I've got a practical exam tomorrow morning on Knife Skills. And I've been cutting up carrots, chopping onions, and turning potatoes since Monday. I'm hoping that I do fine tomorrow. I'm not going to rush my cutting, or else I'm bound to lose a finger. Tomorrow's strategy is to work a steady pace, but work accurately. I'm not planning on joining a speed cutting challenge anytime soon, so I don't care if I don't end up the fastest.

I'm On A High

Woohoo! I got my test scores back today, and I couldn't be happier with my grades.

Basic Stocks - 44 /45
HACCP - 77 / 80
Stocks and Sauces - 60 / 62
Kitchen Terminologies - 29 / 30
Kitchen Organization - 36 / 36

I got an average of 97%! I didn't even get grades like these in college. All those days spent studying don't feel like a chore all of a sudden.

I had a tough set of exams today. It wasn't hard in the sense that I couldn't answer the questions because I didn't know it - it was tough because it was long and tedious to answer. I felt battered and tired right after taking it. I needed a good pick-me-up, so I decided to watch a movie to lift my spirits. I watched Hellboy 2, and it was one of the most visually entertaining movies I've seen this year. It was the perfect distraction and reward from the stress of the day.

I've been trying to make a habit out of cooking at home whenever the weekend rolls by. Weekends are pretty much the only free time I have from the busy week at school, so I try to make the most out of it by practicing my would-be craft. Anyway, I prepared a couple of things over the weekend. Last Saturday, I made a Pesto sauce and a Pesto Butter. I didn't know that pine nuts were expensive, until someone pointed out that we didn't harvest pine nuts in the Philippines, so there you go. Anyway, I think I made a good pesto, since my mom couldn't get enough of the pesto butter I made. Yesterday, I tried my hand on Minestrone Soup, which was the highlight of my week. Before I started school, I didn't even know the ingredients to making minestrone, yet here I was yesterday, chopping up all these vegetables. This was the first time I felt confident in my cooking skills. I was like, if I can cook minestrone, I can cook anything. Today, I made pasta with the left over pesto from Saturday and I'm going to be cooking a Swedish dish called Pork Emincer for dinner. I'm turning out to be quite the week-end cook, and I'm very very happy.

A week of kitchen work is finally over! Its been both fun and exhausting. As I type this entry, I can barely keep my eyes open from fatigue. The hours working in the hot kitchen, where aching knees and feet are commonplace are over for now. What's to look forward to in the coming week? A 4-day weekend, an exam on cooking methods and a recipe quiz, and 2 days of lecture that will run from 2 - 8 PM. Yay...

Being a chef is physically demanding. Its the third straight cooking day, and I feel physically tapped out. I've felt pain in my legs, knees, and back for the first time. I'm probably going to run on fumes for the rest of the week and suck it all up. In the future, I think I have to condition my body to be able to withstand the physical exertion that working in the kitchen demands

Today was a good day as the kitchen session was not as hectic as the day before. We were cooking ahead of schedule, so Chef Uli gave us a couple of long breaks that allowed us to catch our breath and rest our feet. Today's recipes consisted of Cream of Tomato Soup, Buttered Vegetables, Buttered Parsley Potatoes, and Pork Ragout (Stew). I was assigned to prepare the Potatoes ala minute, which meant that I had to saute the potatoes right before service time. This was kind of stressful, because you had to watch out if guests/diners were coming in so that you could start cooking, but I could definitely say that this was the good kind of stress. It was all good, except for the comments I received from diners that the parsley on the potatoes were a bit burnt. I kind of took offense at that, but what the hell, shit happens in the kitchen right? Besides, I was scanning the plates of those who finished eating, and I didn't see a trace of my potatoes coming back uneaten. I guess that they didn't mind the burnt taste of parsley. Its either that, or they were just really hungry.

Today was my first day back in the kitchen after the week-long break preparing for and taking the exam. I was a bit slow in adjusting to the frenetic pace of the kitchen today. I tried my best to keep up though. Anyway, it was officially the first kitchen day where we prepared the meals for students and the staff to eat. They also say that its one of the most important weeks in class because they get to see who has what it takes to survive and thrive in the kitchen. I don't know how they'll be doing this since I didn't really notice anyone watching. My take is that they'll say this each and every week just so we remain on our toes the whole time.

Today's the 2nd day of exams. Yesterday's tests were a breeze, actually. The whole class finished in under an hour - and we were given 4 hours to do the test. My hunch was right - the exam can't be that hard. And here I was, preparing for the worst and the hardest. Sometimes, more that actually studying hard, its more important to be confident that you can ace the exam. I saw really bad nerves in some of my classmates yesterday. It was as if they were going to face a firing squad rather than take a test. They were reading like crazy, not eating, and getting unnecessarily nervous and tense. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

My 5-day "week-end" officially ends tomorrow as I return to school to take the first month exam. I've been stressing over that test since it was announced 2 weeks ago, but now I've learned to accept the fact that whatever happens tomorrow is out of my hands. I've done my part to study, but I know that my mind can only take so much information. Now, I'm trying to be mellow about this test and psych myself that its not going to be as hard as I'm expecting it to be.

I'm glad to have had that relatively long break, and I'm thankful to have been able to make full use of it by being able to study, practice cooking, hang out, and be lazy during the last 5 days!

I cooked up a storm yesterday...well, not really. However, at the current level I'm at, cooking more than 2 dishes at the same time would qualify as a storm. My relatives came over for a visit and they wanted to try some of the dishes I've learned in school so far. It was nothing fancy really, as I prepared no-brainer dishes that even the most amateur of cooks couldn't mess up: Creamed Potatoes, Pasta Aglio Olio, and Pan-fried Fish Fillets with Parsley Cream Sauce. I'm glad that it was well-received by my family. Really, thats all that matters.

Today, I had a taste of how the culinary profession is like. We had our first cooking session and I had to stand all throughout the duration of the class, which ran from 7 AM - 12 NN. It didn't end there though, as we still had to do our debriefing and mise-en-place for tomorrow which wrapped at 3 PM. I guess God really did listen to my prayers to take me out of my boring desk job, and decided to put me in the kitchen where the action never stops! I can't complain. Anyway, I had fun today, notwithstanding the aching feet and back.

I learned how to truss a chicken and a tenderloin today. To truss something is to tie up a particular ingredient using string in preparation for roasting. It helps to keep the shape of products such as chicken or pork loin or beef tenderloin, for example. Otherwise, your meat would just be splayed all over the food pan with no fathomable shape to speak of. Our chefs vividly demonstrate how an un-trussed chicken would look like: They would raise their both their arms in the air at different angles and raise one of their legs from the ground. Its funnier when you see them do it, and we get the picture. I've been practicing my trussing skills on a rolled up towel, which finely mimics the shape of a beef tenderloin. Trussing a chicken is much trickier, so i'll probably buy myself a chicken carcass tomorrow to work on it. All I need to know now is how to properly roast these things, and I'll be on my way.

I love being a student again. The rules of the "adult" world simply don't apply to a student. Today is an example - I don't have class today. While the rest of society are back to work after a 3-day weekend, I'm still here at home, taking the time to blog. Ahh, the simple pleasures in life!

I've been practicing cooking at home for the past 3 days. Its more in order to gain the confidence in the kitchen more than anything else. Last Saturday, I tried my hand at making stock. My chef instructor mentioned something during last Friday's class that struck a chord in me and motivated me to prepare my own stock - "You cannot call yourself a good chef, unless you know how to prepare a good stock." Thus, I took up the challenge and made myself chicken stock over the weekend. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I could say that I made a textbook preparation of stock.

On Sunday, still feeling confident from the day before, I once again challenged myself to cook. This time, I tried making tomato sauce from scratch. None of that processed, heavily colored stuff. However, my tomato sauce was not as successful as my stock experiment. Taste-wise, I believe I made a passable, borderline good sauce. My shortcoming on the sauce were on two things. The first being that my sauce was not thick enough. The second was that it was not as red as we made in class. I analyzed where I could have missed something and I concluded that it was probably from the lack of flour (thickness) and tomato paste (color). Anyway, there will be more opportunities to practice to come, what's important to me was that I gain the confidence to cook.

Yesterday, I helped my mom prepare a traditional chicken milk soup, also known as "sopas". I did the mise-en-place of the vegetables as well as shredding the boiled chicken. We also used the chicken stock that I prepared the other day. The verdict: dishes really do taste better when made with authentic stock. It adds a different dimension to food. Using the processed stuff, laden with MSG doesn't give food the authenticity from preparing things from scratch.

I got so worked up with vegetable cuts yesterday, so I decided to continue working on it at home. I asked for rotting vegetables at the neighborhood store and got to try out my new knives on mushy carrots and potatoes. Doing these cuts on my own also helped me memorize the different sizes. Although I still need to work on my measurements, the cuts you see here are pretty much what they are, give or take a few millimeters here and there. Ok, give or take a few half centimeters.

We had a lesson on vegetable and potato cuts today. I must admit that I had zero knife skills before the class, and my inexperience was evident all throughout the day. I've had different people give me tips on my knife work. First, Chef Jay taught me how to use a vegetable peeler as I couldn't even use a goddamn vegetable peeler correctly. Chef Manoj also dropped by my station to show me how to move my hands as i'm cutting. Finally, Direk taught me how to do a Paysanne cut with a carrot. I was a bit embarrassed for myself, especially as I was being taught how to peel vegetables. It shows me how much I still have to learn. I still have a very long way to go before I can call myself a competent chef.

Tomorrow's our first day in the kitchen, and I'm excited for it! I've had experience working in the school kitchen when I took the fundamental course, but tomorrow's session feels different. I have mentioned that the first few weeks of school have been the happiest I have ever been. I feel that tomorrow will be a validation that I am where really want to be.

There are a total of 14 cooking methods in Classical Cuisine. 14?! Before this course, the only cooking methods I knew were boiling and frying. Now, I have to slowly ingrain these 14 methods in my head: Blanching, Poaching, Boiling/Simmering, Deep-Fat Frying, Pan Frying/Sauteing, Steaming, Roasting, Butter Roasting, Grilling, Stewing, Braising/Glazing, Baking, Glazing Vegetables, and Gratinating. Its been said that if one masters all of these methods, then you can cook anything.

I bought my first starter knife set today. My haul: an 8-inch Chef's Knife, Paring Knife, Turning Knife, Vegetable Peeler, and Leather Carrying Case. The damage: 6,200 pesos. Its really not that expensive considering that I've seen knives cost twice as much as what I paid for - and its just for one piece! I guess those MAC or Global knives would have to wait for now. Anyway, all the chefs in school have been harping that its not the knives that matter, but the skills. It wouldn't matter if you have the most expensive knife in the world if you did not know how to use it. So while waiting for the opportunity to do serious damage with samurai-sword like quality and price knives, I'll have to work on my knife-skills to prove my worthiness.

Today's session seemed more like a science class than a cooking lesson. Our topic was on the properties of water, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Chef Gerd demonstrated a number of these properties at work in the kitchen. We learned a lot of basic stuff like combining hot and cold water to flour and starch, and how these two thickening agents behave differently. I also found out that our apples have a layer of beeswax in order to keep it shiny (Try scraping the skin of an apple, its freaky!). We tried burning cream, roasting flour, combining water and oil, whipping up egg whites and then pouring a fat over it, soaking legumes, among other things. It was a pretty interesting topic, only I was pretty restless in class today, and I didn't absorb as much information as I usually do. Must've been the cold I contracted from someone.

My Chef's Jacket Has Magical Powers

Since I started wearing my chef's jacket / school uniform, I have noticed that people have been paying more attention to me. I get double takes from random people in the street, on the train, and in the mall. I have experienced total strangers blurt out "Hi Chef!" in my presence. There are even people who obviously stare at the name tag affixed on my jacket. Restaurant workers also give me the look that either says that I should try the food at their place, or stay as far away as possible. It's a conundrum that I have yet to be able to answer. Has donning the chef's whites made me more attractive?

