Fish Week!

Fried tilapia with crispy fried red onions

Following the meat frenzy to mark the end of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's fasting season -- Fasika ( aka the Ethiopian Easter) -- seems like I took a bad bunch, which interestingly was not from the Fasika feast (doro wot minamin minamin), I think, but from the fiyel (goat meat) tibs from a local restaurant... and then some... (minamin minamin).

This sunburn ain't coming off!

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

Let's eat, kamote!

Too red. Means, it's a little bit overcooked. But still yummy, to me.

Deep-fried caramelized sweet potato. Easily one of my favorite Filipino snack foods.

Dancing in the Dark

A gleek even in the dark. 

I wish.

There's been almost daily power outages ever since the hot season kicked in. This is nothing new, but still something to bitch about. Second only to the sweltering Dire Dawa heat.

Ah well. 

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*

እኔ : ሴት : ነኝ :: I. Am. Woman. Je. Suis. Femme. Exhibit Opening (Photos)

Getting the Party Started! (I.Am.Womam 2015 Art Exhibit Ingress)

2nd year architecture students mount their sketches on frames provided by Alliance.

We'll be winging it. That's always been the idea.

The exhibit ingress, we announced to participating students, would be today, Saturday, the morning & afternoon before the exhibit is set to open at 6pm later. We agreed to an 8am assembly time.

So, this is actually happening.

After months of contemplation (yes, I've been trying to do a Baji -- like this, and this, and this, and this -- here...), weeks of consultations (read: side talks during lulls over beer) and discussions with anyone who might be interested, and then finally, getting some people interested, to the point where they're actually now the ones pursuing me about it (read: success! but to me, really: aneurysm) -- it's finally happening: a DDU-organized women's month arts exhibit here in Dire Dawa.

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.

Overlooking Dire Dawa

Overlooking Dire Dawa.

Finally, I scaled one of the hills surrounding Dire Dawa.

And not bad after a Saturday night out, yeah.

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