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Read this if you’re sad that you’re single on Valentine’s Day

Today is the day that most people flaunt their relationships in social media about how happy and meant to be they are. But for some people, it can be a day that reminds them of how super single they are and how lonely it is to have no one to hold hands with, to not have any dinner plans with nor have anyone bring you flowers in the office. I have nothing against Valentine’s Day. In fact, I love “LOVE DAY” It has become one of my favorite holidays and it’s not because I’m in a relationship or anything like that —but simply because it’s a day when we can celebrate love in general.

I’m not even going to sit here and pretend that I wasn’t one of those people who once didn’t like celebrating this day. I’ve obviously been broken hearted more than I ever wanted to feel the heart wrenching pain—–I’ve felt lonely and been very annoyed by those couples who just flaunt their love in front of the world. But when i look back and ask myself “why am i so upset and caught up?” —then did I only realize that I had my own demons to silence and my past to let go of. If you just got out of a relationship or trying to get over someone, I was there in your position a year ago and I’m here to tell you that time does heal all wounds. You just have to go with it —feel the pain, recognize it and live. One day you’ll wake up and realize that it’s gone because you kept on going.

Also, whether you sulk here all night and day, people all over the world will still fall in love anyways. So you can’t be upset at people for falling in love, love is love. Sometimes we tend to forget that there’s different kinds of love. It’s not just romantic love —there’s self love, love for your friends, family, for God, for your pets! Every time I look back in my life, when I’m at my lowest —these love that these people had for me were the ones that sustained me and helped me to keep going and to move forward on the other side. It’s at these lowest moments of my life, when I was at my worst —did they not give up on me. They believed in me, corrected me, fought with me to get me to get me back on the right track. So today —on love day, I will not forget everyone that helped me become who I am now and be better. This is one of the best days to celebrate our love with everyone we love. So if you’re out here sad that you’re single, call your grandparents and tell them how much you miss them and love them, or your parents and how much you appreciate them, or hang out with the rest of your single friends and go dancing or simply stay home and cuddle with your pets.

Plus, tomorrow all the chocolates will be on sale!!! So instead of sulking because you currently don’t have the love of your life in front of you right now, appreciate the other loves of your life that you currently have. And I promise you that one day he/she will come in your life and it will change everything. All your questions, fears and confusion will be silenced. But for now, just enjoy your single life. I’ve always thought about it this way —if I ever get married someday, i will have the rest of my life to spend with that one person; therefore, before I get there I would like to do as much as I can before I consider someone else’s opinions/needs along with mine.

My hope for you is that may you see today in a different light —there’s too much in this world that hasn’t happened to you yet. Don’t let your past or that one guy/girl who broke your heart steal your joy. Go out there and have fun! Celebrate the fact that you’re still alive and you still have a chance to meet the love of your life someday (or today or tomorrow), make new friends, land your dream job or travel somewhere you’ve never been before.

I made this dress for my Valentine’s shoot that I collaborated with one of my close friends, Eddie. Isn’t he so talented?! I love that he always makes my photos look so whimsical and magical. I was so inspired by Rita Ora’s and Liam Payne’s For You Music Video and fell in love with her dress at first sight that I wanted to recreate it. We also tried to do some levitation shots as they were levitating towards the end of the music video. Can I just say that it is not as easy as what they make it seem!? This is probably one of the hardest shoots I’ve ever done but also one of my favorites! 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day Loves!

XOXO,

Joy

Let’s Be Mermaids

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

A couple of months ago, I asked my best friend to if she wants to be a real life mermaid with me and start our own fashion line. She said yes and was absolutely in love with the idea. We started off making a small capsule line with bandeaus, tops, skirts and chokers. All of this can be found at Secretly A Mermaid. Along with fashion items, I was inspired by my trip in Asia this summer where I had my first mermaid photoshoot in the Philippines. I thought to myself why not bring that here in Los Angeles where its (mostly) sunny all year round? Jessicka and I made our own mermaid tails and tops and had our own photoshoot. We also want to share this with the world and offer this to all the Cali girls who also wants to be a mermaid. As Spring comes along, we will start shooting again and offer different colors and styles of tails with matching bandeaus. Stay posted and schedule with us and email: shoplikeamermaidb@gmail.com if you want to make your own mermaid dreams come true! 😉

XOXO,

Joy

December 5, 2016

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Temporary Setbacks

“An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that its going to launch you to something great.”

One of my girlfriends sent this quote to me recently and it spoke so much to me. I never really thought of life this way but thinking about t now, it’s fairly true. Every time I am going through a setback, it normally prepares for something bigger and better in life which eventually ends up making me stronger. About a year ago when I was going through the roughest time of my life (yet), I always asked myself why is this happening to me? why? why? why? Until I got to the point where I got sick and tired of asking why, sulking around and crying. A year or so later did I realize that everything happens for a reason and that temporary setbacks are overcome through persistence, handwork and an amazing support system.

I cannot be more happy now and be glad of everything that I’ve been through. Because of these setbacks, I have adapted the meaning of self-love, learned who my true friends are and I’ve grown to appreciate my family more. A month ago, I had to leave my full-time job as a designer in order for me to spend some time with my family in Asia. Although, the idea of doing this is extremely difficult at that time since I’m slightly a workaholic, I do not regret doing so now. Reconnecting with my cousins that I grew up with, my aunts and uncles and making more memories with them is probably one of the best decision I’ve made this year. It blows my mind how little people have in third world countries; yet they probably are the happiest people I’ve ever met.

