2011 Updates

I know I haven't been posting so much, mostly because I've become insanely busy! But some quick updates:

1) Gerard and I are moving next month! We've found a pretty townhouse nearby and we're so excited to soon call it home. It will mean more space for us, a home office/guest room, and what I'm especially happy about, room to entertain! We'll be able to start having friends and family over for dinner parties, throw barbecues and watch movies. We're super excited!

2) I've been job-hunting. I've been applying to a lot of jobs but so far I haven't heard back from any. Part of the reason I've decided to take some classes to further my education. Which leads me to the next two items.
 

3) I've been taking classes on some computer programs that I've always wanted to master, like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign at this place called LearnIT. While I'm at it, how about some Excel, PowerPoint, Quickbooks, and any other classes that will make my skills more marketable for the job market.

4) I'm also taking graphic design classes at the UC Berkeley Extension! I've always wanted to take graphic design classes but they weren't really offered back home. It seemed a bit overwhelming at the information session but like what I always tell myself, most things worth doing, aren't easy.

5) With everything on my plate, my etsy store has kind of taken a back seat for now but things are still in the works.

6) I've also been participating in the 365 project of photographer Rikki Dy-Liacco, which entails taking one photo a day from my iPhone. Check out the project and my gallery.

It's been a very busy January! And a great start to 2011!

2011, Here we come!

I know I've been a bit remiss in writing. I was so busy launching my etsy store, filling Christmas orders for my chocolate bark, and preparing for winter in Virginia!

As my first year here in the US comes to a close, I'm amazed at everything that has transpired this year.

Of course the first thing that comes to mind is that this is the year we got married! And I moved to the US!

It's been an exciting time full of new things, new places, new people, and I learned so much as well. I've come to love living in California and I am super excited about the New Year ahead, with all it's possibilities.

But yet, the hardest thing of all, was leaving home and moving away from family. I sorely miss them and I think about them every day but I know that it's part of life and I have more than one place to call home now. I once read somewhere that home is where your family is and I am blessed to have had my family grow exponentially.

We do have so much planned for next year though, including not just one, but two trips back to the Philippines! Hooray for that! And January already looks like it's going to be jam-packed and time is GOING TO FLY. Just thinking about it boggles the mind!

So here's to another year full of exciting possibilities, wonderful moments, and beautiful memories. Here's to a Happy 2011 and beyond!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Hello, Whimsy! Holiday Rush

I have been so busy preparing packages and cards for the holidays I've barely had any time to blog! So I thought I'd just catch you up with the packages I've been preparing. Some of these are special orders, some are gifts for family friends. These are photos of the stuff I've been doing on my new design blog, hello, whimsy!

Special Delivery: Chocolate Bark Gift Box

A Gift Box Full of Chocolate Pockets!

Chocolate Bark Gift Tin

Full of Pretty Chocolate Pockets

Another Chocolate Gift Tin

Full of Chocolate Bark in Assorted Flavors

So that's what this busy elf has been up to! Working with lots of new chocolate bark flavors too, like White Chocolate & Macadamia, Milk Chocolate & Macadamia, and Dark Chocolate with Walnuts. And lots of candy making and gift-wrapping in the works!

Can you believe it's 14 days to Christmas?!

Dreaming of Dumaguete

Growing up, we would always travel during vacations and special family occasions. When I was a kid, I would wonder how come we had to go away and leave my friends (it seemed to be always when we had something especially fun planned.) But these trips also had awesome perks. I got to spend time with relatives especially cousins, and I got to see the beautiful places where my parents grew up.

Photo from Explore Dumaguete!

One of these places near and dear to my heart, is Dumaguete city. It was only a 45 minute plane ride, five hour boat ride, or six hour drive away and it was always a wonderful adventure. This city, smaller than my hometown of Cebu often offered a welcome respite to the big city. My cousins and I were free to explore by bicycle, buy lip-staining bubble gum from the neighborhood sari-sari store, and play as much as we wanted.

My family would go to the beach, experience dolphin watching on a pumpboat, and eat wonderful seafood.

The Dumaguete I remember from my childhood is of  course, different from the Dumaguete I know now, but not in a bad way. We still go to the beach, go swimming in Forest Camp, and eat. Now Dumaguete has even more wonderful restaurants and eateries, such as Sans Rival (yes, they do serve amazing melt in your mouth sans rival and melt in your mouth goodies, the wonderful Cafe Antonio situated in a Spanish ancestral home, and my favorite, Pastaaang Lami-ah where my aunt serves scrumptious home cooked barbecue with java rice and the most amazing cassava cake to die for. Just thinking about all this food makes my mouth water.

