The Week that Was: First Try

The week started with the usual Monday blues thus I decided to wear something red to lift my mood up:

The audit team I was with ate at Kalye ni Juan in Galleria for lunch.  We treated ourselves for almost passing half of the day last Monday in whole...lolz.

Kalye ni Juan is actually a nice place to eat at...price of food is so sulit because we were so full right after we devoured everything on our table....

Last Tuesday, I got kinda vain and used (for the first time in five years) my camera's self-timer shots:

I always use my semi-vest to control the fitness of some of my loose long-sleeves.

The week passed like a breeze (or a typhoon rather) and as always, I'm thankful that I have survived it.

To cap off the week, we again treated ourselves on  a Friday lunch in Teriyaki Boy-Galleria.  And as usual, my order was their chicken don special...(but my favorite is still Tokyo Tokyo's:-p).

For dinner, Reymar and I ate at Nasi Lemak, a  Singaporean restaurant.  Food and ambiance were very good but I was kind of full so I didn't eat a rice meal.  Looking at Reymar's appetite, however, I guess the fried squid was really good. Lolz.

Fridays are usually business casual days so I opted to wear flats this time for the sake of my constanty-tired-of-heels legs:

See you again next week!

The Week That Was: Introduction

An auditor's life isn't that much exciting.  Sometimes, it sucks the life out of you.  But I believe any other work does so too.  So it is up to us on how we live the life we chose.  The lives that we live isn't defined by the course we have taken or the jobs we have assumed...it's in how we live life itself.

I don't know if I am making any sense but my point is, everything is all in our mind. 

If I'm still not getting my point across...

Well, I for one, really like dressing-up...There's something about clothes and buying new things that perk me up in the middle of a boring and depressing day...

Audit isn't exactly a work which allows you to really dress-up.  First of all, there seems to be no sense because all you have to do is sit on your desk, work on your laptop for hours, look for vouchers, analyze and identify issues, mingle with the client, then go back to your laptop again.

But it doesn't mean that it's prohibited to experiment a little.  The company (can't imagine why I typed the word "company" with a capital "C" by default...effect of those FSs...lolz audit talk) I work in does not provide any uniform.  It is a disadvantage because everyday I get confused what to wear.  But it is also an advantage because I get to choose what to wear.  And corporate attires were initially never easy for me to choose.

Anyway, before the text gets longer...

I got inspired by a blog which Mariel recommended me and I tried (I hope not in vain) to put an excitement and challenge to my every week by posting the highlights of the week that has passed...afterall..this is a diary right?

On Perfumes

I got inspired to write this because in a meeting last week with the whole team for Project JAJAVAN, I really loved the perfume Lester was wearing.  And when I asked him, it was Clinique Happy for men.

Almost everybody loves perfumes. It makes you feel clean, feminine and seductive (?).  I am a pefume lover myself.  I think this started when my mother would put Johnsons baby cologne on me before sending me off to grade school.  I carried it with me until high school.  And during that time, I liked teeby-bopper's colognes and perfumes.  My most favorite among them are Bench's B/Bare (cologne) and Penshoppe's bottled-up perfume Flirt.

I had the same perfume and cologne brands during college.  When Reymar was still courting me (uy....), he was the one who introduced J.Lo perfumes to me.  He is a perfume addict himself.  He would combine different perfume brands to arrive at the scent he wanted.  He gave me J.Lo's Blue Diamond.  It was J.Lo because he knew that Jennifer Lopez is my favorite actress and performer.

Later in college, I noticed how costly it was to maintain colognes because I would be able to consume a Bench/Penshoppe perfume which costs about 150 within only one month.  And since I lived in a meager allowance, that was quite costly.  I actually looked for several ways to cut on my perfume expenses because this seems unnecesary.  But I can't seem to live without putting colognes/perfumes.

Then a friend introduced Victoria's secret perfumes to me.  At first it was quite costly considering the types of perfumes I usually wear.  But later, I realized that it was actually more practical because the contents are so concentrated you'd use less spray and the scent would last longer.

Now,  it was actually like a year since I bought my last perfume and the following are the scents I am currently using...mixing and matching....

1. Victoria's secret special edition (i forgot the scent but its berry-ish with glitters)
2. CK Into you
3. Marks and Spencer Lavender from its floral collection (though I am not sure if this is for a girl)
4. J. Lo's Blue Diamond (yes, after about 7 years, meron pa cya)
5. Incanto Charms by Salvatore Ferragamo (Reymar's 24th bday gift for me)
6. Bath and Body Work's Sweet Pea (I forgot I just bought this pala and this is my most favorite for now)
7. Victoria's Secret Blossoming Romance

I think a perfume is a part of one's daily wardrobe.  It is nice that you'd look good...but it would be much nicer if you smell good too!

