2014 in a Survey

Work and baking took up most of my time and I wasn't able to blog at all, even though I had tons of material to work with. This year, my motto was #trysomethingnew, and that brought a lot of insights and experiences. I had my fifteen minutes of mild viral fame thanks to an opinion piece I wrote in defense of my faith, felt exhilarated while white-water rafting in Davao, and became a holiday business woman and baker. 2014 was a tough year, but it made me realize a ton of things too, which helped made my 2015 goals clearer. I'm excited to take it on! But first, a look back. As per tradition, here's the year that was in a survey.

What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
- White-water rafting, cliff diving, and successfully run a micro home-based business.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
- Don't make 'em. But I 'm happy to have accomplished several of my 2014 goals.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
- No.

Did anyone close to you die?
- No.

What countries did you visit?
- (Phuket) Thailand.

What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
- Leveled up goals, a bigger home, a new car.

What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- That day that finally pushed me to resign from my corporate job even without a new job to transfer to.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- Resolved to sell my banana loaves and actually did a great job at it.

What was your biggest failure?
- Still keeping my place neat. I want to do something serious about it this coming year though.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
- Nothing major. My good ol' reliable acid reflux.

What was the best thing you bought?
- Hmmm. The buy one take one sturdy plastic table I bought at S&R. It became very useful for baking.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
- Jay! For being everything from doing most of my costing, driving me to supply stores, buying and bringing me supplies, to helping mash bananas and taste testing. And mostly for keeping up with my mood swings.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
- Corrupt people, and not just those in the government.

Where did most of your money go?
-Food. Bills. And work transportation.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- The Iglesia Ni Cristo Centennial, Bits & Bites, and Phuket.

What song(s) will always remind you of 2014?
- "Brave" and "Satellite Call" (Sara Bareilles),  "Lost Stars" (Adam Levine), "A Step You Can't Take Back" (Keira Knightley), Taylor Swift's 1989 album

Compared to this time last year, are you:

i.happier or sadder? -- Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? -- For most of the year, thinner. But this holiday season, I gained back the weight, plus a couple more pounds. Whut!
iii. richer or poorer? -- Poorer.

What do you wish you'd done more?
- Focused on what I really wanted.

What do you wish you'd done less of?
- Worry.

How many one-night stands?
- Zero.

What was your favorite TV program?
- I'm a TV series junkie. My new discoveries this year: White Collar, Covert Affairs, Game of Thrones, House of Lies, The Affair, How to Get Away with Murder and The Big Bang Theory. Plus the usual suspects: The Newsroom, Suits, Scandal, House of Cards, Person of  Interest, 2 Broke Girls, NCIS, The Blacklist, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, the list goes on...

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
- No.

What was the best book you read?
-  The Help, The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
- Sara Bareilles's The Blessed Unrest, Taylor's 1989, Begin Again OST.

What did you want and get?
- Succeed in my baking business.

What was your favorite film/s of this year?
- The Grand Budapest Hotel, Chef, Begin Again, Boyhood

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- 27, Sofitel buffet with Jay days before. On the day, I was with my brother and his family.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
- If I didn't have to worry about a problem that was just handed down to me. If I was included in the Centennial Choir.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
- Still comfort over fashion. Jeans, strappy sandals, and silver Toms.

What kept you sane?
-My journals, books, TV series, and Jay. And this year, it really was prayer. I don't think I ever prayed as hard as I did this year.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
- Hmmm. None.

What political issue stirred you the most?
- Not political, social. The GMA vs TAG issue. I have mad respect for the dedication of journalists and broadcast journalists in the country. It's just fair that they get what they deserve.

Who did you miss?
- Always, my Dad.

Who was the best new person you met?
- Hmmm. As an aspirational figure, I'd say Joe Magsaysay (CEO of Potato Corner).

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:
- Know what you want and work hard to get it. Learn to say no when you want to.

What was the nicest thing someone told you about yourself:
- "I don't mind being under-appreciated by everyone else when I work with someone talented, passionate, and principled. Be always that person and even more than you can imagine."

The most touching experience you've had this year?
- I was playing bubbles with my niece Angela, and seeing her laugh with sheer happiness just tugs at my heart. I lover her to pieces. You know, that kind of love that makes you feel like you could die? Before she came, I didn't know you could love someone so much. I know, a little out there. Can you imagine how much I'd love my own child?

- I went on vacation and had someone take care of everything for me. I've lived independently for six years, and I forgot how it was not to worry about anything.

What did you like most about yourself this year?
- I finally had the courage to walk away from something that no longer made me grow, even when it meant instability and uncertainty.

What did you hate most about yourself this year?
- That I didn't keep my home clean and in order. It's frustrating, because I really want to. But procrastination always got the better of me. And living alone, it didn't matter much since you'd think no one else would see it. Until someone springs a surprise visit.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
- And God, tell us the reason/Youth is wasted on the young//It's hunting season/ and the lambs are on the run//Searching for meaning/But are all lost stars/ trying to light up the dark.//

Was 2014 a good year for you?
- No, for most of it. But the last quarter went pretty well.

What was your favorite moment of the year?
- Choir duty in the worship service officiated by Bro. EVM in our locale, celebrating the Church's Centennial, that three-second underwater while white-water rafting in Davao, Phuket trip with Jay, playtime with my niece, whenever I received good feedback about my banana loaves.

What was your least favorite moment of the year?
- On my supposed last day at work, there was a storm and we weren't made to go to the office. But there were certain power-tripping people who didn't care about our welfare and just wanted to get things done. They just made leaving so much easier.

Where were you when 2014 began?
- At Jay's family home.

Who were you with?
- Jay and his family.

Where will you be when 2014 ends?
-At Jay's home.

Who will you be with when 2014 ends?
- Jay and his family.

Do you have a new years resolution for 2015?
- Not resolutions but goals.

What was your favorite month of 2014?
- November and December.

Did you lose anybody close to you in 2014?
-No.

Did you miss anybody in the past year?
- My Dad

What was your favorite record from 2014?
- Sara Bareilles's The Blessed Unrest, Taylor's 1989, Begin Again OST.

How many concerts did you see in 2014?
- Just one. :( John Legend's All of Me Tour.

Did you drink a lot of alchohol in 2014?
- No.

Do a lot of drugs in 2014?
- Do prescription drugs count?

You do anything you are ashamed of this year?
- No.

How much money did you spend in 2014?
- Less than last year.

What was your proudest moment of 2014?
- My baking business. I was overwhelmed with its success. It inspired me to dream more and learn more. And it reminded me that there's nothing like working on something you love.

What was your most embarrassing moment of 2014?
- Replying on the wrong email thread.

If you could go back in time to any moment of 2014 and change something, what would it be?
- It was actually a moment in 2012.

What are your plans for 2015?
- To cross off the top item on my goal list, to grow Bits & Bites, and to fix financial stuff.

How are you different now that the year has ended?
- Rejuvenated and looking forward to 2015. Bit & Bites was a real inspiration. Just what I needed to jumpstart my new year.

What are your wishes for the new year?
- :)

Time After Time

It's been a while since my last proper post and I don't really have a valid excuse except to say that I've been lazy and was consciously avoiding my own blog because of an unforeseen circumstance. But today I found myself backreading Patty Laurel's blog and while I generally love all her posts, nothing affected me as much as her entry on Time.

In her August entry, Patty was able to describe my exact thoughts and feelings about being on time and people who aren't as conscious about being late. Being late is one of my top pet peeves. All my watches are advanced and I'm almost always early for my appointments. It may be a type A personality trait, but wasting time just rubs me the wrong way. Being late speaks so much not just about how you value your own time, but how your respect other people's time as well.

Here are two paragraphs from her entry that summarizes my view on the matter:

A person's relationship with time is very telling. Punctuality does not make you a stickler, it makes you considerate of others. Of course, the same consideration allows you to be flexible and allow for a bit of a grace period in between the minutes. You'll forgive a 9:07am arrival for a casual 9:00am meeting but if it's a visa application, job interview, or a client presentation 9:00am roughly translates to 8:30am if you really want to make a good impression. 

