Monday, August 19, 2013

Room 512

 
     After 7 months of being in the hospital along with a series of dialysis, infections, sores and blood transfusions, I don’t know if I should be relieved that all your pain has ended or to dread that we wouldn’t be with you anymore. Upon hearing the news at around 8 am last Thursday, I was still hopeful that it was just a false alarm and that the meds could still do their job. I don’t know if it was a selfish hope to prolong your life but I have always carried that optimism that one day we could bring you home. All of that wishful thinking faded the minute I had a last glimpse of you wrapped in white, without your usual blushing cheeks. and I realized the time has come.
     I wasn’t there when you breathed your last but there’s a picture in my mind on how it happened. A beautiful lady wrapped you in her arms as you were carried away by beings with faces so pure and together you rose up to the light. That day, August 15, 2013, was the feast of the Assumption, the day the blessed Mary went up to heaven and on that day, she brought a faithful servant.
     When we bid you goodbye last Sunday, heaven was also crying with us. The last mass, taught us all a very valuable lesson in life: that we all die when we start loving. The moment we love another, the concept of self-centeredness dies because a person loving lives for another. We all know you were in so much pain yet you never complained. We know it was your love for us that kept you fighting. Thank you lola for showing us what true love meant. Thank you for instilling in us the importance of values and family. It hurts that we can no longer stroke your golden white hair and touch your rosy cheeks, nor smell your baby-like scent nor hug you or kiss you, but we all know you need to rest. We know you're perfectly happy right now, free from all pain and sorrow and finally reuniting with lolo. Please watch over us from up there. Please always guide us and protect us. Every time we will miss you, we'll look up to the skies, close our eyes, and put our hands near our hearts; because that's where you are and where you'll always be.
    
     Goodbye for now our dear lola. We love you so much.
 
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

Friday, July 19, 2013

Alonso Mateo: The Swaggest Kid

Do you know Alonso Mateo? Sounds like a hunk model right? But he’s not. He is just a 5-year old boy who is making his name in the Instagram world. While regular kids wear jerseys, stained shirts, or jumpers, this kid is already wearing Dior, Tom Ford, Gucci and All Saints. He's the youngest fashion icon being followed by 30,000 followers. His fame began when his mother, Luisa Fernanda Espinosa, a free-lance stylist, started posting photos of his looks on her own account.
The below photos are my favorite looks from his Instagram







I'm amazed that in a young age, he already has a keen eye for good style while most boys are still busy being a kid. He makes the word 'stylish' look so easy and effortless. I noticed that he poses like a pro and he was born to strut! His funny faces, smirks, pouts and his big smiles will always make you see the essence of him being a kid making him even more adorable.
 Move over JT, Ryan Gosling, Biebs, Zac Efron and David Beckham. 
I think someone's bagging the awards for best dressed male and style icon of the year =)

Photos are from his instagram account. Discovgraphies creates no claim or credit for images featured on this post unless otherwise noted. 
All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful owners. If you own rights to any of the images, and do not wish them to appear here, please contact me and they will be promptly removed.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Tattooed in my Mind

I posted this pic in FB a long long time ago captioned "inked". It was literally ink because it was from a free stamp from Jollibee bwahaha.


I also had a henna tattoo from my 2009 Boracay trip.


And that's it. No real ink on me. I'm not really a fan of tattoos but I don't disdain it either. In fact, I already have some possible designs in mind. I also admire a lot of jaw-dropping ones and even watched several episodes of Best Ink. Besides the fact that I'm scared of needles, I just don't have the guts to do it. I also know that I have a fickle mind and erasing it is not that simple. I'm scared of how painful and permanent it would be and I believe a lot of people have that fear too. With that, I'm sure you're going to love Tattly - a shop that designs temporary tattoos created by Tina Roth Eisenberg, the brilliant mind behind one of my favorite blogs Swissmiss.
 
Here are some of my favorites.

I would place Be Happy by Lila Symons on the outer side of my arm -- a reminder for others to smile.


