The Story of my Life- Part 1

All of us, once in our lives go through a phase wherein we just want to take things slow, relax a bit and try to do some soul-searching. That's exactly what I'm going through right now. I'm thirsty for peace of mind and happiness of heart that I have decided to change the pace of my life and just make out of things a day at a time.

Let me tell you the story of my life.

I was born in Sanaa, Yemen. During that time, my parents were required to change their religion to Islam in order to get married, hence the name Samira. After a few years, my dad thought that my name sounded so Muslim-like that he opted to Sweety for my first name and of course my last name as Escarda. My mom whose name is Seema worked as a head nurse who by the way is pure Indian. And my Filipino dad, Elmer, worked as a bartender. Unfortunately their marriage only lasted for less that 5 years. I was told that there were a lot of reasons behind the failure of their marriage. There goes the differences between their culture and my dad's love affair with a Filipina co-worker. 

During the 5 years that my parents were still together, there were instances that I stayed in India. I was even surprised to learn that I studied there for 1 and a half years. But 1993-1994, I went here to the Philippines.

My dad asked my mom to send me here in the Phil. alongside his Filipino friend, my kuya Mike. My mom at that time was probably that young that she somehow agreed to my dad. Now, whenever I ask my mom she would tell me it was out of her love to my dad, she was hoping that sending me here would bring them back together. 

But that wasn't the case. Her decision turned to nightmare which up to this moment she regrets for that was the last time we saw each other.

When i first got here, I was hoping that my dad would take care of me as he promised but he didn't. Instead, I was adopted by my Uncle (my dad's brother) and his wife who as a couple didn't have kids. My mama tita worked in Intel while my papa tito worked as an OFW in Saudi Arabia. My life was normal and I found myself really happy under the care of my mama tita but I guess not everything is permanent. 

I was in 1st year high school when my mama tita and I learned about my papa tito having a second family in Davao and he was addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling. That incident shattered my mama tita to pieces and ruined her life. It was also when my papa tito turned unsafe to be with since he was showing signs of abusing me that my mom decided for me to leave Makati and go my biological father instead who at that time was living in Romblon. Then the second chapter of my life was born.

33 Ways to Stay Creative =)

India in Manila: New Bombay

A blast from the past mode on.

When i got back from India from a 3-month vacation April of 2008, the first thing that I looked for is an authentic Indian restaurant that offers food as good as my Granny's cooking. I was in search for the one place that would satisfy my cravings and put an end to my growing frustration. I just love Indian food so much that i gained 10 kilos in my 3-month stay in India. Gross, i know.

Just a quick background reference, my mom has 100% Indian blood while my dad is purely Filipino. Sometime in the 1980s, their paths crossed, they fell in love and had me. Unfortunately, their relationship is one of those that doesn't end up like fairy tales do and they went on their separate ways. I was 5 then, and since then i haven't seen my mom until February 2008. I might dedicate a separate post for that "mommy-daughter" moment but for now let's mainly focus on how good Indian food is.

In my first few days in India, i was reluctant to indulge to their spicy foods. Thankfully, one of my Aunts, despite being a full-blooded Indian doesn't have the tongue for anything spicy. So, every time food is being prepared they would have the "spicy" and the "non-spicy". But even the non-spicy stuff was unbearable for the first few days because of the smell and the tangy taste of it. I remember having scrambled eggs for days and i even cooked Pork Adobo which to them is nothing but blah.

Not until my mom convinced me to step out of my comfort zone and be more adventurous with food. Then I thought of Anthony Bourdain and I realized that you're not a full born traveler without trying the native food. Haha! Feeling traveler. So little by little i opened up my heart, mind and mouth and tried their basics: Chapatti, Khana soup and Beans. It was okay and i was learning to like it but it wasn't until i had my Granny's Chicken Biryani that i went nuts over Indian food. Oh.My.God. Biryani is to-die for!

And there goes the looong list of my favorite Indian food both spicy and non-spicy which eventually resulted to my 143-lbs weight. HAHA. But what can i do, the food is just lovely. I would even have one Samousa a day (a street food for around 5 rupees) which is equal to 400 calories. Even their sandwiches and fruit shakes are unforgettable! So you can just imagine how upset I was when I got back here and found nothing that tastes like anything straight from my Granny's kitchen.

I was on the verge of losing hope when ta-dah I learned of New Bombay! It's one of the happiest feeling ever! When they say that their food is authentic, it really is! I just got to give it to them. The food is GREAT, the price range is a WINNER, even the place gives out a Taj Mahal vibe. I was in-love with the food that it became a weekly habit.

So for all of you out there who wants to experience India even for just a few hours, try New Bombay which has 4 branches in  Manila and trust me when i say that you will NOT regret it! Enjoy!

ABABU

I've always been a fan of Meditterenean food. And I firmly believe that good food plus a reasonable price to it is always a champion of a deal. So i'm really glad when years ago, my partner-in-crime, Armand, introduced me to Ababu.

Ababu located at 75 Xavierville Ave. Loyola Heights, Quezon City serves Persian food from Kebab (which is my personal favorite) to Shawarma to Kibda to the evil Ox Brain. And the price ranges from 55php to 300php, ain't bad at all, right?

So if you pass by Katipunan area, you may wanna try Ababu for your share of pocket-friendly and sumptuous Persian cuisine. Now, i'm drooling. Ugh.  

Mommy Sam

I would have to say that being a mom has to be the most grueling role in the world. It plays up with all your emotions. From being sad to happy, to excited and panicky when the little one is sick. It consumes you. It makes a fool out of you because you just give your all and everything. It's when "unconditional love" comes in the picture because nothing and no one can stop you from being a mom. It cannot be taken away from you. Well, only death can end your role as mom.

I am writing this now because I am kinda overwhelmed by my role as a mom. I have a handsome, sweet and such a loving baby boy and I can't help not to feel blessed for having him in my life. But being a mom is far from a perfect life.

Being a mom requires a lot of patience and understanding. And it's not hard to execute those since in love everything comes naturally. But there are still instances when your patience is being tested. I was told once that as a parent I have to be extra careful with my actions and that's true since your child would emulate your actions and even your words as they grow up. When you become a mom and start your family, your priorities change. All of a sudden all the things that seem so important when you're single suddenly becomes trivial. It changes you and the responsibility you have is never-ending. Imagine a life depending on you? It's not an object, it's a life. What a miracle, indeed. You want the best for your kid's future, his welfare and well-being. You work hard to provide him with his needs and the best education possible.

When you're a mom, you love your child with all your heart. Yes it is stressful, crazy and tiring but the reward is priceless. Just by hearing your child's laughter and being showered by hugs and kisses gives you inexplicable joy and happiness beyond words. :)

Book Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

If you are a latecomer to the Stieg Larsson phenomenon, here, briefly, is the deal: Larsson was a Swedish journalist who edited a magazine called Expo, which was devoted to exposing racist and extremist organizations in his native land. In his spare time, he worked on a trilogy of crime thrillers, delivering them to his Swedish publisher in 2004. In November of that year, a few months before the first of these novels came out, he died of a heart attack. He was only 50, and he never got to see his books become enormous best sellers- first in Sweden and then, in translation, all over the globe.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the 3rd installment of the trilogy; its predecessors, which i call Book 1 and Book 2, have already sold a million copies combined in the US and many times that abroad. All 3 books are centered on two principal characters: a fearless middle-aged journalist named Mikael Blomvkist, who publishes Millennium magazine and a slight, sullen, socially maladjusted, tech-savvy named Lisbeth Salander, the "girl" of the books' titles, who, in addition to her dragon tattoo, possesses extraordinary hacking abilities, a photographic memory and a twisted, complicated past.


To me, the 3rd book is good but not as good as the 2nd one. It is pulse-racing, action packed and intellectually structured. However, it threw me off on how a number of new characters were added. It was like a revelation with a lot of complicated details. It was all about Lisbeth and the long kept secret about her father. It shows that despite Lisbeth being "asocial" she had friends who stuck with her till the end. The trial is my most favorite, that fucking Teleborian, haha! But for some reason i was a bit bored in some parts of the stories which is an unexpected  feeling. And i really find the Blomvkist- Figuerola love affair, GROSS. But nevertheless, it was a story that I would never forget.

This book review is rather sentimental than fun, why? I was left with a feeling of remorse and sadness with the fact that Stieg Larsson has died even before all the success happened with both the books and movies. I had questions in mind: If Larsson is still alive, would he have written a 4th book? With all the success, would he have been inspired in writing more books? Sad.

Book Review: The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second book from the best-selling trilogy "Millennium Series" by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009.

As you all know or probably don't know yet, my only time to read is during my avail time at work. I don't really read when i'm at home because that is time spent with my boys. So, I have at least 2-3 hours a day to read but that depends on how addicted  i am with the story that i would spare another hour or two. This 2nd book has worsen my already established obsession with Lisbeth Salander. And made me stay awake 'till 6 am in the morning for 3 straight days leaving me less that 8 hours of sleep. The Girl Who Played with Fire causes extreme sleep-deprivation. This book is THAT good. To compare it with the 1st book which i finished in 1 week, I finished this 2nd one in 3 days. Haha! Now what is it that made me enjoy thsi book so much?

1. Book 1 focused mainly on the Vanger family and gave more of Mikael Blomvkist and a little of Lisbeth Salander who after all is the main character of the book. Apparently, i feel like it was intended that way for the readers to long for more and have something being played in the imagination. Book2 focused on no one but Lisbeth. Yes, there were some new characters added too but damn! Lisbeth's hacking skills was more emphasized and the details of her character were revealed giving the readers an idea of her background and history.

2. Lisbeth was fucking missing for a few chapters that i started to get REALLY annoyed. And due to this annoyance i couldn't put the book down and i just had to wait until her name appears on the context of the book. She disappeared after being the chief suspect for three murders but of course, I've decided not to retell the story in any way so go figure yourselves.

3. I love the pace of the story. The manner of giving the readers a glimpse of Lisbeth's past but moving forward to what's gonna happen next. It shows how Lisbeth is loved and loathed by the people that surround her. It really brings a totally different view of her because for the first time you can see her being truthfully affected by her friend, Miriam Wu. It shows a soft side of her.

4. The book was so thrilling that my hands were literally shaking as it was reaching the end of the story. I loved it so much, it was hard for me to recover not until i got my hands on the 3rd book. Haha! The pace of the story, the introduction of the characters, the intellectual capabilities of Blomvkist and Salander, the involvement of Dragan Armansky and Holger Plamgren and the fucking media and policemen.

5. Who would've thought that Salander would have a notorious half-brother and a father who was a former Russian spy? Interesting family members were revealed and it was both shocking and surprising. It gave details on why Lisbeth was locked in the mental asylum and what her next actions were.

6.This book leaves you so BITIN, leaving you with a lot of questions. Will she go to jail? Will she die? What the fuck will happen???

All-in-all. I was satisfied. I know i haven't made a review of the 3rd book(which i have already read) but i am now giving the conclusion, that this one is the best book of the trilogy.