Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Bookworm Brigade


Reading books have always been one of my favorite past times and I would go to pretty much any length just to get a good read. My close friends know that I always have to check out book stores and leave me there to wander for hours. There is something about reading books that seem to take over your imagination and steal you from reality to a world that is very much unlike our own. So when Jonver, Cariza, and I had the idea to have some sort of book trading event, I knew that I simply cannot resist it. And with that, we give to you The Bookworm Brigade.


When: June 30, 11 AM to 4 PM
Where: Moonleaf Maginhawa
Why: To trade, share, donate, read, and everything else related with books of course!

It's just simple, just bring books - either you wanna share, sell, or trade. Then let's have some tea!

Bookswap - Swap your books with fellow bookworms. Get a new book and a new friend too!

Booktrade - You can sell your books here! Up to 100 Pesos only!

Bookdrive
- Bring educational books (school books, text books, reviewers, children's books) that we can donate after! These will be donated in partnership with Global Shapers by Anna Oposa.

Books free-for-all - A place to give away your old books and a place to get a new one!

I do hope that you guys would support this event since I truly believe in the power of books. And who knows, you might get new friends from here!


For inquiries you can contact us at  @Jonver_David@JonardManilaKid@veritaserum_ 



Be there with your books! See you. :)

Mountain Blues










Nothing beats a day out of the city after a week of pure stress and scholastic obligations. The family surprised me and the siblings with a trip to our place in Batangas and then a side trip to Tagaytay. It's amazing how a few hours out of the city can rejuvenate a tired soul.

The thing about these trips is that we get to dress up and it gives me an opportunity to document my outfits more since I can't really take photos of mine on a daily basis. So I go all out. And it's also these times that I get some of the best photos; photos that I can honestly say are really pretty. 

As for my outfit, I wore a chambray polo from Gap Kids in XL size (HAHA), my fave navy blue shorts from Ralph Lauren and a grey cardigan from my father's closet. The white Bally shoes are also one of my favorite things that came from my dad's closet. I love how my outfit gives of that preppy resort type of vibe which I really tried pulling off; and pulled off I did.

Hope you had an awesome weekend guys!


Hype my look on Lookbook! http://lookbook.nu/look/share/3669233-With-no-one-to-see-us

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Boo, You Whore











It was a Saturday and I pretty much had nothing to do. My mother dragged me and my brother to her office somewhere in EDSA to hang out and  basically be her personal assistant that day. Well, I was more like the one who would ask the employees to do my bidding. But of course, I'm too shy to do that. Lol, anyways.


I had the camera with me and I was pretty much bored. Watched "Mean Girls"during my spare time hence, the Boo, You Whore photo. 

Wore a gingham polo, brown jeans and a nay blue cardigan from Baguio. Paired it up with old and scuffed up brogues from my dad and an old watch with new straps. The sunglasses are new; they're from Pretty and Perfect closet so you better check them out since they have awesome sunglasses and I always buy mine from there. Wore black socks to separate my legs from the shoes since the shoes almost have the same skin tone as mine. 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

What Happened to Personal Style?


I woke up today earlier than usual since it was the first day of school. Usually, a student from UST's College of Fine Arts and Design would don a white v-neck polo, black slacks, and a snazzy pair of black leather shoes. During the hell weeks, eyebags and paint splattered polos were mandatory. But for the rest of the year, the former description of our uniform works for everyone. Among the masses of students wearing ill-fitting polos and over-sized slacks, there are a certain few who seem to make an effort to look decent enough by wearing good fitting uniforms and nice jacket or bag. And then there are those rare individuals who seem to be hell bent on letting their personal style shine; even with the uniform's communist appeal. Well, I'm one of those people.

I always believed that everyone has an innate sense of style; a personal taste that only applies to them. It doesn't really have to be involved with clothing. The influence of one's personal taste goes beyond clothing; his food, the friends he make, his choice of interior design style and so many more. As I said, it's on a personal level. But of course, there will always be external factors that will influence the choices we make. The standards and norms of society will always play a huge part in the way we choose things. Moreover, media also plays a huge role in the process of choosing. People nowadays seem to pick what media sensationalizes and veer away from the things that are deemed taboo, unconventional, and, for lack of better word, weird. But is weird really bad? 

