Camel for Fall

I have always loved the camel color.  Not so bright, but not so dull...  And when paired with black, its subtlety becomes way too fashionable that it is sooo right to wear metallics to match it off...

This Fall 2010, we will be seeing lots of Camels and Blacks...  And according to Rachel Zoe, when she scanned the runways, she fell in love with Salvatore Ferragamo's traditional camel cape coat...

 And from Chloe,

 And from Alexander Wang,

And from Prada,

 

Camel and Tan is perfect for dresses and skirts too...

 And trousers...

Such gorgeous camels!!!

At H & M, you can also find camels, browns, and blacks.  

Which I find very reasonable and of course, fashionable!

Because of this, I got myself an Old Navy (online shopping again) camel/beige/tan cords blazer, 

which I think I can wear both here in Manila and in the US.  

 Excited!!!

Will AI be as exciting as before?

Now that Ryan Seacrest has announced their new judges, do you think American Idol would be as exciting as it was during the first 4 seasons???  I actually lost interest on the show when the judges became 4...  I don't know, it's not them, maybe the show just lost its magic...

But what I've heard is, JLo has taken the job for $12M a year contract, while Aerosmith's Steven Tyler is getting $18M for his first TV gig...

I'm excited for this coz' I like Jennifer Lopez...  I just hope the next season of American Idol gives us the "oooomph" again and make me come home an hour earlier just to catch up the show.... 

Your thoughts???

We Built This City

 Watch this...

Loved the TV Ad.  It's true, we built this city.

It's quite nostalgic...  I feel like it was only yesterday when the biggest mall in Manila opened its doors. 

It was the SM City in 1985.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keenesquivias1998/3888671580/#/

This was where my cousin Rachelle - during her modeling stints, saw her first solo print ad inside the mall, (but only to find out her lips were the only ones pictured in the poster), this was where I learned how to drive, enrolled myself to A1 driving institute.  There was Kirei boutique, so happy that they've put up a branch nearer to us, since the first and original was in Makati.

Then one by one, the mall became bigger and bigger, until almost the whole block from Pag-Asa to North 

Avenue became SM - hence the term, SM North Edsa.

Their tagline, "we've got it all for you" is exactly the way it should be.  From the cheapest line of baby's clothes to the latest high definition tv - you'll find.

This just goes to show how old I am...  But a part of me makes me real proud to tell my children how it was during my time...  Cheesy, but everytime we pass by the area, I tell them, 

"we built this city".

49A3FDD8-A908-859F-CA03-87FEA47C5B24

1.03.01

Gustavus' at Night

I am so lucky to be a member of this particular group.  We see each other once a month, we call, text, pm, dm, each other almost everyday about the latest happenings in showbiz, society, the blogosphere, the metro, the country, the world, or just about everything.  

We call ourselves the Purse Ladies group. 

It is because through purses that we got to know each other.  It is our common denominator.  

The group was formed in 2008, and gladly, we are still intact, whole, 

and we still look forward to seeing each other monthly.

Yes, we all love purses and bags, plus other accessories, and we can talk about them for hours,

from the threads, to stitches, to leather, straps, buckles, down to zippers, 

everything about women's accessories.  

But we don't limit ourselves to "high-end" brands...  

We appreciate and use local brands too. 

Anyway, since it's our Anniversary month, 

we want to celebrate weekly 

and try out different restaurants...  

We started our first week at Gustavus'.

The part owner greeted us as we entered the restaurant,

and showed us our reserved table.  

I instantly liked the interior.  The colors are subtle, neutral, 

making the bar in the middle stand up for its colorful choices of beers served.

 

Photo Credit: Our Awesome Planet

As I browse their menu,

I noticed that they serve oysters.  Since Oysters are not really easy to serve, 

(may be over or under baked, smelly, inedible ) 

I decided to try their Baked Gustavus Oysters Rockefeller.  

(Their Baked Oyster choices are Casino, Pepper, and Rockefeller)

I'm giving it a double thumbs up!  

These Oyster Rockefellers are remarkably good....  There's nothing quite like them!  

As soon as the oysters hit my palate, I knew then that those are freshest oysters I have ever tasted...  

And yes, we asked for another round.  

A plate of 10 costs around P400.00 ($9.00).

Here are the other entrees we had:

House Cut Potato Wedges

P150.00 ($3.00)

Grilled Romaine Caesar with Caesar Vinaigrette, Crispy Bacon and Pesto Crouton

P260.00 ($6.00)

 Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Roasted Veggie Lasagna 

in Tomato-Butter Sauce

P1,030.00 ($23.00)

This was the one I ordered.  Just the way I like.  It really turns me off when I see scales or fish bones in my meal, and of course, it should not smell.  What I enjoyed in this meal is the pasta.  I find the fish too light for a fancy dinner, but since it is served with vegetable lasagna, I really loved it.  I'm giving it a thumbs up too.

Ribeye Regular Cut

P1955.00 ($44.00)

Juicy.  Tender.  Tasty.  Filling.

 Mr. D's Ultimate Beef Burger

P525.00 ($12.00)

Grille Prawn and Scallop Tournedos

with Crab and Spinach Risotto and Chili Herb Butter Sauce

P650.00 ($15.00)

For our dessert, to our dismay, there were not too much selection.  

We love desserts!!!  

I wish they'd widen their dessert selection.  

They offered us Banana Split Ice Cream 

(with 3 scoops of all vanilla ice cream), 

and Tres Leches (Fried Banana with 3 kinds of cream)

Tres Leches

The restroom is quite disturbing too.  I am not a fan of "common" restrooms, wherein I see the -Pardon my language- Men's urinal beside me when I sit down.  Plus, the restroom was cluttered when I entered, probably because it was already late then, and I was almost the last one who used to lavatory...  But still!

Anyways, to top it off, I still think that the restaurant is worth trying.  The food is great, the ambiance is wonderful, the owners are friendly, and again, the food is great.  Will I be back???  

Definitely in less than 2 weeks.  

(I'm already dreaming about oysters)

I needed a haircut...

One of my dear friends, a member of the Friday Club - Billie, is gifted with fine straight hair...  She never had problems with fly away, split ends, dry ends, frizz, or shall i say, she never had a "bad hair day"...  Don't we all wish for that??? 

Anyway, she used to have simple haircuts, not too daring, not too stylish, just simple layers, and it has always been the same.  But last week, I noticed that her haircut seemed different.  The cut looked precise, in-detail, and i love the way the strands moved in harmony with her head as she twist and turn...  I know that she spends a fortune on her hair too, trying out different stylists in Manila, but when I saw her last week, I knew then that she had it done by a real professional stylist...

I know, you may think that her hair is like, blahhhh.... So what's the fuss???  It's just a simple haircut, for crying out loud!!!

But the truth is, that is what I want...  Her layers complimented her face, her bangs hid a little of her forehead, and the ends of the hair draped flawlessly on her shoulders...  Perfect!

She had it done at Essensuals Toni and Guy in Trinoma. 

I immediately booked myself for a haircut with Benj.  He was the one who styled Billie... His rate is P750.00, or maybe around $17.00.

When he saw me, he said, Hi Jin, I am Benj...  How personalized, lovin' it...  And then, he asked if I had a digiperm, when and where, and he politely complimented the work.  That's work ethics!!!  So I told him, I need a haircut, but I want to retain the length and the curls.... (Quite challenging for him coz' the curls are at the bottom part and are almost gone, and I know that if he cuts the ends, might be a big mistake!)

So he said, ok, let's do it, I have to get you shampooed, dried, and straightened, and I'll do dry cutting so I can see the real structure of your hair...  Fabulous!!! (said to myself)

The shampooing itself is heavenly... 

Then the cutting began...  I noticed that he cuts differently...  I love the way he uses his talent in cutting layers and layers of hair patiently.  I mean, some stylists use thinning scissors, which I think is a big cheat, and is not at all precise...

This is my BEFORE picture...

Now, the result...  I don't know if you noticed the difference, but I did...  My head feels lighter, and it's easier to pull up and make a bun, coz' it's a lot thinner.  My dry ends disappeared, but my curls are still there.  I didn't put on hair products, and I just let my hair dry naturally so as to give you exact results...  Plus, I didn't put make up on for a more natural look, and besides, it's Sunday, it's my Stay Home-No Make-Up day...

I actually love it!  Benj said that the curls would be so much prettier if I have some highlights.  He is suggesting Dark Ash Brown for highlights, and then, Glossing, and treatment.  All procedure could be done in 3 hours, but he promises a very beautiful outcome...  Something like this.... I'm talking about the color...

So he gave me a quotation...  He said I can think about it, and just come back any time whenever I feel like having it done...  So here it is...

I actually don't know why every procedure costs that much...  It's roughly around $385.00.   I am curious...  I am tempted, but I am not crazy...  What do you think?  Shall I go for it???

It's SeptemBER!!!

So much has been said about Filipinos...  I am 50% Filipino by blood and I am hurt about what others say...  A tragedy happened, and incidentally, 

a Filipino is involved.  But doesn't it happen to anybody in any other countries???  

Oh well...  I just have to accept that people shall always be 

judgmental (generally)...  

And I always believed that we ALL shall be judged - someday...

Gee, I can't believe we're approaching the last quarter of the year!!! 

Here in the Philippines, we call it the BER months...  

Meaning, Christmas is just around the corner...  

We start to hear Christmas songs as early as September 1, would you believe???  

And, of course, the countdown to Christmas Day on some 

TV and Radio stations starts today...  

This just reminds us that Filipinos love festivities so much.  

Many still believe that Christmas is the time to be 

Christ-like, generous, kind, giving, loving, caring...  

Generally, Filipinos are Christ-like...  

But just like any other human, we err, we fail... 

I hope this thing about condemning Filipinos stops...  

On a lighter note... 

Since we've just entered the Ber month, 

I can't stop myself thinking of Christmas...

Now, I'm thinking of ways to wrap my Christmas presents...  

I always consider the presents as "decor" to my house.  

I don't usually hang too much ornaments or  table top displays 

in the house since I have a very small space.  

I only have a humongous tree which I decorate  differently every year, 

and I want the gifts to look lovely beside it.  

The beautifully wrapped presents completes 

the Christmas ambiance...

I'm still in the midst of deciding what to be my theme for this year...  

I like the idea of a plain white wrapper 

with gold and silver trimmings...  

Just like this...

 or silver wrapper with Christmas acorn and plastic leaves,

or maybe a craft paper with plastic fruits and berries and leaves like these

 well, yeah it could be a little boring or UN-festive, 

why don't I try wrapping it with Christmas candies???  

I'd probably do this but I wouldn't take off the plastic wrap 

for it will attract an army of ants!!!

 

 Or maybe a plain red wrapper with layers of 

white and red ribbons ala Martha Stewart!!!

Printed Christmas wrappers look best when wrapped with ribbons...  

If I'm going for polka dots, I'll do it this way...  

Two different sized ribbons to accentuate 

and contrast the monotones!!!

How about you???  Have you made your Christmas list yet???