Soul Feeds: Hope and Perseverance

While I was reading last night some verses struck me which I believe I need at these moments.. Everything is happening so quickly and a surge of emotions both good and bad have sunk me into a wave. It's that push and pull thing when you feel you've done something right yet have done something wrong at the same time. It's like knowing you've accomplished so much yet it doesn't matter and then suddenly you feel you've done so little.

For some reason two nights ago, there was this coffee table book I spotted on my mom's desk - Bible Inspirations for Women. It seems to have been there for quite some time but I didn't notice it but at that instance only. I scanned the pages and almost every page rebuked me. Okay. So there I was swallowing my pride at every word I read, recalling my shortcomings, apologizing earnestly, and vowing to myself to try and start being the best person I am, you are -we are potentially created to be.

Then here comes a load of work from all directions. The pressure of this big event on August. Promising everything, spanning all aspects of my life, and assuring nothing. This is nothing I could control and nothing I could do about. But after all that I've done the past few weeks do I deserve it? I'm reaping all the consequences for what I did and would this be another of those?

Finding answers to my questions, I found time for my ideally-daily devotion.. Let me share you the verses I found comfort in... 

Lamentations 3:25-27 

 ²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
   to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke (God's will)
   while he is young.

Let me hope in the Lord, I seek for Him. Let me do God's will and bear His will. Let it be all natural to me and may I do it tirelessly.

Lamentations 3:31-33 

 ³¹ For no one is cast off
   by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
   so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
   or grief to anyone.

Though I may fall from Your grace time and again, You have been merciful and loving to me. Not giving me what I deserve but giving me room to learn. Let me not inflict pain and malice upon others but make me an instrument to spur one another toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:124)

James 1:2-4 

 ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

Let these trials, anxiety and grief strengthen my soul and give me joy so that I may persevere in loving you and improving my imperfections.  My hope is only in you.  Let these things that befall me test my character so that I may reach the fullness of my being in you.

And believe me, God continues to reach out to me and even to you. In places you never thought of  or in moments you never dreamed about. We all just need to feed our soul continuously so that we may be mindful of ourselves and sensitive to God's will in our lives. <3

Thaipan: Fine Thai Cuisine - TRIPLE A: authentic, ambient and simply appetizing!

On the hunt for an authentic Thai experience? You just HAVE TO try THAIPAN.

 

 Located in Scout Dr. Lascano in Tomas Morato, this fine thai cuisine houses the best tasting curry, a filling and incredible appetizer with a lovely ambience. Discovering this place was yet again - dare I say it - an accident. Jason and I wanted to try something new - not our usual rice meal or pasta and pizza dinner - so we scouted for a new place to satisfy our adventurous taste buds.

 Coming from ABS-CBN, we drove along Tomas Morato and made a left in Scout Dr. Lascano. What a great discovery that was because what used to be just another awesome restaurant, Bagoong Club, in that area, now has an equally awesome dining establishment right beside it. Might I add with ample parking space, although not right in front of the restaurant as not to block it's warm-lit and inviting exterior.

From the outside we could already see what awaits us inside since only glass walls separate the area. But wait, there's more! Glass mirrors I mean. Wall-to-wall mirrors and hand-painted decors lined our way towards our seat. While we thought this was just a small place, we learned that there were many divisions inside - smoking area, non-smoking , a spacious dining place, a more intimate one, and even a door that leads to a private room where you can celebrate special occasions, host meetings and other intimate events.

Soon after we thoroughly appreciated the warm atmosphere, we realized we were really famished. But not to worry, the servers were very attentive to attend to our needs and offer us their specialties. For appetizer, we had their bestseller, Khong Waang Thai, which was a delectable selection of Thai delicacies.

Khong Waang Thai (Php340) - Thaipan Appetizer Selection

Have the best of everything with deep fried spring rolls (Paw Pia Thawt), chicken satay (Gai Sateh), grilled aromatic pork wrapped in betel leaves (Moo Ping Bai Cha Plu) and crisp shrimp pastry (Tung Tong). Served with 3 kinds of sauces - peanut sauce, vinegar and a sweet & sour tasting plum sauce. It was authentic Thai no less and appetizing to the last bite!

For our main course we ordered another of their MUST-TRY, Kaeng Khiaw Wann, which is their Thai green chicken curry. We were on a low-rice-low-carb diet then but this dish just had to be better appreciated with rice.  And so we ordered one, Steamed Jasmine Rice (Php45), to go with it and we didn't regret it not one bit! The green chicken curry was very tasty with hints of Thai herbs and spices that just tickled our tastebuds. It was incredible! And the curry sauce was addicting! Even though we were already full by then, I just had to sneak a couple more spoonfuls of the sauce.

Kaeng Khiaw Waan (Php320) - Green Chicken Curry

You just can't have enough of this sauce and the next time we go back we'll surely try their next best thing!

 

Bangkok, I know you are just a few miles away and having a taste of you, I can't wait for the real thing.

 

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Thaipan Restaurant

Fine Thai Cuisine

120 Scout Dr. Lascano, Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Tel No.: 352-4926

Mobile No.: 0917-8080718

Email: thaipanresto@yahoo.com

Tidbit of the Day: He himself will be with me... Deuteronomy 31:23

This morning as I walked towards my station, I saw my co-worker Brian hunched on his seat and fussing about. Curious as I was, I asked him what he was busy with. Then he showed me a little square box that contained paper pieces of inspiring Bible verses. I'm really not a fan of bible cutting and choosing verses randomly but for whatever reason, he offered me to pick one and I did. On the little brown and square paper I picked it said...

