Love and the Holidays

I've been home for almost a week now, and every single day has been filled to the brim with activities either by myself or with friends, family, and my love. I finally had my hair permed (yay!), caught up with some friends, been to and held some Christmas parties, spent quality time at the spa, and had Christmas traditions with the family. It has been a great/crazy week. Ahh, and now it winds down to my birthday weekend. How exciting. :)

My first day home, I took my car out and had some reuniting with Manila traffic while I went around doing errands: hair appointment + meeting with my fave designer to fit my birthday dress + office to pick up some cheques + and finally visiting my boyfriend's family at home. We went to the boyf's Dad's stables in Carmona for their annual Christmas party and blessing. It was a long drive especially with holiday traffic but the company made for a great road trip. Boyfriend's half-sister is here from Australia with her husband and super adorable kids -will make sure to take their pic sometime soon. 

Last Sunday I went to the Urban Bazaar held at the Rockwell Tent and ran into my fave accessory designer, Happy, who designs the line Get Happy. So good to see her again and I drooled all over her new stuff.. I got two necklaces which are absolutely fabulous. Will be keeping in touch with her to get the rings that I ordered. If you are from Manila, you should really check out her stuff at Rustan's.

 

On the 23rd, boyfriend and I hosted our annual Christmas dinner with our bestest friends. It was a fun potluck dinner with exchanging of gifts and playing Rockband on Wii into the am. 

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 24th of December

 

 

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December 25 with my Dad's side of the family.

[btw, the theme this year was shorts. hmm, disappointed me at first 'cause I had that pretty dress hanging in my closet waiting to debut on the special day of Christ.. but in the end my love for and loyalty to "themes" won me over and decided to make most of the whole shorts thing. I tried my best to veer away from any casualness the piece is widely associated with!]

 

 

   

Christmas at my grandparents house was über fun, as it always is with 30-plus grandchildren clustered in groups, the grownups mingling around, and a feast on the round table. Throw in some party games, gift giving, hot chocolate, and other desserts into the mix and it becomes my favorite holiday of the year. Of course keeping in mind and heart that Jesus is the sole reason for this season.. Best factor of all :)

  

We had some guests from London this year. My parents, sister and I visited with them last April and now they came to celebrate Christmas with our big extensive family. :) My grandmom welcomes anyone and loves to overfeed them too! I took pictures of pretty little Sophie Mae prancing around in her tiered floral skirt. Such a pretty little thing, and I can never get enough of her charming English accent. ;p

 

 

Happy Holidays everyone! 

Wishing you all the best of times with your friends and families :)

Susanna-Cole sent me the most fabulous card for Christmas, 

and I just want to share the love with all of you.

***

On other news, boyfriend and I turned 6 years today. ♥

Home

Finally.

 

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 ♥

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..

Almost. I just hate having to leave things behind.. and not only half the things in my room (to be shipped later), but the beautiful people I've met and loved here. I wish I could ship them over too. 

Since I got here, I've thought of going home and now that I am, I can't stop thinking about everything and everyone here. The beautiful streets, the museums, the yummy food (although there is so much more of that in Manila), and the magnetic atmosphere. It is absolutely wonderful here and I've fallen inlove with my life in Montréal. The sense of freedom and independence, and quiet days by myself was something I rarely got to experience back home. I will even miss being able to take the public transport and being able to walk anywhere. and bike anywhere, like to the library. Oh I will miss my library. 

I will definitely miss my girls too! And the wonderful families I've met who made my stay so much more colorful and infinitely happier. Memories made in Montréal will always always be in my heart. 

  

  

 

No goodbyes. 

Only Au Revoirs.

 ♥

[P.S. Apologies for the lack of updates, will try to reply to comments soon. Right after this, I am wrestling with my luggage. I do thank you all for the sweetness. You all helped carry me through my finals and now I am happy to say it's all over. I am coming home for the Holidays. ♥ And I am coming to meet my man who can't be moved.] 

Winter Bunny

Finally! I just finished two-thirds of my final requirements and now I can breathe... I've been having a great one and a half weeks now, all making up for that horrible week. Happy to say that everyone is good, sprained ankles have healed, hearts are happy and at peace, and plans are looking good! We are now gearing up for the last leg of Fall Semester finals and that celebratory night-out right after Fashion Marketing finals. We are here to parteyy! Anyway, weather is wonderful. I have trudged through mushy, just-fallen snow (during a snow storm), held a snowflake in my (gloved) hand and marveled over it's tiny intricate pattern, and snowboarded (and wiped out) for the first time! It's wonderful, and I am making sure to make the most of my last weeks here. 

So the snow has turned me into an eskimo-lady.

My snowboarding adventure that made boyfriend über jealous ;p

I usually go for fashion over comfort; and this is seen by my love of sky high shoes, worn no matter how long I am gonna be walking, dancing, whatever. But when the degrees drop 10 below zero, all that goes out the door and I settle for comfort (translate: non-frostbite).

But okay, I cant stand the plain ones no matter how comfy they really are. So I got these, and I think they are lovely. They're fluffy and keep my itty-bitty toes warm. It feels like walking on carpet! Okay, but the best part is still the patent paisley pattern ♥

 

Now I snuggle under my favorite cape and sip a steaming cup of raspberry tea. Mmm...

♥

Random things that made me happy: Another friend saying I looked like Lindsay Price. (aww..)

Boyfriend saying I looked hot on the snowboard. (haha. he's jealous.)

[Excuse me for being smug, these just made my vain heart smile :)]

and the most wonderful thing that fills my heart with pure joy:

God's promises.

There aint nothing better :)

Peace after the Storm

hello hello, well I am still here. Last week was incredibly unlucky for me and my friends. One of my girls sprained her ankle, one found out her Christmas vacation plans weren't pushing through, one lost her contact list and had her phone and internet connection break down in one day, one went home to a flooded apartment and found her computer, project boards and all her belongings immersed in water.. I found out my plans weren't going exactly the way I wanted and my homesickness reached its all time peak last weekend. And amidst all that, we were rushing to finish a final project. Whew. What a hell of a week. Glad that's over. Everyday is a new day and this week a new week. I've realized a lot over the weekend and now this week, God has graced my heart with His peace. I'm learning now to be joyful and content solely in Him, regardless of how my plans and situations go. I am extremely thankful for God's hand in my life and for the angels He sent in the form of my beautiful friends.

Winter has been harsh and thus, no outfit pictures. Just one from last Monday :)

Sweater, BCBG. Tricot leggings, AA. Tights, from Korea. Turtleneck, Zara. Necklace, Claire's.

Just talked to my former boss too and she told me one of her fashion girls had resigned.. And I told her I may be going home earlier that planned. Now I think I may have a spot open for me back at my old job, where I absolutely loved what I was doing. I've been thinking.. maybe this is part of God's master plan. All I have to do now is trust and follow where He leads. I'm sure wherever He takes me would be awesome. ♥

And I'll praise you in this storm

and I will lift my hands

for You are who You are

no matter where I am

*

and every tear I've cried

You hold in your hand

You never left my side

and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm.