I'm Bringing Chubby (Sexy) Back -- Wicked Find of the Week

"Do you have this in my size?"

"Sorry, Ma'am, we don't have anything in your size" or "Our biggest size is Large only, Ma'am"

Arrrgghhhhh! Even the Large does not fit my generously-built frame. It's a shame how some retailers think plus-sized women only deserve tents for dresses. How dismal can fashion be for voluptuous women like me?

Luckily, though, I don't ever give up on my continued search for affordable, curve-conscious, and fashionable clothing. One such search led me to Kai Alabanza's online store, Kaiplus. (click here to visit her store)

Kai, and her uber-helpful, uber-patient mom, Tita Carol (known to patrons as Tita C), offer a plethora of plus-sized clothing at very affordable prices. Kai herself is plus-sized, and knows good clothing when she sees one. She buys the stuff she sells on her online store during her travels to Doha, London, Bangkok, and wherever her fancy shoes take her (lucky, lucky!). Tita C then takes charge of taking orders via email or SMS, and sending them to the buyers within 24 hours.

I've had many transactions with Kaiplus since I first discovered their store about a year ago (I think I saw them on some TV show in ABSCBN). In fact, about a quarter of my clothes come from them. LOL.

For newbies, here are some tips for doing business with Kaiplus:

1. Befriend Ate Kai and Tita C. They're very accommodating and even give freebies especially during holidays.

2. Request to be in their mailing list. It's best to be the first to know about their new arrivals since their stuff sell like hotcakes!

3. Buy in bulk. You can ask Tita C to reserve items for you. They can hold items for you without payment for 2 days. After that, you may have to pay for it for them to still reserve the item. When you've had enough items collected, ask Tita C to deliver it together. Some forwarding companies like Air21 have flatrates, you know.

4. DO NOT underestimate your size! Stop denying that you're a size 40 if you are a size 40. You are only putting good money to waste if you pretend that a size 34 will fit your size 40 frame. Imagine having to send it to Kaiplus and having them send it back to you again!

5. Ask. Ask. Ask. If you are not sure about the clothes' fit or style, ask Tita C about it. It's better to be sure than sorry.

6. Send an SMS and introduce yourself rather than leave an online message if you are purchasing for the first time. There are too many bogus buyers and spammers nowadays; you might just go unnoticed, poor you.

Happy shopping!!

Free MP3 Downloads

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

Look out for more free music from Anything Goes! The songs are categorized into the following:

Love Songs for the heart.. from the heart.

Back Tracks - songs we used to and still love.

Good acoustics and alternative rock.

Original Pinoy Music from the uber-Pinay Chai.

Music from the 90s and today's biggest hits.

RnB music.. for chill-out sessions.

Keep Comin' Back For More!! only here at Anything Goes. Your Music Authority.

On Chai's Playlist -- Chillin' by Wale feat. Lady GaGa

Burnin’ my ears this week is Wale’s (pronounced Wah-Ley) Chillin’, which features Lady GaGa (who incidentally sounds Indian-y here, LOL).

Blast the speakers and pump up the amp with this song while:

1. Doing quick-punches and jogs-in-place while exercising at home
2. Cruising the city streets
3. Hosting house parties
4. Trying to shut out your neighbor’s lame music
5. Punching/burning/ripping apart your ex’s pictures
6. Chillin’ in your crib on a lonely Saturday night or a boring Sunday morning (what are you doing at home anyway?! GO OUT!! Have fun!!)
7. Dancing to the beat in your own room (be in your skinnies for all I care)
8. Dressing up or putting on make-up for a parteeyyy!

Interested? Download this song here.

• this link will probably take you to my sponsor's intermission page. but don't worry, it will lead you to my virtual drive where i stored the mp3 file of the song after only 15 seconds. you can opt to skip waiting by clicking on the 'skip this page' link on the upper right-hand corner of the intermission page

What, you wanna sing with Lady GaGa and Wale too? Get the lyrics here.

Tell me if you likey...! ♥♪♥♫♥♪♥

One Vote

what do you know about the philippines right now?

