TOPAZ HORIZON

Last week, Alvin passed by the office to get a bag of beauty products for his wife, my darling dearest friend Mariel. He's flying off to New York City to see her and I had to send Mariel some prettifiers. I should've included a heated blanket, too, since it'll be cold there but, hey, the newlyweds haven't seen each other in 4 months so I guess they won't need help in the heat department!

Mariel, your hubby's so cute. He's not a demonstrative kinda guy and I've never known him to be expressive, but when he was at the office, he just suddenly said, "I'm so excited. I haven't seen her in four months!"

Neighbor! I just melted for you!!!

I honestly don't know how you two do this long-distance relationship thing (remember that song I dedicated to you both?) but I know you'll be truly together one day soonest!

To my readers, see Mariel and Alvin's wedding in the current issue of Martha Stewart Weddings! And watch the beautiful video Pat Dy made for them here. Mariel's wedding is one of the loveliest weddings I've ever been to--made me cry. All the drama, the family stories, the old friends who flew in, the gorgeous weather, the romance, the style! Just the ingredients you need for a truly heartwarming wedding!  

Remember when I talked about missing my belly button?

Pinky is 34 weeks along while I'm 38 weeks!

Well, a couple of days ago, my dear old friend from Assumption, Pinky Jacob Ileto, kidnapped me so we can have a lovely mommy-to-be chat over dinner. She gave Jelly Bean a fabulous Darth Vader button-down shirt (to the immense delight of the baby daddy!) and then she dragged me around Rustan's Shang to shop for all things baby--bottles, nipples, baby clothes, etc!

Now, in our photo above, you can see that my 38-week-old pregnant belly is stretched to incredible proportions... but my belly button is nowhere to be seen.

Yep, folks, the button decided it won't become a third nipple. So despite the stretch marks, the huge bloated feet, the weird skin discolorations, and everything else happening to my body, I'm happy one part of me decided to behave itself. Thank you!

Last week, I went to the 75th anniversary party of Lancome. It was a very chi-chi affair, lots of French people, French wine, French food, French music... Too bad I'd forgotten my French! All I know now is "Bonjour!" and "Bonsoir!"

I'll talk more about the event in my beauty blog--that's where I usually put my beauty news and reviews on everything from lip balms and face creams to fashion events. But I just wanted to show you all the lovely Hollywood celebs that Lancome has signed up to endorse their luxe products:

What I love about Lancome's image models is they're not conventionally pretty--Julia's mouth is too wide and her nose is too narrow or Anne's eyes and mouth are huge--but they are still astonishingly beautiful because they believe they're beautiful. That's a great truth we women must all embrace!

I also wanted to show off my gorgeous friends, Nicole Delos Angeles and Nikki Mercado.

These two girls are always dolled up. Always so fab! Me, I try harder now (I explain here why!) and it's really much harder now--what with all the swelling going on, the heat my pregnant body generates, and just how exhausted I feel all the time. But let me tell ya, when you really put an effort into your looks, you really do feel better! So be pretty!

Last night, OK! managing editor Lana Chan and I attended the Sex and The City 2 premiere at Power Plant Mall. It was thrown by Solar Entertainment and I had a lovely time seeing old friends.

You see, unless my job requires me to go out (for example, to an advertiser's event), I haven't really been socializing since I got pregnant. Three reasons: I'm terribly sleepy, I had really bad acne in the first trimester, and I'm more susceptible to infections and diseases. When I got pneumonia, for example, that happened a week after I attended an advertiser's event. So I'm pretty much cloistered lately.

So last night was fun. There was a plethora of style--I had fun checking out dresses, bags, jewelry, heels, boots, hairstyles. Really, I think I've been cooped up too long! Thank goodness for Facebook (and this blog!), people I haven't seen in months (some, years) were not shocked to see me pregnant. We were all pretty much up to date with each other's lives!

I didn't go in the theater to watch the movie, however. I always seem to get sick when I'm in a crowded enclosed space! So I bid my friends buh-bye and went off to Sango to buy my yummy husband his dinner. 
Vince and I have always loved Sango's burgers, but after two pregnancy-induced nausea fits, we haven't had any. Thankfully, last night, my nose was cooperative! When I got home, Vince just also arrived from work (and he was soooo happy to see me! So cute!) and we had a grand time munching away happily.

So that was my night! How was yours?

I mentioned in this blog before that some bloggers earn a ton of money from their blogs. Their secret is an understanding of search engine optimization. I have no idea what that means. Well, I do know that it means using words and phrases that makes your blog appear high on the list of search engines. And for me, that's just cheating. I've been to some blogs that have manipulated the SEO and, gee, their blogs are boring.  Why would anyone want to read a blog like that? But because they're clever, they've learned how to cheat the system so that their blogs go up, up, up on the search.

Well, they may be boring but those blogs earn cold hard cash! Well, mine does, too, but not so much so I'm glad I have a job that makes me really really happy, both monetarily and in everything else! 

SEO also means having a lot of links to your blog, which is time consuming to say the least! That's going to dozens, even hundreds, of other blogs and making friends with them so that they'll visit your blog, maybe like it and then link your blog to theirs. You see, the more links your blog has, the more popular it is, and obviously that would make it climb up the search engines. There are some people who bypass this process by using a directory submission service, but I personally prefer making friends, however time consuming that may be!

Of course, since I'm a very busy woman, I really don't have the time to do this! I usually spend my weekends browsing blogs and leaving comments. I've made friends this way (ladies, you know who you are!). But since getting pregnant, I'm sleepy all the time! So thank you for still visiting my blogs and linking up and leaving your darling comments here. You are appreciated! I may not earn a lot of money from my blogs but I've earned friends. And that is priceless.


*image from the web. can't say which website really since several sites used it!

So many cute photos from Mariel's wedding so here are more!

The night before the wedding, maid of honor Kai Morales and matron of honor me trooped to Mariel's suite to go over the details of the big day.

Then all of Mariel's friends came by to help with the souvenirs. We all had to fold boxes for the candy bar and guests can just scoop all the candy and chocolate they want into the boxes!

Next morning was bright and sunshiny! Vince and me at the hotel lobby, gathering with all the other guests to board our coasters that will take us to the church.

Outside the church, we wait with Kai. It's breezy in the shadow of the cathedral but inside, ooh wow, it was hot!

The reception was held on the beach. This is my first beach wedding! It's very relaxed and happy. What I really like about Mariel's wedding was it still looked so fabulous! A lot of beach weddings I see in magazines are so... blah. 

Gorgeous guests: photographer Monica Barretto, Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines editor-in-chief Tata Mapa and makeup artist Marie Calica.

I really should put all these nice pics in a USB stick and plug it into our unused digital frame that we got for free when Vince bought his computer monitor last year. Yep, we have a really nice digital frame that we aren't using! But with all the pics I have now, I think it's time to fire it up.

Oh, for more on Mariel's wedding, click here and here.

Photos by Monica Barretto.

Oh, today was a fun day. Had a glamorous lunch at the Manila Peninsula. Such a lovely hotel, very old, very elegant. First time I ever went there (years ago but not that long ago), I was so impressed, I said very loudly, "Wow, ang ganda naman dito!" Na-obvious tuloy na taga-bundok ako. My hubby chuckles at this story and always says he should bring me to Vegas because the hotels there are out-of-this-world amazing.

Anyway, the lunch was hosted by Pond's. They launched new concentrated serums of their whitening and anti wrinkle creams. I'll write more about those in my sadly neglected beauty blog this week. This post, meanwhile, will be about clothes!

This is me and my gorgeous friends Nicole Delos Angeles and Mariel Chua. They are soooo hot, right?

• Nicole is wearing a tank top, leather pencil skirt, bondage shoes and carrying a Prada bag. 
• Mariel is in a Kate Torralba tube dress, gold ballet flats and Forever 21 earrings (Forever 21 U.S. not the gaya-gaya store here). 
• I'm carrying my Longchamp bag (given by my friend in France, Aida). I'm wearing a Gingersnaps dress, which is a wee too short so I'll wear tights with that next time. Oh, and I love my new Kenneth Cole shoes. I bought them for Mariel's wedding and I'm breaking them in. Those purple shoes are satin and suede and super comfy! Love them!

My darling friends! Mariel and Nic were the very first people I voiced my suspicions about my pregnancy. We were lunching at Cibo on December 1 and I said, "Guys, I might be pregnant." They both squealed in delight. But I said, "I'm not sure yet so don't tell anyone." And you know, they didn't breathe a word to any soul--even to their significant others! That's friendship for ya. I don't deserve my friends really. I can't keep secrets at all!

Mariel and I were at Kate's atelier and we had such a fun time just choosing cloth swatches, designs, accessories. Well, the truth is Kate drew and drew and Mariel and I just oohed and clapped in delight. Why were we there? Mariel's wedding is coming up! So excited for my dear friend.

So I had my measurements taken for my gown and, let me tell ya, I'm a little alarmed at my size. Everything's about 3-5 inches bigger. Good for the boobies but the waist and hips? Yikes! It's not that I'm being vain. It's more like I feel this is a stranger's body. Last time I checked, my waist was 26; now it's 31! I guess if it was a gradual gain, I'd think nothing of it but, my goodness, every time I look in the mirror, I do a double take, "Who's that?!"

For the first time in my life, I've started thinking seriously about exercise and diets. I look at the Kardashian sisters' bodies for example (here's their pic when they did a Quick Trim review) and I find myself wondering if I'm ever going to need to work hard to get thin again.All my mommy friends tell me--almost gleefully--that, "No, you'll never get your body back!" and I feel a little sad. Not because I'm vain but because I like my body--the skinny, flat-chested, bony-kneed me. It's who I am and, despite being taunted for being a skeleton all my life, I really like my eat-all-I-can-yet-remain-skinny self.

I've always been super thin. I can spend the entire day at the buffet and not gain an ounce. I've never owned a weighing scale but, now that I'm pregnant, I got a nice bathroom scale that I step onto every morning and evening. That needle has climbed to 112 lbs. That's way beyond my average weight of 100 lbs--which is my 30's weight. In my 20's, I was an average of 95 lbs. In my late teens, I tipped it at 90 lbs. Nope, no eating disorder. My family and I are just naturally skinny. My husband is slim, too.

At the OB's office last week, my OBG told me I'm gaining too much weight and put me on a diet--more leaves and salads and grains, no more sweets and fatty stuff. I'm not even a fan of sweets and fatty stuff! I'm already eating less than I used to (blame the nausea)! Where on earth are the pounds coming from?

Curiouser and curiouser indeed. In other news, we're very excited about the baby. Vince says he can't wait to see me get big. I also want to see myself get big, but in the boob and tummy areas only. I'd like to look like Nicole Richie when she was pregnant. This is what I expect actually since my mother, when she was pregnant, always looked like she just swallowed a basketball. But with my fast weight gain and my OBG's confirmation that I am indeed piling it on, I don't think I'll be anything like Mama!

Last night, our friend Neil had a few beers with Vince here at home. Neil has three fabulous kids and he was telling us that kids are a great joy... and a great pain in the neck! Harhar. So he was urging us to go and have adventures now, while Jelly Bean is still not around to take over our lives.

Well, that's been exactly how we're feeling so I've booked a nice weekend at 8 Suites, this lovely new boutique hotel in Tagaytay.

We're also spending another weekend in Cebu at Be Hotel, which is a lovely place but I think they went overboard with the pastel colors.

Then I want to go see Disneyland in California (regular readers know I love Disneyland!) but Vince wants to go to Vegas. And we also want to go to Singapore to buy that camera I was telling you about, the one Vince now wants to buy for the baby. It isn't available here (boo!) but Singapore has it so we're thinking of flying there to check. Then I also want to visit my friend Kat in NYC but I'm waiting for summer to decide since I hate the cold.

While we have our nice matching Echolac luggage (we bought them for our London honeymoon), I've started browsing travel accessories sites for Samsonite luggage. I really like my little attache case and I was wondering if there was a matching suitcase.

I think it would be sooooo cool to have pink bags. For one thing, they'd really pop out on that conveyor belt. But don't worry, Vince (I know you're reading this!), I won't buy new luggage. It's enough you agreed to go on a travel spree with me!  

