Boho Bonnet

Let's welcome the week with some grey nails. Blue-grey that is.

Meet Orly's Boho Bonnet.

The color is very enticing. It has character and out of ordinary, never boring. I consider this my perfect shade of grey much like Cupcake is my favorite shade of pink.

Watchutink?

Epic

Epic, in colloquial terms, is anything that is legendary in proportions.

Volvo, defines Epic as ...

a split done by the 50-something Belgian - aka as Jean Claude van Damme. His accent is very adorable -(",)-*wink*

Bob Nicolas captured this epic proposal at the Quiapo church. The marching band playing Coldplay is legendary.

Jella and Ross -- Proposal from Bob Nicolas on Vimeo.

May we all have an epic week ahead.

What's Your Excuse: Help Yolanda Victims

When Typhoon Haiyan hit Tacloban, Ormoc and the rest of the Philippines, it destroyed properties and claimed thousands of lives. Quoting a CNN article, "The damage was primarily caused by a wall of ocean water - a storm surge - so powerful it had even lifted up ships and tossed them onto dry land - onto what had been houses."  Someone even quoted on international tv "It was like a hurricane.. 4 hours of hurricane".  I never thought that the damage was so extensive until I read over social media that CNN set camp in Central Visayas and dedicated most of its news airtime covering the devastation caused by Yolanda/Haiyan.

Here are pictures collated by CNN.

My excuse for the indifference was a flu which turned to acute bronchitis the past 5 days. It's a lame excuse and I am sure some of us is guilty of this: no time, no resources, I am not affected at all. There are a number of ways to help and a number of organizations are running relief operations. 

I know majority of my blog readers are yuppies who may not have the time so I am sharing the personal effort that the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Cunanan (yikee! -(",)-*wink*) made to help the victim in small ways we can. Just a click and you can use your Paypal account or credit card. Easy peasy, ayt? Also, I personally believe that cash can go a long way given that whoever is coordinating can allocate the resources to what is needed and can also be used for sustainable help later on.

We contemplated on giving to international organizations with a better system to dole out relief but we thought that our own Philippine Red Cross needs all the help we can give. And so, if you are thinking a portion of your salary, here are the 3 organizations I am personally advocating.

1. Philippine Red Cross. 

2. UNICEF's Typhoon Haiyan Page.

3. World Vision's Help for Children. 

If you have a specific item you want to fund, CNN has a comprehensive list how you can help. Impact Your World!

If you are foodie, Anton of Our Awesome Planet has an extensive list how you can help while enjoying your favorite dish.

A word of caution though, here are some things that are least needed by the victims.

We are too blessed not to share what we have. What's your excuse not to help?

Team N&K Monogram

I have shared previously that I am a wedding monogram fan. In an image, you can convey the branding of your event and in this case, our partnership.  Our upcoming wedding is my perfect excuse to commission one. 

As a giddy bride-to-be, here's our big reveal.

The wreath symbolizes eternity, a team built to last forever. Of importance as well are the elements on the wreath: some of our favorite things. Can you name them? I love, love the dainty, delicate color combination.

A wedding monogram is one lovely way to personalize your wedding. 

If you want to tap the artist who crafted this: her name is Novia Zapata. She makes the nicest Save the Date and Invitation, btw. I can't wait to feature those and her on my blog.

Stay safe everyone!

Wedding Wednesday: Murad Facial

I pardon for the erratic Wedding Wednesday post. I try to be faithful but life happens but since I am in the mood tonight to share some of the exciting things I am doing for the wedding, we'll do a Wedding Wednesday on a Sunday.

Rustan's has a box full of surprises for brides-to-be. Registration at Rustan's Weddings and Beyond comes with Rustan's department store, hotel stay and meals, and Maiden Form discount cards; honeymoon raffle tickets to Guam and a bevy of make up (Chanel, La Prairie, etc) and facial services. 

I kid you not. Rustan's has excellent tie up with reputable brands!

This is on top of their excellent service and a complete guide book for your registry which only requires you to tick the box in a comprehensive list of kitchen, bedroom, bath and home items that would give peace of mind to would-be homemakers.

As part of my beauty regimen for the big day, I scheduled a classic facial at Murad (for free, c/o Rustan's) and this session had me giddy because it's my first time to have a facial... ever. Save for my wish to properly remove the white heads on my chin, I really don't feel the need to spend on a professional facial cleansing. Though, I plan on a series of face and body pampering for the big day 3 months prior to the wedding. It's a joy to receive free services when you least expect it.

Allow me to share my own Murad Facial experience and quench our curiosity about this most-talked-about facial. Murad Vitamin C facial restores radiance, boosting and brightening with Pure Vitamin C for age spots and sun damage. It reduces the appearance of unwanted pigmentation, restores elasticity and firmness, helps repair damage to skin's surface and prevent future damage. 

I availed the facial at Rustan's Alabang Town Center treatment room. It lasts for ~45 mins, covering face, neck and shoulder and a relaxing massage in between cream applications. Facial is simply your cleanse, tone and moisturize routine with proper dirt extraction, mask and massage. 

It starts with cleansing while citrus-smelling steam blows on your face. I tell you it's very relaxing. 

Then the therapist starts extracting the dirt from the face and this is when it gets a bit painful. Although, I believe the professional method prevents infection. 

Then the face is cleansed and some sort of antiseptic is applied in masterful stroke that's very calming. Gentle scrubbing follows and at this point, I have succumbed to the bliss that comes with the soothing stroke, luxurious feel and sweet smell of the creams.

Once the scrub is rinsed gently, mask follows and I added eye bag treatment wherein another cream is applied in the eye area. While the mask is soaking, the therapist massages the shoulders and upper back for 10 mins!

Then at ~45-60 min mark, toner, moisturizer and lip gloss are applied generously and thoroughly. This is one pampering service I am so sad to end. During the entire treatment, my skin really feels like being restored and my body rejuvenated.

This is me after the treatment with 5 hours of sleep, nothing but Murad creams on and a rejuvenated smile! I was a bit worried that the extracted pores will get infected but a week after the treatment, my skin is still holding up.

I would describe a Murad facial a luxurious experience. With the number of creams applied, the masterful stroke of the beauty technician and it's surprisingly cheap price, I say I am now a fan. As for its effect on my skin, I have yet to find out but I am going back for at least 1 treatment before the big day.

If you are thinking of having a bridal registry, Rustan's  Weddings and Beyond is a good choice taking into consideration their well-curated home items, excellent service and their out-of-this-world tie ups with other brands to give you a well-pampered bride-to-be experience.

Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow

Happy Halloween from my green toe nails! 

Perfect color for the occasion, eh? On my last visit to the salon I was in the mood for dark nails that isn't black hence I chose a shade that has grunge but is still classy enough to be worn at work and on a casual day. 

Presenting Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow.

It's practically black from afar and turns green when there is sufficient lighting. I find it tricky to wear especially if you don't have immaculate nails as it has the tendency to attract a lot of attention due to its unique shade.

I recommend this polish if you are looking for out of the ordinary dark nail color or a wearable shade of green. 

Before I say good night, the Alaskan Malamute I met during one of the Doggie Trick or Treat at my local mall greets everyone a Happy Halloween!

Dogs are simply the best!

Blessed

I feel blessed this very moment. To start with, I am home early on a Saturday night giving me ample time to tidy up my place and sit down to do what I want to do: blog, probably watch TV then curl up in bed later. More importantly, God has also gifted me with peace of mind which is exactly what I need now, in the next few months and for the rest of my life. (Very important!) In this state of bliss, allow me to share how awesome God is and most likely in the process He is blessing me so I can be a blessing to others. 

Purpose-driven life!

First off, I won a new phone in the company raffle! Woot woot! You see, I haven't bought a phone in ~ 3 years; the one I am using is either a hand-me-down or a mobile plan freebie and so now I have upgraded to a phablet (phone tablet), albeit an Android one but who cares "Beggars can't be choosers". 

I can now finally surf on the go and you guys can now add me up on Whatsapp =P.

You know what else makes this win extra sweet... Person A also won an ipad mini! Can we all say we're soooo blessed! 

Moving on to something with substance, we have obtained our Marriage License and completed the canonical interview with the Parish Priest of the diocese where we are getting married. 

I had so much fun during the interview with Fr. Milo that I felt kulang ang airtime! Groom and bride were interviewed separately and Person A wondered why he could hear me laughing when the questions were typically about your views on sanctity of marriage vows and procreation. Masarap lang makipagchikahan sa pari. No need to worry about the dreaded canonical interview, not intimidating at all.

With the legal and religious requirements almost done, we are ready to be married anytime we want to (read: elope). Maybe this is one crazy thing I can do in this lifetime.

After the very foggy drive, we stopped for lunch at Breakfast at Antonio's and had the best corned beef in this part of the planet. 

