Another year draws to a close, and with it comes introspection.

Much of this day was spent watching and crying over You're the Worst digging through my memory orbs with Sadness to decide on this year's highlights, and as is my custom, I chose a word that perfectly encapsulates the year for me. For 2015, I chose 'extraordinary'. 

Purple belle c/o JuRo Salon Exclusif

Back in November I shared with you my lavendream hair c/o the BEST hair dream team ever: Sir Jude and Miss Rose of JuRo Salon Exclusif. I ended that post with a statement that I don't think I'll be going back to black anytime soon.

A couple of weeks after that blog post, I turned into a purple belle, all thanks to Sir Jude and Miss Rose!

On December 4, I marched into JuRo Salon Exclusif for a haircut. I was ecstatic to be sitting on JuRo Salon's magical chair again! Sir Jude, ever the wizard with a pair of scissors, worked his magic on my hair and I felt even more chic in no time!

My roots peeked out after my haircut and we all thought it provided a nice contrast against the lavender, but Miss Rose had other plans. She said she'll color my hair purple-blue, and how could I refuse? In just less than three hours, I went from being a lavendream girl to a purple belle!

Currently Vol. 52

Ohai, this is my last Currently for the year, and I can't believe I was able to reach the proverbial finish line without skipping! I mainly created this blog so that I can have a virtual diary to record my thoughts and memories in, and now that I started this weekly habit I am assured I have something to look back on. It's nice, is what it is. I think I'll keep it up until next year.

How was your Christmas? I hope you had a wonderful day with your loved ones. I did, and the festivities continued until the weekend, when I had a Merry Xmas Staycation with my friends.

My friend JV booked a suite in Astoria for our potluck party, and it was so great to see old friends and meet new ones over overflowing food and drinks!

Merry Christmas!

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you spend this day surrounded by good cheer and the people you hold most dear. And really, isn't that the best way to spend any day? Aside from unwrapping presents and gorging yourself with food, may we never forget the reason why we're upholding Christmas and all the wonderful traditions it comes with.

Currently Vol. 51

51? 51? 51?? 

Week by week, I try my hardest to string a few words together for these Currently posts, and now we're already at the second to the last post for this year? Bittersweet. Where have all the days gone?

Every day is a lesson, and the most important one I learned recently is that I shouldn't depend on someone else to complete me.

This stenciled hugot on a pedestrian lane in Valero Street shouldn't ask for someone to supply the missing piece. He/ she should be complete on his/ her own, and then look for someone to complement that completeness. ♥

What’s new: SM Supermalls Mobile App

It’s no big secret that I’m a little, umm, geography-challenged. I can face challenged head-on but when the challenge is locating a place or going through unfamiliar territory, well, let’s just say that I would prefer it if someone else is there leading the way. These days, even though I don’t drive, Waze and Google Maps are my friends. If only you could Waze the way to anywhere, including to the place where all your dreams would have already come true and you’ll just meet your future self there to enjoy the fruits of your labor, am I right? Heh.

Kidding aside, can I just say that it’s amazing how we continuously utilize technology to find ways to make things easier for us? Case in point, through the new SM Supermalls’ Mobile App, you never have to walk all the way to the Information Center nor use those touch-screens to direct you where you want to go inside the mall, or find out if what you want to look for can be found in the said SM mall to begin with! With just a few taps on your mobile device, information can now be found at the tip of your fingers!

The Body Shop's Feel Good Wonderland

Christmas is nine days away! Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet? For those who are still looking to complete their lists, The Body Shop is always worth a visit for their gift sets that are already beautifully packaged, negating the need for additional gift wrapping! What's more, they have partnered with Wateraid to provide families with safe water. One specially selected gift equates to one day of safe water for a family in Ethiopia, and if the proceeds exceed their donation goal they will even provide safe water elsewhere! You may visit their official website to know more about this partnership. 

The Body Shop team generously sent me a few gifts that made me giddy with Christmas-y delight, and now I'd like to share them with you together with several other gift sets they have in stores.

Ladies and gents, welcome to the feel good wonderland!

Frosted Plum Shower Gel (P750), Frosted Plum Body Butter (P995), Frosted Plum Shimmer Mist Globe (P1,195)

From the orchards of Turkey, The Body Shop's Frosted Plum collection is a sophisticated indulgence for the skin. They say it's their most refined seasonal delight yet, and looking back on their Christmas limited edition collections from years back, I must say I agree! I love that it's in keeping with my current purple obsession, too. It's infused with notes of magnolia, peony, and ripe plum, and smells sweet without being cloying. Layer the products to make sure the scent stays longer. Of these, my favorite is the Frosted Plum Shimmer Mist Globe. I love swirling it around and seeing the micro-shimmers dance about! I caught it on video and it's beautiful - like a snow globe!

Grooving Gold Eyeshadow Palette (P1,495) and Colour Crush Nails in Silver (P350)

I haven't tested the Eyeshadow Palette yet because I feel it's too pretty to open! Eep! From the swatches I've seen so far, I think the metallic shades are perfect for holiday parties, but they're not too crazy metallic that you won't be able to wear them on any regular day. I love that the box contains a fool-proof tutorial also. I will try this out and will share the result on my Instagram.

Here are the other Colour Crush Nails shades available for you polish-lovers out there

For long-time The Body Shop fans, receiving the classics is always good.

Strawberry Small Gift Set (P1,495)
Contains a Shower Gel, Body Butter, Soap, Body Scrub, and Bath Lily

Look for this sticker to do your share in the aforementioned partnership between The Body Shop and Wateraid:

Giving has never felt so good!

Here are other gift ideas you can get for your family, friends, and even yourself when you visit The Body Shop:

Frosted Plum Deluxe Gift Set

Cranberry Deluxe Gift Set

Glazed Apple Deluxe Gift Set

These Deluxe Gift Sets cost P2,995 each and contain a Body Butter, Shower Gel, Shimmer Fragrance, and Lip Tint housed in an elegant tin container.

Mini Gift Sets (P795 each)
Contains a 60 mL Shower Gel, 50 mL Body Butter, and a mini Bath Lily

Shea Small Gift Set

Olive Small Gift Set

These Small Gift Sets cost P1,495 each and like my Strawberry Small Gift Set above also contains a Shower Gel, Body Butter, Soap, Body Scrub, and a Bath Lily.

Whoever you plan on giving any of these gift sets to, I'm sure they will definitely be appreciated. Stop the rush and visit The Body Shop store nearest you to check out and smell these products in person. ♥ Happy holiday shopping!

Connect with The Body Shop Philippines

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Disclosure: The products in the actual photos were sent to me by The Body Shop team as an advanced Christmas present but all opinions are my own. I was not compensated nor required to write this post. Click here for my blog's complete Disclosure Policy.

Currently Vol. 50

You know how I always remind you to take care of your hearts? Well, I failed to take care of mine and she got broken. We're doing okay, though. We did it before, we're going to do it again. Even with all the hurt, there is hope.

I finished reading The Graveyard Book over the weekend and as always, I am left in awe over the amazing Neil Gaiman. I imagine walking inside his mind and encountering an endless slew of mystical and indescribable characters, all with their own stories waiting to be told.

"At the best of times, his face was unreadable. Now his face was a book written in a language long forgotten, in an alphabet unimagined. Silas wrapped the shadows around him like a blanket, and stared after the way the boy had gone, and did not move to follow."

No one writes similes and metaphors the way Gaiman does.

The Graveyard Book is about a child named Bod (short for Nobody Owens) who was thrust into the graveyard's care after a man named Jack killed his family and attempted to kill him, too. The story has ghosts, a guardian that's neither alive nor dead, ghouls, a young witch who was burned at the stake, ancient convocations, school bullies, imaginary friends, a dance with Death, and a lot of other adventures that only a young boy who spends fourteen years of his life living in a graveyard could have. Majority of the characters are not part of the living anymore, but the story vibrates with life! It's a beautiful book about growing up and dealing with change, even when you don't want to or you don't think you can.

Another story about growing up is The Little Prince, and I finally got to see the animated movie last night.

The animation is exquisitely beautiful. Those scenes that feature the stars? Breathtaking. But I don't know, maybe I waited for the movie for far too long (I've been anticipating it ever since I read the production news more than a year ago) and in that length of time my expectations were built so high that I found it a bit... lacking? I don't know. Nevertheless, it has a beautiful story with important lessons that most of us might have forgotten already, lost in this frantic world of adulting. If you haven't read the book yet, please do so. May we never forget what is essential.

Here is this week's Currently!

CURRENTLY Vol. 50

READING
Carljoe Javier's The Kobayashi Maru of Love is affecting me too much, I am parking that for a while and choosing something else to read. I need to finish at least one more book before the year ends.

WRITING
At least one short story before the year ends? I seriously need to stop doubting myself.

LISTENING TO
Christmas carolers singing outside.

THINKING
Nothing. I am a blank slate. I refuse to over-think.

FEELING
Okay, I guess.

I don't know how to answer the rest of the questions so I'm stopping here. Thank you for reading. I hope you're doing great this holiday season amidst the crazy. Heh. Eleven days before Christmas and I haven't gone Christmas shopping yet!

Take care of your hearts. ♥

ZALORA's 12.12 Online Fever

Dear friends from the Philippines, whether you're reading this on mobile or on a computer screen, I implore you to stop a while and visit ZALORA. They're having their 12.12 Online Fever right now and I need competition lest I spend all my money on the site.

It's the biggest online fashion shopping day in the country and it started at exactly 12 midnight! Online shoppers get the chance to experience the ultimate fashion deals across categories from both local and international brands, and if you are subscribed to their newsletter you even get voucher codes for more shopping discounts! Aaaah!

The sale is now live on ZALORA Philippines’ website and the ZALORA mobile app. Time check is 9:42 AM and I've already bought a watch and a dress! Ehem. In my defense, those items have been in my wish list for quite a while now. And now because of the wild discounts I'm thinking of adding more items to my cart. Eep! For reference, you may check my ZALORA wish list here. *coughcoughwinkwinknudgenudge*

Indeed, ZALORA’s 12.12 Online Fever is a special treat that Filipinos shouldn’t miss!

All alright

<///3

Currently Vol. 49

Cute artworks from @krissyfied here at #BU10xSMART #BU10xWorldBazaar ☺️❤️ Avail her postcards here at the World Trade Center! 👍🏼

A photo posted by Bloggers United (@bloggersunitedph) on Dec 6, 2015 at 10:46am

Krissyfied Makes was officially launched at Bloggers United 10 yesterday, and the first products I sold under this dream brand are my watercolor postcards.

I lugged everything from my home to the bazaar in World Trade Center and organized and designed my booth myself. I wanted to paint a new poster to put in that white frame but I didn't have the time so I just put my Agrabah watercolor painting in there. I know it still looks barren but considering it's my first time to do this I am quite proud of what I did. (Maybe next time I can even add more products and sell more items like notebooks and memo pads? That's the dream.) What do you think? 

My booth neighbor Alex and our friend Anne!

My lucky charm was a little late but he still came. :)

My youngest customer Elise bought a bundle! Cutie-patootie!

TOMS crew!

We were #TeamBatman at BU9
Theme at BU10 was Star Wars because The Force is strong

Acknowledgments time! I would like to thank the following: Aisa, Ana, and the rest of the BU Squad for making BU10 possible; Alex, John, and Jona for being fun booth neighbors; Anne for visiting; Miah for coming and scanning my watercolor paintings (the postcard wouldn't have been possible without him and his scanner, heehee); my officemate Patrick for lay-outing the postcards; everyone who dropped by my booth to chat with me about my paintings (I especially liked those who recognized my tribute to How I Met Your Mother); everyone who bought from my booth; and everyone who've been sending me messages to order! My heart is grateful. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

My Krissyfied Makes Postcards bundles look like this
Perfect as gifts to your friends who love collecting artsy stuff and/ or writing letters!

I am selling them for P50 each or P200 for a bundle of five. Please email me thru mail@krissyfied.com for orders. I am also selling them soon via the Shopee app. 

That's it for my mini advertisement of my wares. Hee. Here is this week's Currently!

CURRENTLY Vol. 49

READING
The Kobayashi Maru of Love by Carljoe Javier.

WRITING
My Christmas shopping list.

LISTENING TO
My Only Wish This Year by Britney Spears.

THINKING OF
Birthday plans, Christmas plans, rest-of-the-year plans.

FEELING
Harried. Can the rest of the year go a little bit slower, please?

LOVING
My hair because I am now a purple belle thanks to JuRo Salon Exclusif! Sir Jude gave me a rockin' pixie cut with an undercut. It's so pretty. I honestly haven't decided yet whether I like this better than my lavendream hair. I will post about my new hair soon!

WISHING
The rest of the year goes smoothly. Christmas is a little more than two(!!!) weeks away and I am starting to get anxious.

How are your holiday plans coming along? I hope everything goes smoothly for you, too. ♥

Krissyfied Makes Postcards as Bloggers United Strikes Ten!

Bloggers United 10 unites with World Bazaar Festival 2015 and SMART Prepaid to bring us A Holiday Dream Come True!

Is it really the tenth installment ALREADY? Apparently. Whew, what a milestone!

One can only imagine the possibilities when the country’s top fashion bloggers come together under one roof, let alone with the country’s longest running annual charity bazaar and the #1 telecommunications company in the country. What is certain though is that the combo will make for the hottest holiday event of the season. 

The 15th World Bazaar Festival (WBF) and SMART Prepaid are more than thrilled to welcome back Bloggers United as they team up to bring you Bloggers United 10 happening on December 6 from 10AM to 12MN at the Mezzanine floor of the World Trade Center in Manila. In here you will find only the best finds around as curated by the most stylish crop of trendsetters. 

Founded in 2011, Bloggers United is a series of bloggers’ bazaar held in the metro to serve as a platform where bloggers can network and interact among themselves to nurture the online Filipino community through a celebration of beauty, fashion, and style. As such, a collaboration with WBF entails a brighter opportunity for Bloggers United to reach out to the blogging community for a more meaningful and exciting experience this holiday season. 

In keeping with the spirit of the yuletide season, the event is likewise a part of a wider effort to promote charity as part of the proceeds of WBF 2015 will be for the benefit of the ABS CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation. 

The 15th World Bazaar Festival will run from December 4 until December 21 from 10AM to 12MN on Fridays thru Sundays and 12NN to 10PM on Mondays thru Thursdays at the World Trade Center in Metro Manila. Tickets are priced at P80 each.

In the five years we've been doing this I've sold a variety of clothes, bags, books, and artsy knick-knacks, but this being a milestone year I figured I wanted to make it extra-special by selling something that is literally made with my love and care. My friends, I'd like to present to you Krissyfied Makes Postcards:

Spark joy to your loved ones this Christmas by including a sweet message to your present, or deliver delight to your friends who prefer thoughts poured into paper. These watercolor postcards will be available in my booth tomorrow for only P50 each. You may also get a bundle of five for only P200. Special prizes will also be given away to those who will buy at least two bundles. Yay!

This is somewhat a soft launch of my Krissyfied Makes so I really pray this succeeds. I admit I don't have that much business acumen and I have the tendency to halt my projects the moment they gain traction but I'm crossing my fingers that this won't suffer the same fate, as it's one of my dreams to have my own stationery brand. I hope you support this venture the same way you've supported my blog, my books, and whatever project-of-the-month I brew, heh.

Check out the following social media channels for more information and updates:

Bloggers United

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Official Hashtags:

#BU10xSMART

#BU10xWorldBazaar

Event Partners:

Smart Communications

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

World Bazaar Festival

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Co-Presenters:

Shopee

Flawless

Major Sponsors:

Nail.A.Holics

Hey Sugar!

Fly Shades

Media Sponsors:

Chalk

ClickTheCity.com

FemaleNetwork.com

Lifestyle Network

MadHouseMNL.com

Meg

MegStreetWear.PH

WhenInManila.com

You may also email me thru mail@krissyfied.com if you would like to order but can't go to the bazaar. If you live outside the Philippines, message me also and we'll see how I can get these postcards to you. But I hope to see you tomorrow so we can chat and take photos!

Thank you. ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟ ♡ 

My Christmas 2015 Wish List

As per my tradition every first day of December, I'm posting my Christmas wish list here just in case Santa's feeling generous. (^_−)☆  This list actually looks scant as compared to my lists from the previous years. I don't know, I guess it's because you want less as you turn older? Or maybe you just get realistic that you won't get everything in your list anyway? Hee. Anyway, these are the things that I don't really need, but I figured would make my life extra sweet.

• Meet and greet with Nate Ruess. Whoever can give me the chance to meet Nate Ruess in person before or after his Manila show on January, ohmygollygoodness I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER.
• Typewriter. This has been a constant staple in my wish lists ever since I lost mine to a fire in our neighborhood back in 2011. I don't even know if they still manufacture the ribbons for typewriters, or maybe I can buy them in bulk somewhere? A typewriter under my tree will really make me happy.
• Moleskine Watercolor Journal. This is for when I go out of town. There have been instances when I wanted to bring my travel watercolor kit with me but I always end up not being able to do so because I find bringing loose leaves of 4"x6" and 6"x8" watercolor paper that I pre-cut too much of a hassle.
• Humans of New York. The entries of HONY on Facebook always makes me tear up, and I would love to have the book.
• NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anna and Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Color in Crushed Plum. Because a Krissyfied Wish List ain't complete without a lipstick in it.
• Astronomy-themed anything. A date in the Planetarium, a night of star-watching --- basically anything with stars.
• Hipster Jasmine Funko Pop! It's not in the photo because it's not available in the photo-editing website I am using so just kindly click the link to see how she looks like. If you don't want to, well, okay, hee. I want this because it's my favorite Disney princess AND she's wearing glasses.

That's it. That's everything.

But, you know, I've been extra good this year so if Santa's feeling extra generous then I wouldn't complain with getting a new camera or a new apartment near the office either. Heh.

What are the items in your Christmas wish list? I would love to know!