indulgences

some that i've spent over the past few days

hey yall. it’s lenten season, and what i’ve picked up from growing up catholic is that we have to suffer every time all the time. that anything that has to do with senses is something that should be penalized, that it is “worldly.” but what do we have to live for if not for experiencing the world? if you’re religious, consider this - isn’t indulging in god’s creations also part of glorifying his name? yes everything needs to be done in moderation but in a personal history where restraint is always upheld as morally good, let’s just live a little.

i’ve been enjoying a lot of different things this past few weeks, and i want to share these things with you.

radio bakery’s spicy tofu sandwich

the buzzy radio bakery just opened an outpost in my neighborhood, and i’ve lined up for their pastries every single week. however i was still skeptical about their sandwiches. i’ve always had an aversion against cold sandwiches, they remind me of flavorless cardboard sold at airports or vending machines. so i was hesitant getting their spicy tofu sandwich… but i got it out of internet recommendation… and even i hesitate eating it at home… so i waited until i got really hungry knowing that it’s the only food i have in the house. BOOM. changed my life. it’s properly seasoned with a sweet salty umami flavor, all textures are properly represented and no texture/flavor overtaking others. don’t knock it til you try it. (photo courtesy radio bakery)

being a morning person

i’ve been waking up at 6AM and sleeping at 10PM every day. waking up i get myself a cup of coffee, a pastry, and soak myself in sunlight, then i do my morning rituals while bossa nova plays in my sound system. this has been so enjoyable to me, i do not miss staying up late at night doomscrolling. i’d sacrifice going to raves for this tbh. maybe i’m getting old?spring is coming soon i can feel it.

new albums

lots of anticipated new music that i’ve been listening to, with different opinions on them. sad to report there were some disappointing turns (lucy dacus’s forever is a feeling is so disappointing unfortunately) but there are some that blew my mind, with the three of my favorites linked above.

konban

my god this might be one of my recent favorite meals of all time. went here for marsya’s birthday and had to take a pause on every bite. all the flavor combinations worked perfectly and concocted something that is just out of my comprehension. we ordered the ebi katsu, branzino with mushroom, butter scallop, and truffle rice. umami is registered in every bite without being overly salivating. i think this meal was so good it triggered a switch in my brain… i will never be the same.

menstrual cups

aisha plugged me into this for my periods and it changed my life. applying this is kinda annoying at first but it becomes easy once you get the hang of it. i feel clean under there and the suction allows for a perfect seal. i know it might be grotesque but there is a pleasure in being able to visually see how much i bled through the contents of the cup. for personal #statistics purposes probably. but mostly i felt nice cuz this is reusable and i don’t have to waste so many paper products every month.

infused water machine

my office recently installed a bevi infused/sparkling water machine in our pantry. it was pretty warm last friday and office facilities sent an email saying the cooling mechanism of the office is facing difficulties so the office was hot. me and my two coworkers indulged on this water, filling cups with ice and trying out different flavor combination. we called it many names, “the delicious” … “technology juice” … i don’t know if it really was that delicious or it was only delicious because the office was boiling hot.

herr’s stubbs sticky sweet bar-b-q flavored cheese curds

best chips of all time. hands down

this video of a group of egyptian musicians playing “alf leila we leila”

can’t embed the video here but it’s worth a watch.