TOPAZ HORIZON

Thrift shopping is fantabulous! While Vince dislikes it that I thrift-shop for my clothes ("It's not like we don't have any money!"), I really prefer to buy my clothes vintage or second-hand because I am absolutely sure I'll never show up at a party or an event and some other girl is wearing the exact same dress.

I just want to show you girls my latest thrift buys from eBay:

An H&M belted LBD that I wore to my last Juicy TV guesting. This fits me like a glove and it may be black and simple but because it hugs me in all the right places and that belt just cinches my waist, I feel very severe and sexy in it.

A Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. I haven't worn this yet. It looks even better in person than the photo. It's such a classic! And I totally adore that it's in silk jersey so I never need to iron it. Vince likes this dress, too.

A Hugo Boss cotton dress in beige. Nude and neutral colors are very in this year, and I just had to get this dress because, aside from the on-trend hue, it looks formal enough to wear to meetings but feels very comfy. When I wear it, I look like a Gap ad from its current collection by Alexander Wang and Vena Cava... except that I'm wearing Hugo Boss!

Then today--yes today!--I won this cute Diane Von Furstenberg ladybug dress! This adorable A-line dress came down the runway for the Spring/Summer 2007 collections. Yeah, it's old but I just had to have it because ladybugs are special to Vince and me.
Ten years ago, a golden ladybug landed on my wrist. It refused to fly away! So Vince placed his hand over mine to take it away; instead the ladybug just kept crawling from my hand to his and from his to mine and by the end of that afternoon, Vince had asked me out on our very first date. One year later, Vince gave me a necklace with the cutest ladybug pendant and it's been around my neck for over 9 years!
I actually had a similar ladybug dress from Zara. Bought it in 2007 and wore it just once (when my staff and I went to Subic and met some native Aetas). I found out soon after the trip that DVF had come out with the design first and I just didn't want to buy a knockoff--even if it was a Zara knockoff!

While I love finding vintage dresses and bags, there are some things I like buying brand new. Furniture. Jewelry. Shoes. Especially shoes! My goodness, shoes are my downfall so they better be spankin' brand new!

Whenever I watch the Oscars, I love the speeches best. How can you thank anyone at all when you're overwhelmed with so much emotion? So, in that very raw moment, you do get to see a very intimate glimpse of the person.

So now let me let you have a little glimpse of me! I have been very lucky to be the recipient of three blogging awards. I love them all and am greedy for more! Thank you to Duni, RanRan and Austenfan. Your recognition is much appreciated.

This blog is actually just a fun little hobby. My husband is a bit annoyed with it because total strangers and family (worse, he thinks!) come up to him knowing details about our lives all because they've stumbled upon this blog. And yet he is amazed at how many friends I've made through this blog (ladies, you know who you are and I love you truly). He's also happy that this little pastime earns me a bit of money, too (which is what I use to buy him presents!).

So this blog makes me very happy! And I am even happier that some of you are entertained by my silly stories, some of you are moved by my stories of love, marriage and my dear Mama, and some of you are moved enough to call me your friend. Thank you.

When I was a student of Creative Writing, my professor said, "Writers are most arrogant. We write down what we think and expect people to read it. Reading means setting aside time from one's life to actually sit down and focus on the material. So we, as writers, are arrogant to believe we can ask people for their time. So we, as writers, must make what we write worth their time."

Thank you for your time, my dearest readers. Your time, the comments that you leave, and your friendship makes my heart just puff up with happiness. You are all very important to me and I am filled with the deepest and most profound gratitude that you think I am worth your time and that you have welcomed me into your life. Thank you!


I pass this on to Wendy Brandes Jewelry, Daisy Chain Dreams, Lovely Purses, Annie Spandex and Whatever She Said, Then I'm That.


I pass this on to Girl Meets NYC, Beautiful Things to Share, Absolutely Beautiful Things, Style Redux and Sea of Shoes.


I pass this on to NY Minute Now, Marriage and Beyond, Tales of the Domesticated Husband's Wife, Memoirs of a New Missus and Nevergirl's.

I hope you, too, can pass your awards to blogs that inspire you the way you inspire me!

