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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #403

“ashes to ashes, watch me disappear”

If given the opportunity, would you like to star in a musical? Definitely not. I don't like musicals. Name one person you’d take a bullet for: There's honestly a lot, but Mom immediately came to mind. Any posters of a band on your bedroom wall? Yeah: Metallica and Marilyn Manson currently. I want lots more, especially an Ozzy one. Do you think you’ve already met your soulmate? I don't believe in soulmates. Do you share your bedroom with anyone? No, unless you include my cat and snake. Is your favorite color yellow? No, it's actually one of my least favorites. Were you born in a hospital? I was. Do you know the name of the person that delivered you? No, but Mom does. I think he delivered me and my two sisters, and I know Mom has seen him since for other reasons. Was your birth recorded? God no. Good call, Mom. Did you eat a peach this week? Would you believe me if I told you I had a small bit of peach pie for my sister's birthday? For some reason, I just really wanted to try some. It was okay, but the aftertaste sucked. Are you leaving the house tomorrow? Yes, for TMS therapy. Every weekday. Do you enjoy romantic movies, even when they’re cliche? I honestly do. If you could get free vocal lessons would you take them? Probably not. I don't like singing in front of anyone, and it's not like I wanna get anywhere with my singing, so. Is your mother diabetic? She is. Are you? No. Ever sang someone to sleep? No. Who do you stalk the most through Facebook? Nobody. Have you ever deleted your Facebook, then brought it back? No. What is your main responsibility each day? Be sure to take my medications. Do you feel like you fulfill those responsibilities? Yeah. There are rare mornings where I forget, but I almost always remember. I don't fw skipping out on meds that keep my mental health stable. When was the last time you used spray paint? Good question. Do you know the middle name of the last person you kissed? Yep. Who is the friendliest person you know? My mom, probably. Something that annoys you about summer: THE HEAT. THE HUMIDITY. UGH. Something that annoys you about winter: Hm. That's hard to say, given I love winter. I guess the fact it doesn't snow enough here. Are the doors of your fridge side by side or on top of one another? Side-by-side. If you’ve moved out of the house you were born in, do you know the people who live in that house now? Nope. Have you ever cried in a movie theater? Not sobbed or anything, but I've definitely teared up and gotten the sniffles because of multiple movies. Do you read comic books? No. Do you force your way into conversations in which you are not involved? No. Have you ever seriously pretended to be clinically insane? I didn't need to pretend; I'm pretty damn sure I was for a while. Might I add that it's EXTREMELY inconsiderate to pretend you're insane, btw. Insanity is not "cool." It's not "funny." It's not "edgy." It's a serious, confusing, heart-wrenching issue that can ruin lives. Do you know anyone with a stutter? Yes, myself included when I'm even mildly nervous. And sometimes just randomly. With a lisp? I don't believe so. What was the last board game you played? The Disney version of "Pretty Pretty Princess" w/ my niece and even my nephew, even though his sexist-ass dad didn't want him to. Like let your kid have some fun with his sister and aunt, goddamn. They had a blast. It was Aubree's birthday present from me, so I am SO glad she loved it. Did you win? Ha ha, no, I always let Aubree or Ryder win. I came super close once, but I let the kids bend the rules a bit. They don't like losing, and even though they definitely need to understand that just happens and is totally fine for it to, I wasn't about to be the one to make them sad about it. When was the last time you tried to speak with an accent? OH MY LAAAAAWWWWWWD. Also at Aubree's b-day party, at one point, I spoke in a snobbish British accent while I was winning at the aforementioned game. Ryder asked, "Why are you speaking Spanish?", and I fuckin DIED. Have you ever made up a word before? Yeah, I know at least a few instances for fantasy animals in writing. When was the last time you went to a museum? A couple summers ago when my brother and his son visited, we went to a science museum. My nephew was sooooo into it. Do you have a nice yard? If so, do you spend a lot of time outside in it? If not, where do you go when you want to relax outdoors on nice days? Our front and back yards are both small and honestly very boring. The grass is a pretty green, but that's the only nice thing about it. I don't go to sit outside here on any day. Do your parents enjoy any of the things that you enjoy? Do you bond over these things? My parents and I have very similar music tastes, so there's that. I also didn't know for the longest time that Mom likes to write, which I sure as hell do, too! She doesn't really write anymore though, and she's self-conscious of it anyway, like I am. She and I also love a lot of the same shows. What is the movie that you have waited the longest for/which film do you remember anticipating the most/are still anticipating? I think The Incredibles 2. I aaaalways wanted to know what happened after the end of the first film. Do you have any ideas for a story or movie you’re planning to write or you’d write if you had the time/had the talent? Please share a synopsis! I genuinely think some RP I've written is series-worthy, but I don't feel like re-writing the YEARS of RP into a book format, and I sincerely worry that the ridiculously dark parts could inspire people like serial killers and cause A LOT of controversy, crime-blaming, and just general hate. I don't want to be involved in that. What is something that an interested guy/girl could comment about you, that would make you instantly open to them (e.g., “That book you’re reading is from my favorite author”)? Compliment my Markiplier tattoo, obviously knowing it's a tribute to him, and we're essentially besties. Is there a person in your life (maybe barely) that you feel in constant competition with (even just in your imagination)? Maybe you feel they are consistently outshining you? Ugh... there's a local photographer that's much more successful than I am that I admittedly am very envious of. I swear to whatever god you may believe in that I mean it from a modest perspective, I really, really do, but I genuinely think my skills surpasses hers, and she's only more prevalent because photography REALLY is about who you know. She's talented, yes, but like... come on. If you are single, even if you are normally happily single, are there certain specific things you witness that make you wish you were in a relationship (e.g., people getting engaged)? I mean yeah. I miss cuddling, holding hands, kissing, just being cute together, and especially people getting engaged or having kids. It's such a trigger to me. Once upon a time, that's all I wanted with Jason. I wanted to be that beautiful couple that got married and had two or three loved-beyond-words children, but then he left so abruptly, and I feel like it was so brutally robbed from me. I don't want kids anymore like at all, but the point still stands that I felt like my dreams were just ripped away. Out of all your usernames for websites, which one is your favorite? Do you use it for more than one site? I use "Ozzkat" just about everywhere. Have you ever spent the whole day (or multiple days) just looking up one thing on the internet (e.g., videos of your favorite band, how-to videos, quizzes, etc.)? OHHHHHHHHHH YEAH. There have been a couple days or so where I was totally glued to looking up various tattoo designs, bingeing let's plays or conspiracy theory videos, etc. etc. If you ever think about getting married, what are some aspects of the wedding that you would like to see in a non-traditional manner (e.g., a different color dress or “partners” over “husband” and “wife”)? I WILL NOT get married in a church, first of all. I'm also not having the traditional vows, and I probably won't wear a white dress, but instead black. Salt & vinegar, barbecue, sour cream & onion, or cheddar? Ohhhh, I like all those options but barbecue. I think I've gotta go with sour cream & onion, though. Bow ties on guys, dorky or adorable? A D O R A B L E ! ! ! I think they're ordinarily geeky, but I mean, geeky is cute in my world. :^) Do you believe in demonic possession? How about ghosts? Angels? Angels, no. Spirits/ghosts, 100%. I don't exactly believe in demons, per se, but I do question if evil spirits can possess someone. What is one romantic movie that you enjoy enough to watch more than once? I've seen The Notebook numerous times. Name three countries you want to visit; why those three? South Africa to interact with meerkats at the KMP, somewhere up in Canada to see the Northern Lights, and Germany just because, really. I took German for four semesters, and the culture and all just interests me. Do you have a good luck charm? No, considering I don't believe they do jack. Do you use Skype to talk to your friends? Only Sara. Now that I have Discord semi-figured out now though, we'll probably use that for voice chatting. Are you allergic to any animals? I might be allergic to dogs. Do you usually spend your weekends out, or at home? I'm like... always at home. Do you think it’s wrong for people to say "retard/retarded" as an insult? Absofuckinglutely. Don't pull that shit when I'm around. Have you ever had to go to the police department? No. Have you ever lived through a hurricane? Plenty. Have you ever had a home-grown tomato? Yes, from my old friend's garden. We'd have delicious tomato, mayo, and bacon sandwiches. The only instance where I've enjoyed tomatoes. Have you ever held a real gun? The former friend I mentioned just before, her husband always carried a gun, and he just needed me to hold it for a sec for some reason I don't recall. I hated the feeling. Would you rather wear Converse or Vans? I like both, but I think I prefer Converse. Have you ever been called bipolar? Yes, because I clinically am. Have you ever made fun of a handicapped person? FUCK no. And like the "retarded" thing, don't you fucking DARE to do this in front of me. I WILL deck the shit out of you. Do you think it’s okay to have sex before marriage? Sure, as long as you're being safe and are very thorough in communication. Do you like to watch old sitcoms? I don't really watch TV as I say in like every survey it seems, but I do enjoy some old sitcoms I grew up watching with my mom, like The Nanny, The Golden Girls, The Munsters, etc. If asked, could you run a mile nonstop right now? Being completely serious, I don't even know if I CAN physically run right now. My legs are so incredibly weak, and I'm humiliatingly close to what my heaviest weight was back in 2016, so I can almost guarantee my knees would crumple if I tried. Do you wear those rubber wristbands? I used to. I don't really like bracelets nowadays. If a necklace/ring gives you green marks, do you still wear it? Nope. Have you ever driven an electric car? No. When was the last time you saw someone you went to high school with? Uhhhh idk. What breed was the last dog you saw? A fucking GOLIATH of a lab. I shit you not when I say my sister's roommate's dog Hudson is the size of a goddamn bear. How long have your parents been together (or how long were they together, if they no longer are): I wanna say they were together at the very least 20 years. What has been your most epic cooking failure? I once accidentally put something (I don't remember what) in the microwave for around 45 minutes I believe, and I walked away and completely forgot about it. I remembered a long while later, and safe to say, it wasn't edible, whatever it was, lmao. Have you ever been to Mexico? No. Have you ever had a parrot sit on your shoulder? No, but that'd be cool. Has anyone in your life ever treated you abusively? No. How long has it been since your last breakup? Somewhere around two years ago? My memory is so garbage nowadays. Can you concentrate well while listening to music, or do you find it distracting? It's distracting, usually. What’s something you’ve been struggling with lately? I've been pretty bad about drinking too much soda lately. :/

