Sewing pattern books

I've always seen it before in the bookstore, but I never saw the need to buy one until now. In the shelf by the craft section are Japanese clothing books with patterns included inside.

Sure, I can't read or understand Japanese (yet), but the instructions are more or less self-explanatory. 

I got the children's clothing books because the one for women were all winter edition and that would absolutely get no use over here in my country. Makes you wonder why they even had that in the bookstore.

Anyway, I figured that the important thing was to get a feel for the designs and pattern so I could adapt them to grown women's sizes. In the meantime, I will be sewing a lot of dresses for my friends' children.

While I was there, I also saw a local book - Basic Course in Pattern and Dressmaking by Yoko Shirane Venzuela. 

Now, this I could understand. And yet, I don't. LOL. Okay, not exactly. But that is why I go to the institute and attend my sewing lessons.

Eventually I'll get it. ;)

Meg

Book Haul

I've been visiting the fashion aisle of my neighborhood bookstore lately. Here are some of the books that I took home with me.

(L-R) Paris Street Style, Fashionary, and Drawing Fashion & Style

I love French women's effortless sense of style which is most commonly described as je ne sais quoi - something that cannot be defined, but it is attractive or pleasing. How do they do it? Paris Street Style is filled with interviews and tips so you can achieve even a little of that certain something that makes French women chic.

Some pages from the book

The Fashionary is something that I've wanted to buy for the longest time but, like learning how to sew, took ages for me to actually do. In my mind, there's a certain level of commitment that was involved in buying it - meaning that I am definitely going to learn fashion design/sewing.

And how cute is the pink cover and the mint ribbon?

I got the Fashionary first and then the drawing book a few days later because I thought I needed help in doing fashion illustrations. I definitely have to make some time reading and practicing that book.

Meanwhile, I did a page on my Fashionary - copying the three outfits from Paris Street Style that I posted above.

I haven't colored them in yet because I'm not sure if the paper will stand up to watercolors or colored pens. 

As a side note, I am thinking of taking a watercolor class for beginners. I already know the basics but that was a long time ago and I haven't been practicing so this will be like a refresher course for me.

Never too late. :)

Meg

Book Review: New York To Dallas by J.D. Robb

So cool that even books have trailers these days. As if I wasn't excited enough. I was calling bookstores and actually went there everyday (the perks of living a ten-minute walk away from the mall) just in case they already have the book for sale.

And, finally, they did! I spazzed in the bookstore. True story.

New York To Dallas is the latest In Death novel. The 33rd! Wow. I can't believe I've been reading this series for so long now. I think I was still in college when I started! But I don't regret reading all of them and it remains my favorite series ever.

Protagonist Eve finds herself facing a previous antagonist - her first one from her rookie days. The culprit has escaped jail and now set his sights on her for revenge. The case brings her back to the past, both from that case and also from her own childhood which dregs up uncomfortable memories for her and her husband, Roarke.

I admit I may have been a little spoiled about this book. I blame myself because I was reading the reviews and tortured myself with the teasers. That's why when the twist happened, I was already braced for it. Was it worth it? Hmm...

I tried hard to resolve my feelings about this book. It was a bit heavy for me, which is understandable because of the subject matter. The humor is also not as prominent as with the previous novels. I think it's because the New York 'crew' wasn't in the book that much. I missed Peabody, McNab, Feeney, Truehart and Baxter. That's why when a character was brought over to Dallas, I was so happy that it sort of felt like home again, like what Eve felt.

It was just different. Not bad different, but just different. I think that it was a necessary journey that Eve had to take so the story could move forward. It deserved it's own book so I understood why this book had to be written. Will it be my first pick when I get the urge to read an In Death novel? No. Not right now. But it may be further in the series when I want something a little more emotional and revisit Eve's journey.

But now that it's over, I am now looking forward to the new book. It looks really fun from the synopsis and you can bet I'll be bugging and stalking the bookstores once again.

Authentication shot!

Manga Realities

I don't know many people who like to go to museums nowadays. It may be that our country hasn't got an impressive collection like in other countries, but young people today would rather go to malls or watch movies instead of paying to look at paintings and stuff.

I live a few blocks aways from Ayala Museum in Makati, yet I've only been there twice. The first time was with my friend, just to get it off the list of the things we always put off doing because it's always there. The second time was the day before my birthday to catch the Manga Realities exhibit.

I'm an avid fan of anime and manga. As soon as I saw Nodame on the poster, I immediately made up my mind to go.

I loved looking at Tomoko Ninomiya’s Nodame Cantabile exhibit because I simply love the series. This was the one that made me listen to classical music and watch those orchestra performances. Nodame is one of my favorite characters in manga/anime and her love story with music and Chiaki-senpai is just so wonderful.

Other series displayed in the exhibit were Harold Sakuishi’s BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (which I'm currently watching and enjoying right now), Solanin (Asano Inio), Sugar Sugar Rune (Anno Moyoco), Children of the Sea (Igarashi Daisuke), Five Minutes from the Station (Kuramochi Fusako), Sennen-Gaho (Kyo Machiko), No. 5 (Matsumoto Taiyo), and The World God Only Knows (Wakaki Tamiki).

I discovered something from the exhibit and that was Kyo Machiko's Sennen-Gaho. 

 I looooove it! The work is very visual so you don't need to read Japanese to understand it. It's just a small comic that usually has a surprise in the end. 

 

Sorry for the sucky quality of the pictures. I was only using my (also) sucky phone. I didn't bring a camera because I wasn't sure if taking photos was allowed. But the author has already released a book of her previous works and it is now one of my wishes to have that book. For more of her works, check out her blog.

My second discovery was Solanin. I haven't read this one yet, but I'm planning to just basing on the words that were printed on the exhibit.

One of the best parts of the exhibit was the manga section. I almost cried when I saw their collection. Monster! Nodame Cantabile! Sennen Gaho! Ouran! All in English! So unfair! You can't read all those in just one museum visit!

Manga Realities sadly ends today, October 2. But the good thing is that all the manga is forever there in cyberspace, bookstores, and screens. There's a whole world out there that people might be missing because they think that manga is just comics for kids. I dare you to say that after reading Urasawa Naoki's works. It will blow. your. mind.

And now, a pic spam...

 Hehe... feeling like I'm part of the manga.

Somebody just had a decorating idea! (That somebody is me, btw)

I didn't steal this. Even though I want it. Badly.

And finally, my alone/selca shots using the secondary camera mode. Blurry!

***

Organized by the Ayala Museum and the Japan Foundation in cooperation with the Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito in Japan, the traveling exhibition Manga Realities: Exploring the Art of Japanese Comics Today will be on view at the Ayala Museum from 16 August to 2 October at the Ground Floor Gallery and at the Glass Lane and Luna and Amorsolo Rooms at the Third Floor.

Ayala Museum
The Japan Foundation, Manila

September Wish List

It's too early for a Christmas Wish List, but it's my birth month so I figured I'm due for a birthday wish list. I'm not one to ask for presents. In fact, I don't receive that many gifts now that I think about it. I tamp down my bitterness by thinking that it's always better to give than to receive. Yeah, keep thinking that Self.

But I do have my eye on the following goodies. I figured I'm due for some retail therapy and pampering, as a birthday gift for myself. I'll worry about where to get my cousins' tuition and allowance next month. Haha... (Oh shit)

Of course, my wish list has got to have this. I've been waiting for this book ever since I read about it and I'm stalking the reviews every.single.day. Unfortunately, I am not kidding. The book comes out on September 13th, which means it's 14th here on my part of the world and, as fate would have it, also my birthday. If that isn't meant to be, then I don't know what is. Eve and Roarke(!) for my birthday. Oh yeah.

Dresses from Pumpkins and Ribbons

What's a birthday girl without a pretty dress? Well, we were born naked but... Anyway! Pretty dresses! Sigh.

 

Sasha in nude and grey. Maika in tan.

I love Ichigo shoes. They're so comfortable and they're really affordable too! I'm restraining from buying shoes because my friends tell me I've got too much of them already (*rolls eyes* I know, right?) but I think my shoe rack can make room for these cuties. I already have nude flats, but since an unfortunate decision on my part to bring it to Mr. Quickie, I may have to exchange it for this one by Ichigo. Or I could settle for the grey one. Or maybe both? And the brown sandal's low heel is just perfect when I want the height but not the HEIGHT, if you know what I mean.

For months now I have been searching for the perfect brown bag. Now I think I finally found it. I was never a fan of the Longchamp bag and wondered why everyone was crazy about them, but now I appreciate the simplicity of it. It will probably go with everything I own and wear. I'm severely tempted to buy the fake, but I think I'm going to save up to buy the original. I'm still not comfortable paying thousands of pesos for a single bag so this means I won't be getting this anytime soon. Maybe Christmas? But still, maybe the universe will find a way to give this to me this September. Cross fingers!

I've posted about this before, but I haven't found a local seller... then. What do I do now that I found one? Drool and agonize about it, of course.

Oh the things I can do with this! I'll be mod podging all the way to next year!

Okay, technically not for me... but Ate Nan really wants to watch this. She hasn't said this explicitly, but she's such a fan of this year's winner Scotty that she even texted me when he won. I think she even cried. I really want to give her this, but I already spent a lot on the 2NE1 concert earlier this year and this is more expensive that that! Anyway, we'll see...

And if I don't get anything on this list (except for the J.D. Robb book which I will be getting come hell or high water), I would be perfectly happy with just a box of Goldilocks egg pie. I love my egg pie, after all. :)

Have a great September!

Book Review: Popped by Chinggay Labrador

While the glaring pink-ness of the cover caught my eye, it was the subject that made me buy the book. Popped by Chinggay Labrador is all about a girl's foray into the wonderful world of K-Pop - something that is very near and dear to my heart.

The story starts with a heartbreak - a former flame is getting married and with a feeling that she's getting stuck in a rut romance and career-wise, Andie is encouraged by her friend Trixie to indulge in her "secret shame" - sappy, melodramatic Korean dramas. Andie reluctantly agrees to watch her friend's dvds and it wasn't long before she also became obsessed with watching the dramas. She also finds comrades in her addiction and they have these K-drama nights where they binge on Korean food and bond over a cup of soju.

Following the usual trajectory of becoming a fan, they level-upped and became fans of Movement - a famous Korean pop group. What follows is an unbelievable journey that encompasses three countries - Philippines, Japan, and Korea - and a slew of K-drama-worthy kilig moments.

K-Pop lovers, especially us who are in the quarter-life can really relate to this story. Yes, there is some shame in indulging in K-Pop. We feel like we're too old for this thing and that our time already ended when the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync started getting married or something. But K-Pop is just so irresistible and, despite what snobs may say, the genre actually produces good and even brilliant music. The characters, being in their mid-twenties, laugh and sneer at the obsessed teenage fans which I thought was a little mean and like the pot calling the kettle black. We all go through this phase (which we can all cringe about later in life) and they, too, did some crazy things for the fandom like actually fly to Japan and Korea and try to stalk their idols. They're in the same boat, it's just that they have a credit card.

While some readers may find it easy to get lost in the story, I actually had to stop and shake my head at the characterization of Movement. I can't remember if the author described them that well, but damn! these guys are BIGBANG. No question about it. That is the reason why whenever one of the Movement guys appeared, a picture of one of the Bigbang members came to mind. I wonder if I wasn't a fan that I would form the same picture. Anyway, it probably helped.

Another nagging thought that I had while I was reading was that the whole story read like a Mary Sue fan fiction. Yes, the characters weren't perfect in the perfect sense of the word (although - spoiler! one of them catches the eye of a member of Movement and is scouted to the YG... I mean West Entertainment to become one of their models), it felt like a self-insert story that are aplenty at Asianfanfics. The whole story was even told in first-person POV! Those kind of stories are not exactly my cup of tea (or soju) so this probably lessened my enjoyment of the book.

But if you can overlook these and suspend your disbelief for 199 pages (and a repeat misprint on page 154), you're going to enjoy the story, get a few "kiligs" in, or, at the very least, be comforted that you aren't alone in this wonderful and crazy K-pop fandom.

***

Popped
Chinggay Labrador
Published by Summit Books
ISBN 971-9902-00-0
Php 175

Pages from my childhood

Credit: Meet Me At Mikes

I don't know what little children are reading these days, but when I was just a little kid, I loved this one book. It was "Debbie's Visit To The Countryside."

Credit: Sandra M. Brooke at Amazon.com

The story wasn't groundbreaking. Actually, the title was pretty much self-explanatory. The thing about this particular book that I loved were the illustrations.

Credit: The Thrifters' Compendium

The illustrations were done by Belgian artist Marcel Marlier. With further research, I was surprised to learn that Debbie is named Martine originally in the Belgian version and she had lots of adventures (about 50 of them!) besides her countryside tour.

Credit: The Thrifters' Compendium

Unfortunately, this book is all but lost to me now. I tried asking my relatives if they've seen it because it could be that I've passed it down to my younger cousins. My cousin remembered seeing it before when he was younger, but he doesn't have any idea where it is right now. :(

I just know that whenever I pass a used bookstore from now on, I'll be checking among the stacks of discarded childhood tomes, hoping to get a glimpse of little Debbie again.