Endless rain, strong winds and thunderstorms. This was how weekend started. I felt unusually tired last Friday, probably because I'm still adjusting with my evening classes. I was looking forward for a great rest and sleep. The colder weather felt relaxing, not until I woke up with heavy rains. The continuous downpour already felt frightening. Surrounding areas were already flooded. I forced myself to stay awake and thank God, the rain subsided on midnight. Hopefully, a better weather tomorrow. 

The past week went like the usual days at work. It was one of the rare weeks when I thought everything was on default mode. Somewhere in the middle of the week, something happened. Times like this always remind me of another dream job. I have always been interested in crisis management. I want to be a social media data miner, who look for hidden data patterns, formulate fact based insights and identify strategies that can rebuild a company's tainted image. 

Years ago, I thought such work was already handled by any corporate communications team. By accident, I encountered an article that related how Cebu Pacific Air handled public outrage, following the fatal crash of Flight 387 in 1998.  The article was written by no less than the President and CEO. It was the first time I discovered a Singapore based company specializing in crisis management. In 1998, social media wasn't born yet. It's a different story if everything happened today. Information dissemination is faster, the lone resort is always, damage control. Speaking of damage control, there's another sector in the country that badly needs it. Talk about the Corporate Communications team of the national government. Someone should have been fired long ago. People can always forgive her stupidity and turn everything to a comic relief. Unfortunately, absence of moral decency, problematic attitude and disposition should be placed somewhere.  <end of my rant>

Trying to make everything feel a little positive, here are snapshots from last week


Discovered a new favorite - It has been months since Boulangerie 22 opened at Gateway Mall. I never tried it because I thought it was expensive. Added to this, I rarely encounter reviews. But because I was craving for something different, I decided to give it a try. There were no regrets, I love their salted caramel chocolate cake (the rare times I enjoyed anything chocolate), Holy Cheesus mini loaf and my all time favorite, green matcha s'mores cookie. Prices are relatively the same with Bread Talk, although I found more choices here. The bakery appears French, though I sense it's owned by a Korean based company, like Tous Le Jours. 




Attempting to tweak a recipe and converting everything to a no-bake cake - I live in a household who never owned a real oven. :p My mother does not see it as a necessity. We always turn to a turbo broiler or DIY steamer whenever we need to cook anything at high temperature. 


The past weeks, the breakfast bowl has become my usual weekend photo :) 

I started typing this post on Saturday night. I felt sleepy and left everything unfinished. I woke up still rainy and gloomy outside. Much as I appreciate the colder days, the endless rain is getting me frightened. 

Wishing everyone a safe weekend, especially to those living in Manila and surrounding areas affected by monsoon rains.