At the Lola's on a Sunday

Spa and Tea at Serendra on a Saturday

Something Fishy on a Friday...

We are too lazy to go out on real dates anymore...

NARS-isa na talaga!!! =)

Sorry po, Lord...

I read my last entry and I realized that for all the blessings I've been receiving there should be no room for resentment.

Sorry po.

I can't control other people's behavior, but I can control my reaction to them. More importantly, I can choose who to let in in my life. Friends after all are the ones I can choose, unlike the family I'm born into. I'll make sure to remember that fact.

I didn't erase previous entry as well as a reminder.

I was just really annoyed yesterday.

Moving on...

Passive-Aggressive.

I told myself I wouldn’t be writing so much negativity in my blog this year but I just couldn’t let this one pass up.

I was chatting with this girl when our talk turned to bags, Louis Vuitton in particular. She was feigning nonchalance about my supposed amateur penchant for LV’s and at the same time astonishment that I buy them brand-new. “You can never be sure buying original ones here. You should buy vintage ones or buy them abroad, so you can be sure they are really genuine.”

Well, Girly, I buy mine brand-new in The Louis Vuitton Store here so I can be sure they are really genuine.

Then she dropped the first bomb.

“I don’t know… LV’s kasi are so common, parang baduy…”

This, Ladies and Gentlemen coming from someone who doesn’t even own a thread of a Louis Vuitton.

She explained further, with a wrinkle of her nose and slight smirk: “LV’s kasi remind me of balikbayan nurses.” She giggled. This time she either slipped or this comment was a thinly-veiled, well rehearsed attack.

“Nurses kasi in the States, they all have Louis Vuittons. It’s so funny, they have the same bags, and you’ll know she’s a nurse if she’s sporting a starter Louis Vuitton.”

That is why it’s baduy. I found out. My heart stopped. I think I had to pick up my jaws from the floor. I wasn’t able to give a cutting remark which I am more well-known for due to the extreme shock of such audacity.

She said that to a double degree holder, a proud Nursing graduate with two sisters who are both proud and successful nurses as well.

I know, you are reading this. Well, sweetheart: let me tell you, Maybe it’s because it’s only those nurses who can afford them. *insert 3 snaps in the air*

In the meantime, go to Greenhills, buy yourself a more sushyal shyanel, with a big buckle ha? Then pound it on your head, oke?

Thank you very much.


Mabuhay ang mga narsissa!!!

right now, i'm the only baby here.

I’m used to people asking me whether I’m pregnant or when are we going to get pregnant.

It’s natural of course, since we are married for almost a year now. I’ve tried answering in different ways such as “we’re still waiting,” or “whenever we get blessed,” which for me is a totally nonsensical answer. Since I know, we won’t be having little ysas and paos for the next 2 years, at the most. I am just starting to enjoy this freedom that came with marriage. It’s ironic for some, but I feel more free under the bonds of marriage than I was when I was single and had a midnight curfew and allowance.

I don’t really mind being asked whether we’re already pregnant or not. I just got into this sort of introspective mood when a few weeks ago, an elderly neighbor asked me when are we going to have a kid. I found myself answering her in a way that didn’t sit well with her. She went on telling me or semi-scolding me that having kids is the best thing in the world and the best thing for a marriage, yah-dee-dah-doo. I really appreciated her sentiments. Somehow, I knew she meant well.

The thing is we don’t want to get pregnant now. Just like most couples if not all, we want to have kids too, someday. I’m beginning to realize it’s a concept here in the Philippines that’s a little hard to swallow by some people, especially the old and traditional ones. They think you get married to basically pop out babies. We wanted to get married to spend the rest of our lives together, to love each other and hopefully someday be able to bring up good, responsible and useful people in the world.

But right now, we are just being at our most hedonistic selves while planning and preparing for the future, whatever it may bring. I guess, there really is no right time or right formula, its different for every couple. Whatever floats your boat.

Someday when our little S. or H., comes along, I want to be at our most evolved selves and be able to give her/him all the things we are still learning and acquiring today. After all, like all parents know our kids (in the future) only deserve the best.
=)

On those rare beadless days...

