Dad's special little b-day gift

I got a couple of emails asking what I got for my birthday, so i thought i'd address them with a post. :) well, I actually got part of it in advance (hello pink chanel care of bf, hehe) but another semi-big thing I got is a classic arm candy from mi padre muy dulce. ;)



It's a simple but elegant two-tone tag heuer aquaracer watch which i'm supposed to use everyday according to him. :) (please excuse the phone pic as I can't find my cam here in my room.) I love it coz it's just so me especially with the mother of pearl dial and two tone bracelet.(thanks again so much dad! love you. mwah!) This is just what I needed since I really can't use my other nice watch to the hospital anyway, hehe! *wink*

Other fun stuff I got from the girls are two cute tops, a body shop red lipstick, kerastase vita-cement shampoo, victoria's secret lip mosaic compact, mary kate and ashley glitter eyeshadow, l'oreal daily lotion, 3 headbands, a personalized metallic lilac pen, and a super nice gold charm bracelet with travel charms. Mi madre gave me jewelry which I will post maybe next time. :)

Spring '07 accessories: Cartoon colors!

Whilst a lot of fashion editorials say that yellow is the 'it' color for spring, I think that bright animated colors in general is the trend for this season, especially for accessories. I've always love neutrals but I also get attracted to color so often! In fact I love having things with a punch of color every now and then. They emanate this cheerful vibe that makes me feel so much lighter and happier and so this is one trend that has always been year-round for me. :)

A dream-worthy collection bursting with color is prada's 2007 resort accessories. I swear if I had the means, I'd probably get one of each!

Here's a pic of some of their shoes. Aren't they lovely?

Image from Manolo ShoeBlogs

And of course, that beautiful nylon gauffre ad with sasha p.



For those who love coach, their new hamptons collection is quite charming and the price point isn't bad too. Plus, coach has amazing quality! My mom adores this brand.

I just love those fun bagtags!

Another brand that thrives in so much color is Lesportsac. I like their latest collab with french artist Fafi. It's atrsy and quirky, very girly too. ;)



For those of you who live in your black handbags and shoes, why not give this trend a try? It's sure to give you a boost which is quite addicting actually. hehe.

Pop art Pop tart + My newest wrist candy

In keeping up with the latest trends, I wanted to mention another one of my favorites which is incorporating pop art-slash-stark graphic themed stuff into your look.



In line with this, let me present to you my newest yummy wrist candy which I ordered from baublesbanglesnbeads, my friend pao's handpainted bangle shop.



It's a neo audrey hepburn bangle! I love it!

Late night shopping + jack's loft + outfit

Last friday night, bf and I decided to go to Eastwood City Walk and Tiendesitas to check out what cheapie finds we can get with our christmas money. hehehe! Actually we were just so bored lying around the house and it was already 9 pm when we decided to move. And (just a little fyi for everyone) in manila, virtually all malls close by 9 pm except for a few places that offer shopping at 'after mall hours'. :)

One such shopping area is Eastwood City Walk where the stores close at 12 midnight and all dining areas close at around 3-4 am. This has been a fave place of nocturnal people and has also expanded tremendously through the years!

Shot of Eastwood City Walk. Photo by al dimalanta of pbase.com

Beside this place, around 10 minutes away by car, another cinderella hour (i.e. closes at 12 mn) shopping area was built just last year. However, this one has a more fun, bazaar atmosphere as it is a roofed outdoor centre with numerous stalls and is also a place where haggling is a favorite game. Aptly called Tiendesitas (spanish i think, for 'little stores'), it houses more than 300 stalls with products ranging from broomsticks to funky accessories to lingerie to pet food to celphone cases. It is a pretty big area (30,000 sq. meters to be exact) and offers plenty of cheapie stuff. :D

Tiendesitas at daytime. Shot from tiendesitas.com.ph

First stop was Tiendesitas for this el cheap-o couple! hahaha. Actually I just had fun handling various merchandise but didn't actually buy much. (Need to hold on to them money as I have bills to pay! heehee.) Bf was laughing coz I only bought two small things after scouring more than half of the area! hahaha.

Here they are:
Please ignore the candles and various other things in the background.

