love – Girl Gone Cuckoo

heaven sent

i took hiatus — quite a long one. it’s been almost a year actually but for good reason. my last few posts last year were melancholy, what with the loss we experienced. i tried to get back on my feet after a few bouts of depression and tried to accept that everything happens for a reason. and it did. a month after i turned 30, i found out that i was pregnant again. we were hush-hush about it, keeping the news as much as we can to ourselves, our family and close friends.

nine months and 22 hours of labor after, we met a heaven sent in the form of our flower child, Madison Rue. she is everything we expected and more. she gave us the gift of love that we thought we already had. on May 5, 2015, i became a mom.

see more of Maddy’s newborn photos on our photographer, Salt and Bleach’s blog.

bohemian love

almost five years ago, i put on a blind-fold and took hold of his hand, not knowing where to go, not knowing where we’ll end up. here we are and our hands are still tightly entwined.

styling and production design – cuckoo cloud concepts
photography – marlon capuyan
hmua – erika diaz

going home to you

art deco cropped top – props | cotton belted pleated pants – props | strappy anima-printed wedges – people are people, gifted by Harry | ostrich feather earrings – downtown finds | gunmetal woven-effect cuffs – downtown find | rings: gecko – bangkok find, stone ring – forever21, gifted by Karen

Harry loves to make me laugh and i love him because he does. without him in my life, i might become an old, single lady with a couple of dogs — burying herself in work or staring at the ceiling with a dark chocolate in hand. i am too passionate at work for my own sake that there is only 3 days in a week where i don’t go home upset, fueled or excited about something work-related. going home to him is definitely something i look forward to everyday. it changes my perspective. it reminds me that i have something more important than work — my life with him. ♥

date nights

people ask me how it is now that Harry and i are married. well, aside from having to share anything we own and having to make decisions together, we’re pretty much like boyfriend & girlfriend. we still hold hands like teens. sometimes while walking, i wrap my arm around him and pinch his back and i snuggle into him like a kid. we have foodie adventures — more like dessert adventures and walk into bookstores right after, snooping new reads and smelling their pages. this is one of those nights.

ps. of course, i have to force him to take a photo of me too. LOL.

dress code: silver and pink

silver top – celine, thrifted | electropleated skirt – primal rave wholesale | chain belt – props | silver heels – makemechic.com | silver clutch – mom’s, sm department store

when i get invited to a wedding, i always tend to gravitate my outfit to the color motif of the event. if i can’t find the exact color, i’d wear the next shade. this time, the wedding called for pink and silver. i spent 2 hours looking through all the plastic bags of wholesale stocks in our house to find a pink outfit and found this hot pink skirt. i was all set then i got to the venue and i was the only one following instructions. LOL.

this was Glenn & Charity’s intimate afternoon wedding last December 10, 2011 held at the Redepmtorist Church. the blushing bride walked down the aisle in classic Charity style — with drama and grace. it was a day surely Glenn and Charity won’t forget. best wishes to the couple! oooh, i just love weddings and i can’t wait for mine. ♥

how about you? do you love weddings? what about them do you love?

photos below were taken by Marlon Capuyan, the super talented wedding photographer from Cebu, who is incidentally Mildred Zapanta‘s better half and whom i will definitely book for my own wedding. check out his website and be prepared to be in awe.

midnight walks

i landed a job in one of the companies in Cebu I.T. park right after i graduated, back when there were still three buildings standing there. i was 21 and naive then and didn’t care too much about work but only thought about shopping and when i can finally meet a guy who will fall head over heels in love with me. the park became my home and walking its dark streets in the middle of the night with friends or dates was pretty much just normal to me. before jeepneys or buildings started popping out, walking the empty sidewalks was much needed for a breath of fresh air. the walks were filled with laughter and small-mindedness when accompanied with friends or music and stimulating conversations when accompanied with a date. one such date (and all other dates that followed) was with Harry.

we met on a Sunday night then got acquainted over lunch on a Monday. Tuesday breakfast followed and before we knew it, we were inseparable. so you see, i’m almost 28, have gone through a lot but still a little naive. i still think about shopping, especially over shoes and continue to think about the day that i finally met that guy who fell head over heels in love with me. ♥

just us two

pale blue vintage dress – thrifted | brown oxford wedges – forever 21, gifted by sweet | feather necklace – downtown find | cutout cuff – downtown find | rings: skull and brain – downtown finds

i once found it funny and foolishly romantic that my friend’s parents celebrate their anniversary of when they first got together as a couple (you know, as boyfriend and girlfriend) and that they celebrate their wedding anniversary too. little did i know, i’d be doing the same thing too.

harry and i officially became an “us” on january 27, 2008. it has been four years since then. ♥

cheers to 2012!

Good morning 2012!

the Sembrano tres marias — meeting 2012’s first sunrise! (forgive my sister Aimee, she doesn’t realize Cebu pavements are not as clean as Aussie’s..LOL!)

Mr. and Mrs. B’s first new year as a married couple! ♥ ♥ ♥

Harry, me and my kulit sister, Aimee!

Sam, Kate, Armand, Aimee, Me and Harry

i miss Armand!

family’s night out? LOL.
Mr. and Mrs. B ~ Harry & Gizelle + Aimee + Mr. and Mrs. Tan ~ Warren & Charm

with the super hilarious Mary Ty, one of the amazing designers of MEGA YDC. our jaws hurt from laughing!

now, on to the outfit…

polka tent blouse – primal rave | bandage skirt – primal rave | black strappy heels – people are people
brass cuff – shopyapi.com | feather necklace & brass layered necklace – downtown finds | rings – downtown finds

Aimee’s outfit: pink bandage dress with sleeve cutouts – primal rave | chain bag – vintage
leopard heels – people are people | necklace and bangles – downtown finds

can you guess what those things are beside the lion?

the polka dressing tradition continues! this is my 4th new year wearing polka — they say it’s good luck and brings in more money for the year! here’s to not just more money but more love, guidance from God, opportunities to seize and risks to take…

2011 was definitely a roller coaster ride for me. half the year were mornings where i didn’t know whether i wanted to wake up or just sleep through the day but i was blessed enough to realize life is too short and took mine back. 2011 blessed me with a job that i loved [all this time], a promotion, a fiance, a family reunion and fiinally, a husband.

to 2012, may you bring as many opportunities and adventures as you’ve given in 2011 — only less confusion, heartache and drama. ♥ ♥ ♥

love the ninty percent ♥ ♥ ♥

it’s been said that one of the reasons people cheat is because they continue to search for the 10% that they can’t find with their partners. for a girl, her boyfriend may be the patient and understanding guy that she was looking for but he may be more unromantic than a rock and she continues to long to be swept from her feet. for a guy, his girlfriend may be the pretty and smart girl he’s always wanted but continues to wish she can cook like his mom. i have to admit, Harry is the understanding, patient, musically-inclined, food enthusiast, sarcastic, humorous, smart and caring guy that i have hoped for but he’s not athletic — never plays a sport to save his life, not as adventurous as i hoped he’d be and he doesn’t have those six-pack abs that every girl longs for. Harry only retains information that he likes to retain so he may not always remember what kind of perfume i wear or that i’ve kept anti-bacterial soap by my sink for years now (yes, he asked my this morning why i don’t keep one, even when i’ve only used this natural floral soap my friend gave me for only a month) or that he doesn’t remember to shift to 1st gear first before releasing the hand brake.

despite the 10% that Harry doesn’t possess from my list, he completes me in inexplicable ways. they say God doesn’t really give us the perfect guy from our list but the guy who complements us, keeps us grounded when our arrogance or confidence has us off the earth, loves us despite the bitchy days pre-menstruation, puts up with our nagging and just keeps us safe in any way possible. it’s not only fate that keeps a relationship working, hard work needs to be put into it too. so for those ladies who are in a relationship like me, don’t allow the scale to tip over to the mere 10% that our guys lack. love the 90%..and love it with all your heart. for those single ladies, be patient. yes, there’s no stopping you from making that list of the perfect guy for you but be smart enough to determine the traits that matter. love yourself first and allow yourself to grow. pretty soon, that guy who is not just anyone perfect but the one perfect for you will come along. trust me, i was single for 5 years before i met harry. i allowed myself to grow up and learned to love myself before i could love someone else. ♥

happy heart’s day everyone! ♥

tie-dyed boho top – thrifted

beige suede lace-up wedges – gold dot

elephant necklace – carbon find

diamond-shaped pattern necklace – gifted from ivy

elephant tusk necklace – bangkok elephant ride

brass bangles – carbon finds

pink rhinestone bangles – gifted from india

rings: burnt orange stone | cobra | skull | mini-armor ring – carbon finds

text bombardment, dozens of flowers, little notes and a steak dinner ♥

part one of our 36 month celebration was amazing..truly more than i expected. of course, with all your amazing suggestions on my last post, i wasn’t short on ideas for romantic things to do for harry.

