TOPAZ HORIZON

Usually, my Facebook feed is full of baby photos. I guess Facebook, in all its wisdom, decided that since I'm a mommy, all I'm ever interested in is family stuff.

Not true. I like murder, too. And sexy hot women. So when I saw this photo of the cast of Showtime's Dexter at Comic-Con and then I spotted Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski at far right, I was freaking out! Agent Sarah Walker in Dexter! I am oh so excited for the next season!!!


I like sci-fi and weird stuff, too. So I am a huge fan of Fringe, that show where everyone wears coats and frowns as they figure out the mysteries of the (parallel) universe(s). So this photo of the dowdy Dr. Bishop now looking dapper in a button-down and a chic fedora and the suited up Agent Broyles in a graphic tee is priceless!

Totally think this is adorable: a funny clip of comediennes Jennifer Aniston and Ellen Degeneres.


Then this. Cutest photo bomb ever!

I can read this easily. I used to write in my journal like this. Feeling Da Vinci when I was a silly young girl who thought she was smarter than everyone else. Sadly (and happily, too!), not true!

Love this! I'd rather be a Jedi than a witch anyway. Although I secretly believe I really am a hobbit. I like eating second breakfasts and elevenses.

And finally...
Soooo glad these updates got through because I'm definitely more than a mommy!

What's on your Facebook feed?

When you're a mommy like me, you want to be able to run around comfortably. When you're in the magazine business like me, you want to be able to look good at work. When you're trying to be chic whatever the occasion like me, you want to never sacrifice style for comfort and comfort for style.

So I'd like to have one pair each of these Chelsea ballet flats please! Size 36.
Tory Burch studied an actual ballet slipper when she designed this wardrobe staple. So the soft leather, the lightness, the grosgrain ribbon trim and narrow toe box will definitely inspire you to dance while walking! The name, meanwhile, is taken after New York's art district. So the shoe is for the girl who likes to while away the days visiting museums and galleries, attending exhibits and shows--in comfy shoes, sure, but in luxe comfy shoes!

At P9,650 a pair, it's quite pricey but, hey, as someone who's spent loooong days in heels for years and years, I'm ready to invest in flats as beautiful and comfortable as the Chelsea.

Tory Burch is available at Greenbelt 5.

Over at Topaz Mommy, I'm holding a contest. Yep, I'm giving away copies of Fifty Shades of Grey. Hop on over there to get a chance to win a book!

Anyway, I was reading the contest entries, all of which talked about their favorite romantic hero of fiction. It just occurred to me that, based on the answers and how we all seem to love guys from Rhett Butler (Gone With the Wind), Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights), Maxim DeWinter (Rebecca) to Edward Cullen (Twilight), we girls seem to want men who are much older, very rich, have deadly secrets and, most disturbing of all, cruel. Cruel!

Tell me, did you actually end up with a bad boy?

I used to date bad boys but that got old soon (not soon enough sadly). I finally decided I needed respect. Gosh, not even love, just plain and simple respect. Someone who will treat me with kindness and affection, generosity and trust. That's not too much to ask since I can give that and if I can, a man can. So what is this obsession of ours with bad boys?

I should be able to answer that since I did go out with their kind many many seasons ago. But, to be honest, I really don't know. Do you?

Confession time! I love ice cream. Actually, now lang, after I got preggy with Vito. You see, I craved liver when I was pregnant with him. Pork liver, chicken liver, liver spread, liver steak, pate--I had to have liver every single day! My OBG said that liver's great but since it's rich in Vitamin A (which can cause birth defects), I was forbidden to eat it. To my delight, I found that ice cream had the same creamy smooth texture as liver. I've been eating ice cream regularly since!

Now, since ice cream bars are all the rage these days, I've been trying out different kinds. I love them all! But I found my favorite ice cream bar, the amazing Nestle Crunch!

Nope, I'm not watching the new Spidey movie. I don't think the moviegoers will appreciate me sneaking a 7-week-old infant in the theater. Yep, my baby boy breastfeeds like crazy and so we're semi-permanently attached.

I wanted to watch it not because of the story (seriously, did it really need a retelling?) but because of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Here's why:

Patty and I like our men long and lean!

Oh well. Anyway, I just distracted myself with this fantabulous magazine:

To the amazing and super talented staff, you did one hell of a great job with this issue! Your gorgeous editor-in-chief (who, FYI to the mag's readers, was on maternity leave when this issue was produced) is very proud.

