Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you, who's reading this entry and everyone who still reads my blog! (Meron pa ba? Haha)

I know it's been a month since my last post and I hope you'll forgive me. Alam naman nating sobrang busy, fast and hectic ng December, especially for students like me. On the bright side, this is probably gonna be my last December as a student cause next year, I'll be spending Christmas as an engineer already! Naks, claim it na, bakla! Haha. I really had a hellish week before Christmas break started, with all the exams and requirements that were like mushrooms, springing out of nowhere! Pero siguro okay na din mag-exams noh, kesa uuwi akong late (from Manila, since that's where I plan to work) for Christmas break due to work commitments!

Stylish Saturdays: Wendy Nguyen

My friend Mai-mai told me that she influenced her roommate into reading my blog and that her roommate enjoyed reading my blog because I tell it like it is. (Thank you! ;)) Another thing Mai-mai told me she enjoyed were these Stylish Saturday posts, wherein I show a few of the bloggers and fashionistas whose styles I admire. I haven't posted one of these blog segments in a long time, so here's one now. :)

My #Wonderful World

In a world filled with so much negativity and bad news lately, it's so easy to feel depressed and discouraged, like there isn't anything good to look forward to anymore. The beauty of life though is that, as long as you wake up to a new day, the bad things and the bad days are as good as gone. Bad things and bad thoughts only continue to come if you let them, but if you let good thoughts come in, you'll find that there can be soooo much more to be thankful and happy about. It may be hard to look for the good in a thing especially when you feel bad, but try! In fact, why don't you just have a go-to list of things that will instantly give you good vibes? A list that no matter what funk you're in will make you realize how good and blessed you are. I'm doing just that so here are a few things that make my world #Wonderful.

The 7-list: Things only Busty Girls can Understand

This is kind of an awkward topic to blog about only because it's so personal and a glaringly obvious part of me that I don't want to call any more attention to..but I can't help it. There are days I love my curves and there are days (like now) that they really bother me because they prevent me from doing things I want to do. I know a lot of girls who are so conscious of their flat chests, but as a girl whose chest is not as level as a plateau..let me tell you, being "gifted" is not all that. Here are 7 reasons why:

Taking Gifting to the Next Level

As the Department of Tourism slogan goes, "It's more fun in the Philippines"--and Christmas is no exception. The Philippines is said to have the longest Christmas season, which starts in September and ends in February. As the Christmas season rolls along, there is a flurry of activity and preparations everywhere: reunions left and right which means lots of kainan and exchange gifts.

Manila Weekend Warrior

When the weekend rolls in, some yuppies in Manila escape the city, if only to get some peace of mind before Monday rolls in again. I, however, have gotten enough peace and greenery from my fair city to want to crave some of the hustle and bustle of the city I lived in for 3 years. (It's always been a thing my high school friends and I agree on: when we're in Davao for too long, we want the busy-ness of the city, where you never run out of anything to do; when we're in Manila for too long, we crave the peace, familiarity and open spaces Davao offers. If only there was some place we could get both in the right amounts..) Anyway, since our (last) semestral break lasted a month, I had a few days to spare when my bestie Ayessa asked me to accompany her for a few days to the metro.

Bonding with my Babs: Pepperplate and Cafe Blooming Days

It starts out great: you promise to remain close and keep in touch. When you're miles apart, you promise to see each other every chance you get. Then one day, while sitting on the toilet, you realize that you haven't seen them in so long when before, thinking about being away from them months apart at a time was unimaginable. What happened? Growing up happened. Something one of my friends like to call "adult" (as in, the use of adult as a verb instead of a noun) happened. 

#LAAGuna 2015: EK Virgin No More; Tita of Davao Yes

When we were planning the itinerary of our plant tour, we had Laguna in mind because most of the manufacturing plants were located there. But other than that, we had a hidden agenda: to go to Enchanted Kingdom! In my 24 years living in the Philippines, I have never stepped foot in the theme park. I think it's cause I know I'll always have the chance to, it being in the Philippines anyway. In fact, I was kidding around with Claire, who also has never been there, that buti pa yung HongKong Disneyland and Ocean Park, we got to visit those first! :P

#LAAGuna 2015

Hi everyone! Sorry for being MIA again. I'm back with a vengeance and I have an arsenal of stories to share to you all. I just got back from a trip to Laguna with my classmates for our plant tour. We have a course next semester called Field Trips and Seminars which requires us to arrange visits to (manufacturing) plants, thus the plant tour. We all didn't bring our laptops because we had limited baggage allowance so I didn't get to blog while on the trip. It was kind of a good thing cause it meant we'd all get to enjoy each other's company. We were away the whole of last week and got back Friday night. On the day I was supposed to return, I met up with my dad and was with him when my mom called. My (baby) brother got into an accident; he fractured his wrist while playing basketball. Imaginary basketball to be exact; he was trying to imitate Barry Allen of The Flash (which is his favorite show by the way), by doing these elaborate dunking/lay up moves without a basketball while his classmates were taking videos of him. (Ohmagawdd what will I do with him??) So right after I arrived, I went straight to the hospital and that's what kept me busy the whole weekend. In fact, I'm blogging from the hospital right now! :/ Anyway, enough of that. Here's what went down on our first day in Laguna.

