Here's an issue to watch out for

If you think "The Devil Wears Prada" was fun, wait until the real thing comes along.



The trailer alone was a joy to watch. And it makes me want to fast forward to fall so they can finally show this documentary. I do hope they show it here in Manila. Someone bring this film here, please!

My favorite lines from the trailer:
- "This type seems so large, and pretentious. Looks like it's for blind people."
- "September is the January of fashion!" (How true!)

Get this issue out. Quick!

A moment for Michael

Since he passed away this Friday, there's a question that everyone has been asking everyone else. And that is: "What's your favorite Michael Jackson song?"

While watching Unang Hirit this morning, this was they're question for the day. A lot of people answered "Black and White" because of its message of equality.

Personally, my favorite MJ song is "Man in the Mirror." What I like about it is the simple message of "change starts with yourself." Really, that's what we all need to make things better and make this country great. Begin the change within yourself.

This is a great version of that song. I swear, a gospel choir really adds the "chill down the spine factor" to any song. (Just like when Mariah sang "Fly like a bird.")



Here's to the gloved one!

Eat's perfect

While the shopping might not have been stellar as I expected it to be, (thank goodness for the long, burgundy Episode evening dress) the food more than made up for it. I spent 4 days checking out the places I used to frequent, and the meals I missed.

On my menu:

1. Triple-O's Veggie Burger
2. Cafe de Coral's Lok Bo Fan
3. Tuna Puff pastry at Pies & Tarts
4. Prawn Noodles at the Prawn Noodle Shop
5. Fish Siu Mai at Prince Edward Station
6. Vita Lemon Tea (lots of it)
7. McDonald's double strawberry sundae (Mr. Yang, please bring this in)
8. Chicken egglets (or Kai Tan Tsai, methinks)
9. Raisin and Nut chocolate slab

Food, and shopping, really make for a perfect break.

Loot at that

Three days into my HKG trip, and I still didn't go on a mindless shopping spree at H&M. I think I deserve a medal for that. Or at least a commendation. Harhar.

As I mentioned earlier, the stuff on sale at H&M aren't that spectacular. Was hoping that the accessory section would yield irresistible deals, but all I got were a few cocktail rings. As I told my friend, maybe I should give it a few more weeks. After that, maybe I can come back and do some real shopping. By that time, H&M would've been on sale for a month, while Zara would be on its 3rd week or so. Now that would be shopping bliss.

Not to say that I didn't buy anything on this trip. It would be a complete waste if I didn't. As expected, trips to my usual haunts yielded a lot of great loot. Trouser style jeans, loose tops, vests, magazines, books, and some other what nots.

But my pick of the loot lot would be these:



Yup, Gladiator sandals. According to InStyle, they're not going out of fashion just yet. And these designs have a little something extra compared to the usual ones we see back home.

Then there's this little piece of black cloth. Initially, I didn't know what it was. Then the sales girl, someone who I know, explained to me what it was.



She unfolded it to reveal this.



Yes, it's a bigger triangle. But beyond that, it's a really nice and chic draped top. She even demonstrated how to wear it so that I wouldn't have difficulty explaning to my sisters. It's hard to appreciate it right now, but maybe I'll take a snap of Ate once she wears it.

Thank goodness for these, my trip wasn't entirely in vain.

Charlie's Angel is now an angel

Goodbye, Farrah. Now you'll get to see Bosley up there.

Hoard Shorts

First of all, Zara in HKG isn't on sale yet. (Hit snooze button now.) I can imagine the number of people hoarding Zara stuff in Manila as of this moment.

Thankfully, they are:



Yup, H&M is on sale, and the usual melee of people are there. It was hard to move around since there were soooo many people grabbing soooo many things. It was madness!

I was thinking of buying accessories for a change. But a lot of the designs I wanted weren't on sale. The dresses were ok, but they were stuff that my sisters already had a lot in their closets.

So does that mean I went home empty handed? Not really. I dropped by the basement and tried these on:



Yup, I was having a "shorts" moment. Who wouldn't, though? They were cheap! And while I ended up trying 5, I ended up dropping two.

