10 Terrific Things # 1

Happy first of March, everyone! To celebrate, I'm kicking off a new and hopefully regular section where I collect and curate 10 terrific things from all over that I find lovely, amazing, and inspiring. These could range from new hobbies I'd like to try; to clothes I want for myself; to things that caught my eye and to silly stuff I'd just like to share. Everything under the sun that makes me happy, really. 

1. Kate Spade x Keds sneakers

I'm normally your sandals and ballet-flats type of girl, but these sneakers are just too cool to refuse! It's the perfect combination of punchy and girly (your reliable Kate Spade aesthetic)—wonderful in giving a casual twist to any dress. That little gold spade detail at the back makes me giddy.

2. No-Bake Cheesecake Truffles by A Beautiful Mess

Nox and I both looove cheesecakes. We also both love eating. 

Baking... not so much. I can't wait to try this recipe out one day!

3. Paper Sculpture by Zim & Zou

Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann make up the team that is Zim & Zou, specialising in jaw-dropping, mind-boggling paper sculptures that simply look out of this world! I implore you to go check out their website and their Behance page and see all of their amazing works. Now. Click. That. Link. You won't regret it. 

Oh, the things you could do with paper! 

4. Mrs Pomeranz

Mrs. Pomeranz is an Etsy shop based in Russia that carries these gorgeous dresses with the 1950-1960's silhouette you see above. I love how prim and elegant the dresses all look and I really, really, really wish I could find something close to that in our local stores. The sleeves look on pointe, the length of the skirts look just right for me. <3 Point me in the right direction, and I'll be there first thing in the morning.

5. Megan Lara

I've been following Megan Lara for some time now, both on Tumblr and on her Facebook page. Actually, I first stumbled upon her when someone posted online about this girl who looks hauntingly like the British celebrity (and Doctor Who companion), Billie Piper. At first I was blown-away by how similar they looked. Then I was knocked off my feet by her amazing illustrations! Not only does she illustrate (and cosplay) Doctor Who, she even has art on a huge assortment of fandoms! Go check her out!

6. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Seche Vite Top Coat is simply heaven sent. I couldn't stop raving about the practicality and usefulness of this powerful little solution as it dries your nails less than 5 minutes! It's being sold here for around 300 to 450 pesos (depending on where you buy) and every cent was worth it. Complicated nail art takes minutes to finish as every layer dries ten times as fast. Last-minute manicures become just a breeze as your nails have already dried before you even step out of the house. I also couldn't wait to try quick dry lacquer paints! 

I bought my latest bottle from Beauty Kingdom.

(It was 300php each for 3 bottles plus 60 delivery fee at the time I ordered it.)

7. Revlon Moon Candy Meteor

My sister recently hosted Belle du Jour's Start Smart with BDJ Rendezvous and was gifted with her very own BDJ Box—one of the items in it was Revlon's Moon Candy in Meteor. I love her to bits for handing me this marvellous nail polish with no hesitation! She might have remembered that one time I was ogling at Emma Stone's Revlon Moon Candy video at the mall. (haha!) I love how the solid base color isn't streaky at all—although with multiple use, the sparkle side tends to turn viscous. (But nothing a drop of solvent couldn't fix!)

8. Etsy Jewellery

1- Artemer | 2- Viartvi | 3- Kateszabone | 4- Kateszabone 

I have been obsessing over dainty jewellery—specially rings, for more than a year now and I still haven't found the perfect one locally that's within my budget. These are the kind of rings I'd love to get myself someday. It's a pity they're all from abroad... If only the customs in this country isn't so shifty, I'd have bought one (or five) a long time ago.

9. Sherlock Holmes

I've started reading Shelock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to follow it. I've already finished A Study in Scarlet and right now am in the middle of The Sign of Four. If you love detective stories, you really couldn't go wrong with some Sherlock.

10. Brush Calligraphy

Oh, calligraphy. This is my latest obsession, really (both pointed pen and brush calligraphy). The photos above are from Fozzy Book's nifty little guide for lettering with brushes. It was after reading her entry when I marched myself to Deovir Arts and bought myself a Pentel Brush Pen, a rounded brush (#7) and a new set of watercolor tubes. I've been practicing both my calligraphy and watercolors since! 

Adventure # 7 - To the South We Go!

Alabang was the destination of choice for our Valentine's Date this year and we really had no set plan except for dinner at Le Petit Cheri in Molito. Suffice it to say, we super enjoyed winging it. We ended up driving past a branch of Project Pie, making the snap decision go and scarf down an artisan pizza, going to the supermarket next door and ended up buying my cat a new collar, and finally, going to Molito where we both tried out the Magum Gold?! and deposited ourselves at Le Petit Cheri for some French fare. 

