12/30/09 Outfit: Smalltown Christmas

Dress bought from Chicas de Moda. This is a long dress that I rouched at the waist so I wouldn't be dragging the hem while walking around town.

Christmas Outfit: Black!

(pinky and me)

(pinky and mama)

(pinky and my sister, marion)

Joyeux Noel tout le monde! :)

We have a very low-key Noche Buena here in Siquijor. We eat, drink, and laugh with family and friends and just about everyone who comes to the house. Because we are a family who loves good food, we prepare the most we can -- not that much but not that little -- and it always amazes me how the food can stretch until Christmas breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It reminds me of the parable of the bread loaves. :)

So now -- to my [our] outfit:

Pinky's:
Dress - SM
Shoes - thrifted

Me:
Dress - thrifted :)
Slip - thrifted
Shoes - Juan by Janilyn

Mama:
Top - gift from Aunt
Pants - Adina
Slippers - Havaiianas, gift

Sister:
Headband - Mags
Jacket - thrifted
Dress - old gift, reworked
Shoes - Charles & Keith

Today's Outfit: Highschool Get-together

These are a few of my high-school buddies. We only had one section in highschool so our class was a bit tight. I know that when we get together, the teasing never stops and old jokes are recycled over and over again.

What I'm wearing tonight:

Dress - vintage, thrifted
Jacket - thrifted, P50
Slippers - Marikina Shoe Exchange, P500(?), bought 2yrs ago
Purse - replica Anna Sui, P130

Today's Outfit: Floral Dress

I can't stop laughing over that funny look in my first picture. LOL I really don't know how to smile/pose in front of a camera especially when I am the one taking a picture of myself. In fact, I have not taken a decent photo of myself yet.

So.. what I wore today: floral dress with stripes. The print and cut of the dress looks vintage. It also feels vintage. But the dress is well made and fits me right. I am thinking of listing this dress up at the Shop in January but when I wore it, I am having second thoughts.

Dress: thrifted
Belt: thrifted

Today's Outfit: Wrapping Gifts

In between wrapping gifts, editing drafts, entertaining visitors, greeting my Mother a happy birthday and singing the birthday song with my nephew... I took a quick time out to meet with one of my officemates to discuss the program for this Saturday's Christmas picnic.

And what I wore:

Top: thrifted vintage
Pants: sister's, thrifted
Belt: thrifted
Shoes: Juan (local Philippine brand)

The shoes (booties) are my present for myself. I was so happy I scored these pair because they were 50% their original price. :) They are one size bigger for me but they're booties so that doesn't matter much. I'm excited to wear this with the black lace dress I'm wearing for Christmas.

Hope everyone bought gifts already.. and hope you find time to gift yourself with the things you want/need the most.. material or not.

Today's Outfit: White on Gray

I needed to cut short my work for the day to run -- literally -- to the mall to finish shopping for our company's door prizes. Tsk, tsk. I also squeezed in having some dollars changed (we have really low dollar rates these days), checking Cebu Pacific's Cebu-GenSan schedule, meeting up with one of my bestfriends Hanes for an emergency, and having dinner with my boyfriend and sister. I finally finished shopping for the door prizes, but I am exhausted and do not want to continue working for the rest of the night. But I have to because it's my job and my bread-and-butter.

And to my outfit for the day... all are thrifted except for the pair of [high-waist/tapered] pants, which was previously owned by one of my mother's cousins and is probably already 10 or 15 years old.

Top: thrifted
Pants: Express, old
Shoes: thrifted, P250

Thrifty Tips for [X-mas] Entertaining

Snippets from Thrifty Tips for Entertaining, from Mom by June Fletcher

"Mayonnaise is mortar." Just about everything you find in a small can can be smashed, mixed with mayonnaise and something else from a little jar, and slathered on a saltine for an hors d'oeuvre. Bait-sized canned shrimp, mixed with dried chives and a squirt of lemon, is surprisingly tasty.

