Anyone can COOK!

My family and friends can attest to this - I don't cook. I never cook. The words Ayen and cooking cannot be together in a single sentence.
I have always been uninterested in cooking. I love good food and enjoy eating but to prepare the delectable masterpieces myself, "No, thank you!". I grew up in a family of great cooks - my mom and grandmothers - so it was surprising that I lack the skill and curiosity for it. I think cooking is very time and energy consuming when you can purchase delicious food for the same price of buying the ingredients. The closest thing I get to being in the kitchen is washing the dishes or when, ages ago, I was mom's little helper. I'm always annoyed when people question how I don't cook and how it would be when I get married, how will you feed your family, things like that. Well, my perspective has always been "I will not go to college, work hard to build my career and earn well just to end up cooking for someone else. If I want to cook, I will. For myself. Surely, my future spouse won't marry me based on a cooking show criteria, the same way I won't judge my future spouse if he doesn't sing as well as Jason Mraz. And I'll work so hard to afford a cook and to buy my favorite food, ok?". Hehehe. So yeah.

While making my bucket list for 2012, I included "Cook Something" just to try something new for myself. It was actually one of last things I worked on since, being me, it's unexciting. For encouragement, I listed down my favorite food, mostly from restaurants, so I will be motivated to try this new adventure. I asked for recipes and did my research, and for the months of August & September, I'm happy to announce that I, Ayen Santos, non-cook extraordinaire, finally gave cooking a try. For August, I prepared some of my lunch that I bring to the office. Stir fry cauliflower & broccoli and Ginisang Ampalaya. One weekend in Bulacan, I prepared breakfast for my folks - Tinapa Rice and Longganisang Bawang - which lolo and lola enjoyed. I made the same set for a Subic getaway with my cousins last weekend, they loved it too. In addition, I went to the supermarket, buy ingredients and cooked Korean Beef Bulgogi with side veggies weeks ago, I brought some for my officemates and friends and they were so surprised I did cook. Well, me too!

I am yet to fall in love with 'cooking' but I'm glad I surpassed another challenge.
I'm so proud of how much I've changed for the better because of this 2012 Project.
I did it for myself! Life is good!

Sidetrip: Global Mala Project 2012

Yesterday, I had one of the most unforgettable experiences of  2012.

I attended the Global Mala Project 2012. It is one of the largest gathering of the yoga community, and my stepmom, Tita Jing, made that awesome idea of inviting me to go with her.

I've enrolled myself into a Saturday yoga class in our neighborhood early August. After one class, albeit the thoughts of giving up during the activity because it's really hard for the unfit and inflexible me, the feeling afterwards was unbelievably good. No muscle pains, unlike when I'm from the gym, and I feel my spirit is renewed.

I said yes to the invitation because I want to experience something new, and it was a great decision.

I was surprised to see a lot of people, women and men, young and old,  who were passionate about the course. There were a lot of classes the entire day. TJ and I took the Yin Yoga(I'd love to enroll in a class), Yoga & Chocolates(Difficult but TJ said I did great for a newbie.. and there were free almond chocolates as rewards.) and at night, the Trance Dance, which was the highlight. I grooved my way and partied with strangers in a circle. It was liberating and relaxing. The teacher went around asking "What are you dancing for?". As for me, it's LIFE. I feel free and infinite. During the end part where they played a lovely version of "In the Sun", I got teary out of joy and gratefulness. I am so glad I did this.

I spent a an hour of gym work out in the morning, 3 hours worth of yoga activities in the afternoon, and I can't feel any ache at all. I'm like a goddess. Oh yoga, what you did to me. :)

Reader's Corner: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

This book had a simple and profound message - that each one of us is connected to one another, 

and whatever we do will have an effect to the next person.Yet another Mitch Albom classic.

And my favorite quote *paragraph* from the bestseller:

"Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those weakens, another heightens.

Memory. Memory becomes your partner.

You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it."

"Life has to end. Love doesn't."

Life is indeed wonderful.

Readers Corner: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

Over the weekend, I spent my free time reading this bestseller. Given it's a Mitch Albom, it's inspiring and heartwarming.The story revolves around two preachers, their journeys which cultivated their faith and a request for a eulogy. This book gave me a new perspective on how to lead my life, in faith and in continuous hope. I wrote down a lot of notes and quotes, one of which is -'you may find there is something beautiful to learn, and it doesn't bite you and it doesn't weaken you, it only proves a divine spark lies inside each of us. And that spark may one day save the world". Enlightening, yes?

