Topshop's 10th Anniversary

Kryz in MiuMiu

Her bib was what attracted people to approach her... cos they also wanted to see their reflections :))

They pitied me for not having anyone to go with, so they were forced to come :))

Megan

Caught in the act- catching up on the latest chika!

We were playing around with these new colosplash cards by placing them over the lens of my camera...

Kryz's shoes from SoFab and Laureen's is from Gold Dot. They were SKY HIGH wedges.

Loved the LED screen

Lookbook | Chictopia

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Didn't take a lot of photos since the place was packed! Went home early since I had to prepare some SkinnySweets orders for the next day plus had some schoolwork to do.I forced myself to go out since I wanted to dress up. I've been seriously CRAZY busy during these past couple of months.

I'll save you from the boring list of things I've had to commit to...

A lot of people say that it's always my choice to stay busy. I can always say no to job offers and projects. The thing is, I've never been the one to pass up an opportunity to learn and to work with great people. Growing up, I've always thought that being exhausted all the time was better than being idle and bored. I like seeing the results of my hard work. While it does take a toll on my health at times, in my mind I'm always saying, "It's going to be worth it in the end." And most of the time, my efforts do pay off. I also know when to drop things- and maybe that's because I know my capabilities and priorities enough to know when something doesn't seem right. I've never been the one to regret my decisions, but I know there are also times when I've regretted not having enough time to do a certain job.

My life's always been revolving around this work cycle, and at times when I'm given the chance to relax and regain my energy, all I can think of is "What else I can do after this?"

There's always something that needs to be done. There's always an opportunity to serve other people while learning and gaining from the experience.

My attitude seems crazy to a lot of people. Mom says this is the same work ethic my father has... But I have to work on organizing and having that sense of urgency to act on certain things quickly. I have to know which to prioritize and to PLAN things ahead. I am a bit carefree at times. I know I just can't wing it on certain occasions, but something in me wants to just allow things to happen naturally. I am slowly trying to let go of my old uptight and tense self. I want to stay calm and to remember to go with the flow of things. I trust in Him and what He's planned for my life.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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*

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S'mores cupcakes now available!

SKINNY SWEETS

Low Sugar & Vegan S'mores Cupcakes

P450 for a box of 6 cupcakes
Layered graham crackers and chocolate cake with marshmallows hidden in between. Topped off with homemade chocolate ganache and vegan marshmallows

LOW-SUGAR (has a bit of Splenda Brown Sugar blend)
VEGAN

photographs by me

models: Mia Arcenas & Rizbelle Ostrea

stylist: David Jones Cua

taken at Bubble Bee (Cebu)

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To order, send us an e-mail:

skinnysweetsdesserts@gmail.com

Or tweet us:

@SkinnySweets

Add us on FACEBOOK

Thank you so much to David, Rizbelle and Mia!!! And of course, to Bubble Bee for letting us shoot around their restaurant!

I'll be posting the rest of the photos soon!

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Strangeness & charm

Went through a day of the level 1 Juju cleanse and it was easy peasy! I think it's mostly cos I'm a vegetarian and I've tried the master cleanse before (lasted 3 days til mum told me to stop cos my cheeks were so hollow already). Love the red beet and salabat juice. I really wanna try the 2nd & 3rd level, plus I want to try cleansing for 3 days. I did this on a Sunday (when everyone is on a cheat day) and I had to bake plus do my accounting homework. I was seriously full from the juices. 'Twas only 8PM when I started to get sleepy & lightheaded because of all the homework...

OMAKASE, GREENHILLS

Pia's red bean iced cream... Failed to try it, but it looks gooooood.

Happy 5 years, Pao and Sam!!! Please be getting married soon. LOL ♥

Why so blue?

I had to bake before packing for my flight to make perfect-looking cupcakes for our shoot.

You can see the marshmallow packed in the middle peeking out already. Mmm...

Stressedface.

New travel essentials- Steve Madden wedges + RayBan polarized Caravans

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I'm currently in Cebu and SO happy to be back after so long! Missed my house here and I can't wait to see a few of my friends. I'm here to do a photoshoot for the "Fashion It Girls" spread for Zee magazine with fellow Cebuana Sam Benitez. I will be shooting parts of Sam's new house as well.

It was so hard to come up with outfits for the shoot so I just packed whatever I thought I could put together on the day itself (mostly my fave pieces). I seriously suck at planning outfits and end up changing at the last minute when I do plan. I want to learn to at least prepare ahead of time to save me from panicking.

I'm doing a photo shoot for Skinny Sweets as well, just for fun! Can't wait to show you guys the photos. I hope they turn out well since I haven't planned for anything! Thank God for David who helped me book a cute location.

Oh and can I just say, it was SO DIFFICULT to carry the cupcakes carefully during my flight! I also brought a couple of cake pops for those girls who found out I was flying in and didn't miss the chance to order some (shoutout!). Had to hand-carry my cameras and gadgets as well since I never trust the airlines here. My 
gadgets are my babies.

Will be back in Manila by Tuesday night, just in time to prepare more orders and get ready for meetings and events for the rest of the week...

Things to look forward to-- the HTC event, Topshop anniversary and Preview Best Dressed Ball! I am going crazy over the amount of outfits to prepare. I am not built for weeks like this!

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