"Heap it up." Mom was a wicked-good cook, but when it came to parties she didn't bother with her signature Weiner schnitzel or caloric-death sour-cream pork chops. In fact, even if she was having a dinner party, she didn't cook individual dishes at all. Instead, she served a main course that could be mounded, like paella, or tubbed, like bouillabaisse or even beef stew. Side dishes invariably consisted of a loaf of steaming garlic bread and a vat of salad. Because the food was simple and cooked in bulk (though served on gorgeous, giant platters), it didn't stress her budget or tax her energy.

"Punch it up." Liquor always flowed at my parents' parties. Though Dad had once owned a bar, he rarely mixed drinks for guests. Rather, he mixed with his guests. Guests helped themselves from the huge punch bowl that held an economical solution Mom had concocted of champagne, raspberry sherbet, ginger ale and a sugary red liquid that may well have been Kool Aid. I sometimes sneaked a glass; it rocked.

"Make people play." Mom believed that adults all secretly yearned to be kids again, so she prodded people to do more than just stand around and talk. Those who weren't good at charades or singing at the piano, might be corralled into wiring greenery into a wreath or teaching one of our 21 show dogs a new trick.

"Always eat the centerpiece." Flowers were too boring for Mom. Instead, she designed vignettes, like a winter scene with snowmen made from citrus, roads from cashews and cabins from chocolate cake. An artist ahead of her time, she encouraged guests to nibble on her creations as she brought the coffee.

What's The Point?

I put up this blog to document my "thrifting process" and along the way, I did "outfit" posts. I admit that I, most of the times, never nail that look. I know that there are always "something odd" in my outfits, and, because I, mostly live alone, I don't have anyone who can tell me what's wrong with what I'm wearing. That is the reason why I occasionally insert outfit posts in this blog -- so someone could tell me if there is anything "off" in my outfit and what that is and how I could remedy that. You know, personal style evolves. We make mistakes, we learn. :) So, if you like or don't like my outfits, you can say it -- but please be gentle. :D :D

Today's Outfit: Nerdy Rock

I have finally gotten around to shopping gifts for my god-daughters/sons/nephews/nieces. I have also gotten around to cleaning my very small bedroom and I am tired, but happy. I am not yet done with my Christmas shopping but I am hoping to finish everything before Friday next week. :D

And to today's outfit.. nerdy rock.

Because my cousin calls these sandals "nerdy sandals." I adore these sandals because they are lightweight and very comfortable. I feel like I'm floating when I'm walking with them. :D And the shorts are currently for sale at the Shop.

Top: vintage & thrifted
Shorts: Guess, thrifted
Sandals: GT Hawkins, P50, bought from Preloved Gallery
Rings: blue & white, P80 each, from Dumask

12/11/09 Outfit: La Science des Reves

Last night, my boyfriend and I watched La Science des Reves at the Alliance Francaise de Cebu. The movie, which starred Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg, was a romantic comedy. It was, to be honest, not my type of movie. I love Gael Garcia Bernal and find him cute but the movie, which involved lots of dreams and abstract thoughts, I could not fully grasp. The movie was a little funny though. Oh, and I listened to Charlotte Gainsbourg's songs. Ohh.. they're beautiful and haunting.

Now to my outfit.. It fitted well with the movie because the thrifted top I had on had this abstract prints.



top: Marni, thrifted
earrings: from Grandma
belt: thrifted
jeans: thrifted

Today's Outfit: Not a Starbucks Fan

I am unapologetically not a Starbucks fan. When Starbucks "evaded" the Philippines and our little urban city of Cebu, I could not understand why people were so hyped into buying the ridiculously-priced coffee served at that coffee shop (except maybe that Hollywood celebrities were sporting Starbucks coffee cups like they were prized accessories). When I went to Glorietta in 2003, I bought a tall iced coffee at Seattle's Best and nearly kicked myself for paying P150 for that.

My first taste of Starbucks in Cebu was when my cousin, Des, treated me to a breakfast one morning. I wasn't impressed.

I have always been a fan of a local coffee shop called "Bo's Coffee" and have always frequented the coffee shop when I was still taking my undergraduate course. Because I love Bo's, its coffee and pastries, and because I have fond memories of the coffee shop, I could not see any reason why I should switch to an international coffee shop -- well, except maybe to grab Starbuck's brownies because they were to die for! :D

Oh, what I wore today: cotton peasant tunic top + gray high-waisted jeans (hand-me-down from an aunt) + sandals. The peasant top, which I will be listing in the Shop in January, has vintagey lace applique.

