BCBG Chocolate Applique Dress

I found this dress last year around spring time and haven’t been able to find the picture to blog about it until now.  I instantly liked it because it was chocolate brown, has tons of pleats, and a flower applique. there’s just something about flower appliqués that attract me.  The dress also has a lot of unique pleating on the bodice, the fringes, the hems, and the skirt.  It creates a lot of shapes when you wear it.

The belt is velvet.  The back is low and the cut is more pencil skirt instead of the typical Aline.  It’s definitely a grown up dress.  But what I love most about it is that it’s classy.

The big let down (depending on how you look at it)?  It’s low cut at the front so prepare to show whatever you’ve got (or don’t … um… got). So it’s not very flattering for very non-endowed females (pardon the pun), and it’s pretty showy for the well endowed.  The good news is that you can always find something to put underneath, which is what I did.  I wore something pink to cover the cleavage, then wore pink Nine West pumps, with a pink purse.

Overall, I still like the dress and still wear it to weddings.

source: -
retails: $280
bought price: $60
status: own

You have got to watch this video. A company called ZeaChem, out of Menlo Park, California seems to have found the Holy Grail of bio fuels. The cool thing about this is that it employs a very old technology, using materials that can be found everywhere to produce something that we really need. Its pretty much fermentation of wood chips using a very common bacteria in order to produce ethanol. They are claiming that by 2010 they can start selling ethanol for 1.10 per gallon, SWEET!

Very nice right? Considering by June, average gas prices are going to hit around $4.50 per gallon. My only problem is that it uses wood chips, and wood chips come from where? thats right, trees! Am I missing something here? Ok, we stop using oil but to feed our ravenous hunger for power, we deplete trees instead. I might be going over the top here but, are we really boiling down our choices to either the arm or the leg?

i wore this to a cotillion since the theme was red and i had to co-emcee for the night. i wanted to match w/ the court, but not come in w/ a full length gown like her girls! so i found this little cute dress- like your typical little black dress- but in red.

it’s an AS YOU WISH origami strapless satin short dress w/ a full zipper in the back and elastic top back for extra ease.

it was however tweaked and original because of its not so typical pleated style, esp. in the skirt. there were hidden tucks within the main pleat, flaring out to a bubble hem. It was very fun to wear. Everyone complimented on it, from young to old, esp. my husband, so that really sealed the deal.

i wore it w/ my MK platform round toe pumps.

the only thing i didn’t like about it was that the top was a little loose so i had to keep pulling it up. This dress has elastic in the back which i thought would help me out in tightening around the top, but the elastic was more loose than tight. If you have reliable dress tape, it would have been perfect.

source: nordstrom
price: $60
status: own

One of my favorite shows recently is this show called After Hours with Daniel Boulud. He is a world renowned chef who gathers a bunch of friends and hang out at a certain restaurant “after hours”, which is usually after the restaurant closes for the night. They talk about everything; their day, how they started in the restaurant business, they talk of small things, big things, they just talk about life.

I need to have one of those After hours talk with a bunch of friends, Not necessarily about software testing but I guess something of similar passion. This is the one thing I miss when I’m here. Good friends and good conversation. Everyone is so far away here thats why, you’d have to commit to drive 2 hours round trip in order to do that.

I remember back in the day where a bunch of friends would just hang out at Cafe Linsu at the end of the day and talk about everything and anything. I guess growing up changed all that. We now have all these responsibilities, and ministries that we have to attend to and sometimes we forget that what we need sometimes is just good conversation over a cup of your favorite beverage.

last saturday, for my mom’s bday (and perze’s) we went to take my aunt and cousin to Longwood Gardens.  Even though my mom has a severe case of spring allergies, she would still LOVE to visit this place because she is definitely a lover of plants and flowers. One of her interests and passions is gardening.  Did you know that?  She and my dad spend countless hours outside in our backyard beautifying the area.

                                            (L to R:  em, my tita son, and my mom)

i just wanted to say happy birthday to my strong and sacrificial mom. she turned 60 this year so it’s a very special year.  she’s loved by all her four children and people outside our immediate family knows how giving and generous she is, always charitable to our relatives…that’s one thing i hope i can continue that she’s exemplified to me and my siblings. 

not only is she a selfless mother, but an extremely loving and involved lola.  i love you ma. God bless you even more.

click here to visit our twelvesixteen.net photo gallery for the complete album.

Soooo cute, originally uploaded by Ronald Suello.

This is my niece. She is so beautiful. Its been 5 months since I last saw her personally and look how much she’s grown.

it was my wonderful husband’s 33rd birthday last friday, the 18th. 

it was such a busy day, having been scheduled to attend Aia’s cotillion, so from work perze, em, and i had to rush to get there on time since i was co-emceeing.  this made it very difficult to prepare a birthday celebration that he really deserves.  i just want to thank him for being so unselfish of my attention that day and share it with Aia and our friends. (for Aia’s debut Album, please visit our twelvesixteen gallery.)

that weekend was also my mom’s birthday so again, perze had to share the celebration w/ my mom, (as well as a visit from my tita son and ate faith) and again my attention was divided. so i want to thank my understanding husband for putting my mom in that important light. 

we ended up going to Longwood Gardens last saturday.   it was perze’s first time there, and we just got a new camera, so it was a great place to share w/ him and emma.  the last time i was there was when i was 10, and now that i’m 28, i’ve really grown such an appreciation for the plants and flowers…with both families having propensity to nurture their green thumbs, i’ve also really learned to love and appreciate such beauty.  afterwards, we drove all the way to PA to Minado’s for dinner- a family favorite.

the weekend was so busy that i didn’t even have time to blog and archive my birthday greeting for him…so now that the weekend is over, i still want to take this time to think upon him and honor him with this simple gesture.  when we called nanay and tatay in the phils, i talked to each of them and thanked them for giving life to perze and for the care they gave him, which was a huge part of why i love him.  you just have to realize that you need to thank your in laws for the great and immense job they did in taking care of the person you married.  they are the way they are because of the huge impact their parents had on them.  and i really can attest to that in perze.

mahal, i just want to tell you thank you.

i really cannot imagine myself w/o you.  thank you for taking care of our family…for being so unselfish and responsible.  thank you for being so patient, and for reminding me to be a better person.  thank you for really cherishing me and adoring emma.  i love you so much mahal.  happy birthday.  God grant you your heart’s desires mahal.

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click here to go to the PERZE’s Birthday Weekend Recap Album
click here to go to the Longwood Gardens Album
click here to go to the Aia’s Debut Album