The Child They Love The Most

 I have always deemed myself lucky with the kind of parents I was born into. Perhaps I'm as opinionated as I am because they have always encouraged me and my brothers to speak our minds at all times provided that we do it in the appropriate place and while ensuring that respect for both ourselves and the person we're talking to isn't sacrificed. I've generally made my choices in life with my parents' approval in consideration. Of course this doesn't mean that I haven't messed up. I did, plenty of times to be more precise. I keep on making the wrong decisions as I grow up. And it keeps on getting harder to accept the disappointments I subject myself to due to error in judgments but with my parents' accepting nature, at least there are two people whom I don't have to worry about being disappointed in me.

Dress used as top: Zara | Earrings, ring, bangles: Aldo | Shoes: People Are People | Skirt: Zara

This is what I wore to my Dad's birthday lunch celebration in The Cafe in Hyatt Hotel located in City of Dreams last 7 March. We celebrated with the rest of our extended family the following day, which I'm going to post here in a few days or weeks, depending on whether I'll have something to talk about or not to accompany the photos. Anyway. I can't believe 2 months have passed by!! I haven't written anything in February (the last two posts do not count since technically, they happened in January) and March. So I'll publish two entries within the day to compensate for them.



Let me get on my high horses and do something that I both enjoy and detest: preach. Provided that the person came from a fully functional family, he (just to be clear, I'm all for gender equality but the use of "he" in context here is gender-neutral) is completely indebted to his parents. As such, he has the responsibility to live up to his parents' expectations of him. No, really. Call me boring, call me out for sucking up to my parents but I think, when one's only resources, pardon the term for being so frank and tactless, are his parents then it's counterintuitive to disobey the parents' sound decisions. It's called "basic gratitude", I believe. I don't even know where to begin in trying to understand when one deliberately defies his parents' reminders yet has the gall to ask for allowance the following day. Where did he get such impertinence? Financial support aside, the parents are there to provide the necessary voice of reason. They normally advise what would later on become the right advice. They know a lot of things and they are only after ensuring that their children grow up to be better than them.




We search for help elsewhere or a listener in someone else but we fail to see that our parents would want us to turn to them. Definitely we can't talk about specific topics with them - topics that we will hide from them for as long as we live - but I've always believed in communication so even the mundane aspects of everyday life, I try to expound on when I'm with them. Besides, it's in those seemingly trivial stuff that a person's level of thinking is revealed. Not that I've any proof about mine but both my Dad and Mom have superior understanding of almost everything as proven by their immaculate school records. So I really relish every time I get to talk about new and insightful discoveries with them.



I guess the best thing that parents can offer is genuine emotional support. For which I am lucky as I have a Mom who serves as my thoughts' sound board and a Dad whose comments have constantly redirected my goals when they're shaky. There's something very uplifting in knowing that when everything goes wrong and my sudden self-doubts rise up to the surface, they're there to listen. My parents know me so well that even when I got in conflict against school teachers once who tried to paint me in a much negative light, my parents laughed it off. My parents have always been on my side. And to me, their approval is the only thing that matters. I may constantly mess up a lot but as long as I can make my parents see the reason behind my actions, I'm good.

On these notes, I hope either of my parents see this because after the fur vest and fur jacket, I'm going to ask for a new cape. This has been a lengthy prelude to asking for something. Oh well. Happy birthday, Daddy! 

Title's from Phineas and Ferb's Candace Flynn 

La Bête et Sa Rose

Look there she goes that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she's feeling well
With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle
- Belle

What's with French boys and their roses? I just realized that a pretty rose was central in both the Little Prince's and the Beast's stories. Sorry, even this tiny detail amazes me! So there, I used 'The Beast and His Rose' for my title.


Top: Zara | Brooch: H&M | Skirt: Collab MNL (loved it too much, Ver!) | Shoes: Michael Antonio | Watch: Anne Klein

I wasn't supposed to watch Beauty and the Beast because I was trying to save my parents from spending some more on me this month (I watched it on the 31st January. The post before this happened on the same day) after covering all the expenses brought in by my birthday celebrations and because my musical buddy is currently in Australia with my cousins (Hello Lala!). But then at the last minute, the thought of not seeing this production in person saddened me. So I made the abrupt decision to pester my Mom into buying me a seat, even if I'd have to watch alone. Thankfully I have a very cool, very supportive, very reasonable, very open-minded, very kind, very beautiful Mom. More than buying me a ticket of my desired seat, she willingly accompanied me as well. (Hahahahaha you are super, Mommy!)

