My 2010 Recap

How was 2010 for you? This year has been one of the most memorable ones I’ve ever had!

I am tremendously blessed to experience a year filled with food, love, travel, and wonderful times with family and friends.

I was able to write a lot more this year, and read even more. I ate a lot, cooked a lot, worked out a lot! I met so many new people, developed new friendships, and really expanded my little blog’s horizons.

Here are some of my most memorable moments this year:

I went home to the Philippines to spend time with my family

my wonderful family: Monica, Patty, and our parents

I visited Singapore for the first time

it was truly a food lover’s paradise

– I went to foodie events, like Chef Louie Night, Mystery Meet, and Boston Brunchers. It was great meeting fellow bloggers, and I even arranged a small dinner at Mistral as well.

– I attended food fests too, like Bastille Day in Harvard Square, the Maine Lobster Festival, Boston’s 1st Annual Food Truck Festival, and the Boston Local Food Festival

great weather at the Boston Local Food Fest

– I went to Italy! I visited Milan, Venice, and Tuscany

I ate gelato every day (okay, sometimes twice a day) in Italy

I loved our whole trip but my favorite was Tuscany

– Working out became a regular, indispensable part of my life (hey, I can’t keep a food blog without burning all the calories!). I did a lot of running, Core Fusion (I’m now a convert) and my beloved bikram yoga. I wrote an article with Tips on How to Survive and Love Hot Yoga and it went viral, garnering over 700 Facebook shares within days (woohoo)

I interviewed my favorite bikram instructor Brad from the Harvard Square studio (photo by Jeffrey Pike)

My best friend Lora came to visit me – so much fun!

that’s us in front of Hotel Chocolat – we went to three chocolate stores on her first day in Boston

we discovered the homemade black pasta (squid ink) with ground squid at the Daily Catch in the North End – yum!

– I was able to explore beautiful New England (went to the Cape multiple times, plus Maine, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Vermont), as well as New York and New Jersey

with my friends at Nantucket Vineyards

sirloin burger stuffed with braised beef and foie gras (yup) at DB Bistro Moderne in NY

I went on a Chocolate Tour

chocolate counter at LA Burdick

– I went through jars of nut butters and baked dozens of peanut butter cookies

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Espresso Salt

I finally ate at O Ya

it was so worth all the hype

My recipe was published in a book!

check out page 502 of One Big Table by Molly O’Neill

– And, on a more shallow note, I choppped off 8 inches from my hair :)

new year, new hair

In addition to this, I also started writing for the Examiner, TalkingWriting and was featured on other sites like Ketchup Diaries,Travel Wine Dine, Boston Brunchers, and one day I even made the front page of Boston.com!

Looking back, I realize that I went through a lot of changes this year which made me grow stronger, healthier, and happier. And I went through some difficult times too – including heartbreak, death of a dear family member (my Lolo passed away shortly after I reminisced about one of his birthday celebrations), and having another extreme allergic reaction, which resulted in a scary visit to Urgent Care (I jinxed myself after bragging that I’ve only been to the ER once!). But everything that happened to me this year only contributed to my personal growth, and made me become more appreciative and compassionate.

This year also made me less uptight; I realized that no matter how much I plan, life will throw curveballs and the best I can do is enjoy it as much as I can. Now I say, “Life is short, I should take each opportunity to show my love to friends and family!” or “Life is short, I’m going to travel!” or “Life is short, who cares if I go broke…” (hehe) and my favorite: “Life is short, eat dessert first!” ;)

To my family, friends, co-workers, classmates, workout buddies, fellow bloggers, and blog readers, THANK YOU so much for all the support and encouragement. My little blog brings me so much happiness, and you guys make each day brighter, shinier, and all around better (you’re kinda like butter).

I wish you all a New Year filled with good food, good health, good luck, and love! And chocolate. Always chocolate. xoxo

   

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