My Love Affair with Fashion

I AM A FASHION ADDICT...uhmmm....actually bag, shoes and clothes aficionado! haha! my love affair with my closet started when i was in college.  i left my baggy pants, over-sized shirts and L.A Gear high cut rubber shoes and 16-hole boots in my high school. can't even imagine how i looked like back then - short girl, chubby cheeks, straight, limp hair wearing hideous clothing. actually there was no problem with the clothes, it was more of "there was a problem with me" :D 

When i started college, i began to be more concious of how i look. maybe because i was obliged to dress up in school.  i can't be seen with the same clothes over and over again and my rule was to 'repeat clothes after a month" so therefore, i had to buy clothes all the time to update my wardrobe :D the opposite sex started noticing me, i was invited to gimmicks almost everyday, org meetings.  i became a member of the sports organization - rowing team - so there were more parties, more get-togethers, more encounter with the boys. tsk...tsk...i started buying shirts and pants (straight cut was the 'in' thing that time and also low-rise jeans).  then i lost a lot of weight so i became more confident to wear sleeveless, skirts and nice dresses.  My collection grew and grew and without me noticing, i was buying clothes and shoes almost every week.  my boyfriend then was also very concious of the clothes he wears so maybe that helped too in my ever growing addiction to clothes :D

I have a monthly subscription of magazines to help me determine what's hot in fashion! I read every article there is about clothes and shoes and best-dressed people.  I developed my own style in dressing and realized what clothes suit me, looks good in me.  Without me realizing, I have started a collection - my treasure :D

10 years after college, here i am, with almost 2 full closets of clothes (i have to dig in everytime i plan what to wear for the week), almost 50 pairs of shoes (not that many huh, i would love to have some more though...) and my bags, all hidden in plastic baskets and cartons. hay...i live in a very small space - a studio which i call 'the box' and i swear, everywhere you look, you can see a bag hanging - in my door knob, at the back of the door, on top of my bed, under my computer table, behind the door of my CR, in the side of my bed, inside my closet...urgh!  Since i started my own accessory business, schedule became more hectic, and I don't have the time to fix my closet anymore -which by the way, I did every weekend for the past 10 years.  I love looking at my clothes but now I don't have the time anymore, so everything is disorganized! haha!

maybe you're thinking that i am complaining already about my things. actually i am. haha! don't get me wrong. i love them. i will continue to buy for i am a sucker for nice things.  but something in me is different now. maybe this happens when you become older. 

i am more concious now on what to buy. beofre it was 'quantity more than quality' but now i am more after the quality and timeless pieces.  i like a more simple approach to things.  i used to choose and plan clothes to wear for at least 3 hours - which is a lot of wasted time.  Getting dressed was stressful! But now, I am learning to be more practical but of course, still maintaining a style that will keep me confident and at ease with myself. 

i also noticed that i hardly use some of my clothes and most of them look brand new so a question popped in my head "why do i keep on buying clothes if i don't even get to wear everything that is in my closet right now?" haha! because of this thought, I  made a habit of taking out one item in my closet every week and give it to a friend - who is so happy by the way - and i am happy too (sharing is really a great therapy!)

as i've said earlier, i will still continue to buy clothes, shoes and bags. that's me. i like paying myself with nice things since i work really hard every single day. im not much into travelling, i don't fancy going out at night, spending money in gimmicks.  i will be forever proud of what is inside my closet for everything is from my hard-earned money but now, i know what is important in life. i am more focused on what i really want.  aside from clothes, shoes and bags,i realized that i want other things as well -  i want to be surrounded by nice things (of course) and people i love.

JOSEF...NOW...AFTER 2 MONTHS :D

It's been awhile since i last wrote an entry in my blog. i've been so busy with work, beads, bags, broken heart, and of course with my nephew josef.  he's 2 months now, very perky. very 'matakaw', very cute. i never thought that it will be like this.  i look forward to visiting my sister and josef every other day, MWF (since TTH i finish tutoring around 9pm).  I also spend time with them saturday if i have time -- since weekend is my only time for business. i try to squeeze them in my sched. having a baby is super magastos too! i'm always broke! haha! but worth it.

here are some of his new pics. enjoy!





isn't he adorable! can't deny it. haha! :D

It's David vs David!

This is the first American Idol Season that I have watched from the auditions until the final 2 contestants. I've never been as glued to this show as before. I think that this season's constestants are all nice, pleasant to look at, great voices, total performers. But amongst the idol aspirants, I'm especially in favor of these 2 Davids...Actually they are two completely different individuals. I described Cook as an eagle while Archuleta as a chick. But both Davids know how to sing, and both have superb talent.

