"Go in peace."

DAY 6 of the Inspiration Series

Big bites, little bites. There's something for everybody in the Big Apple.

The last couple of days have been so busy that I didn't even realize I haven't blogged in 10 days! Yikes! Sorry to keep you all hanging. Now back to regular Inspiration programming :)

I was in New York this week, and have had quite a productive time out there. The trip included a list of tasks and errands to accomplish, and I must say I'm happy with the results.

The first thing that came to mind when I got to Grand Central was…I didn't miss it. Not just yet. Strange, huh? Then I went to Serafina—an old favorite hangout, for the fruity olive oil, blocks of parmesan, crusty-chewy bread, and thin-crust gorgonzola/pesto pizza—and saw two friends. I managed to squeeze in an errand in Harlem, a place I likened to Cubao, for the street vendors, clustered shops, and overall feeling of alertness I've had to harness at a young age while learning to commute around Manila.

More than the errands and brimming to-do list, I discovered certain things about myself and the kind of lifestyle I'm drawn towards:

1. I was happy to go around town on my own, and I still enjoyed the pace people walked and the accessibility of each block.

2. I didn't find the need to fraternize with a large group, instead choosing simple one-on-one catch-up sessions with just a few friends.

3. I enjoyed the familiarity, but knew in my heart it wasn't time to go back. Again, not just yet.

Re: #2, at sporadic points during my trip, I felt a little bit sad after realizing that it's taken me some time to heal from the trauma of some failed friendships I had made over a year ago. If you read this blog regularly, I think you'd be able to piece together bits and parts of the story: from the breast cysts I got from the stress, down to the disbelief of being talked about for the first time in years, since high school.

I caught myself talking about this carelessly, when in fact, it should have already long been a closed book. Upon realizing this, I'd resolved to completely move on and refrain from even broaching the subject.

At mass earlier, it was as if God, through the Gospel reading, was telling me to do the exact same thing:

"Nothing that enters one from the outside can defile that person; but the things that come from within are what defile."

I likened this to the saying, "You can't change certain things or certain people; but you can change your reaction towards the circumstances."

It's true: Whatever hurt I'd experienced in the past, whatever the betrayal, the dishonesty, the misunderstandings…those were all external. And the only thing that can truly heal me, other than prayer, is my reaction and desire to move forward. So that's exactly what I'll will myself to do from this point on. Even if it means limiting the social scope of my future life in the city. So this time, I am truly going for quality. And besides, I'm not one to play the victim, it's so not my theme in life.

During the homily, as if echoing my decision to be more scrutinizing of the friendships I make and keep, the priest talked about the difference between being judgmental and protecting one's self. "If you have to avoid 'Fred' not because you are condemning him but protecting your own salvation, that's not being judgmental," he said. "But if you're focusing on Fred's faults, then the other saying from Christ Himself applies to you: 'Why do you look at the splinter on your friend's eyes, but not the beam in yours?'"

So this time, and like I've always had anyway but have at times succumbed to indulgent gossiping, I'm now all for 'peace that passes understanding.'


The Inspiration Series

DAY 1 - "It smells like God."
DAY 2 - "You're a kind soul."
DAY 3 - "Just wait for it."
DAY 4 - "I have all I need."
DAY 5 - "Take the plunge."
DAY 6 - "Go in peace."
DAY 7 - "Don't stop believing."

"Take the plunge."

DAY 5 of the Inspiration Series

The cheese counter at the Grand Central Market: a reason to make Manhattan one's home.

When I first moved to New York, I had about $500 to spend (cash and credit combined) and a generous $400-600 rent donation from my mother. To this day I am amazed and baffled by this and I keep thinking, How on earth did I even think I would survive on that amount?

But I did.

That's not to say though that I didn't struggle during those early days. My first few weeks were marked by the following realizations:

1. OH. MY. GOSH—I'm alone in NYC. Even if I was living "independently" in my hometown, I still had a steadfast support system around me. My dad's house was 20 minutes away from my apartment; Alvs lived nearby as well; doctors were a text message away; my landlady treated me like family. Life was pretty much cushy, despite living on what I thought then to be a meager editor salary.

