Chuva I'm Grateful For: 2018 Q1

I'm back after a two-month hiatus. The usual- been busy with life and Korean dramas and Gardenscapes. This is my quarterly gratitude list (at least I'll try to make one every quarter), entonces...

(1) I'm still ever so grateful for all the orders we've been getting. I never really thought I'd get into this line of business and it was all some kind of serendipity, actually. If not for the nail spa, I wouldn't have actually discovered this "career." And if not for not having the money to buy my friends gifts during that Christmas, I wouldn't have "explored" other options and made lip balms for them. See, everything works out in the end. Not that this is the end for me. It's just the beginning and things are looking up. Think positive lang, mga besh!

(2) Finding a skincare regimen that is working for me FOR REALZZZZ. Take note, hindi lang dalawa, hindi lang tatlo kundi apat (APAT!!) ang letter Z ko!! I'm that ecstatic for finally FINALLY finding something that's hiyang. Hindi siya cheap but definitely worth it. I've always said that my skin needs alcohol. Well, at that time I just haven't found the right products. I'm still sort of  doing the kagillions-step skincare regimen, that is if I'm not too lazy to do all or most of the steps.

Those are my skin savers! Most especially Thayers Rose Petal Alcohol-Free Toner ♥ Also loving The Ordinary's Niacinamide and Realix Labs's Advanced Peptide Serum (slobong from AB). Well at first nakakatamad talaga, most especially on days when you're super tired and sleepy and just want to crash on your bed. Sanayan lang. I think I just need to find a good pressed powder so I won't need to put on foundation before I leave the house. 

I can't bloody believe that I have almost-empties: Cosrx's Salicylic Acid Facial Wash and Cosrx's Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner. I think I've never finished a bottle of any product I use on my face ever kasi nga hindi naman sila masyado okay sa skin ko. So it's really surprising that I stuck to a regimen,,. and that there are products that really work wonders. Next on my to-try list: Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop, TIA'M My Signature Red C Serum, The Ordinary's Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution and also their Alpha Arbutin serum. 

(3) The little girl is staying with us. 

Ze yaya left one month ago, hence ze baby has been staying with us for one month already. She brings so much joy to our household kahit mej masungit siya. Haha! Sabi nga ni daddy, ang sound ng tawa niya is music to our ears. OHA! Minsan lang magsabi ng ganyan tatay ko. May aagaw na sa trono ko sa pagiging peborit. LOL. 

Since her parental units haven't found any luck in finding a replacement yet, the old yaya is allegedly coming back. Que horror. I hope when she does come back, the little girl's parental units will, this time around, impose on her what's good for the kid and not just for their convenience (yung tipong kiber nila sa anak nila basta andun sila sa basketbolan o kung saan mang ganap na). 

(4) The construction (or renovation) of the house is almost done. Unting kembot na lang mga besh!!! And my lungga is now connected to the second floor (where my room is) which means mas mabilis nang kunin ang anik anik which also means burning less calories. Patay. And now I have a nook where I can put my boxes of stock bottles in! I love my parents!! Kahit sabihin pa ni Mommy na paparentahan niya sa akin yung extension... HINDI SIYA MAGWAWAGI!! BWAHAHAHA!!! 

(5) I have another "assistant." It's a luxury for me, actually. My original sidekick (O.S.) and I can do everything as of the moment but since said O.S. has been very emotera recently (uuwi na lang daw siya sa probinsya, pagod na siya (at 22 years old!!!) eklavu) and I want to be ready if ever matuloy na chumever na siya. Well I just hope the new girl will actually stay for a long time. I have grand plans for this business. Already paid for 2 bazaars for Christmas season 2018. I pray for more good bazaar opportunities to come :D

So there, those were the stuff I'm grateful for this 1st Quarter of 2018 which flew by ever so quickly. I have SO MUCH MORE to be thankful for I'm sure but these were the ones at the top of my head. 

