neil--vildad-blog

[neil--vildad-blog]

5 Vegetarian Meals that are Quick, Tasty, and Budget-Friendly

Vegetarians are often faced with confused looks and even confused questions when talking about the things they eat. When I tell people that I’m a vegetarian, it’s often met by confused looks followed by questions like “So, what do you eat? Salad lang?” or “Isn’t it boring to be a vegetarian?” To which, I reply with an awkward smile or a measly shrug. Other who have some sense of what plant-based diets usually tell me that being a vegetarian is hard because it’s usually time-consuming or it’s expensive to get vegetables.

Variety is the spice of life. I don’t think to be a vegetarian means having to stick with the same old boring salad. Here are five (5) of my favorite vegetarian recipes that are delicious, easy, and student-friendly:

1. Tofu Stir-fry

Image source: Seongkyoung Longest

Tofu is a staple in vegetarian meals as it is a great substitute for meat, and stir-frying tofu is one of leveling it up. Stir-fry tofu is a basic when it comes to vegetarian meals because of its simplicity and straight-forwardness. It’s also very versatile recipe because you can use any type of vegetable to your liking. My favorite recipe is this tofu and mushroom recipe by Seongkyoung Longest. 

When I make this recipe, I use canned mushrooms instead of fresh mushrooms because it’s cheaper and more accessible.

2. Vegan Ramen

Image source: https://www.acouplecooks.com/easy-vegetarian-ramen/

Instant ramen is already delicious and cheap on its own, but adding vegetables to it really changes the game. This is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes because it’s quick, simple, and versatile enough that I can do it with almost any vegetable I have in the fridge. I often just add vegetables to my instant Korean ramen, but if you’re feeling extra fancy, you can follow this recipe that shows you how to spruce up your regular ramen.

3. Vegetable Fried Rice

Image source: http://www.oneingredientchef.com/vegan-fried-rice/

Fried rice is another super simple recipe that doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to make The fun thing about vegetarian fried rice is you can add as much or as little vegetables as you like and it would still be fine. Check out this recipe by Andrew Olsen as a guide on how to amp up your fried rice.

4. Mushroom Veggie Burger

When I first tried the mushroom burger from Mushroom Burger in Tagaytay, I was completely blown away by how meaty and delicious it is. I’ve bee looking all over the internet for a recipe that is equally as tasty as the mushroom burger of Tagaytay, but not as time-consuming or as expensive. I stumbled upon this recipe, and I’ve been following it since. What I like about it is that you can consume it in burger form or you can eat it as an ulam with rice.

5. Sweet and Spicy Asian Tofu

This recipe is another version of the tofu stir-fry. What sets this recipe apart from the other stir-fry recipes is it has unique flavors that are different from the traditional stir-fry, but it still retains the quickness and ease of cooking a stir-fry. This recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make, and it is surely as tasty as it is filling.

[neil--vildad-blog]

Race Against Time

It’s 2 am, you drink your second cup of coffee as you struggle to put your thoughts into words as you try to finish your 2000-something word essay due the next day (or later). As you sit there, staring at your computer screen, you think back on the last two weeks that you spent delaying the writing of your paper. You tell yourself that you’ll do better next time, but when the assignment comes, you do the same thing all over again.

The fight against time is common to every student, whether in high school or in college. More and more stories of all-nighters are shared by students as the school year progresses. Although some thrive in studying at night, there are still a good amount of students who spend their nights writing papers or studying for exams. In fact, this phenomenon has been too common to a lot of students that in 2014, it has been considered an epidemic. Sleep deprivation is a serious issue among students and although it has been a staple of student life, ditching sleep to study for an exam does more harm than good.

Dangers of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep is important to sustain proper bodily functions, as much as food and water are important in maintaining the body. Apart from recuperating after a long day, sleeping is also the body’s way of healing itself and consolidating information in order to strengthen memory retention. So when the body loses sleep, it loses the opportunity to do these, hampering the body to function normally. The day after an all-nighter, the immediate effects of an all-nighter can already be felt. This includes drowsiness, irritability, fatigue, and lack of focus, among others. These symptoms are likely to impede one’s performance in classes, which would make an all-nighter counterproductive in hindsight.

Apart from the more direct ramifications, prolonged lack of sleep has its more long-term effects on the body. One example of this is that losing sleep affects the body’s immune system to combat diseases effectively. This makes the body is more vulnerable to diseases (like flu or the common cold) and recuperating from such ailments become more difficult. Constant sleep deprivation can also lead to more serious health risks in the long run. Lack of sleep affects the cardiovascular system of the body, which might lead to a heart attack or stroke in the future. There are also studies that show how sleeping poorly raises one’s risk to Type 2 Diabetes.

Bottom Line

For many of us, ditching sleep becomes inevitable, especially when exams, papers, and projects pile up as the school year progresses. On top of this, some students choose to be active in their respective organizations, which add to the usual academic workload. Because of these factors, we choose to sacrifice hours of sleep to check off tasks on our to-do-lists. However, we must remember that overworking only leads to burnout. When our schedules become overwhelming, it’s easy to forget our basic needs. This is why self-care is important, and there is no single manner through which self-care exists. It can be through taking longer naps than usual, eating your favorite food, or even watching your go-to Rom-Com movie. Although it is easier said than done, we need to learn when to slow down or when to take breaks, as these are the small ways we keep our minds and bodies healthy.

