Category Archives: wishful thinking

Lemming for a trombone

Posted on by
3

I want a trombone. I’ve always wanted one. It’s my second favorite instrument next to the cello for three reasons: (1) it’s used in both jazz and classical music, which are my two great loves; (2) it mainly uses the bass clef, which I prefer over the treble clef; and (3) it doesn’t call for long fingers, which I don’t have. Abet and I went to Raon yesterday to get a mic for the cello and I can’t help but ogle the t-bones on display. I probably won’t be getting one anytime soon, though. I need a trombone like I need snow boots in Manila. Besides, we already have enough musical instruments at the moment. We have Jacqueline the cello which is in Baguio with Joe. Then there’s Joshua the violin which is missing its chinrest. Underneath my bed is Herbie the flute, which I haven’t touched again after I had it re-padded three years ago. There are the two guitars, one of which was a Christmas gift from Abet to my family. We have an upright piano that needs a bit of tuning. And somewhere in this house, there’s a “C” harmonica named Toots.

I wonder if there’s anyone out there who’s willing to trade a decent trombone for a chinrest-less violin.

Pin It
Email

You might also like:

Banana Crumb Muffins

Posted on by
1

I made banana crumb muffins for the first time, and I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.

I tried making them in a metal cupcake pan and a silicone pans to see which one works better, I prefer the metal one.

I finally got to use the blue gingham cupcake liners I bought more than a year ago.

I’ve been baking a lot the past few weeks and I’m enjoying it immensely. It’s my therapy session after a busy day or week at work. Being able to create something yummy out of flour and eggs and sugar is very fulfilling, and even more so when I get good feedback about my products. I was giddy when May’s friends and my friend Eliza found the muffins delicious.

I hope to sell my baked goodies one of these days, it’s on my bucket list. I need to enroll in formal baking lessons first, and learn about costing and packaging. I also hope for a big nice kitchen complete with modern baking tools and supplies (the ones that look like industrial products) and a kick-ass oven.

Someday, someday, I’ll have that kitchen. And someday, I’ll be able to sell my cupcakes and cakes and cookies. In the meantime, I’m sure my friends are happy that I bake for free.

Pin It
Email

You might also like:

Things to buy in the next 15 months

Posted on by
7

I’m thinking of accumulating the things I’d like to have once I’m married before I actually get married. Now is probably the best time, while we’re not yet paying rent and utilities, buying our own groceries, or bothering about auto insurance reviews.

1) At least 400-thread count sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. Luxurious sheets are my ultimate indulgence, and I insist on nothing but super soft sheets once I’m a married woman. I’ll probably be sleeping nekkid all the time if my bed is soft as butter (hey, I’ll be married then). ;-) I also want those big hypoallergenic pillows that we have at home, the ones that you buy flat and vacuum-packed.

2) Ultra-soft bath towels and robes. I want bedtime every night to be delicious (and I say that with all wholesomeness), why not after-bath time as well? I’m a girl who believes in making the little everyday things luxurious.

3) Pretty Corelle dinnerware. I’ve always told myself that I’ll get a set when I grow up.

4) A girly but sexy apron (to fulfill my Stepford wife dreams), just like this one from Anthropologie.com:

Anthropologie apron

Abet already promised me he’d buy me one. Ü

5) This egg crate, also from Anthropologie, just because it’s the cutest thing ever, and I lost sleep when I first saw this on the website:

6) Ikea flatware. Abet and I bought a set each for our mothers when we went to Ikea in Singapore, and Abet loves it. He wants this more than I do. We’ll need to include Ikea in our HK itinerary this year.

7. A pair of Gouldian finches. It’s on my 31 Before 31 list. Abet promised me this, too!

I hope I get them all!

Pin It
Email

You might also like:

The next 3 & 1/2 years will be exciting

Posted on by
8

There’s this blog I discovered some weeks ago that I find inspiring: The 30 Before 30 Project,Celine Novenario’s chronicles of her adventures as she ticks off the items on her list of 30 things to accomplish before she turns 30 years old.

