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Year four

Marlon and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with five days in Boracay. Holing up in our own little world is just the kind of thing marriage gives us license to do, without setting off a wave of wagging tongues!
Financially, 2011 has not been the best year for us—although we were prepared for that when we made the decision to move to Europe. So, no gifts this year. But just out of curiosity, I looked up a list of traditional wedding anniversary gifts. We’ve never followed the traditions (year three, leather = missed opportunity!) but upon seeing that year four is supposed to be fruit or flowers, I suggested that we share a Boracay favorite to mark the occasion. 

Yep, for our fourth anniversary we gave each other mango shakes from Jonah’s! Slurping them in the shallows, under the sun, was absolutely perfect: another great memory to add to our growing list.

 Then Marlon made me funny things out of sand…

like a perfect white sphere carved with our initials…

an “Angry Birds” inspired effigy of Rogue (a.k.a. “Angry Cat”)…

… and the silliest gift of all, a “love lump” in the sand. I told you this was a low-budget anniversary!

Thank goodness for Boracay’s spectacular sunsets. Instant romance! Libre pa!

We both love, love, LOVE Dos Mestizos and make sure we have at least one meal there wherever we’re in Boracay. So we didn’t even consider any other restaurant for our anniversary dinner. Aside from their scrumptious paella, we also love their ostras fritas (fried oysters with aioli).

And don’t even get me started on the bread pudding. My mouth is literally watering at the memory.

We decided to hoof it all the way back to our digs in Station 1. After walking past the perya atmosphere of Station 3 (all I can say is: not for me), I heard a familiar voice at Bom Bom Bar. Hello, Armand!

I’ve known Armand for years but was my first time to see him perform a full set.  In fairness nag-enjoy ako. He sure knows how to spread good vibes. And his songs are catchy. #proud

So that was our anniversary. Simple and sweet, but filled with all the things we love to enjoy together: travel, food, music and each other’s company. I couldn’t ask for more. 
2 Comments
Posted on December 31, 2011
Category: House & Spouse · Labels: , , ,

Vintage treasures from Mom

My appetite for travel is something that I most definitely inherited from my mom. While I was growing up, if she wasn’t jetting off to a foreign country then she was packing us—her two girls—into the car for weekend jaunts to the beach. 
In addition to being a consummate traveler, she was also an insatiable collector—or as we like to say, a hoarder! She would always bring things home from her trips: anything from heirloom-worthy pieces from Europe to whatever was the latest trend in Japan or the US or wherever she happened to be. I remember being the first family we knew to have a Discman and to wear t-shirts emblazoned with the faces of The Simpsons (whom I thought were really ugly and weird) as early as 1990.
Mom has since declared her jetsetting days pretty much behind her, except for the rare occasions when my sister and I succeed at convincing her to get on a plane and visit us. But some of the things she picked up on her travels still remain. And since we’ve been ragging on her to de-clutter, she decided to pass them on to us, her two daughters. 
So out came the tablecloths she amassed in Europe over 20 years ago. Not only are they beautifully handcrafted, but now, they’re also vintage! #doublewin

I was torn between this lovely ecru lace cloth from Portugal, above, and an embroidered cutwork tablecloth with handmade lace, from Belgium. Each fits a table for 10-12 persons and comes with matching cloth napkins.

After much agonizing, I chose the latter. The details simply won me over.

Mom decided to wrap them up for Christmas—you know, just because it’s more fun that way! 
She also threw in a set of handmade Belgian lace coasters…

… and matching cocktail napkins. I’ve never used cocktail napkins (I didn’t even know such things existed!), but now I’m racking my brain for an excuse to debut them. 
Finally, Mom brought out the most delicate little demitasse cups in refreshing pastel hues. That was when I squealed like a tickled piglet.
Aren’t they cuuuuuuuute?

Even Marlon, who’s been known to veto any additions to our home that are too overtly girly, couldn’t help but be charmed.

