2012: A Year in Photos

Let me indulge you with photos as I couldn't bring myself to make a decent and lengthy word post. Work has taken over during the holidays and this is just my way of summarizing everything.

I talked with my mother earlier this evening and we both agreed that 2012 is a year of achievements, hence I was right when I said a year ago that 2012 is our "achieve na achieve" year. What I didn't expect was the amount of work, energy and time that I think most of us has poured to achieve our goals. So although 2012 was a pretty productive year for me, I just can't help but feel extra giddy for 2013. I'm looking forward to yet another fruitful year, but hopefully, it won't be as draining as what 2012 has been to me. Happy New Year, Everyone!!!! Cheers!

Ways to Add a Bit of Glamour into Your Life

Got this list from Live the Charmed Life and there were around 100 on the list, so I modified it and made a few notes. I love how most of the tips doesn't even require spending, it's more on the mindset and how you carry yourself. Glamour need not equate to luxury. Enjoy!!!

1. Dress up more often…for work, for play or just for running errands

2. Maintain your manicure and pedicure

3. Emphasize your best feature, and play down any flaws

4. Pin up your hair, pour yourself some Champagne and hop in to a bubble bath

5. Wear a head scarf and big, dark sunglasses a la Grace Kelly

6. Have a Kir Royale before dinner

7. Share far less personal information, and always leave a bit of mystery

8. Save for a holiday in the Seychelles (or Maldives or Turks and Caicos)

9. Have your next small dinner party catered by an up and coming chef

10. Be fluent in one of the romance languages

11. Hold your head high, and walk with confidence

12. Have dozens and dozens of roses in your home, especially on your nightstand

13. Be sure your bedroom is the most glamourous room in your home

14. Enjoy Champagne brunch more often (or a mimosa or a bellini which are tdf at brunch)

15. Throw a masquerade party

16. Dress to the nines for your next date…hair, make-up, glamourous dress and sky-high heels…just make sure to tell him, so that he can suit up, too

17. Say less about that nasty cold, and say more about the latest book you’ve read

18. Attend an art gallery opening

19. Become a sparkling conversationalist or…

20. If you’re shy, say very little at all

21. Never make excuses, and forget being down to earth

22. Wear more updos

23. Live in Paris for a year (or Italy or somewhere that you can get drunk with too much culture)

24. Wear your hair in Veronica Lake waves

25. Two words: red lipstick

26. Wear ballet flats to and from Pilates, rather than trainers

27. Take a little bit more time to do your hair and make-up each day

28. Read Vogue

29. Wear lovely lingerie to bed

30. Have coffee and/or breakfast in bed more often

31. Avoid gossiping…it gives off the appearance of your own life being dull and uninteresting

32. Write love letters to your significant other

33. Fill your life with so many fascinating things that there’s no room for complaining

34. Stay on top of fashion and style, no matter what your budget

35. Make the effort to be more interesting

36. Cultivate friendships with other interesting people

37. Use a lower tone of voice

38. Whisper

39. Keep others’ confidence

40. Study art and Italian in Rome on an upcoming holiday

41. Take an architecture tour in Chicago

42. Dress up and go shopping 

43. Throw a black-tie Oscar party at your home

44. Invest in some drop dead gorgeous costume jewelry

45. Do not travel light (though I don't totally agree with this one)

46. Find a talented personal shopper at your favourite department store…they can help you choose an impeccable wardrobe, and stretch your fashion budget

47. Leave the words ‘cute’ and ‘comfortable’ out of your wardrobe

48. Learn to make a Manhattan (I don't do well with vermouth, so maybe another liquor of choice?)

49. Remember that glamour has more to do with attitude and style, than it does with beauty

50. Be happy in your own skin

51. Have dinner at that one place where you think is a bit on the higher end

52. Never discuss diets, no matter how closely you’re watching what you eat

53. Arrive 5 minutes late

54. Eat dinner after 8pm

55. Dine alone

56. Donate and volunteer for a worthy cause

57. Choose a glamorous icon and fashion your style after theirs

58. Dress well to travel

59. Invest in quality leather luggage that will last a lifetime, and grow more worn and stylish with age

60. Wear vintage clip-on earrings

61. Be a bit more Holly Golightly

62. Be a bit more Rita Hayworth

63. Be a bit more Salma Hayak

64. Cultivate a taste for caviar

65. And espresso

66. Learn to dance the Merengue or the Tango

67. Get married in Venice

68. Rent a Vespa (one of the many things that I haven't done while in Europe. i was scarred for life with what happened to me in Ibiza)

69. Don’t discuss the weather, unless it’s the weather in an exotic location

70. Have a glass of wine and antipasto for dinner

71. Wear Lululemon clothes to workout, rather than old sweats

72. Move to Manhattan (i wish)

73. Be a student of both art and fashion history

74. Have an eclectic and creative circle of friends

75. Spend Christmas in the West Indies (or somewhere exotic and tropical which can even be somewhere in the Philippines)

76. Avoid being provincial, and be curious and open-minded instead

77. Let a black sheath dress, beige trench and black stilettos be your uniform

78. Read Esquire to get the men’s perspective on substance and style

79. Pack a luxury picnic

80. Wear a lovely day dress and peep toe pumps when you tour

81. Avoid appearing stressed, overworked or overwhelmed

82. Learn to make a decadent signature chocolate dessert

83. Experience the markets of Marrakesh

84. Fly first class

85. Take the Eurostar

86. Take the Orient Express

87. Take in Fashion Week

88. Retire to the French countryside…

89. Visit Russia

90. Wear a sundress, sandals, hair scarf and sunglasses for sightseeing

91. Always remember that glamour requires engagement and effort

92. Marry someone with both style and substance, who loves to travel and who makes you laugh.

New Blog!!!!!

