It's Probably Ashley

This is way overdue!

First off - a huge THANK YOU to Hannah of Encased Thought for nominating me! I'd received her email last September letting me know she had nominated me for the award but in typical Ashe fashion I of course had to let it sit for weeks and weeks before I did anything about it. You can find her entry here, and don't forget to explore the blogs of her other nominees!

What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to bloggers by other bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring. Once nominated, the blogger is required to write a post in which they:

Thank the blogger who nominated them and link back to their blog.
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated them
Nominate 11 other blogs and give them 11 new questions to answer.
Notify your nominees and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.

Similar to the Liebster Award and the Blogger Recognition Award, this is something that's passed around from blogger to blogger to celebrate our own virtual space in the web - a chain post or meme, if you will. Though you don't really have to be nominated to join in on the fun!

On to the Questions!

Hannah had these questions for me:

What is the toughest part about blogging for you?
- Definitely the part about coming up with new content. You'd think that because this is a personal blog I can post about any random thing, write 300-400 words about it, click 'Publish', then forget about it but it's actually more complicated than that. While I have the freedom to blog about whatever I want, I still want to keep it fresh and interesting. It's all about reaching my own personal standard when it comes to blogging because I'm leaving a piece of myself with every post - and I have such unrealistic standards. Also the part about regular posting, lol.
What is the most enjoyable part?
- That I get to post whatever I want. I've been hellbent on keeping this a personal blog and avoided focusing on one specific aspect, like a travel or food blog because I knew the upkeep wouldn't be feasible in the long run had I gone in that direction. I loved that my space in the internet contains things other than where my feet took me, or what new world my tastebuds discovered - a sort of coherence in incoherence.
Is there something that always keeps you going during tough times?
- More than looking for motivation or a silver lining, I bank on my own discipline to get me through. Motivation and hope can only take you so far, but only IF you find it. Discipline will always be there where motivation and hope couldn't reach you.
What’s your favorite quote?
- Mm. That's tough. Let me settle with an excerpt from one of my favorite poems:
yours is the light by which my spirit’s born:
yours is the darkness of my soul’s return
– you are my sun,my moon,and all my stars
- e.e cummings
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
- "Weird" is highly subjective! Besides my willingness to try almost anything, I'm Filipino which means I've eaten a lot of unconventional stuff, like balut (which I absolutely love). I guess this dessert from Teriyaki Boy can count as weird because of the jarring difference in texture?? But it's still so good!
Besides blogging, what else do you enjoy?
- I'm quite fond of exploring cities at night, especially when it's cold. I also love dressing up, cooking (and eating), finding new recipes and trying them out with Jed, travelling, reading - all that quintessential millenial jazz. I also immensely enjoy thrilling theme park rides, wandering around in a mall with a pocket full of cash I can spend, and being holed up in my apartment for days and days on end. Also sleeping. Typical stuff, y'know?
Would you rather fly or sail somewhere? Why?
- Ooh, this is tough! I've experienced both sailing and flying to my destination and I've enjoyed both rides very much! I guess in the event of a catastrophe I would rather be on a plane than a boat because I can't swim at all, and with a plane crash there's always a chance we'd land on dry soil (in pieces, likely, but still).
Who do you most admire, and why?
- I found that there isn't one specific person I admire the most, mostly because the traits I find admirable are found in a lot of people I meet. You attract what you are, they say, but I can't attest to its truth however there's so much people back at home, like my mom and my best friends, that I admire for being so real. And then there's Jed, for being so ostensibly him.
Are you an Apple or an Android person?
- I swing both ways, lol. I'm currently using (and loving) my iPhone 6s, but I'm thinking of switching to an Android phone soon. Any suggestions?
What inspires you?
- Mm. Inspiration is a random, fickle unicorn for me. Most of the time it comes to me at around midnight till the early peek of dawn, being the night owl that I am, in the form of unrelated late-night internet searches. Often when I find myself in that weird part of the internet, ideas just piece themselves together and it scares me sometimes.
Is this your first blogging award?
- Nah, I've been lucky enough to be nominated for the Liebster Award and the Blogger Recognition Award before. :) I'm very grateful that the ones who nominated me found me worthy of being featured in their entries!

Who do I nominate?

It became pretty challenging to choose who to nominate, and when I got my list down I realized this doesn't even reach 11! I guess it's fine, though. Now here are the people I'd like to pass the award on to:

Answer these Questions, please!

And don't forget to come back here and leave a link to your entries with your answers in the comment section below - I'd love to read your answers!