My Attempt at Holland-Daze Sauce

I was inspired by today's lesson about Sauces, plus the fact that Chef Manoj in his own way "ordered" us to experiment on sauces at home. I experimented on making Hollandaise Sauce. To the uninformed, Hollandaise sauce is a butter based sauce, which is part of the 7 Mother Sauces. From the 7 Mother Sauces, which includes White, Brown, Butter, Tomato, Oil, Pureed, and Specialty Sauces - one can make a thousand and one derivative sauces. However, in order to make these sauces, one must first have an expertise of the 7 Mother Sauces.

Back to my Hollandaise, I could say that it was a good first try. I actually had 2 attempts at making the sauce. The first one - I turned into scrambled eggs, possibly because of the lack of liquid (vinegar reduction) or the heat was too high. Casualty Count: 2 egg yolks

Determined to get it right the second time around, I made sure that there was enough of the reduction for the egg yolks. I also started whisking my yolks a little below the required temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. After making these adjustments, I was finally successful in churning out a respectable (in my opinion) Hollandaise. Although I still think that its far from perfect, as I found the vinegar taste a tad bit overpowering, I'm very proud of my work. Here are the pictures from my practice session:

For those who would like to know how Hollandaise Sauce is made, here are the ingredients, mise en place, and method:

Ingredients:
Egg Yolks
Clarified Butter
Shallots
White Wine Vinegar
White Wine
Water
Bay Leaf
White Pepper
Lemon Juice
Cayenne Pepper
Salt

Mise En Place:
Chop shallots
Wash Eggs and separate the yolk from the egg whites
Clarify the Butter

Method:
1. Combine Shallots, white wine, white wine vinegar, bay leaf, water, and white pepper in the pot.
2. Boil the ingredients until the liquid almost evaporates (This is called a reduction)
3. Add a little bit of water
4. Strain the reduction and allow to cool
5.Prepare a water bath - Boil a pot of water to 80 degrees Celsius and place a bowl on top of it. This is where you will whisk the egg whites
6. Place the cooled reduction on the bowl
7. Combine the egg yolks with the reduction and whisk vigorously until the mixture is foamy and creamy
8. Pour your clarified butter in a slow steady stream and continue whisking vigorously. Your aim is to create an emulsion with the mixture
9. Season the sauce with lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper

Next time I'll probably have to work on my timing, as it took my almost 2 hours to make this sauce. But nevertheless, I'm happy with the end-result.

We had Chef Manoj again today, and we were finally subjected to his famous recitation sessions. I got off easy as my question was this: What are chemical hazards? Hahaha! That was it.

My other classmates were not so lucky. Some had the tougher questions, some plainly blacked out, while there were some who simply chose not to study.

Today, we started our lesson on stocks and sauces, which is tough because now we have to memorize all of these recipes. Right now, I'm stressing over the fact that I have to memorize 7 stock recipes by tomorrow... and that's hell.

What makes food good? Is it just the taste? Is it using the freshest ingredients? Does good food always have to be healthy? These were some of the questions that were raised in class this morning as we had a discussion on what constitutes good food.

We identified 3 basic factors that have to be achieved in order to be able to say that the food one prepares is good. Its not to say that these 3 are the only things one should aim at fulfilling when preparing food. These are the minimum requirements, so to speak.

1. Taste
2. Texture and Consistency
3. Aesthetic Value

There was a point raised in class that really stuck to me today. That in the preparation of food, all ingredients that come into play in a particular dish should fill a purpose. It should either contribute to the taste, texture, or the aesthetic value of the food. No ingredient should be included just for the sake of having it or just because it might sound good for it to be there.

I can't believe that another week has passed. Those 5 days flew by so fast, I hardly had enough time to breathe. Its has been a very busy week in culinary school, but besides being busy, it was also the most fun and enjoyable 5 days. I say "so far" because I'm definitely sure that the weeks to come will be great, I can feel it.

Today we had Culinary Terminologies. We were introduced to more than 100 terminologies today, almost 200 I think (but I didn't count). To the uninitiated who has absolutely no idea what the words Mise En Place or Antipasto or Chateaubriand means, its bound to overwhelm you. Just pronouncing the words is a chore, let alone memorizing the definition of the terms. In my case, it helps to be a wide-reader, especially of literature related to food. I had encountered most of the terminologies we discussed from books I've read in the past, as well as from all the Saturdays I spent in the Culinary Fundamentals class back in January. In a way, I had an easier time today.

After school, our class had a bonding session over beer in one of the joints in Katipunan. It was a great way to cap off the busy week of lecture. I got to know a bit about some of my classmates I'll be spending 14 months with in school. We're a pretty diverse bunch in terms of age and personality.

The first official week of class is in the books. I'm excited for next week's round of topics. I'm reallygetting into the whole studying everyday thing. The last time I studied this religiously was when I was still taking pre-medicine. But unlike my pre-med days, I'm really having a blast right now. Having a keen and deep interest in the subject matter is making me double my efforts to really do well in culinary school.

We had Chef Manoj to wrap up the HAACP lecture today. The whole class was prepared for the worst, as we heard stories of how the chef would conduct a "Circle of Death", where he would make the class go in a circle and ask each student questions related to the topic at hand. Pity the student who wouldn't be able to come up with a coherent answer. But thankfully, we didn't have that today. I guess he was still trying to size up the class. Chef Manoj is actually a pretty cool guy. Out of all the lectures we've had this week, his class was the most entertaining in terms of the stories and the humor. He definitely held the class' attention lest we have an impromptu recitation. One could tell however, that the students were somewhat intimidated. Some people gave unintelligible responses to questions, while some just blacked out completely (One of my classmates didn't have a clue where he lived when asked by the Chef). But its healthy to be on your toes every so often, I guess.

Not much to write about today. It was just the continuation of our HAACP lecture.