Staff shoot post again! This shoot actually took place months ago (you can see what happened there here, here and here) since we had to take photos of Joanna while her pregnant tummy was still small. You see, we usually have our photos taken a month before the issue comes out. Since this was for the December issue, we had to have the shoot late October, but since Joanna was going to give birth in October, we knew she wouldn't be available so we just shot the Christmas shoot in July. Whew, long sentence there!

Our art director Sonny tells us where to stand and how to pose. The idea was Gossip Girl. Since I never watch that silly show, I have no idea what he's talking about. But when we look at the pics, they tell me we all nailed the GG look.

This is what came out in the magazine... with some major Photoshop editing! The wrinkles and folds of my dress around the stomach area was smoothened (the dress was a size 2 and I'm a 4. I could hardly breathe in it!), Sonny's pants were darkened from blue to black to keep with the color scheme of red, white and black. Joanna's dress came out orange so we color-corrected that and...

... well, since Joanna was hugging her tummy up there, we took her photo from down here, cut it out, pasted it back up there, and removed her baby bump. Yes, that's possible with Photoshop! Since this was coming out in the December issue--and Joanna had given birth by then--we can't have her pregnant! We also extended the mat we're all standing on. The shoes--except my nude pumps and Elaine's studded gladiators--were all borrowed so to prevent scuff marks on the sole, we had to stand on that mat. Sonny, who's not on the mat, had masking tape on the soles of his shoes (you can see the tape peeking out). We digitally removed that, too.

Nikki, OK!'s beauty columnist and our stylist for the shoot, joins us. As our photographer Ocs adjusts the light, we all rest from all the smiling and catch up. We super miss Nikki! She's getting married in a couple of months and we're all buzzing about what we'll wear to her stylish wedding. Meanwhile, doesn't Elaine look so Blair?

There are three things the OK! staff all love: Hollywood celebs, eating and laughing. Our photo shoots are always a nightmare for the photographers because we can't stop laughing. I posted the photo of us looking the least hilarious (of course, I can't let us look silly!).

And here's the entire staff with the team who made us look fantabulous! Want to see the final shot? Pick up OK!'s December issue and you may even get a chance to win the most expensive moisturizer on the planet!

XOXO,

I'm a creature of habit so it takes me a long, long while to add new blogs to my blog roll. But let me present five new blogs I like to read:

1. Citizen Nerd
It's written by a very special man--my husband, Vince Sales! Before I buy any gadget, I always ask him for advice. In fact, before anyone I know buys any gadget, they ask Vince for advice. Vince is the last word when it comes to technology because he is Citizen Nerd! In my book, that makes him the most amazing man on the planet! (I hope this post gets me laid--ahahaha!--or at the very least earn me a shopping spree!)

2. Hypermom
This new blog is by my friend Jing Lejano, editor of Good Housekeeping. I like her blog because, unlike most mom blogs, hers is honest and candid and discusses motherhood frankly. Sure, she loves it but she doesn't overly glorify it. She talks about the good and the bad. I like that. And--very important to me!--it's well written!

3. The Blog King
Another well written blog! Too bad he updates once every blue moon. Elijah Mendoza is an editor, a new husband and a soon-to-be daddy (although I think his wife is giving birth right about now!). So his observations on marriage and fatherhood are a refreshing read--funny, witty and candid.

4. Style Kit
Jane Kingsu is the author of one of the best beauty and fashion blogs in Manila. She writes short and sweet and really well. I always seem to get my fashion and beauty news from her--how strange is that considering I also work in media! I like how clean and stylish her blog is... and I like how I won in her Schu contest! Thanks, Jane!!!

5. Flipflopping My Way Around Town
As you can tell from above, I like reading about technology, parenting, marriage, fashion and beauty. But I also have another passion--FOOD! Fran Haw has a delightful food blog that makes me hungry every time I read it! I love her blog and a lot of people do, too, because she's a finalist in the Philippine Bloggers Awards! Congrats, Franny! As promised, here's my vote:

Now, how come no one nominated me for this award-giving body?! Can someone please nominate me next year? I'll give a fantabulously special beauty gift bag to the one who nominates Topaz Horizon in the 2010 Philippine Blog Awards!!! Okay, I've resorted to bribery... Very bad of me! Just kidding, folks!

