zalora 2021 christmas wishlist

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I usually get something from Zalora Philippines this time of the year but as I'm still on a job hunt for any writing gig I can get that pays well, I might have to pass this year's purchase for some other time instead. 

The best time to shop at Zalora is usually the last two months of the year and the first two months of the following year. It has to do with their consecutive sales during those four months. I've saved a lot from those sales and still somehow continue to save as much whenever I shop from them from time to time when I need to.

....or actually, this may be because I haven't really decided yet which among the dresses below I'd really, REALLY like to get this year: yellow cami dresses with lace details in floral print and/or pale yellow that look so close to slipdresses I'm forever obsessed with or the ditzy flower print dress that's super cute and reminds me of 2008-2009 Luella...

....and they are on sale, too, so...hmn...let me mull over it for a bit for now...

So anyway, here are some things I have in mind from Zalora tonight that just...can't seem to get out of my head until I make that one...single dress or shoe purchase I may very much need or something:

from left to right: tie front cami mini dress in blackbase florals; lace trim mini dress in yellow floral; basic asymmetric frill sleeveless dress in beige (this is also available in a really very dainty, pretty pink color that I like and if I could, I'd get both. haha); eyelet shirt dress in off white; cami mini dress in yellow floral; lace trim mini dress in pale yellow; cotton eyelet babydoll dress in white. All of these are from the same Zalora line, Zalora Basics.

Some runner up dresses I'm also thinking about from the same line but for some reason, they never made the cut because they're not much what I have in mind tonight: low back column dress in lemon yellow (hurrah! I can finally into midis? I guess...?); knot front eyelet dress in blush (probably the first kind of puffed around the sleeves dress I'm into...I still get too intimidated by puffed sleeves among dresses most of the time for some reason so...);  cami eyelet swing dress in yellow; crisscross cut out rib bodycon dress in blue/pink (this one looks good and looks different from my usual style...colors, especially because it combines my favorite color with pink, something I'm seeing myself wearing more of because...you know...if you'd been following or had read my last blog entry, you'd know...also, this is an elevated classic I definitely would not want to miss out on if I had money to spend on this and more because just regular tshirt dresses, however much I love them and would love to have more of them in my closet...err...wardrobe, are getting a tad bit boring lately); broderie crossover back mini dress in off white (I definitely don't mind an intricate looking but bare and sexy back detail with mostly just the strings and all that put the dress altogether); shortsleeves dress in cream/multi (it's leopard print/animal print, of course and I don't have a lot of that in my closet/wardrobe...I don't mind having some of this one as this shirtdress looks pretty cool); blouson cami mini dress in off white (it's dainty-looking and I feel it would look fine as an everyday dress or something)

Yellow is a shade I'm lately super into. My attachment to it started last year. I might have to blame this one on my being in a tropical country all my life and that fact that this pandemic and string of lockdowns has me missing the beach and the pool so much lately. Last year...or I think it was two years ago...? I can't remember anymore... I was able to get two yellow pieces from Zalora I may have to debut here one day. One is a cami, the other is a tshirt dress (and you know I'm just as very much obsessed with tshirt and tank shirt dresses as with everything else I gush about on this blog. lol) with a knotted front detail that's pretty cute and cozy to wear everywhere. Even my grandma loved that one when I wore it to help around the house, the kitchen and all in Jasaan around Christmas and New Years' day last year. Other than those two, I also got 1 cute babydoll from Essentiel Manila back when they still had their own website. Those three get some wear every now and then so I will definitely debut them here on the blog sometime soon, yes. 

It's not just the yellows but I also get intrigued by orange or more specifically, rust these days. I normally prefer the neutral colors but yay to me getting into colors and fun prints, finally! I think my wardrobe's contents have finally made me bored it doesn't have a lot of bright colors so I'm currently into them now. I definitely get attracted by neon bright colors when it comes to accessories and wish there were more of them everywhere but alas...I can't even find underwear in that color that can spruce up any dull outfit I have in mind that's mostly a tank and a pair of shorts or some oversized men's trousers. Ugh. Well...bye dull wardrobe and hello, more colorful wardrobe, I guess? Yep, definitely.

It's nice and good and fun to be experimental sometimes, and just super random when it comes to dressing up. 

So yes, a ton of yellows... The pale yellow one is really good to look at here and looks very, very cute. Just the right amount of romantic with the lace in there that reminds me of Pretty Baby's girls. Have you seen that Brooks Shield film? It's so, sooo good to the eyes. I love all the romantic female fashion and classic American male fashion in there. The film might have put Brooks Shield on the radar for being the youngest female star to be exploited by Hollywood but oh...the outfits... I don't know how to describe that film and their wardrobe but I'm SO in love with it. I've only seen parts of it and screen capped my favorite outfits from there and posted and spazzed about them on my fandom twitter, @kg_0917, awhile back but I'll definitely set aside time to watch that film in full one weekend I have nothing much to do. We just went off tangent talking randomly about Pretty Baby. Lol. It's a decent 1978 movie about women and children in brothels in the state of Louisiana in the US and for the characters' outfits a lone, I think, is one movie worth watching at least once. And so going back to the dresses I'm stuck with due to details, color, design or make and all...the ditzy print dress really reminds me of old school Luella (2008-2009 as mentioned earlier above). 2008-2009 is definitely a good year for Luella and the ditzy flower print and all the very pretty details in the line's dresses. Ugh. 

This is just one line from Zalora, Zalora Basics, and I already know I'm not going to other lines just see more dresses, tops and more I may like. I browsed through the tops from the same line and they have really interesting ones, too. Definitely check those out, as well, if they're your thing. 

Let's go into the shoes. We'll touch up a bit more on the shades of yellow and the romantic, cute style as we go towards the end of this post later so read on!

A pair of these Steve Madden Valiant S High Heels scream NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY ALL NIGHT LONG!!! It's only available now in size 6.5. *sob*

I just heard the national evening news on TV tonight say doctors, medical experts are currently studying the new variant of the novel corona virus from South Africa. I suppose this means we're still not allowed to gather in big numbers for New Year's Eve parties right? Oh well... 

This is way above my budget anyway and I wouldn't want to spend so much on a pair of shoes I see myself wearing only once a year so being unable to afford and get this isn't much of a problem for me. Heh. I can think of better ways to spend my money should I have any this end of the year and early next year than on these shoes, really...

Oh wow, oh wow. Ninewest bringing back the sexy slingback pumps...I see...: the really pretty Emry slingback pumps (middle) in dark red, the Holly3 Slingback Pumps in black and dark natural that aren't really that bad either. They're sooo pretty and very classic I'm sooo in love with them rn and there're only 1 pair in my size available for all 3. *sobs* Lucky are the ones to snag these three in 7 and 7.5. *cries*

I feel like a truck hit me. Slingback pumps, Nine West via Zalora, really? Ugh. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. YES! They're a definitely must have! I'd like to have at least one of these three but I'm too broke so lucky, indeed, are the ones who gets to have these in 7 and 7.5 that's just my size. /cries. If I hadn't checked on Zalora tonight, I wouldn't have seen that slingback pumps are back as per Nine West's dictate. It's amazing that they have a lot of these released all at the same time so ladies get a nice selection of them. They're really such beauties! The croc pattern...ugh. How beautiful is the Emry slingback pumps in dark red here? Just...HOW?

If I had enough money to spend on any one of these right now, I wouldn't hesitate to get a pair. They're around 3, 500 Php but ugh! Their versatility. /cries. I can just imagine how really pretty a pair would go with any of the dresses, shorts and top, skirts and top combinations I have in my head right now. There may be no occasion yet to wear this shoes to but for someone like me who likes to dress up randomly...ugh. These, especially the Emry in dark red, are everything. I'm a firm believer that shoes maketh an outfit so I always, always am quite unapologetic when I impulsively spend on a pair of shoes like this that I know will go well with anything about everything in my wardrobe.

