Time Space Warp... Ngayon Din!

Ang bilis bilis bilis ng panahon. Parang kailan lang I was counting the days 'til my birthday and now September's almost over. Kalurks.

So here's where I write a rundown of this month's "happenings." At least for me, happenings na yun so forgive ol' boring me. Nyehehe.

Birthday Bongga

My birthday fell on a Sunday. I really wanted lechon for the longest time and what's the best justification for lechon- handaan! So for my 33rd birthday, I asked my mom a lechon for my birthday. And this was before I accidentally dropped Kendall... e di sana Kindle na lang, diba? Anyway, had a good time with my family and cousins and nephews and, OMG, food! Almost all my favorite dishes were served (lengua, dinuguan and lechon... YUM ☺) except for Becky's Swiss Choco Cake but everything's all good cos I got this from my nephews

'HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, TITA JOY!
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH
MWAH MWAH TSUP TSUP'

Siempre my cute nephews wouldn't come up with such corny dedication. Kagagawan yan ng nanay nila, sino pa? When people ask me how old I am, I ask them, according to my cake, according to my nephew, mental or chronological age? If according to my cake, it's 8; according to my nephew, 13; mental age is 24 and chronological is 33. So there.

And oh, here are the birthday cards my nephews gave me

Met up with friends on separate occasions to celebrate my birthday. Magastos. Haha. But we all get to celebrate once a year kaya keri na din.

So anyway, on my 33rd year, I'd like to thank God for ALL the blessings ☺ Sometimes I may feel inadequate, unsuccessful, kawawa but then I try to remind myself to count my blessings and be grateful for what I have. Currently, I am thankful for:

1. Very supportive family, most especially to my parents and AD. And of course, I am thankful that my parents are in a position that they are capable to support and sometimes, provide financial help. They subsidized my printer + plotter cutter purchase this year and allowed me to use muna their money that they made me safekeep. Of course I have to return it but it's like getting a loan without having to pay interest. O diba? 
2. Continuous influx of orders. Seriously, it's like magic ☺ Haha! Aside from bulk orders for birthdays and events, I also get order na for personal consumption. I really get kilig every time I get a text message or an email. I hope and pray simula pa lang 'to.
3. Working at home and not having to experience horrendous traffic in the city on a daily basis. Super thankful I got to dodge that one. In fair, I can allocate my dilly-dally time to time wasted when one is in traffic, para parehas pa rin ang productivity level. 
4. My assistant aka the Yaya Dub to my Lola Nidora. Haha! She's not perfect and sometimes (most of the time, actually) nawiwindang ako sa pagka-arte o pagka-slow sometimes, but she's been a great help to me and I can trust her with money matters. 
5. Finally finding tenants for our room for rent ☺ 

The abovementioned were the ones that come to mind right away but I'm sure there are much more things to be grateful for.  

Horoscope on Point

Remember my horoscope reading last Feb 2015 which was the main reason why I took the risk of renting out a space at 15K monthly. So far it's been okay, we're surviving, napaiikot naman ang pera but of course we want to actually have an ROI. It was a good thing our landlord understands our predicament and suggested that we sublet the available room. At dahil mabagal akong gumalaw, I was only able to tend to things just recently (to be honest, it wasn't me who tended to it... it was daddy who facilitated the move of the double deck beds to the room and made the signage). To cut the story short, we now have a tenant which subsidizes our monthly rent and according to my September reading, something will happen on Sept 12 (give or take five days) which was related to a decision I made early this year...

"Pay very close attention to the eclipse of September 12-13 to see if you get any news. If you do, write a short sentence on your calendar about what news came to you (if anything). I will continue to ask you to look back at every eclipse in the series. For now, just pay attention to September 12-13 (doubly so if your birthday falls near this date) and to what, if anything, occurred last March 20, the first eclipse in the series. See if you can find an association between the two days." (source)

Grabe, as in spot on! I didn't make the decision March 20 but we started moving around that date and both dates had something to do with the rented house. So if before I didn't believe in horoscopes (I have Inquirer Libre's daily horoscope to blame haha), now I'm a believer ☺ Although I do not make all decisions based on it. Actually, the last time I checked the website was last April and I only checked two weeks ago when I was looking for an explanation why my electronics were suddenly dying on me which leads me to my next topic...

