Tuesday, July 28

Silent Film Festival


If you want to try something new (well something new at least for me anyways) then you might be interested to head down Shangrila Plaza Mall this Thursday. It's officially the start of the Silent Film Festival - now on it's third year here in Manila.

First film to be screened will be Jirokichi the Rat from Japan (8pm) I have no idea what it's about. Not even sure if this is all too good of an idea. I'm still on the fence about the whole silent movie thing but heck might as well. Will let you know Friday if it's any good.

I Heart Ryan Reynolds

Last night, the fiance and I got free tickets for the advance screening of The Proposal (c/o ETC). It's a pretty funny film. Nothing fantastic but nothing absolutely horrible either. It's the usual Sandra Bullock rom-com so if the "17 Again" or "He's Just Not that Into You" types float your boat this flick is definitely for you.


Plus side: I really adore Ryan Reynolds' body post Van Wilder!

This is why I don't like working out


photo cred: TMZ

Monday, July 27

I Spy with My Eyes: Week in Review

For desserts with our wedding ninong/ninang last Saturday.


Dress by Fashion pill
Pink leggings bought in Archeology
White patent high heels by Stella Luna


For casual Fridays. Dinner with friends at Pink Pepper, majhong night afterwards
Sequences shirt top by Zara
Tanned pants bought at Greenhills bazaar
Fedora hat by Tonic
Gold bangle from Tiendesita
Sneakers by Vans


Meeting with Veluz for gown measurement.
Grey loose top from 168
Bayo shorts and Charles and Keith peep toe heels

Sunday, July 26

Current Obsession: Our Home

It's far from being done. So let's call this a progress report card of sorts. Major construction and renovation has officially ended last week. There are still a lot of tweaking here and there that needs to be taken care of but all in all the Fiance and I are absolutely loving the changes. Of course now we are entering the really exciting part - decorating!

Last Thursday we met with our furniture maker (no more disastrous unopened locks this time around!) I'm glad to say that the meeting went very well and we're just now trying to negotiate the price (although he did give us a pretty good $$$ already, we just wanted to see if we can haggle some more, you never know right?)

So here are some pics from our on-going house project

Dirty Kitchen: We used high gloss white laminates for the cabinets, black granite tiles for the counter top, 60 cm cook top and range hood, noticed that really cute sink - hehe we decided to buy this tiny sink since there's another "dirty kitchen" in the house - that mini sink is basically for washing chicken, as the Fiance puts it. Not featured, the space on the right corner for our refrigerator.

"Clean" Kitchen - For our cabinets and pantry, Wenge laminates were used, White agglomerate stone was chosen for the counter top, bar handles instead of the usual drawer handles, circular sink from Home Depot, Powder Blue graphic coated glass was installed to serve as the splash board. Note: except for the pin lights we haven't shopped for lighting fixtures yet.


We, ok this is all me, I wanted our walk-in closet to have a store feel to it so we asked our dear friend Ricky to install this frameless sliding door. I love the striped graphic coat detail on the glass that we had designed. We initially thought of 3 partitions (clear, frosted, clear) however after having our master's bedroom painted we decided to add the beige stripe detail on the glass. The clear striped part of course is there in order to not block the natural flow of the light onto our room.



It still needs lights, appliances, furnitures and other frou frou items.  I can't wait to fully furnish the place.  Keep you guys posted!

Cinemalaya Goes to UP

In case you missed out the screenings at CCP, Cinemalaya gives you another chance to catch some of this year's awesome indies.

July 28, Tuesday
5 p.m. – Engkwentro by Pepe Diokno
7 p.m. – Ang Nerseri by Vic Acedillo Jr.

July 29, Wednesday
5 p.m. – Astig by GB Sampedro
7 p.m. – Last Supper #3 by Veronica Velasco and Jinky Laurel

July 30, Thursday
3 p.m. – Shorts A
5 p.m. – Shorts B

July 31, Friday
5 p.m. – 24K by Ana Agabin
7 p.m. – Mangatyanan by Jerrold Tarog
9 p.m. – Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe by Alvin B. Yapan

August 3, Monday
5 p.m. – Colorum by Jon Steffan Ballesteros
7 p.m. – Dinig Sana Kita by Mike E. Sandejas

August 4, Tuesday
5 p.m. – Sanglaan by Milo Sogueco
7 p.m. – Best Picture


For inquiries, you can contact 0915-6040072.

Address: Cine Adarna, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City

Looking Forward: Tuesdays at Saguijo

One of the coolest spots to hear indie rock sounds in town will have Pedicab play on their "stage" this Tuesday.


For more information call 897-8629
Address: 7612 Guijo street, San Antonio Village Makati

photocreds: www.saguijo.com

Saturday, July 25

Design Hunting: Ikea

I remember when I was in Hongkong with friends last year, we spent one night scouting for good finds in this gigantic IKEA store. Thank gawd someone wisen up and decided to bring those wonderfully quirky items here in the Philippines.

