sentimental style

Glamzilla

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 00:42:00 +0000

Next Level Godzilla shirt, SM leather shorts, Kara Zapatos flats, Forever21 tan leather bag

The Godzilla shirt was a cool hand-me-down from an editor... decided to pair it with some weekend-appropriate details in matching hues. Worn for a "miracle" afternoon of coffee and shopping which happened even though we were on our last $$$... and we didn't even spend a single centavo. More on that next time.

Still not quite back to my usual color after our beach weekend in Calaguas. This didn't feel quite at home at my Wordpress and Tumblr so I'm giving this old, self-serving blog a little dusting-off!

2014

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 05:23:00 +0000

F21 shirt, Mango jeans

If you're still here: I wrote a year-ender post for 2013 on Medium.com

Now I welcome 2014 with a quieter, more focused perspective.

Will be intent on fixing more of what I do now, so that my future will be more exciting.

Will still dream big – I will not let go of my grand plans – but will be more calculating in my next steps.

I'm 26 and that's so young – but at the same time it feels like I need a lot of catching up to do!

My biggest dream this year: to finally write that long-overdue script/story/big body of written work.

I know it can happen!

(Also I have 3 active platforms now. I need to streamline or compile them into one host)

Wide Open

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 01:20:00 +0000

Sunday afternoon was just like a dream - it had no endings, no beginnings, and familiarity and strangeness blended together in one steady flow that really just made beautiful, calming sense.

101113

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 14:58:00 +0000

4AM, still at work

Shadows settle in the place that you left

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 03:30:00 +0000

F21 pullover

My last post in this blog was three months ago, because three months ago, I decided on a whim to apply for a full-time job at Rappler. And then I got hired. ^_^

And I've been thinking, writing about different things.

That happened in tandem with a full course load for my grad class so things became really, really busy, even for my standards (I'm terrified to check my grades even if 2nd sem's starting two weeks from now).

Now I spend my days (and some nights) doing some writing - trying to tell stories about brands and adding some newsworthy narratives to their objectives. A lot of brainstorming. The past two weeks, ironically enough, a lot of production-related stuff too.

It's different from PR (what I've done), or features (what I've done), or journalism (what I've never done). But it's also a mix of all those three.

In between, there's hardly any energy left to write personal stories, let alone take vain shots (also there hasn't been anything new / fantastic in terms of dressing up lately).

I'm putting this up to commemorate the fact that if I put my mind to it, I can make time for black and white grainy photos against a messy bedroom where I've been trundling into past 2 AM for the last month. And if I can make time for all that, I can make time for writing my story.

I can't forget what I love, even in the midst of learning to love a new thing.

Memo to my indulgent, missing 19-year-old idyllic Saturdays self.

Back Stories

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 08:58:00 +0000

A basic piece that becomes a thing of interest because of its posterior tie-up detail. To add to the XXX amount of black in my closet of old but singular stuff.

Thrifted Club Monaco Dress

Grey, Garden

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 00:36:00 +0000

Izzue Shop dress (thrifted), Divi flats from last year.

A rainy Saturday at Sonya's to celebrate with a beautiful friend and her loving husband. Shot by my Ranie.

Wings

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Thrifted thing

Take flight and fight for the right that our forefathers have given to us. Happy Independence Day!

0609

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 14:48:00 +0000

Heiress Shop Sunnies | Top Primadonna | Divi Pants | Gab Bag | Cotton On Watch

Happy to find this "hidden" corner in one of the usual haunts. Only this decidedly summery outfit was drenched by night-time.

060113

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 01:39:00 +0000

Coat Forever 21 | Dress Cotton On | Boots Doc Martens from HK | Necklace OS

Covering #BU5 and some weekend hangout after.

A Study In Scarlet

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:01:00 +0000

I seriously have lost my mojo in chronicling outfits, I've been a down-dresser for months and months now, except when it's a special occasion. In short, I've become painfully boring. But I've been working / bumming at home for just about the whole week, and well, antsy-ness took the best of me again. So here's a 30-minute dress up exercise. The inspiration? An observed trend in shorts suits (which will probably the closest thing to corporate wear that I'd ever touch), and BBC's Sherlock. I'm more than a year late in catching on to it! And I think I'm hooked because of how it fetishizes cleverness, and that's really the only way that I get into things. But it's just as well, if I'd seen it last year, I don't think I can handle the impatience and the cliffhanger. I can't wait for the reprise next Fall.

