Boracay: Island in the Sun

I've been to the island of Boracay a total of four times in my life.

The first was almost two decades ago when it was still immaculate, unspoiled. It was the time when you could get off a boat that docks at the beach front of your hotel (these days, you pass the not so pristine back). I remember it vaguely as I was still a little girl. It was the epitome of childhood summers: sandcastles, pink buckets, frilly swimsuits, happy family.

The second time I remember more, mostly due to silly embarrassment. Tradition has it that after you graduate from high school, and before you go on different routes of life, you and your friends have to create the most epic summer... WITH! BOYS!...

TravelDeanne BanaresMay 1, 2016Boracay, Beach, Summer, Philippines, IslandComment

Confessions of a Fashionholic

Fashion was my first true love. I hate to admit that most of the time because people think that it's just about #OOTDs, designer labels, and magazines. But I fell in love with it because of its unsung potentiality, of what it can do for the world, of what it can speak about our world. If you think about it, there's so much substantiality behind all the frivolousness. So I made it my mission to be part of the industry to change that image. To remove (most of) the petty glamour and replace it with raw stories and human craftsmanship...

ConversationsDeanne BanaresApril 28, 2016Fashion, Conde Nast, Vogue, Teen Vogue, PassionComment

Of Firsts

Confession: When I tell people I run a blog, I still feel embarrassed a bit. I imagine raised eyebrows and disappointed hearts. A blog, you say? What does that entail? Do you earn from it? (Note: Said in an insinuating tone.)

Even I asked myself those questions exactly a year ago, when I was about to hit Publish on my very first entry. I didn't even know what I was going to write about; what my 'brand identity' was going to be; or what blogging category it would fall under. I just knew I wanted to write. And that there was lots and lots of fear...

ConversationsDeanne BanaresApril 4, 2016Blog, Birthday, Anniversary, Baking, Writing Comments

Redefining Housewife

It's a secret that's been kept from all of us: it's a dangerous world in there. It's not a 9-5, it's not one where I clock in and clock out. It's a place where everything becomes obscure and uncertain. There are no deadlines, no grades to mark my levels of achievement, no ladder to shift up or down. No one told me this before I said yes. No one told me that the my own home becomes a blank canvas once I claim ownership over it, once I slip that special ring into my finger.

It's a dangerous world in there. Because if I had my way, if it was only my own life, idleness could probably take its peak. Imagine having absolutely no clients to please, no papers to read, no margins to work towards. It's just me and whole a lot of space. Okay, and Netflix, and books, and food delivery, and the Internet. I don't know what that is to you but it looks like a whole lot of binging...

MarriageDeanne BanaresMarch 14, 2016Housewife, Home, Marriage, Lessons, Service Comments

Decisions, Decisions

Where is it? I was trying my hardest to find it. It wasn't under the rugs, in the past love letters, among the photos and memorabilia. I couldn't find it in our hands, in our shared pantry, in our breakfast eggs. Where could it be then? I had it before... well, we had it before.

You know, the one that makes loving easy. The one that drives you to surprise each other almost every day. The one that gets you head over heels, puts butterflies in your stomach, and pastes hearts in your eyes.

Because after almost a year (4 more months till the happy anniversary!) of face-to-face Good Mornings and Good Nights (and believe me, it's not always a chirpy greeting), it dies down a bit along the way.

MarriageDeanne BanaresFebruary 22, 2016Marriage, Love, Decisions, Feelings, Husband, Wife Comments