Favorite little corner: My Home Office

After rearranging some furniture inside my bedroom, I was able to clear one corner right beside where my bed is. It's a very small space, but enough to fit one tiny desk and a chair. And since I didn't have a work station or extended office at home, I figured this would be the perfect little corner to finally set up one for myself.

I've documented my futile attempt to stay organized in a previous blog post. As usual that amazing plan was embarrassingly short-lived. Staying organized and keeping it clutter-free weren't an issue during my first few weeks in the apartment since I didn't have that much stuff yet. See below how neat and pretty it used to look like back in the days:


After a while of settling in, that's when things became quite problematic for little miss hoarder. The dressing table acting as both work and make-up corner just didn't work out for me. But thankfully, that's all water under the bridge now. Here's my new creative corner, which is kinda reminiscent of my study corner back in my college dorm:


My man was kind enough to help me assemble a small white desk I got from Ikea. I hung a mini whiteboard where I can write important reminders, put pretty photos or whatever, transferred all important documents (contracts, files, utility bills etc.) from my dressing table and even managed to put up some photos of my family on the wall for added inspiration. All those cute little trinkets from Jessy's sweet package which I got in the mail the other day were instantly put to good use for this. So thanks, Jessy! Meet my younger sister, cute niece and nephews, and of course the boyfriend - some of my most favorite people on earth ever:


I have neatly clipped together some of my favorite greeting cards I got from them as well so I can easily whip them out to read whenever I'm having a bad day. Homesickness is still a daily struggle for an expat like me so those sweet cards really come in handy a lot of times. They never fail to make me smile.


The space is still a work in progress but it's already serving its purpose, so I'm happy. Looks kinda messy but atleast everything has their own proper place now. I'm currently on the look out for additional prints and framed arts to hang for inspiration. Finally have one sole space where I can allow myself to be (creatively?) messy. I regularly work on a lot of writing and small design side projects at home during the weekend and since setting up this space, I've found myself a little bit more productive and organized now which is always a welcome change.

Do you also have a home office? What it's like? :)


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Trip to Panglao in Bohol, Philippines

This windy cold weather here in Dubai has been making me miss the beach like crazy a lot lately. I wanna go back to Panglao, act like a mermaid all over again, and feel like the waves and the shores are innately a part of me.

There shall be eternal summer in a grateful heart. - Celia Thaxter


It would feel so nice to just simply escape and forget about everything else. I don't know. I think I am just in dire need of a breather or something because obviously, I've really bitten more than what I can chew this time around. Argh. Just please take me to my beach! :(

Do you miss anything?

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I've got mail!

Hello everyone! How's this week treating you so far? I have to say that mine started extra awesome because of a wonderful surprise I got in the mail. I've always been very vocal of how huge of a fan I am when it comes to snail mails, so just imagine my excitement when I received this sweet little loot all the way from the Netherlands this morning at work:


My new friend Jessy from the blog Little Fashiolista really made my day with this one. It was such a lovely surprise and I really couldn't ask for a better way to start my day. I love you already, Jessy! You are one of the many reasons why I enjoy blogging so much. This community is brimming with lots and lots of wonderful and inspiring people like you and I feel so lucky that I got to know you. :)


Jessy also wrote about the mails she sent out in one of her blog posts. I didn't understand a single word because I don't speak Dutch, but judging from the photos she included along with the post, I think it's about that or something. Hehe. Such a sweetie. Now I feel kinda lame that I only managed to send her a Dubai postcard. Doesn't measure up for sure! Gotta make up to her one of these days once my workload in the office eases up.

Thank you so much again, Jessy! Keep rockin' and keep spreading your positivity all over the world. You're amazing! :)

P.S. If anyone's interested to swap postcards or something, just get in touch with me. I'd be more than glad to send you some special greetings from Dubai.

Enjoy the rest of the week you guys! :)

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The Barefoot Contessa Wannabe

All thanks to my recent awesome discovery that our cable subscription actually carries Food Network channel, my crazy dream to become a Giada De Laurentiis or Ina Garten when I grow up intensified even more. I swear I can watch this channel all day!

In an episode last weekend, Ina prepared Filet Mignon with Roquefort cheese chive sauce. It looked incredibly yummy and easy to make, so I was like "Why not try it out myself?" So in high hopes of unleashing the Barefoot Contessa in me, I headed to the supermarket for the ingredients all set to prepare a nice dinner at home for my loved one.

Of course real life is so not like what we see on tv. It's never easy. First, I couldn't find a skillet anywhere. Second, there's no filet mignon available either. So I settled for beef tenderloin, decided to use my small non-stick pan and a separate baking tin I already have at home, and just hoped for the best.

Fortunately, after almost two hours of prepping and cooking, my first ever steak came out real good. Of course I had to improvise with a lot of things instead of following the recipe as is. I decided to make creamy mushroom soup, mashed potato and buttered vegetables (broccoli and shitake mushrooms) as well to complete the meal. They're all from scratch so I was beyond proud of what I've accomplished. The man (and his tummy) was all smiles after dinner. But I think I need to invest in a couple of wine glasses to complete the fine dining experience next time. Will definitely do this again!

Have you cooked up something extra special at home lately for your family? Surprise them with a nice home-cooked meal. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up surprising yourself even. There's always a Barefoot Contessa in all of us when we do it with love, y'know.

Anyhoo, the recipe can be found in the Food Network website in case you wanna give it a shot too. :)

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