gatecrash 101


08.21.2010


Hey everyone, my name is Lyka. A big thank you to Gizelle for choosing me as one of her guest post. Aaahhh this is making me nervous eerrr. Kathi, u did a great job! 

This maybe a li’l different since i seldom do outfit post and I have been MIA for weeks in crazy/beautiful (follow me!). Im a photography hobbyist and here’s the latest shoot I had with a couple who’s getting married next month. The love birds asked me to do their prenup and iimmediately said yes. I know it’ll be fun working with them since they’re my good friends. Oh btw, a big thank you to cian — my assistant, my driver and my boif(*kisses*). Chuky, my model-programmer friend for assistingand for bringing the basket(hehe) and Maurice for the hair & MUA. Went to SRP for our first location, I didn’t have a permit so my “charm” does all the work.yey! haha Thank you SRP guards! *wink*  I wanted my photos to look like we’re in a  different place so i tried to get the best angle . Let me know your thoughts :












Here’s a freebie, I know i said that it’ll be different.. anyways, an outfit post! weeehhh

on my way to work. 



these lovely rings are from sweet and lee. 



top leopard print – a giveaway from Sweet of pensandlens
cardigan – bugis, singapore
bottom skirt – thrifted
belt – genevieve gozum
black shoes – leaveland
ray ban – a gift from a friend
camera ring – a giveaway from Sweet of pensandlens
vintage ring – a giveaway from Lee of spunkandglam


P.S. I joined the Black+White Studio Shoot Yourself! Photo Contest on facebook. Please vote for my dog. Here’s the link :  JUST SHOOT ME – Chubby

intruder alert

Hello, readers of this blog. My name is Kathi Eric.

Gizelle is indisposed, so I’ll be your substitute blogger for today. Please don’t throw tomatoes or soda cans at me. Cans are metallic and I don’t have a hockey helmet on. More importantly, I went college-kid grunge today, and orange tomato paste on my clothes would just make me look like I have poor hygiene and not grungy on purpose.

So anyway. Today I’m gonna show you how to make your own DIY popcorn. You’re going to need these:

  • a bag of unpopped popcorn seeds 
  • a microwave

 Now here’s what you do:

  1. Place the bag of popcorn seeds in the microwave.
  2. Set the timer to two minutes and five seconds.
  3. Wait for the ping indicating the two minutes, five seconds are up. 
  4. Take out the bag, and VOILÀ! Your very own DIY popcorn!

And that’s my time, everybody. Hope y’all found that useful.

My heartfelt thanks to Gizelle Faye for allowing me this opportunity to share what I know to her readers. And for giving me so many writing topics to choose from, like outfit, photography, fashion . . . DIY . . .

Wait a minute. Did she say “fashion or DIY”? Or just “fashion DIY”? Oops.

(If you want to thank me for teaching you how to make your own popcorn and for changing your life, do visit me and shower me with praises. If you want to throw tomatoes at me, I’m not home.)

red slouchy beanie: F21
gray tank top: thrifted
stonewashed jeans: thrifted
red skinny belt: Charlotte Russe
brown-and-white striped cardigan: thrifted
moccasins: thrifted


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melancholic excitement

ever since our family went on a hongkong trip last year, we’ve decided to take family trips outside the country at least once a year. since both my mom and dad are almost retiring from their jobs and all of us siblings have graduated college and are all working, we thought we deserve a break every year. this year’s trip is to Bangkok, Thailand. our local airlines Cebu Pacific, despite some people’s bad experience with it, has regular seat sales and luckily, we were all able to avail of the sale having our round trip tickets at half the price! so we booked our flights months ahead and have been counting down to the day of our trip — which is tomorrow. 
ironically though, i am both utterly excited and sad to leave because for one, our grandma passed away last week in Texas and will be brought to Cebu this week when we’re not here and secondly, Harry is still in the hospital and will still be by the time i leave for Bangkok tomorrow. i am very much worried for him as his fever has been going up and down for the past 4 days. he’s had a diagnosis of two bacterial infections and  might have another diagnosis of dengue fever. i badly wish that i can cut my body in half and enjoy in Bangkok with family and take care of Harry too.
on a brighter note, that ring on my ring finger was given to me by marianne for my birthday. it is an owl’s head and it has wings on the side. i know didn’t do the ring justice with the photos i took. my sisters even thought it’s a frog. nevertheless, i love it! it has so much character and that’s exactly what i want to exude. thanks yannie for the gift!
also, a surprise awaits you my readers this coming august 20-23. make sure to check out my blog on those times!
blue plaid dress – thrifted (mink)
grey gladiator flats – parisian, sm dept store
owl ring – gifted from marianne
rectangle stone ring – props
layers of gun-metal bangles – props
gun-metal reindeer necklace – bubble bee tea house
dogtag necklace – custom-made
work watch – swatch


