Kuya's 27th Birthday!

For his 27th birthday on the 10th of August, my brother and Lavinia took my parents and I to this reallygreat place to eat.

He described it as, "Somewhere none of us have ever been before." And gosh, was he right.

In a good way, though! I actually have a big liking for Indian food. And I don't just mean mamak-at-three-in-the-morning kind of Indian food, but actual and authentic Indian cuisine. My dad, I think, is the same. He's willing to try a lot of new things, even though both of my parents are in the rut of going to the same restaurants (it's chinese or japanese food every weekend - but I'm not complaining!) And so my point is that my dad was open to the restaurant my brother took me too. My mom, on the other hand, isn't too fond of Indian food, sadly to say. But my brother, Lavinia, and my dad still think she had quite a good time. Who wouldn't, anyway? The food was so good!

Presenting... PASSAGE THRU INDIA.
*sorry for the blurry photos!*



Authentic Indian cuisine!

When you walk in, (or even simply see the restaurant's entrance) you are immediately engulfed in beautiful art bragging off of the walls, beautiful mauve and luscious red-toned cloths draping from the sides, soothing music, ornaments and lamps glowing a smooth beige light, and the smell of good newly-cooked food.

My brother and Lavinia already ordered for us, while my parents and I were settling in our seats. You really do feel like you're in India when you're inside - except for all the chinese or mixed people sitting at the back. (Yes there's a wide variety of people who eat at that restaurant! And it's even been presented in a few of the newspapers - proudly framed and shown off on the walls.) But as we were getting settled, we got into a comfortable discussion about - what was it again?

I forgot the majority of it because I was so focused on the food..

But this was what we ordered - we had mango lassi (is that how you spell it?) but kept adding ice because it was just that sweet! And we shared three different types of naan (again, please forgive my spelling) as well as lamb with this nice mint sauce, butter chicken with this rich sauce, beef covered with yet another rich sauce, a nice mix of rice and some vegetables... and wow, I was so full by the end of it.

But then in the end, I discovered something new! At the end of some meals, indian restaurants (or restaurants in india as a better way to perhaps describe it) have this little - what is it, herb? - as a sort of mint to finish off the meal. Due to my bad memory, I forgot the name.. but it was a good experience! It tasted pretty sweet with a crunchy feel to it - at the same time, feeling cold but tangy. Not like any mint i've ever had! But I enjoyed everything that night. (:

Happy 27th Birthday, Kuya.

I love you very much brudda!

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Someone I know, someone very lovely, has been unfortunately diagnosed with this disease...

Please, pray for her and the family - for the pain to subside, and for all our hearts to ease. She needs all the faith and happiness that we can get; and because she deserves it.

Some excerpts from the email I received.

"...diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a very rare disease occurring in only one out of a million people per year. The equivalent in animals is mad cow disease. I immediately googled CJD on my phone, and found that it is "a degenerative neurological (brain) disease and is incurable and invariably fatal" and the median duration till death is 4-6 months. The symptoms are rapidly progressive dementia, memory loss, personality changes, hallucinations, and physical problems like speech impairment, jerky movements, balance and motor dysfunction, rigid posture and seizures. Some people succumb after just a few weeks. My niece said that eventually the patient becomes a vegetable and lastly literally forgets how to breathe.

"But sometimes, she would establish eye contact and look pleadingly into my eyes, and all I could say was "you're ok, we love you and are praying for you". She also managed a wee smile when Sofia, her one and only grandchild, arrived and sang to her.

"We don't know how much she can still understand or hear, perhaps she is going in and out of consciousness. But we are comforted by the thought that she is spiritually very ready. One of the last activities she had before the symptoms came was a closed door retreat. She is also very close to Mama Mary, and she is Opus Dei."

God is the Author of Life, and we surrender to him.

"Winds of change are throwing wild and free.."

There is so much love in the world.

I can see it everyday; with the way my parents smile at each other, the way my family will pray for family members when they're sick, when my friends get texts from their boyfriends and they light up, the way my friends and I will laugh over each other's silly nonsense, the way love is portrayed in movies and literature... and even the way my cat will stroke against my legs after I've fed him.

Most of us don't even realise all the love we're exposed to or even really witness. It is so simple though. All one has to do is ignore all the hatred, negativity, or awfulness that comes around. And to see - really see - all the love that electrifies between people, animals, and objects. I swear it'll make you feel better. Which is why I'm going to do that from now on.

I guess that what I'm really trying to get at is the fact that people make such a big deal out of everything - and it is incredibly stupid (not to mention annoying). Of course I've done so as well, countless of times, but I always find myself regretting it afterwards. And people (again, I too am guilty of this) ridiculously complain or worry too much about the littlest things. Isn't this stupid? Firstly, complaining a little is okay - pain on your body, worried about a test, etc. - but there's a proper time to do so. Or rather, proper things to complain or worry about. And most people complain for the wrong things..

Most people, especially my schoolmates, see me as this really calm person. I won't freak out over tests or exams, if I have a really strict teacher next I won't complain, or if I do something that could get me in trouble, I won't be all girly or whiny about it. [Life is about risks anyway!] Not that I haven't been freaked out over school things, of course I have, it's just that I will rarely do this. The reason why I do this is because I know that I'm going to be okay. I am a blessed person; extremely fortunate to have such sweet family members, phenomenal friends, a beautiful home, a full education.. the list goes on. Luckily i've realised this, and I'm fully aware that there is so much beauty and wonder in the world, too much to waste time being angry and upset. In short, I'm forunate enough to not have any close people/relatives suffering from a fatal disease, to have all my limbs, to not have to worry about food everyday, and to just have so much love from people around me.

I think people should realise just how fortunate they are - and just how happy they can be. (We all deserve to be happy, anyway.)

Have you ever walked around a shopping mall, and noticed that only two in about every 50 people you see will be smiling? It's a random question I know - but it's just something I've realised. And not just in malls even, practically anywhere you go you'll see such sullen, serious faces. Why is this? Especially when there's so much good in the world, absolutely so much love and happiness? I think it's because, like I said earlier, we focus too much on the bad stuff, and never enough on the good..

So please, anyone who might be reading this - do yourself a favor, (and me, as well as the rest of the world for that matter) and try to focus on all the love and joy that surrounds you, which you were blessed enough to have in the first place. And don't ever forget to realise just how happy you deserve to be.

Life's too short to be all namby-pamby anyway.