Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed holiday celebration! :)

Above is a Christmas card I painted and printed as gift tags. It's the first time I've ever done this so you can probably tell that I'm feeling quite proud. If you've read the "Finding Your Passion" post, you'd know my hesitations when it comes to 'art.' If you'd like to use this as well for your gift-wrapping needs, go ahead and print it to your heart's content. But if you happen to be in the business of printing, please be fair :)

Anyway, THANK YOU to all of you who read my blog, and thank you for all your comments! It's so nice reading your reactions, and simply knowing that there are people out there who actually read what I write!

Wishing you all the best in the coming year. May 2010 be filled with all the love, happiness, moments, and trinkets that make life worth living! Godbless!

Happy Presents

It's been I while since I bought dressy, strappy sandals. And for this pair I have to thank my dear, dear friend Frances of Topaz Horizon, who gave me gift cheques for VNC (a.k.a. Vincci as made famous in Malaysia) when she wrote about me in her Magnificent Women blog series. I love the huge gems on the shoe; I have a weakness for big sparkly baubles.

Anyway, it already feels like Christmas morning over here. If, like me, you scatter purchased items on the bed and look at them lovingly the minute you get home (and maybe have them next to you all through the night) then you know exactly what I mean.

Laying on my back next to the shopping bags, it dawned on me that this past year has truly been a divine gift from above. About a year ago in New York City, I remember waking up and asking myself: What if I didn't have to work? What if I didn't have to pay rent? Can I ever stop working?

I simply felt tired. And now I know that God heard my exasperated plea. While I didn't know back then that I was probably calling out to the universe for a chance to live life differently, how succeeding events panned out has proven this divine understanding, love, and compassion beyond words—even when I wasn't fully aware of the big picture. While I haven't been exactly idle this past year (I think I'm wired to keep my plate full at all times), I'd experienced a languid lifestyle wherein I was able to zone in on the things I loved to do without the pressures of a rigid schedule, and perhaps most importantly, spend plenty of time with the people that I love. In the process of all of this, I also got the chance to reflect, and then redirect my life in ways I have not imagined possible. And now I can say that I am truly, forever grateful.

Photo: Mariel Chua

It's just like New York...

Taken two summers ago at Willet's Point Stadium in Queens.

...but instead of walking all the way, I can now take a tricycle to the train station :)

Roomba, Rumba

An opportunity has recently opened wherein, in the event I am accepted and managerially deemed qualified, I would officially be able to make a living out of what I've always loved to do: tinkering about at home, discovering new recipes, exploring (and applying) ingenious ways to make living more efficient, understanding unique relationship dynamics, a little fashion and beauty here and there, and then writing—or at least talking—about all of the above and help spreading the word out.

Reflecting on said possibility, random conversations/thoughts came to mind that only reinforced the observations and further fueled my light-bulb moment of late:

"Have you tried the Swiffer WetJet Mop? It's the BEST mop ever."

"I need a handheld mixer. I want the one by 3D because it doubles as a stick blender. And it's cheap."

"I'm not ready to be a parent because I know how hard it is, after helping take care of some little ones in the family."

"I'm torn between buying the hairdryer from Watson's or the oven toaster from Hi-top."


At a photoshoot a few years ago, just before I got together with my fiancé, I met a newly married forty-something who said, "What you want may not be exactly what you need." At first I didn't quite understand what she said; I thought she was just settling, or even justifying the new husband. Back then, I had the perfect idea and profile of the kind of man I wanted to be with—the qualities, interests, even down to how he looked, and I was so sure of myself, short of being cocky. So I simply ignored what she said, only to discover later on that she was right. The man I ended up with had in him the qualities I wanted in a partner, BUT IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT, UNEXPECTED PACKAGE. My initial assumptions were proven wrong, and I ultimately ended up exactly where I wanted to be, with whom who has proven to be a very compatible match.

With this new possiblity I see plenty of parallels to what I went through that year:
the assumptions, labels, and unexpected (but wonderful) turn of events. And I only know that, as the world opened up for me at the time, whatever happens next will simply move my sugar-filled life forward and continue to pave the way towards even greater things.

I'm with the bandwidth

If you must Wi-fi...

