Our Anniversary! The First!

As of last weekend, we've been married a year! A year, can you believe it? Well I know we have a hard time :D.

And so much has happened in that year. We went to Hong Kong for our honeymoon, I got my fiance visa (technically our wedding in the Philippines was only a religious ceremony), my whole family flew to the US, where Gerard and I got legally married, and we settled into our apartment. And I settled into life in Concord.

We went to L.A. for Thanksgiving and spent Christmas in Virginia. I got my driver's license, a total of two haircuts the whole year (they're expensive) and started taking graphic design classes. Gerard traveled a lot for work, L.A., Chicago, Vegas. And he's going to Germany sometime this year too.

We moved apartments, bought a washer/dryer, and settled into our current home. I work from home, cook dinner, and help Gerard catch up with his laundry. We go for long drives (usually in search of some craving I have, some random thing I want to see), movie dates, and walks in the park. Our place isn't always 100% neat but I've learned to live with that.

We watch TV, run errands, and we're starting to plan our meals too.

Sure, we fought. But I figured that's part of adjusting to living together, learning about each other, and being married!

For anniversary weekend, we did quite a lot.

We cooked a yummy dinner of Seared Scallops, Salmon Sashimi, Mussels and Pasta + BBQ Ribs on Friday night.

Saturday, we drove to Napa and had merienda at the Oxbow Public Market, a "Napa-fied" version of San Francisco's Ferry Building.

I really wanted to try the ice cream from Three Twins but their freezer was buggy so they were only selling by the pints and gallons that day.

So I got me some mini cupcakes instead from Kara's Cupcakes (I love the Fleur de Sal one! My new favorite!)

 

And we had the Cachapa or sweet corn pancake with meat and cheese filling from Pica Pica. 

It was really yummy!

Afterwards, we drove to a few Napa thrift stores where I scored some awesome books, especially a design book recommended by my illustrator teacher. It's price at $15 on Amazon but I got it for $1. Thrift store shopping rocks!

And stopped by the golf course on the way home to take some pictures. Good thing too! Cause when we actually went to play golf the next day (my awesome anniversary gift to Gerard) I had left the memory card at home! Rookie mistake.

But here are some shots of us at the golf course in Napa. (We didn't play here though, we played in Concord. This was just for a photo op.)

Our golf game was pretty awesome even though golf cart rentals were only for seniors and the disabled. So we walked, I dragged my bag along, played 9 holes and tied at that! Was a decent game with both of us scoring two over bogey.

Happy Anniversary to us! Here's to many more years of adventures ahead!

(Sappy sentiments not to be posted online, only written in cards.)

Deep Fried Goodness

I've been craving these for some time now and one lazy Sunday afternoon, with no other cake or yummy pastry around the house, it was time for...

Fried Oreos!

Now how disgustingly yummy does that sound? 

I've made them a few times before and they're super easy to make. I just dip the oreos in some pancake batter and fry them up. They were done pretty fast and gone pretty fast too!

It was the perfect finish to our Sunday brunch.

Speaking of a "perfect finish" I've been dying to buy this dessert cook book by Bill Yosses, executive pastry chef to the White House, and Melissa Clark.

photo from www.joyhog.com

From the reviews I've read, the recipes are great and easy to follow! Now I've just got to find a cheap copy somewhere. Ebay perhaps?

High Tech Book Swapping

I love receiving packages in the mail. Don't you?

This is one of the great perks of living in the US, like having Netflix, Amazon, and today I bring you...

Swaptree!

So what is Swaptree, you ask me? Basically, it's a trading service that allows members to trade books, music, DVDs, and video games. You sign up for a membership, list the stuff you have trade, and choose what you'd like to receive. Then the website does some algorithm wherein you can trade what you have to get what you like. Users get sent trade offers and it's up to them to accept the trade or not. You can also see what stuff you can get in exchange for the stuff you've already listed.

Image taken from Swaptree.com

You can either print shipping labels off your own computer (you need to input a credit card for this) or you can take your item to the post office and mail it from there. The only thing you pay for, is shipping your item! Most items cost about $2.50 to ship. I like to print out my own labels cause it saves me a trip to the post office. If you print your own label, you can just drop off your package at a blue USPS collection box.

Occasionally, I end up with a book that doesn't quite deserve permanent space on my bookshelf and that's when I list it on Swaptree. It's a good way to get a lot of slightly older, popular books, but you might have to wait a bit for newer titles. Either way, it's a fun way to trade books without having to spend much.

I just accepted a trade for my copy of I see you everywhere by Julia Glass in exchange for The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. 

Sarah Edwards, I hope you enjoy your "new" book! In the meantime, I'm looking forward to getting my new book too!

Of Book Love and Libraries

I devour books. Devour them, I tell you. Which also means I end up reading them way too fast because I'm so excited to finish reading them.

Take for instance, Rick Riordan's first book in the Kane Chronicles series, The Red Pyramid. I bought it for almost $20 (man that was expensive!) and was disciplined enough to save it for a 5 hour plane ride. I finished all 516 pages in two hours.

Michael Scott's long awaited fourth book in his Nicholas Flamel series, The Necromancer, also came out. And I bought it. For $15. And I read it in one sitting. All 401 pages of it.

 Notice they're both hardbound too.

Buying books, especially brand new books, adds up. And when I end up reading them way too fast, I end up feeling gypped. Cause I spend so much!!!

But alas, I would be poor if I bought all the new books I wanted from Barnes and Noble. Lucky for me, there are other ways of getting my hands on them.

Booklover's alternative to new books #1:

The Public Library

I know it sounds very retro, I haven't stepped foot in a library since college (where I only went there to study, and not borrow books.) But as a child, I would spend my afternoons there, always borrowing the maximum number of books every day which only amounted to the pitiful number of three.

So one day in the recent past, I decided to look up the nearest library and I headed over there.

Sure, there books aren't super recent, but there's a decent enough selection to keep me occupied. And take note, I can borrow a lot of books at a time, keep them for three weeks, and best of all, it's absolutely FREE. I found the last few books in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series that I'd been too cheap to buy for myself, as well as few other odds and ends. Sure some of the books I picked up weren't great, but hey, what did I lose? And during my library trips, I even read a few issues of my favorite magazine, Real Simple. 

Public libraries here in the US are such an untapped resource. Aside from borrowing books, you can also read magazines, borrow DVDs and even surf the internet. I've even found that you can log in to your county's website, search for titles you want, and have them placed on hold for you at your local library! And since all the county's libraries are linked, you've got access to all of them!

I wish we had public libraries like this in the Philippines. Yesterday, I brought home seven books from the library and I didn't spend a cent. I already went through two yesterday though. At least this time I didn't feel bad about reading so fast. More alternatives to buying new books in the next post.

Not Another Moleskine

I'm taking a break from assembling Ikea furniture (yes, we get the standard newlywed Ikea furniture) cause I wanted to write about another awesome wedding gift we got from my good friend, Pia.

When the Moleskine Passions Journals came out, I had my eye on two of them: The Moleskine Passions Book Journal and the Moleskine Passions Recipe Journal. Being the avid reader that I am, I eventually bought the book journal for myself and Pia bought the Recipe Journal for us as a wedding gift! (FYI, Moleskines are a line of "legendary" notebooks and sketchbooks" that have Van Gogh as its most famous user. )

I thought it was perfect because Gerard is a chef and I love to bake. What better way to keep all our favorite recipes all in one place! So a few days ago, I finally got around to opening it and writing down our first recipe!

I got this recipe for yummy sweet chicken bacon wraps from our good friend Abby, when she made them for her daughter's birthday last year. They're so good but so easy to make!

Here's what a blank page looks like. It has all these different sections for difficulty, servings, ingredients, cooking times, cooking process, etc.

And here are the tabbed dividers for different categories of recipes.

I can't wait to fill it with all the special recipes from our life together, like our pumpkin soup, my chocolate chip cookies, and Gerard's mashed sweet potatoes!

Aside from the book and recipes journal, there are also journals for music, films, wellness, and wine. I think they'd make awesome gifts for people who love these things and writing about them, as I do! 

Thanks so much for the Journal, Pi! It was an awesome wedding gift. I look forward to someday cooking for you!

Percy Jackson and The Olympians

It's all Dennis's fault. Why I haven't slept this whole week.

Because I got hooked on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan!


I'm a sucker for Greek mythology, I've loved it since childhood.

So imagine a series that weaves ancient Greek mythology and modern time. Zeus wears a pin-striped suit. Posiedon is a laid-back beach-guy wearing khaki shorts and sandals. The labyrinth exists under the surface of the earth and Mount Olympus is on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building.

Throw in the hero, Perseus "Percy" Jackson, son of Poseidon with a mortal woman, and Camp-Half Blood, where all "demigods" are sent, and you have an action-packed, fun-filled series that will make you laugh and keep you up until 4 AM.

This ain't no Harry Potter. It's not The Alchemyst either. But it's definitely F-U-N.

And these days, that's what really matters to me when I read. That what I'm reading, is fun. (I know many people would feel that is a crime for someone who studied literature in college but I've got way too many things on my plate and not enough energy to be reading super-serious books.) For now, let me enjoy feeling like a kid again.

Who says there's anything wrong with that.

Try it.

You might just enjoy the crazy adventures of the modern-day Greek hero, Percy Jackson.

(Photo stolen from Dennis's blog. Not enough time or energy to take my own photos.)

A Popsicle Stick Day

I am easily seduced by paper. I admit it.

I love books. I love new packs of paper. I love journals. I love huge bookstores that I can just get lost in.

Today, after dropping off a special birthday present (composed of paper of course!) I had a quick, perfectly-portioned Japanese lunch followed by a good half hour of wandering around Cebu's newest bookstore, Fully Booked.

(I know the photo's not so great. It came from my phone.)

After a few minutes of stepping in, I realized that they were playing Christmas songs sung by Josh Groban! September really is here! And yes, the day was cloudy and a bit chilly. How I love meandering around this big bookstore, just looking at the paper and all the different books they had in display. I think it was really today, that I felt that Christmas is coming way faster and sooner than I expected.

And yes, I couldn't resist. I finally a bought a set of mini journals that I've had my eye for a while now. They're from one of my favorite journal/book companies, Chronicle Books in San Francsico.

Today was a good day. Most days are ok. Some are bad. Good days like these are like decadent popsicle sticks when you least expect one. You just want to savor the simplicity in it and the good feeling that today, was a nice day filled with simple pleasures.

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal, Nicholas Flamel.

I know it may be a little disappointing that I am not currently reading earth-shattering and society changing novels. I will admit it, I now read purely for entertainment and enjoyment. Later on, I will probably go back to reading literature but as of now, I'm just enjoying light novels, or "brain candy" as I like to refer to them.

I've always loved reading and I can go on and on about books. Perhaps my next post will be about my favorite books. But for now, this is what I am reading:



Yep, I'm reading Michael Scott's series, The Secrets of the Immortal, Nicholas Flamel. NO, it is not a Harry Potter spin-off. Yes, it's about magic, and wizardry. But what I really love about it is that Michael Scott weaves mythological characters into his writing. He has vampires, werewolves, Bastet the Cat goddess, Morrigan of the crows, and other characters from ancient folklore.

I believe its my love of mythology that really draws me to these books. Sure, it's the usual tale of good versus evil, we need to defeat them before they change mankind as we know it blah blah blah. But what Scott does so well is describe in vivid detail. There are intricate connections through out his books as well as surprises. He writes of magic and ancient gods living side by side with the humani (that's humans to us.) Of of the original warrior Scatach whose grandmother was the first witch. Of living with nature and having your life bound to the life of a tree, of necromancy, alchemy. All these things woven into the lives of Josh and Sophie, teenage humani twins with amazing powers.

I finished reading the first book the other night and I could not sleep until I had finished it! (Then again that's me, especially when I really like the book.)

If you're looking for serious literature or chick lit, then this book isn't for you. But if you've always loved tales of ancient magic, Greek mythology, gods and goddess, then why not give this series a try.

I'm saving The Magician for the weekend when I can read it at a nice slow pace. Read the series, feel like a kid, and AGAIN, it's nothing like Harry Potter.

Happy reading!

Movie: The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger has got to be one of my favorite books of all time. Though the summary may seem a little sci-fi, the book is actually about feelings and emotions, chance, love, and the unknown.

Henry DeTamble is a man afflicted with a strange illness. He is constantly thrown through time at the whim of fate. Luckily, he is often sent to moments in a special girl's life. Her name is Clare Abshire. The first time they meet, she is 6 years old and he is 34. Eventually, Clare grows up and they fall in love.

But time traveling has it's risks. Henry cannot bring anything with him when he time travels and he often has to resort to petty thefts and crimes to survive as well as sustain various injuries brought about by his genetic malady. Often times, Clare never knows where he is or when he will return.

The movie is set to come out on August 14 of this year with Eric Bana playing Henry DeTamble to Rachel McAdam's Clare Abshire. I am keeping my fingers crossed as I truly, truly hope this is one movie that can live up to the book.