One of my favorite mags is Vanity Fair and they just launched an online poll called, "Who Is The Most Handsome Man In The World?"


But in the poll--as I type--Robert Pattinson is leading with a whopping 102,291 votes while my dear Johnny has 15,572. People, the question is who is most handsome not who has the most unwashed hair.

Johnny is the coolest, sexiest, smartest, handsomest man ever! Well, he's a step below Vince Sales, of course, but no one on earth can topple my man off the top of that list. I mean, really, it's unfair to even put Vince on that list because the hubby is the bestest of the best ever!

But back to the poll. Pleeeease do me a favor and vote for Johnny Depp (not Brad, George, David, Leonardo, Hugh, Clive, et al!). I want Johnny to win! Help!


*photos from Vanity Fair's website

So I know I've disappeared for a bit! After the TV show taping on Monday, I had my radio tour on Wednesday then a complete revamp of OK!'s July cover and cover story on Thursday, and a spa checkout on Friday. Whew!

When I'm feeling awfully tired, I go shopping online. Finding goodies online just really revitalizes me! But I found these lovely bags on eBay and one of them is quite pricey so now, instead of feeling happy, I'm getting all stressed again.

I love Fendi mostly because they feature my initial on almost all their bags. This Fendi pochette has the double F logo in shiny red, which makes it all the more fab. And at just PHP 2,400 (USD 51), it's calling out to me every day.
However, this bag is calling out to me every single minute. I found this vintage Chanel quilted tasseled bag. It's from the mid-'80s and I just love it. Problem is I don't love the PHP 16,500 (USD 350) price. I know that's cheap for a Chanel bag but it costs as much as one of my Ghosts. And, for a journalist like me, that's still an insane price for a bag. I don't mind paying for laptops and furniture, but for a bag...? Sigh, but no.

Oh, it would be so nice if I can have the Chanel bag or both bags! I'll just need to make more money then... Or maybe you can donate to my bag fund? =D

P.S. Also an online shopper? Do check out Pretty Peddler, this new beauty blog which sells the best beauty products for much less!

I start every month with a promoting blitz for OK! magazine. So tomorrow you may want to watch Juicy on TV5 at 11am (here's hoping my spot doesn't get bumped off again!). Here are some pics from the taping yesterday (yey, I finally have photos where my red hair looks red!):


So much fun! Also tomorrow I'll be on the following radio shows:

• Jam 88.3 at 2 PM
• Wave 89.1 at 3 PM
• 99.5 RT at 4 PM
• RX 93.1 at 8 PM
• Magic 89.9 at 10 PM

Listen in if you like! I have a very squeaky voice but I'm smart and funny so you can expect to be entertained. And please please grab a copy of the June issue of OK! magazine.

Better yet, send me a photo of yourself with my magazine! Here's my email: frances@topazhorizon.com. My favorite photo wins a prize!

So did ya get your customized pair of Havaianas flip-flops at the Rockwell Tent? Today was the last day and I hear the entire promo was a hit. The media and special VIPs got to attend the launch party last week and we each got a free pair. Mine is a brown and pink pair (the colors of my wedding!) with a clover leaf, a flower and the Philippine archipelago pins.


There was a fashion show, musical numbers and lots of yummy hors d'oeuvres. And tons of happy flipflopped people! Congratulations to Havaianas, to Terry SA and to Amor Maclang for such a fab event!

TV commercials these days are just crap. They're mostly inane and stupid and just assume the viewer is just as stupid and inane. Remember when it was actually a joy to sit for the commercial breaks? These days, I use those breaks to surf other channels, go to the loo, check the ref for food, or write Colonix reviews in my new beauty blog.

There are a few good ones that I do enjoy. Like this one from Close Up:


And this one from Sony Bravia three years ago:


And the "First Time, First Love" commercial of Coke! So '80s! (Yes, I was born in the '70s so I have a pretty good memory of this ad):


The '80s were the golden age for Coke ads but my favorite was the Pepsi commercial starring Fred Savage where he was writing a love letter to a girl and he was inspired by the drink, prompting the girl to realize, "I feel like... a Pepsi." So sad I can't find it on YouTube!

But the ad I truly truly love is this vintage Apple TVC that my husband tells me brings back memories of another age.


