Rachel Zoe and My Lookbook Australia.

Rachel Zoe now debuts her first clothing collection! :) It's no surprise that her collection speaks Ba-na-nas -- very 70's and bohemian (though I have no example of it) with a touch of modern, very Rachel! Click the link on the first sentence to see more of her designs.

Here

It was only this afternoon that I saw the new Winter issue of Mylookbook Australia. They featured recent celebrity trends, Julie Sarinana of Sincerely, Jules (I loved her ASAP! She is now on my blogs-to-read list. I may be a mood-dresser but I believe we have the same sense of style in general or most of the time - laid-back but chic.), new style icons and an editorial page for winter style.

Versace for H&M!

Versace is one of my favorite brands. Even if I can't afford it (JUST YET), their collection is one of my must-see every season. And as for H&M, I'm also a fan. With this another collaboration and another luxury-meets-high street, Versace will be able to reach a wider audience and will not just be exclusive to the glamorous and luxurious. It's a win-win situation, I think. :)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2

I've tried my best not to watch it but obviously I failed. I nearly cried actually. Haha. Watching this is like a cool-off period. Your mind still wishes it won't end even if in your heart you just know it's going to. Yeah, I'm such a fan -- a cheeseball fan.

And to all other Harry Potter fans, check out this site: Path to Illuminati
You can find a lot of random Harry Potter facts. You can also check out her own writings, I really think she has interesting thoughts and a good relationship with words. :)

Heavy Heart.

I just realized that in a situation like this, we are different. Three things: One, When I say 'civil', I don't become sweet and mushy with the person who wronged me. Especially if he wronged me BIG TIME. Two, I really have a big issue with LYING and TRUST. If there's one thing my stomach and my morals could not take, it would be LYING FOR TOO LONG and LYING STRAIGHT TO MY FACE. Three, With the two things mentioned. I believe we, or rather I, all need 'space.' In a situation like this, SPACE IS NEEDED. Or maybe that was just for me.


I can't believe you were able to face him just like that! Because I can't. Really. Just because all of us talked about it, doesn't mean it's okay for him to just come here and act as if it's already okay. Maybe it's all working for you but it's not working for me that way. It hasn't been a month since that happened! There is still a lot to prove, a lot to mend, a lot to improve, a lot to process. Yes, we are all taking it day by day but does he really have to come here day by day? Is that his or your version of 'taking it day by day'? I can't stand it, really. I still don't want to see him or even look at him. I can't. My ears are stinging whenever he calls my name. I believe in giving second chances, but do we, rather I, have to give it to him NOW? I can't fathom and stomach what has been happening for the past two weeks. I don't want to speak about it because maybe I'm being unfair or mean or irrational. But at this point, I really don't care how I might appear to be because I would really snap in any second.  I mean seriously, you can look at his face, hold hands with him and kiss him after all he has done? OH MY EFFIN GOSH! UNBELIEVABLE! I'm a girl too and I know how it feels to be wooed and pursued. I just hoped you did not lie to me by saying you were just 'testing the waters' because it is different from what I am seeing. Really pain in the eyes, as well.  Why did I even bother hoping and believing that lie wasn't a lie in the first place? I will not be surprised if he has come back here very sooner than I had expected.


But who am I to really say those things right? You're a strong woman, you have your own mind and it's your choice to forgive him or not. My opinion doesn't really count, does it?


I apologize for what I did to you at Mass. I felt bad about it, really. But just so you know, I don't like what's happening and I'm hurt and I really can't do anything about it.




EDIT: I already talked to this person about this issue because I might die of heart attack if I will keep it longer -- okay, that was an exaggeration. Haha. Everything is discussed and released, all good. We both cried though -- for the very first time in front of each other. I felt like a child and a woman at the same time.With that, I think it brought us closer and our bond stronger. Thank God. I know this ordeal isn't over yet but we'll get there... :)

Rest in Peace, Chrys. :(

Hi Chrys! How's life up there? I know you're doing good, watching and guiding your loved ones. I'm shocked by the news, it's been a month na rin pala. Sorry kung ngayon ko lang nalaman. :( Parang kelan lang yun, when you played the piano and you were super amazing that I really had to tell you kahit di naman tayo masyado nag-uusap nun. And remember the shoes that you wore that night? Tinanong ko pa talaga kung saan mo binili. Haha! Then nag-bonding tayo sa Manor for the after party... I know you were a good person kahit di tayo naging close and you will be terribly missed forever. My deep condolences for your family. I'll be praying for you. Just keep rockin up there.

