Summer Reads

It's no secret that I love to read. I can spend hours and hours getting lost in a book. But life has dealt me a different card this year. Motherhood seem to require all of my energy and time to care for my beautiful baby. 

For months I had been too lazy to read. Yet one day I found myself in the bookstore, grabbed some titles. I started reading again. And I downloaded dozens of titles on my iPad, too. 

This summer, my reading list is as varied as the genre you can stumble into. 

1. Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern

I have read some books of this Irish writer. And they were good. She's a contemporary writer who does not follow the usual romance formula. So I picked this book. 

And I tell you, it's such a painful read. It's a story about a man and a woman who were best friends as kids, geographically separated in adolescense but kept the friendship despite the distance. Chapter after chapter, there is an undertone of mutual attraction, love, if you may call it, but a series of unfortunate events in each others life have prevented them from being together. 

Decades later they have come to accept that there can be nothing more between them but friendships. However, in a twist of fate and in the twilight of their lives, the universe aligned. 

The story closed with Rosie finally achieved her goal of being a hotelier by opening her own B&B. One night, she jogged down memory lane by reading her old letters. And the last one was of Alex, professing his love. It's a missive that was written years ago but did not reach Rosie until recently. As she pined for all those lost years, the bell rang. Waiting by the reception is the love of her life -- Alex. 

It's a modern love story that reminds me Love in the time of cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I'm not saying the quality of writing is the same. But there were parallelism. The heart aches, the long stretches of time, the unrequited love, the loneliness, and the hope that springs eternal. And that love conquers all, in the end.

Tearjerker, I know. 

2. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

If you liked Gone Girl, you will love this. 

The protagonist Rachel is a flawed character -- alcoholic, loser. 

Everyday, she makes up stories about a couple who lives across the tracks where her train to London would pass by. She paints a picture of them living a perfect life. A contradiction of her dire circumstances. At the onset you would think that she's just a wacko. Given the fact that she's a pretender -- commuting to a job she no longer has on a daily basis, sticking to a schedule she no longer need to keep, it seemed odd to be the focal point of this thriller. 

You hate her character. You will despise her through and through. Rachel personifies the anti-thesis of woman empowerment. She's a goner. 

But a string of event puts her in the middle of the life of the people who live across the tracks. A dead woman (the wife in the perfect couple) set the stage for the drama (more of it) on how the storyline progresses. 

There were dragging points but it's mostly a page-turner. And a few scenes that take your breath away -- they scare you. But it's the kind that makes you want to prod on to find out what unfolds. 

I love the resolution of the story. There is just the right amount of justice, intrigue and hope. The kind of recipe that keeps me interested with the other works of the author. 

3. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan. 

This is the sequel to Crazy Rich Asians. It's chick lit. So, don't expect too much. But boy, this book is hilarious, sprinkled with intrigue. It makes you cringe at times. Better to read this after you're done with Crazy Rich Asians. You'll understand the characters' backstories more. 

I know these were my summer reads but the rainy season brought back that usual longing to just curl up in bed, sip coffee and be entranced by the pages of your book of the week. 

What's on your reading list? I still have The Rosie Project and This is How You Lose Her on my bookshelf. 

This is How You Lose Her on my bookshelf. 

Xx

Sheng

Changes

Change is constant. And change can be daunting. But change can also be exciting. 

This year is all about the constancy of change in my life. 

This year set a milestone in my married life. We've always wanted to have a baby but we thought that we could plan it. In our minds, the perfect time is when we have moved already to our own condo unit, when we have saved enough, traveled enough. But no, God surprised us one day when He smiled upon us and deemed us ready for a new responsibility, a new addition to our small unit. We're expecting a stork in the next 5 weeks! And we're expecting with bated breath. 

Summer of this year saw me transition to a new job which is really a welcome relief; like a breath of fresh air. I strongly believe that God's timing is always perfect. But I know that it can be difficult to hold onto this promise when you're in a rough patch in whatever area in your life. For me, the waiting was over a year. I went through the normalcy of showing up for work, delivering what is required, yet always, always pining for that new job I was praying for. 

When it came, it arrived in my doorstep so suddenly I didn't have time to blink. In a snap, my work responsibility and description changed. And I was never happier. God's appointment is always on time. 

With just weeks to prepare for the arrival of our baby, we moved houses. From a very tiny condo for two, we moved to a two bedroom unit in a neighbourhood that is suitable for families. It's not just the physical move that gives me the jitters but the thought of living with other people to help us raise our child. 

I came from a large family. Growing up, every space in our house is occupied by a sibling, a relative visiting or staying with us for a while. So, when it came for me to work on my independence, I struggled to live by myself, learn to fend for myself, and I learned to love living by myself. The occasional visit to the hometown was always treated us a vacation. So, the chaos and the noise were tolerated. 

This time though, I dread the day that I would have to constantly deal with others inside my home. In a week or so, the help would arrive along with my mom and aunt. Am glad that my mom and Tita have agreed to stay with me while I am adjusting to motherhood, raising a child, and entrusting my child's care to a stranger. 

I've also noticed the changing of the tides in my shopping pilgrimage to the mall. Now, I spend hours looking at small, cute items. I realized that buying practical stuff for the baby takes a lot of patience, thinking and bargaining. And the array of choices is crazy. We've made a habit of checking out online stores to find the cutest dress, hippest baby sweaters, the fanciest booties. But at the end of the day, we end up with basic whites with ties on the side, old school binders and mittens. Nothing beats the elegance of a white onesie, white booties, white mittens and white binders. 

We're reserving the splash of colours in our baby's accessories. Can't wait to decorate her tiny space in our tiny bedroom! 

The biggest change is yet to happen. When we hold the tiny hand of our little wee one, we begin the journey to parenthood... to being responsible for the shaping and nurturing a new life. Or has it already started the moment that tiny heart started beating inside my womb? 

Cheers to change!

Xx

Sheng

Of meetups and social media

I am a Millennial (1977-1992). But I am also a Gen X (1965-1976). I seem to be caught within that disputed demographic break between the two generations. (Source:Pew Research study.)  

Am saying this because two decades ago, the computer and the internet were something that were discussed academically in school. Three-fourths of those classes where spent in textbooks rather on actual computers. In fact, back then we only have a handful in my school. 

Mid-90s, I finally had a "real" computer class spent in a computer lab. It's where we learned DOS and other archaic basic computing. Ha ha ha. 

From my textbook computer literacy up until today, I am fascinated with the computer and the vast universe of cyber space. Needless to say that today, I find myself 24/7 connected. To some, it may be pathetic. To me though it means being able to access, connect and communicate. 

It is this innate desire to be wired all the time that I have totally embraced technology and the social media. The world that is so huge suddenly shrank in the palm of my hands. It is amazing, awesome, fun and wonderful. It rocks!

I think I am of those who goes with the flow of the times. Back in the day, I wrote letters to friends. And wait with bated breath for my neighborhood Mr Postman for my mails. I was also one of those who wasted "cell phone loads" when texting was in vogue. I cringe whenever I thought of those morning messages that were the mobile's version of chain letters. No regrets though, it was my form of connection. 

When email became more practical, I used it with a fierceness rivaling food craving. I sent hundreds of emails to say hellos and goodbyes. 

But time, distance and energy can take a toll in ones social obligations. Eventually, I lost touch with some friends especially acquaintances and distant relatives. 

And then social media happened. I must admit though, I didn't get caught up with Friendster. I was barely there. But when Facebook became the social network of choice, I was not too cool to ignore it. In fact, I embraced it with too much gusto-- checking my timeline every few minutes, always trying to come up with a witty response to "what's on your mind?" question. It was then that I discovered that writing cryptic status updates get your network's attention. People are just naturally nosy or drawn to a scent of intrigue. Ha ha ha. 

