Let the countdown begin!

It's all over Facebook today, and that's the only time I realized it.

ONLY 100 DAYS TO GO BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!

Yes, it's time to get into the Holiday spirit!

Lumang Lomo

A few years ago, everyone - including their mothers - were into Lomography. That time, it was "cool" to be seen with a lomo camera and having your lomo photos developed at your neighborhood Kodak store.

Among the most popular Lomo cameras was the "fish eye" camera. The lens makes it look like the photo was being looked at through a sphere, and it was distorted in a very aesthetic way.

When I saw those "fish eye" photos which were so "now", it reminded me of something I'd see back "then."

When we were kids, we had a lot of "fish eye" photos at home. They would be in picture frames, in photo albums, even inside paperweights. We'd have fish eye photos of the family in front of the house, inside the room, even while at a picnic.

Thanks to my Ate Lissa, I was able to see those "fish eye" photos again after a few decades. Here's one of them:



Here's the family a couple of decades ago. And yes, I'm the little, itty-bitty baby being carried by my Mom. Of course, I was too young to remember when or why this photo was taken, but it looks like another of our many family portraits. (Yup, we have quite a lot.)

My comment on this photo is that everyone looked so well-dressed and stylish. From my parents to my siblings, everyone was so retro-chic! Just like the fish eye effect. (Which was supposed to be new.)

Just goes to show that some of the best and newest things - like fashion and Lomography - can actually come from something that's old.

A real life "Bring it on"

In the movie "Bring it on", the football team of Rancho Carne Toros could never win a game were the punchline of the game. But then again, they had a champion cheering squad, and that's more than enough reason for people to watch the game.

This UAAP season, the UP Fighting Maroons lost every game they played. (I was looking at the ranking one time, and we had 0 wins and 12 losses. Woohoo!)

But even if our team sucked this year, at least the UP Pep Squad is the 2010 Cheerdance Champions! Harhar.



That's the spirit!

Dress for Jess

For a time, I knew Jessica Simpson as the pop star who mangled my favorite Nancy Sinatra song "These boots were made for walking." Then, she became the comedienne who cornered the "dumb blonde" market with her movies like "Major Movie Star". (Which I actually found funny.) After that, she became an accessories maven with her line of shoes and bags - which were surprisingly good.

Today, I learned something new about her. Aside from her shoe and bag line, she also has a clothing line.



I saw them while passing through SM on my way home. There were a couple of jersey dresses that caught my eye, and only upon closer inspection did I find out that they were under the Jessica Simpson logo.

One was a black jersey number with diagonal ruching and draping, then punctuated by ruffled sleeves. It's actually long enough to be a dress but also good as a tunic.



The other was a tank with ruffles sporadically placed all over the dress.



Then, there's this dolman sleeved top - also in jersey - with a studded belt.

Curious about her fashion cred, I checked out her website and found out that she has a number of good designs. They've got a lot of fashionable touches but still made wearable.

Looks like Jess has an eye for good design, and I think she should really continue with her apparel and accessory career.

But as for "These boots are made for walking," it's better that she leaves that to Nancy Sinatra.

Say hi to high fashion

Let the smizing begin!



Cycle 15 of America's Next Top Model premiered yesterday and it looks like another competitive batch this cycle.

Of course, what's an ANTM cycle without a "gimmicky" contestant, right? Cycle 7 had the Babin twins, Cycle 10 had Heather, the girl with Aspergers, and Cycle 11 had a transgendered contestant in Isis. This cycle, they have sisters - Terra and Chris, who Mr. Jay fondly calls the "comedy routine." Methinks they're good for a few laughs, but neither of them can be a model.

In an effort to up their fashion ante, ANTM is going high fashion this cycle. They've got a couple of quirky faces in the roster - Rihanna, Ester, Lexi and Ann - all have very distinct faces. (And Ann is 6'2" with a 22" waistline to boot.) Not only that, the winner of this cycle is not going to be on Seventeen magazine, but on Vogue Italia!

Yes, Vogue. That's how high fashion they're making Cycle 15. So the winner gets to be the cover girl of Beauty in Vogue, has a 6 page spread in Vogue Italia, aside from the usual Covergirl cosmetic contract and the IMG model management prize. Yup, they're serious about going high fashion.

Let the battle begin! I'm going to get a high watching that.

Blessed birthday to you

Happy Birthday, Mama Mary! And thank you!



You truly are an extraordinary woman.

Lumpia Lovin'

Polland's fresh lumpia is the perfect afternoon snack! The fresh veggies and the dried noodles add the perfect crunch, then the peanuts, garlic and kuchay add different levels of flavors. Plus, the lettuce and lumpia wrapper provide the much-needed neutrality to the entire dish. What's not to love about it?

Good thing they have it a few buildings away from the office. I can't get enough of it!

I can see the lines forming already...

So it's true! The next designer collaboration of H&M will be with Alber Elbaz of Lanvin! This is fast fashion at its finest! Judging by Alber's interview, it'll be more "fashion" than "fast." He mentions that the focus will be more on luxury, so I'm expecting it to be a bit more expensive than the regular H&M item. (I still remember how shocked people were at the HK$2,000 dress from the Robert Cavalli for H&M collection.) Even if it's expensive, it's LANVIN for crying out loud! I'm sure lines at the H&M stores in HKG and Tokyo will be snaking around the block on November 23. I can't wait to see what he came up with!

Do you remember?

And just like that, it's September already.

Looks like 2010 is just zipping us by like a passenger rushing to catch his flight at the airport. Before we know it, it'll be Christmas already! (But not before we celebrate the birthdays of Mark, Kuya Marv, Kurt, Kevin, Ate Bullet, Mom, Dad and Ate Lissa.) And then, it'll be 2011!

But before all that happens, let's all remember to enjoy September!

Whatta Cheap Thrill

One local food brand that never fails to impress me is Lemon Square. They're cheesecakes are awesome (reminds me of elementary school), their Munch Mallows are divine (especially the strawberry variant), and the Inipit is irresistible.

And everything they make is less than P10 a piece, so it's cheap!

Now I'm adding something new to the list: Lemon Square's Whattatops!



It's so, SO good! The cupcake is soft and light, the filling is creamy and sweet, the chocolate topping is thick and - uhm - chocolatey, and the sprinkles add an element of fun. It's so, SO good, I had to stop myself from eating the whole pack! And this little piece of chocolate heaven is just P5.00!

Whatta bargain!

A new source

Last week, a new, international brand opened its doors in Manila. But unlike Forever 21 (who came in with a big bang, complete with 2-hour queues) this one was more low key and quieter.

What brand? It's the best source of shoes whenever you go to the U.S.



I passed by Megamall and noticed that Payless is now open and took over Centropelle's old site. It was smaller compared to most of the Payless stores I've visited in the U.S., but the layout and look was exactly the same.

Stock-wise, they've got a nice selection. Aside from the usual suspects like Dexter's, Aerosoles and Montego Bay, they also have the "designer" brands like Zoe and Zac, Fioni and Alice + Olivia for Payless. Most of the shoes were on the cheap side, but there were some that were P3000.00.

The men's selection was very small, but I saw a couple of suede loafers that I might buy for Grace's wedding.

While I was there, the manager asked me if everything was alright. He was a white guy who flew in from the U.S. to supervise the opening. We talked about the store a bit, and he told me that they're opening a new one in Ali Mall this week.

Great! Now there's a better source of shoes in Cubao!

Sadness. And fear.

When I opened my facebook account tonight, my heart sank after seeing the profile pages of my former colleagues from HKG. My former colleagues who've been to the Philippines and enjoyed their stay here. My former colleagues who told me that they'd love to come back and visit whenever they have a long weekend.

Now, they have black ribbons as their profile pictures. Some of them have lit candles. While others are just black squares. The photos may vary, but the meaning is the same.

They also have words of disgust for the country and how it handled the situation that killed 8 of their countrymen. I could feel their sadness, their anger and their frustration. And frankly, I feel it, too. And I feel it more because I'm here where it all happened.

I also read the profile of my close Filipina friend who's living in HKG. She said that the friendly stall owner at the market is no longer friendly to her. That people who know she's Filipina now look at her with disappointment and disgust. That she's now ashamed to talk to her Chinese friends, and how she'd just like to lock herself up in her flat and stay there for a long time.

So while there's a feeling of sadness for the people of Hong Kong, I also feel fear for the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos working there. I can imagine how easy it would be for HK nationals to pick on, berate and even physically harm the domestics camping out at Statue Square and the HSBC building on Sunday. Or how easy it will be for them to fire them because of this incident.

I hope the situation doesn't reach that level. The situation is sad and scary enough as it is.

Shame

When I arrived from HKG this Monday morning, the first news I heard on the radio was that a bus load of tourists from Korea and Hong Kong were being hostaged in Manila. The first thing that came to my mind was: "I wonder if the Hong Kong tourists who were on my flight have heard of this piece of news."

By the time I got home at around 8pm, it turned out that things went from well to worst. There were around 8 Hong Kong tourists who were killed along with the hostage taker.

For the first time, I felt ashamed of my country. How could we have failed to resolve this situation and protect the lives of these tourists? They were families trying to take a break and make the most of the last week of summer. And this is what they get in and from the Philippines?

Having been a resident and regular traveler to Hong Kong, I know how much they try to protect their tourism industry and their tourists. Heck, a few months ago, when there were acid attacks in Mong Kok, our hotel concierge constantly reminded us and warned us against venturing into the Mong Kok area. When we were stubborn and pushed through with our shopping trip, there were policemen around the area shielding us from where the last attack happened. That's how protective they were.

