IT'S RAINING AGNES B.

Agnès B. is a brand by French fashion designer Agnès Andrée Marguerite Troublé.  Not really our favorite but lately, it's been raining agnès b. for us!

On Macy's recent trip to London, she got this travel kit from Cathay Pacific.

Two weeks ago in Hong Kong, we munched on yummy agnès b. treats.

We bought matching agnès b. camera straps in pink to replace our old worn out ones.

Macy got this pass holder. (Perfect for the London Oyster card, the Hong Kong Octopus Card, or the Tokyo Suica card!)

Karol's boyfriend grabbed a couple of shirts from their store and qualified for this iPhone case promo.  Karol didn't let the good deal slip away!

And yes... it's pronounced as Anne-yes Be. =)

LONDON TOP 7

by: Macy 

I am not going to blog about the popular London attractions like the Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, London Eye, The Parliament, The Big Ben, etc.  In truth, one can see them all in just a day by getting on a tour bus that goes around the city.  As for me I chose the BIG BUS TOURS and they sure got every spot covered.

After... now what?  London shouldn't just end there!  Like for me I got a few more days to spare and I didn't wanna waste every waking moment doing nothing.  Good thing I was still able to maximize my stay in a not so tourist-y way and I very much enjoyed every single minute of it!  So allow me to share them with you-- My London Top 7 :) In no particular order.. 

1. Visit Postman’s Park
Parks in London are everywhere, that one might have a difficult time choosing which ones to visit.  There is Regent’s Park, Grosvenor Square, St. James, Hyde Park and a lot more.  In spite of the fact that their parks are beautiful and rich in lush greens, I find them a bit crowded at times- not kili-kili-crowded but you know what I mean.  

Another thing is that they’ve got birds of all kinds roaming free. Afraid! (Read:  falcon in Dubai and pigeons in Venice)

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

And no, we don't mean the fattest most important Vogue magazine of the year.

We call our small travel dilemma, The September Issue.  It just sounds so glamorous!  Haha! 

We know it’s been 3 weeks since our last post and we super duper apologize for that.  A lot of things happened last September and mind you, they’re good things!  So, nothing to worry about! 

Last year, we made a pact that this September 2011, we're going to explore Southern and Eastern Africa.  Macy contacted her friend David of Tour Organizers (he has his own travel blog btw, a must-read!) to inquire about a private tour of Africa.  There should be ten or more passengers for them to organize one for us, so as early as January, we tried inviting friends... young ones... for a fun-for-sure trip!  Unfortunately, that didn't work out.  We then tried inviting older ones just so we can form a group.  That also didn't work out.  Obviously our private tour didn't happen. 

Next is Plan B.  Join Tour Organizers' existing African Safari Tour.  Their tour was only for June 2011 and it clashes with our schedules.  September was our only travel time for this 2^nd half of the year.  Not happening!

Next is Plan C.  Go to Russia.  We couldn’t remember how Russia came about.  It’s not even next to Africa on our list.  But still, we made it our next destination.  We started planning, researching on their visa requirements, asking our travel agent for good deals and such... but at the back of our minds we know that we’re both half-hearted with this trip.

12 REASONS WHY WE CANNOT BE BACKPACKERS

You have no idea how much respect we have for backpackers and how much we look up to them.  Because we can't, for the life of us, imagine how we'd make it alive if we were to go backpacking.   

We know traveling backpacking-style is a better way of getting oneself immersed in a country's culture, and can give you unique experiences that you won't get in traditional travel.

It's just that... it's really not for everyone.  We are part of that everyone.  Don't get us wrong, we are not extravagant travelers either.  Remember we don't even fly business class?  But, our idea of a vacation is one that is at least convenient.  Relaxing.  Enjoyable.  Pure fun.  Unlike some people, we don't have the luxury of traveling for 4 or 5 or 6 months straight.  We can't just leave our lives in the Philippines in a snap.  When we go out of the country, it's usually just for a few days, a week, or 1 month max.  That's why we always want our short vacation to at least be comfortable and leisurely before we go back to chaotic Manila. 

According to Wikipedia, backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping in backcountry wilderness.  Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel.  The factors that traditionally differentiate backpacking from other forms of tourism include but are not limited to the following: use of public transport as a means of travel, preference of youth hostels to traditional hotels, length of the trip vs. conventional vacations, use of a backpack, an interest in meeting the locals as well as seeing the sights.  Erik Cohen notes that even though one of the primary aims of backpacking is to seek the authentic, the majority of backpackers spend most of their time interacting with other backpackers.

Based on that definition, here are 12 reasons why we can never be backpackers.

1.  We don't even own a backpack. 

Okay we own one, but it's not really the kind of backpack one is going to use for backpacking. 

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL MEMORIES

It's great to know that despite the recent riots in London early this month, Notting Hill Carnival, the largest street festival in all of Europe and the second largest in the world, is still on (Aug. 28 and 29)!  We've got fond memories of this festival because years ago, we were lucky enough to be in London during the carnival weekend and be witnesses to that year's Notting Hill Carnival. Weeeee!

Notting Hill Carnival is a two-day Caribbean celebration every end of August.  Started in 1959, a year after the Notting Hill Race Riots (a racially-motivated riot brought about by the sudden influx of migrants from the Caribbean) it is a response to racial discrimination in Britain at the time. Getting inspiration from the early 19^th century Caribbean festivals celebrating the abolition of slavery, Notting Hill Carnival now symbolizes solidarity and multiracialism in Britain.

Allow us to share some of our Notting Hill Carnival pictures unearthed from our trusty external hard drives!

All main streets and Underground stations leading to Notting Hill were closed down.  We got there by bus and got off at the Notting Hill Gate, then walked to Portobello Road (yeah yeah yeah that famous road from the movie). 

LONDON LOVE

Aside from getting a nice, even tan in the beaches of Cebu, another thing one must put on her to-do list when visiting the city is to check out the Joanna Lhuillier store.

By British Designer, JML or Joanna Maitland-Smith Lhuillier, her bags are made of materials sourced from all over the world sewn together by skilled Cebuano artisans.  They are sold all over Asia, US, Canada and the UK.  Here in the Philippines, you can find her bags in her stand-alone shops at Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Makati Shangri-la Hotel. You may also visit http://www.jmlhuillier.com.

So when Karol went to Cebu, it’s definitely more than just a tan she got-- something fine and good-looking, not to mention, close to her heart...

CSM MEMORIES

Goodbye To All That: Designers Say Farewell To Central Saint Martins' Digs On Charing Cross Road

by Katharine Zarrella

photo from style.com

Home to one of the best fashion schools in the world, Central Saint Martins has quite the track record when it comes to producing superstar designers; its alumni include Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Riccardo Tisci, Hussein Chalayan, Phoebe Philo—to name only a few. However, judging by the primary fashion building which, erected on Charing Cross Road in the heart of Soho in 1938, is a drab stone structure crumbling around its colorful student body, Saint Martins is indeed missing its mink. “I suppose the decrepit-ness allows a certain freedom. It’s always been decaying, even when I was a student in 1984, so it’s never been about the building. It’s about what goes on inside the building,” Wilson says.

But the summer marks the end of an era for the school. This month, Saint Martins, whose fashion and art schools currently span 11 buildings, will consolidate under one roof in a new high-tech $320 million dollar complex. 

Read the rest of the article on Style.com's Goodbye To All That: Designers Say Farewell To Central Saint Martins' Digs On Charing Cross Road

We're kinda nostalgic about Central Saint Martins moving to a new campus because we went there for some courses on Fashion Design (so yup, technically we can say Alexander Mcqueen is our "schoolmate" hahaha), and all the memories we have of CSM are from the old Charing Cross and Southampton Row campuses -- now gone.  Allow us to reminisce. Sob.

The bus stop on the left of above's photo is where Karol would sit and whine every morning because she wants to skip school and Macy would drag her up the classroom everyday.

Charing Cross

outside the Charing Cross campus

1001 THINGS WE DID BEFORE WE DIE: Go through Harry Potter's Platform 9 and 3/4 to Hogwarts

Click here to see the rest of 1001 Things We Did Before We Die.

HOW NOT TO TAKE YOUR TRAVEL PHOTOS

We are not photographers but we sure know what kinds of pictures are annoying to look at.  Allow us to teach you how you can bring home the worst travel photos that will certainly give your friends an eyesore:

1.  Capture a famous landmark as your background and never mind if your head appears as if it just popped out of nowhere.  Remember:  the landmark is more important than you!

Orthodox Church in Thira

Eiffel Tower

 2.  Go as far away as possible from the camera. It’s completely okay if there are people passing by.  That is normal, hello.  Just encircle yourself using MS Paint to let your viewers know that it’s you.

Piazza di Spagna

Carnaby Street

3.  If you see a structure you like, get really close to it.  Touch it.  Feel it.  Stand beside it or even right on it.  Then, ask the photographer to move away from you until the whole thing fits on your camera screen.  The goal here is to look like an ant.  Bonus: the blemishes on your face (your whole face, actually) won’t be visible!  Hooray! 

Champa Temple Towers Group Po Sah Inu