Noah says...

We watched The Avengers this weekend and although I was laughing out loud throughout the movie, it was Noah that got me ROTFL. 

The moviehouse was packed so the seats we got were in 2 rows. He sat behind me and I heard him laughing out loud during Ironman's "Shakespeare in the park" jab at Thor.

So later, I asked him if he knew who Shakespeare was. And he answered, "All I know is Britney Spears."

If I were drinking tea like Jane Foster & Black Widow here, I'd probably have spat it out!

I wonder if Natalie Portman got paid for a mere photo cameo? If not, then I wonder why they didn't just limit Gwyneth Paltrow's role to a photo?

She must cost a lot. After all, she's not only Pepper Potts, she also won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love.

Not Shakespeare, just Britney Spears! Hysterical!

Photos from annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Noah Says series.

my pretend closet: Celine box bag

It started with the seafoam green version here. But seafoam green or not, I am still crushing on the Celine box bag. I know I'm obsessed because I am loving it in any color now.

But because I've sworn off purse-chases here (proudly, I've been a really good girl) and because it is incredibly expensive (have you seen how much it costs?!), I am glad I have a pretend closet. Or I will start justifying it in my head as a timeless classic.

I can pretend to wear it on my shoulder like the blue one above. Or as a clutch.

But my favorite is with this cape here.

Swoon!

Photos from here.

Click here for previous posts from the My Pretend Closet series.

some polka dots i spotted...

I'm not sure if the Gender Reveal Party trend has caught on in Manila. Personally, I've never been to one. But I would have loved to be invited to this party primarily because of the polka dotted tablecloth and the yellow & gray color motif (see related post here).

I do like the idea of a mom-to-be hosting a party to celebrate finding out her baby's gender together with friends and family. I just love these he-or-she chocolate souvenirs!

And for the grand reveal, here are a few ideas to unveil the baby's gender... You can fill cupcakes with pink or blue buttercream icing. Everyone can bite into their cupcake all at the same time and find out... it's a boy!

Or you can fill a balikbayan box with pink or blue helium balloons and let the parents-to-be open the box in front of everyone...

Isn't it a lovely idea? I'm just not sure this game of guessing the gender will ever catch on here in the Philippines... Because of the Filipino belief that an expectant mom looks pretty & blooming when she's having a girl - and the exact opposite if she's having a boy. I imagine that everyone who voted "boy" will not be invited to the next party.

With or without the guessing game, I think the idea of a Gender Reveal event is sweet though. Whether you have a whole party with all your friends & family or an intimate one like this family here who asked their ultrasound technician to write the gender on a piece of paper. Then they brought the paper to a baby store and asked the clerk to wrap a blue or pink outfit depending on what was on the piece of paper. It was Christmas so they opened the present on Christmas morning and pulled out this pink polka-dotted onesie!

This couple here decided to do it via pancakes. They slipped the envelope from their ultrasound technician to the waitress at a diner and the pancakes that arrived told them whether they were having a boy or a girl. Yes, of course I noticed the polka-dotted ribbons on the baby boy & baby girl labels on the bowls of blueberries & strawberries. 

Their photographer friend captured their reaction. And this is what I like best about these Gender Reveal events. Whether you do it via a big party or an intimate gathering of just immediate family, I love the idea of capturing the genuinely thrilled reaction when the gender is unveiled!

I imagine Noah would be delighted to see a photo of our reaction when we found out we were having a boy.

Photos from mixbook, here, here, here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted series.

here comes the sun

According to the Inquirer here, Metro Manila sizzled to a sweltering 36.4 degrees Celsius today at 3pm - the new record-high for the capital this year.

So I thought of sharing one of my all-time favorite songs to cool you down. Ironically, it's about the sun. Originally by the Beatles, sung here by Colbie Caillat.

Photo from annnniegirl.

Simple Trick: Storing Shoes

If you store your shoes in a shoe cabinet - and not your staircase (haha!), here's a simple trick I learned from Kat of Space That Works.

Instead of storing shoes this way... with shoes facing the same direction...

Store them this way... with one shoe facing forward and the other facing back.

I swear, this allows you to fit an additional pair in the same closet! Plus, you get to see the type of heel of your I'm-sure-multiple black pumps. And it lets you see if your heels are scuffed - something you never see when all your shoes are facing forward.

Try it. It works!

Photos from annnniegirl and frommetoyou.

Click here for the down-in-the-dots version of this post. Click here for a previous post on other ways of storing shoes.  

Lego Tales: Life-Like Legoland

I looove Legoland. I think it's more magical than Disneyland*. One of the first sights you will see when you enter Legoland California is the lake of life-size animals made completely out of Lego bricks.

They were so life-like from afar but when I looked closely, it seemed like I was viewing a slightly low-resolution photo because the animals were pixelated. :)

They also built a life-like Volvo.

It was so life-size, they used real tires on the Lego Volvo!

Even their non-life-size creations at Miniland - miniature versions of popular US sights - were so life-like! Here are a few photos of Lego Vegas...

The New York skyline in Lego bricks...

Broadway...

The US Capitol in Washington...

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco...

Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood...

Just outside Miniland is the Block of Fame with busts of famous people like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. Here are the busts of Pavaroti and Einstein - though they look exactly like them, I didn't even need to tell you who they are, right?

What about these Lego replicas of masterpieces?

Did you notice that the frames (and even the pedestals of the busts) are made of Lego bricks too?

For me, there is nothing more amazing than Legoland. The life-like Lego versions of reality are just so awesome. The Miniland structures, even though they weren't life-size, were so life-like that they seemed larger than life! Legoland is surely one place where I don't mind seeing in pixels!

Watch out for more of Legoland in my next few posts of this Lego Tales series.

*Disclaimer: (1) Growing up, Lego was my most favorite toy. My brother was my playmate so Lego was the most gender-neutral toy we could both enjoy. (2) I have always had major motion sickness (see related post here). So rides and thrills in theme parks are really lost on me.

Photos are my own, taken by the hubby.

Click here for previous posts from the Lego Tales series.

Noah says...

I was trying on swimsuits recently. Noah was in my room so I asked him if I looked good. He amicably answered, "Yes... If you're not fat."

Ouch!

Photo from annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Noah Says series.

Today, I am loving...

Today, I am captivated... by these tunnels. I'm not exactly sure what it is about these tunnel of trees that I am so drawn to. Perhaps it is the beauty of the fall colors creating a roof above.

I like the idea of passing through this canopy of trees.

Or through this manmade tunnel.

And how lucky am I to find this tunnel with a VW Kombi passing through? Because as you know from here, I have this thing for VW Campers.

This one looks more like an archway that ends where a canopy of trees begins. There's something so ethereal, yet comforting about it. 

As I imagine myself walking through it, I kind of feel safe, like the tunnel of bricks & branches are cocooning me. Today, I am loving... these tunnels of trees & bricks. I hope this summer's roadtrips will lead me to such captivating tunnels.

Photos from annnniegirl and acupofjo.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I am loving... series.

Color Obsession: seafoam green

I am loving the seafoam green in this year's Spring collections. Particularly these Zara pieces...

And even these from Tibi...

I wouldn't have thought of pairing this pastel green with black, but this Dior looks fabulous with the black belt - on the runway and on Michelle Williams! Gives the soft pastel an edge...

The truth is, I was first attracted to seafoam green when I saw Celine's window display with this (they call it almond) green box bag.

I usually love a pop of color so typically, I'd be attracted to the orange (they call it poppy) & pink (called hibiscus) ones. But for some reason, the pastel green Celine box bag just drew me in. Loooove!

And then I started seeing this green everywhere. On shoes...

On macarons...

Even on carousel horses' hair...

And bikes!

Ooohh, I just love, love, love the colors of Spring!

Photos from garancedore, here, here, here, here, Celine and annnniegirl. 

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series.

where are you on leopard print?

Are you bold enough to wear a leopard-print dress?

Honestly, I'm not there yet. I might be able to wear a tinted leopard print like this green one...

I can definitely wear it as a belt accent. Both thick...

or thin...

But right now... only on solid ensembles. I struggle with this mix of floral & animal print. You might know my struggle from here and that I just started to push myself to mix prints here - in the same color palette. These aren't even in the same palette!

But maybe because I've always liked Olivia Palermo's style (see related post here), I find this mix of floral pants & leopard print pumps quite chic.

I'm not 100% certain I can actually go through with it or even pull it off the way Olivia does so well. But what-the-heck, it's summer! The perfect time to mix it up & make dressing up for work fun & exciting!

What about you? Where are you on leopard print?

Photos from annnniegirl, streetfsn and garancedore.