Seen similar ad campaigns? They're everywhere!

Multiply has been around for some time. I remember Friendster users leaving for the Multiply bandwagon. Why shouldn't they? It has more functionality and you will still be able to customize it the way you want to.

Then came the online shops; It was what made Multiply a stronger social networking tool. I remember fondly the first dress I bought online buy. (It's not with me anymore because my boyfriend was not able to pack it up when we left the hotel in Pampanga during the Hot Air Balloon Festival. T_T) I was buying too much stuff online that I had to stop myself from browsing anymore. Even I gave in and sourced clothes and bags from Thailand, c/o my mother, and sold them to my own online shop. (Woah woah woah, the page is still up. The cursor ~*sparkles*~)

Sleek PPQ and Original Eye Shadow Palletes

And finally, they have arrived.

There's another way to help Sendong victims thru shopping! @UkayAlalay

 

To my understanding, this is being managed by Saab Magalona but there are many celebrities and friends who are donating clothes for the cause. Selling pre-loved clothes/bags/shoes owned by celebrities (mostly) DOES prove to be a great way of generating funds. And boy, do they sell out fast!



What a great way to give (and also receive) noh?

I get teary-eyed when seeing the aftermath video clips of Sendong. I've always wondered how they'll fare this holiday season. I have already donated cash but it seemed too small for the damage. I'm not rich and this is not loose change for me. but at least thru buying, I could somewhat justify giving more.

Most likely, I'd be too lazy to replace this crappy photo

Naglustay ako ng pera sa HP Christmas Bazaar kahapon.

If there's one I learned in shopping, it's that once you've seen an item you couldn't take your eyes off, you should buy it then and there, or else regret it for the rest of your life.

Haha. OA, but it happens.

Mapapadaan ka sa mall, tapos may makikita kang magandang sapatos, one of a kind, and literally, too, dahil wala ng stock at ibang sizes. May pera naman, pero dahil ayaw gumastos, sinasabi na lang na "Saka na lang, di naman mawawala dyan yan." Pagkatapos ng isang araw, handa ka ng bilhin, BOOM! Wala na. Nabili na.

Nagbabakasyon ka sa ibang bansa, may nakita kang napakagandang dress sa tiangge malapit sa MRT. Dahil lagi namang dun dumadaan sa train station na yun, laging "Saka na lang, marami pa namang oras." Sa isang iglap, nasa eroplano ka na, pabalik sa Pilipinas. Ang dress? Andun pa rin, naka-display sa tiangge.

Regrets, regrets, regrets.

So if you've seen THE one, hold onto it, never let it go. And yes, I may or may not be talking about shopping anymore.


Note: After all this much talk, yung pants nga pala ang binili ko sa bazaar, along with many other things that I was fond of. I'm already picturing in my head the outfits I could come up with.

Will I avail of this service at full price? No. And even if another deal comes up, NO.
Bang for the buck? No. (See below)

Bought the deal for P550 that is valued at P1770. You'd think that buying this is such a steal but I would strongly suggest against it. Here's why:

1. I asked the girl attending to me what brand of Keratin will they be using. She responded with "Sariling mix lang ng salon". True enough, it seemed like it. It was color green, that shade that could only be achieved with the use of artificial coloring. Apparently, they use the branded Keratin for "full paying" customers. Too bad, I was not able to take a photo.
2. Upselling. My attendant kept on selling me products that would "maintain" the results of the Keratin treatment. 

One of the brands they tried to sell to me

3. I was told that the result will last up to 1 month. But it did not. After 2 washes, my hair's back into its dry and lifeless form.
4. After the foot spa, my feet did not feel pampered at all, like how I usually feel when leaving Let's Face It. (I go there for foot spa treatments and mani/pedi) And look, my attendant is taking her precious time time to text.

5. The interiors are beat down.

6. Inconvenient location. 

I did.

