HAUL No. 7 Pt. II

Chukka Boots from Artwork

"The Architecture of Happiness" by Alain de Botton, and another T-shirt from TeamManila

White Chuck Taylor's from Converse

Sometimes I wonder, why can it be so difficult for us to move on from something that was never even there in the first place? There are moments in our lives wherein we realize that we've invested too much feelings and too much of our affections on somebody who was never going to do the same for us. No matter what we do, and no matter how much we try to flush these feelings out, they still remain, like a stomach ache that resulted from one too many drinks and bites of food at someone's eighteenth birthday party; and then we find ourselves sitting on a chair taking in the things happening within and around us, waiting for the bad feeling to expire. But trust me when I say that it doesn't take forever for the pain to evaporate.

HAUL No. 7 Pt. I

T-shirt from Teammanila

synthetic leather laptop bag from 101 New York

mom's grad gift

It's been a pretty long while since my last post here, and a handful of unforgettable events have taken place in my life since then. For instance, I recently just graduated from high school a week or two ago; it actually sort of feels almost nostalgic now as I think of it and try to relive the feeling of walking on stage, taking a bow in front of all of my batch-mates  their parents as well as mine, and our teachers and staff, and shaking hands with the school's president as I get a hold of my diploma after thirteen years of studying at that school of mine. And as much as I'd want to rewind my life and go back to that day, reality tells me that I can't, no matter how much my heart would want to. Right now I've been bumming my summer vacation away. Most of my days are spent at home, like most of my other summers. To be honest, I don't really enjoy spending it this way; a lot of times I can't help but wish I was near the sea, on the beach soaking up the tropical sun. But again, as much as my heart would want to be with the ocean at this moment, reality says that I can't.

HAUL No. 6 (SINGAPORE)

Knits from H&M;

Skinny Carrot Denim Jeans from Topman;

Fox-print Shirt from Topman (Manila), Red Sweatshirt from Topman;

Burgundy-colored Chinos from H&M;

Printed Tees from Topman (Manila);

A beautiful pair of swim shorts from H&M;

Leopard-print T-Shirt and Floral-print Polo Shirt from Topman;

There's something about having new clothes that I'm sure every one of us experiences. It rushes through our heads, and bloodstreams as we stand at the counter of the store; the delight that overcomes us helplessly translating onto our faces even as we try and hold it back. A wisp of a smile plays on our lips because in our heart of hearts we know that we got exactly what we wanted. Well, I guess that's how I somehow felt a week ago as I was walking up and down Orchard Road, shopping with my mum. We took step after step, carrying a couple of plastic bags in our hands with the heat of the Singapore sun beaming from above. Yes, we grew hot, and tired, and our feet hurt, but we those things didn't faze us. It was great to be back. Though I missed quite a bit of schoolwork because of the trip (which I'll have to pay for this term break), it was definitely worth every second.

HAUL No. 5

Navy Blue Striped Jumper from 21 Men;

Multi-colored Patterned D-ring Belt from 21 Men;

Two items I purchased a couple of weeks back when I visited the newest Forever 21 store here in Metro Manila.

HAUL No. 4

A few weeks back, I got the opportunity to pay the very first UNIQLO store here in Manila a visit. Even from afar, I already started trying to take photos of the huge store. When I took my first steps in UNIQLO, a certain familiarity hit me. The feel of the place really reminded me of MUJI. There's no doubt that both of them exude the minimalist, Japanese flavor that a lot of us have come to adopt, and love, and make our own.

Red Chino Shorts from Uniqlo;

(finally) new Shopper Bag from Topman;

HAUL No. 3, Pt. II

Satchel from U by Rustan's;

This beautiful, brown leather satchel was courtesy of my mum; she allowed me to get it because I needed a new bag for the new school year. To be honest though, I wasn't all too crazy about it the first time my eyes caught sight of it sitting on a shelf in the menswear section inside Rustan's. But it grew on me, I have to say; like a rose it blossomed in my thoughts, and I eventually realized its beauty, and fell in-love with it. It also reminds me a tad bit of Proenza Schouler's PS1 Satchel, which made me love it even more than I did before. We are now as one, and at the moment, I use it almost everyday for school.

Garage Magazine's June 2012 issue, and a copy of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower";

As you've probably figured out (haha if it isn't obvious enough), this is the second part of HAUL No. 3. And as I mentioned in my previous post, classes have already started for me, and I'm now journeying through my last year of high school. Sentimentality strikes me with its fists every so often when I think about this, when I ponder on the fact that this senior year is my last in the school that I grew up in. Thirteen years I have spent in that school of mine, with the same people, and the same faces, and in a short while we'll all have to move on and say goodbye to the once familiar campus that we so fondly spent part of our childhood in. At times, I just want it all to end; to vanish before my very eyes and simply transform into memories that I'll find in the corners of my head. But I know, I know that when that time does arrive, when I finally have to bid farewell to it all, I know that I wouldn't want it to end for the world.

HAUL No. 3, Pt. I

A luxury/paisley print shirt from local brand, "Solo";

details;

A back issue (January 2012) of Nylon Guys, and a patterned shirt from the dept. store;

That particular day was a sort of adventure for me. A slight feeling of spontaneity sparked up inside myself, and soon created a flame that eventually spread like wildfire through the forest that is my consciousness. I'd been thinking about it for quite a while, but never got myself to actually do it until that day. I told myself that it was "now or never", and I knew that I would regret it if I didn't, so I went. For the first time, I ventured out alone,  into the outside world to go to a nearby mall. I had nobody to bring me there, I couldn't yet drive myself, and we didn't have a driver. So I did what everyone else did who was stuck in similar circumstances-- I commuted. All I had to do was take a jeepney to the mall once I was at the entrance of my village. I'd done it before, but with some company; and yes, that does make a difference. Or so I thought it would. Surprisingly, but not too surprisingly, the commute was kind of a cakewalk. As I was inside the jeepney, to tell you the truth, it was really tempting to observe the people sitting next to me, sitting around me; but I considered that staring at them might've been rude, so I just put it off. And as I crept out of the vehicle, out into the harsh sun, and entered the mall, I felt a tad bit more independent than I did before. A couple hours was all I spent roaming around and searching for items, but that was more than enough to satisfy me. When I arrived back home, it felt like something of an accomplishment for me, the whole experience. It made me want to smile, even though on the way back, the sky started weeping, and rain fell from the sky, and basically drenched me from head-to-toe because I hesitated and failed to bring an umbrella with me. But I didn't mind. I didn't mind at all, and it felt great not having to.

HAUL No. 1 (MACAU)

Gray Hoody from Pull & Bear, Printed Tee from Zara;

Printed Tee from Pull & Bear, Pullover from Zara;

Printed Tee from Zara, Pullover from Pull & Bear;

These are the clothes that I brought home from my trip to Macau. I just bought a few shirts to casually wear here in Manila, and a wonderfully soft hoody from Pull & Bear. And believe me when I say that it's wonderfully soft! It really is. It'll be great for the non-existent cold weather here in Metro Manila haha.