2. I can't sleep on an airbed! Yet, I couldn't cough up the $300 for a new mattress. I also couldn't get approved for the six-month installment plan at Sleepy's around the block, because I was new in town and therefore had no credit history. I did find a decent, brand new orthopedic twin mattress in a small furniture store in Queens (the manager probably took pity on me) for a good $150. I blogged about this experience/ordeal in great detail in ChocolateSoundboard.com, which is now private.

3. I have to find a job—ASAP. With a huge chunk of my money spent on the bed, I had about a week or two to survive without going totally broke…or hungry. I met up with a friend from my early days at Seventeen. We were interns back then and she's an actress now based in New York. She mentioned I should look into restaurant hostessing—a job seemingly many actors take on for the flexibility (and visibility, I presume). At the time, I was still waiting for a call from Hearst, so I had to temp somewhere, somehow.

On my seventh day in New York, I found a hostessing job at a Japanese resto on Park Avenue (ah, the beauty of Craig's List), wherein I'd worked for three months before finally landing my first "official" big city job at the Hearst Tower. Here's my article on the experience.

4. Which way is east/west/north/south? During those first few weeks, I had to leave the house extra early to allot enough time for travel. Now, my apartment in Sunnyside was only 15 minutes from midtown Manhattan, BUT I kept taking the train going the opposite direction, thus, doubling my commute. It took me a good three months to get my geographical bearings. To this day, I can say that the public transportation system is one of my favorite things about New York. I drove around a lot in Manila, and I said when I moved to NYC, I would only take public transportation.

The great thing about sharing this whole experience is that, I'm not the only one I know who's left everything lovely back home for a bite of the Big Apple. I was just chatting with a friend—a prolific accessories designer in my hometown—a couple of weeks back and she was contemplating a Big Move as well. The other day I got an email saying she was already in town, and currently looking for sublets near F.I.T., where she'll be attending the fall term.

My former roommates also shared anecdotes on their early days in New York. One of them slept on an airbed for months. He didn't have the motorized pump so he had to manually inflate the bed every night for it had holes in it ("My lips became as big and red as Angelina's!"). His wife, on the other hand, had subsisted on canned food and survived old roommates who rummaged through her belongings. But now both of them are happily settled in, have a new baby, and are enjoying life in the city.

Manhattan is scattered with people with their own unique stories about leaving their comfortable lives and just taking the plunge. Some find success and stay, some find out it's not their thing and Manhattan is not all that, while some stay for a bit and share the experience back home. I, for one, have finally reconciled my living situation in New York. I'm no longer a full-time resident, for the time being. However, much of the work I do now and most of my income still comes from there (ah, the beauty of telecommuting).

Money will always be an issue—at least if you make it to be. I truly believe that if you pursue what your heart craves and what your gut calls out to do, the resources will follow. In the same vein as when my dad told me to never take a high-paying job for the sole reason being money, going for something you want or a livelihood you enjoy, opens up the cashflow down the line.


The Inspiration Series

DAY 1 - "It smells like God."
DAY 2 - "You're a kind soul."
DAY 3 - "Just wait for it."
DAY 4 - "I have all I need."
DAY 5 - "Take the plunge."
DAY 6 - "Go in peace."
DAY 7 - "Don't stop believing."

Blogger vs. Wordpress: 5 Reasons Why I Prefer Blogger

Believe me, I've tried.

And now I can say that I do prefer Blogger over WordPress, for many reasons (and as a disclaimer, I'm saying they're all very biased, so please go easy on the comments). Before I begin, here are the stats:

Sites I have with WordPress: two
Sites I have with Blogger: seven up

1. WordPress.com and WordPress.org
That alone poses way too many complications in an already complicated world wide web. The former is the free blogging service and the latter is the software source of the blogging service if you choose to host your blog/site yourself. (Check out http://WebHostingGeeks.com if you're shopping for web site hosting. Their Top 10 Best Web Hosts (2009) chart is helpful.) For the sake of clarity and simplicity, my Blogger-Wordpress comparisons only refer to my experience with the .com—the free blogging service like Blogger—and not .org.

2) Free Domain Mapping
I've been using Blogger since 2003. Back then the interface was quite raw, and you had to input your own HTML code to insert photos. Thus, my early posts had no images, and the latter ones that did, took so long to complete. I didn't notice several new features right away, but down the line, the interface became very visual and friendly, with plenty of drag-and-drop, 'point-and-click' settings, including registering your own domain right on the Blogger dashboard.

