blogspot blues

EDIT: the post below was originally published on march 5, 2010. we changed the date because we want it to be at the top of the page. so until we figure out what's going on or until blogger fixes this problem, we're keeping this post at the top of the page. (if readers have any insight or suggestions, please feel free to comment.) thank you!

we spent a good part of the evening trying to figure out blogspot. our main page has always had 15 days posted on it. this past week, we noticed that it only had 10-12 posts. tonight it only has seven! what is going on, man?? we never changed our settings and when we checked, it still said 15. another thing: whenever we go through the archive (for example, click on january 2010), we don't get the complete list of posts from any particular month! what the HELL is going on, man?? is there a glitch in the matrix or what?? haay, what to do, what to do... kainez.

real vs replica

the real:
mademoiselle chair designed by philippe starck for kartell, upholstered in missoni fabric. spotted at dexterton, greenbelt 5. price: P38,000.
the replica:
trix arm chair. spotted at dimensione, power plant mall. price: P6,595.
can you spot the difference?

let's drink: torbeck wines

a week and a half ago, we had the pleasure of dining at the swellegant magsaysay room, the private dining room of the peninsula manila's old manila restaurant. the occasion: to welcome david powell, the managing director-slash-chief winemaker of torbeck vintners. if you were expecting a bespoke-suited guy with a snooty air, well, we didn't see that guy. instead we saw a laid-back, marlboro-smoking, beer-guzzling bloke in jeans cracking self-deprecating jokes—he's australian, after all! here he is with the lichaytoo brothers, alex and clifford, of bacchus international inc., who distribute torbeck wines in the philippines:
back in the day, david traveled all over the world, doing all sorts of odd jobs till he started working in a vineyard in the rhône valley in france, where he developed a passion for winemaking. so he bought parcels of land in the barossa valley, australia's wine region, and nurtured them into one of australia's leading wineries. read all about it on the torbeck website.

the menu was prepared by old manila's chef who used to work with joël robuchon, so you know it's gotta be good! we started with norwegian crab salad with lemon dressing and herbs garden green. paired with 2009 roussanne marsanne viognier, a white wine which goes well with crustacean. (take note of the photo below: this is the correct way for waitstaff to pour wine—the label should always be facing the guest, so we can see what we'll be drinking.)
next we had soup, veloute of mixed forest mushrooms, "cappuccino style." paired with two red wines: 2009 cuvée juveniles and 2007 the steading. david used an analogy to explain the two wines: he said (and we're paraphrasing here) the first wine is like having sex in the morning, when you're all horny but in a hurry, while the second wine is like having sex in the evening when you can take your time and savor it. we've never heard wine described this way!!
first main course: duo of duck breast and foie gras with braised red cabbage, cooking jus. again paired with two red wines: 2007 the struie and 2005 the factor. torbeck has very interesting names for some its wines, instead of just calling it shiraz, which these two wines are.
second main course: over-roasted rack of lamb "persillade," gratin dauphinois, seasoned vegetables, red wine sauce. paired with two red wines: 2007 descendant and 2005 runrig, which is torbeck's flagship wine.
finally, dessert: black currant mousse on pistachio biscuit, green apples sorbet, lemon tart on almond cake. paired with 2007 the bothie, a sweet wine that goes well with fruit, sorbet, or ice cream.
to make a reservation at old manila, call 887-2888 ext 6748 or 6749. bacchus retail shops are located at power plant mall and makati shangri-la

store for storage

today, the hubby broke the coffee grinder, so we dared venture into the nearest mall to buy, er, glue—on a sunday! that mall happened to be robinsons midtown. so after doing hardware duties, we wandered around looking for a place to have a late lunch till we spotted this store, howard's storage world:
mamaya na ang kain! we love to explore stores we have never seen before! this one's got aisles of stuff for the home, pretty much the way make room looked like in the early days. they also have those custom closet organizer systems that you often see in those american home-improvement shows, like clean house and mission: organization. we didn't get to take a pic of that, but we did shoot a few items that caught our eye:

plastic tubs with handles in different sizes and colors:
and if you're not into plastic, how about these wire tubs:
very eames-looking wardrobe hooks:
with matching toilet-paper holder!
bamboo-wood boxes to catch your clutter:
scented bin liners?? we likey!!

got this in the mail

now who doesn't love clinique's gift-with-purchase bonus? they have the best giveaways! we know some women who actually wait for these promos because they get sample-sized products and bags or pouches in super-cute prints that are not for sale anywhere!

so from september 3-19, if you make a single minimum purchase of clinique products worth P3,900, you get a six-piece gift PLUS a green foldable, carry-on bag—free!! it'll make a perfect eco-bag for all your purchases or an extra tote to take when you travel.

clinique counters are found in rustan's at ayala center, shangri-la plaza, alabang town center, gateway mall, and cebu.

rhett's exhibit

on a rainy wednesday night, rhett eala had an opening at silver lens gallery of his new paintings. yes, rhett eala the designer is an artiste. his subject? what else—the philippine map! the iconic symbol of nationalism turned into a fashion accessory. the show was titled "divides" and here are a few of the 11 paintings on display till september 25:
most of the paintings were already sold by the time we got there. prices ranged from P35,000 to P140,000. wow, ang yaman na ni rhett! here were some of the guests—family and friends who dared brave the rains!—we caught before we left. our timing was perfect because just as we got into the car, the lights went out!





catch rhett give an artist talk and slide show at silver lens gallery on september 15, 6-8pm. silver lens gallery is located at 2/f YMC building 2, 2320 pasong tamo ext.m makati city, tel 816-0044, www.silverlensphoto.com

new from apple!

while we were sleeping, steve jobs introduced new apple products just in time for christmas waaahhh!!! these will be out worldwide within the month, so you can start your shopping early!

apple takes the best of the two smallest ipod shuffles and combines them into this new one. they made it square, it talks to you (in 25 different languages!), 15 hours of battery life, 2gb of storage (that's about 500 songs), and it's only US$49!


remember the nano that can show and take videos? they shrank it to just the screen size, but packed it with more features: the screen is now multi-touch, just like the iphone, so simply tap or swipe to make your choice; it's got a built-in clip; the battery lasts 24 hours straight; and to shuffle, simply shake! (oh and fitness freaks will be happy to know it has a pedometer and nike+ receiver—the shoe sensor sold separately.)


the new ipod touch is now like a mini ipad—in fact, it's the future of the ipad! it has retina display (higher resolution), face time (similar to skype) with the camera in the front, HD video camera in the back, and yes it plays music—up to 16,000 songs!


nobody really paid much attention to the old apple TV. the new apple TV is simply video on demand. for US$0.99, you can rent the latest episode of your favorite fox and ABC TV shows, like desperate housewives, 24, lost, grey's anatomy, and glee! and movies from US$0.99 to US$4.99. all in HD! (caveat: you need a US itunes store account.)


itunes version 10—the new word you need to learn is ping, a new social network that is centered on music. so share your likes, dislikes, fave songs and artists—anything music-related!—with other music fanatics! how to join: download itunes 10 and just sign up! see you there!

for more information, go to www.apple.com

(photos courtesy of apple)

miladay 45th anniversary

last august 26, miladay jewels celebrated its 45th year with a jewel fair and fashion show at the peninsula manila ballroom. ooh we were drooling over diamonds and pearls we know we can never afford in this lifetime!! (unless may mag-regalo..!?!)
instead of professional models, the hollywood-themed show was participated in by longtime clients and friends...
and the highlight was, of course, the appearance of the four daughters and only son of mila and ting dayrit who have taken over the family business. oh their parents in heaven must be so proud :-) below, from left: jaqui, michelle, mark, christine, and yvonne