Happy New 2019!

Maybe I should make updating my blog more often one of my resolutions this 2019.

Pustahan #1

Earlier today at the facial center, while waiting for our facialists...

the song Can This Be Love is playing on the radio

Me: Iba pa boses ni Geneva Cruz, no?
AC: Si Chedi yung kumanta nun
Me: Si Geneva! First album nila to. Wala pa si Chedi niyan. Si Chedi yung pumalit kay Geneva.
AC: Hindi si Geneva yan! Yung isang babae yan na singer. Diba dalawa sila na babae dun- si Geneva tsaka yung isang babae na mukhang lalaki?
Me: (with conviction, kasi fan ako dati) Si Geneva yun! First album nila 'yang kanta na yan, si Geneva lang babae nun.
AC: PUSTAHAN?
Me: Sige. Kape. Pahiram ako phone mo. (searches Google for Can This Be Love? original singer)
AC: Ano?
Me: Wala pa. Nahihirapan akong maghanap. Naka-indicate lang Smokey Mountain. Walang pangalan mismo ng singer.
AC: Nalalasahan ko na ang kape!!
Me: Si Geneva yun!! Sabi dito original members are James Coronel, Tony Lambino, Jeffrey Hidalgo and Geneva Cruz. Si Geneva lang ang babae kaya siya yun.

Then I find this video on YouTube


Me: Ate! Lalaki ang kumakanta! WALANG MAGKAKAPE!

Apparently, Jeffrey Hidalgo is the original singer.

Will start chronicling my pustahan with AC. Marami-rami rin kaming ganyan.

Pssst...

Whenever I'm not in front of my computer, I have all these ideas of what to blog about but when I'm actually in front of my computer- BLANK.

So anyway, I'll be writing about my obsessions as of late which are most probably my obsessions a few months back. First up,

I am still, very much, a product junkie...

I feel I've already found my product soulmate in Cosrx but I still keep buying stuff for my face, hair and skin but to be fair, I feel they were needs more than wants. Here's my haul:

* The most recent Cosrx buy was their Two in One Poreless Power Liquid (from BeautyMNL)  and I'm loving it ♥ While I believe that it's the reason why my face is dark these days (because I don't wear sunscreen), it has helped in making my pores look smaller.

*I also bought a bottle of Klair's Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop- almost half into the bottle and still I haven't seen any changes (or maybe I just don't know what to look for) in my skin. I apply it anyway.

* AD and I went to a Graphic Expo, which incidentally was next door a Beauty Expo. Destiny ♥ So we went inside the fair venue and inside was a booth of an online shop selling Korean beauty products and because I'm a bit of a lemming, here's my haul~

box of face masks for only Php50! Buy 1, Take 1

bought this cos it says 'keratin scaling'
Will try if this would get rid of my keratosis pilaris

Sulwhasoo!!
Got this because this brand is super expensive and
this trial set is super discounted at Php550
(albeit still expensive in my opinion)

 I broke out when I tried the face serum and cream and stopped using it muna, but the eye cream I still use at night.

* Biore Watery Gel sunscreen. I tried Biore's watery essence sunscreen but somehow every time I use it, my face feels bloated puffy. So with a heavy heart, pinamana ko na lang siya sa ate ko ang got myself the watery gel one which, I feel, agrees with my skin type more.

* From Lush, Sleepy and Dream Cream. The Dream Cream I want to use to treat my chicken skin cos apparently it heals eczema, etc. So far, my chicken skin hasn't improved yet. While the Sleep cream, supposedly, helps people get a more restful sleep. Feeling ko naman it did help or baka sadyang restful naman ang mga tulog ko. LOL.

* Oryspa Gugo & Aloe Shampoo and Conditioner. I love the scent and mas bagsak ang hair but it's still frizzy- tutsang all over pa din. The products claim to help hair growth and hope it will- it's still too early to tell.

* Extra virgin coconut oil for my chicken skin. Again. Darn chicken skin. I really want to get rid of it. So itchy. I've tried Lush and AC's Physiogel but both were not very helpful. What seems to help is scrubbing the affected area with any body sctub then slathering on any lotion (preferably, unscented).

Netflix, iflix and K-dramas

I've finally finished ALL nine seasons of Forensic Files. While the good thing about watching TV versus reading a book, I can work at the same time. Which explains why I haven't read any books lately. I also finished watching The Keepers which is somewhat similar to Forensic Files in the sense that they're trying to find out who killed Sr. Cathy and why she was killed, but also different because there was no evidence. I also started watching Fear Thy Neighbor (inspired by our very diperensyosang kapitbahay) and OMG they're so much like the easily annoyed psychotic, stiff people in the series. I want to watch pa but gahd so much negative energy.

Speaking of Netflix, I'm super SUPER excited because they're making To All The Boys I've Loved Before into a movie! Though I should remind myself not to set my expectations too high. But still... Peter Kavinsky!!!

Moving on to K-dramas... Currently watching While You Were Sleeping, My Ahjusshi, Something About the Rain and About Time.

First attempt to watch While You Were Sleeping was last year, around Christmas season. The series is is similar to the movie Sliding Doors wherein situations change depending on which path the characters choose to take. It sort of needs one's full attention so I put off watching the series until... now. Well, sorta. Cos I'm still busy but not as busy as last Christmas season (which reminds me that I have to start preparing for the Christmas season, ie. hoard bottles!).

My Ahjusshi is starting to pick up pace na din. I started watching because of the recap I read in a blog I follow but because of work and my short attention span due to the barrage of series and movies from all these streaming sites. So anyway, I like the story and I'd like to find out how IU will change sides. And oh, I also started watching because I thought Lee Sun-kyun is Uhm Tae-woong (Architecture 101 ♥♥♥). Hindi pala pero keri pa din. Weird talaga ng taste ko haha.

Next time na yun iba.

Mildliners, Washi Tapes, Atbp.

I. CAN'T. STOP. And seriously, it has to stop. Once I get my hands on the last Mildliner color (almost complete. yay!) titigil na talaga ako. And since we're already in the subject of supplies I use for my bullet journal... I left my bujo at a Starbucks coffee shop. Two whole weeks I left derailed. I didn't realize I was super dependent and attached to it when I lost it. Finally got it back early this week and now I finally got my sh*t together. Sort of. Haha.

So there, some of my preoccupations. 'Til the next post. Toodles!

I. Sabaw.

Huhu I haven't read a single book since Lucky in Love and that was two months ago!! Shameful! Things have gotten very busy plus I got busy with work, too, and it's hard to work and read at the same time; it's easier to work and watch my Korean series or Forensic Files on Netflix. LOL.

source

Speaking of Netflix, I just finished watching The Kissing Booth and I liked it ♥ Me lurves teenybopper, no-brainer, clandestine love stories. Reminded me of The DUFF which I enjoyed so, so
much. I want more of these!!! Please, Netflix!!!

Another Netflix find was The Boss. It was funny but not as funny as this joke

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! #sorrynotsorry

My sister said it's corny. Wapakels. Funny siya para sa akin.

So yun lang. Just want to document how I distract myself from the pathetic emptiness of my meaningless, consumer-driven life. Charots.

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 ☺☺