Pregnancy scare gone wrong
I believe I'm gonna be writing about a very controversial topic today. I don't even think I should write about it but I really have to get it off my chest.
This week, a friend of mine told me that one of her friends got pregnant. Let's call her Lily - not her real name, obviously. I don't know Lily personally so I couldn't judge her and her decisions either.
According to my friend, Lily is single. She just got out of a very toxic relationship which gave her much freedom to play around and enjoy the fact that she needs to be loyal to nobody. I could say that Lily's got what we can consider the basic things to tell whether someone's ready for a family.
She's at the right age, licensed, and is working on a very stable job. She's got her own apartment and is independently providing for herself. The thing is, she has no boyfriend. As I mentioned earlier - she is very much single. Lily got pregnant from a one night stand!
I don't have anything against these dating apps, you know, but it's just not for everyone. She met this guy on Tinder and decided to meet him for the first and last time. Then boom! It happened and something's now brewing inside her.
My friend told me that Lily could not find the guts to tell the guy that he impregnated her because she knows that he's not that interested in her and that they already stopped chatting for a month. To make matters worse, she is thinking about ending her pregnancy. Yes - abortion.
As my friend's telling me this, I can't help but get scared. I can't imagine how one wrong decision could lead to irreversible situations. We really have to be careful with the next steps we are about to take.
I mean if you can't use these applications responsibly, you better uninstall them. If you can't help but have sex, might as well engage with safety intercourse to avoid ending a life just because you're not ready.
This also made me realize that our dilemma is not just our dilemma. We could unconsciously pass it to the people who care for us. Now my friend's problem is that she's torn between wanting her friend to pursue her pregnancy or letting her do what she wants because it's her body and her life.
Whatever Lily's decision is, I hope it would make things right and better for her.
That's it for today, friends! Thank you for taking the time to read. Untill next time! Stay safe and I hope y'all make good decisions! :)
Keep Going
Is the weather getting everyone down by this time? No? Oh, so it’s just me, I guess. I hope y’all are doing just fine despite the unstable weather, friends!
These days, I can literally feel time slipping through my fingers like nothing can ever stop it or even slow it down. The clock strikes super fast but I feel like I haven’t done anything productive at all. I always feel like I’m not doing enough for my future even after realizing that I haven’t stepped outside the apartment for a few weeks now just to focus on earning and avoid unnecessary spending. I even think that my roommates are already sick of hearing me complain about how painful my back is and how much I want to shut up for a month after 8 hours of talking online every single day. Despite that, I can still hardly satisfy my self with what I’ve accomplished. Hard days like these make me wanna question myself about what I am doing all of this for. But the answers are never too far. The harder the situations get, the more I am reminded that I deserve a comfortable life.
I remember one time, I was having a late night drive with someone when I suddenly felt the urge to ask him “Do you think you’d still be happy if you already have everything in life: wealth, fame, name it. If you are soooo rich to the point where you can afford every single thing you want, what else do you think would make you happy?”
He answered, “Giving.” I was too stunned to answer back because as shameful as it can be, I HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.
Last night, I sent one of my girl friends a random -how are you doing?- message just to check on her. She told me that she’s barely making it through the month. She badly wanted to enroll but her father needs her for his insulin maintenance as he’s suffering from diabetes. She’s setting aside the thought of wanting a degree just so she can provide what her father needs. She cut our conversation because it was already past 4 and she did not want to continue sobbing as we chatted.
These conversations made me realize that we are all hustling for a reason and that we are doing JUST FINE AS LONG AS WE’RE DOING OUR BEST! I felt like I need some introspection for me to process things more clearly. Maybe things were too exhausting for me because I was mainly focusing on myself and not on the rest of the people who need me. My parents deserve a comfortable life as much as I do. My family deserves the best things in life. Strangers are badly longing for little amount of help from another stranger too. That should keep me going.
That’s about it amigos! Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope y’all keep going! Take care!
Low-Maintenance Friendship
Hola, friends!
Haven’t found anything worth writing about lately, to be honest. It seems as though I’m ending each day the very same way. I’ve got loads of things to study that my brain can’t even grasp a single topic. In addition to that, I have to work at night so I won’t end up being hungry - that wouldn’t make my brain any healthier.
Anyways, I want to write about how I value (we all should do) low maintenance friendships. In this busy world where everything seems to be putting pressure on us, it is important to know that some people out there still consider you as someone dear to them even without constant communication. Those who don’t mind if you’ve left their messages delivered because they understand that you already have enough sh*t to deal with. The ones who are aware of your schedule and that you are not always free but are still willing to make arrangements and wait till you can make time. I cannot emphasize how I treasure these kind of people.
Last week, one of my old friends messaged and asked me if he was toxic to me because according to him, he feels like I was avoiding him and that I should let him know if he offended me in some type of way. With all honesty, I was annoyed by how he approached me. I just can’t understand where he was coming from since the last conversation we had was fine. We even talked about how busy we were and that I was planning to be away from social media for a while. I gathered all the patience that’s left in me to respond in the right way. I assured him that we’re cool and that I just don’t have the time to reply though I found him demanding.
Bottomline is, we are all dealing with different battles in life. We just need to understand and be understood. As someone who has tons of expectations to meet, bills to pay, and responsibilities to take, we have to think that the people around us (ones we may know or not) are doing the same.
And that’s all for now, friends! Let’s all be non-toxic and understanding! Ciao :*
Response over Reaction
I, myself, can barely tell which is which between these two words that are commonly mistaken as one. The best way I can describe it is through facebook messenger.
Have you ever received a chat message and reacted HAHA because it's funny or ANGRY FACE because it's offensive? How about leaning your back into the chair, letting the message sink in and constructing what you want to reply? Then, that's about it. That's how reacting differs from responding.
Reacting to something is often driven by our principles and what we believe in. We react according to what we think is right or wrong. Responding, on the other hand is when we take time to understand something and choose not to rely only on what we think about it.
We react more often than respond. The thing is, when we react to something, it happens in an instance which sometimes makes it regrettable. Some reactions are irreversible too. When we react more than we respond, it shows how little power and control we've got over ourselves.
When we learn the right way of responding, we would realize how satisfying it is to not be carried away by our emotions. We would understand that there's something fulfilling in knowing how to control ourselves and how to understand where someone is coming from.
We gotta start practicing response over reaction, because unlike messenger, we cannot take back and unsend the way we react to someone in real life. And sometimes, one wrong reaction could ruin and change something in a blink of an eye.
It's Complicated
He could hear everything, but dare not open his eyes because he doesn't want to see that very same expression on her face.
Here she goes again, telling him the same things over and over again that it's deafening on his part. She was complaining about how badly he's treating her.
This time, it's not about his instagram following anymore. She has accepted the fact that boys love seeing vulgar girls online, a long time ago.
She's crying over him not giving her the time and attention that she needs. She's been thinking if she's being way too much or if he's just not that into her. He wasn't like that when they first started talking.
Somehow, at the back of her mind, she understands why and it's because she made it way too easy for him to get her.
Now he's starting to question her actions towards her. He unfollowed every girl she was jealous about, even unfriended some of his old friends just to give her the assurance she thirsts for.
*"Isn't it enough?"* is always what he asks himself. He's busy. A working guy with stomachs to feed. He works more than 8 hours a day which is the reason why he couldn't update her from time time.
She doesn't know how badly he wants to make her happy.
He doesn't understand that his ways are not reassuring enough.
She wants to trust him despite having trust issues from her past.
He doesn't know how to earn her trust the right way.
And that's how complicated things could get when two people meet at the wrong time. They could've been right for each other but some things just don't work out no matter how right they may seem.
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Happy weekend everyone! Here's what the most dangerous writing prompt generator gave me **"He could hear everything, but dare not open his eyes"** and I couldn't think of anything good to write with it. I'm not saying I can resonate to what I wrote but *parang ganun na nga!* LOL. Anyways, I hope ya'll are doing great. Ciao!
"You can do it" card
Rainy Tuesday everyone, well if it's raining from where you are. We're not even halfway through the week but I'm already dying for the weekend.
These past few days were so draining for me. I don't even know if I'm still doing things right. I've been present in all of my online classes but I am not sure if I even understand a thing.
At the same time, I have to work for at least 6 hours to make ends meet. Days like these make me realize how hard it is to fight for your dreams when you got little to no resources.
This is the reason why I sometimes consider other people's way of motivating me as toxic positivity. Not saying it's their fault tho.
*"You can surely do it. They did it, what makes you think you can't?"* irks me in some typa way. Of course they can, all they have to do is study very hard and wait for their monthly allowance and budget for the rent.
What a privilege they got right there, huh! I may sound sour graping but I definitely have nothing against those who do well in life - those who were born with silver spoon in their mouth.