I didn't like Cook during the first few weeks of AI. I find him a bit arrogant, typical rocker, and not as charming as the other contestants. But eversince he sang "Hello" (Lionel Richie), I fell in love with him! Haha, I look forward to his song choice every week. I said to myself, if he made me like "Hello" (which I hated by the way...) then he's capable of making 'not so good' songs into pretty "pleasant to hear" ones :D He did his own version of "Billie Jean" and "Always Be My Baby." I told myself, "he's the one to beat!"

Then comes Archuleta...a crowd favorite from day 1. He's good, he's young, he's nice, someone who you can take home to your parents :) hihihi! He was ok for me.  I'm not so overly into him because I feel that he's very young and not that 'unique' compared to Cook. Although he impressed me because he has this charisma - you can really see in his eyes that his genuinely a nice boy. Plus he has a very nice voice - a 'ballad' kind of voice.  As what my friend said "you will really listen when it's Archuleta who sings..."

I was never surprised when I learned that the two Davids are the final 2 AI aspirants. They are really the cream of the crop.

FINALS NIGHT

I must say that I loved Archuleta's performance! As what Randy Jackson said "you're in the zone!" I really felt his heart...he came there to win and he really did his best.  Cook was ok also but I was waiting for his "billie jean" and "hello" zone...I was hoping that he would again showcase his uniqueness by choosing songs that will define who he really is as a performer.  I was waiting for different version of songs that will surely 'wow' simon! I agree with Simon when he said that Archuleta's performaces were all great.  Before the finals night, I was thinking Cook will win, but after hearing them sing, based on their perfromances tonight, my heart goes to Archuleta :D

Josef's Third Week:)

i can't help but write about josef's third week in this crazy world. haha. he's bigger na, hmm...he's a milk machine! can finish 4-5 ounces already of milk in one drinking. he's very strong, likes to move around - twists his head all the time while kicking his legs! grrr....irritating at times because he's neck is still so weak right? i'm a bit scared whenever he does this maneuver. also, today, my sister and josef went home to my lolo's house. they stayed with me for 3 weeks and today marks the beginning of their independence. hehe! enough of being josef's 2nd mom. haha! they need to go home. a little bit sad...huhuhu...i'll surely miss josef - especially sleeping in a 36x36 inches bed (his bed in my house) since he and my sister are sleeping in my bed. imagine? for 3 weeks, half of my body sleeps in the floor. haha! but anything for josef...i'll miss waking up 1:30 AM and 4:00 AM. i carry him while singing "eency, weency spider" until he falls asleep. huhu,,,can't help but to be teary-eyed,,,

here is josef now, his third week...



 Cute...Adorable! Super! except when he cries. haha... i'll miss you josef! :)

My Birthday:)

 I never thought that my birthday will be so much fun. it started with a very nice breakfast. i ordered food from mcdonads - just pancakes - kasi we'll have dinner naman the following day. hehe, super budget me :) then i gave my friends their gifts. this is my 2nd year already of giving gifts to my friends on my birthday. simple ones only. for this year, i gave them summer shorts and flipflops. i didn't have enough time to prepare other things since i was so busy the past few weeks because of baby josef. anyway, the teachers were all so happy.  i was so happy too because i got all their sizes correctly. super happy! :D

In the afternoon, we decided to play in the wading pool in the playground. they changed into the shorts that i gave them and posed in front of the camera. talk about simple joys:) haha! as you can see in the pctures that i posted above, we were having a lot of fun! haha! thanks guys! :D thanks also to bella (reme's daughter) and mckhoy (sheryll's son).

after work, i went straight home to have dinner with my family. lolo, kris, josef and i went to robinson's to have dinner. we were apprehensive at first to bring josef out but we have to celebrate. hehe... so we brought him with us (as if may mapagiiwanan kami;) then ate at ajisen, a japanese restaurant.

lolo, kris josef and i



here are some of our orders...

california maki super yummy!

 

tappanyaki - my favorite! :)



spicy tofu



kris and josef while waiting for the food



my turn to carry josef while kris is eating...



i like ajisen's food plus it's not that expensive. great for budget conscious people who want quality food at a reasonable price.  my sister loved their katsudon, my lolo liked the spicy tofu and ramen. me? hmmm. of course the maki and teppanyaki!

I had a simple birthday celebration but i had fun.  it was my 1st birthday without momi - medyo sad because she was the one who's always excited when one of use celebrates brithday.... anyway, i know she was watching us. hehe... happy birthday to me! :D

Welcome to the Outside World

April 29, the day Josef was discharged from the hospital.  I wasn't with him when this happened because I have work but I made sure to go straight to the house after work to see him and my sister.  Some of my friends came with me - Edna, who gave a 101 Lesson to my sister on how to take care of a new born baby (an expert!) haha, Reme, her daughter Bella and hubby Francis, Sheryll and son Mckhoy.  It was fun! They were the fist visitors of baby Josef :)

My sister Kris, Reme, She and Mckhoy



We had a simple merienda.  My tita cooked pancit, which was a big hit for Edna, Mckhoy and Francis:) Haha. I ordered Yellow Cab Pizza.  Funny thing is that I wasn't able to eat! Haha.! I wanted to carry Josef the whole time:)



Edna took pictures of me carrying Josef...





My cousin said that I was so noisy. Haha! Can't help if I'm giddy;) hehe! Im excited, happy! duh! Mixed emotions!

Who can resist this cute picture...



Hay,,, heaven:) It will be very different from his environment inside his mom's tummy but I'm sure he'll be okay...hmmm. With a doting tita like me;) Haha!

 I'll be uploading more pics soon:) See you in my next Josef blog...:)

ANDREI JOSEF

Andrei Josef, pronounced as "Yosef" (thanks to PBB Teen Edition Housemate "Yosef") hehe, is my uber to the max cute nephew. My sister, Kris, gave birth last April 27, 2008, 11:23 P.M. 

Just a brief history - My sister's blood is very rare. She's RH Negative -  super rare - it's like only 3% of our population have this kind of blood. I can't explain in details what her condition is but it's rare, it's expensive (because of the rhogan injection that will stabilized her and her baby's condition) and it's new to us. Having said these things, her OB told us that she has to give birth on time because not being able to do so will cause complications for thw both of them (my sister and Josef).  So when we had our check-up last Saturday, Dra. Granada told us to go to the hospital Sunday, around 12 noon, April 27 and be admitted already. We can't wait for the 28th anymre, it has to be the 27th...

My sister was prepared already months before! She ironed all the baby's clothes and placed them inside her baby bag already. She has a checklist of the things to bring so I was confident that everything is in order that Sunday. When we reached the hospital, the nurse in the ER told us that since my sister was not in pain yet, but needs to give birth already, she has to undergo induced labor, which according to the nurse also, is more painful than the 'normal' labor wherein u go to the hospital with pain already.

She was admitted in the delivery/labor room around 1:00 p.m and after 15 minutes, her doctor told me that she was feeling pain already...5 minute-intervals... Dra. Granada said, most likely Kris wil give birth around 9pm...So i started counting, 1:00-9:00?! I hope my sister has the strength...

Waiting...Waiting...It was already 3:30 when Patrick (the dad) came so I excused myself and when to the nearest mall to eat! Haven't eaten anything yet and it was already late afternoon.  I came back around 7:00 P.M, I checked on my sister but the nurse said that I can't say hi to her. Still in labor... I'm starting to panic already. I was thinking that maybe she's tired already, hungry, frustrated that she's alone in the room...I was questioning already if she can still survive the real thing, giving birth...

Dra. Granada went to our room. She said that there's no luck.  My sister's opening was still 3cm and most likely she'll give birth around 3 or 4 A.M... I started to panic, really panic...She has to give birth not later than April 27! Dra. said that she'll do everything. If baby won't still come out 3am, my sister will have a caesarian delivery. Nyay! Expensive for my pocket! Dra. asked me to go home first, rest and come back around 2 A.M....I did,  with a heavy heart and a disturbed mind...

When I reached my house, I thought about my sister...labor from 1:00 PM! duh! I was so scared already. I prayed hard, super prayed to God, to our mom, to our tita in heaven. I was crying already.  I said to myself that if I can only take my sister's place...I'm coward too especially when it comes to medical procedure, but I know in my heart that I will not give up given that circumstance.  I was really praying hard, asking all the saints to give my sister strength to endure the pain...

10:45 P.M got a mesage from Patrick "Kinuha na po yung camera, i asked why, sabi nurse ongoing na daw po..." I stopped my prayers, stood up and tetxed the doctor.  I texted Patrick also, told him to stay outside he delivery room as I was on my way already.

