the blue speckled diary

Hi, Still Alive. How’re you?

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:19:00 +0000

So I decided to visit my blog. Just because. And of course, since I didn’t delete it, it’s still here.

Stagnant. Just observing. Doing nothing. Waiting for me to be crazy again.

Guess I have to revive this so I can get gigs again, don’t you think? 😅

See you all soon with new posts.

And by the way,

I wasn’t able to do those ebooks I was planning on writing.
I wasn’t religious in posting in my blogs after I said I was going to.
I stopped writing, I don’t know why, and then always feeling I miss doing it and always getting the urge to go back to it. And so here’s another attempt. Maybe because my blog’s topics are all over the place. I still don’t have a niche here.

Toodles!

Right. Write.

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Sun, 18 Sep 2016 03:08:00 +0000

Sometimes I would rather write than talk.

And I surely missed writing.

But I right now, we (the Husband and I) have a new "hobby" -- creating picture quotes, or whatever the heck that's called.

Like that one.

So I'll challenge myself again to bring this blog to life.

30-Day blogging challenge.

I must make myself post something in this blog for 30 straight days.

Follow up on me, would you?

😉

Why, why, why...De Lima?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 06:40:00 +0000

"My my my Delilah,
Why why why Delilah"

Change Delilah to De Lima and it still fits well enough. Hahaha.

Honestly, I liked De Lima when she was still with CHR. But when she became the acting secretary of DOJ, something was off. There was a change in her demeanor, a change in the way she carries herself, even in hoe she conveys her thoughts, which were previously so clear, structured and does not worry about political correctness. And the more she advanced in her senatorial race, the stranger she seemed to me.

But now, especially now with this tiff with the highest ranking person in the government -- who is so sure about himself and confident as a mafia boss (can't use the term I want to use because it has expletives!) because of course, as a lawyer he knows he can get away with anything at this point in his life -- De Lima is acting sooo... what's the word...childish. Even with words of a diplomat and diction of an orator, the act is still so childish. Brandishing her "courage to fight the big guy", but looking like the bully who got knocked down by the wimp in gym class, so hurt and gunning for revenge. 

"I like her" is not a phrase apt for this situation anymore. It's more of... "You should have known what you're getting yourself into."

And just as I refreshed my facebook home page to load the newsfeed, this catches my attention:

credits to Rappler fb page.

Well, you're going to be very, very busy. Good luck.

-_-

FINDING FULFILLMENT IN WORK

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 01:46:00 +0000

Started another reading plan in my bible app. Yes, keyword - STARTED. I literally start them, but could not last too many days, somewhat lose interest, and not end. Same with the topic at hand - work. I most of the time start something, only to not have it end the way I would like to.

Maybe because I'm a crammer. I live for cramming. Been doing this since high school, carried it over to college, and prolly have it embedded in my system already. I procrastinate up 'til I need to burn all my energy to catch a deadline. Maybe it's the rush, and the feeling of success when I finish the task. Which only means one thing. I'm not passionate enough with my work. Shame. Shame. Shame.

Yes it's a shame for Christians like me. To not be working like the best steward I should be. Yes. How could I be entrusted with big things when I waste my time and effort doing nothing and busting my brains to cram for the small things.

Because I don't find it fulfilling anymore. I don't know when I also felt so fulfilled with my work since so far, I have been looking at it as a means of survival. Means to fund my hunger, my need for shelter, my want of a comfortable life, my whims. Well, it has changed a little over time. Added reasons are my daughters. For their survival and for their comfortable life. Fulfillment still out of the equation.

Conclusion: I have to find something. Something that will make me feel fulfilled. More than just being told I need to work like Jesus is my boss. Because honestly, it only made me feel guilty. But not enough to push me to work harder, or be proud of what I'm doing.

Early Morning Impression

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 01:20:00 +0000

We were driving Phoenix to school very early this morning, when suddenly I had a statement impressed to me by God,

Truth, truth.I need to know I'm not housing an Achan.

For someone who has not been thinking about things like this since that time, it was unusual for me to have this statement pop-in my mind at such an early time of the day. And only God knows why.

Game of Thrones Season 6...

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 10:18:00 +0000

As of this writing, nope, I haven't seen the premier episode, and nope, I don't want spoilers. So if you're planning to give me spoilers, stay away from this blog. Or from my social media sites! Or else...

I'll ignore you. Forever.

Haha.

Anywayzzzz...

Been out for quite a loooooong time.. Even tried migrating this blog to wordpress and then regretting it afterwards.. So i stopped updating. and writing. and getting feedback, and everything in between.