Speaking of trying things on, I just noticed that they renovated the basement fitting rooms. The one I was assigned to was huge! It's probably bigger than a lot of the flats I've seen here in HKG. Harhar.



One H&M branch down. A couple more to go. Hopefully the accessories I'm looking for are there. Then the real hoarding can begin.

Sale away!

H&M is on sale.
Zara is on sale.
Lane Crawford is on sale.

This is a bad time to be in HKG.

But I promised myself that I'll be good.

I smell another sale...

All the signs are there.

First, the old (read: month or 2 months old) stuff are back on the racks. Second, the new stuff are slowly disappearing (to make way for the old stuff). Third, leftovers from the last sale are also making a comeback. Fourth, they're removing the window display in one of the panels. (Methinks this is where they'll put the sale sign.)

And now, a friend just confirmed it.

The Zara sale will start on the 25th of June!

Get ready to attack (or avoid, depending on what your intentions are) Zara.

Brace(let) yourself...

Unlike the Plains & Prints sale where I marauded the store on the first day, I decided to sit out the Mango sale and will probably wait until the 70% sign comes up. Aside from their "sneaky" prices, there weren't a lot of really nice apparel on sale.

But thanks to this act of ignoring their apparel, my attention shifted to their accessories. I never really paid that much attention to Mango Accessories, mainly because H&M has a much better spread. Yesterday, I finally did. And as stories like these usually go, I ended up buying something.



There were 2 bracelets that were just too pretty to ignore. Ate Bullet has a liking for bracelets and bangles - especially the Indian ones I usually buy from Singapore. These ones would make a worthy addition to her collection. Since this is my first accessory purchase at Mango, I was pleasantly surprised at the fact that they come in lush looking velvet bags.



The first bangle is obviously made in India. It has jewels, beads, ornate patterns - all in rich tones. This will look great on its own, or stacked with a couple colorful bracelets.



For some strange reason, the second bracelet reminds me of Rachel Zoe. Probably because she likes things that are chunky, statement-making, and vintage-looking. These 3 adjectives would best describe this piece.



The good thing about this is that it'll look good on any occasion. Whether it's paired with a white shirt and jeans for an errand day, or worn with a long, black evening dress for a formal event, the piece works. Maybe it's the color, or art deco looking metal detail.



There were a couple of pieces that likewise caught my eye. But they're too fashion forward so I'm sure they won't be picked up by people soon. So I'll probably wait until they slash the price once or twice more.

Plus, Monna just told me that H&M is on sale. More accessories, here I come!

Go, go, Mango

It was easy to figure it out. After running into a bevy of ladies carrying bags and bags of Mango merchandise, I knew Mango was on sale.



This usually means the "fast fashion sale season" has begun. After Mango puts up their sale sign, Zara usually follows suit after a few weeks. Then Debenhams. Then every other store that hasn't gone on mid-year-sale-mode yet. (Plains and Prints already did last June 11, and all the great stuff was gone in a matter of 2 days.)

Speaking of stuff, I noticed a sneaky tactic that Mango is using. I saw this striped, flowy jumpsuit a month back. I checked the price, and it was around P4,900. Today, I checked it again, and the "original price" listed was P8,450 and the sale price was around P4,300. After checking out 2 or 3 maxi dresses, they employed the same tactic, too. They reduce the price by around P500, mark up the original price by around P4,000, and that way, people will think they're getting a deal.

But I say no deal. I'll wait until the price REALLY goes down.

In any case, these are dangerous times to go out. With so many sales going on, I'll be safer staying at home.

Before Lady Gaga...

...there was Toni Basil.



Funky clothes, weird hair, great choreography and catchy music - she has it all in one great package. I wouldn't be surprised if she was Lady Gaga's inspiration.

Mercury in Retrograde

That might be the reason why my phone is acting super weird. One minute it's fine, then the next minute, the screen blanks out and I can't see a thing. Then another minute it's upside down, black and white, and cut in half. After that, it's back to normal. Geez!

The tech guy said that flip phones usually have more technical problems than non-flip ones. Which might be accurate because the flip phone I'm currently using is about a year and half old. And my Nokia phones that are already 6 years old? Still in great working condition.

Maybe it's the brand. Or maybe it's just the way the stars are aligned.

It's the 80s all over again...

First, Chace Crawford has signed up to do a remake of Kevin Bacon's "Footloose." Gosh! I remember how we watched that movie en masse, and everyone was snapping to "Let's hear it for the boy"

Now, they're also remaking this! Well, I'm not sure if it's a remake or a new version.



I'm sorry, but watching the trailer is making me giddy. Harhar.

Now my question is, when will they remake "Flashdance"?



Somebody do it, quick!

Fun-nini

At D' Frendz get together yesterday, I was once again able to put my "Chef's hat" and prepare something to eat for everyone. Armed with my favorite panini maker, some cold cuts, sauces, breads from Bizu and some greens, I whipped up 5 different kinds of panini. On the menu were:

1. Ham and Cheese panini
2. Pesto and Cheese panini
3. Spanish Sardine panini
4. Chicken-pesto panini
5. "The club" panini (which basically means all the leftovers in one sandwich.) Harhar.

It didn't help that we were watching "Top Chef" while I was making the sandwiches. Suddenly, my pent up chef-tendencies reappeared and immediately shut myself out and concentrated on making panini. And by the time the party ended, not only did I make 2 different sandwiches for everyone, I also gave them sandwiches to take home.

At least now I now my back-up plan. Lester-the-panini-maker.

The day of the free...

Happy Independence day, O beloved country of mine! Here's to freedom!



And thanks to Mark, I found out that the MRT is giving free rides again. I remembered that last year, I also got a free ride.

Ain't being free grand?

Literally funny!

This is just SO hilarious! I haven't laughed so much since "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion." Watch and be amused.

Lester the Explorer

Who would've thought that Care Bears and shot glasses would be so difficult to find.

I spent the last month jumping from mall to mall and department store to department store in search of these two things. I must have scoured every toy store and toy section of every department store in the metro (including Plaza Fair) for Care Bears figurines. While they do have stuffed toys, I'm more in the market for figurines. Similar to those paper mache ones they used to sell in Gibson's during my high school days. (Blast from the past!)

And there's the subject of the shot glass. Gosh! Considering that they're in every souvenir shop around the world, finding a plain one is a challenge. Especially if the one I'm looking for has a particular shape and tint.

Today, I decided to explore outside the malls and department stores, and search for these items in more far-flung and seemingly uncomfortable settings. And thank goodness, my exploration paid off.

FOUND: Shot Glasses
PLACE EXPLORED: Quiapo



There's a street in Quiapo where household items are sold in bulk, and on the streets. A plethora of plates, ceramic mugs, and glasses with kitschy prints were scattered all around. But what caught my eye was this huge store with an impressive display of glasses. Went inside, found the perfect shot glass, bought samples on the cheap, and left with a sigh of relief and a smile on my face.


FOUND: Care Bear Figurines
PLACE EXPLORED: Apo St., Quezon City

This one I found thanks to Ate Bullet. Her friend owns a balloon shop and toy store, and it's the place where she usually finds hard to find toys. After a quick call to the owner, Ate found out that they have one last set of Care Bear figurines. It was the last! As in! Thank goodness Ate called on time and was able to have it reserved. And after the Quiapo trip, I went to Apo to pick it up.

There's a bonus here as well. The balloon shop was a block away from my old high school, LSQC. So after picking up the bears, I dropped by the campus (which was still empty since classes start on the 15th) and the Church where I used to go after class.



Ah yes, it was a fruitful day. Not only did I get to explore, I also got most of what I was looking for.

Conclusion: I should explore more often.

New cheap thrills

The great thing about riding the MRT is discovering and re-discovering cheap food that they usually sell at the stations. The past couple of weeks, I've been addicted to two:

1. Dunkin' Donuts Strawberry Kreme donut

This was a favorite of mine when I was a kid. Then the Go Nuts Donuts and Krispy Kremes of this world came along, and it was relegated to the back burner. But now, it's back with a vengeance, with me usually eating 2 pieces in one sitting. And because it's way cheaper than GND and KK, two pieces of Dunkin' Donuts is still cheaper than one from those brands.

