The Fiction I Live

Unbreakable

2012-02-29T17:20:00.003+08:00

Favorite word. And yes, I am Unbreakable. Life lately has been so tough! I will be spending more time blog hopping like I promised. I have the entire week off, thankfully!!! I really need that break from WORK! I can't wait to lie in bed in fetal position. Or like what I had previously said, work my legs out. Depends. There always seems like a lot of things get in the way of what I need to do. But mostly it's just me. Oh, I'm really stoked for March. Will keep this entry as short as possible. Obviously, my brains got fried with all the things I had to do way earlier this week and today. Or maybe, there is really nothing inside my little brain. Screw it. I'm beautiful on the outside. Where it really counts.

Converse Chuck Taylor Winter Glitz Sneaker from Chictopia | shirt: artwork | bandage skirt: F21 | bag: Parisian

photos by: Lex Lopez

Pale and Preppy

2012-02-26T18:05:00.000+08:00

Plaid or Tartan Kilt? I had a hard time identifying my a-line skirt worn in this entry. The thing with women and clothes is there's a lot of things. It's not pink but fuchsia, not red but maroon, not purple but periwinkle and the list goes on. I even had to Google if this is really plaid or tartan kilt. Unfortunately, I didn't find it helpful. Google failed me today. I know. I am that naive. But just for this topic. Yes, disclaimer. This is my attempt of looking preppy and I am skirting the issue. Notice how my eyes lack their natural glow. Didn't realize the amount of weight that I lost. Not until people from almost everywhere told me how skinny I looked. It's a bit difficult. When you lose weight, people want you to gain some. When you gain weight, people want you to shed off some extra pounds. Life does give us a lot of choices. Even in the most simplest or complex of things.

I haven't been blog walking like I used to. But I promise you, I will. Soon! I just got so busy with other stuff. Life, lately. Also, I am slowly getting back on track and the coming months will be spent with a new favorite hobby. *I wish March would hurry up and get here!

shoes: Primadonna | top and skirt: maze

photo by Deejay Timbreza

Hey There Delilah

2012-02-24T10:20:00.002+08:00

You know it's all because of you
We can do whatever we want to
Hey there Delilah here's to you
This one's for you

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
What you do to me.

-Plain White T's-

Kiss My Chucks!

2012-02-22T17:54:00.001+08:00

The photos below doesn't give these Converse Chuck Taylor Winter Glitz Sneaker some justice. They look way better in person!! I'm a big fan of Chuck Taylor's and these, by far, are my favorite. I've also said countless times on how comfortable I am when wearing Chucks. Even wore these bad boys right after I received it from Mr. Postman! Who wouldn't want to switch to a pair of sneakers after wearing some painfully sky-high heels. Comfort wins over fashion for this round. But if you think about it, these glitter sneakers did jump into the bandwagon after those iconic Miu Miu pumps hit the runway. It's an awesome spin! They sparkle and shine like crazy! My favorite classic sneakers with some glitter. I've worn these for almost everyday and the shoes always gets complimented. :)

I also went around some Converse shops to check if it's sold here. I want to assume that I'm the only one who owns these pair on this island. Yes, I'm assuming like that.

Converse Chuck Taylor Winter Glitz Sneaker | bob dylan shirt: isis
photos by my sister Liezyl

Mr. Postman

2012-02-20T15:49:00.001+08:00

Because we're now in the digital age, we seldom receive something from Mister Postman. I'm no virgin when it comes to online shopping. Not so much of a fan either. I still prefer the item's actual state. I want to feel the clothes or even fit the shoe myself. There's a lot of pro's and con's with online shopping. Some like it for convenience; skipping the long line and all the human traffic inside the mall. There's still a million other things that you and I already know but I can hardly remember some of them. I have sort of developed a short term memory loss. Please feel free to add. You're very much welcome to leave me a comment.

Just this week, I received a notice from our local post office. It's my first time to receive a parcel and it's subject for custom's approval. First time to receive a package from Chictopia. If you could just imagine my excitement! For those not familiar with Chictopia, it's an interactive online fashion community. The good thing about it, aside from posting your looks, is you earn points through so many ways. You can earn chic points by logging in daily, acquiring a new fan, receiving comments from fellow Chictopians and all that jazz.

Last December, I had set my eyes on a pair of those shining, shimmering Converse Chuck Taylor's. It glitters! Oh Yes! I did not redeem it myself though. I asked my sister Liezyl to do so and it's good that she did an all-nighter for her school work. I'm not being defensive here. No child labor involved and she's no minor either. Liz, if you're reading this part. thank you! I still owe you for this one, alright.

Assuming that people do read this blog, I'm feeling extra friendly and helpful. If it's your first time to receive a parcel from the first world and don't know the know how's. If you feel like you are in my glitter shoes.

Here are some few tips to remember and bring:

Before proceeding to window 30, make sure you have the notice slip. Notice slip is of course a sheet of paper with your package tracking number, name, address and etc.
A photocopy of your two valid id's and if you're claiming a package for someone, you know the drill. authorization letter and valid id's, people.
customs = money (pay up, betch!) It's mandatory to pay them 40 pesos otherwise they won't release your package. It's a bit funny cause I redeemed this item for free but it's not really. I was even expecting next door delivery.
bring an iPod, cell phones must be fully charged to keep you entertained. the queue is really long so bring anything to kill the time.

These steps are written still under the assumption that our local post office doesn't change the sequence of services offered in every window. But it's the government. It would take time if we want change. I'm no longer wondering why it's called snail mail. Waiting is really difficult.

My own Mr. Postman with my new shoes <3

But I am so glad I got my hands and feet on my shoes! After nearly two months, they finally found their way to me. I am all giddy and even my boyfriend approved. He really got good taste with shoes. He's even jealous for sure. I'm so happy with my Chucks I can even wear them while sleeping. I'm taking them out for a strut. All smiles for me now. Thank you to the entire team of Chictopia. You guys are the best!

P.S.

Just in case you went looking for me and assuming that you do miss reading my blog entries, I am back from the undead. This blogger did not unplug herself intentionally for emotional purging and the traditional 'soul searching' (as if it's something taken away from you) if someone goes missing. I got hospitalized and spent eight lovely days eating therapeutic/hypoallergenic food. I should be glad. You don't get to experience that but I did. I can't share the reason yet but rest assured I did not get a boob job although I just tell people that I did get a boob job cause I hate repeating myself. I'm still recovering from all the nightmare but I am slowly getting back on track with no infectious disease or whatsoever.

Hysteria

2012-02-06T18:47:00.003+08:00

There are a lot of times when trending topics in twitter kill more people even before they know it themselves. These kinds of phenomenon happens to the famous and even to the obscure. That's alternate reality for some and one of the perks of being online. Anyone can be dead anytime. True or not - some find it amusing while some just don't really care. I'm curious by nature but that doesn't mean I genuinely care if person x was killed online. I just save it all for the people who really matters.

As this blog entry unfolds and to skip all those non-sense in the first paragraph. I did wish the things that happened earlier were just some trending topic and did not happen in REAL life. It was no hoax. It did happen. It all happened so fast. I've experienced the strongest earthquake in my entire lifetime. It was recorded at 6.9 and I really thought I was going to die. I panicked and nearly cried. I was alone in my desk and my office mates were almost twenty meters away. I didn't want to die at work. And I was not wearing heels. Sure, it's difficult to run while on heels but I just prefer to wear them when things like these happen. Not that I wish it would happen everyday. I just prefer wearing my sky-high heels like how Kate Beckinsale does in Underworld.

The quake lasted for almost a minute. Believe me, it felt like it was my last minute on earth. Cliche, yes but that's how everything felt. All I could think of was to run for safety and go outside the building or just hide under the desk. Just like what they do in those disaster movies. No one at work got harmed but everyone's emotionally shocked and it's still business as usual. After feeling the earth shaking, I hurriedly checked on how my loved ones are doing. Thankfully they're all safe.

While on my way home, thinking that the disaster is finally over. People on the streets were on panic. Heavy traffic - cars and people alike. Everyone went running and shouting that there's a tsunami cause water level in the downtown area went above sea level and we need to go some place higher. How is it even possible. Like, seriously. But my nerves got the best of me and I went on full panic mode. While exchanging messages, my boyfriend Bal told me panic will kill me and not the quake or tsunami. Right. As of this writing, we're still feeling a bit of aftershock with the ground shaking. I could not blame myself. Safety always comes first and there's a lot of lessons learned today. Don't believe everything you hear. Seeing doesn't always mean believing. Don't panic. And the rest is still unwritten. Yes, Natasha Bedingfield, play some good music, please.

Someday we'll all look back and laugh about this, or at least not cry so fucking hard.

studded oxfords: WADE | silk harem pants and top: PHILOSOPHY | belt: KASHIECA | bag: PARISIAN

photos by Deejay Timbreza and before the earthquake

Closet Sale

2012-02-02T22:36:00.001+08:00

Bathroom breaks are a bit difficult when wearing high waist pants. This is one of those times when we sacrifice comfort over fashion. Tiis ganda teh! We know the repercussions when you skip the call of nature. Fashion over comfort. Does that need any explanation? Hell no! The pants worn on this post is no longer my size. Yes, my hips don't lie. Since I shrinked from MEDIUM to S-XS, I've been holding on to belts like it's my lifeline or a life jacket on a sinking ship. It keeps them pants from falling and how awkward it is to talk about dropping pants. Let's keep it PG 13, shall we? Sorry. I keep digressing.

Let's just talk about the clothes worn here and stick to the topic. Okay. This outfit is one of the easiest to pull off. Why? Because I work early in the morning and I tend to waste time deciding what to wear even if I had it planned the night before. I have this habit of waking less than two hours before work starts. Snooze button, I hate/love you! Realizing that I'm almost late for work makes me go berserk and just grab anything easy to wear. Well, If I do arrive late for work, I make up for it by leaving early. Not true, really. Most days I'm drowned with work and that my friend is a different story.

PS:

I'm ditching some of my old clothes and I'm doing a closet sale. If you have time, please drop by my Facebook account and see if you have some stuff that you like. No charity involved here. I'm just dead serious in owning my own Mt. BIKE so earnings goes to my Mt. Bike funds. It would mean the whole world to me. Thanks! :)

top: bench body | shoes: primadonna | bag: secosana | pants: philosophy

photos by my sister liezyl

Just Keep Looking Up

2012-01-30T15:39:00.002+08:00

Outside your thoughts, there are a million other things going on. I have a feeling I might need a whole day to let my mind wander the way it tells me it needs to. I have a rebellious heart and it bothers me when I'm less of what people imagined me to be. Please don't tell me that others had it a lot worse. I know that already. Like you, I'm allowed to feel this way same with you and me - feeling happy and all giddy. We all have these moments. At the end of the day, I’m the one who has to live with my choices and decisions. I would want to live my life the way I want to not because of what others think. But they just get to you sometimes. This is the never-ending story with who you want to be versus the world. Monday Blues. My least favorite day of the week. There's a need to calm the voices inside my head and the trip to the South of Cebu with the usual suspects over the weekend did just that. Indulging in momentary pleasures ain't bad. Good vibes and traveling, more of them please!

top: Maze | skirt: Madeeni | bag: Parisian

photo by Deejay Timbreza

Osmeña Peak - Kawasan Traverse

2012-01-28T15:00:00.005+08:00

As of this posting, I'm currently in the south of Cebu with the usual suspects: Bal Marsius, James Tan minus Jonas B who's now somewhere in Europe. For some reason, I am always in the mood to blog but it doesn't mean I'm in the best mood to write. It's draining my brains out sometimes. Work fries my brains out of me but this is what's left of it. Not that there's really nothing inside my brain but I couldn't care less on what you think.

After climbing Osmeña Peak, we traversed all the way down to Kawasan Falls. I couldn't remember the time we left our camp site but I do remember walking for seven hours. The climb up is nothing compared to what seems to be endless walking with no destination. No pain. No gain. It was tiresome but rewarding and fun most of all. No two thousand words for this entry. Just loads of photos courtesy of James Tan.

morning view

after sunrise

we looked so small from afar and yes, it was just us four.

i know a place where the grass is always greener.

we didn't leave all that trash. we <3 mother earth just like that.

that's jonas and me packing some stuff while james was busy taking photos of everything. ;p

they say the more you climb, the more you.

we passed by a farmer and his son harvesting crops.

cabbage patch kids - this looks even more better in person

vegetable basket - he carries all that load up and down the mountains.

how to get lost and die trying

pretending to be cute but we're exhausted really

there are no whale sharks here

he's not really drowning

when we reached the falls, we took a dip.

usual suspects

wanderboy jonas

okay, that's james tan.

not exactly feeling blue

don't go chasing waterfalls

while on the way home

and how lousy are the captions.

kthanksbye!

Ordinary Day

2012-01-27T19:36:00.001+08:00

Spent my after work hours with my sister Liezyl and dropped by her school before heading home. It made me realize how much I miss spending time with her. We're both really busy even if we live in the same house. Thanks to my work and her student duties. It's like we both live in the different time zones, really. When I'm home, she's out and vice-versa. Before I leave for work, she's asleep or I'm asleep when she's home. You know the drill.

I tell you, she's good with hostage taking. She's one bratty little girl but I just can't say no to that kid. This post may even be a bit too early to talk about her but who cares. She's still a kid to me even if she's turning twenty-one this Sunday. We celebrated early and being the big sister that I am, I bought some banana cue's for us to eat while waiting for the sun to settle down and take turns in outfit shots.