Now, I'm back. Again. For good? Maybe, maybe not. Am I busy? Yes.
Am I alive? Yes of course, I wouldn't be able to write this post if I was dead. Even if you believed in the after life and ghosts.

So what's new? A lot of things, and a lot of people. One specifically is a new person -- a daughter particularly. Phoenix has a younger sister now. Her name is Phive. [Don't ask.]

What else?
You may want to wait for other updates, so far, that's it.

Toodles!

Ok, here's a new pic for you. Well, not so new, but new nonetheless.

Cupcaken - If you're in Cebu and you want Cupcakes!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:20:00 +0000

I have previously blogged about Cupcaken here and so far it's doing quite fine. But have you been there?

A few other bloggers have been there and have, of course, posted very good reviews about the place. We want to thank them and recognize their posts about Cupcaken here:

Cupcaken... Sweet and Great from My Tasteful Life.
Cupcaken from Blog that Cake
Heaven in Cupcaken from The Sweet-Toothed Diaries
That Cupcaken Cebu from The Glamarazzi
Cupcaken from Y101fm.com

For others that may not be aware, Cupcaken has a facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/CupcakenPastries

An Instagram page:

And a twitter page:
http://www.twitter.com/CupcakenCebu

For inquiries, please drop a line see our FAQ Notes at our FB page, or shoot us an email at cupcakencebu@gmail.com

Cupcaken can also be seen in Tyke's Cafe at the Mezzanine of Pier 1, Cebu Port Area.

We would like to hear from you!

leave a comment below if you have posts about Cupcaken
tag your photos in faceboook and instagram with Cupcaken with: #cupcakencebu #cupcakenofficial
hashtag your twitter posts with #cupcakencebu #cupcakenofficial
DM or tweet us in @CupcakenCebu

Filipino ID Card - I Have Issues that need to be Clarified!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 04:01:00 +0000

Saw an article in PhilStar today - House pushes issuance of 'Filipino ID Card'

1. Ok, 1 ID number for life, or until a person reaches 18. Why 18? Does that mean you get to change your entire identity when your 18?

2. "other revisions deemed necessary by the cardholder" -- so that should mean that the government should not deny changes to a person's 1-number-for-life ID just because 'deemed necessary', right?!?

3. So what if I just got that new unified ID for sss/phic/pagibig, and now this new Filipino ID? And what about those with professional license numbers? The TIN number/ID?

4. So this ID will totally scrap out the relatively newly implemented unified ID for sss/gsis/pagibig/phic, right? Which also just scrapped out that other new unification for other IDs before that I can't remember anymore -- which are half-baked plans that underwent half-baked implementations. Right?

5. Will the banks and other GOCC's and corporations stop asking for at least 2 government issued ID's as requirement? Because that's going to be weird.

Hmmm, how come, all of a sudden, there's this BIG project that can potentially make 1 or 2 or 3 major suppliers of plastic ID cards so rich starting, let's say 2015/2016? Are we fishing for supporters and financial support for 2016 because you just lost PDAF and DAP, huh Government?

But I guess I have to read that bill (House Bill 5060).

Stocks, Investments, Getting Rich

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 01:07:00 +0000

Who doesn't want to get rich?

I know I want to. In the shortest possible time with the littlest effort possible. But we all know that's improbable. Impossible even.

So... Instead of waiting for interest income from a savings account that doesn't exist, husband and I decided to invest in stocks. It wasn't that difficult to understand given my background, yet of course we need to go through making some bad decisions along the way. Bought some shares that we're good, bought some that are now awesome. But we all have to get the right information from all sources we can get from that are actually credible and believable.

For the Philippine setting, I found one - it's Pinoy Investor.

pinoyinvestor.com

They provide all sorts of information ranging from technical analysis to fundamentals, even the entire stock symbols listed in PSE (that's Philippine Stock Exchange, genius...). If you want to subscribe to their updates and research, I have included a link to their page at my sidebar. :)

I still am not a millionaire, nor do I have a very big account because of the stocks I have acquired, but at least I have started. And so far, we have a couple of green figures there now. Who for those who already have a COL Financial Account can understand what I mean. Yes, I do my own analyses and buys and sells through COL Financial, formerly CitiSecOnline.

#uselessWednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 07:14:00 +0000

The most number of laptops that are running and being used by the attendees in one single meeting.

So far.

It's Real, Robin Williams is Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:31:00 +0000

It's not a hoax, it's true. Robin Williams is dead.

photo credit: http://en.mediamass.net/

According to reports, he committed suicide.

