Pictures and Coffee Breaks

Me in Candid

2014-12-27T20:46:00.001-08:00

I'm not gonna explain my months of MIA here, so let's just get straight to the fun stuff :)

The following photos are featured also in my latest flickr album.

The original intention of this photo was to show off my peach nails. It turned out to be me looking like I'm munching on my phone in a demure way.

"DUH."

"Oh wait, let ma take a photo of this salad first for instagram."

"Seriously, I'm chewing...oh. Too late."

family fun = required photo op with the food in a resto.

Lovin' Local Cuisine

2014-08-24T06:38:00.002-07:00

As promised, here are the photos of the food we ate at Max's resto during my brother's birthday lunch. :)

Kare-kare!

The signature chicken!

Sinigang na hipon!!

Boneless bangus -- super delicious!

Pork chop!

Buko Pandan for dessert!

Max's really offers amazing local cuisine that's why Filipinos love this resto ever since they were established :)

{Photographed by me. Please don't repost without permission. Thanks!}

Awesome Facial Cleansers

2014-08-05T07:26:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone! This is my first time to write about beauty! I used to be very shy about putting up beauty posts because I was actually insecure about my facial skin. I have very sensitive facial skin and it's easy for me to have pimples back then. I also have oily T-zone, and occasionally I have dry skin. I searched for facial products that would work on me, but some products, after months of usage, have their good effects gradually fade away.

But now, things have changed for me! I realized that my constant frustration regarding my facial skin is due to my perfectionist idea that beautiful skin is flawless, spotless skin. Now, I realized that's a no no! I learned that as long as I don't have very visible pimples, I'm good :) I learned to accept that my face will never be spotless as those beauty models and actresses have. I will have blemishes some days, I see my pores when I look closely in the mirror, but when I step a little backwards from my reflection, I actually look fine. Perfection is too overrated. That's when I began to feel more confident about my face, and I am currently using very effective and safe products to maintain a clean facial skin. I'm sharing you here the products I currently use.

1) Himalaya Herbals Gentle Exfoliating Daily Face Wash

I love Himalaya products! We used to have Himalaya toothpaste and cream when my Aunt from Kuwait gave us some. My mom loved them. So when I saw Himalaya in Watsons, I was so delighted! They are finally available locally! I first tried the Purifying Neem Face wash, then I tried the Lemon face wash that are both very safe and effective on my skin. Now, I bought this product that has apricot, aloe vera, neem and lemon in it, all in one! I love neem and lemon in my face because the two previous products I used have these two ingredients and are proven effective on my skin without any harsh effects. Neem is for pimple prevention and Lemon is for removing excess oil. Win-win! What I super love about this new product I'm using is it has additional apricot and aloe vera. Apricot is for prevention of blackheads (think St. Ives products), and Aloe Vera is known for soothing effects on skin. I also love exfoliating because I want dead skin cells to be removed from my face daily - what with severe pollution and heat outside. Plus: Himalaya products smell so good too!

2) Physiogel Cleanser

A total favorite. This product is like Cetaphil, but cheaper and yet as effective. What I like about Physiogel is that it spreads more evenly on the skin, unlike Cetaphil. In Cetaphil, you have to use more amount of its substance to cover your facial skin and feel the lather as you wash, but Physiogel requires less amount to feel the lather, and so you consume less per wash, making it really cheaper to use. No worries, the effect is not cheap at all! After using this for the first time, my face felt really soft, I swear! This product is also very mild, you can use this even without rinsing! After exfoliating, I use Physiogel cleanser for additional facial cleanse and for pH balance on the skin. This product and the Himalaya face wash above are my facial cleansing duos - I use them together everyday. :)

3) Eskinol Pimple Fighting Facial Deep Cleanser

The ultimate secret to pimple-free skin? Clean face. Really clean face. Take my word for that. You don't have to use a lot of products with very complicated ingredients to fight off pimples. It's really about well-cleansed face. You see, after exfoliating and cleansing, I pat dry my face and apply this toner for, yet again, cleansing! What they show in their commercials, saying that after washing the face there are still dirt left, is all true. I use Eskinol to remove any excess dirt in the pores to make sure that my skin is really clean and germ-free. What I really love about this product is it has BOTH Salicylic acid and Tea tree extract - the two powerhouse ingredients when it comes to fighting pimples. Eskinol is very safe to use in the face daily as many times as you want - you get assured too that you're face is dirt free! Take my word for it: pimple-free face is from really cleansed face.