My very depressing broke-ness makes me weep as I see all these pretty things dissipate before my very eyes...with every visit I do on their pages to check their availability. I stalk those I really like as frequently as possible, yes. 

Anyway, to keep myself (ourselves) from crying due to the prices of the things on here and especially in Zalora, here's a more affordable version of the ones above: the Alberto women's shoes Amy 20S M11996D12 pair of lower heeled slingback pumps in black and in the same croc pattern. These have lower heels than the ones above but I don't mind. If they're for everyday use, working from home, them I yeah, I think they're worth getting. I just usually prefer heels to be quite high. Sky high. They're more fun that way. lol.

....and some other shoes that caught my attention before I got stuck on the slingback pumps above...:

Some others that caught my eye before Ninewest's croc patterned slingback pumps distracted me (from left to right): Betsy Bianca Heels in dark beige, Mango snake printed heeled shoes and the asymmetric stiletto shoes in brown, and the Ninewest Holly Slingback Pumps in leather black.

Betsy, Betsy, Betsy. Wow. This brand that Zalora carries is impressing me right now in terms of design. They're edgy and really pretty. And you know I like edgy and gothic at times...in healthy doses, I mean. I missed the oxfords platform heels trend of the 2000s so it's super rad to me that the Bianca heels in beige and other neutral, bad ass colors of it exist in this time period. In Zalora. Like the slingback pumps above I'm so in love with right now, I don't mind having a pair of this in the shoe shelf to wear with any romantic and dainty dresses in there or the yellow ones with lace details above. These in beige and black would go well with anything. ANYTHING.

And speaking of the edge Betsy seems to have going on with their collection this season, let me direct your attention to their bags...ooh!!! The studs in them are to die for. They remind me of Alexander Wang back when his designs were better and the shiz between 2008 and 2009.  Seriously, other than the really cool 90s (because I was an angsty teenager then and until now so...), I'd bring back 2008 and 2009 for really pretty, cool, rad and all fashion trends. Ugh. Betsy. Even their, what looks to me to be a cross between Doc Martens (Docs) and some other, the Jayleen boots, are to die for. It's out in my size now, though, so...boohoo. 

I've mentioned every semblance of 'to die for' twice in the paragraph right above this one so...let's just say that's how Betsy from Zalora's collection makes me feel right now. Dramatic. Dark. Angsty. Just the right amount of edge that brings me back to my middle and late teens when I was all about ghosts, the supernatural and stuff and now I'm re-obsessing myself with Edgar Allan Poe's short tales of terror and still continue to reread Bram Stoker's Dracula 'til I bore of it so...yeah. Dark is pretty. Dangerous is pretty. ....much in the same way all that glitters, all that's shiny and pristine, angelic white and fun yellows are pretty. Yes.

And...that's that. So let's move onto the bags I've been talking about earlier then:

A lot of edge with (from L-R): Nine West's Torin Convertible Crossbody Bag in black; Betsy's Vera Sling Bag in black it's also available in red right here; Betsy's Celia Shoulder Bag in black and it's also available in brown right here; Betsy's Aniyah Top Handle Bag in black, it's also available in gray right here; and Lowrys Farm's Crocodile Textured Crossbody Bag in black which is also available in brown and white right here.

Oh. I didn't expect Lowrys Farm to be in Zalora but it is. 

It's actually a Japanese brand I'm a tiny bit familiar with thanks to Cancam, a Japanese fashion magazine I have 1 one copy of in my shelf here at home from my last trip to the US. The stop over was Tokyo on the way to and from the US so I got to shop some mags at some shops in Narita aiport way back very late 2015 and early 2016. I'm pretty sure this brand is in Cancam because I remember it's a different set of JP brands for ViVi. Cancam concentrates on casual and formal career woman style while ViVi often veers towards the more fun, experimental girl style which resonates more with me than Cancam's for some reason. Japanese fashion mags...they're really fun to have and they have freebies too, from time to time, so they're worth spending some 300+ JPY plus shipping over. Pro-tip, use FromJapan or some other third party shipping for them to save costs.

Japanese brands, I feel, have been, slowly, ever so, so, slowly trickling into South East Asia via Zalora. I know of one aside from Uniqlo, that has made it over here completely through that massive South East Asian online shopping mall, Desigual. They have pretty cool bags and rad, soooo much fun shoes, too. Their stuff is usually a bit way out of my price range in terms of affordability but they're worth checking out, still, if you like the Japanese street style look often seen in the streets of Harajuku. I'm more of a cross between the Ginza and Shibuya fashionista type so...yeah. If you followed tokyo streetstyle, you'd know what I'm onto here. Apparently, I just checked, they're still up and running. I like to look into their posts, especially during the spring and summer seasons for outfit inspiration sometimes. Or...I'm sometimes just there to gawk at how well dressed men and women, girls and boys there are because I just can't...ever...for some reason. Lol.

Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Japanese fashion. I already mentioned I love the fashion mag, Vivi, and I have several issues of it in my bedroom to prove it so yes, I'm all here for Zalora bringing in more clothing, shoes, bags and accessories brands from Japan that's not just Uniqlo. Seriously, Japanese style is more than just Uniqlo. I love the cute styles in Runway Webstore a lot that are always featured in Vivi. Emoda and sometimes, Mercury Duo often brings the pretty styles for me from clean and crisp, a bit edgy to really, very girly you can mess up with a bit of edge or some quirkiness here and there. I think the most I liked from Uniqlo, compared to that one, Runway Webstore, is their Sailormoon tshirt limited edition line. I know they've been doing other anime lines after that but a good friend of mine who's now in very sunny and tropical Tahiti has a Sailormoon shirt from that line and I fell in love with that one for a bit until my best friend from Davao City nearby-ish alerted me that OXGN also came out with a Sailormoon tee collection and...well, OXGN is local so it's waaayy more affordable than Uniqlo's, of course, and I'd definitely have preferred that over Uniqlo any day. I'm a huge fan of Sailormoon, especially the manga and the new anime, Sailormoon Crystal, that very closely follows the manga so yeah. That explains why I'm into a lot of things Sailormoon, including shirts. Haha. I'm not too into animes anymore but if you are, OXGN has a line for Hunter x Hunter now and the volleyball sports anime, Haikyuu!! so gooo and get those if they are your thing! They're pretty cool. I do like Hunter x Hunter, yes. Togashi Yoshihiro, the mangaka (manga artist/creator in Japanese) for it, is married to Sailormoon's mangaka, Takeuchi Naoko so that explains that. This OXGN shirt with the huge Hisoka print is calling my name right now but I'm too broke to afford anything yet so...nope. I'm currently happy with the BtoB Eunkwang shirts I got from Shopee last week so I'm okay passing on this one. (If you're an anime weabo or something, don't be afraid to say hi to me here or on twitter! I'm still mildly interested in animes but not as intensely as I used to...way, waaayyy back I was in high school, going into very early college.)

I do own some Lowrys Farm stuff. I recall I have a pair of shorts somewhere in my closet with that brand that I thrifted a while back in Dumaguete City or some other but I browsed through their offerings here in the Philippines on that massive shopping site and nothing really captivated me much outside of the bags I featured and linked y'all to here. A lot of their clothes are for winter right now and the weather or climate here isn't cold enough to warrant any and all of us into buying and owning some of those they have for sale there so...yeah. I'll pass. I hope they have some fun and cool spring/summer offerings for next year, though!

Other things I have in mind that are from the accessories section are:

from L-R: this black printed twist headband from Waikiki LC; this brown niko and... wrap headband; this big ribbon clip in light pink from joystyx; this Miraycia ribbon hairclip in light pink from Aldo and this is infinitely cheaper than the former, too; really super cute and fun patchwork super scrunchie from Rubi; Rubi's super scrunchie in dusty pink; oh my bag's oversized scrunchies satin in peach...it's not in pink. lol; HAWKERS frozen nude rose gold SUNSET sunglasses for men and women, it's suuuupper pretty!; and Aldo's pretty cool Ceram Sunglasses in pink! 