If you asked me what makes Dumaguete special, I would say it was it's the historic, home town, yet near nature feel. Dumaguete is a university town, with lots of schools and Silliman Unviversity being it's main one. There are lots of students, lots of open spaces, and lots of history. But Dumaguete is also near nature, such as the Forest Camp Mountain resort and Apo Island.

Apo Island should deserve an entry in itself. It's a wonderful little island off the coat of Negros. Half of the island has a little cove with a beautiful beach and the other half is wonderful for snorkeling and diving as Apo Island is a marine sanctuary. It's one of the best diving spots in the Philippines, I've heard. My family has had some unforgettable vacations there. 

I could go on and on about Dumaguete but I think I'll leave that to the tourism pros. For more information on Dumaguete, please visit Explore Dumaguete. It's a wonderful website which gives off the awesome Dumaguete vibe. Simple yet still vibrant and rich.

I am however dreaming of going back to Antulang Beach resort and going horseback riding and snorkeling. My husband's all for it as his family is from Dumaguete too! Isn't that sweet?

Unexpected Encounters

Today was marked by unexpected encounters.

The first one was with the DMV lady at window 14. I've come to her window several times, as this was the second time I had to take my driving test. She is always so warm and cheerful, an unexpected change as I know the DMV work environment has not been very upbeat lately, (most likely due to being understaffed as gauged from the terribly long lines and 45 day waits for appointments.)

So today, lady at window 14 merrily wished me luck on my exam, reassuring me that I would pass this time.

My second encounter was with the man who gave me the driving test. Apparently my appointment was not on his schedule (which understandably would have irritated him) but he gave me a driving test anyway. I was already thinking that was enough to merit another failure or at least an unhappy tester!

But instead of being irritated, he was very patient and calm. In between giving me instructions, we carried on a quick conversation starting from was this the car I regularly drove. I told him yes, it was a sort of wedding present from my husband for when I found a job because I had just moved here from the Philippines.

He asked me what my husband did and I gave my standard reply. "He's a chocolate scientist! He does research and development for a chocolate company." He was certainly amused by my reply! He said that he'd heard of similar jobs but had never actually known anyone who had such a job. He asked what I did and I told him I was a teach. "An English teacher?" he asked me, and I said yes. He wasn't surprised.

When we a certain corner, I pointed out that that was where I made my critical error on my last driving test, his reply was " Not this time."

Once parked, he took a few minutes to write some notes before informing me that I had passed! Woohoo! California highways, here I come!

Before I could calm down from my excitement, he thanked me! He said it had been a delight and that he had enjoyed talking to me. Apparently he's had some rough encounters with other drivers and I would figure that his job isn't the easiest thing on earth. I can only imagine some of the people he's had to deal with. Then he sent me off to get my license and wished me luck on the job hunt.

Now I know these encounters may seem ordinary to some but in a world where people are always in a hurry to move on, it's wonderful to come across people who stop and take the time to make a difference in your day. Whether it be sincere words of encouragement or an unexpected conversation, these exchanges are memorable. And in the DMV nonetheless!

So I took my temporary license and skipped home to show it off to my husband. And now I think I've got a letter to write to the DMV, commending those two people for wonderful service and uncalled-for -friendliness in an unexpected place.

On Giving Thanks

My family celebrates Thanksgiving in the Philippines, it's a great reason to cook up a huge turkey and have friends over. That was something I truly missed this year.

But Gerard and I were lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving with some members of his family and their extended family. For the weekend, we took a quick trip down to L.A. and got to see the lovely sights of Redondo Beach.

Our contribution to dinner was of course... dessert! Truly a Gerard & Maita collaboration, teamwork at it's best. (It's great having a chef on call to help you with baking goodies!) Please excuse my not so great photos. (Perhaps there is still a DSLR in my distant future somewhere!)

Chocolate Oreo Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

There's a whole bag of double stuffed Oreos in that thing!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting.

The fabulous Thanksgiving spread.

The chef carving the turkey.

Family and Extended Family

Aside from the copious amounts of food, Thanksgiving of course was also a time to reflect and remember the many blessings we have. Life often seems difficult and its easy to forget we have so much to be thankful for. Health, Family, Friends, to name a few. And technology! Because it allows me to not feel so far away from home.

Thank you Auntie Nell, Louise, Billy, and Miguel for having us!

Chocolate Calligraphy

This month's issue of Real Simple had me drooling and whining and wanting to try out new recipes. The recipes aren't up on their website yet so no photos but I've been dreaming of a hazelnut ganache tart with sea salt and double chocolate profiteroles. I'll let you know how those go!

In the meantime, this quote in the magazine caught my eye:

I wrote it our for Gerard to put in his office. I did it with sepia ink on parchment paper and I think it sums up how we feel about chocolate pretty well.