[Ny Minute Now]

Budget limits and practical reasoning aside (at least for certain items), here's what's on my holiday wishlist:

1) An ergonomic chair
For my back. For my writing. Enough said. I did finally manage to buy a desk from Ikea. I went to the store twice: the first day, to get the legs; the second day, to buy the tabletop. Up until then I didn't realize how easy it was to commute to the store in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

The new Canon PowerShot S95.

2) A new camera
I'm not too thrilled to say that my new Nokia phone seems to take better photos than my six-year-old Sony Cybershot, at least for certain shots in low light. And, since blogging is part of my livelihood, it's probably about time to do an upgrade.

3) A TV
I do not own a television set. I can go for months without seeing live broadcast. In fact, the first thing I did when I moved to the Bronx was remove the TV and cable box in my new room. The Food Network is the only channel that I've consistently watched whenever I've had television access. And, I catch up on favorite shows like 30 Rock, White Collar, and Burn Notice via Hulu.com, the NBC and USA Network websites, and others.

Yet, if I want to eventually work in TV, I need to watch TV and have daily access to it.

4) A citrine ring
Just because. Well, ever since I'd dropped my faux citrine cocktail ring two years ago, I've been on the lookout for a replacement. I saw a real, precious one while walking home from the library, and simply got reminded of this bejeweled craving.

Bialetti 3-Cup Moka Express

5) A Bialetti Moka Express...
...That I finally got to buy on Amazon! I initially lusted after a Nespresso machine or any of those pod-ready coffee contraptions, however, upon giving it some thought, I realized I preferred the Moka pot's natural approach to good espresso. Hence, I gifted myself with the shiny silver brewer (it's much, much more affordable, too, than the former!).

6) A manual pasta machine
There is an attachment for the Kitchenaid mixer but I would actually prefer a good ol' pasta maker.

7) A new daytime, full-time job.
For me to actually afford all of the above (not counting the Moka pot).

A new daytime job, where I could work for at least a year. While working as a consultant and freelancer has been FUN—and my writing plate has never ever been empty despite the lack of an office cubicle/corner office—I now desire something more long-term. It reminds me of dating—that stage when both parties decide to commit and go for the long haul.

Born Champagne Metallic flats.

Hence, it's all (cyber) window shopping and wishlists for now.

(Speaking of online shopping, check out Zappos.com for cute Born flats, clogs, and women's Oxfords.)

Images courtesy of Friedchillies.com, Canon.com.au, and Zappos.com.

Labels: gadgets, holiday, home and living, New York, New York minutes, online shopping, pro-blogging, stuff I buy

I am most inclined to leave the gadget-speak to former T3 Magazine EIC Vince Sales who now writes the blog, Third World Nerd. He also happens to be the husband of my very good friend Frances of Topaz Horizon and MORE (by that I mean author of two other popular blogs and EIC of entertainment mag, Ok!).

So, for you techies out there, the disclaimer for this post is simply, you won't find technical specifications here; Google and Amazon would be better for that.

Anyway, the two above are my latest 'tech-quisitions': a Nokia C5-00—a gift from my husband who knows me too well to not have gotten me a QWERTY phone, as I am old school that way—and a Western Digital My Passport Essential Ultra-portable Hard Drive, Robot Limited Edition (isn't it so cute?).

Two things:

1) If you regularly read this blog, you'd know that I'm not once to switch up or buy gadgets very frequently. But, since my Acer netbook has been with me for close to two years now (time flies!) I've started to get that nagging feeling to back up. Up until today, I've never owned an external hard drive, unless you'd count my old iPod, the one with the black-and-white screen. The Western Digital My Passport 'Robot' actually feels like a wider white iPod. Again, very cute. It's plug-and-play meaning I have to get used to not manually dragging and dropping files for back up.

2) I've had the same Nokia 6300 phone (photo here) since 2007—it still works great, is mega-sturdy, and reliable. Hence, it will be a little bit of a challenge to transition to the new C5-00, as I've come to rely on my 6300 for many things, which includes cooking and baking (for the countdown timer), notes (for blog ideas), calculating, etc. It will now house my Smart SIM card for roaming. That's all for now. I wanted to write about an aborted iPad purchase, but the details are kind of boring, so I'll save the iPad talk until I actually own one; which, by the looks of it, won't be until January.

Labels: fab friends, gadgets, New York minutes, stuff I buy

At the Hong Kong airport last week, the first thing that came to mind was "I want to buy a [Canon] G11 camera." But, with a pending green card renewal that would set me back at least $800, plus, new expenses relating to my next NY move, a new gadget is definitely out of the question.

For those who know me, I'm not big on big-ticket items and fancy electronics. While my purchases seem to be done out of impulse—as in the case of my Nokia phone and Acer netbook—the splurges usually 'pay' for themselves in the form of the number of years I use them (very much like that famous fashion equation when justifying a purchase). I still have the same phone mentioned above bought back in 2007, and the only reason I bought a netbook was because a new battery for my seven-year-old iBook cost half of the price of my new computer. And, I needed something more portable for the new 'mobile' lifestyle I'd aimed for at the start of my freelance career.

