Category: Style

Life Lately : Summer Story Vol. 2

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Few months ago, I told myself that this vacation will be worthwhile. It will be all about working out, dieting, being healthy, being productive and all. But scratch that, sinong niloloko ko di ba? Summer, as usual, is super duper boring, depressing, and all things fattening — binge eating, staying up until the wee hours of the morning, waking up just in time for lunch. Crazy. Unhealthy. Ugh, I’ve never felt so lazy in my life. I know I’ll regret wasting my time and energy, but whatever. My life lately was all about…

  • Gastronomic adventures – Since I love food, I spend my time in the kitchen not because I’m eating, but I’m also the one cooking! The past few weeks have been really productive because I have the kitchen as my playground. Sabi ko nung March magda-diet at work out na ako, oo, sinabi ko lang. Wala akong ginawa. Hahaha! I cook some of my all-time favorites such as pizza (from scratch!), pasta, and roast chicken! Not only that, I also bake goodies like cheescake, cookies etc. I even do the grocery sometimes! #HusbandMaterial na oh! LOL
  • Binge-watching –  I watched 13 Reasons Why in just three days. I love how this series brings awareness about depression and mental health. It speaks to me so much because sometimes I feel like I’m as helpless as Hannah, as bitchy as Courtney and as paranoid as Clay. Each character speaks to me because I feel like I’ve been way too harsh to people like Hannah. But sometimes, I feel like Hannah. I wish there are more series tackling depression and mental health awareness though. It’s actually happening right now and we need to do something about it. Anyway, I’m looking forward to its season 2! And of course, since I’m into Korean series, I’m done with Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo! I also finished watching The Legend of the Blue Sea for the second time! Kinda annoyed (and flattered at the same time) because the name of Heo Joon Jae (Lee Min Ho’s character) in the Tagalized version is Andrei. As if they knew that he’s my life peg/ idol. Haha! Currently watching Goblin! What to watch next? Comment down below or tweet me for KDrama suggestions!
  • Learning Hangul – Mastering a foreign language is included in my bucket list and because I love all things Korean, I studied the Hangul alphabet! I searched for lessons on Youtube and tadaaa, I’m on my way to learning Korean! It’s actually very easy because they have fewer letters compared to other Asian languages. I still have to practice the stacking and memorize the consonants because they can be confusing at times but I’ll slowly get there. Konting push na lang! Achievement unlocked! I wanna learn French too because of Beauty and the Beast!!!
  • Unwinding – One of the reasons why I love summer is that I get an ample amount of rest. Actually sumosobra na nga eh, sometimes I wake up at 11 am. #Batugan. Since it’s all about relaxing, I went to Fontana with my friends last month. At least di lang naging drawing yung summer plans! I also got a nice golden tan when I went swimming with them.
  • The Road to College – This, perhaps, is the most depressing thing right now because I just have one year left in high school and I still don’t know what to take up in college. I don’t even go to review centers to prepare for entrance exams! ANG BILIS LANG NG ONE YEAR ANO NA GAGAWIN KO. ANO NA. SHET. ANO BA TALAGA. Mag-aaral ba talaga ako o ano? I feel so lost. Should I take Psychology? (I realllly want this!) HRIM? (I want to help in our family business) Archi? Med related? Where will I study?! UP? ADMU? UST? AUF? Will I survive if I take up Med? Magdo-doctor ba ako? Or lawyer? Or architect? ANO NA. Can’t I just wake up with the kiss of my diploma? Bakit di nalang kasi ako naging Kardashian ano?! Joke lang! Of course I still want to finish school because I believe it’s what’s going to take me further in life. O ha! Kala niyo! 
  • Addiction to fruits – and veggies too! When life gives you lemons, drink lemon-infused water. I drink it everyday and I think I can finish 4 liters everyday? I also see to it that I eat salads as well. This addiction is good. I’d do this all in the name of good skin and boy, it shows. I don’t have terrible breakouts anymore because I eat fruits everyday. Truly, you are what you eat.
  • Painting – I bought new painting materials when I visited Art Bar last week! The store feels like heaven because it’s full of art materials. All kinds of paint, all sizes of canvas, all types of brushes — name it, they have it! They also have a small Toby’s Estate inside the store! Nakakakilig. I wish I had a big budget and lots of time to create artworks though. At least I found my new fave place in BGC! Buuut what should I paint now? Landscapes? Abstract? Comment down for suggestions!

That’s basically my life right now, what about yours? One month left for summer so make the most out of it! See you all soon.

(What I’m wearing: button down from H&M, trousers from Uniqlo)

LIFE LATELY : Post Grade 11 + New hobby + My future career?!

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IT’S SUMMER!!!!!!! Yes, it’s the start of my loooooong break! I survived the first year of Senior High and that’s something to smile about because it means I made it this far and I’ve accomplished everything on time! On another note, it’s just sad because the coming year will be my last in High School and I still haven’t figured out which course to take and which school should I attend. I know, nakakastress talagang tumanda. Why can’t I be in High School forever?! The future is seriously scary and exciting. Bahala na! It’s going to be okay in the end. Well, now that school’s over, I’m back to business and back to blogging! So life lately has been all about:

  • Online Shopping – What do you do after surviving 10 months of school? Treat yo’self. This was actually a result of my boredom. One night after doing school work, I got curious how COD works and I also wanted try online shopping by myself so I checked Lazada and tadaaaa, I just discovered something. I now have a new hobby! *evil laugh*  Personally, Lazada has the fastest service because your order arrives within 48 hours….right at your doorstep. I ordered some skin stuff and it arrived one day later. That is just uh-mey-zing.
  • Post-school cleaning – I’m ready to let go of my notes and my bad memories with them so I’m about to set them on fire. Joke lang! Of course, since school is over, I have to keep these old goodies (no matter how much I struggled with them) because I might use them later on. (I have a separate post for this, watch out.) If you’re reading this right now, keep your damn notes and books and never ever throw or sell them. You’ll thank me later.
  • Hosting stints – The past two months were all about getting out of my comfort zone by hosting events. I had three stints in just one month and I actually enjoyed it because I met new people and it made me more confident. Future career maybe?  It’s fun and I’m actually looking forward to hosting more events soon! School events muna, baby steps pa lang. LOL. I’ll get there soon, slowly but surely. (Fun fact: the photos above were from one of my events!)
  • Addiction to skin care – After weeks of stress and puyat, I’m de-stressing myself by slathering on all sorts of skin products I can use. I have a few zits right now and I’m afraid that they’ll get worse by next month or so. Knock on wood! Let’s be honest, I’m willing to spend lots just to get good skin.
  • Healthy eating – Since I don’t want to break out just like what I’ve experienced last year, I’m all for healthy eating. I avoid junk food at all costs because I believe they were the main culprit of my worst break out period before. I remember myself binge-eating ice cream, potato chips and sweets last summer and little did I know that they were the ingredients for a major acne breakout. Bye flawless skin. Now that I learned my lesson, I’m into fruits and ~healthy~ food now because I do everything in the name of good skin and it makes me feel healthy  af. When it comes to acne, prevention is key.
  • Travel Ideas – Travel kuno, wala naman akong pera. I’m really really itching to travel because it’s summer and I know we all deserve it. Mommy, daddy pleeeeeaaaaaase! Let’s go out of Pampanga naman, I’m dying to go out of the country or just somewhere new because I believe that experience is far more valuable than money and life is not meant to be lived in one place alone. (Oh ano, laban?) Life is too short to not enjoy it, rightttt? I have a list of places I want to visit this summer and visiting them is actually ~possible~ because they’re just 30-45 minutes away from home. Philippines muna before other countries, if traveling abroad can’t happen. But I’m not closing my doors to any possibilities of traveling this year! Who knows?
  • Catching up on sleep and Kdramas – and movies!!! Okay, I’m not a big fan of movies but I want to watch Beauty and the Beast because I heard it was good, and Emma Watson is Belle and it’s from Disney so it’s a way to relive my childhood memories. Summer is all about sleeeeeping late and waking up late, ugh wtf. At least I get to rest for two months. It’s also a way for me to catch up on my fave Kdramas because I’m so busy with school that I don’t have time to watch anymore.

Photo by Lucas Gantioqui 

Army

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My affinity for Korean series totally changed me. Korean fashion, er, all things Korean, appeals to me right now—from their ultimate skin care to their classy style to food and even their language itself. Makes me ask myself why wasn’t I born Korean? Why wasn’t I an Oppa? Kidding aside, KDramas are the real bomb. They’ve been my pastime for quite a long time already but I’ve never seen so much people go gaga over Korean series. Everyone’s going nuts about them. What I love most about Koreans is that they can effortlessly pull off any type of clothing which is something I really envy. Nam Joo Hyuk’s winter looks are all to-die-for that I immediately bought this hoodie. So what’s the next thing to do after buying new clothes? Shoot. I recreated my Casually Cruel post so some of the photos above are quite similar to the ones I posted last year (check it out!).Truth be told, so much things can change in a year.

(What I’m wearing: Forever 21 hoodie shirt, Topman shorts, Sunnies Studios Carter)

Photos by Roxanne Rivera

The Best Day

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In life, there are days filled with sorrow and pain but there are also days filled with great joy, intense love and heartfelt gratitude. This day was the latter. I was given a chance to have an overnight stay, along with a good company, in one of my favorite places in town for our annual recollection. Honestly, this 24 hour stay has taught me lessons—essential life lessons—I won’t learn inside the classroom. You guys know I’m a sucker for life lessons and my love for learning knows no bounds. Life definitely has so much in store for us and we are up to figure them out. This day had so much realizations about self-improvement and growth. What a good way to start the year.

Blog posts ago, I stated that this year will revolve around maturity and it seems like I hit the nail on the head. I’ve learned a couple of things I’d like to share to you all. These are:

  1. To know that there’s something good inside you even if the world thinks otherwise.
  2. To realize that problems, pain, and suffering are part of life and they are opportunities for growth.
  3. To keep in mind that you have more blessings than problems.
  4. To know that difficulties build character, they’re the only way to bring out what’s best inside.
  5. To know that it’s just a matter of perspective.
  6. To remember that someone is holding you. Stay humble.
  7. To do something for you to leave a significant mark in the world.

The list goes on. Words can’t express how grateful I am for the love I’ve received that moment. So much has happened and I couldn’t be any happier. Indeed, it was the best day.

(What I’m wearing: Forever 21 plaid flannel, Sunnies Studios “Taylor” sunnies, Original Penguin sneakers)

Photos by Roxanne Rivera & Juancho Liwanag