It's not cute or cool or funny to be late, if you think about it---it actually is quite rude. In other countries, being on time is the only way to go. I can imagine being late in Japan, Germany or Singapore is like having LBM---it's something that could happen to anyone but it's something you would try your very best to avoid, something you'd be embarrassed about and something that could ruin your entire day and your dealings with others. Unless you have a valid reason like an emergency or a health related issue, then being late shouldn't become an option. 

You can read the entire entry here.

Esquire Philippines September 2014 Issue

Never been this excited about a magazine issue/collab in a long time. In his Instagram post, Esquire Senior Features Editor Jerome Gomez asked, "Where were you in 1995?" 

In 1995 I was in 2nd grade, an eight-year-old exposed to music beyond my years thanks to a family compound that allowed my cousins to play components (that's a kind of radio equipment, kids) with blasting speakers, to the dismay of our parents. My first Eraserheads memory that never left me is a fashion magazine editorial based on their single "Magasin." Folks, I know it's easy to download and spread this stuff online. But do yourself a favor and get off the Internet, buy the magazine and the CD for the sheer joy of smelling new paper, peeling off the CD's adhesive carefully so as not to tear the magazine page, leafing through the pages, and reading about the journey of this revolutionary band. Do it for the experience of putting the disc in its slot, hearing it click, and finally allowing the music to let you get lost for a minute or two. Do it for the dedicated people who made this magic happen. Buti na lang, Sabado bukas! #EsquireEheads

iWrite: An Open Letter to Malaya dela Cruz*

Hi Malaya, 

I read about the opinion piece you wrote on a news website and while I initially tried to ignore it, something stirred in me and made me decide to write a response. 

First off, I would like to know why you felt the need to hide behind a pseudonym, when the Iglesia Ni Cristo doesn't expel their members for asking questions about the validity, veracity, and practicality of their beliefs, especially when they are valid ones. Do we not practice transparency and accountability in the Church? Do we not state our whole name and affix our signature in reports of wrongdoing inside the Church, before an investigation is done to prove if the reports are true? 

But that aside, as your brethren, I would like to ask how you've been, how your workload is as a student, how many units are you taking, and how often have you missed out on attending worship services because of your studies? Because isn't that part of how we take care of each other in the Church, we check on each member's situation, ensure that everyone is making it out well and that no problem or sickness or obstacles prevent us from continuing our service to God? 

I ask this because I am confused. As someone who was raised inside the Church and being a minister's daughter, I would think that you of all people will have a first-hand source to answer all your questions and clear your concerns. I ask you, before you sent in your piece to that website, have you talked to your father about these concerns? Or any other minister, even any other member? Because my Dad was a policeman and my Mom is a practicing Catholic but I can answer all the questions you didn't ask in your piece, even though the article's intro stated you were questioning the teachings you grew up with. I ask again if you've attended worship services lately, because if you have and you weren't spacing out or dozing off, all your arguments would have been addressed. 

If you are active in Church activities and are present in your father's officiation of Bible studies in doctrine and Evangelical missions, then I doubt you would be asking those questions. 

Now since you never mentioned even one bible verse in your piece, I won't do so here as well.   

I won't be able to answer your piece point by point because whenever I try to refresh the webpage, it takes forever to load (probably from the many commenters who give their two cents without really thinking about where the other side is coming from). But I'll try to remember what I can. 

Reading your piece, I felt like you were speaking from a socialist point of view, and no longer from a creationist one, where clearly the INC is coming from. Why you have that view now, I can only guess is from your university education, where you most probably were exposed to the harsh realities of how capitalists, oligarchs, economists, bureaucrats, and all the other powers-that-be rule the world. 

When I entered UP Diliman, I was also exposed to all those views. I mention this not to brag, but to make you understand that I see where you're coming from. Atheists, agnostics, existentialists, activists—you name it, I have a friend from UPD who subscribes to one of those beliefs. And strongly too at that. I have a non-INC friend from high school who became an activist when she entered UP and eventually immersed herself to the kilusan, and years later when she died from a car accident while being chased by alleged military personnel, all her high school friends—including INC members, because we all graduated from New Era University—went to her wake and some even attended her funeral. I was one of those who sat quietly and respectfully (non-apathetically if I may add), while her comrades from the kilusan spent about half an hour in front of her coffin edifying those who went to pay their last respects to my friend. They called my friend a different name (she was called a very Filipino name much like your pseudonym, Malaya), one that her family and friends didn't recognize, and barely gave her loved ones a moment to say goodbye. Because to them, my friend already belonged to the movement, to the society, and no longer to her family. And they persuaded us to continue her fight up until the last pound of dirt was shovelled into my friend’s grave. 

