I had a class at 10:30 that I had to painfully sit through while the Oscars was live. I debated long and hard about cutting class, but my friends convinced me not to. I got home and caught the last part of it. Those last few minutes were probably the most thrilling minutes I will ever have this week. I have been waiting for the Academy Awards for the longest time- ever since The Social Network came out actually! It has truly been an amazing year for cinema. It was this year that I became a film buff. Maybe in my next post I will make a top movies or something, but right now let's talk about the Oscars!

So, as everyone who has ever heard a noise uttered from my mouth knows, I am a huge flaming The Social Network stan. It was the movie that I wanted to take all the awards, and which I was almost certain would. When The King's Speech was said to be a front runner, I decided I would watch it, but I was really disappointed. I expected so much from what people were saying would be the movie to knock down The Social Network. It was still a pretty good film, but definitely not better in any aspect. Months before today, everyone has been saying TKS would win Best Picture because, to make the story short, TKS is the perfect formula for Best Picture and it was exactly what the academy wants. As unfair as that seems for such amazing original and cutting edge artists like Nolan and Fincher, it's obvious that the fans and critics all hail them to be the winners.

Now moving on to the dresses. I do enjoy award shows because it's very interesting to see what the stars come up with that are both beautiful and still please the public.



So Elie Saab Haute Couture was going to be a sure presence at the Oscars. The collection was just one red carpet worthy dress after another. It was the lovely Mila Kunis who got to don the beautiful lavender number. She accessorized with a simple clutch, earrings, some bangles, and a ring. It was flawless and gorgeous, but I think I would have been rendered speechless had I not seen this dress prior to Mila wearing it.



Mandy Moore wore a stunning Monique Lhuillier dress. I've seen little of Mandy Moore since her A Walk to Remember days, but I have noticed that she's recently been popping up in some best dressed lists for her promotion for Tangled. This look was wonderful since she looked like a modern day princess (classic Mandy Moore look). I do have some complaints about her hair. It seems too neat that it leaves her shoulders bare. Also, I would have liked a different colored lipstick, but that's as extensive as my complaints go for this look. Everything else is wonderful!



If only I was half as fabulous as Hailee is when I was 14. Would you all go batshit if I said she designer this dress herself? Yes, she did. With the help of Marchesa, she wore her own design to the Oscars. I just. I can't process the fabulousness that is this little girl.



Amy Adams wore a dress by L'Wrenn Scott. Amy loves to sparkle (as seen during the Globes). She does beautifully so in this amazing blue dress. I just really do not like the accessories she wore it with. A black clutch would have been great. These emerald green jewels just throw off the whole look. It's still beautiful, nevertheless.



Probably one of the best dressed of the night was Cate Blanchett. Maybe it's because I have a bias for anything Givenchy, but it cannot be denied that this was an amazing look. As repulsed as I am by ball clusters, I think the beauty of the details makes up for it. I remember the moment I fell in love with the collection this dress came from. Cate was wise in choosing an avant garde couture gown that also pleases the public.



The amazing Michelle Williams, who I was rooting for to win Best Actress, wore a Chanel Couture gown. I didn't even realize this was Chanel because it looked different on the runway and, for the record, it looks much better on Michelle. Everything- the hair, the make-up, the dress, the jewelry- just work so perfectly. Michelle was definitely the most put together with no misplaced rings here and no mismatched clutch there. So elegant as always!

Well, that's it for the best dressed! I am still not over the loss of David Fincher (who I think is an absolute genius!) over Tom Hooper, but I have the company of the million other outraged fans. Any thoughts on best dressed? How about the winners/losers? xx

I just download the (fairly) new Taylor Swift album, because I really like Enchanted and Mine so I figured I might like all the other songs. It makes me feel a little hypocritical when I am so against the message she sends to girls. I won't lie, her songs were once my anthems, just like they were any other young girl's. I spent the whole 13th year of my life crying to Teardrops on my Guitar. There was a boy I stalked and my song for him was "I'd Lie" (because the lyrics just fit everything). So yes, I used to like Taylor Swift's songs very very much. I used to think she was extremely talented and that the sun shone out of her ass. She seemed like the perfect role model for young girls. She wasn't like the Lindsay Lohans of the industry (even though I have always loved and will always love Lindsay Lohan) who shaved their heads and went to rehab. She was sweet little virginal Taylor.