Yes, I was supposed to wear this out somewhere, something work related, but even that didn't materialize. The good: I've been writing. Majorly. Sort of! :) Everything's so tentative, but again, I have to just chill and remind myself that there's a reason I'm here.

Reboot | Faux 2x Exposures

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:50:00 +0000

Random snaps of recent walks that really have no meaning. So some composition that makes even less of that.

In any case, I have to seriously get over myself and my dilemmas. And start thinking clearly and facing the morning and being more ADULT and what have you. Yup. Cause it's clearly affecting everything. Need a new disposition.

#vagueovershare

Seizing Spaces

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Backdrops: Erik Sausa (1,2), Hanna Pettyjohn (3,4), and Jacob Lindo (5,6)

Photos by Ranie Catimbang

I often catch myself thinking, shouldn’t we be running in this part? Those kids in the movies are always being depicted recklessly running in dimly lit side streets, but do you know how hard it is to fucking run in a typical Manila street? To elaborate:

Too many cars double parked.
A racing motorcycle (or truck or CRV) will render you dead on arrival.
Bangketas (what we call these side-walks) filled with land mines of dog poop or broken glass or -
- The sidewalks being just plain… little. Some sidewalks I encountered were barely a foot wide. What exactly were they being literal about with these footpaths, really? And then in some streets, sidewalks double as house extensions / sari sari store tambays areas so you have no choice but to take to the road. Bangekta does not sound like Bangko (bench) without reason, after all.
Everything just stinks (I mean, I grew up here. I know what it is. Doesn’t mean I’m automatically immune to it). The gutters flow underneath.

So that night we were walking (taking on the whole of Pasong Tamo extension) and we had come from an exhibit opening of an artist we’ve never heard of. We just happened to know that it was an exhibit, there was gonna be a lot of paintings, and the good old Pale Pilsen, red and white wine, and pichi pichi. Free.

Art galleries are good looking at art and learning for new things, but also for pictures and posin’ and such. Especially in this day and age of 1x1 Instagram frames. The colors of paintings, against all that white, really just good look captured in digital. Makes you look smart, somehow, since it’s automatically more profound than some random cupcake or frappe.

The artist was an impressionist; his paintings were renderings of thick, sharp blobs and tubes emptied out onto the canvas; then teased with a stiff brush to form microscopic plateaus, or combed out into S curves with a metal thing. Pretty easy to dissect, and with about 20 of those things going on, we had a ball.

“What exactly is this supposed to be?”
“You’re supposed, you know, to just stand in front and feel the first thing you feel.”
“Oh. Well, I feel the anger and sadness in this one. See how heavy the paint is here? He dabbled as he was contemplating in between fits of jagged anxiety.”
“I like this one, it’s brighter.”
“Oddly all the strokes seems similar.”
“They’re studies.”
“Do you know that they’re serving red wine?”

We walked our way from there to the train, and actually we walked a little fast lest a snatcher creepeth behind us, and for good measure I brandished the good old pepper spray on my free hand. So that’s our transition sequence, the part where the garage-rock score gets louder and we’re just smiling even though inwardly, we’re out of breath. That’s how we tell you, we’re either too young or too broke to drive. We do not run, it’s more of a sticky, hyper-walk thing (given the humidity, happens all the time). But the lights are not less dim and our laughter not less true. (05/18)

Summer Auras

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:55:00 +0000

0503. Even with that unbuttoned-ness it was still too much too warm.

Blending In

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:39:00 +0000

A light utilitarian cover-up for blending in, i-don't-care feels. (Actually, thisclose to really not caring about looking like I'm not caring, but posting this does me in, so nulled. Forever21).

Picked up this book last weekend (yay for Philippine edition being released 2 weeks ahead of the world!). The Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven won a Palanca for 2011 and is her take on women's issues. And immigrant life. Looking for inspiration and ideas, finding oddly familiar vignettes of Manila images and sorrows detailed in halting dialogue (I mean, it was written straight in English, why does it sound translated in a lot of parts?)... I do appreciate its charm and it's part of the experience perhaps. more as the story develops I guess.

Long Shots

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:29:00 +0000

Stolen snaps of our Batangas location for a 1-day shoot yesterday. It was wonderful to have all that sun.

Packing A Floppy Hat In Your Backpack

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Please just LOL disgustedly at me if you've always done this. I regretted not bringing my hat to my last trip, and here I am again going away for a "beach" shoot (!) so I think I really need a hat for this one. So here is how to pack a floppy hat in your high-zebra-print backpack:

1. Flip your hat over.

2. Fill the crown with your bathing suits / underthings / the little soft stuff you'd pack. This will keep the hat's crown in shape.

3. Flip your hat back up and slide it into your backpack, brim side down.

4. Pack under and around the hat as usual to keep the brim in shape.

HATS ARE IMPORTANT! SPF! Kthanksbye. Hope this helped you!

Sheer + Leather, Casually.

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:35:00 +0000

Everyday is an opportunity.

Top Honey | Leatherette shorts Soiree (SM) | Grace Havaianas

Photo by Bernard Aringo

Forgotten Road

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:22:00 +0000

Cotton On Dress.

Forest like scenario yesterday. Actually nearer than usual.

Bring 'Em

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:26:00 +0000

This is an optimistic collection of appreciation for some simple things which I'm kinda glad exist, because they give purpose to summer. Or is their only purpose summer-ness? Anyway, "optimistic" because you know, I think I just had my one and only beach trip for the entire stretch of hot-sun season, and - well, am I always this bipolar (zen one post, skeptical but using the word "optimistic" in another).

Anyway, my take on a "summer must-haves" tag. Just in case you didn't know you needed SPF. :)

Sandals - they're "sandals" on the tag, but honestly they're flipflops with straps that kinda got drunk and decided to grow appendages that wrap around your ankles. And so I love them. Also, they're rubber and thus favorable for pounding concrete, hopping on over sand, or dipping in any cold stream. And they stay put! So, ten points.

Summer Dresses - two very similar-looking ones, what came over me? Actually: the fact that I have nil proper "throw on and don't care" dresses and so these. I can't do big flowers so they were perfect. And they may still fit lest I expand (oooh fighting this). Cannot stress the difference of a swingy skirt vs. jeans on a sweltering outdoor sort of day. Throw on a cardigan when it's an office meeting and there's dry airconditioning. Summer dresses are functional. Do no resist them.

Bathing suits. What I do: get them in solid complimentary colors and just do mix and match. Voila, it somehow always looks like you have more than 3 functional sets. :)

Earrings, the big kind. I miss wearing them. These are from Ai. I used to be a BIG big earrings girl then IDK what happened. I think white shirts and black coordinates (somehow never went with any of my earrings anymore *sad*). Aforementioned dresses are now the only things that look good with earrings. So better take advantage.

SPF. A different one for the face. The higher, the better. As often as possible. That's all you need to be reminded of, for the nth time.

I just discovered (sorry) the delights of having a waterproof camera and in the age of Facebook and Instagram-driven needs, I'd say we need this. Cause you know, everyone needs to see the corals and what your face looks like with bubbles emerging from your mouth. No really, they do.

So that's it. What's on your santan bush, er, list? :D

Iriga and Caramoan Photo Diary

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:12:00 +0000

There are 46 pictures in this post, I hope that you can wait for all of them to load since there is a thoughtful random logic to their order / selection. :)

The photos you will like are probably taken by Ranie, and I say this not with bitterness but gratitude (and probably a tinge of competitive distress)

Iriga and Caramon, tailend of March 2013

Last year was my first time in Ranie's hometown and I'm glad that henceforth it can become a sort-of ritual for us. Being in his house is wonderfully idyllic and his mom makes me eat three meals a day and with no work or school (I intentionally left everything behind in Manila), I was able to sleep a full 10 hours - a feat for me. This year we took it up a notch and spent a fortnight in Caramoan, a group of islands about an hour and a half away from Naga. And accessible exclusively by boat. Naive me thought that it was purely a virgin island; I was pleasantly surprised to pass by villages, resorts, and even a community college being built along the green, bumpy, serene way. And then suddenly, water. Lots of it. And sand. The finest I've ever seen in my puny life. Then you feel the salty wind, the bright hot sun, and our day's adventure was on (PS - my favorite picture - that rainbow - is the real deal. Ranie took it using a vivid setting and I only used a Portra filter on these shots using Lightroom).

We spent an afternoon hopping through islands, climbing rocky feasible cliffs (and finding hidden lakes), meeting starfish, taking underwater shots, taking in more of that sand, and eating stick-o and jelly snacks. I slept in a tent for the first time, and it was seriously more comfortable than I expected. It was definitely the most relaxed I have been in months (overseas travel is stressful for me at some point), and I think it was the fact that it was probably the longest I've been legitimately outdoors and just sunbathing in like, a year. And at first it was annoying that Globe had no signal for miles around, but then it became OK, and quite a blessing. My favorite way to sum things up is to call it getting my 3Rs: Rest, Reflection (nothing like viewing God's creations up close to make you fall to your mental knees in prayer and praise), and Roast (am legitimately back to my post-Ilocos 1999 hue). And ok, a 4th R for Ranie, whose existence is what pulled me into this beautiful region in the first place. Thank you, then and also, hello to my new wonderful friends, your old ones. Do I sound too zen? This vacation really worked. Really puts things into perspective re: what I gun for in this life. So there. Great way to open the summer, here's to hoping it will be this amazing throughout (I'm looking at you, May scriptwriting workshop).

Sandness

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:24:00 +0000

Sassa neoprene top, Cocomo high-waisted bottom

Hot off SD card shot of the beautiful paradise goodness that was Caramoan. With no internet (and probably a serious state of panic tomorrow), I was able to rest, reflect, and roast myself and enjoy the company of new friends (Ranie's old ones).

And, just to make a point, I will lay off the squeeze tool button. Or probably do without unflattering shots LOLOL. I was looking at everything and was just like, "Crap, this will all be tedious to tuck into decency." So just embrace, yes?

Seoul Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Photos by Me, Ranie, and my Mom

And here is our third (and last day). Just the National Museum for a crash course on Korea history, and Itaewon for a fast brunch and round of pasalubong shopping (Kpop CDs included yes) before we went home. The National Museum is free and worth it as an extra stop / free day itinerary because you'll pretty much learn everything there (or is it just us museum nerds). Sorry for all the annoying possum poses, I didn't intend it to look like that but the sprawling, peaceful exteriors of the museum were begging for it. Itaewon was less crazier than Myeongdong, although merchandise wise it wasn't as eye-sparkle inducing... but oh! The pubs and the bars. Such an exciting place probably at night, but our meal at Les Deux Plats was simply terrific already (posted on Instagram and see that photo of a white corridor up there, that was where it was at). So yeah, this was pretty much my first Seoul experience. I know there is a glaring lack of KTV and proper cinema but hey, I can go back. We can go back. I love you Seoul.

And then when we got back home, I learned that during our 2nd day North Korea had ceased its non-aggression pacts with South... they could have attacked while we were there. That was a scary thought, but I was such an oblivious tourist.

Hope you enjoyed these photos! Along with the two previous entries. I'll also be posting more shots on my Instagram as long as I feel like it.

Seoul Day 1

Seoul Day 2

Lace, Stripes, Brights

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:27:00 +0000

Top Mango | Skirt Thrifted | Sandals Havaianas | Bag from Korea

Worn to a meeting, to make the commute bearable. The heat wave has started.

Seoul - Day 2 : Bokchon Hanok Village, Myeongdong, and Namsan Tower

noreply@blogger.com (krista) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 04:10:00 +0000

Here are my favorite Day 2 Photos during our quick Seoul Weekend!

Our first stop was the Bukchon Hanok (Traditional) Village. This is a sloping district filled with houses which date to as far back as the Jeoson era... I think I vaguely remember that that's one of Korea's first powerful Emperors. Families still reside in this village of old (and some not-so-old) houses although some have been converted into homestays, spas, and cafes. It was a Saturday and so many locals and tourists were also walking around with us! But there were many corners to explore so it never felt too crowded... plus everyone was quiet, as amply instructed by many signs reminding us that it's an early Saturday morning and that people DO still live in this village after all.

This was such a beautiful series of steps, but at the top there's a sign that says, "do not enter." So just a picture of the stairs.

We got to wear hanboks again! I chose to wear a pink type of dress which is worn for special occasions ex. guesting at weddings. The two girls manning (haha) this place were so cute and helpful. They dressed mama and I up and took our pictures and invited us to walk around all their rooms. Aaah all the Koreans we met on this trip were really so nice! Koreanovela feels talaga! ^_^

Actually when we were there, there was a sequence for a music video being shot! I just saw a lot of girls dancing but I didn't know who they are :( but I didn't manage to shoot them because everything was so fast. Right after the take, the crew took all of 3-5 minutes to wrap up, roll away everything, jump into vans, and hie off. As someone used to long shooting hours for TV work, I was so impressed!

Random prettiness on walls.

Flowers for the then-upcoming White Day! I'm familiar with Japanese people celebrating it but I didn't know Koreans (and even Chinese at that) celebrate it too. I think it's such a cool concept and I wish we practiced this reciprocatory idea here in our country too. Who says only girls should get gifts huh?

Other sights on the way out, on to our next stop:

Deoksugung to witness the guard changing ceremony! That was cool too though we recorded that on video. Here's Ranie posing with the very stern guard minutes before his reliever, uh, relieved him.

Next: Myeongdong shopping district!

Or so we thought.

Although I was very, very determined to shop, one look at all the weekend shoppers took all of my enthusiasm down. On my own I'd probably elbowed it out but I know Mama and Ranie would not stand (or walk) for it. It probably wasn't worse than HK or Divisoria crowds, but then again, it really just wasn't worth it for a couple of phone cases (especially when we'd already stocked up on cosmetics from other stores/districts). So we just sort of passed by Myeongdong before deciding to just get coffee.

Really good red bean cakes shaped like fish. :)

And then it was HI to this tower. Hi, as in HIGH! It's Seoul's highest point, the N Tower! Long line up, but the cable car ride was fun.

The view from the observation deck. 360 degree view of the city, so cool.

On the lower level of the deck were the famous padlocks which various lovers have placed their promises upon. Namsan was filled with couples, it was all really very sweet to watch. Not really so jelly because I had two loved ones with me, that's one more than the average! <3 br="">

Yours truly freezing up as a possum (oops did I say I didn't have the heart to shop in Myeongdong? I managed to acquire a possum sweater before we left! Haha #profastshopper). Layered it because the weather suddenly dropped come nightfall! I couldn't stand it as well as Ranie and Mama. Wah.

Warmth came by way of a dinner at a beautiful hidden restaurant (it really is hidden!) back in Insadong.

*Edit:

Looking back at our photos and doing some Googling, I found out that this restaurant's name is Andamiro and it's actually quite recommended by people as a romantic spot. I agree it's quite a mood-setting place... if we hadn't been tired and if it were just us as a couple it would indeed by quite romantic haha! But I stand by our opinion re: the food... maybe we're just spoilt. Or we ordered the wrong items. Or just were tired by that time. But yes, I think in hindsight it was quite a nice date place (sorry had to keep spouting that).

The food was so-so (sub by Ranie's estimate), but the oldish interiors and the great wine selection (they had floors of it) made up for it. We just wanted to try out what Western food tastes like here (OK we were just looking for the first warm place, got into a corner, found this). Food in Korea is pricey, but transportation and most other things are affordable so I guess it was OK to splurge a little!

And yup that's about it! This is the pretty walkway outside the restaurant! At this point I was seriously freezing and could barely manage to smile. And they say it's spring! What!

After this we were so grateful to crawl back into our heated ondol beds! :) Day 3 and then I'm done! Or actually more pictures on my Instagram follow follow follow! @kristamgarcia :)

Seoul Day 1

Seoul Day 3