sunnysideup: I choose to be happy!

Sunnysideup Arts: Another Styling Project

2011-08-30T22:04:00.011+08:00

Here's another project I had during my Fashion Styling Class in DFW (Designer Fashion Workshop) early this year. We were tasked to create a pretend editorial spread for a magazine. Thanks to my childhood friend, I was able to finish and complete this homework.

The inspiration for this concept is the current lifestyle of women. We need clothes that are versatile, flattering but at the same time easy to adjust from one event to another. With just a jacket a party dress can be used for work (during the day) and party (at night).

The Title: Whether Ready
The Concept: Modern Women ready for any occasion (Work, Play or Me Moments)
Make up Artist and Model: Jill Ramos
Styling and Photography: myself

Sunnysideup Arts: Sewing Skirts for my Fashion Class

2011-08-29T16:23:00.012+08:00

Early this year I took up fashion workshops in i-Academy. I grew up with my mom's garment business so it's natural for me to develop an appreciation and fondness for the arts and fashion.

I took up Pattern Making, Styling, and Basic Sewing. I truly enjoyed the classes and the expert tutelage of our instructors/mentors - Millet Arzaga, Pidge Reyes and Manny Marquez. Although I did get a little side tracked with all the business of life and work, I still plan to pursue my love for fashion. Once in a while I still sew and make my own DIY projects that I plan to wear :)

Anyway here's a glimpse of the skirts I made for my styling class. :)

Title: The Fool
Model : Istara Bon Gundry
Photographer: Paulo Navarra
Make up Artist: Angela Comsti
Hair Stylist: Miki Keirulf
Styling and Clothes: myself

Title: The Magician
Model: Princess Balderrama
Photographer: Jay Tablante
Make up Artist: Angela Comsti
Hair Stylist: Borge Aloba & Miki Keirulf
Styling and Clothes: myself

Sunnysideup Perspectives: Confessions of a Domestic Diva

2011-07-12T16:00:00.011+08:00

Photo grabbed from the internet.
Acknowledging Jessie Steele Aprons

For the past three years I was on a sabbatical from the corporate world, hence I became a fulltime wife/trailing spouse,traveller, fashion and styling student, entrepreneur wanna-be and a domestic helper (for my hubby of course! :P)

When I was single, in my twenties and all around busy running the rat race, I always dreamt about having that sabbatical/vacation were I didn't have to think about bills, deadlines and office politics. I guess you can say that after 9 years of corporate life I felt tired,stressed and burned out. Thanks to my hubby, he allowed me attain that dream. For three years he supported me financially while I supported him emotionally as his career counsellor and his personal cheerleader. He gave me the chance to try be a kid again and just plain play as the world passed me by. I enjoyed it really, my personal fulfillment came from the fact that I was also able to contribute in his career growth as his wife.

Let me say however that it is not always a bed of roses. A wise housewife friend once told me "This kind of lifestyle is not for everyone." So for anyone contemplating on being a housewife here a few things you need to ask yourself:

Are you comfortable spending most of your days at home?

Are you ready to be financially dependent and on a budget? (Unless your spouse is extremely rich or you are a housewife/entrepreneur).

Are you ready to cook and do household chores? (Yes you can always hire help but if you're like me you still get involved in training them and of course still doing some of it to get it right.)

Are you good at finding ways to keep yourself busy and entertained? (Gym, Biz, School, Kids etc)

Are you ready to give up your corporate career?

Right now I am back in the Corporate Grind. I truly missed working and the life of a employee. Never thought I would but I do. I validated that being a housewife is a noble profession but, again, it's not for everyone. Maybe I'm not one of the women cut out for this role. It has both perks and disadvantages. So should you decide to be one: Jump in with a big heart, wide eyes and an open mind. Enjoy the ride and live not on regrets or what ifs. :) I tried the life, I enjoyed it and am blessed and thankful to have had the chance to try it. No regrets!

