what made my 2011

Some friends say that 2011 wasn't a good year for them. For me, it was a mixture of the good and the bad. I may have expected too much of this year, and so I have resolved to just keep my expectations for 2012 in check. Still, I have a lot to thank for, and I choose to count my blessings, for they still trump the unpleasant things that have happened.

1. Our new home
Until now, I'm still thrilled over the fact that Francis and I have a place to call our own. This is such a big blessing for us. The holidays found us so busy fixing the house and decorating it for guests, and so far, we like what we've accomplished. Our small abode is still a work in progress, though, and we're taking our time to make it as cozy and Baguio-ish as we want it to be.

2. Baguio trip with mom
It was two (or was it three?) years in the making, but I was finally able to bring my mom to my favorite city last July. Unfortunately, my sister was not able to join us because of her work, but it has been a fun experience with mom and hubby. I was finally able to share with mom why I love Baguio so much, and based on the pictures (she became an overnight camwhore in Baguio, haha), she had a great time as well.

Mom looking out Vocas' window

3. My first out-of-the-country trip
An opportunity to travel out-of-the-country presented itself when Francis was assigned to Vietnam for almost two weeks last August. Though we've planned to really fly out of the country on the latter part of the year, Vietnam was hard to pass up. So we took a peek at our finances and decided that it won't hurt if I follow him in Ho Chi Minh. It was a fantastic trip, what with all that rich history, delicious food and to-die-for coffee!

Taking in and documenting the flurry that is Saigon

4. Ovarian scare no more
Had a little health problem that involved a functional ovarian cyst. Thank the Lord it was nothing serious and it resolved itself a few months after, so there was no need for another invasive surgery. It was such a relief to hear the good news from my OB, considering what I've gone through last year with my ectopic pregnancy. (Speaking of which, that ugly feeling still crops up whenever someone I know gets pregnant, but I hope this year will continue to heal me so that I can finally rid myself of that ugly, nasty feeling.) It was another scary health issue, but the Lord answered our prayers; had it continued swelling, I would have gone under the knife again. But after two weeks of observation, a miracle happened and that swelling went kapoof!

5. Real Living's 101 Great Condo Ideas and Makeovers
I've worked so hard on this project, which was assigned to me by RL's EIC, and I have nothing but thanks for the oppotunity. Working on the book kept me sane from all the stress that my day job brought. What made this endeavor more fun and fulfilling to do is the fact that the team I've worked with is such a nice bunch of people. This book definitely made my year.

This is still available in all leading bookstores, 

so go get a copy for only Php120!

6. First holiday in a new nest
Like I have mentioned, this holiday season is extra special because it's the first one we've spent in our new home. Despite the chaotic schedule of cooking, cleaning, organizing and entertaining, this season is one of the best yet!

Our humble abode

So when you think this year didn't really make it to your best list, count the blessings--big or small--and things will take on a new perspective.

Happy New Year, dear friends! I pray for an abundance of blessings for the coming year!

ho chi minh part 1: a gastronomic affair

Before my trip to Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon), I've already heard a lot about how good the food there is. I just didn't have the idea that I'd fall in love with one of their staples there: iced coffee with (condensed) milk, locally known as ca phe sua da.

But before I get carried away and rave about my new caffeine fix, let me take you to a rundown of some of HCMC's dining places, all in which ca phe sua da is a fixture, alongside other more famous Vietnamese delicacies. Let the foodie trip begin here!

ho chi minh sneak peek

Because I still haven't gotten around to writing about my four-day experience in the city formerly known as Saigon, let me share first a few photos.
 

A more decent post will be up soon!

this little girl is super giddy and excited!!!

I have a confession to make: I haven't traveled out of the country yet. It's a shame. But at least somehow I've already gone around the country (but not yet enough). Anyway, before I further digress, I am super happy and giddy and excited to announce I can cartwheel right at this moment that I finally am flying outside the Philippines! Yay!!!!

