just for the weekend

Friday night we took a plane to Manila just for the weekend. My parents had their separate agendas for the weekend, but the one thing me and my sister wanted to do: SHOP. 

So this was me, at the airport waiting for our car.

We went to eat dinner at Bubba Gump - which surprisingly was really spacious and huge! I never knew the inside could seat a lot of people!

The ambiance was great, and it had all these neat writings too! Like this one.

This one is cute :)

And, of course I had to include a picture of my cute little cousin, who kept talking to me all night about the book he's currently reading - The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He's 7 years old and he still can't read all that well. But at least he tries. :)

I haven't posted for a week since I went to the dermatologist and had my face done and I was too ashamed to let you guys see my face while it was still healing. ;)

Top - Iconique

High waisted pants - Topshop

Cardigan - Department Store

Shoes - Aldo

STATUS - does it really change everything?

Your status - single, married, in a relationship - does it really make a difference?

Imagine this:

After a month of not seeing your girl friends, you decide to meet up for dinner one Friday night to catch up on what's been going on with each other's lives. You look forward to this day for a whole week, already saying on Monday that the weekend can't come fast enough! But then it does.

On Friday, you and 2 of your friends are there at the restaurant, eagerly awaiting one last person to complete the group. She textes you that she's almost there and so you start chatting with your friends. You're eager to see this other friend because out of all of them, she's your closest one. You have soooo much to share and you're so happy that you guys finally got together.

She arrives and all of you cheer in chorus, but your eyes fall to her hand which is holding someone else's hand. You realize that the reservation for 4 just got a plus 1.

What's so wrong with the scenario? Well, it was supposed to be a night out with your girlfriends, but since one of them suddenly had a boyfriend, she just couldn't help but bring him along as well.

I mean, maybe it's because I'm "single" and so I perceive things this way, but I don't think so. I just think that there should be a right time and right place to bring your significant other. Sure, at your own party or at a night out with the gang - bring your guy. But at a 'just the 4 of us' event, or even a high school batch get together, I highly doubt it especially if you're going to be glued to your partner the whole night and not be able to talk to your friends. Forget about it!

I don't feel the need to bring or even invite my guy to EVERY event I go to. I've had boyfriends before, and I was never like that. But it seems that now, all my friends who are attached do feel that need. When did the rules change? Or maybe it's me who is being stubborn about these kinds of situations?

forever friends ☼

... And through the test of time, during your weakest moments, you realize: that friends and family don't care about how you look because they already know what's deep within - and the love it :) ♥♥

we look outward

On Thursday our dog, Snowy, had a haircut. She's a toy poodle and is super tiny and cute. This is how she looked like when we first bought her.

I was never a fan of dogs when I was little, but ironically we always had dogs in the house. Ever since I could remember, we had a dog and sometimes, more than one. We went through breeds like it was the next trend. Dalmatian, German Shepherd, Dachschund, sometimes mixed breed street dogs, and many more. Never without a dog.

But just last year, I found myself fantasizing about buying a dog that I could pet, hug, cuddle and play with. And I didn't completely hate the idea. So last November, we bought a cute little 3 month old puppy and named her Snowy - because she was as white as snow. :))

Now we all know that hair grows really fast, and the first time we brought her to the salon, she looked like this afterwards.

In my opinion, NOT that cute at all.

I know that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I can't help it. I'd rather cuddle Snowy when her hair is long than when she looks like a prim poodle just after grooming.

I try my best to disregard the outward appearance and focus more on what's inside, but sometimes it's hard. I guess I have a thing about beauty and appearances.

letting go

How come the hardest thing to do is to let go? Whether it's a childhood toy, an old raggedy teddy bear, a pillow, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or just someone we know. Letting go is probably the hardest thing anyone could ever go through.

I remember when I was about 12 years old, 3 of our helpers were leaving us because they "couldn't take it anymore". 2 were sisters, and the other was their cousin. They had been with us for over 3 years and I had grown really close to them. One of the helpers was my sister's yaya, and the other one always accompanied me when I went out to the mall. The day they left, I cried really hard. I was really sad to see them go, and I didn't want them to leave. I think I even asked them to stay, but they said they couldn't stay.

Letting go can either make or break you.

I've never been close to a helper ever since.

That was a lesson the 12 year old me had to learn - that people came and went and I just had to learn to accept it and move on. Maybe that is also the reason why I don't let others come too close to my heart. I've put up a few high walls around it and I guess I'm just waiting for someone to come and brave these high walls just to get inside. ♥

And now, someone else had to learn the painful lesson of letting go - my grandfather. Flash forward to 10 years later and the one with the issues isn't me, but grandad. There is one helper who has become his daily companion, accompanying him on his hikes and daily errands. And now, she has decided to leave us as well. She isn't the best one there is, and she talks back to my grandad and gets moody and angry around him. But somehow he has turned a blind eye toward all she has done, simply because he 'needed' her around. Simply because he couldn't let go of her. She is just a maid after all. There will always be new ones. But this is one lesson he has to learn on his own.

