Friday, November 15, 2013

storm aftermath


Large purplish bruise (gross!) on one knee currently prohibits going barelegged on shorts so I'm currently counting on tights, sheer or not.

hanes t, vintage knit jacket and belt, payless ankle boots, random sunglasses and tights, sm accessories headband, f21 nautical shorts and bangle  

Thursday, November 7, 2013

bundling up


Not even sure about my life at the moment. Current mood: lazy. Got to stop idling about.

The Napoles trial was on tv the whole time today and while Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is awesome, I feel little appreciation for the whole thing. Maybe it's the drama stretching on too long it's started to become boring and repetitive?

vintage sweater dress, forever21 boots, random necklaces

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

rainy season


It's the rainy season and typhoon Wilma is upon the island of Mindanao and to leave it on Thursday I thought it's best to stay in and warm. 


turtleneck sweater from mum, target shorts, forever21 shoes


Thursday, October 31, 2013

photo diary: dumaguete city


Almost a month spent in Dumaguete and all I had on the suitcase were a couple of white shirts, a couple of denim (staple) shorts and the usual black leggings and that single quilted leather skirt. I'm beginning to think that with the kind of wardrobe I currently am building, it's easier to pack stuff in suitcases. All that should be done is grab whatever and cram it right there, make sure everything fit right.

That month was also quite full of everything random from 6.0 magnitude earthquakes to jittery yet strong aftershocks, nerve-wracking and mind-numbing comprehensive exams, then a flight out to Manila to attend a wedding on a Sunday. In between were a birthday celebration, walks along the Rizal Boulevard---which now has a signage saying "I love Dumaguete" that many people take pictures of because it lights up at night---and bumming around the field in the uni, soaking in the wifi on ipad and iphone. Highlight has to be the two to three trips to Bonappetea taken because I apparently have become addicted to their Salt and Cheese Foam and now seem to want to try everything under there. I'll probably make do with the same thing that this one milktea place offers nearby.

Asians and their addiction to milktea, yes. I'm one of them. These milktea houses have been coming out like mushrooms it's difficult not to get addicted to them.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

lukewarm


Weather was in between warm and cold---highly difficult to gauge?---yesterday I ended up running around in these. I only wish the waffle knit was looser, bigger. And a close-up of that pair of over-worn boots from Payless. They offer decent stuff at times.

Payless ankle boots, vintage waffle knit, what a girl wants faux leather shorts

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

eastwood wonderland


It looks and feels like a theme park but it isn't. Say hi to Eastwood in the greater Northern Capital Region. It's not exactly my favorite place considering the crowd but hey, it's decent. It's nice to be among millions of people sometimes. Just...sometimes. Discussion via short messaging the day before this went exactly like: I can never understand why people from our city would like to move and settle for NCR (considering it's basically urban jungle out there and Cagayan de Oro is merely a fraction of it and Cebu is still even better than NCR.). Yep, we be the crazy Kagay-anons that we are...

My mother only ever indulges me in photoshoots rarely. This is one of them...at my plainest and nudest, too. Doesn't matter since I prefer it that way.

On some travels, I do pick up one or two fun things including the red top from Mixed Berry at the West Portal in Dumaguete City. It's nearest the university so we're not completely devoid of places to shop there. Should say this thing should be had in two colors, the red and the grey and I am currently berating myself why I never got the grey version. Not the most comfortable thing to wear since I often prefer the airy tops but it's decent enough to wear when you feel like dressing like a video game character...or something.

Side/extra note: my mother isn't exactly the best photographers around but she'll do...on most days.

The hoodie is quickly becoming a staple and rightfully so, considering the crazy wet and then dry the next weather we're having locally. It's good to be back in Cagayan de Oro and on my workstation. And of course, back to the daily routine before jetting off, two weeks from now, back to Dumaguete for thesis consultation and for compre updates. Here's to hoping to have had passed the remaining half of the comprehensive exams!


Mixed Berry top, vintage quilted leather skirt, forever21 shoes, vintage anne taylor loft hoodie

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Obscurity


Flicking through photos on my phone, I found these which I asked my younger brother (he's too lazy to get up and take the photos at a better and closer angle, I can never count on him for outfit shots except for some...) to shoot...from across the road. Though the striped shirt and the vintage quilted leather skirt are somewhat visible (the sweater more than the skirt, really) and only portions of the ankle boots and clutch are, too, I thought this would suffice for a random update after one of many long blog silences I've been taking recently. I try to post more often but there's not much to document now that I'm currently living on what little I have packed---which includes the said skirt in the photo---in the suitcase for three weeks in Dumaguete City. (Comprehensive exams are next week, I'm getting the nerves and all...) 

The nights are getting colder or so I said to friends while walking back from a fastfood to the dorm after dinner therefore it's time to stock up on cold weather clothes. Oh and typhoons are once again frequenting every part of the Philippines (what fun is that? ...or not really). Already thinking about hitting the nearby thriftstore or two for cold weather clothes just because I left a lot of mine back home and have zero things to wear here during the cloudy, occasionally rainy cold days except the usual oversized white t-shirt, leggings, denim cut-offs and skirt. Bravo for hurried weather appropriate packing. It's the product of simply grabbing everything close to the suitcase and everything generic in the closet I'm literally living the minimalist lifestyle while here. Even the accessories are whittled down to a masculine-ish watch my dad gave me a few months ago. (Dad never stopped dressing me like a boy since eons ago.) But it sure is fun being a minimalist.

vintage quilted leather skirt and clutch (it's blood red but not pictured well, sadly), forever21 sweater, payless (fioni?) ankle boots

Friday, October 4, 2013

In My Mind: Boyfriend Shirts and Embellished (Read: Horizontal) Stripes

YSL, Nina Ricci, Balenciaga from here

Balmain from here

Granted it is eternally summer in the Philippines, boyfriend shirts will never grow old. YSL's Slimane and Balenciaga's Wang somehow perfected the boyfriend shirt art this season.

Balmain just made embellished horizontal striped stuff appealing to me. I'd still run scared over them most of the time but...it's...Balmain.

Friday, September 27, 2013

pastels and earth colors


Visited Philpost to see if I had something from Emoda/FromJapan today which was bought online a month ago. People there said it was registered mail and that it is still in Manila and, as they said, hopefully it comes next week. 

This is my last night here in Cagayan de Oro before sailing off to Dumaguete for the Comprehensive exams, I feel excited and afraid at the same time. Cross my fingers I pass it or I'll probably flip if I don't. Then promptly retake the exam. But hopefully, hopefully, I do hence I will be buried in more reading tonight after a couple hours of work I was meant to hand in earlier.

hanes t, mags shorts, f21 shoes, vintage bag, headphones are urbanears (thanks to dad~)

Monday, August 26, 2013

highs and more highs and that one particular socio-political issue

(photos by JM Dumlao)

Fun was had today, mostly talking about everything from socio-political issues to the most random personal issues with the girls, JM and Candice. I love days like these. It's the National Heroes' Day and holiday hence the free time spent at the Pancake House in the local Lim Ketkai Mall.

After that quick, refreshing time with the girls was the rally that called for the abolition of the Pork Barrel or the Priority Development Assistance Fund. If you have been following this national sociopolitical mess on TV and the newspapers and even the radio, you'd probably know what I mean. Throw in the name Napoles and yep, I am pretty sure you know that all that did was give the Philippines a bad name and throw it right up to the top of the list of countries with the most cases of corruption. As if we already need enough things to destroy the country's image with all the sociopolitical scandals we've had in the past. Here are images from the rally I've gathered and taken earlier this afternoon. It'd probably help to click on the collage and enlarge it. That aside, this was held in Gaston Park, Cagayan de Oro City and not where more than 80,000 people gathered in Metro Manila's Luneta Park. It's a small rally against PDAF attended mostly by middle class families, NGOs (non-government organizations), religious groups, university organizations and others. This is about 1/4th or worse, 1/10th of the people that attended the event at the Luneta Park in the country's capital.

 I might have missed the CDO for Peace Rally/Walk for Peace (in CDO) after the bombing incident at Rosario Arcade, but I was present to witness this one. Who knew listening to talks and fun, improvised production numbers between the talks was...fun? But in no way am I an activist---let's set the record straight here. Most of the time, I hate politics but if it runs across innocent masses of people, that's the time I'd join in whatever sociopolitical cause the majority rally upon.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

you've seen this all before


1. and 2.  that tired levi's DIY cutoff shorts and white shirt with a favorite vintage belt.
3. today's lot of paraphernalia. And the sticker on my iPad's cover does say: "We're so fairytale it makes people sick."

Most of my belts are thrifted and vintage and I couldn't be happier because I find it difficult to look for proper, vintage-tinged ones in the stores. I'm only mildly disappinted the brown one does not circle my waist properly and to think I'm already small enough, waist-wise. And the dogs, they were just there.

So while Manila is being flooded like crazy by typhoon Maring (take care out there, guys!), Mindanao is basically cloudless and has not had rain today. I love it. 

hanes t, old levis DIY cutoffs, vintage belt and boots, random sunglasses, f21 stacked bangles, gifted bracelet and others

Monday, August 19, 2013

vintage, white, but not borrowed


I had ample time to procrastinate after lunch. Finding no one downstairs to help me with the documentation (or indulge me in a not-so-regular random shoot), I had to make do with mounting the camera on a ledge (I do not have a camera stand though I would love to have one). 

I don't think I ever posted about this dress here but it's vintage, very sailor-like and white and grossly overused. Wore it with the parents on the regular Sunday outing yesterday and accessorized here with a pair of striped tights from Forever21 picked up in SM Cebu a couple trips ago. It's the easiest dress to put on when I'm in a hurry for any "social gathering" or casual day out since I am often the stay-in, work/freelance-write type.

dress, vintage. shoes and tights, forever21. necklaces, gifted. bangles/bracelets, vintage and f21.
 

because I'll probably never be able to afford that See by Chloe bag anyway

If there was one thing my mother got right from yesterday's 'small talk,' it's that I really do love clothes. And I really do because for one, they're drama-free. It's one of the reasons why I think I'll always feel uneasy in offices where power-dressing is a must. I only have a couple things or less for office wear and I'm fine without most of them unless I have to at least teach for a year or two and in which, I am now contemplating some trousers from Zara. But I'm not saying I am ruling out office wear because by the looks of it, I'm heading there post-grad graduation---if/when the thesis passes---unless I decide to go for another round of school (fashion-related this time as that is what I have in mind at the moment) or a paid/unpaid internship in the industry.

What a Girl Wants dress and bag, Minnetonka boots

F21 dress and tights, Freepeople knit toggle coat, See by Chloe bag, Victoria's Secret peeptoe Oxfords

And it will be eons before I can afford anything designer anyway.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

new additions


Hmn...can't wait for these to come in the mail though it may take two weeks or so. Emoda = wispy basics heaven.

Next stop: this. But that is if I'd have enough to spare for it by the end of this month or the 15th of next month...unless it's put on sale...again, like these two.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

another of those leggings-ankle boots-white t combination




Dog-friendly photo #2. She was just there, posing, when this was taken.
 
Currently waiting for a ton of things to come to the mail while working hard on minor freelance writing gigs and doing some studying. Comprehensive exams are coming up but I managed to snag some time off to go get classic milk tea (favorite!) from Chinkeetea---so happy they have a satellite branch now near the abode---and some groceries which include a loaf of whole wheat bread, a diet staple. As for the newly opened Chinkeetea nearby, at least I don't have to pay the fare to go to Pabayo-Hayes Sts when all I do in their place there is ogle all the colorful stuff they have including the hanging chair and creepy dolls, antiques here and there. The place is too colorful, it gets overwhelming most of the time.
It has been a month but life has been somewhat boring recently with ample time for random shoots. Mostly, just at home, reading and working. I probably now need a ton of comfortable lounge clothes, I'm currently working on acquiring these.

Tracy Anderson exercises (cardio + Perfect Design 1) are now part of the regular, daily program. So is dancing in the room randomly to Da-iCE's Stand; Miura Daichi's Go For It, Twinkle Shiny Star and Right Now; and AAA's Love is In the Air and Party it Up. Random personal dancing parties in the room, o/ except they're all done to relieve the self of stress.
All I want to do now is go to a random cafe and read and catch-up on my studies but it seems I'm not into that kind, really.
In other news: Kagay-an Festival/Fiesta is right around the corner and I am contemplating signing up for the 5K Kagay-an Festival Marathon. It's been eons since I was last home for the fiesta.

f21 t and leggings, payless boots, random tote and bracelet (from grandma <3)

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

quasi-grandoise weekend

photos by me and Kristel Punu

Hightailed it to Cebu City last Friday when my mother texted they were going there for father's mid-year convention at the Radisson. One of the best weekends catching up with a foster brother/uncle at a Japanese restaurant and roaming around aimlessly at SM City Cebu a stone's throw away from the Radisson. 

Black and white is the usual uniform, yes.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

lazy lounge wear


Yum. Finally have one in pink courtesy of F21 in SM Cebu. This thing ought to be had in multiples. Perfect for lazy days in.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

red, black and bunny ears

(photos by Jan Michelle Dumlao)

Posting some stuff late from a random, not-so-impromptu shoot not so long ago with my loves, JM and Mimi. We were chitchatting, catching up on random things with one another with cake and home made chai tea prior to that in JM's room. I'd love to do this again next time. :) These came out nicely.

The bunny ears aren't made of lace as I wished it would be. I just couldn't find a good lace to use around craft shops. I used black tulle instead hence the transparency along background wires.

The tee is the first one from F21 Men's. Likely to get some more from that intriguing section Forever21's site has. Black bodycon skirt? Currently on endless repeat/loop addiction status, yes.

 tee, skirt, stacked bangles and shoes, f21; clutch, vintage; bangles, necklace and thin rings, from some randoms local store; sunglasses, random; bunny ears headband, diy