B february 27-MarCH 1, 2016 • La WeeKeND aSIaN JOurNaL
Features
http://www.asianjournal.com • (213) 250-9797
A happy wife is a happy life:
Meet Lilian Masaya
By Monet
Lu
Happiness is the first thing you would think of once you meet her. aside from the obvious english translation of her last name (i kid you not, it is really her actual surname), you would definitely want to know her after you’ve tasted her bestselling rice cakes (kakainin) and “cebuchon” (cebu lechon or roasted pig). To quote a famous adage that “[we] are what [we] eat,” would suggest why Lilian’s food creations are as sweet as its maker. presenting the sequel to my previous column on La’s Filipino Food destination, is the story of the sweet and charming baker of Lilian’s Breads & sweets in northridge, California. Meet owner and baker, Lilian Gutierrez– Masaya. A happy tummy means a happy hubby Lilian Masaya had one dream when she was young. Being the youngest among 8 siblings, Lilian watched her sisters grow up and have families of their own. she loved hearing people complement her (older) sisters’ cooking and telling their husbands about it. it was then that she started wishing that she’d receive the same kind of praises when it’s her turn to become somebody’s wife. Beaming she says, “pag ako nagasawa ako, gusto ko ganun din. sasabihin din ng mga kaibigan ng asawa ko na magaling din ako magluto. Matutuwa siguro yung asawa ko.” (When i get married, i want the same thing; that friends of my husband’s will tell him i am a great cook. That would’ve make my future husband happy). it wasn’t unlikely for Lilian to have the same talent in cooking. Her aunts and her mother are known for their culinary skills, especially in making rice cakes. However, among the sisters, it was only Lilian who tried her hand at rice cakes – and it was a hit! soon, people complemented her baking skills. and as she had wished, it was her husband that received the commendation. Lilian’s dream of making her husband happy became the foundation of what is now, by far, the best Filipino bakery in san Fernando Valley. A bakery inside a car wash station When Lilian and her husband, Maxwell Masaya, decided to put
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up a bakery, it did not initially include a strategic—not to mention, unique—location such as the inside of a car wash station. a friend of mine raved about it when she and her husband had their car oilchanged (and washed), which led them to check out Lilian’s bakery. she said she now looks forward to having their car washed because that would mean she could eat at Lilian’s while waiting – not a bad reason, i thought. it might be the smell of coffee or the freshly baked chicken empanadas and pandesal that lure anyone into leaving their cars (in good hands, so far) to enter the hidden gem inside the car wash station. One small bite off their bibingkang kalamay will make you want to stay there the whole afternoon (yeah, even when your car’s all washed up and cleaned). “it’s like hitting two birds with one stone,” as one customer says. ‘Car wash duties and dining pleasure!’ A labor of love if Lilian is the hand behind all those delicious treats, her husband is the brain and the “wind beneath her wings” – or hands. Lilian and Maxwell got married in 1992. she had vowed to lovingly submit to her husband as the head of their family. On the other hand, her husband, who is more strong-willed and determined, promised to give her all that he could out of love for her – one of them is to put up a food business or a restaurant for her lovely wife. 19 years later and after a series of trial-and-error-recipes, their labor
of love and commitment birthed Lilian’s Breads and sweets. and guess who pushed, urged and consistently supported the passion – even researching and going through all recipe notebooks, testing and modifying ingredients? it was Lilian’s husband. The menu that started with a tasty pandesal, was then followed by mouthwatering rice cakes. Later, they added roasted pork belly as part of their catering menu. since then, they have been supplying rice cakes to a Filipino grocery, bakeries, as well as catering to parties and events. A happy Life means a life that honors God Behind the thriving business of the Masaya’s, is a loving Christian home led by a super supportive husband and great father to their teenager son named, psalm. Throughout their journey, and in everything they put their heart into, it is their desire to always bring honor to God. The joy that is so evident (not only in their last names) comes from serving God who has blessed them so abundantly. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration. To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com
The agonizing malady of a writer’s... PAGE B2
oned in that darkness of the unconscious, no matter how much you scream for the muses, it is only a sound above the groan, so you just keep on going, amass-
ing thousands of words and find credence. But as a contented inmate of this singular institution of pen pushers, that makes you unemployable.
i will try to cram the paragraphs full of facts and give them weight and shape. Then i’ll worry about my editor who has a marvelous sensitivity to verbal phrasing and structure—and patience.
