Winners: The Ramp Crossings Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who joined our giveaway! After listing all your entries, we used random.org to generate the numbers that correspond to the lucky winners.

Congratulations to:

1. Abigail Tan

2. Jovie Keith Verdejo

3. Olivia Cadelina

4. Cosette Gomez

You each get two tickets to see The Ramp Crossings' Fall/Holiday 2012 show! Please pick up your tickets at their Shangri-La branch. Don't forget to bring a valid ID when you claim them. See you all at the show! :)

The Ramp Crossings at Philippine Fashion Week

The Ramp Crossings, everyone's favorite retail powerhouse, is gearing up to present their Fall/Holiday collection at this year's Philippine Fashion Week. We're extremely excited to check out what they have in store for us this season! Today is your lucky day since we're giving away 2 tickets each to 4 readers! 

Just follow all the simple steps found below:

1. Follow The Shady Chronicles on Bloglovin' or GFC.

2. Like The Ramp Crossings' Facebook page.

3. Follow The Ramp Crossings on Twitter.

4. Sign up for The Ramp's newsletter at their website.

Once you've done all of these steps, shoot us an email at shadychronicles@gmail.com.with your full name and mobile number. The contest ends on May 20 and winners will be contacted via e-mail/text message. 

Check out their teaser video below!

Hope to see you guys at the show!

Saturday at the Salcedo Market

FOOD 

After receiving a text message from our friend, Maina, inviting us to lunch at the Salcedo Market, we were all pumped up for a gastronomically exciting afternoon.

If you haven't been to this open-air market, expect to find an assortment ranging from fresh seasonal produce and meat, ready-to-eat meals, desserts, and some random non-food items. It's an interesting mix as almost all continents' cuisines are represented.

Baked goodies from Joan & Jane

 Absolutely delicious brownie pudding for only P150. It's got big brownie chunks immersed in a deliciously smooth flan. We couldn't resist grabbing this delectably sinful dessert.

 Lasagna mania! Look at all this sinful goodness! This stall has all the options with different meats, cheeses and veggies.

 The much-talked about Azuthai stall offering your standard Thai classics

 We loved their Pad Thai and Thai Milk Tea! The Pad Thai had a generous amount of shrimp and a very fresh flavor, not bland at all! The Thai Milk Tea really hit the spot on that hot summer day.

Whole, deep-fried frogs, catering to the more adventurous diner.

We were drawn to this stall by the smells emanating off their hot pan. They serve shawarmas with a choice of lamb, chicken, or Wagyu beef.

The Wagyu shawarma was well worth the 200 bucks we paid for it. The meat is a little fattier than normal beef, as expected, but it really bursts with juicy flavor. It's a fantastic upgrade to the ubiquitous wrap.

Maina's Wagyu burger, with all the trimmings and almost oozing with the good stuff. Obviously, the market offers a lot specialty meats you can eat right at the center tables or to cook at home for Sunday lunch.

Of course, we had to finish off our scrumptious meal with a cold treat to beat the sweltering heat.

We had a cup of homemade earl grey tea ice cream from Merry Moo.We're really suckers for tea-flavored desserts and this one did not disappoint in the least. The texture, consistency and flavor make for a think and rich combination.

Make sure to bring some UV protection. It gets pretty hot and there aren't a lot of stalls selling drinks.

 Here are two of my favorite girls, Donna and Maina! We seemed to be in the mood for black and white/tribal that day.
Check out the Salcedo Community Market every Saturday along L.P. Leviste in Makati.

FASHION

P: Vintage shades, BKK shirt, Jay Jays shorts, and Office huaraches

My bros got me this sweet pair of shorts from their trip to Australia. It sits perfectly at home in that zone between the beach and urban schlepping. I will be overusing these for the rest of summer.

D: SM top, jones+jones mini, Topshop plimsolls, H&M backpack, Bubbles spiked headband

Dressing for the heat always means raised hemlines and loose fabrics. This time I went for both and also became a trend victim of sorts in tribal print and neon. Yep, pretty standard blogger fare minus the soaring heels which I deemed inappropriate for the market. 

CONTEST WINNER!

Sorry for the delayed results! We'd like to congratulate Marvi Buncaras! You've just won a pair of Parisian flats, a tote bag, and a pair of earrings. We'll be sending you an email shortly. Thank you to everyone that joined our little giveaway. :)

Summer Savin'

 Hi folks! Have you been making the rounds of all the summer sales? Or maybe you're gearing up for the major Megamall/F21 sale this weekend? If you have, well count yourself lucky because the writers of this blog are on a self-imposed shopping ban because apparently, getting married is not cheap. Surprise, surprise. So we've been satisfying our shopping urges by limiting our purchases to small accessories that help spruce up tired outfits.