Now that I’m back in America, looking for a job now is actually a lot harder than I thought. Thankfully, I have a support system that encourages me that this isn’t the end and that I most likely needed this break before I get sucked back in the crazy world of the fashion industry. Oh and for this look, I made a simple two piece hot pink bathing suit and a white see through cover up. If you haven’t noticed on my last blog posts, I may or may not be obsessed with the color white. It’s just so easy to wear especially over the summer. What’s your favorite go to piece this season? Is anyone else sad that summer is ending too? And have you gone through any setbacks in life recently? If so, have they helped you shape the person you are now?

XOXO,

Joy

August 24, 2016

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White Sand

Living in So Cal more than half my life, I’ve been surrounded by beaches. But when I laid my eyes on this beach, I’ve never seen anything like it – with the soft white sand, clear blue water, tiny fishes swimming up the shore and unbelievable sunsets. If you can’t already tell Boracay Islands is one of my favorite places and I hope and plan to buy a house there someday. On my last night at the islands, I actually ended up not sleeping and staying up all night watching the stars at the beach. I just wanted admire its beauty and savor every moment of it. For this look, I made a simple white beach dress. What do you think about this look? And doesn’t this island just makes you want to live here?

XOXO,

Joy

August 17, 2016

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Chasing Dreams

Do you have a dream list? Because I do. I guess most of us would call these goals or things you want to achieve in life. Growing up in the Philippines, I’ve always heard of the Boracay Islands and I knew in my heart that one day, I would love to go over there and visit it. Everything that I imagined it to be is insanely real. When i was just a little girl, I also dreamt of being a fashion designer someday. My dad used to work for a manufacturing company who exported children’s clothing in Europe. I would receive different dresses from him weekly and sometimes he would even bring me to work. I told myself that someday, I’m going to own my factory filled with dresses. In a very young age, I was blessed to have such supportive parents who encouraged my dreams and allowed me to express my imagination a lot. I would stay in my room and draw Sailor Moon and Barbie and give them different outfits. As I grew older, being a fashion designer has always been on the back of my mind. I knew I’ve always wanted and needed to be one. It’s just a matter of how will i get there? Once college hits, I was so unsure whether i should pursue this ridiculous dream or not because in my head, I’m like how? So just to play it safe, I went to a community college and took some general ed classes along with some sketching and sewing classes. Even though my parents were always supportive of my goals and dreams, they were also worried about my financial stability. In the Filipino culture, it is very common to have your children pursue nursing – because apparently, it provides exactly that – financial security. A part of me wanted to try so I took the beginning science classes in college. Fortunately enough, I didn’t do so well and got Cs while I was excelling in my sketching and sewing classes and was always more excited to be there instead. It wasn’t until then that I fully realized I have to do this. I’m doing this. I’m going for it. I applied to FIDM and got accepted at their Fashion Design program. The two years that I spent at FIDM consisted of countless sleepless nights (real all nighters – like three nights in a row), eating very unhealthy food, consistently running after deadlines, sewing – lots and lots of sewing, sketching, pattern making, draping and working as a resident adviser and a tour guide and having fun all at once. I’ve made so many friendships that I am forever grateful for. As soon as I graduated, I was blessed enough to find a job in the industry within a month and the rest was history which leads me to now.

As I look back the past few years of how I got to where I’m at now, I don’t think i have any regrets at all. I’ve made so many memories and sacrifices to get me where I’m at now. The fashion industry is hard. Actually, hard is an understatement. You really have to love it and be passionate about it in order for you to stay in it. I was just having a conversation with a friend of mine who is also in the industry and we were talking about how this industry is like a bad boyfriend that you love and care about. Now that I’m back from my trip and have taken my break. I know now that I’m ready to go back and tackle the fashion industry again, one storm at a time. I don’t think I can do anything else. I’ve never felt something so strong in my heart — knowing that this is what I’m made to do and I don’t see myself doing anything else.

What are you goals, passions and dreams?

For this look, I made a two piece bathing suit. Red is one of my favorite colors because it’s flirty and fun. What do you think of this look?

XOXO,

Joy

August 13, 2016August 13, 2016

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Colors

One of my favorite places in the world is the beach. It’s just so peaceful and relaxing. I grew up living 15 mins from the beach in Oxnard and when I was younger, I didn’t take advantage of living so close to it. But now that craziness and business of adulthood has finally arrived, I could use a simple getaway here and there. For this look, I made a colorful long maxi see through dress that can easily be worn on top of a bathing suit – perfect for summer weather. I’ll probably wear this dress multiple times for the next few months. Anyone else super excited that summer is finally here?

Photo Creds: Ever

XO,

Joy

June 3, 2016June 3, 2016

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Castle

As summer approaches, I had to haunt the infamous Victoria Beach in Orange County. For this shoot, I made a baby doll with a deep V slip dress with ruffles. What do you think about this look? Do you have your summer outfits yet?

XO,

Joy

May 5, 2016May 5, 2016

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