TOPAZ HORIZON

I haven't gone out all week this week (except to watch Transformers 3 at Shang) so I haven't seen the Bench billboards that have been causing so much traffic talk lately. So I told Bench about it and they obliged by sending massive files of near naked men to my inbox.


Of course I opened the zip file just when my boss passed by. If there had been an ECG attached to my chest right at that moment, we'd have seen some spectacular activity. Behold our rugby team: the Philippine Volcanoes in all their glory!

Arnold Aninion Filipino/New Zealander Entrepreneur

Terrence Javier Carroll Filipino/Australian Laborer

Jake Robrigado Letts Filipino/Australian Post-graduate student

Ned Stephenson Filipino/Australian Student

Patrice Ortiz Olivier Filipino/French Rugby player

Kenneth Capinpin Stern (left) Filipino/American In finance Chris Everingham (right) Filipino/Australian Personal trainer

I can see the shape of their dicks, I swear. Now I'm imagining them magnified. I have to see these billboards!!!

I'm sooo happy Bench got athletes to model their underwear! No offense to our actors and actresses but a body honed and toned by sport and dance is much better than a body shaped by diets and the gym. See photos above? I rest my case.

Rugby is a sport, btw. It's a type of football. I've never watched a game so I really don't know how it works but after seeing those guys clad in just Bench underwear, I think I have a new sport to watch! If you actually want to play, you can go to the PhilSports Complex along Meralco Ave in Pasig for free Rugby 101 sessions (Mon and Wed, 6pm)

Anyway, I didn't know we had a rugby team. Bench sent me info that said we don't have just a team, we have a union! Read more about the Philippine Rugby Football Union on their website or like their Facebook page.

*all images courtesy of Bench Body

To the left are the black 16", the dark chocolate 14" and the 11" in natural leather.

The first batch of bags is here! They arrived from Batangas yesterday afternoon and now our entire living area smells like leather.

The 11" tan satchels. The straps are folded into the bag.

I sent out invoices last night and this entire day, my first clients paid in full. Wow! You guys are amazing. Thanks! I'm just sick with a very bad cold and a fever so Vince will attend to the packing and sending. Will send them all out this week, dontcha worry!

How cute is the natural leather? It's pinkish!

We're accepting orders for the 11" satchel (available in tan, dark chocolate and natural leather). Ya, still just that. We haven't decided on the final look of the 14" satchel (yes, I made a mistake--it's actually 14", not 13"!). Some feedback we got wanted the top handle, some didn't. Some said they liked the inner divider, some didn't. Yikes.

What do you think?

Well, this post is more than a month late!

This particular day was an extremely busy day. So I wore flats. But since I had to attend a fashion show, I brought along my Nine West heels. Outfit details: Zara green-striped shirt, Zara hot pink mini, Gucci bag, Janilyn flats.

I had to pop in at the office first because it's the mid-month deadline that day. Then I rode the school bus with fellow editors to Midas Hotel.


Gorgeous lobby filled with designer chairs. Very contemporary and sleek.


I don't know how to feel about the Hermes boxes, though. It's not like it's a store. So the piles of empty orange boxes just felt pretentious to me. Still, since orange is my favorite color, the pops of citrus looked great as an accent.

We were at Midas for the launch of the new Clear dandruff shampoo variants. Will talk about that on Beauty For A Living. It was a well attended event. Saw Tessa Valdes.

And my crush when I was in college, Piolo Pascual. He's not my crush anymore, which is strange because he looks a hell of a lot better now.

Then since I was already at Roxas Blvd, off I went to SM Mall of Asia to while away the time before Philippine Fashion Week. Made no sense to go all the way back to the office then leave again for MOA. So I shopped while I waited!

I attended the Forever 21 show. I only went to the shows of the brands that advertise in the magazine I edit. And SM has been so nice to support my magazine this year. Thanks, SM, BDO and Forever 21!