I found out about it early this morning from CNN.

And there are several other news reports regarding his death, therefore, it's not a hoax!

And from twitter and other social media accounts like facebook and instagram, for the hashtag #RIPRobinWilliams, just click on the photo above to see the latest posts.

Dingdong & Marian - NOT their First Engagement!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 01:25:00 +0000

It’s trending and I got curious what’s the fuss. Although I totally applaud Marian for that particular program’s opening number. She danced really well. I thought the only steps she knew was the gyrating hips for Marimar. Haha. But for those who haven’t seen the youtube video versions, check them out from Marian Rivera’s Youtube channel and directly go to part 4/5 so you can watch the proposal (or just see the video I embedded, after the jump). And for you to notice something that may or may not have been clearly noticeable with the telecast version which, by the way, was live and kept the stars on their toes because they’re so used to just recording episodes and airing them weeks later.

photo credit: pep.ph (obvious ba?)

Thing to notice #1: Dingdong and Marian cussed. On separate lines though. Marian, I think, said either “taena…” a more street-version of “Tang-ina”, or it can be just “Patay na…” Dingdong on the other hand said “Tang-ina!” straight up. I think they both thought the mic of Dingdong was already turned off because they were about to go into a commercial break.

Thing to notice #2: Marian was asking Dingdong if he already mentioned their getting engaged in Macau. Yup, those video Dingdong showed before going into the proposal drama (which Marian of course at some point laughed at and Dingdong had to tell her this was serious so she had to stop laughing). Marian’s exact words were,”Di mo na sasabihin yung… Nag engage tayo sa ano… Macau? Hindi na?” So all the speculations about that Macau trip and the enternity ring after that were actually true. They were already engaged. Take note: I’m not stalking their lives because I’m a fan, you just can’t help but see posts all over facebook. Sorry.

screenshot of thing to notice #2

Thing to notice #3: Who would not know that there’s a proposal? The hashtag was #Lastdance. Unless Marian or Dingdong has terminal cancer or they’re planning to commit suicide after that episode, no one would actually believe that their last dance would be on that day! Right? Or was it only me that noticed because everyone else was getting all “kilig” over the well-rehearsed proposal?

in photo: engagement ringS (pep.ph)

One thing I’m sure of: Marian actually does know how to dance. ;)

Can I lose 12-17 Pounds with JUST Water?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:30:00 +0000

6-day Water Fast (photo from GQ.com)

17 pounds gone (for that guy) BUT after migraines/headaches, irritation/angst, hunger, and for me, probably working while hungry while everyone else at work, and at home, is eating something that smells really very good and eats so very slowly just to annoy you... Can 6 days with absolutely nothing but water be worth it?

6-day Water Fast (photo from GQ.com)

I have no idea.

But it sure does make you curious doesn't it? -_-

It will take me more than the promise of 10+ pounds loss to get me to try it!

I've Finally - For the Last Time - Decided to go for that Ebook!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

photo from dreamstime.com

I have finally, again for the nth time, decided to write one ebook.

And another for a different category.

And another.

And another.

Until I finish at least 2 ebooks before 2014 ends.

Or so help me......

CPA Board Exam Results - July 2014 Exams

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 01:04:00 +0000

PRC (the Professional Regulation Commission) has released the results of the CPA Board Exams held in July 2014 about three (3) days after the last exam day. We are now welcoming 1,107 out of 5,540 new CPAs to the real world. Now, goodluck in job hunting!

snapshot of the Official Statement from PRC

For more details on the following, just click on the titles:

Realizations at the Middle of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 07:41:00 +0000

I have always had this feeling that I need to do something that caters to my “creative” self, my artistic frustrations, my need for brain non-stress-triggering activity, and my financial goals, all at the same time. Yes, if there’s something out there that can cost little to none and answer for all of the above, I’ll take it!

After browsing around my bookmarks, I revisited one of these blogs, Frugal Honey, a recent financial niche blog of someone who owns/manages one of the known sites for beauty bloggers, Kikay Exchange. From there I realized, I have been moving the wrong direction for more than a month now. I wanted to start beauty blogging, but Frugal Honey has started detaching from it. I wanted to generate income from these things I write, but was starting something that did the opposite (beauty/fashion blogging entails purchasing products for reviews, especially if you’re a newbie since no one would sponsor you!). With that said, I know I was in deep sh*t. So I pulled out my journal and a pen, and started working up my mojo back by journaling first. I even included a snapshot of that below. (Funky handwriting, I know.)

snapshot of my journal & green ink.

