the owl bones

monochrome heart

2012-02-19T18:27:00.000+08:00

What I wore last February 10th to a pre-Valentine's dinner with Z.

I was really planning on wearing something red, but I decided to match him instead, hurhur.

Since there was a possibility that we were going to sit on the floor, I wore jeans.

While this entry may be entitled Monochrome Heart, it most definitely wasn't a depressing Valentine's.

On Tuesday, Z came all the way from his work to my university (well, I was actually at the Starbucks across the street) to surprise me with this bouquet of white flowers and chocolate cake! Thanks to Lavina, Z's co-conspirator, who lied to my face to make this surprise happen, haha! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones!

z day + food coma

2012-02-19T11:54:00.000+08:00

Oh, Valentine's Day. Not everyone is a fan of the 14th of February, but I personally find it cute and sweet when I see people, most especially in school, lugging around bouquets of flowers, sweets, and the occasional gigantic teddy bear, given to them by their significant other. As for my own Valentine's Day, Z and I celebrated it 5 days earlier to avoid the expected traffic (and it did happen) on Tuesday.

Z took me to this restaurant called Kikufuji in Little Tokyo along Pasong Tamo, Makati City. It was my first time to go to Little Tokyo, so I was excited! When we got there, the place was packed; Filipino locals and Japanese expatriates filled the restaurant. We were supposed to dine on conventional dining table and chairs, but Z asked the waitress if we could dine on the floor, just like the Japanese culture/tradition. Though it was located at the smoking area, we still went for it.

Everything in the menu was written in Japanese (not the characters) with little to no English translations. I did most of the ordering, so I just picked whatever sounded familiar. So we ended up with three different makimonos, shrimp tempura, salmon sashimi, unagi kabayaki, and some sort of burger that Z ordered. Let's not forget the one bowl of rice each of us had (and didn't get to finish). Out of all the food, the only things we managed to finish were the California maki, 2 orders of tempura (one for each), and the salmon sashimi. I ended up taking home the remaining makimonos, and Z the unagi and the burger.

FOOD COMA AT ITS FINEST.

More about my Valentine's coming in a bit in the next entry!

pauline

2012-02-18T09:34:00.000+08:00

Pauline by Valerie Chua

Thanks to Val for using one of the photos I took of Pauline for some reference!
Check out more of Val's artworks here!

best you ever had

2012-02-13T18:26:00.000+08:00

Tonight (Best You Ever Had) | John Legend feat. Ludacris

I'm not the biggest fan of John Legend, but this song is just too awesome not to share. ♥

I know it's not the best entry to put up after a long time (tons of papers to do + broken internet), but I will get to posting those backlogs soon/in a bit! I would also like to take this opportunity to say hello and thank you to all new followers! :D

style diaries: kim zulueta

2012-01-30T18:03:00.000+08:00

As most of you may know, I take photos of people's eye-catching outfits to be posted on the university style blog. At times, we have a special feature called Style Diaries, where one person gets the opportunity to showcase his/her personal style in 5 different outfits, accompanied with an interview. We have already done a few, which you can view here. While I had a lot of fun taking photos of the people I was assigned with, I'd have to say this one's my favorite to date.

Here's Kim Zulueta, one of the creative minds behind ZOO, a clothing brand established by her and 2 more of the Zulueta sisters -- Kat and Karla. Finally, after 4 months of waiting, I can finally share to all of you her amazing style.

I hope you all have a speedy internet connection, because this is going to be a massive photo post!

All photos were taken and edited by me

Just to summarize key points in her interview: Kim's style is a combination of edgy and girly, combining pastels and florals with metal accessories to accentuate her look. She gets inspiration from Rachel Zoe, Chiara Ferragni of The Blonde Salad, and Carolina Engman of Fashion Squad. She also shares her top 3 rules of style: wear something comfortable, never over accessorize (aka wear all of your accessories at the same time), and lastly, always make sure your clothes, shoes, and accessories go well together.

And that concludes my favorite Style Diaries assignment to date. :)

sm youth feature

2012-01-28T15:13:00.000+08:00

SM Youth recognize young aspiring talents who are passionate of what they do. There are a lot of awesome photographers now a days especially with availability of technology, now everyone has an access. But its not just about the tools, its about the content. Check out the works of Lesley Choa, 21 years old from Manila as she shares her vision of today’s youthful taste via street style photography with her exclusive access to campus fashion. We are excited to work with her in the future!

SM Youth's feature on me and my photography!

Many thanks to Revo Naval (or better known as Revolution) for introducing me to SM Youth's upcoming project!
Really excited and can't wait! :)

the devil in miss wilson | rogue december 2011

2012-01-22T17:07:00.000+08:00

ph. Mark Nicdao

This is the first time I'm posting an editorial from a local magazine, and I should have done it months ago starting with the October 2011 issue of the same magazine with Anne Curtis stealing the limelight. But before that, and I will get around to posting that, here's Georgina Wilson, all smokey-eyed and red-lipped, with the sexy matador vibe exuding off her. What's not to love about these photos? Mark Nicdao, you never cease to amaze me.

Styling Pam Quinones | MUA Robbie Pinera | Hair Raymond Santiago

50 reasons not to date a photographer

2012-01-18T20:20:00.000+08:00

personally made by me, using a picture of yours truly from 2 years ago

Found this little list on a tumblr blog and thought it was hilarious! While some are a bit too much, perhaps for satirical purposes, some are actually accurate to me (in bold with some comments in italics)!

They rather hold their bulky camera, than hold hands with you.
On a romantic date, you’ll watch the sun go down and think “Wow this is gorgeous” and they’ll go “mirror lock, tripod, and stop down f/8 at 1/125”. Can't miss a great sunset/sunrise!
You’ll never be able to enjoy TV, movies, or magazines because they’ll point out all the visual flaws.
They like to sit in obscure coffee shop and voyeuristically watch people for great lengths of time.
If you’re taking a walk outside and you come across some “interesting light” they will make you sit/stand/pose in public so that they can take a photo.
You’ll never get to enjoy freshly cooked meals because they’ll spend 15 minutes taking 20 variations of the same dish with their iPhone. Not that I have an iPhone, but taking pictures of food for a few good minutes? Yep.
They get angry when your friends go up to them and say “I am interested in photography, can you recommend a good camera for me? Nothing professional, I just want to take pretty pictures”.
You’ll wait longer for them to finish analyzing art in a museum than you’ll wait at the DMV.
Same goes with old used bookstores.
When you think they’re giving you their undivided attention, they’re really wondering how they could fix you with a little Clone Tool and Patch Tool.
Or they are actually using you to not look so creepy as they people watch everything going on around you.
They rather drop $1,000+ on new glass than a purse for you.
You can’t take a photo with them without taking at least five more.
If you ask them if you look fat, they’ll say “don’t worry I can photoshop you later”.
They’ll never photoshop something simple for you if the content is not up to their “standards”.
That photo they randomly took of you yesterday? Good luck getting them to send it to you. Guilty! It can take me weeks/months HAHAHA I'm sorry to those who experienced this firsthand!
They spend all their time on the computer (and not for porn).
They can’t have a normal conversation with throwing acronyms and random numbers.
They still use film cameras.
They spend a lot of time with people cooler than you i.e. models, actors, musicians, successful rich people.
They’ll be fussy over the position of a common household object, like a coffee cup.
They won’t return your calls or text messages, but you can bet they’re still posting pics on Instagram.
They like watching old films that you’ve never heard or will ever understand.
They like looking at weird things in general.
Instead of having penis-envy, they have camera-gear-envy.
If there’s a natural disaster in a far away land, they’re already on a plane going over there.
Everything is watermarked.
They think everyone else’s photos suck.
They want to color correct a lot of scenes from Twilight and Jersey Shore.
They hate rainbows, especially ones spinning in a circle. Oh, rainbow wheel.
Whenever you’re in a group talking and the conversation goes deep, they’re taking notes in some form of Moleskine.
They use over priced Moleskine notebooks. I have some, but I don't really use it? Hurhur. I think some ladies will understand me when I say: form over function when it comes to notebooks.
They like trespassing into old abandoned buildings filled with health hazards.
They always want to show a new photo they took, but don’t really care if you like it or not.
They hate your n00bie friend’s new artsy profile picture.
Bright, sunny days make them sad, but cloudy, overcast days are apparently great! Bright sunny days are awesome! Natural light/daylight for the win!
They’ll take you into places that have “culture”, as well a high chance of getting mugged.
Your birthday present will be a portrait that they’ve taken of you.
You can’t go anywhere new without them stopping to take a photo of everything and anything.
They will always bug you to be a test subject.
Nothing can ever be naturally pretty, everything must be fixed in Photoshop.
Bringing their camera means, bringing 50lbs of equipment.
If you break any of their things on accident, you’ll owe them thousands of dollars.
You can’t get them a birthday/Christmas present without spending at least $500.
They are natural hoarders, collecting and keeping piles of old newspapers, packaging, magazines, and other things that “inspire” them.
They are weird and geeky.
They have hard drives of photos, but probably have printed 10 images. Hard drive full of photos? Check. Printed images? Zero.
They are always secretly judging your creativity.
If you’re ever in auto mode, they laugh at you. Weeeelllll... more like side eye. I'm sorry!
They orgasm every time they learn a new lighting technique.

Hope you had fun reading the list as much as I did!

hello, 2012!

