TOPAZ HORIZON

Sigh. I had wanted to watch Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block when they were here. But I had just given birth.



Now, I just found out that Sting and Elton John will be here in December. J.Lo's coming, too, but I'm not a fan. Vince is a huge fan of Sting. I'm a huge fan of Elton. But, with the high cost of concert tickets, it's either we watch both concerts OR buy Christmas gifts. It can't be both.

So... dear families and friends, if you find out that Vince and I watched the concerts of Sting and Elton John, that only means one thing: You get Christmas cards and a hug!


*images from Philippine Concerts

I had lunch with Jericho Rosales last week. He's the new face of Collezione C2 and I'll talk more about that on Beauty For A Living. Meanwhile, let me confess: I've had a crush on Echo since he and Kristine Hermosa were a love team. When was that? More than a decade ago? Basta Pangako Sa 'Yo years. Since then, after immersing myself in work and marriage and motherhood, I've stopped following his career.

So I was so surprised at how thrilled I was when he kissed my cheek and joined us for lunch. He sat a mere two seats away!

He's polite, charming, smart, articulate. Oh, and soooo gwapo! And I like that he said, "I'm 33," just like that. Some stars, heck, a lot of people never confess their age. I find that I don't like people who are ashamed of/lie about their age haha.

But the reason I liked Echo even more was his passion for his cause: bringing awareness and putting an end to human trafficking. He said that humans that are trafficked are a commodity that never loses its value—that's why it's a billion-dollar business. A baby may be sold to childless couples. Kids can be used for labor, for begging and stealing, and even for sex. Teens are used the same way. Adults for cheap labor and sex slavery, and old people are for begging. It's horrible.

Echo produced a movie that will highlight the problem. Yep, human trafficking is huge here in the Philippines. I only found that out when I visited UNICEF recently. So I am so happy that a celebrity is using his clout and doing something about it.


And to think Echo used to be like this:


Aminin! Natawa kayo! He's definitely come a long way. A lot of us, I'm sure, hardly ever make an impression on others. Maybe it's because we're not pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough, tall enough, skinny enough, old enough. We don't have the right background, the right connections, the right clothes, the right accent. But that doesn't mean we can't ever make a difference. Just look at that silly young man in that video. He sure proved himself alright. He sure did.

You don't have to comment on this blog post. Under the new law, that is now considered a crime punishable to up to 12 years in prison. But please write to our senators, especially Ralph Recto, Gringo Honasan, Pimentel, Chiz Escudero, Ping Lacson, Bong Revilla, Pia Cayetano, Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, BongBong Marcos, Lito Lapid, Jinggoy Estrada and Tito Sotto, and—most tragic and ironic of all—to the President himself, Noynoy Aquino. They made this anti-democracy law.

Then please sign the petition to junk R.A. 10175.

I did. I care about my freedom of expression, my right to privacy, and my children's future.

UPDATE!

Vince made this meme.

Actually, don't be scared to comment, share, spread, blog, Tweet about this law. Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution - Article III, Section 4: No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people to peacably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

The Anti-Cyber Crime Law is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. It is WRONG. Protest it. The constitution protects us against this law. Make your voice heard!

Show your protest on your social media pages with these free images courtesy of Filipino Internet Freedom Alliance.

Uh, no. That wouldn't be me. The lucky girls of OK! will! My staff is so lucky. They get to meet and talk to Hollywood stars, the most recent ones being Ian Somerhalder, Adam Levine and now Zac Efron. I gotta say it, these guys are so handsome! In another lifetime, yeah, maybe I'd be first in line but I'm a mommy now so I stay home and avoid the screaming, shrieking masses of fans.

OK! had a contest this week giving away tickets to Zac's Penshoppe fan convention tonight. All the readers had to do was post a photo of themselves on OK!'s Facebook page with their favorite OK! feature on Zac.













OK!'s readers are soooo adorable, I swear!

Honestly, I didn't realize we've given Zac tons of exposure. In my head, all we ever talk about is Brangelina, TomKat and Robsten. To everyone going to Zac's fancon, good luck!

Saturday. I wore this really comfortable maxi dress from And Apparel when we ate lunch at Milky & Sunny (never again!), went to Christ the King Church to finalize Iñigo's baptism details, and visited my in-laws. I like it because it's easy to breastfeed in it, it hides my mommy bulges and it has pockets! I wore it with my pearl necklace, Vince's Skagen watch and leather sandals from Charles & Keith.

Monday. I had lunch with Nicole and Kat. I'm wearing an Eden dress for breastfeeding (the bodice is double layered so I can lift it up and nurse discreetly) and my tweed Anthology flats. The purple shades are Charles & Keith.

Wednesday. Four months after giving birth, I can finally wear a bodycon dress! I actually bought this a month after Iñigo was born. Vince went shopping with me. He picked it out. One look at it and I thought he was kidding. It was a small. But it zipped up okay (a bit of a hiccup in the tummy area) but, all in all, it looked okay. But now it looks great! Yey!

I'm wearing an Unarosa dress and Nine West pumps. The bag up there is a Fino but before I slipped out the door, I changed my bag to my cream Longchamp clutch, to match my shoes. This is what I wore to the office.

Thursday. I am wearing my husband's Levi's. It shrunk in the wash. He is furious with Levi's because aren't Levi's denims supposed to be pre-shrunk?! It's a good thing it fits me. I've never worn a guy's jeans before. I've borrowed Vince's shirts, boxers and watches. Oh, had I known how wonderful men's jeans are on a post-baby body...!

Wore this to lunch with Jericho Rosales (more on that soon!). I call this my modified Katie Holmes (circa 2009) look. Modified because Katie wore baggier men's jeans with really high heels all topped by a loose button-down shirt. I wore my hubby's jeans with a buttoned up Bayo cardigan and Sapato Manila two-tone heels. I was supposed to wear a chunky necklace but, because I had Iñigo with me, I took it off. He plays with my necklaces when he breastfeeds!

Friday. I call this my almost-matrona look haha. I wore this to a lunch meeting with my OK! magazine staff and also to shop at Shangri-la Plaza later. The top is Zara, the silk shorts are... I don't know. The ballet flats are Lacoste. The diaper bag is Cuzo. The shades are Charles & Keith.

Okay, off to Shang! Toodles! I hope you're all having a fashionable Friday!