My Birthday Came Two Weeks Early

Happy Sunday, my few dear readers! :D

It's gonna be June tomorrow and just like that we are already halfway through 2020. June is my birthday month and also our anniversary month so it's easily my favorite time of the year. In 2 weeks I am turning 32 and dang, my age is gonna be off the calendar! >_< More on birthday musings in the next few days but for now, I'm gonna share my happiness because I got an early birthday present from my husband!

You see, since we still cannot dine out due to COVID19, I've been planning a DIY romantic lunch for our anniversary (which is 4 days from now *panic mode*). Why not dinner, you say? Well, we will celebrate with our housemates over kBBQ for dinner so we thought we'll do a more intimate one mid-day. We're just thinking of ordering steak via GrabFood but to make it a little more special, I need a pretty table setting. And where to get all the paraphernalia but my [pre-circuit breaker] favorite place to be, Ikea! I also learned from one of my former colleagues that Ikea delivers small parcels in 2 days so I immediately went to their website to do dinnerware-shopping!

I was vigorously scrolling up and down my phone when hubby saw me and asked what's keeping me busy. Nonchalantly, I told him "Online shopping" and without expecting much, I followed it up with a "Will you pay for it, please?" I almost jumped out of bed when he said he's gonna pay whatever I will add to my shopping cart! Like, seriously? I kept asking him if it's for real and he gave me that straight look and I knew right there that he's not kidding! Who am I to say no, right??? :D

photo credit

Sooooo, like a kid wandering in a candy store, I happily navigated the Ikea site while mentally crossing out all the items in my table setting list. I was palpitating, I tell you! I think it's the first time I'm shopping without worrying about the total bill, LOL! Now enough blabber and on to my loot! Do you wanna see it? Here you go!

I got carried away so the damage was a little bit over $200 >_<

Thanks, babe! Love you forevs! :-*

Note: Click the image for high-res version

I told you, most of the stuff that I bought is for table setting except for our candles, my chopping board and our wooden tray for breakfasts in bed. But, my favorite's got to be this 18-pc service because it's so simple yet so classy! I've always had a thing for square plates! :)

Now I just need to pray that the delivery is indeed 2 days to make it to our Anniv celeb. Otherwise, boo!

I'm excited! If my plan works out well, I'm gonna show you how the lunch date went.

Till then!

Weekend Shopping

The obvious advantage of working in SG is that I earn more and for that I couldn't be more grateful especially since I am already my family's bread winner now. And because it's emotionally tough working overseas, I (and my friends and my officemates and probably every OFW the world over) find ways to make life a wee bit happier. And yes, shopping is one of them :) We need to reward ourselves every so often naman di ba? :-D

So friends, allow me to share with you my weekend buys:

Friday after work, I and a couple of friends headed to one of the shops in Orchard Road to get myself a new bag. I've been looking for the perfect black bag but I always end up getting a different color. With this pretty blue, I guess the perfect black would have to wait :D

They say a girl can't have too many shoes. I say... yeah! ;-P

I remember telling you that we live right across a mall and you know how dangerous that is for women, right? Double the hazard when there's a sale! Hahaha

I am in desperate need of open-toed footwear coz I miss showing off my nail polish! Haha!
Seriously though, my feet need to breathe especially on Casual Fridays :)

If I remember it right, I have read from another blog that Vincci is the Singapore/Malaysia counterpart of our VNC. The brand is more affordable here, but this one isn't exactly cheap, considering that there's a sale, but I swear it's the comfiest shoes in the world! Pikit-mata nalang at the cashier :P

When I was in the Philippines I am fond of wearing heels but when I got here, I got used to wearing flats because the convenience of MRT also meant a lot of walking everyday. I loved this pink and black pair the first time I saw it. It's simple but it fits my feet to a T.

Now let me end this post with something that I found outside a shoe store in ION Orchard mall. I think it's cute!

Are you, too? ;-)

Cheers to life's little pleasures!

Pretty Bree

I've been following Denise Katipunera for quite some time now and I must say that I love the shoes she sells at her online shop! Last Sunday was my lucky day coz I chanced upon a sale. I skimmed through the items hoping that there's something for me and look what I found!

Pretty Bree.. And she's mine! ^_^

I love it because it's casual and chic! And it's a real steal for just Php 525!
It has a shipping fee of PhP110 but for these lovelies, who would mind? :)

Now I have another reason to go home for a vacation. See you soon, Bree! :D

A Quick Trip to Divisoria

Haley will be turning two in a week and being the stage sister that I am, I woke up early yesterday to go to Divisoria to buy stuff for her loot bag. Sure Jollibee (that's where she wants her birthday celebrated... choosy little girl! haha) can provide those but their standard loot costs 25 pesos with not-so-good items while that amount will already go a long way in DV. I made it a point to get there before 9AM because the place gets too hot and crowded when it's late especially since the holidays are around the corner. By the way, I tagged Tita Antin along and she obliged because she wanted to scout for new Christmas decors pala.

With loot bag goodies and decors on top of our list, we went to Divisoria Mall first. DV Mall is a shopping arcade where you can buy almost everything - from clothes to accessories, school supplies to party favors, gift items to electronics - albeit (a lot) cheaper if wholesale. We roamed around for a while to look for the store with the lowest price. Here are what we got:

Cute transparent drawstring pouches at 6php/pc.

This will serve as Haley's loot bag.

 Dora and Toy Story towelettes. 80php per pack of 12.

Wall decor that's worth 100php in other stores but we got it for 70php.

Assorted Christmas tree ornaments for 10php per pack if wholesale.

We got two packs per design to meet the minimum wholesale requirement of 6.

