Pampanga roadtrip part 2: the cursed necklace

i cracked.  after 119 days straight of zero fashion retail therapy, i succumbed to the sweet beckoning of this candy-colored floral necklace at Accessorize (on sale for 70% off).  i'm so so so sorry! i let you down, and i let myself down.  and, what's worse, i am already itching to find an excuse to purchase this pair of gold and coral Ipanema flip flops. damn you, consumerism!  mind you, all my flip flops have been worn to the ground and i really have no choice but to wear other types of footwear when going on even the simplest errands. poor me  (how's that for an excuse??? *googly eyes*)

anyway, i'll leave it up to you to decide on an appropriate punishment. but before you make your final judgment, let me first defend my case.  i've been really like-you-wouldn't-believe stressed at work the past few weeks and have been so busy that i couldn't even get a back massage for the thickening shoulder muscles.  also, the components of the necklace are quite difficult to find in the country so i'm sure i wouldn't have had an acceptable DIY option.  third, it's so cute, i can get ideas for future pieces from it hence, helping me actually earn in the long run.  last, it looks great on me!  so, now you've had the chance to see what's going on in the mind of an almost-reformed shopaholic, you may announce your verdict.

i must say that, even though i cracked with the necklace, there were tons of opportunities yesterday alone that took most of my willpower NOT to take out my wallet.  i'm in no way telling you to buy buy buy and acquire acquire acquire but, in case you were in the market for the following items anyway or are just planning your next purchases (mine will be on Christmas, then Summer 2011), here are a few options you might want to consider:

Primadonna bags

it was my first time to enter their shop (i believe the brand is also available in Megamall, among others), and i was immediately drawn to the bags.  usually, the ones we have here, even the higher-end local brands, are too overdesigned.  too many trendy details but not enough attention is given to the things that really matter.  and, more often than not, these are so trendy that it would be passe to keep using them after the season.

here's one of my favorites, which costs less than P900:

here's the design on the other side.  it's 2 bags in 1! (available in 3 different sets of colors)

now, i can't speak for the durability of these Primadonna items yet, seeing as i don't have one piece from the line, but if i were to buy based on looks and price alone, i'd get one or two pieces from their current selection of shoulder bags. very classic and fashionable at the same time.  in case you haven't heard the memo, ladylike bags are all the rage this season.  and guess what, they were never out anyway! maybe they haven't been as much in the spotlight in the last few seasons as they are now but i tell you, these bags are quite similar to the ones i've seen my mom carryin in her old photos.  in fact, i just inherited my first designer bag from mother superior and it does look eerily like the ones on the runway, albeit the latter has less scratches.

here are other options from the brand:

Follie shoes

now i wouldn't say that all the pieces were great, but i did find a really cute and affordable one that was also quite comfy too.  these three charactersitics can rarely be found in the same item and i really was tempted to start counting my bills (i left my card at home to help keep myself from spending).  but i figured, there'll be other opportunities.  for now, i'll just have to locate a Metro department store that's not in Pampanga.

hey, if i can't buy them, at least i can write about them, right?

oh yeah, here's a photo of me wearing the culprit necklace.  i fished it out of my bag on the same day i bought it, right after my hwa rang do session. then i wore it again to work the next day.

also shown is TJ's incredibly hot hot hot Fossil watch, which he got for P4k (nka-sale na un sa lagay na un ha).  i borrowed it for an hour :D isn't it pretty? i have an affinity for male watches, as long as they don't overwhelm my tiny wrist, which is always the case with my dad's watches, unfortunately :(

to all my readers (if indeed there are any. magparamdam naman kasi kayo!) contemplating going on Project 365, i really hope that i didn't disappoint you too much.  i'm still planning to continue this mission, regardless of my small slip.  hey, we all make mistakes right? but the important thing is picking up the pieces and really striving to correct our wrongs and to live the best way we can, regardless of our dark past. amen?

Pampanga roadtrip part 1: recession depression

my dad, mom, brother, and i went to Pampanga yesterday.  it's been a while since we went out of town--excluding the biannual trips to Cauayan--perhaps because the three of them have been quite focused on Charlie's education the last few years.  anyway, we were supposed to have lunch at C, which is this authentic Italian restaurant that foodies and socialites galore like to visit.  if you're asking me whether my family and i can be categorized into either, well, i wouldn't know myself.  now, here's a note to all of you planning to have lunch at a specific place--make sure you find out what the operating hours are! as luck would have it, the restaurant opens at 5pm on Mondays.  we had to settle for lunch at the nearby Marquee mall instead. 

 

before we went to Marquee, we dropped by the Mimosa Golf Club in Clark, which my dad has shares of.  it had been a long time since we last stayed there; i still remember how my siblings and i eagerly anticipated summer, if only so we could stay for a night or two at one of the villas in Mimosa.  well, when we got there, i realized that the place had changed drastically since our last visit a decade ago.  gone are the pristine white walls of the villas, some of which are now left in various states of dilapidation and disrepair.  and find out later that the various pools near the villas have also been removed and the only swimming facility left is the one in the main hotel.  no more sight of the kids' playhouse where the best UFO catcher in the country was either (you get as many chances as you need to claim a prize).  my dad says that when Erap took over the reigns, blinded by greed, he mandated that the government take over the estate's casinos.  naturally, like everything else the government handles, the management of the casino went awry (probably thanks to the leeches) and shares plummeted from P1.8 M to P300,000 in a span of a year.  it wasn't even a year since my old man bought his share for P1.2 before this happened.  now, he's stuck paying dues every month, hoping that the stock will go up so he can sell it to someone else with, if not a profit or at cost then, at the least, minimal loss.  here's another note: unless you have tons of cash, don't invest in luxury stocks. (sorry, i don't know the exact term).  it's safer to invest in shares of companies supplying basic needs, although less risk also means less profit. it's really up to you though.

after the detour, we went to Marquee where we had lunch at the foodcourt, of all places! Lucia's sisig or something, which apparently is the specialty sisig in the place.  we had sisig, chicharong bulaklak (yumyum), adobong kangkong, ang liempong manok (the last one is from Bacolod Chicken Inasal though).  my mom kept teasing that my dad saved a huge amount at lunch today, so we pigged out all day to compensate for it.

dessert at FIC Summer Cafe: my mom had raspberry rapture, i had the chocolate mint chip ice cream with, weirdly enough, berries

 

Charlie and dad both had yogurt

before we went home, we ate at Cinnabon.  my parents had coffe mocha with the tiny tiny cinnamon rolls.  charlie and i had pecanbons--mine in caramel, his was chocolate.

later that day, ate cla treated us to dinner at Italianni's in the relatively new hangout place, Centris.  we also had yogurt at Tutti Frutti where, once again, my dad cooked up one of his many business intentions--this time, to open a self-serve yogurt place somewhere in Ateneo.  my sister and i are game for it (we'll quit our jobs), although i want more plain flavors i.e. greek, french vanilla, while they all want the fruity, outlandish ones.  i swear, my business idea will click better. hahahahaha.

yet another venture

rode the bus home with jacq and rex today.  it was pretty funny because rex was in between the two of us and he fell asleep halfway along the trip.  can you imagine him with his eyes closed and mouth half-open, involuntarily leaning towards jacq every time the bus would come to a halt?!?! hilarious!  i should've taken a video, or at least a picture. oh well, maybe next time.

anyway, i'm beginning to think i should try to take more bus rides with jacq--the ideas just come spewing out of our brains in the same manner that magma comes out from volcanoes.  there's TUWA, which i still want to continue one of these days, there's our postgraduate studies, writing, preschool teaching or teaching religion or just teaching...and now there's our coffee shop/art haven/boutique! we already have a prospect for the venue (jacq's current house in QC, which they'll be evacuating in 3 years).  we have all sorts of ideas already, like hosting film showings, open mic nights, exhibits for up-and-coming artists, painting workshops, etc.  

i figured it would be nice to put up our quaint little cafe in a residential area that's also accessible to those outside the neighborhood.  for the residents, it can be their local hangout place.  and for the rest, it can be a place that would be worth the trip--just for the food, the events, the ambience.  it also goes with my move-out-by-25 plan since i can just live in one of the rooms in the bungalow; wouldn't even have to commute to get to work! now that's the life. heeheehee. i'm so excited!  what do you think? any future patrons out there?  don't worry, we'll leave the cooking to an expert :)

jacq said that, out of all the things we were planning, we should really try to pursue at least one of them.  i agree--and i can't wait!

speaking of moving out, i was at Kultura a while ago, window shopping while our German guest at work did some real shopping.  i found some amazing pieces which i'd love to have in my own place (once i get one).  here's a few of them. btw, i bet you can find several of these items in divisoria or even in dapitan so you ought to try those places first before heading to Kultura in SM.

i would use this chair to stack some books probably, and put it next to the door so i can hang a cardigan on the back or something that i might need in a jiffy.

for my accessories! then i'l just put them on top of the dresser, assuming i had enough to buy one.  i'm actually imagining a spare unit with a daybed and a breakfast nook.  those are my essentials, see.  then everything else will just be lying around on the floor.

those are the pics! well, i thought i took more of them! sorry! hahahaha.  i was supposed to add a thick wooden bowl where you can put all sorts of found objects, instead of leaving them lying around the house.  there were some great picture frames too, and native rugs, and more capiz items.

now i really can't wait to move out :D 

shout out!

due to some unanticipated Facebook happenings, at least three more people are aware that this blog exists in cyberspace (i guess i should be happy but now i'm just feeling a bit queasy).  shout out to Jewel, Judy, and Marian!!!

anyway, i suddenly felt the urge to look at my posts and make sure i didn't write anything too stupid that can be used against me later on.  ok, so i actually need to indicate the photo credits because jewel caught me on that one. fiiiine!!!  i might even have to take my own photos. actually that's ok, i just find uploading the pics a real hassle.

also, i decided to write a bit about the things that i said i would.  these are just off the top of my tiny head and i'm pretty sure i'm still gonna miss some of them. here goes:

1) perfume:  last May 2010, i bought a bottle of perfume for the first time.  mind you, it's less than P2k, which i know is still cheap compared to other brands.  anyway, that was my first time ever (i don't even buy baby cologne although now i'm thinking i should've taken baby steps first), and what mostly convinced me to do such a thing was the Little Miss Desperate inside of me.  see, i have been told by several guys that perfume on a girl counts for extra points.  Kuya Amid was first drawn to Ate Deisen (who is now his wife) when he caught her scent as she passed by him while they were on the same boat.  my dad said that if i don't wear perfume, no guy would ever fall in love with me.  and Dudz said that even though it's not his priority, an alluring scent on a girl would be a real bonus. so, bumigay ako. haaay. kala ko pa naman feminista ako, pero napabili din ako ng pabango. darn! at wala pa rin nagkakagusto sa kin! in fairness, i still keep forgetting to put on perfume most days anyway. hahahaahha.

2) foundation:  ended up getting Ever Bilena's liquid foundation with SPF 15 in Oriental.  it's quite good, i think, although i don't really have much to compare it with.  i didn't need to mix it with other shades--it was quite a close match, thankfully.  i use a foundation brush to apply it, which i find really fun.  however, since we did filming on location and it was quite warm, i did get a bit sweaty and when i'd wipe my face, i could see that the foundation was coming off as well.  maybe i need to use primer? i don't know.  anyway, i'll try to find out one of these days, when i have an urgent need of doing so.

3) My Icon, My Hero: i didn't win. phooeeey!  but of course you know that already. i would've immediately told you and everyone within a 5km radius had the situation been the opposite. hahaha.  i just try to comfort myself with the thought that all those who did win were already accomplished writers anyway.  oh well, maybe next year, eh? darn though, i was really counting on that flat screen TV.

4) Pixie: actually, it's nearing the length of a bob right now.  and the ends are flying away in all directions! i can't wait to grow back my hair though. seriously.  there are a million styles i want to try.  and i wanna get my portrait/ headshot taken too.

5) my OC financial plan: it's late already.  somebody remind me to discuss it in my next post instead, ok?

6) the Root of Obesity: you know how i tend to judge people who overeat and call them selfish gluttons?  i'm really sorry about that.  i know that though it is true for a lot of cases, there is something much deeper underneath it all.  it could be a health thing (one of my closest friends has a thyroid problem which causes her to, among other things, gain weight).  it could also be psychiatric--there is a reason behind people overeating or overspending.  sometimes it's about wanting to take control of something in your life and, when everything else is out of our hands, we go to the things that we do have a say over.  i'll try not to stereotype and label people, promise! i'll really try.  i still think that these issues can be overcome by a realization that there are more important things than our own problems, but i also know that this is easier said than done.

that's it for now.  adios, amigos!

less is more (and a side comment on The Rider)

once again, i read a wonderful article yesterday about a couple who decided to wean themselves from most of their material possessions after having realized that they weren't taking much satisfaction and happiness from these.  i'm finding more and more of these stories during these times.  i especially enjoyed the one about people living in ridiculously small but adorable houses.

these days, we work our asses off just so we can afford that next new thing--whether it's yet another hi-tech gadget that you don't even really need, an incredibly wonderful pair of shoes that would just get ruined in the rain anyway, or even a lavish trip (which, more often than not, is wholly aimed at gaining extra bragging points on Facebook).  we're trying to plug this emptiness in our lives with as many possessions as we can.  but it ain't the right fix, so that giant hole is never truly covered and we end up wanting and wanting, buying and buying, trying to hide and camouflage all the things that are wrong in our lives.

they say that the consumers are wisening up, learning to really plan their purchases, discerning which ones will give them more value--not just in terms of money, but also in terms of the experiences they will gain through the purchases being made and the relationships being formed.  i say, this is still a tiny percentage of the population.  maybe it's because the financial meltdown hasn't made that much of a difference in our lives here in the Philippines (we were already messed up even before the 2008 recession).  maybe the problem needs a greater intervention.  i don't know.  i'm neither well-read in Psychology nor in Economics.

well, as you all know, i have my Project 365, right?  and the very existence of this blog is based on the belief that there are more important things in life than money; that you can be happy with less; that money should be used to bring joy and goodness to this earth and its inhabitants, rather than destroy it.  i'm really grateful for having read this article at a time when i'm itching to buy yet another pair of shoes (100 days down, 265 days to go) because it reaffirms my convictions.  even if it is hard to control the flight of the plastic card, i know it'll pay off in the long run.

this weekend, i will start sorting my clothes and shoes and bags yet again.  i'll be donating them to a friend's garage sale, the proceeds of which will be used to pay for the expenses incurred due to her dad's funeral.  my under-used and under-appreciated belongings will be better off there, helping a family get back on its feet after the death of its patriarch.  i plan on slowly cleaning out my wardrobe until i have 100 or less items in it (excluding underwear though).  maybe i could organize a garage sale on September too, to get rid of all the stuff we have in our aunt's store.  we'll use the proceeds for our room's renovation :)  or a really good cause--maybe sustainable education or livelihood, a library, or even an arts program for the youth--which i have yet to find (please help me with this one, if you can).

it all comes down to this: will it make you truly happy?

**on a side note (totally unrelated), i saw a female driving a motorbike today.  she had a scarf under her helmet, probably to keep her hair nice, and she was wearing 4-inch heels!!! gawd! how did she do it? no idea.  but it got me thinking, if i can't buy a car, would i rather continue commuting or get a motorbike instead (provided that i knew how to ride one--i can't even ride a bike)?? what would you choose?

spending on what matters

whoa, it's been a while since a serious post on this site, huh? i've been so busy that writing about frugality has completely left my mind.  although this is so, i like to think that i managed to maintain my xprodigal philosophy amidst the chaos.

that being said, i must admit that i've spent so much in the recent month! huhuhu.  but i am proud to say, nevertheless, that all those expenses more or less were on things and events that really matter to me and my goal.  i think there are many types of frugality--one of which is really just about spending as little money as possible, but the other being about watching what you spend on and only shelling out on things that really matter to you.

for me, what matters right now is helping other people (and not just spoonfeeding them, but helping them help themselves), spending time with my family and friends and letting them know i care about them, and achieving my dream and mission of spreading His word through art.  so when it's a really good cause that i know will go a long way, when it's a little something something that will enable me to have quality bonding time with my loved ones, or when it's for my artistic/evangelistic pursuits, that's when i spend.  because that is the entire purpose of money anyway--not to be stored in a bank to earn interest or used to buy stocks in the market.  it's not even to buy a perfect pair of comfortable yet oh-so-beautiful shoes.  simply put, money is just supposed to make this world a better place.

so, what matters to you?!?  and how can your wad of cash benefit this universe?