Sunnysideup Thank you series: My love affair with Milk Tea

2011-07-12T13:50:00.019+08:00

When I was in high school, I began to drink teas as Iced Teas. I used the concentrated powdered version of Lipton and added Kalamansi. I never was a fan of the Nestea ready to drink teas even then because they were too sweet and sugar was the only thing I tasted. I was then introduced tea leaves when one of my mom's closest friend offered us tea after dinner. From then on I always drank tea leaves - Oolong, Black or Green Tea etc.

As I learned more about the various teas, my love for milk tea also grew. It started with my first sip of Red Pearl Milk Tea in Easy Way, Sta Lucia branch. I believe I am one of the few early fans of this then new beverage trend in Manila and was truly sad to see it close shop.

Quickly was the next brand I began to enjoy but the in the next few years, their menu focused
more on sweet options like shaved ice Taro, Chocolate and other flavored juices so my favorite Milk Tea is now only available in a handful stores. By the way, I also tried Chowking's Nai Cha but it too is just too sweet for my taste.

Here's a few of my Milk Tea Moments

In the next years for my life, our move to China gave my tastebuds a greater appreciation for Milk Teas :) Our 2 year stay offshore allowed me to taste different brands like EDO and AH-2 in the Mainland, Comebuy in Macau, and other brands in Hong Kong.

Needless to say, I am hooked on Milk Teas. Now that we are back in Manila I am glad to find Serenitea. Finally I am able to enjoy the same quality of Milk Teas I used to enjoy in China. After several tries of their milk tea variands - Royal, Assam, Hokkaido etc - I now know my favorite. For now it's the brown sugary taste of Okinawa with pearl sinkers and 0% sugar. Kudos to Serenitea for their growing number of branches. My go-to branch is Eastwood. I am truly addicted; just last week I think I had 3 large orders of milk tea. Imagine if I had one branch next door? Oh Oh :P

By the way, I also like Bubble Tea in SM Megamall. I've tried their Royal milk tea and it's also good.

Will always LOVE, LOVE, LOVE tea, especially milk tea!

Sunnysideup Thank you series: My Pixie Cut

2011-07-10T22:20:00.012+08:00

This week I had a haircut. It's a pixie cut reminiscent of my hair in college (albeit a bit updated). For 2 years I've been postponing this haircut since my hubby discouraged me; he always wanted me to keep my cut feminine and flowy. :) Good thing though, he now approves and likes my new pixie cut. Otherwise, I would never hear the end of it! :P

But since I saw the cut of Ginnifer Goodwin last week in an OMG news, I could no longer hold it off. I did it. I finally chopped my hair off and I'm sooo happy!

Ginnifer's cut which I saw via Yahoo OMG news.

My college hair

My hair now

Missed having super short hair - it's so manageable! Now I'm wonder til when I'll keep this and what's the next cut I'll try.

How about you, what's you fave hair cut?

Sunnysideup Thank You Series: My Top 10 Happy Food Thoughts

2011-06-22T22:28:00.012+08:00

As I mentioned in my post a few minutes ago it's harder for me to smile and be amused but just a few minutes after posting I realized that there are food brands that do make me smile. These are my favorites. These are food brands that I can't get enough of and look forward to visiting. Truly the best way to get to a man or woman's heart is thru their stomach.

(Note: These are my personal favorites and I was neither paid or coerced to write these. :P)

10. Thin sliced Pizza Margherita (Pizzeria and Deli in Ya Hao Fang, Zhongshan, China)
9. Jamba Juice California
8. Hotpot near Scenic Hotel in Zhongshan. Unfortunately I don't know the name I only know how to go there.
7. AH-2 (My Milk Tea shop in Zhongshan China. I usually go to a franchise in Hua Bai Xi Chang owned by a very nice lady and her fiance.)
6. Comebuy (Milk tea shops I never fail to visit when in Macau or Gong Bei)
5. Korean Restaurant in a mall in Xing Wa, Zhongshan, China.
4. Sambokojin Eastwood
3. Chicken Bonchon Libis or Ayala Triangle (Medium or Small Combo of Wings and Drumstick. I like it Spicy!)
2. Serenitea Eastwood (I am addicted to Milk Tea)
1. Starbucks (My third place and home away from home)