My point is, let's not compare two different people's way of surviving things because it is never the same. We may be in the same path but we're on different shoes. We've got different loads and that should be acknowledged when we talk about success and harwork.
Anyways, thank you for taking time to read my morning rant, haha! I hope you're taking things well and light. Ciao!
What's for Brekkie?
Since I just got back to writing, I have to admit that I've got zero idea what to write about these days. And since I've been away for so long, I stalked my good friend, @Murakamii.7 's page to read her works because her writing is my standard! Yiee.
Good for me tho because I bumped into a prompt I can easily join right away. Today I'll be talking about what I usually have for breakfast. The thing is, when I'm away from home, this girl doesn't know what breakfast is. I usually skip the first meal of the day because of how I snooze my alarm for n times.
Anyways, let's start.
**PANDESAL | SILOG MEALS**
I am never a fan of bread; never was and never will. It's not that hard to choose from these two. I'll definitely go with Silog Meals because . . . firstly, I am a big rice eater. Secondly, I love sunny side up eggs especially the ones with runny yolks.
**CHAMPORADO | LUGAW/MAMI**
Oh nothing could ever take my childhood fave snack's place - champorado. I kinda associate lugaw with fever. My mom would often serve me lugaw when I'm sick so I would definitely choose champorado over it. And mami on the other hand, has an after taste I don't fancy so I only eat it occasionally. And by ocassionally, I mean when I want to cure a hangover. Lol
**KAPE | MILO**
At this age, is this even a question? Coffee, of course! I really love starting my day with a cup of coffee regardless if it's hot or cold or iced. It keeps me awake and tricks me into thinking that I am so ready for the day.
**PLAIN RICE | FRIED RICE**
I would go with plain rice. Fried rice is actually good but I couldn't have a second plate of it. Plain rice for the win - no oil, no extra seasoning, just bland and simple.
**TAPA| TOCINO**
I prefer tocino than tapa. I don't hate beef but it has a smell that sometimes makes me wanna gag after a while of eating it. Tocino, rice, egg, and a bowl of instant chicken noodles is the best combo for me! I just love how the sweetness and saltiness of the tender young pork fight inside my mouth.
SCRAMBLED EGG | SUNNY SIDE UP
Can I choose both? I love both of them, to be honest. The best scrambled egg for me is one with lots of onions and tomatoes. I usually have it with spicy vinegar and dried dilis. I also love sunny side up especially the ones I personally make, haha! I have my own way of cooking it without getting the sides burnt.
KAMAY | SPOON/FORK
I usually have breakfast at home so I don't have to care about anyone seeing me using my bare hands. Something about using my hands makes me more satisfied and full compared to using spoon and fork. But if I have to, especially in public, it's an initiative to use silverware.
**BRUSHED | UNBRUSHED TEETH BEFORE EATING**
I don't brush my teeth before eating. I do it afterwards. I think the food would taste strange and different if you've brushed your teeth already, given the fact that toothpaste often alters flavors. I don't know if it matters but what matters to me is that I've made sure that nothing is stuck between my whites before going out.
And that's about it. Whatever we have for breakfast is important because it serves as our very first fuel to keep us moving throughout the day. What I have learned in life is that if we ever have something to skip, just choose the drama but never the breakfast. Ciao!
Manifestation? Anyways I'm back
I've been looking for the motivation to open my PC, play with the keyboard and write about any random thing for quite a long time now. Two months have passed and I still feel like I'm losing grip on reality. Been absent not just from read.cash but from most of the things I was supposed to be in attendance.
A lot has happened in my life. I don't even know what to write about anymore. For now, I'd be looking at read.cash as my diary, a safe place where I can be myself -something I refused to do for the longest time.
Anyways, do you ever believe that whatever's happening to you at the moment is something you somehow manifested before? Maybe something you inocently and silently uttered years ago? I am a firm believer that the things that are happening in my life are the results of the series of actions and decisions I make. But sometimes, I would say that our mind and tongue possess a power no one can trully understand.
Last year, I've been rolling my eyes over the fact that I was in a boring relationship. And by boring I mean long term, long distance, too comfortable, no thrill. I considered it as something I can settle down with because of how much I trusted my partner.
Whenever I read romance books I couldn't help but compare our relationship to the characters' and say "Oh I wish we had this kind of challenge." "What if someone comes along and tests us." stuff like that.
I even love writing stories that involve cheating here for some reason. Little did I know it would happen to me this year. And oh if I only knew it would hurt that way, how I wish I never wished for something like that.
There were times when I talk to God and ask "Do I belong to this kind of family? Are they not too out of my league? Maybe it's better to leave than to change myself into someone I am not just to please them." (referring to my ex's family) I never thought that those things I said or thought about would be crashing like an unexpected comet and destroy every single thing I've been taking good care of for 5 years.
He cheated and everyone tolerated it. When Carla Abellana said "I was made to look stupid" hmm I freakin felt that. But I am honestly fine now. I was just connecting things that might lead to this happening. Anyways, I guess that's it for today. I just want to emphasize that we have to be careful what we wish for. We might think it wouldn't happen but it eventually will.
Expectation Vs Reality
Never did I imagine that the week when people are supposed to enjoy different versions of *Binignit* would turn out like this. If you don't know what that is, it's a popular stew mainly made up of glutinous rice and tapioca balls that is served during Holy Week.
I was honestly expecting memes about places heavily flooded with *Binignit* and not these photos or videos of literally flooded areas in my province. As of now, the rain has stopped but strong winds are still felt in the area where I am currently situated.
We experienced a very short power outage yesterday but the electricity came back later at night. Hyped about this convenience to enjoy, I still feel sorry for my fellow Leytehanons who are currently admitted to the hospitals, fighting for their dear lives.
The last time I checked, at least 25 people are reported dead during the whole ordeal. As of this posting, some are still asking for rescuers as some places are still experiencing landslides. I am not trying to blame anyone and I don't claim things would be better if they do what I'm about to say.
But I somehow think that things would have turned out differently if people were urged and forced to evacuate in advance. I know we tend to worry about our properties, belongings, and all other things we would be leaving behind if we move out, but what would those mean if we lose our lives trying to save them?
I've also read something online about illegal logging activities that are still currently happening in the worst affected areas. Illegal logging is still a thing these days, huh? This problem should have been addressed a long time ago. Sad thing is, the ones that should be addressing these issues are the same people who are protecting and initiating them.
I really couldn't talk more about the issue because I honestly don't know much about it but I am not discounting it as one of the probable reasons for such a terrible tragedy.
I am just soooo down with everything that's happening. Not to mention the color war (politics) still being prioritized by the netizens amidst this catastrophe. Seriously? People are still throwing hate, fighting about who's better than who. I even saw a comment that our province deserves this calamity because of supporting someone who the commenter obviously didn't like. I mean, uh, what?
But it is what it is. It already happened and no matter how we wish we could turn back time, we know we just couldn't. I just hope people would learn and be more open-minded. There is a right time for campaigning and now is not it. This happened so many times in the past and we still can't get things right.
On a lighter note, as much as I want to donate huge chunks of money, I, myself am out of funds. So I decided to pack some of my family's old clothes and blankets that were already dropped off at our local donation drive today. I wish I could do more but that was the best I can as of now.
I really want to put further details about the emergency donation drives I know but I am not sure if this platform is open for this kind of thing. But if you want to be of service to the victims, the hashtag #AgatonPh on Fb, IG, and Twitter I guess would easily direct you to the sites where you can help out.
That is all for today, friends. Thank you for reading my article though it seems more like a long rant to me. I'd like to add that I was also expecting more beach photos this month because, hello, it's supposed to be summer szn!! Anyways, I really can't complain about that. I would sound ungrateful if I do. I'm still the luckiest for having my family intact and I hope all is well with you too! Stay safe and alive! Ciao!
Storm's Favorite Spot
I got home from a mini get-together with my elementary classmates and decided to lie down on the bed beside my mom who, at that time, was busy scrolling through her phone. I was doing the same on Tik-Tok for about a minute, thinking about what dance to cover next.
It was not long after my mom told me random stuff I don't remember that a rush of water and mud entered our home and got both of us wet and shocked. It happened like a crashing wave that we didn't see it coming. I remember being so scared for my life!
My mom frantically shouted ***Get the dogs and your brother!*** while searching for our phones in the mirky water. I was shaking heavily but managed to open the back door. Then, I woke up!
I was solaced with the realization that I was just dreaming. I guess it's better to describe it as a nightmare instead of a dream. I pretty much know that going to bed scared of the strong winds last night was the reason for that bad dream. It highly reminded me of Odette that struck just last year.
It was a bit puzzling to hear the winds still not calming down when I woke up as I expected them to be gone by the morning. I was totally wrong! Actually, the winds and the rain didn't stop all day until now. They only got lighter and stronger at times but there was no stopping.
