TOPAZ HORIZON

When I wrote about our mini-vacation at Edsa Shang, I mentioned that at the breakfast buffet, I ate sardines. Yes, I went to one of the best buffets in town and I chose to eat sardines! Why? Because I love sardines! It's affordable, healthy, easy to prepare, and you can make so many dishes with sardines!

I always have cans of sardines in the pantry. They're easy comfort food. Just open a can, squeeze calamansi and you have a tasty rice topping. Or I mash it up and spread it on hot pan de sal. Or if I'm feeling hoity-toity, I put a dollop on crackers with cheese and I have instant hors d'ouvres. I also make it into an omelette. I also make it into a glass noodle soup. Lots of dishes you can make with a can (or two!) of sardines!

And because Mega Creations Premium Sardines sent me cans of their yummylicious products, I'll share with you a really yummy sardine casserole that my husband enjoys. This recipe is actually by Chef Greg Villalon but I tweaked it to make it mine!


Ingredients:

Sardine layer
3 cans of Mega Creations Premium Sardines Spanish Style
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped (you can use kangkong kung walang spinach)
1 cup red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup onions, minced
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sweet potato layer

I got an email from someone who remarked on how unbelievably blessed my life is. She said, "It must be so nice to have everything. Your life is just so perfect! Sometimes I wonder if it's for real."

I have secrets, too!

Well, dear reader, my life is real. I really am married and happily at that. I really do have two sons who are adorable. I really do live in a fully owned house. I really do write and get paid to write. Everything I write about on my blogs is real. So if you suspect that everything can't be just peachy, then you should pay attention to what I don't write about. Those are the sad and infuriating parts of my life that are unfortunately just as real as the wonderful parts.

I don't blog about them not because I pretend they don't exist. Oh, they're there all right. My husband and I discuss them with great gnashing of teeth. And lately, too many hours have been spent in anger and despair because our funds have been significantly depleted by these people. So we have resolved that maybe it's best for all to ignore them. They are seriously affecting our happiness and we are angry and upset and sad, and we don't want to be this way. So I don't give the problems importance on my blogs because I want my blogs to be a happy place.

Nevertheless, you reminded me of this sad and strange day. I visited my Papa with my sons one afternoon and he went on and on about something he wanted. For two hours, unrelenting. Finally, I said, "Papa, I'm here. Your grandsons are here. We're not here very often. You haven't even asked me how we are."

And he replied, "I don't need to ask. I read all about you on Facebook."

"But all I write on Facebook is the good things!"

And Papa said, "That's all I need to know."

If you're wondering about the authenticity of my life, I assure you that it is very real. But like my father said, it's only the good things that you need to know, dear reader. That's all you need to know.

Woah, was I gone for a week? It didn't feel like it because I was writing posts for this blog. Three sponsored posts are a lot of work so I feel like I've been blogging here even though nothing's been published yet since I have to wait for client approval.

I was talking to my friend, Martine a.k.a. The Dainty Mom, about this strange irony of blogging. When I started blogging way back in 2005, I just really wanted to share stories. I wanted a place that's all my own. About 3 years later, I met bloggers who were earning gazillions from their blogs and I wanted a piece of that pie. I write for a living. That's what I am and that's what I do. I write. I should be paid to write. So I didn't see anything wrong with blogs that earn.

Well, here I am in 2013, my blogs bigger than ever and the main source of my income now. Great job, me haha. Of course, you know what that means—blogging is now a job. It's a fun job! But I'm meeting clients, attending events, studying and signing contracts, sending out invoices, following up receivables, revising drafts of sponsored posts, etc etc. I'm not complaining. I'm super amazed and happy. I'm just... I dunno. I feel like I'm so busy with the business of blogging that I don't have the time to actually blog anymore, ya know?

I love blogging. Seriously. It's the best! I get to be me, I meet so many wonderful people online, I get to experience so many amazing things and given so many fabulous gifts, and I get to write and be paid to write. Dream come true!

