Top 5

Back in October, I wrote the following, and the same applies today, except that it's not so random.

This is random. I clearly haven't been putting effort into my blog, but here are some things that I love/have enjoyed/have learned from this past week:

1. Cooking vegan pancit. The last time I cooked pancit, I was just a vegetarian, and I honestly missed the taste of patis (Filipino fish sauce). Well, I've been a vegan for almost a year and a half now, and my tastes have certainly changed -- for the better. I wanted to get back to cooking Filipino food, vegan style this time. And this video totally helped. I didn't use any soy protein, and I added garlic. Mmmm... garlic.


2. Learning how to riff. On Sunday, I tweeted the following:

What you put out into the universe -- even the Twitterverse -- will come back around. Check it out!


3. Watching videos on NutritionFacts.org. I am addicted to this website -- in a good way. Dr. Greger is entertaining and informative, and he clears up the myths about nutrition. Usually these videos are 1-3 minutes in length -- easily digestible in the YouTube age. Heehee. Get it? Digestible? Okay, his jokes are better than mine. This video is an exception. It's 55 minutes in length, but if you watch, you'll get hooked. I won't spoil my favorite line from this. (Feel free to take a guess, and I'll let you know if you're right!) And this confirms just one major reason why I'll be vegan for life: I don't want heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or any of the other 15 leading causes of death.

Tip: Watch this video in full screen on your computer, so you can see his great, animated presentation.


4. Cooking. No video to accompany this particular love. And I know that it's similar to #1, but at the same time, it's not. Six years ago, when I moved to New York, I didn't know if I'd ever come to love cooking, and now I can say that I do. Seitan adobo, anyone? Homemade taho, anyone? Creamy avocado pasta, anyone? Homemade pancakes, anyone? I can make them all. In fact, I made them all for the very first time this week! :)

5. Keeping track of life on Peabrain. From the creator of 750 Words comes an amazing SMS-based way of keeping track of anything that you want. The best part for me is I've established new habits while using Peabrain. I'm doing push-ups on a regular basis again. I walk more in my neighborhood park. I started composting! (Well, donating food scraps to my local farmers market. It's awesome.) I've started meditating daily, and it is essential to me now. But it's not just for habits. I also keep track of other things, but I'm not telling you what -- it's a private SMS tool, after all!

Top 5

This is random. I clearly haven't been putting effort into my blog, but here are some things that I love/have enjoyed/have learned from this past week:

1. "O"tober -- all entries but particularly Day 16, Day 18 and Day 20 from this week.

2. Oprah's Lifeclass -- especially "Please be responsible for the energy you bring into this space."

3. 750Words.com -- today is Day 3, and I am loving writing just to write. It's great to have a goal and a sense of accomplishment in the morning to kick off the day. I also feel a sense of clarity after each entry. Plus, I love all the stats the site gives you about your writing. Getting ready for my first ever NaNoWriMo, and now I can't wait!

4. Practicing the piano -- memorization has been difficult for me in the past, but now I see that if I can find the patterns and break it down into chunks, my brain cooperates with my fingers. I think I should still put in more time to practice. :)

5. Les Mis in 6 Minutes -- I am obsessed! Major props to U.S. tour swing Natalie Weiss. Please enjoy:


(Full disclosure: Yes, I work on the 25th Anniversary tour of Les Misérables, but this is from the musical theatre fan in me... which is the reason why I do what I do for a living.)