I woke up to this view! I was happy that the sun was out!
We created a tableau using our favorite pieces.
I just want to share with you some beautiful things. The line is called MIADORE. It is designed by a very talented designer by the name of Yekky!
After brunch, the girls and I decided to do some retail therapy. Since we were just skipping distance to Greenbelt 5, we headed out there, started out at Balenciaga for a look see, then proceeded to Bleached Catastrophe, which always looks amazing and appetizing. The selection there is such a winner that I always walk in and take a peek. Then we went to the Eastpak store because we all wanted to check out the Raf Simons bags! I swear the sales staff there are winners! They were so CHIKA! It took all our will power to leave without buying anything! I love their parting note- slipping me a 20% discount…”Sir…in case hindi ka makatulog sa kakaisip ng bag na ito!” LOL! ILAHVET!
The true winner for me is Rhett Eala‘s latest success strory “COLLEZIONE C2“! In case you’re reading this and you’re not in Manila, Rhett is responsible for the very famous Philippine Map shirt! I mean everyone in the land must have one of his shirts! They practically land the newspaper cover daily because all the politicos and super famous and not so famous wear it! It’s such a genius concept! While the other stores beside him were like empty, his store in Greenbelt was like jampacked! We all ended buying a few of his latest designs, as it was all so well made and really wearable!
I took some photos and from the corner of my eye, I could see my dear friend Rhett smiling from ear to ear! Congratulations Rhett! This is a true winner! BRAVO!
C2 has like 15 branches all over the Philippines!
This store could barely contain the buyers! I mean, it was like a madhouse! While the neighboring stores were like really empty! GALENG!
The gang and Rhett with our buys!
This super fun lady was like buying away! Check out her Rags2Riches bag by ARANAZ! I love her already!
HUGS!
RAJO!
Whenever I am in Bangkok, I have several must do’s on my list. I am quite lucky enough to visit the City of Smiles quite often that I have already an inner itinerary in my head. You have to forgive me, as I did not have enough photos to properly document all my adventures as I was with my team. When I am with them, I end up being like a “Dad” to all of them as I try to make sure that all of them are fine and that they are well-fed and provided for. So here are my must do’s:
1. EAT! Hello! This for me is the most important thing to do in Bangkok! I have a few favorite restaurants that I visit and here are my top 2!
a. Home Kitchen – This started out as a hole in the wall but now occupies 3 large lots along Langsuan. I love the “karinderia” feel about the place, but I swear to all of you: they have the best fried catfish salad that you can see being prepared in front of you. I love the steamed sea bass here as well, as the fish is alive minutes before they steam it. The oyster omelette is to die for as well. The best part is that it’s so affordable – think 300 baht a head for a meal that you will remember forever!
Rhett, Patrice and I enjoying dinner at The Home Kitchen.
I could not take photos of the food so well as everyone was so hungry, but the fried catfish salad is just fabulous!
Here we are, eating away!
b. Celadon – This restaurant is located at the super chic Sukho-Thai Hotel. It’s a bit more chi-chi than the Home Kitchen, but it’s really so worth it! The ambiance alone is worth the price of admission. I always order the cotton fish fried to perfection with a mango-cashew nut sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The roasted red duck curry here is also so very very good!
I also love this famous crab place called Somboom. Not so sure of the name now, but the food there is so yummy!
Simple fried fish!
For an extra 100 baht, you can get the crab curry de-shelled! It makes eating crab less messy, but I think it's more fun to eat crab with the shell!
My team having another dinner out with cousins Robbie and Anj Dinglasan! They live in Bangkok now and they are like my inner guides to the city!
2. GET A MASSAGE- Nix and I are massage junkies! We get one almost twice a week! However, in Bangkok we end up getting one a day! LOL! We either end up getting a foot massage or a full Thai massage. We normally go to this place called Massage Number 5, located at Lansuan Street as it’s so very near the Fraiser place that we normally stay in. Let me tell you, it’s the best 250 baht ever spent! Do not get turned off by the facade or the interiors, just close your eyes and feel all your worries melt away. However, if you do want the full-on Thai Massage experience, then head on over to the Mandarin Oriental Spa. I have done it before and it’s the closest thing to heaven. I swear! Book ahead online though, as it gets full easily.
3. SHOP - OK! I shop everywhere, but shopping in Bangkok is extra fun as everything is still pretty much affordable. I love going to Suan- lum night market as it’s always so fun to haggle. My biggest tip is the Thais love it when you’re extra sweet, so the style there is to haggle with “lambing”. The local Thai designers are AMAZING! The store to go to is called 10, located at the Paragon Mall, where you will find all the young and super talented designers!
That is my to do list! Short and sweet, but I end up doing this all when I am in Thailand, regardless if I stay a week or just a couple of days! What is your must do list in BKK? Do share!
HUGS!
RAJO!
It was my last day in Tokyo and there was this sadness that was in me. I was sad that I had to go back to Manila because it’s always so wonderful to be on vacation and not care about anything, although I do know that Tokyo will always be there for me.
This entry is about random shots taken on my last day in Tokyo. I had a super time bonding with my family and just running around doing silly things. Everyone needs to be silly and bored every now and then. I do not get to have that luxury when I am home. Till my next adventure!
Kabuki theater in Japan is really an experience. The actors are all men, even this lady on the bottom right. Teka, mukha namang lalake yan talaga ah? LOL!
More Kabuki shots. Too bad I did not have time to see a show this trip. Next time.
Love this egg-like sculpture found at the Tokyo mid-town mall.
The beautiful rooftop of the Tokyo midtown mall!
My girl Leica.
Dong and Leica doing last minute shopping around the Roppongi hills area. We were so lucky as the summer sales began that day. Can you imagine that everything was like 50% off? Since we were tourists, we got an additional 10 to 15% off pa! So we shopped to death! LOL!
Check this cake out! Does it not look like the most yummy cake in the world? It's from this bakeshop called Harps. Or was it Carps? LOL! I forget the name because the cake was too good!
I had this super light peach cheesecake! It was good, but the layered fruit with crepe was 1000 times better!
Bye Tokyo! See you very soon!
HUGS!
RAJO!
Tokyo is one of my favorite cities to shop! The Japanese are just insatiable shoppers and they have gotten down merchandising to a science! It really takes great strength not to buy anything! LOL! The best thing about this trip is that I am traveling with one of my muses, Leica Carpo. I love the fact that she can try on the dress and give me instant feedback. Like…. “Rajo! It’s beautiful, but it’s impossible to get inside the dress.” I can only see things visually, so often it’s important that I have a woman tell me how it feels! That’s important.
The fashion vibe in Tokyo is so strong that often I catch myself just staring at what people are wearing, trying to figure out the proportions and the way they put things together. My usual jaunts are the Omotesando, Aoyama, Harajuku and Shibuya area. These are great places to shop and to people watch. Here are some photos of my latest expedition.
One of the cross streets. This one leads to La-foret. A very "trendy" building. 6 floors full of fashion! It can become very overwhelming so I pace myself.
Love Japan's graphic sensibilities. This was taken in the metro.
Loving the sparse sensibilities of this boutique. It's Anne Demeulemeester.
I found this art installation quite interesting and odd. It depicts Japanese farm life. These sculptures were less than 3 inches tall.
A close up of the tiny, funny sculpture.
More art space.
The corner of Omotesando and Harajuku is my favorite! This is where the Gap store is. I like just hanging out there and people watching. Check out these young men. In Japan, they are called Vegetarian" boys. I do not know why, but I did see a CNN story about it.
Leica whipping on a dress made by a Latin American designer. It was pretty!
More graphic inspirations.
I found this really cool square watermelon in Shibuya! Is it not fantastic?
This is the Shibuya area.
Super cute plants!
Loving this retro Volkswagen!
The Japanese are super kind people! When I asked for directions, they even draw a map. Check out the cool map that one man drew for us.
Loving the posters and billboards here. SO CHIC!
Cute retro inspired poster.
This is the Nike store. I am inspired by the plants softening up the rigid structure.
A beautiful plant wall! I want one of this!
FUNKY toys in Kiddy Land!
I try not to write about sad, negative things on my blog. But I had to express my grief for the death of Michael Jackson. I love his songs! When he came to Manila a few years ago, I saved up to buy the most expensive ticket that I could afford. Even if I was like super far away from the stage, I had the best time. I took a photo of these toys to remember him by. Are they not cute and creepy at the same time?
My Tokyo gang...shopping to our hearts' content!
That's Jeff, Dong and me! I love shopping with these two!
Leica in a serious mode while buying music!
HUGS!
RAJO!
There are places in Japan that become “must” places to visit for our family. One of these places is Okachi-Machi. It’s like a glamorous version of Divisoria! LOL! My Dad loves it there because it’s a virtual mecca for golf gear. I love it because it’s fun and there are a lot of cheap finds. When I do get to go, I load up on “osembe,” which are yummy Japanese rice crackers that you can buy by the bulk in the area.
Each time I go, I end up finding new things that spark my interest. This time, it was a military surplus store that stocked up on military gear from all over the world! Who knows, this might begin a new direction for a collection for me?
It is best to take the JR line to Okachi-Machi.
My sister Gela and brothers in law Jiggs and Ace. Waiting for the trains.
My brothers in law Ace and Jiggs en route to Okachi-Machi.
Almost lost in translation.
Love these slippers. I just like taking photos of them because they are so painful to wear!
Yummy cherries in season.
I zeroed in on the Army surplus gear. What was so cool about it was that it was uniforms from armies all over the world: Germany, France and whatnot! I loved it!
Medals galore!
I bought this jacket for myself.
Took a photo of this really chic young lady! Love Japan style!
My fave travel buddy Leica. We found this cool place, almost like our local "kidstation" but the toys were just amazing!
Me in Okachi-Machi!
I loved this photo! I plan to blow it up! It's scary and pretty at the same time.
Kimonos!
Cool kids in Okachi-machi!
Summer blooms!
HUGS!
RAJO!
When I do get the chance to go out of town, I am always on the lookout for fabulous treasures. It’s not often that I see them, but every now and then, I get lucky.
I was riding with my friends to the local UKAY-UKAY place and my eyes darted to these busts on the road. It took a while to get someone to open the gates, but when they did, I zeroed in on the wooden heads on the ledge. I began my negotiations and ended up with a head and half a foot for 2 thousand Pesos. I found that a good deal since the old lady started the price at like 9K! OMG!
This caught my eye and we had to stop!
We entered the tin shack to find these beauties!
Some people get freaked out by this but I just love it!
I loved the heads! I wanted to get more but told myself just to get one.
This was the head I ended up with. She is a dream!
Then we proceeded to do some vintaging. Vintaging in Iloilo is really fun and quite civilized; for starters, it’s air-conditioned!!! Secondly, it’s like well arranged per color and per kind of clothing, like in one area it’s all red shirts or all printed skirts.
It was fun and amazing! Daryl Chang was able to get a really fantastic Paul & Joe dress for like 100 Pesos and a major Jean Paul Gaultier jacket for like 150 Pesos! AMAZING! Sorry I was not able to take photos, as I was busy vintaging myself. LOL!
Thirdly, the UKAY place is in a MALL! LOL! When you’re in ILOILO, have someone drop you off at the Marymart Mall and just look for the UKAY signs! LOL! There are 2: one on the first level and one on the topmost level! When you get tired, there is a yummy batchoy (pork soup with noodles) place at the same mall that will fill your hearts and stomachs.
We then proceded to the Robinson’s mall to visit the YDI (Young Designers of Iloilo) store in the mall. I am so happy that Robinson’s is doing this. It’s so wonderful. I met a couple of very talented designers on this trip and they all inspired me.
At the Robinson's mall, we met some really cool young designers. This is Anna, who made her own zipper top.
Loved the shoes of Patty. I'm happy to note that it's local and you can find it in The Ramp at Crossings! Hearing so much about Crossings but never had the chance to visit! Lots of good finds are there to be discovered. Teresa Herrera swears by Crossings and so does Jenni Epperson. Must visit soon!
The booth of the YDI!
AHH...To be young and driven!
This is one of the more promising young designer I met: Jor-el espina. I liked his sensibilities.
HUGS!
RAJO!
I was determined to make my last day in Japan really special. I took the train back to Tokyo and decided to do three areas: Daikanyama, Naka Meguro, and Ginza! I have really not been able to explore the first two, but I am quite familiar with Ginza. Daikanyama is a relaxed shopping area, surrounded by lush trees and small pathways.
Of all the shopping areas in Tokyo, I kind of like Daikanyama the best. I liked the relaxed pace that it offers and the variety of the stores that they have, from the Brazilian designer Alexandre Herchcovitch to more earthy and funky Japanese labels. I would highly recommend this place if you want to experience a relaxing shopping day.
A good 15-minute walk away is Naka Meguro. The area is mostly residential, but there are a lot of really interesting home stores, and at night, there are some very cool bars and restaurants that thrive in the area. Look out for the main feature of the area called the Naka Meguro Canal, which is really pretty, and look around the stores that line it.
I ended my day in Ginza for a bit of final “window” shopping. I tend not to buy anything in Ginza because it’s the most expensive area in Tokyo. So look lang ng look! LOL! I met up with my Tokyo friends here for dinner. They asked me what I wanted to eat and I said Izekaya, which is like a relaxed ihaw-ihaw place! LOL! Tina Tinio found a real winner of a place, but it was so well-hidden that it took us half an hour to find it! LOL! However, when we did, it was spectacular! We all ate so well that night and had such a fantastic time. To Dong, Jeff and Tina! Thank you for a really fabulous time! See you all very soon!
Ginza at night!
HUGS!
RAHO!
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