My Favorite Blogger, My Favorite Wedding

          I am constantly stunned by the creativity of Elsie and what she can put together on a random basis. Her blog is my go-to inspiration for DIY tricks and soulful, artistic handmade crafts, be it vintage HOLGA photographs, Fight Club chocolate bars, crochet lamp covers, wall art made from an old "paint-by-numbers," canvass, flavored lemonade, teabag patterns, or DIY hairstyle! I can't believe how VASTLY creative this rockstar is. She will BLOW YOUR MIND to pixie dust--or to everything else magical hidden up her sleeve for that matter. I have a knack for people that maximize their creativity, manifest them in the little everyday things and SHARE them with anyone interested ever so gladly. It's almost seemingly UNTHINKABLE of them to be able to create wonderful pretty things that actually mean something. It's like taking your heart and soul out, laying it down on pretty fabric and dolling it up like a decoupage with neon-colored cutouts and a glue brush. I tried to think of the most challenging thing that this kind of talent can best materialize in and then thought that, to fulfill this, it has got to be something really soulful and meaningful and artistic like...

WEDDINGS! TONS AND TONS OF WEDDINGS! 

So without further yakkity, I share with you, my favorite, most creative stylist-slash-blogger-slash MASTER ARTIST  and her beautiful, quirky, wonderful wonderful wedding. 

      And her hubby, a music producer who has collaborated with bands such as  Mutemath, Switchfoot and Eisley, made such a sweet song exclusively for their wedding. Aww, shucks! Ahh, to be both creative and immensely blessed! It's so wonderful. I give them 11 hearts out of 10. :)

(Makes me wanna (cough) get wed (cough) too Ha-ha!

Beatles Night!

Three of my most-loved musicians playing my three most-loved songs of my most-loved rock legends of all time. :) But before anything else...it is most important to note that...

RINGO ROCKS! 

Drive My Car- The Hot Rats

Oh Darling! - Florence + The Machine

Come Together - Bush

Shucks and a Half!!!

....I blush. 

Crab Night: Put Some South in Yer Mouth!

If there's one or two "Alaskan" things I like, it has to be (1) Malamutes; or (2) CRAB. Oh, I'm very very bribable when it comes to those juicy clippers!--I know, I know, it's a weakness I have to work on., but it's my KRYPTONITE!!! Must. RE.SIST. THE. JUI. CES. Hahaha! But hey, for all craboholics like me, I know a place where we can all be each other's Enablers in this addiction circle I shall call Crab Night and it's right in the heart of Pearl City--DIXIE GRILL. (Oh, and they have GOOD STEAK TOO!)

   

Dixie Grill is your go-to Saturday night hangout when you're up for a little comfort food of the South. It boasts of a restaurant of decent size, a busy bar and a wide open area outside for those who prefer fresh air with their fresh crab (corny!) and also, it has a cute little sandbox where kids can play! How neat. :)

It's so cute how they ultimately assumed I AM a pig, as they politely took it to themselves to set me apart from the male pig when I need to tinkle. 

And now for the pièce de résistance:

THE AMAZING ALASKAN

(with a side of salad, corn on a cob and mashed potatoes)

So if you're looking for the good stuff but couldn't find it in the East, West or ELSEWHERE (haha) come down to the cuisine of the South--where everything blends perfectly like butter on toast, gravy on ribs, and crab juice ON YOUR TASTEBUDS! 

Isn't This a Trip? Ang Kulit! :)

It's a cute kind of 'funny' discovering today that I wore the same ensemble last Christmas (pictures here) as that of Ms. Patty Laurel in the Top Gear March 2012 issue. Haha! Isn't she beautiful? And what a coincidence on the hairstyle and accessories! Ang kulit! :) Didn't see that coming! Grab your copies to support her!

Zap, Zing, Zac!

Oh, the wonderful, wonderful mind of Zac Posen. It's always been my constant dream to walk down the aisle wearing a part of his collection on my BIG DAY. Nucks, pag mayaman na ako, haha! Of course we all know that from a self-made artist and genius who made it all the way to the top with his insatiable drive to keep himself academically fashionable, there's gotta be a truckload of kaching$ behind those Zac Zapping Powers! Ha-ha! Hopefully, one day I may get to have a tiny chance of "Posen" for the cameras in Zac's creation! 

Snap, snap! :)

Check out his Spring, Resort, Pre-Fall, Fall, and ZSpoke Collections here.

Thai Up Your Body!

        Before you get any funny thoughts brewing, let me explain! Ha-ha! Growing up Asian, I have learned to acquaint myself with an appreciation for my neighboring cultures. If anyone asked me my favorite cuisine, Thai ALWAYS made the cut. I love my Pad Thai, my Tom Yum, Papaya Salad, Green Curry, Spring and Summer Rolls, and I can unforgivingly finish three glasses of Thai Iced Tea in one sitting ! I love my Laotian and Vietnamese food too, mind you, But there's something about the richness of 'Thai' that pulls and attracts that little Asian in me more than the food, the beaches and the culture itself--a Thai massage!

      Ahh, yes. For the proverbial workaholics like me, who master the daily grind of Office (aka Headache) Management, don't stress, cause the Thai never forgot us! Thus they came up with a surefire way to work those hardened knots and muscles into an easy-breezy state of relaxation. 

     What's so unique about Thai massages is, being a bit similar to the local Hawaiian massage (that utilizes hot lava stones), they incorporate the use of heated river stones in their therapeutic procedure to boost your body back into a harmonious balance--gently, but of course, with precision. Mind you, there is actually be a madness to this method too. :) But that all depends on the kind of intensity you request to be applied to your pressure points. But either way, you sure are in for a GREAT experience!