I'm in awe at how much I have learned and changed(for the better) these past months. Life is an everyday classroom where I meet people who serves as teachers, students or most of the time, both. I am eternally grateful for this existence.
More books coming up!

Reader's Corner: Fifty Shades Series - Grey, Darker & Freed by E.L. James

When I said that Twilight is real deal sweet, romantic, the works, it means I haven't read Fifty Shades yet.

Fifty Shades, in case you haven't heard yet, is an erotic fiction novel which has been making noises all over the world due to its popularity(especially among women) and the controversies that it produced.
Love stories are my weakness so I just had to gave in to the fad and try one book. The rest is history.

It's the usual boy-meets-girl, boy-sweep-her-off-her-feet, plus relationship-ups-and-downs story but it was so captivating, I find it hard to put the bestseller down. I guess it worked for a lot of lady readers because girls being girls, wishes to be treated, cared for and loved the way the main guy, Christian Grey, treats, cares for and loves Anastasia Steele. Oh well, it worked for me that way. Theirs is a relationship so ideal in the cheesy, lovey dovey sense, it makes me giddy and root for their tandem. Though personally, I would not want to be in such relationship in reality because I find it too complicated and suffocating. (I'm so having haters for saying this. Ha ha ha.) There were sexual scenes, which caused a stir globally, but it did not bother me because I've been through more opening book experiences before.
To sum it up, reading the trilogy was a sweet escape.

The main characters in the story shared a lot of firsts in their relationship. As for me and my 'short fling' with Fifty, it was my first set of e-books and the very first time I finished a trilogy in a weekend's span.
That being said, can I just thank my friends Sheshe & Potxee for supplying me with my copies? I enjoyed them to bits. Now, I have to get back to my actuality of zero Christian Grey and continue striving for my happiness in the here and now.

Laters, baby!

Sidetrip: Pamarta Bali Resort, Bataan

On a rainy August Sunday, my office mates and I travelled up north to Bataan for a quick getaway.
We went for a day of relaxation, over food, videoke and swimming, at Pamarta Bali Resort in Morong. The three hour travel time was worth the beauty of the lush surroundings on the way and back, the fun conversations shared, the nice ambiance of the resort, and the great company of my buddies. I liked the Bali-inspired resort theme, the infinity pool that faces the beach, the nipa hut cottages and the nature feel of the environment. It isn't overcrowded. Plus factor was passing by Subic, where I haven't been to in a long time. It would have been better minus the downpour but it was a good way to rejuvenate, away from work.
I love weekend trips and though it's costly, to travel is worth any cost and sacrifice.

Reader's Corner: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson

After a stressful Monday at work, I went home only to see this big blue book in my cabinet, with a note from my stepmom. My stepmom loves giving me books and articles once in a while and when I read the shouting title, 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff', I was in tears because I had a bad day. When I started to browse the book, which opened to the page where the bookmark is placed, the title of the chapter was "Life is a test. It is only a test". I was crying and immediately called my parents to share how the thoughtful gesture turned around a horrible point in my life and thanked them for being there and for knowing what I needed.
As stated in my previous posts, May and June had been tough months for me. I was really down and I succumb to my parents for advices. This book is a tangible proof of how much they care for me.

'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff' Omnibus is a collection of articles, one lesson for each, with the same approach as that of Regina Brett's God Never Blinks(which I liked too). There are hundreds of insights and thoughts which will help you address every day 'challenges', how to manage them and be the one in control, and see the world in a lighter perspective. Being the over-thinker that I am, this book is a great help to relax myself and made me realize that the problems I thought were problems, challenges I thought were there to bring me down, were just little stuff that I don't need to stress about because I'm bigger than all of them. I'm the one in control, after all. That it's just all in the mind.

I haven't finished the entire book because I only read 5-10 articles each day so I can absorb and reflect more upon each lesson. I read them in the mornings, during breakfast time, as a positive welcome to a new day. I recommend this to everyone because it provides you a newer perspective to your existence(and the package that comes along with it), gives doable advices on how to treat each occurrence and the approach is simple, straight to the point and understandable. You'll learn a lot, no sweat.