The Style Reactor

‘Tis the Season to be SEPHORA Glammin’

2016-12-14T21:43:00.001+08:00

Happy Holidays from me!

With Christmas day coming in 11 days, I am definitely feeling the holiday rush. There is the last minute holiday shopping to buy gifts for our loved ones and food for our feasts, and also the slew of holiday parties. And because everyone is busy, we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. And the older we get, we forget to buy clothes or makeup for ourselves for those parties because of the holiday rush (I dont know about you but its kind of a thing for me to buy new clothes for the holiday season) which is kind of sad because WE DESERVE IT, especially for those times we have worked hard to earn it. Good thing there is online shopping to make things a bit easier!

So today I will be sharing a holiday look you can do when you are busy or in a rush. Its one that I would do myself because when it comes to makeup, I am also pretty lowkey. Although the holiday season gives us an excuse to bring out the shiny sparkly eyeshadows, girls who dont know how to work that (like me] can just opt for a red lip. A bold lip is best paired with simple eye makeup, just to keep everything streamlined and not all over the place.
All the products I picked are from sephora.ph!

For the face, the foundation I chose is Cover FX Custom Cover Drops (bottom right). You can blend it with different kinds of liquids, such as oil, water and silicon and there are so many shades to choose from. I havent tried this personally, but the fact that it won a beauty award has got me sold. I found this on the sephora bestsellers page! Dont worry about not getting your shade right because the sephora site will help you by suggesting shades perfect for you!

For concealer, I picked How to Look the Best at Everything in Medium (bottom left). It includes some of Benefits best products such as The POREfessional PRO balm, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow “I'm So Money" Honey Brightening Makeup, Boi-ing 02 & 03 industrial-strength concealer and Hello Flawless! “I'm Cute as a Bunny” honey custom powder cover-up. They come in small sizes so it is perfect if you just want to try out the product or if you wanna take it traveling with you.

For the brows, I went for Benefit Brow Zings Eyebrow Shaping Kit (second row, left). This comes with EVERYTHING you need including shaping and filling wax, setting powder and an extendable brush, as well as tweezers to pluck stray hair! I saw Kryz Uy review this on her vlog and I was sold!

For mascara, I went for Benefit They're Real! Lengthening Mascara (top left). There are mixed reviews about this mascara. I personally go for Maybelline for mascara (tip from my makeup artist friends) but there arent any on the website. Some people would also opt for falsies if their lashes arent long enough.

For eye makeup, I chose the Becca Ombre Nudes Palette (top right). I love that it has a matte finish and reviews on the site say that they are comparable to Urban Decay. A must try!

Finally, I picked the Benefit Rockitude for the cheeks and a Sephora cream lip stain in Always Red for the lips. The Rockitude is like the other kit which contains Benefits best cheek products such as the Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain, High Beam Luminescent Complexion Enhancer, Rockateur Ultra Plush Gloss and Rockateur Famously Provacative Cheek Powder. You can also choose other lip stains but the Sephora one got good reviews because it stays on long and smells good.

Hope I was able to help!
Shop more make-up products on Sephora PH here!

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Nothing Cool About "Kulugo": My Warts Removal Experience

2016-08-25T17:59:00.005+08:00

A few weeks back, my sister and I got facials. It's been waaayy too long since my last one (12 years, in fact! Side story: I had my first and only facial in FIRST YEAR HIGH SCHOOL, because I was at SM, had just gotten my stipend from school and was bored. Haha. After that, di na nasundan--until about a month ago). Anyway, as the attendant was cleaning my face, she told me "Ma'am, may warts pala kayo. Andami o", and I was like, "where???" because I couldn't see any.

I don't know about you, but when I hear the word "wart", I immediately think of something resembling a boil, only less red. And when you search for photos of either, Google shows really vile images--like the worst-case scenarios--that you can't help but associate that to uncleanliness and bad hygiene practices. And I wasn't unclean. I know I'm a little too low-maintenance when it comes to skin care, but I think I do enough (read: the bare minimum) not to call myself unclean. Anyway, I really, really thought warts were those fully formed bumps already. (And as I'm typing this, and knowing what I know now after my research, I'm thinking "but duh, Farrah, those big bumpy warts had to start somewhere", but I didn't know they started out really small)

Of course, the attendant offered to have my warts removed but I said no for the meantime because that would cost me too much. And although it would eventually grow, it wouldn't generally bother you. The only thing is, the larger it grows, the more it would cost to remove but my warts were still small so it wasn't urgent or anything to me.

Warts are caused by strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which enter the body through breaks in the skin, causing excess skin growth. Like any other virus, they are contagious, so if you live with someone who has them and for example, used the infected person's towel to wipe your face or something, you may get warts. There are also genetic factors that come into play here. Like, if your mom gets warts, then there's a chance you may get them too.

I hadn't planned on having them removed but I found a voucher on Metrodeal that offered "unlimited" (will explain why it's "unlimited" later!) warts removal at 99php and had a branch so near our place, so I grabbed the chance! I didn't get to take photos of the place because I hadn't planned on blogging about this experience anyway. There are so many ways to have warts removed. You can freeze them til they fall off (cryotherapy) but the most popular method is to cauterize it. During cauterization, your face gets zapped with this soldering iron-like tool that has electricity running through it to burn the wart. It sounds scary, but the good thing is that it only sounds scary. It's really not. You should take my word for it as I'm one of the scarediest (if there was ever a word) persons I know and I survived it! After I got there, I was led to one of the rooms. The attendant asked me what area I'd want to have my wart removed and I told her "my whole face. It's unlimited diba?" She countered me with a "How many Metrodeal vouchers do you have?" and I told her that I only had one. "So", she said, "you can only have one area removed". And the bad thing about that was, the voucher was only valid for pin-sized warts. According to her, my warts were big already. (Me inside, still disbelieving: how can they be big if I can't see them??) So I asked how much would it cost to remove all of them. She gave me a reasonable price naman (note: not over Php1000) so I went for it. (Just wanted to say: Be wary of deals you buy on group buying sites. I did read the fine print of my voucher. It did say it was only valid for pin-sized warts but it did NOT say you needed to buy a lot of vouchers to avail of "unlimited" treatment. So if you have doubts, I guess it's better to call the business offering it. AND record your conversation na din a la Kanye West and Taylor Swift, so if they try to say otherwise, you have proof. HAHA) Anyway, on to the story. The attendant examined my face and put topical anesthesia on each warty area to numb my face for the cauterization. She covered the area with tape so the medicine would easily absorb into my skin and so it wouldn't evaporate I guess. I had to wait for 45 mins, and I didn't know I had to until I got restless and surfed the internet on my phone.

HAHA my photos here are gonna be ugly. I don't even care anymore. =)) Basta, just look. Marami pala akong warts

After 45 minutes, the attendant came back in with the *dun dun dun dun* cauterization machine (hindi lang pala siya parang soldering iron, para din pala siyang voltmeter/ammeter na portable) and started zapping warts. To be honest, it was the sound of the machine that really contributes to the scare factor, cause it goes "bzz", and you think they are draining a hole on your skin! But the whole think just took like 5-10 minutes. I was very disbelieving (yun na yun?) when I was finished. So this is what I looked like after I was done: It's not super obvious but up close, I looked like I got bitten by ants Two of the most important post-cauterization care reminders for me were: 1) Don't wet your face for 3 days. This is because your face has little wounds that could get infected, especially with the dubious quality of the water supply. When I heard that, I thought "how would I take a bath?" and then I imagined putting the shower cap on my face instead of hair. HAHA. The visual was weird. and 2) DON'T SCRATCH THE SCABS!!! (All caps because very important!) Because do so and they will leave scars! I love scratching scabs, plus the wounds can get itchy, but I really stopped myself--for the sake of vanity. The facial center also recommended I buy medicine I can put on, but I've read some posts online wherein the girls opted not to and their skin healed just fine, so I didn't. (Tsaka dagdag gastos noh! #kuripot4ever #may4eversakakuripotan) This was Day 2. It's not clear in the photo but the scabs were darker, harder and less red. Also very tempting to scratch! But boom! By Day 3, they were falling off on their own. I did panic for a bit and call Kwesh because the raw pink skin was exposed and I was afraid it'd get infected (or worse, I'd contract a new case of warts!) but she reassured me it'd be fine. And 2 weeks later, it is more than fine. :) BTW, I took extra precaution and changed my sheets and towels when I got home. =)) Have any of you gotten cauterized? Let's compare notes! :)) ------------ If Frank Ocean can stage a comeback after 4-5 years, I think I'm more than welcome to do so in my old blog after all of..3 months. Haha! I decided to keep this blog and just post my kaartehans here, and maybe some food trips and then use the other blog for my self-improvement goals. Maybe one day I'll merge them into my own professional site, when I have the money. I just know I'd always want to keep blogging and writing even if no one reads my posts anymore. I'm aso really grateful (and surprised!) that I still get about the same number of page views a month even though I haven't posted in forever! I also ask that you show my other blog some lovin, sil vous plait? It's http://farrahgarcia.blogspot.com

The End of A Decade, Start of an Age

2016-05-31T19:26:00.000+08:00

There comes a time when one outgrows something in her life--clothes, friends, boyfriends, blogs...
After 5.5 years on this blog, I think it's high time to say goodbye to this chapter in life. Blogging has always been about the writing for me. And lately, I wasn't happy with what I was writing because I wasn't writing for myself anymore. Reading my earlier posts made me miss the times I was just a new (small) fish in the pond of blogging.
It's going to be hard to adjust to not being a fashion/lifestyle blogger, with the need to document everything. I used to think, "how could people want to keep some part of their life private? It's fun to have people recognize you and get invited to events and get freebies and shiz", but you grow up and realize that it's tiring to live up to expectations, to keep up trying to be someone you're not.
I've given this a lot of thought, debating with myself back and forth but then I decided to just jump the gun. It's a scary thought-- to have to start from scratch, especially when I've gotten a taste of a good number of followers, page views and perks. But, like every plant needs pruning to make the branches grow, so do I.
I hope you'll still support my new blog. I've worked really hard for the new content and I'm pretty excited about it. I'll still be keeping this blog to look back on though, and btw, all my social media handles are still the same. :)
http://farrahgarcia.blogspot.com http://farrahgarcia.blogspot.com http://farrahgarcia.blogspot.com
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3 cards that will save your life

2016-05-20T20:14:00.000+08:00

No, it's not your SSS, Philhealth or Pag-IBIG card (although they will save you too)

My whole family teases me cause I like collecting membership/rewards cards. It's gotten to the point of every-time-we-go-to-a-store-I-have-a-card-for-one kind of bad. But, these cards really help bail me out every time I'm in a pinch. I want to share some of them with you, like the truly worthwhile (sulit) ones. 1) HappyPlus card

This is a card you can use for Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking and Red Ribbon. You can buy the card at any of these places for Php 100, and is valid for 3 years. I don't know the procedure on how to renew it since I just got one a few months ago. When you buy a card, you get four (4) coupons that are Php 50 off for every Php 250 purchase, one each for the fast food chains I mentioned. For Red Ribbon, it's Php 100 off for a Php 500 purchase. I think dun palang, sulit na.
To use the card, you have to load it. You can do so at any of the fast food chains, and you can only load up in Php 100 denominations. Then you use the money in the card to pay for your food. You earn 1 point for every Php 50 purchase, which you can use later on to pay for your purchases. As an affordable and well-loved brand that is found anywhere, I'm sure we go to a Jollibee store at least once or twice a month. And when we do, we don't just go alone, we go in groups pa! So if you have a card, it's super sulit because not only is the cash-to-points conversion rate (Php 50 to 1 point) higher than others, having some money left in your card ensures that when a day comes that you don't have money, you get to eat. =))