The MOST SHOPAHOLIC Week EVER!

First of all, let me just clarify that I am a very practical person when it comes to my spending. I keep track of all my expenses all the time and I only buy items when I know I need them.

For the past few years, I thought that being "practical" means being "thrifty" with the items you buy. Only after having my heels broken (read: several times) in the middle of Makati that I realized that being practical means having to balance the price and quality of the items you buy.

The week that has passed was probably my most shopaholic week experience. :)

All boutiques and malls last week had their midyear sale. Midyear sales usually occur because labels had to change their collection as summer is almost over. Spring, summer collection is therefore out of the fashion scene. They expect all of us to overhaul our cabinets. Out with floral dresses and in with raincoats and other rainy season gears.

However, for all of us who are on a tight budget, we can always recycle.

Anyways, as I was saying...

Last week started with me buying a pair of red Armani eyeglasses. 

Actually,  my eye trouble started while I was still reviewing for the CPA board exam.. I just ignored it because I didn't like wearing glasses.

About two years ago, after severe uncomfort because of my eyes, I decided to visit our Company's opthalmologist and I learned I already have 125-175 vision.  And so, about a year ago, I bought my first eyeglasses.  It was Polo Sport from Executive Optical.

However, I really didn't like wearing it because it made me look older. Plus, I also lost it. So basically, I stopped wearing one for 6 months. 

Then I had the idea of wearing contact lenses.  I bought three pairs.  Then I realized, after wearing my first pair,  that it didn't suit me because I was diagnosed with Dry Eyes.

It was only last week that I bought (and I'm starting to wear it now more often) another pair of glasses.  The resident optometrist of Executive Optical in SM Makati recommended this pair to me and said that it was their most salable pair.  The color is red and it kinda look like this:

It had 20% discount plus additional 10% if you have an SM Advantage Card.

Later last week also, I got really really in love with this light purple ZARA pumps in Greenbelt.  I tried it and it felt so good on my feet and it was so comfortable, despite the heels, that I really had no choice but to buy it.  Good shoes=good investment because it means that I can walk comfortably and I can use it for quite a long time.  Plus, it was also on sale.  This was my first pair of Zara shoes.  Or of any Zara item, for that matter.

Ensembles was also on sale last week.  I had no intention of going to their branch in Megamall last week but to look for a bodysuit.  When I discovered that their dresses were on sale, I found this very cute trench-coat like mustard yellow dress that was 50%-off the price which I decided to also buy.  It looked and felt really nice and despite that it had long sleeves, it didn't feel that uncomfy.

Other items which I also bought last week with reasons why:

1. VMV Liquid face powder -  because I got itchy with other brands like L'oreal, Revlon and Maybelline, I decided to buy this because it's supposed to be hypoallergenic...so far, so good
2. Mabelline white eyeliner - for "big eyes" effect...haven't used it yet and Maybelline pink lipstick
3. L'oreal pencil and liquid eyeliner - the color is brown and it looked so perfect!
4. Mango - red, heart-shaped bag, and three tank tops :)
5. Two Calliope body suit
6. Three corporate skinny jeans in St. Francis

Needless to say, my credit limits were reached and my credit line ubos....

But I promised my self I will never buy again for the next month or so!

I had no regrets though because I know...I am gonna be able to use these!

Kindly also share to us your shopaholic experience!


xoxo

NEW FASHION ALERT!

BODYSUITS!

I came across corporate bodysuits in Terranova once and thought of them as funny.  They looked like a baby's sleepwear.

It specifically looked something like this, only that it was short-sleeved:

Now, Ensembles, just announced that they are the first local brand to introduce bodysuits in the Philippines...and I thought..well, this would pave way to a new corporate fashion!

I initially had no idea what bodysuits are for.  But later, I realized that bodysuits are best for a neat and crisp tuck-in for that professional look.  Quoting Ensemble, "Gone are the days of messy tuck-in’s and crumpled look at the end of the day. With bodysuits, you remain fresh and neat up to the time you hit those bars for a night out."

I recently visited their boutique and found out that only sleeveless bodysuits were left so I had to go back to Terranova to look for the one I initially saw.  To my dismay,  all of their stocks were already sold.

Good thing, Calliope had some left on sale.  And I am now a proud owner of two new bodysuits! Can't wait to wear them to the office!