47th largest economy in the world

world-class tourist spots

world's pound for pound fighter

4th best island destination in asia

but not only that

we are also a country struggling with many problems

billions of pesos in debt

lack of freedom of the press

poverty, poor health care, corruption,

bad infrastructure, unemployment

but guess what?

all of this can still change

because i, you, we have the power to make that change

and it starts with one vote

one vote

to elect the right people who will lead us to starting a brighter future

one vote

to ensure our natural resources are taken care of and put to good use

one vote

to trust that our children are being taught not just a good education but love for country

one vote

to secure that our taxes are channelled towards the right policies

one vote

to make sure that for all filipinos there's a house and that every house is worthy of being a home

one vote

to show the world that democracy means there's food for the hungry

one vote

to ensure that no filipino is an alien in his homeland

one vote

to keep the nation's best doctors, architects, nurses, teachers, engineers, innovators

rebuilding the nation piece by piece

one vote

that will help our country rise from the ashes and be the pearl of the orient once again

a people of pride, of dignity, and of peace

the change we want may not happen right away 

but what matters is that we make a step towards it 

if not us, then who?

if not now, when?

i'm voting. it's our time now. 

let's do this! we can do this! fight! 

we can do something about it

we have the power to make that change

so what do you say?

This was made by the concerned citizens of Cebu. I am proud to say that I know some of these people. And even prouder to say that I am a Cebuano and a true blue Filipino!

Palompon Took Our Breaths Away

“You, you smile and it's okay. You take my breath away like water from a spring on a sizzling summer day… There are words for the magic of a sunrise. Only none of them will do…” (Download this song now! Click here. – Chai Lee)



As we were serenaded by Rex Smith while we cruised the quiet provincial roads from Palompon back to our home one Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t help but smile. What started out as a plan to just eat halo-halo became a wonderfully fulfilling day of mini-adventures.


Palompon is a semi-quaint, semi-modern town just 66km away from Ormoc City. It boasts of various eco-destinations, one of which is the (in)famous Kalanggaman Island. We weren’t able to go there, though, but our mini-adventures involved something anyone can do anytime in Palompon without having to cross the sea:


Ukay-ukay (UK)


The plan was to go for Halo-halo. And halo-halo we did as we searched through the hodgepodge of used clothing and bags in the many UK stalls behind the Municipal Hall. I’m not really a UK enthusiast and I itch or sneeze while I am around these stalls, but nothing – and I mean NOTHING – was going to stop me from buying the silver bag at the last UK stall. The bag’s design and I go back a long way. It has been at least 3 years since I first searched for a silver bag with that design, and I green-ed with envy when I saw a friend owning the exact same bag I had in mind. Anyway, Manang Tindera pegged the price at P180. But I bargained for the bag and offered her P150. I was willing to buy it at P200, but I wouldn’t tell her that. This is my new baby:

The picture clearly does not do it justice, booooo! (But you can see me wearing it somewhere in the pictures below)


Wemdee’s


Wemdee’s is right at the heart of the town. This small native restaurant can accommodate no more than 7 families inside its, er, festive-looking space. I absolutely hated the decorations, but the food was too delish to even bother looking at the decorations any longer! Must-tries are the Fish Taoshu (fish fillet with black beans) and the Crispy Pata, all at reasonable prices. After eating the conventional cafeteria food everyday at the workplace, this certainly was a treat for all of us:

Manang Salvarita and her Salvaros


We decided to drive around the outskirts of town after our hearty meal. None of us were Palompon natives; so naturally, we took a few wrong turns here and there. One wrong turn took us to a rough road where we chanced upon some tipasi for Teeyoh’s plants. The tipasi, he says, is good fertilizer. Another wrong turn took us to a roadside “bakery” where Manang Salvarita (for lack of a better name) was baking Salvaro (which we first mistook as Bibingka). The Salvaros were P3 a piece, and it was absolute heaven. Each bite tasted of buco pie and vanilla ice cream combined. Here are our kulit selves, posing with Manang Salvarita, her native oven, and the Salvaros:

…And so with satisfied stomachs, we drove home to our Isabel. Singing “You Take My Breath Away” while again eating Salvaro. Indeed, Palompon took our breaths away.

