DECEMBER FAVOURITES!

Hello lovelies!

This shall be my last post for the year 2015 and I’m so excited to end this year with my favorite items for the month of December! ^_^ Most of the products that I’ll be showing you later were gifts from my dear friends and I’m so happy to share how lovely these products are. Keep on reading!

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To open the list, let’s have the first product to which I’m greatly addicted to!

~HONEYMANIA hand cream from The Body Shop~

I already have a handful of hand creams which I love because they keep my hands soft and smooth. But when I received this one as a gift from my former co-teacher and lovely friend, I fell in love with it instantly. The smell is so nice and the texture is not very sticky (which is good because I hate sticky creams and lotions). Once you apply it, your hands will stay soft for hours! I’m continuously using the product and I must say, for several weeks, it exceeded my expectation ^_^

The Body Shop never fail to amuse me with their products. They may be a bit pricey, but I think every cent is really worth the quality of their products. I’ll try to hoard other products form their store soon, and I’ll let you know my insights ASAP!

This super effective hand cream comes in a tube (more like an acrylic paint container) which is very handy and perfect for everyday use. (The two red square marks that you see on the bottle are just double-sided tapes used in wrapping the gift)

~SWEET PEA Fragrance mist and Shea & Vitamin E shower gel and body lotion from Bath & Body Works~

These are gifts from my Aunt; she really knows that I love the smell of sweet pea :) The shower gel and lotion caught my attention because they both contain Shea butter, which is known as an excellent moisturizing ingredient. And it doesn’t stop there, the added Vitamin E makes these products perfect for the skin because of its cell-renewal properties. My skin smells great whenever I use this combo! Plus, if you want to keep that fresh smell, just a few spray of the fragrance mist will complete your daily bath routine.

The cute bottle design justifies the effects of these products; each will make you feel lovelier!

~SO IN LOVE moisturizing lotion from herbench/~

I bought more than a dozen of this item during my Christmas shopping escapade as gifts for my ‘girlfriends’. What made me decide to pick this product? It smells good, just like its perfume counterpart (which I think is one of Bench/’s bestsellers). I also grabbed one and tried it for myself. The verdict: It’s good and very handy. Since it’s also scented, you’ll get two benefits out of one bottle: moisturized and perfumed skin.

You’ll have everyone fall in love with you for sure!

~NATURAL SMOOTHING HAIR SERUM from Human Nature~

It looks like the bottle of Human Nature’s Sunflower Oil tho. But aside from sunflower oil, it also contains avocado, broccoli and soybean oil which will tame your mane and ease up the frizz! I’ve got quite frizzy hair because I don’t brush my hair that frequent. And the best catch here, it’s all-natural!

More reasons to love Human Nature ^_^

~ ONE SHOT CLEAN Mascara remover from Etude House~

It’s my first time to let go of my eye and lip makeup remover from EH. They’ve got no stocks left when I visited their shop before the Christmas break. So I grabbed this one instead, and it was good! I only use this for my eyes and it can remove my eyeliner and mascara in just a snap! Thus, saving me more time and energy :)

Effective and affordable! Get this for only 198 php.

~EASY BROW PENCIL #2 from Etude House~

Another EH product! My Clinique brow taupe already bid me goodbye. I was thinking to switch to Maybelline’s perfect brow kit because it’s a little bit cheaper and had good reviews. But of course, my love for Etude dragged my feet to try their brow pencil! Haha! And let me tell you this: you must try it as well! It draws the perfect brow which is smudge-proof. Plus, it is easier and faster to shape my eyebrows using this pencil ‘coz it glides and blends pretty well. Just don’t forget to set it with EH’s browcara ^_^

Even if you’re not a pro when it comes to eyebrow shaping and lining, you’ll emerge as a winner with EH pencil! :)

~HYPER GLOSSY Liquid Liner from Maybelline~

I have “chinita eyes” which doesn’t match the size of my face, it is very important for me to always line my eyelids with thin black eyeliner. And this! This is so far the best eyeliner for me---the brush is very thin plus it’s very affordable. What more can you ask for? ^_^

For me, this is the best eyeliner for its price range :) 

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And that's it! I hope you liked my short list of December favs! ^_^ I'm encouraging you to try these products because I swear, you'll love them as well. 

