TOPAZ HORIZON

Methinks I'm a hobbit. I love breakfast, second breakfast and elevenses. So I think it's so cute that McDonald's decreed tomorrow, March 18, as National Breakfast Day! Yes, national. That means all McDonald's nationwide is having a morning party on Monday!
National Breakfast Day is McDonald's first ever breakfast party. And since it's a nationwide event, I guess it's their biggest party, too! But it's not just for the Philippines, it will also be a national day for 5,000 McDonald's restaurants in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and South Africa. I wonder what's on their brekkie menu?

Here in the Philippines, there's Hashbrowns, Sausage McMuffin with Egg, Hamdesal (with Cheese, with Egg), Hotcakes (2-Piece, 3-Piece, with Sausage), Sausage Platter with Rice, Big Breakfast, Longganisa Meal and, of course, the Egg McMuffin. Pair your meal with a McCafé Premium Roast Coffee, orange juice, or—my favorite—Hot Chocolate! I love McDo breakfasts and I'm not just saying that because this is a sponsored post. I've been ordering McDo breakfast for a decade now! It's yummy food that's affordable and always fresh and hot!

I visited the McDonald's website to check out our Pinoy breakfast menu, in anticipation of March 18:

I posted this over on Facebook. It got some likes but apparently no one shared it to their young friends, sons, daughters, nephews and nieces because hanggang ngayon, not one CV is in my inbox! I guess even my friends are scared of me haha.

This is for a shopping magazine. There will be lots of dealing with writers, models, photographers, stylists, clothes, beauty products... Did I mention this was for a shopping magazine? It's definitely going to be work but it's only 4 weeks, 6 weeks max, and I'm fun to work with. And if you do well, this can be a regular gig. Yes, it's a job. There will be compensation. It will be fun! Apply now!

UPDATE:

Sandra was OK!'s editorial assistant. Now she's with Cosmo.

See? I'm not so scary. Apply now!

I believe in prayer. I tell ya, when I pray for something, God gives it. Of course, you have to pray with the knowledge of who God is. For example, I know that God is my provider so to ask Him for financial blessings and food is okay.

As Matthew 7:11 says, "If you then, imperfect as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?" My goodness, my husband and I spoil our kids silly. That gave me a profound insight on who God is—He will shower me with blessings because I am His child. All I need to do is ask!

I once asked for makeup when I was still so very poor and God answered by making me win a L'Oreal contest. One year's worth of makeup, y'all! But when I asked for makeup, it was because I was starting out in my career and I wanted to look good and I just didn't have money for makeup or nice clothes. So I bared my heart to the Lord and asked.

I believe that if you ask with a humble heart—not a vain or proud or greedy heart—God will give you what you want. After all, didn't He say, "I am come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly," in John 10:10? Abundance! That doesn't mean simple life, all I need, just enough. It means overflowing with blessings! That means more than I need!

I do also believe that when you ask God for something, you have to be specific. I don't mean that God is obtuse and isn't smart enough to figure you out. But He does have a sense of humor. I'll let this little conversation with fashion blogger Tracy Ayson of Fashion Fangirl explain my point:

So believe in God's promises, know who He is, ask with no fear or hesitation, ask with a heart full of love and humility, but ask specifically! God bless you!

Contrary to what some people think, I actually like Jennifer Lawrence. I don't love her (I didn't like her Hunger Games performance so much) but when I watched Silver Linings Playbook and saw the crazy-eyes scene in the diner and the scene where she mouthed off on Robert de Niro (you don't slap down de Niro and get away with it!), my thought bubble was, "Oh dear heavens. Best actress in the bag!"

image from agittated

Look at that face! Clearly someone who knows how to dig deep within her soul! I am not making fun of her! I'm kinda referring to someone else, more celebrated than Jennifer, a much bigger star but with only one facial expression—like she smelled something bad.



Even her speech was cute! She was dazed, totally having an out-of-body experience. Kinda reminded me of Gwyneth Paltrow, but cuter. Unlike, say, Anne Hathaway, who obviously expected to win because her speech rolled off her tongue so easily.


