post-storm...literally.

tank, bench ph. shorts, secondhand lowry's. bag, vintage. boots, rubi by cotton on. bangles and cat ears ring, forever21.

It's been one week after another of intermittent all day rain and just all around gloomy, cloudy days thanks to typhoon Lan that hovered close to the Philippines' area of responsibility. It's course was different and soon moved away to Japan so there wasn't much damage (flooding, etc) much to all of our (here in the Ph islands) collective sighs of relief. Still, it's the wet season in this area so I'm expecting more typhoons coming our way. Hopefully, they just don't become as scarily devastating and damaging as category 5 ones similar to typhoon Haiyan way back in 2013.

 

Anyway, yes, sun! I miss this kind of cheery sunny day that makes me want to go to the beach and just be a bum or something else there... 

 

I've currently taken to starting my day with streaming Highlight's Can Be Better MV from their official youtube channel. The 1theK upload is getting more attention but the official Highlight youtube channel one, I feel, needs more of the attention from us fans. Hmn...I don't even stream Da-iCE stuff much and this one has a Vevo account on youtube... Either way, both are fandoms I discretely belong to so that explains this portion of this post. Haha. Can Be Better by Highlight just is such a relaxing and fun song that it's great to start the day with it and with their Pls. Don't Be Sad, as well. Both just are now my happy pills and they tend to set the tone of the day for me nowadays. I'm falling deeper into the Highlight fandom, I suppose. Mostly, it's because of their music which is a 360 from their regular dark, all-about-heartbreak-and-everything-grim ones back when they were under Cube Entertainment as Beast. I like this 360 degree turn they took in the direction of their music and all. Like, I really, really like it to the point I'm in love with it. This is the same feeling I had when Da-iCE came out with their debut album as then-indie artists way back in 2011. Beast debuted earlier than Da-iCE, though...around 2009.

 

 

 

black and deep brown for BatB cinema date

 dress, what a girl wants/WAGW. hoodie, vintage anne klein. heels, zalora. bag, giani bernini.

Beauty and the Beast film was watched, in this get-up, with the best girl friend this afternoon...in 3D. It's because we weren't able to catch the 2D's earlier airing schedules. There's not much I could share on it except that it's pretty by the textbook (of the original fairytale except for some added parts here and there to make the film appear lengthier).  

black and blue

 secondhand cutoffs and gap t, vintage belt, zalora heels, ninewest bag, aizilim necklaces and rings

The many times I've blogged an incarnation of this get-up...I can't really recall anymore. Played it up a bit with a vintage belt in deep brown that's quickly becoming my favorite, however. Never said you can't wear one too many things with multiply buckles in them in one outfit post. I guess I just am the type to not get enough of the good edgy things. A repeat outfit can never get old with different variants of accessories---how to make a repeat get-up on a daily basis not boringly repetitive 101...

 plus secondhand corduroy jacket

Luckily, I caught the tail end of the golden hour enough to shoot this one. I almost didn't today.

Even when making the Chun-Li buns, I'm a mess. Let's just leave it at that. My skill in hair-styling is as hopeless as my make-up skills...yep... Even if my life depended on those two, apart from clothes styling...I...can't. I'll just be the clumsy ardent disciple learning the art however I can't really promise anything on that front... I can bleach and dye (blonde) the h*** out of hair however, so that's a consolation, I guess?

And now a couple music recommendations because...just because...

 

Just. How good is this Da-iCE cover of Ariana Grande's Into You? Like how good, GOOD, exactly? If you get what I mean in the midst of incoherently flailing on this one here at the mo...that is.

I seem to have this on eternal loop on itunes today...well, since the weekend that is. That I prefer this to the original version of Shakira's for the Zootopia soundtrack is...well...a no brainer. I am a semi-E-girls fan. Like an on/off one.

tiny bit of yellow cheer during the rainy days

 Gap t and buttoned cutoffs, vintage belt and hoodie (Ann Taylor Loft), Rubi gusset boots via Zalora, Smashbox net choker, aizilim necklace and rings (latter not clear/visible in the photos)

Found this shirt in a forgotten bag of clothes from so long ago while trying to see what else I can do away with so others can make full use of them much more than I have. A lot of things I own currently need new homes. I'm putting a lot of these older things I have, that I hardly used, on sale on ebay between this month and the next. It has been kind of irritating that I have given a lot of stuff away last year and I still ended up having a lot more...that I hardly used. Much of this I'd have to blame the maternal side of the family that's in the US. They're mostly 3 women (aunts) and the grandma and being women, they looove to shop when they get the chance to. I'm partly kidding here as I love them so much either way. Haha.

Either way...hmn...there's fun in styling something so old and hardly used when you dig them up from the deepest depth of your seasons' old clothing storage. This might also have contributed to why I only have isolated shopping trips or binges now and then for the past two or three years or so now...

Speaking of shopping, a brief spiel of it and how I've been going about it lately here: shopping for me has been about...say, just twice or thrice a year for about two or three years now. I don't really shop a lot anymore as opposed to how I did almost daily while attending graduate studies in Silliman University in Dumaguete City. I shopped a lot more than I do now when I was in college, too. This is mostly because the thrift shops are in close proximity to the schools I attended way back when. I guess I just came to a point where I'd had enough of owning a lot of things I use once then discard to the deepest depths of my wardrobe storage. I'm currently making it my life's mission this time to build a wardrobe of stuff I use frequently...for lounge and casual since I seem to be an expert on that. I still like the idea of owning a lot of clothes to last me a lifetime since I do love clothes but one thing I'd really like to have the most is a more edited closet/wardrobe because...isn't this always the goal to our getting into and loving fashion in the first place? Well, unless you're the kind that just love shopping for the sake of shopping (or stress relief) and hardly cared about personal style or fashion but otherwise, yes, that, exactly.

Back to the shirt one here. It seems this blog has been seeing a lot of stripes...I still have a few more I'd like to make use of here...okay, for real, just one now since this is done (not saying I won't be wearing this piece a different way here again one day however because I know I totally will... and like the next normal person, I have the tendency to overuse momentary favorite pieces so...). Stripes...they're being a constant in the wardrobe and have been relegated to my definition basics. They just are so, so fun to wear with everything.

grey day

zalora skirt and shoes, secondhand shirt and silk scarf, bag from an aunt (probably from Target but I can't be sure either...), aizilim and vintage arm cuffs/bangles, aizilim and forever21 ring

Who isn't feeling grey upon learning who won in this year's US elections? It's not even my nation's elections---I'm clearly not from the United States but I do get to visit it from time to time with family in Long Beach, California---and even my morale was zapped after watching update after update of the electoral college voting results on CNN. I finally decided I had enough of it today and have given up watching the channel altogether. I...don't really see a point there anymore anyway. Well...I now don't know who has it worse this time. Is it the Philippines who has...well...you know who had been voted to office here from May 2016's Philippine elections. Great Britain who use Brexit-ed (not sure if that is even a word it it is now...?)or the US... 2016 has been quite the year so far with Brexit, the Philippine May elections and now this. What's next? I'm starting to dread it. 

But I'm not really the kind to dwell on the negativity things like these evoke. I might be down a bit these days due to the turn of events but a few things have been getting my hopes up reading stuff around the internet and even as I stay out of it for well, the real world. That I know there are still people out there fighting to change things and more is enough to keep my hopes up. All because I'm trying to do the same outside of this blog among others.

And...personal style related blabber: this bag really is everywhere on this blog, isn't it? It's been my favorite go-to for quick packing to go out...very briefly. I use a bigger bag when I'm out for longer. It's so easy to stash in everything I need in it for a quick run of errands and the likes out.

for the rainy days, a polyvore set

rainy day wear by crysta17 featuring a rainy day outfit

Polyvore-d today because I had a headstart on what to do with wellies? All I know is...this would totally be something I'd love to wear out today while doing some random shopping close by...or maybe to tea or coffee with a friend or two.

For two days and a night now, it's been raining intermittently and mostly, it's strong rains hence the inspiration for this set. I'm still forever on the lookout for the right wellies to this day. Sometimes I look into what Zalora has or what Primadonna on their physical stores have...or I'm thinking of going True Value on this one as I found a few of those there last time. 

Hopefully there's minimal rain at the pool come Monday as that is the current plan with the best friend.

Oh and nude everything for the win! 

P.S.
Photobucket has been down for a couple days now. Says maintenance is ongoing and thus the reason why photos on this blog uploaded there have been nonexistent... Hope they fix that one soon.  

computer angel

So Close (2002), a Hongkong film production still remains one of my favorite movies to date so this halloween was a homage to Lynn's computer angel identity there. Such an action-packed film with a trio of bad-ass Asian females So Close is and Shu Qi is eternally beautiful to me. Re-watching the film reminds me still of how cool Nokia 8210/8250s were and how they could do tons of things way, way before smartphones existed.

I spent the really long weekend watching Halloween specials on TV from Rated K to Jessica Soho to Kababalaghan...it's been sort of tradition for me since young and a fun one at that (I'm probably weird for being someone who enjoys really scary halloween specials of regular local lifestyle and news programs at this time of the year while my peers avoid them for being too scary and as such, giving them nightmares throughout the night...then again, I'm a huge fan of everything horror minus so much gore so...). How'd you spend yours? However way you did, hopefully it was as good as mine was.

Also, a bonus because tumblr was being cute during Halloween. They probably should do something like this for Christmas and maybe even Valentines Day, eh?

shoes coming my way...

After much window shopping around yesterday and today, I finally bit the bullet. 

I'm a little skeptical of most faux (synthetic) leather but let's see how these fare. One is the only highest-heeled ankle boots I could find on Zalora and the other got me by its tons of buckles, the latter ordered in a deep brown so I can look about how to play around with it.

after H&M Ayala Centrio's opening

photos by Candice Calonia
 
vintage bag and ankle boots; D&G longsleeved shirt; Forever21 shorts; Robinsons' department store tight; aizilim necklaces; beaded bracelet and rings; dad's sunglasses

H&M opening was fun but really, really crowded. The line to get into the first of the store's 2 floors was pretty long and I'd say, everyone was most likely there. Well, those who had the time to go, anyway. Notable things from H&M in Ayala I found I'd sort of like to have: the cozy sweaters (which I'd likely get 2 sizes larger than me for the slouch, off shouldered, long-sleeved...longer than my arms would allow anyway...effect), triangle bras that's somehow all I really wear on a daily basis dresses and tops, and that faux (?) but really, really soft (like butter) leather tote that reminds me a bit of the Givenchy Nightingale I'd probably overuse for some occasional shopping. In the end, the shopping partner and I didn't get anything because there was too much people in there and either it drove us mad or gave us a headache. I don't really do well with crowds.

I didn't really get a lot of things from the random trip to the mall except for a bottle of virgin coconut oil I usually use on a lot of things (thank you, Watson's for providing me with a really cost-effective option---reason being it's, like, 10 Php or so less than my usual coldpressed VCO brand) and a choker from my shopping pal's favorite accessories stall. There was a one-shouldered dress in both black and white incarnations from Mango that hasn't yet left my mind however, it's on sale, and a pair of cross strapped wedges from Primadonna also on sale I really wanted and could see myself wearing a lot but decided not to get somehow.

Met some people here and there...a newly discovered favorite dish from Tokyo Bubble Tea---their pork-less tofu steak which was so vegetarian/pescetarian friendly and really, really good and a funny, sort of weird incident later, after all that, in Cotton On on our way out that had us scrambling to take the taxi to the city center...all in all, it was a good day to be out.

lingerie topping

with the What a Girl Wants lacy top (which is really more of a bralette than anything...)

without the WAGW top/bralette

Gaisano City (department store) collared top, thrifted cut-offs and ankle boots, Coach purse (it's for the iphone/android phone, really), multiply (forgot which shop there it's from) cross earrings, forever21 arrow necklace, vintage and aizilim bangles and rings

The What a Girl Wants (RIP that favorite local clothing brand of mine, they already closed down and folded late last year) lacy bralette number is something that has a dual purpose for me: one, as a regular lingerie and two, as a topper...to spruce up some boring stuff in the wardrobe. Definitely one of my favorite finds from the shop that just closed down last year. /cry. I still have a few other things I own from them in the closet I rarely wear these days. One of them still being tagged since having been bought. Haha.

The collared army/dark green top is a boring but interesting to play with one from the women's section of Gaisano City's department store. Mum found it in the sales bin while all three of us, me and the 'rents, traipsed there to look for things for appropriate to wear for the colder weeks in the U.S. It takes awhile for me to figure out how to wear things including this top so I've never really worn this out to anywhere. It's perfect for layering however and I can picture it with a good layer of chokers and necklaces as well. Maybe a body chain of some sort? The top definitely goes with any bottom possible and even though I'm averse to collared stuff lately (unless they're button-ups, that is), the collars on this one doesn't really bother me as much.

The family might be going back to really sunny (but colder later this time in the year) SoCal (specifically Long Beach, CA) for the grandfather's birthday (mum's dad) in December. It's his 80th. Not sure yet if we're all going somehow.  

boho-ish

dress/top, slip (underneath) and laced-up boots all vintage; ninewest clutch/wristlet; old watch as bracelet; vintage, aizilim and souvenir shop bangles/cuffs; aizilim rings; f21 leaf long necklace; aizilim cross and dreamcatcher necklaces

Sometimes I like to dress like I'm in boho-land. Sometimes.

The last time I wore this top/dress out was on a trip with an aunt to Iligan City. This one goes well with a slip underneath best, it seems. Probably one of my best thrift finds after a few other things in the wardrobe. It works well as a cover-up, too, on a beach/pool weekend trip.

 

chambray romper

(my photos)

I change clothes a lot from arriving from somewhere to home or sometimes, even when I'm out elsewhere. This was after a quick trip to play with cats at a newly opened cat cafe across FICCCO's building a few minutes ride from here with the really close (read, since the last year of high school) girl friend. So much fun was had of the 20 minutes each we secured to play with the cats there. We were able to pet and carry some around as well. We took photos of the cats as well although there's not much I took with them.

All-in-all, a productively cute day outside to play with cats? I ended up wanting a persian one so bad. Or something else entirely would be fun. I always did love cats more than I do dogs somehow.

hollister chambray romper; CLN wedges; gifted beaded necklace as bracelet; verano pink tri-strand ribbon choker; vivi magazine; dad's sunglasses   

95% white

second hand ralph lauren t, gap cut offs, vintage ankle boots, beaded bracelet from aizilim, vintage bangle/bracelet, Maica wrap choker in pink from verano.ph c/o zalora, dad's sunglasses

Monday, May 9 is Presidential elections for us here in the Philippines. The race to the Malacanang is just as hot as the days' 30-35 degree celsius (we go by celsius here in reading daily temperatures) ...not forget, chaotic. I bet it's going to be in the 30s again tomorrow. other than that, I haven't really decided who I like as President. Ha. (Don't follow my example.)

effortless and timeless: Jane Birkin

Her style, beauty, everything is just...timeless.

(collage by me, photos from the Fashion Spot (tFS))

PS.

I'm not done and still lurking on the her thread. Haha. 

dainty pink ribbon choker

 

Bench ph tank, forever21 shorts (they really do resemble hotpants now that I see it here but it looks longer than those...? yep, this should be noted here), verano.ph c/o zaloraph Maica wrap choker, Primadonna ph wedges, ninewest bag

The Maica wrap choker, daintily tri-strand, baby pink or close to blush in color and beribboned by zalora third party seller, Verano (they are on instagram, it seems, here: @verano.ph)came to me yesterday and thus how I ended up building today's outfit to wear with it as base. Experiment done and done, I found that it would work better with anything minimal such as this pair of shorts found on the sales bin on a Forever21 shop...I don't remember which south california mall it was between Long Beach and Los Angeles, however...and the favorite tank from Bench. Heeled gladiators would probably look better but alas, my last pair in white from the favorite local store, What a Girl Wants, that shut down around late last year or middle of it had broken down eons ago. I need a new pair somehow or some 100 and more of them because they're great in messing up any minimalist outfit for any occasion. It's either that or more ankle boots.

Ugh. It looks like the Ally dress my eyes went to when browsing their page on Zalora are out in my size. Hopefully they make more of it or something resembling it in that black color---but then again, admittedly, I already have a ton of black dresses in the wardrobe almost rivaling the fairy-ish white ones---and white. Bonus points if said dress also turns up in blush. This is so something to wear on weekend night outs and the beach. 

The package from zalora, by the way came with their cute tag/card that ended up making me miss cavorting in the beach... 

And this is how it looks like up close

Now I feel more like the typical someone who grew up in the 90s because honestly, I did...one decade of my life anyway.

ribbed, black and bleached + denim

bleached bettina (tank/racerback) t-dress, secondhand/vintage denim shirt, gifted yellow bead necklace as bracelet, vintage, f21 and dumaguete city souvenir shop bangles/bracelets, aizilim and gifted necklaces, (not so clear in the photos but) multiply silver cross earrings

I may have gotten hold of some bleach and experimented with this ribbed, tank t-shirt dress from the local boutique (at Limketkai Center/Mall), Bettina. Speaking of which...it's been awhile since I went browsing in Bettina, both SM's branch and Lim Ketkai's. 

minimal, cozy and black

Zalora romper, forever21 ankle boots/heels, vintage bangle/bracelet, necklaces from aizilim and mum, aizilim ring (not obvious in the picture), dad's sunglasses

Minimal, black, cozy sans the garterized waist. This is one piece to have from Zalora's flagship label, Zalora, in various colors. Totally summer, lounging around the house appropriate. Also, even when randomly going out appropriate. I'd probably even use it for sleeping. 

This doesn't come in white but getting it in navy blue and black is good enough as it is.

 

float love

(photos from float)

Ideal swim gear for the summer, the Alana in black and/or red. I do vaguely recall them carrying this in the more beautiful nude and blush color but that was probably when I was browsing the site a month or two ago. Technically, eons ago.

If I were to invest on quality and well-designed swim wear in the locality, I'd go for float, no doubt. But 1900 php for either of these or even both is something I wouldn't dream of spending for myself just yet---that aside, I really, really do like these and I see myself living in this by the beach anywhere on an island I may find myself in, say, next month or so.

 

airport wear no. 2

secondhand ribbed, buttoned tank and skirt, shoes from footstep (Dumaguete City), souvenir shop and vintage bangles/bracelets, Ninewest clutch/wristlet, forever21 leaf long necklace, gifted k and Aizilim crystal pendant necklaces, (not pictured) forever21 cat-ears and Aizilim nail rings

I meant to take outfit photos at yesterday's event/s and frolicking around Cebu City but I only had a day to spend there and then slept throughout the night upon getting back to the hotel so there wasn't much outfit photo-taking time squeezed in. Flight going back home was so early we all had to catch the taxis at 3 in the morning to not get late for it. Not entirely sure, however, why I didn't bother to wander around the Mactan airport's shops in the domestic flights section. They already have one of my favorite local brands, Bench Philippines, open a huge-ish shop there. Maybe...on the next trip to and from Cebu City although I can't be sure yet when this will be.

But, on the other hand, this was more or less airport wear number two for me on the way home from Cebu City really early in the morning yesterday. 

Browsing around Zalora today, I found these---they're perfect for lounging around in everywhere (summer staples, indeed)---that I can't seem to get over with somehow:

basic cami playsuit in black, basic curved hem jogger skirt 

 

Should these still be on my mind on Monday next week, I'm most probably getting them. I'm still on the fence somehow because I'm thinking of something else I need to buy entirely. But they are tempting, really tempting because Zalora has a sale going on right here *points down* 

I'll think it over. Until Monday or Tuesday at least. I'm not even going to lie, Zalora's in-house brand basics have been a weakness (of mine) since they first had the said line named 'Zalora Basics' back in the day (or perhaps until middle of last year). Basics and non-basics from the in-house brand now is just...Zalora.

Meanwhile, this has been on constant repeat lately...that is, if I'm not listening to my deep house and the Chainsmokers stash:

When it comes to Jpop, I can't help but notice I'm such a sucker for anything r&b, urban or even rap (Kreva comes to mind). There was a time, when I was around the last few years of grade school and entering high school when I used to dislike those three, especially the urban genre. Thanks to jpop music, I ended up liking all three---my entry to Japanese r&b music was Chemistry back in the early 2000s and late 1990s, for Japanese urban it's MihimaruGT (they're on indefinite hiatus now so, /cries) and for rap, it's no doubt, Kreva from the Issai Gassai single/track onwards. With MihimaruGT on indefinite hiatus, White Jam and Cream has ended up being my go-to for anything Japanese urban/pop lately. Both are such good, really good groups for this kind of music. And this is probably why I can't even go kpop.

 

sailor shorts

forever21 shorts and bangles/bracelets, not pictured: makeshift gold chain ring (I just found it around the house, haha), secondhand faded glory t in army green/olive/dark green, flats/sandals from a Dumaguete City boutique whose name I forgot...    

Yesterday was around the 37s in celsius. I'm pretty sure today is, too. The day before yesterday was the hottest day of this Philippines summer, by the way. 

CNN breaking news was on updates on the devastation brought upon by the 6.2 magnitude then later, the 7.0 magnitude earthquakes on Kyushu. Kumamoto castle is in shambles with rubles everywhere. The sight of it I'd seen in snaps on Twitter reminds me of what had happened to the old churches in Bohol and the church I used to frequent in Cebu City: Sto. Nino church after a quake of about almost the same magnitude as this one in the Kyushu island. That Visayas quake was about two years ago, if my memory has not yet failed me. I'm only relieved I've been to Bohol right before that happened but I wouldn't mind going back there for a vacation. Bohol is just beautiful...well, as much as the smaller islands around Cebu among others. I'm definitely on summer mode here since it's almost May. And then there's a quick trip to Cebu City next week for a foster older brother's graduation at a med school there (he's Japanese). I'm psyched for it even if it's just a one-day thing.  

As much as I'd've loved to wear the ankle boots with this ensemble, my wound on one foot was still hurting. I couldn't push it in on one boot /sad.