As I go through her blog posts, I can’t help but think that this girl’s life right now is just awesome. Granted, she can afford to do all the exciting things she gets to do all over the world, but then how come not all rich people get to do fun stuff? Because they didn’t list down things that they want to do, with a tight timeline to boot.

I have listed down five things I’d like to accomplish in this lifetime, but these are long-term goals. As much as I want to build a house right now, my bank account says not yet. There’s really not much I can do on that particular list at this point.

And so, instead of being envious of Ms. Novenario who is having a blast in her late twenties, I have decided to make a list of things I want to do in the next few years, from the mundane to the exciting. I’m 27 & 1/2 years old right now, which means I have 2.5 years until I turn 30. It’s too little time for me, to be honest. Let’s admit it, some of the cool stuff would cost money, and my money for the next 15 months is allotted for wedding expenses. Plus, I’d like to do some of the more exciting things on my list as a married woman–with my future husband, of course. And so, taking into consideration that goals need to be S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely–with my finances dictating how attainable they would be), I have decided to make a list of 31 things to do before I turn 31 years old. Yep, my very own 31 before 31 project. Not so much for originality, but more of being realistic by adding an extra 365 days, and because ’30 before 31′ does not have a good ring to it.

My dear blog friends, let me present to you THE 31 THINGS I’D LIKE TO DO BEFORE I TURN 31. I hope you can join me for the ride.

Pin It
Email

You might also like:

Jonesing for a new camera

Posted on by
11

My point-and-shoot camera is gone. Lost. Major bummer, because I have trips this month. Papa says to just use the  DSLR, an Olympus E-500 Evolt he bought on impulse two years ago. But you see, I hate using the DSLR because (a) I don’t know how to use it, I never really bothered to learn, and (b) it’s just too darn heavy and bulky. We lugged that camera around when we went backpacking last year, and it was a true pain in the neck, literally.

I want to get one of those digital compact cameras, this one in particular, the Panasonic Lumix FZ35:

Panasonic Lumix FZ35I’m apprehensive right now, though. I think I should wait until I have enough money to buy a Canon G11, which I like more than the camera above. Also, getting a camera right now will set me back a pretty penny. I can think of much better, more practical things to do with the money, like get the P9,000-stethoscope that Mako has been bugging me for, or see if there’s a local equivalent of a health savings account and get myself one.

I don’t know. It’s not like I don’t have a decent camera to use. I still have a few more nights to sleep on it.

Pin It
Email

You might also like:

Ultra-Luxurious Homes

Posted on by
3

My jaw just dropped when I saw today’s feature on Oddee.com on 10 of the world’s most insanely luxurious houses! Check it out! There’s a $2-billion 27-storey house-tower, another has 24-carat gold leafing on the floor. One house requires 50 full-time gardeners. Mariah Carey’s fabulous crib is featured, as well as the mansion seen in The Godfather. They all have cinemas, tennis courts/bowling alleys/baseball fields/skating rinks, multiply swimming pools, and grand staircases.  Aaron’s Spelling’s house is also on the list–it has a room used exclusively for wrapping presents!

Mariah Carey's house

Mariah Carey's super-glam digs

These houses are oh so ostentatious and grandiose, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live in such a place!

Actually, I can’t even bring myself to dream about living in a house like this. I just want our own home. No, I want us to build our own home from the ground up and not buy something that’s already made. I know I probably won’t be able to build a house with it’s own gym and a two-story wine cellar with jacuzzis in every bathroom, but that’s fine. My dreams are much, much simpler than that. 

I want a library, a walk-in closet, a grotto with a pond. I want a pretty, spacious kitchen where I can cook hearty meals and bake delectable goodies. I want to have gorgeous sinks and Murray Feiss lighting.  I’ll handpick all the switch panels, doorknobs, and cabinet handles that goes into my home. And I want the best toilet bowl we can afford for the master bathroom.

You see, I don’t really desire an über-opulent house, I’m just fascinated by them, that’s all.

But if I ever win the lotto, my house will definitely have a gift-wrapping room!