I've been constantly reviewing my manual every single day because of the voluminous amounts of information there is to remember. Right now, my mind is filled up with characteristics of bacteria, viruses, and parasites; 7 Points of HAACP; How to prevent the spread of bacterial microorganisms; The different kitchens in a large-scale food serevice operation; Storage procedures for the chiller, freezer, and dry store room.

All these information crammed into my head. I've never memorized like this since I took my pre-med years ago! I just hope my brain doesn't crash on me anytime soon.

Our lecture on HACCP started today. Its a pretty scary topic considering that we discuss how food gets contaminated by bacteria and such. Its a chef's worst nightmare to find out that people got sick because of the food you prepared. Proper sanitation is something I will have to watch out for from now on.

On a side note, we had a surprise mock-quiz today on yesterday's topic (Kitchen Organization), and I got one of the highest scores in class! I'm very happy about it. I don't know, but I've just been on a natural high since school started. I don't mind waking up ahead of the roosters, I don't mind the hour and a half long morning commute, I don't mind wearing the uniform. Right now, I feel content.

The first day of lecture was great. We had Chef Pauleen, one of the 2 Filipino chef-instructors, as our lecturer for the day. They say that you know within minutes if something is for you. I knew within the first minute that I made the right decision to be where I was today.

We briefly discussed the history of Culinary Arts from Catherine De Medici, to Careme, to Escoffier. My eyes lit up when Ferran Adria, the pioneer of molecular gastronomy was discussed. Its a dream someday to work in the kitchen / mad lab of Mr. Adria, or at least have the experience of dining in El Bulli.

We moved on to a discussion of the different kitchens, and my attention held firm. From Garde Manger kitchens to a Room Service kitchen, I never knew kitchens had different functions. Now I know better.

Finally, we went over the kitchen organizational chart, developed by Escoffier inspired from the military org. chart. To be an Executive Chef seems too far a prospect for me right now, considering that I'm not even in the lowest rung of the ladder yet. Everyone has to start at the bottom, right?

I'm just inspired and very eager to learn right now. I'm going to be like a sponge thats going to take everything in.

Today was a total waste of time as we just had a 10-minute fire drill then we were dismissed. I commuted for an hour and a half, waited for an hour for the class to start, waited for another hour and a half for the fire drill, only to go down and back up again. That was my whole school day today.

My lunch with Pam made up for the nearly wasted day.

I hope next week will be better, as regular class starts. I'm pretty psyched up about it.

I can't wait to become a chef.

We were made to sit through a lecture today on Fire Safety and Prevention. Its an interesting discussion...if the contents of a Portable Fire Extinguisher turns you on. Otherwise, its the same series of pretty boring lectures.

But fire safety and prevention is important, especially since I'm going to be working in the kitchen soon. But having to sit through a harrowing lecture won't make things any easier or interesting at the least.

Anyway, I got to know a bit about some of my classmates, and I did have new acquaintances for the pastry class (I'm holding on to the notion that having friends in pastry will be good for me in the future when we do start eating). I have a classmate who lives a block away from my house. Talk about coincidence! I have another classmate who is a jazz player in a band. Now how cool is that?! I guess meeting new people and making friends was the high point of my day.

I'm excited about tomorrow in a geeky, unusual kind of way. Its the fire drills. I'm really back in school...

Today was the Red Cross Orientation and First Aid Training.

At first it was a bit painful to sit through the class because of the proctor who tried to make his lecture come off as funny and amusing.

First, his lecture was filling to the brim with sexual innuendos. Second, he was seemingly tried to hit on a female classmate and made fun of another who was on the heavy side. Third, his English was not exactly one that you would call understandable.

Some of my classmates were lapping it up though. Maybe I'm just getting too old.

But to his credit, I think the instructor loved what he was doing being a Red Cross volunteer. I go far as saying that I'm probably going to take one of the first aid classes sometime in the future.

That was my school day. I wonder what tomorrow holds when we have the fire prevention seminar.

Today was the first day of school.

Class was due to start at 3 PM...I was there by 1... Call me excited.

I saw a lot of young faces, most fresh out of high school. Great, I could be one of the oldest students in the batch.

Then I saw a fifty-something in the crowd. I can relax now.

The duration of the class was a whole 1 and a half hours discussing the student's manual. Mostly boring self-explanatory shit.

I wonder if it was just me, but the lecturer was just a step above being condescending.

Got my hardbound textbook that can also pass for a lethal weapon. Hardbound and heavy

Got my mug taken for the ID - the last order for the day.

Just a thought - my commute took longer than the actual class.

Tomorrow: Red Cross Training. I wonder if they'll ask us for blood donations. I hate needles.

Everything comes to a head tomorrow - the first day of the rest of my life.

Finally...the path in the forked road has been chosen.

Lets find our happiness, shall we?

I saw the film Stand By Me the other day, a coming of age tale of friendship and self-discovery adapted from a Stephen King novella. After watching the movie, I felt an emptiness that resonated from within that has kept me in a funk that I haven't been able to fully shake off as I write this piece. In the movie, 4 young friends go on an adventure the result of which can be one of two things - its either the bonds of friendship will be broken or it will be strengthened and preserved for as long as they live. Its a very touching tale, one that will make an individual examine his own life to reminisce of the precocious and carefree stage in life called youth. As I look back on my own youth, I realize that such memories do not exist for me. And it is because of this fact that I am somewhat saddened. But wait, the aforementioned statement may seem to harsh that it might lead readers to form the conclusion that I had a deprived childhood or I might have even been abused. No, none of these things happened. What I am drifting at to be able to say that I missed out on some significant events of my youth is this...

I have never had a childhood friend - that buddy you've known since you were wee tots growing up, that person you shared your toys with, whom you played with and fought with, that kid you shared your early childhood insecurities and anxieties with. I don't know, maybe my idea of having a childhood best friend may be as idealistic as how I view life. But its a thought that has always been nagging me at the back of my head for intermittent periods in my life. Why was I not able to cultivate a friendship from my youth? As I ponder on this thought, I realize that most of the friends I have now, those whom I consider to be good friends, were from relationships that started not so long ago - from when I was already into my adolescence? What does that tell you about me? I don't know, honestly. Was I not a congenial individual when I was young? Did I isolate myself from having social contact with people? Was I such a loser when I was a child? Unfortunately, these questions are very tough to answer now for the simple reason that I don't know how I handled myself back then.