Don't be afraid to try new products in order to discover better items. But never forsake quality over the affordability of the products that you'll pick. Don't get attracted by the appearance and popularity of the products though. I recommend that you read blogs and reviews first, just to make sure that these products are really worth your money. :)

'Til next year! Thanks for supporting my blog! I love you all!

Staying Productive (at home) this Holiday Season!

SINCE it's a long vacation indeed, I'm sure a lot of us are either spending each day glued in social media or committed in an all-day slumber. Good for you if you've planned an out-of-town trip with family or friends ahead of time, that I think is one of the best ways to wisely spend the holidays. 

But if you are to stay at home and at the middle of the four walls of your room, being a bed potato all-day won't help! You are definitely wasting your precious time!

I have my own share of plans to go out with my friends and loved ones this Christmas break, but I guess most of my days will be spent at home. So basically, I don't want to put those minutes and hours to waste---I have to stay productive! 

So let me share to you some of the stuff that I did for the past few days which made this long break, so far, worth it ^_^

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Closet overhaul

I have this weird practice of rearranging my things in a certain manner. For example, I would love to hang my dresses according to their colors, so same colored dresses will go together. But whenever I'm in a hurry, I would always leave my closet as if a hurricane hit it! So before the start of the new year, I arranged my clothes and removed pieces which t I think I can already let go. More spaces means more clothes in 2016! 

ONE of my not-so-organized closets :) I've got quite a lot of skincare products that they crowded my dresser, some found their place inside my cabinet ^_^

(If you're wondering where to put those pre-loved clothes of yours, well you can sell them through a garage sale or donate them. It will depend on your current situation ^_^) 

Organizers to the rescue

All my stuff are always in a mess! Good thing I received some cute desk/shelves organizers as Christmas gifts from my students, I'll put them into good use this time! Moreover, my accessories can now breathe a sigh of relief as I rearrange them into neat organizers :)

One of my greatest dilemma is reorganizing my accessories -_-

Self-pampering

Well this is my favorite! Got some "me" time finally :) I cleaned and polished my nails, treated and dyed my hair, scrubbed and waxed my legs, and all other "kikay" rituals. You really don't need to avail those pricey skin  / beauty treatments because everything can be done at home. You just need to be keen in researching for procedures which can be done by yourself or with the help of some of your girlfriends. 

I colored my hair using KOLOURS in caramel brown. Since it's buy 1 take 1, I was able to take home 2 boxes for the price of one! yay!

Blogging

I'm beyond happy because I was able to post regularly on my blog, this month of December. It was a struggle for me to give you updates for the past few months. My work is doing me no good when it comes to time management because everything seemed to be in a rush. But thank God I've had this long break from it, I don't even wanna go back! just kidding! :) 

So we'll see this coming year, I guess I'll overcome this struggle finally, hopefully. 

I hope you like our new blog header! yahoo! I spent a grueling 2 hours just to make this one :) hehe!

Read, Read and READ

I received two books as exchange gifts from the two Christmas party that I've attended. Plus, a classmate in grad school gave me some gift certificates worth 300 php! I immediately grabbed a copy of Heart Evangelista's beauty mag :) This is something I've placed at the dark corner of my room for a long time---reading. But for sure, I'll be reunited with my love for reading for the year 2016. 

I wanted to have a copy of this beauty mag since the day it hit the book stands, finally!

Desktop cleaning

Files everywhere! I did organized my files into folders for like two months ago, but here I am again, re-organizing. This is a must for me because as a teacher, student, part-time entrepreneur and blogger, I've got a lot of files in my laptop. It's also a good practice tho, you'll save a lot of time looking for needed files and you'll work in peace for sure if you have everything classified. 

Crunches, Planks and Sit-ups!