As a freelance writer and editor, I am one of many who cocoon in coffeeshops and Wi-fi hubs to get things done. I won't mention my two favorite sweet spots in this post, but watch out for an upcoming blog at Yummy.ph to find out what they are. (And if you do go to one of them, please don't finish all the Sylvannas.)

While working on a recent Inquirer article ("Where to find the perfect hairstylist," 12/04/09), I ended up typing up some notes on the side involving café decorum. I know I'd already written two blog posts on etiquette, but at the risk of sounding uptight and a buzz-kill to the uplifting benefits of caffeine enjoyed in a communal space, I hope the tips below are indeed worth calling out—for the sake of my co-cocooners and coffeeshop cohorts.


Rule of hours

For every hour you spend lounging and making use of the Wi-fi, try to order at least one item from the menu. I’ve learned the value of turning tables when I worked as a hostess/Maître d' in New York. While neighborhood café staffers don’t rely on this particular system of waiting, it's still ethically sound to not be a freeloader on business space: No matter how cozy or 'homey' the ambience may be, you are still inside a place that relies on revenue to stay in existence.

If however, coffee is already coming out of your ears, leave a tip instead—a generous one.

I noticed in Starbucks the security guard also clears the table after patrons leave. Think of the gratuity as your way of saying 'Thank you' to the guard (who, by job function shouldn't even be busing tables) for doing his job of not letting thieves and thugs who could easily grab your laptop inside the establishment .


Ring, ring, go away

If you are within earshot of at least two people, please step out of the café to use your phone. If you're already wearing a Bluetooth headset, all the easier it is to quietly slip out and continue the (emphatic) conversation outside. I perfectly understand how Wi-Fi hubs can be such convenient workspaces, but note that these places are still first and foremost dining facilities—not your office.


One top, two top

It is indeed very, very tempting to make a beeline for the plush couches or big corner booths upon arriving at your Wi-fi hotspot of choice. But before you whip out the extension cord, look around and gauge traffic inside the establishment. If it looks busy, go for a smaller table that seats two, or to be even more prudent(?), park yourself by the solo bar stools, if available. But if you come in when it's quiet, feel free to stretch out and bounce off the walls. Once it gets busy though, take that as your cue to go offline and be elsewhere—your office, perhaps, or even better: home.

Yummy in my Tummy

Officially starting my blogging life at Yummy.ph, one sweet treat at a time.

In between deadlines—procrastinating, if you will—I'm mostly in the kitchen, tinkering about and trying out something I've seen on TV or browsed online.

Other than that time I applied as an editorial assistant at Quick & Simple (a New York-based title that folded last year and replaced by Food Network Magazine), it never occured to me to make a career out of the food I love to eat and make. Blogging about food was just that: sharing epicurean adventures along with tidbits—from the bittersweet to the palate-inspiring—about my life.

In hindsight though, food was always in the background no matter what job I had. As an intern at Seventeen, one of my earlier assignments was the Eat section wherein I wrote about making yummy alternatives to dorm food, and how to spice up regular college fare (e.g. drop a few pieces of Tobi Mexican Nuts in your regular Nissin's Yakisoba for extra crunch and protein). One of the first things I had to ask a photographer to shoot was a jar of Nutella.

At work, food to me was always a priority. Ask any supplier I'd regularly worked with and I'm sure they'd tell you that the minute I got to the studio, as the models were being prepped and made up, I was ordering our lunch from Yellow Cab and North Park. Out of probably a hundred shoots, I can only recall one time when the makeup artist and hair stylist actually had to remind me about ordering food, only because I had a fever and was struggling to keep shooting.

So, I am HAPPY and absolutely THRILLED to announce that I'm going to be writing for Yummy.ph! The newly revamped website of Yummy Magazine! With special thanks to Frances Amper Sales for putting me up for the spot. When I got the email, I couldn't believe it; the only other time I've been a voice of 'authority' when it came to food was when I was co-president of the Young Homemakers Club, a.k.a. YHMC, in high school.

Click here if you'd like to read my first post for my blog Baked! over there, and as always, meet you back here for more sweet and savory musings along with all the other flavors that make life—and eating—even more exciting.