I've traveled that road before, and it hurt a lot. Maybe now, it's time for him to journey there as well.

what happened?

Recently I stumbled upon Cosmo's Bedroom Blog by Veronica. It is quite addicting, to tell you the truth. And it got me thinking. I could write like that too - no sweat. I love writing and I've always dreamed of working for a magazine.

I used to be the girl who would write in her diary almost every day about what happened, who I saw, and what I felt. Crazy emotional girl - but that was me. And somehow along the road to high school, and choosing what course to take in college, to technology and social networking sites taking up most of my time, I lost the writer girl inside me. I no longer write in my diary (yes, I still keep a diary), and my blog entries are becoming a dime a dozen. But maybe it's time for me to get back on the writing horse and try again.

Maybe I just need some inspiration, or maybe I just need to know that people actually read the things I write just to give me a confidence boost.

What the hell. Write because you want to write, because it's what you love to do. Right?

my happy month

I love it when July comes around the corner because it means 3 things.

# 1 - SALE season

Topshop

Mango

and

Zara

My top 3 favorite stores!

# 2 - My birthday

# 3 - presents. lots and lots and LOTS of presents :) (although I still don't know what I want for my birthday. hmmm..)

Today's outfit:

Top - Topshop

Shorts - Promod

Shoes - girlsmustshop.multiply.com *Fancy Flats*

and it was all yellow

decided to "tone down" my sunday outfits by wearing a simple Calvin Klein dress and flats for an almost casual sunday look. i don't know what's wrong, but my right foot really hurts and i think it's because of the white boots i wore the other day.

strange because my foot never hurt before, and when i wear other shoes my feet don't ache like this at all! needless to say, there is a lesson to be learned here.

i am NEVER buying shoes from SM - Parisian ever again. NEVER.

that might be too dramatic a conclusion but i think it's the right thing to do. unless i want to wear flat shoes for the rest of my life, i will steer away from cheap department store shoes unless i'm really sure that it is of good quality.

*sigh* guess i have to throw it in the bin then?

shoes

i am a sucker for online shopping. yes. for those who don't know - well, the secret is out. sometimes i could buy from 3 to 4 different stores in just a week! i am THAT crazy when it comes to clothes. lately, i've been going crazy over shoes and i thought i also needed to invest in some darn good shoes - so i went ahead and bought 2 pairs.

the first one arrived last wednesday and it is divine, although the heels are 5" high (Lord knows how I would be able to walk in those!), i had no complaints about anything else.

today my 2nd pair arrived, this one from a different store. needless to say, i was pretty disappointed. i dislike the shoes :( they were really cheap when i bought them, and i was having second thoughts about buying them. but i really liked the design, and the one i wanted cost 5x as much as this one so i thought "why not? it's so cheap anyway!" but i guess i learned my lesson.

things are priced that way for a reason. so the next time i find a shoe worth less than P500, i'm looking the other way! i'd rather buy something expensive as long as i'm assured of the quality and material :)

so this is me today, i tried on the denim on denim look and i think i did ok? :)

top: from TJMaxx

shorts: Promod

shoes: Parisian

could have been

Went for a photo shoot today with my friends. Usually, I love dressing up and taking pictures.. but today I didn't really feel like it. Maybe because I didn't like the place? Or maybe I just wasn't that inspired to do a shoot today. But anyhow, I will be posting the pictures hopefully in my next entry.

So after the shoot we hung out for a while longer before heading home. On our way to the car , I saw an ex-something of mine inside his car. We talked for a while, asking about each other, being polite (i guess?). The one thing I noticed from him was that he seemed really different - like good different too. Although I don't know if it's just an act, or he really changed.

But it is kinda sad thinking about past guys whom fate never gave a chance. If the cards were played differently and things were a little better, I bet we could have been something, him and I.

go on, lie

LYING.

everyone does it, no one is exempted from it.

today, we went to watch The Karate Kid with my family and in the movies, they never let you bring your camera inside because of fear that you might be a film pirate trying to steal the movie to sell to others. that may be true, but i don't think people who go to those kinds of malls do that.

anyway, i always bring my camera with me in my bag because you'll never know when you will want to take pictures. normally when i watch a movie, they never get my camera because i hide it so well. but on this particular check up, the guard got a hold of my camera. it wasn't in a normal camera case, but in a quilted pouch. he got it and asked me "is this a camera?" i could have said yes and just left it with him until after the movie, but i find it such a hassle to have to do it. i'm not a film pirate anyway, so why should they take my camera? so i said NO. it's a phone. then i took out my other quilted pouch with had my phone and showed him the phone. he opened the camera pouch to take a peek, and i thought i would get busted for lying to him. i almost blurted out "oh, it's a camera." but he let me go. apparently, he believed me.

