Curtains will roll up once again for one of the most anticipated biennial events in the entertainment circuit. On July 2, Filipinos will flock to the Araneta Coliseum and watch as hot celebrities and models alike strut their stuff in the runway for Bench Uncut: A Bold Look at the Future.

Once every two years, local clothing brand Bench stages a fashion event showcasing their underwear and denim lines. This year's show is the fifth one they'll be staging; the previous ones were One Night Only (2002), Understatement (2002), Fever (2006) and Black Out (2008).

For the first time though, Bench finds itself a partner, a conspirator, if you may. Who better to assist Bench in celebrating every individual who considers the world as his/ her personal runway all while working a fit and sexy body than Coke Zero? Promoting great taste and zero sugar, it allows you to indulge without feeling guilty about it. This campaign has been dubbed "Wild at Heart, Fit in Body", very apt indeed! It strikes me on a personal level as it inspires me to pursue my passions and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. You see, I love that I am thin, but there's nothing sexy about losing energy halfway through the day. For this, I have decided to pay more attention to my health and take care of my body. Who knows, maybe in a few months I can be as fit as the models who will parade on the runway come July 2! :D

Let me share with you some of my favorite photos from the promotional shoot:

Gerald Anderson

I introduced him to you guys here. :)

Georgina Wilson

Iya Villania

Enchong Dee

You may remember him from this post :)

Jake Cuenca

Want more? Here is a video of behind-the-scenes footages:

I am crossing my fingers that I can go on Friday! I'd LOVE to see Gerald Anderson :D

All photos were grabbed from Bench's Facebook page. Video is from Coke Zero Philippines' YouTube channel.

Birthday treats and epiphanies.

Yesterday was my good friend/ officemate Frank's birthday. After work, he (made me very happy because he) treated me and our other friends/ officemates to my favorite Italian place - Bigoli. I do realize it is already the nth time I am blogging about Bigoli. Please be aware that these are unsolicited and unpaid. I wish they'd send me some gift certificates, though LOL.

It was a lazy Monday afternoon and most people were still at their schools or offices so we had the restaurant to ourselves. It was great since we were able to take lots of photos without worrying about disturbing other people's meals. This is quite a picture-heavy post, with pictures taken by my camera and Watcher's new DSLR, a Nikon D5000. :)

group photo minus Watcher

from left to right: Frank, Mich, Marsha, me and Dane

there's Watcher!

Dane and Krissy

we've managed to stay friends :)

we may not be "together" anymore, but you cannot deny that we look good together XD

perusing the menu :D

what we ate

clockwise: Pork Strombolli, Fettuccine Alfredo, Italian Chicken, and Spaghetti Bolognese

 I ordered a slice of Turtle Cheesecake for the birthday boy :)

Double Chocolate Gelato. Heaven in a cup, seriously.

enjoying the food

these pictures are just too good not to share :)

Frank is undoubtedly one of the best people I met in my office - and I am not just saying that because of the free food :D

Here he is holding order number 21 on June 21 :)

one big happy bunch

me feeling so full because of food, laughter and friendship :)

Again, thank you Frank for this special birthday treat! Thank you, also, for all your wonderful advice. You are one of the most genuine and sincere people I know, always sensible and with a good heart. Whoever the girl who will capture your heart is, is certainly very lucky. :)

This is one of my favorite days in a long while. Thanks to my friends and to all of you who have helped me cope during my dark days. I get sad every once in a while, but now I don't let it get the best of me. I am stronger now, definitely :)

I can say that finally, I am not hurting anymore. I have learned to let go, and though he will always have a special place in my heart, I have now accepted that I should love myself first. My heart is not beating for someone right now, and it feels... weird - weird in a sense that I have not been single for a while ever since I turned 16. 

I am now waiting for the Autumn to my Tom, but he can take his sweet time to arrive. It's okay for me to wait, because while waiting I intend to be my most fabulous and awesome self that he will find it too hard to resist falling in love with me when we finally meet. :)

Marsha's mashed potato

I've already confessed countless times before (but I'm too lazy to look for and post links proving so hrhr) that I cannot cook. I can whip up a blog post or a feature article in minutes, read a book in less than a week, or shop for hoursss, but I always become nervous when faced with recipe books and forced to work it in the kitchen. Now, because of something I really, really need to save up for, I stopped myself from buying a serving (or two) of KFC's Famous Bowl (blogged here) earlier. Instead, I asked Marsha that we make our own version today XD Marsha is one of my officemates and a really good friend. We were supposed to be housemates in a yet-to-be-found apartment but because of some unforeseen circumstances, I am now living with her at her house.

On our way from the office, we passed by the market and bought recipes for our mashed potato. :)

I know that almost every one of you already knows how to make it, so forgive me if you think this will just be a waste of your time. More than anything else, this post will serve as a reminder for me on how to make it in the future. You see, it is easy for me to memorize lines from books and movies and remember prices of books or shoes I would want to buy, but it is hard for me to not forget the recipes my Mom, Grandma, and friends have taught me. I guess I'm really doomed to a life of instant noodles, canned goods, and fastfood XD

Anyway, to future Krissy, here's how you make mashed potato (note that I won't be able to use fancy schmanzy terms in cooking:

We started with a dozen potatoes. Sorry I wasn't able to take a photo, but they would have to be boiled first until they're tender, and then peeled after cooling a bit.

Murder Attack Mash the potatoes just like how that jerk broke your heart with a fork

Add a little evaporated milk

Can you smell that yummy-ness now? Add butter.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue mashing them until you get an almost smooth texture. You can use a food processor, of course, but I like my mashed potato with small chunks. Those are Marsha's hands, btw :)

Tada! You're done! We added corn kernels on this version. We also wanted to add cheese but we ran out of it and we were too lazy to return to the market XD

It was delicious! Thank you Sasha for the recipe. Hopefully I'll get to try making this on my own next time. I also want to try it with mushrooms, or cheese and corned beef, or plain ol' gravy. :D

Now, do you want to know why I really, really need to save up? My friends, I am going to Singapore and Malaysia on October 25 - 30! It is my first time to travel abroad with all expenses paid for by myself so I am feeling such a grown-up! I am so excited! :D

And before I end this post, I just want to greet my Papa a Happy Father's Day! I love you Pa, thank you for everything. ♥♥ Happy Father's Day to you too, Rick. ♥♥

Welcoming Isabella Julia

One of the best people I have met through my job is Mommy Terry. We fondly call her that because she is like a Mom to us, especially to me. Through the years of working together, we have struck a beautiful friendship. I always like talking to her because of her interesting stories (that range on all sorts of topics) and refreshing insights on mine. Most of all, she loves talking about her daughter Stephenie. Stephenie is still just eleven, but she is very smart and witty and is very talented in singing and drawing. She is such a sweet, sweet girl, always making cards and letters for me :)

Stephenie has been an only child for so long when she was able to convince Mommy Terry and her husband, Tito Emil, to let her have a sister or a brother. After months of trying, their prayers were answered. What was even more astonishing is that Mommy Terry became pregnant with twins! I remember Mommy Terry's story about the time Steph found out; she said Steph tearfully said, "I'm so happy Mommy. I asked God for a sibling and He gave me two!" Sadly though, after a difficult pregnancy, the twin boys were born prematurely and did not make it. It was very sad. But still, they wanted to still try to have another baby. God is good and gave them another baby, this time it's a girl. To say I was beyond happy is an understatement. I even cried tears of joy when Mommy Terry told me the great news!

It was a very, very difficult pregnancy though, much tougher than the last time. This time, she was required to stay in bed-rest for the duration of the pregnancy. Hard as it was, Mommy Terry went through it and filed a very long leave of absence from work. I visited her whenever I can as I know how lonely she must feel, and she was always very appreciative. Through all these, Tito Emil and Stephenie, as well as Mommy Terry's mom and siblings were very supportive. I couldn't have imagined going through all those without this wonderful support group.

All their efforts were rewarded when on June 4, Isabella Julia was born.

cute little baby girl in deep slumber :)

I am so happy for them! I visited them the other day and Steph really has the makings of an awesome older sister!

Mommy Terry and me

After I got home though, Mommy Terry was again brought to the hospital due to some complications. I really, really hope she gets better the soonest time possible. I am praying for her speedy recovery and for no other complications to happen. And of course, for baby Julia to be well-behaved :)

Food posts make me hungry.

Indeed, one of life's simplest pleasures is sharing good food with great friends.

Two Thursdays ago, I was talking with my best friend Jerome on Gchat when he asked me to meet him in TriNoma as he has a problem and he needs someone to talk to. I cannot not be there for him so I agreed despite the torrential downpour and my very early work schedule the next day. I waited for him to go off work, wore my red beanie and met him at the mall at around 6:30 PM.

He unloaded his problems while we had Chicken Joy at Jollibee.

He's my best friend in all the world!

After dinner we went to Starbucks where we gabbed and shared stories over coffee. Time passed really fast!

We're best friends even though we're working for two competing banks :D

We rarely see each other because of work and a host of other things so when we do meet, you can expect lots of funny stories and guffaws from both of us. The two of us cannot manage to stay serious for too long XD When you're with a friend, problems don't seem so bad after all. I went home a little after 10 o'clock.

***
The following Sunday, the dishes being offered at the office diner (yes I have work on Sundays, I'm a loser) do not look good at all so I, with my good friends/ officemates Mich and Frank, just ditched office food and went to UP - Ayala Technohub for some sinfully delicious chicken care of KFC.

