Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Bowties & Mary Janes

Could it be the inner nerd in me recently drawn to get out (more on THAT soon), or is it the cardigan-cottonblazer weather lately? I'm feelin' these looks right now. Schoolgirl chic. All from Polyvore.
school girl (2) .

Double Standard Clothing blouse
10,165 PHP - mirabella.jp

Sweater
3,500 PHP - modekungen.se

River Island navy skirt
1,005 PHP - riverisland.com

3 1 Phillip Lim zip bag
37,790 PHP - lagarconne.com

Photographs and Stories

Long blazer
1,805 PHP - sheinside.com

Maison Scotch floral print pants
6,690 PHP - coggles.com

Vivienne Westwood flat shoes
5,685 PHP - coggles.com

The Tension of Getting Back To School!

High rise shorts
3,760 PHP - etsy.com

Nelly Shoes strappy heels
2,670 PHP - nelly.com

Dolce Gabbana blush
2,040 PHP - harrods.com

Shiseido mascara
2,240 PHP - nelly.com

F-U-N is a 1 Foot Wave

“There was a magic about the sea. People were drawn to it. People wanted to love by it, swim in it, play in it, look at it. It was a living thing that as as unpredictable as a great stage actor: it could be calm and welcoming, opening its arms to embrace it's audience one moment, but then could explode with its stormy tempers, flinging people around, wanting them out, attacking coastlines, breaking down islands. It had a playful side too, as it enjoyed the crowd, tossed the children about, knocked lilos over, tipped over windsurfers, occasionally gave sailors helping hands; all done with a secret little chuckle” ---Cecelia Ahern, "The Gift" We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came. -John F. Kennedy Siargao July 2012 ---Footage by Manuel "Wilmar" Melindo. Video editing by Charlie "Chuckles" Gomez.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Exuberance!

 For this week, I am trying to feed off the energy given by these colors & images. 

Loving these images from fashion photographer Greg Kessler & Illustrator Somsack Sikhounmuong, who collaborated to document the "hidden electricity of behind-the-scenes imagery" in fashion shows.   








 Everything is clashing and yet it works.  Must be the hues used.
Bold hues (neon, black) work best when used in a bold manner.  

Now THAT is a really good color scheme right now also in interiors.  Very warm...using a lot of mid tones & rich hues (wine red, ochre yellow, caramel) without sacrificing subtle color (see salmon wash-out for background). Very "Fall 2012". 


I'm also attracted to these other images: spaces, flavors, street fashion, and so on...
Liking those bright greens & blues for kitchen.  


eager for ice cream


From Habitually Chic.

From Habitually Chic. 


A creative space. 

A creative mind. 
(my friend James, an interior designer, 
while we were window-shopping in Hongkong)


A smile.  


 More creative minds & smiles & electrifying colors.  

An inspiration.
(My grandma, Lola Charito, in electric blue-violet top. Ain't she gorgeous?!?)


Illustrations by Shanghai-based designers Nini Sum & Mojo Wang

aspirations take flight...


 and NOTHING says happiness, joy, pride, ambition, energy & hopefulness than the Olympics, which ended 2 weeks ago.  I saw bits of the Olympics Closing Ceremonies- Annie Lennox, the Spice Girls, George Michael...boy, I felt the energy! That was my generation, you see.  Haha.

Congratulations & good luck to all the dreamers out there, athlete or not.  

May the positivity and exuberance of these images excite you today as much as it did me.  






Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Stormy Weekend Smurf

4-day holidays in August usually mean....

OFF TO SURF THE SOUTH SWELL!

This time, I headed off with the awesome sisters Nicola & Carla...



...and Renaissance woman Mika (on right)


and of course my constant surf & travel buddy, Charlie Gomez :-) who took all the beautiful shots you see here. 

As my friend Mike Ricafort once put it, Charlie can "make the day look good"!



My last surf was over a month ago (6 weeks...*gasp*) so even if the sky was dark & gloomy the day we arrived in La Union, I surfed them 1-foot baby waves like mad!

Trivia: some of us call surfing baby waves "SMURFING" hence the title of this entry. :-)

It was a real treat that the sisters brought their adorable pup ELLIE along for the trip.  
She was as stoked just as the rest of us. Maybe even more. 


  





She even made some friends. 


It wasn't such a spectacular weekend as such when the waves would be breaking overhead and the sun was shining and the waters were bright blue and there were long and perfect "walls" to surf (well, you get the picture), but it was a good one in itself.  



channeling Bono & The Edge here

Mika with Ely the Guitar Man


*this photo from Tonet Jose



As always, when you do not set expectations and are ready to be grateful for what fate gives you, things turn out very well and you bring home much more than what you were hoping for.  

For example: 

1.  Lineup was crowded but it was fun sharing the waves with my girls (shootout to Kage & Jam who were there too!).  

2.  It was rainy & gloomy but the next day brought bright sunshine & glassier surf. 

3.  The beach apartment was creaking & leaking but we watched a lovely Wes Anderson movie in bed while laying flat on our bellies & giggling.  I kept wishing for popcorn & ice cream but oh well, you can't ask for much in the middle of an ongoing storm.  

4.  The beach was full of trash from the previous & recent storms and looked a bit icky.  But well, if a dog could frolic and make friends and have fun on the beach without minding all those things, then I better take it from such a hopelessly happy creature like that.  

5.  One good thing about endless rains is that you get stuck and stranded with your friends inside a cottage and think of things to do like jamming & singing to your hearts content!  We sang all the hits from The Beatles to Incubus that night.  Thanks to the awesome string skills of Ely Cresencio! 

Such a cliche, I know, but REALLY, after the rains come the sun.  The next day brought this: 








Jeff finally enjoys the sun


The long weekend that started stormy & gloomy ended well, in a breathtaking kind of way. 






Looking forward to the next stormy long weekend.

***END***