Life Archives | Page 9 of 26

Mad Hatter Party

November 2, 2013

It’s not the first Halloween party I attended, but it’s definitely the most memorable!

On the 31st, we had a Mad Hatter Party at the office. We didn’t have to dress up but we had to wear hats or any kind of headdress. I had no intention of going all out and was just intending to wear a floral crown or maybe a headband. Then Jinky suggested that I do Chopper because I’m obsessed with Tony Tony Chopper! He’s the cutest ~~tanuki~~ reindeer ever. My sister and cousin helped me with the hat because I’m artistically challenged. But I made the wrong measurements so it was too big! It was supposed to look cute on me but it ended up freaky. Haha. No regrets, though.

Most of my officemates went all out and wore the most ridiculous and creative head pieces ever! Ate Ninay won first place because she wore the most elaborate feathery headdress and Eunise won second for her creative cemetery hat! If I were the judge, I would have a hard time picking the three winners. We also had a few games and I won a loot bag! Yay candies. I never went trick or treating as a kid, so yes, I missed out on quite a lot.

As a kid, I also didn’t dress up for Halloween. But now that I’m an adult, I realize that it’s actually very fun! It’s the kind of party a silly and childish me really likes. I wish to attend more Halloween parties in the future. And if possible, try on more outrageous costumes and makeup. This is just the start, my dear friend.

Million People March, Makati

October 5, 2013

The second Million People March took place yesterday in Makati, the business district of the metro. My work’s just a couple of blocks away from the gathering center, and it’ll be foolish to skip it. I failed to attend the first one in Luneta, and there was no way I’d miss yesterday’s protest.

Before I went to college, my relatives and high school classmates thought I’d definitely be joining rallies since I tend to be outspoken and don’t care much about authorities. After all, I enrolled in UPLB so there was no way I’d escape being an activist. But I graduated from UPLB without joining a single rally. It’s not because I’m apathetic (okay, maybe a little), but sometimes, it’s just hard for me to understand why they were protesting at all. It won’t feel good to be part of a protest if I only know very little about the issue. And I tried to know, but I rarely get answers.

That’s also the reason why I don’t talk much about politics. There are so many things I don’t understand, and to give my opinion is like embarrassing myself. One must not talk about things one doesn’t understand.

When the news of the pork barrel scam exploded, I was enraged along with everyone else. I’m part of the working middle-class who gets more than 10% deducted from my salary. Of course I am enraged. Of course I want to be one with the people. I want corruption to stop, and I want those who abuse their power and steal from the country to stop what they’re doing and pay for their crimes.

The #ScrapPork protest yesterday was the first protest I joined, because it’s one that I understand. I got a little confused though because I didn’t particularly think that the people would also be calling for PNoy’s resignation and his alleged involvement in it. I know he’s not a saint and I’m pretty sure he’s not always threading a “daang matuwid.” But I don’t exactly want him to step down. Because if he did, Binay would definitely step up and that poses graver threats to the country. I must also not that it was ironic how all that the even took place right in front of Ninoy’s statue.

Overall, joining the rally was a pretty good experience, even a bit hypnotizing. It was also an eye-opener. I may be complaining about the amount they deduct from my salary that goes straight to the pockets of politician, but I realized that they take more from the laborers who work everyday, with very little rest, to just receive a meager salary. And for the first time, I start to understand how some of my college schoolmates attend rallies about issues not entirely related to them, but they still seemed so passionate about it. Because you see, some sectors really need help from other sectors in making sure their concerns reach the right ears.

I don’t have the heart of an activist. Sometimes, I just don’t care, and sometimes, I try to comprehend but simply couldn’t. Right now, I can’t think of a valid solution to the current crisis the country is facing. To say that every corrupt officials should step down is like saying that 90% of the current government officials must resign. What will remain then? Who will run this country?

There’s a feeling of hopelessness that I’m pretty sure occurs in every Filipino from time to time (or all the time, of course). But there are those who are still hopeful, and sometimes, I still am. However, I am realistic, and I’m pretty sure that if our government will truly be clean, it will take a few more generations before that happens.

The Lake Monster

October 3, 2013

I had this delusion that anyone can be a fashion blogger. But of course, I realized that apparently, it’s only something that someone who’s dedicated to fashion and to looking good everyday can do. I am obviously neither. I do like dressing up but not to the extent that I do it everyday On most days, I just want to throw on a baggy sweater or a loose blouse and call it my OOTD.