That must have been over five years ago. Today, the various social media platform offers a variety of choices from microblogging (Twitter, Tumbler), geo tagging (Foursquare), photo-sharing communities (Instagram and Flicker) to full-on blogging (Blogger, Wordpress, etc). 

Imagine the possibilities! Endless. It is through social media that I met some of my new friends. And discovered that my sphere of influence has truly shrank from the old six degrees of separation to just a little over 1-- 1.17 to be exact. 

One of my activities is practicing Bikram Yoga. Naturally, I want my connections to know that. Absurd, I know. So, I check-in at Foursquare. It was in one of those numerous check-ins that we discovered that a current friend (Kira) and somewhat an old acquaintance Dan that we "run" in the same circle. 

That fateful night of comment exchange led to an actual meetup. We had a lovely catch up dinner over New York-style burger at the Burger Bar. My yummy food choice. We talked too much, I forgot to take pictures of my companions choices.

Bleu Burger P355/single patty.

Skinny Fries

We had a great time connecting and re-connecting. Yes, we gossiped, enjoyed good food, night capped with coffee and dessert. The hours flew by. We ended the night with promises to meet again. 

Night Cap at Bizu.

That collage sort of went "viral" as it generated almost 100 likes in less than an hour. What an aberration. We had a good ribbing over dessert and eavesdropping on the next table's occupants. Can't help it they were very loud and sporting a valley accent. We thought maybe from the call center? Awkward.

It was a riot night punctuated with clicks, phone checks and laughter. Thank you technology and social media, you made the world so much smaller and accessible. 

Good times. 

XX

Sheng

Online Shopping

The advent of digital technology and the accessibility of the internet has dramatically changed the life of shoppers even of those who are in the third world. 

We've all heard and saw in movies how coupons are painstakingly clipped and used by homemakers to get that extra discount when shopping at drugstores, hypermarkets and the likes.  

When the internet opened the possibility of buying products, services and brands that are otherwise difficult to reach, the shopping landscape improved and became so exciting -- more and more people are becoming shopaholic. 

Shopping at your fingertips. With just a click on that virtual shopping cart, your shopping itch is satiated... for the moment.  

I bought vacation packages like this

 Grabbed a hard-to-miss yoga offer

Bought a novel and proudly pinoy made bamboo speaker

  

Whimsical tapes that I haven't had the chance to use yet

Travel essentials

Kate Spade stuff

One-off restaurant coupons, plane tickets, hotel reservations and the likes. 


When you really come to think of it, the ease of internet shopping makes for a lot of closet shopaholics. Go ahead, check out your loved ones internet browsing history. You'd be amused and surprised. 

Xx

Sheng

Weekend spa at Sonya's Garden

It was one of those random weekends that we headed to Tagaytay after my almost week-long conference. Initially, we just wanted a scrumptious dinner at Breakfast at Antonio's and then coffee at Starbucks. But we arrived in Tagaytay way too early for dinner. 

We did the next best thing -- search for a spa place. So, we found ourselves at Sonya's Garden. 

The entire property is inlaid with red bricks. I think some are salvaged from old houses.

Dainty corner for book reading.

 At Sonya's Garden, you'll find yourself surrounded by shrubs, bougainvilleas and other flowering plants. It's as if you've stepped into a hideaway in the country.

These steps lead to the The Spa.

The spa house has a water feature in each room. When you're inside, it seems like it's raining outside. So, while you're enjoying your massage, surely you'll be lulled into sleep. Just like me! 

The massage rooms are very homey primarily made of wood and capiz shells. 

Here you'll be asked to change into sarong.

There's a small locker for your belongings but you can also just prop your bag on this occasional table. 

Each massage room is outfitted with a shower and set of toiletries.

The spa's menu is quite extensive which ranges from simple facials to spa packages. For our treatment, we opted to just enjoy an hour-long Shiatsu massage (P756/each).

Dalandan tea after massage. Very refreshing!

Wishlist: Scented and lighted candles in massage rooms! It should complete the relaxing ambiance.

