Christmas Kisses

Hello December! -to the most wonderful time of the year. For the days leading to this month I've actually been dreading it for some reasons of a case of seasonal affective disorder or simply melancholia for the ending year. Up until the festivity I find myself getting into the merriment and anticipating for this season. I would like to share a few December favorites of playing around bokeh lights and some holiday dressing.

I constantly find myself listening to nothing but Christmas songs the whole day long. I feel like every music I should tune into should have the season's spirit as I only have a month to enjoy listening to it. I especially love Ariana Grande's Christmas Kisses Album and its beautiful cover art.

I hope everybody's is having the time of their lives going around parties and coming home to their families!

Ankle Strap Flats

If the magic mirror would ask, Valentino rockstud shoes would probably be the fairest of them all. But we all can make do if we can't shell out about $900 or Php 44K. So I looked for more or less something like it and stumbled upon EZRA on Zalora.com.ph.

 I ordered this studded ankle strap flats online and it arrived 5 days after which is not bad. It's a brown faux leather with rose gold lining. 

Cons: the studs were not properly aligned and it has a slight scratch which is barely noticeable. The straps are not very sturdy and it still has some loose thread. I think the clasp won't hold out well and will probably slip off my ankle because the holes were not properly tacked. 

This is my first time buying shoes online. I would have to rate the experience fair. I don't often buy shoes  over the internet because I'm not really sure about the accuracy of the sizing. But I'm glad it did fit me well, I normally wear a size 7.5 and I ordered an 8 to give ample space for my wide feet. I've been looking all over the mall for another pair of ankle strap flats and I haven't been very successful with my search I think the shoes are decently priced and perfect for holiday dressing. I can't wait to wear them out. I'd give this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A Year in Books

 In 365 days I've been in different lifetimes and places. Books are indeed the closest thing you'll ever get to travelling. And the cheapest! There's a lot of splurging, laughters, mind blowing, sleeplessness, fights and some tears on the course of acquiring and reading my most beloved stories.

It has the most intricate cover art the under the book flap is a dragon sketch. Funny how my letter of complaint got me this book and a lifetime discount card over a petty customer service misunderstanding.

Hands down Gillian Flynn has the most mind fucking thriller and crime stories. Gone Girl literally blew my brain away reading the books became an obsession. The blurb even said "Read it and stay single" coy huh?
Sharp objects was another star on my shelf. It's a wicked devious read.

Do you ever have that feeling after you're through reading and you seem to have an existential crisis over the end of a character. And then you'll come back to the blur of reality that is life. Well here's to more years and  books to come!

All I want for Christmas

 As I got older the emphasis of Christmas gifts is not about receiving but the satisfaction of giving. Most importantly Christmas is not manifested on material things but for the true reason it is celebrated for. In the spirit of Christmas it's that time of the year when we bring up our wish list. But this is a list most likely I would fulfill myself because most of the time I work and spend for my own gifts. Aaand my birthday is coming up right after New Year and my gifts tend to be rolled into a combo. So much for festivities!

• A girl can't have too many bags: I have been looking all over the place for these mint and brown satchels/cross body bags. All I see are those hard box type which do not particularly suit my liking.

• Moleskine Minnie Mouse Limited Ed Notebook: I browsed through Fullybooked's website and got fooled by the error pricing they listed when it's actual very pricey than expected. Sigh. Maybe I'll look for an alternative but equally cute journal. I'll be writing more for the next year!

• Audrey's LBD: Hello to celebrating my birthday in style.

• The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan: This book revolves around a courtesan in 19th century Shanghai. I'm preparing to snag a (paperback) copy. I cannot wait to be enthralled by Miss Tan's comeback. Also I'd like to include another of Tan's book The Opposite of Fate: Memoirs of A Writing Life.

• And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini: Another most anticipated good read. I hope a paperback copy will be available soon.

• Daisy by Marc Jacobs: Although for sure I won't be getting it this year, but wishful thinking that I will save up for this by my graduation as another achievement gift for myself. And I badly need a signature scent other than smelling like laundry and shampoo.

• Quilted mint wallet: I really do love teal and mint color. And a new replacement for my worn wallet. I don't believe in buying my own wallet, it's an old wives tale they said to keep money coming in someone has to buy you a wallet! Figures..

• Maroon dress: Perfect for the holiday color scheme.

Do you remember 28th night of September?

Here is a picturesque view of my grandparents wedding reception on the 28th of September. It has been 50 years since that afternoon wedding in 1963. And this is the celebration of what matters most- family.

By far September has been the best month of the year spent with the entire family. This has been a momentous occasion my immediate circle of family has ever witnessed. I can never be more proud of my grandparents, truly 50 years of marriage is a remarkable stepping stone. True enough my grandparents relationship was never like sweets and roses but it's like old wine that gets better with time.