But herein lies the irony: If I want to earn more, I have to accept more clients. If I fill my blog with paid posts, I lose my voice. If I work harder on the blog by putting a personal post and a paid post, then I'll be blogging double time and then I won't have the time anymore to actually live a life worth blogging about. And seriously, I may like the money but I like living life more! My life is more fun than blogging. So I haven't been blogging because I'm busy living. But no blogging means I'll lose my readers, which of course means I'll lose my clients. Where is that perfect balance?!

Ya know the solution to this? I should just get a job so I won't depend on my blogging income!

This was shot last April and now it's out. I'm a featured personality on Northern Living magazine! Here's a behind-the-scenes look:
Having my hair and makeup done by Lizzie Oren. We talked about the Chiz-Heart love affair. That was the hottest topic back in April haha.

Since we have no yayas, I asked my sister to look after Iñigo while I was at the photo shoot. Thanks, Jacqui! It was also very sweet of Inquirer Group to put the TV on a kiddie channel so Iñigo wasn't so bored. He did lose interest eventually so Jacqui brought him to watch me have my photos taken.

That's me dancing to entertain Iñigo. I wore my Karimadon wrap dress and Pedro gray pumps.

That's photographer Dookie Ducay telling me how to fix my angles and my smile.

That's a super bored super baby haha.

And here it is!
The photo that made it was the one of me wearing my Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress and Zara pumps. My face was also Photoshopped, in case you know how I really look like haha. Hindi ko kamukha si Cristine Reyes. Sabi ng boss ko dati, "Wag ka na umangal!" Haha, I'm not complaining! I just want to look like me even if Cristine Reyes is prettier than me!

Anyway, you can read all about how I feel about blogging and writing and mommy fashion and living in the Metro North in the June issue of Northern Living.


Check out Northern Living's Facebook page on how you can get a FREE copy!

Thanks, Northern Living! I am so thrilled to be in your magazine!

Now that I'm a stay-at-home wife and mom, I get invited to events that promote stuff like cooking, crafts-making, safety while driving, and basically stuff that are worlds away from the fashion and beauty events I used to attend.

I like this new phase. At the start, I found it very weird but now I find it fascinating! There's a whole wide world of fab events for wives and moms! And I don't need to put full-on makeup and blow dry my hair and wear excruciatingly high heels!

One such event I recently checked out was Anchor Home Chef Final Night. Yes, it was like a reality show that picked out the best recipes that reinvented ordinary food and used the Anchor product line. I didn't even know there was a contest like this! Had I known, I'd have totally joined! I'm kinda good in the kitchen so I think I have a fighting chance. Actually, I am very good in the kitchen. That's one of the reasons Vince married me!
But... after I tasted the winning recipe, I must admit the winner deserved the top Anchor Home Chef prize. But wait wait wait. I'm getting way ahead of my story! Here's the whole Anchor product showcase. I thought they only had milk, butter and cheese slices! There's cream cheese, culinary cream, and whipping cream, too!

I've known, used and loved Anchor butter for years and years. I remember my Mama singing the jingle when she'd serve sugar-sprinkled creamy butter on hot pan de sal for breakfast long, long ago. "Fresh Anchor butter!" I can hear her now and all I can think of is bright, happy mornings. Mama loved butter!

Anyway, the Anchor Home Chef campaign is all about promoting creativity in the kitchen. By using Anchor's premium products, men and women can create dishes using ordinary ingredients and make them ultra fabulous! I believe that, too!

There was wine...

... and cheese. But no one was really wining and cheesing because Anchor started the evening with a contest for all the guests. We were all asked to make a cake in a jar!

This bibingka cake was seriously amazing. At first, I thought it was going to be so-so but the sweetness of the butter cake and the saltiness of the salted egg cream cheese topped with the delicate nuttiness of the roasted coconut buttercream was divine. Divine!

Yes, Iñigo and I ate the cake. So we didn't get to participate in the contest! That bibingka cake was too good. I wanted to ask for more actually. I just got shy.

Here I am with hot mommy Jackie Go of Go! Jackie Go! and her baby Juro. He's busy munching on carrots. I don't know what my Iñigo was looking at. But this table was right beside the chefs' table so maybe Iñigo was looking at the chefs.