It's so hard not to be traumatized because the things we experienced during Odette are happening again. We have this UV plastic roof for our lettuce and the winds keep on slamming it into the woods where it was attached. We cannot go out because the front part of our house was already flooded. We can literally hear the winds whistling, changing their directions back and forth.
I can't wrap my head around how bad this year started. We have barely regained what we lost last year and this is happening again. I just hate things that are so out of our control.
Despite that, I would consider our barangay lucky because we haven't experienced a power outage (yet) and the internet is working just fine. But when I scroll through my Facebook, some places are really in a bad shape. I just hope help came their way and nobody got hurt - people and their pets.
Places like Baybay are now experiencing chest-deep floodwaters and badly need speedboats to rescue residents. I can't stand watching those pictures knowing that I can't do anything but say a little prayer for them to be saved. I just feel so heavy right now seeing people who haven't fully recovered from Odette suffer again because of Agaton.
Jokes are circulating on Facebook about how people think that this Agaton is just checking if the carpenters installed the free roof sheets properly or that this weather is not for cuddling anymore but for evacuating.
I mean, yeah, it's kind of funny when you got the privilege of having a nice sturdy home where you can just joke about anything knowing that you are protected. But it's absolutely not funny for the ones who are fighting for their lives, seeing their roofs being blown off again, and those who are about to lose home for God knows how many times.
My heart goes to everyone who is suffering right now. Leyte needs prayer, I hope you guys can spare one. I am hoping for the people in the position to extend their help to those who need it. As they should.
That's all for tonight, friends. I hope that y'all are safe wherever you are right now. Thank you for reading and for the prayers. Till next time!
He's back.
After five years, he just happened to be walking down her street? ***Impossible! This can't be happening! How dare he*** **-** before she could even finish her sentence, she hurriedly closed the curtains, trying not to be seen from her large windows.
She released a deep sigh, knowing for sure that he did not see her when he tried to look up at the third floor of their house, where her room was. She stomped her feet and threw herself on the bed. She then grabbed her phone and texted a friend. ***" Saw him again! Ugh!"***
***What the heck is he doing here? Did he come back for me? There is no f****** way!*** She threw her phone and started sobbing. She was trying to act tough but she knew she was shaking inside.
Camila had tried her hardest not to think about this for so long. But this time, she can't help but let this rush of memories win over her. In her mind, she was cursing, if not stabbing him for what he had done before.
Yes, they were arranged for marrying each other but she knew that they somehow fell in love after some time. She was sure about that. In fact, there was nothing she was so sure about but that.
She was the one who despised the idea so much between the two of them in the first place. She hated her parents for this, wanted to run away and forget everyone and everything she had. But Andrew, that same good-looking Andrew who passed by her house a while ago held her back from doing so.
He believed that love can be learned. And that this arrangement only needed a few beach dates here and there to work out. He persuaded her that they can try this out and just give it a shot. And so they did! They visited Machu Picchu together, took a private Gondola ride in Venice, and tried every food you can find on Korean streets.
By the time they went back to the Philippines, she knew she was smitten. She did not even regret it because he too made it clear to her that he had fallen in love. Who wouldn't though? They spent a year together roaming around the world.
Within those lone times with him, she saw how gentle of a man he was. He never failed to hold her hand when walking, made sure she was comfortable, and even cooked her favorite dishes when she didn't feel like eating takeaways.
On the 8th of November, everything was set. The beach wedding reception looked so dreamy, filled with flowers of all kinds. Visitors in their best clothes were all smiles, kids with flower crowns were trying to behave in their seats, and the entourage was so ready to march along the aisle.
And the most excited among everyone was her- Camila. She was nervous and giddy. She was wearing this long elegant gown, studded with diamonds that sparkled in the afternoon light. She waited for Andrew for minutes.
It was weird that she came there first but she understood that he was gonna be late. He was always like that. He was never on time. But minutes turned to hours and the excitement turned to fear, then embarrassment, then anger. He never came. He did not show up on their wedding day!
She was so immersed in her thoughts, remembering the day that he ditched her while staring at the ceiling. She would have understood him if he only spoke up and explained. She can't get her mind off that one time they got to the airport. A girl was in the line with other people waiting for their loved ones to come out of the plane.
When they came closer, Andrew and the girl caught each other's eyes. She got teary and uttered ***"Andrew?"***. He cut the eye contact, held her hand tighter, and told her ***Let's go?*** after giving her a kiss. She didn't put too much mind into it. Besides, what harm can that one word do? ***But Who was that girl? Was it because of her that he left me without a word?***
What is up, friends? How's your day so far? I've used the most dangerous random prompt generator again and this was what I got. I set the timer to 10 minutes and just let it all out. I don't know if it makes sense to you hahaha anyways, thank you so much for reading, until next time! Ciao!
Go crazy with me!
Because of the cozy weather, I couldn't think of anything worth doing aside from slumping on the couch. I spent like an hour or two hopping from one social media app to another until I found myself on Reddit.
Do you guys still use Reddit these days? I definitely do as it is where I could find a wide spectrum of things - from light, funny topics to the deepest darkest holes you can ever imagine.
As someone who's into true crime, dark history, and the like, it's not hard to bump into several conspiracy theories that make me realize how little I know about the things around me. Some are too wild to be true but a few of them make me stroke my chin and think twice as they somehow make sense.
These are the 4 conspiracy theories that I found crazy. There are a lot but these just drove me a different kind of nuts! I don't know what to think of them either but I'm gonna share them with you.
1. Disney Frozen was made for something else.
Before the animated film Frozen was made, some theories about Disney's founder, Walt Disney, were already circulating on the internet. Walt Disney was a prominent person in the film-making industry who made a lot of successful animations throughout his lifetime.
Disney company is known for taking the extra mile to protect Walt Disney's name and all. They even cropped or edited out some pictures that may ruin Walt's image like those where he was seen with a cigarette in his hand. This is also to avoid influencing the kids to have a habit of smoking which Walt badly had before.
Now, let's get back to the Frozen theory. It is said that when you search *Disney Frozen* on the internet, you can find a bunch of speculations about Walt Disney being frozen after his death. It is rumored that they are trying to preserve Walt Disney's body to bring him to life in the future when technology is high enough to do it.
To somehow ruin the search algorithm, they made the film Frozen. This is to cover up the theories about Walt's preservation. Now, when you type Disney Frozen on the internet, everything about the movie would pop up instead of the said speculation.
2. The sinking of the Titanic is a scam.
I guess this theory is a popular one. A lot of people claimed that White Star Line's Titanic never sank. Don't get it wrong. A ship carrying thousands of people did really go down but it wasn't actually the Titanic. This theory claims that the sunken ship was actually an old and damaged vessel named *Olympic*. They managed to swap the vessels and made it seem like Olympic was Titanic.
People believe that this was an insurance fraud. Olympic was too old for the company to operate and it wouldn't make sense to repair it furthermore. So to get the insurance money, they've decided to crash it purposely. If this was true, I can't imagine how inhumane it was to sacrifice thousands of lives for personal interests.
3. The Mandela Effect
Have you come across an Instagram Filter called *Mandela Effect*? Ever wonder what it is? I've read that this theory proves that alternate reality exists, where people know something had happened but at different times.
This conspiracy was named after Nelson Mandela who once became a leader in Africa. Some people claimed that they were sure Nelson died in the 1980s when he actually died of chronic respiratory disease in 2013.
This is why we recall things differently from other people because according to the theory, we are living in parallel universes.
4. Glitch in the Matrix
Have you seen the old, popular movie **Matrix**? Well, that movie depicts a theory that this Glitch in the Matrix phenomena was based on. It is known as the simulation theory. So, some people believe that everyone you know, everything you see and touch, and all of the experiences we have are just illusions.
It's described as something like a game we play on the computer. Have you played Sims? I guess that would be a great example of something engineered by someone. So this theory says that we are all simulated and controlled by certain creatures.
It is believed that the civilization we have today is far beyond this advanced civilization that's controlling every move we make just like how we control the characters on our favorite video game.
I would love to share with you guys the things I've read about people experiencing things they consider a *glitch*. I'm gonna save that for another article as I don't want this one to be that long.
And that would be all for tonight, friends! I hope you had a great time reading. I would love to know what you think about these theories. Which of these makes sense to you? Do you think conspiracies are somehow close to reality? Or are these merely products of people's creative imaginations?
I personally don't know. I think someone wouldn't come up with ideas without experiencing or maybe seeing something weird and out of the ordinary, but, uh, I just don't know what to say! Anyways, I hope you had a great day today! Ciao!
Not a monkey but . . .
I was quite happy today seeing my cousins making use of their free time to earn. With the pandemic still going on, their classes are still done online leaving them just enough time to do things that keep them sane.