‘Til our next adventure!

We Are The Champions, My Friend!

I was never sporty. And I definitely don’t like being sweaty, splotchy and out of breath. But then again, there’s always an exception to every rule. This exception is PingPong!

I have played PingPong with the CB’s for two years now. And since my joining this group, this has been my second championship. Yey!! Here’s our team with Coach Laine, posing like pros:

We wouldn’t pass up a chance to strike a wacky pose, now would we?

Coach treated us to yummy Turon after our win over the SM’s:

CB’s: We love Turon! Click here for the recipe.

Next year ulit.. We promise to make it more fun. Afterall, that is what this sportsfest is all about, right?

My PostSecret (Don't Ask Me About It)

After a night of good, clean fun with friends, I think it's only fair that I spend a quiet ME-time day..

And so while I listen to (y)our songs, I remember how it used to be...

I remember talking to you for the first time...
I remember waiting for your call...
I remember telling you I don't think of you that way...
I remember doubting love… Your love…


I remember admitting that I like you after all...
I remember smiling when I think about you...
I remember dreaming…


I remember saying I love you too...
I remember your hopeful eyes...
I remember getting surprises...
I remember hiding...


I remember defying all odds for you...
I remember fighting you and snubbing you...
I remember going through tough times…


I remember you telling me to hold on...
I remember telling you I will...


I remember reading your love letters from across the seas...
I remember wanting to go to your part of the world...
I remember planning the day we would see each other again...


I remember hearing your promises...
I remember believing them...
I remember then being broken...


I remember crying when I discovered what you did...
I remember listening to my heart break every night since then...


I remember wanting to forget you...


I remember finding out about your death...
I remember having my heart broken for the last time because of you...
I remember grieving...


I remember wanting to remember you...
I remember listening to and singing along with your songs...
I remember regretting the day I deleted your emails...


I remember missing you…
I remember loving you...
Because somehow, I just can't erase you...
 

My postsecret... is not a secret anymore.

Note:

Postsecret is an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Select secrets are then posted on the PostSecret website, or used for PostSecret's books or museum exhibits.

You may also make your own postsecrets and email it to postsecretphilippines@gmail.com. Yours might just be the first one to get posted on our up and coming website PostSecret Philippines. Help us promote our site in support of Frank Warren's brainchild.

Foodtrip -- Chibog Time Again!!

We strike again! 


..And still with our ever-smiling faces, we celebrated RPR's belated Happy Beer-, I mean, Birthday!


This time, though, we have added new members to our Smiley family who were M.I.A. the last time we had our Chibogan session. Get to witness our happy-ness again..


Menu for the night: Pork Belly, Adobong Squid, Sweet and Sour Fish, Sinugbang Isda, Calamares, Ultimate Chocolate Ice Cream, Four Seasons Fruit Juice, Coke, and Leyte's famous Bahalina. Yummmyyy!!

Oops! Oops! Chillax lang.. there's enough food for everybody. Sobra man gud ka lami ba.. ☺

Sa uulitin!!

Are You a Meantime Girl?

She`s the one you call when you`re bored because she makes you laugh. She`s the one you talk to when you`re feeling down because she`s willing to lend an ear and be a friend. She`s not the one you call when you need a date to your company`s Christmas party, or to go dancing with on a Saturday night. She`s the one you spend time with between girlfriends, before you find `The One`. You know, the one you keep in the MEANTIME.


She`s not one of the guys, not a tomboy, but you don`t look at her as a "real" woman, either. She`s not bitchy enough, moody enough, or sexy enough to be seen in the light. She`s too laid-back, too easily amused by the same things your male buddies are amused by. She`s too understanding, too comfortable. Doesn`t make you feel nervous or excited the way a `real` woman does. But she`s cool, nice and funny, and attractive enough that when you`re lonely and need female companionship, she`ll do just fine.


You don`t have to wine and dine her because she knows the real you already, and you don`t have any facades to keep up, no pretense to preserve. You`re not trying to get anything of substance out of her. She`s not easy, but you know that she cares about you and is attracted to you. And you know that you don`t have to explain yourself or the situation, that she`ll be able to cope with the fact that this isn`t the beginning of a relationship or that there`s any possiblity that you have any real romantic feelings for her.


It won`t bother her that you`ll get up in the morning, say goodbye, and go on a date with the woman you`ve been mooning over for weeks who finally agreed to go out with you. She`ll settle for a goodbye hug and a promise to call her and tell her how the date went. She`s just so cool.. why can`t all women be like that?!


But deep down, if you really think about it (which you probably don`t.. because to you, the situation between the two of you isn`t important enough to merit any real thought) you know that it`s really not fair.


You know that although she would never say it, it hurts her to know that despite all her good points and all the fun you two have, you don`t think she`s good enough to spend any real time with. Sure, it`s mostly her fault, because she doesn`t have to give in to your needs - she could really play hard-to-get. Bitch like the rest of them do, if she really wanted to. But you both know that she probably couldn`t pull it off. Maybe she`s too short, or a little overweight, or has big birthmark on her forehead, or works at Taco Bell, or just really not that type.


Whatever the reason, somehow life has given her a lot of really great qualities but has left out the ones that men want (or think they want) in a woman. So she remains forever the funny friend, the steadfast companion, the secret lover, and you go on searching for your goddess who will somehow be everything you ever wanted in a woman.


You`ll joke to her that she should be the best man at your wedding, and she`ll laugh and make a joke about a smelly rental tux.


She doesn`t captivate you with her beauty, or open doors with her smile.


Mainly, she blends in with the crowd. She`s safe. She doesn`t want to be the center of attention and turn the heads of everyone in the room. But she wants to turn someone`s head. She wants to be SPECIAL to someone, too. We all do.


She has feelings. She has heart. In fact, she probably has a bigger heart than any woman you`ve ever known because she`s had a front-row seat to The Mess That Is Your Life, and she likes you anyway.


She obviously sees something worthwhile and redeeming in you because although you`ve given her nothing, absolutely no reason to still be around, she is. (anonymous)

...kinsa tong mga meantime girls?? iisa ang tiil!!...

My Diet Starts Tomorrow (After I Cook My Pork Pata Adobado)

I was extremely amused when my boss and his wife gave me a keychain last Christmas 2008 which says, “My diet starts tomorrow”. I was even tempted to place “always” between “diet” and "starts". That was always my plan anyway – starting my diet tomorrow. And then tomorrow comes, and I still say, “I will start my diet tomorrow”. And everyday that happens. Everyday, I put off plans of starting my diet. How can I start dieting when good food – heavenly comfort food – is always around?



I used to tell myself that I will only eat oatmeal for breakfast and dinner. But what for?! A few hours after I eat the oatmeal, my stomach complains! And boy does it ever complain! And then I started eating camote because Gretchen Barreto says it’s good for her diet. But the camote makes me pass gas (oops)! As if that’s not embarrassing enough, I burp real loud every time I eat camote! Hayyy.. These diets are gonna kill me faster than I can say Crestor[1] and Lesofat[2].


Besides, I love cooking too much. Almost every Sunday, I try different versions of Humba or Adobo (these two are my favorite Pinoy recipes). Of course, I wouldn’t be able to assess how good my cooking tastes if I won’t eat it, right? You always have to critique your own cooking because you just don’t know when someone is telling you the truth about it (excuses, excuses!). My sweet Humba is a killer (hehe, double entendre)! The sticky sweet/salty flavor is just to die for! My mom taught me the recipe, and I guess she got it from her Nanay. Nanay is a really, really, reallyyyyyyy good cook. I remember always wanting to visit her in the province and requesting for vegetables because she made them taste so good. Her best recipe was munggos with kamunggay fruit pods. It was surprisingly delicious (yummy!! craving, craving..). But nothing compares to the Humba. I won’t divulge the recipe, no, no! But I will let you try a recipe that I will be cooking really soon – Pork Pata Adobado:

You will need:


