Bench on Mars

Bench on Mars.  Who does not get the drift?  It's definitely a give away, that this Fil-Puerto Rican named Peter Gene Hernandez is the newest endorser of the biggest local retail of RTW (and more) in the Philippines.  Bench has been making a wise and lucrative move in carefully selecting their endorsers.  Their latest bold move is to get Bruno Mars, who is not just popular in the music scene today, he is also a Filipino!  Billboards in the metro do not show entirely of who the endorser is, but using common sense and some hints (hat, piano, sunglasses), one cannot fail to see that this is Bruno Mars!

How do you say it?

There are words that deplete a man's confidence of pronouncing them, for the simple reason of not having an idea on how to properly pronounce them.  So here are some of the most "murdered" words I can think of, and their right pronunciations. Please feel free to correct me (there is a comment box here) if I am wrong with what I know.

Beauty, Fashion, and Designers' names

Ralph Lauren

Ralph LO-REN or Ralph LORN - RL is an American brand, so it's not LO-RAN

Yves Saint Laurent 

 E-VES San LO-RAN, it's not IVS

Marithe Francois Girbaud 

 Mari-TIHEY Frans-WA Jer-BOW

Lanvin

Lan-VAN

XOXO

pronounce it by the letters.  I swear I heard someone say SOKSO.

Carolina Herrera

Caro-LEENA HAIR-rera or AIR-rera

Versace

Versa-CHEE

Pierre Cardin

P-YER car-DAN

Thierry Mugler

Tee-air-REE Mug-LAY (no "h" on the Thierry)

Bulgari

BULL-ga-ri 

Hermes

Er-mez

Bebe

Bi-bi (from: to BE or not to BE)

Eclat 

e-clah

Pour Homme

pur-om

Guerlain

guyr-lahn

plaid

plAd (not plEyd)

Kerastase

keh-ras-TAZ



Food

Parmigiana
par-mee-JA-na

Gyros
yi-ros

Worcestershire
wors-ter-shir

Bolognese
bow-li-n(y)iz

Croissant
kr(w)a-san

Parmesan
por-m(i)-zan




Places and Geographical terms

Connecticut
ki-ne-ti-khat

Greenwich
gri-nich

Buendia
bwen-DEE-ya, not bwendya

Shaw
sho, not show

Thailand
Tay-lan(d).  It is a silent h

And They Should Be Called Mommy Bags

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When I was still pregnant, I was so excited shopping for different baby thingies as well as new-mom stuff for myself.  One of the many mommy stuff that really drove me wild was diaper bag.  Diaper bag, to my darlings who do not have any idea what that is, is a bag specially designed for all the baby stuff a mom might be needing in case she and the baby go mobile.  Diaper bags have around six to ten pockets or compartments that are all ready for stuffing feeding bottles, milk containers, diapers, changing mat, wet wipes, dry tissues, alcohol, baby bibs, face towels, and a lot more.  Nope, I am not talking about the baby cabinet, but it comes close to that when it comes to functionality.  Only, this one takes a form of a bag.

I actually have two diaper bags.  As mentioned, I loved looking at diaper bags in all the stores that had them, it may be an actual store or an online store.  But truth of the matter is, even if I fancied over their dainty designs, I did not buy a piece for I was certain that I would be receiving one as a gift.  I was correct, and twice correct at that.  I received both as a baptismal gift courtesy of my little man's ninong Anchi and our neighbor Lola D.  I was really excited to use them and they became my badge as a mommy.  I proudly carried it with me, along with my baby in the stroller.

And who would not be proud to display diaper bags?  Aside from the fact that it loudly announces to everybody that I am a proud mommy the reason why I have one tucked in my elbow, diaper bags these days are not that--for the lack of proper word-- baduy as it once used to be.  I remember my mom telling me "ay, andyan pa pala sa bodega yung diaper bag na ginamit nyo noon at sigurado ako pwede mo pa gamitin yun kasi matibay yun at buhay pa, kailangan lang ng laba".  Goodness, when I was able to find the diaper bag that my mom advertised for free, heck,  no way I am going to use that!  Yep, it's matibay for sure, because it still is so much kickin' up to this day and just ten days of non-stop laundry will make it look brand new.  But THE PRINT!!  Oh yeah, the prints!! Animal prints, with alphabet and numbers and all that colorful stuff that dominate the entire bag.  Colors from neutral to pastels to loud ones.  Thanks mom, that was a good one, but no thanks.

Let me stress this out--- diaper bags are for MOMS, not for babies.   Fortunately, mommies of our generation need not to suffer from diaper bags from dinosaur era that had zero fashionlife.  These days, pregnant moms, new moms, and wanting to be moms can drool with dainty, fashionable, and really pretty diaper bags, that often times because of its hip and updated look, do not even look like diaper bags at all!  I should now, I once drooled over these bags, too!

Note:  Photos not my own.  They are courtesy of Google Images.  Thank you.

Thanks for the visit!