*images taken without permission from the aforementioned blogs. Sorry, folks! I promoted you so I hope that makes it okidoki!

You know what works better than weight loss diet pills? Teeth whitening. Yep. I had my teeth whitened two weeks ago and I was told to avoid all colored food for an entire month. I gaped at Dr. Dorotheo, "But all food has color!" He just smiled sweetly in reply.

Now I'm a tomato lover--I have to eat something with tomato sauce/ketchup once a day (read about my love for tomatoes here and here). If I can't have tomato once a day, I lose my appetite for everything else. So you can guess what happened--I've just resorted to eating once a day, so unhappy was I. I've been nibbling on carbonara, ham sandwiches (palest ham possible on white bread and mayo), congee and the like, and a lot of baked/steamed fish.

Now my jeans are loose and my tummy is flatter. My lovely friend Zerline, who is about to get married and is also opening a quirky store this month at Power Plant Mall, marveled at my thinness. "Maybe I should have my teeth whitened before the wedding!" she exclaimed at the thought of hitting two birds with one stone: white teeth, slimmer body! The perfect solution for any bride-to-be! (See our photo above? That's water we're drinking. Colorless food only!)

Well, my teeth are still sparkly white. But then this happened:Vince cooked his famous spaghetti meat sauce. Lovely meaty beef, extra virgin olive oil, plenty of garlic and onions, freshly grated parmesan cheese all bubbling away in a rich tomato sauce. Obviously, I did not resist!!! I'll just have to brush my teeth madly then! And even if my teeth yellowed again, I don't care--Vince's special spaghetti sauce is oh so worth it!

Want to have your teeth whitened for free? The Drama Queen is holding a contest at her blog to celebrate her blog's first anniversary (congratulations!). Contest ends today!!!

To my Magnificent Women, this month is my tribute to you and to who you are to me. Thank you for showing me that there is grace in humility, freedom in forgiveness, beauty in kindness, joy in generosity and power in unconditional love. Because of you, I want to be a better person. Please know that you are an inspiration and a source of joy to me.

So... I wanted to save this surprise for Christmas but I've learned the value of not saving lovely things for another day when I can make your day lovely today! Hence, I'm giving you all a little token of my appreciation!

To Jacqui, here is the latest KC Concepcion-designed hoodie*, for all your adventures! It symbolizes protection and warmth and hugs because you're going to need those in life, and I may not always be there but I pray you'll always be safe and warm.
To Rose, so that your loveliness will glow even better, here's a gift certificate to a diamond peel at Aesthetic Science! May your goodness shine through for everyone--including the blind, like I once was--to see!
To Lizelle, shop away at The Body Shop with these gift certificates! I know you are always caring for others but I hope you can choose some stuff to pamper yourself, like a bath gel, a rich lotion or scented oils.

To Anj, for that special occasion (and I know you and Lit like to take some "just us" time), have your makeup done professionally by the artists at Make Up For Ever. So you can look even more gorgeous!
To Reza, here's a gift certificate to a body scrub and massage at Aesthetic Science. May you always find time for yourself since I know you devote all your time for your boys!

To Mommy Digna, I got you Ina Garten's book. I know you are a fantastic cook but Ina reminds me of how the best things in life are simple and usually found right underneath our noses and our roofs. You taught me that, too.
To Mariel, here are gift certificates to VNC because when it comes to shoes, we're sisters! May our shoes take us to more adventures and pleasures and places!
Ladies, please indulge yourselves a bit! Thank you for helping fill the hole that another Magnificent Woman left in my heart when she passed away a year ago today. She always wanted me to be a good person and because of her and because of you, I think I'm finally on my way there. Thank you.

Magnificent Woman 1: Jacqui
Magnificent Woman 2: Rose
Magnificent Women 3: Lizelle, Anj and Reza
Magnificent Woman 4: Mom
Magnificent Woman 5: Mariel

*Buy a BAYO hoodie specially designed by KC Concepcion and help feed hungry children. Proceeds of these limited edition hoodies and shirts will go to the UN World Food Programme, of which KC is an ambassador.