The online store for IKEA items was by Eugene Enriquez way back December 2007 - www.ikeaph.multiply.com but even better there's an actual physical store (unofficial of course) that's super near my place. Love!


It doesn't go with our theme for the house but I just adore this unique shoe rack that they have.



Address: 120 Kamias Road Quezon City
Store hours: 8am to 5pm weekdays, 1030am to 730pm weekends

Let's Support..


The Tie-A-Yellow-Ribbon campaign

Thursday, July 23

Parking Lot Shot

Thank gawd there was no one there!


What I wore for a kiddie party and the Harry Potter premiere.


Sailor Dress by Bebe

Black leggings by Fashion Pill
Gold sandals bought in Greenhills bazaar



I love my hair accessory. Decided to be Ms. DIY and crafted a girly girl hair clip using my trusty Mighty Bond and pieces from my old shoes (huh?!?).

I Spy with My Eyes

My attempt at channeling my inner MC Hammer



Dark Brown Cropped cardigan by Bayo
Blue and White Striped top by Zara
Dhoti cropped pants by Mango
White high heels by Stella Luna
Crocodile skinned Bag by Furla
Accessories: Frou frou ribbon and gold bangle bought in bazaars

Wednesday, July 22

Shopping for furniture

Disaster struck again yesterday. I was supposed to meet up with our furniture maker at our new place. When we got there, I couldn't get the locks to open. WTH! Sigh. We had to reschedule but I bet he is secretly cursing me to hell and back, after all he lives all the way in Novaliches and I had him meet us up at Manila area. Uh-oh

On a brighter side, furniture shopping always cheers me up. Here's a cool dining chair found, of all places, in Crossings Department Store along Quezon Avenue.



I love them! Although I'm not sure it goes with the design concept we have for our house. But if you're doing a modern romantic themed this would definitely fit the bill.

Dining set: Php 32,000 - eight-seater with 60" squared glass dining table

The Greyone Social Experiment

Hellz Bellz shirts!

First spotted them at the Archeology section in Rockwell Powerplant Mall. Now they are also being sold in Greenbelt 5. Awesome! A bit pricey for T-shits but nonetheless I love them! Gives the average T-shirt/jeans combo a bit more edge.



photo creds: www.greyonesocial.com

Mad Mondays

Last week, my friends and I decided to gorge on scrumptious buffet and head down to Spiral at Sofitel Hotel to try out their Mad Mondays/Thrifty Tuesdays promo.

Verdict: Food was still yummy as hell however, apparently what we didn't expect was for their promotion to hit the roof. Place was packed that even with reservations people were asked to sit on the two function rooms they had to open nearby.


Drag. Ambiance gone. It felt like the cafeteria.

Thursday, July 16

Must Try: Cinemalaya Cinco

2009 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival

It's back! Last year went to the festival with fiance and a friend in tow. We're planning to do the same this year. The festival begins tomorrow and will end its run on the 26th of July. Looking forward to catching at least 4 great indies from this year's selection (Colorum being one of them).
Screenings will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

For ticket information, you can try the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or 832-1125 local 1409

Must Try: Burger Bound

Online chatter this week has led me to my next post.
....

Last June, after dragging dear friends to Frankie De Leon for their gown fitting we decided to grab a quick and not so light snack at Charlie's Burger. Never mind that we all came from Makati and the Commonwealth area, good friend Pamela wanted to try the burger place and so we blindly went to the Kapitolyo area. I have actually never heard of Charlie's prior to that day. So thanks to Pammy for giving us heads up as always on the hottest IT restos/hole in the wall in the food world.

When we got there, the place was packed - which surprised lil ol me. The neighborhood was very unassuming. In fact, I thought it was quite cool that there was a car wash right besides the place. This indeed is the perfect spot for Dear Fiance (what with his car obssession!) and co-marketer's dream Arnold Suarez (who really did have his car washed).




For our first try we ordered: Fish and Dip, Buffalo wings and their Angus Beef Burger (which for some reason I always thought was their Wagyu Burger. Sigh)

Verdict: Best to share the Fish and Dip and Burger. The serving size is just way too big, especially for yours truly who's under a wedding-gown watch. I was not a huge fan of their fries. I like my fries to be really toasted and skinny - think Twister Fries! But their Buffalo wings, according to friends were fantabulously yummy.


Charlie's Burger is along Kapitolyo Pasig. Near the Tropical Hut (Shaw cor. Pioneer)

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Tuesday, July 14

Confessions of a (Reformed) Bridezilla

We were the perfect couple. And yes, I know that sounds so cliched. Or at least sounds like someone in total denial of reality. But we were in the closest to perfection I could imagine relationships to be. We were this two completely different individuals - who led two separate lives, had our own set of friends and our own set of interests. Sure, there were some similarities. We were both adventurous and love to travel together but for the most part, we were the quintessential opposites. He was the yin to my yang, the calm to my crazy. Yet every single time we were together we just kept on laughing and wishing that the day would go on forever. There were no games, no unrealistic expectations and hardly any fights. If any, things are resolved within matter of minutes and have usually become sources of punchlines. We were that annoyingly so-in-love couple.