We also wanted to hit Magnum Opus if we had the chance (because, TARDIS) but unfortunately, I think we spent too much time in the supermarket. I really want to go back to Alabang and try out all the food places in Aguirre Avenue! It's a shame we don't journey South more often—I'll see to it that we change that. 

Project Pie is my personal slice of heaven. You get to choose your pizza, out of 6 customisable bases, (285php) and add all the toppings you could want for no added cost! The pizza people behind the counter strongly advised us not up everything on it. She was particularly adamant about it going, "Sir, no. No. Just don't. Please don't." when Nox asked if anyone has ordered it already. Then her colleague by the meat toppings station chimed in with a reasonable explanation—it will be hard to have your pizza cooked through-and-through if you put everything on top. He said it'll be like eating raw food. :| 

However, he did say we could have all the topping IF we only put a smidge of everything so that the pizza still looks like a pizza (not a small mountain of toppings) and it cooks evenly.

They sell Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay in itty bitty bottles for 280 php!

View from the second floor.

Tada!! We chose pizza # 6 (grilled chicken, sliced red onion, cilantro, mozzarella, gorgonzola, bbq sause) with parmesan, pepperoni, italian sausage, crumbled meatballs, Canadian bacon, proscuitto, caramelized onions, fresh mushrooms, rosemary, artichokes and black olives. Well that was a mouthful of toppings!

Adventure # 6 - Anniversary Celebration

I had such a great time last Feburary 8, when Nox and I celebrated our 5th anniversary together! YAY. I won't elaborate as much and would let the photos speak for themselves but man, that Spiral at Sofitel was definitely worth it.

We also had a quick (a bit late) lunch at Lola Cafe + Bar of Dynamite ( Deep-fried green chill fingers and cheese with salsa dip) and Fish and Chips (Three pieces beer batter fish and homemade tartar sause). We deliberately ate lightly for lunch as we had a spa appointment right after. Then it was off to stuff ourselves (daintily).

I've also been dabbling at pointed pen calligraphy lately (and a bit of water-colour as well). For more about calligraphy, visit The Curious Calligrapher! They have a wealth of information for beginners and the calligraphy circle is very, very friendly. :)

Lola Cafe + Bar's interiors.

Exposed bulbs IN mason jars!

Dramatic silhouette shot of Nox by the bay.

Dramatic silhouette shot of me by the bay!

Adventure # 5 - Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year was something I have always looked forward to. Not only because we get to have a quick do-over of our failed resolutions, and not only because of the good food, but because of these amazing lion and dragon dances. You see, I grew up right smack in Chinatown (Binondo, Manila) and every day of the week leading up to the new year of the lunar calendar, these amazingly disruptive, colorful creatures will come dancing down the street every ten minutes or so, accompanied by a cacophony of drumbeats and firecrackers. 

I was initially terrified when I first learned about this tradition. Dragons and lions?! I used to cover my ears and bolt from the study into the safe confines of my parents' bedroom, using my elbows to turn the doorknob and my foot to kick the door shut. Then this fright turned into fascination and we eagerly anticipated the dances and drums that stalled traffic to a standstill down Juan Luna Street—we would lean as far out as we could from our 5th floor balcony to catch a glimpse of them dancing into a shop. I also remember a memory of pretending to be a lion with pillows and blankets! Then as I grew older, me and my dad would venture out, every first day of the Chinese new year towards the dizzying streets of Ongpin in search of these lion dances (and yummy food to bring back home).

There was also that one time when we dangled an angpao (money envelope) and Chinese cabbage from the 5th floor of our building to get a pair of lions to dance for us and bring us good luck for the coming year. There was a mad scramble for more rope on our side and a step ladder on their side as our original rope was too short and the lions couldn't reach it! In the end, the did find a stool/monoblock and managed to reach the envelope.

It has been a good fourteen years since we've lived there—and lion and dragon dances aren't as prolific as they used to be when we were still in the thick of the celebrations. Nowadays, I actively search for these little slices of tradition to revel in the brightness and loudness of it all—banishing the evil away and welcoming a prosperous new year. 

The following shots were taken on February 1, 2014 where they had the Lion Dance Exhibition at Eastwood City. Admittedly, it was a bit uncoordinated (with 15 lions in all, what do you expect?) but it nevertheless satisfied my yearly search for a good dose of tradition.

Just a note: There's a world of difference between lion and dragon dances. The creatures featured above are lions. While the creature below is a dragon. I'm a bit peeve-y when it comes to the differentiation of the two and couldn't help but cringe a little when people call them the wrong things.

Happy (belated) New Year!