      A wonderful Thai massage place located just downtown in the heart of Honolulu is a beautiful, private spa called Sawatdee Thai Massage. It is the perfect haven to visit to keep your mind and body attuned after your regular 9-5.

     Sawatdee Thai Massage is not your regularly jacked-up-Thai-Massage around town with all the frills and thrills created by superficial Thai ornaments. I actually fancied the fact that Sawatdee was housed in an executive high-rise (a nice thing for all the skeptics out there who know where all 'happy ending' massages are located at); and that I could actually stroll to it as it was blocks away from my office. It sits right along the upbeat town square by Bishop and Fort Street, right between my favorite French cafe and Cathedral as well. Nifty.

     Sawatdee Thai Massage welcomes you to a diverse experience with their various spa massage techniques such as Traiditional Thai Massage, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, Sport Massage, Foot & Hand Massage, Combination Massage, Swedish and Lomi-Lomi. To learn more of these different techniques and of which should fit your lifestyle, check out their link here. 

    Sawatdee Thai Massage generously gives its clients that warm, zen feeling of being in a relaxed state of mind. I'm actually impressed by how well-managed their space is for a condominium unit. Everything was well-designed, and aesthetically considered. Their presentation was not made to be a hard-sell kind of massage parlor and was thus inspired by simplicity, warmth and the authentic Thai culture of hospitality. Every one of the masseuses was Thai, and they really know their craft well. Always opt for the Hot Stone Therapy, because I swear by it as one of the most relaxing, effective, stress relievers you could treat your body to!

  

So whether or not you're up for promotion, or are just exhausted by overtime, trust, me you owe this to yourself! So lighten up, Thai up your body, and ENJOY!

1188 Bishop Street #1610 Honolulu, HI 96813

Desk: (808) 593-8445

Mobile: 808-699-4449

sawatdeethm@gmail.com

Next Destination: Pago Pago

 (Google Images) 

Pago Pago, found in American Samoa, boasts its beautiful Pacific culture, beaches and people and has been set at par with the highly-rated French Polynesian islands.

My Little Ty Pennington DIY Moment

I spent the last few days of 2011 and the first of 2012 bingeing, channel-surfing, sleeping, bingeing, sleeping bingeing, and sleeping a little bit more, yes I admit, those holidays gave me a period of unrestrained, immoderate self-indulgence, but hey! That's not all that's self-indulgent for me! I enjoy a period of unrestrained, immoderate creativity too! So I decided to treat my folks to a little shocker for when they got back from the vacay they were on at the time. And it was the pleasant kind of shocker, or at least, that was what I wanted it to be. 

With a plan in mind and a budget under my belt, I went to the store, only to scour its home-making aisles, tongue sticking out by the corner of my mouth. I felt rather restlessly creative, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at all the prints and combinations I could make out of curtains and rugs and candles and toothbrush holders they've got!

Actually, I did always love how our house had that fresh quality to it since everything about it was white, inside and out, with just a little detail of wood, a tad bit of floral accents to the furniture, and a feminine nautical theme for the bath. Overall it was always perfect for my taste, as I fancied the whiteness of all the white I was seeing which claimed all the natural light that always filled our house generously and thoroughly. 

That was my kind of peg for a comfortable living space. White on white. With lots of natural light. I always thought that if I had to have artificial lights they would all be clear, crystal and soft--to accent the white that was already clearer than crystal itself! As imagined, having the whole house space to work with alone to myself, I have transformed it into a home that was so bright and...so empty (I am a cleaning junkie--I was actually waiting for people to finally leave the house so I can throw out their junk without them squawking haha--a thing I fairly succeeded at) But hen I ended up with a house that almost looked like it had an Open Showing to "potential buyers"--too clean, too comfortable, in fact, that--IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE LIVED THERE AND PEOPLE WENT THERE JUST TO LOOK AT INTERIOR PEGS. Haha :) But eh, I stuck with that setup for a little while. I have lived for days alone enjoying my own space of "White with Natural Light and Nothing Else in Sight" (dibs). But then right around the bend, I felt the need for a re-creation. You know that feeling you always got in Kindergarten once you see crayons and a white, white wall? I actually had the evil smile to go with it too. 

I was too fond of this battery-operated miniature spa fountain, I included it in our bay window setup among candles and potpourri which were meant for Christmas 

A portion of our bay window setup; the new carpet I bought for our receiving area, with the pillows that were worthy products of my picky indecisiveness; and a little glimpse of our kitchen, with a dried floral arrangement I got for 7 bucks.

This is where I invested the most purchases in. Almost everything was redone here, and it used to have that soft shade of blush or coral, and I made it over entirely, thoughtfully and down to the last detail of its color combinations. I threw almost everything out, even replaced the laundry bin and man was it hard to keep up with the nautical theme, but luckily I found some starfish and towels that went with the combination.

So, after that little trip to the store, and the little that work I did, I think it was worth the creative release. Or at least it was worth my Dad's astounded reaction that made him go, "Oh, I did I miss the Memo?!" Haha.

Good times. :)

A Little Happy Hearts' Day Surprise

Hello, _______! I came to find a pleasant surprise on my desk this Valentine's Day morning! It didn't go unappreciated. You didn't leave a name but thanks, you really didn't have to (get me anything). Next time at least let me know who you are so I can personally thank you and wish you the same!

Enjoy Your February!

A little knick knack from Starbucks that celebrates my favorite human expression. :)

My New Business Card! Yay!

© TFC Adobo Nation 2012