what i wore – Page 25 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

you can only do so much

i love it when i go about the house while everyone else is sleeping. it allows me to be me, silently. this week has been harder for me at work because i’m literally starting from scratch. i had to create new trackers and other files to support the group and to track accurate data of our performance. in other words, i have been burning my ass, typing on my seat with hardly any breaks and yet, i’m still a lot behind on other deliverables. how can this be? if not for the vogue feature and harry keeping my mood up, i would have broken down. leadership is after all about service but i can only do so much.

so, at 5:00 AM, just as my shift is on its 9th hour, i sigh, look at my unfinished work, pack my bags and drive myself through the silent city.

i’ve said this and i’m gonna’ say it again — thanks for the support of this blog and for taking the time out to not only check my outfits but also read what i have to say. it means a lot.

striped top – thrifted

brown leggings – random buy

brown peep-toe platforms – matthews at cmg

rings: black spade – props | round animal print – props

song on my mind: soldier on by the temper trap

summer of one-oh! ocean series: tabuelen spontaneity!

a friend called on thursday morning saying he wants to go to the beach. i said yes without even knowing the plans. so on sunday morning, there we were, b-boy, harry and i loaded in the car without any concrete plans but just to drive 2 hours north to tabuelan — a remote town with white sand and blue waters. of course we had to get more friends. so lyndon and his family tagged along.

it was funny because when we got to the small resort of “durhan’s,” my friends’ jaws dropped because of how beautiful the place is and how inexpensive the rooms are (P1700 or $35 for an air-conditioned room with hot water and cable tv…clean too!) they kept saying, “SULIT!” (which means, perfect for the price!)

cebu north road trip musts (mostly on food!):

fill up your tank with gas and have your tires checked
buy ice cubes and drinks at a local sari-sari store near the city
pass through the new road from mandaue to amara liloan (took us there from north reclamation to liloan in 15 minutes)
buy lechon (roasted pig) in kilo in liloan
buy kinilaw in liloan (this is raw fish in vinegar, onions, ginger, tomatoes and fresh chili)
buy roasted chicken at chooks-to-go! (yummy!)
buy tinap-an (fresh smoked fish)
buy humongous hanging rice (rice cooked inside coconut leaves) for only P5 each
play music and sing along
talk about whatever — even the sights you see on the road!

linen zip-up top – thrifted

faded denim shorts – thrifted

yellow flip-flops – roxy

blue sunnies – thrifted at carbon

ice cream special: armand alforque

i gravitate towards art because it’s the freest form of expression. and with that, i gravitate towards creative people too. here’s a monthly ode to arists. and let me introduce you to

armand alforque

photographer. graphic artist. a very good friend.

we’d like to think that we’re cousins mainly because our parents come from the same hometown — maybe, but very distant. nevertheless, this artist is very close to my heart. armand is a graphic artist at drawing board creative and has created all kinds of art for major events and establishments like loft. however, photography is his passion. discover the talent of armand and let’s take a look at his photos:

1. When did you start photography? Who or what inspired you to start it?

officially, i started 4 years ago when my mom and dad bought me my first DSLR Nikon D40x for my photography class in school. i was really into fashion at first but then i fell in love with photography — fashion photography and digital art. i can easily see the results and have more control over my work.

2. What was your first ever camera? What did you love and hate about it?

like i said, a Nikon D40x. a DSLR was quite expensive at that time. only a few of us in class have cameras. so we have a lot of respect for photography. what i love about my Nikon D40x? it was right for my use at that time. i bought a new one, Nikon D5000 with video(!!!) and sold my D40x to my close friend. my D40x is still in good hands although i hate it because it’s big. i don’t take it with me all the time. i don’t use it for camwhoring. *wink*

3. Do you have a special style of taking photos that you can say would be unique from others? How about editing?

i guess, i tend to over-edit. i look at small details. and my photography may look like digital art. my style is not natural — provocative, with my male subjects and ANTM-ish with my female subjects. not everybody can appreciate my work as some say its almost porn and some say its too “clean.” but i like it. i don’t aim at pleasing everybody. i’m an artist.

4. What do you enjoy most photography?

having full control over it, quick results and you can really do a lot of stuff with the photos. you can go natural or turn it into digital art. there is a work-relationship with me and the models, the MUA (make-up artists) and the designers as well.

5. Who or what is your dream subject?

ANTM-ish!!! ANTM makes me teary-eyed…and BENCH-ish!

