Risk It!

My friend Jenjen told me the other day, ‘take the risk girl!’ I thought to myself, should I? I feel like a rubber band being pulled into two sides. One tells me to go take the plunge, but the thought of falling into a deep ravine keeps coming into view that it makes me want to take the back seat instead.

I’m such a segurista. I always want to know the outcome before doing anything drastic. Being spontaneous with regards to decision making is definitely not my game. I still prefer sticking to the conventional way of picking through each detail, analyzing the pros and cons, thinking of other alternatives if there are any before taking the big jump. Yes the mind still rules over the heart here. It’s not easy though because one, you’re looking at a never-ending street with hundreds of possibilities running through your head every millisecond. Second, the mind sometimes eventually gives way to what the heart is saying, which makes it all the more complicated and confusing. Third, it’s always nearly impossible to guess the outcome of a decision with total precision. The tide can always change; sometimes as fast as kernels popping in the microwave. (Sorry, can’t think of a better analogy. Hehe) That’s why if you think about it, one can never be too much of a segurista as one would like to be. Whatever decision you make regardless whether how much thought you’ve given to it, it still somehow involves a certain level of risk. No matter how well-planned and how well-thought of a decision may be you can’t discount the possibility of the unknown and what-ifs lurking behind every decision you make. There are just two choices here, it’s deciding whether to remain in the status quo or to go out of your comfort zone and take a gamble with the possibility of losing everything.

And this is precisely why I seldom take risks. I understand this can never be a trial and error thing. There’s no turning back once a decision has been made. No one wants to be a failure and look like a fool, right? My status quo is already fine and dandy as it is, why still risk it? Why invest on emotions when you can get hurt in the end?

But what if (yes, the inevitable ‘what if’ again…), taking the risk is actually my passport to something even greater? Opportunities can be risks in disguise. So how now brown cow? Maybe it’s all about coming into terms with failing and looking like a fool. To a certain degree, I don’t think failure and looking like a fool can be so much of a bad thing anyway. If anything else, it actually helps us emerge as better persons, don’t you think? So maybe I should stop worrying about trying to be in control all the time and just embrace whatever fate may throw at me, even if it means having to look like a fool.

My Discovery Channels

I’m sponsoring the following “personal discoveries and favorites” of mine for free…Hehe

Angel’s Kitchen…It’s this small gourmet place in Greenhills along the row of Kamameshi and UCC. You wouldn’t really notice it since it’s not as commercialized as the other establishments in the area. It has a very nice ambiance, good for intimate family gatherings or long dinner conversations with friends. Their food is yummy; home cooked to its finest. It is slowly gaining a strong group of followers, I, myself included.

Max Brenner’s Sucao…This reminds me very much of those aromatherapy heating containers/jars or whatever one calls those things. But this one has a deeper uhmm..fill? (sorry, can’t find the term for this) wherein you pour the milk in and melt bits of chocolate of your choice into it. Then there’s this 3-in-1 spoon slash stirrer slash straw that you use to drink all of it away! Yum! There’s white, milk, and bitter chocolate to choose from. I personally like the milk.

UCC’s Croque Madamme…available only in Paseo Center. It’s not found in the menu so you’ll have to request it personally. It’s nothing special really. It’s just bread topped with ham, cheese, and egg covered with a secret Japanese white sauce. It’s actually very much like their Breakfast Sunrise. I just don’t know why I like this one better. Tastes good with ketchup on it. Hehe Tastes even better if you’ve got UCC Blend coffee to accompany it.

Hyatt Manila…This one is a newly-opened hotel in Roxas Boulevard. It has nice modern interiors; looks also good at night with a myriad of colors lighting up the exteriors of the hotel. Too bad it’s so far away from civilization (well, Manila is far if you live in Mandaluyong.) that you can’t frequent it much. Their Market Café has a sumptuous international buffet. I like the Lotus Chinese restaurant the most though; not only because of the food but because of its private function rooms, which has this grand magnificent effect yet cozy feel to it. Try the Library room!

Royce chocolates...their truffles are to die for. Their small bars of chocolates in cacao and bitter are also equally yummy. It really melts in your mouth, no kidding! I can finish the whole box in one seating. Another plus is the convenient packaging that comes with the chocolates. The chocolates are put into this silver foil bag with dry ice in it so that it wouldn’t melt as fast. I think we don’t have it here yet. But if you happen to stop by Hong Kong though, visit any of the City Super stores so you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Export overruns…they have it in Greenhills tiangge. Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Tommy, Express, Old Navy…you name it. Some still even got a price tag in US$ attached to it. Imagine an A&F shirt costing $24.95, sold at just a mere P490. It’s definitely a good bargain. Moral lesson of the story: Don’t buy anything that’s made in the Philippines and/or Northern Marianas when you’re shopping in the US because chances are, you’ll find it here at a cheaper price. But of course, be wary also of knock offs because there are a lot as well.

Italiannis’ Cappuccino Pie…this dessert is good for sharing. Definitely worth the calories though. It’s a perfect way to cap off your dinner or lunch. It’s sort of an ice cream pie that has mocha and coffee flavors with a big crust underneath. Yum as well!

Somera…it’s somewhere in Glorietta 2. It sells all kinds of perfumes at a lower price. Yes they’ve got Gap Dream even! And if you pay in cash, you get an additional 10% off. Not bad right? Found out all about this through my officemates. Don’t worry, it’s the real deal...you will not smell phony (literally! Haha)

Barbi Chan…she’s a gooood makeup artist who’s great at airbrush makeup. She can make you look flawless in minutes. I haven’t tried her yet, but both my sister and mom did. Barbi makes makeup look natural on you as if you haven’t had any on. She even has her own face hair remover…yep as in one that literally removes all unwanted hair off your face. My sister was amazed by how much facial hair she’s got, and now she vows to get one for herself too.

www.yagoohoogle.com...this is for the lazy ones. Hehe It’s a search site that produces Yahoo and Google search results side by side, all in one window. Great mind, I say for the one who came up with this brilliant idea.