so at the stroke of midnight, january 27, 2011, i immediately texted Harry and greeted him a happy anniversary. i then proceeded to texting all my friends to greet him a happy anniversary too (i took sweet’s advice). amazingly, quite a number of my friends were still awake and gladly participated in my little favor. harry went in to work very surprised and with a big smile on his face. i too went to sleep with a big smile on my face, giddy like a teenager. the following day at work, i found my desk with a heap of flowers — harry had three bouquets delivered to the office right after i got back from our lunch break. to my delight, he didn’t send the traditional roses but sent my favorite lilies, carnations, spider mums and daisies.

for dinner, i surprised harry and took him to a steak house. (i know a lot suggested that i cook or bake something for him but i’ve cooked for him several times already..hehe.) anyway, why a steak house you might ask. well, harry is a big lover of meat. so you can imagine how ecstatic he was when we walked over to the restaurant and i told him i was treating him to expensive steak. as we started the day cheesy already, i decided to make it cheesier by giving him an envelope filled with little notes —- 18 reasons why i love him. (part two will be given on our vacation next week). reasons like, “i love you because you now love shoes as much as i do” or “i love you because you don’t mind a girl who eats too much…” the night was capped off with harry driving, yes driving me home. for those who don’t know the story, harry didn’t know how to drive and i’ve been driving all this time. it’s the sweetest gift from him to have made the effort to learn how to drive. (i want to show photos of the rest of our day but the camera suddenly died on me)

now on to an outfit post. this was taken a day before in ayala and i just love how colder the weather is in our city. i almost ditched this dress the last time my mom and i went thrifting because of the different layers not being appropriate for our tropical weather. with the romantic but goth-like feel of the dress, i wanted to add my toy horse and fairy necklaces, my skull ring and leopard flats to complete the outfit.

layered lace dress – thrifted

leopard flats – parisian, sm dept store

camel bag – parisian, sm dept store

horse necklace, skull and armor rings – carbon finds

fairy necklace – props

tan braided belt – pratunam, bangkok

brown sunnies – bazaar find

stumped and in need of your help ♥

the greatest thing is about to happen. in less than 5 days, harry and i will be celebrating 36 months together. it’s cheesy but i can’t help but be giddy about it. ♥ this is the longest time i have ever kept a relationship with somebody. not that i hoped to have had longer ones in the past because if not for everything i went through, i never would have met harry. i am excited because after 36 months, it still feels like we’ve been dating for only several weeks. yes, we’ve gone past the honeymoon stage but despite that, after 36 months we still have a lot to talk about, a lot to smile about and definitely a lot to love about each other.

now, we do have something planned for the weekend after the happy date but i still want to do something special for him on the day. i am really stumped, however and that’s where you guys come in. tell me something romantic to do for harry on our 36 months. ♥ you never know, if i like a suggestion, i might just give you something in return. *wink*

suede cutout smock dress – borrowed from aimee

black cardigan – thrifted

black tights – metro dept store

black cuban heels – gifted from harry ♥

brass cuff – carbon find

necklaces: diamond pattern – gifted from ivy | elephant tusk – bangkok

oval semi-armor ring & alligator ring – carbon finds

oversized black ring – gifted from sweet

we eventually have to grow up

it was said that i used to invade her crib when we were babies. we were 2 years apart but we acted like twins. we had matching clothes and my most favorites outfits were our chiffon dresses with hats that had ribbons around them and the matching sailor-inspired outfits that my mom had made for us — navy blue linen sleeveless blazer with gold buttons and red linen shorts. we’ve shared a room since we were born and fought about so many things even just over something as petty as moving the electric fan. she will always be my baby sister even when we both had to eventually grow up.

photos taken at plantation bay, cebu.

lace boho top – thrifted (thanks eden for finding this for me!)

denim shorts – thrifted

boater hat – sm department store

pink flip-flops – havaianas

heart necklace – pratunam, bangkok

bangles – chatuchak, bangkok