WIW: Saturday Summer Feels

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It was a busy busy Saturday but I am not complaining. Last Saturday was so productive; it was a happy pill for me! The only thing that irritated me that day was the unwarranted SUMMER HEAT!! I believe the temperature that day rose up to 36.5 Celsius high! Thank God for air-conditioning!! As you may already know I AM NOT A FAN of SUMMER. One of the few good things for me that I love about summer is I am free to wear “lighter” and shorter clothes without being much bothered by the rain or the cold. It’s one season to give those layers a rest and simply put on a dress. My outfit last Saturday may not be a dress but it’s a perfect example on how someone should dress lightly! Haha! I am wearing a comfy printed sheer top from Miss Merie. It’s actually my lazy outfit, top and shorts, most especially these HOT summer days. 

Another go-to outfit not just on summer is dresses! It’s so easy to just slip in a dress then off I go! I always enjoy creating and shopping for dresses. I frequently visit Polyvore as the choices on this site seem endless! But of course, it's more of a window-shopping online. Just last Saturday I was doing my rounds of gathering inspiration for my designs, and I chanced upon these pretty nice dresses and it actually caters locally!! I almost shopped!! I had to stop before I click on the proceed to payment button. Anyways, let me end it here before this crazy heat completely drain my energy as I have some dresses to make for my clients as well. :) 

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Book Comment: The Art of Thinking Clearly

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Title: The Art of Thinking Clearly

Author: Rolf Dobelli
No. of pages:384
Published: 14th May, 2013
Read: February 25, 2015
★★★★

In engaging prose and with practical examples and anecdotes, an eye-opening look at human reasoning and essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make.

Have you ever: 

• Invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn't worth it?

• Overpayed in an Ebay auction?

• Continued doing something you knew was bad for you?

• Sold stocks too late, or too early?

• Taken credit for success, but blamed failure on external circumstances?

• Backed the wrong horse? 

These are examples of cognitive biases, simple errors we all make in our day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to spot them, we can avoid them and make better choices-whether dealing with a personal problem or a business negotiation; trying to save money or make money; working out what we do or don't want in life: and how best to get it. 

Simple, clear and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision-making-work, at home, every day. It reveals, in 99 short chapters, the most common errors of judgment, and how to avoid them.

It's another of those non-fiction reads that I enjoyed reading. I am no expert in any cognitive related books most especially topics but seems like I am inclined to reading such, hence, my comment is based on my limited view and knowledge. The book presents 99 short chapters of about two to three pages each for the different cognitive biases or thinking fallacies we commit on a day-to-day basis. Mostly presenting examples on money and investments and business-related decision-making, was also a factor that added to my liking of this book. The chapters were pretty simple with most allowing the readers to be involved by presenting cases or scenarios and questions and make the reader decide on some. Short explanations with different citations, and examples come after; with suggestions to avoid the "unclear" thinking, usually forming the conclusion. For someone who enjoys reading about cognitive topics but have limited time to indulge on the more extensive ones, this book serves as a nutshell.

I personally like these chapters (but I guess most!!):

• 2- Does Harvard Make Your Smarter?: Swimmer's Body Illusion
• 4 - If Fifty Million People Say Something Foolish, It is Still Foolish: Social Proof
• 14 - Why You Should Keep a Diary: Hindsight Bias
• 57 - If You Have Nothing To Say Say Nothing: Twaddle Tendency
• 66 - Why You Are a Slave to Your Emotions: Affect Heuristic
• 85 - Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Work: Procrastination
• 86 - Build Your Own Castle: Envy
• 90 - Where's the Off Switch?: Overthinking
• 91 - Why You Take On Too Much: Planning Fallacy
• 93 - Drawing the Bull's-Eye around the Arrow: Cherry Picking

The book was an eye-opener but applying this kind of "clear" thinking would not be easy. Still, this again contributed to my amazement on how our mind works. 

Some quotes below:

“If your only tool is a hammer, all your problems will be nails,” 

“How do you curb envy? First, stop comparing yourself to others. Second, find your “circle of competence” and fill it on your own. Create a niche where you are the best. It doesn’t matter how small your area of mastery is. The main thing is that you are king of the castle.” 