I am referring to the two leather cuff bracelets. The black one with skulls was such a cool find! I got it for P300 ($6) after A LOT of haggling hehe. The brown one with woven detail and brass studs was bought by bf for me. Hehe! We were able to haggle it down to P250 ($5) after sweetly cajouling the store owner. hehehe. Not bad for a haggling pair eh? The good thing about these accessories is that I'm sure to not find them all over the place since the stores where we got them only had one of each. I love them to bits! *beams*

Now here is a family pic of my current 'thick' wrist candies together:

Pic taken just for fun! hahaha.

And here's an update of my small skull accessories collection (most of them recently acquired in the past few days, ie. gifts, which I value all the more. heehee!).

People know that I adore incorporating this into my girly outfits for a bit of contrast. *wink*

After tiendesitas, bf and I scooted over to Eastwood to get some eats. We ate at Jack's Loft where I got indian-style spicy butter chicken.

It's chicken whipped with cumin, cream, nuts and spices on a bed of white rice. It was very good! (and price wasn't bad either at P220 (approx. $5). ;)

While bf got garlic mushrooms (forgot to take a pic) and a bowl of cream of squash soup.

He wasn't so happy with the mushrooms but loved this soup! I think it was around P90(around $1.80?). Btw, he already ate dinner and was just taking a snack whereas I haven't eaten anything since 1 pm. hehehe! *defensive piggy alert*

Oh and I was meaning to eat the famous jack's loft cheesecake but was already too full! I just took a sly pic of the dessert case for you. ;)



To end this post is my outfit for that small "date" heehee! (sorry for the crappy pic, my cam wasn't adjusting properly and i was in a hurry!)

Navy pinstripe vest is vintage norma k. from my mom, white reconstructured hanes tank, purple and black checkered shorts from mphosis, black leggings from topshop, plum bow clutch from primark, and black peeptoe flats from steve madden. not in picture: plum headband from evita peroni.

The stuff I passionately haggled for. hahaha!

Well as promised, I will now post the stuff I got this weekend from the bazaars. They're not much but I really had a great time shopping for these things. hahaha!

As I have mentioned, I went to the Lifestyle Network ("In the Limelight") Bazaar last saturday. The first thing I bought there was this unique waist cinch belt from carioca:



It is made of faux leather in dark brown, black and camel which makes it very easy to mix and match with different outfits. I love love love the slight v shape in the center front as it gives this piece an eclectic vintage vibe. Plus the three-hole adjuster allows me to use this cutie low in the hip which makes it all the more versatile! But the best part is, only 5 pieces of this belt were made. Yup, exclusivity at its finest with a very affordable price! hehe. It was really such a steal at P500 ($10). :D

Next, I got this white, pink and yellow floral khaftan with braided rope waist tie also from the same store:



The pic really does not do it justice and it looks so much better when worn. It is made of a polyester type satin fabric which has a very floaty cruise vibe. Perfect for wearing at a resort or in a yacht with white couture shorts and a cute floppy strawhat. This piece is also the only one there is of its kind since the owner sells self-designed stuff. Original tag price was P750 ($15) but I was able to get it at P600 ($12). (Thanks mica! hehe).

Lastly, I got these chic leather cuff bracelets:



I got dark brown, cobalt blue and tan brown since they were the ones that caught my eye. They are locally made in mandaluyong according to the stall proprietor and are made of 100% real leather. These would look so stylin' with a lot of ensembles! The thicker one was only P100 ($2) while the thinner ones were P70 ($1.40). Not bad! :)

Moving on to the Assumption bazaar last sunday, I first got these woven rattan room organizers with black pleather trims:



I'm planning to put my headbands and scarves in one while belts will be put inside the other. The smaller box is for other trinkets such as my watches etc. They are going inside my walk-in closet obviously. hehe! Super steal at P250 ($5) each.

Next, I got 2 pretty dolls for my godchild.



They are very kawaii and I just had to get them. I can't say the price though as her pretty mom G might read it. hahaha!

Lastly, I got this cute cosmetic pouch from rina albert.



Sorry for the blurry pic! I had to take the pic without flash since the pouch is plastic covered canvas and the flash reflects all over it. This one was P165 ($3.25). So cute, noh?

