It's been a while dear lj! I haven't really gotten the will to update on here, but a lot has happened since the last entry. Nothing really major except(!) I just arrived from Singapore! More on that later though, for now a brief recap of life as I knew it, in pictures no less!


Me and my gorlsss at Toff de Venecia's #HipsummerOfLove party. Taken by otherjoseph. I'm so happy Alcine's home!


Spent Labor Day weekend at Tali beach with the family and these bitches visited me!


Anna, Karen, Toff and Raymond working our conyo radarrr.


Me and the inimitable mondang, apparently sunproof. Lol I stole all of these pictures from Toff's instagram feed!

At any rate, I just got back from Singapore! It was definitely one for the books. It wasn't a vacation really, it was actually quite a lot of work--I went with my old bosses Amina and Miguel Aranaz. They asked me if I would be interested to help them out for their first ever international trade fair. Look up Blueprint 2012. Of course for me, I saw this as a golden opportunity to get out there and see what it's like on the international fashion trade scene. And boy, was it an eye-opener. We interacted with buyers from such big institutions as ASOS, Lane Crawford and Harvey Nichols to small-independent concept boutiques all over Asia. It was really the most fascinating thing I've seen all year.


The final booth set up, we actually had one of the prettier set ups. Not bad for first timers. Powered by IKEA! Hahaha.

The actual trade fair was actually well-received, there was a lot of positive response from the people with the products: with this being the first time Aranaz had ever pushed the brand outside of the Philippines. Filipino Press people were there also; namely Daryl Chang of Preview, Suki Salvador of Mega and two others, documenting the vast extravaganza that was Singapore Audi Fashion Festival--Blueprint included.

I was super happy to do this project on my free time, I managed to produce their look book for them also (which as of the moment, cannot be released yet as it is pegged for Resort 2013--but you can see a sneak preview with the photos up on the walls of our booth) with my dream team of photographer BJ Pascual and stylist Anna Canlas! I found out that this really is one of my great loves, producing fully-realized images that can stand on its own. It was just like confluence, and I'm really happy with the end product.

Another highlight for me was meeting Timo Weiland. CFDA Fashion Incubator Program Awardee! It was so surreal to have met a legit New York designer, and the best part of all? Amina, Vania (Romoff--another Filipina designer who ventured to Blueprint) and I were able to get pieces from his Spring 2012 line! Practically straight off the runway. Officially speaking, I think this is the only time I'll be ever able to say that I'm wearing something that is documented on Style.com and is CURRENT SEASON. #SmallJoys right there.

Needless to say, I got a lot out of this experience. Not only in the sense that I was able to experience how things are really done internationally, but also I got a lot of insight on how the future could shape up for me. I learned so much on this trip and was able to interact with all sorts of design and manufacturing operations from all over the world. One thing I realized is that being a designer or a clothing retailer doesn't have to be the end all or be all of my journey. There are so many opportunities out there and I just have to decide where I want to take this.

A lot of things to think about right there, so people better stop giving me crap.

In other news, right now at homebase House of Laurel--we're busy prepping for the launch of our Transition 2012 collection. It's going to be called Spock & Saville. It stems from the duality of English tailoring and Space-inspired treatments and motifs. Pretty interesting actually, I'm excited for what we're going to be able to whip up. Stay tuned for that.

My boss though is launching something really big this weekend, we're right in the thick of making sure that everything pans out. It's going to be a good show, right at the end of Fashion Week. Let me know if you want to come watch! All for now.

P.S

Currently right smack in the middle of a 6 week NerdFitness challenge, and Singapore debauchery aside, I'm way on track! Haven't had a drop of anything that isn't water (except for tea!) for 20 days. Quite the achievement.

Hello, hello! It's about time I wrote on here again! Just to update you, dear lj, on the story so far. It's been quite the ride--a few good things happened since then, a lot actually but some bad ones too. But I'm not one to dwell. One life to live, as I've learned to say--better believe it. Anyway--so last time I left you, we were on the cusp of shooting our next collection: Athletenique Spring/Summer 2012. It's been a long while since then, we've actually already released the collection and the reception was fantastic! Let me show you the invites we made for the launch:









You can view the entirety of the collection up on Rajolaurel.com. If I hadn't mentioned it before, the collection took inspiration from my boss' forever catch phrase "fitness is fashion." Mixed with the abstraction of ethnic print, it's basically an amalgamation of sportswear elements, brights and fabulous prints. We shot the collection with BJ Pascual, it was a very dynamic shoot and the end result was really something else. The collection is very on-trend and makes a lot of bang for your buck. Needless to say, we've had a really good month in terms of the reception of the clothes. Especially in terms of sales, editorially speaking--we've yet to see it shine. But all in all, we're really happy. Way to keep things on the up just like our Holiday 2011. Another great showing, if I do say so myself. Here's a summary of what went down:



In the same light, I got "promoted" to brand manager for the menswear line! Like us on Facebook! Needless to say, I'm more than happy that I got the position--I mean ever since the beginning, I've slanted my approach towards revitalizing the mens line. It's far from perfect (let me tell you) but I feel like we're taking the right steps towards a stronger brand that could possibly be at par with the robust womenswear lines. Long way to go but who knows. I'm pretty happy with what we pulled out for this season, Rajo Man's Athletenique showing has exceeded expectations. But in terms of design, I wish we could've pushed it further in some aspects. One thing I've learned in the past couple of months is that design isn't just about shape and fabrication (I mean, it's a huge part of it) but I think for me, we sometimes overlook the human dimension of the clothes. The form and function, in the most abstract sense. Something I could look into and develop in the creation of the next collection. Another challenge for the brand! We'll see where it goes.

I guess that's all for now. The past month has been a blur of preparations for the launch of the collection, right now I can officially say we did it! It's pretty exciting, the challenge now is to do it all over again for the next collection. Right now I'm busy with preparations for my boss' other collaborations, can't name them right now but I think he's in for a big 2012. It's looking to be exciting.

In terms of my personal 2012 goals, all of that has been put on hold for now. Which sucks. I need a break. Holy Week couldn't have come at a better time. Cheers!

P.S

Four for you Glenn Coco, and none for Gretchen Weiners. Bye!

Halfway into February 2012 and how are we all doing? I'm fine, just fine! Let's see. A month and a half into the year and I can't say I'm making headway into my 2012 goals. SUCKS, inevitable and making any progress soon is highly improbable. Apart from my fitness goals (which I am steadily working on, although there still have yet to be significant breakthroughs), I have not taken any solid steps on improving my clothing construction skills, nor my lack of language skills. Time to do (do!) something!

Had a perfectly okay past month, work-wise--we have been steadily working on the Spring/Summer collection for House of Laurel. It is officially dubbed as "Atheletenique", it's a word play on athletic and ethnic. The inspiration is translated as the interplay between sportswear elements and the abstract moods of ethnic prints. It's going to be lighter, with an emphasis on movement this time around for the girls. For the boys, I worked on pushing a jacket story for Spring. And the kids, it's going to be a gorgeous color blocked collection, with a more rough and tumble approach but still keeping the princess aesthetic our clients love. Very exciting. I'll talk more about the collection once I have more tangible things to show.

Speaking of things to show, the shoot for the adult brands is already going to be this Tuesday. The pressure is mounting but I'm not too worried, these things have a way of working out especially because of the keen eye my boss brings. Styling is definitely key, it's going to be trickier this time around because I find our menswear pieces to be slanting a little bit more casual than the usual RajoMan mood. I'm going to have the nth run through tomorrow just to make sure I have a handle on things. Wish me luck.

At this point in the story, the look book shoot would be my favorite, and at the same time, most daunting part of the creation process. This, I feel, is the culmination of all the work we put in making a collection--the expression of your total vision and intent into a set of pictures. It should be strong enough to stand alone and communicate, and at the same time, look desirable and commercial. In short, it needs to be something you'd be proud of and that would represent the brand in all aspects. Hence the pressure, but I'm optimistic! We'll see where it goes. Last time for RajoMan, it was simpler because the pieces were show pieces at its heart and the pieces literally sung on its own. This time, we'll have to style everything right.

In the past month of January, I've been on a few trips. We went to Tali beach a couple of weeks back, for Chinese New Year I think it was. No interesting pictures to show though but it was fun spending time with the Borjas, as per usual. A week before that, we went to Shanghai for work. Shame on me (shaaame!) for stealing pictures from my boss' blog. He takes the best pictures ever, so what can I do? Haha amazing! Look on.


Started each day with empty trolleys in tow, outside our hotel in Renaissance Yuyuan Gardens. It was FREEZING. Got our thermals on.


Ven and Rajo, General Manager and Creative Director!


The week before Chinese New Year, in Shanghai no less.


Streetscape.




Super interesting boutique hotel we checked out, high concept indeed!

Shanghai was tiring and fun, to say the least. I'm much less enamored by the city than I was the first time around. It has its beauty though, as every city does (though I'm not sure most of the time where the beauty of Manila is) but I guess after Korea, it spoke to me less. Great finds though, but can't say I'm looking forward to the next trip back.

It's going to be an exciting year, someway, somehow I can tell. But things aren't concrete yet so I won't talk about it now hahaha. Wish me luck for our upcoming shoots! Cheers!

Year in review, 2011 year in review! These things just keep getting posted later and later, it seems. Last year's (read 2010's here) came out mid way through January, but better late than never right? I promise next year, it'll be sooner! On to the show.


Stolen from Glen ko_kak, from our trip to Korea. One of the highlights of this year, I have to say. Wrote a story about it here.

It's been a whirlwind of a year, is it too self-aggrandizing of me to say that each year just keeps getting better and better? I guess I'm just lucky--and self-aggrandizement is human nature, after all. I'm sure this is only the beginning though, because I'd like to see bigger and brighter things in the future.

Where to begin? Of course, the beginning of my 2011. The onset of the year had me unemployed, a gentleman of leisure if you will. Haha! I was fresh off my "forced" leave from my old job at Instituto Cervantes. Thanks to a little book, I had the revelation late in 2010 that I wanted to see if I could make it in the fashion industry. I thought to myself, I basically grew up with the stuff--my Mother used to cut clothes, my Grandmother STILL makes clothes so I went for it. The first three months of 2011 had me at my Lola's house, learning the basics of pattern-drafting.

To be honest, learning this stuff wasn't easy. Creating a fresh pattern based off of a set of measurements is no joke. And I wasn't the most diligent of apprentices, I spent half the day lazing around, but I still managed to get some work done. Halfway through everything, a number of fashion positions popped up online and so, I decided to apply. This is where the story takes a turn for the unexpected.

Well of course, most of you (read: no one really, I kid) who read this blog know that I worked for the bag brand Aranaz, as an intern. It was a marketing position, something that had nothing to do with cutting patterns or sewing clothes. And it was bags, handbags to be more specific, something which I knew nothing about. But I still wanted to give it a shot, and mostly, meet the designer hahaha. Somewhere, somehow after a couple of interviews, Amina took a chance on me and offered me the job. I remember telling myself at the time that, this, was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would be a fool to pass that up. And you know what, it's still one of the better highlights of my year!


Rosanna and Amina at the Aranaz Summer Trunk Show 2011. Read up on the story in this entry.

I was an intern there for no longer than a month and a half; I gained friends(!), I got insight into one of the leading Filipino brands in the country, but mostly, I learned a lot. The experience was invaluable and I'm still forever grateful to them for giving me the chance to work with them. It was a huge pleasure, even more-so in hindsight. If I hadn't received a certain call, I would've pursued a career as a brand-assistant for Aranaz up until this very day. But as the story goes, marketing really wasn't for me--and another opportunity opened up, right at the end of my internship.

So as it goes, I was lucky enough to land working with one of the best (if not, THE best) fashion designers in the country. You all know him by now, so yes--it was Rajo Laurel. Working for him in under less than a year, I've learned and have been able to accomplish so, so much. The daily experiences in and around the House of Laurel have taught me things that I wouldn't have been able to merely see, let alone imagine. Growing into this volatile business of fashion, of celebrities, of marketing/publishing, of clothes, of tailoring and fit--the education has been immensely exponential. And for that, I am extremely grateful to the powers that be for giving me this. As they say in Japan, sankyu! I kid.


Looks from our Transition 2011 collection, from the Rajito line. Pretty cute huh? Read up on it here.

In a nutshell, my time in HOL has been spent overseeing the various productions of our ready-to-wear line. For the most part, I deal with the menswear and the childrenswear. I feel proud to have been able to take part in two collections already (see the Russe! Holiday collection here and the Androgyny Transition collection here). I enjoyed every single minute of bringing the collection to life--from researching the mood board, to developing prototypes, to fabric hunting, to making swatches, to coordinating a look book shoot, looking for the photographer and models, going for accessories runs, to styling the actual shoot, to seeing the final images. It's its own universe, and I'm really so happy to be a part of it. Can't stop myself from saying it enough.


The team House of Laurel, as we appeared in Garage Magazine November 2011.

Speaking of self-aggrandizement, hahaha I'm not going to lie--I was really thrilled to be part of a feature like that. Prior to this year, I've never been featured in any publication--oh well, save for those rowing things that don't really count. I feel like I'm slowly starting to make waves in this industry, hopefully to build what I eventually want to be someday. But don't get me wrong, I'm not after fame or anything. I think... I just really want to make clothes someday. 2011 has been a good year for me, career-wise. It's actually been pretty ideal. From realizing what I wanted to do, to receiving an undeserved opportunity, to peaking to one of the best companies in the industry--I don't think I can ask for anything more. You've been good to me, 2011, I'm beyond thankful.


Christmas 2011!

In other 2011 news, this was the year I started living with my Lola, full-time, all the time. It's been pretty sweet, she takes care of me a lot and I'm really happy that I am able to keep her company at this stage in our lives. She's behind me 1000% and, the funny thing is, I have a difficult time keeping abreast of that fact. Most days are good, but some days can get really bad with me giving her a hard time. Like a spoiled brat, as they say, but I'm hoping to change all that in the coming year. I really love my Sylvia. INSERT SNIFF, ANYWAYYY--

Living in my Lola's house in Marikina has afforded me the luxury of having an easy gym to go to. My fitness journey in 2011 had been a craggy one, but a journey nonetheless. I can definitely say that right now, I'm at the top of my regimen. My lifts have nowhere been as high as right now, and I can definitely say I've gotten my running stamina back. In terms of the weight though, I'm still working on it. Three years working on it, you'll say, but I definitely think I've hit the nail on the head this time. Let's just see where I can take it!

In terms of trips, I had three the past year. One was Malaysia (entry here) with Alcine and her family! The next one was Shanghai (entry here) for sourcing for our Holiday collection, it was pretty intense. And then last, it was Korea in November as was mentioned. Korea was definitely something else, I plan on coming back sometime later this year in 2012.

In general, as I've outlined above, 2011 was really good to me. As if some kind of cherry on top to this whole year, I finally learned how to drive(!) can you believe that? No longer a slave to the availability of a driver, take that! Needless to say, I was really blessed wasn't I? Here's to making an even bigger 2012! More on that on the next entry, before the week ends, I promise!



So I leave you with a picture of my friends who I really, really MISS from 2011. A lot of us have moved on to bigger things (some bigger than others, AMIRITE JANINE OR AMIRITE???) or have left the country to figure out completely different lives. Let's make 2012 the year of us again, yeah? CALATAGAN or something! Cheers bebes, I'm off. Hope I didn't miss anything! Stay tuned for another entry from me this week!

Ho ho ho, it's been exactly one month since my last update! Behold, we're already in 2012! Happy New Year! Sorry for the lack of updates, I can't really say I've been busier or anything, it's just with 6 days of work in a week, you really don't get much time to sit down and write about things. Hahaha so much for that, I'm here now aren't I?

If I haven't already said it, I hope you guys had a fantastic holiday and an even bigger, brighter 2012 ahead. As for me, I spent the holidays with the Borjas! Wouldn't have wished for anything else. Christmas Eve at home in Marikina, Christmas Day in Antipolo for Dad's side then White Plains for all of the Borjas and then New Year's Eve at Palms. Pretty sweet.


Time for some overexposed pretty! HAHAHA.






Christmas day merienda with the Borjas, with the one and only Sylvia.






New Years Eve at Palms with the Borjas again, pretty fun.

At any rate, I had a really good Christmas this year! I can officially say that this was the first time I went out to get gifts--real gifts for my family. I guess thanks in large part to the fact that this is my first Christmas with a real job (lol because Instituto never really counted, am I right or amirite?). Among a host of random things, I was able to get Luna her first set of Rajito dresses! Ugh, it looked like such a dream on her! Two dresses from our recent Russe collection and a favorite from the past Androgyny collection. Doubt she'll get to wear them again though but this can only be the beginning! She looked so cute.

On to bigger things, 2012 needs to be a game-changer for me. If 2009 was my banner year in terms of college (rowing, fitness, friendships and general epicness), 2011 was pretty good for me in terms of career. I took the plunge and jumped into a field that I wouldn't have even considered months before. It's been pretty good, albeit it's turning a little stale only in terms of learning and new opportunities. But don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to be where I am now--it's pretty stable and it can get tough, but I just see so much room for improvement that I have to step up a bit, somehow. Right now I can say I feel like I'm covering all the bases in my life (well the bases that matter anyway) but at the same time, I can't say I'm excelling or making the most out of it. Things need to change. So with this in mind, I'm going to run down a few of my goals for the year 2012! /CHEESE BUT WHATEVA.

1. Expand clothing construction knowledge.

Out of all of my 2012 goals, this will prove to be the most challenging. If you can recall, I spent the first two months of 2011 intern-ing with my grandmother (the infamous Sylvia, for your information) who has been a custom dressmaker for the greater part of the last 50 years. It is under her tutelage that I learned how to sew, cut patterns and the general basics of clothing construction. To this day, I still feel like I owe my recent successes to her (in landing a job at the biggest atelier in the Philippines) because I don't think I would have even been considered had I not had those skills. Right now, if I had to peg it, I think I only 10% of what she knows--I definitely think she has a wealth of techniques yet to bequeath to me. It's some sort of untapped resource that I need to look into. Before I set plans for further education or whatever, I really think that learning what my Lola has to offer would give me a huge advantage in whichever direction I choose to take.

Anyway (history lesson over), clothing construction for me is really one of the more exciting things in the world of fashion. I love finding out how clothes are replicated, how fabric stands up and the tailoring of it all--it's something I'd really love to master. For me, I get excited over branding, full-blown fashion shows and all but really, the heart is in the making. As of this point, I've successfully drafted and sewn basic bodices and set sleeves in. I've made a few dresses using cotton and satin, a tweed jacket that totally needs a trip to the tailor but the most ambitious project I've done is a serpentina gown for my sister (shaped with a princess seam and a panelled hem) but it was all under strict supervision from my Lola. I didn't sew it though, it turned out pretty well.