Adjacent to the spa is this store with so many lovely concoctions. 

The store looks very promising. It sells organic home scents in vintage bottles. You can also find body creams, bugs repellant, bar soaps in really beautiful packaging. Am thinking they can be a well-thought of gift this Christmas. 

If you're thinking of a relaxing weekend in Tagaytay, consider going to Sonya's Garden. Just a word of caution though, it's kinda far. In fact, it's already in Alfonso, Cavite. But I tell you, it's worth the trip. Before you head home, you can buy freshly baked bread and pastries and potted herbs. 

 

Sonya's Garden

Address: Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, 4123

Phone:0917 532 9097 

 

Have fun!

 

Xx

 

Sheng

Loudbasstard

I have heard/read about Loudbasstard late last year. I thought it was a cool product. It has an organic feel to it. Plus, it sort of make a fantastic contrast to an otherwise hi-tech gadget these days -- iPod, iPhone, iPad or whatever it is that's your music source. 

For the love of music. This is a hand-crafted bamboo speaker dock. Made from Philippine bamboo and rattan.

It comes in different colors.

Although, it made an impression on me on two things -- hello, cheeky name! and it's a sustainable, environmentally-friendly product -- attributes that get my stamp of approval, it didn't cross my mind to actually own one.

I just promptly filed it away in my head. Over the weekend, while I was recuperating from a bad case of stomach bug, the hubby nudged me into buying one for him. I said I'd do it on a weekday. I did not feel like doing anything except to sleep away the pain and the fatigue. 

Come Tuesday, I did check out the online shop that carries Loudbasstard. There are many shops that carry the brand but we chose ZeroThreeTwo. Now, I find the name very hip and cool. Zero Three Two (032) happens to be Cebu's zip code. I think it's the inspiration of the name.

The next night, I got a text message verifying the color I chose. The next day, another message sent to confirm courier via LBC. The text also came with a request for a tweet and instagram of the item. "Of course, I will," was my reply. 

Today, I received the package from the mail. Our office in-charge of mails promptly delivered it on my desk. After signing the acknowledgment form, I happily opened it (way before the rightful owner hihihi). 

This is in Bordeaux. Classy. (PhP1199)

I find it really swell that I found a cute note inside. It's signed ZeroThreeTwo but I would venture into saying that it's penned by Mr Carlo Villarica. My hint is from the sender's name on the package. 

ZeroThreeTwo is Cebu's Marketplace for Urban Essentials.

I found myself reading the blogs on the site. If I may say, I love Cebu. My three-year residence in that city proved to be the best decision I made. I spent my early 20s there with much affection -- urban living, lifelong friends, and all. Go check out the site!

Now back to our best purchase this month, the Loudbasstard bamboo speaker dock in Bordeaux. I say it truly lives up to its claim -- 100% awesome. I've road-tested it and it does really sound great. 

Go get one for yourself, your partner, your friend or loved one. It's 100% sustainable and uses no electricity. Lessens our carbon footprint, right?

XX

Sheng


 

Psalm 23

I forget how beautiful this song until Nick Vujicic shared this last Sunday. Thank you, God for reminding me of your awesome presence in my life. Here's the song of David in Psalm 23.

Psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Go ahead, get "drunk" with God's word.

XX

Sheng

The secret to happiness...

What a validation! Don't get me wrong. I love to hang out with friends. And my occasional foray into running. But at the end of the day, I just love, love to curl up in bed with a good book. I never get sleepy when reading. 

On my reading couch today is Howard Schultz's Onward. 

Inspiring. Riveting.

A cup of coffee chases the blues away.

XX

Sheng

Big decisions

You think getting married, settling down is already a big decision. In the adult world, I think it's just one of many. The big decisions never stop. It multiplies as you evolve from being in a couple relationship to expanding your basic unit. 

