Travel Ready! :)

I'm leaving for Singapore tomorrow, and I'm soooo excited! :) Even though it's just for 5 days, but only 4 if you think about it because I get there at 10pm of the first day, I'm super prepared! I'm bringing along my Canon 550d which I just got two months ago to take all of my photos. :D

I would post my actual camera but I can't find my point-and-shoot. Oops! Anyway, I'm super excited to use my new Longchamp Le Pliage that I bought in a stopover at the Korean airport on my way home last summer. :)

This is an old style from 2009 that I saw even when I was in Paris, but they didn't have this style with the zipper across and handles that go over the shoulder. I really like shoulder bags because they allow me to walk around with both of my hands free. And aside from that, Longchamp is really known for lasting long and being able to carry a lot of things, which it really does! Plus it's a nice color that won't look bad if it gets dirty. :) So really, it's the perfect bag for travelling! :) I was lucky enough to have found this even though it was out of season already. As my mother always says, if you can't sleep because you really want something, then you should really get it! :)

Of course when in a foreign area with no personal car to drive around, one will have to do a lot of walking. So I'm happy that I've broken into my Torys, they're the comfiest shoes ever.

Very recently I retired my favorite pair of bronze flats that I got in a Payless outlet about 6 years ago, and I was set on getting a pair of Torys to replace them. I'd been looking for a pair of Torys since last year but none of them caught my eye until I stumbled upon these! They're a wonderful color: under daylight they look like a bronze, but in photos they look pewter. The color stated in the stock name is Anthracite, which means a hard coal that burns easily. It's a pretty color really, and they have matching studded hardware logos that are equally as sparkly. I've always been a fan of sparkly things, but now that I'm older I've decided to tone down and wear them as accents instead of big statement pieces. :) These shoes were made for me!

So there, I'm ready for my 5-day vacation! I almost literally broke my back to go on this trip so I better have fun! Of course, just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, "fun" is up to whoever is experiencing it. So I will definitely have fun, I'll make sure of it :D

Will post photos of my travels soon, stay tuned!

The Perfect School Wallet

After a few months of looking, I finally found it! And it was just hidden away in my closet! Last Christmas, my Lolo's brother gave me a Kate Spade pencil case. I've read numerous quotes on the designer herself using a pencil case as an evening clutch, and while avoiding my schoolwork, I finally found the perfect use for it!

This pencil case is perfect for me because it holds all of my things nicely: My phone, iPod Touch, my school ID and of course, some money.

My previous school wallet I love equally, but it was too slim that I felt it would break if I tried to fit my phone and iPod Touch in between the tiny metal clip. But I love it too much to let it go, so it's now my wallet for going out. :)

And as for my super old Coach wallet for going out, I've decided to set it aside for now until I get tired of it or if one of these break (God forbid!). A little fun fact though, I got this wallet for my GRADE SCHOOL graduation, which was 7 years ago! If this was any old brand, it would be beyond broken by now! But noooope, it's still in very good shape and I can see it in this way for a loooong time from now. Maybe after I'm married and with kids already! But I think I'll be moving on to longer wallets so for now, this wallet will be in my drawer for quite a while. :)

Hope you all enjoyed this entry! Keep on being creative with your things :D

New Baby!

So today I didn't have classes, as I don't really have every Monday. I was so glad that I had time to attend the Anniversary Celebration of Jul B. Dizon Jewelry and Janina! Since I got back from the States last month, I put myself on a "shopping ban" because I had spent so much over there. But one of my biggest weaknesses EVER is jewelry. :( I take after my mother, who has a fetish for it too. When I was a child, I loved jewelry and everything shiny! Up 'til today my favorite colors are pink and gold, which is ironic because I loathe the color yellow. Haha!

So I was thinking that we weren't going to end up going because (a) The Shangri-La Edsa Hotel was so far and (b) My mom was running late from work today, so when she got out, which was rush hour for everybody, it took us a little longer than usual to get there! But though we were late, we were still able to look aroundand I just fell in love with one of her necklaces! :)

I was lucky enough to have gotten this with a 30 percent discount and am so happy with it! When they're not too busy I'm going to ask them to attacha lobster claw so that I can double it. It's much more versatile than my previous purchase from them, I can wear it with anything! I didn't wear a plain black tee to the celebration of course, I just put it on so that the piece will be more eye-catching in contrast to the plain shirt. :) This is a sterling silver chain with an assortment of a nugget and discs in gold-plated silver, round freshwater pearls and flat circles in rose quartz. I'm so happy that I got it for a very very good price!

Thank you so much for having me, Candy and Janina! I had so much fun looking through your pieces and I will see you very soon for sure! Shopping ban, what you talking about! HAHA! :)

After the show, we dropped by Tita Maki's to pick up some gherkins for my raclette, which I'm having in the morning right before I go to school! Mmmmm thinking about it now and I can't waaaaaaait. :D Raclette isn't raclette without gherkins! For the past few days I was having it on top of crackers with Hungarian sausage because we didn't have Gherkins. Now I'm so excited to have it oozing onto my plate! :D

Macaron Love!

I have a crazy sweet tooth, but the queen of all sweets for me is the macaron! These aren't the coconut-flavored cookies my grandma makes. Macarons are meringue-like cookies with almond paste as the main ingredient, sandwiched together with a filling in between. Now this hasn't always been the case, Macarons were served since the early 1500s (or possibly even earlier) as the cookies only, not sandwiches, two by two and with jam and butter. The one who revolutionized macarons into the Paris Macaron sandwiches was Pierre Desfontaines of the French pâtisserie Ladurée, and they're really known to make the best macarons. :) I had so many of these in Paris when I went two summers ago, and I can't wait to go back!

My obsession for macarons only started on that trip to Paris. Before I went on the quest for the best macarons in the Philippines, I found Bizu's to be too crunchy and bland. Within a week of my return from Paris, I started looking immediately, and I'm glad to say that I found them! Georgia Rocha's Empire macarons are the winner.

Soft inside yet crunchy on the outside, sweet, bursting with flavor and pleasing to the eyes! Those are the perfect macarons. :D I fell in love with these mostly for the texture. It's obvious that Georgia is a chocolate lover because most of her flavors are chocolate based! Cookies and cream, triple chocolate, white chocolate and strawberry-chocolate are just a few of her many flavors.

I'm glad that I was finally able to catch the baker's dozen and get some of these, I finally had my macaron fix!

For those who would like to give Empire a try, visit http://empiremacarons.blogspot.com for more details. :)

Saira

Hello everybody!

So I finally have a new blog! This blog is a less personal one, more about my interests and passions :) My last blog was more of a journal and as much as I would like to continue writing there, I feel that it's too young for me and I need a new tone for what I want to write nowadays. :D So welcome to pretty splendid! This blog is composed of two of my favorite words. I live for beauty and always look for pretty things, and I love the splendid life! Most recently my favorite adjective for something is "very good," which does mean splendid. So I'll be blogging about the very good life most of the time! :) Eating in nice restaurants, pretty bags, shoes, houses, you name it :D So that's all for now, I shall definitely blog again soon! :)

Saira