So my main goal for this year is to basically learn more about menswear construction and hopefully be able to make a few things for myself and family. Concrete actions I can take is to spend more time in our production and to learn from our sewers at the store. To see the general shape of patterns and sewing techniques to piece them together. I am also equipped with more books (Basics in Menswear Patternmaking, A Complete Guide to Tailoring, Perfect Shirtmakers Guide etc.) so even on my own, I have all the resources to get things started. My ultimate goal for this year is to make a suit. No matter how crummy the sewing and the shaping is, I plan to give this a shot by the tail end of this year. In between now and then, I'm going to try to make a few cotton shirts and see if I can tailor them to perfection. Pretty exciting stuff, things I should be able to do with enough time and patience.

2. Strive for a fitter 2012.

Weight loss for me has been a tricky thing ever since after college. My all-time weight low was a staggering 193lbs during the height of my rowing career, 2009 to be exact. That was due to a lot of cardio both on the water and off. I would row 3-4 times a week early morning, run 2-3 times on off days, go to the gym for light weights 3 times a week and do the rowing machine at least twice a week. That's a lot of cardio, with no special diet to speak of, I still managed to lose the weight. Of course after college, I didn't have the luxury of time and training so I had to adjust my strategy by a bit (read: A LOT).

Post-college fitness was mostly comprised of heavy weights. From a career low of 193, I'm now at a staggering 220lbs of fat and muscle (lol trust me on this). I know it's both muscle and fat for two reasons, a) I still fit into most of my old clothes except it got a lot tighter on the arms and the chest area, b) my strength has shot up from a measly 50lbs + bar squat to a now whopping 270lbs + bar squat just yesterday. Honestly right now, I'm happy how I feel and how fit I am. Not only am I growing in terms of strength gains, I've mostly recouped (and surpassed, I hope) my old running stamina because I do a lot of speed work each and every workout.

The inherent problem now is basically diet. My goal weight is an optimal 180lbs of solid muscle, and hopefully minimal baby fat. My goal isn't to get ripped as fuq, I just want to lose all the round parts in my midsection (which is a lot, 40lbs of fat to speak of). In order to get there, I really just need to step it up in terms of the diet. I've said this innumerable times before on this journal but I'll say it again. I heard a recent adage about a solid weight loss plan, if you don't see any changes within 4 weeks--you're doing it wrong. And I know for the past 2 years, I think I've been doing it all wrong in terms of diet. It's the little concessions that get me from day to day. I need to attack each day like it counts. If I rally myself together, I think I can definitely do this.

3. Learn Korean.

As for my last and final goal, it's basically to learn Korean. Simple as that! I think this is the most doable in terms of goals, not really interested in going out for formal lessons but maybe with the help of the internet and the sheer amount of Korean pop culture I consume on a daily basis--this could be achievable.

I guess that's that! If I think of anything else I'll let you know but as of right now, I want my 2012 to shape up as a learning and betterment year for myself. I want to establish some sort of mastery for the skills that I will need in order to further my dream. To what dream that is, I can't answer it yet but I know that without the proper foundation, I don't think it'll be going anywhere, anytime soon.

I still owe you guys an epic year-ended post on my 2011, my annual year in review. It's been an awesome 2011 if I could say so myself, but it'll have to wait a week or two because tomorrow, the office is heading out to Shanghai for a buying trip again! Hope I don't freeze to death, wish me luck!

I don't know where to begin writing about Korea--my 5 day trip to Seoul, a week ago with Howie, Glen and his college friends. I'm not sure if this is the full entry I usually set out to do (since a) I don't have all the pictures yet and b) I still can't get over it) but I feel like the trip has been such a surreal experience, I feel like I need to get some things off of my chest. Indulge me: I'm the type of person who really seeks out the "pulse" of any city, if you will, more so than visiting attractions or historical heritage sites, it's really the specific city lifestyle that gets me excited. The living, breathing, the "now" of each place. The streets of the city felt absolutely electric. Needless to say, I really resonated with the pulse of Seoul.



It is like a dream to me still, almost. On the flight back, I had a sense of missing home and mining back a sense of reality--but upon touchdown in Manila, I couldn't help but feel restless. It was a lot to take in, a lot of feelings I guess. Longing, frustration--you name it. Each day since then, I wake up and feel wistful for our city, the unreality of what it isn't and what it can be. I guess it's the knowledge that there is a place out there that feels more like home, and right now it isn't yours to come home to. And to think I haven't even been to Europe! I can't help but feel like Manila is actually the dream, or more like a living nightmare sometimes. Things are so frustrating sometimes that they hound you into thinking that maybe there is no waking up. MELODRAMA?! But yeah... where do I begin to even describe Korea? Apart from being flawless, she has two Fendi purses, and a silver lexus. Kidding.


Basically our group, minus Mark taking the picture. Glen, Vinni, Li, Jecho, Me and Howie.

On a perfectly lighter note, I can't tell you if it was my partiality to all things Korean pop culture (namely the music, the cinema and the emerging fashion scene) or if it was the city itself that made me fall in love, but the immediate connection was electric. I guess it's a combination of the two. The minute I stepped out of the subway, right smack in the heart of Myeong-dong--I had my own Hiro in Times Square moment. Yatta! I said in my head. Indeed #HangulFail.


A sampling of the feasts to be had in Seoul's little corners.

One of the best things I loved about Seoul was the fact that you are expected to walk everywhere, with your own two feet. The emphasis on it being a "walking city" is really charming for me, largely facilitated by their sprawling subway system. I'm not just talking about the sheer convenience of it all (which is huge, if that wasn't obvious) but also the implications on their lifestyle. In Korea (or the Capitol of Panem as my Brother and I like to call it), I feel like the mundane every day is given more thought. Since you're out on the street all the time, there's no excuse to look stupid--and believe me when I say, a lot of the people on the subway are super put together. Point(!) which really excites me.

If you look at all the independent boutiques and designers in Seoul (mainly in Garosu-gil in Apgujeong, Ide near Ehwa Women's University or basically EVERYWHERE in Seoul), the stores emphasis is clothes for the everyday--as opposed to the emphasis we put on "occasion" or holiday dressing here in Manila. The clothes you wear walking around and being seen all day is given more thought, rather than the clothes for the Red Carpet moment that happens only once in a blue moon. This train of thought goes beyond more than just fashion I'd like to think, it's how people do their jobs and generally how they live their lives. In a city that everything is just a subway away, what's stopping you from elevating the mundane and the everyday into something really beautiful and extra-ordinary? Emphasis on extra.

Do you get what I mean? I hope this point of my story is as poignant for me as it is for you, dear reader, you could really see how it made my view of the city. I can imagine it's much like New York, Tokyo and Paris in this way. Very cosmopolitan without sacrificing what's got to be done. It's fashion for the mundane--or what I'd always lovingly called: Ace Hardware Fashion or Grocery Fashion #AlamNiyoYan. I guess this also coincides with my personal preference for sportswear looks and wearability, the look of the cool girl in the street or what have you. Everything I guess that isn't here. I myself have yet to master this for myself, I've got a long way to go but right now, I'd like to be in a place where I can imbibe a lot of it on an everyday basis. We'll see where it goes.


Nami Island, total dream. Got there via subway then a 2 minute trip, across a lake via zip line. Zing!

It feels funny to write this way, just so you know. If you've been reading along for a while now, you'd know sentimental I iz not. Nostalgic maybe but I don't think I've ever "professed" for anything on this lj before. At any rate, I don't know what the plan is.

Would I like to go back? Sure, definitely. Maybe in the next year. With whom? I don't know yet but I definitely want people to experience it for themselves, they could take away different things. For me, there's still Japan and Europe to see. I wonder if it's as electric as Seoul was, but from what I can tell you right now--the bar is set pretty high.

Comments on a post card, stole all my photos from Li since Glen has yet to upload. I'm out!

First things first.



Get your hands on the Garage Magazine November 2011 issue! The House of Laurel appears in the Office Confidential feature, hahaha it's quite comical. Anyway, get it!

Been meaning to update in the last four weeks, seriously I've been that busy with work. I can honestly admit that this is the first time in the past six months that I literally didn't have time to dilly-dally on the job--trust me, that's a good thing. Where to begin? As I've probably mentioned, the team has been hard at work at producing the Holiday 2011 collection for the House of Laurel. Starting a full month back, it's been a nonstop push uphill. Safe to say, yesterday was the crest; the full-blown launch of the collection.

Amid all our responsibilities with the back of the house (making sure the sewers, beaders etc. are on schedule), we prepared the first prototypes of each piece for a look book shoot early in the past month. Similar to what we did for Androgyny, we just shot inside my boss' office. But this time around, instead of utilizing the stark white wall and the gray floor, we brought in wood slat panels painted a rough dark brown. To bring the story together, we managed to pull the most beautiful of accessories from so many suppliers; namely we had neck pieces from Miadore, custom-made Delujo bags from Aranaz, jewelry from Alchemista, Aziza and Joyce Makitalo.

Days leading up to it, we spent every waking office hour either out on a pull or double-checking every last piece for the shoot. The name of the game was options, options, options. It was very Brad and Tay minus the crying.





In retrospect, this was no easy feat at the time--but compared to everything else we went through for this challenge launch, it was practically a cakewalk. Thanks to our awesome photographer BJ Pascual and make-up artist Gela Laurel, we managed to produce the most beautiful images for the collection. Our lovely models Fatima and Gonzalo, you guys rocked it out for that whole day shoot, god knows how many changes you had to go through. Honestly, I'm still in love with these pictures--I think our team did a fantastic job in capturing Rajo's full vision of a Russian fantasy.









See the full set (and the entire story) over at StyleBible.



Great job guys!

The next challenge was the store construction: every season, the House of Laurel takes the time to change the look and feel of the store by renovating it entirely. Transforming the space to realize the vision and feel of an entire collection--this season's Russia proved to be a little more than difficult. Our vision for the store was that of a gilded room in a palace. Where does one even begin? To the 3 days we usually spend having the store closed down, we spent a full 5 days pulling everything off--with a buzzer beater installation on the 6th day.





We utilized a metallic car paint to get the right finish on our walls, stenciled baroque patterns all over the walls and ceilings. Wrapped all our mannequins in velvet. Brought in furniture from Nix. Hammered in moldings for an extravagant feel and then the installation of the chandelier (with a beautiful stencil for an anchor) was the touch that tied it all together. It's a sight to behold, best to check it out in person.

We're more than happy with the results. Needless to say, a lot of thought (blood, sweat and tears!) went into the planning and sourcing--throughout the entire time I honestly felt like there was a noose on my neck that could snap my neck at any given moment. It was pretty terse, but fortunately, I really feel like we nailed it. All on our own.

Flash forward to yesterday's launch, cue the hallelujah chorus. I think it's safe to say, this was one of the best collections HOL has ever brought out yet. Every piece drips of luxury, capturing a sense of modern fantasy that hits all the right notes. We pleased our clients to no end, shot a fantastic look book and hopefully--will be able to bring enough buzz to carry over in our future collections. It was a lot of work, but I'm so proud to say we knocked 'em dead! It was a really difficult past couple of weeks (haven't hit the gym for most of it), so glad it's over.

In a nutshell, we can count our eggs--because they've hatched bitches. And guess what, we birthed dragons! Bow, now let me rest--this is the first off day I've had in weeks. Cheers!

P.S



Stolen from Maronne's blog, a picture of me and Cara during the Rajo + Parisian launch two days before our own launch. Couldn't have done any of it without you! Here's to future greatness, I've had enough of Holiday, it's high time we worked on ideas for Spring 2012! Can't wait. XO.

Guess what, on the fifteenth of this month--I'm going to be six months at my current job! Wuhoo! I just can't say it enough, time flies real fast. Just six months ago, I couldn't have predicted I'd be where I am now, so it's still kind of surreal. In more ways than one, I can assure you. Looming on the not-so-distant-future is a stop to the non-regular jokes care of my crazy officemates, haha I kid.

Couple of things to discuss: our Holiday collection shoot is this Friday, the team is very busy prepping for that. From prototype fittings, to model castings; it is a lot to think about, not to mention our preparations for the actual launch on November 12. That's also considering store construction, with wall paper options and paint sampling in between. Can't say work isn't interesting, new challenges pop up each time. But more on this later.

First things first. Last weekend, I was part of the organizing committee for the White Rock Triathlon, and let me tell you--this year was very different for me and Extribe.



Here's a quick picture of me and Ken, the literal calm before the storm that was WRT. So much different from last year's extremely hot extravaganza. Full swim leg of TERROR recap, under this ( cut )

Like I said, the team is currently going through great lengths (some longer than others, let me tell you) in order to produce our Holiday 2011 look book. The theme is Russia (appropriately called the Russe collection). The process is typically this: our boss decides on a direction (taking inspiration from his travels, mostly) and then based on this, we take references from his huge library of books/magazines and online to aggregate our inspiration--be it colors, shapes, embellishments. We compile it onto a large mood board that looms over the office. Designs are drawn up and then we proceed to oversee production of the prototypes. When things are said and done (note: this happens at least half-way into the current collection and as early as six months before the next), we have a prototype fitting. Crunch time literally being this Friday, the other day we had two prototype fittings. Mostly for things in fabric to be tweaked, embellished or completely overhauled. It can be quite taxing, and I'm not even the one fitting the clothes hahaha. We must've gone through over 40 pieces, split between two brands though so you get the idea.



My boss and Cara, tweaking one of our pieces for Holiday 2011. It's a metallic moment, expect lots of that.



Typically in between fittings, our boss has to go out and assist fittings with his made-to-order clients, leaving us time to goof around with the fur and all. HAHAHA, okay this doesn't happen a lot but there was a window of time--and I couldn't pass up all the fur lying around.

All in all, we still have some last (and I mean last) minute adjustments for the pieces for Friday's shoot. For the menswear, I still have at least 4 jackets to realize and I'm just praying it's going to read on camera. We booked a currently hot and very talented young photographer for this season, stay tuned for that. No clear decision yet on the female model but we've already decided on the male model.

Based on the go-see (and okay, the actual set card) I was super wishing for the first model (namely Robson, here is his setcard), Brazilian with a very pretty face. Cute butt too but after everything, my boss decided to go with Gonzalo, half-Spanish half-Taiwanese model from Madrid. Very excited to see where things go, also for the female model and the clothes. Potentially, this could turn out very interestingly. We'll see what happens.

In other news, I'm working on consulting for a school-based enterprise right now. It's actually very exciting, I'm flattered they asked me and I'm hoping I can deliver for them. Not going to reveal too many details yet because I'm not sure if it's going to pan out (pretty sure, it will) but it definitely is fashion related. Just not the first thing you'd imagine I'd be involved with.

Secondly, we had an interesting day at work last week--a local magazine dropped by to shoot our "office work wear" for a feature. Hahaha, initially I really didn't want to take part but my boss "coerced" me into joining. It wasn't so bad, it was a group shot after all so pressure was off. And we got to wear pieces from the office so it was fine. Dreading the day it comes out though, I hope I don't look too stupid. Wish me luck?

And I guess that's it. Pretty long entry from me this time, I guess I'm making up for all the missed couple of weeks. I'll see you guys soon! Trip to Korea is coming up next month, and whatever else. Cheers!

P.S

On a fitness note, I'm happy to report that my lifts and running stamina are on an all-time high. Haven't been this active since my college rowing days (wow, time does fly) but I can't say the same about my poundage. I'm also at my heaviest since college--can't exactly say it's fat though, I keep track of my waist using measuring tape so I'm not too worried. The scale is deceiving after all. Not to say I don't need to work on my diet though, conversely, it needs A LOT of work. Wish me luck.

Hello, hello! How are you all doing on this fine Thursday night? It's Friday tomorrow, which means I still have another day of work on Saturday before I get my one day weekend. Hahaha bleak, but it's worth it. Times flies so fast, it's only a hundred days still Christmas. It's almost the end of 2011 and in exactly one month, I'm going to be 6 months at my new job--REGULAR. Couldn't be more psyched.







A few Sundays ago, the Borjas had lunch and visited Tita Grace (our aunt who passed away, a couple of years back) who just so happens to be interred at San Agustin Church, in Intramuros. Quite the historical place in Manila, the architecture was brought out by the perfect weather that day. It made for cute pictures. It was a great Sunday, spending time with the cousins is always fun--and our new niece Luna. I absolutely had fun and I'm looking forward to the idea that we might see them all again this Sunday in Alabang.

The past couple of weeks have been a steady blur of work, nothing fancy or out of the ordinary. I spend my one-day weekends with Howie and co. basically, chilling out and watching movies. As for work though, our Holiday collection is coming up in basically two months. We're currently working to develop our ideas for our pieces--on my end, I'm focusing again on the Kidswear and Menswear. Our collection is inspired by all things Russia--Faberge, the gilded monarchs, the Russian military etc. Our colors are a cross between the muted-brights of navy, red-wine, elephant and the metallics, such as gold and silver.

For the kids, we're sticking to our guns and developing ideas from our past Holiday collections. Tweaking shapes and fabrications, but mostly it's just going to be a huge princess moment for them. For the men, I'm taking it towards a military inspired direction--with epaulets, brass buttons and details like arm chevrons, and cording. It's all very Balmain meets Alexander McQueen. I feel that it is very ambitious, I have to tell you. I have a lot on my plate to think about.

I have to say, I'm a bit stressed out with the current state of our pieces--the pop isn't there yet. I'm going to spend the next couple of days trying to brainstorm on more ideas. More on how to bring our pieces to life. Frankly, I feel like last collection (mostly the kidswear) was such a good turn out that it's going to be a hard act to follow. We'll see where it goes. My boss just got back today from a wedding in Europe. I hope I can finally go and consult to see where I can take the designs. Wish me luck.

In other news, right now it's New York Fashion Week for Spring 2012. For the first time ever, I'm virtually up to date with all the designer showings via Style.com. Early favorites right now are Prabal Gurung, DKNY, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta and Tory Burch. That's a lot of favorites but to see my full list of favorite lewks from each major (in my humble opinion) collection, follow me on tumblr at thuperduper.tumblr.com.

In terms of fitness, it's a new 6 week challenge over at NerdFitness and I've signed up, looking to kick more butt from the sheer lack of exercise that was a few weeks ago. Shanghai and all, I feel like I'm putting in some excellent progress--both on my lifts and my cardio. I just need to work harder on my nutrition, it's definitely setting me back. My motto this time around is "you can't out train your diet." Definitely worth looking into.

I guess that's all for now! Nothing major coming up for me in the next few weeks, except I have to haul ass and figure out our Holiday collection for keeps. But at the end of this month, I'm not totally sure yet but I'm looking to go to White Rock Triathlon '11 to volunteer for the swim leg. I might be swim manager again (just like last year) so, we'll see how it goes.

Cheers.

Hey guys! Been a crazy past couple of weeks, I had a birthday (something changed about you... you gained weight? NO I JUST HAD A BIRTHDAY. Total fire sign HAHAHA) but that in itself was totally normal--just had a couple of dinners with my siblings and then went out with friends. But remember when I told you in the last entry that I might go to Shanghai for work? Whale, whale, whale--guess who went to China!





It was all sorts of amazing (and tiring), let me tell you. The two pictures above I stole from my boss' blog, read about his take on it there. The trip was largely bent on the fact that we needed to source fabric, notions and things for our Holiday collection--hence the t-shirt and shorts. It was a jungle out there.

First things first, it was my ~first~ time to actually go to China. I've never been to Hong Kong, nor have I ever set-foot in the mainland and at the beginning, this proved to be very problematic. Due to recent cases of drug-smuggling Filipinos, the Chinese embassy beefed up the requirements for first-time visa applicants--I had to get my NBI clearance for travel abroad validity. It was insane, I must've spent three whole days working on it (on my own for the first two days but with help from THE MAN for the last day); needless to say, I got it on time but not without a lot of difficulty.

On the onset, I didn't think much of Shanghai, the idea of Beijing was much more clear to me. People weren't wrong when they described it to me as very cosmopolitan and modern. It certainly reminded me of an Asian version of New York City. Not only in terms of the architecture, but also the fast-pace of life, the grime and the worldliness of it all. It was quite the eye-opener, only problem was not a lot of people could speak English. Really wished I could speak even a little bit of Mandarin, it totally would've gone a long way. Shanghai is a beautiful place, didn't hurt that we stayed at a 5-star hotel in the middle of the city. It was in this place called Yuyuan, the hotel was of the Renaissance/Marriott group; it was very pleasant, if I may say so myself--and breakfast was top-notch. That being said, I didn't really have time to fully explore the city--even though we were there for almost 6 days. We had a lot of buying to do, quite a lot in fact.



But for the first two days, we got to experience (not sure if that's the right word, elle-oh-elle) the nightlife in Shanghai. Our first night, we headed to this street in the French concession where there were a host of clubs right next to each other. Each place had its own draw but we ended up going to this place called Apartment. It was pretty nice and the crowd was like 90% foreigner, had a couple of drinks and called it a night. The atmosphere was electric however, I don't go out much at night here in Manila but the energy there felt different. But all in all, that was NOTHING compared to our next night. My boss came in that day (we were ahead) and he decided to take us out with his friends clubbing, of the more local variety. ( IT. WAS. INSANE. )



After a few days sourcing in the markets in Shanghai, we set out to this province north of the city. It was incredible, imagine a city built around this massive mall. Mall filled with stores of every single thing imaginable. I'm not exactly at liberty to talk about it here but just imagine this: you're in a corridor, stores lining the walls left and right. Think 168 in Divisoria but when you look straight through the hall (or even behind you) it just doesn't end. It was like a labyrinth, or the Matrix to some extent. It could've been either a dream or a nightmare--depending on how you look at it, you could seriously find anything and everything that there is to find. In its immensity, we spent a good day and a half there sourcing for things--according to our guide, we've barely even seen 1% of the entire place. Insanity. Luckily, we found a lot of awesome things to augment our Holiday 2011 collection. Quite excited yet nervous at the same time, the pressure's on! Hope we turn something out!

All in all, China was a very good experience(!). Who knew I would be going on business trips this early in my job (the thought still hasn't really sunk in yet). One thing's for sure though, it certainly got me thinking about enhancing my language skills--it kind of reminded me of the allure of my course back in university. I'm not totally keen on learning Mandarin but in terms of practicality, it's making me think. We'll see where it goes, there's still Korean (trip in November with Howie and Glen!) and maybe Japanese also to think about. A lot work, that's for sure.

That's all that's new with me, the trip was pretty major. One bad thing about it though was the fact that I pushed back my workout regimen, I think I took a few steps back in terms of progress. Yikes. Not to mention all the carbs I ate in Shanghai. Time to step it up this month. But in other news, I finally (re)learned how to drive! I'm still not an expert park-er but this is such a milestone for me! I'm no longer a slave to the availability of a driver, but in terms of going to work--I'm still going to choose to commute because it's way cheaper. Even though it takes 30 minutes longer, I can't beat the savings.

Guess that's it! See you in a few weeks.

First things first.



Admit it, it's a cool picture, no? Kidding hahaha. Anyway, this was taken almost a full month ago during the Preview Best Dressed Ball. It's tradition for the House of Laurel to come in a theme for this event--this year we just debuted our Androgyny 2011 collection even though it didn't go too well with the 70's theme, please see: matching outfits. I followed the company when they wore all white for this one year, had Zorro mask make-up a la Margiela (lol my fave) for the McQueen tribute etc. It was kind of surreal, especially when my boss was choreographing the poses for the picture in the car hahaha! Anyway, I had fun--even though it felt like I was an outsider looking in (IN ALL THE GOOD WAYS, mind you) because anyone who's anyone (who is anyone) was there. Notmyscene.com but a first of sorts, nothing to get all huffed-up about but yeah, it was definitely fun.



Another picture I stole from Divine's (COUGH) blog. Reppin' our RajoMan androgyny shirts--that night I was wearing Jil Sander and Prada to boot (I dunno why but my boss was compelled to lend them to me, do my dress shoes suck that bad? Mental note HAHAHA) safe to say, that's the closest I'll ever get to designer things in this lifetime. Hopefully, not really.

Hahaha I don't know if it's correlation-al (who are we kidding, it is correlation-al) but ever since I got this job, my likeness has been popping up in various(!!!) corners of the internet. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled about that but whatever--I can honestly say, I'm just happy to be here. Doing everything that I should be doing.



My officemate Cara(!) and I attended Shahani Gania's birthday party in Seventh High, it was the annual Evening Gown Competition for all the gay individuals in the fashion industry--caveat however, only those who don't normally do drag can enter the competition so it was twice as epic. It was hella fun, let the video explain why. Jujiin's Ows Tokyo?! captures the scene amazingly, if not glams it up to a whole new level. Great stuff, needless to say we're somewhere in that video HAHAHA. Shameless. The girls werqed it out and served up some beauty queen realness. Maybe I should do this next year?

I just realized, it's almost been a month since I last updated. Better late than never, right? General update: it's been a month since the launch of our Transition collection and we're pretty much doing well. I'm proud to announce that RajoMan features weekly, every Saturday, worn by THE Manny Pacquiao or Ang Pambansang Kamao on his show Manny Many Prizes. Thanks in large part to stylist Shahani, he wore the shirt I wore to Preview in the first episode. Exciting things. Also, I'm happy to report that the Rajito collection (please see below in the previous entry) is doing really well--because of the price points (and the buzz from various blogs), we've been getting a lot of walk-in clients! Can't help but take it as a testament to the design, if not, what else? Great job team.

In other news:





WeLovePost turned two this year! And as per tradition, they had a massive anniversary party and they literally went all-out this year. It was a fun night, invited my goyls--too bad I couldn't get drunk because I had work the next day. I'm over it (and then... I'm under it).

Guess that's about it! I'm fine, I'm great actually but my job isn't exactly a walk in the park (nor is it all glitz and glam) but right now, it's the best place for me and I'm so happy to be here. Well, that sounds familiar--but anyway. Like I've always said: creation can be one of the most fulfilling things in the world, I'm so happy to be part of the process and I'm here to learn everything I can.

My birthday's coming up next week, Saturday, not really doing anything. If you're reading this, surprise me.

Cheers.

P.S

We might go to China this month. For work. Wrap your head around that!

Hey guys! I'm back (so soon?) hahaha sigh, I could never really start these things off properly. I always have to make some lame joke about how little I write on here or how imagined my readers are to begin with. Ha-ha, I'm just kidding--I know you guys are there, all two of you reading this. Ha-ha, OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH. Onward with real things!

Yesterday was the launch of the House of Laurel's Androgyny (Transition 2011) collection and it was perfect. We transformed the store into a rough-hewn space with white-washed walls of wood paneling plus a huge mural of an androgynous man on the wall by the artist Meneer Marcelo. We steered the store into a more minimal direction (taking Margielic influences along the way), we wrapped our clothing hangers with muslin covers--and it really tied things up. For a better view of everything (I should really get my own camera), check out my boss's blog here. If you want to see our lookbook, check out StyleBible for everything. Posting two of my favorite looks here though:



Marita in one of our beaded tanks, worn with this beautiful skirt (constructed with horsehair) for an epic drape. Nathanael is wearing one of my favorite shirts (wore the white version of this to the Preview ball(!), more on that in a later entry); bondage-inspired satin polo. In love. Everything shot by the amazing Jujiin Samonte at The Boy Who Cried Chos. As a design assistant, I'm trying to develop the relationship between Rajo!Brand (the main womenswear brand) and RajoMan as a boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic. Similar to that of big houses like Dior and DiorHomme. For the womenswear, they took YSL and Yohji Yamamoto as their main direction. I opted to propose a more bondage-inspired direction with the men's line and the team ran with it. Can't be happier, to be honest--right now I'm treating this collection to how far we can push it with all the in-house brands. Our boss gives us quite the leeway to develop and innovate his ideas and mood for a creative interplay and I'm excited what we can bring to fore for our Holiday collection later this year. Very exciting stuff, stay tuned!





Some photos from our Rajito collection! Photography by Toto Labrador, and to see the whole set--check out StyleBible again. Man oh, man. I'm so happy with the outcome of our kids line! Our model Ariana looks super chic in the clothes, our direction for this was French Little Girl (FLG, if you will) and I'm happy to say we pulled it off. The vibe is so style icon Elle Fanning (she figures in our moodboard several times), I couldn't be happier. If you know anyone with daughters (OMG roshipotoshi) come down to the store, prices range from 1995-2995 with sizes from 1 to 9 years-old! Very excited to develop more looks for this collection for the next few deliveries.

In other news, I missed Kylie. Not too bummed about that, even though I know it's one of the best acts/performers to come to the country (I've seen the DVD) but what can I say. The stars didn't aligh (cough), but anyway. I'm more sad about the fact that one of my good friends is leaving for Switzerland. Exhibit A:



I'm going to miss your crazy, girl! Your own Drea brand of crazy! We had a despedida for her all-the way up in her house in Beverly Hills and it was really fun. I really missed these girls, haven't seen them in a few weeks (but before that, for months!) and we had a really good time, one last time without Drea--TEAR but she'll be back. I'm happy for her, go live life gurl. Update us.


The kaboom kids, complete with Pia this time but minus artista Janine (she arrived late)! Minus Jands in the States.




See you soon, love! We'll be waiting!

That's all for now! Come visit me at the House of Laurel during the week if you're in Rockwell with nothing to do, I'm there 6 days a week. Really enjoying myself right now, can't be in a better place. Being able to work, explore and learn all at the same time is a privilege.

Cheers.

Hey guys! It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, haven't been updating as much as I used to but at least we're still here right. Right. I finally got to watch Varekai in Manila, more thoughts on this later but let's just say: IT WAS EPIC.

Our Transition 2011 collection is shaping up already, good thing too because the launch is already this Saturday, July 9 at the House of Laurel. Come if you can make it, check out the stuff--I had a bigger hand in producing and conceptualizing the Men's and Children's line, it's going to be directional and super chic. The price points are 4k+ for a nice shirt for the guys (not bad, hey!) and 3k below for the party wear for the kids. I swear, I can't wait to show you guys the images. Come down to the store during the launch!

Speaking of images, we had a look book shoot the other day with Marita Ganse and Nathanael Keifer as our models (super professional! Pleasure working with them) and Jujiin of Boy Who Cried Chos fame as our photographer. He's super sweet in person, and we're both 2NE1 fans hahaha. Right smack in the middle of the shoot, we watched 2NE1's latest video. Check it out, they're reppin' the latest from Gareth Pugh for some pretty sick stagewear at the end. Last time it was Balmain, this time Gareth Pugh. Amazing, fashion transcends all cultures. At any rate, we also spent the past two days constructing the store--there's a huge mural of a man's face on one of our walls. We painted everything white and we're whipping up some coal hanger covers, the effect is absolutely Margielic. Can't wait to see everything come together. In other news:


Janine(!) and her non-showbiz friends.





The other week, we had a slumber party(!) at Kat's condo in Ortigas celebrating her return from the 6-month study program in Germany! It was hella fun, right in the middle of a work week--watch out for my friend Janine who just debuted in Party Pilipinas last Sunday! WUHOO #1 FAN RIGHT HERE! It's funny because, as of these pictures, I literally remember asking her "Janine, when are you going to be on TV?" and she answered her usual "Oh, I don't know" and then flash forward a week later, she was on Party Pilipinas! Nobody knew a thing! Now she's a Sunday regular (lol caught her today) so tune in. She's my real TEENAGE DREAM.


Me and H<>wie (HAHA!) outside the Grand Chapiteau in Manila! Glen taking the picture.

So moving on to Varekai, just a few thoughts. Our performance schedule was June 28, a Thursday (and also it was the height of tropical storm Falcon). We missed the opening (Charivari) and aerial net of Mark Halasi, we got to the theater and it was already the intro to Water Meteors. I felt pretty bummed about that, I was really looking forward to the opening with Craig and Isa but alas, what can you do. Also during my show (public premiere), Icarian games did not perform but they were in costume.

A few notes: the Water Meteors kids were really green--they kept dropping the ball and they really looked forlorn throughout the whole number. Like their smiles were on cue for the most part, but still was pretty entertaining. No Icarian games, bummer. Solo on crutches was pretty emotional in person, it hits so much harder than on the DVD. Triple Trapeze was pretty much unchanged from the DVD (including the music), and I couldn't help but think that Stella was one of them. I checked Cirque Tribune database and it says there that she is still with the show, who knows. Body skating was pretty lackluster for me, but it went by without a hitch. The clowns were HILARIOUS--I think the girl is the same from the DVD. Aerial hoop was interesting to see in person, but comparing it to Quidam or to Kooza, it really seemed low-voltage to me.

As for Handbalancing on Canes--FUH-LAWLESS. Irina Naumenko is a master, her flexibility and grace were really amazing to behold in person (let alone in the first row). And then Aerial Straps, ooh boy--one of my favorite acts from the Varekai DVD. It pretty much returned back to the original choreography of the Atherons, none of the new tricks they developed 8 years into the show I think. It literally was the same, it was beautiful. I have to say though, the fact now that they aren't twins--it really HEAVILY emphasizes the homoerotic undertones of the act. Simply beautiful, the guys were so built. One of them in particular, I think it was Igor--he really dwarfed his partner with his size. Seriously considering spending more money just to see the show again.

Russian Swings was incredible, to say the least. No fumbles, a real crowd pleaser of an act. And the singing--no complaints here, Craig and Isa were really on point. Can't believe they're still here, 9 years since creation. Overall it was a beautiful show! I just felt bad for the artists in terms of the weather they're experiencing in this country. It was flooded in the streets, also the location of the Big Top is less than ideal. It's an old and ugly (UGLY) part of Manila. I sure hope they don't think this country is a cesspool, why couldn't they have staged it in The Fort? I'm sure ticket sales would've been better.

Oh and coming into this whole thing, I had doubts of whether Cirque would do well here or not. But I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that a lot of people have been going, certainly not full-houses but a good share of my friends have seen it and loved it. I recommend it to everyone, go see Varekai. It's a world-class production and if it goes well, Cirque du Soleil might just bring everybody else here during their Asian Tours. Not skip the Philippines like the past 15 years. Anyway there, my 50 cents worth.

Whew. That's all for now! It's going to be a busy week, working hard helping Rajo with his numerous collaborations, launch of the new collection this Saturday and possibly attending the Preview Ball this Friday (if Rajo requires us hahaha). We'll see, hope I can find something to wear if ever. Cheers y'all.

Tags: cirque du soleil, dayjournal, design, work

Hey guys! Just checking in, nothing much to report. On June 15th, it's officially my two month mark at the House of Laurel. Things have been going smoothly I can say, I like what I'm doing and I'm learning a lot. We're roughly a month away from the launch of our Transition 2011 collection. The direction is Androgyny and I'm really excited for our main brand, the pieces are hella directional and I can't wait to see them on real girls. In between now and then (the launch is July 9th), we still have store construction and the photoshoot to contend with. Right now also, we're prioritizing the revamp of our website and newsletter, it's not as easy as it sounds (especially since none of us are legit graphic designers) but with enough time, I think we'll pull something out.

Apart from micro-managing the brands (that basically means checking up on production, researching for the mood board, conceptualizing new prototypes), I've also been helping out my boss with his collaborations. Two big things are coming up before the Holiday season, it could turn out really cool. The brands are THE brands to contend with in their respective lines, just goes to show who's on top in the Philippine fashion scene--and the fact that I'm lucky to be here!

On that note, I'm really excited for the production of our Men's line. Out of all the brands, I've had a bigger hand in the development of this collection for Rajo!Man. The inspiration for the main line is basically YSL meets Japanese Androgyny--cool theme but it isn't exactly ideal for our male clientele. In my head, I'm taking the approach of Dior/Dior Homme that is two completely separate lines, but in the end have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship in terms of the clothes. They just have to compliment each other. WELL, we'll see where it goes. I'm pretty excited, especially the more directional pieces we're developing. It has more of a bondage feel, can't wait for the final look. In other news, have some pictures from Malaysia:


Me with Alcine and Gianna! Had an awesome time with their family and friends in Malaysia!


The parentals! Thanks Tita Ichi for everything.


The river in Putrajaya! The site of all our Malaysian regattas, seriously got me quite nostalgic.






The joy that was Uniqlo.


Adopted sibling shot.

In other news, I've stepped up my training regimen again. For keeps this time, I'm hoping. I'm still part of the 6 week challenges over at Nerd Fitness and it's going well. This is the start of week 3 if I'm not mistaken. As of the present, I'm heavier than ever but my running endurance is slowly coming back. Been focusing on more cardio but still keeping it heavy with the weights. I'm not depending on the scale anymore for feedback, took some measurements (and lol, posted half naked pictures of myself on the forum) so we'll see where it goes.

All for now!

P.S

Currently reading Sarah Monette's Mélusine, it's pretty convoluted but I'm liking it so far. I just finished her Companion to Wolves, written with Elizabeth Bear and it was awesome! My kind of fantasy, if you know what I mean. Cheers.

Right. I just got back from my trip to Malaysia with Alcine's family. It was fun, did a hell of a lot of shopping but more on that later when I get to steal pictures. Just a simple update of weeks past.


Celebrated Luna's 1st birthday!


Me and Miguel in Tali.


The day my Mom went back to the states! Sniff, hope I get to visit her at the end of this year.

So anyway, I got to fix my schedule that I was alluding to in the last entry! I get to be home a little before 7pm which gives me more than enough time to hit the gym. Only problem is I've been away the past couple of days so I haven't really hit my stride yet. Seriously, I need to get my ass in gear. If I just had a 5 peso coin for every time I've lamented about this, I'd be 1000 pesos richer.

As for the job, I'm loving it so far. I'm excited to see the Transition 2011 collection pan-out. Can't wait to see my little contributions come to fruition here and there. It isn't without difficulty however, rest assured but I'm confident that we will get this show on the road.

In a nutshell, I'm in a very good place right now. Just imagine, a little over a few months ago, I was just dreaming to myself that I can work in the fashion industry. Be it designer, pattern-maker, studio assistant or brand assistant--whatever. Lesson to be learned here is this: dreams are what you make it. I essentially quit my job, packed-up my stuff to learn pattern drafting with my Grandmother, applied to a few jobs and eventually got lucky. Twice!

I'm super very thankful for all the opportunities (given and not given, wink) but I still have a long way to go. At this very moment, I don't think I have the creativity to become a designer. Someday, maybe--but right now I just don't have the vision for it. I'm perfectly content to map out the next few years (or more) with my current company--I have so much more to learn and to develop in myself, I can feel it. I just need to take the time and grasp everything before it's too late. This is coming from reading Alexander Mcqueen's Savage Beauty book; it documents the late designer's work in the MET Costume Institute in New York. His genius is undeniable, and I got inspired by his path to become who he eventually became. Poignant, the stuff of legend.

At any rate, I realize I'm not much of a writer when so much ideas are in my head and I can't really articulate them here all that well. The gist of it is: I feel the need to grow, the desire to develop my skills, to expand my references, to sublimate some kind of point of view--I'm just not quite sure where I should begin.

Cheers.

Hey, hey, hey, how are my best girlfriends? Hahaha okay, over it. How have you guys been doing oh faithful readers? I heard that my friend Mollie is showing this blog to her officemates (I wouldn't know why) but if you're reading this: HELLO.

So just an update on things, as of yesterday, I already received my first pay for 15 days here at my new job: Brand Assistant at the House of Laurel. It's been an interesting past couple of days, to say the least. My job is basically to support the four in-house brands (Rajo!, RajoMan, Rajito and Rajo 9) and their brand managers in developing their products and optimizing their efforts for each collection. But for now, the past week has seen me manning the store (or la tienda as I like to call it, I'm kidding), doing graphic design for our various invitation (Instituto flashback?), researching for our upcoming collection and so much more. .

The onset of the new collection will see me dealing more with production (where I really wanted to be a few months back), developing prototypes, selecting and sourcing fabrics, the whole deal. I'm pretty excited for our upcoming collection, not to spoil or anything but I've already done my research. We'll present it to Rajo next week and we'll let the sketches come. Long story short, I'm really enjoying. Couldn't have asked for a better place to be right now, let's just leave it at that. Oh and did I mention that lunch is subsidized? Hahaha, okay it's a big deal for me because of my no-carb diet I don't have to worry about starving. The lunches are home-cooked style meals and when Rajo is around, it's like a mini fiesta everyday. I kid you not. My only issue now is the long-commute to and from Marikina. It leaves me no time for the gym, or to do anything else quite frankly with me at the office 6 days a week. I already have a solution in mind, so I'll just update you guys if it pans out. Cross your fingers for me!

Moving on, for Holy Week 2011, we went to Tali Beach! For some reason this year, everybody decided to bring their friends--I brought Laurine, and it was hella fun. Picspam in 3, 2, 1.


The usual scene of the crime.


Tweens.


Luna's first time swimming! She loved it, guess where she gets it from?








Sunbathing.


The usual first ones in HAHA.


Underwater camera!




The aunts.


The bodyguards. KIDDING.


Bianx and Laurine.






The sheer number of strangers (I kid) this year was staggering. Can't wait for next year!

That's that! I pretty much came out of it with a sunburn (or an active tan as my cousin like's to call it), but I had tons of fun. I feel so fat right now because I haven't hit the gym in two (count 'em, TWO) weeks! Ugh, here's to hoping I get to fix my schedule. I need to get my ass in gear.

Cheers.

P.S


Here's a gratuitous picture of myself (wow is this going to be a new ritual?) enjoy. Not that you asked but I think my butt looks great HAHAHA squats? But it only looks good here, sigh.

Hey dear lj and friends, it's been a crazy past couple of weeks for me. Whirlwind as it is, I've had a blast this past month working with ARANAZ; namely with Amina (THE designer/chic-est Mom on Earth), Miguel (our boss!), Rosanna (of LMDU fame) and my co-intern pal Carla rounds up our little team--holed up in our three person office, in a house/factory in the middle of Pasig.


Rosanna and Amina at our baby project, the Summer Trunk show!

In the past four weeks, I worked as an intern for ARANAZ--basically with two specific ends in mind, a) organize a trunk show for the launch of our summer collection and b) conceptualize and execute the summer window display. I've done events before so the trunk show didn't pose such a problem to me but the window was another story. Through a collaborative creative process between me, Carla and our boss, we decided to go for a monochromatic window that would bring out the colors of our bags. Somehow the idea of creating unusual texture to give it some depth led us to the origami idea. See, I knew all those years of origami was going to pay off sometime hahaha.


Typical day at the office with me and Carla, stylin' the bags to ourselves HAHA.

We started off with the chosen color (electric green at Ace Hardware if you're curious) and we painted off an entire wall and some display pedestals with it. Next we had to select certain origami shapes that we wanted to play with and then we decided on a pattern, next thing I knew I was given a gluegun, a step ladder and a whole lot of folded paper.


This was basically the pattern we came up with.


And upon installation, this is what it looked like. We filled the bottom with flowers to evoke a forested-floor feel.

I'd like to think we achieved some kind of intelligent design, I really like it and I was so glad it turned out the way it did. It looks good if I do say so myself, honestly coming into this job, I realize that there is so much insight to be gained in the world of retail and merchandising, it's insane. That's one of the bigger things I'm taking away from this experience.

Next up, the trunk show. Basically everything fell into place on that fateful day at the Hidalgo Function Room. The event turned out exactly how we pictured it, we met our targets (and then some) and had a great afternoon with our top clients. People keep telling me how surprised they are of my event management skills but honestly with proper planning (and a lot of luck), the event was cakewalk.


The merch.






Me and Avatar A(a)ng.


My head bitches at the door, Andrea and Maronne.

Okay so here is where the plot thickens, as of April 15, 2010, I'm going to start at the House of Laurel as creative assistant! It's the position I've been dreaming of ever since the beginning of my "journey", I mean where else could one gain the most experience and education if not in arguably the best house in the Philippines. I use the term "best" loosely but his clothes are ubiquitous, his branding, undeniable--he's one of the most relevant designers around. But you may ask, where does that leave me and my current situation? Read on.

So just so everybody gets the story straight (as if people are going to read this /bitter HAHA), at the start of all this: I applied to three companies, namely ARANAZ, Rajo Laurel and Preview. I only heard back from Preview and Amina, but at the end of it all, only Amina decided to take a chance on me. AHEM, and I am eternally grateful for that. Truly. Halfway through my internship, I suddenly get a call from HOL for an interview--so many months (at least 3) after I sent in my first application. At the time, I honestly felt super content at my internship but of course, only an idiot would pass up the opportunity right? So I decided to give it a shot and next thing I knew, I was already scheduled for the third and final interview with the designer himself. At the time, I honestly didn't know what to do. I felt like the working environment was so good already (albeit it's a marketing position, whereas I've been looking for a position in the production/manufacturing side) that I was conflicted between making the decision of whether to stay in a brand assistant position at ARANAZ or a creative assistant position at HOL. And then the semi-unthinkable happened:


Dun dun dun. I'm kidding. Rajo Laurel and Amina.

So sometime during the weekend and before I finally got to meet Rajo himself, we were all at the trunk show (my graduation event, so to speak for the internship) when all of a sudden Carla grabs me and goes "you will never guess who just walked in" and all I could say was "SHUT UP." For fear of him recognizing me from the picture in my resume, I didn't even look, I just grabbed my clipboard and stalked straight to the far side of the room. As pictured above, they basically had a little chat and then he left right after that. Phew, or so I thought. Don't worry it gets better.

So on the following Monday, I was scheduled to finally meet him. It was brief, I expected a barrage of questions but there was none. Basically, he just expressed to me that his team (based on the previous two interviews) recommended me for the position and he just met with me to say "welcome to the company!" I really couldn't believe it at the time, seriously, I was dazed and I left that office smiling from ear to ear. I couldn't believe it was happening. And then reality dawned on me, how was I going to break it to my boss and everybody else that I was going to leave. I felt so heavy just thinking about it. The next day, I arranged to meet with both Miguel and Amina and then I told them everything. As in everything, and when I was done, Amina says "We know, it's okay! Rajo told us during the trunk show!" and my jaw drops. Unreal.


Tweeted right after my interview, I'm so excited to start!

Okay so long story short, Amina and Miguel expressed to me that they were going to support me in whatever decision I took--and it has been decided that I will be moving companies, from ARANAZ to HOL. They understand perfectly because even in my first ever interview, I told them that I was looking for a more production-oriented position rather than a marketing one. They told me I should explore, as young as I am and to go where the wind takes me. Nonetheless, It was a great experience and I am ever so thankful for everything they've given me. She was utterly the height of grace when she ended everything by saying to me that Rajo was one of the people she looks up to, and she said she was happy for me that I was going to pursue the dream.

Total. Sweetheart. I'm never going to forget that.

At this point in time, I believe in the ARANAZ brand so much; especially in the potential of the bags. The beauty of Amina's designs is undeniable. All it needs is that push and it could be the next big thing all over the world. Truly, I can't say it enough: working there has been such a privilege and it brought me immense fulfillment and joy. Not looking to mince words, I had such a good time and I'm scared I'm making a mistake in leaving it all behind but I'm pretty sure this isn't the end, end. Well at least I hope it's not. Made great friends at the company, definitely hoping to have a "next time" somewhere down the road.

Currently, I've been asked to stay and help out up until I start with Rajo on the 15th. We just wrapped up our bridal fashion show at the Manila Peninsula today, it was a huge success. The dresses were gorgeous. Frankly, it felt all a bit surreal for me when I realize I'm so in this now. Right smack dab where I wanted to be four months ago. Curious, no?

Cheers!

P.S


Here's a gratuitous picture of myself just to illustrate how happy I am right now.

Okay folks, time for my first public announcement on this (mostly personal--lol my userpicture for this entry is so apropos) blog. Thanks to my pals over at CirqueTribune (thanks Rod rod_digga!), I got wind of the fact way back in November 2010 that Cirque du Soleil could be coming to the Philippines. Time literally stopped! Cirque coming to a third world country like ours was unheard of, well up until recently that is. I am so excited, and you should be too. Varekai is going to make the Philippines their last stop on their Asian tour, right after Seúl. I feel like it's my civic duty as a hardcore Cirque fan to talk about this "a little bit".



So if you want to witness something that puts the spectacle in SPECTACULAR, experience something world class and be part of history all at the same time; you'd watch Cirque du effing Soleil's Varekai from June 23 to July 10, 2011 at Quirino Grandstand (where the fu?!). This will be nothing like that show they have at R_sort's World or at Pagcor or w/ever. Truuust me. The story, if I remember correctly, is when Icarus burns off his wings and falls into a whimsical forest. A lot of crowd-pleasing acts in this show: duo aerial straps, ICARIAN GAMES, handbalancing on canes, water meteors, Georgian dances, triple trapeze and the list goes on!



I've been such a huge Cirque fan since way back, maybe for the past 8 years ever since high school with my friend Howie. We'd collect the DVDs, the soundtracks, the merchandise, everything and anything Cirque related that we could grab back then. For the most part of my fandom, I had never had the pleasure of seeing a Cirque show live but in 2007, I went to the states and I was lucky enough to catch Corteo (my absolute favorite Cirque show right after Alegria) in California, then both Mystere and Zumanity in Las Vegas. It was uh-mazing. Watching it on video can't compare to the real thing, I gotta say.



Frankly, I've already seen Varekai on DVD (also Fire Within--a reality series chronicling the stories of the original acrobats and performers vying for a spot in the show) and it's one of the best Cirque shows out there. Very true to the mold of what Cirque is really about: a beautiful concept, amazing live music and crazy acrobatic feats spun in one cohesive production. Not to mention more than half the cast is hot. (See: Twins, Atherton). Sadly though, after not missing a single show 2000 consecutive times, the Atheron twins have finally retired from Varekai--they were definitely one of the more iconic acts in the whole Cirque universe, totally making the due straps act their own. I'm excited to see how their replacements measure up.



So okay, check out their Philippine promoter's website at Hoopla.ph and their tickets go on sale at midnight, tonight! I just watched the trailer again and I can officially say I'm super duper psyched. I so know it's going to be a great show!

If and when Cirque du Soleil makes a good run in the Philippines, who knows might come next. Corteo? Kooza? QUIDAM? Let's totes make this happen!

I'm back! Well I haven't exactly gone anywhere but nevertheless, I'm back dear lj (readers withstanding). The past three weeks have been a flurry of activity, although some more productive than others. It's amazing how next week is already going to be March, and hopefully, the start of something epic for me. I'm going to start as an intern for Aranaz (the designer company for bags/accessories/clothes--in that order). It's going to run for a month and then hopefully, I get hired full-time as brand assistant. I hope it pans out well for all of us. Basically it's a really small company and I'm going to be in-charge of a lot things. Will tell you guys more about this as it becomes more concrete. Aranaz is one of the premiere brands in the country, I know I'm lucky to have the opportunity.

As of the moment, I have no solid plan of what the next step is. I don't like the feeling but I have direction, which I know counts for something. I've learned a lot over the course of the past three months with Sylvia but yeah, I don't know what to do with the knowledge just yet. Not that I've gotten everything there is to learn, far from it, she still has a wealth of skills to bestow. At the end of the day, I know what I'm going to be doing in the next few months will afford me invaluable experience, I'll just keep that in mind for now. And besides, I feel that I have yet to find my own creative voice to fly solo.

On that note, I've been taking this illustration class for the past four Saturdays. It's going to be my fifth session this Saturday and the homework is to come up with a mood board to inspire a 3 look collection. It's pretty amazing, prior to the sessions I couldn't draw to save my life. Now I have somewhat workable skills, I'm loving it. I'm basing my collection/mood around the bow tie/womenswear as menswear. Pretty exciting, it would be cool if I could actually execute the looks into real life. Not a bad idea. PROJECT.

In fitness news, I'm still on the StrongLifts 5x5 program and my squat is already up to 195lbs + bar! Can you believe it?! My weight is still a solid 206-08 though, fuck the scale. I try to get in as much cardio as I can and would you believe, I'm still eating Paleo! It's my fourth month now and I'm still loving it. Will update as soon as news comes in! All for now.

Much love.

P.S

Alcine, Drea and I are going to KL in May! Can you believe that? 6 days!

Hey readers! (Haha, laugh with me I'm being ironic!) It's been a long time since I last posted here, the inevitable opener for almost every entry I put up here. Nothing much to report, I'm just chugging along. Can you believe the first month of the new year is almost over? Outrageous. Let me just walk you through what I've been keeping myself busy over the last few weeks.



A few weeks ago, Extribe Inc. hosted it's first Marathon during the Subic International Marathon, last January 9, 2011. It was a pretty huge race, I was a segment manager for the first time (3k/5k to be exact) and I had a hand in a couple of other areas. Needless to say, it was another grueling challenge for us organizers but a fun and seamless race for all our runners. On that note, I've had enough of these run races for now. Can't wait for the next Triathlon! Yes I'm going to say it, I need to go to the beach. Family, let's go to Tali?

In other news, I've been living the weekdays up here in Marikina. I'm slowly progressing in terms of my pattern drafting, just today I drafted a pair of pants from my Menswear book. Can't wait to test it out tomorrow. In terms of real clothes, I've produced one shift dress from pattern, to sewing, to finishing. It took me at least a week if I add up the days, what can I say I sew slow? In terms of assisted patterns (whatever that means), I've done at least 3 dresses, two of them gowns. I realize that I have a long way to go and I think I need to prioritize. I think I need to put sewing in the backseat and focus on design (illustration!) and pattern drafting. I have a couple ideas in my head and I can't wait to have them executed.

I need to learn as much as I can in the following months, frankly the thought is very exciting. Even though I'm not sure I have it in me to design, working with clothes really resonates with me and I can't ignore that.

On another note, work is steadily coming in from my old job--freelance design and all that. It's kind of annoying to be distracted from the work up here in Marikina but it does pay, so I would be a fool to refuse. I need to save up so I can buy more clothes fabric HAHA! Oh and also, I'm going to try and save up for a laptop.

In fitness news, (I seem to be all about news) I'm steadily progressing on my 5x5 StrongLifts goals as chronicled on NerdFitness message boards. Currently my stats are between 203-206lbs (not a good measure, really), my Squat w/ bar is around 135lbs, Bench is 85, Deadlift is 165. Still on the lighter numbers (frankly, I'm not in a hurry to lift big) but I want to pace myself this time around. I'm around three weeks in. Right now, I want to get into running again because even though I know I'm puttin on muscle (I see and feel it), I can't say the same about the weight loss. Oh and yes, I'm still doing Paleo but I think all the unnecessary chocolate I ate is putting a dent in my progress. Yikes.

All for now. More work tomorrow!

P.S


Have a picture, even though I look grotesque here, it perfectly encapsulates the party we had the other week. Hahaha Raffy's induction, I drank so much shit I don't even remember we took this. It was epic fun, nobody does it like the Rowing team does.