The day I have been anticipating for the last couple of months had come and gone. Last night was HSBC's Holiday Party at the World Trade Center with the theme Party Central.
And this is the outfit I have spent serious time (and money) putting together.
As what my friend Ed says, "Work it!"
I had so much fun putting the whole outfit together, and it's worth it. Me thinks it's my favorite among all the outfits I have worn in the three Holiday Parties of HSBC that I have attended.
After work, I went home to the apartment for a quick shower and to curl my hair. And then I went to Mich's house where I changed into my outfit and put my makeup on. Yep, I did my nails, hair and makeup. Surely beats going to the salon. Aside from saving, I styled myself the way I wanted to. :)
at Mich's house
We met with Dane and TL Jimmy at the office, and off we went to World Trade Center.
What followed were performances by the different departments (and managers), yummy yummy food, a raffle of fancy gadgets, a performance by local band Sandwich, good times, and LOTS of photos by my friend and teammate Frank. :)
me, Asther, Mich
me, Dane, Ali, Asther, Frank
notice my eyeglasses in my right hand :D
my date for the evening, Dane :)
Sandwich :)
Because I am a loser and I have work the next day (which was today), Dane and I left halfway through Sandwich's performance so I can sleep. I didn't really want to leave but he was persistent. We left WTC at 12:12am and I was tucked safely in bed by 1:30am. Then I woke up at 4:30am and went to work for my 6am - 3pm job. :)
The performers and the emcees (especially Sam Oh) did a good job and the prizes for the raffle were great. However, I still prefer the parties we had before. Last night's event was a bit more, umm, low key in that there were no red carpet entrance (this girl likes her red carpet photos LOL), photobooths, nor souvenirs. Still, I'd say the night has been awesome and magical. I had a blast last night, and I would certainly remember it for a long, long time.
And I just want to say this. Others might say (and believe me, I have heard a couple of people do) that I am just wasting my time, effort and money on frivolous things like this. But hey, I am not harming anyone. And I am spending my own money and time and I am not inconveniencing anyone else in the process. I just want to look pretty and fabulous and I am happy dressing up. If you don't want to dress up, that's fine. To each his own, so please let me be. :)
I am overwhelmed by the positive response for the goodies I posted on my post the other day on how I found the perfect shoes (and then some) for my outfit for HSBC's Holiday Party. Thanks guys, it's always nice to feel your style is appreciated :)
I already told you I got all of them for only P960 (less than $20) but I did not get to tell you how each item cost. Let me break it down for you :) The purple quilted chainlink bag I got for P350 (approx $7) down from P380. I got the suede black pumps for P250 (approx $5) down from P280. The bejeweled headband originally cost P200 and the headband with the black rosette with gold trimmings was being sold for P180 but because of the power of my Mom's haggling skills I got both for ONLY P250 (approx $5). Lastly, I got a pearl layered necklace for P110 (approx $2.10) from its original price of P150. Very good deals, right? Aah, the powers and wonder of 168 Mall. I love that place! :D
I actually don't have a favorite store there. I do like Juana and Chelsea for their tailored dresses but for all of the other items I've bought from numerous shopping trips there, I just walk through the halls and look for fab finds. I must admit there are some misses as well, but a trip there can be very rewarding, if you only know how and where to look. ;)
Anyway, as you might already know (from all the posts I've bombarded you with in the past few days haha) our Holiday Party will be held tomorrow at the PICC Tent!
This is most probably the last Holiday Party of HSBC that I will attend (since I have decided to be bolder and intend to pursue my dreams this year) so I want to make sure that everything will be perfect. Today I cleaned my makeup brushes and did my nails in preparation. In my excitement and the amount of preparation I am doing you would think that I am preparing for my wedding and not an office party. I am sorry but as I've said, I am not really a big fan of night outs and parties. I am just excited for this event because I really love dressing up. :)
And so I would like to share with you my outfits in the Holiday Parties that I have attended in the almost three years that I have been with HSBC.
On January 19, 2008, we had Discovolution which was held at the World Trade Center.
