Sunday, April 29, 2012

Walking Highlighter

Let me start off by saying Avengers is definitely and totally awesome!!! I got to watch it last night and I'm so glad to finally be able to relate to all the "I wanna watch Avengers again" tweets of all my friends! Haha! Anyway, for a day spent in a driving orientation to mall hopping with my mom to anticipation mass and finally to a late night movie, I decided to wear an outfit that would make me visible even 3 miles away. I feel like a walking highlighter in this neon top! So what do I do with a loud colored top? Pair with equally loud colored accessories, of course! Now you can spot me 5 miles away! 

I just want to congratulate my dad for finally being able to take my outfit shots AT NIGHT! Although I only got to use 9 photos out of the many, many ones we took. Haha! But nevertheless, it's an achievement for both of us!  
Top - Jaspal (From Thailand) || Leggings - Mango
Necklace - From Bohol
I love locally made accessories so much! Not only are they very affordable, but they're also unique and kind of rustic, in a way. 
 Ring - Market! Market! || Orange ring - H&M
My lavender and brown ring is yet another local accessory from Market! Market! They have tons of accessories made mostly from pearls and precious stones. It's overwhelming! 
Bangle - H&M || Red cuff - From Bohol
And another local accessory, too!


Flats - Yosi Samra
Yosi Samra really is the most comfortable flats of alls! My feet were able to survive from all the walking from 9am to 1am without it hurting at all!

Normally, I'd stick with pastel and lighter colors for my outfits but I'm glad to have this neon top in my closet! It surely is one of a kind! I'm off to watch Thor now again! I repeated Captain America a while ago and I am so amused that I can now understand every single detail of the individual movies that I didn't get while sitting in the theater! Have a good night!

Love, Paola <3

Friday, April 27, 2012

Corporate Fashion

Today I got to talk to a friend who's graduating soon and I can't help but be excited for him. It got me thinking, what awaits me in the corporate world? The corporate world is not as glamorous as I would like it to be, or so I'm told. I want to be part of an industry wherein women are in fashionable, non monochromatic suits wearing towering pumps who get to lunch in fine dining restos and attend the most sophisticated events at night. Sounds familiar? Probably because I based that vision from The Devil Wears Prada. HAHA! It's the only vision I'm currently entertaining. :))

But since there's slim chance of that happening right after I graduate, I plan to bring that vision to the industry I'm going to work in. Well a part of it, at least. How? With outfits, of course! *big smile* Just for fun, I decided to create my pegs for the corporate world! 

A clean cut blazer with interesting details and colors! 
A simple dress, conservative enough to be worn in the office but still fashionably chic.
Two words: PALAZZO PANTS. Ahhhh, I love the red one! <3 It's classy, it's flattering, it's hip!
Pencil skirts in different colors and prints!
Classic blouses made interesting by sheer, satin or patterns.
Pumps in basic colors! 
I'm pretty sure corporate attire doesn't mean foregoing accessories as long as it's not over the top. Creating a statement necklace, for example, wouldn't hurt!

Love, Paola <3  

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Outfit Clash

Today I heard a stranger effortlessly play Chopin and The Prayer on a grand piano. I was extremely amazed  that I want nothing more than to be able to do it too. When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I took piano lessons for almost a year but decided to stop it since it bored me badly. Now I regret it. But what do you do with your regrets? If you can turn it around and do it again, you find a way. If not, well you live with it. So what I did with mine is enroll yet again for piano lessons. Although I'm probably the oldest student of Euphony Music, I didn't mind at all. I wanna make my stiff, powerless fingers play beautiful notes once more! Hopefully, in 4 weeks time, it'll already be able to! :)

Whenever I wear this skirt, I cannot help but use this belt to go with it. With the a plain brown shirt, a brown hat and sneakers, I'd pass for the going-to-the-Safari look, wouldn't I? :) But since I'm going to music school and not safari, I paired a dressy top, an equally dressy necklace and beautiful locally made accessories. Now that's an outfit clash.
 Top - Debenhams || Skirt - H&M
Necklace - Forever 21
Ring - Market! Market!