I miss you, Liz. Let's spend more time soon. :)

pants: oxygen | top:bench | blazer:thrifted |bag:secosana | wedges:parisian

photos by my sister liezyl

Gastadora

2012-01-26T21:51:00.000+08:00

For sure everyone went through a phase of bad spending habits in their lifetime. If you didn't then good for you and please leave some comments and share your secret. As for the title, it's not something applicable to me right at this moment. I'm no big spender not until I would realize my wallets empty. There's no such thing as shopping ban cause the more you restrict yourself from buying, the more you end up spending. It's like skipping breakfast and doubling the amount of calorie intake for lunch. You tend to make up for what's missing and yes, the deprivation from practicing your credit card's high purchasing power. You can spend all you want as long as you don't end up drowning in bills. But who am I to say that? It's your money. You can do whatever you want with it. I don't care.

As for the blog title, it's Spanish in origin according to Wikipedia. Thank goodness there's no more black out in the virtual world and we're back to our social network crazed world. Gastadora means BIG spender or extravagant when translated in English. My friend Mathea opened her own online shop today and yep, you got it. Shops name is Gastadora. I find it pretty ironic and witty. Don't you think? If you have time, please visit her shop and part of the proceeds will go to the Augustinian Children in Cavite, Philippines. Fashion for a cause, yes! Happy Shopping! :)

wedge and bag: Parisian | pants:bench | top:Madeeni

how awfully awkward are my toes in these photos

snapped by Deejay Timbreza

Coffee Dreaming

2012-01-25T18:32:00.002+08:00

No more Starbucks near our office and I'm not so sure if it's a good thing or not. For the first time, I stopped collecting their yearly planner cause it's difficult to collect stickers and drink them minimum wage coffee. It was getting too expensive for me after nearly four years of drinking the mermaid's cup. There's always late realizations for some people, I know. If you've also noticed there's always a coffee shop near any office or anything that drives these corporate bitches some money. Well, it's also given cause people like me need more caffeine than the average person. There's no more Starbucks but we got Coffee Dream. The good thing with them aside from being purely Cebuano owned is they also serve REAL food. Cholesterol wins over pastries sometimes.

RED

2012-01-24T19:48:00.000+08:00

Finally gave in to the trend and bought myself some red pants. Now I'm no longer the last person on earth who doesn't have any bright colored pants in their closet. Well, I did have them in purple, blue and even yellow on my growing up years but I gave them all away. Sad. RED is my favorite color. Red it was love at first sight. Point and shoots don't really capture the details of an outfit cause the top looked like a white button down shirt but it's actually a chambray - something I have worn over and over. That's how I am. If I like something too much I tend to wear them A LOT.

Sometimes, I don't want to be the girl who stands out, more like someone who doesn't care too much about what she's wearing, but who looks good anyway. But with these red pants, it's so hard not to get noticed.

Here's some photos of my outfit when I met up with Aisa Ipac on my previous post.

wedge: call it spring | bag:parisian | pants:july | chambray: sm | sidewalk shades

photo by deejay

Meeting Paxieness

2012-01-23T20:05:00.001+08:00

This happened December of '11 and I know this is so last year. Aisa Ipac of Drowning Equilibriums traveled to Cebu last month and I was more than glad to meet her in person. I couldn't find the right words to say but she's just the most down-to-earth person I have ever met. I mean she's one of Manila's top bloggers, a Chictopia style icon, just to name a few. I was literally starstruck and tongue-tied. Before I started with fashion blogging, I was sort of stalking her blog along with the rest of my style crushes. Not that it matters but I have this habit of being a silent reader. There are times I get too intimidated with the blog owner but my impression on these amazing people changed when you get to meet them in the flesh! I wonder if others feel that way with me. But this isn't just about me but it's about meeting one of my online style crush. Like, finally!

Okay, I have to admit. One reason why I got to meet her aside from being who she is in the online fashion blogging community is also because of her shop. I scored a few good buys way way back last year and I haven't even used them, yet. She's got a closet full of vintage clothes and shoes to die for. There's still so much to say about that night and meet-up but I'll just keep some to myself. Some of the photos are lifted from Aisa's blog. :)

Aisa, Me and Vanessa

photo taken by Mich and surprisingly we all wore RED that night

Dining in Bistro Ecila

fashion commuters

us girls with the Rabsin and Marco of Philippine Street Fashion

tea party of five at la marea, the walk, it park :)

trying la marea's mochi ice cream

Aisa had warm brownie cup, la marea's best-seller :)

Take Two

2012-01-22T18:35:00.002+08:00

There's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing the same outfit twice. Instead of shopping for more clothes, I've resulted into rummaging through my closet and wear some items I have not worn. Reunited and it feels so good. Oh yeah! Me and my clothes are getting to know each other more. I stayed away from the actual shopping malls but there's always online shops which are a bit hard to resist knowing we're always online before and after sleeping. It's like a prayer. Don't deny.

Photos on this post are still by Roland Icban and how amazing are those 80mm lenses? Wore this entire outfit from August of last year as seen here. And ~~I couldn't help notice on how fat I was.~~ I'm not so sure if I have a body dysmorphic disorder or if this is borderline anorexia cause I still see myself as fat and people tell me I'm skinny. I do eat a lot and I still do my evening runs. But you know, everybody goes through this kind of thing. We all have our own share of bottled insecurities. No one is perfect and if someone says they are - they're perfectly wrong. Darn it! These are just one of those days. This won't last. I hate dwelling on the negative things when I know for sure I have so many things to be happy for.

stiff neck

shoes:F21 MJ pumps bought from Eden | skirt:f21 | top:Madeeni | bag:Parisian | tights:topshop

Humanized

2012-01-20T18:58:00.003+08:00

Photos on this entry are taken last year by my incredible photographer friend Roland Icban aka The Humanizer. I was happily tagging along when he had a photo-shoot with a client and the blogger in me took the opportunity to be shot using his 80mm lens. The second photo doesn't have the same quality as the original since I had to resize it myself to fit the blog. Why am I explaining? From what I've noticed, point and shoots are good when taking outfit shots but slr's are better for outfit details. The colors of my outfit never looked this vibrant. Yes, I just noticed it like I'm someone who lived from the pre-historic age. I'm thinking of upgrading to a Canon G12 from my Sony Cybershot HD-70 but not until I assemble my own bike. I'm even selling some of my clothes for my Mountain Bike Fund. But that's a different story. I like bringing my point and shoot cause it's very much handy compared to an SLR and besides, I enjoy being photographed than taking photos, sometimes.

On a more serious note, my friend Roland bid goodbye two days ago and that means I'm seeing one less stylish person in the office. It's not like he is dying cause I know for sure we will still see each other but things are definitely different. I have issues with letting go and I'm never good with goodbyes. Who doesn't? I just couldn't help but feel sad and suddenly the office feels like Autumn. Autumn leaves falling one by one. Wearing my happy colors but I wish it were true now.

Sooner or later in life, the things we love we lose.

top:WAGW pants:Thriftgasm Shop bag:Parisian shoes:F21 MJ pumps bought from Eden

Blanc Magazine Online

2012-01-18T21:44:00.001+08:00

BLANC is an online fashion and art magazine dedicated to the underground youth, the vague and the implicit. Put up together by Cebu’s most artistic and experimental young minds, BLANC is the unconventional probe of the Queen City’s distinct chronicles on the latest in fashion, androgyny, art culture and streetstyle. It is the uncovering of Cebu’s rusty side.

Let me start by thanking Phil and Ryan for allowing me to grab their photos from the launching of Cebu's first online fashion magazine, Blanc Magazine Online. This event happened last week in YO.U restobar just before the City went crazy with the Sinulog festivities. I skipped the Sinulog frenzy but it's totally unforgivable if I missed this event. There's not another 1.12.2012 in this lifetime. The night was a culmination of fashion and the arts. Leave it to the geniuses behind the Blanc team who gathered 17 of Cebu's up and coming designers with their Muse and lovely works. It was not only the designs that left everyone's jaw dropped but it's also the crowd - dressed in high street fashion. Cebu just looked so different and marvelous that night! It's also one of the rare times where everyone from CFB is present. Big thank you to the entire Blanc team for the invite and congrats for being the pioneer online fashion magazine in the dirty south. Bold and beautiful!

Flipping through the online magazine made me want to be a part of the Blanc team. No kidding. Words don't suffice on how good it is. It's amazing!

Marie Dinolan hosted the event wearing a dress by Mike Yapching

The wickedly talented people behind the Blanc team.

photo by Ryan Reyes :)

love this gown by Jerrick, one of my favorite looks from the show.

monstrous heel-less shoes by Aia Tupas

the designer and his muse :)

walk, walk, fashion, baby

that's my sister liezyl, me, eden and my good friend roland aka the humanizer

the oslob crew unite! <3

ah, finally! that's ryan, btw. =)

i love this photo of yves.

another favorite from my officemate designer Edward James Yap

faux-fur cape by WAGW, pants by penshoppe, bustier by SM, shoes by PRP

Queen of Cebu's Bee Urgello for Blanc's maiden issue.

Sheer

2012-01-17T20:57:00.002+08:00

If this was a Hollywood movie this won't sell. The blog title is such a give-away there's not even a teaser to leave something to the imagination, but let's just leave it to the sheer top to do the work. I remember growing up watching sob stories from this show called Malaala Mo Kaya. If you're familiar then you know the drill but if you aren't, then I'm not gonna tell you. Okay, I'll just drop some hints. At the end of every melodramatic scene, content, climax and what have you is the title of the episode but it's not a series. Just a weekly dose of heart strings and endless third world drama. Why did I end talking about those stuff when I'm suppose to tell you something about the outfit.

As for my top, I bought it two years ago and I've only worn it twice. There's no need for me to shop for more clothes since there are still a lot if items in my closet that I haven't even worn. Besides, my elder sister does the shopping. I just borrow from her most of the time. The satin pants are considered vintage since I've had them for two years but only get to wear it for less than five times. Two year old clothes and I call it vintage. How old is vintage anyway? After two years of sitting in my closet the pants still fit me only that it doesn't give me the perfect lift from you-know-where. Thank you so much, weight loss. I'm needing more closet space and some items will have to go but not the ones in the photos.

That's one of my work outfit when we're on dress up. It's what I look forward to. Not the work but the dressing up part. For photo purposes, I had to remove the sleeveless top I wore underneath the sheer blouse or else - I'm left freezing cold in our office. Wearing high heels is bearable but not the cold environment.

shoes: gift by my elder sister, satin pants: sm, sheer top: thrifted

photos by Roland Icban

This is for James

2012-01-16T11:59:00.047+08:00

St. James Amusement Park is located right across Park Mall in Mandaue City. My New Year’s eve was supposedly spent with the two James in my life but sadly, both of them were a no show. That means I welcomed 2012 in my dreams. Do I have to wait another New Year or exactly 364 days? Hell no! Because they missed the dinner, here’s the alternative cure with the boyfriend, no less. Started the year spinning with a tiny bit of adrenaline rush. Here’s to hoping of throwing up to those seated in front of us. Just kidding. Hehe.

And calling James Tan and James Georfo!! You owe us some dinner. :D

PS:

Cause I’m feeling friendly, 150php gets you in with one free ride. Tokens cost 50php each and rides cost two tokens. The parks open from 4pm to 12 midnight and they're here until Summer. Food and drinks are not allowed, not unless it’s ST JAMES WATER. (insert product placement here)

BTW, I did not mean to be mirror posting from tumblr to here. I just felt like I had to say ~~something good~~ about my friend James cause he felt like I assassinated his entire being with my previous post.

The Mod Parade

2012-01-15T18:41:00.001+08:00

While everyone's out in the streets partying and all festive for Sinulog, I'm just lying around in my bed and enjoying being lazy or taking quick long naps. Yes, it's the art of doing nothing. I'm skipping the crowd for a change. Suddenly my Sundays are spent sleeping all day after an exhausting shift. Work is a different kind of marathon I deal with yet I still manage to get by. I might even be asleep when this entry is posted. I no longer need to hire a virtual assistant. Google solved my problem with scheduled blog posts.

There's no Sinulog Mardi Gras photos from this entry but here's a fashionable parade I attended last December together with my loves from Cebu Fashion Bloggers. Thank you to Lyka for the invite and for the awesome front-row seats!

Marco, Mac, Lyka, ME, Liz, Jed and Rabsin.

the fashion show was short and very intimate

Chastity Manuel Accessories

Maui Lezama's Edie Collection

Sunshyn Allere's Collection

lyka and mac

that's my sister liezyl and her schoolmate who modeled for the show

bodycon dress and faux fur coat is owned by my sister Richel, shoes by Janilyn

Parade of Dresses

2012-01-14T16:29:00.000+08:00

After the Maze Teen Model Search, we did a quick meet-up with Cherie of Parade of Dresses when she was in town. She's just the sweetest and I love blogger meet-ups! This doesn't really happen every day and God knows how seldom it is in our city. Everyone is just so busy and we all have different schedules. Thankfully, we had last Saturday's Maze Teen Model Search to come together. I'm singing that Beatles song as of this writing.

Some of the photos from this post are grabbed from Phil, Toni, Vanessa and Mildred. When fashion bloggers do meet-up, we do a lot of camera whoring. Yeah, that's so given and necessary. So please, brace yourselves. Another photo heavy post coming up!

parting shot

the lovely cher and her sister :)

mildred, yves, eden, me, gillian, gizelle, and Cebuano designer jerrick

being photographed next to toni made me wish i would look as good as her with short hair. :p

with my sister liezyl

believe me, this is candid.

in her shoes, i want to be.

brought these lovely bones home. haha! XD

also used for self defense! :D

we eat shoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Hazel Pax, Eden and Moi. Love the colors from our clothes!

a photo of Jerrick when he still had his necklace on. Hehe. XD

<3 her shoes. reminds me of Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony

Mildred of dredreveries.blogspot.com

Toni of perfumedredshoes.blogspot.com

Gillian of bydetails.blogspot.com

Gizelle of gizellefaye.blogspot.com

Eden of chicinthetropics.com

Vanessa of onefrozenmargarita.blogspot.com

As for my outfit. I wore my red pants from July paired with a thrifted Liz Claiborne glitter top. I scored it for one hundred pesos. Great steal, yes! I've worn both piece of clothing on separate occasions for a lot of times. Same with the Alexander Wang doppelganger bag which is actually from Parisian. I just love them so much I want to use them everyday. The shoes are my elder sister's gift to me last Christmas. She bought it from Rusty Lopez and yes, they do make shoes like the one in the photo.

Climbing Osmeña Peak

2012-01-13T14:13:00.001+08:00

I've got a series of blog posts in between outfit shots and random rants about life lately like I'm some celebrity or something. I find scheduled entries helpful cause instead of sitting down and semi-wasting my entire time online I can do other stuff that I also love. Something I can't do when I'm online. I've been really serious with running but not so much with running away. I've got issues too but it's not something you'll be interested with so I'll just skip that part. As I was saying, I'm scheduling posts for better time management. I'm jumping in the bandwagon of our Department of Tourism campaign's It's More Fun In The Philippines. There's a lot of disbelievers but I couldn't care less about them. They can all go to hell. I love the campaign original or not. Nothing is truly original anyway. Everything is a copy of a copy according to some Greek philosopher.

Last September 11 of 2011, we did a sort of pre-birthday climb. Most often than not, the most unplanned trips are the successful ones. I mean when you plan to go out with your friends it doesn't really happen and it remains a plan but the spontaneous ones do. I wasn't lying when I said I have loads of backlogs from last year's and this is one of them. If you're planning to climb Osmeña Peak and Google brought you to this blog then you are in for a ride. I am surely going to stress you out with the photos and text. This isn't my first mountain to climb and I have to hand it to my slave (the one in my sidebar) for rekindling my interest with the outdoors and for being a great companion. I was suppose to climb Mt. Kanlaon last Summer but it remained a plan since my friend went overseas. The grass is really greener on the other side.

There were just four of us - me, Bal, Jonas, James. James is the culprit if someone asks why the heck we decided to climb O Peak. It was all part of his grand master plan to sleep next to Jonas. But I'm just kidding. I lifted these photos from him cause I didn't have my camera yet at that time. It was still on sale in the shop and I just bought it a month after but I did bring a bottle of vodka and an extra tent. I didn't know Bal's tent was enough for us four. I ended up carrying it for most part of the trip. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I have to let them boys carry my things. For better directions, I will gladly take you to his blog. It's more helpful and less of a burden to read.

The road to Dalaguete starts at South Bus terminal and fare costs around one hundred pesos. Bal and me were early and as per usual, we waited for James. This time, we are the one waiting cause I know James has been waiting for something to happen and that's a different story. I was a bit surprised to see James wearing clothes that's more appropriate for strolling in the mall but that's not even the end of it. Whatever suits him. Wear anything dry fit to avoid sweaty clothes and sweatier armpits. The drop off point from South Bus was in Mantalongon where we had lunch and we were joined by Jonas - the one who got away. He never said anything and left the island after the climb. But he did gave James the chill with the habal ride all the way up to Mantalongon. Why do I make sound so brokeback mountain?

Photo bombs away!

Nope. I'm not yet done. Reminiscing the entire trip brings a lot of fun and weird memories. It made me wish Jonas is still here. It's easy to drag him along and like James, he's also fun being a third-wheeler. We had the mountain all by ourselves. We were expecting a lot of people since it was supposedly the Anniversary of the person the mountain got it's name from. Don't ask me why and who. I am not in the mood to talk about dead people in history. But if you ask what the weird memories are. It happened at night time. Yes, we camped out that explains the bonfire photos above. It was just us four between the stars and the tent. When we were about to sleep, we heard weird noises outside but we couldn't really figure out what it was. I had weird thoughts but I didn't really entertain them, well not that much. It maybe because I watch too many horror movies on my growing up years. We couldn't be in one of those gory slasher films like Wrong Turn or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Seriously. The morning after we traversed to Kawasan Falls and yes, that is another blog entry. A long one as well.

Oversized

2012-01-12T11:58:00.050+08:00

The pants and top aren't exactly my size so I ended up putting a belt to keep it on my waist and tied the top like a knot or close to it. I tried so hard not to pee and drank less water the entire time cause it's difficult to put everything back in place. I wouldn't want my pants pulling down and be stripped next to naked when I walk the office aisle that I turned into a mini runway. Luckily I did not have any urge to pee until work ended. Speaking of which, I am at work as of this posting. I'm multitasking but not really cause this is just a scheduled entry. If you noticed someone's being consistent with outfit posts lately. Let's see if I could keep this up. Yeah, I'm that busy. I'm just cutting my online time cause I want to spend it with my boyfriend.

Maze Teen Model Search

2012-01-11T20:49:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday, I found myself sitting in the front row seats of Maze Teen Model Search. The event was held in Ayala Activity Center and I was lucky enough to be invited by Eden. For some of you who's not familiar, Maze is a one stop hip shop with stores here in Ayala Center Cebu and the Abreeza Ayala Mall in Davao. On how Gizelle said it, Maze is every fashionista's haven for clothes, accessories or even gadgets. Cocktails courtesy of Canvas were served as early as three pm and I was joined with other Cebu Fashion Bloggers. I'm thankful to Toni for the photos on this post except for the first one. That's the only photo I was able to take. Poor me. It's better to bring SLR's when attending fast paced shows like this and my trusty point and shoot was as good as nothing next to the high powered lens of the photographer who was standing right in front of us. It was really fun and made me reminisce my high school days during intramurals. The crowd went wild for their bets we couldn't even hear ourselves talking. Family and friends of the contestants gave an all out support. They even had balloons and tarpaulins. It was just all crazy and fun!

calm before the storm

I was seated next to the lovely Mildred and I finally got to meet her after all the stalking and comment posting I did with her blog. Grabbed this photo from Gizelle. :)

No Seat Sale Here! XD

Finally got to meet the sweet and lovely Gillian, Cebuano designer Jerrick Macasocol and the gorgeous Vanessa.

I gotta say, Eden and Marc have chemistry on stage. I meant with the hosting skills. They were just all natural and good to the delight of the crowd.

The contestants styled by Yves. Kudos to him for a job well done. LOVE the prints!

the boys in casual wear styled by Yves. <3 the denim on denim look!

this is probably the most awaited part for everyone - models in their evening gowns by Cebuano designers and wearing custom-made shoes by Shandar. Everyone looked poised and regal.

Congrats to the winners Naomi Grace Nieuwendaal and John Paul Preston! :)

And a BIG congratulations to the entire Maze and production team. Everyone deserves a pat on the back for making this event a successful one.

One Thing

2012-01-09T20:11:00.000+08:00

I hate being told what to do. #corporateslavery

I thought I can withstand the worst methods of torture.

NEED my these-too-shall-pass mantra to work.

I'm too blessed to be stressed!

She's a little bit dangerous

2012-01-08T21:54:00.003+08:00

While on my way to work early this Sunday morning, I passed by some runners who joined the Cebu City Marathon. It made me feel a bit sad I was almost teary-eyed cause I know I could have joined but I couldn't because of work. I'm not kidding. It's all the same feeling with wanting something within reach but you just can't have it. There were a lot of what if's running through my head. At least ideas we're running inside my head even if my body didn't. It's as if my mind was traveling on it's own thinking about all the possibilities. Turning tables and changing roles. At some point, I was out on the road and for sure some passersby felt the same way that I do now. I just want to be the one doing the action instead of being left thinking with what could have been done. These are one of the many times that I wish I have my Sunday mornings spent at home instead of being the boss from hell. You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need. Rolling Stones.

Sharing with you photos from my first run of the year. I'm giving my warmest thank you to everyone who still reads my blog fashion post or not. It makes me happy. No kidding. Photos are taken by my boyfriend Bal who's always been supportive from the start. I wouldn't be as interested with getting fit and getting back on track had he not forced me to. That's a joke, btw. He doesn't force me into doing something I don't like except for some things but I'll just keep it between us. Kidding aside, I was all too stocky and FAT when we first met and he was naturally skinny. I promised to have a smaller waistline than my boyfriend that's why I've renewed my interest with running. Yes, that part is true. As for the rest of the photos, I can sense something is brewing.

to infinity and beyond

joggers and innocent bystanders no longer have to worry about their safety.

man vs machine

Bal's bike with the new tires. I enjoyed messing with it in the mud. He asked me a small favor to go downtown to buy him tires since he's away from the city. I was all dressed in casual chic and imagine me lugging around town with those tires. You should have seen the look on everybody's faces. Too bad I don't have a photo of it.

Floral

2012-01-07T13:54:00.000+08:00

Never thought of wearing floral shorts but I did. While walking on the way home, I passed by this thrift store near the jeepney stop. I'm more of a denim-cut-out-shorts kind of girl but having this piece doesn't hurt for the price of a hundred. Well, I got it at a cheaper price cause I haggled to pay eighty pesos since the front button was missing. I charmed my way to buy it at eighty pesos. Yeah, it's that cheap compared to the ones sold in the malls or even online shops. It's a win-win situation, yes? This photo and shorts were bought last year and last year is so seven days ago. There's no more December chill but this floral shorts can be worn any time of the year is this town.

I'm still feeling a lot of hatred and disgust with my ugly hair.

KNIT

2012-01-06T23:15:00.002+08:00

The problem with losing weight is my jeans no longer fit the way they used to. Since I started running, I dropped to a size zero from four. Yes, those are one of the benefits with getting physical. It's way better than any fad diet or even going to the gym. Cheaper even. I don't know about you guys but I find it very difficult to find the perfect fit for a pair of jeans. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Yeah, cliche here and there. It's just jeans but it's also one of the most basic essential in every girls closet. You can't just walk outside the house wearing your undies. Although there are times that I want to walk around town with only my undies on when the temperature rises but that's a different story. I'm devoting an entire day for jeans hunting and I make sure I'm wearing shorts or something easy to get out of when inside the fitting room. It's such a hassles, yes? It's fun to try on clothes but it's not the same feeling with buying jeans. I'm not complaining that my old skinnies are now bell bottoms. I'm happier with my body now and Cheeses I worked hard for it! Haha! It's always about me.

How about you? Any similar experience?

PS:

I'm forever grateful to my workmate Deejay who takes my outfit shots when I'm at work. Now I don't have to grab any office-mate to take my vanity shots.

knitted top made me look fat

top: F21, pants:human, shoes:Aisa Ipac's closet

the winner takes it all

2012-01-04T18:34:00.001+08:00

She's so lucky. I don't know why I'm singing Britney Spears but that's what I exactly felt when I won two give-away's in a row. Yes, I had a winning streak but the real win was meeting fellow fashion bloggers from Cebu. I got to meet the very lovely Toni Pino of Perfumed Red Shoes and her sister, Rose. We got something in common. Her sister takes her outfit shots and so does my own sister, Liezyl. The only difference is that Rose does not blog but I seriously think she should. She's got mad skills behind the lens. I think that's something to watch out for this year. I also got to meet the equally lovely Jeemah Villaverde of Cupcakes and Choices. The gorgeous Vanessa East of One Frozen Margarita whom I've met on a separate meet-up dropped by since we were just at Ila Puti that night. I have to mention Ila Puti cause it's becoming the official hang out of everyone. Oh, I almost forgot to mention Rabsin from Philippine Street Fashion. He wasn't present that night but I won the Ila Puti gift certs from him. Maaaaan, do I sound like a PR? Haha! But honestly, If I didn't win Toni's give-away, I wouldn't have met these lovely ladies. I'm sure to cross paths with them with Cebu being a small town but the give-away jump started it. It was a quick meeting but a good one. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this girls this year. And yes, cheers to winning (more) blog give-away's.

Jem, Toni, Me, Liezyl and Vanessa :)

Toni and Rose, it was really nice meeting you both! Super!

That's me and Liz, photos from above are courtesy of Jem. :)

Nivea goodies + Bath & Body Works = <3 <3

This is so last year, I know. I didn't use the gift certs that night but used it when my boyfriend Bal and I decided to eat out. Something we always do specially after running.

Penny Lane

2012-01-03T20:11:00.002+08:00

The year just started and there's so many good things coming my way. Makes me want to scream so loud! The first twelve days should be full of good vibes cause it will signify the rest of the twelve months, something my workmate told me. There's nothing wrong with believing or even hoping to have a great year or just even a day. There's really nothing wrong with being happy. No wishlist for me this year but if there's something I would like, it's so simplify my life. That's not a wish but it's something I should work on. It's all about the cliche, it's really the small things that matter most and creates a MASSIVE impact in my world.

As for the outfit, I'm dressed in my favorite BEATLES shirt, some rugged pants, Penny Lane in my mind and my new studded oxfords. Got them at 50% off, great steal, yes? My F21 oxfords can finally rest! Quite ironic, huh? I was just talking about the simple life and here I am, showing off my new shoes. But it was on sale. That's forgivable.

I realized my shoulders doesn't have the same level and it's not just because of the weight of the bag.

Jet Lag

2012-01-02T15:23:00.000+08:00

Nope. I didn't travel to a different time zone although I wish I did. Or maybe in my dreams and alternate reality. I couldn't believe I'm starting 2012 with a lot of back logs from the previous year. Assuming that you guys are interested and wondering on what I've been up to. I still have a bit of a hang over from 2011. Well, it was an awesome year even if I slept New Year's eve away. Yes, I'm such a loser for working both on Christmas and New Year. Something's gotta give, we just can have it all, can't we? I'm trying so hard to make this a short and quick post. Being the talkative girl that I am. I have so many blogs to read and I need to catch up. I swear, I really do read blogs and appreciate even the most generic comments I get from everyone. Time flies so fast in this side of the universe. I'm even thinking of filing a vacation leave just so I can keep up. Or I can just hire a virtual assistant. Just kidding! Hire me instead. Haha!

When I was off the radar, I thought of what my other friends in this blogging universe were up to. Promise. Blogging/Blog reading is a hard habit to break. Swear! Yes, that's from Chicago. I listen to them. Sometimes. :D

Does it look like I'm wearing our table cloth, yes?

This shirt is almost two years old and man, it never goes out of style. You know what they say, mad for plaid.

Santa's Little Elves

2011-12-30T22:34:00.002+08:00

How time flies! Who would've known today is the last Friday of the year. I unintentionally unplugged myself from the blogging universe. I promise to read your blogs, soon! The Holiday rush is just too much for me to bear and I've had several schedule change at work. Being the corporate slave that I am, I had the opportunity to work seven days straight. Not everyone has the privilege. Hell week, yeah! I'm just happy that it's over and I still feel blessed even with all the stress. Now, I just want to sleep like a boss. Last Christmas: I was all too busy organizing a party for the offline support group, non-stop partying and I even had wings on which made me feel like a Victoria Secret Angel, hosted my high school reunion, and of course, shopping for gifts on the 11th hour! Talk about nightmare before Christmas. Only that it's not directed by Tim Burton. It was fun but it left me all exhausted. This year, I skipped all the parties and reunions. Because I just want to and I love my work too much. Just pretend you don't sense sarcasm here. Wait, I hope none of my officemates read this entry. If you're here, this was never written and I don't know you.

Let's just talk about the outfit. I'm not so sold with what I wore here. The jacket reminds me of Balmain Spring 2010 collection, only that mine is thrifted. It's perfect for the December weather and office air-con that's always in full blast. Too bad I didn't have a photo with the buttons untied. I just forced my office mate to take my photos and these two were the best from the bunch. Imagine how bad the rest are. These are the times when I wish I'm my boyfriend who knows my angle too well, my sister Liezyl or my close friends. If it's them taking my outfit shots, I take my time and forget to play coy. Not all of my work mates are into fashion or even blogging for that matter. It's like calculus for them. Yes, beggars are are choosy now. It makes me want to hire a photographer but they will do. The money used in hiring a photographer should be used for buying new shoes. The platform wedge in the photo is now a year old and the leatherette's peeling off just like my other shoes waiting to be used in their boxes. Maybe it's time for me to use them more or just buy new ones. Christmas is the best time to buy shoes with all the end of season sale.

Let's just digress and cut to the chase. It all boils down to me saying how awesome my Holidays are. I know yours are too. On Christmas eve, my boyfriend dropped by for dinner. It's our first Christmas together. I know, I just had to say it. Ain't love the sweetest thing? <3

Happy New Year!

I like wearing platform wedge when it's raining, it makes me feel like I can water.

standing tall

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MOD TEAM ROCKS! XD

My House Husband, Ikaw na! Cebu Press Conference

2011-12-25T19:56:00.001+08:00

Today is Christmas and it's also the first showing day of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. I'm giving a big shout out to Melai of Style and Soul for sending out the invites all the way down to Cebu and Eden of Chic in the Tropics for bringing everyone together. It was a bit surreal cause a few days ago, I was just happily posting comments and reading about the Manila press conference. Then all of a sudden, I found myself sitting next to my lovely Cebu Fashion Blogger friends and strategically seated in front of Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos. I hope Judy Ann doesn't read this but Ryan's been a crush of mine since Y-speak days and Judy Ann's been a long time member of our household. I practically grew up with my grandmother and she's a loyal fan of both. I'm not kidding. When I was in high school, it's hard to miss daytime or even nighttime drama due to the lack of social networking sites. Facebook and twitter was not yet part of my timeline except for sports, of course. Wow. Did I just make myself sound vintage, prefer it over the old. It sounds far more better but this is not about me. This is about the movie that's already out in theaters. I've seen the very first movie Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo, a few years ago with my mom. When I told her about this press con, she got even more excited and it looks like she will be my date for this one.

Real and reel life couple Judy Ann and Ryan were just two amazing people. They gamely answered questions from the press, bloggers in attendance and crowd. Celebrities do look fairer in person and Judy Ann doesn't even look like she gave birth.

I was hoping to meet THE Eugene Domingo but she was not in sight. Also, Cebu's the only city outside Manila that had this press conference. Awesome, right?! XD

lovely bloggers in attendance and trying not to out-stage the stars when we're trying to take outfit and group shots. :D

Yours truly and saying goodbye to my shoes. I only wore it for less than five times and it got damaged just by keeping them inside the box. Must be the humidity. Should wear my heels more often. :(

Thanks to Pax, Jem and Philip for the photos. :)

Bojo River

2011-12-22T20:00:00.006+08:00

At some point, I thought of creating a separate blog with all the traveling and places that my boyfriend Bal and I had been to. But do I really need to? I did not mean for it to rhyme, okay. I love my blog the way it is. Even if I think my writing sucks most of the times. It makes me feel like I'm such a big faker cause the comments I get are good ones and they think my writing is 'good' and I'm not asking for any haters. Maybe it is and I just have high standards for myself. You know how it is. You don't like what you see or what you have then you only start to appreciate it when other people have it or see it in a different way. Or you don't know what you got 'til it's gone as the Counting Crows song goes. That doesn't really make sense, does it? I only wanted to do a short post but here I am talking to my head again.

I think I wouldn't mind being mistaken as a travel blogger. Not that I travel(ed) a lot but let's skip all the labels and just go with it. There's always a disclaimer, yes? I've had this urge to wander since I was a kid and with traveling comes the right clothes to wear. Everything's intertwined and connected like a cob-web or even the worldwide web. Trust me, this planet is getting smaller. When you travel, you have to dress appropriately. No one wears a bikini when going to Sagada or Baguio. Not unless you're crazy and have thick layers of skin to endure the cold. I'm not here to tell what one should wear. For sure, you guys know that already.

This week, we went road trippin' down to the dirty South. This is not in Palawan. The scenic river down below is in Aloguinsan, Cebu. It's just one bus ride away from the busy Metropolis but we skipped the bus cause we're cool like that. It was the longest ride I ever had and the most fun to say the least!!! I'm not even exaggerating! I was really on cloud 9!!! We set out at 5:30am and took the road less traveled - the transcentral highway but I think it's going to be a different entry. I just couldn't compress them all at once. I don't want to even if I could. I know, I talk too much. The trip to the river costs 300php per head since we didn't book in advance. Walk in travelers/tourists pay half the price cause there's no welcome drinks, food and all that tourist stuff. It was really a good experience. Everything was just so quiet, calm and arresting. I'm glad we went there. I'm even more glad I'm with Bal. We promised to go back and bring some third-wheeler friends.

I know it may not be the appropriate time to post about the trip. Unprecedented deaths on the holidays must be the saddest tragedy. My heart and prayers goes out to CDO and Iligan.

Anywhere is fun, what's more fun is the person you get to spend it with. <3

Punk X Pretty

2011-12-16T23:58:00.006+08:00

Christmas came early for me this year. I know it's just a few days away but it's exactly what I felt when my package arrived. I got all too giddy and I couldn't contain it that I ended up taking photos of what's inside and even the package itself! It's the same reflex when people take narcissistic photos of themselves while drinking Starbucks coffee. You know it's just coffee but for them, it's Starbucks. I don't really get it but I bet you do. We all had those kinds of moments. I already had my share when I was more naive and younger. Well, not that I'm older now. I did not have coffee when the photos were taken but I'm sure asleep as of this posting. I've been wanting to own the ubiquitous YSL inspired ring and I came across Valerie's online shop called PUNK X PRETTY. I was about to buy one for myself but I did not have any luck cause they don't have my size. Well, I guess I don't have to order anymore cause she sent it to me as gift. I was so touched and surprised at the same time. It's really true when you can experience all too many emotions in a span of seconds. I didn't expect for someone whom I met in the virtual realm to ask for my address, just so they can send me something through the mail. I'm only used to receiving gifts in Farmville which I don't even play. I even got more surprised cause I was only expecting the ring but she also sent me a detachable collar, a wallet to keep my plastics and an Andy Warhol Card with her lovely handwriting wishing me and my boyfriend Bal a fun Christmas. It's really driving me polka dots! If only I could put into words how amazing she is.

What have I done to deserve all this? :)

Thank you so much for the early Christmas gift, Valerie! :)

I'm chasing after you

2011-12-15T13:45:00.001+08:00

When I'm not running, I try to play football or try to bike. I'm saying try cause I only get to do it once a week or even once in every two weeks. Unlike running where I can just hit the road daily or nightly. I don't even own a bike and my boyfriend Bal lets me borrow his. I like messing around his bike. I even enjoy it. And I have to admit, I only learned how to ride one after I turned silver. My uncle played football when he was younger and he now goes on a weekly ride with his friends. I guess it is in our blood and too bad I'm not his protege. I learned how to bike because of Bal. He taught me how same with him teaching me some foot drills. Yeah, he's really been very supportive in everything I do. Finally, after all these years, I now know how to ride one. I had to turn silver before doing so and I remember him telling to make my silver year a good one. Well, what more can I ask for? I know I always mention him in almost every post but why shouldn't I? He plays a very significant part of my life and this is how good as it gets. I won't attempt to be real cheesy or say something grand. He knows it already. :)

I'm sharing photos from the 12KM run I did with my office mate last month and Bal being my escort, rode his bike. The first photo was taken yesterday, though. We're suppose to play football but for some reason, I couldn't find the ball that my boyfriend bought me. I feel terribly bad cause I stopped training for a week when I got hit by the flu. Also, I can't join any marathon this month because of time constraints aka work. It's okay. We can always run our own marathon.

He's not just good, but he's really great. <3

Darth Vader

2011-12-13T22:13:00.000+08:00

I can't get over myself and I still have a lot of issues with my hair. It's driving me hazel nuts! I'm good with self-criticism so please spare me some or just bring it on. Let them come. I'm THISCLOSE to shaving my hair bald and every single day feels like a bad hair day! I had two trips to the salon in two weeks and I'm still not satisfied. The problem with not having the same hair stylists is they never get it right when they trim my bangs. Something is always wrong right after leaving the salon. My bangs is not trimmed evenly or maybe I'm just too much of a perfectionist with ## percent room for improvement. It's just too bad my favorite hair stylist left the country for greener pastures. The grass is greener on the other side but I don't want to talk about the grass even if my hair's texture is similar to it. This isn't displacement either. It's my hair and I'm making such a big fuss about it. I don't even want hair rebond or relax cause I need to tie my hair when I run or play football. Besides, it's too much of a maintenance and I can't promise consistency to myself when it comes to hair treatments. Something's gotta give but I'm not willing to take that route. I'm left looking like Darth Vader. Swear!

I was so relieved when Laura, brainchild behind the blog of worldly delights shared some of her no-nonsense secrets when it comes to hair care. I'm giving my hair a month to recover from it lackluster and if it still doesn't work. Well, hello scissors! Otherwise, I won't hesitate to buy myself some gas mask and wear it. The all black outfit is not a protest and I'm not mourning over my hair. I just feel more of myself when I'm wearing black and my worn out oxfords. I live an active lifestyle and I still get to dress up thanks to work but it's so difficult to take outfit shots. It's when you have the camera, location and good lighting but you got no one to take your photos with. If only I am with my boyfriend 24/7 where I can just charm my way for him to shoot me. I don't even have to ask him sometimes. He knows it already. And he knows my every outline.

shirt: topshop jeggings: bench oxfords: forever 21 bag: parisian

Prototype

2011-12-11T20:11:00.002+08:00

It's difficult to write about something you know nothing about. At least, that's how it is in my case. I don't happen to know everything and nobody does unless you pretend to know it all. Just keep faking it until you make it. Honestly, I find it hard to blog about the day I played football. I bet none of you is even interested but I would still keep going. I should have spent my high school days playing football instead of track and field. Now I'm left wondering if I had the wrong sport. I spent half of my grade school days watching those cute boys in the field together with a childhood friend. Let's face it, most athletes look hot with their uniforms or jerseys. I should have joined the club before but not because of the boys. I had a lot of opportunity to learn and play but I lack the drive and interest. Had I played before, I could have been VERY good at it now. But now that I have those three things, I lack the skills. I'm a bit disappointed with myself. I hate to admit but I totally suck at football. I can outrun my opponents but I could never dance with the ball. Maybe I got used to watching it on television or on the benches with a glass of beer on one hand. It would take a lot of practice and foot drills. It looks so easy on TV but it's way different when you're the one playing. Seriously, I don't want to disappoint myself again. It's a good thing my boyfriend plays football. I get to practice with him even before the actual training day. If there's one thing I know about something, there are things you can learn. But you have to learn it the hard way.

photos by my boyfriend Bal

On The Road

2011-12-09T16:18:00.001+08:00

The road to Sagada is breathtaking to say the least. It's definitely one hell of a bus ride and the most memorable one for me. I have to agree with Bal when he said it's like a roller-coaster ride, only that the danger is more real. No other bus ride thrilled me like this one. On my mind, I kept saying to myself that if I was going to die on this trip, it would be okay cause I'm with my boyfriend. At least, we die together like Romeo and Juliet but we're not some character from a Shakespearean novel. My sub-conscious mind entertained those thoughts cause it really had some elements and plot of this Hollywood movie called Final Destination. It would have been perfect for the road kill and it may even be news-worthy. I'm not scaring you. It's just me talking to myself and writing my thoughts down. It wasn't really a nightmare but more of an adventure, an exhilarating one. I didn't mean for it to sound the way it is. Sometimes, I just read and watch too much fiction. It's a good excuse.

