Occupation: Co-Founder of Break Bread
Mom of: 2
Can you tell us one secret no one would guess about you?
I have two!
- When I have anxiety which is often I watch ingrown toenail removal or blackhead removals on YouTube to calm my nerves.
- I’m a huge fan of foreign films, Bollywood for romance, South Korean for action/horror films such as Train to Busan or the Indonesian action thriller film The Raid
One meal you could eat everyday?
I can have the perfect flaky croissant every morning.
One vice you won’t give up?
Wasting hours watching anything on YouTube to calm my nerves.
Late riser or early bird?
The obvious answer is I’m a mom of two so early bird BUT pre-motherhood I was also an early bird too, but now I just have horrible sleep so I’m a very cranky early bird riser.
Morning routine you swear by?
Waking up 20 min before anybody else and enjoying a cup of tea ALONE. I really love a quiet morning to myself before all hell breaks loose in the house. The problem is although I swear by taking some quiet time alone before everyone else wakes up, I never do it because my sleep is so shitty.
One day I hope…
One day I hope…
I mean our world is in an interesting space so one day I hope for so much because I’m leaving kids behind but I’ll name one BIG one selfishly just for me which is to live long enough to be a grandmother. My kids don’t have either one of their grandmothers alive so they never got to experience that and I can’t wait to give them that god willing.
More the merrier or less is more?
My whole life I’ve been ALL about the more the merrier! I think it’s the immigrant in me. Never get rid of anything and everyone is invited an open door policy. As I’ve gotten older and began my personal journey with mental health, I find myself more at peace when there’s less stuff and less people around me. I never knew how over stimulated I was by having so many people in my life and space. I am just starting to comprehend how much that actually triggered my anxiety.
Cool brands you love?
For fashion: My favorite clothing line right now is one that my Afghan girlfriend Safiya is launching. It’s handmade by Afghan refuges, called Darlaman Design House.
For cooking: I love spices. Spices with chili oil are a bonus for me so I love Flybyjing sauces and I love that I can find them at my favorite store: The General Store store in Silverlake. Really a lot of my favorites come out of that store it’s so well curated.
For skin products: I can’t live without Supercharge hydrating gel cream by Sunnies Face my skin drinks it up like water. “Born out of the Philippines, Sunnies Face was formulated with Asia’s rich array of skin tones in mind” like mine. I love Retinol Reform by Shani Darden and really anything she comes out with!
I’m also a sucker for chapstick. I have 10 of them hiding all around the house, my car, my purse and right now the 3 favorites are Dr Sturm Lip Balm, Biologique Recherche BIOKISS LIP BALM, and Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask.
For travel: My family and I did 5 1/2 weeks around Europe. 4 countries, 3 islands, 14 cities and 10 airplanes all with just carry-on on luggage so while this is not an ad, I owe mad respect to Away brand suitcases. They held up on very old cobblestone streets, rental cars, tiny planes, big planes, many airports where my son would ride them like his scooter, and big ass ferrys while island hopping in Greece.
On the horizon: what’s coming soon?
I’m the girl that everyone either believes in doing something special with her life or they always want to give me a career. Regardless, I never live up to anybody’s hype. I always joke that everyone else would be much happier for me than I would if and when I launched my career. But what if my “coming soon” is watching these kids grow up? What if at the end of the day all I want is to live long enough to be a grandmother? I guess we will see.