Black and Pop

Sick and tired of seeing photos in its usual state? I know it's no longer new to see edited photos, thank heavens for the great beautifier, Adobe Photoshop, and other no-fuss, user-friendly online photo editing websites like Lunapic and Picnik.

I realized it's still fun to change your photos in different colors, set its tone, adjust its brightness and sharpness. And since I got so maaaaany portraits in my recent photo archive, I changed them in dual tones--one black + any color.

See how modifying the colors transform the photos' moods. To add, some people believe that colors have meaning, and can even exude power.

 

Notice how black blends well with ANY color. I love it! To incorporate it with my style, I wear black from head to toe most of the time, and if not, I wear all the colors you can ever name in one outfit but still, one item (bag or shoes) is black. So far, my favorite duo-tone is pink and black. Girly and fierce at the same time!

Now you're sick and tired of my portraits. Hehe!

Until the next post,

Another Ultimate All-Star Weekend Post

Another set of photos from the NBA-PBA exhibition game last weekend before I finally move on. But I'm still dreaming of them coming back here in the Philippines because they brought so much fun! So once again I'd like to thank Smart and the MVP Sports Foundation for making such event possible. :)

You rock, boss MVP!

 Less than a half of those who watched the first game live.
Look at the people taking pictures in front of the players.

 

Paolo and I looked shy here because the people above us were looking at us.

The slingshot part where they gave away shirts from Smart and Metro Pacific.

Finally I found a place at the Patron area!

Here's a continuous shot of Kobe Bryant in action, edited in his infamous yellow and purple color.

My three topmost favorite "flying" photos:

Sometimes I wish I'm a great photographer or at least know the ABC's of photography. But never mind, I just used a regular digital camera so don't judge me! Haha. And besides, DSLRs were forbidden there! Gladly, I listened to Paolo that time!

Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Tyreke Evans, James Harden, Deandre Jordan, Derrick Williams, Javale McGee and Derrick Rose, THANK YOU. Thank you for the awesome game. I will never, ever, ever, ever forget this night!

 After the game, we stayed at The Coffee Bean for a while to rest our tired feet and our worn-out lungs! Haha!

White button-down shirt from Royal Kouture | Black and white polka-dot shorts from Topshop | 

Black Planetes bag from Longchamp | Gray flats from Solemate for SM Department Store

♥,

The Ultimate All-Star Weekend

The only sport I am familiar with is basketball. Blame it to the UAAP, that's the only time I feel active. And by the word active I mean an "active audience".

When I heard the news that Kobe Bryant is coming back to Manila, I was like, "Wow that's great!" That's it, nothing else! But when I heard the news that I was included in the list of those who can see Kobe and the rest of the guys, I jumped for joy! 

I grabbed the opportunity to see these basketball superstars. After all, it's the first in the Philippine sport history. NBA superstars vs PBA All-Stars and Smart Gilas Pilipinas Team? WHY NOT?!

Our biggest boss MVP made this all possible!

Love this photo? I ultimately love this photo NOT because of my lipstick, not even because of my polka dot shorts but because of my pass that brought me closer to Kobe Bryant.

HOW CLOSE? There's only one person between us! He's so near yet so far! And although there was a very strict security at the back of house, I didn't care! I wanted to see him upclose! Ergo...

I went closer and closer until I reached him! Cameras were not allowed so I'm very thankful my iPhone does take good pictures. I called him several times and he smiled at me. He's aware I'm taking photos but it seems like he's a fan of "wacky" shots! Oh, Kobe!!! ♥

Spotted! I was not the only one who acted like a die hard fan of the NBA superstars! My fellow FEU Tamaraw Arwind Santos held a grip on his iPhone too, taking photos of his idols! 

While I was busy screaming Kobe's and Derrick's names, I found out that the boyfriend used my camera to take pictures with the cheerleaders and the beauty queens! So cute!!! :D

When the game started, we looked for a place where we could watch the game nicely. First stop: Upper box.

The view from the Upper Box is enough but I wanted to watch them closer so we went down the ring side after the first half!

A better view! Luckily, that's also the time when they switched sides so yea, I saw them playing in flesh just feet away!

I'm so kilig I made it to the front row! Haha! Definitely, definitely, definitely one for the books! ♥

More photos in action: Javale McGee (too bad I wasn't able to take photos when he planked!), Derrick Rose (insert: ♥♥♥) and James Harden (my newest favorite)! Please take note that I am not a professional photographer so please bear with the kinds of shots you see. Hehe. And it was also hard to take photos, clap, scream and cheer at the same time!

INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE? WANT TO SEE MORE PHOTOS? Stay tuned!

♥,

Wrap Up!

You have no idea how much I miss blogging so much that it hurts.. It hurts so much that I want to die.

CHOS!

Super seriously, I'm on a work-related high and I can't seem to inject blogging in my to-dos now. But not today! So here's a wrap up of the simple things happened this month. I can't believe that July is ending in a week, so fast!

But first and foremost, your Northern girl wants to say ola to you!

Last July 9, Paolo and I had dinner together. The dinner was pretty romantic but what made the night sweeter is the view from where Paolo's car was parked. We decided to stay there for a little while to fix things (since we've been to a major fight, if you remember my tweets on my way home from Baguio).

I'm so happy I looked slim in that photo! And to those asking about my top, it's a birthday gift I received from my friends Kim, Jovy and Rachel. It's from Royal Kouture! You guys should check the collections out. Topshop and Forever 21-inspired clothes!