Belt - XOXO
 Bangles - From Bohol
Wedges - Charles and Keith

Someday I'd be able to play Chopin on a grand piano too! Sometimes, all it takes is one stranger to inspire you. I hope you find inspirations on the things around you! Good night!

Love, Paola <3

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Right Down Memory Lane

The other day, out of boredom, I decided to fix one of my drawers. Fixing drawers in my room is always an instant trip down memory lane. There are always things that remind me of certain events and memories. Since I rarely fix it, I get to keep even the most random items from the past. HAHA! Well, that's one perk of rarely fixing it. Among other things, I found my collection of photobooth pictures from different birthdays and events. I found myself staring at each one of them, trying to relieve what happened for that particular night. Out of the blue, I'd catch myself smiling from remembering a certain memory like dancing and singing on the dance floor then accidentally stepping on someone's foot with my pointed heels. Be it embarrassing or funny, it's simple reminiscences like that, that makes travelling down our own memory lane so comforting. Imagine if we literally have to walk through it on a gravel road like this! How cool would that be? :)

Pastel colors are so pleasing to the eyes. With the right amount of floral prints, tassel and a loose ribbon to tie the whole look together, I was good to go!

Cover Up - Gift ( For Me) || Tank top - GVP Designs and Collections || Skirt - F&X



Tassel Necklace - Eastwood 
Sunnies - Kenneth Cole || Ring - SM Accesories
I love crossroad signs like this! A trip down my memory lane with definitely have some signs like this! :))


And that concludes all my outfit shots for our Bohol trip! Posting one last blog post about it and I'm done! Now I shall force myself to go to bed early. How's everyone's Saturday? :)

Love, Paola <3

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Chocolate Hills

Here's the thing. I'm appreciative but I'm not that vocal. So the day we went to see the Chocolate Hills, I was my usual quiet self, but I tell you, I was blown away. I asked my best friend once before if the Chocolate Hills was beautiful and he said yeah, it was okay. I heard other people say the same thing about it too. I feel like they find it beautiful, but not beautiful enough. But honestly, for me it was breathtaking. How it differs in height and in sizes, how it is placed randomly together, how the trees enveloped the foot of every hill making it look like it's floating from the ground and how it seems like it has no end and go on for miles and miles and miles. I guess we all have a different eye for beauty. But it was beyond beautiful to me. 


And of course, like I said, I define summer as time to wear all the possible colors in the world. For our Bohol trip, I don't think I even packed neutral colors. For this outfit, I stayed with colorful pastels with the girly-est details such as floral prints and ruffles. :)
Inner top - Just G || Polo - Guess 
Floral shorts - Forever 21
The tarsier necklace was given by our tour guide! She each slipped one on us before the tour. I felt like a legit tourist! HAHA!


Vintage Necklace
Bangles - H&M || Floral ring - Forever 21 || Owl ring - Accessorize
Bag - Havaianas 

My Bohol posts are still not yet over so watch out for it! The picture barely do justice for the Chocolate Hills but I hope you find it beautiful as well! We have such beautiful places in our country, I have yet to see them all. So yeah, I guess it really is more fun in the Philippines! :)

Love, Paola <3

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Summer Read

A lot of people have been asking me books to read for the summer. If you asked me on the spot, I wouldn't able to give you one right away since there is a jumble of books in my mind ever since I started to be a book worm. I decided to take some time think about it. I spent time staring at my own personal library (I like to call it a library even though it's basically just shelves), remembering every story and every character that comes with the title. So now, I present to you a list of series, authors and books that made it to the top of my list:

Series
We know there's Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games. The fact that these books are turned into movies prove that they are nothing but a great read. But there are also other amazing series out that the movie industry haven't touched yet.