WordPress has this, too. BUT, as of this posting, they charge a whopping $14.95 yearly for directing your blog to your own domain. So if I want to move ChocolateCaster.wordpress.com to ChocolateCaster.com, I'd have to pay that fee on top of what I'll spend on the domain purchase. If I want to redirect ChocolateCaster.blogspot.com to its own domain, it's FREE on Blogger!

3) Unlimited HTML and CSS editing.
Now that I've mentioned the fees WordPress.com charges, if you want to customize your template and change colors, headers, and fonts, you have to pay a yearly fee of about $15, too. In Blogger, if I find a lovely new template from one of the many, many talented designers out there, but happen to prefer this particular shade of aqua or midnight blue, I can go ahead an tweak the template myself—free! (Web etiquette just calls for not erasing the author credits on the gutter.)

4) AdSense and advertisements.
I earn pennies monthly from AdSense, literally. I have about $7 (seven US dollars) in total earnings from the time I started utilizing the service; which only means I have A LOT to learn in terms of optimizing my site/s, building traffic, increasing click-through rates, and so forth. But my point is, I'd at least like to have the decision to optimize, or have nothing to do with ads at all, be made by me. WordPress.com does not allow any ads whatsoever. At the most, a blog author can put up a PayPal button for donations.

5) User-friendly interface.
I cannot begin to describe the number of times I got so stressed out and irritated by WordPress's Dashboard. I find it extremely unfriendly. Again, this the very biased opinion of someone who has used Blogger for years; even back when the user's opening page wasn't even called "Dashboard." Whenever I try to edit the sites that I do have on WordPress, I end up just wanting to get done ASAP and close the window.


YET, NEVER SAY NEVER… According to a ProBlogger survey conducted in 2006, Wordpress.org leads the roster of platforms bloggers use to publish their sites, with Blogger coming second, followed by Movable Type, ExpressionEngine, TypePad, and WordPress.com.

In 2007, on the other hand, PC World gave Blogger the top spot ("Best Buy!"; 91 points - Superior) and WordPress, second (88 points - Very Good); followed by TypePad, Lycos Tripod, and Squarespace. (Click here for the original article link.)

Well, it's like that great PC-versus-Mac debate: It's never-ending and it boils down to personal preference. Who knows if one day NyMinuteNow.com finds its next home in Wordpress? After all, many successful and prominent blogs use it, and many of them are visually enticing, engaging, streamlined, and reader-friendly.

But for now the verdict is out: Blogger it is.

A 2007 reader survey done by ProBlogger.net.

Happy Cupcakes

Classic vanilla cupcakes with fluffy white frosting.

Here's a sweet intermission while I'm brewing the next Inspiration blog post. I made these from Martha Stewart's White Layer Cake recipe on her website, turning it into cupcakes for easy access and enjoyment. I iced them with her 7-Minute frosting recipe as well.

I know making these treats may sound tedious—you'll be wielding an electric beater for the most part, separating egg whites, sifting flour, etc.—but trust me, it's fun and delightful...especially when you find that you have a big tub of white icing leftover to enjoy.

You know I'd ship these out to you guys if proximity and shelf life weren't an issue!

"I have all I need."

DAY 4 of the Inspiration Series

"And if I need more, it'll come."

I just wrote that on my notebook and within minutes—or maybe seconds—the song, "All I Need" by Air (from the album, "Moon Safari: A Lunar Adventure") played randomly on iTunes. Doesn't that sound divine, literally? I know God listens and affirms with grace.

I had a full day with family today. I know for many of you reading this blog, it's not unusual to spend Sundays with loved ones, hearing mass, going out to lunch, shopping around town, enjoying a hearty dinner. But to me, this is something I treasure because I'd missed out on this for many years, having lived independently since my early teens and for most of my adult life.

I always joke with my mother that I've done this totally backwards. In the Philippines, most girls live with their parents until they're married. Some get their own apartments after graduation, but the former is the norm. I, on the other hand, am living with my mother for the first time since I was 13! It's as if I'm cashing in on those missed years. But Mom says it's not even an issue: I'm getting married, and I need to save up. And she loves having me around, taking advantage of her marvelous kitchen gadgets. So Thank you, mom.

