Wind Of Change

I left my job. I'd like to give myself a break, well at least for a month until I squared away eveything that I need from the ex-company that I worked for 3 years before I throw myself back to the jungle where I was 4 years ago. I left Manila for Singapore then settled up north to escape the crowded life that I was accustomed to. I guess nothing in this world is permanent but change. I thought I would stay here for good since my mom passed away 2 years ago. The weather is cold and life is calm here but it felt empty inside no matter how hard I convince myself that everything will be alright. I miss the life that I had back then when I could afford a lot of things that I want, even the things that I don't need, but I'm still empty. I guess there is no such thing as a perfect life. If I had a chance to change things and fix them I would, but life is a neverending learning process. As long as you live, you learn. I have better plans and hopefully it will all work out for the best. Everything happens for a reason. I think the wind of change wants me back to where I was because it is telling me that there is no escaping this life, there is no such thing. You can run away but you will always come back to where you're from. Life is a maze so deal with it. For now, I'll take a time off and not worry about waking up during the wee hours of the morning, shut my alarm clock off, sleep more and spend some quality time with my family and pets. I deserve a break, totally.

Living With GERD (GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease)

It hasn't been a year since I had gallbladder surgery (Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy) to remove my gallstones and just few months ago I complained of severe heartburn and was diagnosed with GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease). GERD is a digestive disorder that affects the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) the ring of muscle between the esophagus and stomach.

My gastroenterologist prescribed proton pump inhibitors (medicines that reduce the amount of stomach acid made by glands in the lining of the stomach) that I took for a week but to no avail so I requested to undergo endoscopy (a non-surgical procedure used to examine a person's digestive tract) and found out that I have H Pylori (a bacteria that enter your body and live in your digestive tract) in my stomach. I was advised to take proton pump inhibitors again and antibiotics for a month to kill the bacteria.

Quite frankly, my doctor told me that I have to live with Gerd for the rest of my life so I have to be watchful of my diet. Gerd sucks bigtime. Most people get envious whenever I tell them that I don't gain weight because I don't get hungry often but little did they know is that I am suffering from a digestive disorder that I have to be picky with what I eat because if I don't, I will suffer the consequences for eating the wrong food. Comfort food for the most part, is nothing but a discomfort to me like fast food, ice cream or just anything high on fat leaving a burning sensation on my tummy that extends all the way to my lower back.

I wonder why doctors always tell you that there is nothing to avoid when it comes to food, like everything is normal when they know for sure that anything could go wrong anytime. I guess it really is pay back time because when I was young I wasn't careful of what I feed my system. I consumed junk 90% of the time especially when I started working because I love food so much and I eat anything that makes me happy. I've been working for 12 years, I've gained some and lose some weight but I took the big leap 4 years ago when I decided to take control of my body and lose an incredible amount of weight. It seriously felt good being able to fit my old clothes again and started living healthy. However, it was still too late to save my gallbladder because my gallstone has been living inside my body for 10 years and I only found out about it last year. I guess I just have to get used to this whole Gerd thing. I don't want to be careful but if I want to live long, I have to. Sigh.

A Dose of "Berry Me"

Product in review:  "Berry Me" by Dose Of Colors

I guess I'm addicted to liquid-matte lipsticks recently I've been comparing which brand is the matte-iest of them all. When Limecrime popularized 'vegan and cruelty free' makeup (vegan meaning they use minerals and plant based/organic ingredients and cruelty free or not tested on animals), a lot of new and cheaper, cosmetic brands came out with the same claim which is good because this simply means that more women are opting for environment and animal friendly cosmetics. 

I stumbled upon Dose Of Colors while browsing Instagram photos from some makeup artists that I've been following. I've never owned any velvet colored lipstick in the past so why not try something like "Berry Me"? According to their website, their products are vegan free, cruelty free, gluten free (allergen free) and paraben free (paraben are cosmetic preservatives). This shade look a little like a mixture of pink and purple on their website so I was a little surprised when I opened the bottle because it's almost fuschia pink to me, just a little bit darker. I was a little disappointed at first and I'm not sure if I can even pull off such strong color but after applying and letting it dry for a few seconds, I realized that it wasn't so bad after all, it's kinda cute actually. The bottle is more decent compared to LA Splash, well it has to be since it is more expensive too. I like the lip applicator better as well, it's not as messy so it's easier to manage the amount of liquid that you will put on your lips. The website suggested to exfoliate lips before use since this will really leave your lips dry just like any other matte lipstick. True to their word, it is long wearing. I think this shade is perfect if you want to highlight your lips and go easy on your eyes. 

Berry, Berry Me!

Dose of Colors is a good brand and of good quality but have limited colors to choose from. I hope in the future they'll come up with more unique colors. I think Pretty Zombie Cosmetics is a good alternative if you are looking for almost similar shades but cheaper.          

Product Description:

Our liquid lipstick is a velvety high-fashion matte finish which envelops lips in a rich color. Glides on smoothly and stays put throughout the day.

• Vegan

• Cruelty Free 

• Gluten Free 

• Paraben Free

Tips: Exfoliate lips before use. Avoid greasy food.

Ingredients:

Isododecane Synthetic Beeswax VP/Hexadecene Copolymer Octyldodecanol Cyclopentasiloxane C18-36 Acid Triglyceride Disteardimonium Hectorite Phenoxyethanol Alcohol denatured Ethylhexylglycerin MAY CONTAIN: ± D&C Red No.28 Aluminum Lake (CI 45410) FD&C Red No.40 Aluminum Lake (CI 16035) Titanium dioxide (CI 77891) FD&C Yellow No 5 Lake (CI 19140) Aluminum Oxide Red 6 Lake (CI 15850) D&C Red 27 Lake (CI 45410) FD&C Red 7 Calcium Lake (CI 15850:1) Iron Oxides (CI 77499) FD&C Blue No.1 Aluminum Lake (CI 42090).

In the mood for Melt Darkroom (A review)

Melt owners Lora 
Arellano and Dana Bomar

Darkroom is 
here to stay

When Melt Darkroom was launched late last year everyone got excited about this beet colored lipstick thanks to the creative minds of Melt's lady bosses Laura Arellano and Dana Bonar who are professional MUA themselves. Just an FYI, Laura is Rihanna's makeup artist and behind most of her looks in her music videos so you know what to expect from ladies who know makeup so well. 

Nope, it's not a shoe box. 
Just my lippie!

Freebies

My first purchase of Melt are By Starlight and Space Cake because Blow and DGAF were out of stock during that time. I instantly fell in love with both, it screams 'me'! I don't care whenever I get weird stares from people like I'm from another planet or something. I love wearing daring lipsticks not because I want attention but I just love make up so much someday I swear I will make a living out of it, lol. I became obsessed with super pigmented lipsticks and eyeshadows I tried other makeup brands and lippie shades such as Five 11 Cosmetics' Free (Almost blue green in color) and Manic Panic's After Midnight (Electric Blue). I've been stalking Melt's website to see what's new until about a week ago they reached 1 million followers on Instagram so they had a 24 hour SALE offering 25% off on every product just by using the code "meltmilli". I wasted no time and bought Darkroom immediately before it's sold out.

Darkroom swatch

My Melt box came via USPS a week after I placed my order which is fast for international orders it usually takes a month to arrive. My very first Melt package came in a white box, now it's black so there's quite a mystery in there. Unboxing this product is the most exciting part. What I loved about Melt is that no matter what the quantity of your order, you always get a postcard and a cute freebie, (sweet!). I got a pocket mirror then, this time it's a mini Space Cake lipstick keychain (yay!). Melt just so love their customers you will feel it at the very moment you opened that box. I'm just really happy with the packaging to start with. 

The signature scent of vanilla and clay stays with Darkroom. I still like the gooey texture it glides easily but compared to By Starlight, it doesn't leave a pink stain when you remove it like a lip tattoo or something. It's still long wearing though not as matte compared to other liquid to matte lipsticks (read my previous review about La Splash Cosmetics in Ghoulish). Great news is, Darkroom doesn't leave your lips dry but applying a small amount of lip moisturizer before and after wouldn't hurt. A lip primer is a must for every MUA but I think any Melt lipstick is good to go with or without it. 

NYX Siren is a good dupe for Darkroom 
and Maison for Limecrime's Salem

Lovin' my Darkroom

Melt Darkroom is good to have especially if you like to play with colors a lot just like myself and would like to try something different, either you're going for a grunge look or simply want to look elegant on a night out. Price wise, there are cheaper alternatives in the market but bear in mind that quality makeup ain't cheap although surprisingly, some cheaper brands can come up with a better version so it would really help to read product reviews before buying. Better yet look for a product's 'dupe' (duplicate) but make sure it is safe to use. Since I'm an animal lover I go for cruelty free, vegan makeup just like Melt and Limecrime. I've been a NYX fan because their makeup is affordable and the quality is good too. I've purchased NYX Siren in the past and I noticed that it is a good dupe of Darkroom. I have NYX Maison too because I was so in love with Limecrime's Salem then. La Splash in Ghoulish became so popular because it is the best dupe of Limecrime's Cashmiere at the moment.

I'm still a Melt fan and looking forward to try their new products in the future. I'm still in the hunt for cheaper alternatives because makeup is forever. So there. 

RD Mode On

Summer is still on although the month of May is nearly over. I love spending my rest days enjoying this wonderful view plus the weather today is perfect to stay home and bathe my cat Atari. Summer is also the 'flea season' so twinnie and I make sure to give our cat a good bath at least once a week if possible, to somehow ease the discomfort. I don't get enough sleep everyday, I'm not sure if it's just the weather or it's just not normal to sleep while the sun is still up? My work shift starts on wee hours of the morning and ends at noon so imagine how painful it is for my eyes to stare at the sky without wearing sunnies. I'm not a vampire anymore since I'm no longer in the graveyard shift but I guess I'm still enduring its side effects! I'm not a morning person nor a night owl so I don't really know what works for me. What I love about the morning is that I can be like any normal human being. I can run errands after my shift and wander around the city. When I was in GY I can sleep really late. I can go to the marketplace early in the morning after my shift to buy fresh produce or take a morning jog. I make the most of my rest days at home by doing my nails, fixing my brows and eating healthy if possible. Am I being productive? Lol. What I like about my life here up north is that it's more laid back compared to my life in the south where everything moves pretty fast and there's no room for people to slow down or you'll get lost in the jungle city. I don't wrestle with traffic unless it's the tourist season in the summer capital of the Philippines! But for the most part, life here is chill as the weather. 

Birthday Holiday Hongkong Getaway

Leaving Manila

Tune Hotel

Chillin' after a 7 hour tip at Holiday Inn Manila Galleria

Silka Fareast Hotel Tsuen Wan, HK

Our room

At the Avenue of Stars

I've been working so hard and I deserve a break so I decided to take time off from work for 2 weeks for my birthday. My twin sister and I usually plan our travel at least 2-3 months in advance. While I decide on what country to visit and most of the research about the area as well as local hotel reservations, she takes care booking our flights and coordinating with the travel agency that will take us to where we are going. We were in Siem Reap, Cambodia last year but it was only for 2D2N and we didn't go through any travel agency because the hotel we stayed at offer tour packages to Angkor Wat and it's cheaper to arrange it there plus we'll be more comfortable not joining a group. This year, we decided to go to Hongkong and have it arranged with a travel agency for a 4D3N Free and Easy package. Despite our schedule difference I'm glad that we made it work, thank God our vacation leaves filed 1 year ahead got approved. We left Baguio at 7AM via Victory bus and it was a 7 hour trip to Manila. We checked in at the

