Climbing Mt. Batulao [via iPhone]

Parrot's Peak, Mt. Pico de Loro [via iPhone]

AVICII in Manila- Remastering Cool with Ray-Ban

Had to sneak in my Olympus cammy to the concert & getting retweeted by Avicii twice made it worth it! Still getting tons of notifications of people retweeting my photos. Craaaaazy.

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So glad I got the chance to watch Avicii at the MOA Arena last night! I was sick the first time he came to Manila so I had to back out from the event even if I was already dressed & made up. 

I can't even explain how amazing the sound & visuals were, my photos don't do 'em justice! I was staring the whole time & dancing. I spent the whole day sourcing in heels so my feet were dead tired, but that didn't stop me from enjoying (take note- zero alcohol!). The big surprise for me was when he dropped some Notorious B.I.G.- the whole arena went wild!!! I still can't believe how he's only my age! 

Such a FUN night, thank you so much to Ray-Ban Philippines for the tickets and for hosting my blog giveaway!

I may not have worn Ray-Bans during the concert, but I wore my clubmasters to work that day...

And yes, I had them changed into prescription lenses. I really love these frames! 

Also wearing a Neil Felipp skull/shogun choker

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Remastering cool this summer with RayBan-- BLOG GIVEAWAY!

bikini- Wanderlust, cateye sunnies from RayBan, hat- Brixton

I'm giving away 2 lower box tickets to the Avicii concert on May 15! 

Here are the mechanics: 

1. Follow me on Twitter and on Facebook (I will send the winners a DM)

2. Follow RayBan on Facebook,  Twitter & Instagram (@raybancollector)

3. Blog about how you are remastering cool this summer and how you will be at the Avicii concert.

4. Insert pictures of your Ray-Ban and mention how it makes you cooler than ever.

5. At the end of the entry, post the Avicii and Rayban posters (the ones posted above) and mention why Avicii and Ray-Ban are cool.

6. Your blog post's title should include words "Ray-Ban" and "Avicii"

7. Tweet or e-mail me the link to your entry (@raleene or raleenecabrera@gmail.com)

8. Tags/labels should include: Ray-Ban, clubmaster, Avicii in Manila, @raybancollector, #remasteringcool

9. Most creative entry will be chosen by May 14, 2013 (10PM) and tickets shall be claimed at the venue. 

GOOD LUCK!

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SUNRISE SHOOT (BLOG GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

Thanks so much to Ana for the lovely wire name necklace

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Riz, Joe, Robin and I drove to Tagaytay at 3AM to catch the sun rise this morning. We had to ensure there were a lot of laughs along the way so that everyone was awake while braving the badly-lit roads. We were also able to get a bit of energy from the 7-Eleven coffee vending machine + the tapsilog joint across the road where the Starbucks in Tagaytay was located. Funny how the first thing we all had to accomplish while the sun was slowly rising was to have our fill of iPhone snapshots for Instagram! We hurriedly set-up our gear since the purpose of this trip was for Rob to record a video for someone's birthday. We had a bunch of instruments, cameras and tripods with us. Riz, Joe and I recorded our own covers as well, but I didn't really like the song we picked. I'm not sure if it's going to be posted- I'm convincing my sister to record another song for us since we didn't get to practice for it. 

It turned out to be a perfect day to whip out a pair of reliable Ray-Bans and 'twas windy enough to wear my new studded cardigan from Zara. A bit oversized, it makes one look a bit top-heavy but I am in love with its silk, blanket-feel lining. It looks a lot like my coat from Spanish Moss Vintage but I purchased it anyway since I wanted one with silver studs + it's a lot lighter.  My boots are from Charles & Keith and I've been abusing them since my trip to China. The 2" heel adds just enough height and they're even more comfortable than most of my ballet flats because of the soft insoles. You'd think I'd get sick of wearing [black] boots to work and on gigs, but I feel as though I have to add to my collection just because I know they're always reliable and they can transform any plain outfit into a more edgy one (at least in my POV). 

I'm a bit dizzy from the trip and I haven't gotten any sleep since yesterday (hence the badly written entry) but I couldn't wait to blog this morning since I was too excited to announce that I'm giving away  brand new Ray-Ban sunnies!

Here's how you can win this pair:

1. Follow Ray-Ban Collector's Facebook, Twitter & Instagram (@raybancollector)

2. Follow Eye Statement on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram (@eyestatement) 

3. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram (@raleene)

4. Create a blog entry on HOW YOU CAN BE A LEGEND. 

-the title should contain the words Ray-ban and Legends

-it should contain a photo of you or a celeb wearing Ray-Ban eyewear (he/she should be an icon that is a Legend for you as your inspiration)

-it should mention me/my blog entry inspiring you to write your post

-e-mail me the link to your entry or write it as a comment to this post

Criteria: 50% Creativity and 50% number of comments

One entry per blog site.

This contest ends on Nov. 30, 2012. 

GOOD LUCK! 

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Lady Luck

Cat-eye sunnies from Ray-Ban

convertible Chanel from the Trend Bureau 

I surprised my friends by wearing a bright color today! Combining it with a lot of gold felt a little too festive for me but I just went for it. Decided to leave the usual knuckle rings and bracelets at home to avoid looking like a Christmas tree...

This is what I wore to the Nixon FW2012 press launch at Big Bad Wolf a while ago... Thanks to Cheyser for taking my photos! 

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Pretty sure the way I feel right now can be likened to the feeling you get when you've just won the lottery. I passed the board exam for Interior Design, guys! I doubted myself so many times. I felt hopeless during the last week before exams. I was cramming and I felt like I wasted so much of my "review time" for going out. A lot of people couldn't even believe that I could still afford to party, do gigs, go to events, etc. I may have looked like I was confident but I honestly felt so scared. I just kept delaying studying since I really CAN'T (for the life of me) memorize and make reviewers like most diligent students. I have no idea how I managed to go through my entire life getting lucky with grades... This is why I am always so thankful because the Lord is always so good to me!!! I just kept praying. I think I pray 20 times each day and that doubled during the month of the exam. 

Y'all should've seen what a nervous wreck I was. I developed allergies and was mindlessly scratching my arms/neck/face while reading my notes (my sister and dad just kept laughing at me), I would cry for hours and then laugh, I was so anti-social... I was going mental. The only way I could let out all the anxiety was to pray. I only attended about 30% of the hours for our reviews. I  never finished any of our design plates. I knew that I was going to finish during the exam since I work really well under pressure-- but I wasn't supposed to let that be my excuse for being lazy! I even told my parents to just expect me to fail. Looking at other students made me feel stupid since I wasn't studying as much. A lot of them were so serious and dedicated. 

The exam had 3 parts- the first day for design (HELL), the second and third days for 5 different subjects. Apart from the written/multiple choice, we also had to draw for the last few items of each subject. The whole time I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I finished 5 out of 6 boards during the first day (design day) but my concept was rubbish! I wrote it down while lining up to pass my work, while the others devoted at least 500 words for theirs! My only goal during the first day was to finish each board. During college I spent an entire day just to finish one perspective, but for the exam we were forced to finish 6 in 9 hours! I really wanted to cry after the first day, but I was too exhausted to even do that. Plus I knew I had to study for the next ones since I didn't get to study at all when I was supposed to. And wow, I am extremely lucky- most of the info I read the night prior to the exams were included! I even got to sleep during the 3rd day. The written parts were pretty easy for me thanks to cramming. Others will tell you to stop studying 3 days or a week before the exam, but I went for the KILLER approach. Don't do what I did. Your brain will hate you. 

I can't believe I even considered quitting so I could take it next year. Fear does a lot of things to you. This was the most traumatic exam of my life, just because I let fear get to me. A lot of those "Of course you'll do well!" comments put so much pressure on me, too. But now I'm glad it's all over. 

Here's some advice for other interior design students wanting to take the board exam:

• Familiarize yourself with all the terms, because you CAN'T memorize them. Trust me, you just can't. Our reviewers were 8" thick (filled with WORDS), so good luck with that. 
• Know the parts of.... things. Yeah, everything's important. (foundations of buildings, framing of houses, columns, etc.) Actually, all the building construction notes were useful. 
• Practice speed drafting and speed rendering. Don't be a perfectionist or you will never finish. Save your best design ideas for your future clients. 
• Prepare all your materials and buy new ones if you must. You can't borrow or talk to anyone during the exam. Everyone's going to be in a crazy state anyways, so you can only rely on yourself.
• Bring food that's easy to eat. Crisps, sandwiches, cookies, fruits... 
• PRAY. Even the ones who finish all their plates can fail. The smartest students also fail. This exam is about luck and I am the perfect example for that! Okay, I'm smart but I was obviously not prepared for this exam. 

IDr. Raleene Cabrera... I am getting used to the title already! Thank you so much to all those who pushed me to take the exam, and to those who prayed for me. Congrats to the other 171 Interior Designers who passed.. We are finally PROFESSIONALS! ;) 

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La Boca

With Soki, Aisa & Josh 

Thanks to Cevanne Shop for my brown classic sling! It fits my Oly cam, makeup, cards and some cash. Perfection. 

A tower of cute Ray-Ban cuppycakes

Nicole + I wondering why our other church mates never go out! Hey girls. 

Ray-Ban recently launched their summer collection, La Boca (link leads to my post about it on Tumblr). I was running really late so I quickly grabbed the only colorful thing in my closet that I haven't worn out yet (going through a sea of black clothes is torturous). The program was over when I got there but I had enough time to talk to the team & some friends over drinks. Headed to Privé with the guys right after for Models' Night! Whyyy are my girl friends always missing on great nights like this?! 

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