Fashion Kukur(tinahin)

Waaaah! It's almost the end of July and I'm only three days away from being evicted from the current nail spa location and  haven't done anything moving-out moves yet. Shet I'm so bagal. Ang daming gastos and, honestly, I think I am still in a state of shock. Feeling ko hindi ako gagalaw hangga't anjan na ang deadline. Story of my life.

Already had curtains sewn last week but alas, AD's sewer applied her own design to it. Nilagyan niya ng palda. Kainezzzz Veneracion. Plus, AC said bahay na bahay ang dating ng curtains so I had to make an impromptu visit to Divisoria to shop for curtain fabrics. I almost canceled today's Divi trip since the rain poured this morning and I was planning to buy from the wagwag stalls along Ylaya. But out of necessity, I had to push through with it.

Arrived in Divi around nine in the morning. Went straight to Ylaya to check out available prints and canvass. The semi-finalists were:

But of course I had to check with my sisters. Emailed them the choices and all of us agreed on this design:

It's so nice and so bagay to our Asiatica- themed nail spa. Hopefully maganda ang effect niya at dapat lang cos I spent almost two thousand on fabric alone. Thank God AD has ate Joan because labor is free ♥ So I was feeling a little depressed for spending that much on curtains. Yes, I am that kuripot.

After accomplishing the main purpose of my Divi trip, just went gallivanting around to check out what's new. Because I'm obsessed with paper straws, I almost bought 2 to 3 packs. Buti na lang napigilan ko ang sarili  ko. But I wasn't able to stop myself from buying six pairs of shoelaces just because they're so pretty

Grabe I'm so hopeless. I think I am starting to turn into my mom with my hoarding tendencies. Six pairs of shoelaces and I don't even have rubber shoes.

I had two more impulse buys~

 

kawaii ♥

wanted one for the longest time

I love cheap finds! Actually dahil kuripot ako, I don't find them too cheap but they're way cheaper than how much these stuff are being sold in the malls.

After my Divi trip, AD asked me if I wanted to go to Pottery Barn. On our way to Auntie Madre last Saturday, I saw a signage near SM Aura that Pottery Barn's already here in Manila. So to Pottery Barn we went this afternoon. Sabi nga ni Meme aka Sidekick, "Pupunta ka kay AD ganyan hitsura?" Well, may point siya because my outfit is totally Divi-style. Plus, my default pangharabas Divi shoes were soaked with mud and imburnal water. But I still went and, without shame, went into the shashal mall in BGC filled with expensive SSI stores.

So there's my dugyot shoes and feet on super expensive rugs in Pottery Barn. And remember I was bitching about spending 2K on curtain fabric? Well, I suddenly had a shift of perspective when I saw how much one curtain panel is sold for in the store. One panel is almost five thousand pesos. In fair, maganda ang fabric. But it's still FIVE THOUSAND PESOS FOR ONE (ONE!!!) CURTAIN PANEL! So hindi ako ang target market niya. Haha.

So, ano ang binebenta nila? Bags? O buhok?
Siguro buhok. Ang dami kasi nilang buhok.

So I'm ending this day with this blog post and a shower because all the putik, imburnal water & usok ng tambutso are still very much sticking to every fiber of my being at this very moment.

2014 Book Challenge: What I Thought Was True

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Because I enjoyed My Life Next Door, I decided to read What I Thought Was True after a series of so-so books. Well, The Beginning of Everything wasn't so bad but I found it a little slow and I need something exciting, something to pick up the pace since I am three books behind. But this backlog I blame on Finding June. Man, finishing that book was a struggle. Napaka-boring ng mga characters.

Anyway, back to WITWS. I find it amazing that the lead character here is also named Cassidy, only this time Cassidy is a he. And not only that, there is also a character here whose surname is Thorpe. Amazing, right? Coincidence? I think not. It was written in the stars that I were to read these two books in succession. Ha. Right.

So back na talaga to WITWS. It really amazes me (wow, amazed na amazed ang mood ko today) that the langit-ka-lupa-ako theme is not only common here in the Philippines. Akala ko napa-patent na ng Sharon Cuneta movies circa 1980s ang mga movies na may ganung theme. Gwen is the daughter of a cleaning lady. Cass is your typical trust fund baby who used to go to a private school for boys. Cass had heard of Gwen's reputation (Which is not just a reputation. She lived up to it.) Gwen had Cass stereotyped as one of the rich jerks who play her.

In defense of Cass, he really was attracted to Gwen and he didn't really mean to take advantage of the girl. In my opinion, all of these confusion/ mix-up was due Gwen's impetuousness.

Actually, Cass didn't take advantage of Gwen. It was Gwen who took advantage of the situation. It's just people talk, boys kiss (and other things) and tell. And she can't exactly get mad that people are branding her that because she's kind of guilty of the crime, so to speak. She can't blame people for thinking such of her when she's doing the exactly what the people expected her to do. Because of her hang-ups, she almost ruined whatever that was she has with Cass. Not that Cass was the be-all and end-all of her existence but that he was a good catch, which we wouldn't know until the latter part of the book. We all thought, at the start, that he was just like all his other rich, snotty friends.

