Derek Ramsay

Those of you who know me well know that I am not attracted to Asian guys, Filipino guys, or guys who are darker than me (and I'm pretty light-skinned). However, there always seems to be an exception and in this case it's Derek Ramsay.

Derek Ramsay is one of the top models in the Philippines. Half-Filipino and half-British, his good looks took the Philippines by a raging storm when he entered the modeling industry. Fast forward a few years later, Derek has broadened his scope to hosting and acting. He's currently one of the regular hosts on ASAP '07 and a leading man on the primetime soap Ysabella. He seems to be a great host since he has the charisma and the personality but I think he needs to work on his acting skills. It's still not that fluid and can seem rather forced at times.

Apparently Derek is not just eye candy. He also has a degree in Marketing with a minor in Electrical Engineering. Now that's a complete package...good looks, smarts, and a good job. His parents must be so proud. =)

I've never seen him in person, only in print and on TV. I wonder if he looks just as good in real life. Lol.

Christmas 2007 Outfit

The holidays are upon us and there's nothing more exciting than planning what to wear to our annual family party. This year, my outfit was complete even before I planned my birthday. I bought my dress last May and I bought my shoes in September. A little early but I guess it's one less thing I have to stress out about this holiday season.

My dress looks like this except it's more of an ice lavender and not so much fuschia. The cut is similar. I'm thinking of dressing it up with accessories since it's a little plain. I love the jewel tone though; so appropriate for the holiday season.

How I only wish these are the shoes that I'll be wearing with my dress. Sadly, this $800 pair of Miu Mius are not available yet. They can be preordered at Saks but won't arrive until late December to early January. I'll be wearing generic silver shoes. =( It's cool, the Miu Mius are out of my budget anyway. *Sigh*. Where's santa Claus when you need him?

Hmmm, I guess the only thing I need to plan is my outfit to the company Holiday Party.

Black Friday Sale at Camarillo Outlets

I haven't posted in a while. Partly due to the holidays and partly due to sheer exhaustion from the Black Friday sale that I braved with my mom, aunt and cousins. It seriously has taken me a few days to recuperate from the holiday mayhem and the psychotic Black Friday sale we went to.

My mom and I decided a long time ago that we would try to make it to the post-Thanksgiving sale at the outlets this year. It turns out that my aunt wanted to go too so we all decided to go together. Collectively, this is our first time to the Camarillo outlets for their post-Thanksgiving sale. We all decided to just "tackle" the stores that we wanted to go to and ignore the rest.

Since most stores opened at midnight for the sale, we left LA at 11:00pm thinking that we'll have a head start and find a good parking spot. WRONG! We got there at 11:45pm and parking was already a mess. Banana Republic had a line about two blocks long and that's just to get in the store. It was such chaos! Lines to get into certain stores. Line to check out. I ended up only getting a few items but I finally got my Uggs.

For those of you who know me, you know I've been going back and forth about the Uggs. One, because I can't stand how they look but I know how comfortable they feel. Two, I live in LA. It doesn't get that cold here but I'm always cold and I have to walk my dog in the wee hours of the morning when it's still cold. Three, I just can't make up my mind. Well, standing in line at 5am in the freezing cold for about half an hour made me realize that I didn't get in that line to walk away empty handed. So, I caved and bought a pair. They are SOOO comfortable and so warm that I walked around in my apartment with them on all weekend. Lol.

Back to the sale. Was it worth it? I think so...just so I can tell people that I'm crazy enough to have gone. Were the sales that good? Yes, at certain stores (J. Crew and Banana Republic). Half the stores didn't have anything decent (Betsey Johnson) and the other half were too crowded (Diesel). But it was fun...exhausting but fun. Will I do it again? Hell no. Once is enough. Next year, I think I'll just go to Nordstrom or something.

Project Runway - Season 4

Season 4 of Project Runway starts tonight on Bravo (at 10/9 Central). After a summer hiatus, Heidi Klum and company are back! I can't wait. There's a lot of hype with this season's contestants but that's always the case when a show is returning from a long absence.

I can only hope for a great season. Of the last 3 seasons of Project Runway, I can say that I wasn't a fan of any of the winners. Season 1 winner's (Jay) designs were too out there. Season 2 winner, Chloe, was ok but her NY Fashion Week collection was a little boring. I was actually rooting for Daniel but I agree with the judges in that he needs more industry experience to hone his talent. Same with Season 3's Michael. He needs more experience but he is certainly not lacking in the talent department. Season 3's winner, Jeffrey, was a little rude for my taste. His designs are on the funky side and some work and some don't. His aesthetic is similar to Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. collection. Attitude problem aside, he was a good designer...good, not great.

I guess if this season can up the drama factor from previous seasons and especially up the level of talent, then say no more because I am so there. I hope they have more interesting challenges too.

Billion Dollar Babes Sale

Last Friday and Saturday, BDB had their annual multi-line sale at Smashbox Studios. Of course, a BDB sale wouldn't be complete without an appearance from me and JJ. It was a pretty decent sale. Racks and racks of discounted clothing were arranged by designer. Jewelry and shoe vendors lined the perimeter of the main room. A second room was set up as a lounge (serving complimentary cocktails to Platinum and Gold members) and yet another was set up as a makeshift salon. The back was set up for Chloe merchandise and more accessory vendors.

JJ snatched up a couple pairs of Oliver Peoples sunglasses, a dress, a funky vest, and a fur-trimmed jacket (ultimate steal for $80!!!). I left with a Mona & Holly top (retail at $231 and I got them for $90) and Chloe shorts (retail for $495, on sale at Neiman's for $126 and I got them for $80). Not a bad way to spend a Friday afternoon. JJ and I were so wrapped up in the shopping that we didn't even stop by the salon or grab a few cocktails. Maybe next time...

Retail Merchandising

I've always believed that merchandising plays an important role in enticing consumers to buy. When I used to work at Politix, we always had crazy window displays. The insanity and kookiness of our displays often attracted new customers to venture into our store.

The importance of merchandising (and styling for that matter) is even more evident in the world of e-commerce when the consumer can only rely on the visuals when deciding about a product. I've recently come across a dress from Rebecca Taylor in 4 different websites including the designer's own. If I hadn't seen the one from Shopbop first, I probably wouldn't have even given this dress a second glance. Now tell me, which site would you buy this dress from?

(L-R rebeccataylor.com, bergdorfgoodman.com)

(L-R edressme.com, shopbop.com)

Busy Week

It's been a busy week for me and I haven't really blogged. This week at work I've had to catch up with some work that I've put aside. My boss was in town, so of course, my work day wouldn't be complete without him interrupting me every 2 minutes. That alone distracts me enough to push back some of the work I need to get done. Our controller (from Hell) comes back to work tomorrow so she's gonna give me work on top of the holiday stuff I need to get done for the office.

School is just as busy. I have two Powerpoint presentations due on Wednesday. My slides are almost done. I just need to work on the actual presentation. I hate speaking in front of people but this class has been forcing me to overcome that fear. I guess it's a learning tool that our professor thinks is necessary.

So, my to do list this week:

Monday:

1. Prepare Christmas card and peanuts list for Steve
   
2. Finish Avico AMEX reconciliation for September
3. Start on Highmark filing
4. Group meeting for Carbohydrates presentation

Tuesday:

1. Work on Meconium Ileus presentation
2. Start Avico AMEX reconciliation for October
3. Start Platinum AMEX reconciliation with Avico flights
4. Order peanuts
   
5. Finish reading Chapter 17

Wednesday:

1. Wrap up Meconium Ileus presentation
2. Wrap up Carbohydrates presentation
3. Continue working on AMEX reconciliations
4. Continue working on Highmark filing

Thursday:

1. Wrap up AMEX reconciliations
2. Start reading Chapter 18
3. Wrap up Highmark filing
   
4. Work on CLE filing
5. Inquire for Holiday Party

Friday:

1. Finish Chapter 18
2. Finish Highmark and CLE filing
3. Tie up any loose ends at work

Damn, seems like another busy week. I'll have an even busier weekend with another exam coming up and all. I'll be happy if I even get 60% of this task list done. Of course, ideally, I'll get it all done. Well, now you all get a glimpse of my work week. I hope I don't get sidetracked. I always get sidetracked.

Extraordinary Desserts

On the way home from Puerto Nuevo, we stopped by San Diego to pick up a balikbayan box* from Jade. Jade wanted to have dessert at Extraordinary Desserts. Granted we just had another cholesterol-laden meal of ribs, we decided to make it a day of good food and drove to the dessert place.

Located in Balboa Park (they have another location in Little Italy), this little cafe looks nondescript from the outside. Little did I know of what was in store for us inside... As I walked in, all I could see were flowers and fruits everywhere. My eyes had to adjust before I could actually discern which part was the cake because there were just too many flowers.

The hard part was deciding which one to get. After going back and forth (and a little bit of a push from CR), I decided on a slice of the Fraisier Triple Berry Torte. It's basically just kirsch-moistened sponge cake layered with slices of strawberry and raspberries, raspberry-boysenberry buttercream, and whipped cream. I also ordered a latte because the cake just looked too rich. CR decided on a Fresh Berry Beignet. Since the portions were pretty big, we all decided to share. There were 7 of us and we got a total of 4 desserts. KRMN ordered a Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (because bread pudding is her fave) and JG ordered a slice of Gianduia which is rum-soaked chocolate cake layered with hazelnut buttercream, chocolate mousse, and boysenberry preserves. Are you salivating yet? I am.

(L-R Fraisier Triple Berry Torte, Gianduia)

(L-R Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding, Fresh Berry Beignet)


Fighting over the Triple Berry Torte...greedy, greedy

Empty Dishes...

For more info on Extraordinary Desserts, click here.

*balikbayan box is a box filled with goodies that's being sent to relatives in the Philippines.

Puerto Nuevo

I really shouldn't be blogging since I have a ton of stuff to do but I needed to write about my weekend before I get busier.

When I celebrated my birthday, KRMN and RCN mentioned Puerto Nuevo. The last time I was there was New Year's so I told them to let me know when they're going again so I can clear my schedule. Lo and behold, KRMN emailed me a couple days later and told me that they were driving down the following Saturday. Another trip to Puerto Nuevo, another cholesterol-laden meal of lobsters, rice and beans.

For all those who are unfamiliar with Puerto Nuevo, it's a small town about 30 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. It's the self-proclaimed lobster capital of Baja California. This tiny town has a couple dozen restaurants that serves mostly seafood with lobster as the main attraction. Last December we ate at Puerto Nuevo I where the line was about a block long. This time, we ate at Puerto Nuevo II which is owned by the same family but there are virtually no patrons (which I don't really understand).

When we got there, there were no other customers and the staff seemed to be having lunch. We picked a table by the window and proceeded to anticipate the coming meal. Puerto Nuevo II offers a lobster lunch combo that comes with a whole lobster, rice, beans, and a margarita. RCN asked the waiter for the lobster sizes and prices and the waiter only came back with one size for $17.50. The lobster wasn't the biggest so we ordered 6 lobsters for the 5 of us, plus 2 orders to go for KRMN's parents. This is what we got:

We counted and recounted the lobsters because it looked like they gave us too much. There were 18 halves total so we thought they made a mistake and gave us the to go orders plus an extra order all together. We pondered about it momentarily but we ended up eating away since the food looked great and we were starving. When we were done with our meal, the waiter brought our our to go orders. We got even more confused. RCN left a big tip since he thought we got away with extra lobsters. On our way out, I heard the waiter explaining to a few customers that it's $17.50 for 3 halves! Lol. We didn't get extra lobsters after all! It was all good though because $17.50 is still waaayyy cheap for good lobsters.

Happy lobster eaters!

After lunch we drove back to Rosarito for some shopping. We left with a few goodies (check next post) and some Mexican candies (not the ones with lead). RCN wanted to purchase a dog but the little guy looked sick so he decided against it. On the drive back home we had to circle around town for a little bit because of some road closures to get back to the border. The drive back to the border wasn't as bad as some speculated it was going to be...it only took about an hour and the street vendors were very entertaining (I wish I had pictures).

November Handbag Picks

I can't believe it's November already. It seems that summer came and went too quickly for me this year. I don't think I even went to the beach or had a chance to lay out by the pool this summer. Oh pooh! Well, one thing that's great about November is Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving...I get two days off of work, I get to eat a lot of food, and best of all there are the post-Thanksgiving sales!

By any means, I'm no handbag expert but there are bags out there that DO catch me eye. Given the vast number of handbags available out there, it was tough to narrow it down. But for this month, I've got my eye on these items:

Tote: (I'll always have a soft spot for the Chloe Paddington but I won't include it in this month's pick since it'll always be a pick for me. And I'm not a fan of the Birkin so you won't see that on my picks either.)

(L-R Foley + Corinna Natural Leather Mini City Tote, YSL Downtown Leather Tote, Dior Lady Dior Medium Tote)



Shoulder:



(L-R Gustto Cala Bag, Miu Miu Coffer Bag, Kale Chilton)


Casual Clutch: (I really mean any small bag that can be used casually as some clutches come with a shoulder strap.)



(L-R Seven Jeans Double Split Strap Clutch, Chanel 2.55, Marc by Marc Jacobs Lovely Clutch)


Evening Clutch: (Or any bag suitable for an evening out.)


(L-R Derek Lam Clothilde Metallic Clutch, Erva Flap Clutch, Gucci Crystal Evening Bag)

Exotic: (Exotic lovers should be mindful that python is illegal in California. Also, I'm not a fan of ostrich so no ostrich bags on my picks.)

(L-R B. Romanek Caiman Rockstar Clutch, Zagliani Metallic Python Puffy Bag, Nancy Gonzalez Python Tote)

November 2nd

Today is the second anniversary of my car accident. Ironically, today would also have been my third anniversary with my ex if we were still together. Today is also All Soul's Day (or The Day of the Dead) which is celebrated by Roman Catholics by visiting the graves of their dead loved ones. Two of my aunts are celebrating their birthdays today. What a day of "celebrations".

Extensions Update

Remember when I was ragging about Britney's extensions a few posts ago? Well, my BGF EV who does extensions for a living sent me these photos. These are how extensions should look like, not the mess Britney has on her head. For all you Britney fans, sorry for the bashing. It'll stop soon. I promise!

Client 1:

Client 2 (Before & After):

Now, don't you agree that the work on their hair looks so much better than Britney's mess? If you want extensions, let me know and I'll hook you up with EV's contact info.

Yet Again...WTH?!?

Now I know it's Halloween and all, but WTH?!? Um...shouldn't it be a crime for us to be subjected to that? She's supposed to be a Pussycat Doll or something but I only see UGLY when I see this photo. Oh wait, I see FAT too. Kinda harsh, I know, but seriously...put some clothes on.

Halloween and Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum must REALLY love Halloween. She's thrown a Halloween bash for the past 8 years and every year she goes all out with her costumes. They might not be the most original, but she certainly puts an effort. Lucky for her, she probably knows a lot of makeup artists who are willing to help her get her look together.

2007. Heidi is a cat (or a mouse, I'm not sure). Not the most original but the makeup is great and she can certainly walk the "catwalk" (get it? Hahaha). She wasn't the only celebrity to dress as a cat this Halloween but she's certainly the better looking cat.

2006. To hide her pregnant belly, she dressed up as the forbidden fruit to Seal's Eve. Pretty neat idea and it's great of Seal to dress up as Eve for his wife. So sweet.

2005. Bride of Dracula (complete with wings).

Four exams down, 2 to go...

Ok, so I'm finally done with my Phys exam that I can blog again. After I finished my exam last night, I felt as if a huge chip was taken off my shoulders. I can finally breathe now...well, until the next exam anyway. For now, I'm just glad it's over but I am dreading my grade. I think for the first time in my life I'm actually dreading to see my grade. This is a new and foreign feeling...the anticipation of a bad grade. I can't stand it.

I was so stressed about this exam because I didn't have time to study. First, I had my birthday plans. I spent Saturday with my friends (thank you all for your presents!) and I spent Sunday with my family. A whole weekend for studying...gone. Next, I received the bail amount for my speeding ticket. $993?!!?! What the @#~%$!%$!!! I was so stressed out about that ticket that I couldn't concentrate on my readings. What the @#~%$#!!!!! At this point, I'll be happy with a C (yikes, did I really just say that?). I'm just going to have to fight that stupid ticket. Here's hoping I win...


PS. Sorry for rambling on....got a lot on my mind...