Philosykos

diptyque PHILOSYKOS eau de toilette

A white cedar base gives this slightly masculine, fig-scented fragrance its unexpected note of sweetness.

available at Joyce Boutique in Hong Kong

Highlights of DFW's Styling Workshop, Sep to Nov 2010

I'm so used to having a routine during weekdays that not having one on weekends sometimes drove me to bouts of insanity. So when I saw DFW's (Designer Fashion Workshop under iAcademy) workshop details at manilafashionobserver.blogspot.com, I immediately thought of joining.

The workshop would be under Noel Manapat, a name that was unfamiliar to me and one that did not return many results in Google. I went through with the class, though, basing my decision on the famous name of the other mentors, who included Jojie Lloren, Inno Sotto and Lulu Tan-Gan among others. (I would eventually find out that styling-wise, Noel is of the same calibre as those mentioned.)

The workshop consisted of 8 Saturday afternoon sessions that ran from September to November. Classes were often hands-on and held outside of the school and went beyond the allotted 2-hour schedule so a flexible schedule was a must to make the most out of this class.

These are some of the highlights of our 8-week session.

Randy Ortiz for Kashieca Luxe Fashion Show at Greenbelt 5

Backstage at the Randy Ortiz for Kashieca Luxe fashion show which was teeming with models and familiar faces. Fashion shows like these often occurred after the 3 to 530 schedule. I often stayed behind with a couple of classmates to "help" dress the models, but more than 50% of the stylist's work was done days or weeks before the actual show.

Models posing with Randy Ortiz backstage. The show churned out 90 (!) looks but my favorite would have to be the colored dress on a pair of different colored tights.

Furne One Show at the Rizal Ballroom of Makati Shangri-La Hotel

Noel was the stylist for the Furne One show so we got to tag along to this show as well. Although I'm not a fan of romantic, overly embellished dresses, I liked how the models were transformed to look like fierce Amazon women with their chunky 5-inch, knee-high, lace-up wedges and over-the-top headdresses. (Click here for pictures from the show.)

One of the more than 50 pieces of Furne One dresses which were flew in from Dubai just for the show. The intricate beadwork was evident in the stiffness and the weight of each piece, which, based on my estimate, would be around more than 10 pounds per dress.

Individual Projects: The New Minimalist

Each student had to come up with a white shirt idea that would fall under the new minimalist theme. The models, photographer and schedule were arranged by DFW and Noel, but we had to provide the clothes for our own ideas. Model-slash-photographer Joan Bitagcol did the photo shoot at her studio near Rockwell, and the model assigned to me was Ornussa Cadness.

My idea for this shoot was comfortable cool. I dug into Queen J's collection of goodies from the '90s (gasp!) for the bottoms to use for this shoot since she's as thin as should be legally allowed. The rest I picked up from inside my closet, and this was what I came up with: Mango cardigan, Zara button-down shirt, Esprit scarf, and Bossini high-waisted hotpants. The tights were Mom's from the '80s (double gasp!), and the shoes were Ornussa's. I wasn't prepared at all for this project. If Ornussa weren't wearing here own oxfords I would have a shoeless model posing for a whole-body shot.

My original idea was a running pose, but I was the last to arrive at the studio and this had been done already, plus Joan and Noel didn't think it was the best choice for my look. Anyway, this was one of my favorite poses of Ornussa. After the prints came out, we were asked what we would have done differently, if any. I think that I would have pushed through with the same look but if time and resources allowed, I would have brought more pieces with me in shades of light brown because even though no two pieces in this outfit were of the same color, they all looked rather washed-out in the picture.

A summary of everyone's work. Funny how each project reflected each one's personality.

Graduation day, receiving our certificates from Noel Manapat.

This is DFW's Jan to March schedule. Receive 15% off of classes when you sign up by November, that's tomorrow!

Overall, it's been a fun experience that brought me to many different places I wouldn't have been in if I didn't sign up for the class. A few of the opportunities that I missed were some of the major ones too such as Philippine Fashion Week (I could have secured tickets to shows by SM, F&H and Cesar Gaupo) and Inno Sotto's recent show.

That's it for my stint as a student of fashion. The question lingers, of course, why take a styling class instead of, say, a language or cooking class. I took this class not because I want to become a stylist, the lack of a day-to-day routine and the absence of a steady source of income (at the start if lucky) are enough to push me over the edge, but because I love to shop and I'm good at finding little knickknacks here and there, so I think I may have a future as a personal shopper, for part of the time at least, weekends maybe? But until someone decides to pay me for my services, I will be shopping the normal way, that is for myself. After all, it's almost Christmas and there are still tons of items to be crossed off my Christmas shopping list.

Bubble Tea @ Wilson Greenhills

I find the name to be a bit misleading. Of course, Bubble Tea offers pearl milk tea (and milkshakes!) in various flavors, but the majority of its menu is devoted to Japanese fusion dishes. Pages and pages of them, in fact. They have takoyaki balls made famous by Samurai as well as okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), rice toppings, sushi, soup, and sandwiches.