We live along the highway, so my uncle set up something like a pop store where passersby can easily stop and grab something to snack on. They are currently selling street food and grilled banana.
I'm not gonna talk about my cousins' small business but about bananas instead. It may sound funny but while waiting for my banana to cook, I was staring at it, thinking about how diverse these fruits are!
I mean, you can literally eat banana alone but you can spice it up into a lot of things, and rest assured that everything works! Here are some local ways that Filipinos do to enjoy bananas.
BANANA CUE
The first one is called *banana cue*. These are caramelized bananas on a stick. We often use Saba, a variety of bananas, in making this snack.
It's best when consumed hot. Some people like it when the bananas are super ripe but I personally prefer the average ones.
MINATAMIS NA SAGING (Sweetened Banana)
Just by the looks of it, I'm quite sure that the sweet lovers at the back are drooling right now! lol
This is a sweetened banana dessert. Basically, bananas are cooked in sweet syrup. Some use *Saba* with this type of dish but my family loves another variety called *Mundoy*.
My mom loves to put vanilla extract and tapioca balls on her *Minatamis Na Saging* too.
GINANG-GANG (Grilled Banana)
Here is another skewered banana snack but this time, it's grilled. I took this photo from my cousins' store and yes, this is what I was talking about.
Saba is used for *Ginang-gang* as well. After the bananas are evenly cooked, one should brush them with butter or margarine and then roll them in white sugar. And that's about it!
BANANA TURON (Banana Roll)
One of the popular snacks in Filipino school canteens is Banana Turon. Some people call it *Lumpiang Saging.* Lumpia means spring rolls. Turon uses the same wrapper which looks like a crepe sheet that lumpia uses.
It is then deep-fried in oil and sugar. Sometimes, turon comes on a stick too just like the rest mentioned here. The best and special turon is the one which has jackfruit strips inside that add aroma and flavor to it.
**NILUPAK (Pounded Banana)**
The last one is called *Nilupak* which means *pounded* in English. To makes this snack, you have to cook and pound unripe Saba bananas using mortar and pestle.
I remember mom using coconut bits, sugar, and margarine along with the pounded fruit.
When everything's well mixed, it is then molded into a round shape as seen in the picture and served on a banana leaf.
These my friends are some of the popular ways to cook bananas. As you know, we are not monkeys but we do love bananas a lot! I'm sure my Filo friends definitely know about these. I wrote this in case my article finds its way to my read cash fam's feed who are not from Ph.
I really want to add more but my mom, who has woken up from her sleep is starting to nag at me about how late it is and I'm not yet sleeping. I guess I would end it here. Thank you for reading! Ciao!
Food Junkie
As an avid foodie, I am taking the honor to participate in the *This or That: Food Edition* prompt by @BCH_LOVER, chariz! And honestly, I still couldn't think about what to write.
I don't know why but I still have this getaway high and realized that I'm not that good at reentering reality after a very short break. Well, the joke's on me for thinking I could gather a lot of ideas after taking a breath.
Now, let's get into the prompt!
Pizza or Pasta
This one's quite easy for me! I am not a big pizza person so I would go with pasta. I am not sure if I could get more Filipina than this but I would say Filipino Style Spaghetti is top tier! Fight me. Lol!
My mom's spaghetti is my favorite. Some of my friends know that I could eat her spaghetti at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I love it when it's steaming hot, saucy, and meaty. You know, the one in which the sauce alone is enough to stuff you.
I often order pizza only because it's easier to grab than pasta. Don't get me wrong. I love pizza too but not when I get to choose between it and spaghetti.
**Ice Cream or Cake**
Definitely ice cream! I don't have much of a sweet tooth but I can handle ice cream. I don't know but the fact that it's very cold makes me think that the sweetness is bearable. I mean its coldness dominates its sweet taste for me.
My favorite kind is dirty ice cream. You know it's a good one if you panic and freak out while looking for your spare coins when you hear that bell *Manong* is ringing. Right?
**Waffles or Pancakes**
Pancake somehow is sentimental to me. It brings back a lot of memories from college when I and my BFFs hit the books before exams. We used to stay overnight at my friend's apartment and a pancake is the easiest thing she could offer us to stay awake while studying.
**Rice or Noodles**
Oh, it suddenly got hard! You know, it doesn't surprise me anymore when someone makes jokes about me eating *carbs over carbs*! I often eat ramen with rice, dry noodle with rice, and instant noodle with rice. I mean, who doesn't do that? lol
But since I get to choose one, then I'd go with rice.*sighs without you hearing me* I am a huge rice eater so it would be impossible for me to give up this one.
**Vanilla or Chocolate**
Vanilla's good as a scent but I guess not when it comes to flavor. There's no saying **NO** to chocolate-flavored stuff for me. Whether that's food or a drink, I'd grab it if it's chocolate, especially if it's the dark one.
**Vegetable or Fruit**
I would love to say fruit but that would be a lie. I love seeing our fruit tray full but that's about it. I just can't bring myself to eat fruits that often. It's not like I hate it but I find it much easier to eat cooked vegetables along with rice.
**Burger or Tacos**
I'd go with burgers. The one with soft buns, thick meat, juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumber slices, and layers of lettuce leaves, so crunchy it makes you go bonkers! And oh, how can I forget that cheese melting on that steaming patty? Okay! This wins over tacos.
**Spicy or Sweet**
Spicy! Anything spicy makes me drool, non-stop. As I've mentioned, I am not into sweets so it's very easy for me to go with spicy. I am such a fan of savory and spicy food. Other people, including my mom, don't understand me as they think that they can't feel the food's real taste when it's too spicy. No buts and ifs for me, spicy foods run the world!
And that would be it for today, friends! I'd like to thank @BCH_LOVER for this wonderful prompt! It made me hungry as I wrote haha! Have a great week!
Canigao Island Paradise
Hola, friends! It's so good to be back! I was inactive for about four days since I've been doing a lot this week. And by a lot, I mean massive writer's block, some errands to put first, and a spontaneous getaway, lol! I was honestly hoping to have something to write after taking a short break from everything.
Anyways, I guess I would talk about our trip to Canigao in today's article. If you live somewhere in Leyte, I am sure you know Canigao Island or have at least heard about it. Canigao is located in the Municipality of Matalom, Leyte which is known to a lot of tourists for its white sand beach and crystal clear water.
Nobody resides on this island except for the vendors and the ones who maintain it, especially during peak season. From the town proper, we have to take a 20-30 -minute boat ride to reach this little paradise.
You don't have to worry about what to bring because a 7/11 store can be found just a few steps away from the pier. And as you can see, we first picked the first thing we need when spending a night on an island, hahaha!
This is where you have to wait for a boat that can seat 25 people per trip. The roundtrip fare only costs 125 pesos per person, which is quite reasonable. We got here about 3 PM and waited for the other passengers for 30 minutes which means we reached the island at 4:00 something.
You have to ride this thing for half an hour. I don't know much about the rules, to be honest. But some days, passengers are asked to wear life jackets and some days not. I absolutely don't know why!
This is an aerial shot of the whole island which I have to borrow from Facebook since I don't have any means of taking this kind of photo. If this doesn't put you in awe, I don't know what will. And by the way, this I think, was taken before Odette. Canigao Island originally had this very thick forest but it doesn't look like this right now because of the typhoon.
Some cottages are under construction at the moment but these two-story ish ones right here are standing sturdy. You can sleep on the second floor if you wish to stay overnight. In our case, we rented 4 tents since those were the only available ones at that time.
And of course, seafood! These gems right here are actually very affordable. You can get a basin of shells for only 200 pesos, plus, you can always ask *Ate* to cook it for you! There were shells called wasay-wasay, saang, takubo, and sea urchins too!
The boys grilled some fish, pork, and squid while we, the girls, cooked buttered shrimp, rice, and squid adobo.
This, of course, is just for the show. I mean the one that can be put on our IG stories, lol. We later bought additional drinks for the night.
Look how clear the water is! Can't you hear it calling you right now? Oh, this is actually a sign for you to go on an island trip, my friend.
This right here is an old photo I took during our trip before Odette. Unfortunately, you can't find this bridge at the moment as it was destroyed by the typhoon. Also, this part of the island is a sanctuary where coral reefs are kept and sea urchins are put to breed.
You can enjoy some water activities in Canigao like kayaking, jet-skiing, banana boat, and speed boat riding! The cost varies depending on the activity. I've tried a banana boat once and it cost us 2000 pesos for a 12-minute ride.
The island has a generator so you need not worry when darkness starts creeping in. There will be lights in Canigao and you can recharge your gadgets for an affordable price. You would literally morning the night on this island as a lot of people do karaoke and drinking sessions during the wee hours.
Needless to say, I and my friends had a blast during this trip! I was so grateful for this chance to escape reality even just for a night.
