TOPAZ HORIZON

I fell in love with the Cambridge Satchel a few months ago and was over the moon when I finally received it. But I had a few issues with it: the leather is too stiff, the hardware is made of nickel, and the buckles, the buckles! They are a terrible inconvenience when you're accosted by mall entrance guards asking to inspect your bag.

A lot of people who bought the bag also had the same comments. So I told Vince I wanted to improve the satchel's design. That was a couple of weeks ago. Now you know that the Cambridge Satchel was Vince's Valentine's gift to me so he didn't like it that I was not completely happy with his gift. So Vince (the best husband ever!) found a leather craftsman, told him what I wanted, and had a bag made to my specifications.

On Monday, I shrieked and shrieked when Vince handed me this:

After a beautiful day today, I had a really bad evening. And it's all because of Google and its decision to consolidate all its products under one account. Google has several products--Gmail, Google Apps, Blogger, Picasa, Reader... a lot. Anyway, they decided that all these products should be accessed by a user under one account.

That's a really good idea (no sarcasm here whatsoever) so I did what they told me to do and consolidated my accounts. Here then was the unexpected problem, and I'll let Google explain it:


For at least 30 minutes, I lost access to my Blogger account because I used frances@topazhorizon.com to sign in to Blogger. My Blogger and Google Apps were in conflict. I was surprised at how I reacted when I logged in to Blogger and these words appeared: "The account does not exist." I gasped then panicked then, trembling, tried to recover my account then when those terrible words kept popping up, I wept. Wept!

I lost Topaz Horizon! I lost Topaz Mommy! I was literally shaking for 30 minutes. I felt nauseated and dizzy. I was so upset! Then I signed in again and this time I got through and a temporary email address was set up for me. You cannot imagine the relief that washed over me. I thought I was going to faint from it. I think the last time I felt this bad was when my mother died.

Fuck, it's so melodramatic. But it's true. All of the above hysteria did happen. If you follow me on Twitter, you'd have witnessed my meltdown. This just brought home the fact that I really truly do care about my blogs. I mean, I really do, but it's always just been a happy thing to do. Faced with their loss, I realized that they are far more important than I thought. Like I said, the last time I felt that bad was when my mother died.

Anyway, now I must move data. Or move email addresses. Still plodding through the whole thing. But I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think my blogs will be fine. Me? I don't know. I kinda feel strange that the supposed death of my blogs affected me like a real death.

I think I need to get a life.

I've been Tweeting about this with utmost excitement yesterday so to all who got infected by my online shrieks of glee, here's a peek at my new bespoke handmade leather satchel!

Tough and sturdy hardware

Tanned and tooled leather--by hand!

Magnetic snaps for easy access

Flexible leather and extra zipped inside pocket

Extra secret pocket at the back

Perfectly hand-sewn

Isn't it so exciting?! It's absolutely gorgeous! I'll talk more about my bespoke leather satchel soon. Must plan an outfit first to go with the bag so you can appreciate it better!

Thanks, Vince! You always make me happy.

Yesterday, Vince and I took Vito house hunting. After all, we really don't need to look for a new home since we already live in a fabulous apartment with west-east-south views and fantastic location. The only problem with our place is it's in a high-rise and a little boy needs big wide spaces to run around in and conquer. So since this is for Vito, it's actually Vito's house we were looking for!

The first place we went to was Kapitolyo, which is our home's backyard. We liked that it has the same conveniences of our place (in the middle of everything!) but we didn't like the security. Or the feeling of lack thereof. So that leaves us with the two other choices:

NEAR BUT FEELS CROWDED
Mahogany Place 3 is a DMCI project about 5 minutes from Bonifacio Global City. The benefit of living there is that it's near BGC, near St. Luke's Global (I'm a bit of a hypochondriac), near Makati CBD, near good schools.

Even though it's near everything, it doesn't feel like it's in the city. DMCI acquired the vast Acacia Estates and turned it into a residential development that has a resort-like feel. And I'm not quoting a press kit here. That's how we really felt! Security is tight. There's even an electric perimeter fence surrounding the entire development! The amenities are superb, the roads are wide and beautifully paved, there are clubhouses, commercial playgrounds, swimming pools and more.

Little boxes on the hillside

Tiny kitchen and dining area

And that's all there is to the living room!

Three bedrooms, one of which is decorated like a boudoir

A walk-in closet makes up for the teensy-weensy bathroom.

So here's the catch: Mahogany Place 3 is lined with townhouses and duplexes, narrow buildings that stretch upwards. The land may be wide open but the houses feel, I dunno, I feel hemmed in. Vince says they remind him of London. He spent a few of his growing up years there and he said it was fine. We'll see.

FAR BUT FEELS SPACIOUS
Ametta is a community development by Ayala Land or Alveo. It's gorgeous there! The townhouses are designed so that they feel open and airy. There's plenty of light pouring in through big windows into spacious rooms. There are parks and pools, pocket gardens and playgrounds, and wide streets perfect for a little boy with a bicycle!

Blessed space!

Construction is done well.

Side view of the house we really liked

Big kitchen with lots of counter space

Spacious master's bedroom with walk-in closet and own bath

Two bedrooms, one for the princess...

... one for the prince!

The problem with Ametta is its location. It almost feels like there's no rhyme and reason for its location. It's like someone built a beautiful village and dropped it in the middle of nowhere. The nearest schools, malls, shopping centers, hospitals are a good half hour away. Plus, it's in Pasig and during Ondoy, that area was flooded for a week. To combat this, Alveo built the community on land raised a full storey high and is currently improving the drainage system of the entire area--the streets around the village are all dug up right now. That's reassuring. And yet... scary still!

Vince and Vito and I had fun!

So we're still thinking about Mahogany Place. If only the houses were built like Ametta and had a location like Mahogany's! That would've been perfect. Oh well! The search continues!

I won't change a thing. I'd still go about my day today, which is to spend the whole day with my Vince and my Vito.

We'll look at houses today. We can't afford a house yet but we still got a real estate agent to show us some properties. It's nice to dream and plan, especially when you have a darling baby boy.

We'll also drop by the Yummy Eats event at NBC Tent. It's the baby of my friend, Franny of Franywanny: A Food & Travel Blog, so I'm excited to see what she's been busy with these past weeks. Then we'll go to Power Plant and buy Vince a new PS3 game and maybe I'll go buy an electric pleated skirt from Zara.

Then Vince, Vito and I will go home, cuddle and watch TV while we eat the last tub of Haagen Dazs ice cream that Vince gave me for Mother's Day. I'll just stay there in my husband's arms, with Vito squished between us, all three of us in a pile, and we will laugh at the funny things we're watching on TV or at Vito's many new tricks or at each other's silly silliness. Because that's what we do every weekend and this weekend won't be different.

And if the world were to end at that point, it would be most bittersweet because I have never been this happy in my life and so I regret nothing. Well, I would regret one thing and that's I won't see my darling Vito grow up into a handsome, healthy, smart, loving man. And that thought makes me sad.

So I hope the world doesn't end today or ever because some good things shouldn't end, and what I have right now, right here in my small apartment that's filled with all the love in the world, is very good.

"Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you."

Enjoy!



Those Japanese are beyond crazy! I laughed until my tummy hurt and there were tears in my eyes. I have got to visit Japan soon!!! But I hope I don't get to be a prank victim!

Well, for Vince it's a PS3! For me, it's a shopping spree!

Yup, that's what we got each other for our wedding anniversary last April 18. I got him a new console to replace the first one I gave him in 2006. Back then, the newly launched Playstation 3 was a whopping 45K; (now, it's less than 15K). That's why I proposed to him because in my mind, a mere boyfriend shouldn't be getting gifts as pricey as that. He better be my fiance, dammit! To my delight, Vince agreed with me wholeheartedly and married me four months later.

Vince is beyond thrilled with his new plaything (see photo here!). I didn't get him PS3 games, though. He still has tons of games he hasn't been able to play since going back to advertising. But because of my gift, he's been devoting a couple of hours every other day to gaming pleasure.

Do I recommend giving Playstation 3, Wii and other gaming consoles to your hubby? Yes! When it's from you, they feel so loved and appreciated. They think, "She really understands me!" Plus, because it's from you, you get to control his gaming hours! Best. Gift. Ever!

As for moi, I got a shopping spree! I've already bought some cool things but I'm not yet done. This is so much fun! Thanks, Vince! Happy anniversary!

Looks like a lot of you saw my guest stint at Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. I didn't (we watched Fringe instead!) but blog reader Mav Duran sent me a link and so I was able to watch it. Thanks, Mav!

Don't blink or you'll miss it!



On Twitter (follow me!), some of my followers who watched the show teased me about my voice. Yes, it's really soft and high-pitched. I screech when I'm excited, too. It's okay, I don't get offended about it. I even coined a term for my voice--boses pekpek. In polite company, it's boses ipis.

I used to try to modulate but I dunno, I just never can do it. As a writer, I never dreamed I'd be in a position that I'd have to actually express my thoughts verbally so public speaking was never a skill I developed.

I do wonder, though, since my Twitter followers said, "I didn't imagine you to sound like that" and "Your voice is unexpected," I wonder how exactly did you think I'd sound? Just curious!

It's been exactly one week since the royal wedding of William and Catherine but the fascination remains. I'm an entertainment magazine editor so part of my job is to appear on TV shows to talk about the biggest wedding of the year (the century!).

I love jewelry. They just make every outfit look loads better! You know what looks really great with everything? Pearls.

Of course, real ones are the best but, my goodness, a pair of real pearl studs costs as much as a MacBook Air so I really don't mind wearing less expensive but just as beautiful pieces like these gorgeous necklaces from Carolee's new Style Icon Collection:

Jackie Pearl Necklace with Emerald-Cut Crystal Clasp

Jackie 8mm Three Row Pearl Necklace

Michelle 16mm Pearl Necklace

The collection is named after glamorous women in history: Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Evita Peron, Wallis Simpson and Michelle Obama.


The U.S. President's wife actually owns a Carolee pearl necklace and she wore it on the cover of Newsweek and on the night her husband won the Democratic nomination. Yeah, the night the couple made the fist bump famous.

Since I have Mrs. Obama's penchant for sheath dresses and pearls, I guess I should go and stock up on Carolee necklaces! And I'm actually going to Rustan's Makati tomorrow. Hmm. I just might get myself one. I actually have my eye on this Evita perfection:

Evita Five Row Graduated Pearl Necklace

It's lovely. Perfect for Mother's Day!

For another Mother's Day gift, click here to see what Michael Kors made for mommies!

April has been particularly insane. It's the anniversary issue of the magazine I edit. It's also been the royal wedding month so I've been appearing on several TV shows regularly.

Fully made up and still pale

Like Catherine, the new Duchess of Cambridge, I did my own makeup. Unlike Catherine, I didn't look as fabulous on screen! I honestly don't know how to do makeup for the camera. I'm always still very pale and my dark circles always still show up.

I need to learn to cake it on, contour my cheeks and nose, make my eyes stand out (on video, my eyes look very small), and I really should wear lipstick.

At TV5's morning show, the makeup artist dragged me to his chair even though I said I looked fine. He said I looked awful. "Ate, mag-pink lipstick ka," he demanded while he applied this alarming shocking pink on my lips. "Tanda mo tingnan sa beige at sa red. Promise." I so did not believe him. But on TV, the shocking pink was a pretty rose pink! Wow.

So anyway. TV guestings, radio tours, and now a working weekend as we rush to finish the wedding special and run the May issue by tomorrow evening. Wish us luck, folks, because the entire magazine staff is about to collapse.

Then there were events I had to attend, dinners with friends (I promised that I will no longer neglect my friendships), blogger friends to meet, a new workout to try, Amper family issues to resolve (why do I never have Sales family problems?), and a garage sale to do (I earned P15,000! Hooray!) which I promised on my Twitter to never ever do again. Then my yaya and maid went on a five-day leave because of a family tragedy. I honestly have no idea how I'm still standing up!

We were all so excited for Vito's first plane ride!

Of course, April was also a happy month--it was my wedding anniversary! Vince and I had so much fun celebrating it. Then we went to the incredible Shangri-la Mactan, too. Soooo many photos, so no time to tell you about them all! As soon as things settle down, folks, I'll blogathon!