2) Starbucks card

The Starbucks Rewards card is a card you can purchase at the counter and load up for a minimum of Php 300. They also have limited edition cards sometimes, which you can get for 500-1000 Php. These are usually collectibles for Starbucks lovers (see what I did there? LOL) and loyal fans. What you do is you load up the card with a minimum of Php 300 and use the card to pay for your purchases, kind of like a debit card for coffee. And for every beverage you buy, you get one (1) beverage star. When you get 12 Beverage stars, you get a free Grande beverage with up to 2 add-ons. Starbucks encourages its users to register the card/s on their website to help keep track of lost cards or multiple cards. If you have multiple cards, you can register them under one name so no matter which card you use (maybe you have tons of different wallets), you can still earn a beverage star or use your balance. I know some people with multiple email addresses that register different cards under different email addresses though, because registering your card entitles you to a free drink, and a free cake on your birthday. Sneaky, sneaky. While you can pay for your purchases fully with the amount on your card, what I do though is tell the baristas to subtract a small amount (between 10-20php) and then pay for the rest in cash. It's so that I don't have to keep loading 300php, can control my spending on coffee (If I loaded my card with a significant amount of money to pay for my purchases using the card, then I would be going to Starbucks more often than necessary. So I just go when I have extra money, cause like I said on this post, you can do away with overpriced coffee naman. It really is a luxury) yet still earn beverage stars. Mehe. You can also earn stars for VIA brew and stuff but I just use my Starbucks card for the beverages.
3) SM Advantage Card

I think there is an SM mall in almost every major city in the country. If not, there's an SM supermarket, hypermarket or whatnot affiliate of SM present. The company has definitely changed the retail landscape of the Philippines by shaping and marketing itself as the country's go-to for consumer products, fashion and a lot more. Plus, I think they were the ones who helped make malling a Filipino pasttime. So, if you are someone who continually finds herself/himself at an SM (and buying), you should go get yourself an SM Advantage card. You can get an SM Advantage Card (SMAC) kit from department stores or supermarkets for Php 150. Membership is good for 2 years, and after that expires, there's a renewal fee of Php 100 (good for 2 years). You earn 1 point for every Php 200 purchase in department stores, Ace Hardware, Watsons, Toy Kingdom, Forever 21 and other SM affiliates, and 1 point for every Php 400 purchase from the supermarket. When you gas up at Shell, you can also earn 1 point for every Php 250 worth of fuel. You can also get discounts at partner establishments, up to 50% off in some hotels, even! SM also gives perks to SMAC card holders like special additional discounts during their sales.
I've been able to use my points to buy stuff from the grocery or Watson in cases I didn't have cash, so it's really helpful.
`~~~~~~~~~~~~
I say that these cards are the most worthwhile because these are places I frequent. I've had so many cards but I cut them down to only these 3 cause the "rewards" I got are of much less value than the money I used to pay for the membership fee.
NOTE: It's nice to be able to get rebates on your shopping but remember, some companies can also use these loyalty cards as a moneymaking scheme for people like me who love the idea of having tons of cards in their wallet but don't need them. Don't fall victim. Be smart about it :))
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24: Fiercest and Fearless

2016-04-20T19:12:00.000+08:00

I met up with Mithi yesterday and I just wanted to share something she told me that I can't get off my mind: "Dapat hindi na tayo maghiya-hiya kasi 25 na tayo" (We shouldn't be shy or scared [to try new things] because we are already 25 years old) Technically, I'm still 24, but I'll be 25 in a few months (my mom got married at 25 by the way) so that was a wake-up call for me. I know that life isn't a race and that I should move at my own pace, but I know for myself that I have let my fair share of opportunities pass me by because I was scared. I still think I'm 18 or 20 sometimes, and when I find myself letting go of an opportunity because I'm scared, I think "there's always gonna be a next time". I thought, how many times will I dismiss opportunities I could have taken with "next times"? I'm relatively young, but at my age, is next time still even a valid excuse?
Over the past few weeks, I've been meaning to apply to all these big companies (my ~*dream*~ companies) but I get disheartened when I see that about 500 other people are looking at the same job opportunity. I keep thinking, "what's my edge against these other candidates?" I did not particularly excel in college, academically and leadership-wise. I did not come from one of the Big 4 universities, whose applicants companies apparently consider first. I'm just one of the many recent graduates lost in the fray. And if that's the case, why should I try? Why should I try when there is a small, small chance I'd get chosen?

It wasn't always like this though. This me is such a far cry from the optimistic me pre-grad when I reassured my friend that we will get hired. Although I don't doubt that we will, it's how small the intersection of the getting hired and actually liking the job/company Venn diagram that I'm worried about. (I think it's okay for me to feel this way, right? Post-grad blues. No structure of school to fall back on anymore thus the apprehensions)

Today though, as I recalled Mithi's passing remark, I got to my senses and realized that I WILL NEVER KNOW UNLESS I TRY. If I do not submit an application, companies will never know me. If they never know me, they'll never call me. And I'll never know if I was good enough to make the cut. (in the first place though, why am I even thinking that I am not good enough.? Everyone is good enough, even if no one ever recognizes them for it) If I don't even make a move to talk to the cute guy I've been eyeing, I will never know if his personality matched his looks or if he only cared about himself (in which case, good thing if I learned about it early on as to not waste any more time thinking of him. LOL)

Fear can really be debilitating. It stops you from being the best version of yourself, and oftentimes, it wasn't even something really scary to begin with, but the overthinking makes you run from it. FEAR IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD.

Here's a beautiful quote by Marianne Williamson. I remember this from The Blind Side
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I hate sounding like a cliche, but sometimes I need to be reminded of the power that I have inside of and over myself. Maybe you could use a little dose of power yourself? :)

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Highway 81

2016-04-17T19:43:00.000+08:00

On Black Saturday this year, my bloggies and I drove off to Buda to spend some time together, and get a whiff of the cold mountain air while we're at it. Our mission: to get some of the famous sikwate at suman from Seagull Resort, and check out Highway 81, which has been popping up all over our Instagram feeds.

We got to Seagull around lunch time and it was so full of people that we decided to come back in a few minutes. In the mean time, we checked out Highway 81--and fell in love with it. The place was quiet (yes! for the titas that we are) and as beautiful as the Instagram posts portrayed it to be. I loved the place because it reminded me of those wooden lodges you see on TV shows where you can stay in during winter and have hot cocoa and play board games. For a maximum effect, my friends and I had lunch on the terrace, where we could look out into their lovely garden and get more of the cool mountain air.

inside the restaurant

I think the place is run by a family, so the menu is pretty limited. But, they have your normal favorites like pancit and fried chicken, which can be shared by families. The prices are pretty reasonable too. My friends and I opted for breakfast food...because why not? Breakfast food is looove! :) (Imagine having breakfast in the mountains during the early morning, surrounded with fog. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?)

Anyway, back to the place. They had little cottages, which you can rent at around Php 3,500/night for parties and what-not, as pictured in the photo below. It looks small but it can fit about 12 people. And I think you are allowed to cook (although I'm not 100% sure so it's best to check). Time flew by weirdly slow in the mountains. We took photos and exhausted every topic we could think of, but when I checked my watch, it was only 1:30 pm (and we got there at around 12nn ha. Sa bagay, we were gabbing in the car the whole time).

Finally, at around 2 pm, we left for Seagull, but when we got there, we found out that they ran out of suman! Dang! So my friends and I had the hot chocolate with some banana muffins instead and then headed back to the city. Kwesh, Dawn and I ended up spending the whole day together. Literally. After bringing Claud and Ella home, and having dinner with Dane, I can't believe we still had enough energy to catch the last full show of Batman vs Superman. Good times.

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Out with the Old, In with the New?

2016-04-11T19:15:00.000+08:00

After submitting my final requirements (and eventually, graduating), I thought finally having time on my hands meant that I would be able to find more. But, I just couldn't find it in myself to. I tried hard to think of topics to seamlessly transition my last post to the posts I wanted to write. It was like my blog was veering in a direction further and further away from where it originally started. It's been bugging me for a long time, until I realized that the answer was staring at me right in the face: I've changed. There's no getting around that. I've changed.
I'm now more lazy to take photos, and I am definitely keeping outfit shots and fashion posts to a minimum. I want to write about my thoughts and how life is like for me. I want to write about personal experiences that I am willing to share. I don't want to be pressured into creating content just because people are waiting for a new post (or at least I think they are--I mean, do people still even read blogs?). I want to still write for business and keep writing for this blog, but I can't do that wholeheartedly if I'm not being true to myself.
I've been thinking hard about putting up a new blog to reflect these changes in my life. But, at the same time. I want to keep this blog as a reminder of how I've grown over the years. Besides, giving a new blog address would seem like such a hassle and everyone knows me here! At the same time, I feel like if I don't make a new blog, I'm closing myself to meeting new people and new experiences?Ahhh! I'm so confused! As a reader of this blog, I'm asking you: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should I continue writing on this blog, or should I make a new one?

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7-list: Memorable College Professors

2016-03-18T20:19:00.000+08:00

All my graaaades are in! And I made it! I'll be graduating this April 2! FINALLY.
Anyway, before I make my MEGA post thanking everyone, I want to recognize the teachers who have made my college life memorable. A majority of them made my years in college memorable not cause of the grades I got from them (although there are a few whose classes I did excel at) but because of the lessons I picked from them. I appreciate all my profs so it was HARD to narrow down the list to 7. These are arranged according to the semester I took them. 1) Bernard Caslib, UP Diliman, Philo 1
In my first year in my first ever semester in UP, I enrolled in Mr. Caslib's class. Before I entered college, I told myself that I will not care about the grades that I got, as long as the learning was there. I think I reminded that to myself again after my first class with Mr. Caslib. HAHAHA. First class palang, you knew he was smart (later, you'd eventually find out he graduated Magna cum Laude). He was friendly and his lectures were fun, but you knew he was business. I think in one of the first few meetings, sobrang napahiya ako and I struggled throughout the semester. I think I got a 2.0 in my final grade. I remember getting jealous of my friend Heidi who was breezing through her Philo class. Little did I know then that every class was different. There was a recommended syllabus but it was up to the prof to decide what he'd teach and how he'd teach it.
Probably my most memorable time in class was when we went on a field trip (I forgot why we did though). We went to a KrisTV (whatever her show was called back then) taping and we also went to the Senate. I will never ever forget the fact that Mr. Caslib is such a huge fan of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. We attended a hearing and saw her there, but we didn't get to have a photo with her so Mr. Caslib had his photo taken on the wall next to her portrait instead. =))