Super Starlet meets and dances with... PAGE B1 “Unapologetic Bitch” track. Madonna was in the philippines for a two-day concert as part of her asian tour entitled “Rebel Heart”. arriving ahead of schedule, Madonna visited charitable organization “Bahay Tuluyan Foundation” which works with street children by providing them food and shelter. On the day of Madonna’s arrival to the philippines, super starlet curated an exhibit of local artists called #MadonnaCubao1982, a series of parties and art events that celebrated the image and likeness of Madonna in partnership with aDHD Magazine. When posting on her instagram page, super starlet made sure to tag all the people on the tour, including @ Madonna herself. Tickets to the concert were not easy to come by this devout and loyal super fan, whose obsession with Queen M began as an 8-yearold boy. super starlet had to save up as much of shahani’s earnings as a wardrobe stylist for television, committing to the 50/30/20 rule – 50 percent of all funds earned went to paying bills, 30 percent were put to savings, which evolved into the Madonna fund and 20 percent was left for the miscellaneous “fun” expenditures. shahani made sure that super starlet was going to score a ticket come hell or high water. The first day tickets went on sale, shahani went to the sM Marikina and forked over p37,000 (equivalent to $805) because to his reasoning “this is a now or never moment for super starlet”. However, the Vip tickets were $500 more at p57,500, which shahani referred to as the golden triangle because one can actually make eye contact with Madonna. shahani also prepared not only monetarily for months for this concert but physically as well, making sure to diet and jog around the Up circle in Quezon City. His alter ego, Drag Queen super starlet was going to go to Madonna’s concert with every intention of getting noticed by the Queen herself. On the night of the concert, shahani wasn’t sure super starlet was going to make an appearance because being she would be alone in the second row of the lower box seats dressed in drag, she might not feel comfortable. at the last minute, however, he chose to get ready at JuJiin samonte’s place in a nude swimsuit by Louis Claparols and a blonde wig. Upon sitting in her seat, depression kicked in because being so far away from the stage, the opportunity for Madonna to hand her the microphone was next to impossible. super starlet decided to walk around the sM Mall of asia arena, in hopes to find
Programming of Kababayan Today, February 29-March 4, 2016 Monday, Feb. 29 - Dr. anthony Ocampo, ph.D., a sociology professor, shares an exclusive reading of his book “The Latino’s of asia.” Tuesday, March 1 - Call us at Kababayan Today on La18 for the first live show of March. You may ask attorney allison aquino silva and attorney Richard Loew questions over the air! Wednesday, March 2 - Midweek news Updates from the asian Journal and Mia Mcleod of McLeod and associates gives real estate advice. southern California pilipino american student alliance (sCpasa), the umbrella organization of Filipino-american student organizations, shares highlights from its recent event. professor Brandon Reilly will discuss the history of the eDsa Revolution. Thursday, March 3 - We air a recap of the winners and losers of the recent academy awards. Our Fil-am panel discussion will talk about hair, makeup, and fashion trends on the carpet. Friday, March 4 - pulitzer prize-winning journalist Jose antonio Vargas leads a discussion with the cast of east West players “Criers For Hire” production.
Photo from Shahani Gania’s Instagram account (superstarlet_xxx)
other friends to grab a beer with and cheer her up. Lo and behold, as she was making “alig aligid” (standing around), super starlet was approached by two white women, who she recognized as @secretagentM from instagram, one of Madonna’s managers, asking if she wanted a better seat for super Vip. she could even bring her friends with her! super starlet cried giving them hugs and profuse thank yous! she was positioned at the end of the ramp, at the bottom most tip of the heart. The biggest philippine celebrities started to arrive, all dressed in tribute to Madonna but super starlet made sure to never leave the tip of the heart and stood the entire time (in heels of course), anxiously waiting for the concert to begin. super starlet had also researched Madonna’s song lineup and made sure to know every song by heart so she count sing and dance along. she was completely and utterly engaged as the concert began knowing all the dancers names and calling them out when
they made their way close to her. she also made it a point to put her phone away so she could be totally present for the performance she had been waiting for all her life. at one point during the show, Madonna locked eyes with super starlet for an entire chorus. super starlet was ready in all ways to pay tribute to the Queen! During the 1920s portion of Madonna’s concert, the same people who had given her access to the sUpeR Vip ticket requested her to step aside to ask if she knew the “Unapologetic Bitch” song and if she was ready to dance her heart out. if so, she would have to proceed back to the side of the stage where Bruno, the security guard would escort her up on stage during the “La Vie en Rose” portion of the concert. and true to her wildest dreams, super starlet got the thrill of her life, when she got to sing and dance with Madonna on stage. after the song number, Madonna asked “What is your name, young lady?” to which super starlet exclaimed her drag queen alter ego name super starlet. By being who she truly was and not being sorry or unapologetic about it, she captured not only Madonna’s attention, but the hearts of many. Madonna not only gave super starlet a banana but the straw in which she drank from and concluding that: “You are brave, you are fearless and fierce, which is why you are the unapologetic bitch of the night!” a moment forever etched in super starlet’s life that may convince shahani Gandia that it’s time to let her alter ego drag queen live and dance more often! *** Giselle “G” Töngi is the host and producer of Kababayan Today, a daily talk show that features relevant topics for Filipino’s living in America. Her aim is to bridge not only the cultural gap between America & the Philippines but to help with the generational gap between our own people. She is married with two children and is based in Southern California and makes frequent trips in the Pacific Rim to Hawaii and Manila to feature fellow kababayans who are empowering the FilAm community.