Of on-line journalism

Last Friday, one of the last groups to defend was the "On-line Journalism" group. They studied the intricacies and idiosyncracies of news on the web, and what are the problems unique to it.

One of their findings was that because of the speed of on-line journalism, it's inevitable that errors will pepper the news item. Most often, these are grammatical or spelling in nature, and the writers and editors tend to overlook them because of their need for speed.

While browsing through the net, I saw that finding in action. This was an Australian News website's report on the death of Kim Jong Il.



While reading the article, I wondered what "shoed" meant. Were the people hit with a shoe to get them to cry?



I think on-line news sites should hire more proofreaders. This kind of error happens more often than it should.

Sleeping siblings

On my way to the restroom, I passed by the kids' room and saw my 2 nephews sleeping. And it was such an adorable sight, I had to take a snap.



It's cute how they're so close. Even in their sleep.

Hit Parade

It's that time of the year again. UP is pulling out their creative stops and celebrating Christmas with the annual UP Lantern parade!



Usually, I go there with my classmates or co-professors, but this year, I decided to go with my students.



As usual, each college showcased their best. And here's a sampler of what we saw that evening:

College of Engineering's "Up" themed lantern:


A sweet treat from College of Architecture:


And the most awaited part, College of Fine Arts' super creative entry. This horse parade was just a sampler of what was to come.


It was my students' first time to watch the lantern parade, and they were amazed at how fun and creative the event was. And I'm hoping that this inspires them to be more fun and creative in writing their articles from hereon in.

Sneaky ole St. Nicholas

This year, St. Nicholas is definitely more than just jolly. He's also going around on stealth mode.

I just realized it's 10 days before Christmas, and I've got still so many things to do! Good thing I was already able to wrap the gifts from the school secretaries and my co-professors. So, at least that's one thing out of the way.

Though I'm too old to write a letter to Santa, I think I should. And it would go:

Dear Santa,

Please slow down.

Thanks.

Collective sigh of relief

And with the last defense this Wednesday afternoon, my stint as a thesis adviser has wrapped up. All 5 groups passed, with several degrees of flying colors.

Left and right, I could hear students saying: "Sa wakas, makakatulog na din ako!" And to that my reply was: "Me, too!" Yes, advisers stay up late worrying about their thesis, too.

Oh wait, I still have 3 defenses left to panel.

I have to hold on to that sigh first.

Candy Land

One of the best parts of Christmas is wrapping Christmas gifts. And as a lot of people know, I put as much thought in wrapping as I do with the gift inside.

I was reviewing my Christmas themes for the past 6 years and noticed that they were all very adult in aesthetic. They were mostly fabric patterns, dark or muted colors, and very grown up in sophistication.



But as the adage goes, Christmas is for children. So this year, I decided to tap my inner child (which wasn't really that hard to do because I'm notorious for my immaturity), and thought of a theme that's fun, a bit frivolous, light and happy.

And that's what brought me to Candy Land!



First, I found this nifty candy themed wrapping paper at National Bookstore. The white background serves as the perfect canvas for the cute candy canes in happy colors.



Next, I found ribbons (all the way in Divisoria!) that echoed the colors of the candy print. I snagged ribbons in lime, orange, fuschia and cerrulean.



To complete the candy theme, I decided to make the gift a bit sweeter by adding a lollipop! It's made by Nelson's, and I learned about them because the owners are friends of my sister-in-law's family. Then, add a cute, candy tag, and we're set.



Add all those elements together, and we have this!



A sweet, child-like approach to celebrating the holidays.



Now excuse me, I have some wrapping to do.

Fab Oxfords

Here's yet more proof that the Oxford trend isn't going away anytime soon.

At So Fab! in Ali Mall, they had some interesting new pairs that were so cool, they were covetable.

First is this feminine take on these black and white Oxfords I found last November.



If you give this pair of shoe a feminine touch, it'll look like this:



This has a nice height to it, and since it's a platform pair, it looks higher than it really is.



I like the black and white detailing of this pair. It's really true to the Oxford tradition.



The other pair is this simple patent Oxfords in a rich, chocolate/coffee color.



It's old school cool. It looks like something that Lolo Iking would wear during his younger years.



These 2 pairs are just some of the many new stocks that they have. Which only means one thing. I should steer clear of So Fab!

Daddy Birthday to you!

Another year older, but he definitely looks a couple of years younger.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Luke, it's Calvin

Star Wars is one of my all-time favorite films. Calvin and Hobbes is one of my all-time favorite comic books.

