For years, I've only ever watched cable shows. For years, I've ignored all the teleseryes that have come and gone on the local channels. Even the then-hit and uber popular Forevermore--no offense to LizQuen fans. I just didn't find that spark of interest that would compel me to watch any of the shows. And I'm not being a snob. I just don't like the drama. The painstaking wait for all the hardship, humiliation, and abuse of the antagonist to end. As well as the comeuppance they deserve.

Until On the Wings of Love, or OTWOL to fans. The very first time I caught the advertisement for the show I felt it's a show I should try watching. The premise was not new for a teleserye. A marriage of convenience for two people who--with the help of destiny--suddenly and urgently needed each other. Leah for the green card and Clark for the money.

But what I believe made it different was the setting and the tone of the whole teleserye. It had none of the elements typical of a local teleserye. It was funny, it was fast-paced, and best of all it had "kilig". In short, it was a feel good series. Something I needed a lot of after a long and hard day at work.


I often said this during the first few weeks of the show: OTWOL had the power to make me feel better after a really tiring day at work and the horror that is the MRT. I could go to sleep smiling because watching the show made me feel good.


Of course, a show couldn't be all about roses and chocolates and rainbows, because that would be totally boring. The writers and directors have to mix it up. Would you want Clark and Leah to be lovey-dovey the whole dang time? No? Right, because you'd probably get tired of just feeling "kilig" all the time.

And so enters the other characters of the show, all of whom play important roles to expand the story and make it more interesting. Of course, the main antagonist--if you can even call him that--is Jigs. Leah's ex-boyfriend and the most annoying person born on the planet! I exaggerate, but in the OTWOL world he is. You can't help but hate him every single time he appears on the screen. He has issues, I know, from being left behind by his mother and being spoiled thereafter. I'm pretty sure it's not Lola Pachang's fault because the other kids left under her care (aka Clark's siblings) didn't turn out bratty.

Then there's Tita Jack. The woman responsible for bringing Clark and Leah together. The one who insisted that they get to know each other really well. BUT. Of course there's a but! But not to fall in love with each other. There. The biggest BUT there is, right?

Manang Tiffany is the supportive sibling I can actually relate to in terms of sisterly bonding (secrets that you keep from your parents, shenanigans, girl stuff, etc.). Her life, though, is a story of sacrifice. Foregoing her own education so that Leah can finish hers, and forced to grow up too fast and take the place of their mother who (supposedly) died in the United States.

Meanwhile, Tatang Sol is the strict but honest and kind father. His principles in life are iron-clad and he's made sure that he passed it on to his daughters. He spews out words of wisdom and he's the typical padre de pamilya who believes it's his sole responsibility to provide for the family. Until a serious illness befell him. Has to accept the fact that he needed help not only from his family but also from his neighbors. Which brings me to...

The best neighbors you could ever have in your life--Tenement Uno! I've never seen bayanihan at work and in full force than at Tenement Uno. These guys help each other like one big family. Tatang Sol doesn't accept payment from neighbors who ride his jeep, and in turn they helped raise funds for Tatang Sol's heart bypass operation. It's really heartwarming to see.

I believe all these elements and characters make OTWOL a fantastic teleserye you'll want to watch night after night. Indeed, if I could quote Cake Evangelista of Inquirer, "OTWOL made be believe in Filipino series again."

I've been saying this for a couple of years now, I want to start working from home ASAP. So, I can spend more time with my son, Joaquin, and watch over his progress in school. And it's only in April-May that I started to do something about it. Applying for full-time work-from-home jobs (I still have to interview for one that pays decently. Not asking for a lot, but some are just too low!), getting more freelance work from Upwork, and then just last week, attending the Work-at-Home Expo.


The event was held at the Bayanihan Events Center in Pasig. Dompy of Hits and Mrs, a friend and fellow mom, and I attended the expo as a general audience. We paid 100 pesos for that and decided we would forgo the specialized talks due to budget constraints. Even though we only attended the general talks, I learned a few things from the speakers.

First, take the leap. If you are like me, a member of the 8-to-5 workforce for years, leaving the safety of steady work and regular monthly paycheck is scary. Maybe even a little nightmarish. Add to that the responsibility of bringing up a child in this hard, hard world. One of the benefits that keep me from taking the leap is the security of being covered by an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), which I've extended to my son.

Good thing, though, there are companies that provide health coverage and insurance for freelancers. One of them is Horsepower, among the more affordable options out there with plans starting for as low as PHP999 per year. There's also BlueCross for something more comprehensive, albeit more costly. Up to you how much you are willing to spend for healthcare.