Aldo's Ceram sunglasses seems to be calling me to it along with animal print headwrap because I've never owned a headwrap my whole life and I think I ought to have one of those fun things. Ugh.

SO MUCH PINK! It's basically pink overload down here. I don't wear a lot of pink so I don't mind any of these for #KakamPinkWednesdays on my twitters and instagram. I only have so few pink ts in the wardrobe so what I lack in clothing, I would cover for with accessories. It would be cool if there were neon pink bras with no underwire too, bralettes! I'd be down for those, yes.

No jewelry this time. I'll look into that some other time. Maybe in a another post. I only really get stuff from Bagel Girl in SM Downtown Premiere now because they have some cheapie stuff that are very affordable for those with low budget on stuff like me and also, Aizilim in Cogon Market that I like to go to from time to time, too, so yeah. It would be nice to browse Zalora for these, too though. Definitely look into those when you can, too!

And that concludes what I think the most about from Zalora so far. Heh. Quite a long post. I feel like a lot of posts lately are super long anyway so yeah, no matter. It's still a post after a short while of no posting at all (2 days, yes? Yes).

Oh and bonus! I almost forgot this one because I was browsing around French Connection on Zalora and the wares there are MIGHTY pricey I can't afford any of them but somehow, I got stuck on this thing:

Alto Rosanna Drape Dress, French Connection

Something about the shapelessness of this dress just gets me as I have one or a few similar to it in the wardrobe. I don't think I'll ever be over my shapeless dresses, oversized ts and sweaters or jumpers, sweatshirts, everything phase, yeah. It must be how freeing they feel like and breezy and airy they are when you wear them with stuff...hmn...

*****

So how should we call this selection of mine from Zalora before the year ends, hmn...?

Some of it, especially the lace trimmed slipdress-like cami dresses are inspired by the romantic style in the movie, Pretty Baby, with the very, VERY young Brooke Shields, indeed. Luella 08-09 for the ditzy floral print mini dress with ribbon or tie detail around the neck and the rest are either sleek and classy (the sexy slingback pumps, to be exact, the ones from Ninewest, mostly) and edgy and dark and tough (Betsy's). 

back to my favorite place

 

vneck shirt, bench ph; skirt, f101 via zalora ph; heels, primadonna via zalora ph; wristlet, coach (gifted by aunt); mobile phone, samsung a21s; rings, mix of bagel girl at sm downtown premiere & aizilim cdeo; necklaces, forever21 & aizilim cdeo; earrings, sm uptown cdo superstore (the accessories section), pretty old; sunglasses, forever21 gifted by bff michi; bracelets, mix of necklace as bracelet gifted by aunt & aizilim cdeo; headband, I forgot...either forever21 or robinsons' department store's or sm superstore's accessories section. lol.

If I'm frowning in some photos, it's because it's really hot outside and it's already November. That's the Philippines for you. It's always hot during the day of the -ber months going into the end of the year, December. It only gets cooler during the late afternoon and evening and even then, it's not really THAT cool. It is cooler in the mountain area, though, so there's that at least. In the morning, it also gets pretty cold.

This headband is the only thing in pink I'm wearing for now. I don't really have a lot of pink in my closet but I'm working around to filling that up with accessories mostly and some tshirts.

Tshirts and tanks... This week, those seem to be the only things I'm wearing now to work from home. I haven't gone out this whole week and I don't see myself going out until next week either. Well, I am a homebody through and through.

I stocked up on tshirts and tanks last year and two years ago from Terranova in Limketkai Mall and Bench via Zalora Ph online. I'm crossing out Bench from my list of stores I buy from though...not because they lack in quality with the stuff they sell but because...because...there's this one politician they feature on an ad I'm not too into and that also caused more to call for the boycott of the brand. There are, unfortunately, a lack of local stores that sell basic shirts, tanks and stuff. You can go with H&M, sure, but that would cost a bit and our Forever21 here in SM Downtown Premiere actually just closed down last year so I've no choice but to get basics from there online through Lazada or better yet, Zalora. Paying for shipping is going to cost much in the long run but with the novel corona virus still around and still mutating...it's really not like we have any other choice but to get stuff online.

At least I have basic tops to last me awhile until I need to stock up again later. Heh.

I'm currently eyeing some pink shirts that may be affordable for me. I'll think about those yet...well...actually, it's only one from Clothes and Coffee. You can still shop their site here but they're also shopee here. I've been browsing the site and their shopee but I haven't really found anything I'm too into except some pink shirts. Their bottoms are definitely interesting though, especially the trousers which I lack much in the wardrobe. I only have about...two trousers I wear interchangeably when I go to offices so I'd love to add more one day. 

I'm thinking about posting daily from next week although I may have work to do towards the end of this week and some of next week as someone just offered me one on one site I'm in so we'll see how this goes. I might have to schedule these shoots daily though and, of course, the posts. 

the most comfortable bodysuit from essentiel manila on shopee

 

bodysuit, Essentiel Manila on Shopee Philippines (it's sadly gone there now); skirt, from a shop in Dumaguete City I forgot the name of, lol; platform heels, Zalora Philippines; socks, burlington; wallet/wristlet, coach (gifted by an aunt, old); rings, a mix of bagel girl in SM Downtown Premier Cagayan de Oro and Aizilim, old; sunglasses, forever21 (gifted by bff Michi); necklaces, mix of Aizilim and forever21 (old)

Sucky indoor lighting doesn't do this outfit any justice, especially the bodysuit from Essentiel Manila on shopee. If you squint on the photos, it's actually in the shade of nude.

This overexposed photo tells much about its color and somehow captures it so much better:

Ugh. This thing, this square-necked, tanktop type bodysuit is soooo...so comfortable I don't know how I only bought one of this when I could have stocked up on more back then. To date, I only own a couple of bodysuits. One from, yes, Essentiel Manila and another I got from a shop called Tops in Ayala Centrio some two to three years ago pre-pandemic era. I don't know where the latter one has gone to but I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in my closet. I'll try to dig that one up some other time as this one from Essential Manila already is working for me for everyday wear or just weekend comfy wear these days.

Unfortunately, Essential Manila doesn't carry bodysuits anymore but they do have some interesting onesies in nude, black, white and gray colors and they look really just as comfortable as most of the clothes they sell in there so yep, one might as well stock up on those. I predict we'll be staying in for quite a loooong time thanks to Miss 'rona still mutating to worse strains to this day.

I got this with a bunch of other things last year or around late ish 2019 because I felt I needed more clothes just for comfortably staying in since it was at that time we were given the orders to work from home. Back then, Essentiel Manila still had their own website and you didn't have to buy from them via shopee like you have to, now.

I bought stuff in two batches and some clothes I got from there still remain unworn to this day. 

I mostly bought clothes to wear at home like tops and shorts sets you can mix and match in linen, ribbed cotton, cotton and cotton-spandex cloth blends and the likes in two batches so to me, those were money well spent. I only went past 1000 Php (around approximately 20 USD) on both times but nowhere above 1500 Php, I'm sure. Their shorts are expandable due to the garterized waistband and most have laces you can ribbon or tie them with. Quite similar to some run shorts and others actually. Some shorts and tops sets only have gaterized waist bands and no laces to ribbon them or tie them up with to a snug fit. 

When buying from Essentiel Manila, however, do be careful and pay attention to the sizing of the products they sell. I have one top still unworn to this day (tried it once but...) because it's too small on me even though it looked like it could stretch on some parts of it. I also have a pair of silk shorts from them that probably would fit me better if I were two sizes smaller from my current one (thank you, Miss 'Rona and the pandemic for making me gain weight...not. I'd like to lose them because I don't really like gaining weight, to be honest, and would rather prefer to be my xs-s self from way back...). The latter actually broke or tore on some parts of it. Lol.

