Caramoan Islands

 

It is not easy being stuck in an exotic island. It could also not get any more complicated than being fastened helpless in a place surrounded by water and mystery. Your friends speak highly of the place: that Caramoan Island is a virgin paradise…untouched…unharmed…yet, you wonder, “will you be able to say the same?”

All there is to know is that you are in the Philippines. Yet, the country is not supposed to be this way! It should be filled with the hustle and bustle of the city! There should be business! There should be traffic! But Technology is nowhere to be seen! Instead you are situated in the center of Eden: calm and in perfect balance with your yin and yang. You are witnessing nature at its finest.

You feel all your inhibitions slowly slipping. You tried to take in your lungs the salty scent of the nearby sea. Why, you have never seen a sea so cerulean like the eyes of a god staring right into your soul. Pinching yourself, you now doubt, are you still alive?

You peered at the depths of the ocean…you see the beginning of life in the form of fishes. Yes. Fishes varying in color—teasing your senses, playing with your fancy. You see corals: a textured rainbow in the deep blue. Your trance cannot end. You still need to taste whatever ambrosia this place has to offer.

Caramoan is just one part among the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines. Its white sand is just one among the millions surrounding the country. You feel you have seen everything presented to you by the heavens above. You forget the life you left behind. You are at peace.

You do not know how long you will be staying here. You do not know, as well, if you shall be salvaged. The only thing you know is that if this is a nightmare, it is one you wish to stay in eternally. Caramoan. Felicity. Ecstasy. Nirvana.

Will you still strive to leave and abandon this dream?

XOXO,

Nikki

Almond Chicken Squares

 

~ Fashionistas ~ 

Eat 2 Live, Not Live 2 Eat

Almond Chicken

 

Fashionistas,  another one of my delicious treats...

    2  large eggs

 

   2 tabelspoons melted butter ~ NOT margine!

 

1/2 cup ground almonds

 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

 

1/2 teaspoon onions powder (organic)

 

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (organic)

 

1 pound boneless, skinless free range -antibiotic free

chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 - 2 inch pieces.

 

Pinch & Sprinkle  with  Salt of Life

*extras to add in batter:  2 garlic cloves thinly sliced

* thinkly sliced chives

   Heat oven 375 F

    Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment

   Whisk together eggs and butter in bowl

   

  Combine next 4 ingredients and 1/4 tsp each Salt Of Life (himalyn rock salt) and

    pepper in shallow  bowl  * add 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves and chives into batter mixture.

   Coat chicken in egg misture and then roll in almond ground,

   Place on prepared pan

   Bake chicken turning once until cooked and golden, about 20 minutes

   Prep Time: 25 minutes

   Total Time: 55 minutes serves 4

DDDdddddddelicious Fashionistas !

 XOXO

Nikki

European Street Fashion

 

Fashionistas,

It is but a nostalgic feeling reviewing your mythology books and reminisce the characters that left you wide eyed. The gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus – yes, you wanted oh so much to be living their soap opera! All the intrigues, jealousy, covetousness, flowing hair for the ladies, and the evident brawniness of the men! It is such a taxing deed to deny that as a child, you once wished that you were among those who feast in Ambrosia!

This kind of mythology focuses its core in Greece, an integral part of Europe, as it has cradled the wee beginnings of western civilization. In turn, Europe, being the marriage of the East and West has forever boasted the diversity in their culture. That includes fashion!

 

 

The European street fashion, if you may allow me to describe it as such, is a melting pot as evidenced by the radical play of cuts, pattern, and flowing fabric.  It is the flirting of pastel color against the glimmering gold. It is the burst of prints versus the scandalous neon. It is Europe. It is the street fashion of a continent whose culture is best described as the mercurial flares and fancy of every deity in Mythology.    

A concrete example to this is Sasha Kanevski. His different take on the concept of downtown chic has left everyone awestruck! His Spring/Summer 2012 collection had sent the likes of Marilyn Manson to shame with it proving that you can be edgy without being socially disturbing! This has served as his flight pad to fashion royalty that his Spring/Summer 2013’s play with layers was phenomenal and welcomed with open arms! Everyone was taken aback as for this collection, it was not all about color. He proved his magnificence with his peculiar take on cutting his fabrics: setting up holes that gave the flowing effect and accenting white dresses with foil.

Among other designers along with Sasha, the streets of Europe have made it to everyone’s expectations! Mythology is probably Europe’s best contribution to mankind but we cannot deny the fact that fashion comes in second. It sort of makes me jittery inside thinking what over-the-top ideas Europe will astonish us with this 2013!

XOXO,

Nikki                                                                                                  

Chocolate Lovers

  

 

Hey Fashionistas!!! ♫

I know you love chocolates! The succulent play of sweetness and bitterness on your tongue…a sweet delight that we go crazy on...a true friend that we rely onto whenever we are depressed. Yes...all the love for chocolate!

But did you know that during the age of the Aztecs, chocolates aren’t just your typical comfort food? Chocolates were only reserved for the rich and the nobles. Yes dear, you have to be on top of the food chain to get this treat! The Aztecs maintained royal storehouses for cacao beans and there was even a record where in 11,680,000 worth of annual expenditures were spent for this! Where did it all go? Some went to pay the king’s entourage and the rest, of course, went into the king’s stomach. King Montezuma enjoyed 50cups a day, actually. If that is not addiction, then I don’t know what is!

Chocolates were so cherished that time that it was even made to a form of currency! And this my dears, didn’t stop after the Aztecs were erased from existence…Oh it had continued on Central American markets as late as 1858. They referred to it as natives’ coins and to treat you guys with this feast for the brains, I am sharing with you their price list that I got from the World Wide Web:

1 small rabbit = 30 cacao beans
1 turkey egg = 3 cacao beans
1 large tomato = 1 cacao bean

Cool, right?! I didn’t know that rabbits can be purchased by chocolates! This is like something from a Dr. Seuss story!!!

Now let’s go back to our chocoholic Aztecs. Rumor has it that they adored chocolate in liquid form. They preferred it cold and frothy since they believed that the foam holds the chocolate’s fundamental essence. This is so big at the time that you can even see the “how-to-create-foam” manual through the Aztec’s artwork! It was easy! All you have to do is pour the chocolate mixture from one jar to another, to and fro until they are frothy enough.

So the next time you ask your sugar for a succulent treat, tell him this story…remember, your love for chocolate is nothing if you don’t flaunt it. After all, we live for precious moments and decadent desserts such as this!  

Sweet ecstasy to you!

XOXO,

Nikki ♥

 

The Color Black over Purple

Fashionistas,

Have you ever wondered how it is on the other side of the world, South Korea to be exact? We all heard the country’s surge to the music industry through KPOP and its birth to a new look of colors in fashion. They had also given a new meaning to the color Purple.

So, what comes to your mind when you hear the hue? I, for one, imagine glamor, royalty, wine…lots and lots of wine…

According to color gurus, Purple is the collision of nobility and spirituality. It is the marriage of sizzling red and the pacifist blue. The way I see it, it’s like a lover wanting reassurance but craving for mystery and living in thrill. Too much personification and metaphors? Wait ‘til you see how Korean fashion uses the color to bless the streets. No form of speech can ever describe the flush!

 

When we say Korea, it’s like hearing the synonym for funky. We adore the over sized blouses! We are smitten by the offbeat patterns in their leggings. Why, we find their accessories unique and something to die for! With the color Purple too hot to handle in their streets, fashion is now taken to another level. Take their miniskirts for example. Koreans take advantage of the hue to create a silhouette that would make their legs stretch up to infinity and beyond. They would incorporate Purple in patterns on leggings as well and they would get an instant fix to the thighs (aren’t we all looking for this? ♥) that would make it seem slimmer yet not to the point of bony. From what I am seeing in their fashion forecasts, the black and purple is a hit. Just imagine these leggings under your Ink Jupe De Vie, and you would get what I mean.

Of course, in every get up, you need accent! I love the contrast of brass spikes, rings, and thingamajigs over purple!