 

"Be brave and steadfast... I myself will be with you" - Deuteronomy 31:23

I asked him what it could possibly mean. He jokingly said that I'd probably know by lunch time.  OK then. But 12 Noon passed and nothing really came up. I looked up the full verse on the net and here is what it said.

 

"Then the LORD commissioned Joshua, son of Nun, and said to him, "Be brave and steadfast, for it is you who must bring the Israelites into the land which I promised them on oath. I myself will be with you." - Deuteronomy 31:23

This led me then to read the whole chapter that consisted of this Bible verse. To summarize chapter 31, Moses was already about to die and the Lord was giving out final orders. Due to a sin that Moses committed, he wouldn't be able to see the promised land. So the Lord commissioned Joshua, son of Nun to lead the Israelites into this place. Strength and courage was required for Joshua to be able to carry out this huge task and responsibility. But the Lord is true to His word. In this verse He assured Joshua that He himself will be with His loyal servant as they walk into the promised land.  

 

I suddenly remembered what I read last night in Hebrews 6:16-20 which reaffirms the certainty of God's promise. God's word is alive and active today and everything He says is true.

 

What I got from all these then is that when God tells us to do something that may seem too big for us to comprehend, or too big for us to accomplish on our own - something beyond our capabilities, we should remain strong and steadfast because God himself will be with us. There is no need to fear or worry that we may be too little, or too weak, or too unequipped because we desire to live God's will and nothing else should matter, He is true to His promise - He guarantees His presence and His strength most especially in our biggest weaknesses...

 

Now that I've thought about it, there are a lot of times that I know I should do what I have to but I don't have the courage to push through. But keeping this verse to heart, I know that I would be able to do things unimaginable, things that I know I myself could not do in a million years even if I wanted to. The Lord is great, His might incomprehensible, He is my fortress and He is true. God indeed finds ways how to communicate these with me - whether it be in random verses or whatnots - and for me to be able to share these with you.

 

So let us trust in and live faithfully to God's leading in our lives, let Him be your strength as He is mine. And know that He is ALWAYS with you. 

On a Vegan roll @ Greens : Who said going green is pricey?

At the start of this year, I vowed to the undisputed, tried and tested KAMOTE DIET. On very few occasions though, I still have my rice and my sweets so I won't go berserk in my lack of sugar and other nutrients. But sometimes, after a long week of the once-interesting and now dull-tasting root crop, i tend to CHEAT making me feel incredibly GUILTY. Thanks to GREENS, the occasional guilt-trips are now miles away.

Discovering the place in Scout Castor street in Quezon City was really just an accident. Straying away from the Tomas Morato strip, we entered one of those side streets and well hello there Greens, you were such a pleasant surprise. <3

The facade is garden-like with a stone path leading to its threshold. Inside, a homey atmosphere awaits - quite small and very intimate. You can enjoy a night of good conversation over good and healthy eats.

I'm simply addicted to shawarma, so anything in pita bread is my choice pick. In Greens, I had one serving of VEGGIE WRAP take note, for only Php80!!  It was tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant, a bit of cheese and other greens in a delightful roll! I had the garlic sauce container all to myself so it is but natural to me to have the roll oozing with the creamy shawarma blend. I was on a vegan high! Plus it was really filling too. I'm gonna pass on dessert. Thank You.

Veggie Wrap (Php 80)

Not to mention my fondness for pasta and lasagna, I also had a bite of their Parmigiana (Php140). Instead of using the regular lasagna pasta, they used eggplant as substitute with the usual melted cheese on top. Served with 3 pieces of bread sticks and mixed veggies on the side. Cheesy, most definitely! But remember those greens on the side when you've had too much of the cheese bite. Oh guess what? It didn't taste like eggplant at all! It's your baked lasagna heaven minus the carbo loaded pasta. Great isn't?

Eggplant Parmigiana (Php140)

Not only is it a cozy place but their food is affordable too. So whoever said going green is pricey better take a bite of those vegan yummies!

Craving of the day: Cafe du Monde's Beignet in New Orleans

Anything sweet I saw today, I took bites of it. Rieze's mochi balls and egg-like chocolates all from Taiwan. There are just those days you'd really want to stuff yourself with sugar and cream and everything in between.

As I browsed my old website, I remember having New Orleans' famous beignet (bĕn-yā') some years back at around 4AM, after an insanely long yet FUN road trip from Florida to Texas! Beignets are fried and raised yeast dough commonly called "fritters".

This treat is like the Philippines' local doughnut you would normally see in any bakery except that it's coated and sprinkled with my favorite - powdered sugar! The thick sugar coating fell off every time I took a bite, but no worries! I just rolled the rich dough back into the plate to sugar coat it back again. Pair this with freshly brewed coffee and voila!! - the perfect cure to lull moments, sour days and sweet cravings. I'm definitely coming back when I visit the US again :)

Back with a vengeance! ü

Last September 2009 was the first time I ever wrote on multiply about my food trips with Jason. (See Gia's yummy adventures )

We just love eating! It's actually one thing we enjoy doing aside from debating about movies and threshing out its "deeper meaning", or just simply hanging out and talking about little nothings.

Other than that, I just like to say, I'm back! With fresher experiences and hopefully more insights on food, love, faith and life. Expect daily musings, cravings, and BS updates. I'm so excited!

It's going to be a wonderful journey! Life's definitely a feast! And here's to living it fully! :)