?NOTHING terrifies me more than being ordinary, to the point that I obsess about it!? exclaims Gigi Phua-Lim.

Born and raised in Cebu, this proud Cebuana refuses to let anything bog her down. Her philosophy: ?Dust yourself up and go on.?

Gigi, however, knows how to slow down. Her routine begins at daybreak, when she walks through her manicured garden to enjoy the fragrance of flowers. She then feeds the neighborhood maya-maya birds, which seem to have come to expect her every morning, then the kois in the pond. She spends an hour of quiet time sitting by the waterfall.

Then she drops her daughter off in school and heads to her job as building administrator for Triumph Building, a position entrusted her by her in-laws. (Having married into a conservative Chinese family, she stresses, is no walk in the park and is a role she does not recommend for the fainthearted.)

In 1997, she and her friends noticed that, in gift-giving, there was not much proper attention given to the packaging. They then hit upon the idea of setting up a business that packaged gifts elegantly and attractively, making presentation a key element of gift-giving.

With the creative use of texture, color, boxes and other containers, their packaging sought to convey the care and thoughtfulness the giver put into the gift. Thus Basketcase was born.

The team proved to be a success, servicing corporate accounts such as embassies, hotels, schools, hospitals, as well as weddings.

Gigi also put up From My Kitchen, which supplies Basketcase with fruitcakes.

Cooking

Our team enjoyed her ?gourmet cooking? on the day of the shoot. Gigi claims she never cooked at all, so the choice was limited to boiled or fried whatever.

But she decided to build up her library of cookbooks and take over the kitchen, poring over cookbooks and whipping up Greek, Italian, Thai, Chinese or Middle Eastern dishes.

For her, everything must be properly prepared. Cream soup must have a dollop of sour cream and slivers of almonds, just the way she likes it.

Her father-in-law?s greatest pleasure is good food, something he has passed on to his grandchildren. Their lunch packs for school contain fresh spinach ravioli with smoked salmon and caviar. That sort of thing.

Fashion rule of thumb

When it comes to dressing, Gigi follows one rule of thumb?her clothes must be comfortable. She must be able to get in and out of her clothes in seconds.

She uses funky accessories, artistic jewelry, mismatched earrings, artsy eyewear, beaded flats and oversized bags.

Gigi graduated from Ateneo with Economics, though she always hung out with her English 11 class, a group that remains solid and close to this day.

Gigi?s life goes beyond economics, business and work, as her heart truly belongs to the art world. In fact, Gigi has dedicated a room in her building to supporting up-and-coming painters.

Clearly, with all her accomplishments, this woman is no ?basketcase.?