4) Himalaya Nourishing Skin Cream

This is a general purpose cream that is safe to use both in face and body. It gives moisture to your skin all day, but I prefer using it every night because I use BB cream on the morning :) This product has Aloe vera that nourishes and moisturizes, and Winter Cherry and Indian Kino Tree that protect skin from pollution and dry weather. Cleansing the face is not enough - moisturizing is a must too to keep our skin young and healthy-looking. Who wants dry, flaky skin anyway? This is the last product I apply on my face to end my daily beauty routine :)

So there! The 4 beauty products I currently use on my face that makes me satisfied and worry-free from facial skin issues. You can try them yourself and see if they're effective for you. For now, I'm signing off. Have a great face care routine everyone! Hit me up if you discover something extra great that we can all use too. Xoxo,

#unfiltered :)

Happy birthday my lil brother

2014-07-31T20:09:00.001-07:00

My family and I celebrated my brother's 12th birthday at Max's restaurant. Here are the quirky pics:

Ordering.

We settled for half-table of one of their family meals. It's plenty of food!

My sibs!

Happy birthday Kobe!

My gift for him :)

I'll post the food photos next time :)

Love, love, love my fam-bam :D

Last Day of my Last GE Class

2014-07-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is the last day of my last GE class in UP. I am glad to meet these wonderful bunch of smart people in different courses before I left UP. We held a class party that time :)

My groupmates!

Class pic!

Fun times :) GE classes are the best! To my freshmen and sophomore classmates, live the best out of your remaining college years. A lot of challenges will come up, yet those years will feel like they fly by so fast.

Good luck! Ciao!

One Fine Dress Night

2014-07-06T22:21:00.003-07:00

A night with friends and a cute dress :)

A cute retro-print dress from H&M!

Chem16 peeps 4evah!

Batchmate Lovin'

2014-06-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

A trip down memory lane - around 3 months ago actually - with photos from the afternoon of our batch photo shoot when we all wore our batch shirts. I miss my Psych batchmates!!

Beautiful Things

2014-06-14T03:53:00.003-07:00

Here's a backlog post. These are my pasalubongs from Canada back in March this year (excluding the clothes and shoes). Love them!

Graduation Ball (Part 3)

2014-05-27T01:14:00.003-07:00

The open-bar part of the night! (Sorry it took me a while :")

Driiiiinks!

With cutest couple of the batch, Walter (he's our summa cum laude!) and Triza!

In the wash room with Elai.

Cheers to that one last awesome night with the best college batchmates ever!!

Weekly Coffee Break: 'Eleanor and Park' Quotes

2014-05-13T03:12:00.000-07:00

This summer, I have been reading a lot of novels lately. I have finished reading a Sophie Kinsella book, then the Divergent trilogy in less than a week (thanks to half-day summer class, I get the rest of the day to do whatever I want), and then I bought two new books that I'm about to read next. The book I finished reading just today is Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park. I heard the craze after the announcement that it was going to be a film, and I got curious. I started reading last week. It's a great story! I never expected to feel giddy with a teenage love story. Now at 21, I thought I outgrew teen stories already, but this one is different and I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I think the ending is cut short and I'm dying for a sequel. But for now, let me show you here four (from a lot) of my favorite quotes from the book :)

I remember a 17-year-old version of me here. Whenever I saw my ultimate crush around the campus that time, I felt like the universe conspired for me to be happy that day, and I really craved for more encounters with him. Young love...

The electricity...

I love the last part where Park said "it's up to us." He's right. Whatever life throws our way, it is our choice who are the people or what things in our life will matter and endure. It is our choice to fight for what matters to us.

And the painful goodbye. You never know when it'll be the last. Eleanor's right. Some things deserve more than an "It's not goodbye."

How about you? What are your favorite quotes from the book? Who do you think should play as Eleanor and Park in the movie? Feel free to comment up :) xoxo.

Graduation Ball (Part 2)

2014-05-05T01:31:00.002-07:00

I had a blast with my closest batchmates!

With the girl-crush ng bayan, Ivy! I love this girl!

With my girls - Dana, Mara (who's in New York now aww), Juno, Ina, and Elai.

Plus, Denden!

The purpose of this photo was height difference haha!

And of course, Chem16 beloveds, Denden and James (wish you were here too, Hana!)

Plus, Dana.

And now, with our fave 135 prof (hihi), Sir Diwa! Thank you for an awesome last sem Sir!

With Mr. Psych himself, future doctor and magna cum laude good friend, Marvin!

Aaand of course, an outfit post :)

The crazier photos are up next. These ones are the more proper ones :)

xoxo.

Graduation Ball (Part 1)

2014-04-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, I attended my batch's graduation ball held at the Luxent Hotel in Tomas Morato. The ball is specifically for the UP Psychology Class of 2014. I am so happy to see some of my beloved batchmates, maybe for one last time (no one knows). The theme is The Great Gatsby and everyone looked dashing! The girls are in their best gowns/dresses and the guys are in suits. It was a fun night full of gorgeous pics. For now, let's have my pics by the table. :)

With AL.

Feathers! So gatsby-style.

I love my hair! Thanks to Status Salon, Katipunan :)

With Denden.

With Jen (my babysitter when I got drunk huhu).

Table 4!

More fun photos up next :)

Myka's 18th Part 3

2014-04-25T18:32:00.002-07:00

Final set of photos from my cousin's awesome debut party :)

Myka had change of costume :)

Cousins!!!

I was telling Myka about the color of our tongue because of the cake :)

Candid shots...

Look up daw.

SC!

The after-party glow. It was super fun! The videos I took were awesome.

Hooray to an awesome night!!

Weekly Coffee Break: Little Things

2014-04-12T01:09:00.002-07:00

Today is my last day of being a 20-year-old lady. I'm turning 21 tomorrow!

I cannot say that I am in a very good place right now, but I am grateful that I am still alive,

my loved ones are still there for me, I have good friends,

and new opportunities to move forward are still coming even when I occasionally feel stuck.

Thank you Lord for taking care of me in the last 21 years. YOU are GREAT.

In life, it's the little things that make us smile when times get rough.

Always look for those little things that really matter.

Myka's 18th Part 2

2014-04-09T00:41:00.004-07:00

Back to my cousin's 18th birthday celebration! At Ella Ville Resort in Binangonan, Rizal :)

I did my own make up. Considering I'm an amatuer, what do you think?

The Santiago family :)

With mom and le sisters.

Thank you to tita Marie for my sparkly dress! Simple but elegant. :)

Cousins!!

With the debutante :)

Wacky baby.

Really mom? While eating? :)) Look at my plate! I was so hungry that time.

And since I'm in the 18 candles, I had to give a wish :)

More fun photos on part 3! :)

Antipolo - Cavite Trip

2014-04-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

After the debut of my cousin, my family, relatives, and I went to a trip to Antipolo and Cavite to visit our grandparents' grave on the mother side. It was nice to visit lolo for the first time, and lola again after almost 8 years. It's also a nice bonding session with the whole family.

So happy dad is finally with us in a trip photo :)

First stop: Antipolo. With cousins.

Fam-bam!

Super cousins!

Santiago family!

In front of Antipolo church.

Early dinner at Mang Inasal's in Cavite :)

Myka's 18th Part 1

2014-04-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

It was a night of glamour and fun. My cousin Myka's 18th birthday celebration was a family reunion too, with my relatives from Canada also present. But for this first part, here are the BTS photos - taken before the party really began :)

With the debutante.

With Tita Marie, the balikbayan!

With cousins who are all looking gorgeous and dapper.

More awesome photos up next in part 2! :)

Krispy Kreme baby!

2014-03-29T20:28:00.005-07:00

My second visit to Sky Ranch was two weeks ago with my family and relatives since three relatives from Canada just arrived. We stopped by Krispy Kreme for snacks before going inside the theme park :)

Loving my outfit there! Can't believe I withstood the cold temp. with that summer-y look hahaha!

YUM. Krispy Kreme is still the best doughnut for me. J.Co just comes second.

I ordered with Tita Marie. She knows I know some stuff about food tripping haha! Besides it's her treat! :)

Outside...

