Friday, December 27, 2013

Unexpected Match

 It may be surprising that when I bought this outfit, I had no idea they go together. It was at H&M in HongKong. I was done fitting and was about to leave when my Ninang bought me a blue pants but with a wrong size. The fitting room line was crazy long so I just chose another pants my size with almost the same style and had it replaced. It was back in Manila, when they were already hanging in my closet that I realized they're matching and had the same print. And I happen to like unexpected matches just like dipping fries in hot fudge or mixing silver and gold which used to be a taboo but is now a trend or how two people with the completely different personalities can become best friends - things that we're not intended for each other but surprisingly go well together. Like now for example, I'm thinking of whipping up the Ghiradelli hot chocolate downstairs even if it's really hot outside. But it's Christmas afterall! 
Top and pants - H&M || Necklace - Thailand || Bag - Michael Kors || Belt - Stradivarius || Flats - Call it Spring

Love, Paola 

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry, Merry Christmas everyone!!! It feels like Yuletide season is coming by so fast, but I hope the true meaning of the celebration still shines through. I particularly loved the Homily last night. It was a simple personification on how the donkey and the ox played a big part in the birth of baby Jesus yet it speaks so much. Father told us that Christmas is not about being proud, it's about showing off or having much, it's not about being stylish or noisy and distracted - it's about finding serenity and celebrating Jesus' birth.  I know that it's easy to get sidetracked by our celebrations - all the food, traditions and gift giving but above all let's all celebrate the true meaning of Christmas!
Sweater - Cotton On || Skirt - H&M || Shoes - Call it Spring

Here are a few photos from our Noche Buena!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!! 

Love, Paola

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Adios, Sayonara, Au revoir!


It's official! My last term in DLSU is going to end this week! Though technically I was done with this term the moment we submitted revised thesis paper but seeing all the Facebook status of my school mates makes it more official this week. It's still not sinking in that I'm actually done with school - as in legit, adios-sayonara-goodbye-kind-of-done. During our thesis defense, I was actually putting more pressure on myself since I kept thinking that my academic life, all 15 years of it, boils down to that day. And although the total score was short of 0.04 for our thesis to be nominated which was our goal since (ughhh it stil hurts huhuhu and let's just not talk about the panel's individual scores), I'm still thankful and grateful that we did it and now, we're done with it. One of my consistent complains all through out my college life was working in a group with slackers and freeloaders (I hate those the most) but I consider myself lucky to have worked with my thesismates! :) 


What's a bunch of selfies doing here, you ask? Well, this was taken after I had my graduation photoshoot. My friends and I are a year late and we will be put in a different yearbook from our batchmates all because we were so lazy to do the requirements the year before. I love that I have friends who understand me. Anywaaay, I loved the graduation photoshoot! It was the first time I wore a black toga and though this may seem a little dramatic, I feel like it gave me the motivation to do my best for our thesis as my last tribute to my entire academic life. I am a drama queen afterall. I plan on posting my graduation photo come January since I don't wanna jinx anything although everything's official already. PICC and my diploma, see you in February 8, 2014!!!

Just like what one of our panelist said, "Now the hard part is getting a job." ;)

Love, Paola xx


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

On Letting Go

Carrie once said this quote in an episode of The Carrie Diaries: "Letting go of people or tradition is hard because you invest so much time in them that to let go can be scary but it can also be liberating or even essential to your happiness." Instantly, I thought of all the things I had to let go of. It wasn't very many and most of it are notable or crucial. But I realized that letting go is not a talent I possess - be it letting go of my old, dirty stuff toy I've had named Abbit ever since I was two years old or letting go of a friendship I know wasn't really going to work out in the end, or letting go of traditions that I love and look forward to. It's hard for me to let things go but in the end, whether I like it or not, things always change and sometimes they change for the better. Although results are not immediate and sometimes all you can do is wait - just like how Carrie said that statement in the end of season 1 and left us all waiting for season 2. 
Top - Clothes for the Goddess || Skirt - Pink Manila || Bear hat - Ebay || Bag - Michael Kors || Loafers - Topshop

