Weekend Blogging: Keeping up with Khai

Pampering: How to Do your own Manicure and Nail Art

2012-08-27T00:40:00.000+08:00

A lot of nail salons are flourishing all over Davao City. Nail arts and nail stamps are some of the latest services most girls are after because of the glamorous-looking designs (e.g. swarovski, glitters, etc) blended on top of each nail. The problem is, they are generally expensive. Some of them cost Php40.00 and above for every nail. So I came up with getting a Home Service Manicure instead - Nail Art style.

My cousin recommended me their neighborhood manicurist who does home service, and who also happens to be their friend. One of the reasons why I'm getting one so that I would know how to do it myself the next time. I haven't done my own manicure not because I'm lazy, but just don't know how to start. When the manicurist, Arlene, started doing the pampering for me, I started learning the steps. Let me share you the procedure:

1) Pick a color - Choose the best color for your nails. Don't pick something that will make your hands look dull or old. For me, I chose light blue for my feet and pink glaze for my hands. Colors will depend on your skin type/complexion.

2) Cut and shape your nails - There are proper ways on cutting and shaping them. I prefer cutting mine shorter.

3) To start cleaning your nails, spray a soapy water on them to soften. Use a pusher and brush the dirt afterwards.

4) Use a Nail File after cleaning to neatly shape your nails and its sharp edges.

5) Gently put Merthiolate solution on your nails to sanitize. It also gives a pinkish hue.

6) Let's start painting the nails. - Put on two coats of polish on each nail for the base color. Let it dry.

7) Top your nail with unique dots and shapes this time using a Nail Art Brush. I chose flower petals for my nail designs. I'm also using a dark color to make it eye-catching.

Cutting your Nails

Coating on Merthiolate

Dots and Shapes

Flower Petals for the design

8) Cover with glitters or colorless polish to finish your nail art.

Let me show you our finished results:

Pink-glazed base coat with flowers on the side

Powder-blue base with Red Petals

Orange-based coat and white petals

Rebellious Art

Every girl's whim is to look good from head-to-toe, even to the slightest part of her body -- her fingernails. This gives her happiness and satisfaction.

For now, I'm feeling blissful to get my nails done! Don't you think that these designs are as pretty as what we normally get from expensive nail salons? .. And guess what? It only costs Php35.00 per pair for the service. Looks expensive, isn't it?

Wise and Practical! :) Watch out for new designs on our next Nail Pampering Session! :)

Missing Dad and Coping with Grief

2012-08-06T03:12:00.000+08:00

Papa's hand, I knew he could still feel me..

It's Sunday morning and suddenly, I missed my dad. I saw his old pictures and videos from his birthday back in 2009.

If you do not know what I'm talking about -- my dad died from Papillary Thyroid Cancer a year ago. It was New Year, January 1, 2011. It started in his throat and cancer cells spread like fire going to his lungs. Besides that, I'm still happy that we were able to spend time with him for two years more, since he was diagnosed in 2008.

Until now, I could hardly believe he's gone. I wasn't expecting that out of millions of people, illness would hit one of my loved ones, my father. I couldn't blame the situation, though, because he kept smoking when I was a kid. But still, smoking was his past time to ease stress during his busy days. Aside from cancer, dad also had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which worsened his condition. Dad had a hard time breathing, and I couldn't take it looking at him suffering.

Well, enough to tell you of the drama, I do not want to cry again. Let me just share you How to Cope with Grief. I know it's not easy, but we can do this slowly.

It was shattering inside...

HOW TO OVERCOME GRIEF:
Have a Good Cry. - You have to. It's good to let go of these feelings, talk to someone you can trust. It's a relief.
"Everything Happens for a Reason" - Sounds cliche, but true. Pray to God and ask for strength. Trust His will because blessings might come along the way.
STOP (as much as possible) being bitter. - We cannot avoid being bitter, especially during these times. We couldn't help comparing and asking God why it happened to us, and not to them. Stop cursing other people or wishing them bad luck. It could boomerang. One more thing, a negative feeling brings another negative outcome, and the "bad luck" may keep coming.
Reminiscing is good, but limit yourself. -- I know we can't help looking at the past pictures and videos of our loved ones. It's good to laugh and think about the happy times, but you could cry again along the way. I am not suggesting you forget them, but if you think it's not going to do you any more good, then control yourself from reminiscing.
Stop blaming yourself/somebody. - This is tough. When someone dies, we always blame ourselves or the people around us. We could not avoid that especially when somebody dies of an accident due to someone's negligence, etc. It's also hard to apply this especially on murder cases, but let's hope it doesn't go that far. I'm talking about my case. My dad died of illness and nobody wanted it. I've asked myself a lot of times or should I blame myself just because I didn't have enough (knowing Cancer is an expensive illness) -- Again, it's all in God's plan, and that has been a part of it.
Forgive yourself/others. - Once you know how to forgive, healing starts. Heal the wounds gradually, and later you can start moving on.
Always remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. - You are not the only one who have lost a loved one. Others could have more depressing situations than you do. Jesus, also suffered when He knew He was going to die. Realize how He accepted that. -- When I was praying inside the hospital chapel, I felt Jesus. And when I went back to dad's Intensive Care Unit, he gestured at me to say that he was at least, feeling a little well during that day. For me though, I considered that a Miracle.