I've met amazing people over the past few years that I can honestly say has their own personal sense of style. These are people who, whatever they wear, seem to convey a single style executed in hundreds of different outfits but retains the essence of the wearer. Sometimes they wear trends but it still translates to a look that is definitely theirs. They own the trend and not the other way around. Risk takers, they often are. Experimental, yes. But not too drastically. These are people that I look up to. Only a few gifted individuals seem to pull of a style and call it as their own. Then when their style becomes popular thanks to social networking and street style blogs, style clones begin popping up in huge numbers. Suddenly everyone's a dandy, a prep, a hipster or whatever else style identities.

It's when people lose themselves in the pursuit of looking so different and standing out that they seem to look just like everyone else. When I started doing a style blog back in 2009, the people I encounter seem to really own their style. Brands did not dictate how one should look. Their clothes came from all sorts of places and prolific brands were a few of them. Vintage, thrifted,  borrowed, DIY, all these things are a testament that personal style is achieved and not bought. Personal style was indeed personal style; it wasn't copied from a clothing brand's catalog. Looks came out of the mind and not out of the computer. Unfortunately, the world is now occupied by style clones and outfit looks alikes; wearing the same stuff from the same store. The brand is now the influencer. What happened to the creative process of choosing your clothes and coordinating them? Looks are readily available to copy online now. It's what I would call a sort of "artificial imagination"; someone else providing you with a look. All you have to do is copy it.

Furthermore, with the street style trend booming, brands have taken advantage of this opportunity to advertise their products. I'm not saying it's a bad thing though. But when brands give you clothes you didn't pick and wear it with something you have, is it safe to say that half of your outfit is not by your personal style? And when you buy an item from a brand, you'll definitely have something that thousands of others have too. So what will set you apart? It's not bad that brands give you clothes, definitely. But when you wear everything from a particular brand, isn't that sort of exchanging your personal style with the brand's own style? A bit like selling your soul to the devil; in a fashion-related of course.

The emergence of street style blogs have given fame to many people. And in a society like ours where attention is given only to the best of the best, many crave for the perks it gives and the popularity it generates. Street style blogs capture personal style at its rawest; spontaneously on the street with no idea you'll be photographed. However, it's this culture of being photographed and being seen that seem to fuel a person's sense of fashion. Some people dress to be photographed and compromise their personal style in the process. During the fashion week, it seemed that the audience has become the show itself; donning outrageous outfits, not necessarily stylish and in good taste, in the hopes of being photographed. But when someone dresses up for the camera and not for himself, could it be considered personal style?   The idea of street style blogging is that the outfits captured are in its truest form; not Photoshopped, spontaneous, unready. If the people being photographed are prepped up and camera ready, isn't it defeating the purpose?


My friend and I were discussing this awhile ago. If people dress up in a brand for a brand, for the sake of being photographed, or for the sake of showing off and publicity, would it be considered personal style? It seems that people with personal style nowadays are rare and/or unheard of.  The question remains: what happened to personal style?


P.S. This is just an opinion; a realization of things that bother me at the moment. We are all entitled to our own opinions but if you would like to give yours, please do so in a civilized and in an educated manner. I don't judge the type of people I mentioned in this entry. I simply observed and gave my two cents.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Very Terry





I wore this outfit on a rainy Saturday jam-packed with events. I actually had no plans of what to wear and just wore the things that seem ed harmonious at the moment; the red flannel shirt with the khaki jacket and brown brogues. Very warm and earthy if you ask me. The black drop-crotch harems I wore because of comfort. And they're very airy inside! Also, it gives the outfit a more interesting approach, I guess. If I wore it with typical jeans, it would look quite ordinary if you ask me.


This is actually my dad's jacket so it's a bit oversized. But I love the fact that it's cozy and really sturdy; perfect for the current weather. Since it was Burberry, I added my dad's brogues too to add to the English dandy appeal that the jacket kinda gives off.

As for the canvas bag? I'm trying to save the world. HAHA.

I just realized that it reminded me so much of Terry Richardson. Like this.


I look like a pervy photographer! Never again! LOL!


Hype my look here!  http://lookbook.nu/look/3571775-Very-Terry

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Keds x Status Earthly Delights Party

Jonver and I! Todo fierce. HAHA


 People. Hippie Chic people.

 Diane, Jonver and I. Nice to meet you again Diane!

 Miko and Catch! Guess who's tipsy na? HAHA

 Water guns! One sick idea! Everyone got wet. Yeaaah!

 Megan, I, Rovie, and Neil (my brother. lol)

 Angel and Nikita!

Very Terry Richardson. HAHAHA

 Thysz Estrada, wet and wild edition. HAHA





Crazy, awesome people.


Last Saturday was a pretty jam-packed day for me. Blogger's United in the morning, Keds x Status Party in the after noon and Style Origins Mensweek in the evening. It was such an awesome day! And I got to met new awesome people too. Hooray for new friends!


I'm telling you guys, Status Magazine knows how to throw amazingly sick parties. This one, Earthly Delights held at Skye in the Fort was one of them. In fact, I think it was one of the raddest ever! I mean, Everyone was tipsy by 6 PM. 6 PM! That early! Now that's something you don't see everyday. HAHA

By the time the party ended, I ruined one of my shoes, got my dad's Burberry jacket really wet and almost lost my brother's clutch bag. But you know what they say (well, what I say), shoes come and go but memories live forever. 

And this is one memory I'll definitely keep.

Awesome night! Thanks to Jonver for inviting me! And hooray for new friends!

The Born This Way Ball

The SM Arena. The calm before the storm. Looks as big as the Araneta Coliseum!
The Stage. Holy Mother of Monsters, it was really huge and awesome!


DJ Zedd. Oh, DJ Zedd. Why so awesome? And hot too! Gah.


Lady Gaga singing Happy Birthday to her two dancers! Real sweet!


She sang several songs in this awesome costume designed by Valentino! Ferosh!








Fashion of His Love part. The origami dress: FABULOUS!




The meat dress for Americano! Looked like real meat!




Meat couch? Check. Gun-bras? Check. Seriously hot dancer? CHECK! 








Bad Romance! 






Scheisse




Marry The Night! She was bedecked in head to toe Versace!


I'm beautiful in my way


Cause God makes no mistakes


I'm on the right track baby


I was born this way!




Bloody Mary. She was on a moving platform. Seems like she's gliding. FREAKIN' AWESOME.




Lady Gaga singing Hair. Hands down, my fave performance.

Last May 22, I watched the Born This Way Ball in the SM Mall of Asia Arena. And can I tell you, IT BLEW ME AWAY. Like seriously. It was intense! And guess what! I WAS AT THE VERY FRONT AND CENTER. Yes, basically the best place in the house! Lady Gaga was 6 freaking feet away from me! Jesus Christ! The experience was beyond everything I could imagine. Now, how did I get to the best place in the house? Lemme tell you.

Woke up at 8 AM so I could line up by 10 AM. Yep, 10 AM. During her concert the day before, the lines were already crazy by 11 AM so I decided it would be the same today. But lo and behold, when I got there, I was the first in line! It was amazing. But unfortunately for me, they only started letting people in by 7 PM so you can only imagine how long I've waited.

When they did let us in, the adrenaline rush was amazing! Entering the Arena gave me goosebumps and I ran to the very front and center. Never left the place. So basically, I was there for 3 hours, screaming my heart out and jumping like crazy. And since we were at the front, Lady Gaga would always point at us! At one point, I was dancing so crazy she pointed at me and screamed "YEAAAH!" I completely lost all poise and grace at that moment. HAHAHA 

Personal experience aside, the concert itself was really a melting pot of everything Gaga. The costumes, the music, the dancers, the costumes, and the stage! The mother effing stage was gargantuan! It was like a huge Polly pocket house. HAHA But really, the theatrics of the whole thing was so intense!

After the concert, we stayed at the Microtel and ordered some Jollibee. It was simply the best night of my life.

Daniel, Ika, Janae and me. Yep, that's the barricade! Very front,  I told you!
I would like to thank these awesome people for spending the awesome 3 hours jumping and fist pumping like crazy! And to Ika Alegado for the tickets! You are seriously the most awesome ever! And to my friend MJ! Who's not in the photo, unfortunately. 

Here's to the awesomeness!

P.S. The photos are from Ika's digicam. SLR's were not allowed. BOOOOO.