You wouldn't really appreciate all the greens and road photos in this entry unless you go to the place itself. But I like it so much I just want to share it. Taking photos on a moving vehicle is difficult unless you have an SLR. I think it would look better cause the shutter speed is faster. We didn't bring one but I bought a new point and shoot for this trip. I'm no expert with photography or camera so I hope I said the right thing. It was a six hour bus ride with two pit stops. What I noticed with the bus rides in Luzon is they have assigned seats. If you want to be seated right next to the driver, you have to be early and believe me - it's the best seat ever! It's the same with watching a fashion show. You want to be in the front-row to have the best view. We were at the Dangwa bus terminal, located near the Baguio Public Market an hour early. The ticket costs two hundred forty pesos and there's no air-con bus, it's not necessary. But you do need to layer or dress up for winter. When we hopped on the bus, we got too excited to sit next to the driver but I got a little disappointed cause there were this two people who gladly evicted us from our seats. Just when we both were very comfortable and ecstatic with where we were seated. People really try to steal your thunder! Yeah, those kinds of things happen.

Photos by Bal and Me

When I'm blue, I like wearing red.

2011-12-05T10:04:00.001+08:00

For some reason, the photos look too pixelated and grainy when these are even unedited or maybe my friend Jed who took these shots did something with it. I'm not really into photo editing cause I have no patience for it and I like them raw. It was raining when these shots were taken and it's even raining now. Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Come on, just hum along. I don't exactly feel blue but more of sick. I'm not sure if I abused my body too much with all the physical activities I'm engaged to. I don't blame it, really. Maybe it's just my body telling me to slow down a bit. I want something to blame so I might as well choose the bipolar weather. The sun gets extra hard-working at times and our office feels like Alaska because of the coldness. Maybe I do feel a bit blue cause I can't do the things I'm used to when my body's in perfect shape. Skipping my evening run now feels like skipping a meal. Medicines, please do your jobs, please!

shoes and bag: Parisian top and blazer: thrifted pants: penshoppe

Lemon Pie House

2011-12-03T19:29:00.000+08:00

My blog lifeline is very much dependent with scheduled posts. As of this writing, I'm out for some evening run so that I can have a spoonful of McDonald's mcflurry oreo. That's what I call offsetting. I like burning calories and then taking some or even more. My mind is very much filled with food and I've had crazy cravings lately. I look like a small girl but I have a big appetite. It just doesn't really show cause you get tricked with my size or the angles on how the photos are taken.

When Bal and I decide to dine, I eat like a King. I don't pretend or act sexy by having half of something or just a small portion. I like giving my body exactly what it wants. Always. But I can't give me some lemon pie from Sagada. The beginning statements are not just something to fill you up cause I don't know where to start. That's the problem with blogging or even writing. The first lines or sentence is always the hardest. But I'm being honest when I have food in my mind even if I'm out running while you read/scan through this entry.

Don't ever miss out Sagada's Lemon Pie House. I'm not so much of a fan with pies but I'm sold with how theirs was made. You can really taste the lemon and it doesn't taste like chicken. Of course, it should taste like lemon unless they were selling apple. It's no comparison with the ones sold in fast-food chains. Pasalubong worthy if you don't have other stops after Sagada. Surprisingly, Lemon Pie House have WIFI. Yeah, they do. Ten stars for that plus they got great customer service and cute interiors. Food price does not even hurt your wallet. You're getting your money's worth and more. It's rare to find great places with good customer service. You have to travel hundreds of kilometers up the mountains to experience some. Something to look forward to when WE come back.

Photos by Bal and Me

Bad Hair Day

2011-12-02T11:12:00.000+08:00

I keep looking into the mirror wanting to change the person staring back at me. I've had longer hair since I could remember and I decided to make friends with the scissors early last year. I did not cut my wrist but I did the bravest thing I could. At first, I was afraid cause I might not look good or be comfortable with it. But I went for it. It's true that when you go short, you can't help but go shorter. You're not satisfied until a new person emerges. Suddenly, I miss my long hair. It's when I feel all girly but I don't feel less sexy with a shorter do. It doesn't make you less of a woman if you look like a boy.

There are times when I abhor shampoo commercials on how hair should look like. Makes me sound hypocritical but I don't fucking care. As a protest to the diabolical brush and evil ads, I decided to cut my hair short and kept it that way. My inspiration was Anna Wintour but I ended up looking like Dora the Explorer. It's hard to maintain the full bangs, though. I keep looking like a shaggy dog when it grows and I can barely see sometimes. It cost so much cause I have to go to the salon and have it trimmed. Trusting your hair stylist is like trusting them with your entire life. They can either help you look good by enhancing what you already have or make you look even more ugly. If only cutting your hair comes with a money back guarantee or a free wig, at least.

It was around this time of the year when I went gaga over cutting my hair. It's liberating, really. I get too annoyed with my crowning glory that I want to do a Britney Spears and go bald. I'm also convincing myself that my Grandma is also having this kind of day when she asked me to brush her hair and help her get dressed with her skirt. I am still in denial that she's showing signs of Alzheimer's. Like me, she's just having a bad hair day. It's just a bad hair day.

old photo, new self.

Yellow House

2011-11-30T19:09:00.000+08:00

Everywhere I go, there's Piolo Pascual. I'm just trying to keep abreast with what's on the news and where I come from, HE is news. Enough already. Gossip is everyone's past time, yes. I'm sure you'd say small minds talk about people and all that jazz. I don't intend to save Africa but I just can't help but feel a tad too annoyed. People at work, falling in line the grocery, riding a public utility vehicle on the way home, running on solid ground, in Facebook, in twitter, everywhere else. Even on this blog. I'm sharing my burden to cure what I'm feeling. To appease me, I'll help you connect the dots as to why that local actor is even mentioned here. He actually had a movie that was shot entirely in Sagada. No, I'm definitely no fan of his and I haven't seen the movie either. He's totally not the reason why it's part of our Northern Luzon trip. It's something else and I won't tell you.

Surely, everyone has a bucket list of places to visit. For me, Sagada's one of them. The bus ride all the way up is already an adventure in itself. I'm not exaggerating and I've said it for a thousand times over. It's also a bit ironic cause the place where we stayed is called Grandma's Yellow House and while in Vigan, we stayed in Grandpa's Inn. It's like the yin to the yang or love and being loved in return. Okay, I think there's no sentence parallelism there. I love this house the most because you have privacy and the accommodation is pretty cheap. The lovely couple who owns the place is even friendly not just because you're their guests plus they cook some awesome food with the freshest veggies! The house is really a log cabin and we only paid five hundred bucks, that's two fifty per head for an overnight stay with our own bathroom and water heater. I just have to mention the heater cause it's very important. We were freezing cold in Sagada and I wasn't really properly dressed for winter. I can only imagine my friends from the other side of the universe.

I'm thankful that it's sunny where I am but when we were in the mountains, the sky was partly cloudy with some rain showers. Sagada, WE will be back. <3

something to read while stuck in transits and a notebook for minor accounting

Dangerous Curves

2011-11-28T19:49:00.003+08:00

the sun's in the sky, it's warming up your bare legs

He's got me high. Well, he literally took me uphill last 11.11.11 and it left me breathless. That date was just too important for mostly everyone, it was even a trending topic in twitter and appeared in every social networking sites. I've even read from my growing blog roll on how others spent that day and this is how my 11.11.11 went. Bal took me to the Danao Golf Course and it's not certain if this was something he planned or the date just fell into place. Must be the cosmos or maybe the sunny weather. We did not even agree to wear red. You get what I mean. It's like some mental telepathy and our minds agreed on something. This is not an attempt to be cute or cheesy. I was not even close to one when we did the uphill run a few weeks ago.

I have to give it to Bal cause he admitted defeat when we raced on foot all the way down and when we did some uphill sprints. I'm not so sure if he lets me win or I'm just improving after all that training. At first, he couldn't really accept it and tried to drain my energy but I'm not someone who would easily give up. I would always put up a good fight, no matter what. Well, I did beat him twice. There. I finally said it. That's something to be happy and remember especially that he wins most of the time. And it's not just because he's a guy. He's really good with what he does and I'm giving him good competition. It feels like we're custom made for each other. He's been very supportive, really. Okay, that's cheesy.

The place is truly a beauty. There are no cars to hit you, ZERO city pollution and it's just the beautiful landscape with the clouds above. The distance is painstakingly short but what kills you is the inclined road and we conquered it. You should too.

Photos by Bal and Me

Pumped Up Kicks

2011-11-26T15:45:00.004+08:00

Let's take a short break from Northern Luzon. I don't think I would ever be able to blog them all before November ends. This is the time of the year when everything happens way too fast. I don't even want to blink cause I might miss out on something. It must be the longer nights, thanks to the end of daylight saving time. To solve my little problem, I'm going to post daily outfits in between the Northern Luzon trip and anything else.

This one is even a scheduled post cause I'm out playing football today. I love the sport and I never imagined myself to be in the field. But who knows, maybe the team just needed someone to complete the list. Bal and me did 21KM early morning and it was dead exhausting. I don't think I'm ever gonna do it again, though. Or maybe I would, depends on what's at stake. Don't worry, I'm not switching careers or whatever. But that's another blog entry on my list. The photos on this post are still from Photobucket cause they're BIGGER for the anonymous eyes to see. The bitch called work gives me the liberty to dress up even if we have a slightly strict dress code. To be honest, I am more of myself when I'm wearing my worn out Chucks. When I'm in the office, I wear those murderous pumped up kicks. They're not the most comfortable but I just suffer through it. I even do fifty squats with those shoes on. No kidding.

The bag I'm using is a doppelganger of Alexander Wang's rocco duffel but I bought mine in Parisian. SM really has it all! Well, it's not really mine but my elder sister's and I'm thankful she's into bags. Saves me a lot of money and it's good to have siblings. You can just borrow from them even without permission and they still love you for it. If you've also noticed, my bangs are back. I look like Darth Vader, yes?

Photos by Jed Oyangoren

The House of Vintage

2011-11-24T22:44:00.001+08:00

When going Vigan, I'm recommending Grandpa's Inn. This ancestral house was a gift of the Donato sisters to their brother, Mariano when he married Carmen Rivero in 1923. It was the first House in Vigan to have bidet and internal plumbing. I don't personally know them and that historical fact is also written in an engraved carving on the house's exterior like an epitaph to a grave. I actually don't know where to begin, like I always do, so I thought of sharing the history of the place where our two nights was spent.

When traveling, I personally think it's important that the bed you'd roll into is comfortable and clean. It should be something close to your own bedroom. Comfort without compromising the budget for the entire trip. Well, if you have all the money then by all means get the penthouse or suite. When I travel, I don't fly hundreds of miles just for me to stay in bed and burn money for the accommodation. This is not bedroom talk but the point is, the hotels in Vigan were just too expensive for our budget except for this Ancestral House turned into an Inn. It's not practical for people traveling with a shoe-string budget to spend a lot on where to rest. You don't stay in bed for twenty-four hours. You would only leave your things, do your evening/morning ritual and hit the ground running. That's what we did. It was more of a hit-and-run kind of thing.

Even if it had an eerie atmosphere having been built even before I was born. I just had to mention that cause it makes me feel more younger and the house older. It's definitely worth your money and anything else. You'd have to see it for yourself but for the meantime, just feast your eyes on these:

Panic Girl

2011-11-21T21:51:00.000+08:00

you make all the fashion statements just by dressing up your mind - Jason Mraz

The photo in this blog entry is actually bigger in real life. Or, the person photographed in this blog entry is BIGGER in REAL life. I'm no longer using picasa and I'm starting to use photobucket cause for some reason, I couldn't find the html code. I am not sure if it's just me or Google changed their settings. You've seen this yellow satchel a lot of times and it's obviously a favorite of mine. It goes well with anything and adds a little oomph to any outfit. I'm in no mood to blog cause it's way past my bed time. Plus, I just really wanted to try photobucket. I'm no longer a night witch and I love early mornings. I talk too much. I should be sleeping now. Social networking reduces my sleeping hours.

Photo by Bal Marsius taken in Calle Crisologo, Vigan City, Philippines

Postcards from Vigan

2011-11-19T18:00:00.003+08:00

If there's one thing I'm bitter about the Northen Luzon trip, it's forgetting to send postcards to ourselves from the places we've been to. We could have received it by now and then I would feel like Claire Abshire to complete my literary delusions. Not that I want Bal to be Henry, I can't stand the whole concept of Henry's time travel and I really don't want to be like Claire. I just like the idea of receiving postcards from one another and read it in a different time, different place. We've been traveling a whole lot that I could no longer count the number of miles or kilometers spent. But thanks to Google maps, makes the tracing of bread crumbs easier. Actually, more thanks to Bal cause he's patient with mapping an entire continent. I want Northern Luzon to be done and over with cause I still have a lot of photos to dump and stuff to write. It's not that there's nothing going in with my life lately, I just couldn't find time cause 24hrs in a day is so not enough. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing outside blogging and cyberspace.

There's just too many photos that I'll make a separate entry on where we stayed. It was that great that I need to tell you about it. I just couldn't stuff them all in one entry and I hate long posts. Seriously, I do, even if I burden you with such. This is the part of the trip where we switched into Tourists mode. This is also the second time that I'm mistaken as a Vietnamese. Okay, I'm not really sure if the friendly guy who offered to take our photos in the post office thought I'm from Vietnam but he sure thought I'm no Filipino. The first incident was in Siquijor and I just had to tell you cause I got amused. Must be the bangs. Have you ever been mistaken as somebody else other than yourself from your travels? Just a thought.

Vigan's one of UNESCO's World Heritage Site and one of the few Hispanic towns left in the Philippines. Why does it sound like I'm giving a lesson about Philippine history or something like it. Scrap that! You can always Google Vigan anytime you want, only if you plan to visit the City. Or ask me questions, I dare you not. All apologies if you're directed to this blog but thanks for the visit, leave a comment if you like.

We didn't ride the Kalesa, okay.

Photos by Bal and Me

Keep the Faith

2011-11-15T21:45:00.001+08:00

Today is wordless Tuesday.

Paoay Sand Dunes

2011-11-12T12:21:00.004+08:00

I still have tons of photos and stories to share from the Northern Luzon backpacking trip and to be honest, we had seven hundred snapshots from my camera alone. At first, we thought we didn't take too many photos but apparently we did. I'm even having a hard time choosing what to post to avoid spamming. This is the part where I should be glad we're digital and not on film. If you can just imagine the amount of rolls and money spent. Out of the seven hundred, majority of them were taken by Bal and it's given that I'm on the photos. He's the one lugging the camera, something I could never complain about. We traveled hundreds of kilometers for this. For him to take my photos but you know I'm just kidding.

But I kid you not when I tell you I first heard of the Sand Dunes from those classic Philippine movies of Nora Aunor and FPJ. You know you're Filipino when you actually know who they are and have seen any of their movies from beginning to end. Haha! I'm really not a fan but what can I do, I grew up watching them. Our television set is adjacent to the dining table and when your Mom forced feeds you, you got nothing but the TV to turn to. It was a sort of refuge and torture. Kids growing up don't like to eat when asked to but things are different now that I'm older. I meant the eating habit, okay. Some scenes of Himala and Panday were shot in Paoay's Sand Dunes and in La Paz but we never had the time to go there. NO, they're not the reason why we went there. We're not trying to relieve those classic moments in Philippine cinema. Believe me on this, please!

I was more excited to try sand boarding and all other stuff you can do in the desert but none of those were in Paoay. I'm just saying that to stay away from FPJ and Nora Aunor cause I might end up talking about them when I know I shouldn't. The Sand Dunes were a trike ride away from the main road. When I say main road, don't know where it really is but I know it's where Malacañang of the North is. Just ask around the locals if you intend to visit this green-land. Good thing it was about to rain when we went there. Or else, we could have burned our skin and we're feeling dehydrated. It's still a desert, after all.

That's Bal thinking he can fly. (this is not my way of giving back cause you took all my photos,okay)

Running with Scissors

2011-11-06T16:30:00.003+08:00

This fashion blogger is also a marathoner.

Today, I still feel infinite. Ever had the feeling of learning something so great that you can't even contain it. Those moments when something so damn good happens to you, you just can't wait and share it to your friends - close ones and even the not so close. I can't help feeling all giddy when the boy taught me how to bike yesterday. Yes, I'm that kind of girl. When I was younger and more self-deprived, dad doesn't want any of his three girls to do anything less feminine. We're in the Philippines, this is my country and we have a patriarchal system. Regardless, I have no regrets and I'm happy with the family I have. Well, if I do have it's not learning how to drive in wheels that soon. If I knew it even before I started this blog, I wouldn't even be scribbling right now. But that's how it is, we all have to go through growing up pains. All girls in a typical Filipino setting and all other sob stories that's too private I won't even tell you. If only Bal brought a camera yesterday, I could have showed you how I did. I'm feeling like a kindergarten kid. Like those screaming kids, they create so much wreck and sorry to Mr Jogger. Oh, I'm not sorry at all. He knew I was heading towards his direction and he could have avoided me but he just stood there. Like an accident waiting to happen.

This is quite a lengthy post, a summary of all the marathons we joined over the past eleven months. There's just three so this is not really lengthy at all. In fact, I just got home from one. There are times when thoughts appear on my mind and I have these light-bulb above my head that I lost control of them. Thank you, euphemism. And you, I know you're just sitting there, silently judging me. I do that, BTW.

Definitely not HER FIRST marathon in her entire lifetime. BUT it's a baptism of sorts or something like it because:

First marathon with the boyfriend. Yes, we have to take note of that. And it has to be the number ONE reason. Never thought of running with him but the unrealized idea is now a blog entry.
It's still about the boyfriend. He swims and bikes but it was his first marathon.
They were officially part of the race just a few minutes before they pulled the trigger. It pays to have friends in high places and an athlete during your growing up years.
Random fact, the athletes/runners I used to compete before are now race marshals. Thankful for it, only for the fact they are the race marshals.
If she wasn't that 'influential' - they could have ran 10k. With no rest, no mercy, no matter what.
They had pizza, pasta and chicken after. The more calories you burn, the more food you eat. Like, duh! They're carnivores.
Insert witty lines here.

This is how we spent Halloween. We do midnight runs instead of the regular trick or treating.

He does all the tricks. I think I deserve some treat, alright.
Second marathon for this year, second sun down run but minus our foster son, James.
If you're as observant as I am, my race number when added all together is equals to five.
Before the race started, we had a bet that I will make it to the top twenty finishers.
For someone who can't even complete to jog five rounds in IT Park, it was surprising to know that I finished fifth in the womens category.
It was my best performance, post high school varsity days. He couldn't get over it. Trust me, it felt like winning a beauty pageant but more. (Not that I joined them)
He was beaming with pride. Especially him.
After a long run, we always feel the hunger for food. Water even never tasted so good.
What better way to celebrate the fifth place finish with a bottle of French Cider and the eternal favorite chicken.
I was unconsciously hitting two birds in one stone. Winning the bet against Bal and like a true athlete, the celebration. Since I don't know you, I won't tell you and I never would to anyone.

Do I sound like I know what I'm doing?

In Cebu, there's always a marathon every Sunday but it's not always for free.
Worked six days the previous week just so I can run today. That's how eager I was aside that it's free.
Work is part of the gold sponsor, free registrations are once in a lifetime opportunities.
Something I noticed from the marathons before and now, they only recognize the top three and not the rest of the top ten. There's not even a fine print on what and how much the prizes are. Nobody races to lose. Everybody wants to win not unless you're someone fat who thinks you will lose weight in joining a marathon.
Before, top ten runners gets the recognition which is apt. Dude, it's not easy to train. Also, I'm not being bitter with the fifth place finish unrecognized. Times are just changing. *shrugs shoulder*
Registration fees are way, way, more expensive than before. Organizers are regaining their capitalist throne.
My shoes used for running is just the most basic one. It's has streaks of pink though. It doesn't have any modern technology something like the ones sold in RUNNR. It's not bitterness, a good shoes is something you can always buy over-the-counter but never stamina or performance.
It was a good run. I'm happy that I'm slowly getting back in shape, albeit the lack of leg and lung power. Sure, I had my glory days in high school but I just missed running.
Special thanks to Ninski, James and Poi for the photos used in this entry. Had to say it otherwise, someone might block me in Facebook.
I'm very much thankful for Bal even if he despises this part of me being cheesy. He serves as my water boy, wing man, and all others in every race. Must be love.
But, I am not so sure if I would still be thankful for him when we run 21K next month.

Cheers!

let's get physical!

On the fourth day she rose again

2011-11-04T21:20:00.005+08:00

Six narcissistic photos of myself in one blog post. That's normal, right? Frankly, there's a whole lot from the trip to Bangui but these are my personal favorites of the bunch. I was having a hard time choosing what to publish, if only it's as easy as getting ready for your close-up. It would have been a walk in the park kind of thing. I bombarded you with text and now with photos. Pardon me for posting too many words from the previous entry, I just wrote a lot and didn't mean to burden you by reading all those non-sense. I should stick to the subject, though. I hope you don't find this difficult to follow. The unapologetic self is on a quick break. I will try to makes this as short as my white washed denim shorts as possible.

These aren't taken by self-timer shots, obviously. Do I have to say it? Well, I guess I have to. Bal took this photos. Until now, I still get astounded when he volunteers to shoot me. No pun intended. Lately, I've been using that statement a whole lot. I'm digressing again. Days ago, he told me he voted for me. Not that I joined any online contest that requires Facebook likes or votes. I was surprised when he joined Chictopia just so he can vote for my looks. If you're reading this, I did not mean to embarrass you. I just couldn't keep it to myself. It was all too surreal, it almost scared me.

The body beneath the clothes is what makes the clothes look fabulous. As for the photos, they can speak for themselves.

Venus Rising

Like Windmills

2011-10-31T19:24:00.006+08:00

I'm not dead.

Just in case, you dropped by here looking for me.

Being away from the city, social networking sites and all other things left me feeling disoriented and distant. It's not just a feeling or a state of mind. I hate having to explain my absence and I'm never accountable to anyone on why I was on hiatus, something I occasionally do. Trust me, I'm getting pretty good at it. It's always the same things, getting self-absorbed, blog loathing and what have you. It's always the same vicious cycle that I go through, repeated episodes of rants and ruminations. Sometimes, I don't know what else to say. I run short on words probably cause there's nothing inside my mind and there's really nothing there to begin with. No attempts of being literary with all those beauteous words you have never encountered cause you've got short vocabs, leaving you feeling awestruck or something like it. Then, I'll end up getting 'praised' or 'comforted' after this non-sense rant. I just happen to be someone you came across with and followed through Google friend connect. I don't want to sound smart and well-read. I don't even claim to be one. I just want to rant and scribble all my thoughts away. I don't like to channel negative energy through my blog but this is my blog, dammnit! I can say and write whatever I want. At the beginning, I did mention about not having to explain myself but here I am, hitting the keyboard so hard and I'm not even pressing the backspace button.

The photos down below are from the backpacking trip in Northern Luzon with Bal Marsius. I'm not as good as he is when it comes to writing so you can waste your time by visiting his blog. This is not a sort of commercialism or endorsement, just merely an excuse for my lack of writing skills. The Windmills in Bangui, Ilocos Norte was the final and farthest destination, the last stop from the six day trip. I choose to post and blog about it first since I don't do things in chronological order and tend to them in reverse. Our jump-off point was in Baguio, a place where I'm not really very fond of. We always have to thank seat sales, at some point. Plane fare cost cheap but if you fail to check in at the exact time, you're not refunded with what you paid for and end up paying more. That's the downside of a seat sale but of course, you're not that stupid to miss your own flight. But if you do, it's not because you wanted it but it might be because of some forces of nature. It's not your choice but it's something out of control. It's the classic conflict of man vs nature. And you'll feel sorry about it, then move on and learn to do more time management the next time. Does it sound like we missed our own flight? If I tell you, I'd have to kick you. Kick you real bad you won't even like me.

On why Baguio became our jump off point - it's because the plane from Cebu to Laoag doesn't have a direct flight. There's a short lay-over in Manila and I hate being stuck in a place for hours, doing nothing and it's not part of the itinerary. I would rather prefer that we're moving while riding a bus than waiting for the next flight. From Baguio, we were advised by the locals to ride Victoria Liner all the way up to Vigan but due to time constraints, we ended up with a lousy liner named Chona-Patrick, something I would never ever recommend. We were way behind schedule thanks to them. They made us wait and did not even set proper expectations nor apologized for the delay. Enough about them. I've given them too much space, already. Travel time was more than ten hours and you'll realize how small Cebu is. The entire trip was similar to Amazing Race, beating the time and our own exhaustion as how he said it. But all those exhaustion are tossed away, when you get to see the windmills. I'm not even exaggerating. We would have wanted to spend more time there, watch the sun come down and the waves hitting the sand with all those cheesy stuff I'd skip to write about. It was just too picturesque. It really felt like the movies. I am also thankful with a camera's self-timer. Praise the person who thought of it, really.

Life is a series of departures and arrivals. And an unending bus ride.

It started out with a kiss. How did it end up like this?

(first three photos taken by Bal Marsius)

Like a Circus Girl

2011-09-30T09:00:00.002+08:00

Obsessing with Mindy Gledhill's circus girl as of the moment. No, I don't look like a circus girl in this post. I look less of a color wheel. I'm wearing something very casual on a random day. If there's a word count for random, there's more than five hundred hits on this blog and others too. We just call it random just because. The sweater is American Gap and the bag is thrifted vintage and of course, my all time favorite oxfords from Forever 21. They're opening a store in Cebu and my wallet is ready. Well, just thirty percent of it goes to F21. In less than twenty-four hours, we're saying goodbye to my birth month. October is so close. Are we ready?

I walk on a wire, jump through a fire for you
Hang from my knees on a trapeze while you
Make me spin
Yes, you make me twirl
Like a circus girl
From overseas, we'd acquire the most bizarre oddities
And charge quite the fee for the people
Who will flock just to see
I wonder what they'd pay
To see my heart on display

Cupcake Society

2011-09-28T22:03:00.000+08:00

Tonight, she could be suffering from anorexia. For the first time, she eats.

All them greasy foods, goes well with cupcakes and other sweets.

No, I don't have problems with my weight. I am very much confident with my body. And yes, those cupcakes looks too cute to be eaten. You can have the entire bakery too.

Life is short, eat all you can't.

FIDA Cebu

2011-09-26T18:12:00.000+08:00

This is no longer last Friday Night although that Katy Perry song is playing in my head. Fashion Institute of Design and the Arts opened its doors to Cebuano's two Fridays ago. It was on the 17th to be exact. Two days after my birthday. I don't know why I still talk about my birthday even if it's no longer my birthday. I officially declare the month of September as The Chyrel Gomez month. Pardon if I get too self-absorbed most of the times. There are times when I think about myself and thoughts of him even if I'm suppose to talk about the grand launch of FIDA Cebu. Oh, I just can't help it. Don't I? Cheers to me, then. This is my blog, after all. I can say whatever I want.

There will be no photo captions but there will be word of mouth. I have to personally thank Miss Enthusiast for letting me use her photos for this entry. I didn't lug around a camera on that day. A camera is a blogger's best friend. That's the inconvenient and widely-known truth. Pictures are important aside from the obvious that it doesn't lie. Except of course when you're good with Photoshop. It's one proof that you were there in the flesh. It also entertains your 'readers' if your writing sucks. Like this one. If you don't convince them with your writing then give them their two cents worth. Show them good photos. Or even awesome. You are most likely to grow your readership. This part here feels like talking about blog statistics than FIDA.

Bloggers in attendance were Michelle of From Runway to Realway, Ephraim, the owner of Best Finds Thrift Shop, and Carma from The Stylish Seeker and Kimberly Mendero the photographer. I don't really have the rates or schedules of classes but if you are interested to enroll, do visit FIDA's facebook page. Or you can leave me a comment with your email address and I can forward it to you. Gawd! I feel so commercial and I don't know what. Seriously, visit their page cause this entry is not at all helpful. I love the last three photos and the first one reminds me of the lovely interiors. As for the second one, I wish I have my own sewing machine. And of course! Books! They have books on fabric sewing guide and if you'll learn how to do so, there would be no need for you to enroll in FIDA. Just read them all away. Well, good luck to that.

John and Yoko

2011-09-23T19:22:00.001+08:00

Now that I have a lot of things to blog, I can't find time or I lose interest with blogging. Maybe I'm just being a sloth or I just have a poor vocabulary. I couldn't even think of a title other than the shirts that Bal Marsius and I are wearing. I know, these are not your ordinary couple shirts. It's John Lennon and Yoko Ono for crying out loud. I'll shoot you this instant if you don't know who those legends are. We're promoting artwork and this is not a paid ad, as usual. If Google directed you to this site after searching the keywords of those two luminaries then you're not in for anything. I won't give you the satisfaction. Ever. You were tricked and unluckily misrouted. Photos on this entry are taken by Rox, the brilliant author of the blog Bigbangs and Tidbits.

My bangs were still brushed in a sideswept motion on the day I met my boyfriend's circle of friends. I had a haircut the day after. Well, I got my hair trimmed and have full bangs again. I couldn't help but chuckle when we stepped inside the salon. I just matter-of-factly said haircut, the same way a person exhale's and the receptionist asked if it's for him. To her point of view, he needs the haircut more than I do. But, I love his hair the way it is. It's even sexy. Hair grabbing moments are. Don't you just love those intimate moments. Yes, I do! I love the smell of his hair. Reality check. I'm getting annoyingly cheesy. XD

Hair strokes aside, the whole gang met up cause Rox and her boyfriend's relocating in Manila. I would have loved to live in Manila cause almost everything's cheap there but my heart will always be for Cebu. Always. I've lived in this city for twenty-five years but I've never tried eating those saccharine treats in Ice Castle. The guys from zerothreetwo confirmed that it's a purely Cebuano food chain. As how Rox blogged it, it's for bitter folks with sweet tooth. If you have issues with your body weight, I suggest you skip Ice Castle. But if you're not then indulge yourself. You can just choke right after eating or reading this entry.

Cougar Town

2011-09-19T15:55:00.000+08:00

I enjoy watching the show and Courtney Cox looks better than the FRIENDS era. Demi Moore is even more gorgeous now. It may be the work of cosmetic surgery or something else. Those two lovely women have something in common, both dated men younger than their years. There's just something about them. It makes you want to suck their youthfulness out of them. Not that I consider myself as one, I'm too young to be a cougar. That's defense mechanism on its best, honey! What?! I just turned silver. I still have the best days ahead of me. And age is just an attitude according to this tv commercial. But I wouldn't mind joining the ranks of Courtney Cox, Demi Moore or Carmi Martin if we mention any local flavor.

I just couldn't help but think of the word cougar when I wore the skirt. And it also reminded of the Flintstones cause of the tattered ends. It was very windy when I wore them and I almost had my Marilyn Monroe billowing skirt moment. Good thing I had my trusted bag worn like that of a Postman to avoid any unwanted peek-a-boo's. When windy, it's still advisable to wear a skirt but something other than the undies should be worn underneath. My sister Liezyl already wore this look once and I'm not afraid to admit that I'm an outfit repeater.

I'm not so good with mixing print on print but I do love matching printed items with the basics. It never fails. I invest mostly on classic pieces like the shirt seen here. They never go out of style and can be paired with anything. It can be worn casually or on a more romantic date with the boy or something corporate.

Photos on this entry are taken by my bff Jed. I could't help but notice on how muscular my legs are. Sometimes, I just like my photos bigger.

(Skirt by Madeeni Finds, Top by Bench, Wedge shoes by Parisian)

Counting Calories

2011-09-17T13:00:00.003+08:00

On the eve of me turning silver, Bal Marsius and I had dinner in 30 Kitchen, located near the entrance of Paradise Village. I've heard so much about the place and it's highly recommended by friends. I've checked out zerothreetwo's website for their review and it wasn't that comprehensive. It's because you don't have to read about a restaurant. You have to experience the food and place yourself. 30 Kitchen doesn't have big servings, it's MASSIVE. I ordered mushroom soup while he had tomato for starters. We were expecting it to be an appetizer but the soup that cost seventy pesos apiece is already a meal in itself. It's so different from Cafe Cul-De-Sac where it's just enough to stimulate your sense of taste. For the main course, he had Mediterranean Fish and I had Black Angus cooked in chicken gravy. We originally planned to drown ourselves with alcohol but after the gastronomic dinner, we felt all sleepy and FULL. I'm sure you've heard about the pig syndrome. You just want to sleep all the calories consumed even if you feel all guilty.

We prolly felt all full before eating cause of the boisterous noise made by the small group just a few inches from our table. They were just a small number of girls but their voices resonated around the place. It sort of ruined the experience but I was too happy, I couldn't let them take away my crowning glory. Besides, it's not their fault they're annoying. I'm still recommending 30 Kitchen to my friends. In fact, I'm planning to go back there soon.

Since you've reached this part, that means you were reading. Or just merely browsing the photos. The last two photos are obviously not in 30 Kitchen but it's taken in Zayka. The only Indian restaurant in town near Cofifi. We had late lunch in Zayka and since I am forever faithful to anything chicken. We ordered spicy chicken biryani and cielo kebab. We're both carnivores, I know. Since birthdays can be made as an excuse to have more calories than the body can take. We ordered some fraps in Cofifi. I was so amazed with the Barista cause she remembered the drinks we had from the last time we were there. And when I say last time, it was almost a month ago. Now, that's what I call amazing customer service. :)

The Birthday Girl

2011-09-15T22:52:00.000+08:00

Time goes too quickly nowadays. I don't even know where to begin and I'm not so sure if I am making such a big fuzz about turning a year older. It just felt like I was still turning eighteen and now, I am officially silver - the hottest metal around. This year is totally different from my previous birthdays. Believe me, September 15 is my equivalent to Friday the 13th. On the previous years, I kept losing my battles and life was just too harsh with a series of unfortunate events. I WAS such a worst-case-scenario-kid. It made me question if I am really meant to keep things and anything in between. People also have this notion that I have a good life. I mean, I live this so-called sheltered life where I can have the possession of material things in a snap and yeah, what I want is always something bought by my own money. Not unless I morph into a bratty little bitch and demand from my Uncle. Hehe. In most cases, I want to and will have this and that because I worked hard for it. Materialism aside, I am proud to say that I have a beautiful family, blossoming career, equally gorgeous friends and a highly intellectual boyfriend. What more can I possibly ask for? If you like, you can start sending cash donations for my 2014 World Cup Fund. Sorry to digress but it's one of my ultimate dream to watch the World Cup. I'm not that rich to afford it. But I already got what I wished for. I am loved.

People experience certain peaks in their life where all the pieces seem to just fall into place perfectly... and turning 25 marked the beginning of fabulous new chapters of my life.

me = giddy ;)

Photos by Bal Marsius

How I Met His Mother

2011-09-10T16:30:00.000+08:00

It's the classic case of city girl and the country boy. Two Fridays ago, the boy asked me to travel up north in Liloan and just chill in their house. I live, breathe and grew up in the City. Liloan is not my turf although my dad lives in the same place as he is. It was my first time to travel via public transporation on my own to my then home. Not that it matters, we have a house in Liloan but we decided to move in the City cause it's the melting pot of civilization. Nothing discriminatory here. I just meant the schools, malls and anything suburban. It was almost scary at first cause I don't really know the place like the back of my hand. But that's where the fun is. It may sound too shallow or something like it for some but I like overcoming my little fears. I mean for all I know, you my dear reader may travel to the moon back-and-forth. But to me it is something new. And besides, there are always different strokes for different folks.

Don't mind me. I just enjoy life's little pleasures and I really know how to do so. Still about Last Friday, I knew that I'll most likely meet his mom for the second time. And I seriously had a hard time deciding what to wear. I do have an outfit planner. I'm shamefully admitting that I plan what to wear but the weather spoils it sometimes. Sudden rainfall makes me change outfit for ten times in less than a minute. I'm not kidding. It soils the pretty shoes but there are instances where I feel like wearing my barely there shorts with all the thunder and wind. Definitely not the best outfit to wear when meeting the boyfriend's mother though. I didn't want to look over-dressed or high maintenance which is definitely I am not. Sometimes, people get to typecast you with what you wear. But you know, it's what you wear that gets you noticed. But it's the attitude that really sells.

I ended up wearing my American Gap shorts which is made in the Philippines together with my favorite Forever 21 oxfords. The shorts were originally just above the knee but I folded them when the photos were taken. I don't look good with anything below the knee. Had my legs been a display of cellulites or varicose veins, then there's no way possible for me to wear these shorts.

Photos in this entry are taken by Bal Marsius. For the first time, my boyfriend took fashion photos of me. I can barely believe it.

American Gap shorts, WAGW Top and Belt, F21 Oxfords, Bag by Parisian

Fashion Commuter

2011-09-07T16:37:00.001+08:00

First heard of the term fashion commuter from Ava Te's blog. It sort of inspired me to ride a public utility vehicle when I'm all dolled up. It's something I haven't tried my entire life. And I was really tempted to do something for the first time. I've even decided to wear a skirt to complete the entire experience. In most days - I ride with the boy, Captain Jak or with a cab. If I'm not mistaken, fashion junkies from across the universe even take the train or a bus. In my own language, it's something like THIS: Sa New York gani kay mag train ra sila. (In New York, fashionably dressed people even ride the train) It sounds way better in my language cause sometimes it gets lost in translation. Riding the PUV saves you a lot of pesos and you get all the attention you didn't even ask for. What better way to debut my JC inspired shoes, purchased a few months ago from fellow Cebuano Fashion Blogger Michelle, than to wear them on the road and in the jeep! People really stare. I don't even have to explain why.

The whole world really stops and stares for awhile...

top and skirt are both thrifted vintage, shoes is bought from Michelle Palomar.

Because I said So

2011-09-03T18:23:00.001+08:00

Being perfect is not my intention. And really, to me life's too short to be worried on what others would think.

People always will and I was never one to feel the need to please them.

These previous weeks I:

have been called a bitch one too many times, I know that already but thank you very much. was always late. spending money on the wrong things although I definitely am on a budget, I couldn't resist investing in some goodies to grace my feet again. spoke my mind on things I should have kept quiet about. kept my quiet about others. wondered if changing yourself (even just a little) for someone dear is worth it or if you should stay consistently true to yourself no matter what the consequences are.

I no longer have the fake-it-until-you-make-it mantra. Right now everything feels so fragile and delicate I hardly dare to move. BUT, I'm really dead serious about shaping up. Not just my physical self but my derailed corporate life.

Today I:

I'm taking my friends word when both of them said on two separate occasions that it's time for me to act like a grown up. I guess it's high time I face all my demons. What I've learnt from numerous books I've read is that in the end everything is a performance and an experience. Guess, I'm one tough cookie to beat. I always feel burned out but look at me, I get over it and be awesome instead.