Gallagher Girls Series - Out of all the books I read and all the series I finished, The Gallagher Girls Series still and will probably always be the series closest to my heart.  I've practically read the series five times or even more. It embodies a girl's courage and bravery, a powerful friendship that can withstand anything, a mother's great love for her daughter, one of the best and most kilig love stories ever told and constant adventure. Girls, I tell you, do not pass out on this series.


Prophecy of the Sisters Series - This is the first ever suspense/thriller book I've ever read. The series started out when I was 15 and was still a scaredy-cat. Back then, I wouldn't read it if it was pass 6 pm already. Sometimes I can't help but laugh at my old ways. The series is not scary at all, it is gripping, suspenseful and unpredictable. It's unique story will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning, trust me.


Heist Society Series - With the same author as the Gallagher Girls series, you can't help but notice a similarity between the two. What I like about it is that even though it's an entirely different story, it has the same feel as the Gallagher Girl series - a heroine, a love story, a quest. 


Divergent Trilogy - I originally did not want to read this book because of it's cover. It's not inviting or creative or even girly. But this is the book I'm currently reading. I just started a while ago and I'm almost halfway through. The reason why it made my list even though I haven't finished reading it yet because according to rumors, it is the next Harry Potter-Twilight-Hunger Games. And even though I'm just on chapter 11 out of 39 chapters, I can't help but agree. Something tells me this series is something I won't easily forget.

Authors 
I thought I will never outgrow my love for YA books. Adult books are mostly about realistic and serious love stories. The reason why I love reading books because it's a great escape to reality. But since I have to become an adult eventually, here are three authors that I trust when it comes to adult books.


Nicholas Sparks - I am on a quest of finishing all 16 Nicholas Sparks books. I've finished 11 now. This goes without saying that he is my favorite author. People ask me why I read Nicholas Sparks when all of his books are depressing and most of the characters end up dead.Yes, Nicholas Sparks write tragedies. But more often than not, I see his books as modern and realistic Disney stories wherein after everything that the characters go through, you will see that the miracle of love can bypass and overcome the most sad and tragic circumstances.. even death. There is something comforting with his writing. And no, it is not in all his books that the main characters die. Infact, I've read two wherein no one dies AT ALL.


 Sophie Kinsella - You probably all know her as the writer of Confessions of the Shopaholic. I haven't read that yet though. But the Sophie Kinsella books I suggest is Twenties Girl and The Undomestic Goddess. Sophie Kinsella finds a way to inject magic, adventure and unique happenings in the most common and ordinary events.


Cecelia Ahern - The books I've read from Cecelia Ahern, Love, Rosie and The Book of Tomorrow, are exact opposites. The Book of Tomorrow is a simple story, that's is why I cannot figure out why I cannot stop reading it. It's story has the power to pull and engross its readers. Love, Rosie, on the other hand, is the most candid and distinctive love story I have ever read. It has a heart-tugging ending and it shows you that no matter what happens or no matter how long it takes, in the end, if you're meant to be, you'll always find your way back to each other.

Individual Books 


Here are a few other stand outs: Love, Loss and What I wore by Ilene Beckerman, The Dream Maker's Magic by Sharon Shinn, Le Petite Four by Regina Scott and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.

Back in high school, I'd try top the number of books I've read every summer. But since summer takes an entirely different meaning in college, I didn't get to do it anymore. But this summer, I decided to make my summer reading list:

  1. Out of Sight, Out of Time - Ally Carter
  2. Divergent - Veronica Roth
  3. Circle of Fire - Michelle Zink
  4. Elixir - Hilary Duff
  5. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
  6. My Name is Memory - Ann Brashares
  7. I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella
  8. The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen
  9. Before Ever After - Samantha Sotto
  10. The five Nicholas Sparks books I still haven't read
Phew! This is post is long, I spent two hours writing it! Sorry for that. Anyway, I hope the list I shared was enough to get you through summer! Share your summer reading list with me? :)

Love, Paola <3