Red Velvet, At Last!

I am a bedridden, unemployed bum today. Okay, not really bedridden, but I’m suffering from costochondritis, which is a fancy word for sternum inflammation, and it hurts at different levels when I move the wrong way. So I decided to go to wordpress. Honestly, I’ve nothing insightful to blog about since there’s nothing insightful going on in my life right now. But let me get to a topic that probably a lot of you have wondered about: why is my blog called sweetasredvelvet? It’s not even a baking blog!

Well, dear reader, you’re in for a treat! Two, even! First, allow me to finally explain in detail why it is called as such. If reincarnations were true, and if we could reincarnate into anything at all, I would be a red velvet cake. Yes, a yummy, rich, smooth red velvet cake! Don’t fight it, just nod. This blog, dedicated to all sorts of things, is inflicted with my red-velvety insights, my philosophies, and advocacies. Most of the time, they’re strong like the flavor of chocolate on red velvet, yet they can be sweet like the icing on top. Posts can be quite voluminous, like the red velvet, yet they’re soft in a way. Most importantly, the color red symbolizes a lot of things: anger, love, passion, fire; but what all of them have in common is strength. They say red is the most striking color. You notice it in an instant. I’d hoped to build this blog that way, striking, passionate, and with love.

Now that you’ve absorbed all that crap, let me take you to the real treat! Yessir, I’m going to post something legitimately related to red velvet! My microwaveables adventure! 😀 Honestly, I don’t know how to bake. Heck, I don’t even know how to turn on the oven (which is a the hard part, because baking itself, you can find on the internet :P). So one day, I decided to try some of the mug cakes I’ve seen on the net, which only requires a microwave (*fist pump* yes! I can handle that!)

my personal fave, choco-nutella lava cake!

I’ve tried a lot, experimenting here and there, but the more decent ones are here in this album. Oh, there are some Tagalog words, so sorry foreign readers. But it is still understandably English :P. As you can see, all of them are based on recipes you can already find online, so suffice to say, it’s really easy to learn how to make ’em. I have this site in particular to thank, because most of my adventures start from there. If you don’t really have a sweet tooth, no worries, just search “savory mug recipes” instead. There are lots too :).

So there, a red velvet related post at last. Hope you enjoy the recipes! 😀

Daghang Salamat, Sugbo

Taoist temple (photo not by me)

Cebu, an island in the Visayan part of the Philippines is known for its rich historical landmarks such as Magellan’s cross and the Sto. Niño Basilica, and for other more aesthetically pleasing sites such as the Taoist temple and the butterfly sanctuary, not to mention the cute colorful jeepneys that go around town. I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, and if you haven’t, well, it’s all over google anyway.

I just recently came from this wonderful place, and had a long mental list of things to do and see. However, upon arriving, I saw the most beautiful, most wonderful, most breathtaking sight Cebu had to offer, Forever 21 and Payless. SM Cebu was right beside our hotel and boy, did that change things. My plans went down the drain. Hey, I am turning 21. What better sign than that to shop at Forever 21? (Okay, I’m making excuses now.)

Radisson Blu hotel bedroom

After that awesome first stop, I head back to the hotel room. We were staying in Radisson Blu.They have excellent WiFi connection, nice cozy lights, a bath tub, and a walk-in closet (I have a thing with walk-in closets, and no, I don’t think it’s a gay thing). Well, shopping–or rather, window shopping can be tiring. So I plumped in a warm relaxing bath, and just like the water, my adventure plans went down the drain.

So now that I’m back, I can’t help wondering if I wasted my trip. But then, I quickly pushed the thought aside. I’ve seen the Cebu sites many times as a child. Of course I don’t exactly remember all of it. I had a great time. And I finally got to ride a plane again after four years of being trapped in the busy life of college. I missed it. I missed accompanying my parents to these trips, even though I don’t understand much of what their doctor friends discuss. I missed the thrill of the plane’s take-off and landing, and the beautiful view from above. I even missed the airport, albeit its long lines.

All throughout high school and college, I made a lot of effort to do exciting things and (pardon the term) YOLO things within the cramped vacation breaks that I had. Now, with absolutely nothing to do, I find myself choosing to do the simpler things. Yes, I know, I’m getting old. But you know, it’s not so sad. We’re often told to “stop and smell the roses”. So, that’s what I did. That’s my version of “stop and smell the roses”, even though it may not be everyone else’s. Plans are just plans. More often than not, they fail. And sometimes they just don’t seem like the right plans anymore. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. And there is absolutely nothing wasted in that day I spent in Cebu.

Thanks for reading! Munch on!

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