Travel 101: Packing Tips

Hola everyone! How are you?

The first semester of my last year of college (!!!) ended yesterday so my last ever semestral break is here!! (Kinda wild when you think about it!) My classmates and I will be leaving for our plant tour on Monday, and I'm sure you have trips of your own planned for the break too (for those who came from schools that weren't affected by the academic calendar shift). I wrote this blog post on the request of my friend, who's a chronic overpacker. These are just some things I learned after packing then re-packing for the three years of my life that I spent studying away from home.

You Can't Sit With Us

I wish I could somehow put it out there a bit more creatively buuuut there's really no particular story behind my outfit. I just saw the shirt in a pile of clothes my sister left when she came to visit. If you don't get the pop culture reference, it's a line from one of my favorite movies, Mean Girls. :))

Abreeza Fashion Forum: Browhaus

Ever since my first make-up class years ago, I started being conscious about my brows. At first, I couldn't get why people would keep having their brows cleaned. When I saw brow threading on TV, I couldn't imagine having that done on myself--it looked hella painful! But, fast forward to today, I'm one of those brow-conscious girls who keeps trying to get her friends and sisters to groom their brows. :))

Coffee Grounds by Golden Lion

It's been a while since I posted something about food even though my friends and I have constantly been trying new places. I'm posting about this place, Coffee Grounds by Golden Lion, cause it's worth a second, third, fourth and multiple visits! I kept hearing about this place from my friends who keep posting about it on social media so I got curious. Finally last week, with one of my food buddies March, we got to check the place out. We loved it so much that we invited the rest of our food trip group to check the place out again. :)

#IDoitTwiceAWeek

I've read somewhere that fat people can be either of two things when growing up: a bully or the bullied (aka the loser). Although I was never bullied to my face, I still felt like a loser. I was really really really insecure about my weight. My peers never made me feel like I was lacking or different from them, but I felt different. I seldom ever showed people that I was insecure--to the extent that some people comment on my "confidence" level--but I was. I was insecure. 

The 7-list: Things you can save money on

It's officially 100 days before Christmas!
I think 100 days is enough time to save up on money for presents before all your money goes to other stuff you have to pay for. I've had times wherein I had little to no money at all when I need it and I don't want that to ever happen to me again so I like having a fallback. While I'm still a student, I don't have a huge source of income yet so if I want extra money, I can either work for it or save. I used to work, but it's tough to now that I have a full load in school, so I save. I realized that living in the Philippines can be pretty cheap when you live a frugal lifestyle. Here are a few things I've learned to scrimp on so I can have a little extra for saving or for going out.

Dressy Separates for Homecoming

Wearing skin-baring outfits used to be looked down upon at formal events. The image it projected would usually not appeal to the conservative feel that these formal events held. Nowadays though, showing skin has been a trend among fashionistas, especially those who'd like to show off their amazing physiques. Showing skin in formal events has ranged from showing the arms, back, decolletage or legs. Now, it includes showing the midsection.

Stylish Saturdays: Jamie Chung

One of the people I now look to for inspiration when dressing up is Jamie Chung. I stumbled upon her looks on Pinterest and initially thought she was my favorite girl on "The Bling Ring"--you know the Asian girl who was the leader of their gang? I later found out the girl I was referring to was a newbie actress called Katie Zhang and that she's about 10 years younger than Jamie Chung, who is--would you believe it--32 years old already!

