indigo: love that salon experience!

City girls love going to the salon--from getting a French manicure to achieving the best hair color. But these days, it's really hard to spot the best salon in town 'coz there are actually a lot of them around. Plus, it's kinda hard to trust nowadays because even the most popular salons cause damage to customers like a bloody manicure act and a burnt hair from rebond.

Worry no more 'coz I think I've found the answer! Just 3 days ago, I modeled for a TV show's segment, which actually was about getting that shinier & smoother black hair that stands out. So they gave me & my co-model/friend a salon treatment, which would transform our hair to something that we see on TV commercials of shampoos & conditioners. haha!

This salon I am talking about is Indigo Salon at the 2/F of The Clubhouse in Corinthian Hills, Temple Drive, Quezon City. The place has nice interiors, and it is really cozy that's why it's very comfortable to wait for your turn. You can go there as a walk-in but i would be better if you'll set an appointment with them. I believe, most of their customers are celebrities and Class A to B, as that's what I've observed while I was there. You can't even reach the place if you don't have a car, or without taking a cab. They've got nice facilities, most especially their high-tech Steamer w/ Cooler, the one used to heat the hair with your treatment cream on. Also, the best part is, they only use one brand for their hair treatments--Schwarzkopf! I really love it. Yes you'll pay quite a big amount but I promise, it's all worth it! Come on, you don't wanna take a risk when it comes to your hair 'coz it's your crowning glory. Actually I found the whole process fastSo I got a Black Hair Color with Hair Gloss Treatment, which was done for a total of 2 hours--color application, product-on-hair waiting time, rinsing, treatment application, steaming & cooling, rinsing (again), blow drying, a bit of ironing, final gloss application., unlike in other salons. And in here, waiting time is all worth it. After seeing the results, you'll forget you ever waited. Sounds interesting, right?=P

Finally, after 2 hours of waiting, here's a softer, smoother, shinier black hair! Now I can be a star on the next shampoo commercial. hahaha!=)) Due to the lighting of the place, my hair didn't appear that black though. But I swear, it's super shiny black in person.=)
The whole thing amounted to a total of Php 6,000.00. I swear, it's really worth it. So, thank you so much to Indigo Salon for giving us this shiny black hair that really stands out. And thanks so much also to Us Girls of Studio 23, particularly the segment "Megan's Corner", with Kid (a batchmate of mine) as the segment producer, for inviting us to this wonderful experience.=)

shoe lovin': my favorite pair!

I'm not actually much of a shoes fan so I don't collect them as much as I do with bags. But whenever I get myself a pair of new shoes, I make sure that it's something I really love. I only choose what I think is best--fit, style, comfort, and price. Well maybe this is why most of my shoes get a lot of flattering comments from people every time I wear them.

So I've got some pumps, strappy stilettos, flats, and ankle boots. As of now, my favorite pair is my pink ankle boots, which my cousin got for me from Japan. Wherever I go, every time I wear it, people can't help but notice it and give really flattering feedback. Even those who just see it on my pictures leave comments on my sites telling me that they like my shoes. Some of those who have expressed their love for my shoes were a TV actress/host, one of my favorite popular photographers, and several close friends.
Wow, it really gives me a good feeling. Makes me love my cousin even more! Haha. Well actually even my Grandma and Aunt deserve credit because it was the three of them who got me this pair of nice booties last summer.

I love wearing this pair of shoes with shorts and skirt. It really matches perfectly, plus the shoes gets more noticeable because of my long bare legs. Hmmm I haven't tried it with jeans though, but I will soon.
I'm glad I had the chance to wear them in one of my photo shoots, which was done in UP Diliman (My Alma Mater haha). Really nice. Thanks to Bernard Chang for this photo.