Feel free to come over to our house anytime for the most precious espresso ever.

Really. It’s my pleasure.

Now this is how you recycle gifts for Christmas. Thanks, Mom!
6 Comments
Posted on December 25, 2011
Category: House & Spouse, Manila Girl at Heart · Labels: , ,

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the warm, humid frenzy of Manila!
I flew home with Marlon via KLM last Saturday. Since then, we’ve been spending time with family and friends whom I’ve missed, thus the inactivity on this blog. Next week, we’re off to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary in Boracay (yay, warm waters and white sand!) so there will be more radio silence through New Year’s. 
In the meantime, let me leave you with some photos that should get you in a lovely Christmasy mood (if you aren’t already feeling it!). I’ve always wanted to visit the famous German Christmas markets, so Marlon and I took the train to Koln (a.k.a. Cologne) a few weeks ago for a weekend trip.
I’ve been to Koln with the Glee Club. That was 10 years ago, and I never thought I would come back. Being there with Marlon, and looking up to see the massive Dom (Cathedral) all lit up, gave me goosebumps. I simply couldn’t believe I was there again. It was another one of those “funny how life works out” moments.
Being at a Weinachtmarkt, or German Christmas market, was like being in a Christmas Disneyland. I’d been warned by German friends that Koln was rather commercial as Christmas markets go, but that didn’t faze me.
With much to gawk at, laugh at, buy, eat, drink and enjoy, how could I not love every single shimmering, sparkling moment of it?

After the Christmas market at the Dom, which is the biggest one in the city, we walked to the one in the Alter Stadt, or Old Town. This one was smaller, more intimate and felt more quaint.

It was also mobbed by 10pm!

This year, the Alter Stadt market was all done up in an adorable gnome theme that I loved!

On our last day, before catching the train back to Amsterdam, we dropped by the Markt der Engel, or Angel’s Market, at Neumarkt.

Three out of eight Christmas markets is not too bad, right? It was a wonderful weekend that really put us in the holiday mood. I would love to visit other markets, in other towns, next year. I’m sure each one has its own charm… and its own selection of tasty treats and pretty baubles.

Wherever and however you’re spending the holidays, I wish you lots of laughter, music, good food and great company. I wish you joy and belonging amongst the people you love most and who know you best. Because that’s what Christmas is to me. 
Merry Christmas from me and Marlon!
4 Comments
Posted on December 24, 2011
Category: Wanderlust · Labels: , , , ,

Going green

I’m such a Christmas junkie that I put our home through not one, but two phases of Christmas decorating. I started out with dried and plastic decorations, some of which were brought over with us from Singapore. With a little creativity and red polka-dot ribbon, dried and plastic was fine. 
But the moment December hit, every flower shop on the corner sprouted greens. Christmas greens. Reds and greens, actually, and more. From pine to mistletoe to holly to blackberries, all those things I’ve only read about in books plus more that I couldn’t even name. 
Suddenly, all this abundance of freshness changed my feelings towards plastic. So I redecorated. 

Before and after #1: the wreath on my front door. I started with a rustic-looking bare twig wreath, dressed up with plastic holly and some ribbon. In December, I tied boughs of fresh pine around the form. It looks a little like a shaggy green monster, but I like it. (I have to… I made it!)

Before and after #2: my dining table centerpiece. My Pinay friend Jec gave me a great idea: to fill a rustic-looking tray with candles and pinecones. Two weeks later, I replaced some of the pinecones and with fresh pine and berries. When I cut the pine into smaller pieces, the sap from the branches left an absolutely divine scent on my hands that is nothing—nothing!—like those pine air fresheners we see dangling from the rearview mirror of taxis in Manila.

We hung a real pine wreath in our living room, where it probably sends smug, mocking vibes over to our fake pine Christmas tree. Over the kitchen door went a bunch of various greens and berries that were pre… um, pre-bunched? So all I had to do was tie a nice bow over it and hang it on an S-hook. One last stray bough of pine also got the bow treatment before going up over the door to the balcony. 