...I’m either at CBTL in Trinoma or at Dome in Shangrila Mall. These have become my sort-of “office” especially on days I have to finish some things online and I know that staying home would mean I would probably end up asleep.

I really have to do something with my mess right now. Our bedroom is turning literally into a sea of beads and it’s not a good thing. I love displaying everything because it always gets my creative juices flowing. But what used to be an inspiring exhibit has now become a stressful setting. I’m thinking of turning our lounge downstairs that used to be my brother’s bedroom as my “office”-workstation. I want to be able to see everything catalogued and arranged in a way that would still be inspiring yet organized.

Projects, projects. Another item to add to my ever growing to-do-list.

Grateful.

It has been a great week for me. I feel so blessed.

THANK YOU, Lord.

this.is.it.

I'm done for this year. So far.

I was minding my own business one typical Sunday morning when I got a call from an unknown number; Thinking it was a client, I reluctantly answered the phone. When the guy introduced himself as an ABSCBN segment producer and asking me to be a guest in one their morning show's segment, it took a while for me to believe that it was really true...They found me amidst a sea of designers and beading enthusiasts, liked my creations and wanted me to present.

It's exactly a year already since I opened my shop. What started out as a tiny, tiny baby is now a toddler learning to walk. I know I still have a long way to go. I'm just glad to be able to share my passion. It brings me so much joy to create beautiful things but there's absolutely nothing that compares to the fulfillment and joy I feel when somebody appreciates my work.

Here's to more beads this year!

in exchange for scratched fingers and tired hands...

...my first "baby" for the year. =D

loner busy bee*

Hubby is on a business trip and I'm home alone. We initially planned on me going with him in Cebu to attend the Sinulog but a lot of things came up this week and I'm working my a*s off. Last Monday, I had to finish a dozen and more orders for a client in the U.S., this Thursday I have to deliver some items for our reseller in Bicol. And I'm working on two weddings right now, one is scheduled on May here in Manila and the other one is on July in Illinois. Not to mention the TV guesting next week, I had to pull out items from our consignment shops only to find out they are not enough and I have to make more!

And that's just for this week alone. Sigh. Good thing I'm done with all the online orders so far. I really have to work on having a system or work schedule. I don't want to put off projects just because they are due months away because something almost always comes up! I'm not complaining though, I love what I'm doing. Cheesy as it sounds, I can honestly say I now get it when people say they get a sense of fulfillment not from the money but doing something they absolutely love.

Anyway...So hubby is away and I'm honestly getting the blues. It's not enough that I'm crazy busy. I guess I never really got used to being alone. It's not as if I'm not alone when he's away at work during the day but still. It's different when I know he's coming home in the afternoon...

Back to work mode!

Charmed Life will be charming the silver screen next week!!! =D

I have a feeling that this month will be a great start... =D

IT TAKES ALL KINDS TO MAKE A WORLD.

As people know now, I have a multiply site for the accessories I create. My account serves mostly as an online catalogue more than anything else. The bulk of my business comes from resellers and bulk orders but I get an individual order online every now and then. I like multiply because I get to meet new people and other online entrepreneurs as well. I was surfing a while ago and I came upon this particular seller with a comprehensive Bogus Buyer folder. Every now and then, I see this in many multiply sellers but I never really felt the urge to make one myself. This particular seller was spewing mad about a buyer who supposedly wasn’t able to pay for an item. My only take is, if the item wasn’t shipped yet and no damage has been done, why go with all the trouble of humiliating and posting a person’s picture? I think as a seller, we all have the responsibility of answering a potential client’s questions and concerns after all, these are their hard-earned money we are talking about. As a seller and artist, you just put out your wares the best way you can and it’s still up to the people if they want to purchase or not. I think that is the same thing when we go to the malls and try out clothes or shoes or whatever, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are out there to buy an item. I’ve encountered different kinds online, but I try to be polite, accommodating and professional as possible. In the end, I think that’s the closing deal for most people.