Excited to see more of Jennifer Lawrence's work! I hope she doesn't lose her authenticity. Many actors, as they get bigger, protect themselves by building a wall around them—a gleaming, smiling facade. I hope we allow Jennifer to be herself. I mean, she does this:

image from Mashable

She's so real, my heart aches! Love. Her!



Congratulations! You so deserve this!

In theory, my column in the Manila Bulletin comes out every Friday (did you get yesterday's paper???). In practice, heaven knows when it actually gets published haha. It really depends on the news and the ads. Say, if something really amazing happens (it's always amazing, never tragic, since my column is in the fashion section), then my column gets bumped off. Same thing happens when a big ad comes along.
This is from our photo shoot of celebrity stylist Alyanna Martinez. The column came out in the January 31 edition. You can read it online here. Funny because the title of the piece is "Style & Beauty Authority" but online it says "Beauty & Authority." Wonder what happened there.

This is for my feature on Cristina Gomez, the elegant and refined social editor of Lifestyle Asia magazine. She is sophistication personified! Her shoot was fun and comfortable since we did the shoot at her brother's house. Iñigo had a lot of fun there. This feature isn't out yet so do watch for it!

We saw this funnily-named skirt. Any guesses why it's called express??

Haha. I wonder what M Café has to say about this! Anyway, I haven't been to this part of Greenhills forever so I was really surprised to see that National Bookstore had a major makeover.

Look! The old editions of Vince's Life! Hence the discount. You can get these books if you want to save but I highly recommend the new edition. They're edited and updated by Vince and they feature fabulous new cover art!

Leah with my Frances Sales satchel. It looks so nice! Leah carries it well. Sigh. I'm still wishing to reopen the bag business. I'm just too busy to do it now! One day, one day.

Every Spring-Summer, the floral print debuts on the runways as THE fashion trend. And every year, I'm always fascinated. But I never actually buy! My closet hardly ever has prints now. Back in my 20s, all my clothes featured prints, stripes being a favorite. Then after I got pregnant in 2010, I found myself wearing solid-color clothes, mostly black and gray. How on earth did I become so boring? It is time I start snapping up clothes with the colorful floral print!

My current obsession: the floral jacket and floral denim.







I actually didn't care for the floral denim. I remember smirking when I was seeing lots of it on OK! magazine, which I used to edit. I mean, really. Floral pants. So 90s! And if it isn't skinny enough, it will look like pyjamas! But Olivia Palermo changed that for me.



So now I need floral pants, too!




I just find them a little scary. After all, if I don't look good in a floral jacket, I can always take it off. Can't do the same with my pants! But, okay, okay, I will try it! Dare me so I will actually feature florals on Topaz Fashion!

To the man who encouraged my dreams and pushed me to succeed, who believed in me when no one else did...

To the man who wrote me poetry, serenaded me with his guitar, and read bedtime stories to me over the phone long long ago because I couldn't sleep...

To the man who kept asking me to marry him for 7 years, and finally married me, then gave me a beautiful home, and keeps it orderly and fixes all the broken things...

To the man who was and still is so madly attracted to me despite my pimples, white hair, crazy hair, sick days, fat days, flatulent pregnant days, and horrible post-partum days...

To the man who makes me laugh every day and makes our kids laugh every day and is just about the funniest, smartest guy I know...
To the man who gave me my beautiful boys and is such a hands-on father to them and is the only other human being who loves them as much as I do (possibly more since you're more maalaga than I am!)...

Happy birthday, my dearest Vince! Thank you for the love and the laughter!

I was captivated from the first shot to the very last. Keira Knightley is just stunning in her latest commercial for Coco Mademoiselle.



Love the bedroom. Love the boots. Love the bike! Beige has never been so sexy!
 
And here's the behind-the-scenes story. Even here, she looks amazing! And that accent. She speaks so well!


I love her short hair. I suddenly want to cut mine short again! But methinks I need to be as skinny as Keira. That's like 15 lbs to lose. Oh my.

I got pearls.

Thank you to the love of my life for always making me feel like a queen! Happy Valentine's Day, Vince!