my so called photoed life

Busy Prints

2013-07-21T18:01:00.000-05:00

So nothing special happened today hahaha I just wanted to share my busy print outfit :D It is still very summery meaning warm and humid weather so of course outfit is still summery. Hehe. I was not sure what to wear with my black and white geometric lines pair of shorts. I started off with a white shirt than a black shirt than finally with this equally bright busy print hahaha. I thought it wouldn't go but then I think my spaghetti straps shirt contrasted well with the shorts. Have a look! :D

Spaghetti-straps Top: New York City and Co
Shorts: Banana Republic Factory Outlet
Shoes: Mel for Forever 21
Bag: Coach Factory Outlet
Watch: Lacoste

Blue Summer Days!

2013-07-14T01:25:00.001-05:00

I am loving the long summer daylight and the warm weather coz it's not too hot over here hehe. I went to the outlet mall several days ago to check out the summer sales and get more sleeveless shirts because of the warm weather and I thought that my wardrobe lacked this staples hahahaha. While on my roadtrip (which I still have to blog about hahaha), wearing the spaghetti straps or sleeveless shirts felt really cool and comfy so that is why I set out to get more while the weather is still warm :D I was thinking I could wear these shirts with a jacket once the cold weather sets in! Right!??!?? hehe

Anyways, here is one of the sleeveless shirts I bought for a steal at 12 USD sale price from Banana Republic. I love the geometric pattern and of course what else .. the color!! hahaha

Shirt: Banana Republic Outlet
Shorts: Gap Outlet
Sandals: Oka-b
Watch: Target
Bracelet: Cotton On
Sunnies: Ray-ban

June Glossy Box

2013-07-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

It's time for stuff I got for my June Glossy Box. :D I have subscribed for another 3 months for more beauty products because I really like the products I got from my last 3 boxes. This box came really late due to some shipping product error they say and have arrived only this July. Take a look at what's inside. :)

The Box

Oscar de la Renta sample colognes in so many fragrances but so far I am not into the smell hahaha. I think it has to grow on me. Smells more like soap hehehe

I will definitely try this out for my hair.

This isn't really a color I would use on my nails so I am giving this away.

I will try this out but I don't really use this stuff but hey the box is here to try out new products :D

This one I will use as I really like the lipsticks, lipgloss and lip products they have put in the past boxes.

Some Pink for You

2013-06-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

Nothing much today. Just went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory in this outfit. :D Just some pink pictures to post. :D

Top: Calvin Klein (seen here as well :D)
Shorts: Vitta Luna
Sandals: Loft
Bag: Coach
Bracelet: Kate Spade
Watch: Lacoste
Sunnies: Rayban

Hair-cut day!

2013-06-29T13:11:00.000-05:00

Finally, I got a haircut. Goodbye to long hair, hello to mid-length layered hair wahahaha. I haven't had a haircut in the longest time and see how long and sort of dry it got. Hehe. For me I have a hard time choosing a salon to go to here as asides from being expensive I wasn't sure I'd like the cut so that's why I barely go to the salon here. Anyways I think my hair needed some love so ta-da! hehehe

Yelp helped me in choosing a salon hahaha. The first salon that was listed was having all 5 star reviews so of course I chose this one right off the bat. I called in on a Thursday hoping for a slot at 3 pm since it's a business day and guess what I had to be scheduled the next day which just says how many people go there.

The salon is Niki Moon Salon. It sounds Korean but I was not sure if the owner was Korean. I forgot to ask hehe. It was a really nice looking salon and I really love the lights there I even have an Instagram picture of it hahahaha. Anyways, I really liked what they did with my hair and I think they deserve the 5 stars review. I'm happy with my hair and will definitely be going back to Niki Moon Salon. (Hair-cuts go for 40 USD)

Sunday Fare

2013-06-23T20:18:00.001-05:00

Food food and more food today. Hehehe. Started off the day with pancakes for breakfast. Very easy to make pancakes as all I had to do to the pancake mix was add water and stir then cook. Done!

Lunch was much more complex. I grilled steak indoors! Hahaha. I used an iron cast grill pan and it really got very smoky in the apt. Good thing the smoke alarm did not trigger hahaha. I tried to cook the steak as medium and the first batch came out as well done but the 2nd batch was much better as it came out medium. I also finished cooking the steak by putting it in the oven just because I was not sure if it was cooked thru hehe. Anyways it turned out good to my surprise hehehe. Asides from steak we had so many sides. Onin prepared the salad, JR mashed the potatoes, I roasted green beans and microwaved corn on the cob. Twas a great lunch! :D

On the steak, I put salt, oregano and garlic powder just before I put it on the grill. For the correct batch to be cooked as medium, I grilled one side for 4 minutes and then flipped the other side and cooked for another 4 minutes. I finished cooking by putting the steak in the pan in the oven and let it bake at 350F for 3 mins.

I put olive oil, salt and pepper on the green beans and stuck it in the oven at 350F for 35 mins.

I microwaved the corn and cooked for 6 minutes.

Greens, peach donuts, strawberries and balsamic, olive oil, sesame oil and kikoman sauce as dressing

Mashed potatoes which I mixed in with half and half milk, cheese, butter, salt and pepper

So you thought our stomachs was full to the brim, nope we went out for dinner at a japanese steak house and ate sushi hahaha. The service wasn't great as they took so long to make our sushi orders but the sushi was good.

And to end our day of food, we had yummy ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery! What a day! hahaha

Cotton Candy and Mint! Yum!!! :D

I am now off to make some tea! :D

April & May Glossy Box

2013-06-18T20:19:00.001-05:00

Time for a post for my beauty boxes that came in from Glossybox! hehe. I really like the sample products I have been getting from Glossybox that is why I have subscribed for another 3 months. Weeee!

I love getting this in the mail not knowing what to expect. It's a bit more expensive than the other beauty boxes subscriptions out there but I think it really is worth it. I don't use all the items in the box but I like how I get to learn about new things I haven't seen or heard of before. It's a new way of sampling products which I would maybe buy more of in the future.

Aside from the products, there is page for the description of each product and the prices of full sized products which I find very helpful. As with all beauty boxes there are also discount vouchers for some brands. Glossybox also throws in a magazine for the latest beauty trends.

I can't wait for my June Glossybox! hihihi! :)

April Beauty Box

May Beauty Box

Movie Date

2013-06-18T16:27:00.000-05:00

Onin and I went out for a dinner and a movie date yesterday. I thought we would have dinner and then a movie but of course smart as Onin is (saying this sarcastically hahaha) to kill 2 birds with 1 stone we went to Studio Movie Grill. Studio Movie Grill offers food you can order while watching the movie.

We watched Now You See Me, which Onin had already watched while I was away in Canada but which I insisted he watch again when I get back so that is why we ended up with that movie. It is a pretty good and amazing movie. You really never know what to expect. It really keeps you at the edge of your seat and the outcome would not be what you'd expect either. It's fast paced and fun and funny. The guy from the facebook movie was one of the stars, along with Isla Fischer, Woody Harrelson and Mark Ruffalo(the Hulk hehe).

Anyways, just a few pictures of me, Onin and me and Onin hehehe.

The JapaDog

2013-06-06T17:51:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged in a while. Too much stress the first week here in Ottawa, Canada and then going around Vancouver the 2nd week and now the 3rd week back in Ottawa while just waiting for my passport to be stamped. Hehehe.

I had a great time in Vancouver where I went on an impromptu visit to my cousin's place. Vancouver is a really great place to visit. I saw and did so many things in the one week I was there. I even took my cousin around who hasn't been around Vancouver much and I think I opened her eyes again to the beauty of the place I hope. Hehehe.

So, one of the things I wanted to try out in Vancouver was the Japadog. What the heck is a japadog? Well, they are famous food carts all around Vancouver downtown serving the hotdog in a bun with Japanese toppings such as teriyaki sauce and seaweed. I think they got really famous during the Winter Olympics in 2010 where there were long lines just to get a piece. I also saw it on TV while here in Ottawa so I really wanted to try it out when I got to Vancouver.

I repeatedly told my cousin I wanted to try the Japadog hahaha. The first time we got to Vancouver downtown, I forgot about it and had ramen instead so when we were walking around and then I suddenly saw one I was too full to have one. The 2nd time around we ate at another restaurant before I thought about it again hahaha. Finally, on the fourth day we were suppose to have lunch at Granville Island but then there was too much traffic and I didn't have a place to park so I then thought of going for a Japadog and so we went to downtown, parked in one of the lots and walked over to the food cart on Burrard Street. Finallyyy!!!