2) Carljoe Javier, UP Diliman, English 11 In my second semester, Heidi and I enrolled in Mr. Javier's English class. He was her teacher the previous semester in Creative Writing and she really enjoyed his class so when she saw that he was offering another course, we decided to sign up for it together. Heidi was right. Sir Javier's class was really enjoyable. What made his class memorable was the fact that we didn't read the usual classics. We discussed poems, short stories and novels but we read works of contemporary writers such as Neil Gaiman and Chuck Palahniuk. So when we were assigned readings, I'd devour them right away cause I liked what I was reading; it was so easy to digest. I got mindblown when he'd point out something that I otherwise would not have noticed. Class times were chill; it was like he was talking to a bunch of his friends lang. But when we were asked to write, I'd get nervous cause even if he was cool, you know he was good and you know that he had standards. I think pasok naman ako sa standards niya cause I got a 1.25 :-)

3) Engr. Kristian July Yap, UP Diliman, ChE 106 Sir July is on my list not because some of my classmates and I had a crush on him then (~~hahahahaha can't believe I'm admitting that now kbye~~) but because he really really made me feel like I could be an engineer. Chemical Engineering courses can be very abstract. In my first ChE major, I felt a bit disheartened because I felt like I didn't belong. Everyone was getting really good grades while I didn't know what I was doing half the time! It was a miracle I even passed! Haha. But in our second major (ChE 106-Mathematical Methods) wherein he handled the class, I felt smart. I didn't get a high grade cause his exams were killer, but I did enjoy learning cause I felt that he was so patient and passionate in teaching talaga.
4) Dr. Albert Jubilo, AdDU, ChE majors (Envi Engg, Process Control, etc) Sir Jubs is the most straightforward, generous and proactive teacher ever. You know how other teachers overwhelm you with information you don't need? Sir Jubs isn't like that. He has a degree in Education Management so he only teaches us the important stuff so we won't forget them that's why it's so easy to get good grades in his class. He's also very practical and updated. He teaches us through application (Outcomes Based) and he continually researches so his information is up-to-date. He also gets along with our class. He is on my list because my classmates and I really appreciate him. I think he's underrated and misunderstood, but I think that Sir Jubs is way ahead of his time.
5) Jose Maria 'Nonoy' Ybanez Tomacruz, AdDU, Philo 103 I used to only hear about Mr. Tomacruz because he was famous for being scary. He would silence students who were noisy, especially when he was holding class. I didn't know I would get to experience that 'scariness' myself. One of the perks of being an irregular student in a school that does block sectioning is that you get to pick classes from other sections. In this case, I was with MassComm students. That's how I got into his class. I'm so lucky that Mr. Tomacruz was my teacher for my first Philo class in AdDU. Philo 103 is the prerequisite for other Philo classes and he covered the basics well. One of my most memorable moments in class were his exams. Literal multiple choice that would make you think hard and think more than once or twice since erasures weren't allowed. I was so scared to make a mistake in the first exam that I barely passed. In the second exam though, I studied so hard and read & re-read the readings a number of times that's why I more than aced it. I'm so proud that I eventually got an A in his class. (He said that based on the trend he observed after teaching for more than 20 years, students who aced his exams would likely succeed later on in life. I hope that's true!) Another thing I remember most other than the exams and his aversion to cheating (he bellowed at us on the first day THRICE, "DO NOT CHEAT") were his kwentos. He's a big guy but when he talks about his son, he would be like a giant teddy bear. My mom revealed that he used to be her teacher when she was still studying at AdDU (he was just starting at the time).

6) Mr. Ramon Beleno III, Hist 50 Whenever you hear that your teacher's a lawyer, you immediately think they're strict (or is that just me?), but Mr. Beleno was not of that kind. In fact, he was very kind, smiley and laughed easily. But he was also straightforward and upfront on the first day of class. He laid his expectations and how exams and quizzes would be (enumeration) so we'd know what to expect. It was Rizal class and our discussions were like this GIANT chismisan session about Rizal so it was easy to remember what he taught us. More than that, I liked the vibe of our class and how everyone got together. It was in this class that I became classmates again with Gerdo, LA and Verge whom I hadn't been classmates with since high school, and Matet, whom I hadn't been classmates with since grade school. =))

7) Rex Rola, AdDU, Philo 106 There are some teachers that when they walk into the room, you know you're gonna have to work hard in the subject. Rex Rola is one of them. We may not have heard about him (apparently, his name inspires fear in students), but we definitely survived him.
We only had 3 readings, but Sir Rola made them last a semester. Haha. One thing I liked about Sir Rola was that he knew a lot of things, like random facts. But if you asked me what was the most memorable (and amusing) part of his class was, I'd probably say his exams, which were well thought-of and impossible to cheat at. When I took his class, it had been like, 2 years since I had to exert effort for a minor subject (aka Sir Tomacruz) so I had my work cut out for me. Our comprehensive Final Paper was something I was excited to work on (since I learned a lot), but ended up cramming on since we had other requirements :(
In the end, I got a C+ in his class. I was disappointed, but that's okay. It reminded me of what I told myself back in my very first year--I am here for the learning and not for the grades.
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Farrah's Finds: BYS Brow Gel

2016-02-29T20:00:00.000+08:00

It's been a long, long time since I wrote a Farrah's Finds post! But then again, it's been a long time since I found a beauty product that I liked almost instantly. Just like with my friends, I'm really picky with the products I use. If I find one I like, I stick with it for a long time. :) I was initially hesitant to buy the product because I didn't see any review for this particular product online, but I really did end up liking it so I'm doing one myself.

When Kwesh, Pat and I met up during the holidays, the first thing I noticed were Kwesh's brows, which were on fleek! She told me she was using LA Girl's gel eye liner, which could also be used for brows. I tried to look for it in the department store, but they didn't have the shade I want. :( So anyway, fast forward to a few months later, I was looking for brown eye liner when the girl at the counter recommended this to me: BYS Brow Gel in Bold Brunette. It could be dual-purpose, she said. She showed it to me and put it on, and I liked it. But what really sold me was when she taught me how to put it on myself and I found it really easy! I've always been meaning to transition to gel liner (for both my eyes and eyebrows) but I was scared because I didn't know how to use it, so I just kept sticking to the pencil kind.

Anyway, I'll be doing a step-by-step just to show you how to put it on (naks, parang true!) and how it looks on. :P Much respect for beauty bloggers! It's so makuti to be one! :))

This is the product. It comes in a little jar that can easily fit in your kikay kit. It also includes a little brush which is found on the lid.

This is the liner itself. It's got a creamy texture, and you don't need a lot of product. In fact, you can just dab your brush. It's just 2g, but I think it could last you more than a year! From above you can see that the product looks light brown, but it comes off a bit darker. That's why if you want it to look a bit lighter, you have to swipe some product off across your hand just to lighten it (and straighten the brush at the same time as well).

Here's the part where I put the product on myself =))

before application

My brows are already full, so I don't actually have to put a lot of product. I just need them to look groomed, that's why I need the liner so I can outline a shape.

See? It's a little light brown after you remove the excess product. All you have to do then is line your brows and then fill in the sparse areas. For filling in, I just used In2it brow powder in a lighter shade.

TIP: Please, as a general rule, choose a color at least 1-2 shades lighter than your natural hair color. It's really weird to see people with brows darker than their hair color, especially when they lay the product on too thick. It's not really a no-no cause Cara Delevingne can pull it off, but then again, you know, not everyone is Cara Delevingne.

TA-DAAA! The outcome! What do you think?

I got super OC cause they don't look alike. But then again, I remembered brows are sisters, not twins.

Comments:

*really long lasting

(some of the product I dabbed onto my hand is still here, albeit slightly faded..and this is a day later, after I've taken a bath)

*easy to remove

(I had a lot of mistakes doing my brows for this post, but I was easily able to correct them. Just wipe it off while it's still wet)

*affordable

(It's sold for Php 399, which is slightly more expensive than LA Girl's Gel Liner, but it's okay na din cause it's an Australian brand din naman and I get both eye liner and brow gel in a color I want)

*not a sponsored post

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#ThesisIt

2016-02-26T20:57:00.001+08:00

I know I should feel a little bit more something for you. Afterall, I cried for you. I had sleepless nights for you... and not just me. Marami kami. I wanted to get rid of you so bad so I could focus on myself. You were so toxic. You took me away from my family and friends. You took me away from me. There were lots of times I knew we could've ended, but I was stupid and kept holding on. I kept waiting, cause I knew you would change. I knew you could still be better, pero hanggang dun ka nalang pala, and so you left. I thought I would be happy now that you're gone from my life.

I felt relieved. I thought, "wow, I can finally get back to living my life".

I don't understand why after seeing you, I felt..a little sad. A little empty. I thought I'd be happy cause we could both move on. But wala. I felt nothing. It's gonna be so hard to get used to being without you. Matagal-tagal din naman yung pinagsamahan natin. But maybe I'm just sad for the (lost) time. Maybe I never really loved you.. but I sure did learn from you.

with some of my groupmates

Finally, some real time #hugot blogging! Just had our Feasibility Study (or thesis/plant design) bound today! It's so weird seeing what you slaved on come to life. It's so weird that I won't be poring over my laptop for it anymore because it's done. I really thought I'd be happy but all I feel is..nothing. (Baka bangag pa cause I stayed up late to finish editing it)

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The 7-list: Things people should experience doing on their own

2016-02-15T19:44:00.000+08:00

I realize Valentine's Day was yesterday but as I was going through my drafts, I found this blog post from a year ago that I didn't get to write. So anyway, if you've been as single as long as I have, sometimes you just get so used to having yourself as company, especially when your friends already make plans with their SOs or when you get lazy to plan something (especially when you get lazy to plan an outing haha. I mean, I just want to show up and not worry about logistics)
Some people may think it's sad but I see it as a good thing. After spending so much time with yourself, you get to know yourself more. And, you can also be selfish--selfish with what you want to do during your free time and how long. That being said, it surprises me sometimes when people I know confess that they have never done any of the things on this list because they're scared. It's fun kaya! I highly encourage you to try doing just one thing on this list. It's not as scary as it sounds, I promise!
1) Watch a movie alone

Watching a movie alone is not scary! It's dark in the movie house so no one will see you! And if you're worried about rapists or what not, in all the time I've been going to movies alone, there have been no encounters of scary predator types. But as a precaution, I advise you to pick a seat near the aisle, or if it can't be avoided, near a family or a group of girls. If a scary guy sits next to you, switch seats or tell the movie house personnel. Simple.
Watching a movie alone can be fun, especially when you're the only one who wants to watch the movie you're inviting your friends to, or if you cannot wait for them to free up their schedules. (Sometimes din kasi people promise they'll watch a movie with you then they'd end up watching with someone else or not watching at all. FML) Also if you watch a movie alone, you'd get to cry without judgment. :P
And please don't watch a movie alone for the purpose of stalking your ex. That's just plain creepy.

2) Eat out alone

Table for one? This is also not as scary as it sounds! But if you're so conscious about it, I suggest you bring a book, magazine or something to read. Also, find a restaurant that's far from where you & your friends usually hang out, or if you really wanna eat at your usual place, go at a weird time. Like, if lunch is from 12-1pm, and dinner is at 6pm-onwards, try going between 2pm-5pm. That's usually the quietest time of day as well.
One benefit of eating alone is that there's no one to judge you or food shame you! Haha. Besides, I think eating alone makes one seem confident. I mean, in a social country like the Philippines, one does not see that often. It doesn't have to be sad; it can be a production as well. Why not dress up and eat somewhere fancy? Treat yourself!