I'm so addicted to exercising before I transferred to my new workplace. But my inner health-buff was put into deep sleep for several months of stressful workloads :( Now, it's time to revive those muscles and retire my holiday fats! But please, don't be too hard on yourself when exercising. Do it because you want to feel comfortable with your body and  not because you want to achieve someone else's figure. 

Reflecting

Yes. With a warm cup of green tea, I rested my bones in a couch and reminisced my past. You'll learn a lot from your past experiences, they'll make you avoid committing the same mistakes and push you towards self-renewal. 

I love committing mistakes, they make me feel that, hey, I'm a human! haha! But good memories are to be treasured, they'll keep you going regardless of life's struggles. 

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I'm currently working on work-related things. I still need to prepare lesson plans, activities, tests and exams. I want to do things ahead of time because I'm currently into the last semester of my graduate studies and I need to focus more on it. Whew! It's been a blessed yet tough year for me, looking forward to a greater and more wonderful 2016 ^_^


It's better to do things ahead of time, instead of beating the deadline. (I just hope I can give myself lectures whenever I feel lazy, hahaha!)




Staying as positive and hopeful as always, 

“NEVER SAY DIE”: Becoming an instant GINEBRA Fan

I was never a fan of Ginebra.

And I cannot understand why Mr. J is so supportive of this team since we were in high school. Personally, I’m not into basketball but I do watch some of the PBA games on TV out of boredom.

Now talking about Ginebra, they were like the only remaining original team for decades in PBA. They’ve got a lot of fans. And when I say a lot, it means they can fill-up an entire arena with a massive crowd whenever they have a game. Peculiar scene indeed, why? Because I do recognize the fact that they’re good players, but come ‘on! They are not exceptional! They always mess up in their games and I haven’t seen them show off their ‘wowing’ skills as compared to other teams.

But on Christmas day last Friday, I was enthralled by the Ginebra charm---that it left a mark on me.

AT THE LOBBY AREA of MOA arena. I don't know if he was just nervous... :)

(Disclaimer: I’m apologizing as early as now if I will commit mistakes about basketball terms and other related stuff---I’m not a pro and I’m not that familiar with the rules. But all of the things that I will deliver here are genuine experiences from a hater transformed into a fan ^_^)

Several days before the so called Manila-Classico game of Ginebra Kings and Star Hotshots, Mr. J told me that he would like to watch the clash of the two PBA teams live. Instead of watching MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival) movie entries, he insisted that this one would be a perfect way to spend the Christmas day together. I gave in. Besides, I’m not pretty sure what movie to watch either.

But the problem was we don’t know where to get the tickets. He checked in the internet and there was none, I checked in a mall near us but they are not selling either. We haven’t exerted much effort in looking for tickets though, so on the 24^th we still don’t have tickets on our hands.

December 25, we went off and tried our luck. We were bound to Mall of Asia at exactly 4 o’clock. We got there around 5 pm. We went straight to MOA arena to see if tickets are still available. On the ticket booth we were surprised that the only remaining tickets are LOWER BOX B STANDING. Yes, standing! We had second thoughts for a moment but for his love of Ginebra, we bought two.

TICKETS! It was also a struggle to stand for so many hours inside the arena. But I do thank a family who let me take one of their reserved seats mid-way thru the game ^_^

I can see that he is so excited the moment that we entered the arena. Luckily, though standing, we found the perfect spot to watch the game. Global Port and Barako bulls were the first two teams who heated the court. As I watched the live game, I told myself: “yeah, there’s an awesome feeling when you watch these basketball stars live in action”.

Global Port versus Barako Bulls

And then the most-awaited game arrived.

We haven’t taken anything, I’ve eaten something before we left but it was already past 7 pm, and I still don’t mind. Then suddenly, the crowd roared with cheer! So this is it, let see why they are so captivated by the Ginebra team.

Seats were almost occupied before the start of Ginebra vs. Star game. It was even reported that more than 21,000 people watched the game, whew!

The Star Hotshots has a fair share of the crowd as well. I saw people in yellow shirts cheering for Star. And when the game begins, all were at the edge of their seats. For the first two quarters, Ginebra managed to end each with few points ahead. But as the third and fourth quarter progress, they were slowly being swallowed by the Star Hotshots. The cheer went off slowly, I guess the Ginebra fans were already thinking: “This is it, we are about to lose again”. I’m so sad for them.

We were on the fourth quarter, with only 4 minutes left and an 18-point lead of Star to Ginebra, I saw some of the fans were leaving the arena. With those vacated seats, we got the chance to go nearer the court, thanks to them! J As minutes turned into seconds, I was so amazed when Ginebra managed to come close to Star, 78-80 points with 7.6 seconds remaining. My heart ponded wildly! This is so impossible?! Then in a snap, it was a tie! 80 points for both teams, with 3.4 seconds remaining on the clock. One shot will end the game for sure.

It is so IMPOSSIBLE?! The longest 3.4 seconds of my life!

Then the moment goes in slow motion, Ginebra got the ball for the last seconds…one shoot and they will win the game. It was so close!!! But the lay-up made by Sol Mercado missed the ring. The arena thundered with frustrated cheers. We’re now going for OVERTIME.

Again, that dragging five minutes. It made my muscles become so tense, I can’t even breathe normally. There was an exchange of three points on both teams. I cheered with the Ginebra fans! We roared: GI-NE-BRA! GI-NE-BRA! over and over again, throwing our hands in the air! With a few seconds remaining, they were on the same score again. Crossed-fingers, I’m hoping for the impossible. And then a shot from Ginebra was made…straight to the basket!!! We won! I can’t even hear anything but myself screaming my lungs out! GINEBRA win the game!

We took videos and pictures, while shouting at the same time! It was like the moment when Miss Philippines won on the recently concluded Miss Universe 2015 pageant :) The grandest gift for all the Ginebra fans!

GINEBRA for the win! Victory at 3-point lead :)

During TIME-OUTS...

In between those nerve-racking seconds...

As we left the arena, the feeling of excitement and triumph stayed with us. We took our very late dinner (it was already 11 o’clock) at Yoshinoya and I can’t even ingest the food because I’m so overwhelmed by the entire experience.

As I got home, I fully understood the magic of Ginebra team. I felt the magic which lured the fans for so many years. I saw the players as humble individuals who played ordinarily but aim extraordinarily. It was their spirit who captivated the fans. It was their heart that makes every avid fan stick with them, even in times when they’re not at their best. I heard the fans sitting near me got mad so many times with the Ginebra players, even cursing them! But at the end of the day, they would still remain on the side of the most-beloved team. The Ginebra myth is for real: Never say die!

That moment, not because of the triumph alone, I become an instant fan of Ginebra. I would love to watch them playing live again! I do hope they will reach the finals of the PBA’s Philippine Cup ^_^.

 

A truly awesome experience! Cheers to all GINEBRA fans out there!

Cheering with GINEBRA fans forever,

Lessons learned from Miss Universe 2015 pageant

DECEMBER 21, 2015. I woke up early (I normally don't, especially if there are no classes, no work) just to catch the telecast of Miss Universe 2015, which is live via satellite. Oh yes, I'm such a fan of beauty pageants! I love girls who strut their stuff and prove to the world that they are beautiful, intelligent and with a good heart. 

Besides, this year's pageant will be a lot different. I'm eyeing our pride, Ms Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, as the next Miss Universe---my hopes are all in her. So I sit back, relaxed, and enjoyed the show. 

For some reasons, this yearly showcase of beauty, wit and confidence do not really stay with the people for a long time. For almost 40 years, (42 to be exact) we haven't snatched the crown back to us again. So after knowing who's the new queen, will just celebrate briefly (because most of the time we land on the runner-ups) then go back to our own personal businesses. 

But for this year, it was a hell different...

Miss Philippines, Pia alonzo Wurtzbach.