Thanks to everyone who liked my shoes. But I'm so sorry my friends 'coz you can't have them. I just can't let them go. Haha! Why? Hmmm because if you're single like me, having a pair of shoes like this is a must! Hahaha!=P

a bag's life (not the animated film!=P)

bags...bags...bags!!! it's actually one of the things i love collecting! why? because it makes even my most boring outfit fabulous!

well i started collecting bags in high school, the time when i had the most boring uniform, which looked like a saleslady's uniform in department store. i have been influenced by my aunts who love collecting bags especially those from Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Fendi.

so there, every time my family goes to Japan (our family's 2nd home) and goes back here in the Philippines, they always bring me a new bag. also, my aunt gives me some of the bags she's not using anymore so my signature bags are mostly from her. i love collecting bags that even my classmates and friends have noticed how i change bags everyday, and they even tell me what their favorites are from my collection. haha cool!

different bags are used for different occasions and different functions. in fact, bags' colors are often matched with an outfit's color as well. in my case, the color of my bag has to go with the color of my belt, my shoes, and my other accessories. i don't like it when the color of my top or the most dominant color of my dress is the same with the color of my bag. rather, it has to be the other way around--the color of my bag should at least be similar to the color of the least dominant color of my outfit. yay...so complicated.=P

a woman's choice of bag reflects her way of life, even her personality. for example, in spending a summer weekend at the beach, a young & bubbly woman brings a bright-printed summer tote like that of lacoste, a backpack from jansport or a travel bag from le sport sac; while a more mature and classy woman brings either a gucci suit case or an LV travel bag.
bag sizes aren't really important. there are some women who aren't comfortable of bringing small bags, just like me. well i prefer a quite larger one because i usually bring a lot of stuff for my regular daily activities. however, during parties, i really try my best to carry just a clutch, which would contain everything i'll be needing for that gathering. well of course, i'll try to lose everything just to make my stuff fit the very exquisite Aranaz clutches i'll be carrying. i super love Ms. Amina's designs...sooo unique...sooo Filipina!=)


so that's it. basically, i just wanna talk about bags since I'm deciding now what bag to use for tomorrow. i'll be going to a tv show taping so i think i'll be needing quite a big tote to fitthe clothes i'll be bringing. well you know, in the modeling world, everyone carries huge bags. haha! i even have a model friend who brings a rolling travel bag especially during photo shoots. haha!

that's it for now. sorry if i'm too lazy to take a picture of some of my bags. maybe next time.=)

the power of a planner

The role that a planner plays in a city girl's life is very very important. It's a guide to her everyday schedule--meetings, social gatherings, dates, etc.

But there are actually several types of city girls so I think, the kind of planner each city girl must use should depend on her job and personality. I think, for someone who is very much inclined to fashion and the arts such as models, photographers, makeup artists, fashion designers, magazine editors, etc., the Belle de Jour planner is a good choice.
However, it's quite bulky, so a nice alternative is the Cosmopolitan Date Book. I actually got one for me. And look, it looks so overused already since I use it all the time. It is where I put schedule of go-sees, photo shoots, fashion shows, school events, friends' parties, and other fun events. What's also nice about this planner is it has a lot that you can read about like some personality readings per zodiac sign, some quotations, and trivia too.

For someone who is much more serious or much of a corporate woman, the Starbucks planner is good, or should I say, better than the very bulky planners available at the bookstores. It is simpler and more formal-looking. It's a plus for the coffee lovers out there since it contains some coffee stories as well. I actually have one too. But what I put here are schedules of meetings, job interviews, social gatherings, and other formal events.

So, I've got 2 planner--one for the 'kikay' side of me, and one for the 'career woman' side of me. haha! But actually, it's really hard maintaining two planners...so sometimes, i just put everything on my Cosmo...and my Starbucks planner looks a bit like a mini diary now. haha!

Anyway, Powerbooks has a nice planner too. And you can also use the planner features of your cellphones. However, they are not that reliable because once they get stolen, everything's lost too. You'll even lose your mind. haha!

Most important rule: DO NOT LOSE YOUR PLANNER...unless you want a stalker! hahaha!=))

fashion is my passion

yes...and that's why i was so happy that i got a lot of invitations for the Philippine Fashion Week Holiday '09.

and not to mention, i was so proud to see my sorority sister strut her stuff on the ramp. i was also thankful 'coz i got to watch more shows because of her.

i sooo love my girl friends for coming with me to watch the show...most especially my bestfriend 'coz she still went with me even it was the only two of us left to watch the show.

i loved most of the collections....more especially the dresses. well, i was able to appreciate the men's wear...or maybe just because they were worn by extremely hot bodies! hahaha! (oops, sorry if the pic is kinda blurry. hehe! i wish i have a DSLR camera.=p)

but my favorite day was march 31 (sunday), wherein i got to watch the collection show of sassa jimenez and michael cinco, though i missed the show of lyle ibanez. hmm i loved sassas collection because those were actually wearable dresses. simple yet classy and adds sophistication to the ladies wearing them. plus i liked the models' looks. they all looked the same in that marilyn monroe-inspired look.