Was it worth it? Well the hotdog and bread certainly tasted good and then mixed with teriyaki sauce, mayo, seaweed and caramelized onions well it tasted different but I thought it tasted really good and went well with the hotdog and bun. So I thought it was worth it and there wasn't a long line so it's all good. If you ever get to Vancouver I do suggest you try it out. It's an experience! :)

Hot Tuesday Afternoon, Traders Joe and the Park

2013-05-14T19:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the weather was at 62F and when I got out today it's at 87F. Weird weather days. Anyways today I went out to check out Traders Joe for the raved about Speculooos Cookie Butter spread back home in the Philippines. I tried this at my friend's Donald and it is pretty good. I also visited Naperville Park and just sat down on one of the benches by the fountain. Because of the hot day, many people were dipping their feet into the fountain water. While I was people watching, a duo with a guitar and a drum box of sorts started playing right next to the bench I was sitting on. They were pretty good and it was a pretty cool afternoon despite the heat. :D

Shirt by Zenana Outfitters; Shorts by Banana Republic; Sandals by Loft

French Macarons and Paisley

2013-05-08T18:08:00.001-05:00

Still very lovely weather here where it's not too warm and not too cold. It's a good time to go for walks, ride a bike or just be outdoors. Well I didn't do any of those today tho hahaha. My mission was to go and find a place where they had French Macarons. These lovely delicate desserts was introduced to me by Ann my friend from Austin and I had to get my hands on supposedly the best in Chicago as stated here. I found it in Sugar Fixe Patisserie all the way in Oak Park, Illinois which is about 30 minutes away from where I stay. Yes I found it and I bought a few and it is pretty good so at least I've had my macaron fix hahaha. Anyways, my pictures tho are of what I wore to go for the macarons run hahaha. It is a paisley blouse which is very comfortable and cool in this beautiful weather. Oh what a day for a french macaron! :)

Paisley blouse by Claudia Richards; Shorts by Ross; Slippers by Oka-b

Lovely French Macarons :)

Pink and Black

2013-05-06T18:08:00.000-05:00

Shorts by Gap; Shirt by Flowers; Shoes by Payless

Ok time for an outfit post. I haven't posted one in a long time because I'm a lazy bum and I didn't have any post-worthy outfits wehehe. It's spring and the temperature is going up and today it's around 70F and above so why not wear shorts hehehe. For a mail and grocery run today this is what I wore. :)

Austin with Ann

2013-04-30T21:52:00.000-05:00

Off I went to Austin to visit one of my best friends Ann and her family. It was a super fun trip to see Ann and her family and I got to see a lot of Austin as well.

When I arrived it was cold. I immediately texted Ann and said it's cold here. Hahaha. All my expectations of how Texas would look like and be like for my first visit were all dispelled hahaha. I expected it to be hot and see deserts and plains and ranches and cattle and well when I got to Austin I did not see any of those hahaha. What I saw was a lot of greenery, mountains and hills and beautiful houses and buildings.

First activity of the day, we attended Ann's friends kiddie party in a beautiful park. I was fortunate enough to see blue bonnets which are native to Texas and blooms supposedly only during Spring. Ann was excited as well and we took a lot of pictures among the blue bonnets hehehe.

Next we went up to Mount Bonnel to see the beautiful view of Austin from up above. It was amazing to see the river passing thru, the very big and beautiful houses along the river, the bridge, the cityscape and just the beautiful sun about to set. Amazing end to a full day!

Next day we visited the Capitol of Texas. Ann said I had to see it and well good thing I did because it was a beautiful building to see and one of the landmarks of Austin. We also went inside and saw the dome inside as well as the congress hall which was luckily open because of a tour.

The next day we went for dinner and a sunset view at The Oasis, a huge restaurant which had the above spectacular view. I think the restaurant could seat 3000 people and it all looked out to the lake and to the sunset. The food was good and the company was even better. Picture upon picture was taken until the sun had set hehehe. When the sun had set, a bell was rung and a lot of clapping. Ann told me this was customary hehehe.

Earlier in the day, we visited a French Patisserie to eat their famous macarons. It was pretty good but I think the macarons Ann made before I arrived would be able to rival it hehehe. So that night, Ann made another batch of strawberry filled macarons and I've got to tell you it's a very delicate pastry to make. Ann had all the tools including her daughter's baking toy which was put to good use hahaha. Ann did a great job and it tasted really good! Yum! So addicting!

For my last day in Austin we went to The Domain which is a pretty shopping center which reminded me so much of Greenbelt back in the Philippines. It had all the shops and restaurants and condos all modern designed and lively. While going around the shops, Sophia, Ann's daughter was so in the mood to pose so the above pictures are just a few of the so many poses she had hahaha. She was such a cutie and was so game about it that it was so much fun hahaha. A great way to end the trip! :)

Visiting Nashville

2013-04-16T22:33:00.001-05:00

Asides from going around Louisville, Donald and Rose brought me all the way to Nashville, Tennesee. It is around 2.5 hours away from Louisville and it is the home of country music. It was another fun time going to the different landmarks of Nashville in a day. Check out where I went to. :)

This is where all the country music shows happen! :)

This is the Grand Ole Opry Hotel which is really grand and humongous :D

At the Parthenon Park, a copy of the Parthenon from Greece and me loving the spring blooms by the garden nearby!! :D

Really good food especially their biscuits with jam! The best I've tasted so far :D Yummy comfort food at Loveless Cafe :D

Last but not least was going around downtown and on a Sunday night all the bars where busy with each bar one after the other other with live bands in each blasting country music! Pretty cool! :D

My Louisville Experience

2013-04-15T23:32:00.000-05:00

My good friend from college, Donay, has been inviting me to visit him and his wife in Louisville, Kentucky ever since I set foot here in the US. He lives like just about 5 hours car drive away hehehe. I finally was able to drive to his place over the weekend and stayed for 5 days!! hahaha. It was so much fun! They took real good care of me. I felt so spoiled the whole time thru with the all the food and all the places they took me to and me not lifting a finger hehehe.

In Louisville, Donald took me all around like first we went downtown to their museums and went to Louisville Slugger where all the baseball bats that professional baseball players use get them from. I tried out their batting cage and man it was hard to hit the ball but it was a totally great experience trying to line up with kids to get our turn hahaha. 10 balls = 1 dollar. Not bad. We went back around 6 times hahaha. It was so much fun.

We then went to Old Louisville which I again enjoyed as we were walking around all this old refurbished beautiful houses. It was just so very pretty to look at and with all the buds of spring an added bonus.

Next up was Churchhill Downs where the famous Kentucky Derby is held. It was amazing to go thru the museum especially the part where we watched a short video with the screens in a round lap formation so we were moving around in our seats to look at where the next video would be and it was just really awesome to watch. Another awesome thing we did was walk on the grounds where the Kentucky Derby is held. We were shown the grounds, the stables, the winner names on the walls, the very expensive seats where you could watch the race. Amazing!

We then went to a part of town which reminded me so much of Camden in London with all the unique shops and eateries and I got to eat some really good tasting yogurt.

We then went to Cherokee Park to walk around and it was a beautiful park i'm guessing more so when spring gears into full bloom or beautiful too during the fall and winter.

Last stop was downtown again by the water's edge. Pretty sunset just people watching after a long day. It was a long day but it was so much fun.

Okay to OKA-b

2013-04-04T21:36:00.001-05:00

I read about this shoe brand from a blogger who highly recommended it so I wanted to try it out hehe. The brand is OKA-b and you can find them here. Their shoes, sandals and slippers are made in the USA so the more I wanted to try it out. I love the colours they have. I think they have all hues for the different styles of footwear they have. I bought this pair as I really like the colour and simple style of it. When it arrived I found it a bit heavy but really cute. It's soft on the feet and it has those therapeutic pads. I haven't tried it fully yet but as I have a walk at home it feels pretty comfortable. :)

Matching nails hihihi

Onin off to Pinas

2013-04-03T21:20:00.001-05:00

Well we sent off Onin today as he left for the Philippines. Fortunately all the balikbayan boxes he had where below the limit by .2 or .8 of an ounce hahaha. We already had test weighed the boxes and luggage at home. Good thing the weighing scale at home was pretty close to the real weighing in at the airport even if it was going crazy (tinotopak in Filipino terms) at times hahaha. I like it here how you can actually accompany the person going home all the way to the check-in counter and help him out with all those boxes as well as going all the way just before security to say goodbye. I took some pictures of him at the airport as he has really grown thin over the past few months. Let us see how it compares to when he gets back here after all the good food from back home hahaha.

Just an extra as I get to borrow his fabulous car hihihi

Bunny Hoppin'

2013-03-31T16:54:00.000-05:00

I have no idea how a bunny is related to Easter but hey guess what I have on a sweatshirt that has bunnies on it. Any relevance? None what so ever hehe. No Easter break or rituals here either like what we have back in the Philippines. We didn't do anything much either this weekend. Just preparing for Onin's trip back home to the Philippines this coming week as well as cleaning up the apartment. I'm just showing off my bunny sweatshirt in the photos haha. Happy Easter everyone!

54F/12C Weather

2013-03-29T18:13:00.000-05:00

Finally!!! It seems to be getting warmer. Yipeee!! Hopefully it stays like this. :D Now it's not too cold to shoot outside. I don't have to put on layers of clothes and I don't have to rush inside to escape the cold. So of course I went outside to shoot with the shiny shiny sun, blue blue skies and the wonderful weather. Hehe. But then I'm not wearing spring time colors haha. Oh well maybe tomorrow! :D

Jacket by Kenneth Cole; Shirt by Old Navy; Pants by Gap; Boots by RocketDog; Sunnies by Oakley

Good Deals

2013-03-25T16:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a ho-hum few weeks. Nothing much going on. :D I did get to go to Gurnee Mills yesterday which is an indoor type of outlet mall which is about an hour away from where I stay. There is an outlet mall like 15 mins away from here but it was too cold out to be walking around the stores and we also wanted to test drive Onin's new car! :D There were pretty good deals that I saw and spring sales in each and every store!!! But then Onin was with me and he can't stand staying in a store too long so at least I didn't get to spend as much wahahahaha. Check out what I was able to score. It's just a few but I think they were good deals. :D Also check out Onin's new car :D

This picture was taken at the car showroom

Onin bought the Guess perfume biggest size at full price and guess how much the incanto shine was??? 9.99 USD for the largest size. The store had deals where in you buy the first perfume at full price and get the 2nd one just for 10 USD!! Amazing! hehehe

Gap shorts for the summer!! Well this one was 50% off but what's more interesting is that I am now down to a size 8 :P I use to buy size 12 or 14 from Gap but now 8! Unbelievable hahaha

Oakley Sunnies!!! Yes! Onin got Ducati sunglasses at full price while this one was on clearance and half off for only 25 USD!!! Yes the deal was buy one at full price and get the 2nd pair 50% off. So my pair was 49 USD so amazingly I got it for 24.50 USD!!!

My first Oakley Sunnies! :)

And finally the weather will be heating up in the next few days!!! Yipeeeeee!!! :D

Layering

2013-03-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

Yes layering for the cold not yet for the warmth hahaha. Just a few pictures of what I have to put on just to get out of the house hehe. It's Friday everyone!!! Time to sit back and relax. As if I don't do that everyday huh hehehe. Hope you all have a good weekend! :)

Officially Spring

2013-03-20T16:50:00.000-05:00

Today officially marks the first day of Spring! The sunny weather outside is welcome but the temperature (21F/-6C) is not hahaha. We are still expecting some snow next week I think and the cold weather is still well on maybe 'til end of this month or all the way into April hehe. Indoors I can enjoy spring hahaha. Outdoors hmmm not so much yet hahaha. My hint of color is my ode to spring :D Spring season is on! :D

See the snow on the ground!! :D

March Glossybox

2013-03-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

So what is Glossybox? Well it's another beauty subscription just like what Ipsy is like in my previous posts. My beauty subscription was up with Ipsy so I wanted to try out Glossybox this time hehe. Well I didn't think it would come this soon haha. As it says on its website (www.glossybox.com), a box will be sent to your door every month containing 5-6 luxury-sized cosmetic and wellness samples. You want to check out what's in my box? Well here it goes. :D

I haven't tried these yet.

This lipstick glides on easily like a crayon which I like and feels really soft.

For the cheek stain, I plopped on a very small amount on my cheek and patted it and not rub it like what the instructions says.

This is a brown colour liner so at least I now have something in brown :D

Infinite Me with a dirty mirror! :D

A Print of Spring

2013-03-17T20:13:00.000-05:00

I'm wearing print today hahaha. I bought this blouse a few months ago and I thought it would be an appropriate print of spring hehe. It looks like flowers to me and I matched it with my beautiful red bag by marc ecko which I found in the clearance rack of Ross (70% off!!!) hehehe. I am not a fan of prints as I always think it makes me look large hehe so I barely have any prints in my closet. This is one of the few blouses with print that I have :D Have a look! :D

Rockin' the LBD (Little Blue Dress) hehe

2013-03-16T17:06:00.000-05:00

I love this dress. You may already know why haha. Color? Of course hahaha. I bought this dress back in the Philippines while it was on sale in MNG and I still don't tire of it. Good thing it doesn't tire of me either and now that I'm losing the lbs it's fitting me better wahahaha. We went out to eat steak today! Yay! Yep the last time we ate steak was on my birthday so that was pretty long time ago already hahaha. It was our cheat lunch and yes I rocked this dress to eat steak wahahaha. Have a look! :P

Another take on the Then and Now look hehehe. The Then photo was taken in NJ Liberty Park with NYC as the background back in 2011 :D

Dress by MNG; Jeans by D'Jeans; Shoes by Aerosoles; Watch by Merona; Necklace by Charming Charlie