#PhilFashionWeek: Day 7.

May 15, 2011; PFW Day 7, Internship Day 6

And then comes the end of the week. I started the day by carrying magazines with my co-intern Franz then we headed to the function for the Grand Allure Collection. I dealt with the craziest woman I've ever encountered the entire week and I don't think I can ever forget about that... Incident. Haha! It's too long and not worth your time so I won't tell it anymore. Luckily though, after getting people settled, I got to take some photos of the show and even got to finish it!

After the Grand Allure, was the Premiere B show then the Premiere C show. Then came the Rusty Lopez show! Funny story again! We were told that we didn't have to usher since they had their own ushers and registration. So we let them be, ladadi dada. Then some of their dear ushers didn't know where the VIP was and who the real VIPs were... Crazy stuff! They even had this buffet and they had people line up IN FRONT of the entrance to the function. Weird. Haha. They had a pretty cool set though, made me want to watch the show but it was full and I wasn't that interested.

Photo by: Elora Picson

After leaving Rusty Lopez, Mito, the head of the Front of the House interns chose the ones who were ushering for Penshoppe 'cause they had to wear something the store chose for them. I was so jealous 'cause I really wanted to watch Penshoppe and because Nadine and I knew David Guison would be there. Wow, we've really turned into stalkers. Creepy. So I kept telling my friendly co-interns how sad I was and stuff, so I hung-out with a few of them for a bit and had dinner early. After dinner, I walked around then went to the function for the L'Oreal presents Louie Mamengo show alone.

Oh, wait! During dinner, the ones who were chosen to usher finally got out of the show and told us that it was so messy inside and full of people. Then another intern came up to us and asked, "Alam niyo na ba 'yung nangyari sa Penshoppe?" We said we didn't then he told us that the right platform/bleachers/seating area of the function room collapsed and there was already a hole where your foot could actually get in. Crazy, yes? Not yet finished. Earlier that day, we were told that we had to finish all the PFW Magazine/Directories and 'cause they wanted to give away 300 copies per show and I was surprised. Then they said it was no problem 'cause they were expecting 800 people per show. So imagine, 800 people per show? But Penshoppe apparently invited WAY WAY WAY more than that, I won't even say. Haha! Thankfully, nobody got hurt but everyone was of course, asked to move for safety purposes.

So anyway, I went to the function for the L'Oreal show and I was knocking on the door but nobody would answer. There were already SO MANY people lined up and I even heard someone shout, "Ano ba 'yan! Papasukin niyo na kami!" Wow, wild. After about five minutes of leaning on the door, other interns came up to me and whispered that we can pass backstage. So we did. When I got there, I stood on my usual spot. One of the bouncers came up to me and asked if we were already allowed to let people sit on my side of the function then we ended up talking. I was already letting people pass me without asking how many had to be seated like I usually do but for some reason, I don't know why, I looked at my right and then I saw that David actually passed by me. HAHAHA. Not a lot of people were already in the function since they were only letting in VIPs and relatives/friends of Louie Mamengo.

I texted Nadine right away, being the little co-hunter that I am and sadly, she was eating dinner that time. I really wanted to have another photo with him 'cause the one we had the day before was blurry. :( But I couldn't ask for one at that time 'cause he was with someone else, I was already "working", I had my 70-300mm lens attached and not my kit lens aaand no one would be able to take the photo. So I was just there, standing when my co-intern Jomar was whispering to me, "He's coming, he's coming!" I was like, "Whut? Ha? Where?!" Then I looked to my left again and I saw David then he said HIIIIIII. I smiled at him and waved like a down right idiot and I was so happy to the point that I hit Jomar on the back. Which I begged for forgiveness for. Up to this time, when I think about it, I still feel REALLY sorry and embarrassed.

After that, I didn't see David anymore 'cause I left the function already when so many people were going in. Why do I say David as if I'm friends with him? Feelingera. Anyway, I went out and back to registration and again, hung-out with the people there. We had our mini-shoots and stuff then Nadine and I went to take photos and check-out the L'Oreal lounge which was really interesting.

OMG, IT'S DENISE SAN JOSE. :">

Photos by: Elora Picson

How much of an idiot do I look like when

I'm with my favorite bloggers???

Photo by: Nadine Sagales

Can I just say how much I love her? It's because of her blog that makes me want to actually work in the fashion industry. I love her blog so much 'cause it's so real and it's not like she's trying to make a good impression to anyone, I'm not friends with her but I feel like she's exactly how she is in her blogs. Ever since I met her last Tuesday, she's been saying hi to me every time she saw me and I find that genuinely nice and I felt I don't know, special? Haha. We took the photo in the L'Oreal lounge after she told Nadine and I we should have our make-up done there. She looked really pretty like each day I saw her during PFW, I'd be like, "Chiara, doesn't Nissy look great today?" Hahaha! Stalker. I wish I could be friends with her or at least work with her in the future. I miss seeing her already. Haha!

Anyway!!! Back to the last night of PFW Holiday 2011, Nadine and I took more photos but I won't upload them here anymore 'cause I really feel like we've become obsessed. Hahaha! Hi, Nadine. So we waited 'til the Louie Mamengo show was over and when everyone came out, all of the interns who got to watch the show told us how beautiful and how moving the show was. I even heard/saw some celebrities/designers cried because of the show.

After everyone left, us interns for Front of the House were left in SMX, waiting for Mito. We were all going to the L'Oreal party as a celebration so we took photos first to keep us happy and in the mood.

Photos by: Elora Picson

♥

Photo grabbed from: Martin Chua

Post-processed by: Elora Picson

So after awhile we finally left for Sofitel and most of them rode my van to get there. We finally got to the Fever Lounge, Sofitel and it was an awesome place for an after party. I had a lot of fun at the party, even though I only stayed for a very short time. My camera battery died way before we left SMX so I had to grab photos from my co-intern again. Thank goodness for people who like uploading straight out of camera photos!

Photos grabbed from: Martin Chua

Thank you!

Bottom line, thank You to God, for blessing me with this opportunity to be a part of Philippine Fashion Week, Holiday 2011. Thanks to my parents for understanding why I had to do this and why I got home from 12:30AM to 3:00AM, HAHA. And of course, thanks to the people who I got to work and hang-out with for six straight days! I've fallen in love with them and I really miss them now, even though I didn't get to be close with all of them. Just seeing them everyday was awesome enough for me. Wait, thanks to my favorite bloggers and model who I took photos with. I love you people, really. Haha! Especially to my favorite bloggers, I really wish I can work with you in the future! Ah, time will tell.

'til next season, Philippine Fashion Week!

You are nothing but awesome. <3

#PhilFashionWeek: Day 6.

May 14, 2011; PFW Day 6, Internship Day 5

So here comes my number one favorite day of the week! It was also the first day of the busiest part of PFW 'cause instead of having 3 or 4 shows that start at 5:30PM, there were 8 shows scheduled for that day that started at 1PM. First was the Ready To Wear Collection, then SM Kids Fashion (which I wanted to watch but we didn't usher for that show) Oh, and funny story about the SM Kids Fashion show! Apparently, I think two of the models were Manny Pacquiao's kids and they had to start an hour late because he was taking so long to get there and of course, he's Manny Pacquiao. He had to watch his kids walk on that cute ramp! I didn't get to see him anymore 'cause we had to prep the other function for the Emily Sy, Joyce Pilarsky, Jun Jun Cambe, Michelle Lim show but some of my co-interns did. You'd think being my dad's daughter I would have at least seen him once, but nope!

So after ushering for the Sy, Pilarsky, Cambe and Lim show, we had to run to the function where the SM Kids Fashion show was held for the next show which was the Eric Delos Santos, Jerome Salaya Ang, Sassa Jimenez show and yey, here goes. We prepped the function with all the directories and flyers and I was so happy to see Sassa Jimenez. Just the week before last week, I read about her on Saab Magalona's blog and I wanted to see her and her designs on the runway. Ms. Jimenez is really pretty and oh my gaaaah I was prepping when I thought Rolling In The Deep was playing for her music and when I looked behind me, IT WAS BEING SUNG BY A WOMAN. She sounded just like Adele and I loved it. I was singing the song for the rest of the night, by the way.

After prepping, we ushered people to their seats and it was PACKED. As in people were standing 'cause there were no vacant seats left. We went out for awhile and then my friend/co-intern/block mate Nadine and I went back inside 'cause she told me she saw David Guison at the show. We were determined to meet him 'cause we've tweeted with him, we both didn't get to take a photo with him before/after the Forever 21 show and we REALLY like him. So after the show, we saw him go out and then hang by this tarp, obviously looking for someone or waiting for someone. Nadine and I couldn't help it, we were super kilig at that point that we didn't have the guts to approach him.

Finally, I composed myself a bit then we went up to him. AHHH! I'm getting goosebumps just typing this. We went up to him and I was like, "Um, uh, Daviiiiid...?" Then he smiled and he said he remembered us omg omg omg omg kinikilig ako. Haha! So anyway, we shook hands and he knew our names!!! My hands are shaking as I type this. We took photos with him and all and he was like, "Finally!" After we took the photos, he asked us if we were watching the Candie's show but I said we weren't 'cause we weren't ushering for it. We left him there and Nadine and I were walking, smiling, and shaking. We couldn't believe we met David Guison and he knew us. He really is a nice guy and on Twitter he's really sweet and funny.

Ganda mo lang talaga, Nadine.

Photo by: Elora Picson

Tapos ang pangit ko lang. :))

Photo by: Nadine Sagales

After that, we hung-out at the registration where our bags were and Nadine and I couldn't stop smiling. Haha! We took some photos for awhile while the Candie's show and Regatta show was happening.

Photos by: Elora Picson

And then we had calamares that was like rubber for dinner in the pantry. After dinner, we headed to the function for the Ford Models' Supermodel of the World Philippines 2011 show and prepped then ushered. I wanted to watch but there were also too many people that it was no use to watch. Plus, one of the interns told me we had to go to the next function to prep, too. I did see who won though, her name's Samantha and that's all I know. And I think she's only 14-years-old? Young, right.

We headed to the next function for the Vaio presents Design Fusion/Visions and Trends and that was a crazy show, too. Well, it was crazy before the show. Before the show, they told us there was going be a raffle. All the audience had to do was put their calling cards in the box thing and then the calling card that would be chosen would get a free Vaio laptop. Some of us wanted to join but of course we weren't allowed... I think. So anyway, I was standing by the stairs where I always waited for guests. There were very few people inside because they wanted to let the VIPs in first. Suddenly, people were running towards all the seats and I had no idea why. It was hard to approach any of them to ask how many seats they wanted and only very few were sensitive enough to stay calm and wait to be seated.

I asked my co-interns what was happening and finally after I got out of the function, they told me that a bouncer/security left the door open by accident and people got in on their own and hunt down for their own seats. Gosh. So anyway, before we all went home, we hung-out by the registration again and took photos.

Photos by: Elora Picson

Model: Kristin Cornejo

Photo shot by: Chiara Ferrari

Post-processing by: Elora Picson

Day 7 next!

Oh, my gaaah.

All morning I've been getting things ready for a big day, going from blog after blog and tweeting. It's only 11:30AM and I've already watched two DVDs: Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Down To Earth and also, I haven't eaten breakfast. This is all coming from a girl who came home at 1AM because she picked up her mom from the airport.

So this morning Nigel Barker (@beautyeqation) tweeted about posting questions on his site that he can answer. With a crave of professional comments, I've been posting on the website what I think of him and so far what my "career" has been going through and I wanted comments on a shoot I did. I posted a few hours ago or an hour ago and I was thinking it would take ages for him to reply. I went back to the website a few minutes ago and apparently the photo didn't attach!!! :( So I tried posting again and nothing happened!

Yes, someone left a comment. Guess who!

I could just die and burn right now!!! I feel so embarrassed. :( Another thing happened: It was posted on Facebook!

YES, SOMEONE LIKED IT. I didn't even check to see who it was anymore. I even hid this from my news feed 'cause I feel so embarrassed. Hahaha! What is wrong with me? Why am I so embarrassed??? Oh, well. I tried. I will regain confidence maybe later. Hahaha! Or maybe 10 posts on the blog later.

In other news! I have large news for you guys but I don't want to post anything about it yet 'cause I don't want to jinx it. I'll blog about it tonight, when I get home, dead or alive. Haha!

P.S. Thank you, God! You're giving me more than what I prayed for. I love You! :)

P.P.S. Reese Lansangan featured my blog on her blog!!!

Check it out here!

Thank you, Papa Jesus! I love You! :)

Day 24: Oh, life.

Day 24: Something you've learned

Yesterday I had no idea on what to write for the 24th day and when I did think of something, I realized that I wasn't really in the mood to write it. I guess it's because I get moody or feel like I'm so mighty when I write things like that and I just wasn't in the mood to be like that yesterday. Odd, but I guess if you read my blogs often you can definitely tell that I'm pretty much an odd person.

In my early years, I learned that 1 + 1 = 2, and then a little later I learned that Physics is one of the hardest subjects known to mankind. Aside from those academic subjects, I learned a little something from life too, as cheesy as that sounds. I've been learning and still learning. One of my most favorite teachers who was my Debate mentor and English teacher (for five straight years) in high school always loved to say this phrase that I always found weird and annoying at times:

"Oh, well. That's life."

It doesn't really mean taking life for granted, but I take it as saying that there are some things in life that you can't change. Maybe it means that there are some things you can't change, but maybe you can change yourself? I don't know. It's something I'm still trying to get and maybe when I see him next time, I'll bring it up.

Another thing I learned from life is that staying still won't bring you anywhere. And lingering on the past also won't lead you to the present. I guess life has it's lessons that you learn randomly or something. Ugh, I don't know what I'm saying anymore. I really don't think I'm fit to do this post right now. Sorreh!

Fashion-forward.

O K A Y.

So about a month ago, a friend of mine tweeted about Tricia Gosingtian's video with negative comments. I watched it and honestly, at first, I didn't get what she was saying and I didn't feel anything negative towards her. Then after watching it for the second time, I realized what she said and I was like, "Uh, okay. Who is she to say that?" But in the back of my mind, I knew that I was jealous 'cause she was sent all the way to New York BECAUSE OF HER BLOG. So anyway, a few days passed and I had friends come over for research paper making. One of them brought up the topic and at that time, we were like, "I don't like her blah blah blah"

After that, the issue died down and I never really heard about it that much anymore.

Lately I've been getting more familiarized with different bloggers, photographers and models. I guess it's also because I've really been trying to work hard so I can really get into the photography zone. Little did I know that Ms. Gosingtian is also a photographer and model. I started going to her Lookbook more and more then to her blog and then I liked her on Facebook and starting yesterday, I started following her on Twitter.

Yesterday, a celebrity that I follow tweeted something about her, asking people to stop defending her if it's not going to help. I was surprised to see that the same issue was being raised. I was lead to Tricia Gosingtian's Twitter again and I saw her post on Tweet Longer. It was such an old issue (and post) that I felt like I was going back in time or something wrong was going on with Twitter.

Then a little more than an hour ago, my friend Liz Pasana posted a rant on her blog about the issue. Let me do my own, too.

WHO ARE YOU GUYS? The issue is really old and actually really boring now. Tricia Gosingtian did not say anything bad about Filipinos. I get it, it sucks that a girl who had the chance to represent the Philippines said those things but what if you were a blogger yourself, so overwhelmed by the limelight? You guys don't even know her and you judge her for small words. I don't know her personally myself, but when I watched the video I was like, "Yeah, I get it." I guess I was just caught up by peers so that's why I didn't like her at first.

Honestly though, not ALL of us Filipinos are so recognized by fashion abroad or even the latest fashion. Not all of us have the luxury of going to Zara, Forever 21, Mango and you know, not all of us even have the luxury of buying Rajo Laurel's designs or Liz Uy's. I actually believe that what she was trying to say is that when she posts something new, Filipinos who view them are amazed 'cause she's introducing something new. I get it that her fashion-forward comment didn't sound good, but I'm telling you, it's not easy being in the limelight. Plus, she already explained that that was just a small part of the interview. Who knows what else she says? It could be good, it could be bad. If you're not satisfied, then I dare you to contact the people who interviewed her. Ask for the left over takes and then actually meet her and talk to her. THEN judge her.

You have to give the girl a break. She's actually pretty cool online and at least she has proper netiquette, not like the other posts I've been reading for the past hour.

It's amazing how one thing makes so many people crazy.

I'm actually pretty jealous of her. She's a professional photographer, casual model who was sent to New York to meet a designer ALL BECAUSE OF HER BLOG. She's all that, I'm this, and you are?

Day 05: My never-ending playlist.

I've been procrastinating all day for this post. My mind has been on a roller coaster today - up down up down, WEEEEEE! So I can't seem to figure out my mood. There is one thing I'm sure of, though. I've been feeling so thankful all day. Okay, end of intro.

Day 5: A song to match your mood

So today, I've had pretty much the most awesome day in history of Karissa Elora Picson. When I use the laptop, my TweetDeck is always open while I'm on Google Chrome, Facebook-ing, blog-hopping, YouTube... You know, the works. Anyway, AJ Rafael, one of my biggest music influences ever, tweeted that he was at the Life Cafe with some friends. I replied back, "Life Cafe sounds so RENT." 'cause you know, I love RENT. I was playing a game on Addicting Games when TweetDeck appears and there's AJ's tweet, quoting my tweet and then a reply. I was like...

While playing a game on Addicting Games

It was truly a "WHUT?!" moment, my friends. It truly was. So anyway, I didn't reply back 'cause I had no idea what to say. Then this dude replies, still joining me in the conversation and then I still don't reply. Then an hour later, AJ replies to the guy's tweet, STILL joining me in the conversation. The guy said something weird which I did not agree to, so I had to "defend" myself saying I didn't say anything. I tried to strike up a conversation and I said, "I wish there was a place here in the Philippines like Life Cafe" without thinking he would reply... BUT HE STILL DID. Crazy, right? He's already replied to me before, back in February 2010 when I asked if he still had gigs while he was here in the Philippines. This was magical though, 'cause it was like we were chatting. My friend even tweeted me and mentioned how lucky I was, I was iike, I KNOW RIGHT.

Another awesome thing that happened was that, well, you know, I PASSED MY BIOLOGY CLASS.

This "I'M THE BOSS" or "LIKE A BOSS"

thing is getting to me

So, yeah. I passed Biology. That's all I'm going to say about that now. Kthnxbye!

The next best thing happened...

I tweeted STATUS Magazine yesterday, just to give them a little heads up on something. I didn't really need a reply so I didn't really expect anything. Then I saw that they Direct Messaged me on Twitter and I was just thinking that because I'm following them, they can send me a DM. I didn't mind much, I just wanted to reply. So, I did through a DM too. Then I realized, WAIT. I can't DM them unless they're following me, too. So I opened Twitter.com and everything to check my followers, and VOILA...

They're following me <3

MY FAVORITE MAGAZINE, IS FOLLOWING ME.

Which is so freaking awesome, 'cause I don't care that I'm only one out of the 2000+ people they're following, 'cause one out of those 2000+ Twitter people is my crush... OKAY GOING OFF TOPIC. Sorry. So because I realized this, I tweeted it, then they re-tweeted me and then replied. My gash. We began talking a bit through Direct Message, but just six messages. How awesome.

Then another good thing happened, a very pretty girl from school who my friends and I like so much (she's talented, sweet and very nice) was online today and since she was posting things about STATUS a lot, I chatted with her. She replied and she was sooo nice. I even got touched 'cause I introduced myself and she was like, "Yeah, I know :)"

Manny Pacquiao, fangirling. #winning

So I've been pretty much thankful today, 'cause God granted me all these blessings in one day, in my own home! So happy for this day. :)

Praise the Lord!

Oh, and my parents are drinking wine right now... And they're sharing the blessing with me, too.

We love Elan: Part 1: The background.

I just have to type this up 'cause I told my friend Liz that I would. Yesterday was such a funny day for us, and I just have to tell you about it.

But first, a background:

I follow Mosh Reyes on Twitter, who is a very artistic person. I'm sure she wouldn't remember me at all, but we were in my high school (Benedictine IS, QC) at the same time. In my first year there, she was in third year while I was still in the sixth grade. Anyway, she tweeted one time about Reese Lansangan's video, "Trophy Boy." I clicked the link leading to the video on YouTube, and I fell in love with the video, the song and the singer instantly. OH, AND HER GUITAR TOO. So I found out that the pretty girl singing in the video was Reese Lansangan and I wanted to share the song and video to my college friends. I wanted to show it to them 'cause I knew that they'd appreciate the same things on the video like I did.

I first showed the video to my friend Karryl first when she slept over one night and she found it so cute, too. Then around a week after that, my friends came over to my house and while we were watching YouTube videos after the other, in the middle of everything, I shouted, "OMG, I HAVE TO SHOW YOU GIRLS SOMETHING." So there, I played her video on my laptop and they were all like, "Aw, she's so cute! I love her guitar! OMG, U.P.!" (Sorry, we love U.P. and it's greatness.) Anyway, the one who really got hooked to Reese Lansangan though were just me and my friend, Liz Pasana (hi, I've mentioned her a million times already).

Liz and I began to talk about Reese more, we found her Lookbook, her blog and her videos. We were hooked! We love her clothes, her voice, her blog and then HER ACCESSORIES. So one day, when Liz came over for our shoot, we talked about a song that was "Trophy Boy"-inspired. So I watched Reese's video for the nth time and one thing lead to another and we landed on her blog. Which might I say is awesome for those of you who are super into fashion and photography! Anyway, it was perfect timing 'cause Reese just posted an entry about where she got her accessories. We were so happy to find out it came from a store called "Elan" which they own and we were even happier to find out that it was so close to school! So Liz and I made it a must to check out the store someday and here goes what happened yesterday...

We love Elan: Part 2: The hunt.

Yesterday (April 1, 2011):

I went to school to meet-up with some of my friends and to pick-up my class cards (which were awesome, but I still lack three). Liz was there and we really wanted to hang after collecting our grades sort of as a celebration for my birthday since I didn't get to really enjoy the first half of my birthday (which is okay because my dinner with my family was really fun). Anyway, we were still planning when we mentioned Reese's store. Our original plan was to hang around Greenhills for the afternoon and then we said that it was a must to visit her store. She went there during the weekend and she was trying to remember where it was. We ate lunch in my favorite restaurant, Le Ching and then since we had time to spare, we wanted to go to "Elan".

All I knew about the store was that it was in Greenhills. That's what Liz remembered, too. So we went to the tiangge for awhile and then we went to V Mall, she said that she doesn't remember the store being there so I thought of the Theatre Mall, we only got to the second floor where it was mostly gadgets and then I showed her the first floor (still from the second floor), "No, I don't remember it being here." I remember from Reese's blog post that the place looked really new and white. So I lead Liz to Shoppesville plus where the building was really new and so were most of the stores. We looked around and even got distracted by Payless and we even went ALL AROUND the second and third floor. We wanted to ask the guard but he looked pretty rude to another customer so we asked a janitor instead. He told us to ask the information booth instead 'cause Elan didn't sound so familiar to him and I asked if he noticed any new stores and he said most of them were new. Liz and I felt a face palm moment when we found the Information booth in between two stores we kept passing by during our hunt.

"Wala pong lumalabas sa computer, ibig po sabihin walang Elan dito." (There's nothing coming up on the computer, that means there's no Elan here.) So that was a downer. The girl suggested going to Theatre Mall or V Mall but we told her we already went to V Mall. Then Liz thought that we really needed a wi-fi hotspot so we could check out Reese's blog. We asked the girl in the Information booth where there was free connection around and she pointed McDonald's. Liz and I went inside McDonals, sat on the last available table, and brought out the iPod touches we had. We didn't even order and the guard didn't seem to mind that we were there with no trace of food. Liz found the address and it said "Connecticut St." her iPod's Google Maps was telling her she was in North America so I used mine to check it out. The street was right behind us but outside the mall. Important event: Liz went on Facebook and checked us in Happy Lemon which we weren't in, 'cause we were in McDonald's. After some thinking and giving in, we decided to try leaving the mall and looking for Connecticut St.

Did a screen capture yesterday but deleted it.

Here's a new one, though. Specially made two minutes ago for the post.

So here's where the importance of Liz' check-in comes in: Her sister was with her when she visited Elan during the weekend and thankfully, she saw the post all the way from Singapore and left a comment saying, "Look for Flapjacks. Kita mo from there Elan." So on our way out of McDo, I was like, "OMG, I KNOW WHERE THAT IS!" So we walked to Flapjacks and stood there. We were like, "O_O WHERE'S ELAN?" So I figured, inside Theatre Mall! So again, we walked around the fashion shops of the mall and even talked to one of the sales ladies who seemed pretty amused with us. It was a failure and we couldn't find the store. So we saw a more friendly guard and asked him all the clues that we had; Elan, Connecticut St., and North East Square. It was so embarassing, 'cause he pointed out that Connecticut St was outside, and that we were in Connecticut Lane (inside the mall) Liz and I were like, "OHHHH HAHA WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT" So we went back to McDonald's, looking like freaks with iPods who were obviously using the wi-fi connection. So we tried go behind McDonalds and I didn't see Pancake House, so we went to the other side. We reached the outside of Greenhills already, but we couldn't find the North East Square!

So we were already tired and then I started laughing hysterically, and Liz asked why. You see, we didn't have enough cash in our wallets. We just really felt the need to look for the store. So I said in the middle of our walk, "DUDE, WE AREN'T EVEN PLANNING TO BUY ANYTHING" So we laughed laughed laughed 'cause it was true. We were walking our asses around the entire Greenhills mall just to see the wonders of Elan. That didn't stop us, though. We went back to McDonalds and I read the directions of Reese again. Then I read, "It's the white atrium somewhere between the very popular Lugang Cafe and Amici" When we got out of GH, I pointed out to Liz how good the food in Amici was. So when we were back in McDo, I was like, "LIZ, WE HAVE TO GO BACK! IT'S NEAR AMICI, THE PLACE WITH THE GOOD FOOD" We were tired, but still, we really needed to check out Elan. We walked back to where we were before, then crossed the street to Amici. I've never heard of Lugang Cafe and I wasn't even sure if I was pronouncing it right. So I asked the guard of Amici where it was and he said we had to go straight. When we were walking along Connecticut St. (finally), we were laughing when Liz shouted. "WHUT?!"I asked. "NORTH EAST SQUARE!" And there it was. That white atrium was like heaven to us, 'cause it was leading us to the cutest store ever.

We sort of ran, or just walked faster and when we got there, Liz was so happy to see Banapple 'cause that's all that she remembered about her visit to the store. We were looking around for Elan then Liz said the number one thing I didn't want to hear that moment. "Oh my gosh, it's closed." I looked around and there it was, Elan, in the ground floor of the North East Square. From upstairsit was dark and everything so we had every right to think it was closed. We said that it didn't matter, we still really wanted to look at the store. So we rode the elevator going down and we were talking about how sad we were that the store was closed.

From upstairs, we already saw a woman checking out the store from outside and how happy were we when we saw her enter the store when we landed on the ground floor?!

So when she did, we squealed and ran after her, I think she thought we were weird. I decided to ignore her and we went in. The place was magical. It was full of the cutest accessories and it had the prettiest interior. I had the dSLR with me but I was going around and checking out the cutest rings and necklaces and bows and key chains and so much more that I didn't even bother bringing out the camera. Plus, I was a little shy to take photos. It was so awesome. Words can not explain how happy we were to finally find the store and how cute and pretty the entire store is. I really didn't have enough cash so I was really bummed 'cause I wanted to buy so many necklaces and I wanted to buy a really pretty ring for my sister. Liz, though couldn't help herself. It was cute actually, 'cause she bought a bow ring (which is the same ring Reese wore in her Trophy Boy video, but pink) and an awesome ring that had the UK flag.

Liz: "What country is this?"

Me: "Britain!"

Liz: "SKINS"

We left the store after she paid and I was a little sad that I didn't have enough cash. I had enough to buy the same rings Liz bought but I wanted to buy the necklaces first, so I made a promise to myself that I would go back for the necklaces and the ring I want for my sister and I would buy them all at the same time. Oh, I almost forgot! While Liz was paying, I asked the one who was looking after the store a really important question.

Me: "Ate, kilala niyo po si Reese Lansangan?"

Ate: "Lansangan? Ang alam ko lang ang may ari pangalan Lansangan."

Me and Liz: "'yun na nga!"

Ate: "Ano ulit pangalan?"

Me: "Reese po."

Ate: "Ah, baka anak siya ni ma'am!"

<3

When we left the store, we headed out to Amici for some gelato and I realized the most awesome thing ever and I told this to Liz:

We're getting so many steps closer to meeting Reese Lansangan!

We've decided that the North East Square will be our new hang-out place for the upcoming semesters, especially for our super long breaks. Really excited for that! I can imagine myself buying a new accessory every week. Haha! As if I had that much money. Anyway, there. That was our adventure and I remember that when we were on the hunt, we kept on saying, "Gosh, how much do we love Reese?!" Awesome. <3

By the way, in case you want to know her as much as we do:

REESE LANSANGAN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwOLCuOvnJA

http://blog.dressedupdays.com/

http://lookbook.nu/user/5129-Reese-L

ELAN:

http://www.facebook.com/ElanBijoux

Reese's blog entry about Elan:

http://blog.dressedupdays.com/2011/03/where-i-get-my-bling.html

If one day, Miss Reese Lansangan will be able to read this, let me just say...

On behalf of me and my friend, Liz Pasana,

WE LOVE YOU AND ELAN. We hope to meet you soon!!!

..and maybe a photo shoot with you soon? :">