And just like tying the knot, the big decisions in life involve a life-long commitment. Huge commitment. Like everything else that requires sober and sound thinking, we waver, even second guess. But when it is a shared decision, taking the big leap becomes easy to bear. 

The natural progression after marriage is to start a family. Build a house to provide shelter. We've been house hunting for a while now. There's that desire to live in a quaint but pretty house in a nice neighborhood with trees and a lawn with a nice garden.

When you wake up to reality however, you'll be forced to admit that it's nearly impossible to accomplish it in a big city like Manila where real estate prices shoot to the roof. Unless, I married money. Or we are filthy rich. 

We are neither. So, after a long search we chose to buy a unit in a mid-rise condominium development. It's half the size of our dream space but it's as good, as it gets. The price is within our range. And the mortgage payment scheme doesn't break the bank. 

Last weekend, we took the next step after paying off the reservation fee. We signed the form that will enable the developer to issue a buyer's document. We, on one hand, will get to start paying the amortization. 

Needless to say, we are excited but at the same time apprehensive of the unknown and of the future. We are going to have to do a lot of belt-tightening and creative expense planning. As my friend Josette said, "welcome to the club" being a homeowner herself, I find solace in the fact that she has hurdled the five years since she bought her property happy and unscathed.

With our imagination taking an overdrive, I've caught myself dreaming of the final product when it gets turned over to us. And how we will make it our own. It may not be the house of our dreams but it has one feature that am dying to have -- a balcony. Make it two balconies. 
 

Photo Credit: Pinterest

And so with bated breath, I envision that in the next 36 months I will have a nice reading corner, a lounge area and an open space to meditate and smell the roses. It's a long way to go and we're getting ahead of ourselves but who cares dreaming is free :-))

I love how sunny this space is!

Have you found your dream space yet? Tell me about it. 


XX

Sheng

Kitchen Chronicles

I've been dabbling in kitchen duties the past weeks. In our desire to eat healthy, we try to cook our own food. And so this kitchen chronicle is born. 

I was never good in the kitchen. Probably due to the fact that I've avoided kitchen duties at home, growing up. I'd rather cocoon in my room reading and starve than venture into the real world of slicing, basting, and cooking. 

But life caught up with me. I found myself living independently in Cebu for a few years. And I could no longer wing it -- unlike in college when one just buy from fast food. I shared a flat with a friend who likes home cooked meals. And she is good at it. And she generously shared her meals with me. I, on one hand, offer a token of my appreciation by washing the dishes.

One fateful night I received a text asking me to cook rice. She'll prepare the main dish when she arrives from the mall. Well, I did prepare the rice. The challenge was in switching on the gas stove. I've seen her do it so many times I only need to mimic what she does -- turn the dial clockwise and a flame will appear. But when I did, nothing happened. 

I frantically called her. Told her that we have already ran out of gas. She was aghast because the weekend before we just bought. Uh oh. So what's the problem then? She asked if I did use a match. Of course, I did. In fact, I've stricken so many of them. 

An hour or two later she arrived and discovered that I haven't turned on the safety switch of the gas tank. Bummer. 

In college, my dorm mates took pity on me. The scrambled egg I was cooking turned out to be a "pancake". And that's because there was no more gas in the stove. 

My kitchen mishaps extended even in Batangas where I got assigned for a few months. I cooked rice in the microwave. After so many experiments I finally knew the proper way and correct measurement of water to get the desired results. I also boiled egg which resulted in so many heart-stopping moments -- loud explosions and egg particles all over the oven. 

Now that am married, I try a little harder. I tried to google easy to prepare dishes. Unfortunately, I become jittery in ensuring I adhere to cooking time and which ingredients goes with what. 

And so I did the next best thing: experiment. Some are a hit. More on the misses. But hey, in life, you win some, you lose some. 

Then, I discovered tomatoes. I fell in love with it. 

Every dish I make has to have tomatoes. Pork, fish, chicken. I started with this. 

Pork cutlets in tomatoes with pepper to taste

  Moved on to this. 

Pork tenderloin with pineapple chunks, tomatoes, capers and pepper

I got inquiries on Facebook hahaha. They said it looked yum and healthy. Well, they are because there's very little oil in it. I only used some to grease the pan. My friends and lunch buddies have given it a thumbs up. I am beaming to the moon and back. 

I discovered breast chicken fillet. It's easier to sear it on the pan. I think it tastes better, too. 

Pan seared chicken breast fillet seasoned in pepper, rosemary and basil, simmered in tomatoes, topped with capers and olives

I'd say cooking is an acquired skill. And anyone has the potential to be a domestic goddess. And I believe that all you need to do is give it a try. 

Now, if you'll excuse me am off to the grocery to buy some cooking wine for the weekend's cook fest... in my kitchen.

XX

Sheng 

Rachel getting married

Well, this post has nothing to do with the movie. Although, its theme is about married life. 

I had a WhatsApp conversation with my former boss earlier this afternoon. He asked, "how's married life?"  

I quipped that am slow on the learning curve. Of course, I had to clarify. I told him that I realized that married life is more than just taking someone's last name. I mean, I know that in theory it's a whole lot more. But in practice it can be a little tricky. 

It's not how it was playing house when you were a kid. And it's not just about compromises, commitment and deep abiding love.  

I think being married is about two people building a life together without losing one's identity. And it's about growing into the relationship. What's it all about, am still discovering. 

One thing I've come to realize is that when the wind is rough, there is no vow beautiful enough to make you want to sail it through. Only God can calm a howling wind. 

Source: Pinterest

And when you're married regardless of how long you've been together, there will always be something new that irritates and annoys you. There will be moments when without even trying hard to -- one of you gets under each other's skin. 

And that maturing in the relationship isn't all about age. Perspective and wisdom are cultivated and woven into the fabric of the relationship. And that your relationship dynamics determine your response or reaction. 

I've also come to realize that it's healthy to have irritants so you both get to examine your willingness to change and to make your partner understand -- you as an individual and as the other half. 

At the end of the day, even when your mad at each other, you pray for your partner's safety and God's providence. 

Every moment of you together is a work in progress. 

Source: Pinterest

XX

Sheng

Tax increase & Furla

I was back reading today my twitter feed when I came upon a tweet about the Bureau of Internal Revenue's (BIR) plan to increase the tax percentage collected from compensation income taxpayers. In short, all of us corporate slaves will be taxed some more. 

I couldn't help but put it out there that the BIR should focus its attention on efficient tax collection from corporations rather than exerting more efforts on taxing people. It's so disheartening given the fact that 30% of an employee's pay automatically gets deducted for the government. 

But what does the government do for us? I say, nothing. We pay for every government-related transactions. Efficiency? Zilch. We don't even get to enjoy a decent subsidized hospitalization in a government-run hospital. Private sector employees would rather go to private hospitals. And besides we have HMO for that. 

What about the roads? Aside from the killer traffic in urban Manila and even in major cities, we need to pay for the use of the road, too. How annoying?!

Abe Lincoln said there are two things that are inescapable in this world, death and taxes. But at least in America, its citizens get to enjoy where their taxes go -- health, sanitation, infrastructure. 

Sadly in our country, tax collection is not just taxing... it's murderous! This leads me to a sad, sad reality check. The tax collected from me month-on-month could already feed two average-sized family. Yet, the growing divide between rich and poor in this country stretches more and more... to infinity. 

Whilst the Forbes Richest Men lists more and more Filipinos that accounts for the 76% of the economic growth last year, the rest of the Filipinos are struggling to make it day by day. How ironic, eh?

Now, I was just ogling at these three nice bags the past few months. I've been wondering if I should buy one. However given this looming cross that I (a working man er woman) must bear, the possibility is shrinking by the minute. 

I know it's shallow. Maybe the rest of humanity has more important concerns in their lives. But we all work hard because we have needs and wants to satisfy. Right now, mine just happens to be a bag craving... 

XX

Sheng