Just Deserts

Just like as it happened last Friday, I started the day by turning on the iPod Nano and listening to Friday Magic Madness. And just like what I did last Friday, I'm posting the first song I heard from the station.

Today's first song is a ballad that I haven't heard in ages, so it's great to wake up to it. It's "Desert Moon" by Dennis DeYoung.



There's something bittersweet about this song. It's as if the lyrics are poetic and sad, but the music that it was set against was joyful and upbeat. For some strange reason, listening to it made me feel nostalgic. Suddenly, I felt like I was back in grade school. Or was it high school.

Some songs have that effect on me. Just like Desert Moon.

One week!

Over dinner and on the ride home last Tuesday, Bonique and I couldn't help but talk about Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2. (Yes, we're shallow that way. Hahaha.)

I've been bugging her for advanced screening tickets, and she sighed that even their Movieworld partners have been very secretive about the premiere and how to get tickets.

Well, at least it's just one more week before the conclusion of the saga finally hits the big screen.

I can't wait!

Raina in Manila!

Among the many would-be models that walked down ANTM's hallowed halls, there were two girls who I really rooted for and liked. The first was Melrose from Cycle 7, and Raina from Cycle 14. Both were excellent models, but strangely, both ended up as first runner up. 

They deserved to be winners in their respective batches, if you ask me.

As I was reading about Raina today, I found this photo of her:

Coolness!

I wonder if she's going to Trinoma like Allison and Dominique did. Because if she is, I'm going to rein myself and see Raina!

Direk to the point

My family surprised me with this cake on my birthday. While we were having dinner at City Buffet, the "Happy Birthday" song started to play and the staff came out with this cake. I was surprised because it was the 3rd time the "Happy Birthday" song was played and the singing group went to 3 other tables, so I thought I was safe.

So I thought. 

Being a Creative Director is sometimes hard to visualize. To my family, my provide is to give direction in making campaigns, so it's pretty much like a regular director. And the trimmings along the side of the cake makes me feel like a star! Harhar.

It was really a wonderful cake from my equally wonderful family. 

LFLTAT: Give Givenchy

One of the more iconic pieces from the Fall 2011 collection of Givenchy was the Panther dress. It was a simple dress with an elaborate scarf print comprised of orchids and a black panther.

Since it was launched, there were so many high profile celebrities and models who wore the dress.  It was such an easy dress to rock given the rock and roll quality of it all.

The original dress is worth around $1,200.00, but thanks to SM Department Store and The Landmark, you can get the look for less than a thousand.

Like so:

The mini-dress is from the SM Studio Collection and is a perfect replica of Givenchy. The dress was made with a soft yet structured material, and the print was spot on. This was on sale when I saw it, and it only cost P600.00.

See the panthers?

Since it was quite short and Ate Bullet is quite tall, I paired it with a simple pencil cut black skirt. This was scored at The Landmark for P249.75. So, this Givenchy inspired look only rings up to P849.75.

You got to give it to SM and The Landmark for letting people come up with looks like these.

Fashion Accent

During the long weekend, I was finally able to watch my DVD of Project Runway season 9. It's been on my shelf for quite sometime, but it was only yesterday and today that I got to watch it.

While the designers for season 9 weren't as fashion forward or experimental as the previous seasons (I think the best seasons were 4 and 5 with Christian and LeAnn respectively), there was one thing about this batch that stood out.

Their accents. In particular, the accents of Anya and Olivier.

It was fun watching these two contestants talk because their accents were so distinct. Olivier had this strange European accent which sounded so rich and regal. It was odd because he was born in the US and raised in Taiwan, so this accent comes from left field. Yes, he did study fashion in Italy for a few years, but I'm not sure if that's where it came from.

Anya's Caribbean/Trini accent was also so endearing. I couldn't help but imagine her saying "ey, mon" with every sentence. 

After completing the entire season, it turns out that Anya won season 9 as well. So, it's not just her accent that's a winner. She is, too.