A good number of Essentiel Manila's wares run xs-s. Some, like this bodysuit I currently have on, run xs/s-medium so they're a good fit for those the likes of me that have grown some 1-2 sizes larger from their usual size sometime ago in the past. For those with larger frames, the occasionally do offer some clothes that run up to semi-large or large (oversized) so don't write the shop off if you can't find anything your size. A piece of advice when shopping at Essentiel Manila is to check the product descriptions for how small or big their stuff runs to. This can give you an idea which items are worth adding to your cart to and which aren't. You can save yourself the grief of buying stuff that don't fit you when you take my word for it and do this before checking your items out.

This bodysuit makes me so, soooo happy because it's so comfortable to lounge in at home and if you ever decide to go out, it's just as easy to throw in a decent bottom to complete the going out look and you're good to go! This thing will definitely see more wears from me until it falls apart. Lol. I hope it doesn't fall apart so easy.

Essentiel Manila stuff are so easy to play around with, no lies, that a bunch of orders from there is definitely worth your time and money browsing the site and checking out when you feel like getting the items in your shopping cart already. There are only so few items from my purchases in the past from there that I kind of regretted upon getting them. 

Some bodysuits I'm currently looking at to add to this one is this from the style capital in pink. It looks pretty and fun with the buttons and that it comes in a color I try to work around my outfits some 2-3 days a week due to...well...you know...is just...ugh. So, soo good. I think the small or the medium would be a good fit on me. I'm pretty sure it's stretchable anyway. Bodysuits and onesies, rompers and the likes normally are. These are Bershka overruns so they seem pretty cool. These from DNEMNLPH look similar to the one I have on, too, and dare I say they might feel the same and just as cozy and comfy in real life. This one from Trendibl Shop is also quite interesting and it's only sold for 99 Php (less than 2 USD). I think I might have seen it from Essentiel Manila way back but never really paid attention to it so I never got one of these then.

For something probably of better quality than this one and comes in different sizes so you can choose easier which fits you best, here are some pricier bodysuits I'm looking at on Zalora Philippines: this one from ONLY is really cute with lace and looks very, very comfortable. It comes in white, black and nude or beige, I think and is quite romantically styled so if you're bored of regular spandex and cotton blended ones with simple, basic styling or the ribbed ones, then this is the way to go. It is expensive though and way out of my budget at the moment so I can only stalk it for now. lol. Sizes s/m and m/l looks like they would fit me fine (I normally fit small in Zalora Philippines...it depends on how they run, normally, like should they run large or should they run small...if it's the latter, it's usually a smart idea to upsize once or twice). This pink fun number from Pomelo is on sale at only 500+ Php! I would so get this if I had enough in my bank account but alas, I still need to look for a writing or whatever that has to do with that, gig on Monday so...yeah. Later, fun bodysuit from Pomelo in a pretty (but not really my favorite) color. /cries. I hope that when I finally have a budget for zalora purchases either this year or next year, I can still get this thing somehow. Ugh. Oh...so they also have this in black! Fun! This pink one from Mango comes in black and brown colors but 2500+ Php is a price I would spend on something else for now. RIP our wallets just on really good, decent clothes that hopefully last a lifetime, or close. I do dig the top part of it though, how it's structure and seemed designed for really comfortable wear whatever occasion you decide to put this bodysuit on in. Both are available in medium so... but no. I don't have the budget for these yet. Then this sheer black one (also available in m!) from Trendyol looks fun to wear with very cute bralettes (lace lingerie!). It's priced below 1000 Php but still pretty unaffordable for me. I can dream about this one, though. Just. I've been after see-through stuff like this for a while now but never just seem to get lucky to get any. Ugh. When I find something like this on sale like it is now, I have no money to get it, at all. /cries. And when you're on Zalora, of course, you can never go wrong with Zalora Basics, my favorite of their multiple lines now on that shopping site, this one in pink with black buttons look nice and seems like it'd go anything. It's also available in black and beige. 290+ Php for a piece of this? That's a good price! A decent deal from the site already~ This one from H&M with the tiny blue flower print is really cute! And still available in m which is, like my size these days.

Oh and wow, even Terranova is already on Zalora. Today, I learned. They have some things I like where basics go and lately, it's them I like for those or Forever21 or Zalora Basics. H&M has been on Zalora for a while now, of course. Cotton On and Mango, too. 

If you notice, I veer away from the long-sleeved and fancy-looking bodysuits. I like my bodysuits comfortable for staying in and just lounging around the house, working from home and getting up and going out. I prefer them casual and I'm really always into dressing for the usual, yearly weather conditions or the climate. I think my limit, when it comes to bodysuits, is the short sleeved ones. I would only try the long-sleeved ones if they were like Trendyol's sheer one here. 

The photos above aren't very clear so here are more details of today's I-want-to-go-out-but-let's-still-stay-in outfit:

I'm still on my choker/necklace as bracelets agenda, apparently. I should probably consider getting new accessories to spruce up home clothes types or home to going out clothes types out some more. My accessories are getting kind of old and tried.

Well, if they still work fine then, they're still worth wearing in an out of the house, I suppose. The last ones I ever really bought were the studs I could wear on random days out doing errands from Aizilim in Cogon Market here. They usually have these stainless steel stuff that cost a fraction of those you see in the malls that I prefer for everyday use. Studs, because they're not heavy on the ears and go really well with any basic in my closet which I have A TON of.

*****

I think around 1 p.m. in the afternoon isn't the best time to shoot outfit shots due to the natural lighting from outside. Afternoons are becoming cloudy because it tends to rain sometime around 4-5 o'clock here and sometimes, at night. It's the wet/rainy season so we're getting a lot of afternoon and evening rain week in and out more than usual...like when, vs summer.

I woke up early today, got ready for the day just as early but I didn't really decide to shoot this outfit until later in the afternoon because I was editing a blog post on my LiveJournal. I also decided against shooting outside because I thought it might rain then and there and it's really becoming a pain now lugging my heels, tripod and camera with me, setting up for the shoot only to get rained on so yeah, indoor shoot it is. Also, hi to my messy bannister. Some of the jackets like the zip-up hoodie I take out when on the go and the denim oversized shirt are all hanged up there, too, with my bath towel. lol. I'm not exactly the most organized person here at home.

Note to self: try to shoot around 8-9 in the morning because it's the best time to and it has the best natural lighting indoors, in the same space as the photos here as well.  

*****

It's around 2 years now or so that I've neglected to post my wishlist for Christmas and my dream outfits for occasions like birthdays and beach trips...well, for the latter, we have Miss 'Rona to blame regarding how I'm uninspired now about that one because I haven't been to the beach or the pool in, like, a couple of years or so now so...since we're some weeks deep into November and it's going to be December soon, I might have to do the annual Zalora Philippines Christmas wish list post soon and also, the gift recommendations post to friends and family while I'm at it.

We'll see... 

You'll definitely have to stay tuned to this space of mine for that!

And yes, I still don't really shop stuff in the mall these days. It looks like it's real easy to get COVID 19 from unventilated spaces like those no matter how big a space they have inside and even if some have outside dining areas or so (al fresco). It's near Christmas and this time last year or the year before that, I recall Ayala Centrio buzzing with people come around night time and I was only in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's open air dining area from around 3 or so in the afternoon until an hour and a half or so later then. Thank heavens for the likes of Zalora Philippines, Shopee, Lazada, and even Instagram now (I like shopping or just window shopping some people's vintage or thrift shops there, yes), we, I don't have to go out at all to shop gifts for people near and dear to us, me.

of politics and standing for what you believe in

 

Yay! Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, YAY!

It's been a good 3-4 weeks since I ordered these and they finally arrived just this week! I bought these from the Dapat Si Leni merch shop here.

Misleading title. If you think this is going to be a serious post just because there're heavy and very sensitive words, topics like 'politics' and 'standing for what you believe in' on the title, it's really not all the grim and serious. Sometimes politics, what you believe in can be of fluffy bunnies, winged-horseys (to borrow from Timmy Turner's dictionary...if you've seen the Fairly Odd Parents and especially the crossovers with Jimmy Neutron on Nickelodeon, you'd know), pretty mermaids, fairies and more. Which is why, for this post, we'll just stick to talking about the design, feel and look of these merchandises from said online store and not go really deep into politics and all that yada yada. If you want to go into that deeper end, then you should go to my livejournal here: crysta0917. I'm currently running a 5-part, maybe more, blog series there on Philippine politics that focuses mostly on current events we see, read, and hear on the national news. 

 

Going back, yes, I love the look of the shirt and the tote bag! That the tote bag is the only one with the Dapat si Leni (English trans.: It should be Leni...) print and the shirt doesn't have it anywhere at all is what I love about this batch of purchases from the shop! 

I only like the good things and in truth, I'm really not that too into politics, I'm mostly apolitical until I'm riled up, lol, usually by current events so this spills onto the things I buy from merch shops like Dapat si Leni's. 

The Team Leni Robredo shirts and others are everywhere on shopee Philippines, maybe even Lazada Philippines too along with others with her name and face but I'm not too into that because as much as I support her, I'd rather not be that loud, out and proud because...well...there's so much about this I feel like I have to unpack here. It's definitely not that I don't like and support her because I DO! Mostly, it's just that I'd be careful to draw the line around good that are too out there when I'm not even that involved in her causes except by maybe donating what I can here and there when I can. I'm not really a volunteer for her either and I know and follow a lot of those on twitter right now and admire them for what they do.

I'm just a mostly regular person (although, as this blog has been indicating lately, a massive kpop, jpop fan and music nut in general) and I aspire to one day also be a sort of public servant by my attempt to get into public school teaching. I hope to get in by next year, early next year, actually, so I'll be working on that while I work on some writing, editing and proofreading gigs here and there, too. All of that out of the way, my point is, I wouldn't deck myself in these in your face goods to make my being all about a politician or someone else (though I feel like I go this way with the pop music and music in general stuff I'm almost always going in on in this blog of mine, lol) that I end up losing myself and how I actually have my own advocacies and the likes I'd like to push forward, too.  

Aside from not losing myself, there are other reasons why I don't like these too in your face goods with the names and faces of politicians on them. I think you may have heard of trapos in Philippine politics. If not, check out trapo in the urban dictionary here: trapo. This is reason 2. It may not have anything to do with the goods of this kind I'm on about and talking a lot about here in this space but yeah, it gives off the same vibe as that: politicians that do good but put their names and faces on say, relief packages and the likes they distribute to people in need of them. It can be seen as doing good for the sake of themselves and getting people to remember and vote for then in the next elections. Decking oneself in these merchandise or goods from supporters of a, say, aspiring politician for the next term feels to me like you're coming off a fanatic or worshiper of theirs when you shouldn't at all be because the elections should never be about the politicians you put into office, it should be about who you think has policies or a platform that will actually do the nation or even your locale, good. It's more about yourself and the people, and things you care about and not the politicians at all. They are there to lead and most importantly, serve you so you have to be really smart in choosing them and also, criticizing them later on should there be something to criticize them about that comes out.

Elections should be about country and nation, not just the politicians themselves running for office.

Third reason for me is I'm doing my part to safeguard our democracy and it's something I feel I've been doing since 2016 and before that only to see it fall apart from 2016 to now because we ended up with an administration that's messing with yes, 1, our democracy and a lot of our human rights as well. Elections is about choosing the ones who are in our side, those that also safeguard our democracy (and our people's human rights) along with us.

It's really not at all about the candidates for #halalan2022 so why would I want to own a lot of these merchandises that sport their faces and names? I know a lot have built an economy around this now but I feel like they are only serving to amplify the attitudes of some people as people tend to rally around candidates for elections because they share the same sentiments, view points and at times, even values that may be the worst rather than the good that I feel like really shouldn't be amplified at all. Egos also, I feel like, are amplified by these merchandises the more we get more of them.

So yes, honestly, because I keep all of these in mind like most public servants are reminded of (they're actually not allowed to openly tell people to vote for him and not vote for her and all that yada-yada) I'm really only after the designs here and not so much the candidates they're campaigning for.

Elections can indeed be about fluffy bunnies, winged-horseys, fairies, pixies, mermaids and more if we keep ourselves to what we believe in like this and not be stuck up on a politician or would-be politician running for office.

I think, when it comes to campaigning for someone, I'd rather be private about it and just contribute what I can to the campaign like, say, volunteering or giving a certain amount to the people's campaign efforts rather than deck myself in these goods. I'm the type to do these things privately and very quietly and not really shout it out, broadcast it to the world. I'll definitely do what part I can and right now, I'm focused on informing people about things and fighting off disinformation, misinformation, fake news, propaganda and the likes by writing about it on my livejournal. The link has been shared above so if you would like to get into the grim, dark mess that's Philippine politics, that's where it's at. Nevermind, I'll put it here as well: crysta0917 on livejournal. 

So yes, when campaigning for someone, I like to be subtle and quiet. It's something that make people do a second look at yourself as I don't really like attracting too much attention on these things. It's just...not me.

Bottom line of this politically-tinged post: it's not me to really very openly and loudly campaign for someone. I prefer to remain looking like and feeling like I'm left-leaning but still pretty apolitical and focus on daily life and my daily concerns more that I feel also affect people around me, thank you very much.

But that doesn't mean I can't be into giving away things I find I like from people that sell these goods especially if they're designed well like the ones encircled in pink below. These are from someone in facebook allied with another both on facebook and twitter I follow that have been, since the beginning of time, all for good governance and good people in government.

I've kind of been attracted to the Husay at Tibay designs for a while now so I got those from the Dapat si Leni online merch shop. I'm actually looking to go back for a large-sized shirt of the same design I can comfortably wear out on some random days to do stuff. It'd go well with shirts I'm currently getting that's of the music-related kind. I'm currently waiting on the BtoB Eunkwang ones to arrive soon since I'd just checked them out recently (last weekend or I think...just this Monday? I forgot, haha).

I'm kind of semi-attracted to the mugs too since lately, I feel like I'm into mugs. I just got one from the Pentagon anniversary cupsleeves event and it's really pretty and cute. I haven't used it, of course, because I'm waiting for 2-3 mugs to die out that I'm currently using on rotation. One of the said mugs currently in use is in my favorite color, it's not pink, it's the light shade of blue actually...err...kind of close to marine blue. This is actually why I don't own a lot of pink stuff and I'm not too into it much, especially the fuchsia that me pol bet's supporters have adopted for her and themselves. I can into light pink, old rose, rose gold, dusty pink, though! I like those shades of pink along with nudes, some yellows (mustard mostly) and oranges (rust). Going back, before we go too off tangent in this one, I don't really mind adding those mugs to my collection just so maybe, I have something to use while working at home until #halalan2022 May next year.

There's only one of the Husay at Tibay design available in the Dapat si Leni merch store. The ones with the stars things I really like are only sold by someone in Facebook I mentioned earlier. They're definitely priced cheaper than the ones on the Dapat si Leni (DSL) online merch store because they come direct from the production source that someone is tied with. 

Quality-wise, I really like the ones I got from the DSL merch store. So much so that I also mentioned earlier I'm planning to go back for the large sized tshirt to comfortably wear out on some random days with other shirts I have coming in. I also like the quality of the tote bag, actually. It looks and feels pretty sturdy and like, a lot of thought were put into producing these things for the buyers. It's just that they cost more than the ones sold on facebook. Those are production prices so there's no added amount added to it unlike the ones from the DSL merch store. I can't really say much for the quality of those from facebook as I've yet to really try them anyway. 

To give you an idea of the difference in prices between the ones from the DSL merch store and the ones from the facebook seller: a tote bag from the said seller sells for around 90 Php while on the merch store, it's 149 Php. A shirt from the facebook one is 135 Php and on the merch store, it's 299 Php. The mugs are only available from the facebook seller and they cost 100 Php apiece. You can definitely save more when you buy from said facebook seller but be wary of her schedules for buying these things because hers is pretty tight and she can't really entertain that much as she's, I feel like, a one-person team in there. There's more choices from the facebook seller, too, compared to the merch store so you definitely can choose whatever you like from there.

Lol, I have one too many tote bags lately more than I have mugs, actually, and I don't mind them. I like tote bags a lot more than my regular ones I get from aunts, those from closest friends and those that I get from thrift stores, actually. I'm only really out for errands these days and they fit all things I need for a short day out inside them, plus...easy access to those I really need in certain situations even though its a mess of things in there. lol. I currently use this tote bag, the sailor moon tote bag I purchase from a friend from my past workplace last year-ish, and some of the bigger ones my aunt left here that can contain more than the basic things I usually carry around (this one fits groceries and the likes so I prefer this when I have to go out to the supermarket or so). 

For some reason, even if they're not too in-your-face, I'm not fond of the masks from the facebook seller. I know there are more designs other than the ones here but they just don't cut it.  This here from shopee has some 2 to 3 or 4 mask designs I like and they're decently priced at 45 Php apiece. That's the same price as the masks sold by the facebook seller I've been talking of earlier. I think they'd be good for an off day out or just randomly working on stuff out in a cafe for the weekend or so. You can check her whole store, potekxningning on shopee for more of the stuff she's selling, of course. I'm still pretty happy with my Cotton NCR masks, one of which I got in XL because they ran out of the regular sizes, so I haven't thought about buying from her store yet but maybe one day I will. Just to give away and rotate with a lot of the others I already own that's not at all Ph politics-tinged. I use the XL Cotton NCR mask I have only one of (they come in packs of 3) as a second mask after my regular disposable one in the regular medical blue or fuchsia pink when I double mask so I like it a lot and always have it in my bag. 

Aside from the Husay at Tibay designs, the facebook seller also have some new ones out from a local artist's design portfolio. He designs for Papemelroti, I think. It's a local stationery shop. They have a branch here in our own Ayala Centrio and I one some of their things mostly gifted by friends and the younger brother. I usually like their travel themed stuff, pets themed stuff and they always have those super Filipino stuff too that are so fun to have at home. Going back, those designed by an artist that also does the same for said local stationery shop are pretty cute! I would get them to give out too since more than campaigning for my president and vice president bets for #halalan2022, I think the prints are pretty relatable to the regular people that get them. Receivers would surely appreciate them if they were given to them as gifts. One design is for those who love plants and farming, another is for those who love commuting by bus, tricycle and the likes...common Filipino modes of transportation. There's also one for avid bicyclists! (I would ride bicycles around my city too if only we were bicycle friendly here but we're not so I just walk instead.) I think I actually don't mind owning some of those aside from the Husay at Tibay ones I like. The best thing about these special collab designed merch? They can be bought as a package or in gift boxes from the facebook seller herself. So if you have a special someone you'd like to give cutely designed VP Leni support merch to and you know they're kakampink, then why not get them these for Christmas, right?

I would. I just am not sure a lot in my family outside of my ate (kind of sister though she's our househelp/kasambahay for a long time now) and myself. My mom, I'm not sure. Last I checked, she had been leaning towards someone, a male president candidate for #halalan2022, with quite a shady past and something else. We'll just end at that. He's one of the lesser evils so I think a lot other people are gunning for him, for sure. I would only buy these and gift them to people who I'm pretty sure are on our, my side where Ph politics is concerned.

Okay, lol. So I pretty much only talked about politicians' merchandise and goods here although it's only really one I'm leaning towards and talking much of here on this post.

*****

I'm not entirely a big fan of nor am I sold to the color pink (I do like that it stands for love and all things fluffy and nice but yeah, beyond that, pink isn't really my color) but I'm looking to make this Christmas gift giving theme a Pinkmas thing. I'm looking into giving people things in the color pink to subtly nudged them to considering my pol bet/s for #halalan2022. I'm taking the cue from someone I follow on twitter who's, I think, currently working for an office I'd like to one day get into, too. 

I'm into giving people what I think they direly need now so I'll try to be quite creative with that one. I'm still someone who prefers to practice the be practical and do more with less, minimalism thing so yeah. I would want to be creative, resourceful and smart about gift giving this Christmas still, as always.

Anyway, ah...I have more things to do and fix about life stuff this weekend. 

P.S.

I finally got to use the tote bag yesterday on a very quick errand run. 

It goes pretty well with the fuchsia pink disposable mask, I think. 

I'll post a full on shot of this one sometime later that I'm looking to go life with other things. I kind of miss making outfit posts here, on instagram and twitter so I'll look into that, too and will try to make it a more regular thing and not just a wednesday thing for #halalan2022. 

This week kind of got me fired up to go back into dressing up for work from home days after soooooo long since I'm actively looking for jobs online I can do at home again. I hope to get one soon...ish. Crossing fingers. I want to get back into working as a freelance writer, editor and proofreader again actually...mostly part time because I still have other personal projects like this blog, the livejournal blog, and trying to get into the public school as a special education teacher between this late this year and especially early next year. My teaching license is expiring next year sometime around my birthday so I have to be fast about that one now. I need some continuing something something units to renew my teacher license so yeah...it suchs but it is what it is. I think I've rested enough as it is that I'm ready ish to go back to work these days. We'll see.

You'll definitely see more stuff on this blog, yep. 

on wednesdays, we wear bits and pieces of pink!

 

plaid button up shirt, thrifted; tank, old and thrifted; pink tube bra, gifted by an aunt; cosmetics bag (it's not a clutch bag, lol), victoria's secret and still gifted by an aunt; shorts, old forever21; heels, primadonna via zalora philippines; rings, mix of forever21, aizilim cdeo, and bagel girl in SM Downtown Premier CdeO; bracelets, aizilim cdeo and gifted by aunt (rosegold and used to peach-pink somehow); sunglasses, gifted by my bff Michi/JM from some Christmases ago (also a bit pink)

I got caught by the rain so I couldn't shoot outside for this #KakamPinkWednesday thing on social media (I only do this on Twitter and Instagram, facebook, wuh?! I don't know facebook. lol.) and these pictures, because I shot them inside while it's raining out, don't do justice to the things I'm wearing here.

I SWEAR the plaid shirt has some pink on it, fuchsia pink, even! Which is, by the way, the shade the supporters of our VP Leni for #halalan2022 (2022 Philippine National Elections) has adopted. It just looks black or dark here due to the lack of better lighting.

These blurry photos, though, seem to capture the bits of fuchsia pink on this thrifted number thing. I got it a couple or three weeks ago when I last went out to do stuff. I haven't gotten out since and won't be going out at all until sometime tomorrow or Friday to do stuff, run some errands.

There is a reason why I don't have a lot of pink in my closet and it's not that it's an undesirable color for me. The only color I haven't really been wearing much anywhere is purple or violet and it's my grandmother's favorite color---it just ceased being my favorite color over time. It's that there's one color I love more than pink and the clue of it is on the phone I'm holding and my clothes: blue. I'm a huge fan of blue and shabby chic interior and exterior styling at home plus everything that has to do with the sea so I find people who deck their rooms with everything pink just, err, mad most of the time. So basically, it's just because we have this #KakamPinkWednesdays thing going on leading to #halalan2022 that I'm stocking up on pink stuff. lol.

So now you know...my christmas gifts wishlist right now contains a lot of things pink. Haha.

*****

Anyone else who has been following Philippine politics on twitter and especially through the #KakamPink and #KakamPinkWednesdays hashtags or trends however should know wearing pink is not the only thing we can do now. Yes, we can do that too, a lot, to make sure to grab more attention and direct them towards our VP and all the rest she's endorsing and those running with her. We can also do things as little as just being kind to people---basically things that can also mean the color pink: loving people, being kind to people and more. I won't call it radical love but something close, just being decent to people and being your decent self everywhere.

So I did one #KakamPink thing and that's to give one extra tote bag I got from the Dapat si Leni (it should be Leni) merch store to my closest confidante here at home, my Ate Tata. She's our kasambahay or househelp who has been with us for a long time and I consider her more a sister than just that. I actually got two of these tote bags of the same design, the Husay at Tibay one, and I was looking to give away the extra to someone else and it just so happened she's the closest I can give it to so it's an advanced Christmas gift from me to her now. 

I'm looking to buy more of these to mostly give away but I'll wait to stock up on more when I've gone back to earning regularly again from writing, editing and proofreading mostly.

As for the stuff I got from the said merch store, I have a separate post for that I'm still working on I'll be posting sometime this weekend or next week. The soonest that will be going live here will be on Friday or Saturday.

wholeheartedly, not half-heartedly: on band/group tshirts

When I'm into something, I'm into it wholeheartedly and not just half-heartedly...especially when they're really near and dear to me like music.

I've decided to craft this post because lately, I notice I'm into a lot of things fandom merchandise. Most of those I get lately are unofficial ones but I do have some official ones here and there somewhere. Prime example is that one shirt of Golden Child's Y I got from a local (to the Philippines) stay at home cup sleeves event I have yet to wear.

So you can already see where this post is going: band or music-related shirts. Yes, exactly.

Even at this time, I'm currently contemplating really biting the bullet on a light pink BtoB Eunkwang member and number shirt in large and the white version of it so I'd have something to wear on Wednesdays (the pink one) in support of my Presidential bet for 2022 Philippines' National Elections. Okay, that went political really fast and I didn't mean it to go that way. It just happens these days. lol. There are a lot of merch for the said political bet I have but I'll make a post on that one for another day. I think I at least owe myself and others that read this blog a look into how I think and feel about that one because it's an entirely quite complicated thing so yeah...let's talk about this in a future post. We'll focus on music, fandom, easy going t-shirts and just generally, good vibes on this post here.

I'm into music, yes. I'm also into unofficial and official music-related merch, yes. Now that we've established both of that, let's just segue quickly into how the series of lockdowns this still ongoing global pandemic has me looking into discographies of old prolific American pop and rock and roll iconic bands like the Beach Boys and the Monkees (they're made for TV but Daydream Believer made me a fan of theirs and I'm a Believer is a classic for me from them, too, considering how many times I've heard this, covered or in its original recording form, on TV, film and more). I've also looked into discographies of American punk rock and even pop punk rock bands like the All American Rejects, Eve6, Fountains of Wayne, Jimmy Eat World, and Bowling for Soup but true to my being a pop music fan since my dad got me listening to Kenny Rogers, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, John Denver at home and in long and short drives growing up, of course, I'm stuck on the Beach Boys and the Monkees (I also blame Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush way back 2010-ish for why I'm stuck on both rn.)

The Beatles, what? I'm not a huge fan of theirs, to be honest. I think the Beach Boys' music is more to my music palate plus I like Southern California a lot with tons of my family in the mother side residing there and my having visited and stayed with them at least 2 times in the span of the 34 years or so I've been in this world...I think you get where I'm going with this. Let's just say I like the California vibe a lot being someone from the Philippine islands. It can be in music (easy going beach-appropriate music has been an obsession or fixation of mine since some 3 to 4 years ago or so) or/and even in lifestyle.

So by saying going wholeheartedly into something I like, LOVE or am very passionate about like music and the official and unofficial clothes, t-shirts that come with it at times, I mean I would be the type to normally gravitate towards the merch of those I actually am into and am most familiar with. I've been hunting down a lot of merch in shopee, lazada and sometimes, even on ebay lately.

The BtoB Eunkwang member and number shirts aside I briefly mentioned contemplating getting a couple of in some paragraphs of this post back, these are some the Beach Boys shirts from Lazada I'm looking to get one day:

The Beach Boys may likely be more identifiable with Surfin' USA because THEY ARE the Beach Boys but as a true fan, although I got into them really late, my favorite really is Good Vibrations so the first two are definitely in my to-buy list at this point. My top the Beach Boys favorites I keep coming back to on the music stored on my phone are actually: Kokomo, Good Vibrations, In My Room (I swear this is pandemic lockdowns anthem. haha), and I Can Hear Music. All are in their the Sounds of Summer album compilation I have in digital form. I'm looking to own this in CD form and possibly the vinyl record form when I have enough and can actually also already get a decent vinyl record player from somewhere local here. There are some sold online in indie record stores mostly in the NCR up north but I'd need to really save up yet to get those. Okay, I'm kind of sad now. Anyway, this'll happen when it happens one day soon...that is...if I don't get too caught up into adulting 101 which seems to happen most of the time anyway.

Hmn...I do like Barbara Ann too. I mean, who can hate that one from Toy Story, really? The song is catchy as F---. Err...let's not go there. This is a g-rated space I intend on keeping that way. lol.

I think it'd be weird if you haven't ever heard of the Beach Boys when their music is like, EVERYWHERE. It's in the Big Time Rush beach, summer made for TV movie (Dance, Dance, Dance), it's in Toy Story (Barbara Ann and even in that iconic minions scene of said movie)...err...the Beach Boys and the Monkees, both. But should you live in a cave which should be good enough reason to have never heard of anything from these two very iconic bands back in the day and 'til now American rock and roll, pop rock bands, then...I don't think I can do anything about that one. lol.

Speaking of the Monkees, here are some lazada finds I'd like to own one day soonish:

 

 

Since we segued to how popular the Beach Boys were...are on tv and film, mostly those from North America or the USA in particular, I'd be just as horrified if one only knew of the Monkees lately from WandaVision. I'd come across people on Twitter and others all over the web saying it's the first they've heard of the Monkees on WandaVision and I don't even watch that one because 1, Disney+ is expensive (it's already here in the Philippines, afaik) and 2, I'm not really that into Marvel on tv and film forms except maybe some the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Spiderman here and there. I'm a DC Comics fan---mostly the Batman fam because the first movie my dad took me to as a kid was Michael Keaton's Batman. Plus Young Justice seasons 1 and 2 in animated form is just...ugh. *Chef's kiss* We're going off tangent again. Okay, so what I mean to say is, the Monkees' I'm a Believer or Smashing Pumpkins' cover of it happened for Shrek way back 2001 and the 2010 Nickelodeon sitcom, Big Time Rush (also the same name as the featuring band of the show) is totally based on the show that also gave us the Monkees some decade or so before this one happened on Nick. (I also like, rather, prefer old Nickelodeon more than I do Disney so...yeah.) 

The Beach Boys and the Monkees ARE pop, pop rock, rock and roll icons, yes, and I'd love merch from both because I'm that DEEP into their discography, especially the Beach Boys' that's eclipsed the Beatles for me. I honestly just can't really care for the Beatles anymore since getting into the Beach Boys sometime middle to the near end of last year despite the many iconic songs from the Beatles. When you find a band and their discography that you can fully identify with, it just goes...it clicks, when it clicks, I guess. This is definitely me with a lot of the Beach Boys' music right now.

