Only the marvelous

May 22, 2013

Wild Hope

I was a daydream
Quiet and unseen
I lived in stories but inside I kept a mystery
I was a starling
Nobody's darling
Flying in perfect circles just for company
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready to be extraordinary
A midnight airplane
A window glowing
I know I am another sparkle in the sky
I shine on copper
Still undiscovered
But you might see me in the corner of your eye
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready to be extraordinary

I have been doing quite a lot the past few days and in every measure of the word, this is how a Casual Friday outfit literally applies to me. Granted the only thing casual about this look is the fact that I am wearing jeans, despite the fact they are gold, they are still ultimately jeans. I can't help it. I reckon I have no time to obsess about every single outfit and at the end of the day, when one is set out to conquer the world, despite being in casual wear, a touch of military elements always help. What can I say? Life is a battlefield.

One of the things we lose when we do too much is perspective. So the saying goes, "Little things mean a lot," especially when we focus our attention on them., obsess and ruminate about them and ultimately, can't let them go. Sometimes we just keep out minds turning disturbing thoughts over and over, believing that we wil surely figure out some solutions if we just thing about them long enough and check out every possible angle. Personally, I think we should just quit obsessing and live by the "Don't sweat the small stuff" (as cliche as that sounds) school of thought.

Because, when we engage ourselves and indulge ourselves in such behavior, it is a sure sign that we are thinking ourselves to death. When we do this much obsessing, we end up losing perspective. Suddenly, we become the center of the universe, and one's problems are the only problems that exist.

This is why, it always helpful to take a step back and realize whatever problem it is that we are having is not of universal proportions. this perspective and seeing things from this point of view helps us realize that we are powerless over our crazy thinking and that at the end of the day, all it is making is our lives a lot more insane. At this point, hopefully, we can get back in touch with knowing that there is a power greater than oneself that can restore sanity, fix the chaos and leave it at that... and then we just keep going... It always helps to consider things in another way, from another point of view... trust me on this.

xx, JL

May 20, 2013

Sick Cycle Carousel

I tried to climb your steps

I tried to chase you down
I tried to see how low I could get down to the ground
I tried to earn my way
I tried to tame this mind
You better believe that I tried to beat this
So when will this end
It goes on and on
Over and over and over again
Keep spinning around
I know that it won't stop
Till I step down from this
Sick cycle carousel,
This is a sick cycle, yeah
Sick cycle carousel
This is a sick cycle

-Sick Cycle Carousel, Lifehouse

My style has taken quite a radical shift and believe it or not, this is what I usually wear on a normal day. The transition is quite apparent. From 'wear whatever I want to wear, have my iPod play on shuffle and decide the theme of my look for the day' carefree days, I now find myself planning outfits in advance and laying it out the night before---like a normal functional adult. Music still, of course plays a vital role in my dressing up, and its influence is still apparent in my posts... I guess I just find the need to press Shuffle less, these days.

Aside from being in perpetual business attire outfits required for work, which yes, I do engage in... contrary to popular belief, I find myself reading... a lot. I am quite happy to have rediscovered my passion for literature, which due to the other forms of media, had to take a back seat, as I was always tinkering with every new gadget I could find (Circa 1996 Tamagotchi buried in my drawer included, yes, it was THAT bad). But my most recent vacation enabled me to rediscover my love for reading, which I did for the entire duration of my stay at the beach. One of the authors consistently on my night stand: Paulo Coelho. His brilliance transcends his contemporaries, and I just cannot seem to get enough.

On detours, road blocks, one way streets and dead ends: The bumpy ride called life. Most people get on it in search for excitement, but once that starts, they are terrified and want it to stop. What did they expect? Having chosen an adventure, shouldn't people be prepared to go the whole way? Or do they think that the intelligent thing to do would be to avoid the ups and downs and spend all their time on a carousel... going round and round on the spot? The roller coaster of life: it is a fast, dizzying game; it's a parachute jump; it's taking chances: falling over and getting up again; it's mountaineering, it's wanting to get to the very top by yourself and feeling angry and dissatisfied when you don't manage to do it. No one said it would be easy.

If I suddenly wake up on a roller coaster, I would probably feel trapped and sick, being the neurotic person that I am, I'd be terrified of every bend, wanting for every second to get off. But if you see things from another perspective, and believe the track is your destiny and that you are in charge of the machine, then the nightmare would probably become something thrilling. It becomes exactly what it is: roller coaster... a safe, reliable toy which will eventually stop. But while the journey lasts, open your eyes and stop... look at the surrounding landscape, embrace every twist, turn and loop... who knows? You might enjoy it... you might just bask in the excitement...You might just be in for the ride of your life...