We feel every word because Vince and I have always been the misfits, the rebels and troublemakers that people never really understood. I know my parents always worried about me, afraid I'd end up dead because I always stirred up trouble but, hey, I turned out okay! The funny thing is, as media people, Vince and I are both in positions where we can actually mold the minds of our readers. It's crazy that we are where we are. We have dangerous thoughts and someone is actually paying us to spread them!

By the way, I found this vid through the utterly wonderful poet Susannah-Cole. She inspires me with her words and her images, and we are both "secret keepers of hope," believers in moving the world forward one blog post at a time.

I know I said I didn't like Twilight the movie but after seeing this video, I'm willing to watch New Moon. Oh my, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are so hot! Did they paint on Kristen's clothes? And Rob's abs--are they for real??? And that kiss! I literally felt my cheeks go warm when I saw these stills!

SPOILER ALERT! If you want the movie to be a surprise, do not watch!


Swoon! Now let me look for my own vampire and beg for a bite...

I know this news is a week late but Chuck is back for a third season! After all the emails and petitions of fans, the beloved spy comedy romance is returning to our TV screens on March 2010. I am so happy! Thanks, NBC!

2010 is many months away so I'm glad I still have The Tudors to keep me riveted. This is one of the best shows ever! It's history, politics, sex, scandal, religion, lavish excess, intrigue, style, love and passion all rolled into one! Right now, King Henry is disenchanted with his new wife, Anne of Cleves. Anne is played by Joss Stone and she's actually good--who knew that singer can be a good actress, too?

Showtime really has fantastic shows; aside from The Tudors, they also have Dexter--the serial murderer series. I love this one! It's funny, dark and bloody, and just chilling! I love the marketing promo, too (see above)--very clever, very sophisticated, very Dexter. The fourth season is set to debut this fall in the US so I have that to watch when The Tudors is done. I think I mentioned this somewhere in my blog before but I must confess that of all the fictional characters I've ever met (in a book, a story, a movie, etc), I relate to Dexter Morgan the most. Now that's something that scares even me...

Fringe is another show I love. It's all about the supernatural and mysterious, kinda like The X-Files but I kinda like Fringe better. I adore Olivia Dunham so much I want to name my daughter after her character! The no-nonsense Olivia is played by Aussie actress Anna Torv--that's her floating up there. She is unconventionally beautiful and she gets lovelier with each episode. The first season just ended and there's no word from Fox yet when the second season will be but I'm happy to note that there will most definitely be a new season!

Well, judging from the shows I watch, you can tell I'm not a fan of the silly, fluffy and frivolous. Yeah, I like my entertainment raw, strange, mind-boggling, bizarre, even frightening. Then the delightful Chuck (and the sadly discontinued Pushing Daisies) happened and I have never been more in love with such a sunny, happy character! And despite Chuck's sunniness, the show ain't dumb and silly at all!

My blogger friends Zemirah, Sippinslow and JenAspacio have alerted me to what is possibly the most wonderful news this summer! The Great Book Blockade, which levied taxes and other duties on imported books, is now over!

Just this morning, newspapers happily reported that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the Department of Finance to immediately lift "the customs duty on book importation," Press secretary Serge Remonde said. “The President wants books to be within reach of the common man. She believes reading as an important value for intellectual formation, which is the foundation of a healthy public opinion necessary for a vibrant democracy,” he added.

Well, thank you very much, Madame President! And thank you, too, to Robin Hemley, who made us all aware of this distressing fact (and who mentioned my post about this issue on his blog. Yey!).

Thank you to all the Filipinos who stormed the government with their protests, done intelligently, I'd like to add.

Thanks to the media for giving this issue proper attention.

And thank you to the international communities led by UNESCO who helped trash this law in such a short time!

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

Democracy is well and alive in the Philippines. I now know this and my heart lifts with fierce pride and glorious hope! We didn't even need to stage rallies and violent protests. No one died, no blood was shed. The strength of bloggers amazes me. I didn't know we were this influential! As Oasis sang, "I'll start a revolution from my bed." We started it and now we won. What else can we achieve?

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!


Read my blog post on the issue here.
Read more about the developments, as reported by Robin Hemley, here.