Keep calm and save up!

At the start of this year, I made a resolution to cut back on my shopping sprees and impulsive tendencies to book flights. I have come to realize that, at 24, I should probably be saving more moolah if I want to be taken seriously as an "adult". I looked at my closet and saw clothes I have barely worn twice. I saw my photos of thrice (or more) a year travels just to satisfy my insatiable wanderlust. I looked at my savings account and realized that I have to give up either my dreams of independence or my shopping and travelling habits.

Credits

Short of cutting up my credit card, I needed to stop buying clothes I don't need and quit booking trips I don't really have to take. I told myself there's plenty of time for that in the future. In fact, the only thing that's keeping me sane is a promise to myself that I will travel my heart out in two years if I managed to curb my wanderlust whims.

On a bittersweet note, I'm very happy to report that my efforts to monitor my spending habits are somewhat effective. My accountant office mates have devised a surefire way for me to monitor shopping sprees. Every pay day, I would only spend the allocated amount on my "wants". They also devised an Excel sheet for my needs, which I also use along with my own Excel savings sheet on my mutual fund investments, salary savings deduction, and some expenses. Mitch even gave me a Beabi handy dandy organizer where I can stash my cash!

I'm normally a fluke when it comes to keeping new year resolutions, but I'm proud to announce that it has been TWO WHOLE MONTHS since I shopped for clothes or shoes. Mind you, it's pure torture just passing by my favorite shops. I barely spend fifteen minutes inside Zara, Topshop, or Mango in fear of relapsing. I'm also guilty of mock booking trips on airline websites at least twice a week but have never gotten around to actually confirming the flights. I'm taking it one a day at a time with small baby steps. It's not easy, but I'd like to make it work. Here's to adulthood and maturity!

Into the land of Chatuchak and Platinum

When in Bangkok, I recommend you stay at Ds67 Suites, a small boutique hotel with an awesome coffee shop in the lobby. The rooms are well-furnished and affordable, the service is great, and it's about a minute away from the nearest BTS (Phra Khanong) station which makes it easy to go around the city.

For a cheap Php 70, when converted, you'll go gaga over their own special brew of iced coffee. In fact, I'm willing to head to Bangkok again just for another cup of that perfect strong blend!

Of course, Bangkok is a shopping mecca for girls like me who love clothes. Since we were there during the worst part of the red shirts rebellion, most of the malls were closed. We DID get to shop at the famous Jatujak--where they sell everything from puppies to clothes, and spent the whole day just exploring two sois (or streets). They sell really cheap dresses and tops and I went gaga over them. You have to be prepared for the heat, though. It can get hot and humid in there, since it's a dry market with no air-conditioning.

We also went to Siam Paragon and had a blast shopping for books at Kinokuniya. Bookworms will love this place. 

And right across the road from Paragon was an ongoing sale of high-end brands. We only checked it out. The prices were still too steep even at 80% off!

But hands down, my most favorite shopping spot at BKK will always be Platinum. Imagine a huge mall only housing tops, dresses, skirts, you name it, they've got it at affordable prices! I remember only paying Php 200 for tops and dresses. I must have replenished my entire wardrobe when we were there. We went back twice and would have gone every day if it weren't for our scheduled tours.

Which explains why I exceeded my baggage limit on the way home. Totally worth it.

Of unsmotable Girls and bohemian trustafarian wardrobes

I have this tendency to become obsessed with fictional characters on television series. First, there was Rachel Greene form FRIENDS, Karen Walker from Will and Grace, and Daenerys from Game of Thrones. These days, my sister and I have been watching the first season of Girls and although I am pretty sure I'm an uptight bitch like Marnie, I have been nursing a girl-crush on Jemima Kirke's bohemian trustafarian character, Jessa. She's too pretty not to have a crush on. 

I mean, her fashion sense has totally inspired me to dress like a bohemian hipster. Case in point, I am totally obsessing over her printed Zara palazzo pants!:

Of course, it's quite difficult to achieve considering my wardrobe is a cross between Marnie and Shoshanna's prim and proper girly styles; BUT, I am now un-regretting the numerous Topshop cutesy tops I bought since Jessa has found a cool way to pull them off: with jeans and rainbow barrettes!

No, I don't think I can pull off a kimono in broad daylight or wear a hippie wedding dress but it's nice to know it can be done. 

Time to stock up on hippie/hipster/bohemian pieces! Who says an uptight bitch can't dress like a free bird?

What made your heart race today? Useless crap from Topshop

Welcome to another edition of stuff I definitely don't need but who cares I want it:

I definitely want need another blazer for work to add to my collection. I want one in denim or something bright. And preferably one that goes well with my daisy dukes.