Rest in peace Chrys Bravo. :( 

The Time is Now: A Letter for Dallas Mavericks Team

Dear Dallas Mavericks,

The rest of the world knows how humiliating and how painful it is for you guys to have lost that 2006 Finals against Miami Heat. The rest of the world never let you forget that every season thereafter. These doubters and naysayers never stopped mocking you, calling you names; they were your own personal demons that haunted you every single game. But that didn't stop me from being your loyal, die hard fan. I was a fan ever since I was in high school, 10 years from now to be exact (Well, technically, only 8 years because you shared the spot with Sacramento Kings for 2 years). Every season, my love for your team just grew and grew more. With the heat of Lakers and Spurs and all other teams that you battled with over the Playoffs season through the years, I know how you got this close yet so far in winning a championship. I've seen it. Together with your own feelings of disappointment, frustration and pain, I also had mine. I felt what you felt. And trust me, I had cursed a lot of teams and players because of that. But as I grew older, I learned to just hate the game, not the players. I learned to believe in my own team. With you, I also waited patiently for that championship ring and cup to be in our hands and in God's time.

Watching you play during the Playoffs season, I knew you were a different team. Much better than what I had seen from years ago. Portland was a very strong team. They can beat the stronger teams during the regular season so who really expected you would be able to defeat them? Lakers, as history would define, was a legendary team so who really predicted you would be able to win over them with a sweep? OKC was also a good, young starting team. They may be a new team but in the world of basketball, you should never underestimate whoever player you are playing against with. Then lo and behond, you won the Western Conference Finals! Upon knowing that you would be up against Miami Heat, I knew that the Finals season was going to be a laughing matter for the doubters, the naysayers and most especially, the Miami Heat fans. I was scared for you guys, not because I doubted you, but because I know that at the back of their minds their goal was to repeat 2006 but this time with another 2 bad-ass comrades to back Wade up. Who would really step up and be a match for the Heat's big three? Nowitzki cannot do it alone. But as Coach Erik Spoelstra said it himself, just when he thought that his boys should guard Nowitzki and Terry, the rest of the Mavs step in, making him change the script again.

Winning this season, I know, meant everything to all of you. Finally, all the doubts and negative criticisms will finally be put to rest because at the end of the day, you were still able to prove that you deserve that win and you didn't deserve the mean labels and backlashes. You need not to live with those mocks thrown at you anymore. Your team just screamed to the rest of the world that you did not need your own version of Big 3 to win a championship. All you need is one special team comprised of players who believe in themselves and with each other and that can step up and win when Number 41 cannot or is being double teamed. :)




CONGRATULATIONS MY DALLAS MAVERICKS! Yes, Dirk, no one will ever take away what happened this season from you and your team.

CONGRATULATIONS TOO, MY FOREVER MVP DIRK NOWITZKI! No Kobe, Lebron, Rose, Rondo, (fill in whoever else you can think of) can ever replace you in my heart. You guys made me one of the happiest fans in the world today that I was almost in tears. 

Waiting for that championship to happen is like waiting for your great love story - painful, frustrating. But once it happens, it'll all be worth the wait.

 

XOXO,

Jana Pondevida, your die hard fan from the Philippines

All photos are courtesy of NBA.com. The picture of Miami Heat winning NBA Finals 2006 is from USATODAY.com

*****

All the smoke and glitter, laser shows and summertime hype generated in this building 11 months ago wasn't enough to overcome the unifying force of energy the Dallas Mavericks unleashed on this night and in this series. In the end, the Miami Heat's Big 3 couldn't overcome the Mavericks' Big Team, from one through 12.

"It feels amazing now to know that nobody can ever take this way away from us again," Mavericks star and Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki said, "and for one year we're the best team that was out there. That feels amazing."

"Dirk and Jet have had to live with those demons for five years," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "And as of tonight, those demons are officially destroyed."

"This is one of the unique teams in NBA history, because it wasn't about high-flying star power." - Rick Carlisle 

But it was Nowitzki, playing with a torn tendon in his left middle finger and battling a sinus infection and being clowned on camera by James and Wade about his fever along the way, that shined brightest.

It's the kind of energy they brought to this series, as well. After they lost Game 1 here the naysayers started talking about a potential sweep. Yet the Mavericks persevered, refusing as always to dwell on the doubters. They were down 15 in Game 2 but battled their way back to win that game and even the series before heading home to Dallas, using their trademark balance from the starters and the bench and the big-short artistry of Nowitzki to turn the series around.

"Down 15, we all looked at each other and we continued to believe," Terry said. "We win that game and the rest is history."

"Two totally different teams. You look at what we did along the way, along our journey, getting past Portland. Nobody said we could. Doing what we did to the Lakers. We continued to grind it out, believing in each other, and showed huge resiliency every time we stepped on the court ..." - Jason Terry

Champions at last.

 From Mavs' Big Team sheds negative labels with team's first title by Sekou Smith. 

Never underestimate a dressed-up go-getter.

I had watched Legally Blonde 2 way back in high school and I've been watching it again for two days now (since they always replay it on cable) yet it never fails to make me feel inspired and motivated. Elle Woods is the role model of ladies who love dressing up, prefers non-traditional ways, do not seem to fit in easily and, in spite of the descriptions mentioned, can still get the job done and remain optimistic. And more.