Bonne Chance Collections

I usually wear skirts and dresses except if I'm out on newspaper duty looking for reports running and roughing around the metro dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt. Whenever I'm free from duties I go back to the girly girl that I am. 

And what better way to show your personality than the clothes you're wearing? 

I'm the dress type of girl. I like the carefree feeling and the leg room wearing a dress gives you. I can casually pair my dress with my Vans Guate stripes slip-ons or Keds for a tomboy chic appeal. Or I can be full on girly with Mary Janes and pink flats. 

I stumbled upon Bonne Chance Collections through Jasmine Blu's blog and it is indeed a treasure trove of vintage flair filled with an array of feminine styles that is screaming my style. Too bad we don't have them here in the Philippines :(  

But nonetheless I fell head over heels with their whimsical collection so here are my absolute favorites:

Bye Bye Birdie 2 Piece Dress is by far my favorite pick of all. I love the vivid bird print on the circle skirt and the perfect pairing with the sweetheart pastel pink crop top. 

The gingham print on the Strawberry Lemonade dress reminds me of Sundays church and my little girl days of printed frocks. The dress is so 1950's retro with its peter pan collar and lace. 

The adorable print on this 16 Candles Bow Back dress is too cute for words. The fitted bodice wonderfully shapes your silhouette. 

The dress features a cutout bow back and a pleat skirt and I'd love to twirl in this dress it looks so playful!

While we don't have Bonne Chance in the Philippines I will take inspiration from their collection and improvise with whatever I can find here.

Favorite Movies

Rom-com endings usually involve someone catching a flight or a train ride with a lot of chasing and weaving into a bustling crowd that ends into public declarations of love sealed with a kiss. I remember ranting to a friend on the lack of originality on the spate of Hollywood rom-com endings that I've watched several times with me hitting fast forward on the closing scenes having enough of the mush as I roll the bitter taste of reality out of my tongue.

Roman Holiday is my favorite among Hepburn's film because of its bittersweet ending. A movie does not necessarily need to have the characters end up together to produce a happy ending. The opposite of the viewers expectation and the slight twang of disappointment filled with a sucker punch of reality making it charmingly it perfect. 

Midnight in Paris is just like the whiff and tang of cigar, the fizzles and clinks of champagne bottle as the movie opens on a beautiful montage of Paris. I have always thought of Paris as the cliched city of love but the movie sets the scene with its charm and warm cinematography that gives a decadent and romanticized feeling.  Midnight in Paris is my first Woody Allen film followed by To Rome with Love. I can't wait to watch his next film Magic in the Moonlight this 2014 starring my favorite actress Emma Stone. 

The clock strikes midnight a vintage Peugeot swoops Gil to 1920's Paris in magic realism.

"Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present... the name for this denial is golden age thinking - the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in - its a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present."

Perhaps we are all stuck in the Golden Age Syndrome.

Senior IV

Welcome to University of the Philippines Park! 

It has not dawned on me yet that I'm already in my senior year. It's when you are in school seeing faces you barely recognize that's when you know you're old enough to remember. The upperclassmen have already graduated and ta-da you're suddenly in their place. Being a senior made me conscious of how much time I have left savoring every class and paper I turn in. Whenever I find myself slacking in school I always remind myself that I'll be missing my college days. An alumnus once told me, "your UP days will be over before you'll even know it so enjoy it while it lasts."

It's almost the end of the first semester. Unbelievable.

Photo credits to Aeda Minoza

Selfie

Everybody loves taking selfies everywhere and anywhere. Why not take the camera whoring to the next level by making a move and asking a girl out? That's what we did in our commercial aka "How to make your move"

Keeping the Korean penchant for sweet and innocence we incorporated the boy meets girl vibe into our Broadcasting 107 commercial. It's awkward seeing myself in the commercial acting all cute much to my chagrin. Many thanks to our talent Bimbo who was effortless at it though. All in all I had fun directing the scenes and working with the girls.

We had our shooting at Sunday 2pm which I did a previous blog post about. It has been a year since I've visited the place. It still gives you that homey feeling every time the door chime rings when you open the cafe's door.

Day/Night

This time I got to be the camera's muse for a lighting test my friend Aeda is supposed to do for a wedding photo shoot with my family. It turns out to be a day/night debut shoot more than a camera test. Although my coming age is way past done.

I didn't get to have the 18th birthday fancy shmancy set-up as most girls do instead it was celebrated in a small and humble get together of family and friends. So to compensate for the lack of a debut photo opportunity let's call this mini shoot my "pre-debut" that came a birthday late. Hey I'm turning 20 soon so I might as well..

Photo credits: Aeda Minoza