1 kilo Pork pata slices (pork legs/hocks)
3 tbsp Crushed garlic
1 tbsp Freshly cracked black peppercorns
1 pc Bay leaf
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup Soy sauce
¾ cup Cane vinegar
2 cups Water
1 tbsp Minced garlic
1 cup Chopped onions
1 cup Chopped tomatoes

And here is what you do:


Combine the first eight ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer, covered for 45 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 5 minutes for sauce to reduce and thicken. Separate the sauce from the meat and set aside. In another pan, sauté onions, garlic and tomatoes until tender. Add the meat and cook for 5 minutes. You may add the sauce if you like or you may serve it on the side. And finally, eat and be merry!! ☺


Let me know if you like it and I’ll be posting another favorite recipe soon. I know this recipe takes a long time to prepare and cook, but I promise it’s all worth it! For easier, under-10-minutes recipes, please use my search box (powered by Google) and search for Ajinomoto Quickfire. It should take you to Ka-toque, their website. Enjoy!




Notes:
[1] Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) is a prescription drug that is used to treat high cholesterol.
[2] Lesofat (orlistat) is an anti-obesity capsule.

My Top 10 List of Friends I Miss the Most

1. Quirky 5: My quirky friends – Justine, Candy, Chapi, and Mae – and I have been together for 9 years, but we have been classmates since Kindergarten (Candy and Mae) and High School (Justine and Chapi). Since our graduation, we have been going out and communicating a lot despite the distance between each of us. Candy, who is with a well-known global bank, is already based in Makati, far away from where she grew up as daddy’s princess. Justine, an international law student at Stockholm University, is exploring the freedom of living independently in Sweden. Mae, our “no-collar, no-charger” pharmacist travels all over the Philippines to pursue love. And Chapi, my namesake who also studies law, watches over Cebu for us. I am, of course, still a few hundred nautical miles away from home. My Kwerkes have been with me through thick and thin. We’ve been through misunderstandings, silly adventures, countless food trips, embarrassing situations, love-lost-then-found-then-lost-again and love-still-not-found moments, sleepless nights, scores of laughter and giggles over ourselves and others. We’ve been through A LOT. And we still want more of it all. What makes me miss them the most, though, is having them with me physically – watching Candy pose sideways when her picture is taken because it makes her look slimmer daw, seeing Justine wear the most fashionable clothes and still hang out with ordinary, unadorned me, hearing Mae talk about the loves of her life, and eating over at Chapi’s where heavenly dishes are served endlessly and where every member of her family is always ready to give a tight hug.



1. Gloria and Rams: These two are late-bloomers in my book. They weren’t close to me before. In fact, we did not belong in the same circle ever. We only got to hang out after we graduated college, and it was only then that I discovered how much I enjoyed being with them as much as Quirky 5. Gloria makes me laugh uncontrollably, and Rams sees and experiences love the way I almost always do. I haven’t laughed ‘til I cried and felt kilig in a very long time. Not since I last saw these two.


1. Joanne, Cristine, Miyen: “Naa kay corned beef? Magluto tag pancit canton ug popcorn sa inyo!” My summers were spent hearing Cristine say that almost every weekend, playing luto-luto, then biking around the village under the heat of the sun (we couldn’t care less, we were dark as hell back then!), skinning knees and elbows while playing tubig-tubig, shatong, and onse-onse, taking a bath in Cristine’s pasong or our poso, and staying out ‘til 11PM sharing stories with these three and our other Favihomas Youth friends. I never thought I’d miss getting scrapes and cuts so much.


1. Nats: I have never met a more unpredictable, supah-fun, supah-kalog, and caring OLD KUYA BODJI in my life! Nuts – oops! Nats – worked with me for 13 months (lucky 13) before moving on to greener, tax-free pastures. He was the type of guy who didn’t mind spending a lot of money on food just to see his friends – Cindy, me, and the others (emphasis on the Cindy and me. We just love food!) – happy. He was kulit most times (running around mimicking Ogie Alcasid as Baby Angelina and saying “Yaya, you’re such a loser!”), acted nonchalantly sometimes (when we want him to be funny and he decides to be a spoilsport and not join us at all), but always lambing and caring (like when I got sick and he bought me fruits, awwwwww). How can I not miss a nutty Nats? I’m left struggling with his share of the workload! He he he!


