200 followers give-away WINNER! + what i miss most

congratulations to catherine of hellocatherine! for winning my 200 followers give-away!

to all those who joined, thank you so much for your support! it's been a ball having you guys as my readers. i hope that you will all still continue to enjoy reading my blog -- if not for the outfits, maybe for my stories and thoughts.

on another note, i just had my check-up with my orthopedic yesterday and it turns out that i might have a herniated disc --- which means my spinal disc has become less elastic and has been pushed outside of the vertebrae so the nerves and spinal cord gets pinched. it's mostly caused by bad posture and the wrong sleeping position, which i am totally guilty off. at work or here at home, i unconsciously slouch too much in front of the PC and only notice when my face is very much near the keyboard. when i sleep, i lie on my stomach which causes an abnormal shape to the spinal column. i am also very much guilty of reading on my bed while lying on my stomach, which gives immense pressure to my back and shoulders. my treatment for now is to swim a few laps at least once a week. i cannot do extreme workouts anymore because i injured my right knee playing flag football almost 3 years ago. 

yes, i was a football player. i played flag football for 4 years before i got injured (ACL). i played defensive line and i was pretty good at it! my heart got broken so bad when i found out i couldn't play anymore. in my november 6th post, i even thought i only had a torn meniscus as this was the initial finding of the doctor. after i got an MRI, i soon found out that i had it worst and had my ligament torn. i had surgery a year after and couldn't work for a month. had to go to rehab and endured wearing braces for almost 2 months.

(yes, no. 81 was me -- the girl with the chocolate colored skin and green socks to match my uniform)

i miss the rush of sports. i miss the hunger for the win. i miss the camaraderie. i missed having another life besides work. i missed loving fashion but still being able to act like tomboy and play hardcore -- while i match my headbands to my opponents color to psyche them up..LOL. but you know what? ironically, right when i thought i lost the love of my life which was football, i met harry a month after my injury and we have been inseparable ever since. i guess God does give you everything -- just perhaps not at that the same time. *wink*

local love: making the most out of it

filipinos are known for our hospitality and our take-life-as-it-comes attitude. we do with what we have and have always adapted to the changes in our lives.  that is why, amidst poverty, we still have these big smiles on our faces. after all, life is too short, might as well live it right? 

introducing the no. 1 mode of transportation here in the philippines -- the jeepney. the jeepney used to be old jeeps that the americans left in our country after world war II. to easily travel through the war-ridden roads, the filipinos stripped down these jeeps to accommodate more passengers, added tin roofs and decorations in vibrant colors. when i was a student, i rode the jeep everyday and to wherever i need to go. with student allowance, it was much better to use our money on food and fun rather than spend them on taxi fares. as a kid, i was always so amazed at how the driver can drive the jeep, take the fare from the passengers and give them change, all while watching the road. i used to love riding jeepneys on peaceful afternoons -- where everyone is at work or in school. the roads were open and the wind was on my face. jeepney bonding was great too -- just laughing it off with classmates while in traffic. i have to admit though that i am not a big fan of some jeepney drivers who speed up and just pop out of nowhere nor riding jeepneys during peak hours like 7:00 - 8:00 AM or 5:00 - 7:00 PM as these times can be a nightmare. despite these setbacks, i am still proud that once upon a time, filipinos were given lemons and made lemonade -- or in this case, we were given used american jeepneys and made a great mode of transportation. 

ps. i might take a little blogging break because i think i have dislocated my right shoulder blade. it has been hurting for a month and the pain has now reached my arm so i have a hard time moving the mouse. for the past few weeks, i've only wanted to just lie down and watch tv instead of blog and i think that would be unfair to my readers if i don't say why i've been slacking off. i will make sure to read your comments though. let's just hope that after my check-up with the orthopedic tomorrow, all's well with my shoulder and arm. i'll miss you guys!

pink cotton shirt - props

floral skirt - thrifted

tan flats with a bow - parisian

canvas bag with tan leather detail - plains and prints

owl necklace - thrifted at carbon

wooden bangles - props | faux gold bangles - thrifted at carbon

tan headband - sm dept store

brown sunnies - thrifted at carbon

safari summer

before i begin my post, i want to thank everyone who commented on my last post and introduced their own pets, expressed their love for pets or wish to have pets. i have to tell you guys that cooper is a great love but he is not mine but rather my big sister's...my own puppy might feel bad --- his name is snickers and you can see him in this post. he's not too silent...he barks to get my attention and when i do go near him, he wiggles and just jumps around me. such a baby! he barks at strangers too -- just a trait that dachshunds have. his hair on his back even stands up with anger when he sees strangers in the house. but he is still sweet too and would always want to be near me. when i don't give him attention (like when i'm in front of the computer and he's sitting beside me), he'd bite my shirt and tug on it. he adores harry too and would get sooo excited when harry comes over.

anyway, i just came from two parties today -- a last attempt for companies to catch up with summer. i went to a beach party of my old company at vistamar and then had cocktails and games with my new company at formo. for the day, i had on gladiator flats and for the night, i just added on over-sized clip-on earrings and changed from gladiator flats to cutout heels. (too bad i don't have photos of the party at formo yet). here are some with old friends from my previous company:

a shout out to jhamie (the one in the yellow floral dress). she follows my blog and one of the few people who knows about this blog.hehe.

white sheer top - mom's closet

khaki shorts - big sister's closet

brown gladiators - leaveland

white bag - lil' sister's

gold bangles - gifts | thrifted at carbon | bangkok

ring - random

brown sunnies - thrifted at carbon

my other love

oh no, i'm not cheating on harry. meet "cooper" our beloved golden retriever. this is actually my big sister's dog but he has grown to be the love of the family. i met cooper when he was 4 months old.  he's very playful and friendly (as all retrievers are). but because of his size, we hardly walk him outside, afraid that he'd drag us to the road. it's sad because he's all cooped up in the small space at the back of our apartment. he can maybe take a few turns or we can run and play a bit but the back is all concrete. it's really difficult for us when we find a new place because we would always have to consider him and where we'd put him. (you see, my family moves every 4 years -- we don't do it on purpose but we just feel like it. but then, that's another story.)

i have always imagined cooper running free in a green lawn...jumping at birds or maybe chickens. not on an all concrete space. in our old house 3 years ago, whenever he'd get the chance to escape out of our gate, he'd run after the chickens and we'd have to clamor to catch him. my mom found him one time holding a small chick between his paws, rushed to him, afraid he might have killed the chick only to find out that he was only playing with it and the chick was all wet with his saliva.

cooper is like our youngest baby brother. i found him really sick once and had to carry him to the vet. my sister took off from work and so did my mom and dad to be with him at the vet. cooper ate a poisonous frog and we were lucky to have found him earlier. i know though that bigger dogs have lesser human years to live compared to smaller ones. cooper was diagnosed with a heart worm last year and was predicted to have only a year to live. he's old now but still somehow active. i love cooper as he was my silent best friend back when i got all depressed after graduating college.

i love this dog because he understands without saying anything.
do you have a pet that you love so dearly?

striped polo - thrifted

denim shorts - props

sneakers - chuck taylor's

pink suede belt - random

pink sunnies - thrifted at manalili

gun-metal wire cuffs - props

dog-tag necklace - custom-made

upside down + loving sunday

this is what i usually wear on monday mornings --- comfortable jeans, light, soft shirt and flats. for others, monday morning may be all dress-up day but my monday morning is still part of my day off. 

as you all may know (and for those who don't), i work at night and have been for 4 years now. my daily traffic is not in the morning rush but right when everyone else is going home or on fridays, when everyone else is going out for weekend dinner. at work, we greet each other "good morning" when we enter the office, even when the moon is out and it is already dark out. our 1 hour break is still called "lunch" and right when i get home, my breakfast is usually my "dinner." before i sleep, i say "good night" to my friends. i sleep in the afternoon or by lunch and wake up at 7:00 or 8:00 PM, depending on my schedule. how do i stay asleep even when the sun is out? i trick my body into thinking it's night by placing dark curtains on my windows and having a dim lamp shade when i sleep. and if other people get freaked out when people call them in the middle of the night, i get freaked out when people call me in the afternoon.

luckily, for the past 3 years up until now, i have been able to get all weekends off. on saturday, i sleep at 2:00 PM and wake up at 9:00 PM. i spend the night doing stuff i love -- watching DVDs, visiting blogs or hanging out with friends. i sleep past midnight and wake up sunday morning -- just like any normal day. that's why i love sundays. on sundays, i can join civilization. on sundays, i can have lunch with my family at "noon." i can shop in the afternoon and have dinner at 7:00 PM (and not at 7:00 AM). i can watch movies and get massages. and when i say good night, it is really at night.

how about you? what is your week like? what is your favorite day of the week?

dance like no one is watching

omigod, i haven't been on a night out for months! these days, i'd choose my comfy bed over the sweaty and loud bars. but for my soon-to-be-married friend, there's always an exception. drank an energy drink on the way out and i was good to go! (beat the hell of a hangover too the morning after...yey!) so, we all met up at my place to do our make-up and have a few drinks (white rhum and iced tea)...did a quick photoshoot with my sister's 550ex speedlite and left my house past midnight. it's funny because as i was looking at the photos we had of the night, i realized that we've all been friends since we were 10 - 13 years old but this is the first night out we had where everyone drank and everyone danced like there was no tomorrow! ordered some vodka and rhum ice...went home at almost 6:00 AM and at one point, i was already walking barefoot on the way to the car because my feet hurt so badly! nevertheless, it was one of the best times of my life! 

ps. the silver top i'm wearing is a thrifted CELINE and found it 2 months ago. i've been itching to wear it and this was the perfect night to do so. *wink*

silver thread top - celine

black tulip skirt - props

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

gun-metal chained curtain necklace - props

stone ring - props (a twin of this is on give-away!)

monotone + a surprised bride-to-be

the surprise did happen after all. even when everyone else was 3 hours late and the bride came over at 10:30 PM. at least she still screamed when she saw all of us in my room, getting ready for our night out. the formula for our profile photos: smokey eyes + lots of eyeliner + shimmer eyeshadow + bronzer + peach cheeks + glossy berry lips + spunk + craziness!

more photos of the actual night out on the next post! hope you love these photos. of course, taken by me. *wink*