Salon Discovery : Soiree Salon and Spa

After reading through the long thread of reviews at Femalenetwork.com, and getting a personal recommendation from a friend who's been taking her daughter there for cuts and rebonding, I decided to bring Anissa to this place early yesterday morning. She's been needing a good haircut for a while now. Her hair has grown so long, all the way to her bra line, and she wanted a fresh change. The day before, I sent the salon a text to inquire what time Ken (the highly-recommended) stylist would be free to take us in. Here are my honest reviews about this whole experience:

• Texting them to book an appointment was a total BREEZE. I received a reply to my first text less than 5 minutes after I sent it. The person on the other end was accommodating and prompt. Our appointment was at 930am Sunday, 30 mins earlier than opening time of 10am but I wasn't charged extra for barging in earlier.
• Upon our arrival, I was greeted by their receptionist, Michelle, who ushered me to the 2nd floor. Another assistant followed soon and shampooed Anissa's hair.
• Ken was on time. He greeted the both of us with a very warm "good morning" and answered all of my questions. He was very pleasant and professional.
• I also told Ken that I desperately wanted a haircut, but asked him for his advice. My hair is also due for rebonding (last session was Oct last year) and all my waves were starting to show. Hence, the fact that my hair is always up in a ponytail nowadays. He was kind enough to tell me to wait until the day I decide to do the rebonding. Because if I have it cut now, I would have a hard time styling it because of the natural waves. Note that he never suggested that I have this all done by him. He was just giving me his honest opinion.
• There was no hard selling of any kind (which is a plus factor for me because I get irritated at the slightest hint). There was just a very kind offer from Michelle to do a mani-pedi while I was waiting for Anissa, but I opted to have my hair shampooed and blow dried instead, since we were going out anyway.
• We were both offered iced tea or coffee.
• They had an abundance of both local and US magazines around.
• Place was very decent and clean. Not too big (maybe they should consider moving to a more spacious area in the future).
• Parking was not a hassle because we came early. But during peak hours/days, it could be a problem due to the very limited space they have for cars.
• They do nails too ... I just forgot to check on the nail polish brands they carry but I'm sure someone has written about it in the forum (see Femalenetwork link above)
• Anissa also wanted to know if she can have her hair rebonded in the future. Ken advised that she might not need it because the cut she asked for got rid of her waves. He asked us to observe first and if it turns out she really wants one, she can have only a semi-rebonding for P2,500.

My over-all rating : 4.5 stars! Only because I go by the rule that nobody/nothing is perfect. But for the price of TWO HUNDRED BUCKS for a haircut (that's roughly US$ 5.00, yes!), I have absolutely no reason to complain. Ken was precise and thorough and explained his moves almost the entire way, also teaching Anissa the proper way to dry her hair to achieve the same effect.

I'm completely sold on going back there for my own needs. I just had my hair colored a week ago so my rebonding session would have to wait another 7 days. What's nice about this is I know exactly how much I'm going to spend when I go back. Ken already told me hehe!

Here's a picture I took while Ken was snipping away at Anissa's VERY long hair

And here's a pic I took when we got home.

That's atleast 6-8 inches off! She was stunned at first at the amount of hair she had to give up but was so happy with the results.

See you again very soon, Soiree!!!

Contact them at 0922 8500069 and don't forget to ask for Ken

Address : Katipunan Ave. Extension, St. Ignatius QC (near White Plains)

Goodbye, Season 73 :(

It ended all too soon. The UAAP season is over for our beloved DLSU Green Archers. It feels strange not being in the finals. Modesty aside and excluding the time DLSU was suspended, we've always seen ourselves through the entire season. I miss watching the championships and cheering for the team to win that much coveted UAAP championship title. But we entered this season knowing fully well that this is not our year. A lot of us were almost sure we weren't going to be in the final four. Not for anything else, but because this year's team is made up mostly of rookies and sophomores : 7 rookies, 4 sophomores, 3 juniors, 2 seniors to be exact. Arch rival, Ateneo still had Kirk Long and Eric Salamat.

I have lots of observations gathered from the past weeks since the season opened in July. The biggest surprise? The Adamson Falcons. Who would've thought?! Each time I watched them play, I just got awed no end. Shooters everywhere, from a team who was a relative "unknown" all these years. Never really paid any attention to them until now. They'll still be a force to reckon with next year, I'm sure.

I'm glad I was able to watch 99% of DLSU's games this year. It's been a while since I've done that. I owe it all to my new-found status as stay at home Mom (but that's a whole different story). It really pays to watch even the small games. You get to see more, and therefore, understand more.

I've been a UAAP fan since my college years ... I started watching the games live sometime in the late 80's. Been cheering for the Archers since then. Which is why I'm extremely passionate about how they do year after year. Which brings me back to my original point. My heart bleeds for the team right now, as well as for all of its loyal supporters. But I hope the boys know and the fans remember that the team far exceeded our initial expectations. We totally under estimated them. With such a raw and inexperienced lot (compared to our huge opponents), we nevertheless managed to get into the Final Four...we beat a more mature Ateneo team in round 1 (I still remember how great that felt), we brought the FEU Tamaraws into a double overtime and beat them in the next face off, and again despite our loss yesterday, we scared the hell out of them with another overtime.

All in all, it was a good season. Save for the fact that our boys have so much more to learn (they seriously need to get a free throw coach), they put up a truly good fight this year.

To Team Captain Simon, Joshua, Maui, Joel, Luigi, Yutien, Jovet, Papot, Sam, Nico, Gab, Martin, Almond, Oda, Ikey and Ferdinand ... Take a bow, my dear Green Archers. You all did well. Coach Dindo, salamat! See you next year!!!

ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

Cath Kidston iPhone Cases ... lovely!

If I had an iPhone, I would definitely get these! They look so pretty and dainty.

Too bad I'm a Blackberry user, and so far, she's only come up with cases for the Bold 9000 (my first BB unit). None for the 9700 which is what I use now. *Sadness*

I'm definitely on the lookout for 9700 CK cases!

Batch Milestone : The Launch of the St Scholastica's College SWATCH Watch

Last night, my high school batch realized its dream of launching this huge project, which a specific group has been working so hard on these past months. The St Scholastica's College SWATCH watch was finally unveiled. At a cocktail event held at The Gallery of Greenbelt 5, we introduced the watch in the presence of some selected guests from the media, fellow Batch 86 and other notable Scholasticans. Our guests of honor were : Sr. Angelica Leviste, President of SSC Manila; Ms. Virgie Ramos, President of Gift Gate Inc. and Ms. Ballsy Aquino-Cruz. Ballsy was there to represent the late President Cory (who was also a Scholastican) because proceeds from the sale of the watches will go to the St. Scholastica's College Corazon C. Aquino Professiorial Chair.

This event reminded all of us that we're getting closer and closer to that all important date in February 2011, our Silver Homecoming. It was so nice seeing everyone again and seeing all the hard work that went into this project. Hopefully we get to sell all 500 watches soon!

My 10 Minutes of Fame

For love of my Alma mater, I agreed (with much hesitation) to appear on ANC's Shop Talk today. The objective was to talk about and promote our fundraising efforts for our February 2011 SILVER Homecoming. I was relieved when my high school batch mates told me I wouldn't have to do it by myself. Good!But things got bad when we we told the night before that it was going to be a LIVE show. My nerves didn't stop acting up until today, at the very moment I took my seat and the interview happened. Those were the longest 10 minutes of my life! I don't regret doing it though. Least I could do, after being uninvolved the past year due to a hectic work life.

Here are the photos from that memorable experience...

In fairness, the girl's an expert. God knows how many faces she does everyday. In less than 15 minutes, my make up was done and I liked what she did.

Chinky's turn to get prepped

All in all it wasn't THAT bad. Chinky and I just freaked out slightly when, at the last minute, we were told that we were appearing in separate segments. We were under the impression that the host was going to interview us together, so we talked about catching each other just in case we forget any of our lines. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case! *Inhale, exhale ... I'm starting to hyperventilate just by recalling that specific moment*

A special thanks goes to the show's host, Lexi Shulze, for being so candid and casual and making us feel at home. She really is a good host, so comfortable in front of the camera.

To our batchmate, Tina P. who was there but chose to stay behind the scenes, thanks so much for acting as "alalay", photographer (we had to document it of course for our homecoming blog) and for helping us with our lines.

Next stop daw is a show on the other network naman. Oh my!!!

Eenie Meenie Miney Moe

This always always happens. Whenever I get a new toy, I end up spending hours upon hours on the internet looking for accessories. For days now, I've been wanting to get the original case for my iPad. Tried looking in eBay and in Greenhills and was shocked at the prices. As much as P6K?! That's totally ridiculous, when I can get it from the Apple website for $39 plus shipping. It probably won't cost me more than P2.5K in total.

This is what the original case looks like. Would you pay P6K for this? I doubt. I wouldn't. The lowest price I could find was at iStudio, something like P4k. Still expensive.

Next on my list is a camera connector kit. I need it because I upload a lot of pictures. It costs $29 but the cheapest I could find locally is at P3k. Ridiculous.

I've made up my mind. I'm ordering these online, never mind the long wait.

As for the wireless keyboard which is priced at $69...

I think I can do without this ... for now. I've gotten used to typing on the screen. The keypad size is ideal, not much hassle using it. I'll probably get the keyboard eventually but I'm in no rush.

Whispers from God

I signed up just a few days ago and received my very first email from God Whispers Club yesterday. The site belongs to the famous, Bo Sanchez. I've always loved his books, I even follow him on Facebook for updates. I'm really looking forward to receiving these messages. I just wish they would come daily instead of bi-weekly.

Hey you...

I wish I could tell you that this entry is all about you. But I would rather keep your identity a secret for now.

Last month, something unthinkable happened to me. Totally unexpected...it took the wind out of my sails for a while. You were there when it happened. You saw how upset I was (but I hope you know I wasn't upset with you). Somewhat like the voice of doom, that was what you were. But something told me, something like an inner voice in my head said to me: don't take it personally, don't let this situation make you forget the kind of person she really is. I listened to that voice. Weeks passed and many other disappointments presented themselves. Still, I maintained my initial mindset --- God knows the truth, everything will be alright.

Today, a month and some weeks after that fateful day, our friendship is rekindled and it's one of the things I'm truly grateful for. Everyday since our first long conversation in a while, I've thanked the Lord for this rediscovery. Things are so much clearer now, thanks to you. Sure, some of the things you opened my eyes to really hurt to a certain extent. But I haven't lost faith. I still believe this is all happening for a reason, and is just a prelude to a much brighter, peaceful future. It's the same thing that comes to mind when i think about you turning your back on those same people responsible for my current circumstance. This was all meant to happen. No matter how painful, it is part of God's plan.

It feels great to be reassured this way. I know that our long talks in the past few days are God's way of telling me that He is still at work and has full control. There is absolutely no reason for me to give up, especially not now, not when He has given me a much clearer understanding of things. I have very little regret in my heart. Mostly, it's hope for better days to come.

Thank you for not disappointing me, my friend. I always knew I was right about you.

You will always be in my prayers. I am truly blessed to have a friend like you.

Thanks, Mama

A beautiful message from my Mom this morning :

Use the day to praise God who knows ALL things and thank Him for the positive developments. Strength comes from our belief in a God who helps lift us out of difficult circumstances.

Love you, Mama...