I’m now also thinking about restarting (again!) with my blog. I mean creating a new one for niche. Would you think that’s advisable? If so, which platform should I use? Of course, I don’t have a budget so it’ll have to be a free blogging platform. Or maybe just retain my current blog and just create a separate page for it? Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Like now. And separate my reviews from the rants and the sponsored posts. Yes, that’s it. (I’m really like talking to myself here, did you notice? Haha.)

It’s partly because of how long my blog URL is. When I started, I thought it was really cool, but a year or two later, I myself, was finding it too wordy. So I sometimes use bit.ly to shorten URLs. And sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Crap. I’ll try again with this post.

A lot of goals. I think I have too many inter related, inter and intra dependent goals, and it’s annoying. Overall, the main thing is to really just make myself better – in everything; career, family, self, etc. So I’d have to clean that up too.

But back to my blogging. I don’t know. I think stopping for a while made me lose my audience (or the thought that I have one. J) So it’s quite what, tiring?, to sort of start over again. But heck, if I want to make something good out of it, I think I really should.

I’ll cut my rant short now with a list. List of the immediate goals I know I can strike off within 24 hours from my posting this entry:

Less idle browsing, more research, more writing;
~~Drink more water (totally off topic but I need to do it to stop feeling hungry/thinking that I’m hungry!);~~
~~Clean up my blog, create pages to separate certain categories, so they’d be easy to spot;~~
Start the storyboard for the office video making contest; and
~~Prepare my checklists for other social media stints/thingies.~~

If you have suggestions on what else I can, just leave comments below, alright? Alright! That’s all folks, toodles!

UPDATE:

As you can see I have managed to scratch off 3 of the goals I've set for today, so that's 60% completion, good enough! JJJ

Oily Acne-Prone Skin Care Routine Using Local Drugstore Products

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 06:59:00 +0000

I promised myself that one of these days I will post something about my skin care routine. So just so you know, again, I have very oily skin. I used to have terrible acne (thus the scars on my cheeks) and I do still have some of those pesky things on my chin and at both sides of my jaw.

Let’s move on. First, I wear makeup to try and hide the scars and the blemishes. So by the end of the day, just so I won’t encourage my face to bring on a few more recruited pimple soldiers, I remove my makeup. Though I try to make my makeup as thin/little as possible, I still have to use a makeup remover.

Makeup Removal

I used to use Maybelline Eye and Lip makeup remover, but after weeks of debating with myself and looking at online reviews, youtube videos, etc., I finally decided to stop using it and instead try the famous oilcleansing method (OCM). Good thing there’s a local brand here in the Philippines that are natural – Human Heart Nature. I use their 100% Natural Cleansing Oil with Sunflower Oil. I bought mine in Shopwise, for P295 for a 195ml bottle, I think, and mixed it with extra virgin olive oil, simply because I can’t find castor oil anywhere in Shopwise – 2 parts olive oil, 2 parts sunflower oil. Which I later changed to 1 part evoo, 4 parts sunflower oil because… see the story below.

My OCM Experience

I tried the Oil Cleansing Method – to the letter. I used a liberal amount of the oil mix (2:2) and directly applied it on my face (still with makeup). Massaged it on while removing makeup for about 3 minutes (I just estimate it by what I hear from the tv, so that’s about 2-4 commercials, depending on how much gunk I can feel my hands were removing). Then I wet my wash cloth with warm water and wipe it off, repeating the wiping thing 2 more times to remove all the oil and give my face a mild scrub. For 2 weeks or so my face was fantastic! The acne on my chin didn’t blow up too much and started going away, they left no scars too. My pores were not too visible, and my cheeks had a rosy glow. But the color of my face was way darker than my neck. I think it was because of the oils and the warm water. It’s like steaming dimsum or something. Nothing I can’t remedy with a little powder or foundation. So I was happy. But after 2 weeks… I decided to stop because I couldn’t control the breakouts on my chin which were because of the sunblock (we went to the beach twice in 2 weeks!) and because I started using a green tea toner I whipped up in the kitchen. But I cannot not remove my makeup, and so decided to tweak my OCM.

My version of the OCM

I changed the proportions of my oil mix (1:4), stopped using warm water and wash cloth, and instead did a weird thing! I used my daughter’s Johnson’s Baby Bath with Milk and Rice Proteins. Immediately after massaging my entire face with the cleansing oil and removing the makeup, I’d get 1 pump of the milk bath and massage it directly onto my eye area and onto the entire face. It’d get so sticky with the oil that I looked like I had a face mask on – so sometimes, when I know I put on very minimal makeup, I’d leave the “mask” on a minute or two longer before rinsing it off. Points for ingenuity and weirdness! The effect? My pimples subsided, a little. My pores not very visible. My cheeks still a little rosy. And my face color caught up a little with my neck. A little.