D: F21 tribal print romper, Minnetonka moccasins  

I got this necklace from SM Accessories! Really loving what they're stocking for summer! 

The beaded ethnic bracelet is from my lola, the two friendship bracelets are from the Eastwood bazaar, and my favorite one - this multicolored skull bracelet from the children's section of SM Accessories!! It's surprisingly substantial and heavy and is a great addition to any arm embellishments!

P: thrifted button down, Folded and Hung shorts, River Island hat, Fred Perry shoes

While D was off scouring the ladies' section of SM, I also managed to snag this nifty bright red belt. The texture of it is really nice, almost like suede. It adds a great punch of color to anything. The thin bracelet is from Puerto Galera and the leather braided bracelet is from The Bead Shop.

Couldn't help picking up this pair of sunglasses as well. What can I say,cheap thrills are awesome and so is this two-toned frame.

If you've managed to read this far, we'd like to ask for your help. In line with this saving kick we're on, we're trying to win a holiday so we can get away from stress of wedding planning. We joined the Lovin' Summer contest of SM Accessories and if you'd like to support us, you just have to follow the very simple steps below.

1. Like SM Accessories on Facebook.

2. Click on the Lovin' Summer app at the top of the page.

3. Click on the Gallery. Then three panels will come up.

4. Click on the female model and then vote for the picture under the name Diandra (D: That's my first name!, fyi) 

5. Click on the male model and then vote for the picture under the name Juan (P: My first name, obviously!)

You can vote up to 10 times a day until May 18 so if you find it in your hearts and schedules to throw some support our way, we would really appreciate it! We're dying to go on more adventures and share them on this little blog of ours! Thank you in advance!

*Winners of SM Parisian giveaway to be announced soon!*

Parisian Summer 2012

Hi everyone! How have you all been getting by with the sweltering weather? I, for one, have been putting all my cut-offs and short skirts in heavy circulation. After trolling my blog roll, it seems like there's a consensus that pants are out of the question.The only places I don't wear them to are at work and Sunday mass (no matter how tempting)!

vintage printed top and belt, SM shorts and hat, Looking for Lola cuff, Dior sunglasses, Parisian wedges

The perfect thing to pair with these old shorts is this super thin and breathable top that I scored for a song during my last thrifting expedition. 

In other news, I'm sure you've all been seeing the SM Parisian Shoes and Bags campaign that some of your favorite bloggers participated in. I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in the campaign but on the day itself, I ended up flaking because I was too sick to haul myself out of bed. It's a pity because I was super excited to check out the latest styles they had brought in!

Luckily, I managed to get a hold of some pairs from the summer collection (a big thank-you to Cristel and Rocio)! These wedges are quite possibly my most manageable pair of shoes with some height. I love the covered heel and the sunny yellow of course! I think I might even be able to wear this to work because of how comfy they are.

They go perfectly with the vibrant print of my vintage blouse too.

PARISIAN SUMMER GIVEAWAY!

Here's your chance to score something from the collection with just a few clicks!

I'm giving away these lovely travel-friendly flats for all your summer jaunts from the Parisian Comfy line (size 7), a shoe-themed eco bag, and a beautiful pair of oversized stud earrings from Looking for Lola! All you have to do is accomplish all the steps listed below:

1. Follow the blog on Bloglovin' or GFC.

2. Like SM Parisian and Looking for Lola on Facebook.

3. Email your name, contact number, and email address to shadychronicles@gmail.com.

You may email your entries until Sunday, April 29. Only one entry per person.

foldable flats with floral pompom detail in turquoise and Parisian shoe eco bag

Looking for Lola vintage earrings

I hope you can all take a minute to join the contest! Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone!

Spring Break Supplies

  D: Since spring break is actually about to end, this is yet another delayed post. Sorry folks. Been enjoying a nice holiday since school/work let out last March 29. Here's the reading material that's been keeping me occupied.

Preview's obviously a monthly staple though I've got to get around to buying a long-term subscription to save me the hassle of driving to the neighborhood grocery store.

 I haven't been a teen for a few years already but I'm just not ready to wean myself off of Teen Vogue. This is one subscription I'm not terminating any time soon. Maybe I'll graduate to (Mature) Vogue before I turn 30.

 This is the book I'm currently enjoying. I can't bring myself to watch the movie until I've finished this! Plus when I get through with it, P will have his turn reading this. We love dissecting books for hours on end but I refuse to purchase 2 copies. Til then, the film will just have to wait.

 Haven't started this one yet (my little brother has it on loan) but I certainly enjoyed Emma Donoghue's intense work, Room. If you haven't read it yet, you need to run to the nearest bookstore and pick it up. It's so good that I can't think of a better adjective than "good" to describe it. Just go see for yourself and you won't regret it.

 One of the perks of being a teacher is having access to free books at the library. The sight of shelf after shelf of books waiting to be devoured is one of the most exciting things to see. After a long day in the classroom, I hie off to the library to get lost among the stacks and to unearth hidden gems or crap, as the case may be. 

I have no expectations for the book above but the premise seems promising. It's a murder mystery piece about two teenagers searching for the truth about how their friend died.

 

 Like Jersey Shore and milk tea, chick lit will always be a guilty pleasure for me. Although, it feels much better when you're not shelling out for the books. I admit, I do end up getting 1 or 2 "fluffy mamon" books for when I'm trying to read to sleep. It's akin to the chapters we were forced to read in college that always helped with those sleepless nights. Don't get me wrong though, a lot of these teen romance books have me squealing with kilig,  no matter how formulaic they are!

P: Sadly, I don't have as much time to read books as I'd like. So I like to have magazines around when I don't have the time to invest in a good novel. GQ's a solid couple of hours' worth of leisure time plus it helps me find pegs for the tux I'll be wearing on the wedding day.

So while looking for DVDs in Metrowalk to assist in our state of vegetation, we stumbled upon this cool, little store selling imported items from Japan. Of course, we had to get some munchies for movie night.

We first set our sights on the brown sugar and red bean KitKats. We could only get two of these uniquely-flavored bars because they were selling for PHP60 a pop. These were a real treat though and we're definitely going back to try the dozen other flavors (i.e. Wasabi, Blueberry amd Strawberry Cheesecake, Almond Jelly, etc.)

We both love Meltykiss and green-tea flavored chocolate so we had to grab these sticks smothered in that winning combination. 

The sweet tooth was not disappointed with the brown sugar flavor. It tasted almost like the syrup in taho but not sickeningly so. Good choice to pair it with white chocolate too. 

It's really uncanny how these taste exactly how they say these will taste like. If you were eating this blindfolded, you would probably think it's bits of red bean mashed with chocolate. 

Hope you saw something interesting here or were inspired to grab a book or some sweets. Wherever they may be and whatever you may be doing, hope your holidays are a peaceful and enjoyable.

Sushi Fridays

FOOD

Dinners on Lent Fridays are obviously a tad bit trickier than on regular Fridays, given the seafood-only policy that we try our best to abide by. This year we found ourselves alternating between two restaurants.

We stumbled upon Asagao inside the Pearl Drive complex randomly. We went in without any background information on the place so our expectations were non-existent.

Their menu

It's a small place, usually with a handful of students occupying the tables. Because of its size, it can get reaaally noisy so if you're looking for a quiet place to chill then steer clear. The guy on the rightmost side of the photo is super nice and accommodating but the girl manning the till consistently treated us as though she had better things to do. We get that being a waitress must be exhausting, but being downright rude and haughty is unacceptable. Anyway!

The tempura was a little "bready" but not criminally so like in the cheaper places. It was nice, crisp and freshly cooked. They served the sauce warm and with a side of optional ginger. These were good touches that at least showed some effort. 

We don't usually go for Jap food when eating out but we've recently gone crazy over these Philly Rolls. The salmon and kani, together with the teriyaki-and-mayo sauce make a tasty combination.

Love the sauce! Make sure to ask for a little more teriyaki sauce on the side if you like the savory sweet taste.

FASHION

P: SM shirt, vintage suspenders, 21Men jeans, deck shoes

I needed a hipster outfit for a friend's themed birthday so the checkered shirt and suspenders were a good fit. It's cool for a regular night out too as long as you don't feel pretentious in it.

Yes, my hand did not leave my pocket for the entire shoot.

Snapped up this cool slap bracelet from Topman. They took a 90's staple and updated it with the summer-trending tribal pattern.

D: thrifted vintage tee, random tights, MonicaFig French Bulldog shoes, H&M sunglasses and cuff

I know, it's cop-out dressing, just an over-sized shirt and a lack of pants. I just love all the awesome details on the shirt that I didn't want to obscure it with other...stuff. 

This is the nth time I've worn these ankle boots but I guess that's the mark of a good shoe, right? And the fact that I'm currently under a self-imposed shoe shopping ban means that repetition is bound to happen.