“Whether we like it or not, we are puppets of our emotions. We make complex decisions by consulting our feelings, not our thoughts. Against our best intentions, we substitute the question, “What do I think about this?” with “How do I feel about this?” So, smile! Your future depends on it.” 

“historian Daniel J. Boorstin put it right: “The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance—it is the illusion of knowledge.” 

“Assume that your worldview is not borne by the public. More than that: Do not assume that those who think differently are idiots. Before you distrust them, question your own assumptions.” 

“It’s OK to be envious – but only of the person you aspire to become.” 

“As paradoxical as it sounds: The best way to shield yourself from nasty surprises is to anticipate them.” 

“We must learn to close doors. A business strategy is primarily a statement on what not to engage in. Adopt a life strategy similar to a corporate strategy: Write down what not to pursue in your life. In other words, make calculated decisions to disregard certain possibilities and when an option shows up, test it against your not-to-pursue list. It will not only keep you from trouble but also save you lots of thinking time. Think hard once and then just consult your list instead of having to make up your mind whenever a new door cracks open. Most doors are not worth entering, even when the handle seems to turn so effortlessly.” 

“This is how top investor Warren Buffett does things: “Each deal we measure against the second-best deal that is available at any given time—even if it means doing more of what we are already doing.” 

“Twain: “We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it—and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again—and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.” 

"We are drunk on our own ideas. To sober up, take a step back every now and then and examine their quality in hindsight. Which of your ideas from the past ten years were truly outstanding? Exactly."

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Fashion Friday: Some Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear Picks

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It's that season of the year again when if only I could skip my day job just to marvel on the outputs of this world's fashion designers -- you know just open gazillion tabs on my browser and go through each and every piece and absorb them. It's the NYFW and LFW season! Below are just SOME of my picks on SOME designer's fashion collection. This world is filled with so much talented minds. I dream to attend one of their fashion shows someday. It's like really a long shot, but I still have a whole lifetime to live that dream. For now, I'll be satisfied browsing online sites and downloading the pieces that I dream to have in my closet or I wish I had thought of coming up with. Enjoy!

Carolina Herrera

The 75-year old designer gets out of her conventional zone, don't you think? I have read that nature was her inspiration this season.

Monique Lhuiller

Silk charmeuse and all about figure-hugging pieces for the bridal couture designer this season. I think she did great even though he veered away from her usual designs.

Jenny Packham

The collection is dark and heavily textured. Obviously my picks below are the least of the mentioned description. 

Zimmerman

The past, obviously the 70's, was a major inspiration. 

(Source: Style.com)

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Travel Tuesday: Ben Cab Museum (Baguio Weekend with My Girls Pt II)

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Leave me inside a museum and I can spend the rest of my day there. As much as I want to be a painter, a sculptor, or those sorts, well I am not, I simply appreciate art. I look on their masterpieces and wonder how they come up with such! Ang tataba ng utak nila! They are so talented and their imaginations are so eclectic that they come up with such magnum opus!

Anyway, for the second part of my Baguio weekend with my lovelies, it will be about our admiration inside Ben Cab Museum. It’s the much talked about museum in the summer capital of the Philippines. I highly recommend taking the extra mile going to this place even if you do not appreciate art that much. The place in itself is a good unwinding from the usual unwinding up there. O diba labo ko ba? But on a more serious note, it’s a good veering away from the customary Baguio vacation. Apart from the different art installations, the place in itself is relaxing – its beautiful garden offers a restful mood. Plus, Café Sabel is a bonus! We enjoyed our lunch there, too!

I first chanced upon a few of Ben Cab’s works in one (or two??) of the art exhibits in The Museum of my alma mater. If I remember correctly, it was shortly after he was given the National Artist for Visual Arts award. His works are known for being contemporary.

Below are a few snaps (not in the best quality as I downloaded this from my Facebook album; apparently I was not able to back up the raw and original photos in my hard drive boo!) Some are candid shots of us! The four of us together can NOT get serious inside places like this, or anywhere pala hahaha! Hope these photos would make you want to go there. Let’s always support Filipino works and artists!

Since BenCab museum is sort of in a secluded area in Baguio, having Café Sabel was something sharp of an idea. We found the menu pricey for the usual choices but it was not bad at all!

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Book Comment: God Never Blinks

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Title: God Never Blinks

Author: Regina Brett
No. of pages:256
Published: 13th April, 2010
Read: February 2, 2015
★★

Already an internet phenomenon, these wise and insightful lessons by popular newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Regina Brett will make you see the possibilities in your life in a whole new way.

When Regina Brett turned 50, she wrote a column on the 50 lessons life had taught her. She reflected on all she had learned through becoming a single parent, looking for love in all the wrong places, working on her relationship with God, battling cancer and making peace with a difficult childhood. It became one of the most popular columns ever published in the newspaper, and since then the 50 lessons have been emailed to hundreds of thousands of people. Brett now takes the 50 lessons and expounds on them in essays that are deeply personal. From "Don't take yourself too seriously-Nobody else does" to "Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift," these lessons will strike a chord with anyone who has ever gone through tough times--and haven't we all?

I had high expectations reading this book and so I got a tad disappointed. Yes, it is helpful, insightful and I had a lot of fragment takeaways from the different chapters; but it's not compelling and moving enough for me and did not stir much emotions unlike some books of the same line I have previously read. It's still a good read and maybe I would still revisit chapters of this book from time to time. I like how it is really positive and occasionally heartwarming. This is highly recommended for people who maybe experiencing difficulties right now. It's just that I have read better books that I gave that rating.

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Book Comments: "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki" and "Stumbling on Happiness"

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Title: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Author: Haruki Murakami
No. of pages:387
Published: 12th August, 2014
Read: August 26, 2014
★★★

My review in my Goodreads account is a one-liner, "enough to get me hooked, but not enough to satisfy a craving". I had a pile of books to read and yet I made it sure to squeeze this newly released Murakami book in. I got engrossed once more that I was able to finish reading it in two days (it usually takes me four days or more to read one book).   Murakami has this certain calmness and inviting vibe and is always successful in making me  absorbed with his material. Sadly though that no matter how inviting this book was written,  it did not fully captivate me until its very end. Murakami can be anything but thrilling or suspense but this book is like eating some really yummy ramen but sipping on unusually short noodles. Parang ganon basta bitin pero expected mo na na hanggang dun lang talaga. I feel like Murakami purposed it to be like this and it's what causes my love-hate relationship with this book.

My sister sms-ed me as soon as she read this book:

"Alam mo yung feeling na manipis na yung natitirang pages at nafifeel mo na hindi na siya enough para tapusin yung kwento, tapos naconfirm mo na tama ka. Di nasagot lahat ng tanong ng author, eh siya ang may kasalanan nun, parang sinadya. Pero maganda siya."

I like getting random texts on good and need-not-be-totally-positive reviews on materials I recommend. Haha! Now read it! 

Title: Stumbling on Happiness

Author: Daniel Gilbert
No. of pages: 263
Published: 20th March, 2007
Read: September 22, 2014
★★★

If one thinks of purchasing this because it's yet another self-help book on happiness, I will disappoint you by telling you that it's NOT. This read is far from disappointment though as I have learned fairly enough and still got some "help" out of this book. It is a book on cognitive psychology or exploring on how our brains process, how our brains perceive, think, remember, smell, speak, hear and solve problems. As someone who lacks exposure on psychological matter and matters of the brain, it was really an interesting read which was made even more interesting by the author's witty way of relaying his points. This book also fairly involves the reader with the experiments referenced to. I had a lot of "aaaahhhh" and "cool" and "so that's the reason why" moments going through this book.

This book successfully informed me on the brain's "systematic failure" in helping us reach the maximum potential of our happiness. Despite, in my opinion the round about's of the brain and its psychology, finishing this book still lead me to think that still, happiness is a familiar critical issue, not easily answered, not even our trusty brain can help us with. I would get bashed by telling this, that there would always be a hole like the blind spot of our eyes and brain that science would not be able to fully answer, and is one reason why people turn to spirituality means of trying to attain it.

I had my fair share of nonfiction materials lately and I quite dig on those that are referenced well that I start to think that I might venture on reading studies and journals soon haha!

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Fashion Friday: NYFW2014 BCBG Max Azria

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Allow me to start raving on this year's New York Fashion Week through the BCBG Max Azria collection. The fact that this was the first collection that I saw while browsing online and instantly got my attention. I noticed that I'm inclined to "flowy", simple and dainty pieces. My favourites are the white pieces.

Source: Style.com

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