As I watched the pageant reach it's conclusion, my heart pounded wildly. I guess I'm very confident with Pia's answer in the Top 3 Q&A portion. She should win the crown.

Being the Miss Universe is both an honor and a responsibility. I will use my voice to influence the youth. I would raise awareness on causes like HIV. I wanna show the world, the universe rather,  that I am confidently beautiful with a heart.

And the moment that we've waited for arrived, finally. 

Miss USA bagged the second runner-up title. I'm trembling, while posting statuses on Facebook. This is our time, This time, the crown is ours. But when Steven Harvey announced this year's queen, my heart melted...literally. Miss Columbia took the center stage and waved to her fans and supporters. 

I don't know, but I guess I can't accept that we, Filipinos, were defeated...again. But I'm pretty sure that Miss Philippines is more deserving than Miss Colombia: the confidence, the attire, the answer...everything was close to being perfect. As the reality swallowed me, I accepted it, teary-eyed. 

But then, after several minutes, Steve Harvey announced something that changed the plot of this year's Miss Universe pageant. There was an honest mistake.

Miss Philippines did it. She is now Miss Universe 2015 ^_^

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If you are active in social media, this plot-twisted-pageant-drama was all-over the virtual world. Yes, the Filipino people rejoiced, We've waited for this moment for a very long time. But for the others, it was an embarrassing moment that they will never forget.

I wanna share the following thoughts about this twisted story. I think all of us have learned a few things about this year's Miss Universe 2015 pageant. 

"It is always a test of personality and character"

A competition, though friendly as it may seem, is still a competition. The girls go there, compete with each other, with a single purpose: To win the crown. However, the true nature of a person can be seen the moment he/she losses a certain battle. How will that person accept his/her defeat? 

As the turn of events took place, the different personalities of the candidates flooded the event hall. I personally believe that Miss Columbia, although broken by the shameful announcement, should have initiated sportsmanship and just accepted her defeat. I'm not saying that she shouldn't cried? but of course, she should've shown to everyone the true attitude of a beauty queen. 

On the other hand, I'm so glad for Miss Philippines, because she managed to think properly during the entire duration of the competition. I don't know if she was trained for that, but she held herself with pride up to the end. She was also very sensitive with the other girls, especially Miss Columbia---makes me admire her more. 

As for the other girls, all of them has their own opinions but I guess Miss Germany failed to keep her thoughts under her sleeves. But I'm so proud with the other girls who sympathized with Miss Colombia and at the same time rejoiced with Miss Philippines. :)

A priceless photo. Kudos to all the girls who celebrated with Pia :)

"It takes  a real man to accept mistakes he has committed"

Steve Harvey is not a nobody in the 'hosting' profession. But I guess everyone, because we are all humans, will commit mistake---that's inevitable. But for him to admit it in front of the camera, with all the millions of viewers watching the live telecast, that he did something wrong was bravery. Definitely, he has the balls for it. Now, he needs to face the self-proclaimed human beings around the world (duh) as they criticize him and make him feel as the most stupid person to end the year. (that's human nature, pathetic)

The most awkward moment in MU 2015 pageant.

It should always be 'I will be' and not 'I may be'

I can relate so much to Pia and her struggles in order to make her dreams happen. She tried and failed three times for the Binibining Pilipinas title, but she never surrendered. In the end, she emerged as the grandest winner. 

I even love her tweet after the unsuccessful fight of Manny Pacquiao:

Kalma lang guys, babawi tayo sa Miss Universe!

See?  If you will only claim it, in God's perfect time, you'll be able to achieve your dreams :) 

This shot captured everything :) Congratulations to us Filipinos, we won!

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In the end, with all the tweets, IG posts, Facebook statuses that swarm over the internet, one thing is for sure: The Miss Universe 2015 pageant, which had concluded a few days ago, will remain in us...for a long time. 

Confidently beautiful, with a heart...