Where to? Here are picture clues:

 (All photos from wikipedia.com)

Another item in our bucket list will soon be ticked off! Praise God for this marvelous blessing! I'll definitely make sure to indulge all my senses in this city! Yayayay!

back in baguio

So I went to visit my Cold Lover again, this time with my mom, who's a first-timer. We left Manila early Friday morning; since Francis still has work and can't afford to take a leave (like I can), we decided that he'd just follow on Saturday.

Anyway, instead of going through the details of the trip in words, let me allow pictures to speak. These photos were taken using my phone's RetroCamera application. I'm not really a fan of lomo photography, but I couldn't help but use RetroCamera to capture my favorite Baguio City in a different light.

So here's another Baguio story...

counting my blessings

Because I can foresee that the following weeks will be crazy busy, allow me to reflect on happy, blessed things that happened recently/is happening/will happen soon:

Ice Cream Assassins with UR Face Radio DJ Sick James;
that's me and hubby, screen cap courtesy of sis (thanks, Sis!)

1. After two years, our pseudo-band reunited again for an exciting radio guesting last June 21! We were all so stoked about the prospect because the last time we got together was for our wedding. The one-day-only practice had been a breeze, and the guesting itself was fun, fun, fun despite the downpour! Like I said, it's so good to have been back on the mic again.

Many, many thanks to UP Music Circle, our ever beloved college org (yes, I'm one of the founders, and yes, I am that old but shut up, haha!) for inviting us; and of course, to UR Face Radio for letting us crash and do our thang. Do listen to a collection of songs from Music Circle's bands here, and don't forget to check out Ice Cream Assassin's Coffee Dew (that's us!)!

2. There's this book I'm working on, and I can't say yet what it is so as not to preempt things. But here's a clue: it's going to be pages and pages of coooool ideas about nesting! My team is busy completing the whole thing, and I do hope we can manage to remain on schedule. I can't wait for the launch, which is going to be on the latter part of this year!

3. Every day, I am so tempted to skip work because of the sleepy weather and our cozy, cozy home. As mentioned in my previous entries, our dear nest still needs a lot of work and sprucing up, but I'm so, so in love with it already. I probably wouldn't mind staying in and just being lazy all week long. Happy sigh!

4. Hubby and I have become responsible adults recently when we decided to take a leap of faith and plunge into investments. It's not much, but it's a start. We hope and pray that we'll be blessed by it so we can share the blessings!

5. One word: Baguio. There's a trip coming up soon, this time around, hubby and I will be bringing my mom along. I promised her a Baguio trip two years ago, and it's about time that I keep true to that promise. So I'll be packing scarves and jackets and boots again real soon. Hurrah! (Plus, a Baguio trip is well-deserved, especially with the chaos I'll be going through the next few weeks.)

Well, it's true that when things are looking down, you just have to count your blessings. I look forward to counting more (minus the things-that-are-looking-down, haha!)!

welcome to our home: part 2

Once the unit improvement of our little home was finally done, Francis and I were so raring to start sprucing up the place. But we already know from the get-go that making our home magazine feature-worthy (yes, that's a shameless ambition of ours) isn't going to happen overnight. We know that we shouldn't rush things if we really want a nest cozy and pretty enough that it makes us excited to go home every single day.

So we're taking baby steps into "Baguio-fying" our 42sqm unit. And here's what we've started on so far...

Our building's spacious hallway

The pretty pillows which we recently snagged from
Mandaue Furniture--AND THEY'RE ON SALE...


...and the "preggy" vase, which was originally an accent of our dining table.
(say hello to the scaffolding! We're having something repaired
so forgive its unsightly appearance.)


I wasn't able to resist that woven table runner from Landmark,
and so there it is. The center piece was sitting pretty in our living area,
but we decided it looks better on our dining table.


Detail of the drop light hanging above our dining table.
We really love how ethereal the design looks!
This is our own version of a messy kitchen. Haha!


The cute wooden owls I scored from Sabado's in Baguio,
when I went there with the Real Living team for a writing assignment.
This corner is their temporary nest, amidst the blue vases
which kinda don't fit our color scheme, haha!

