Last night Marla, Erin, and I found ourselves at Make Your Own Havaianas in Rockwell, which is easily one of my favorite annual summer events.

pink lemonade, anyone?

This year’s MYOH turned the customizable fun up a notch by not only introducing local illustrator Dan Matutina’s astronomy-themed design, but also by announcing the YOU + Havaianas competition, which will see one lucky winner’s design turned into a limited edition pair for the 2014 collection.

totes eco-friendly

Aside from being able to customize my very own pair, I personally dug all the little details that Havaianas threw in to keep in theme with Matutina’s celestial designs. From the alien/spaceship pins, to the constellation print on the reusable canvas bag with markers, the whole thing totally was an out of this world experience.

 Make Your Own Havaianas 2013 runs from May 2 to 5 at the Rockwell Tent .

The YOU + Havaianas competition runs online till June 9.

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Wondering where to get your shop on this summer? Look no further than the newly minted Bershka, which happens to be the brainchild of Spanish, fast-fashion  supergroup Inditex (see also: ZARA, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear).

At the launch of their new Glorietta branch, I had the chance to sit down with 3 of their special guests to get the inside scoop on the brand.

DJ Eve Speciall, Begona Munoz (Head of Communications), and DJ Prince Pelayo

How did you decide to pick this spot as the first Bershka branch in the Philippines?

Begona Munoz: Bershka doesn’t place ads, so finding a great location like this one, especially when opening in a new market, acts as our ad. It’s all about location!

What do you love about Bershka as a brand?

DJ Prince Pelayo: I love the fact that it’s so accessible in the way that it connects to young people. I remember when I was a teenager, I’d buy Bershka in my home city because I felt that it connected with my taste, not only in fashion but in music.

DJ Eve Speciall: For me it’s about being able to constantly update your wardrobe without putting too much of a dent in your wallet as well. Always having pieces that are really current… It’s a one-stop shop for just about anything. They have some formal pieces and casual pieces that you can easily mix and match.

Who is the Bershka Girl?

Begona Munoz: The Bershka girl is very independent. She is very in tune with the things that she wants and she loves to shop with her friend. In a word, she is fearless.

Bershka is located at the Ground Floor of the new Glorietta.

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 Picked up an iPhone on my trip to Singapore last week, and (like the true technological dinosaur that I am) have become instantly obsessed with documenting everything via Instagram.

Here are a few of my favorite snaps from the trip

Floral caps by ‘Hater’, a Candy shoot, that Gotye dude, truffle fries, and rings.

All manner of feline-themed pieces from Cineleisure to Haji Lane.

Super Mama, Singapore Art Museum (SAM), and PACT

and finally…

ME AND BRITT DANIEL!!

I mean, just look at the way Britt Daniel is touching me. Look how pasty we both are. I could totally be his little Asian wife. FYI if you have no idea who he is, he’s the lead singer of Spoon, one of my favorite bands ever. Aside from catching other cool acts like Tame Impala, Kings of Convenience, Real Estate, Kimbra, and Yeasayer, his new band, Divine Fits, totally made me and my boyfriend’s Laneway experience.

Anywho, in the spirit of good vibes (and also because I am soooo in deep with this Britt Daniel phase of my life right now) I leave you with this classic Spoon gem:

p.s. follow me on instagram @ sampotenciano

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The first full week of the new year has officially come and gone, and in order to prepare for a big brainstorming sesh next week I have  relegated my Saturday afternoon to cleaning up my act and giving 2012 a proper (if not slightly belated) goodbye.

This entailed my arranging a disastrous collection of magazines that I have accumulated throughout the years, and that have survived the wear and tear of travel from musty Singaporean dorm rooms to numerous archipelagos and back.

I also took the time to sort through all the shoots from the last year, and to think objectively about what worked and what didn’t to help me focus on producing better work this year.

Here are some behind the scenes instax photos that I dug up from last year’s cover shoots, events, and editorials:

It’s a huge cliche but it’s a cliche for a reason: you can’t move forward unless you take a good hard look back.

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I like cats okay. There’s no other way to put it. It’s gotten to the point where perfect strangers have begun sharing cat memes with me and I’m super cool with that.

Cats tend to be polarizing though. You’re either all about them or you’re ‘y’know, more of a dog person‘. It’s cool either way, but if you happen to have that one crazy cat lady in your life, know that nothing will tickle their fancy more than a cat themed gift this christmas.

Here are few ideas to get you started :

From top:  ring, Madewell ;  dress, Anthropologie; sweater, J.W. Anderson for Topshop; headband, Yhansy; sweater, Opening Ceremony

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