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 :)

Success!

The feeling's mutual, Michael ;)

I started my day with a leisurely skate at the park, followed by a fresh and filling brunch of salmon, cream cheese, and vegetable sushi with a thick berry smoothie. Today, I took the day off to celebrate my 30 days—straight—of blogging (well, and also because I just finished some deadlines for the week). After this, I'm baking a gooey chocolate cake using a Nigella Lawson recipe I found on YouTube, and filling it with custard cream courtesy of Martha Stewart. Ah, yes... the life of a freelancer. It can be quite sweet.

While doing this 30-Day Blog Challenge, I found myself dealing daily with the dilemma of what to write about, as at least half of the ideas I come up with are either very personal or painful to remember (or both). Will it be the story about how I'd lost my first glamorous city job? Or will I talk about this new, decadent recipe I found online? If you read the entries, you'll find that they're a combination of both 'heavy' and happy stuff. And I'm happy with the results.

I made it!

I always try to make it a point to make each post as heartfelt, honest, and engaging as possible. After all, reading my blog takes up some of your time, so I'd like to make each visit worthwhile. So as much as I would like to blog about the 10 Nicknames Friends and Family Have Coined for Me, the last reaction I would like to elicit is "So what?" or "Who cares?"

So with that, I'd like to THANK YOU all for helping me finish this 30-day challenge. After all, if it weren't for your comments, kind notes, and words of encouragement, I probably wouldn't even have gone past Day Five. You see I'm terrible at sticking to self-imposed schedules. And this has been a pleasant start to something promising.

Now I'd be happy to hear about your own 30-day blog projects! These last couple of weeks, I've discovered new sites and I'm enjoying reading them as often as I could. Some of you are planning to blog for 30 days straight as well, so please keep me posted. I'll be on the lookout for guest bloggers to share their posts at 30-DayBlogChallenge.com, to keep the fun going. As for me, my next 'challenge' will most likely be fitness-related. I'll probably never get around to the waking-up-everyday-at-5am habit, but I'm okay with that.

Here's to small steps to success :)

Image courtesy of http://blogs.smarter.com

UPDATE 07/16 : The Nigella cake turned out bland; her brownies are wayyy better. I used the chocolate ganache frosting from this recipe by Andrew Shotts of FoodandWine.com which was excellent, and I plan to make his chocolate cake version in the near future. The Martha Stewart custard filling also helped save the bland cake, so I'm still eating it tomorrow.

Freewheeling

There are two types of athletes: the first kind are the natural-born sportsmen, quick to learn and nimble at any game. The second category are those who have passion for an activity, yet to be good, must endure extensive training. And then there is a combination of the two, genetically-gifted athletes who have the discipline to immerse themselves in rigid practice. I believe they are the ones who make it to Olympic teams, the NBA, and so forth.

I would like to believe I fall under the second category. You see, as much as my peers from college would tell you I was quite the sporty one—I rock-climbed for a couple of years and have a black belt in taekwondo; I ran and biked on campus—I'm more of a practice-makes-perfect kind of 'athlete.' Plus, I never fared well with team sports like basketball, volleyball, and the like, so I had low grades in high school P.E. And I'm the last person you'd be able to invite to a company sportsfest.
No way.

As much as I am proud of having a black belt in a martial art, let me tell you that I hated every minute that I had to compete, and that I lost all the time. It was also a terrible way to lose during meets because they usually announced it like they do in boxing: The referee holds both your and your opponent's hand and then raises the winner's. Now if you get a truly cruel (well, maybe not intentionally) referee, he'll swing your arm first, as if to declare you victorious, before raising the other person's.

What I did love was the regular training. It was fun and invigorating, until it was time for the last part of the session, which involved sparring. Blech. As for the practice-makes-perfect part, a black belt in Taekwondo usually takes two years to complete, I did mine in four.

As for climbing, I come from a family of mountaineering enthusiasts. And THAT is why I have no interest in trekking and exploring uncharted peaks. In my teens, I disliked being dragged along to "fun" climbs. I had a nightmarish experience being taught how to pitch a tent, and all I could remember was how NOT fun it was for me.

What I did enjoy and explore on my own with friends is rock and sportclimbing. Now, there is a difference between mountain and rock climbing. The former entails, well this is my very shallow reason for not wanting to have anything to do with it, packing an enormous backpack and spending the night up in the mountain with no bathrooms and basically breaking your back lugging your haul (although these days, you can actually get porters to help you out).

That small speckle on the wall is me.

Rockclimbing on the other hand can be done indoors and if you do decide to take it outside, with a little trekking you find a rockface, climb it, and go home to your own bed afterwards—warm shower and all.

Going back to my athletic theory, I never liked competing; I simply enjoyed the activity. Although climbing competitions were gentler and less painful than getting short of beat up in Taekwondo.

I'm now getting into inline skating. You may notice a pattern of my inclination to non-threatening and non-competitive activities. I'm still learning to balance and glide on my rollerblades, and padding myself head to toe with protective gear. I like that I am able to think and roll with the wind without having to worry about who's winning or who's ranking first.
Just me, my thoughts, and my wheels.

Skates and pads images courtesy of Amazon.com

My Sentiments Exactly

Jack Vettriano - In Thoughts of You

A few years ago I heard of this theory that one tends to feel the exact same way one did a year to the date of whatever triggered the emotion. The other night, I found myself feeling strangely melancholic for no apparent reason other than that time of the month. I realized, it had been exactly a year since I'd abruptly lost my first "official" New York job due to unforeseen circumstances. That was also the time when one of the first, genuine friends I've made in the city had to leave for Paris. She was a colleague of mine and she and I shared many lunches together, chatting over way too many things; comparing stories about our cultures. I'd always assumed the French had a more liberal take on relationships. It came as a surprise to find out they were quite Filipino in that sense.

The thing with the French is that they come across as snooty and impersonal when you first meet them. But once they warm up to you, they turn out to be amazing friends. My former colleage, Caroline, also patiently taught me one French phrase a week for six months straight back when I was doing my 2008 New Year's resolution of learning the language via easy sentences. (I'd hoped to learn a total of 52 by year's end.)

Unfortunately, I'll be navigating the streets of Paris with a very cryptic command of the language. Both the lessons and the job ended mid-year as our jobs—hers and mine—were consolidated and I became too expensive to keep around. On the bright side, that kick-started my editorial life in the city; the career I'd moved to the Big Apple for, picking up from where I'd left off in Manila and learning so much more along the way.

These days, the work I do is a very modern twist of working in Manhattan but enjoying being away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. One day I know I'll have to start looking for a new apartment again. But for now I'm enjoying work with my socks on and a slice of cake within reach.

Image courtesy of http://www.jackvettriano.eu

Lemony Snippet

I'm on a baking streak, sort of. It happens a few times a year. My favorite sweet treats to make are brownies and banana chocolate chip muffins.

Right now, I'm making a moist cake with lemon curd filling and white frosting. I simply used a basic yellow cake mix from a box, and customized everything else around it. The lemon filling is a Martha Stewart recipe I got online. It's a stove-top concoction of egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and cold butter. It was my first time to make it and was surprised at how easy it turned out to be. It's tangy and sweet in all the right places. I made it before the cake and it's now waiting to be slathered between two lemon-flavored layers (I used some of the juice and zest on the cake to flavor it as well).

The most fun part for me is making the frosting. I think I initially only wanted to bake a cake so I could finally make some fluffy white icing. I've been wanting to make birthday-cake frosting for years but I wasn't sure how exactly to go about it. Growing up, one of my aunties owned a bakery and I watched her pour hot syrup over whipped egg whites (come to think of it, I did grow up around sugar...). Recently I saw Paula Deen on Food Network make a version of it by placing the egg whites, sugar, and water over a double boiler and beating everything together until thick and gooey. That was my cue to finally get start whipping. You'll find said recipe here, or you can also try a marshmallow-infused version here.

Now excuse me, while I go back to my cake.

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com.

Blogger Juice

Lately this is how breakfast has been looking like for me. No, I don't eat those one by one. Instead, I dump them all in the juicer and drink up.

Now, some say fruit juice has no nutritional value and is another vehicle for unwanted sugar. Me, I just like to think that I'm getting my dose of vitamins A and C, plus healthy antioxidants, especially when I don't really feel like eating any of the above. Drinking them is a different story. I usually toast a waffle and/or make scrambled eggs to go with this fruity concoction.

Anyway, I can't believe I'm on Day 26 of my 30-Day Blog Challenge. I'm wondering what's next for me and this blog. Here are some questions running through my head:

1) Should I change my blog's name since I'll be mostly away from New York this year? But then again, "the average age of the top 100 blogs listed at Technorati is 33.8 months," says Darren Rowse of Problogger. "Successful blogs don't happen overnight."

NyMinuteNow.com is only 16 months old. My first blog, Chocolate Soundboard, reached 52 months, until I turned it private when I moved to this blog address. So if I move again, I'll have to literally start from scratch to even make it past to NyMinuteNow's current Technorati ranking of... 551,435. Gasp!

2) Is there a blogging future for me, at least on a professional level? I've been doing this for almost six years now. Although in recent months, I've been more vigilant and diligent to post. Rowse also says it takes time and patience for one to call blogging his or her part-time and full-time job. Time, I am lucky to have at the moment. But patience? It's a work in progress. I do enjoy blogging so that's a good sign.

3) What will be my regular schedule once I'm finished with the 30-Day Blog Challenge? Right now, I am thinking of blogging on weekdays, and not having anything to do with the online world on weekends ("Tech-free Sundays," as I keep trying to convince my fiancé). I find that these days, I am more and more cooped up indoors, much to the chagrin of my waistline.

So how does one strike a balance between life in the world wide web and the real world? Or have the lines been blurred between the two, that these days, the "real world" is right where we are in cyberspace?

Night Rider

I've been reading Elle for years, but I have yet to be a subscriber. In fact I haven't bought it in months. These days, I view articles via my Elle.com homepage. But now that I've mentioned it, I should probably start a subscription. (It's just that I find their covers hit or miss. June's Megan Fox was a definite hit. This month's Miley Cyrus... um, isn't she too young to be on Elle?)

Anyway, one of my favorite sections is Ask E. Jean. Her tongue-in-cheek take on love and relationships is just hilarious, and her answers to common and not-so-common life dilemmas are always entertaining.

I particularly enjoyed the following piece. It's written by someone who, like me, is struggling to keep her body clock on the 'right.' No, that wasn't me who wrote in, but I might as well just have because it clearly expresses my exact sentiment. Only, this particular New Yorker was able to put it into words:

(Original article link here.)
Ask E. Jean: Lullaby
Why do I stay up when I'm exhausted?

Dear E. Jean: When I’m at work, all I want to do is go home and sleep. After work, when I go out with friends for dinner, I’m so tired I almost dip my head into my plate. But the moment I’m home and can go to sleep, all I want to do is listen to music, play on the computer, write, create, stay up to 3 a.m. and do anything but sleep! I’m clearly exhausted, so why do I stay up and kill myself like this?—New York at Night

My beloved lunatic: Who says you’re supposed to sleep at night? Back in the glory days before GPS and cell phones, I accidentally got lost for several entertaining weeks in the Star Mountains of Papua New Guinea and discovered that the women in one village slept at night while the men slept in the day; in another village (with a completely different language and culture), everyone cuddled together in the same hut come sundown; in a third, they napped off and on, and so forth.

There’s no correct time to sleep. You stay up, Miss New York, because you’re most vivid at night. Hence, I won’t be giving you any bull hockey about putting yourself on a “day schedule.” It won’t work. I’m a night person and have tried it 400 times. If you’re awake, my philosophy is: Rock it out.

1. The Half-Way: Tired during the day? Take a 20-minute nap at work. When it’s break time, turn off your phone, put your head down on your desk, and sleep. (If you actually possess an office and not a cubicle, close the door and stretch out under your desk. If you really want to be stealthy, during your lunch hour, walk outside to a bench, sit, and zonk.) Current research shows napping will make you more alert. (My trick: Eat cherries or drink 100-percent organic tart cherry juice a half hour before Mr. Nappy, and bang! You’ll go out like a light—and wake up looking younger than Dakota Fanning.)

2. The Full Monty: Tell your boss you’ve created a way to produce higher-quality work for her company and perhaps add to her bottom line. This should get her attention. Then suggest the parameters of a 30-day experiment in which you start work at noon and leave at 8 p.m. If she agrees, give it a shot. You’ll be rising later, so you’ll be getting more sleep, and when you get more sleep, your mood will be sunnier, your memory sprightlier, and your wit sharper. Voilá! You’ll do brilliant work for your company, and your nights will be livelier than the Rock of Love bus.

E-mail your questions to e.jean@askejean.com

PHOTO CREDITS: http://youarewhoyouwear.wordpress.com (magazine cover); Gregg Delman/Elle.com (E. Jean).

Papa the Writer

Pa-pa-pa-pa-poker face...

My dad is an amazing writer. He started a blog called Life Addict at pogiforlife.com early this year, but he's actually been writing for decades. At some point or another he was at least one (or sometimes all) of the following: journalist, freelance writer, correspondent, reporter, copy editor, managing editor, associate editor. He wrote headlines for newspapers, edited other people's work, and also penned timeless op-ed pieces, which he likes to republish on his blog these days.

I think my dad became the writer/journalist that he is because of an avid interest in—or addiction to—reading. Remember my blog post about how he owned small bookstores when I was growing up? That must have been heavenly for him, being surrounded by stacks and stacks of reading material. When he and my mother built our house in the late eighties, one corner of the living room had tall, custom-built shelves. By the time the nineties rolled around, more shelves were added until they occupied the entire periphery of what became the library (the coffee table and chairs now merely props). Books that could no longer fit in the floor-to-ceiling shelves were piled on the floor. Every night, my dad would stand in front of them and peruse his next read.

I remember finding a really old book from the 1800s by the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal, in one of the crevices. The pages were yellowed and tattered, the binding ready to fall apart. It looked so authentic and I believe I immediately put it back on the shelf.

My dad uploaded (and updated) an article he wrote about Rizal's Last Farewell. It's a romanticized, literary version of the hours leading up to the hero's execution by the Spanish officials who colonized the country. It's an amazing read and so seamlessly written.

Anyway, what with all the serious, political themes one would think my dad is equally pensive and straitlaced outside the written word. Oh no no no. He is one funny man. To give you a glimpse of his sense of humor when he's not immersed in World War I/II books and vintage stamps, here's his reply to my text message when I told him I read his article and was wowed by it:

"Wow! Tnx! I like the spoofs, too. Developing more. I took Facebook quiz, [it says] I will be pregnant in Dec 2009 :) Take care."

My Sharpie Giveaway!

Get your dose of these candy-colored markers.

It's Day 23 of my 30-day Blog Challenge and I'm feeling generous!

You know how I love school and office supplies. I have with me eight of these cute Sharpie Mini keychain pens and I'm giving away one each to eight lovely readers. All you have to do is...

1) Write a post (short or long is entirely up to you) describing what your favorite school and office supply item is (or are—I'm curious!).

2) Mention http://nyminutenow.com anywhere on your post.

3) When you're done, leave a comment here notifying me of your recent blog entry. Don't forget to leave a link to your website!

I will mail one Sharpie marker each to the first eight readers to complete the mechanics. As for color choices, I'll also do it chronologically: first blogger gets to choose from all eight, second from seven...and the last entry gets the last marker left.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a line at mariel@nyminutenow.com. It's also the new email address for this blog. And if you're one of the eight winners, I'll be leaving a comment asking you to send your mailing information there.

I'm excited to read your posts and discover new blogs to browse!

UPDATE 07/16: Thank you to all who have posted and left comments! Ela, Yam of ExploreEveryday, and Riz of ChasingDreams, I've already mailed your packets yesterday. Pink Twisted Halo of EternalSunshine and Kelly of UnneMedicineKelly, I'll be mailing yours tomorrow.

Maris, I need your conact info and color choice please :) So far, all are taken except black, blue, and green.

So there are two Sharpies still left to giveaway! Will wait for two new posts!

Ryan, Ryan

In a recent interview with People Magazine, Sandra Bullock was asked if she accompanied Ryan Reynolds during his daily workouts (he went for 4am daily runs) while filming the movie, The Proposal. She reportedly said, "Why would you want to work out with that?"
I agree.

Reynolds is on the cover of this week's Entertainment Weekly Magazine and looks simply ab-tastic (a little bronzer overload, but he looks great). I can mail my copy once I'm done reading to whoever wants it.

Image courtesy of http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com

A Little Lava

This mouth-watering treat will make your heart sing.

The latest addition to my chocolate arsenal is a small, yet deadly-decadent treat: Archer Farms Chocolate Gourmet Lava Cake. Rich, gooey, chocolatey goodness oozing out of a dark cocoa dome, microwaveable and ready in 55 seconds. (And it's organic!) Top with a fat scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself a heart-warming, fall-off-your-seat finish to a great meal. I wish I could fill up a big box and send it to all my friends and the kids in my family!

Meanwhile, I absolutely looove birthday cake icing, a.k.a. marshmallow frosting, made from—correct me if I'm wrong—whipped egg whites and hot syrup. So my next project is to make a basic moist yellow cake from a box, and top it with heaps and heaps of this sweet white frosting. Now repeat after me: "Ahh..."

Better Friend

I think I'm a better friend over the blogosphere and online, as I am more available, quicker to respond to messages, and generally more diligent in keeping in touch.

I tend to shy away from parties and social gatherings simply because one, I can't stand small talk so I try my best to have honest and meaningful conversations when out at and about. Now, if there are 10 people you see and try to have these talks with, it can be exhausting.

Two, I no longer have the stamina to survive late nights. Actually, never really had. So even before the Cinderella hour of midnight, I am aching to get to bed when out late (I would gladly hop on a pumpkin coach to get home ASAP). I do find this strange sometimes, because at home, I'm usually up until two in the morning.

Don't get me wrong, I love events and glitzy gatherings—not just too often.

So whenever I get nice photos like this one—where I'm wearing a dress by one of favorite designers, Kate Torralba, and where my arms and midsection don't look as big as they are in real life, or I'm not slouching too much—I treasure them. And these are what make it to my Facebook page. When I look at my profile pictures though, I noticed that when lumped together, I seem like this event-hopping, party princess out every night when in fact, the photos were taken months—or even years—apart.

My tendency to shy away from big groups, and to prefer one-on-one 'dates' with my close friends, is from probably practically being bullied throughout high school. I was one of the youngest girls in my batch, with everybody being a year or two older than me. In teendom, this difference translates eons: when I was 13, everybody else was 14 or 15 (going on 20 haha). And these girls were vicious: I was nitpicked for every little thing and detail. It didn't help that I was a bit prissy and had a mother who liked to shop. I realize, that's probably why when college rolled around, I was an expert in 'blending in' and somehow managed to look absolutely, desolately...plain. (I got away with looking like I did because by then my mom had already left for the States.)

