Taho (Silken Tofu with Sago Pearls and Brown Sugar Syrup)

My children grew up enjoying taho – sold by the same vendor ever since we moved to this village many years ago. Instead of using his disposable cups, it has been our habit to bring out plastic tumblers whenever we'd hear him calling out his signature "Tahooooo!"

This noon though, we brought out mason jars for him to fill.

Putting ordinary, commonly-eaten food in nice and unexpected vessels definitely ups its appetite appeal. Somehow, street food feels like a luxury – savored instead of slurped; nursed like a comforting bowl of homemade soup.

This – is my taho moment.

Stringing Beads

Stringing beads is much like stringing words.

Sometimes, you get verbose and end up with an overstuffed paragraph, brimming with pleasant twists and turns.

I sold many fat and heavy bracelets of this kind, but this one I kept for myself.

At times you carefully select a few precise words, go straight to the point, and make an elegant statement.

These were give-aways for my daughter's Paris-themed birthday dinner.

 But sometimes you lose yourself in a lot of ideas, just let the words flow and end up surprising even yourself!

This happy bunch was a Christmas present for a friend's daughters.

Yogurt Fruit Cup

One of the things I love doing is styling my food. It just takes a few minutes to make something really plain to look really special. Like this yogurt cup. It feels good to turn supermarket-bought items into a delicious homespun snack!

To make this, I simply layered the following:
2-3 spoonfuls of strawberry jam
About 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
Thawed blueberries
Mango slices

You can also use bananas, melon, strawberries, grapes, kiwi – the more colorful it is, the yummier it looks!

Try drizzling a bit of honey and sprinkling some granola, sliced almonds or cereals.

This is something you can quickly do in the morning before leaving for work. Layer everything in a mason jar. Cover. Stow in your lunch bag. Enjoy during the drive to work or the minute you get to the office. What a good and healthy morning it makes!

Welcome home!

My own home is far from perfect. Absolutely, impossibly far from it. Too cluttered. Too cramped. Too crazy. But crazy-nice enough to have little touches that make it different from other homes.  And crazy-cool enough to yield tiny surprises that can make visitors smile.

Hydrangeas from my garden, from two pots bought in Tagaytay more than 10 years ago.

My own hands are far from ideal. They're not strong enough to hold a racket and smash shuttlecocks. With fingers not limber enough to make music. But they're special in their own way. They can string beads into bracelets and rosaries. They can fold Japanese paper precisely. And the one on the right can write gracefully.

Single-decade rosary made from an eclectic mix of beads and a Murano cross.

Please do not expect a fabulous blog filled with culinary and aesthetic masterpieces – all it will have are simple joys that I'd love to share with you... and store in cyberspace for my children and future grandchildren to remember me by.

Kimchi rice with fried egg, made with Kimchi brought home from Seoul.

I believe that handmade crafts and homespun meals make heartfelt memories.

Life is good. Let me count my blessings :-)