Etude House, Mongkok

Sampan boat ride at the Aberdeen Fishing Village

Holiday Inn Manila Galleria in Ortigas overnight and took advantage of our employee benefit. Our elder sister and niece slept over then we head to Tune Hotel in Aseana, Paranaque the next day because it is closer to the airport (NAIA T3), our flight to Hongkong is at 7:25AM via Cebu Pacific. The weather was very cooperative and perfect for me to take aerial shots since I am seated beside the window...just right by the fire exit! Yes, my sister told me that she didn't know, geez. Although I was a little uncomfortable seated by the fire exit at first because the cabin crew will sit in front of you during take off and landing, I also realized that it's not so bad after all, I have a lot of space so I was able to stretch my legs. It was an easy, breezy 2 hour trip. When we 

The Big Buddha, Ngong Ping, Lantau Island

landed at the HK airport and as soon as we got passed immigration we purchased 2 Octopus MTR cards and a local sim card so we can get in touch with our travel agent that will take us to our hotel and get some rest. We were supposed to withdraw funds from NAIA but the Immigration Officer didn't allow me to go out anymore since we already have our boarding passes so we thought we'll just do that at the HK airport. Anyhow, it took us roughly 45 minutes to get to our hotel in Tsuen Wan aboard a mini van together with other Pinoys and our Chinese driver. We stayed at a 3 star hotel called Silka Far East which is quite nice. As soon the front desk staff swiped my credit card for incidental fees and gave us our breakfast vouchers we settled in our teeny tiny room and we can't be 'choosy' because we know what to expect since we've checked this hotel's website already and learned from reviews that most HK hotels aren't spacious anyway. We scoured the area after resting for a few hours but we're unable to withdraw funds from the nearby ATM machine we called BPI and have our ATM cards activated for international withdrawal unfortunately, we are still unable to withdraw and we got stuck with whatever HK bucks that we have until the next day. We woke up early to grab breakfast at the hotel before our tour. We waited for our bus and tour guide at the hotel's lobby. Day 1 is the start of our half day city tour. A tour bus with an English speaking Chinese tour guide drove us to our first destination which is the Avenue of the Stars where we took pictures for about 15 minutes. Thank God for our monopod we were able to take a lot of pictures together using my phone and we took turns in taking a few individual shots using our digital camera. I didn't bring my DSLR with me anymore since we can't use it for our monopod anyway and it's quite heavy. Next stop is the YSL 

Ladies Market in Mongkok

jewelry factory which I didn't enjoy at all because I'm not a jewelry fan and everything there was really expensive. The next attraction was just as boring, The Victoria Peak mid-level. We saw the Victoria Peach at a very far view you have to zoom in your camera lens or phone in order to appreciate it. I was getting bored of this whole tour already hadn't because of the Sampan boat ride at the Aberdeen Fishing Village. Honestly, I was quite hesitant at first to ride a boat but surprisingly I find it refreshing. Our half day city tour ended almost lunch time, our bus dropped us close to the Mongkok area so other guests can continue on with their Disney tour or whatever and we are starving we decided to have lunch and finally able to withdraw funds from a Standard Chartered ATM machine, yay! We realized that it was just that ATM machine close to our hotel that doesn't work with our bank (problem solved!). Our luck continues when I saw an Etude House in the area where I bought a black liquid eyeliner which is currently sold out in the Philippines and nobody can tell when it will be back in store again. Twinnie and I still have time to explore HK so as planned we went to visit the Tian Tian Buddha (Big Biddha) in Ngong Ping, Lantau Island. It was a long climb of 286 steps to get to the hugest buddha I've ever seen but it was well worth taking pictures when you get to the top where it sits comfortably overlooking the island. We had snacks and rested for a while then after dawn we went back to Mongkok to one of the shopping havens in HK at the Ladies Market for souvenir shopping. Back at the hotel we were so tired but we slept late. It's our birthday the next day and we travelled 30 minutes to Causeway Bay from Tsuen Wan just to see the Hello kitty Le Petit Cafe where we bought our birthday cupcakes. We originally wanted to go to the other Hello Kitty Cafe called Secret Garden but it is closed on Mondays and we're leaving HK the next day (sigh). Nothing much to do on our last stroll in HK we just had our last minute 'pasalubong' shopping. We woke up early on our last day because breakfast starts at 6:30AM and we don't want to miss it before our flight. The shuttle bus is supposed to pick us up at the hotel at 8AM because our flight is at 10:45AM but came late at almost 8:20AM we have  no choce but to hurry and look for the check in counter immediately at the airport as soon as we get there. We still have time after we checked in our luggages we had our MTR card balance refunded or our almost 100 HKD will be put to waste. We almost missed our flight back home and we're so not used to getting to the airport in less than 2 hours we came running to get to our boarding gate when we saw the LED light flashing 'Last Call' gosh! We landed safely in NAIA then checked in at Tune Hotel again so we can at least get an overnight rest before another 7 hour trip back home. Our HK getaway was worth it but of course there are still things that didn't go well as planned but that's part of the whole travel thing, you learn everytime. I might go back to HK but will possibly spend more on hotel accomodation somewhere close to the city and less on MTR fare. So where to next? Think tank.                    

