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 dusty rose number

dress top & hat, what a girl wants (may this local-ish brand R.I.P....). slip dress (inner dress), vintage. clutch, from an aunt. wedges, primadonna philippines/ph. bangle, vintage. 

The dress/vest thing is the last tagged item I own from the local brand, What a Girl Wants that closed about two years ago or so. (RIP, WAGW. /cries.) I should probably wear this one out more often. It's not ideal for the rainy season---we've had rains in the afternoons this week and it's threatening to rain at the moment---but it's fine for the sunshiney days. I'm still thinking of ways to wear this dreamy dusty rose-colored (I love this particular shade of rose!) piece out. It goes past the knees when it's not held around the waist by a belt as in when worn this way but it's pretty freeing without the belt as it is with the belt. I'm going to have to look for a better belt to fix this up with. I used the navy blue one from another dress for this and that set is up for auction on my ebay. I feel like something in deep brown or a lighter shade of brown will make this outfit attempt work better the next time.

....and I have a date to the cat cafe with the best friend tomorrow. Yay~ Fun~

Photobucket is acting up and may well be on its way to its death slash self-destruction, by the way, so I'm using Google Photos now to host the photos on here with. I'll alternate this with Flickr, I suppose. That is, until I find another image hosting site that's similar to really early, highly functional and convenient Photobucket. Suggestions, anyone? PB is currently charging about 400 USD just so its users can continue to hotlink photos from their accounts on said site---something people with sane minds are just thinking: 'no, no way, nuh-uh'---to their blogs, websites and more and since then, I've given up on it. 400 USD annually is too much to pay for just such simple service, in my opinion. I'm likely not the only one not liking where the direction PB is going... But whatever, it's all up to PB's management now.

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.

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).  

pretty pleasant pool day

photos by Candice Calonia

vintage ruffle front cream silk shirt, ebay top, What a Girl Wants bottom, Zalora faux leather double strap sandals
 

Owing to the fact I have a ton of separate pieces of tops and bottoms for swimming in pools and beaches (lost the bottom to one of my favorite What a Girl Wants bikini last year while moving from one water body to another around Surigao del Sur), mismatched bikinis is now a thing for me. 

Had so much fun lounging around Xavier Estates Sports and Country Club's poolside in between slithering into the pretty vast adults' pool they have and getting out of it to people watch and munch on snacks (of fruits and fries) and chitchat with the lounging companions. Yesterday, the whole day was perfect for pool day as the sun alternated to shining hot with isolated rain clouds and being hidden by the clouds in the early 8 to 9 in the morning. There wasn't any drop of rain either granted it's been raining on and off the day before and even before the latter. Best time I think we had in the pool area? Between 8 to 9 in the morning when there weren't anyone but the three of us and we had the place to ourselves, right before the club house's guests came down to swim and have their brunch. I like it when we have the place to ourselves but it isn't really bad when there are others besides us just so we can people watch, really.

There was definitely a lot of lounge-playing involved...

With this place being something I find to be easily accessible and just right by the village (what we'd call a private subdivision here because one, it's gated and pretty guarded---think Bel-Air?) where the best friend since high school resides, outings as random as this might just become more frequent...hmn...250 Php isn't too much to pay for a whole day's---until night because they close somewhere between 9-10 in the evening and night swimming is a must during the extremely hot summer days too---use of the pools here, really. 

....the sandals are originally for men but they proved to be lighter than the first use here. This might end up being used more often on quick errands and such...and walking around every kind of terrain possible here minus the desert which we don't have? Yes.

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.  

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

sort-of boyfriend jeans

gifted Glo cropped jeans; hanes t; random bangles, sunglasses and rings; primadonna shoes; secondhand bag; wagw hat; f21 arrow and gifted K-pendant necklace, (not seen on photo); SM accessories  cross earrings

Ran an errand for mum then running more errands in the afternoon which includes stopping by the PRC office to get my teaching license renewed. Definitely loathing the sun today and changing into a pair of leggings to look even more unkempt before I head down to the mall to inquire about something, not so much as to shop as I haven't done that in eons now all the while wishing I were in a pair of denim shorts or something airier...like, maybe a skirt instead. Nothing's stopping me from dropping by the Robinsons' department store by Ayala Centrio today to check if they have any more basics like the baseball t I wanted for quite awhile now I could abuse almost daily, though so definitely something I'd do today.

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   

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

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.

when summer inches closer, I think of...

F21, Aldo, UO, American Apparel, shopwagw

Summer has come but when has it ever not come for the tropical region? Hmn...k. Currently considering breaking out that unworn pair of swimwear from the eternally favorite locals boutique, WAGW, left in the closet back home and hunting up a locally-sold decent pair of beach- and pool-appropriate flipflops and flat sandals for incoming beach trips in the locale I forecast for this summer. On a separate note, I'm considering updating the wardrobe's color palette with predominantly pink stuff...now having thoughts around the hot pink shade and something brighter. By the end of this season, I'll probably be Rainbow Brite incarnate...or is it Hello Kitty?

Sunglasses = essential, no? I've already about destroyed two---one vintage, another from somewhere nearby the university---I bought about a year or two ago from randomly smushing them around bags. I probably need a huge collection of it, vintage or not so replacements would not have to be bought on a whim. But knowing me...most of them don't really last that long in my careless hands.

As for the lack of outfit posts...I'll leave that to be blamed on having no free time from thinking of ways to lengthen a research proposal, hastened studying for a drama class finals exam and contemplating the final paper for said class that gave the only exam for the semester. Busy, busy finals week.