I'm doing my "Hammer Time" dance right now because this fruit just got mentioned on the website of THE most prestigious travel magazine ever, Condé Nast Traveler. I was just looking through their articles and I had to rub my eyes and make sure that I wasn't just imagining it, but there it was. I called the boyfriend and told him about it and after which, he got excited as well and replied, " Wow, you just got mentioned on CNN?" Huuuwwhhhaattt? CNN? I said CNT, as in Condé Nast Traveler! Forgot to clean your ears today, hunny buns?
A few years back, the boyfriend and I started a tradition of having high tea wherever we traveled together. Honestly, I'd prefer an afternoon of high tea over a dinner date. There's something just soothing about it and Miguel and I love the fact that we can have a great conversation without having to scream at each other, just so we could make out what we're both trying to say. When we went on a quick vacation to Hong Kong to celebrate one of our "monthsaries", we knew we couldn't pass up the chance to have high tea at the highly acclaimed The Peninsula hotel. I truly loved the experience that I never cease to recommend it to my friends and family but I was surprised that CNT actually got wind of one of my raves.
I know it's just a one-liner but quit rollin' your eyeballs and just let the girl be. It's like Barry Manilow waving back at you in a concert...you don't know what to do but you just ride with it. Right? Right!
Hey folks! Sky and I just wanted to send our greetings to everyone! Keep safe, don't eat too much candy and don't get chased down naked by a dude with a hockey mask and a machete!
Looks like Jason has let himself go...look at that one-pack.
Hello troopies! I'm heading out to meet the rest of the family and eat out at a local Chinese restaurant for my Mother Dearest's birthday dinner. Unfortunately I am feeling a little lackluster today, it must have something to do with the crazy heat that we're experiencing here in Southern California. I don't know what's up with the weather but I know it's been the opposite of how it was in the first five years that I've lived here. I could have sworn that I was itching to buy new sweaters a few days ago and now I'm back to hiding in my cave a.k.a. my apartment since the heat tends to suck the life out of me.
So yes, we're supposedly in the middle of Fall but somehow I found myself picking a halter-top jumpsuit and a pair of beige espadrilles. I honestly don't know how everyone else back in the Philippines can take wearing leather jackets and fall/winter ensembles while being in a tropical area with an extremely humid climate...hmmm...or maybe that's how they lose weight fast, like a walking sauna?
Jumpsuit- Promod (I bought it from this trendy shop in the Philippines); Belt- Dolce & Gabbana; Shoes- Steve Madden (great deal!); Bag- LV Empreinte Artsy (my everyday purse because it matches everything)
Thanks to my little sister, Kiwi who tried to take decent pics...we are such amateurs but hey, we tried! =)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and...ahhh, eff it.
Today a man celebrates his birthday..
The man who insisted in sending me to the emergency room for a graze on my knee...
The man who attempted to cook me a late night snack but failed because he thought he could cook an egg on a griller...
The man who thought a sea monster was out to get him, but all the while it was just a seaweed stuck on his foot...
The man who smothers me when he hugs me because he forgets how tall he is...
The man who refuses to keep a safe distance while I am nursing myself from a bad flu...
The man who after all this time, argues that I've gotten more beautiful over the years...Okay I totally made that up. No, wait. That's actually a true story and I'm sticking to that!
The man who, on our first Valentine's date, got me three huge bouquets of flowers because he said he was trying to make up for the other Valentine's days that I never received any...
The man who doesn't get embarrassed when his girlfriend asks to slow dance with him even if there's no music playing...
The man who, despite all my shortcomings and failures, says "I love you" and still means every bit of it...
I love you too, Hunny. Happy Birthday, Love.
I'm, I'm so in love with you, whatever you want to do... is alright with me... Just imagine me doing my impersonation of Al Green...complete with arm and hip movement hehe.
Halloween month is upon us and that means it's that time of the year for me to hide under a rock. Pardon me, that's just my scaredy-cat instincts kickin' in. Seriously, if there was a Scrooge for Halloween, that would be me. Bah, Humbug! I turn on the radio and they have Michael Jackson's Thriller playing, then there's the crawling-on-the-ceiling horror movie trailers. You gotta admit, no one can beat that kid from The Exorcist whose head turned a full 360 and peed all over the place. Where's the Super Nanny when you need her? My feelings towards Halloween has always been lukewarm since I was a young little fruit. I only like the trick-or-treat idea for kids and I like to watch those horror specials with the family...I insist on sitting in the middle of the couch because I reckon that just in case some monster were to attack us, they would be the first to go! *evil laugh*
In Halloween parties, I always dress up as myself. I figured my daily appearance was good enough to scare off the kids and drunken jocks. Dressing up in costumes isn't really my style, never have and never will. In fact, the only costume I've ever enjoyed wearing was a head of a horse, which got a bunch of laughs at a school play back in high school.
I revel in people taking a lot of effort and doing the whole nine yards just for the sake of a real cool costume. But have you noticed something lately? A lot of confused women seem to want to be dressed up as a slutty version of a Disney character and take away the livelihood of people who work the streets and corners at night.You know we're having a recession when people opt to wear their underwear as a costume and try to get away with it.
So when my sister dragged me into a Halloween costume store, I took the opportunity to go around and I must admit, the Scrooge in me did have fun...just a teeny tiny bit.
Phantom of the Opera fail. Where are my cheekbones?
That's more like it!
I want a Scooby snack! This is actually a whole suit, I would totally rock this!
You...fight me? I kill you with my samurai sword!
Spot the wardrobe malfunction!
Wasaaaaapppppp?
Don't worry, it's just me with a bloody knife!
I guess this means my head is not crown-worthy? = (
This...is...Sparta!
Hmm..so how can I pick my nose?
Speaking of the devil...
This is for peeing on the carpet....how do you like it now? huh? huh?
I think I'm gonna need a bigger broom...
Nice metallic pink broom, but what's up with the extremely short handle?
I keep it gangsta. You may now call me P. Fruitty.
Yep, found this in the Halloween store. What'd I tell ya? Someone's going to be working the streets.
As you can see from the photos above (except for the last one), there's a large variety of costumes to choose from, just don't dress up like a hoe let your imagination run wild.
As for me, I got my costume on 24/7... I just manage to hide the horns and the pitchfork during business days. Tee-hee!
During my college days, I met a lot of people...fun, intelligent, sometimes a little looney interesting people. Happily, these people became good friends of mine and they still are to this day. It's amazing how this one particular awesome friend and I used to bond over Chicken Fingers and a full order of Caesar Salad at T.G.I. Friday's, wailing over our non-existent love lives then you fast forward to 10 years after, and that same friend of yours ends up seeing the world and all its wonders. But who knew that this ecclectic, bright-eyed friend would transform into a globe-trotting, up-and-coming photographer slash writer slash artist? I did. I knew it all along, I just didn't want to spoil the big surprise and tell her I have E.S.P.N.=)
This friend that I speak of is none other than the multi-talented Ms. Karen Capino. She just had her first photo exhibit entitled "Nomads No More" in Baguio, Philippines and I am nothing less of a proud friend to share with you her brilliant works of art. In her travels, sight-seeing was not enough for her, she had to unleash her passion for photography and unleash, she did.
"Nomads No More is about snapshots I've taken in Mongolia. Mongolians are the last nomads on Earth. They just recently embraced democracy (20 years ago) so they are slowly becoming nomads no more." - Karen Capino
Aside from Mongolia, Karen has ventured through cobble-stoned roads in Europe, trekked across dirt roads in Sri Lanka and all over Southeast Asia, inhaled the fresh Alaskan air, rolled around the Caribbean sand and most of all, re-discovered our own beloved motherland through the mountainous regions of Cordillera, Philippines.
Sri Lanka
Luang Prabang
Alaska
Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines
Tuscany, Italy..My favorite photo!
Ms. Capino currently resides in the Philippines and you can check the rest of her photography here or browse on her current project at Tumblr theindigenoushipster.tumblr.com
Yup, that undeniable deep-dimpled smile is photographer Kars Capino.
What can I say, I'm blessed with talented friends. Makes me wonder what hidden talents I have?
Hey troopies! I got too excited to write about The Material Girlthat I forgot about my own pictures! Seriously, who would you rather want to see? Momma Madonna with her toned hiney or an Asian Shamu? Anyhow, I had mixed feelings about my outfit because it looked alright to me but I came out looking a little preggers in the pictures. I guess I really have to master my Sashey Shante before I could wear an outfit like this again!
Here we go... Shamuuuu... Peplum Dress- Forever21 (Great buy!); Booties- BCBG; Bag- LV Vernis, Alma
Nice triangle open back
I wanted to go with a little bit of an edgy vintage look so I opted for a two-toned french lace peplum dress and paired it with some perforated black leather booties. Always keep in mind that going to a Madonna concert (or any of your fave artist's concert) is like going to a big dance party. Even if there are seats provided for party poopers, you'll surely end up standing and dancing for most of the time so some great heels are good but make sure you can handle being on your feet for more than an hour.
Face Paint: Face: Bare Minerals Foundation in Fairly Medium, Make Up For Ever HD powder, Chanel Highlighting Powder, Bare Minerals "Warmth"
Eyes: Laura Mercier eye primer in "Wheat", Urban Decay Naked 2, Stila waterproof liquid eyeliner in Black Lips: Make Up For Ever matte lipstick in Moulin Rouge, Make Up For Ever Lab Shine lip gloss (I was so excited to wear my red lipstick since I can't wear it on a regular basis unless I become a geisha.)