Cleansing

I have a sort of holy grail product – something I tried and keep coming back to when it comes to my acne. Kojie San soap. Yes, the one that goes 2 bars for Php50. After my OCM and rinsing off the mask, I wash my face with Kojie San. I directly rub the bar on my face and then massage it in a little and leave it on my face while I continue bathing or washing up. So it sort of dries on my face and I can feel the sting on my acne and blemishes, even on some of my scars. The effect? My skin feels tight and clean, the scars on my cheeks and chin lightened in just one week they weren’t too noticeable anymore, and the bumps on my forehead (which appeared when I started OCM) were gone too. But! There’s another but in there. Because it dried out my face too much, after just an hour or so from applying bb cream or foundation, my face was an oil field. I’d touch my t-zone and my fingers would be really shiny as if I intentionally put oil on them. Eeek. And this is the one problem I stil have now and haven’t found the solution to. So… help!!! Leave comments if you have suggestions.

Toning

Yes, because I was a walking oil resource, I decided to just go ahead with it and used a toner. I already

used up a 100ml bottle of Human Heart Nature Balancing toner with Elemi and Orange extracts which I also bought from Shopwise for Php99. (As you can see I bought almost all of those from Shopwise because I just insert buying these when we do our grocery shopping. And Shopwise does not have a decent cosmetic or face care section like Watsons does. But they do have a shelf full of Human Heart Nature products. It was supposed to balance out my skin, but I don’t think it did, because I still oil up that soon.

Moisturizing

Even with a ton of oil my face generates, I still moisturize. My go-to moisturizer is the Myra Vitawhite Whitening Face Lotion with SPF 15. I know, it has SPF which may be contributing to my breakouts, but no, it doesn’t affect my face that much, although I sometimes do think you’re right. It’s the SPF that’s making my pimples angry. Anyway, I went back to using Kojie San Face Lightening Cream. Went back because I used it before and I didn’t break out. Still, I’m an oil production master. I hate it. Even if I use Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser as primer, I still oil up. Much!

There you go. My skin “care” routine. And oh, I started using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for all sin types last July 17 (please notice how I used “last” in that sentence, I sometimes silently correct others who misuse it; I’ll write down a PS to explain what I mean) in place of Kojie San so my face does not turn out to be that of a ghost (whitewashed!) and in the hopes of lessening the oil. I still have to see what happens because I’m still on my 5^th day.

What do you do as a routine? Do you have different morning and night routines? Do you have suggestions for oily-faced people like me? Leave comments and suggestions below so I can try to try them out. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS: Even if my post is already lengthy. Here’s that tidbit on the use of the word “LAST”.

Please use the word “last” in reference to dates, terms, days that may occur again, like LAST Monday, LAST Sunday, LAST year, LAST Weekend, LAST week, LAST June, LAST June 12. But NEVER on SPECIFIC dates, terms or years that will not happen again, like June 12, 1989. You only use it for more generic terms that have a tendency to be repeated, that’s why there’s a reference to the LAST time it happened or occurred. I hope you get what I mean. Therefore, last June 12, 1989 is not correct; Last April 2014 is not correct because there will never be another April 2014 (unless counting got reset because the end of the world already came and time went back to zero).

Shawill ColorStay Mineral Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Started using this new mineral foundation I found in Shopwise - Shawill ColorStay Mineral Foundation. Bought it for Php288, just Php11 cheaper than Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra Shine Free Powder Foundation, which was priced at Php299. I bought because I've already finished my Maybelline, after so long - I've been using it on and off.

So it's Php288 for 16grams of mineral foundation claiming to be lightweight and natural. So I'd presume it's going to be of sheer to light coverage. I'm shade 006 by the way, been using Natural with Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra blah blah, name's too long and I'm lazy. :)

Here's how the plastic jar looks. Sorry I already threw away the box. Haha.

You have to twist the upper part to sort of "reveal" the brush, which is a little rough by the way, you might get red patches from application. So be gentle, or use a different brush altogether.

The holes where the powder should come out were covered by this thing, which I should have not removed entirely so the powder will just be dispensed little by little, but of course, only realized that after! Amazing to see such cover on a cheaper product compared to the pricier ones that use stickers as cover.

Packaging sticker underneath. Shade 006.

Claims up to 16 hours of wear. Let's see about that because as I've mentioned before, my face is a walking frying pan.