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photo possibilities + body clock change

i meant to do a post last night but i had to watch and take care of Harry at the hospital — he got admitted for a bacterial infection and has had a fever on and off. he’s doing a bit well now, if you should ask. he still has a slight fever but he’s no longer having chills.
the photos here were taken at one part of the office area. the place is teeming with possibilities and i can’t wait to shoot in all areas possible. the office is located in an advent center which looks like a really big house and our room is on the first door. aside from the interesting areas to shoot outside, the building has a terrace with talisay trees in the background and white wooden panels on the walls. on the way up to the second floor is a wooden staircase, some antique stuff like old radios, typewriter and antique sofas. the the center is on a compound which also has an italian restaurant — haven’t eaten there thought as they say it’s quite expensive. good thing the aroma of the italian food doesn’t reach the office because one thing i have discovered on a ‘day’ job is that it definitely has heightened up my appetite. if you’ve notice, i’ve gained weight in these photos. 
i think i’ve gained about 5 lbs. i just can’t stop eating! i think i get hungry every 3-4 hours which is not good for me because i easily gain weight. although i am not on a strict diet as i eat whatever i want like sinful desserts and all the meat i can eat, i try though to choose food items that are healthier like brown rice, whole wheat bread, lean meat or char-grilled all-meat burgers instead of the ones found in fast food chains with meat extenders in the form of eggplants that easily absorb oil. shifting to a day job has certainly shifted my hormones and body clock too and so far, i am still adjusting. hope this adjustment transitions faster because i might no longer fit into my clothes! (or the denim levi’s high-waist cut-offs i thrifted last month which i have yet to wear! buhu…)
okay, so the following photos below are a result of a gay friend who has worked for Drawingboard for more than a year but was only encouraged to be gayer because i started working their too. we decided to wear heels this day and maybe on all other days in the office. you might find his face to be familiar to you — meet Armand Alforque in black booties:
striped oversized cardigan – thrifted
white tank top – thrifted
grey skinny jeans – thrifted
black peep-toe booties – celine (gifted from harry)
pink suede belt – big sister’s closet
robot necklace – downtown find
rings: black rectangle stone + white round stone – props
work watch – swatch

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never much of a follower

it’s funny how i’ve only started wearing gladiator flats now when the craze over it had died and other fashion experts have actually said it ‘is’ dead. nah, the hell with trends, i never go along with most of them anyway and i love them now and that’s all that matters. come to think of it, i never did like going with the crowd too much. not that i do it on purpose but sometimes i just allow everything crazy to pass before i start looking at it and get interested in it like how i’ve only started reading the Harry Potter series right when everybody else was on Book 4. i started reading the series on semestral break 2002 and boy did i catch up with everyone then by reading all the first 3 books over the 2-week break. or like when a song is all everyone can talk (or sing) about and i only stop and listen to it when everyone else has moved on to the next. i guess the craze over something distracts me from the actual purpose or meaning of the thing or i guess this is just some crazy bullshit i have in me just because i grew up a weird middle child. LOL.
so anyway, my family and i had an early trip to Simala today so we can give our thanksgiving and also send our petitions to Mama Mary. i am spiritual at most but also religious on a few occasions. i’m not a perfect catholic but i do have a strong faith in something bigger than us. everything i do, i put 100% in and the rest i pray for. as the trip was due south, we couldn’t help but drop by the shoe capital of Cebu — Carcar and buy ourselves some shoes too. my mom and sisters bought themselves some ballet flats for only P300 ($6) and we all bought TOMs-like espadrilles from a local store there for only P300 ($6) too!

