Samantha Sotto Yambao's Blog, page 6

The Great Green Eggs and Ham Eggsperiment #2 : Holiday Episode!

 

 

Hey, guys! Great to see you here. You're just in time for The Great Green Eggs and Ham Eggsperiment #2.

 

Happy Holidays!

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something…GREEN.

No, I 'm not getting married again. I'm very happy with the person I hopped and skipped down the aisle with the first time around. He flosses regularly and keeps me well fed. What more can I ask?

But as the title of this post suggests, I'm definitely serving up something old, new, borrowed, and er…green. As mentioned in my previous post, I'm making some changes on the blog. The Great Green Eggs and Ham Eggsperiment starts TODAY -but you'll have to wait until the END of this post to find out what it is. No scrolling down. Be patient, little grasshopper. All we be revealed in due time. First, allow me to share….

SOMETHING OLD

I know, I know. You must be really tired of seeing me at these kinds of events. What can I say? My sword swallowing and bowling ball juggling act must be mildy entertaining.

 I'm available for corporate Christmas parties and Bar Mitzvahs.

But seriously though, I'd like to thank the wonderful ladies of Writer's Block for inviting me to this fun Meet & Greet event. I had a blast!

And thank you to Le Bistro Vert for hosting the gathering!

 

SOMETHING NEW

I've managed to build a small pile of notebooks, books, bookmarks, and other lovely tokens of appreciation from the organizers of the events I've been attending this year, but I have to say that this latest gift was, er, unexpected… (But hey, I'm up for anything. I guess. I hope. I pray.)

Gift Certificate from STRIP: THE MINISTRY OF WAXING

But wait! There's more. Here's another new thing I wanted to show you…

I signed my first Kindle! And why yes, that IS Nicholas Sparks' signature beneath mine.

SOMETHING BORROWED

I borrowed the neighbor's paper….

…and lookee what I found! I haven't been called "young" in a while so excuse me while I do a little jig

SOMETHING GREEN

Yay! You're still here. Welcome to the official start of The Great Green Eggs and Ham Eggsperiment!

My favorite book of all time (sorry, Neil Gaiman) is Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham. It contains my guiding principle in life and the one of the key rules in our home: You can't say no to something you haven't tried. (Well, except maybe drugs and gun running.)

The rule has served me well in getting my children to eat broccoli and slide down a snow slope on an inner tube. Recently, however, it dawned on me that while I've been busy introducing my kids to new things, I haven't been very diligent about following the rule of myself. Despite what the newspaper says, I AM old and at my age it's very easy to fall into a routine and LIKE IT. While I still don't say no to things I havent' tried, I haven't exactly actively sought out new experiences the way I did when I was younger.  I've jumped off a plane, bungee jumped, backpacked around Europe, climbed the Great Wall, parasailed in Bali — name it. But that was then. I'm not a carefree twenty-something anymore. It's not an excuse. It's a fact. It's also the reason why I need to try harder to find new things to try. If I want my kids to be excited about life, I can't stop being excited about it myself. And that's where Green Eggs and Ham comes in. This blog will chronicle my attempt to find at least one new experience each week. It doesn't have to be an extreme sport. It just has to be NEW. Looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

EXPERIMENT NUMBER 1: WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST

 Dont' worry. It won't hurt. Much.

The real reason the birds are angry…

Is too late to back out?

Bon Appétit!

 

Got any ideas about other things I should try? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

 

 

 

I’m not here right now. Please leave a message at the sound of the beep. *Beep*

source

I started this blog as a chronicle of the days leading up to the publication of my novel (and as an attempt not to go crazy while waiting for D-Day.) The book has been out in the wild since August and life has changed a bit since then. For one, more people find this blog now by searching for “Before Ever After” than typing in “Daniel Craig is hot.” (But in case you are looking for a sizzling pic of Mr. Craig, you can find it here.  Go ahead. Take a peek. I know you want to.).

