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1. Running / Cross-Training Shoes - the soles of my current pair are all melty, for some unknown reason. It's as if it decided to melt one day. I still work out in them though. GARRR.
2. Socks - I JUST realized I'm running out of good-slash-cute socks. I have a ton of cutesy-patootsie ankle-length socks from a Divisoria trip some years ago (a P10 a pair, how could you go wrong?!) and in my last trip, I completely forgot to buy. Now I'm stuck with holey, shrinking pairs.
3. Wakeboard - or at least a subsidy. I'm putting aside half of my grand prize (woot!) for it, but that's just a teeny amount for the money I'm going to shell out for a board. I have to visit the newly opened Republic in Alabang, but I think I'm going to get a 138 or a 141.
4. MAD wakeboarding skills - Hahaha!!!
I mean, I don't need to be this (yet):
I'll be very happy to be this all the way around:
5. A SHITLOAD of sunblock - VMV Armada (with its kick-ass SPF 70 and moisturize-y feeling) and Nivea Immediate Protection sunblock (because I can't wait 30 minutes). I'm quite dark now, and my mom just told me how dark my legs are. *shriek*slatherslather*shriek*
8. A good camera - Ah, but the question remains: What is a good camera? Hahaha!!!
9. Coffee beans - I just finished the yummy coffee that Babs gave me from the UK (I scraped every last bean that I could), and now I'm stuck with the foul tasting instant coffee in the pantry. Barf. NEED. GOOD. COFFEEEEEE.
And just because this is a permanent fixture in ALL wishlists of mine:
Okay. Not really. Anyway, I threw it away.
WEEEEEEE!!!
(FYI: These are the St. James Bazaar santas that they place around the village. They've set them up already. YAAAAAAAAAY! )
Imma say it now: After this weekend, I'm going to be BEYOND BROKE.
Divisoria.
The annual St. James Bazaar (my all-time favorite bazaar!!! I'm so flipping excited)
The annual Bench sale, which include Charles & Keith, Aldo, Fox, CPS, Adidas, Kashieca, and this year...LA SENZA and HAVAIANAS!
It's like Christmas shopping in a single weekend. Maybe I should skip all my meals until then to save up enough cash haha!
Anyway, we all know that New York is home to the most popular Upper East Siders from Gossip Girl, and while I can never wear the fabulous clothes that Blair wears, I wanted to relive the experience during my last trip there. Of course, I'm too cheap to pay to join the Gossip Girl tour so I did my own research and picked out spots I wanted to visit. First, the home of my love Chuck Bass: The New York Palace.
(I'd go home with this guy!)
Because I've always been part of Team Blair, I made sure to visit her favorite part of Central Park, where she feeds the ducks.
(BOO. Chuck and Blair pa rin!)
Of course, when I visited, it wasn't snowing, and there was no Nate to give me a big fat kiss (I wouldn't have wanted to kiss him anyway), but at least the ducks were there.
But stumbling onto Carrie's apartment in the West Village was the BEST. Even after all these years, I love SATC to pieces and jumped at the chance to take a picture in front of her apartment.
1. Stop sharing my opinions.
2. Let boys carry my stuff.
What the FUCK? Seriously?!
Non-fat 2-pump Toffee Nut Latte and a Toffee Nut Brownie. YUM.
I also saw a CREME BRULEE CHEESECAKE, which I'm way excited about. Until today, my favorite Christmas drink is the Creme Brulee Latte, which they only brought in for a year. ISo can't wait to try the cheesecake and remember the good times (but it definitely has to be paired with brewed coffee--if I matched a toffee nut latte with something as sweet as that, I might burp diabetes).
Watch out for the planner whores though, the ooh-I'm-a-coffee-lover-because-I-drink-f
I like the planner this year though. I LOVE that they're bringing back the coffee heritage into their planners instead of just providing paper with dates. The first two planners were the only ones that really reeled me in; the rest were bleah (especially the super thick one! Remember?!) Plus they're giving part of the proceeds to Ondoy victims, which is great. Very good, Starbucks, very good.
(pictures from spot.ph)
Especially here:
(Some cereal thing in Sango. I forget the name. But it's good: it has ice cream, cereal, some Japanese monggo, and mochi balls.)
Krispy Kreme's Snicker's donut, which looked so yummy in its ads but sadly sparse in real life.
It's quite disappointing too, which totally broke my heart, because Snickers should bring nothing but joy in your heart and stomach.
P15 Hershey's Dark Chocolate Ice Cream in Mini Stop!
After my first lick. Yummo!
Do you know what Takoyaki are? I re-discovered them in Kido Mango, a small Japanese resto in Robinsons Ermita.
It sells other fun Japanese foodies!
They are seriously the most yummy takoyaki EVER.
ROYAL FREEZE at MCDO! So fun. So cold.
I had a good laugh about it then, but I've been having pregnant dreams lately. Not just vague, I-think-I-had-a-dream-last-night-but-I-c
You wouldn't believe how real these dreams feel, it's just crazy. The first dream I had, I was looking down at my quite obviously pregnant tummy, and thinking, "My God! I'm fricking pregnant! Is this a dream? I think this is a dream.There's no way--absolutely NO WAY--that this is real." Then I patted my protruding tummy and thought, "Oh my God, it's real! How the hell did this happen?! But I didn't do anything!!!"
After the second dream, I had to check what my dreams meant. Should I stop hanging around my sister-in-law? Or all the pregnant people around me?
Let's start with the bad.
From findyourfate.com: "For a woman to dream that she is pregnant, denotes that she will be unhappy with her husband, and that her children would be unattractive." -- Mother of God. THIS IS NOT TRUE!
From sleeps.com: "If the dreamer is a woman and you dream you are pregnant then you will see a big increase in your income, but if you are unwed and sad you will experience losses." -- Good thing I'm not sad!
THE SORTA-MAKES-SENSE NEWS
From dream-interpretation.org.uk: "For a woman to dream that she is pregnant indicates some anxiety in her life which might be associated with a real life event."
From dreamsleep.net: "Pregnancy dream may represent your real fears about falling pregnant." -- That's true. After Ate Jocel's stories of morning-noon-and-nighttime sickness in the first trimester, noses getting larger, underarms getting darker, feet getting bigger (MY SHOES! WHAT ABOUT MY SHOES?!)...who wouldn't be afraid?
"Sometimes dreaming of being pregnant may be accompanied by fears and concerns at a time in your life when you have absolutely no desire to have babies." -- NO KIDDING!!!!
"When a woman is pregnant she is also at her most vulnerable. Another psychological interpretation for this dream, particularly if it is accompanied by feelings of worry, is that it expresses the fact that you feel emotionally vulnerable at this time."
THE GOOD-AND-MAKES-MORE-SENSE NEWS
From dreamhawk.com: "This can point to the development of a new approach to life, a new project you are creating, a new outlet of expression, or new faculty. ... (I)f you are not pregnant, or even if you are a man dreaming this, is it usually about a new area of your potential or personality developing; a deepening relationship with your potential is producing a new area of experience, a new talent or facet of your personality. It is still unborn - i.e. not yet expressed outwardly - but it is developing."
From whispy.com: "To dream that you are pregnant, symbolizes an aspect of yourself or some aspect of your personal life that is growing and developing. You may not be ready to talk about it or act on it. This may also represent the birth of a new idea, direction, project or goal."
Definitely makes sense. There are a lot of new things happening--I'm still kinda new on my new position, I have a lot of little projects that I want to jumpstart...hopefully, I'm able to really "give birth" to all of these. Mixing all the things I've read, I'm probably just nervous about trying to start and finish all these new things in my life.
But my favorite piece of dream interpretation:
THE REALLY-REALLY-REALLY-GREAT-NEWS
From glamour.com: "This dream forecasts a happy increase in material wealth."
WOOHOO!!! I BELIEVE!!!
After New York, Milan, and Paris, it's Manila's turn. See you all in Philippine Fashion Week! C:
SPRING / SUMMER 2010 COLLECTION
OCTOBER21 WEDNESDAY
530PM GRAND ALLURE COLLECTION
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center Ben Farrales - Bo Parcon - Boying Eustaquio - Christian Narvadez –Jaz Cerezo - Jontie Martinez - Marc Rancy - Martin Bautista - Melvin Lachica - Nicky Martinez - Philip Tampus - Popo Go - Richard Papa -Veejay Floresca
630PM THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FIBER INDUSTRY AUTHORITY (FIDA)
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center
730PM SM DEPARTMENT STORE
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
930PM M BARRETTO
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center
OCTOBER22 THURSDAY
530PM LUXE WEAR COLLECTION
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center Alex Pigao – Anthony Ramirez – Dave Ocampo – Gil Macaibay – Kat Corpus – Kat Sy – Kermit Tesoro – Manelle Chamian – Maricar Kobayashi – Pablo Cabahug – Raoul Ramirez – Rickie Abad – Roel Rosal – Ronaldo Arnaldo
630PM LEE
Main Atirum
SM Mall of Asia
730PM FREEGO
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
930PM PUEY QUIÑONES
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center
OCTOBER23 FRIDAY
530PM PREMIER COLLECTION A
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center Arnel Zulieta – Catherina Cavilte – Dax Bacani – Ramon Favila – Yako Reyes
630PM CRISSA
Main Atrium
SM Mall fo Asia
730PM PENSHOPPE
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center
930PM FORD SUPERMODEL OF THE WORLD
Hall 2 PHILIPPINES 2009 FINALS NIGHT
SMX Convention Center Featuring legendary Ford Models Judge and special guest Katie Ford
OCTOBER24 SATURDAY
1PM PREMIER COLLECTION B
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center Delby Bragais – Edwin Uy – Jaki Peñalosa – John Guarnes – Nolie Viñeza
230PM PROJECT RUNWAY PHILIPPINES FINALE
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
4PM EDGAR SAN DIEGO
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
530PM ERIC DELOS SANTOS and JEROME LORICO
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center
630PM DICKIES
Main Atrium
SM Mall of Asia
730PM LYLE IBAÑEZ
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
930PM PREMIER COLLECTION C
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center Arnold Galang – Dita Sandico Ong – Enrico Carado – Happy Andrada – Tina Daniac – Raoul Ramirez for EsAc – Lyle Ibañez for EsAc PLUS
OCTOBER25 SUNDAY
1PM PREMIER COLLECTION D
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center Anthony Nocom – Jun Jun Cambe – Marc Tana – Odelon Simpao – Simon Ariel Vasquez – Ziggy Savella
230PM JOEL ESBOBER and TWINKLE FERRAREN
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
4PM JEROME SALAYA ANG and JORGE PALMOS
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center
530PM CHRIS DIAZ and MICHELLE LIM
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
630PM HUMAN – KASHIECA - BENCH
Main Atrium
SM Mall of Asia
730PM SASSA JIMENEZ
Function Room 4
SMX Convention Center
930PM MARLON RIVERA
Hall 2
SMX Convention Center
OCTOBER26 MONDAY
630PM CREAMSILK TREATMENT RUNWAY READY presents
Main Atrium READY TO WEAR / VISIONS AND TRENDS
Mall of Asia
Alodia Cecila – Anna Leah Salvador – Ava Paguyo – Ciege Cagalawan – Dimple Lim – Don Protasio – Jian Lasala – Lizanne Cua – Pier Lim – Reian Mata – Tippi Ocampo
OCTOBER27 TUESDAY
630PM POND’S presents THE RED DRESS COLELCTION
Main Atrium
Mall of Asia
OCTOBER28 WEDNESDAY
630PM F’G
Main Atrium
Mall of Asia
So I've been a Larry Fonacier fan since I switched on over to the blue. Yeah, I may have cried when they won the 2002 championships (I was still a Lasallian then--I couldn't stand looking at anything blue for a whole week), but I had to admit--those blocks against Macmac? Daaaaamn! Pure fricking perfection!
I've always wanted to meet him and get his autograph or a picture, but the farthest I've gone is go to Moro Lorenzo and work out while he did his physical therapy. (I swear to God, it wasn't stalking! It was just a coincidental benefit), and buy his autographed jersey in an ACTM auction. My friend Chris also gave me his jersey which had the 14 patch on it, the jersey they played in the year he got injured.
But I've never, ever wanted to go up to him. I just knew that if I did, in my excitement, I'd do something stupid. (Like say, "My tattoo" OUT OF THE BLUE when I met Cogie Domingo. And I didn't even like the guy. I was just surprised that he was so tall and pogi pala.) Plus if I screwed up, there was a big chance I'd still see him around Ateneo or something. My God!
The bonfire's the perfect place to get a picture though. Everyone's in an Ateneo fanboy / fangirl mood, plus all the greats are there, so it's not embarassing to ask for a picture. I vowed that if I saw Larry, I would go and get my picture taken.
Bonfire time. We were hanging out at the edge of the GS parking lot, daunted by the huge crowds, thinking about how we were going to get in, until my friend Ted dashed to me and exclaimed, "NANDYAN SI LARRY!!!"
Without thinking, I screamed, grabbed Ted's arm and started running inside. And there he was, standing under one of the tents and chatting with a friend.
I was seriously wigging out. My palms were dripping, my heart was pounding against my chest, I couldn't keep still. I was two meters away from my dream come true, a picture with my idol. And I couldn't find the strength to go up to him.
To be fair, he was in the middle of a conversation, and I didn't want to interrupt him. So I waited. And waited. And waited.
This is me nervously waiting.
After about fifteen minutes, a little girl came up to him and asked Larry to autograph a cap. My GOD. A little girl has more balls than I do. So with a HUGE gulp of air, I stalked right to him after he handed the cap back, tapped his arm, inhaled more oxygen, and said, "Hi, sorry, can I get my picture taken with you?"
"Sure!" he replied.
This is where I let out an earth-shattering, Big-Bang-inducing scream in my mind.
I shuffled closer to him and and tried to look normal and calm as Ted took my picture.
Another earth-shattering, Big-Bang-inducing scream. This is ME and LARRY FONACIER.
After the flash went off, I turned to him and said quickly, "Thank you! I'm big a such a fan."
WHAT?! Yes. I said "I'm big a such a fan." As expected. I had shrieked my brains away and all that was left was enough grammar cells to put together that wretched sentence.
I quickly moved on and said, "Um, can my friend picture with you?" WHAT?! Apparently, I had shrieked away all verbs from my vocabulary as well.
"Ano?" he asked
"Can my friend take a picture with you?" I repeated. YES! Verb usage is back up! Ted handed me his camera and I gingerly took his picture with Larry. Motor skills and coordination skills were working.
"Thank you!" we said, and Larry gave us a nice smile and said welcome. I think. I can't remember. Because I was screaming in my mind again. Screaming in my mind until I was far anough to start screaming for real.
I still freak out a bit when I see the picture. It's UNREAL.
For all the reasons why I'm happy we're back to back champions, I'm happiest most of all because of this. THANK YOU BOYS!!! C:
Other goofy we-love-Ateneo pics (all from Ted's magic camera):
UAAP Friends!
I know ballers are tall, but this is ridiculous.
Ted's in the huddle.
Next year ulit! C:
(from Team Ateneo's Facebook page)
Back to back. What a feeling. IN-SANE! C:
New York, New York. *lalalalalalalalalala!*
I can't shut up about how much I love New York. Seriously. The energy in this city is so electric and palpable that once your feet hit the ground, you gotta start moving.
There are just an overwhelming number of things to do, and I can't stand that we were just there for eight fricking days! :( I'll be back, love, don't you worry.
Anyway, of all the things I wanted to do, I wanted to sneak in some tourist sights. Even though this was my third time to go to New York, there are still a bunch of things I haven't seen. During my first trip, we headed to the Empire State Building to go all the way up, but the line was so crazy that we just took our pictures in the lobby and left.
This time, however, I finally got to go up! Looking at New York from 80 stories up was unreal (and surprisingly cold--my hair was flying in all directions!), and I ran all around trying to spot the major sights. The Statue of Liberty! The Chrysler Building! Central Park! Our hotel! Fun fun!
After our hair was whipped into knots and our cheeks were cold and dry from the wind, we trekked back down--but now before goofing off around.
Another New York spot that I haven't really explored is Central Park. Last time, we just stopped by and took pictures. We went in through 96th street, I think. This time, we got off near the Plaza Hotel and took that entrance, and I finally realized what a gorgeous haven Central Park is. After days of tall buildings, Sabrett stands, subways, and yellow taxis, it was refreshing to step into a serene place of nature. People were jogging, resting on benches, checking out the animals in their mini-zoo, feeding the ducks...I could really imagine spending a whole Sunday here lounging around.
You might not recognize this, but once upon a time, this was the spot for a Serendipitous meeting.
So many New York movies flashed in my mind! C:
And of course, what New York trip is complete without catching a show? I was quite adamant about seeing Wicked. I've heard so many great things about Wicked, so I did everything in my power to swing my parents that way. Thankfully, they were swayed. C; So we were off the see the Wizard, and all the other characters in Wicked.
Wicked was such an entertaining show. Although the music's forgettable (I can only remember two and a a half songs), the story is fantastic and well-crafted. Kudos to Gregory Maguire, who wrote the novel on which this musical is based, and to the scriptwriters who translated it for the stage. Wicked is the story of Oz before Dorothy, Toto and Auntie Em's house land on the Wicked Witch of East. Before Glinda became the good witch and Elphaba (she has a name!) became the Wicked Witch of the West, they were actually (!) friends. The story is intruiging and fun, plus there are characters (Like GA-linda, the good and cheerleady witch), keep it light and funny, but amazingly, the musical oh-so-subtly touches on serious topics like Facism. What?! Yes. Amazing.
Slowly, as the story unfolds, you start spotting details from The Wizard of Oz, and this gives you so many "AH!" moments. Although you already know how that story ends, the way this story is developing keeps you riveted.
Camwhoring after the show.
We wanted to watch another show before we left, but this time at a cheaper price (haha).
We lined up at the TKTS booth and grabbed tickets to The 39 Steps, a play based on an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
The play wasn't a musical, and it was about an Englishman who stumbles upon a mystery when a woman gets murdered in his apartment. There are only four cast members but a TON of characters are in this movie, and I'm so amazed how they switch from one character to another--in the same scene!--by changing voices and costumes. There were minimal props as well, and it was up to the characters to act out the scenes. For example, they would be sitting on trunks, and they'd shake like they were on the train.
It's slapstick funny and amusing, but a bit too tedious to watch. After a while, you start to wonder what the point of the story is. But the scene changes is definitely entertaining.
More New York stories to come C:
Glamour always has a great selection of lifestyle, beauty and fashion articles that are so compulsively readable, that even if I buy back issues I can still lap everything up from cover to cover. Everything's so relevant and real, but still always fun and fabulous.
In September they published a picture of 21-year old singer/model/softball player Lizzie Miller in their magazine (taken by fashion photog Walter Chin):
(from glamour.com)
It resulted in a TON of happy comments from women (even men!), thanking Glamour for putting a picture of a woman so obviously happy and confident with her curves in the magazine. Lizzie's gorgeous grin and curves helped women see that having a stomach was normal--and you could be completely happy about it. Overwhelmed by the responses, this November they're featuring a spread of more gorgeous women with real bodies:
(from glamour.com)
From far left: Crystal Renn, Amy Lemons, Ashley Graham, Kate Dillon, Anansa Sims and Jennie Runk. Bottom Center: Lizzie Miller.
The photos are accompanied by a fantastic and insightful article by Genevieve Field that discusses the issues of how the "plus-size" notion is created: it starts from clothes (sample sizes provided by designers are always 0-4), then the magazines (they have to get models who fit into the samples; thus models who are bigger are considered "plus-size", then the readers (some commenters say that readers want to see models as aspirational instead of real).
In glamour.com, EIC Cindi Leive answers some of the FAQs from Lizzie's picture:
What's up with women like Lizzie Miller being called "plus-size," anyway? As Genevieve Field writes in our November issue, most "plus-size" models actually aren't plus-size humans. It's one of the perversities of the modeling industry that women are moved into "plus" divisions once they're anything larger than a six. (They actually have to wear cutlets and padding to model plus-size clothing.) Strange but true.
And why don't you see more "plus" models in fashion stories? Well, lots of reasons, but partly because the clothes are so flippin' small. The "samples" we borrow for shoots are generally cut to fit a size zero-to-four frame. (If we just went out and bought bigger sizes from the store, those styles would be off the racks and unbuyable by the time you saw them in Glamour.) Why do designers cut so tiny? Beats me, but Glamour plans to cheer on those who work with us in glamorizing women of all sizes from now on. It's not always easy for them: When designer Mark Fast recently put three size 10-ish models on his London runway last week (all looking highly hot), two of his top creative people reportedly quit in protest. Whatever! Mark's apparently going on to do a line for Topshop. Happy ending.
Is showing larger-size women...unhealthy? It's a serious question: Amid the cheering for Lizzie Miller on glamour.com was a distinct strain of criticism from readers who worried the photo promoted obesity. First things first: Lizzie's not obese. (At 180 and 5'11, she's maybe a couple of pounds overweight.) But more than that, I don't buy that showing women in a variety of sizes will discourage heavier ones from maintaining a healthy weight. Glamour assistant editor Margarita Bertsos--who wrote about her own 75-pound weight loss for Glamour--said it best: "This photo in no way sends a message to me that I should quit taking care of my body... It has the complete opposite effect on me, reminding me to love myself, treat myself well (and that INCLUDES a healthy diet and exercise), and showing me that I can and should smile in my nakedness and belly rolls, because I'm worthy of that kind of that unabashed self-love right this second. We all are!" Amen.
To be clear, I'm not on the "real women have curves" bandwagon here, arguing that only bodies like Lizzie's are "real"--and that slender women are all unreal waifs who should just eat a cheeseburger and get over themselves. Turning the tables so we can bash one type instead of another isn't the answer. Celebrating the fact that we're all born different is. Think about it: In real life, women of all shapes and sizes have crazy sex appeal and killer confidence. Why should our own pages look any different?
Woot and a woot!!! I'm hoping this will be the start of a real body revolution in the pages of our favorite magazines (and our minds!!!), instead of just talk and talk. Practically all of the women I know lament about their tummies, arms, thighs, cheeks, shape and weight. It's hard enough being a woman in this life, and to always have to compare youself to stick-thin supermodels all the time really bites.
Great job Glamour!
I'm ready for forgive you for oh-so-obviously photoshopping America Ferrera's arms in one of your back issues (haha!):
Please, please pray your hardest for everyone the Philippines:
From nytimes.com. Photo Credits: Bullit Marquez/Associated Press
From NYtimes.com. Photo Credits: Francis R. Malasig/European Pressphoto Agency
More than a month's worth of rain pelted down on us because of Ondoy. I've heard and seen horror stories about people stuck in their cars on the road for hours, people wading waist-deep water to get to safety, people stranded on the tops of their houses with no contact or food. People have died, gone missing, lost loved ones, lost everything. We get hit by typhoons and floods every year but we haven't been hit by floods like this since the '60s, according to the news. I sat at home all day last Saturday, and the rain just did not stop. It was just Signal # 1, and we've had stronger typhoons before (like Milenyo, which left Manila in tatters), but even without the crazy winds, not for a minute did the rain let up.
Cries for help came from all over--text, the news, online. It's so real; this is the first time in a long time that our own houses were flooded, that our own family and friends were frantically calling for help. Everytime I open my Twitter or Facebook account, people are relentlessly calling for volunteers and for goods. It's really touching how we're all so focused on trying to to do what we can, but I've also been reading that goods haven't been enough. Let's all keep praying, but if we can, let's help a little bit more! Here's Bianca Gonzales' blog on all the ways we can help out, whether you're from QC or Alabang (non-serious digression: I love how they lumped us all up into the South while there are separate ones for QC, Pasig, etc. Haha.), from here or abroad.
Ano, fight? Fight! C;
Anyway, I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies about a month back, and it got me itching to read the original, non-Zombie-fied version. The concept of infusing zombies into Pride and Prejudice was pretty novel, but as I got into it, it felt a little forced and quite obviously, not part of the story.
I do understand why they did it--it's to get people who don't enjoy reading classics swallow it easier.
Starting Pride and Prejudice is a bit difficult, but my God. I now understand why it's probably the most popular Jane Austen book of all time, why Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's story is so unforgettable. I had watched the movie version with Keira Knightley and I enjoyed it immensely. Even after reading the book, I believe it was a faithful, concise and well-done version.
But the book--oh, the book! It captured every moment, every hidden thought, every conflicted feeling between the two. Their conversations are livened by their wit and wordplay, and it was such a treat uncovering the detailed thoughts going through their heads. Jane Austen writes with such passion, but not the obvious, fiery passion that you'll probably find in romance novels where leading men throw down their damsels in distress in moments of desire. It's quiet but powerful passion, simmering silently underneath, slowly chipping away at their proud and prejudiced hearts until their feelings are absolutely undeniable. They spend so much time apart, trying to to figure each other out and helplessly trying to act normal. In two words, sobrang nakakakilig. As in!!! I'd have to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from shrieking. I read Persuasion about a year ago, and experience the same silent longing between Anne and Captain Wentworth. What a love story this is! Truly one of the best love stories of all time.
I found this next book in the airport in New York. I plowed straight through it during our flight to Los Angeles and was done before we checked in our connecting flight. I haven't read or watched Yes Man, but Friend Like These was such a fantastic and hilarious read that I'm probably going to pick it up and all the other books of Danny Wallace I can find. As his 30th birthday nears, just when Danny realizes he's really, really becoming an adult (point one: he has throw pillows on his couch), his parents send him a box of his childhood paraphernalia. He uncovers an address book of names of all his childhood best friends, and decides to relive his childhood by getting back in touch with them. Believe me, that takes him all over the world.
I loved this book. Love, love, loved this book!!! This might have made it to my top 5 favorite books of all time. It's easy, fricking funny, and engaging, but it is also very honest and thought-provoking. It talks about getting older, growing up, living life and friendships and as he remembers his childhood gang, you won't be able to resist visiting your own childhood to see who you're friends with. I mean, why aren't we friends with the people we were friends with centuries ago???
My mom has wrangled the book away from me, but I can't wait to re-read this again.
Finally, I've been a fan of Crystal Renn since I discovered her on Vogue in 2007. Plus-size and Vogue never seemed to go together until her. I saw her in the Shape issue of Vogue a couple of years back and was absolutely blown away by her. I blogged about her (back when I was Xanga) and her bodacious self:
In a Norma Kamali vintage swimsuit and a Pucci wrap.
Walking the runway in a gorgeous John Paul Gaultier gown (and rocking it!).
I saw this book and had to get it! I flipped through it and was shocked to see that when she was 16, she was a skeletal, bone-thin model:
Crystal at her unhealthy thinnest.
(from thesun.co.uk.)
OH MY GOD! Apparently, she was a healthy-sized girl when a scout approached her and told her she could be a model if she lost weight. So she went ahead and lost 70 pounds! She was finally granted a chance to be a model, but she was absolutely miserable, obsessively exercising and not eating, keeping herself hungry and beyond thin.
Eventually she finally had enough and started eating normally again, until she settled on a healthy size 12--the average American woman. Ironically, it's when she became a "plus-size" model (I put quotation marks because she's technically not even plus sized!) when she hit it BIG, modeling for Vogue and big brands like D&G. No wonder--she looks so much better now!
The book was definitely eye-opening, informative (she put a lot of facts about eating disorders and health inside) and inspiring, especially because we're almost the same size! It was a long journey for her to get to where she is, one where she starved and battered herself, and it's great to know that someone in the fashion industry is starting to break the mold of the typical model.
I'm in the middle of unpacking, and as usual, I always stop in the middle of unpacking because I'm too lazy to put everything away. Haha.
Another AMAZING trip, and this time it was in my favorite city. I'll blog about it completely soon, because I don't have pictures yet. Can you believe that I LEFT MY MEMORY CARD AT HOME??? I had my camera and I even remembered to bring extra batteries, but NO MEMORY CARD. What an imbecile!
I'm currently fighting jetlag, and I just found out that my DVD of The Tudors isn't working, so I'm just going to twiddle my thumbs in front of the TV until it's reasonable to sleep. Haha.
It's got a little Chanel sumptn-sumptn going on. C: But GOD it's expensive.
Also, I spotted this look from Mango, with wonderful looking lingerie I've been looking for:
I've been wanting to try that look out after seeing it in Balenciaga's Fall 09 collection (with a CLOSED jacket, of course--je ne suis pas Scarlett Johanssen!), but of course, I need the appropriate occasion.