I tell you this because I want you to know that I agree with you on questioning your beliefs, because no one should blindly follow anyone else or any one religion or organization, especially when they have been given the chance to learn and question and inquire. But I also remind you that we always have the freedom to leave when we no longer subscribe to those beliefs, and having a religion should not prevent you from being a human being, a friend, a daughter, a son. My activist friend still went to our reunions whenever she wasn't immersed in the mountains. She still spoke to us like we were carefree Girl Scouts gossiping about our crushes. I have friends who are Muslims, Born-Again Christians, Seventh Day Adventists, and Buddhists. I have friends who are gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, and transsexuals. But we all manage to continue being friends without calling the others’ belief myopic or liberal. 

Now about those medical and relief missions that you say are only done to gain more Church members. That's partly true, we do conduct evangelical missions vis-à-vis our medical ones. That has always been a component of religious missions, regardless of the religion. But to say that we're doing that because our ONLY goal is to gain more members, is an absolute mockery of the brethren and medical volunteers and professionals who attend those missions. Are we all heartless people who tell our guests, “You have to stay for the evangelical program because if you don't, we won't give you the medicines/check-up/relief bags?” Do we tell them they need to be members of the Church first in order to receive these voluntary services? Isn't it a bit off to call the program “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko (My Countrymen, My Brethren)” if we don't really care about their welfare? 

And let me just categorically correct you on one thing: we don’t try to convert people out of the utang na loob (debt of gratitude) mentality. As I’m sure your minister father and any other member (active or otherwise) can tell you, we ask them to listen, study, think, and decide if they agree with our teachings or not. And if they don’t, we don’t take it against them. It’s part and parcel of conducting a mission. 

You also wrote something about us revelling in the Philippine Arena and the Guinness World Records, making it sound like it is all we care about. Malaya, I'd like to remind you that it is the media who covered and featured those things, because aside from our bloc voting, those are the only things they seem to think are newsworthy about our Church. Are they going to write about how many countries, territories, and nationalities our Church has already reached, how many houses of worship, buildings, residential housing, and district offices we have in all parts of the globe? When have we ever read about that in mainstream or social media? No, we find out about this during our worship services, in our own media channels, in our own publications. Because is it not the brethren who deserve to know where their offering (voluntary amount that they give, and NOT ten percent of their income as the public is widely misinformed) is going? And how, even when majority of our membership live below the poverty line, we manage to build a world-record holder of an edifice, all without financial help from any politician or any private entity? Do you believe otherwise? Because you do know, Malaya, that this specific fact was mentioned by our Executive Minister in his circular, right? That we have achieved all these because of each brethren's contribution and, above all, by the good grace of God?  

And that if you know of some wrongdoing, you can always file a report and expose it, right? You do know that there are a lot of members, yes even ministers, who were expelled from the Church because they started to live a life that's not in keeping with the Christian way, right Malaya? 

And you are aware that there are others who voluntarily left, those who left without notice yet are painstakingly searched for by our dutiful brethren, because isn't that how we take care of one another? That no member is bound in shackles to stay in the Church if that is no longer what they want.

You talk about empowering society and mobilization. Do we not empower society by encouraging our members to work, discouraging them from being lazy and leaving everything to chance like gambling (which drives both the rich and the poor to financial destruction) and participating in illegal transactions? Do we not tell them to persevere, to pay the right amount of taxes, and not rely on dole outs from anyone?

Lastly, about the bloc voting, I can't officially speak in behalf of the Church. But thinking rationally, isn't it right to ensure the freedom of the Church to continue practicing its faith, and to do so, ensure that we elect officials that won't hinder us from exercising that right? Just like socialists, reformists, activists, and members of other religions, should we not support those who have the same plans and goals and ideals as ours, or at the very least, those who tell us they will not in any way prevent us from freely being Christians or persecute us just because we don’t share the same religion? Would a communist party vote for a capitalist? 