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"To succeed in Washington, you need to be savvy and street-smart. I've seen plenty of polite and idealistic girls like you. They tread up and down in their high heels and went home empty handed and with blisters on their feet." 

People, I believe, are born judgmental and as they grow older and become exposed to their surroundings and to more people, their thinking are transformed to that of being open-minded . However, there are still those who are stuck with the norms and refuse to see things outside of the box or from a new perspective. I admit, I can also be judgmental and I also know how it feels to be the one misjudged -- superficially (more often), that is. 

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"Never underestimate a woman with a French manicure and a Harvard law degree!"

It is never fair to solely judge a person with the way she wears his or her clothes, with his or her choices of clothing, with the way he or she walks and talks or with first impressions. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so as to their clothing or things. Not everyone has to agree or disagree with another person's opinion, so as to another person's choice of clothing. All of us has a side that only few people know about. Each of us is unique and different, I don't see why we think 'differently' of people who are in the extreme opposite side of us. Sure, there are types of people that you just can't stand or you don't like for a certain unknown reason yet it still doesn't give you the right to backlash or to put that person to shame. Just because a person likes either fancy or dark things, dresses either classy or shabby, looks like a Barbie doll or a rocker, has goals that are either extreme or simple doesn't mean that is all there is to that person.

It sucks to be misjudged and sort of looked down by people around you. It is uncontrollable. Nevertheless, given that case, you cannot let that get the best of you. I believe that one doesn't have to prove anything else to anybody but to herself and for herself alone. You can get back at them by continuing to believe in yourself and in what you can do. In my own experience, instead of sobbing and sulking, I just didn't care. I didn't give a shit and didn't give a damn what other people judged me of because I know for a fact that I am better and more than what they think. There's more to the snobbish, maarte, all-dressed-up-that-she-sticks-out-like-a-sore-thumb lady. As the saying goes, people who matter does not mind and people who mind does not matter. :) At the end of the day, it's what you do and what you have accomplished that really matters and the hell with the haters, doubters and people who really got nothing good to say. :)

Legally Blonde 1 and 2 are two of the movies any go-getter lady should watch. It's funny, witty and definitely positive and inspiring. :) Yes, it has a simple plot, probably to the point of being a shallow, chick-flick plot, you can say. But the real message in general is what would get you to watch it. And yes, don't stereotype fashion-obsessed people as dumb. Their level of intelligence does not rotate solely on Versace, Prada, Valentino and such.

"You can do it the Washington way. I'm going to do it the Elle Woods way."

"Watch me."

For the 500th post: DIY Inspirations

So lately, I've been on the lookout for something that can get my hands busy and practice its dexterity.

Photos:1 and 2

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

I'll post the DIY's that I made once it's done and I'll also make sure that I'll tweak it a bit for it to be original and not the exact same thing. :)

On a side note, I sort of bonded with my grandmother (sister of my immediate and late grandmother) when I accompanied her for her check-up. We had lunch together. :) It was something I never got the chance to do with my immediate and late grandmother when I got older. It was such a good day.

Anyway, good night people! :)

Formspring-ing. :)

As for tonight, I thought of answering the questions asked by people that I have been following (and vice versa) in my Formspring account. I also thought of sharing with you my answer in this one question that made me laugh. It made me laugh out of embarrassment. But I don't care, I'm still gonna share it. :)

Name the celebrity that you have the biggest crush on. :)

HAHAHA! I have a lot, who do you want me to start with? :) I think the biggest celebrity crush I ever HAD was (Jologs alert!) Richard Gutierrez. HAHAHA. I had a crush on him since I was in elementary? It lasted for 8 years. I even said that one day I would marry him. HAHAHA. Even though he's not my celebrity crush anymore, I still got the hots for him and he's the only celebrity that I had a crush on that lasted that long. :)

Yeah, that's him. These are some photos of him from few years ago and was stored in my file so by now, I already forgot where I got it from. The third photo is from Cosmo, I believe.

On a side note:

Styling trial

  

I was waiting for sleep to come to me when I suddenly remembered my looklet account. :) I have that account since October 2009 but I wasn't able to use it that much. Hence, I only have 11 styled looks (As you saw from above). One boring morning, this digital paper doll-slash-make your own fashion editorial website caught my attention and interest through my friend Liz and decided to sign up. I opened my account again and saw that I still have an unfinished look which I made 10 months ago. Hahaha. I haven't made a recent one just yet; I was about to but sleepiness had arrived. But I will soon (Hopefully not just when I'm bored and have nothing else to do. Hahaha.) Anyway, good night! Tonight is a cold and rainy night -- best time to curl under the sheets! This is going to be a veryyyyyy good sleep for me! Weeeeeee! :)