Abbi's Video Blog Episode 1

What. I got bored. Hahahaha

And yes, I know, I'm a dork. But I'm pretty proud of how this turned out. If I ever make any more, they wont be as long I promise. This one just had to be long cause of the intro and what not. Debut edition, hello. :P

Uploaaded late too. The video uploader in facebook is a bit retarded.

In this video: Promoter life. Shoes. Sasha Aguilar. World Fashion Fridays @ Tabu. BYE DJ TEAZE! :( Snap Crackle Pop and the Superduo. Nick Hernandez @ Circa. DJ Bcal @ Manor. Team canila.

Let me know what you think :)

Abbi

Updates on Abbi

I've actually finally committed myself to fixing my blog.

After chatting with a random guy on facebook, who had asked me, "What makes you happy?" I rummaged my old blogs, my old diaries, and the many random musing I've written on napkins which I have kept over the years. Then I realized, I don't know what makes me happy, but I sure know what kept me sane. So here I am, getting back on the habit. Hoping that I'd keep the brain activity and stability on point.

So. I feel obliged to make another introduction entry, not because I've really been off the writing... (I have been writing occasionally on my facebook notes) but because there's just been so much change in my life that I think I owe it to my blog to write about it.

Okay. Here it goes.



I am now a fulfledged events go to girl. I am working days as an exec. assistant for a reknowned lifestyle company here in Manila, and I work my nights as a partyphile freelance promoter for some of Manila's biggest events. Some clubs I work with include: Embassy Superclub, Prince of Jaipur, Ascend, Alchemy, Tabu, etc., and clients such as Velvet TV, World Fashion Channel, Reef Flipflops, Flip TV, Hornitos, and many more. I love my job. I never imagined I would end up doing this, and I'm looking forward to how much bigger this can get.

I am still hopeless when it comes to men. I have broken up with my last boyfriend already, and have come to accept how now isn't our time. So I'm single. So far, I can't get anybody decent interested. It's very weird, or maybe I am. I think I've lost trust in the idea that mean can commmit to me or would ever look at me past a party girl. Honestly, I don't desire to put in effort to prove that wrong, because THEY should want to know me better. But they don't. Oh well. One will come. (And oh, I will forever claim fame to a globetrotter liking me and going nowhere. I am no one's continental flavor of the month.)

I have awesome friends. I've started getting back in touch with old friends who I've qualified as real and long lasting ones. The ones I have now are bomb and always gives me reason to brush the dirt of issues on my shoulders. They're not perfect, but hey. Who is.

My family is in complete chaos. Well, not really. I think we've all just come to a certain point where we ar minding our own business. Would be nice to get back to the way it was though... I don't know, when my little sisters still respected me and my parents trusted me like I'm phenomenal child of the century. Then again. It's time to do me.

And lastly, yes, I still struggle with my hair, my weight, and my bank account. But I'm not worried.



Now... watch the story unfold. :)


on other matters...




By the way, I am the guest promoter for Payground Apparel's event at Empire Club at J.Vargas Ortigas on Saturday. Free drinks for early birds, and awesome music by DJ Crismyx. Get at me for guestlist!

Fashion Advice From a Homegrown Filipina

First things first, a disclaimer.

I am no authority on the matter.

I am not anyone to look up to when it comes to dressing up. My main principle with clothes is that if it fits and I don’t look funny, I’m good. I don’t read fashion magazines often. I don’t buy into trends. Let’s just say I am no Carrey Bradshaw. However, I have lived all my life in the Philippines and I have grown to understand one thing that always has been helpful when it comes to dressing up in this country:

If you don’t have fashion sense, back it up with common sense.

So here’s my 411 for people who are coming into this country without any clue as to what to bring in their luggage.


1. Weather-code your apparel.

For everybody’s information, the Philippines is a tropical country. Some people have a weird notion that this means that it’s just hot all year long. No. Case in point. If you come here in between the months of February to May, it is reasonable to simply pack some light clothing. However, if you only pack the same thing June to October, when rain kicks in, you’ll get stuck in the middle of the street freezing a la wet t-shirt contest mode. Before going into the country, check the weather forecast. It doesn’t get cold enough for you to bring a winter coat, but a light jacket might come in handy.

2. Lay low on the Bling

There are two main reasons why you must keep this in mind all the time when you are in this country. First, as much as it is sad, the stories of people with ripped ears from snatched earrings are true. They do that here. You must keep in mind that a lot of areas, especially in the cities, are still struggling, and people will hustle you out of your shiny stuff one way or another. If you don’t get robbed, you’ll get jacked by some (not all) inconsiderate taxi drivers who would assume that you can feed their family with one cab ride. Besides, as a second reason, people in the Philippines aren’t too big on bling. Honestly, if it’s gold and huge... keep it. It’s just dangerous, and sometimes, can even get embarrassing.

3. Dress for the Location

The diversity of cultures in this country is evident and distinct for every community. If you’re the kind of person who really doesn’t give a damn about what everyone thinks, then good for you. However, if you’re even a tad self conscious, you might want to scope out the places that you’ll visit before anything else. A lot of places here are still conservative, and I bet my life on it that if you go out to a mall within a less accepting area, you will be hissed at and frowned upon by every gossiping old woman you will see, and undressed by every man in his head. Also, dress codes are applied strictly in this country. Have the decency to follow it. I hate foreigners who come to the club wearing shorts and flipflops expecting that they can get in. Ignorance is not bliss. Have some respect for everyone else who follows the rules. Dressing for the location is a sign of respect for the people in the community and towards yourself.

4. A Fashion NO is STILL a NO.

Oh God. If it doesn’t work anywhere else, IT WONT WORK HERE. Sensibility in clothes and trends applies here just as much as everywhere. In fact, while one side of this country is conservative, another is just eager to go beyond and be global. So trust me, Filipinos will know if you are being stylish or ridiculous, expressive or clueless, or at least if you can carry your outfit. For the love of God, and I say this to fellow Filipinos as well, please do not dress in the dark. It irritates the hell out of some people when they cannot do anything about those stupid black socks peeking an inch or two over ugly flat black pleather boots and that weird beige printed vest-ish peice of fabric over that stocking looking tank on top of that short light denim pinstriped skirt. Woman!!! What were you thinking?! Answer me!!! Okay, getting carried away. My point is, when it’s wrong, it’s just WRONG. And sure, your friends will still love you, but please... love yourself first. Seriously.

5. Cash is Always Good.

Now whether you’re a guy or a girl, if you really have no idea what to bring in your suitcase, make sure to bring some moolah. There are tons of places to shop in here and a lot of budding designers who are very internationally competitive. You’ll be surprised at what this place can offer. Not only will you be able to dress suitably to your own style, you will be able to make a compromise and find clothes that are more or less appropriate for PI lifestyle. If you’re down for scouring bargains, try haggling at the stalls of Greenhills. If you are the type to go crazy for sales, check out the sales every month’s end (sometimes even every payday) at the nearby SM or Robinson malls. If you want to find brands and boutiques, check out MOA, Greenbelt, or Glorietta. Trust me, you will find at least three malls in every urbanized part of this country.



When it comes down to it, packing for a visit to the Philippines takes more than just blindly picking out clothes from your closet. There are a lot of things to consider before knowing that you have everything in the bag. However, it shouldn’t be so hard, I mean you’re not packing for a trip to the land of nowhere. Self-expression through fashion is a huge part of the Philippine culture, but I believe that it helps that people here also understand the meaning of propriety. Again, a bit of background and common sense is all you need. When you got those two down, as anywhere else in the world, just pair it up with confidence, a smile on your face, and personality. Trust me, you won’t go wrong.

This Will Be The Last Love Letter

Beloved,
This will be the last verse
I will write about you, or you and me, or what was, and what could be
I will write no more of this heart’s curse

Be loved.
This will be the last reminder
I will say of your potential and the greatness I see
I will say of what you could offer

Loved one,
This will be the last love letter
I promise never to speak of more could have’s and should be’s
I promise from this point you won’t get another

Love done
Is a fate hard from which to recover
I speak from the heart saying I regret losing you, and losing me
I speak from the heart saying I surrender

Beloved, be loved
As once you were by me.
Loved one, love may be done
But I’ll keep you eternally.

This will be the last love letter.
And maybe in time, you would see
When you look back and come to ponder
You’d have lost your greatest love that was me.


- abbi. 05.18.09

A Really Bad Rash

So I went to the hospital yesterday to find answers. I've been having inflammation in the neck and jaw area in the form of little pea-sized bumps that's been freaking me out crazy. On top of that my dermatitis struck again and now, from a simple rash, my ears seem like they are about to fall off. I know, not very flattering. Trust me, this isn't even my worst case scenario.

So after three consults from a Dermatologist, an Internal Medicine Doctor, and an ENT, they came up with one conclusion: it's stress. When they came up with it, my head just went "Wow, what a useful peice of information." I didn't know whether to be amused or insulted. Then they went ahead to saying that it will never really go away, and that this is something that I should get used to living with for then rest of my life. (Unless Brangelina adopts me as their next daughter, then I'd have the luxury of living stress free.)

Now among the number of prescriptions I recieved were antibiotics, paracetamols, creams, and etc; their main advice was to stay away from stress triggers. The dermatologist, a wonderful old lady in her 50's, even wrote me a prayer and went on to interrogate me about my lifestyle. She was a very hip old lady, she didn't care much that I drank alcohol, stayed up late, and woked two jobs (not a big fan of cigarettes though, naturally). Upon digging through my precarious lovelife history though, she said the weirdest thing:

"There's your rash!"


There's my rash? What a funny way to put it. My lovelife is making my bodily systems disintegrate. Wow. Well, as Vivian Green said, "Loving you ain't nothing healthy". I just didn't know she meant that literally.

Ladies and gentlemen, the point of this blog is very simple.

Like a bad rash, is there a cure for bad love?

Sasha and Taytoe, my two main bestfriends seem to have the same opinion. Sasha, being the founder of the new feminist movement since she was 12, and Taytoe, being the posterchild for Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, thinks that bad love is a self-inflicted disease that is curable by willpower and common sense. As insulting as that seems (with me being in a cycle of bad relationships, implying that I am completely devoid of both) I do get their point. Still, once it's there, is I don't believe that it's possible to just let go. I know. Pathetic.

I am a victim of bad rashes all my life. And just as how they are, my lovelife seems to show a pattern of reccurence, which by the way I am not necessarily proud of. Like a rash, or an addiction, do you really ever get beyond it? How much do you have to put into it in order to really be over?

Okay so look, unlike Carrey Bradshaw who has some enlightening conclusion at the end of her articles, I have no answers. I'm a victim, and still am. I'm a firm believer that in order for you to say that you really have loved, you must love truly, deeply, with no holds barred. Call me a complete love-sick idiot, but really, how does a love like that ever become disposable? How could it not haunt you over and over?

And doesn't another saying go: "If it itches, scratch it?"




And just like my rash, that would apparently never go away, not one person, professional or not, could seem to make me understand and figure this all out.


Damn. Somebody come up with a remedy.