Seagull

meh at the yellow chair

"Life is a journey, not a destination"--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just some photos from the trip my family and I took last Monday to Seagull Mountain Resort in Buda. I wish the photos I took did it justice but it didn't. HAHA. Really, it's that gorgeous there! Plus, I also fell asleep after lunch (the weather there was too divine!) so I wasn't able to go around as much as my mom and aunts. :(

Anyway, hope you're having a good Friday!

I am still stuck home with the chicken pox. Oh how I loathe this disease! :(

#SustainableStyle

I love Davao!

Aside from Davao being my hometown and the place I grew up in, Davao has taken a lot of measures to stand out and set itself apart from other cities. We have a state-of-the-art traffic system which is comparable to that of Los Angeles, the first in the country at that. It is the first to have taxis who can pay using EPS (in layman's terms, using your ATM). We have an emergency response hotline (911), clean drinking water, a no-smoking policy (hello, pollution-free environment), honest cab drivers, cheap and fresh food and a whole lot more! Davao is also just 15 minutes away from both the beach and the mountains! On top of that, Davao is typhoon-free. We are indeed so blessed.

Recently, Davao has implemented the plastic ban which aims to reduce the amount of waste. Indeed, since then, you could really see the difference with fast food companies and stores opting to use paper bags instead of the usual plastic bags. SOUL Lifestyle, a homegrown and lifestyle brand, has also joined the green revolution to move and support Davao to being a totally and plastic-free city. SOUL has done its little part before by using the chic black and white paper bags we've all grown to love, but now they are stepping it up a notch. With the campaign entitled Love Sustainable Style, SOUL launches 10,000 eco-chic bags for each customer's purchase.

For your first eco-bag, you pay 1php and on subsequent purchases using the bag, you get 10php off PER item, which goes to an environmental fund. How's that for saving the environment?

Can I just relate this to my Chemical Engineering side? On my end, I think that re-using is really the best alternative, the better being the substituting (with paper bags). Why? Because you still have to produce paper bags. Indeed, substituting paper for plastic makes a difference as paper decomposes faster than plastic. Still, wouldn't you rather produce (and use) something 1 time big time than to keep producing? Remember, trees are cut off to make paper bags and the forests are being depleted rapidly as we struggle to meet our growing demands..and fully grown trees age in what? Every 125 years?

Pardon the nerd-chat. I'm just really passionate about the environment that's why I immediately jumped on when I found out about this project. (Segue! I remember being asked this question once: What is the essence of being a Chemical Engineer? and I answered "to be an environmental steward" Naks ha. Bongga yun, diba?)

Anyway, I am inviting you all to take your photo with the SOUL Lifestyle eco-bag to be recognized as a #sustainablestyle ambassador! We will be posting your photos on Facebook along with prominent Davao personalities and bloggers. For such a good cause, for doing your part, why be shy to hide your face? :)

Enchanted

top: H&M

shoes: Tomato

necklace: StyledUP

Just showing you what I wore to last week's trip to Seagull Mountain Resort in Buda. I can't believe it was just last week that we went! A lot of things happened since (I went to Manila, for one). This entry I just keep pushing back for the other backlogs and my other outfit post which I wore in Manila. 

I just wore something simple and comfortable since I know I'd just be sitting in the car. I enjoyed the road trip and the change in scenery. I'll be posting some more photos from our trip in the soonest time possible, I hope! I can't promise anything though cause it's exam week and I still have a lot to catch up on.  (EDIT: I went to school today and found out I have the chicken pox! So I am spending the next 7 days home, working, to catch up on backlogs and other work-related stuff. As if the whole of August was not already vacation enough, I just had to have the chicken pox when school resumed. On another note, I realized how much of a workaholic I really am. Somebody chill-ify me!!)

Tried my hand at the aztec trend by incorporating an aztec necklace into my outfit. You can buy one from my shop (StyledUP) or from Yhansy at Zalora. You can buy from Multiply but with ZALORA, you get free shipping AND a 5% discount with my code: TheStyleReactor120

I entitled this Enchanted cause the photos seemed as if they were taken in some enchanted forest that *poof* magically made me look slim! (What is this sorcery?) Thank you to my cousin Irah for taking these! :) 

Diehard

top: H&M

blazer: Forever 21

studded loafers: Parisian

bag: Tomato

photos by Macey

This is what I wore yesterday to the 1st day of the event our org organizes every year, the Students' National Chemical Engineering Conference (sNCEC). The first event was the NaChES (Students' National Chemical Engineering Symposium) held at UP Cine Adarna. I came to Manila for that event last year but it rained so I decided not to go anymore (blogged about that here). Last year, I wasn't from Ateneo yet, just processing documents for my transfer. I sneakily scheduled my trip to fall on the week of sNCEC 2011. Anyway, fast forward to 2nd sem when I got to Ateneo. I found out that only 1 person from AdDU went to sNCEC last year, and it was a prof at that! So now that I'm in Ateneo, I invited people to go and was able to convince 2 fellow students to accompany me. #fortheloveofKEM Thanks Clem and Neil! I hope you guys enjoyed and learned something, even if I kept leaving you :(

SOUL Lifestyle August 2012 Lookbook

This has been long posted over at the SOUL Lifestyle page but I just wanted to share you this set I styled for SOUL's August 2012 look book. I can't believe how well Aidx and I work together when we haven't even known each other for a year yet! This set is somehow a high fashion-inspired set using ready-to-wear clothing. This first pic is our fave. We love Kisses' expression here. Also, among all the outfits, this is one of my faves. I played with mixed prints and colors of the same palette. I love the way it turned out. More pictures after the jump!

Manila Videoblog

Thought of doing a video blog cause I wasn't able to take photos today. Writing down what happened to me today sounded kind of boring so I thought I'd "liven" it up a bit with something different. This is my first try, so sorry if I was a bit shy and lame. haha

Color

My sister has always teased me that navy blue is my go-to color. She's right. I have tons of navy blue tops; the color makes me look fair. Anyway, the turning point was one Wednesday, I wondered out loud "What should I wear?" and she said "Navy blue". We both laughed at the thought but she turned serious, "Seriously Far, don't you have any other color to wear?" Can you imagine, I got schooled by my admittedly-not-into-fashion sister! That only strengthened my resolve to wear more color! ;)

Defining

necklace: StyledUP

I read an article on tips to be an It girl and one of the advice given was to find your distinct style. I was scouring the mall yesterday and found this blouse in the department store rack. I mean, it was simple. It was navy blue. It was chiffon. It had gold buttons. It wasn't loud, special and trendy.. but it caught my eye still. I realized that despite the sales and nice clothes around me, among everything I ever saw, this was the only one that caught my eye. And though a lot of people don't understand the beauty in simplicity, this top is my style.   

I just wanted to show you this blouse I want but didn't buy because it costs 1000php. :( As a rule, I try not to buy tops over 1000php. I might find something of the same kind but at a lower cost. Anyway, if you want a similar blouse, I found one from Zalora. I would love to own a blouse like this because it can take me from business to casual! And my look with the shorts was very Hamptons-esque, right? (Just imagine me in white shorts!) 

 I also wanted to share you something I've been pondering on the past few hours in the car while on the way to Buda. It happened yesterday while I was in Abreeza and I swear I can't take my mind off it! There was a girl of about 16-18 years old with her friend in front of me near the escalator.  She was well-dressed, she was in heels and her hair was pulled up in a half ponytail. At that time, there was a group of indigenous people holding up the line to the escalator. They were afraid of getting on the escalator. I saw the girl whispering to her friend "Ugh ano ba yan? Di sila marunong?" (Ugh why the hold up? They don't know how?)

My grandmother being afraid of escalators, I felt for them. I, along with a middle-aged couple, helped them get on. I'm not perfect and I'm not the most patient person myself, so I don't wanna sound self-righteous and yap about don't do this or don't do that. I understand people can be xenophobic. But because of that encounter, I realized a couple of things. One, things so normal to us like escalators, we take for granted. It's quite refreshing to look at a group of people who are so simple-minded and innocent to things like these. You learn to appreciate the everyday stuff. And two, your outward appearance defines how people treat you but it sure conceals what's inside you. And what's inside of you really defines who YOU are.

Goody Two Shoes

dress used as top: Cheap Monday

skirt and bag: H&M
cardi: from Cheyser

photos taken by Hannah Magsayo

What does one wear to brunch? I have a vague idea so I did what I do in any situation: Ask WWBD. What would Blair do? A little Googling and I found this photo of an episode from the first season.

Blair in a polished top and a skirt.

This is such a goody two shoes outfit! This is something I'd probably take inspiration from when I do a "meet the parents". My sister and I were talking about it last night. I forgot how our convo started but this is what I'm reminded of when I see this outfit post: a "meet the parents" kind of outfit. Mine was the unpolished version though. I noticed that I like having something "wrong" about my outfit to avoid looking too polished. After all, as Marilyn Monroe once said "Imperfection is beauty" :)

Blair wore a printed top and solid bottom but I did it the other way around and paired a printed skirt with my top. I think prints on top make me look bigger. :( Anyway, this was just a throw-on-whatever outfit. It's not bad, right? Sometimes I have outfits that I put together in my mind but they don't turn out as good. I think it's better to grab and go. In this case, I grabbed what was buried in my closet! I rarely wear any of these clothes, but the bag and shoes have had their share of the limelight here in my blog. =))

Hannah took these photos of me in school. I hung out for a bit with my fellow Chem Eng'g students to support Leah at the Karaoke Challenge, as well as check out the fiesta.

GET THE LOOK!

Pink polka dotted skirt from Plains and Prints at ZALORA

(5% off with my code: TheStyleReactor120)

Happy Kadayawan, Davaoenos! :)

Brunch at Cafe France

Whoever said breakfast is the most important meal of the day did not try brunch.

Totally kidding; I made up that quote. But really, ever wonder why the French like brunching? Or did you ever wonder why it's a common activity for the affluent (Upper East Siders, those from the Hamptons)?

Tomato now open in GMall!

like my current favorite pair of shoes. Too bad they only have it in black!

Fellow Tomato-holics from Davao, rejoice!

We can now get our Tomato fix over at Gaisano Mall of Davao, courtesy of T, an official distributor of Tomato here in Davao. I swear, I've been campaigning to have Tomato here in Davao and my prayers were finally answered last Thursday! They have the latest collection (check tomato.ph to check!) although they don't have all colors of the stuff. Still, it's worth a visit!

 They can be found beside Lee, near Black Sheep, in front of Her Bench.

Grand opening will be on August 18th. Please visit! They said there will be some items on sale! :)

Tomato is also available on ZALORA. They have items which you can't find at the store, like these pretty patent loafers! And can you believe they're only 450PHP?

If you use my code, you can also get an additional 5% discount. Use TheStyleReactor120. Click this link to check this product out!

xx

PS. I finally have Instagram!
Please follow me: farrahgarcia
I'll follow you once I can access it again. I just borrow my sister's phone to Instagram =)

ZALORA: Fashion Fights the Flood

ZALORA presents Fashion Fights the Flood, an event at Skye Lounge on August 15, 2012. Some of the country's best bands have agreed to donate their time and effort to the cause. KC Concepcion will also be selling some of her clothes and 100% of all sales will be donated to the UN's World Food Programme. A 250php entrance fee will be collected at the door which will serve as your contribution.

But if you're not from Manila, you can donate through  ZALORA's site. You can purchase it in 250php, 500php and 1000php denominations. 

Let's all do whatever we can to help! :)

Dependable

Top: Uniqlo

shoes: Tomato

scarf: from my ninong

bag: OASAP

This is what I wore to watch Bourne Legacy with my sister Feebee at Abreeza today. I came from school and I asked my sister to come over to take my outfit shots for me. For her to agree to go to Abreeza, I had to treat her to a movie. At first it was okay cause I had a free pass and I’d only have to pay for 1 but I missed the starting of Brave (I thought it was 1:30 but it was actually scheduled at 12:30), so we watched the Bourne Legacy instead. It was okay. My geeky self got thrilled while Rachel Weisz was rambling on about genetic effects cause I could relate. There were some parts I almost fell asleep to though, but I was at the edge of my seat during the Manila action scenes.

So, what inspired this outfit? Necessity..and Europe. I took longer than usual to dress today because I literally had nothing fasyown to wear. We were supposed to have a blogger lunch and I knew we’d go off to shoot afterwards. Knowing Kweshie, she’d be in something bongga! But sadly, it didn’t push through, which was why I had to call my sister. This outfit is what my mom and I would jokingly refer to as simple pero rock (Origin of this statement: I had my yaya sign my autograph/slam book when I was younger and at the describe yourself part, that’s what she put in. It stuck, that’s why I remember it). I really tend to go for the classic look...with a twist. I really love all these chic Europeans I see on Tumblr. Their clothes are simple but beautifully tailored and they are the epitome of the understated glamour. Though I know I should wear color while I’m in my 20’s, I think the pink shoes give a cheeky statement to my serious look. I wore almost the exact same thing yesterday, but black pants and a white polo. I didn’t get the chance to have my photo taken so I wore something similar today.

Anyway, this is super random but I realized it’s both kind of sad and all right to have the same clothes. Sad cause you wear the same thing over again, but at the same time, it’s okay because you tend to treat your clothing like your friends. I don’t know, because of my size, I’d never had that much clothing, so I already have that go-to set. Like with friends, I already have a go-to set who I depend on, who I’m comfortable with.

So, what are you guys up to tonight?

I think I’m gonna stay in and have a date with Holden Caulfield (Before you guys rejoice at the prospect of me having a date, for those who don’t know, he’s the character in The Catcher in the Rye. HAHA).

xx

PS. I've finally reached 50,000+ views! Thank you guys for that!
PPS. This is my first look with my new hair!

Stuck in a Moment

Hello everyone!

I'm so sorry for "abandoning" my blog. First of all, in light of recent events, I don't think anyone would be too interested in fashion (or what I have to say about my day or my problems) because everyone is so busy helping those in need. Have you been able to help? I've been stuck home for a couple of days. We don't have school because it's our teachers' retreat. While I was supposed to have something to do (AIESEC ACON), I decided not to go. I'm kind of regretting it now; I think I'm starting to develop cabin fever.

So what have I been up to the past couple of days? Well, I've been trying to blog but since I haven't been up to much, what is there to blog about? Simply put, I'm stuck in a rut. Usually, even though I'm not too excited about stuff, I can still churn out blog entries, but this rut's different. I guess sometimes us bloggers are so in tune with our online personas, what we have to do--editing our life into something deemed blog-worthy, that we fail to see that our blogs are not our life, but mere narratives or chronicles of our lives. Sometimes, we need reminding that we are just normal humans who have boring days. It can't be all excitement. (Honestly, I loved the idea of having a blog because I thought it would promise exciting days; I know I'd always have to find something awesome to happen to me so I can blog about it. But like my mom has been reminding me, life isn't always about excitement. There are also downtimes)

So what does Farrah do when she's not blogging (or in the mood for blogging)?

I cultivate my other skills such as make-up artistry

I was practicing a Lana del Rey-inspired kind of 60's look for a shoot Aidx and I will be doing later. Sadly, I don't have enough make-up so my "brow powder" did not match my actual brows. My "brow powder" also happened to be really shimmery (1). My eye shadow was also shimmery but I picked a photo where it wasn't as (2). Heavy winged liner for the trademark 60's look (3). Contoured cheeks in bronze blusher to complete the look (4). 

Notice how the light keeps changing? I was doing make-up from 4:30-6pm.

What else did I do? I started my Trigo homework (yipee) and reading The Catcher in the Rye for English. I also tried making a database of SOUL customers because I'm OC like that. I don't really remember the rest (probably just refreshing my Facebook and Twitter feed), but I'd like to thank you guys for not abandoning my blog.

Thank God it's Friday, and thank God it's Awkward day!

Donut Talk

Last Thursday, I went to Abreeza for Go Nuts Donuts Donut Talk. There were about 40 members of the Davao Bloggers who came for an evening of crazy good times. There were 2 games, wherein a pair of TOMS shoes and BioEssence GCs were at stake. There was also a Twitter raffle where the grand prize was a 3-day, 2-night stay at Pearl Farm Beach Resort!! Lucky girl Dawn won a game AND the Twitter raffle! Congrats, Dawn!! :) I almost won the cookie game myself, but didn't. Sad, I wanted those TOMS!!!

Anyway, on to the more important stuff: the donuts. Before that night, I had no idea the Go Nuts Donuts was a Filipino brand! Did you? I didn't believe it, I swear! What sets them apart from their competitors though is that they use all-Filipino ingredients, and they incorporate those Filipino flavors into their donuts. They also try to come up with new products to keep up with the evolving market. One example: the pizza donuts. They look like donuts, but are really 100% pizza. We were each given a dozen and my brother went gaga when I came home. He's a BIG donut lover.

They will soon come up with cookies, donut cakes, moist cakes, and pocket pies! I can't wait!

Visit Go Nuts Donuts in Davao at Abreeza Mall and Gaisano Mall.

New Hair

Had my hair cut yesterday, and tah-daaah! Here is how I look now. :)

I had my hair cut at Physique Beauty and Style Mabini St. Ask for Mr. Alex Monton, he's been my hairstylist since 3rd year high school (2006). He's worked at/owned about 4 parlors already yet I still keep following him! Haha.

Visit Physique Beauty and Style, Mabini Suites, Davao City.

Like them on Facebook.

Infinite

blazer: Forever 21

top: H&M

bag: OASAP

shoes: Feebee

Today was a pretty good day for me. Let me count the reasons why:

1) I finally got hold of my hairdresser whom I've been looking for for over a year! 

It sounds quite shallow but nothing describes my sentiments more than this quote: “A good man might be hard to find, but a good hairdresser is next to impossible.” Really. I can't wait to get my hair cut by him again! And if I would ever venture into showbiz or marry rich, I'd take him with me!! :)

2) I got to buy a book on sale!

Last Tuesday, when my sister and I were out, she was telling me to buy The Perks of being a Wallflower but I told her I would on Saturday, after I finished with everything. Guess what? I came back today and it was on sale!! There is nothing sadder than buying something then finding out later on that it went on sale! So I say this.. good things come to those who wait.

Oh yeah, and this is where I got the inspiration for my blog post title. I just finished reading the first part of the book, and like Charlie.. I cried.

3) AIESEC MSI
I had my membership selection interview awhile ago and I had the privilege of meeting AIESEC Davao's first LCP Mr. Kelvin Lorenzana. We were talking and then he asked me if I knew Dr. Leon Garcia. I told him that he was my grandfather and asked him how he knew my lolo. He told me my lolo was instrumental to making AIESEC Davao happen. He told me that he was so generous with his time, and because of him, he (Mr. Lorenzana) was inspired to make time for AIESEC too, like the interview awhile ago (Mr. Lorenzana is based in the USA but he's in town).

It's really nice to hear stories like that about my lolo. He's a man of a few words but of great action. I will never forget this anecdote. :)

Have a happy weekend! :)

Post Birthday Post!

It's August already!! I can't believe July is over. :(

 It’s been a good 6 days since my birthday but I haven’t been able to share to you what happened. What happened during my birthday? Nothing blog-worthy, per se. I went to school, went to mass and we had Shakey’s deliver pizza home cause everyone was tired. This was probably the chill-est birthday I had, and yet in terms of realizations, I had a lot that day. Let me share some:

1)      I am loved. I am loved and I deserve it.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m always the friend who loves more. I really go extra lengths to show the people I love how much I care. It’s also true though, that I feel bad when no one treats me as royally and as loyally as I treat them. But I thought, just because they don’t treat me the way I want them to, it doesn’t mean that they love me less. At the same time, just because I don’t show people I love them the way they want to be loved, doesn’t mean I love them less.