Post-Christmas Pre-New Year diet

Yup, I'm on diet-mode until the 30th. I don't think I can afford to pig out some more in the next few days if I still want to fit in the clothes I've been buying for the past few days. Before the year ends, I want to post my outfit for the day! Yay! Hahahaha finally.

dress shirt and vest: Azu (a small boutique in HK..I looooved it there!)
black ballet flats: Rubi from Cotton On
bag: H & M
cocktail ring: H & M
watch: my fave Fossil watch

My new fave accessory is this huge cocktail ring I bought at H & M. Isn't it nice? I absolutely love huge rings.


Anyway, I've only given 3 of my friends their Christmas gifts. I have a few more to deliver. Sosyalin, all my gifts for my friends are from H & M. I don't give out gifts that I don't think I'd like if I were to receive them, so I spent almost 2 hours in the store looking around and thinking about what's the best thing to give to each person. Yes, I'm late giving out gifts but that's just how it is this year. 2009 has been a very busy year for me, thank God. I love being busy. It keeps me sane, I think. I don't like being idle. Believe me, I get depressed when I'm not doing anything. That's what happened to me mid last year after graduation. Imagine, I was unemployed for just 3 months but I felt like such a loser already. I have nothing against people who would rather rest out a year after grad, but that's just not me.

How has December been for y'all? It's been great for me :)

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone, I'm back from Hong Kong! I arrived yesterday afternoon. I haven't really recovered from my trip yet because right after eating late lunch I went straight to the grocery to buy ingredients for Noche Buena. We all slept around 1 a.m, and I had to get up at 7 this morning to prepare the lasagna for Christmas lunch (father side). I am still uploading pictures from the HK trip on my facebook, and I think it'll take me forever haha! We took a total of 700++ pictures in 4 days. My goodness! My brother and I were very happy with the weather because we were able to take out our coats, scarves, and boots. Unfortunately, I don't have any money anymore because of all the shopping we did. Hahaha! We never really left Tsim Sha Tsui (in Kowloon) except when we went to HK Disneyland on the 22nd. We didn't even go to Macau! My mom decided we'd have more fun shopping anyway, so we postponed our Macau day trip (supposedly on the 23rd) and opted to explore Tsim Sha Tsui a bit more and do more shopping. I will share a few pictures when I'm done picking my favorites. And yes, I still have to upload the Sitio de Amor pictures so I'll get to that first.

Okay, here's one of my fave shots taken in HK...I think my brother took it.

Dress (worn inside my sweater): vintage
Long sweater: Promod
Scarf: Gift from my Ninang Ella, Tito Noel, Tippy, and Lean
Leggings: Ever-reliable SM :)
Boots: Zara
Leather bag: vintage
Men's watch: Fossil (I ♥ big watches!)
Shades: I bought it at a bazaar a couple of years ago
Picture taken at the Park Hotel lobby while we were waiting to be checked in

By the way...Merry Christmas, everyone! Spread the love not only during the holidays but all year-round :)

time to clean out my closet

Literally. I need to set aside the stuff I don't use anymore...so that I have a reason to shop for more clothes. Hahaha! I'm planning on donating my old clothes and shoes. I may not use them anymore, but I can't just throw them away. They're still in pretty good condition and I bet there are other people who badly need clothes and shoes to use. I doubt they'd need heels, though. Hmm...

Anyway, I got a bit peeved earlier. Won't go into the details...sorry! I might just end up getting even more ticked off if I say it now. If I don't forget, I'll tell you guys about it tomorrow.

Wow, two more days before my bazaar! I haven't ordered the additional shampoos and conditioners yet, oh noooo! And I haven't done the groceries for my cookies so I don't know how I'm going to manage to prepare everything in less than 2 days. Great! Wish me luck.

If you've been reading my blog long enough, you'll notice that I tend to jump from one topic to another. My entries are sometimes not cohesive at all. Haha! I tend to just ramble on about stuff simmering in my brain--my way of destressing or "decluttering" my head. Not crazy...trying to keep myself sane with my random blurbs..wait, I have a term for that...oh yeah! Brain farts. Hahaha, I know, I know...it doesn't sound nice.