You can find more information on sleep deprivation here:

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/03/sleep-deprivation-effects.aspx

[neil--vildad-blog]

The Magic and Realism in Storytelling

Stories are a huge part of my childhood. Growing up, I have spent countless afternoons reading books that gave me the chance to meet different characters, travel through time, and teleport to different universes, all while sitting in a small nook I created for myself in my bedroom. The stories of my childhood have impacted me greatly, as these have taught me lessons that formed how I came to view the world that I moved in. Apart from the stories, I was also fascinated by how each story is told. Each story, no matter how grand or mundane, is transformed by the storytelling that came with it. It can turn the greatest events into something menial, and the most ordinary story to something magical. One’s way of presenting a story can lead to different results in the people that receive it, and this is what I appreciate in stories and storytelling

Apart from reading stories, I also study it. Studying Literature made me appreciate telling stories more as this course brought to the fore the contexts that surround a story. This showed me how institutions influence of a  storytelling and the story that s/he is telling.

Early on, I have already had an appreciation for stories and how they are told, but it was only until later that I was able to ground the importance of stories and effective storytelling in everyday life. I joined two different publications/organizations in Ateneo, HEIGHTS and MATANGLAWIN, the former being an artistic and literary publication, the latter being a publication that dealt with issues that the marginalized sectors of the society face on the daily. In working with these publications, I saw that stories are not only awe-inspiring but are also life-giving. The marginalized farmers and workers were given a voice through features, interviews, and photo essays. The everyday narratives that are often overlooked are revisited and reevaluated through each poem, short story, or art piece. The stories, along with the people that tell them, are given life again through different forms and media and I believe that this is the true value of storytelling.

As a writer, I feel a certain responsibility to deliver and translate the intricacies of life in each of my works. I know that the personal stories that each person has are also political narratives that are yet to be weaved along with other stories. Life presents a multiplicity of narratives that are unique and different from others, each one equally valid. I am one who values stories and sees the value in stories. Regardless of the gravity of the stories that each person has, there are truths that are still being silenced, and there are still stories that have yet to be shared. These truths must be communicated and these stories must be shared as these show the worth of a person. May kwenta dahil may kwento.

I see When In Manila as an apt avenue where I can explore daily happening while at the same promote advocacies through it. When In Manila has its unique way of exploring the personal and the political by interspersing articles on what is hip-and-happening with pieces on real-life issues and advocacies. As much as it seeks out what is trendy, it also reaches out to the small pockets of hope that arise from the everyday. I see this platform as a balance between what is current and what is urgent, and being able to balance the two requires a particular skill in storytelling so as not to be too preachy, while at the same not being too vapid. When In Manila is already a thriving environment of writers, and although this is the case, I can still contribute my own perspective in storytelling, seeing that I come from a particular context. This allows me to tell stories in ways that are different from how others would narrate. The particular institutions that inform me allow me to tell stories that are distinct. I am Neil Vildad, a senior taking up Literature in Ateneo de Manila University, and I want to tell stories that are meaningful.

[neil--vildad-blog]

Salut! Je m’appelle Neil John C. Vildad. J’ai 18 ans. Je suis né le 1 octobre 1997. Je suis philippine. Je viens a la ville de Manille mais j’habite à la ville de Marikina. J’ai deux fréres et une sœur. Je suis étudiant á l’Ateneo. J’étudie la littérature en anglaise. Je parle anglais, philippine, Ilokano, et un peu de français. J’écoute la musique de The Killers, Mumford & Sons, Passion Pit, Kodaline, et Bastille. Je regarde les emissions de television de How to Get Away With Murder, Suits, American Horror Story, On the Wings of Love, Game of Thrones, et Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. J’aime les chiens. Je déteste slow walkers.

[neil--vildad-blog]

Mon père s’appelle Eduardo Vildad. Il a 59 ans. Il est né le 19 septembre 1956. Mon père vient de Zamboanga mais il habite à la ville de Marikina. Il est ingénieur à century Properties. Il écoute le jazz. 

Ma mére s’appelle Belmera Vildad.Elle a 53 ans. Elle est née le 4 décembre 1962. Elle est ingénieur à Robinsons Land Corporation. Elle vient de Cagayan Valley mais elle habite à la ville de marikina. 

Mes frères s’appellent Neil Edward et Neil Patrick. Neil Edward à 28 ans. Il vient à la ville de Marikina mais il habite à Chicago. Neil Patrick à 23 ans. Il est né le 22 septembre 1992. Il est ètudiant à Universite de Michigan State. Ma sœur s’appelle Neil Prudence. Elle a 29 ans. Elle est née le 26 avril 1986. Elle a formatrice à call center. Elle vient à la ville de marikina mais elle habite à la ville de Quezon.

J’aime ma famille.

[neil--vildad-blog]

Bonjour! Je m’appelle Neil. J’habit à la ville de Marikina. j’habite dans une maison avec ma famille. Il y a 5 person habiter à la maison - mon père, ma mère, deux cousins, et la maid. Ma maison à 4 chambres, 2 salles de bains, une cuisine, et un salon. 

[neil--vildad-blog]

Bonjour! J’habite à la ville de Marikina. À Marikina il y a le restaurant, les shops, et le musée. On retrouve des amis sur Riverbanks ou on pique-nique avec votre famille. Riverbanks Mall à côte de la Marikina Rive.  On manger avec des amis à le Calderon rue sur le Café Lydia et Industriya. Il y a un musée à Marikina -Shoe Museum. On decouvrir les shoes la Imelda Marcos dans le musée.