TOPAZ HORIZON

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!

Laura, the lovely author of the stylish blog Daisy Chain Dreams, sent over these pretty necklaces all the way from Bristol.

This is much nicer than I expected. Really too bad the picture doesn't do it any justice at all. It's big, too, and makes an equally big style statement. The yellow glass and the wooden beads give it a Byzantine aura.

I so adore this White Rabbit pendant. It's almost sacrilegious--it has that religious medal feel but the portrait is that of the fussy bunny from Alice in Wonderland--my most favorite book in the world. This was the exact illustration I used for my wedding invitation's RSVP card. I'm in love with it.

Thanks, Laura! I love them! To my readers, do check out her blog--her handmade pieces range from quirky teapot rings to vintage heart jewelry. I'll be shopping again soon. I have my eye on the Alice-inspired pieces, like the Drink Me bottle pendant.

Speaking of favorite books, you can win a Moleskine notebook and a PHP 500 GC if you hop on over to this post. Contest ends on July 29!

Now, to be honest with y'all, I may love blogging but nothing beats the smell and feel of paper and ink. And the best kind of paper to write down all your precious thoughts on are the Moleskine notebooks, legendary for being the notebooks that artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso and writers like Ernest Hemingway used. You can't beat history like that!

Vince and I are Moleskine addicts. Some of our friends know this and have given us Moleskine journals over the years. Thanks, my loves--these are truly the best gifts! Especially since Moleskines are so expensive! So now, I'm going to let my readers have a chance to own a Moleskine notebook!

Avalon.ph--that wonderful online shop for Moleskine notebooks, rare books and other collectible literature--is the generous sponsor of my contest. Actually, it's their contest and they invited me to partner with them. The annual contest is called the Avalon.ph Bloghopping Moleskine Giveaways 2009. This year, my blog has been picked to be one of the participants. Thanks, Avalon.ph ! For this week, Avalon.ph and I will give a Topaz Horizon reader a Moleskine Large Cahier Ruled Black Set of 3.Avalon.ph makes the contest extra special by throwing in a PHP 500.00 online Gift Certificate! You can use this GC for the many rare or signed books on the site. I've found a lot of books I like--they're quite pricey and so I envy the reader who gets this GC!

Here's what you have to do:

1. Answer this question in my comments box: "What is your favorite book and why?"
2. You may join as many times as you wish (only 1 book per comment!). One comment/book means one raffle entry.
3. Want even more chances of winning? Blog about this giveaway with a link to Topaz Horizon and Avalon.ph. Yes, you may grab the photos here. And yes, it can be just a P.S. or a little line. No need to be fancy! A blog post with links entitles you to a whopping 10 entries!

UPDATE! Please leave your full name with your entry. I can't announce "The winner is Anonymous," for Pete's sake! I can't also say "Anna won it!" If you don't want to leave your full name, then make sure you have a link to your blog or email address. I've deleted the entries with unidentifiable authors--and there were a lot of them.

Unlike my other blog giveaways, this particular contest is open only to Philippine residents, per Avalon.ph's request. On a side note, I'm so giddy I've been getting offers to sponsor my blog prizes. One day I hope to give away more expensive stuff, like iPods, mobile phones or even laptops (calling Apple and Sony--the brands I've given so much mileage in this blog!)!

Anyway, contest closes on July 29, 2009, 11:59 PM. I will then pick a winner randomly. The lucky winner of a spankin' brand new Moleskine notebook and a PHP 500 gift certificate will be announced as soon as I had my breakfast on July 30. So good luck everybody!

P.S. Don't trust your chances and you'd rather buy your own Moleskine notebook? Go to Avalon.ph and enter this coupon code upon checkout: topazhorizon. You'll get a 5% discount on any purchase of the Moleskine Large Cahier Ruled Black Set of 3! Yep, your being a Topaz Horizon reader has its privileges!

Vince and I sleep late—around 2 or 3 a.m. is the usual time we turn the lights out. After we get home from work, we play with the rabbits, we have dinner late, and have a long drawn out affair of talking about the day, the next day, and stuff we read about in the news or in the books on our bedside table. Then it's TV marathon time or a movie even, then feed the wabbits time, then sometimes dessert time. Then Vince cleans the kitchen (I cooked, you see) and it's his habit to put on our little blue kettle and brew some iced tea for breakfast.

