Magalove

A page usually starts as a scribble, an idea in an editor's head.

It's safe to say that magazines are my first love. Growing up, my dad owned a small bookstore (and by the end of the eighties, opened a few more) in our hometown. It was common back then to allocate a shelf or two for adult magazines—the Playboys and Penthouses of the decade. And whenever it was time for my parents to wrap each risqué read into their individual glossy plastic packaging, I was relegated to one corner of the store where I quietly read my Archies, Reader's Digests, and you guessed it: magazines. (No—no Playboy for me.)

So in retrospect, I'm not surprised that I ended up working in the magazine industry for quite a number of years. I still do, somehow. But these days, it's a more languid, less intense version of my life as a full-time editor. As a freelancer, I can practically spend the day working in bed. I do miss the stilettos, though.

This drawing is a sample of how I would brainstorm with my art director in the past and it's a page peg of a project I recently worked on. A page usually starts with an idea, scribbled on a piece of paper, and from there, blossoms into a full-fledged editorial—styled products, lead-in photos, captions and all. As you can see, I'm not the very best drawer around, but so far, my doodling ways have produced about seven years worth of magazine clips.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked if I still wanted to pursue a magazine career in New York. The answer is yes and no. Yes, because I would never turn down the prospect of working for one of my favorite things in the world. There is nothing like opening a new, freshly-printed issue; the feel of glossy paper sticking to your fingers. But then, no, because I also feel like the platform has changed. That's why more and more, I'm actively pursuing and nurturing all my online endeavors. Yet again, when the magazine bug bites, one must scratch.

If you work with a very talented art director, he or she will get what you drew and come up with an unbelievably concise mock-up of the page.
(layout by Khennette Dy)

Travelbug Travel Bag

I bought this last night at Target for a steal. I first came across this Swiss Gear 17" rolling carry-on bag in Las Vegas last October; it was just soo cute and compact. At the time, I didn't really need it. My fiancé and I just ended up getting him the bigger version in black. I have my own trusty red rolling suitcase that's been with me EVERYWHERE. I won't go into detail but that bag, along with a giant wheeled duffel, were the perfect travel companions.

Last week, I saw the luggage again and noticed it was on sale. Again, I hesitated, despite my mother's urging to get it. Anyway, I saw her packing last night for an upcoming family trip to Wasington D.C. and thought about the Swiss Gear carry-on once more. She said, "Let's go to Target now and buy it." It was 9 p.m.

Within 30 minutes I was the proud owner of this supercute pewter bag. The picture doesn't do it justice. Oh, I'm not retiring my precious red maleta, I'll just be converting it into my mobile beauty trolley for future makeup gigs.

Image courtesy of Target.com.

Sweet Somethings

I think I attract free dessert. Seriously.

A while back, I was standing in front of a bread and pastry shop in Grand Central, looking at Halloween-inspired cupcakes and cake slices. A gentleman in a suit walked by and said, "Do you want one of those? I'll buy you one." Of course I said thank you and politely declined.

I think it happened again another time but I forget the exact details. But I'm pretty sure it was the same scenario: me standing in front of sweet treats and someone offering to buy me some.

Earlier I was wandering the aisles of Whole Foods looking for a particular batch of home-made chocolate chip cookies, when one of the workers there asked if I needed help finding anything (they're very nice at this Whole Foods you know). I told him what I was looking for and he said they weren't able to make them last night and that they will tonight. He then proceeded to show me other cookies in the bakery section. Nothing called out to me so I thanked him for all his help. As I eyed the Chocolate Pot de Creme (pictured)—a fancy name for their homemade chocolate mousse—he showed me these huge, fat cookies from another shelf and asked if I wanted two of them. If I were five years old I would have walked away.

I did ask him if they were poisoned :)

(No, they're not, they're actually made by Carol's Cookies from Highland Park Illinois.)

Viva Italia!

Puttanesca: easy to make, tasty to eat.

I woke up today realizing I haven't made pasta in months. A notable observation as friends old and new would attest to the fact that I make this almost every week if not at least once a month. My favorite thing to make is what I like to call "Comfort Spaghetti," which I blogged about here.

So after a light brunch of a banana and the juice of two freshly-squeezed oranges, I decided to re-tread the Italian waters lightly by whipping up a simple angel hair Aglio Olio Pepperoncino—a recipe I learned from the back of the package of parsley and red pepper flakes I bought on a trip to Milan (wherein I also hoarded packs of Perugina Bacci!). It starts with olive oil heated in a pan, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, parsley, and your pasta of choice. It finishes with a little of the pasta water, salt, pepper, and as much cheese as you like. Well, the cheese part is my personal touch, I used parmesan and cheddar. I think the original recipe calls for just the former. I have a sky's-the-limit take on cheese as you can see.

Another dish I never tire of eating but rarely get to make much of is Puttanesca (pictured), which literally means, "Whore's Pasta." Mark Bittman of the New York Times blog, Bitten, writes, "It is said that pasta puttanesca was designed to lure customers with its aroma. Other explanations have more appeal to the minimalist cook: that the prostitutes were too busy to cook much, or that they had no storage for fresh ingredients and cooked entirely from the pantry."

Puttanesca is a tasty toss of olive oil, garlic, capers, anchovies, tomatoes, and olives. You can find an authentic Italian recipe at http://culinariaitalia.wordpress.com. And that's what's next on my (cooking) to-do list. Buon appetito!

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

Bumblebee

The Chevy Camaro Bumblebee Edition

I just saw the new Transformers movie and all I can say is, if I were to buy a car right now, I would head straight to GM for the Chevy Camaro Bumblebee Edition—so cute. Yes, girls decide on car purchases based on cuteness. My last car before I moved to New York was a silver Chevrolet Optra. I got it for sentimental reasons. When I sold it though I said I would never buy a car again and just use public transportation, since I was moving to NY anyway (where everywhere is a subway ride away). Plus, I'm so lazy to drive these days. Although if I decide to move to the West Coast, I'll have to start driving again. Oh well.

A new car is definitely out of the budget right now. A regular Camaro goes for USD 23,000. I can't seem to pull up Google search results on how much the Transformers version would cost. According to MotorAuthority.com, production of the Bumblebee Camaro started today, June 24, and orders for the car opened first of the month and will continue throughout December.

Anyway, I had fun at the movie. Megan Fox was superhot as expected and everyone had their game faces on. Jon Turturro was hilarious. It was also amazingly Hollywood how they were able to incorporate Shia Lebouf's broken hand (from a real-life car accident) into the film. And of course, the Autobots and Decepticons were just awesome to watch.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, click on the following photo or here for the trailer.


Photo credits: http://jalopnik.com (Chevy Camaro) and http://www.transformersmovie.com (Bumblebee).

UPDATE 06/26/09: Correction, everyone. Adam Denison of Chevrolet Communications left a comment saying they haven't announced a Bumblebee edition, but one can get a yellow Camaro with black stripes easily. That's still good news, right?