Smoking Hot

One of fall's biggest trends in terms of footwear is the Smoking Slipper. 

If you're wondering where the name came from, the "Smoking Slipper" was part of the proper smoking attire for men. This often included a velvet robe and a pipe. If you need a visual peg, think Hugh Hefner in the Playboy mansion. Scary, but true.

Needless to say, the Smoking Slipper was initially made for men. But with the advent of the "boyfriend" trend, women got into the Smoking Slipper action by using them in lieu of the usual ballet flats. Which is quite cool, if you ask me.

In the Philippines, the best gauge whether a trend is going full steam is when it starts appearing on the shelves of SM Department Store. After all, they've got it all for you. Harhar.

Lo and behold, the Smoking Slipper has appeared in SM, and has arrived in my sisters' shoe racks. That's courtesy of Parisian, which comes in this new, snazzy box.

And it comes with a dust cover, too. Not bad for something worth P600.00!

Now, on to the main event. Presenting, the Smoking Slippers from SM! (Sounds like a cheesy B-movie title.)

The first pair is a Smoking Slipper in black suede. Now to keep it from looking too plain, it added an element that's also on-trend for fall - hardware!

These Smoking Slippers have silver studs with rounded edges. I actually saw a version of this with spikes instead of studs. While they look very attractive, it can also be very deadly. I kid you not.

The black pair is for Ate Bullet, while I got a teal blue pair for Ate Lissa. Between my two sisters, Ate Lissa is more adventurous in terms of color and aesthetic.

Initially, I wasn't too keen on the color. But the more I looked at it, the more it grew on me.

Finally, they have another ultra chic pair, and this time it has texture as detail.

If you look at it closely, it has the texture of snakeskin, which is made more luxe by the fact that it's done in black patent. This is so Audrey Hepburn-meets-Valentina! Harhar.

Ate Bullet liked her Smoking Slippers so much that she wore it on the spot along with her Kate Moss inspired look. And overall, I'd say the word to describe her is the same word to describe the slipper.

It's Smokin!



(Sorry, I couldn't help but add a Jim Carrey reference.)

FMM: Real Nice

Today started with me trying out the iPod nano that Mark sent.

Since I haven't loaded songs on to it yet, I used the radio function and tuned into - what else - Friday Magic Madness on 89.9!

And what's the first ever song that played on this gift from Mark? Cheryl Lynn's "Got to be real."



Yup, today has got to be real. Real nice.

I'm ready for this Jelly

Two years ago, I discovered Nips Jellies in the supermarket and was hooked on it. In fact, I even dedicated a class activity for the product. It was that good and addicting.

After a few months of my discovery, they were gone. Apparently, it was just one of those special edition products and the company opted to discontinue it. I was so disappointed to a point that I was telling Bonique to please ask the Gokongweis to bring it back.

Last Wednesday, I went to the supermarket and found this:

They're back! And I bought 6 packs! And I ate 4 packs in one sitting! And I'm ending each sentence with an exclamation point!

Yup, Nips Jellies has the tendency to excite me that way.

Treat or Treat!

It's Halloween today! So, it's commonplace to see kids in costumes hopping from one place to the other shouting "Trick or Treat!"

When I got home, I got a treat of my own! But it's not a halloween treat, but an early birthday treat that Mark sent from Japan. Woot! Woot!

It came wrapped in two bags of plastic and a box. Mark's reaction when I told him about the wrapping was: "Talk about paranoid."

Inside the box was this nice, white box. It's a familiar looking box, and here's what's inside:

An iPod nano! A Product(Red) one at that!

It's slim, touch screen, has multiple features, and it's red! I'm such a big fan of the color red~

Did I mention it's red?

This is the second red iPod that Mark gave me. The first one was in 2007 when he gave me this other iPod nano. After 5 years, it's still working fine. In fact, I usually travel with it and kept me company during my trip to Japan last June.

(Old nano, meet new nano)

It's Halloween today! And while everyone is shouting "Happy Halloween!", I'm actually saying "Happy Birthday!", thanks to this wonderful and early present from Mark.

Now that's a treat!

Happily Never After

I'm a huge fan of comics, especially the humorous titles. Growing up, I read a lot of Archie, Garfield, Blondie, Beetle Bailey and a whole lot more.

When I got into college, we had to read more textbooks and less comics, so I began to appreciate those one-box comic strips. In particular, I got hooked on Gary Larson's "The Far Side," which I thought was genius. Imagine, telling a funny story with the use of just one frame! Genius!

And speaking of genius one-frame cartoons, I found two strips from "Mother Goose and Grimm" which were perfect examples of brilliance.

The strips actually poke fun at the Disney Princesses, and they use famous American TV shows as reference.

Here's their take on CSI:

And another on Desperate Housewives:

I couldn't stop laughing while looking at these comic strips. I've said this before and I'll say it again, these strips are genius. It's the type of comic strip that's so good, I wish I wrote it myself.

How NOT to suggestive sell

Having been part of the fast food industry for a few years, I know a thing or two about "suggestive selling."

In QSR parlance, "suggestive selling" is when you offer the customer some added items over and above what they ordered to "complete their dining experience." That's basically a euphemism for "getting them to spend more."

While I was buying dinner tonight, the waitress tried to do some suggestive selling on me. This is what ensued:

SHE: Sir, so ang order niyo, isang chapchae and isang kimchi.
ME: Yes, that's right.
SHE: Sir, gusto niyong i-upgrade to a meal yung order niyo para may iced tea na.
ME: No, thanks.
SHE: Kasi sir, mag-a-add lang kayo ng P8.00, may large iced tea na kayo.
ME: Actually, hindi kasi ako umiinom ng iced tea. Bawal sa akin ang caffeine.
SHE: (pauses) Okay lang 'yon, sir. Flavoring at sugar lang naman ang iced tea namin. Wala namang tea iyon, so wala ding caffeine...

Needless to say, I still didn't get the iced tea.

That's Swift

It's true that I'm more partial to old songs from the 70s and 80s. As I've written on this journal so many times, the 60s to 80s must've been the golden decades of music because everything was well written and beautifully sung.

But there are times when some younger singers surprise me. Some of them have songs that are nicely written and very catchy. One of those younger singers who I like to listen to is *drumroll please* Taylor Swift! *insert canned laughter here.*

Fine. It's a guilty pleasure. You got to admit, though, the girl does come up with catchy songs. Not only that, she writes and composes her own songs, too. So it's no wonder that most of her songs are about young love. (Or lack thereof.)

"Love Story" first caught my attention courtesy of the trailer of the film "Letters to Juliet." I've been listening to it ever since.



"Should've said no," is her attempt at angst, which she delivers.



And speaking of angst, her latest song "We're never ever ever getting back together," sounds so bitter that it's sweet!



From her first album until her latest, she's pretty consistent in terms of the theme and subject matter of her songs. It makes me wonder what's next for her.

Taylor better be swift in writing those new songs. I can't wait to hear what she'll come up with next.

Better late than never

It's been almost 2 years when the capsule collection of Lanvin dropped in H and M stores worldwide. I think everyone knows how crazy that went - people camping and sleeping outside stores the night before, mad scrambling for 15 minutes, and all sorts of crazy fashion stunts.

Thankfully, I was able to get 4 pieces from that collection - 2 necklaces and 2 dresses. And while my sisters and friends were happy with their Lanvin loot, there was always one dress which I'd like to call "the dress that got away." It's this tulle and organza ballerina dress which was one of the biggest sellers.

A few weeks ago, my friend from Luxemborg sent me an email message. She was one of the people who I contacted last November 2010 to try and secure some items for me. The reason for her sudden email? She said that sometime in January 2011, she passed by an H and M store and saw the ballerina dress that I asked her to buy. And she did!

Unfortunately, she was in the process of moving flats that time, so she packed the dress and forgot about it. That's until she opened some of her boxes recently.