Sunnysideup Perspectives: Back from my loong blogging slumber

2011-06-22T22:08:00.009+08:00

I'm back to blogging. It's been harder for me to maintain my consistency in blogging and posting. The recent changes and adjustments made me lose my momentum and well downright lazy. It started with losing access to blogger and youtube during our latter stay in China. Then moving back to Manila we had to "re-plant" ourselves and didn't have continuous internet access for the first few months. Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses :)

Truth be told I think age is making me too serious so it's harder for me to look for things that make me smile, laugh, or be thankful. This is the main reason I don't blog because this blog, is about being thankful and happy afterall. I find it harder to laugh or smile. Less and less things are amusing. I think I need another revamp because Life is getting to me.

Anyway on the positive note, these past few months I've been getting feedback from people about how they've been following my blog and how they look forward to reading a new post from me. I've also kept myself busy with art and fashion activities. I'll keep you all posted by doing a post blog on all of these busy-ness.

As a parting thought, I guess what I've re-realized is that, we ought to keep it simple. I need to gain back my inner child and learn to smile and laugh again. Life is what I choose it to be and I need to be humble to live light and happy.

Sunnysideup Thank you series: Happy 3 Years!

2011-02-17T22:07:00.008+08:00

It's our wedding anniversary today, 3 years to be exact. To celebrate we:

- ate at our favorite restaurant (Sambokojin). This is our current celebration resto and I celebrated by eating so much Salmon! So so love Salmon :)

- conducted our on DIY photoshoot to document who and where we are on our third year together. I practiced my amateur photography and styling skills.

Here's one of our pictures, the "photoshopped" version. The concept for this photo is documenting "us" - the fashionista and the football jock. I'm taking Fashion workshops while my hubby is now playing football in one of the teams of Arenaball Phils.

Happy 3rd year to my babe - my bestfriend, hubby and love! :)

***Acknowledgement to Nike Wallpaper which I used as background for our pic. There's no great gridiron field here in Manila so I borrowed this instead :) Thank you Nike! You are our favorite sport brand for rubber shoes and gears.

sunnysideup Thank you series: I Love New Years!

2011-01-01T10:57:00.012+08:00

New Year is my favorite holiday! :) It's offers a fresh start, and it's celebrated with a bang -sumptous dinners and much awaited countdowns. This year I make no resolutions but I list my goals and targets. I feel and claim that this is going to be a great and superb year. And to welcome the new year we tried to replicate that feel of our dinner date last year at MGM Grand, Macau. We're not chef's but we're pretty much happy with what we've come up with.

This is our take of home made "fine dine" food and atmosphere. Can't wait for the next event as I look forward to another fine dinner with good conversation. Nothing beats the simple joys of good food with loved ones.

Happy New Year everyone and all the best! :)

sunnysideup Thank you series: Ending the year with Free Donuts :)

2010-12-31T21:12:00.005+08:00

This year, I finally got to experience rewards from a few of the local brands I've long supported. Particularly:

*a free Jollibee meal for registering in Globe's paperfree billing
*monthly rebates for being a loong time subscriber of Globe
*free movie tickets from Citibank for minimum purchases of Php1500 or
*coupon discounts from Starbucks (miss my old branch in Pasong Tamo extension)

*free donuts from Krispy Kreme again for minimum purchases of Php1500 via Citibank (Got this today!)

Before the year ends, I wish that I get more rewards next year. I promise to be more mindful of promos. I'm a loyal customer yet I never took the time to maximize the offers. Maybe target a new and free mobile phone as I badly need one before my current one gives up on me.

sunnysideup finds: My Art Bag

2010-12-17T07:54:00.014+08:00

I was feeling artsy-farty this week and so yesterday I finished another DIY project - my new art bag. I had the sudden inspiration to do this because of my hubby's old throwable and wornout denim jeans. He said he wasn't using it anymore so I decided to recycle it.

