Fashion Adventures: Just a Tumbling Away

Four half-awake, half-energized looks greeted me as I inserted my metro card into the machine. We all agreed to meet at 7 in the morning. We, meaning They - for I arrived almost an hour after. I do remember being part of the “we” but I guess you lose some of your memory while asleep. I lost that part…but only for a few minutes. We were all on a shopping adventure that morning. Yes, you heard me right. In the morning. At 7. Where were we headed? To the land of Mang Hermes and Aling Sonia, of Gelai and Caloy – Divisoria.

It’s the shopping haven of thrifty people. The place where your 10-peso coin could find its worth beyond a jeepney fare. Several blocks of everything you need, from pots and pans to books and bags, name it, you’ll find it…or should I say, you have to ask around to find it.

I’m not the type who likes asking around. I realized that for a girl who loves to find things, asking around would save half of the energy I spend on trying to navigate through I don’t know where all by myself. It took me several woozy turns here and there to find the place I was looking for and several more to find Manong Lito, the shop owner who sold what I needed – black canvas. It was a relief finding Him but even before I could digest the thought, I was preoccupied with another. How could I find my way back? Where would I get the energy to carry 20 yards of black canvas and ask people around for directions? I may have had the energy to find my way back with 20 yards of canvass on my shoulder but I guess, I never had enough to recall how to get there again. I never saw Mang Lito nor did I find myself setting foot on the “mecca of fabric and textile” again.

I learned the skill of asking around, made me the adventuristangfashionista that I am now. On one of my adventures, I found myself turning left, entering a gate that led me to what I thought was the “mecca of fabric and textile”, the land I was in several years ago with half-energized, half-awake friends. Well, there was no Mang Lito, no black canvass. It wasn’t Divisoria. And I wasn’t disappointed. My car had its parking space. My friend had her Georgette and Gina silk. I had my adventure…in QC. Kamuning is now my “mini mecca of fabric and textile”. It’s just a tumbling away.

Tela, Tela ...And more tela

Haven't had enough of those tela. Am still in search for more. Loving the adventure!!!

My new Mang Lito - Aling Ester!

A New Adventure

I have always wanted change. My life has always been a routine. Predictable. Conventional. Ordinary. Boring. Safe. But changes are daunting. From the known, you step into the place of the unknown, of uncertainties. When your everyday life is dictated by a list of things to do, the thought of change excites and scares you at the same time. No list to follow or to guide you. Your life begins to be an adventure. What most women do not understand is that we are just like men, we are designed to have a heart for adventure. As John and Stasi Eldredge writes in their book “Captivating”,

“You can find that life – if you embark on a great adventure.”

Most women yearn to find life, to find meaning in their existence, to realize what their purpose is but are too scared, in my case, too insecure to embark on an adventure. Am I ready for an adventure? Do I have what it takes? Will I be successful in my decision for change? Adventures are frightening. As John and Stasi puts it,

“Adventure requires something of us, puts us to the test. Though we may fear the test, at the same time we yearn to be tested, to discover that we have what it takes.

As we are nearing a new year, a lot of us desire for changes in our life. It’s thrilling to think about it. But are we willing to give what an adventure requires of us, to be put to a test? Just like most people, I plan to go on board, take the adventure I have been longing for. I pray that I find the courage to take the step, have the faith to believe that I have what it takes and hold on to the hope that I can find life. I pray the same for you, may you find the self you have always longed for, the self you were designed to be.