THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

July 21, 2007 marks the end of the saga of the famous boy wizard, Harry Potter. On this day, people around the world will finally get the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series.

Entitled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the book brings to a close the battle between good and evil, represented by Harry and He-who-must-not-be-named. It will definitely be dark and there are rumors of death of one of the main characters. Who will die this time? Well, we just have to wait for the book and find out.

It is with great anticipation, and also sadness, that I wait for this book. After all, what do I look forward to after this one?! Probably just the movies then.

J.K. Rowling shares on her site her feelings over finishing the series, “I always knew that Harry’s story would end with the seventh book, but saying goodbye has been just as hard as I always knew it would be. Even while I’m mourning, though, I feel an incredible sense of achievement. I can hardly believe that I’ve finally written the ending I’ve been planning for so many years. I’ve never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric.”

Security has been tight around the publishing house to prevent copies from being stolen. Even J.K. Rowling guarded her manuscript with her own life. In a trip to New York last year there was a bit of fuss over her refusal to part with her manuscript. She was willing to sail home instead if the airline didn’t let her carry it all throughout the flight. The manuscript had no extra copy and parts of it were even handwritten. Now can you blame her?!

It’s been ten years since the first book arrived. I was still in college then. It was definitely a great run for Harry. Incidentally, the movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on July 13, 2007. A good week before the book comes out.

To make sure you get your copy as soon as it hits the shelf, you can have a copy reserved for only P500 at National Bookstore and Powerbooks.

(also posted at www.kikay.exchange.ph)

CLASSES AT CAS

For those who would want to turn your kakikayan into a career or if you just want to look professionally kikay... you might want to check these classes out:

The Center for Aesthetic Studies (CAS) will be offering the following classes for the month of May 2007:

BASIC MAKE-UP ARTISTRY
108 Hours
Coverage: Period Make-Up, Fashion and Freestyle Make-Up, Make-Up for Mature Women, Photography Make-Up, Bridal Make-Up
Fee: P 18,200.00

Tentative Start of Classes: May 3, 2007 (Thursday)
Schedule: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00pm-5:00pm
Duration: Three (3) months
Venue: Center for Aesthetic Studies (CAS), Makati

Tentative Start of Classes: May 8, 2007 (Tuesday)
Schedule: Tuesday, 8:00am-5:00pm
Duration: Three (3) months
Venue: Frank Provost, Alabang

WORKSHOP ON ARTISTRY IN MAKE-UP
4 hours
Coverage: Skin Care, Day and Night Personal Make-Up
Make-Up Partner: Guerlain
May 12, 2007 (Saturday)
1:00pm-5:00pm
Venue: Center for Aesthetic Studies (CAS), Makati
Fee: P 2,100.00
* All workshop participants are entitled to a 20% discount on selected Guerlain products

BASIC HAIR UPSTYLE
Coverage: Formal hair styles
Tentative Start of Classes: May 16, 2007 (Wednesday)
Schedule: Wednesday and Friday, 7:00pm-9:00pm
Duration: 5 weeks
Instructor: Laurent Hebert, French Consultant of Franck Provost
Venue: Center for Aesthetic Studies (CAS), Makati
Fee: P 7,000.00

Hurry, limited slots are available!

The Center for Aesthetic Studies is located at the 2nd Floor Franck Provost Building, 120 Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village, Makati City.

For any question or reservation, please get in touch with SIRIKIT at 897-0383 or 895-3401 local 113. You may also reach us at 0918-8970383.

They were so young...

For more details, click here to go to the site.

My own BBB

It was a few years ago when I saw a bracelet at Get Happy in Rustan's. It was a bracelet with Imelda Marcos' picture. Despite the price, I bought it anyway. She may not be a totally good role model but as long as she holds the record for the most number of shoes owned, she will forever be my shoe goddess.

Anyway, I tried looking for other styles of the Imelda bracelet at Get Happy but they only have earings now. Nah! So when I came accross the site of Baubles, Bangles and Beads, and learned that they do made to order bangles, an Imelda bangle was the first thought that came to my mind.