As my life has been altered once
It can change again
Build higher walls around me
Change every lock and key
Nothing lasts, nothing holds
All of me
- Home




Don't believe me? Ask the dishes
They can sing, they can dance
After all, Miss, this is France
And a dinner here is never second best
Go on, unfold your menu
Take a glance and then you'll
Be our guest
Oui, our guest
Be our guest!
- Be Our Guest

Disney musical productions are more difficult to pull off because there's already a material to be compared to. Disney has always set the bar so high that imitation is highly undesirable. So who else can top off a Disney movie? Why, Disney of course! Have I mentioned that in all the interviews I've been to, both in school and possible work, I've always given Disney as my dream corporation to work for? I digress. I can't help singing along all the familiar songs because surely, anyone who's watched the Beauty and the Beast film would know parts, if not the entirety, of the songs. Even the dialogues were too familiar that I can spout them off. ("If it's not baroque, don't fix it") These were clear attempts to show how faithful to the movie the musical production is. As for the costumes, they were terrific! I'm particularly happy with Madame de la Grande Bouche's dress (Yes, the Wardrobe has been finally given a name in this version). All in all, I believe the production is a perfect showcase of what Disney has always stood for: an overall overwhelming experience that doesn't sacrifice any aspect of a good story.



It's not because I'm vain (although really, how can anyone who has a blog all about herself not be vain right?) that of all the characters in the musical, my favorite is Adam Dietlein's Gaston. He's just so funny and unapologetically obsessed with himself that I can't help but believe he is indeed God's gift to women. He's a narcissist down to his core. I'm all about seeing a character respond to a catalyst that will change the way he looks at certain things but sometimes, a character is already so perfect that he doesn't need changes anymore. He's already in his optimum. Such is the case for Gaston. I deliberately didn't include lyrics from any of his songs because choosing only a few lines wouldn't do justice to his greatness. When he starts wooing Belle through his perfectly titled song "Me" which goes along the lines of "we shall be a perfect pair rather like my thighs", I can't figure why a sensible ambitious girl like Belle would turn down a he-man such as Gaston when she knows that "no one's slick as Gaston, no one's quick as Gaston, no one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston's". Gosh Belle, you're made of steel to not positively respond to the sweetest proposal I've ever heard. "On occasion, women can have their uses too; mainly to extend the family tree. Pumpkin, extend with me!" If his "Me" song wasn't enough to unfasten your resolve, how could you have still said No after hearing Gaston and the townspeople's uplifting "Gaston"? A he-man "built 6 foot 4" with special talents like expectorating (an inspiring talent if I must say so) who has two songs all dedicated to himself wants you for his wife. Okay fine, maybe he has faults too (very minimal though!) but even if "he plans to persecute harmless crackpots" (like, say, Belle's father himself) and admits to taking "cheap shots", isn't it enough that he has "biceps to spare"? Hahahhahahahaaha. Kidding aside, Gaston in the musical is just as villainous as in the movie's. Only, he's the type of villain whose stupidity and narcissism are endearing. Bad actions should not be rewarded, I know, but points for consistency I guess?


Can you just imagine how much more perfect Gaston would have been to me had I seen Hugh Jackman's performance? I would willingly pay for another ticket just to see Gaston again.
from For the Love of Broadway Musicals

Long ago I should have seen
All the things I could have been
Careless and unthinking, I moved onward 
- If I Can't Love Her



Beast: I never knew books could do that
Belle: Do what?
Beast: Take me away from this place
Make me forget for a little while
- Something There

I intentionally wore blue and white since they're the colors in Belle's town dress. The brooch was more symbolic rather than an ornamental piece as well. To represent the Beast's rose, I wore the only flower brooch I have. Probably the only article I donned that was inconsistent of Belle's outfit was my pair of shoes. I should've worn black but hey it didn't look as complementary to my outfit as my blue ones. Oh no, I'm not a mental dresser who always injects symbolisms in what she's wearing. I'm just desperately salvaging my image after admitting to liking Gaston. Haha! Anyway, I'm so jealous of the kids who were seated near us. Some were wearing fur capes like what Belle was wearing! I wish I have the same guts to wear mine as well in public. (There goes the usual shallow babble).

When I'm human again
Only human again
When the world once more make sense
I'll unwind for a change
- Human Again




Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly
Just a little change
Small to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast
- Beauty and the Beast

I Know What We're Going to Do Today!

Whoever thought they'll eventually outgrow their fixation on children shows should un-think this resolution. It's impossible. Probably they may lessen their daily serving because the show has finished its run or because they do not approve of the new changes or their schedule doesn't allow them to catch the shows on TV  but one day, when they stumble upon remnants of it, they will immediately fall back into its claws once more. I know so because even though I'm already in my early twenties, I have to have a fix of Phineas and Ferb.


Dress: River Island | Shoes: Mango | Flower headband: Forever21 | Necklace: Ever New (thanks S!)

My cousin Jesse (Isabella's nickname is Jesse because she's born on December 25th) flew all the way from Australia to Manila to celebrate her first birthday with her family and relatives here. That is, after she celebrated plenty of times back home. (Tsk tsk. Kids these days are dethroning me in my birthday-associated spendthrift ways Hahahaha) Her party here was held in One Corporate Centre function room which the management, headed by one of my mom's best friends Tita Weng, decorated very appropriately. Hence, I couldn't stop from gushing about my admiration for the well-detailed party. I was wearing a floral headband when I entered the room which proved to be a wise choice since there were lots of accessories to choose from to be in one with the theme. One of which is the array of floral headbands and hair ties.






with cousin Jesse and her mom, Tita Imee

I've been watching Phineas and Ferb since I was in High School. I was gripped the moment Phineas reasoned, "The Stone Age was once the future, as was the Middle Ages. Creativity and inventions never end!" The word play in the dialogues, the tactful insults, and the musical productions (oh where do I even begin with the beautiful and melodious musical productions?!!) - I'm in awe of all of them. As Baljeet said in one episode, 'it is gratifyingly erudite.' I figured, it would've been a really fun life if you're surrounded by people whom you can constantly exchange witty remarks with.


Weeks ago, I was in Disneyland with my family, grandmom, and my cousins and their family. I successfully convinced myself to not buy anything from the stores save for gifts to give for my goddaughters Paris and Martina but along the way, I saw this Perry the Platypus hat. It's non-negotiable, I had to have it! (Oh yeah, remember this place from this POST?)

On that note, hearing news about Phineas and Ferb's new look is making me anxious but definitely in the most positive way!


video source



Trust my words, this won't be the last time I'll post about Phineas and Ferb and their friends. I would've written more but I'm in a hurry. I only have 30 minutes to change and dress up for tonight's Beauty and the Beast show! I can go there wearing this outfit but I've prepared a more suitable Belle outfit. The shallow person in me is grinning Hahaha Ta-ta for now!

Title's Phineas' famous line.

Le Prince et Sa Rose

Aside from the certificate delivered to my house, I have no other proof that I studied French. There are problems in my schedule presently but as soon as everything's sorted out, I'll enrol in Alliance Française de Manille once more just because I want to fully understand the upcoming Le Petit Prince film without needing subtitles. What? That's a valid reason, right?

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” 

Dress: from Hong Kong | Coat: from London | Tights: Topshop | Ankle boots: H&M

I'll attempt to write an entire paragraph in French because I'm a pretentious girl who insists she's slowly becoming multilingual. Hahahahaha.
  On y va!

C'est comiqe quand je vois les articles dans l'internet quelque leçons j'aurais dû quand je plus jeune. 
Parce que quand vous etes nouvel, vous preferez le faires votre façon. Il y a ne pas de consequences depuis vous croyez vous avez tout le temps dans le monde. Certainement je ne aurais pas ècoutè. J'etais dix-neuf une fois aussi. Ja'i fait le plus grandes erreurs de ma vie puis. (Oh my gosh, if there's any way that I can use the numbers from one to a hundred, one thousand, and one million, I would have done it. I had to memorize them for a day's activity then) 

“Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.” 

