Golden Gate + Sausalito + POFA

112412

wired crown from Anagon

The golf cart is the only thing I can drive besides an ATV. Sadness. 

And I swear the color scheme of this house changes each time we gather here for the holidays. 

❧

Snapped some photos during my quick trip this morning to see the fam over a late thanksgiving celebration. Being the eldest among the grandchildren, it's natural for the adults to keep prying into my life, especially when it comes to my career. I've never been pressured to set an example but now they're saying that all the things I've accomplished has made me the benchmark for what my cousins have to attain.

Coming from a really traditional family, it's been predetermined for each one of us to choose a "real" profession- that means all art courses  (even Bachelor of Arts courses) shouldn't be considered/are unacceptable. It's a pretty backwards way of thinking, especially nowadays when making a business out of your name or brand through a more artistic output can actually generate more income (but we all know it comes with a bigger risk). I guess our parents just want all of us to have a license to serve as a fallback. I honestly felt that taking the oath for Interior Designers this afternoon didn't change anything for me. Sure, it meant I could charge more for my services and my work would be recognized by the government, but it doesn't guarantee a successful career.

I'm curious as to what my cousins will be taking up for college. My sister quit her first course (Accountancy with Applied Economics) since her passion was clearly in music, so there's an added pressure on her part to prove to the family that she made the right decision. But I am happy that she has that passion- a lot of people lack the fire nowadays! As for me, I'm glad that my course is like design married with science. I want to try my luck in other fields and I am planning to take up Industrial Design or even get a master's in business administration, but first I have to get more experience in design. My goal for next year is to step out of my comfort zone and find another firm to learn from. I'm already nervous, but then again, I'd rather feel that way instead of being complacent. There is ALWAYS room for self-improvement.



Got the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers pin right after my Filipino Inventors Society pin... Not a bad way to close 2012! I am beyond thankful.

❤

Cebu photo diary (0226-0307)

My Beauty and Beyond godmother, health/fitness freak & kindred spirit, Jen. 

Hong Kong photodiary

We stayed at the Kowloon Shangri-la hotel

Short trip to Cebu

Behind-the-scenes photos stolen from Mikey

"Don't move too much or the leopard on your earring will wake up!"

Starring Kenneth's bloom chair (Oh yes, first-name-basis like that! Him and Vito, my two idols from Cebu- hello guise! Vito, I know you read my blog. LOLZ.)

Oh, and Philippe Starck's ghost chairs are there, too. (I have yet to visit him in Paris. HAHH!)

David: "How many cameras do you need?" Me: "My Lumix has a higher megapixel count but the lens is only a 50mm so I need both." David: -no comment-

David, I love you for booking me a job in Cebu. I needed a good excuse to visit/skip a couple of meetings!!!

My quadriceps look so angry

Sam in a Kate Torralba dress, waiting for the talented Anne to take her photo.

♥♥♥

At Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf after my first photo shoot with Mia, Rizbelle and David last Sunday. My Asian side shows when I'm tired (eyes get chinky). Arrived in Cebu early Sunday morning.

I am now a size 7.5! My feet were a size 9 two years ago. I was also a lot heavier back then. I'm not losing now but I guess this is because I keep wearing closed/running shoes? My old pairs are so sayang. I can't wear them unless they're heavy on straps!

David brought goodies for us to the shoot!

First thing you see when you enter Sam's house

Sam's favorite bags

Do follow her on Tumblr- she is so stylish!!! And LIKE HER PHOTO so she can be the next style correspondent of Elle and Nokia for NY fashion week!

You can see Cybill's house right across

That house was literally at the highest peak and I was trying to capture it with my zoom lens. Woop!

Sam's baby brother Liam is super cute!!!

I didn't catch the name of the architect but the interiors were done by the famous Almario sisters

♥♥♥

Guso is a Cebuano term for some form of seaweed. Paulo's brother Myti just developed a new product called Guzo- it's basically packaged instant guso. It's pretty good and only 11 calories!!! The downside is that you have to wait for 30 minutes... But you only need to immerse it in tap water temperature and then drain it. Just don't place a lot of the vinegar & spice mix if you don't want it too sour...

Was snacking on this last night since I wasn't too hungry.

The beau and I had dinner at Red Kimono (Ayala Terraces). This is his and I didn't get to take a photo of my crunchy veggie roll and kakiage (vegetable fritters), but it was so good and I was amazed that they had two pages of their menu for vegetarians! Love it.

♥♥♥

I was glad that David called me up last week to say that Zee Lifestyle magazine wanted to include me on their September issue as one of their "It Girls". Sam Benitez and my best friend Issa Selma will be in the same article, but Issa wasn't able to fly in with me since she had finals on the day of the shoot. I had to bring 3 outfits but ended up packing on the last minute so I just stuffed all my favorite pieces in my luggage. I was never the one to plan outfits ahead of time. I ended up forgetting to bring casual pieces to my trip, but good thing my baby brother's tees could fit my boxy frame.

We had the shoot for Zee last Monday. I got to meet the team behind the magazine and they told me that David made them try our cake pops! So glad they loved em! They also asked me to shoot Sam's house. It was such a challenge since I felt some sort of pressure to apply what I learned from our Business of Interior Design class, wherein we had to style then shoot interiors as an activity/quiz.

Sam's house was very contemporary, furnished with pieces from local designers. The Almario sisters were responsible for the interiors and they kept everything neutral with splashes of bold colors. The house is hidden somewhere in Maria Luisa and the modern and earthy feel blended well with its environment.

Will post more photos right after I work on them. I was also tasked to shoot Issa here in Manila. This is all going to be in their Fashion issue coming out this September! It's going to be really interesting especially because our personal styles are dissimilar. And oh, they sort of picked girls with style AND substance. *winkydink*

♥

plantation excursion

Roadtrip!There were a couple of people panning for gold, bathing and washing clothes by the river.
What a view!


Lunch tiiiime










Rice plantation alongside their fishery
He got 3 fishies and I got only one. We threw them back in the water, btw. HAHA! But poor fishies got booboos on their mouths now :(
Grapefruit!



My friend Steven invited me over for lunch at their farm in Busay last Friday.What a beautiful place! I love Cebu! It only takes 45 minutes to an hour to go from the city to the mountains OR the beach. Paradise.
And now my calves hurt like hell because of the workout PLUS two weeks of wearing heels all around Cebu :) That and crouching so much during random shoots with friends. I think I'm the first girl in our batch who's visited this place. It takes a lot of balance, I tell you!
This was so much fun.
I'm heading back to Manila this Tuesday night.Will miss Cebu so much.
:(