Winter Light

So thinking, listing down and writing about 20 things that I love three days ago was something I enjoyed doing. And when you do something you enjoy, it only gives birth to more desire to continue doing that something. Or maybe I’m really just an endless elaborator. An endless elaborator with an awful lot of favorite things that she feels the need to write down even though it won’t really matter to anyone but herself. This, my friends, is what I call the favorite things hangover.

Clearly, 20 is not enough. But no worries, I won’t elaborate this time. In random order, these are more of my favorite things…

- Tennis (the sports)
- TOMS Shoes
- Sidewalk hotcake (Only in the Philippines!)
- Light, airy photographs (Natural light photography)
- Makeup and skincare products
- Scarves 
- Hot chocolate
- Parks
- Romantic comedy movies, mostly from the ’80s and ’90s, and very few new ones
- Harry Potter book series
- My Canon 500D
- The Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Media and entertainment 
- Dancing
- Board games, especially Scrabble
- Cafe Lalo in NYC
- The Barefoot Contessa
- Home-cooked meals (Duh, who doesn’t?) 
- Massage massage massage
- Driving 
- The beach 
- Pilot G-Tec pens 

And of course the list is endless. At least for now I can say, “Goodbye, hangover.”

Picking up where I left off…

11. Letterpress
It’s classic, elegant and vintage. I love running my fingers on its impressions. Modern day letterpress printing on stationeries, invitations, business cards and any other published material never fail to set a beautiful, simple and classy mood in a subtle way. I’m glad it was revived from the olden days and still created and appreciated today, despite the wonders of digital printing and all that modern stuff.

12. Breakfast buffets
I’d take a buffet anytime of the day. But if I had to choose, I would love a breakfast buffet. I’m not a morning person at all but I’d gladly wake up early for a breakfast buffet. I especially love having one in a hotel or a beach resort where they would usually have a Filipino, American and Continental arrays of breakfast menu. Having a personalized omelette cooked infront of me is delightful. Coffee with milk, rice, bacon, eggs, salted eggs, dried fish, potatoes, toast, butter, croissants, tropical fruits.. I’d eat a piece or two of everything! But of course with rice, I’d have an ample serving. Breakfast buffets are always a great head start for the day.

13. Skinny jeans
Or any jeans that have great fit. I feel more confident when I’m wearing jeans that fit me well. Clothes may not be that important in the big picture of life. But I still think that life is too short to be wearing unflattering and the wrong sized jeans. 

14. Studio Moisture Tint with SPF15 by MAC
This is the very first MAC product that I bought for myself. I got the medium dark one. This tinted moisturizer works like magic. It’s light and gives just the right coverage for everyday use. Right after I put this on, I can clearly see the difference in the texture and color of my face. It gives off that “natural” glow. On an ordinary working day in the lab, I use only this on my face, and it’s good enough. It can be a little pricey for its size. But you only need a small amount. One container can last at least 2 months. As with their other goodies, I so thank MAC for this.

15. Writing
I don’t like to call myself a writer because if I do, I feel like I’m only disappointing the craft. And blogging every now and then doesn’t really qualify me as a writer. But I love to write. I’m not that good at it but I’m thankful that it has allowed me to express myself over the years. It’s catharsis. It’s freedom for me. Writing is something I know I’ll be doing for the rest of my life. I know I’ll always be writing every now and then. It’s also the only form of art that I’m capable of doing. I’m not crafty at all and I’m bad with my hands when it comes to creating things, like knitting, sewing and the likes. But writing, I can do. I only regret that I haven’t done it more often over the past years, and I can only hope to get better at it. I’d like to think that writing makes me feel as good as how running makes running-enthusiasts feel. 

16. Twitter
Someone once tweeted, “Twitter is the world in your hands.” I couldn’t agree more. You couldn’t have a faster source of updates of what’s going on in the world today than Twitter. If it wasn’t on Twitter, it never happened. Famous people, politicians, celebrities, stars - they’re no longer that unreachable. One thing I’m thankful for being able to live in this generation is the fact that ordinary people like myself can now have our thoughts heard by some not so ordinary people around the world. I think it’s a privilege that Twitter has bestowed upon mankind. For people with big names to open their selves to communicating with the masses in such a fast and easy way, it would have been an impossible idea a few years ago. But Twitter made it happen. Privacy and communication on a whole new level. But of course there are also some negative things about Twitter. As other matters are, it depends on the choices of people who use it. 

