We'll see you next year!

FH and I are going to my aunt's tomorrow to celebrate New Year's Eve + New Year's Day. So yeah, spending the night over there, riding a ferry and all =)

Let's all have a fun and safe celebration for the new year!

See ya in 2012!

Last picture post for the year:

Wow, waiting to get FH's Christmas gift to me was so worth all that built up excitement! OH MY GOODNESS! I can't believe he got me the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens I've been wanting for months and months!


I originally thought of getting a point-and-shoot camera to bring to family get-togethers and when we go out on dates. It's such a bother to pack a bulky camera. I usually carry a smaller purse so I almost always leave the camera behind. Anyway, I thought about it more and decided that instead of camera #2, I'd rather save up for a pancake lens.


I didn't get it until the 27th and when I did, man, I was so giddy and squealing in happiness. Over the moon happy!! I'm so happy because now I can bring the camera with me anywhere and I won't be hesitant to pull it out from my bag because it's not that attention grabbing anymore. It still appears bigger than most but at least it doesn't have an extended lens. YAY!!!! PLUS the aperture is delicious! I don't have to use flash! YAY!! The only problem is that because it's so expensive, I feel like I have to use a protective/UV filter. I just hope the one I get won't cause image quality or focus problems.


Now it's time to say bye bye to all my other vintage lenses. I'm satisfied with this one (plus the kit lens of course). Oh, it's also a fixed lens so that means no zoom. It's no problem really because I noticed that I (and most other people I know) physically step away or closer to the subject to frame them properly.

I saw this on my facebook today:


Wow, so BB creams are really coming to North America huh. Hm...
They sell for $39 a tube if you want one.

I just want to let you guys know how disappointed I am with the elf brush I purchased a while back.

It sheds non-stop.


It's from their Essential line called Total Face brush. But hey, for $1, you get what you pay for. I'm throwing this out. I am done using it. Their Studio line is another story though.

Christmas time!


Do you like our tree? I do! Know what else I like? CHRISTMAS SONGS! Seriously, the best jam for this time of the year and I have the radio set to this station that plays it all day. Hahaha!

I made minatamis na saging earlier...


I think I used too much salt.. And since one of the bananas I used wasn't that ripe, there were some weird tasting pieces. Yuck. No worries, I fixed it and learned my lesson so hopefully will get it better the next time I try. Hehehe! I boiled it for another 10 or so minutes to get the bananas absorb more of the sugar and soften them a bit more and make the syrup a little thiker.

Oh my my!! It's December already!! I have not started my Christmas shopping or, truth be told, make a list. Running out of time!! I. ALWAYS. DO. THIS. Whyyy?!

In the meantime, away with thouse thoughts because it's future husband's birthday tomorrow and then mine soon after. Yay! We're going to see the Nutcracker ballet this weekend to celebrate. Super excited!!

Okay, everyone is talking about Black Friday. I did not go out to join the crowd but that does not mean I am not taking part of it. I prefer to stay in and shop online instead.

So okay, since I have decided to do this as a shopping for "me, myself and I" day, I thought I should spend a wee bit more. But of course to still shop for the discounted tags, alright? This is the perfect time to get something a little pricier but pay the on sale sticker price.

I browsed BlueFly to see if I can find anything I liked. They always have deals on designer clothing but since it is Black Friday, I am pretty sure they will have discounted prices on their already discounted items.

Alright, I started with sweaters because that's what our weather right now calls for. I did find a few that I liked but then I remembered I still don't know what I am going to wear for Christmas. I looked at some decent looking Nicole Miller dresses and ones from Suzi Chin (some under $100, YAY!). There are a whole bunch of designers to choose from and I'm actually not done browsing yet. I am not really familiar with all the designers they have except for the big ones but obviously, even on a discount price, they will run me grand or so, that's why I'm sticking with lesser known ones. They're still lovely dresses anyway. And yeah, I have two parties to attend this Christmas season so if I do get a dress here, it will be worth it - if I'm to wear it twice!!! Hehehe...

This one is Suzi Chin's for $50 only.

Hello hello internet!

Today, I painted my nails with LA Girl's Matte polishes that I got from CherryCulture. It's part of the haul I got the last time I blogged. Anyway, I bought two colors that really aren't that different from each other. I wish I got a blus shade instead. Oh well, nothing I can do anymore.


