Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Emmy Awards 2012

Have you watched the Emmy Awards 2012 yet? Aside from wanting to know all the nominees and winners of all the awards, one of the reasons why I love watching awards like this is because of everyone's outfit. There's excitement in seeing the outfit of your favorite actors and judging whether it's breathtaking or if it's a disaster, if it fits perfectly or doesn't work very well. For the Emmy's this year, I noticed a lot of bright, solid colors and a play on different textures and structures. Here are my favorites:

 Emilia Clarke in Chanel || Zosia Mamet in Bihbu Mahopatra
Ginnifer Goodwin in Monique Lhuillier || Hayden Panettiere in Marchesa 
Julianne Hough in Georges Hobeika || Ariel Winter in Katharine Kidd
Lena Dunham in Prada || Leslie Mann in Naeem Khan
January Jones in Zac Posen || Julianne Moore in Christian Dior Couture 
 Zooey Deschanel in Reem Acra || Heidi Klum in Alexander Vauthier
 Julie Bowen in Monique Lhuiller || Padma Lakshmi in Monique Lhuiller 
Tina Fey in Vivienne Westwood || Maria Menounos in Oliver Tolentino 
Sofia Vergara in Zuhair Murad || Nicole Kidman in Antonia Berardi 

Which one is your favorite? :)

Love, Paola <3 i="i">

Friday, September 21, 2012

What makes YOU memorable?

Today I had a casual interview for an org. Everything was going okay, really. My panicky and tensed self answered each question well enough to move to the next one. Then I got thrown off by a particular question that they asked, "What would makes us remember you?". It got me thinking, what's really memorable about me? Something that's entirely my own, a unique aesthetic that other people cannot claim. Out of pressure, I guess I just blurted out a mediocre answer, one that I'm sure is not something memorable at all. 

That interview and a few other things this past week got me questioning myself. On the way home, I was thinking hard of a particular aspect of my personality or a talent or skill or part of my character that would represent myself. I love writing, but everyone can write and it's not like I won a Pulitzer Prize on a particular work I've done before. I'd like to think I'm a good student but I was not some genius who dominated quiz bees. I can sing, but not professionally, most of the time just leisurely in the confines of our home. I don't have a sport I'm good at (this I actually don't mind). I have this blog, but with the frequency of my blog updates, I don't think it's even qualified. On a quirkier side, My friends say that whenever they see anything panda or Paris, they think instantly of me. But is my love for pandas and Paris noteworthy enough? Not that I'm beating myself up, really. Just genuine curiosity

Out of all the times I spent reading and watching Taylor Swift's interviews, there's this one particular line that she said that struck me so much I don't think I'll forget it in my whole lifetime: "I'm intimidated by the fear of being average". A close friend told me once that there's nothing wrong with being average. And I do agree. Average is fine, average is okay. But sometimes we want to be more than fine and more than okay. Sometimes we want to be special enough or have something that's significant enough within us to makes us memorable

If given another chance, I could now come up with a few better answers, not entirely unique, just something not said out of pressure. But that's the thing though, most of the time we do not get a second chance. So the best remedy would be to learn from it and be better on the next opportunity - although it's not much of a remedy, it's the only logical way to approach it. Coincidentally, I'm reading The Perks of Being A Wallflower (only because my friends won't let me come to the movie date if I haven't finished it. I have nice friends, you see HAHA) and although Charlie's character is not that appealing to me, in a way I can relate to his shy, reserved, introverted personality. I do hope that I do not possess his stand out habit, observing life rather than participating in it. But hey, at least being a wallflower makes him remarkable enough to sell 700  000+ book copies in one year. 

How about you? What makes you memorable? 

Love, Paola <3>

Monday, September 17, 2012

What's in my school bag?

Bag - Accessorize || Panda notebook - Gift || Binder - Muji || Post its - Fully Booked || Notepads - Powerbooks || Pencil case - Saizen || Sci Cal - Sharp 

Second term has officially started for trimestral universities like ours. Last week was the first two days of term two but it was mostly just an introduction to the subjects and to our professors. So technically, today's the day we get down to business (although not for me since 2 of my subjects are free cut). Having met all my professors, I think that this term would be fairly better than last term's too demanding minor subjects. Every term, I increase the number of major subjects I take and I cannot be anymore happier knowing that I'm almost done with my minor subjects. Majors are more fun and way more interesting and I get to really practice and hone my marketing skills through the countless reportings and marketing plans we make. Anyway, just for a change, here's a blog post on the basic school necessities that help me survive every term. 

  1. A trusty bag and a bag organizer - I just recently bought my very first rucksack and everybody keeps on saying that they're not used to seeing me carrying one. I've never been the backpack kind of girl, I always felt like it was too boyish for me, but there has been a surge in the use of rucksack today and I could not resist diving into the trend especially when it involves dainty prints like this one. Then I have my bag organizer which is such a life saver since prior to using it, I spend a minimum of  10 minutes when I need to locate things in my bag. It keeps my not-so-organized stuff organized. 
  2. Notebooks - I honestly just use my Muji binder in school but I just added my cute panda notebook for good measure (and for a cuter effect too). I like this binder since carrying around different notebooks or fillers for a every subject is such a hassle. I put all my notes in this binder and use a separator for every subject. It's refillable too, so I don't have to change every term. So convenient!
  3. Pencil case, USB and highlighter - My friends and I pass around our USB's to each other and load it with series and movies to watch. My USB's are so controversial to them. A USB is supposed to be just a simple rectangle drive, but my USB's have to be shaped like a panda and a truck and sometimes I even bring the rabbit and the hammer too. They have dual purpose, sometimes when I get bored in class, they act as instant toys to me! Haha! I thank my dad for my quirky school stuff like the USB's and the highlighters that boggle the mind of my friends. 
  4. Various post-it's, notepad and checklists - I have a drawer full of Paris and panda notebooks and other writing materials. These post-it's, for example, I have them for 2 years now. I rarely use them, I just really like to stare at them most of the time. Haha! Having cutesy stuff act as a motivation in studying! 
I'm ready second term!!! 
Love, Paola <3 i="i">

Monday, September 10, 2012

The Lazy Vibe

One of the best luxury in life is getting to sleep in, lie down in bed all day with a good book at your side table that you can grab anytime. And although that luxury has just started, it's already about to come to an end since it's back to school this Wednesday. Well, I'm so grateful so to have term one over and done with that I don't care if we have school the next day! So this two-day term break is definitely a luxury for me! 

Since I started with a lazy, luxurious vibe, I'm pairing it with an equally lazy outfit. Lazy doesn't have to be boring though. Just a few details here and there and no one would ever guess your laziness to dress up. I wore this outfit a while back, during one of the long weekends in Manila when traffic was so smooth and people are lounging around in parks like this one! 

I was going for a carefree vibe so I built my outfit around this effortless dress. I threw on a vest for a little layering and finished off with a playful necklace and an arm party just to put some happy colors on me! Comfortable and chill can also become fun and interesting! :)
Dress - F&X || Vest - Just G.
Necklace - Tops
Purple bracelet - from Bohol || Beaded bangle - Forever 21 || Ring - Swatch

Love, Paola <3 nbsp="nbsp">