Hmm. I'm kinda feeling like I want Emma's hair here. But I'm 35 so maybe I'm too old for that look haha

I hope you guys grab a copy of the July issue of OK! magazine. You'll love it just as much as I did!

This was the cover of OK! Philippines when the TomKat phenomenon took the world by storm 7 years ago. Ah, 2005. That was the year Brad and Jen split, then Brad and Angelina hooked up, and then Tom and Katie got engaged within a few weeks of meeting, and then both leading ladies of the year's biggest romances got knocked up. Truly an epic year for entertainment magazines!

Fast forward to 2012. This is the year Brangelina finally got engaged and the year TomKat split. Another epic year. Katie was the one who filed the divorce papers, allegedly taking Tom by surprise since he was still singing her praises while promoting Rock of Ages. She's asking for custody of their daughter, Suri, and everyone is leaning forward in their seats, waiting for the ugly divorce and custody war. And this is Tom Cruise, only one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. It's a brave soul who goes up against him and everyone's eagerly waiting to watch how Katie will get what she wants.

But the divorce makes me sad. So many people--the entire world it seemed!--wanted Tom and Katie to fail. We all doomed their relationship from the very start. So each year they celebrated together was a triumph I quietly enjoyed. Then this.

It makes me sad. Tom and Katie fought so hard for their love, they were the epitome of you-and-me-against-the-world, that evil, cynical world. They fought back hard but in the end, the world won.

This was a complete surprise. Well, he did ask permission first if he could buy it for me (that's married money for you!) and I was so surprised that he wanted to buy me a new camera that I just said, "Sure, buy it for me!" I mean, really, why ever would I refuse? Haha!

It's a Panasonic GF3. I love it! It's so small! You all know we use and love the Olympus cameras but my one whiny complaint about it is it won't fit into my purse. So Vince got me a small camera. Hooray! Here's Vince talking more about the camera and why he got it for me. Thanks, love!

We buy practically all our gadgets from Amazon or from some other online site, have it delivered to Johnny Air NYC, which then ships it to us here in Manila. Why do we do that? Because even with the shipping and taxes, it's still cheaper to buy abroad. Want to do the same? Let Vince tell you how!

Today was a fun day. Vince's push present finally arrived! And I'm so excited I didn't get the Olympus to take a sharp and proper photo, just BB'd and Tweeted it to the dear followers and now sharing with you here.

It's a set of stackable rings in matte gold with all our birthstones: amethyst, yellow topaz, peridot and emerald. I'm so in love with my push present!!!

What's a push present? Click here to find out!

Vito inspects newborn Iñigo

Gray is a color associated with dullness, rainy days and gloom. So when designing a living space, gray is the last hue anyone ever thinks of. Well, that's the color I'm seriously considering for our living areas. Why? Because of this:

Not 6-months-pregnant-photo-of-me. The sofa!

Hehe, sorry there's no full photo! It's a sofa I bought for Vince. It was my gift to him for Christmas, Valentine's Day, his birthday and our wedding anniversary. He's been wanting a new sofa for 5 years so last Christmas I figured I oughta give him what he really really wants. We love it! Super. Lesson here: Get what you want, what you really really want!

The gray sofa looks great in the house. We softened it with embroidered and fluffy silk throw pillows. But since I've been looking at bedroom inspirations, I started looking for gray living rooms, too. And they are, my friends, quite beautiful.

Blues and grays are so soothing.

Black, white and gray. And words. Perfect for writers!

A bit austere so the pops of yellow are welcome.

The gray is softened by the big pillows and filmy curtains.

Love the books!

Gray, white and gold. Elegant and chic!

Framed black-and-white photos. Of course!

Very bold! Love the textures and prints!

A bit country class but I love the dark gray walls.

I love the pale yellow curtains!

So comfy and quiet and gorgeous!

I love how the gray is so calming and elegant. I also noticed how the rooms had yellow accents in common. But any accent color will work against the gray anyway--the brighter the better, like pink! Ohhhh, I am so into home-modification mode right now!

P.S. Speaking of gray, who wants to read Fifty Shades of Gray? Watch this space because I'm giving away the book! Soon!

*Living room images from Naura Home Design, His House; Her Help, Rusty Hinges Blog, Homedit, Inspiration for Home, Design Darling, Kunz Design and Furniture and Interior Design