A pop of color on my nape would be fun - Rainbow by Jessi Arrington

A reminder that it's time to PARTY! - Party Watch by Julia Rothman
 
Isn't this fun? It's not just for kids, but for the kids-at-heart too =)
You get to change it once you're tired of it and there's zero pain.

Click here if you want to see more.

Do you dig it or you're in for the real thing? Share your experience or your dream tatts with me =)

Discovgraphies creates no claim or credit for images featured on this post unless otherwise noted. 
All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful owners and I have made every effort to link back to the original content whenever possible. If you own rights to any of the images, and do not wish them to appear here, please contact me and they will be promptly removed.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Do you carry a jotter?

I know it’s a petty and childish topic but I just wanted to know if I’m the only adult left in this world who still carries a jotter. Am I alone? Being in the digital world, I know most people have already thrown their notebooks and journals and switched to tablets and smartphones – but not me. Yes I’m still stuck with the classic pen and paper combo to write anything that comes to my mind. For some reason writing helps me to remember things more.
 
So what’s inside my jotter?
 
  • Nice songs I hear from the radio. It's nice if it would make me dance and/or sing. (Since I wouldn’t immediately know the title and artist, I would write bits of the lyrics then Google it later)
  • Interesting and Inspiring blogs that I come across. (As you all know a blog could lead to another blog and another blog and ...)
  • A good quote or a joke. (There are just some quotes that hits you hard and there are quotes that make me say " THAT'S SO TRUE!". Funny quotes come in handy as ice breakers.
  • Possible blog topics (Moments when the light bulb appears above my head "TING!")
  • Shopping List and Wish Lists. (Things that I should buy including stuff that I want to buy but could not)
  • Phone numbers and emails  (not of cute guys but of friends and business contacts)
  • Some reminders (update blog, edit this, do that)
  • Places I would like to visit one day. (dreams... dreams... dreams)
  • Expenses (To avoid my usual question "Where did my money go?")
  • Sale announcements. (I'm a thrifty queen)
  • Tips (how to lose that belly fat, yoga positions, what to drink to improve digestion, remedies etc)
  • Book Titles (I'm not a librarian. You know why.)
  • What I remember about a previous dream (There are times when I still remember bits and pieces from my dream then after a few seconds my mind automatically goes Select All + Delete)
  • Simple recipes (I don't cook but I would like to learn how to)
Here are some awesome jotters that would suit each personality:

For artists and nature-lovers
1. Journal pocket notebook from Maotu from Etsy
 
2. Owl pocket notebook from PaperTuli from Etsy

For the kikay, and fashionistas

3. Jordi Labanda notebooks

For the writers and those who love classics.
I think this is the most used jotter. Moleskine now has smaller versions which are more handy. A lot of people now use this as a jotter instead of a formal journal. Speaking of, I can't help but admire Mike Rohde's notes and Kouji Hayateno’s analog blog. Check them out! I was also pretty amazed by the idea of an analog blog.

As they say, change is always a good thing -- but not for my jotter. Call me old-fashioned but I'm keeping it. Besides, where's the fun in typing your random ramblings? Writing it down makes it more personal and makes it more you. The doodles and handwriting can't be captured by our gadgets.

If you're planning to get one, there are nice, adorable and affordable jotter notebooks at your favorite bookstore, at Landmark, and at Saizen. If you already have one, I hope you could share with us what's inside yours =) Get a jotter and capture your ideas now. It would be fun I promise.
Who knows? Your next idea could change the world!

Have a great week ahead! =)

Monday, July 1, 2013

Shopaholic's Cheat Sheet

Half of the year is over. It only means a lot of shops will be having their semi-annual or end of season sale. Yey for shopaholics! My FB feed is loaded with Sale Alerts and a lot of blogs that I've been following have been posting sale announcements. To make it easier for my dear shopaholic friends and readers (if there's any) here's a compiled list shops on sale that you could and should check out =P


