quaint vanilla – Girl Gone Cuckoo

wardrobe necessity

they say that if you haven’t worn something for more than a year then it’s time to let go of it. good thing my mom didn’t let go of these black pair of Onyx jeans which initially was my sister’s. they were the perfect fit for high-waisted denim cut-offs and are perfect for my current venture.

shorts (and cotton leggings in prints or colors) are one of my wardrobe necessities now that i’m not stuck in an office and am constantly on the move. i need clothes that are comfortable yet chic and definitely ones that doesn’t constrict me in any way because not only am i required to scour the downtown streets or move around but our eternal summer weather does not cooperate with more fabric on our skin.

the resuscitation of a social life

i haven’t been blogging because i’ve been so busy following my dreams that it’s crazy how time flies in a day. but honestly, i’ve also been cheating on blogger and having been seeing pinterest on the side. yes, i have finally jumped the wagon. i did have a pinterest account but never used it, afraid i’d get sucked into it and did not want to maintain another social media account while i balanced my full-time job, personal life and the blogosphere. man, was i wrong. pinterest is freakin’ awesome. okay, i have to stop now — i’m blushing. LOL.

anyway, i met up with Eden and Chyrel over milk tea at Chatime for various reasons which will be divulged later, i promise. it’s really been awhile since i’ve actually gone out of the house and met friends. my sisters actually congratulated me for having a social life again — yes, it was that dead while i was slaving away in my past life. incidentally, Mac then invited us to raid her closet and we were happy to oblige. Isabeau was there as well and it became a quick blogger meet-up of sorts. Mac’s kid, by the way, was such a cutie and couldn’t be any happier with the attention.

on to the required outfits shots. when we agreed to meet, we agreed to dress casually and if it was 2 years ago, when “casual” was brought up i would have dressed in shorts, a t-shirt and ballet flats but i’ve learned my lesson. with these girls, casual is this:

and ooh, remember when i told you guys about my sister Charm also blogging and that we’re working on a project together? well, here it is. Everyday Sundaes — a blog i share with not just Charm but also my little sister, Aimee. bookmark this blog on your browsers for 3 scoops of fashion.

midnight ice cream runs

having to control one’s own time allows for out of the blue ice cream runs even at the wee hours of the morning when everyone in the convenience store is buzzed with alcohol while we’re fixated on getting that sugar high.

of course, it doesn’t hurt to get that required outfit shot by the bright and colorful background of the convenience store fridge. must get another one when i get a better camera. LOL.

time flies when you’re having fun

please don’t mind the undone face — this was taken after a super early morning mass.

i’ve been very busy the past few days and i didn’t notice that two weeks has actually gone by since i resigned from my corporate job. my days are filled with hours of arts and crafts, trips downtown, meeting clients, photo shoots and discussing collaborations, among other things. i don’t follow a strict schedule and i think i work more than 8 hours a day. but you know what? all of it doesn’t feel like work. i guess what they say is right, it certainly doesn’t feel like work when you’re having fun.

printed chiffon top – primal rave | blue maxi skirt – primal rave | camel smoking slippers – rubi shoes | ash teal belt – props | tan fringe bag – urban originals | necklaces: charm necklace and ethnic-style necklace – downtown finds, elephant tusk – bangkok find | bangles: pink rhinestones – gifted from india, brass and enamel bangles – downtown finds | rings: lion head and gecko – downtown finds

no return, no exchange

the required 7-hour seminar for would-be marrying couples that we attended last Sunday was expected to be a long day of droning lectures but instead turned out to be a fun and insightful experience. real-life couples who’ve been together for 10 – 38 years conducted the seminar which made it all the more relevant because they were sharing real-life experiences. my top three take-me-homes from the seminar:

♥ marriage is not always a bed of roses
♥ issues can be solved by open communication
♥ once married, there is a strict no return, no exchange policy

this is it — there’s no turning back! after all, we already made the down payment. LOL.

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

sayonara!

lemon and turquoise striped top with sequined pocket – primal rave | skinny jeans – thrifted | pink and gun-metal wedge sandals – people are people | blue satchel – primal rave | powder blue feather earrings – downtown find

last week i officially bid goodbye to a life i thought i wanted. i may sound like a broken record because i did do the same two years ago.

two years ago though when i decided to leave to pursue my dreams, i really wasn’t sure what i wanted to do, not even sure if i really knew what my dreams were. it was done on a whim — that i just needed to get out of there. all i knew at that time was that i wanted to pursue fashion but was still very lost. no wonder i ended up lying awake at night, feeling very scared.

i spent a year working for my sister and spiraled downwards by leaving that job too and taking a home-based online job which made me even unhappier. my sister saw me and said, “straighten up your life.” a friend reminded me, “i thought you wanted to pursue management.” so i got even more scared and went back to what was comfortable (and what earned me more money).

at the end of the day though, everything felt redundant and soon very frustrating. i am a perfectionist by nature so i try to excel at everything i do but it doesn’t necessarily mean that i loved what i am doing. i gave this life another chance but it’s just not for me.

this time, i have more clarity. if things don’t seem clear though, i just have faith. and i am very lucky to have the support of my family and friends. this time, i may have gone cuckoo but i am happy. cuckoos may not have new shoes every month but walking is lighter.

close your eyes and dive

…i’ve always been a risk-taker of some sort. although i’m ironically afraid of failure but i’ve had so many instances in my life where i’ve leaned on my instincts, followed my emotions and jumped the gun. usually these instances turn out for the best. sometimes, they don’t but they never come with utter regrets because regrets hurt most when you didn’t take chance, don’t you think?

i am about to embark on another chapter in my life. a scary yet exciting venture that draws on my passion and the love of arts. this seems familiar but this time i somehow know where i’m going. only a few more days to go and i’ll be living the boho life.

P.S. i promise to tell you guys more about this venture — for now, i’m making sure technicalities are set and i still have enough to pay the bills. that’s life for you right there — the arts doesn’t necessarily pay the bills. at least not at the beginning. i hope that you guys pray for our success though. we badly need all the prayers we can get. ♥

the bloggerhood of the traveling scarf

polka dress with duo collars – primal rave (there’s a salmon version of this – let me know if interested) | mustard platform heels – zalora.ph by centropelle | green braided belt – thrifted | black bowler hat – metro ayala | elephant tust necklace – bangkok find | oversized stone ring – downtown find | claw cuff – borrowed from mom | studded bag – primal rave | silk scarf – bloggerhood of the travelling scard

…finally, after 4 months I am able to do a post of the traveling scarf. it’s this beautiful silk scarf that’s being passed around by bloggers around the world and the project is the brainchild of sweet, madison and yvonne. i was so excited when i received the scarf but work (and illness) got in the way of things and time flew by in a blur. the moment i chose a stress-free life, my first order of business was to make up for all the back log i had on my blog. the beautiful traveling scarf needed my attention asap. i wore the scarf as a turban — my favorite way to don them. i love how the straight lines and color of the scarf provided a cool contrast to the quirky polka dress, don’t you think? ♥

the scarf is headed over to rabsin of finlust by rabsin. can’t wait to see what he’ll do next with the scarf!

can too much excitement kill you?

bird-printed top with ruffled back detail – primal rave | black electro-pleated midi-skirt – thrifted | cobalt blue wedge sandals – gifted by Aimee | blue with yellow and peach accent satchel – primal rave | black wide-brimmed hat – cotton on | necklaces – downtown finds | rings: multi-colored bird – bangkok find, gifted by mom, turquoise connector – downtown find | cutout cuff – downtown find | studded green belt – primal rave

i’ve been feeling rather inspired and weirdly optimistic lately. my friend and i are starting a passion project and we couldn’t be any more excited about it. take out the fact that we’re both giddy type of people and you’ll still find us overly excited. unlike 2 years ago when i ventured on a project because i thought it was what i was passionate about, this one feels different. it’s not forced. it’s not frustrating. it just feels natural and true. i pray this is it. will definitely tell you guys more — soon! ♥

and ooh, here’s a sneak peak of my accidental obsession. my dad built this shelf for me — which was so sweet of him (or maybe because him and my mom could no longer stand my shoes strewn across the floor). i bought these shoes with my own hard-earned money from work and these pairs came with both sweat and tears. but you know what? a stress-free, full of passion life is something a wall of shoes can never compensate.

dreaming of fall

the one good and bad thing about living in a tropical country is the tropical weather. ironically, we use the tropical weather as an excuse to wear as little clothing as possible all year round but also need to do so otherwise we die of dehydration. our weather can be bipolar and would be sunny in the morning and be rainy in the afternoon. take for example the day these photos were taken. an hour before leaving the house, the sky was grey and seemed to incessantly pour rain. the moment we got out of the house though, the sun came out and it got so humid, it got hard to breathe. two hours later, it started drizzling again.

oh how i wish we can experience fall, at least one month in a year. just a month in a year where the breeze is a little colder despite the sunny atmosphere and the colors of the rest of the world are lovelier and more surreal. unfortunately, we only get to experience sunny – rainy – sunny – rainy – and so on every year. just like how i do with elephants, i’ll just experience fall in my dreams.

to feeling lighter

…and saying no to cancer. my friend told me last night that stress is the number 1 cause of cancer. i knew stress caused several people to die due to heart problems but i never knew it could be much worse. good thing though i’ve decided to let go of the stress. disconnect from it before i end up getting sicker than i was over the last 3 months. only a few days after my official decision to get off the roller coaster, i feel lighter in so many ways. for one, Harry is happy that i’m singing light and happy songs again. cheers to a stress-free life! ♥

p.s. if it’s not yet obvious, most of the items in my outfit are from primal rave — the wholesale business my mom, sister and i own. we still have a lot of chic items up for grabs. 10 items or more get wholesale price — it’s never too early for Christmas shopping! *wink*