Another change that has happened is a more personal one. I’ve become more aware of how fast time actually passes. I used to feel like I was wading through molasses to get to my release day and now that the date has come and gone, the seconds have become far more slippery. I often find myself wondering where the time has gone and what I’ve done with it. I don’t want to go to bed with that feeling anymore. I want to be accountable for the hours I’ve been given but more importantly, I want those hours to count. And this is where this blog comes in.

I’m going to take a break for the next two weeks to regroup and prepare for the next chapter of this blog and my life. I don’t want to give too much away but I hope that you’ll be back here to share these changes with me. Well, okay. You twisted my arm. Here’s a hint: it involves Green Eggs. And Ham.

See you in two weeks!

 

 

I'm not here right now. Please leave a message at the sound of the beep. *Beep*

source

I started this blog as a chronicle of the days leading up to the publication of my novel (and as an attempt not to go crazy while waiting for D-Day.) The book has been out in the wild since August and life has changed a bit since then. For one, more people find this blog now by searching for "Before Ever After" than typing in "Daniel Craig is hot." (But in case you are looking for a sizzling pic of Mr. Craig, you can find it here.  Go ahead. Take a peek. I know you want to.).

Another change that has happened is a more personal one. I've become more aware of how fast time actually passes. I used to feel like I was wading through molasses to get to my release day and now that the date has come and gone, the seconds have become far more slippery. I often find myself wondering where the time has gone and what I've done with it. I don't want to go to bed with that feeling anymore. I want to be accountable for the hours I've been given but more importantly, I want those hours to count. And this is where this blog comes in.

I'm going to take a break for the next two weeks to regroup and prepare for the next chapter of this blog and my life. I don't want to give too much away but I hope that you'll be back here to share these changes with me. Well, okay. You twisted my arm. Here's a hint: it involves Green Eggs. And Ham.

See you in two weeks!

 

 

Happy Turkey Day! :)

Happy Thanksgiving! What am I thankful for? YOU!

 

 

 

Green Pigs, Book Panels, and Other Things that Gobble Up Time

Hey, guys! November has been another crazy  busy month. Wrestling with a second novel (*insert desperate scream here*) + speaking engagements + kid 1′s homework + kid 2′s piano practice + writing commitments + book club invitations + Angry Birds =  where the *bleep* did all my time go???

It's Sunday morning and I've found a pocket of time to share a little bit of the part of my life where I'm not shuttling the kids around in sweaty gym clothes.

I was invited to be a panelist at the second Manila International Literary Festival (MILF). And yes, the acronym did make me giggle. A lot. I'm a nine year old. Sue me.

 

The venue for the event was the Ayala Museum.  Trivia: When I first quit my corporate job to be a full time mom, I thought of becoming a volunteer guide at this museum. Life had other plans and I found myself writing a novel about a tour guide instead. I still think it would be fun, though.

 

…except maybe for the part where I'd have to climb these stairs everyday.

I must admit that whenever I see a crowd like this and realize that I need to speak in front of them, I battle the urge to run away. Far, far away.

Fortunately, I saw some friendly faces. This is my friend, Auiee Mangubat. Sometime between the Cretaceous and Paleogene period, we worked together on our college paper. She's now the publisher of Summit Media.

Another friendly face was my twitter friend, @Icee_Bee. It was great to finally "meet" her!

Point of no return. They locked the door. Gulp.

Luckily, no tomatoes were thrown. I was a happy camper.

Meet my fellow tomato-free panelists: Eros Atalia, Rino Balatbat, Jennifer Javier, and Xandra Ramos.

Sending out a huge thanks to the organizers of the event and everyone who turned up!

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few green pigs to kill, er, I mean a novel to finish

Hong Kong, Halloween, and Happy Campers

I cannot plan a birthday party to save my life. The last time my kids had an honest to goodness birthday party with all the trimmings was when they turned a year old. The next time they will have one is when they can put the event together themselves and all I have to do is show up and eat cake. To make up for my acute lack of party planning skills, we take them on birthday trips.

I hope you've packed your suitcase because this year, you're coming along for the ride

So far, our little campers have been happy with trading balloons for backpacks...

...and cupcakes for airplane food. They also seemed to be pleasantly surprised by what they found in the inflight magazine

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Is there a better place to celebrate birthdays than the happiest place on earth?

And what birthday in Disneyland would be complete without zombies roaming Main Street?

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Repeat after me: It's only makeup...it's only makeup...it's only makeup...

The birthday celebrants were a tiny bit disappointed that the Headless Horseman's "run" through the street turned out to be more like a trot.

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But the party really got started when Jack Skellington arrived.

He even brought along friends.

The ball was a, um, glowing success

All that partying can make a person hungry. Would you like your steak with a side order of HK's skyline?

But if you'd rather skip the steak, there are other ways to enjoy the view.

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Worth the climb?

Squeezed in some "work" while we were there.

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Thank you to the lovely folks at METROBOOKS in Elements Mall (Kowloon) for inviting me over to sign some of their stock

If you're in Hong Kong, these little lovelies have your name on it. Well, okay. It's my name but I signed it in really nice gold ink

Hope you guys had fun celebrating with us! Thanks for sharing our trip!

What do the Tardis, the US Congress, and Crickets Have in Common?

No, this is not a trick question. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to the West Coast and I assure you that I'm still too jet lagged to come up with puzzles or play tricks. The answer is simple: ME! These three things were just some of the pleasant surprises during my trip. But I am getting ahead of my story. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

October is Filipino American Heritage Month in the US. Over the course of the month, events are organized to celebrate the historical contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States. I was lucky enough to have been invited to participate in some of these events across California. My first stop was the Filipino American Book Festival in San Francisco.

The festival was held at the San Francisco Public Library.

Trying my best to look like I belonged on the "How to Get Published" panel. Gulp. Oh, and in case you're wondering who that lovely lady in blue is, that just happens to be TESS URIZA HOLTHE, the bestselling author of the book, WHEN THE ELEPHANTS DANCE.

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My advice on how to get published? FOLLOW THE CHICKENS. (If you're scratching your head, I KNOW you haven't read Before Ever After yet )

I was also invited to do a reading of Before Ever After. Dear God, that auditorium was HUGE...

Showtime!

To watch a video of the reading, click HERE.

Met some of my hubby's old friends at the festival. The Quizon brothers were in town to promote their dad's book.

You can read more about  Filipino Showbiz icon, Dolphy's biography HERE.

Thank you to Gemma Nemenzo for inviting me to this very special event!

Meet my before, ever, and after The hubby and I squeezed in a little sightseeing while we were there.

And what trip to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Fentons Creamery??

Or a side trip to Sonoma for some vino?

Cheers!

Before you start thinking that all I did during the trip was eat ice cream and drink wine (I only did that 80% of the time ), here's a glimpse of the fun, er, work I did in San Diego.

Presenting Before Ever After to Mayor Morrison of National City. 40% of his constituents are Filipino Americans.

Book signing at Barnes & Noble at Mira Mesa in my "ten minute" shoes.

Thank God for chairs and other creature comforts like Dr. James Lee's patented ergonomic "UGLEE" pen. Thanks, Dr. James and Dr. Tess!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello!

I've received flowers at book signings before, but I have to say that I'll take a TARDIS over roses any day of the week!

My precious limited edition Tardis bobble head - serial number 2845/3000 has materialized in my living room!

And just when I thought my Tardis gift was impossible to beat…

I received a little blue folder containing...

THIS! Thank you, US Congressman Bob Filner!

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The certificate of recognition was presented during a luncheon hosted by the Philippine American Business Improvement and Development Board. Congressman Filner was represented by Special Assistant, Mr. Manny Doria.

Also present at the event was California Legislator, former Mayor of Chula Vista Shirley Horton.

Sending out a HUGE THANKS to Phil AM BID co-founder and chairperson, the AMAZING Edna Consing Concepcion who arranged all my events in San Diego

 After San Diego, I was off to LA for the last stop of the trip. After receiving the Tardis and US Congress certificate, I didn't think that much else would surprise me.

I was wrong.