I've been on vacation mode since last week, yet I still have 2 more days of work. I'm on leave starting the 21st because of my HK trip with the fam. Unfortunately, I'm coming in for work on the 28th :| I have to check a few data tables, send these to the client, then go home or go shopping (whichever comes first). I'm hoping I wouldn't need to come in on the 29th. I just want to go to the spa and relax the entire day. Or maybe I can take out my cameras...yes! That'd be the perfect way for me to spend my day--go on a photo trip! Now where should I go? Hmmm...I need to think about this first..and I'd have to buy lots of film. OH YEAH! I have to get my Pentax repaired coz there's something wrong with the shutter.

I love December! Even if it can get kinda crazy at work since clients are suddenly asking us to do loads of stuff, I love the entire vibe of the season. Lots of get togethers, parties, FOOD (hehe), shopping, a few days off from work...What I like about December is that I get to look back and evaluate how the year has been for me, and I make plans for the following year. I actually make lots of lists, like where I want to go, what I should be able to accomplish, etc...How about you? What do you like about December?

Ilocos, when will I ever visit you again? LAST PART :)

So it took me 4 months after my Ilocos trip to finally post the last installment (day 3, August 31). Am so sorry. It's now going to be a bit more difficult for me to come up with the descriptions for each photo because I'd have to try to remember the details! So I'll just be sharing with you a few of my favorite shots..I'm sorry I don't have descriptions...there are more pictures, actually...just chose the few that I really like :) Too bad I forgot to remove the timestamp :|

Sta. Monica Church

Burgos Lighthouse

Bangui Windmills

Patapat Viaduct

Pagudpud

before I go off to bed

A few random blurbs :)

- I'm excited because my mom and little brother are arriving tomorrow. Yay! It won't be that quiet and lonely here at home for the next 2 weeks :)

- Am SUPER excited for my bazaar this weekend at Greenmeadows. I have a stall with my friend Annick--she'll be selling clothes, bags, and accessories while I'm selling gift sets with organic beauty products, and cookies (cinnamon butter).

-More excited for my HK trip next week!

-I haven't done any Christmas shopping. I'm serious. So I have no idea how I'm going to manage doing that this week.

-I went grocery shopping before I went home after work to buy the household products and toiletries for my office's Christmas outreach (organized by yours truly) to CRIBS in Marikina this Friday. I bought 8000 worth of groceries. Let's all share our blessings and love to others. We don't usually realize how a simple, random act of kindness can affect someone's life.

-I miss going on photo trips...but I have yet to master using my Russian 8m Lomo :| And I miss taking out my Holga!! I want a Diana Mini for Christmas. It's 3k, and I spent my money on paying bills so..oh well.

-When will I ever post my 'outfit for the day' shots? Ugh. I hate not having a decent camera. And a full length mirror. I have a tripod without a camera. Great. Hahaha!

I'm off to lala land hoping to dream about wonderful things...

to see is a wonderful thing

Please pray for my lola (grandmother), everyone...she needs to go through a procedure tomorrow because a blood vessel in her left eye erupted so she can't see using that eye anymore :( My lola's 73 but she's really quite strong for her age. She's actually more fit than I am. She goes brisk walking every morning for an hour, only eats oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, and she prefers eating fish and veggies. According to the doctor, her diabetes and her age could be reasons why the blood vessel erupted.

I can't imagine not being able to use either one of my eyes. More than being able to see, the fact that one is able to see makes you appreciate how beautiful life is because you can actually witness it--problems and all. Despite all the horrors we've seen in this world, these shouldn't "blind" us from the many wonderful, beautiful things there is out there.






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*All images taken during my March 2009 trip to Malaybalay, Bukidnon for the Kaamulan Festival except for the sunset photo and the two kids on the seesaw which were taken in October 11, 2008 by the bay in Manila and in Fort Santiago, respectively.

just a sneak peek...

I'm still waiting for Esther to post the pictures from her camera, but here are a few from Tin's when we went to Sitio de Amor at San Pablo, Laguna last weekend :) Thanks to Anton from Our Awesome Planet--if it wasn't for his review, we wouldn't have discovered this wonderful place.







I promise my Sitio de Amor entry will be the first one I'll post for all my backlog entries :) Heehee