COST: P11.00/donut

2. Yumpanada Mini-Chicken Adobo Empanada

Red Ribbon's Chicken Empanada is da bomb. But it suddenly became a watusi compared to this empanada which I found at a small stall at selected MRT stations. The crust is perfectly crunchy, and the filling has that perfect adobo flavor with a hint of sweetness. And since they come in mini sizes, they're handy and easy to put in your pocket when you ride the MRT. (No eating in the MRT, kids!)

COST: P5.00/empanada

As much as I wanted to take a photo of the Chicken yumpanada, I always end up finishing it before even taking a shot. Yup, it's that good.

Yo, Joe!

Now here's one movie I'm really, really, really looking forward to seeing.



I was a huge G.I. Joe fan when I was a kid, and seeing it in a live action film is such a thrill.

Show it now! Quick!

A decade In Style

It hit me while leafing through this month's issue of In Style Magazine.



The epiphany? It's been 10 years since I first bought a copy of this magazine, and I haven't missed an issue ever since.

It's quite easy to get hooked on the magazine. It's an easy read: light, funny, insightful and inspired. Their bevy of features, from personalities, parties, homes and fashion, are all very timely and interesting. Month after month, I read it from cover to cover, sometimes even re-reading it until the next issue hits the stand. And believe me, I actively look for the next month's issue on the stands.

Previously, Bufini was my source of In Style. Then it shifted to Mag:net. A few years ago, I decided to subscribe to the magazine via Emerald Headway, (the back issue promo was so irresistible) but I stopped because the issues arrive on the stand way earlier than the subscribed copy arrives at the office. While I was living in HKG, my source was HMV. For some strange reason, they sell it for a much lower price - about HK$20-25 less than in Page One or at great.

During extended travels abroad, I make it a point to look for the magazine. When we were in Mexico for almost 2 months, I'd relish our cross-border trips because that means I'd be able to buy the magazine in Texas. On my trips to Europe, first thing I'd look for at the airport was the latest issue. I've even resorted to reading its foreign issues - particularly the Spanish edition (to help me practice my Spanish) and the China edition (for the unique aesthetic.)

I've even formulated "economics by In Style" or monitoring the cost of the magazine in the countries I've been to. Hands down, it's cheapest in its mother land - the US. In Asia, the cheapest In Style is found in Hong Kong, followed by Singapore, then Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Yup, it's pricier here compared to our ASEAN neighbors. But of course, it's way more expensive in Japan, not to mention difficult to find.

Yup, I think I've elevated it to a semi-obssession. Harhar. And who should I thank for this In Style addiction? It has to be Sheilah Marie! She introduced me to the magazine while we were officemates back in that white building along Vito Cruz. She'd always have In Style on her desk and I'd often browse it during downtime. (Which was few and far between.) Sheilah also introduced me to Delia's - but that's another story.

Amazingly, a lot of the magazines are still at home. There are issues dating back to 1999, and whenever I look at them, i'd chuckle at the photos and think to myself: "Whoa! That was stylish back then?" But of course, with the way trends seem to resurrect every 5 years or so, it'll just be a matter of time before the 90s come back to haunt us.

After following it for 10 years, I've noticed that trends, clothes, accessories and personalities do change - sometimes drastically, other times just a teeny-tiny tweak here and there. But if there's one thing that doesn't change, it's how interesting this magazine is. That's why, in my opinion, this magazine will always live up to its title.

It'll always be In Style.

What's afflicting everyone?

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that the "checkered-scarf-invasion" gone away, a new "uso" is now spreading like wildfire in the metro.



Everywhere I look, there's a Tom, Dick, Harry and Jane wearing a shirt with the word "Affliction" emblazoned on it. At first, I didn't really pay attention to it, but when everyone (and their fathers) started donning these black, tattoo-inspired shirts, I just had to look it up.

It turns out that it's a "rocker shirt." Among its fans are Ozzy Osbourne, Mike V, and even Kevin Costner. While it's being sold in almost every stall in Greenhills, I reckon that Anthem is the official distributor here in the Philippines.

After viewing their site, I conclude that they have nice shirts and leather jackets. But will I be afflicted anytime soon? The answer is definitely no. Yes, they're nice, but borrowing Michael Kors' words "It's just not my aesthetic."