Sweet Christmas

Just a quick post to greet everyone a very merry Christmas!

Yesterday, I did something I hadn't done in years: I baked cupcakes!

I love baking but our hand-me-down oven is so wonky that I hardly attempt it. I sooo wanted to bake a layered cake, but given the oven situation, I decided these were a safer bet. The flavor: My favorite red velvet with cream cheese frosting, with a recipe from here (I cut the ingredients for frosting by half though). The frosting looks a little sad because I didn't have a proper pastry bag. But I'm happy it tasted the way I wanted it to and the cakes were a vibrant red (as opposed to an ordinary chocolate brown)--perfect for Christmas. Plus, the house smelled like cupcakes!

Hope everyone had/is having a Christmas that's just as warm and sweet and comforting and delicious!

My Christmas Wish List

It's December, y'all! Can you believe it? I haven't even done my Christmas shopping yet! Ack!

Ze huzband has been asking me about what I want, so it got me thinking about my own Christmas wish list. Presenting, the top 10 things on my list (although I may have missed a few things), in no particular order...

1. A new wardrobe. I have a lot of clothes already, but I really want to have a well-rounded wardrobe that stays true to my style (which I've determined is "classic with an edge"--except when I'm on the field!).

All from Zara. What can I say? I love neutrals.

2. Laptop. Because my old netbook isn't working like it's supposed to. And I also want to replace our clunky home desktop PC with a sleek notebook.

Isn't it purty? From here.

3. Hand vacuum. Yes, yes, this is the unsexiest thing I have on my list. But I'm convinced that I would vacuum more if only I didn't have to assemble-disassemble-store every single time I have to vacuum the couch.

From here.

4. Sheets. I really want to add to our sheet wardrobe! There's nothing like lying in a bed with fresh, crisp sheets.

And if you want to throw in a fluffy white comforter, that would be awesome. From here.

5. A good chef's knife. I think it takes longer for me to cook because I don't have a proper knife. I had a chef's knife a couple of years ago, but it has since gotten dull, and I wouldn't know how to begin sharpening it. P.S. Did you know that more kitchen accidents are caused by dull knives than sharp ones?

Hamil and I saw this on the Home TV Shopping Network and were so amazed! Haha

6. Design*Sponge at Home. I've been wanting this book for months.

From here.

7. And while we're at it, a book shopping spree. Because even though my brother said he would give me his Kindle, I still one day want to have this...

From here.

8. My signature scent. I love love love L'Occitane Recolte Bleu. It was given to me by my good friend Marie a few years ago, and it's been my scent ever since. It smells like lavender--so fresh, clean, relaxing. But I just recently ran out of it.:(

From here.

9. Butterbeer cupcakes. My "sister" Priti found a recipe for Butterbeer cupcakes. We've been meaning to whip up a batch but a few ingredients aren't available locally. Sigh.

Photo from the same site.

10. To travel. I really really really miss my family in New York. It's been a year.:( And I really really really want to go back to Europe, with Hamil this time.

I did throw a coin into the Fountain of Trevi on my last visit, so I have high hopes that I'll be going back!

I'm not asking for too much, am I?:) When people ask me what I want, I normally say "nothing," because really, I do have everything to give me a comfortable life. These big-ticket items are just fanciful bonuses. As it is--with everything (and everyone) I have in my life--I have more than enough to be thankful for.

What's on your list?

My Christmas Gift to You: Tishie's First Giveaway!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

As promised, I've got the details of my first-ever giveaway! Before I tell you how to join, I'd like to show you what's up for grabs. One lucky reader will get all--yes, ALL--the prizes shown here:

The wonderful people at Avon sent me all these goodies, and I really just wanna share the love! Let me break it all down for ya...

ANEW Rejuvenate Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser

Start off your skincare routine with this cleanser and toner in one. With continued use, it's supposed to improve skin texture and help make pores look tighter. And, since you're combining two of the three skincare steps (cleanse, tone, moisturize), you save yourself some time! It's perfect for those who are tamad to go through the entire three-step routine!

ANEW Rejuvenate Glycolic Facial

I didn't want to remove it from its plastic-covered box because I want you to get it good as new. The Glycolic Facial is a nighttime serum for "a youthful, more radiant complexion in the morning. It is an at-home substitute to a professional treatment that harnesses the power of Glycolic Acid used by aestheticians." It's supposed to reduce lines, reduce damage that can cause sallow skin tone, and help improve your skin's smoothness. To the winner, do let me know what you think of this product--it's gotten such great reviews (5 out of 5 stars!) in the US Avon website.

ANEW Clinical Thermafirm Face Lifting Cream

Avon touts this product as the "next wave in face lifting." It's their at-home answer to the thermal lift procedure. Based on a dermatologist-supervised clinical study, 76% of women who used this product showed less sagging. Hmmm, bye-bye, Botox?

Ideal Shade Liquid Foundation in Natural (SPF 10)

This medium-coverage liquid foundation has a satin finish and is dermatologist-tested, non-comedogenic, allergy-tested, and oil-free. Plus, it's got sun protection--super important nowadays!

Smooth Mineral Eyeshadow in Mocha Goddess

This eyeshadow is the one in the teeny black box in the product group photo. It promises "flawless definition and highlight, the most natural way." I've always wanted to try mineral makeup (perhaps makeup artists have used it on me before, but I was just totally clueless), so lucky winner, tell me what it's like and if it's really different from regular makeup!

