TOPAZ HORIZON

For me, the thought of a future without books is equivalent to a big dose of appetite suppressants since in the few days after I wrote my last post, I could hardly eat from worry and sadness. However, I am now happy to report that many Filipinos have mobilized protests against this new policy and rained complaints on the Departments of Finance and Customs. This country is indeed great!

Also, Robin Hemley, Director of the Non-Fiction Writing Program in the University of Iowa and the man who started this all with his report on "The Great Book Blockade of 2009", mentioned my very own post about the issue in his website! Thanks, Kae, for telling me about this. I was surprised and quite honored! It definitely put me on a good mood to cook all weekend!

Now, remember--the fight ain't over yet! Do your part, Pinoy, and make books part of our future!

There's a new atrocity our government is imposing on us Filipinos. Taxes will be levied on all imported books--1% for educational books and 5% for non-educational books. That's on top of the 12% VAT we're already paying. The hugely popular Twilight Saga of Stephenie Meyer whetted the appetites of our customs officials and they promptly decided they can make crazy money from each of the tens of thousands of Twilight books that Filipinos devour.

There's an international treaty that says books--educational or not--should be imported in all nations tax-free. Our government has decided to go against the treaty so that (if you're rich) they can squeeze more money from us and (if you're poor) keep our brains empty at the same time. It's a brilliant maneuver of an extremely corrupt government. It's also stunning in its stupidity.

Now, Vince and I love books. We read and write the way people eat and drink. Books are not a hobby; books are our life. And if we have one mission in life, it's that we want every person in the entire Philippines to build personal libraries the way we are slowly and joyfully doing. Each Filipino home should have at least one room filled with beloved books, to be read over and over again and be passed down to children.


With this new customs policy, this dream will never come true. What will remain true is the enduring ignorance of the Filipino masses. This breaks my heart. Because I came from a poor family, but books opened my mind and fed my soul, they made me dream, and made it possible for me to get out of the poverty and make my dreams come true. Books can do that--textbooks and otherwise! How can the next generation have a chance if our government makes it impossible for them to read?

Please write about this in your blog. Please write to the following:

• the media, especially TV and radio, so that they can bring attention to this matter
• Customs Undersecretary Espele Sales, the woman who decided that books should be taxed (I cannot find any mention of her on government pages, though)
• Bureau of Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, e-mail: BOCCommissioner@customs.gov.ph
• National Book Development Board (their purpose stated here), e-mail: helpdesk@nbdb.gov.ph
• Secretary of Education Jesli A. Lapus, contact here
• National Commission for Culture and the Arts Vilma Labrador, e-mail: oc@ncca.gov.ph
• National Commission for Culture and the Arts Commissioner Ambeth Ocampo, e-mail: info@ncca.gov.phThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

I don't know who else to write to and how to do it most effectively but if we need to write to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself, then let's do so!

To learn more, please read columnist Manuel L. Quezon III's article and University of Iowa Non-Fiction Writing Program Director Robin Hemley's report.

UPDATE: Correction--Espela Sales is the Undersecretary of Finance. I am ashamed to say we share the same last name!

Had a crazy dream the other night. It was so vivid, I woke up breathless and discombobulated.

My favorite show now is Chuck. I am seriously in love with everything on that show. It's one of the few intelligent and entertaining shows on television--emphasis on intelligent! It's also one of the best written, funny, romantic, action-packed, wonderfully acted shows ever! And Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski are so cute together and everyone in the cast are such amazing actors. Bravo to everyone in and behind Chuck!

Anyway, the dream was Chuck and Sarah were sent to spy on some animal activists who were actually terrorists with a mission to blow up the San Diego Zoo. I don't know where Casey was since all I saw was Chuck and Sarah. Anyway, off they went, rescuing the animals when suddenly women in black bikinis started parading in front of the zoo, protesting the caging of animals. Chuck was obviously distracted (I got distracted, too) and the animal activists/terrorists were able to get to him! I was in a panic at this point! Then Sarah stripped down to a black bikini, too, so that she can infiltrate the animal activists' headquarters and rescue Chuck, which she did, and they ended my dream with a really sweet kiss!


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I actually understand why I dreamed this. Last week, I saw on the news some PETA activists in bikinis protesting in front of the Manila Zoo, which infuriated the zoo administrator who said that it was more wrong to wear bikinis than to cage animals (hahaha!). Second, I read on CNN.com recently that an animal activist is actually on the FBI's Most Wanted List--and he ain't there for good behavior. And last--but most important of all!--I love Chuck and have been seriously upset since NBC decided they can't decide if they want to renew it for a third season (NBC, pleeeeease!)

Gosh, I really really want to watch Chuck FOREVER! Angel Cohn of Television Without Pity gives you seven excellent reasons why Chuck should remain on air. And if you're not watching Chuck, then for the love of your brain, please do so!

So have you gone over to Beauty For A Living? It’s my new baby, a blog dedicated to all things beauty! Lofty as it may sound, it actually serves a practical purpose—I need a place to put some of my thoughts on the tons of stuff I get from beauty brands.

While I initially thought of putting those opinions here on Topaz Horizon, I very quickly also decided against it because I want this to remain my personal diary. The new blog can be the place for my honest reviews of products—from cheap drugstore finds and expensive luxury brands to the most out-of-this world treatments and services like a Colonix review!

Anyway, Beauty For A Living was supposed to be an anonymous blog but so many people recognized my profile photo—even if it was a heavily made up me! Oh well! As Vince said, “If you want to remain anonymous, take down your photo. It’s logical.” I guess I’m not prone to logical reasoning!

Do head on over to my new blog. I’m giving away fabulous prizes: a Shu Uemura makeup brush kit, a Jurlique facial care set and a Shu Uemura lipstick case. I announce the winners on Friday!

Vince fell in love with the Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chair two years ago. It's a simple chair made of polycarbonate and it's famous for melting into its surroundings and standing out at the same time.


He asked if he could buy one. Two years ago, it cost P12,000 each. I said, "No, let's wait for a sale." Last year, he asked me again. This time, the chair was P14,000. Again I said, "No, let's wait for a sale." A few weeks ago, while we were at Rustan's, the price tag on the Ghost was an eye-popping P16,000 (USD 332.55). Vince said, "If we wait for a sale, it will just get even more expensive. Let's buy it while we can still afford it."

So we bought two. I know that's a lot of money for an invisible chair but to get just one seemed incomplete. Now, twin Louis Ghosts sit in our house. They are stark and simple and elegant. We are in desperate love with them.


Today I found out from Real Living magazine that Dexterton in Greenbelt 5 has a sale on its home and office furniture. The Louis Ghosts were marked down.

I sat down on one of my beloved Ghosts and allowed one frustrated tear.

*images from Marley&Lockyer, PointClickHome, StyleAtHome

End of April. This time last year, the sun was blazing down in unforgiving rays--no surprise since April is always the month we fear our eyeballs would melt from the heat. This year, however, it's raining buckets. Global warming indeed.

This time last year, my husband had just left Playboy Philippines because he realized that if he was going back to the magazine world, he might as well do T3. He had just begun settling back in when we were all told to pack up and move to our new digs.

At last, we were leaving our basement office in Robinsons Galleria! Good-bye to the rats, the cockroaches and the strange dust that coated our desks and computers. And hello to the new home of Summit Media!

For security reasons, I won't post pics of our new office. I will, however, show you my table. It's all cluttered with memos, drafts, press releases, page plans, signature proofs (that's the test magazine pages), invitations and bags upon bags of beauty products. I'm very cluttery. So embarrassing! But I can always find something in that awful mess!

And this is my favorite place: The library. Don't mind the empty-looking shelves--we've got tons of magazines from all over the world!

So a very happy anniversary to Summit Media's lovely new office! I love working here really. Oh, let me rephrase that... I love playing here. Yep, I feel like I'm paid to have fun and that's why this is the best gig in the world!


P.S. Grab the April issue of T3 (it's the bikini issue!) with this remarkable-looking woman on the cover. This is the result of that post I wrote about the yacht and the helicopter. Click here if I don't make sense.

And have you gotten yourself OK!'s April issue? It's our special 4th anniversary issue! It's our best issue yet--anti-aging secrets of Jennifer Aniston and 8 other stars, 69 of the best gowns this year, an exclusive interview with Wolverine star Hugh Jackman and MORE! Be a good Topaz Horizon reader and get a copy now!

Yesterday, the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual was launched at a chi-chi brunch at Mag:Net Cafe at Bonifacio High Street. Bubbly was served, which felt decadent to drink when the sun is so high in the sky. Here are the other things I loved: 1. How cute Sebastien Tardif is! Bobbi Brown's makeup artist is gracious and friendly. He's so passionate about makeup and so eager to share all these tips and tricks. I just love passion and generosity. 2. Girls who look great! I like a woman who takes care of herself because that shows she has self-worth. I like people with big smiles, too! Beauty editors Eunice Lucero of StyleBible.ph, Cindy Go of Preview and Nicole Delos Angeles of Cosmopolitan show us how it's done. 3. Designer bags all in a pile. I appreciate how they're thrown so carelessly on top of each other. People shouldn't treat things too preciously. Precious is how you treat people, not things. 4. Eunice's orange nails. My regular readers will know that I love orange and I love how Eunice can pull them off. This girl is utter perfection. All. The. Time. 5. The color purple. Check out the shoes and Goyard bag of Agoo Bengzon, beauty editor-at-large of Preview, and the dress of Rorie Carlos, fashion and beauty editor of Town & Country. What I didn't love? It was a Fat Day for me. Sigh. So despite the heat, I pulled on my long black cardigan. I think it slims me but Vince says it just makes me look like I'm hiding something unpleasant. My husband is a big believer in flaunting--not hiding--beauty. I can use some of my hubby's gung-ho attitude really but, unlike me, he doesn't have PMS bloat! Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual is available at all Bobbi Brown counters at Rustan's.