I don't know, maybe this "problem" is not supposed to be a big deal. I bet that to most people, its not. But to me however, it is, because I think I would have turned out differently from what I am today. Would I have been more confident, more sure of myself, more outgoing? I guess that's water under the bridge now. I'm not saying that its a regret in my life that I would wish to turn back, but more of a realization that maybe I missed out on something that would probably have made an indelible mark, a significant impact.

There, I'm feeling much better now. I just had to get that out of my system.

This idea for a blog entry came to me while I was sitting in a Starbuck's in Katipunan early this morning, while waiting to pick up my school uniform. I realized that I haven't written anything about movies in my blog, despite being the avid movie watcher, frustrated movie critic, and die-hard DVD collector that I am. I can't believe that I haven't professed my love of movies in this blog, ever!

So here I am, making a list of my favorite movies of all time. I believe you can tell a person by the kind of movies he/she watches. Let me know what you think of me after reading this list. I must admit that my taste in movies tend to fall under mainstream films. I don't pretend to watch art films just for the sake of bragging that I'm a cultured individual, although I have seen a few high-art films (and most of them have left me scratching my head most of the time). And I don't think that people would choose to watch art-films if they were the only form of media left in the world. That's just pretentious. I still think that the primary purpose of watching movies is to be entertained. So without any further explanation, here are my top 10 favorite movies that I wouldn't mind watching over and over and over.

1. The Lord of The Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring
2. The Lord of The Rings - The Two Towers
3. The Lord of The Rings - The Return of the King
These 3 films, I have to watch back to back to back. There's no other way to watch this masterpiece. When these 3 were released separately, I always watched the first showing of the first screening day. I cried at the end of The Return of the King partly because I realized that it was all over. The Lord of the Rings will mak you believe that anything can be done in the world of movies.

4. Seven Samurai - The best Kurosawa film in my opinion. Although this was a black and white film, the characterization and story-telling make up for all the color that the movie didn't have. This is a very enjoyable piece of film-making. If you're new to Kurosawa, I suggest you see this movie first.

5. The Shawshank Redemption - Watching this makes you feel like the luckiest man alive, especially after seeing what Andy Dufresne had to go through while incarcerated in Shawshank prison. Although based on fiction, this movie gives you hope even in the darkest of situations.

6. Cinema Paradiso - I'm not a big fan of romance movies, but this film made me want to fall in love. I cried at the scene when the boy - now an old man, watches scenes of different kissing and romance sequences that his old friend compiled for him. Truly heavy stuff

7. Kill Bill Volume 1 - This was the movie that introduced me to Quentin Tarantino. I had never heard of the guy before seeing this movie, but after this movie, I became a fan. I remember being enthralled and amazed at the black and white fight scene at the restaurant, as well as the anime sequence examining the origins of the Oren Ishii character. Really cutting edge stuff (no pun intended)!

8. The Sixth Sense - Who could ever forget the twist ending in this movie? I remember watching Sixth Sense in the theater with a bunch of friends, and we were seated in the front row. I remember a friend of mine crushed his drink cup (with the contents inside) when the kid ghost with the blown off head turned around.

9. Forrest Gump - Another inspiring piece that leaves you with a feeling of happiness after every viewing. This is a feel-good movie in the truest sense of the word.

10. The Godfather - Who doesn't love the Godfather?! The film that started the gangster movie trend. I also love The Godfather Part 2, but c'mon, without the success of this one, the second movie would'nt have been even made. I thoroughly enjoyed the final scenes when Al Pacino's character executes a revenge hit on their enemies.

This quarterlifer is embarking on a new journey soon. Where I will be going, there will be heat - lots of it! No, I'm not going on a sabbatical to the Equator, and neither will I be passing through the highway to hell. During my journey, I will be exposed to the world of stocks, spices, and meat cuts. My new vocabulary will include big words such as mis-en-place, brunoise, and foie gras. My tool of the trade - a trusty 8-inch knife. My garments will be a pristine set of chef's whites and a toque. Yes, I will be entering the culinary world as due to start school in the coming month. It will both be a very exciting and anxiety-inducing period in my life. Just the thought of going back to a formal education setting after 3 years wakes me up in the middle of the night - not out of fear, but from anticipation. More than the feeling of excitement that fills me up to the brim, I am full of hope that this is finally the one thing I have been searching for. I want to fully relish this experience, to feel it swirling in my mouth as I taste everything there is to taste - the sweet, the sour, the salty, the bitter, and the umami. I'm not expecting this to be a walk in the park, and I have been psyching myself up for the past months since I made the decision to finally take the plunge and leave my comfort zone. This will be my journey for the next 14 month, and what better time to travel than on the eve of my quarterlife.

A BUM'S GUIDE TO PURPOSEFUL BUMMING

Bumming around is one of the few activities individuals of my generation have prided themselves as being masters of. Being a bum is both an art and a skill, and the mere ability to be able to last an entire day without doing anything of particular importance or consequence is a something that requires a certain degree of expertise and willpower. I have been lucky enough to have experienced living a bum's life for almost a month now. Its not as bad as it seems to be, and I believe that every person should experience at least a month's worth of downtime. It can do wonders for the mind and the soul, as it did for me. However, I am not advocating the "sit-on-my-ass-all-day", "waiting-for-the-world-to-pass-me-by" type of being a bum. What I wish for all bums out there, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this department, is to be able to become a "bum with a purpose". How do you exactly become a purposeful bum? Allow me to share with you a number of tips that helped me get through this particular period in my life.