17. Tree-lined streets
When I was a child and saw the movie “Father of the Bride Part 2,” I noticed the big shady trees that lined the neighborhood street of Steve Martin’s character. I fell in love with the place. Even though I didn’t know where in the world it was, I wanted to live there. From that moment on, whenever I would daydream about my future life where I would have my own house and my own family, that tree-lined street in the movie would always be the setting. I later found out that that street is in Pasadena, California. I don’t know why I’m so drawn to trees. I can’t live in a desert. Visit yes, but live? I just can’t. My parents currently live in a modern desert city in California in a really nice house. But I just can’t see myself living there for a long time all because I just can’t stand not seeing that much greenery and foliage around me. Deserts are mostly brown and dusty and just has too much sun. It makes me want to cry. I currently live in Juneau, Alaska, where there’s about a million pine trees and thick foliage and forest around. Although it’s mostly gloomy and wet here during this time of year, I really don’t mind. Trees + bed weather make me feel cozy and happy. 

18. Steak and Red Wine
One of my pleasures in life is eating a good chunk of a medium-well cooked steak and sipping on a Cabernet Sauvignon wine. It’s just perfect. Thanks to my father for introducing me to red wines.

19. Tumblr
I love Tumblr for giving me a writing home, for its functionality and different tools in blogging, for enabling me to be inspired by beautiful photos and writings from talented people around the world and for giving me the chance to find two of my favorite bloggers: Ala Paredes and Cat Juan.

20. The Production Design in Nancy Meyer’s movies
Nancy Meyers is a movie director. Her films, particularly Father of the Bride 1 and 2, Something’s Gotta Give and It’s Complicated have this distinct look. It’s mostly the interior design of the houses, the style of the characters’ looks and their classy and aesthetically impeccable lifestyles. It’s so pleasantly American. It may be unrealistic but I really appreciate her vision. Everything and everyone looks so nice and classy. I like how she lets production design give the audience an idea about the personality of the characters.

I wanted to live in Pasadena, California when I saw the house and the neighborhood in Father of the Bride 1 and 2. (Take a peek!)

Diane Keaton’s beach house in Something’s Gotta Give is to die for. (See here!) I wanted to go to The Hamptons in New York because that’s where it was.

Meryl Streep’s Spanish-styled home (Oh the pretty kitchen!) and her bakery are so beautiful. (Take a peek!)

Thanks to Nancy Meyers, or maybe her production designer, I’ve known what design I want for my future home and for inspiring me to find joy in simple and well-designed spaces.

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So there goes my 20 favorite things. I never thought I’d finish this since I tend to elaborate so much. Kapoy! hehe But yey, it’s done!

* Tree-lined street picture from here.

At first I thought I wouldn’t make it to 20. But as it turned out, 20 for my favorite things isn’t enough! The world is full of beautiful things. I really appreciate those people who make art, who put an effort in making simple things beautiful and who bring out the beauty in ordinary things. It takes people with talent and a certain and unique way of looking at things, and the inspiration they give can go a long way. I look forward to finding more beautiful things. I know the world will never run out of them.

In random order, these are a few of my favorite things…

1. Jazz music
Some people might be surprise to know that I love jazz music. I admit I don’t have much knowledge about jazz artists, nor I listen to jazz everyday (though my cellphone message tone is the intro of Frank Sinatra’s Our Love Is Here To Stay). If you look at my playlist, chances are you may even conclude that I’m more of a pop and alternative kind of gal. But the things is, no other music can set my mood as strongly as jazz can, not even my favorite pop and alternative songs that I can listen to on a loop. Jazz music defines class. It is class. And I love class. It makes everything else in the world beautiful. When I listen to jazz, especially to Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Norah Jones, some Michael Buble songs, I feel like I’m transported to an era I would love to be in, or I’m in a high class bar in New York or in Chicago sipping cocktails with people in sophisticated outfits, or I’m on a cozy bed in a warm room on a cold and rainy morning in a big bustling city. It may be an unrealistic state of mind, but jazz music relaxes me, puts a smile on my face and makes me see how certain things can be in a different light.

2. NYC
It felt exhilarating to be in New York City. I never thought I would love being in a city as big and as busy as it is, but I really did. I just love everything about it - the culture, the endless shops and restaurants, the parks, the history, the subway, the accessibility of almost everything. It may be the busyness of the people or the endless crowds everywhere in the city, but being in NYC gave me a certain kind of energy that I’ve never felt before. It’s like a “zest for life” kind of energy. It made me feel as independent as I could be. It’s cheesy but kulang na lang I would ride on a speeding car around the city, top-down and would shout FREEDOM! with my arms up while feeling the wind from the speed. I fell in love with Central Park. Somtimes I can’t help but hear jazz music or Empire State Of Mind in my head, depending on my mood, while walking around the city. It’s a dream to have my own apartment in Manhattan, particularly on the Upper West Side. The Upper East Side, SoHo and TriBeCa are not that bad either; Not bad at all actually. The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps.. I’m grateful to be given the chance to live there, even for just a mere four months. I hope to be back. Alicia Keys and Jay-z do know what they are singing about.

