P.S. to previous post

Coming out of the office lobby, my face instantly lit up at the image of my dad smiling at me from our van.

I looked at my watch. It was 7:00 in the evening.

My daddy is in bed by six.

I didn't know whether I wanted to cry or smile or both.

I am so loved. And so lucky.

Thank You Lord for these little treasures that make me feel like life is still worth something.

Let me tell you again why I'm a Daddy's Girl...

Last week, I slept in my brothers' room, because it was so hot and we wanted to turn the a/c on. To save on electricity, we agreed to stay in one room. But when I woke up the next morning, there was a sharp, stinging pain in my lower back.

I was complaining to my dad because it really hurt. I couldn't really sit up properly because every time I leaned back, the pain would shoot up my spine.

The other day, I found out that he spent Friday afternoon looking for a masseuse.

*tear*

My Daddy is the sweetest boy in the world!

P.S.
My back no longer hurts and I didn't need the masseuse. d:

(insert girly squeals here)

One of my fave cupcake bloggers left a comment on my cupcake entry over at the Candy blog!!!

Nothing like an upper to get me started this morning. I'm supposed to be ready to leave in less than an hour because we have to go shopping for ingredients. Aside from my cupcakes, we're also making lasagna for lunch.

We haven't had lasagna since New Year. My mom taught me to make bechamel sauce and how to assemble the layers. Here's to hoping make it just like hers.

seeing you through other people's dreams

This was the picture she painted of you: a vision in white, happy and smiling, a little chubbier than you were when we last saw you.

And just like that I felt my eyes well up with tears.

I don't know if I'm sad or if I just miss you terribly this very moment.

I know you're right beside me, probably reading over my shoulder but what I would do to see your face and hug you right now.

I would like you for my own

It's just the type of music video I'd love. Haha! Cartoon blood and all.

Which Cupcake To Make

I spend a large chunk of time browsing through baking blogs. An entire tab of my universe is dedicated to different bakers' blogs. One of my favorite blogs is How To Eat A Cupcake, because practically everything she makes is yummy and so easy to make! (:

My relatives might be coming over this Sunday and I've been thinking of what new cupcake recipe to try. On my list of recipes to try are:

1. S'mores Cupcakes
   
2. White Russian Cupcakes (for the oldies, hehe)
   
3. And, just this morning, Salted Caramel Cupcakes

They all sound so yummy! I'm leaning towards the S'mores and the Salted Caramel ones, because I think the kids (if they're coming) are going to love it. And I've been wanting to make marshmallow frosting for the longest time (I just learned yesterday morning how easy it is to make t! It's what Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting starts out as.), ever since I had my first bite of Chocolate Kiss's Devil's Food Cake back in college.

I was watching an episode of Sugar Rush this morning while getting ready for work. They were making two kinds of "celebration" cakes. One was a beautiful 5-tiered 8-layer cake (are you following? haha) that was pink-orange-yellow with gold leaf (is that what it's called?) and the other was a tower of cream puffs and sugar ribbons. They were both so beautiful! I wonder when I'll be able to make cakes like those. Hmm. (:

Back in 1997

I can't believe that at 15, we were made to perform this play! Haha! I had this strange urge to download the Pippin Original Broadway Recording while sitting in the van, coming home from church. I have no idea why. I tried to look for a torrent, but nothing came up. So I hit the search button on YouTube and found this playlist of most of the songs from the musical. I love it! The Internet is awesoooome.

I wonder where all my Rep classmates are now.

I wonder when I'll see him perform live again

All it takes is a little faith, and a lot of heart

I'm tired and sleepy.

But I realize that I am happiest sitting in my mom's place in the kitchen table, waiting for cookies/cupcakes to be ready to be taken out of the oven.

I miss late nights with mom. Having dinner, while she watches and asks about my day. I would've probably told her today, "I bought the nicest top for half the price! I look like I'm part of the Mamma Mia cast." She would've probably just nodded and smiled.

It never goes away.

And so, reality bites.

Hahaha, akalain mo yon. Hindi nga yung mixer yung dumating. HAHA!

Oh well, a package is still a package. I wonder what it is, though. It's not my birthday. d:

Edit: She says she had a feeling it was her mail that I received, but she figured it wasn't really a package. But the post office notice doesn't really tell you what it is you're supposed to pick up, right? d: Anyway, thanks, Mix! (: She got me an autographed CD of hers because they've been having this concert series in McCann and she was one of the performers. She also got me Tristan Prettyman's CD before, yay!

Oh, this is love.

About four months ago, I was obsessing over this beautiful mixer. I remember even before that, I'd look at it longingly (seriously!!!) whenever we passed the Coleman-KitchenAid store beside Auntie Anne's in Galleria. When they started renovating their store, the mixers were greeting me everyday as I went out of the office. They were calling out to me. A rainbow of mixers. My God, they were beautiful. (Haha I know, I know. I'm raving about kitchen equipment. Get off my case!)

When my mom's sister and I were chatting one time, we got to talking about my baking. How I told her that some officemates would order from me, but I never really sold my goods (in a bazaar or wherever). I didn't really have the time nor the energy (I'd be too tired from work when I got home) to pursue it as a real business. Then, I mentioned that my mom's KitchenAid, which I've been using since forever is really overworked. I think we've had it repaired more than five times already (each costing about a thousand or so) because the motor would give up and the paddle would just stop turning. Each time that happened, my heart would break because it meant I couldn't bake! (Okay, ang drama na nito.) She asked how much a new mixer would cost. I told her that I've been eyeing one, a pink one. It would cost me P23,500. I told her, maybe I'll save up for it and give it to myself one day. And not even a month after, she says she has good news. That they (my mom's sisters in Canada) would give me the mixer. I should just think of it as their "investment" to my "business." I didn't know whether to say no (because it's just too expensive to give it away like that, yeah?) or to thank them a million times everyday. Hahaha! And now, I can't keep still. Because yesterday, they gave me the notice from the post office that a package is waiting to be picked up. And I don't know any other package coming aside from that beautiful pink mixer. Ahhhh! I've been staring at this picture all night and all morning. Call me obsessed, but I can't wait to meet her! I even have a name for her already. =)) You're all probably thinking, "what a weirdo." HAHA! But I've never been this excited for anything in a long time!

I can't wait to go home tonight. (: Love-a-lot, we will be making lots of people happy! Hee.

Turning point

From the looks of this grainy picture, you can tell this was a long time ago. d: More than a decade ago, to be exact. Freshman year. In the new high school building up in the mountains of Antipolo. I have in my hand a glass of what I'm assuming to be iced tea. My staple recess for all four years of high school. A glass of iced tea and two doughnuts—one Nutty Chocolate and one Chocolate Butternut (My all-time favorite doughnut. Dunkin Donuts the best! What Krispy Kreme?). I guess all that sugar is now manifesting itself by way of my jiggly stomach and thunder thighs. =))

I remember so many things when I look at this picture. My hairstyle: hair tied into a half-ponytail because my hair was buhaghag (still is). My too-big-for-me Tag Heuer watch that I forced my mom to give to me (she eventually got it back when they gave me another watch, which I thought was nicer—now I have three watches, but I still use that watch because I think it's the nicest). My standard pearl earrings, which I've contemplated on changing (just switched for slightly bigger ones in college) because some people have this superstition that you're going to stay single when you wear pearls (hello, saan nanggaling yon?), but 10 years down the line, I still wear pearls. Oh, and yeah, I'm still single. Haha. Money in my sailor blouse pocket, which was always filled with odds and ends. All of which would scatter to the floor when I was rushing to get to the line outside our classroom right after the bell rang.

"Best Days" was our high school anthem and to this day, I still think of those four years as the best. I met my lifelong friends and discovered my three loves in high school: baking, dancing, and writing. I used to sell my Maple Vermont Walnut bars at food sales (shortened periods! long recess!). Danced to Michael Jackson's "Rock with You" in my first year of high school for the high school dance. Got my poem published in a book before I graduated.

How nice it is to still get to live part of that life when I'm at work. (:

WaW!

As in What a Weekend. (:

Saturday morning was spent with one of my good friends K, baking Macadamia White Cookies and Chocolate Turtle Pie (I haven't made this in soooo long!). We had so much fun baking and eating. (: I'm going to miss her so so so much! But what's one month with the Internet?

Then, my dad picked me up so we could go shopping for food. Hee. I love grocery shopping, even if sometimes I get lazy to do it. It helps that it's so cool inside the supermarket. Hehe! We were under our limit this month so hooray! We cut back on the Ritter Sport this time around, though. Last month, we got P650 worth of just chocolate. Yikes! The horrible "tagalized" version of "Umbrella" was playing in the supermarket and just as I said, "Nakakairita ang kanta. Ano ba!" someone behind me was singing along to it. Haha!

I also finally got my hair trimmed! Haha! My stylist wasn't there when I went last time so I was happy he was back this Saturday. (: I'm back to looking like a twelve-year-old and I've ditched my konichiwa bangs because everyone is getting them! O: I'll get them again when my hair is back to its longer length. That will be my new hair obsession. d:



Today, I tried out new cupcakes recipes. Both I will make again because they were good! One was for a low-fat chocolate cupcake and the other was for the perfect vanilla cupcake (rose just right, wasn't too sweet, and was fluffy!). Yum-o! I turned my leftover buttercream frosting into peanut buttercream frosting! I love peanut butter! Yahoo! If I had a jar of Nutella, I would've probably used that instead. Hee. There's an idea for my next baking experiment... (:

I have a cake date this week! Yay!

I wish all my weekends were like this. So steady and laid back. How was yours?

All kinds of kilig

I first wrote about what an officemate thought of my Chocolate Turtle Pie a year and a half ago. And since then, I've always thought it was one of the best things said about my baking.



But these past few days, as I've been selling more stuff to my officemates, I've been hearing the sweetest (some funny, even!) comments ever.

The direct (and other variations of it):

OMG MACE!!! ANG SARAP!!!
—Rochellaaa

The anecdote:

Kinain ng mga kapatid ko yung cupcake! Super sarap daw!
—Stephie

The metaphor:

It's like kissing a girl...
—hulaan niyo kung sino :))

The comparison:

Omg, macy! Omg! It's the best cupcake ever! It's my fave among the 3 treats I've tried! It's like the Happy Ants I like but tons better! Aaaa!
—the best-est boss ever!

It was worth staying up `til midnight to get 24 cupcakes done by today. (: