Rainy day blues

Things to do on rainy days (make sure you have an emergency kit, though! It's always better to be on the safe side. Also applicable to snow-ins):

1. EAT. Preferably hot food because rain always makes me feel chilly. (Click the name to go to the recipe)

Turkey Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) from Cooking Light

Champorado (Filipino Chocolate Rice Porridge) by wokwithray.net

Sinampalukang Manok (Chicken in Tamarind Soup) by http://feastasia.casaveneracion.com

Perfect Potato Soup by The Pioneer Woman

2. READ. There are a lot of upcoming movies that are based on books, and in my opinion it's always better to read the source material first before viewing its big screen adaptation. Unless that's not your thing :)

Ender's Game (from Wikipedia): Set in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperilled mankind that has barely survived two conflicts with the Formics or "Buggers", an insectoid alien species. In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, an international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders. The world's most talented children, including the novel's protagonist, Ender Wiggin, are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School. There, teachers train them in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games including ones undertaken in zero gravity in the Battle Room, where Ender's tactical genius is revealed.

The Monuments Men: During World War II, a group of British and American museum directors and art historians risk their lives to recover stolen works of art before they can be destroyed by the Nazis.

Jack Ryan series by Tom Clancy (this is the movie plot): A CIA analyst uncovers a terrorist plot to destroy the United States economy.

Odd Thomas: A short-order cook with psychic abilities encounters a mysterious newcomer in his small desert town.

3. WATCH. These movies are currently available to rent at Redbox :)

I watched this yesterday. Yes, it is long and has dragging moments, but it also has a lot of gems inside. The makeup can be distracting but does not detract from the storytelling. A must-watch! (The Asian version of Jim Sturgess is, I must admit, POGI hahaha.)

4. LISTEN. Here are some songs off of newly-released albums.

Other suggestions: Draw, write a short story, do pilates, basically anything to get de-stressed and not get depressed by the rain. It is essential for life, after all.

(Trivia: I used to affix a cutout of Batman's symbol to a flashlight then we'll pretend it's THE Bat Signal hahaha. Childhood is awesome, I don't know why some kids want to grow up fast.) 

Good night and stay dry! :)

<3,

P.S.

Help our brethren in the Philippines who were affected by Tropical Storm Maring by donating to reputable organizations. Remember, every cent counts!

Philippine Red Cross

ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor) Foundation USA Inc.

Music Videos: Cars

A VW Beetle-filled scene from "Candy" by Mandy Moore

Raise your hand if you wished you had a Beetle after watching Candy by Mandy Moore! Seriously speaking, it was my dream car, and the fact that my father used to drive one also helped in cementing that thought. But VW parts are expensive, so once the Ford Explorer my father passed on to me started overheating, I bought a trusty silver 2012 Toyota Corolla instead (nicknamed "Kotse," the Filipino/Tagalog word for "car" because I'm not really into names lol). I love looking at beautiful cars, but I'm glad that I don't mind if mine gets scratches because it's not swanky enough. I don't know if I'll ever get an expensive car either because I'd rather spend my money on traveling/vacations, charity and investments.

I used to spell Volkswagen as Box Wagon hahaha :) (Image taken from http://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen/2003-beetle_last_edition/ )

This post is dedicated to my big bro Jong and his love for cars. One of the best memories ever: him building a makeshift car out of seat cushions from our living room sofa when we were 7 and 9 years old. I wish I had a copy of the picture of us in it so I could post it here :) Enjoy and au revv-oir ;)

Tutorial time! Glow-in-the-dark FUN. Concert Tee

Super easy, all you need are:

-patience
-black shirt
-paper
-Xacto knife
-pen/pencil
-glow-in-the-dark fabric paint
-background music (optional but highly recommended ;) )

Here are some video splices from their concert, enjoy!
Trivia: there was heavy downpour that night and Nate Ruess (the lead singer), being such a nice guy, ran to the soaked audiences at the lawn area to check on them, then went back to the stage. On his way back, he passed by RIGHT IN FRONT OF US and I screamed like a high school fan girl afterwards, but whatever, carpe diem!

"Coz a little bit of summer's what the whole year's all about"

The title above is a line from Wildfire, one of John Mayer's songs from his new album Paradise Valley. And how true it is for me - Summer's the season I look forward to the most because it's when I get to do a lot of activities unhindered by the bone-chilling cold winds of Fall and Winter. Come those seasons, I'll retreat into my little nest again and become a temporary hermit who only comes out for work, Singles for Christ gatherings, babysitting and Pho noodles. Summer, oh Summer, how I love thee! Two weeks from now I'll be flying to LA to see my family after a year of missing them (my little bro grew so much taller, it'll be harder to give him noogies now :c ), hopefully the weather will be kind and grant us a sunny mini-vacation in San Diego. I can't contain my excitement <3 

I wore the outfit below to Mass this afternoon. I've had the dress from Old Navy for three years already, and even after being worn numerous times it's held up quite well (shopping tip: always check the seams to see if they're well-made, or else your garment will need some repairs after merely one wash). It's such a bargain considering I got it from the Clearance section! Guys and gals, you're better off buying sale items from reputable stores (e.g. Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, J. Crew) if you want more bang for your buck because chances are the garments at trendier stores will not last long (although I have been lucky at times, but then that's it, just luck). Ok? Ok ;)

Have an awesome and blessed week ahead!

