The world's first tansan billboard

First of all I would like to thank everyone who voted for me to walk the runway at the Coca-Cola Originals by Bench fashion show that will be held at the TriNoma Activity Center tomorrow! I didn't win but I would still be a part of the event as a Fashion Correspondent so I'm pretty excited about it. Congratulations to Vern and David! They would walk the runway tomorrow with other Coca-Cola ambassadors Enchong Dee, Joseph Marco, Kathryn Bernardo, and Julia Montes. (I also heard from the grapevine that my crush David Chua will be there... Yiheeee ♥)

Ehem. Back to what I really wanted to share with you guys. Do you remember the environment-friendly billboard Coca-Cola Philippines unveiled last year? Done in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund under the Live Positively sustainability program, the billboard utilizes recyclable materials AND plants that absorb air pollutants! So amazing, right? Now, prepared to be amazed once more as this time, Coca-Cola has unveiled billboards made entirely out of crowns!

Coca-Cola billboard in North EDSA, Quezon City
I pass by this billboard on my way to the office whenever I come from Navotas.
If you'll go to TriNoma tomorrow, keep your eyes peeled for this! ;)

Closer look

In line with its 100th anniversary in the country, Coca-Cola simultaneously unveiled three tansan billboard structures (the first of its kind in the world!) in key locations across the country (North EDSA in Quezon City, Highway Seno in Cebu and Ulas Highway in Davao) last January 17. All three bears the special insignia of the brand’s 100th year celebration headlined with a simple “thank you” message to officially open up the year of happiness in the Philippines.

“We have created these extraordinary Coca-Cola crown billboards because 2012 is a very special year for the Filipinos. It is the year Coca-Cola gives back and gives thanks for the last 100 years of choosing and believing in happiness. The billboards are a signal of the start of the biggest, yearlong celebration we've ever had in the Philippines yet and the whole nation is invited,” said Guillermo Aponte, president and general manager of Coca-Cola Philippines.

There couldn’t be any more meaningful way to kick off such once in a lifetime milestone than with an iconic showcase befitting of a truly iconic brand! Even greater is the truth they stand for. More than merely symbolizing the brand’s 100-year presence in the Philippines, they represent a nation of happy people. With every crown comes generations of stories of unrelenting optimism in the face of the gravest obstacles as well as the most memorable moments of sharing, bonding and coming together. 

Alongside the many challenges this nation continue to endure, Coca-Cola rouses the Filipino spirit through our 100 Years campaign as icon of optimism. As Mr. Aponte points out, “May the crown billboards remind the Filipinos of their unbreakable spirit nurtured throughout the remarkable journey they have shared with Coca-Cola over the last 100 years. Moreover, may they inspire them to continue to face the future head on with a Coke in hand and hearts fueled by happiness.”

As we head on to a new chapter in our nation’s history, Coca-Cola, invites us to look back and cherish the past one hundred years of opening happiness and to make the pledge to continually open more towards the next 100 years.

Let us choose happiness, open happiness! Will I see you at the Coca-Cola Big Youth Blowout tomorrow? :)

For more information, visit the Coca-Cola Facebook page here or and the official website here.

Help me Open Happiness!

This is me walking the ramp at the first Philippine Fashion Ball held last year.

One of my secret childhood dreams is to be a ramp model. I am skinny enough, yes, but seeing as I don't have model-like features and I totally lack the height needed to be one that dream was immediately scrapped. But guess what? I have the chance to walk the runway this coming Saturday, thanks to Coke and Bench!

In celebration of Coca-Cola's 100 Years of opening happiness, they have partnered with Bench for the Coca-Cola Big Youth Blowout which will be held on January 28 at the TriNoma Activity Center. I am one of the 12 bloggers they have chosen to be Fashion Correspondents, and among us 12, two will be picked to be a runway model at the Coca-Cola Originals by Bench fashion show!

To vote for me, all you have to do is:

Follow @Coke_PH on Twitter

and tweet:

I vote for @krissyfied to walk the runway this saturday at the Coca Cola Big Youth Blowout! @Coke_PH #CokeBenchfashionShow

Only votes tweeted by 11:59PM tomorrow (25 January 2012) will be counted, so please vote before then!

BIG THANKS to everyone who has already voted for me even when I have nothing to offer but wishes of peace, love and happiness! I know this will be a long shot as I'm up against really famous fashion bloggers, but being chosen as one of the 12 is already a big honor, so thank you, and good luck to all of us! ♥

Memories of Baguio

Hello, you! We're back from Baguio!

I really enjoyed this trip, mainly because my family hasn't done this for a while. We spent the long weekend there and left Manila last Saturday night because we still needed to attend my uncle's birthday party. After six hours at the bus, we reached cold, cold Baguio at around 5 o'clock on Sunday morning :)

The house we rented was just walking distance from the Victory Liner terminal station. After resting for a bit, we got ready to explore the city!

Loaded up with SPF!

We heard the 9AM Mass at the Baguio Cathedral.
It was our first time to attend a Mass in a different dialect so it was a new experience for all of us.

We then walked to Burnham Park where we:

tried on Igorot costumes;

rented bikes;
(Random trivia about me: I don't know how to ride bikes. My 5 year old-cousin Jerico drove me around LOL.)

tried strawberry taho;
(that's my brother's hand, by the way.)

and watched people on boats.

We then went to SM Baguio for lunch where we feasted on KFC Bucket Meal and

Snowstorm ice cream cones.

Determined to visit every tourist spot in Baguio, we then went to Mines View Park, where we

took in the sights and breathtaking views;

and shopped for sweets to take home.

Our last stop for the day was the Botanical Garden,

which reminded me of my visit to Singapore's Botanical Garden more than a year ago.

We headed back to our rented house to rest. We had some low-key leisure time by

playing sungka that Mama bought

while eating organic seedless oranges :)

We were up very early the next day because we wanted to squeeze in more places to visit since we were due to leave later in the day.

We woke up to this glorious sunrise, and after a bit of a struggle with showering (because it was soooo cold even with the heater on), we were off.

We climbed more than a hundred steps up a high stairway to visit the

Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto

where we lit candles and said prayers.

It was a tiring climb up for me who's out of shape, but the view was worth it!

We then went to the

Strawberry Farm

to get some

luscious reds ♥

and

strawberry-flavored beer.

We were supposed to go home already, but Alexis recommended for me to check out Mt. Cloud Bookshop in Casa Vallejo. Well, you know me and the lure bookshops hold to me, so...

I was able to convince my parents to make a quick stop there

where I picked up a hardcover copy of "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" :)

The bookshop was really nice. It has its own rustic charm and wonder and I really felt magic upon entering the door; it was like walking into history itself. It's one of my dreams to have a bookshop just like this one, and I know one day I really will. Someday, someday.

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. We reached Manila at around 11 o'clock last night bearing great memories of our short but wonderful trip. I'm thankful for opportunities to see and experience more of life through travelling. As they say, "A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why ships are built."

Happy List!

I believe in peace, love, and lipgloss pretty little things. Here are some of the random stuff that made my week, in a series of photos :)

Fruit tarts from the dessert buffet prepared by Juan Carlo the Caterer

I attended the presscon for Weddings and Debuts Bridal Fair 2012 held at Plaza Ibarra last week where we were treated to a sumptuous(!!!) buffet. I didn't want to leave the dessert section haha. More about the event on a future post ;)

This is what I like to call my Malibu Barbie-skirt

I haven't worn this skirt in a while so I decided to take it out for a spin last Tuesday. I got it from Brown Belly about three years ago and I just love the bright and colorful stripes. It's actually one of my favorites so I should wear this more often.

I love you, Yakult Jasmine tea

My ultimate favorite drink from Moonleaf Tea Shop. Everrr.

New shimmery nude nail polish and nail polish remover from Etude House

Bought during a visit to Etude House in SM Fairview with my dearest girl friends from the office. I have lots of bright-colored nail polish in my stash but I find myself being drawn to nude shades these days. This shade is a perfect pretty, shimmery peachy color, and I can't wait to use it.

Super pretty red lipstick from Etude House

I was really tempted to get this pretty shade of red lipstick when we were there but I let it go because I need to save money, so I just tried it on to see how it would fare. IT WAS GORGEOUS. After a couple of hours it still looked gorgeous so I'm sold! I swear the photo does not do it justice. I will get it next payday LOL. I just hope it's still there as it's Limited Edition...

Chandelier at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

My friends and I heard Mass at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and I was a little overwhelmed at how solemn it was. The priest's Homily was about "reaching out, touching lives, and being a blessing to others." He also said, "Nothing is impossible when we love. We can conquer everything with God's love." No truer words have been spoken, Father. Amen.

Shiny, shimmering clutch bag from Accessorize

What a pleasant surprise! Thank you, Accessorize and Bloggers United for this lovely present! I was actually feeling a bit sad when I got this so it brought a big smile to my face when I opened it :)

Surf 'n Turf noodles from Hainanese Delights

It was my first time to eat there last Tuesday and I just loved it! My Surf 'n Turf noodles were topped with shrimp and pork dumplings. Delicious! Looking at this photo made me crave again, drats.

Terra Vega red wine

My friends and I tried to have a "red wine party" yesterday, but I couldn't really bring myself to like it. I guess I'm more of a mojitos-kind of girl ;D

A lovely email from NYC

(As I told her, this will take some getting used to, but I am trying to drop the Miss when I refer to her now haha) Mariel has always been a BIG inspiration for me so receiving an email from her telling me how I've improved really meant a lot! She said, "It's nice to see how your blog has blossomed with good, journalistic writing, galing! :) More proof that we all get better at what we do with practice, perseverance, passion, and consistency." She didn't have to do it, but in her own special way she really gave my self-esteem a big boost :) Thank you, Mariel!

Bimby

I went to my bestfriend Jerome's house today (I am actually typing this using his laptop) but he's not here so I played with this little furball instead. What a sweetheart :)

Ana and I with our matching Lulu Guinness sunglasses

This photo was actually taken during the Privado sale we went to last year but it's one of my favorite photos of us two :) Do you know it's Ana's birthday today? This "Happy List" is actually inspired by the Happy Lists she regularly makes on her blog. Hop on over there and greet her too, will you? Happy birthday sis! Wishing you peace, love, success to your brand, and more travels this year and the years thereafter! I love you!

The Book Lovers' Appreciation Society by various authors

If you've been reading this blog from way back 2009 you will know I bought it in September that year, but I never got around to reading it or even opening it. Yikes! I will definitely have the chance this weekend though, as my family and I will go to Baguio and I need a book (and some music) to keep me company during the loooong journey.  This is my first out-of-town trip this year and I am so excited! We will leave tomorrow night and I haven't packed yet, so I guess I have to wrap this up now so I can go home and do that.

So, I'll see you guys next week? I hope you all enjoy this weekend, too!

Run with Piolo and Rio at the TIMEX Run 2012

Get your running shoes ready, because TIMEX Run 2012 is here!

Last Friday I attended the presscon for the run held at Cafe La Carmela in Makati City wherein the unbeatable running tandem of Piolo Pascual and Coach Rio dela Cruz gamely answered our questions and posed for pictures with the invited press.

Coach Rio is a multiple champion runner, coach, and marathon organizer so it's no surprise to see him spearhead the run, but others may be surprised to see sought-after Piolo alongside him. For those who are not aware, Piolo is actually a running enthusiast who've already joined several sporting events. His enthusiasm and passion for it were very obvious with the way he answered the questions thrown to him by the press so he's not just in it for the sake of endorsing in exchange of money. He said it's already a way of life for him, and when asked if there are any special preparations he does before a run, he said he just treats it like any other day. Do you know that he finished 21KM in two hours?? I remember my own record during last year's Earth Run. I finished 5KM in - wait for it - 57 minutes! Hooray! ;D Anyway, Piolo's most important tip? Make sure to stretch before and after :)

By the way, he said he regularly runs around UP Diliman... So I guess I'll start jogging there every once in a while just to, you know, keep my body healthy and all...

Ehem, back to the details of the TIMEX run. Piolo and Rio have dedicated time from their busy schedules to ensure they're in the best shape come race day. Aside from the special chance to get fit and have fun running side-by-side with these two TIMEX ambassadors, a handful of other celebrities and personalities will also be there like Jessy Mendiola, Joseph Marco, Victor Basa, and Boys Night Out DJs Slick Rick and Sam YG.

Athletes, race fanatics, and casual runners can choose from three categories: 5KM, 10KM, and 16KM. The race is organized by the Runrio team who assures accuracy in timing through the help of "champion" chips, timing devices attached to shoe laces specially designed to let runners monitor their starting and finishing times with stern accuracy (I used one during the Earth Run). Another innovative feature is the Runpix analysis which is a record of interesting running statistics unique to each individual who ran. The records will be available after the race at www.runrio.com and www.timexrunning.com.

Who could resist a picture with the two running stars?

Not me, apparently.

Here are the routes of the three categories together with the assembly time:

All finishers will take home loot bags form various sponsors [like Riovana, Century Tuna, Magnolia Lite, Nutri Bar, Kaspersky, Multisport Magazine, and Unilab] while those who will finish first in every category will get TIMEX watches and Skechers shoes! There'll also be a photobooth provided by Canon to make sure everyone will get to take home souvenirs from the day, aside from digital cameras that will be raffled off. Hydration partners Powerade and VIVA! Mineralized Water will also be there to make sure everyone is powered up all throughout the race. Anddd guess what? In honor of Piolo's birthday, a total of 35 TIMEX watches will also be raffled off! Not bad, not bad at all :)

Time is running out and tomorrow is the last day for registration, so better visit the Riovana stores at Bonifacio Global City or Katipunan, or the Timex outlet at TriNoma, or the Watch Republic shop in Robinsons Galleria to sign up! Registration fees are at P650 (5KM), P700 (10KM), and P750 (16KM). 15 Timex watches are also up for grabs when you register as a group at Riovana outlets.

Remember, tomorrow is the last day of registration! For more details, please visit this site.