Hello, everyone! Hope this note finds you and your loved ones well.

It’s been a while (!) — so even if I’m kinda swamped with paperwork now, as well as a bit ill (got hawa to Frankie’s cough and cold, after she got hawa from Miel who is now recovering!), will try to make you balita kahit na “installment,” okay?:-)

First off — you must know by now that my movie with Richard Gomez has been delayed. It’s been moved to the middle of this year. Such a great love story, and I really do want to look my best in it. I am losing weight (again!), slowly but surely now. Mahirap lang talaga pag over 35 na! Our metabolism slows down. And so it often feels that I have to work twice as hard as the next person while I’m working on getting the weight off. Di bale — I’m sure you also know na that because my movie with Goma has been postponed, Star Cinema naman has given me a gift! That is my first-ever movie with Ai Ai De Las Alas!!! It’ll be directed by Wenn Deramas — her director in “Tanging Ina (parts 1 and 2),” “Cute ng Ina Mo,” etc.! We will be joined by Candy Pangilinan and Chokoleit and other fun actors! Showing na ang movie namin na yan (no official title yet) on May 13! It’ll be Star Cinema’s Mother’s Day release, as a tribute to all moms. Hope you wait for it and go see it.
Promise — you’ll enjoy!

[singlepic=764,320,240,,left]Next — I guess you know how much I have loved baking and cooking since I was a child, right? I baked my first cake – a Butter Cake – when I was 7 years old. The daughter of my Mama’s friend from Pasay, Tita Mary De Guzman, taught me how to bake it. Her name was Ate Teresa (I hope she somehow gets to read this as I want her to know I have never forgotten her!). My Kuya used to ask me to make him brownies all the time, too. Often I’d make them from a mix, sometimes I’d make them from scratch! To this day, my Kuya sends me something he finds delicious and makes me kulit to please try to duplicate it. Since I’m his “alipin,” aba eh napaka-spoiled na nakatatandang kapatid! — I’m waiting lang for some free time to do all his utos. I have been taking lessons from different teachers since I was 15. The last pastry course I took was with a popular chef (I am not going to say who as people might ‘steal’ her from me!) who taught me all the techniques of pastry. That was in 2005. So I kind of know what I’m doing in the kitchen! I love my kitchen — especially now that I have one that’s for ‘heavy-duty’ cooking and baking. And exactly the same one in our Laguna home!

[singlepic=761,320,240,,left]

Anyway — back to my love for making (and eating. Hehe…) food — I have taken to cooking and baking again. Not as often as I’d want, but at least I find some spare time every now and then to do so for my family and friends. I baked a lot during and after I was pregnant with Miel. Not too many people know that I supplied those “Best-Ever Carrot Cakes” and loaves of the “Best -Ever Banana Bread!” to a restaurant in MetroWalk, and received orders from strangers as well as from friends! Now many of my ‘clients’ had no idea I was the baker! [singlepic=766,320,240,,right]Yes — the ONLY one in our home! Secret my recipes so no choice! All my household help would do was shred the carrots and mash the bananas, and everything else, ako na! My turn na when I’d laughingly say, “Okay! Everybody out please!” Nahilo ako one whole Christmas season ’cause I’d bake like 60 carrot cakes and lots of banana bread in one night. I also made Chocolate Turtle Cake (chocolate cake with yummy caramel and nuts!) and Chocolate Strawberry Dream Cake. Had to stop when my true ‘bread and butter’ — my showbiz career, started again and my schedule began to get full na naman. Lots of people still call but am not back ‘in business’ pa. But lots of my family and friends have been convincing me to take orders again! Baking is some form of therapy for me naman, and since di naman araw-araw as hectic as Christmas, am considering it. Hmmm… Will pray about it!

[singlepic=765,320,240,,center]

One day, KC invited one of her closest, columnist Jenni Epperson to taste some of my cooking. And then did again on another day shortly after that. Now I have been written about too many times, and it still never fails to tickle me pink when I read a sweet article about my music or my movies or my tv show or a concert, etc… But Jenni, this dear girl, wrote about my food on her blog! And when KC told me about it, and I finally got to see it, I was sooooo kilig!!!!!!! She wrote two entries about my food, and posted pictures pa — so if you want to visit her blog, please go to http://jenniepperson.com and go to ‘blog’ then scroll down to ‘Day 1′ onwards. Then scroll up to ‘Day 4′ onwards! Hope you have a blast!

Will write again soon! Meantime, please take care and hug your loved ones everyday, okay?

God bless you and much love always,

Sharon.:-)