TOPAZ HORIZON

Weekend weekend! And what do we do on weekends? Some shop, some go out with family and friends, some watch movies, some play sports, some paint their roofs or fix the faucet or do some motorhome repair, and then there are those who devote their idle days on quirky little hobbies like stamp collecting.

I have a cute stamp collection myself. They're all of rabbits!

It's a modest collection. I have many more stamps--so adorable and clever!--but this would be a very long and picture-heavy post if I posted them all. I haven't actually been able to attend to my little hobby since I gave birth in 2010, so imagine my shock and delight when Mariel's dad, Tito William, sent me these awesome gold stamps:

The stamps came in a special folder encased in protective plastic.

OMG. They're 24-karat gold foil! I haven't taken them out of the plastic. I don't want to soil them with the oils and dirt from my fingertips. It's an amazing pair of precious stamps. Tito William, thank you oh so much! I will cherish these stamps forever!

I don't believe in astrology. But because of the Chinese New Year coming up in a few days, I've been inundated by horoscopes left and right. And... I'm a likin' what I'm readin'!

In the year of the Metal Rabbit, I, a Fire Dragon, will have unbelievable luck. Well, Dragons are always lucky because it's supposed to be a very powerful sign. But in 2011, my horoscope says I'm to expect good fortune in my career, finances, relationships and health. Hey, that's just about everything! The only thing that's supposed to be bad for me is water sports. And here I was thinking of taking up swimming! Well, scrap that!

Then there's the Western influences on the Eastern year. That means I, a Scorpio, can also check Aries as my horoscope since Aries is the Western equivalent of the Dragon. Huh? Did that confuse you? See this list!

Anyway, so according to this seer, this is what I should expect in 2011:
Scorpio—A year of much entertaining and socializing. Financial gains are indicated. And you are able to consolidate your position to a very high decree. Obstacles are still there but no major obstruction.
Aries—Calm is restored to you in the Year of 2011. The winds of fortune blow on your sails again. Home life is settled and finances are stabilized.

Wow. Looks like a fun year for me! Entertaining, socializing, money coming in, work going well, and calm. Deep blessed calm. As some of you know, 2010 was a year of high drama for me--the joys and fears of new motherhood, and the anguish of having someone so utterly selfish in my life. Ugh, I don't even want to think about the latter one. Anyway, if 2011 will bring calm to my highly strung emotional state, then I welcome this year with open arms!

Vince, since I know you're reading this, I've taken the liberty of reading your horoscope (and please stop rolling your eyes!). You're a Wood Tiger and your Western sign is Aquarius. The Western equivalent of the Tiger is also Aquarius so I didn't get very confused looking you up.

According to this, 2011 is a good year for your career. But it also says you will put in a lot of work for that to happen. And you'll laugh and say, "That is why it will be a good year because I have to work my ass off dammit!" I know, right?! Anyway, lotsa money, lotsa good opportunities, lotsa socializing from May to November. Weird! I honestly cannot see you socializing!

And as for your Western predictions,
Aquarius—A happier year is in store for you. Love and business affairs are in the upswing and things are generally more rosy and any obstacle is easily overcome. Good news is forthcoming.

I love good news! Happiness, love, rosy future, easily overcome obstacles--why, that's just fab!

Vito is a Metal Tiger, a Leo and an Aquarius (Western equivalent). So he will enjoy his home life this year. Well, with you and me as his parents, Vito will most definitely have a fabulous home life!

That's it! I don't believe in this astrology business but I am more than willing to believe that in 2011, everything will be alright. I don't even need the foretold money and career heights; I just want that peace and calm and goodness.

Have a good and blessed year, everyone!

Someone, impressed with my husband's gift-giving skills, asked me why I didn't blog about Vince's Christmas gift to me. Well, because by the time December and January came along, I was in the midst of that first trimester madness and totally forgot that my Christmas--despite all the morning sickness, sleepiness, fatigue, etc--was extremely happy and blessed!

So what did Vince give me for Christmas? Actually, we gave this to each other because we both wanted it and since it was kinda not cheap, we both decided it'll be perfect for us both! We got ourselves this:

Happiness! We totally love Rock Band 2! Super funnest game ever! Ya, I know the girls reading this are disappointed ("A video game? WTF?!") but you have to understand I'm a geek and I'm really good at some video games. That would make me every guy's dream girl, right? But Vince doesn't even want to play with me sometimes because I can get fiercely competitive. It's not about having fun for me, it's about annihilating the enemy (and if you're the other guy, that would mean killing you). Worse, I'm a sore loser. I don't take defeat lightly at all, which makes playing games with me totally not fun. 

But Rock Band is just fun. Fun! Fun! Fun! I've never had so much fun playing with others--we've even done Rock Band parties because it's the kind of game that just makes everyone happy.