Will I buy this again? Yes. But I think I'd reserve this for special occasions and stick to Clinique for everyday makeup. They're too pricey for my budget. I'm thinking of buying setting powder in Beauty Bar just so I won't have to use the MUFE setting powder often. Though I am contemplating on buying a Mat Velvet compact too.

MUFE Super Matte Loose Powder: P1450
MUFE Mat Velvet +: P2250

Like any normal human being (well okay, human being that's my age), I am intimidated to go inside Make Up For Ever Bonifacio High Street. It's just because I would leave the store without buying anything anyway, so why bother.

And then this fateful day came when both my powder and liquid Clinique foundations ran out. Because of the heavy traffic from Taguig to Rustan's Makati, going to Glorietta was not an option. I had to find anything right away I can use for our department's year-ender party in Republiq.

And for a change, showbiz muna tayo.

People have been waiting for Mo's big exit and I must say, the revelation of this documentary must be it. It doesn't even matter if Mo or someone else uploaded it, what we do know is that it will get the bosses of GMA hustling big time.

Showbiz here means pleasing the masses and showing that their talents are perfect. Scandals like this that show that they are also people is so critical that the big bosses are probably having a big meeting now. Either for damage control or to squeeze out publicity as much as they could because, hey, Rhian's movie just premiered.

How they would cover this up afterwards, that I'm waiting for. Damage control these days has been nothing close to believable (Read: KC and Piolo breakup via Maricar Reyes) Frankly, I'm just waiting to be amused by the cover story. As to who they think they are kidding, that I don't know.

To Mo, have a good despedida tonight. I do hope for a positive start in your new life. Stay safe.

Edit: 

Moments after the video has been posted on Fashion Pulis, wherein we all know that is where weekend talk shows now get blind item scoops, Mo stopped tweeting. He cancelled his long planned despedida without telling his guests the reason why. After several hours of silence, he posted an explanation, one that seemed like a retraction. He even cancelled his flight tomorrow to clear everything on air. Fishy, eh?

I don't know if me putting an eye cream before bed tricks my brain into sleeping uninterrupted, but that's how it has been lately.

Putting eye cream is not on my regular night regimen but when I do remember to put it, somehow, my eyes feel more rested than ever in the morning. And then I noticed that my usual 5-6 hours sleep becomes a full 8 hours.

I don't think that is how it's supposed to work, but it sure does work for me.

Yep, posting this as it happens.

Xy and I wasted the whole afternoon by falling asleep after lunch and only waking up when it was already dark, which now made us alive and kicking on a Monday morning.

What better thing to do but watch Fringe while our faces bask in Garnier's Self-heating Sauna Mask.

This product is great, I tell you! I've been only using it for two weeks though. So far, it has delivered everything it has promised. And for only 49 pesos for the two doses, it's definitely a steal.

Printed at the back:
• The formula generates a self-heating action on contact with the skin. Specially developed with clay and zinc, it works to remove impurities and excess sebum to unclog pores and refine skin texture. Your skin feels deeply cleansed and looks shine-free. It feels purified up to 7 days.

I must say though that the clean face it achieves cannot top my derma's cleansing-diamond peel combo (naturally and obviously), which is up to this date, the cleanest I've felt my face was.

Or not.

But one thing I do know, even though my tummy is still butete-like full, I would dine at Kuse in a heartbeat just for their beef back ribs.

No, this is not a tiny serving. The serving fork was just ginormous.

Whenever I ask sets of friends who haven't tried Kuse, they always get to taste this dish (because I always MAKE them order it, no matter what!), and consequently, we leave the resto with them vowing to eat there again. It's either I'm such a great endorser, or their food is just that good. Maybe both?

Lumpiang Hubad

Grilled Liempo

Adobo Rice

Aside from these, we also ordered Batangas Bulalo and lots of extra rice. They don't bill for service charge so we were a little surprised when the total amount did not exceed PHP2K. We were five, by the way.

Kuse, The Venice Piazza

We eat Pancit Lucban with rice. Hello, carbs!

