Dear Heart :)

Entry written while Dream A Little Dream is playing in the background. 


Dear Darilita, 


I know this may come as a surprise because you have made it a point to let everyone know that you've been dreading this day like a blood extraction. In the middle of frantically caffeine overdosed mornings and unjustly extended work hours, your yuppie life has been caught in the looming bitterness of this day. That, for the first time in how many years, you are back to the non-celebration and non-recognition of this occasion. That, amid the piles of things to do, you find yourself scouring for genuine reasons to feel happy for everyone around you who is, face it, not in the same state as you are right now. 


While convincing yourself that it is just a trivial day in the everyday marathon up the corporate ladder, it should be appropriated with nothing but a shrug on the shoulder, the right to dress nicely and the perfect excuse to indulge in spamper. Looking back on your aspirations a year ago, you hadn't achieved all the goals that you've set and you're not exactly where you want to be. But that's okay. Because it's proven that where you are now is somewhere a million times better. 


If there's something your 22 years in life have taught you it could be that one, you are the lone creature who will depend on yourself until the very end and that second, no time should be wasted doing/(spending) things/(with people) you do not love and live for. 


Stumbling upon the few epic romances of a lifetime has no less than proven that your worth is yet to be realized by a man whose value is beyond question. Value the luxury of having time for yourself and doing the things you want. Value the money that you save and spend, of being able to feel that everything you work hard for pay off to make you a sustainable living. Even without a man you have the incorruptible strength of a woman. Because really, you have surpassed your trials in life with everyone you could ever need, your family and friends. 


It is the same thing in knowing that you should never expend hours on people who will never respond and on things that are not worth your time. Choose your battles and know that not everything is within your control. Especially love. You can't force yourself to live with something that doesn't fuel you with the sincere kind of passion. Not even your personality, not even your chosen profession. 


It's alright to remain a hopeless romantic a month before you turn 23. You've had your share of love's polarities so it's time to settle for middle ground. There is one way to go from here: move forward to the countless encounters on who Mr. Right could be. Be in no hurry to try and get hurt, so that as you age and become better, you will have no regrets. 


Now that you have practically convinced everyone that you will don this day with a gift-giving of chocolates, do it without remorse, without pretentions and without bitterness. 


Do it without expecting any act of reciprocation from unwarranted parties. 


Do it because you are just filled with priceless happiness right now. ♥ 

Valentine's day is fairly overrated anyway. At least for the chunk of the population who can relate. Hahahaha :) 


Don't stop believing that he's out there, gorgeous, smart and loving, ready to sweep you away. He just doesn't know it yet. 


Love, 


Your ♡ 

What's Inside My Bag?

Because I am feeling so good and it took me a month of lagged time to actually put my life on track, the all new me is keeping all my commitments intact too! Here's to the start of an interesting spread! Hopefully this blog will be a doorway to many opportunities of whatnot :) The most important part is, the nostalgic part of me will now have something to look back to. Unlike the past couple of years that I have been able to skip quite a few important chapters, daily/weekly updates won't be such a hassle!  


But anyway. Here goes!


I have always wanted to do a post that details the inside of my bag. No matter how many times I've seen it in other 
fashion/personality blogs, I was always curious to try and detach myself from the post so I can judge my own character. What happens inside a person's bag tells a multitude of things: what she deems important, her initiative to take responsibilities, her sense of preparedness and her daily activities. 


Of course I should know. I always liked lugging a lot of literal baggage around ever since I was a kid. My grade school trolley back then was like a pirate's treasure chest of sorts because it was unjustly oversized and heavy for a kid my age. I was able to bring that habit with me until puberty and for the rest of my stay in the academe, which is why my medical insurance now comes in handy and pays for a month's worth of therapy for scoliosis that was years in the making. 


So really, how much can a girl carry in one bag? Let's talk a look at what's inside mine :) 

1) I use the large red longhandle bag of Longchamp Le Pliage. This is the first 'investment bag' that I bought for myself since I started working. It looks a bit too shabby now because of overuse. Seriously, because of its size, I sometimes use it as my sleepover bag or what I call my layas bag . But then again, I bring it with all my junk to the office and that works for me! 


2) My Mercury Drug medicine pouch. When I found this coin purse one random day while packing for a trip, I decided what better to use it for but for a mini-medicine kit with all the essentials? I have pain killers, anti-allergies, antacids and paracetamol. Whenever I feel queasy and ill, I just conjure the pill I need and then all is well :) 


3) My makeup pouch (posting the contents of which on another entry) which holds how I understand everything cosmetics should be. I rarely ever retouch my very basic makeup application throughout the day and this routine even takes place inside a cab, when I'm stuck in the usual traffic jam on my way to work. It's a pouch from LeSportsac which isn't the actual design. But it would be nice to have one that looks like the picture I got.


4) My dark red framed Swatch glasses. I got my near-sightedness and astigmatism from my mom so I started wearing prescription glasses when I was a sophomore in college. My first ever pair was a rather cute pink-framed one with 
stones in the rim from Lulu Castagnette. I don't wear it all the time, just in board rooms when I do presentations to give me the complete touch of class and intellect. But since my vision is getting a bit poorer, I'm beginning to consider wearing contact lenses soon. 


5) I never leave the house without any earphones but only the best brand gives me the best grooves and that's my Apple earphones. I gave my shuffle to my mom so I use my BB for listening to music. Especially when I'm stuck inside a cab with the most annoying stations of all time. 


6) My ever-reliable connection to the outside world BB 9360. I lost my BB 9300 Keplar in BCD when I visited last October and I almost died because most of my social life inside the office depended on it for updates. I switched to using a BB Bold for a while, but I missed the crunch of the keypads that only the Curve series can give. So when I found out that BlackBerry was releasing a sleek version of the Curve, I was quick to get my hands on it as a Christmas gift for myself (after buying my iPad) HAHA. 


7) My dual-sim Sun/work/the one I least check phone Nokia C2-03. Though my BB's battery gets drained because of the 3G connection, this Nokia phone can go for days without charging. Plus I got it because of the easy interface, touch-and-type dual function and the just-in-case-my-Globe-phone-gets-lost-again (but I surely hope and SWEAR not) dual-sim feature so I have a standby spare for both lines. 


8) The Bath and Body works anti-bac pocket sanitizer. When I first saw this in the market, I actually thought having it was a bit tacky because it turned out to be such a fad. But I got is as a gift from my good friend Patty and that's when I felt that it was very handy and useful for a busy gal like me. The scents are very refreshing too. 


9) My red leather Canon business card holder. This was a picture I got from Google (well bec I couldn't take pictures my camera's lens is being fixed for a whopping bill of 7 grand) but we actually had Manels design a customized leather card holder as giveaways for our clients last 2010. I'm 100% positive that I'm not the only one who has this in more than one color. 


10) My 2-year old Topshop sunnies. This has been the sun glasses for everyday use prior to the F21 shades that my friend Robbie never gave back and the Fly Wear wayfarer pair that I sat on. I actually need to replace it soon because it doesn't hold onto my nose bridge anymore. Nonetheless, I never leave the house without it esp. when I feel that the morning cab rides can be a bit slow and bright, I get to sneak in a quick nappie under it before I land in the office. 


11) Mossimo Secret Wish spray-on perfume. Frequently mistaken as a deo spray, I got this super bubbly and sophisticated scent from my good friend Jamie. It smells a lot like the Bebe perfume that I bought from SG last summer so I went on ahead and bought it. I'm really eyeing on the Lanvin Eclat bottle when I finish this one. 


12) House keys. This has my locker keys in the office, gym locker keys and keys to my former college room (hahahah I forgot to return it). Of course it conveniently allows me to go home in the ungodly hours of the morning when everybody else is asleep in the house and wouldn't help me yank the door open. 


13) The breath freshening toothbrush. Being office-based has given me the chance to freshen up on lunch hours so I carry this toothbrush kit with me along with my monthly supply of tissue. I had to resort to a pack of mints before but since this is the routine on yummy luncheons, I feel and look refreshed ready to take on afternoon (and overtime) challenges. 


14) My Charles and Keith seaweed green wallet. This was an impulsive buy last December in the middle of a yearend stress spree with my good friend Rica. I wanted to replace my old wallet because it was full of unnecessary paper and was a little discolored when it caught the color of my bag after taking a shower in the rain. I never go for colors like green and yellow but I got it anyway because the interior is smooth and hot pink. Very often it's empty and full of receipts that justify my irrational spending but I always treasure it when it helps me survive on a monthly basis. 


15) The Belle de Jour Powerplanner 2012. I can never go on my daily routine without listing the things that I have to do. It has to be in a scratch paper, a post-it or a notepad that is inserted in every page of my planner. Every appointment and every errand that I have to pencil in as well as brewing thoughts and feelings, all go in the secret pages of my journal. Without it, I am never complete!


So that's it. I know this hardly does justice to all the contents of my bag but more or less, these are the everyday must-haves. Will do another post on my makeup kit next!