#ThrowbackThursday: August 2015

With so many holidays and so many activities, August feels like it lasted only 3 days. Here's how my August transpired:

-My August started with the second week of SEA Liga. The competition was tougher this year but our course managed to place third! :)

The second week of August had the 67th Ateneo Fiesta. Three days of no class and all events. On the first day, us 5th years joined the parade (our last) then had a Fiesta of our own at Lachi's. Right after, we went around town, looking for outfits for our grad photos. Finally, we ended our bonding day at Serenitea. I dropped by on the second day of Fiesta to watch the activities and support. I didn't get to watch the Star Search (second day major event), but we (Engineering and Architecture) won first place for that. Finally, the third day of Fiesta had us at Sayawtenista. It was my first and last time to attend the event. Prior to that, I was hesitant since we'd finish late (#lolavibes) and I thought I had a "curse" (I didn't attend Star Search and Debate we won champion; I watched the Group Dance showdown and we placed 3rd. I also attended the parlor games and we didn't place), but still sayang naman since it'd be my last. Although our EA talents gave their all, there was a better group. The Business and Management Division caught everyone's attention with their death-defying, heart-stopping dance piece. It was clear from the beginning that they would be the winner. But no matter, Engineering and Architecture placed first runner-up overall. :)

After the awarding ceremony, some SEC members and I ate out to celebrate. Super knockdown kaming lahat at wala nang mga boses sa kakasigaw for the 3 day events.

Right after Fiesta week came Kadayawan week! Monday started with our class getting our graduation photos taken (7.5 years of effort came to this). Then on Wednesday that week, my sister and dad came home for the long weekend. I didn't really get to celebrate Kadayawan (I only watched Up Dharma Down's show at SM because I was already there anyway and Mithi said she would be there too so it would be a chance to see each other again after a long time) so the highlight of my Kadayawan was the Besties book signing at SM Lanang Premier. Mithi and I couldn't miss it for the world since we've been fans of Georgina and Solenn's friendship ever since our freshman year in college. We've seen Georgina in UP before, when she hosted an event for Channel [V], but we've never seen Solenn up close! So this event was such a treat for our freshman fan girl selves!! Thank you to Wilson Limon who made us his plus two! :)

Finally, I ended my August with Emman and Mark, who came all the way from GenSan. Had so much fun swapping stories and bonding with them. :)

Sorry it took me 10 days into September to update! Now stressful September's in, there's only a month left in the semester and all the work's piling in! I do have about 5 blog entries planned. Hope I get to write them before they go stale! :P

How was your August, and how's September treating you so far?

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Dress Like Your Favorite Disney Princess with Cocomelody

When I was younger, I was very much enamored with Disney princesses. I remember asking my mom to have dresses similar to those of the Disney princesses made just for me. Even if I'm a bit (scratch that, a whole LOT) older, I can take a bit of my childhood  with me when I go to parties and actual balls!

Go-to

Sharing one of my favorite go-to outfits when I'm too lazy to think of something (which happens often) or am stuck in a rut (which happens often). I constantly wear this (go-to outfit nga diba?) but it was only when I was out with my cousin and best friend did I finally get this outfit shot. When my cousin Erika--she's a host and local radio DJ at Oomph Radio 97.1 (tune in from 9am-12nn everyday #proudcousin)--and I met up that day, it was a marvelous coincidence to see that we were both in similar outfits that it was almost a crime not to have our photos taken together. Great minds think alike indeed! :)

 Forever 21 gray top || H&M shorts || Yosi Samra flats || OASAP bag || Banggood necklace || photos by Ayessa Velasquez

Sooo, Kadayawan weekend's almost over. How'd you spend yours?

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50 Shades of White

When choosing a wedding dress, one of the things you must consider is the color. A bride is expected to wear white, but in reality, only a few people can get away with wearing a pure white gown without looking darker or washed out. And in reality, there are different shades of white that a woman can wear. Here's a low-down:

Where are the #OOTDs?

Ever since I last posted something well thought-of (as in serious, honest-to-goodness writing), a few of my friends have been asking why I've stopped posting outfits or #ootds. This amused me because well, I didn't know my outfits were something to look forward to! :)))))

#ThrowbackThursday: July 2015

July's my favorite month for obvious reasons (it's my birth month). I also noticed that July signals all the happenings: July itself is a busy month, then in comes August where there are tons of holidays which means more trips and vacations, then after August comes September, which signals Christmas!! The second half of the year is definitely the best! :)

Here are a few things that made my July:

• Food trips with my classmates
• Our last retreat for college (silent retreat)
• Date with my college buddies--Nat and Emman--cause we're all oh-so-busy with life now: Emman's working as a chemist and Nat's in Med School
• Interclub team building
• Getting invited to SM Lanang Premier's #denimcitizens event with Richard Juan and LA Aguinaldo
• MY BIRTHDAY!!! spent at SEA Liga (sports fest) and a joint birthday treat for our classmates, with birthday buddy Jois :)
• Bonding with my sisters over Paper Towns
• Lunch out with my best friend Ayessa, and my cousin Erika + I finally dipped into my savings, took the plunge, and bought myself a decent phone. My phone of 4years was begging to be replaced!! :)

Can't wait to see what August has in store for me! I think the fact that getting 3 blog posts published so far is a good indicator..don't you think? ;)

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Toptea Davao

Toptea is a milk tea shop that's a favorite of many a student. They serve different kinds of milk tea, juice, some coffee and dessert. But recently, due to insistent public demand, they started offering food, starting with pasta dishes. Last week, I was invited to try Toptea Davao's new offerings--pasta! 

Landybridal S/S 2016 Bridal Trends

August has just started and yet the wedding gown trends for Spring/Summer 2016 are out! So, if you just got engaged or are planning on having your wedding next year, you might wanna check this post out!

Thoughts on Turning 24

This year, my parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Born a year and 6 days after they got married, I had a different vision of what my life would be like when they did. When I was younger, I thought that by the time I would be 24, I would be working and able to afford to send them on a trip abroad as a surprise. I thought by the time I turned 24, I'd be living on my own and maybe even have someone special. But, life sure doesn't work the way you want it to.

#WishlistWednesday: Birthday Books

Is 24 too old to ask for gifts? (Side note: When is one old enough to stop asking for birthday gifts anyway?)

How to be the Most Stylish Mother of the Bride

After the bride and the maid of honor, the next person who I think everyone looks at during weddings is the mother of the bride. In some weddings I've been to and in some photos I've seen, the bride's mothers have been seen to wear some frumpy outfits. That shouldn't be the case! Mother of the bride outfits can be stylish and can be flattering. Here are a few tips:

#ThrowbackThursday: June 2015

June went by so fast but at the same time, it also felt a little slow. You know what I mean? Everyday in June was jampacked with activities but as I looked back on my month, I realized that June was just 4 weeks. I haven't even had the chance to take outfit shots yet cause I'm super busy :(

Highlights of my month: -enrollment (#duty) -first day of senior year! -first washday Wednesday as a senior -Engineering & Architecture Orientation, the first major event as an EASEC officer -kickboxing with Nicole and March -visits from Allan and my sister, Felicia :) -appearing in a magazine with my fellow bloggers Claudine, Cham and Miel :)

Can't wait to see what July (MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!!!) has in-store for me :) TWITTER | TUMBLR| INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | CHICTOPIA
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#AskFarrah: Dressing According to Your Body Type

Going to a formal event can be nerve-wracking. Aside from looking for a dress (which there could be too many or too little choices of), you'd also want to look good in the said dress. I mean, formal events come only so often for people who don't work in the PR or event organizing circuit so it'd be terrible if you messed up that once in a lifetime chance. As a fashion enthusiast, I guess the easiest and best tip I could give you to look good in whatever you wear is to dress according to your body type.

Christmas

I was worried cause I was running out of things to post when I saw this set of photos in my Drafts list. This set was taken last Christmas (almost half a year ago now), how's that for delayed posts? Every Christmas, we celebrate with my dad's side of the family. We have mass then dinner at Villa Margarita. Among all the Christmas outfits I wore, this is probably my favorite cause it's casual but still dressy enough for dinner with family. What do you think?

The 7-list: Things I would tell my freshman self

After n long years, I have finally been promoted to my 5th and graduating year--and just finished the first week! The first week alone was tiring already but hopefully the year goes off without much hitches (failing grade scares), save for the ones I'm already expecting (thesis woes). My earlier years in college were fun yet tinged with turbulence and fraught with difficulty (of course). But that doesn't matter now as I think I'm more than ready to move to the next stage of my life. I hope I finish the school year in one piece to make everything 100% official!

#ThrowbackThursday: Summer 2015

The start of June means the end of summer vacation, and what a vacation I had! Most of my summer was spent working. You already know I spent most of my summer at my on-the-job training but along with that, I was able to balance my duties being a club officer as well as insert some fun on the side.

Fringe Benefit

One of summer's biggest trends is the 70's boho or bohemian fashion, specifically fringed items. That little boho part of me rejoices since it means fringe items abound in stores right now (at least I won't have much of a hard time finding something similar to the fringe bag I was eyeing since last October but didn't get to buy since someone got to it first), but at the same time, I feel a bit sad since I don't have enough money to buy the pieces I want! Summer = less allowance! That's why I was so glad I was able to find a little boho piece for myself online via dresslink.com.

#AskFarrah: Decoding the Dress Code

Casual, smart casual, semi-formal, formal, black tie, white tie--these are some dress codes you see on invitations to certain occasions. Knowing the dress code can spell a huge difference. For the host, it lets him/her know that you put thought into what to wear for the occasion, meaning you respect the host enough to dress appropriately for the event. Can you imagine having someone come in smart casual clothing for a FORMAL wedding cause they thought it was semi-formal (and semi-formal = almost formal anyway)? If it were my wedding, I wouldn't be mildly insulted; I'd be flat out insulted.