I was invited to participate in an author panel and book reading at the Carson Public Library. As if it wasn't amazing enough to be in the same panel as multi-awarded author and editor, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, I got to read from my book surrounded by a special exhibit of "lost" World War II photographs in commemoration of Filipino American Heritage Month. The rare and moving photos depicted how Filipinos and Americans fought side by side during the war - but what made them extraordinary was that they were all rescued from a DUMPSTER in an alley in LA.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to donate two copies of Before Ever After to the library. Watch as I magically blend into the wall decor as I present the books to librarian Leticia Tan.

Thank you for the support, Carson!

Can you believe that my MOM'S HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY OF ART TEACHER came to the event? Mrs. D is the lovely lady in the white t-shirt (standing, second from right).

The last thing on my LA Agenda was a trip to LA 18, the largest Asian Language channel in the US.

Thank you, Janelle So! I had a blast on your show

Alas, all good things must come to an end – but don't worry. I haven't forgotten about the crickets. After all the incredible things that I experienced during the trip, I thought it was best to cap the adventure off with a meal that was just as exciting and unexpected…

And we didn't stop at crickets...

We threw in a couple of SCORPIONS for fun too

Thank you for sharing this journey with me!

Thank you, Singapore! Next up, West Coast!

Hey, campers! Just got back from an incredible visit to Singapore. I've got lots to share with you, but first I'd like to invite you  to some fun upcoming events in the West Coast:

SAN FRANCISCO – FILBOOKFEST
October 1 – Saturday

2:30 PM        

"How to Get Published" Talk & Panel, Latin Hispanic Community Meeting Room, Fulton Street Civic Center

4:00 PM

BOOK SIGNING, Philippine Expression Book Shop booth, Fulton Street Civic Center

October 2 – Sunday

12:00- 1:30

"Hot Off the Press" BOOK READING, Koret Auditorium, Fulton Street Civic Center

SAN DIEGO – Barnes & Noble (Mira Mesa)
October 6 – Thursday

6:00 PM

BOOK READING &  SIGNING, Barnes & Noble, 10775 Westview Parkway (Mira Mesa)

LA - Carson Public Library
October 8 – Saturday

2:00 PM

BOOK READING &  SIGNING, LA County Regional Library, Carson Public Library, 151 E Carson St., Carson.

 

All of these events are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC so I hope you can stop by and say hello. See you there! 

*  *  *  *  *

 

Okay, now where was I? Ah, yes. Singapore! Usually, it only takes two things to make me a very happy camper in Singapore:

 

Chili Crab

and…

Chicken Rice

On this trip, I was lucky enough to add a third. Thanks to Prologue Book Store and the help of the Philippine Consulate, I now have another wonderful experience to remember Singapore by. Best of all, it was calorie-free. But don't take my word for it, come and see for yourself!

Thank you to Ms. Pimpin of Prologue for hosting the book signing!

While all book events are fun, the best part is always the journey back home. The butterflies in my stomach are gone and all that's left are the memories of the smiles of the people I've met and the laughter still singing in my ears. Come. Walk with me and let's remember all of this together.

Thank you, Singapore and thank YOU for sharing this adventure with me -

but don't unpack your bags just yet. Next stop is the West Coast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Manila! See you soon, Singapore!

You're invited! See you soon, Singapore! 2pm., Sept 25, 2011 (Sunday), Prologue Book Store, Ion Shopping Center, Orchard Road.

I've been a really bad blogger lately. I hope these photos from my crazy week will make it up to you. Forgive me?

The 32nd Manila International Book Fair was held at the SMX Convention Center

The National Book Store "Booth"

Hiding out with Chad of National Book Store -- hoping that more than two people will show up.

Showtime with my partner in crime for the day, Alexander Yates, the author of MOONDOGS!

Alex has a chicken on his cover! I am officially jealous.

Me, wondering why I don't have a chicken on my cover.

And the fun begins!

Say Cheese!

You guys, ROCK. Thanks for coming!

Happy Campers

LOVE the color-coded tabs on this book!

So happy to meet Twitter friends!

Spotted a new GoodReads friend in the crowd!

Part of the thrill of the fair was spotting books of friends. The Night Circus has taken over Manila, Erin!

Wrapped up the day with a fun Q&A

Trying my best to look "authorly." Alex doesn't seem convinced

Thank you for the support, National Book Store!