Here's the first shot after application. Of course, skin's not good. I have scars and bumps and pimples. Coverage is sheer and light. Feels light and it doesn't have an annoying smell. A little powdery smell but very negligible.

Used Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua gel Foundation in Natural as concealer. Yes, it's discontinued already. That means, this is old stuff already.

Missha lipstick which I got from an aunt as pasalubong. :)

And Ever Bilena Matte Eyeshadow Duos in London for eyebrows. That weird angled eyeliner brush with white handle is actually a Nichido, but I cut it short so it can fit in there. So sue me for being resourceful. :)

And after 30 minutes, my face looks like this:

A hint of shine in the nose area there. See? I'm a walking oil resource. :p It sort of oxidized a bit, meaning it blended a little more and turned a teeny weeny bit darker than immediately after putting it on, but at least it still matches my neck!

Update!

At about 9:15am, about 2 hours since I put the mineral foundation on, I took a look at how my oil mine is doing. And voila! Oily! There goes the claim for 16-hour wear and non-oil.

The next photo is taken at about 1:17pm, no blotting since this morning, and no touch ups yet.

Anyway, for those that are wondering why I'm posting this... Eh bakit ba? This is my blog! Joke. No really, I get fascinated reading blog posts like these so I just tried it out myself to see if anyone is reading my blog.

So for me to know what you think, about the product and anything else, please leave your comments below, subscribe to my blog, or follow my twitter (link can be found in the upper right sidebar).

But for easy reference, here are my links:

Twitter: @Cathy_Laine

Instagram: @cathy_laine

Blog facebook: facebook.com/TheBlueSpeckledDiary

Oily, Super Oily Skin!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 03:59:00 +0000

I have super, super oily skin. It's not just the t-zone anymore because sometimes, even my cheeks and jawline are oily. Just imagine, an hour or so from applying very minimal makeup, my t-zone's already shiny as an oiled frying pan. And I'm not just an oily face, i have acne-scarred cheeks, and still get pimples on my chin and jawline. Like right now, I have these pesky ones on my chin.

(Take a look at that photo: left sheet is the unused one.)

Been on the net hunting for the right products, but take note, just the cheaper drugstore ones that are easily available in the groceries, department stores or drugstores. Haven't found the perfect ones for me yet, but at least I have ones that I go back to, kinda like hg but not so.

Can anyone suggest anything? :) leave comments...

Coffee at Work: Does it help?

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 00:52:00 +0000

(images from author's personal IG)

You have a facebook profile, you have instagram. A day doesn't pass by without you noticing that sometime in the day, someone posted a coffee shot, a coffelfie (selfie with coffee), or a group shot with coffee in a coffee shop, even a photo of someone's desk and coffee stash. And we can not deny it anymore, more and more people are into coffee now more than ever before.

So. How do we benefit from it?

Coffee keeps us awake. Or at least we think it does. Whether its the instant caffeine fix or just the warmth (or heat of a boiling cup) of this dark liquid, it somehow extends our wakefulness a little mire throughout the morning, or thru the unholy hours of 2 or 3pm. All the more for our call center friends - coffee is the new water!

Coffee helps us sleep. Quite contradicting with the first one, right? And not good if you're still at work. But if you haven't noticed it yet, for long-time we-now-take-it-black brewed coffee drinkers like me (but I'm back to having cream/milk and brown sugar now), there came a time when our wake up jolting drink doesn't work like that anymore. It came to a point when, when taken with cream and sugar, it made me even sleepier - more like a relaxing cup of warm milk before bedtime. Which is precisely why I shifted to its pure, unadultered, steaming, black brewed glory. For a time. And then realizing I also don't want to reach a plateau of some sort, I went back to the CCS (coffee, cream, sugar) combo - well, when I don't get it from coffee shops where I always get either a cappuccino or a machiatto.

Coffee time is recess for the office. Aside from a time where you can temporarily stretch out your back and legs from sitting too long, it's a time where we can exercise freedom of speech without annoying our stern, old-maid, librarian-type bosses (you get who or what I mean!). And something we sometimes unknowingly look forward to, just like lunch time!

Coffee is common ground. More like neutral ground for opposing parties in a board meeting, or a level playing field for all those gunning for the promotion. It's something almost all would agree to have with everyone else without seeing cannon balls being shot from one side of the table to the other.