These aren't fully matte, if you ask me, but they're beautiful nonetheless. They're so easy to apply and dry fairly quick to a gorgeous opaque matte finish. I love it! Also, smooth to the touch.. yay! I just hope they won't chip right away. Obviously I can't put a top coat on these or why would I buy them matte.. yeah.

Driving...


still driving...


So last weekend, when my fiance and I were supposed to see the orchestra, we were running late and very hungry, so we decided not to go. Huhuhu! I know, so sad!! But it's all okay because it worked out in the end, we still had major fun and were fed for free! Yay! Courtesy of my cousin, who happened to invite us to his new spankin' townhouse at the very last minute. Hohohoho!! So we're all "let's just go to my cousin's?!" "okay, we'll just see The Nutcracker instead..." Yay ha-li-ho!!

Yay! I finally got myself one of these sphere balms! Everyone seems to be talking about it and even my cousin has one! I picked one up at Fred Meyers for around $3. They only had Summer Fruit on sale.


Oh man! I love these little things! They sure are worth all the hype! The formula is really great! It hydrates very well and keeps my lips smooth! The only *oh-no* thing that I noticed is that you sort of feel it on your lips even after you've had it on for quite a few minutes already. Some people might find that bit annoying. On the plus side, it's all organic!

• Long-lasting moisture
• Shea butter & vitamin E
• Smoothes on clear
• New smooth sphere precisely glides on to lips
• Twist-off top
• Gluten-free
• Paraben-free
• Petrolatum-free
• Phthalate-free

Guest post written by Pheobe Call

I like to pay as much attention to the decor in my home as I pay attention to what I wear every day. I've always been the type to plan out what I'm going to wear every day and I love thinking about the next change that I'm going to make to my home decor. To me, my decor will never be complete. It's necessary that I keep making little improvements here and there. Besides, I have to come home to my place every night and I want it to feel like my home.

Well one thing that I've been trying to try out in not only my wardrobe but also my clothing is color blocking. I was online looking for some inspiration about how I could achieve that the ohter day when I ran across soem info on Sears HVAC. I read up on it some and after that I decided to use them to replace my home's old system, which is something that i've put off for a while by now.

I did find some really great advice on color blocking for interiors and I tried it out in my foyer. It ended up being so cute that I'm planning on trying it in my bathroom next!

My very first CherryCulture package got delivered today! Their NYX lipsticks were on sale for $1.99 each so I grabbed four just to test them out.




I'm going to give these another try and I'll do another review then. In the meantime, I need to go to bed. Jake and I are going to attend a symphony performance tomorrow and I still haven't decided on what to wear. Need to get up early just in case I need to wash clothes.

Sorry for the ugly photo quality. I used my ready-to-throw-away Samsung point-and-shooter because I'm too lazy to charge my other camera. But wow, you can definitely tell how bad barrel distortion is on this camera. That's what you get for a wide lens compact.



Anyway... my "work" bag is from Forever 21 and I snatched it up on sale for $12 (?). I wanted a smaller purse to bring to work for just the bare essentials. So, what do I have in my bag?

• a Hallmark 2012 planner - a freebie from the last time I stopped by Bartells Drugs.
• bebe wallet
• Purell hand sanitizer
• oil blotting sheets I got years ago from Uwajiyama (I know! Hahaha! It probably has 10 sheets left)
• clip-on sunnies for driving because I don't wear contacts, so this goes over my prescription glasses. I don't know why I still have this, it's Fall already and whenever I drive, it's always dark!
• Revlon lipstick
• Burt's Bees tinted balm
• Cargo mascara
• Revlon Color Stay eyeliner
• Rosebud lip balm
• big hair clip
• hair tie
• small clam clip
• keys for work and my brother's apartment
• keys for the car and our apartment
• iPhone
• (not shown) feminine pads and liners

I usually have more hair ties/clips in my bag because I am not an early riser so sometimes I do my hair at work. This means I need to load up! Hehehe!

Your turn, what's in your bag?

I've wanted to try this color changing nail polish ever since I first heard about it but I don't really go to the mall that often and when I do, I forget to visit Claire's. But last Sunday I did not! Yay! I was so excited!