January 19, 2008
This was actually inspired by Victoria Beckham. My lavender and gray dress with crystals and metal chains on the neckline was designed and created by young designer Hann Asoy who I met via Multiply. I got the Itti silver strappy sandals from eBay.
On the same year on November 28, we had Planet Groove held at the PICC Tent.
November 28, 2008
This one was Gwyneth Paltrow-inspired during the time she was promoting Iron Man in her short dresses and bondage heels. I got the metallic slate dress (on sale!) from Freeway while my shoes were from Boardwalk.
And just because I like this photo:
I think this is my favorite photo of myself from that night
Tomorrow, January 9 of 2010, Party Central will unfold at the World Trade Center.
I can just feel it. It's going to be awesome! :)
Enjoy your weekend guys! :)
So I told you here that we will be having our Holiday Party this coming Saturday, right? I told you how I have found the perfect dress to wear way back in September, long before the party was scheduled. I also told you how I already have all of the accessories I would be needing, except for the perfect pair of shoes (and a purse, if my budget allows it).
I have scoured the malls already in the hopes of scoring a good find from the numerous Holiday Sales hounding shoppers these days but surrendered empty-handed. But not really since I found a pretty ring and a pair of fishnet stockings from YRYS. I would be wearing them at the party as well but I scored zilch on the shoe-hunt. The best solution I came up with? 168 Mall in Divisoria! Boasting a wide selection of goodies (at a much cheaper price!), 168 Mall is the perfect place to go to. It's a treasure trove of fab finds at amazingly low prices, you just have to know where to look. (Fact: Some online sellers even get the stuff they sell from 168 Mall and then sell them online for double the price.) I love 168! I may well be called Krissy in Wonderland when I am there. :D
Okay, so that long introductory speech is just to tell you that I found them already! Yay!
After just a couple of hours (and a whole lotta haggling by my Mom), I got the perfect pair of shoes, and then some.
Want another reason why 168 Mall is one of my personal Wonderlands? All of these goodies set me back for ONLY P960! (That's less than $20!!)
I got a pair of black suede pumps. Simple and no frills. Perfect. I also love its heel height. I have been wearing flats to the office these past few months that my feet are no longer used to wearing heels. I must get around to wearing my heels again. Must.
I also finally got myself a chainlink bag. I wanted one in black but this is the only one they have left. There were other designs there but I did not choose them because of the very blatant logos. I don't want anything that screams knock off :D I especially like this because of its long strap and perfect size. I might not use it to the party though. I need to see first whether it will go well with my dress. Ü
The other two items I got are embroidered headbands. They were unplanned purchases but who can resist, right? I think I will wear the bejeweled one to the party. The one with the black rosette and gold trimmings I can wear during regular days. Love! Ü
I also got a pearl layered necklace but I will not wear it anymore seeing as how there's too much detail in my headpiece already.
As I said, I am not a big fan of night outs. I am just excited for the party because it is another excuse for me to glam up and put together an outfit that I would not wear on a regular day. (Oh if only we can wear corsets to the office, that would be too awesome! :D)
I have scoured the malls already in the hopes of scoring a good find from the numerous Holiday Sales hounding shoppers these days but surrendered empty-handed. But not really since I found a pretty ring and a pair of fishnet stockings from YRYS. I would be wearing them at the party as well but I scored zilch on the shoe-hunt. The best solution I came up with? 168 Mall in Divisoria! Boasting a wide selection of goodies (at a much cheaper price!), 168 Mall is the perfect place to go to. It's a treasure trove of fab finds at amazingly low prices, you just have to know where to look. (Fact: Some online sellers even get the stuff they sell from 168 Mall and then sell them online for double the price.) I love 168! I may well be called Krissy in Wonderland when I am there. :D
Okay, so that long introductory speech is just to tell you that I found them already! Yay!
After just a couple of hours (and a whole lotta haggling by my Mom), I got the perfect pair of shoes, and then some.
Want another reason why 168 Mall is one of my personal Wonderlands? All of these goodies set me back for ONLY P960! (That's less than $20!!)