Man, I still can't stop singing... Hey, ey, ey, ey, ey,...like a girl gone wild, a good girl gone wild...
Toodles! =)
I do apologize for the delayed posts, I've just been trying to recuperate from the dance-induced crazy night that I had last Wednesday. I'm pretty sure if you've checked my last Chill Pill session, you've already figured that I went to see the one and only Queen of Pop, MADONNAon her MDNA tour.
This is my third encounter with the Queen since I first went to see her on her Confessions tour around six years ago as a birthday celebration for my then-thirteen year old sister, Kiwi. To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect back then. I've been to other artist's concerts prior to the Confessions tour and I thought, "Hey if we're going to see Madonna for the first time, we might as well get great seats... she might throw a good show". Good show.Wow, that's an understatement of an understatement. I can't tell you everything play-by-play as to what went on that night, but when Madonna emerged from an over-sized Swarovski crystal-studded disco ball coming down from the ceiling, I knew I was in for one heck of a night.
People who complain about how her tickets are worth an arm and a leg and a first-born child won't fully understand the value, until one actually gets to see her perform - live. What you have to understand about Madonna is that she doesn't merely sing in her shows. She also gives you a performance worth wrecking your vocal chords to, as she commands the stage that leaves no booty unshaken. This 54-year old woman easily out-dances her twenty-something back-up dancers, and her aura is so surreal that you would want to just bask in all its glory. This is why even the biggest celebrities come out of their big flashy sunglasses and watch her shows.
Speaking of celebrities, it's easy to spot them bee-lining their way to their seats without getting noticed as people briskly secure floor seat tickets to the show. Unfortunately, I was too slow to snap a picture of the svelte Heidi Klum and bodacious Jessica Alba as they were passing through just a couple of feet away from us. My little sister who's a big outrageous fan of Glee yelped as she saw Glee actor, Chris Colfer pop out from nowhere as well.
Right below is the only "decent" photo that I was able to capture of Ms. Alba... thanks to the guy with the velvet jacket - who was completely in the way of my camera lens! After this shot was taken, we ran towards Jessica before she got to the VIP section. We were able to get close to her, like I-could-smell-her-hair close but she had her back towards us and somehow she deliberately was ignoring us couldn't hear us call her out so we decided to go back to our seats. Star-struck fail. Seriously.
For the MDNA tour, DJ Martin Solveig pumped up the audience before Madonna came on to perform. Some of you may recognize his popular dance hits such as "Hello", and "The Night Out". He was later on joined by Madonna's adopted son, David, who was able work on the spin table as well. Wonder where he got his knack of music, eh? =)
With Madonna's son, David.
Please forgive me for my super amateur skills of video recording. I was literally holding up the camera as steady as I could while dancing. Here is a video clip of DJ Martin Solveig performing "The Night Out"...
Rocco, Madonna's son from ex-husband Guy Ritchie even made an appearance as well. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first tour that she's brought the boys out on stage. Check out Rocco donning a choir costume while his mom sang "Like A Prayer". Far left, first row.
Without further ado, here are some photos that I managed to take in between screaming and waving my hands frantically up in the air as I was bumpin' and shakin' like a Polaroid picture.
Her grand entrance...
Madonna performs Gang Bang, a song that was inspired by the movie Pulp Fiction...
She just loves working that guitar...
As she performed Express Yourself, she wittingly mashed-up Lady Gaga's all-too-familiar, notoriously recognized copycat version "Born This Way" into the song. Madonna ain't Madonna without the mischievous, controversial humor and I love every bit of it!
Madonna talking about world issues...that's her 25-year old boyfriend on the left with the mesh tank top.
Madonna strikes a pose (or a hundred) while singing Vogue.
Right when I thought that Madonna was going for the more conservative outfits and costumes this time around, she suddenly stripped down and flashed her entire hiney to the crowd, wearing only a black lace thong. I wasn't able to zoom in and take a better shot since everyone's camera and hands were in the way. Yes, I know. Too many fails for this amateur blogger for one night! The verdict? I think her beautiful, unbelievably fit and smooth bottom just made everyone drop their beers and Big Macs.
Check out her guns!
In her Egyptian-inspired costume, with her shoulders and right sleeve completely encrusted with crystals.
Not only was her performance seamless, but the stage production was mighty impressive as well. The strobing lights were AMAZE-ING and the visual effects in the backdrop left me all googly-eyed. I felt like a cave man being introduced to fire for the first time.
We were all totally blown away during the finale, when Madonna sang Celebration. You have to see it to believe it...
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