This post is not one of those that give advice on style, definitely not. I am no expert when it comes to fashion. I need help myself.  But browsing through the four floors of thrift shops, I realized my taste has changed, somehow.  Though I am still stingy or perhaps just fooling myself that I have the skill to unearth great finds worth twenty bucks—that one didn’t change.

So to share my collection, which I am quite excited about, here are some great finds, in my own opinion. (Don’t mess with me, y’all! Haha!)

Oversized Gray Blouse (PHP70)

Pink Bat-winged Blouse (PHP80) - With glitters! <3

Oversized Flower Print Blouse (PHP120) - A bit pricey for an ukay, but the fabric's worth the splurge

Hopefully, all of these personal great finds will suit the new thing I’ve done to my hair.

Gone straight. Again. With a lighter shade this time

Till the next update, folks! Ciao!

I just thought writing down my goals for 2012 will help me focus and actually work to see them happen.  No, this isn’t a list of want I would stop doing but things that I’d like to do. So help me, God!

1. Dress my age (or close to it)

I am not so fond of shopping. I only buy apparel when I need one soonest like on the same day. And so my collection of clothes would last for years almost without me noticing. But it’s different now. Hitting the 30′s made me feel like I need to define this part of my life—haha! Yes, you are allowed to exclaim “Finally!”

2. Extend my planning scope

I used to be good at this when I was in high school. I got to plan my whole school year and was almost glued to my organizer. I don’t know what happened but I feel like I lost the habit or I just didn’t grow in it. Probably the countless plans that didn’t push through got me jaded. Oh well, must return to the practice now. How about a 5-year plan? I’ll start with one year first.

3. Earn all I can, save all I can, give all I can

I like giving, especially when I know that I can touch a life significantly. However, many factors have hindered me to give more and even save up. This has got to stop. I need to earn more. So I’m reminding God of His promise and expecting that mind-boggling abundance to happen to me this year.

4. Crave change and push for it

I don’t know what happened but just this month, it was like a blindfold was removed from my eyes and I saw that even if I have been asking God for breakthroughs every year, I was just accepting (or worse, even expecting) that my prayers won’t be answered right away. That won’t do anymore.  I want to see God’s goodness in the land of the living.

5. Learn music theory and an instrument

A friend, a musical genius, once said: “If you say you love music, then study it. Know it.” I take that as a rebuke. And yes, I will prove my love for music.

6. Write some more

Hence this post. I cannot microblog forever and expect that book to come alive.

7. See things happen

I am changing the motto that I have imbibed since I worked an administrative job which is: Make things happen.  I simply can’t. So now, I’ll let God do the job and I shall “See things happen.”

8. Learn legitimate cooking

My dad has the talent and I feel obliged to be able to do the same. I still want to believe that it’s hereditary.

9. Be in great shape

Discipline is the key. And thinking about that makes me want to run away and hide! Aaaaarrgh! I can do this!

10. Love

Enough said. It has got to be this year.

I won’t ask you to wish me luck. We don’t really need luck, do we? We need a supernatural power to “see these all happen.” I am hoping for 2012 to be different—to be a year when I (or we) will actually experience breakthroughs with all my five senses. Aaaaaaah, it’s gonna be epic! \m/

This month, I had an instant church tour with the help of my musician friends. We jokingly called our Saturday gigs as the “Love Awareness Tour.” We played for two singles’ events and another one for married couples. Prior to that, I was given a chance to sing two songs for a marriage booster seminar.

Every time I’m asked to sing for a wedding or a church event related to love, I feel honored and really excited to serve. It is a privilege to have the little talent that I can give being used by God to strengthen marriages and give hope to those who are waiting (naks!). Yet somehow, honestly, it can be a bit of a torture sometimes especially when you can’t fully relate to what you are singing. Singing love songs sometimes feels like writing intransitive verbs for me—without a direct object. Haha! Okay, enough “geekery” and I’ll stop right there before you’ll think that I’m ranting about my own love life. That is not my point here.

So moving on, my February has never been so busy. I have never attended to so many seminars on love or heard about different love stories before. And with all that, my biggest revelation is this: God is truly amazing. He is the most creative love story Writer. He is the most powerful Redeemer Who can turn garbage into royalty and heal dying and battered hearts. He alone can restore our worth, our wasted years, and give us our “happily ever after.”

Perhaps, my band’s joke on us having a “Love Awareness Tour” has become true for me and I am pushed to think about love seriously for once. Just to share what I have taken to heart so far, I am all the more convinced that it is best to make God the first chapter of all our stories. If we begin with Him, the One Who started it all, things will fall according to His plan.