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''under the graveyard'' by ozzy osbourne

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altanhal · 6 years

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i am one (but you are a million)

Summary: He lives forever. She lives to die. It’s a cycle he will never get used to as long as Kaguya’s plague beats in his chest.

Alternate Summary: Cursed with immortality, Kakashi serves and protects Sakura in every single one of her lives. She is Kaguya made human, reborn again and again to erase the plague. The same plague that consumes lives to give Kakashi his eternal one.

Rating: T

T/W: Major Character Death/s

Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi/Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto

Characters: Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Ootsuki Kaguya

Additonal Tags: Alternate Universe – Reincarnation, Reincarnation, Soulmates, Friendship, Guardian-Ward Relationship, Partially Completed, Work In Progress

Also on AO3 and FF.net.

Excerpt:

She's thirteen, only thirteen when she remembers her short lives and his same face.

She's the first of her seven lives that remember.

He hears her laugh at the cruelty of their fate.

A/N: This is inspired by Caius and Yeul's (from FFXIII-2) Guardian/Ward relationship where Caius is immortal and protects the Yeul reincarnations. I added some vague FFXV lore too. This is tagged as complete even though it's open ended. I plan to extend this but I don't know how I'll end this yet. I have a vague idea of how but I still can't form it in my head. Thank you for reading!

First

He is a warrior first, a man second.

For a plague had killed his wife right after he married her. She wasn't the only one inflicted by the disease because only he was left alive in their small village. It was a miracle and a curse. He didn't want to live without her.

But their Goddess had a plan for him it seems; he is alive because of a little girl. She healed him and she did it when she is six, only six. Her name is Sakura, all pink hair and green eyes. He wanted to weep at the sight of her. His wife in a small girl. Kaguya-sama you've blessed us.

But she isn't the same, this he learned. The same face and nothing more.

"I am Sakura. I am the cure." She told him and that's when he knew, she is the healer of not only him, but of this world.

The plague of the stars was the Goddess's lethal dose. The poison she crafted to kill humanity. And she had given him eternal life, her heart beats in his chest. For as long as he is alive, she too will send forth the plague.

"I am Kakashi. My purpose is to protect you until the last of you dies." Because Sakura will succumb to the plague soon, with every person she cures, death shines brighter in her sea glass eyes, consuming her until she is all but alive.

Second

The second time he meets her she's holding onto the body of a drenched blonde boy. Her shoulders are shaking and she's got fat tears and snot dripping down her chin.

"Sakura?" The name isn't foreign on his tongue even though he's only met her once. Twice now as she seeks his eyes.

"He's dead!" She shrieks and clutches the blonde boy tighter. "I'll kill him!"

It's not the plague that claimed the boy's life. It's murder because he drowned right under another boy's hand.

"I'll be your friend now. Don't cry Sakura." He tries to console her but she doesn't let the blonde boy go.

"I'll kill Sasuke." She says and he shakes his head. Little girls aren't supposed to be murderers.

"How old are you anyway?"

"Nine."

"Only nine?"

She nods and he feels a weight dropping on his chest.

"Four more years." He says plainly.

Before you die again.

Third

He'd never seen a baby not wailing before.

Someone left a crib on his front door with a hastily written please, they'll kill her on a piece of paper. He peeks in the basket to find that shock of pink tuff and sea glass.

She is a month old, only a month old, and she's the first one he raised. The only one because he knows he'll never have a child as long as Sakura keeps living. The goddess is cruel like that but he accepts their fate nonetheless.

Fourth

He thinks it doesn't look right when he sees her in a voluminous miko hakama. The head shrine priestess they call her, because she's the best at drawing out the plague from a dying soul.

He doesn't get tired standing watch of her through her days as she heals and heals with a line that is as long as the roads in the village. She gets tired with every passing moon and he knows this because she's nearing that age. Thirteen, only thirteen, wherein she slumps forward on the shrine floors but he catches her before she hits the mahogany that's polished of blood and sickness.

It's the fourth smile he sees on her cold face and never the blur that's always in his eyes in moments like this.

Fifth

The thing about being immortal was that he stays absolutely the same. But his silver hair is ancient she says. It grows so long he has to tie it into a ponytail. She likes braiding it and he lets her because she's twelve, only twelve. And girls her age are about beauty and small things, so he lets her. She'll die next year after all.

Sixth

"Sakura, I thought I said no pets."

"Naruto's not a pet!"

"You named it?"

"Naruto. And he's not a pet!"

Sakura stands at four feet and three inches but the set of her shoulders are threatening; he doubts that she's seven, only seven with that stance. He eyes the creature hiding behind her impressive display, and is more surprised of the animal's-boy's-blonde hair and diamond blue eyes than the nine orange tails he's trying desperately to hide.

"Kitsune." He mutters breathlessly, and remembers in vivid detail the drowned blonde boy in her arms.

Is Kaguya sending gifts now?

Seventh

She's thirteen, only thirteen when she remembers her short lives and his same face.

She's the first of her seven lives that remember.

He hears her laugh at the cruelty of their fate.

Eighth

She's crying when she gets back to their tiny tree house, forehead and sea glass eyes hidden beneath unevenly cut short hair. He rushes to her side when he sees the small cut on her cheek.

Who dared hurt the healer of this world?

"What happened?" He asks and she sniffles softly to herself.

"Ino said my pink hair is a curse."

You're a gift to this world. "You're not cursed."

"She cut it."

He balls his fist in rage but outwardly, he stays calm. With a sigh, he straightens himself and walks to sit at the table. Grabbing a pair of scissors, he beckons her.

"Come, I'll give you a cute haircut fit for cute six year olds."

She stops crying, her eyes lighting up in that way he knows how he's spoiled this Sakura.

"Cuter than Ino-pig's?"

"The cutest!"

Ninth

When he meets her he is speechless. Her hair is longer than his. He's been growing his for longer than this Sakura is alive but hers is ridiculously longer. He doesn't understand how it happened because she's four, only four, and he's well over a hundred now.

Tenth

By the tenth time he meets her, he is convinced that every Sakura is unique but is still the same old soul. That same soul that is tethered to his, driving a knife in his very being between the years of the last death and the next life.

Eleventh

Oranges are her favorite while tomatoes are her least favorite, this he learns. He wonders if this is a foreshadowing of some sort, of her future lives. He hopes it isn't sour of any sort but he knows each of her lives will inevitably be in that taste one way or another. He could only hope.

Twelfth

She came to him covered in dirt and blood. Dressed in rags and pink hair a horrible shade of brown and carnation. A group of men came bounding from where she came. Laughing and leering, and there was nothing more he desired than to rip out their eyes and cut each of their fingers off.

He's never murdered for her before but it took a hundred years for him to do so. He left the bodies to rot and gave her his coat and boots.

"How old are you?" He asks this time because this is the first time he's met her older than thirteen, the age she usually dies by the plague.

"Sixteen." Only Sixteen.

Kaguya is teasing him.

Forty-eighth

He was given three students to teach the arts of the shinobi. A blonde boy, terribly and wonderfully blonde as the rays of sunshine. Another boy with hair the color of the night sky when the moon is neither silver nor red. He teaches them. Far more interested in their little competitions than his third one.

She doesn't fit with either boy but she seems to think that the two of them match, all light and scattered colors of spring and fall. She is twelve, only twelve but she believes she'll be a good shinobi. One who he'll fear one day, she says. It is comical but Kakashi smiles kindly at her. He doesn't believe her. How could he? When all she cares about is her long soft hair of cherry blossoms instead of the smell of blood that's forever stuck on her palms.

She seems to think-this one likes to think, he notes-that love would be her constant strength.

But he knew better.

The day the next clan village raided their small one was the day this Sakura's first friend fell. The blonde boy was the Sun made human. Morning was killed that day and thus, the world was plunged in eternal night.

The dark haired boy was her only friend then. He did not teach nor approach her. He grew tired of her chasing that boy. But he protected her from a distance. He never could protect her from each death because the plague won her over for the forty-eighth time.

Sixty-second

It seems that with the absence of the sun 26 incarnations ago, the plague became more selfish and hungry. Two thirds of the world had been wiped out already, only two million remain. This Sakura died healing over a million. The most she did in any of her lives combined. And she died at nine, only nine. This Sakura is the one most loved by the people.

Ninety-ninth

The first time she asks about her past selves, she cuts her long bubblegum hair short of her ears. It's the shortest he's seen her wear her hair and it's a breath of fresh air for his already weary soul.

"Do I always have hair down to my butt?" She is fourteen, only fourteen and he laughs because she's never used the word butt before. This Sakura is one of his favorites-but then again he has ninety-nine favorites.

One-hundredth

The next death isn't any kinder than the rest.

She's three, only three, born with weak lungs. She had only saved this life's parents when the plague had claimed her for the hundredth time. This was the youngest he'd seen her die.

216th

Night still reigns, sunlight is yet to return, but under the silver moon, he watches her murder the boy with hair that blends with the night sky. She is fifteen, only fifteen when she does the opposite of why she's always born.

"Just this once." She tells him and promises to heal a hundred the next day in repentance for this sin.

He helps her bury the body, shoveling dirt on the boy's pretty face. The warmth of something long forgotten caresses the skin of his forehead when he finishes with the crime. The sun rises from the horizon as she grins at him through the blood on her face.

"It's done. It's finally done." She says and he looks at her curiously. "Sasuke killed Naruto. I sacrificed him to appease Minato the Sun God."

330th

His hair has gotten longer than his whole length. It feels like being reborn when she offered to cut it all off. He thinks that this must be how Sakura feels when her soul restarts at age one, always one. But despite the lack of weight on his head, he knows he'll never truly get the one in his ribs off.

395th

She's back to dying at thirteen again, only thirteen, and he's getting tired of seeing her smile on her death bed.

477th

"Kakashi. How old are you now?"

"I don't know. How old are you?"

"Come on, Kakashi."

"Twenty-three."

"Six thousand then."

"I had silver hair since the day of my birth, excuse you."

"I remember."

"What?"

"I remember it. The first time I met you."

". . .you were six."

"Yes, and it's been 5,977 years."

"Good at math, congratulations!"

"Whatever. That means I'm 5,983 years old."

He scoffs. "You're eleven, only eleven."

501st

He's lost count how many times he's seen her cry when she couldn't save a soul from the plague. Although it is a hundred thousand times less than how many she heals, she grieves nonetheless.

627th

She tried to braid his hair again, this time though, he refuses. She's seventeen, only seventeen and she is a child in his eyes even with the way her waist dips only to swell to a very inviting hip. He must keep her away from him, keep his hands to himself.

783rd

He hates how she's growing up and dying at seventeen now. Though he never fails to meet her at eleven, only eleven.

888th

She promises to marry him one day and she said this on the precipice of death. Promises him this one last thing, but he couldn't answer because if in the next life she doesn't remember about this, then he can't hold her to her promise. She's seven, only seven after all and seven year old girls are not supposed to get married yet.

959th

"Why do you always say that?" She asks, looking straight at him.

"Say what?"

"I'm only whatever age I was." She furrows her brows at him. Pink and slender arching on a forehead too big but she's beautiful still.

He sighs, shaking his head, refusing to meet her gaze. Because you're always too young.

1000th

He doesn't say it out loud nor ask what her age is. He can't have her asking the same question again. But despite this, he knows she dies at seventeen in this life.

And never fails to do so in the next lives.

1,287th

This Sakura is different, he could feel it. She's still fluffy haired and chubby cheeked but there's something absolutely different about her.

"What do I look like to you?" She asks cheekily and he frowns, refusing to answer. "Hey, Kakashi."

He ignores her in favor of staring at the diamond on her forehead. It's new. He's never seen it on her before. It must be some kind of sigil that she's wearing to appease the people who believe she's some sort of goddess in the body of a child. She's the 1,287th rebirth and he's inclined to believe it.

"Tell me, 'Kashi." This Sakura has given him a nickname.

