Last meals...

Ground beef with greens.

It's my last week in Dire Dawa and I'm finishing off my last ingredients. I've been going out too much this past week, having not prepared food and dined at home, but that was getting to be too expensive, not to mention, tiring. I'm too old to become a basket case all over again. (Well...)

So, I bought half a kilo of ground beef and some beef bones that should set me up for the week. Good luck to me.

Listen, hombre!

Condescension. The trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior. A communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient. A congenital disease common to Westerners, white folks, people from the developing world with symptoms that range from disdain to, ignorance of and prejudice against people -- blacks, browns, yellows -- from the developing world (aka their former colonies).

Ever since I got to Ethiopia and met and interacted with more "white" people (I had a crowd of international people back home, but they were mostly like-minded liberals, activists if you must, with the occasional drunk prick lost in the islands looking for exotic women), I've been subjected to hues of prejudice, some negligible (the folly of being human) but most are annoying, deprecating and infuriating. Because, no these guys are good guys, essentially. Not the usual arrogant, insolent, self-complacent racist, xenophobic bigoted troll. I've shot back a few times but mostly let it slip by.

Today, I've had enough of it.

Strange Encounter: Dream, dream, dream

As I was about to enter the DDU main gate, a guy just coming out from campus, lit up upon seeing me.

"Hi. How are you, architect?" While stretching his arm for a handshake, of course.

Who is this guy? Puzzled, I answered smiling. "Heeey. Fine. How are you?"

I did not know the guy. It's probably the first time I'm seeing him. Yes, I tell myself. I don't know this guy. But that's fine, everyone says hi to everyone here. Most of the time.

But then...

Clean, crisp bills, again.

ATM Card. They call it Visa card here. It's Visa, indeed. 

After 5 months, I finally got my replacement ATM card. Clean, crisp bills. From cash machines. This means.

Yes.

#littlejoys

This sunburn ain't coming off!

A little souvenir from my trip in the Ethiopian Somali region last week.

It's that time of the month. (It's always that time of the month.)

Pasta with nothing. Okay, there's garlic. And in other parts that's cool, pasta al ajillo, anyone?

I'm imagining Gambas Al Ajillo Pasta, particularly Dong Juan's, but all I got is this. Pasta al ajillo. Not even cooked with olive oil. No herbs. And of course, forget about the shrimps (or prawns), there's none in Dire Dawa.

But the thing really is, even if there were any, I prolly will not be able to afford it.

#volunteerslife

*mic drop*

Happy International Women's Day

Source

We do this every year. But we struggle daily, 24/7. And we fight. And march on. All the time.

Need more meds

Doxycycline + Ibuprofen + Ascorbic Acid

I've never been exposed to synthetic drugs, growing up. The family was all about organic, herbs and roots, steaming and stuff. Having a legit shaman aka traditional healer in the family, my grandfather Talio, helped a lot, too.

I (stove-top) baked a cake.

Chocolate cake!

And ate it, too. (Bad pun, geez.)

It's cake mix, of course. Not the best. But at least, there's some chocolate there, unlike the so-called "black forest"cake, pastry shops sell here.

Craving for chocolate cake satiated. Off to the next hungering.

My 2014 in food

My year in food (that I cooked/prepared) can be summed up in one word: eggs. Hands down.

But it was also a year, of invention & reinvention, or should I say cover+remixes. And sure I can count the burnt rice, burned meat, spoiled dishes, expired food, the many food stuff that I had to throw away, whilst mumbling, so-sorry, but there were good times, positively.

Have I adequately fed myself? Definitely, maybe.

I lost my phone - again.

Of course, it happened. Murphy never fails.

Barely a month after I bought a new smartphone, there, it's out the window again. Actually, out the bajaj. That's definitely where I lost/dropped/left it. Same as last time. Damn.

Mandala, sort of

Drink my inkshake.

Or my tribute to #CharlieHebdo. #JeSuisCharlieHebdo

My 2014 in films & reads

An eclectic mix, I'd say.

Next to brooding and sleeping, what's a volunteer to do when trapped at the solitary confines of one's home?

Goodbye, 2014!

Happy Holidays, World!

New Smartphone

Huawei smartphone

Bought a new smartphone, finally. 'Had to. Will probably loose it, again. Yes, Murphy's Law. But I need a smartphone for internet-on-the-go and stuff. 'Cost me ETB 2,800. 

My mint's thriving.

Smells like 'mint' spirit.

I can actually already smell the mint in the air around my little mint pot. Thanks for the mint, Andy. 

Sketch: Alibaba is Chinese

Today's random sketch. (Illustration for a Hyperbole article.)

Skyflakes and Pancit Canton, yeah!

Goodies from the Philippines! Daghang salamat, Doc Rommel!

What kind of fan are you?

Watching this reminded me of my World Cup watching buddies back home.

We were so like these shrieking ladies. But a more subdued version. Haha.