1. Have a "bumming" plan: This is basically setting a game plan as to how one would handle becoming a bum. What are your goals in becoming a bum? Do you have a timetable set before your parents start making remarks for you to find work? The key here is setting goals that you have to work on: I will become a triathlete in a month, I will be 17 pounds overweight in 3 weeks, I will be ready to slit my wrists in 5 months, I will find a job in 2 months. Remember, goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound)

2. Develop the discipline to follow-through: Now that you have set goals for yourself, follow-through with the discipline to make things happen. Don't be tempted into sleeping in when the end in mind is to lead an active lifestyle. Immerse yourself in activities that will lead you to your goal. If you want to become a movie-critic is a short span of time, pop in that Spielberg, Kurosawa, Scorsese, Bay, or Lamangan into that DVD player, pronto!

3. Go on special missions: One of the major activities that helped me through my bum phase is to go on a special mission each week. I took on these projects like an eager Navy SEAL sent to Afghanistan to eliminate the insurgents. Activities can be mundane as back-reading all the love letters you've received as a child or sorting your clothes by color and fabric type.

4. Take up a hobby: Having a hobby is a sure way of killing time because of the enjoyment factor involved. My new-found hobby came in the form of growing my own marijuana garden (I'm kidding, I grew herbs) in the front lawn. My afternoons are spent conversing with plots of basil and parsley, tending to their fragile leaves. The options are endless! Do whatever it is that makes you happy or gives you some sort of pleasure. But no, choking the chicken or slaying the one-eyed monster are not hobbies.

5. Exercise, exercise, exercise: I advocate getting exercise the same way Donald Trump advocates "location, location, location!" Exercising is one of the activities I'm obsessing about now, and I've never been healthier. You don't have to pump iron or churn out 1,000 crunches everyday for it to qualify as exercise. Remember to have some form of physical exertion at least once everyday.

6. Learn a skill: Give life to the brain cells you're bent on killing by lying in bed. Learn a skill or two. One of the high points of my extended vacation was when I learned to jump rope! Not only have I seen an improvement in my dexterity, but I'm now jumping like I've never jumped before.

7. Reward yourself: There is always value in celebrating victories, no matter how small they may seem to be. I treat myself once every week to a movie and an all the junk you can stuff into your gut food binge.

8. Do things you've always wanted to do: Do the things you missed out on doing when you were stuck in that high-paying, 8 to 6 job. Be a chauffeur to your parents and be the family driver, become a connoisseur of canned and microwaveable meals, mold yourself into becoming a household general in charge of sanitation and cookery.

9. Have a creative outlet: Being a bum does not mean that all creativity should go out the window. Channel the pent-up creative energy. Get the karaoke machine running! Entertain yourself with a stand-up comedy act! Draw in the shades and paint your walls black! Blog!

There you have it, a bum's guide to a worthwhile, purposeful bumming. You don't have to feel sorry for yourself everyday. Maybe a day or two of sulking is good enough.

I recently acquired a new hobby that's been keeping busy these days. I've taken up gardening, or more specifically...herbal gardening. I'm slowly taking over my mom's garden to make way for my herbs. Where once there were bromeliads and ferns, now there are heads of dill and plots of basil. My lemon mints and pepper mints have started to look like twisted masses of growth. I'm also growing sage, oregano, parsley, rosemary, lavender, stevia, and, and rauram. I'm obsessing over these plants of mine to the point that I water them at exactly 6:30 AM, on the dot. A good chunk of my afternoons are spent tending to them, pruning the dying leaves and the wild plants that grow around my herbs. I've gone to the point of getting ground coffee beans over at Starbuck's (which they give away for free, by the way) to pour over the soil. My small piece of the garden literally smells of mint, basil, and freshly brewed coffee. Thankfully, none of my plants have yet to croak on me, which means that i'm probably doing something right.

I pretty much have it down to a science as to how my typical day looks like.

Wake up at 5:30
Have breakfast at 6:00
Go walking at 6:30 up until 7:30
Finish my morning exercises until 8:30
Take a shower
Do household chores that could be anywhere from cleaning, giving the dog a bath, or cooking
Take a shower
Have lunch at around 11:00
Read a book or watch my movies until I fall asleep
Wake up at 3:00...or 4:00
Afternoon exercises until 5:00
Take a shower
Daily dose of the Internet until dinnertime
Dinner at around 7:00
Evening brisk walk with friends at 9:00
Take a shower
In bed by 10:30

There you have it. My life for the next 45 days. It consists mainly of exercises and showers. Sounds exciting, huh? But looking on the bright side - at least i'm going to end up the fittest and most hygienic, jobless 24-year old around. That has to count for something.

Today is officially the first day that I no longer belong to the nation's workforce. Yes, I quit my job and served my last 30 days in the office. How do I feel now that I'm no longer a corporate drone? Honestly, its bittersweet, but the sweet overpowers the bitter. The factor thats making me feel bitter was the money that i'm no longer going to earn. But as I think about it now, if this was my main motivation for staying at my desk job, is it really worth doing? Whatever happened to passion or doing something you really love, at the expense of making money? If the only reason I stayed at my job for 2 and half years was for the money, and nothing else - don't you find that pathetic? I did. Thats why I decided to grow the cojones and leave.

But enough of that. I mentioned that the sweet part of leaving the job overpowers the bitter. I'm excited about the future, I really am. I'm going back to school in a month and a half, and I'm looking forward to it. Until that day comes, i'm just going to be floating around. I can now focus on myself more and touch base with people I've been missing. I'm finally on that road that will hopefully lead me to a happier place, where the passion is burning.

Congratulations to David Cook for bagging the plum prize at this season's recently concluded American Idol. Although he was not my first choice to win the competition (as a matter of fact, he was not even among my roster of bets), David C. pulled through with daring and innovative versions of Billie Jean, Always Be My Baby, and The First Time Ever, I Saw Your Face (a personal favorite of mine). He made these songs his own and was able to translate it to a contemporary audience. I also admire the fact that he "stuck it to the man" by remaining true to his principles as an artist all the way through the finals by choosing not to sing something he had already done. It would have been a logical choice to rehash a song he did well from past episodes, but that was giving in to the system. He's gotta be a rebel, in his own way.