3. Cupcakes
These little pieces of heavenly goodness have been around for the longest time. But lately it seems that they’re on the trend again. Cupcakes make me a happy gal, like a kid in a candy story. I’m not even a big cake eater, but there’s something about cupcakes that just swells my heart (and my appetite). They’re sweet (and it’s not just the taste), cute as can be and they give off this classic/vintage feel. When I walk into a cupcake shop, I get giddy. Cupcake shops can be such pretty little places where warm fuzzy feelings could be found. My favorite shops so far are Flibby’s (in Bacolod), Double D Cupcakes (in California) and Sugar Sweet Sunshine (in New York City). I’ve been dying to go to Cupcakes by Sonja in Manila for the longest time. Flavors with their perky made up names can vary on different cupcake shops. My favorite ones are mainly chocolate, vanilla and of course, the ever famous Red Velvet.

4. Coffee 
My father once said, “How would the world be without coffee?” Now I completely understood what he meant. Blame it on lack of sleep or the caffeine addiction, but I have to have my coffee to fully function everyday. Otherwise I yawn a thousand times and feel a little lethargic throughout the day. It’s not just that, coffee, particularly its smell, feels like home. It reminds me of that aroma from the kitchen on a morning where there’s hot coffee brewing and a sumptuous breakfast is waiting for everyone. Coffee shops too are cool places. Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Bo’s Coffee, Cafe Bob’s in Bacolod and all those quaint and cozy coffee shops, commercialized or not, I’d prefer going to one than going to a bar. What I just dislike though is the pasosyal attitude that some people associate with drinking coffee in certain coffee shops. I don’t like that “Starbucks Generation” label at all. Oh well, it comes with the times.

5. Vintage things
Old movies, old songs, old fashion, old photographs, I can be a sucker for them. I love the classic stuff. Everything just seemed more genuine, more proper and more beautiful back in the olden days. Some of the vintage things I love: Marilyn Monroe, lace, film and lomo photography, black and white movies, Sinatra, hand-written journals and letters, the old Volkswagen Beetle and just everything about the fashion. 

6. Anthropologie
This store is a little pricey but everything in it is just a beauty. The store’s interior design is oh-my-gulay so beautiful! They sell clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, home and kitchen stuff, and eveything else that are quirky, vintage yet modern (makes sense?), whimsical and sophisticated. They change the display on their windows quite frequently and it’s exciting to see what they come up with every time. It’s a store that has a strong sense of style and knows who it is and what kind of people it caters to. Clothes and shopping are not on top of my priority list, but I can’t help but appreciate the beautiful things that Anthropologie has.

7. Butterfly needles (Winged infusion sets)
I’ve never used these until I came to work here in America. I was used to the syringe with straight needles when drawing blood in the Philippines. It took a lot of practice for me to be comfortable in using butterfly needles. But once I got the hang of it (which was just this week), I thought that they’re one of the best inventions ever in the Medical profession. Just pure genius. They’re safe and are stable once it’s on a vein. Although I don’t get to draw blood much at work since there are Lab Aides/Phlebotomists, I’m no longer scared and worried when I have to. These winged infusion sets make drawing blood a lot easier. And they look cute too! 

8. Style Me Pretty web site
I’m a sucker for weddings. It’s the hopeless romantic side of me. Weddings nowadays have become an aesthetic display of things that fit the personality of the bride and groom. Thanks to stylemepretty.com for never failing in amazing me with beautiful things. They showcase the nicest weddings with such beautiful photographs of beautiful people and things. I’m amaze at the talent of those wedding suppliers who can create things with a wow factor and beyond. When I’m feeling down, the beauty displayed on this web site can cheer me up. I really appreciate how beautiful they can make things to be. I’m overusing the word beautiful here, am I not? 

9. Egg with cheese
Seriously, a simple egg (sunny side up or scrambled) with melted cheese is so delicious! I’ve only eaten one a few months ago when a friend in New Jersey cooked it for breakfast. Now I make one at least twice a week. (Watch the calories!) Simple food, yet one of my gastronomic pleasures. 

10. Hammocks 
Ahh, just seeing a hammock already relaxes me. Sadly I haven’t laid down on one in a long time. My dream house would have a hammock. A place to relax for a little while and to dream more bigger and brighter things from.

10 down, 10 more to go. I have to split this. Don’t want to post a really long entry. Plus I have to sleep! To be continued later.