Favorite Of The Week!

This is our new favorite this week! 

These german Bahlsen cookies are soooo good! They remind me of my ever favorite Petit Ecolier. It's so addicting that I could finish the entire box by myself. Thing is, they are super rich and I can feel every bite go down to my waist. :(

Boyfriend Watch. ♥

A few nights ago, I was breaking my head trying to decide which Michael Kors boyfriend watch to get. I spent hours staring at their pictures and reading the descriptions and I changed my mind every 30 minutes. It was a deadlock among these three.

 

Can you guess which one I got?

 

I initially wanted the third watch which is their oversized version, but my sponsor (my mom) who saw it in person says it's too big and bulky for my tiny wrist. My mindset is, "go big or go home", but with a case diameter of 46 millimeters vs. 38 millimeters of the other two, she might just be right. So I ended up choosing the first one which is more simple and has less bling. 

I can't wait for my mom to arrive next month with my watch and other goodies, especially my ever favorite BinBin Rice Crackers which I have been craving for for months already and I can't find it here! But what I'm most excited of all is the thought of her home cooked meals! I'm sure the kids will agree.

Thomas At Mirdif City Centre

My boys are huge fans of Thomas and friends. Lately Kaden has outgrew his Thomas addiction and moved on to Bakugans and Power Rangers so he passed on his train collection to his younger brother Carlos, who is now the Thomas addict.

For Dubai Summer Surprise, they had this little Thomas presentation at Mirdif City Centre, so I took my boys. My little Carlos was beyond shocked at the sight of Thomas and Sir Topham Hat that he froze in his stroller seat. I had to carry his little stiffened body over to a higher place so he could get a better view. 

See his arm? It's been suspended in the air like that since he saw Thomas.

We didn't go close to the stage because I don't want to bring the three kids to tight places when I'm all by myself. The distance didn't bother them at all, they still enjoyed the show even from afar. 

The pictures and poor quality because they are just from my phone camera but Carlos loves the poor quality video we took of the show. He watched it 20x when we got home and each time he was just as excited as the last. I regret not bringing my camera that day. 

Little Amber was fast asleep in the stroller and missed the whole show. Bob The Builder is at the Mall of Emirates but it's too far for me to take the kids, I wish my husband were here so we can take them all together.

7.12.11

This month Art and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary and also our third year apart. Even though the kids and I came to Dubai to be closer to him, his job still prevents us from really being together as a family. We rarely ever get to celebrate occasions and we never really get to make any concrete plans about majority of things... for now. My prayer is simple: that we will soon be able to stay in one place, wherever it may be, as a family.

 

To my husband, cheers to more years together! I love you today, tomorrow, and always. :)

and you are mine. ♥

Love Her Style!

Even though she seemed a bit on the bitchy side in The City, I can't help but LOVE Olivia Palermo. I not only find her gorgeous, but I also adore her fashion choices. I've had a  huge style crush on her for a while now. 

If I could have anyone's wardrobe, I'd love to have hers. Seeing Olivia in Maxi skirts/dresses just makes me want to go straight to the mall to find all the similar styles, although I'm pretty sure they won't look as good on my 5'1 frame .

I love how she injects Zara, Mango, Topshop & H&M pieces into her designer wardrobe.

I just can't get enough of Olivia Palermo's street style. Or should I say, I can't get enough of Olivia Palermo, period.

 

Which is why when she started sporting this Oak Zara bag, I dashed over to Zara and bought the exact same one.

Which sadly didn't fit me at all. The bag was HUGE and stiff and it looked like I was carrying a bucket, not even close to how chic it looks on Olivia's arms. I spent hours carrying it in front of the mirror until I finally gave up and returned it to the store. :(

So, I've accepted it. What looks great on Olivia won't necessarily look good on me. Nonetheless, that won't stop me from loving her great sense of style.

photo credits: http://oliviastyle.tumblr.com/

Really Now?

I wonder how I can get paid surfing the net or going on facebook. :)

I Miss Thrift Shopping!!

I'd have to admit that Dubai is really a shopaholic's paradise. Almost everything you can think of can be found here (but can anyone tell me where I can get Sebago docksides?). Thing is, as much as I am a shopaholic, I'm also a thrift shopping addict!

I haven't tried thrifting in Manila but I am a regular in Zamboanga where I frequent  the markets of Sta. Cruz and Magay, although I dare not go alone to the latter. I used to go once a week but when I got my own car, I would go much more than I'd like to admit to anyone. In fact, my mom and mother-in-law were demanding me to limit my trips to the "ukay" because people there already recognize me as "suki" and for Zamboanga that's not necessarily a positive thing. :p

More than satisfying the itch to go thrifting, there is just nothing like the thrift shopping high. I also found that thrifting is really truly the guilt-free way to shop! Can it get any more fulfilling than going home with bags and bags of one-of-a-kind goodies and spending less than 500php? I don't think so! So no matter how much I enjoy shopping in Dubai, I still need my thrift shopping fix!

 

My friend Jenny and I found a few thrift shops in Karama but it's nothing compared to Zamboanga's. Some people are appalled by the thought of wearing thrifted clothes but I find no shame in buying them used, and every now and then you'll chance upon clothes that still have tags on them.

Let me share some of my favorite thrift items. :)

Bags- There are a lot of bags available but you have to choose carefully because there are more fake than genuine designer bags being sold. Here are two of my favorite finds.

Genuine Prada Tessuto

Vigan Circa 2009. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are lots of pretty brand-less bags too, I especially love the vintage ones! I have yet to master the art of seeing the "potential" in bags that are in very bad condition. Besides, it's always better to carry bags that have no brands than designer knockoffs.

Circa Sept 2009. I absolutely adore this vintage croc stamped Kelly handbag

Circa January 2010 at a wedding.

Dresses- There's a lot of these! Too bad I only have pictures of a few because I used to hoard dresses! Most of which I haven't really worn yet.

Circa May 2008. Subic Bay.

Circa May 2008. Hong Kong.

Circa September 2009. BCBG Max Azria dress that came with tags!

 Skirts- At about 30php per skirt, how could you ever go wrong?

Circa January 2010. Chinito's.

This pleated black skirt is one of my favorites! I still can't forgive myself for not buying the red version of this one. :(

Jeans- Believe it or not, for about two years while I was in Nursing school, I only bought thrifted jeans. I have a LOT and they don't look thrifted at all. It's quite a challenge to find one that has a good fit but if you have the patience, it will pay off! Sadly, I can't find much decent pictures wearing them.

Jackets/Coats- Since there is really no need for jackets and coats in the Philippines, these come dirt cheap!

Circa January 2010, Mall of the Emirates.

Circa February 2010. Madinat Jumerah.

These are just some of my thrift finds! Sigh! I can't wait until November to go thrift shopping! Especially since most of the vintage inspired clothes being sold these days can easily be thrifted!