So there you have it! See, told you I didn't buy much but I did get some great stuff at super great deals. You should try going to different bazaars girls, you're missing a lot if you don't go! heehee!

To end this post is my outfit last sunday. Sorry for the crappy pic as I just took this with my vintage celphone haha.

White button-down top from kamiseta, brown tweed couture shorts from forever21, brown leather pointed flats from steve madden, and moss green and brown stripe medium hobo from prada

Nov. 10 was a jam-packed day: My aunt's wedding + dinner + serendra + cuisine + outfit

Yesterday turned out to be a super funny day for me and I ended up completely buzzed when I got home. I actually almost fell asleep in the living room couch with my whole outfit on sans the shoes. hahaha! It would have been so embarassing to the maids if I hadn't woken up at 4 am to go upstairs. *snicker* (This is what medschool does to people! hehehe.)

Anyway, let me give you a quick rundown of events... I started the day with my audrey hepburn + imelda blog entry, ate lunch and then proceeded to wrap some christmas presents. (yes, I started quite early this year as I've learned from the stress last year! *shakes head*) I then talked to my mom for about an hour before realizing that it was already time to get ready for my aunt's wedding! I then scampered about, fixed the wrappings, ribbons and whatnot and called my bf to ask whether he was on his way already (shockingly he was!). Of course this did not help and just made me panic all the more. I then took a 5-minute shower and grabbed the first dress I deemed wearable. And then, as I was about to put my make-up on, my gorgeous friends t and mv gave me a three-way call from california so I ended up with like only 10 minutes of make-up time! hahaha. (i really miss you t and mv!)

Anyway, let's fast-forward to the wedding... The bride (my aunt) chose a bright pink and lime green theme which was okay but reminded me too much of those juicy couture velour track suits from a couple of years ago. (I know, I'm soo weird. haha!) Nevertheless I think it was a fun color combination, more like a psychedelic version of the green and red in preparation for christmas! (yihee, someone's feeling christmas-y already *wink*)

As per request of my dear mother, here is a picture of myself with my dad and brothers at the wedding. (hey, she is giving me an ipod nano so no face-cropping on this post as she has asked. hehehe!)



The wedding was (thankfully) a simple semi-formal event as the reception was held in a quaint private function cantonese resto and not in a very formal setting such as a hotel ballroom. Hmm.. not much happened really, but it was just sooo funny in the end as noone wanted to catch the bridal bouquet when my aunt threw it. hahaha!

After that bf and I then headed on to forbes for his family dinner. The food this time was a combination of grilled pork, prawns thermidor, sun-dried tomato pasta, with appetizers: cheese, grapes and crackers. The dessert was actually my favorite part as they served two of my favorites cakes in the world: mango torte and classic chocolate cake. I'm sorry though as I really wasn't able to take much pics except for some quick shots of the food tables beside me. hahaha!

Here they are:


This is actually part of the food table which I took without flash. hehe!

My fave table was right behind me! haha

Here are close-up pics of the mango torte and chocolate cake, leave a comment if you need numbers.*wink*

After dinner, bf and I decided to check out the newest gimmick place to open in manila: The Serendra at the Fort. (A stone's throw away from forbes, hehe!)



The place was pretty upscale and serene (for a saturday night) and had a very clean, modern artsy look.

Bf hates it when I take surprise pics, but he was just so handsome while checking out the place. heehee!

I noticed that a lot of places are still closed but around 10 establishments were already open. Well, it really didn't matter as the only place I was interested in is Cupcakes by Sonja. The people running it were so nice too and was more than happy that I was shooting away during our visit.


Here's a pic of the glass counter where the cupcakes are displayed. It was already 12 mn at this time so they were all almost gone!

And here's a picture of the chefs area, they actually loved being photographed. hahaha!


A close shot of the cupcake making station. Look at all those candy-colored sugar! *yum* (I had so much fun taking pics!)

Bf bought me one piece of berries 'n cream cupcake which I really liked.

The packaging was so pretty that I had to show you.*wink* It was worth the P75 ($1.50) price.

I almost forgot to take a photo of the front so I took this quick shot as we were leaving the place. It's kind of crappy though. hahaha!



