While I’m still terrified at the thought of doing Project 365 (which I tried once, but failed), committing myself to a more manageable creative project excites me for all the reasons I mentioned above.

So I’m doing this starting today.

Inspired by Stephanie and Mav’s A Year of Sundays, this new creative project I’m imposing upon myself will run from February 2012 to February 2013. I will take photographs and let you in on how my Saturdays go; you can keep coming back to this post to monitor my progress. Hopefully, as I go about one week after another, I will also be challenged to do something extraordinary out of my Saturdays and make the most out of it.

52 Saturdays starting today, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I know I will. :)

Picking up my first Peter Pauper Press journal was random. I got the first blue floral-printed journal that caught my attention from a pile of stuff at a FullyBooked counter at the start of 2011. Since then, I never bought any other brand of notebook other than PPP.

I had a total of 7 journals last year, including the one I’m writing on right now. Allow me to share photos of them because they’re just too photogenic! And they’re actually prettier in real life than the ones you see on their product catalog!

It’s difficult finding them here in Manila, so when I was in New York, I hoarded a couple of pieces from Barnes and Noble. Later on I learned that if you looked hard enough, you’d find them at some National Bookstore, Power Books and Fully Booked branches. I love them so much I started buying them not just for myself but to give to some friends as well.

To make it sweeter, I’ve so far made sure I didn’t get the same design twice. (Hover over the photos to see the captions.)

Their paper is usually plain white and finely-ruled, but once in a while you get yourself a little surprise. Some of these notebooks come with dainty little prints like these:

Cute no?

I’ve made myself visible online all these years, blogging, twitting, posting here and there; but nothing still compares to writing things down old school way—paper, ink, and heart. My journals are the keeper of my most honest thoughts and musings, my most daring prayers, and even my dried-up tears on its pages.

I love the thought that long after my blog sites are abandoned, my eyesight too blurry to see the computer screen, and my hand too shaky to type on a computer keyboard, I still have trinkets of my life preserved in a box-full of journals, which, hopefully, I’d get to hand down to my kids.

In You’ve Got Mail, when Kathleen Kelly’s book shop was starting to lose sales after Fox Books opened within the block, she confidently shrugged off the concerns of her worried employees and simply said, “They’re new, it’s a novelty. It’ll all shake out. Meanwhile, I’m putting up more twinkle lights.”

I love that scene. I love how Kathleen said that line as if putting up those lights was more important than worrying about her business. We all could use some of that attitude, don’t you think? (:

Last week, I woke up from a quick nap to the sight of this beauty *points to the picture*. We were supposed to do this together, but the husband thought he’d surprise me so he went ahead putting the Christmas lights up while I was sleeping. A word to husbands out there: big or small gestures like this are very much appreciated. Never get tired surprising your wives with kindness, rest assured, your act of love will be returned tenfolds. ♥

x o x o

Here’s some linkworthy stuff to start the week:

+ Interesting thoughts on making disciples by Laura Hamilton. I agree with her, Christianity does involve a bold, unashamed declaration of faith, rather than a quiet commitment you keep to yourself.

+ I cried like a loser, watching this Coca-Cola OFW Project. Good job, Coca-Cola! You make me want to buy boxes of Coke and give them away for Christmas.

+ Alie Edward’s December Daily hybrid journal project makes me wish I have time and skills to do one of my own. Paislee Press and Paper Relics are doing it too. I started scrapbooking (again) lately, I just don’t think I can do it with the same passion and commitment as these ladies here. At least not yet. Maybe someday. (;

+ Pentatonix won the Sing Off last week. I love this video I found in Youtube, a montage of all their performances this season. We still watch them at home until now.

+ I love how Seth Godin’s blogs transcend both business and life. He may be using marketing terms like “products” and “customers” and “services” or may be directly referring to entrepreneurial principles in his posts, but for all we know, he’s actually imparting to us important life lessons on achieving real-life breakthrough one step at a time. Oh, and he’s got some interesting thoughts about Christmas lights, too! This guy thinks about everything! LOL.

+ I’ve been thinking about this SEO and Online Marketing industry I happened to have been exposed to for the past 6-7 years, and I thought, even though I don’t really see myself doing this forever, perhaps I shouldn’t give up on it just yet.

+ Lastly, you might want to help Wikipedia, since, you know, we’ve all somehow benefited from it at one point or another.

Here’s to starting, and ending, the week right! (:

He ordered the Zink sheets from ebay, the package was shipped to the Philippines from California, and just like that, my love for instant photography is back. Mind reels that there’s a separate blog about this sometime soon. You bet. (:

2. Habakkuk 3:17-19. Last Sunday, David preached in church for the first time and the experience was awesome. I know, that last sentence was pretty biased, coming from his wife and #1 fan by default. But what’s truly awesome to me is how God prepared him for this. Sure, he didn’t have a degree in Theology, but his message felt so real to me because I’ve seen Habakkuk 3:17-19 happen in his life more times than my fingers can count and my mind can recall. I sat there front and center, listening to him preach God’s Word, feeling like I was getting to know him a little bit more, and feeling blessed and inspired of the message that God placed in his heart. So okay, I may be biased, but come to think of it, if there’s anyone who sees this man for who he really is now—ups and downs, good days and bad days—it’s got to be me. And I’m soo thankful to be a witness to how God is continuously working in his life, and our life together. (:

3. Link love. And now I send some link love to these people whose blogs/videos inspired me this week. After the jump.

+ Can you believe this music video? It’s a video made of Kinna Grannis, 288,000 real jelly beans, and 22 hours of hard work! Go see for yourself.

+ Do you know Pentatonix? We are crazy about them! I remember getting hooked to The Sing Off last year when I was in the US. Sadly, the show is not being aired in Philippine television, so my husband and I had to wait around Youtube and wherever Sing Off videos are being uploaded. We manage to follow the season alright, albeit delayed telecast, and we’re rooting for Pentatonix all the way! Here’s a Pentatonix playlist I made, mostly because we like playing the videos on loop at home, and partly so I can share them here.

+ My heart goes out for Jennie, especially this Thanksgiving, as she and her daughters celebrate their first Thanksgiving without Mikey. I feel attached to her, for some reason. Jennie encourages her readers to always be thankful, and to help The Liz Logelin Foundation, established to help people struggling with the loss of a husband or wife. So I’m sending some link love over there too, for whatever help this may serve.

+ Normi is moving in THIS DOMAIN with me! Yay! Chasingdreams.net’s first ever sub-domain, her blog is now residing at normi.chasingdreams.net. She thanks me for the space, but I said I should be the one thanking her for hopping on board. I have a vision for this domain, and I’m happy to announce that Normi is the first dreamer joining this chase with me. So hover over to her space, and read her take on Divorce. (Way to go for a first post, Mrs!)

+ Matthew Snyder’s take on sin and the message of the cross came at a time I needed to be reminded. It’s easy to be hard on yourself or other people, pointing out the things that you’ve done wrong, or criticizing others for what they’ve done wrong, sometimes sulking about them even. But Matt reminds us that the real message of the cross is not just in Jesus dying for our sins, but also in the empty tomb–it is finished. Done. He rose above death and we shouldn’t dwell so much on sin anymore. He said it better than I ever could, so go ahead and read it there.

I should make this a weekly thing, sharing awesome reads and websites I find here and there. Maybe I will. :)

I just love how I’ll never run out of beautiful wedding photographs to share! (:

I keep coming back to Jennie Perillo’s blog, quietly watching her life and cheering her on from a distance since I found her blog a couple of weeks ago. I know I only started following her story after the death of her husband, but seeing her wedding photos for the first time made me tear up like I’ve known them for a long time. I don’t think she’s ever posted their wedding photos on her blog until now.

I lost my Dad too five years ago, and I remember finding refuge in the pages of my blog and writing about my grief as my way to cope. Although the loss of a husband and a father may be two very different things, I do know how it’s like to be a daughter, seeing her mother rise above her grief and be strong for the sake of her children.

It’s my Dad’s birthday today. He’s supposed to turn 62 years old. It feels like a long time since he passed away, but relieving his memories still brings tears to my eyes, making me long to see him and hear his laughter again.

There’s really no easy way to cope with losing someone you love over death. They say getting over your grief gets easier each day, and while there may be some truth to that, there would still be that empty seat no matter how far you’ve come.

It’s easy to take things for granted in a marriage, especially when the number of ordinary days you spend with your spouse begins to trump the extraordinary ones. But Jennie’s story is a real, honest-to-goodness reminder for the rest of us to treasure every moment with our loved ones and appreciate each day’s big and small things.

Be kind to the ones you do life with, Bobbie Houston said. God gave us one short life to live and we never know when it’s going to end, we might as well live a life we won’t regret.

When my cousin, Ate Dots, confirmed to me that she and her husband were flying in from Sydney to attend our wedding, I just knew that I wouldn’t want anyone else to do our wedding cake but her. Ever since the launch of Treatbox, I’ve been an avid fan of their creations and have often wished they shipped their treats internationally.

Needless to say, our wedding cake was beautifully made, even better than I imagined. Ate Dots captured the color palette perfectly and the details were so intricately designed it was an instant subject of many of our photographs. She even captured my hair, my dress, my bouquet, my dimple and Bud’s mole. I still have the cake topper kept in a jar, but the cake has (obviously) long been gone. Just the same, it’s gifts like this that leave behind beautiful memories and photographs, ones you’d keep looking at for years to come.

Thanks Ate Dots and Kuya Mitch (and Jonah!) for bringing Treatbox right to our reach, and for not missing our wedding for the world. (:

Shameless plug: If you’re in Sydney, specifically in Paramatta, Blacktown and Eastern Suburbs, do check out Treatbox! They specialize in custom-made, eye-candy fondant cakes and cake pops, and I heard Ate Dots’ silvanas are really delicious too!

Anyway, this photograph I chose was taken just before I walked down the aisle. David was already in front, serenading me one last time before I became his wife, and there I was at the back, seconds away from my bridal march, still unable to believe that the moment had finally come.

Green reminds me of life, and I like how the color represented just that on our wedding.

On a sad (but totally related) note, there’s this blogger whose husband recently died of a heart attack after 16 years of marriage. I didn’t know Jennie Perillo until yesterday when I landed on her site after some aimless blog-hopping. It was August 7 when her husband died, just a week before our wedding. Reading through her posts, I had this sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought that, as I was starting my life with David, someone else was mourning over the death of her husband. I cried and cried, reading Jennie’s posts. What used to be a blog teeming with delicious recipes and vibrant photos of food now floods with Jennie’s grief—recollections of that fateful day her husband passed away, thoughts about life, death, and moving forward, and love letters to her husband that one could only wish he could read, wherever he is.

I kept reading, I even went through her archives to find posts about her husband Mikey. I don’t think she wrote about him when he was alive as much as she did now that he’s gone.

I don’t know Jennie, but her loss hit close to home as I realized how much my life now is tightly intertwined with someone else’s life.. and how losing this person would be just like losing myself. I don’t even want to imagine how Jennie feels.

From Jennie Perillo‘s blog, this photograph just moved me to tears.

After reading Jennie’s blog last night, I went to bed and embraced my husband tighter, held him closer, and thought to myself, this is my life now. He is my life now.  It’s ironic how this feeling of security that comes with having someone beside you for better or for worse for as long as you both shall live, can be the very same thing that would make you panic sometimes.

Lessons learned:

Life is short, invest in time. Don’t hold back words of encouragement and affirmations from people you love–say them, out loud. Don’t dwell on the bad, hold on to the good. Don’t let your differences (or even your fear of losing him over death) get in the way of happiness. Live today to the fullest, for tomorrow is still God’s. Never be ashamed to show love. Hold hands in public places, stop in the middle of sidewalks to share a hug or a kiss, post cheesy stuff on Facebook walls even. There’s nothing wrong with wearing your heart on your sleeve. Above all, love deeply, freely, unabashed. Waste no time.

*This is for Reah, who also cried over the death of Camille Prat’s husband.
I think I know exactly what you feel.

It was March 26–incidentally, my Dad‘s death anniversary–a date which, for the past 4 years since he passed away, I’ve made a point to devote to a special cause. Gianna couldn’t possibly have an idea of that little detail, hence there was no doubt in my heart that it was God who caused everything that lead me to that day.

And what a day it was, indeed. You see, it’s one thing seeing Gianna Fair Trade’s products in the website, it’s another thing being right in the heart of its mission. There I was in what they call their office-slash-production-site somewhere in an urban poor community along Boni Avenue, in awe of all the labor of love and women empowerment happening in such a small space!

And I got to do what I enjoy most–capture moments in photographs! (:

Nanay Norma showed us how she makes ipad cases out of recycled billboards/tarps.
Know more about Nanay Norma here. (Oh, and yes, that’s Gianna right there.)

Nanay Lorilai showed us a sample of her masterpiece, a backpack, also made of recycled tarp.
Know more about Nanay Lorilai here.

Filipino women artisans of Gianna

Meet Dahlia and her newborn Archie. A young mother at age 20, her dreams mostly revolve around the future of her son. Know more about Dahlia here.

Gianna Fair Trade’s mission is to empower underprivileged women artisans from developing countries through education and sustainable commerce, giving these women a better chance at providing for their family and their kids, and ultimately in reaching their dreams.

As Gianna talked to the mothers about a plethora of topics–from raising kids, to Filipino values, to new product ideas, to quality control–I could only imagine how hard these women work in hopes of making a difference in the lives of their children, their families, and their community. Each one of these mothers has a story to tell, and Gianna makes sure that building relationships with them is a priority.

Gianna’s dream of helping these women chase their dreams hits close to home and fits right into my bucket list. I’m more than honored to be part of such a worthy cause, and would like to invite you (if, for whatever reason, you find yourself on this page) to contribute also to these women’s dreams. Message me or email me at riz [at] chasingdreams.net to know how. (:

And that, my friends, is why I will never trust a man’s judgment again on matters like this! :))

So yeah, I practically lived in this ridiculously expensive Zara coat the whole week I was there because none of my other jackets/blazers were good enough, and this pair of Blowfish booties I bought at Macy’s because I had to replace the pairs of shoes that gave up on me. Even so, there were nights when David had to insist on me wearing his coat on top of mine because I probably looked so pale he thought I would faint or something. Don’t get me wrong. Wardrobe issues notwithstanding, New York City treated me well, and I wouldn’t mind going through it over again even if I die of hypothermia haha.

At this point I would just like to acknowledge that one of the things I love about my job is how I could browse through pages and pages of fashion and style blogs to no end without feeling remorse. Being in the designer clothes industry sure does come in handy sometimes! :P

Anyway, my eyes are all over the Fall-Winter trend these days. Here are some of Zara’s, Promod’s and J.Crew’s Fall 2010 look books:

Dresses, skirts, and leg warmers are love! I’m just not sure everyone can really survive 5°C like this, I probably won’t, but I love how one can wear so many pieces of clothing at a time!

Jeans, sweaters and coats.. Made me realize I haven’t worn jeans in more than a year that I suddenly started panic buying on denim!

Also, boots. And lots of scarves! Suddenly I’m checking out scarves I wouldn’t have paid attention to and knee-high boots I wouldn’t even try because it’s just not possible to wear them here in Manila.

Meh. Fall fashion is too pretty. Can we ever justify wearing wool and knee-high boots and thick knitted scarves and leather jackets here in Manila? Why do other people get to experience fall and we don’t? Life can be unfair sometimes.

I think I’m gonna dream of Polaroids and New York in technicolor tonight. <3

Anyway.. I managed to score 10 packs of One600 Polaroid films back in December after a loooong and winding quest to find suppliers here in Manila (which was, for the record, a failure, because we’re in a third world country and life’s not fair like that) and after finally succumbing to the fact that ordering from Ebay was the only way to go. So yeah, given that that acquisition cost me an arm and a leg, I’ve only used up 3 packs of Polaroid films so far, sparing the rest from impulsive, trigger happy shots and keeping them in the top shelf away from my itching hands.

I can’t wait to use up my remaining stock of Polaroids the way Andrew Farris did. Surely, New York (and Sydney) is worth saving up these overpriced boxes of expired films for.

(Via Design Vagabond)