5. DSLRs are selling like pancakes. What can you say about the massive DSLR purchases of the last 2-3 years in our city alone? Is it really for everyone?

hahaha, i know and it is quite disappointing. i bought my D40x 4 years ago and it was expensive. and now i bought my D5000 with video at a cheaper price! well, obviously, anyone can afford a DSLR now but a DSLR should be treated with respect. i don’t use it for camwhoring and i don’t use it as part of my wardrobe — a DSLR is not a necklace! everyone can own a camera, but not everyone can take good pictures.

7. What can you say to those who are still planning to take on photography?

don’t take photography because it’s a trend. don’t buy a DSLR because it’s a trend. take photography because you have the heart for it. buy a DSLR and make sure to use it. know your field — whether it’s fashion, weddings, events, etc. treat photography and your DSLR with great respect. and last, practice, practice, practice.

check out armand’s portfolio at: http://armandalforque.multiply.com

have i really?

my mom gave me this dress from a recent thrifting trip she had. this is a nod to summer. ironically, even when i really loved this dress, i am so not in love with this shoot.

it was funny because harry and i were on our usual sunday night date and well, he just wasn’t so adept in photography that night and couldn’t take any good photos. and for that, i apologize. it was a nice night turned a bit awkward. he told me, i have lost my conversant skills because i am always online all the time. LOL. and i admit, we were at roma mia (with free wifi) and while waiting for the food, i had to take a quick view at your comments on my blog. just out of curiosity and ignorance to wifi…ooops!

but when if you really think about, have we really lost our conversant skills because of the internet and technology?

green bohemian beaded dress – thrifted

tan cut-out heels – le donne (a gift from harry!)

tan fringe boho bag – lil’ sister’s

layered bangles – hk gift shop | gifts

ps. the bags of love give-away is officially closed. winners will be announced on saturday.

the city we love

the second installment of my friend’s pre-nuptial photo shoot. it was a must that i tag along — and bring my own photographer with me (harry…LOL),as the shoot was right smack in the city. there was dust, smog and sweat but it was all worth it. it was quite an immersion and very much fun. this time around, there were 2 photographers from calography and as small as the world is, the girl friend of one photographer is my old flag football teammate who tagged along that day. so in the usual cebu city garb — plain shirt, jeans and havaianas — we visited an abandoned building, white gold, fuente osmeña park, jones and the cebu city library.

here are some more photos of that day — photo credits to harry who was being a shutterbug. and if you check the photo right below this write-up, you’d see me and tisha left on the traffic island, naively reading a magazine while the rest of our friends crossed the street. they say they did call our attention but we were too busy debating who was the most beautiful among the metro cover girls. haha!

(hon, do not try to eat that plant!)

our city has a great influence on my style. I am most inspired by our culture, history and environment. I love the colors that surround me, the beach and the mountains that are both just 30 minutes away from the city. I am inspired by how our city is developing yet we still maintain this serene and chill atmosphere.

what do you love about your city?

teal cotton shirt – props

jeans – bebe jeans

green and gold flip-flops – havaianas

tan leather bag – thrifted at baguio (by sis)

hat – boracay

long necklaces: key – props | robot – APM

rings: clustered cubes | oval flat stone – props

ps. i now have formspring! so…ask away!

behind the flowers

one of the best things about living in cebu is not is it just 30 minutes away from the beach, it’s 30 minutes away from the idyllic mountains too. this was taken last wednesday morning as my mom, dad and i drove to babag to buy some flowers for the resurrection carro. i blogged about this previously, at how we design the cart (carro) for jesus’ resurrection on the dawn of easter. i brought my dog for him to experience more of the world — and he got so restless in the back seat, barking at everyone on the road.(LOL!) on the way there, we saw some healthy cows and a horse! naive me had to take some pictures of them. they looked so free by the side of the road. when we got to the flower farm, we had to wait for them to wrap up the flowers so they offered us corn to munch on while waiting. yummy! so fresh!

i love drives like these with my mom and dad. i get to be a kid again. i get to be my daddy’s little girl again. (he took all of my photos, by the way!)

here are other photos i took there:

the title of the post is ‘behind the flowers’ because i basically spent half the time there taking photos of the farmers behind the lovely flowers.

