Zees leetle pyggie.

I found this guy over at World Market two Sundays ago when I was buying a potting bench for my Mum for Mother's Day. Oh my... I've had an affinity with a few pigs in this lifetime (a couple of piggy banks and the faceless salt pig sitting on my kitchen counter, that one which my friend from NY covets). But this one takes the cake. It was love at first sight. I just had to have this porker. Though at the time, I had to resist the urge to buy him and take him home with me as I knew my that I wouldn't have the time in my hands to use him and properly break him in. I was mildly heartbroken when I left him in the store that day. :(

Yesterday, I decided to end my week long pig-obsession, swine-cyberstalking and telling my Mum how great an addition to her garden this little guy would be. I went back to the store after work for my weekly gourmet food and equipment retail therapy and picked him up. Yes! Together at last... I could hardly contain my excitement as I drove home and found myself daydreaming delicious thoughts. It made my mouth water with anticipation.

But, what is zees lyttle pygg anyway?

I present...

Tadah! Kari (pronounced Carrie, with a NY twang, because this is also one hilarious inside joke), the cutest and latest addition to my kitchen. It's a Terracotta grill in the shape of a pig, can only grill two steaks at a time and can sit comfortably on an average tabletop. It's absolutely perfect for grilling those little Asian street treats on a stick which I would devour with a passion when I'm vacationing in the Far East. It uses charcoal, which is an additional plus for that smoky flavor.

I have a gas grill which I rarely use. I find it too big for the volume of food that I cook at home. That also means gargantuan grill = gargantuan mess = gargantuan clean up action. It's a no go for a meal for two.

And this here is Kari working real hard to get my Chicken BBQ dinner cooked to perfection. Hehehe!

All in all, this is the best $25 I spent since I came back from vacation. Zees lyttle pyggie rocks my culinary socks and I'm loving it!

sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare?

I woke up to a very interesting start this morning. I generally don't go dreaming when I sleep and if I do, I don't remember anything for what it's worth. At around 9AM, I woke up from vivid scenery in my head which involves the process of getting married to an old flame (someone I haven't seen in close to 7 years). I remember making arrangements, meeting up with her family, and driving around in a red car with tan interior trying to look for a venue. When I asked my *eherm* fictitious fiancee when the big date was, her answer was: "Either this Thursday or Friday before we leave for the US." Talk about being hasty.

This made my stomach churn... and ZAP! I woke up.

But wait... I ain't finished yet. What happened next tops the cake.

A few moments after I opened my eyes, my mom walks into my room handing me the current issue of Oprah Magazine. "Read this article on pre-nups. It's nice to know how to protect your assets.". Oh how she drives that nail in!

So my question is: was I dreaming? Or am I actually getting married in another life in a parallel dimension?

*Twilight Zone intro playing here please.*

The Prologue ~ (I was despicably wrong when I said I wouldn't be caught dead in a sombrero.)

Try as I might, I could never sum up my recent Manila encounters in the way of a travelogue, as I feel that it would rob my whole experience of its essence. Every April, I usually travel alone and under my own itinerary (which comprises of this formula: sleep +wake up+ be a complete tourist and take too many photos +have dinner and drinks+ be a happy idiot and have one too many to drink for the night = POOF! the uncanny and magical starts to happen.). This year, circumstances led me to set my eherm, self-serving travel plans in exchange for something I should have done a long time ago, but I regrettably haven't. On the 6th of April, I flew from Las Vegas to San Francisco, to Taipei, and eventually landed in Manila because my family demands that I be there for my second niece's Christening.

And this I did with my Mum in tow.
(Distress signals here please.).

And NO, it isn't because I don't get along with my Mom. I DO. It's surreal to have a mother that understands my lifestyle choices and approves of it, encouraging me to become the best individual that I could become. I keep no secrets about my meanderings from my Mum. I tell her everything (and I mean EVERYTHING, even stuff she doesn't want to hear. *chuckle*). And it also isn't because I didn't want to travel with her and get shacked up with the rest of my flock for 3 long weeks.

It was because I was coming home to the role of a daughter, a sister, and in many instances, as an aunt. And assuming those titles scare the shit out of me. Why? Because it requires me to up the ante and conduct myself in a proper manner for absolute fear that my 10 year old niece would pick up on all the cuss words in my vocabulary. And mind you, it baffles me how much this young kid adores me. I can tell you this much... I may be brilliant but I sure am no role model by my standards. And knowing this, it terrifies me to have such a young soul - open to influence and seeking guideposts, looking up to...

(drumroll please.)

ME.

And so, because life necessitates it, I abandoned my evil schemes of hedony, rest and relaxation in favor of something totally new. I spent three weeks at our residence in Manila mostly with the people closest to my heart - the very same people who witnessed my flights, my dives, and everything in between. I gave them my time and my presence - the best and worst bits (mostly the best, I hope), something I'm not used to doing for anyone or anything except for work and other "worthy" pursuits.

If I was a kid and didn't know any better, I would swear that being shacked up with these folks would absolutely drive me nuts. But this time around, it didn't. Three weeks actually went by quick. It was as if hello and goodbye were only separated by slivers of time.

Experience and time manages to teach us all thing or two about togetherness. And to me, that is a lesson worth digesting, as I would trade the world to be living in close proximity to these people again. I'd do anything to make these people happy. And when I say anything, I mean ANYTHING. Comprende?

Anything and everything... Even if it means I have to wear a hokey sombrero.