December 7, 2011

I had the privilege of hosting the unveiling of St. Francis Shangri-La Grand Penthouses a few weeks ago. This photo shows me standing in the corner of one of the bare units. Check out the height!

I’ve been very curious about St. Francis Shangri-La Place in Ortigas. I know a few people who’ve bought units there. But I’d never been inside before until I hosted the event. I actually have a side story that goes with this. Those who follow me on Twitter may remember the day I had to get off my car and take the MRT during rush hour because EDSA was in a standstill. This was the event I had to go to. Luckily, St. Francis is connected to Shangri-La Plaza mall which is also connected to the MRT Shaw station.

This was the view from the penthouse, I snapped from my iPhone. That’s EDSA – the traffic I left behind.

St. Francis Shangri-La Place is a good looking building – clad in glass with 61 storeys, it is one of the tallest residential developments in the Philippines. The units that were unveiled were up in the penthouse. There are 8 penthouses – three have already been sold. They’re pretty spectacular. Floor areas range from 510 to 650 square metres, all with three levels – 59th, 60th, 61st. The top-most level is the private infinity pool. Incredible!

After the brief program, I took the guests on a tour of a beautifully designed 547 sqm unit by renowned interior designer Manny Samson and Associates. No expense was spared when Manny Samson designed the space – it “exuded elegance, comfort, and world-class luxury, showcasing that which has always been friendly and familiar —Filipino ingenuity.”

Upon entering, one can instantaneously experience the unit’s bright and airy feel.

This sparkling Capiz shell chandelier is individually etched with various patterns creating a lattice- like effect

“Casual elegance and modernism with floor-to-ceiling glass windows offer amazing cityscape views of the metro.”

This chandelier is the pièce de résistance! It measures 5.1 metres and further emphasizes the double volume ceiling.

It wasn’t easy capturing the magnitude of the space. Just imagine a very high space, floor to ceiling windows on both sides, all set in a backdrop of polished chrome, silver gilding and high end fabrics.

Click “More…” to see the rest of this spectacular penthouse in St Francis Shangri-la Place

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December 7, 2011

The Dole Banana Morning Smile promo – an online contest that urged fans to post creative photos of them with a banana smile – turned out to be a great success. The promo launched through this site, Daphne.ph, last October 24. Do you remember how I kept retweeting the promo on Twitter and Facebook? I was encouraging more people to join the contest so that more kids would get bananas.

For every entry from the “Banana Morning Smile” promo, Dole Fresh Philippines donated a cluster of DOLE® Bananas to the missions of Operation Smile Philippines. The company also fulfilled one of its commitments last November 17, 2011 at the Ospital ng Makati, its sponsorship of four (4) cleft lip / palate operations representing the duration in weeks that the promo ran.

The photo entries were displayed in Greenbelt 5 last week.

SMILE!

Banana Morning Smile beneficiaries of cleft lip/palette surgery through Operation Smile. (L-R) Elaiza Faith Colinares, Alexander Bungalon, Felix Ingrid Flores and Merry Joy Taon.

Click “More…” to see the winning entries.

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December 6, 2011

This is the house we featured in Cebu last week. It’s a gorgeous home with Tuscan-style architecture and modern interiors. It was designed by the homeowner herself, Nia Aldeguer – an architect. She was inspired by her family’s home in the US but adjusted the details to suit tropical conditions – lots of sliding doors and huge windows. Oh, and the two gorgeous cars (vintage Lotus something…. ) are housed in what was supposed to be a guest room converted into a pseudo-garage.

Urban Zone airs on ABS-CBN Channel 2 every Friday night after SOCO and internationally via TFC.

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December 6, 2011

I started collecting antique handpainted medals in 2005. Then in 2006, I made them into charm necklaces.

It first got featured in my old TV show F in 2005, then in Metro Magazine April 2006

Then I acquired new medals (not antiques) from a craftsman in Europe and worked on the most ornate frames in Manila myself. I never stopped wearing my charm necklace. I liked piling them on. This was in 2008.

In 2009, I made them in 14k gold earrings upon the encouragement of Ingrid.

I created custom-made pieces for those who really loved them. These are all in 14k gold. Medals come from Europe while a local goldsmith worked on my designs for the 14k gold frames here.

Then this year I made my first 14k bracelet.

Last week, I shot at home with Xeng Zulueta doing my makeup, Felicity Son groomed my hair and Dix Perez shot the photos and videos. I wore my own charm necklace.

Before I went retail in 2008 at Accessory Lab, 2nd Floor Power Plant Mall Rockwell, I had this photo taken by Marlon Pecjo. Makeup by Xeng Zulueta.

While having my morning coffee, I saw this. Hanneli Mustaparta styled the new Dolce & Gabbana fine jewellery collection for Vogue.

I am speechless.

Same wavelength?

Click “More…” to see some of my old work.

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December 5, 2011

The second UNICEF Auction for Action: The Manny Baldemor Sabrosa Series is now an active online site. Please check out www.ebay.ph/unicef from now December 5 til December 12 for the online bidding of Baldemor’s pieces. Proceeds will go to UNICEF programs for children in the Philippines.

This is a very special collection. It all happened quite fast. During dinner hosted by Vanessa Tobin, UNICEF Philippines Country Representative, Mr Baldemor and I met for the first time. Also at dinner were UNICEF Philippines’ Marge Francia and Michelle Borromeo. We were prepared to propose the idea of an online auction to Mr. Baldemor. And in an instant he whipped out his portfolio and brought out about 40 sheets of unframed canvas. He donated all the pieces to UNICEF to be auctioned off. And just like that, we had the bones for the second UNICEF Auction for Action.

The first time we did Auction for Action was June of this year. It was a huge success. It was the first time I founded a fundraising activity of this sort. I curated a mix of decorative and functional pieces from the country’s best artists and designers. In a 10-day online auction, we were able to raise P1.4 million pesos. I hope to raise double the amount next year. In the meantime, we have this wonderful collection from Manny Baldemor that I think will raise a lot of funds for Filipino children this Christmas. Not many people know that UNICEF programs in the Philippines rely solely on funds raised locally. So we really need your help here…

Our dinner last October, when Mr. Baldemor presented us with his Sabrosa series.

Manny Baldemor, UNICEF’s Marge Francia, UNICEF’s then-Country Representative Vanessa Tobin (her post in the Philippines has ended and I will miss her so much!), and UNICEF’s Michelle Borromeo.

The Sabrosa series was conceived during Baldemor’s art residency in Sabrosa, Portugal earlier this year. Located in the northern part of Portugal, the municipality of Sabrosa is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is also the birthplace of Ferdinand Magellan, the first European navigator who reached Philippine shores in 1521.

The series of landscapes was inspired when Baldemor took a boat ride down the great river Duoro, “I took a glance upwards as we passed a steep incline and saw vineyards of different levels that would make our own famous Rice Terraces look like anthills. It was awesome. I’ve never seen layers and layers of vines in a gigantic mountain that almost touches the sky… I wondered if the vineyards were already there 500 years ago when Ferdinand Magellan trekked from this mountain of vines, down to the River Duoro to the Atlantic and finally to the Pacific Ocean,” he said.

Click on the banner to take you to the auction site.

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