as I can tell, is all about the flowers and chocolates.

[source]

Flowers wilt and chocolate makes you fat. Yet on this day, women around the world indulge in the present — flowers that are alive now, and chocolate that despite the inches and pounds that they add in the long run, are sweet and delicious now. Is it superficial? Or is the desire to be desired (or at least be happy) something profound and even essential? (more…)