Going back to the subject of cameras, I still have my trusty, sturdy, Sony Cybershot, now five years old! It fits the palm of my hand and still takes beautiful pictures (like the one above and most on this blog). It only occurred to me to upgrade when I saw how the newly-launched cameras featured ridiculously amazing and precise Auto settings, as seen in the G11, or my friends Frances and Vince's Olympus E-PL1. Oh well, for now, a new camera will have to wait.

Anyway, here are some thoughts on my recent layover in HK:

1) It's huge!

Other big airports are the way they are because they accommodate larger locales, but for a small country, this one had plenty of space. I flew out on a Monday and it felt like a VIP, as if the terminals were cleared for me to walk in peace! Anna Wintour alone on the elevator immediately came to mind.

2) So many stylish women!

I noticed a handful young ladies in heels, while the older women were in custom pantsuits and spring jackets in lovely prints. I spotted one in a black knit (or lace?) bolero paired with pearls. Good thing I've made it a personal policy to be dressed at the airport, ever since I started flying regularly almost a decade ago. (For the first two years, I always wore comfy sweatpants and trainers on long-haul flights. One time, I decided to experiment by wearing a tailored jacket and pointy kitten-heels—and I noticed everyone became nicer!)

3) It has a cute food court.

By 'cute' I mean it has substantial offerings in the form of hefty bowls of noodle soup, freshly-baked cookies and muffins, and the sort of things I like to eat and tote along when traveling. Anyhow, for more on food, visit my other blog, AllMySugar.com, where I've just written about finally making buttercream frosting. I'm in a baking frenzy! But more on that on my next blog post.

Labels: fashion, gadgets, New York, travel

At my own internship experience 10 years ago, I looked forward to coming to work everyday. Each opportunity presented a new learning experience, and I was happy to take in as much as I could. The magazine industry in Manila back then was still somewhat in its infancy, and we were all still finding our feet. I reckon it was a great time to have been able to dip my toe in, and then jump (and swim) in the growing magazine pool. Among friends, we still refer to a certain time as the Golden Age of Glossies.

Fast-forward to 2010, it's nice to know that magazines are standing the test of time (in a not-so-glossy economy) and have evolved to breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and excellently edited works compiled by the most talented and hardworking people in the business. And most importantly, they are still very much FUN. True, the demands have grown, the responsibilities are more vast, and the consequences to delinquent behavior are more magnified, but I still see it as one happy and dynamic capsule, exploding with infinite opportunities.

When I see interns Alex, Gaile, and Yen at work, I catch a glimpse of this sense of wonder and eagerness to be part of something bigger than themselves; to explore the world beyond their comfort zones. I notice Alex arrive 30 minutes before everybody else; Gaile, quietly and diligently helping our fashion editor with her pages; and Yen discovering the wonderful—and tedious—world of beauty. So much to take in, so little time.

I ended up staying on board as an intern for four months, eventually becoming an editor for many years. Magazine publishing remains my first love and forever home, wherever I am in the world, and however it is presented (online, over the iPad, in the moon...). And for Alex, Gaile, and Yen, I paraphrase the words of Stanley Tucci's character, Nigel, in The Devil Wears Prada: I only hope for the best—I have to.


Originally published at Cosmo.ph/FlawlessatWork. Image courtesy of Cinecon.com and 20th Century Fox

Labels: fab friends, fashion, gadgets, love Manila, magazines, milestones, work

When I decided to finally move abroad, I had to tackle eight years’ worth of belongings back at my old apartment. This included trinkets and mementos from high school, stacked notebooks from college, and paper calendars, photos, and cards collected over time. Not included here are shoes, clothes, handbags, and accessories amassed from working all those years as a magazine editor.

It also didn’t help that I was a classic hoarder and easily found sentimental value in anything and everything.

A few months before I’d planned to leave, I was walking out of Mall of Asia from a lunch event and passed through National Bookstore to get to the exit. And then this book called out to me: It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh [FREE PRESS/Simon & Schuster]. In bright tangerine, its cover wasn’t hard to miss. Immediately I picked it up and impulse-bought into “An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff.”

And boy-oh-boy was this book life-changing! (It’s also one of my favorite books to date.) Not only did it help make sense out of letting go of things I’ve collected, it also de-mystified my age-long struggle with hoarding. Walsh, a professional organizer and host of TLC’s Clean Sweep, shares a systematic approach to getting rid of emotional and physical clutter so that one can create a happier, more stress-free home and life.

“Clutter stops us from living in the present,” says Walsh. “The future is important. But you have to consider the quality of your life today and strike a balance between the life you are living today and the multitude of possible paths your life may take in the future.”

This means, say, you find a little black dress you love but doesn’t fit, don’t buy just because you may (or may not) lose weight in the future. Same goes for those jeans you’ve had in first year college that you’re still hoping to fit into “someday.”

“The clutter somehow becomes a life raft for all the ‘just in cases’ we can imagine,” explains Walsh.

