My Amazing Accessories Giveaway Winners!

Hello, hello!

It's that moment you've all been waiting for: giveaway winners announcement time!!!

November has been quite a milestone for me blogging-wise because I actually reached 300 followers and although that's nothing huge compared to other bloggers out there, it is still a number that I never dreamt of reaching when I first started blogging a few months ago. So thank you again so much for all of your support.

And thank you so much to my giveaway sponsors this time around - Chick Flick Collection, Anagon Collection and Multiply - for making this possible. :)

So, here we go... There were a total of 379 entries for my latest blog giveaway and I put all of the entries into random.org to select the winner. Here are the results:

For Set 1, the winner is:

And for Set 2, the winner is:

Congratulations, Elaine Chua of Khyutee on Duty and Charlene B. of Uncharted Plans! :)

Please email me your full addresses and let me know what word you would like to see on your unique Anagon Collection keychain, so I can ship out your prizes ASAP.

If you'd prefer to meet up instead, we can do that, too. Just let me know in your email. :) Enjoy your new accessories and your Multiply goodies. :) Hope you like them!

As for everyone else, thank you so much for joining. I'll be having another giveaway this December and this time, it will be sponsored by Kultura Filipino, CeCe and TheWow Shop.

Plus, I'll be preparing a fun Swensen's outing for those who want to try out the best ice cream parlor on Earth. Lots to look forward to! :) It's gonna be a great holiday season. I can tell. :)

The Sound of Music at Resorts World Manila: Round 2

I was supposed to attend a blogger's event on the 12th of November, 2011, but when I heard that my lil brother sister sibling K was actually going to get out of the house and watch Sound of Music with my mother (which is a very rare occurrence), I knew I had to grab the chance to finally bond as siblings again. It had just been too long.

And, as Keigh Jalbuena of Delishoes Servings has taught me: family should always come first. (Yes, I never lived by this creed until recently. iSuck.)

Although I had already seen The Sound of Music during the press preview with Ana Gonzalez of The Fashionista Commuter, I was very excited to see it again. Why? Because my Tita Joanna - who plays Maria Rainer in the show - revealed to me nights before that a lot of changes had been made since the press preview.

A night at Resorts World with my mom, baby S, Tita Jo... and Tita Jo's cut-out. :p

Well, when Tita Jo said a lot of changes had been made, she was definitely right.

For starters, they have added two TV screens on the sides of the stage, so that even the people sitting at the very back can see the facial expressions of the actors onstage. How amazingly convenient is that? That means you can get a balcony seat for just Php1000 and still enjoy the SoM experience to the (uncle) max!

Did I mention that we had box seats this time around? As mega awesome as they were, though - because we could bring in food and didn't have to wait in line for the bathroom during the intermission since there was a private bathroom for the box seat people upstairs and coz we had soft reclining seats - it would have been impossible to enjoy the show without those screens.

Plus, during set changes, the screens also projected the orchestra, so that the audience stayed entertained at all times.

K and me in our box seats before the show

With our favorite sisters in the whole wide world

Also, they changed the blocking of the wedding scene because I was actually able to see Maria's beautiful wedding gown this time around (the first time, our view was obstructed by the nuns) - and it was absolutely stunning.

I was also happy to have seen other actors in some of the other roles, such as Robbie Guevara as Uncle Max and Lynn Sherman as Baroness Elsa Schraeder. I'm not going to draw any comparisons because they did their roles completely differently from their counterparts, but nobody left me disappointed. I still stand by what I said before: everybody was impeccably cast.

Another interesting thing to note is that, although Marvin Ong and Tanya Manalang were the same Rolf and Liesl that I watched last time, they did their "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" bit completely differently this time around. Just goes to show that the show is constantly full of surprises and is a whole new experience every time you see it. :) So, press preview people, watch na ulit! :p

Also - and I'm sorry to those who complain about the 'unprofessionalism' of my blog, but it has to be said: all of the kissing scenes in the show? Epic! The first time I watched, the kisses were just quick smacks on the lips and I was actually a lil worried about the actors' chemistry on-stage, but now? *stands up and applauds* Yup. They're more than believable now.