I used to think that life was all about me. And then someone comes along... Suddenly life isn't only about yourself, it's about making someone else happy as well. Enough cheeseballs talk. I've never sounded like a Hallmark card in my whole life.

Top from Kashieca, Pants from Penshoppe, Bag from Parisian, Chuck Taylors

JEDI

2011-09-02T00:32:00.003+08:00

Oh, it's already September. I wanted to blog on the first day of the month but I opted to wait until the second. I'm dedicating this blog post to my stylish gay best friend, Jed. Today, he's officially SILVER. We are alike and different in many ways. At times, I even think he's the brother I never had. But that's too cliche. He'll always remain my almost lover if he wasn't totally gay. I don't have any crush or hidden desire on you, just to make it clear. In case you're reading this. He always has this notion that I fantasize about him. I'm not sure if he really meant it or it was just the alcohol talking. I know I should have done better and praise your gorgeousness but no words are coming out of my mind right now. You deserve all the praise but not to the point of sugarcoating things. We've been together through small and bigger waistlines, sobriety and what have you's. I remember the times when we used to go out and party like there's no tomorrow. BTW, many thank you's for making sure I am safe and OKAY when all the beer is gone. There are so many things that I have to be thankful for but I am most grateful for being your friend. You can't find another Chyrel Gomez in the entire universe, Jed. I truly wish you all the unadulterated happiness this world can offer. And who knows, love is just around the corner. :) ILY!

Happy Birthday!

photo taken by yours truly

She Bangs

2011-08-31T18:58:00.002+08:00

the bad
I've been getting sick lately. Naturally, if you're sick, you skip work and if you skip work, you're not in the office. Welcome to corporate slavery. The thing with corporate bitches, if you can't beat them, just kill them. If thoughts could kill, a lot could have been dead by now. Yes, call it cliche but it's so on my mind right now.

the ugly
I'm missing my evening run thanks to asthma and all other sickness that's embracing my whole being lately.

Decisions have been made that left me feeling exhausted with no willpower to do much other than daydreaming with coffee and books for the time being.

the good

Coffee is overflowing at home. I don't have to spend on minimum wage coffee and be penniless. I can enjoy the books I bought light-years ago or books I've read before, enjoying them in a different time.

Decisions were made to change things for the better and it's good to know there's still friends,good books and life support system.

Tomorrow is September.

bag is vintage, skinny jeans and top by bench, ballet flats by penshoppe, blazer is bought online

If The Dress Doesn't Fit

2011-08-30T10:42:00.002+08:00

The more I browse at online shops, the more I want to go thrift hunting myself. I'm not some expensively dressed trust-fund kid so most of my clothes are thrifted if not bought online. I truly miss the thrill of finding designer items at a very cheap price. Who wouldn't want to have a piece of Versace or Lanvin in their own closet. Truthfully, I could never afford those designer items in my entire lifetime but it's amazing to find them in flea markets. I love mixing vintage/thrifted items with clothes bought at fully air-conditioned shopping malls. I sometimes get biased when I'm window shopping. Some clothes are overly priced when I know I can always find something of the same material and style at a cheaper price. There's no shopping ban for me but I did get rid of the plastics. Credit cards give you the high-purchasing power and the least I would want is to spend more than what I earn. I'm no impulsive buyer but if the dress or shoe fits, it's considered sold.

“I like my money right where I can see it... hanging in my closet.”

-Carrie Bradshaw

Vintage Top and Skirt by Madeeni Finds, Pumps by People are People

Another Day in Paradise

2011-08-28T20:40:00.003+08:00

Who you travel with can be more important than your destination. It was partly sunny with scattered rain showers on our second day in Camotes Island. There was no wifi, no signal coverage for both our phones, and the resort didn't have balls for rent. I asked the question to the friendly receptionist in Paradise Resort without batting an eyelash. I might have caught him off-guard cause it took awhile for him to regain composure. He looked like a pre-schooler chuckling. I fired the question like I was asking what time it is. How would one react if they're asked for any balls for rent. I guess I wasn't very sensitive of his feelings. Well, you know where I'm getting at. If you don't then that's not my problem.

I was with Bal Marsius, as always. He played lakeside football with some local kids on our first day in the island. He usually plays football on weekends so he unconsciously forced me to ask the slightly suggestive question if there were balls for rent. Enough already. Too bad we can't kill each other out so we ended up playing with a very small coconut. We were tossing it around on who gets badly hit first. We were more of throwing it against one another, in all seriousness. Luckily, we had the resort all by ourselves. We laughed and played around like no one's watching cause there wasn't really anyone. Endorphins were gushing all over our body. Dopamine firing everywhere. All that and the solid conviction of happiness.

PS, I Love You

2011-08-25T14:41:00.003+08:00

photo and text by Bal Marsius

It's not about your past, love. There's nothing about your past that I hate. It's your past that made you the person that I so love today. There's nothing about you that is wrong. I don't want you to feel bad about yourself. If you missed a thing or two back then, you wouldn't be as wonderful as you are today.

To me you are almost perfect, except for the fact that you don't listen to your alarm clock and you ignore it every five minutes. hehe. Everything else about you is beautiful. Your bangs are beautiful, existent or not. Your boobs are lovely, shown or not. You stand tall, five incher or less. To me you are the loveliest of all women.

I am usually cool about stuffs and I am so used to letting go of things and people. But never in my life had I wanted to keep someone as much as I wanted to keep you. In fact, I wouldn't have minded if you got pregnant because at least I can take you home and grow old with you (but that's bad because that will restrain you and all. but i never showed any worry when you had suspicions. hihi).

I'm drunk, to admit it. But only because I'm watching this Reese Weatherspoon movie and I don't have anything else to do. I need to be multi-tasking all the time. But believe me when I say I want to live my dreams with you. Just you, Chy. I know both of us can get any partner we like anytime. Remember, we are both talented and good looking. But neither of us want to be with anybody else. I could tell you that myself. You are the fiction I dreamed of, the fiction I live.

Good night, Chy.

Yours gayly,

Bal with no conciousness

HellYeahChuckTaylors!

2011-08-24T15:40:00.003+08:00

Hiatus is one of my favorite word lately. That six letter noun has been around for centuries but it's frequently used in my vocabulary. And, it's not like I just knew what the word means. Point is, there is no point. I'm just getting used to the regular absence with fashion blogging. Trust me - it's not because I am lacking inspiration or interest. Lately, I just want to live more and blog less. Even if it means I'll have less site visits and comments. Those things make me happy but up to what extent? I remember the times when I said - I will have a comeback of a lifetime and blog walk on any given day. Truth is, the more I convince myself of not doing something, the more I end up doing it anyway. I still get to dress up thanks to the job that pays my shoes and everything else. I am not quitting or taking a break. I've said this many times and I will say it again. Blogging is suppose to be a hobby and not a priority. With that being reiterated, I want to thread softly and decelerate. It's more on walking through life instead of being drag to it. I fear that if I move too fast, I might miss out on something. I am in the mood to enjoy everything in slow motion. It's the same when I eat my ice cream. I want the taste to linger while I'm savoring its sweetness. Oh, that sweet spot where I had my photo taken is no longer empty like how it looks in the photo.

And hell yeah, I wear CHUCK TAYLORS too. :)

you think i'm pretty without any make-up on

I am wearing:
skin-tight jeans from oxygen
loose top from artwork
dress worn as cardigan from human

Meeting Miss Fashion Eggplant

2011-08-20T14:00:00.007+08:00

My sister Liezyl and I spent 27 hours in Manila last July 29 to watch Incubus live. It's the bands third visit to the Philippine island and as usual, they always perform in the capital city. That's one good thing if you're from Manila, plus the fact that they have genuine Jeffrey Campbell's instead of ogling them shoes online. Sometimes, I feel like I am in the wrong city but my heart belongs to Cebu. Always will. The number of hours spent in sin city was purely hectic and fifty percent of it was being stuck in traffic. I hate being stuck in the road for too long when I could have done something else rather than staring at the traffic lights.

What made the trip worth it was hearing Incubus live, one of the bands I've listened to on my groupie heydays plus meeting Sarah Tirona with her Lita's, blog author of Fashion Eggplant. It did feel like meeting a long-time friend and believe me, there were no traces of awkwardness. It's as if we've known each other for so long only that we're separated by islands. I don't want to overrate Miss Fashion Eggplant but she looks absolutely gorgeous in person. She can pass as a college student and she was dressed like Serena Van Der Woodsen that night. Now, why do I feel like I am nearly crushing on her. That doesn't make me a lesbian, right?

All photos in this blog entry are taken by Sarah Tirona's Iphone 4

The Warmth

2011-08-15T12:32:00.005+08:00

"Two people in love, alone, isolated from the world, that's beautiful."
— Milan Kundera

Time stood still. Time when one doesn't have to laugh to feel happy.
All that existed is what the eye could see, and the body could feel.

What better way to recover from all the July nightmares than to spend it with Bal Marsius. I wouldn't want it in any other way.

Camotes is for lovers.

If Not Now, When?

2011-08-12T16:14:00.000+08:00

Sometimes words don't work. Brandon Boyd blew me away.

Saturation Point

2011-08-03T15:09:00.003+08:00

I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing as The Script ditty goes. No, I'm not falling to pieces nor even close to the edge. But, life lately is a series of unfortunate events. There were a handful of slightly traumatic moments in a span of 1 week, 7 days, 168 hours and 10080 minutes. If you just sort of imagine the kind of cataclysm that knocked my so-called life. It was nearly the fall of the house of Pableo-Gomez when fire hit the neighborhood. It was THISCLOSE and just around the bend. This is the point in time where I prefer a gruesome zombie attack or alien invasion over FIRE. All I thought of saving when everything nearby was burning were my precious books layered with dust mites and my murderous heels. That just says so much about me, does it? In a world where almost everybody is having babies, I just keep having new shoes or books. Am I not in fashion? Not that I'd like to keep myself updated with the trend, but, I don't see myself being preggers. Not yet. Let me enjoy on what remains of my sweet life. Getting preggers would not count as traumatic but why am I talking about babies?

I keep deviating from the things I'm suppose to say or write for that matter. If there's one thing I've learned from THE whole ordeal - you subconsciously attract what you think you deserve. Fresh from the Chaka-Khan-through-the-fire-trauma-rama, I nearly got hit by a speeding car. Flashback your Hollywood movie, where the protagonist is basking under suspicious clouds, then a car comes out of nowhere. Good thing I had unearthly body reflexes and partially inhuman speed. It pays to be an athlete sometimes. It made my legs stronger but it sort of gave me weak lungs. I wanted some rest and relaxation to escape the tormenting reality but I ended up in the hospital bed instead. I was stuck in that hell-hole for four days. I can't even get over the skin test. Nerve ending is just beneath your skin and you're gonna poke it with a needle. It was my fifth hospitalization in three years time thanks to bronchial asthma. I don't have any hopes of joining the exclusive 27 club. Not this time. The only good thing about being hospitalized are the visitors. I had my own private nurse who I'm thankful just for existing. He defines someone to watch over me. Enough said. High-school and closest friends also paid a visit. You'd really know who your real friends are cause they stick around through sickness and in health.

I don't want to sound cheeseballs or silly. But, I'm always thankful for my sister Liezyl. She can be bitchy sometimes but she loves me, alright. This is where I feel like I'm a feline creature with nine lives. Survived near accidents but I heard bad-ass girls die hard. Is life lately becoming a series of unfortunate events or I'm just reading too much fiction?

Saturated Photos taken last June from Van Ayson's Iphone 4

(Zara Shirt, Bag and Oxfords by Parisian, Thrifted Blazer)

BimBim Haus

2011-08-02T13:39:00.005+08:00

I've been dying to have my own pair of denim cut-offs from BimBim Haus. Thankfully, I was able to buy one regardless if it wasn't my size. Sometimes, you just have to own and work it. That's what clothes are suppose to be. You wear the clothes and not let the clothes wear you. Photos from this entry are from the Sold Out Hey Scott Collection of Philip Lapinid - the brainchild and Cebuano fashion blogger behind BimBim Haus. He makes and sells them pretty tie-dyed/denim cut-offs through Facebook at the most reasonable price. Can you just imagine seeing these kinds of babies in the racks of Topshop and all other retail brands at the price of two to three thousand pesos. With BimBim Haus, the denim cut-offs cost less than five hundred pesos. It's really a great steal and worth every peso. I only wish I'm online the next time he uploads his new collection. I spent four hundred pesos for BimBim Haus, it looks like I'm going to spend even more.

but wait, there's more.

2011-07-26T20:32:00.005+08:00

This was suppose to be a scheduled blog entry but I decided not to publish it at the very last minute. The photos are still insufficient but thanks nevertheless to James and Kirby. I can be a very demanding photo grabber sometimes. Well, it actually took light-years for James to publish or share the blog camp photos for some unknown reason. I don't really take it against him but beggars can be choosy sometimes. I'm always contradicting myself which means I have many wars in my mind. Enough about me. Let's talk about something else, shall we? There are times when you're stuck with photographic memories and you can't even capture it in squares. The irony of things! Being in a blogging event and your camera battery dies down cause you thought you had it fully-charged from last night. Not bad for my first Blog Camp and something's gotta give. I did meet a lot of interesting people. Plus our table hoarded all the prizes big or small. The world is just awesome according to Discovery Channel.

It doesn't get any better than this. Sorry.

life sucks but we suck better

better late than never