it was michael cinco's collection that i loved most! hello... they all sparkled like there's no tomorrow! full of stones and very sophisticated ornaments and details. i was wondering how patient they were in putting those things on the gowns. actually i wanna have all those gowns for my bridal entourage someday! hehe. wow, i wish i could see myself walking down the aisle on any of those bridal dresses. accoding to my research, he's a designr from Dubai and he has already done a couple of shows worldwide. omg, i believe his dresses would cost me a great amount of money! hay...

well, fashion week isn't just about skinny bodies and glamorous dresses. for me, it also meant ultimate piggin' out! yikes, every night that we're watching those shows, we're having dinner at Mall of Asia. and believe me, it's not just dinner...it's gluttony! haha! hmm let's see...ice cream at Icebergs Eskimo Bob, sisig & gambas at Guilly's Island, pizza-pasta-chicken-mojos at Shakey's, burger steak-kani sandwich-caesar's salad-peaches & cream crepe-strawberry parfait at Tokyo Cafe! woah, i can't believe i've eaten that much during my 4-day fashion week experience. haha!

with gluttony aside, i would still love to witness the next Philippine Fashion Week, which i believe will be before the year ends.

boracay break

life in the city has been really exhausting...a lot of things have given me so much stress that i had to escape and fly off to Boracay Island alone. well a friend of mine was there who gave me a part-time gig so surviving in bora won't be hard for me. plus a met a lot of new friends there which has made my stay there really fun.

a month of stay in boracay (counting my 6 day-side trip to Iloilo City) has been both an adventure and a learning experience for me. i got to do things i've never done before, i've learned to do things on my own....i can saw that i've grown.

this was the first time i got out of my comfort zone. with only a few amount of cash, surviving the entire month there has never become hard for me. it helped that i'm a very sociable and resourceful person.

i can say that this (so far) has been the wildest part of my life. i used to party there every night, and to my count, i only missed drinking alcohol for about 3 days. haha! also, this has been my craziest experience with guys. in manila, i'm really more of the conservative type, but there, i've almost gone beyond my limitations. but then, i was still thankful that i was able to control myself.life there was never boring. every weekend, new sets of tourists were coming, and i'm happy that some of them were my friends from manila. i got to hangout and share my experiences with them.
i've also learned to move on...from the past that i've been trying to let go for 8 months already. it's just now that i've cleared my mind and freed my soul from hatred and bitterness. i've learned to appreciate the things and the people around me.

it's also overwhelming to be surprised by my iloilo friends on my 22nd birthday. a birthday party in bora rocks! why? party 'til sunrise, overflowin' alcohol, crazy party people, perfect music, and a white sand beach! awesome!i can never exchange my bora experience with anything. it's one decision i would never regret. now that i'm back in manila, i have with me the lessons in life that i've learned during my stay there. i also have my friends back with me, plus the new friends i've met in bora.

i'm really missing bora now...its white sand, romantic sunset, good food, nice people, fab finds...actually everything about it! i wish i could come back before the year ends.

and now, soul searching is over. it's now time to face reality. no more escaping from problems anymore. at least now, i know that i'm stronger, that i can face any obstacle that would come my way. and i'm thanking God that he's always by my side.

the pink camera dilemma

the moment i saw the Sony Cybershot T2, i super fell in love with it na! imagine, 8.1 megapixels plus a 4GB internal memory! hay, i've always wanted to buy it but i wasn't able to raise enough cash for it. it started at around Php 25k-30K din ata about dec '07 pa. but just last month, i saw it in Php 15k na sa malls so i've decided to buy one kanina using my dad's credit card, but noooo!!! it's not available anymore 'coz it's phased out na raw. argh. sony releases new series daw kasi every 6 months, so those i've seen last month were probably the last few stocks available nalang.so i tried to let it go na. then in my search for digicams, i saw the new Cybershot T series released by Sony just last month. gosh, i think i got even more confused with what to buy na.

haha! the new T series is a whole lot better! and can i just say...a whole lot expensive! well, of course, Sony's prices are always high on the 1st few months of the product in the market, but great price drops are effective on the last few months before they release a new series.

