Thank you!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

- Charles Caleb Colton

:)

Bon appetit!

I'm making bangus bistek right now while waiting for my husband to come home from work. The delicious aroma of fish, calamansi and soy sauce fills the kitchen, and I am brought back to my childhood years. The smell of bangus bistek always takes me back to when I was still a kid. I learned how to cook at a very early age. Twelve years old, to be exact. In fact, when I was seven, my mom would make a list and ask me to go to the palengke, all by myself. I remember walking to the market in my pambahay, buying onions, tomatoes, some veggies and a kilo of meat. Or bigas.

Before I hit 10, I've become friends with the frying pan. And at 12, my Mom already taught me how to make famous pinoy dishes like adobo, bistek, tinola and sinigang. I was trained in the kitchen early, and I am thankful for it. I didn't grow up to be a chef, but I have never fallen out of love with cooking. Through the years, I taught myself how to make different dishes, scouting for recipes on the internet. Oh and how I love to experiment! I'd scan the pantry or the fridge's contents and create something from whatever I find in them. When I was still single and living with my folks, I was the official cook. My specialty? Gourmet pasta. That earned me the title "Pasta Princess," awarded to me by my solid, faithful fans - my family. Now that I'm married, I have one happy and satisfied diner in my kitchen - the husband! And my future kids will be getting the same early training from me, just the way my Mom taught me, with apron, pot holder and all.

Cooking is la-la-love! And the learning never stops! I still have many, many dishes to make. Next on my learning list: Baking! Will enroll at Heny Sison very soon!

:)

Did ya know...

...that you can now listen, chat and watch us do our radio shows live? Oh yes! Technology has made us interactive!

Catch me on Chill Street (M-Th 11am-2pm) and the Soul Review countdown (Fri 5-8pm).

www.wave891.fm

One of the biggest, irreparable mistakes in life is to burn bridges.

A friendly advice: Think twice.

Love!

While I sit and do some blogging and tweeting, my husband cooks us up some brunch. I am such a spoiled, lucky and loved wifey!

:)

Doing nothing...

...and loving it! Just a bit of petiks time before EAP starts working on our yearly photography project. We start the pictorials next week. We'll be working non-stop, 7days a week. It's gonna be another busy summer for me and my team. But who's complaining? Bring it on! :)

Nail Spa Lounge by Ellabell

Having a bad day? Stressed? Overworked? Bored? Or just simply needing to feel terrific about yourself?

Here's where you can go!

Sharing with you my little sanctuary at the Mega Atrium. This is where I run to whenever I need a feel-good fix. Admit it. Pretty nails never fail to make your day brighter, yes? I'm here almost every week, and the super friendly staff make sure I leave with fab hands and feet everytime.

bonding time with my buddy and radio partner, jada

the friendly girls of Nail Spa Lounge

The owner, Shiela, has become a friend already. This branch in Megamall is her first. The place is simple, cozy, feminine and most importantly, relaxing. There's also a branch in Robinson's Place Ermita that you can check out if you find yourself in that area.

Go ahead! Have 'em nails pretty-fied!

NAIL SPA LOUNGE BY ELLABELL

5th level, Mega Atrium

:)

Learning the Art of Makeup!

I only have one New Year's Resolution, and it's quite easy to achieve, too. I am going to make my 2011 a learning year. This year will be all about learning new skills and trying new things.

For starters, I am taking up Personal Makeup at the new school of my good friend and makeup artist extraordinaire, Cheryl Cabanos.

It's a 4-day workshop that tackles not only makeup application and techniques for different occasions, but also learning about your skin type, skin tone, skin condition, face shape and angle, and what products and shades are best for you.

Day 1 today was super fun! Our first goal was to achieve the "no makeup" look. I think I did quite well, yes?

Can't wait 'til next Sunday!

Wanna learn, too? Cheryl offers courses on Personal Makeup, Professional Makeup, Airbrush Makeup, and Special Effects Makeup. Check out CHERYL CABANOS MAKEUP ACADEMY at Scout Ybardolaza, Timog, QC. Send her a message through facebook.com/cherylcabanos.

P.S.

Cheryl did my makeup on my wedding day, and she made look fabulous! So if you're a bride to be looking for a really good makeup artist to make you look beautiful, I highly recommend Cheryl. Best wishes to you!

:)

Hello there, 2011! It’s a brand new year that’s perfect for new beginnings. Some say the previous year hasn’t been so good. I beg to differ. 2010 was good to me. Maybe not in terms of career or financial growth. But it was the year that my beau of ten years and I tied the knot and decided to spend forever with each other. Bliss! My wedding day is the best part of 2010. And the joy and love emanating from that day are enough to shroud the entire year with positive vibes.