1. Ghabbie, Steph, Lowee, Laput, Marietone: They are actually my Kuya’s barkada. But friendly me found my way into their hearts and homes when I shared stories and siomai with them. They’re family. And you always miss family.


1. Adonis: He/Shwe (get it?) was always the life of my Kuya’s barkada, that’s why he has his own spot in my list. How can you not miss an Adonis? He always made us laugh, intentionally or otherwise, at him and with him. He who got weekly stipends from boyfriends across the globe and spent some of it on us (trips to Kawasan falls, lunches in McDo, siomai from Tisa, thingamajigs from wherever). He who built a life and a home from a love he found in Denmark. He whom we never thought would get married. He who gave hope to all those like him.


1. Mongee: I hated Mongee when I was still in sophomore year at SH. She was judgmental, controlling, snob and a half, maldita! She was too much like me. When we both realized how much alike we were, though, we clicked. I discovered how fun Mongee actually was and how sweet and thoughtful a friend she can be. She can’t be trusted with pasalubongs, though, because she eats the chocolate-covered Kiwi she supposedly wants to give me if I don’t get it from her on time. Still, I love Mongee and just how simang she can be. I think life would be bland without her. I think the world will not be the same without someone like her.


1. Pasarstruck 4: If we were placed in Big Brother’s house, I’m sure the audience would never be bored! What with the carefree, juvenile antics we all share. Like my Kwerke friends, I have shared heartaches and laughter with these people. We see each other almost everyday, we work in the same company, some of us even live in the same compound, but I still miss them. I miss how we used to talk about going places we’ve never been too. I miss how we would work late at night to finish projects our trainer expects us to present in the morning. I miss barbecuing pork belly and cooking calamares with them. I miss fighting them. I miss crying and being frustrated with them. I miss the completeness, and the bonding, and the METP saga with them.


1. Hearter Mentors Ms. Aligno, Sr. Cathy, Sr. Yang, Ms. Pepito: No, they were not just my teachers. They were my mentors. They did not only teach me Economics, Religion, Chinese, and Trigonometry, they taught me values, ethics. They taught me life lessons. They taught me to think and to make something out of myself. At times, I forget what I previously learned in SH. But the lessons I learned from my mentors are here, nakatatak at nakaukit sa bawat sulok ng aking (seksing) katawan. I enjoyed High School a lot more because they were there.


1. Batchmates Lalak, Melvic, Marissa, Yenyen, Osh, Harold, Geb, Taboy, Jessie, Andoy, Joco, Cindy, Renan, TJ, Ody: Of the 60-something students who enrolled during the first year of college with me, I will surely (mostly) miss these people. My college days were fun because of them. I remember attending group studies with them, sometimes even hosting these events with my then roommate Osh. I enjoyed staying over at Joco’s, despite getting spanked by a broken antenna for playing too much Twin Bee and not studying enough. I loved playing Dance, Dance Revolution with them on Monday nights and watching last full shows. I laugh everytime I see someone climb coconut trees because I can always imagine the boys do that everytime we cut class and go to Melvic’s place on the other island. I wonder where they are and how they are all doing and if they still think our degree was worth it. I wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them. Oh! And Happy Birthday, TJ!


There.. I am done with my list.. but..



I cheated. I couldn’t make a Top 10 list. There are too many people I miss and they all rank # 1! These friends, who are from all walks of life, who are as diverse as the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, have all made an impact in my life. So aside from I MISS YOU, I also want to say THANK YOU, friends, for making my life extra special! I hope to bump into all of you again someday.

Single, Sick and Tired

I have often been teased, harassed even, by married and single-but-no-longer-available friends and relatives about my singleness. I get tired of hearing it and sometimes I cringe at the thought of having to defend myself. I have always been that way (NO! not single! DEFENSIVE!!!). But I believe I don't owe anyone an explanation for my being single. My choice is to simply be HAPPY.

