Nearing the Horizon

As you might have noticed, I am not blogging about fashion very much lately (there goes that F). I am smitten at the moment with photography so much so that that interest has taken a backseat. And maybe I am no longer interested in fashion per se, but rather in style. They are two very different things. I might make a post in the future about that matter.

Anyway, these set of photographs is an attempt of mine to capture silhouettes and the effect the last rays of the sun brings. The moon is here too actually.;)

Most of the photos were taken on a walk (a rather brisk one as I wanted to catch the sunset at the bay but was too late) with Cameron last week in Manila. The first three were taken a long time ago (maybe about three months ago) using Cheska's cam. It was when we, along with Janelle, decided to cut our food engineering class to have isaw. Good times.

Watch out for the next post - the 50th! We have something for our readers.:D

Shadowplay

I find shadows fascinating, especially those made by the early morning and late afternoon sun. The shadows make everything seem romantic and beautiful and the sunshine gives a warm glow to all it touches. As a result of this, I think I may be a tad obsessed with both of these times of the day especially before the sun sets. It's a good thing then that days are grey lately that way I don't feel so bad because I don't have a camera with me.

Xocolat: X Marks the Spot

Okay. Since today is the third day of February, let's talk about third places.

To most people, it's Starbucks, right?
It's not home;
it's not workplace.
It's that special place in between where
we meet to awaken our senses,
to find inspiration, and
to make long lasting connections.
Now, if you don't follow, kindly refer to the third page of your wood/velvet/metal planner.

Third place: it's that place where you go to just, be.
Now if you don't have one, I suggest finding it.

Because mine is Xocolat in Katipunan, and I tell you, it's like free therapy where I can stop by anytime and feel the earth revolve slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.









If not a perfect representation of the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company at the same time, then I would say that Xocolat is no more than a calorie trap leading to a side place to get (chocolate) drunk, and forget the din of the world.



They have a very wide range of hot and cold chocolate suspensions and scrumptious desserts, you can never get enough for that endorphin firework explosion.

Here are my top 3 favorites:


Xocolat Chai
Because mint + chocolate is always the best :) Just one sip, and you cringe as it burns at the back of your throat, knowing you just had the hottest carpe diem portion. After one cup, it shoots right up into your brain and you feel yourself rise up, suddenly with the ability to soar through the long lanes of flaming stars, up to the gates of eternity.









Xocolat French Toast
Just so to say, I am quite disappointed with the sausage on the side -- the one I had just recently. They used to be really good, now they're just :/
But all previous sins are forgiven, and new ones committed when you taste these chunks of bread soaked in Xocolat butter. They're like bite-sized brownies, but, uhm, how do I put it? Like, if heaven was edible, I'm pretty sure this is what it tastes like :)
A fruit cup, and coffee/hot Xocolat comes with this. (But trust me, go for the hot Xocolat, it is after all, liquid wisdom.)









Xoco Latte
Looks like hot Tiramisu in a tall cup, doesn't it? But here's the real deal.
The waitress gives you a glass of Xocolat espresso pellets, steamed milk, and cocoa powder. You mix them together. You take a first sip and it moistens your lips and throat. Take a second sip and it breaks your loneliness. And a few more sips raises a slight of perspiration -- all the wrongs of life pass out through your pores. Because I tell you, there is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by this nice chocolate espresso.



This is my spot. My comfort zone. Always, my special respite from the ho-hum routine of stinking college days bordering on morbid.


Xocolat
172 B. Gonzales st.,
Loyola Heights, Q.C.
Chocolate Cafe
Estimated Budget: ~200 per person

Entre Nous and the Components of French Style

I borrowed this book from a friend a few months ago. At first I took it way too seriously; I thought why does this person have to put the French up into such a high pedestal like that? She described them like they were gods sent down to mingle with us mere mortals. Or maybe that's just me. I was not very convinced with the introduction although I've been intrigued with the French ways for some time now; their food, their style, their music and of course where they live.

The book was an easy read and should be just taken lightly as it cannot be compared to the conditions that this country is in. Clearly, the French are more fortunate with how everything in their side of the world works for them: how their government works, the fresh food and all the cheese available to them, how they are in the fashion capital of the world, etc.etc.

Nevertheless, there are some points that can be taken from it style-wise:

A closet with a few quality items is worth much more than a wardrobe of so-so clothes. The French believe in investing in their clothes. They put quality over quantity and thus have much smaller wardrobes. Every item is well-thought out. Every item therefore will be much loved and cared for and would definitely last them for a long time.

The French girl takes the time to stop and consider not only how she looks in her clothes but how she feels in them. Ollivier repeats several times how the French girl has a true sense of self; that she has a sense of individuality, that she knows her strengths. I guess this explains the je na sais quoi that seems to come up all the time whenever and wherever the French are concerned. (It literally means "I don't know what". Googled it.) They do exude a certain air of confidence, which must come from their deep knowledge of self. This translates well into their style and how they look in their clothes. I guess this one is more difficult to achieve.

With regards to hair, the French are more traditional. According to the hairdresser the author interviewed the French tend to find the look that suits them best and stick with it. Clemence Poesy and Audrey Tautou are such examples.

via ffffound and listal.com

As I was looking for classic wardrobe pieces that the French rely on on the net (breton tops, crisp white shirts, or anything black), I stumbled upon a marvel of a site called Les Composantes. They sell beautiful vintage clothes, bags and shoes, and some are even of their own design.

These are looks that I picked in their archives. It's not hard to imagine how one can live on these pieces alone! The silk blouse, the breton tops, the blazer, the dress, the skirts, the satchel are just utter perfection don't you think? They make a closet of beautiful clothes that would have you look effortlessly chic every single day.

But the thing about perfect pieces of clothing are just that. For it to be perfect in our eyes the piece may have a certain fit, a certain length, a certain material, a certain color, and a certain cut that we are looking for so this makes searching for them quite hard. The search might even take years! But such is the nature of the pursuit of perfection.

I now dream of building my own wardrobe not unlike the looks above that would last me years.
And maybe, just maybe I would have found in them my inner French girl.

Hello There, Mr.Sun!

...you have been missed!

The skies have been grey and overcast in this part of the world lately. Not a very ideal setting for taking photographs. So when the sun came out the other day and yesterday morning I took the chance and grabbed the camera to take some photos. 

The flowers are amaryllis (identified it through an intensive search of the internet), which are bulb flowers that blossom at this time of the year but the rest of the year they leave a common-looking boring old plant by its plain lonesome. The flowers started out looking like this.

My dad told me that when capturing plants I should spray water on it first to make it fresh-looking. It does indeed have quite an effect. I didn't, however, spray water on the flowers. The drops of water on them, I suppose, are from the rain that poured the day before.

Photography has been somewhat of a passion of mine recently but unfortunately I don't get to indulge in it as much as I want because I can only take photos using a friend's camera when I'm outside. I'm still not allowed to bring our own from home. Sad. Well, I suppose it's a good thing that I'm a home person. But this makes for very limited subjects which calls for a bit of creativity. Not that I'm complaining so much.

I will get to bring that camera someday. Hopefully that will be this year.:))

A Foray into Portraiture

...Or into photography in general.

I think I may be becoming a kind of a frustrated photographer lately. Frustrated due to the lack of a good camera in which I could control the settings and because I can't (not allowed to) carry the simple digital camera around with me.

I guess this is another one of those things that I get into just because I want to practice an art-related activity.

I noticed that I have a small collection of portraits that has accumulated over time and most of it is my always-ravishing-and-mesmerizing sister; she doesn't decline to be taken which makes it very convenient for me. There's my brother, too, and some friends.

I have taken to photographing random stuff around the house too, and my diy-ed things too, of course.

I will definitely be taking more photographs this year, good camera or not.:)