TOPAZ HORIZON

This was all over Facebook today but I'm blogging it so I can always have it to remind me that Vince and I also were strangers when he and I met, then talked on a hotel rooftop in the chilly Baguio night, and finally melted into a kiss that sealed our fate 15 years ago.

I didn't even really know his name. When my Papa asked me if I met anyone at the writing workshop, I said, "Well, there was this guy. His name is Vince Salas, Santos, or something. Basta Vince."

"Is he someone special?"

I stopped for a while, thinking of the kiss. "Yes. Yes, he is. Possibly. Not sure yet. But we finish each other's sentences. That's something, right?"

And Papa said real quietly before he said good night, "Well, you better ask him his name again. You just might end up with it."

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Back to the 80s. That's my mood last weekend. I actually wanted to do a full post on My Top 10 Favorite 80s Songs (The Search is Over, Right Here Waiting, Bizarre Love Triangle, Always on My Mind, In My Dreams!!!) but I realized I liked waaaay too many songs from that period. It's an impossible task! They don't write songs like those anymore. Lyrics are very important to me. I'm a writer. I really pay attention to the words and the 80s was the best decade for music and lyrics.

REO Speedwagon's Can't Fight This Feeling is the song I sing to my baby Iñigo. It's a funny lullaby, sure, but that was what worked when I was desperately snatching songs from my memory one nap time. It's one of my most favorite songs. It's also the story of my life.

I've always run away from commitment. I never wanted to get married. Never wanted to have kids. Ask all my friends—they always initiated the friendship; I'm never the one to say hi first. I always need to be convinced that I want friends and I want love. I'm so glad and grateful that Vince and my friends and my sons prove to me every day how wrong I am to be so afraid.



Thank you so much for being the candle in the window. I'm finally finally home.

Most days, our breakfast usually consists of oatmeal and juice, or cookie butter on bread, or cookies. The kids love cookies! Most of the time, it's cereal, like these multi-colored oatmeal stars. They're Quaker Oats Twinkles, fruit-flavored cereal made of oats, wheat and corn. Healthy and delicious!

Yes, breakfast time is also learning time!

But Sundays, Sundays! Sundays are breakfast love! Here are a few that Vince and I have prepared:
Raisin pudding. I baked this. It's really quick and easy. Just soak old bread in milk and cream and sugar, sprinkle with raisins (or chocolate chips) then bake! It's based on Nigella Lawson's chocolate
chip bread pudding recipe but no rum.

Oh, this sinful breakfast is all Vince. It's pancakes and bacon and syrup and sweet spreads. Vince sometimes makes French toast, slathers it with Nutella then tops it with crispy bacon. The combination of sweet and salty, the soft and the crunch is to die for!

This is my usual Sunday brekkie. Toast, egg, sausage, cheese. That's toast with garlic and butter. My eggs are always sunny side up sprinkled with Italian seasoning and truffle oil. The cheese is Parmesan crisps (my how-to here!). Sooo good!

Sometimes we do a big English breakfast (toast with jam, creamy scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, sausage and bacon). Sometimes it's Pinoy all the way with fried garlic rice, tapa or tocino or longganisa or Spam. Mmm! What's your favorite breakfast?

Vince's favorite new shoes is his Sperry Top-siders. He was waxing nostalgic about his old Top-siders when he was a kid and he said he wanted a pair again. So he's been browsing Zalora for weeks and we finally bought him new shoes. Here's the unboxing:

I shoulda taken pictures of the giddy Vince hehe. His face was much more interesting!

Anyway, Vince absolutely loves his new Top-siders. He wears them all the time! They're so soft and comfy. He's always saying, "My shoes are so comfy!" He's so cute! Now soft and comfy, those are words mommy me loves! So I checked Zalora if they had Sperrys for girls and, nope, they don't. Too bad!