Feel free to read my other 

posts.  Please look for

MY BABBLES on the 

right side of this page.

Have a blessed day!

Lotsa love,

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The fab shoes and the rain

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Rain, rain, go away...

As what I have mentioned before, I hate rain. I am a commuter (and proud of it!) and walking in the rain is such a hassle. Imagine getting soaked up and all. Despite having the biggest umbrella in town, drops of water in different sizes get in the way to irritate me the more.

Just two days ago, few meters from Trinoma where I would alight, heavy rain fell just in time! Talk about perfect timing, huh? There was no warning at all--no drizzle, no dark clouds. It just fell because it wanted to, and people from all over ran in all direction to find just enough size of a roof to shield them from the rain. I, on the other hand, had no choice but to go down from the FX taxi because Trinoma was in front of me already. I was complete with my battle gear anyways--umbrella for my head and a tailored coat to cover my arms. Perfect! So I confidently walked in the rain despite it being quite heavy, until I looked down. Oh, no!! My shoes!!

Yep, I was wearing the wrong kind of shoes that day. Luckily, there was no flood, though the water was slowly rising for an inch or two. After around one hundred and fifty steps, my shoes were already wet. Good thing water was not able to find its way inside so my feet remained dry and untouched. It was just my poor pair!! The material is not suitable for the rain and now I wonder if I can still use it ;(

Having that experience, I blamed myself for not buying shoes that are suitable for rainy days. There are lovely pairs out there, pretty and fab ones, yet tough and perfect enough to experience some splash from the unfriendly rain. These are all water resistant, and very, very, very pretty!! They are made of rubber and plastic that makes wiping the water uber easy. And they can go along with whatever outfit I fancy. There's a pair that matches my skirt, my shorts, my skinny, my jeggings... and they are really very pretty!! And I am just glad to present them.... and oh, by the way, did I mention already that they are just so pretty?!!

*Above are Crocs and Melissa shoes. Please check out their website for description and other details.

*Photos from Crocs.com.ph and MelissaPhilippines.com

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Bra Extensions

My tummy is getting bigger and bigger and that is not the only body part that is expanding. Expectedly, my breasts are not far behind. From 36c, they have grown to a whopping 38c. I have never been proud of this size!! However, discomfort finds its way to interrupt my happiness. My current brassieres are still good enough to use so I did not buy a new set, but I can feel discomfort at the back area since i cannot hook them up anymore. Good thing there are bra extensions available in the market. They are so helpful!!! Aside from expanding the scope of my bras, they now prevent my boobies from touching each other since it's now more spacious and loose. I bought one set of bra extensions for only p145.00. These are available in all maternity shops. Mine I got from Havin a Baby, Trinoma Branch.









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Havaianas and the Scary Lead Content

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In this world of flip flops, who on earth still does not own a pair of Havaianas? Even the tiniest and the youngest member of any household cannot stand not owning a pair!! This brand of slippers have been so popular in the Philippines, for the Philippines is a tropical country and wearing open type slippers is very appropriate. We can wear this specially during summer season, and we can even wear this during rainy season when we have to brave knee-high flood in the streets. Gone are the days when wearing slippers in the mall or in the hotel can give you unsolicited looks. Gone are the days when wearing slippers are just for those who cannot afford to buy leather-made footwear. For now, as long as you are wearing havaianas, you are so in the "in" crowd.

But what is this I am hearing that local distributor is recalling Havaianas due to lead scare? To refresh, the US has submitted studies and reports stating that Havaianas, specially the ones made for kids and with prints, have a high lead content making it hazardous to be worn. Why are we to be scared of lead? Generally speaking, this is bad for our health. Excessive amount of it can destroy the nervous system, may cause some sickness including cancer, and is harmful to an unborn child.

Local distributor of Havaianas has taken the necessary action of recalling their products to assure the buying market that they are doing what is best to be done. They are to bring samples to the Department of Trade and Industry to have them checked. Even if they are assuring that the US batch is entirely different from the local batch, they are responsible enough to act on the matter by having these products checked. Hopefully in the next days, this issue will be resolved so we can wear our collection of lovely pairs with a peace of mind.
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Pregnancy fashion

I am finding it hard to decide what to wear every single day. Since I am now 21 weeks heavy, I am more and more conscious of my protruding tummy. Most days I want to hide it, most days I want to flaunt it and announce to the world that I am carrying a baby. Good thing I am not having a love-hate relationship with my current wardrobe. When I learned that I am pregnant, picture of my mom wearing sailor-type tent dresses flashed through my mind. What a horrible phase for her, I believe! Good thing those days are gone for preggos like me have tons and tons of chic and stylish maternity styles to choose from without compromising comfort and bodily figure.

I gathered some pictures that can help preggy moms like me be inspired in choosing what clothes to wear. These are the clothes that I would personally wear too.




* i am liking the one in blue *


* this one looks chic and cool *





* the black for casual days, the white for dinner date with hubby,
the pink for everyday wear *





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