I wasn't able to get pics of what we ate, but here's a photo of us:

Smile! :)

Outfit of the Day :D
I have had this jumpsuit for a couple of years now but have only worn it once before. It's a little too big for me and I wasn't sure we are allowed to wear shorts at the office, even on weekends XD

After work, Mich and Marsha trooped with me to SM North EDSA so I can pay my Internet bill. After doing my chores, we figured it's "Rewards Time", so we ate at our favorite Italian place, Bigoli (as if you needed reminding. I've prolly blogged about Bigoli for the fourth time now :D).

And what a reward it was! We ate:

Spaghetti Bolognese and Pepperoni Pizza

and Stracciatella Gelato for me

While Mich and Marsha split the Dappio Delicioso between them. It includes two slices of Cheese Overload Pizza, three pieces Italian Chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese with bread sticks, and vegetable salad or soup plus drinks

Mich

me and Marsha

I really love Bigoli! I am not good at taking photos of food but seeing these again make me want to go there again. If only I don't need to save lots of money right now I would definitely go. Why do I need to save money? You'll know in the next few posts :D Click here for another review of Bigoli (be warned though, the reviewer featured really mouth-watering photos!)

I thank God for blessing me with great friends and the capability to buy food for myself. Good food and good company make my tummy happy :D

Because I'm a lucky, lucky girl

... who has the awesomest friends!

Last month I was invited by my very good friend Ed (who works for a PR firm) to a lunch date sponsored by Century Bangus to launch one of their newest products. Guess who I was supposed to have the lunch date with? I was one of the invited bloggers to (gasp!) interview Piolo Pascual!

For my non-Filipino readers, Piolo Pascual is one of our country's most skilled actors. He's also very handsome and looks fresh and neat all the time :D

The lunch date was scheduled: June 3, Thursday, 12 noon. I had a dilemma as my work schedule is from 5am - 2pm, but I thought I can just apply for undertime. I was told not to get my hopes up as a minimum of seven working days to file the request is required and I was already too late but I still crossed my fingers that my request would be approved. Needless to say I went to work that day feeling buoyed up. I asked for the response, and my buoyant self went : poof : My request was not approved. I felt so sad about the missed opportunity of added publicity for my blog but thought there is nothing I can do about it anymore. I sent Ed a text about our Ops Desk's decision and I'm happy he understood and hoped for another chance for me, next time.

Next day Friday, Ed sent me a text at lunchtime asking if I was online, and I said no as I was about to go out for lunch. During my last break I checked my email and saw he tagged me in one of his Facebook photos. I checked the link, and gasped audibly out of pleasant surprise!

Hello there, Mr. P!

Even though he is not exactly one of my celebrity crushes, I still felt so giddy because of this photo. This made my week! :D

And now, here's my netbook Lady Fabrize's wallpaper:

Oh, hello there gorgeousss!

This is a collage of Filipino celebrities Gerald Anderson, Enchong Dee and Piolo Pascual, all saying hi to me! :D

You're welcome, ladies! :D

June's Pretty Little Things

I want to make this Pretty Little Things a monthly feature of my blog. I started Make Me Smile Mondays some time ago but haven't had much success with continuing it (my bad). Hopefully this will be a good alternative instead.

Just looking at how I designed my blog layout, it is obvious that I love cute and girly things. Pretty things make me happy and a burst of color never fails to brighten up my mood. Since I have declared my dark days as over, I want something to remind me not to go down that route again, thus this post (and the succeeding ones). Let this monthly feature be my ode of gratitude for all things pretty. :)

Without further ado:

• Birthday present swap with Manju

wonder what wonders this parcel from Mauritius holds?

wonder no more!

Her birthday present for me includes a birthday card, lollies and choco marshmallows, a cute memopad and an automatic pencil (the girl knows I looove writing spontaneous notes), a pretty silver rose ring, a pair of earrings, a pair of falsies, Maybelline Mineral Power Blush in Original Rose, aaaand a pretty ribbon necklace. Manju said, one look at that necklace and she thought of me. So sweet! Thank you so much Manju! I do hope you receive my package soon, I am so excited for you to see it!

• Baking Life

I took this screenshot last Wednesday. I am now at level 15 so you can tell I am taking this seriously XD

The graphics of Baking Life are so cute! The objectives are simple: you are the owner of a pattiserie while you "recruit" friends to work for you. Then, you "bake" cakes, bread, cupcakes and other pastries so you can sell them to your customers. I am having fun customizing my pattiserie according to my taste. Also, through this game I can pretend like I really know how to bake :D I am such a sucker for Facebook games, my favorite being Pet Society (I still cannot go a day without checking my pet Kiss XD) I also play Restaurant City, Nightclub City, and My Empire. I got bored with Social City and Cafe World already, thank God.

• Hats from Anagon

white straw hat with multi-colored polka-dotted scarf, red beanie and pink cord bracelets as freebie

I love them! I am waiting for an occasion when I can wear the white hat, while I wore the red beanie when I met my best friend at the mall last night :)

trying them on :)

What are YOUR favorite pretty little things for this month? :)