Check out these suggestions for your Christmas shopping and dining pleasure.
Dec 172014
Dec 172014
The holidays. Images of shiny, happy people, laughing with their mouths open, cozily clutching wine glasses or swishing martinis. The table is set beautifully, whether it be glam or rustic, plates and silverware casually strewn about, pinecones and poinsettias, tinsel and glitter. The food is perfectly imperfect, charred ends of roasted potatoes, sauce sexily dripping off the sides of the casserole, a turkey so golden it looks like it came from a summer in the French Riviera. In this day and age of Instagram and Pinterest, it seems that everything has to be picture-perfect. Casually putting things together on a table in their usual chafing dishes does not seem to cut it anymore. The reality is that the holidays are more often than not “holi-daze” — everything going so fast, a stressful jumble of work, family and festivity. When we host at home, we either resort entirely to a caterer or end up looking like a frazzled mess trying to provide anything and everything under the sun, in our traditional over-the-top Filipino way of serving 10,000 things in a buffet. I love to entertain at home but there is nothing more unwelcoming than a stressed-out host. So for the holidays I am sharing with you my favorite secrets and armes-de-guerre for throwing the perfect holiday cocktail with ease. • Mix and mingle. Forgo the usual dinner buffet and sit-down table settings for a more relaxed, heavy-cocktail vibe. It gets people moving around, talking and chatting. It creates energy. Make sure Read More …
Dec 172014
On the fifth day of Christmas, John Lloyd Cruz talks about one of his wishes: good health for himself and the people he loves.
Dec 162014
Swan’s way: Freeway X Federico Alcuaz printed neck/bag scarf in blue and red (P399.75) MANILA, Philippines – Innovative brands Ensembles, Freeway and Solo showcase the spirit and talent of our very own Filipino masters, artists and designers through its limited-edition collections. What better way to celebrate Christmas than with fresh gift ideas? Ensembles features another budding fashion designer Xernan Orticio in its Filipino Young Designer Series. This year’s collaboration is all about the strong and independent woman with a style that’s fashion-forward yet elegant. Freeway celebrates the works of visual artist Federico Alcuaz through its National Artist Collectors’ Series. Alcuaz is one of the country’s internationally renowned and multi-awarded artists and his works are showcased in 20 museums and major cultural institutions all over the world. Perfect for the holiday season, Freeway’s Holiday collection tribute is composed shift dresses, comfortable casual tops, shirts and slinky pieces beautifully adorned with Alcuaz’s masterpieces. Freeway also brings holiday gifts featuring timeless yet quirky pieces by collaborating with creative director-cum-designer James Reyes with Designer Doodles Collection. Paired with Freeway’s cuts and silhouettes — a showcase of simplistic lines and basic shapes flattering a woman’s curves — this collection is a variety of tops and dresses featuring easy-to-wear pieces and key classics that are both functional and chic at the same time, all adorned by original doodles by James Reyes himself. Solo creates hip gifts for the young and young-at-heart through its Pinoy Cartoonist Memorabilia featuring Pugad Baboy by Pol Medina Jr. Think comical, artistic and Read More …
Dec 162014
Upon the advice of her feng shui master, my friend always wears green to attract more success in her business endeavors. And so she wears her jade jewelry and ubiquitous green handbag daily. Though I am not superstitious, green is a favorite because it represents nature, harmony, positivity, balance, and growth. Located between yellow and blue in the color wheel, this pigment ranges from the black/brown hues of dark green and hunter green to vibrant neon green (of the psychedlic ‘60s) to the palest of celadon and pastel green. Gemstones found in this color range from the precious and expensive emerald and imperial jade to semi-precious stones such as tourmaline, chrysophrase, malachite and garnet with the tsavorite green garnet being priced so much higher than a regular garnet because of its rarity and closeness in color to the emerald. With the holiday season upon us, now is the perfect time to inject this color in our wardrobe with so many shades available to flatter any skin tone. * * * Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: For your comments and ideas, please email the author at: jacinto.fa@gmail.com.
Dec 162014
Have not done any shopping for your man yet? Gift idea: Milanos!
Dec 152014
On the fourth day of Christmas, Kim Chiu recounts, “Nagbati kami ng dad ko, this was five years ago.”
Dec 152014
On the third day of Christmas, Derek Ramsay will go on a dental mission and host a party in Palawan.
Dec 142014
One of the things I like about flying is the onboard fun that I can look forward to —the movies and the music, to be more specific. At my age, and with all the mucking about that I’ve done, I should be sick of these things and ply myself insensible with the free beer or wine somewhere between Anchorage and Nagoya, but the honest truth is, I’m not. I’m eager for entertainment, which is the only way I can forget the fact that I’m going to be up in the air for the better part of a 24-hour day. I don’t have a fear of flying; it’s boredom I can’t abide. Being up there means that I can catch up on all the movies I never saw and didn’t even know existed. Beng and I almost always take in a movie after our weekly foot massage (such is life in the 60s), but we’re slaves to what’s out there, and not being too much of a cinephile I’m positive I’m missing out on the good stuff by sticking to the mall fare. That changed last week when I flew home from Dulles airport outside of Washington, DC to Terminal 3 on the fringes of Pasay — a distance of 8,548 miles, according to Google. That meant 11:30 hours of self-amusement to contemplate, but I think I hit the jackpot — a trifecta in sporting terms — by watching three great movies on one long trip (I actually saw four, but Read More …
Dec 142014
On the second day of Christmas, Toni and Alex reveal their gifts for each other.