Junk jump off too much time for old beats, cold beats, I'm just cold meat

As our tropical summer is fast approaching, I am fiending more and more for the cold. Missing the mild climate isn't the only thing I miss from being back in Europe.. My birthday carried a bit of a nostalgic undertone, having my family on my mind and not being able to share my day with them. This last weekend was just about as close as I'll get to spending quality family time with my extended family. Saturday night I crashed and burned, accelerated by my main man Jack and topping it all off with death in a shot glass.. Bacardi 151. All while enjoying what comes off as the Filipino version of the Pussycat Dolls prancing around a club with an indoor swimming pool. These girls grind like its nobody's business, all while avoiding the ever feared metallic bikini wedgies. They're pros, I tell ya. Sunday in contrast was nothing but mellow yellow. We drove up and away from the city to arrive at a house smelling of barbecue and the most amazing adobo you will ever have.. and lounged and played wii and card games until it was time for us to get dressed to attend a birthday graduation dinner before we finally got home to my hangover kicking in double time to the point where I barely even come up with the energy needed to get myself ready for bed. T.K.O.

Because the photo-traffic on my iphoto has started to spin out of control, I figured It was time to post these randoms from my trip to Sweden. Seriously, there aren't many things in the world as enjoyable as drinking a milkshake in the snow.. OK maybe shopping for vintage hats in a store that seems to be getting bigger and bigger as you walk through it.. or rolling around the snow drunk on red wine while clumsily trying to build a snowman. AlIright I guess there are quite a few things as enjoyable, but I gotta say, any activity involving a milkshake tops my priority list pretty easily.

With the moon I run far from the carnage of the fiery sun

wearing Forever 21 skinny jeans, vintage sweater (Mom's), jacket borrowed from my little sister, H&M tube shawl, gloves & fur hat, Zara studded bucket bag & vintage boots

My last day in snowy Sweden was spent driving down to Stockholm to do some last minute shopping. As suggested, we passed by a giant (by MY standards) H&M, Weekday, Gina Tricot and Monki. Thank you, the best readers in the world for making suggestions. I didn't do too much shopping, but I bought a pair of round sunnies from Weekday and a shirt, some bras from Monki and random knickknacks from H&M and Gina.. I made up for it by raiding the supermarkets for sugary treats like Bilar, Marabou and Kex.. Sweden didn't disappoint! We also passed by Beyond Retro, which is an absolute paradise to vintage fiends - I nearly got myself lost in clouds of petticoats and piles of hats. We rode the subway back and forth too, paid to use the public toilet where each stall had a heater of its own. Sick. We visited the viewpoint by the harbor and took more photos before we decided to flee into the warmth and comfort of Laura's apartment - which is where we got trashed on wine and then decided to clumsily build snowmen that resembled our boyfriends. Lets just say they looked nothing like them, except for the clothing items we managed to style them with. Logically, because last time I checked I wasn't going out with someone who has a jalapeno nose and twigs for arms.

I will have to save all the other photos for an extra post, Sweden was lovely, thank you my Paulina for being the hostess with the mostest and showing me around - looking forward to eventually stopping by in the summer for picnics, music festivals and green country sides.

The last few weeks on the island has been nothing more than a backbreaking mix of yoga, kiteboarding and work. With the exception of the usual skyping with loved ones, a dip in the ocean or two, trips to the (depressing) supermarkets and the odd occasional visit I get at work from a variety of characters, my social life has become a thing of the past. Almost 3 weeks of no days off (by choice, I know, weirdo..) I am looking forward to the weekend - little unplanned visits are good for the heart, and the soul! Ive become so picky with the company I keep, I have literally managed to reduce my circle of trust by half. Maybe its the very real threat of growing another year older in a few weeks, or maybe I have just hit my limit with the unauthentic, and grown doubtful of people's abilities to change. Its like being on the outside, looking in. Observing the ways some compensate for their loneliness with attempts to "love" and "be loved" by as many people as possible - even if its only on a shallow level - like on a social networking site.. lost and unaware of the fact that everyone is watching, pointing, laughing..

PS: My baby sister has a blog! Show her some love ♥

Maybe our heartache never dies with the hot night crash

wearing H&M maxi dress, Amisu leopard coat, vintage boots

I'm way behind on posts.. I know! But before I dive into a different fashion season, I have a few more winter posts to show. Last month, I took a quick weekender to Sweden to visit a girl friend of mine. I made the discovery that haircuts are expensive in Sweden, and therefore Swedish boys have pretty hairstyles, Bilar candy is awesomest when its the sour variety, I have an extreme dislike for liquorish, macaroni & cheese makes for perfect hangover food, Bacardi Razz + sparkling water is delish, Swedish bands are sick and McDonalds at 3am is a total mobscene - where a beer-goggle semi-handsome middle eastern guy tried to pick me up while waiting in line for our BigMacs.

Lately Ive been thinking a lot about friendships and their authenticity. People have always said I'm some kind of social butterfly, and I guess in the end, its the professions I choose and the places I live in that expose me to a wide variety of personalities. Throughout the years I have always struggled with female friends. At times I had many of them, and occasionally I would allow myself to be sucked into a circle, a gaggle of girlie girls and the results would more often than not, be disastrous.

Maybe I'm an easy target. I don't like to go for group manicures, I don't squeal when I see someone I love and jump up and down like a lunatic, I  don't proclaim my love for my friends publicly, and every 2 hours, I don't need a clique to survive or justify my importance. Friendships should be effortless, you are either friends, or you aren't, its that simple. You shouldn't have to prove yourself on a regular basis, you should be able to talk about anything and expect the truth.. right? Based on my experience, it is precisely those who claim to be such amazing friends, who turn out to be complete nightmares in the end. Chances are, they don't even know what friendship is about. Its about being honest and real and actions and not words. Its about unending respect, for you, your friendship, your life, your friends and your relationship. Empty words and overestimated promises mean nothing to me if your actions say the complete opposite. And excuses are just a pathetic attempt at saving face and continuing the pretense.. all in fear of losing potential friends and maybe one day having to stand on their own.. excuses are an insult to my intelligence and I hate feeling insulted. So really, at the end of the day, if you feel betrayed by a so called friend, cut them loose. They will never change, and you will never forgive yourself for wasting so much time on them. I would like to tell you that there is good in everyone, maybe there is. But be sure to double check before you trust anyone in your life with anything that means something to you, especially if it has anything to do with your heart.

XOXO