TOPAZ HORIZON

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!