'As we drive along this road called life, occasionally, we will find ourselves a little lost. And when that happens, I guess all we have left to do is forget the shoulda, woulda, coulda... Buckle up...

And just keep going.'

As for me, I’ve done the merry-go-round, I’ve been through the revolving doors, I finally feel like I’ve met someone I can stand still with for a minute... and... well, I guess I'm just lucky enough to have someone who alsowants to stand still with me.

xx, JL

Celebrate the most coveted week in Philippine fashion with SUPERB.

From the makers of SuperSale Bazaar, we would like to invite you to SUPERB-

the most prestigious shopping event in Philippine fashion. We celebrate the most coveted sartorial week in the metro with a 5-day bazaar housing upcoming designers and local RTW brands. It will be a sneak peek of their latest pre-fall collections with a hint of summer items!

Tell your friends about the hottest bazaar and hashtag #SuperbBazaar

Get 1 free eco-friendly bag, and the chance to win from the raffle draw every hour!!:)

We'll be giving away Moonshine GCs, Burgoo GCs, Queen Street bags, and a WHOLE LOT MORE!!!:D

************************************************************

We have everything from electronics, and clothes to high end designer items, makeup, accessories, shoes, bags, gowns and custom made items!

There's something to fit EVERY BUDGET!!

with over 200 brands to choose from you're sure to find the great deals you're looking for

************************************************************

Present the flier at the registration and get 20% off entrance fee!!!

(if you dont know where to get your hands on a flier feel free to print it out at home)

Get in for free by:

1) Present a XEND waybill from anytime in May

2) Buy a copy of the latest Metro Magazine or Chalk Magazine and tear out the Superb coupon

3) log on to www.dealdozen.com for a free ticket while supplies last!:)

************************************************************

There will be Sunday mass at 3pm so you won't have to miss mass when you go shopping!

shop for a cause as proceeds of ticket sales go to World Vision

Brought to you by:

Celline

Burgoo

Moonshine

Queen Street Bags

Major sponsors:

Bloggers United

Boon Tong Kee

Deal Dozen

Sbarro

XEND Express

Media Partners:

88db.com

99.5 Play FM

Chalk Magazine

Circuit Magazine

Metro Magazine

Money Sense Magazine

Southern Living Magazine

Spot.ph

TheMall.ph

Velvet Channel

WhenInManila.com

________________________________________________________

To receive updates on when to apply or when we have promos please 'like' the SuperSale Bazaar FB page

May 19, 2013

Credit in the Straight World

And I will await
You cripple, you take away my time
My peace, my empathy
No babies sleep on atrophy
Your unborn love and fetal stress
Hard bitter candy, legless caress

Go for credit in the straight world
Look a dealer in the eye
Go for credit in the real world
Won't you try?
I got some credit in the straight world
I lost a leg, I lost an eye
Go for credit in the real world
You will die

- Credit in the Straight World, Courtney Love, HOLE

Top: Undernourished Manila | Lace Skirt: Forever 21 | Shoes: Zara | Bag: Hermes | Sunglasses: Prada

This was what I wore for an impromptu Champagne Brunch which I was surprisingly able to go to, after much deliberation and arguments for/against via Whatsapp with my friend Kato, I decided to pick myself up, dress up in classic ladies who lunch garb and head out. When I picked out this outfit, I was happy it took quite an easy time, let's see: Peplum Blouse, Lace and Neutral Tones. Perfect for brunch... never had such an easy time planning an outfit.

On Belle Curves: It has been considered hip to be peplum-ed these past few seasons. In reviving every dressmaker's conceit, the dress shape ever so popular in the forties, designers nowadays are finally shining a spotlight on the waist, which as a designer myself, I realized is a different thing to waste.

Credit in the Straight World. I have often lived by the saying, "When I feel like saying something, I say it," granted there are repercussions for having no filter, I think nothing beats the heck out of clamping your mouth shut just to please people. I have done the whole people pleasing route, it works for a while but then it gets tiring. Some people prefer to live life forever filtering, and are happy with that. I can't, I won't and I probably never will be. The weight of things left unspoken... believe me...they have a tendency if crushing us every day. At the end of the day, whoever taught us different was wrong... didn't know anything at all.

"It is often said that no matter the truth, people see what they want to see. Some people might take a step back and fight out they were looking at the same big picture all along. Some people might see that their lies have almost caught up with them. Some people might see what was there all along. And then there are some people who run as far as they can so they don't have to look at themselves...

But as for me... I can see clearly now..."

xx, JL

Who's Who? Take note the theme: I considered me and Kato Real Housewives of Makati that day- lace, neutrals and big wavy blonde hair: CHECK!

Recovery Food:

With my really good friend Wellington aka. Wella. Obligatory sunnies photo, we could not resist.