Today is my day off work. After running some errands, the super handsome Devon Sawa popped by my place earlier for lunch. It was so nice meeting him in real life — he drove so far just to see me. Many of you will recognize him for his work in Nikita, Final Destination, Eminem’s Stam video, Casper, etc etc etc. I had a hard time explaining to my Swedish beau the importance of who he is so I told him, in summary, well,  he’s the Justin Beiber of my generation minus the singing. How do you explain Teen Beat, Tiger Beat, Bop etc. to a non-American? LOL! Anyhoo  – it’s fascinating how we are complete opposites in so many ways but then I discovered we have so many things in common. He’s an awesome guy!

Who knew all roads lead to Los Angeles? Never in my life I thought I’d end up moving tens of thousands of miles away from home to fulfill something that’s a dream to many. In a very bizarre twist of fate, here I am, blogging from my new home in West Hollywood. I’ve relocated to the City of Angels; one could say I’m an Angeleno now. An angeleno who can’t drive. Hah!

I’m sure you’ve heard the news. I’m thrilled and honored to be part of America’s Next Top Model Cycle 19 panel!

This is my first job on the small screen. Other than the occasional on-cam interviews, I have ZERO television experience. When I landed in Los Angeles on Friday after an eighteen-hour journey from the Philippines, I went straight from the airport to the studio to tape my first episode appearance — the first elimination round. I’m very new to all of this and I’m sure you’ll notice how I’ve been up for a good two days with absolutely little (2 hours don’t count) sleep. I could only wish for magical fairies to sprinkle some miracle dust at the editing room to make me look alright. Hah!

It’s gonna be fun, fun, FUN! I’ve taped another episode yesterday. I was gobsmacked at my trailer. It’s hysterical — I almost had a coronary when I went inside it. I felt like a TV star. Haha! Today is my free day because it’s a holiday in America (Memorial Day). We’re gonna tape another episode tomorrow.

Wish me luck. I love you all!

I’m probably the last person in the world to buy Carine Roitfeld’s book, Irreverent. I should’ve bought it during Fashion Week and asked her to sign it. Hello — someone is selling an autographed copy of the book starting at $400 on eBay (or $1,500 with a buy-it-now price).

Hat from Cheap Monday, sweater from Theory (click HERE), custom-tailored shorts, shoes by Kurt Geiger, bag by Reed Krakoff

If you haven’t done so, buy Irreverent from Amazon.com.

It’s no secret that I’m one of those people who often go to the same places over and over again. I’ve been to Los Angeles thrice in the past year so after awhile, it gets a bit tiresome. Rumi and I contemplated whether we should stop by the Getty Villa (yes, Getty as in bajillionaire Getty family) before hitting the Pacific ocean. After much coaxing from my end, I’m glad we did. Where else to wear Versace (ok, fine, even it’s Versace x H&M) but a real villa? Even if it belongs to someone else. Hah!

Sunglasses by Prada, sweater by Vanessa Bruno, trousers by Versace x H&M, shoes by Kurt Geiger, bag by Reed Krakoff

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Behold the most comfortable garment I own in my whole life.

While Rumi looked for kitchen knives at Target the other day, I raided the boy’s section for possible clothing and prop options. It’s my second time at Target and I’ve always been curious about their fashion offerings. Plushy pyjamas aside, I found this hysterical sleepsuit for $12.99. I’ve seen people in America walk the streets in their precious velour tracksuits, so I thought, why not take it to the extreme and prance around the streets of Los Angeles in my super comfy sleepsuit?

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Sometimes, it’s important to never let emotions get in the way of taking a photograph. A few minutes before these photos were taken, Rumi and I were both on the verge of crying and panic. She left her keys inside the car, essentially locking us out. Our wallets, money, and suitcases filled with clothes were in the back of the car and it was freezing cold. You have no idea how thankful we were to the powers that be that Rumi put my phone in my new neon yellow backpack (which I bought at Flight 001 earlier in the day) otherwise we’d be trapped in Malibu. Who needs hot, rugged, stubbly American surfer boys when you have a tow truck driver from AAA come to your rescue?

Beanie from Cheap Monday, sunglasses from Prada, top from Versace x H&M, custom-tailored shorts, belt from South Africa, bag from Flight 001, shoes from Kurt Geiger

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As part of my effort to improve my health (and more importantly, to downsize my figure), I’ve decided to embark on a vegan/vegetarian diet. It’s very easy to do this in health-conscious Los Angeles where tons of vegan cafes thrive and flourish. Rumi brought me to one of her favourite places, Cru, for lunch. I had a small cup of soup and zucchini “spaghetti”, which, I must say, for no more than 100 calories for the entire bowl, is quite filling. I couldn’t help but update my vegan friends in New York with my progress. They’re very proud of me. I think I’d be proud of myself though once I become lean and fit into sample sizes once again. Haha! ;-)

Hat, cardigan, necklace and bag gifted by Marc Jacobs, sunglasses from Prada, pleather vest from Karl Lagerfeld x Macy’s collaboration, belt borrowed from Rumi Neely, custom-tailored shirt and shorts, shoes from Kurt Geiger.

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Rumi and I spent the afternoon roaming around Melrose and La Cienega. Went to the Book Marc store to buy Carine Roitfeld’s book, Irreverent, dropped by Theory to pick up this cool chevron sweater I saw in New York earlier this week. Also bumped into my friend Ceci who works for Max Azria. My Saturday afternoon couldn’t be more complete.

Photos via Rumi Neely

Sunglasses from Prada, spring 2012 scarf gifted by Louis Vuitton, coat gifted by Kenzo, custom-tailored shirt and shorts, shoes from Kurt Geiger

I’ve been to a handful of places around the world and no other city has the same effect on me like Los Angeles does.

Sometimes I love it, but most of the time, well, I don’t. I always cringe whenever I’m faced with the prospect of going but once I’m here, everything turns out to be OK. Part of the reason why I can’t stand the place is the fact that I don’t know how to drive.

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It’s always nice to see something unexpected. I swooned over this pair of denim overalls at Urban Outfitters the other day. It was on sale so I had no choice but to buy it. It was less than fifty bucks! I know I’m the last person to wear something like this… but it’s so fun!

Hat and overalls from Urban Outfitters, t-shirt from Theysken’s Theory, shoes from Acne, bag from Rebecca Minkoff