LA Splash Lip Couture in Ghoulish (review)

I'm not a liquid lipstick fan at all because I don't like the feel of wet lips and I find it kinda hard to manage compared to matte. I've been following a lot of professional as well as self-taught MUAs (Make-up artists) like myself and there's a fuss going on about this new make-up brand called La Splash Cosmetics and their Lip Couture collection. 

What caught my fancy is 'Ghoulish.' I find this shade really interesting apart from the name which invites Halloween, I thought this lippie shade will go well with a dark, smokey eyeshadow or if you just want a nude-natural looking lips. 

I've been shopping online for 9 years and for the most part when it comes to makeup, I order directly from the brand's website unless the shipping fee is way more than the price of the product that I'm ordering then I shop for local sellers that sell it cheaper of course. I ordered my Ghoulish from a local Instagram shop given that I am an Instagram user. I bought this lippie for Php500 plus shipping fee. It was a Sunday and I got it Thursday which is not so not bad at all considering I am based up North. I got so, so excited I unpacked it immediately.

Sorry about the poor lighting

The bottle was pretty neat however, when I opened it I noticed that the lip applicator is covered with a thick amount of that liquid lipstick so if you're not careful at all you might end up spilling everything. I have a thing with smelling a lipstick before using it and this one smells like clay but almost odorless to me. 

In terms of quality, it was really liquid when you first apply it but it becomes matte afterwards. It dries out quickly so make sure to shape your lips and spread it evenly right away. I am impressed that it is really waterproof and smudge free, you can last a day without re-touching it after eating or drinking something hot (yay!). Since it is super matte, I suggest applying a little bit of lip balm before putting it on or as soon it dries out to avoid the dry feeling on your lips. You can use a nude lip liner to line your outer lips to make the color pop a little. 

To sum it up, La Splash Lip Couture in Ghoulish is a must try especially if you're into matte lipsticks and looking for a cheaper alternative of Limecrime's Cashmiere. That's pretty much it for now. I will post more makeup reviews soon so stay tuned! 

Back In Black

It's been two years since my last post and a lot of things happened already. My mom's passing left me and my family uncertain on how we can continue on with life without her... it's an empty home whenever I spend my rest days at our once vacation home but, after a year without her, we've all learned that the death of a loved one is the beginning of life for those whom they've left behind. I've accepted the fact that my mom's not coming back but wherever she is, I'm sure she is at peace and that she's in a much better place because when people leave this world, they just live in another without their physical bodies where they can continue with life without pain or hurt. I still miss my mom every day but I visit her whenever I can and I know that she's still watching and protecting us.