Now it's the perfect art bag for me, because it fits my sketch pads plus it has so many pockets to accommodate my tools (pens, eraser, etc).

Front

Back

I enjoyed working on this project so much that I also decided to glam it up with sparkly beads.

Front

Back

What do you think? :)

sunnysideup perspectives: My Hubby's New Sport

2010-12-07T10:48:00.012+08:00

Since last year my hubby has wanted to play football. Everytime we were on vacation in Manila we would always watch the football games of Arenaball Phils held at the Marikina Sports Center. Finally, now that we are back and based in Manila, he has.

In the last few weekends, he has been trying out for a position in one of the teams. He would always go home with bruises and slightly swelled muscles, but still with a grin on his face. I don't really understand why most men are always interested in highly physical sports. Then again seeing how happy he is every practice and tryout day makes me appreciate his new love. Of course, I am still worried that he might get hurt, but as they said, it's part of the game - it's tackle football.

Still congratulations to my hubby for finding his sport and being drafted as an Offensive Lineman. I'll be there always to watch and support you in all your games. I'll be your stage wife LOL. :)

Here's a snapshot of my hubby during Tryouts. (photo taken by one of his teammates)

Well, maybe I will even consider joining Flag football in the future. Maybe it will be a new way for me to exercise, on top of my gym or jogging days. Then again, that will be in the future. In the meantime, I'll try drills with hubby first to see if I can hack it or if I'll enjoy it. The truth is I've never been interested in football before but since his passion for this grew, I've been learning the game - rules, roles, lingo, etc.

I've noticed that since we've been married, the longer we stay together, the more our interests and hobbies begin to be similar. We've also learned how to be more understanding and tolerant of our differences and weaknesses. We're maturing together and growing happier.

Anyway, for any of you guys interested to join Arenaball Philippines' Football, check out their rules and tryout guidelines. You can also checkout their team's FB page, they are still drafting players for the upcoming season. :)

sunnysideup finds: Customized Cartoon Cards

2010-12-02T08:33:00.014+08:00

It's almost Christmas and I have a new project...personalized cartoon cards. I made a few sets for me, my friends and family. I'm going to use them as cards when I give out our holiday gifts.

It's just a fun new way of giving gifts this holiday season that adds that touch of personality and uniqueness in our tokens.

Let me know what you think :)

Oooh...and if you want one I can make one for you. I can just send you finished jpeg file or I can also print them out for you. Email me and send me your picture with a list of your hobbies or interests and the number of pieces you want or the jpeg file size you need. I'll reply to you with a quote and time frame. I can also make cards that are regular and non-holiday themed which you can use for any occasion, even birthdays.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Thank you series: I Love Talks with my Dad

2010-09-30T20:05:00.004+08:00

No matter how old I get, I will always value the time and talks I spend with my Dad. Sometimes I just rant, sometimes I just listen, and sometimes we work on errands together. It's just so refreshing really.

When I was single and under my parents wings, it was always convenient. We were always together and I had easy access to his love, protection, and wisdom. Now that I'm married, life has gotten busier so time for serious talks are lesser and more precious.

Today was one of those special days. I accompanied my Dad in some of his errands and we've managed to make today - a stressful day - into a special father and daughter moment.

Thank you God for today. :)

Thank you series: A New Blog Header

2010-09-28T22:10:00.003+08:00

For the longest time, I've been planning to change my blog header. This is actually the original plan I had 2 years ago but only now did I get to make it. It's a very simple look - a photo of me capturing my quirky side with my blog title on the side.

Scroll to the top of the page. . .