And I need coral pants, just because the Duchess of Cambridge herself wore them. Oh, Kate Middleton. I'm going to replicate your entire wardrobe one of these days.

I also want this cut out tunic. I haven't tried it on at the store but I think I can pull it off after a week or two of dieting. Or maybe I can just not breathe and do that "stomach in" thing the whole time I'm wearing it?

I recently made the rounds at Zara and Mango and have spotted some key pieces I need. Oversized blouses, candy colored denim shorts, pastel blazers, and some denim jeans. Now, where do I get the money? I'm really starting to hate the extreme irrevocable measures I've imposed on myself when it comes to saving money. Seriously.

P.S. I'm definitely saving up for Cotton On, though. I will never forgive myself if I don't shop on opening day.

Photo cred

From matching pastel blazers to ballet flats

My officemates and I have searched far and wide for Mango's latest line of pastel blazers. We were planning to get one each (pale yellow for me, pale pink for Dana, and the beige one for Mitch) but the damn things sold like hotcakes and every branch soon sold out.

And because we're too impatient to wait and see if they will re-stock, I was thinking we can settle for these darling MNG ballet flats in the meantime:

Don't judge. When we're all stressed and swamped with work, it's the shallow stuff that makes us happy.

DIBS ON THE YELLOW ONE!!!

Lusting over Mango's SS12 collection

I really do wish stores would hand out their lookbooks as soon as you step inside the shop. If Mango had handed me their SS12 lookbook while I was there with my mom last week, I would have bought those plain shirts and sweaters. On the rack, they looked uninteresting; but once you see the styled versions, you'd be banging your head on the wall wondering why you didn't buy some while your mom was feeling generous.

Can't wait to go on a shopping date with her again. I'm prepared this time around.

Cotton On in Manila confirmed?!

My office mate Mitch, who lives in Binondo, just informed me that Cotton On is about to open at Lucky Chinatown mall. There's apparently a shop window with the logo and everything. Lucky Chinatown mall is this new upscale premier mall in Binondo that recently opened this week. But enough of that, my brain is short-circuiting right now trying to process this piece of information. COTTON ON IN MANILA??? I cannot process this. I don't know how to feel, honestly. I'm happy 'cause finally I can buy the clothes here without going abroad but on the other had I feel sad 'cause it might turn out to be another Forever 21 scenario. You know, where you can't buy a single piece of clothing without spotting someone wearing the same item. Also, I have a Hong Kong trip lined up and I've been looking forward to hoarding Cotton On clothes again.

I'm heading on over to Binondo later or this week to verify this piece of information for myself. If H&M opens here before my trip and if (God forbid) SM turns it into another jeje brand, I am going to throw a bitch fit. 

My heart is still palpitating. Jesus.

On another note, happy memories of our Singapore shopping/hoarding trip almost convince me I can be happy they're bringing Cotton On here. Still bittersweet, though:

That Topshop song you can't get out of your head

I have no idea if it's just me or if every girl who shops at Topshop instantly becomes addicted to their I-wanna-dance-while-I-shop music that leaves one lss-ing for hours. I do know I have annoyed some of the salesladies whenever I nag them to give me their playlist just so I cab track it down and download it from some obscure artist who's probably all hip and indie--in other words, someone I'm absolutely clueless about as my knowledge of music only includes all things Britney, Miley, and Swifty.

So, after a couple of minutes on Google, I found out there's a lot of shopaholics out there who also want to get their hands on the playlist of Topshop stores around the world. There's even a site (aptly sub-titled "The Songs You Hear But Never Know The Names Of") dedicated to researching the lyrics of the songs just so they can download the set list. Thank you, shallow-minded girls like me!!!

I also dropped by Inside Out, Topshop's official blog, to check if they finally include specific songs from their On Our Playlist tags, but no. I got these awesome pictures of some of the artists, though.

Happy thoughts and shopping memories while I'm listening to my new Topshop playlist!!! :-) 

Turning 23 with the boyfriend

Turned twenty three last week and celebrated with the boy, my family, and the girls. I am blessed to be surrounded by these people. I'll blog about my three-part (yeah, I tend to celebrate my birthdays for a whole week or so) celebration, first up is lunch with the boyfie on the day itself.

First, he surprised me with my favorite yellow rose. Sweet! It's been ages since he got me a flower.

And this is why. Haha.