I did make some friends and these days we're godmothers and aunties of each other's babies. Well, I don't have kids of my own, but you get the picture.

Of course when I started working, lo and behold, I'd unleashed all the girly-girl potential I'd suppressed as a teen struggling to fit in. (My friends from elementary school don't realize this, because how I was at 10 was exactly how I'd 'transformed' at 21.) I also made solid friendships along the way, but I never really outgrew the social anxiety. I never liked to be misinterpreted, which translated to a frank and straightforward work ethic. My first boss, who also remains a friend and source of advice and inspiration, used to call me the "Truth Serum."

A random sampling of the fab friends I've made at my magazine job.

The friends I've made at work remain my closest, dearest friends to this day. That said, I still encounter the occasional road block on the friendship road. A couple of weeks back, my good friend, Anne, complained (and got a bit upset) that I'd only seen her a grand total of ONCE in the almost four months I'd spent in Manila. A quick email exchange cleared the air. I'd explained that I, well, hibernated, for one, but was also busy with family gatherings, work, and the surgery. But I promised I'd make it up to her when she flies to NY and SF this year.

Anne and I in front of the Friends building in NYC.

Harper's BAZAAR cover image courtesty of http://www.glossedover.com

Seven for Womankind

I realized the other day that my 12" iBook finally turned seven! If you remember I posted an entry here saying that when this happens, I'll throw a party. Well, I'm miles away from friends or anybody who will attend said shindig, but I'm thinking I'll simply keep this in mind during today's Fourth of July festivities at the park. I'm quite excited about the fireworks. In 2007 we saw some amazing ones out of town. Last year I got so busy in New York that the holiday barely registered a blip in my radar; or I probably just didn't have anywhere to go.

I've since February switched to my blue Acer Aspire One netbook. But that doesn't mean the iBook is a sitting paperweight, oh no. Whenever I look at it, I still think it's one of the most beautiful things ever made by Apple. It does need a new battery which is a hefty $120 for something that in the techworld is supposedly "vintage." In the seven years I've had my white iBook, it has only crashed twice or thrice. Only once I actually had to take it to a service center (see my post, No Ordinary Morning) and even then, it only needed to be reformatted, and I was still able to save my files and programs in the process. Cool, huh?

The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue, New York.

The main reason why I never upgraded to a newer Mac, apart from the obvious sturdiness and reliability of the one I have, is that I never really liked the models that came out after mine (with the exception of the silver G4 iBooks and Powerbooks). The big drawback for me are the new chiclet keyboards—they're not 'crunchy' enough, for lack of a better term. And I keep thinking, how do you clean those things? Everyone I know covers them with a thin silicone pad that makes typing... well, less tactile of an experience. And in my line of work, those little things matter.

Anyway, I did briefly consider the Macbook Air, but surprisingly, the Acer Aspire One has quite a lot of impressive features that I don't see in the former. I am curious though about what's coming out next year at Apple. Just like how I've felt in the last seven years.

Habit Forming

I started my 30-day Blog Challenge with the premise of creating a habit of blogging more consistently, and being more vigilant with tending to my online life.

As I was pondering the challenge, I also came across a similar program called "31 Days to Build a Better Blog" by Problogger, which is in e-Book form (although I also stumbled upon a website that listed each item on the book). I thought twice about buying because I wasn't ready to part with $19.95 just yet. And I figured, I just want to try writing freely for 30 days, and proceed with the more technical/structured 31 Days afterwards. Anyway, I did buy a different book from Problogger but it hasn't arrived in the mail yet. (I like paper :) )

So now, I'm on day 18, and some days it's just hard to get writing. I do have many ideas banked but I get lazy days when I just don't feel like expounding on them. At the same time though, I have an O.C. streak that makes me want to finish with flying colors.

Anyway, hope you're all having a great holiday weekend!