Well, well, well... it wasn't as exciting as I hoped it would be. First, the application was not smooth at all. It had this ugly sandy texture to it that I think is from the glitters, even after putting top coat. And it wasn't opaque! I had to layer 3 times to get some decent color. Plus, I was under the impression that it gives your nails the ombre effect having the "warm" color show up on your nail bed and the "cold" color at the ends. I mean, sure, it does change color, but I have to dip my fingers in warm water to see it, otherwise it's just one color. Maybe my fingers are just cold because it's Fall right now. Maybe it has fabulous effect in the Summer time. Or maybe I should have bought one that has a more drastic color difference. Oh well, it does have a nice purple shade.

I picked up this L'oreal product called EverStrong. It's supposed to strengthen your hair helping it against breakage. I actually wanted to get the EverSleek one but I liked the idea of an overnight treatment so I chose this instead.



It pumps out a blob like so: (Hahaha! Sorry for the lack of quality descriptive words.)


Anyway, it carries this hair product scent to it that luckily is not really bad. It's not flowery or fruity or anything, just plain hair salon product-y type of smell, if you know what I mean. Nothing to put me off, so, whew! Another good thing is that it's not sticky at all!! I don't feel the need to wash my hands after putting this on compared to when I use body lotion. So that's a major plus.

The direction said to use up to two pumps but I have really long hair so I use 4 (oh goody! finally, a non-essential product that I might actually empty out!). My hair absorbs it fairly quick (just like what the bottle said) so thumbs up for that. Actually, two thumbs up because I noticed that my hair is softer after using this! YAY!!

I have no comment about its effectiveness because I've only used it twice. I really like how my hair feels smoother and softer though.

Jake took me shopping last weekend. Here are the items I picked up.



I found this semi sheer chiffon blouse. It's such a POP OF RED. And I like the little details on it.



This one is a blush colored chiffon A-line skirt with peacock feathers printed all over. Quite girly.


I also got a sweater for everyday work outfit. I don't like dressing up for work considering who we serve at our clinic. Anyway, I'm not sure if it's just my computer but this really is dark navy blue and cream stripes. It's a thinner sweatshirt so layering is a must!


One more thing for work. Blousy orange top.


That's all! I am in a shopping mood all week and have been looking at online shops. I might ask Jake to go out again this Sunday. Hehe!!

All clothes bought from Forever 21.

I did some shopping yesterday but I have no time to actually blog about it right now. Hello! 10 hour shift at work! I did, however, take pictures of the e.l.f. gift set I got from Target.




I was actually looking to get some Sonia Kashuk brushes but I was too much of a cheapskate that time so I ended up not getting any! Maybe this weekend I'll go back and use the $20 gift card from last year that I always forget I have.

Taken a few months ago... with my old kilay!! LOL! I finally turned girly girl and shaped my eyebrows on my own... not just the regular taming you do, but to actually shape it! I touched up the arch on the top a little bit after seeing someone do it. I've always heard people say that you're not supposed to touch the hair above your brows, only under it. But when I saw the video and how clean it looked, I was convinced that yes, you can do it, and maybe it's not for everyone, but you can definitely do it. You won't look weird at all! At least that's what I tell myself. Hahaha! I don't get scared when I tweeze my hair because I know they grow back. If not, grab yourself an eyebrow pencil.. right?

I should be doing laundry and folding clothes but I'm in a procrastinating mood except for going online. Heh! I'm always like this on my days off... usually the first day. Hay. Change is in need.

Promise. Tomorrow ... or by this weekend.

1. Go to Bank of America to close your account.
2. Grocery shopping! What's for lunch/dinner?
3. Fold clothes and run a load or two. (Tinipid pa!)
4. Bake cupcakes/cake ... probably Saturday?
5. Draft a daily photo list for November, or get one online.

By the way, wedding plans... what wedding plans? I haven't started on anything yet. I looked for a while but it got tiring. We don't really have a budget set yet and when we do talk about it, we always seem to change our mind, kumbaga, walang solid plan. Ano ba yan. Pero, the one thing I like is my ring. The more I look at it, the more I appreciate its brilliance. At first I'm all, uhh, diamond.. gusto ko colored gem.. wahwahwah.. pero since I started wearing it to work and getting a chance to really LOOK at it, I realize now why girls like diamonds. LOL!