DC, Darlings

I made these moist chocolate cupcakes for my aunt in town.

With family visiting and the other way around, I haven't been able to squeeze in a blog post. (And after the 30-Day Blog Challenge, I'm still deciding on what schedule I should do this, or if I should even follow one.)

Last week my family was in Washington D.C., and this week, two of my close relatives are visiting town. In lieu of a text-heavy entry, here is a small sampling of the food we had these last couple of days.

My mom's eldest brother is a great cook. He made this hearty pot of
chicken curry for dinner...

...and also these savory shrimp skewers.

For dessert, my cousin and his wife brought this gorgeous cake, which was as good on the inside—alternating layers of chocolate and whipped cream—as it was on the outside.

Travel Trinkets

One of my favorite things about traveling is packing snacks—
I love munching on them at the airport and whipping them out during flights.

I'm so excited about our family's upcoming trip to Washington DC. I told myself earlier this year I would try to channel all the traveling I did a while back, and so far the ball is rolling. (I still crave a European trip though and I'm not sure when I'll get to go.)

Last night I was compiling some accessories to bring to DC and stumbled upon this combination of silver/metallic jewelry.


Looking at my wrist, I loved the playful mix of trinkets, because each represented a story, a person, or a moment.

The bracelets are actually two necklaces combined. I'm not even sure if they're made of silver or stainless steel, or even something cheaper. I got them back when hair and makeup artist, Benjie Angeles, used to drop by the Summit offices years ago hawking an assortment of accessories, all at least one of the following: chunky, bohemian, intricate, or in this case, 'blingy.'

When traveling, I like to bring multi-purpose pieces, mostly beaded necklaces that I can twirl around my wrist, or cocktail rings that stylishly cap off my no-frills, wrinkle-proof portable outfits.

I'm particularly drawn to men's watches, so I rarely wear (or own) anything smaller, like the one I have on in this photo—a sleek and dainty Timex watch given to me by my dad's wife, Leena. She and my dad have been together for eight years now, and she has been nothing but sweet, delightful, and kind. She got my dad into loving dogs, and then cats, so their house is now filled with furry friends: four Chows and about seven Ragdolls and Bengals, if you don't count the kittens that arrive every now and then. My dad's favorite cat is Maurin, a name he'd coined by combining the cat's father's name, "Mau" and "rin" (Filipino for "too"). "Mau-rin," get it? (This post tells you more about my dad and his humor.)

And of course, there's my engagement ring, from the guy who used to leave M&Ms and other sweet treats at my desk; who also always packed a big "chocolate stash" in my suitcase every time I traveled out of the country.

As I no longer have many of the valuable things from my childhood and now mostly own colorful costume pieces, it's so refreshing and wonderful to know that I have something truly precious to take along with me, wherever life leads me.

Goodbye, Raoul

Raoul Eraña was one of the cutest, nicest, and most personable people at Summit Media. I say "cutest" because in an office filled with women's titles, the guys who came in were immediately noticed and scrutinized. And Raoul was definitely a keeper.

While we weren't particularly close, we'd exchanged warm hellos and casual conversations in the hallways and work stations. He was from marketing and the girls in editorial easily warmed up to him, thanks to his easygoing personality. He had a vast collection of Hed Kandi albums and at some point, I got a few tracks so some of my old iTunes songs are still labeled 'from Raoul.'

A few months ago, Raoul was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He underwent operations to remove it and ended up in a coma. One would look at his Facebook page and see so many friends urging him to "Wake up!" I cried the first time I saw those messages; they were both cheery and heartwarming. I was still hopeful and prayed for a miracle, God-willing.

But now he's gone. I can imagine how terrible the people in his life must feel. His girlfriend, his parents...he was an only child. I try to never question the will of God, even at times I don't understand it. And I still can't help but ask: Why does someone so young have to die? I only pray for the Lord to strengthen the people Raoul has left behind and to guide them each step of the way along their healing process.

Raoul, you will be missed. I know you'll have fun in heaven, enjoying your best music ever. (I bet it's truly heavenly, beautiful, and never-ending.)

A Better Coke

A former colleague shared this video over Plurk and my gosh—I remember this song, almost by heart! (And did you know Lilet relaunched her singing career a couple of years ago with the name Marielle?) Anyway, to refresh your memory, this was a popular Coca-Cola tv commercial in the 80's. I'd forgotten a Tagalog version also came out. I haven't seen this since I was a kid (second grade?) so I got goosebumps hearing it again.



Sing along if you like :)

I am the future of the world
I am the hope of my nation
I am tomorrow's people
I am the new inspiration

And we've got a song to sing to you
We've got a message to bring to you

Remember me
For you and for me
And tomorrow (tomorrow)
If we all can agree
There'll be sweet harmony
Tomorrow (tomorrow)

And we all will be there
Coca-Cola to share
Feeling so real and so true
(Feeling so real and so true)

Promise us tomorrow
And we'll build a better world for you
(Build a better world for you)

I LOVE this song! They don't make commercials like this anymore.

Cake Fix

Absolutely scrumptious.

So I've finally succeeded in making a rich, moist chocolate cake, courtesy of a recipe by Andrew Shotts at FoodandWine.com. In my previous post, I mentioned I was going to follow Nigella Lawson's old-fashioned chocolate cake recipe. It was quite disappointing as the cake turned out to be very bland and dry and NOT chocolatey at all.

Shotts' recipe hit the spot in terms of texture, taste, and overall chocolate fireworks.

And remember my Lemony Snippet entry? Here's how my lemon cake looked like:

Cake makes the world a happier place :)