As for David Archuleta, I guess the alleged millions of pre-teen voter fanbase didn't come through for him. I expected a landslide victory for this kid, especially after getting the supposed TKO-win during the last performance night. David A. has the pipes alright, and he arguably has the vocal talent over all the contestants this season. My only problem with him is that he has no personality to speak of apart from the unnatural shyness and mousy meekness. But it could be attributed to youth. Lets give this kid a few more years and he'll surely be a force to be reckoned with.

That being said, another season of Idol is over. I would have wanted to see either Michael Johns (who drew comparisons to INXS frontman Michael Hutchence) or Carly Smithson (the Irish tatooed belter) win the contest, but alas, this show isn't based on talent alone.

A "Jet-Setter's" Dilemma

I just got back from my trip to Macau last Sunday. Except for a couple of times when we got off at the wrong bus stop, or that one bus which we thought would bring us to where we wanted to go, only to discover that it took us back to where we came from - the whole trip came and went without a hitch. Such are the perils of foreign travel, but I'm not complaining.

A week from today, I'll find myself in Hong Kong. I've barely finished unpacking my suitcase and I haven't fully recovered from my last trip, yet here I go again. What better way to cure a Macanese hangover than with a Hong Kong chill pill. I consider myself lucky that this next trip comes free of charge (courtesy of the parental units), otherwise I wouldn't know how and where to fork up the money to pay for a definite wallet-burning trip. There's one little caveat though: the term "free of charge" only extends to certain items - airfare and food money. Compulsive shopping was one of the items I was made aware to be clearly not included in the clause. Therefore, I foresee a month's salary plus bonuses burning a hole right through my backpocket in the coming week. I think i'm going to make the Hong Kong government a little bit richer next week.

Its not a good sign when you're more excited in taking a vacation than you are with working. But come to think of it, I've never met a person who would rather work than go on a vacation anyway. So i'll treat this feeling as normal.

That being said, I'm looking forward to go on vacation this April! A couple of my friends and I are going to Macau for the first time! I'm so excited, that I practically made our travel itinerary in one sitting, and the trip is still a full two months away! On the other hand, my family is planning a trip to Hong Kong a week after I come back from Macau. Now I've been to Hong Kong numerous times, but I'm not complaining.

I've compiled a list of the things I want to do, see, and experience during my trip to both these places. Allow me to share with you my excitement!

MACAU

1. Going on a SKYWALK

I want this to be first extreme thing that I do in my life! The first of many, I hope. This is how the Macau Tower website describes this unique adventure:

"Imagine you're standing on the tower, 233 metres up. Now take a stroll around the outer-rim that encircles the tower. Piece of cake, right? Oh, did we tell you that the walkway is just 1.8 metres wide and, get this, THERE'S NO HANDRAIL!"

Hows that for exciting? Of course there's the option to go bungy jumping or tandem jumping, but i'll be happy if I get to accomplish this feat. Unless I develop a sudden case of acrophobia before I go on this trip, the Skywalk activity is a must-do for me.

2. Visit to each of the places in the Historic Center of Macau

The obsessive-compulsive in me tells me that I want to visit each of the sites included in the list, amounting to 25 locations including churches, gardens, old buildings, and fortresses. The good news is that they're within walking distance of one another, which means that I have a pretty good chance of visiting all of them.

3. Take a stroll at the Venetian Hotel

I was able to see the Venetian Hotel over at Las Vegas, and I was amazed at how a hotel of that scale was created. It was truly a testament to the creativity of man. For this same reason, I want to see what they did with the Macanese version. In addition to this, I'm also including the Wynn Hotel and the Grand Lisboa in my hotel casino hitlist. But I have no plans of gambling though.

HONG KONG

1. Visit the "Happiest Place on Earth" for the first time

Yes, its going to be my first time to visit Disneyland. Since I have no plans of going to the US or Japan anytime soon, the Hong Kong version is the next best thing. I don't know what i'm going to feel when I step inside Disneyland for the first time, but I sure am excited now.

2. Shopping at H&M

My trip to HK this year would not be complete without dropping by H&M. Although I don't really plan on doing much shopping and going overboard with my expenses, I feel that a trip to H&M should be treated as an experience.

3. Royce Chocolates

The only time I get to taste Royce chocolates is whenever I go to Hong Kong or Singapore. Their Nama product line is my all-time favorite, and I always buy a couple of boxes to bring home.

4. IKEA

Another Holy Grail of shopping destinations for me. I've never been to any IKEA store, but i've heard nothing but good stories from people who have. The IKEA catalog is always in my wishlist from relatives who live in Singapore. To finally experience IKEA would make one of my dreams a reality.

These are just a few of the things that I want to experience during my upcoming vacations. The list is nearly endless: there's eating the famous egg tarts from the original Lord Stow's Bakery, going to the Macau countryside - Coloane, DVD shopping at HMV, taking the MTR using the Octopus Card, supermarket strolling at City Super, walking at Time Square...

I remember making this list when I turned 23 in 2006. Wanna know how I did with my list? See below

23 Things I Want Now That I'm 23

1. Visit another country with my own money - I accomplished this in 2007 when I went to Bangkok with my good friends Pam & Mike. It was on of the best and most memorable vacations i've ever had.

2. Take up cooking and see if I have the passion for it - I'm a month into my cooking lessons right now, and i'm enjoying it very much! I have a feeling that i've finally found something that I want to do with my life!

3. Become fit and take boxing classes - I haven't taken up boxing, but the good news is that i'm more concerned with my health nowadays. I've resorted to going on brisk walks nightly and i've also been mindful of my eating. No more double rice binges for me anymore!

4. Learn to play the guitar on my own (I already bought the book) - I did buy the book, and I tried following it a few times with my guitar. Sadly, I didn't find the motivation to follow through with it. I guess I need an instructor to really push me into learning.

5. Establish a business, no matter how small it is - Me and a friend of mine tried to do this last year. We made it as far as developing the product and the concept. For some reason, we couldn't get it started. This is one of my frustrations, because I think that we have a very good plan in mind. What do you say about making it happen in 2008?

6. Travel alone for the first time - Although I have taken a plane ride alone during business trips in the office, I have yet to travel and explore a particular destination on my own.