I have not been a fan of pancit, probably because it has always been on the party tables in my home since I could remember. Pancit Palabok, I have been fond of but it's not easy to make at home and there's not many restaurants that serve a decent version of it. Come corporate years, I have been exposed to Pancit Malabon, which tastes like palabok but has a different noodle. Still, they are those that can only serve one purpose, as a snack.

Then there's Pancit Lucban from Buddy's.

I first tasted it on my teammate's birthday. Her religion does not practice celebrating birthdays but when I was so excited for her that day, she made an impromptu decision to treat me to dinner. It was a weird experience for me, putting vinegar on pancit. But surely, the vinegar makes this dish complete.

Even up to now, when Xy and I stroll down Market! Market! and we could not think of any place to eat, Buddy's would always be a default choice, and so is the Pancit Lucban. Also, we eat this with rice.

This heaping plate of Pancit Lucban only costs PHP155. Good for 2-3 people.

Buddy's Pancit Lucban at Longganisang Lucban,Market! Market!

I hate doing chores. Probably as much as I hate waiting.

And now to start a different topic... Normally, after I wash my makeup brushes, I will let it dry flat on a piece of cloth so the cloth could absorb the water. The only problem here is that the side of the brushes that's underneath gets dampen by the cloth thus taking more time for that side to dry. So I'll either turn them side to side and adjust the brushes so the drier side won't lie on the still damp spot. I do this until they dry completely.


But then here's Saizen, offering pretty much everything you'll need in life. (Or not haha) They made my troubles above simpler. Originally for delicate pieces of clothing, i.e., those that would deform if placed on a hanger, I bought this hanger for the sheer purpose of drying my makeup brushes. I already tried it, and it worked as I expected--brushes dried in less waiting time. Also, I did not have to turn them once in a while.

I only washed 3 of the bigger brushes that I use the most since the eye makeup brushes dries quick even with my old process. I did not include my 2 kabuki brushes though. I wanted to make sure that this will work before I leave my dense kabuki brushes while I go to the office. Ah yes, I left for work after I washed them! Great no? No supervision needed.

Price: PHP85

I have always loved the beach. It's just that growing up in Palawan, I've been really partial about beaches because I know I've seen the best. And if I were to go spend vacation in one aside from Palawan beaches, it has to be on a good deal.

This is where researching became a good weapon before venturing into Puerto Galera for the first time. I looked for other alternatives but after calculating, Angel's Travel Tours was by far the best price. And because of the good feedback I read online, I booked everyone's travel itinerary with them. It was summer so a deal like this cannot be ignored.

Tickets for MB Golden Hawk

You get to wear a sticker so the ferry crew and the staff from the resort would recognize you as their guest.

We waited for 40 minutes to board in Gate 2B because we missed the earlier ferry trip.

Their promo package included the back and forth ferry ride, environmental fees, terminal fee, shuttle service, and room accommodation. All we had to do was be at the Batangas Pier to meet and pay the travel agent, in our case, Mhae.

Balcony area outside our room

The rung behind us is where we hang our wet clothes

We stayed at Delgado's Resort. The building seems newly built. The room we got was good for the 5 of us. Sorry for not having photos without people in it. I always take pictures of the amenities of the resorts I go to. I guess I just forgot to do so this time. You can click here to see the amenities as posted on their Facebook Fan Page.

And I say this to everyone who ask why I watch TV series even if it meant that I'll sleep past my bedtime. And yes, I meant FRIENDS as in the TV series FRIENDS.

To those who were not online around 3am today, someone tried to break into my apartment and I was able to live tweet and post on FB all that happened. Okay, even I thought that it was absurd trying to go on Social Networking Sites while it was happening, but what do I do when everyone living near me cannot be reached thru phone?

See my live tweets here.

Let’s make the Puerto Princesa Underground River one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature!

Boto tayo Pilipinas! WUNDER GROUND UNITED.

-RA Rivera

I've been craving for crabs for almost two months. Friends left and right have promised to accompany me in restaurants that serve them but all these have been postponed. So when my boyfriend asked me to watch Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides in the IMAX theater in Mall of Asia, I had that glimmer of hope that I'll finally be able to eat steamed crabs.