My dearest Topaz Horizon readers, I know I haven't been updating as often as I usually do. Been melancholy since Galady died and also been busy entertaining Matilda who is now a lonely wabbit. Then there's stuff happening at work (sorry, can't disclose) but suffice it to say that these have been interesting times. And if you're Chinese, you know that that's actually not a good thing!

I'm also going on a hypoallergenic diet. Had a bad allergic reaction to a facial this weekend (the seaweed mask did it). So I should avoid everything that I'm allergic to so that my skin won't get worse. So good-bye chicken, eggs, seafood, milk, chocolates, citrus fruits and everything else that makes life worth living!!! Man, I really hate hypoallergenic diets! Some people recommend a complete colon cleanse to flush away all the allergens in my system but I'll stick to drinking water. I just had my last two squares of brownies actually and, at dinner, a few sips of spicy chicken soup. Yum! So now I'm itchy again but... only for tonight. Tomorrow and for the next week, I'll be good.

No pictures obviously. So my darling Mozzarella will pretend to be moi. Indeed I look ghastly. Splotchy and red. So upsetting since I'm giving my first ever classroom talk on Wednesday. I'm sooooo excited! Except that I look like a cooked lobster so now I'm not so excited to face a roomful of students as the representative of the glamorous world of magazines. No way can anyone look glamorous with a swollen, red, bumpy face. But they invited me because of my credentials not because of my skin or the clothes I wear. Still, please pray my skin will calm down by tomorrow.

I'm really excited about my talk. It will be in De La Salle University and I'll be telling some college kids all about the celebrity magazine industry. And, honey, y'all know I love my job! Goodness, it's like being paid to eat candy really. Ya, some days it's cloying, some days it's sickening but most days, life is oh so sweet. And to tell kids about it is really something I'm looking forward to.

Now the question is what shall I wear? I wanted to wear my usual skinny jeans-comfy tee-and-sexy heels combo but my hubby says I should look professional. But that's what I wear when I go to work! Vince says I should put on the arsenal of dress, heels and makeup so I won't look like a student. Aww, ain't he sweet? He thinks I can still pass as a student! I love you, Vince!

My darling friend Kissa sent me this photo she took of an ad at a Tokyo MRT station. She said at first glance, she thought I was the leftmost girl. My husband and I (and not a few of our friends) are as shocked as Kissa when she saw this pic.
OMG! Someone out there looks exactly like me. Except she's a model and she likes hugging and touching women. Scandal indeed!

UPDATE: Fellow blogger tHiAmErE just told me Scandal is a Japanese TV show very similar to Desperate Housewives. And that the girl who looks like me is Kazue Fukuiishi. I googled her and, nope, we look nothing alike. Just that one pose on that particular poster. Relief! Thanks, tHiAmErE!

Okay, I know I still have to continue my Uniquely Singapore Series but let me get these out of the way first. I had promised to announce some promos, events and contests and you may be interested to support them...

You can help out and rock out at the same time! Join my friend Kate Torralba and her other fierce musician pals tonight for Girls Go Tik Tok Rockin', an evening with some of the finest femme-fronted acts in town: TECHY ROMANTICS, SARAH of TAKEN BY CARS, DUSTER, UP DHARMA DOWN, TURBO GOTH and of course KATE TORRALBA!

Pass-the-hat and in-kind donations welcome! Proceeds go to typhoon victims via Rock Ed Relief. Kate will tell you more about the Tik Tok Pilipinas Campaign and how it can help mitigate Climate Change. This event is presented by KT Designs and Cafe Saguijo. In cooperation with Rock Ed Philippines, DAKILA Philippines, Tik Tok Pilipinas, Stylebible.ph and Jam 88.3 FM.

God bless you, Kate, for doing this. I'd love to go but I'm down with a really nasty bug. But I'll be sending my warmest thoughts your way!



These newlyweds are finalists in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers: Ultimate Travel Competition. Michael Paul and Jennifer have the cutest long-distance relationship love story ever! I, for one, don't believe in LDRs and then these two came along and my faith is restored! Reward their love by giving these two adventurers the ultimate honeymoon. And your good will may just win you $2,500, a Thailand travel package and HTC phones. Vote now!

I haven't gone to Thailand myself but Vince and I are planning a trip. Watched Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations visit to Chiang Mai and my mouth watered just looking at all the food he ate! Ya, I'm a food and culture traveler. Not a shopping person at all.

• Food bloggers! Share your best yummy discOVIry! Email it to fooddiscOVIry@ovi.com.
• Fashion and beauty bloggers! Share your most fashionable and beautiful discOVIry! Email it to fashiondiscOVIry@ovi.com.
• Tech bloggers! Share your best tech/gadget/game discOVIry! Email it to techdiscOVIry@ovi.com.

