pandora's box don't tempt me

a few of us here in Cebu know of a place where you can find the cheapest and cutest accessories. it's tucked in a small street in downtown Cebu that not everyone knows about it. i will not divulge the location so to keep the place a secret. what i will divulge though is how the store has a wall filled with cute, pretty and charming rings. there are also racks of bangles, bracelets and necklaces that now also fill my dresser and my own wall.  every time i visit there or even just pass by the store, i can't resist buying a bunch. so i present to all of you the most recent additions to my collection:

isn't the cat + mouse ring just adorable? i woke up this morning planning my outfit around this ring. the ring just screamed nursery rhymes and i couldn't help but pick out this dainty lace and tulle skirt that my mom and i thrifted a week ago. of course, with the clearer skies today, i had to bring out my suede wedge booties too.

i vowed to myself though that i will only visit the store every other month. although the accessories costs only range from PHP10 - PHP150, buying a bunch can still do a good amount of damage to my wallet. so see you in two months, tempting accessories store. ♥

lace and tulle skirt - thrifted

egg white tank top - borrowed from sis

chambray top - thrifted

nude suede wedge booties - gold dot

studded green wide belt - borrowed from sis

eiffel tower + star necklace - carbon find

charm bracelet - carbon find

rings: cat + mouse | purse | bowtie - carbon finds

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WAGW presents Homegrown

What a Girl Wants presents Homegrown, their S/S 2011 Collection featuring styles inspired by real men and women in society. i am personally very excited for this collection as i am the type to be always drawn to prints, florals, soft fabrics and layers which is exactly what this collection has in store for us. i especially love the midi dress on camille co, giving a soft and feminine 90's vibe. seeing this preview definitely makes me long for summer, amidst the rainy season. 

check out your local  WAGW branches:

3rd floor, the Gallery, Robinsons Galleria

2nd Level, Paseo Ciudad, Ayala Center Cebu

3rd Floor, Main Wing, SM City Cebu

1st Level, West Promenade, Limketkai, Cagayan de Oro City

or you can also find them online at:

http://wagw.multiply.com

http://facebook.com/WAGWOnline

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

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

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

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

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

layered lace dress - thrifted

leopard flats - parisian, sm dept store

camel bag - parisian, sm dept store

horse necklace, skull and armor rings - carbon finds

fairy necklace - props

tan braided belt - pratunam, bangkok

brown sunnies - bazaar find

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a solace from insecurities

as i was editing these photos today, i realized that my lips are extra pouty in them. upon closer look, they turn out to be my natural pout which is funny because i remember being so insecure about them as a child. when i was just a kid, my mom would sometimes scold me and tell me to purse my lips because i've pouted them too much. then this realization led me to another one --- that as a kid, i've had way to many insecurities about myself and i can't believe i have overcome them.

it wasn't until high school that i full embraced my curls. i used to comb them really hard in elementary and pretend i had straight hair like the girls in movies. it wasn't until second year high school when i stopped combing them, just shook them off after applying hair lotion and allowed them to air dry.

it also used to take me a while to try on a trend because the consciousness with my body preceded my courage to try them out. it took me months to try on the skinny jeans, the ankle booties or the wedges because i was so conscious of my rounder, more muscular legs. now, i can't part with them.

apart from growing up and making fashion mistakes along the way while learning from them, this blog, more importantly has taught me to love myself more. to try out new things, new looks and to think outside the box when it comes to styling.  if you're reading this and you're a style blogger, what have you learned from blogging about your style? if you're not a style blogger, what kind of blog do you maintain and what have you learned from it? i'm looking forward to your answers.

ps. thank you all so much for giving me amazing, romantic and even naughty suggestions for way harry and i can celebrate our 36th month together. find out how we did celebrate it, on my friday post! 

oversized polo - thrifted

white tank top - thrifted

skinny jeans - chilly papa

eggshell mesh cuban-heeled booties - parisian, sm dept store

studded belt - pratunam, bangkok

brass cuffs - carbon find

faux gold necklace - carbon find

brown sunnies - carbon find

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stumped and in need of your help ♥

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

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

suede cutout smock dress - borrowed from aimee

black cardigan - thrifted

black tights - metro dept store

black cuban heels - gifted from harry ♥

brass cuff - carbon find

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

oval semi-armor ring & alligator ring - carbon finds

oversized black ring - gifted from sweet

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awkward like prom

one of the perks of my job is being able to attend events on billable hours. last saturday, on the sinulog weekend, our company Drawingboard Creative Studios sponsored an event at the CICC featuring Hed Kandi. we created their promotional designs and printed their posters and streamers. it's been a while since we've sponsored an event and it was actually the first time i attended one for our company. 

unfortunately though, the only other perks i can say about that night was having spent it with harry and having been able to wear this outfit. honestly, the event was mediocre to say the least. upon mentioning Hed Kandi, people initially got excited as his music brought us amazing memories and is still continuing to do so. i think the event might not have been well-promoted. the initial hype was there but nearing the event, it lacked the much-needed push for people to attend it. the place itself didn't have enough spunk that would get the people excited when they arrive at the venue.  the heavy rain may be blamed for the significantly low attendance but certainly not the absence of eye-catching decorations, identifiers upon entering that the event is featuring Hed Kandi or even lights on the photo wall. in three words, the event was 'awkward like prom'.

oh i didn't say i didn't have fun that night though. i did as i do always manage to make the most out of the situation. mimicking the dancers' moves, getting free beer and eating at what we call 'the cholesterol center' with harry, sister and her husband after the event was fun enough for me. 

printed mini-dress - pratunam, bangkok

tulle ruffled shorts (underneath) - props

black studded wedge booties - ebay find

studded bucket bag - parisian, sm dept store

necklaces: round imprinted - gifted from gelie | dogtags - custom-made

silver bangles - carbon finds

skull ring - carbon find

rain or shine: Cebu knows how to party!

purchasing this pair of studded boots despite living in a tropical country is probably one of the best shoe decisions i've made in 2009. this pair has gone through two Sinulog festivals and has freed my feet from mud, being stepped on and believe it or not, blisters. Sinulog is always the best excuse to go over the top with the outfit and don as many accessories as you can. as i didn't have enough time to make my American-Indian head dress, my mom's floral boho top is the next best thing plus my favorite head dress, the turban. next year for sure, i'll be donning feather on my head.

Sinulog is also always the perfect excuse to go wild out on the streets even with the heavy rain, paint our bodies with anything that we'll probably regret when we get to the office on Monday, drink even in the early afternoon, blow on a whistle till' our friends go deaf and shout to our hearts desire. you don't believe me? i'll let the photos do the talking...

i don't know how i got home but i owe Harry for getting me there safely. next year, i'm not drinking on an empty stomach nor am i stealing any cups of beer from unknowing friends. LOL.

floral bohemian top - thrifted

denim shorts - beads and blooms

studded boots - mongkok, hong kong

purple printed turban - thrifted

brass alligator and scorpion connector ring - carbon find

huge black oval ring - gifted from sweet of pensandlens

elephant necklace - carbon find

elephant tusk - bangkok

brass bangles - carbon finds

wooded bangle - raw materials store, cebu

as colorful as a peacock

disclaimer: pardon the puppy face on the last photo. i meant to show you my peacock feather earrings and my owl connector ring. can you believe each accessory are just below PHP 50.00?

as if it was intently scheduled by the heavens above, after raining for 2 weeks due to the la niña, the clouds cleared up and the sun came out to get ready for the festivities this weekend. 

we will be celebrating the feast of the sto. niño this weekend. (sto. niño, meaning the child jesus). the feast celebrates how us, filipinos who had Islamic and Pagan origins, were Christianized and accepted Roman Catholicism. the celebration is called the Sinulog and is celebrated with nine days of novena before the feast, a procession for the child jesus and the street dancing with the dancers and participants in bright and extravagant costumes, giant mascots and colorful parade floats. literally everyone able to walk will be out on the streets celebrating during the parade.   it is chaotic, what with the traffic and huge flux of people dancing, drinking and just having an awesome time but the celebration is definitely still something we look forward to every year as it is always a reason to get together with family and friends. 

white top - thrifted

green suede electro-pleated skirt - thrifted

camel faux leather bag - parisian, sm dept store

nude lace-up wedges - gold dot

peacock earrings - platinum mall, bangkok

owl connector ring - carbon find

camel braided belt - pratunam, bangkok

brown sunnies - bazaar find