Night of Filipino Entertainment

Last night, musical history was made at the Hollywood Bowl. In LA, we had the first-ever concert featuring traditional Filipino dance and music, as well as modern dance and music, featuring current celebrities of Filipino descent. I knew I had to attend this event. And I'm so glad I did.

The mastermind behind the event was apl.de.ap, a rapper from the Black Eyed Peas. In fact, all members of the BEP were there (minus Fergie). Also featured was Nicole Scherzinger. The event was hosted by Lou Diamond Phillips. apl.de.ap is very proud to be Filipino and incorporates many elements of Filipino culture in his work. While he rapped and danced, videos of real native Filipinos were featured in the backdrop. The BEP sang some of their great hits ("Let's Get it Started" and "Pump It" among them), and so did Nicole. People danced and sang along. I'm happy to say that the audience was full of Filipinos that supported their kababayan, as well as non-Filipinos that came with friends introducing them to the culture or that just came out for a great time. Judging from audience response (very loud, and it was loud, despite being an outdoor venue), people had a great time.

I'm not much of a hip-hop lover these days, but I'm still a fan of the BEP. I admire their persistence and hard work. They really did struggle along, playing the college scene for years, before they became as famous as they are now. In addition, they're grateful for their success. This venue was relatively small, considering how well-known they are around the world, but they signed onto it anyway, in thanks to the Filipino community for supporting them from the beginning. They even expressed their thanks to the audience and to Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (a non-profit Filipino organization) for supporting them from their early years.

My seat wasn't great, since I got my ticket kind of at the last minute, but I got some pics to show you. I apologize for the poor quality (from top to bottom: 1) marquee sign in front of Hollywood bowl); 2) dancers performing the tinikling, a popular Filipino folk dance); 3) apl.de.ap, with Filipino choir members in various forms of traditional costumes; 4) from left to right: Nicole Scherzinger, will.i.am of the BEP, and apl).

Happy 4th of July!

I will not buy those Louboutins...yes, they're on sale for under $300...but I don't need them...and I'm happy with my current collection...OK, crisis averted! Onward...

To my US readers: Happy Independence Day! I hope that, at sometime today, wherever you ended up, you took a moment to reflect on something wonderful about our great country. I admit that mine ended up being late in the day, after I learned that the Lakers signed Steve Nash=) But being that the Lakers are an American basketball team, that did lead me to think of how grateful and proud I am to be an American. I didn't end up going to the beach or Rose Bowl to watch fireworks, like many Angelenos did, but I did participate in a 4th of July tradition--barbecuing! Yum!

To my international readers: Happy 4th of July! I hope your day was good, whatever it was you did and wherever you ended up.

(Above photo is from freeclipartstore.com)

That Time of Year-Christian Louboutin Spring Sale

Oh, boy...there goes the drama about the CL sales on the forum again. I really don't get all the frustration and the "Private-message me if you want the sale list", then saying "We don't post the list cuz we don't want to ruin our relationships with our sales associates". Why go on there to say you have the list, then refuse to give it out? I actually did PM someone, who did not give me the list. What was the point then? You just wanted to show off that you got the list to people you didn't know? It's like watching "The Real Housewives of Orange County" for me. I love hearing the silly little quips, but then someone says something really mean (usually Tamra), and I have to change the channel or turn off the TV. It's just shoes, it's just TV. If you get what you want, great. If not, well, that's life. Move on...

I did end up getting what I wanted this time, and it was unexpected, which made it even sweeter. I promised I'd sit this one out, but I couldn't help myself! I headed out to the Robertson boutique and got the only pair of these that made it to sale, which meant that they totally sold out at full-price. Here are my CL Super Dombasles, this time in taupe suede. I swear this will be my last pair of CL for a looooooong time!

I really should post a CL collection pic. And more modeling shots, too. My new summer goal =)

Bye-Bye, Betsey!