The newly opened Bubble Tea along Wilson in Greenhills West. Honeybee, the pastry shop, has yet to open, though.

My honey dew melon milk tea with pearl and mango bits smelled really good, but it was more a sweet flavored drink than real tea.

For starters, I had the potato soup which was creamy but also very salty. I would have liked it better too if it had bits of potatoes in it.

For the main course, I had garlic rice which was normal and not "authentic Japanese" (see Omakase's garlic rice below).

I paired my garlic rice with vegetable tempura consisting of potatoes, okra, red bell pepper, and eggplant. Nothing spectacular about this, I regret not getting the grilled skewered veggies instead.

I think my non-vegetarian friends enjoyed this place much more than I did. Nonetheless, we were all really full after our meal as we all had large drinks with our main course, which, it turned out, was not the smartest thing to do.

Omakase @ Greenhills Carpark

N and I finally found the time to celebrate his birthday (one month after the actual date) and to catch up. I suggested that we dine at Omakase in Greenhills Carpark since I had never tried the restaurant before. I went there not knowing what to expect with the food, but knowing N and me, I was prepared to stay awake for another couple of hours after dinner as we both tend to order too much food.

I started with the seaweed salad, which I was delighted to find in their menu as it is my favorite Japanese snack from Sogo in HK. It tasted exactly as I remember it, crunchy and lightly seasoned.

N ordered tamago sushi and crunchy California maki to share. I think the sushi was passable but not special.

For the main course, I had kakiage, a mix of thin strips of veggies and squid in tempura batter (I requested to have the squid removed), and an extra order of garlic rice. I appreciate that the kakiage didn't taste like it was cooked in old oil and that the batter was not thick.

My favorite would have to be the garlic rice. The Japanese version of this Filipino breakfast staple is fragrant and slightly brown, the rice round and a little bit sticky but not clumped together. When done right, Japanese garlic rice is so good that it can be eaten without any viands. Omakase's was exactly like this.

Unfortunately, N wasn't too happy with his aspara-beef roll (no picture).

I washed down my fried meal with hot tea, which I'm happy was not diluted.

Overall, it was a very satisfying meal in a nice restaurant. (Thanks N for dinner.) One downside was that the place was slightly cramped. The tables were so near to each other that one could hear snippets of conversation from the next table if one chose to.

Omakase is located at the carpark right across Mister Donut. The ground level entrance is right beside Globe. The restaurant is located at the second level and there is an entrance there as well from the carpark.

Trying Out the Socks & Oxfords Look

Any thoughts? I got the socks from Zara a couple of months ago and have been trying to come up with ways to wear it. It's so beautiful inside Adora, it's the perfect place for an outfit shot, but where are the full length mirrors, without obstructions, that is? Anyway, here's a clearer shot amidst SM Department Store's harsh fluorescent lights.

Product Review: Olay Moisturizing Cream, Two Thumbs Up

I recently used up all of my day and night creams and still had a month to go before I could buy a new set of skincare. I couldn't go a month without any moisturizer, but, if I were to buy here, I could be shelling out a few hundred or thousand pesos more for the same items. So, for the meantime, I picked up a pot of Olay Moisturizing Cream from PCX for Php 268.50 and was amazed that such an affordable moisturizer could be so good for my skin.

A week into using Olay Moisturizing Cream both for day and night, I began to notice my skin looking more radiant and glowing, if I may say so myself. Could it really be due to my Olay cream since I wasn't doing anything else differently? Before Olay, I was using Chanel Precision Hydramax Active Moisture Gel, a light cream most suitable for hot summer months, and this might not have been enough for the colder weather we experienced recently. The thicker Olay cream instantly helped to replenish my tired and thirsty skin. A big plus is that even though the cream is heavy, my combination skin doesn't easily become shiny with oil. I think that I might actually use my Olay far longer than the one month that it was intended for. If I had to name one fault that I found with it, though, it's that it smells like medicine. Other than that, it's a fantastic product for its price.

*Photo from Sasa.com

Happy Lemon @ Greenhills Now Open

After waiting for a couple of months, Happy Lemon in Promenade, Greenhills, beside Starbucks and the previous location of the ground level entrance to Fully Booked is now open. I'm very curious and excited to see what this place has to offer given its prime location.

Happy Lemon offers both coffee and tea beverages, but there are more variants of tea than coffee. I found its line of rock salt with cheese to be quite interesting and ordered the Green Tea flavor.

Customers are asked for their names a la Starbucks, but unlike the popular coffee chain, Happy Lemon gives out numbers as well and uses this to match customers with their drinks. I was also asked how sweet I wanted my drink to be. I was given the option to get the regular, which was 100% sweetness, 50% less, 30% less or no sugar at all. Not knowing how sweet their drinks were, I opted for the regular sweetness. I'm quite pleased with this as I find beverages in many restaurants here to be too sweet for my liking.

My green tea with rock salt and cheese drink came less than 5 minutes after I ordered. The staff recommended I drink this without a straw. The first thing I tasted was the milky, savory goodness of the melted cheese on top. Then came the green tea, which had the perfect level of non-sweetness. Its slightly bitter taste offset the creaminess of the cheese on top. After the first sip, though, I couldn't taste the saltiness of the cheese anymore. Perhaps next time I will try to drink from a straw so I can sip all the cheese first.

So far, my first experience in Happy Lemon was a success. I can't wait to go back and try their pearl milk tea and other flavored teas such as the grapefruit with aloe, which was my first choice. I'm glad to finally have this refreshing alternative to coffee, which I have been off of for a month now.

Trying Out Cookbook Kitchen in Eastwood

After having heard many good reviews about Cookbook Kitchen, I was finally able to try their branch in Eastwood. I was disappointed that the food was not what I had expected at all.

Nice interiors, simple but very spacious and relaxing

Started off with Parmesan herbed fries, not very crunchy and completely bland

Squash soup was thick and could serve as the main course already. Not too tasty but passable. Best to finish this while it's hot, though.

Alla Checca, pasta with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese, was completely bland like the fries. Pasta was soggy and not al dente. I would recommend to change the spaghetti to penne or macaroni as the pasta hardened when it was not hot and fresh anymore due to the mozzarella.

Kittin's Scarlet Cake was the only good thing we had. The cake was heavier than chiffon cake and the consistency kind of resembled puto (rice cake). The icing had a hint of cream cheese and complemented the cake well. It was also not too sweet, which was a plus. Perfect as a snack or with a light lunch or dinner.

Ordered the house wine which had a terrible aftertaste.

I wonder if their main branch near Shaw Boulevard is any better. Cookbook Kitchen in Eastwood is located across the new Eastwood Mall, behind Make Room.

Travel Cafe Philippines

I came across Travel Cafe Philippines when I was looking for a place where I could grab a snack in Greenbelt 5. I was thinking of trying something new but all the places I could think of were lunch or dinner restaurants. Coming from the Beauty Bar side, I was already towards the end of Greenbelt 5 and about to just go to one of the coffee shop chains over at GB3 when I saw Travel Cafe Philippines.

The interior of the coffee shop looked inviting at first glance--comfortable chairs, marble tabletops, and lots of space, but the ambience was quiet and cool, very un-Filipino-restaurant-like if I can say so, as conversations went on in hushed tones. I'm very used to being surrounded by a celebratory mood whenever I'm in a restaurant that serves Filipino cuisine, even in higher end places such as Abe.

I ordered fresh lumpia, which was the vegetarian dish recommended to me by the wait staff. It was fresh and very filling, but the veggies might be a little bit overcooked and soggy. The sauce was sweet and savory but not salty.

I also tried the ube with macapuno and cheese. The ube was not too sticky and had a soft-candy like consistency. The sweetness was just right and the cheese and macapuno complemented it well.

All in all, it was a pretty good and relaxing snack. The place was wonderful, though the food I tried was rather common, the service was excellent. Before I left, the wait staff asked me how I liked the ube, which she had suggested to me when I was choosing between that and the sinukmani.

Travel Cafe Philippines is located at the 2nd level of GB5.

101st

I now have 100 posts since I started to blog in April of last year. I decided to go through my old photos as lately, I feel that I've been wearing the same stuff over and over again. Seeing my photos made me realize how true this is. Moreover, my hairstyle hasn't changed for two years now! Thankfully I have something to look forward to that's coming up really soon. For now, here are some photos I didn't get the chance to post before.

Hair Do's Daisu-ke San from the salon's Sogo, Causeway Bay branch in HK did the best job on my long hair in July last year. Nobody was able to cut it the same way since, and unfortunately, Daisu-ke San left HK shortly after this haircut.

This was how my hair looked less than 6 months after Daisu-ke San cut my hair. It was long, heavy and shapeless, but I'm not sure who to get my haircut from here in Manila. In the end, I gave in and tried Park Jun and came out with hair that was only half an inch shorter. On an altogether different note, I'd been rolling up my pants since last year.

Before I switched to using my Olympus E-P1, I was using my 4 year old Sony T7, which yielded blurry photos in low-light settings. During that time I was still shy to have a full body shot taken in public, hence this headless elevator shot. Nevertheless, this is still one of my favorite outfits, so I'm posting it here.

I tried Cafe Juanita in December last year but never got around to making a post about it as the lack of photos (camera was no good) wouldn't do the place justice. All I've got here is a hint of the place's hippie decor. The smoked eggplant dish in the next photo was by far one of the best eggplant dishes I have had and it was vegetarian too.

There's more to Podium than Pagliacci. One of our other favorite places there was Terry's Selection. Unfortunately, they have a very limited vegetarian selection so we haven't gone back since last year. Potato omelette is one of their specialties and this vegetarian version was really good especially with some hot sauce.

Finally, these are two of my more exciting outfits lately, but even these were just recycled stuff. I mostly go about in comfortable jeans and shirts nowadays. I've also been doing a lot of the behind-the door shot lately.

Finally, I only came up with this outfit because the theme of this year's PTC or dice-throwing game was Rad in Plaid. (photo by DJ)