when i sat down, i should have felt relieved that i got to go through, but i didn't. instead, i felt wretched and guilty for lying. crazy, but my conscience got the best of me. now you could say that it was a small lie, a white lie - it wasn't like i lied about killing someone. but even the smallest of lies have it's way of creeping up on you. i tried to tell myself that it was fine, at least i didn't get caught and it was just a tiny lie. but what if i did get caught? the guard would catch me lying and plus, i would get totally embarrassed to have been lying about a measly camera.

i don't know what has gotten over me, but i feel like i've become different. like, good different though :) i have chosen to be a better person, and the first step is to NOT lie. i know that now. actions always have consequences and i just got lucky this time.

but next time, i'm not so sure if i'll still be lucky enough.☻

pills pills pills

Lately I've been surrounded by pills, pills and more pills. Somehow over the years I have become the official pill organizer in the family. I take care of everyone's medicines and place them in their respective containers to make life easier for everyone. I haven't done this in a while but now it seems like people need more and more medicines and vitamins to maintain good health. How depressing.

But on a lighter note, happy independence day Philippines! I guess everyone takes independence for granted just because we've never experienced what our forefathers experienced. I cannot imagine life without the freedom to do whatever, be whoever and wear whatever. How the Filipinos lived that way for over 300 years is waaaay beyond me, but I am really thankful for the freedom we have today :D

Today's outfit:

Top - Forever21

Skirt - Zara

Blue belt

Shoes - Promod

a night's escapade

the night wasn't planned at all, but somehow it only proves that some of the best things happen when it's spontaneous.

it started off well, dinner and long conversations with friends leading to a very full stomach and a craving to do something else. so we went to do karaoke. pumping up the partying mood, we decided to make the most of our night and going all out. so we went for it ;) i don't know what it is about music and funky beats, but i just like to dance. a lot. took me a long time before i could run out of energy, we were the 3 partners in crime while everyone else just sat down and watched. taking a look at the crowd, i couldn't help but notice that there were more and more koreans in cebu. i looked up, and someone was trying his luck on a korean girl. what gives. did chinese and filipino girls suddenly become extinct that no one guy bothered to look that way?

after a couple of bathroom breaks and downed drinks, they arrived. i didn't dare dream of dancing with him. he was way out of my league, plus he had loads of girls falling over him. i didn't want to be just one of them. we got the chance to go up to the second level, thanks to the guy who was a friend of our friend's. my friend and i braved to go up there knowing that it might not be what we expected, or it might be something better. funny what a couple of minutes can do to you :)

now let's see..

Now, where do I begin. These past few weeks have been hella crazy in the Yap household since almost all my relatives are here for my grandfather's 80th birthday! Yep, it was one BIIIIG celebration.

We went to the beach, did some sunbathing, kayaking and fish feeding. Everything is definitely more enjoyable when there are more people around to share the fun! More people = more fun :)
But one of the bad things about having visitors and more people around? You tend to eat out more then usual. Like, ALL THE TIME. Every day is pig out day for us! You would not BELIEVE how much i gained! Well, maybe i'm just exaggerating a little, but it really felt like i gained a lot.

So now, i'm cutting back on my sweets and unusual food cravings. Can't afford to have those extra calories hanging around!

This is a photo of my family (dad's side) during my grandfather's birthday. We got to wear red only 2 years after my grandmother passed away. But I don't get why chinese always wear red when there's a birthday celebration in the family. I guess that's just how it is :)

Iloilo

Went to Iloilo yesterday with my family and stayed there for a night. Basically we went there just to eat! lol. We went to try out the restaurants owned by my dad's friend. Green Mango, Mojave and Nothing But Desserts. The food was great! I was so stuffed by the end of the night that I couldn't tuck in my stomach anymore :))

Burger from Green Mango

Red velvet cupcake from Nothing But Desserts

Tiramisu

Green Mango serves value meals and the likes, good for people who are on a budget or don't want to spend so much on food. They have burgers, rice meals, spaghetti and many more.

Mojave steak house is one of the best steak-serving restaurants i have ever been to! not one dish was yucky. EVERYTHING was to die for :)

Nothing But Desserts serves everything dessert - from gelato to cakes to cupcakes to tiramisu!

I really had a great time trying out all the different food, but i'm really glad to be back home. There's no place like Cebu, really. ♥

ENGAGED!

Not me. Haha. No no no, I'm not the one who's engaged. An ex of mine is. I went out last Saturday and I saw him at the mall. We exchanged hello's and when I got home later that night I checked out his facebook page and it said he was engaged. Whoa. It's not like I still have feelings for him or anything, but it just comes as a shock to me since I never saw it coming.