He's amused but he doesn't show it.

"You're eight." He tells her as he pokes the diamond roughly.

She glares at him through big sea glass eyes, and it makes him pause, heart sinking in his gut. A child's eyes but it doesn't belong.

It's like seeing through a mirror. The thousands of years he's lived condensed in her eyes on a face of a cherub.

"You're eight." He repeats, breathless and an ache blooming in his chest. "Only eight."

She scoffs at him. "There you go again." She frowns and crosses her little arms on her chest. She notices the look of despair on his immaculate masked face and her own softens into melancholy.

"I'm sorry I ruined this." She says and holds his hand. He doesn't respond, only closes his eyes.

He doesn't want to hear her say it. Not when she looks so young, so young like a rose still without its thorns; so young and enough to be his daughter. He despises himself when he thinks like that.

"I'm eighteen." She says quietly. "Finally eighteen."

Kakashi cries but he doesn't show it. But why do you look eight?

1,580th

He doesn't understand why she dies at eighteen now. Kaguya's plague beats hard and alive in his chest as a reminder that she will always die. He's too heartbroken to piece the clues together.

1,999th

If he keeps counting, every death after would just be a passing. Just that, a passing. Because he would look forward to seeing her again and again. But with each last breathe she takes, she keeps in her death bed an infinite percent of his soul.

2000th

"So, Kakashi. Which is faster? The speed of light or Minato the Flying Thunder God?"

"Hm?"

"You know, the superhero in the new comic book you bought me?"

"Oh, that."

"So, which is it?"

"Naruto."

"Who?"

"Nothing, Sakura-chan!"

2222th

Tears have dried from his eyes now. He's become hardened with each smile on her last moments. The blur in his eyes has turned to diamonds, hard and yet beautiful still. Exactly what he is, a hard long life with a beauty always slipping between his fingers.

2650th

He is reminded again that she is not a child when this Sakura walks all over their apartment in nothing but her plain white school girl panties. She doesn't care if he sees because she remembers all the times he's seen her naked when she was under sixteen. There wasn't any kind of desire in his eyes only the exhaustion of seeing her nude and bloodied for the three hundredth or so time.

The red of her blood flashing in his eyes at the memory but this time she sees something different. He looks boldly at her and she doesn't flinch. Removing her last piece of clothing, she stands before him, unashamed.

"Is this the first time you're seeing me?" She asks with a roguish smile and he just stares at her, dark and brooding, piercing yet nervous.

"I've seen you many times."

"But I was just a child."

"Yes you were."

"How old am I now, Kakashi?"

"Twenty."

Sakura cheekily smiles at him, as if she's won a bet against him, and brings her arms to wrap around his neck. She's so close to him that her breathe fans on his chin. Even though she's reached this age in this life she's still much smaller than him. It amuses him. He can feel her breasts pressing onto him and his hands twitch at his sides. Seemingly limp but it's buzzing with restraint.

"I have a favor." She whispers and lifts herself on her toes. The ghost of her lips just a hairsbreadth from his own.

"Hm?" He hums, unable to open his mouth, afraid that the space between them could close with the movement.

She quirks her lips in a lopsided smirk and he has to close his eyes to deny himself this game she has. How could he, an immortal, let her, a mere twenty year old, toy with him? And the truth of his answer is because it's her.

"Kiss me." She says and he trembles, opening his eyes to meet her sea glass. She's so painfully beautiful and it takes him a while before he responds.

He kisses her. Just that gentle tap of a kiss. And then he runs.

The next morning, she dies at 21.

3000th

He's tired. So tired.

Of watching her, guarding her, standing vigil over her, standing still beside her, protecting her on her death bed. He can stop it. The only way it ends is if the plague in his chest stops beating. He figured it out after all.

He is just so, so tired. But he doesn't want it to end. He'll have her kill him instead of driving that shattered rusty sword of his long dead clan into his heart. He knows she will never. So he lives and she lives. He remembers each life and death. Sometimes she does too but consistently, in every life, she loves him in all forms.

And that's where he never fails; he loves her too.

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barryrohm · 5 years

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11 Keto-Friendly Food Swaps to Ease Your Transition into Ketosis

We all know that change can be difficult. No one likes looking for a new doctor, hairdresser or favorite pair of jeans. Making a drastic change to your diet, such as going from a carb-heavy diet to something low carb and high fat can feel like standing at the base of an unscalable mountain. The key is to realize you don’t have to be an expert right out of the gate and that you’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to slip up and get off track. The key is to not let one bad day turn into a bad week, month or year.

One of the things that helped me a great deal, especially through the first week or so until I had adjusted to this new lifestyle, was swapping out some of my favorite meals for items that would be deemed as “friendlier” to the keto-lifestyle. To help you on your journey whether you just started or you’ve been keto for years but always looking to try something new, I’ve covered 11 of my favorite, easy swaps to take that normally carby beast to a keto treat.

Hamburger Buns = Lettuce leaves. This is a great one, and probably the swap I go to most often. Now, speaking from experience I would not recommend using romaine lettuce, it doesn’t workout so well. The leafy area isn’t very sturdy and the spine of the lettuce leaf isn’t very flexible. Iceberg lettuce is where it’s at. If you are so blessed to live anywhere near a Five Guys (here in the DC area it feels like there’s one on every corner) they have lettuce wrapped burgers on the menu. You can get all of the same great, keto-friendly, toppings you always get, wrapped in a few iceberg lettuce leaves. Beware, ordering your lettuce wrapped burger from Five Guys also means you must show unfathomable discipline to avoid their fresh-cut fries!!!

Wraps = Lettuce leaves….again. I’m not sure about you but I love wraps. They taste great, they’re super convenient and just about anything goes with one. If you don’t want to go full keto-wrap Mission tortillas offer a great low carb option with large burrito style wraps coming in at 8 net carbs. However, if you didn’t stock pile your daily net carbs for that option, you can swap an iceberg or romaine lettuce leaf in to do the job. The biggest thing here is the mindset change. It’s not the wrap itself, its what’s inside the wrap you’re after. The wrap is just a delivery system, and if the only purpose is to deliver the goods, who cares if it’s a bread wrap or a lettuce leaf, am I right? (Cabbage or Kale would also work here).

Spaghetti = Spiral cut zucchini. I saw zucchini because I feel it is the best option. You can also do squash here and it’ll work out fine, spaghetti squash isn’t half bad, but I prefer the spiral cut zucchini, which is why I bought one of the tools to do it. Zucchini tastes great with cheese and tomato sauce, I don’t even notice the difference. Like pasta you can overcook it and end up with mush, so if you’re going to cook it make sure you only boil it for a few minutes at most.

Lasagna = Eggplant. I’m not sure this one should even be on here. I’ve always liked eggplant parm or lasagna more than the carb loaded option. I dunno what it is but baking in the pasta sauce with cheese really brings eggplant to life. Enough said there.

Potato chips = Pepperoni chips. I love this option and was beyond excited when I first tried it out. This can be done in the oven or microwave. Lay them out on a paper plate for the microwave and hit them for 30-45 seconds or toss them in the air fryer for a couple of minutes. I really enjoy dipping these in a homemade ranch dip that I make with a packet of Hidden Valley ranch seasoning and either full fat sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Potato chips = Almonds. I love chips, so one swap isn’t going to be enough to get me over that hump. I keep a ridiculously large bag of almonds at my desk. Anytime I get that salty craving I reach in for a handful (mine works out to be almost exactly ¼ cup or 1 serving of roasted almonds.

Potato chips = Parmesan chips. I told you, I LOVE CHIPS. These ones are self-explanatory though. They’ve become incredibly popular and so are now very easy to find at the store, no need to make yourself at home.

Mashed Potatoes = Mashed Cauliflower. I’m sure you’ve heard a ton about this and yes it is as good as everyone says. It’s become so popular you can find mashed cauliflower in your grocery stores freezer section. It’s just as easy to make at home, you can boil or steam the cauliflower until soft and then blend or mix on high with heavy cream until you get the desired consistency. Add whatever seasoning you like.

Tater tots = Cauli-tots. I don’t attempt to make these at home, they can easily be found in the freezer section at your local grocery chain. 10-15 minutes in the air fryer gets them to crispy golden-brown perfection. This is another one that I’ve found that is very close in deliciousness to its high carb counterpart.

Taco Shells – Cheese shells. These are more delicious than they are easy to make. The first time I tried this was eye opening and I wondered what I had been doing with my life all this time. All you do is take a simple 6” skillet and heat with a touch of oil in the bottom. Once warmed up, sprinkle an even coat of shredded cheese and watch as it melts, and crisps. Once that happens I flip it over and start adding my toppings and then just fold it over on itself, very similar to how you would make an omelet. A word of caution do not try to flip the shell too early as it will stick to the pan if it hasn’t thoroughly crisped up. Just take your time and check it often, you’ll know when it’s ready.

Whipped Cream = Heavy whipping cream made w/ swerve. A great keto dessert is a few of the lower carb berry options such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries mixed with whipped cream. To make your whipped cream keto-friendly put the whisk on your mix and mix heavy whipping cream and swerve or other sweetener on high until peaks form.

There are literally hundreds of other options out there for you to try, these were just a few of my favorites that I’ve tried and found that it helped me a long the way. If you want to find some more easy options that can help you make it through, download my 100 Keto-Swaps Cheat Sheet and try them all. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought, especially if you end up trying one of these swaps out on your own.

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missguomeiyun · 7 years

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brunch @ Humpty’s (Clareview location)

It’s Christmas eve-eve today, & I had made reservations for Restaurant ‘X’ for a family brunch. Buuuuuuut, I was too caught up in Costco traffic (getting into the parking lot, slow traffic inside due to a lot of shoppers, lining up to pay is always a nightmare, & also getting out of the parking lot). Therefore, I was running late for the reservation & even if we got there, we would’ve been like 30mins late. So you know what, decided to call them to tell them we won’t be making it. We went to Humpty’s nearby instead.

Wherever I go, I always see a Humpty’s; it’s not as frequently existing as Timmy’s, A&W or McD’s but I seem to see one en route to my usual places. I didn’t know they’ve been around for 40yrs until I was menu-reading. Their 40th anniversary yr is ending in a few days! Did you know that?! Anyway, it has always been one of those places that I wouldn’t even consider going to (bcos I have other options) but after today, my view of this place has changed!

I walked in & as I had imagined even though I’ve never been, very “old” as in the whole atmosphere was very family-oriented diner style. You know what I mean? Like it’s not dirty physically but the color scheme & the style of the booth tables & regular tables/chairs was very vintage-y. Also, not surprised, we were the only Asians there during the brunch/early lunch rush ~11:30am. It didn’t make me feel uncomfortable but it was weird bcos ppl looked at us as we were speaking Chinese.

Anyway, their menu was extensive! They have the regular brunch items, they have burgers & sandwiches, salads, & also pastas & entrees. My original intent was brunch so we only looked at the brunch menu section; not physically separated as a heading or page on their menu, I just meant that we skipped the salads, entrees, & pastas pages. We ended up with the following & shared everything (being eyed weirdly moment #2! - family style sharing instead of each person having an individual plate in front of them).

Meatlover Pan-scrambler. Egg, ground beef, ham, & bacon all tossed together of their diced hashbrowns. Oh & lots of cheese on top... I am such a sucker for these skillets/scramblers. I almost always order these. Since they don’t have skillets, I’ll go with a scrambler, which is essentially the same thing. It was so delicious!

The pre-scramble came with toast but I was like whatever, I’m not gonna move the heavy plates around for the sake of putting the toast with the pre-scramble for a photo lol but yeah, FYI ;) we got brown toast, & it was toasted nicely.

Beside the toast was the Royale eggs benedict. You have side options for your eggs benny: perogies, tomato slices, fruits, potato fritters, or hashbrowns. My strategy is always to try diff sides - as much as I can during one experience, so I ordered diff sides for each dish. The Royale benny (with choice of soft poached eggs) had sausages & was topped with a light Hollandaise sauce. A perogy side consisted of 4 perogies, which came with sour cream. The perogies were alright; they were very chewy & there wasn’t much filling inside. I would not be getting perogies from here in the future.

Traditional benny (with ham & soft poached eggs) with hashbrowns. The hash was good!!! They were seasoned so they tasted salty & they were quite crisp as well. Loved it! The benny portion was also very delicious. Very generous amount of ham!

For the same price & excluding the sides, I prefer the traditional benny - everything was just more “together” for me. The sausages were good too but I might get them separately, if that makes any sense?

Scotch eggs with potato fritters. OMGGGGGG everything about this was just awesome! I loved the fritters so much! Imagine McD’s hashbrowns but in a small cylindrical form.... haha you could sense the textures of the small potato shreds, & I love that texture. Now the Scotch eggs.. . it’s basically a hard-boiled egg (halved) that’s covered with breaded ground meat & then deep fried. All that was placed above ham & your regular English muffin.

When you cut it open, it looks like this! :DDDDD Need I say more?

Very happy & satisfied with the meal (coffee was very diluted & I can’t believe I paid $3 for that even though it was unlim. refills... the coffee was just not good!): 9.5/10!

#YEGfood #brunch #Saturday morning #Christmas brunch #eggs benedict #eggs benny #scrambler #scotch eggs

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cristinajourdanqp · 7 years

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Being Keto-Adapted Is One Helluva Ride!

It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

My name is Aaron. I’m 35-years-old. I live in the Lehigh Valley of PA where I am the only custom tailor. This is my story of how an innocent foray in LCHF (low carb, high fat) turned into a full blown keto lifestyle shift. What a journey it’s been and I’m only just getting started!

Ok, so let’s get the junk out of the way first. Last summer, I was freshly divorced. I had to move into a shoebox sized apartment where I fed myself a steady diet of ramen noodles, Captain Crunch, heavy imperial stouts, and copious amounts of sour candy….usually fueled by alcohol driven hunger and a new little appetite tweaker I discovered…cannabis and the munchies. It only took a few months of this type of living for me to feel incredibly sick.

When I wasn’t smoking, I was incredibly nauseous and couldn’t eat. So, I used cannabis to give myself the munchies so I didn’t feel like I was going to die. I found myself in a cycle that I didn’t like. I liked the weed, but I didn’t like the munchies. Was it the munchies or the bad food that was the problem? One night it just hit me….I hit the blunt and then thought to myself, “whoa, like maybe I should fix my diet.”

Brilliant revelation, right??

Rewind a few years back to when I was 25. I was in fairly decent shape and pretty lean. I worked out heavily and had the results to show for it. I won’t blame marriage for getting me fat, but I did indeed get fat once I got married. Steady typical SAD diet for the entire duration.

So, near the end of 2016 everyone is thinking about New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. I’m busy drinking, chasing women, and getting stoned—eating a ton of sugar and was nowhere near making that kind of resolution. I just didn’t believe I’d ever be that in-shape again. I tried working out again but it was unbearable. Geez, to even walk a few blocks on a 40 degree day made me sweat profusely so how the hell was I gonna be able to work out in a gym?! Do I just give up the booze for awhile? How about the weed? What about sugar? Admittedly, I was lost and a little hopeless but man did I love the taste of whipped cream in cappuccinos.

That got me thinking….

I had heard somewhere about adding fat to your diet and removing carbs, but from my earlier gym days, I just couldn’t make the connection. I was stuck rooted in the old, using exercise to lose weight and create a calories burned vs calories consumed thinking. Even though I never could piece together how that exactly worked, I was willing to give adding fats and cutting carbs a shot…

Enter my first foray into making bulletproof cappuccinos around mid February this year…

Delicious as ever. Never would’ve thought butter, coconut oil and stevia would taste so good in coffee. I was enjoying waking up every morning to one of these, but what surprised me was the longer period of time I could go before having to eat. I also noticed a few pounds gently slipping away and got curious…what if I add more butter to everything else? Started doing exactly that.

So, late February 2016 I was doing BP coffee every morning and butter loaded tomato soup (and crappy Campbells too!). My appetite went away, and I just let it. Little did I know that I was basically doing an intermittent fat fast. I was getting to a point where I was adding up to 6 tbsp of butter and oil plus frothed heavy cream AND egg yolks in the cappuccino but really had no idea if it was actually healthy or not, so I Googled “effects of eating too much butter” and landed on a forum post at, you guessed it, MDA.

I saw a 60-something ripped dude named Mark on the front page, plus a success story of an even older guy who was also ripped. The competitor in me thought, “Hey if these old dudes are ripped off whatever this diet is, then wtf is my excuse?!” So I read and read and read until I had the start of the puzzle completed in my mind. I knew I had to act.

Upon realizing that this was a whole foods diet, I knew I’d need to learn how to cook. What a mountain of learning that was. I went crazy. Purged my cupboards of all sugar, grains, and bad oils. Stopped eating out almost immediately and started cooking. Wow, to eat whole foods even fruits and not get violently sick to my stomach? Oh what a feeling.

By the end of March 2016, I had dropped nearly 45 lbs. My girlfriend left for a 2 week trip to Mexico in early March. She had noticed the weight loss but we had no idea what was actually happening. When she left early March, I was wearing 38s. When she got back I was in 34s.

I thought I was done there and, quite frankly, if that’s where my weight loss journey had stopped, I would’ve been quite content and proud of myself. Everyone around me was complimenting me and some even expressing concern that I was getting too thin too fast. I thought there was no such thing and I could still see good amounts of fat deposits that I would be happy to be without so I kept it up. More primal cooking and eating. I was on my way to becoming fat adapted and I wouldn’t be stopped!

I didn’t exercise once during the first 2 months. I was basically sedentary. I really didn’t have the energy to do anything but that changed pretty fast. I tried mountain biking again and felt like I was some kind of super human. However, the next few times I rode, I experienced really bad bonking and wondered what was going on. How did I have energy before but now I’m bonking periodically? I now know I was pushing too hard during the fat adaptation phase creating a demand for glucose….I used a bit of fruit to push through this.

By late April 2016, I was looking and feeling good but I was also plateaued. I could see more fat needed to come off but wondered why the BP coffee and whole foods diet wasn’t working as well. I researched more and discovered the power of real intermittent fasting.

I kicked out the BP coffee in place of lightly sweetened black coffee in the mornings then did a typical fast-breaking in the afternoon with a salad or eggs etc then a more legit meal later on in the evening. I also started sprinting.

By early summer I was wearing my jeans on an 80 degree day and realized that I wasn’t sweating hardly at all. The man that used to sweat on a 40 degree day was now borderline cold in the middle of the summer. Oh well, I saved on my AC bills and got over it. I also noticed that those jeans felt a little loose. I thought, “no way I’m actually in 32s now.” Sure enough, I was able to fit nicely into 32s. Lesson learned…when you’re on the keto weight loss slide, wait to buy a lot of new clothing.

By midsummer, I returned to my lifting habits. Thankfully, I had a base of knowledge on how to lift so I experienced results very quickly. My thinking during all of this was, “let’s see how low carb I can actually be without experiencing real fatigue.” In essence, I only wanted enough carbs as I possibly needed and not one gram more. I found myself able to ride my bike and lift with a fair amount of intensity…even in a fasted state!

By late summer (August 2017), I wondered again if it was just my new stretchy skinny fit 32s needed to be washed and dried to give them that tight-ish post dryer fit again or if, God forbid, my entire new stash of 32s was too big. Sure enough, I went and tried on a pair of 30s and whoa they fit! I figured since I can see feel my pelvic bones poking off the sides of my hips along with a full blown 6 pack looming to 8 pack abs (and also the total extinction of my ass) that I must be at that often desperately sought after “ideal body composition.” The ripped guy you see in the after pics was taken on that day.

BOOM! I knew I had arrived. I knew I was fat adapted. I had developed a system of food shopping and meal prep to fully support it. I knew my life from there on out would never be the same. Going Primal is one of the best decisions, if not the best decision, I have ever made for my personal health.

But….what about the ketogenic diet? I was very curious about it, but it seemed like a fringe version of primal to me and a lot of the recipes I looked up were loaded with strange ingredients that didn’t seem to be in line with a Primal way of eating. However, right around this exact time (about a month or so ago), I started seeing Mark posting a lot about keto and his own experiment with it. When the announcement came for the The Keto Reset Diet book, I knew I was on the right track.

The Keto Reset Diet was released on my birthday. I don’t like to read but I got it for free by starting up with Audible. Listening to the book gave me a much better understanding of how each of the various macros affect the brain and the body. I realized that my eating habits were pretty close to what was in the book so I decided then and there that I will likely stay in the “keto zone” for the rest of my life. I will be going in and out of keto for the purpose of maximizing metabolic efficiency. Wow…it seemed so crazy that it was even possible that I went from being a completely sick and depressed fat guy knowing nothing about food to a ripped fat- burning beast who’s not so bad in the kitchen in the span of half a year!

On my birthday, I posted the before and afters to my Instagram and announced that I would be adding keto-based weightloss consulting to my services as a tailor. I have a lot of fat clients who have no time but lots of money, so why not monetize my experience, make money off of helping them lose the weight and make even more money selling them new clothing?! As if I wasn’t niched out enough…

So there ya have it. Now I’m off to the keto races, and I think I’ll change a few lives and get a little richer while I’m on the way there. Yes, that means I signed up to become a Primal Health Coach.

Here are a few bullet points of the positives and negatives I have experienced along the way plus a few tips:

Positives: – Way more energy – Much better sleep – Obvious improvements to physique and exercise performance – Super speedy recovery times and no jet lag! – Effortless appetite management – Ability to fast for 24, 48, or even 72 hours…at will – Radically improved cognition – No more depression – The tug of other “addictive behaviors” significantly reduced. In fact, I quit drinking permanently on August 1st of this year. – I still partake in cannabis consumption regularly and indulge in the munchies right along with it….guilt free! It plays well with this diet!

Negatives: – Getting fat and losing weight is expensive. The food replacements, cooking equipment, and time spent figuring it all out and dialing in how much to buy and eat was a costly endeavor top to bottom. – I completely rendered a large custom wardrobe useless and had to replace all of it. So will you. – I’m definitely one of those annoying health nuts now and have had to figure out all kinds of social behaviors to manage the awkwardness. – There really aren’t many other negatives.

Tips: – Read The Keto Reset Diet – Let the diet do the work. Stay low and slow and don’t try to exercise too hard until you’re ready especially in the beginning. You will feel the energy surging through you but ignore it for a while and take it easy. – Get your macros right and don’t slouch on green veggies, salt and other minerals. – Watch your protein intake. No need to raise it to the roof. – “Fake Keto” recipes out there for replacing common comfort foods usually using high amounts of dairy and almond/coconut flour and fruit are only for the truly fat-burning, keto-adapted, carb-tolerant beasts among us. Do yourself a favor and go therapeutic keto from the start with proper macros and fats from mainly animal sources. Eat those greens! – Ditch the artificial sweeteners and train out sweet tastes from your palate at least for awhile. – Fasting protocols maybe work better for men. Women might want to start eating proper macros and let the brain/body do the work before getting into IF protocols (just my opinion). – Sprint while fasted to bust plateaus. – Got the keto flu? Eat some avocados or supplement with apple cider vinegar, pink sea salt, and cream of tartar (high potassium) mixed in water. Then get over it and go sprint. – Stop waiting and get on board the keto train! Being keto-adapted is one helluva ride!

Aaron H.

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fishermariawo · 7 years

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Being Keto-Adapted Is One Helluva Ride!

Brilliant revelation, right??

That got me thinking….

Enter my first foray into making bulletproof cappuccinos around mid February this year…

Here are a few bullet points of the positives and negatives I have experienced along the way plus a few tips:

Aaron H.

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milenasanchezmk · 7 years

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Being Keto-Adapted Is One Helluva Ride!

Brilliant revelation, right??

That got me thinking….

Enter my first foray into making bulletproof cappuccinos around mid February this year…

Here are a few bullet points of the positives and negatives I have experienced along the way plus a few tips:

Aaron H.

0 notes

watsonrodriquezie · 7 years

Text

Being Keto-Adapted Is One Helluva Ride!

Brilliant revelation, right??

That got me thinking….

Enter my first foray into making bulletproof cappuccinos around mid February this year…

Here are a few bullet points of the positives and negatives I have experienced along the way plus a few tips:

Aaron H.

0 notes

cynthiamwashington · 7 years

Text

Being Keto-Adapted Is One Helluva Ride!

Brilliant revelation, right??

That got me thinking….

Enter my first foray into making bulletproof cappuccinos around mid February this year…

Here are a few bullet points of the positives and negatives I have experienced along the way plus a few tips:

Aaron H.

(function($) { $("#dfFhzWK").load("http://ift.tt/2irt1r9" ); })( jQuery );

The post Being Keto-Adapted Is One Helluva Ride! appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Article source here:Marks’s Daily Apple

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onearchipelago-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on https://www.onearchipelago.com/cafe-basas-eatsplorecb-pioneers-food-specialty-trend-right-ati-atihan-town-kalibo/754/

Cafe Basa's #eatsploreCB pioneers food specialty trend right in Ati-Atihan town, Kalibo

We had the privilege to attend Chef Mychal Kim Basa’s first ever event. He’s that guy who’s slowly making a name for himself with what he’s putting on the table, whether among tourists who are just passing by Kalibo for Boracay or among foodies in Aklan.

Who would not be? After tasting something good and that you know it costs a thousand bucks in Metro Manila but you only have it like just around P200, you would definitely be impressed.

Surprise us

The event was through invitation and he considered my fiancé and me to be a part of it; so we made sure to go there.

We got ourselves a nice place to sit as we waited for the others to arrive. I thought of the things that could happen in the next couple of minutes.

When everyone has finally come, he presented us to that day’s event, #eatsploreCB, which stood for “eat” and “explore,” with CB being Café Basa.

The event was his way of introducing new dishes with his own twists. (And us as his food critics for the day.)

“Surprise us, Chef!” I told him. We were around 16 people, ready for the journey.

After waiting for a minute or two, the first in the menu was out – Pizza Bianca. Everyone took their bite and each in the first batch was generally impressed. (Yes, there was a second batch).

I took my first bite, too. I could hear the soft crunching sound from its thick crust.

After around five minutes, I emptied my plate. It was better than the pizzas I’ve tasted in Kalibo!

I then became excited about where we were heading.

(While I am making this, I’m craving for three dishes prepared in #eatsploreCB, with one being Pizza Bianca).

Why #eatsploreCB?

I asked Chef Myck the purpose of the event and he told me he wanted to offer something new and unique that people in Kalibo have never tasted before.

Growing up, he observed there were not much of dishes that could be uniquely attributed to Kalibo. Because of that, it became his burning passion for making a trademark cuisine for the province.

But, more than that, #eatsploreCB is his way of telling a story.

“My goal here is to write a story,” he told me.

Pizza Bianca

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Pizza Bianca, technically, was based from one of Café Basa’s popular pizzas. It’s a tomato-less, thick-crusted version topped with several goodies: special cheese sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, ham, mushroom, and a hint of garlic.

So, you understand why it took me just five minutes?

Chef Myck would not be Chef Myck if it was not because of Pizza Bianca. Well, not really mainly because of Pizza Bianca, but because of “pizza” – it was his gateway to cooking.

“I had to include a pizza in the first #eatsploreCB because this is where my passion for cooking started,” he said. “Pizza-making became my gateway to culinary arts.”

Bolognese Pasta

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Commonly known in the Philippines as tomato-based, Chef Myck’s version is not just the “same same” Bolognese pasta, the Italian classic decorated with ground beef, marinara sauce, and tomato. He made a different approach to it.

As opposed to using the typical tomato-based sauce, he painted it with olive oil (ala Café Basa *wink*).

Being also both a meat and a tomato-based pasta lover, Chef Myck could not pass this out. The Bolognese pasta has become a part of who he is in terms of professional growth.

“Pasta Bolognese is one of the very first pasta dishes I learned to cook, as I am a meat and tomato-based pasta lover,” he said. “Although not the original recipe that I was taught with, this version has evolved as I grow further into the culinary profession.”

Curry Pasta

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This is something new in Kalibo, as far as I know, and Chef Myck was right in saying, “Not your traditional pasta combination.”

Curry (not the basketball player, but the food) is commonly associated with chicken in the Philippines.

“This is not your traditional pasta combination,” he told me. “I’d like to add an Indian cuisine twist. For Filipinos, authentic Indian cuisine is a daring flavor, so I had to start with something familiar, curry. So it’s not common that you would see pasta but I ought to give it a try.”

What I love about Chef Myck’s take was how he transformed those spinach leaves into something like chips. I literally feel like eating chips and I asked myself, “How on earth did he make these?”

“I made those crispy vegetables from thin carrots strips and spinach. It’s sweet and savory,” he said.

And rightly so!

Pamahaw Pasta

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Now this will really blow you away.

Pamahaw Pasta is mainly Italian carbonara pasta. But!!! (Yes, with an exclamation.) Chef Myk perhaps perfectly made one of the most satisfying combinations I ever tasted: Italian carbonara pasta mixed with a rich and creamy sauce made from salted egg yolks and some sprinkles of chorizo de Aklan. (Oh, how I really love this!!!)

I literally did not expect that salted egg would go well with chorizo. What I like was the feeling of the flavors somewhat fighting each other but seemingly agreeing to combine and make my meal palatial. It was that delicious.

Even Chef Myck was also surprised that the flavors blended well together.

“Actually for me, I was quite surprised with it as well. Why I got there was, honestly, I haven’t tried salted egg dishes before. I told myself, and for me, ‘I want to do something new,’” he said. “Though it’s already done in other places but not here in Kalibo, I want to be daring and try the salted egg craze; Most of the time I have salted egg and chorizo de aklan for my breakfast; thus, the Pamahaw Pasta.”

The best time to have this? Breakfast.

Well, it’s obvious based on its name, “pamahaw.” In the Central and Southern parts of the Philippines, “pamahaw” means breakfast. This certainly gives mornings a fresh start. (And oh, combine it with coffee!).

Crispy Shang-hai w/ Spicy Pineapple Sauce

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This is a classic pork lumpia paired with this season’s harvest, pineapples with hot chili. It’s your sweet, sour, and hot shang-hai rolls.

The menu hits a certain spot at Chef Myk’s heart. This is the recipe that he grew up with because it’s made by his mother.

“It’s one of the reasons why I love food,” he said. “What I can remember vividly when I was a kid, mom cooks a whole bunch. Let’s just say we’re three siblings, she’ll put 30-40 pcs., and everything’s sniffed. Sometimes, we’d fight for the last piece.”

Chilled Pipino Soup

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If you happen to enter in their café, you would see beautiful furniture, particularly tables and chairs.

You would also be surprised that all of them were made from scrap such as boxes used for forklifts, chairs from fast food chains, among others. Guess who made them? His dad designed by Chef.

He has this knack of turning ordinary things into something beautiful and useful that you would think he must have purchased this somewhere in Manila.

Chef Myck has extended this skill of being resourceful to his cooking. Case in point: Chilled Pipino Soup, where pipino is a bountiful resource in Kalibo.

He transformed the common pipino into a good palate cleanser. And he made it taste like a fruit shake.

Pork & Mushroom Stuffed Cabbage

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Aside from stuffing cabbage with steamed pork, Chef Myck made an oyster mushroom meatball to complement the mix. He also paired it with his signature cheese sauce as well as his homemade tomato sauce.

But before I continue, I have something to ask, have you ever watched “Ratatouille”? Could you recall the time when Alfredo Linguini in the animated film gave a dish to Anton Ego and when Anton ate it, he remembered his childhood days?

Alfredo’s dish was special because it made a mark at Anton. Anton walked down the memory lane.

Chef Myck’s Pork & Mushroom Stuffed Cabbage had a similar effect to me. It’s my “Ratatouille.”

When I tasted this dish, deep inside I was smiling because I recalled the memories of my dorm days when I used to cook my own cabbage. And yes, my dorm days were special for me.

It was a time where trials, laughter, and fulfillment were mixed in one. I would consider it my golden years. And Chef Myk’s Pork & Mushroom Stuffed Cabbage tugged at my heartstrings.

This is what makes dishes really special, when you are able to recall certain memories as you eat; when it touched your heart; when it made you eat with #hugot. And when that happens, you know you are in a good restaurant.

“I’ve been searching, traveling, doing a lot of studies because I want to hit the spot where it will remind you of something,” Chef Myck said. “I’m trying to hit the spot in a way that, I’m hoping, my food is not just the typical restaurant food but something that will remind you of your good ‘ol days. This dish reminded me of my culinary studying days”

Café Basa’s tagline is perfect: “The quality experience you can eat.”

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Yogurt Sauce

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In their usual menu, Café Basa serves a grilled chicken dish that is mainly flavored with homemade focaccia bread and cheesy penne pasta. It’s fairly enough to satisfy your palate aside from the fact that it’s one of their popular dishes.

But as if it’s not enough, Chef Myck upped the game. With the new grilled chicken, he added more flavor to it by pairing it with yogurt sauce and garlic. It’s a bold Greek infusion, he said.

Matcha Cheesecake

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A disclaimer, I do not have a sweet tooth. Sure, I eat sweets but a single serving of them is enough for me: a little chocolate there and an ice cream here is sufficient.

I happen to taste Chef Myck’s usual cheesecake and I do like it. With the Matcha Cheesecake, they taste almost the same thing for me.

But what interested me about the Matcha Cheesecake was the story behind it. And it had something to do with his lovelife (hearts everywhere!!!).

“Aside from being a tea-lover, Matcha speaks to me. In fact, every time me and my girlfriend [Norvie], tackle something with matcha [on the table], we end up laughing,” he lovingly recalled. “Not just once or twice, but plenty of times. It brings us joy for no reason and we end up having a great and memorable time. Seriously, I know it’s kind of a stupid story but that happens every time we eat something with matcha, we’re just having a good time. So I really had to include it here.”

I know it’s too early for Valentines Day but, hey, love is for all seasons. So, if you want to invite someone for a date, the Matcha Cheesecake at Café Basa is worth a try.

Halo-Halo (Buko Pandan Version)

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If there is one thing that you should never miss when you visit Café Basa, it’s their Halo-Halo. I will not spoil you by revealing what it is made of but you will never regret it (unless you do not like halo-halo).

It’s their bestseller; it has no other in Kalibo. Just like Apple whose flagship product is the iPhone device or Samsung with their Galaxy S8, Halo-Halo is Café Basa’s flagship dessert. It is one of the reasons why most of their customers return.

During #eatsploreCB, Chef Myck made a slight twist by adding aromatic pandan leaves and toppings of macapuno strings, sweet corn, and cornflakes. Mouthwatering, I would definitely say.

“It’s a new rendition of Café Basa’s popular Halo-Halo! I am planning to expand my Halo-Halo line because my guests are asking for more,” he said.

And yes, we want more.

Was it worth a dime?

My words are really not enough to express how I enjoyed the #eatsploreCB event. Of course, I would be lying if I tell you that every food was my favorite.

We have different taste buds; some are fond of sweets while others are fond of sea foods. It really depends on the person.

If you ask me if going to Café Basa is worth it, I can’t answer that for you. I’ll leave that to you and invite you to test their dishes.

As far as my experience is concerned, I have gone back to them for the nth time already. If you would also ask me whether or not their dishes are worth my dime, I would vouch for them; that their service and food are topnotch; and that every single peso my fiance and I paid to them is never wasted.

You would also be surprised how full you would be with just around P500 for their dishes. In fact, you might even say that they charge low for a menu and for the experience that are, in reality, expensive when you’re in other places.

Café Basa is living up to their tagline:

“The quality experience you can eat.”

About #eatsploreCB

#eatsploreCB is a first of its kind in Kalibo and possibly in the province of Aklan. This is an event and a gastronomic adventure that aims to introduce a new culinary culture in town. It gives access for new and traditional dishes that come with the use of new flavors, cuisines, infusions, or techniques. Some dishes will be familiar, but they have a different approach, while others will be influenced by different cultures, or from the imaginations of Chef Myck. In the near future, Chef Myck plans a collaboration event with other chefs and aspiring chefs.

#eatsploreCB is not just a culinary event. It also comes with socializing with other people. Here, you will be joined by other food enthusiast and chefs! Meet them or make friends with them and get a chance to exchange ideas, cooking and traveling tips, and share the whereabouts of other culinary gems. As with high hopes, we at Café Basa, are aiming to create a community of food lovers here in Kalibo!

Café Basa is located at Judge Martelino Rd, Andagaw, Kalibo, 5600 Aklan. For reservations, contact them via landline (036) 262 1482. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

#eatsploreCB #Aklan #Cafe Basa #exclusive #featured #Kalibo

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