Smooth Minerals Lipstick in Pink Quartz and Rosy Brown (SPF 15)

Yup, I'm giving away not one, but two shades of lipstick! It's got minerals for color and sparkle, and two different shades you could match with your mood and look for the day!

Ideal Shade Loose Powder in Neutral

And finally, to finish off your whole skincare and makeup routine, I'm giving away this silky loose powder. (It's the one in the square black box in the group photo.) It's formulated with Avon's PreciseLight Technology, which combines "innovative light-adjusting pigments so skin looks natural in any light," and "Exclusive Natural match complex, which contains all the essential skin-true pigments needed to match over 98% of skin tones." It provides a matte finish without looking cakey.

Whew! That's practically an entire skincare and beauty showcase! Now, to join...

Rules

*Open to Philippine residents who are public followers of heretishietishie.blogspot.com. (And yes, it's open to men!)

*Open until 11:59 PM (Manila time) of December 31, 2010.

*Each entry will be assigned a number, and I will be drawing a number at random using an online generator.

*Winner will be announced at 12:00 PM on January 1, 2011 (Happy New Year!).
*Winner will have 72 hours to claim the prize after announcement.

How to enter

1. Again, you MUST be a public follower of Here, Tishie Tishie. If you aren't, then step one is to start following!

2. Leave one comment (let me reiterate: just one comment) answering this question: "What's the best Christmas gift you received this year?" (If you want to share who gave it to you or any back story, share away!) This counts as one entry.

3. Bonus! For one additional entry, post a link to this entry on your blog, then include a link to that blog post in your comment.

Good luck, everyone! And have a merry, merry Christmas!:)

A Week of Merrymaking

Saturday

D celebrated his birthday. I went, thinking it was going to be this low-key gathering. Turns out, it was hosted by Swatch, one of the brands he endorses. Good thing I changed out of my disc clothes!

My sequined top (currently a fave) from Express, jacket from SM

Risotto? Check. Steak? Check. Lechon? Check. (Czar and I kicked ourselves for having dinner beforehand. But that didn't stop us from eating again...) Giant tarpaulin with D's face on it? Check. Life-size standees of D with half-open shirt? Check. Priceless photo of Czar beside the standee, also with his shirt half open? Check! But since I value our friendship, I'm not posting it here...

Wednesday
Oops, we did it again. Over-ate, that is. This is becoming a yearly Real Living tradition! We had our Christmas dinner at style editor Gwyn's place which, incidentally, is featured in this month's Real Living. I wrote the article, my first editorial raket in a looong time--oh, writing, how I missed you so!

The two Patricias, the two Kaths, and the two Arlenes!

And still Wednesday
Jo's big 3-Oh! She marked it with a one-woman art exhibit at Bardeli's. One of her paintings is sitting in my living room now.:)

Can't remember where I got my top from, necklace from a friend, high-waisted pants from Topshop

Thursday
Summit Christmas party: back with a vengeance! After a two-year hiatus, the Divas were back!

Britney and Madonna

The party-goers were wowed by our Glee performance (I use "our" loosely here--I was a mere choreographer)...

Guess who won best costume? Lady Gaga in her bubble outfit made of condoms, of course!

...and the attendance of one John Lloyd Cruz. (Mayhem, I tell ya!)

Saturday
Warriors Christmas party: Games. "Gambling." More food. Exchange-and-steal gift, three years running. (I won a prize for "most stolen gift." I had no time to think of a unisex present, so I thought of an easy, one-size-fits-all option--cash!)

Cheers! A toast using UW shot glasses c/o JB and Che

Sunday
I hosted this year's barkada get-together. In recent years, with some of us having kids and all, we've been having our Christmas QT during the day--no more late dinners for us.

Crammed into our teeny dining area/kitchen

I gotta say--there's nothing like expecting company to get you to finally fix up the house and do the things you've been putting off. (Our vacuum cleaner got quite a workout!)

I don't know what it's like in the rest of the world, but this is what Christmas is like in the Philippines--exhausting! Parties and reunions with everyone from former co-workers to grade school classmates, with overeating as a common theme. Exhausting, but a whole lotta fun!

Scent of a Woman

My husband doesn't understand why I'm willing to pay $16 for this...

By Candidate, from here

"But, but, it's the kind of art I appreciate. Besides, $16 is less than P1,000," I reasoned. "I want it for Christmas."

"Yun lang pala eh," he replied. (That's loosely translated as, "Is that all?")

"Among other things!" I quickly added.

In my quest to crowd our still-bare dressing-room walls with original prints, I've been trawling Etsy for fashion illustrations. Not a good idea. I'm starting to think I can become a collector of these things, and am imagining prints on the walls of our future baby's nursery, future kids' rooms, commissioned works...

I think I was drawn to this particular print because, for one thing, Chanel No. 5 reminds me of my mom, and for another, I consider it the scent of a sophisticated woman (something I strive to be--which, in itself, is ironic because a truly sophisticated woman wouldn't even have to try!). I was introduced to this classic scent maybe 15 years ago, when Mumsy had a bottle of it on her dresser. I didn't realize then that it was a legendary fragrance, and wasn't even particularly attracted to its scent--although I used it liberally. You just knew it was something special once you got a whiff of it--and putting it on made me feel so grown up!

Hmmm...the more I write about it, the more I want the actual perfume for Christmas! Let's hope Hamil still replies with, 'Yun lang pala eh!"