SOLE MATES

Last weekend, my soulmate and I went to see the Alliance France's “Portraits of Shoes,” “Stepping Into Pinoy Style,” and Pete Jimenez' “If the Shoe Fits” exhibits at the Yuchengco Museum (Php 100/adult).

We love shoes. We recognize their power – to make and break outfits, to spell the difference between leisurely walks and painful travels, to make a statement, to offer a glimpse into a person's character, etc. We're interested in the rich shoe history – how it demonstrated social ranks, the Chinese custom of binding women's feet, the dynamics of shoes & worship, shoes & marriage, etc. We appreciate their beauty.

Step into our shoes...

His favorites:

• Weejuns: his brown cowhide leather split-toed lace-ups
• Two-toned brown-white wing-tipped brogue spectator shoes
• White classic canvass sneakers
• His very Mod brown suede Chukka boots
• Black Beatle-boot a.k.a. The Chelsea

Searching for: (search ended on July 4, 2009! So happy for J!)

• The perfect loafers for traveling across cultures; that may be used as day & night wear

My favorites:

• Black classic ballet flats
• Two-toned black-white brogue spectator heels
• Gold strappy stilettos with cabbage roses

Searching for:

• The most comfortable ballet flats – in all colors available
• A childhood fantasy: my very own Cinderella glass slippers

J and I would never want to be in some other couple's shoes. We're happy in ours. We'll forever be each other's favorite "pair".

UNO

Last Friday, over dinner at one of our favorite date places, Uno Restaurant, J's puns made me laugh out loud, "Uno thoughts: You may not be the first but you're the only one."

J introduced me to Uno (located at Scout Fuentebella corner Tomas Morato, Quezon City -- behind Little Asia) nine years ago. He revealed that it was their (his ex and his) "place" for the longest time. He had let go of the ex but not of Uno (hehe). I understood completely -- it was so easy to fall for the food, the place, even the service. You can tell the people working here love what they do! Photo credit (spoon & fork): Mine.

What we love:

• the iced tea (their own brew)
• their freshly-baked bread
• their Daily Specials
• their ever-changing menu
• their desserts are to die for (Must Try: cheesecake, fallen chocolate cake)
• the service (they're very warm, attentive and efficient! And because we're regulars, even if we have not ordered, they serve us our iced tea na -- they remember!)

Another blogger described Uno perfectly and I quote "It has everything I like in a restaurant: simple décor, clean crisp white table cloth, sturdy wooden chairs, big windows that let the sunlight in, a menu that changes as often as possible, uncomplicated food prepared meticulously and delicately, fresh ingredients made from scratch, the smell of home-made bread, servings that are just right and really great desserts to end a meal."

Photo credits (bread basket, desserts): Recados Filipinos

TAGAYTAY DAY TRIP

Some photos from our Family Day Trip to Tagaytay two weekends ago.

A Tagaytay classic: Leslie's Bulalo

Of course I ate the sinful bits! =)

Bulalo: the Pinoys' beef, bone marrow and vegetable soup.

View of the Taal Lake

Tagaytay High

Lady in Black at Calaruega
One usually sees brides in white here, right?

My Baby

GETTING MARRIED on INDEPENDENCE DAY

I love the irony of A & J (not us!) getting married on Independence Day!


A & J's beautiful family.

The bride's gorgeous (very detailed) gown is by my designer cousin Cza Villa.

The sentimental me: My cousin A used to be as tiny as Baby S but now she's a mom herself!
A was my "lil sis" before P came along.
My Mom took care of her most of her grade school years since Tito & Tita were based in Nueva Ecija.


Me & my cousins at the Photo Booth (such a fun wedding gimik!)


The Bride & Groom are so in love!



My brother's lovely family.


Smell the Flowers!
J's naughty take on the bouquet, so him!

NOT-SO-HIDDEN MICKEY

J is so not Disney. We knew the family's HongKong Holiday would be too "wholesome" for the adventurous him so he skipped it. Plus we're saving up for the condo (full payment is due this month) so we could only afford one ticket -- mine, hehe.

It was my very first Disneyland experience. And true enough, the Happiest Place on Earth brought out the little girl in me!


Man of the House
Mickey welcomed us to his humble home.
Loved the gigantic cheese slices & cupcakes!


Imeldific?
Try walking in Mickey's iconic shoes!
Photo: My sis P


Mickey & Minnie Forever
Check out my Mom's cute umbrella (HKD 150) and the park landscape -- it's the world's most popular love team!


The Mickey Express
The train from Sunny Bay to Disneyland was a "ride" in itself!


Window to "A Whole New World"
The Mickey windows were so cute!
5 minutes away from Disneyland


Can you handle this?
That's me with my wedding ring -- missed J!


Disneyland Station
We've arrived!


Disney Balloons
They light up when night time sets in!

The Banquet Hall
This is where we ate our first Disneyland meal.

Mickey Pizza
My sis had the flavorful Margherita pizza (around HKD 50 or Php 350).

Mickey Ice Cream

My sis had the Jelly version (around HKD 12 or Php 84).

Mickey Bowls

My sis' new favorite: Yang Chow Fried Rice
Disneyland's was worth around HKD 40 (Php 280)

How we got there: We took the MTR from Tsim Sha Tsui (there's a station right across our hotel, Hotel Panorama) to Sunny Bay

MTR Fare: around HKD 16 for adults; HKD 12 for kids

Travel Time: around 30 minutes (we transferred trains twice; expect a lot of walking)

Disneyland Tickets: HKD 350 (around Php 2450) for adults; HKD 250 (around Php 1750) for kids

Must-Do: Ask for the skeds of the shows (there's one almost every hour); wear cotton; bring cap, umbrella, fan, face towels & extra clothes; you can't bring in food & drinks; wear comfortable shoes; stay until the fireworks display (around 8pm)

HONG KONG HOLIDAY

For the first time, I traveled outside of the country minus J.

The Hong Kong Holiday was a Family Date, a despedida (farewell) of sorts for my Ma and sis before they moved out of the country -- a gift from my very generous Tita Es, Tito Rey and cousin Kris.



Hong Kong's iconic shop signs.
Kowloon side.
Photo: Mine


Hong Kong Harbour
View from the Avenue of Stars
Photo: Mine


Room 1211, Hotel Panorama
Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
Photo: My sis P


Ella & Paula at the Arrivals Area
Hong Kong Airport
Photo: Mine


We loved the spicy fishballs & fresh watermelon juice!
Mongkok Ladies' Market
Photo: Mine


My dear cousins at the Avenue of Stars
Photo: Mine


Hong Kong Hotties!
Cza, Kris, Me, Ate Pia, Ella
Photo: My sis P


Family on a Date
The whole gang (11 of us) in front of Hotel Panorama


Mom & Daughters Date
Taken June 4, 2009 (cam had the wrong date!)
My Mom and I first visited HK in 1998 -- it was my parents' 18th Bday gift to me.

LOVE IS LIKE A RUNWAY...

A single girl's dating life does seem like a fashion runway (cue in music: Fergie's "Labels or Love"). I've walked that ramp and am glad to be off it. Not that it was a bad experience but like every fashion aficionado, I embrace the changing of seasons. Walking down the wedding aisle was so much better for me (cue in music: "Il Postino" theme song). Now, I'm happily sashaying through Philippine Fashion Week with my well-dressed J (cue in music: Suede's "Beautiful Ones").

On our side of the world, love will forever be in fashion!



Our 4th PFW show c/o our very talented designer cousin Czarina Villa.
Venue: SMX


Holiday '09 Premiere B: The best among Cza's PFW shows.


The Villas & Nastors. All proud of the very talented Cza.