so here's what got my attention at first. it was offered to me by several salesmen. it's the Sony Cybershot DSC-T77.
it's not available in hot pink. but what i really love about this is it's 10.1 megapixels and it's so thin, just 15mm and has 3" wide touch screen. plus, it has paint and slideshow w/ music function. it costs Php 25,999 and where will i get cash that much? if i'll use credit card and pay it for 12 months, gawd, it will cost me more than Php 2K a month. well it's ok for me but i don't like the fact that when time comes that this cam's price drops, i'll still be paying its price when it first entered the market. i think it won't be sulit because those who will get this cam after a few months will pay cheaper nalang as compared to what i'll be paying if i'll get it now.

so i thought, i was already decided that i'll just wait a few months before i buy this cam. but no!!! one of the salesman has mentioned about Sony Cybershot DSC T700, and it confused me even more! huhu.
so when i got home, i did a reasearch about it. it's actually the evolution of T2. it also has a built-in 4GB memory w/ expandable memory card slot. from 8 MP, it evolved into 10.1 MP! and it's even thinner than T2, just 16.4mm. it's also better than T77 since it has 3.5" wide touch screen! gawd i soo love it even more! but hello, the price is Php 30,999. again, where will i get that much?!? it will cost me almost Php 2600 every month in a year! and again, i don't wanna buy it in its most expensive price because i know its price will drop eventually, if only i could wait patiently. haha!

but then, i saw an online store selling all the Sony Cybershot cameras for super cheaper prices! it even includes a 2GB memory stick! look at this. this is how much cheaper it will cost me if i'll buy a cam in cash, from the online store.

DSC-T2: Php 13,990 (mall price: P15K) --> they still have stocks even if it's already phased out
DSC-T77: Php 18,500 (mall price: P26K) --> hello, super big price difference!
DSC-T700: Php 22,500 (mall price: P31K) --> even bigger price difference!

hmm so i think, i'll be getting a T700 na. but i still have to save more. i think i'll be able to buy it after Christmas pa. hopefully, the online store won't run out of stocks of this model, or else, i will be super depressed na talaga! huhu. and hopefully, mall price drops na so i can use credit card as another option if i can't raise enough cash. hmm but i hope the prices from the online store drops also. haha! waaah i really want it na! i want to have it before everyone around me gets to have one. haha!

so...help me Lord!=)

see you in Santorini!!!

i've first become curious about Greece when i've seen "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" several years ago. it's the place where alexis bledel went for vacation. i really liked its clean blue waters, and white stone houses.
just a few months ago, i've watched "Mamma Mia" in the cinema, and i loved Greece even more!!!
i thought i've already gotten over the Greece stuff, not until i've seen "For the First Time". then it came to my senses that there is really such a paradise! i thought it's something i can only see in hollywood films but helllloooo!!!! KC and Richard just went there! haha.=))

this is when my whole SANTORINI addiction started. so yeah, the name of the exact place in Greece is Santorini. this time, i loved Greece super duper even more and more! haha. it's that pretty sunset i'll always adore. shox, how could a place be this romantic?!? actually i find Santorini a perfect place for either a honeymoon or soulsearching. waah i really wanna go there!
i promise i'll save enough for a trip to Santorini! my friends and i even have plans to go backpacking so we won't spend a lot as we explore the place. hmm i think it will cost each of us more or less Php 70,000 for 3 days and 2 nights in Santorini. it's a package actually. but there are no direct flights to there from the Philippines so separate plane ride will cost us more. shox!

oh well, i know someday i will be able to visit Santorini. so...see you there! haha!=P

for more Santorini pictures, click HERE.

lovin' GG season 2

bolder...
sexier...
more daring...
more emotional...
unpredictable...

it's kinda far from season 1 i guess. here, characters are more mature and unpredictable. i like the way it stirs emotions of viewers. it keeps you hanging and want something more.

even from the promo posters of the 2nd season, one can already see how much different it could be than the 1st...

i soooo love Gossip Girl.....season 2 even more!=)

gossip girl (season 1) original DVD

hmmm...if only we could all get this in the most affordable proce possible, why bother buying pirated ones??? hahaha!=))
but of course, we always had this third option of downloading all the episodes from 'torrentpond.com', right?!? well in my case, i have completed the first season by downloading each episode every time it came out every week. it felt like i was watching from the US since i was always updated with every episode. thanks to the people who were fond of taping and uploading them online for file sharing. i think, i owe you guys bigtime!=P