You'll have to create an OVI account first, though. Register here. Contest period is from October 27 to November 20. There will be 10 winners per category and each wins P1,000 Ayala e-GC. That's not a lot, if you ask me. Come on, Nokia, you're so rich, you can give more--perhaps P5,000 each?

Did you know you can now enjoy free downloads of Asphalt 4, Prince of Persia, and other premium games on your Nokia device? Ovi Store lets you download up to 10 premium games for free! These games have never before been made freely available, but you can download them for a limited time only! Too good to be true? It's possible now thanks to Nokia's partnership with Gameloft, the maverick creators of unrivaled gaming experiences. Game for it? Check out the Ovi store now!

I don't have an OVI phone but I do play Asphalt 4 on my Samsung Omnia, which I won in a contest and am loving now. Anyway, Asphalt 4 is such an annoying game! Cars... I'll never understand them!

Well, that's that. Regular programming commences tonight. Or tomorrow. I'm kinda sleepy... need to rest. Must get well before my 33rd birthday!

My feathered headbands from Singapore:

My Diane Von Furstenburg ladybug dress! I finally wore it after four months. Totally forgot it was in my closet. Silly me. I love it!
And this weird hardware necklace, which goes well with practically everything in my closet:

Miley's songs! I can't stand the girl (her looks and her antics) but I really like "Seven Things I Hate About You," "Fly on the Wall" and "The Climb." Now I'm dancing a lot to "Party in the USA"!


This minty Tea Tree Face Mask from The Body Shop, which scares the living daylights out of my poor darling husband:

And my personalized Bobbi Brown lip-and-cheek pot:

Fun fun fashionable post! I hope to give you a more substantial post tomorrow!

My friend Anna Go of Rustan's just told me the cutest news: Stuff at Rustan's is now available! Stuff is all things quirky, fun and crazy. I'm delighted just looking at Stuff's stuff. And since I'm already starting to shop for my Christmas gifts (it's never too early, folks!), I'm over the moon because I have a new place to buy (and request!) gifts!



Love, love, love them! There are more Stuff stuff ranging from silly shower caps and pencil holders to funkily designed socks and jewelry! Stuff by Rustan's is available at the Young Adults Section at all Rustan's Department Stores. Drop by soonest!

P.S. If you're in the mood for beauty products, do check my beauty blog. I'm selling beauty loot to raise funds for a little boy's chemotherapy.

Middle of the year and that means it's time to change the staff photos in OK! magazine. Why? Well, my editor's photo still features my long brown hair of last year (see that photo here). So when I go to meetings and events, the PR people and brand managers don't recognize me with my short and very red hair--and that's not a good thing! So a regular photo shoot is necessary.

We started early in the morning. The makeup artists (Marie Calica and Ces Guerrero) and hairstylists (Ogie Rayel and Emar Cabiltes) were tasked to prettify the entire staff. Nichole Reyes, OK!'s former fashion and beauty editor, is now a freelance makeup artist and stylist and we got her to style the shoot. Here are the dresses and the shoes:
Here's our photographer Ocs Alvarez setting up:
This is me before makeup:
And this is me in the middle of Ces's makeover magic:
Omar fixes my flat thin lifeless hair (I do love my hair color and highlights courtesy of color magician Louis Phillip Kee!):
Now that my face and hair are perfect, I'm ready to try on the outfits! But first, let me show you what I wore to the shoot.This is an old jumpsuit I bought at YRYS for a mere PHP 700 (USD 14.50) about four or five years ago. I am so happy it's back in fashion... and that it still fits! It's like wearing pajamas seriously. I wore it with my Nine West gladiator wedges and my Kenneth Cole necklace.

Tip: When you're having your hair and makeup done (wedding, debut, etc), always wear something you can easily take off, like a button-down shirt or dresses you can step out of. Do not wear t-shirts and the like, as taking them off will ruin your hair and makeup!

Now, in the tradition of The Insider's Lara Spencer's Wardrobe Cam, this is me trying on outfits...

First option was this pink dress with pixelated flower print from United Pop. Nope, it isn't working for me.

Second option was this Sinequanone dress with a Missoni-like print. It's nice but as editor-in-chief, I have to look more respectable than sexy so off it went. Besides, it makes me look pregnant!

Third option was this United Pop dress with a neckline beaded heavily with shells and sequins. I love it! It's very me. And, of course, it's orange and my readers know I love orange! Winner!

And if you ever wondered how those models in fashion magazines look like their clothes were tailored for them, here's the secret: Binder clips!
Et voila! Moi!

This photo will be published in OK!'s August issue! Pleeeease grab a copy!

United Pop pink dress (PHP 2,100), United Pop orange dress (PHP 2,400), available at The Ramp Crossings
Sinequanone blue dress (PHP 13,500), available at Rustan's Makati