2012-01-01T18:10:00.000+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Hope you all had a great celebration to ring in the new year! My family and I celebrated the New Year at the Manila Peninsula Hotel with family friends like we do every year end. The festivities the hotel comes up with never ceases to amaze me each year. Unlike the usual round table and cloth-covered monoblock chairs, I was surprised to see square and rectangular glass tables with plastic chairs; a refreshing change from the previous years. However, my sister, her husband, and 2 children weren't able to fly in to celebrate with us since my 4 month old nephew, born last August, isn't allowed to travel yet. So.. looking forward to bigger company this December!

Here's a huge thank you to everyone who stumbles upon/visits my blog and has taken the time to view my photos, and read through my babbling, haha!

Lastly, new layout! What do you think? Banner credit completely goes to Lavina!

BRING IT ON, 2012!

farewell 2011

2011-12-31T16:22:00.000+08:00

Swimming it out during the Christmas season under the heat of Cebu.

So this is my last entry for the year 2011 and I'm looking forward to 2012! In line with the upcoming new year, I've been working on a new layout for the owl bones during the past few weeks of December. So, perhaps during the wee hours of the morning when I get home from a New Year's Eve celebration, I will be launching it to welcome another year for my blog. :)

Before that happens, here's a short photo diary of my first nephew's, Gavin, third birthday -- the day just before Christmas Eve. :)

And here's 4 month old Liam!

Have an awesome New Year's Eve celebration, everyone!

See you all in 2012!

a merry starbucks christmas

2011-12-19T18:06:00.000+08:00

Starbucks never fails to brighten up my day, or add more excitement to it. I'm currently on Christmas break, but I think I spent the remaining days of the first half of my second semester in Starbucks, ordering much needed coffee to get a boost of energy to get through piles of readings and numerous papers to accomplish. If I needed a pick-me-up, Starbucks was easily right across the street. What made my loyal Starbucks experience more cheerful during the holidays were the little messages on the red cups. My favorite: let's rediscover why we're best friends.

Of course, a cup of coffee and a side order of Starbucks' delicious food makes it more satisfying when joined with a friend or two, chatting the afternoon away. So this is just a small random entry to share the kind of happiness Starbucks gives me, not only through its coffee and food, but also through the shared moments I've had with the greatest of friends. :)

PS - just some trivia: three different cameras were used to take the above photos;

a Canon EOS 400D, a Blackberry Bold 9700, and a Canon S90, respectively.

mackenzie hamilton | harper's bazaar vietnam december 2011

2011-12-17T12:43:00.000+08:00

ph. Rony Shram

Gorgeous Chinese-Canadian model. Intricate and amazing details on the dresses.
New York City as the backdrop.

What's not to love?

factory girl

2011-12-09T19:20:00.000+08:00

This is what I wore to the Greater Good x Jaime Zobel event last Saturday. With a bit of inspiration from Edie Sedgwick, it girl of the Warhol 60s, this is what I came up with: an all black ensemble complete with tights that Edie is quite known for "never taking it off" and "wearing it with everything". Sans the short hairstyle, and huge hoop/chandelier earrings (I think I made up for that in the bib necklace department), hopefully I was able to pull off an Edie outfit. :)

Can also be seen (and voted) in my chictopia :)

all in good company

2011-12-04T19:55:00.001+08:00

As previously mentioned, the 2nd of December marked the launching of a new design made through the collaboration of Greater Good and Don Jaime Zobel. Due to the insane traffic along EDSA combined with rain, my friends and I arrived at the conclusion of the event. There were still some people, including entertainment and social personalities, chitchatting away with one another while I headed towards the display and bought a shirt for a friend as promised. After a quick conversation with Mike Concepcion, one of the brains behind the Greater Good brand, us five hungry friends made our way towards UCC, where we had a very late dinner.

Despite the worst traffic of our lives, we still had fun bonding and catching up with one another over good Japanese fusion food. We capped the night off with ice cream and coffee, while wandering around the nearly empty mall grounds at midnight.

harper's bazaar indonesia november 2011

2011-12-03T20:12:00.000+08:00

ph. Stanley Allan - PPF

A behind the scenes editorial video shoot done for the November 2011 issue of Harper's Bazaar Indonesia. Shot in the streets of New York City as the backdrop, this wedding themed video shoot and blog entry is dedicated to my awesome friend, Lavina, who is a sucker for wedding videos (myself included). Despite the fact that it wasn't meant to be for a real wedding, may it still inspire her, my friends, and all the romantic readers of this blog. :)

To Lavina, I've said this a thousand times before, but I absolutely cannot wait for your wedding! I will most definitely be there to witness you in the special white dress of your dreams, and to walk down the aisle with happiness written all over your face. Just 2 - 3 more years! :)

Check out Pencil Paint for Lavina's awesome artworks!

fei fei sun | vogue china november 2011

2011-12-01T08:25:00.000+08:00

Fei Fei Sun for Vogue China November 2011

ph. Josh Olins

Capping November off and welcoming December with this editorial!

I wish we had winter here in the Philippines so that all the coats and scarves tucked hidden in everyone's closet could be used, but then again, it wouldn't be too conducive for everyone. So.. making do with the cold weather, or amihan as they call it, that's supposed to be felt mid-November. Unfortunately, the weather is still experiencing mood swings and cannot tell that it's supposed to bring cold weather via northeast winds.

With that being said, it's still scorching hot in Manila.

greater good x jaime zobel

2011-11-29T21:22:00.001+08:00

Having previously worked with Mike Concepcion for the Greater Good x Style Break collection with Laureen Uy, the masterminds Mike and Christian present to you another collaboration, but this time with the Don Jaime Zobel and it's all for the benefit of Haribon Foundation's Road to 2020. Every purchase made brings the country one step closer in restoring the Philippine rainforests.

The pop up installation will be up the entire weekend only at Greenbelt 5.

See you there!

@mikeconcepcion | @_greatergood

chocolate chip cookie cake

2011-11-06T20:02:00.000+08:00

Treated myself to another Venti sized Toffee Nut Latte last night, but this time, I ordered one of the Holiday treats Starbucks also had in store for its customers. Seen above is the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, a giant chocolate chip cookie made into a cake, with dark chocolate mousse topped with mini chocolate chip cookies! That's a lot of chocolate; hence, delicious! And from its name, it is best served warm from the oven. It's supposed to have whipped cream, but I declined the offer. The caramel syrup drizzle is still there though! :)

starbucks holiday red cups

2011-11-04T19:49:00.000+08:00

You know it's almost Christmas when Starbucks starts giving out the Holiday drinks in their limited edition red cups! It's also that time of the year to drink as much Starbucks beverages as you can, collect stickers and avail of the sought after Starbucks planner!

Yesterday marked the day Starbucks began to brew the Christmas drinks and also gave out stickers for the promo card. As a frequent Starbucks visitor and drinker, I had to have my holiday drink fix on the very first day. Lo and behold, a Venti sized Toffee Nut Latte poured over ice, combined with non-fat milk and the absence of the whipped cream, all put together in my personal tumbler.

I haven't had actual coffee in months and since I drank this after dinner, I was up all night, haha! Glad to know caffeine/espresso still has that effect on me! Majority of the year, if not the entire year, I exchanged my usual Triple Shot Venti Caffe Mocha (maximized for the all nighters I had to pull in the previous semesters) for Iced Venti Soy Chai Tea Latte, and ever since then, I wasn't too willing to order anything else, until yesterday!

I don't know if it was because it was the first day, or if it was because the baristas knew my dad (who ordered for me), but they gave him this short red cup with a voucher inside. Hmm.. either way, yay for free drinks! Starbucks is also introducing their new holiday drink Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha, among the other choices of Toffee Nut Latte and Peppermint Mocha which are usual favorites by many. Hmm.. I've always been loyal to Toffee Nut, maybe I should try the Peppermint Mocha. Not sure about the new one since I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate. :)

Here's to Starbucks and their comforting Holiday drinks!

raise up to your ability

2011-11-02T21:40:00.001+08:00

Houdini | Foster The People

Favorite song at the moment. Got it playing on repeat. Makes me want to dance around. ♥

olivia palermo | cartier international polo magazine

2011-10-20T10:09:00.000+08:00

Olivia Palermo for London's Cartier International Polo Magazine.
ph. Mike Filonow

Simply stunning!

wedged

2011-10-19T11:42:00.000+08:00

Flamingo pose to the right

Finally got to wear this pair of platform wedges I bought last month. I wore this two Sundays ago on an afternoon out at the mall with my dad. They're pretty comfortable and easy to walk in, but of course, like any other pair of shoes, it kills your feet after a long time, though it was bearable. I think I got a half size bigger? I'm not sure, but it was already the smallest they had. Still fits anyway. :)

complementary and compatible

2011-10-16T12:50:00.000+08:00

Here's another photo set of what I would like to call as the most stylish couple, and also as individuals, in our university (or in our batch at least): Maika & Jeian. Taken at the street behind our university, this fun and lovely couple complement each other and their styles.