Anyway, as usual, photo-taking wasn't allowed in the theater, so here are some more backstage shots, courtesy of my mother instead:

JC Buendia was in the box with us, too.

See his summer 2012 collection pieces here. Haha. Plug!

...my mom's a bit of a paparazzi. :p

And here I am with my mommy. Do we look alike?

And, oh, look: I'm wearing an Anagon Collection necklace! REPRESENT talaga! Haha.

If you still haven't seen The Sound of Music and thought you wouldn't be able to anymore because most of the shows are sold out... proof here:

...then you're in luck coz they've extended until the end of December! Woot! Most of the performances are during the weekend, though (Fridays at 8pm and Saturdays and Sunday at 3pm and 8pm), but the prices are still the same: VIP (P2000), Premiere (P1700), Deluxe (P1300), and Balcony (P1000). Box seats are sadly not for sale. :(

Just FYI, Ana and I will be watching the evening show along with Giezelle Uy of Third World Fashion on Wednesday, December 7 - which also happens to be K's and Arnie's birthday :) - so if you wanna watch, that would be the best time to do so. Let me know if you'll be there, so we can meet! :)

Lookbook.nu Look: The Butterfly Effect

This is what I wore to the Boardwalk event on 11-11-11, the same day I had one of my best first dates ever. So, even if it's a very laid-back and simple look, I simply have to blog about it: just so the memory of what I wore during that day is forever embedded on the World Wide Web. Or at least until I jump out of this infatuation phase and decide I want to demote that date to infamy. :p

blue flared jeans from Forever 21

red button flats from Soleil Flats

leopard sheer top from J'Adore La Mode Shop

bronze butterfly necklace from Chick Flick Collection

bronze studded feather ring from Anagon Collection

black leather butterfly clutch from Asian Vogue Shop

...I love to shop online. Can you tell? :p

On Syrena: sexy red top from Zara Kids

blue jeans from SM department store

red sneakers from Keep

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu!

I love that Syrena randomly decides to pose with me whenever I take my OoTD at home now. Isn't she adorable? :) This post is all about her... and my awesome butterfly clutch, of course. I'm in LOVE with it!!! What do you think of it? :)

Punchdrunk Panda Camera Straps: Too Awesome for Words

I don't even remember where I lost my camera strap. All I know is that I woke up hungover one afternoon in 2009 and KissKiss (my DSLR) was filled with sand. And the LCD screen was scratched up.

I like to believe that moments like that are one of a kind; but to stay on the safe side, I also tend to keep lil keepsakes to remind myself not to do certain things (like drink my weight in alcohol) again.

Thus, I have never replaced my scratched up LCD screen, had my DSLR professionally cleaned or bought a new camera strap.

After seeing the latest offerings of Punchdrunk Panda, though, I think I might just change my mind.

The PdP camera straps are definitely back with a vengeance this time around - and with a brand new look to boot! Not only is the neck strap bigger this time around, but it also showcases more of a design because of it.

The newest collection has been out for about a month now and features five new playful designs, as follows:

Naturally, they still use the same neoprene cushioning and net foam material that ensures the utmost "breathing space", but they also feature genuine leather straps that allow the camera to be connected to the neck strap more securely, too.

And the best part? They are all just Php595 each. Efficient, affordable and eye-catching - what more could you ask for in a camera strap, really?

To get your own PdP camera strap now, just visit their website hre. Or, conversely, you can check out their merchandise "in the flesh" at the Port 88 Bazaar at Megatent from December 11 to December 12, 2011.

To learn more about Punchdrunk Panda, add them on Multiply, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or just visit their website here. :)

Bloggers United Part II: Are You Going?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, then you must have heard of Bloggers United Part II by now.

The Bloggers United Bazaar (Part II) is happening at Treston International College in Taguig this weekend: on December 3, 2011. Yeah, I have no idea how to get there, either, but Ana has made it easy for us. Just follow her super detailed directions here.

