Designer's Soiree: Branded Clothes at 50-80 % off

Last Saturday, July 22' 06, my friends and I checked out the seasonal soiree of designer outfits. Branded clothes such as BCBG, Mango, Mark Jacobs, Chloe, Missoni, Rebecca Taylor and many more, all at 50 to 80 percent off!

I promised myself not to spend on anything, but then again why did I nonchalantly put some cash inside my pocket? I thought to myself that just in case I see the perfect dress, I might as well have some money ready instead of borrowing from someone else. With their previous sale, I got this uber cute Laundry dress which received numerous compliments, thank you very much! Also, I got this Ken Aman satin dress which I saw Tyra was wearing the night before at the Tyra Banks Shows. With that in mind, I was ready to find that perfect dress once again.

I asked the organizers if I could come by earlier than what was said in the invitation. She said that they open exactly 12:30pm. I got there 12:00 noon but lo and behold, I saw that the racks have been attacked already! They told me that these women have been there since 11:00! Oh great.


I scoured the racks to fit on promising outfits but I didn't find anything catchy for my taste, either it was too big or I just didn't fall in love with it. At that time, I felt so hopeless seeing groups of ladies carry a number of white plastic bags as they exit the small function room. I didn't want to give up! On my third try, since they put back the items which had been fit previously, I finally found the one. It was a BCBG spaghetti dress with silven sequins.


As I quote my super fashionable friend Sidney, "hello super nice kaya! as that girl said, "it's TOO CUTE!!!!" if i did not force you to buy that "cheap" dress, you would have killed me! good thing i held it for you before other shoppers nabbed it from you! i swear it's a good buy and you look soooooo HOTTTT in it! remember me when you wear that dress!"


He better be right because my wallet just lost weight and will be on a strict diet for many months to come.

**The next Designer's Soiree will be held next month

-k

Must Try Restaurants and Dishes We Recommend

Here's a list of great restaurants we've tried and would be coming back to. We love trying different restaurants so much that we've created a blog for it. I will not be able to post pictures and food reviews now but will do that in future entries. We hope this will help!

***I can't remember some dishes we've ordered but i know for sure that you guys have to try all these fab restaus.

1. Fat Michael's Place (Tagaytay/Bangkal, Makati) - Seafood Pizza with Kesong Puti, Paella Negra, Rosemary Chicken Salad; Quaint, comfortable place, delectable food & ultimately
affordable.

2. L' Opera (Fort Bonifacio) - Salmon Pasta with Caviar; Small Servings but really worth it.

3. CYMA (Shangri-la Mall/Boracay) - Osso Bucco Pasta, Spaghetti with clams, Lamb, Moussaka, Hummus; It's so good, I practically ate here thrice in two weeks!

4. Lolo Dad's (Quirino Ave.) - complimentary bread with garlic herbed butter, tomato+mushroom soup in espresso cups, Beef and veal, Rack of Lamb; No corkage fee for wines, good food, great ambience, it's the perfect date place!

5. Je Suis Gourmand (Fort Bonifacio) -

6. Grappa's (Gb3) - Grappa's Dark Beer, Pizza Marghertita, Rib-Eye Steak; It was so good, we finshed everything in six minutes


7. Heat (Edsa Shang) - Extensive choices of sushi in their buffet, to die for desserts

8. Il Ponticello - Highly recommended pizza with a good wine, other dishes are worth exploring; Must visit on a weeknight for a better dining experience

9. Buon Giorno Cafe & Bistro(Tagyatay) - Pumpkin soup, Cream Dory fish, Rib Eye, Mushroom and Shrimp Ravioli, Moisten Chocolate Cake; Reasonably priced, romantic ambience, high quality food












10. Lumiere (Ayala corner Makati Avenue) - Herbed duck breast, Soft Dory fish fillet on a bed of potatoes;

11. UCC (Fort) - Warm Midnight Decadent Cake with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream; Orgasmic to the bones

12. Brooklyn Pizza (Chino Roces Makati/896-9696) - Deluxe Pizza, Sausage and Mushroom Pizza;

13. Lemon Cafe (Boracay) - Sandwiches, Slushes;















14. Aria (Boracay) - Involtini of Beef, Italian Sausage Pizza

15. Kulinarya (Rockwell) - Cheesesteak Pizza, Shrimp Pasta

16. Asya (Boracay) - Melts in your mouth Lengua, Seafood Paella

-k

One Big Bazaar: the Internet

A year ago, my teacher once said that online shopping activities has yet to improve in the Philippines because of two reasons: First, there aren't much cardholders here as compared to other countries; Second, cardholders are hesistant to share their card number for security reasons. I guess this is true up to now but this doesn't mean that the internet hasn't developed into a shopping haven for Filipinos.