2nd Blog Award!

From Adventures of a Pinay Neska.
Thank you, thank you! Wohoo!

Birthday Food!

Project Rework # 01

Original

Reworked

I listed the dress at the Shop two months ago, and just as I thought would happen, no one got interested in the dress. The original dress' design was rather unflattering especially the neckline and sleeves (argh!) but I super loved the dress' wrap-skirt so I bought it thinking I'd have the dress remodeled to a body-con-like dress.

And I did! I had the dress remodeled by a local seamstress (sorry, my sewing skills are very basic). But I think the seamstress did a good job, at a reasonable price, and I can't wait to wear the reworked dress to our company's Christmas party, which also happens to be a pool-side party.

I think I will be wearing this dress a lot.

2010 Wishlist

I generally wish for good health, peace of mind, lots of love, success in career and business, and stronger ties all throughout. But, I am also human, and I wish for material things as well.

For 2010, these are the things I'd wish I could have:

1. UPS, for my PC. I need my PC for work and my work is very important to me.


2. Amazon Kindle. I love books, I love to read. And I am thrilled at the thought of being able to bring lots and lots of books wherever I am in an easy-to-carry gadget. I am also thrilled that this gadget is not tiny as I hate having to squint my eyes to read texts. (the wrinkles!)

3. Black formal shoes/boots. I spent some time today scouring a mall for reasonably-priced black formal shoes and there were a few that made my heart flutter. This pair though is a good mix of formal shoes/booties.

4. A laptop with a big screen. I have a 10.2" netbook and I absolutely love it because I can hide it inside most of my "fashionable" bags. But in the past months, I have been deliberating whether to switch to a laptop (from a PC) for work. The laptop I want though is not something I'd really like to carry with me every where. I just need it to have a wide/big screen (so I don't have to squint) my eyes.

5. Running shoes. Beautiful running shoes. Alongside resolving to drinking milk everyday, I also resolved to run (or, for starters, jog/sprint) at least thrice a week. However, unlike the drinking milk resolution, I haven't gotten around to the running resolution basically because I don't have running shoes. (I hate running shoes, as I think they make me look like a duck).
What are in your wishlists?



P.S. Photos not mine.

And, I forgot, I also wish for a peaceful and honest elections here in the Philippines. I am hoping the Filipinos will vote for the person who is most capable of the job.

Today's Outfit: Friday Commuting

My day -- which is not yet over -- started early. I had to be at a local coffeeshop at 8AM to meet with Kim, a client of the Shop. Before that, I have to transfer files from my PC to my laptop for me to be able to work at the coffeeshop while waiting for Kim.

This is what I wore this morning. I'm still wearing it while writing this blog. If you can see, I recycled the shirt I wore last night. This outfit proved to be comfortable enough for commuting and walking under the tropical sun.

This afternoon, I'm meeting my team, my bestfriends, and another client.

Today's Outfit: Quilt Skirt

Quilted skirt I thrifted last Sunday. The skirt is really made up of different pieces of cloth patched together to make a skirt.

Skirt - knitted A.P.C. (thrifted)
Belt - thrifted

Cheap Food: Bais/Dumaguete

This blog is not just about cheap finds (clothes) at the thrift stores. This blog is also about cheap finds outside the thrift stores -- cheap ways to travel, etc.

Whenever my boyfriend and I travel, our top priority is always to see to it that the place we're going to has decent places where we can eat. While Dumaguete City is bursting with food places, Bais City is the opposite.

Photos (top to bottom):
- Hotcake & Ice Crumble (P10)
- Cheeseburger (?)
- Egg & Cheese Sandwich (?)
- Beef Stew, Potato Croquette, Greek Salad, and Chicken Asparagus Soup (P300 or less)
- Spanish Chorizo, Scrambled Eggs (P150 or less)
- Spanish Omelet (P150 or less)

first 4 photos by Joel Lopez
last 2 photos by me