I have a confession to make – I did some online shopping via 6pm.com last week. It was just so hard to resist the marked down prices AND the ADDITIONAL 20% off coupon from Alfred’s boss. They have a large plus size collection that just got me drooling. In fact, there were more tops and dresses that I really wanted but I didn’t have the confidence nor the lingerie to pair them with. Hehe.
Now, if I actually owned this wonderfully versatile Wacoal undergarment,
I may have gone ahead and picked out these three additional outfits:
This Anne Klein Plus Size Fitted Sheath Dress would need a strapless undergarment so there’d be no straps peeking through that wide slit across the front. I could definitely wear this to work and the bright pink would be the pop of color I need to last me through the day.
Linked to source
Next up would be this Rachel Pally Plus Plus Size Imara Dress. I love the color – bordeaux! I would need just one-strap to pull off this dress though.
Linked to Source
And finally, my loot will be rounded off with this Kenneth Cole New York Plus Size Ocean Mist Halter top:
Link to Source
Don’t these three outfits just look super? It may be a little difficult imagining me in them, but I think I’d look amazing. haha. I’ll probably throw a cardigan over all three, but I’d still wear them, ha! And with the right undergarment support from Wacoal, who wouldn’t?
A month goes by very quickly; whether you’re busy or just chill it doesn’t matter, time still flies. It’s been a month and a week after my back operation!
I posted this on Instagram after my doctor’s appointment on May 25th. It was at that appointment that I was proclaimed fit to work and ready for the world. Hehe. So I’m going back to work full-time beginning this Monday, June 3rd. Yep, all in time for back-to-school rush.
It was only while we were having brunch that I realized it’s my back’s one month anniversary. That day, I went up and down the stairs at Il Terrazzo in Tomas Morato, and then again to get to Shmily Arts & Crafts Store in Sta. Ana, Manila. The girls were excited enough to go along with me for a drive and to buy some craft materials. Oh we didn’t know exactly where the store was, the iOS map was pretty helpful and we didn’t get lost or anything. Hehe.
The girls are selfie addicts, so we had our customary shots while in the car, and right before food was served.
Just now though, I realize more how crazy fun these girls are, look at all these photos they left for me to find on my Photo Stream (taken on the iPad):
Pretty young ones, aren’t they? Hell’a crazy too. And I’m just really glad they spent time with me that day. I may have given them an awkward talking-to about the birds and the bees but I just really love these girls and I want them to make the right decisions in life, young as they are. They were still toddlers when I was their age now, and back then I spent a lot of time with them too. I love that they still like being around Tita Vera, even when there could have been a hundred and one things they could do on a Saturday.
He inspired millions of people even before he turned eighteen. He had osteosarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer that affects children), and he knew he wasn’t going to live long. Instead of languishing in the dark, he chose to live the remaining days of his life by sharing his feelings through music. Instead of waiting for people to cry for him when he dies, he chose instead to put smiles on people’s faces – because knowing he was responsible for that made him happy.
He died on May 20, and heaven just got brighter. Get to know him, and take inspiration from his life through this video. It’s 22 minutes, but definitely worth the time. I first watched it when I learned of his death and I was moved to tears. Good tears. And I felt that it’s now my responsibility to live my days endeavoring to make someone else smile. Please please watch it.
If you don’t have time though, here are two lines he uttered in the vid; I made these cards because these lines will always stick with me:
Since I saw their campaign on Kickstarter, I’ve thought often about the Ricefield Collective. They’re doing something that really amazes me. They are promoting their craft, teaching women, and also providing them with a means to take charge of their lives. Cool beans!
I wasn’t able to support them in Kickstarter, but I talked about them to my parents and the boyfriend, and I would have told friends about them if I wasn’t in the hospital when I learned of them. Hehe. I need their kind of passion in my life. Deep down in my soul I know I want to be a creative, and to be one while helping other people in a very concrete way, that would be the dream job for me.
Then CraftMNL posted about Ricefield Co’s KickStarter campaign, and setting up a class with them. I knew I wanted to be in that class! I would love the chance to just be in the same room as these women, AND I also really wanted to learn to knit. I almost missed the class, I signed up only two days before the May 11 class, as soon as I saw the schedule up on CraftMNL’s workshop page.
Soon as I sent in my registration, I flashed back to the Amigurumi class I attended at their workshop in December 2012 (where I learned to make this). My next thought was: I won’t be able to climb those steps to the second floor workshop without assistance! Good thing the afternoon class was held on the first floor, no risk for injury.
Alfred had work until just before lunch time Saturday, and again the next evening, so asking him to come along was out of the question. The task of taking me to and from Makati was left on my parents. I was so glad when they said yes! I really am a spoiled old baby, haha! I was joined by three young girls in my class, and our instructor Anna from the Ricefield Collective flew in from the UK just a few days prior.
We got a printed canvas bag, DK yarn enough for the project, lovely new knitting needles, and all the stuff needed to complete our finger puppets.
It seemed so simple but I made mistakes and my stitches didn’t look perfect at all, haha!
But I learned how to cast on, cast off, and on again. And enough moves to finish my Tarsier finger puppets when I got home:
Anna mentioned that as they were campaigning for Knit4Life and the Ricefield Collective they used finger puppets because they were fun, and also it can be used as you show the K sign with your fingers. Since making this one, I made another one in a smaller size, and an even smaller one for little Amir. It’s not a puppet to him though, more like cozies for tickle fingers – to use for tickling grandma and grandma! I can imagine they’re good for taking selfies sporting a peace sign too, but I haven’t got around to do that.
I am looking forward to more knit and crochet projects, but right now I’m still working on my ripple blanket. Meanwhile, Ricefield Co is up on the mountains of Banaue working with women on their handmade knit products. You can follow them on their adventures via Twitter – @knit4life, and Instagram – @weknit4life
No More Hurting People
Speaking of peace, I came across this campaign on Indiegogo today:
A lot of us wept for little Martin Richard, the youngest victim of the Boston bombing last month. This group is raising funds by producing shirts printed with Martin’s peace artwork from school. 30% of the proceeds will help the Richard family, while 70% is for One Fund Boston. This is a really good way to spread Martin’s message of peace, and also help the victims stay strong.
May 13, 2013 was mid-term election day in the Philippines. Of course, I went out to vote.
We were pleasantly surprised not to see long lines at the voting precinct. I had registered only in 2009 and ended up in a different precinct from the rest of my family. But because Comelec implemented a cluster system since elections were automated, we still vote in the same precinct.
Barangay Kalusugan Voting Precincts
Just like in the 2010 elections, we went to vote as a family, except for my brother who went there straight from work so he was very early. Since the line was short, I decided I didn’t need special treatment (recovering from an operation and all) and waited patiently in line. We were all done in perhaps 15 or 20 minutes. My cousin says we’re lucky because they had to wait a lot longer. They were already done when we arrived. I guess the rain, and it being lunchtime, discouraged people from voting at the time we did.
But we really had it good. There were apparently many places in the country where voting didn’t go as smoothly as it did for us. I pray this is the last time it happens. We seriously need to have improved systems and a COMELEC who will work on it all the time, not just the year before the next elections.
Two days later, we still don’t have any of the senator-elects being proclaimed. I only voted for 9 candidates, and not everyone made it. But that’s democracy. And instead of complaining about Nancy Binay making it to the top 5, we should focus our energies on mapping out how we’ll make all 12 accountable to the people in the next six years. Instead of blaming an uninformed electorate for making Grace Poe number one and Dick Gordon teetering from number 12 to 13, let’s look at what we should do to ensure that the people can become better informed.
Political ads on TV, and the campaign sorties, were mostly how the people got to know their candidates. But those shouldn’t be the only sources of information. Netizens had some online resources, but not all of us actually took the time to review 3rd party profiles and analyses of the platforms or fact-checked debate responses. I’m just saying that no matter how sophisticated or un-sophisticated we are, the resource first has to be there, and then we need to take the time to refer to it. There needs to be an uninterested party (not affiliated with the political parties) out there who would do round-table discussions with the common folk, or maybe bring out laptops and tablets so the people can browse at material available online. But who would do it?
A group of child-rights NGOs came up with Bata Muna which was a campaign to engage with candidates to find out their stand on child-sensitive issues. That’s a good idea, I think. But then they would also need to distribute the information they gathered. In the end they did not seek to endorse any particular candidate, but they did present the candidates’ responses on critical issues. I took note of that and it helped frame who I would vote for.
Leading up to the elections you would see a lot of push to go out and vote. That’s good. COMELEC sees voter turnout at 70%. So 70% of registered voters cared enough to make their votes count. Kudos to us. But it’s not just how many people vote; what’s important is the thought-process behind those votes. Sorry, but do I make sense?
As for me, I continue to be hopeful for the country. I did my best to vote for the candidates that I feel would ensure that the future is secure, and that we learn from past mistakes. More candidates who didn’t get my vote are actually winning but that is no reason to be sad or jaded. That is democracy after all.
