Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Passion for Creative Baking: Artisan Breads

My first article for www.cookeatnow.com is already out!
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A Passion for Creative Baking: Artisan Breads
“It is fulfilling to come up with specialty breads exclusive to client needs. It is in itself a creative process.”

Photos from www.artisanbreads.multiply.com

They say a true Filipino meal is never complete without rice. Not for Leslie Rabat, proprietor of Artisan Breads by Pan Italiano. For her, bread is more than a convenient substitute to rice. It is a universal food, which can be a satisfying and a healthy option for any meal.

Truth be told, Filipinos love bread more than they admit. Each time the price of flour or sugar rises; consumers are worried that the taste or size of their trusty bread products will be affected. The wide range of bread products in any Filipino bakery—pan de sal, monay, putok, Spanish bread, kabayan—are all testaments to the Pinoy’s love for bread.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Adjusting to Chores

Each week, I devote one day to cleaning our small studio apartment in Cubao.

Major tasks include scrubbing the bathroom, washing the delicates (sometimes including Momon's sweaty gym clothes), cleaning the stove and dining table, fixing the laundry, ironing Momon's office clothes, and mopping the floor. Of course tasks like cooking, sweeping the floor and washing the dishes are done daily.

Just to clarify, I am not complaining, I'm just enumerating all my new chores--chores I've acquired since becoming a married woman.

See, I lived in a house where there was always a helper. When I wake up in the morning, rice is always ready. If you need something cooked, it will be ready in a moment. When you're done eating, you just put your plate on the sink. My only participation in this whole process is the actual eating.

Now, just having lunch takes a bit of effort.
On days I don't go to the office, I am alone in the house. When I cook rice in the morning, some of it is bound to be left over. Problem is, I hate cold rice (bahaw). So I have to get a pan to reheat it and clean the pan along with the other things I used for my meal.

For the first time I was able to identify with a commercial so precisely directed towards housewives/married ladies. It's a commercial for Joy liquid dishwashing soap promising less damage to your hands, giving you a chance to call yourself "Kamay-Dalaga". After seeing that commercial, I asked Momon to buy me a pair of gloves.

Please don't get me wrong, I have been trained by my parents to do all these tasks. I know how to go to the market, cook, clean, iron, etc. I actually really do, I just don't do them often. So, I guess I'm still adjusting.

But I don't feel sad or abused, instead I feel challenged. Each time I feel tired, I'd just go back to how good it feels when the house is clean, to how everything makes Momon comfortable. My goal is for Momon to come home to a restful and relaxing place, without need to worry what's for dinner or if his clothes for the next day are ready--the same way I felt when I was in my old house.

So, anyway... this is getting lengthy. I almost forgot that today is actually my cleaning day. Off to mop the floor and iron the clothes!

In return, he brings me ice cream. Hahaha!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Joe San Antonio, Review

Having your wedding gown designed by Joe San Antonio, is like having it done by a long-time friend. Aside from her beautiful designs, what really stood out is her genuine care and concern for you and all the rest of your entourage.

I came to Joe six months before my wedding. I was confused and uninterested with this part of wedding preps. See, fashion is really my Waterloo. For some people, this may be the first thing on their list, but for a t-shirt and pants girl like me, it isn't. But with Joe, I never felt that she's taking advantage of my lack of knowledge or interest. Instead, she comforted me and patiently explained what would look good, what would not. I learned to trust and give her the upper hand in our quest to glam me up on the big day.



1st ASEAN Children's Forum


Last October 19-22, 2010, KNN was very lucky to be picked as the documenters of the 1st ASEAN Children's Forum. I headed the team to produce several media outputs -- 4 videos presented onsite, newsletter, photo album and a full conference report. It was four days of hardwork and sleepless nights, and a celebration made perfect by cultural solidarity and upholding of genuine child participation.

Below are the four videos produced, featuring my voice as the narrator. Hehehe.







Thursday, January 06, 2011

Wedding Videos

To kick me out of the non-posting rut, let me present the two videos from our wedding. Medyo magyayabang lang ako sa mga videos na ito.

PHOTO MONTAGE
Here is the photo montage of childhood and BF-GF photos. Hanna and I spent a few hours writing the script for this and debating which photos to include among the hundreds I have gathered. Ang motto: "Hindi porke maganda lahat, kailangan ilagay lahat."

I'm also pleased how we were able to show the parallels, and make a sort of story out of the photos. Inis na inis ako sa mg photo montage na puro mga mukha lang ng couple ang nakikita. Shucks. What about activities, what about backgrounds? Mas inis ako sa mga taong nagka-caption ng "Lakeshore 2009, Palawan 2008, etc" tapos mga mukha lang naman nila makikita mo sa photo. So, kahit saan pala ko magpa-picture pwede, i-caption ko na lang. Ay sorry, I'm getting carried away. Back to the video.

I also edited the music to cut it down from 5:40 to 3:50. Para hindi boring. Kahit kaya ng materyal na umabot sa 5:40, magiging boring na. Medyo dineliberate din yung music. Tama na sa mga mushy mushy love songs, dapat fun fun fun!

John (Cinemaworks) did a great job moving the photos around and bringing them to life. He was also very patient with me sa mga pinapa-revise ko here and there.

In short, I love our photo montage cause it shows the things Momon and experienced for the past 9 years together and the other 18 years when we were younger. We were also able include our dearest friends in the mix. So, here it is:




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WEDDING ONSITE VIDEO
My favorite song. My favorite man. A most precious event.
Lagi akong tinatanong, pano n'yo ginawa yun? Sagot: Pinag-isipan namin.
Hanna and I (again) conceptualized on the different scenes. I edited the music so it can have more parts without lyrics, and to extend the length of the song. Thanks to Joseph too for thinking of the other scenes, and thanks to everyone else who were very cooperative.

Super thanks to John for doing a great job of piecing it together with his superb shot selection and editing. Though meron pa rin akong mga papabago, minor lang.

The response to the video is overwhelming. Merong nagsabi, "it's the perfect blend of sweetness and fun". Ang iba naman, "Uy, alam mo dinowload namin yun tapos lagi namin pinapanood sa iPhone." At eto pa, "Ngayon ko lang nalaman na pwede mo pala gawin yun, pwede mo pala babuyin ang kasal, pero sobra-sobrang ganda pa rin." And many more...