I was especially interested in the Katama espadrilles.
The Katama espadrilles feature breathable canvas (I'm loving the anchors-on-navy print!), padded heel and adjustable rawhide laces with gold and silver eyelets (I love that touch of posh!). Must visit a Sperry shop this weekend! I'm really liking the blue one. It will look perfect with my mommy uniform of shirts and shorts! I kinda need a new kind of footwear since I'm in ballet flats all the time. They're not actually very good for chasing after little boys!

P.S. Sperry Top-Sider stores are at Bonifacio High Street, Trinoma Mall, Glorietta 3, Harbor Point Subic, SM North EDSA The Block, Robinsons Place Manila, Centrio Mall Cagayan de Oro, SM cebu Northwing. Also available at Complex Lifestyle Stores in Eastwood Mall, Alabang Town Center, Festival Mall; Shoe Salon outlets. Hide Out in Greenbelt 5 and select deoartment stores, like Rustan's. Check out their Facebook page if you'd rather stay home today hehe.

P.P.S. Father's Day is coming up! Shop at Zalora for great gift ideas!

*Katama photos courtesy of Castro PR

A friend and I were chatting one day. She was about to get married. I teased her, "Is he your first?" And at our age, we all know what "first" means!

"Yes," she replied. "As far as I'm concerned, he is. He's my first love because he's my true love. All the other so-called loves before him don't count."

And I laughed, long and loud. "You're so silly!"

But I know what she means. I've had boyfriends before Vince. But it was only with him I felt completely alive. Only with him, I saw my future. Only with him that I wanted to have children.

I've been kissed before but when Vince and I kissed the first time, I thought my soul opened up and soared and my skin tingled like it was hot and cold at the same time and and my heart, I thought it actually stopped. And after we kissed, I looked at him and said breathlessly, "You're my first kiss!"

And Vince laughed, since he knew I've been kissed before. But I knew in my heart—and my body knew it, too—that that kiss wiped all other kisses off the face of the earth and I was reborn. I knew then and there that I was gone.

He knew it, too. He asked me to marry him about a month later. I said no because his eyes scared me. His eyes said forever. I've never seen that in a guy's eyes before. So I knew I was his first love, too, because he may have had many girls before me but forever only happens once and his forever happened with me.

1999, Baguio. We didn't really know each other when this photo was taken. We just happened to be sitting together.

I get a lot of questions about clothes I wear that are fit for breastfeeding. Mommies ask me that all the time because frankly, there's not enough stylish nursing clothes in Manila. I've been able to get a few nice ones but here's my current favorite:

Ashley Smocked Dress from Dote Studio, Pedro gray pumps, Longchamp clutch

It's a gray empire-waist dress with flared sleeves from Dote Studio from Singapore. I bought it and another nursing dress from Brandsfever. I won't be doing that again. The dresses cost me P4,197.63. Then when they arrived at the post office, I had to pay P1,786 for customs duty, EVAT, IPF, CDS and BIR stamp. I have no idea what the last three are but pay I must so pay I did.

Anyway, I love my Dote Studio dresses! They're made of really nice cloth unlike the many nursing mommy clothes out there, which are usually made of this horrible thin cotton-like thing that clings to every post-preggy lump. Just look at it. It doesn't even look like a breastfeeding dress!

I wore it to a lunch date with Vince at Circles, Makati Shangri-la...

My hungry husband.

I told ya I never brush my hair!

... and to coffee with my Wine Night friends at Apartment 1B in One Rockwell.

I'll blog about my other breastfeeding dresses and tops soon on August! Hehe, that's Breastfeeding Awareness Month. I want to take better pictures of my nursing clothes so that you mommies will see that your style doesn't have to suffer when you breastfeed!

Actually, it's been 14 years. We just made it official six years ago today. May there be a million years more of you and me, Vince. Happy anniversary!

Vince loves this. Loves this! And it's so easy to make! You can make it for your hubby, family and friends and they'll think you're so fancy when in truth Parmesan crisps are effortless.

