Wedged

Dedma ang sakit sa paa!
Topshop Dress
CMG Gladiator Wedges

As you may have guessed by now, I love me some sky high shoes.

Although my height has given me some disadvantages in the past, like being always first in school lines, or not being able to see what’s going on if there’s a crowd before me, it has never dampened my confidence in terms of meeting people (so I hitched a 5’10’er, yes?). However, I discovered that it helps if my vantage point is given a little push upwards most of the time--say, give and take, at least 3 inches? Thus, my near obsession for high soled wedges.

No stick-thin heels, please!

Why wedges? Because they are more stable, and serve the purpose as well. I don’t have to worry about getting my stiletto heels stuck in the slats of the floor, or burying them in the mud. I can walk with ease, rather than wobble my way through a slippery plain. And I can drive with them too, oh yes I drive with my wedges on!

The Culprit..sa pagsemplang ko...
but of course I still use them!

But don’t think that these babies are beyond dangerous. I have experienced tripping on a rug outside a building in front of the security guards and sheepishly getting up alone from my fours (Naku, di man lamang tumulong ang mga manhid na gwardyang yun!) Lucky for me, that was just one time. The risk is more of an exception than a rule.

It's only logical that I became more careful of welcome mats from then on.

There are more daring ladies out there who jeopardize their limbs and joints just to venture the unreachable. Gulp, kayanin kaya ng powers ko ang mga ito? Mangurus muna ako at mag-imagine:

Jeffrey Campbell Shoes 'Lita'

Bullet Day, why not, noh?!!!!

Pero heto, in my dreams, i'd never, ever dare!!!

Mcqueen booties

Ang taray ng lola, at hindi ininda ang patay na kuko!

Zumba

MNG Shirt
UK Skirt
Bass Loafers

The first time I heard of Zumba from my Cuz Premz Claring, I thought it was a new gym craze only offered in the U.S. I shrugged it off since I was already doing TRX, aerobics, and jogging at that time. Lately, I was hearing more and more about it from health-conscious people. So I got curious. What really is Zumba?

I searched the Net (for what else can’t be found there?), and to my surprise, I found out that I have been doing Zumba all along! The ‘aerobics’ thingy I thought I was doing every weekend is actually not aerobics, but, yes, Zumba.

Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance program which originated from Colombia in the 1990s. An aerobics instructor forgot his tape of aerobics music and substituted the Latin salsa and merengue music he had in his car. As luck would have it, the class liked it better, and it became popular. In 1999, the instructor, Alberto Perez, brought Zumba in the U.S. and patented it. Now a lot of people swear by the sheer fun of doing it.

So why is it so popular? Unlike aerobics, where the movements are very rigid and based on counting, Zumba allows everyone to dance in the rhythm of sweet and sexy Latin movements like mambo, salsa, samba, merengue, and the likes to the tune of pop songs. Now Zumba has also tapped into the hiphop and belly dancing steps. So the atmosphere is like you are not working out, but you are participating in one big, hot party. Pretty cool for those of us who have retired from the night scene, noh?

Since my Zumba sessions are only on Saturdays and Sundays, I decided to download some files from the net. I have since sweated in front of my laptop every night. Try mo rin, pag hindi ka pinawisan, ewan ko na lang!!!

And did I mention this is free Zumba workout? Ikaw lang ang hinihintay!!

                                                   www.savevid.com

$#@!& you, Mamang Drayber!!!

Sorry about that.  

The Daughter fell off a jeepney this morning in front of UP Cebu. She was about to go down, and apparently, the driver sped off without checking if she had already gotten off. She landed on the ground with her hands first. Good thing there was no vehicle following the jeep. The even grrr thing was, the driver even scolded her. She went to her class first to submit her project, then her classmates brought her to the Infirmary to have her wound cleaned and taken care of. Her kind classmates helped her through the day, thank God.

She called her Dad when she got home in the evening, because she could feel numbness on her left arm. Buti na lang the Hubby is already in Cebu since he was in Manila the whole week, so he was able to bring her to the hospital. The doctors gave her anti-tetanus, and had an X-ray taken. Except for that big gash and the big bruise, hopefully, my baby’s going to be okay.

Hay, ang hirap ng malayo sa mga anak!!!!