And in front of the window, spare pinecones and a large spray of red berries. I wish I knew what these are called, because I just love them. On gloomy days (and there are many), that pop of bright red against the gray outdoors makes me feel a little bit better.
Don’t you just love the freshness? I just might never go back to plastic again!
1 Comment
Posted on December 16, 2011
Category: Creative Projects, House & Spouse · Labels: , ,

Ornament obsession

As I’ve blogged about in this week’s post on MangoJuiced, I’ve gotten over the whole matchy-matchy Christmas tree. I’ve started migrating the red-and-gold ornaments that we bought in Landmark for our first Christmas to other places, like our dining room chandelier and this tabletop lamp.
What’s made me reconsider our Christmas tree? I’ve made a few Canadian and American friends for whom the addition of one new, special ornament to the tree every year is part of the family holiday tradition. No themed trees, no matching sets—just a collection where every piece was chosen because it was pretty and special in itself. 
The idea of carefully selecting and slowly building up a collection of cherished ornaments has started to really appeal to me. Somehow, it fits in perfectly with the wearing-off of our newlywed excitement. That’s not a bad thing, by the way—after four years, I’ve simply realized that Marlon and I are going to be together for a long, long time. That means many, many Christmases together… and lots of time to collect ornaments. 
These are some of the ones we chose to jumpstart our new, non-matchy collection. The only thing our ornaments should match are the memories we’ve made around them. I know I’ll always remember these as being from our first Christmas in Amsterdam. 

I got the “antique” mirrored star and porcelain bird at the Osdorp Tuincentrum, a mind-bogglingly huge garden warehouse turned Christmas emporium where we shopped for our decorations. The clear glass ball with the feather (which reminds me of the final scene from Labyrinth) is from De Bijenkorf, Amsterdam’s oldest department store.

The floral ball reminds me of India, and the red ornament is actually a capiz chesa from… the Philippines! I was elated to find both in a fair trade boutique in Haarlem. The black bauble was Marlon’s choice, and I have to admit it looks pretty cool. 

A blown glass owl, a tiny delicate winged horse, an odd little Santa gnome, and Santa baking in his kitchen: these are the ornaments we bought on our visit to the Christmas markets in Cologne, Germany. The German Christmas markets are like the Disneylands of Christmas and deserve a separate post all together! So many beautiful hand-blown and hand-carved ornaments there made it excruciatingly hard to choose, but we managed to keep it down to these. 
Which of the new ornaments do you like best? And do you have any special ornaments in your family? I’d love to know!
2 Comments
Posted on December 16, 2011
Category: Creative Projects, House & Spouse · Labels: , ,

Christmas chandelier

Remember the wineglass chandelier that we got in April?
It recently became the target of my Christmas decorating frenzy. I had something in mind, but before I could put my idea to work, all the wineglasses had to come off. Yes, all 36 of them. 

While the glasses received their first wash in months, I strung up a few new ornaments: a set of four very shiny silver ones from Ikea, as well as some fresh picks from De Bijenkorf. All of the ornaments I chose were either silver, gold, transparent or some kind of combination of the three. All the better to let through, or reflect, the light from the central bulb.

Marlon and I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures while working. Shiny things are just too much fun to play with.

After throwing in a few of our pre-loved ornaments to fill in the gaps, and draping some faux greens over the top, our chandelier revamp was complete.

Voila! Presenting our Christmas chandelier.

Just looking at it all lit up in the evening gives me the warm-and-fuzzies.

It’s just as pretty in the daytime.

