ByeByeBye

Sigh. I started this blog over five years ago and it has always been a source of comfort for me. There's only thing that I ever regret doing: changing my original pink/black layout! I miss it!

I'm not limiting the new blog to fashion anymore. I thought I was going to get used to the idea of having 2 blogs but I must say I really don't like it. I'm feeling pretty OC about it.

I won't ever delete this blog. I'll do some back-reading when I'm bored and laugh at the bajillion grammatical errors!

So, if you want to read more of what I have to say in life, may I direct you to the one and only link on the sidebar. :D

MUJIFY

I'm so excited about Muji, which opens TODAY people!, and I already know what to buy!!!

A London map handkerchief!!! Aaaahh*high pitched squeal*aahhhh!!!

I'm sure I'll also end up with a shirt or two. I love baggy Japanese shirts. Wanna go N-O-W!

Fake MacBook

I'd love to see where everyone else puts their free Apple logo stickers. :)

I have come to a decision.

I ordered the new iPod touch!

I'm a sucker for personalized things. It has to be engraved so I ordered online. Now, I have to tell the boyfriend to check out my apps wish list.

Awesome Randomness

It's not very usual that something which happened at work is interesting enough to be blogged about on this great blog. Today, however, is an exception! For this is the day that I start believing on the principle of the Human Web (a.k.a. the Six Degrees of Separation).

If you like fake reality shows about rich kids then you probably watch NYC Prep, and you know Camille Hughes. I don't follow the show but I've seen an episode and I like this Camille girl. The coat + Jane Seaofshoes resemblance + bitchy attitude made her memorable.

My officemate, LA, is friends with this guy named Z, who is a son of a filthy rich hotel owner and has just graduated from the Professional Children's School in New York. To cut the long story short, the PCS Class of 2010 yearbook ended up on my work area this afternoon.

Flipping through the glossy pages, I chanced upon a baby picture with the caption, "Most likely to write a book about the do's and dont's of being a socialite". With "whoever-said-that-must-be-cute" on my mind, I traced who the baby was and shocker!, it was Camille Hughes! And basically, this was my reaction: "Oh, she is cute." "Wait. I know her?" "Camille!" "She's on that show! NYC Prep!"

Z and Camille are from the same class at PCS. After a bit of research, I found out that Camille stopped attending/got kicked out of the Nightingale-Bamford School and transferred to the "less prestigious" (Gawker's words, not mine!), PCS.

This brings us to the most important part of the story - how I could possibly be connected to Olivia Palermo via the human web.. For now, these are what I came up with:

Me > LA > Z > Camille Hughes > Nightingale-Bamford directress or teacher > Olivia Palermo (Olivia also attended NBS)

or

Me > LA > Z > Camille Hughes > Jesse (NYC Prep co-star) > Olivia Palermo (Jesse and Olivia are both on Operation Smile)

In the show, Camille was portrayed to be that girl who so wants to get into NYC's elite social circle. It could be another friend, an aunt or a cousin who connects her to Olivia. She could be Olivia's half sister for all we know!

Now it makes me wonder, how could I be connected to Osama Bin Laden or that exhibitionist under the train station? The possibilities are endless..

REPOST OF AN ARTICLE BY TINA CUYUGAN

The known facts are these:

On August 19, 2005, Emmanuel Madrigal, a Manila-based Filipino executive of the multinational Shell, was visiting Beijing on vacation with his wife Vivian, his daugher Regina Mia, and two younger daughters. That day, they rode a tourist bus to Tiananmen Square, the heart of the capitol.

Upon arriving at the square, Emmanuel Madrigal was the first to descend from the bus, followed by Vivian and Regina Mia. A Chinese man wielding a scythe--in some reports it was described as a sword--suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hacked Emmanuel across his torso. He died on the spot. The man also attacked and seriously wounded Vivian. He then slashed at and killed Regina Mia. By this time, bystanders were trying to subdue the man, and Vivian shouted to her two other daughters to get away and save themselves. Somehow the girls made their way back to the hotel. Vivian was brought to a Beijing hospital, where she died several days later of her injuries.