Other than the I-might-need-it-one-day excuse, the book lists other excuses we make for keeping things we don’t need around in our homes, work desks, and anywhere there is space. Walsh also walks the reader through each room, sharing tips and strategies for establishing zones, determining function, and dealing with sentimental objects you do want to keep: giving them places of honor in your home and not somewhere gathering dust.

For example, if you’ve inherited heirloom pieces from a loved one, don’t keep them stashed, forgotten in boxes. Instead, start using them already or put them up in display shelves. “You can’t own everything so you have to pick and choose,” says Walsh. “The value you say an item holds for you must be reflected in the place you give that item in your life, otherwise your words have no meaning and the object is little more than clutter.”

As for unused ‘special’ plates and kubyertos sitting pretty in dining room cabinets, here’s what Walsh has to say on the subject (you might want to clue Mom in on this):

“If you have formal china, do you guard it as if it were a national treasure? China can be expensive and beautiful, but what’s the point of owning it if you never use it? This is not to say that you should serve your three-year-old hot dogs on a Royal Copenhagen platter, but please try to use and enjoy it.”

One of the memorable sections in the book is the quiz, “How Clutter Free Are You?” When I first took it more than two years ago, I turned out to be a “Hard-core Hoarder.” Yikes.

While writing this blog post I went through the questions again. And I’m happy to say that I’m now in between “Clutter Victim” and “Clutter Free”—a huge leap from the hoarder that I was years ago.

True, even if I still hold on to precious trinkets, gadgets, and mementos here and there, and haven’t followed Walsh’s advice to the letter, plenty of the things I’d picked up from his book have afforded me a more mobile lifestyle mostly free of useless clutter to lug around.

(And just so all of you know, I’m never ever going to get rid of my seven-year-old iBook in the event that it finally conks out for real in the future. I reckon, it would still make for a lovely, shiny white paper weight.)

Part of this month's Cosmo Series, 11th of 16 posts also published at Cosmo.ph.

PREVIOUS Post - On Blooming Late
NEXT Post - Working Happy: To Each Her Own

Labels: books, Cosmopolitan, gadgets, life musings, love Manila, pro-blogging, stuff I buy, travel

I realized the other day that my 12" iBook finally turned seven! If you remember I posted an entry here saying that when this happens, I'll throw a party. Well, I'm miles away from friends or anybody who will attend said shindig, but I'm thinking I'll simply keep this in mind during today's Fourth of July festivities at the park. I'm quite excited about the fireworks. In 2007 we saw some amazing ones out of town. Last year I got so busy in New York that the holiday barely registered a blip in my radar; or I probably just didn't have anywhere to go.

I've since February switched to my blue Acer Aspire One netbook. But that doesn't mean the iBook is a sitting paperweight, oh no. Whenever I look at it, I still think it's one of the most beautiful things ever made by Apple. It does need a new battery which is a hefty $120 for something that in the techworld is supposedly "vintage." In the seven years I've had my white iBook, it has only crashed twice or thrice. Only once I actually had to take it to a service center (see my post, No Ordinary Morning) and even then, it only needed to be reformatted, and I was still able to save my files and programs in the process. Cool, huh?

The main reason why I never upgraded to a newer Mac, apart from the obvious sturdiness and reliability of the one I have, is that I never really liked the models that came out after mine (with the exception of the silver G4 iBooks and Powerbooks). The big drawback for me are the new chiclet keyboards—they're not 'crunchy' enough, for lack of a better term. And I keep thinking, how do you clean those things? Everyone I know covers them with a thin silicone pad that makes typing... well, less tactile of an experience. And in my line of work, those little things matter.

Anyway, I did briefly consider the Macbook Air, but surprisingly, the Acer Aspire One has quite a lot of impressive features that I don't see in the former. I am curious though about what's coming out next year at Apple. Just like how I've felt in the last seven years.

Labels: gadgets, stuff I buy

Thank you to everyone who voted for the new template. My personal fave was Blue Glide, but Reflection had tabs and a distinct header, so perhaps that's why it won by one point. I found both templates at Ipietoon.com, whose owner/designer has just been very helpful. I am in talks with him to combine the two so I actually get the best of both templates! So I'll be busy 'renovating' over here and brushing up on my HTML. If you find any bugs or missing links, please be patient with me, and also feel free to leave feedback in the comment boxes. Also, do tell me about your blogs so I can link you up in the sidebar. I just loove makeovers!

On another note, the Waring Pro Juice Extractor is the latest addition to the kitchen. Just this afternoon I drank: fresh carrot-apple juice, orange juice, and apple-watermelon juice. So good! I also got a late start with work because I spent half the day in the kitchen making Baked Butter Chicken Fillets (a recipe from Gourmeted.com), which I blogged about here, and a big batch of lentil soup. I took long processing the mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onion—I do this by chopping up more than what I need and putting the rest in zip-top bags to be stashed in the freezer for future use. It also helps that I do all the chopping (when it's this big a batch) in the food processor. I noticed though that after processing the carrots, it tinted the clear bowl orange.

Labels: food, gadgets, something French