I ask you from a journalism graduate to a university student, from one brethren to another, are we compelled to take a photo of our ballots, document our inked index fingers, are we followed by Church officers to the voting precinct, to the voting booth, to ensure we exercised our doctrine in unity? 

And isn’t that just what boggles your mind and everyone else’s? How millions of people—each with his own mind, each exposed to the harsh realities of the world, most of them living in it—still choose to participate in that unity?

You see Malaya, this is probably what you have forgotten to think about while you were writing your piece. You may have forgotten that we are not talking about the law, or any other system of belief here. We are talking about faith, or the Christian faith to be specific. The American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition classifies faith as a noun which means: 

“1. Confident belief or trust in a person, idea, or thing. See Syns at belief. 2. Loyalty, allegiance. 3. Often Faith Christianity Secure belief in God and acceptance of God’s will. 4. A religion.”

Faith doesn't operate just on what can be seen, what can be validated or certified or proven. That's how powerful faith is, how something that seems unbelievable to many can be the most ordinary and automatic thing to some. How it's possible that one's absolute truth is different from the other's absolute truth. I can give you all the rational explanation to make you remember what those doctrines mean, but to the faithless, it will never suffice.

Maybe it also momentarily slipped your mind how, as human beings, we learn to respect one another's faith and beliefs, how we understand that not everyone can accept our own, and how we should have the freedom to choose to whom, to where, and in which we put our faith. 

Malaya, as you continue learning, I hope you find what it is you are looking for, and I hope you stand by it long after you've finished your studies. I hope your questions about faith and religion be answered and clarified, and your convictions about socialism remain strong whether you are living a convenient life or a less comfortable one in the city or elsewhere. 

Because I can tell you one thing: you can speak your mind all you want, and I will listen and respect your right to that opinion, but I will never turn my back on the Iglesia Ni Cristo nor dream a life outside of it. No matter how people like you persecute me for exercising my right and defending my faith.


Romy

Romy Antonette Peña is a journalism graduate from UP Diliman and grew up as a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo. When she was eleven years old, she listened to the doctrines of the Iglesia Ni Cristo and was baptized on February 20, 1999. She works as a website editor for a telecom company.

UPDATE: Hours after I published this entry on my blog, it reached Malaya and she left a comment here. I was happy that she was willing to talk. I gave her my blog's email and waited for her to get in touch with me privately.

On August 26, I opened my blog's email to check if she did. Instead, I saw an email from Rappler asking my permission so they could republish my entry on their site. I agreed. It was published on the same day.

On August 29, Malaya left another comment saying she wanted to communicate via Facebook instead. I am still waiting for her reply.

I consciously don't read the comments on Rappler because I love myself, I love my life, and I don't want to add stress to it. I wrote this letter because I genuinely want to know Malaya's thoughts, what specific changes she wants to happen (because her letter and Facebook note seems so vague and full of jargon), and if she is indeed a brethren, how her faith can be strengthened. That is all. While I respect everyone's right to free speech, I don't want to engage in any word war/debate with anyone.

I do hope our exchange will yield positive results for both of us.

Thank you for visiting my site!
  

Health Bites - Plan:Eat, The Food Lover's Diet

I love food. I look forward to having nice meals, to that first spoonful that will address my hunger and warm my stomach. I feel bad whenever I pay for a high-priced meal but feel like I was cheated because it failed my expectations. And I'm a pretty easy diner to please.

I don't like diets. I don't like depriving myself because I'll only end up bingeing afterwards. I also know that the real key to losing weight is to pair a diet with exercise. And exercise just makes me eat more, so it's a losing battle.

I wouldn't have given Plan:Eat a second thought if it weren't for my officemate who lost weight partly because of Plan:Eat. She did say that she works out four times a week at the gym as well, but every day I would see her name on a brown paper bag in the office pantry, and I got curious about her diet.

Choose your plan based on your ideal weight and activities. Photo from @planeat_program on Instagram

Plan:Eat is among the many calorie-count diet delivery services that are now all over the metro. They offer 5-day meals that compose of breakfast, lunch, dinner, plus morning and afternoon snacks. There are different calorie plans you can choose from, starting with Plan 1200. That means you just consume 1, 200 calories per day. They will do the counting and prepare the meals for you, all you have to do is eat them! The hardest part is being disciplined not to cheat. Plan 1200 also costs Php1200, plus Php20 delivery fee/day (Php100 for 5 days).

One day I finally decided to join. There's a big group of people in the office who orders in bulk, and our meals get delivered to the office early in the morning.

They post their menus on Wednesdays. They change it often, so you don't get the same boring stuff. Photo from @planeat_program on Instagram.

One of the things I like most about Plan:Eat is the anticipation. They usually post their menus for the following week on Wednesdays, so you can decide if you want to join. Every morning when I pick up my brown bag at the loading bay, I am excited to open it and find my meals. They're packed neatly in plastic containers and come with two sets of utensils (guys, please recycle!).

This is a sample of what you get for one day. Yep, this diet allows white rice. And corn dogs (bottom right). 

I didn't have a hard time sticking to the diet. Plan:Eat allows you to indulge, and keeps you full by providing small portions while requiring you to eat often. It doesn't hurt that their meals are delicious too. We had a naked apple pie for a snack once, and I swear, I wanted to order one whole pie. It was that good.

To help me stick to my goal, my teammates and I started a challenge. For every time I cheat (when I eat something that's not part of the day's menu), I pay P50/day. But because I don't drink coffee (which is included every breakfast), I get 90 calories free! I don't consume it most of the time, other times, I eat a piece of candy or several pieces of chips or crackers.

You get you cheat days on the weekends. But because you've acquired the discipline of portion control, you'd think twice about your cheat meals!

Plan prices plus modes of payment. Do check if your area is covered by their delivery. Photo from @planeat_program on Instagram

Now, this post is too long already, but the verdict is: it works. It works for people who don't like to deprive themselves. It works for people on a budget (Plan:Eat has one of the most affordable set meals among the diet delivery services). It works for people like me who live alone and are too tired to prepare a healthy meal when they get home.

It works for people who want to lose weight but don't have time to work out every day. I didn't, but I still lost five pounds. And even when I stopped ordering for a while (I had some leaves and didn't want to carry my meals throughout the day), I didn't gain the weight back. Yep, I checked. Plan:Eat actually trained my brain and stomach not to consume too much.

So try it out for yourself. Start with an order for a week and then see how it goes.

Plan:Eat Program
Tel. No: +63917 3055510
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P.S. I'm not connected with Plan:Eat.  :)

Home Bites - Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sorry I've been MIA. It doesn't mean I wasn't baking, I just didn't have time to post. :) So here's my third baking project: chocolate chip cookies. I thought this would be easy, but was I wrong! I guess I'm more of a cake person, or a cake baker.

I followed the recipe but somehow the cookies didn't come out the way I imagined them to be. My mistake was the first batch wasn't spaced equally, my tablespoon drops were big so when the cookie sheet came out, the cookies all got stuck together. I did a little better on my second and third batches. I don't have many photos to post because they look horrible! All in all, the recipe I followed yielded 14 big cookies (2-3 inches in diameter).

They looked better when they cooled, but I broke them in pieces so they could fit in my plastic containers. I promise to take better photos next time! The cookies were a bit salty in some bites, and a tad sweet for my taste. I had a couple of people say that as well. But surprisingly, most people enjoyed them :) Jay, as usual, finished everything I gave him and even ate some more. Best supporter ever!

The recipe I followed is from my baking class in Maya Kitchen, but here's a similar one you can find at the back of Gold Medal flour. I did mine minus the nuts.

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 bag (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1. Heat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, mix sugars, butter and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

So I guess this one wasn't a 100% success. I'll give it a few more go's and hopefully they'll come out better next time.

Music Bits - Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and then some.

Here I go again.

Before I opened my blog I had a lot of things going in my head and I thought, "I should write this down now before I forget it." And what do you know, my mind's a blank.

