The whole nine yards

The Whole Nine Yards: 

Everything. All of it.

I haven't updated this blog for almost a year and I have a legit excuse for it this time. Motherhood happened and the spare time I have I spend it sleeping, socializing offline and tying up loose ends.

Fact is, motherhood has taken up so much of my time that B and I decided that I can't work and be a mother at the same time. We've been asking for this blessing for a couple of years and now that it has finally arrived, I am willing to give up my 10 years experience in real-estate in exchange for being a newbie mother. It's my first time to admit that I am scared because it's an unfamiliar territory and a small creature will be controlling my waking hours from now on but this road is well-travelled already and I have a support system which is only a call or text away. 

For now, I'd like to post a throw back picture before Nate was born. This was taken during one of the many field works I usually do and I get very shy when someone takes a picture of me at public places..and here I am hoping that I could make some semblance of a #ootd entry 

Also, have you noticed that I like dressing up like a grandma? Must be my age. Haha

Skid Row

Skid Row: 
The rundown area of a city where the homeless and drug users live.

My last personal blog post was over a month ago and it was about my pregnancy-some of the things I've learned and all those things I went through. Nowadays, people just call me "buntis" "buntit" or "preggo" and I can't help but think that last time I checked, I didn't have my name changed into those. I'm still Nym--with a bump. I would very much appreciate it if you stop calling me by my recent condition because it's not cute. At all. 

This was taken around three months ago when my tummy was still 4 weeks old. I was with the bosses for our 2017 Strat Plan and my friend and I decided to take a break outside despite the drizzling weather. I'm not much of a basic staple fan but if I want to be as inconspicuous and competent-looking as possible, I always don them. I'm the youngest in the middle management position as of the moment and oftentimes, my age is the bane of my job. 

There are few instances that I have to try doubly hard to get my point across and in an industry as old as one of the oldest professions of all time, people tend to get petty with me. I don't believe in pettiness as this is childish and an absolute waste of my energy, however, I always treat people the way they treat me. I've been a better version of myself for the past years but some things, I just don't have the heart for. 

As with my maturity (or at times, the lack thereof) I question if I am capable of being in this job. Deadlines make me doubt myself if I am really up to this but in time, I've learned to stop obsessing about things that are not in my control. Obsessing about what I could have done or what I am supposed to do robs me of my ability to appreciate the blessings and the abilities that I have now. 

It's quite simple really, being preoccupied and trying to acquire the things that you don't have deprives you of having the attitude of gratitude. Eventually, the drive will burn you out and you'll be left with being bitter and not being appreciative of what you already got. 

Who knows, maybe this will be my last post in this blog for this year and I would like to wrap it up by thanking every one who spared a few minutes of their time in my site. I'm not really a fan of New Year's Resolution but perhaps, by next year, I will give my best shot of being consistent :) 

Blazer: Uniqlo|Tank Top: Gap|Pants: Zara|Flats: Payless

Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog: 

A diversion away from something of greater importance.

Though someone of higher authority than me is too blind to see it, I am flooded with work deliverable and it's manifesting on my longer working hours and pimples on my face. My parents didn't raise an only child to be a quitter so here I am, swimming harder and seeing the silver lining that is me learning new things that will be useful as I climb the corporate ladder. As you grow older you realize how important it is to adapt time management skills because not doing so will affect our work-life balance. Though I post pictures in Facebook about my personal life, this blog won't be highlighting much about it. Bryan and I are happy and I still get kilig :)  

So what's been keeping me busy aside from work and personal life? Me trying to be fit (snapchat:mynymisnym) and accepting the offer as one of the Board of Trustees of Cebu Bloggers Society.

I know I know there are already a lot on my plate as it is but believe it or not, at this point, the choices I made are being carefully thought over and they are something that I can see myself committing to for a long time. Offline relationships are something that I have to work at being better because being addictive to my phone to communicate (ironically) tends to bind me and steers me away from mental recklessness. Let's not forget to capture as much freedom as we can and we are born in this world without electronic gadgets, I'm pretty sure we can survive not being owned by our material possessions too much-Pokemon Go or not.

What validates a relationship?

It's not the likes and the shares. It's the love that we receive and not the ones we beg for. There is nothing romantic about heartbreaks nor unrequited love. Most relationships fail because one has set the bar basing from movies and social media. Be ready for that person who's ready for you too. It's your right to know what's the real score between that person's ex as is it's that person's right to know yours. 

Don't waste your time trying to prepare for a battle that should have been not yours to deal with in the first place. If someone who left comes back to stay, stop and think about the reason why they left and make it your deciding point to pursue or just end it altogether. 

 Lycra off-shoulder dress: OOTD Pilipinas|Hat:Kultura

Scapegoat

Scapegoat: 
Someone else who takes the blame.

How are you? I've been inactive lately because I felt the writer's block that somehow uhm, ?blocked? my capacity to write any thought provoking. I've got four pending OOTD posts but I haven't written any thing worth publishing for a while. 

I've been using my mental and physical juices for a quite some time because my new job designation requires me to. I head the team responsible for 90% of our annual sales and if that ain't called pressure, then P=F/A is

Haha. 

At the same time, we've also renovated our kitchen. We finally decided to have an old Filipino-themed house and we've made a back-splash counter background made of  bricks and I'm gonna post some pics in the far far future. I have always respected B's attitude of always creating a better environment for me, my mom and our future family. But wee  felt that we deserve to have a break so that made me ask,  "What do I owe myself?"

At this point, I don't think I do. But if I were to ask myself the same question five years ago, I would've said A LOT. I neglected to share my love and life to people I call family and friends, I wasn't the best version of myself because there wasn't really any motivation for me to be better. Looking back, I could say that there were a lot of good times and if there were any toxic and difficult situations, I chose to suffer. I chose to suffer and the effect was that I had put myself in situations that drained all my energy and capacity to do anything for myself. I thought I already have IT. Cliche as this sounds, B came into my life, showed me what a real man is (even though I wasn't ready) and even had the humility to tell me (despite HOW AWESOME he is) that I am the one he's constantly praying for.

I've also been told to have a hair cut every once in awhile. 

Fairy tales would always narrate that the prince has found the princess, but we, B and I, don't live in a fairy tale world. I am no damsel in distress and he's no macho-I-can-do-everything man. We have our lapses, but our lives together has always been a push and pull towards the next level. I am also no relationship expert but a good marriage also motivates one to serve the other because selflessness is more important than the ego. 

My weekends usually consists of doing multiple errands and this one's no different. It was a working Saturday and I have to attend someone's graduation party. This orange messengers' boy bag from Converse is a new favorite since I can put a lot of stuff inside yet it doesn't look bulky on the actual. 

Dress: Habitat| Messenger Bag: Converse|Sneakers: Adidas|Watch: Timex

Wild and Woolly

Wild and Woolly: 

Uncultured and without laws.

So much for the best-laid plans. I had my stay at home Holy Week itinerary laid out-which includes 40% household chores, and 60% spending personal time relaxing and updating this blog and our other blog. However, fate has other things in store for me. My husband had a viral infection which made him grumpy, irritable and a picky eater. I have to admit, the whole week was a test of my patience which made me realize that I actually had one and it's stretchable.

One thing I've learned from that experience was that as much as you want to take control of your life and think of every little thing, sometimes it helps if you don't go psycho anal on every aspect of your life and just CHILL. 

If you are my friend on Facebook, I posted this status yesterday:

I came across a post of someone on my Facebook feed about a certain someone who posts too much about every little thing that happens with her life and of course, it struck a nerve. Rather than confronting her about it, I did that status test. Turns out, she just confirmed that she posted about me by commenting on her own post about this status. If what I said was confusing, feel free to send me a private message on Facebook so that I can explain it to you.

Point of the matter is, I don't see anything wrong when you let your friends know that you love yourself without lording it over them. In an environment that makes money out of your self-doubt and insecurities, loving yourself is now considered an act of bravery, courage and rebellion when it should have been something as innate as breathing. We share posts about loving someone and the likes but we seem to be mum about loving ourselves. 

..and in loving yourself, it's your given right to cut ties with toxic people in your life for the simple reason that they make everything right feel forbidden. Never allow them to make you feel bad just because you find joy in sharing a part of yourself to others. 

Never worry about not having a core group who will understand and accept you for who you are because there will be and these are the genuine people that you will hold on to and keep. In knowing that there is nothing wrong with loving yourself in the right time, you will also transcend this kind of love towards others and at the end of the day, what matters is that you know that you have a good soul.

  

On to lighter things, I wore this one on a weekend wherein I had multiple errands. I think I just paraphrased that sentence from my other blog posts. Weekends are all about multiple errands to me so I want to be comfortable yet fashionable at the same time. 

During a bonding time with a good friend, she commented that the 90s fashion are back and I didn't exactly agree with her but as I was making this entry, I just realized that what she said was true. What I'm wearing here even has the 90s feel to it because I mixed my Tatum heels. Here are some of the pegs:

Photo grabbed from Chictopia

Photo grabbed from Pinterest

Stripe Shirt: Brandless; Thrifted| Denim Shorts: Brandless| Black Heels: Flattery by CLN| Shoulder Bag: Coach Leatherware|Watch: Esprit

When pigs fly

When Pigs Fly : 
Something that will never ever happen.

I get it. 

(oh by the way, congratulations Leo on winning the Oscars!)

iworeitanyway was born out of trying every thing that I think would look good on me and documenting it along with my thoughts on life. On the span of my ootds, there were fashion risks that might look ordinary to you but is actually a risk for me. 

Though I have the propensity to follow a certain pattern when it comes to dressing up, I take a hiatus once in a while and slip into something comfortable like what I am wearing now. 

At 29, I still don't know how to drive and I always rely on my husband to drive me around. The weather has gotten hotter since it's already summer and as I grew older, I tend to be more upset than ever when I have multiple errands and have to commute to complete my tasks. This day was one of those days. 

My life has been a balancing act lately. I've been trying to juggle my personal life, my husband's health, work-related things and self-expectations and last night I ALMOST got emotional about every thing but as I was talking to Bryan, I realized that amidst all the morass that I'm in, I forgot to pray. 

You know what they say about "let go and let God"? Well, I am a bit of a control freak so I've been trying to wrestle the Player 1 controller from Him. I know I am of no challenge when suddenly, the task that I've been dreading but have to do was taken away from be by circumstance. 

Did it make me happy? Of course! Though the lack of work load used to rankle me, this time I've decided to step aside, hold the Player 2 controller, let go and let God. 

Yes I only comb my hair once a week

White Spandex Top: Thrifted|Maroon Trousers: Forever21|Watch: Casio|Bag:Balenciaga|Jelly Flats: Ayen's

Saved by the Bell

Saved By The Bell: 

Saved at the last possible moment

As we all know, February is THE love month. Sardonic as some people can be (claiming as to why we should only show our love on February's only), the husband and I actually look forward to Valentines. As they say, to keep the marriage strong, we should treat our SOs (or in my case, BETTER half) like we are just on the courtship stage of our relationship. We might be sweeter but we are also practical; we decided to have dinner at Ramen Sora with our family but before that, we went to SnR to do our weekly grocery. 

 I sometimes get asked how my husband and I met. I'd like to think that they do so out of sheer curiosity and not because they think he's just way out of my league. Here's our not so short story and reminiscing about it still makes me smile. I met Bryan when I was at the abject point of my life. I was 24 and in the midst of my quarter life crisis; I had no career accomplishments, I had no financial stability and I just ended a long-term relationship. The only thing that was going right with my life that time was my steady relationship with my friends coupled with our weekly karaoke get-together at Redbox. The husband claims that he's attracted to me before we were officially introduced to each other so when my friend texted him that we were at Redbox, he decided to invite himself. 

He's naive when it comes to dating-or so he says. We were on to our first few months in our dating relationship and truth be told, it wasn't as idyllic as it is now. I guess it stemmed from the fact that I expected too much from him and he's still trying to learn the ropes of handling an erratic person.Though he was such a newbie, he showed me how much I mean to him by courting me the old-fashioned way. He went to our old residence and personally asked my parents for the permission to date me. Our relatives who were relatively curious as to what he's up to also "dropped by" our house to check him out personally. 

Over the years, he has managed to earn the trust and love of our family, he's the one they usually look for during our gatherings and it makes my heart glad. My parents approve of him because he basically exonerated them with their parental responsibilities towards me. It's very difficult NOT to like him once you get to know him better because he's selfless and naturally kind. Time and again, I always say that I've felt God's love because He gave me a husband whom I can count on (EXCEPT on times when he tries to pick me up on places he's not so familiar with-which consists 90% of Cebu) 

So my darling Bryan, this post is for you, thank you for saving me when I didn't know I needed saving. We don't see each other eye to eye at times but because of that, we have clearly defined what marriage should be about. I am looking forward to more Valentines, dashboard confessionals, car karaoke sessions and practical dates with you 

   

Okay let's tackle the lighter content of this blog which is what I am wearing. Dresses are always my safest go-to outfit most especially when doing multiple errands. Aside from embroidery and detailed artwork on clothes, shapeless bohemian inspired dresses are a staple in my closet.

 I use them when I feel bloated and at times when we eat out but for every time I want to transform a dress into something more flattering, I use my brown braided belt from H&M. 

Dress: Brandless (Bought at ukay for Php125)| Watch: Casio| Flats: Payless|Bag: Marithe Francois Girbaud