Fashion Forward

Three weeks ago, on my way to school, my phone blinked and sounded off as a text message came in. Since I was driving, I knew I was supposed to ignore it so I scolded myself for reaching the gadget resting on the passenger seat of the car. I had a good feeling about the message so I hurriedly read it as I slowed down to a stop at the intersection. I was being booked to shoot an event for Inquirer and that I should check my email for details, yay!!

Upon arriving home, I went straight for my laptop & retrieved my mail. It said that I was to go to Enderun College and cover the Pure Fashion event happening on saturday. Great! Its a fashion show! This should be easy. Another good thing about this is that the writer, Kara, that they were sending to cover the event was someone I worked with before, and we've had soooo much fun every time we go to events together. This should be easy breezy! :)

Saturday. I arrived at Enderun an hour early. I was hoping to grab some lunch at any McDonald's drive thru but the route I took didn't have any branch on the way (yes THAT is possible) so I had hoped to grab a bite at the college. Tough luck! When I got there, the school caf was closed to the public for the parents college tour and that they were serving food to the visiting daddies & mummies. Hmph! I decided to take a preliminary look at the event location instead so I can scout around for good places to shoot. It will also help me find out what the event is all about. I asked myself "I wonder why they picked a college to host the event that's fashion based?"

The main event hall was already prepared with the event organizers running around doing last minute rehearsals. There was no real clue in the hall as to what the event is all about. Looking through the left-hand glass doors outside the main event hall, I saw a tent with some mannequins lined up close to photo portraits of teenagers complete with write ups. "Its a young fashion designer type of workshop!" I thought to myself. I stepped outside & decided to take some shots of the display. I'm sure Kara could probably use the supporting images for her article.

Kara arrived shortly and after hellos and a few catch up kwentos, I asked her what she knew about the event. She didn't have a clue either so we both threw guesses in the air, knowing we could both be right with those ideas. We were just excited to work together and also watch the musical talents invited for a short performance within the event.

The event opened with famous radio jocks Gino & Fran. Known for their fast wit & cheeky comments, I'm already assured of a fun afternoon. They then proceeded to introduce the event and also discussed what Pure Fashion is all about. Kara & I were in for a big surprise. As it turns out, Pure Fashion is a faith-based program that encourages teen girls to live, act, and dress in accordance with their dignity as children of God. Its a 7 month, voluntary, sign up program where female teens ranging from 14-18 years old are taught to use fashion to enhance their beauty without coming across as provocative. With that they are also taught the values of self-respect, confidence & chastity. They are regarded as the models/supermodels of Pure Fashion as they should be the role models of teens everywhere.

Beautiful on the outside, as well as on the inside. Wow.

This fashion show was the culminating part of the program where they get to walk on their own runway and "graduate" from the program. The partner sponsor for their outfits was Forever 21. The girls gave their individual testimonies and also performed a skit, a musical number as well as their fashion show. The artists that performed were home grown rising star Someday Dream & international musician and Youtube sensation Marie Digby.
Both artists very supportive of the campaign of this program.

After the event, Kara & I had the chance to speak to various organizers of the event as well as the supermodels of Pure Fashion. They speak differently from the girls their age and you can feel a deeper of sense of self from them. You can clearly see it has transformed them in a big way. I was surprised that Pure Fashion here in the Philippines is already on their 3rd year & yet not a lot of people have heard of it. I sincerely hope that the newspaper article gives more awareness of the beauty of this program so that more girls can sign up. And even if they can't fit into the slots, at least it sparks interest & hopefully nudges girls everywhere to take a step towards a better handling of their growth. Personally, emotionally & spiritually.

I had my own epiphany on the way back home & I felt like God was working his magic. Although I won't post my thoughts on this blog, I can proudly say that my past decisions have now been justified. I hope I can use all the positive energy to spin a new web of happiness for me and for all the people I touch.



Article in Philippine Daily Inquirer out on April 16, 2011 at http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/2bu/2bu/view/20110416-331374/gtIts-not-what-you-wear-but--who-you-are

For more information about Pure Fashion, visit http://www.purefashion.com/

Save the Date

My one & only sister will get married this July. As I type this, I break into a small smile.
She & her fiance did have quite a journey leading to the next step in their lives. They were schoolmates in high school. They didn't go to the same college, but they kept touch.
When they (finally) got together, no one was surprised coz they really had that vibe going for quite some time. Like most couples, they had their share of ups & downs. What I find inspiring about them is that they genuinely always wanted to work things out. They knew what issues to face & what to let go. I found them to be much more mature than most couples I knew.
Im glad my sister found someone who can take her odd moods. Someone who can peel her shrimps, since she has always been used to mom doing that for her, haha! Someone to drive her when she's tired from events. Someone who listens. Gawd! This is starting to sound like my speech for the reception!!! Hahaha!!! I am seriously afraid that I will be too emotional to even function on that day, hahaha!! From the first day of her life, I have been beside her. Been there for her come what may. So it'll be a very happy day for me to see her open the next chapter of her life :)
When I hear her make plans about moving out & finding a place for them to live in, I get excited for them! Well, I also will get the room next to mine! More closet space!!! Hahaha!
When we did their shoot for their pre-nup, it didn't feel like work. It felt like old times when we were kids and we were fooling around with the camera. We'd waste the film on the most mundane things. The oddest poses and the funniest faces! People expected me to be the one to cover her wedding. She won't have that! "I only get married once! You better enjoy!" haha! Well I do agree with that! Plus, in my last wedding coverage, I kinda died haha! Covering weddings is no joke!
I wish them a cool afternoon, starry skies, good food, complete attendance, lots of laughs & joyful tears on their wedding day! I'll certainly enjoy myself, I just hope I don't cry me a river!! LOL

Street Style Hunter

When I decided I'd go back to photography, I never thought I'd be style hunting. Sure, I'm an avid fan of fashion, but I wasn't the type who'd dress up everyday. Our humid weather stopped me from executing the layered look (which is what I prefer on me). That didn't stop me, however, from appreciating those who did brave the unpredictable rain or heat that would surprise us everyday. I always had my point & shoot with me at all times (well, now I can't seem to find it since my sister & I shuffle it back & forth this past year depending on who wants to use it).

One night when I was out on a gimik with my friends, we spotted a party-goer that was dressed like Grimace of Mcdonald's.
My friend Dan & I just looked at each other & we knew that we had to stifle our laughter. Soon, people started coming dressed in outfits that were just so wrong... I couldn't resist taking stolen shots of them.


I ended up doing a blog (privately locked for just my contacts of course).

My sister, former Editorial Coordinator-now Associate Editor for a local fashion magazine, saw the blog and suggested that I hunt for people with good fashion taste instead & that it might be used as part of the lifestyle section in the local newspaper where her friend is a contributing editor. My first theme was awesome jeans.


I was reviving my photography from its decade-long slumber & was eager to try out any project. Hunting down people with good jeans and asking them to pose sounded simple enough in theory, but when I started doing it, it was a real challenge! Especially since I had to check out their butts for interesting patterns on the pockets!! Sad to say the pictures never made it to print.





This lead to another project -- summer street fashion.
Imagine my glee when I saw my name on the papers with my photos!!! After that, I was given a regular assignment to take photos of people with a good sense of style.
I will admit, I always have fun coming up to people and introducing myself as a contributing photographer for a local newspaper.
It feels nice to meet such trendy individuals who are confident with their fashion sense. Well, they ought to be confident & proud! They dress nicely!

I love the fact that I get to go around different places when I hunt. You can find me in the streets of Taft, the alleyways behind DLSU, the malls, in bazaars, parks & restos!


Every place is an opportunity to hunt! Although I will admit, there will be days where you've looked and looked and LOOKED and you'll call yourself lucky if you come home with one decent photo! Sigh! But that's the challenge! And I love it! ;)

the Isle of Boracay on three

The first time I was in Boracay, I was healing from a broken heart. The second time I set foot on the island, I just came out of a 2 year relationship that ended terribly. So when I was asked to cover an event in Boracay, I was wondering if I had any issues of the heart that needed attention. Because as far as I know, I feel fine. Maybe just this once, I am on the island with fine sand to just enjoy.

My day started out really early. It was a 630am flight. I had nothing to eat yet so when I was done checking in, I got myself a chocolate croissant from Delifrance :)

The flight was packed with people! Who would've thought that flying to a beach on a Tuesday would be a common thing to do at this time of the year? LOL! On top of that, the flight was delayed and the aircon wasn't enough for everyone. I was sleepy, because I crammed again with my packing, and craving for a rice meal. Upon landing in Caticlan, the gray clouds were rolling in, not a good sign. The travel to the hotel was a a little bumpy and I was dizzy in an instant. Again, my stomach growled for the nth time. In short, it was a bad morning.

All that changed when I got to the hotel. I just love the architecture of the Shangrila! All that stone and wood! The open panels and palm trees! Lots of fountains and cascading water! Sigh!!!!

Just when I was just starting to relax, duty calls, toinks! Had to shoot the arrival of the rest of the top brass from the company that was having their annual national conference. Breakfast and lunch will have to wait!

Two hours later, I was fortunate to have some room service. Im too tired to move around anyway. Seafood Paella. Yum. Finally I'm starting to feel the Boracay vibe!

After the briefing, I had the afternoon off so I decided to head down to the beach and see how Boracay is this time of the year. Two words - daming Koreans! >_<




I just soaked in the colors of the beach while I got myself colored too!! When dusk came, I got myself a simple dinner, bought a few snacks from the mini grocery and headed back to my hotel room.















My room mate and co-photographer for the event was busy watching the news (which I am not in the mood for) so I just went down the lobby and used the free wifi to update myself at twitter & foursquare till I felt the zombie like sluggish feeling of sleepiness creep all over me. Tomorrow is gonna be a long battle.

At 5am, my alarm snapped me out of bed. Quick shower and a big breakfast followed suit. At 7am, I was already shooting at the reception area for the conference. Blast it! I totally forgot to bring beach-type polos and really stood out in my Vneck & jeans get up. Oh well, work is work!



I was shooting nonstop till about 1pm and had the blessing of dining in the hotel restaurant. Surprise of surprises, my old teammate from ice skating now works here as a chef! Woohoo!! She made me seafood pasta fresh from the pan! Dont'cha just love friends? Haha!

After a few more glasses of iced tea, Im back on my feet, shooting the rest of the conference. I must say, no wonder they're the leader in their industry... they're solid, tough and strategic! Above all that. they're happy people!! :)

Finally, there was a 4 hour break as the conference adjourned and everyone was given time to get ready for dinner and the awards night (sosyal!). I just went into the activity room and for 5 minutes... tried to decide if I should play billiards, monopoly or surf the net. Well, the 5 minutes i spent arguing with myself left me with the computer since the conference people stormed in and occupied all the other games LOL. Its Facebook games for me then! Haha!


By 6pm, with a polo on this time, I took photos of the people now decked in evening wear. Since the beach dinner got rained on, there was a slight delay as the hotel staff had to setup at the restaurant. Group photos galore for these yuppies who let their hair down for tonight's event. You can hear me count " 1, 2, 3..." almost every 10 seconds LOL

When dinner was served, I took the option of going behind the buffet tables to get the photos of the people lining up for the food. "It'll make for an interesting view!" I told one of the HR staff who had an inquisitive look as to why I went behind the buffet counters. As usual, they were all smiles. The digital age has made cam whores out of everybody haha! In the meantime, the smell of freshly cooked bolognese and carbonara was driving me mad!!

An hour later, I got the chance to sit down and have my dinner. Oddly enough, I didn't have the appetite. Must be all that sniffing I did behind the buffet counter while taking photos that got to me. Oh well, towel.

Awards night! Simple enough. Call the name, "smile here please!", wait for the next one. And then the intermission arrives. Its FREESTYLE!!!! They play 2 songs in between award sets and of course, they are the party band for the night! Dance to the music? Optional... hell no! Mandatory!!! Haha!

During the party phase, I was getting decent shots. But I can't see most of their faces.... what to do? what to do??? Well.... I just had to GET UP ON STAGE YO!! hahaha!!

Perfect! I got me some great audience shots! Well, since I'd look stupid standing there, I might as well dance! (Yes, I did this, and I haven't even had a shot of vodka yet LOL)

Three hours later, I with my sore feet and new friends from the crowd, the client waved that I was done for the day. It was a few minutes shy of midnight. Great, my carriage will be a pumpkin by the time I get to the parking hahaha!

Checking my BB, I had an invite from a grade school classmate who I haven't seen since 1993, who was also in Boracay that time. I just didn't know if I had the energy.

A dip in the hot tub did seal my fate. I shall stay in tonight.

On my last morning, I enjoyed my breakfast. No rushing that day. On my way back to my room, my calamansi muffins from Real Coffee arrived on time. Looking out into the Boracay sky, everything seemed in place. I am sure then, that for the first time, I came to Boracay to just enjoy. I smiled to myself I as I headed back to my room to gather my things and start my trip back to Manila.

Once More Cebu!

Because I have been sitting in front of my laptop for a full 2 hours now thinking of what to write and ending up with nothing. I decided to re-organize my external drive's photos. And I realized that my trip to Cebu was really something worth remembering in blog form. Thus the topic for today! LOL

A month ago, my mentor, Dix Perez, asked if I was free for a 5 day shoot to Cebu. It was for Entrepreneur Magazine. A business magazine. I wondered what that would be like since I was so used to reading fashion and lifestyle magazines in various places (the salon while having a haircut, the waiting area at the dentist's, my mom's living room LOL). I was just psyched because I did miss Cebu! Last time i went, it was also for work. I was sent by the company I used to work for to train new management for the call center branch we were opening there. I stayed in Cebu for 4 months and loved the experience! I cannot pass up the chance to come back!

Day1: 830am flight. Cebu Pacific. NAIA3. I was the last one to arrive. The team flying there would be Jimbo Gulle - representative for Entrepreneur who will be doing the interviews, Dix Perez - photographer for the assignment, and me - assistant extraordinaire! LOL
We were assigned to interview successful business that opened in Cebu and how were they able to keep themselves afloat amidst competition, government changes and the global crisis. We knew that we had a tight sked. We will surely hit the ground running. I didn't even get enough sleep. I'm a crammer when it comes to packing for trips. Always at the last minute (aren't we all?)

Our first stop, our hotel. Which was newly opened. However, it was patterned after the owner's backpacking days in Europe. Simple needs addressed! The lobby only contained the front desk and a small bar that had basic drinks and a few sandwiches. The rooms were sized small, medium, large & xtra large LOL. The owner, Island Souvenir's Jay Aldeguer, explained that people often wonder what a Deluxe room has. How is that compared to a Grand Suite? So he chose to simplify. Great! The rooms had just what a traveler needs: a bed to sleep in, a shower to bathe in, a TV to relax himself with and free wifi. No mini bars or refrigerators, no free breakfasts, no gym or pool, no fancy elevators and cafes. Its just the basics. And because of that, its cheap!! The good thing here is that its clean! The decor is cute! Very IKEA-ish haha!

Since we didnt have any lunch yet, we set out for our first Cebu meal: the Balamban liempo! This was recommended by Dix's friend. As it turns out, liempo became a big thing in Cebu just a couple of years back! They had cebu lechon to boast of which is why liempo blossomed late into the scene. They took it a notch higher though and came up with this variation named after the city that concocted the recipe. Its roasted pork but done medium rare and infused with different herbs! Now, I wish I had the culinary arts degree to be able to decipher each herb they used but I don't so I will have to ask for that another time. It's just heavenly! The herbs offered a unique taste to the soft juicy pork! Soy sauce and a bit of chili would complement the viand. We had lots of rice and soda with it. Needless to say, no one spoke a word for the first 10 minutes during the meal haha! The buffalo wings that was also ordered was ignored. Tsk!

Next stop: Island Souvenir's main branch. We interviewed the owner and creative genius behind the hotel who also masterminded the Banca tours (island hopping) which we will also cover in the coming days (excited!). Interview went well and the photos were easily done.

Abaca Restaurant came next. Here we took photos of the place. The spa, the suites, the inifinity pool leading to the sea. We were also served a complimentary meal of Veal Pappadelle & their original recipe of the flatbread pizza! This is turning out to be a food trip! No one's complaining though! haha!

We retire for the night and wake up real early for the Island hopping.

Day 2: we woke up to a beautiful sunny sky! Perfect day to get the job done and get a tan at the same time! Haha! The bright orange uniform of the Island Banca Tours stood out. Plus they even welcomed me with a pucca shell necklace! How nice! We visited 3 islands. Some of which are prime snorkeling and diving spots (wow! we have so much to offer and some of us don't even know it!) and had lunch at a floating restaurant where they culture their own fish! Talk about self supporting! :) We had fun on the boat coz it was bouncing across the waves, splashing water onto us haha! The cold wind and the hot sun made for a very confusing but fun temperature tug of war on our skin. The vast open view of the sea and the sky totally relaxed me. Not a care in the world!


When we got back, we had to enough time to shower and change. We went to SM to cover 2 more businesses then its off to Cafe Laguna where we had our last interview for the day. This restaurant started off as a small canteen in front of the military camp when the wife of a army doctor decided to do something useful with her time. The canteen did well and soon it needed a facelift. A miscommunication in the renovation of the canteen lead to the transformation from a simple eatery to a sophisticated food outlet. The clientele changed from classes D & C to classes of upper C to A! This then lead to the invitation of the Ayala Grp to have them open a restaurant version of the canteen at the mall. The expansion was something they never imagined! They serve pure Luzon based meals to keep the authenticity. Dinner was pure bliss!

Day 3: was simpler. We had 2 restaurant shoots (and of course that came with sampler meals for the article and the photos, yum!) one filipino: Chika-an sa Cebu and one mexican: Maya.

We also interviewed and shot the most happening club in Metro Cebu -- Vudu. We were paid to party!!!! LOL Mind you though, we were dead tired since we came back at 4am haha! Happy-tired, that's work! :)

Day 4: We met the owner of Suarez Metal works. They make college rings, medals, key chains, badges and so much more! The oh-so-cool part of this interview was discovering that they made my mom's college ring and my kindergarten medal! Huwaw! Talk about longevity! We then proceeded to interview and shoot a local pizza place and proceeded to the top of Cebu to take a photo of the entire island! Damn! It's that small (but majestic!). I was mesmerized by the sunset as well!

We then headed down back to the city for some ribs at Casa Verde, a local restaurant known for it! Its so succulent, rich and tender that the meat falls off the rib with a gentle nudge from your fork hehe. We are officially done for the day so I called up a few friends I met from my previous employment (that sent me to Cebu back in 2007) and had coffee with them and just gossiped the night away!

Day 5: Flew back to Manila with lots of dried mangoes, a bag full of soiled clothes, a fresh tan, lots of lessons learned, a clear head and new Cebu memories! This is one OJT trip I will never forget!

One year

Many things can happen in a day. Even in a week. Can you imagine how much more in a year?

In the last 3 years since my last blog post, I was able to experience great new heights of joy and, unfortunately, explored vast new low points as well. It must be the laziness that prompted me to just shout out my status (thanks to Twitter & Facebook) instead of writing it down like i used to in my diary back in the 90s or blogging about it here. I can probably also attribute it to my decision to just live my life without having to record my feelings through writing because I find it easier to either remember or forget all about it. With that, I'd like to write about how my last year went. I think its far easier to deal with that.

2010 opened up with a lot of uncertainty. My relationship was about to crash, my friends were nowhere in sight, and the business where I work part time just closed. The only sane thing in my life was college. I was entering my last year in Photography and I was so numb from all the disappointment that I had back then that I was welcoming the grueling pain the major subjects will bestow upon all of us. College felt like the sun rising above us, too hot to take but you'd rather have that than the biting cold. Better to feel something than nothing :)

I learned a lot! The distraction proved to be worth it as I devoured every challenge thrown to me by my profs. I knew I was weak in a lot of different genres on photography and I will struggle to find good grades for that. I didn't mind criticism, there was a lot of other things that were far more painful than that. I was reminded of, once again, to never expect a lot from people. My own classmates proved to be a disappointment when it comes to group work so I had to choose my co-workers well. Seems like there were a lot of people who cared less about what they do in class. Admittedly, I may not be as focused as I should be because of other lingering issues in my head, but hey! I'm still doing the work and really trying hard.

The real battle, always raged within. And when school was over for the day, I had to either find friends to hang out with or race home so I can either sleep or play games. I was just not in the mood to even go out for a run. I don't want to deal with the issues just yet. This was how it was for a good few months. I was waiting for that moment when I'd get tired of this and finally do something for myself.

One day, as I was getting my haircut. I saw myself in the mirror. Transforming (well literally, yes haha). In my head, I saw a symbolism in what I was seeing in that salon. Each tuft of hair falling off my shoulders felt like the issues I had in my life. I always knew I'll probably never get a perfect way to deal with them but letting go was not an option I saw for myself. This was something worth trying!

One by one, I let go of the issues and people who just brought me so much negativity. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. After all, after so many months of ignoring it all, I now had to face it so I can dump it all out. Clean cut. Clean break. Clean start.

Fate was also nice to me at this point as I was lent a book that dealt with the process of re-learning who you are and knowing what to keep. The timing was also nice since I said yes to a trip to Zambales. I had fun there getting to know a place I've never been to. Found time to meditate and wrap up the last of the many issues i was letting go. After reading, i learned how to forget my personal history & to open up to the love that is everywhere. To free myself from facts & concentrate on emotions. To be filled with more love & more of life's joys.



I am far from my old self. But at least in a year, I have made huge steps to recovery. Ive seen others just waste away.

I'm excited with what the next year will bring.