I know, Ashley and I have been MIA for a couple of months, call it hiatus, laziness, or whatever. Point is, we're back, again. Pst, we'll see how long this lasts this time. Haha.

I was in Philippines for 3 weeks this past Christmas and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Did not really think much about the trip until the night before my flight, when I was frantically packing my things, good ol' last minute Gelaine, Am I right?

It's been 5 years since my last visit.... I wouldn't say I was excited to go back, I was actually more frightened and anxious. I did not know what to expect. However, as I look back on it, I am quite happy that I travelled with no expectations, I was just longing for something new and I didn't know it yet at that time. Funny how things change in a span of.. let's say... three weeks.

I was going to firstly write a brief summary of how my trip went, the things I did, and the scenery I've seen. But, I felt like doing some reflecting... with the addition of some lovely photos.. on the idea of wanderlust and my perspective on travelling.

Mind you, I don't travel often. I haven't been to each continent. However, I have experienced different cultures, met people from various countries and have broadened my mindset due to it. I think sometimes people get carried away by the idea that travelling is ONLY just about seeing the popular landmarks, and having to post them the day of so that your friends and families can see it on your Facebook timeline. I can't lie, I, myself do that. However, photos can only express so much. I remember seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time and literally spent the first 30 minutes taking pictures of it in every possible angle. Sometimes, I wish I could've just spent most of the time admiring it's beauty... and it's presence. Anyways, before I get carried away. Here are just a list of the few things I've learned from travelling. As a noob, I bet I have more to learn. However, as of now... this shall do.

1) Roadtrips. Enjoy Them. 

In Philippines, people usually drive from one province to another. The northern part of the country is roughly a 15 hour drive from the capital city (Manila). Yes, roadtrips can be quite bothersome: stopping every hour to gas stations because you have a bladder a size of a squirrel's, having to wake up before dawn WHILE suffering from jetlag in order to arrive at your destination at a proper time.... the list could go on & on. However, I really enjoyed seeing the sceneries, the towns we were passing by, and observing people doing their everyday routines. I try not to sleep the entire time because I would've missed out on ... a) seeing children waving posters that say "Merry Christmas" on the sides of the road while driving on Christmas Eve (yes they were asking for money, we did throw some pisos (coins) at them (making it rain, you know? JK). b) realizing that your driver could potentially be an extra from the film: Fast & Furious - I mean the number of overtakes and tailgating that was happening...LOL and obviously, c) Fully appreciating the beauty that is.. mother nature.

2) Stop Complaining! 

Take a moment to realize that you're in a different country. There were times where the toilets won't flush, where I'd get x1000 bug bites from being outside for only a couple minutes. Yes, I had to constantly buy bottled water because tap water was a big No No (apparently). However, I knew this was going to happen, I've spent some time analyzing horrible scenarios in my head which did not really help my sanity. So, stop overthinking, don't complain if for some reason the washroom did not have toilet paper. Learn from it, heck, it may even teach you a little something about r e s p o n s i b i l i t y.

3) Be one with their culture, take a piece of that culture and bring it back with you.

You're probably thinking "Gelaine, aren't you filipino? so you already know the culture". Well, Filipino-Canadians are not quite similar to those back home. Some are more conservative and follow strict values that my parents kind of disregarded upon immigrating here. Returning from my vacation, I definitely feel "more filipino", if that's even a thing? I began to understand why certain values are so important to us and regardless of how traditional it may all seem - it gives character to one's culture.

4) BROADEN YOUR MINDSET. 

Excavate your mind. This advice is for those who haven't yet tried to travel, or have been stuck in the same place, for a long time. There are bigger, perhaps better things out there. You start to notice all the other possibilities that you could potentially be a part of. It's something else. Sometimes, when I find myself alone, feeling slightly blue, complaining about life - and the things I'm going through.... I realize that - hey, brighter things are coming, just waiting out there, for you to finally find the courage (or the balls) to take it. Try not to worry, because you'll eventually find yourself at a happier place and you use that to motivate you each day.

Well, I hope this long, slightly random post gives you something to think about. Reflect on your life, don't imagine yourself stuck between four walls.

A here with yet another VLOG post and this time it's a day in a life with me.