An Associated Press report still circulating on the internet states that the killer was Wang Gongzuo, 25, a farmer from eastern China's Jiangsu province. He was sentenced to death for the murder of the Madrigals and executed a few weeks later, in September. The AP report states: 'Wang's motive for killing the two is unclear. After the incident occurred the Beijing Morning Post reported that he had wanted to 'affect society using extreme actions,' but didn't elaborate."

Reflect on the parallels. A family of vacationers on a tourist bus: the Leungs and the Madrigals. A killer out to "affect society using extreme actions": Mendoza and Wang. A massacre in a public place of symbolic significance: The Quirino grandstand, where the presidential inauguration had been held just weeks before, and site of the civil society protests against the Marcos regime; and Tiananmen Square, since ancient times the symbol of the centralized power of the Chinese state, and site of the 1991 civil protests against the government.

In both incidents, the state failed miserably in protecting innocent tourists.

And there the parallels end.

President Aquino has apologized to the families of Mendoza’s victims and conveyed his sorrow to the people of Hongkong, Chief Executive Donald Tsang, and Ambassador Lin Jian Chao. The Philippine National Police acknowledge that they botched matters beyond comprehension. Philippine legislators, ahead of their Hongkong counterparts, called for a full investigation. Philippine media organizations are looking to their own culpability in the affair. And masses of ordinary Filipinos, on TV, radio, print, and the Internet, are expressing collective horror, remorse and pity over the terrible fate of the innocent tourists, and bow their heads in shame before the Hong Kong people's sorrow and anger.

That is how it should be, that is only right. But.

To this day, five years after it happened, there is no public record of any Chinese official acknowledging the tourist killings in Tiananmen Square and apologizing to the Madrigals, much less the Filipino people, for the murder of Emmanuel, Regina Mia and Vivian. Not a single expression of regret that the Chinese police failed in their duty to protect the lives of innocent tourists in the very heart of Beijing, in the symbolic center of a state that prides itself most of all for its ability to control and contain disorder. There was a total blackout on the part of the Chinese press, and, according to another news report, government censors quickly blocked many internet sites where Chinese users had begun to post comments about the killing. So we will likely never know what ordinary Chinese citizens had to say about about the incident. Maybe some of them were actually sorry for what happened.

The closest thing to expressed regret was in fact the final reported action of the killer Wang, who waived his right to appeal the sentence of execution, and got a bullet in the back of his head.

To add to the horror, it would appear that the Arroyo administration was complicit in the silence. No public statement was ever made by the Philippine government regarding the incident. Unlike in Hongkong, no flags were flown at half-mast in Manila, and no three-minute silence was observed to mark the deaths of the innocent Filipino tourists. No demand has ever been made by any Filipino official for an apology, and for an accounting.

A full investigation of the Quirino Grandstand killing is ongoing. But what of that other killing, also in August, five years ago in Tiananmen Square?

***end***

The event of 2005 of course, will never justify the event of 2010. To the Chinese people, this I ask, please do not take out your anger on Filipino domestic helpers. These are very good people who are already sacrificing a lot to feed their families. Unless they do horrible things themselves, you have no right to punish them.

Random notes on a tuesday

The smell of Kopiko brown coffee is stuck in my nose, and I don't mind.

I'm glad I gave Robert Pattinson a chance. I really liked his acting in Remember Me. There is no chemistry between Robert and Kristen which makes Twilight such a failure.

The day I decided to keep my nails long, I ended up cutting myself. How incredibly mindful!

I ADORE Miss USA's American Eagle costume! L-O-V-E.

Fold it, fold it, fold it, fold it...

Not my text. This was a comment made at songmeanings.net by "Udaho".

Dear Commercial Creators,

Why have you started using all of our awesome music? Are you trying to make it mainstream? I would like to enjoy my music with a select few cool people, and not every idiot in town. However, I'm glad my favorite bands are getting recognition for their killer work. Please let us keep our music to ourselves.

Sincerely, The Cool People

I find it really cute that a lot of people feel this way about "their" music. Although I share the same sentiment, I also have discovered a number of good songs from foreign commercials ("Digital Love" from Nokia being my fave one!).

I'm planning to get myself an iPod Touch now that it's more affordable(yaaaay!). I've been through 2 generations of the shuffle, (didn't like the look of that last one) and for a music lover like me whose earphones are almost glued to the ears, I know I need a "grander" player. And I'm blabbing!!!

