TOPAZ HORIZON

Last week, OK! magazine had our staff shoot for the December issue. Here are a few outtakes:

I just won an Urban Originals' Facebook contest! All I had to do was post two links on their wall--one an Urbanog shoe and the other the designer shoe it copied. Easy! This was what I posted:

Valentino Couture Bow d'Orsay peep-toe pump $695

Miss Me Jocelyn Bow Tie pep-toe pump $23.90

And today I got this message:

And maybe next week or so, I'll use my prize! That gift card can buy two pairs of shoes if I'm lucky. And despite certain events recently that made me wanna scream my head off (and I did actually, last Wednesday. Sigh.), I do still believe I'm a very lucky girl.

Saw this on our office library shelf yesterday and I know I shouldn't read that cover story but I just couldn't resist. Now, after reading the article, I am freaked out!

Everyone says that what you eat and do while pregnant affects the baby, but this new science of fetal origins has discovered that everything, absolutely everything--from the air we breathe (most likely polluted) and the food we eat (which can harbor psychoactive drugs like L Dopa) to the stress we feel--truly can determine whether our child will be fat, have heart problems or be schizo.

Why am I freaked out??? Well, when I was preggers, I wasn't exactly religiously taking my prenatal vitamins and I ate a lot of fast food. I live right along the busiest highway in the city and pass a group of smokers every day when I walk to work. I watched World War II documentaries and crime stories on TV. I was juggling work, marriage, impending motherhood. In short, I basically lived!

Then I read things like that Time story. That motherhood guilt everyone warned me about just went into overdrive. Vito, forgive mama for living her life!

Was browsing through web pages last night for sales and discounts (you'd be surprised at all the stuff you can find, from discount codes on shoes to abt electronics coupons!) and I stumbled upon these instead... Tron: Legacy merchandise.


Frakkin' cool! Those shoes are mind-blowing. And yet so nerdy at the same time. I can't get over it! Making such sexy gear for such a geeky film (and making the merchandise really expensive) definitely adds a cool element to the Tron franchise. Well, those and Olivia Wilde, of course.

Olivia in real life. Yes, that's what she looks like in real life!

Now, for those of you kiddies who were too young to watch this classic sci-fi flick, Tron is a 1982 flick that dealt with theft, intrigue and conspiracy in the world of video games and software development. Did that make you fall asleep? Well, the fun part is the sci-fi part, when the lead character Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) zaps himself with a laser so he can go into the computer mainframe. Yes, like, literally. Now that he's literally inside the computer he battles programs to... Okay, okay, I won't bore you with the details.

Anyway, it's great fun but only to nerds, I think. Like Chuck Bartowski, who has a Tron poster on his bedroom wall...
...and a really hot girlfriend who happens to be a spy, too. See? Nerds do get the girl! The Third World Nerd (who got himself a hot girl, too!) and I certainly enjoyed watching it again a few months ago. We're definitely looking forward to Tron: Legacy, which hits local theaters this December, just before the awful MMFF season dominates our screens.

At almost 10 weeks, my Vito's interacting. And not just because he's hungry-wet-sleepy. He's curious now, he looks around, listens, coos, mimics, smiles, laughs. His favorite source of amusement? His Papa!

Occasionally, he likes me, too!

To be honest, because of certain events, these past few days have felt like a nightmare. But when we see Vito, happiness just overflows. Yes, despite the disasters, life is good. Vince even dared to say, "Our life is perfect."

Vito, thank you.

I was invited to the media event for Muji's opening this week but I didn't go (this week was extremely stressful but I'll save that story for another post). However, since Vince's niece, Elizabeth, is celebrating her 9th birthday, we figured we'd shop at the city's hottest new store.

Well, a ton of people had the same idea.


Sooo many items for sale. School and office supplies, home accessories, clothes... lotsa lotsa goodies.

The line at the cashier snaked around half the store but everyone patiently waited. The shop crew--bless them--distributed bottles of water to the people lined up.

At the end of the line you can grab some canvas bags and personalize them yourself (these photos from Chuvaness) with rubber stamps. Very cool!





And here's my letter to the birthday girl:

She said she liked it! But that she didn't know what to draw. Well, E, I'm sure whatever you do decide on, it will be fabulous.

Muji is at Bonifacio High Street, above Gap, across Fully Booked.

It's Saturday morning, Vito's finally asleep beside me on the couch. He finally fell asleep to the soothing sound of Nigella Lawson's voice. Yep, I'm watching Nigella on the TLC channel and I am drooling over her... kitchen!


It's no secret that I love Christmas, I love food and I love Nigella. That video just warms my heart. And I just love how her kitchen looks so magical with all those little points of light. Everything looks like it was sprinkled with fairy dust!

Those lights make me so excited for our first Christmas with Vito. I think I'll buy yards and yards of C7 led christmas lights and string them along all over the house. Vito will be enchanted!

P.S. Mariel, whatever happened to our cooking show???

Saw these photos from 8 months ago. And I just got nostalgic. We were so happy!
This was at Nikki's wedding and these are the glamorous people that make up our Wine Night group. Can I just point out my arm??? I was actually eating a LOT at that time because I was 4 months pregnant.

Yep, I was 4 months pregnant then. A lot has happened since... the pneumonia scare for me, magazine features for some, finding and losing love for one, heartbreak for others, a homecoming, leaving for another land for one, I gave birth to Vito and had postpartum depression, etc. A lot truly has happened in the past 8 months!

But certain things remain...

Here's to us, my darling drunks!

It's resurrected! After 2 months of ignoring my beauty and fashion blog, I've finally written a post--and I announce an exciting sale happening in less than 3 hours! Now I won't be able to go to that sale since my Friday's fully booked but I hope you get to check it out!

As for my beauty-and-fashion lover readers, do expect lots of posts from Beauty For A Living soon. It's my very own special site for all things beautiful... or would make you beautiful. Problems with acne? Expect some benzaclin reviews soon. Want to lighten skin pigmentation? I'm testing Mosbeau's whitening cream. What color's hot this month? I think it's a red October--from dresses and shoes to lipstick!

Hope you visit my revived blog! Click, click, click!

You know how some people book photo shoots for their Christmas cards? I used to giggle at them. Well, guess who just joined that silly crowd? Me!

This photo was taken by my sister, Jacqui, and it's now my Facebook profile pic. It's cute enough, I think, for photo cards but Vince isn't with us so no, can't use this. And the picture's too dark. And our outfits just won't do! Besides, by December, Vito's face is going to be much different. I guess I should just book a photo shoot in November.

Meanwhile, we're taking dozens upon dozens of shots of our little boy. This is him last Tuesday. Now, doesn't that smile just brighten your day?

So I was supposed to buy a few dresses, right? Well, I might as well set aside the money towards travel. Why? My friend Duni of Lovely Purses left a comment on that post:

"The style and fit is great, but the fabric is a bit flimsy - as I'm afraid most dresses from that company are. So choose wisely..."

So I decided to investigate! And the wonders of Internet sleuthing revealed these:






Sadly, the dresses do not look very good on real people. As you can tell from the photos above, the fabric is not nice, resulting to wrinkles, ill fit and a look that's generally, uh, cheap. Sad sad, but, Duni, thanks so much for warning me! I could've ended up with dresses that I'd never wear! And I hope you're recovering well and feeling better!

I'll definitely save the dress budget and use it for something really worth it. Like shoes. Or a bag. Or a trip with my family to somewhere far away. After all, with the new adorable addition, we're going to need extra moolah!

*photos from the fashion company's Facebook page.

Last week, Alvin passed by the office to get a bag of beauty products for his wife, my darling dearest friend Mariel. He's flying off to New York City to see her and I had to send Mariel some prettifiers. I should've included a heated blanket, too, since it'll be cold there but, hey, the newlyweds haven't seen each other in 4 months so I guess they won't need help in the heat department!

Mariel, your hubby's so cute. He's not a demonstrative kinda guy and I've never known him to be expressive, but when he was at the office, he just suddenly said, "I'm so excited. I haven't seen her in four months!"

Neighbor! I just melted for you!!!

I honestly don't know how you two do this long-distance relationship thing (remember that song I dedicated to you both?) but I know you'll be truly together one day soonest!

To my readers, see Mariel and Alvin's wedding in the current issue of Martha Stewart Weddings! And watch the beautiful video Pat Dy made for them here. Mariel's wedding is one of the loveliest weddings I've ever been to--made me cry. All the drama, the family stories, the old friends who flew in, the gorgeous weather, the romance, the style! Just the ingredients you need for a truly heartwarming wedding!  

My favorite feature in this month's InStyle is "Inside the Files of the Super Stylish." Eleven of the most chic people were asked this question: What should every woman have in her wardrobe? These were some of the answers:

"Great jewelry. It adds drama." 
Kelly Wearstler, interior designer
(I'm working on this! I think I'm turning into a jewelry girl!)

"A lightweight long-sleeve black cashmere crew-neck sweater." 
Michael Kors, fashion designer
(Though I balked at this item, a bit much especially in sweltering Manila,  sweaters like that do hide jiggly arms and make you look slimmer. A necessity indeed!)

"A black cocktail dress!" 
Nicole Richie, actress, novelist, designer
(I have half a dozen black dresses. Always chic!)

"A wrap dress!" 
Diane von Furstenberg, fashion, accessories and housewares designer
(I have one prized DVF wrap dress! I'd like more but they're so frakkin' expensive.)

"Hoop earrings in yellow gold." 
Margherita Missoni, actress, model
(Check!)

"A fabulous dress and gold shoes... Also invest in cashmere cardigans... in a rainbow of colors." 
Deborah Lloyd, co-president and creative directo of Kate Spde
(I have fabulous dresses and gold flats and sandals. I can't get myself to buy gold shoes yet. Seems matronly. I have cardigans in white, black and brown but they're not cashmere. Sigh.)

"A perfectly fitting pair of jeans."
Tory Burch, designer
(Before I got pregnant, my great love was Levi's Lady's Style jeans. Those sweethearts hugged my legs and butt lovingly. Now? I can't even squeeze into them! Weep!)

"A Burberry trench." 
Isabel Dupre celebrity stylist
(None yet. I had a Zara trench that I gave to my sister because I don't travel to cold countries so much. I don't think I'll buy a trench again. But I do have a lovely red wool coat!)

Much as I respect their suggestions, I must wonder about the absence of the style basics, like a sleek black stiletto, crisp white shirt, pearl necklace, diamond studs, sunglasses... I mean, really. Gold shoes? A trench coat? A crew-neck sweater? Nevertheless, the stylistas answered a ton of other questions about the stylish lifestyle and their answers proved to be very interesting. I'm sure my mod readers would find this article interesting, too!

Oh, and do grab this month's OK! magazine. It's our Fashion Issue! Our annual Hollywood's Best Dressed List is particularly exciting.