Here's what you do:
Step 1: Grate Parmesan cheese. If you're a lazy cook like me, just buy a bag of pre-grated cheese. I hear, however, that freshly grated Parmesan has more flavor.

Step 2: Grind some black pepper. This adds spice.

Step 3: Mix!

Step 4: Put foil on a baking sheet then pile a tablespoon of the cheese-and-pepper mixture. This is for small crisps. If you want big crisps, pile more!

Step 5: Put in a hot oven. Watch it bubble! This smells absolutely fantastic! Take it out after a few minutes, when the edges start to brown.

Step 6: This is why I use foil. The cheese stick to the foil and it can be tricky to remove. What I do is lift the foil then place the back of the foil onto the edge of the kitchen counter and I roll it back and forth. As the cheese dries up, it just peels from the oil with each rolling motion!

Tada! These are especially good with Dijon mustard. The saltiness and the bite of the mustard? Heaven! This is Vince's favorire snack. He loves Parmesan crisps with pepperoni, salami, Hungarian sausages. So easy to whip up and he thinks I'm amazing!

I made these small but they're actually pretty when they're large. Just spread into a large circle on the foil (instead of my cheese mounds). I've seen some cooks make shapes like stars! It comes out really delicate, like lace.

Here are other ways to serve Parmesan crisps:
1. Float on a bowl of creamy sweet soup, like squash and sweet potato.
2. While soft, roll into a tube shape. Serve stuck in a bowl of Ceasar salad.
3. While soft, place in muffin cups to create a cup shape. It can be an edible mini salad container!

Enjoy the weekend!

Design store Heima (say it like you're saying hello to your mommy) just opened its third branch in what is touted to be the next coolest neighborhood—Pioneer-Kapitolyo. At its launch last week, Vince and I dropped by for a look even though we don't really need furniture anymore. So I'll just tell you what we saw and what we loved.

I loved the huge door. I actually loved the store front. Sorry, no photo! You'll have to drop by to know what I mean. Anyway, totally loved the front door and the grassy threshold. Or welcoming mat. Or rug. I really have no idea what that is!

I love that this is how they define their business. Heima just doesn't sell furniture, they customize, too. So if you live in a tiny condo and want cute and stylish furniture that will fit, give them a call! Here's a sample of what they make:

Heima also makes these pretty frames of inspiration. I like them. Maybe when I have my own office one day! There's also note cards, at about P500 a set. The posters and stationery are all designed and printed by local artists.

Heima also sells stuff they didn't actually make but are still cute nevertheless, like this phone:

We loved these typewriters. Unlike you kids, Tito Vince and Tita Frances actually worked with typewriters in our youth. Pampalakas siya ng fingers. I think I was still using a typewriter when I was a freshman at U.P. Diliman. I obviously want the pink one. It's 12K. Ang mahal na pala ng typewriter ngayon!

We didn't type the "vito" by the way.

This was what Vince wanted. We still have some old records on a high shelf in our little study. Yep, we actually came from that generation which still played records. We had the records of Milli Vanilli! Pinag-ipunan yung mga plaka nila tapos fake pala yung dalawang yun!!! So for you kiddies, these may be cool and hipster but for your Tito Vince and Tita Frances, these things are real. My goodness, I am doing a great job making us old.

Heima also sells books. I was very interested in Fifi Lapin. This started out as a blog, then she was asked to do design collaborations. And now she has a book! That is totally my game plan with my blogging!!!

I started by buying these. These are expensive books, by the way. P1,100 each. My friend, WAHM extraordinaire Martine de Luna said these are just P795 at Fully Booked. I bought the ones from Heima anyway since Fully Booked is out of stock.

And here's your Tito V and Tita F. In fairness, we do not look old. The secret is what the pillow says. And tons of moisturizer!

Heima Brixton is at Unit 103, Three Brixton Bldg. #3 Brixton Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig. It's open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 7pm. Check their website too: http://heimastore.com/

I got pearls.

Thank you to the love of my life for always making me feel like a queen! Happy Valentine's Day, Vince!