Avec mes favoris garçons dans le monde: mes deux freres et mon pere

Ma conjugaison est terrible. Aussi ma grammaire. J'ai pour etudier francaise immediatement. Qui vous déjà savez si vous comprenez cela. J'ai essaye ne pas utiliser les apps dans mon telephone et le Google Translate. J'ai utilisè les notes dans mon cahier. C'etait difficile. Mais je veux faire ce à nouveau. 

Since I only know the basic, I normally always try to identify the standard form of the words in Le Petit Prince. It's the first novel I'm reading that's not written in either English nor Filipino. I cannot fully converse even if I'll only have to listen to the other party because I only pick up a few familiar words. I'm starting with reading but hey give me time and I might be able to babble and rant endlessly one day! For now, I'm leaving these photos which I worked on (and my professor, Ms. Yolie, corrected) months ago. The activity was to assume a different personality. Try to extricate the vrai from the faux. Bonne chance!


Je suis passionnèe par l'art et ses reprèsentations mètaphoriques.



Told you so, there are French who actually chanced upon my blog Hahahahaha Je suis très heureux, merci beaucoup!! :)

All quotes are from The Little Prince. I'll write about my thoughts on both the book and the film after watching it.

The Times They Are A-Changing

Of all the topics my humble mind can conjure, it's probably religion that I will opt not to talk about. I don't want to sound too preachy because I am anything but. Still, I'll try to piece out my views on the subject as generally as I can as a way to be in one with the elation of every Filipino for having The Pope in our midst at the moment.

Top: Topshop | Shorts: Collab MNL | Necklaces: Pull and Bear | Shoes: Adidas | Bag: Longchamp

On a side note, let me do a quick lip service for my friend Ver Guiyab. Along with her two classmates from DLS-CSB who took up Fashion Design too, they set up an online shop where they sell clothes they have designed. I bought a few articles because aside from liking majority of what's in their present collection, they use quality fabric (which is the main reason I support the brand Zara, really. Quality of material!). If you want to see a clearer and more-detailed photo of the shorts I'm wearing, check it out and the rest of their collection HERE.

There are different ways to look at a thing - be it scientifically, philosophically, psychologically, aggressively, passively, theoretically, prejudicially, receptively, morally, or all other adverbs ending in -ly. We are all simply wired to have varying opinions and principles causing us to look at a single phenomenon through arthropod eyes like those of a fly's. It's no one's fault. Our beliefs should not be a cause of further rift among us because we are all after betterment - be it on a personal, national, or global scale. Cultivating our beliefs only become a problem when we impose that what we believe in is more important than our neighbor's.

Perhaps one of the reasons the number of the followers of the Church is dwindling is that, it's remained stuck in its traditions. Everything around it is changing but it's let its nose to be held high in the air. Until a Pope of the New World came in like a wrecking ball. (Too much for a witty attempt? Oh okay then. I won't do it again!)


My faith is on a personal basis. Whatever relationship I have with my God is between Him and me. I don't believe that two people revere the same God similarly to a fault because no two people underwent the exact same things in life. Our faith is shaped by what we face which is, amazingly, relative from person to person. So who are we to declare that others are wrong for believing in a different principle? The world would have been a better place if everyone is tolerant. Pope Francis easily became a most likeable person by everyone regardless of who they believe in and where they come from because he is someone whose tolerance is exemplary. Not to mention that he seems to be devoting his papacy to the care of the poor instead of propagating strict observance to the 'Church Rules'. This is not to say that he's neglecting addressing the moral problems prevalent in our times. It's just that, he's open-minded. He knows that there are ambiguities in Gospel interpretation and that this same Gospel does not exclude anyone so long as the person strives to be a good one.

How can we cast our judging eyes on others when The Pope already did and said the most liberating and all-encompassing statements?


Lastly, let me borrow Obama's accurate description of The Pope: “In particular, I want to thank His Holiness Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is.”

I've seen and read almost all the magazine articles in the past 

two years bearing the incredible stories about Pope Francis.

 Among them, I liked the title Rolling Stone came up with

 so I'm using it for my title too. 