OK, not really. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson will continue to produce clothes and other stuff, but the brand will cease to exist as it has been for the past several years. I didn't know the news about the bankruptcy until yesterday, when my sister sent me an email telling me to hurry on down to my local Betsey store to check out the store-closing sale. I did, and sure enough, there was a huge sign saying "Last 2 Days". There were some dresses hanging on the racks, and even the racks were for sale. I walked away empty-handed, but decided to return today.

I got there right after the mall opened and picked up dress #1, a navy silk ruffly halter style poofy dress (pictured near right, with my Christian Louboutin nude Very Prives with red tip). As I gave the dress to the sales associate to ring up, I asked her, "What's gonna happen to you guys?". She looked a little surprised, then said softly, "We find new jobs" (I wonder if anyone else had asked her that question). She added, "I'm just sad there's no more Betsey". She made an even sadder face, then continued on, talking about her fond memories of seeing her mom wear Betsey's pieces from the '80s, and I really felt for her. I hope she does find a new job, one that will make her even happier.

I had my eye on dress #2 (the white floral version of dress #1), but decided to wait on it and return for it if I decided I still wanted it after giving it some thought, so I left with dress #1 only. I did think about it and decided I wanted it, so I returned for dress #2 about an hour later (I guess that Rebecca Taylor dress I just bought from Nordstrom will be going back--yay for their easy return policy!). It almost didn't go home with me. I spotted it in a fitting room with a young girl. I stood around, waiting to see if she would buy it, and it seemed like forever. There were others on the rack, but there was only 1 in my size, and it was with the girl. She finally came out with the dress, along with several other pieces. She joined a middle-aged woman (probably her mom), an elderly woman (probably her grandma), and 2 little girls (probably her sisters) for a brief conversation in Farsi. Then the girl turned to a SA and gave her all the clothes in her hands and said, "I'll think about it". The SA turned around and saw me, so I asked her for the dress. She handed it to me, and I took it into the fitting room to make sure. It was mine 5 minutes later. I left with the iconic hot-pink Betsey shopping bag in my hand, for the last time from that store. It's closed for good in 5 1/2 hours.

I decided to read up on the story when I got home. So many people felt that her targeted wearer was too young to afford the clothing. They may be right. I saw a lot of teenage girls in the store with their moms today. It turns out the SA wasn't totally right. The company plans to keep a few stores open, and some of the collection will be sold at Nordstrom and Saks. However, who knows what will happen in this shaky economy? And I may not love the future collections, so these 2 dresses may be my last Betsey pieces. Today, I realize that Betsey's designs really fit my style. I love the ultrafeminine, Isn't it awesome being a girl?" look. Maybe I should've taken advantage of buying from the store that's down the street from my house when it was still there. Oh, well, it's only right then to treasure the pieces I do have, including these 2 dresses. My friend joked that I should keep one dress in my closet with the tags on, but I don't think I can. It is awesome being a girl, and I want to show the world I really believe that by wearing these dresses.

Just wanted to edit to add, since I'm a girl who loves sports and loves to support her fellow kababayan (countryman): Pacquiao, you were robbed (read the story here: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/06/manny-pacquiao-timothy-bradley-title-fight/1)! You won that fight, and boxing fans all over the world know it! Don't agree to the rematch. The judges' decision just proves that the World Boxing Organization is f*cked up and allows the wrong people to win. You had an illustrious career, and don't allow the WBO the glory of presenting any more of your work. Retire with the titles and honors that you won for yourself and allowed us Filipinos to hold our heads high. Like the ESPN announcer said, the decision is a true injustice to the sport and to fans. I will no longer be a part of it. As a boxing fan who became one only because of Pacquiao, I resign!

Someone In Your Corner

I've never been a fan of "The Real Housewives of Orange County". I've missed several episodes, but because my favorite show has been canceled ("Ringer"), and I no longer have a show to look forward to on Tuesday nights, I tuned in. I came upon the episode in which the women take a trip to Costa Rica. They're having dinner, and 3 of the 4 other women gang up on Alexis, calling her "phony", Tamra even yelling at her. One of the others, Gretchen, was supposed to be a good friend. Of the few episodes I've seen, Tamra appears to be really mean and nasty. They accused Alexis of being "materialistic", but they all are. All of them are driving around in luxury cars and showcasing their multimillion dollar homes on TV. Look, I understand why people dislike Alexis. However, no one deserves to be ganged up on. I've been her...more than once, and it really sucks. You rack your brain trying to figure out where you went wrong, but then, when you gain strength and confidence, you realize that the bullies have the issue, not you.

Somone in your corner is always a good thing. Sometimes, that someone isn't physically there, but you know they would be if they could. I'm lucky to have such a supportive family, and I know they're always in my corner. Also, I'm Filipina, so I've got a big family! One thing I'm proud to be is that person in the corner. Another awesome Scorpio trait: severe loyalty.

In Consideration of Others...

Some of you may already know this, but for those of you that don't, I'll let you know a little bit about my family. My family is very important to me, and I'm very close to them. I'm fortunate enough to have a great relationship with my parents, and as much as they've supported me throughout the years, I think the least I can do is help them out once in a while. My dad had a stroke 3 years ago, which left him unable to do all the things he used to do. He is in his 70s and now walks with a cane or walker, and he can no longer drive. It's very hard for him to leave the house, so whenever he does, it's a huge production. It didn't matter that I was very tired from a busy weekend out of town and went straight into a hectic work week. My dad told me he needed me to pick him up after work today to take him on some errands. No problem. Well, at about 5:15 pm today, we pulled into the parking lot of his local Bank of America. No surprise that there was a long line for the ATMs. It's Friday afternoon, so all those people are like how I used to be, hankering for some cash to spend over the weekend. However, I was annoyed. Why? Those people were standing in the handicapped parking space! I tried to do the polite thing, not honking but looking some of them in the eye and waving to the side, hoping they'd get the message. Either they didn't, or they didn't care. I gave up and parked the car to the side. I told my dad to wait while I went inside to tell the first employee I saw that my dad is disabled, has a hard time walking, and needs the handicapped parking space, but there were people in it. Thank God the BofA employee decided to be helpful. He immediately went outside and politely asked the customers to move out of the way. When I finally parked and helped my dad inside, with him holding onto my arm with his left hand and with the cane in his right, a lady at the front of the line gasped and immediately apologized profusely. I just nodded my head and told her it was OK. The employee who helped us out held the door and told my dad to go straight to the short merchant teller line (for those of you who would like to argue that it's just for business owners, it also happens to be that my dad co-owns a business with a checking account at BofA). If no one had bothered to help, I'd be tempted to instruct my dad to take all his money out of there. But I'm grateful someone did.

It didn't used to be that I cared so much. This being LA, I likely have gone into parking lots to find all spaces taken, except for that one right by the front door. In order to make it more convenient, I probably did pull into the handicapped space and told my friend or family member in the car to wait "while I did this real quick" and "If you see a cop, just move the car". However, most of the time, the cop doesn't come, and most people never move the car, even if they see an elderly person in a wheelchair with the blue placard who has the legal right to be there. I can't tell you how many times I have seen this happen. My dad, who really does have a hard time walking, really does need the space. And unless they're about to be ticketed, people don't care. It's not an even playing field. Please have consideration of others. If even one person stops to think about this for a moment, it can make a difference. I just think about that lady at the bank who apologized to me. Just her words, her being considerate made me less angry, which helped me to be less stressed and a better caregiver to my dad.

Do You Believe Your Astrological Sign Reflects Who You Really Are?

I've been thinking about this question a lot.

Here's a description of my sign (from futurescopes.com):
"Intense, complicated and unpredictable – a Scorpio woman revels in all these qualities. Most of all she likes being in control of her own destiny and of her relationship. She is unapologetic about her own powerful persona and in fact is attracted to the same kind of self-assurance and magnetism in others. A Scorpio woman is in search of a man who is confident and strong enough to take her for what she is and expects nothing less".

Take away from this what you will ;)

Happy Memorial Day, everybody!