You see, I’m really not used in writing about this stuff seriously. I’m having a hard time finishing this piece without deviating into other topics that are more comfortable (Haha!). But I guess that’s it: point of the matter is, I am very much for people finding their purpose in life, relationships that last forever as they are founded right, and seeing God’s greatness being highlighted in every story. And since I have not arrived yet in my own happy ending, let me wish you a right start! So friends, here’s to happy endings and great adventures ahead in our so-called “love lives.”

So I have a week left to psyche myself up, muster all the courage I can, and pray, pray, pray! If only this can go away through prayer and fasting, I would have taken the long, spiritual route. But of course, that’s what common sense is for—to make practical decisions.

This will be my first tooth extraction/root canal procedure, if ever. And honestly, I am so scared. (I want my mommy!!!) I am experiencing this kind of dental problem just now. But this toothache has got to end, once and for all. Times like this just remind me that I’m no Super Girl, that practically there’s only me to take care of myself (therefore I cannot afford to be a cry baby), and that I should always make quick and firm decisions even when faced with fear. So, let’s start with this toothache.

Staying here wasn’t so bad actually. I got to spend dinner and lunch with my board mates who probably had the same thinking as me, too tired to go to the cemeteries or the provinces. We shared two meals of noodles: spaghetti for dinner and pancit for lunch. I am almost convinced that this was to ward off the gloomy feeling of death that the holiday brought or “pangotra sa kamatayan.” Pancit for long life! Haha, clever. Both meals weren’t lavish, really, but it was the stories and the little discoveries I had of these people whom I shared only “hi’s” and “hello’s” with most of the time—that was precious.

I capped off my November 1 with a trip to my colleague and friend Ana’s house. They held a garage sale which hit three birds with one stone: to save them some space, to earn extra money, and to bless people. I had a grand time observing her family interact during merienda-turned-dinner and again, stories were shared. I also gained a furry friend in Beloy, Ana’s cute and fat dog who let me scratch his tummy several times (grrrrrrr).

I did purchase a few pieces from their garage sale (the shopaholic in me had to be contained, yes), but I went home even more blessed. Thanks, Ana! That was one visit to remember!

As I am writing this entry, many thoughts are running in my mind—the thoughts of wanting my own place, my theoretical love life, the To Do list that remained almost untouched over the weekend, the new things that I have said “yes” to, and again, my theoretical love life. As Mark Luna advised me here in one of my FB statuses, “wag ko nang isipin para wala akong gagawin.” True enough because I decided to write this post instead. Come to think of it, I have been praying to God for recreation and new zest in life. I think He answered my prayer well.

I woke up this morning already thinking about life, how my existence for thirty years seem to include a lot of wasted years and how there are still many things to do in life and I haven’t even reached half of my list.  I think I am getting pressured with my age but I’m just shrugging it off. I should know more than that.  After all, I am a child of God and I should know that His plans for me are good, pleasing, and perfect.  Maybe I just have yet to perfect how I can appropriate these promises in my life.  So yes, this is a patience test.

See, I told you this was going to be very random. At this point, I’m thinking of my future life partner. You read it right, yes, a future life partner. I know I’m shocking you right now because for many years, I have been mum about this topic.  Somehow, living on my own for more than half of my life has toughened me and my tendency is to be really extra careful with things that I delve into.  And even at that, I have my fair share of relational boo-boos, too, which I know I don’t have the luxury of time to repeat the same mistakes.  I am in faith that I have learned my lesson and I am over that horrible test. Haha! Anyway, about the future life partner. I am reminded of one colleague who said that she doesn’t feel like a single person at all because of the many responsibilities placed on her.  I can very much relate to that.  I haven’t traveled, partied, or had night outs just like any other single person in the city would. And so, I was just asking God that when I get married, I would have gained a companion who will travel, see places, and explore the world with me. But for now, while he is frolicking somewhere else, I really hope and pray that God will straighten my path and my family’s as well, that things will fall in the right place, at the right time for all of us.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not in an emotional pity-party at the moment.  I just received many blessings yesterday—a surprise provision, had a grand time leading praise and worship in church, then had a very restful sleep, and this too, the change of scenery.  When good things come at the right place at the right time, they are true blessings.  And so I just have to wait some more for more good things to come soon.

It took them a long time before they finally switched to a local TV station and I was about to have my tickets refunded and go down the bus just to prove my point. Good thing they didn’t take my request for granted.

