{ SACRIFICE AND COMPROMISE }

I have been dying to go to the beach and spend a day or two on an island ever since that short but sweet road trip we had last February. In fact i have been buying (secretly....behind the husband's back tehehe) some cute summer dresses and high waist bikinis for that dream vacation. It's hard to get a leave off from work these days especially now that most of my leave balances have been consumed from me being sick most of the time during my first trimester. So the anticipation to finally get that 4-day holiday break is just so overwhelming that I'm going to be really disappointed if it wouldn't push through. 

But you know in life, or in marriage specifically, we don't always get what we want. The husband decided to just spend our holidays in his parent's house because a) Camotes meant a lot of motorbike-riding which my OB advised me to avoid b) he hasn't been home for almost three months. I wanted to argue and prove my case but this time he has a point so I obliged. I am not good at compromising I tell you because I have a way of turning things around to my advantage but for the benefit of our baby I will just have to say goodbye to that trip for now. But the bargaining did not end there coz I managed to    coerce him to take me to lunch somewhere near the beach. hahaha

wearing:

Sheer black dress - thrifted 

Denim shorts (underneath) - Levi's cutoffs

Brown belt - 138 Tiangge

Sandals - bought from officemate 

Round sunglasses - GCM 

Necklace - gift from our client :)

Bag - Tory Burch

{ SUMMER SOLSTICE }

These photos were taken last February, not the official start of summer yet, but the heat and the blue skies signaled that my favorite time of the year has come earlier. 

We were scouting for locations in Cebu South for an editorial shoot we will be doing this month for a top wedding blog. Will post photos of the official shoot once the feature is up on their website. It will showcase collaborative work of my husband photographer, Marlon Capuyan, stylist Cuckoo Cloud Concepts ( headed by Ms. Vanilla Ice Cream herself, Gizelle), and some of the best talents from the Cebu wedding scene. So please do watch out for that. :)

I know I'm not big on blogging about my personal life although sometimes I tackle about personal stuff but only on the surface. Not really the type that digs deep on the matter. I only write longer entires when I'm frustrated or angry about something but you may have noticed they do not see the light of internet day because I delete them once I'm done writing them. 

But this, I am comfortable to share. It would be a shame if I didn't. Because sooner or later, you will  see more of me in a much fuller figure. Yes, I am currently expecting our first baby. And you bet I am gonna rock this moment in my life every single day that I can. So expect pregnancy posts (still fashion posts, of course) on the days to come. I hope I will not bore you. haha 

P.S. I am eight weeks along in the photos. :)

wearing:

Floral top - thrifted 

Denim shorts - Levi's cut-offs

White paisley over-up - thrifted 

Camel bag - thrifted 

Hat - SM 

Accessories - various downtown finds

Chevron-print highwaist swimsuit 

- from Toni Pino-Oca of Perfumed Red Shoes 

{ PLAIN JANE AND THAT GORGEOUS AFTERNOON LIGHT }

One of those days when you've got nothing to wear because your clothes are still in the laundry. It's a good thing the husband did not run out of his portion of clothes I get to borrow some during this fashion emergency. 

I used to dress up like this back in college. I used to be just a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers kind of girl. Because in engineering school, the more rugged you look the better. Not that there's anything wrong with that. As far as I can remember, I got interested in wearing clothes other than the usual t-shirt when I started to develop hips. Funny but true. I was stick thin a little over half of my life and I hated it. So when I started to pack some meat on my body, I was more confident to try new clothes, experiment until I found out what works for me. Now I like to wear cute dresses, short shorts, and high heels. But it's also fun to go back to one's previous comforts. And I have to admit the husband got reminded of the girl he fell in love with in college that he got very inspired to take my photos they turned out so damn good. :) I have that gorgeous afternoon light to thank. And hey, husband's skills too!(he'll kill me if I only credit the lighting.haha) :) 

{ Photos taken during an afternoon engagement session with Marlon Capuyan Photography and Cuckoo Cloud Concepts as set designer and wardrobe stylist }

wearing:

Husband's shirt - Perry Ellis 

Denim shorts - thrifted 

Bead necklace - bought at a charity event

Sunglasses - vintage japanese shop find 

{ C L I F F S I D E }

Some outtakes from our engagement shoot in the cliffs of the Antulang peninsula. 

It is very important that your engagement photos be taken by someone you are comfortable with. Because this session entails a lot of things you don't normally do on a daily basis. I for one am not a showy person so it's hard for me to be all sweet and lovey dovey in front of a group of people. I am just really thankful and lucky that ours were taken by a member of our team, James Diayon, who is also a great friend by the way and who shares the same style and creativity as us.   So it was all fun fun fun! Notice my reaction. I didn't know I was bungisngis like that. hahaha

For couples who enlist the service of professional photographers for their wedding, engagement session is the best way to bond with your photographer and warm up to them. Believe me, during the first few shots the couple are usually stiff and shy and sweaty. But after a few clicks, laughs, and conversation, the couple is back to their natural and charming old selves. So come your wedding day, it will be as easy as pie and you'll be like best friends! Also, it is crucial that you choose a photographer that matches your style. All photographers i believe capture amazing and quality photos. But they surely vary in artistic approach and style. Some couple prefer photographers with fine art approach, others are awed with out-of-the-box style, and some prefer the teleserye-poster types.  So the secret is you must know your style first and start the search from there. :)

The last four photos were from the official set. Head on over to Marlon Capuyan Photography for more. :)

wearing:

Flowy white skirt - custom-made 

Black swimsuit - Anne Klein 

Animal print booties - Forever 21 

Floppy hat - SM 

Tribal bead necklace - Charity fundraising find

{ RUNAWAY WITH MY HEART }

Set of photos from our engagement shoot which haven't seen the light of social network day. I wanted the "grungy starcrossed lovers who ran away after a music concert" kind of concept for this. I don't know if we achieved it given that resources-wise we were a bit constrained since this was an out-of-town shoot. I was even left to my novice make-up skills for my look. I did not know how to do it so I just depended on my first ever owned false eyelashes to be able to say at least I tried. haha

I'd say engagement session is the best part of the marriage preparation. Coz during this day you kind of forget the rest of the stressful parts (especially budgeting haha) and just be there to have fun, be silly, and create memories you both will cherish for the rest of your lives. 

wearing:

Neon crop top - Forever 21

Denim shorts - Calvin Klein 

Plaid vest - thrifted 

Animal-print booties - Forever 21

{ TAKE ME TO THE BEACH }

Blogging might have been overshadowed with much more important things last year but that didn't mean i totally lost my love for it. My last entry was in October before I got married (yes, I got married last November, more of that in another entry) and after that my schedule just went haywire. There were just lots of things to do I didn't even know where to begin. This is my first time to live independently away from home. The household chores is really what's killing me right now. Everything's happening so incredibly fast I badly need a day-off to absorb as in really ABSORB these changes. 

The Sinulog festival is this weekend but i'm in no mood to celebrate in the streets. Would really love to go to the beach and stare at the horizon for an hour and just lay there all day with a good book in hand. I would really love to do that. 

Photos taken last October 2012.

Kookoo's Nest, Antulang, Negros Oriental. 

wearing:

Anne Klein swimsuit, Levi's  denim cut-offs, SM floppy hat

{ GUNS AND ROSES }

They're not actually roses but carnations. And no I didn't go out wearing the floral headpiece. I DIY-ed this piece a couple of months ago for a shoot and it happened to be in the car when we shot this so I reckon it would add interest to a rather basic outfit. 

The jacket is owned by the boyf, I was the one who bought this for him but I feel like am a tough cookie while wearing this so I might be borrowing this often. :) 

Hope you had a fun weekend, loves. :)

wearing:

Military jacket - thrifted 

Denim shorts - Calvin Klein 

Tie Dye shirt - thrifted 

Boots - thrifted 

Floral headpiece - DIY 

Spike bracelet - Downtown find 

Men's watch - Dad's