At Airport

The trip was tiring! Cambodian light is different. So bright. The sun was shining but its so cold. Theres no traffic here at Siem Reap.

Hello Cambodia!

Im finally here in Cambodia, specifically at Siem Reap where the world famous Angkor Wat is. It does look like one of the remote province of Iloilo. But with the French influence and the Khmers very rich tradition, the wow factor is there. So much to see, so many things to do (not to mention the shopping!). My host is Loven and Fate Ramos, plus Nina You of the Angkor Silk Festival.

We went around immediately. I havent really sorted out my pix but Im posting some of this really cool place we went to for refreshments called Blue Pumpkin (where we had fish&chips, a smoothie of apple, green peppers and honey!, and ginger&nougatine ice cream), plus some pix at the Ramos home with Fate and Coochie (baby Freedom).

Oh, and the pix of the taxi (with curtains!) from the airport.

Blue Pumpkin

Lounging at Blue Pumpkin

moi!

With Coochie and Ping

moi doing what I do best-read magazines

moi, Loven and Tita Jaki inside the curtained taxi

I'm going to Cambodia!

I'm going to Cambodia tomorrow to present my collection entitled "Triumph of Tradition" in Siem Riep for the 4th Angkor Silk Festival from February 1-4. I'm the featured designer on the last day. I particulary used jusi and barong fabric as the main focus of my collection. I wanted to fuse tradition, innocence, religion and futurism into the clothes. It's so cliche but I have been looking and reading stuff about Nicolas Ghesquiere. I guess the futurism part, I got from him. There will be pleated plastic embellishments on the clothes. All the fabrics I used are vintage, a return I guess to my early works involving used materials and found objects. The design highlights the callado or pulled needlework of the fabric.

I'm so excited already to go.

Lunch at Krua Thai with Ms. M

Ms. Marichel Magalona treated me for lunch at Krua Thai. The fish fillet with five herbs was a delicious revelation.




Ms. M

Lunch and coffee with Michael

Had lunch with my good friend Michael at this rundown "bulalo"place where they serve a delicious soup of mixed entrails, meat and skin of beef (?), actually I'm not sure if it's beef or pork. It's some kind of animal though. Then we had coffee, actually, nobody did drink coffee coz I ordered iced chocolate while he got himself some shake. Talked about stuff and all. With all the stress from work and all the things we need to do, I enjoy dropping everything for some unhurried moment of bonding with friends.


Myk

Wedding Show at Emillion Roadhouse

Latest stuff I got

an Italian made assymetrical cotton top I forgot the brand

Paul Smith cotton sweater

Martin Margiela ligne 6 '3 in 1 top'

Vivienne Westwood tee. Thank you Michelle.

Bernhard Wilhelm tee (I LOVE IT!!!!!!)

no-brand clear sequins covered tee

Coffee with Justin and Rofel at Coffeebreak Jaro

Rofel and Justin invited me for a late coffee chat at Coffeebreak Jaro. I took some pictures.


Justin and Rofel

moi

Random Thoughts

There are better things left unsaid. I have clipped the wings of my tongue for my own good and to protect other people. But I never promised that I will forever be silent. There are better times where it's right to be loud and say the things that I want. In time...

It will never be the same.

Nightout with Ralph and Pete

Pete, the cousin of Ralph (son of Ta Jak), briefly came home to visit family and friends. He's actually based in Chicago. He plans to come back next year to try life here. First, you gotta save lots of dollars, man. Hehehe!


Ralph and Pete

Coffee at Coffee Plus

It was supposed to be a happy night. Well, sorta.But it was also the wake of Justin's mom. I really can't stay in places where the dead are being laid like cemeteries, funeral parlors or wakes. I really just can't stay long. Even when my dad died, I was forever away or doing something else. I also don't look inside the coffin. And I'm telling you it's not because I'm afraid to die. I'm not actually afraid to die. I'm pretty sure where I'm going if I die. I don't like the absence of life though. It's not like dying where our soul goes on with another life. But a dead body is just like a lifeless shell. It's sad that way. No life.

We had coffee with friends.


Justin

Coffee Plus

junk

Rofel

KL

Mae

Michael