TOPAZ HORIZON

The reason I got to be in Singapore in the first place was because of the first ever Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards. Nuffnang is an advertising platform for blogs and I've been a member of Nuffnang for less than a year but already I've enjoyed a lot of things from them: bags, trips, educational excursions and income, of course! If I weren't so busy, I'd be more involved in all their activities. Hmmm, perhaps I'll start doing just that...

Anyway, back to the awards! I'll just be posting fashion shots here, okay? I think you'll enjoy those more! That's me and my fellow Summit Media friend, Franny Haw.

Nuffnang was founded by two really fun guys, Timothy Tiah Ewe Tiam and Cheo Ming Shen. Or Tim and Ming. Don't ask me to pronounce their full names! In just two years, their little online venture has become a lucrative advertising business straddling four countries, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Australia, and with almost 100,000 bloggers registered in the Nuffnang community.


Ming said, "Bloggers today are getting recognized for their work, invited to events and offered product or service trials--all in a bid by companies to woo the Internet generation." Ten thousand blogs were nominated and about 60 blogs made it to the finals. Nope, Topaz Horizon didn't make it; that wasn't why I was there--I came as a member of the media so thank goodness for my job!


Anyway, after meeting the finalists from the Philippines and reading the blogs from the other countries, I am really beginning to think of taking this blogging thing seriously! Some bloggers earn thousands of dollars. That's insane money for just typing away your thoughts. Journalists--usually following a strict code of journalistic ethics--don't even earn that much. I'm not complaining, being an earning blogger myself, but I do have reservations about financially rewarding bloggers who are not guided by journalistic principles. Just because your blog is popular (usually through controversy) does not mean it's the authority on certain issues.


Ming understands this and says, "Bloggers need to carry the responsibility that comes with the power they have over society's opinions and day-to-day decisions. We hope that through Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards, bloggers will realize the importance of quality content in blogs. Tonight's winners are great examples of blogs which attracted a huge following through uploading quality content."


So congratulations to the 12 winners:
Best Blog Shop: Bonito Chico
Best Food Blog: I Eat, I Shoot, I Post
Best Fashion Blog: Lady Melbourne
Best Parenting Blog: Childhood 101
Best Travel Blog: En Route
Best Celebrity Blog: A Jolly Affair
Best Entertainment Blog: Kenny Sia
Best Geek Blog: Mr. Gadget
Best Hidden Gem: The Doodle Blog
Best Original Blog Design: Xia Xue
Most Influential Blog: Xia Xue
Region’s Best Blog: Xia Xue


And did I mention the fabulous prizes? Anywhere from top-of-the-line Canon cameras to a whopping SGD 5,000 from Pringles! That's PHP 169,971.75 (USD 3,573.43), people!

I did enjoy the glamorous awards night and I laud the efforts of Nuffnang to honor quality content--I do hope that they will truly recognize quality content more than just popularity but I don't want to talk about that. As for my opinion on advertising on blogs, well, let me get through this entire series first before I talk about that! More tomorrow!


More awards night photos here. I would like to thank Nuffnang and the Singapore Tourism Board for this Uniquely Singapore Series.

I'm out of the country actually. In Singapore. For the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Bloggers Awards!

Singapore is just about the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Just amazing. Will talk about this stunningly beautiful city soonest. Right now I need to:
1. apologize to Hair in Manila. My writing assignment is almost done!
2. resize photos from this amazing trip.
3. pack my stuff because we're going home to Manila tomorrow. You know, I just want to say that Singapore may be beautiful but it's not as alive as Manila. Manila is another animal altogether and I love Manila!

I will be uploading photos soon but I am very hesitant because, after seeing the fantastic pictures of my fellow bloggers, I realize to my horror how terrible my photos are!!! So I will just grab and grab and grab! Like these pics that I grabbed from...



I've met so many wonderful bloggers! I am seriously inspired to make Topaz Horizon better! Anyway, will update soonest!

Last Saturday, I joined some Nuffnangers on a visit to Sunshineville in Las Pinas. Sunshineville. You gotta love a place named like that! And you know what? The people who live there truly are filled with sunshine. And look at how they decorate their windows! I was just so delighted!

Sunshineville is a community development project of the Gawad Kalinga Foundation. The place used to be an ultra-low income neighborhood. In today's PC terms, informal settlers. In other words, squatters. But through the efforts of Gawad Kalinga and many corporate sponsors, these people are now living in their own homes (they pay Php500 a month!). They all have a sense of ownership and belonging. And these can do wonders to the soul!