Pin It
Email

You might also like:

Bag Lust

Posted on by
3

I’m currently lusting over this newly-released Coach bag designed by one of my favorite fashion bloggers, Emily of Cupckases and Cashmere. I’m not into the Coach logo (they’re everywhere, and Coach isn’t even available here), so this is great. It’s roomy but compact–the size is perfect–and the pretty pale blush color is just to die for. Haaaay. This is love.
Alas, at $498, this pretty pink confection will just be in my wishlist and not on my arm. *big sigh*

Pin It
Email

You might also like:

My Five Things

Posted on by
11

I love reading My Five Things on Melisa’s The Lil Bee (one of my favorite blogs), where every Friday she posts another blogger’s list of five things she would like to accomplish in this lifetime. The lists, with entries ranging from simple to life-altering, are so inspiring, and I do believe that writing your goals down is a step towards making them happen.

Here’s my list:

1. Marry my best friend and raise a family with him, and live a life of love and happiness.

2. Build our dream house, not buy a pre-made house that someone else designed. It doesn’t need to be big, but I want a house where we chose everything that went in it. And I mean house, with a backyard and all, not a condo.

3. Visit Italy with Abet.

4. Play the Prelude of Bach’s Cello Suite no. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 or the Bourree of Suite no. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009.

5. Have a home-based business selling yummy baked goodies.

The oft-quoted line from Coelho’s The Alchemist reads, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” I just know I’ll be able to make these happen. Wait for it, world. Wait for it.

Email

You might also like:

If I had things my way…

Posted on by
Reply

I’ll have two daughters.

one-year old Ryanne (Chris’s kid) and three-year old Yzhay (Jarwin’s kid)
No, we are not “Palakihan ng Pisngi” contestants.

Adorable, adorable girls. They make me forget how much I suffer being seated between their dads at the office.

I also like the thought of two boys. When I think of my future children, I see two boys, like Abet and his brother. Abet wants one of each. At least we agree on the two kids part.

And the “not now” part. Ü

Email

You might also like:

Travel Wishlist

Posted on by
Reply

It’s just two more months until our Asian backpacking trip! *puhon* I just wish that the next few weeks will fly by as quickly as possible, I want it to be October already. All flights and hotels have already been booked and we’re now working on our itinerary.

If I had all the money in the world, I’d get all these travel stuff I’m lemming for:
1. Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Short Handle in a dark color – this is the perfect bag for travel, I’m seriously lusting after this. Unfortunately, the price tag is prohibitive for someone travelling on a budget like me.

2. Faux croc passport holder – it would be waaaay cooler to whip my passport out in this than in the clear plastic case with the travel agency’s name I got it from emblazoned on it. Anyone know where I can get one?

3. Luggage scale – Our hotel in Singapore had a coin-operated weighing scale which was really a very big help. We checked in at just 0.4 kilos below our baggage allowance because we knew exactly how much our stuff weighed. We had discarded early on the unnecessary stuff that literally weigh us down (Abet made me throw away my toiletries, huhu). I’m scared of excess baggage fees, so we’ll probably get this.
4. Neck travel pillow – 12-hour border-crossing bus ride. ‘Nuff said.

5. Toiletry kit – Hard to believe I still don’t have one. My toiletries are stored in plastic bags when I go on trips. Tsk.

6. Crumpler 5-Million Dollar Home – I want a camera bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag. This is a good investment for the DSLR and we’ll get one sooner or later. We’re still trying to decide if we can afford this investment right now.

7. Gorilla Pod – Camwhore little me wants this, and this…
8. Extendable hand-held tripod – …so that Abet and I will no longer be at the mercy of waiters/strangers (!) to get a photo of us together.

Haaaaaay. So many things I want, so little money… I really need that promotion now, I need to level up. In any case, I know that our trip won’t be any less fun if I don’t even get at least one of the stuff I want above.

I’ll get to travel to exotic locales with the man of my dreams, I really couldn’t ask for more! :-) *Uuuuy, sobrang cheesy!*
Email

You might also like: