TOPAZ HORIZON

End of April. This time last year, the sun was blazing down in unforgiving rays--no surprise since April is always the month we fear our eyeballs would melt from the heat. This year, however, it's raining buckets. Global warming indeed.

This time last year, my husband had just left Playboy Philippines because he realized that if he was going back to the magazine world, he might as well do T3. He had just begun settling back in when we were all told to pack up and move to our new digs.

At last, we were leaving our basement office in Robinsons Galleria! Good-bye to the rats, the cockroaches and the strange dust that coated our desks and computers. And hello to the new home of Summit Media!

For security reasons, I won't post pics of our new office. I will, however, show you my table. It's all cluttered with memos, drafts, press releases, page plans, signature proofs (that's the test magazine pages), invitations and bags upon bags of beauty products. I'm very cluttery. So embarrassing! But I can always find something in that awful mess!

And this is my favorite place: The library. Don't mind the empty-looking shelves--we've got tons of magazines from all over the world!

So a very happy anniversary to Summit Media's lovely new office! I love working here really. Oh, let me rephrase that... I love playing here. Yep, I feel like I'm paid to have fun and that's why this is the best gig in the world!


P.S. Grab the April issue of T3 (it's the bikini issue!) with this remarkable-looking woman on the cover. This is the result of that post I wrote about the yacht and the helicopter. Click here if I don't make sense.

And have you gotten yourself OK!'s April issue? It's our special 4th anniversary issue! It's our best issue yet--anti-aging secrets of Jennifer Aniston and 8 other stars, 69 of the best gowns this year, an exclusive interview with Wolverine star Hugh Jackman and MORE! Be a good Topaz Horizon reader and get a copy now!

Okay, so my husband--Vince Sales, the editor-in-chief of T3, just the biggest tech magazine in the country!--is exasperated with me. I've been wanting to get myself a laptop for a few months now. It's actually not a need since we already have a computer and if Vince is using the PC, then I can browse on his iPhone. But I really think I need my own computer for my blogging and my work and my online business. Of course, Vince--being a gadget guru--has given me advice time and again and, of course, I never quite listen so he's more than a little annoyed! But here is what we've whittled down:

Since I'm a Mac user (in publishing, all the editors wield a Mac), it makes better sense if I get a MacBook, right? Except that a MacBook starts at PHP56,000 (USD1,175) and I can't bring myself to buy anything over PHP35,000 at this point.

Then I saw the Sony Vaio C. I really wanted a Sony Vaio C! Why? Because it's pink. Seriously. But at an even heftier price of PHP60,000 (USD1,258), pink is a flimsy excuse.

Vince said I don't need a super laptop--I can get those uber popular netbooks. Netbooks are small but perfect for the tasks I do often (writing, editing, surfing). And the best part: they are cheap! He first suggested the super cute MSI Wind for Love. It's only PHP20,000 (USD418) and proceeds from its sale benefit underprivileged kids in Third World countries. Nice.

As I was studying the specs though, I figured that I'd be better off with the much adored MSI Wind. No "love" this time. The computer memory is the big difference: the Love has 80GB while the Wind has 160GB. It's around PHP25,000 (USD520) and comes in pink!

Vince then suggested if I'm going for looks, I should shell out more and get myself an HP Mini Vivienne Tam. This is what Vince highly recommends for me. In fact, he thinks it's perfect for his wife. The HP people don't call it a notebook; they call it a "digital clutch." Of course, it's also USD700 (PHP33,377) .

The husband also suggested the ultra-chic Sony Vaio P. Surprisingly, I didn't like this one. Vince and I are Sony people--we live in a house filled with so many Sony gadgets, you'd think we get huge discounts from Sony (we don't!). But at the P series launch last month, well, I agree it is ultra-chic but it's so small, I had a hard time with the screen, the keys, the button mouse, the... everything actually. At its steep price of PHP50,000 (USD1,000), please don't give me a hard time! Plus, it doesn't come in pink.

Also, if I had 50 grand lying around doing nothing, then I'm better off with a MacBook. Argh! What do you think I should get? I'm now choosing between the MSI Wind, the Wind for Love and the HP Mini Vivienne Tam. And what computer do you use when you're blogging?

Remember that story when I proposed to Vince with the Sony Playstation 3? Well, here's another Sony story. Because we have rabbits, we are quite fond of this Bravia TVC. Of course, it helps that we watch it on our very own 32" Bravia TV.


We're fonder of this Bravia Bunny, however. Isn't Galadriel the cutest ever???Our rabbits are Sony bunnies! Oh, and my two phones are sturdy Sony Ericssons, my SLR camera is a Sony Cybershot, we read books on the Sony eBook Reader, we fight over who gets to play with the PSP, and of course, Vince plays with his PS3 games and I exercise to aerobics videos played through the PS3, too, on our beloved Bravia.

Yep, we live in a Sony world because we really were quite impressed with the Bravia. It definitely gave significance in my life just like the Sony's World's First Noise-Canceling Notebook Computer, the VAIO T Series, which is what I'm salivating for lately because I want to blog anywhere and everywhere and in peace!

My husband is the editor-in-chief of T3 Philippines, which features the hottest women on their covers. Oh, and the hottest gadgets, too. They've been having a hard time getting props for a photo shoot. And by props I mean the following: helicopter, private jet, yacht. We didn't know anyone who had any of those parked in their backyard. But I sent a text message to some people in my phone book anyway, for fun. As expected, most of the replies advised us to rent.

Then this message arrived: "Sure, will be glad to help. The chopper's in the airport and the yacht is in the bay. No jet though. Sorry!" Woah, I actually know someone who has a chopper and a yacht! I'm moving up in the world, people! Now all I need to do is find someone who has a private jet and I'm all set on the social climbing ladder. Tee hee.

Now who is this lovely lady willing to lend us her luxe stuff? Oops, I won't tell.

You know you love me. XOXO!