I had my first operation two months ago. My gallstones and gallbladder was removed by Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (removes the gallbladder and gallstones through several small cuts (incisions) in the abdomen). The surgeon inflates your abdomen with air or carbon dioxide in order to see clearly). It was just a minor operation but I had to go on Leave (LOA) from work for three weeks so I can fully recover.  Thank God the operating expenses were covered by HMO so it's a hassle-free recovery for me. You see, I'm a health buff, I even worked out and tried boxing and started eating healthy few years back because I wanted to lose weight but I think it was way too late to save my gallbladder from being removed. My twin sister started having severe gastric attacks three months ago until the worse came when she can't contain the pain anymore so she was rushed to the ER. One of the doctors suspected she might have gallstones so she was advised to undergo an ultrasound and upon confirmation that she has one, she decided to have it removed as soon as possible. As soon as I realized that my sister has gallstone because we have the same diet, I went to consult a Gastro for ultrasound recommendation. I had medications before I was advised to undergo Endoscopy but still, my lower back pains won't go away until a week after my sister's operation that I decided to have Lap Chole. Now I'm feeling much better like nothing was removed inside me, I don't experience hyperacidity anymore unlike before whenever I eat anything high on fat or drink coffee I had to deal with gastric pains I thought I just have to endure it for as long as I'm alive. My gallstone is about ten years old according to my doctor, so imagine how it got there without me feeling anything unusual until my body finally told me I had to know that it's there, whew.


'Ber' month is up and it's less than a hundred days before Christmas. I wish my sister and I can travel again before the year ends but I doubt it due to time constraints. We spent our birthday in Cambodia last April so I'm hoping next year we can go to some place different again. Time flies, I hope that better days are here to come.  

Twilight No More

The Twilight fever is still on me after watching Breaking Dawn Part 2 last week and all I can say is that it that wasn't great but not so bad either. Thank God I have Internet at home but no thanks to Click the City's app on my phone it wasn't very helpful when I need it the most. The app failed to fetch the cinema schedule of the nearest mall in my area, not until mall hours would you believe it? Anyways, I found a website that gave me the earliest showing schedule though it's not accurate but was somehow pretty close.

Going back to the movie, I liked how it ended it left everyone feeling happy. I almost got frustrated because I thought they changed the ending to something less predictable but I'm happy that they adhered to how it ended on the book just like what my sister told me because I never read it, teehee. So there it goes, and they lived happily ever after. I will miss this movie, really.

Another reason to be happy is that I'm back to being a morning shifter again, yay! I will surely have a normal life again. I'm a vamp no more, Twilight is definitely over.  

Hello Clark

I love traveling and I wanna do this more often. How I wish I could go on vacation forever! I've always wanted to visit Clark for so long and I'm glad it finally happened last week even if it was just an overnight stay it was all worth it. 

Foodie

View from our room

Hello

Good morning Clark

Goodnight

I love traveling and I wanna do this more often. How I wish I could go on vacation forever! I've always wanted to visit Clark for so long and I'm glad it finally happened last week even if it was just an overnight stay it was all worth it. 


My sister and I stayed in Holiday Inn Clark because it's just a ride away to Parkson's Duty Free where we went shopping for chocolates. We also bought some cute holiday decors and a Christmas tree from Arjans. We had a hard time looking for this hotel because we are backpackers so we had to walk far to get to the entrance. I think it's not very accessible for commuters. It's kind of located remotely there are no minimarts or restaurants close by. We ordered room service for breakfast so early in the morning, thank God it's 24 hours. I had a comfortable stay but may not go there next time without a car.


I can't wait to plan my next vacation hopefully out of the country next time like in Hongkong, Disneyland for my birthday perhaps? For the time being, I'll be busy decorating the Christmas tree that we bought from Arjans. I'm not thinking about Halloween anymore I'm quite excited for Christmas already.  

Another week of vacay coming up yay! I'm not too excited I think that's why I'm up this early. I can't wait for this day to end so I can go home to our home up in the mountains to surprise my parents with my decorating skills haha! Gtg for now. 

Gloomy Looney

Good morning! I can hear birds talking on a gloomy Thursday morning they seem happy despite this kind of weather, unbelievable. Seriously? I envy these guys. 


It's my last day to enjoy my rest day and I'm not supposed to be up this early but my body clock tells me that it's time to wake up. I'm done watching the movie "The Runaways" yesterday so I have nothing left to watch but cartoon flicks that I downloaded for my niece. Oh well, I guess it's better than nothing. 


Now what am I having for breakfast? Mmm.