Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Destiny!



You are the reason that I breathe
You are the reason that I still believe
You are my destiny
Jai Ho!

No there is nothing that can stop us
Nothing can ever come between us
So come and dance with me
Jai Ho!

I love this song! Now if I can only learn the dance steps...

"Jai Ho" by The Pussycat Dolls, Oscar-winning song from Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire

Monday, February 23, 2009

Date with Kate

Kate Torralba, one of Manila's most celebrated young designers (and now the star of a Colgate TV commercial!), is a good friend. We've been friends since we were just starting out in the real world, as slaves to a lady senator I will not name. Kate and I call each other "foul-weather friends" because we only see each other when there's trouble. So it's not a bad thing to say that the rarer we see each other, the better!
Last night was not that kind of day, however. She was in town--an unusual event since she's always jetting off somewhere. And I also had to give her her Christmas and birthday gift! Ack! So off I went to her Greenbelt 5 store.

We window-shopped at Adora while we waited for our table in Cibo. I really adore the stuff in Adora but I don't adore the prices! I did fall in love with these chairs--I think they'll go well in my living room!--but, they're property of the cafe, so they weren't for sale.
At Cibo, I had my usual: pomodoro soup and chicken sandwich. Our dear friend JR Isaac, editor-in-chief of Circuit and society editor-at-large of Preview, joined us for dessert--a tiramisu sent over by Cecile Van Straten, Philippine Star columnist and author of uber popular blog Chuvaness, my daily guilty pleasure.
I enjoyed dinner very much. We talked about love, relationships, making money, prayer, God... quite fascinating actually! I really should go out with my friends more. This busy life is not very good.

Kate Torralba's atelier is at the second floor of Greenbelt 5, Makati City. Do visit her store soonest! She has an unbelievable anniversary sale till February 28--all dresses are marked up to 70% off!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

By the way, I am now a red head

I've had long hair for the last 3 years. Louis Phillip Kee, my absolutely fantabulous hairstylist, has kept me looking sexy and gorgeous but I've grown tired of long hair and wanted to go short again. So last week, I visited his posh new salon at One McKinley and got a chop.

Louis' new salon is so luxe, it's divine. The wallpaper is from London, the chairs are all sink-into-heaven comfy, the mirrors are perfect (meaning I don't look wobbly or fat in them!), the shampoo chairs are soooo comfortable, and the lighting always makes me look soft and feminine. And the service is excellent.

Once I sat down, the polite and efficient staff asked if I wanted a cappuccino or an iced tea. I love how their coffee is served in gold-edged china. The sugar is muscovado. Yummy and healthy!

After coffee and a few magazines were served, Louis came up and chatted. He always asks me what I want. I used to always say, "Whatever you feel like, darling." But this time I said I wanted to go really short. Louis said, "Let's do it gradually. But I do admire your courage!" Here are Louis and Angie deciding on the fate of my mane. They both suggest something very bold--a deep vibrant red. I say, "Sure!"

This is Gilbert. He always attends to me when I'm here. He's like my personal assistant--he massages me while I wait, he shampoos my hair, he gets me drinks... Gilbert is the best! And his massages are to die for!

Since coloring hair can be a long wait, the staff offered refreshments and snacks. Here's a plate of the yummy seafood pasta I had. Sigh. I do love this salon!

And here's a before pic...And this is what I looked like after!I am loving the red hair, and everyone loves it, too! It's not so obvious here. Under lights (especially sunlight), it's quite vivid! Very bold. In fact when I first saw it, I kinda blanched and said, "Louis, it's very... red." And he replied, "Honey, when I first saw you, you were blond!" Ehehe, that's right--I used to have this terrible blond dye job. Anyway, like Louis said, we're doing it gradually so my hair is still kinda long. But I plan to return in a couple of weeks to go utterly short. Soooo excited!


Louis Phillip Kee Salon
G/F One McKinley Place, 25th Street and 4th Avenue,
Bonifacio Flobal City, Taguig
Tel nos. (02) 856-3388, (02) 856-4848, (0918) 842-4888