I felt the need to write this because I felt so saddened by that folder posted by the seller spewing so much obscenities and hatred. The disgusting part is, there were 500 plus comments of other girls spewing hatred, malice and laughing at the girl’s pictures. They don’t even know the whole story! I do feel for the seller’s predicament but I just thought it went a little too far. The situation could have been handled better. And I feel even more disappointed about those comments posted by other people who are in no way connected to the situation at all.

Bottomline, be nice people! I still believe that being kind is sometimes far more important than being right…

Last year, I went totally bag frenzied and acquired so many bags. I can’t say I regret them because I think I have covered about 10% of the basics and substantial. A big reason for this happening is because I got married and thankfully, I have a very lenient husband who understands this passion (bordering into addiction). But that is not the sole and final reason, lest my in-laws start to think I’m a costly addition to the family, and that’s putting it mildly. I do believe I have started with this fixation long before I got married, Thanks to my mama and sisters. And somehow, I can sense my other half likes that part about me. I think when you are passionate about something; money is of little consequence. Some people love taking pictures and upgrading their cameras, others love gadgets and gizmos that same love for me translates to bags. Whatever floats your boat.

I’m not about to start defending my tastes and my bag collection it’s just that for the first time in my life, I found myself hiding something I should be proud of for fear of people judging my vanity. I do believe passion requires a modest criterion for rationale yet a big measure of happiness. I love bags. I love designer bags, there you go. Although I must admit, I have a really loooong way to go and my collection is nowhere at par with other serious collectors, my “babies” are chosen with utmost deliberation and personal raison d'être. I feel like a tot struggling to walk whenever I join purse blog forums with other reaaallly serious bag lovers with some really serious ka-ching yet somehow, I can understand the ardor, the excitement of a noble discussion such as the merits of lambskin vs. caviar.

Well, this year, I am going to restrain myself.

But just one Marc Jacobs, please.

*(Photo creds:MJ Pic from Harper's Bazaar)

self-portrait

I guess we never miss a photo-op. ;D

kapeesh.

I’m bug-eyed about all the things I’m learning when exposed to the other side of life. Being left with my parents’ house and business didn’t seem to look too much work and then I get to learn about all the dramas surrounding the tenants and I asked myself, really, these things happen everyday? I’m compelled to listen about their frustrations and bickering and the funny thing about it is these things don’t concern me at all. I think they like the idea of having a young “landlord,” and I do appreciate that this is their way of bonding with me but really the things reported to me are the most mundane ever. To reiterate my point, today’s problem is the case of the missing Rebond shampoo from one of the tenants. Sometimes they are so unbelievably funny, I want to cry. Good thing we have a solid yaya Lulu who does all the screening. I mean, I would gladly listen and help if they are about the maintenance of the place or the electricity or even upgrades and repairs. But, really, please spare me the details about the missing shampoo or your great dislike for the new maid of the other tenant. It's not even a matter of security but a power struggle between two of our tenants. Some serious politics here, yes siree. Somewhere along the way, I witlessly and involuntarily became a sort of sounding board or shrink. I swear, I know more than I should about the lives of these people.

*Sigh. Anyway, I love going to and from two houses right now, it makes me feel detached from all these frivolities and hoohahs when they get really intense. I admit it’s difficult at times to spend 3 days in our house and then the rest of the week at my parents’ house alone but it does have its perks. A change of environment either makes one more productive or relaxed. Right now, I think I need to be the latter: Time to pack up and leave.

Thank you very much.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This year, with YOU...;)

We spent New Year's with my mama's side of the family. =D I had a blast! As usual, we were able to do some out-of-the-ordinary things with my power of prodding. ;) hehe. Good thing, my Uncle trusts me. My little cousins rode the banana boat for the first time and I never heard so much screaming ever, I swear one them was even crying haha. I was the one sitting in front which was the worst place to sit and I slid twice over. Paolo had to take over the front seat! We even got thrown in the air and it got me scared for a second then I saw their grinning faces, saying we should do that again.

Priceless. =)

Cafe Juanita