Retail price is Php15. Big difference, no?

Afterwards, we went to the wet market at the mall's basement. There you can find candies and other treats (although I'm not really sure if they're clean and safe), cheap toys and our prospect: bubbles! Haley loves them!

Bubble solutions in a toy cellphone container at 8php/pc.

They come in different sizes and colors.

Next, we walked along Tabora Street. Here is where you can find affordable made-to-order souvenirs for your events, more Christmas decors and other specialty shops (costumes, masks, etc). I was in pursuit of lei to complete my Christmas Party look, and I was successful :)

 Lei at 50php.

Tita also bought a couple more decors there:

 Sparkly Banners - originally at 50php each but we got it at 40php

 Christmas balls at 35php per pack of 6.

Then we passed by M. De Santos Street where we were able to buy garlands for 25php (they're sold at 35php along Tabora Street). This is also where I found towelettes same as those that I bought in Divi Mall, with a variety of designs to chose from, for only 5php each. That makes 2 dozens 40 pesos cheaper! :(

It's your usual Christmas garland, I just formed it into a heart for the picture. Hahaha.

Lastly, we wandered in Ylaya - a street full of clothes, clothes and more clothes - in search of skirts for sissies. Sadly though, we didn't find one that suits our taste so I ended up buying Ang Pao instead.

 Red envelopes to put my aguinaldo for godchildren in :)

Finally, after about 3 hours of bargain shopping, we decided to go home. We were able to buy what we need but we promised to be back to tick more items off our Christmas list.

For those who want to spread the love this Yuletide but are on a budget, Divisoria surely is the place to be!

Some tips when going to Divi Land:

1. Christmas is super peak season for Divisoria so if your schedule permits, go on a weekday. Going there when most of the shopping public are busy in the office will save you a lot of headache.
2. Dress down and always keep a towel or hanky handy. Also, if possible, wear no jewelry at all. Crooks shop too, so be vigilant.
3. Bring a big plastic bag, or better yet, a reusable (and again, big) shopping bag because it's more convenient than wandering with a lot of small ones.
4. Do not settle for the one you see first. Chances are, the next one you see is cheaper and better *ouch!*
5. Scrutinize the items you buy. Watch out for defective parts or missing pieces.
6. Haggle. Most vendors will say it's already their wholesale price but it's worth a try. The few pesos you save in one purchase can be good for another one. You're in DV, remember? ;-)

Happy Shopping, everyone! :)

I Almost Fainted at Forever21

Not because there were too much people inside making it hard to breathe because if you've been there you'd know that the store was humongous (yes humongous is the term because it was a vast space filled with tons and tons of clothes and bags and shoes and kikay stuff!) I almost fainted because I went inside the store skeptical about me being able to get clothes my size but lo and behold, I went to the fitting room to try on 2 beautiful dresses and they perfectly fit!

I gave Forever21 a try because I need a floral dress for Headstrong's Luau-themed Christmas Party, and I wasn't disappointed! I got a simple-but-chic tube for only Php 569! Where else can a find something this pretty considering that I am full-figured? It really is a great find!

And then it's time for me try on the little black dress. I really don't need one but I couldn't resist love at first sight. When I put it on, it was, for a lack of a more apt adjective, breath-taking. Noreen and Jaq was with me inside the fitting room and they were laughing at me because I was looking at the mirror and screaming like a teenager looking at her crush. Really. I was going gaga over an LBD. Hahahaha.

I wanted to take a picture of the dresses on a hanger but they don't do them justice. So at the risk of spoiling my look on our Christmas Party and *insert non-existent event where I will wear the LBD here*, here they are:

I tried them on when I got home yesterday and fit them again a while ago to take pictures. Haha.

I also bought a pair of earrings to match my floral dress for Php 245. Yay, all I need to buy is a lei and I'm good to go! ^_^

Now that I know where I could find fab items at a reasonable price, I can hardly wait for my 13th Month Pay! Hahaha.

Another satisfied customer. See you again really soon F21!

On Strengths and Weaknesses

Just this morning I had one of the biggest surprises of my life. I wanted to share but I’m afraid it’s way too personal. But just to give you an idea on how serious it is, I have used all the swear words that I saved up for 5 years. Haha. But kidding aside, it was a family matter that I never thought I will ever have to go through. I trusted the person so much, and now all the trust and respect that I have for him has gone down the drain :(

It is in trying times like this that I’m most thankful I have an awesome set of friends and an equally wonderful boyfriend backing me up. The entire time that I was feeling lonely and crying and confused, they were there to remind me to be rational and keep me grounded. They helped me to weigh things and think of the best course of action. With them I was able to set cowardice aside. Using all the guts left within me, I faced the issue. Being able to confront the person involved was a liberating experience. That person may have given me BS answers but at the very least, I was able to let him know that I am not letting it pass. I’ll be keeping an eye on him… for my family’s sake.

*silence*
 

Okay, ‘nuff of the sad thoughts now. Let me share with you my lesson for the day:
 

When depressed, stay away from the mall, 

especially the one with very tempting sale items.

Uh-huh, I bought not one, not two, not even three but 6 blouses at Landmark Trinoma. I’ve been weak, I know, but you can’t blame me! How could I say no to the array of colorful plus-sized clothes? I tried really hard to resist but I seem to have used up all my strength in this morning’s confrontation. And hey, you still have to congratulate me because I only spent a total of Php 1551.25! 6 office tops for less than 2k is a great deal, right? :D
 

So before I go and try those new shirts on, since it’s also National Heroes’ Day, allow me to thank my Jhay and my girlfriends for being my own set of heroes! Much love! :-*