All photos are taken and edited by me.

sasha pivovarova for reserved - bts

2011-09-25T15:38:00.000+08:00

ph. Agata Pospieszynska

Seriously can't get enough of Sasha.

a very potter birthday

2011-09-18T12:55:00.000+08:00

As a part two of BLi's birthday celebration last Saturday, we planned another surprise party for her last Tuesday night. Since she's a Harry Potter fan like the rest of us, it would only be appropriate to throw her a simple Harry Potter themed party, complete with a cake, a Sorting Hat cut-out, the Elder Wand and Potterpuppet Pals' version of Snape & Harry (handmade by the very talented Zhayne)! Though a lot of people weren't able to make it, it was still successful nonetheless. BLi's mom and her boyfriend (who came up with the cake idea in the first place) were also part of the plan, and BLi had absolutely no idea. :D

Cheers to being legal all over the world!

heather gray sweater

2011-09-17T14:39:00.003+08:00

What I wore last Saturday during our dinner at Torch. :)

Yep, I'm in black and gray again and wearing the same pumps.

Sweaters are awesome even in the heat of Manila, but the 'ber' months are here so it's bound to get colder. Well, I hope it does! You can never tell since the weather here is (and has been) so bipolar. The skies can't decide if they want the sun out or let the rain fall.

like you never had a love

2011-09-16T22:43:00.000+08:00

How to Love | Lil Wayne

Definitely far from the usual of Lil Wayne's music, but still a great song. ♥

great food, great friends

2011-09-13T10:55:00.000+08:00

So the baby of my high school group of friends has finally joined the 21 Club. We celebrated her birthday two days in advance with a dinner at Torch, a restaurant I've always been meaning to try but never got around to until last Saturday. Torch's menu specializes in fusion with no set theme for the food, and here are some of the food that we ordered and enjoyed.

Truffle Fries | Volcano Roll | Leaning Tower Pizza

We ordered salpicao and salmon as well, but unfortunately forgot to take a photo of it, lol.

BLi (or Jessica) the birthday girl!

After that, we headed off to take out some dessert from Banapple and Happy Lemon! We originally planned on staying at Happy Lemon to just chill and bond, but since that place is always packed with people with little to no available seats, we headed back to Zhayne's place with our desserts and played Monopoly Deal, which I finally understood how to play thanks to Chris & BLi! :D

And in the course of trying to write/complete a research paper due tomorrow and other things I have to finish soon, I'll be seeing them again later tonight! ♥

Torch
Home Studio Building
63 Connecticut Street, Greenhills
San Juan City, Metro Manila
(63) 502.0000 | 477.3771

black & gray

2011-09-06T10:54:00.000+08:00

So here is my attempt at an outfit post. It's not much, but yeah.

I wore this to school yesterday and braved the sweltering heat with 3 layers of clothing (4, if you count underwear). If you've noticed, I'm wearing gray ribboned flats in one photo and suddenly change into black pumps. I wore the flats to school and the bought new heels while killing time with Lavina hours before the start of our one and only class for the day. Since the heels went well with what I wore, I decided to wear them for this entry. :)

Anyway, our university has a dress code and sleeveless tops aren't allowed, as well as any bottoms that stop above the knee (but some people get away with it, especially with skirts and dresses) along with other banned items of clothing. We're probably the only university with such dress code, but it poses a challenge to everyone to remain stylish and modest, while still adhering to the rules. I sometimes find myself complaining about it, but I've learned to appreciate the dress code. Challenging for some, but nevertheless, we are able to work around it. :)

girls running the world

2011-09-04T19:34:00.001+08:00

Another roundup of photos of stylish outfits for Institution of Style!

twenty one

2011-08-31T23:52:00.000+08:00

We're at the final minutes before August ends and here I am blogging about my birthday that occurred 29 days ago. Awesomely late entry, but a good-ish way to end my favorite month in blog form.

So, I turned 21 last August 2 on a very rainy Tuesday. It always rains on my birthday since it's the monsoon season and the country did have an ongoing typhoon that time. I went to school for a short while to finish a paper and then left at the exact moment they announced the suspension of classes, which was of no benefit to me since I really don't have classes on Tuesdays, haha! But good for everyone else!

The rainy afternoon was spent at home with a very dear person, who gave me a delicious slice of banoffee pie that was happily consumed while playing the Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Pt. II PC game. ♥ The afternoon was followed by a steak dinner with the family at Old Manila. :D

Another steak dinner occurred 4 days later, but with my high school friends this time! Treated them out to Bistecca wherein, if I remember correctly, a slab of meat weighing 1.8 kilos was shared among 5 people. Creamed spinach, roasted wild mushrooms and truffle fries accompanied our steak as sidings and a spicy Caesar salad as our appetizer for the night.

Amazing friends and a juicy medium rare (I think) steak!

So that ends my steak-filled birthday week. Majority of August was spent doing school work that I had little time to properly blog & take photographs. I know I keep on saying this but hopefully I'll be able to post more.

Anyway, here's to September, the start of the 'ber' months! :)

Bistecca

122 Joya, Rockwell

Makati City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(63) 403.5231

first ever feature

2011-08-26T22:24:00.000+08:00

Last Tuesday, I received an email from Namita of PocketExchange.Become.com, asking if I would like to be featured in their Best of the Web series. Of course and without hesitation, I agreed. About two days ago, I received an email from her saying that the feature has been posted! Here is a screen shot of the site/list.

The Owl Bones is a photography blog that mainly concentrates on my personal life and all the other things that interest me, but most particularly fashion. You will find original photography brought by random moments with friends, academic life or organized photo shoots. Other than that, I also post fashion editorials and home decor that I find eye-catching and inspiring. While I don't consider myself a fashion blogger, I attempt at creating outfit posts, though very rarely; I am still working around the possibility of doing such entries more often. In a nutshell, The Owl Bones is to showcase my photography while at the same time, to share a little bit of myself and my interests.

You can view the rest of the list here.

I wrote the write up myself and I wish I could have written/worded it better. But nevertheless, I'm still very thankful for the wonderful opportunity of being part of the list!

Huge thank you to Namita for making it happen!

anne hathaway | interview september 2011

2011-08-23T13:40:00.000+08:00

Anne Hathaway for Interview September 2011

ph. Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

Very dramatic and romantic with some sort of Gothic feel. I think Anne Hathaway has come a long away from being seen as the geeky princess in Princess Diaries and now she's cast as Catwoman in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. I still can't get my head around it since I think Michelle Pfeiffer did an amazing job at the role in the 1992 Tim Burton version (and let's pretend Halle Berry's rendition never happened). But we'll see, I'm pretty excited about this film and to see how Anne will carry out her role.

maika & jeian

2011-08-23T09:37:00.000+08:00

Well, it's truly been a very long time since my last update and this new entry is a very overdue one. But hey, better late than never right? I will be posting a lot more backlog in the couple of days (or hours, perhaps).

Anyway, here are some photos I enjoyed taking about two months ago of my friends, Miaka and Jeian, a fun and stylish couple. :)

summer of rock | elle france june 2011

2011-07-12T16:50:00.001+08:00

Erin Wasson for Elle France June 2011
ph. Fred Meylan

institution of style

2011-07-11T19:34:00.002+08:00

Some photos I took last month of people featuring their outfits for our university's style blog.

Institution of Style

University of Asia and the Pacific | UA&P

All photos were taken and edited by me.

academic vs. leisure

2011-07-09T19:56:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last blogged. Ever since the school year started, life has been pretty hectic and stressful with presentations/reports to be done, papers to be written and assigned readings to be read in a week, not to mention novels as well. Ah, the life of a Humanities student in her senior year.

So what's with the photo above? Those are the books (plus a magazine) that I've purchased over the past couple of weeks, piling up and waiting to be read. Well, actually the Invisible Monsters has been with me ever since high school, but I just realized I never finished it so hopefully I get to this time amidst academic requirements. I bought The Selby's book the moment I saw it on the shelves, curious to see its contents and wondered if it would be just like his blog; and although I'm not a huge fan of Lauren Conrad (I've never seen The Hills or any of her shows), I got curious with Style.

The enemy of reading books for leisure: READINGS! It doesn't look a lot (other than the fact that it's not everything), but reading and understanding each takes up time, along with highlighting words/phrases/sentences with my ever so trusty orange highlighter (I dislike orange, but it's the only color I can tolerate when it comes to highlighters) and with attempts of writing down annotations on the margins. Don't get me wrong, the readings are interesting, but there are also times wherein it's boring and I fall asleep in the middle, haha!

Anyway, that's all for now. I really need to get back on track updating this blog often!

Until next time!

lust for love | harper's bazaar indonesia february 2011

2011-06-13T19:09:00.001+08:00

ph. Nicoline Patricia Malina

site | deviantart

I just discovered Nicoline Patricia Malina's works a few days ago and I just fell in love with everything! This editorial for Harper's Bazaar Indonesia takes the cake. I love how each shot looks like it came from a movie that I would most likely watch given these. Wonderful styling too. The emotions, story line and chemistry -- all of these are present which makes it even more amazing.

EDIT: 3 hours after I posted this entry, I found a video of the shoot. Love!

lines and drapes

2011-06-09T16:49:00.002+08:00

Style Break's new collection is now out! Here are some photos from the collection that I shot with Laureen Uy and Coleen Garcia last March.

Style Break

Trinoma Crossings, Shangri-La Luca, Rockwell Ruth & Ester

online shop

blake lively | glamour july 2011

2011-06-06T20:48:00.001+08:00

ph. Terry Tsiolis

Despite the fact that I've religiously followed Gossip Girl, I'm not quite sure on how I grew an interest with the gorgeous Blake Lively. It may be because of her sudden push into the fashion limelight such as being brand ambassador for Chanel and with Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour loving her. Not to mention getting a pair of Louboutins named after her and now often appearing on magazines. With all that, she's definitely on top of her game right now, including dating Leonardo DiCaprio. I'm still kind of in awe with that though, hahaha. She and Penn Badgley looked really good together.