It wasn't until Fearless that I started to dislike her. Of course, I had grown up a bit by then so, naturally, my taste had matured. I noticed Taylor's lyrics were getting very repetitive. I used to make fun of it (to myself, with no one else, because everyone still seemed to think Taylor was Albert Einstein of music). I've come to conclude that 1. Taylor enjoys kissing in the rain 2. That events in her life always happen around 2 am 3. She likes to stare at the driver while she sits in the passenger's seat of a truck. It was fun to dislike Taylor then because she was getting so much recognition and so many awards when all she wrote were diary entries of a young girl that rhymed. Eventually, after reading an article (which I am too lazy to look for) about why Taylor Swift is so horrible, I realized so many things that I wish I knew when I was younger. You see, up until I read that article a few years ago, I used to think Taylor was the messiah. Wow, the unpopular smart girl gets the guy. Yay! What I did not notice was how the current girlfriend was portrayed. She was popular and pretty, liked shopping and make-up. How was it that Taylor turned such harmless qualities and made us think that these qualities make someone the devil's spawn?

I like to make fun of Taylor, because even though she is an adult, she acts like a fourteen year old girl. I downloaded her album last night and started listening to it today. It was all good when Better Than Revenge started playing. I was honestly cringing the whole time, but I could not help but listen.
She's not a saint and she's not what you think
She's an actress, Whoa
She's better known for the things that she does
On the mattress, Whoa
Soon she's gonna find
Stealing other people's toys on the playground
Won't make you many friends
She should keep in mind,
She should keep in mind
There is nothing I do better than revenge


I don't know in what universe this is considered good. How could anyone want children to model themselves after somebody who thinks like this? For one, it shows that she is a bitter name-dropper, which makes her very immature, specially since she is famous (The song which was written for Camilla Belle. I might be a bit biased because I really like Camilla mostly for her amazing fashion choices. That's besides the point). What irks me the most about this song, aside from the obvious slut-shaming, is the hypocrisy. The main gist of this song is that Taylor is angry at a girl who stole her boyfriend (This whole boyfriend stealing concept is so baffling to me. Why do women blame themselves when it is the cheating man to blame? Taylor manages to portray all forms of anti-feminism). Now, in her other song, Speak Now, she is the one bursting into a wedding and stealing the groom. This just confuses me as to what Taylor's stand on "boyfriend stealing" really is. It just leads me to the conclusion that it does not matter to Taylor which is the wrong and which is the right side, what matters is which is her side. In both songs, Taylor manages to portray the other girl as some villain.

Another thing is her whole glorification of virginity (which I think a whole lot of "role models" are guilty of). In Fifteen, she talks about how Abigail is distraught after being left by the boy she gave her virginity to. Hey, Taylor. Guess what? Your virginity does not make you any less or any more of a person. "Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind". Really? Taylor thinks your virginity is EVERYTHING?

Also, the whole Madonna/Whore complex that has been so widely talked about is a big factor. Just like I said, the unpopular girl should always get the guy (according to You Belong With Me, where I just realized, she also steals someone's boyfriend.). The girl who is virginal and timid and simple is better than the girl who has a functioning vagina, because, apparently, EW SEX! I cannot stress enough how ridiculous I find this mentality to be. I am so outraged by this because I have to deal with it every single day of my life- people I know in real life hurling insults at someone because that someone enjoys sex. I could maybe understand it if you are a Christian, but even then, you shouldn't judge people.


Also this music video is pretty much like any other teen movie from the 80s where- hell, I don't even have to explain the plot of this. Taylor, I'm sorry that you were such a freak in high school. I mean, you were a skinny, blonde, white female who wore glasses?!?! How did you even survive?


But really, the worst is that Taylor loves boys so much that she hates girls. That's the whole summary of Taylor's message. Better Than Revenge was about her hating a girl for stealing a boy. Speak Now was about her stealing a boy from a girl. So was You Belong With Me.

Another thing that I hate is that Taylor is 20 fucking years old and yet she insists on waiting for you prince charming. She insinuates that everything will be rainbows! butterflies! happiness! once the love of your life comes and when he leaves, everything is horror! sadness! meaningless life! Way to take a giant shit on feminism, Taylor! You're becoming dangerously close to Bella Swan 2.0! How about singing about independence? No, you wouldn't have any real life material for that.


