Weekly joys in pictures | May 1-9, 2021

The lockdown has given me an opportunity to indulge in things that I really enjoy such as cooking and taking food photos. These used to be just items on my “someday list” before the pandemic. I am happy that now my blog contains delicious recipes and photos of the food that I cook. I miss posting, though, about other things that bring me joy. When I first started blogging in 2013, my blog was really a journal of my everyday life with my family, friends and BFF, reviews of restaurants where Mr Sweetie and I dined, and keeper of simple joys.

I miss posting about all of the above in addition to what I cook in my kitchen. Even though I am working from home, life continues to be as busy as ever with not much time left for other hobbies that I want to pursue such as reading, scrapbooking, more photography, writing, etc. etc. (I want to do it all!) I am also lagging behind in my Monthly Gratitude posts which I have faithfully written for years. I managed to finish my “January 2021 Being Grateful” post just a couple weeks ago and we are already in May! LOL! (If you want to read it, I posted it on my old blog here.) In reviving the spirit of journaling, I am starting with these snapshots:

SIMPLE YUMMY JOYS

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Food brings me lots of joy, most especially these that that were given to me by family and friends because it meant that they were thinking of me. Here are the treats that I got this month:

• Mocha Sponge Cake — My sister gave me this Asian cake. I shared it with my team mates who really enjoyed it.
• Empanadas and Artisan Bread — I also discovered the joys of freezing my food. (Thanks, BFF!) I used to compost everything past their expiration dates or if I knew that I could not eat them. BFF gave me artisan bread and empanadas which I froze. Finding treats in the freezer was like finding treasures. Guess what, bread freezes really well! The empanadas were yummy, too, after two minutes in the air fryer! The artisan bread loaf was so good toasted topped with Smoked Salmon Spread from Trader Joe’s.

DATE NIGHT YUMMY EATS

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• Aburaya (Oakland) — Food delivery have been blah. They are just not the same. My Japanese friend chicken from Aburaya was the bomb. Will definitely get more next time!
• Homeroom (Oakland) — He has been surprising me with mac and cheeses from Homeroom! They are deliciously wonderful but I cannot possibly eat all of them. I ate one bowl while the garlic mac and cheese to the freezer it went!
• Governor (Oakland) — It was British food galore! Governor would provide one meal to a family in need for every meal ordered which was why I chose to try this eatery. We had fish and chips, yorkshire pudding, chips, mashed potatoes and gravy. Too salty for our taste but it was nice to try something different and to know that another family was being fed as well.

FAMILY SUNDAY

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Lunch with at my sister’s house. Had apritada cooked by my brother in law. Chicken apritada is Filipino stewed chicken in tomato sauce with potatoes. Very tasty. My BIL is a great cook. The my nephews and I made mini-donuts on my DASH donut maker. As you can see, they went crazy with the toppings — Nutella, chocolate syrup and powdered sugar! LOL!

CINCO DE MAYO

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Tacos and margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. As it has been our yearly addition, Mr Sweetie made me margaritas although he did not drink any this year. I made yummy tacos.

MAY FLOWERS

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We did not get April showers this year but the world seems to be exploding in May flowers! Sadly, I miss walking among the flowers in the spring. I missed stepping on crunchy leaves of different colors during the fall. I miss walking in my neighborhood and the freedom to explore anywhere I want. I miss being able to stop on a whim to take photos of things that make me smile during my walks. A year and half ago, in January 2020, I had a scary experience while walking home from work. I am thankful that I was completely unharmed. (Remaining calm and having the presence of mind were what helped me get out of the situation unscathe.) I stopped walking since then. Materials things were taken from me which were readily replaced. What I am still trying to recover is my sense of safety and security. I try to find joys whenever I can find them while still feeling safe such as visiting the farmers market. I am slowly trying to stretch my comfort zone by challenging myself to walk again instead of driving everywhere. Coupled with my experience are the atrocious attacks on Asians. Being Filipina who has lived most of my life in the US, I have never felt afraid for my life or safety while participating in daily activities of life. Now I am often in a state of hypervigilance while walking on the streets of San Francisco or being on the train. The only times I feel safe are when I am home or in my car. As much as I live in a beautiful and safe neighborhood, the threat of being hurt looms around me and follows me everywhere. Ignorance, racism and violence hurt all of us even if we think that we are immune from those issues.

While we were visiting Mr Sweetie’s parents during Mother’s Day, I saw the deep pink flowers on a long stalk across the street from their house. The stalk was tall and high bursting with beautiful fuschia flowers blooming from it. It was as if it was reaching out to the sky. I took a picture because it was a beautiful and unusual plant, but also because it reminded me to remain hopeful for better things to come.

Please stay tuned for part two of May in Pictures! Thank you for reading and stay safe.