Speaking of Cass, he is too good to be true. Well, maybe the fact that he's not so smart makes him human. Haha. But aside from lacking super intelligence, he's good-looking, has abs [I used to not care about abs, but I've recently grown to "appreciate" them. I've officially stepped into ahjumma territory], rich but still very nice and is very polite. And nope, he doesn't have a sense of entitlement at all. Yep, he's too good to be true.

It was a pretty good and interesting read. Nothing excites me more than a will-they-or-won't-they story. Four stars because I love this author and because reading this one was like a breath of fresh air after reading the past few books I've read.

2014 Book Challenge: The Beginning of Everything

After the reading slump (which I blame on Finding June), I am actually thankful for the power outage last week because finally I had time to catch up with my reading. It was also a good thing that I got to charge my Kindle just a day before the three-day blackout.

Cassidy Thorpe reminds me of that broken girl in one of Katie McGarry's novels, Eleanor from Eleanor & Park and Summer in the movie 500 Days of Summer. She's this quirky, pretty girl who's in a world of her own. She's described as redheaded so I don't what is it with these red-headed girls and why are most of them seem like broken? Is being "damaged" a stereotype on redheads, just like blondes are being stereotyped as ditzy.

The story, however, reminds me of that Julia Montes movie- A Moment in Time. [SPOILER ALERT] Boy meets girl. They fall in-like. One character discovers that this one tragic event in his/her life was caused by the object of his/her affection. Enters existential crisis/ guilty mode phase. Only the book and the movie had different endings. The movie had a happy ending (as what is typical of a local love story movie), while the book didn't. Well, we could say that in the book we could apply the ol' cliché "Everything happens for a reason" because if it weren't for Cassidy, Ezra would still be sulking in his room and feeling sorry for himself.

If I were to judge American teens based on this book (and other YA books I've read), I think I can deduce that high school is one big act. I can't quite relate because in my experience, friends I have since high school are some of the best ones I have until now. Well, Ezra's experience helped him know who his real friends are and I think he remained friends with them even until after graduation. But you know what I mean, why hang out with people you don't really jive with? In fairness to Ezra, he wouldn't know that his jock friends and cheerleader girlfriend were the of fair-weather kind.

So yeah, it was indeed the beginning of everything that was real in his life- at least for the moment. He he he. I give it three stars.

I Think I Lack Social Exposure

I need an electrician and I don't know where to get one. In other news, here are the things I stumbled upon on the internet today...

* I never followed the World Cup chuva that's been going on but I saw this earlier today- And kids, that's how I played in the World Cup: Guillermo Ochoa or Ted Mosby? The resemblance is uncanny. At first I thought someone had photoshopped Ted's head on a soccer player's body. They look so much alike.

Memo "Ted Mosby" Ochoa ya es figura del partido. @NFLPARATODOS #MEXvsNED pic.twitter.com/6senFwIm4O
— Ernesto Tagwerker (@_nesto) June 29, 2014

source: https://twitter.com/_nesto

* I waste my time going on countless websites everyday. Eh sabi nila time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. Anyway, one of my recent discoveries is the website Toothpaste for Dinner. Most of the comics are funny while there are some which I don't get. Meh.

source

* And this one I found on 9GAG:

I can relate. Well I feel like this in two occasions: after finishing a TV series and after reading a good book.

Okay, ayan muna.

Release the Good (Food!)

I'm super kaduper backlogged with my blog posts because, honestly, I'm not as excited to blog anymore. I'm not even that busy. Maybe I have Candy Crush and Farm Heroes Saga to blame. Or baka depressed ako? Haha. Whatever. Here are some of the happenings in my life the past three to four weeks, most of which involved food. Hashtag thisiswhyimfat.

We have noticed that daddy still has not fully recovered. He still doesn't talk much and lately he's a little grumpy, most especially with mommy. As much as possible, I try to talk to Daddy, tell him stories kahit paulit-ulit ako. We also try to take him and mommy out, pasyal and eat out. It's hard to convince daddy to eat out, dine in restaurants cos he's very picky with his food and he thinks eating out is expensive (which is actually true). So anyway, the day before he goes back to the province, AD invited us all to take a look at their new house in Marikina which is still under construction.

kutingting in the construction area

I can't wait to see their built house complete with interiors. The house is small but the lot is big which they're going to turn into a garden. Good for me ☺ another location where I can do product shoots. Hahaha.

hindi rin addict sila kuya sa Cobra, no?

my fat calves and I posing by the ditch

After site visit, we proceeded to Rustic Mornings for breakfast. The restaurant has been the venue for C's baptism and first birthday. The place is nice and very Pinterst-y. The food is okay- big serving pero nakakaumay.

challenging kunin ang shot na ito ha

taking a bite out of someone's waffle

I didn't finish my food. Nabusog na ako from getting from everyone else's plate and maybe 1/4 of daddy's tocino meal.

On to my next food adventure. Last June 12, Independence Day, had an impromptu get-together lunch with my IC friends. Joji wanted to meet in Makati or BGC sana, but we, the North peeps, wanted Shangri-la or Mega. Majority wins. [Okay, masingit lang- I drove from the house all the way to Shangri-la mall. Props to me!] I was late, as usual. Since it was Independence Day, we had lunch at Corazon. Scrumptious food, I tell you. Out of all the pricey restaurants I have tried in the new Shang wing-  Kettle, Green Pastures and Corazon- I say, you get the bang for your buck most at Corazon.

lechon kawali-topped laing

Dessert was at TWG. Anne wanted to take pictures of the interiors so instead of our default coffee place, TWG it was. Well, I am not a tea drinker and do not know anything about teas so choosing an order out of a bazillion choices was challenging. Sabi nga ni Pam, parang listahan ng DMC threads ang menu. To be safe, Pam and I chose Moroccan Mint and chocolate or something like that. They ordered scones and chocolate cake to go with our tea.

I don't think I'll be paying a visit there again. Sorry talaga but I am not a tea drinker. If I'd spend that much, I'd rather spend it on mocha frap. Haha sorry hindi ako refined.

Two weeks ago, I went with AD to Fairview Terraces in, obviously, Fairview. In fair, may basis ang pagtawag sa Fairview ng farview. I don't think I'd go there on my own just to see the new mall. So anyway, we were just gonna hitch a ride with her officemate so we were waiting outside Starbucks in Trinoma which wasn't even open yet.

We were in Fairview at 8 in the morning. I had time to kill. Two hours, to be exact. Starbucks wasn't open yet so spent my time in McDonald's making my Sausage McMuffin meal last for two hours while Instagramming. Now I know why Starbucks coffee is expensive. I can wait comfortably for two hours while waiting for the mall to open.

I have a new favorite store- Chefs & Bakers.

I don't bake but I am a sucker for pretty packaging supplies and anything pastel-y. I bought a small pack of sky blue sprinkles just because I like the color. Haha. Buti na lang malayo ka kung hindi, patay ako. Also bought another pack of straws just because they're cute and I can use them for my product shoots.

ang cute, dava?

ahlavet ♥

So yan ang silbi ng straws sa buhay ko. After AD's meeting, we had lunch at Manam.

In fair, malinamnam nga siya. Loved everything we ordered, especially the Ensaladang Pako. Very sinful but oh so worth the calories. Tsaka na lang mangungumpisal.

After grocery and a little bit of gallivanting around the mall, had dessert at Caramia. Not my first time to try their gelato but it was my first time in that branch.

Everything looks Pinterest-y these days. The store is cute but the color combination reminds me of Dunkin Donuts. Same shade kasi of the pink and orange. I ordered Mint Chocolate, as always.

So that's my trip to the galaxy far, far away. Harhar.

Another lakwatsa, just this weekend was with my sisters and brother-in-law. AC treated us to a PETA play. Rak of Aegis. Not a fan of Aegis but their songs are quite catchy at may recall. Aegis' songs are your typical birit songs used in singing contests.

dahil pasaway ako, I took a shot of the set during intermission

It was a nice play. Very entertaining. Medyo nakaumay nga lang kasi paulit-ulit ang songs but nevertheless, it was a good watch. I didn't even notice it was three-hours long! Mas may story pa ito kaysa sa Mamma Mia and Across the Universe. The story didn't feel contrived- parang Love in the Time of Baha. Haha. Bentang-benta si Tolits. Basta benta sakin. I highly recommend (if there's anyone even reading this post) this play. At in fair, socially relevant pa.

After the play, had dinner at Crazy Katsu. It was okay but I think after Yabu, so-so na lang ang ibang katsu. However, given the price, it was okay.

gyoza-rap!

Whattacaption- ang corny. Haha. Loved the gyoza though.

Maybe it's unfair to compare Crazy Katsu with Yabu because of the huge disparity between their price points. I think I liked the tonkatsu but I think I will like the set meal better with the sesame dressing. I'm biased, I guess, because I actually do not like mayonnaise and they used Japanese mayo to go with the cabbage side dish.

Gaaaaaaahd! Didn't I tell you that this post is mostly about food? Now I know why I'm fat. FML. Well not really FML because I so love to eat. Well, this post is a consolidation of the past three to four weeks of my life, not just a week so hindi naman ako talaga ganun katakaw.

So ya, I'm just distracting myself from my real concerns. I feel like George Bush when he was told that they were being attacked by terrorists- dumbfounded. It's been a week since place of business was evicted and I haven't done anything yet to address this. Frakkit. We're going to temporarily operate from our house extension but the electrical chuva there is a little problematic. Napapakanta na naman ako ng Ulan- heto akoooooooo basang-basa sa ulan/ walang masisilungan, walang malalapitan...

Wala na akong kwenta kausap. O wala nang kwenta mga pinagsusulat. Buti na lang malapit na ng Christmas.