What happened made my mind race with so many questions: What could this violent movies do to the minds of these helpless, stressed-out bus audience whose brains aren’t actually sifting through the ideas but absorbing all that they can get? Are these the kind of junk we’re feeding ourselves and the younger generation? What in the world did the makers of this movie think to come up with such junk? Why are people so careless and clueless about using their craft to reflect reality when in fact it could be very well the other way around—that the reel influences what is real?

That movie got me so fuming mad inside so pardon my random ranting in this post. While struggling with mixed emotions, I just felt a tug at my heart to do something about this. Probably my idealist self is on the rise once more, but wouldn’t you agree? Just like any other change that we long to happen, it really needs to start somewhere, albeit small. What if every parent would take a step further and not just screen what their kids are watching at home but also speak out and spark change in their communities? What if every Christian student would stand strong in their convictions and boycott sex and violence rampant in all forms of media? What if all artists will be bold and responsible enough to pursue the vast and undiscovered art on the positive side of the spectrum and not just get stuck with the “sure hit” but ever-so-depressing themes? What if those who have the voice speak louder and those who can change the rules change them for the betterment of mankind?

I want to hear more songs, see more visuals and artworks, and watch more movies that will make me a better person. I want to be able to raise my kids in an environment of godly ideals. I may be speaking cliches here or merely doing some wishful thinking but I believe, this can be real when all of us will decide to no longer be puppets of entertainment, but people who care and are wise enough to push for change to happen.

My first decent peep-toe pair!

I walked in at their branch in Glorietta 5 last February and was instantly fascinated by their stylish shoe designs. All pairs were unique, all worthy to be collected. And for the first time, I had difficulty choosing which pair to pick, having tried on almost ten designs that all fit me. What an experience! Now I can relate to those who have regular-sized feet.

Thanks, Sarah Cada, for taking this picture using your awesome Lumix camera

I chose a black velvet peep-toe high heels. I so wanted to have peep-toe shoes but nothing would fit me before. My dream has finally come true! I wore my first Ferretti peep-toes on a Sunday while leading praise and worship at our church. Praise and worship usually takes 25-30 minutes, which is multiplied into three sessions (one for practice, then first service, then second service). Simply put, I wore those high heels for the whole morning, standing for more than two hours on stage and my feet didn’t feel a sting. The pair was so comfortable despite its three-inch heels and felt so soft against my toes. I was able to jump and move around the stage as much as I liked.

I wore it next to my monthly gig at Dine and Jam. Many of my friends noticed my shoes and it garnered a lot of praises. One of my girl friends said, she was staring at my shoes during the whole set (probably not listening to me anymore, haha!) and even the guys from my band noted the same. Talk about style, comfort, and functionality all in one pair of shoes!

At Dine and Jam singing some jazz songs

Right now, I consider my Ferretti pair as one of my priced possessions and I will definitely add more to my collection. I’m also glad that they have branches in Davao City. I can easily buy my mom a pair when I go home for vacation! Yipee!

Ferretti, Glorietta 5

I highly recommend that you grab your own pair, too! Ferretti has branches around Metro Manila: ground floor of Glorietta 5, in Sta. Lucia East Grandmall, and in leading department stores.

My deepest thanks to Ms. Cecille Valdez-Saculo, brand manager of Faridez, Ferretti, and Naraya, for giving me this opportunity to enjoy and experience Ferretti shoes. Your shoe stores are definitely answers to my prayer to find shoes that fit. God bless you more!

Nature’s Home
Despite being one of the three major metros in the country, Davao gives premium to preserving the environment by allotting a portion of its land area to forests and conservation. Davao is currently home to the nurturing efforts of the endangered Philippine Eagle, the nation’s national bird.

Also, a big chunk of the city’s produce is from agriculture. This can be attributed to the conducive weather condition in the region—there are no typhoons in Davao, not to mention it also has very fertile soil. Thus, anyone who would like to visit can look forward to enjoying the fruits in season such as bananas, grape fruits, pineapples, and the famous Durian.

Very Much a City
Davao’s economic growth has been steady but sturdy for the past years in terms of infrastructure, commerce and technological advancements. It has opened its doors to the world having put up an international airport which serves as a gateway to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area.

Major industries, commercial companies, and universities thrive in the city, making it a focal point in terms of jobs and education in the south.

The City of Davao can certainly take pride in one thing—balance. With it being able to offer the best of both urban and rural worlds, it lives up to two of its many monikers. Truly, Davao is a paradise and a land of promise.

Reference:

http://www.davaocity.gov.ph/about/index.htm