It's tasty, very soft (guaranteed tinga-free!), and so good with brewed coffee

And the German and French version of wasabi. Tastes like wasabi, right?

Breakfast food is always good while reading magazines and then finish off with a stack of pancakes. 

Speaking of brunch, I finally had the chance to see this book art at Fully-Booked BGC after lunch with friends last Tuesday. 

Holiday bliss: time spent with friends.

Back to food, here's for dinner tonight: tsukumen (dipping noodles).

Mitsuyado Sei-men's noodle place is worth the visit: food is good and the ambiance feels authentic. 

Lastly, my best pick me-upper for the week is this heap of white confection. 

This is my 40% finished wedding dress and when I put it on after the last time I saw it in July (it was during my lining fitting), I was floored. The executed drawing made my heart skipped a bit: I like the shade of white used, the simplicity of the design and how it turned out to be quite familiar yet refreshing at the same time. 

To quote Bart: "It's simple pero rock". Hehe please indulge my kilig. Now I totally understand why every bride is excited about THE dress. I can hardly wait to share my experience (after the wedding, promise!) and the awesome, talented designer who makes me feel very confident that the dress will turn out just as how I imagined it to be and more. 

Thank you Kat, Bart, Tita Merly and Person A (even though you had to isolate yourself in the atelier) for joining me this afternoon. 

With that, allow me to do a jump shot before I say good night.

Weeee!!!

I wish you all a blessed weekend.

The Week That Was

I snapped a lot of interesting photos from last week that I have decided to do a random share on the things that happened instead of the more useful beauty post I plan on writing.

Let's start with our professional his and hers.

That's us wearing our minion shirt for a company event and I finally have my very own ORANGE coveralls! Woot woot! Awesome his and hers. I love chic and classic fashion pieces (ala Lanvin, Gucci and Chanel... let's pretend that I have a wardrobe full of these... heck, I don't even have a single piece) but I feel the same level of kilig wearing coveralls and safety shoes. It's the thought that you can do "rockstar" geeky industrial activities when you're wearing these Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and more often than not you get to directly contribute to the community: in the past 6 years it's about producing fuel for the power plants to generate electricity.

My niche as an adult in this society.

Enough of the serious talk and let's move on to the icing on the cake. I had the opportunity to stay at Acacia Hotel (Filinvest, Alabang, Muntinlupa).

The hotel's selling point is the room. I was luckily upgraded to a Junior suite; there's a receiving area, bathroom with tub and 2 floor to ceiling windows with a gorgeous view of Commerce Ave and Palms Country Club. I also like the soft but firm bed and the very luxurious linens. The room is truly nice and spacious. Acacia can improve a lot on the food though - the quality is not as good as what you would expect from a 5-star hotel.

From hotel stay, we go to home stay. I flew back to Dipolog and took guests to Rizal's house when he was exiled in Dapitan.

If you are in Dipolog, it's worth the trip to head to Rizal Park in Dapitan to see how he spent his exile years and visit the quaint compound he stayed at. You can walk around the main house, his kitchen, the dormitory of his students, the trees he planted and with the number of insects buzzing around - you'd totally understand why he alloted time on studying them. You also get to see the photos of his ladyloves and a number of his clothes are on display. The sunset view is priceless, btw.

Then I decided to climb the Lovers Rock - where he famously pined for Josephine Bracken. I invited Person A to join me and do a death defying pose. One slip could result to a fatal fall: all for the glory of the profile pic.

Then I road-tested with the 'rents my just-discovered Miss Universe pose. Tsk. Tsk. Stop the meaning of this!?! Looks like I am losing it.

I'd like to leave you with our super fun jump shots with the Dapitan sunset.

I tell you, our version of sunset bursts of colors and is gorgeous. World class!

Another possibly busy week ahead but the weekend reminded me that family, friends and a dose of childlike disposition make life beautiful.

Awesomeness!

Random Sunday Story

With everyone rushing to get things done before 2013 ends, I am again caught up in the year end rush. God made it extra special for me this year by teaching valuable lessons along the way. It's a tough life but I always remind myself that God  has the best plan for me and whenever it seems like the end of the tunnel is nowhere in sight, I just need to trust because he is molding me into the best person I can be.

Enough of the cryptic negativity and let me focus on the things I am grateful for.

I am again back in the Japanese food game and this time around it's a no brainer. I've always been a katsudon girl but Yabu's Tonkatsu is the bomb. 

I love that the meat is very tender and everything on the tray pairs well with the non-oily and delicate meat: miso soup, the sesame sauce, cabbage with wasabi sauce!

My addiction now amounts to Yabu twice a week... and it just opened at Alabang Town Center, I can feel it's gonna be downhill from here... at least for my waistline.

Oh yeah, best to play PvZ while grinding the sesame seeds.

Then I had the chance to visit Marriot Manila, I say posh. Perfect for those who love the urban lifestyle. Impressive lobby.

I am also impressed by the room albeit small for its price. The bed is plush and since the facility is still new, the bathroom is very enticing and so I tried the bubble bath.

Aaaahhhh... heaven.

Since the month of September is my birthday month, I'd like to say thanks to the sponsors of my beautiful flowers.

Red roses as a get well soon on your birthday present.

Then pink, white and green for my official birthday bouquet, my favorite.

Look at how beautiful the blooms are.

Yellow bouquet from friends! 

Very refreshing.

And because I can't get enough of flowers, when the bouquets have wilted, I dropped by Dangwa and with PhP240, I was able to get 6 dozens of green buttons and filled 5 vases at home with greens. 

Literally.

Flowers can effortlessly beautify a home.

What goes well with green? Try red!

After yoga tonight, I had this for dinner.

Fresh strawberry smoothie. Tastes like strawberry ice cream without the guilt: fresh milk, fresh strawberry and minimal sugar. 

Just to make sure that I am trying to balance the tonkatsu calories, here's the grocery basket today.

Woot woot! Cheers to a healthy week for all of us!

Wedding Wednesday: The Ring

Person A's wedding ring is finally in our possession after months of window shopping, deciding what we want and dropping in and out of the local branch of the jewelry shop to try it on. Being the low EQ person that I am, I asked him to wear it and our conversation went like this:

Me: *with all the excitement in the world* Try it on! Try it on!

Person A; *tries it on*

Me: Ay! Di ka na kid... adult ka na *pouts* mukha ka ng adult....

Hahaha! I always see us as kids ... more of childlike and seeing the ring on him is a bit bittersweet. Then again, I will finally put a ring on it and that is the best feeling in the world. :P

Allow me to share the criteria we used to choose our rings. Unlike most couples, we thought of "spending" on our wedding rings since we will wear it for the rest of our lives and it is a symbol of our marriage. 

Or yeah, we just like pretty accessories.

1. For the gentleman: Person A wants a simple band, with a little classy design and it has to be well-crafted.  

2. For the lady: I want something that complements my engagement ring: brings out the design at the same time stylish enough not to be drowned by the main diamond.

3. The same metal as my engagement ring. I plan to wear both on my left ring finger and probably stack a guard ring for the engagement ring. Ho-hum! -(",)-*wink* stackable rings!

4. Well-crafted - it shows easily where there are weaknesses in the make.

No offense to the local industry but generally, a lot can still be improved on the craftmanship as well as if you weigh "cost per (weight and quality of material used)" it doesn't come close to a Blue Nile or a Tiffany's ring.

Blue Nile has the cheapest ring for the quality and craftmanship whereas if you are willing to shell out more for a heavier and extremely well-made ring, you gotta give it to Tiffany's. Also, stock comes in gold, white gold, platinum and different sizes from 3 to the biggest. Overall, I find Blue Nile value for money.

And so, here are my picks from both jewelry shops.

Blue Nile Twist Diamond Ring - perfect for rings with prominent engagement ROCKS.

Blue Nile Pave Pink Sapphire - if you are in the mood for some delicate colors. 

Blue Nile Baguette Diamond - I consider this very classy. This pairs well with the baguettes on my engagement ring. Hmmm... we'll see.

Blue Nile U-Prong Seven Stone Diamond - can easily drown an engagement ring but maybe very pretty worn on its own.

Tiffany's classic milgrain band.

Tiffany's 3-row sophisticate.

Tiffany's channel set - classy baguette and round diamond design. Perfect for those with long, delicate fingers.

Tiffany's Lucida - one ring anyone? The weight and make of this ring is unbelievable. Awesome.

Like all the elements of your wedding and eventually marriage, the choice of wedding band is a team decision. We opted for separate designs that symbolize our relationship as well as fits our individual style. 

I am still in the process of getting my ring. There are days that I want this, then there are days that I want but what gets me more excited is the moment that I will physically hold the ring and the thought this accessory which I will wear for the rest of my life will be a symbol of my happiness.

I am keso, I rest my case.