Arroz Caldo

With the onset of winter a lot of people have been getting sick lately, like myself (but my illness has nothing to do with the weather, at least I don't think it is). I've been sick the last two weeks; throat hurts like a godawful bitch every night and even with my new meds it's not going away that easily. I've been drinking some ginger honey and lemon tea that my mother recommended, and one of my friends was kind enough to recommend that having a drink of milk with some honey works too. It's alleviated some of the pain and other than the fucktard in my classroom giving me a headache all the time and who won't shut the fuck up, because for some reason he needs to make a display of his dumbfuckery every five seconds, I think I'm getting better a little at a time. Just keeping my fingers crossed that I haven't jinxed my ass off though.

The hardest part about being sick is actually being able to take care of yourself. At some point some people can't even stand because it's just that bad. With my sore throat, swallowing is an absolute hassle. How is anyone supposed to eat when their throat twinges with sharp spikes of pain every time they eat something? Lucky for me (and anyone with a sore throat), hot liquids help relieve my constricted throat, and today's recipe has certainly brought relief to my throat and stomach whenever I'm sick.

Arroz Caldo has been part of Filipino cuisine for as long as anyone can remember (well, no, it's been there ever since the Chinese started trading with us waaaaay before the Spaniards colonized us) and anyone who's lived in a Filipino household all their lives is all too familiar with this rice gruel dish. I learned the recipe from my mother, and when I used to live back home she would always make this when I or one of my siblings were sick, or when it was the pabasa during the Holy Week. Why does it have a Spanish name when it's been there before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines? Fucked if I know. Panlasang Pinoy says the Spaniards couldn't pronounce freakin' congee and said Arroz Caldo was apparently easier to say. Sounds about reasonable.

Just about every recipe out there tells you how to cook this dish in a pot. But none of these recipes ever tell you how to cook it in a rice cooker. Real helpful to the people without a stove, guys. Here I tell you how to cook it using both pot and rice cooker.

01/17 Dominator Sketch Dump

I'm frequently on GTA Online these days when I'm not reading up on my Japanese grammar nor drawing stuff. At first I was honestly apprehensive of giving it a try because of all the rumors of how terrible online can be in this game. However, despite the game's reputation for modders and hackers fucking everyone over, I do admit my 360 hours and counting of playtime I have does stand as a testimony of how I just love the game in general. You'd have to be lucky to find some actual people to play heists or stuff with though.

What I especially love about the game though is their ever-expanding collection of cars online. Admittedly as a kid I loved collecting small toy cars, and despite the teasing I received for being a tomboy then I couldn't care less about it; I thought they were really cool. Playing this game and seeing the cars over on their in-game online stores always feels like an absolute throwback to that time. And I especially love the fact that I could collect and drive any car I wanted and drive it all around the scenic locations of Los Santos and Blaine County. But that's assuming I was more than willing to grind or shell out the IRL ka-ching just to buy the cars I wanted in-game. Not that I mind grinding the hours away. Besides, racing was and still is an awesome way to earn money; I love the thrill of coming in first and leaving dirty fucking racers in the dust.

Japanese Curry

Ah, Japanese curry. Usually served as curry rice, this dish is the stuff of Japanese home-cooked dinners and tight-belted college students trying to come up with a decent meal plan that fits their budget and will last a few days longer even though they know they'll eventually get absolutely sick of it. Unlike the more flavorful Indian curries or the well-balanced Thai curries, Japanese curries are made from solid gold curry blocks packed with just about everything a typical curry soup stock needs, minus the veggies and meats of course. But don't shun their curry just because it's not like the Indians' nor the Thais'; their curry is just as flavorful with the right ingredients... And other seasonings.

New to Japanese curry? Here's how they look on the package.

Here's a personal take on this classic Japanese dish.

Self-Portrait 2018

Isn't it long overdue for a new self-portrait?

Hastily made sketch; I'm satisfied how it turned out more or less.

Sure pays to have more color in my work for once.

Gators... And Snail

As part of my New Year's resolutions for 2018, I've decided to draw more digital art, regardless of whether my work is refined or otherwise. I want to be able to develop my skills, and I feel that unless I actually go out and try to make art despite any mistakes I might possibly make, then I won't ever move forward in my art in general.

For today's doodles I've decided to take on a more cartoony art style, with the most unlikely of subjects: my gator plushes, and a snail I had made from long, long ago:

Crossover New Year's 2018

A continuation of this post.

And with the advent of the New Year on my side of the world, I'd once again like to wish everyone a prosperous 2018! Time flies ridiculously fast, doesn't it? Cheers to the road ahead!