Coco-Cool

I just saw the trailer of the movie, Coco Before Chanel, starring Audrey Tatou, who starred in one of my all-time favorite films, Amélie. Click on the photo or here to view the trailer at Elle.com.

The quote, "A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous," originated from Coco Chanel herself and it's a good thing to keep in mind. While researching this quote, I also came across, "There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time," which I like.

The movie comes out in New York and Los Angeles in September. I'll make sure to be in either city by then!

Image courtesy of CocoBeforeChanelMovie.com

Something Old, Something Borrowed

Up until recently I had no idea that brides-to-be were to have and to hold the following on their wedding day:

Something old, something new Something borrowed, something blue And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

(See somethingoldsomethingnew.co.uk)

Thanks to my good friend, Frances of Topaz Horizon, I'm now privy to this info. By the way, she, her husband, Vince, and her classical musician brother, Theodore, are gifting us with the quartet services on the wedding! So thankful!

The other day, my mom and I got talking about her old jewelry; the pieces I saw her wear growing up. There aren't very many, a lot of them are dainty pieces made out of 24-karat gold. Some were gifts from Lola Pacing, my late grandmother on my father's side. I remember her giving me a soft, pliable gold ring that I wore at maybe seven years old. When my mother left for the States, I had with me a few pieces that I think are now with my Auntie Tata (my dad's youngest sister). Maybe you can tell, I'm not very good at keeping jewelry. Most of what I own now are costume and chunky beads of all shapes and sizes. At the moment, my only mega-precious piece is my engagement ring.

Anyway, in the photo is Mom's old Gucci watch. It comes with different colored bands and a jewel-rimmed one. She claims she'd tried to give me the watch a while back but I don't remember. So we agreed she'd give it to me after the wedding, so it can be my 'Something Borrowed.' And my 'Something Old' will be this delicate gold necklace that apparently I'd owned as a child but completely forgot about. It has two tiny heart pendants that are so apt for the occasion.

The thing about Gucci, is I don't own anything from the brand. I purposefully have chosen not to. Three years ago on a trip to Rome—where I was generally blown away by the architecture and history, among many other things (including having my eyes opened for the first time to the massive luxury retail options) I decided I would only by a Gucci bag once I turn 30, and I'll have to pay for it in cash, no credit card, in celebration of my financial independence. It was going to be particularly momentous; I wanted the whole shebang of flying to Rome again, going to the Gucci store, and watching them wrap the package, tissue paper, and all.

However, I doubt if I will see any part of Europe this year. With the wedding plans, I cannot afford an expensive side trip, all the more the shopping involved. It's okay because Italy is still a viable option for a honeymoon. And for now, I'll have the watch to fulfill the 'Gucci plan' for this year. The bag will just have to wait.

Reflection has won!

Thank you to everyone who voted for the new template. My personal fave was Blue Glide, but Reflection had tabs and a distinct header, so perhaps that's why it won by one point. I found both templates at Ipietoon.com, whose owner/designer has just been very helpful. I am in talks with him to combine the two so I actually get the best of both templates! So I'll be busy 'renovating' over here and brushing up on my HTML. If you find any bugs or missing links, please be patient with me, and also feel free to leave feedback in the comment boxes. Also, do tell me about your blogs so I can link you up in the sidebar. I just loove makeovers!

On another note, the Waring Pro Juice Extractor is the latest addition to the kitchen. Just this afternoon I drank: fresh carrot-apple juice, orange juice, and apple-watermelon juice. So good! I also got a late start with work because I spent half the day in the kitchen making Baked Butter Chicken Fillets (a recipe from Gourmeted.com), which I blogged about here, and a big batch of lentil soup. I took long processing the mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onion—I do this by chopping up more than what I need and putting the rest in zip-top bags to be stashed in the freezer for future use. It also helps that I do all the chopping (when it's this big a batch) in the food processor. I noticed though that after processing the carrots, it tinted the clear bowl orange.