That's me with pink feathers, oversized sunglasses and a star-sparkly head band? What do you think? :P

sunnysideup finds: A Reason to Celebrate

2010-09-21T20:56:00.011+08:00

During times of crossroads and challenges it's helpful to get inspiration from videos and books. I've always believed that it's always about our perspective and thoughts. We see what we want to see, and hear what we want to hear. Sometimes, however, during times of weakness and doubt hearing words of wisdom from the "older and wiser" is very much enlightening.

Just a few day ago, I visited a friend and she invited me to watch a DVD copy of "Celebrating What's Right with the World." It's a video by Dewitt Jones, a National Geographic Photographer. I loved it! It validated a lot of my thoughts and encouraged me to continue my chosen path. Of course as a photo enthusiast myself, his art and photos helped drive the message further. I can truly relate and I look forward to my future travels and opportunities to see more of the world.

Anyway, the video is truly worth watching. Here is a preview of the video from Youtube by DVDpro but it's better to watch the whole thing.

For more information on Dewitt Jones and the video, you can also visit his website.

sunnysideup perspectives: The Gift of Travel

2010-09-15T21:50:00.010+08:00

When I have children, if there is one privilege or gift I would give them, it would be the gift of travel. Of course needless to say, I also want my children to go to the best school, attend summer workshops, play and appreciate every moment of their childhood . . . etc. I want to help and provide them with the opportunity to discover themselves and be the best they can be.

I just came to thinking that who I am, how I view and live life today was greatly affected by my exposure and travel to different places and countries. Big thanks to my parents, former employers, and my hubby, I was able to visit difference parts of the globe, particularly countries in Asia, Europe and North America. Travel not only brings joy and pleasure, more importantly, I think it provides us with a bigger perspective - it makes us more openminded, knowledgeable, and even tolerant of differences in culture, beliefs and attitudes. It challenges our original beliefs and truths - those we learned in school, organizations, and churches. Travel can help create and develop our views, beliefs and personal truths. It allows us to experience life in different ways. It reminds us that the world is not us and it does not revolve around us. We are just a part of a whole and there is so much more to see, understand, and enjoy.

Thank you series: Friends hold your hand as you chase your dream

2010-09-06T15:27:00.007+08:00

Especially since the day I got married, the one constant in my life is change. Not necessarily bad or tragic but change anyhow. When I was single, I had full control of my life, my career and decisions. On a hindsight, it was convenient and easy. It was more about ME.

As I got married, opportunities for change came pouring in. Some exciting, some scary. One of the major changes included our relocation to China. With that move came my chance to become a fulltime expatriate housewife with part-time work as an English Tutor/Teacher.

It was a pivotal moment where I decided to jump face forward in the unknown. This is just one of but the many changes and "growing up lessons" of my life.

I won't go into too much detail, I just want to basically say that aside from my husband and family, my childhood friends, were with me through the years. No matter how busy, moody, or unavailable I was; they were there. They were there to push and hug me (at just the right moments). They were there to always hold my hand.

My friends were always there to hold my hand. Just as I, will always be there to hold their hand because that's just how we do it. We hold each others hand - whenever and even if.

Thank you series: Refreshed from a 3-day weekend with hubby

2010-09-01T17:16:00.012+08:00

Simple things make me happy. Like:

- a feel good friday night relaxing while watching a feel good movie
- a drink of wine while overlooking a great view
- going out on our 100peso (equivalent to 2 USD) challenge dates. That means getting to spend just that much on a date and focusing more on the company rather than the environment or things.
- a cup of vanilla ice cream (sugarfree of course)
- a hug from my hubby
- a compliment from a friend
-drinking my favorite coffee or milk tea
- a comical moment with my dog

and of course,

- a long holiday weekend that provides quality time to reconnect and talk and relax. Something I just had last weekend. It was refreshing :)

Hubby knows how tired I was so he cooked and helped me clean the house. Thanks babe. I'm now fully charged for the week ahead. :)

Sunnysideup finds: A Chance to Win a FREE SEAT in a Video Production Workshop

2010-08-20T11:39:00.004+08:00

My friend, an industry practitioner and professor, is planning to conduct a VIDEO PRODUCTION WORKSHOP on Oct 2010. She needs a little help on her choosing which topic to teach. She wants to understand what people will be interested to learn. Your help will be most appreciated, just simple answer this online survey.