Speaking of Penn and totally unrelated to Blake, I end this entry rooting for Dan & Blair for season 5!

hong kong garden

2011-06-03T18:15:00.001+08:00

Back from Hong Kong! I had so much fun going around the city with my one and only sister who, despite being 5 months pregnant, braved the long walks from one place to another (also had fun taking care of her, hehe). This was the second time we've traveled as a duo for some needed bonding since we've been living in different cities ever since she got married. Obviously, the best part of this entire trip is getting to spend it with her, from eating delicious food to sinful shopping.

Here are some photos from our trip. I wasn't able to take that much and most of it were of landscape and food shots. We hardly had pictures of ourselves because I think we were too concentrated on shopping & eating good food, hahaha. ;)

So we stayed at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel just along Canton Road where designer brands filled up the entire stretch. Early on in the morning, you can already see people lining up in front of the stores, such as Hermès and Chanel, and the lines get longer during the afternoon. A two-storey H&M was not too far off as well. Malls in Hong Kong, at least the high end ones, usually have the same stores, so if you can't find an item in one branch, it could possibly be in another. :)

Just behind our hotel was the Ocean Terminal where cruise ships and small ferry boats dock. My sister and I mainly rode the boats to get to another island/side of the country and it's cheaper than riding a taxi. What's also good about riding these boats is that you get to see city views like the photo above. Just wait until you see how it looks like at night. :)

I cannot explain enough how Crystal Jade restaurant serves good food. I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food, but you can never go wrong with noodles and dim sum. I originally thought that Din Tai Fung had the best xiao long bao, but after trying Crystal Jade's with much persuasion from my sister, she was definitely right. I already miss the spicy noodle soup with beef and hope to find something similar here in Manila. :)

My sister's new Yves Saint Laurent Tribute heels!

Just one of the shoes she bought among others ;)

The above photos were taken at the Jockey Club where a family friend treated us to a buffet meal. Italian and Japanese: my two favorite cuisines. :) I'm actually craving for some sushi/sashimi/maki right now.. or some pasta, but mainly Japanese. I can't wait for dinner later.

Just across our hotel was the Heritage 1881 where it features a mall and a hotel. For some reason, there were three brides and grooms having their photos taken for their respective nuptials. I guess the park (if I could call it that) is a popular location for wedding photo shoots. At first, I thought it was just a shoot where the wedding gown is the product, but when the entourage started joining in, that confirmed the actual existence of a wedding.

MORE FOOD! Salmon sashimi rice bowl from HIP Katsu for dinner one night, and then the famous lobster linguini from Cafe Landmark for lunch the next day.

And now I end this entry with two photos of Hong Kong at night. :)

Can't wait to travel again with my sister!

destination: hong kong

2011-05-25T09:43:00.000+08:00

Flying to Hong Kong starting today and will be back on the 29th!

and you played it to the beat

2011-05-24T11:40:00.000+08:00

Rolling in the Deep | Adele

Forever in love with this song.

coffee + energy drink

2011-05-19T19:31:00.000+08:00

I'm such a bad blogger, I can't believe I have not updated here for a month! Summer classes has kept me busy, but thankfully it's over. But it's summer part II and I'll be out of the country for a couple of days, which means little to no blogging again. Hopefully I'll be able to blog more when I get back. I know I keep on saying that but I often get sidetracked. Sigh. I haven't been inspired or motivated to blog either, but I finally managed to open blogger.com and check what's up after so long!

Anyway, here's a photo of the Starbucks Energy Drink!

I was actually waiting for June to come along before I put the drink to good use, but then I discovered it's best consumed by the 23rd of May, so I decided to open one can (I have two).

One word: ADDICTING.

This if my first time to try it out and it certainly won't be the last!

sasha | sure korea march 2011

2011-04-07T20:58:00.002+08:00

ph. Olaf Wipperfürth

Sasha Pivovarova for Sure Korea March 2011

She's also one of my favorite models. :)

And I wish I knew where the red & blue blazers are from. Love! ♥

graphic contrast

2011-04-05T15:32:00.002+08:00

On a very hot and bright Wednesday afternoon, I went over to Gerard's place for a shoot to showcase SM Boys' Teens Wear Department's affordable casual clothing that is perfect for everyone to beat the summer heat. Gerard's best friend, Tj Estrada, also joined us in walking down the streets underneath the scorching sun.

Mickey Mouse: Good vs. Evil

On Tj's shirt is a man wearing blinders with Mickey Mouse ears on his head. The dark/neutral tones of his outfit contrasts Gerard's traditional Mickey Mouse shirt and the use of brighter colors.

Basic Shorts

Gerard: Daily Grind Clothing's "Gai Jin" shirt

Tj: Team Manila's "Sali-salita sa Kalye ng Manila" Klassik

Old Hollywood
My favorite set. Gerard & Tj give tribute to Rebel Without a Cause James Dean and good ol' Charlie Chaplin. These shots also came off almost like an off-duty model look, similar to those found on Tommy Ton's JakandJil blog. Tj had also pointed out that Gerard should have been drinking Coke Zero or Light, but the striking red of the regular version gave the photos a pop of color against the whites, blacks and the green surroundings.

Speak Up!
According to Gerard on his blog, Salt, these two statement shirts (Daily Grind Clothing & Team Manila) on their hangers "didn't really make much sense" other than having speech bubbles, but it turns out that these, as well as the colors, look great together, most especially on photos.

As you may have probably guessed, the styling was done to create something that match or go well together, but at the same time, contrasts each other.

So, that's the end of our shoot. If you want to know more about the SM Boys' Teens Wear, do visit their Facebook page. :)

the first of summer

2011-03-26T10:32:00.000+08:00

First of Summer | Urbandub
I will forever love this song and this band.Hello, summer ♥

leather and silver linings

2011-03-18T22:16:00.000+08:00

Some new things around my room.

The boots from Charles & Keith were the last pair in stock and luckily, it came in my size. :)

A bracelet from Tory Burch that was a gift from my mother.

Lastly, but definitely not the least (!), a ring gifted to me from my sister when she was in Bangkok. :)

ONE WEEK LEFT OF TORTURE & STRESS BEFORE SUMMER STARTS!

which hopefully means I get to update my blog more

you're the best i ever had

2011-03-18T08:04:00.000+08:00

Best I Ever Had (Remix) | Drake feat. Nicki Minaj

This song has been stuck in my head for the past 24 hours and counting.

short & random

2011-03-07T22:25:00.000+08:00

Very random post of photos I took over the weekend and today.

This is a short update just to let you all know that I'm alive. :D

I'm still very much swamped with academic work.

A backlog of recent updates.

Must work on that soon.

CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMERRRRR

young folk, silly folk

2011-02-20T14:09:00.008+08:00

Young Folk, Silly Folk

Greater Good x Style Break

Model Pauline Prieto

Styling Laureen Uy

Photography Lesley Choa

Post-Processing Lesley Choa

Collection available at
Greater Good | Mall of Asia
Style Break showroom

bts: greater good x style break

2011-02-19T15:21:00.000+08:00

As promised, I would be posting photos of what went down last Thursday night (February 10). In the midst of all the school work I had piled up due by the end of the week, I still managed to grab an opportunity to shoot with Laureen Uy of Style Break and Mike Concepcion of Greater Good for their collaboration: a collection entitled Young Folk, Silly Folk. This new collection uses fashion as a medium to increase an awareness in improving and preserving the environment, as well as animal rights, making use of prints and patterns found in the wild and in nature.

The photos from the shoot will be posted in a separate entry, so for now, here are some from behind the scenes. :)

Laureen Uy | Break My Style

Mike Concepcion | Visual Clutter

Until the next entry! :)

wild hearts night

2011-02-13T17:07:00.001+08:00

Last week was terribly exhausting. I had lots of papers to do and some events to attend. But I think the highlight of that week happened on Thursday night. But before that, at around 11pm of Wednesday, I was contacted by a particular person, the sister of a well-known stylist and creative director, to help shoot her clothing line that is also collaborating with another designer's. Their shoot would be on the eve of Thursday. It was very last minute and I honestly had plans on working on my 5 page paper that was due on Friday, but nevertheless, it was an opportunity waiting to be grabbed by the handles. More on that soon and photos as well! I can't post anything until Wednesday, I suppose. :)

For now, here are random generic party photos of my friends & some more people from my university in a sort of Valentines Day event that I attended last Friday night. I was on my feet the entire day, surviving with only two hours of sleep from Thursday night/morning, hahaha!