There's still a lot of stuff to buy--extra seating for the living area, outdoor chairs and table for the balcony, shelves, storage boxes, bedroom side tables, etc; and many things to do--print, frame and hang my photos of Baguio, find the perfect spot for Francis' indigenous musical instruments, go to Baguio for more Baguio stuff, have our bathroom improved and do a lot more organizing. So because our humble abode is still a work in progress, this entry shall come in a handful of installments (see part one here)--and I'm looking forward to sharing every one of them!

the truth about recipe books

Since I got married, I discovered that I can actually cook, and that the dishes I prepare are actually edible. In fact on some good days, I'm able to whip up scrumptious meals.

I usually "play it by ear", so to speak, when I prepare food--no recipes to guide me. More often than not, I just come up with a nameless dish whose ingredients all depend on what's in our fridge and cupboard. But on days when I run out of ideas, I consult recipe books. The other night's dinner, for instance, was the result of one recipe: chicken satay. I'm proud to say I did a pretty decent job.

And then there was last night's stuffed tomatoes, which was a...

HORRIBLY INEXPLICABLE DISASTER!

Apparently, scooping the seed-laden flesh of tomatoes isn't as easy as the recipe made it sound.

IT WAS ALL A BIG LIE!!! *fist in the air*

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year 31

An orange rose from le hubby, given a day in advance because
flower shops were closed on my birthday

I dreaded my 31st birthday. It’s like a screaming signboard that says I’m no longer young, that I have to step up to what being 31 should be (what should it be?). I guess that fear is somehow a subconscious reason why I decided to celebrate it simply. Well, aside from the fact that I’m also watching my spending these days for something I’m saving up for, I wanted my birthday to be quiet.

I was initially planning to celebrate it at a fancy restaurant, but I scratched the idea. Besides, my birthday fell on Maundy Thursday, which means there are no establishments open. I could see no point in putting the celebration to a later date. And so I decided to go for something really simple and quiet—an afternoon picnic with my husband in UP.

After the morning chores, which included cleaning the house and organizing our many stuff (finally, our contractor finished their job and we’re now able to put everything in their proper place; more on this in a future post), cooking lunch and doing the laundry, I finally got around to preparing our humble picnic fare—freshly brewed Monk’s Blend coffee from Davao and a half roll of mango cake from Red Ribbon, plus a bag of tortilla chips. And when I was done making sure that we have all the other things we needed, we were off to UP at the stroke of 3:30PM.

Finding a nice spot in Lagoon wasn’t that difficult, but making sure we’re at a safe distance from other picnickers was a challenge; I didn’t want other people encroaching our spot. We finally settled to lay the sarong-turned-picnic-mat under a large tree, and set out to devour our fare. Our hushed conversation was punctuated by peals of laughter from nearby kids playing and the chime of the Carillon. (I felt giddy hearing the bells tolling to the tune of UP Naming Mahal, albeit being out of tune, haha!) When the sunlight was threatening to fade, we decided to move camp to Sunken Garden.

Walking along the University Oval on a weekend or a holiday has always been a calming experience. We were greeted by shafts of late afternoon light while we were on our way to lagoon, and on our way to Sunken Garden, more than a handful of joggers and cyclists were already occupying the traffic-less lanes.

We sat at the “rim” of the famous university landmark, not daring to come down any further for fear that a stray soccer ball or disc might hit us, what with the many groups of families and friends engaging in the sports. So we just sat there talking about mundane things—a mom looking tired from playing soccer with her husband and kids, which among the four boys were her kids, how a toy dog (was it a dachshund?) not far away from us can bark so loud, how we badly want our own dog but can’t (condo rules, boooo!), our future kids getting used to hanging out in UP every weekends especially now that we live nearby, and many other things we found interesting at that moment. When it was almost 7PM, we got up, packed our things and headed home.

Looking back at that simple celebration, I can’t help but think that I was so silly to have been terrified of turning another year older. If every year will be as peaceful and wonderful as that afternoon, I can get used to turning over a new leaf after another.