Deliberating on what to do before I go to sleep: continue making layouts on my bullet journal, read at least a chapter of my current read or write a post about how I'm digging the songs of the One Direction boys as solo artists. Guess which one won? Ha.

As a group, my favorite was Zayn, obviously cos he's the prettiest LOL but as individual artists, I'm actually surprised that Zayn's songs were my least favorite. Honestly, I don't even like his songs and I'm surprised that I actually like the ex-1D boys' music. Just posting the videos here to remind my 35-year-old self I was into this shizz

Disculpa for flooding :P I'm kinda late into showing my appreciation for the boys. Actually, ngayon ko lang sila na-appreciate. 

#NeverAgain (Well, Maybe Except for Disneyland)

AC and I usually travel on my birth month (September!) but this year we did it earlier- Hong Kong with the parental units and V's family. Of course I was excited cos I'll get to visit a new country plus I'm traveling with my parents and my nephews. 

However, true to J & AC fashion, we booked the accommodations on the last minute which is a very bad idea when you're traveling with senior citizens and kids. AC booked a hostel in Tsim Sha Tsui area which I thought was a hostel similar to the one we booked in Seoul- which in my standards is puede na for the price. But lo and behold, it was a teeny tiny room  in an old, not-so-tidy building and we had to share with our parents. In the words of one of my nephews, J1, "this is not what I expected." LOL. Buti na lang talaga huli sa itinerary ang Disneyland. Imagine if we stayed in Disneyland hotel first then transferred to our cubby holes, I may never return to Hong Kong ever again.

Day 1: Arrival in Hong Kong

It was the boys' first time to ride an airplane so I prayed hard that our flight be a smooth, turbulence-free one so as not to traumatize the boys. The flight going to HK was one of the smoothest flights I've been on and we even arrived way ahead of the ETA. 

There are only a few things I like about HK and one of them is their very reliable transport system. Oh how I wish we could do that here. Getting from the airport to the hostel was easy-peasy since you just need to hop on the bus that would pass by your stop (that's A21 for us!). 

Day 2: Mong Kok, Wong Tai Sin Temple, Garden of the Stars (while Family T went to Ocean Park)

Mommy, Daddy, AC and I went to Mong Kok for Mommy and AC's shopping fix. Or so they thought. Mommy's idea of HK was more than 15 years ago- siguro mura pa yung mga bagay-bagay doon. Kung ang slogan ng bansa natin ay It's More Fun in the Philippines, HK's is It's More Expensive in Hong Kong. LOL. And it's not worth it. I'm sure I can find those stuff they're selling in Mong Kok in Divisoria or the tiangges in Greenhills. 

We had lunch at Cafe de Coral, the cheapest and most decent food we could find in the city. My cousin said we just didn't do enough research on where to eat. Even McDonald's was more expensive and less tasty. Nalungkot ako sa BBQ sauce ng nuggets nila. So here's what I ordered for lunch

BBQ pork and roast duck ☺ I liked it and out of all the meals I've had in HK, this was the best. 

After lunch we headed to Wong Tai Sin Temple because Mommy wanted to visit the temple. Oo nga pala, we almost lost our parents. We left them in Mong Kok MTR station when the train doors were already closing just as they were entering it. AC and I were in a panic. But all's good ☺ Buti na lang they stayed inside the station. So, Wong Tai Sin Temple...

After visiting the temple and taking bajillion photos of mommy, we headed back to our teeny tiny room and after resting for a bit, headed to the Garden of the Stars, supposedly to watch the Symphony of Lights that apparently can't be seen from there. Boooo!!! I blame Google for that wrong info. But still, the view of the cityscape was nice.

Day 3: Avenue of Comic Stars and Hong Kong Science Museum

This was supposed to be Victoria Peak day but shit happens. For me, figuratively and literally. LOL. TMI. After breakfast, we took the boys to the Avenue of Comic Stars. The boys enjoyed posing with the statues of comic characters. I enjoyed their park- how I wish we have something like that here. 

The kids enjoyed the science museum as well. Too bad we had to leave after exploring just the first floor. We wanted to go to Victoria Peak but first, V and family had to transfer hostels and they had to check in before we leave for the peak. That was when we found out the booking was canceled and to make matters worse there was a marathon (an international one) happening the next day and the city is fully booked. The itty bitty room we're staying in was priced at Php37,000++ QUE HORROR. To cut the long story short, we were able to cajole Auntie to rent out one of her single room to us. Buti na lang or we would've spent the night at McDonald's. Buti na lang next day is Disney Day!!! 

Day 4: Disneyland!!! Woohoo!!

waiting for our turn in the Iron Man ride

Fantasy Land

Lion King

while the sun sets in the happiest place in HK

 The night parade ☺Enjoyed this so much. Buti na lang umabot kami ni AC since we had to bring Daddy and Mommy back to the hotel room.

This was the redeeming factor of our vacation. We were contemplating to put this first in our itinerary so our energy isn't depleted yet but AC insisted that we put this last since it's closest to the airport. Our flight back to Manila was at 10:40 in the morning so we weren't able to enjoy our hotel room as much. I know I said I won't go back to HK ever again but I think I'll make an exception- next time derecho na sa Disney. We weren't able to go on all the rides and next time we should spend at least two days to enjoy the theme park leisurely. 

Gaaaah. I'm so excited to go home!!!

Day 5: I'm going home!!!

Thank God for the smooth flight back home and in the words of my nephew once the pilot has announced we're preparing for landing- PHILIPPINES!!! 

It was a nice experience, at least ☺ Some lessons learned such as get a packaged tour when traveling with senior citizens and kids, book accommodations waaaay in advance and buy comfortable shoes (Chucks aren't too comfy). 

I hope we acquire the money to go on another trip later this year (birthday month!!!)- I want to go back to Seoul or maybe Taiwan or Vietnam with the parental units again. Crossing my fingers ☺☺

J & C Adventures 2: Lost in Bangkok

Traveling on my birth month is beginning to be an annual thing for me and AC- huzzah for promo fares! Well, I like it cos it gives me something to look forward to. Last year, we got lost in Seoul. This year, we got lost in Bangkok. Harhar.

First and foremost, let me talk about our hotel which we (actually si AC) on the night before our flight. We got a "secret deal" in Agoda wherein they'll only give you a few description of the hotel (four-star hotel, with free shuttle, with breakfast, etc) and around which area plus the rates; you'll know which hotel once you've finally booked it- no refunds. Our hotel was A-One Bangkok which was, apparently, medyo-sorta-kinda inaccessible and far from the shops, ie. Pratunam. Upon arrival at the hotel, we found out that they don't have free shuttle to the airport (this one could be easily misunderstood since what was written on Agoda was free shuttle service- only, not to the airport but to the malls or Pratunam area), but it clearly states there on our voucher that breakfast is included, eh hindi daw, meal discounts lang daw. Mahirap makipag-argue 'pag hindi kayo masyado nagkakaintindihan. Madadagdagan lang ang mga kaputian sa buhok ko. 

Their shuttle is only available at 10am and 2pm- masyadong late, if you ask me. This was one of the big CONS of staying in that hotel. We can't even walk going to the nearest main road where we can hail taxis or any train stations, for that matter. The only consuelo de bobo we got was the fantastic view.

Bangkok Sunrise Day 1 (or was it Bangkok Sunset)

Bangkok Sunrise Day 2

Bangkok Sunrise Day 3

Good thing I was able to wake up early everyday to witness such breathtaking views.   Ayan, ganyan kami kalayo sa kabihasnan.

Day 1: Chatuchak Market

Upon arrival at the hotel, we both took a nap to rest for a bit. We left the hotel at around 2:30 or 3-ish going to Chatuchak Market. By the way, we arrived in Bangkok on a Sunday so this was the last day of the Weekend Market (which btw, I wasn't able to go to last time I went to Bangkok). We arrived there at around 3:30pm which was already pretty last as their shops and malls (and this market) close REALLY early- around 6:30 or 7pm, they were already closed and some, already packing up . 

Chatuchak Market ♥♥♥ So plenty of pretty stuff 

Before it rained

Lunch/merienda. Pad thai for me & sticy rice mango for AC

There were plenty of nice stuff we wanted to buy but since we thought we could find those stuff in Pratunam (we didn't), we passed the opportunity to purchase them. We saw these silk cocoon balls for the face plenty of times and when I finally decided to buy, nawala na silang lahat. 

We had a hard time getting a cab back to our hotel, even if we brought the hotel's calling card with us- either the cabs didn't want to take us to our hotel without dagdag-presyo or our hotel's pretty far and in Bangkok rush hour traffic, it might take us a while. But heaven sent us an angel. This Thai girl helped us get a cab ☺ And no, traffic wasn't so bad. We just paid extra 50 baht for the toll. Ayan, ganyan kami kalayo sa kabihasnan- kailangan dumaan ng expressway!!!

Day 2: PRATUNAM!!!

Or in other words, SHOPPING! Ang paboritong gawin ng ate ko. Well, I did enjoy too ☺☺ Clothes are waaaaay cheaper than the clothes here in Manila, plus they're my type of apparel :) Imagine, if you get at least three pieces (of the same style, but can be different color), you can get a P250 blouse/shirt/kung-ano-man-yan at the wholesale price of around 100-130 baht. Amazing. The only downside is you can't fit the clothes before buying so I ended up giving the plaid dresses as pasalubong to my sisters (eh dapat wala silang pasalubong kasi hindi nila kami tinulungan!!!).

*** as of 12/18/17: I can't continue this post anymore. Can't remember most of the things that have happened in Bangkok LOL ***

Jumping on Bandwagons: The Kagillion-Step Korean Skincare Regimen

My birthday is only 9 days away. Only nine days 'til I'm in my mid-thirties. Yuck. LOL. Don't get me wrong. I looooooooove celebrating my birthdays. I just dislike the fact that I'm getting old. I don't feel old. I am old. In nine days, I'm only five years away from 40. Pero next week pa yang existential crisis keme na yan. This post is about... my life in general current obsession. As if anyone's interested. Ha.

I'm OBSESSED with beauty products. Ayan kasi nga getting old na and I need to start taking care of my skin. Sabagay dati pa naman ako obsessed with facial wash and eyebrow shizz but now I'm widening my horizons. Haha! I'm trying the 7-step Korean skincare regimen. Ayoko dati bumili, just making do with whatever's here, my sisters' "leftovers." But now I want to use products tailored for my skin type. So here's my current stash~

The first two tubes are my water-based cleansers and the Banila Clean It Zero Purity tub is
my oil cleanser. I'm in ♥ with my Cosrx Salicylic Acid facial wash; the low pH cleanser,
also from Cosrx, I just got yesterday so I can't say yet whether I love it or not.

Plenty of Cosrx products ♥♥♥ I'm obsessed. Just got the Galactomytes
oil-free toner but so far so good; the oil-free moisturizing lotion I got a few months
back but I think it's meant to work with other Cosrx products :) The SK-II essence
I had my friend buy for me in Singapore (it was on sale!!) I also got to use just now
(after sitting on the dresser for a year or so). The Innisfree green tea line is my sister's,
but since she's not using it, I claimed it as mine. The brown bottle is rosehip oil with a few
drops of tea tree essential oil; and, eye cream from Watson's I'm thinking of ditching cos
I'm getting milia from using it.

Hopefully, this layering skincare regimen works ☺☺☺ I need to buy sunscreen. That's the only step I'm not doing because, (1) I never found an affordable sunscreen that's right for my skin type (sensitive na ubod ng arte), and (2) most sunscreens leave a white cast on the face and they do feel heavy on my skin. But after watching lots of YouTube videos on skin care products, I think I'm getting that tube of Biore gel sunscreen to complete the routine.

So that's what's keeping me preoccupied aside from work and K-drama binging.