I’ll be sad to take it down after the holidays. But for now, I’ll enjoy it as much as I can. 
2 Comments
Posted on December 16, 2011
Category: Creative Projects, House & Spouse · Labels: , , ,

Watercolor Christmas cards

Success! I’ve mailed out my Christmas cards for the year. Yes, I’m one of those people that still sends out Christmas cards via snail mail. It’s usually a struggle to get them out on time, but this year I managed my to do it!
I knew I wanted to make my own cards this year. And I knew I wanted to combine watercolors with hand lettering. So I set out my watercolors, tore out a few pages from my watercolor sketch pad, and played around with them one rainy afternoon. These were some of the cards I came up with. Apologies for the bad lighting, Amsterdam has been immersed in this weak gray gloom all week. 

Yes, the designs are pretty simple and it’s a very small batch of cards (plus a couple that I didn’t photograph). But each one is unique and is made with love and care. Which one do you like best?

Oh, and I also made the envelopes myself, as all the cards are odd sizes. I used this festive Japanese washi tape with polka dots (my current obsession) to seal the envelopes.

And now my cards are winging their way to Belgium, the UK and Singapore. Fly swift, my pretties, and spread the Christmas cheer!

7 Comments
Posted on December 14, 2011
Category: Creative Projects · Labels: , ,

All is bright

Here in the Netherlands, Christmas plays second fiddle to Sinterklaas, which is on the 6th of December. This means that any form of Christmas decorations are nowhere to be seen until after December 6.

By Filipino standards, that’s just way too late in the game. After all, ours is a nation where Christmas jingles begin ring-ting-ting-a-linging in September. I’m not quite that hardcore, but by the third week of November, my inner Christmas junkie was rattling its cage and howling to be unleashed.

And so it was with a star shining bright that we cried to our entire neighborhood: Christmas is here! Oh and yes, we’re early. But we’re Filipino!

I would have loved to hang up a traditional parol. And I have a husband who actually knows how to make one (thank you, Ateneo Grade School). But do you know how hard it is to find long bamboo sticks in Holland… in winter, nonetheless?

So we had to settle for these punched paper stars, one for each window facing the street. It’s not really settling, though, because I love them. They make such pretty reflections against the glass.

One of our big debates while preparing for the move to Amsterdam was whether or not to take our plastic Christmas tree with us. “Who needs plastic? We’ll finally be able to get a real live tree!” was the argument against plastic. “But… you never know!” was the (rather weak) counter-argument.

Guess which side won?

Surprisingly, “you never know” won the day. So this is a plastic tree, sorry. There were no Christmas trees to be found before December, and waiting would have messed up our already-delayed Pinoy Christmas timeline. So up went the plastic tree, gussied up with a sparkly new string of LED lights… that said “rice lights” on the box. I guess you can’t separate a Filipino from his rice.

All the fresh trees came out last Monday, December 6… less than two weeks before our flight home. So, too late the hero, as they say. It wouldn’t have made sense for us to spring for a real tree, enjoy it for 10 days, leave it for three weeks, and come home to a dried mess of needles on the floor. I see them on practically every street corner now and I feel like they’re mocking me. Che!

Back to those rice lights. We had an extra string of lights (can you say over-enthusiastic buying?) so I got Marlon to cram it into a vintage glass jar I picked up at the Queen’s Day flea market. That’s how we work often: I’m concept, he’s execution. Or as he likes to say, I’m digital and he’s analog.

Our old string of lights from Singapore went into a big glass cylinder with a bunch of previously loved Christmas ornaments. The whole confection went on top of our steel hallway cabinet to help our little Ikea lamp battle the winter darkness.
 