Then, we went off to Little Tokyo for some authentic Japanese. I originally planned to eat yakiniku at Urameshiya but found out they only open at 5pm so we ended up at Seryna, which was an even better choice. Because it's my birthday, the gods though they'd cut me some slack and had a table ready for us. We were lucky to be seated during lunch hour without reservations at the jam-packed Seryna. Winner!

As always when at a Japanese restaurant, we over-ordered. Seryna's one of the best authentic places here in Manila, apart from Kikufuji!

We went inside Little Tokyo to check out the place. Up next on our Japanese food trip: sushis at Kikufuji then off to Urameshiya!

wearing Topshop scalloped top and eyelet shorts, Aldo gladiators, H&M bag, Promod necklace

Yeah, I have a thing for statues.

After a year of nagging Jake, we finally had our Chocolate Fire date! He's the sweetest, yes? Haha.

They have the BEST cheesecake we've tasted so far, well maybe not the best 'cause I'm sure Jake would beg to differ. But definitely one of the best we've had, and we have tasted  A LOT. It almost made me regret getting the Fire & Ice sundae and not another slice instead. I'm thinking of buying a whole cake just to make myself happy.

That day was pretty awesome, and not just because Jake treated me to shopping sprees at Topshop and Zara and behaved like a good boyfriend. Haha. I love birthdays.

Topshop Summer Days!

What made my heart race today? Everything you see below. I see penniless days ahead. I want need these el pronto. Thanks a lot, Topshop.

Singapore-lah Day 3

MY FAVORITE SINGAPURA DAY! SHOPPING AND DINNERINKS DAY! Also, the day Jake and I finally met up. I was so kilig to the bones 'cause it was our first time together in another country. Yeah, I'm mababaw like that.

Anyway, back to the important issue on hand: shopping! We had a blast walking up and down Orchard road. My favorite malls so far are Ion Orchard for Rubi Shoes and Pull & Bear, Vivo City was too big for me although I loved their Cotton On branch, ditto with Bugis Junction (yes, I went to three branches of Cotton On), but my most favorite was the 313@Somerset mall. It was the first mall that caught my eye when we first arrived at Singapore mainly because of these three names right on its facade: Forever 21, Cotton On, and Zara. It was also a few steps away from Jake's hotel which housed a Topshop in the lobby. Pretty soon, 313@Somerset was our favorite hang-out spot. Or should I say Cotton On? I can't count the number of times I went back to the store. I had a hard time hiding all my purchases from my mom when I went back to MNL. I just love everything about it, it's like a mix of Zara/Topshop/F21 with affordable prices. Rawr. I can't wait to shop there again. Pull & Bear was a bit of disappointment since most of their clothes were Zara-ish (given that they're sister companies), and Uniqlo was okay if you're into basic casual clothes. I bought a few stuff there mostly for my mom. Since I had a "no shopping at shops found in Manila" rule, I didn't bother to check out F21, Zara, and Topshop except when I wanted to compare prices.

I loved shopping at Singapura, mostly 'cause I got a $10 tax refund for my purchases from Cotton On. LOL. And finally, pictures!

Rubi! <3 I just love this place.

 wearing Topshop strawberry tank top, F21 skirt, Kickers loafers, Longchamp Le Pliage, Promod layered necklace

One of my most anticipated stores!

How can you not fall in love with Orchard Road? Mall after mall after mall!

He found me running around taking clothes off the racks like a fool at Cotton On. He agreed to help me carry all my stuff like the good boyfriend and shopping buddy that he is. <3 Camwhored outside 313 after a tiring shopping spree inside Cotton On.

Meriendy was laksa and Milo dinosaur at a  nice hawker place right along Orchard. It was stupid to get something spicy with something sweet at the same time but it worked! Well, for me.

We then went to Clarke Quay for dinner and beers. Here's me and Jake posing in front of Bugis Village market. Smile, please.

 wearing F21 sheer top and American Eagle denim shorts

Teaching Jake how to get tickets at the MRT. It was his first time to commute there, his family had a tour bus all to themselves. Lucky boy, haha!

Colorful and vibrant Clarke Quay! So this is how Singapore's night life looks like.

Crossing the bridge to get to the other side where the bars are.

And since we're obvious turistas, we chose a place by the river instead of trying the clubs inside the strip. 3 buckets of beers for Jake, Maan, and Ryan and too many food for the whole gang at Hooters.

Night life at Singapore ends at around 2am, which is too early. We were the only ones left, along with other Pinoys, at Hooters. We had to go 'cause they were closing up and we were floored when we saw our bill:. No wonder no one ever gets drunk here, alcohol's too expensive!

Day 3's easily my favorite day during our whole trip! Shopping and dinnerinks never fail to make me happy. <3