Next I'll be obsessing about my hair because I noticed a few (actually, a lot!) of white hair strands. Happy birthday to me... in 8 days!

Hi There, Pader

I finally have the time to update this online journal of mine ♥♥♥ and by "time, " I mean not exactly free time because I still have TONS of stuff to do but I'm just taking a breather after getting super stressed out over an order and before I get back to the grind tomorrow.

Well, what's new with me? For starters, the shop I sell my stuff in has closed down. It was just temporary after all. Sayang lang kasi it's almost Christmas and I liked the convenience that store has afforded me since I can ask people to check out scent samples there (meaning, I don't have to personally meet up with them just so they can choose which scent they like) or ask them to pick up orders there. However, the things is... they still haven't remitted my sales yet (which reminds me I need to FOLLOW UP WITH THEM). 

I want to look for other outlets where I can sell my stuff- hopefully I can find a few key locations, reasonable rent rates since my items are relatively cheap. Mayaya nga si AD so we can check some locations in the South or in Maginhawa at para matanong ko rin siya for her personal opinion.

I'm so so so SOOO busy with work lately. Maybe I am taking more than what I can handle but I'm just striking while the iron is hot. Ayaw ko naman mag-inarte at tumanggi baka eventually, mawalan ako ng customer. Plus, my annual bongga bazaar is no more so I need to step up my Christmas online orders. Or find other bongga Christmas bazaars. 

Wish me luck, beeeeches ♥

***

On other (sad) news, Chester Bennington, lead vocals of Linkin Park committed suicide last week. I may not be a hard core fan now as I was some 15 years ago, but still I am just as affected. Their first album was the soundtrack of our college years. Buti na lang Lola Juno and I were able to watch them play live a few years back. 

***

So, I'm going to rant and rave about the last K-drama I just watched- Reply 1988. 

source

I think I liked Reply 1997 better cos I can relate to it more than I was able to relate to 1988, but in terms of the characters, I prefer this one. 

Nakakamiss yung panahon when kids were kids, when 18-year-olds were not as makamundo as they are now. Hahaha. But seriously, kids these days are exposed to too much sexuality at such a young age. I mean, my 7-year-old nephew listens and  sings along to Bruno Mars's songs which are all about sex. I blame it on YouTube and their parents who don't regulate their screen time. So anyway, this series made me feel nostalgic. I remember those days when the neighborhood had a sense of community going on because now it seems as if everyone has an issue with someone. I mean, we were neighbors for more than 35 years, would it hurt to ask or request in a polite manner? Habang tumatanda ako, mas ngayon ko naiintindihan yung 'money doesn't change you, it only magnifies who you really are.' I'm really losing my faith in humanity. Haha. 

Anyway... I wanted to write about this series BECAUSE I FEEL STRONGLY AGAINST THAT ENDING. SO STRONG IT DESERVES TO BE WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS. I MEAN, WHY DID YOU MAKE ME PAASA OVER THAT DEOK-SUN AND JUNG-HWAN WILL-THEY-OR-WONT-THEY STORYLINE WHEN THEY WON'T END UP TOGETHER??? AND JUNG-HWAN DIDN'T EVEN GET A CONCLUDING STORY OR WHAT HE WAS UP TO AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS?? I mean, they could have at least gave him a proper send off, haha. I wanted to know if he has found someone to make him happy because that scene when he told Deok-sun what he really felt about her then dismissed it as a joke, nasaktan ako ng sobra. I felt my heart break for this fictional character. Frakkit. I still can't move on. She should have ended up with him. I think I'd be more okay had Deok-sun ended up with Dong-ryeon than Choi Taek. 

JUNG HWAN: IT SHOULD'VE BEEN US

Salbahe din no? Why build it up so much when they're not going to end up together. Leche yang mga TOTGA TOTGA na yan. Either he didn't like her that much or he gave way to Choi Taek. Alam niyo si Choi Taek mabubuhay kahit baduk lang. Just thinking about this makes my heart ache. Yes, I  tend to get affected way too much by Korean dramas. 

