Hala I haven't noticed that I've been blogging and that I've been in foreign soil for over a year now. Wow. Tempus fugit. Where did all the days go, I wonder? Anyway just wanted to jot this down -- my list of things that made my stay here worthwhile (consider this too a list of things I should keep in mind whenever I start to think "Why am I here again?!?").

I love fruit juices. I couldn't get enough of them when I was in Pinas. One bottle would cost around P180-200. For a student like me, it was too much especially when I lived in a dorm during my last two years in college. You know why I like fruit juices? Kasi tinatamad akong magbalat ng prutas. Anyway here in the US, there are about 4-5 shelves of fruit juices in supermarkets and stores -- different kinds, different brands, different sizes, different prices. You can choose from orange juice original, orange juice fortified with calcium, orange juice with orange bits, apple cider, apple juice (there's a difference between the two, I just don't know what), grape, white cranberry, original cranberry, prune, and even pomegranate juice. Sometimes a 1-liter bottle is cheaper than a 12 oz. bottle of water.

Ah milk. I like milk. I never developed the hobbit, este habit of drinking coffee in the morning. It's milk for me. With our family history of osteoporosis, every calcium-giving food counts. And of course, fresh milk beats the powdered milk in Pinas. (Tamad kasi akong magtimpla, that's why.)

Well whatever you say, I just love eating those sweets. Of course, it's healthy eating for me from now on. It's just that once in a while (well twice for me) I get these urges to just grab whatever sweet nuthins that are lying around in the house. Willpower just doesn't stand a chance.

And of course, my favorite fruit these past days -- apples. I really can't get enough of them. I make it a point to eat at least 1 or 2 apples per day. Instead of eating sweets, eto na lang. This is like the "banana" of US -- sobrang common eh. So cheap too.

And yes, don't forget my treasures too. I basically categorized them into two: non-Tolkien and Tolkien merchandise. Geeky huh? This is probably one thing that I love best in the US. Tolkien collectibles are everywhere and I can easily access them (provided of course that I have the necessary funds to acquire them). I love ogling those darn collectibles, wanting them so much even though I know most of them are just junk, banking on the movies' popularity. Feeling ko basta may LOTR logo inscribed on the product, bibilhin ko eh, given the chance.

Hmm that's it for now. Will just update this list if anything else comes to mind.