Jennie, author of Kikay Corner, is one of those who responded to my call for beauty reviewers. Why did I choose her? First, because she's a beauty blogger so I know she's interested in beauty stuff and, more importantly, she can write. Second, well, because she's my dear friend so I know I'd feel very comfortable with her when we went to The Spa at The Fort to review a treatment for OK! magazine's June issue.
The lobby is filled with the sound of cascading waterfalls. That entire wall is shimmering with falling water, which then gathers around a pool (the black part at the bottom right). Quite lovely actually. The picture doesn't do it any justice. Oh, can you see me?
Up the stairs to the foyer, which has these amazing steel sculptures you can sit on. They're quite comfy, too.

Jennie checks in! The staff of The Spa are quite courteous. And I love how their voices are so melodious that just listening to them is enough to relax you.
This is the lounge. Jen and I part ways at this point. She went off to try the Infrared Sauna and then an hour-long massage. The treatment is supposed to detoxify your system. I hope she took pictures because I hear the private villa she was ushered into is fantastic!

I had a delightful 60-minute foot spa in this super relaxing room. It's actually very dark in this room but I opened the aperture of my Sony Cybershot camera to capture more light or else you won't see anything. Anyway, those chairs are unbelievable. Sooo deep and heavenly. Now, when I do a review, I always have to stay awake so that I can observe every detail of the treatment. But the foot spa was so fantastic, I fell asleep! And when I fall asleep during a treatment, then believe me when I say that that's the best thing I can say about it!

The best thing about my day, however, was spending it with a dear friend... in a world-class spa no less!

The Spa at The Fort
Bldg 8, 908 Bonifacio High Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Tel no. 856-5858 / 6868 / 1818

This weekend, Vince and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary and the 10th anniversary of our first kiss!

We had a very simple day, which started with me cooking a big brunch. Then... I won't go into specifics! Later on, we went to Power Plant for a haircut (yes, a haircut!) because Vince's last haircut was in December and his long hair was really annoying him. Pardon the pics--we took them with the iPhone because I didn't want to lug around my huge camera.

Then we had dinner at Myron's. Oh, but that was a lovely dinner that left us dizzy. I had a crisp salad and a glass of Chardonnay; Vince had a juicy steak and a Shiraz. We also had two orders of these huge baked oysters that were each as big as my hand. I had 7, Vince had 5! We were so full and round, Vince joked that we could just roll ourselves home!
We were supposed to watch Fast & Furious (we are fans of The Fast & The Furious because hot cars and hot stars are a deadly combination) and watch Ferrari parts fly but I think the movie was all Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda and no one gave good reviews so we decided to drop by the bookstore instead. I know I never mention books in this blog because I try to keep this blog light and silly but Vince and I adore books and we do believe we've spent a small fortune on Fully Booked.

Then home we went for rich Batangas coffee and Selecta strawberry ice cream. We parked ourselves in front of the TV for a marathon of Pushing Daisies and Chuck and a truly bad movie The Day The Earth Stood Still, which we delighted in demolishing. And that was our anniversary!

Anyway, this whole weekend, I've been singing "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin. It was the song I was singing when Vince and I started going out in 1999, and what I hummed as I prepared for our wedding in 2007. You know, even after 10 years, I still feel like I'm in a whole new world. With the one I love by my side, it is indeed still a thrilling chase, a wondrous place for Vince and me.

Last November 21, this woman stole my wallet and charged more than PHP 80,000 (USD 1,709) worth of gadgets on my gold HSBC card.


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

This is not the first time she's been featured on the local news. But no one can seem to identify her! The security team of our office building--they had caught her before and released her!--say her name is Noralyn Beltran. Her modus operandi is to go to offices and steal. She does this every end of the week, at around 4 PM, which is about the time people are having their merienda (coffee break) and so are apt to leave their belongings on their desk. This thief must be caught. Please forward this post and video to everyone you know. Thank you.