I don't think I can ever see the Beach Boys and the Monkees live nowadays and even post-COVID 19...if or when we should ever get rid of it eventually...because most of their members have passed or are on the way to passing due to old age, sickness etc. but American media made me a fan of theirs, the boredom of movement being highly restricted by the intermittent lockdowns due to the global pandemic made me a fan of theirs, their discography and themselves as a band and music maker/s, composers. (I'm not even in America to begin with but one day kind of hope to move there...one day. It's either the US or Australia for me because...yeah.)

Anyway, am I alone in this or has anyone else reached a period of musical eureeka this way like I did during the covid 19 pandemic series of lockdowns? One of my closest friends since my LiveJournal days to my early (til now) blue bird app days also took the ton of time given us by the global pandemic to look into old and new music like I did so I'm totally NOT alone here, at least in my locale, the Philippines.

I have yet to decide if I'd like to make a shrine in my bedroom for the musicians, bands, pop groups I like but I guess I've been building that for a while now with every CD I purchases from South Korea, Japan and the US...or those that are locally printed and distributed here though this has been happening less because there are really only indie record stores left with huge chains of them here closing down with every passing year. We've actually lost Odyssey, Astrovision and SM record bar Philippines in the span of some 5-10 years they were serving music lovers, audiophiles and the likes like yours truly here so they're pretty much, very sadly, all gone now.

***

I mentioned earlier that it's definitely not just band, music-related shirts I'm looking to stock up on. I'm kind of interested in other things like politics or socio-politics too although I'm not fond of anything too in your face or things that show how much I support or stan a politician because it's something I really don't like being seen as: a fanatic of a politician or a specific political party. Politics or socio-politics, in my opinion, has to be aligned more with what one wishes their nation and people would be like so it's not really about the candidate but more about whether your chosen candidates, whether they're in a party or not, would be able to improve the state of the nation from the way it is now.

Aside from that, I'm definitely very much into other things like Sanrio's Gudetama, Takeuchi Naoko's Sailormoon, tv shows like Teen Wolf, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, CSI and even films or movies like Christopher Nolan's the Dark Knight Trilogy to name one...Batman and the Batfam from DC Comics, mostly. Other than that, since I also own a cat, I'm into anything cats like pillows, plushies and figures. Mermaids, unicorns, fairies, pixies are a few things I'm into, too and everything that has to do with Halloween: witches, ghosts, the supernatural in general and more. You can really only imagine what my room is like and I'm lucky that with the abundance of clothes and such aside, at least I have some massive floor space and suhc left to plug in everything else I acquire over time. I'm going to eventually let go of them by selling or donating the ones I hardly use one of these days or even throwing away some that really can't ever be fixed anymore but until then, as a clothes, merch and all lover, I'd make good use of them until they serve their full use or life.

These things are those I'm wholeheartedly into so I'm definitely bound to keep them with me as long as I can because I know I love the people and body of work like music they are attached with and that I'm sure I will not really tire of them for say, some 3-5 years or even longer or so.  

I actually find that owning these things is fun because not only do their existence mean I can get them out and wear them either on specific occasions or casually but that I would have more things to play with stylistically and I definitely like to play with a lot of things in my wardrobe, my shoe rack, by bag rack and accessories stash to liven daily outfits out on every random, casual days in and out of the home, too!

These merch...they're not just there because I love the artists and such they reference or represent, they're there because they can be customized (should I get bored of wearing them the same few ways over and over and over) and styled differently with basics in the wardrobe so not only are they cool to have but they're fun to have, too!

the mexican-philippine connection: dia de los muertos and UNDAS

 

mini dress, zalora philippines (old), probably not so clear in the photos but it's there underneath the cardigan; lace cardigan, vintage; necklaces, a mix of aizilim cdeo and forever21; rings, a mix of aizilim, bagel girl via sm downtown premier cdeo, forever21; heels, primadonna via zalora philippines (old); tights, random department store find (gaisano, I think, the 50 Php ish ones probably meant for one-time wear); devil horn headband (unseen here but in later photos, might be seen more), national bookstore (old); skull tealight/candle holder, daiso cdeo

A closer, better lighted look at tonight's outfit

I never dressed up as anything or anyone the 31st of October, back a few days ago or so but I had to, come November 2, Philippines' time. Here, it's still what we call UNDAS (November 1-All Saints' Day and November 2-All Souls' Day). Googling it earlier tonight, I'm surprised to find all of October 31 to November 2 in Mexico is actually Dia de Muertos or Dia de los Muertos which is basically almost what UNDAS here is. To westerners, it's the Halloween weekend so most of the time, I just refer to it as the Halloween weekend since such holidays continue 'til the 2nd of November anyway. It's the short 2-3 days we actually remember the dead here and yes, abroad, including in Mexico. I've always read from others how similar some Philippine holidays are to Mexico and customs and traditions and the likes but I never figured out 'til now how close it is until I googled dia de los muertos and UNDAS tonight. Just one thing about this though, I wish I'm better at makeup for costuming because I really dig the makeup for this Mexican occasion I often see when I google pictures of them like this one here from pinterest:

Hopefully I can one day learn this and get the hang of it because with the pandemic, I feel like all my creative energies have really dried up that even this halloween weekend shoot came out quite dry and uninspired (to me, anyway, I don't really know much how it is with the rest of you) even when I feel like I've put enough effort to it.

I was in Jasaan with the family overnight from Sunday 'til morning of Monday this week so I never got to work on a Halloween shoot until tonight. What I did there is your typical way Filipinas like me sort of celebrate the occasion growing up: watched Tumbok (a Filipino horror film) on TV5; Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho's Halloween special on GMA; and then waited for Yang Yoseob's set on MCountdown until 12 midnight aired also on TV5. I would have done this Halloweeny shoot in Jasaan but I didn't have a lot of my creepy ish, cool stuff with me and it was more a time to spend with family---three to four generations of it from my grandparents to my parents to my younger brother and cousin---so yeah, quite a busy overnight trip one with chores and stuff at my grandparents' before I got to lie on the couch and chill to these things on tv I mentioned I watched 'til 12-ish midnight. For some reason, I don't sleep well there so I only ever got 2-3 hours of sleep until 7:30 Monday morning.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm aiming for, for this Halloween shoot in terms of costume. LOL. Just your regular gothic, devil girl, I guess. I've been watching some horror films here and some fantasy new and old ones too but nothing has inspired me to dress up as anyone...yet...really. We'll see next Halloween, 2022 Halloween. Hopefully something good in mind comes up where this goes. Again, I just really feel uninspired lately. It's definitely the pandemic effect. It is still going on 'til now despite how there're more people out now in malls and such. (Philippines NEEDS more public spaces because malls aren't really good ones to be in when we have a pandemic still going on. Ugh. I just count myself lucky I'm in the Mindanao island so we have beaches and the likes when we need to be out and not in the super crowded malls. Heh.) Either way, watch me dress up as a unicorn maybe in 2022 as I'm soooo...this close to getting a unicorn headband or something like it, actually. 

Going back to the subject of Mexico, I've been having the urge to check on some telenovelas as of late. I'm not entirely sure why. I guess it has to do with TV5 re-airing Thalia's Maria La Del Barrio dubbed in Filipino/Tagalog. We did get a lot of her telenovela here in our local tv networks back in the day so I saw Thalia's shows a lot growing up. A lot of Philippine tv dramas/shows are actually telenovela-ish if that ever says anything about how similar our country is and its practices, including tv contents, to Mexico. I'm currently thinking about getting into Reina de Corazones. Or...is there any other you can suggest I get into? I'm not too into these things because I normally dislike how convoluted the story gets plus long *ss episodes of a telenovela but, yeah, I guess I now have better, newfound patience for telenovelas if I'm currently craving to watch them/get into them after a long while now. I'll see about which telenovela I can preoccupy myself with one of these days. Heh.