3) Go to the gym alone

One of my pet peeves in the gym are those girls that go around in groups, convene at one of the machines, take turns and giggle, look around for boys. I'm peeved not because they're obviously just there for the boys, but because they take too damn long! When people go to the gym, they try to get their workout done as fast as possible then leave. If you're dead serious about working out, going alone is the best way to go. I know it's more fun to workout in pairs or in a group, but sometimes (like I mentioned previously), you just can't afford to wait for others. When are you gonna start, when they're ready? What if you're not ready then? You're really gonna delay that workout another day again? Besides I noticed that when your friends see you start, they're gonna start too. Stop waiting for the others, just go ahead!
If you're concerned with what others think, let me tell you this. People are too busy working out to ever think about you, judge you or laugh at you so don't worry. If it bothers you so much, put earphones on to give off that "don't bother me" vibe.

4) Party/drink alone

We always see this in American TV shows: a woman in a bar, nursing a drink or a woman at home in her PJs with a wine bottle. I haven't tried this but only because I still live with my family (so even if I try to drink alone, there would always be a chance that my sisters will be there to share the alcohol with) and come from a city where everyone knows everyone. But I'm definitely open to trying this if and when I get to go to a new place. I would love to try to make friends with some totally random group of people.

5) Shop alone

I don't see how people can get any serious shopping done with others, I swear. Shopping is best done alone. Girls, do not bring your freakin' boyfriend especially when Forever 21 is on sale! I swear, if I got a dollar for every bored, aimlessly wandering dad, brother or boyfriend I see at an F21 sale, I would be able to take home a shopping bag of clothes without opening my wallet.
When you bring someone shopping and you take too long, four things can happen. One, said person waiting understands. Two, person waits and you get pressured so you don't enjoy and you resent the person. Or three, person waits, you take too long and person gets annoyed and you both do not have a good time afterward. Or four, the last scenario but the person waiting walks away. If you're a girl on a shopping mission (aka sale), having someone around can slow you down. It's okay if you're strolling and stop by to look at stuff so you can get the person's opinion, but if you're on a mission, it's best to do it yourself.

6) Live alone

Living alone can be one of the best and worst times in your adult life but it should definitely be experienced. It's great because you'll have freedom--to decorate the way you please, to eat what you want, to go out and come home as you please, to not wear pants. But it comes with responsibilities too. You have to take care of your own laundry, the groceries & cooking, the cleaning up and taking care of the bills. You can learn so much about adult life by living alone.

7) Travel alone

Save the best for last. This is my ultimate goal: to travel alone. Other than party alone, this is something I haven't done alone yet. Of all the things on the list, this seems the most daunting to me, especially if you're going to a place where no one can understand you or help you! But I'm more than excited to get lost soon (and hopefully find myself too! Haha charot)
I promised myself that I have to go to Europe solo before I get married (if ever God decides to give me a mate for life anyway). If not, more money for travelling then! ;)
Any solo travelling tips you can give me? Was the eating out alone tips helpful? What did you think about the list? Can you add anything? Would love to hear what you think!! Please drop me a comment! :)

PS. I'm on Snapchat! Follow me at farrah.garcia

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#Adulting Part 1: Job Fair

2016-02-14T17:44:00.001+08:00

derpy faces from me and Gian (hate that I look like a mom attending her kid's graduation)

If ever there was a time in my life where I felt like the "end" is really near, it would be now more than ever. Just the past week, 3 of my classes already ended. We covered all the lessons on the syllabus so we'll just be showing up to class for quizzes, exams and submissions. It's a weird feeling (and pretty hard to digest) to realize that there's no next semester waiting, and my structured years of learning end here. After all, graduation is but a ceremony to formalize said end of structured learning years. Anyway, looking to the not so distant future, my classmates and I opted to participate in this year's job fair which was organized by the school. I've legally been an adult for some time now, and I've held a couple of jobs over the past few years so preparing for it and interviewing should have been a breeze, but it wasn't. I struggled a bit every time an interviewer asked me, "Tell me about yourself". Um, what is there to tell? That question has always been the hardest to answer (probably because it's not a question anyway) which is a bit weird for someone who claims to know herself as I do. From that question, I realized that I'm probably not so interesting.. or maybe I'm just so used to myself that I find myself boring. Anyhow, if you're ever joining a job fair, have an answer prepared just in case. Not everyone will ask you questions; a lot of them will just accept your resume (even if they aren't hiring or can't hire you cause you aren't licensed yet). It pains me a little inside to think my resume might be fodder or used as scratch, but not as much as it pained me realizing I looked like a mom in my job fair outfit. FML
Any of you have any job hunting tips you can share me?
By the way, Happy Valentine's Day! :)
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Bistro Ah-lyoh

2016-02-04T18:43:00.002+08:00

The Thursday food group is back with a vengeance!

After exhausting the restaurants on our list of places to try, we found another place to try. Hidden in Juna Subdivision, Bistro Ah-lyoh is a charming restaurant that's perfect for an intimate get-together with friends or dates (date agad?!) wherein you just want to talk in a quiet place.

Like Cake Gallerie which is also in Juna (I haven't posted about that yet--oops!), Bistro Ah-lyoh is like a restaurant that's an extension of a house. The outside looked like a charming cottage, but to the side, there was a glass window where you could see a table with bar stools, perfect for that "I'm-drinking-coffee-kunwari" Instagram shot. (Note: I think it gets bright in the day so the best time to take that shot is "magic hour" or some time between 4-5pm. You're welcome. Hahaha. PS. I didn't get my own shot yet cause I was wearing my uniform that day Hahaha some more)

The place is small and relatively new, so the menu is pretty limited too. (I didn't get to take a photo of it!) They offer buy 1 take 1 pizza for 299php, but one of the flavor has to be classic cheese. We ordered the Buffalo chicken pizza (the one with lettuce). I have to say, the pizza's really worth it! I'm used to pizzas (especially thin crust pizzas) with only a little toppings, but man, they piled it on here! I'm not a huge fan of spicy food nor do I have a huge tolerance for it, so I found the pizza spicy. The lettuce on it really balanced the whole thing out. I just didn't get why there was mayonnaise/dressing on it, which was okay except it was piled on a little too much for my taste. Overall though, the pizza was good.

I also ordered Aglio Olio (Php 90), which was okay. For 90php, that was a lot of pasta than I'm normally used to getting at other places. Plus, I think they cooked the pasta on the spot cause my order took the longest to arrive! It was marked as one of their best-sellers/most recommended, but I thought it needed a bit more garlic or chili flakes to taste. BTW, the pizza was so filling, I could've gone without buying pasta. (#carboload that night)

My friends and I ordered the bestsellers. March ordered the fish salpicao (Php135) which was sooo good and flavorful. Maimai ordered the beef tender bits (Php170), which were really tender that they melt in your mouth! The servings were also generous for the price. My friends couldn't finish their orders, so I had to help them. ("had to" hahahahaha this is the reason why I got full easily and could have gone without ordering the pasta) By the way, they also serve coffee.

"artsy" pizza shot

(Sorry for the low-res photos. I just used my phone)

Gonna bring my friends here again. :)

Visit Bistro-Ahlyoh

121 Talisay Street, Juna Subdivision, Davao City

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7-list: College Bucket List (and Lessons I Learned for each one)

2016-01-28T19:44:00.000+08:00

It's been a month since my last post. I don't know anyone but myself who cares that I haven't been updating, but if ever there's still someone that does check my blog from time to time for a new post, forgive me (again) for neglecting my blog. Can you believe there's less than a week left in January--which means..graduation season is just just just around the corner! (I hope posting this doesn't jinx my graduating) It's so close yet so far! I'm excited yet exhausted. So exhausted. I wanted to share with you some of my goals which I listed down when I knew that I would be graduating later than usual. I did this so that my being delayed wouldn't have gone to a complete waste. You know how I mentioned previously that I love lists, right? Well, it's super helpful to remind you of your goals and what you need to accomplish. It's also such a nice feeling to look back on the list and see how far you've come--how much you've actually accomplished without knowing so!
~~1) Be on the Dean's List~~

good student daw kuno :P

You know what's funny? I made it into the Dean's List the semester I did not try so hard. The same thing happened to me in high school! I'm a type-A overachiever kind of person, so I always try to give my best in whatever I do. I'm my own worst critic as well, so when I fall short, I always give myself a hard time. I'm such a control freak. I often find myself frustrated when things don't turn out the way I want to, but you know, that's not how the world works. Life is unpredictable, so I have to learn to roll with the punches.

~~2) Get a job~~

I worked for SOUL Lifestyle for a year while studying because I only had like, 16 units per sem. When I got my job, I learned how to manage my time more effectively (scheduled posts on Facebook, hello!). I also learned how to go for what I want. That was the time I was contemplating on working for the fashion industry because that was the time blogging and styling was so big in Manila but not so in Davao, so I wanted to get the Davao market as early as I could!! I wanted an advantage. I wanted to build up my portfolio, my network, and I wanted to gain experience that's why I applied. I was 20 years old then. When I look back at that time in my life and now, I can't believe Mimi and Jun trusted me enough to hire me: I was so young!

Some layouts Aidx and I styled:

Plus, we had the Bloggers' Soiree with Cheyser and we got Vern and Verniece before they were the social media stars they are right now!

~~3) Go on exchange~~

Of all the things on this bucket list, this is the one I didn't expect to come true! That's why I'm so grateful that it did. I skipped class for this and from this experience, I learned that truly, you can learn as much, if not more, outside of the classroom's four walls. Don't be so caught up in academics. And I learned that dreams do come true, if you work for them. There's no such thing as luck. We make our own luck, we make our own fortunes.

~~4) Be a student-leader~~

Why did I want to be ChE representative? First, I wanted to graduate knowing the younger students. I mean, I was part of a batch of about 120 ChE students in UP and I knew most of them; how can I not get to know most, if not all 200 ChE students of AdDU? Second, I see things I wanna improve, projects I want implemented. I don't know if I was ever effective implementing them though, but at least I want my suggestions to be heard.
Third, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I'm so despicably lazy and selfish, I'm always used to looking out for only myself. However, being an officer requires you to attend activities, etc. so I had to go to events even though I didn't want to. Being an officer isn't all that bad though. I like disseminating information and sometimes I like doing SEC work more than I like doing school work. I like that I was able to meet different people and I like how we come together for one cause. The perks that come along with it are okay too. But just like love, being an officer isn't just for the fun parts; you also have to be there for the hard parts.

What have I learned about being an officer? Well, for one, it's a thankless job. You sacrifice a lot, but if people don't like what you or what you do, you'll never hear the end of it. It's not enough to want to help, sometimes people want you to fit into their mold of what leader they want. And since you have a lot of constituents, does that mean you have to shift into different molds? I learned to stand with my principles and identity. I'm not a helicopter kind of leader who micromanages. I trust you enough to do your job on your own and call me when you need help. I'm not a dictator who tells you what to do; if you wanna go then go. If you don't then don't. I learned to take things with a grain of salt. You can't please everyone. People who look out for your flaws are too busy ignoring their own.

~~5) Be part of a research project~~

One of my goals was to be a BPI-DOST Awardee. Why? Cause I know you'd get to win Php25,000 if you get chosen as one of your school's winners (pera-pera lang talaga. I'm ashamed *monkey emoji*). And your photo gets plastered on posters in different schools (Sige Farrah ipakita mo pa kababawan mo hahaha). Sadly, my grades did not qualify.
Still, when my teacher was picking students for the research project, I did a Katniss and volunteered myself as tribute, even though the project wasn't mine. But I had fun doing research work. It makes you feel like you have something to contribute to the world. And it's such a good feeling when the theories you read about align and support your experiment's findings. And to be honest, it almost feels like you're a winner yourself when your group mate gets the BPI award/nomination. :)

~~6) Be thin for grad photo~~
I guess I can tick this off! I'm not as thin as I want to be but I'm definitely thinner (HAHA thinner. Okay, I weigh less) than I was before. I can't post my graduation photo yet cause I don't have a copy of it yet.
I started my fitness journey September 2013. Although I stopped (and gained some weight back with my sedentary 5th year life, sad to say), I learned how to control myself, especially when it comes to food. I'm not a HUGE eater, but I definitely am a sweet tooth, so that probably contributed a lot. (Isn't it ironic though that for someone who's such a control freak, I'm such a YOLO "Yes" girl to food? FML). I learned to be disciplined. I learned that I can do things I never thought I could do. Like, I got into boxing. I learned that I could do burpees (!!) and run a few kilometers, which are things my highschool-PE-hating-self would have dismissed. I just needed to give it a try and not care what people thought about me. I realized that a lot of times, I stopped myself from doing the things I wanted to do because I was scared of what other people thought.

7) Sing on stage

This is the only thing left off my college bucket list! I put this on my bucket list because...why the hell not? I auditioned for OCTAVES (the music pool of the Engineering & Architecture division) but I guess I was so nervous that my voice croaked so I didn't get in. I generally don't like trying when I know that I wouldn't succeed/know that I'll look like a fool that's why it kinda stung a little when I didn't get in. What I learned from that though is to believe in my own abilities. Just because I got rejected, doesn't mean I'm bad. Maybe I'm not the right fit.

This marks the first of my countdown to graduation series! I guess you can say my "senioritis" is starting to act up. Hope you liked this post and learned from it? Haha

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Merry Christmas!

2015-12-25T22:50:00.001+08:00

Merry Christmas to you, who's reading this entry and everyone who still reads my blog! (Meron pa ba? Haha)

I know it's been a month since my last post and I hope you'll forgive me. Alam naman nating sobrang busy, fast and hectic ng December, especially for students like me. On the bright side, this is probably gonna be my last December as a student cause next year, I'll be spending Christmas as an engineer already! Naks, claim it na, bakla! Haha. I really had a hellish week before Christmas break started, with all the exams and requirements that were like mushrooms, springing out of nowhere! Pero siguro okay na din mag-exams noh, kesa uuwi akong late (from Manila, since that's where I plan to work) for Christmas break due to work commitments!
We have a looooot of catching up to do! First is, for the first time, my blog got nominated for Best Beauty and Fashion blog by the Davao Bloggers Society. Ma'am Leah de Castro, one-half of Davaobase and my Stoich teacher, revealed that she nominated me. Thank you ma'am! I didn't win, but it was still great to be nominated. :) Nakakainspire to continue improving my blog, although toward a different niche! Have you noticed that I don't do much outfit posts anymore? I think I outgrew them already. I do more personal and lifestyle entries now.

on a night out with my bloggies!

How did you guys spend Christmas? We spent it a little differently this year. Instead of the usual dinner we have with my dad's side of the family, my family and I decided to go our own route. My sister Feebee, who turned 18 today (yes, her birthday is on Christmas Day!), requested for a small family dinner. So we had dinner at Bistro Rosario. Overall, this Christmas season, aside from being HOT (I feel like I'm in Australia, even though I haven't been there, only cause I know their Decembers are warm), has been quiet. Our usual beshies Christmas dinner was quiet cause Lian is in Japan, Emmae is going to Japan, Dex was in Manila at the time and Lea would be spending Christmas on duty. Cindel was in Davao for a day though so yay! Haven't seen her in almost 2 years! We had dinner with her (and Lian too, over Skype). :P

SEC Christmas Party

I did something new for Christmas this year!! I ATTENDED MY FIRST EVER SIMBANG GABI. As in. I didn't get to complete it though. But still. At first, it was about getting the wish you supposedly earn for completing it, but I missed a mass for our SEC Christmas party. And I thought, okay, what's the point of finishing it now if I won't get my wish anyway. But I quickly countered myself--God is so generous that He wouldn't naman siguro hold my wish against me, especially if in the end, it's in accordance with His plan. So in the end, it was about wanting to go. And it helped me prepare a lot for the season. It helped me realize a lot of things, like how selfish I was becoming. It made me think about whether I was a blessing to someone else. Sometimes kasi, we millenials get so selfish and entitled, but did we ever stop to think about how we can manage to make life better for someone else? Something to think about. :)

Lastly, how about that Miss Universe win by Pia Wurtzbach eh? I got so inspired by her story, like how she tried and tried so hard because that's [Miss Universe] what she wanted, and her confidence and belief in herself when she tweeted na siya na ang babawi sa Miss Universe after Pacquiao lost. I don't know about you guys, but I remember a lot of people being skeptical about it when she tweeted that, and even when she won Bb. Pilipinas, just because her look was different from the past Bb. Pilipinas-Universe winners! But she defied all odds and showed that if you dare to dream and do the dirty work, it will come true!

Merry Christmas again! :)

PS. Only a week left in 2015! Make the most out of it! :)

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Stylish Saturdays: Wendy Nguyen

2015-11-21T20:12:00.000+08:00

My friend Mai-mai told me that she influenced her roommate into reading my blog and that her roommate enjoyed reading my blog because I tell it like it is. (Thank you! ;)) Another thing Mai-mai told me she enjoyed were these Stylish Saturday posts, wherein I show a few of the bloggers and fashionistas whose styles I admire. I haven't posted one of these blog segments in a long time, so here's one now. :)

My featured blogger is Wendy Nguyen of wendyslookbook.com. Her initial claim to fame was a Youtube video gone viral about how to tie a scarf 27 ways. But I discovered her blog through her Facebook page, which was promoted on my feed. I haven't looked back since! I like that her style is very casual yet elegant. It's the kind of tasteful polished that doesn't look like one tried too hard. I especially like how she makes blazers look casual, something I'll admit I wish I could (and I'm trying to) achieve!

She can also get away with a lot of my fashion obsessions lately (fringe and feathers). She makes them look so doable and not pa-trendy!

I guess my favorite thing about her is that apart from the travels, she seems to be a normal person! By normal I mean, she repeats clothes. You can observe that when she travels. I mean, I find it cute because she really has a set of go-to items (like those boots above, which you will see again below!)

It's really cool how she makes herself look taller than her height and that she can still wear things that are normally not advised for petite girls like her. (Thigh highs, I'm looking at you!)

See what I mean about the blazers?

Anyone else's style you want me to check out? :)

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My #Wonderful World

2015-11-16T18:59:00.000+08:00

In a world filled with so much negativity and bad news lately, it's so easy to feel depressed and discouraged, like there isn't anything good to look forward to anymore. The beauty of life though is that, as long as you wake up to a new day, the bad things and the bad days are as good as gone. Bad things and bad thoughts only continue to come if you let them, but if you let good thoughts come in, you'll find that there can be soooo much more to be thankful and happy about. It may be hard to look for the good in a thing especially when you feel bad, but try! In fact, why don't you just have a go-to list of things that will instantly give you good vibes? A list that no matter what funk you're in will make you realize how good and blessed you are. I'm doing just that so here are a few things that make my world #Wonderful.

1. Davao City

Davao City is my hometown. I grew up here and lived here my whole life. When I was away for college, I always kept looking for it (and looking forward to visits back home) until eventually, I decided to finish my studies here. Davao's official slogan is "Life is here", and indeed it is. The mountains and the seas are about a half hour drive away if you want to escape. There is an amazing mix of greens and concrete, manufacturing plants and normal (living) plants and the bustle of city life and the peace of a provincial life. Davao has a low cost, high standard of living. Both food and water are fresh, abundant and cheap. People feel secure and can walk the streets at night with no qualms. Taxi drivers are honest. Policemen are visible and actually do their jobs by enforcing the numerous ordinances. I can think of more to write but I haven't got all day.

With all these in mind, how can you not feel wonderful just thinking about living in a city like this? Plus, my family and friends are also here. I don't think it could get any more wonderful than that! :)

2. Books

I've loved books ever since my mom introduced me to them when I was a baby. In fact, I loved them so much I learned how to read at 3! When I entered school, I devoured my school books. I read them ahead of time, even when we weren't required to. In my free time, I discovered pocket books in the library and read those as well. My dad had a friend who owned a used book shop and I remember during the summer, we'd borrow books from him. I'd get about 10 at a time and finish them in 3 days! I listed down all the books I've read over the summer and my record said I finished about 150 books in one summer.

I'm not able to read as much now as I used to but it doesn't mean my love for books has waned. I just love books. I love the old world romance of the printed word. I love the smell of new ones and I love thinking about what the owners were like when I get old ones. I love how you can learn so much from it. I love how it transports you to different perspectives, situations and places, especially when you're on a budget! :)

3. Travelling

I fell in love with travelling on my first trip abroad in 2012. We went to Hong Kong and it was a wonderful experience for me. I will never forget the time my family and I were at the airport lining up for immigration, and kahit dun pa lang, I saw so many different nationalities which made me realize how big and diverse this whole world is. Sobrang probinsyana (small town girl) kasi eh. :)

Prior to that, I've been to other places within the Philippines but that trip changed the way I look at new places forever. I got bitten by the travelling bug and I don't want to heal. Since I'm still a student, I've been looking for ways I can get to see places while only spending a few. If I can get it for free, then why not? Other than Hong Kong, the other place I've been to is Japan so far, for the JENESYS program. It's been a year ago but until now--and unless I look at the photos--I can't get my head around the fact that I've been to Japan.

The thought of travelling is one of my driving forces and motivation to work hard and save up when I get a job. I still have a loooot of places I've only seen in books and photos that I want to go to. My toes are itching for my next trip (it would be so timely since I'll be graduating next year!) and I hope it would be somewhere (near the) Down Under perhaps? ;)

Philippine Airlines flies to Auckland, New Zealand starting December 2015. Book now at www.philippineairlines.com]

The 7-list: Things only Busty Girls can Understand

2015-11-15T18:31:00.002+08:00

This is kind of an awkward topic to blog about only because it's so personal and a glaringly obvious part of me that I don't want to call any more attention to..but I can't help it. There are days I love my curves and there are days (like now) that they really bother me because they prevent me from doing things I want to do. I know a lot of girls who are so conscious of their flat chests, but as a girl whose chest is not as level as a plateau..let me tell you, being "gifted" is not all that. Here are 7 reasons why: 1. Dresses or tops fitting everywhere but the chest area

My sister and I were talking about this last night that's why I wrote this article. There are times when we want to buy dresses/tops but they make our boobs look larger than they are. There are times dresses fit awkwardly. Forget midriff tops altogether!
There are also times we do find dresses we like that actually fit us but they come up short at the boob area. I guess it's a good thing if we want to save money, but it's a bad thing (a nightmare!) when all we want to do is buy a dress.

2. Button down shirts that gape at the chest area

'Nuff said.
3. Immediately looking like a porn star in V-necks and low-scooped tops

I love V-necks because they frame my face and do not emphasize my boobs as much. The problem is when my V-neck top goes a bit lower, I end up looking like a freaking porn star. And I hate that I have to keep pulling my top up or covering my cleavage when I bend down to get something.

4. Only running as fast as your boobs allow you to
I swear. This is the reason why I can't run as fast as I want to (even though kaya naman) cause I'm scared my bra will spit out my boobs if I go on too fast. The "girls" are also the reason why I easily get tired. They're heavy. 5. Finding cute bras (or actually finding bras) I mean, forget even trying to buy a cute bra. Finding a bra that fits is such a pain, not to mention expensive! We have to go to European brands to get undergarments because everything is Asian sized. When we look for cheaper options in the department store, almost everything has pads. Um, gurl I don't need no pads, I look almost pornographic in my normal state as it is.

6. Having to wear a bra when you need to go out to get the mail or something

Every ~~busty~~ girl's idea of nirvana is going home at the end of the day and taking their bra off. Can you imagine being in your house clothes on a Friday night, and having to put on a bra cause the delivery man just arrived? Flat chested girls can get away with it, but for us? It's gonna be so obvious. Don't wanna give the delivery man any ideas.

7. Hugging
Sometimes hugging can get so awkward cause we don't wanna accidentally hit you in the face with them giant cantaloupes/watermelons. Being with the galasgaw friend who talks with so many actions can also pose a problem because they might accidentally brush their hands on/hit your boobs.

See? It's not always fun. I actually really envy girls who can get away with shirt dresses, strapless clothes and backless tops. But I gotta live with it somehow.
First world problem-ing with you, xx, Farrah TWITTER | TUMBLR| INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | CHICTOPIA
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Taking Gifting to the Next Level

2015-11-11T23:40:00.000+08:00

As the Department of Tourism slogan goes, "It's more fun in the Philippines"--and Christmas is no exception. The Philippines is said to have the longest Christmas season, which starts in September and ends in February. As the Christmas season rolls along, there is a flurry of activity and preparations everywhere: reunions left and right which means lots of kainan and exchange gifts.
Along with the emphasis on family bonds and having a joyful spirit, another Filipino trait that is exhibited during Christmas time is generosity. Filipinos are generous to a fault, but that generosity is multiplied ten-fold during the festive season! That's why you'll see everyone scouring stores, malls, tiangges and bazaars for the best Christmas gifts to give, even if money's running low.

To avoid the holiday rush, the best time to shop for gifts is all year round, especially in January, when everything is on sale. But I know most of us are busy, so we often shop last minute (guilty here!) For last minute shopping, the best tip I could offer you is to just go to one place to get everything, like SM department stores! Aside from having different branches nationwide, it's a one-stop shop for everyone, literally giving it all for you. Plus, I can earn points for shopping using my SM Advantage Card (SMAC). Sometimes, SMAC members get special sales and discounts too. Cool, right?

Also, to avoid overspending, getting frazzled and being a grumpy Grinch, make a list, and check it twice. Yes, just like the old Christmas song goes! :) A list ensures you don't forget anyone and prevents you from panic-buying, or picking out the first thing you see. And when you're done with your list, don't forget to get something for yourself too!

~What would I want to get for Christmas?~

Although I like getting money for Christmas (for older kids, it's just easier for godparents to give money), I appreciate getting presents more. There's a joy in opening the package and appreciating the thoughtfulness of the sender and the time and effort he/she took to pick out your present. Plus, I usually spend my Christmas money on ~~food~~ frivolous things or outings, so I don't get to buy the things I need.

As I was thinking about what I wanted for Christmas, I got stumped! I'm quite contented at where I am at in life, though I could use a few pairs of shoes (Yosi Samra flats in a neutral color, new gym shoes and maybe a pointed flat), and some (gym) clothes! ;) I'm also a bag hag, so I would love to get a small sling bag and especially a gym bag! I need one in my life so I don't have to lug around 2 bags in school like a fool (one for personal stuff, one for gym stuff). Lastly, I would love to have a external hard drive to store my TV shows, a delicate gold chain necklace with a small pendant and a copy of Lang Leav's Memories. I'm not a die-hard Lang Leav fan but when I saw the book at Fully Booked BGC and leafed through it, I fell in love with it on the spot. Tagos besh.

~What would I give my loved ones?~

My siblings and I weren't raised with a gift-giving tradition within the family so we don't normally exchange gifts. There's so many of us; it'd be chaotic, not to mention costly! We're the type of people who show our love to each other by spending time with each other and doing things for each other. That's why I'm not really a good gift-giver; you can ask my friends that! If I do give gifts, I would really ask my friends what they want or think about what they would need cause I don't want things (or money) to get wasted.

Here's what I'd give my loved ones this Christmas:

My sisters: clothes
Feebee wants them, Felicia's okay with them, Timmy needs more of them. Simple as that. The SM Group brought in tons of brands to the Philippines, like Forever 21, Uniqlo, etc so there's tons of stores to choose from, but the SM in-house brands are good, stylish and affordable too.

My brother: sneakers
I could get my brother the things he wants like The Marvel encyclopedia but I know he needs a pair of sneakers more. Other than their in-house brands, SM offers branded shoes in the department store. Because I'd get perks and rebates (points for shopping), I'd much prefer buying at the department store than buy at a brand's standalone store.

My dad: perfume
Other than being a huge watch guy, he loves perfume. Since I can't afford a Rolex, Patek Philippe, or any Swiss watch just yet, maybe I'll just get him a scent. Or a new wallet.

My mom: curtains, or perfume
My mom's been bugging about the curtains at home (cause she wants to have them changed) so I'd probably give her some. But then, the curtains would be for the house, soooo... My mom also likes scents, and her favorite is Jo Malone, so that's what I'd probably give her. Good thing SM has both in their department store, so I can just change floors instead of going in and out of shops to get what I want.

My best friend: a charm for her bracelet
My bestie from pre-school's been nothing but nice to me this year, so I'd wanna get her something from Santa: Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. Haha. Just kidding. If I had enough money, I'd get her a charm for her Pandora bracelet. It could be a Christmas one, a friendship one or something that will remind her of me. Haha.

Seriously though, my best friend is the hardest person to shop for cause I think she has almost everything she needs! I'm sure you also have a friend like that who has everything, so you ask yourself, what do I give to them??

What I do in situations like these is find a gift that gives, like the SM Care Bears of Joy campaign. You can buy a bear for 200php and a child gets another bear. You can give a friend a bear and make someone else happy by getting one too! How's that for taking gifting to the next level? You can also pay-it-forward and make a donation to an organization/charity in their name. I'm a staunch believer in the power of education--plus I was a scholar myself--so one of the organizations I support is World Vision. For 600php/mo, you can send a child to school. 600php is probably the price of one or two meals out you can forego, right?

The nice thing about Christmas and giving gifts is that, it doesn't have to be tangible. If you don't have a lot of money, know that not everyone appreciates material things. Some people appreciate a kind word, effort and time too. Maybe even more than material things. If you know they're going through a rough time, send them a message. If you've been too busy for each other, meet up, bond and talk. Take it to the next level by organizing something to make others happy.

Whatever you decide, don't ever forget the Reason for the season. And remember, you don't need to have Christmas to be able to give gifts and make others happy!:)

For more updates about this year’s “Merry SM Christmas” campaign, visit SM’s official Christmas microsite (https://www.smsupermalls.com/merrysmchristmas2015) and follow its official social media accounts at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/smsupermalls), Twitter (https://twitter.com/smsupermalls), and Instagram (https://instagram.com/smsupermalls/); and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through Viber (http://chats.viber.com/SMsupermalls). Shoppers can actively share their holiday merriments inside the SM Supermalls by posting their photos on social media and adding the hashtag #MerrySMChristmas2015.

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Manila Weekend Warrior

2015-11-10T19:49:00.000+08:00

When the weekend rolls in, some yuppies in Manila escape the city, if only to get some peace of mind before Monday rolls in again. I, however, have gotten enough peace and greenery from my fair city to want to crave some of the hustle and bustle of the city I lived in for 3 years. (It's always been a thing my high school friends and I agree on: when we're in Davao for too long, we want the busy-ness of the city, where you never run out of anything to do; when we're in Manila for too long, we crave the peace, familiarity and open spaces Davao offers. If only there was some place we could get both in the right amounts..) Anyway, since our (last) semestral break lasted a month, I had a few days to spare when my bestie Ayessa asked me to accompany her for a few days to the metro. I didn't really have an agenda but to see my sister and some friends, some things I wasn't able to do when I went to Manila/Laguna in October. I didn't get any check-in baggage so I didn't have to bring my DSLR camera, which meant I decided that I didn't really plan on blogging. Sometimes, it's such a hassle--to put conversations and activities on hold just to capture the perfect shot to share to the world, who'll all but forget about it once the next good thing comes around. So all of these are just photos taken with my phone or my friends' phones. I said I didn't plan on blogging, but I had a good time so of course, I wanted to share it with you. I was on the 8:45 am flight from Davao so I got to Manila at around 10:30 am. Since I'm soooo kuripot, I commuted from NAIA 4 to Katipunan. Since I couldn't find anything on the Internet on how to get to the MRT station FROM NAIA 4, I'll just put this handy tip I learned out there. From the airport, walk down the airport road (you don't have to cross) until you see a Petron gasoline about 500m away. Cross the gas station then ride the jeep that says LRT/MRT. The jeep will take you to the Taft MRT station.
It wasn't rush hour so the trains weren't that full. I was lucky I got on at the first station so I was able to sit. It took me around 1.5 hrs to get to Katipunan via commute, just in time to meet Ayessa for lunch. Just wanted to share, I was doing so good with the commute thing until I got out at the wrong exit (dapat NORTH exit instead of South!!) at the Katipunan LRT 2 station so I had to ride a cab, ugh.

