All year round wishlist

It's Christmas time again and everyone has been talking about their Christmas wishlist. Admittedly, I don't know why I was not able to come up with this before. Maybe I have so many things in mind that I wanted a buy and to come up with a wishlist would be unnecessary. Besides, I don't want to feel frustrated over those things especially if I don't get to have them all. Haha! Well, just my two cents.

Instead, I thought of having an all year round wishlist. Nice idea, right? It would not only be limited to Christmas but something achievable in a year time.

So here's my initial all year round wishlist. I will update this list as time goes by.

Fuji Instax Mini-7 Camera because I was not able to get it on my birthday.

Sephora Makeup Palette - I just love makeups and to have this palette would be nice.

Charles & Keith Black Pumps - I used to say high heels are not my best friends, but I think

we're trying to catch up with each other. So to have this pair would make my formal days even better. I have seen and tried this, it fits me perfectly.

Pedro Peep-toe Pumps - So feminine. Love the details of the shoes. I saw this on Pedro's website and it really caught my attention. Would definitely buy this one. I just hope stocks last forever. Hahaha!

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella because I am shopaholic and I am a big fan of hers.

Apple iPhone 4 because I am in Singapore now and I need to have 2 mobile phones: 1 for Globe and 1 for Starhub. Besides, most of the people here are iPhone users and I would like to become one too.. hahaha!

Two of these items will be mine by January, hopefully. Yipee! Now, I am excited...

*photos used in this post are not mine.

Hugs and Kisses,

An afternoon in Orchard Road

Yesterday, boyfie and I decided to go to Orchard Road to look for a money changer.You see, we've been scouting a money changer which offers the best value. Unfortunately, the one near our place was the worst one. Actually, there are 3 options to choose from: (1) Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road; (2) Changi Airport; (3) Mustafa Shopping Centre in Farrer Park. And since our friends-turned-housemates were going to Orchard to shop, we opted to go with them.

Well, part of my intention was to visit Sephora and Pedro to check on the items listed on my wishlist. I was so excited that I even checked the websites to see if both items were available. But no, I was not able to visit those stores due to the influx of shoppers..as if everyone was so immersed on doing their Christmas shopping. The malls in Orchard were jam-packed, well, not as bad as the one we have in the Philippines. This one is more tolerable but still, crowded. So to avoid the crowd, boyfie and I decided to go for a stroll around Orchard, took some photos before we headed back to our place.

It was nice seeing those Christmas decorations everywhere. It really made the place so lively despite being crowded. Anyway, I would be going back there soon. I just hope when the time comes, hopefully it was not as crowded as before. Hihihi...

Decorations at Wisma Atria

Colorful decorations at Tangs

Christmas Tree outside Tangs

At the giant Christmas Tree outside Ion Orchard

The giant Christmas tree somewhat reaches the sky

Christmas is in the air...

Hugs and Kisses,

Breaking free...

I'm back! And yes, I am now in Singapore... for good.

*sigh* It feels like it has been ages since the last time I updated you. There are so many things happened since the time I came back from my Singapore trip. It was like in just a snap, everything in my life changed and it would still keep on changing as time goes by.

I know most of you didn't have any idea what happened after my trip. So after I came back from Singapore, I went to work as usual and the next thing I knew, I was already signing a contract for an employment in Singapore. Yes, I resigned from the company where I stayed for 2+ years. I had done transitions and knowledge transfers which ate up most of my time, doing clearances so I could get my last paycheck, and lastly, prepared the documents and other stuffs needed for my departure. Everything was so sudden. My mind back then was so focused on those stuffs, worrying about the future.. what would be my life here without my family by my side, or if I did the right decision on leaving the country to work.. but still, I left thinking about my family's future.

So today marks my 5th day at work { I survived! yey!} and apparently, I am still on the adjustment stage. I am talking about different people, culture, nature of work and even the work environment. Totally different from the Philippines but nothing to be scared of because everyday, you get to know a lot of things from different perspectives. I enjoyed exchanging conversations with my foreign colleagues. I get to know their culture and of course, I get to communicate with them in English. Haha!