Anyway, I dormed throughout high school and up to Freshman year college. By then my aunt and uncle said I should be spending college in a family environment (I was an only child at the time), so I lived with them, and my three cousins, for three years. We were quite close, to the point that my youngest cousin, who had been born the following year, thought I was her sister. Eventually, I moved out (and my cousin cried when she found out I was her cousin! Aww...)

Don't get me wrong, dear blog readers: To borrow Liv Tyler's words describing her childhood, "Mine was filled with love." There may have been times when my parents were absent, but everybody pitched in and provided me with a sense of family. Probably quite the non-traditional kind, but family nonetheless. My favorite aunt, Tita Joan, once said, "Family isn't just blood." And it's true.

As for those times my immediate family members were 'absent,' my dad, back then was new at his newspaper job and was busy toiling away at work to the point that he bunked with other reporters/editors in the office living quarters for many years. He didn't get paid much in the beginning, but he was able to send me to college and provide for me financially. Plus share helpful books (see my "Good Morning, America post from last year) and insights along the way.

My mother, on the other hand, was busy trying to get all of us a green card. These days she lives comfortably, but during her early years in the U.S., she took on several jobs to make ends meet. Eventually, after the strain of a five-year long distance relationship, she and my dad split. But I won't elaborate on that in this post (looong story).

Anyway, those three years I'd lived with relatives before moving out were quite critical in my growth as an adult human being:

I learned how to ride a bike at 16.

At 16, Tito Al hired an instructor to teach me how to ride a bike. This was in Baguio, (a northern city in the Philippines) during a family vacation, and they didn't come get me until I was balancing/wobbling on my own. Within weeks, we were rough-riding at the construction site of what is now The Fort. I am not kidding—we were biking around tractors, submerged in dirt, on unpaved/non-existent roads. By Christmas that year, Tito Al and Tita Joan gifted me with a bicycle—one that I took to school, to the climbing gym, around town.

At 17 and 18, I learned to eat Boursin and Havarti, enjoy chewy walnut bread from the Mandarin Hotel, eat chicken baked in paprika, know what a clean kitchen and living room should look like, source seat covers from obscure places, PAINT a gate (not kidding!), clean and oil a bicycle, do long and short runs, make (or destroy) carbonara, and so forth. The works.

By 19, I was on my own, again. But armed and ready to be independent. I didn't go wild, I'd been trained well. I felt like a responsible adult.

In retrospect, I see that no matter how life seemed lacking or incomplete at different points in time, I'd actually been given the building blocks needed for each step of the way and every accomplishment. Sometimes it's just easier to fixate on what's missing, and crave for certain things, but looking at the big picture, it's all in there.

Image courtesy of http://www.tunequest.org/ (album) and http://www.abikestore.com (bicycle).

The Inspiration Series

DAY 1 - "It smells like God."
DAY 2 - "You're a kind soul."
DAY 3 - "Just wait for it."
DAY 4 - "I have all I need."
DAY 5 - "Take the plunge."
DAY 6 - "Go in peace."
DAY 7 - "Don't stop believing."

Something for the Weekend

These look comfortable AND stylish!

Hi, friends! I interrupt my regular Inspiration programming to make way for some shoe shopping—the window and online kind. Weekend is the perfect time to leisurely browse the net without being interrupted by work emails, at least for those who work in an office on weekdays.

Yesterday I got an email about Shchwartz & Benjamin, makers of daniblack Shoes and footwear suppliers to fashion name brands like Dianne Von Furstenberg, Juicy Couture, and kate spade. I browsed the daniblack website and saw the sandals above.

I'd love to have both colors (they're on sale, too!) but I'd rather allot my resources now on other, more important undertakings... which will most probably lead to a satiating supply of fabulous footwear in the distant future. So for now, these shall remain eye-candy for the weekend.

Here are some other styles worth noting:

I normally shy away from platform espadrilles, but I like the mustard yellow shade of these, plus, they look comfy and great for hot and happy weather.

I'm not sure where I'll be this autumn season. But if I end up some place wintry, these definitely would go with all the warm tights and thermals.

These pumps totally appeal to my Carla Bruni fascination. I love the sophisticated blue—quite regal, I must say.

Meanwhile, while you're browsing beautiful footwear, please check out my friend's eBay shoe store, I'll post the link once I have it.