Yep, we like making our own iced tea instead of relying on the convenient powdered ones. We have many kinds of tea at home.




And that's your peek into our bedtime ritual. Now I'm off to read Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Good night!

UPDATE: The wonderful Bucca just told me that the Japanese tea Vince and I enjoy so is called Genmaicha. Thanks, Bucca! You're a sweetheart!

Pink Notes Diary is so sweet. She gave me this Perky Blogger Award. I guess she thinks I'm perky. Gee, Pink Notes, you should meet me--I'm perkier in person, so much so people always ask me if I'm drunk or high. Anyway, Pink Notes Diary gave me yet another award--the I Love This Blog Award. Thanks!
I'm sending this award to my friend Mariel Chua, who just recently completed her 30-Day Blog Challenge. She was bent on blogging every single day for 30 days. Even I can't do that! She did it so well, too. Each post was well written. There's really no point in blogging every day if all one writes is crap and, believe me, there are so many blogs out there that are a pain to the eyes and the mind. So I am in awe at wonderful and prolific bloggers like NY Minute Now.

Another blog I enjoy now is Marie Calica's The Beauty Coach Is In. It's funny, witty and full of beauty tips and tricks. A joy to read. Marie, you are now the recipient of the I Love This Blog Award!

I have another blog I like--Fifi Lapin. Or Fifi the Rabbit. I love it because it's fashionable, clever, funny and its star is a rabbit! Unlike other rabbits--like my own two cuddly wuddly wabbits--Fifi is very slim. I guess that's how she can fit into those covetable sample sizes of the desgner dresses she's always wearing. Perhaps I should ask her advice for diet pills, er diet pellets, since my Galadriel and Matilda are super duper chubby!

I'm really enjoying these awards I've been getting. Thank you so much for appreciating this silly blog! Do tell me what blogs you enjoy reading. I'm always on the lookout for fab reads!

This is a post script of sorts to my Sony Vaio story. Vince and I were invited to the Sony Vaio launch last Tuesday and I was excited to go since Vince very rarely attends events. I was pretty keyed up to dress pretty for him and go on a "date." (I know I'm silly!)

Anyway, as party invitations are wont to do these days, Sony's invite said to come in elegant black. Everyone complied with the black part. As for the elegant bit? That's another story. I was a bit disconcerted--it looked like a funeral. Having just watched Michael Jackson's memorial the week before, it gave me the chills.I do want to say that my husband--in a crisp black long-sleeved Zara button-down shirt, slim black Levi's and sleek leather boots--looked quite yummy (sorry for the terrible photo!). Lesson here then is if you must wear a dour hue, make sure it's perfectly tailored and made of quality cloth.

The general opinion is black is a safe color (or non-color) and fashion magazines always tell you to have a little black dress in your closet. While this is true, black can also make its wearer look miserable and common so the lesson here is to choose a style that brings out your best qualities--the shape of your body, for example. One of my favorite LBDs is this H&M number, which I debuted on the colorful set of Juicy. It hugs me in all the right places so even though I'm stick thin, the dress makes me look like I have boobies and an ass!Black can also enhance the color of your skin. Yes, a deep rich black looks marvelous on most skin types--depending on the cloth, my skin looks very white or creamy with a deep black. Some blacks are grayish (makes me look sallow), bluish (makes me look deathly pale) or brownish (makes my skin look dirty). Put the cloth against your face to find out which black suits you. Also, since black is very somber, embellishments like beads, sequins, embroidery or prints can cheer it up.

Oh, and as you can see from above and below pics, another way to make black less serious is to expose skin. Lots of it! The seriousness of the color balances whatever you'd want to show off--be it cleavage, arms, back or legs.
At the Sony event, I wore my Jill Stuart dress with a full skirt and a delicate print of pale pink flowers. Here's a better photo (taken when Nikki and I were guests at Lucy Torres's show The Sweet Life):
It does not look funereal at all. Nikki also makes black festive with a spangly collar and a short hem. Wilma meanwhile chose a dress in silk chiffon making her look soft and feminine.