So, almost 2 years since the capsule collection of Lanvin dropped, the tulle and organza dress is finally here!

It's as chic as I imagined it to be.

And it comes with a belt, too.

Usually, I'm not a fan of things that come in late. But in this case, I'm just happy it arrived.

FMM: Never ending Hello

One time in class, we played this game where I'd pick a word and the class would try to identify as many movies with that word in the title. Some time back, Mark and I used to play this game as well, sometimes with countries (name as many countries that start with V) or songs (name as many songs as you can with the word "go.")

Since it's a Friday, I began to think of old songs that have "Hello" in the title.

The first thing that came to mind was Lionel Richie's "Hello," followed by Sergio Mendes' "The trouble with Hello is Goodbye." Then, there's this song that Rona sang beautifully during our videoke session last week at Good Times.



After Rona sang it, I remembered how much I liked this song when I was younger. Everything about it - from the lyrics to Randy Crawford's voice - is flawless. That's why this Friday, I thought I'd say hello to this song all over again.

This is going to be epic!

It's a week before November and the posters and billboards for "Breaking Dawn part 2" are out. And I can't be more excited!

(Yes, I might not be a "Twi-hard" when it comes to the book. But when it comes to the movie, I'm a true blue "Twi-hard." Hahaha.)

I can't wait!

LFLTAT: Marc it!

One of the more popular looks from Marc by Marc Jacobs is the "Night Bird skirt." It's this colorful and graphic rendition of a bird set against a midnight blue background. It nets around $450.00 in the US.

When SM Department Store says "We've got it all for you," they aren't kidding. As proof, they also have their own version of the Night Bird skirt on the rack. And it's just P600.00!

It has the same graphic and same color. The only difference is that the cut of the skirt from SM is more lady-like. It has a pencil cut silhouette with a bit of pleating in front. I actually prefer this version than the original one which is too short and flouncy.

Pair it with a midnight blue top with white piping that you can get for P300, and you've got an outfit that's casually cool, and echoes Marc by Marc Jacobs.

And of course, it's a look for less than a thousand.

LFLTAT: Imitate Kate

Kate Moss has long been known as a purveyor of "casual cool." While she's always dressed to the nines in high fashion on the runway and red carpet, she's fashionably down-to-earth during her days off.

One of her recent looks is this laid back ensemble consisting of a black button down shirt and a pair of pink trousers with a black belt. I must say, the look is flawless.

The great news is, you don't have to be Kate Moss nor earn like her to get this look. Just hop over to The Landmark and you can find this look for less than a thousand pesos!

For this version, the black shirt is made of chiffon which is lighter than what Kate Moss is wearing. This also has epaulets on the sleeves.

The pair of pants is very similar to Kate's. It's a salmon pink pair that's tapered, and it's held together by a thin black belt.

This entire look rung up to less than P900.00! Now that's what you call high street at a very low price. I'm sure Kate Moss would be pleased.

So Narciso!

And the collaborations just keep on coming!

A few weeks before the Maison Martin Margiela collection drops, Kohl's is coming up with their own - and first - designer collaboration. And it's no other than the maestro of minimalism - Narciso Rodriguez!

Yes, he of the "Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy wedding gown" fame is bringing his signature tailoring and making them budget friendly. After looking at the look book, there are 3 items that I'm instantly liking:

First, a color blocked shift dress. It has the perfect length and the black panels are slimming.

Second, a printed shift dress.

Third, a color blocked skirt and blouse combo. The play of colors is just superb!

I know my sisters already have some pieces from Narciso Rodriguez's main line in their closets. But I'm sure they'll be so happy to have these diffusion pieces in their wardrobes as well.

Read all about it!

While poring over the my iPhoto folder and checking out the photos from our Mind Museum trip last September, this one grabbed my attention.

Yes, it's a very appropriate photo to find. Mainly because I'm about to start reading my students' final papers.

Time to start reading!