Watch out for my next Inspiration post coming tomorrow. Happy weekend, everyone!

"Just wait for it."

DAY 3 of the Inspiration Series

Little Amélie spending a leisurely day eating raspberries.

When my dad started blogging a couple of months ago, he took to building posts, sourcing photos, and finding catchy titles in a classic journalistic manner—just like he did during those years he worked as an editor for a newspaper. At one point, we were trying to figure out a domain name (or was it a blog title?) and we were just sitting there in his study and he said:

"Just wait, it'll come. The universe just gives it to you. Just sit and wait."

Now, my dad isn't space-age-y that way, in fact, he can sometimes be painfully objective and straightforward. But there is that side of him that churns out cool and catchy life mantras, many of which have come in handy during tough times at work. Here are some that I'd managed to write down in random pages of my notebook:

1. "Being down makes you flexible and enterprising. View this as a challenge."

2. "There are 14 million people in New York, according to Sex and the City. You'll find at least 10 good bosses in that 14 million."

3. "When a door closes, a window opens—or break a window!"

4. "Plant seeds. They bear fruit at the right and perfect time."

5. "Don't step on people on your way up, so on your way down, they'll catch you instead of kicking you lower."

6. "Enjoy the search. It's about the travel more than the destination. So travel tomorrow."

7. "EBAY." :)

And my favorite so far is:

8. "Don't sit on your garlands."
(a.k.a. "Never rest on your laurels.")

As for "waiting for it," he may be right. I am a true believer in Divine Inspiration and Timing.

With this Inspiration Series, when I was forming it in my head, I'd intended it to be regular, but not daily pieces, unlike the 30-Day Blog Challenge wherein I'd blogged for 30 consecutive days, with one or two scheduled posts within the series. But I find that everyday, a burst of inspiration (sometimes, two) just instantly leads me to start typing away on the keyboard, and I don't have to rack my brain for the perfect words; they just flow. Cool huh?

Well of course, with that, I follow the standard writing/editing mantra of "Create and collate," meaning, write freely, go with the flow of your thoughts, and then edit: Check for form, grammar, readability, and so forth.

Image courtesy of http://intimatevignettes.blogspot.com

The Inspiration Series

DAY 1 - "It smells like God."
DAY 2 - "You're a kind soul."
DAY 3 - "Just wait for it."
DAY 4 - "I have all I need."
DAY 5 - "Take the plunge."
DAY 6 - "Go in peace."
DAY 7 - "Don't stop believing."

"You're a kind soul."

DAY 2 of the Inspiration Series

I will survive the next round.

Today I made a call to the Digital Film Academy in New York City to inquire about their 14-week Digital Film Making course which gives students a chance to learn to write, produce, direct, edit, and publish their own films. This skill set, I believe, is great to have in this economic clime, where print media is struggling to meet advertising quotas and at the same time churn out quality content even with skeletal staffs on board. (I DO still love paper, magazines, books, and newspapers by the way!)

I spoke to the president, Patrick DiRenna, who had a very subtle New York accent and whose demeanor on the phone was surprisingly very helpful. In my head I felt that I had to speed it up and ask the appropriate questions so as not to waste his time—but I also could tell that he welcomed my inquiry.

After getting all the information I needed, I politely said goodbye, thank you, and take care, to which he warmly replied, "You're a kind soul, I could tell by your voice."

I was stunned yet, at the same time, felt a surge of happiness. Comments like that are heartwarming, especially for someone who's been rejected the world over in a span of less than two years in Manhattan. These career blows are mainly why, this year, I've taken to living and traveling anywhere and everywhere else but NYC. (Part of my income still comes from there though, from off-site editing work. And my belongings are in a storage facility in Queens.)

But recent developments, along with this detoxing, stress-relieving sabbatical, have truly recharged my batteries and put things back in perspective: I feel that next year would be better and I would be able to take another bite of the Big Apple. I, once again, have a grasp of the little bits and pieces that will propel me towards my next undertaking. I just have to listen, seek, and very importantly: follow through.

Image courtesy of Paulo Barcellos at Flickr.com

The Inspiration Series

DAY 1 - "It smells like God."
DAY 2 - "You're a kind soul."
DAY 3 - "Just wait for it."
DAY 4 - "I have all I need."
DAY 5 - "Take the plunge."
DAY 6 - "Go in peace."
DAY 7 - "Don't stop believing."