By the way, this Christmas luminary is the subject of this week’s post on MangoJuiced. Check out the full post to read the story behind this project… and how you can get the look for your home!
2 Comments
Posted on December 13, 2011
Category: House & Spouse · Labels: , ,

My TEDxAmsterdam experience

Do you watch TED talks online? I do, and I love them. So in the months leading up to our big move, I was thrilled to find out about TEDxAmsterdam. Just like attending Dutch Design Week, getting involved in TEDxAmsterdam was something that I had my eye on from afar. I told myself: when I get there, I’m going to do that.
“That” meant applying for a spot on the volunteers’ team in July, via a short form on the TEDxAms website, and hearing back from , three weeks before the big event on November 25. 
“That”meant showing up at Amsterdam’s Stadsschouwburg (city theater) a week before the event to meet the volunteers, be briefed on our tasks and take a tour of the theater. I love the performing arts and the Stadsschouwburg (yes, I stumble a bit when I type that), dating back to 1894, is one of Amsterdam’s oldest performing arts venues. I loved being able to go backstage and all around this historic building.

“That” meant getting my own TEDxAmsterdam t-shirt to wear on the day of the event. Yay for swag!

Photo courtesy of Mariana Oud

“That” meant packing away my happy smiley Filipino self for a few hours to man the doors of the main hall, where over 300 guests (including VIPs) would be seated, and channel the door bitch I never knew I had within me. I thought being an usherette (or hoofdzaal, as they say in Dutch) would be the perfect use of my genetic impulse for friendliness and hospitality. Boy, was I wrong.

Between people trying to sneak in with wineglasses or food, people trying to sneak in where they weren’t allowed to sit, people trying to worm their way in after the sessions had started, I had to steel myself to just say NO! It meant being firm, not listening to people wheedling, bargaining and throwing their (perceived) weight around, and possibly even being (gasp) disliked. But you know what? It was worth it.

Read why, after the jump!


I got to see some inspiring talks and watch some amazing musical performances. I got to see the view from the stage that only the speakers see, toy with a camera that Nat Geo and Discovery use to shoot their footage, and gawk at a real (uncannily human) android.

And I got to meet a lot of really great people. For a person starting a new life in a new country, this was the best part of my TEDxAmsterdam experience. It was intimidating and at times frustrating being the only person there who didn’t speak Dutch. Sure, I’ve learned een beetje (a bit) over the past few months, but trying to follow animated conversations with the language skills of a one year-old can really mess with your head.

I know I probably looked like I was frowning a lot, because I was always concentrating hard on trying to understand what people were saying. There were times I would just have to grit my teeth and wait for an opportunity to jump into the conversation—thankfully, usually because another volunteer would gently remind everyone that we had an English speaker in the room.

But the times when I did get to join in the backstage conversations… well, those were some of the most inspiring and enjoyable moments of my whole day. If working harder at Dutch is what it takes to plug into life here, befriend people like these, and tap into a wellspring of people who are positive, passionate, smart and interesting, then I want to do it. Because I’m going to be here for a while.

Photo courtesy of Salmaan Sana

Talking to people from the volunteers’ team really took me back to what I love most about being in a different country: meeting people, and seeing that there’s more than one way to live your life. Through the people I’ve met on my travels, I’ve learned that we don’t have to do things just the way we were brought up to do, or live the way we’re told to. I don’t reject my upbringing at all, but I love the freedom and inspiration that one can gain from seeing the many different ways people around the world live their lives.

That was my TEDxAmsterdam: more than just ideas worth sharing, an experience worth repeating. 

2 Comments
Posted on December 12, 2011
Category: Creative Projects, Life in Amsterdam · Labels:

Five faves from… Istanbul

Hoo boy, I’ve been busy busy busy these past two weeks! I had so much about Istanbul that I wanted to blog about, but I figured if I had to wait until I actually had time to write about all of it, it would just never happen. And so much has happened since that trip, that I really need to blog and be done with it.

So I’m wrapping up my Turkey posts with a roundup of my five favorite things about Istanbul. I think the tag “five faves from…” could easily apply to anyplace and anything, so watch out… it might just become a regular feature around here!