Going around the colorful neighborhood and talking to the people, I was amazed at how confident they are, at how proud and happy they are. Many times when I meet people, they regard me with resentment--insecure and ashamed of how different they are from me. And I'm not even talking about poor people--some people who are so fantastically blessed can be angry just because your skin is lighter or you're thinner. Or they look down on you because of the same shallow reasons. I can't understand this!

In Sunshineville, I felt none of that nonsense. In Sunshineville, they didn't make me feel like I was better than them. I felt like I was with equals. And I truly was! The people at Sunshineville not only are paying for their mortgage, they also built their houses. They also have a livelihood that gives them self-worth (I'll talk about this livelihood later!). No one talked about how many cars you owned or what new fitness fad or diet pill you're taking or what designer brand you just bought. What we talked about was our work and how wonderful it is to work!

It is a most beautiful thing to witness how an honest day's work gives people dignity. I'm so inspired! Can you imagine if the entire country was transformed like this? Now I want to put up a business so I can give people jobs and make more people happy!

*for more photos of Sunshineville (especially the people! Haha, sorry, was so fascinated by the windows I forgot to take pictures of the people!), click here!

I'm turning 33 in exactly one month! If I were a hobbit, this means I've come of age. If I were Jesus, this means I'm about to die. And if I were to die a Muslim, then this would be the right time since Muslims believe we'd all be 33 in heaven--33 being the perfect age. Okay, the preceding thoughts were incoherent!

Anyway, I have no plans to die anytime soon (or later); what I do have are plans to celebrate another year! I've been very blessed so I just wish for more of what I already have--love and friendship and good health. I wish to be better at my career and develop other talents and skills as well. I don't mind more money coming in either!

While I'm grateful for the blessings, I also have a birthday list of material stuff I want to have on the big day:

1. A BLENDER
Yes, a blender or a food processor. I don't have one. I thought I'd get a ton of these at the wedding but I didn't get a single one! I really really want one so I can make my own fruit juices and milkshakes and crushed ice, etc ad infinitum!!!

2. JAMIE AT HOME BOOK
I love love love the TV show Jaime At Home! I'm a city girl through and through but when I watch Jaime At Home and Barefoot Contessa, I want to be out in the country, breathing in fresh air, sinking my fingers into the earth, picking flowers and fruits and vegetables, bringing them into my kitchen and then preparing a hearty meal. So anyway, Jamie has a book version of the show and I want it! I really really do!
3. LEATHER FLATS FROM SCHU
I wear my Schu beige flats every day. Okay, not every day, just four times a week. I really love these flats! They go with just about anything. I don't mind if I get dozens of these because this is the shoe that is so classic and perfect and comfy, I can wear them forever. Forever!
Of course, I wouldn't mind getting the other Schu styles, like this cutie:4. FREE TRAVEL ANYWHERE OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES
Yes, preferably near because I dislike long hours in a plane. Preferably a city since I'm not a fan of sand and sun. So Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore (photo)... let's hope someone's generous enough to send me to you!
5. SNICKERS CHOCOLATE BARS
I can eat this all day every day. Just look at this photo I got from The Frugalista Files:

Just look at that! Chewy nougat, crunchy roasted peanuts and sweet caramel all wrapped in heavenly chocolate! I wouldn't mind getting packets of this at all. I just want to eat one bar every single day of my life!

6. A SAPPHIRE RING SURROUNDED BY DIAMONDS
While I never dreamed of getting married or even getting engaged, I did want the engagement ring Prince Charles gave Lady Diana in 1981. I was just a little girl, 4 years old to be exact, and I remember seeing that blue rock on her finger and when I asked my mother what it meant, she said, "That means he's marrying her."So since that day, I've always thought that a sapphire ring was the symbol of love and commitment. Of course, when I told Vince that I wanted Diana's sapphire engagement ring, he refused: "You get nothing less than a diamond. And look at what happened to that marriage!" So I got the diamond ring, which is winking at me fabulously now as I type (thanks, Vince, for always getting me the best!)... but I still want that sapphire ring! I'm buying myself one. I'm turning 33. I should be buying my own jewelry!

Oh, I can't wait for my birthday!

Kiehl's had a very interesting media event last week--they took us on a cruise aboard the Pasig River ferry. The announcement was met with dismay; after all, the Pasig is one of the world's most polluted rivers. But we all had a wonderful time! I do believe we all agree this is one event that was unique and we came away from it learning a lot.

First thing we learned: The river does not stink anymore. This is actually something I already guessed since I live along the Pasig. Here's a view of the river from our window:
And here's the view of my condominium building (it's the slice of peach in the very middle) and my office, too (the wide one on the right) from the rain-drenched window of the ferry:
I've always wanted to ride the ferry since it was launched two years ago. I'd watch it from my house but Vince would always flat out refuse to ride it. So when I told him that the Kiehl's event was on the ferry, he was amused at how happy I was and, I'm sure, more than relieved I don't have to bug him about it!
Another interesting fact I learned is the river is salty. Yes, you read that right. I found this out when I ventured out onto the bow and I got some river sprayed onto my face. I sputtered in horror, "Maalat!" ("It's salty!") A cameraman laughed, "Kadiri! Malamang ihi ng mga squatter!" ("Yuck, must be all the concentrated urine from the squatters!")

I was relieved to know that the Pasig River is actually a tidal estuary--a body of water directly linked to the sea so that, depending on the tide, seawater flows in and out of it. This explains why I always smell the sea from my bedroom window! And it smells fresh! Oh, this is me just before the spray:
Speaking of informal settlers (the politically correct term), there were still a lot of them along the river but not as bad as I imagined. The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) is in the process of relocating them to better communities such as the Cardinal Sin Village, also located along the riverbank:Someone should tell whoever put up that sign to just place all the words together since this just looked ridiculous:
More than relocating informal settlers, the government should also move factories, oil depots and businesses away from the river. They're the ones mostly responsible for pumping their chemical waste into it.
As you can see below, the shanties are being demolished. There were some kids still swimming in the river, which made me worry--they'd definitely need some medical care sooner than they think. Or lawsuits against the factories but I doubt they can afford river-disease/rectum cancer/hepatitis A/salmonella lawyers. Poor things.
While I found myself wistfully hoping that the Pasig River cruise can one day rival the one I enjoyed on the River Thames, I do want to say the view wasn't all ugly. There were pretty parks, nice bridges, modern buildings and, surprisingly enough, a lot of green:

The most magnificent sight of all was the Malacanang Palace, official residence of the President. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take photos of the Palace, which made me retort, "I didn't hear the Queen complain when I took photos of Buckingham Palace!" We did meet Angel Cancio, the man who drew the Palace on the back of the PHP 20 bill:
He also drew the Central Bank Complex on the back of the PHP 100 bill. We were all very thrilled to meet him and we all had him sign our bank notes (I was cheap--I just volunteered a PHP 20!). Another fact that tittilated us was this bridge:
It's called the Lambingan Bridge. I don't know what the word is in English; somehow, "affection" is not quite the word but an English equivalent would be Lovers Bridge. In olden times, young lovers would meet here and do some lovin'. Jilted lovers would also throw themselves from this bridge but no one's ever died so the bridge must really be a tender spot!

Ah, but this was my favorite spot--the station right across my home:

For more on Kiehl's and the products that will benefit the recovery of the Pasig River, check out my beauty blog, Beauty For A Living.

P.S. Don't forget to join my Moleskine giveaway!

My uber chic and smart and fabulous friends Nicole, Kat and Nikki and I convene every month or so for a night of cheese, crackers and bottles of wine. We don't drink as much as we talk; that's why Vince calls it Whine Night.



Nikki just got engaged and we're all very excited for her. Kat just got herself a boyfriend and we're just as thrilled for her. Nicole and I, well, we're both happily married ladies so, seriously, it's not whine night!

Wine Night isn't exclusively for us four, however. Sometimes, we swell to about 10 people--we just draw up a chair for anyone who wants to join the conversation. One time, a palm reader came along and told me there are three children in my future. Another time, this incredibly self-obsessed person joined us and all he talked about was how great he is. It's always entertaining and, funnily enough, despite the bottles that we empty, we never get drunk.

We're planning a shopping trip to Bangkok, just us ladies. It will definitely be loads of fun and I'll have a ton of fantastic photos for you! I'm really hoping the trip pushes through soon!

As in literally hot, the sun burned my cheeks and shoulders. That was minimal sun exposure--I didn't even swim or sunbathe. Vince was smarter than me--he just stayed indoors all weekend long.

The night before we left, I typed my Facebook status as: "Going to Batangas and praying for clouds." Lizelle, my sister-in-law, got perplexed and said that all the kids were praying for the sun. Well, God listens to the prayers of little children because in San Juan, the sun unleashed all its blazing glory.

Yes, we're strange that way; we're not fond of the sun at all. But when we see clouds on the horizon, our spirits lift. And when it thunders and pours, Vince and I are the happiest creatures. The harder the rain, the darker the sky, the more ecstatic we get. That's why we love the rainy summer this year and that's why we chose gray London for our honeymoon!

The rest of the Sales family, however, are sun babies. They stayed in the pool the entire weekend! They were all a dark shade of brown by the time we went home.


Nevertheless, despite the unforgiving sun, it was a fun weekend. The kids were so excited... and that's an understatement of epic proportions! Acuatico is indeed a lovely place and I'd love to go back there... in the rainy season!