*photo credits: lifestyle.inquirer.net / dailymail.co.uk / latintimes.com

Not your kind of DATE

YESTERDAY afternoon, Mr. J called me and asked me to go out and have some...coffee? Yes, there's a question mark. He don't even like coffee?  He even despise hanging out at Starbucks!  But of course, I said yes *sparkles everywhere* because we seldom got the chance to sit down and talk about our lives due to our demanding schedules. 

After hanging the phone, I pictured the two of us, sitting across each other while sipping our frappucinos. 

So at around 6 pm, we met at a mall first because I need to have my sim card cut for my new phone. Then after strolling around the mall for a few minutes, off we go. 

While we are walking, He told me that we should try the stores along the road leading to the plaza, maybe there's a newly opened cafe there. I followed him. I love discovering new things, blog-worthy :) As we walk pass his former primary school, he reminisced his childhood memories which I already know, but some details appeared new to me. I enjoyed the conversation with him, it was light but very nostalgic.

And then it strikes me, we were actually heading to the municipality's plaza! I was quite disappointed because I was already expecting for a cozy cafe, with good music and comfy couches. But nah, that's not what I get. But why am I expecting? well, honestly, we don't go on a formal date very often---that's why I'm excited to have one. Most of the time, we just meet in a certain place and eat in a fast-food chain, Jollibee is his favorite.

IMUS MUNICIPAL HALL. Look how beautiful it is at night!

IMUS CATHEDRAL. This is one of my favorite churches. Cardinal Tagle used to lead Sunday masses here.

We are not like the other couples who really set a date on a pretty nice place. For us, it was never planned. Yes, we go out, but always with a purpose: to buy some personal stuff, run an errand, or look for something we need for work. We've been together for almost ten years, so we managed to keep things simple. 

Going back to my story, I was hesitant but I agreed to his proposal---walk around the plaza. And I didn't regret my decision. :) Our municipality's plaza, in my opinion, is just an ordinary place, but since it's Christmas, it was adorned by a lot of decorations which made it look festive. 

NATIVITY SCENE. Across the Municipal hall is the large display of the nativity scene. It was so picture-perfect.

SELFIE TIME :) Dressed in shirts + shorts, matched with messy hair---the perfect 'date' look.

The place is so nice! I even enjoyed it more because there are a lot of food stalls on both sides of the road :) Streetfoods are the best! With an appetite like mine, I've almost tried everything sold that night. He paid for almost everything that I've feasted with, haha! In between the chewing and swallowing, we had one of our best conversation. That night become so special to me. ^_^

We were about to leave the place at around 8 pm, but I insisted in going back again just to take some photos! Well, for blogging purposes :) A lot of thoughts floated in my mind, I felt the urge to write them down. 

DRIED SQUID anyone? It is very seldom that I found this kind of streetfood near our place tho.

PUTO BUMBONG at BIBINGKA. Christmas season won't be complete without these native delicacies! Puto bumbong is simply made from violet glutinous rice while bibingka is made from rice flour and topped with salted egg. yumyum!

And then after the food tripping, we visited another mall nearby which has a roof deck area. We discovered that this one is a perfect spot for barkadas who want to chill out and have a bottle of beer or two. We will definitely bring our friends there next time!

We went home at around 9:30 pm. We even continued our conversation inside the PUJ, reminiscing our high school days...those were my memorable years. Truly, this is one of my most memorable dates with him. 

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I came to realized that things need not be expensive, nor moments be festive, for us to enjoy a good company. We had been fighting over and over again, for the past few months, over silly things---until this thought hit me: Maybe we were short on the deep conversations, more on the lengthy but shallow ones. I think we should have this kind of date more often. 

There's nothing wrong in engaging in a very formal or romantic date, set in a very nice place. It is still the discretion of the couple. But I guess, simple dates like this will reveal true stories, real emotions and deeper understanding of you and your partner. Plus, it  is cheaper! I suggest that you go in a place relevant to the other, to you, or both. If it's near your place, the better. 

The simplest of memories are the greatest and the most memorable :)

I want more calamares, siomai, puto bumbong and inihaw na pusit!