A Lover of Gold

Guess what?! I just found an old dress which I have probably worn only twice since I bought it around three years ago. I have a preference for dresses that are four fingers above the knee, and this dress is obviously longer than that. However, I did find it interesting to wear it again and accessorize it with gold accessories. I have an obsession with gold statement neckpieces! They add glam to your entire outfit. 

This dress is actually very feminine, so I used a very classic pair of shoes that is not only in congruence to the feminine feel of the dress, but also the nature of my occupation. 

 To add more gold into this outfit, I also wore gold bangles to match my gold statement neckpiece.

How do you it? Would love to hear from you! :) Have a nice day!

Back in Blue!

Hello ladies! I'm back! Apologies for the absences. I have just been so swamped with work this month. We have high targets for this quarter, and it is my duty to create sales and marketing strategies that will work for us. Quite toxic! And I have so many engagements and assignments this month and the next three months. I am also preparing my materials for an upcoming talk for high school students in July. In other words, I was REALLY busy! 

I appreciate you guys for still taking time to visit my site during my absences. Special thanks to Lauren of Sophisticated in Style for the lovely feature. So happy to have found sisters from all over the world through blogging. 

Anyways, here is my outfit post for today. 

The color blue has always been one of my favorite colors. And if I were to show you my closet, you'll surely find a dominance of blacks and whites! 

So today, I matched my favorite basic knit white top with my blue skirt. 

 There is an ethnic-touch to this skirt, don't you think?

 And so to match this ethnic-ish skirt, I wore an ethnic-ish woven blue statement neck piece.

 It's quite a simple outfit. I always prefer simple outfits because they exude elegance and subtleness.

 How do you find this outfit? Have you noticed that I have a shorter hair now? :) Hope you like it. Keep your comments coming :)

My Reflection: The Beauty of Humanity

As promised, I will be posting my reflections during my Japan trip. It is always good to go to a foreign land and stay away from the vicissitudes of life to contemplate about the things that we have accomplished and the things that we have to accomplish and deliver. I am not a voracious reader, I've only read academic books because it was necessary to fulfill my academic requirements. However, whenever I go for a vacation, I always bring one book with me. And this time, I downloaded the book entitled "The Pope and the Ceo" and saved it in iBooks. I believe that this is the book that I can easily relate with because I am situated "in the middle of the world"; I belong to the secular world.  

In this book, "The Pope" refers to the Blessed John Paul II. Honestly, when I was still a college girl, I didn't read much about Blessed John Paul II; yet, since he was Pope, I developed my veneration and love for him. He was more like a spiritual "grandfather" to me. I never realized how important he was to me until he died. Since then, I started to collect some of the books that he has written... even if I won't read everything. (grin) I was like a fan girl! Anyways, when I was reading this book, this particular quote struck me: 

"Whatever you shall be in life, whichever calling you choose, remember, that the fundamental

calling of a human being is to have humanity. And you must always realize that fundamental calling,

always and everywhere I fulfill my calling to the extent that I have true humanity...Only one who is

truly human is truly a child of God." 

The key word is humanity. What is humanity? 

This is what I love about philosophy! One word can mean different things to different people. Although there is only one answer, one definition can be interpreted in many ways. The definition is humanly inexhaustible. 

For me, humanity means the state of being human, it means human nature. 

What is human nature? What is the distinction between humans and animals? 

What distinguishes us from animals is our ability to use our intellect in guiding our actions. Our actions are not ruled by our instincts or the desires of our physical bodies. We have power over our desires; we direct our actions based on our intellect. We do not act based on what our bodies tell us; we should act based on what our mind tells us. We are not slaves of our desires; we are created to be masters of ourselves. Human nature consists of the capacity to be the master of one's being. And I believe that the mastery of self requires the exercise of unselfish human love, which draws strength from divine grace. Human nature consists of the capacity to receive and correspond to divine grace in order to achieve self-mastery.

Being masters, we ought to act with the highest form of dignity. Our actions ought to command respect and exhibit the highest form of freedom. Our actions ought to bear humanity. And to have humanity is to exercise the highest form of freedom by exhibiting the highest form of dignity and exercising the privilege of loving. Our capacity to love is deeply rooted in our humanity. Love is the highest manifestation of humanity. 

I believe that the universal calling of humans is to live and love like Jesus Christ. It is our fundamental calling to love, and it is through the fulfillment of this calling that we are able to satisfy the ultimate end of our being. Each of us is called to holiness. It is NOT ONLY for priests and nuns; holiness is for everyone. 

For lay persons who aim to enter conjugal communion like me, marriage should be seen as a vehicle that enables you and your partner to transform yourselves into a gift of self for one another. Marriage is not a bed of roses, I believe. It entails a lot of responsibilities and sacrifices, which may not be evident or present during the pre-married state. Since God created marriage for man and woman, it must be a path to holiness. For single ladies and single ladies who are about to get married, we should be prepared to give ourselves to our potential partners and the constituents of the family. If we are called to marriage, we should keep in mind that marriage is the framework in which we can achieve holiness. 

Everyone is called to holiness. Whatever you believe in, whatever vocation you are in, you are called to holiness. You are called to love and triumph over the temptation of self-love. 

My Creative Shot

You've probably seen this picture in my earlier post entitled, My Campaign for Beauty. I use this picture as my portfolio as a speaker and advocate of freedom in fashion. Occasionally, I am also asked to give talks on relationships and courtship. And so whenever I am invited to give talks, this is the picture that I would use for my portfolio. 

Make-ups can do wonders. (grin) I have falsies on my eyes and my eye brows were darkened and extended a little bit. My eye brows are originally dark and thick, but they were darkened and extended to create more impact for this shot. 

This look is actually inspired by Olivia Palermo because she would wear fur vests in some of her pictures. Though the leathered leggings are not quite Olivia P :P

 These photos were taken at our backyard. :)

 How do you find my make-up? Would love to hear your comments! :)

Summer Lovin'

Hello ladies! I'm back from Japan! As promised, I'll be posting some of my reflections in the following posts, but for today, I'll be sharing an outfit post!

Quite a big weather difference between Japan and the Philippines. It was equal to or less than 0 degree Celsius in Japan, while it is 33 degrees Celsius in Manila. So hot! And so to complement the weather, I wore something light and summery today - an orange sleeveless top and a pair of faded skinny jeans.

 Esther and the classic Korean pose.

...and my jacquard platform sandals...

 Since the top is a bit loose on both sides, I wore a light orange razor back top inside.

How do you like it? How would you change it to make it yours? Have a nice day! :) Would love to hear from you!

Fashionably Red

Hello ladies! :) I'm posting this in advance since I won't get to post as much on the following week. However, be assured that I'll be posting and sharing my thoughts during my short vacation. 

Don't you just love simple outfits? 

There's something I love about red lipsticks. It's like an instant accessory. It adds sophistication and femininity to your entire look. 

For me, beige, red, and gold look good together. I wore a simple beige top and accessorized it with a gold statement neckpiece.

To match my red lipstick, I wore my rich red jeans with some folds at the bottom.

 Jeans are perfect with black platforms. :) It doesn't make you feel uncomfortable.

 Feeling like a star with my shades :)

 And finally, me and my chubby cheeks! :P Ready to go!

How do you like this outfit? How would you change it to make it yours? Have a nice day! :) 

As we move toward the end of Lent, let us not forget about keeping ourselves always in the state of grace. If you haven't gone to confession yet, it is always good to repent and ask for forgiveness through the channel that God has provided us. Have a happy weekend! :)

Black is Beauty

Hello ladies! :) Good day to all of you! :) I may not be posting outfits on the following week since I'll be going to a snowy place for a short vacation; however, I'll probably be posting some reflections during my vacation. It's good to take a break once in a while so we can reflect on some things and plan for the future. I'll definitely share my reflections with you while I'm traveling. 

Anyway, here is my post for the day.

Do you agree that black is classy? This is one of my favorite black dresses. I love the asymmetry!

I bought this probably a year ago when it was on sale. It's from Zara! I love this black dress because it is simple but stylish.

 It is very minimalist. You just have to accessorize it a little bit.

 I matched it with blue accessories - blue earrings and blue statement neck piece.

 Here's a closer look.

How do you find this outfit? Would love to hear from you! :) Have a nice day! :) 

Keep dropping by! I'll be revealing my whereabouts and reflections soon! :)