Wazzup, Wazzup, Aiza Ruby Pascua

I first met Bing at…

Vision! During the job interview! :D It was unforgettable because while they were interviewing me, T. Bing kept on smiling and nodding together with T. Princess. My "nerbyos" escalated lalo kasi parang "Why are they smiling and nodding?? Was there something fah-nee with what I just said?" hahahaha :

I REMEMBER BING…

of course, she is the one and only Ma'am Charo of the CHA Family :D

With T. Bing during our CHA Family
Christmas Party!:)

I’m now based in…

Oh no.. Slow moment.. Bacolod? Talisay? At home? hahahha :D Talisay :)

I’m busy with…

my online article writing stint and with the preparation for my NMAT this coming December! (Exam na namaaaan!!!)

The only thing that separates me
from med school--NMAT!!!

 
I can cook…

Pochero! :) I miss cooking.
Mother won't let me near
the kitchen nowadays..
Says I'm a messy cook daw! hahaha

a lot of dishes! Hehehehe :D Had to learn way back in high school (not because of Cooking class), because I was left alone at home because my parents and my eldest sister were working abroad, my 2nd eldest sister was working (and is still working) at the L'Fisher Hotel, my brother was studying... no choice but to learn :) I can cook adobo, sinigang, nilaga, pochero.. pretty much anything basta 'wag lang FRIED (takot mapaso hahaha)

My closet is full of…

    shirts... Mother doesn't like it because it makes me look like a kid daw. I should dress up like (in her words) "a lady"...

I want to have a shirt with this design!!

Meet Sheldon Cooper, my favorite character

in Big Bang Theory (it's a TV series hehehe)

My most fave me-place is...

 the bookstore :) Any bookstore will do! I could spend hours in a bookstore :) I can read a novel from cover to cover in a day :) Or a library :)

Here's my mini-library now! :D

My obsession is…

Collecting bookmarks and lip balms. I currently have.... around 70 bookmarks (not sure... marami ang nawala huhuhu)... Yung lipbalms, pang display minsan. Tpos sayang kung expired na. Hahahah :) FOR DONATIONS, PLEASE CONTACT ME. :)

Yummy! :)

As long as they're not sticky,

they're okay! :D

Life is…

definitely a gift from God. Far from perfect, but a blessing nonetheless :)

Something I found :)

Pwede? Pwede! Hahaha :)

I don't mind having more…

MONEY. Hahahaha! :D I need it for medschool :D (and other things as well... hahahah)

now, aiza is…

I used to be a kid who wanted to be a doctor when she grew up. I am pretty much the same kid, only sharper, and more anchored to God. I do stray at times, longing to find ways to be on my own, and pursuing things my way. But then, God makes things happen and suddenly everything is clearer and dreams become easier to reach. I've learned to trust more in His plan :).

Believe. :)

Dear Bing…
              Thank you, T. Bing! I had fun answering! Heheheh :) May the good Lord continue to guide and bless you and your family! :)

The Kite Runner

"Matayog ang lipad ng saranggola ni Pepe
Matayog ang pangarap ng matandag bingi...

MNG Blouse

Zara Jeans

CMG Wedges

I never really understood that Celeste Legaspi’s 80’s song, but I memorized and sang it out loud anyway in my youth. The words conveyed playfulness and the non-sensical thoughts of a child. You know the nursery rhymes that we easily memorized in kindergarten? Chanting them again now (oh, I still know a pretty good number of them!), I realize that there are really no grand meanings to them. But we sang them anyway, because it was fun and rhythmical. And it made our world more colourful.

Sometimes I wish I could see the world through an innocent child’s eyes again.

Movie Review: The Kite Runner  (2007)

In the 70's in Afghanistan, a Pushtun boy Amir and a Hazara servant boy Hassan are raised together in the house of Amir's father. They live like brothers, playing and kiting on the streets of a once peaceful Kabul. After Amir wins a competition in kiting, Hassan runs to bring a kite to Amir, but he is beaten and raped by a brutal boy and his gang in an empty street. The young, coward Amir witnesses the assault but does not help the loyal Hassam. This event leads to a falling apart of their friendship, plus the internal war in their country tears them physically apart. The retribution comes when Amir becomes an adult, and he is forced to pay back the betrayal he has done to his friend Hassan.

The Review: Why is it that sometimes, those who are less fortunate and less educated can show unconditional and loyal friendship than those who are more blessed with material things? Those who are learned, more often than not, have cynical take on people, while the innocent will do anything for friendship.

This is one of my most favourite dramas of all time, never mind that a big part of the movie is subtitled. The loyalty of the servant boy Hassan to his master/childhood friend Amir is so pure and resilient that he is willing to sacrifice everything for the latter. In the end, Amir purges his guilt and tries to make up for the betrayal that he did to Hassan by paying back in a most remarkable way.

This is one of those rare moments when the movie version is better than the book. (So sue me!)

Trivia:

Due to Afghan mores concerning male rape, Paramount Vantage agreed to relocate the young actors out of the country to the United Arab Emirates and arrange visas, housing and schooling for the young actors and jobs for their guardians. Paramount Vantage accepts responsibility for the living expenses of Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Ali Danish Bakhtyari and Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada until they reach adulthood, a cost some estimated at up to $500,000.

Author Khaled Hosseini describes the filming (in Kashgar, China) of the Kabul kite tournament scenes saying "There weren't actually any kites in the sky. We were just kind of looking up at these strings going up to these cables and hanging from the other side there were water bottles to give the string a sense of tension." To which director Marc Forster adds "Yes, because we had no wind." CG kites were added in post-production.

Director Mark Forster mentions at 07:30 in the DVD commentary that in the book the servant boy, Hassan, was a harelip (cleft upper lip), but that was left out of the film because it would have required two hours of makeup every day, it would have been difficult for the boy to act in the makeup, he didn't want to put the boy through it, and it wasn't essential to the script.

As expected, I cried in this movie.

HBD, Akira!

Happy birthday, Shangy, er, Akira Manami, my dear brave pamangkin!!!

Hope you have more wigs and costumes to come!

Shopping Online

It’s still a hit and miss for me, this online shopping. For the hits, a Cambridge satchel, KOR water bottles, and a dress (from UK, no less), to mention some, turned out to be more than satisfactory. My recent adventure on buying shoes, however, left me a bad taste in the mouth.

I recently bought 3 pairs of shoes (please don’t tell the Hubby!) from one of those local multiply stores. They actually sell fashion items like shoes, bags, and clothes which are Made in China. I decided to get my hands on some shoes for me and the Daughter. At first I thought that the prices were reasonable because the styles are fashion-forward and they look like designer brands. Ordering was easy, because the contact was accommodating. Besides, the site gives 5% discount and the shipping is free. However, these benefits were offset by the charges of paying for the items. I paid through LBC, which I was charged with about Php300+ for sending money. So much for the discount. But I gamely shrugged it off since I wouldn’t want to risk my credit card on this. I’m not that comfortable in giving my credit card number  online. (Bad experience, don't ask!)

Yes na lang, teh!
Promod Floral Dress
Uniqlo Cardigan
Ito ang mismong Wedges from Online

The items are actually pre-ordered from China, so the site mentioned about waiting for 2 weeks for my order. Sure, I was not in a rush. However, it took a month before I received a text message informing me that my shoes had been sent. The next day when I arrived home, I saw the LBC package in my room. Disappointment crept in when I saw that the shoes were not sent in boxes, just individually wrapped in plastic. I felt a little bit concerned since they could have been easily deformed while in transit. Besides, I was thinking, hey, costing at least Php1,500+ for each pair, don’t they deserve to be in a box? Then, when I opened the plastic LBC package, the cheap smell of pleather (plastic leather?) assaulted me in the nose. Oh, oh. Definitely not a good sign of topnotch quality. And my fear was confirmed. Upon close inspection, the materials used were not worth what I paid for.  The workmanship seemed haphazard--I even saw a trace of glue on one spot. The boots for my Daughter were ill-fitting, hurting my ankles after only a few trial steps. The grey/yellow wedges that I ordered were a size bigger on me (more of a Size 37), although size 36 was written on the soles. Buti na lang, the black closed wedges fitted me just fine. Pero disappointing pa rin ang material. (Sana hindi agad bumigay!) The worst thing was, the site says No Return, No Exchange. So Consumer Protection Laws are just ignored when you buy from them. Hay, big booboo for me!!!

After that, I thought to myself, what was I thinking? I could have bought more quality shoes that fit me perfectly at the price I paid, from retail stores where I can actually feel, smell, scrutinize, and most importantly, try them on. Besides, I can take them home as soon as I paid for them--and in a shoe box too! So never again would I be duped into buying from these so-called asian fashion stores (Asian=China=not good quality almost all of the time), especially shoes. But then again, I brought it all upon myself, and that was the risk I took. Talk about charging it to experience.

And as for these S36-but-seem-like-S37 grey/yellow wedges? I decided right there and then to give them away. And she already said yes with open arms. And the lucky winner is…

Sa iyo na ito!!!