Happy Birthday (The Birthday Massacre)

I think my friend said, "Stick it in the back of her head."

This has to be the most disturbing song I have ever heard. But I like it. No, I love it. (Thank you Vampire Diaries for all my awesome discoveries lately).

It reminds me of disturbing movies in buses.
It makes contemplating a sick, random murder sound cool.
It makes me feel scared about being alone in a room.
It makes me not want to go to birthday parties.

Chibi's whispers are CREEEEPY. The lyrics are so f*cking awesome.

IT MAKES ME WANT TO MURDER YOU ON YOUR BIRTHDAY.

Sorry, one gets carried away.

NEWS!

I've just started another blog - a style blog! I'm so excited about it and hope people will like it.

Here is the link, please give it a visit once in a while. Thank you so much.:)

P.S. And if you're feeling extra nice today, how about commenting? :)

23

I really can't believe how fast I've grown old. I feel 18. I don't feel anything changing.

Except for birthday wishes!

Yesterday, because of all the raining, electricity went off for 20 minutes. We lighted three candles and when the electricity went back, I was able to blow two of them (I didn't beat my nephew to the one closer to him..darn!). So, what did I wish for?

1. That Prada Manila will stock BYOBs
2. That I get a new job at *bleep*

It's not that I'm unhappy with my work now, in fact, I feel so lucky to be where I am. It's just that I've always dreamed of working at *bleep* that I would probably take even a janitorial post. (Kidding!)

It was a happy birthday indeed. Thanks to Facebook, greeting people on their special days has never been easier. To those who forgot, well, I will forget your birthdays too, because that's how it works. :D

Mary and Sara are here!!!

My Folio Society books have arrived yesterday. =)



Left: The Secret Garden; Right: A Little Princess

These stories are so special to me. Mary Lennox and Sara Crewe were really my childhood heroes. I cannot not have these books. I am overjoyed. Overjoyed.

I need some cotton gloves!

Happy Election Day!

Much to my parents' dismay, I am not a registered voter. Awww, booo. So here I am playing cafe world and watching Kris Aquino vote instead.



So who will it be, Philippines?

*yellow Prada drivers
*orange Tod's Gommini

Kirsten Dunst: 2010 MET Costume Institute Gala

My favorite MET Ball attendee so far (I've only gone about a hundred people). Dunst is wearing Rodarte for Gap. I love the white this year, a far cry from 2007's look (Google it!).



Photo from justjared

Consistently Stylish: Olivia Palermo

I can give you 256 reasons why I love her (or more that it would need a blog of its own), but for today I'll only tell you reason number 1.

She rotates clothes.

I personally think she's not that wealthy, but she makes sure she looks like one. Unlike her old "social" peers, she wouldn't be seen with a new outfit everytime. She has favorite pieces that she wears over and over again.

In pictures 1 and 2, she's wearing the same chiffon blouse; in pictures 2 and 3, she's wearing the same leather skirt.


Wearing the same jacket..



and wearing the same DVF blouse. (Do you go dog-walking looking like that?)

It's truly inspiring when you see people who are not afraid of repeating clothes, especially celebrities. When I was in review school, I tried not to repeat clothes for 6 months. In fairness to me and my addiction to dresses, I was 90% successful, but it was really stupid.

all photos are from her thefashionspot thread

The Owl Obsession Continues..

You may have noticed I wear a lot of owls. They are my favorite birds. I especially love snowy and barn owls. Snowy owls are very Chanel when young. =)



Slipdress from a Korean store, name I've forgotten. Had to have it.

MORE!!!

Because I am Passion Pit's number one fan in the world!!!

Fine, in Manila.

Let this be our little secret no one needs to know we're feeling HIGHER AND HIGHER AND HIGHER! HIGHER AND HIGHER AND HIGHER!

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead - Coachella 2010

How I wish I was at the festival for Passion Pit. I love them so much, as in love love love much much much. *Please come to Manila!!!* Angelakos your falsetto is sooooo totallyyyyy coooooool.



Hello, amazing crowd.

Here it goes.

I WANT THAT PRADA BAG.

Pampanga's Bestest.

