On Nightshift and Motherhood Part 2 (dami ko nga kasing alam, lol!)

Pag nagtagal medyo mahirap ang nanay ka nightshift ka pa (may part 1 dito kung type mong magbasa :D). Aside from missing your baby so so SO much that you end up logging out minutes before you’re really supposed to, battling the sea of people during the morning rush hour, elbowing random women with the ferociousness of a tigress (wow big words!) to be able to find yourself a seat in the train - just to see that one smile that will let you forget everything that went wrong during your work day.

There are obvious options that you have, in case sobrang intense na yung hardship. 

I didn't care if I had to spend more than 10 hours at work. As long as I had somewhere to take a power nap. It didn't really matter that I'd remain unbathed and without a fresh set of clothes. As long every frame was perfection. A seamless narration of peoples lives, companies services or someones grandmother's birthday. As long as it was done and ready to be enjoyed, it didn't matter back then, when it was just me, when it was just us. Now, I think of my son as the minutes tick by and I see the sun rising as I take my ride home. Did he wake up in the middle of the night? What time did he go back to sleep? Did he wake again? Has he eaten? How much? How little? How frequent and what? All I can think of is how I can make up for not being home when he wakes #overtime #mommytales #youngmaster #sobrangantokgrabe

A photo posted by Jana Sabs (@_janastyles_) on Mar 16, 2015 at 4:53pm PDT

On Nightshift and Motherhood Part 1 (dami ko kasing alam, lol!)

Lets face it, it's difficult to go back to work after being a full time mommy to the most adorable baby (sobrang hirap, yung struggle totoong totoo to the bone marrows). It's even more of a challenge when you're not on the typical 9-5 day job. Nightshift ako friends.

I didn't care if I had to spend more than 10 hours at work. As long as I had somewhere to take a power nap. It didn't really matter that I'd remain unbathed and without a fresh set of clothes. As long every frame was perfection. A seamless narration of peoples lives, companies services or someones grandmother's birthday. As long as it was done and ready to be enjoyed, it didn't matter back then, when it was just me, when it was just us. Now, I think of my son as the minutes tick by and I see the sun rising as I take my ride home. Did he wake up in the middle of the night? What time did he go back to sleep? Did he wake again? Has he eaten? How much? How little? How frequent and what? All I can think of is how I can make up for not being home when he wakes #overtime #mommytales #youngmaster #sobrangantokgrabe

A photo posted by Jana Sabs (@its.jana.styles) on Mar 16, 2015 at 4:53pm PDT

#videoediting in the dark, like a true editor!😂 #imissedyoufcp #whydoyoulooklikeimovie

A photo posted by Jana Sabs (@_janastyles_) on May 12, 2014 at 12:44pm PDT

Para Sa Aming Akin

I didn't give you a name until a few months ago. I know, bad mommy. I guess I just didn't know how to deal with it, until every time I mentioned you everyone would say "So you have an angel watching over you". Now I am certain and ready, to give you your much deserved identity, Aura Kundiman Sabilano ("Akin" for short), it was hard to lose you, I wish we could have spent more time together. But at least I know you're with your GG and you're watching over us from up there. <3 My heart always, Mommy

Has it been 6 Months??!?! (Some Things First Time Moms Should Know)

I went through a typhoon of sorts after I gave birth to Cid (as in intense talaga friends), like a lot of babies he was a handful! Obvious na obvious when he came out he was a force to be reckoned with. He was 5 days overdue and survived, his cries were strong and demanding that he had every nurse on duty wrapped around his little finger. And as early as he could see and react he'd let you know through his expressive eyebrows (which he got from his Tatay) how absolutely weird, funny, noisy, ridiculous and amazing something is (react na react sya kala mo kung sinong matanda!).

Styling the Bump

One of the biggest challenges for me and many moms mid-pregnancy, was making sure that I had clothes that fit for the whole nine months. Actually the biggest challenge was having the will to wear something other than maternity jeans and my husband's t-shirts. I wasn't the stylish pregnant lady I envisioned myself to be. But given that I was carrying a boy popular belief told me that it was to be expected. This however, did not stop me from feeling like a total slob topped with the bushiest eyebrows in the metro. I decided right then and there that it was time to up the ante. 

Being that I was doomed to bedrest for my entire pregnancy I tool to the world wide web in search for the trendiest maternity outfits I could find. One of my first stops was Pinterest for a dash of inspiration. If you send me off to a store online or off I go too crazy if I don't have outfit ideas from the get go. Check out my Pinterest to see my outfit inspirations. Naturally my first online stop to jumpstart my styling the bump project was Zalora. I've picked out a few pieces that are totally wearable throughout my pregnancy and even after!

This one also comes in black and white of you 

want something a bit more classic

Take a look at Zalora's big rage of fashion for moms-to-be from Buntis here. There is no excuse to looking frumpy when you're pregnant, you already feel different and sometimes bloated putting on some cute threads may just be the way to make you feel a bit better on those bad days :D

Talkin' 'bout My Boy

Gender reveal is one of the most exciting things during a pregnancy. Finally you can stop calling the baby "it","she/he", or just plain "baby" and finally give it a legit name or nickname. Before we found out Cid's gender we called him "fetus" or  "feetz" for short. Although medyo na attach na kami sa nickname na "feetz" easybells lang, let it go (like Frozen) and embrace the very first information that gave our little peanut an identity.
Hubby dreaded a girl, he knew the little struggles being around girls from having two challenging sisters, losing his parents at an early age and having to take care of them. Marrying a strong headed woman himself, he knew what he was going to get into if the ultrasound showed no magic stick. I on the other hand felt it was a boy, I had all the common "side effects" of having boys. I had totally abandoned my eyebrows, forgotten my fashion sense and never wore deodorant at home, o di ba diyosang diyosa!

First time in over 5 months that I actually thought
of exfoliating and making use of a face mask.

Finding out that we were having a boy was both exciting and nerve racking. Thankfully I have a bit of experience with handling boys from being tita of my sisters two boys. But even so, I couldn't help but wonder if, aside from the looming fear of being a crap mom, if I would be able to handle or relate to the little boy swimming around in my belly. How about the dream of pink sparkly things and little baby doll shoes and smocking dresses that I had secretly planned to hoard once I found out I was having a girl?

Cid's Corner

I was around babies a lot when I was a teenager. My sister got married when I was 13 and our cousin who lived right next door to us, got married when I was about 9 or 10. So once they started having kids (three each!) I was one of the designated babysitters of the family. This is what I know from the little I experienced as an aunt to three 2 boys and 4 girls:
Cribs are useful.  At the time formula milk was a big thing, not a lot of mothers were breastfeeding, unlike nowadays where more mothers are exclusively breastfeeding (which is the right way to go). And there were no latched babies every 2 hours and hardly any of them slept on the same bed as their parents. So even after I read that it might be useless to get a crib since we have decided to try to stick to breastfeeding exclusively, I still got one, because something told me to, and cribs are useful.  When I was first deciding on what kind of crib to get, I opted to get something that wasn't too expensive (kasi kuripot ako at sabi ng mga peeps hindi naman talaga kailangan sobrang bongga yung crib ng baby mo basta matibay). I've had relatives and friends who've told me they always splurge on their first born, buy all the branded and top notch gear only to regret it later on. So after looking at the beautiful Chicco crib that had built in songs, night light, vibrator and what not, cost as much as a second hand car-I decided I wanted to go a different route.

I found a place here in Quezon City that handmade rattan furniture and had a lot of experience with making cribs! After pestering my hubby to make sure they can make it adjustable, so we wouldn't have to get Cid a playpen when he gets older and it would be the right color of varnish, we decided it was a go. It arrived a week ago and I can't stop looking at how each material is a different color and some of them bend slightly a different way from one another. Perfect imperfection :)

Two Pink Lines

Every time I'm pregnant it's always a surprise. The first one, which we lost a few weeks in, came during a time when we really weren't ready to have a family. And then this little guy who also came as unexpectedly as the first, popped up on the ultrasound monitor just as I had gotten into a new job and moved into a new home. 

The first few months of pregnancy I was commuting to work from Quezon City all the way to Pasay and the only way to do it (slightly) comfortably is using the MRT (course I wouldn't even dream of going on that train nowadays!). It's hard work being in your first trimester (kung kelan sobrang haggard at sobrang intense ang hilo) standing in line just to get yourself a ticket cause you're prepaid one just ran out. Looking up at a sign that says you need to be "obviously pregnant" to get served at that particular side of the station in those particular windows. Obviously pregnant??? Ano ba yan MRT. I carried around my ultrasound film just in case someone came up to me and questioned me about being pregnant, thankfully no one did.

Playing Dress Up - Style, Make Up, Photography and Design Addicts Volt In (Part 1)

If I have said it before I shall say it again, I LOVE shoving my friends into dressing rooms and handing them outfits to try on. I mostly do this when they have events to go to, specifically birthdays. Many people call this Styling and a lot of bloggers have actually made this a profession. But I prefer to keep it to a few friends who pay me with beer how gorgeous they look after I've forced them into carefully selected clothes and shoes that they will never even dream of wearing.

I can't emphasize the awesomeness that are my friends, they are amazingly as vain as I am  talented and finally we were able to volt in, yes I typed 'volt in' and showcase our talents in a photoshoot for portfolio and vanity purposes. It was just a bunch of girls and an amazing photographer hanging out at a photography studio one day, fooling around with make up and clothes.

All blabbery aside, here's our very first model: The Amazing Avii :)

Cheapskate Tuesdays! - Snip snip snip!

I finally had my hair cut! It isn't as extreme as the one in this post but my long tangled locks have finally been chopped off, to a fairly decent length.

Dress to Impress feat. Gap our Foster Furbaby from M.A.S.

My freelance/resting period is nearly over and the time to jump into another 9 to 5 is getting real close. With the realization that my trusty frou frou skorts, t-shirt  and flip flops ensemble will not land me the job of my dreams, I've put together two interchangeable outfits been making a line up of clothes to wear to interviews. For a good first impression you're supposed to put your best foot forward, sell yourself really well, have at least 2 copies of your CV, a black pen, and at the very least, look as close to a human as you can.

Necktie: Divisoria,  Top: From my mom's closet

WHOOHOO!!!! Blog Relaunch Giveaway Winner!

Bring out the winners banquet, Pop the champagne and stuff your faces! It's time to reveal the winner of my very very very first giveaway!

Congrats to Ms. Aleckzandra Palisoc for winning my very first ever Giveaway! 

Kick me over an email with your details so I can send over the package! :D

Off for a Few

If I could think up of blog posts, write and take photos olday-erday all day everyday and post more than once or twice a week I'd be golden! Alas, there are adult tasks that won't go away deadlines to meet, people to see and puppies that need to go potty. I will be offline for a few days, totally against my will of course. I will miss reading blogs (which totally sucks) and leaving long ass comments, but I'll be back this weekend or beginning of next at the latest :D

But before I go I'd like to leave you with:

A song

Some food

Recipe from The Monster & Me

Some words:

And something to think about:

Have a great week and weekend chicks! :D

❤ ❤ ❤JOIN MY BLOG RELAUNCH GIVE AWAY❤ ❤ ❤

When a Heart Breaks

If you have a friend crying over a guy, whether it be because of a break up, forbidden love or simply because the guy is a douche  not a very nice person. You don't just sit next to her, offer words of comfort and wisdom and tell her it's going to be okay. You get all your friends together, tell them to bring enough the fatty foods and alcohol they can gather, and have a wild night of drunken madness and intense man hating session party!

 We set off munching on my famous pasta and buffalo chicken nuggets while sipping on mixed drinks. As you can see these ladies have gotten the fashion blogger pose down to the T!

Getting over someone isn't an easy task. I think it's safe to say that we're all a bit too familiar on how this goes:

To Cut or Not to Cut

I think I go through this every two years, I have an internal battle about cutting my hair. Everyone goes through this, in my experience there was really only a few times I was happy I chopped off all my curly locks and kept it short. The last time I did it for my birthday 2 years back and back then every time I was going through something and needed to do the really ugly cry with super depressing music like Angel by Sarah McLachlan to have an emotional moment, I would dramatically reach for my hair and...grasp at what was left. Since then, I was determined to grow it out for my future hair-grabbing-ugly-crying-snot-dripping-heart-wrenching-award-winning drama scenes.

Pretty Little Things

It was in first year high school when I started to lock any willing kabarkada into a dressing room and hand them outfits that I personally picked for them in the store. It was also in high school when I developed my interest in multimedia arts, thus graduating a few years later with a degree in multimedia. Why the history lesson? Because it was back then when I realized I liked to make people and things pretty or feel pretty or be prettier (word for the day guys, ok?). This the bottom line of my shop Little Things by J it was basically to give me another chance to make pretty things :D.

This week I was finally able to add a new set of arm candies at the shop! I've been off doing so many other things the past two weeks I wasn't able to just sit down and craft. It was a total relief when I was able to finish 11 arm candies :D. Here are some of my favorites:

 

Predicting the Future in True Bohemian/Hippie Style

If you are anything like me when it comes to fashion, you don't only know the trends, you also know what's going to trend. Being alive for 3 decades can show a girl a thing or two about what's coming out and coming back if you really pay attention. If there's anything I learned that's true about fashion, it's just like history. Fashion repeats itself. This is why a lot of bloggers go to thrift stores, rummaging through the racks for something not only unique or vintage but for something they can add to their present collection of pieces.

Through my very trusty sources (Pinterest and Google) I've gathered up the pretty hippie/boho pieces that I think will make a comeback or have already made their return and are slowly squeezing they way back in style :)

The Bell Bottoms

Image from The Fashion Update

When these babies went back into fashion during the late 90's I could not stop wearing them. My only problem was, I am short and if I had them cut the style would look weird :\. But I got myself a pair that I could wear in wedges and I was good to go. I have a feeling these won't only be in denim (and high waisted) but they'll probably be in print and lace too!

So try and get some of those old skinny jeans and turn them into bell bottoms, I've already done mine! Let me know if you guys want a DIY post on it :D

Embroidered Tops And Dresses

Intricate details and bold colors are my thing, and there's a 60's-70's vibe starting to emerge I think this is one of the things that will re-appear on the racks if not on the streets pretty soon.

Image from Etsy

Boho Tops

Of course these are kind of related to our embroidered tops, anything with deep colors and floral print is normally considered boho. These loose fitted tops are the best as long as it's paired with tight fitting pants/bell bottoms or flares. In true boho fashion you can be stylish and laid back at the same time.

The Floppy Hat

Image from Bellyitch

Okay, I have no idea if I can pull this off anywhere else but the beach, but yes, the floppy hat is and probably has been back for a few months now. I am a bit of a coward when it comes to hats even if I love them, I just can't wear them (it's normally a forehead issue, yes I have forehead issues). To top off what they call the new or modern boho look you're going to have to get yourself one of these, if not to shield yourself from the sun or the rain (we never know with this bipolar weather we have).

Bohemian/Hippie style has never gone out of fashion, like all the trends that come into the cycle they always change a little here and there. What we get to do is add our own little signatures and call the look ours :). What do you guys think will come into trend soon?

Don't forget to JOIN MY GIVEAWAY! :D

Shameless Plug: How to Save a (Doggie's) Life

When I started this blog I wanted to just keep close to fashion, post my OOTD's, and attend fashion events and bazaars. But this time I want to start blogging about other things like recipes, my style in cooking or eating random food, some of my favorite things, events, products and/or similar. Which brings us back to one of my new segments on this blog! The Shameless Plug! This is where I post anything under the sun that I really really like, regardless if there is a endorsement deal or not! It may be my favorite blogger/vlogger, favorite pants, fruit, beauty products, book, Instagram photo, Vine video, ANYTHING. So if you guys want me to plug anything or want to be plugged yourself, let me know in the comments below! I will of course screen all submissions and make sure that I'm game to try what you suggest and if I really really really love whatever it is that I post.

My very first plug are these two.

Andy

And

Gap

There are only two reasons why people stop by our place for a visit, first is to see Andy and Gap, second is to have actual human interaction provided by my husband and yours truly and sometimes pig out on my very famous Vomit Pasta (yes, I call it that, but it is delish!) These two cuties have walked the streets of our community and captured the hearts of many dog lovers in our area. They may look like ordinary dogs and you might even be thinking what their breed is, but these two are as special as they get.

Andy is our adopted wonder dog and we have been fostering Gap, she's up for adoption! Any takers? :D 

Andy was abandoned and abused, roamed one particular house in Makati until he was spotted by the kind hearted Ms. Rinna and was rescued with the help of Compasion And Responsibility for Animals (C.A.R.A)

One of Andy's first photos, so scared that he wouldn't move
out of the corner of the kennel at the vet

Andy's first time out on leash, would not move at all.

His fur was nonexistent, his self esteem shot, and he was really scared of humans. After discharge from the vet, Andy was taken in for fostering by his mama Li-An and little by little his loving, playful and kind nature started to seep out as well as his fur ;)

Andy with his mama Li-An our co-parent :)

His mama Li-An was even featured in the July/August 2012 issue
of Look Magazine along with our Andy :)
photography: BJ PASCUAL
styling: KAT CRUZ
hair: JERRY JAVIER FOR L'OREAL PROFESSIONNEL
make-up: BARBI CHAN

He chose to be part of our family June 2, 2012 :)

Gap was abandoned in the Mandaluyong Animal Shelter, she was left with a big cut on the side of her neck and was treated immediately thanks to donations readily available for any M.A.S. animals that needed assistance. I would have posted the picture of her big wound here but it isn't for the faint of heart, just trust me when I say it was really big for small dog like her. We think it might have been caused by a wire collar.

Sleeping soundly on the foot of our bed

Gap hangin' on the couch

She was super shy at first, but turnerd into a bouncing happy ball of fur once she warmed up to us. When she chooses you to be her human, you are her world :)

Deciding to adopt was a long process for my hubby and me, there were plenty things to consider. But the rewards are endless, knowing that you helped save a life and in return you get a loving and loyal furbaby :). As long as you find the right pup it will be a match made in heaven! We didn't need to teach Andy any more than new tricks, he was potty trained, paper trained, came with a few cute tricks AND carried his own poopy bags when we go out for walks :). You can find Andy's everyday adventures on his Facebook page (yes he has even more followers than I do!).

As mentioned before, we are fostering our little Gap, and she's ready for adoption already. She's potty trained, very laid back and will never cease to show you how much she loves and misses you when you've come home. She's used to living in a condo, but should be walked at least twice a day to exercise and to potty :)

If you or any of your friends are thinking of getting a pup, maybe you can consider adopting instead :) you don't only get a loving pet, you also get a chance to save a life :)

Like C.A.R.A's Facebook Page and M.A.S. Facebook Page you can get more info about adopting, donating and even fostering from their representatives.