Corporate Chic: Bloom Where You Are

Always strive to improve yourself.

If you follow me closely on Instagram, you'll notice I like posting inspirational and very positive messages to serve as notes-to-self and as reminders to others as well. I used to be a chronic pessimist but at one point, I figured, there's no harm in maintaining a certain sense of sunshine and joy in everyday and whenever possible, passing it along to others. True enough, it made life more bearable for me. Even when the Universe is unkind, my small glimmer of positive vibes helps me cope.

It's not enough to just be positive, we have to carry out that mindset and welcome all sorts of chances for growth to be better versions of ourselves and encourage others to do so too. I'm a firm believer that it's never too late to grow. There's always something more we can do. Life is a big classroom. It will be unfortunate if we let chances for learning to just pass us by, right? After all, in self-improvement, what have you possibly got to lose?

That's what I thought. Nothing. 

This week's outfit was all about embracing and trying new things. I recently discovered the power of comfy pants and how it can take you from functional to fab. I guess it's safe to say that you'll be seeing more of me rocking pants in the next couple of posts. Stick around.

White top: Forever 21

Pants: Forever 21

Blazer: Custom-made

Sandals: Celine

Necklace: Luxe and Luster

Please welcome my work buddies once more! Only this time, we have a new addition to the group, Rafi!

Photos: Ja Quintana

What do you say? Yes to change? Yes to bigger, better and brighter things? Bloom, lovely. Bloom where you are.

P.S. I have recently enrolled at 360 Fitness Club right above my office. Here's a snapshot after my unofficial first day working out after a long time. It's the first time to try circuit training and I can't wait to get good at it!

Corporate Chic: Let Loose

"Work hard, play hard. Keep partyin' like it's your job."

David Guetta sure has gotten this statement down to a tee. It's a yuppie's dream. Work-life balance. When you're drowning under a pile of paperwork, spending hours on end on that impossible assignment, losing friends one by one because you can't just seem to make the time to show up in barkada get-togethers, and finding yourself slumping in bed after each and every work day. Sad to say, but it's a common scenario. Even I am unfortunately suffering from this too-busy-to-socially-function syndrome, but I am still in the process of struggling to strike that perfect balance between work and play. Work to live, not live to work, right?

I guess I'm blessed to have learned, grown, and evolved so much from my severely idealist fresh-grad self. And I'm beyond grateful for having met such amazing people that I choose to surround myself with everyday. When there's just so much going on in your life at any given time, being around positive souls that encourage you to outshine the darkness that engulfs you really helps.

Don't dwell on the negative, on what's exhausting. Instead, liberate your spirit and enjoy the ride!

Inner top: Forever 21

Loose knit top: Vintage

Pants: Stradivarius

Heels: Charles and Keith

Watch: Basic from Unlimited Manila

Snake wrap-around bracelet: Luxe and Luster

Shades: Random

Photos by Ja Quintana

And now, making their debut on She Goes Thrifty, I'd like you all to meet Ross and Red, fellow yuppies, hipstrrrrs, Mean Girls, and soul sisters.

Stay warm and dry!

Corporate Chic: Hearts and Spades

I always tell myself to make an extra effort to look nicer when going to work, but when you're barely keeping enough time set solely for makeup in the morning, you throw on the first thing you find and hit the door. I hate arriving late at work, so I always make it a point to be there AT LEAST 15 minutes ahead of my required time in.

On the rare occasion that I wake up early and have extra time to carefully plan my outfit (I barely do it at night, because I will change my mind in the morning for sure, so it's absolutely pointless and out of the question), I am often surprised by the results of my random selections. I dig into my closet to see if there are things I haven't really worn yet or much at all, and try to work around it. Who said anything about hitting the racks in stores every time you feel stuck in a fashion rut? The secrets are all in your closets! Just have patience to sift through and surprise yourself with your selection. Just like a deck of cards, right? You never really know what you're going to get, but the fun is in making it all your own. Call it a bluff or a win that's waiting in the wings, always remember to be fierce enough to fight for your hand. ;)

Top: Vintage

Inner top: Forever 21

Skirt: from Greenhills

Wallet: Ever New

Watch: Casio

Sandals: Parisian

Have a great weekend!

Altered Perspective

It's almost 11 PM and I'm still in the office. Yup, up until my very last day at work I am still grinding my gears hard to finish my deliverables (at least most of them anyway). I'm looking forward to getting that fresh start, yet a part of me is frightened. I have no idea what to expect and ironically, that's all part of the excitement.

Anyway, I went to this fashion show event by the graduating Fashion Students from DLS-CSB (it took place at the Rockwell Tent and was entitled Altered Perspective). I went with two of my work friends, Rae and Aldrin. We had dinner at Banana Leaf and drinks afterwards with Mark at Draft. Too bad I was feeling out of sorts and my flu was well on its way, we had to part ways early.

I'm not usually very edgy and when I got invites to see this show, I was so afraid I'd have nothing to wear, and with very little time to squeeze in any shopping at all, I knew I just had to close my eyes, draw from my closet, and hope for the best. I can't drown in a sea of people and personalities from the media and the fashion world. My neon numbers just won't cut it. My strategy: go basic and simple, aim for sophistication and throw in a little spunk into the mix.

Good thing I had this new leatherette skirt (with the tag on still!) and deep navy blue ever-reliable top from Forever 21 and unused booties from Forever 21. My bag was also new, a beautiful blue bag from Tory Burch. You can never go wrong with going basic, sticking with a deep palette and a punch of gold to further accentuate and complement my next big accessory - the bag. Hope it worked! :)

Here I am with my friends! :) Hello, Kuya Guard! :))

I'm getting sleepy now. Have to fix up and get home. I need to drive pa to QC tomorrow then to see my college org mates tomorrow night for an event. Ciao for now! Will post my top picks and make more kwento about the show tomorrow! :)

Weekend Warriors: Brighter than the Sun

I'm sure you've seen or heard this commercial:

I was invited by my friend from work, Ericka, to go to the opening of Solaire Resort and Casino over at Pasay. Having nothing better to do on a weekend, I decided to make rampa with Ericka to the newest attraction in town.