7. Begin playing the "game" in the workplace - I've been "boss-less" for pretty much most of 2007 until now, so I could say that I've had numerous opportunities to play the office "game".

8. Become promiscuous and play around - Why did I even include this in the list? But just to give an update, the answer is a resounding "NO, I DIDN'T EVEN TRY."

9. Increase the investments in my UITF account - I was able to increase my investments in my ALFM Fund, and I opened a Dollar Bond Fund and an Equity Fund as well. I also opened my first US Dollar account. I guess I did OK in the "saving up for a rainy day" department.

10. Get into investing in stocks - Do investments in an Equity Fund count?

11. Become a foodie / gourmand - I've eaten around, that i'm sure of.

12. Overcome my fear of dating - Its sad to admit, but I don't think that dating and me go together. Strike this off my list.

13. Test the waters - Which waters were I referring to when I wrote this up?

14. Become famous... ok, semi-famous will do - Alas, my coveted fame still eludes me at the moment. Maybe i'll post something of me on YouTube one of these days, and no, it won't be a sex video.

15. Do something extreme, like jumping off a building - I can't believe that I haven't done anything extreme yet! But i'm looking forward to going to Macau in April because i've made up my mind to go on the Skywalk they have over at the Macau Tower. Though its not as extreme as bungee jumping or skydiving, I figured that you have to start somewhere. Baby steps, baby steps!

16. Sing in a band or a choir - I joined a choir in November 2006, and I'm still there. My next goal is to be able to form my own band

17. Begin showing people the full extent of my potential - I honestly think that i'm still holding back when it comes to this. I don't know, maybe the right venue to show what I can really do hasn't presented itself yet. But with my recent foray into the culinary arts, I have a feeling that I'll get there.

18. Work on my socializing skills, and become a social butterfly - I could say that I've gained more friends since the time I wrote this entry, and I've also maintained friendships quite well. More importantly, I reconnected with my old friends from high school. I couldn't be happier with the state of my relationships right now!

19. Look into the possibility of living on my own - I'm still living with my parents, but I have no qualms about it. This will come in time, and I realized that I shouldn't hurry myself to do this. Although the "Slaughterhouse" is always available.

20. Give the oldest profession a try :) - I haven't even gone out on a date, and yet have the nerve to try out prostitution! I have not done this, but if anyone out there happens to stumble on this blog entry, give me your best offer!

21. Explore other opportunities for work - I've made a pact with myself to stick it out here in the office for as long as I can. To date, I have been working in the same place for 2 years and 1/2 months now. I've learned a lot, and I'm grateful for everything my work has allowed me to achieve.

22. Try an illegal substance - I've made my intentions known to some of my friends who are connected in "illegal" circles, though they have yet to offer me anything. I guess they see me as too much of a good guy to try anything illegal. I'm still keeping my hopes up for this in 2008!


23. Live long enough to make another list - I'm 24 and still very much alive! I have a lot of plans for the future and I'm very excited at the prospects I have!

I'm confused as how to score myself in terms of how many i've accomplished in the list. If i'm going to be strict about it, and give a point to the items that I really did based on what I wrote down, I would say that I accomplished 7 out of the possible 23 things to do. That would put my success rate at about 30%. However, if you combine the things that I did with the things that I tried doing, but ended up falling short for whatever reason, I score around the area of 14. That takes me to about 50% combined success and trial rate. Do you think I garnered a good enough score?

I don't know if the people here in the office have started to notice, but i've started to become more carefree with things related to work nowadays. Maybe its this nagging feeling that I have that whatever i'm doing now won't matter to me in a few months time. Its given me this devil may care attitude that quite honestly suits me well. Don't get me wrong, its not that i've become a non-performing asset here in the workplace because i'm not - I still get things done. I'm still the earliest to arrive in my department for most of the working week, I still submit my reports way ahead of the deadline, and I'm still working on a number of launches. More importantly, my boss still trusts me to get things done. On my part, however, I just feel like i'm going through the motions. I'm honestly just counting down the days until I turn in my resignation letter and move on to bigger things. And I think the boredom is starting to manifest itself physically. I've been taking longer lunch breaks, going home earlier, and using up my leaves for no reason at all. The mere fact that i'm blogging on company time is proof enough of how bored I am here. Its personnel evaluation season right now, and frankly, I don't even care if I get a high or low score for my rating. That's how indifferent I am nowadays. Am I such a bad employee? If you were my boss, would you fire me? To tell you the truth, I have played different scenarios in my head picturing myself being fired and being instructed to clear my desk. And for some strange reason, I feel good right after. I don't know...I'm weird that way.

Its been said many times, "with a new year comes new life". Don't we all deserve a chance to live anew each year? If people are entitled to it, then blogs shouldn't be an exception. That being said, i've decided to breathe new life into my blog, inspired by the fact that my friend Pam picked her own blog from the ashes and started blogging again after many months of hibernation.

I'd still want this blog to be a chronicle of my journey to find true happiness and contentment. I'm very grateful for the past year, for it has opened my eyes to something that I potentially have the passion for. This year, the groundwork is slowly being laid as I have started to embark on my supposed journey.

A Quarterlifer's Journey will still feature happenings from my life, no matter how miniscule they might be. I believe that no matter how trivial a particular event may seem, it all adds up to the mileage of where and how far the journey will take me.

My personal theme for this year is to venture out to uncharted territory. As the popular cliche goes, "nothing ventured, nothing gained". I've realized that life is too short just by being a casual observer. I've told myself countless times that its high time for me to move out of my shell and cross over my comfort zones, but i've been too complacent to do so. Now, I am ready to participate in the game of life.

With the rejuvenation of A Quarterlifer's Journey, I hope for a rejuvenation in my life. No more living in a gilded cage - where things are easy and predictable. It won't be easy for me but in the end I know that i'll find what i'm looking for. Join me in my journey. I predict that there will be many bumps and pitfalls along the way. I don't mind though, for the best journeys are the ones with unpaved roads and winding paths anyway.