Gadgets Gone Bonkers

So my Kindle's broken, my phone's audio is busted and it's superkaduper slooooow as in sloth-like pace and my sister's S4 which she already agreed to give to me died on her one week after she told me she'd give it tmercuro me.

That made me check my horoscope. I need some sort of explanation why this is happening to my electronics and believe it or not, I got my answer :P My sign is on a mercury retrograde and according to Susan Miller's video, electronics are affected and even advised to avoid getting new electronic devices until mercury is not in retrograde anymore. It ends on October 9. I'm getting a new phone anytime after that date. I need a new phone so bad.

Recreation Therapy 

Because it was my birth month (or malapit na sa birthday ko), I indulged a little bit and went on lakwatsa engrande. Here's a mini(non)review of the movies I saw in the cinema:

The Love Affair Because I love watching local films, most especially those by Star Cinema ☺ Um, it was an okay watch. I was just annoyed that the husband was accusing the wife of adultery when it was him who engaged in an adulterous affair. And what was that love scene between Richard Gomez and Bea Alonzo's character? Um, I guess they were going for an artistic shot but really? On the rocks? As in, literal na on the rocks. Kalurks.




Ex With Benefits Almost didn't see this movie because I don't really like the lead actors, but the movie had me at "plot twist." And I must say, I liked the twist. My friend said that the girl could have done something about it but I think she believed that at that time it was a case of your-word-against-mine and people would most likely believe the one in authority, which made her do what she did. So this movie caused a little stir when med reps denounced it for putting them in a bad light. Personally, I believe hindi med reps ang dapat mahiya. Mas dapat mahiya sa balat nila ang mga doktor na pumapatol.

Heneral Luna A depressing movie because it shows that we haven't, as a nation, done much of growing up even after more than 100 years of "freedom." An eye-opener if your eyes are not already open. Sa Walking Dead, hindi zombies ang main enemy ng survivors, kundi ang kapwa nilang survivors. Parang sa ating bansa lang, ang kalaban ng Pilipino ay kapwa Pilipino. Ang pulitiko 'pag tinanong kung bayan o sarili, malamang ang sagot ay, "kailangan pa bang i-memorize 'yan?" Alam mo na.

Anyway... I finished one book. ONE! Isa lang. Boo. Now I'm 13 books behind. I don't think makakahabol pa ako, not when my Kindle went kaput.

Jesse's Girl Miranda Kenneally
I thought it had promise. Nakakadisappoint because I got really bored with the story. Um, yeah, so the rockstar country star fell for her, now what? Parang wala masyadong interesting in their story. Mas engaging pa ang P.S. I Love You ni Gabby at Sharon. And at the very least they could have made the book cover consistent with the book and made that girl on the cover wear purple cowboy boots similar to what Jesse gave Maya. And oh, masyadong pabebe si Maya. Maya sort of reminds me of Kathryn Bernardo's pabebe acting in Pangako Sa'yo.


O, October na. Tama na 'to. Nyahaha.

2015 Reading Challenge: The Exiled Queen

source

It took me more than 60 days to finish reading this second book in the Seven Realms series. Don't get me wrong because I liked the book, the story and the characters... it's just that I'm swamped with more pressing stuff to do like, um, work. Plus the fact that I don't have a Kindle anymore (BAWL!). If before I can read anytime & anywhere, now I can only read my books in my laptop and I can't lug it around, can I? What. A. Bummer.

So back to Hanalea and stuff.

Finally, that thing I've been wanting to happen- Han and Raisa in a sort-of relationship ☺ Perdonamé if the highlight of the story, for me, is the relationship between the two. Remember, I live for kilig. Nyahaha. However, I feel they could've banked on the love triangle of Amon-Raisa-Han a bit longer before Micah took action.

Speaking of love triangles... I'm still a little conflicted between Han and Amon. Naks, feeling Raisa. I know there are rules on who the princess can marry and if we are going to follow the rules, Raisa can't be with Amon and can't be with Han Alister, as well. So I'm wondering how this will all pan out in the end.

As for our antagonists...Who is Crow? I'm dying to find out. And Fiona Bayar, I had a sliver of hope that she was going to side with Han but turns out she wanted him on her side so she could be queen of the Fells. Tsk.

Which makes me want to start Book 3 already but since I need to pick up the pace to catch up with my 2015 Reading Challenge goal, I need to read books less than 500++ pages. Ha.

Cumpleaños 2015 Wishlist Continuation

Total andito na rin naman tayo, let's update my birthday wish list...

First and foremost, (5) a new Kindle

I'm perfectly fine with the model I have but I guess if I have to buy a new one, eh di I'd have to upgrade na din. Although I really prefer the PagePress than Touchscreen- Kendall isn't touchscreen and I guess I like pressing more than swiping, hehe. Leche, what's funny? #inaatakenanaman

to be continued...

Wishing. Hoping. Praying.

If you've been reading my blog, I assume you've met Kendall. If not, this is Kendall...

Meet Kendall the Kindle
this taken during "better days"

Umm... let's just say that I dropped her ON. THE. FLOOR. and it sorta fell from a great height WITHOUT A CASE. So this is how she looks like right now~

Araaaaaay nakooooooo
kay sakit naman ng ginawa mo

Not only was my ereader broken, but my heart as well. I've grown pretty much attached to this gadget. I bring it me everywhere I go, for opportunity to catch up on my reading. I'm currently reading Exiled Queen when I dropped it and I'm almost at the end of the book kaya I couldn't put it down that I had to bring it with me even to the bathroom. Ayan. Disgrasya. Waaaah!!! I'm so sad :( And to think this happened only two days before my birthday. What a present. Buti pa sigurong hindi na muna ako nagbasa at itinabi ko muna siya, hindi pa sana siya nasira.

Now I kind of understand now the importance of putting Kendall (or any gadgets) in a protective case. Eh I'm so stingy and wouldn't spend one kiaw on a kindle case so after three years, my Kindle has gone au naturel. If I had not taken her out from that old, battered case, then maybe she'd still be fine now. Hay. Shoulda coulda woulda.

I'm going to let her be muna. I hope she comes back to her senses. I am not giving up. I actually tried opening the case and I think I hurt my nails and my fingers in the process but still to no avail. Ia-apply ko na lang ang motto ng true love dito- if you love someone, set her free... if she comes back, eh di bongga... if she doesn't, maybe it's time for a new Kindle Paperwhite. HINDI! UMAASA PA AKONG MAAAYOS SIYA. I'll give you space. You'll come back to me, I swear ☺ Gaahd, I'm such a schizo. Ayan kasi naghahanap ng maidadagdag sa birthday wishlist... leche. In the event that Kendall doesn't recover from her trauma, a new one will be my Christmas gift to myself. And a protective case. Linshak na yan.  

Welcoming the Inevitable

Just a week left until my birthday (I'm turning 33, yikes!) and I am sick. Boohoo! I have so much things to do and it's not that I am complaining because I'd always choose lots of orders over lots of free time to finish my books and watch my Korean series, but it seems that I can't focus!!! I keep on jumping from one task to another. I need to FOCUS. And I think I can't do that much right now cos it's my birthday soon and my thoughts are now mainly occupied with all the dinuguan and cake I'll be eating ☺

Anyhoo... here's my wish list for Cumpleaños 2015... Olé!

1. I still want Daddy's Dinuguan and Becky's Kitchen's Swiss Chocolate Cake or Conti's Mango Bravo. Walang mintis, every birthday that's daddy's gift to me cos he refuses to cook dinuguan on ordinary days kasi nga I'm so big already and I guess I eat plenty whenever we have dinuguan for ulam. So tanggap ko na na pang-special occasions lang and dinuguan such as, mi cumpleaño ☺

2. I really, really, really want these display stands

nakakainis, I can't find the solo pic of the wooden cupcake stand

images from Celebrations Partycentral FB page

I already have my own display shelves pero since I'm a hoarder, I want more! Haha! Just one of each lang naman eh ☺

3. AC and I watched Inside Out yesterday and I decided I also want a Joy plushie.. for obvious reasons.

image source

although Sadness plushie looks cuter... 

4. Charmed bracelets! Unconsciously, I've been collecting charm bracelets and I don't mean the expensive Pandora ones cos methinks they're ugly and expensive. What I like are rose quartz, jade, etc.. I am not very familiar with the other stones. AC started it. Well, I bought my first bracelet in Eastwood in a bazaar- an Amazonite bracelet which I already forgot what it was supposed to do for me. I bought it mainly because of the color but it's all faded now :( Then AC gave me tiger eye ba yun last CNY for good luck and jade bracelets. Then AD bought me rose quartz then AC gave me jade ulit. Eh I want this violet charm bracelet which is supposed to give me business luck ☺

Argh. I swear I have plenty pa to add to this list. Memory gap na. Sabi ko na nga ba I should've written them down. Will update na lang as I remember ☺

Inday's Day Out

So I was supposed to meet up with an online seller in Glorietta yesterday. I sent them a text message Monday morning, around 11am to ask if we could meet up Tuesday in Makati para aside from the meet up, I can do all the other errands I've been meaning to do but didn't because, well, procrastination. They replied, "text tom early morning." I assumed it was a 'go' as long as I text them early.

I was in Makati at 7:30 in the morning. MORNING! I woke up at four frickin' thirty so I could hitch a ride with AD going to Makati. I sent the supplier a little before 8am to confirm our meet up. Reply ba naman sa akin, "tomorrow na lang." ANO 'YON? WALA SIYA SA MOOD? BUKAS NA LANG?!? Well, I was also at fault because I assumed tuloy nung Tuesday. It just happens that they're the only supplier of this material I need so I'm putting up with the unprofessional conduct. So fine pumayag ako na 'tomorrow na lang.' We're supposed to meet today at 12nn in Megamall. I sent them a message asking for a confirmation if the meet up will push through because I'm only going to Megamall to pick up the material and pay them. I texted them twice. No reply.

Hay. Nakaka-high blood.

So anyway aside from the no-show supplier, I was able to do all the other stuff in my to-do list and some more... Eto ayaw ko na napapadpad ako sa Landmark eh. Tapos 10% off pa on all regular products. Presenting yesterday's stash

decorative tray

black crate
actually part of a set but may also be purchased individually

The black crate is part of a set. There are 4 boxes and I got the third biggest. I really want it in white but it's out of stock so I got just one in black. Their sale is until the end of the month and new stock in white will be coming so I will wait for those ☺

wooden something from Landmark and Pantone mug from SM

I guess to other people this isn't a splurge but to me it is. I don't need them, well maybe except for product pictorial props, but I didn't really need to buy them. I'm kuripot that way. Haha.

I avoided the grocery to avoid unneccesary purchases but I needed to buy toothpaste (and if I find the Scholl pedi thingy), I went to the toiletries section and ended up buying not just a tube of toothpaste

because they're on sale...

I've been eyeing the Bifesta for about a year already but didn't muster enough courage (until now) to shell out 400 to buy it. Haha sabi sayo kuripot ako eh. The St Ives Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub I saw last month in Savemore but put off buying it as I still have lots of facial washes and scrubs but because it's 10% off, bumili na rin ako kahapon.

Ooooh, it's so pretty ☺ This is how the Bifesta bottle looks like when you peel off the plastic. I love muted pastel colors.

And since we're on the topic of facial washes and scrubs (and indirectly, hoarding na din), here are the facial wash and scrubs we've accumulated (wala pa jan ang mga facial bar soaps)

from L to R: St Ives Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub, VMV id Skin-Buffing Cleansing Scrub, Nature
Republic Argan Foam Cleanser, Olay Thermal Mini-peel and Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser

L to R: ROC Resurfacing Facial Cleanser, Sebamed Liquid Face & Body Wash, Benzac Facial Scrub,
Maxipeel Exfoliant Scrub and Asian Secrets Lulur Whitening Facial Scrub

My favorites: Even if I just bought it yesterday, the St Ives Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub is definitely one of my faves because of the scent (reminds me of  Neutrogena's Grapefruit facial wash) and I love the fine, grainy scrub texture (reminiscent of the other St Ives scrub, Green Tea), plus you could never go wrong with a St Ives facial wash and scrub ;) Another fave is the Benzac Facial Scrub whose scent I also love love love plus it's really effective against pimples and blackheads (ie. it doesn't make me break out). The downside of Benzac is it's a little pricey and I can't use it everyday ( just twice a week, tops!). The third runner-up is the ROC Max Resurfacing Facial Cleanser. I don't how much it costs cos it was AC who bought it. I also like the texture but not so much the scent. Its label says it's to be used prior your anti-aging soap/cleanser so the active anti-aging ingredient can penetrate your skin better.

I used to like the Olay Thermal Mini Peel; however, the warming effect, I think, has an effect on my skin. The dry areas (skin in between the chin and lower lip) and singit-singit sides of the nose, they darken on continued use of this scrub so I just use it occasionally. The VMV id Skin-Buffing Cleansing Scrub I bought last year as part of a set. Around this time last year, I had a bad case of pimples. mega-breakout galore! So I was desperate. I was sad and desperate which means I was easily cajoled into buying this beauty product. I followed the instructions to a T. They said the breakouts were going to worsen at first then improve eventually, with continued use of the kit. I used it for almost two months. I stopped using it when my complexion didn't improve.

The Sebamed  (bought here) and Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser (pasalubong from AB) were purchased I think last 2013 and 2012, respectively. Kaya sila tumagal ng hanggang 2015 kasi hindi ko masyado ginagamit- mga once a month pag nagsawa ako sa ginagamit ko. The Asian Secrets Lulur Whitening Facial Scrub I must have used just twice or thrice. I bought it last 2013, too.

Maxipeel Exfoliant Scrub was bought on impulse, wala lang. Haha. The Argan Foaming Cleanser was a birthday gift to AC. I love the scent but I noticed my skin gets oilier after using.

So there my boring chronicling of the facial wash and scrubs we have in our bathroom. I'm bored. And too tamad to do anything productive. Bleh.

Monday Na, Rainy Pa

Time flies. It's been a year since we were evicted from the original location and moved to our temporary place of business which was our extension aka my "lab." If Facebook didn't remind me, it would've totally escaped my memory. 

So while having my lunch today, I was thinking about the days of August as I have a deliverable before the 21st. I was counting how many days I have left to work on the order. Turns out I only have, more or less, two weeks and a half to work on it. Basta, this year has swooshed on by and before we know it, it's already 2016. Pero siempre birthday ko muna. 

First up, an update on my sorry life. Haha. Joke lang. I just feel sorry for myself when sisters make plans without me #bakitfamilybatayo and most of the time, I like spending my time by myself. These days nga lang, I've been spending too much time alone. Unti na lang iha-high five ko na sarili ko. Makes me think of going back to IC and further my Spanish-speaking skills (or still lack thereof, even after 28 levels) just so I have an "extra-curricular" activity. Kaso lang masyado nang mahal ang 5 kiaw every two months just so I could mingle. With that amount, I can buy a looot of supplies already. 

Speaking of supplies.. I have all the supplies I need to start production pero I'm still NOT starting production. You see, I am a little preoccupied with my "gadgets" as I have not yet fully familiarized myself with them and now, my new printer's acting out. The magenta cartridge isn't dispensing ink and it's actually killing meeeeeee because I wanted to print labels already!!! And I need a ride to go to my supplier to have it fixed. Dapat talaga nagdri-drive na ako eh. Duwag ko talaga. So instead of printing labels, I discovered something new that "iPhone" (aka my plotter cutter) can do... et voila

I CAN MAKE BOXES!!! ☺ 

so I spent the whole day yesterday making boxes, addict mode. That was a good decision I made, purchasing that printer and plotter cutter, although I still need it to generate income, mabawi lang ang cost which could've bought an iPhone (hence my cutter's name- iPhone) but I would never choose an iphone over my "iPhone." Sorry, ang sabog. 

My goal is to buy a laser printer next year. But that could still change. I am happy with my current printer but I feel that a laser one has better output. It all depends on the the feedback and, of course, the budget.

So toodles for now as I have yet to "construct" a Lalaloopsy-themed label.