beaded top – maxi skirt trimmed down and worn a top

black cardigan – bossini

black leggings – random

tan fringe sandals – katrina

thin gold belt – props

layered beaded faux gold bangles – gifted

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

the beach that’s a block away

this is only one of a few things that i’ll miss this holy week. this holy week, aside from attending church, i’d rather be:

in sindangan zamboanga del norte, in my mom’s hometown, to enjoy the provincial life — eating diwit and mangoes with bagoong (spicy shrimp paste), binignit. listening to michael buble, diana krall and nora jones while reading a book. walking to the beach to watch the most beautiful sunset. thrifting on the plaza (town park) displays and in the local market. eating grilled oysters while decorating the carro for jesus’ resurrection. laughing my heart out with mom, aunts, uncles and cousins. taking a side-trip to dumaguete and walk in the boulevard for a bit while eating street food — tempura and balot.

watch a tele-marathon with my little sister while munching on popcorn and ngohiong. this is from days of watching seventh heaven marathons from holy thursday to black saturday with my little sister. waking up whenever i want to. visiting 7 churches with my sister and dad on holy thursday or good friday.

or be in bantayan island and be a beach bum for four whole days. sleep in a tent amidst all the other beach bums. line up for an outdoor shower and brush my teeth on a deep well. sleep with sand on our toes. eat chicken as hard to eat as rubber. stare at the stars in the darkness after dinner. wash my hands with seawater. rent a motorcycle and tour the island. apply henna tattoo due to boredom in the afternoons. go home unrecognizable by my dad because i have gone too dark with extreme sunburn. LOL.

instead

i am working my ass off this black saturday. working on a weekend. and holy week at that. damn.

black star-printed dress – thrifted

thin white belt – props

white studded flats – so fab (a gift from lil’ sis)

black over-sized bag – mom’s

black star twined necklace – props

blue sunnies – thrifted at carbon

what dreams may come

if i have too many pictures, that means harry is taking the photos and he tends to just click away. if i’m too happy in them, that means he made me laugh and there is also a possibility that i got annoyed at him right after the shoot (or vice versa) — this explains the last photo. LOL.

as a kid, i’ve always had bizarre dreams. not really nightmares (i do get them sometimes) but dreams that are beyond my imagination if i’m wide awake. most of my dreams growing up would entail me flying, swinging or being chased by someone i don’t know. sometimes my dreams would include people in my lives in the most unusual setting (like my family and i getting chased by a humongous gorilla and i have big black wings). at times, my dream would be of strangers i haven’t met before in my life. often times, i’d wake up feeling bothered or shaken but could not remember a thing. the worst dreams are those where a loved one is hurt and i wake up catching my breath, with tears in my eyes.

it has been suggested that i should write a story about my dreams as most great stories come from them. but i don’t know if i want to solidify them in paper. as of now, i don’t sleep with the lights off and i have learned to avoid movies or books with horror, bizarre suspense or violence. i am, however, still drawn to children’s fiction, gothic fiction, absurdist fiction or steampunk genre. so i guess my bizarre dreams will never end.

how about you? how have you been sleeping?

floral top – thrifted

mauve blazer – linea italia

skinny jeans – chillypapa

black suede peep-toe booties – celine (a gift from harry!)

dog tag necklace – custom-made

work watch – swatch

sunnies – thrifted at carbon

what is normal anyway?

the other day, i posted on facebook that i’m weirded out and i don’t know why. somebody joked, “it’s because you’re a little weird…” which should have been an insult for somebody else but really a compliment for me. you see, i don’t mind being weird just as long as i stand out and am not the same as anyone else. i was born a middle child — 8 years apart from my older sister, charm and 2 years apart from my little sister, aimee. being expected to obey my a-te (big sister) and give chances to aimee, i was forced to think on my own and think of ways to be different from them. so while charm was enjoying her high school life and aimee was outside playing with the kids, i read books and played with my stuffed toys. after school, when i didn’t like to stay and play with friends, i’d go home directly and watch ‘captain planet’ and ‘johnny quest’ on cartoon network. i’d write on my diary and draw clothes. my bed and my room was basically a haven for me. and since i didn’t have anyone else to look up to but my a-te, i listened to the same music she listened to as well. so in 4th grade, while everyone else was into disney songs, i was listening to madonna’s bedtime stories and watching reality bites with winona ryder and ethan hawke (loved that movie!). don’t get me wrong, i was still a typical kid most of the time, but i have always loved to be wrapped up in my own world. so now, everywhere i go, i can plug into my ipod and just while the world away with my music.

gizelle is weird. thank you. normal is ~~boring~~.

