Like The Tomato
Nothing here but my musings about daily life, books, anime, and food.
Well first off, I’ve been waking up later and later in the day. To be honest, I was not a big fan of it. I felt that I have a shorter day and I felt unproductive. Pretty much how I felt today. I woke up too late. And the sun was already blaring and it was just too hot to do anything. Granted I was able to throw away the trash and fold some clothes, but that was the extent of what I was able to do. Why? Because heat made movement a freaking struggle. Granted, it was not as hot as the previous days, but it was still hot. Hot for me anyway. Anyway, I need to make sure that I wake up early tomorrow. No excuses.
I was able to hang out with my boyfriend a little bit today. We were only able to watch one movie but that was fine. He was not feeling well today.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). Well, my boyfriend picked this movie because he knows how much I love heist movies. And this was a heist movie. Look, the movie was not the greatest heist movie, it was not the greatest fantasy movie either, and of course, it was not the best comedy film out there. But you know what? It did the job. We enjoyed it, we laughed, we approved of the cheesiness, and we had fun seeing the chunky dragon sliding and rolling around the hanging underground city. The cast was good – especially Hugh Grant’s portrayal of a backstabbing conman.
No big plans tonight. I keep on saying that I really need to read, but to be honest, I am struggling with focusing on anything. But I do hope that I can get back to it soon enough. Because I have been slacking for a couple of weeks now. And that is just unacceptable. I also need to start journaling every day. The last entry I made there was from December before all the fiasco at work happened. So I am hoping that I can pick it up again, it will definitely improve my mental health. I am just struggling since I don’t currently have a writing space on my desk. I don’t know, but I need to figure it out.
Since I moved here 5-ish years ago, one of the main complaints I had was that there were no Filipino sit-down restaurants around me. And there was just no way I would be driving South in traffic to get to one. Sure, you would think I would not be craving Filipino food. I mean, you would think that I can just cook the dishes myself. However, there are some dishes that I have no idea how to cook. Or I have looked at the recipes online already and I just have not the courage to try cooking yet.
Imagine my happiness when I saw this restaurant, Filcuisine, during a grocery shopping trip one weekend. I just have to try it out. Because the last time I was at a sit-down Filipino restaurant was when I visited SoCal a few months ago. So I tried this restaurant out with my roommate and we couldn’t be anymore happier.
First Order: Crispy Sizzling Sisig. This was made with morsels of savory roasted pork, with onions, jalapenos, and citrus juice, topped with freshly cracked egg, and served on a sizzling hot plate. This dish was always a staple for me when I go to a Filipino restaurant. Let me tell you, this was so good. I definitely prefer this sisig over the dish served at a popular Filipino chain restaurant. I would come back for this over and over.
Second Order: Crispy Kare Kare. This version of the classic kare kare was made with crispy lechon kawali slices paired with the classic kare kare peanut sauce, and of course, veggies. It definitely looked attractively good. And I was tempted to eat some, but I had to restrain myself. I am allergic to some of the ingredients in this dish, as well as the bagoong (shrimp paste) that you eat this dish with. I would have to take my roommate’s word for this. She said she loved it. I watched her eat this nonstop during our lunch, I’d say it was really good. And yes, I am currently researching how to make this dish Roma-proof. Because I miss eating this one.
Third Order: Pork Adobo Fried Rice. It was fried rice, with chunks of pork adobo, egg, and green onions. This fried rice was flavored with savory adobo seasoning. It was good. I mean, my favorite Filipino dish was adobo. So no surprise that I would like this fried rice. And I also forgot to take a picture of this one. Fail on my part. Let’s just say that I was too hungry and I just wanted to dig in.
Fourth Order: Laing. This dish was made of taro leaves simmered in coconut milk. For me and my roommate, this was the star of that lunch. We could not stop eating this. It was that good. Very rarely that I see this dish served at Filipino restaurants, I do not know why. I do not understand it. Regardless, this was the dish that we had to physically tell ourselves to stop eating because we wanted to take home some leftovers. And yes, I also want to learn how to make this dish at home.
The serving size I got for all the dishes were regular sizes. Pretty decent sharing portions, and we still had leftovers after. So we got to enjoy the dishes for dinner at home. Were we in a food coma after? Yeah, a major one. Would we come back? Hell yeah, we would. It was just about making sure to go there right when they open or after the lunch rush. Because the place could get really crowded. I mean, the food was really good, and the demand was high, so I was not surprised that this place was poppin’!
Well, the earlier part of the day was rough. I had a very bad headache. I was able to cook some pasta though and went to the store to get a bit of groceries. It was not too hot today compared to yesterday so I just decided to get the grocery trip out of the way. However, my skin went haywire right when the sun touched it. It got really itchy with welts and rashes – my hands, my arms, legs, and neck. So I just took some allergy pills when I got home, and that took care of that little skin incident.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty chill. I just watched some YouTube videos. Boyfriend and I did hang out today and was able to watch some anime.
Naruto. We found that Kakashi thought Sasuke his Chidori. Orichimaru showed himself. Sound and Sand ninjas were starting to infiltrate Konoha. And Sakura had issues just doing what she was told. She had to be told three times to release Naruto and Shikamaru from the gengutsu that Kabuto did. But Pakkun finally got introduced formally! Yay! And he said his paw pad was soft and supple!
Inuyasha. I decided to drop this anime. My hun would continue watching this on his own though. But I just couldn’t continue with this one anymore. I was just beyond frustrated with the story at this point. So I was able to reach episode 50. Boyfriend was actually surprised that I lasted this long. I had to check how much more episodes were left in this anime. So 4 episodes left in season 2 and then 5 more seasons after that, so I just gave up. The last two episodes just made me so frustrated.
I cannot anymore. I was just done. I was done and it was all because of freaking Kagome who kept on insisting on wearing a fucking school uniform in this world when she could’ve easily worn regular clothes since she periodically goes back to her world anyway. Whatever, I’m done ranting about this anime.
Bungo Stray Dogs. We are definitely enjoying this one. No complaints so far. I loved the inner struggles of Atsushi, I hope he finds his worth soon. Also, that orphanage sucks balls. I am interested to know Dasai’s background. I mean I am interested in knowing the others too. But Dasai for the most part seems to have some interesting history. I am interested to see character development on Atsushi’s part. He has some pretty big trauma to overcome, and I want to see him able to control his ability.
Nothing major planned tonight. Just chill, maybe read something.
Ugh. I was melting like no one’s business. It was not fun. I had to do a couple of manual labor tasks today and damn, I struggled. It was not fun moving furniture around the apartment today. But I knew if I didn’t do it today, it will never be done. Why? Because I am the master of procrastination. And besides, the whole will be hot AF. So technically would have no other choice but to get it done today.
Oh! My boyfriend actually woke up from his nap last night and we were able to hang out and watch The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. I mean, judging his reactions to the whole series, it was safe to assume that he enjoyed the movies. He said he was glad that he finally watched the movies since he put them on the back burner. He was not sure if he wanted to watch them or not. I understand though, this series was so easy to pass on. I mean, this was considered a dystopian young adult series, heavily marketed to young girls, with a female protagonist in this love triangle situation. But honestly, it was way more than that. Sure the romance was there, but this series was political and tackled civil war. When it all comes down to it, it was about the masses taking back their freedom from the few elites who enslaved and used them for their resources. I loved the books and I loved the movies. I think that the adaptation was well-made and stayed true to the source material.
Anyway, since today was hotter compared to the last couple of days, I was a bit restless. I was able to do whatever I planned to do today. However, my anxiety was heightened and I was very irritable. Whatever, at least I did something despite the freaking heat. I had to take a raincheck from hanging out with my love. I was very irritable and restless pretty much the whole day. I did not want to subject him to one snappy tomato. Because I get really bad in this sort of mood combo.
No big plans tonight. I just want to relax and not do anything. Why? My back hurts from moving a freaking set of drawers from one part of the apartment to another part. So yeah, I’m having a party tonight.
Oh my god. The heat I cannot. Let’s just say that I barely moved from where I was sitting the whole day. Because even the slightest movement was too much. I know that I was being a baby, but I really don’t care. I cannot deal with the heat, my breathing gets difficult and it just makes me even lazier than I should be. So not good. Whatsoever.
I was able to hang out with the boyfriend for a little bit today. He had a rough night sleeping last night and we had to end the hangout a lot earlier than normal. We did get to watch The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 so that was good. He seemed to really enjoy the series. He said that this one was pretty intense. And depending on how he likes the second part, he might want to read the books.
I teased my boyfriend earlier. He has this 1999 limited edition Pokeball that he likes to open on cam once in a while while we are video chatting. I know, he’s a nerd. I love it. Anyway, he decided to open it again. He slowly lifted it to the camera from the bottom, and before he opened it I said, “You would think there’s a ring in there.” I started laughing because he paused. And then he said that he would never ever look at that Pokeball the same ever again. It was worth it just for his reaction alone.
He decided to take a nap. We might hang out when he wakes up. But we shall see how he feels. Or if he even wakes up from the nap. I would like for it to be a full-on sleep for him. I feel like he has not been getting enough rest. And he needs sleep.
I really have no big plans tonight. I should really try to read a book or something. I have not been able to pick a book the past weeks since I finished Heaven Official’s Blessing Book 2. Not for the lack of trying. I was just not in the mood at all. Which was not an excuse, but just a fact.
Anyway, honestly, with the heat, I am just going to chill for the rest of the night.
I know a lot of people prefer the summer, especially if you live in places where it snows or places that are just cold all year round. But I grew up in a pretty warm country and having lived in a State that has practically summer all year long, I am not a fan of the season. I am not saying that today was the hottest that I have experienced, but it was still pretty hot for my liking.
Just because of the weather, I had the lights off in the apartment the whole day. And it was nice for a bit. And tomorrow is another hot day, so I need to wake up early to get some chores done so I wouldn’t need to move the rest of the day.
I was able to hang out with the boyfriend for a little bit. We both were not feeling well, so we had to stop early today. Which was fine, we got to squeeze in quite a number of anime episodes.
Naruto. I love Shikamaru. I just think he never felt challenged with his stuff and that was why he seemed to be unmotivated. Sure, granted, he kept saying “What a pain” and all that. But I really think that he just needed a more challenging environment so that he could use his brain a bit more. Sasuke finally showed his ass. And I am pumped about this fight with Gaara. I would’ve been fine not seeing Sakura whatsoever in the four episodes that we watched. But alas, I had to see her face. Bleh.
Inuyasha. Oh god, the angst in these two romance episodes annoyed the shit out of me. I refused to rehash it. It was just annoying.
Bungo Stray Dogs. This was my original pick! And we got to watch two episodes. And so far, it was enjoyable. My hun enjoyed it as well. We both love the artwork. Those dark lines were amazing. We would continue on, I feel like this anime will be chaotically funny. I already love Dazai. He seems carefree, but obviously, there is more to him.
Anyway, I’m gonna try and read tonight. Not planning to read for a long time though. I just want to read a bit. At least as much as my headache will permit.