Getting there was such a hassle. Since it's the first day that the place will be fully opened to the public, the traffic was bad! We got there pretty late. The program was over and we didn't get our free goodie bag! :(

Nevertheless, we had fun exploring and touring the place. It was actually quite spectacular. Compared to Resorts World Manila, Solaire is definitely more exquisite. We really felt the exclusivity of the place. The only downside is that RW Manila had something for everyone. Solaire can be pretty limiting in terms of food choices and activities.

Check out our random moments while enjoying getting lost inside Solaire:

That's us, trying to entertain ourselves while stuck in intense traffic.

Almost there!

 This chandelier really caught our eye.

Some of the restaurants inside:

If you're feeling like having Japanese.

For the meat-lovers.

Chinese food fanatics, this is your best bet.

This is inside Eclipse Lounge, where we hung out.

Eclipse Lounge is definitely recommended for those who just want a chill time with their friends and family. Enjoy their wide selection of cocktails, wines, and other drinks. We tried out their mocktails. 

It had green apple slices, muscovado sugar, and mint leaves. Definitely a must-try! :)

We managed to take a few snapshots inside the casino, but we got asked to stop taking pictures mid-way. :(

Wait, I'm also going to share my makeup look for the day. Used my Benefit Hello Oxygen Wow Foundation and Brow Zings! I went for a simple day look with a punch of bright pink lips to pack some unpredictability into it.

 

And of course, no entry is complete without a quintessential outfit post. Lately, I stopped planning my outfits and I just go with whatever I blindly pull out from my closet. I haven't worn this red top yet and I wore it over my LBD from, well, my favorite brand, Forever 21.  You may notice that I like to mix things up with vintage items with branded ones. I'm not particularly brand-conscious, but I do favor some brands more than others. I'm on a constant evolution in terms of fashion and I stand by all my style choices. 

You can never go wrong with an LBD. But knowing me, I can't just go with a plain outfit. Also, the neckline of the dress was pretty low, so I felt the need to cover it up so as not to attract the wrong kind of attention. It was, after all, a formal occasion. Thankfully, this top hasn't had the chance to step out into the world, and today it did.

 Dress (used as a skirt): Forever 21

Cover-up: Vintage

Heels: Charles and Keith

I bid farewell for now but I'll be back for more kwentos and ganaps by tomorrow. Can't wait for my appointment with Barenaked Sugaring Salon in Katipunan! I will also see Atlantis Productions' Piaf tomorrow! It's a busy weekend after all! See you around the city!

While I'm Alive

Hola, chicas! It's a hump day Wednesday and I write to you now straight from my bed as I laze around and chill out. I can't even begin to describe how exhausted I am today, but I just really want to check in on everyone, in my continuous attempts to update this blog as often as I humanly can. Yay! :)

Earlier today, my work friends, Sha and Rae invited me for a lunch out at the infamous International House of Pancakes (IHOP) over at High Street (which, thankfully, is a few walks away from where I work).

While waiting for our turn to be seated, Sha took my outfit shots outside. That's CPK behind me, by the way. :)

I was feeling a little more vintage-y and hipstrrrr than usual. It's been a looong time since I last threw on something I really felt like wearing. I dunno. It just gets so katamad to dress up sometimes. If you notice, I haven't really posted much lately. BUT! I'm trying so very hard to change that!

These were taken with my Samsung phone. Surprising how well they turned out, thanks to the Instagram-like app, Pixlr.com. If you happen to be on Instagram, you can catch me there: ajmsaavedra and see what else I have up my sleeve. ;)

Top: Vintage

Random Belt

Skirt: Forever 21

Shoes: Parisian

  

Right, you're probably wondering about the title of the post, yeah? I was just listening to new indie stuff earlier today I'll catch you guys another day, yeah? Good night and sweet dreams. :)

Black and Blue All Over

 "Let the rain kiss you. 

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.

 Let the rain sing you a lullaby."

~ Langston Hughes

The weather has been anything but warm and sunny. It's early in January, yet it's as stormy as July. Odd, isn't it? If you're like me who's always been a summer kid (I was born in April, the peak of the summer season in the Philippines), you probably won't fancy the chilly breeze on days like what we've been having lately. Au contraire, there's something melancholic and beautiful about the rain. It makes me want to cozy up in my room with a nice book and a warm cup of hot dark chocolate with extra marshmallows. Like some senti person who watches the rain drops crawl through the glass outside, as if clinging on to dear life, hoping to find its place.

Oddly enough, that's what I've been feeling lately. I've been out of sorts, perhaps due to all the mayhem going on in one side of my otherwise humdrum life. I'm somewhat happy elsewhere. Okay, maybe not in the love department, but you get the point. Work has been anything but gentle. I just wish that life would play on like a well-rehearsed music video fit for the rainy days. Not even the wind can calm down the beast's heart, not even with its lethargic lullaby.

Enough of the poetry, on to the outfit, shall we go? Right, so one rainy Friday, a new teammate of mine, Ria, has agreed to take a walk outside the office, snap a few shots of me, grab coffee, and return to our reality as per usual. Thanks, Ria! :)

 Top: Forever 21

Jeans: Forever 21

Heels: Charles and Keith

Rosary Necklace from Quiapo Church

Soak in the out pour! Live every waking moment, no matter how depressing it may seem to be, remember that even the darkest clouds carry with them the brightest sunshine after all.