Jill and the Books Talk

Colorful life stories color my career life. For the past 12 years, I’ve heard countless reasons on why women want to be beautiful and sexy. Once, a client with a pretty face and Prada purse came to see me and said: “I really don’t need a dietitian. I know everything about being healthy. I read a lot.” I replied, “I understand. Please tell me why you’re here.” Then she burst into tears leaving me mortified. I grabbed a pack of tissues and just let her cry. Then she looked up and said: “I feel so ugly!” I know how it feels to be ugly. I had horrendous acne breakout I practically had to wear a wide brimmed hat to cover my face. I had fungal infection on my toe I didn’t wear open toed shoes or flip flops until it got better. I felt like my acne and toes were the only things people see in me! Beauty...  a gift... an aspiration... an obsession... a burden. Movies, magazines and the media had given us unrealistic standards on beauty. Reed-thin bodies, flawless skin, fashio

It's beautiful out there in Napa.  Unhurried.  It's like time stood still for me.  Sipped to my heart's content.  Heightened my senses.

Strawberries, Chocolates and Caviar. All I need to take me to a place called gastronomic paradise is found in this 3-tier cake stand of mine. 

Yesterday, I walked towards 2 women and stood beside them to wait for the lift. When I turned to smile at them, I caught one of them rolling her eyes and pursing her lips towards my direction after staring at me in a hostile manner. The other woman in front of her snickered. They again turned to my direction and I held their gazes, which immediately dropped after realizing that I caught them in the middle of their juvenile and churlish behavior.  On that day, I was wearing a dress from Jill by Rustan's, shoes by Enzo Angiolini and an LV Mahina Leather XL Bag. Sharing a photo taken right before I had the misfortune of meeting those two. May 19, 2014 All water under the bridge now. I am not one to hold grudges but I have a vivid memory.  People close to my heart have been alienated from me because of jealousy. Contrary to what you might be thinking now, I was not the jealous party. I was the one envied. It wasn’t the nicest position to be in. In high school, a close

You will forever be in my heart.  A paradise and shopping haven rolled into one. Luxuriously laid back. One of the best places I've ever been to.

It wasn't love at first sight.  It remains a mystery why so many can't  get enough of you. Maybe I didn't stay long enough to get to know you. Maybe someday I will come back to give you another chance. Perhaps then I would be captivated by you. 

Table set-up for dinner with 2 people close to my heart. Big parties never appealed to me. I prefer intimate dinners where I can take time to listen and have meaningful conversations with my family and friends while savoring every bite. 

A cup of Lady Grey for me. “If you are cold, tea will warm you; If you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are excited, it will calm you.”   ―   William Ewart Gladstone

This book helped me see the purpose of my sufferings in the past. The words discipline and pruning found meaning in my life. This book vastly explains the meaning of John 15 (The Vine and the Branches) and it's relevance to the trials and triumphs that come our way. Enlightening. Enriching. Encouraging.

My best friend and I designed this set for my only brother's pre-nup shoot. Located in a beautiful secluded garden with the cool mountain breeze.

It has touched my heart back then and again after 2 decades. The author did an amazing job by merging science fiction and romance. Will Riker and Deanna Troi shared a love that surpasses time and space. Big fan! Bought this book in May 1994

Digital scrapbooks are nice and convenient but I prefer to work with papers, scissors and glue! Scrapbooking is therapeutic.

Visiting George Washington Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina was such a wonderful experience. I was transported back to the 1880's. I felt like the opulent houses described in Judith McNaught's novels came alive.  I was hungry and what a fancy cupcake I got for lunch! Just one of the many gardens surrounding the chateauesque-styled mansion

Flashback Friday Twilight series. Love it or hate it. Nothing in between. Crazy about Edward Cullen. Hate Bella. Such a lucky gal ;-)  I threw a Twilight party way back 2009.

One of the many afternoon teas I've had at home. I am grateful to live in this modern world but I sometimes want to get a glimpse of how it was to be a woman attending tea parties in the 1800's. Red Velvet fairy cakes on Royal Albert

I love history and royalty. Stories about the Tudors were mostly centered on Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. His first wife Catherine of Aragon had always been depicted as a plain, matronly and saintly queen.  I never liked her that much. I always thought that she and Henry VIII were ill-matched. Until I came across Philippa Gregory's version of her in The Constant Princess. Catherine of Aragon had character. She was capable of loving intensely. She was proud, courageous, passionate and even capable of deception. She actually had a spine! Very different from the Catherine in other Tudor stories I've read and watched in the past. The author of this book believes that her marriage to Henry VIII's brother Prince Arthur was consummated contrary to what history and other stories about her claim. Intriguing. Exciting! The story plot will surely evoke mixed emotions. A must read for people who love the Tudors and are curious about what lies beneath the serene character of Cath

From my canapes to my La Prairie eye cream down to my nails. Luxurious.

I used to read historical novels when I was in my teens. Lately I  sometimes find myself reading some stories all over again. I have always been fascinated by nobility in the 1800's and their obsession with etiquette, balls and tea parties. My very own delicate fairy cakes.