Posing also isn’t my strongest suit. I can neither pose like a normal person nor a model, so how in the world would I even manage to be a fashion blogger? My now defunct fashion blog, The Sloppy Mess, proves that I’m just an average citizen who has more misses than hits when it comes to dressing up. Though posing is something that I do comically, I still enjoy doing it. Obviously.

Besides, 75% of my clothes are either thrifted or bought from Divisoria or St. Francis or just some random stall. It will be awkward to label my clothings “No brand” all the effin’ time! Like the one I’m wearing in the photos. The shirt and skirt have no brand, while the shoes are Keds. 90% of my photos would be labeled as such if I ever decide to be a full-fledged fashion blogger (which will never happen now!).

In Hanoi, we saw tons of people having a photo shoot. Jinky and I decided to have a go at it and here are the resulting photos. They’re no fashion blog-material. But I enjoyed it, and isn’t that what matters?

My friend once asked me why I act so stupidly when posing in the camera. Well, it’s because no one will take me seriously if I pose decently. Because I am a wacky person, and wacky poses are the only thing I know how to do. The ‘V’ is also ever-present in my photos. I’m a fangirl and I always make sure it shows. Haha.

It’s not like I’m aspiring to be a model, so why would I even try to pose like one?

Fashion is still something that continuously baffles me. Though I have to say that my fashion sense have tremendously improved over the years, I’m still far from being stylish. I’m not exactly someone you’d call well-dressed. I’m just glad, however, that my sister no longer cringes when she sees what I’m wearing. She used to do it a lot back in college. Hehe.

Deciding what to wear isn’t exactly easy for me. I wasn’t (and sometimes still not) very comfortable with my body type, and even know, I blame my boobs for limiting my fashion choices.

Once upon in high school, I abhor having boobs and resorted to wearing baggy clothes. I desperately try to hide them by slouching which developed into a bad posture. I go for loose clothing so I could hide my curves.

But I have far, far removed myself from that stage. Though I still don’t dare wear anything that shows cleavage, I no longer deliberately hide what I have. I still don’t wear tight-fitting clothes, but I no longer stupidly hide my curves. Most of the styles I want to try are still mismatched with my body type. But hey, I have learned to embrace the clothes that can supposedly flatter my figure.

I still have insecurities, and there are days when I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin. But I think it’s normal and not just because I’m a girl. I don’t have to feel pretty everyday, and I also don’t have to dress up to feel like a woman. I welcome good hair days with arms wide open, and curse the pimples that decide to appear on special occasions.

I’m not exactly sure what I’m trying to say with this post, and I’m quite at a lost on how to end it. So I’ll just leave it as is, okay. └（★ｏ★）┐

Instadump: Hanoi Haul

September 16, 2013

Hanoi was a blast and so was the shopping. There are so many things about Hanoi that I want to write about, but I just can’t help it that it’s the shopping that inspired me to stay up quite late just to edit the photos of my shopping haul. I haven’t shopped in such a long time! (Anyway, sorry for the low and uneven quality of the photos. I’m too excited to post about it, but too lazy to open Photoshop.)

There’s a night market in Old Quarter on weekends, and we went there twice! I have a very small budget for my trip and thought very little of shopping. But when I was suddenly faced with a whole street of cheap goods, I couldn’t stop myself! I didn’t buy that much, but if my budget allowed it, I could have bought more! The Dong Xuan night market reminds me of Divisoria but smaller and the Ladies’ Market in Mongkok but cheaper. So basically, it’s a really good place to shop since you won’t be too tired after and get good discounts, too.They accept both Vietnamese dong and USD in the market. Isn’t that convenient?

I heard that Thailand has a wider selection, though, but the price in Dong Xuan night market is just wowow! Hopefully, I’ll be able to post more photos of the market some time soon. [Read more…]

The Not-So-Happy College Years

August 23, 2013

I recently went back to Elbi and remembered quite a lot of things from my college years. I spent four years in the university, and of course I learned a lot! If anything, I definitely learned quite a lot about myself. But I must emphasize the fact that there are still things that confuse me and I still question my life decisions from time to time.

It’ll come as a surprise to some of my friends to learn that I’m an introvert. Yes, dear friends. The jolly, perky, boisterous me is actually an introvert. And it was definitely a setback during my first two years in college. Back in high school, I didn’t really branch out from my clique. I joined clubs but never alone. So when I entered college without a single close friend with me, I was a fish out of water. [Read more…]