People mourn differently, we all have our ways. Others may look like they don't seem to care, but deep inside they could still be in pain. Only time heals all wounds. Pray to God for strength, and the courage to forgive everyone, including yourself. Get yourself busy, life has to go on and you must move.

Before I end this blog, let me share you a poem given by my previous boss through a Mass Card. She gave that to us when she went to the wake. Somehow, the poem had enlightened me:

Safely Home

by Unknown

I am home in Heaven, dear ones;

Oh, so happy and so bright!

There is perfect joy and beauty

In this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,

Every restless tossing passed;

I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in Heaven at last.

Then you must not grieve so sorely,

For I love you dearly still;

Try to look beyond earth's shadows,

Pray to trust our Father's Will.

There is work still waiting for you,

So you must not idly stand;

Do it now, while life remains--

You shall rest in Jesus' land.

When that work is all completed,

He will gently call you Home;

Oh, the rapture of that meeting,

Oh, the joy to see you come!

Acceptance: Learn how to let go...

Whenever I read this poem over and over, I have mixed emotions of sadness and enlightenment. Sad that I'll be missing my dad, but enlightened and relieved for he is no longer suffering just he did during his Chemotherapy treatments.

The lines that struck me most were, "There is work still waiting for you, so you must not idly stand." -- I saw hope again when I read these lines. That opened my eye that life is still there waiting for me, and I should cherish it.

To my dad, wherever you are right now, we will always love you and we missed you!

Dad lived a good life of sixty-six years. He was a good provider.

The Dainty Diner: Keepsakes

2012-07-17T20:37:00.001+08:00

The Storefront

It's weekend, and I've got nothing else to do. We went to church on a Sunday afternoon and after the mass, I wanted to eat Pasta. I've missed it because it's been a while since my last Carbonara, so my boyfriend and I stopped over at - Keepsakes Davao.

Keepsakes is located on the right wing of Matina Town Square, Davao City. This 'Dainty Diner,' as I may call, is most frequented with high school students from Ateneo de Davao University, my Alma Mater. I call it such because it has a girly atmosphere, filled with trinkets. The friendly ambiance did not only complete my satisfaction, but the cost was right for my pocket.

The Ambience

Let me give you a tour:

This is the colorful atmosphere of the diner. Pastel chairs, couches, and curtain beads remind me of my bedroom.

When you first enter, colorful menu boards and the friendly staff will greet you.

The menu serves Chicken, Pasta, Desserts and Rice Meals. Like I mentioned, the cost was just right to keep myself full, and my pocket.

Scroll more for the meals served.

Baby Potatoes in Grated Chees

To start with, we ordered:

Appetizer: Baked Baby Potatoes in Grated Cheese - 10-15 little potatoes are served in this cup bowl, sliced in halves. Who wouldn't say it wasn't delicious? With cheese and mozzarella on top, it's drooling!
Pasta: Carbonara with Garlic Stick - This is actually the reason why I went here. I missed the creamy, cheesy taste of the Parmesan, plus its bacon toppings. The serving size is just enough.
Rice Meal: Two-piece Chicken with rice - My boyfriend ordered this meal and the chicken portions are just fair. But then, one cup of rice is not enough for him so he added another one!
Desserts: Mini-Heart Cakes are affordable. They look enticing and palatable. I brought some of it home.

Carbonara and Garlic Stick

2-piece Chicken Rice Meal

Mini-heart cakes!

Close-up View of the Mini-hearty cake

Beads and Trinkets

Keychains from over-the-world

After dining, my boyfriend and I went to take some pictures of the diner's setting. I loved how it looks and how it feels to be there so there was never a dull moment hanging out!

Keepsakes is open from Mondays thru Sundays. It's a great place to spend simple Sunday snacks or chitchats with your friends.

Choco Pastillas - A Review

2012-06-24T14:42:00.001+08:00

Hi Friends! Let me share you about a delicacy called, "Choco Pastillas" that I recently bought online. In the Philippines, "pastillas" is a dessert mixed with milk and sugar. It is very sweet and delicious, most kids love them. As I was browsing through my news feed on Facebook, I saw this picture that caught my eye. It says "Php54.00 per box with 16 pieces." The pastillas was uniquely shaped in square, drizzled with chocolate. I got more enticed of it because of their lovely boxes. As they say, presentation is the first impression. I couldn't get enough thinking not to buy this so I texted the seller and decided to meet up the next day. I bought two boxes to try it out first, and could probably give them to my close friends later.

So here it is:

Square-shaped Pastillas with Chocolate

Lovely boxes - Nice Presentation

I went to our meeting place and the seller handed me over the boxes. My impression? -- A little bit dismayed, but not totally. The boxes were still lovely, just that, I was expecting a bigger one. The pastillas were still 16 pieces, but arranged on top of each other. I've understood now because each size is the same as a watch dial.

Pastillas - arranged on top of each
other to make 16 pieces

Enticing, isn't it?

Flattened Pastillas

How about the Taste?--- Delicious! Indeed it speaks for itself, "addictive." With 16 pieces, that's enough before you can get a tonsilitis because of its sugary, sweetness.

Suggestion:

Cost - It costs Php54.00 for 16 pieces. If only they were larger in size, then the price would be just alright.

Recommendation:

It's great to share this with your friends on lunch breaks. It's also good for souvenir items, and could be a nice gift for special occasions like Valentine's Day. Boys can give this to their ideal girls. For girls, don't be afraid to treat yourselves and forget diet once in a while. For parents, with the taste and presentation, I'm sure your kids would love this!

Until the next review! :)

It's Palm Sunday!

2012-04-01T21:12:00.001+08:00

April 1. For others, it's April Fool's Day, but for me, it's Palm Sunday.

Catholics raising their Palm Leaves for Blessings

The Palm Sunday is the first day of the Holy Week. It is celebrated by the Catholics all over the world every year where they bring "Crosses" made out of palm leaves when they go to church. They do this by raising these long stalks of leaves and have it blessed by the Priest with Holy Water. This is also the reason why it's called, "Palm Sunday."

After the Catholic mass, people would hang this on their house doors to get "blessings" from the Lord as a part of the tradition.

Crossed-shaped Palm leaves
hung at our house door

I am a Catholic myself but it is my first time to be in this event. I could say that I felt God's presence and blessings when the Holy Water was sprinkled all over us mass-goers. It has been a nice experience.

I encourage my fellow Catholics to never stop this practice and keep the faith with all their hearts.

More Catholics wanted more blessings from
the Priest

Restaurant Review: Grab a Crab Seafood Restaurant

2012-03-17T13:00:00.000+08:00

It's been so long since I haven't seen my high school friends. Everyone's busy and some got married. Today, I'm having a blast because we're having our own "High School Reunion."

Where to dine?

Let's go to Grab a Crab Seafood Restaurant:

The Menu

The 'Humongous' Menu

Grab a Crab is located inside Abreeza Mall in Davao City, Philippines. From the restaurant name itself, they're selling almost all types of seafood. Since my friends and I were saving budget for our next stop, we only ordered these meals:

CrabMeat Fried Rice

This rice is not only good for three people like us, but four The rice has veggies, shrimps, and what we wanted -- CrabMeat. Yum!

Baked Tahong (Baked Mussels)

This is everyone's favorite, mussels. It is called Tahong in Filipino.

Beef Tenderloin Tips with Mushrooms

This one tastes just like I'm at home, but it is still as tasty as the other meals. I also love the mushrooms.

Crabmeat Fried Rice - Php130 +

Beef Tenderloin Tips- Php220.00

Baked Tahong/Mussels - P130.00

The Verdict, with 5 stars being the highest:

CrabMeat Fried Rice - 5 out of 5. Perfect.
Baked Tahong/Mussels - 4 out of 5. They were like 22 pieces of them, only smaller sizes. But then, it's enough for the price.
Beef Tenderloin Tips with Mushrooms - 3 out of 5. This is how I rate it because I could not taste anything new in this meal. But then, the portions are still enough to complete a satisfying meal.

The Cost

The prices are good depending on what you order. They do not add service charge anymore, which is good.

The atmosphere

The restaurant has an elite atmosphere that you can bring your dates here without spending too much! The chairs are comfortable (lounge type) and spend hours with your long lost friends for a chitchat, like I did.

Grab A Crab Seafood Restaurant has a lot of branches all over the Philippines. This review is based on our judgement, but again, we all have different preferences so try it out for yourselves!

Yes, we're coming back! :)

Me and my good friends -- satisfied and full.