The Blogging Goddesses of Manila

A recent conversation with a friend of mine back home turned towards the question about whether or not a blog like this one will ever survive in a crowded blog-market like the one we have in Manila. While I never really claimed to blog for the money (...sorry, corporate sponsors-to-be), I will admit that a shopping-and-chismis blog like mine may not stand out, at first. This is, after all, the country that also spawned Bryanboy.

And while this not-too-humble probinsyana is committed - and content - to continue blogging about drugstore mascaras, I would be more than happy to concede my usual showbiz-and-glamour beat to the real experts.

First and foremost: Chuvaness.com.

Mind, this is a stylist-assisted Chuva you're seeing in this picture, but I was already a fan of Cecile Zamora-Van Straten from her columns for the Philippine Star, before Scribey tipped me off to her blog. Stylish, yes, but whip-smart and witty, and quite unpretentious when it comes to her love of fashion and design. Anyone who can write about Louis Vuitton and still have no shame about buying housewares at SM has my undying love and respect.

Also in the category of "undying love and respect": Jessica Zafra.

In the early part of the decade, I was more than ready to write her off as a relic of the grunge era - too artsy for her own good - but all that changed when she also started writing for (again, no surprise here) the Philippine Star three years ago. Now she has her own blog, and I can't let a day pass any more without her piercing insight and unrelenting sense of humor. Also, if you can find them, Scribey and I both heartily recommend her old column, Twisted - several compilations of which are now available on paperback.

(Disclaimer: I have no connections to the Philippine Star, other than the fact that my parents are faithful subscribers to the paper, and a passing acquaintance of mine and Scribey's from high school is now an editor in the same section of the paper where La Cecile and La Jessica publish their columns. Those of you who do, however, should feel free to bombard the editors of the Star with recommendation letters on my behalf. Heheh.)