I still thought he had maybe the slightest feelings for me, or that he would somehow come back into my life, proclaiming his undying love for me and only me. But obviously he has moved on. And although I've moved on years ago, I guess I still wonder about him.

But the thing I wonder the most about?

What in the world was I thinking when I said "yes" to him??

Hearts all over the world tonight

Spent a lovely day with my friend, S, shopping and going from one mall to the other. I am looking for the perfect bikini for our beach outing next month with the whole clan, but no such luck! I guess I should better keep looking.

This photo was taken outside Topshop (duh.haha) After Zara, Topshop is totally my 2nd favorite store. I was hoping to snag a good buy today but again, no such luck. I guess today just isn't my lucky day :(

Anyhoo, I was supposed to go Kart Racing with S and the guys after dinner but my MOM called me up to let me go home! What a buzz kill!! I hate it when I still have limits as if I were a 15 year old girl. I'm not 15 anymore. =/

Next Stop: Hong Kong

Went to Macau for a day, going around the city. I've been there already once but only stayed there for a day. Next time I will definitely stay for 2 or 3 days!

I love ice cream, as you can see. I just can't resist. That is my ultimate weakness. But I have to watch what I eat as ice cream can make my tummy big! Sometimes I wish I were a kid so I could eat all the ice cream I wanted and never get fat.

During this trip, we also got to go to the Avenue of the Stars in Hong Kong. There really wasn't much to see, and it took us about an hour to walk to the place! Funny enough, it was just at the back of our hotel and we took the long way!

For our last days in Hong Kong, we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. I love Disneyland and everything it represents. It's just a really fun and happy place to be :)

Hollywood is where I belong

Went to Los Angeles for a vacation last March 27.

When we arrived there, we went straight to Las Vegas the next day. We stayed at The Palazzo (suite) for 2 days. That was the life!

And, I also got to eat at one of Emeril Lagassi's restaurants - Table 10. The food was SUPERB!!

When we got back from Vegas, we went to Universal Studios. I got to see the set of Desperate Housewives! It was sooooo cool!

Plus, I got to experience riding the metro on the way home. The food was great, the weather was cold, but bearable because of the layers of clothing. And shopping wasn't that satisfying since we didn't really have much time to do everything.

I shall be back, L.A. ♥

house warming

Florals are sooo in this season and i wanted to wear this dress again but i wanted to make it different. So i added a floral corset over the dress and voila! This is the result. Does it look okay? :)

Went to our family friend's house for their house warming party. Wore Keds since the house is in the hills and i know i wouldn't be able to walk properly in heels!

On another note, i just discovered that someone made a Facebook fan page of me! and that is so CREEPY and not flattering AT ALL!!! i really hate stalkers!!

Dress: Bought online

Corset: Iconique

Shoes: Keds

Jason Castro!!

Did a little bit of shopping today with my friends, but still not yet done with my summer outfits!

We were just in Topshop when I saw fellow Chictopian, Maeleez (or Mai2x - i asked her her name :) )

She was very nice and really pretty in person :) definitely one stylish gal!!

Went to the venue an hour before the concert and the front rows were already packed! talk about excited!! i just didn't want to get bad seats since these were first come first served.

He played about 7 songs in total, 5 originals, and 2 from his American Idol performances. He was really nice and you could tell he was just really happy to be performing. :)

Outfit: Violet top - Zara

Blue Green Military jacket - Iconique

Black skirt - my own design

Floral flats - My Fancy Flats

my first job interview ♥

Funny that, a year after graduation, this would be my very first job interview ever.

Around February I was told by Sheryl that Citibank Manila had job openings and that I could just send my resume to our friend who worked there. I said that I would send it, but I never did. Probably 2 or 3 weeks passed by, I kept receiving notices of job openings and I kept telling myself that I would send my resume soon. Maybe I was lazy for not doing it right away, or maybe I was just scared. But I finally got around to doing it, and during the 1st week of March I received a call from the HR dept.

Thursday - March 11

My interview was at 5 pm. I had prepared myself for this day. I researched all about Citibank, went to their site and even looked it up on wikipedia! I was really pumped and excited for this day. I arrived 20 mins. earlier and waited outside the room for my name to be called. There were also 5 other people waiting for their names to be called.

Finally, it was my turn. My hands were really cold as I shook the interviewer's hand and followed him into the room. The interview took about 10 minutes, and I was done! I couldn't believe it was that fast! I also got to make some friends too ;)

Friday - March 12

2nd interview, this time at 11 a.m. Still nervous, but I wasn't as nervous as the first time. I had some major blunder moments during the interview, but I think I salvaged my dignity and my chances of being hired. Well, I hope I did! The interviewer seemed impressed and told me they would call me if I were hired. Well, let's hope so! ;)