But aside from that, I ♥ this show so much. I miss those days when life was simple and our idea of luxury was a Giordano Classic shirt or bag. 

So actually that was what really made me want to post an entry- share my frustration about that drama. Ang sakit sa puso eh. 

Unfinished Post

Posting this unfinished post just so I have record of the on-goings in my life Lelz
___________________________________________________

Well hello there! It's been a while... been juggling my time with work, K-drama binge watch, time with family and friends, books and nag-iinarte employees.

WORK WORK WORK
I've been busy busy BUSY and I love it! Since the beginning of the year, I've had orders, big and small, every week. So that's keeping me preoccupied most of the time plus my two "branches" which I actually need to restock more often.

Things are looking up, at least with the scents biz. Sa nail spa, ay hopeless pa din. The only shitty stuff with the scents biz is one of my "branch" hasn't remitted my sales since December 2016. I keep texting and emailing them, following up as to when I can collect but alas, they still haven't replied to any of my messages. ANY. They do email and text me when they're collecting monthly rent which I always reply with, "please advise as to when we can collect sales since Dec 2016 as this is where we will get funds to pay our monthly rent with." Ganern. Pero deadma sila. Ni ha. Ni ho. How unprofessional. Nakakaturn off.

ANYWAYYYY, another career milestone for me is being included in an online article. Nakakakilig ☺ I'm happy with how things are going right now. I just pray and hope that all these opportunities just keep on coming. I'm grateful, always.

K-DRAMA BINGE WATCH
I'm on a roll! Especially now that I have sort of perfected the art of watching subtitled shows/movies whilst working. And if before I prefer watching already completed dramas (to minimize the agony of waiting for a new episode), I've developed preference for ongoing shows because it means I would not be deemed useless for one whole day (or two, sometimes three) binge-watching one drama.

Recently finished watching My Secret Romance which I really really loved during the first few episodes kasi nakakakilig. But I think after episode 8, medyo the story went downhill. Currently watching Suspicious Partner, Fight My Way and The Best Hit. Just started with Missing You yesterday (recommended by cousins). I'm actually a little backlogged with last week's episodes kasi nga busy but hopefully I can catch up soon.

Aside from K-dramas, there were two Taiwanese movies I watched (thanks to an online article by Cosmpolitan PH), Suddenly Seventeen and Our Times. I LOOOOOVED OUR TIMES. So wala akong expectations whatsoever which explains why I was delightfully surprised. Haha. It's similar to the Thai movie, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. So adorable. And relatable, I might add. I also discovered the cuteness (in a weird way) of Darren Wang in this movie. Lelz. Ang bababata na nila. OM.

WATCH THIS!!!

CATCHING UP ON MY READING
Yay I'm only 1 book behind schedule! ☺ Loved the last two books I read which were P.S. I Like You (Kasie West) and How I Lost You (Janet Gurtler). The former was a feel-good, nakakakilig read while the latter was sort of a nice, steady read that has a sad, we-saw-that-coming but good-riddance ending. I am currently reading the third installment to Jenny Han's Lara Jean Covey trilogy and so far, I AM LOVING IT. Nako sana maganda lang ang ending nila ni Kavinsky. I really want to see this in live action. I hope someone makes a mini-series out of it. Reading the last book in Lara Jean and Peter K's story makes me want to reread To All The Boys I've Loved Before. After this, I plan to read Maurene Goo's I Believe in a Thing Called Love.

TIME WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS
Mommy's, daddy's and AC's birthdays.

For mommy's birthday, we ate in a Thai restaurant in Marikina. You know me and my Thai cuisine- dikit kami, Lol. I very much enjoyed dinner with family and I especially loved their sweet chili sauce. For Mother's Day, we just had breakfast at Kopi Roti.

For daddy's birthday (and homecoming- since he was in the province for almost six months), we had lunch in Seaside Paluto, somewhere where they serve salted egg crabs. LOVED IT. Although I still prefer boiled crabs dipped in vinegar any time over salted egg ones.


***DNF***