How You Get The Girl

 “Diamonds are held under tons and tons of pressure, extremely high temperatures of fire and shuffled under shifting of tectonic plates, for a long, long time! Yet when they come out from there and are put on display for their beauty; does anybody stop to evaluate the diamond based upon all the shit it's been through and say "Remember that disgusting hole it used to be in? I bet it was hell in there!" No, people don't remember where a diamond has come from; they just see the beauty of it now. But it wouldn't have become so beautiful, you know, if not for all of that! So why should we look at other people, or at ourselves and evaluate them/ourselves based upon their/our pasts? Shouldn't we forget that? And only see the beauty that is in front of our eyes? Whatever it was, it made you beautiful! And that is what matters!”

- C Joybell C

I mentioned a few posts back that I had quite a busy week since despite feeling sick, I had certain commitments that I have already confirmed my attendance for and one of them was on a Friday night where I was chosen to judge the Mr. and Ms. College of Home Economics at U.P. Diliman. Along with my fellow judges who are, I have to say, talented and respectable in the industry were Alma Concepcion, Arnold Galang, Albert Andrade and the Dean of the College of Home Economics Dr. Aurorita T. Roldan. I was quite honored to be part of a panel of such big name and revered personalities and I was more than happy to represent the social media and blogging world and made sure to try my best to objective as possible. Personally, I used to be invited to judge pageants in universities but rarely accepted. However, since I wanted to show my support for the college, I went for it and I was glad I did. The pageant wasn't all about who looked better or who had the most incredible gown but a large percentage of the rating system was on their ability to communicate and answer questions impromptu (which we asked them) and also in their talent and portion area. It was such an amazing experience and I got a bit nostalgic about my college days. In this day and age we live in and in the industry I belong to, there is so much emphasis put on how you look that it is almost the one main facet our lives must revolve around. I find it silly. On the get go, this is also why I hate meeting people randomly like in a bar setting or in a club because everything is so objectified. First impressions revolve around your exterior appearance and while I may seem fashionable and cute, I think my personality is more of what makes me... me. To relate that to my outfit, I try to incorporate how I feel as much as possible to my outfit and well, this dainty ensemble seemed perfect for that day.

The Girls Get Talking: An Intimate Afternoon with naFlora

“It's not very easy to grow up into a woman. We are always taught, almost bombarded, with ideals of what we should be at every age in our lives: "This is what you should wear at age twenty", "That is what you must act like at age twenty-five", "This is what you should be doing when you are seventeen." But amidst all the many voices that bark all these orders and set all of these ideals for girls today, there lacks the voice of assurance. There is no comfort and assurance. I want to be able to say, that there are four things admirable for a woman to be, at any age! Whether you are four or forty-four or nineteen! It's always wonderful to be elegant, it's always fashionable to have grace, it's always glamorous to be brave, and it's always important to own a delectable perfume! Yes, wearing a beautiful fragrance is in style at any age!” 

The past week, I had the privilege to be invited to a great and very educational event at Posh Nails in BGC which was hosted by naFlora. From the get go, I wasn't quite aware of what was going to happen but after the program... can I just say that I learned so much vital information that  I, as a woman, didn't know but how to. We had a lovely speaker who was a specialist in OB-Gyn and granted that THAT was her area of expertise, she was definitely the best person to consult and learn insight from. Her presentation and talk was entertaining and was not the usual "lecture" type as she was able to explain the importance of knowing that at certain ages, we need different kinds of feminine wash concentrations to maintain a healthy pH balance in every girl's private part. Well aside from that, she also explained some tips on how to take care of your body and on how certain lifestyles (ie., drinking, stress, smoking, medications) can have an effect on your reproductive system. She also debunked certain tips that we, being a very superstitious race, tend to believe in because that was what their grandmother's grandmother who said so. I am shocked how little people knew and how they have certain beliefs which are not only unhealthy but potentially dangerous. At my age (I am 27 years old), I am knowledgeable in human anatomy specifically the reproductive organ of a woman... however, I also realized that there was so much more I needed to learn which is why I am thankful that I was able to get some expert advice from a specialist. 

My Best Beautiful Self

As you all know, I am a very busy girl. Aside from blogging (which I do part-time,) I actually do have a job which requires me to be on the go on Weekdays and a slew of other activities combined with that. A lot of my work revolves around philanthropy and my own personal advocacy which is education. Doing this makes me really happy and fulfilled. However, after some time of juggling all my many different projects, I realized the importance of taking time off for oneself to de-stress and to relax. From the get go, I understood the importance of helping myself first before I can help out and be of service to other people. Mandy Hale once said that "It is not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself and to make your happiness a priority. It's necessary." This saying brings me back to my main point because I don't think it is possible or feasible for a person who can not help themselves to help other people. As they say, charity begins from oneself at some point, I think that we all need to realize that we need inner strength and peace before being able to give that to others. This is the reason why I make sure I take some time to refresh and of course, to take good care of myself, first and foremost.

Neon Autumn

We are entering the Dark Ages, my friend, but this time there were will be lots of neon, and screen savers, and street lighting.

Edward St. Aubyn, Lost For Words

I wore this stabilo themed ensemble  to a lovely dinner to celebrate my grandfather's birthday over at One Way, which is, I have to say- one of the best restaurants I have been to for so long. I was quite happy to have given the chance to attend this family affair because I am usually not invited due to the fact I might get exposed to some allergens from the food and that is a very problematic situation to be in. However, due to my insistent appeal to my mom, she finally gave in and invited me...and even if I did not necessarily get to stay in the private dining area and had to sit outside since there were a lot of things I wasn't allowed to be around... I was still happy to have been there. I guess my life is all about that lately... I prefer spending my time with my family and maintaining a close bond with them. Even if I wasn't entirely part of the entire night, I think it was nice to still grace my lolo with my presence to celebrate his birthday with love and endearment for him. After all, life's too short. 

Songs of Innocence

C. Joybell C. once said: “I think that the best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to do things for themselves, allow them to be strong, allow them to experience life on their own terms, allow them to take the subway... let them be better people, let them believe more in themselves.” 

Last week, fresh from the hospital, I was granted a wonderful chance to visit Keys School Manila where I was invited by the lovely faculty and staff especially Teacher Joyce to be a resource speaker to talk about Journalism and Blogging, a new topic that they are introducing into their curriculum as a special project. After my talk, the kids are going to come up with their own web blog wherein they can talk about their interests, hobbies, feelings, emotions etc. I was thrilled when I received the invite. Usually, I don't agree to give talks as much because I go to work on weekdays however since I was given the week off (from my recent confinement) and because I just simply cannot say "No" when it involves kids, I instantly responded that I was more than willing to go and give a short talk. You see, I love children. I really do. I find it refreshing to be with the young ones because there is something so magical in seeing the world through a child's eyes: with so much innocence, enthusiasm and spirit. If anything, I would love to be around that kind of energy more often because it is so pure and untainted by the world's ways. It was a beautiful day when I went to the school and the experience was absolutely unforgettable and one for the books. I am so glad to have been there since this was a day I definitely would not have missed out on the world.

'Cause Darling I'm a Nightmare Dressed Like A Daydream

Okay, so I don't quite know how accurate this title is but granted that I am self-deprecating, I wanted to post this as it was one of my favorite lyrics to that new very self-deprecating Taylor Swift song, Blank Space, which is what almost everyone is talking about... along with THAT photo that broke the internet that just had this weird effect on me because I felt like there was too much oil involved. Okay, not to veer off from topic, I always liked Taylor Swift as an artist and love her songs (even her unreleased ones) but before, as a person... not so much. I always felt there was something she was hiding with her squeaky clean image and since I am one of those people who love to admit my faults before anyone else could point them out, I felt like she was hiding something. With her new look, sound and image with her 1989 album though, I've begun to see a more human side to her and I liked it that she went over and beyond that and exaggerated how she is portrayed and showed off her flaws in such a self-deprecating way that made me really really like her. I think as humans, we are all flawed. But it is up to how we accept them, react to them and use them (sometimes to our advantage) that matters. So right now that she is showing a more fun and "hey, I'm also human" side... I like her as a person too. I have to admit  I haven't quite given myself enough time to recover after the fuss of last week since the minute I was released from the hospital, I found my schedule full of appearances and commitments that I have signed off to even before I got sick. Granted that these commitments involve an advocacy that is very important to me, I couldn't live with myself if I were to just cancel last minute so after I checked out from being admitted... I found myself planning my wardrobe for the days to come which involved me in very demure, dainty and classic pieces since these engagements I booked all involved education, which as you know is a very important cause to me and something that I will fight for no matter what. I decided to postpone the time needed to recuperate so I may attend to these functions because I am professional and I will go above what is expected especially if it involves this particular cause. I'm human, I am flawed but here I am trying my best to represent... and in this ensemble, it would be hard to go wrong with the entire representation thing as it was in every way elegant. This is my usual outfit for daily life as I want to represent myself in a very put-together and classic way especially as I represent one of the most rapidly growing scholarship and educational foundations as I am its Executive Director. As I am an advocate of situational dressing, I try to be respectful of the environment I am in and the cause I am representing and that involves dressing up in a manner that is graceful, dignified and refined. 

I Know Places

I apologize for the lack of updates since as you know... I've been taking my sweet time recuperating and I am glad to be back at full swing. A common misconception about bloggers is that we are always made up and dressed to the nines. I know for a fact that I take more time for what I wear than the average person but there are some days when you just want to wear a simple outfit and have it as it is. This was one of those days. This is probably as laid back as it will get for me... Plan white tee, boyfriend jeans and a blazer. Oh, and my new favorite flat shoes: my leopard Jessica Simpson ballet flats. Yes, I know, I am in flats and I find myself being in flats a lot since years of donning platforms, 6 inch (or more) heels or even heel-less "how can she even walk in those shoes" pairs, my back is having to pay for it. Upon the advisement of my doctors and my very strict parents: the lower the heels, the better. Now, I have to admit that I do not exactly follow that but rather considered it as a suggestion, tried it for a few days and went back to my high heel wearing ways. What can I say? Life's too short to wear boring shoes... (well granted these shoes are quite a statement but you get what I'm saying...)

'Cause I remember every sunset...

“Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under!” 

- C. Joybell C.

I know that it is often something taken for granted especially by urban dwellers like me but the sun setting and the sun rising are two of the most wonderful sights to behold. I used to always love the sun rise since it signified a new day and I am all about new beginnings but now, I am also able to appreciate the sun as it sets and see it as a time to give thanks for the wonderful day that has gone by. As I get to experience full days and early nights, I find that my days are marked by when the sun comes up and when it comes down...each day culminating with a promise and ending with relief and satisfaction for being able to have survived the day. I know what other people would say: "that the sun rises and sets every single day and its absolutely free..." but just because it is something you know will happen for sure doesn't make it any less beautiful, important or worth watching. I rarely get to see the sun set in the open air because I usually leave the office far too late and a long time has probably elapsed by the time I get out and this is probably the reason why on days like these, when I can afford the opportunity to actually see it as it unfolds, I don't take it for granted. I watch in awe and wonder and it is very therapeutic. I've needed a lot of therapeutic things lately and there is nothing better to provide that than what is natural occurring in the world as we know it. It's nice to remember to be present in the now and also to me reminded that there are some things that don't require a hefty price tag that can take your breath away.

