A Very Limited Lacquer Palette

When I was much younger, my sister painted my nails and would put on a different color on each of my fingernail. And she'd do the same to hers, following the same color scheme. The colors would range from flashy yellow to hot pink, to even lime green.  Now I, no longer a big user of nail polish, was surprised the other night while I was digging through my closet and I realized how my available varnishes was basically composed of just a few different shades of rouge, and cream...(I buy cream polishes because they're so neutral, they're the most appropriate when I have to go to meetings or other formal occasions.)  It surprised me a bit because this limited palette is so different from my love for color. I seem to have changed preferences over the years, with tendencies toward just classics.  There's nothing wrong with the classic colors, I just feel this is the time when we, young girls, have the most right to wearing shocking hues.  Suddenly I pictured myself 30 years from now trying on wild colors, and what would I look like then? 

Next time I go to the mall I'll make sure to pick up some fresh colors, I'll post my new finds when I come back with them. :)

Revival of an Old Classic

Camel...don't you just love the creaminess of this color? The classic that never really went away is back,(how ironic), and as a hot color for this season (or at least according to some sources,hehe).  I was so lucky to snag these uber creamy camel pumps 2 years back, and I'm even luckier now that the color is making a comeback.  If you've also got camel colored goodies, try pairing them up with pastels, they're said to actually look good together. (Though I haven't tried this one though) :) 

Thought of the Day...Black

I was reading a book earlier today and came across an article about why choosing the color black for wardrobe is a great choice, and it listed down these interesting reasons:
1. It hides stains.
2. It detracts from poor tailoring and general wear.
3. It goes with all colors.
4. Even the cheapest of fabrics look decent in black.
5. It dresses up.
6. It dresses down.
7. It can be elegant, classic, sexy, funky or mournful.
8. It imparts timelessness to clothes.
9. It has an impressive pedigree - nuns, Audrey Hepburn, beatniks, and Morticia Addams-and is the uniform of fashion editors worldwide.
10. It can go summer or winter.
11. It has a unique ability to stand out, blend in, seduce, repel.
12. What other color does all this and takes off ten pounds? ;)
-Taken from Chic Simple Women's Wardrobe

(I'm not sure if black is still the stereotype uniform of fashion editors worldwide. I love Emmanuelle Alt's style with her predominant use of black, but there are editors like Giovanna Battaglia who actually look great even with the use of color! )

Cats Just 'Round the Corner

In my case, they're just outside my doorstep.

I don't know why, but cats seem to be flocking into our factory in the province, and we seem to be attracting particularly the white type. What's really interesting is the strangeness of their color, they're all pure white. It started with two stray cats who entered our compound, and now there are seven of them!

This one has astonishing blue eyes.

While this female cat has the most interesting pair of eyes, one blue and the other yellow.

What inspired me to write this post is the fact that "Cats" is just around the corner, coming in the month of July this year at the CCP. There's so much hype about the musical being absolutely fantastic, and I wonder if it really is as good as people say. I haven't asked my mom yet if she wants to go see, but I'm also not sure if she's already seen it...

How about you? What do you think? Is it really the must-see musical of a lifetime? :)

The Heat of Summer

The weather this summer has been crazy. Not a day has passed by this week when I didn't hear sirens of fire trucks. Today, as we were on the highway on our way back to Manila, we saw a huge factory burning, with the fire already burning through the ceiling. We later found out they are actually friends and customers of our family, and that the fire lasted for 12 hours and 100 (yes, one hundred) firetrucks had come and could not even stop the fire. Naturally, the fire was unstoppable because the factory was a huge fireplace, dealing a lot with wood products.

My brother snapped this photo of my back, if you're wondering why I'm wearing long sleeves when it's uber scorching hot, it's because I'm also uber sunburned from my trip to the beach last week and am recuperating from the burn. Hehe :)

I wore this lucky charm bracelet I just got from my mom from Barcelona, it has a pendant of the Lady of Montserrat...I did a bit of research, and I found out she's known as the black Madonna.

People also believe that Lady Montserrat is capable of making miraculous things happen. I hope that by wearing the bracelet, the luck would rub off on me too :)

Photo taken from www.todocoleccion.net

They say that there's always a rainbow after the rain. But where is the rain? I've been making my own rain by using rain makers and fountains in our office, even using this rainbow colored playboy watch. I guess it's a fresh change from my boring old silver watch.

I hope everyone reading will try to keep safe from getting burned this summer. It's necessary to check all plugs and cables before leaving the house to make sure nothing will create unwanted sparks. And let's not forget about our own selves...do not forget to wear and reapply sunblock. Unless you want to accompany me as I scale like a snake. hahaha :)

Sights of the City...Puerto Princessa, Palawan

My past four days last week has been a blast!

If you're looking for natural thrills, you should try Palawan. It's a beautiful island in the Philippines that is still rich in natural resources. They offer a lot of activities, some of which I've only tried for the first time during my stay there. I've been to Palawan before when I was younger, but I never had as much adventure as I did this time.

To name a few of the thrills we got, we rode a small boat not much bigger than a kayak - late at night through a mangrove lake that could go as deep as 40 feet to see fireflies, myriads of stars, and beautiful sparkling planktons. We also paddled through a dark and deep underground river filled with swallows and bats and got educated about cave formations. And of course, a trip to the island is not complete til you've swam with the fishes in this beach-rich archipelago. Luckily I only made acquaintances with fishes and not with the jelly type. :)

Here are a few photos I was able to take during our last day, since I wasn't able to take much during the first few very adventurous (to the point of being almost dangerous) days.

Good for Mother Nature, I found out that many of the island's sites are now protected from unwanted miners and fishers.
Taken at the Estrella Falls (estrella is Spanish for stars - it got it's name because the sky in the area is starry at night). It's my first time to try this slow shutter effect, I've seen it before in a photobook. Pretty cool huh?

Something you'd normally see in the countryside.

Of course, my trip won't be complete without a visit to the shops as well.

Lots' a beads!

Howdy cowboy!

I do hope everyone's had a great Holy Easter Week, whether you've spent it reflecting, traveling, or even partying.

Have a great week ahead! :)