ps. thank you everyone for the love and encouragement on my last post! i did come up with a good column idea for Instyle Cebu so kristine and i are in the works on establishing it. i knew i can always count on you guys!

mix prints dress – thrifted
mustard green cardi – thrifted
taupe gladiator flats – parisian, sm dept store
owl necklace – carbon find
black wallet – xoxo
work watch – swatch


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what do i know about fashion?

kristine of instylecebu.com and glamarazzi.com invited me and a few of the cebu fashion bloggers and fashionistas to be contributing writers to Instyle Cebu —- to write about Cebu fashion, lifestyle, shopping or anything related to it. i am still undecided about taking on this great opportunity and challenge because after all, what do i really know about fashion? there’s so much to know about it and so much to take in. i don’t have a full grasp on upcoming trends or even upcoming designers and only do when i see a few picks of other fashion bloggers from recent collections. i am neither avant-garde nor have enough guts to rock daring and out of this world accessories. and i have never in my life purchased a designer piece and haven’t purchased a single piece of clothing (except shoes) from the mall in the last 5 years. 
what i do know about fashion though is how it is supposed to be a medium of self-expression. i am able to assemble and put on good outfits that are a mix of classic and quirky styles without breaking the bank. for a whole outfit, the most expensive i’ve donned cost me only P3000 ($65) and the only item of clothing i own that went beyond P1000 ($20) are shoes. so if i were to take on this writing gig, what can i write about anyway?

ps. i am happy to announce that since my current work allows me to be creative and flexible with my time, i am now able to take more outfit shots and easily manage my schedule in accordance to the normal life patterns of non-vampires. this means that i might be able to do posts more often, if not daily!

floral top – mom’s closet (thrifted)
black leggings – random
black platforms – forever 21
stacks of bangles – carbon and bangkok finds
rings – all from props


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now a day walker

after my two weeks vacay or more like bumming around, i went back to work. for those first-time readers of my blog (welcome), i resigned from my comfortable but very sad life in the call center last July 27 and planned to take the whole month off but after a week of sitting at home, browsing the internet and watching DVDs, not to mention piggin’ out, i decided to take my position as marketing executive at DrawingBoard Creative Studios yesterday. i did have until september to start and i know you think i’m crazy for giving up a whole month’s worth of rest but i am too restless and too much of a workaholic to stay at home and not be productive. i just felt like if i didn’t move around and make myself busy, i’m wasting my life away when i could have done something about it. i’ve realized that it’s really not about taking a break from work alone but taking a break from work that i was unhappy with — which is what i did. so for the first time in 5 years, i now hold a job which requires me to wake up in the morning and end the day just when everybody else does. believe it or not, i actually found the water in the early morning to be colder than at night and it took me a few seconds before i fully stepped in the shower. i have also discovered the blinding light and the very warm heat of the sun as i drive to work (which reminds me to buy some lotion with SPF). 
i still have plans to fulfill my ‘i have never’ challenges though so don’t fret — i have not forgotten about those adventures. i might peel an orange next and believe me, because of my traumatic childhood orange experience, this feat is going to be very difficult for me!
of course, i will not end this post without telling you guys about Drawingboard Creative Studios. as marketing executive, i am after all responsible for handling existing accounts and most importantly, finding new ones. Drawingboard is an advertising and design company that offers printing and design services, as well as marketing or branding packages. a few of the specific services that Drawingboard offers are calling cards, event or company posters, brochures, flyers, invitations, menu design and printing, mascot design (especially for new companies like restaurants), and logo design. this is not just a sales pitch but we have competitive prices and one of a kind designs — surely an investment for a company or individual seeking to improve their marketing strategy. for those interested, just e-mail me at drawingboardcreative@gmail.com
plain white tee – props
boyfriend jeans – abercrombie vintage
long black cardigan – thrifted
beaded sandals – people are people
tan zebra-print hat – sm men’s dept
round imprinted necklace – gifted from gelie
gun-metal wire cuff – props

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i love you like i love reese’s

after the crazy night we had, my sister and i unconsciously just decided to stay home all day friday and lock ourselves in our room. what with the really painful headache and hangover, we couldn’t really move around. so we spent the whole day watching How I Met Your Mother or taking turns using the computer. we did get bored by 7:00 PM and at one point decided to go to SM and go shopping but we were too lazy to take a shower and dress up. it wasn’t until 10:00 PM that we felt that we needed to go out and since watching How I Met Your Mother always makes me hungry, i convinced Aimee to grab some pizza and hot wings.
so we drove over to Banilad Town Center and visited Yellow Cab Pizza what we needed to cure our hangover was an oily and cheesy pizza and the super yummy Yellow Cab hot wings. and since we were already there, we had ourselves some frozen yogurt from Yo-Go Boy too. if you’re asking what those round toppings on the fro-yo are, those are the awesomely yummy reese’s puffs. the puff just melts in your mouth and the peanut butter and chocolate just explodes in your mouth! perfect combination to the blueberry and cashew nuts! the pig-out was definitely worth the 20 minute drive from our house!
white graphic tee – borrowed from boyfriend (props)
black leggings – random
black beaded sandals – people are people
bangles: gold and pink rhinestones – gifted from india | enamel bangles – HK find
fairy long necklace – props
black handbag – nine west
on aimee:
multi-colored top – marc jacobs (from my manager’s garage sale)
white shorts – props
white oversized bag – celine (gifted from her bf)


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i’ve never..episode one: the broiled duck embryo

so my friends ‘attempted’ a belated surprise birthday for me until i ran into them on my way inside ayala and found them mulling over which cake to buy in vanille patisserie. i actually felt bad at first because i was supposed to meet karen there at 8:00 PM and she told me she would just text me when she’s on her way, only to find her with our other friends without texting me. it took me a minute to realize after seeing their shocked faces that it was a surprise for me. so i gave them time and told them i had an errand to run and will be back right after. but yes, even when i busted them planning my surprise, it was still pretty sweet. they had the waiter bring my birthday cake (the small balls on top are super yummy truffles) and my balloons. and guess what? they gave me a jane austen book too! yey!
anyway, so on to the much awaited balot challenge — one of the many challenges my friends and i are going to make over the next few weeks. we drove midtown and found a balot vendor by the city’s rotunda and each bought a 16-day old balot — one with a slightly formed duckling inside. with the help of the dark street, some vinegar and salt, suffice to say, it wasn’t much of an excruciating experience for me as it was for karen. she really had a hard time swallowing the duck embryo. here are some photos:
grey dress – props
leopard-print flats – parisian, sm dept store
bangles – gifted
rings: starfish and round white – props
necklaces: fairy – props | handbag – parkmall

ps. Join Fashionista Fortune Cookie’s First Ever Giveaway! She’s giving away 3 jackets!


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off to the next adventure!

these photos are in continuation with my weekend at my most favorite beach house in Daanbantayan. i think we might have abused the use of this beach house and i’m really thankful for my dad’s friends who have allowed us to use this place whenever available. this is the first time i’ve spent my birthday here and being at such a pivotal point in my life — turning 26, just having resigned and soon to be taking on a new career, it’s only fitting that i be in a place where i can think and just take in the silence because in the next week, i will be diving into a whole different world. more details about my new career next week.  all i can say is that it will involve meeting a lot of new people.
on to what i wore here: i’ve always loved 80’s fashion and i think i can say that the cut-off shoulders are definitely 80’s. i’ve had this for years and have only worn this twice. i usually let go of clothes i have seldom used but i just love the pattern and color of this top. this is of coursed paired with my undying denim shorts and my favorite beach hat.
and by the way, i’d like to announce that the winner of the Cryst Jewelries giveaway is Gessyl of Gessyl Enchanted. Congratulations! I just sent you an e-mail so just reply to that with your contact details. 
To the rest of my fabulous readers, I am nearing 300 followers and you know what that means — another giveaway! This of course will be grander as this will be my birthday blowout to you guys as well. So definitely watch out for that!
striped cut-off top – thrifted
denim shorts – thrifted
beach hat – boracay find
bangles: gun-metal and blue – props | wooden – raw materials store
necklaces: gun-metal imprinted – gifted from gelie | dogtags – custom-made
blue rhinestone bra – bench body
brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon


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twenty-six candles

there really is no turning back. i am not getting any younger and the best thing to do is just to enjoy life as it comes —- making to sure to make the most out of every moment and make a fool out of myself, if needed. so for my twenty-sixth birthday, i dyed my hair to a really light shade of brown, bought myself two books — haruki murakami’s ‘norwegian wood’ and nicholas sparks’ ‘dear john’ (yes, i’m sentimental like that), spent the weekend at the beach and danced under the rain!
harry was so sweet and gave me a bouquet of lilies and three pairs of sandals. just what i asked for! after the 3 hour ride from the beach, my family and i had dinner at a filipino restaurant and ended the night eating frozen yogurt — our latest obsession. 
printed boho dress – thrifted
pink headband – torn off from my fringe shirt
necklaces: round imprinted – gifted from gelie | dogtags – custom-made
bangles: gun-metal and blue – props | wooden – raw materials store


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ice cream special: doyle see

my first impression of doyle was crazy, insane and yep, freakin’ talented. as seatmates in our first year of college, we’d find ourselves drawing and doodling at the back of our test papers because we didn’t know the answers to the programming test. we would constantly talk about regretting not enrolling in fine arts, when it was what we always wanted. doyle soon transferred schools after that 1st year and zoom to 10 years after, you will find him as a damn talented musician, graphics and web programmer / designer and most importantly, the thriving designer of clothing line, Killapinas. here’s a peak into doyle’s mind — with an interview, photos and a choice of his favorite designs. 
Who are you as an artist? What is your design aesthetic?
This is probably one of the hardest questions I get as I cannot easily define who I am as an artist or as a person in general. The only thing that I can think of is that I always keep an open mind. I try to filter out criticisms and apply those advice to my work. And lastly, I try to keep my work simple and try to always have a solid concept or story behind it. As for my style, I’m a bit flexible which goes from vector looking art to textured designs, some splatters, some circles and sometimes a bit cartoony as well.


What is Killapinas and how did it get to where it is now?
Killapinas is a small independent clothing line that I started last 2009. I guess having been in the “underground” local design circuit, being active online and hyping has helped push the brand to where it’s currently at.


Did you ever plan this venture? Or is it something that just came about? If so, how did it happen?
I initially had a vision of doing merch for local bands and printing them on my own but that never progressed as I had to juggle between college and helping our family business; and this was around early 2000. I got back to doing designs again around 2006/2007 when a local clothing approached me to do some designs for them. Eventually after a couple of years, that became a bit shady and I thought of starting my own line.


Who are your customers?
Buyers are mostly from Cebu but since we do shipping, our shirts have reached several parts of Luzon and Mindanao areas of the country as well.


Do you have other design or art projects besides your clothing line?
I do freelance designs once in a while for other clothing lines and bands both local and abroad.




Is designing your clothing line your main job?
Nope, I actually work full-time in a web development company. Killapinas is just kind of a “serious” hobby that I’m pursuing. Also, designing has been kind of my relaxation time from the work that I normally do in the office.


What inspires you?
I guess any artist would say that everything will give us inspiration, not just the positive things that you see and or experience but the negative ones as well. For me, it kind of sets the mood to where you want the direction of your art to go.


What do you have planned for Killapinas for the next 3 years?
Most likely establish the brand more, continue to create solid and cohesive designs, and maybe ship overseas.


Randoms:
Name and Age: Doyle See / 26
Website: www.doylesee.tk – but this doesn’t get regularly updated. I still have to change the layout and setup a sort of system so I can easily update the site. (:
Music You’re Listening to Now: The Conflict / Returners / The Ghost Inside
Favorite Article of Clothing: White shirts and short pants
Favorite Day: Sunday
Last Movie Watched and What You Thought of it: Predator. An old movie but still awesome.
Favorite Style on a Girl: I like girls in casual clothes, not a fan of makeups and too much accessories.
Current Obsession/s: T-shirts, Vans shoes, guitars, watches


You can find Killapinas on Facebook and Here: Killapinas.tk


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