Indeed, online stores have been mushrooming everywhere, more particulary in multiply. The young ones have found a venue where they can sell their goods (new or second hand) online. With just one click of the mouse, everyone in the seller's network will be notified of new arrivals. Photos of the products are posted, ready for viewing by hundreds of prospective buyers.

Instead of using credit cards, there is a safer way of transacting business for both sellers and buyers. On the side of the seller, they can require customers to deposit the payment through his/her bank account and then send the items through courier. On the side of the buyer, if they are doubtful of paying in advance, they could always meet up with their respective sellers at a common area such as malls, schools, etc.

With the abundance of online sellers in multiply, it gets tiring to browse each one. What really catches my eye is the way each site is presented. Good product shots are important as well as feedbacks from other buyers.

Here are some good finds that I've come across with:

1. Tantease - I love their Japanese inspired top called Kyoto (799php). I bought 2: the rose and the red and black one! It's really nice! Also, check out their pants in every juicy color and those sexy shorts, ooohlala. I personally know the owners of tantease so I can assure you of safe transactions.



2. Flatterbuy - It is known for its vintage accessories. I especially love the glamorous earrings they sell here.
3. Urbain - Interesting bags from Cathy Collection, cute but cheap shoes, affordable accesories from forever21... i also know the owner so feel free to shop here.


4. In Her Own Fashion - I actually had a bad experience with this one. The clothes looked really nice in the picture but when I got the item, I was overly disappointed. Well maybe I was just unlucky! I may give this site another shot based on the feedbacks that I've read.



I'm a seller myself. If you're interested, check it out here: Pink Chocolate. It was featured in The Manila Bulletin.

-k

Alive!

People have always compared life to many things, a taxi meter, a grindstone, a bicycle. Well to me life has always been a poker game, be it texas hold ‘em or just plain straight poker. It never really mattered whether you were holding good cards but rather it mattered on how well you held them. With the surprising boom of random poker games, I feel that I can somehow tell each persons character with the way they “call”, “check”, “ante up”, “fold” or “bluff”. There has to be some kind of way of telling a persons fortune through poker. (“that’s right”, you heard it here first) .

Life as we know it is unfolding before our very eyes, every step, every breath, there is a certain reaction that opens up. Living alone, I have learned to live my life. I chose to walk every single day to work because I want to experience life. From people chattering up each other about the days important presentation, to memos they disagree on, to a man struggling to find something to keep him dry from the rainy season (Yes everyone, even here in makati, life isn’t always pleasant to us all). When discussions about poverty arise at the drinking table, I find myself constantly pointing fingers at the government. Condemning them for the bad shape our country has transformed into. “better education”, “better welfare”, “ more opportunities” are only a few of the phrases I howl as I take a sip of my san mig light. I am suddenly stopped by a voice saying “but what the hell have you done to help??” .. was this God calling out? It was the duo of B&C, Brain and Conscience.

With that in mind I have then turned my attention to giving a little something back. Most of the time I always ready 20 Pesos for the kid selling sampaguitas and telling him to keep the flower but instead him screaming “boss kelangan kitang bigyan ng isa” and me retaliating with “hey kid, it’s a green light, your gonna hurt yourself”. I guess he didn’t listen to me because as usual I reactively preferred to communicate to the boy in English. Or that time when I was roaring to go home but had to grab a cab because rain was so bad, I hated the fact that they didn’t want to offer me service. I literally screamed at the top of my lungs in the rain “You HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”, decided to walk home in the rain and give my 40 bucks to the first needy person I came across. I handed 40 bucks of my hard earned cash to this guy somewhere between makati cinema square and McDonalds. He was scratching his head probably thinking “This guys drenched wet, and he’s handing me 40 bucks? Wohoo!! Life is good!” The rain didn’t even matter anymore as he bestowed to me a look of shock and satisfaction.

Im not saying that life can be experienced only through the needy, I have undertaken helping old people cross the busy streets of Makati, to sharing an umbrella with someone who just needed to get across. They always turn to me and say “thank you, your such a nice foreigner” or “salamat, ingat ka sa Pilipinas” They are usually stomped everytime I turn to them and say “I’m local!”

To me, part of why I choose to continually walk to work everyday is to experience what only people on ground can, LIFE! Life is so beautiful because there are people who do random and untainted acts of kindness. I never wanted anything in return except their effort to move a muscle and offer their smile to me, that I believe is the only thing that makes me want to keep walking.

Life is good, be thankful you have better.

-j