Anyway, I'm going to be honest. I have no idea what Bloggers United Part I was like because, well, I only started blogging in September (noob!), but I do know Sarah Tirona of Ms. Eggplant's Chronicles is going to be there and I've been wanting to raid her closet for the longest time since we have the same clothing size and shoe size, so that's enough reason for me to go! Haha. Oh, no! Secret's out! BACK OFF. HER BOOTH IS MINEEE!!! :p

Ahem. Anyway, in a nutshell, Manila's fashion bloggers have come together to sell some of their pre-loved and stylish closet pieces at this bazaar in partnership with Multiply Philippines. Plus, there will be several exciting giveaways and fun contests going on during the day. How awesome is that?

Some of the notable bloggers you might bump into during the event include Divine Lee, Laureen Uy, Kookie Buhain, Lissa Kahayon, David Guison, Patricia Prieto and Daryl and Andre Chang of Preview Magazine! Even notable fashion bloggers of Cebu will be there, including Kryz Uy and Eden Villarba.

Part of the proceeds of this event will be given to the GMA Kapuso Foundation, as well, a small school-building project that hopes to do wonders in improving the Filipino youth's access to education.

All of this is possible, thanks to the organizers of BU: Ana Gonzales of The Fashionista Commuter, Melai Entuna of Style and Soul, and Aisa Ipac of Drowning Equilibriums.

So, if you're a bonafide shopaholic like me or just wanna try and get some affordable Christmas shopping done or even if you just wanna meet some of your favorite fashion bloggers, Bloggers United Part II is the perfect place to do so. Hope to see you there! :)

Let me know if you're going in the comments section, so I can keep an eye out for you! Will be bringing my mini-me, too. :)

Bloggers United Part II is co-presented by Nikon, Primadonna, Accessorize, and Columbia Digital and the official media partners are ETC, Meg Magazine, When in Manila, Gadgets Magazine.

Boardwalk's Eat. Play. Blog. : The Boardwalk Style Council

In my previous Boardwalk post, I talked about being and becoming a Personal Shopper. Well, after our eat-and-drink break, four of us were chosen to be part of the flip side and were styled by Boardwalk's very own Style Council instead.

Aside from Avel Bacudio, the Boardwalk Style Council is comprised of stylists Bea Albert, Aimee Velasco and my personal stylist of the night, Nasia Cammayo of Nasche is Nasia.

The minute I met Nasia, I knew we would get along. She knew my size before even asking me for it and when I explained that my style was more laid-back than dressy, she picked out a ton of outfits that fit my style perfectly. Unfortunately, I could only wear one outfit to show off, but I'm really happy with what Nasia and I came up with in the end:

I actually really, really love the grey top I have on underneath. I just wasn't confident enough to stand in front of so many strangers in it coz it's kinda sexy-like. Haha. But it can be styled in 12 different ways! So awesome!

Another reason why I loved Nasia? She called me cute and said I had great legs. Naks! :p

Overall, the Boardwalk Style Council hopes to educate Filipinos and help them improve their fashion and sense of style by addressing their worries on what they should and should not wear.

The best part about this styling part? I got to keep all of the clothes that Nasia styled me in. Woot woot! Everybody at the event also got to take home clothes of their choice and here are some of the things that I chose to add to my new Boardwalk clothing collection:

These were the only other shoes that they had in my size.

A top that can also be worn as a dress.

And a red coverup.

If you want to view the rest of Boardwalk's catalogue, visit their website here.

After the clothing selection stage of the event, there were also several drinking games. And, of course, Anton didn't let the opportunity to get really tipsy for free pass him by. :p Really love that guy!

As for me, I didn't let the opportunity pass me by to take a photo with the hottest guy in the room, either. :p And that just happened to be our mannequin, Gerard Sison:

He was making fun of how short I am, though. :(

And here's what I wore to the event (proper outfit post next time!):

Aren't my red button flats from Soleil Flats just LOVE? :)

Don't forget to add Boardwalk on Facebook and follow them on Twitter, by the way! :)

Boardwalk's Eat. Play. Blog. : Be a Personal Shopper

This is going to sound cheesy, but 11-11-11 was one of the best days of my life so far. And the first thing that I did that day was head to Ming Restaurant at Tektite Building, Ortigas for Boardwalk's Eat. Play. Blog. event, courtesy of Aisa Ipac of Drowning Equilibriums.

Now, if you know me as a blogger, you should know that I am always an early bird. Always. So, imagine my surprise when I saw Sarah Tirona of Ms. Eggplant's Chronicles already seated inside the venue when I got there- and with a new face next to her, too: that of Anton Miranda.

Our first task? To blog about our expectations. You can read our blog posts here.

Photo on the right taken from Anton Miranda.

After that, Gerard Sison of Cosmo hunk fame and one of Boardwalk's most esteemed runway models told us more about Boardwalk. Little did I know that a few minutes later, I would be touching him all over his body. I still get a lil faint just thinking about it... but we'll get to that later.

With 20 years of experience under its belt, Boardwalk's goal is to continue providing top quality, stylish, fashionable and affordable pieces to the Filipino community. I have already browsed their catalogue myself and I must agree that they do have a lot of world-class items that any Filipino or Filipina would be proud of.

After that, we were given the chance to experience what it is like to be one of Boardwalk's Personal Shoppers. In a nutshell, a Personal Shopper is an adviser who helps people look good and feel good about the clothes that they are wearing.

For this task, we were all split up into random groups and were asked to style one of the Boardwalk Style Council "mannequins" - and our leader, Jeman Villanueva from Orange Magazine TV, picked out Gerard's name in the draw. Why were they called mannequins? Well, let me show you what Gerard, our "mannequin" for the styling part, looked like:

I know: how did I not faint right then and there, right? Someone actually has photos of me putting jeans on this guy - and they were button-up jeans. 'Nuff said.

Our finished product!

Gerard even gamely wore Jeman's glasses for it, even though the prescription on it was -350? -600? Whatever. Jeman's practically blind, so it was very high.

Here are all of the finished "products".

And who was going to judge, you ask? Avel Bacudio of Mega Fashion Crew!

His comments were so funny. Very entertaining!

(left) The masterpiece made by Sarah's group.

(right) The masterpiece made by Ava's group.

(left) Jeman presenting our group's look.

(right) Anton presenting their group's look.

Group photo! As Avel put it: bloggers really do love to take pictures. The photo session was almost never-ending!

The winners!

Overall, I had a lot of fun styling Gerard (and not just because of the touching bits). :p I love dressing guys up, in general, and I'm quite the male fashion nazi whenever I have a boyfriend, so I'm glad we had a male mannequin to dress up. I don't think I'd be cut out to be a Personal Shopper, though. It seems like a lot of work. So kudos to the Personal Shoppers of Boardwalk!

After that, we took a short break to eat. And have a few cigarettes. Coz a certain someone quit Vaping. Haha.

This was before I started eating like a pig at events. Just FYI.

After that, Anton spotted the shots table and I was sooo happy he asked me to go have some with him. Not a lot of bloggers drink the way I do, believe it or not.

Look at all of the pretty colors. Naturally, I went for the coffee-flavored looking ones, though. :p

Both photos courtesy of Anton Miranda.

I actually thought the event would be over after that - and it would have been fine if it did, coz I had a good buzz from the four... five... ten? shots we had, but boy, was I wrong!

Watch out for part 2 of this Boardwalk post. I don't get to touch sexy men in it, but I did get to take home quite a few items of clothing - and shoes. Oh, shoes, how I love thee! For now, I just want to thank Pax again for inviting me and Edward Watson for having us all.

Our table: Anton, Sarah, Pax, Ava and me.

With Boardwalk's Edward Watson.

Both photos taken from Drowning Equilibriums.

Stay tuned for the next installment! :)

For now, you can visit Boardwalk's official website here. Or, if you are interested in becoming a Personal Shopper yourself, you can give Boardwalk a call at 631-9999/