I got a pair of black suede pumps. Simple and no frills. Perfect. I also love its heel height. I have been wearing flats to the office these past few months that my feet are no longer used to wearing heels. I must get around to wearing my heels again. Must.
I also finally got myself a chainlink bag. I wanted one in black but this is the only one they have left. There were other designs there but I did not choose them because of the very blatant logos. I don't want anything that screams knock off :D I especially like this because of its long strap and perfect size. I might not use it to the party though. I need to see first whether it will go well with my dress. Ü
The other two items I got are embroidered headbands. They were unplanned purchases but who can resist, right? I think I will wear the bejeweled one to the party. The one with the black rosette and gold trimmings I can wear during regular days. Love! Ü
Sorry for the messy hair :D
I also got a pearl layered necklace but I will not wear it anymore seeing as how there's too much detail in my headpiece already.
As I said, I am not a big fan of night outs. I am just excited for the party because it is another excuse for me to glam up and put together an outfit that I would not wear on a regular day. (Oh if only we can wear corsets to the office, that would be too awesome! :D)
You must already know that I am a self-confessed girly girl who loves dresses and skirts. These days I tend to oversleep though (blame my warm bed and the early January morning air) so I just slip on a simple tee-and-jeans combo just so I won't be late for work.
On the first Monday of the year I woke up late (again!) but could not NOT wear my new dress to work.
Chelsea mustard dress
YRYS thick black waist belt
Primadonna Oxford peeptoe booties
YRYS thick black waist belt
Primadonna Oxford peeptoe booties
This photo was taken by Dane when we were on our way to Mini Stop for our weekly dose of ice cream-after-lunch. Ü
During one of my days spent just scouring the Internet for anything, I found this from College Fashion and bookmarked it with the intent of sharing it in the future, then completely forgot all about it. Today, I was going through my files in my desktop computer (as it shows symptoms of being infected with a virus again so I will have it reformatted this weekend) and I saw this. Perfect! It is a list of 25 Reasons Why You Should Dress Up. Not literally dressing up as in wear dresses, but generally just trying to look presentable and neat whatever outfit we choose to wear. The ones in bold typeface are my favorites. Ü
♥ Because life’s too short to blend in. Don’t settle for average.
♥ Because you’re only young once. You’re way more gorgeous than you know & have a fabulous body you’ll one day look back on and wish you had! Take advantage now and show off how fabulous you can be.
♥ Because fashion is a method of self expression. What are you trying to say?
♥ Because you never know who you’ll run into. Brad Pitt at the grocery store? Hey, stranger things have happened.
♥ Because it obviously annoys some people (like the guy who asks why YOU are so dressed up). The fact that it annoys them so much is all the more reason to keep doing it.
♥ Because you never know, there’s always a chance you could get snapped by The Sartorialist (or maybe the girls over at Street Spotted)!
♥ Because you deserve to look your best at all times.
♥ Because you’ll never improve your sense of style if your default look is “I give up”. Yes, that was a Seinfeld reference. But it’s true!
♥ Because dressing up helps you weed out friends who don’t love you for you. If they have a problem with the way you dress, they’re not the kind of friends you want around.
♥ Because cute clothes and accessories are a great conversation starter. Wear something fabulous and people will ask you where you got it.
♥ Because parties aren’t the only time to celebrate.
♥ Because that fabulous party dress in your closet cost too much to only be worn once. Remember cost per wear?
♥ Because it’s fun!
♥ Because even if you live in an “unstylish” city & are scared to dress up, cities don’t become stylish without someone going first. I know it sounds cheesy, but be the change you want to see in the world. Everyone else can follow your fabulous lead.
♥ Because dressing up helps you make fashion mistakes and get past them. Mistakes happen to everyone and that’s how you learn what not to do – get them out of the way now!
♥ Because it’s a test of your confidence. Dressing unconventionally forces you to develop the self-assurance necessary to stand out from everyone else.
♥ Because fashion is one of the rare instances where art comes alive. What artistic statement do you want to make?
♥ Because if you’ve got it (great style, killer confidence, amazing legs), it’s just wrong not to flaunt it.