We were there by 6pm and got tickets to see the last full show. Since the movie wasn't due to start in 6 hours, we had plenty of time to watch the sunset and then go to Seaside Dampa for dinner. We went scouting for the best prices, asking for crab prices resto by resto. There was one who offered a 20% discount to be slashed off from the paluto price but even with the discount, the total of the paluto and the crabs' market price were still steep. After a round of asking prices, we decided to eat at Julie's.

Our selection was pretty simple, I wanted crabs and he wanted Sinigang na Hipon so we ordered half-kilo of both. 

These? All mine

Included Xy to show how big the bowl is

Ensaladang Mangga

Rice good for 5 people

We shared the sinigang and we still got to take home half of what we ate. He let me eat the crabs all by myself but because I'm a good girlfriend, I gave him two claws. Tee hee!

Things you might wanna know:
-The smoking area could be too noisy as there are bands that play at night. For a dinner for two, it's best to eat indoors where you can actually hear one another.
-Being friendly will take you places, er give you discounts rather. We got 10% off the paluto charge.
-Price: 
1/2k of crabs + paluto (P380)
1/2k of sinigang na hipon + paluto (P360)
Ensaladang mangga (P100)
Big bowl of rice (P100)
Coke in can (P40)
Iced tea (P40)
Total: P1020  

Note: Sorry for the crappy photo quality. I forgot to bring my camera.

I have never been a concealer person. I used to think that my undereye area is fine as it is but alas, the sleepless nights has taken its toll on me. I now have what they call dark circles. So to counter that, on a whim I bought the inexpensive but raved Fanny Serrano stick concealer. But because of my self-proclaimed busy-ness, I always neglect to use it.

Actual photos to follow. Shade: Cashew (for undereye area)

Yesterday, I was getting late for work and I accidentally got the concealer from my makeup kit. This is the first time I have opened it by the way. Since it's already open, I just gently patted it on my undereye area (Read: pat not smudge) and set it with my compact powder. The result was wonderful. I even hurriedly texted my boyfriend and the short convo went like this.

Jen: I feel pretty today
Him: Everyday bhe

Of course, he's just being sweet.

Things you might wanna know:
-Price: 350 pesos (Market! Market!); I heard it's cheaper to buy from Natasha dealers (less than 300) but I don't know a dealer who is accessible.
-Lasting power: I have a very oily face but I must say that it didn't wear off until I had to remove it using my makeup remover.
-It's only my 2nd day using it. If there will be harsh skin reactions, as I do have sensitive skin, I shall report as soon as possible.

Saan ba masarap kumain pero hindi masakit sa bulsa? 


Kung may magtatanong sakin nito, 8065 Bagnet ang isasagot ko.

Bagnet (bàg-net; Ilocano dish) [n.] deep-fried pork chunks, preferably the liempo (pork belly). The whole big chunk or large cut of pork (with the skin intact) is boiled, drained, air-dried, then deep-fried until crisp brown and the skin has tiny bubble-like blisters on it

Basically, kung nakakita ka na ng Lechong Kawali, parang nakakita ka na rin ng Bagnet.
Eto nga pala yung ilan sa mga kinain namin.

Bagnet Kare-Kare

Bagnet Sisig

Frozen Buko Pandan

Bukod sa pagkain, marami ding mga paintings sa walls nila. Yung iba daw dito e gawa mismo ni Kitchie Nadal, dahil kapatid niya pala ang may-ari.






Meron din silang doodle wall.


Siyempre, hindi kami pwedeng umalis ng walang nailalagay sa wall.


At eto nga pala kami bago umuwi. Medyo di sila nakangiti, napagod ata sa sobrang kabusugan.


So yeah, kung nakarating ka sa part na ito. Salamat sa pagbabasa! Hindi naman pala sobrang haba ng post, marami lang pictures. At bago ko makalimutan, may free wifi din sila.