Now, that seems like too much effort and analysis in what seems to be such a harmless thing- listening to Taylor Swift. But a few years ago, I used to be a Taylor Swift fan. I used to emulate her, thinking that it would make me the kind of person that people will look up to and like (I mean, isn't that what people feel about Taylor?). Then I read something similar to what I wrote (only more coherent and objective) and it opened my eyes (lol corny). And really, if I could save a young girl from having these TSwizzle values ingrained in her mind before it's too late, then this post has served its purpose.

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week has come to a close and I cannot wait to show you guys what I think were the best looks & collections that were shown. I know most of my blog readers do not really appreciate my fashion posts, which I find odd because that's pretty much all I post- I mean aside from that, everything else here is moaning and whining about my life. Maybe they relish in my misery? Who knows? Anyway, I just want to say that I'm trying to be more concise with my fashion week posts, because they tend to be the longest ones (I have a lot of favorites! Also, in my defense, there are a lot of NY designers. No worries, there are less in London!) and they end up becoming very draggy (Heck, even I lose interest by the time I get to the 10th collection). So rest assured that I am figuring out new ways to make it more interesting.

NYFW

Finally, New York Fashion Week has come to a close! London FW just started, but before we move onto that I promised my top NYFW shows. I prefer S/S collections over F/W, probably because I never get to experience actual Fall or Winter in my country. It just seems so much easier to incorporate S/S trends into my wardrobe compared to F/W trends. Also, while looking at all the collections this past week, I noticed that there was a whole lot of black on the runway. I realized that I now *GASP!!!!* prefer white over black. White is just so much more refreshing to look at. Layers upon layers of black clothing was seen on the runway and it was a bit displeasing to my eyes. Although when it comes to evening wear, black is still the color to go! Okay, let's get onto it, shall we?

"You're considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity"

-Sofia Coppola

I WRITE TO ESCAPE FROM STUDYING MATH

I never used to mind being single. I am not and never was ashamed to say I have been single my whole life. A part of me even prided myself in that fact. "Unconquerable", I used to say. Having never been kissed, I used to feel like a prized geisha. Do not get me wrong, I do not feel any disdain or disgust for anyone who isn't as virginal as I am. I do not think less of them or think that I am any better. Growing up and being (indirectly) told through narrow-minded Catholicism that boys are lying manipulators that will bring you no good, that sex is bad and disgusting, that your virginity is what defines you, I suppose that I just always thought it was an admirable thing that I have never succumbed to any boy's persuasions. Now, being more worldly and immersed in different beliefs, I have realized that I have been looking at it all wrong. It's isn't that I've had to control myself when boys take interest. I do give them a chance. It just doesn't ever go anywhere.




I never thought being single all my life would be anything to someone other than myself. That is until last week when my Dad jokingly asked my brother to look for a guy suitable enough to be my boyfriend. I feel like Katherine in Taming of the Shrew. My own father thinks I'm so horrid that no guy would want to be with me and has to enlist the help of someone else (in my case, a sibling). What makes me really sad is knowing that I am (almost) 18 years old and still incapable of forming human bonds. Countless people have walked in and out of my life and not one of them has actually really known me and I have never really known them. I make friends, but not best friends (even just the concept of trusting someone with everything baffles me). I have never had a romantic relationship with someone because it is hard work. Finding someone you can connect with is difficult. Sometimes I wish I was not so complicated and odd and problematic and hard to please so that I wouldn't find human interaction so challenging. I just haven't found anyone who is worth all the trouble. and that's that. If you ask anyone who knows me personally, they will tell you I am not a fan of compromise and that's what relationships need in order to survive (Correct me if I am wrong, because obviously I'm not someone anyone should listen to when it comes to this matter). My Mom told me several years ago (when I was imagining prince charming would sing me a love song outside my house) "You'll have a boyfriend when you're ready. You need to be self-less first" which I think I can never be.



