One random night, I decided to visit my old blog. Love, Paola was my longest running blog and it was a fun, nostalgic trip down memory lane reading through those 5 years worth of blog entries. I've decided to sort of "scrapbook" those past 5 years just so I'd be reminded of the highlights - the evolution of my personal style, important events, achievement, travels and even my random thoughts.
2011
This was when it all started. Armed with my Canon digital camera, my first ever laptop and a whole lot of thoughts to share, I started writing. Because of the blog, I was even more motivated to dress up nicely. Aside from keeping up with trends, I started keeping up with the digital world as well. I experimented with basic html codes and photoshop for the blog. Those thick black borders were kind of my trademark back then. This was also the year I celebrated my 18th birthday so you could say that this was the start of my journey to adulthood.
2012
This was a pretty colorful year in terms of my personal style. Color blocking, print on print and over accessorizing were a big trend in 2012 and boy did I succumb it. Most of these outfits I probably wouldn't wear today. Looking at it now, all of these were bound to be a fleeting phase. On most days, I was in skirts but on some days, I was in pants too, but only those printed ones. There was a big improvement on my photos since I started using my dad's SLR. This was also the year I started writing about our travels and probably the year I really appreciated travelling.
2013
In 2013, I was no longer just writing about my outfits but also about the other aspects of my life. My entries started to dwindle mid of this year because I started internships and thesis. My first internship with Aranaz is such a good memory because I was basically living the Carrie Bradshaw life. It was pretty hectic year in the university as well since it was my last so I mostly resorted to Instagram for my #ootds and did dump posts and quick updates on the blog once in a while.
2014
2014 is one of my favorite years to date. In February, I graduated. In March, we went to the US and was reunited with my cousins whom I didn't see for 10 years. In July, I entered the corporate world. It was a pretty eventful year in terms of personal growth. This was also the year I started transitioning with my personal style. I slowly let go of the loud, colorful pieces in my wardrobe and started to consider classic, comfortable but still stylish pieces.
2015
This was a confused year. I felt like I went through my quarter life crisis which was evident in my short, cryptic posts once in a while. I started questioning if I like my job. At some point, I wanted to study and get my master degree, then I gave up on that and decided that I want to study in a fashion school in Singapore instead. Then somewhere along the way I realized I didn't want it all that much and decided to start going on interviews with other companies but did not really find what I was looking for. With only just 9 posts for the entire year, I was also convinced that blogging was not my thing anymore.
I am quite disappointed that I did not write at all in 2016. It was a balanced year, I remember being happy and being sad. I remember doing things for the first time, achieving things then failing at some. But it will be a challenge to remember all the details and all the experiences. The human mind can only take so much after all so this made me realize the importance of my blog. It has inspired me more to write, to take photos, to document, to discover, to go places and to simply be grateful. Ultimately, it's a pretty, good life!
Love, Paola