In exchange you can get a chance to WIN A FREE SEAT in the WORKSHOP.
FREE SEATS will be given to the best survey respondent.

*Best thing about this is that the seat is transferable. So if you are not available you can give your slot as a gift. Thanks in advance for all the help :)

**Oooh by the way though, the workshop will be help in Manila. Which means free seat is only viable for Manila-residents

For more information on this, you can also visit her blog.

sunnysideup perspectives: Buying the Right Rubber Shoes

2010-08-11T18:53:00.003+08:00

Not until I felt pain in my ankle did I realize the importance of buying the right rubber shoes. I have to admit that I never paid much thought when buying in the past. All I needed to know was that it felt good, looked good and paired well with my gym clothes. Yeah I know, too girly.

Since we relocated back to the Philippines, my hubby and I, having been into running. We usually run on weekends and since then I realized the need to really buy the right one for my feet. Funny thing is what used to be a 10-15minute purchase for me in the past, now became a 1 hour activity for me. As I was choosing and trying you on a number of shoes at a sport shop in The Fort, I can see the impatience brewing in my hubby hehe :) But it was all worth it. My hubby and I came out happy with our purchase. I so so love my new running shoes and I thank my hubby for convincing me get this pair. It's perfect! (It even comes with an option to add a sensor that can track and record my runs.)

Thank you series: My Hubby's Chocolate Truffles

2010-08-10T19:16:00.009+08:00

I just love my hubby's truffles. :)

I've had the honor of being his taste tester, the downside however is me gaining weight. Good thing is he already customized a recipe for me - dark chocolate truffles infused with coffee and with less sugar. (Haha, writing my fave flavor just reminded me of . . . me - ordering coffee in Starbucks. :P )

Thank you series: Our online shop is up (body-friendly clothes available)!

2010-08-06T18:43:00.018+08:00

My childhood friends and I have always spoken about wanting to have a group business. And finally here it is. We just started a small online shop called Style Fetish which allows us to work together and use our talents while bonding. Our store features clothes that are body-friendly, beautiful yet affordable. We hunt and offer items that are meant to complement and flatter your body.

As a group we are not models with a size 2 body, but are regular "everyday" women who love to dress up so we understand that we women come in different shapes and sizes. We know how important it is to understand our body shape and choose clothes that accentuate our assets. Sometimes no matter how chic or hot a dress is, it may or may not be necessarily look good on us. Read more on how to work with your body type at our site or look at our collection.

Happy Shopping!

sunnysideup finds: My Jumping Dog!

2010-05-27T16:26:00.004+08:00

I thought I lost my dog last week. He went missing for a day and a half. He has a knack for jumping and we’ve done almost everything to keep him in the house. Still, sometimes I can’t help but laugh at him. I’m stressed with his jumping but at the same time I find it so amusing and amazing.

Here's a video of him jumping.

sunnysideup finds: My Red Shoes!

2010-04-19T17:49:00.008+08:00

A few months ago, I found this unique pair of shoes. It's designed by a Filipino and makes use of pure leather for the shoe and tire rubber for the sole. I just love it's unique design - sort of like the fusion of a gladiator shoes and ballerina shoe.

There are several colors to choose from but I chose the bright red - my current favorite color. I noticed that a red bag or red shoes can always spruce up your simple attire. I've used this in several of my travels.

By the way, I bought my pair in a shop in Eastwood. It's in the floor below the cinema of the first mall/old building.

MESSAGE FOR THE SHOE DESIGNER: I just adore your shoes! One quick suggestion though, please improve on the sole. Maybe you can add some cushioning inside. Although the comfort of not wearing a shoe is there, the thinness of the shoes sometimes causes slight discomfort: I can feel the stones, the roughness of the floor, even the heat or cold of the floor. :)