Then we got engaged.

6 Months after our engagement (ours was a very long engagement which is how we wanted it to be) we decided to start with all our wedding preparations.

And suddenly this massive wave of girly-ness hit my previously sane existence and I began to see flowers as more than just flowers. Of draperies as more than just draperies. And of lights as something more than just the obvious but that which will set the tone for an entire event.

So I set out to plan the perfect wedding for us. Dear fiance tried to be helpful of course, as he always is, but I would have to agree with him now when he says "Guys are far more equipped to handle sudden wedding issues a lot more coolly than girls." Suddenly our near spotless track record begun to show signs of cracking. I would become irritated over the smallest of details. Things that just months, heck even years, before I have professed to the heavens up above that I care nothing about.

Opinions were met with distrust, eagerness were looked upon as the ultimate sign of feigning interest. Small things were magnified. One of my guy friends even correctly pointed out "He's a guy Jakers, he WOULD NEVER know the subtle difference between dark purple and dark plum. AND you don't want him to know either..."

Nobody knows better the stress of planning a wedding than other engaged couples. And the more stranger-engaged-friends I meet the more I realized our shared experiences are nothing unique. Issues do arise over the design concept, the invitations, the tiniest details, yadidi yadida. It's nothing new. Most of them go through the same petty irritations as we have had. And yet the more I hear of the horror stories that was slowly working its way into our relationship the more convince I am that I am losing my mind.

Then one day "we" finally became "we". (Not in the legal sense mind you)

We finally decided to work on everything together. And like the true partner in crime that he is, the fiance tried his darnest to do his fair share of wedding madness. Sure there were still some minor "irritations" here and there but at least now we can just laugh it off.

It's considerably a lot quieter nowadays.

And no, that's not the calm before the storm. After all the bickering we, more importantly I, have finally realized it's just a day - - compared to the rest of our lives!


P.S. Glad to report we're still that annoyingly so sweet and oh-so-in-love couple.

Style Star: Ashley Olsen


I absolutely love the styles of the Olsen twins. It's simply effortlessly chic. Here's a collage of one half of the twins.

Other style stars I admire:

1. Sienna Miller
2. Kate Moss
3. Nicole Richie
4. Mary Kate Olsen

Hmm... I'm sensing a trend. Now to if only I can also achieve their waify weight.

Looking Forward: Lara Croft-ing in Cambodia

I'm so excited about this! It's still months away but I can't help but be all giddy. Cambodia has been one of my dream destinations together with Japan and Johannesburg. 2010 will definitely be a traveling year for us. 2 out of 3 not bad. Not bad at all.


Wednesday, July 8

A Girl's Dream Gown

One of the perks of being a bride is that you get to meet tons of cool designers somewhere between the pre-planning and the actual planning stage. I was fortunate enough to set appointments with some of the premiere designers here in Manila and what do you know, most of them will draw for you even if you haven't booked them yet.

So here are some of the sample drawings from Paul Cabral and Frankie De Leon.


All Grown-Up

Emma "Hermione" Watson in the new Burberry ads... Now I feel old :( hee

A Dog Day Afternoon

Gone are the days wherein parties are thrown purely for, umm, well human beings. Now that more and more women are ruling the corporate world, indisposable incomes from this set are being wisely used for a far more frou-frou-ey affair than what their male counterparts would have agreed to.

Last Saturday, one of my good friends decided to throw her beloved Hitler (shiztsu) his first birthday party. And where better to do that than the ever so dog-friendly Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Fort Bonifacio-Hi Street. There were gifts. Cakes. Candles. It was like anyone else's 1st birthday - Except it was Hitler's! Five stranger dogs were forced to party by their wannabe-desperate-housewife-moms. Soon, other stranger dogs joined in on the fun.


Monday, July 6

I Spy with My Eyes: Black Chic

what i wore for the Marlboro event...



Black top from Zara
black leggings from SM
Two toned open toe boots from Charles and Keith - love love love them!
Bag from Tyler

Event Hopping: Marlboro Launch






July 3, 2009. Marlboro officially launched its newest baby - Strong Menthol. Of course what better excuse for a party.

Where: Embassy. Cuisine. Cafeteria Attire: Black Club Chic Music: Ebony Bones

The event was extra special for us, because our dear friend was the one who supplied the glow in the dark dress lights for the models.

Behind the Scenes


As promised, here are the behind the scenes look from our photo shoot with Adidas. It's for their 2009 UAAP collection. Here in the Philippines, college basketball is probably the only sports that gets huge ratings when telecast. Adidas has wisely marketed their brand by tapping the two fiercest rivalries in the sports, De La Salle University vs. Ateneo De Manila University.

Of course, we all know who wins right? Animo! Hehe

jean, pre-make up

our manager
striking a pose... time to channel the inner top model

waiting for our duo shots

Larry Fonacier