So, it's such a thrill to see this!



They should make a Calvin and Hobbes meets Star Wars comic.

FMM: Kim Possible

Kim Carnes is one of those 80s singers who I really enjoyed listening to. Her voice quality is phenomenal! It's got this hoarseness to it gives it depth. And when she sings, she's almost crooning, but in an uncharacteristically rough voice. So it's such a nice counterpoint.

And my favorite Kim Carnes song is still her iconic "Bette Davis Eyes."



Who won't enjoy listening to a song like that.

I be like Whoa!

When it came down to the final 4, I wanted Angelea or Lisa to win. Among the lot, they're the ones who really have character and stand as a "brand." They might not be model pretty, but as Tyra said, this isn't just about modeling. This is about being a brand.

According to reports, Angelea should've won. But she violated a stipulation on their contract, so she had to be disqualified. So when it was down to Allison and Lisa, the bigger character won.

Lisa is America's Next Top Model All Stars!



Whoa!

Quote of the day

Whenever I go to school, I swipe my ID on the turnstile to record my attendance. Once I swipe my ID, my photo automatically appears on the big screen beside the guard.

So today, I swiped my card as I entered campus. The guard walks in front of me, blocking my way, and says in a perky way:

GUARD: Sir, ang galing naman!
ME: Ang galing ng ano?
GUARD: Kamukha niyo yung nasa ID niyo!

As much as I wanted to snap back with a snide remark, I was late for my mock defense.

Graphic Design

A few months ago, I saw this really nice jersey fabric with a very graphic, art deco print. It was so eye catching, I had to buy a couple of yards. Good thing I did, because when I went to the same store a few days later, that particular fabric was all gone.

The tricky thing about the print is that it's one continuous print all throughout the fabric. Unlike the usual printed fabrics that have small prints that are repeated all throughout the surface, this one is trickier to work with. In order to keep the print intact, the dress has to have no big cuts at all. So I thought, the dress shouldn't have side seams - which is super tricky, as any dress maker can tell you.

Thank goodness for the amazing Aling Bright. I showed her the fabric, I told her what I had in mind, and she gave me this!



With masterful cutting, she was able to keep the print intact from the front, to the side, to the back. The only seam on this dress was at the center of the back part. Thus, the graphic was kept continuous. To emphasize the waist, she kept part of the print on the top portion of the dress, creating this black line in the middle. She also put the blue band on the sleeves of the dress.



Since the print can be overwhelming, she decided to break it up by making this big hole at the back. This show of skin is a perfect foil to the heaviness of the print.



Leave it to Aling Bright to make such graphic concepts come alive.

Marry month of December

For people in the wedding industry, it's common knowledge that December - not June - is the month when most weddings happen. At Dexter's, the workshop usually overflows with cakes during this month. Sometimes, they make and deliver around 16 cakes a day.

So, it's not unusual to be invited to multiple weddings in December. Heck, I remember how I organized two weddings on the same day a few years ago. Good thing it was a morning and evening wedding.

In a few weeks, 3 of my friends are getting married, and they're spaced just a few days apart.

There's Lu and Mads' "Modern Filipiniana" wedding.



A "Country Style" wedding.


And an "International" wedding.


I'm involved in the organizing of the first 2 weddings, and, thankfully, I'm just a guest on the third one.

I better get my barongs ready.

Theses it!

This weekend, I'm reviewing five - count 'em - FIVE theses! Two of those are my advisees, while the other 3 are ones that I'm sitting on the panel of.

And if that isn't enough, I've got five more coming!

This is really is it!

Show me the MARNI!

The hysteria for Versace x H&M hasn't died down yet, and now H&M springs this one on us!



This Spring/Summer 2012, Marni is collaborating with H&M for an apparel, shoe and accessory line. And judging by what I'm seeing in the video, the collection is so true to the Marni aesthetic.

This might not be as high profile as Versace, but true blue fashionistas will definitely be watching out for this.

FMM: A knife and a Carpenter

One of my favorite CDs in the 90s was "If I were a Carpenter."

Being a fan of both The Carpenters and modern artists, this CD successfully and seamlessly blended these two favorites of mine. What they did was ask modern bands to reinterpret classics by Karen and Richard Carpenter. And the results were spectacular.

And my favorite among the lot? Shonen Knife's cover of "Top of the World."



How can you not enjoy that?

Plus, on the subject of the Carpenters, my Mom - who's a Carpenter fan - is celebrating her birthday today.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Viva Versace!

And the collaborations continue!

After scoring pieces from Commes de Garcons, Matthew Williamson, and Lanvin, another piece from the newest collaboration is joining my sister's ever growing and illustrious closet.



Thanks to Mark, who bought it, and Mona, who brought it, this arrived just in time for Ate Bullet's birthday.

It's Versace for H&M!



The bag is alone is nice. But wait until you see what's inside.



It's the purple lace dress from the Bottoni Oro collection. And among the dresses in the collection, this is the one that I had my eye on.


Actually, even before the Versace for H&M collection was announced, this dress style has already walked the Versace runway and caught my eye.



More so when Evan Rachel Wood wore a black version of it.



The great thing about this dress is that it's so rich in detail. It starts with the gold button which is a Versace trademark.



Then the combination of two types of laces sandwiching a solid silk center that curves.


The lace they used is the exact same one as in last year's collection.



What's great about this dress is that it fits Ate Bullet like a glove. The moment she tried it on, she already planned where to wear it and what shoes will go with it.

That's what a great dress does. And you can't expect anything less than a great dress from Versace.

Super Odd

There's this statue of Superman at Toy Kingdom in SM Makati that's a bit off kilter. Ever since I saw it a few weeks ago, I've been constantly bothered by it. There's something quite odd about this replica.



Superman is supposed to be the man of steel. He's confident, strong and heroic. But if you look at the face of this statue, it's anything but.



I'm not sure what look they're going for. Is it "Super clueless," "Super dumb," "Super sleepy," "Super puyat," or maybe even "Super constipated."

Whatever it is, it's super odd.

By any other name

After meeting with my florist on a wedding I'm organizing this December, she gave me a cabbage rose that she imported from Europe.



Unlike the usual cabbage roses, this one really looks like a cabbage. As in, the vegetable! All you need to do is step back, and you'll know what I mean.



If you look at it from the side, it looks like your regular, green, leafy vegetable. It looks like it. And it smells like it, too. If you don't tell people what it is, they'll most likely put this flower in a salad bowl and not in a flower vase.



On my way home, people kept on asking me what this flower was. I even heard remarks like: "Ano yung hawak niya? Repolyo?"


Well, I can't blame them. This cabbage rose does look like the love child of a cabbage and a rose.

But hey, it's still a rose.

Chic to Chic

Today marks a chic occasion which deserves a chic greeting.

Happy Birthday, Ate Bullet! Here's to another fun and fashionable year.



And speaking of chic, she's definitely rocking the chic Kamiseta Limited dress that I spotted last August.

Color story: Black and White

Most of this weekend was spent running errands. Aside from personal matters that I had to attend to, I also had to meet 2 friends who are getting married and have asked for my help in organizing their big day.

Since most of the errands and meetings were at the mall, it was inevitable for me to look around in between appointments. And it was also inevitable that I found interesting pieces that were covetable. So, it was inevitable that I came up with this black and white number in that short span of time.



Color is cool and fun. But sometimes, one just wants to go back to the basics and go black and white. And this combination has a nice, retro feel to it. Looking at the entire ensemble, I can't help but get a Lucille Ball vibe.

To start, there's this white, silk shirt which is the same as the cobalt blue number I wrote about a few days ago. It's a crisp and chic shirt that will go well with practically everything.



Then, there's this black skirt which is a bit full, and with a garterized waist. With its fullness, it creates that 50s vibe that's very "I Love Lucy."


Finally, to create that "Masculine/Feminine" balance, this ensemble is capped by these black and white oxfords. Normally, the above ensemble would look best with black ballet flats, but this pair of oxfords give the look an edge.


Knowing Ate Bullet's penchant for black and white, I'm sure she'll like this ensemble.

Weekend at the street

Today, I'm reading the book that Shashie Friend gave me last Christmas. Yet again!



Being a big fan of Sesame Street, I can't just get enough of this book. It's so nice to read the stories, songs and sketches all over again. Looking back at everything is both fun and relaxing.

And that's how weekends should be spent.

FMM: New York state of mind

Before Alicia Keys sang "In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do," there was another group singing about the beauty of the big apple.

In 1984, Elbow Bones and the Racketeers sang "Night in New York," and I remember hearing this song as a boy. I found it very attractive because the beat was a good mix of Jazz and Big Band. Plus, the lyrics are very visual. So, listening to the song was like walking through a post card of New York.



I should go to New York soon.