TOPAZ HORIZON

I spent all weekend with the TV on, watching in shock as CNN, BBC and NHK reported on the Japan earthquake and the devastating tsunami that followed. I'm sure you're just as frightened, alarmed and concerned. After all, our country is a member of that deadly Ring of Fire and it's not a question of if for us, it's really a matter of when.

I am obsessed with Adele's "Someone Like You." You have to watch her as she sings, as she agonizes over each word in this haunting song of loss, regret and longing.


I really cry whenever I listen to this song, even though I have—gladly—no experience of a lost love. I married my great love and I love him deeper with each passing day.

At Nikki's wedding last year

I guess I cry because I am mourning for Adele (she wrote this song for a former lover) and all those who don't have what I am so grateful to have--a love that is true and deep and lasting and strong and a source of comfort and joy. I truly wish that everyone find that one true love and be wise enough to recognize it and choose it above all else. Love isn't easy but it's always worth it.

Have a happy weekend filled with love!

At a lovely lunch at Lu with Preview editor-in-chief Pauline Suaco Juan, I was admiring all the animal print going on in the March issue:

Then I said, "Ya know, Pauls, it's my beauty resolution this year to wear red lipstick and my fashion resolution to wear animal print. I'm 34. I should be able to wear those bold looks with confidence, right?"

And she said, in shock and disappointment, "Frances, of all the people in the world, you're the one who can pull off red lipstick and animal print most! Your personality is just so... so..."

"Strong?"

"Yes!"

Later, at dinner, I told Vince the exchange and he said, "Well, that's exactly why you don't need red lipstick and animal print."

Yeah, on others it's a look, a style, an armor. On me, well, with my hearty laugh, my strong opinions, my quick temper, my wild gestures, I'd just look... LOUD. What do you think???

Mebbe not? Mebbe yes! Mebbe I can start with shoes and a bag?

Christian Louboutin Leopard Slingbacks

Mulberry Bayswater Leopard Bag in Camel

Remember when Vince and I wanted to replace our sofa? We had decided to invest on a fabulous Bo's sofa that would cost us a quarter of a million bucks (trust me, the sofa was worth it!). Then we saw the movie Up and figured that since we don't plan to have kids, why not buy a his-and-hers pair?

Up was a really gorgeous movie about a boy and a lonely old man. But it's also really about a couple who loved each other so much. That's Vince and me! And those two chairs they sat on for the rest of their lives just seemed such a good idea since Vince and I are very different people and yet we like the same things, too. It's like two different chairs made for the same purposes sitting in one room... Well, that's a marriage for you!

But you know what happened next--we got this little guy! The sofa budget went to him naturally.

Anyway, thoughts of sofas and chairs were swept under the rug until my sister-in-law and her hubby, Anj and Lit Onrubia (you met them here), opened a shop dedicated to just chairs. It has a very prosaic name--About A Chair--and I like that. There's no mistaking what it's all about!

When Vince and I were newly married, the hunt for quality furniture that didn't look like boring hotel furniture was really a daunting task. We spent months just looking at shops which didn't really offer much. Or we'd find a gem in a shop and then the rest of their stuff is all blah. Or we'd find a fabulous shop but the prices are insane (hello, BoConcept and Natuzzi!). Enter About A Chair.



The stylish little shop is squeezed between Aristocrat and Queens along Jupiter St. in Makati. It's such a sweet place. I really like it there! The chairs are all iconic--from Jacobsen's Egg Chair to Eames' Lounge Chair, the shop did a great job choosing which pieces to carry. They chose design classics but those that are distinctive--no blah chairs in here! Each chair has personality. Each chair has a story!

My favorite part is that these chairs are reasonably priced. For the design, the quality of materials, the craftsmanship, I say the prices are pretty good! They're not cheap, not at all. We'd still need to set aside some moolah every month to afford these for our Up his-and-hers pair:

I chose this. I don't know what its name is (I'll ask!). It's just begging for your butt! I want to curl up in it and tuck my legs and get lost in a thick book.

The Cigar Chair is sooo comfy. The leather is so smooth and soft and the chair just hugs your entire body as you sink into its depths. It's love! It's supposed to be for smoking cigars  but I bet Vince has other ideas, like movie marathons, reading fests and PS3 weekends!

Isn't About A Chair such a fab place? I urge you to do drop by!

About A Chair: 2/F 146-A Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village, Makati. Tel no. +632-890.7602. Store hours: 10am-7pm (Mon-Sat) and 11am-7pm (Sun). 

Ironically, when this blog got popular, I got shhh-ed! My family reads this, my nieces read this, my co-workers read this, my industry partners read this, etc etc etc.

While I absolutely adore having more and more of you dropping by, I found that now I can't talk about my sex life (to Vince's enormous relief!), say bad things about people or places or products, say fuck-shit-asshole-bitch (oho, I just did!), or have strong opinions about serious stuff like politics or the RH Bill because I might offend someone important who doesn't share the same beliefs.

What a strange predicament I'm in! I have so many people interested in reading what I have to say and I can't say it!

I'm not angry, okay? Just thinking aloud. I don't mind so much since, at my age, I've gotten allergic to conflict. I wonder if that means I've become a big wuss. Well, I do still SPEAK my mind; I just don't WRITE it anymore. Print and be damned, as they wisely say.

If you want to know what I really really think, buy me coffee and let's chat! I like looooong honest talks and I assure you I am never boring!