Sweet Fantasy

I was fortunate enough to have been able to watch the Mariah Carey concert a week or so back and I was immensely happy that I didn't skip it as I was highly entertained and it was, of course, such a privilege to have been able to watch her belt out to her songs live. She truly was an extraordinary and talented performer and her voice range is simply out of this world. I spent the night watching it with my mom, dad and my FOSSIL Dominique and we were all so busy dancing and singing to the songs and of course taking over a thousand photos and videos so we can relive the moment over and over again. Since we were able to score seats in the best location of the arena, I decided I wanted to style it up a bit and veer away from my usual concert wear of graphic top, skinny jeans and heeled boots and instead wear a classic and clean crisp button down shirt with a black tulle maxi skirt. I was channeling Carolina Herrera, subconsciously, I think and that was not at all a bad thing since I think she is grace, elegance and class personified when it comes to personal style. I always have been a fan of how she is able to make the classic white shirt EVERYTHING and how she can simply style it up for different occasions- with my favorite look being for when she styles it with a skirt and beautiful accessories like in this photo here. I do hope I was able to give justice to my style inspiration with this ensemble.

First Things First

First things first, after the three post hiatus of costumes and rocker chic outfits, here I am back in my corporate attire also known as my uniform and I am incorporating my two favorite colors: powder blue and powder pink. The colors I have been wearing have mostly been muted (nothing to glaring or bright) as I feel I am at that point in my life where I am calm, serene and prefer not much noise and theatrics. I wore this on a Hmmph-day Wednesday where I also had a great (yet very long) lunch over at Wild Flour which was always fulfilling. Everyone always inquires what my favorite cuisine is and my automatic answer is: Comfort Food as I have decided that deserves it own food subgroup. Actually, I rarely do lunch out on weekdays and prefer to eat packed lunch in the office which is why it surprised me when I saw how much people were there (the restaurant was packed and there was a waiting line) to eat lunch out. I know it may not exactly be a big deal to anyone at all but since I am in this new stage in my life by working in our foundation, I choose to see the world with fresh eyes and a child like curiosity- things as mundane as these actually fascinate me. Call it crazy but I think it's important to see the beauty in even the most simple matters and also to still be amazed over little things.

Folk Story

Before I forget, let me show you another Halloween costume I wore for my self-proclaimed favorite holiday which was actually the first of the two costumes I had worn (the second being the Ariana Grande one). For day time/ trick-or-treating, I decided ti wear this folk-themed costume. Of course, when someone wears something tribal, everyone automatically assumes that the look I was going for was that of Native Indian. I beg to differ. Aside from the fact I am very sensitive to the traditions and culture the native American Indians and therefore would refuse to wear a feathered tribal head dress as it is offensive to don the war bonnet as it sends a culturally inappropriate detail on Native costume. (Cue in Victoria's Secret Karlie Kloss-gate from 2012.) I know Halloween is all about fun but since I know better and did not want to offend, I decided to don a Nordic Warrior-inspired gear and decided to choose pink to make it more fun and less sensitive to anything historical. Besides, I think my FOSSIL Dominique already rocked the American Indian look in her Pocahontas costume from two Halloweens ago... Check out her look HERE and HERE. That explains the fur over the feathers and this interesting animal print wedged shoes from 37LA which matched my outfit and the feet cuffs so perfectly. I then full on committed and painted my face with makeup to make the look all the more on point. If you notice, I also posed quite fiercely which was quite a feat as I was on a ledge in heels... the things I do for Halloween...

An Ode to the Old Me

This is going to be a quick post but first let us bow our heads, close our eyes and reminisce to the time when I was 23 and could wear this outfit, rock it out and totally get away with it- fringed boots, sequined shirt, torn graphic sleeveless shirt included. I felt like I was stuck in a neutral, classic and clean whirl so I took things to another level and decked out in this. As you know, I only operate on extreme poles so when I committed to this outfit, boy, did I commit. Big time. So for no other reason than the fact that I missed going out in micro-mini and open side tank tops, here is this look. I won't lie. I didn't exactly feel as much as myself in this outfit more and I actually was quite more self conscious. I am 27...turning 28 in a few months and I think it is pretty acceptable that such a stand out and risque outfit would still make me feel weird. I never thought I would go through that, but here I am- doing exactly that which- is proof that truth and time truly changes things. As with our manners and behavior, so too with how we perceive the world. Deep down, I will always be that rocker chick but right now, partying (which is where I would have worn an outfit like this) isn't in any way a part of my life anymore. I love going out when the sun is still shining. The causes I so vehemently fight for have been everything to me and I doubt this is an acceptable outfit for that unless I want to channel the entire Rebel Without A Cause vibe which would be inappropriate as I am the Executive Director for a Scholarships foundation. There are so many things you realize when you hurdle into your late '20s and the things that I specifically love doing usually require button down tops, double or single breasted coats or blazers or a perfectly tailored business suit. A few days ago, I cleaned out my closet and with that, I let go of this ensemble and a lot more like this and decided that it was time for my retail branded clothes (some I have never worn) to find a new home where they would not be taken for granted or buried at the back of the closet. When I looked of all that remained after the 4-hour and counting long purge, I saw what remained and I was satisfied. Step 2 to my Breaking Free strategy.

This is the part where I break free

If you haven't figured it out yet, I love Halloween and it is my favorite day of the year. For my main Halloween costumes, I always make sure that it is one of a kind and I always want to out-do myself from the previous years. Now I already did fur, feathers, leather, sequins and flowers... I had to think of an option and accent I haven't used yet and then I got my answer... rhinestones and gems. I made sure that it had to be perfect. True to form, the character I chose to portray was Ariana Grande from her Music Video in Break Free. Now when it comes to me and being in character, I commit and I commit fully... and most of the time I actually take it to another level which was why I had my tattoo artist Elezar Orobia from Wiz Ink Tattoo Studio come over and paint my face- making sure each detail of the one she had in the video matched perfectly (and who else better to trust than the person who does all my permanent tattoos right?) Now, the costume was a bit too plain and under the advisement of my sister...I decided to bedazzle and my wonderful personal assistant Celyn Jaravata DIY-ed my look to perfection...the entire suit was full of gems and I was sparkling the whole night! To take it up a notch, I used several coats of textile paint and pylox to create the white boots Ariana Grande is quite known for. Trust me, it was such a feat to look for white boots in this country where (1) boots are rarely worn so supplies are low and (2) it was simply impractical to buy a pair in white since it can get ruined easily. So, I decided to take things in my own hands and create it and it turned out great. The boots I bought to use as a base was actually black suede (yes, it was a miracle I was able to turn it to white) and I got it for a great prize... it was 90% off so from P4850, I only paid P499.75. Isn't that a steal? Oh how I absolutely love Halloween! It challenges my creativity and I am glad to have people with me to help me out with the execution.

Just Like A Dream

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 

- H. Jackson Brown

I believe that no matter how irrelevant, we must not only chase our dreams... but make them reality. Call it optimism or idealism, but I would like to think that dreams do country... if you work hard for them. The day I wore this outfit was exactly that...like a dream. I never thought I would enjoy the day being in a place that was cold (yes, bring me anywhere cold and I am not a happy girl). But then I came to realize that sometimes, it isn't so much about where you are or what is around you but so much about being with the people you care and love most. This day was like that. For lack of a better way to explain it, allow me to go in detail. I am in a much better place now. I know it sounds silly, but I think I am at a place where everything turned out to be right for me, all my problems have not exactly been solved but I have come to accept them as they are and I am finally finally happy... I find that the progress I’ve made in my life and the adult that I’m becoming has made me more aligned as an individual- I finally know what matters to me and what doesn't simply because I got my life on track and opened myself up to so many new possibilities. I didn't really know how to go about this all before as I seemed to always distract myself with unnecessary things. I was basically going through life as if in a daze because I didn't know any other way to go about it. However, once it was clear to me what I wanted to do and the person I wanted to be, it set the path for me to move forward and make my dreams real. There is no better feeling than finally knowing what you want and going through the process of trying to get it.