Trust me y'all this is as simple as it gets, if anything spontaneous were to happen—I'd be lucky enough to capture it, but for now this would do. I also wanted to test out my iPhone 5s and my wide angled fish eye lenses kit and so far I love how it just captures everything.

I do have a digi cam, but no batteries :( 

First world problems y'know?

Enjoy everyone and thanks so much for the support!

 
Ashley here, with another food for thought. 

Without a doubt, Gelaine and I suck as a whole not updating as frequently as we said we would. Honestly, not going to give any bullshit excuse—but life as usual just got in the way. The two of us are full time students with a part-time job and trying to meet in between just isn't in the works as of right now. As for summer, well we've been working 20-30 hours a week and Gelaine did go out of the country—timing was just never on our side.

But here I am with a blog post to start off the new school year! The two of us are in third year and I came across the idea of doing a 'Back to School Post', but I just didn't know how to approach it...I mean I could do a back to school haul? But most of my supplies are from the dollar store or staples...Although, please buy ink at Best Buy cause it's a hellllaaaa good deal there than Staples (unless you have a costco membership then bless your soul cause ink prices are a blessing there).  Then there's the idea of a back to school look book, but we've been swarmed with classes, work, and events that there was just no way we could meet up to do so. So then how exactly am I going to do a post about school if it's not about style/beauty/hauls? Simple. Just telling you exactly how it is.

School sucks.

Now don't get me wrong, education is an opportunity as well as a gateway to our future. Learning is a gift that grants us with knowledge. However, the process of gaining knowledge sucks. You start off with kindergarten, moving on to elementary, middle school, high school and then your post secondary education or going straight into the workplace right? As simple as these steps and stages sound, what you do in between and during is what sucks.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that from my personal experience with school there's just so much to take in that it gets overwhelming how much of it has changed. Kindergarten you're either playing around or learning the alphabet, elementary to middle school you're slowly gaining knowledge in a sense where you apply them and it makes you realize your strengths and weaknesses. High school is the year where it either makes you or breaks you. It's the place where you supposedly have an idea of your future and what you want.

But I didn't have the idea of what I wanted.

While all my friends had a sense of understanding of what they're good at, I was just a....floater—I waited and sure you can say procrastinated with what I wanted to do, but I just lived in the moment and did work that I had to do. I had a structure of how my life should go: "After high school, I'm going to university..." But the question is what did I want to do? I left it till the last minute and ended up taking my BA at Ryerson for Sociology with a minor in Criminology. Now you're probably thinking, "Okay if you didn't know what to do...Why didn't you take a year off?" But posing a question as simple as that is much more complex in real life. My mind set at the time is to make my parents proud because growing up we've been through hell and back—and all I want to do is make them proud.

Now I'm in my third year, I'm at the point where I'm not gonna look back and say I regret this and as much as I complain (since i live and breath complaints errryyday), I'm going to make do with what I have and with what I can do. I enjoy my program, I've made friends here and there and I've learned to gain interests and what not. What I want to do after is another story. It's scary, thinking after that BA—What will I do next? Masters? Year off?

Anxiety gets the best of us and it doesn't matter how old you are or what your current situation is. However, you as a person, as a whole shouldn't doubt yourself—I've realized that there are many people who are going through the same process, and that we are not alone. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, school sucks cause it plays a role in developing a sense of self, and for people like me who are floaters, where exactly do we fit in? Attaining a type of career choice is either a) being judged upon ("Oh so you're taking Sociology? What are you going to do after?" "Sociology? You're going to be a social worker?"), b) the demand in the job market is do or die at this point because there are high demands in one sector and low on the other, c) forced upon ("Why don't you be a nurse!"), etc. etc.

Now I've seen it all, I've seen it through all my friends and family members–We all impact each other in some way and where I'm getting at is: Take a deep breath, inhale, exhale and clear your mind. You can get through this.

I love lists, so I'm going to list off things right off the bat instead of going off into a tangent:

• If you don't know what to do—Don't force yourself into something just so you can please everyone around you. It's not easy, but if you could hold off and find something you love then it would be worth it in the end.
• Don't compare yourself to others. I've been in this state of mind for years and it's not pretty—whether you hear their achievements, or listen to your parents gloat about them—do not ever think you are less than them. You are your own person, own up to it and simply show what you can do. Nosce Te Ipsum; Know thyself. You are not less, you are greater than you can ever imagine.
• You're not alone, surround yourself with positive people who have made an impact in your life and helped you pull through. Dispose dead weights who have brought you down, you don't need excess negativity—especially through a stressful school year. 
• You will have your ups and downs, it's all about learning to handle them. Find an outlet is my best advice for you, whether it's reading, writing (my personal fave), working out, eating (first personal fave), etc. Though, don't distract yourself in order to run away from reality—Get shit done so you could get somewhere and say you did it.
• Go ahead, be negative, be positive, get mad, get sad—You will go through a whirlwind of emotions and it's okay not to be okay. Learn to pick yourself up again and gear towards motivation and kicking ass. 
• Sleep...Seriously, sleep if you have to.
• Fear for the future, but learn to conquer it by dreaming big. Surely, you'll doubt yourself at one point in time. But don't stay in that state for too long, gain confidence and watch what you're able to do unfold.
• Take a risk once in a while, whether it's something you've never done before—or a mindset that hasn't occurred to you. Learn to not bring yourself down, self-acceptance; learn to be more optimistic, even if you're a pessimist—those count as risks. Change up your routine, eat new food, learn a language, watch or listen to a movie or music genre out of your comfort zone. You're just changing a minor detail in your life and you never know, it may lead to greater things...
• Appreciate the little things.

And sure maybe you had an idea of what you wanted to do, but realize this isn't what you wanted. Judging by your current situation, whether it's money, time, and all that effort—It's okay that you've realized it, just make do and turn your life around in the long run. If you're settled and you love what you're doing, then keep it up and I'm sure as hell glad and proud that you've found the pathway you want.

Dreams and passions are always getting gutted by expectations and what others want, but we can always achieve what we want if we put our minds and heart to it. I hope that everyone's school year isn't as tough as it should and that you'll able to pull through! It's okay if you bombed a test or assignment, don't give up and expect that, that's the grade you're going to end up with. I stuck with that mentality for my first two years of university and at this point, I'm all about just putting in effort and seeing where it can take me. You can do this and if you don't believe it, well know that someone out there does.

Don't give up.
Keep going forward.
Conquer.

xoxo

Ashley

MAY 7TH VLOG

SHENANIGANS VLOG

In my previous post I've mentioned about life talks and so I came up with the idea of a "Food For Thought" segment on our blog. Basically these are posts which are related to reflections upon every day life, as well as advice, opinions, life experiences, etc. This is the part where we basically get personal. Life isn't always glam and one satisfying feeling for most of us is to know that we're not alone whether it's with life struggles, trying to finish a paper, bombing an exam, the love bug (which i try to be an expert on with no experience)—Those kind of things. Moving onto today's topic, I'll be writing about "20 things I've learned in 20 years" aka 20/20 (i have the tendency to make names up for anything and anyone).

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♡ Gelaine's Outfits ♡:

#1 I wore a laced cropped top (with a laced bandeau underneath, of course), and put a thin brown vest over it. I matched this top with a long black maxi skirt (you can still pull off girly skirts & dresses during the fall season! Just because summer ended does not mean you can't wear those comfy and easy to match skirts!). Fall wardrobe is not complete without a pair of nice suede boots! Boots can easily match with anything -- I personally prefer camel coloured boots because they stand out more compared to darker coloured boots. In terms of accessories, I wore my usual, every-day necklace and bracelet: the moustache necklace and the gold coloured bracelet with tribal patterns/shapes.

#2 For a more casual look, I decided to pair up a VERY comfy forest green pullover with black meshes on it. I love wearing wierd and somewhat bizzare patterns and matching it with black skinny jeans and a pair of boots. If you don't want to appear too ordinary and plain from wearing just a pair of jeans and a shirt, I would recommend just putting over an over-sized patterned sweater to add that extra OOMPH to your outfit. I also wore a white button-up, collared shirt underneath the vneck sweater for that added classic look. Lastly, a beanie is a must during the fall season! It is stylish & keeps my massive head warm!