That would be all for today, friends! Thank you for reading and I would love to know how your week went! Stay safe! Ciao!
March Dump
Time seems to be going faster these days. Does anyone know where March went? Just like that, you would start questioning whether what you're hearing is true or just another April fool's entry joke tomorrow.
My March went quite normal except that I've spent some of my time, making articles - something I didn't use to do until my friend introduced me to read.cash. Big thanks to you @Murakamii.7!
This is the same month when my uncle and aunt got married 14 years ago. We celebrated their anniversary together at the nearest beach from home. It was just another simple breakfast with the family. What made it special was the thing we commemorate and the cake! lol
We got a lot of rain this month which is kind of ironic since summer season usually starts in March. This loudly screams climate change. I can hear it from outer space. Anyways, when it did not rain, we somehow managed to go and chill out for a bit. I know, eating street foods at the baywalk sounds bland and boring but it works as a breather, I swear.
March skies are so far the best this year, well at least for me. The weather might be unpredictable but I was quite consistent with my afternoon task which is to climb up the roof to take pictures, haha!
I guess that's it, friends. I wasn't doing much this month, honestly. How about you? How did your month go? However it did, I just wish the next one would be better for all of us. Thank you for reading, friends! Until next time! Toodles!
Always up for snaps
I gotta admit that I don't really love what I'm doing right now but I don't hate it either. I love it when my students make sense. I mean when they're a bit chatty, I get to hear a lot of things I don't know - their life story, the places they've been, the food they hate, stuff like that.
On the other hand, I despise pleasing people. But with ESL jobs, you've got no choice. You have to market yourself as the most understanding and empathic tutor you can be since your bookings depend on that. No matter how good you are at talking, they'd still rate you low if your aura feels off in any way.
Anyways, one of the things I love is when they share their photos with me. That's like, my favorite thing in the world. It's as if I'm catching up with a long-lost friend whose photo updates always make me feel giddy! In this article, I'm gonna share with you some photos my students sent me and a little bit of something about them.
I often get a lot of dog pics as I talk about my dogs so much. This baby right here is my student's 11-year old pet who died just months before we talked. I did not remember his name but I certainly remember tearing up listening to his owner's story about him.
This one's from my student somewhere in Shizuoka who loves growing his own fruits and vegetables. He happily showed me his freshly harvested watermelons he was so proud of. And of course, I told him that my mom loves planting too and sent him a picture of her strawberries.
This photo is from a teenage girl who visited a temple in Japan. She took a snap of this candied strawberry that's called Tanghulu in Chinese. I couldn't really remember if there's a Japanese term for this or if they call it the same way. She was complaining about how expensive this was and that she wasn't able to enjoy it because it melted as they were roaming around.
This is from a guy who has a thing for busts. He doesn't know how to sculpt so he draws them instead. I complimented him for this artwork since I'm not that good at sketching. I love painting and pencils are not for me! I asked him what this piece meant but he said it meant nothing, lol. He just loves busts and that's about it.
If I am not mistaken, this is in Bremen, Germany. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I was kind of impressed with this guy's guts to travel with the pandemic still in full swing. He did not mind getting the requirements he needed. Not to mention the 14-day quarantine he had to do when he came back.
And I guess that would be my top 5 favorites, friends. I still have a lot in here but most of them are digital arts and dog pics. I might share them with you next time but for now, I'm gonna end it here. Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your week! Ciao!
Hush! A scandal
She had to find the necklace before Stacy arrives. She knew she placed it on the nightstand before dozing off last night. Where could it be? ***Damn it!*** She muttered. There was no way now, she could hear Stacy's car pulling into the driveway.
She put her clothes on and sneaked through the backdoor, mumbling how useless her alarm was. She was quite impressed when she saw Greg all ready for work - suited up with that dark blue necktie on, yet still rolled her eyes at him for not waking her up.
Greg mouthed the words ***See you later babe*** and gave her a flying kiss to which she replied with a wink. She then walked on her way to the other street where she parked her car. She was all smiles as she fixed her messy hair and crumpled velvet dress.
She wondered if he noticed it. The way she caressed him meant she had fallen deeply in love. They were over the moon last night, so free of anything and anyone. She hadn't felt this way for the longest time though they'd been seeing each other for a year now.
It all started when he offered her a ride one rainy evening and she was all soaking wet. He offered her his coat and she was smitten! She can tell he liked her for so long just by the way he stared at her and looked away as she looked back.
It escalated when she was transferred to an office next to his. They started forming this bond that turned into something fiery and intimate. Seeing each other every break at the coffee shop was their thing until these coffee dates turned into motel meetups. Everything went from zero to a hundred percent relationship.
The whole reminiscing stopped as she reached her car and got inside. But before driving off, she received a call from someone she named "twin" with a heart emoji on her contacts.
"Oh, Stacy! How was your trip with your husband?"
"It was fine Stella, but I forgot to tell you that Greg canceled last minute. Something came up at work."
"Awe. Too bad he missed it! Anyways, see you later tonight at mom's place."
"See you! Love you!"
And she went on her merry way looking forward to seeing him again later at this family dinner!
Haha, I didn't know how to end it but anyways, here's another prompt from **The most dangerous app***.* The line I got was *She had to find the necklace before . . .* What do you think about Stella? Hmm, nothing but scandalous, I guess? This app is such a lifesaver especially if we can't think about anything to write. Well, that's all for this article, friends! Thank you for reading! Toodle loo! https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app
Silent Admirers
Have you ever looked at someone and suddenly felt your confidence slowly crumbling down your feet? You were just casually sipping your iced coffee while scrolling through IG and you come across this girl. Oh, not this girl again! The mortal venus living the life of a beauty you can never live.
You would then start wondering what life would be like for you if you had her flawless, glass-like skin or those perfectly lined pearly whites she got. There you are again, feeling miserable about how you look and whatnot.
Do you even realize that as you think about this stuff, someone out there is feeling the same way about you? They don't even hate you for that but just genuinely want to be just like you.
I do believe that we all have silent admirers who wish they had our looks, I mean not in a creepy way but they seriously do find us attractive in one way or another. You might hate your body type and wish your stomach was flatter, but someone is dying to have that voluptuous figure you have. Or if you think you were nothing but all skin and bones and wish you were chubbier, someone's praying to have that body so she can pursue her modeling dreams.
No, I'm not saying that modeling's just for skinny people but you get what I mean.
And another *no*, we're not just talking about the looks. It might be a little far-fetched but some people wish they have your disposition, your wit, or that charm you got that draws people into you. Some admire you for your hilarity and wish they could just naturally crack a joke and make someone laugh as you do.
Sounds inspiring, right? I sometimes wish we could borrow the lens of those who admire us just so we can see how amazing we are in our own, little way. So whenever you feel like you're the ugliest and the most worthless earthling alive, just think about the people who admire you in silence - the ones that can't even talk to you about it because they're kinda intimidated.
So always keep your head up and let that confidence rain!
Thank you so much for reading, dear friends. What do you think of it? How do you deal with those times you feel so low? Do you think you've got silent admirers or maybe know one of them? Anyways, I just hope you're going through the week just fine. Always stay safe, until next time! Ciao!
Not an empty jar
For the longest time, I've been wondering if I could ever find that place where emotions are safely kept and if that place truly exists. I could hardly write what I really feel in my journal, fearing someone would mess with my privacy again like how my mom and brother read my grade-5 diary. I could still remember how they kept on repeating bits of what I had written. I felt naked and disrespected so I burned it down.
When I delivered my high school valedictory speech, I felt so emotional. It was impossible not to break down and cry in front of the crowd. I just couldn't contain how happy and grateful I was to my parents for sending me to school and all that. I meant everything I said. I told them they were the best that I have and that I truly love them, stuff like that. One time, I failed to do something that they asked me to do because I overslept. They proceeded to tell me that what I told them in that speech was a big lie, that I was a hypocrite for saying such, and that those were just crocodile tears to impress the crowd. They were so mad as if that thing I failed to do costed their lives. Those words, I can never forget as they hurt me so much like I've been stabbed a thousand times.
I still, to this day can't remember what happened next. All I know is that life made me guard myself too much that it would be so hard for someone to read me. I feel like every time I open myself up, people would always use them against me. People are so good at attacking me when I am most vulnerable. This is why the majority of my articles here are not emotion-driven. And if transparency is a test, I would have failed a couple of times. I don't want people to know that I'm happy or sad, that something affected me, or that I'm badly hurt. Crying in front of someone is the last thing I would do unless I'm drunk and I would die with the lie that my tooth ached the previous night just so I could explain my puffy eyes.