After Serendra, bf's sister trish invited us to follow them at the Cuisine at Embassy (also at the Fort) since their mom gave them free gc's worth 2k. Of course we could never turn down free drinks so off we went right away. hahaha! The place was packed with people and we ordered a bottle of champagne for the group. Trish and I though, both got grape escape which is a sort of grape-flavoured margarita (i think). We also ordered salmon sashimi as pica-pica. It was so good!


Here's trish and her bf miko. Don't they make such a cute couple? (As you can see in the background, most people were standing and the place was full)

After about 2 hours of talking, laughing, drinking and people's outfit watching, the margarita started getting to my head and I actually don't remember much of what happened afterwards! I just remember walking towards my room at 4 am, carrying my lovely pair of black platform pumps in my right hand. hahaha. I'm such a dork.

Anyway, here's my outfit pic for the night (I dragged mr. hottie along with me if you don't mind, hahaha!)

Bf is wearing slacks and white collared long sleeves both from linea italia. I was in a topshop tri-color grape-printed jersey dress, bakers black plat pumps and a gold leather clutch from my mom.

Hope you enjoyed your saturday as well girls! mwah!

Audrey Hepburn tribute + Imelda Marcos accessories line

School has started barely a week and it's driving me crazy already! Geez. I really want a year-long break. *pout* I don't even have time to read the local newspaper on mornings since I typically am in a panic the moment I bolt out of my room.

Yesterday though was an exception. I woke up at effing 6 am as our opthalmology class is at 7 am (with a lock-door policy) and there is a quiz every meeting. All latecomers get a lovely score of zero. So lo and behold, little miss late was quicker than usual and I was able to grab all the lifestyle and fashion pages of the inquirer (owned by bf's tita tessa) before leaving the house. I could not get the whole paper as my dad will kill me, but those are my fave pages anyway. *wink*

Whilst the driver was driving (duh?) me to school, I, who supposedly was studying for optha was actually reading the newspaper because who could resist reading a page with this on the cover:



For pete's sake, it's not only an article about Audrey Hepburn but is also talking about Imelda Marcos starting an accessories line!

Anyways, I have always been a huge Audrey fan and I think she is such a fashion icon. Who does not love audrey you ask? There are weirdest of weirdos i tell you (such as some commentors in youtube) and they probably are very yucky dressers too. hehe. I have always loved that gap ad where a footage from "Funny Face" of her dancing was used, And I found it quite surprising that some of my friends actually have not seen it! I decided to post it here as well just in case some of you haven't seen this vid.



As written in the article by Thelma San Juan (Philippine Daily Inquirer), the ad casts her ballerina figure for posterity in black tube pants and shirt. And I do agree that the image does continue to captivate today's generation of women. Now I have not seen or felt the skinnies from gap but perhaps its because gap bottoms are not always perfectly fitting on me so it hasn't sparked my curiousity. I suppose though that they are worth it for some. Anyone here who has them?

I also have received my November issue of Harper's Bazaar where Natalie Portman is wearing one of the three versions of Audrey's black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Natalie and Audrey in the same black dress

Here's my copy! haha.

The dress was designed by Givenchy and will be sold to the highest bidder on Dec. 5 at Christie's Auction House in London with an estimated fetching price of *gasp* $130,000. The proceeds of the auction will go to City Of Joy Aid, a charity organization that helps India's poor. It's just so wonderful that Audrey continues to inspire people with her fashion and humanitarian efforts. And you know what else is interesting? The dress is actually a bit loose on Natalie! I bet that makes you love Audrey all the more. haha.

Moving on, Imelda Marcos will be adding a new title to her list of "titles" as proprietor of a fashion brand.

Source: Bravo,Claudio: A Painting of Imelda Marcos

She will be be unveiling her fashion accessories line - necklaces, earrings, brooches, cuff bracelets and hair combs - called The Imelda Collection, produced by daughter Imee, perhaps in time for the holiday season. As the article said, the line is meant for "the stylish but practical woman with a penchant for owning a piece of history". Now, whilst Imelda herself has become a fashion icon of her own (did you know that the word imeldific is now made official in dictionaries?), I am not so sure whether the catch phrase really is the best one for her new product. I mean, I for one would find it more appropriate to associate "Imelda" with the words "glamorous fashion" than with the words "practical" or "history".

I mean, wouldn't you? *wink*