I should also mention that the party, despite being organized by different universities (including mine), the place was packed by high school students with raging hormones. They were all making out and grinding. Umm.. get a room, please.

poésy in | marie claire us february 2011

2011-01-26T19:29:00.002+08:00

Clémence Poésy for Marie Claire US in their February 2011 issue.

ph. Tesh

Some of my favorites from French actress Clémence Poésy's new editorial. I seriously love the way she looks, especially the messy hair! She could throw anything on and just rock it. Regarding her acting roles, I think she's perfect as Fleur Delacour in the Harry Potter series. Can't wait for the second part of Deathly Hallows! I was also excited to see her play the love interest of Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, but I wish her story line could've been longer. Oh well! Anyway, here's my favorite picture of her:

Paris Fashion Week | Chanel Spring/Summer 2011

Loving the look: simple, classy & effortless!

manila hotel

2011-01-23T12:01:00.000+08:00

Last last Wednesday, my Introduction to Arts class took a break from having a regular lecture day to take an art trip to the city of Manila, most particularly the Manila Hotel, Rizal Park and the National Museum. We first went to the Manila Hotel and toured the archives room and later went up to certain rooms where famous & historical personalities stayed. The Douglas MacArthur room was not viewable since one needs to pay a hefty amount of money just to get in (and stay/check in). One of the suites had a view of the Manila Bay Pier and another had the view of Intramuros. I'm not sure if all rooms are equipped with an iPod dock though. Maybe just the suites. Oh yeah, we went to these places for the Manila Hotel's architecture, the sculptures found in Rizal Park and the paintings in the National Museum.

I unfortunately only have photos from the Manila Hotel because my camera decided to die and I was not able to pack an extra battery. :| Stupid move. Oh well, I hope I get the chance to visit Rizal Park again since that Wednesday marked my very first time in visiting the place. As for the National Museum, I think I've gone there three times already, all for different classes. I sense a fourth one coming as a requirement for another class. I don't really mind because there's always something new to see each time I visit. Also, the Spolarium is really worth seeing every damn time. :)

On another note, it's only been 23 days in 2011 and I'm already failing in my resolutions, hahaha! I sadly gave up on my Project 365 after missing two days. I did reach two weeks, so that's an achievement compared to last year's (I was done after a week, hahaha). The creative planner is still coming along, although it is a very slow progress. No problem on taking more photos. As for the blogging.. still needs improvement! Last week was absolute hell due to papers to be written & submitted and midterms to be taken.

Glad that's over.. for now.

Until next time! And hopefully it won't be a long time before then! :)

bistecca & the ice cream bar

2011-01-09T20:24:00.002+08:00

On the 2nd of Janaury, my family and I had dinner at Bistecca, a steakhouse just outside Rockwell. We ordered the Bistecca 122 in 1.5 kilos and all I can say is, it was the best steak EVERRRR. I usually like my steaks with some sauce, such as peppercorn. They did serve us two kinds of sauces, but I found myself happily eating slices of steak, content with horseradish and 2 kinds of rock salt, garlic and chili. Our steak also went great with the side dishes that we ordered: creamed spinach, grilled wild mushrooms and the truffle fries. We heard/read that a lot of people go gaga over the truffle fries, but I honestly didn't find anything exciting about it. :| Maybe it's just me, hahaha. Oh well, I'm willing to give it another try anyway. My brother-in-law liked it though!

In short, Bistecca will not fail you in terms of food, service and ambiance. I honestly can't wait to eat there again. :)

Bistecca

122 Joya, Rockwell

Makati City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(63) 403.5231

2011

2011-01-05T21:10:00.004+08:00

Here's a delayed entry on how I spent my New Year! I would have posted it up a few days earlier or on the morning of January 1st, but so many things have happened ever since the start of the new year that I haven't had the time to edit the photos and update my blog. On top of that, I got sick in the beginning of 2011 and school resumed last January 3rd. But anyway..

While I spent my Christmas in Cebu, my sister, brother-in-law & nephew celebrated the New Year here in Manila with us.

December 31st: My dad's brother held an annual family reunion over at his place for lunch and bonded with my cousins. In the evening, my family and I headed over to the Peninsula Hotel where we would welcome the year 2011 (like we always do every year).

I always attempt to make resolutions, but just like most people, I fail after a few days. Maybe because they weren't realistic or it was something that I couldn't finish in a year.. or I was probably just lazy to do it and knew that I would fail anyway, haha! So with the new year, I attempted again to make resolutions and now I hope that I would be able to keep up with them as 2011 progresses.

1. Complete Project 365 for the year 2011 because I completely failed last year after a week or something. Here's a link to the set on my Flickr account if you are interested in viewing the photos. :)

2. Actually use & write in my 2011 Moleskine planner. I honestly have yet to do this. I bought colorful pens to get me motivated.

3. Take more photos and be creative.
4. Blog moooore!

That's it actually. I have academic-related resolutions, but I won't list them down here anymore since it's been implanted in my mind ever since college started - or even high school. You know, the usual study hard kind of thing. So yeah, hopefully 2011 would be a great year for me and for everyone else! :)

Until next time!

PS - that's my unfinished Caesar salad in the 2nd photo just in case you were curious, haha!

details & scenery

2010-12-28T20:58:00.005+08:00

Random shots I took in Cebu (well, the last two are of Manila on the flight back), mostly scenery and fashion details of my sister's outfits. There's also that shot of me trying on her new YSL Arty ring that she got as a Christmas gift from my brother-in-law. :)

Every year, my family and I fly to Cebu for Christmas and to celebrate my 2 year old nephew's birthday on the 23rd. My sister also lives there now ever since she got married. There are more shots from the Cebu trip, especially since my brother-in-law's family had a mini family photo shoot in their front yard and I also took some photos which I think turned out nicely and cute (everything is cute when my nephew is involved, haha!). Hence, it deserves its own entry. Watch out for that soon. :)

deck the halls with boughs of holly

2010-12-25T00:19:00.003+08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! :)

I hope you're all enjoying the food and the gifts you've received!

mulberry alexa in powder tweed pt. ii

2010-12-21T22:01:00.007+08:00

I've noticed that most of the traffic my blog receives is due to searching Mulberry Alexa Powder Tweed and the entry that the search lands on is this, which doesn't really say much about the bag. So here's a write up on our (me and my sister) experience with the bag. :) First, some photos on how it looks like when worn.

my sister and I

The Alexa itself is a nice bag and even more when you own one. My sister was the one who bought the bag, but before purchasing, she was deciding between the leather oak or this, the powder tweed. I was the first one to try the bag out, bringing it to school with me. Not even halfway through the day, I noticed a black stain behind the bag. It apparently came from the black jeans I wore (as seen above). Therefore, one must wear light colored clothes to prevent color transfer.

My sister tried to use the cleaning agent on the bag, hoping it would remove the stain. Unfortunately, it wouldn't. On our trip to Singapore, she went inside a store that specializes in removing all sorts of stains on any surface. However, she was told that it cannot be reverted back to its original state since the material was already destroyed.

We mourn.

But it's fine, I guess. It's still usable, just match this bag with light colored clothing. Secondly, it - for the lack of a better word - slumps, so it's not as sturdy or firm as the leather ones. If you don't carry a lot of stuff daily, then this would be a nice bag for you. :) I think that's all I have to say about it.

My sister and I do wish to own the leather oak in the future, or maybe the black patent leopard print one as seen below on Betty of Le Blog de Betty.

Until next time!

we spend our whole lives searching

2010-12-21T17:43:00.000+08:00

Yeahhh.. so I haven't updated this blog in a while again. As usual, it would be academic things that keep me from doing so, but I also admit I've been lazy and don't have really anything to blog about. I will try to change all that in the upcoming year since updating my blog as frequently as I can is part of my New Year's resolution among other things. :)

Yesterday, my best friend and I once again met up for some much needed quality time. Chris and I had lunch at Cibo, ordering the usual appetizer (Spinaci Zola) to share and our own desired pasta.

Forgot to take a picture of the pastas; our hunger overtook the drive to pause and take food shots, haha! As we ate our food, we caught up with each other's lives. After that, we went around the mall to look for a gift for Chris' potential significant other. ;) We went inside the newly opened FOX, an Israel-based clothing brand. We spotted a yellow jacket, but was iffy about it since it seemed too thick. So we left the store (after breezing through the racks for our own shopping needs) and decided to check out Topman. Nothing there. How about Springfield? And there, a black pinstriped polo was purchased. :)

Starbucks time!

Amazing or awesome isn't enough to describe this particular Starbucks moment. It is definitely one of the best conversations I had with Chris, because everything was just raw and honest. We mostly talked about the future and how we felt about it. We feared certain aspects (I think we all know what that is), but the rest were exciting to think about. 4 years ago, Chris and I had a lot of plans & dreams that we wanted to do together (travel the world, go to NYC/LA, live together, etc.), but of course, anything can happen in between. We still want to do those things with some tweaks here and there to possibly fit whatever the future has in store for each of us.

Amidst all the seriousness of that conversation, hilarity also ensued. :)

At the end of the day, we left the mall and just hung out at my place. I wish the day didn't have to end because I know we still have so much to talk about and so much to do (like take more pictures of us together since we kind of lack those, haha!). This is why another sleepover must commence soon! :)

Time to watch Scott Pilgrim vs. the World!

a weekend in cebu

2010-12-03T22:53:00.003+08:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog for quite some time now. :( A lot has happened this week (mostly school related stuff) which rendered me busy. I also went on a short trip to Cebu over the long weekend and when I came back, I was swamped with the homework I made myself forget while vacationing. Nevertheless, Cebu was fun despite it being a short trip! I'm just happy that I got to spend some time with sister, brother-in-law and my cute little nephew. :)

We had an overnight stay at the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel & Resort where we went swimming and had La mian noodles for dinner! So good! The guest chef was awesome. From a thick roll of dough and with some stretching & slamming it on the table, he made the dough come out as strings of noodles. After that, I think he placed it inside a bowl, poured broth and some viand. Serve with a smile. :)

What I wore on the next day. We checked out of the hotel around noon and grabbed some lunch at a nearby (pseudo) Italian restaurant. The pastas were alright, but the pizza was too yeast-y. :| Before the food arrived, I fell asleep on the table, resting my head on my propped arm, haha! That called for a trip to Starbucks afterwards.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Donut, Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Iced Tall & Grande Americano + Iced Venti Soy Chai Tea Latte

S&R TIME! YAY FOR WHOLESALE!

I took a picture of Sweet Baby Ray's because of the video at the end of this entry. Anyway, finding cartons of Chai Tea Latte was heaven for me. I can finally make my own Starbucks drink in my own home! Must buy Silk Soy Milk the next time I pass by the supermarket. :) My sister, brother-in-law and I tried the Spicy Sweet Chili flavor of Doritos while we watched Sex and the City 2. The taste was weird. It will take a lot of getting used to before I become obsessed with this. Spicy Nacho will always be the best and my favorite. :)

So that pretty much sums up my trip. There were still a few things that happened such as a quick shopping adventure on my last day and a manicure/pedicure appointment. Now my nails are in the color Dulce de Leche by OPI. :) It was my first time to ride the airplane alone. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I love flying, but I think watching the first Final Destination movie (with Devon Sawa) helped in shaping that fear and paranoia. After 10 years, I watched it again last month. Wrong move. Thankfully, my plane ride back home was pleasant. :)

the Sweet Baby Ray's reference

Mr. Chi City, you're the best.

As for today, I lost my phone while in school. I just lost the phone that had so much sentimental value. Damn. :(

the spade apartment

2010-11-23T22:18:00.002+08:00

Can I please live here? I love everything about Kate & Andy Spade's apartment, most especially the living room and that hallway with the striped wallpaper. I'd do the same thing out of my extreme love for stripes. All those framed artworks and photographs give the room a certain kind of life. I guess I can call this my dream apartment with some tweaks here and there. I should probably make an entry about the kind of living space I want to have aside from the almost perfect Spade apartment. It's a great inspiration. :)

See more over here. :)

breaking her style

2010-11-21T17:28:00.003+08:00

Laureen Uy in motion under the creative direction of Bryle Penamante, one of my awesome friends. :)

What I like about these photos (most especially the topmost one) is that the background looks like it came from Los Angeles, with the palm trees and bright blue sky. Not sure about the pink building, but it was still pretty much LA-like. In reality, this was taken along the street behind our university. The weather was very nice and the sun shining out was perfect timing. I love natural light. :)

I also had a brief conversation with her. It started out with Laureen asking if I worked for anyone, like for a magazine. "Hopefully yes in the future," I said. And then she mentioned something about a referral. Hmm.. I hope things fall into place. :) Que sera, sera!

Visit Laureen's blog, Break My Style!

christmas wishlist

2010-11-21T16:21:00.003+08:00

1. How to Be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith

2. French Milk by Lucy Knisley

3. The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy

4. POPism: The Warhol Sixties by Andy Warhol and Pat Hackett

5. Jeffrey Campbell "Pixie" in black leather (or suede)

other than the "Lita" (which I also crave for), this is also a nice shoe

6. a Flickr Pro account (!!)

7. BlackBerry Bold 9700
(or a Curve 9300 3G with a trackpad, I guess)
I CANNOT DECIDE.

That is all.
This list was made in no particular order. :)

random photo diary of food, etc.

2010-11-15T22:13:00.000+08:00

The more than delicious food that I ordered from Bizu Patisserie & Bistro, plus an interior shot of the restaurant. A photo of Bryle & Maika, showcasing their outfits for the day. A random shot of my usual Starbucks beverage. A copy of Vogue US November 2010 with Anne Hatahway on the cover. A photo of Gerard for his blog.

a tuesday afternoon with scissors

2010-11-05T23:05:00.003+08:00

Snip, snip! went the scissors last Tuesday.

Thanks again to Jun of Indigo Salon! :D

This is probably the first time I ever went to a salon two consecutive times in a row. I usually go to one place, and then to a different one in the next time I want to get a haircut. I don't think I ever went to the same place twice in a row, so this is really something rare for me. :) It's customer satisfaction at its best!

I'm loving my new hair! Shorter length + bangs! I also had my hair color retouched/refreshed. :)

PS - I need to acquire a tripod. Taking those photos was a struggle, haha! But I'm glad it turned out well anyway. :D

fall/winter shoe lust!

2010-11-01T21:26:00.000+08:00

1. Alaia Lace Up Suede Hiking Boots

2. Jeffrey Campbell "Lita"

Black distressed leather

Taupe suede

Gray suede

3. Charlotte Olympia wedges

They all shall remain in my dreams for now. :)

the starbucks after party

2010-10-31T20:47:00.004+08:00

Not necessarily a party, but an enjoyable post-show chill out session. :)

Continuing from the previous entry, after the show, the three of us walked to Mall of Asia (my first time inside the mall) via the connecting bridge from the SMX Convention Center. There, we scouted for a place to sit, eat and talk. We settled for Starbucks, our usual hang out place everywhere we go. I ordered my usual drink, Chris ordered the Creme Brulee Macchiato and Zhayne opted for a cookie instead of a drink. Since I never really had the guts to ordered a Creme Brulee Macchiato myself, I tried Chris'. I always thought it would be too sweet when compared with the regular Caramel Macchiato, but after taking a bunch of sips, it didn't taste so bad. Maybe I should try the iced version next time. :)

Huge thanks again to Zhayne for the Fashion Week invite! :D It was our first fashion show together; we had fun and hopefully, there will be more to come in the succeeding years! Can't wait to hang out again!

philippine fashion week ss 2011

2010-10-31T14:08:00.001+08:00

So my friends and I were able to go to Day 5 of Philippine Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011. Zhayne had two extra tickets and invited Chris and I to join her in watching the shows of Jun Jun Cambe and Lito Perez. We arrived at the venue a few minutes late, but were just in time to see the show start.

Jun Jun Cambe

Lito Perez

While both collections were beautiful in their own way, I particularly liked Lito Perez's more. Initially, I was more inclined towards Jun Jun Cambe's with all the colors and prints, but after looking through all the photos, I was more into the collection of Lito Perez. :) This does not mean that I did not enjoy the designs of Jun Jun Cambe. I equally enjoyed both shows and had fun attending with my friends. :D

I have some more photos to upload; more particularly photos of us trio, but that will be reserved later on in the next entry to be posted this afternoon/evening, since I have to leave in a bit to watch The Social Network with my dad. :)

See you later!

leighton meester | marie claire uk december 2010

2010-10-29T22:14:00.003+08:00

Leighton Meester is so gorgeous.

I could stare at these photos for hours and not get tired of it.

I love everything about this shoot!

Go to the Marie Claire UK website for makeup/styling details of each photo. :)

singapore 2010 photo diary

2010-10-28T13:46:00.003+08:00

I can't wait to go back again and again! Orchard Road needs to be conquered more (!!) along with Vivo City, the huge mall by the Harbour since I wasn't able to go on this trip. But the new ION mall along Orchard made a good substitute with the size and the variety of shops provided. :) The trip to Universal Studios was tiring, but fun! It just sucks that the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster was still closed due to technical issues, so my brother-in-law and I rode the Revenge of the Mummy instead. We also visited and had a lunch buffet at the newly opened Marina Bay Sands Hotel that came with a casino and a shopping mall. We then went up to the 56th floor to get an amazing view of the skyline of Singapore. My cute one year old nephew, Gavin, also very much enjoyed the trip with visits to the zoo and aquarium. :)

Great food, great shopping, great city!

Singapore ♥

flying to singapore

2010-10-21T09:45:00.001+08:00

Destination: Singapore

Departure: October 21, Thursday

Return: October 26, Tuesday

See you all again next week! :)

coco rocha's apartment

2010-10-19T21:47:00.001+08:00

ph. Claiborne Swanson Frank

Everything in Coco Rocha's Manhattan apartment, I covet. Including the city, the place where the apartment is part of (Gramercy Park Hotel!), as well as the view out her window. The furniture and decorations (teapots and bottles!) are just to die for. I wish I had her place.. or at least the workspace in the last photo and some small trinkets here and there. :)

Click here for more!

cold rainy night in the city

2010-10-19T20:59:00.000+08:00

Whenever it rains and I'm stuck here at home, I can't help but imagine myself in an apartment situated in New York City. Perhaps in the Grarmercy Park Hotel just like Coco Rocha? Well.. I could only dream and wish. If it were real, the fireplace would be lit and I'd probably be sitting on the couch wrapped in a comfy blanket and with a mug of hot chocolate in hand. In reality, I had my usual order of a Venti sized Soy Chai Tea Latte. Yep, a cold drink during a cold rainy night.

So.. it has been raining non stop here in Manila. Super typhoon Juan (international name: Megi) has been causing downfall since Saturday and the northern part of the country has been gravely hit with the downpour paired with strong winds. Thankfully, it has left the country and the area of responsibility. :)

Oh yeah, if you want to create the mood of rain and fireplace, here's what you do:

1. Open this in a new tab

2. Then, this in another tab (or play your own music)

3. Followed by this

4. Sit back, relax and enjoy! :)

the silence in black & white

2010-10-17T14:36:00.001+08:00

Here are the overdue photos from the shoot last month with Chris. :) It's about time I get around into posting them here. Working with these photos was also a challenge for me. I think they came out okay anyway. :D

It's also been a while since I last updated this blog. My finals just ended and I'm now on a semestral break until the 10th of November! The week was just so hectic with all the papers to be crammed and exams that needed to be studied for. Hopefully, I pass all of my classes, most especially Medieval Literature.

Things have been slow around here, I know. I'm also leaving on the 21st for Singapore with my family. It's been 3 years since I last been there and I can't wait to see what's new, most especially ION, the new mall. :D I also plan on getting new lens for my camera, so that trip should be really something to blog about. Hopefully our hotel has free wifi. :D

Until next time!

imagine all the people living life in peace

2010-10-09T13:40:00.000+08:00

Google will never fail to amuse me with its frequent logo changes to commemorate a particular event. Today, October 9, Google pays tribute to John Lennon for his 70th birthday. If you click on the logo, it will play a short doodle video in tune with "Imagine". YouTube also has its own tribute to Lennon with a special message from Yoko Ono!

Yoko is so adorable.

Happy birthday, John! You will always be dearly missed by your family, friends and fans. :)

"even when it comes to coffee, i'm still the shortest."

2010-10-03T10:35:00.000+08:00

Another fantastic day out with my best friend, Chris. :) A much needed bonding session took place in Greenbelt, often switching between the 5th and the 3rd section of the mall. We spent our time walking around, eating lunch and eventually found ourselves in Starbucks, the place where we think is best for lots of catching up over our favorite drinks. We've already planned our next afternoon out and it shall be another amazing day as always. :D

As for the title of this entry, it has become a running joke that she's.. vertically challenged, or fun-sized as she would like to say, haha! Anyway, so yeah.. I'd often tease her about being the short best friend. When we ordered our drinks in Starbucks, I got the Venti and she got a Grande. When I placed them side by side, she made the above titular comment, lol. :D

Can't wait for next week!

lumina pandit

2010-10-02T09:25:00.004+08:00

Lumina Pandit, Threshold 400 description, La Guerra Judaica, Gloria Mundi, Strabonis, Ortelius, Jose Rizal quote

Yesterday, instead of having a regular Introduction to History class, we embarked on a small road trip to University of Santo Tomas (UST) for the Lumina Pandit exhibit. The exhibit showcases the rare book collections, historic documents and artifacts of the university. Thankfully, they allowed us to use our cameras in the exhibit provided that we don't use flash. Not a problem. So there I was happily taking photos of the area while listening to the guide, our professor Ms. Marco and writing down notes on a piece of paper. I kept on switching between my pen & paper and my camera when I realized it would much easier to take a photo of the descriptions beside each display.

It's a great exhibit with a lot of interesting pieces to look at. There was also one part wherein it was demonstrated how woodblock printing works along with the printing press machine. I was greatly fascinated by the books (hence the above photos) and love looking at the delicate brown pages of each. The La Guerra Judaica is the oldest book in the exhibit having been printed in the year 1492 in Seville. I heard the Doctrina Christiana (first book printed in the Philippines in the year 1593) was also being displayed, but I don't remember hearing the guide mention it. I probably should also mention the fact UST will be celebrating its 400th year on 2011. Yep, it's the oldest university in the Philippines.

So maybe I should end here now after that little history lesson, hahahaha. Oh yeah, speaking of history, I think I'm beginning to appreciate Philippine history after all those years of being uninterested with it.

Until next time!

champs de mars

2010-09-25T22:56:00.005+08:00

Edita Vilkeviciute | Numéro #117

ph. Camilla Åkrans

Beautiful editorial. I love the raw feel of the photos and how the face (or pretty much the skin in the majority, if not all, of the photos) is left untouched -- meaning, the post-processing did not call for too much airbrushing and this is great. You can already see some of the skin details.

You did it again, Camilla Åkrans.

I love her work so much. I'm pretty much inspired by her.

This also makes me miss Paris so much. Well, pretty much Europe in general. I feel like there's still so much to see despite having been to Europe a few times. Hmm.. maybe I'll share some of the photos I took during my 2008 trip in the next entry and since because I have never posted them anywhere on the internet. So whenever I get around to posting that entry, it will be the first time after 2 years will those photos see the light of day. Well, virtually, at least.

ladies afternoon out

2010-09-22T11:06:00.000+08:00

Yesterday can be described as full of estrogen. Another girl bonding time was in session for me and my friends and lunch was held in Yellow Cab yet again. This time, however, we were now 9 in number. Bobbie was the one who planned the lunch out since we figured we all needed to get together and because we all felt like we've been surrounded too often by our guy friends, despite us females outnumbering them. It's not that we're really complaining about it, but it's been a while since we last had some girl talk, haha! :D

chicken Alfredo pasta, hot spicy chicken wings, half New York's Finest & half Manhattan Meatlovers

Some of the people present: Jam, Nine & Glo Anne, Bobbie

After the lunch, Lav and I went to Megamall because our Intro to Literature class was free cut and we had the entire afternoon to ourselves. We popped by Forever 21 and checked out some more stuff around the mall, such as Lav's future phone: the LG Lollipop GD580. :D Later moved to Shangrila Mall and chilled in Starbucks, before heading back to school.

Fun day! We're now planning on doing lunches together more often, despite the fact we have three weeks left of school before our semestral break. Make the most out of it, I guess. :D We'll hopefully continue doing this in the next semester. :D

gray matters

2010-09-20T21:38:00.002+08:00

Yves Saint Laurent Tribute 75

This actually belongs to my older sister who has generously lent them to me for the day to wear to school (and maybe some more in the future, hahaha! I hope you're reading this, sis!) :D

ph. Lavina + my camera
and her effort to prop herself on the floor while wearing a skirt.
Thank you, dear!

yellow cab fleet starters

2010-09-18T16:21:00.001+08:00

It's funny how your only classes for the day announced a free cut at the same time. For those who don't know, a free cut is defined as canceling the class due to another engagement the professor would have. That, or the professor doesn't show up in 15 minutes due to sickness or what. So, I basically had the entire day free to do whatever. I could have chosen to stay home, but nahhh. Besides, my college friends and I needed some bonding time anyway, most especially us girls.

Lavina (or Lav, for short), Jam and I decided to eat out for an early lunch, but since it was too early at that time (around 10:15am), we waited by the school's fish pond/fountain area. While waiting, these photos happened.

So after some more waiting, we decided to eat at the newly opened Yellow Cab pizza branch just across the street from our university. Since Lav already had lunch plans with her aunt at the nearby mall, she didn't eat a lot, which I think is sort of a good thing because the food Jam and I ordered was pretty much only good for two. If there were three people eating, it would have lacked. Either way, we all agreed the food was great! We usually order pizza, but we decided to try the new item being offered: Fleet Starters. It consisted of spicy chicken wings, nacho chips and huge baked potato wedges. It also came with salsa dressing and some garlic ranch dressing, I think.

I am also proud to say that Jam and I successfully finished everything in the box. :D Needs more spicy chicken wings though, hahaha!

Now I'm craving for some pizza & chicken.

afternoon dreamland

2010-09-15T17:00:00.003+08:00

Here's me and my best friend, Chris, having too much fun with the empty balcony. It has been a very long time since the two of us did a photo shoot and we feel like we've lost our touch, but we're determined to get inspired again! We already have plans to do one again come October or November, if and when my plans to get a tripod + remote pushes through. Can't wait!

Aside from being my best friend for the longest time, she's also my trusty model - always ready to smile & pose for the camera (candid shots are another story though!) :D I think this would also be the perfect time to mention her natural smile. She looks like she's still smiling even without the curling of her lips. I was trying to get her do a straight face, but to no avail. Don't get me wrong though, I love her smile. :)

I still have more shots from this set. Black & white this time. I didn't include them here because they felt so out of place when I placed them side by side with the colored ones, sooo.. watch out for that in a couple of days!

I leave you now with this last photo of my pretty best friend. :)

chocolate chip cookies stuffed with brownies

2010-09-12T09:31:00.002+08:00

also known as Pillow Cookies

recipe taken from Bakerella

So, compared to the photos taken by Bakerella, our cookies are hilariously ENORMOUS. I think it was because we doubled the measurements of the ingredients and used spoons to mold the dough with the brownie in it instead of using our hands. Hmm.. or we just got really excited (and hungry) over baking these. Too much excitement resulted into 29 enormous cookies. But for the record, they tasted good! It might just take a while to finish the cookies we brought home, but I guess the upside is we get to savor each bite. :D

My friends and I usually hang out at the mall, go around and window shop and eventually end up in Starbucks where we stay for hours just talking and catching up with one another. This time, however, was different and something new, but still equally fun to do so. :)

And here's a random photo of Chris's boots! You'll see more of her, if not now, probably a few entries after this, for the two of us did a random photo shoot on Zhayne's balcony while waiting for the cookies to bake. ;)

Damn, I love ankle boots.

Can't wait for the next baking session! And hopefully, we'll be complete as a group this time. ♥

going red

2010-09-10T21:23:00.004+08:00

red patent Mary Jane pumps

09.09.10

japanese lunch with the VINO team

2010-09-10T21:18:00.005+08:00

various Japanese food, Gerick's BlackBerry, Lizzie, Bryle & Gerard

Lunch with some of the VINO team at Asagao. There were more people (and more shots), but we were more focused on future ideas for the organization and crazy stories from the grapevine. Above all these, it was also nice to just hang around over lunch and bond with one another. :)

Here's to more future VINO moments!

Black & Neutrals.

2010-09-06T22:53:00.013+08:00

ph. Lavina, using my camera.

First ever outfit post and may not be the last! :) I'd like to dedicate this entry to my older sister, for without her, I'd probably be a mess in the world of fashion right now, haha!

These photos were mainly taken for the Institution of Style blog, but of course, I also wanted to post them here. Here's what Gerard wrote about my outfit for the IoS entry:

Make Like Jak & Jil

"Maybe it's the pale precious bag, or even the cool contrast of her serious black with her light accessories. But to me, it's the effortless appeal of it all that makes it cool. And since I am mad about bracelet shots, I love the second photo... Something you'd most definitely see on Jak and Jil. Pretty interesting too to see who's usually behind the lens, looking this paired-down and elegant. And of course, thank you Lavina for being a part-time photographer for the blog." ----Gerard Gotladera

I'm speechless, but a huge thank you to G, as he is affectionately called, for the kind words! :) Also, don't forget to grab a copy of the September 2010 issue of Rogue magazine to see what he has written about Mick Jagger's and Cary Grant's style & looks. :)

Tonight's reading material.

2010-09-05T22:52:00.004+08:00

Rogue September 2010

STATUS August - September 2010

Preview August 2010

I can't wait to jump into bed and browse through these.

I also particularly bought my first ever copy of Rogue since my good friend, Gerard, wrote an article for the publication (and still continues to do so!) This will be the first magazine to be out of its plastic on tonight's line up. :)

Until next time, goodnight!

Twirl by Kate Spade

2010-09-05T10:38:00.000+08:00

I was never really a huge fan of fragrances, most especially on women. On a guy, however, that's going to be a different story. So there must be something about Kate Spade's "Twirl" that's making me excited about this fragrance, or maybe it's just the Kate Spade stan in me that's coming out. (Note to self: I really should bring out and clean my KS bag; haven't used it in so long.)

The advertisement is particularly cute too. It makes me want to have a fun cocktail party with my friends. :) I'm not sure if I'll see this fragrance being displayed anywhere right now, but if not, maybe I'll have some luck finding it in Singapore come October. ;)

Mulberry Alexa in Powder Tweed

2010-09-05T09:42:00.005+08:00

Mulberry Alexa in Powder Tweed

Say hello to one of the new bags of the Choa sisters.
It's not leather or oak, it just looks like it is because of the flash unit and the pink walls.

Grand Stam | Marie Claire US September 2010

2010-08-15T19:34:00.000+08:00

Jessica Stam is the one responsible for getting me curious & interested in the fashion industry. As far as I can remember, I'm pretty sure I first saw her in some random photos across the internet. I found her pretty (most especially her eyes!) and then I discovered her in the Mert & Marcus editorial for W Magazine back in 2007 (also the same editorial wherein I fell in love with those white patent pumps by Marc Jacobs in the previous entry) alongside Du Juan, Gemma Ward and Raquel Zimmerman. All are gorgeous models.

I haven't seen any recent solo editorial of Jessica's lately that I completely love. I saw the Harper's Bazaar US August 2010 one entitled Spanish Revival. Great photos, but something was just a bit off. So this was next in line. The title also caught my attention: Grand Stam; and the heels in the above photos are to die for.

Damn, when will she ever be not pretty?

ph. David Roemer

UA&P Style --> Institution of Style

2010-08-12T19:21:00.001+08:00

Just a quick heads up before another entry!

Firstly, I apologize for the lack of new entries ever since last month. Things have gotten busy around my academic life that I sometimes lose the drive to update this. I definitely won't let go of this, I love this blog too much! I really do hope I update more often now! Gotta keep myself motivated. :)

I also noticed the increase in hits my blog has gotten. I don't know how you stumbled upon this, but just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking some time off to read this random blog. :) Another thank you too to those who have linked me (Hello, Gerard!). :D

Secondly, there has been an increase in googling "UA&P Style" and some would land on this blog after searching. Having a difficult time looking for it? We changed the site URL due to some matters, so it is now Institution of Style!

A Dissertation On Style!

2010-07-28T19:38:00.009+08:00

Me & Nannie
ph. Aliver "adoborat" Cedillo

I went to this event called A Dissertation on Style in Makati last Saturday night. It was actually a spur of the moment thing and I wasn't sure if I was going to go. Conflicting thoughts here and there, weighing the pros and cons if I go or don't. Obviously, I ended up going and I'm pretty glad I did. It just sucks that I wasn't able to bring my 400D. My S90 was being a bitch to me throughout the entire night. :(

A Dissertation on Style was a one day pop up store/exhibit, featuring independent local Filipino brands, namely: The Artisan, The Gallery, Blackbook, Thank You Today, Zoo, Stylebreak, Unschld, Wip Caps, and Crazy Eddie's. It was held at the newly opened (and freshly cleaned after acting as a bodega for how long) NOKN?WHOW Gallery in Makati City.

Nannie's boyfriend, Ej, is one of the key people behind the event and also the co-owner of The Artisan Clothing, which also sell watches seen in two of the photos below.

Photos from Aliver Cedillo & Mikki dela Rea (aka SUPERMIKKI).

I really have no idea who this guy is. I just wanted to include this because you can see me and most especially my shoes in the background. :D What I liked about those shoes and the reason why I bought it was because it reminded me of these by Marc Jacobs. Pretty, isn't it? :)

Until next time!

A Friendly Fashion War.

2010-07-24T13:00:00.000+08:00

So this blog is becoming more of a photography blog than what I actually intended it to be. Hmm.. well, I'll still try to make it diverse. :)

The UA&P Style blog posts doesn't seem to end, huh? Well, aside from the pile up of papers, tests and other academic requirements, my photography is one of the things keeping me busy than ever. Not that I'm complaining, I very much love what I do. :)

I'm usually scheduled to take photos on Mondays and Tuesdays, but yesterday was different. Gerard, the project head and curator of UA&P Style, announced for a group photo of some of the style team members and I was there to take their shots. :D

So along with those who were spotted yesterday, here are the results!

Jade

Robert

Jemma

And then the group photos:

Donald, Lizzie, Paolo, Gerard (project head), Bryle & Maika

Flickr

The New Corporate Fridays.

2010-07-10T11:09:00.003+08:00

Another UA&P Style blog post!

I just noticed how the shots I took yesterday were of people wearing corporate attire. I'm not so sure if Christine was going for a corporate look, but it was great enough to pass off as so. :D As a business school, it's not out of the ordinary to see students walking around in campus in their corporate attire. What makes each person stand out is how they are stylishly put together; never boring and always thinking of new combinations.

Christine

Angeline

Dae

Plus one non-corporate, but sill worthy to show off.

Jigs' Boat Shoes

Monday Style Madness.

2010-07-07T15:06:00.003+08:00

UA&P Style is a street style blog featuring fashion pieces by the students of the University of Asia and the Pacific. Inspired by many street style blogs such as The Sartorialist, Jak & Jil and Garance Dore, UA&P Style is set up by Gerard Gotladera with help from a team of editors (also known as the spotters) and photographers; all are key for the site's success and progression.

Being part of the team and as a photographer, I was able to take shots of people in their fun stylish outfits last Monday with my free time. Here are the photos and hope you enjoy them. :)

Lauren

Lizzie

Maika

Kyla

Paolo

Andrew

Bryle

Ivan

Iggy's Nike Sneakers

Jo Calderone, Lady Gaga's Male Alter Ego for Vogue Hommes Japan.

2010-07-03T16:31:00.004+08:00

Meet Jo Calderone, a (presumably) male model in an editorial for Vogue Hommes Japan. However, it has been said that this man is Lady Gaga in drag. Speculators say that the name "Jo Calderone" is drawn from Lady Gaga's latest single, Alejandro with an added "o", "e" and "c". That or Jo came from Gaga's second name, which is Joanne. The lack of an Adam's apple also support the speculations.

Nevertheless, these photos are stunning and remarkably done. The styling was done by Nicola Formichetti, and photography by Nick Knight, both being key people in Lady Gaga's fashion entourage.

If this REALLY is a guy, well then, that's one handsome man and a lucky one to have a Gaga-like physique.

Complete gallery in SHOWstudio.

Second day as a junior & shutter happy.

2010-06-20T17:55:00.007+08:00

So classes officially started last June 17. My first day was pretty chill, but when the second day rolled in, I was already tired around lunch time and the sweltering afternoon heat did not help either. Thank goodness our classrooms are air-conditioned.

I'm pretty sure two Philosophy classes will tire the crap out of me and my mind. There's also a hardcore literal & theological take of Dante's Inferno & Purgatorio under Dr. Dumol's Medieval Literature class. Brain hemorrhage, anyone? And I haven't even talked about my majors yet.

Anyway, have some photos of my second day!

Wildfox Couture: It's Witchcraft.

2010-06-14T14:47:00.003+08:00

Wildfox Couture Fall 2010: It's Witchcraft from WILDFOX PR on Vimeo.

Wildfox Couture is my guilty pleasure. The clothes are just so fun too look at, despite the fact I'm typically a "no graphic design" girl when it comes to purchasing clothes. I think the designs are not too over the top, so I can't help but love this. :)

That song in the video is enchanting though. Entitling it "It's Witchcraft" perfectly suits the mood.