I think what makes people's relationships survive is their naivete (I feel people might take offense, but this is just what I believe). Everyone thinks of love as a magical feeling that supposedly lasts forever (how these people even think it is possible is beyond me) and they do not choose who they love and blah blah. I sound so cynical. I do believe in love. I do. I just don't believe in falling in love. I do not know the exact meaning of "falling in love" or the feeling these people are referring to when they use the term. I simply believe you love people because of how much time you spend with them. I love my parents because I have known them my whole life. They beat me and they scream at me and they insult me, but I love them. How is romantic love any different? My parents wed because my Mom was pregnant, but they're still together now and they're very happy and in-love. That's because it has been 18 years and they've stuck by each other, made sacrifices, compromised and that's how you end up loving someone. Unless you're being abused or haven't been with a person long enough, then you're probably just divorcing someone because you think you're going to find "true love" elsewhere.



I used to think that someday, maybe, there would be that one guy who would not freak out when he finally gets to know me. The Andy to my Allison (The Breakfast Club), the Joel to my Clementine (Eternal Sunshine...), the Paulie to my Juno (Juno), the Paul to my Hollie (Breakfast at Tiffany's), the Kyun-woo to my Girl (My Sassy Girl), the Nino to my Amelie (Amelie). FYI. I am just naming female characters who are considered odd and somewhat hard to love, but end up finding love anyway. But years have passed and I am starting to think that a boy (or girl, I could go both ways) who will see my quirks and baggage as lovable does not exist. I'm coming to realize that my so called "quirks" are really just horrible personality problems that make me an insufferable human being. *sigh*

I wouldn't mind being single all my life. I'll be in the company of amazing women such as Coco Chanel, Queen Elizabeth I and tons more!


And once again, I have forgotten what my point was when I started this.

My posts show just how messy my train of thought is

I have been on edge for the past few days. I feel like there is this giant stress ball building up inside and it is going to explode soon in the form of an emotional breakdown, panic attack or a blackout. College has been such a huge weight on my back and I am only on my freshman year so I know it's just going to get heavier from here. Sometimes I wish I had just gone to DLSU where I could slack off and still pass or even probably be a Dean's Lister. But I am here in Ateneo where you're already too dumb to take regular Math before school even starts, where slacking off for a day can result in you failing a whole class, where you're treated like professionals even in PE!

I am always whining about school, but it's not like I exert a lot of effort. I wouldn't call myself a hard worker. I get very discouraged by small setbacks so I end up not giving my best because I don't think it will do any good. I know that I should really be a better student by now- especially now because I am in college. Before all the college hoo-ha started and I was just about to apply to different schools, my Dad talked to me. He asked me if I was sure about Ateneo. I said "Duh!". It was my dream school. I imagined everyone to be extremely intellectual and posh, but I never actually imagined the studying and working hard part. I guess because I am still in my first year and because college is so different from high school (where I could just coast around and cheat all the time) I am finding it very hard to adjust and it is just taking a long time. I am trying to shake myself and scream just to get myself to focus more, but I am just so bad at things when I have no interest in doing them (I think it stems from my nature to be needlessly defiant).

Anyway, because of the stress that school has given me, I've picked up a nasty habit. I admit that it not only helps calm me down, but it also helps with my diet. It's quite sad that I have to resort to such measures just to be able to stop eating. That just goes to show how much self-control I really have. Somehow I feel like I'm doing it partly just to spite my Mother, but she can never know or else I'll get killed.

I have been following award shows and fashion week and it's making me very distracted. I have a Math test on Thursday and I need to get my shit together. I had a consultation with my professor and he said that to be able to pass Math, I have to get a 60 on all the upcoming tests. Wish me luck!

Excuse me, my dinner just arrived.

Pleats please!

Hello, lovelies! New York Fashion Week started yesterday! I haven't been able to watch the shows, but I have seen photos of every single look. I won't post them just yet, maybe I'll wait for NYFW to be over before I choose favorites (last season, my blog practically showed and talked about every single show, even the not-so-good ones). I am finding it really hard to restrain myself from posting about the shows, but if you click on over to my Tumblr, you'll be able to see the photos of the looks from the shows that I liked.

I have been going around malls and will soon be going around thrift stores (I hate that I can never find the time!) in search of the pleated skirt. I know you are asking "Who on earth does not own a pleated skirt?". Well, my friends, it is not just a pleated skirt that I am looking for. It's a specific kind which I am not sure what to call (because not enough people talk about it, not even in fashion blogs). A few years ago, I was probably about thirteen, it was the trend and everyone called them "electric pleats", but upon Google-ing this term, I was devastated to find out that no one actually calls it that (Seriously? Why the hell have we been calling them electric pleats all that time?). After some more rigorous Google-ing, I found out they are called "Sunray pleats" or 'Accordion pleats". I am certain there is a difference, but I cannot be bothered to examine them thoroughly enough to find out, so let's just call them the latter, because it appears to be the more well-known of the two.

We've seen them everywhere. If you follow this blog (which I am sure none of you actually do), you'll notice how I was very enthusiastic about these pleats appearing in last season's runway shows.


I've also been seeing it on fashion bloggers and street style blogs.


And of course a lot of celebrities have been working this look!


I think it's already a trend and I cannot wait until I find a pleated skirt / dress of my own! What do you guys think of this trend?

TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal

Gossip Girl returned a few weeks ago and I have been watching it religiously. Maybe it's the dreariness of my own life that makes such a lame show so exciting in comparison. Maybe it's that I don't care about the mindless plot lines anymore and just watch for the unrealistically amazing outfits. Whatever the reason for my persistent following for this show, the fact remains that it is part of what I look forward to every week.


I am tired of shows that just switch main characters as love interests of each other, but I never thought a Dan/Blair tandem would get me so excited!

Look at them. That's sexual tension right there!

These two are probably my favorite characters out of the main cast and I never thought of them as a couple, but it works! Granted that they don't have an actual love story yet, but they have given us a taste and we want more! It's actually sad that this episode (Panic Roommate) didn't have any Dan/Blair scenes. I'd like to think the idea hasn't been scrapped because I've already envisioned what they would be like as a couple. Saturdays spent lovingly bickering over where to go- Dan wanting to go to a poetry reading in Brooklyn while Blair urging to watch at the Metropolitan Opera. (Obviously I am too emotionally invested in this so the writers better not kill off this love team!) Dan/Blair will be the most intelligent, most cultured couple in New York!

Another thing that's new on the show is Raina (did I spell that right?) and Thorpe Enterprises.

I really couldn't care less about all this Empire hoo-ha nor do I care about Chuck's love life (I mean really? The reformed bad boy image doesn't work anymore. Chuck has fallen for so many girls in the past that we've lost interest.), but I am a wee bit interested in this Raina girl. I'm sure either she turns out to be a traitor or she ends up with Chuck. I am just so bothered by the fact that the show is writing her as an identical version of Chuck, except with ethnic diversity and a vagina. I mean, come on. They have the same hiding place? Lame.

Now for the Ben thing. I really don't have much thoughts on it. Whenever there is a scene with Serena, I always just take a second to examine her whole outfit (the only good thing about this character) and then my attention focuses on something other than the show. I just find Serena's character to be so daft and it gets boring to watch her after a while. I do think Ben is hot though!

Also, someone needs to explain to me the scarf and gown combo. Is this a thing?

The show needs something fresh! Kill someone. Give someone herpes. Make Serena poor and deformed. I don't know. Something!

I do enjoy the show's guest stars. They had Rachel Zoe, Stefano Tonchi, and this week it was Florence + The Machine (which is one of my fave bands!).


No matter how many complaints I have for this show, I'll still continue to watch it every week. No other show delivers such great fashion.

Holiday Spirit

So that last post was kind of a bummer and I don't want this blog to reflect the downer that is my life. Positivity! Happiness! All that shit! In keeping up with all the good thoughts (I don't know how sarcasm will translate into the internet so I hope this is working) I'll blog about something that makes me happy.

Last December my friends and I decided we would have our own Christmas celebration. We have been separated by being in different universities at it was really nice to catch up over a great meal (which was equivalent to five).








We ate at the buffet in Manila Peninsula. The food was good and the company was even better. We all caught up with each other and everything we have been doing in college. It's great to have friends who are always going to be there no matter how long since you've seen each other. It was great to be around that sense of familiarity.

Of course, we had the obligatory photo shoot. We don't care if we're in a Church or a busy street or whatever, we will take photos of ourselves and everything.








I usually skip out whenever someone asks me to go out because, well, I am a social sloth, but I just missed my friends a lot so I decided I would go. After dinner, we wen to to Tina's house to just hang out and talk. As always, the night ended with a lot of laughs!



CHEERS TO GOOD FRIENDS!

*This is probably the lamest and cheesiest post I have ever made. So now you people understand why I rarely ever post anything solely about my personal life- it's because it sucks and I suck at talking about it.