Love, Paola 

Monday, November 25, 2013

7 scenes in the Catching Fire book that weren't shown in the movie


The fan girl in me was pretty much satisfied with the movie adaption of Catching Fire. It's been getting so many good reviews from both readers and non-readers of the HG Trilogy! So many friends have been telling me how awesome it was! However, it is still not at par with the level of the book. I looooooooooooooooved the book extremely!!!! It was my favorite out of the three HG books and I think it was very unique, well planned and plotted well. All the characters shown with their back stories and personalities! This is where Katniss and Peeta's love story developed the most. So if you really loved the movie, then the book will make you all the more crazy for it! But for those who are not interested in reading the series, here are 6 vital scenes that were not shown in the movie:


1. Katniss and Peeta's numerous sleepovers because of their nightmares. This was briefly shown in the movie, during their Victory Tour but non-readers don't know how much Katniss depended on Peeta because of her nightmares since it is only when Peeta's beside her that she can sleep peacefully. After their Victory Tour, when they were back in their own homes and sleeping alone, she wanted Peeta beside her.


2. Plutarch Heavensbee hinting at Katniss on what the arena would be like. As for those who didn't get it, Plutarch Heavensbee is not a bad guy. In fact, during their Victory Tour at the capitol, Plutarch danced with Katniss (as scene in the movie) and showed her his clock, which eventually helped Katniss understand what the arena was later on.


3. Bonnie and Twill's journey to District 13. Once in the forest, Katniss met mom and daughter, Bonnie and Twill who are running away to District 13. They gave Katniss the idea that District 13 might not be really gone.


4. The explanation of the Quarter Quells and what it really means. This was one of my favorite parts in the book! I was completelyy blown away with this twist! In the movie though, it was done in an anticlimatic way. Quarter Quells are special Hunger Games done every quarter with a story and reason behind it.


5. Katniss and Peeta watching Haymitch's video of the 50th Quarter Quell. Some people might not even get that Haymitch is a Victor which means who participated in the games before. However, he's not just a Victor, but a Quarter Quell Victor of 50th Hunger Games, wherein there were twice as many players (see no.4).  This showed a back story on Haymitch and how we won the games. Like Katniss and Peeta, Haymitch allied with the District 12  girl representative,  Maysilee and how he tried to save her. 


6. Katniss and Finnick playing a prank on Peeta. AHHHHHHH Finnick was my favorite character in the ENTIRE series!!!! I did love Finnick in the movie but I think he needs to be more sassy, more flirtatious. And this was one of my favorite scenes in the arena, where Finnick and Katniss were having fun! What the movie failed to show was that the arena was not all pure violence and catastrophes but the tributes did have fun and Katniss and Peeta shared special moments with the other tributes!


7. Mag's backstory. Mags was the old lady from the same district as Finnick. In the theatre, so many people were laughing at Mags everytime Finnick would carry her, and I felt a little defensive. Mags volunteered for Annie, the girl with mental problems and Finnick's love interests, she sacrificed herself for Peeta back in the fog and she was also Finnick's mentor. She deserved waaaaay more credit than what the movie gave her!

There you have it! Of course, there are still much more details that were not presented in the movie, and characters that weren't magnified as much! Catching Fire is an amazing book and if you loved the movie, I suggest you read it! Afterall, that's the only way to become a real, true to heart Hunger Games fan!

Love, Paola

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Sporty?

I've never had a sport. I was one of those kids before who falls into the lazy and lampa category. I've never even learned how to ride a bike, which surprises most people. If I didn't get swimming as my PE back in my freshman year, I never would've learned how to swim too. Doing sports has so many benefits but in my head, all those benefits are triumphed by just lounging around in bed. Like some girls, I'd say the closest sport I had was shopping. Sports fashion is such a trend nowadays - gym shorts are converted can now be worn as casual shorts thanks to pretty prints, sneakers are not just for running but now be for runway because of the heeled sneakers and jerseys, which used to be just worn by basketball players are now getting a makeover with pretty florals and crop styles just like what I'm wearing! How very SNSD! However, I still can't go all out so I chose a stacked pearl necklace and a tote to go with this outfit!
 Jersey Crop Top - Bershka || High-Waisted Shorts - Debenhams || Flats - Yosi Samra || Tote bag - Michael Kors || Sunnies - Aldo

