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Jan 06

0

Charming Charlie

By Heart2Heart | SSI Group Inc | No Comments

Charming Charlie, the rapidly growing women’s contemporary jewelry and accessory retailer, opened the brand’s first location in the Philippines at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street last December 11. In the Philippines, Charming Charlie is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., a member of SSI Group, Inc., which has further growth planned for the brand in Manila next year.

Known for carrying a wide array of accessible fashion accessories merchandised by color, the Charming Charlie store offers a full range of product including fashion jewelry, handbags, small leather goods, scarves, watches, sunglasses, a special occasion collection, and more. The Central Square location showcases the brand’s newest retail concept with signature double doors in vibrant pink lacquer and a residential-style interior that mixes feminine, mid-century accents with luxe materials and whimsical details.

“The Philippines is a fast growing territory with an increasing population of young adults and proven track record for American brands so entering Southeast Asia following our Middle East expansion made perfect sense for the brand,” said Charlie Chanaratsopon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Charming Charlie. “SSI Group is the premier partner in the Philippines and we believe their local expertise will allow us to bring our incredible value and fun shopping experience to customers throughout the region.

Opening as many as 55 stores in the United States each year, Charming Charlie is continuing to build a loyal following of passionate clients and is quickly becoming the must-shop destination for women’s accessories. Building on its momentum, international expansion was the next logical step. The company’s movement into the Middle East and the Philippines this year marks the beginning of a significant transformation for Charming Charlie as it evolves into a global brand.

“We are delighted to be working with Charming Charlie to launch their brand in the Philippines,” said Anthony Huang, President of SSI Group, Inc. “We look forward to charming the country’s fashionistas with stores that will provide accessible accessory options to complete their everyday looks.”

Charming Charlie is a women’s contemporary jewelry and accessories retailer that offers unrivaled value through high quality style and an accessible price. Launched in 2004 by Charlie Chanaratsopon, the brand is known for merchandising its broad assortment of product by color, which includes fashion jewelry, handbags, accessories, apparel, footwear and more. Charming Charlie has more than 350 global retail stores across the United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines. For more information, visit www.charmingcharlie.com or www.ssilife.com.ph.

In the Philippines, Charming Charlie is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., a member of SSI Group Inc., and will open in Central Square this December. Visit www.ssilife.com.ph for more information.

Jan 06

2

Campos – Lopez Wedding – Here Comes the Bride

By Heart2Heart | Bridal | No Comments

I have been waiting for this day!! Campos - Lopez Wedding - Here Comes the Bride I knew Ria when she was 3 years old and now she’s a young lady! I am sure Nana is smiling up from heaven 🙂 We found out about the good news almost a year before the wedding and so they had plenty time to prepare. A few months before the wedding I caught Ria making her own giveaway! Each one is handmade and sewn with LOVE 🙂 by the bride The day of the wedding the entourage met up in the house for pictorials And the beautiful bride prepared for her big day The bride’s cousin, Sari Campos, who did the make up ( www.saricampos.com )
Beautiful wedding gown by Rosa Clara Meantime….the Groom….

Jan 05

0

The Tasting Room by Chef William Mahi

By Heart2Heart | Foodie | No Comments

After all the Christmas rush, the last weekend before Christmas we were able to relax and go to City of Dreams for a special dinner at the Tasting Room. I am happy to be back !

Previous entry: Tasting Room at Crown Towers Hotel City of Dreams August 1, 2015
Damien Planchenault, Manager of the tasting Room. He is also French and he is married to a Filipina 🙂A limited edition wine and the allocation for the Philippines is exclusive for the Tasting Room Amuse Bouche which is truly amusing 🙂

Curried apple chips, Gorgonzola cheese wrapped with almond crumble and caramelised pork, Cepes Jelly and Salmon candy and foie gras lollipop.

Ten orders of this please! 🙂
Choose 5 to 8 courses and then just choose any dish in the menu. So this means you can have all appetisers, all mains, all desserts 🙂 or a mixture of anything in the menu! 6 courses is the Chef’s menu. Sea Bass Tartar – Mint-Watermelon- Coriander- Mango-EspumaRavioles-Mushrooms-Cappuccino-Truffle Signature dish – 52 degree Egg, smoked potato mousse, onions, confetti, ceps powder, girolles. A must! Everyone’s favorite! Homemade Smoked Norwegian Salmon – Caper-Sake Pan fried Organic French Pork Belly Dry Aged Wagyu Beef MB6 I highly recommend this dish

Barbarie duck -1/6 dried apples, cocoa sauce, sweet potato, almonds, broccolini sprouts, quince marmalade, nougatine Saffron Ice cream, Kalingo Chocolate-Chocolate mouse- Hot Chocolate- Passion fruit /Orange marmalade- pecan nuts Lemon Cream Petit Fours

Click below to go to their website

Jan 05

0

Tommy Hilfiger Celebrates Two New Store Openings in Brazil

By Heart2Heart | SSI Group Inc | No Comments

Tommy Hilfiger, which is owned by PVH Corp. announces that Mr. Tommy Hilfiger celebrated the opening of the brand’s two new stores in São Paulo, Brazil with an exclusive, star-studded red carpet event at Casa Fares on November 10, 2015.

The event was attended by Tommy and Dee Hilfiger who were joined by celebrities including model Hailey Baldwin and musician Justine Skye, as well as Brazilian VIPs and influencers such as actress and model Fiorella Mattheis; models Marlon Teixeira and Daiane Conterato; racecar driver Nelson Piquet Jr.; artist Eduardo Kobra; photographer J.R. Duran; actress Alexandra Brochen; fashion bloggers Lala Rudge, Paula Martins, Carol Celico, Enrico Celico, Ucha Meirelles and Francesca Monfrinatti; celebrity stylist Yan Acioli; and socialites Paola de Orleans e Braganca, Tato Malzoni and Kelly Piquet.

Mr. Hilfiger’s visit to Brazil is the culmination of his yearlong program of special initiatives to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his brand, which has also included events in New York, Paris and Beijing, among other cities.

“I am thrilled to be in São Paulo for this final stop on our global 30th anniversary tour to open up our two newest Tommy Hilfiger stores,” said Mr. Hilfiger. “As we celebrate this milestone anniversary and I reflect on my career, I am reminded of what an incredible journey we’ve had over the past 30 years. Since my first collection in 1985, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by great friends and business partners who have supported and inspired me throughout the years.”

The party was held in a modern gallery space, which was transformed into an intimate lounge with bespoke décor that included oversized white balloons and a vintage Rolls Royce reminiscent of the Spring 2015 advertising campaign, I DO HILFIGER, as well as LED screens featuring images of the brand’s most iconic moments from the past 30 years. Guests at the event enjoyed signature cocktails and snapped photos against the floral wall while enjoying musical performances by celebrated local DJ Luisa Viscardi and Ms. Skye. After the cocktail, guests were invited to the lower level of the venue for an all-hours after-party DJ’d by São Paulo favorite Igor Cunha.

While in São Paulo, the iconic designer is also hosting a series of special events including a speaking engagement with design students at Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), one of Brazil’s most prestigious universities, and a VIP dinner at Restaurante Fasano hosted in partnership with InBrands CEO Michael Sarkis and Vogue Brasil Editor-in-Chief Daniela Falcão.

The events celebrated the opening of the newest Tommy Hilfiger store on the prestigious Rua Oscar Freire as well as the new JK Iguatemi location. These two stores are the latest addition to a growing portfolio of over 30 Tommy Hilfiger locations in the country.

Ms. Hilfiger wore a white silk pantsuit.

Ms. Baldwin wore a blue silk flora print maxi dress.

Ms. Skye wore a sleeveless burgundy jumpsuit to attend the VIP dinner and a crotchet and stripe patchwork maxi dress for her performance at the red-carpet event.

Ms. Mattheis wore a burgundy long sleeve velvet and crepe pieced dress.

Ms. Rudge wore a black sleeveless, peak lapel, wide leg jumpsuit.

Ms. Celico wore a red bullion stripe tunic and navy leather strappy sandals.

All women’s looks are from Hilfiger Collection

American singer and songwriter Halsey wore Tommy Hilfiger performed a duet with global pop star Justi Beiber on The Today Show in New York City last November 18, 2015. The two performed ” The Feeling,” a single from Mr. Beiber’s new hit album Purpose

Halsey wore a midnight navy satin varsity bomber jacket with a gray and navy logo sports bra and navy logo sports bra and gravy and navy logo underwear, all from Tommy Hilfiger.

Tommy Hilfiger collections are available at select Tommy Hilfiger stores globally and online at tommy.com.

Photo Credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Citi; James Devaney/GC Images; Al Pereira/WireImage

In the Philippines, Tommy Hilfiger is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. a member of SSI Group, Inc., and is located in BHS Central Square, Greenbelt 5, Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Newport Mall Resorts World Manila, Abreeza Mall Davao and Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza Mall (Childrenswear only). Visit www.ssilife.com.ph for more information.

Jan 05

0

Circles with Bambi

By Heart2Heart | Foodie | No Comments

Loved the Christmas display at Shangrila Hotel Makati!Always an overwhelming experience with so many choicesLunch treat by my good friend Bambi. I love it that she is always so generous to share her home cooked food, food gifts given to her or she will invite to dine out. So you can imagine all the food we share!! haha!! This time she shared with me her favourite buffet place at Circles This is what she concentrates on just like maybe everyone else For me, these are what catches my attention 🙂 Many of which have to have cheese 🙂

Feta cheesesticks!!
Risotto!Bistek TagalogBambi shared with me her vongole which the Chef in the pasta station knows how to cook already whenever it is Bambi ordering! That is how often she is here! 🙂 It was so good I ate almost half her plate! 🙂Desserts are always so pretty!!But this was my favourite this time. My favourite was RED BEAN which was the one to the very right. I order that in Inagiku and here it is all you can eat! 🙂The apple pie looked so good! Next time

Jan 04

0

Le Planteur

By Heart2Heart | Myanmar | No Comments

Our last dinner was at Le Planteur. This was included in our tour package. I would say this was our best meal in the trip though I wish our best meal could have been a typical Burmese restaurant
I love the interiors of this place! Thanks to Tita Marissa Fernan for pointing it out that the interior designer is Delphine de Lorme who used to be based in Cebu. Delphine is a French Pop art painter. She helped in the interiors of The Henry Hotel and La Vie Parisienne restaurant in Cebu.

Previous entry: The Henry Hotel Cebu July 1, 2014

Rica’s at the Henry Hotel Cebu July 2, 2014

She moved to Myanmar in 2013 and now manufactures fashion accessories and home decor in Myanmar

Love this pink sofa that has legs – literally legs 🙂

Indoor dining – most of the people like outdoor so the outdoor is filled up and inside there’s hardly anyone

Love this private room with birdcages

Going up to the second floor

Many different areas for dining in Le Planteur

Garden dining by the Inya Lake at Le Planteur

Idea for jars! Make it into a giant lamp

Rabbits in the garden

and ducks 🙂

The Burmese wife of Axel who is 30 years younger than he is! She was his secretary and a few months back Axel almost died and it was E E ( not sure how to spell but pronounced that way 🙂 ) who took care of him and he loved her for that. So we were so happy to meet her- very sweet and soft spoken Amuse Bouche Sashimi and Tartar of red tuna with wasabi ice creamJapanese Scallops RavioliSeared Foie Gras with Xeres VinegarSnow Crab and Yellow Tail Fish Tartare Japanese Wagyu

Gift shop

Love the restroom and that pink dog!

Love the toilet paper holder!Click below to go to their website

Jan 04

0

Shwedagon Yangon

By Heart2Heart | Blogs | No Comments

The highlight of Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda which you can see from any part of the city.

The elevators to go up

There is an attire/dress code for temples in Myanmar and here they were most strict when it came to wearing the right length of skirt and the wearing of shorts. They will lend you a sarong to wear in case you are not dressed correctly

Free wifi! haha

Bodhi Tree where Buddha was enlightened

Just beautiful!! Again the photo never justifies the feeling that you will get when you are standing right there and looking at them and just being there

What a wonderful way to end our Myanmar trip!! The most beautiful and oldest temple in the world! The Shwedagon Temple in Yangon.
100 meters high -24 karat gold leaf and has a 78 karat diamond on top. As time went by they added structures around it. There are
64 replicas of the stupa around And 82 temples owned by rich families.

It rained a bit after a few minutes of picture taking which explains the dark skies I am glad we are together for our best adventures

Night photos which make the sky so blue!

Many buddhas all over

Another nigh shot I’ve never seen so many Buddhas in my life!! Myanmar has the most temples in the world. It’s amazing how many people treat Buddha as a god when he was a real human being. They not only believe in his Philosophies but they treat him as a god!

Click below to go to their website

Shwedagon pagoda

Jan 04

0

Yangon

By Heart2Heart | Blogs | No Comments

Our last day in Myanmar was spent touring Yangon. Yangon was known as Rangoon and was the former capital but not anymore.

The city is an amalgamation of British, Burmese, Chinese and Indian influences, and is known for its colonial architecture, which although decaying and beyond appreciation, remains an almost unique example of a 19th-century British colonial capital. New high-rise buildings were constructed from the 1990s (and some are scarily unoccupied and left as ghost skyscrapers and hotels as seen along Upper Pansodan Rd) as the government began to allow private investment (while former national government buildings such as the massive Secretariat Building, as the capital is shifted to Naypyidaw, have been left to rot). However, Yangon continues to be a city of the past, as seen by its longyi-wearing, betel nut chewing and spitting pedestrians, their friendly or even familial attitude towards strangers, its street vendors and its pungent smells.
Yangon’s former name is not the only victim of symbolic changes in this country. For one, the country’s name has been changed. To add up to this identity crisis going on in this country, this city has been stripped of its capital status, the capital relocated to a secluded new site called Naypyidaw built from scratch. The flag too has been changed, recently redesigned in 2010, replacing the old one which replaced another one slightly more than a decade earlier. ( Wikitravel.org )

Our hotel 🙂

I usually only show the nice things in anything so many of the nice structures that I like are the old buildings. It’s sad that some of them are not maintained too well. I wish they could maintain it and use them because they are beautiful

More reality photos 🙂

We saw this wall being held up by wood. Maybe to save on demolishing and fixing it, they just put the wood :-O

Market!!! Always a must for us in every city we visit

The market is not too big and it is not crowded – we did not stay long so here are a few photos

We were wondering what these Christmas tree of things were -Apparently they are gift suggestions for the monks. People buy them and gift them to the monks in the temples

Umbrellas 🙂 I posted this in my Bagan post and that is where they are made so if you really want to purchase them its best to buy them where they are made so it is cheaper

Mother of Pearl

We went to this French Home

Where they sell home accessories and antiques

I forgot what you call these but these are antiques and it was the collection of the owner and it was not for sale. There were several around the place

Love this guest powder room which was full of mirrors

Whenever I travel I like contacting friends in the cities I go to. I did not think I would have any friend in Myanmar!! But apparently I do!!! Cobo and Cathy Nepomuceno. Cobo was my grade school neighbourhood friend while Cathy was a batch mate in grade school in St. Paul’s College of Pasig. We were in touch but really had no time to meet up due to the tight schedule!! They have been living in Yangon for a year or so with their youngest son Luccio. Their eldest, Jaco, is in Manila studying in DLSU.. Cathy is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Sule Shangri-la, Yangon and DOSM at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Jan 03

0

The Strand Yangon

By Heart2Heart | Myanmar | No Comments

Our first night in Myanmar was here at Yangon and we stayed at the Strand Hotel. We just stayed one night and left for Bagan. On the way home we are back to this hotel for one more night

The rooms are so spacious! Closet and dressing table Desk

The night we arrived dinner was included so we availed of it even if we were already full from the plane food haha!!Why give up a dinner like this? 🙂

The Strand Hotel in Yangon is one of the most iconic 5 star hotels in Yangon. Built in 1901, it remains as awe inspiring as it was in the early 20th Century.

Jan 03

0

Inle Heritage House

By Heart2Heart | Myanmar | No Comments

On the way to our next stop at Inle Lake, a rainbow appeared! Blessed!

Beautiful wherever you look

“Something special is the Cat House: a rich Burmese has built a house in the traditional style and started to breed Burmese cats which were nearly extinct in their country of origin. You can enjoy the graceful animals playing around and even join their play. Afterwards you can sit on the verandah and enjoy the view over the lake before you return to your hotel.” ( Easter Crossings Guide )