smile despite the pain

  
harry and i went to visit the dentist today — my dad!hehe. harry was nervous as hell, letting my dad take a look at his teeth but he had no choice as he had to have his wisdom tooth checked. it was killing him and he couldn’t pronounce well all week — which was affecting his work as he has client calls everyday. i won’t describe what my dad did to his tooth but what i can tell is that he can now pronounce the letter ‘s’…hehe. i also had my teeth cleaned — after 25 years! ironic huh? my dad’s a dentist yet we hardly visit his clinic…haha! so, what better reward than to have ice cream right after the visit…yes, the cold ice cream does relieve the mouth but the extra toppings give more cavity…LOL.
ps. i love the details of this top. it’s linen, plaid and has pleats and pockets on the front. grabbed it and never let go of it while thrifting 2 weeks ago.
plaid top – thrifted
skinny jeans – chillypapa
black peep-toe booties – celine (gift from harry!)
owl chained watch – thrifted at manalili
black bag – lil’ sister’s
aviator shades – lil’ sister’s
rings: animal print and clustered cubes – props

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viva pit senyor!

it’s the 30th sinulog in cebu! to know more about this festival — click here!
it’s grander than new year’s here in our place and i swear, every year more and more people flock to cebu! it’s not a mob but a tidal wave of people and all you can do is let the waves take you… even the rain this year couldn’t stop the people from partying…
the family and i had our annual lunch at my tita’s (aunt’s) house in talamban and the above photos were taken on their steps. i couldn’t eat much because i was sick the whole night and had painful stomach spasms — almost had myself hospitalized if it weren’t for the thoughts of sinulog motivating me to get through it. i mean, i don’t want to miss the fun on the streets and stay couped up in a hospital room…after lunch, my friends and i hung out at a bar on the streets of mango, right near the actual sinulog parade… we did our own body painting (as seen below: my own painting of our group name right on my arm)… i took a few photos of the parade and the people (as much as i could manage since it’s very crowded)… then we walked to ayala cebu to have a picnic on the terraces grounds and watch the fireworks…i’m very proud to say that i got through this year’s festival SOBER…haha!

 

printed top – roxy
boho skirt – thrifted
flip-flips – havaianas (make your own)
black studded boots – mongkok ladies market
black bag – lil’ sister’s
dog tag necklace – custom made
reindeer in gun metal (necklace) – bubble bee gift shop
rings – props
gun metal cuff – props
pink sunnies – thrifted

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"it’s a small world…after all" (repeat 3x)

 
rain or shine, january 15 was a date to mark. my good friend, edu, got married to kathi last night. and although i was hours late and didn’t get to see the cermony nor catch most of the reception because of the crazy – insane traffic, it was still very touching for me. my friend is happy. my friend is smiling. and most of all, he has found someone who can laugh at his jokes — when all the time we were making of fun of his humor in college..hehe.
and of all places, i bumped into eden of chic in the tropics at the party! we were laughing at how it could be a mini-(very mini) blogger meet-up…haha! we’re wishing dane was there. eden emceed at the party and is a good friend of kathi since high school.  we took a few photos before she left but couldn’t really strike poses as it was pouring really hard. i swear, we were crowding ourselves inside the tents. eden sure knows how to do the smokey eye. while i almost got soaked in the rain and forgot to bring my make-up bag.haha! (i should have asked eden what she’s wearing…anyhoo, just check out her blog! it’s really good..)
while i loved the heels, i couldn’t bear wearing them to work because i had to run through the parking lot and it was raining all day. so i brought my trusty boots.

 
i work the night shift and always look forward to 6:00am and see the sun rise from our window.  however, today was as gloomy as it could be. (i think this is the jinx from all the people who say they’s jealous of our sun…haha!) so i had to make do with whatever light i can find to manage a good photo inside the house. believe it or not, the light is from my sister’s reading lamp…LOL. so how did i do with my photos?
floral dress – thrifted
black blazer – thrifted
strappy heels – so fab!
black boots – mongkok ladies market, hk
 chained watch (with floral design) – hk souvenir shop
 pink shell cuffs – props
blue ring – props
black bag – lil’ sister’s 

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braving the blue

 

i had asked for these blue tights of Leg Love by Kate Torralba from my manito (Secret Santa) for Christmas…and luckily, he found it. and now, when i think about it, it is such a bold shade of blue. an eye-catcher you might say. i wore this once with dotted tights over them (here!) and they looked subtle then — and that was for a vudu party.
so…i gathered all my courage and decided to wear them for work as i also needed a boost of confidence from the effects of work blunders last Tuesday. people stared. people were shocked and nearly dropped their jaws…i even had one agent ask me why i’m wearing such blue tights. and it kept me smirking the whole time because some people looked so funny trying not to stare in the elevator (in such a small space!)… nevertheless, i loved wearing these tights. despite everything, i stood out and i was myself again. who cares if they can’t understand.
i want to talk some more but my puppy is on my lap and has his head on my right arm. he gets mad when i type too loudly..haha!
printed top – thrifted
 black jacket – thrifted
blue tights – Leg Love by Kate Torralba
black flats with bow tie – leaveland
rings – props
bangle – props

hello sunshine!

 
this is the only time i love the sun — when i’m at the beach. went with old co-workers and harry to a local beach resort last sunday to just unwind and hang out. there were good laughs and good food.
(i had this whole write-up prepared but my mood today just isn’t letting me want to talk too much)
just wanted to show you guys this skirt that we thrifted years back. it’s an original united colors of benetton vintage which still has a “made in italy” tag. most clothes (or stuff even) today are mostly made in china. not that i’m hating it…hehe. i wore this once to a company party 3 years ago and was awarded one of the best dressed for the night. wore the skirt as a dress and belted it. (don’t be shocked with how dark i am… i was still playing flag football then…haha!) damn, i miss my collarbones…and by arms… fast forward to 2010 and look what losing exercise can do to you…
4th of july party at vudu (2007)
white tank top – metro kids dept
pink swimsuit – props
printed maxi skirt – UCB (thrifted)
flip-flops – havaianas
bangles – various: props | manalili
heart necklace – ???
sunnies – thrifted

clear as vodka

  
 
 
i do go out at night. if my friends beckon, i come out of my pj’s and dress up for the weekend. nothing really to celebrate but just old friends seeing other after months overtaken by our busy lives. drinks of the night: tanduay ice + soju, vodka + sprite, smirnoff + sprite. you can guess what happened afterwards..haha!
on a more serious note, i’m really having a dilemma with a friend. how do you tell a friend your opinion of  something that might hurt her? i know i should be honest about it to her as i’ve always told her my opinions but she might take it negatively. will have to gather enough courage to do so. wish me luck!
ps. the beige top is supposed to be worn with the ribbons tied. but i firgure, i’m out so might as well be comfortable and casual.
beige top – mom’s closet
high-waisted denim skirt – thrifted (owned for 5 years)
tan cutout heels – a gift from harry
green woven belt – thrifted
tan leather bag – thrifted
long necklaces – hongkong | sm dept store
rings – props
bangles – gifts | props | manalili

happier = less words

 
i’ve been thinking about what to write here. and i almost thought i’ve gone totally illiterate that i can’t write as much as i did before. i used to fill journals of my feelings or thoughts and when i read them all again, i couldn’t identify with what i wrote anymore. in it was a girl with so much insecurity, self-doubt and desperation. don’t get me wrong, i took risks (in both my personal life and career) and went on great adventures but i built a wall around myself. i showed people i was strong but deep inside, i was filled with fear. i don’t want this to sound like an attempt to write a script for a romantic movie but when i met harry, i slowly dropped the wall and shed the bitterness away. i thought i have lived my life to the fullest by going on multiply road trips and partying every weekend but i found myself going home, my journal in front of me and still feeling empty. when yapi (me) met harry, my journal entries became scarce and my thoughts are now of the future and no longer of the past..and possibly my life with him. could it be that if we’re happier, words become scarce…? because as of now, i am happily speechless…
 
floral printed bubble top – maek fashion
black leggings – bought from mom’s friend
black peep-toe booties – a gift from harry
grey bag – mongkok ladies market
chained watch with rose detail – elegant tang dynasty
angel wing and woven heart necklace – props + sm dept store
rings – props
sunnies – manalili

walk till i can’t walk no more

 a sneak peak of my shoes.
they’re not much and the most expensive one i own is only P2000…
but i love them all! and i try my best to give them all attention by wearing them regularly…

heels (left to right): white gladiator heels – centropell, tan cutout heels – le donne, black strappy heels – so fab!, khaki pumps – shooz, tan oxford heels – shooz, brown suede with rhinestones – celine, brown booties – rosanna peña, black peep-toe booties – celine
fave flats(left to right): bronze – unlisted, black with bow tie – leaveland, black with studs – mongkok ladies market, white/khaki oxford mary-janes – so fab!, grey suede – so fab!
boots and others (left to right): grey – janylin, black biker boots – mongkok ladies market, tan boots – centropell, khaki/gold sneaks – leaveland, white flats – mario d’ boro, suede ankle boots – mongkok ladies market

daring to be great

 
i talked to a friend today…and we got to the topic of ‘just going the flow..’ this friend has a ‘go with the flow’ vibe..and doesn’t really make long term goals…when asked why he stayed with a company for a year, all he said was that he stayed just because…and he left because something happened that caused him not to attend work for quite some time…although i am most of the time a happy-go-lucky person and at times, just choose to go with the flow, i cannot stand not being in control of my life… my friend chooses to be mediocre..because if he aims high, he and the people around him have high expectations of him… but i have always chosen to be great… mediocrity for me is just choosing to not make the most out of your life…i have always believed that not trying and not taking risks is not living at all… but that’s just me. and that’s just my friend too.
ps. this is the very first time i’ve worn deep berry lipstick..saw it on my mom’s dresser and tried it out before i asked dad to take photos of me. yes, my dad takes my photos. *wink*

black blazer – linea italia
striped top – thrifted
skinny jeans – chillypapa
strappy heels – so fab!
dog tag – custom-made
rings – blue: props | howlite: dane’s giveaway
sunnies – thrifted

neutrals

 
 
when confused about what to wear, we can’t go wrong with neutrals. as much as a love colors with punch, i always go back to shades of brown. it’s my go to palette.
i’ve been losing some sleep because of the band practice at the back of our apartment. here in cebu, celebrations start with christmas season and end by valentines. some people even don’t take down christmas decorations until february..haha! and why is this? well, cebuanos celebrate ‘the sinulog’ — the feast of the baby jesus. it’s a city wide celebration with a big procession on 3rd saturday of the month and a huge mardigra on the sunday after that.  there’s street dancing from different contingents and schools (all sacrifices and offerings to the baby jesus)..and there’s a lot of parties on the streets…the mardigra ends with fireworks…and before we know it, we’re waking up with a really bad hangover…it’s really crazy!
anyway, my ‘a-te’ (big sister) told me i need to get better backdrops for my photos. i wish! i don’t have much time or chances to go around and find good scenery as i take my photos right when i get home from work. i wish i can have denise’s backgrounds. she always has really good and interesting ones.

cropped pants – mom’s closet
white tank top – metro kid’s dept
cropped jacket – thrifted
brown suede shoes with rhinestones – celine (a gift from mom)
long necklace – a gift from ivy
bejewelled cuffs – custom made by sis
rings – props
sunnies – thrifted

"kilig" factor

 
non-pinoy readers might wonder what the title is for…haha! “kilig” means the excitement of seeing someone you’re crushing on or you love…it’s sheer cheesiness…like that high school feeling! why might i feel “kilig?” well, since i got home from new year’s, i’ve been couped up in bed only going out of my room to get food and water…i’ve been watchign dvd’s of 80’s films…and i fell in love with “16 candles” and “say anything”…so cheesy yet i did feel those exact feelings back in high school! haha! life is so simple back then… all i worried about was getting my homework done, whether my crush likes me back..and what i’m wearing to the mall on saturday…wish i could go back. but then if i do, i wouldn’t be able to afford fabulous shoes. such a dilemma!
i’m also super amazed at the number of comments i received for my previous post…such an honor! thanks to all of you for visiting my blog…it really means a lot to me, reading all your comments… my 2010 is just starting and i have a feeling it will be awesome!
blue floral tube dress – a gift from goring
white knitted cardigan – thrifted
bronze flats – unlisted
tan bag – thrifted from baguio
blue metallic belt – props
oval locket – a gift from karen
long necklace with patterns – a gift from ivy
rings: blue – props | sterling silver howlite – dane’s giveaway

happy polka new year!

 
 
  
my polka dots may seem cliche for new year’s but not for the superstitious and those who love polka. they say that polka dots or round things on new year mean you get more cash for the year…*crossing my fingers* it’s my 3rd year wearing polka for new year’s eve (see photos below)…and so far, i’m loving it.
it’s the first new year’s eve not spent with my family and although i’m crushed as are all my agents, we did try to make the most out of it. we brought food to the office and i bought them all horns to toot when the clock strikes 12. so we stood under the drizzle and screamed and tooted outside the building, looked at the fireworks from our windows when we got back to our floor and ate as much as we could. and now i’m home, eating chocolate cake while everyone is asleep. *sigh*
here are my past polka new year’s:
new year at vudu (2008)

new year at waterfront hotel (2009)
polka shift dress – thrifted
black tights – hanes
black peep-toe booties – celine (a gift from harry)
long necklace – a gift from ivy
rings – props