And what did our authorities do to protect these tourists?

But I'm glad to know that there were around 10 tourists who survived the ordeal. Although I don't expect them to ever come back to the Philippines. Ever.

I'm a very patriotic person and love our country with a passion. So much passion that I don't see myself ever leaving this place. So much passion that whenever I'm out of the country, I talk about the Philippines with so much pride.

But there comes a time when even the most patriotic person will feel a bit of shame for the country and something that we did.

And for me, that time is today.

That's what I like about you

Nope, this isn't about the song of the same title. Although I must say that it's one of my favorite songs ever since I heard it from the movie "Freaky Friday."



I just arrived in HKG and I realized that one of the things I like about this place is that there's no downtime and you can work from practically anywhere.

The immigration queue was super long (as usual), but since there was free wifi at the airport, I whipped out my laptop and started answering emails while waiting for my turn. It's so convenient! (Although holding my Powerbook with one hand and typing with the other is definitely not!)

So, after the 20+ minute wait before I could reach the immigration officer, I was able to answer 10 emails, and type this entry.

I like it!

Landmark find!

I found Giziku at the Landmark supermarket! It was the last big pack, and I got it!

Woot!

Creative clotheshorse

Fashionistas dream of having a new dress everyday. And one fashionista is making that dream come true, while spending just $1 every day!

While blog hopping, I stumbled upon this blog by a pretty American girl named Marisa. In her introductory page, she said she was in a "creative funk" and wanted to push her creative boundaries while quenching her thirst for fashion.

So what she did was to embark on a year-long project where she'd take a piece of old clothing, usually bought from thrift shops or flea markets, and use her trusty sewing machine and imagination to reinvent the old dress and transform it into a new one.

She's now on her 262nd day, and so far she's been coming up with some interesting outfits. Lucky her, a lot of the outfits she found had nice fabrics, so it makes the job simpler.

Another reason why I find this blog interesting is because Arnie and I had thought of a similar project before. I'd scour flea markets in HKG and Japan, and Arnie will use her New York fashion training to transform it into something new and chic.

We haven't gotten around to making this project real, but after poring through this new dress a day blog, I think it's about time to resurrect the project and finally get it off the ground.

Haw about it?

Aside from Giziku wafer sticks, another constant craving that I have is for Haw Flakes!

Yes, those little red discs that were part of our childhood back in Morato. I still remember buying Haw Flakes from Aling Ensa and Aling Leony's store (Mommy Gallegos didn't sell them in their sari-sari store), and we'd pretend that they're hosts. We'd all line up and the "priest" would give us one piece each.



More than 2 decades after, Haw Flakes is still very much here. The classic ones are the small ones and you can easily buy them in grocery stores. There are smaller and bigger ones at Aji Ichiban. And there's the Fat and Thin brand of giant Haw Flakes at SM's snack counters. That's the one that I'm into right now.

Unlike Giziku, I hope they never run out of Haw Flakes anytime soon.

Giziku, where are you?

Went to Robinson's Galleria today to buy Giziku at the supermarket, and they're all gone!

There's no more Giziku on the shelves!

Catastrophe!

Express yourself

It was a scene that reminded me of my life in HKG.

This afternoon, I went to The Enterprise Center to buy my favorite chicken sopas. Once there, a familiar sight greeted me - a tiangge! And in that tiangge was one of my "old reliables" in terms of fab finds.

Hidden among the racks of ho-hum clothes was this banded sequin dress from Express.



Despite it being covered in sequins, the dress looked very chic and classy. It was able to escape the "Las Vegas trap" and passed off as something very subdued and wearable. This is the type of dress that would look good under a blazer.

Another reason why it caught my eye was because it reminded me of this Herve Leger sequinned dress I saw in SG. If you remove the straps, the Express dress looks exactly the same.



So while I walked in to The Enterprise with the intent of buying a bowl of piping hot Chicken Sopas, I walked out with that, and something way hotter.

Singular and floral

And just like that, Grace's wedding is less than 6 months away!

While most of the major preps have been done (church, reception venue, wedding gown), it's the details that really take time to sift through and finalize. We chose an "English Garden" theme for the event, so I've been poring through botanical prints and glass gardens the past month or so. Everything should fall into that single theme.

Aside from the wedding details, I'm also attending to D' Frendz's sartorial needs. Being a garden wedding, I told the ladies that they should be dressed up in florals. Most of them are going to be dressed up by Aling Bright, so I'm confident that they'll look smashing. The challenge is to find the right kind of floral fabric - something bright and pretty, but not too chintzy or "kukur".

My peg for their floral looks is Cat Deeley in Matthew Williamson.



This is how florals should be done. Simple, fresh, clean and elegant. We already have a couple of nice floral fabrics in our archives, but I think it's still necessary to go to the fabric garden and pick a few more.