Reflection

As you walk down the path, you begin to question yourself and your purpose. You visualize another of your being right in front of you, and challenge him of your uncertainties.

"What is it again am I after?"

"Where am I supposed to be?"

"Why am I seeking something at all?"

Though you don't expect anything from the other you, it still pains the soul to find no hints to the questions you wanted answered the most. Yet you realize it is a necessary ordeal in order to expunge the doubt that remains up to this moment.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Sun Wukong

After collecting your thoughts, you turn to the remaining stone animal around. And it responded, "I, who was born of stone, remains stone to this day."

"Don't mind me, you should go on," it murmured as it pointed you the direction along the walkway with his staff.

And indeed you did, you continued walking along the marble path.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Petrified Pig

"If you're gonna roast anyone, roast me!", the petrified pig rebutted.

"I'm sure I'm gonna be better off a lechon than being stuck in here," it bravely stated.

You suddenly recall a poem you playfully wrote about your love for this lechon dish. You even titled it, "All I Dream Is Lechon" and it goes:

"Lechon, how I crave for you
Every time you always do
Crunchy and tasty is your skin
Hastily, I wanna dig in
Only that it's bad to eat too much
Never, if it's a freshly cooked batch."

And clearly, you are not fazed with all that's happening so far.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Rock Dragon

"No helping, chicken!", it was a rock dragon you're seeing now.

"Do you want me to roast you with my breath?", it continued in anger.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Stone Chicken

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!", clucked the chicken.

"Wow, a stone chicken! A talking stone chicken!" was all you can say. You didn't even bother to wonder what it was trying to tell you.

"Cluck, cluck," as it continued to shake its head in disagreement.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Bats of the Marble Walkway

You jump out of the flower bed, onto the marble pavement.

The moment you landed, you hear "Ouch! Hey what's the big idea?"

This time, it's a shrieking voice coming from what appears a pair of bat inscriptions on the marble tile you're on. Apparently, you stepped on one of them.

"Really, what are the chances of me stepping on you by accident?", you thought in disbelief.

But you stood frozen on the toes of your right foot, wriggling as you try your best to balance. You didn't want to bother anyone or anything again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," you just say, as the pair swept along the lengths of the marble walkway.

Then you decided to follow their path as well.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Another Flower

"Hey don't go all over this guy here. We're hopeless. Let him find out by himself." You realized another flower talking back to the one that greeted you.

"Help, did I hear help?" yet another flower asked.

"Liberation!" another exclaimed.

"Is this it?" another questioned.

And even more of them voiced out, all at the same time that you can only hear buzzing all around.

You don't seem startled, but you realize all the flowers arguing with each other now.

You still don't understand what's happening at this point, so you decide to let them be.

"It couldn't get any weirder than this," you thought.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Flower

"It's been a long time since we had someone like you in here!"

You try to find the source of the faint and tiny voice, looking around in the garden of rainbows.

"I'm here!" you again hear it.

You crouch, attempting to narrow down all the chirps, hums and all sorts of lively fluttering sounds you hear in the sea of lively colors. Then you notice this one lone colorful flower.

It noticed that you acknowledged its greeting. So it continues, "What brings you here? How can I help you? Will you be able to help me? Help us?"

You are taken aback with the questions hurled at you, and you haven't even thought of how or who to answer to. You don't even know if you wanted to.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Yard

You reach the narrowing end of the water body. You hop out, and feel satisfied enough of all the jolly merry skating.

A few steps further you hear a greeting...

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Amusing

And then it hits you. You are obviously enjoying the way you glide over the water just like a pond skating bug.

You circle around just as a figure skater would, and you see from afar the same eccentric old man who greeted you out of The Tower.

But you didn't care, and so you tread along.


 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Bon Voyage

You depart for the Ivory Bridge.

As you walk away from The Tower, you look back one last time and see it being shrouded by magically growing trees. There isn't any sparkles, but you just know it. The Courtyard appeared from nowhere and returned to its place in greeting anyone who gets near The Tower.

Suddenly, everywhere that everything stood at turned into a glossy body of water. An enchanting sight, for an enchanted place.

You're so overwhelmed with all that's happening that you don't realize you're walking over water now.


 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Confused Even More

"Do not use a cannon to kill a mosquito!" an old man called out to you.

Someone caught you by surprise, but you caught what he said so you react, "Whoa! What the?! I never even thought of that! What has the cannon have to do with a mosquito?"

"The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they may not be made to understand it," he answered.

You clearly get confused. Hoping to make things clear, you asked, "Are you talking to me, old man?"

To which he grimly interjected, "What. Is. The. Sound. Of. One. Hand. Clapping?"

He glared at you, as if he were expecting you to answer. But you shut silent and left--you left confused even more than before.

Then the old man smirked.


 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

The Tower

As you get out of The Tower, you fail to notice that The Courtyard is gone. The pool, the bubble, and the blabbering warriors altogether. You only see The Tower, and you bid it farewell anyway.

Your anticipation to discover something has made you forget the very few moments of uncertainty you had when you entered The Door.


 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Hurry!

You knew you had to traverse the same way you took going up the tower, only it would be going down. It didn't seem as far going up, so you hurry in excitement skipping steps along the way.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Ivory Bridge

"Not all that glimmers is gold," you thought.

But you corrected yourself, "Glitters, not glimmers!"

And so you have decided to set your direction to the glimmering Ivory Bridge, hoping it would lead you to more answers.


 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Vast

You look around. At first, you felt it was too overwhelming.

"In a place like this, how am I going to know what I am supposed to do?"

But you never gave in.

After a while more, you see something glimmer in the corner of your eye.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

An Entirely Different World

A subtle ray of light blinds you the moment you find yourself at the top of the tower. It faded quick. And when it did, along with it, a whole new world materialized before your eyes.

You notice everything looked very much alike in style as the courtyard when you first entered The Door--the structures, the colors, the balance.

It assures you that you are still in the same world.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Winding

The stairs going up felt like forever as you see a seemingly endless winding trail. Everywhere looked the same. The steps, the walls, the lighting. You can't see yourself doing any progress at all with that kind of monotony.

"Does this even end?"

You thought of counting the steps, but lost count by the moment you gasp for breath. Then all you can think of is reaching the top, if there ever was one.

With due perseverance, you eventually make it to the top.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

The Chamber Within

Not far ahead, you find an opened door. You quickly enter the only chamber you can find, assuming it was the start of your quest.

A few steps up the stairs, you look back and notice the doors remain open--contrary to the cliche that all doors leading to somewhere unknown gets locked shut and never to open again.

You breathe a sigh of relief.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Valiant Warrior

Another presence interrupted your now sulking mood, as it walked past you saying, "Never fret! I have known his aversion towards your kind all this time, and I am here to lift you up to the journey you are about to face."

You suddenly felt safe.

It was the valiant warrior, and the warrior's pleasant voice alone lightens your thoughts. Too pleasant sounding indeed, so you begin to wonder why you feel a peculiar warmth.

The warrior added, "I have taken this journey numerous times before, and it has been the same for me all the time. I will continue to do so for eternity, hoping it will be different sometime. I guarantee you, anything you make of this is for you alone, and it is something even I cannot unravel."

You get puzzled but comforted, as you carried on your way.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Branded Warrior

At the moment you are about to drown in deeper curiosity, you get startled by a voice of someone you barely noticed was there.

"Halt! Who goes there?!"

You look around and find a finely built warrior being branded at his back. To whom you answered, "I am a wanderer on a quest, but I don't know what that quest is. Not yet."

"A quest? You don't look like you're made for it. But go on, a quest is nothing to pay no attention to!", he replied as he paid no more attention to you.

You feel bitter after what he said.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Bubble

A strange velvety bubble in the middle of the pool seems to sustain the flow and balance of life in The Courtyard.

- Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

The Courtyard

Vibrant colors, brilliant colors. It looks lively all over The Courtyard. The pool is sparkling clear, so much that all the colorful fish appear like floating in space.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Door Knocker

You suddenly appear in front of The Door. Wondering how and what could have happened, a crackling voice of a tarnishing fixture suddenly greets you.

"Enter and behold, your quest awaits you!"

And you just do as it says.

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Paradoxical

It's been quite a while since I last held my camera in its full liberty. So last week, my friends and I did a photo walk somewhere. I wasn't planning on doing anything serious, only just for kicks. I snapped photos at random, not minding any preparations at all. The surprise came when I inspected the photos as I transferred them to the computer. Shuffling the photos around, I thought it would be fun to make a fictitious write up instead of narrating as I took each of them.

After a couple of hours going through the photos, I now have a little over twenty or so that are stitched in flavor captions. I'll post it soon. Here's a sample for now. This one won't have flavor text, I'm planning to make it the cover.

Can you guess where this place is? What story do you think did I make up? TMAI!

 - Journey to the East in the West

Navigation:  Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Gélatine à la Pêche et aux Amandes

Tu veux du dessert? Have some Gélatine à la Pêche et aux Amandes!

Don't get the wrong idea about this dish. It's just peaches and almond jelly, and is actually a traditional Chinese dessert that I just gave a name in French to catch the attention of the guests in a BBQ.

The first time I ate this was when my sister prepared it in one New Year's eve years ago I can't even trace back. Then the family got used to having it every New Year's eve celebration ever since. When I once missed going to the family New Year's celebrations, I noticed something else missing too. I realized soon enough that I wasn't having peach-almond jelly! To make up for it, we tried to recreate the dish with stuff we can find in the supermarket.

Preparation time: 20-30min

Ingredients:
1 can peach halves in heavy syrup
1 box almond jelly powder mix
some water
some fresh milk

Directions:

1. Prepare the almond jelly according to cooking instructions indicated in the packaging. We tweaked the liquid component. More liquid, the softer the jelly! More milk, the creamier!
2. Pour almond jelly mixture into a container and let cool. Choose a wide and flat container so it would be easier to play with the shapes you'll make with the jelly later on. It usually takes an hour for the jelly to harden, while only 10 minutes if you put it in the fridge.
3. When the jelly hardens, slice into bite-sized pieces. If you have a fancy cutter, you can be creative in shaping these up.
4. Open a can of peach halves and pour syrup into almond jelly pieces.
5. Slice peach halves into bite-sized pieces. Again, I'll also leave this to your imagination.
6. Add in the peach pieces to the almond jelly and syrup mixture.
7. Mix everything!

The smooth texture of the jelly is comparable to silken tofu that melts in the mouth as the almond flavor bursts in contrast to the peach fruitiness. The plump peach flesh teases your mouth in every bite, making you nibble for more.

Gélatine à la Pêche et aux Amandes is one of the desserts I can gobble up without holding back--next to Sans Rival!

This recipe is a variation of my sister's. If you have a different version, feel free to share it with us. And when you happen to visit, maybe you can even let us try some!