We had lunch at Mom & Tina's then dinner at Yabu (my first time!). It was super worth it, I can see why people have been raving about it before. The meat was tender and the cabbage with the dressing was so good. I'm not a huge veggie eater but I asked for refills. They also serve brown rice, which was good for our pa-healthy pagpapanggap endeavors. Haha. :P We went around shops after, but I didn't like anything so I didn't buy. (Ako ba toooo?)

couldn't resist getting a cupcake from Vanilla Cupcakery at UP Town

For Friday, I had lunch again with Ayessa at UP Town Center. Um, can I just say, the UP and ADMU kids are so ~~lucky~~ sosyal coz they have this? Ang yayamanin na talaga ng mga taga-UP. Afterward, I went to UP for a bit cause it was still early and I'd be meeting up with my cousin later on. You know you think you forget someone, then when you see them again, it all comes back? That's how I felt going back to UP. There's always this magic I feel whenever I go back. It's like...coming home. :) (Okay, tama na drama)

I met up with my cousin Benj, who I haven't seen in such a long time! When I was still studying in UP, I'd stay at their house almost every weekend. Benj kasi is so charming and funny, it's so easy to talk to him. He always takes care of me also; it's so hard not to love him! :) *cousin love* Then around dinner time, I left for Makati to meet up for dinner with my dad and sister. The most notable thing about meeting up with my dad and sister is that...I learned how to ride a bus back to Katipunan! I had to, cause the MRT was closed. I was so worried, cause I've heard about hold-up incidents happening in buses. Thank God nothing happened! (*paranoid probinsyana mode*) I went down at Cubao and got to ride a cab with a really nice cab driver. I say nice because I initially thought he was part of some modus (cause he kept turning his phone on and off) but then it turns out, he was trying to reach his daughters. Sobrang nakakatouch kaya. Ayun, we got around to talking and I ended up giving him a tip kasi sobrang natuwa ako sa kanya. (Other drivers, can you please learn from this? Can you not outright demand for a tip? If the customer is happy, he/she will give you naman /end rant)

For Saturday, I had brunch scheduled with Hal, Allan and Ian, my Twitter pals. We used to tweet each other a lot kasi, but we never went out together cause I was already studying here in Davao. Of all of the people I met through UP KEM, they're probably the ones I get to talk to most often, and they always always feed me!! Haha. Anyway, so everything was set na. Allan drove all the way pa from Alabang to Katipunan, just cause Hal demanded it (LOL jk), and then when we called both Hal and Ian, they wouldn't pick up! So we ate ahead. Finally, when they did answer, they said kakagising lang nila. HAHAHA. FML. It's not like Davao na when you say kakagising lang, you can be there in 15-30 mins. Hal followed, but only enough to say hi and goodbye. Haha. Ian owes me *evil stare*

After that, I went to Makati, as I would be staying with my dad and sister at their condo that night so that it would be much closer to the airport. My sister and I went to Bonifacio Global City to just walk around and soak in the sights before we went out to dinner with my dad at City of Dreams. Sayang nga cause we went late, but I guess it was okay na din cause I didn't bring the camera. The place would've been really nice for outfit shots and general pa-artsy shots.

My sister and I spent most of our time at Fully Booked. Five friggin' floors of books and cute school supplies. I told my sister that if I was bored and had nothing to do, I could spend a whole day in there! Cause there's a cafe and you can read books on chairs or on the floor. Hngggh.

Because of that, my sister and I were late for dinner with our dad. We ate at Apu, a Filipino restaurant at City of Dreams.

haggardo versoza na

We went to the City of Dreams for a Guys' Night Out; my dad was taking us to the casino. My sister and I thought we'd be able to win some money but we didn't cause we were "greedy fucks". Haha. I think we pre-empted it, so we left empty-handed. Sayang! I should've just kept the money my dad gave us. Greedy fucks kasi, wanting the possibility of more. Haha. Oh well, I'm gonna think of the money lost as payment for experience's sake nalang.

Sunday was my mom's birthday, and my flight home. We had brunch together then I had to leave at around 1pm cause my flight was at 4pm.

Looking back as I type this, I can't believe so much happened in a short span of time. I'm still trying to process the fact that I'm now back in school for my last semester ever, that we have homework already, and a major paper due in a couple of weeks! #graduatingfeels I just had to blog this though, because I know if I put it off, I would just get lazy and never get the nerve to anymore. Haha.

Hope you liked the post! :)

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Bonding with my Babs: Pepperplate and Cafe Blooming Days

2015-10-28T19:33:00.000+08:00

It starts out great: you promise to remain close and keep in touch. When you're miles apart, you promise to see each other every chance you get. Then one day, while sitting on the toilet, you realize that you haven't seen them in so long when before, thinking about being away from them months apart at a time was unimaginable. What happened? Growing up happened. Something one of my friends like to call "adult" (as in, the use of adult as a verb instead of a noun) happened.

I used to look forward to semestral breaks because it meant getting to go home, seeing my (other) friends and going out with them. Semestral breaks used to be jampacked with plans to hit beaches, have dinner together, watch movies together, bake and visit each other's houses. But as the years passed, a lot of my friends graduated, while the others who are still in school like me, have lives of their own (in this town and elsewhere), so we don't have that common time frame like sembreak to get together. Even if you have other friends--new people in your life--high school friends are different. They're different because they saw you at your ugliest, most awkward stage and love, accept and laugh at you for it.

Okay enough about the dramatic intro. It's raining and I couldn't help but get carried away. Lol. Last Friday, Ashi, Mithi and I met up for a loooong overdue dinner. I've been seeing some nice photos and hearing about great reviews about Pepperplate so I wanted to check the place out to blog about it to share to you guys. (Hehe work + fun)

The place is located in front of Royal Mandaya Hotel. It's hard to find because the signage is small but trust me, it's in front of Royal Mandaya Hotel. You'll see it when you pass by because the interior is bright and unlike the others. The place is small and the interior is done with an industrial feel. At the time, there were probably around 6 groups there, including 2 groups of friends, us, a family of 4 and 2 couples.

On to the orders...

We got Lechon Kawali Chips (154php) to share. It was good. Kinda like bacon-ized chicaron. Haha.

For the main course, we had a Half-Rack of Baby Back Ribs (356php), because it's their specialty. Isn't it HUGE? It comes with 2 sides you can choose from. We chose mashed potatoes and three-rice, which is a mixture of red, brown and black rice. The ribs were delicious and tender, but I really enjoyed the three-rice, which complimented the ribs a whole lot. For a healthy side dish (whole grains kasi), it didn't taste bland at all. I like brown rice to begin with but some people don't because it's bland. This one isn't. It had a garlicky flavor to it. My mouth is watering just thinking about the three-rice (and ribs, pero kahit yung three-rice lang, ok na eh).

The menu

Next time I'd wanna try the mac n' cheese side dish, the burger and the Spam Fries. Yummers!

The meal was sulit! We split the bill and ended up paying 170php each lang. So so sulit! They don't have service charge though so please tip naman their helpful staff. :))

Visit Pepperplate at J. Palma Gil St, Davao City

Open at 11:00 am-2:00pm and 6:00pm-10:00pm

After dinner, we didn't wanna go home yet, and we wanted to get dessert but a lot of the stores were already closed, or closing, so we dropped by Cafe Blooming Days to check the place out. My friends liked the bright interiors--and they had cakes too!!--so we stayed.

The only thing that's stopped me from going to Cafe Blooming Days, said to be the first Korean cafe in Davao, before was that I heard it was pricey but when we got there, it wasn't as pricey as I expected.

We got two cakes to share: the chocolate rainbow cake (they have a buttercream rainbow cake as well) and green tea cake. If you're a Filipino who's used to reeeally sweet desserts, be warned. Makukulangan ka sa lasa dito. The rainbow cake was sweet but not super sweet, in fact, it was a little bitter (kinda like dark chocolate).

The Green Tea cake made up for the slightly bitter taste of the rainbow cake though cause it was a bit sweeter.

Cafe Blooming Days also has meals, which I have yet to try. But based on reviews, it's their coffee that's the winner. It's supposedly good because the owner really studied coffee making abroad.

Visit Cafe Blooming Days at JJ's Commune,

Loyola St., Obrero, Davao City

By the way, last night, I discovered that I hit 200,000 page views! Thank you, thank you!! That's not a lot compared to the other bloggers but it sure makes me feel like I hit 2 million views! I treasure each view because I feel like blogging is slowly making it's demise. That sounds so negative, but the signs are there. People opt to manage microblogs more: they post more on Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat. Or bigger bloggers are slowly making way to Youtube by also having video blogs. Well, I'm not a techie. I don't have the equipment nor the team, nor the following that would request me to move in that direction so for now, I'm staying here. Thank you for those who still value and like reading the (long) written word--my long written words. :))

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#LAAGuna 2015: EK Virgin No More; Tita of Davao Yes

2015-10-23T18:45:00.001+08:00

When we were planning the itinerary of our plant tour, we had Laguna in mind because most of the manufacturing plants were located there. But other than that, we had a hidden agenda: to go to Enchanted Kingdom! In my 24 years living in the Philippines, I have never stepped foot in the theme park. I think it's cause I know I'll always have the chance to, it being in the Philippines anyway. In fact, I was kidding around with Claire, who also has never been there, that buti pa yung HongKong Disneyland and Ocean Park, we got to visit those first! :P

What usually gets me excited to go to new places is the chance to take photos of them. #bloggermode I was especially excited to photograph Enchanted Kingdom, a theme park, which was sure to be a visual treat. It's kind of a bad thing, how the Filipino kodaker in me does that, when I'm supposed to enjoy the place and FEEL how it is to be there. To be fair though, I don't always do that; I get lazy sometimes. Haha #defensive

Either way, I was more excited to take photos talaga than to ride the rides because I'm such a fraidy puss! I was telling my classmates nga, I don't care what you say about me not riding the rides; I'm owning the Tita of the trip title if it means I don't have to!

Before getting there, we all pledged to try the rides together and to ride the milder rides together before making way to the extreme ones. But when we got there, the kids scrambled to Space Shuttle, that huge-ass roller coaster which goes backwards and forwards. Uhh no thanks. Jois and I opted to sit that one out. (Tita of the trip tally-1)

the kids after Space Shuttle (look at Kent's face hahaha)

Right after that, we did the bump cars while the others went on to try the EKstreme, a free fall ride. I'm sure I would've been okay with the free fall ride since you just free fall but I would've died going up (while looking down) because I'm deathly afraid of heights!! (Tita of the trip tally-2) I wanted to try the Air Race ride too since it looked safe but lo and behold! The vessel holding you turned around, rendering you upside down. Um, no thanks again!! (Tita of the trip tally-3)

me, Claire, Cha and Nicole opted to sit out the Free Fall (tita Farrah score-3)

Finally, trying to not be such a tita, I agreed when we all got together to ride the Anchors Away. It looked safe enough; a boat swaying back and forth. We were even laughing at the kids whose faces looked so afraid. But while on the ride... all hell broke loose!

parang happy pa o!

It started out simple. I was like, "okay, I can do this" but later on, I was like, "get me out of here!!" I could feel the blood rush to my head, which hurt. I couldn't shut my eyes because it would only make my head hurt more! I had to watch as we were flung into the air. I got so scared because I was afraid we would fall into each other when our side rose. Huhu. Kent, who was seated on the other side of the boat said I started out trying to control myself--breathing in, breathing out. But later on, I was screaming my head off in profanities and clutching Bern like my life depended on it. (Sorry Bern for the death grip and high-pitched screams) Eff!!! Di na ako uulit!!

After that ordeal, I calmed myself down by sitting on the benches while the others tried the horror house (you have to pay an extra 75php). Then after, we tried the Flying Fiesta, which is like swings on a carousel. It looked safe and tame enough so I went. But the problem arose when the swings rose..like really rose. I could see the roofs of the other rides! The swings went really fast. Ohmygod. I was so afraid I closed my eyes the whole ride. Haha. I'm such a scaredy cat!!! (Alex has photos of it but he had the prudence not to post them haha so you can't see :P)

safe on land

Right after, the kids tried out the Disk-o-Magic (?) which goes side to side but turns around while at it. There was someone who was probably around 60 who tried the ride before my friends had their turn and sobrang nahiya kami ni Mai-mai, who opted to sit the ride out. Hahaha. Buti pa si nanay, adventurous!

We all decided to leave the wet rides for last so right after the Disk-o-Magic, it was around 5:30 pm (park closes at 7 pm) so we decided to go ride the Log Jam and Rio Grande Rapids. The Log Jam was okay..until the second drop. You know how in cartoons, they show the heart being left behind when the cartoon animal falls? That's how it felt! The drop was so steep that even though I knew we were on an incline, it felt like a free fall. But anything was better than the Anchors Away!!
The Rio Grande was the tamest. I expected to get wet but didn't get as wet as I thought. I wore pa naman a bikini top underneath in preparation. Haha. My classmates wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel when it turned dark so we (they) could see the city lights, but we ran out of time. I was quite relieved since after the ordeal (OA!!) I went through the whole day, I don't think I could ever take another ride with heights again. Ugh. I don't know, I just..I'm such a control-freak and someone else is controlling the rides and I can't get off when I want to...it really scares me. :/ (oo na, tita na ako. Tita na kung Tita) Because I was (self) awarded Tita of the Trip, I want to make my own awards for my classmates: Best kind of friend to have on a theme park trip: Minorca -because she's so game to try all the rides but she also gets scared Chillest person on the ride: a three-way tie between Camzie, Bern and Byron (still thinking about Bern and Byron since they're always chill anyway) Most (unexpected) game person: Jessbert -because I'm used to him saying no to things when we invite him out, but for the rides, he was game to ride all Makapal ang lining ng sikmura award (aka Most Adventurous): March, Gian and Fortune (as always) Good Bra award (aka Most Supportive): Kent -even during our Canibad trip last March, he was very encouraging to those who were scared to try to climb/ride (aka me)

My obligatory tourist photo with the magician outside the theme park got overexposed so I had to settle for this one, taken inside the park mehehe

When I was in UP, my friends often talked about going to Enchanted Kingdom together. I wanted to join since I haven't been there but we never got the chance to go together. I now know why..because I was meant to go with another group of friends. Awwe :"> PS. Ang babalikan ko nalang ata dun ay yung Swan Lake haha at yung carousel TWITTER | TUMBLR| INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | CHICTOPIA
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#LAAGuna 2015

2015-10-19T20:02:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone! Sorry for being MIA again. I'm back with a vengeance and I have an arsenal of stories to share to you all. I just got back from a trip to Laguna with my classmates for our plant tour. We have a course next semester called Field Trips and Seminars which requires us to arrange visits to (manufacturing) plants, thus the plant tour. We all didn't bring our laptops because we had limited baggage allowance so I didn't get to blog while on the trip. It was kind of a good thing cause it meant we'd all get to enjoy each other's company. We were away the whole of last week and got back Friday night. On the day I was supposed to return, I met up with my dad and was with him when my mom called. My (baby) brother got into an accident; he fractured his wrist while playing basketball. Imaginary basketball to be exact; he was trying to imitate Barry Allen of The Flash (which is his favorite show by the way), by doing these elaborate dunking/lay up moves without a basketball while his classmates were taking videos of him. (Ohmagawdd what will I do with him??) So right after I arrived, I went straight to the hospital and that's what kept me busy the whole weekend. In fact, I'm blogging from the hospital right now! :/ Anyway, enough of that. Here's what went down on our first day in Laguna.

We were on the first flight out so we got to Manila at around 8 am, just when everyone's day was starting.

We made our way to Sta. Rosa, Laguna, where the hotel was. But first, we stopped by one of the many gas stations with restos for early lunch.

We checked in at El Cielito Hotel, which was about 10 minutes away from Enchanted Kingdom. Don't you just love the lobby/cafe?

I shared a room with March, Mai-mai, Jois and Claire. Yes, there were 5 of us in a room, while there were 3 or 4 in the others. But no matter, since we had the biggest room, the Deluxe I think. We had a couch and speaker phone, which the others didn't.

After a little siesta, at around 1pm, we set off for our first plant: Gardenia.

We weren't allowed to take photos inside so we took loads of them outside. The Gardenia tour was probably the quickest plant tour of all. Parang mas matagal pa yung biyahe. Parang mas matagal pa yung pagbili ng classmates ko nung discounted, factory price products nila. But no matter, that meant more time for laag! :P (Can you see why #LAAGuna was the official hashtag of the trip?)

atchup of Davao meets Gardenia Bread guy

Kuya Ricky, our tour guide, took us to Nuvali. We've heard a lot about Nuvali from Sir Paul, our teacher, so we wanted to check it out. It did not disappoint! Nuvali's like a park where you can walk your dog, rent and ride bikes or boats and feed the fishes. It also has shops and restaurants. It's so nice cause you're getting some fresh air outdoors, but there's also something for the shoppingera of the group, who can get her loot as the compound houses lots of outlet shops (including Aldo, Nike and Adidas).

gurls minus Cha and Nicole, who went to Starbucks agad :))

Gian, Mai-mai, Camzie, Claire and I broke off from the group to walk around and explore. Of course, being the blogger that I am, I asked Gian to take some cheesy shots of us. Haha

EDI WOW

March, who met up with her boyfriend, was calling us to try out ice cream from Family Mart. We caught up with her and call it coincidence or not but Family Mart was right beside BANAPPLE. OMG Banapple!! Isa to sa mga namiss ko sa Manila. In fact, when we found out our itinerary, we made plans to eat at Banapple but upon Googling, we found out that Mall of Asia, where we would be before heading to the airport, didn't have a branch. Boo. So happy that we were able to get our fix for the trip! :)

That day, there was a shooting for the local TV show LuvU and while we were looking at the menu (we considered taking home a slice of Banoffee pie since it would be dinner time soon), the assistant director called us over to be part of the scene so we had no choice but to eat there. Haha (no choice daw? Nagpabebe pa hahaha)

Ayun, nagLaguna lang, naging extra pa. :))

When we got to the hotel, we all met up at our room for some pretty silly games. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard! Definitely ended our first day on a good note! Watch out for the rest of the trip! :)

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Travel 101: Packing Tips

2015-10-10T17:55:00.000+08:00

Hola everyone! How are you?

The first semester of my last year of college (!!!) ended yesterday so my last ever semestral break is here!! (Kinda wild when you think about it!) My classmates and I will be leaving for our plant tour on Monday, and I'm sure you have trips of your own planned for the break too (for those who came from schools that weren't affected by the academic calendar shift). I wrote this blog post on the request of my friend, who's a chronic overpacker. These are just some things I learned after packing then re-packing for the three years of my life that I spent studying away from home.

Travel tip #1: Know your itinerary

Know where you'll be going (find out what the weather will be like) and what you'll be doing (will you be walking a lot?) so that..

Travel tip #2: You can plan what to wear

Knowing your itinerary will help you plan on what to wear, which will help you choose what to pack. I know that normally, when you hear the words "planning what to wear", you think of a shallow person who only cares about her appearance but when traveling, it's a must. (not so shallow now, eh?) I'll be using our plant tour as an example.

We'll be visiting plants for 3 days and have agreed upon a uniform. So these clothes I've laid down are for Days 1, 2 and 3. One shirt and a pair of bottoms each. Long pants because we're going to a plant. We'll be leaving early morning of Day 1 then we'll be visiting a plant in the afternoon. I don't want to wear my shirt to the airport (of course, gotta maximize the chance for outfit shots hehehe #maybalak) so I'm bringing the shirt in my bag to change in while we're having lunch. And duh, I'll still be wearing the pair of bottoms.

Sometimes, I wear pants 2 days in a row (it may be gross to admit but I think we all have done this at some point in our life #cowboy -- just make sure you let it air dry to remove odor) but for the trip, I'm not sure if it will rain and I will get caught in it and get muddy or whatever, or if it will get too hot that I'll sweat through my pants. So I'd rather not risk having to wash my pants in the hotel bathroom, and just take a pair everyday. Not pictured are 2 extra shirts to change into, just in case.

Another tip I could give for transit is..wear the bulkier items so it doesn't add weight to your luggage. We've only been given 10kg of baggage allowance for the trip. I plan on bringing only my denim jacket since I know we'll have private transport to take us around. Otherwise, if I was going on a trip to Manila where I'll be commuting around, I'd choose to bring a hoodie cause it rains there a lot.

Our fourth day will take us to Enchanted Kingdom (yay, fun!) so we can wear shorts cause we'll be running around and we won't be visiting any plants. My classmates and I have already talked about getting on the wet rides so I chose to prepare something light for all the running around and so that when we get wet, I won't have to bring home something bulky. (not pictured is the outfit I'll change in after the wet rides)

The last day is just transit again, plus Mall of Asia for lunch, so I plan on wearing the easiest, no-brainer solution: a dress (Will be wearing this again with my jacket for the plane). We'll be in a car, we'll be in a mall and the airport so it's okay. (If I had to commute, I wouldn't wear a dress) I will also bring along an extra long sleeved top in case for a day with extra cold weather.

For traveling, you can use pajamas for 2 nights in a row since you just wear them to bed. It sounds gross when you think about it (though not as gross as wearing pants 2 days a row), but admit it, we've all done this to save a bit on washing. Unless you wear pambahay the whole day, then I think it's acceptable to wear PJs 2 nights in a row. (PS. Guys are lucky they can sleep shirtless)

There's gonna be a pool in the hotel and my classmates and I have talked about swimming thus the swimwear.

I won't be bringing a towel since the hotel has one. And I'm only bringing a pair of sneakers (since we need to wear closed shoes to the plants) which I'll be wearing all throughout the trip--from the airport to home. I'll also be bringing one sling bag which goes with all my outfits (black or brown is the safest) to put my personal stuff in. (This is why outfits should be planned, to save on shoe and bag space) And even though there are hotel slippers, I'll also bring my own for the pool and in case my sneakers get dirty.

For undies, I'll be taking a pair for each day plus three extra undies just in case. (Travel tip #3: you can never have too much underwear when traveling)

Other things to remember:
-YOUR AIRPLANE TICKET -ID -chargers -personal effects (I just bring a comb, my watch, toothbrush and lotion. The rest, like shampoo and soap, I buy in sachets before I leave or when I arrive at the place. I don't use hotel shampoo cause I'm choosy with hair products)

Travel tip #4: Roll your clothes to save on luggage space ..which means don't bring anything that wrinkles and needs to be ironed if you don't wanna spend on laundry services.

There you go!
People say traveling is fun but the packing isn't. It doesn't have to be like that if you just plan correctly. As my mom always says, the best way to travel is to travel light.

Hope I helped!

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You Can't Sit With Us

2015-10-07T21:57:00.000+08:00

I wish I could somehow put it out there a bit more creatively buuuut there's really no particular story behind my outfit. I just saw the shirt in a pile of clothes my sister left when she came to visit. If you don't get the pop culture reference, it's a line from one of my favorite movies, Mean Girls. :))

I've been meaning to dress a bit more nicely--move past the denim/grunge phase, which is hard since I just bought a new old denim jacket--and more my age, but function and comfort (laziness too) always get the best of me. I wasn't even supposed to shoot cause it was getting late but I thought that I probably won't be able to wear something like this for a long time, so I forced my best friend to shoot me that day even though it was getting dark. It's been way too long since my last outfit post but I'm trying to get past that and shoot more over the break. If you look at the photos, I don't even know how to pose already. :))

bag: OASAP || shoes: Yosi Samra || photos by Ayessa

Hope you liked this!

PS. I had my hair cut a few days after this was shot and now, looking through the photos, I can't help but miss the length. (But aaah my hair was getting unruly and damaged so it had to go #thickhairproblems)

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