I'm also happy that Paolo and I fixed everything that night. As quoted in the movie One More Chance, "It takes two grownups to make a relationship work." Shoo useless arguments away. Take a deep breath and talk only if you're ready to talk. And if you're ready to say things that will NOT make things worse.

July is Nutrition Month. But not for me. I got sick for days and the photos in this collage with Paolo's niece, Nevaeh, were taken when I was sick. Hehe. Baka mahawa pa si baby but she's so cute I had to cuddle and play with her. Totally adorbz, she knows how to smile in front of the camera!

When I felt better, I met with my G, Ellen! I handed her the Longchamp Curry she ordered. I am so in love with her Curry I wanted to buy for myself as well... but I'm financially handicapped now for I gave in to Longchamp Planetes in black. And by the way, Ellen is so pretty I got starstruck! Seemed like forever since the last time I saw her--college days!

After meeting up with G, I had a late dinner with Paolo's family. Here's a picture of me with Patricia and Tita Donna. :) Paolo said that if he's going to put this photo a caption, it's gonna be: "The Three Women of My Life". <3

It was the first day of SM North Edsa's The Great Northern Sale so Pachichay and I checked out the department store for some makeup (window) shopping. I found the perfect matte lipstick from PAC for only Php 500! Omg it's so great the color lasted even after eating steaks and baby back ribs! (Sorry lang because the photo doesn't justify the lipchook). Haha!

Lastly! I attended TV5 Sports Summit last Monday at the Marriott Hotel(!!!). It's the 3rd TV5 summit I attended, I'm proud that I get to hear all the plans of the station so watch out for it! After the summit, we went to Resorts World Manila's 360 Bar for a few drinks. I had a great night with my Kapatids! This one's definitely for the books, because it was totally a different setting for me and my boss and other colleagues. Not to mention the performers who broke legs to entertain us guests!

The night was also notable because I was not allowed to enter the casino. The security thought that I was a minor so I had to convince them that I am of legal age, that I am already 23 and that I am mature enough to be in the casino! Haha.! They asked about my age more than a couple of times and I kept on laughing so they thought I was kidding. I showed them my company ID but the date of birth isn't included so I stopped smiling, showed them my "serious" face until they allowed me to enter. It's so cute I think that's a compliment. Hahahahahaha aging no more! :)

Alright then I shared enough! I gotta leave. And oops before I forgot, please follow me on Instagram -- MsMarianneMarcial :)

Cheers,

My Funny, Happy Lemon Experience

Just a quick post on how I enjoyed my very first Happy Lemon drink!

I've been reading a lot of tweets about this milk tea fad since I don't know when and my forever pretty girlistas' (like Trish, Sel, Ana, Susie, Noelle and Jeanne) tweets are SO convincing that I myself want to try it. I've been very eager to drop by Promenade or Eastwood only to take my first step on its pop tea house and to please my taste buds--which are, by the way rallying since Saturday, with the highly recommended Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese drink.

One happy Wednesday, our hectic schedules allowed us to drop by the Promenade. The anticipated event of my week happened on a weeknight: totally unplanned. I loved it!

 

So it's you, Happy Lemon, nice meeting you! Situated right in the middle of Starbucks Coffee and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Happy Lemon is a sure attention grabber because of its bright colors and its cutie logo which reminds me of Susie and Geno of Sustagen and The Little Twin Stars! And the place looks so inviting because of the happy, positive vibe of people who are there. I like it that everyone and everything, not only the name, is happy!

And because of my excitement, I jumped off the car and hit my head! That was so ouch, it just made my headache worse. But as I've told earlier, the place is happy so I didn't mind.

Based on the Twitter replies I received from my lovely friends, my first ever Happy Lemon choice is.. *drumroll* COCOA WITH ROCK SALT AND CHEESE!

I was convincing Paolo to order Lemon Yakult for himself, for he knows how much I love Yakult, so he chose ANOTHER drink. Kfine. He ordered COCOA WITH PUDDING. Maka-Cocoa lang din. Gaya-gaya.

Ja-raaaan! Here's a Twitpic of my Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese (sorry I can't rotate the photo and I don't know why). Now let's proceed to my funny story: When we got our drinks, mine didn't have a cover. Okay, no problem. Paolo got straws and there, I savored my very first sip. Oooh! Too sweet. I asked Pao to taste my drink (so he would give his to mine, hehe) and found it sweet as well. Hmm, what's with it and why do people rave about it when in fact it's so sweet? Until a pretty teenager approached me kindly and said, "You don't have to use a straw to drink it," and smiled. So I was like, "Really?" in awe. She demonstrated how to drink it and explained why my drink didn't come with a top cover. She added, "All the drinks under the Rock Salt and Cheese selection are left uncovered." Pahiya kami konti but we admitted that it was our first time there. That's when I FINALLY appreciated it! Oh my goodness, it's so yummy! The cocoa-cheese flavor is to die for. I like! Sweet and salty flavors in one! Nom nom nom!

We stayed inside for only a few minutes because Paolo wanted to smoke. He wanted to take more pictures outside so I could keep a souvenir for my first ever Happy Lemon experience. The boyf enjoyed his Cocoa with Pudding as well and he promised that he'll bring me back there. :)

I love you now, Happy Lemon! No doubt I read a lot of good comments about you. And now I'm one of those who spread the good words. Word of mouth is indeed powerful.

♥,