I know I wanted to write something interesting about my record player. I just finished watching the film adaptation of The Perks of Being A Wallflower and looked up the song list when I saw that they used a different song for the tunnel scene. In the movie they used "Heroes" by David Bowie but in the book it was Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide". I remembered that I have a vinyl of Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours. I dusted it off and discovered "Landslide" wasn't in it. I played the record anyway. A quick search on Wikipedia and I find out it's the band's most successful album, and even won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978.

My copy has several scratches so I didn't get to enjoy some of the songs but it's good enough that I listened through the skips. There's one familiar song, "Dreams." You'd know it if you're a 90s kid and watched The Corrs on MTV.

I've always been partial to sad/slow songs so my favorites are "Never Going Back Again", "Songbird", and the last three songs: "I Don't Want to Know", "Oh Daddy", and "Gold Dust Woman."

I plan to listen to its remastered version which was released in 2004. During my morning commute I usually listen to The Morning Rush podcasts, but lately I've been mixing it up with my playlists. It's been a while since I got hooked on an album. I only have two on my phone, Beyonce's self-titled and Sarah Bareilles's The Blessed Unrest. I guess I'll be adding Rumours now.

Four years ago, when I didn't care about how much things cost, I bought this record player in Rockwell from a man who then sold me other stuff, including a stash of vinyls and an antique electric fan. I've gotten a lot of jabs from my family and friends for spending (they used the term wasting) money, but I'll never regret buying my player. They're making a come back and they're more expensive now, but when people ask me, I can tell them I was way ahead of the pack.

That's all. Good night world, hope you had a nice weekend! 

P.S. Listen to "Landslide" kids, seriously. 

Cheers to being twenty-seven!

photo from Pinterest

Thank you to everyone who greeted me on my birthday. Today I woke up to the sounds of tricycles and noises of a town in a province where my Dad was born. There was no fancy food nor a birthday cake but I was with my family and it's more than enough. Life has been an uphill battle lately, I've been on a slump and the thought of staying in bed gets to me most mornings and almost wins. My wallet got stolen four days ago. And yet, I'm still thankful. I'm pretty sure I have more than what I need. I am healthy, I am strong, I have a job, and my family is two hours away at most. I have a man who loves me. I get to sing for the choir. I started becoming active again with badminton and I've been eating healthy five days a week. I already lost a couple of pounds. To make myself more excited in the mornings, I started dressing up more thoughtfully and made sure my days are filled with happy thoughts and good vibes. I sing more. I read more. I write more.

I usually don't wish for anything on my birthday, but my 2014 motto is "Try something new." So on my first day as a 27-year-old, I listed my dreams and I'm claiming them. I asked God that if He granted just one of those things, I'm set. If He grants nothing, I'd still be thankful. Because I know He must have something even greater planned. My life has certainly seen better days. But then, there's no way to go but up! :)

Home Bites - Strawberry Cake

When I first told people that I was learning how to bake, a lot of them told me to learn baking cupcakes. Cupcakes seem to be the dessert du jour, right behind cronuts which is thankfully dying a slow, painful death. I guess the cupcake craze started a while back, when Sonja's Cupcake gained popularity. Last year, it seems to have gained steam, now cupcake shops are everywhere! Some are small and dainty, while others are big and dainty. 

Like the cronuts craze, I didn't really jump in the cupcake bandwagon. Sure, I'd eat them when someone gives them to me, but I won't get all hung-up about it. I'm not a fan of the small piece of cake and then a dollop of frosting on top. I feel like cupcakes are for the tea-drinking, ladies-who-lunch types. Me? I'm the iced-tea-gulping, buffet-devouring variety. So I'd rather have a solid, big slice of cake. (P.S. I know I might swallow these words in the future, so to be safe, I'm not saying I won't ever bake cupcakes, alright? Hehe.)

So for my second baking project for the year, I chose another easy recipe which I found on marthastewart.com. I chose a simple Strawberry Cake, a mix of sweet and tang. It was perfect timing because strawberry is in season, and I found some big and juicy ones at the S&R branch near my office.

Strawberry Cake

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.

2. Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

3. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

4. Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

Next time, I have to put more strawberries and figure out how to make the presentation like the one on Martha Stewart's website! But I love how the inside of the strawberry slice looks like rose petals. 