The fashion show was fun. Of course, it's Forever 21! I'm glad I got a seat closer to the catwalk this time. The day before, when I attended the SM Department Store show, I came late so I had to sit all the way in the back. It was so far, I needed a telescope to see anything! So that's why I came in early for this show. No, really. It was for the show, not the shopping at MOA!

Anyway! Totally loving that orange jersey dress, the one matched with blue tights. Oh, but I won't wear it with blue tights. Just with killer color block heels and bare legs!

Will talk about the show on my beauty blog, too, Meanwhile, how cute are we! Hot pink skirts are so fabulous! That's moi with Preview's editor-in-chief Pauline Juan. I shoulda taken out my heels! I looked like a dwarf beside her when we're actually the same height.

Gosh, my boobs are so huge in this photo. That's because they're filled with milk! My chest was already quite painful here. Wasn't able to express milk all day. It was so painful and tender, I was seeing stars. So after this photo, I rushed home to my baby boy. And that's where I really want to be!

I had wanted to buy the Loeffler Randall rain boot last year and then just as I was about to, I found out I was pregnant and all thoughts of boots went out the window. Until last week when, for the first time in a good long while, I waded through flood waters.

I walk to work so I do need a good rain shoe. My Melissa flats serves me well but because it's a shocking turquoise, the sartorial choices are pretty limited. So back I went to the Loeffler Randall site and found that now I want this gorgeous taupe boot instead:

I took a poll on Twitter and Facebook and everyone agreed that the taupe is a better choice. Plus, it's on sale! So from $195, it's now $136!

And then I found these photos from A Purl Soho and Weardrobe and they just did it for me.

Make sure you visit their blogs because they show more ways to wear the taupe boot!

So there. I'm buying myself rain boots!

When Vince and I started dating more than a dozen years ago, one of the stories he fascinated me with was his adventures in Las Vegas. Vince, you see, is a well traveled guy. I used to get enchanted and frustrated whenever we'd watch movies and he'd say, "I've been there!"

Anyway, one of his must-see attractions in Vegas is Cirque du Soleil. So when Cirque, together with Manila Hotel, SunLife and BDO, announced early this year that they're bringing their Varekai show to Manila, I just had to buy tickets!

On Wednesday, the show had its gala night. I was lucky enough to buy front-row seats to the second night. Front-row seats, baby! So last Thursday, Vince and I left Makati at 5pm... and arrived at the Quirino Grandstand two hours later!!! We knew it was going to be ma-traffic but we did not anticipate the floods that Typhoon Falcon caused!

Still a few inches deep but the rain wouldn't let up.

We paused for several long minutes before we braved this foot-deep flood. We were so stressed out!

Buendia, Roxas Blvd and South Drive were submerged. We were so happy to see Katigbak Drive flood-free but as soon as we turned left to Parade Ave, where the Grand Chapiteau was pitched, the water was again rushing down the street. So frightening! Ya know, if the tickets weren't so expensive, I'd have asked Vince to turn back!

Such a welcome sight in a night of darkness and rain!

We parked and--woah! The water was up to my knees! Vince told me not to use the umbrella. I said, "What! And get my hair wet?!" Well, umbrella was useless, even dangerous. The wind was so strong and so was the current, I was nearly knocked down! I shut the umbrella quickly, told Vince not to rush me because the current was so strong, I was afraid I'd be swept away. Finally, after wading through the flood, we got to the tent, wet and cold and... happy!!!

The show was beyond amazing. Amazing! I don't have photos (cameras not allowed inside the tent) so I'll grab a few of my favorite performances from Spot.ph:

After the show. Rain finally stopped!

Sooo happy!

The drive back home was just as horrific. We even got lost! It took us almost three hours to get home but our verdict? Worth it!!! So worth it. I urge you all to watch Varekai. It is spectacular! I even Tweeted tips after the show to help others going there:

Buy your tickets here. You can buy the cheapest seats. The tent is small and cozy so even the farthest seats offer a fantastic view. Enjoy!