♥ Because someday when you have a 9-5 corporate job and are required to wear business suits, you’re going to miss the freedom of dress you had in college. Experiment now! There’s no better time. (Krissy's note: Not applicable in my case though as I have already graduated and am already working. Kinda true for me still though as we are not required to wear corporate outfits.)
♥ Because glamour isn’t only reserved for the rich and famous, even though maybe they’d like you to believe it is.
♥ Because if conspiracy theorists are to be believed, the world might end on 12/31/2012 – that’s only 1211 days from now (Krissy's note: Date the article is written which was 27 August 2009)! Even though we all worried about Y2K too, why not be on the safe side? Don’t spend the theoretical 1211 days you have left in sweats.
♥ Because Carrie Bradshaw would not approve of your sweatpants and UGG boots. You can do better than that. And deep down, you know I’m right.
♥ Because dressing well means you don’t have to do your hair at all – you’ll have that ultra fabulous, slightly disheveled Kate Moss look.
♥ Because nothing beats the rush you feel when you look in the mirror and LOVE what you see.
♥ Because you want to. That’s the only reason that matters.
Do you agree? I know you do! Because deep down, all girls love dressing up ;)
On a related note, Andhari, together with Shirley and Nikolett, has cooked up a fab Blogger Dress Party codenamed Project Barbie.
It is also known as Project Lovedress but I like the first name more :D In a nutshell, you just have to post a photo of yourself wearing a pink dress on February 3, 2010. Exciting, right? I already have the perfect dress in mind, I just have to have my photo taken. And that is where my friend Karlo comes in. Thanks again, Karlo! I am so excited! :D Want to join as well? Click here. ;)
As I said in a previous post, there's just something about the New Year that makes me all giddy and excited. Maybe it's because of the prospect of starting with a clean slate or the promise of new possibilities and experiences. With it also come new chances to be better versions of ourselves. And because I love life and would like to seize every opportunity to show my appreciation for every moment I am given, I really do want to become a better version of myself. For this post I would like to write about my Must Do’s. This list was actually inspired by the song You Gotta Be by Des'ree which was released in 1994 but re-released in 1998. If you don't know the song, click here. :)
This year (and the years thereafter), I want to strive to be a better ME, so here are the things I GOTTA BE:
BAD.
I don't mean bad as in rob-banks-and-kill-people bad, but bad in the sense that I wish I am more assertive. I’ll share a secret. I really have a problem with saying No to other people that sometimes I end up doing things that I did not want to do in the first place. Most basic example? I bought too many things I know I don't need just because I did not want to make the sales ladies sad. I look around, and I can feel these stuff staring at me now, mocking me. I have also been inconvenienced one too many times, just because I could not voice out my concern. Worse, some situations have even put me in a bad light, all because I did not have the balls to speak up and say an idea in question does not sound too good. Being less selfless sometimes is not tantamount to being selfish, right? If I am more assertive, then I cannot be forced to do things I do not want, or be forced into buying stuff I do not need just because I do not want to break the sales assistants’ hearts.
BOLD.
I am hoping that this year is the year I finally have the courage to get out of my comfort zone and rock the boat. I have been concealing my dreams for quite a while *ehem*almostthreeyears*ehem now, just because I am too afraid to say goodbye to my job and my friends at the office. I know that even if we make all sorts of promises to keep in touch and all that, Life will happen, we will all venture into separate paths (if not me, someone else is bound to say buh-bye to the team and resign first), and time will come that we will all be too busy for each other. I am scared of that, but I guess I just have to accept that it’s the sad reality. So, while time is at my side, I should let go of my irrational fears and go after what I really want. After all, I wouldn’t know what will happen unless I try, right?
WISER.
I have made different kinds of decisions, all of which have brought me to where I am now. Granted that yes, I am happy, there are still some decisions I am not really proud of. Some may be as simple as deciding whether I will watch How I Met Your Mother or Glee, or as complex as deciding what industry to work for once I let go of my current job. The thing is, I have decided that 2010 is going to be a milestone year for me and someday I want to look back on this year as the one where I made the most important decisions that shaped the rest of my life and made it a whole lot better, so, I gotta be wiser in weighing choices and options.
