Superman: Secret Identity by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen
What happens when Clark Kent is born in a world where the Superman comic exists? Where Clark is named after the fiction superhero’s alter ego, something which hounds him all his young life but also leads him to happier times when he gets older? A friend lent me this graphic novel before quarantine happened, and […]
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When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I make tea
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I try to immerse myself in an activity that requires a lot of physical motion and very little critical thought. Working in the kitchen is one such activity. I made masala chai, which I like doing from scratch. Masala chai is Indian spiced tea. It’s made by brewing black tea with […]
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Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton
I’ve always been interested in graphic design but also have no idea where to start. I know what I like and can usually tell when something’s off, but unfortunately do not have the vocabulary to explain why this is so. I learn best when reading about something then experiencing it firsthand after, so that I […]
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The Changeling by Victor Lavalle
This is a late post, as I read this book when I was still using this journal, which should be around April or May. Victor Lavalle’s The Changeling follows Apollo Kagwa, a man whose father disappeared when he was young and later, whose wife commits a violent act before she too, disappears. This description is […]
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Trying a foraged puffball and living to write about the experience
This isn’t a post about watching a puffball explode. It’s about eating it.
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Cold brewing my own coffee
Sometimes, when I can tell what I’ll be craving for breakfast the day before, I’ll make a small batch of cold brew coffee. Nothing fancy. I’ll just let coffee grounds steep in the Fresh press in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy iced cold brew coffee in the morning. Cold brew coffee tastes smoother and less […]
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My Manila Biennale experience
As romantic as this sounds, for a brief moment, people got to see Manila the way Carlos saw it: not just as a random city, but a dynamic place filled with life, potential, and art.
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Starting a new journal
Finished my old journal (Filed Notes) and starting a new one. This particular Field Notes journal took exactly one month to finish. Quite an achievement for someone who tries to fit everything in neatly, with as little overlap as possible. It’s also the journal I started drawing in. It’s taken me years to finally put […]
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Failed champorado equals okay tsokolate
This may look like a delicious chocolatey drink topped with powdered milk, but it is actually the result of a failed experiment. I was trying to make champorado, but didn’t have malagkit, so I used brown rice. This resulted in forever al dente rice swimming hot cocoa. Now I know why using sticky rice is […]
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A friend sent me patis from Malabon
You can tell that someone is into food when they send you condiments for fear that your food is bland.
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