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2.26.2012

Once upon a weekend

I think my blog has died. Imagine the horror when I saw the last entry was dated January 23. A MONTH! So much for blogging.

Anyway. Moving forward. [--proof that work is rubbing off on me.]

Weekends are usually reserved for me and my bed. Though I don't need to wake up super early for work everyday [6am sounds reasonable enough, yes?], nothing beats the feeling of opening my eyes to find out it's 9am already.

One of the best places to go for a laidback weekend is Bonifacio High Street. I'm a sucker for high-rise buildings beside each other but BHS is so quiet and 'fresh' that the structures just look like backdrops.



This is actually a new area across ROX. I swore this time that I wouldn't pass up the chance to finally try Jamba Juice - and this is where it's located.


Price-wise, it's like the Starbucks of fruit juices, but once it hits your taste buds you won't regret it. I tried Caribbean Passion, which is a mix of passion fruit, peaches, mango, and strawberry [if I remember correctly!]. The only time I take in fruits is when they're turned into a smoothie, that's why I'm a big fan of juice bars[?] like Big Chill, Fruitas, Mondo, Juice Avenue and now, Jamba Juice.



Oversized top - Kisses & Co.; Denim shorts - Wrangler; Shoes - Melissa; Shades - Bazaar; Bag - Payless Shoe Source


The oversized top was perfect for the 'wind effect' at BHS... plus what spells summer better than nautical stripes, right? :) Shorts are a staple in my closet - I don't know how my weekends and nights-out would be without them! Haha!



I don't normally do 'outfit shots' so forgive me if it's not as polished as what you normally see on my favorites' blogs like Laureen Uy and Camille Co - I had to make do with a phone camera! [Ehem! Friends with DSLRs?!] And sobrang inaabot ako ng hiya once I see a lot of people walking by! And Mama had to put up with all the 'I-want-my-shoes-to-be-seen' drama! Haha!

Well, Sunday's winding down and it's back to reality for all of us. Hope you had an awesome weekend!


<3

1.23.2012

HOW-TO: Medusa Bendies

Here it is! A first from Quintessential Shop Manila!

As promised, here are ways how you can rock the Medusa Bendies!

ON YOUR HAIR


TWISTED NECKLACE


ARM CUFF - my personal favorite!


[PHOTOS: Maine Aquino for Quintessential Shop Manila]


Be one of the first to rock this versatile piece of accessory. Adds instant glam even if you're just wearing a jeans-and-shirt combo. And it challenges your creativity! The more twisted it gets, the better :)

I haven't worn mine yet but after seeing Maine's how-to I'm excited to try out the last one! 

For more ideas, and to order you own Medusa Bendies, visit Quintessential Shop Manila on Facebook.


*Pure coincidence: Maine was born on the Year of the Snake! 



<3

1.21.2012

Narnia!

Who knew Narnia would be just an hour away from home?

It's no closet but for sure when you come back from there your closet [or drawer, or jewelry case] will be happy and your wallet, not.

Maine and I finally got to visit ze magical place!

First up: Bunny case vs. Hello Kitty case

For the loooongest time we both wanted the Bunny case for our phones. Mahal lang talaga! It's P250 at St Francis Square last I checked. The one we saw today was just at P100! Almost bought it but since we were trying to practice 'self-control' we went around more stalls and found a reaaaaaaally cute Hello Kitty case ... for iPhone 4s. HANEP. Masama na talaga loob namin since all cases [Cath Kidston, Kate Spade, Dior] were all for iPhones! One Dragon Dance and three stalls after, TADA!




Proud ako sa pinaglaban namin ni Maine! No amount of squealing can express how happy we are! 

Then Maine led me to two stores store where all caution, self-control and reasoning were thrown to the wind. If you've gone shopping with me you would know there is no accessory that I say no to, especially if I have the means to buy it [aka if it's payday, someone's buying it for me, or really affordable!] 

To say I went cray-cray is an understatement:


Trust me it's hard to sort through everything that I stashed in my basket! Ang bigat sa loob magbalik ... I wanted to buy them all!  [Is that such a bad thing, though?!]


I'm not a ring person because all the ones I like are either too tight or too loose. On the rare occasions that I do buy/wear a ring, it has to be the adjustable kind. Imagine my delight when a non-adjustable ring [the one with the animal print stone] fit right into my ring finger! The ring/earring set was also a steal at way less than P100! The price tag on the other pair of earrings will make you believe I got these three accessories at just a little over P100 :)


BRACELETS. You have no idea how many of them can be found in my room! The problem with me is whenever I buy a new one, I tend to forget to wear the previous ones I bought. So what I'm doing now is dig up long-forgotten bracelets and start wearing them again. But I guess I have to forget that practice with all these new babies I got! 

I personally love the tiger cuff because it's my Chinese zodiac, I love over-sized bracelets, and it looks so fierce when worn. It's just coincidental that I got animal print bangles as well kasi pag si Maine kasama mo, she'll choose whatever is with animal print. Haha! The leather cuff is for an officemate who asked a favor for me to buy her one, but I got the silver metallic one for myself. The store actually does personalized bracelets [think Eiko] but you can buy the strap as is for just a little more than P20. 


These are the best steals of the day! I know, they look like snakes and you're going "WTF?!" Haha! Just looking at them makes me shiver, too! Lakas maka-Medussa!


[EDIT: A 'How-To' for this Medussa necklace is coming soon, courtesy of Quintessential Shop Manila!] 

It's actually a necklace that can be 'folded' into a bangle. Adds instant glam to a rather dull outfit.


Since it's Chinese New Year on Monday, I think it's the perfect time to wear these Chinese zodiac bracelets.


You see these charms being sold at kiosks in malls [way overpriced, really] but what made me buy it there was because they perform a certain 'ritual' on the bracelets, which is supposed to energize them and 'activate' the luck the charms are supposed to bring. 
You buy the bracelet then they take it from you and give you a number so you can claim it at the cashier after you pay for it along with the other stuff you bought. Then you go back to one of the Ates who's carrying a sort of mortar and pestle and ask her to 'gong' the bracelet. Put it in the bowl and she'll do circular motions of the pestle around the bowl and tap the four sides after. She'll ask you to pick it up with your left hand because she can't - I repeat - CAN'T do it herself as this will 'interrupt' the vibes of the ritual. Also, if you're going to give it to someone [as my case since I bought one for Mama], only you and the recipient can touch the bracelet.

Yes it sounds crazy [ang hirap i-explain nung ritual, ha!] but there are Chinese/Feng Shui ways that I believe in. Maybe the rose quartz will work, right Maine? ;) Very 'My Binondo Girl' lang ang peg!

In just two hours I felt like I bought more than a week's worth of accessories. I swear the office might come up with a 'no over-sized accessories rule' already! 

Maine and I enjoyed too much that we forgot to eat and go on a restroom break. Gano'n kami ka-saya

The last time I went there was when I was still a kid, believe it or not! Definitely the best finds are in the places you never thought you'd find them in, it just takes curiosity and a great shopping buddy to discover them!


<3