Who or what inspired you to blog?
What topics do you love to blog about?
What genre of music do you enjoy listening to?
Do you have any rituals or processes you follow when putting your blog post together?
Would you ever change your niche in the future?
Is there anything about your blog that you want to change?
If you didn't get into blogging, what do you think you'd be doing now?
Cookies or cupcakes?
What books have you read that left a lasting impression on you?
What are your hobbies?
Milk first or cereals first?

In the future I'll try to be more creative with my questions. Lol. Thanks again to Hannah of Encased Thought for nominating me! I hope you liked my answers to your lovely questions. ♥

Have you ever been nominated for a blogging award before? Leave a comment below and let me know all about it!

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How's your week so far? Mine's been pretty quiet, except for that one time I had to wake up at the crack of dawn for a race with barely enough sleep the night before, but everything went better than I expected so there's that. Also I had some really good turkey cheese rolls and lemon mint juice.

I've been trying to get back into the swing of things - AGAIN. There's so much that happened in my absence but I'm roped into that cliche again about not knowing where to begin. But I guess Life really is like that - vague and hazy, with the overall heavy sense of so many things happening and not happening all at once.

(Warning: This post contains spoilers to the game Final Fantasy XV. Please skip the 'watching' part if you haven't finished the game yet!)

reading lithos_saeculum's Poor Wayfaring Stranger. This is wonderfully written in dear, dear Prompto's perspective and I absolutely cannot get enough of it. Above and beyond the genre of emotional hurt and abuse with flashes of torture and horribly-suppressed trauma, I loved the writing style the most; the disjointed feel and simplistic transition of every line perfectly mirrors the main character's mental disposition and how terribly anxious he is because hedoesn'tknowhedoesn'tknowhedoesn'tknowI'msorrypleasedon'thurtmeI'msorry. Due to its nature it is imperative that it should be a slow burn fic, which doesn't bother me the slightest. But what I really loved about this is how I somehow saw myself in Prompto in this one - so used to being told what to do, holding onto orders and instructions almost obsessively so, being so afraid of not knowing what to do, and feeling the ground caving in when things get overwhelming. It made me relate so much to Prompto and made me love the character even more than I already do, which is weird because this isn't even canon, lol. Still, it makes for a beautiful alternate origin story. At the moment the fic is unfinished with the author taking a break for an overseas trip but regular updates should come soon with their return. I'm waiting at the edge of my seat.

listening to random videos from Top 5s in the background while I edit some photos. It's their Halloween special and they've got a bunch of new uploads for almost every day of October until the 31st. It's soothing to listen to, honestly! I've also picked up a few history lessons from this channel.

watching, or rather, also listening to Cryaotic's Final Fantasy XV stream, which is undoubtedly what got me into playing the game in the first place. I'm at session 16 at the moment with no plans of hurrying to finish the stream series because,

1.) I'm at Chapter 14 of the game myself;
2.) I've watched both Emman and Jed finish this game;
3.) I'm very bummed I have to relive the ending all over again, and;
4.) I'm getting envious of Cry's winning streak in Totomostro.

I mean, I've heard screams of dissatisfaction at the ending and I'm with the other fans on this one. Apart from the clamors of an Episode Ardyn, there should be a Final Fantasy XV-2 where the boys find a way to pull both Noctis and Luna from the veil or something! Or at least a tie-in where we get to explore the World of Ruin during Noct's 10-year absence. The game feels too short, too rushed, too unsatisfying. And now I'm sad again.

BTW, I have a feeling Episode Ignis will make me angry and then make me cry. Damnit.

thinking of what other titles I should pick up after I inevitably finish FFXV. I'm looking at wide-open sandboxes and other RPGs but a step in a different direction wouldn't hurt too. HMU if you have any game recommendations!

smelling uh, nothing.

wishing the temperature would drop further as we reach November and December. I've been told that the coming months will be significantly colder, with my landlord warning that I should get some winter coats while it's still early. Being someone who thrives in cold weather I choose to see for myself just how cold it can get before I bundle up.

hoping all the emails I sent come back with the responses I want. Lol.

wearing a shirt, thick leggings, and walking shoes. I've decided to veer from my usual jeans-and-boots get-up and go for something more comfortable.

loving the fact that I don't feel compelled to wear make-up to work, lol.

wanting to get a positive response on all those emails I sent!!

needing to do the laundry again. It can't be helped that my posts would eventually devolve into mundane retellings of day-to-day events. Anyway.

feeling like I need another adventure. My not-so-recent trip to Abu Dhabi (which I'll blog about soon) was too short, and I feel like Jed and I could have done more in the city! I'll be back in Abu Dhabi in November, so hopefully we'll be able to enjoy more of the sights and sounds. Fingers crossed!

