cebuana style – Page 23 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

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’!

the irony of ‘our’ daylight savings time

my mom and dad told me that we used to have daylight savings time here in the philippines — during the marcos regime. i was just born at that time so i couldn’t remember. being in the call center business for almost 4 years now, i’ve had daylight savings too as our schedules follow US or Canada time. it mostly also depends on what region the company is in — so far, i’ve worked PST, EST and now, MST. you can imagine how confused i get sometimes when i step out of the office. sometimes, i greet my friends on their birthdays a day late…LOL.

now, every time we start DST, just as some of you guys do, our schedules get moved an hour earlier too. so from 9:00 PM – 6:00 AM, my schedule got moved to 8:00 PM – 5:00 AM. which made me ecstatic as i can go home when the sun is barely out and i can ‘save’ on the cooler part of the day. when the actual reason for DST is to make the most out of the sun, our DST here in the call center is a reason to still go home dark and a bit cold. there’s nothing like changing into comfier clothes, snuggling in bed or getting good ol’ breakfast at sunrise. DST saves us a bit of sanity. plus, who would want to get out of work with the sun scorching on your face, right?

here are photos i took of our street, the road on the way to get my sister (who’s a nurse) at the hospital and the city hospital she works in.

how has daylight savings time gone for you, so far?

black and white polka dress – thrifted

black leggings – ???

black suede peep-toe booties – celine (harry’s gift!)

owl watch necklace – thrifted at manalili

bangles: wooden – raw materials store | faux gold ones – gifts

prim and proper

our grandma has always trained us to dress up for church and on sundays. i remember her standing by the door in our house in the province, waiting to see what we’re wearing. it has to be appropriate — like, it has to have sleeves and the length of the skirt has to be knee-length. it’s not that she was strict about clothes in general — i mean, our mom used to have mini-mod dresses in the 60’s and 70’s and that got my dad hooked..LOL. but sundays were always an exception. so even when we got back to the city, i remember me and my sisters taking our time preparing for church because we always had to look appropriate and presentable. sundays, as a kid, was always a dress-up day. and my favorite was my peach chiffon dress with a matching brim hat.

this was taken last sunday after church and on the way to get a massage at one of our favorite spas here — nuat thai at mabolo. not only is their services good, they have really good interiors too and very affordable — a body massage is at P150 – P250 ($3.00 – $5.00). please don’t mind my disheveled look. it is indeed obvious that i need to relax and unwind. i can assure you i was deeply relaxed after the 45 minute foot massage and 1 hour swedish body massage…felt so good!

grey dress – miu miu (thrifted!)

zebra print bow flats – parisian

black oversized bag – my mom’s

long watch necklace – hk gift shop

‘for the love of accessories’ winner!

congratulations to melissa of ‘dear ella..‘ for winning my give-away!

please e-mail me your full name and your address.

thanks everyone for joining and again, thanks for following ‘vanilla ice cream…’

at the end of the day

….it is healthy to just laugh it off. the last few weeks have been really stressful for me. the culture of my previous company was so warm and filled with guidance and now, i’m the one left in charge of a group with different personalities and managers with very fast-paced lives. maybe it’s because i started out building my leadership skills in my previous company so i was dependent at that time. now, there are decisions that i have to make that i never thought i would have to before. phew! my back is literally aching.

one good news though… i have finally managed to ask to take this monday off — just so i can breathe a little and unwind. most probably get a massage. and just watch dvds. in short, pig out. haha!

wondering why i’m laughing so much in my photos? that’s harry asking me to do his dance.LOL.

i’d like to thank karla bautista, by the way, for getting me these shoes. have been coveting F21 shoes for a long time now. anyone want to send me F21 shoes with free shipping?haha! i’d pay for the shoes.

grey graphic tee – maek by karla | grey pin-striped vest – thrifted

denim jeans – chillypapas | grey platform heels – forever 21 | black twined star necklace – props

blue spade ring – props | circular cuffs – props | pink sunnies – thrifted at manalili

and speaking of PROPS…

there are awesome ring candies on my shop that are for sale from PROPS.

check it out!

opposites attract

this photo was taken last week when i was waiting for the emission testing and annual registration of my car. i wasn’t in the mood to dress up for work so i basically jumped out of bed, took a quick shower, hid my hair in a headband, wore my favorite shirt and black leggings. i think my blue bag saved the outfit (it’s a christmas gift from harry in 2009 — which i pre-chose by the way as he is so clueless about shopping! LOL)

before harry, i’ve been single for 5 years — dating but no commitments. i’ve had my heart broken a couple of times because a guy couldn’t commit to me — intimidated by me, the way i think and my strong personality. i tend to be irrational, sarcastic, be tomboy, a perfectionist, spontanoues, moody, aggressive, and…smarter?haha! let’s just say i laughed at picked up lines to guys’ faces sometimes intentionally. and welp, i don’t dress as simple as other typical girls too. i got frustrated with going home alone everyday that i asked our manager who was a good friend if there is something wrong with me. he told me, “well, maybe you need someone stronger than you. who can control you.”

oh, he was so wrong! i didn’t need someone who can control me, i needed someone who would complement me. i got the guy of my dreams and more. harry and i are total opposites in pretty weird (and funny) ways.

i drive = he cooks the dinner.

i love sports and was an athlete = he was an orator and a student body president.

i love technology = he loves history.

i love punk rock, brit rock, indie and new wave music = he loves oldies and standards.

i am health conscious = he doesn’t even love wheat bread (LOL)

i love change and spontaneity = he likes to be safely where he is now

i love the beach = he loves the mountains

i tend to freak out easily = he stays calm

i like dogs = he likes cats

but you see, even with our opposite loves and personalities, we mesh well because we respect and support each other. and i have never been happier.

grey tee – thrifted

black leggings – ???

denim jacket – lil sister’s

zebra-print headband – props

grey suede flats with metallic detail – so fab (a gift from big sis!)

blue faux leather bag – maldita (a gift from harry!)

necklaces: dog tag – custom-made | gun-metal reindeer – gift shop

sunnies – thrifted at carbon

the ‘barla’ incident

photos (from top clockwise): me, the barlas, mom and gianne frances, me and my cousins – cookie and lilac, mom and dad, my robot necklace

family will always come first for me. when all else fails and the rest of the world abandons me, i can count on my family to be right behind — waiting to catch me.

last sunday was the christening of my cousin’s baby girl — gianne frances. and i was one of her godmothers. that means more gifts to buy by christmas…haha! i was happy to have spent time with my cousins, especially my favorite cousin, lilac (on the 3rd picture). our age difference is almost 15 years but we just think alike. they call us ‘the barlas‘ after this long, black and bony fish.

why barla? well, every holy week, we go home to our province in zamboanga del norte and spend time at my grandparent’s house. we take care of the easter breakfast for the church and the ‘carro’ of jesus on his resurrection. while in there, we mostly eat fish for fasting. our late lola (grandma) used to buy this fish called ‘diwit‘ which is so yummy. the ‘diwit‘ is a long and flat fish. one summer, my cousin and i volunteered to shop at the market for dinner. we were so excited to have found ‘diwit‘ at such a cheap price — P60 per kilo. we immediately bought it and were so proud of ourselves. we even bought sweet mangoes for dessert. when we got home, we were scolded by our moms because what we bought is not ‘diwit‘ but barla! they look the same — same shape and length but the barla has almost black scales. the barla is sooo bony that we can barely eat any meat on it. we became the laughing stock of the whole holy week and our relatives couldn’t stop joking about it. LOL.

what about you? tell me of a family blooper you experienced.

striped dress – thrifted | long navy blue top – thrifted | suede belt – big sister’s |

suede brown wedges with rhinestone details – celine (mom’s gift) | faux monogram bag – thrifted | robot long necklace – APM | bangles – gifts

don’t forget to join my 100 followers give-away!

| for the love of accessories |

forever thankful

in college, my friends and i were blogging to share more stories of our lives, mainly just to each other. the sentimental and emotional person that i am unconsciously made it to a blog filled with feelings. i eventually stopped blogging in 2006 because i got too busy with work and the dawn of multiply and myspace at that time took more of my web-time than blogging.

mid-2009, i discovered karla de rass and i was hooked.

around november 2009, i decided to turn my personal blog into this.

fashion has always been an essential part of my life even when people say it’s just vanity.

my style is the way i express myself and my mood. it’s one of my forms of art.

documenting my outfits — daily and what-not, have pushed me to be more creative with myself.

it has secretly given me the excuse to go beyond boundaries and wear whatever i like.

but staying true to myself, this blog will never be just about fashion but also about my life.

it will be filled with feelings — yes, sometimes mushy ones. and rants.

it will be filled with adventures. loves. laughs. heartaches. triumphs.

and i am forever thankful for my 100 followers who have been putting up with me.

your comments, believe it or not, have made my day in more ways than you can think of.

you have all made this adventure damn worthwhile!

ps. 100 followers give-away will be posted soon! keep posted!

purple and grey floral tent dress – thrifted

black cropped cardigan – thrifted

layered-chains necklace – props (new stocks!)

black faux croc belt – props

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

work watch – swatch

sunnies – thrifted at carbon

of alarm texts and music

“you mean the world to me.”

waking up to this sure makes my day better. harry surprised me with an alarm text message on my phone. so i get to wake up everyday with that text. i’ve been feeling low over the last couple of days and felt slightly disconnected from the world. aside from all of your encouragements and sympathies, i’m so thankful that harry is here to bear with me despite my weirdness, sadness and grouchiness — man, i can snap like that and he’d just swallow hard and take it all in. it’s only to you hon that i’d say sorry for being a bitch. *sincere apologies*

music is a big part of my life. and especially on days when i cannot begin to grasp what i’m feeling, i immerse myself in music. for days like these, i am thankful for:

frou frou

imogen heap

regina spektor

the national

the honorary title

john mayer

up dharma down

your music has kept my life in balance.

this heartache

this was taken last sunday when i decided to suprise harry after his shift (at 9:00 AM) for breakfast at one of the retaurants in I.T. Park. decided to bring along snickers so he won’t grow up ignorant from the world since he’s mostly couped up in the room. he can’t go out because our old dog is so mean and possessive of our attention (especially my dad’s) that we’re afraid she’d attack him. being a sunday morning, the park was serene, perfect for just hanging out and chilling. i sat by the pond for a while and enjoyed being alone for a few minutes. those are one of my favorite moments — when i can just be alone and be allowed to think.

so this weekend, harry and i watched one of the local movies ‘miss you like crazy‘… i’ve always loved the tandem of john lloyd cruz and bea alonzo on-screen (don’t like her too much anywhere else..haha!) the movie was predictable but still interesting. i loved the concept. i loved the scenes. i love the conversations and the lines. and it brought about certain emotions that i’ve suppressed for a while.

i miss my best friend so damn much. it’s harder breaking up with a friend than with a boyfriend. you’d take years of friendship and just throw it away. she was my soulmate. we could be together and not say anything but know how we are feeling. we had a falling out almost 3 years ago and my heart is still aching, everyday. although i have harry, there are times when i’d feel so damn alone because i lost the only person who can understand me without asking why. i have tried opening up to my other friends but it’s just different. she’s in hawaii and i’m here. miles apart and we can’t bridge this gap that we have.

so now i have woken up with very swollen eyes, having cried myself to sleep last night.

polka mini-dress – thrifted

black cropped cardigan – thrifted

brown sandals – prima donna

brown leather bag – thrifted

bangles: orange polka – a gift | pink polka – DIY | bronze – props

vintage car necklace – manalili

sunnies – thrifted at carbon

let go of high school already!

one supervisor for 40 agents is just plain crazy.

i feel like this has been the longest 2 days of my life.

i wish that people in their 20’s would already let go of high school. stop with the gossiping, stop with the talking behind people’s backs and most of all, stop with the bullying. snide remarks, raising of the eyebrows and rolling of the eyes is all too pubescent and it’s stupid. i am here to manage professionals and not be a high school guidance counselor. just start doing your jobs. the last i heard, people who constantly look at other people’s work and not their own can never be successful.

there. i’m sorry. just had to rant (yet again). thanks for letting me. now i can move on to my weekend.

i have great things to look forward to this weekend. dinner with old co-workers for the promotion of a former manager. my 1st monthsary with harry — by the time we roll over a year, we start counting back to 1 month (just to spice things up and feel like a couple in their honeymoon stage again…LOL). a night of blogging and catching up on your blogs (yes, YOU!) and thrifting with my mom and sister on monday morning. (yey!)

hope everyone has a great weekend!

thanks for the lovely comments on my previous post.

i’m seeing that i already have 91 followers since i turned this personal blog into

a fashion & lifestyle blog last november 2009.

with that, i might (99.99% chance) do a 100th follower give-away!

clue: it’s going to be a few of my favorite things. *wink*

ruffled top – thrifted

white shorts (yes, i did wear one) – props

white studded sandals – a gift from lil’ sis

vintage suede bag – from bangkok

long watch necklace – hk gift shop

sunnies – thrifted at carbon