I am so done with keeping everything to myself. Tired of people who invalidate my emotions and even blame me for what I feel. It's eating me up inside and it's heavy. I never planned to write this here but today is just unbearable that I felt like I needed an emotional outlet. I've turned myself into this jar where I kept everything I can't let out - my thoughts, my emotions, anger, and disappointments. What I want people to know is that I might be that expensive, thick, sturdy jar that's hard to break, but I am never empty. I am never unfilled. I've got plenty inside and I am not invincible. Jars, when overfilled explode so does me when things get too hefty.
So, to you, that's been feeling down lately, I understand you. You deserved to be understood, validated, and heard. Don't ever take the blame for feeling what you feel. You're a person. You're real. It's okay to be vulnerable sometimes, let your guard down, and pour everything out. You may seem hard and brave, but I know you crumble down at times when no one sees you . . . and I appreciate you for that!
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a good rest of the week. Toodles.
Over a pair of yoga pants?
The police arrived at the store and confirmed that the two victims of which one was dead and the other was sent to the emergency, were Jayna and Brittany. These two women were the on duty employees when the brutal attack happened.
`This is a continuation of "Terrifying Scene at the Store". I'm gonna put it here again that this article has several graphic scenes which you may find disturbing (R-word:rape, death, etc). This is a true-to-life story as well. If you're fine with that, please keep reading.`
Jayna, a 30-year-old graduating student, was almost done with her two master's degrees at that time and was only working as a manager at the store part-time. Her passion for doing yoga was what brought her to Lululemon. According to her long-time boyfriend, he was about to propose to Jayna that year, but sadly, it would never happen. She was found on the scene dead on the floor, face down, and was on a thick pool of her own blood.
Brittany on the other hand was a former soccer player in her high school and college. She was a well-known soccer team defender and excelled in that sport very much. Around the time of the attack, she was about to quit Lululemon because she had applied for a personal trainer position in a fitness company. She was found tied up with several wound cuts all over her face and body but was still alive.
The police had to ask the sole witness of the crime, Brittany, the next day about what happened. She told the police everything that she remembered that night though it was traumatizing for her and all she wanted to know was if Jayna, her friend, was okay. According to her, they locked up the store, called it a day, and parted ways. She later realized that she forgot her wallet that she needed to take the bus. She then called Jayna and ask if she could go back to the store so she could get her wallet. Jayna who had the store key, was halfway home when she received the call but agreed to go back and decided to get her laptop that she left too.
Jayna arrived at the store and randomly parked her car at a non-parking space, knowing that she wouldn't take that long. The two entered the shop without turning on the lights and Britanny headed straight to the back to get her wallet. She was taking too long that Jayna suggested searching for it the next day and offered Brittany her metro card instead, just so she could take her bus and go home. That was when two masked men in black suits entered the store, attacked, and R-worded both of the girls. The men used nasty things such as hangers to assault them. Britanny told the police that Jayna was beaten up because she heard her resisting from the other room. According to Brittany, she, herself was racially abused by one of the men as she was black. He even told her that she was more fun to R-word than Jayna.
The police considered Britanny a victim who pointed out fingers at two Hispanic men. She even had a survivor's guilt when they told her that Jayna was already dead. She felt like it was her fault because the only reason they went back was to get her wallet. The police were puzzled as to why nobody heard anything suspicious when this attack happened, especially that the Apple store next to Lululemon closed later that night for the iPad launching. Some Apple employees heard Jayna scream but thought of it as a petty fight between employees and considered it a work drama.
When the detective did a thorough investigation, he realized the difference between how the two girls were attacked. Jayna was bludgeoned to death while Britanny only had minor wounds all over her. She was bound with zip ties but her hands were not tied to anything, just her hands together. He also noticed that the zip tie on her hand had this teeth mark on it. This time, they asked Brittany again if she knew what Jayna's car looked like and she denied ever seeing or being inside it. The police became more suspicious of her as they found her blood and hair in Jayna's car. She later told a different story about her being forced by the men to drive Jayna's car that night and park it at another block. She refused to call the police or ask for anyone's help because she was too afraid as the men knew her address. Brittany then went back to the store.
The police then dug deeper into Brittany's background. They found out that she used to be known as a kleptomaniac during her college years. Her teammates did not want to leave their lockers open when she was around because they would always lose things like purses or cologne. She even stole a whole wig from a salon one time. She worked at another Lululemon branch but was caught stealing and got fired. Her coworkers would be losing their belongings like perfume or whatnot when she was on duty. Lululemon's managers were only waiting for her to steal again so they could fire her.
That night, Jayna was not supposed to work and just covered for another manager. She checked Brittany's bag, which was the store's protocol just to ensure nobody was stealing anything. To her surprise, a pair of black yoga pants were inside Brittany's bag. Jayna then realized that she stole it as she failed to show a receipt and told her ***"I'm sorry but I have to tell the manager about this"****.* It was later that night that Brittany called her about the wallet, managed to let her come back, and killed her by hitting her with a metal bar on the head. She used different tools like a hammer, knife, and wrenches to further hurt her until she received around 300 plus wounds. She then wore the size 14 shoes at the store to cover her own footprints as she dragged Jayna to the back. She went to another room, cut herself several times, tied her feet, and bit the tie so she could bind her own hands together. This explained the teeth mark that the police found on the zip tie. She then waited for the day, with poor Jayna's dead body not so far from her.
Thank you so much, friends, for taking the time to read though this one's quite long. I hope you enjoyed it. This is the true case of Brittany Norwood and Jayna Murray. Have a great night and stay safe! Ciao!
OMG! Thank you so much @Bloghound for your sponsorship! You don't know how much you've inspired me to write even more and better! ♥
Terrifying Scene at the Store
`What's up friends? I hope your weekend is going great so far. If you're into crimes and the like, I hope you'll take time to read. I am just going to put a warning here that this article mentions a lot of graphic things. Reader discretion is advised.`
It was a normal Saturday morning for Rachel who worked as a manager at Lululemon, an athletic apparel store in Bethesta, US. At 8:00 AM, she casually headed to the shop, passing by a long line of people at the Apple Store, which was launching a new model of iPad at that time. These two stores were situated next to each other in this place.
She was puzzled when she walked into the shop's unlocked door which was so unusual to happen. The employees who worked the previous day must have forgotten to lock it, she thought. What made it even weirder was when she got inside and noticed that some racks of clothes were knocked over but not in a dreadful way where one would think someone ransacked the whole place. Despite that, the shop still felt eerie and it looked like a small robbery occurred as some cash registers were left open.
Scared that someone was still at the store, Rachel got out and managed to ask for help from a random guy in the line at Apple. The helpful dude walked inside the shop and went straight to the backside and was welcomed with a very big mess. Glass shards were all over the place. There were so many broken items, and at the top of that, there was tons of blood! Blood splatters were all over the wall and ceiling, some blood marks looked like hand swipes on the wall. It was a total nightmare. Along with the bloody floor, were dragging marks and two sets of footprints - one a lot bigger than the other.
The man, petrified enough, suddenly heard some whimpers. It was as if someone was making small sounds of pain and needed help. He opened one of the changing rooms and there, he saw a girl whose hands and feet were tied up, her body was full of cuts, and she was losing a lot of blood. She was also showing obvious signs of assault as her clothes were ripped off, showing her private parts.
At the extent of everything, he asked Rachel, who at that time was not seeing the scene, to call the police because someone was obviously dying out there. It has to be mentioned that before hearing the cries, he followed the trail of blood at the further backside of the store and saw a dead body in a profuse pool of blood. He was panicking and was about to tell Rachel when he heard the other girl moaning. And that was when he panicked more and realized that an urgent call for the cops should be made as someone was still alive and could still survive.
Rachel, upon knowing this, realized that the two people at the back were the employees assigned to work the previous day: Jayna and Brittany.
***TO BE CONTINUED . . .***
Thank you for taking some time to read, friends. I am trying to be true with what I mentioned that weekends, especially Sundays, would be for true crime stories. I hope you find the same stuff as fascinating as I do. This will be a two-parter as it's too long to be compressed into a single article. Thank you so much and keep safe! Ciao!
Butties you gotta try!
Days aren't complete without us thinking about what to eat even right after eating. Do you ever find yourself in the kitchen searching for whatever is available to munch on without feeling hungry? If the answer is yes, then you're not alone! It has become commonplace for most of us to eat out of boredom. What's frustrating about it is to think about what exactly we want to eat. Since we don't always see that little thought coming, we often don't have anything both on our mind and in the kitchen.
If you live in a city where food delivery platforms are at your fingertips, good for you. You can just grab your phone, click, click, and voila! Your food is all ready for you to enjoy. But for some of us living in the suburbs, it's kinda hard to find food stalls that offer door-to-door delivery. And if you're working from home the whole day with only short breaks in between, it's almost impossible to make a complicated meal.
When I want to snack on something at home, I make use of whatever is in the pantry. You know the ready-to-eat ones: biscuits, bread, chips, name it! But if I want to feel a bit extra and make myself think that I have fairly put an effort into my food, I make myself butties! Wonder what butties are? A butty is a term used to refer to bread with butter but is now used as British slang for *sandwich*. (**Butty:** butt for butter)
I'm gonna share with you my favorite kinds of butties to have at home that are oh-so-easy to make.
**1. Peanut Butter-Banana Sandwich**
Grab whatever sliced bread you got. It's better if you have it a bit toasty. Spread it with your favorite peanut butter and put banana slices on top. And that's about it.
**2. Avocado-Egg Sandwich**
You can actually make this with avocado slices but I prefer mine with fairly mashed one. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on your mashed avocado. Mix, and spread it on your toasted bread. You can stop there, but you can always add a sunny-side-up egg on top if you want.
**3. Ham Sandwich**
I mean all of these sandwiches are a no-brainer, especially this one. You need some toasted bread, cheese, ham, sliced cucumber, and tomatoes for this one and you're good to go!
**4. Grilled Cheese sandwich**
The easiest of them all. Grab your favorite cheese sheets. Throw it on your bread and toast em! Voila! You're done.
Thank you for reading, friends. If you haven't tried any of these, this is a sign to make one! Have a great weekend, everyone! Ciao!
*Lead image is from Unsplash*
He did it!
She clung on to the piece of driftwood, praying for daylight, ignoring how sore her hands were from holding onto this lifeline for so long. It has been 2 days and 2 nights since the plane she took to Atlanta crashed. She didn't know who else had survived like her. She can't even believe how she was still alive.
These thoughts were suddenly swept away when her tummy felt like someone was squeezing it like a washcloth. She's been hungry for days with no food, just water from the river to somehow quench her drying throat. Not to mention her badly wounded leg that refrained her from swimming against the current. She just can't let go.
As she was about to pass out. She heard someone afar was shouting. The voice was distant but close enough for her to make out that it was coming from a woman. She gathered her might and shouted to let her presence known.
Several hours passed and nothing. No one really came. She started to think that the voice was coming from her head. She thought she was hallucinating. Her life before the incident started flashing in front of her. The flashbacks were so clear as if it was her last time to contemplate.
She used to be this happy wife to her husband and a loving mom to her kids, not until her husband got involved with another woman. They had this messy divorce and a huge fight over their kids' custody. Now that she won against her husband and had the chance to take a break from the stressful court battles, her plane suddenly crashed. She can't help but wonder what plane her ex-husband, who happened to be an aviator, piloted that day.
Good afternoon, friends! I just can't get enough of the writing app and used it again. This time, I let it generate a prompt for me which was *She clung on to the piece of driftwood, praying for daylight*. I couldn't think of anything else but this! I hope it made sense to you, haha! Thank you so much for reading. Have a good rest of the day, toodles!
*Lead image: Unsplash*
Who does she lean on?
*Hello, friends! I really felt inactive lately because of our internet connection that's been acting up again. I should have had a lot of time to draft articles but with the thought of not being able to post my work right away, I had writer's block. As if I'm a legit writer! lol Anyways, I've come across* @meitanteikudo*'s "The most dangerous writing app" and decided to give it a shot.*
Celine was pacing back and forth in her room, getting her emotions together, trying so hard not to lose it. She didn't want to throw the book she was reading at her drunk father's face, who at that time was yelling about how bad the dinner was. It has been 2 years of not seeing her dad go home like this every single night.
She can hear her mom sobbing over the same reason from the other room. She hated herself all of a sudden for not being able to do anything but to feel sorry about what her family had become. Her father seemed to forget what kind of a family man he was before her brother died of an accident. It wasn't easy for everyone. She can't help but question the universe how he went from being a loving and thoughtful father to this cold, heartless alcoholic who acted like everyone else in the house didn't matter anymore.
As she was about to go out and try to comfort her mom, her phone beeped. It was her dormmate, reminding her about the final exam being just around the corner, right after the long weekend they were currently in. She had to pay the dorm and tuition fee or else she couldn't participate. Celine started to cry as she didn't know which one to handle first. She still had an unpaid balance from the promissory she requested the previous term.
She was bawling this time. She texted her boyfriend of 3 years to seek comfort and confided everything to him. It was too painful for her not to let her thoughts bleed into texts. She started to feel a bit lighter when she saw her boyfriend typing. After seconds of waiting all she got was a text that went like **" Take it easy, baby. That'll pass. Let's just get dirty tonight so you can forget everything"**. She buried her face into her pillow and started bawling even more.
*That was hard! Funny how I randomly write something and lift my fingers just to check if the texts would really disappear. It was challenging and frustrating at the same time as I didn't really know what I was going to write. To be able to finish, I had to think about bits of personal experiences I had, and I guess it worked. This is not my story tho haha or is it not really? How would you know? Anyways it was fun participating in this one! It was impossible not to have any typos too, so I corrected them here. Thank you* @meitanteikudo *for generating interesting prompts for everyone to enjoy!*
*Thank you for taking some time to read! Here is the* *link* *if you want to join too! Keep safe, friends! Toodles!* https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app
*Lead image is from Unsplash*
Fur-Care Day!
Hola amigos y amigas! How's your Sunday so far? I mean, if we're in the same time zone. As much as I want to say mine's interesting, nothing really special happened today. I was planning to be out and about but I ended up confining myself at home just like how my previous Sundays were spent lately.
Anyways, Mr. Sun did not show up today so I was getting nothing but a gloomy vibe and I'm all for it. It also rained cats and dogs and I'm not complaining either. I actually love bleak days like this as I'd have a sound reason for not going out, in case someone asks. That way, I could save myself from people commenting about me being all sorts of weird for being an introvert.
And since I had so much time for myself today, I decided to spare some for my dogs and gave them a bath. And oh, I haven't mentioned it here yet but I am a dog person. I don't consider myself a fur mom tho. I'm a fur sis, lol! Seriously, our family dogs are my baby siblings and my mom is their mom. That makes me a big fur sister, right? Anyways, I bathe my dogs once or twice a week depending on the situation. Lately, I've been starting to notice some ticks feasting on my poor doggies' bodies. It wasn't an infestation but I obviously wouldn't wait for that. And in case some of you here are dog lovers too, I'd be happy to drop some doggy essentials that might help you in taking care of your beloved bosses, I mean pets. I'll be giving honest reviews as well, given that I have been using these products for quite some time already.
**Nature's Advance Tick and Flea Spray and Soap** **by Vetcore+** https://invol.co/cl9ukv5
One of the fastest ways of getting rid of ticks and fleas is through spraying especially if you're too busy to bathe your doggies. Nature's Advance is the first spray we've purchased and we never tried anything else since. This is super effective, it takes 4-5 sprays (depending on the size of your dog ofc) to say goodbye to those parasites. It also comes with a free soap which is equally effective as the spray. Just note that the soap kinda stiffens the fur after using, so you need to apply shampoo.
**Madre de Cacao Shampoo & Conditioner by Doggies Care**
https://invol.co/cl9umno
I'm sorry but this product's label has come off. It used to look like this. (See next photo) We were a hoarder of a product called Bearing before not until we discovered this one. Bearing is super good but it's a bit pricey. With Madre de Cacao Shampoo, we were able to get an equally good smell at a much lower price for a gallon. Not to mention that it's already 2 in 1. It really is a good buy.
**Simparica**
https://invol.co/cl9umvt
This is the most instant way, literally. Simparica is a chewable tablet for dogs. This product promises to kill 5 types of ticks. It kinda does something to the animal's blood that would kill the parasites when they start biting. It's oddly satisfying to watch the bugs fall off your pet and die. This is recommended by my uncle and we liked it so I'm gonna share it with you too.
**Petpedicure**
https://invol.co/cl9un3o
This is a claw grinder. After giving my dogs a good trim, I usually use this to smoothen their freshly cut nails. I recommend this but not my dogs. A war between me and my pets always occurs because of this nail file. I guess they find this thing's sound scary.
**Metal grooming hair comb**
https://invol.co/cl9un91
This is by far the oldest comb I use for my dogs. As you can see, it's getting rusty already which means I need to buy a new one. I love how its double-row teeth easily detangle my doggies' fur.
And if you've come this far, the next photo is my reward for you - my dog pics! hahaha lol
And that's about it, my friends! These are all my shopee budols for the fur parents out there! I hope you find this article helpful and my dogs cute, haha! Have a good rest of the week! Ciao!
*Lead image is from Unsplash*
The doctor is in, why are you out?
Dr. Fred, a well-respected doctor in his town who gained a reputation of being a hardworking practitioner was so engrossed in his research about old age theories. He had this great passion towards elderlies that he worked very hard to bring his study to success and even hoped for a cure against Alzheimer's. This one normal day did not turn out well at all. It might even be very devastating for Dr.Fred to send a letter of condolences to Kathleen's family. Kathleen, a very bright, fit widow who always got this ray of sunshine in her, is one of those the doctor paid a visit to. To the doctor's surprise, she suddenly passed away.
One might think that the doctor would have flashbacks to his early life. Dr. Fred's fondness for old people started from his relationship with his mom. He was overly close to his menace mother, Vera, that some people found it weird. As a middle kid, you would think that he was the most excluded and ignored among his siblings. But no, he was Vera's favorite child, the one she taught with a sense of superiority at an early age. She imprinted this idea on her son that he was the most special and the smartest among other kids and he believed that. That was why he became a loner at school. He was doing great academically but nobody wanted to be around someone who always looked up to himself. This mother-son relationship was cut short when Vera was diagnosed with lung cancer. Dr. Fred was there and witnessed his seriously ill mom being eaten alive by the disease. But thanks to the morphine that was constantly administered by their family doctor. Once in a while, after getting the pain killer, Vera would have this burst of life and be her old energetic self again. But morphine can't cure cancer. She couldn't carry on anymore and died.
Following his mom's demise, Dr. Fred was so eager to become a doctor and at long last, he did. After getting accepted to a medical school, everything fortunately went downhill from there. He was granted a scholarship, met a beautiful lady named Primrose, got married, popped kids out, and started working as a family doctor in a medical center. He was well respected by his colleagues and was one of those doctors that were so hard to have an appointment with because of the long line of patients waiting to get booked. But, of course, just like anybody, he has his fair share of ups and downs in his field. He developed an addiction to injecting pethidine, a pain relief medicine, on himself. His addiction only got worse that he dared to forge prescriptions of the said substance leading him to get fired and rehabilitated. Not long after that, he started working again at a different medical firm and lasted for 12 years. But just when he thought all bad omens got over him, a lot of his patients started to die in his practice. Maybe because all of them were very old and terminally ill? Many people thought. There were no autopsies done at that time because 80-year-olds dying would automatically be associated with old age death. And besides, Dr. Fred was well-trusted and if he said so, then it was. Later on, he decided to have his own private practice and took thousands of his patients from the old hospital he was working for, to his private care.
This was when he started his studies, research, and all those things for the benefit of the elderly. He tirelessly visited his patients' houses for checkups. Some other time he spent on conducting interviews and asking for blood samples which he needed for his intensive research. At the same time as his practice, the local morgues started to get suspicious with all these deaths under his name. The thing was when a body has to be up for cremation, a form with the doctor's name should be put on it and there were plenty of those signed by Dr. Fred himself throughout his years of service. Some doctors that the morgues confided to confirmed that this Dr. Fred's rate of patients' death is out of this world and suggested telling the cops. The police were not all out at first and decided to investigate behind closed doors.
Now, remember Kathleen? The active 81-year-old lady he visited? Well, her daughter was dumbfounded when Kathleen's lawyer told her that her mom's will of $400,000 all went to her doctor, Dr. Fred. This raised suspicions and the police finally got deeply involved. On a good note, Kathleen's family refused to cremate her body which was against Dr. Fred's advice. He told all of his previous patients' families to get their loved ones cremated. The police were able to exhume Kathleen's body which was then autopsied. A crazy amount of morphine was found on her system, huge enough to cater to tenfolds of patients. They later found out that Dr. Fred had been going to his patients' houses, pretended to get blood samples, and later inject them with lethal doses of morphine, the very same drug his mom used to have before. He would even come back a few hours after killing them just to make sure they were dead. The police were able to get shreds of evidence that Dr. Fred killed most of his patients throughout his practice. And this is the story of one of the prolific serial killers in the UK, **Dr. Harold Frederick Shipman.** **Kathleen Grundy** was his last victim before getting caught after the 250 people he executed by his own hands.
That was a long one. I'm sorry but I just realized how hard it is to compress all of the documentaries I've watched and podcasts I've listened to, into a 3 or 4 minute-read article. I've been wanting to write about true crimes and here it is. I'm not even sure if you'll read it but yeah! My Sundays will be intended for true crimes, I guess. I hope I could keep up haha fingers crossed on that! Good night friends and stay safe out there! Toodle loo! xoxo
And also, I would like to thank my sponsors here @Murakamii.7 and @HermaniGinger! Thank you, thank you so much! huhu I'll be better at this po, hopefully.
*Lead Image is from Unsplash*
Get some shut-eye with these idioms
So it was ***World's Sleep Day*** yesterday. Don't you think we owe it to ourselves to celebrate this very important thing we spend a third of our life on? Knowing that Asian countries are among those who top the list of most sleep-deprived nations, I guess the answer is YES! I hope everyone here is getting the right amount of sleep depending on your genes and *circadian rhythm* also known as our body clock.
Anyways, I won't be talking more about how important sleep is because I think it's already given, but I'm going to drop some idiomatic expressions about sleep just to fit the celebration instead.
**1. Not sleep a wink**
I bet we all do this a lot of times. This idiom means to not get sleep at all. So the next time you overwork and complain about it, you might wanna tell your co-worker *"You owe me a cup of coffee because I did not sleep a wink last night working on the tasks I need to cover for your absence."*
**2. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed**
When you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, that simply means you woke up in a bad mood. It's not hard to find where this expression came from on the internet. It is said that this was taken from a Roman superstitious belief where they make sure not to wake up on a particular side of the bed that is thought to be unlucky. It makes sense in real life now because it would be very unlucky for the people around you to deal with your drama early in the morning. For example: *"Make sure not to act silly today, mom woke up on the wrong side of the bed!"*
**3. Get some shut-eye**
Shut-eye means *sleep.* So to get some shut-eye means to get some sleep. Instead of simply telling your hard-headed night owl friends to get some sleep, tell them *"Don't you mind getting some shut-eye? It's too late to go out!"*
4. Hit the hay
*"That was a long tiring day, I'm gonna leave and hit the hay now!"* is what you say when you want to tell someone that you are going to go to bed. It is said that Americans used *hay* as a word for bed before. Another thing is, beds backs in the old days used to be stuffed with hay.
**5. Out like a light**
This is obviously not me. When someone is out like a light, that means he/she falls asleep very quickly. *"He was out like a light as soon as he hit the hay!"*
And that is all, my friends! I don't stick to a proper sleeping schedule myself and I've always wanted to change that! Let's get cozy and have plenty of sleep now and rock the world later! Toodles!
*Lead Image is from Unsplash as well*
Job application and a small business
Since I am free tonight, I have decided to write another article just to keep myself occupied. This week has been very hectic and I had failed to do some agendas I have planned ahead of time. I was aiming to work for 8 hours straight for 15 days but I wasn't able to do so because some other things came up.
One of those is a friend asking for help. Ate D is a close friend of mine even though she's relatively older than me and I call her *Ate*. She's a mom of two and badly wants to apply for a job in the same company I am working with, to help her husband make the ends meet. I went to her place for two, three days straight to somehow guide her with the application process including the interview. Upon going there, I had some realizations in life. I realized how hard it is to be a mom. While we were so busy applying, her eldest in the kitchen kept on calling her attention, asking her how to do this and that. At the same time, her second baby would cry in the middle of a demo because his *Cocomelon* video was unintentionally paused. It was a total chaos! I was just utterly impressed by Ate D's determination to look for a job even though being a mom alone is already draining.
Another thing that kept me busy this week is the fact that our lettuce is so ready to hit the sales! lol! I'm just exaggerating but I'm honestly happy that we're back at our small business again. We sell vegetable rolls online. Yes, a healthy business it is! We grow our own lettuce too by *hydroponic gardening*. *Hydroponics* is basically a system of growing plants without using soil. Lettuce can be conveniently grown in water, provided that enough oxygen and minerals are given. It is a very clean and healthy way of growing where we can even eat the lettuce straight from our planters. But, we don't do that of course, just to be sure.
Our veggie rolls business was inspired by Vietnamese Rolls minus the rice noodles and herbs. Another thing is, Vietnamese Rolls go with peanut butter as a dip but we use mayo with ours instead. It's more like a vegetable salad wrap; if you know what I mean.
This setup is a DIY too! I and my rents spent days getting this done, and look how worth it it is! We used PVC pipes for this one. Another method is called *Kratky* where you grow your plants in a box and the setup looks like a billiard table. I'm not gonna go with the details for now. I'll just save it for another article.
Can you imagine how crunchy these romaine babies are?
These are very easy to make. You can even try it yourself, but if you live close to me, it would be better if you buy it from us. Kidding!
That would be all for tonight friends, and I mean it, lol. Have a great night! Stay safe out there and as Bailey Sarian says, *Make good decisions!* Ciao!
@cybelgian
