Mandy's back!

That's Mandy Moore on the cover of the July/August 2009 issue of Women's Health Magazine. She looks great, doesn't she? As it turns out, she has a new album called Amanda Leigh (her birth name) and surprise, surprise, she's now married to singer-songwriter Ryan Adams.

I met Mandy Moore a couple of years back and she was the sweetest thing. My fiancé has always had a crush on her, going as far as asking my then-editor to let him tag along during the interview. I am trying to unearth a photo which I thought was in my dormant Friendster account, but apparently, was in the Myspace account I'd deleted a long time ago.

Sorry if this blog post sounds anorexic yet again. I just spent the whole day doing my New York day job—that I get to do outside the city thank you very much—so I'm pretty spent. Plus, up until a minute ago, I had yet to figure out what to write about for Friday's beauty column. Good thing I got an email from the brand manager of Ralph Lauren/Polo and Diesel detailing upcoming men's fragrance launches. So, watch out, I'll be broadcasting the latest scent treats you can get for the hommes in your life!

Back to Mandy, yes she was sweet, charming, gracious, and gorgeous! It was the 'Mandy Machine' of agents, managers, and the like, that annoyed in general. That said, I only have pleasant things to say about the former teen pop star, and I wish her well in her career and marriage. And I'll be browsing iTunes for her new songs, simply because they reek 'indie' and I'm curious: Mandy holed up in a cabin to produce her latest album. This means, she was free to write and record with no big studio labels filtering and forcing mass-produced, monotonous beats on her. (I do like some manufactured pop, too, don't get me wrong.)

Anyway, Women's Health is an engaging read brimming with useful and entertaining articles. Although personally, I seem to enjoy reading Men's Health more, maybe because with the latter being a magazine made for men, I am not compelled to check the gutter for photo credits, or pay too much attention to styling, copy, etc.—an 'autopilot' function that lights up whenever I pick up any women's magazine.

Women's Health is currently being headed and edited (headited—a term I've coined) by Michele Promaulayko, Kate White's former second-in-command at Cosmo. I think anybody who has been second-in-command of anything makes a great head of something, as witnessed by my managing and associate editor friends who now helm their own titles.

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.