With my next trip in November lined up, I should really get our accommodations in order. We're going to Yas Island this time to check out the water park and Ferrari World, so hopefully I'll be able to take decent shots and make a post about that, too. I'm quite excited!

Do you also have an upcoming trip lined up? Tell me about it in the comment section below!

• The Sunday Currently was originally created by Sidda Thornton •

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So - this is awkward.

I didn't expect that my later part of 2017 would be filled to the brim with work obligations. For one thing, with the temperature slowly lowering in Dubai the race season once again rears its sleepy head from the covers, ready to take advantage of the cooler weather and bring running enthusiasts together again - if only for a limited time.

As such we had to organize and put all our efforts into exploiting this rare opportunity, so that meant more work for me. I didn't mind the least, but that meant a lot of things had to take the back seat.

Bear with me as I try to post my backlogs and get this blog up-to-date again! For now, here's what happened in August:

Dampa Seafood Grill - For the first day of August we woke up feeling like having some seafood so off to Dampa we went! We've been here once before some months back with Jed and Emman's friend, Darren. We enjoyed the food so much we just had to go in for another try! The place gets cramped pretty quickly so we decided to come by early but we still had to wait to be seated - shows you just how popular the place is in the area. A lot of kabayans frequent this place but we saw a lot of locals and tourists dining here, too.

Ilahui haul - I decided to stop by Ilahui en route from my office to my flat one day and bought a few necessities and then some. The pineapple coin purse now belongs to Jed, while I decided to try out their face mist and pimple-clearing gel, which I may or may not do a review of soon. The ankle socks are actually from the men's section because I didn't fancy their ladies's socks designs much - way too frilly and girly! The undies were purchased on a whim because of the cat print, of course.

Din Tai Fung - For our 2nd year anniversary, Jed and I decided to celebrate in Din Tai Fung for that much-needed xiao long bao fix. We both had to work that day and met up at the Al Ghurair Mall after our shifts before we proceed to have our dinner in Din Tai Fung. We had always meant to eat here back when we were still in the Philippines but we never found the time for it, oddly enough. We're quite pleased with their service! Since they don't serve pork here, their flavors are slightly different yet still quite delectable. Jed later mused that if I didn't point out that the xiao long baos had chicken instead of pork he wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

Random snaps from everywhere. I now can't remember where or when we took these, except that these were all from August. I guess I was more preoccupied than I thought!

Coming up: Snaps from September, and probably a little more coherence from me. Probably.

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Fridays are usually my wind-down days. I prefer to dedicate my Fridays buried under a pile of thick blankets, watching the color of the sky change through the balcony's glass door. There were plenty of moments in my life where I had to choose between staying underneath the comfort of my blankets and heading outside to participate in life. Today, Life figured, was time I got moving.

There was an audible crunch and a slight moan of panic at the table last night: Jed's tooth filling had come out. He insists that it's not painful, but it's always a terrible idea to wait for things to hurt before you did something about it.

I guess the thing about wind-down days is, some people liked that idea too. Even dentists. I watched the receptionist schedule Jed for an appointment on Saturday while the lobby's TV blared in the background. All I could think of was my bed, and Jed's filling-less tooth.

On our way out we saw that Caribou Cafe was open. We had meant to hang out there during Ramadan but somehow it got put off, but here we are. Their menu seemed interesting and, feeling off from missing the dentist, we decided to get some sweets before heading home.

(T) Full disclosure.
(M) The (not-so) little ones and their mobile games.
(B) My quencher, and Red Velvet cake. It's interesting how the cafe used marshmallow syrup on my mocha, hence the name of the beverage - Campfire Mocha.

I wouldn't say I have a strong fondness for cheesecake, but it's something I would always order off a cafe menu. Cheesecakes are easy; the flavors are never complicated and rarely disappointing. It's difficult to mess up a cheesecake, difficult not to enjoy it with coffee in a hot afternoon. As opposed to red velvets, which can be tricky if you're not used to such recipes. It's not a complicated cake but you could still end up with one that's too dry or too overwhelming and the cream cheese, too sweet or too runny.

Much like staying in, I preferred choosing cheesecakes. It's safe.

Which is why I'm really sure why I went for Red Velvet today.

I quietly sipped my drink as they had their usual discussion over the game they're playing, Owl City's If My Heart Was A House ringing in my ears.

Jed grabbed the paper from the magazine bin a few moments later and began to scan for any interesting news. Most of the time there would be PSAs and whatnot, usually regarding new regulations and such, and we also kept an eye out for new apartment listings.

Twice, maybe thrice, he snuck a few bites of my dessert, thinking I wasn't looking. Or maybe he didn't care whether I was. I didn't mind one bit.

Much to my surprise the red velvet cake ended up with the right amount of moist-ness. I appreciated the crushed shortbread they added to the cream cheese for the variance in texture, and their cream cheese itself isn't as overwhelming as I pictured in my head.

(If I absently hummed to Adam Young's lyrics, you couldn't have blamed me.)

(T) Salted Caramel Frappe.
(M) A bite of that moist Red Velvet. I like that their cream cheese filling isn't too sweet.
(B) Decor. I love the deep red-brown stain on the wood; it gives the table a rich and homey tone.

Somehow our conversation shifted to the home-cooked meals our mothers make that we miss the most. Given the chance, I would always rave about my mother's pork and chicken adobo.

(She'd boil the meat with garlic until the water's gone before pouring soy sauce and vinegar in the pot. She'd then deep-dry the meat after it's imbued with the flavors, then put them back in the sauce. The meat comes out crispy and flavorful. Sinful, even. You should try it.)

Her sinigang and creamy Tuna Spaghetti are also top contenders.

We talked about our own adventures in the kitchen - how Jed and I bonded over executing recipes we found in the internet, how Emman found the best way to make hot pots, where I got the various scars and burn marks on my arms and face, and the many, many versions of sisig Jed has come up with during their drunken nights with the boys.

And somehow the conversation shifted again. And again. And we talked, and talked. Well until it was time for us to head home. Jed held my hand and was swinging our arms rather enthusiastically as we made our way home.

There were plenty of moments in my life where I had to choose between staying underneath the comfort of my blankets and heading outside to participate in life - and much like the choice between cheesecakes and red velvet, I would pick the former most times.

I'm happy I went for red velvet cake today.

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Jed and I went to the beach the other day with Emman, on account of the latter's request to feel the cool evening breeze and have a quiet dinner by the shore. It has been nearly 3 months since we visited Jumeirah Beach so we figured it would be great to spend our day off wandering barefoot in the sand until it's too dark to see anything.

The evening took a slightly different turn - we decided to get lost while getting there instead, lol. We eventually arrived at Jumeirah at around 7PM but we were too tired to wade in the water, though that's perfectly fine - we got to enjoy the sound of the waves as it tirelessly pursues the shore. The wind wasn't as cool as we had hoped but it was appreciated just the same.

reading shorts from Pottermore. My heart will always be at home in Hogwarts (Slytherin represent!) and reading snippets of stories from Pottermore reminds me there's still so much to learn about the wizarding world.

listening to Noisli. GUYS. I finally found something I can listen to while I work! This is A Big Deal for me, because I couldn't stand listening to music while making graphics but still need something to fill my ears. It's not distracting, calms me down, and I can personalize it to whatever ambience I like to fit my mood. If anything I think it has helped me focus more on my artworks. It's godsend, I tell you. Download it for Android, or iOS.*

watching Family Guy bits on Youtube. This is normally what I do now during my downtime - some mind-numbing cartoons and lukewarm coffee to keep me company while I wait for the bell to ring.

thinking if I should get a massage. It's been a while since I treated myself to something relaxing, and this crick in my neck isn't getting any better.

smelling the aerosol room fresher. I also got this new scent from Miniso:

They have this limited edition Zodiac-themed scent line and it's unbearably adorable. This little gem I picked up smells dainty and floral but not heady or overpowering. I'm planning to get more because it's dirt cheap and comes in teeny bottles so I can bring them with me anywhere.

(I'm actually kind of disappointed that their Libra - my star sign - didn't appeal to me, but eh.)

wishing I could come back to the beach. The way my schedule is right now, I can only afford to come back next month - that's not bad at all. I just couldn't wait until I get to finally swim again.

hoping this week would be just as quick as the last.

wearing a maxi dress, would you believe it. Thought I'd stray from my usual formula and go for something easy to wear; I've gotten some nice compliments out of it as a result, lol.

loving Noisli, really.

wanting more sleep. Haha. The warmth of the bed in contrast to the cold, air-conditioned room makes sleeping-in a lot more inviting. I love bundling up under the covers!

needing more activities. I sit in the office for 8 hours, and then go directly to bed when I get home. Sure there's a lot of walking in between but I feel that this is the most sedentary I've been. It's come as a surprise when I found out I actually lost a few pounds, but I'd rather put my muscles to good use while that happens.

feeling kind of tired but not really. I think I just need more sleep, lol.

The clock had just struck 9PM when we finally got home. Our legs felt like lead from all the walking, tummies heavy with all the food we had for dinner (squid biryani, seafood and mushroom soup, a large platter of shawarma and hummus, and some rather addicting luqaimat).

It was the best sleep we had this week.