black and everything random on a tuesday

t dress, shopwagw (what a girl wants). tights, random store/s. heels, forever21. clutch, gifted by an aunt.

The vacillating rain and non-rain this really, really gloomy day had me springing for something comfortably warm, thus the all black with bits of gold, silver and a beige-ish shade outfit. This day has succeeded in making me even more depressed than I already am. It's only thanks to Highlight's new release, their music video for Can Be Better that I've survived today and continue to do so tonight. Seasonal depression can be such a bitch bleep to deal with. Depression and anxiety in tandem being all the more harder to deal with. If there's anything I learned in this lifetime, it is to never fx@# with it and seek help when needed. Never disregard mental health's wellness as it goes hand in hand with physical fitness/wellness, both being integral in the making of a healthy human being. (Wasn't it World Mental Health Day a couple of days ago? Yes? This post is quite timely, then. *insert smiley face/emoticon here*)

Anyway, yes, Highlight:

It's my feel good song today and for the rest of the night. The music video is such a happy pill, too, with all the randomness in it and of course, the 5 members lovely members (I am pretty biased on main vocal Yang Yoseob but I love all of them equally, to be honest...kind of like how I love all members of my favorite jpop boygroup, Da-iCE). Everything: the song and the music video is sunshine and happiness that it's worth playing over and over. RIP the play button on their official youtube channel's upload of this...

a lacey number

 dress, what a girl wants (shopwagw). boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora. clutch bag, gifted by aunt.

So I'm not really into lace---especially one with a collar unless maybe it is topped with a decent thin sweater/thermal in, say, coffee color or some other close to the white/cream shade---much but I'd go for it once in a while anyway. Such is the case of this dress from What a Girl Wants (back when the label still existed but now..../sighs...may it RIP...) worn the whole of today doing whatever. I actually bought this a couple or so years ago. It was a  last minute purchase for a wedding to attend in the metro (National Capital Region/NCR there, up north). I never got around to bringing it with me on the flight to the metro, city up north however as it arrived the day following that of when I departed via plane for the said vast and pretty chaotic (/shudder...that traffic, that noise and mess everywhere...) city up north. Thankfully, my mother packed a couple dresses I could choose from, from the wardrobe here in Cagayan de Oro City so I had something to wear to said wedding.

Today's activities consisted of watching a really thrilling and fun (it actually zapped all energy I had midway to the end...only to be replenished at the end, if that makes any sense at all...) 5-set finals volleyball game between the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) men's volleyball team and the National University men's volleyball team. It was the first game of the finals between teams 1 and 2 in the collegiate games' league. Best of three so the next game is on Saturday, still around lunch time, 12 noon. Of course, my boys...err...team (read: alma mater though technically, it's more of a sibling school as I finished college and high school in the Ateneo here in CdeO, not really the main one in Manila...) won. One big fight, boys! Let's do a threepeat! I hardly can't wait for Saturday as it's just, what? Three days away or so? There's also cooking a lunch of vegetarian tapa and making freshly squeezed orange, with honey in lieu of sugar as sweetener. I'm going to have to catch the rest of episode 11 of Signal and all of its 12th episode on Friday. Apparently, the second half of Signal 11th episode and all of its 12th episode conflicted with AMVT and NUVT's game 1 for the UAAP season 79 finals... Oh and just this afternoon, I had to climb a tree...I'm kidding. More like, climb a stool to try and get some moringa (malunggay/kalamunggay) leaves that still are pretty potent. Our tree of it outside is drying out thanks to the hot weather. The climb and the stretching to get some stems of the tree told me the dress is quite delicate. A stretch or something akin to a soft ripping sound was heard from the dress, which of course terrified me, when I reached out a limb to a cut a hanging stem from the tree.  I thought the dress would rip somewhere around the really short, almost non-existent sleeves it has. Thankfully, it did not or if it did, I have yet to see which part of it did. I suppose this dress is not suitable for semi hyperactive me---who danced the late afternoon away at the beach house/cottage while imitated by a fascinated 2-year old daughter of a short course classmate---when out and about. The theory that this dress is suited for such semi-vigorous activities such as dancing is yet to be tested.

There wasn't much to document of yesterday's beach trip. I didn't go swimming, just hung around, ate stuff (mostly fruits) and drank (water). It was fun hanging out with the classmates on a short course in school, however. Some chitchat about life here and there and intermittent reading of a Gossip Girl book series installment was done. Not much worth documenting because I ended up staining my white t and skirt combo all the while stayed mobile with a pair of really comfy but not too attractive? pink and gray World Balance flats (rubber shoes slip-ons). Not exactly the most exciting of outfits I've donned this start of the month. Anyway, I feel pretty short of beach trips, still. I kind of want more... Next time, swimming will be involved, of course. I'd like to slither into a pool again too...one day soon this summer season. Rather, one weekend soon.    

If I'd be shopping right, I'd be getting myself a couple pairs of shoes, rather ankle boots. This one pair I have is quite tired and tried already...in simpler terms, this has been seen many times on this blog. A few more packages arrived and from them, I just received a couple more H&M tops, one of which I'm ready to wear and shoot just as soon as it comes to me, fresh from the laundry. The other has lace around the sleeves/shoulder but is in the amount I can take (minimal lace?) and the color just fits my current color palette. So yeah...I'd avoid shopping as much as I can this year... Maybe including the next year. But I'd likely shop for shoes...heels and ankle boots are my weakness. As for clothes...let's just say that lately, I hardly really buy any. I've been receiving and owning way too much already from the aunts and grandmum in California.

rained in on a monday

 What A Girl Wants altered/shortened dress, forever21 top, zalora (by rubi) ankle boots, aizilim rings and necklace, smashbox choker

 with vintage/secondhand parka

What I was sporting early afternoon yesterday for warmth. I swapped it later for a cozier oversized sweater to sleep in. I'd've worn the parka over this ensemble to go out if I had to yesterday but...heavy rain was had at around 2 or so in the afternoon that lasted until around 8 in the evening. Going out around that time to do whatever was thrown out the window...well, not that I really had any plans to or needed to. Everyone else around the city was rained in too and opted to stay where they are, especially if they were around schools, universities, hospitals and other business establishment buildings to keep warm and safe. Streets were flooded in the aftermath. It felt like it rained a week's worth of precipitation much like the tragedy due to storm/typhoon Sendong a few years ago. Luckily, this one happened in the middle of the afternoon so likely, there isn't much mortality rate recorded. This is likely my way of saying 'Cagayan de Oro City is still fine, everyone!' because, well, it is and we managed to weather through whatever yesterday brought in. It's still cloudy today but there's rays of sunshine so hopefully there won't be any rain later as it might worsen the flooding that's still likely upon us in some low-lying areas of the city. I'll keep watch over whatever the local meteorological group, PAGASA, has to say on twitter re: predicting today's weather (whether there'll be rains or what) just to be aware and ready of anything should something worse come along. Hopefully there won't be any however as a lot of places in and out of the city are still trying to recover from some flashfloods and flooding.

....and if you notice that the top is also something I have in the cream/white version here...it's really because I got it in both colors. 9.something USD for each was something I didn't want to pass off of when I'd seen something as versatile as this piece. I was studying it online beforehand and decided to pounce when I spotted it on the racks of Forever21's branch on Fashion Island in SoCal about a year or two ago.   

two-tone felt coat

To get or not to get, that is the huge question. I need to pack for the cold weather by the end of this month and I feel a coat like this would be something perfect to have in the suitcase. I'm still conflicted regardless of 350 Php being a pretty decent, really affordable price for it (it's on sale at the showagw site!) because it's two-tone---I would be stumped as to how to style it as I feel I'm often better with the one-color/one-shade kinds---in opposite shades and made of felt fabric/material. I don't know exactly if felt can help me withstand the cold in Philadelphia, first trip to the US (and spending a good 5-7 days there) before going to the sunnier state of California. It's in large which is likely oversized which is something I'd probably really like. How it's styled here isn't exactly the way I'd wear this thing should I end up eventually caving in and getting it.

see it here

dreamlike

The fun thing about working from home is I get to play dress-up on some days I get tired of writing and writing and thinking whatever else to write about. Such is the case with this one.

I've had the top along with another dreamy, wispy 2-way top from the Japanese brand, Emoda since around December last year, if I recall correctly. I acquired both by way of Runway-Webstore. Both were purchased around July. Emoda is basically black and white basics and dreamy, wispy heaven. I have yet to find events to wear them in so I settled for trying one of them out this afternoon in between writing tasks with a deadline tonight (*gasp* I hope I finish it on time!). The best way this one is probably worn out in is with the lacy bustier-y bra top from WAGW I got a year ago or so. It was a lucky find and quite useful even when just lounging around---no wire, no padding whatsoever. Just oh, so utterly comfortable. Shorts aren't so noticeable but they are there.

shopwagw leather(ette?) shorts and lace bra top; Emoda top; Primadonna wedges   

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.