Folk In Those Stories Had Lots of Chances Of Turning Back, Only They Didn't

I wasn't supposed to write an entire post about my obsession with Middle-earth but then just like how junkies of whatever sorts undergo closure to treat their obsessions, I've to put a dot on my month long The Hobbit - LOTR movies and books marathon by quickly gushing over them here.


Top: Zara | Necklace: from Bangkok | Shoes: Skechers | Skirt: Zara | Sunglasses: Ray-ban

These photos were taken last 8 December. Almost all classes all over the country were suspended then leaving the streets bereft of the usual Manila traffic, which my Dad and I took opportunity of. We drove all the way to Clark to oversee some of his pressing projects there. I tagged along because I'm an opportunistic little daughter who saw this chance as a way to sweet-talk my Dad into buying me all the stuff I believe I need (but really do not. As he said, "I'm not working so hard just to buy you your fur vest when it's not practical in the kind of climate we have" but as always, I got what I wanted.) hahahahaha


It emotionally drains me just thinking of seeing the end of The Hobbit. (Come on, admit it. We all probably have a fanclub we've sworn allegiance to.) Long before I became a fan of the Harry Potter series, I was already obsessing heavily on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. All my brothers, my uncles, and my boy-cousins dragged me to the cinemas to watch the first three instalments and successfully turned me into another Middle-earth geek. When the great Peter Jackson translated The Hobbit into movies two years ago, the fans club in my family was resurrected. For purposes of this post, I'm focusing on the films over the books. I've read all 3 of the LOTR and The Hobbit but when I saw Jackson's idea of them, I was completely won over. The books were great, what with all of Tolkien's lovely words and ideas that are difficult to translate into action, but Jackson's was legendary on its own as well.

As if hearing Pippin's song in the Return of the King played as the background music for the trailer of The Battle of the Five Armies wasn't enough to get me emotionally invested, the movie used Pippin's voice once more to sing the final farewell song played at the end credits of the last movie. By then, I was already sobbing in the movie house, to my brother's dismay.

On a scale of 1 to Stephen Colbert, I'm not really sure where I stand as a fan. But I can lengthily explain why the wise Gandalf couldn't do the missions (... quest... thing) in both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings or why the eagles only showed up at the last minute. Or the name of Gandalf's horse and sword. Or the riddle behind Gandalf's famous "Fly, you fools" line. Or other not so obvious occurrences and objects concerning not only Gandalf but the other characters as well. I'll gladly discuss themes in the books and films with anyone, seriously. There are plenty of conventions where fans gather in the US and UK and I'm very positive that if I ever get the chance to be there, I'll proudly wear a costume. No, really.


I understand why there was an uproar amongst the Tolkien fans when the character of Tauriel was introduced in The Desolation of Smaug (which, by the way, is my favorite among the Hobbit trilogy). She didn't spring forth from Tolkien's mind, instead she came from Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien's Middle-earth world. Nonetheless, I like her and how substantial the films made her character out to be. Seeing a female persona in an otherwise male-dominated world is empowering. Not to mention, her existence provided a romantic plot to the story.  Besides, I believe the main plot wasn't altered substantially and some of the poignant scenes and lines in the books of all the Middle-earth stories were included. Every battle with the Orcs and the Goblins were theatrically orchestrated injected with Legolas and Gimli's humorous competition against each other (in LOTR), that instead of my usual recoiling response to war scenes, I enjoy every death on the battle field (The battle of Helm's Deep or The Battle of Hornburg is my favorite sequence from the 6 movies but I used a photo from The Battle of Pelennor Fields as emphasis).

Knowing that the character you've rooted for from the start will eventually get killed doesn't lessen the impact once you actually see it. Although the circumstances of the characters' death were different from what happened in the book, the end-result was the same so cut Jackson some slack, you high and mighty Tolkien fanatics. I wasn't so invested in Kili in the book but who wouldn't like Tolkien's version of Kili?




images from Iconic Fictional Characters

The thing with epic adventures is that, they leave a mark. Sometimes it completely intertwines with the rest of our lives, other times it becomes a constant reminder in a form of a scar, tattoo, or deformity of what we've underwent at a certain time. Very seldom does it leave us. And very seldom does it not make us evaluate where we currently stand.

I'm not yet ready to bid Middle-earth farewell. For now, let me go back to doing my LOTR marathon then cap everything off with Billy Boyd's The Last Goodbye to shed some more tears. Peace out!

Sentimental Man

To be fair, I'm not neglecting the blog because I'm lazy. It's just that, I've disappointingly crossed the border that divides interesting stories from sentences that are merely "a play on words without actual substance" (The quoted phrase is an idea that I've read or heard somewhere). No matter how mediocre I've been for the past years, there has to be a limit on how mediocre I can become. Haha!


Long cardigan used as dress: H&M | Belt: Topshop | Leather Pants: Topshop | Leather ankle boots: H&M

Maybe it's because I've seen some classmates back in college who were automatically given a 0.0 in their term grades after being proven to have plagiarized even just a paragraph in their reports that I'm a strict observer of citation. I try my best to give credits to others whenever I use parcels of their intellectual property. If there's anything that I can be proud of in all my posts here (which to be frank is not much), it's that, I try to be as original and creative as I can. Of course let's factor in mediocrity since it's slowly getting embedded in my system. Between the two evils, I'd rather be mediocre than an intellectual thief slash pretentious know-it-all slash "how on earth can you possibly jump from senseless ranter to a keen observer?" (the quoted phrase is mine this time).


Sneakers: Adidas
While shopping around Mong Kok, I couldn't anymore hold in the pain so I had to bully my Dad into buying me a pair of rubber shoes. 

I'm not the most sentimental person out there because farewells make me as sad as the next person so although I'm in my usual enthusiastic self in the company of others, I exercise restraint. I've learned long ago that we all end up disappointing someone dear to us at some point. It's inevitable. What we can do to counter it is to choose whom we'd like to invest in. Halt, stop right there! The thought I'm trying to drive at might sound familiar but it's only because there's a disclaimer in all creative and original pursuits. Often, a single thought is expanded and rewritten into different forms or wordings causing one to assert, "it's just semantics!" but always look closer as varying possibilities lie in the details. I don't want to get too technical now since I don't have enough sound arguments in this matter and I want to continue talking about me. Hahahaha!

Anyway, it's my birthday today so cut me some slack and just pretend you've read a rather amusing entry. My brain is failing me.

Title's from Wicked

In With the Old

Photos are starting to pile up in my Photo album so even though my brain is still on haywire, aggravating my already existing tendency to spout out incoherent thoughts, I'll try to be insightful.


Top: Bayo | Necklace: Aldo | Body Bag: Nine West | Shorts: Bench | Shoes: Aldo

First off, Happy New Year to everyone!!! I had a great holidays celebration spent with my relatives residing in the country and a few meet-ups with my closest friends in town so I hope you had an equally fantastic time.

Probably the reason a quality movie graces the Philippine mainstream cinema screen only once in a few years is that, the audience is not yet ready for anything that requires us to think, evaluate, and respond. No, really. It's the truth. The commercial aspect of producing a film outweighs its need of story depth. In a way it's understandable because sometimes, when our brains are too tired to function after a day of work, we want to see a film that will only make us laugh upfront and leave us feeling light-hearted. Who needs ideas that resonate, ideas that deconstruct, ideas that give birth to other ideas? This reasoning is exactly why we'll thrive endlessly on simple romantic comedies and rely on Hollywood films for more intellectual enlightening.


The Golden Rule in Criticizing: Don't criticise if you won't offer an alternative. I've no idea how movies are created but I know that in our country, their success is measured by the money they've generated, with reviews merely affecting a little percentage of the audience. Producers should make a pact. For every 4-5 hits they've produced, they should invest in a story-driven film. It's just fair, I think. Since they make money out of people who love going to the cinemas, they should in turn educate them. Give and take, remember? Last night, my Tito, brother, baby cousin, and I watched Bonifacio. It was great because it's the first film I've seen for so long that tells about the life of one of our national heroes, reminding me of what I learned in elementary. It had its flaws, of course. The tiniest of details were overlooked but I was willing to let it go.

Bonifacio reminded me of how rich our history as a nation is and at the same time frustrated me because I know more about other countries' history than ours.


Sometimes our closets are a big gift box. I was surprised to see a few stuff that I've long forgotten such as this green top. I wore it once in my frosh year in college and before that, during my retreat in HS. I didn't grow, did you notice?