My (Business) Travels with Arianne

One of the perks of audit is the free travel it provides. If you are assigned to a client with branches outside Metro Manila, then you are quite lucky if you love to travel.

It is only recently that I have loved to travel. I realized that the Philippines, though only one country, has a very diverse culture and is multifaceted in terms of geographical structure. Travelling is very fun and enriching. You learn through the experience you get.

Since Arianne and I were assigned to a client with 88 branches nationwide, we were able to avail of these perks.

Our first stop was in Calapan, Mindoro. Calapan is the home to PBB big five winner Jason (who is also famous for being the love team of Melai, thus the name Melason).

To get there, we rode a bus going to Batangas City Port. From Makati, it is about two hours away. In Batangas City Port, an hour ferry ride would get you to Calapan. Also in Batangas City Port is a ferry which would take you to the famous Puerto Galera, to which we were tempted to board. But we just had to finish work.

Since we were out for an inventory count, we were required to be as casual and as rugged as possible. Thus, the sneakers and pants. Also, since we will be dealing with Branch Managers who are mostly men, we were advised not to wear sleveless or anything of that sort.

Since I am not a fan of sneakers…nor of jeans…nor of t-shirts, I have to admit that I shopped for a few. Yeah, some people laughed at me because of this. But what can I do, I didn’t have the dress code they required.


So after we did our work (to which the details I’d rather not discuss because I might bore you), we stayed at Anahaw Beach Resort. It’s the nearest accommodation to the client’s branch. We were quite excited to try their floating restaurant but since it was quite stormy that day, they closed it.

This was our room.

If you noticed, most of our pictures are solo because we had to take turns taking each other's pic.
The next day, we catched the first ferry trip back to Batangas. We were off to Balayan. We haven’t taken any pictures in Balayan except these:

Then it was time to go back to Makati, which is 4 hours away.

The next weekend, we headed far north to Tuguegarao. It was my first time to board PAL express. I was quite shocked when I saw it because it really looked small and you can see its propellers on both sides.






Most people’s question when we were there was, “Is it really that hot there?” That time, Tuguegarao marked the highest temperature in the whole Philippines at 33 degrees Celcius.


We stayed in Hotel Carmelita. It is a famous hotel in Tuguegarao because it has wi-fi (yeah, stop laughing Manila peepz, there are places where wi-fi is not that ubiquitous as it is in Manila), a vey chic coffee shop and some very delicious pizzas.

We also stopped by Isabela for a client inventory count, then we headed home.  Isabela was an hour away from Tuguegarao.

Our third weekend destination was in Laoag and Vigan.  This was probably my favorite.

I loved the hotel where we stayed:

This hotel was kind of scary because the theme was like "antiqued".

I also loved the fact that we still had time to stroll while we were waiting for our flight.  We strolled Crisologo street: 

And we also went to Chavit Singson's Baluarte Zoo....

Arianne was like a little sister to me.  Probably because I have a younger sister almost the same age as her.  Though it was tiring and we experienced some things we never did before (like backride in a single motorycycle with laptop in one hand and files in the other), these trips were trips we would never forget.

The week after that, to expedite things, I went to Pangasinan to do the count and Arianne and Eve went to Bataan and Pampanga to do their share.

All I can say is...more..more..more!  And I think there is more.  I am crossing my fingers :P

A Private Getaway c/o Mr. M

I don't know how Lester was able to coin the name "Mr. M" for Boss JP. It's probably the association that Mr. M (Mr. Johnny Manahan of ABS-CBN) has managed so many talents which is equivalent to the number of staff Boss JP has handled. Lolz.

Anyway, a day after my bday, Boss JP treated us to a private pool party in Pansol, Laguna. Pansol is like an area in Laguna where there are many private houses with pools for rent. When you rent a place, it's gonna be for your exclusive use. Inclusive of the house and pool rental are billiard tables and videoke machines. What's nice about this is that the water's supposed to be originating from a hot spring. That's why even if you swim until breaking dawn, the water is still relaxing and warm that you'll feel chilly the moment you step out of it.

This is actually my second time in Pansol. Last time, my La Sallian friends also went there to celebrate Eric and Rap’s bday. But we rented a different house/resort. It was named J.Lo3.

This year, we rented a bigger resort called Dona Salud.  It has the same amenities but has more rooms.

Although many were not able to come, we still had a blast.

Entertainer for the outing was Lemy. He was the videoke king.

 Not to mention the favorite of the boys…

I also forgot to mention that last year, our "subcluster" outing was in Club Manila East:

O well, anyways, it is always a fun and memorable experience… Thanks boss JP!


May the tradition live on!






xoxo