Love, Paola

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Allegiant Book Review and Divergent's First Trailer

My initial thought on this much awaited book? Well, it was a whirlwind of crazy events put together in an attempt to create a coherent plot then finished off with a disastrous ending. I've finished Allegiant a few weeks back but decided to postpone the review for awhile just so I could let the intensity of my feelings waver. The last book was not spectacular. I never knew that one book could contain that much betrayal, conivance and uprising. It was harder to finish the book compared to Divergent and Insurgent which I only finished for a day and loved dearly. I was super duper excited for this book but it turned out to be a disappointment. 

Plot: (2/5) So much has happened that I don't even know what the exact plot is. It just didn't work for me that the goals of the main characters kept on changing. The story seemed so inconsistent. 

Writing and Execution: (2/5) I've heard from other people that they didn't like the switching POVs from Tris and Four. It didn't really bother me, I think that at some point, it was effective but it really does take a while to get used to Four's POV. As for the execution, I think that the story itself was pretty brilliant and ambitious but it just wasn't delivered well. 

Characters: (1/5) This is where it gets worse :( I think that the characters, especially Four, has lost their initial characteristics. I think that Four's character was ruined in this book. I've known him to be a level-headed, brave leading man who'd do anything for Tris. He started losing those at one point in the story. And I'm also not for Tris' final decision. She was against a very important decision, but in the end, she ended up resorting to that anyway.

Cover: (3/5) I've never liked the trilogy's cover in the first place. I wasn't convinved about reading Divergent at first because I didn't like the cover but I've heard some really awesome reviews about it so I read it anyway. But I guess Allegiant's cover was okay.

Overall rating: (2/5)

Despite my disappointment in Allegiant, Divergent still stays at my favorite book list and it's still one of the best books I've read in the dystopian genre. Its movie is coming out on March 2014. First, I wasn't very thrilled with the cast but when I saw the trailer, I think that Shaileen Woodley was casted perfectly for Tris. The recent trailer also showed that they pretty much got the essence of the book - the simulation, the initiation and all. I'm very excited about this although I'm still not feeling Theo for Four's character. I think that the Four in my head is still so much better. But I love that they casted Kate Winslet for Jeanine Matthews!!! I hope this turns out to be a pretty good movie. Summit is producing it and I'm willing to forgive them for ruining the Twilight Saga if they do an awesome job with this one! Check out the trailer! 




Love, Paola

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Difference of Sympathy and Empathy

I've never realized how much difference sympathy and empathy can mean until now. The recent typhoon Yolanda taught me that. My grandma is staying at her province, Suluan, for more than a year now. It's a small island that takes an hour of boat ride from Guiuan. Since Eastern Samar was greatly ravaged by the typhoon, we haven't had contact with her for a few days. And since it's such a small island separated by sea from the main island, the government, news teams and other organizations have no means of reaching it yet. My family was plagued with worry for a few days but thankfully, yesterday, we heard news that everyone from that island is okay, despite its devastation. 

I've always sympathized with those people who were victims of strong typhoons in the past since it's such a frequent calamity in the country. But only now do I truly understand how they feel. Although Manila was almost untouched and we are all safe, experiencing helplessness and worrying for Nanay made me realize how hard it had been for those people. Suddenly, their pains and struggles became much more personal. Just thinking of how many more people out there are suffering right now without food, water, home, electricity and some even loved ones is completely heartbreaking. It's no longer sympathy, but empathy I feel - a personal understanding and not mere pitying. My prayers go out to all the victims of this tragedy and to all families who, like us, lost contact with their relatives. 

While shooting this outfit, I was lucky enough to witness a beautiful sunset and looking at it kind of reminded me of my favorite quote: "The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God cannot protect you."
 Top - Details || Skirt - Stradivarious || Necklace - Aldo || Flats - Topshop

Love, Paola