<3,

Floral ditsy dress - Old Navy

Black leather wedges - Aerosoles

Tortoiseshell watch - Relic

Black leather sling bag - Coach

Black floppy summer hat - Collectioneighteen

Music video dump - Melancholic

Lookbook.nu New York Fashion Week Contest

This will be a super quick post because I haven't eaten dinner yet! This is my entry to the NYFW contest sponsored by Lookbook.nu. It's so hard to get hypes from that site, I feel like all the looks I've posted are garbage. I think I need to start wearing all-black, fishnet stockings and DIY ripped shorts in order to get noticed, but then again that's not ME. Ah well, still crossing my fingers for the Kmart fashion contest! :)

Paper Doll - John Mayer / Neapolitan Ice Cream

1. BUBBLE GUM PINK SKIRT

   , 

   REMAIN

   , in SKIRTS

2. MINT GREEN AND WHITE STRIPED BUTTON-DOWN

   , 

   HALOGEN

   , in STRIPED SHIRTS

3. CAMEL BROWN TRENCH COAT

   , 

   NY&CO

   , in OUTERWEAR

4. BUBBLEGUM PINK SNEAKERS

   , 

   CITY SNEAKS

   , 

   PAYLESS

   , in SNEAKERS

5. GOLD OVERSIZE WATCH

   , 

   KENNETH COLE

   , in KENNETH COLE WATCHES

Follow me on instagram! --> instagram.com/juliepat

<3,

Shoe in Love!

It's supposed to still be summer, but recently when I go out early in the morning or late at night it's in the 60s, which for me is COLD. That means I have to wear shoes instead of sandals to keep my toes toes-ted (hehehe sorry!). Here's a selection of shoes that I'm currently coveting for Fall 2013 - not that it's Fall. I just want to be prepared ;) Which pair do you like best?

Fall 2013 Part 1 by white-lily featuring black leather sandals

Fall 2013 Part 2 by white-lily featuring platform ankle boots

Brrrr-ingly with <3,

On Music and Concerts

There's nothing quite like watching your favorite bands/singers perform onstage, holding your screams in because you don't want to be hauled out by security, dancing/singing/dancing&singing along to their songs with friends and strangers, and reliving every moment once it's (alas!) over. These are why I tolerate ribbing from coworkers and other friends about my semi-packed summer concert schedule (see below), even if sometimes they include bands that are not as famous as they used to be (or so you think) like Hanson, 98degrees, and such. The appreciation of good music has been deeply embedded in me since I was a kid, almost always waking up on weekend mornings to John Denver's lyricism and visions of  West Virginia, Eric Clapton's ability to make his guitar sing, Frank Sinatra's velveteen voice and perfect diction, and let's not forget Simon&Garfunkel, Eagles, America, Chicago and Bread. Sometimes classical music too, plus vocal groups like The Platters and of course The Beatles. Growing up (hey 90s kids!) I learned to love the same songs as my peers: I crooned along to Boyzone, sang girl power-infused lyrics by the Spice Girls, stared googly-eyed at posters of the Backstreet Boys and dressed up like Avril Lavigne for a costume party in high school. But weekends were meant for music curated by Pa, and thus my eclectic musical taste formed. I was a teenage oldie, and proud of it.

Not included: Steve Martin, NKOTB with 98degrees and Boyz II Men, and Matchbox Twenty & Goo Goo Dolls

I used to think that Pa was the greatest guitarist in the whole world. And while that might not be true to 99.9999999999% of the population, I still think he's pretty awesome and I will always keep the memory of our morning jamming sessions close to my heart <3 He's why I taught myself to play the guitar (one of the first songs I learned to play was Summer Breeze, which was, decades after the original version, made popular again by Jason Mraz) and why I love serving in Singles For Christ's Music Ministry, although my guitar skills are verrryyyy rusty. Ma and my two brothers have good voices too; in hindsight, we should have formed our own version of The Partridge Family hehehe jk!

I am fortunate and very thankful to live near the nation's capital, because the possibility of a good artist/band playing in the area is pretty high :) If budget permits it, I'll be able to go to other concerts that I've just recently heard about <3 Thank God they're not as expensive as John Mayer's tickets, though, seriously! Then again, if it's an artist that you've loved for the longest time, why not? Carpe diem! (This is also why I joined Run or Dye even if I didn't train properly! lol) 

Click on the band's/artist's name to buy tickets :)

Walk The Moon - Sept. 27 at 9:30 Club

KT Tunstall - Sept. 28 at Lincoln Theater

Franz Ferdinand - Oct. 17 at The Music Center at Strathmore

Blogger Love - Peony Lim

By happenstance, one particular picture on a street style photo blog I went to caught my eye - her outfit was impeccably styled, and I could not help but be a wee bit jealous of her sartorial elegance. The person I'm talking about is none other than Peony Lim - a half-Chinese, half-English lady whose style is very much envied by women from all over the world (I have absolutely no idea how she went under my radar. Rumi Neely who?). I've been following the same fashion blogs and it was refreshing to add her to my list of style inspirations. It also helps that she posts recipes that look absolutely DELISH. Take a look:

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Stuffed Meatballs

Chocolate Cream and Raspberry Swiss Roll by Peony Lim

Pink Oman by Peony Lim

A Blouse To Last A Lifetime by Peony Lim

Day 3 NYFW by Peony Lim

Be inspired, but most of all, be an inspiration!

<3,