More Reasons I Love My Job

Another thing I love about my current job is that I always get invited to be a panelist in business presentations for college students. Some of my previous activities included an outdoor cooking contest during the business week. To help me sample about twelve competing groups, I dragged four more people from my team and we had a great hell of a time. Two weeks ago, I attended another business presentation of feasibility studies. It was tough, poring over a number of business plans, head-breaking even. But... there was coffee and food- how can I say no? And unexpectedly, I was handed an envelope full of professional fees. That, plus, a box of meatpie. :)  Can I... can I do this again? I wasn't finished eating my snack and another envelope was handed over to me. Happy, happy. 

(All that bonus money went to my daughter's bank account. I have enough clothes already. :)

Yesterday I was dragged again as a panelist to another presentation. Ah, the fulfilling rewards of it. Fulfilling, because I got rice cakes and one whole coconut for drinks. Slurrp! 

Current Mood, Current Wants

Contemplating on vanity products to use. Burt's Bees? The Body Shop? J/A/S/O/N stuff at Healthy Options?
Better yet, I might try some organic ingredients from my kitchen first. There's olive oil, lemon, oatmeal, eggs, cucumber, coconut... aren't these items mixed on beauty products?

Will Work For Croissants and Coffee*

 During the first months of my daughter's life until about she reached about one year of age, I've stayed at home 80% of the time. That was enough time to organize a household and finish a book. But I realized that I wanted to go back to work, especially when Julienne started walking around. Besides, research says that working moms tend to be more efficient. I have no idea how other moms juggle work and motherhood and being a wife, but as far as I am concerned, I always have three notebooks in my bag. That's a different angle here altogether. So after being a stay-home mom/ wife for more than a year (I left my full-time executive chef job work in 2009), I actually felt refreshed and more energized in this new career. I am new in this company owned by a New-York based bajillionaire, but I have already been enjoying more perks and travels than I expected.

 

 

Ordinary it may sound, but I just enjoyed being sent to those many business gatherings away from town. I love listening to new ideas by people who have been in the industry longer than myself. I prefer to listen, write down important notes, and think of things that I could do to my company when I get back.

  

And, of course. Here is the best part. The food.  Croissants, coffee. What makes business snacks so delicious anyway?

*Yes, I know I've said in an earlier post that I would no longer drink coffee... but... but that is just impossible.

 

 Business trip, all right. It is said that when there is a gathering of business people, we might as well do business. So, I backpacked with me a few copies of my book. For selling, what else? I marched away that day utterly happy. All books sold out.

Caked

Cake-making is part-cooking and part construction work. After you've gone through all that scaling, mixing, and baking and test-for-doneness stuff, you go to part two. The icing part. You whip stiff the eggwhites, pour the sugar syrup (if you're doing the boiled icing method) and beat it until it becomes satiny. Done with a hand-mixer, this process takes time.

Then you spread the icing on the cake - which reminds me of plastering a raw wall with cement. But, ugh... didn't I just say that cake-making is part construction work?

Things At Home

Some things. No idea where they came from.

Brass vases, ram horns, animal bones.

Games They Play

Before, there was the cockfight.

 Now, there's soccer.

I'm wondering if someday, soccer will replace basketball.