Not to mention humongous gems fitted snuggly around their fingers. It is just plain magnificence! And have you heard of the fad over stones? It is simple, organic, yet, dyed with color, it just catches anyone’s desire!

I could go on and on about how brilliant Korean street fashion is. You might want to check it out for yourself. Remember how traveling heals your soul? Take refuge on that and pack your bags!

Feel the purple magic, fashionistas! Wanderlust and amazing, that is what you are!

XOXO,

Nikki ♥

Salt Of Life

 

 

Fashionistas!

The Father of Anatomy, Herophilus, once said: “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.” It is also in the same manner that I will add, real beauty comes from great health. No, I am not pertaining to the goodness of your heart (although that would count), but how well in the pink your physiological well being is. How can you bloom in full glory if your cells are all worn out?

Let me discuss this great find. I came across articles promoting the Himalayan Crystal Salt of Life. It has been a topic all over health communities and that made me wonder. You know well, fashionistas, that we are strong advocates of beauty and physical wellness that this product shall never go unnoticed!

People have branded it the primordial soup of life. This “white gold” is handpicked and naturally processed by the Earth into hydrolyzed crystals that are claimed to be “no longer water, no longer salt.” They say that it’s the materialization of sunlight that promises to nourish the body with energy that heals and sustains your health.

Now at this point, your skepticism might kick in and ask how does this differ from normal table salt? The normal table salt’s composition is 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals such as moisture absorbents and iodine. Table salt is also usually forced to dry in over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit that in turn alters its chemical structure. The organic compounds are forever lost and what are left would be by-products that can be harmful to your health.  

In the contrary, the “Salt of Life” is as pure as it can be. It is uncontaminated and immaculate. Studies show that the salt from the Himalayas is the purest salt available on Earth and no toxins or pollutants have ever touched its composition. It is the marriage of the glorious sunlight and pure spring water that is almost identical to the primal sea. Your life force is said to be renewed and reborn by the 250,000,000 years worth of accumulated energy from the universe’s core.

I am captivated by the process in which the product was introduced to me. A great health is something that we all long for as it is one of the treasures that cannot be replaced. I adore how it promises to detoxify the skin by cleaning it inside and out. I love the idea that aside from normalizing the blood pressure, it also helps people to avoid kidney and gall bladder stones! I can rave on and on! It gives me such pride upon discovering this wonder.

We, fashionistas, are not just for beautiful clothing as the real beauty is not solely defined by exquisite taste in fabric. We must at all times prioritize our bodies. We cannot expect to be gorgeous by just make-up and hair products. Our real friend is anything that nourishes our soul and body.

With  that, I am sharing you this wonder.  

XOXO,

Nikki ♥

Hot Color on The Streets

GoodEvening Fashionistas!

Whosoever said that sequins and shiny effects are intended for disco balls alone?! This season, the trend is all about Shimmer, Shine, and the Churrigueresque. We are called and provoked to outstrip the Holiday celebrations with glimmering fabrics and precise architectural beauty that defines every cut and accent on clothing and accessories.

The Italian label, P.A.R.O.S.H, has formulated an elegant piece of clothing in the form of their Sequin Vest that is made of 100% Nylon. Match it with skin-tight leather pants and top it up with the Bamboo Fringe Scarf in Nile, and you are never bound to go wrong! Hoard everyone’s attention with your glamour by wearing sky-high ASOS Palma Leather Mary Jane Platforms to seal the deal on our retro-inspired contemporary array!

The streets are filled with love and influenced by the enigma of the season. Winter is all about defying the balance of white and black. This season, we also pay our tribute to the Baroque. Extravagant detailing, not just in fabrics, but also in accessories, is favored. Simplicity is out. The exuberant play and feast for the eyes are in! From gold, detailed earrings, to cuffs boasting an intricate play in curves and fluid imbalance.  The Rococo style had never had quite an epic return!   

The current street fashion promises a winter of thrill. Don’t get caught off the cuff! Or your history will evolve in a disastrous fashion cycle!

 

XOXO,

 

Nikki♥