Twinkle Toes: Comfortable Everyday Sandals

First of all, can I just say how happy I am to have a boyfriend who I enjoy shopping with? For the longest time, I've always preferred shopping alone. When I'm not, I tend to get self-conscious and avoid walking around a store for too long, because I don't like to keep people waiting. Sure, I take a look at the racks, but once whoever I'm with - may he/she be a family member or a friend - has finished looking around, I stop too. In my mind, I can always come back for whatever it is I like and buy it then.

But not anymore. Since we started dating, Mike has become my permanent shopping buddy. I love how opinionated he can be and how well he knows the types of clothes I wear. I like that he enjoys shopping, as well. A lot of times, I'm actually the one who's accompanying or waiting for him and not the other way around. Haha! Not that I mind, of course. :)

So anyway, to my real story. A couple of weeks ago, the best shopping buddy ever bought me a pair of sandals from Twinkle Toes. It's a new line of women's footwear that started with four entrepreneur students with an aim to bring something unique to your everyday sandals.

Hello, Happiness!

It's turning out to be quite a busy week, but I'm not complaining. I'm actually pretty happy about it, especially on days when I end up at places like Relish with people I love! :)

Mang Toots: A Thomasian Favorite

Last week, Mike and I explored UST while we waited for his brother's class to finish.

 There we met up with his friend Sayc, who took us to Mang Toots for lunch.

I Heart Earrings

I've always been a fan of wearing earrings. They give you an extra oomph - a certain level of attitude or sophistication - depending on what type of earrings you're wearing, of course. For me, pearl earrings have always been my ears' best friend, just because they work well with pretty much anything. 

But recently, I've been keeping my pearls in my drawer for more colorful and unique options. Like these gorgeous laser cut glitter acrylic heart earrings that Teal Deer sent me last month.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari 2

I promised a second entry to my post on The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. A bit late, I know. I just had some entries I needed to go through first before this one. If you're interested in learning more about this book, check out my first post. :)

I already started on the next book, The Secret Letters of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. I might do more similar posts in the future since it was fun digging through my hard drive for photos to use. And I really need to read more often. :p

Pudding Republiq: A Unique Treat

Are you ready for another foodie feature? 

This time, the spotlight's on Pudding Republiq! :)

Mike and I discovered them at the Eid'l Fitr Food Festival in Trinoma last month. We were looking to try something new, something that you don't see everyday. Lucky for us, Pudding Republiq was there to satisfy our cravings.

Never Stop Dreaming

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis

Finally completed my DIY project for September a few days ago. Just did the finishing touches yesterday by painting the sides and the backs :) Wheeee. So happy with how it turned out! 

Thank you so much to Mich of Party Starters PH for my washi tapes and of course, to Joana of ARTees Collection for the paper mache letters :) Check out their Facebook pages for more cool stuff!

Sci-Fi Café: A Toy Haven

Mike and I headed to Sci-Fi Café at Robinson's Galleria to celebrate our 18th month together. :)

For some of you who’ve been to toycon, this place might seem like the same thing. Some of you will also think that a guy just didn’t know what to do with his toys, so he decided to open up a cafe and use them as some cheap attraction - but that’s not it at all. Sci-Fi Café offers more than just the opportunity to eat with someone’s toy collection.

Bukilat Cave

The Philippines is a country blessed with so many beautiful places that, unfortunately, not many people know about. Last year, I was able to spend two nights in Camotes Island, Cebu. We went around the island on a motorbike and our first stop was this cave.

Bukilat Cave

The Instax Craze

Instax cameras are all the rage in the Philippines right now - maybe even all over the world. People have gone absolutely cray-cray over them, me included. I was so happy when I purchased my Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 last January. Imagine, you just press the shutter and your photo comes out insta(x)ntly! Plus they come in different colors and designs! Mine has red stars all over, but there were other colors that I wanted too. I've brought Polly (yes, I call my Instax "Polly") out a number of times since - to take photos of my preschool students, to random dinners with friends and family, and most recently, to Boracay.

Because more and more stores are selling Instax cameras and accessories, it's getting harder for me to resist spending on them. :p Luckily, one of my friends flew to Singapore over the weekend and was kind enough to get me some accessories for Polly! Last week, I only had these photo albums to go with my Mini 8. Now I have these as well:

A transparent case and some stickers! :)

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

Last year, I bought a book entitled The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma - an inspiring tale of how people can fulfill their dreams and reach their destiny. It tells a story about a man named Julian Mantle, "a superstar lawyer whose out-of-balance lifestyle leads him to a near-fatal heart attack in a packed courtroom. His physical collapse brings him into a spiritual crisis that forces him to confront the condition of his life. Hoping to find happiness and fulfillment, he embarks upon an extraordinary odyssey to an ancient culture, where he discovers a powerful system to release the potential of his mind, body, and soul and learns to live with passion, purpose, and peace."

For a long while, I forgot I actually had a copy of his next book The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. I left it in a brown bag on the shelf (to keep it looking new since I hadn't covered it in plastic yet). Now here I am, about to *finally* start a book I bought a year ago. But before I do that, let me share some lines I highlighted from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari first. Posting in two parts so it's not too lengthy.

Yabu: House of Katsu at SM North Edsa

When we heard that Yabu was opening a branch at SM North Edsa, Mike and I got super excited! :) We had a great first time at their Megamall branch. I ordered their Hire Miso Katsu while Mike got the Menchi Katsu set. Even though I didn't enjoy my katsu as much as Mike enjoyed his, I still left with a very happy tummy because of the unlimited cabbages and miso soup! I just love the combination of the gomu dressing and shouyu on the cabbages, which tastes a lot like Japanese mayonnaise. Pretty sure I had at least three servings of cabbages that night. Haha :)

Though I wasn't able to take pictures our Yabu Megamall experience, I remember it pretty well. Especially because of the super nice waiter who took the time to explain to us what the sesame seeds and the sauces are for (I didn't get your name - but whoever you are, thank you!). 

Man U: Blue vs White

Tried my hand at sports photography when I brought my Canon EF 75-300mm lens to Mike's game this morning. Their new jerseys made a debut in a Blue versus White team-up, so I figured it's a great chance for me to take out my 3-year-old-yet-still-new lens. I never get to use this lens because it's heavy so I don't really like bringing it anywhere. Haha :p

Taking action shots was a new and fun experience for me. I got to watch the game through my viewfinder, but it's not an easy task. As I mentioned, the zoom lens is a lot heavier than the kit lens (which I'm more used to) so I kept putting down the camera to rest and missing photo opportunities. Another thing is that my 400D has a problem with its autofocus, so I had to switch from AF to MF every so often. I really need to get a new camera soon. :p

Anyway, onto the pictures - starting with my handsome boyfriend Mike ♥