Wearing black isn't as basic as the fashion mags would have you believe. But there's no need to despair. Just keep in mind the following: cut and tailoring, cloth quality, style. And if this just frustrates you, well, I always believe a bright smile makes black less grave.

Want to learn more about wearing black? Look to Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston. Both women have elevated wearing black to an art. Now if only their taste in men could improve...

Ladies, do you recall my poll on shoes some days ago? Well, my first shipment of shoes arrived last Wednesday! I'm super excited! I've gotten them all ready for my eBay store. Yep, my regular readers know I have an online business of sorts. It's just a fun hobby until Vince and I realized the hobby has bought us furniture and books and toys. Now it's a serious money-making venture (well, still a hobby since we do have full-time jobs).

So part of the reason I've not been blogging is I've actually spent the last two weeks clearing my cabinets of surplus inventory because I needed to make space for my new products--SHOES!

Here are four of the six styles I ordered:















Pretty! Sexy! I'm very excited! I really do hope the shoes sell. One of my Things To Do is to open a shoe shop. Vince thinks this is silly of me since he likens that to an alcoholic opening a bar. Haha! He has a point, though. I'm already thinking of keeping a few in my size!

P.S. I sell only through eBay.ph!

Vince and I attended the Sony Vaio launch party the other night at the Manila Peninsula Hotel. I was glad to see that the new laptop computers of Sony are quite colorful. My regular readers know I seriously considered getting the pink Sony Vaio CS sometime ago. A lot of you advised against it so I ended up with my HP Mini--which I adore.

I did get reminded of how I wanted a Vaio when I saw the metallic pink Vaio W (below) and the new Vaio CS in pink crocodile leather. Ooooh, I swear I kinda salivated and, with Sony offering us media people a rare offer of 50% discount (!!!), I almost whipped out the credit card (yes, I'm a credit card holder again, despite what I said).

However, when I got home, there was my lovely elegant black HP Mini waiting for me. I'm in love with my HP Mini. But now Vince just told me HP has launched a pink one. Oh dear! It's so pretty!I want it!

Hi everybody! After my recent picture-heavy posts, I'm going to rest and just be text-heavy today.

So been away for a week. I'm still alive. Barely made it on Wednesday--a super migraine as big as Manila hit me at 2 PM and by 8 PM, I could barely see, or even stand up. By 9 PM, and this time I had gotten home, Vince wanted to bring me to the ER; he said I looked ashen. But I figured all I needed was complete silence and darkness and a very thick blanket. Oh, and a mighty strong pain killer. Got knocked out as soon as I hit the pillow. I was fine the next morning. Thank goodness! That was a nightmare since I was at the printing press the entire day doing final editing on the August issue. So, my OK! readers, if you spot some typos in next month's issue, I apologize.

Before and after that nightmare, I've been incredibly busy. So busy I haven't had time to even cook (unlike my darling friend Mariel who I truly do envy now). It's been fast food every single day for the last two weeks. Michael Jackson's death had a lot to do with it as we pulled out stories to make way for his tribute--which we had to constantly update now that the toxicology report's out and his death is being treated as a homicide.

I've also been going to Aesthetic Science for Reshape treatments--I didn't do the Mesotherapy anymore because I got scared when I heard it swells you up. Well, joke's on me--Reshape also causes some swelling and so the tummy I was hoping to get rid of is now bigger than ever (hence no photos!). Everyone thinks I'm bloody pregnant. I've been exercising, too, to help the Reshape along. The doctor did say I needed to watch my diet on top of the exercising and treatment, but though I've been getting referrals for the best diet pills out there, I just can't bring myself to diet when I'm just 110 lbs. Yes, even though I subsist on fast food, I'm still underweight. Sigh. Here's hoping the swelling will go down soon and I'll be rid of this strangely swollen tummy.

Aside from the bad news, it's been a week of happy stuff, too. I had gone to a flurry of events, wrote (yey! I'm writing again!), and received some fabulous things in the mail. I'll post updates soonest. Will bombard you even. Let me just go through this cold cold rainy Friday. Now off to do my Hip-Hop Abs! See ya later!

Aha, you guys really enjoyed the posts on the OK! staff photo shoot! Don't know what I'm talking about? Just scroll down for the fun!

I'm posting a few more photos here so you can have another insider's look at what goes on behind a shoot. Then I can delete these photos to free up my HP Mini's computer memory. I've found a lot of fun pics from many years ago that I think you'll chuckle over. Now, onto the last few scenes from behind the staff shoot:

Those gadgets are not phones. Here, the photographer's assistant checks if the lighting and contrast are correct. Lana doesn't appreciate being the guinea pig. But she sure looks fierce!

Ogie, the hairstylist, touches up my hair while Nikki, the stylist, adds a few more binder clips at the back of my dress to cinch my waist and hips. Sonny, our art director, will Photoshop the creases in the dress later on. If he thinks I need a smaller waist, he'd also trim the photo later. He's always complaining I don't have a waist. Well, at least he never complains about my face!

Sonny coaches Kristine on how to do the best pose. His tip: "If the pose hurts, you got it!" And he'll make sure you hold that pose till your muscles start screaming. It's not at all easy so I don't envy models. Their job may look glamorous but I really don't see myself contorting my body for a living.
Marie adds more color to Nikki's face. At shoots, even after the prettifying and styling sessions, the beauty and style team still have to be on standby. Even if the makeup is already perfect, some imperfections still show up on the photo. In this case, the bright lights turned Nikki pale. So more makeup!

Hope this peek was educational. I'll go back to regular silly programming after this.

Middle of the year and that means it's time to change the staff photos in OK! magazine. Why? Well, my editor's photo still features my long brown hair of last year (see that photo here). So when I go to meetings and events, the PR people and brand managers don't recognize me with my short and very red hair--and that's not a good thing! So a regular photo shoot is necessary.

We started early in the morning. The makeup artists (Marie Calica and Ces Guerrero) and hairstylists (Ogie Rayel and Emar Cabiltes) were tasked to prettify the entire staff. Nichole Reyes, OK!'s former fashion and beauty editor, is now a freelance makeup artist and stylist and we got her to style the shoot. Here are the dresses and the shoes:
Here's our photographer Ocs Alvarez setting up:
This is me before makeup:
And this is me in the middle of Ces's makeover magic:
Omar fixes my flat thin lifeless hair (I do love my hair color and highlights courtesy of color magician Louis Phillip Kee!):
Now that my face and hair are perfect, I'm ready to try on the outfits! But first, let me show you what I wore to the shoot.This is an old jumpsuit I bought at YRYS for a mere PHP 700 (USD 14.50) about four or five years ago. I am so happy it's back in fashion... and that it still fits! It's like wearing pajamas seriously. I wore it with my Nine West gladiator wedges and my Kenneth Cole necklace.

Tip: When you're having your hair and makeup done (wedding, debut, etc), always wear something you can easily take off, like a button-down shirt or dresses you can step out of. Do not wear t-shirts and the like, as taking them off will ruin your hair and makeup!

Now, in the tradition of The Insider's Lara Spencer's Wardrobe Cam, this is me trying on outfits...

First option was this pink dress with pixelated flower print from United Pop. Nope, it isn't working for me.

Second option was this Sinequanone dress with a Missoni-like print. It's nice but as editor-in-chief, I have to look more respectable than sexy so off it went. Besides, it makes me look pregnant!

Third option was this United Pop dress with a neckline beaded heavily with shells and sequins. I love it! It's very me. And, of course, it's orange and my readers know I love orange! Winner!

And if you ever wondered how those models in fashion magazines look like their clothes were tailored for them, here's the secret: Binder clips!
Et voila! Moi!

This photo will be published in OK!'s August issue! Pleeeease grab a copy!

United Pop pink dress (PHP 2,100), United Pop orange dress (PHP 2,400), available at The Ramp Crossings
Sinequanone blue dress (PHP 13,500), available at Rustan's Makati