striped tee – big sister’s closet

grey pencil skirt – thrifted for only P15 ($0.03)

black strappy heels – so fab

long watch necklace – hk gift shop

work watch – swatch

sunnies – thrifted at carbon

inside my oversized bag

i’ve been tagged by cassiopeia to show what’s inside my bag.

i’ve always loved this kind of feature in magazines — as a kid growing up with seventeen mag and now, i’m living by preview magazine (a local fashion magazine that can very well compete with international ones).

in my favorite grey oversized bag are (clockwise):

a notebook with a tin cover — a gift from a very close friend for christmas
my trusty ol’ ipod classic — i am a music fanatic and have about 4000+ songs on my list (so you can see how an ipod touch or nano won’t do for me)
my sony erricson walkman phone w705 — this is a recent purchase from smart as i already turned 18 months with them. always an avid fan of SE phones. the software just don’t have any hang-ups
my samsung corby — a free phone from sun (another phone carrier). for some who don’t know, sun offers unlimited sun-to-sun text and call…perfect if you’re in a relationship. LOL.
black xoxo wallet — also contains cards, id’s, money (of course!) and receipts that i unconsciously keep
lullaby hand wipes — for icky moments..hehe.
maybelline unstoppable shiny black mascara — this is the only brush that can reach my very limited lashes…hehe.
kozie pen eyeliner — it’s fun because it’s like a colored-pen..so easy to apply!
revlon colorstay mousse foundation — i don’t do touch-ups except for lip balm. i hate it when girls apply powder in a crowd. i want my make-up to stay the whole day.
maybelline lipstick — a very light and neutral shade
carmex lip balm — cannot live without lip balm! carmex keeps my puckers smooth and soft!
in 2 it gel blush — this lasts for 8 hours…guess you know why i like it. haha!

ps. if you’re wondering about the weird stuffed animals — they’re trinkets for my phone so i can easily pull my phones out of my bag…haha!

the light girl

nothing much to say today. it was weird at work today. and it’s only befitting that i can’t type too much as i sort of sprained my right shoulder blade causing me pain in my right arm for two weeks now. so i leave you with photos of my friend’s pre-nuptial shoot last sunday at the mountains of cebu and a little of the cebu street. had to tag along to shoot some photos myself and learn a few tricks from their photographer. last sunday, i was the ‘light girl’ and these are some of the photos i took.

i wish i can say that i styled this shoot but my friend chose her outfit all by herself — i am so lovin’ the hat!
the photographer is ‘paul calo’ who is a part-time wedding photographer — you can check out some of his works here.

ps. if you’re wondering about the food we’re holding, those are ‘caramelized fried bananas’ or ‘banana-cue’ as we call them. mine is a ‘turon’ which is a banana wrapped in lumpia wrapper and then deep fried with caramel. yum!!!

navy blue ruffled dress – thrifted

army green vest – thrifted

tan fringe sandals – katrina

canvas and tan faux leather bag – plains and prints (manager’s garage sale)

necklaces: robot – apm | watch chain – hk gift shop

bangles: green wooden – raw materials store | blue and gold polka – hk gift shop | faux gold ones – gifted

sunnies – thrifted at carbon

a little drizzle would do

it rained last friday night and i could just imagine how the plants are smiling and singing praises. it is scorching hot here in the philippines with the el niño phenomenon and saying goodbye to boots and what little leather we can wear is not the worst we’re experiencing. the phenomenon has caused all the plants and crops in our country to wilt and die. cattle are dying too. fish prices are going up because the fish ponds are drying up and fishes are literally boiling in the water. so when it rained last friday, i couldn’t worry about getting mud on my suede shoes but smile of the hope that we can get through this drought. and with this, i’d be happy to take photos inside my bathroom to get good lighting just as long as it is raining outside.

printed dress – thrifted | brown leggings – ??? | tan ballet flats – parisian – sm dept store

vintage car watch necklace – thrifted at manalili | bangles: wooden – raw materials store, faux gold – props and gifts

on another note, i have been following ‘project runway’ for years and this season is my favorite because of jay nicolas sario. he is a filipino who migrated to hawaii when he was 17. his design aesthetic is amazing and i am loving how he surprises me with his creations — especially the black dress he made out of burlap (or potato sack). i have a few designer friends (most are gay like jay) and i can’t help but feel that it is one of my friends on the show — the mannerisms are the same. here is jay nicolas sario and a few of jay’s works (photo credit: google images and mylifetime.com):

proud to be ‘pinoy’!