Some of the exhibitors during the Workshop, including Horsepower

Second thing I learned, do some prep work and then hard work. Though no amount of prep work can ever guarantee your success on a WAH set up. You have to do the hard work. Don't wait for opportunity to knock on your door, go out and look for it.

Some of the hardworking WAHMs

Third, and the one that stuck to me the most, was said by Anna Meloto-Wilk of Human Heart Nature (I say "Heart", but she only says Human Nature): Find a need and fill it. This is what inspired her to create and grow one of the best organic/natural product brands that is affordable and proudly made in the Philippines.

Even now as I think about this, I go back to all the times I've said, "Wish we had this in the Philippines." Or, "Wish I could buy a cheaper version of this." Would I have been able to create something from that and make it big? I wouldn't know if I don't try, right?

Anna Meloto-Wilk of Human Heart Nature

Fourth, find balance in your work (at home) and in your life. Because you are all at once, a child of God, a wife (or daughter), and a parent. You are juggling all these personas with different responsibilities and needs. You don't want to spread yourself too thin, but you also don't want to just focus a lot of your time and energy on just one thing.

Marilen Montenegro--blogger, interior designer, and model--gave tips on how to better manage your home life. Planning the day ahead and developing a system ensures that you will get things done on schedule, and you won't miss out on anything. Then, use the resources you have. Delegate tasks if you can't accommodate all that needs to be done, and use mobile technology so you can work wherever you are if needed.

Marilen Montenegro talks about balancing work, home, and heart

Last, money is the least of your problems. What?! No way! Yes way. Why? Because there are tons of options and help out there. There are investors who can help fund your business ideas. One such person is Joe Maristela, an Angel Investor and founder of Katalyst.ph. He actually started his business in their garage/living room at home, so you can bet he understands the hardships and challenges of putting up a new business.

Joe Maristela speaks about how he started a business from his house

My key take away from his talk: sound professional. Even if you are running a business in your garage or home office/kitchen/den, talk as if you are working in an office. It makes you more credible, thus gain you new clients.

Yada, yada, yada. Let's get to the fun part of the WAH Expo: the freebies! Yep. I did get a lot of free stuff from the booth exhibitors. I even won 2 bottles of Cycles baby products. Weee! Sadly, I wasn't able to take pictures of the things I got from the expo. Suffice it to say, I ended up with a sore shoulder from carrying the bag of stuff home.

I did buy a few items like back issues of Travel magazine, an infinity scarf, and yummy orange cheesecake cookies from Isabel Bakes. That cookie is yum! I devoured the pack of cookies in like 10 minutes. No kidding.

It was a great day all in all. And I got to take home some valuable information from the talks.

Watching cable on the weekends is something of a stress reliever for me, along with reading of course. It simply is one of the things I can look forward to at the end of a long work week. I'm lazy like that.

When I do find enough energy, I like to go out with family. Even just to the mall would suffice. If we had time to plan, an overnight stay in a hotel or out of town is better.

Since it is a rainy, rainy long weekend--thanks to Tropical Storm Ineng--we just decided to stay home and enjoy the tamad weather. It's a complete turnaround from the sweltering heat last weekend, and a welcome change. Definitely.

But I digress.

I was watching Farmhouse Rules on The Food Network and was able to catch this delicious minty chocolate brownies. The mint buttercream frosting alone is enough for me to know that this is going to be delicious.


INGREDIENTS

Brownies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Minty Buttercream:
4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons green creme de menthe liqueur
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar


DIRECTIONS

Brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a glass 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with butter and line it with strips of parchment paper so the paper comes up over the edge of the dish. Grease the paper with more butter.

Place a small pot of water on medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl over the simmering water and add the butter and chocolate to gently melt together, stirring to combine. (This can also be done in the microwave, heating at 15 second intervals.)

Transfer the chocolate and butter mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the brown and granulated sugars, eggs, vanilla and salt and whisk together. Add the flour and gently whisk to combine, then pour into the baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out somewhat clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely.

Carefully spread the Minty Buttercream over the brownies, then refrigerate until firm. Once the buttercream has firmed up, use the parchment sleeves to carefully remove the brownies from the baking dish. Slice into bars.

Minty Buttercream:
Combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the creme de menthe and beat until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar a quarter at a time and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Yield: enough for 12 brownie bars.

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Fuller. Taken from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nancy-fuller/gopher-bars.html