While a lot of people disregard dress codes, I do know some that want to follow through but get confused about these kinds of things--like aren't smart casual and semi-formal almost the same thing? Well, I am here to help you out.

The 7-list: Best Feelings in the World

There are lots of good feelings in the world. Like for example, getting ice cream on a hot day, not having to wear pants on a hot day, rain after a particularly hot day, to name a few. Notice how it's all about hot days??? It's been really hot lately and it's making me complain a LOT. So in the spirit of trying to have an attitude of gratitude, I've compiled some of my favorite feelings in the world that make me smile no matter what, when I think of them. In no particular order:

Life Lately: Why I was MIA this Summer

It’s been a month and a day since I last updated my blog and with good reason. I took my required month-long on-the-job training (or internship) at a company to finally apply the principles I've studied and learned at school. Chemical Engineering, which is what I’m taking up, is known as the jack-of-all-trades course and I can get into a LOT of fields such as food, pharmaceuticals (including cosmetics), petrochemicals and more, but those are the top fields I want to specialize in.

Foodie Friday: Overnight Oats

When I was younger, oatmeal had a bad rap (reputation) for me. It was good for you, sure, but it was bland. I thought it was food for old people, and I always associated it with the feeling of eating paper. There were flavored oats too, but even then I didn't willingly eat oatmeal until I absolutely had to (like the morning after an extremely greasy meal). Anyway, good thing people are so creative with food and overnight oats were born! I love overnight oats since it's so easy to make and it's really flavorful! Plus, you can customize it to however you want! Since oatmeal is bland, it makes the best base to add whatever you want. It also easily absorbs the flavors of the things you've added (the same way it soaks the grease in your digestive tract. LOL). Let me share with you one of my favorite recipes which you can do with just 4 ingredients.

The 7-list: Signs You Come from a BIG Family

Happy National Siblings Day! In honor of this occasion, I created a list inspired by today's "holiday". A little background: I'm the eldest in a brood of 5. We're 4 girls and the youngest is a boy, just like the movie "Four Sisters and a Wedding" (my parents waited for a boy. LOL). One of my sisters is currently working in Manila. And recently, one of my sisters went to Manila to watch the OneDirection concert so there were 3 of us left here. I don't know, even though there were still three of us left home, the house still felt unnervingly quiet. I guess I'm just used to having a lot of people home. So even though I get annoyed of belonging to a big family from time to time (especially when I want something expensive and I have to make way since there are other children to consider #eldestproblems), I don't think I would have it any other way.
PS. It's so hard to narrow things down to just 7!

Business and Pleasure

Looking back at my old posts had me cringing a LOT. What was I thinking?! Like literally. I was bigger but still had the guts to go for neons, etc. I had a whole lot going on for me!! If not that, I dressed so shabbily but still posted it online, for the sake of posting. Oh well, all for posterity's sake. :)) It'll be a reminder that I can't be arrogant or judge-y of other people's fashion faux pas cause I also had my days.

Wishlist Wednesday: Dresslink.com

Dresslink by farrahgarcia featuring handle handbags

Happy April 1st!

Can anyone believe how fast the year is going? The first quarter of the year is officially over!

Anyway, I've mentioned recently that I cleaned out my closet, so now I'm currently in the process of re-building my wardrobe. It's a little disheartening for someone like me who envisions herself going out of the stores with so many bags in hand cause think about it, I have to save money first and then really think of each piece I'm gonna be buying. By then, I'd end up so exhausted that I wouldn't be able to buy anything. That is..until I found dresslink.com!

Dresslink.com offers the cheapest clothes and accessories. I think they supply most online shops that's why you can buy in bulk. They also offer dropshipping, if you're looking to start a business. Aside from their clothes coming at dirt-cheap prices, I also love the fact that they carry my size! Yessir, that's right. They have US 8-12, and for some pieces, even up to US 16! This is good cause some online shops only carry smaller sizes. With my size and dirt-cheap prices, getting the items on my "wish list" doesn't sound so far off now!

My wishlist includes a Mulberry Alexa-inspired bag (been coveting one since forever!), a white off shoulder top (perfect for summer, yeah?), another off shoulder top in both black and white (this is different because it has a fringe trim at the end, perfect for the boho trend that's going on this year), a fringe kimono, a sports-inspired top (in both colors!) and lakas-makayaman sleeveless tops I can wear with pants or shorts on lazy days. (pwedeng backless, pwede din hindi)

All in all that's less than $100 for 10 pieces!

Click the photos to see so yourself! :)