The thing I love most about doing field work in Pampanga is that I get to visit Robinsons Starmills - outlet store heaven, and Nathaniel's - food heaven.

Today I skipped the shopping, because I have been buying way too many things that I don't need (are there such things?! Every sophisticated woman needs a lip brush from France!) to spend my last coins on good food.


I discovered Nathaniel's through a friend. The food is consistently awesome and cheap. It is being managed by the namesake, Nathaniel, who's just in his early 20s. When I found out about this bit of info, I assumed "manager" was just a title because how could he have run such a successful business at that age?! But I saw him today at the restaurant, he was very hands-on and in control of everything. I kind of envy him..for a lot of things but mainly because he's always surrounded by amazing food he could get for free, like this buko pandan salad

- which is the only buko pandan salad I eat. Which means I only eat buko pandan salad once a year. Which also means that this is probably the most troublesome craving in the world if you don't live in SF Pampanga. =( Cecille and I finished a whole tub during lunch.

I also love their longganisa. It's so reeeeaaal. I bought two dozens. And two more tubs of salad. They really make the perfect pasalubongs.

The restaurant also served as our office away from Makati today.

The filing, in a word, was unsuccessful. I'm going back on Thursday, April 15. DEADLINE. SHIT. So please wish me luck. Or pray for me if you don't believe in luck. Just do something!!!

Visit Nathaniel's when you go to Pampanga!!! It's a must.

Dear Fujita-san...(ITR Filing Pt.1)

It's the tax filing season once again! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

No office!!!
No paperwork!!!
No follow-ups!!!
No boring skirt suits!!!

Today's location: Laguna Technopark


(The witch comes in peace!)


I really like this shot I took of Cecille's bag.

Had lunch at Paseo at Greenfield City where the view was quite nice, and where we perfected the art of jump shots.


I recommend TOMS for 12 hours of walking. Two thumbs up.

Fun Shoot + Marcia's Debut!

Photos from my brother-in-law's practice shoot.


My brother told me that this picture below had very bad lighting. I disagree.




After 2 months of living in her ginormous paper bag, she finally gets out!

Because being in-love with the Birkin bag isn't enough

Meet Charlotte Gainsbourg - daughter of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, elder sister to Lou Doillon (who, sadly, I am not a fan of). Like her mother, she's also an actress, a musician, and a fashion muse (to none other than Nicholas Ghesquiere).

I have been googling this woman the whole day. Coincidentally, I'm also currently "compulsively preoccupying" myself (=obsessing) about a pair of ballerina shoes on display at the Balenciaga window last week..


Not this exact pair. It had a different color combination. If I remember correctly it was a combination of Sahara (cream), Cyclade (sky blue-ish) and Storm (gray). Really pretty and screams "expensive!!!"

Upon entering Balenciaga online today to, you know, SHOP, COS I HAVE 545 US DOLLARS TO SPEND ON SOME GODDAMN SHOE, this picture was what greeted me


and suddenly, all I wanted was to buy that pair so Charlotte and I would have something in common. But alas, the only "birkin" I can afford is a pair of Birkenstocks. SAAAAAD. =(

I must also mention that it has a sandal version, which I really like too.


Ako ang tunay na mahirap. =( Not you Villar, not you!

From the UK(ay)

It is a pity to be shooting the featured skirt this way. I couldn't find my camera so I had to use my phone and chop my head off.


The Thrifted Skirt, which I got for -- wait for it -- twenty pesos!!! The waistline and length are perfect. It was disposed to find me. =)


On a sidenote, I am amazed by how many outfits I can pair with my TOMS. It goes with everything.

I am reminded of the Cornetto commercial, "What can you get for 20 pesos?" Well, if you're not into ice cream, you can get a beautiful midi skirt. ;)

Looking good while doing good.

Thanks to Anne Hathaway's personalized TOMS, I finally warmed up to these shoes. Heehee.



So I thought if it was WWWD-approved, it must be worth checking out. I went to their website and really liked the "One for One" movement - one pair goes to a child in need for every pair you purchase.

And today, I got me TOMS in light blue bridgeport. Happy =)



They're so comfy I wish I could wear them to work. I finally have something to switch my Birks with.

Um. Yeah.




If every martini glass has a Dita von Teese on it, there'll be plenty of water for us women.

IN LOVE WITH IRINA'S SHORT HAIR I AM.

Talking like Yoda sounds so poetic.



What else is there to say?!! I fell in love with Snejana Onopka when I was 17, and had an affair with Irina Lazareanu the next year. I've always loved the long hair, especially the bangs. But this suits her really well too. She has had this look since Spring 2010 but I just saw it tonight at WhoWhatWear.com. She's so beautiful. =D

Boy Ching Woo

My favorite childhood restaurant!!! It's a really small place in Caloocan City that serves yummy and cheap Chinese food.

I took seriously high def photos of the food earlier served..

This is "Beef Rumble", one of their bestsellers and my dad's personal favorite. It's beef and squid strips with vegetables in overflowing, really awesome sauce.

Battered Chicken. It's chicken. Rolled in a special batter? Basta, it's good.

By the time our other orders arrived I was already too busy stealing the baby corns to take out my camera phone. But there's one more picture that I took before leaving -

It says, "Boy Ching Woo Yummy food!!! I *heart* the camaron!! *heart* Daphne Osena Paez." Cute. Yes, the camaron is really popular and for good reason. The first plate btw, is signed by Ralph Recto and the third plate is signed by Jolina and her ex-bf Bebong. Hehe. Mr. Boy Ching Woo is proud!

**Boy Ching Woo is located at A. Mabini St. cor. J. Rodriguez St., Caloocan City. It's on the right side of an alley.

why lee?


in a mourningstate still

lee, your work willbesorelymissed. hasyour replacement been bornyet?thanks for the gloveclutches andthepretty skullscarves. the armadilloshoeswere veryweird not to mention extremelyunwearable but becausethey were your idea we all thoughttheyweregreat.

whowilldress ladygaga now

who willhead the house now

why now lee

Getting a bit cultured.

The past weekends I have been staying at home because of my self-imposed purchase ban, only getting out when I have to see the dentist. I don't blame Marcia and my new killer booties for it, it's the Palawan vacation I'm planning that's keeping me out of the shops. Anyway I have found an inexpensive way to go through the weekends until the ban is over - watching the classics! Cecille has quite a collection of original dvds and I rent them for 2 pesos each. I insisted that arrangement. You know what they say, debt of gratitude is harder to pay. =P

Yesterday I watched The Secret Garden (1993) starring Kate Maberly as Mary Lennox. Mary was born in a wealthy family in India. When her parents died from an earthquake, she was taken under the care of her grieving uncle. At Misslewaithe Manor, Mary discovered a garden her uncle had locked up since his wife's death. She also discovers her cousin Colin, who was a cripple. Mary made the garden, Colin and her uncle alive again.

I cried at the end of this movie. The part where Colin and his father met at the garden was an absolute pass-me-the-damn-tissue moment. It was the first time that they ever saw each other in ten years despite the fact that they live in the same house. Colin never gets out of the room and his father doesn't visit him because he's afraid to love him and be hurt again should Colin die. Can you spell touching? Goodness, I feel like crying again.

I also adore Dame Maggie Smith, in Harry Potter, in this movie, in everything! She is always great.

Mary in brat outfits:

What an adorable child. =)

That's for me! Bonjour Paris!

I'm having a very, very delayed Audrey Hepburn phase as of late. Someone kind of forced me to watch Roman Holiday which to my surprise, I ended up liking so much. It was the perfect "Audrey introduction" - it was romance, had a simple storyline and it was black and white (I love black and white). It was good enough to watch another.

So I borrowed the next one and was given Funny Face. I officially fell in love with her in this movie. I didn't know she can sing and dance, too. Everything was great except for Fred Astaire and his SUPER long performances. Costume = amazing - A whole Hubert de Givenchy collection, hello! And shot in Paris too! My favorite performance has to be the song where they mentioned popular spots in Paris because I was like, "Oh, so that's how you pronounce it!"

And now, some 50's fashion!

Audrey, where the hell is your waist?

Breakfast at Tiffany's is next! When I've seen that then I can call myself a fan.

I also have two Grace Kelly movies in line, but I'm not very excited about them 'cos one's got Frank Sinatra on it. I can already see myself skipping that scene where he unleashes his great talent.