-->
shopper.gifGirbaud - until July 14, 2013
Regatta - until July 31, 2013
MUJI - until July 31, 2013
GAP - until July 25, 2013
Charles and Keith - until July 21, 2013
True Value Sale - until July 31, 2013
SM Dept Store Clearance - until July 7, 2013
Topman, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins - until July 28, 2013
Forever 21 - until July 14, 2013
SM Megamall - until July 7, 2013
Zara - until July 26, 2013
Promod - until July 31, 2013 (except SM North Edsa)
Marks and Spencer's - until July 17, 2013
PUMA - until July 15, 2013
Greenbelt Sale - until July 14, 2013
Debenhams - until August 1, 2013
Yishion - until July 21, 2013
La Senza - until July 31, 2013
Original Penguin - until July 31, 2013
Unica Hija - until July 31, 2013
Mothercare - until July 31, 2013
SuperSale Bazaar at World Trade Center: July 12-14, 2013
Big & Small Company/ Orange Juice, Spin - until July 31, 2013
Miss Selfridge - until July 28, 2013
SM Mall of Asia End of Season Sale - until July 7, 2013
Trinoma Stylephile - until July 7, 2013
SM City North Edsa End of Season Sale - until July 7, 2013
Wade Shoes & Accessories - until July 21, 2013
Mango, H.E. by Mango - until July 31, 2013
So! FAB Sale - until July 31, 2013
CMG - until July 31, 2013
Tomato - July 15, 2013
Payless Shoesource - until July 13, 2013
The Ramp Crossings & Crossings Home - until July 21, 2013
Gourdo's, Living Well, Sleepcare - until July 31, 2013
Mossimo - until July 21, 2013
Aloha Boardsports South Swell Sale - until July 31, 2013
I'm Shoe in Love Year 3 - July 20 and July 21, 2013
Howards Storage - N/A
Banana Republic - until July 31, 2013
Metro Department Store - July 5-31, 2013
Compiled from different sources:
Official Facebook Page of the Stores Mentioned
manilaonsale.com
manilashopper.com

Disclaimer: up to 10-70% off on selected items depending on store and specified dates may not be 100% accurate. 
HAPPY SHOPPING! =)

Saturday, June 29, 2013

It's Sa-Wrap! =)

I may already have shared with you my love for bread, and sandwiches but I think I may have forgotten to add wraps. Who would not love wraps? It's a perfect meal if you're on the go and if you are not in the mood for rice.  
I have recently discovered Kebab Turki Baba Rafi at Dela Rosa 1 Carpark thanks to my friend Chin. I ordered cheese beef kebab (P 90.00) which I absolutely loved because the beef inside was tender and the tortilla wrap was perfectly heated. I also ordered their Sweet Tamarind juice, which I know sounds a little bit odd but it was actually good. You will taste a lot of sourness in your first sip but you'll get the hang of it and will eventually taste like iced tea as you finish your big cup. I also loved the packaging which has a pull-out string at the back to help you 'eject' the wrap from the box without the mess.  





  

Next is Wrap Battle's Chicken Pesto Wrap P100 at Cucina Andare (Glorietta 3 Carpark). I've never seen a wrap this huge and stuffed. Definitely worth it! It's a bit messy to eat because the ingredients are falling all over the place and the olive oil from the pesto sauce started to leak on the bottom. But when you get to taste it, you wouldn't care how messy it would be because it's so good. Plus, it's also healthy! If you only want a light snack, you could share it with someone because I was already full half-way through the wrap =) I can't wait to try their other best-seller - the beef nacho wrap.






 I'm sure I got you hungry again. Try them out and get addicted to wraps like me. Happy Sunday! =)

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Book Wish: Vader's Little Princess by Jeffrey Brown

I'm not a Star Wars fan but when I saw the preview for this book, I absolutely loved it! This could have been a perfect father's day gift, especially for the fans of the trilogy or as gifts for a daddy's girl. This would surely bring back a lot of childhood memories for the grown up 'princesses'.  =)


Vader’s Little Princess © Chronicle Books, 2013

Here are some funny snippets:

 Vader’s Little Princess © Chronicle Books, 2013

Also check out J Brown's first book "Darth Vader and Son".

 Just the thought of the Dark Lord succumbing to his kids is already funny.Can't wait to read more!
Unfortunately I don't think it's already available in the Phil but I would surely check it out in bookstores this weekend. If anyone has a copy let me know what you think! =)