I still don't have any photos to share since I am still adjusting to this new environment, not as a tourist anymore.. but more like of a resident.

For now, let me share the last moments I had with my former colleagues in Manila:

Bantayan Island, Cebu: 11/19-22

Playing with the Photobooth during our Christmasquerade Party

The development team { still with my teary eyes.. this is after I cried }

They keep on bullying me.. that's why I cried.. joke! :P

See? They're enjoying it.. big time! hahaha!

Saying goodbye to each and everyone of them..
The Christmas party held last Dec. 3 was also my last day..
The next day (Dec. 4) was my flight back to Singapore...

I miss everyone I left in Manila, but I need to sacrifice for now. Anyway, I will go back next year for a visit and I will keep everyone posted. For sure, it would be great! :)

FIGHTING!

Hugs and Kisses,

The long wait is over...

credit: google

Yes, and tomorrow I'll be heading to Singapore for my much-awaited vacation. Yahooooo!!! It has been 3 months since boyfie left and I could still remember how I cried and how I convinced myself that eventually we would meet soon -- on his 28th birthday! You could call it naive, cheesy, whatever...but I don't care... hahaha! Try to put yourself in my shoes and I'd bet you would understand. :P

So there, just a few things to prepare and I am all set.

To boyfie who will be spending his birthday tomorrow:

credit: tumblr

Happy Birthday!

See you tomorrow... literally! :D

Hugs and Kisses,

Hectic.

credit: tumblr

It's been a while.

Sorry for not keeping you updated. I tried but I failed. Actually, I've been preoccupied lately with lots of things including work. The development of the new project has started and I, being one of the developers have been striving harder to beat the deadline. And then, there's a demo to be done on the first day of October and admittedly, we are quite struggling with time. Time flies so fast. Well, on the other hand it's a good thing, actually. I will be on a vacation next month, and I can't wait to be reunited with boyfie.

For the meantime, let me share to you an excerpt from workawesome. I got this from a friend's FB post.

55 Ways to Relax After Work

1. Just go to sleep.

2. Take a bath, soak in a hot tub or relax in a steam room.

3. Change into your comfiest clothes.

4. Listen to soothing music.

5. Cook one of your favorite recipes for dinner.

6. Go for a walk in a park or take a short hike.

7. Kick it up a notch and go for a run instead.

8. Play a sport with friends like Frisbee golf, soccer or basketball.

9. Try yoga or do some gentle stretches.

10. Visit Oprah.com for guided meditation podcasts.

11. Light scented candles.

12. Look through old photo albums.

13. Write in your journal, try art journaling or make a collage.

14. Trade massages with your partner.

15. Knit, crochet or sew.

16. Bake cup cakes or muffins.

17. Go for a drive in the country.

18. Play with your kids (if you are a parent).

19. Escape into a great novel.

20. Take a bike ride.

21. Sing karaoke.

22. Cuddle with your cat or play fetch with your dog.

23. Relax by the pool with a magazine.

24. Play tennis, racquetball or squash.

25. Spend time gardening.

26. Sit on your front porch and watch the world go by.

27. Brainstorm your “bucket list.”

28. De-clutter, clean and make your living space as comfortable as possible.

29. Start planning a vacation.

30. Window shop in a new part of town.

31. Play a musical instrument.

32. Talk to your family.

33. Invite a friend over to play video games.

34. Go dancing.

35. Play pool or shuffle board.

36. Swim laps.

37. Build your own community with a blog.

38. Take an art class or a pottery class.

39. Bead a necklace with chunky gemstones.

40. Get ahead of schedule and make a Christmas gift for someone special.

41. Pray.

42. Write a letter or send a card…just because.

43. Mail a bunch of photos of yourself to your grandparent or an elderly relative so they know what you’ve been up to.

44. Make a cup of tea or warm up some hot apple cider.

45. Enjoy some deep cleansing breaths.

46. Sit quietly by the beach, a lake or a creek.

47. Savor a meal in a local café or pub.

48. Make plans for the weekend.

49. Challenge a friend to a game of foosball or go bowling.

50. Reconnect with a favorite childhood pastime.

51. Volunteer.

52. Call your funniest friend.

53. Get your adrenaline pumping with a kickboxing or spinning class.

54. Have a picnic.

55. Watch the sunset.

As for item #13, I tried to make a collage after playing with the webcam:

So far, I've only done a few but I'm planning to do more as days pass by. Actually, I am planning to give my best at work so I could fully enjoy and maximize my much awaited vacation. :)

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Wake me up when September ends,

Long weekend purchases

I do love long weekends for countless reasons. It's one of the things I look forward to every year. It's a breather for me where I could do all the things I needed and wanted to do at the same time. Admittedly, I couldn't do all those things having work in mind. I would probably end up with nothing accomplished.

And so I went to an alter station within our neighborhood and had this denim distressed shorts fixed. It was given by boyfie's mom when she visited the country. I love it but it was too big for me. Actually, I never thought it can still be altered to suit me. I could not imagine how the alter station guy did it to become like this:

The "new look" of the distressed shorts

{still looks like the original one but a size smaller}

Anyway, I also got the chance to go to the nearest mall. I settled my bills (and boyfie's too), did a little grocery shopping and then, shopped for myself and boyfie. Haha! Of course, I challenged myself again. This time, I opted not spend higher than Php900. Believe me, I was able to do that at least for my stuffs. Haha!

Again, I scored 2 items:

1.) Green knitted pullover from Terranova (Php 445)

2.) Black linen pants from Terranova (Php 395)

- this one needs to be altered; it's too long for my height.. :P

And just before I go home, I passed by at the SM Home World to check some stuffs for boyfie. You see, I love decorating rooms and as much as I wanted to do it on his room, buying some things like curtains is the least thing that I could do. So I went to the curtains section and bought 2 curtains (for the price of one). Yes, it's on SALE. This is what I love about SM Department Store. You could always score good quality items on a cheaper price.

Just like these curtains...

I went home after hours of shopping alone. Who cares? I enjoyed it.

Despite the tiredness of my feet, I feel satisfied again with my purchases.

Happy Long Weekend, everyone! Enjoy! :)

Hugs and Kisses,

Shopaholic Chiq on F21

Finally { after attempting for the nth time already}, I was able to visit Forever21 again. It was my second time visiting the store. The first time was when I went with boyfie during its opening week. I could still remember how jam packed the store was. Everyone was so immersed on the items that you could imagine the long queues in the fitting room as well as on the payment counters. I failed to shop that time and went home empty-handed.

Actually, I did not have any plans on going somewhere after work last Wednesday until I popped a message on my friend's yahoo messenger to ask her plan for the long weekend. Then as we chatted, I brought up the idea of visiting F21 again. Coincidentally, she was actually going there after work to get the item she reserved a few days ago. She asked me if I wanted to go with her and I said 'Yes' without thinking twice. Haha!

As we travelled from the office to SM Megamall, an old familiar feeling came over me. Excitement. The same feeling I had when I was still on the hype of hoarding havaianas flipflops. Haha! But this time, I challenged myself not to spend too much. Hence, I decided not to go over Php 1600.

The place was not crowded as I expected. There no long queues either {on the payment counters and fitting rooms} which was nice, though the items being sold were a bit pricey unlike during its opening week.

Of course despite of the price hike, it did not stop me from shopping. Haha! With the challenge in mind, I carefully checked on the items. If the price was too high, I put back the item(s). I did that for 2 hours. Haha!

And then, I was able to score 2 items for Php 1570.

Sweater top in Heather grey

Tunic top in light blue

It was fun. I went home with a smile on my face despite the heavy rain. I would like to go back again, if time permits.

How about you? What can you say about Forever21 Philippines? Tell me about it, I would like to hear your stories.

Hugs and Kisses,