Like me, a whole lot of other single women have had their share of 'harassments'. But as my
good friend Justine so eloquently put it, we are still living and loving the single life! (despite being taunted all the time..)

My idol Melanie Lim, a fellow 'Hearter' and a SunStar columnist, pens her thoughts in this article.

..and I just can't help but smile and nod in agreement... ☺


Single, sick and tired

By Melanie T. Lim


I’ve been asked a million times why I am single.


Well, why not? But you know something, I will not engage in debate about which is better– single or married because we all know that neither is better.


Each is simply different. And contrary to what most people believe, I am not anti-marriage. I am simply pro-choice.


But I am also single, sick and tired.


You see, being single does not only make you extra vulnerable to the advances of men in all shapes and sizes, it also makes you vulnerable to the elaborate plans of friends and strangers who suddenly feel it is their mission in life to make you a wife. Now, what is so bad about not being a wife? Does not being one make me less of a woman? Or a human being?


I confess society’s scorn often defeats me.


I commiserate with all single women who have had to bear the brunt of unwanted queries and unsolicited advice from well-meaning people. I empathize with those who have had to be subjected to endless rounds of interrogations and dragged to countless blind dates by excited and hopeful friends and colleagues.


The assistance is sincerely appreciated. Still, one might inquire first if one’s assistance is required. Or one might think first if one’s assistance was actually solicited. You see, an intervention, no matter how well intentioned, is still an intrusion.


And then, after the WHY comes the WHEN, “When are you getting married?”


The single life can truly wear you down. They’ll never stop till you produce a husband. I’ve been hounded in malls, accosted in supermarket aisles, interrogated in doctor’s offices about my single state. I feel I have no choice but to succumb to the unthinkable.


No, I am not getting married. But I am penning my answers.


I believe that the path towards love and lifetime commitment is a journey that each of us must make in our lives at our own pace. Some are quicker than others in arriving at their destinations. Some take a little bit longer.


Others, while taking the scenic route, altogether change their minds about where they want to go. There are forks along the way. There are no guarantees we will not stray. We make defining decisions throughout our lives. Only one thing is certain: All things come into being in their own time.


Be like my best friend, Camille.


Not once since we were five has she ever asked me any of these silly questions. Not even after she married the love of her life. And this was 15 years ago. She does not begrudge me for being single. She does not feel I am wasted in spinsterhood. She believes in me and in my ability to decide for myself what state shall truly become me.


Why must I take the path you have taken? Why must I go where you have gone?


And why must I do it now? Will my life be worse or better for taking the road less traveled? Or will it simply be different? I am single, sick and tired. But I am not yet sick and tired of being single.


(The writer can be reached at melanietlim@hotmail.com)

Foodtrip -- Chibog Time!

"And do as adversaries do in law, strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends." -William Shakespeare, 'Taming of the Shrew'

Life here in the province is work. Well, for the most part that is. Most of us go to work for 48 hours – or 6 days – a week. Besides that, all we do is sleep, eat, cook, watch TV, browse through the web, and tend our farms in Facebook (God bless Facebook for this app!). Everything is basically routinary and it gets supah-boring at times. So on instances when we are free – meaning, Saturday nights and Sundays – we hang out with friends, eat a lot, and drink even more! Last Saturday, we did just that. We marinated some pork bellies in the morning and barbecued them after we got home from work. Here we are with our ever-smiling faces, enjoying a night of bonding right outside our humble home:

Just look at our happy faces!! ..and the empty dishes!!

I'm sure it wasn't just our stomachs that were filled.. our hearts were, too. Thanks to good food and to even greater friends!

Welcome, moi!!

Yeyy!! I'm back blogging again.. :) And I hope this time, somebody follows this blog. The first one was just my sorta-diary.. This one, I hope, goes supah-public!!

I've only a few minutes to spare since the cook-out is already supah-happening outside. The barbecue smells great!! And my mouth is simply watering..

So, I'm off.. Tomorrow, I'll show you what we ate.. See if that makes you just as hungry as I am right now..

Well, ciao!

Kainan na!!!!!!