melancholic excitement

ever since our family went on a hongkong trip last year, we've decided to take family trips outside the country at least once a year. since both my mom and dad are almost retiring from their jobs and all of us siblings have graduated college and are all working, we thought we deserve a break every year. this year's trip is to Bangkok, Thailand. our local airlines Cebu Pacific, despite some people's bad experience with it, has regular seat sales and luckily, we were all able to avail of the sale having our round trip tickets at half the price! so we booked our flights months ahead and have been counting down to the day of our trip --- which is tomorrow. 

ironically though, i am both utterly excited and sad to leave because for one, our grandma passed away last week in Texas and will be brought to Cebu this week when we're not here and secondly, Harry is still in the hospital and will still be by the time i leave for Bangkok tomorrow. i am very much worried for him as his fever has been going up and down for the past 4 days. he's had a diagnosis of two bacterial infections and  might have another diagnosis of dengue fever. i badly wish that i can cut my body in half and enjoy in Bangkok with family and take care of Harry too.

on a brighter note, that ring on my ring finger was given to me by marianne for my birthday. it is an owl's head and it has wings on the side. i know didn't do the ring justice with the photos i took. my sisters even thought it's a frog. nevertheless, i love it! it has so much character and that's exactly what i want to exude. thanks yannie for the gift!

also, a surprise awaits you my readers this coming august 20-23. make sure to check out my blog on those times!

blue plaid dress - thrifted (mink)

grey gladiator flats - parisian, sm dept store

owl ring - gifted from marianne

rectangle stone ring - props

layers of gun-metal bangles - props
gun-metal reindeer necklace - bubble bee tea house

dogtag necklace - custom-made

work watch - swatch

i've never..episode one: the broiled duck embryo

so my friends 'attempted' a belated surprise birthday for me until i ran into them on my way inside ayala and found them mulling over which cake to buy in vanille patisserie. i actually felt bad at first because i was supposed to meet karen there at 8:00 PM and she told me she would just text me when she's on her way, only to find her with our other friends without texting me. it took me a minute to realize after seeing their shocked faces that it was a surprise for me. so i gave them time and told them i had an errand to run and will be back right after. but yes, even when i busted them planning my surprise, it was still pretty sweet. they had the waiter bring my birthday cake (the small balls on top are super yummy truffles) and my balloons. and guess what? they gave me a jane austen book too! yey!

anyway, so on to the much awaited balot challenge -- one of the many challenges my friends and i are going to make over the next few weeks. we drove midtown and found a balot vendor by the city's rotunda and each bought a 16-day old balot --- one with a slightly formed duckling inside. with the help of the dark street, some vinegar and salt, suffice to say, it wasn't much of an excruciating experience for me as it was for karen. she really had a hard time swallowing the duck embryo. here are some photos:

grey dress - props

leopard-print flats - parisian, sm dept store

bangles - gifted

rings: starfish and round white - props

necklaces: fairy - props | handbag - parkmall

ps. Join Fashionista Fortune Cookie's First Ever Giveaway! She's giving away 3 jackets!

twenty-six candles

there really is no turning back. i am not getting any younger and the best thing to do is just to enjoy life as it comes ---- making to sure to make the most out of every moment and make a fool out of myself, if needed. so for my twenty-sixth birthday, i dyed my hair to a really light shade of brown, bought myself two books --- haruki murakami's 'norwegian wood' and nicholas sparks' 'dear john' (yes, i'm sentimental like that), spent the weekend at the beach and danced under the rain!

harry was so sweet and gave me a bouquet of lilies and three pairs of sandals. just what i asked for! after the 3 hour ride from the beach, my family and i had dinner at a filipino restaurant and ended the night eating frozen yogurt -- our latest obsession. 

printed boho dress - thrifted

pink headband - torn off from my fringe shirt

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

bangles: gun-metal and blue - props | wooden - raw materials store

Sensible Wishes

Besides good health and time spent with my family, here my sensible birthday wishes this year:

Books by Haruki Murakami and Jane Austen

New painting materials + spare time to really paint:

 Lessons

Lessons on pattern making and sewing:

And the most sensible of all, more flat shoes for all the errands I have to run:

ps. I know the Jeffrey Campbells are not flats. I have been secretly desiring them for months now! Who hasn't right?
11 more days to go before my birthday --- the books are available at Fully Booked or National Bookstore and the painting materials can be found in Visayan Bookstore or National Bookstore. The shoes??? Well, I accept local ones inspired by these amazing ones! *wink*
images are courtesy of:http://www.mariawilliam.net/materials.htmlhttp://tatler.typepad.com/malpaso/http://thepocket.wordpress.com/http://vintagesewing.info/1940s/42-mpd/mpd-01.htmlhttp://www.polyvore.com

summer of one-oh! ocean series: waking up to waves

oh how i wanted to have a fourth post so i could put up the fun photos my cousins and i took. but i promised you guys i would only do this in three posts...besides, i think i need to get back to my life in the city. getting too caught up in my daydreaming is not good for me.

i woke up to the sound of birds and the waves. the tide was coming in and all of us couldn't wait for it go high by around 9:00 AM. harry and i took a little walk, checking out weird sea creatures (there were bubble or balloon-like stuff on the sand...it was jelly and when you picked it up, it would break and spew out water). right after breakfast, my cousins, together with my sisters and i, took some photos by the water and again, by the house. the goofy photo was just us and the self-timer in my camera. we had a blast just dancing and jumping around. 

and look what my mom asked my dad to do! she had a tent brought to the beach so she could bathe without getting directly hit by the sun! LOL. crazy mom...i think you can see one of the locales scratching his head thinking, "wtf?" haha!

outfit details: 

just woke up: graphic tee - maek | polka shorts - props | 

at the beach: green floral dress - maek | pink bikini top - justyne |

going home: blue printed dress - thrifted

accessories: yellow floral scarf - thrifted | bangles - props | sunnies - thrifted at carbon

 | bangles - props | sunnies - thrifted at carbon | dog-tag necklace - custom made

summer of one-oh! ocean series: i love talisay trees!

it's been 3 days since our weekend at the beach but my mind is still there. have you ever had those days where you just decide out of the blue that you're not going to do anything productive at work? welp, i decided to do so for almost half the day at work until i was called by the boss for some issues and received successive e-mails from clients about urgent concerns...buhu.

so right after changing out of my dusty shirt and shorts, harry and i took some photos by the beach and walked around a bit. what's great with daanbantayan is that it's inhabited only by locals and you will never find a flock of tourists here. not that i have anything against tourists -- just that i need my break from the crowd to be sane. i just love how the beach house is built like a dollhouse with no walls facing the beach. yes, it's just folding doors and iron gates. the green lawn is the extension to the kitchen and living room. and the front of the house is lined with talisay trees. these are trees with huge leaves on branches that extend to any available space. the trees just give the perfect amount of shade.

filipinos love to eat. so aside from lunch, we take big snacks in between. the food for the afternoon: steamed oysters dipped in vinegar, lime and salt + green mangoes with shrimp paste.

sheer studded dress - thrifted

mix and matched bikini: printed top and pink bottom - props

yellow and silver flip-flops - havaianas

sunnies - thrifted at carbon