TOPAZ HORIZON

I seem to be posting on Wednesdays and Sundays!

This weekend was extremely busy. First, a wedding on Saturday afternoon. Second, a birthday-karaoke party that night. Third, shopping on Sunday! Fourth, a visit to my in-laws. Today will just be about the wedding!

Pinky Jacob, my grade school friend from Assumption, got married to her longtime sweetheart Derek Ileto at the Christ the King Church in Taytay, Rizal. They wanted to get married somewhere different. Yeah. Everyone in Manila gets married in Intramuros, that church near Mall of Asia, in Calaruega, or in Forbes Park. Ho hum. So, even though getting to Taytay was really hard, it was great to discover a new place!

The church is so high up the hills that its nickname is "Church in the Sky." The view is fantastic. What I found most remarkable about the small church was the altar. Check that out!

Pinky and Derek (sorry for the blurry shot). Their vows were filled with laughter and tears. The priest asked, "Pinky, do you accept Derek as..." Pinky said, "I do, Father." Pause. Then priest said, "Pinky, let me finish the question." Everyone had a huge laugh over that one!

This is Clarissa, another classmate from Assumption. She's Pinky's best friend and maid of honor. Clar is now based in New York City, busy making films.

Outfit shot! The dress is a gorgeous Zara floaty creation. It's green with gold floral and paisley design, with a huge bow at the neck. The bow covers the deep V neckline! It's also very sheer so I had to wear a slip underneath it. Brown tights are from Tesco (yes, the supermarket) at London. Brown pumps from Nine West. I'm still looking for the perfect platform shoes for this dress--since it's so floaty, it needs sturdy shoes to ground it. The fab bag is from my mother-in-law.

Vince and me. I'm having a bad hair day! Vince's tie is Cirque du Soleil, which he got from Las Vegas. See the creepy faces? He wore that because the wedding theme was carnivale and Mardi Gras. Cool tie. Cooler guy.

A few days ago, I was at a lunch at the elegant and old Manila Peninsula Hotel where Pond's Age Miracle was relaunched. Married couple Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzalez were there as the brand's new endorsers. Charlene looked as stunning as she once did when she stood as our Miss Philippines at the Miss Universe 1994 pageant, and Aga, at 39, still looked like the teenage heartthrob he once was. The couple talked about their love story. Aga said that Charlene is even more beautiful now than when they got married eight years ago. All of us media guests swooned and sighed as the couple answered questions from the audience. I had to leave early but I really wanted to ask Aga this: "Not all of us look like Charlene. What can you tell women who do grow old and are worried that their husbands won't like what they see?" 

Halloo, dear neglected readers!

It's been very cold in this neck of the woods--a season which is rare in the tropical paradise that is the Philippines and even rarer in the noisy, smelly, polluted jungle that is Manila. On one hand, my skin is parched and dry; on the other hand, my scarves, coats, thick stockings and cardigans have been dug out of the closet and seen the light of the watery sun.

December to February, being the cool months, is also the season for weddings and parties. In the past few weeks alone, we've gotten so many party and wedding invitations. Hence, I've been away from y'all. And now I just discovered I've nothing to wear anymore to the next round of parties so my sister Jacqui and I are off to get some brand new threads! Will update with a real nice post soonest!

Take care!

I am still alive. Spent the last 13 days...

... having a wonderful party with my high school friends Tatin, Stephanie and May
... exploring the walkways in Makati with Vince and resolving to exercise more because, dammit, those stairs took our breath away!
... paying for overdue bills!!!
... opening a checking account because I will no longer use credit cards and will instead pay with checks! NO TO HSBC CREDIT CARDS! The damn bank refused to reverse the charges.
... cleaning the house for the Real Living photo shoot
... having a great time at the Real Living shoot, the staff of which taught me how to arrange flowers and how to arrange our shoe collection
... going to my stylist Louis Kee at his fantabulous uber posh new salon and getting a sexy haircut, great new color and highlights, a terrific hair treatment, and an hour-long massage... bliss!
... buying new bedsheets at SM Makati with Vince
... and trying to avoid all the malls (unsuccessfully, too) because of all the sales! Imagine that--pretty dresses, fab shoes, great books, discount furniture, and a lot more!

That's it. Just checking in while I catch my breath!

... because in a few days, our home will be the subject of a photoshoot for Real Living magazine! I've always said that I live in a beautiful home, and the editors seem to agree because they've scheduled the home feature already. But over the long holiday, as I've been busy tidying up, I worry that my house isn't ready yet. For one thing, I don't have lamps. The walls need more pictures. The living room needs a statement chair. The foyer needs a console table. The bedroom needs a slipper chair, side tables and new sheets. I need to buy flowers and fruits. And I'm thinking my bathroom needs new faucets. Vince's bathroom has these cute ceramic faucets. Mine, well I chose my bath fixtures to be simple and functional, not for any design merit.