HARD.
This is somewhat related to the above (Wiser) description. Once I have made my (hopefully, wise) decision, I gotta stick to my guns and not be a sissy. This is also the perfect time for me to be a little bit harder on myself over my spending habits. Yes, life is short and we should enjoy it while we can, but a little savings wouldn't go amiss for other important wants, like travel. :)
TOUGH.
It is no secret that I am a big crybaby. It’s understandable to cry after a fight with someone, but in my case it does not take something as big as a fight to make me cry. I easily cry at the simplest things! I cry when I read letters from my friends from our high school days, I cry whenever I watch my favorite movies even though I have seen them too many times and I already know how the story ends (I even anticipate my favorite lines), I cry at cheesy commercials, I cry at everything! This is a secret, but I even cry sometimes when I hear the song Let Love Lead the Way by the Spice Girls! Anyway, I gotta toughen up and stop crying at the littlest things! Seeing a 19 23 years young lady crying because of something mundane is not cute. It’s annoying.
STRONGER.
And by stronger I mean healthier. This is too embarrassing, but I must admit something. I weigh a puny 86lbs, so thin that a strong gust of wind might even be able to knock me away. Aside from that, I am easily tired and seem to not always have enough energy. That’s when I decided to utilize one of the benefits given to us by HSBC, and that is to hit the gym at the office (such a shame I cannot post any pictures as we are not allowed to, the gym is awesome) after work every Friday and Sunday. A weight gain program would be nice, and who would complain of toned arms and legs? Anyway, as I am the un-sportiest person I know, I also do not have the necessary work-out clothes. The solution? I am buying jogging pants and racerback tops (even though I cannot, for the life of me, imagine how I can pull them off :D)
COOL.
We all have different standards of coolness; what may be cool for me may be too dorky and lame for other people. For me, you are cool if you love books, ultra-cool if you love movies too. Super ultra-cool if you love books and movies, and sprinkle a bit of trivia and fun facts as well. This year, I aim to be cool (at least in my standards) by reading my books I haven't read yet and watch DVDs in my collection that I haven't seen yet.. My backlog of books to read has accumulated and I want to be able to read them first before I buy new ones again. I should keep in mind that I bought them because I want to read/ watch them, and not because my shelves look pretty with them. :D
CALM.
I can be a little bit too paranoid and a bit of a drama queen. Trust me, I don’t like being stressed out and sick with worry about something I shouldn't even be worrying about in the first place. I wish I am a little bit more calm and collected and not worry about the littlest things.
2009 has been awesome, and I want 2010 to be awesome-r. This time next year, I want to be able to look back and smile for I have accomplished everything in my Must Do’s. I am so excited at the prospect of being a better myself! Want to share the ride with me? I am looking forward to sharing more memories with you. :)
This month...
I like: that we will have our Holiday Party on the 9th! I know it's already pretty late. HSBC has always been this way and I don't know why x_x On my first year of working here, Discovolution was held on January 20. Planet Groove was held on November 28. This year's theme is Party Central. :)
I don't like: that I haven't found the perfect shoes yet. I scoured the mall yesterday but was not successful. I bought my dress way back in September, long before the party was scheduled. I saw it in the mall and just fell in love. Now I am just looking for the perfect shoes (and a purse, if my budget allows it) and I am all set.
I want you to know: that I am not a big fan of night outs. The main reason why I am excited for the Holiday Party is that it gives me an excuse to go on shopping trips looking for the perfect outfit! It is only one time of the year when I can see my officemates glam up. :D
I've planned: the perfect outfit already. See that rose ring? I will wear that to the party. And just between you and me, I will wear fishnet stockings. I just need to look for the perfect pair of pumps!
I want to say to someone special: that I would really appreciate it if you can come to the party and be my date. :)
This is a game thought up by the Toothfairy so we can all share a bit of ourselves to our readers by completing a set of unfinished sentences every first Sunday of the month. Easy enough right? And fun! Want to join? Click here! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons