So long, summer!

getting drunk prepping up

colorful strobe lights

Archer and company

supposedly Cebu's 100 prettiest

DJ Marlon Orellano + drum beaters

fire dancer

Urbandub

DJ Davide Succi

a fraction of the 10,000+ party goers

Its official, summer's coming to a close. Time really flies. I remember feeling excited for the season just three months ago, now the used-to-be feeling of longing for that one season is replaced by reminiscing, along with the transition of hot weather to cold. This year's summer felt like watching a popular TV series on DVD and finishing one entire season in one day, a season that would take you three or four months if you watch it on regular TV. You want to see more episodes but there are none left and you just have to wait for the next season. Yes, I'm sad that it's about to end (for others, it might have already ended) but at the same time I'm a little relieved. Relieved because the weather's not as hell-like hot as the past two months and relieved because lesser trips mean lesser expenses. There are places that I planned of visiting this summer that have not been visited but I'd like to say this year's summer was so worthwhile. It was a summer of many firsts- my first time in Manila, Puerto Galera, Puerto Princesa- to mention a few. The season may have ended but I'll always find my way to the beach. Thank God for this tropical country! We still get to have sun despite the worst of rainy days. With the rainy season just getting started, I think I may have to do some updates on my closet. One of the good things about cold weather is you get to wear layered clothes and I miss that!

So there, that's enough blabbering about summer's end! Let me talk about how I celebrated it's end. Last night was a blur blast. People have been raving about this event Summer Sunscream 2011 the whole summer. Everyone's been looking forward to it since it was the only big summer party event this year. And as expected, about 10,000 people (my estimate) showed up last night- too many people for such a small venue. Good for the event organizer, bad for the party-goers. The event looked like a big success if you look at it in a photo- big stage, high-technology lights, moshpit-like crowd, people having fun and all that. But if you were there, you might agree with what I have to say. It wasn't a smash hit after all. Don't get me wrong because I had a lot of fun last night but you can't ignore the flaws that were there. And these are: serious case of overcrowding, ridiculously priced food and drinks, poor crowd and traffic control, overpriced on-site ticket rate (got mine for P200, if you bought yours at the gate, its P500 despite the advertisement that said its P400 which was already pricey), and the one thing that pissed me off last night- only one comfort room (one for each gender) was made available for the party goers! Imagine how long the lines got – so if you really can’t hold it any longer- your only options were to either piss in your pants or bust your bladders, or worst, sh*t yourself. Anyway, I was one of the lucky ones who didn't have to experience all these last night (except for the last item, thank God I was able to hold it and later on forgot about it). Like I said, I had fun. Good thing we came up with a plan of eating dinner first and then consuming alcohol at the parking lot before getting inside the venue. By the time we were inside, we were already drunk hyped up and all we had to do was enjoy the music and the party. Now I can't wait for next year's summer, not sure about the same summer event.

Location:
Tambuli Beach Club
Maribago, Mactan Cebu

What I wore:
Plaid Shirt (Thrifted)
Cuffed Chinos (Bossini)
Flipflops (Havaianas)

The Swimwear Project: Fourth Installment

Eight different looks from the fourth batch. These bright-colored swimsuits will surely turn heads at the beach!

The Swimwear Project in action!

Here are a few of the swimsuits from The Swimwear Project worn by my lovely friends- Krishna, Sher and Carmelli (L-R, 2nd and last photo). All three wore bandeau two-piece swimsuits, of course, in three different designs/style. Thank you ladies, the swimsuits look great on you!

One island, eight ladies.

I've always had this little thought in my head about getting stranded in an isolated island with my friends and I always end up thinking about doing a fashion photo shoot instead of figuring out how to survive or get out of the island alive. Sounds silly, fashion over survival?! hahaha! Of course I won't pray about getting shipwrecked and be swept away in an island! So during our team outing island hopping trip last week (see previous post), I attempted to translate that crazy fantasy into reality when I took photos of my office mates in their bikinis! I don't know how I managed to take these photos and do the creative direction at the same time, I swear I was a little tipsy by this time. Thank you ladies for being so game that day! You all look cute in those swimsuits!

Models:
Sher
Carmelli
Krishna
Rea
Lavina
April
Joi
Prinz

Location:
Pandanon Island, Bohol

No sun but still fun.

It looks like summer’s going to end soon this year. Today’s bright sunny weather should have been the case last Friday during our island hopping tour but it wasn’t. The earlier weeks of May normally would be the hottest during the season but it’s obvious, our weather system is pretty f*cked messed up. Yes, I blame it on global warming. Despite the gloomy weather last week, everyone was having a blast during our little excursion. I’ve been on a similar island hopping tour three times before but last Friday’s got to be the most fun. It was my first time visiting Pandanon Island, an island with an easy access from Cebu but is already part of Bohol. Overcast skies didn’t stop us from getting wasted having fun at sea. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits despite the cold weather. I normally would not have as much fun at the beach (or at sea in this case) if there’s no sun but surprisingly, I had a grand time. This trip turned out to be a trip of many firsts for me too! Here they are, randomly enumerated:

- taking photos of 8 ladies all wearing two-piece swimsuits

- island hopping in a big boat, in a big group

- sharing 2 dozens of 1.5 liter Coke and Sprite with 19 others

- drinking rum coke from 9am ‘til 3pm while on board an outrigger boat

- picking sea urchins with a huge fork

- jellyfish stings/itch for the year

- peanut butter sandwich on board a boat

- island hopping on a cold cloudy day

- not eating chips at the beach

- squeezing in my butt in a tiny jeep with 17 others on our way home

It sure was another trip to remember, especially with these jellyfish stings that will scar in the next 2 or 3 months!

The wedding drama cured my hangover.

I got home really late yesterday, or shall I say, really early in the morning. That very same day, my good friend BJ was getting hitched with another friend JD . Not that I forgot the big day but I just had too much fun the night before - DVD marathon, card games and alcohol at Pol's place. Not getting a beauty sleep the night before my friends' wedding was probably not the wisest but hey, what's a fun-loving animal's got to do when you hear your calling! So after waking up from a four-hour sleep, I had to prep up like crazy. Crazy because the temperature was hot even with my room AC on full throttle and crazy because I didn't have anything decent to wear. The dress code was supposed to be white long sleeves paired with khaki pants. I guess I was pretty successful at disguising my greyish brown skinny jeans as a khaki pants because I blended in with the crowd well. The chapel where the wedding took place was nice. It was small and very private. I felt like I was on a celebrity wedding guest list! I must admit, I got a little emotional when BJ started walking down the aisle because I felt a little sore down my throat (that is equivalent to a cry for most people). Who wouldn't get emotional if you see how genuine their love is! JD was sobbing like a child when the ceremony started and everyone around was almost doing the same - very movie-like! I almost forgot that I'm still a little hung-over from last night's drinking with all the drama. Off we went to the reception at BE Resort in Mactan. It was just perfect. From the decoration/setup, to the program and down to the food. We got a little tipsy right before dinner was served. Fritz (a self-confessed recovering ex-alcoholic), did some disguising act himself. That bottle of Gatorade that he brought in turned out to be rum. Oh well, I did help him put up this crime earlier on. So with our new friends from Manila, Charm and Leah, the already very festive mood of the wedding reception became very much the same as the drinking session that happened the night before! (at least in our table) Again, congratulations to you b0th BJ and JD. I wish you all the happiness and love in the world!

Location:
Archbishop's Palace
BE Resorts Mactan

What I Wore:
Pin-striped Shirt (Thrifted)
Skinny Jeans (Terranova)
Sneakers (Vans Half Cab)