lola's farm.

This collection of photos capture the farm and rice fields my mom grew up on in Aliaga. 

tita irene's store.

This is Tita Irene and Lola's store in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija.

the filipino kitchen.

Ellen Silverman, who often photographs food for magazines and books like Gwyneth Paltrow's My Father's Daughter, captured the Cuban kitchen in her personal series, Spare Beauty: The Cuban Kitchen. You can see some of her beautiful photographs in What Our Kitchens Might Say About Us.


Most of the time, I've always thought food itself really did the job in exposing a culture. But as much as certain dishes or the art of dining over great conversation with family and friends have been highlighted as indicators of how people live, has anyone ever looked at where it all begins? Silverman's pictures of where food is prepared show so much. It's amazing to see the potential a kitchen with a single- or double-burner portable stove and very little counter space, located inside or outside, or along side a chicken, can have. The thing is, a meal cooked up on a single burner stove seems much more impressive, and authentic, and even without tasting it, more delicious.


A couple months ago, I had the privilege of going "back home" to the Philippines with my parents. Here are a few photos of the Filipino kitchen:

The pictures above were taken at my Lola's kitchen in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija. She has a bunch of chickens and geese, as well as acres of rice fields in her backyard. 

These pictures above were taken in the backyard of where my father grew up in Santa Cruz, Zambales. My dad, who was originally named Victor in 1946, after MacArthur's victories drove the Japanese out of the Philippines. The metal walls that line this outdoor kitchen were used as landing strips for the US Airforce to land safely on the sandy terrain of the Santa Cruz beaches. After the war, American troops left behind the scrap metals, and my Lola used them anywhere she could find a use: fences, walls, etc.


Also photographed in the Santa Cruz kitchen is our yaya, Manang. She can really work a double-burner stove. I wish you could taste it.

dream barn.

I want to live on a farm. I think it's the most consistent, long-lasting dream that I've had.

A couple weeks ago, when I was snowed in with my nephews and niece, we started to draw our "dream town", complete with our "dream house", "dream Main St.", "dream coffee shop", "dream town square", etc. Although I've had this love affair with black as the prominent color choice for home decor, after browsing the style files the other day, I've fallen in love with falun red. Don't you love how modest the exterior looks, and how spacious the interior looks?

This house also makes me happy because there is a mattress on the floor. I've always felt this slight paranoia that I'm still living in my college years because my mattress is still on the floor. I've insisted that it can totally be chic! How comfy does this little corner nook look? It's exactly the idea that I've been going for: cuddle up  on a very low bed with a book and a comfy blanket.

One renovation I'll add? More counter space in the kitchen!

ps, here is my colored penciled dream farm. will you support my pumpkin patch?

QLC (Quarter Life Crisis)

Remember the point of this blog? I do. It's to record each day's little pleasure's to help avoid a mental crisis at age 25, blah blah blah. Well, today on WHYY's Radio Times, hostess Marty Moss Coane spoke with Jeffrey Jensen Arnett and Hannah Seligson about Twentysomethings & the longer and winding road to adulthood. Listen here. I love this topic. I'll never tire of it. At least before August 5, 2016. And just in case you are too lazy to click, or would rather listen to Pandora or Hype Machine than talk radio, here is the gist:

Today's twentysomethings, particularly those armed with college degrees and facing high unemployment rates, are marrying later, committing  to careers later and perhaps even relying on their parents far longer than twentysomethings of previous generations. Many young people view their twenties as a time to explore their personal and professional options without serious obligations.  And given that they will be working longer and living into their 80s and 90s, does it matter if they put off "settling down" until their late 20s or early 30s? Maybe today's twentysomethings are better off and will benefit in the long run from taking more time to figure things out.

Also, here is a cake from my 25th birthday last August, in honor of those "twentysomethings that are facing high unemployment rates, are marrying later, committing to careers later and perhaps even relying on their parents far longer than twentysomethings of previous generations"! :)

wilkommen.

After listening to this comedic yet very informative mini opera about Germany and France's political relationship with each other a few days ago on Morning Edition, I was reminded of all of France's influence in Berlin's architecture. Naturally, I was reminded of how shocked I was of the French-style architecture when I was walking around Berlin a few months back....

Also, how cool are those jarred sausages? I'm easily amazed when it comes to other culture's groceries, especially after reading this article in Travel and Leisure about the World's Strangest Supermarket items. 

Anyway, hope these were as inspirational and motivating for you as they were to me to browse through Continental.com today. Have a great weekend! It's already snowing hard here! :)