As if I am consistently blogging here!!!

Anyway, do check-out DesignsByDen for more design-related posts, tips, and interior design projects. I want to keep this one more personal and less business-like. See you there!

I've been quite on a blogging hiatus and there's not much going on in my twitter either. The past 6 months have been quite a blur, a stressful, crazy, fascinating blur and there are days when I think I've been going through life faster than I should. I've forgotten how it feels like to sit by the window, while sipping hot chocolate on a rainy day or having a full brunch, downed with a sparkling Bellini. Days like these were exchanged with rushed cafe late on an al fresco bar while puffing a stick or two, eating kebabs while catching up on my series (kebabs in Italy are totally worth the sudden weight gain) or skypeing with friends and family while answering work-related mails. Multi-tasking was indeed the name of the game and I'm just too psyched now that I have more time to stop and just breathe.
Anyway, some highlights from the last 6 months:

New Year in Rome:

Spring-break in Ibiza (where I was able to score a very cheap flight and a cheaper apartment)

Jet apartments

Saloni Internazionale del Mobile

Finally got my Masters degree in Interior Design (!!!!). Note the chubbier cheeks after a year of pizza, pasta and bistecca.

 A year of being 24/7 with talented young artists from different cultures, definitely changed my views on friends, relationships, design and my control over my emotions (something that I have a lot of issues about in the past years). I don't know if these changes are on the positive side or not, but I guess reflecting on these changes, is what the next three weeks of utter simplicity of my hometown are for. Glad to be back!!!

Ticking off From the List: Venezia Carnevale

I've been totally busy since the second semester started that I completely forgot that I actually have a blog. Another proof of this would be this entry which should have been posted last February. I managed to tick off one sub-item from my 28 before 28 list- the Carnevale in Venice! 

Googlemaps!!!

si koyang inindian ng date (forever lang syang pumu-posing sa balkonahe)

star-crossed lovers (not sure kung may dramang nagaganap or talagang nag-aaway sila)

modern-day Medici

What I Got Myself into Last 2011

2011 was a productive year for me and I couldn't thank the Big Guy above enough, as well as all the important people in my life for giving me the opportunities of enjoying this year much more than 2010. As what my wondergirl-extraordinary daydreaming partner Gwen once said before the start of 2011, 2011 would be the "endeavor" year and 2012 will be our "achieve-na-achieve" year. Since mahilig akong gumora in everything, here are some of the events that I got myself into last 2011.

JANUARY:

Passed IELTS with a high band score (photo credit: British Council Philippines)

                                                                 Turn-over of Delima Condo

Started on my Zumba and other HIIT workouts (Video credit: GRDanceFitness) but eventually stopped by mid-February bilang nagkasakit ako =/

FEBRUARY

Celebrated my boyfriend's birthday with friends

MARCH-APRIL

*Applied and got chosen for a scholarship grant

Started and maintained a regular swimming training at kaloka sina coach bilang national team ang tine-train, so push kung push sa akin. We always had our sessions at Marikina Sports Center (Photo credit: paramio.com)

MAY:

Went back to the province for one of my closest cousins' wedding (guy in dark shades)

though i got a scholarship to study in the UK, I decided to follow my dream of studying in Italy and enrolled myself at Florence Institute of Design International instead (photo credit: FIDI website)

JUNE

El Nido with my closest college group in UP. half of us lang ang nakapunta since the rest were busy with work (a.k.a. di pinayagang magleave)

JULY

July was all work-related since magrresign na ako the following month. Handled Ilocos Norte's ID work for Balai Condo. I also got to work on a big residential project in Bulacan, where I turned their old house into a white villa. I'll post pictures once i get back in Manila

AUGUST:

Now, August was full of despedidas and the good thing about these despedidas was that i got the chance to see my closest groups again. I have this thing kasi for small close groups rather than large group acquaintances, so madaming ganap at hiwa-hiwalay since magkakaiba ng schedules in life.(i don't have photoshop with me right now so i can't stitch my photos together. bear with me, whoever is reading this blog)

With the people I hang out with almost every weekend/weeknights

With my elementary classmates (manila-based)

Joint-despedida for Joey and I since he also left to study in Korea

With my closest college orgmates

With my college roomies (which were not my real roommates, btw)

END OF AUGUST:

Arrivederci, Manila and Ciao, Firenze!!!

SEPTEMBER

School and endless partying on weeknights in Firenze. It was crazy.

OCTOBER

Celebrated our 4th yr anniversary.I'm happy to say that this LDR thing isn't giving us a hard time since it taught me how to become more patient and understanding. I can't wait to be with him by May.

My 25th Birthday. The lengths that these people got themselves into to surprise me was worthy of a blog entry. 

DECEMBER

End of the 1st Semester

Other things that happened last 2011:

* got more online jobs and offers <3

* countless foodtrips with cherry and papa ching

* started planning our eco-store business 

With all the wonderful events that took place last 2011, here's to hoping that Gwen's "achieve na achieve" year will come to reality.