We ended 2010 with the same positive energy, and love and togetherness and family. I think the past year also made my family grow tighter. It made me realize that truly there is nothing more unbreakable than family ties. Friends may come and go, but your family will stay with you come what may. 2010 taught me to be more thankful, to count my blessings, to appreciate the little things, to see beauty in everything. This, I believe, will make the new year even more special. Because I’m starting it with a happy heart and a positive outlook.

Bring it on, 2011! I know you and I are gonna be fast friends.

:)

A trip down memory lane...

Last week, almost everyone on Facebook started changing their profile pictures to images of cartoon characters that reminded them of their childhood years. It was supposed to be a drive against child abuse. I doubt though that it was an official project targeting a good cause. Some even thought it silly, like my Dad who laughed at the photos we posted. But the campaign made him recall the cartoons he used to watch back in the 60s and 70s, even if he didn't dare post it on his page. It caused quite a stir, with almost 90% of my friends following the trend. I found myself browsing through my friends list more frequently, just to check out the cartoon pics that people posted. Some would even reveal the person's age, if he or she chose a character that was quite old.

Now that this whole cartoon thing is trending, and today is the last day of the campaign, allow me to share with you a glimpse from my past. These were the cartoons I used to watch when I was a kid. I remember waking up early every Saturday morning to catch my favorites on TV. Of course, every kid loved Sesame Street and Batibot. Here were the other toons I was hooked on.


Super Book and Flying House were one of my all-time favorites. It was also probably the easiest way to introduce children to Jesus and the Bible.


I simply adored the Care Bears. I used to have a sticker album when I was a kid, gifted to me by my Lolo Efren and Lola Gaya. It was a big, expensive book, and the stickers were bright and glittery. I also remember having Care Bears jammies from the States. Another memory I have of this cartoon is the time when my Tito Gil (bless his soul) brought me to the cinema to watch The Care Bears movie. He even bought me a set of colorful stickers after the show. That was about two decades ago. Now people are still loving these cute bears and all the positive vibes they throw out. An absolute classic.


To make kids eat their veggies, particularly spinach, just tell them to watch Popeye. Oh yes, that worked for me. And it made me crave for burgers, too. :)


I never really totally understood the plot of G.I. Joe, but I still watched it regularly when I was a kid. I honestly thought the most gorgeous lady on the show was The Baroness.



I remember watching this cartoon with my siblings when we were kids. We lived in San Juan back then, in our little townhouse. I remember having a Smurfs coloring book, and when I finished up all my blue crayons, I'd just paint them with a different color.


"I am Adora, He-Man's twin sister, and defender of the crystal castle. This is Spirit, my beloved steed." Oh yes, I know this line by heart. That's how much I loved this cartoon back then. He-Man was on my list, too. :)


Who didn't watch Captain Planet? His long hairdo and the bluish hue of his skin were enough to get every kid hooked. And of course, The Real Ghostbusters! I had a huge crush on Egon Spengler!


If there's one cartoon series that made me cry with every episode, that was Princess Sarah, dubbed in the vernacular and shown on Channel 2. I hated Lavinia with all my heart, but I always thought she was so much prettier than Sarah. And of course there's Lottie and Ermengarde and Miss Minchin...


I was a huge fan of the X-Men cartoon series as well. My favorite character: Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm.

Disney movies are timeless! My favorite was Sleeping Beauty. Until Belle of Beauty & the Beast came along, I thought Aurora was the prettiest Disney princess.


I never quite understood why the Wicked Queen was so envious of Snow White. Yes, the magic mirror said she was the fairest. But not the most beautiful. And definitely not more beautiful than the Queen. I never liked the chubby girl with the ugly outfit and the irritating, high-pitched voice. The Wicked Queen was my favorite, in all her sophisticated bitchiness.


I changed my profile pic on Facebook to an image of Wonder Woman, complete with her magic lasso. Why? I've always wanted to be Wonder Woman. Back in kindergarten, my friends and I would play a game where we pretended to be members of the Justice League. I wanted to be the raven-haired heroine with the invisible jet. But my gay classmate would always beat me to it. Wonder twins na lang daw ako. I can't remember the name of that boy. But I remember how I wanted to punch him for disrespecting my favorite cartoon character.


So, what was your favorite cartoon? Go change your profile pic. You have until today to join the fun.

:)