After several taste tests with my officemates, my brother's family, and Jay's family, my strawberry cake was a success! My sister-in-law asked me to bring her a whole cake next time, while Jay wanted to finish the portion I saved for his mom and sister. :) I'm very happy with how it turned out, it encouraged me to bake more. Onto project number three!

Home Bites - Dark Chocolate Cake

Jay gave me my dream Kitchen Aid mixer as his New Year's gift, so I was the happiest girl when 2014 came in! Of course he made sure I was really going to use it and it wasn't just going to gather dust and be a huge paper weight in my kitchen. So I've resolved to bake as much as I can.

I resolve to make 2014 #ayearofbaking

Around the second week of January I baked my first creation: a dark chocolate cake, the recipe of which came from a baking class I took at Maya Kitchen last year. I have yet to blog about that, but it was a fun experience to learn baking in a class, and get hands-on experience with your classmates. You also get tips from the veteran bakers.

Those classes were months ago so I had to refresh myself before I baked again. I found very detailed and helpful instructional videos at Martha Stewart's website.

Now I can't share with you the cake recipe I used because, to be honest, I don't know if the people from Maya Kitchen would appreciate me handing out recipes for free. After all, they offer it for a fee in their classes.

But no worries because I found a similar one over at allrecipes.com. It has pretty much the same ingredients, minus the condensed milk. Plus instead of icing, I used caramel sauce. Oh and instead of a food processor, of course I used my mixer. :)

Ingredients:

1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
1 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) evaporated milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter

You'll find it easier to bake when you've arranged your mise en place beforehand. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of evaporated milk and the 3/4 cup of cocoa. Heat until the cocoa is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, melted butter, water, vanilla, and cocoa mixture, mix well until blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. (Note: I couldn't find a cooling rack at my grocery store so I bought a tray used for grilling, hehe! It does the job so that's fine with me.)

4. To make the chocolate icing, combine the remaining condensed milk, evaporated milk, cocoa and butter into a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and paste-like. Spread over cooled cake.


Now I would've made my own caramel sauce, I bought my candy thermometer and everything, but I still have a jar of Trader Joe's Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce, so I used that first.

My first baking project for 2014: Success! 

So far, everyone who tried my cake liked it. I had three tastings, you see: Jay, my officemates, and a couple of other friends I had dinner with one weeknight. I'm happy with the outcome! But I'd definitely bake this recipe more, I'd like to master it. I might even try this recipe I posted. :)

Now I'd like to share with you one secret tip I got from my baking class. If you're going to store your chocolate cake in the fridge for a few days (it usually lasts for a week), make sure to brush it with corn syrup to keep it moist. I found that the cake is best eaten after a night in the fridge, it's more moist and rich.

Life Bits - Hello 2014!

Happy new year dear readers! I hope you had a wonderful celebration with your loved ones. New Year is one of my favorite holidays, and whenever I think about it I always imagine us jumping from the ending year into the new one. And although I know I won't grow an inch taller, I've made a tradition of jumping whenever the clock struck midnight. It's just more fun welcoming the year that way. :)

So a lot of people make resolutions at the start of the year. That isn't really my thing. What I do is take my planner and write down some goals. Usually it includes reading more books (in 2013 I read 20, yay!) and finish personal projects. I'm still working on my photo wall but I'm targeting to finish that this month. Making this new blog was one of my goals last year.

I haven't written any goals for 2014 yet, but I do have a mantra to go by. I've always been a creature of habit, and my brother calls me anal because I like order in certain things. I have my go-to items. Like in eating for example. I always go for the pasta dish and because I don't drink soda, my default drink is iced tea. If you look in my closet, you'd see a lot of blacks, whites, and grays. Jay noticed I often get flower-printed tops or dresses. Yada, yada yada, you get the picture.

So this year, I decided to...Try something new.

I started it back in December when I ended up eating at Mamou after a long day at work. Lorenzo's Truffle Cream is one of my comfort foods but having had pasta the day before, I ended up ordering the Kurobuta Sinigang. I ended up liking it! And then I realized, there is still so much to try, a lot of things to discover.

So for this year, whenever I get the chance, I will stray from the usual and try something off the beaten path.

What's your 2014 mantra? :)