I followed instructions on how to send my order. I gave them the pictures and explained how I wanted them placed around the bangle. I think I also suggested what color for the background but I also told them to use whatever looks best.

My order took a couple of weeks to be finished. I completely understand... it was handpainted after all. A few days ago I received an email that my bangle was already finished and attached was a picture. Awesome! Check the pictures below!

(pictures courtesy of Baubles, Bangles & Beads)

The portrait was taken from the internet. The shoes are Manolo Blahnik sketches I also got from the net. The artist did a great job right?! It's a work of art. I was totally raving when I saw the pictures and jumped for joy when I got the bangles! I showed it to my mom and she borrowed it once. She said it matched the bag that she wanted to use the next day.

Nice! Love it! You can check their site for other pieces they have, specially those made-to-order ones. I know this isn't going to be the last bangle I'll be getting from them!

Le Fun Bag

LeSportsac has been around for years. I've been in love with it before and the new prints made me fall in love again!

Their prints are more fun and edgier. The new Boutique line in Zebra and Pop Dot prints are a must-see with their unique shapes and styles. And of course, there's the Tokidoki line in Adios Star and Pirata prints.

Here are some of my faves. If only I wasn't saving up for a wedding, I would've grabbed one in each print!

Bess in Wild Zebra print


Lizzy in Wild Zebra print

Alexandra in Pop Dot print

Ali in Pop Dot print

Xandra in Pop Dot print

Bocce in Pirata print with Tokidoki "qee" attached

Bambino in Pirata print with Tokidoki "qee" attached

Bella in Adios Star print with Tokidoki "qee" attached

Zucca in Adios Star print with Tokidoki "qee" attached

Monday on a Tuesday

Going to work after a long holiday is like having a tooth extracted.

I drag my ass out of bed even if I did try to sleep early the night before.

Everybody at work still has hang over and everybody goes to work late.

People sneak out for lunch ten to fifteen minutes earlier and at the stroke of five, everybody scurries to the bundee clock to check out.

As for me... I go online and blog about it instead.

Welcome back peeps... ho-hum! Four more days to go before weekend!

SHARE THE LOVE OF READING: JOIN OUR STORYBOOK DRIVE (TAN YAN KEE FOUNDATION)

Our office is participating in a storybook drive spearheaded by the Tan Yan Kee Foundation. I work for one of Lucio Tan's companies and this is his foundation to uphold corporate responsibility.

This project aims to help our less fortunate little brothers and sisters who would love to learn how to read but do not have the means to do so. We will be collecting books for children from 6 to 12 years old. Preferably storybooks to help develop their reading skills. Textbooks are also accepted as long minimal writings.

This project was launched a few weeks ago and will run until May 31, 2007.

For those who would like to help us out, I'm accepting donations. Just leave a message and I can collect the books from you.

Thanks!!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all!

Crazy day and it's only 2pm. Our cook/boy left without any warning so I was left to cook lunch. I do love cooking and I have a few specialties up my sleeves. So, for lunch I made Igado. I don't even know if I spelled it right. It's an Ilocano dish and my aunts from Laoag make superb igado. It Manang Turing, my fiance's yaya, who taught me how to make it. I'd like to share it with you.

Ingredients:
meat (preferably lomo... I don't know what part that is I just tell our butcher we need lomo)
innards like the heart, kidney and liver
liver spread
green peas
red/green bell pepper
bay leaves
soy sauce
ground black pepper
onion and garlic

How to...:
Sautee the onions and garlic (not too much oil). Once translucent put the meat. Cook until no pink shows anymore. Add a little bit of soy sauce first. You can add more soy sauce later for taste. Add the innards. Do not over cook the innards or else it will be tough to chew on. Add a pinch of ground black pepper.

Put the can of liver spread next and mix well. Add the bay leaves and stir. Put a can of green peas next and after a few minutes add the red/green bell pepper.

Let it simmer for a few minutes. Add more soy sauce and ground black pepper if necessary.

I'm an Ilocana through and through! Other dishes I love are diningding, papaitan and ilocos empanada. Yummy! Too bad our Ilocos trip didn't push through. Pigging out was on my to-do list there.

I'll post another specialty of mine soon.