Hey Mom! The original glazed doughnuts :)

My coffee. This is probabaly why I kept feeling warm even with the cold.

The other drinks.

Thanks to Tita for the treat! After that, we went inside for more photo ops! :)

Farewell to my Last PE in College

2014-03-25T06:59:00.002-07:00

I enjoyed so much! Best PE ever! Thanks Striptease Aerobics. I had a wonderful time. Awesome instructor and classmates. We pulled off a great presentation in Indakan - the culminating dance activity for all PE dances. Probably my last dance performance in public. :)

My closest (and prettiest!) friends in that class: Yasmeen, Mitzi, Karen, and Sara!

Psych Seniors represent! With Hera and Karen.

And that's a wrap up!

Definitely a unique experience to remember. How many people can say that their last PE is called "Striptease" aerobics?? HAHAHA! Only in UP :)

ZAMBALES Day 2

2014-03-07T03:42:00.000-08:00

Super backlog post. Here is my day 2 in Zambales during field trip! White sand and good beach breeze in a cozy morning!

With my groupmates!

Coz Zambales has Subic Bay port.

Loving my outfit! Dress from Topshop and Fitflops from Ipanema!

With orgmates Vea and Shiela!

Waves crashing on the shore...

Favorite slippers!!

Look upon the vastness...

I love being in summer dress!

Beach essentials.

Sunbathe.

I want sand on my feet again...

Bright in the sun.

Playing with sand

After beach, we went back to our respective rooms, took a bath, and packed for leaving after lunch. I finished packing and fixing myself a little bit earlier so I went to try ATV first! Super fun!!

This field trip is super awesome. All I have is happy memories of it and how much I want to experience that kind of out-of-town feeling, like, every month haha! It's super relaxing to a tired soul. Mango Camp is a great place to go! :) And Zambales is an awesome province to visit here in the Philippines :)

Weekly Coffee Break: Choose HOPE

2014-02-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

These are difficult, desperate times for me, but I want to look back on these moments someday knowing that I keep rising, struggling to continue every single day. Let's choose Hope.

While our lungs are still breathing and our hearts are still beating, let's carry on and not give up.

Cravings

2014-02-08T02:12:00.001-08:00

Snacks snacks snacks I bought at Duty Free in Subic. I really had too much sweets this week. Stress-eating I guess :")

Moroccan Mint - I got super curious. I love teas!

Instant cake mix for mom :)

ZAMBALES Day 1

2014-02-02T21:51:00.001-08:00

Photos from my first day of field trip in Mango Camp, Zambales! It was the day full of activities and fun stuff. It's a very awesome place and I love the accommodation :)

Arrival.

My bed.

Heritage house. We got the best room among the four houses the class occuppied. :)

Outside.

The field were we played a total of 7 games. SUPER FUN!!

Day 1 lunch.

I'm in Red Team and we called ourselves the Red Horse! Extra strong! HAHAHA

At activity 1. Presentation of flags and cheers :)

Go Red Horse!!

I did this way back in first year college. It was great doing it again :) We won in this game!

Selfie of the day. Thanks to my groupmate Mia for the Katniss Everdeen hairstyle :)

The funniest and final game: Sumo wrestling!! I laughed so hard during this game HAHAHA

More photos to follow! :)

It was a very great experience. I'm so glad I joined.

The End and the Beginning

2014-01-31T02:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today's the last day of January and tomorrow's the start of a new month. It has been real tough for me, but at least I'm gonna start tomorrow right! Tomorrow, I'll be in Zambales for my field trip in one of my subjects this sem and it's gonna be fun! We'll be hitting the beach and will be playing a lot in a camp there so it's gonna be a stress-buster in a sense that it's something novel in my acads-full life :)

Anyway, I have my camera with me now so I'm back to taking my mundane pictures HAHAHA!

After buying snacks a while ago, I bought myself a non-fat latte with vanilla syrup to relax myself.

I was so tired buying stuff for the field trip! There was a big sale in the mall today and the place was soooo full of people.

I'd like to believe my photography skills got better not just because I have a better camera now HAHA.

coffee stain...

Have a happy long weekend!

The Classy

2014-01-17T16:11:00.002-08:00

What I wore to welcome 2014 - of course, I wouldn't miss a red clothing ;) Loving this outfit so much!