1) Sweets at Saray. There are lots of sweet shops selling pasha lokum, more famously known as Turkish delight, along Istiklal Caddesi. But all of them pale in comparison to Saray Muhallebicisi, a restaurant, tea and dessert shop that’s been satisfying Istanbul’s sweet tooth since 1935. Saray’s huge storefront window, filled with a tempting array of Turkish sweets, is completely mesmerizing.

Until Saray, I never knew watching syrup drip could be so hypnotic. You are getting sleeeepy… you will want to eaaaat meeeee…

Brisk, efficient staff in old-school uniforms dish out tray after tray of sweets to a packed house and long queues at the takeout counter. Towering stacks of treats disappeared literally in minutes. It was fascinating to watch.

Inside: bedlam. Four completely packed floors of sugar frenzy. Those servers were practically mobbed!

Speaking of sugar frenzy, this was another one of those moments where everything was so yummy I forgot to take pictures. Just take it from me, those sweets in the window are every bit as rich and delicious as they look. Best washed down with a hot Turkish tea or strong Turkish coffee!

2) Aya Sofya. It was a photo of the Aya Sofya (or Hagia Sophia) that first made me want to visit Istanbul. The city’s most ancient, and most famous monument was built by Emperor Justinian in 537 AD, and was many things in its long and tumultuous history: a church, a mosque, then a museum.
Behold the splendor, after the jump!

With a soaring, seemingly unsupported dome (a true architectural feat of its time), what Aya Sofia is today is… magnificent.

From the stunning ceiling that once held 30 million gold mosaic tiles (tesserae) to the chandeliers that hang overhead, Aya Sofya left me in awe and simply thankful to be there.

Some beautiful mosaics still remain on the second floor. Great detail, vivid colors, and lots of gold—which I love! They seem to glow even after more than a thousand years.

3) Sunday market at Ortakoy. A neighborhood on the European shore of the Bosphorus, Ortakoy has lots of interesting little shops, cafes and restaurants lining the riverside. It’s also home to a small open-air market every Sunday.


With winter coming and most of the sellers being middle-aged and elderly women, the market was full of cozy, colorful hand-knit items. Right beside the displays were their proprietors just knitting away the whole afternoon.

When I travel, I’m always on the lookout for a funky accessory or two to take home with me, and markets are great places to look. These chunky rings fit the bill perfectly!

I found Ortakoy to be a really nice, relaxed, and very local place to walk around. People just hang out by the riverside for a chat, a snack or a glass of tea (or all of the above) while enjoying the view of the Bosphorus. That’s Asia on the other side of that bridge, by the way.
 

4) The ultimate baked potato. Most travel guides I read mentioned fresh seafood as the thing to eat at Ortakoy. But looking around the area, it seemed the locals were trying to tell me something else.
It turns out Ortakoy is famous for the many stalls selling kumpir, or stuffed baked potatoes. Or should I say, the ultimate stuffed baked potato.
And when I say stuffed, I mean stuffed—we’re talking 10 or more toppings here. Butter and cheese are just the foundation of this wonderful creation.

Steaming hot and loaded with toppings, it was the perfect lunch on a chilly fall day. It was cheap and filling too!

5) Cross-continental cruise. After shopping at the market and stuffing ourselves with kumpir, Marlon and I hopped on a ferry that took us on a short cruise up and down the Bosphorus. This strait connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmaris, but more importantly, has Europe on one shore, Asia on the other.

Aside literally putting you between Europe and Asia, the Bosphorus cruise is also great for sighting all the ultra-wealthy homes (stately mansions and chic, all-glass apartments) lining both shores, with their jacuzzis and yachts out front.

Like the strange and silly couple we are, Marlon and I had a laugh sticking our noses in the air and showing off our “summer mansions” to an imaginary yacht full of imaginary guests.

To me, it was all very Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. But to Marlon, this photo was all about ”I’ll bet my orchids, it’s brewed!” Can anyone remember what commercial that was?

3 Comments
Posted on December 11, 2011
Category: Food & Drink, Wanderlust · Labels: , , , , ,