Coffee is a tool. Whether for hardworking people to stay awake and laser-focused on work despite being up all night with a baby or for let's-work-hard-party-harder workers with a hangover from a friend's birthday party, it's also something we all can use for those extra I-want-your-position-sooner-or-later-Boss-so-I'm-gonna-learn-the-ropes points kind of thing. Or a term (coffee table meeting, "Let's discuss over coffee") we can and should use so we can tell everyone that we need something to be decided on without binding ourselves to arrive at a decent and smart decision while spending the entire day talking about all things related and unrelated.

Coffee has health benefits. We've heard that before or read it somewhere - coffee, especially the brewed variety - has antioxidants that help us out with free radicals and aging. But we also have to remember that despite those antioxidant properties, too much caffeine absorbed into our system hinders it from absorbing calcium - which is needed for strong teeth and bones. So make sure there's some sort of balance somewhere.

With all if those being from a normal-day office worker point of view, how do you think coffee helps our call center friends work better, or smarter?

And while you're out and about having coffee in your office while surfing the net, or logging on your social media accounts in a coffee shop, try visiting the Sykes E-Recruitment Site for career opportunities or for the reason why this article has come forth from my brain to this blog (*wink*).

Internal Audit Still Unrecognized

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 01:26:00 +0000

credits: www.newtimes.co.rw

When they said they will not be able to prioritize Internal Audit requests due to operational deadlines, I was not expecting that what they meant was that they will totally ignore any request for documents or questions from Internal Audit.

Darn it. Here we go again. Do they really want to have the freaking CEO or President command them to even just answer simple emails from Internal Audit??? This is... Well, somehow, expected from a company who a few years back combined In
ternal Audit with Quality Management (absorbed is the term) and now wants to separate it again and yet, does not do anything that seems to make that happen. Grrrr. Even one of the existing Internal Auditors does not want to be separated from operations and wants the charter to specifically say that Internal Auditors should be allowed to perform operational duties aside from auditing.

This is gonna be challenging.

Internal Audit as your Business Partner

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Tue, 20 May 2014 06:30:00 +0000

Most of us, if not all, think that Internal Audit and just plain ole audit per se is on continuous police mode -- something or someone put there by Management to act as live cctv's to catch people doing things redhandedly. But as an Internal Audit practitioner for more than 6 years, that really is not the case, well at least not in its entirety.

Yes, internal audit does that - catch or try to catch people committing fraud, taking things from the office and bringing them to their homes, conniving to reimburse personal expenses, and so many other things that we sometimes think are not bad for business because we have grown so accustomed to them we think they're part of the daily grind. But aside from that, Internal Audit actually has more to offer than just be "catchers". Internal auditors can be investigators, analysts that can look into the whole business and try to pinpoint areas that lack control or loopholes that allow anomalies to slowly squeeze their way into the company. Internal audit also helps put up defenses or controls that do just that - defend the company from all these nuances.

So how exactly does Internal Audit partner with your business? Here's a short and uncomplicated list:

Getting to know you. No, this is not a song nor a musicale we're talking about. Internal Auditors will spend time with Management and the business process owners (accountants, staff, operations supervisors, etc) to get to know the ins and outs of the operations. Management should be able to make the auditors understand the entire business and how it works without divulging trade secrets (unless they want to!) so the auditors can now determine what actions, procedures, or documents are out of place. This then leads to risk assessment or pointing out areas or processes that may have issues.

Pointing out. This is where it gets interesting, well, at least for the Internal Auditors. Since auditors are third parties, they have the best chance of determining which are nit going the right way - which processess seem out of place, which documents seem fishy, or which sections or even specific positions are having issues with intergrity. Inconsistent, anomalies, or even fradulent.

Clean up. And since areas that need to be removed, cleaned, and defended are now out in the open and clearly document for Management to be aware of, Internal Auditors will now recommend clean up procedures to correct, maintain and/or prevent these from happening again. Clean up for areas that have issues or anomalies, maintenance for those that are doing well and prevention (internal c for areas that are doing well but maybe susceptible to issues later on.

Management still manages. Internal audit will not be the ones to have the burden of implementation. They just identify and recommend, whereas Management still manages the business by implementing the internal auditor recommendations. This is why it's called a partnership - Management should not let go of their responsibility and Internal audit will never take that away from them. They're just there to give a fresh prospective and suggest what detergents to use to get rid of the dirt and stain. Management still does the washing and the wringing.

But it does not end there. It's not YET a happily ever after kind of thing. That's why Internal Auditors can also be consultants, even third party service providers for your business. And there can be innumerable services that Internal Auditors can help provide. All you need to do is ask.

***this is post is sponsored:

SPOT Audit Rockstars
http://www.facebook.com/SPOTAuditRockstars
spotauditrockstars@gmail.com

Count your Blessings - Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 19:06:00 +0000

2013 was a great year. But it all could be better. Disasters here and there. Old job, new job. Great car, cranky car. Terrible two is true. There's just a lot more blessing we're looking forward to thanking the Lord for this new year.

So, how about we count some of the types of blessings we've encountered in 2013? Here goes...

Blessing of:

1. Answered prayers (An answer you like and the answer you don't like, are nevertheless BOTH answers!)

2. Answered prayers on Hold

3. Patience.

4. Specific prayers (God wants you to be as specific as possible, He already knows what you need and what He'll give. He just wants to validate that you yourself knows those too - up to the last dot. The more specific you get, the better.)

5. Gratefulness. In e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

(Notice that I deliberately spelled it out.)

6. Walking in faith, by faith. (Don't pray and doubt -- you'll never get an answer that way.)

7. Faithful family. (Next to God, you don't have/want anyone else you'd rather be with than your family.)

8. Safety and protection.

9. Provision (all aspects of that!)

10. More occasions, chances, instances to pray. (I believe God just loves hearing our voice.)

There's my list of ten for this new year.

Adiós 2013! Hóla 2014!

The Janet Napoles Surrender Scene

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:26:00 +0000

DISCLAIMER: This is all my opinion. Spoof. Joke. Whatever you call it. This did not really happen. At least, that's what I think.

......

Janet Napoles (JN) to PNoy: Ummm, Sir, pag sumuko ako... Ummm.. Yung ano... P10 million... Hmmm.

[turns to person holding camera: kuya wag na po. Kakagising ko lang po...]

PNoy: Anong tungkol sa P10 million?

JN: Umm, ano po, yung ano po Sir PNoy... Kasi sabi po ng attorney. Ano daw po.. Mabuti na daw kasi yung ano po. Ummm.

PNoy: Ano nga..? (Frowns)

JN: ummm. Yung P10 million po ba... Umm. Reward sa ano po... P10 million... Pag ano po ba Sir...

PNoy: Last ka na. Yung P10 million? Ano? ano ba sabi ng abugado mo? nag issue nga ako ng statement na may reward yung magbibigay impormasyon na makakatulong sa paghuli sayo. Gusto mo sayo pa rin yung P10 million?! Sumuko ka. Baka sakali.

JN: Ok po. Ummm. Kasi po ano po. Yung P10 million Sir Pnoy. Sabi po kasi ni ano po... Kasya na po. P10 million po. Gusto daw po kasi ni ano po... Baka daw po kasi sumabit yung sa Luneta kasi may naka picture sa facebook po. Kaya yung ano nalang daw po. P10 million daw po Sir PNoy.

PNoy: Suko ka nga, try mo.

JN: Ok po. Tsaka sabi po kasi ni Ping (referringto Sen. Ping Lacson)... Ano daw po. Ummm. Sir PNoy po. Yung P10 million po. May sukli pa daw kung ipapatira ako po. Kaya ano nalang daw po. Sosyo po. Yung P10 million po Sir.

PNoy: Ano kamo? Sosyo? Pano?

JN: sir PNoy ano po... Yung P10 million daw po. NGO. Under sa ano daw po. No to Pork: justice for the Philippine Republic daw po yata yung name nung NGO, di ko po maalala. Kasi ano daw po. Si ano po. Yung P10 million daw po. Ummm. Ano po eh. Yun daw po sabi.

PNoy: Subukan mo nga eh. Gawan natin ng paraan. NGO na naman. Reward money nga yun eh. (Kaloka itong babaeng to!)

......

Haaay, basta. Headline na ang nangyari. Tapos presscon. Tapos. Akala ni JN kanya na ang P10 million. ^_^ LOSER!!!!

The IMPOSSIBLE Online Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy Laine) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 15:55:00 +0000

I've noticed a lot of online contests nowadays - they make you do the strangest things or the almost "impossible". Like how can you do or make something by using that very something that you're joining that freakin' contest for?!?

Example. To win this "so and so" gift card, Take a picture of your favorite coffee with your "so and so" gift card!

Or. Win this newest model of "blah-blah gen-something smartphone" by simply documenting 5days of your fun-filled life using the very same "blah-blah gen-something smartphone"!!!

And one more. Win the July sample gift box by posting your very own video of unboxing your...wait for it... July sample gift box!!!

Like... Huh?!? What the...?!?!

What sorcery is this?!?!

Anyway....

Note to self:

Don't use facial moisturizer as eye makeup remover ever again!

Darn it, my eyes still sting.