"It smells like God."

I recently ordered a box of Pocket Inspiration cards from my former boss and editor at Seventeen, Maya, who now creates these lovely pieces: from the writing, design, and illustration (you can get them from her Etsy shop online).

The small padded envelope arrived containing the following: a handwritten note from Maya herself, wishing me well for my upcoming wedding, a tiny card with instructions on how to use the cards, a small wooden clip with a tiny orange ladybug bead attached to it (too cute!), little white envelopes, and the cards encased in a lavender box tied with native twine.

I noticed that the note I was holding was lightly scented. My little brother was a few steps away so I showed it to him. He exclaimed, "Wow, it smells like God!" My heart immediately swelled and I almost got teary eyed. As we unwrapped the white envelopes, he again said, "They smell like God, too!" I can't exactly describe the scent, but the closest I could get to putting it to words is that it's a mix of a powdery floral aroma with a subtle tinge of musk.

So Maya, if you're reading this, thank you for making these cards: They're precious—and I'm calling them my little pieces of heaven. I know they're also meant to be shared with other people, to "make it your intention to inspire," but I'll forever treasure them, whether they fly away or stay close by.

DAY 1 Thanks to a blogger tip I recently read and in light of today's lovely parcel, I'd like to start an Inspiration Series—seven posts that are meant to inspire and warm the heart—starting TODAY.

(Center-aligned images courtesy of Pocket Inspiration at Etsy.com)

The Inspiration Series

DAY 1 - "It smells like God."
DAY 2 - "You're a kind soul."
DAY 3 - "Just wait for it."
DAY 4 - "I have all I need."
DAY 5 - "Take the plunge."
DAY 6 - "Go in peace."
DAY 7 - "Don't stop believing."

Most Heartwarming Movie Ever

As I write this, I am sipping cold strawberry milk from a champagne flute...simply because it keeps the liquid cold and it looks nice—the perfect accompaniment for chewy chocolate chip bars.

I just got home from watching Julie & Julia and Oh. My. Gosh. It felt exactly like when I first watched The Devil Wears Prada, also starring Meryl Streep. I kept tearing up at several scenes (no, they're not sad) because they struck way too many chords in my heart. Most reverberating were Julie Powell's (played by Amy Adams) lines, character, and situation. There were several parallels to what I'm going through. Off the top of my head:

1) Julie was 29 going 30. Age isn't really an issue for me, because I hardly feel like my age. I have a childlike disposition, to put it mildly. But like her, I am in a dilemma of What's next? in my life. It's like I'm in limbo yet at the same time, feel like I'm on the brink of something big, and that I just have to piece the puzzle together.

2) Julie finished a novel. But hers had no publisher. I have a publisher, but my manuscript needs a major rewrite/overhaul. It's taken me years to finish, and I'm hoping I don't take as long polishing it. Right now, two writer/editor friends are reading and critiquing it. Meanwhile, I'm learning more and more about plot, conflict, and resolution. Also, Julia Child worked on hers for eight years before finally getting published.

3) Julie lived in Long Island City, Queens. My last apartment was in Queens! I lived on the border of LIC and Sunnyside and like her, took the 7 train everyday.

...And so many more! Her love for food, her doting partner (who loved her and her food). I can go on and on about it. I'm definitely buying the DVD once it comes out. If only to take down notes on the quotes that freakily struck those chords. Maybe down the line, I could also tackle some of Julia Child's recipes from her famous book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (Knopf).

When I first watched Prada, I had just gotten back from a fantabulous series of press junkets that included New York, Amsterdam, and Rome on the itinerary. My career was where I'd imagined it to be, and I was finally ready to move to a foreign place, hoping to take everything to the next level. Well some of you know how that turned out to be. (For a backgrounder, read this magazine clip or this post. And the muffins and brownies that followed here.) I moved to New York about eight months after I'd seen the movie. In fact, I even ended up working for a milder Miranda and Nigel combo. It was as if my life mirrored the movie. And instead of a bitchy British colleague, Emily, I got a friendly French cohort named Caroline. But you know how that movie ends :)


So now I'm feeling slightly disturbed and fidgety. I keep thinking that I should be doing more and getting the ball rolling with the goals I've set for myself. Some are really far out, but like I've mentioned before, I've been taught to break down big goals into smaller, doable pieces. Will it be a ritzy hotel front desk job? Will I be working for a PR person formerly based in New York? Or will my next 30-Day Blog Challenge be to the tune of "My 30 days of frying chicken at KFC?" Only time will tell. And I have this blog to chronicle what happens this point forward.

Now, if there's a celebrity chef I love to watch, it's Ina Garten. Not just because she lovingly churns out delicious concoctions from her homebase in the Hamptons, but also because she entertains with flair and practically does everything from scratch. Yum! This photo was taken at my old office in Manhattan, where she was guest chef for a week in my favorite cafeteria in the whole wide world.

Images courtesy of http://www.chron.com (Meryl Streep as Julia Child) and http://www.thecinemasource.com ( The Devil Wears Prada movie still).

They made it!

Love this pic!

Well, at least one of them did :) I recently mailed out Sharpie markers to blogger friends I've made here and I wasn't sure if the pens were actually going to reach their recipients (for the scoop on this, read my Sharpie Giveaway post). So imagine my delight when I saw over at Eternal Sunshine that hers had arrived, complete with this beautiful photo posted in her blog as a thank-you note (you're welcome, PinkTwistedHalo!).

I have yet to see how many of those I sent out make it to Manila, but this Sharpie experience has inspired me more than ever to hold giveaways here at NyMinuteNow.com. My friend, Frances of Topaz Horizon regularly does this, and I know I'll be taking her lead in terms of drawing prizes in the future: To choose the winners for her recent Moleskin Giveaway, she wrote down all the names of entries on a sheet of paper, cut the sheet in strips, shook them up in a box, and picked a winning name.

What I have in mind for future giveaways so far are:

1) COLORFUL Post-its from Office Depot! Cute first-aid kits from Target!

2) A bottle of perfume for one of the first 10 subscribers/FriendConnect followers at BeautyintheBigApple.com once I've finally finished uploading the whole archive of articles and have successfully marketed for prizes (or maybe just get from my mother's stash).

3) Items that don't contain liquids or anything that can break in transit. Please feel free to send in your suggestions.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/twistedhalo

UPDATE 08/12/09: This just in from Chasing Dreams. Thanks for posting this, Riz!

Eau, baby

Over at BeautyintheBigApple, I'd written quite a number of times about fragrances. This past year I've featured a number of designer must-haves, but personally, I'm in perfume limbo. While vacationing in Manila last summer, I bought a trusty bottle of Denenes cologne: one I'd frequently spashed on as a preppy tweener. These days, it's my go-to spritz when it gets too hot outside, or if I'm one day short of a bath (oops!).

When I was a full-time beauty editor, I leisurely switched fragrances on a regular basis: one for every season and one for any mood. And if I come across any of the perfumes I've used in the past, I would most definitely associate them with certain points in time, people, and experiences. In a random conversation, I would be able to explain to you my love-hate relationship with Bulgari Omnia Original (hate) and Amethyst (love). By the way if you're on the lookout for new scent treats, these cologne buying guides for women and men at Shopwiki UK might be helpful in your search. As for me, it's Denenes for now until further notice.

Image courtesy of http://www.deliciasdeespana.com

Repeat after me...

Throughout my adult life, I've been trained to visualize my goals and break them down into smaller steps to make them happen. I usually make a list and a timeline, so you can imagine the kind of frustration I subject myself to whenever said plans fail to come to fruition.

I'm also thinking that, perhaps, I should start focusing on living in the moment. I've noticed a pattern of my relishing and enjoying my achievements (or simply realizing I had any) months, or even years they've happened. Maybe because I'm always comparing myself/my work/what I'm doing to others and I tend to set high standards and that's probably why I always feel like I'm not doing enough, no matter how busy things get.

A recent episode of Oprah guested finance maven, Suze Orman, and an audience filled with people who have lost their jobs and homes, all now in despair and feeling a deep loss. Orman pleaded to the grieving audience to follow this piece of advice:

"Think about what you have instead of what you had."

It's so simple yet so straightforward and true. For those who have lost value in their homes, this is how Orman urged them to phrase their sentiment:

BEFORE: "My house was worth $500,000 and now it's just $200,000."

AFTER: "My house is worth $200,000."

The second statement is uplifting and propels one to a more proactive mindset. (Of course everyone is allowed a grieving period.)

So whenever you find yourself with the blues and the what-ifs; saddled with regret and longing for all that was lost in the past, heed this mantra and watch a small ray of sunshine brighten up a clouded perspective.

Truthful Review

I just saw The Ugly Truth starring the statuesque Katherine Heigl and 300 hunk Gerard Butler.

Watching it with my mother was a bit weird, because of the R-rated humor used throughout the movie. But overall, it was worth seeing, if only for the witty writing and comic timing. You'll notice plenty of dialogue between the characters, but the movie is fast-paced enough that the banter stays interesting, and not dragging.

Heigl is stunning, and her acting makes you forget about all the not-so-funny things she's known for in real life. I would even go as far as saying that she seemed like a real trooper in this film, and that she was fun to watch. No spoilers here :)

As for Butler, I haven't seen 300—a movie most people I know have raved about. In Ugly Truth he plays an abrasively frank, to the point of crass, TV talent bent on exposing the 'truth' about men, women, and dating. His lines sound like something you would read from a book He's Just Not That Into You, but with vividly-worded graphic nuances.

The clothes in the movie are okay. I think anything on Heigl looks great; I found no love handles whatsoever on her frame. Butler, seems to be heftier than what I recall from posters of 300; he looks great though. His wardrobe in the movie is a mix of comfy casual knits and sleek grey suits. (By the way, I saw this article at Shopwiki.com on basic shirt-and-tie rules and no-fail combos for guys.)

The movie is now showing in U.S. theaters and more info can be found at the official website, http://www.thetruthisntpretty.com.

(Image courtesy of Justjared.buzznet.com)

Blogging and Baking

I stumbled upon baking in the same way I stumbled upon blogging: An opportunity (or need) presented itself and I took it.

My first blog, Chocolate Soundboard, started as a literal online journal in 2003. I needed a space to write down random thoughts—like one does on a diary—when I was away from my computer at home (i.e. in between writing articles at my work desk in Seventeen). It was quite the private space I'd intended it to be until I accidentally made it show up on Google...quite a happy accident, if I knew back then how important something like that was nowadays.

Baking, on the other hand, was something I did briefly in college. I was living with my cousins and their parents, and my aunt had the Mrs. Fields® Cookie Book. It was a treasure trove of sweet delights and each recipe was surprisingly easy to follow, and not to mention, naturally decadent. At some point, my cousin and I sold white chocolate chip cookies to classmates (for about a week).

Moving houses, even continents, I just completely stopped and moved on to other pursuits both in life and in the kitchen—until recently when I found myself wielding measuring cups and chocolate chips once again. I did make a few batches of brownies and muffins in New York, but for some reason, cookies trigger different memories and touch a special place in my heart.

Perfect Day

View from Mother Cabrini Shrine.

• Hotel breakfast with family: orange juice, scrambled eggs, toast, cottage cheese, oatmeal. (Yes, all mine.)

• Walk in the park; helped teach little bro how to ride a bike. Got a good workout from holding his seat and sprinting as he pedaled.

• Swam in a warm pool while the parents shopped for Western boots.

• Got snacks from the small 'market' in the lobby: Nestle Toll House ice cream sandwich, mixed nuts, and lemonade; hung out in relatives' room, who later arrived with pizza slices.

• Went home to give everybody time for siesta. I made my first batch of chocolate chip cookies in years (haven't made any since college).

• Back to the hotel to pick up aunt and uncle; drove to Red Rocks Ampitheatre, but didn't get in because of a concert; ended up at the Mother Cabrini Shrine where we climbed hundreds of steps to reach the top of the hill (mountain?). Prayed.

• Hearty dinner of sizzling salmon fillet, asparagus spears, and wasabi garlic mashed potatoes. Leisurely accessories shopping for cousins/nieces at Forever 21.

• Quick shoe scan where I found a cute pair of Puma sneakers called "Simplice." (No, I didn't buy them, was just happy to look around.)

• Wished family Bon Voyage!; lots of hugs and goodbyes. Got sad ... all the more I now look forward to the holidays.

• Home. Chai latté. Chocolate chip cookie. Blog.