I knocked on my neighbor's door, Janice, and asked her to accompany me. When we reached the hospital, Patrick said "sumigaw po Angie, then may umiyak na bata..." I was walking to and fro outside the delivery room. I wanted to see the doctor, the baby, my sister. I was her 'mom' already every since our mom died last month...

After a while, Dra. went out already and said "kamuka ni Kris!" I laughed, with soft tears in my eyes, and said "Pango din!" hehe...I was so happy. Can't explain the feeling. Actually it's more of "Thank God, nakaya ng kapatid ko..."

We went to the Nursery room to have a look at my nephew. When the nurse showed him to us, I was again teary-eyed...He was so cute, so small, so innocent. I wanted to hug him but of course we were not allowed :) I took a picture of him and I wanted to show it to everybody right away! Haha! Talk about excited...

I guess this experience humbled me. It made me realize that my sister is capable, I shouldn't baby her anymore. I salute her for a job well done. She was in labor for almost 10 hours! I felt a little sad because my sister has her own family now (selfish me! haha!) I felt like an outsider...Huhu...This experience made my faith stronger and acknowledge that there's a higher power, who's there, if we need help.

Andrei might not be mine, maybe my sister won't let him be so close to me, knowing that I'm a spoiler...but I know now what it feels to have a baby.  Maybe I will be blessed with one someday. I can't wait to undergo the same ripple of emotions in the future, my own labor experience - my own bundle of joy:)

But for now, I will take care of Josef...oops! I will help my sister take care of Josef:)







* Just a trivia: My sister gave birth on the 40th day of our mom's death, which is also her 40th week in pregnancy...timing? No. I call it love...I felt that my mom helped my sister - my mom's death is the birth of a new life *

Coron Adventure - CYC (Coron Youth Club)Island

CYC ior Coron Youth Club has white sand and shallow waters, ideal for swimming. There are no corals in this beach since the its bottom is pure white sand.  Our boat didn't dock near the shores since it was low tide that time.  We went down in the middle of the beacg then walked our way towards the shore.  I was so excited to go down the boat and feel the water because it looks so refreshing - aquamarine water, super nice! plus the super fine white sand. Impressive!

Irene, Andy, John and I - Norbert took our picture:) Ano ang makati John Smith? Haha!



Smile! Nice shot:) What happened to John Smith? Hmmm...Maybe he wanted to show his speedos:)



Look at that! Irene and I posed in the middle of he beach with a very beautiful background:) the temperature of the water is just right - not cold, not hot...



Andy and Irene reached the sand area before Norbert and I did.



to be continued...(sleepy na me:)

Coron Adventure - Banol Beach

After Twin Lagoon, we headed to Banol Beach which is equally breathtaking;) This is where we had our lunch also. See that white sand? magnificent! Super white sand, very fine, almost like powder.



Our feet. This is our 3rd 'feet' shot:) The first was in Bora then second in Intramuros, Third in Coron! Wow!;) Wawa si Norbert, barefoot!



Underwater shot this time:)



As usual, Andy has the best pose! This was taken in one of the rocks along the sand area.  There are many nice spots in this island so we used every spot for our photo session. Hahaha!



Irene and I. Ooops...and our super nice boat "Nikka Shane." 



A very nice rock.  According to Gabe, one of our students, it looks like a dragon's head...After looking at it for a long time, I kinda figured it out already. Can you? :) Pose with Norbert and Irene



This time with Andy...



Since Irene reminded us that we need to help out in preparing our lunch, we went to the shed and started to help. Si Andy ayaw! Haha, he wanted to go back to the waters, buti Irene gave him the stare:) Bwahaha! Beside the trio is Manong Ehran - the guide in the other boat.



With Jona and Gem (gmail!) while trying to figure out how we could help in preparing for the food.  We only have one knife - swiss knife pa, courtesy of Irene, and she was the one using it to peel cucumber. So 'chill' na lang kami:)



After lunch, Mr. Bert showed us a beautiful site for picture taking. We had to walk a little along the shore to get to the place. It was sort of a big rock with a small opening - like a small cave.

Andy and I in our usual walking shot - third na din yata - Bora. Intra. Coron.



This shot was taken by Mr Bert, a super nice guy. Official photograper of the group. Nice spot for photos.



After this, we went back to our place na. Walang magawa so we decided to have the "jumping" crazy photoshoot! Hay! Super fun.  Our ribs hurt because of too much laughing.  Imagine we jump as many as we can until the camera captures what we call 'jump up in the air shot..." do I make sense? See our pics nlang....

 

Get ready...



Aim...



Jump!