No Filter

It’s the second week of Luzon lockdown and I must say that I am getting the hang of it. To be honest, I don’t really miss the outside world. I guess it’s just one of the perks of being an introvert, I’ve always been a homebody, that’s why I decided to quit my regular job years ago and decided to manage an online business instead. I would like to be my own boss. I have no problem at all with this lockdown thingy because I understand that it’s for safety reasons, the challenge is when calamity struck a country, all kinds of business are paralized. Nobody knows for sure how long this pandemic will last, I can only pray to God that this will all be over soon. 

I know that the government is doing the best they can to prevent the spread of virus although the numbers are still going up each day but without isolation, it could’ve been worse. The thought of having a curfew does not bother me at all or the need to secure a travel permit or quarantine pass just to get out of our house is not that difficult but what’s scary is that we are all aware of the unseen danger yet we have to brave it just to survive. Anyone may contract the virus, it knows no gender, age nor status in life, even lifesavers aren’t spared. I guess at this point we can only trust the process and do our part which is to cooperate. I cannot wait for things to go back to the way it was before Coronavirus came in the picture. I would like to breathe the air like I used to, without filter. I hope that we can go on with our normal lives again soon. 

The Unseen Enemy

When I was a kid, my parents use to tell me horror stories of how they survived the war. I could not imagine how it’s like to run away from a place and never come back, not have food and water and worse of all, the thought that tomorrow may never come. I guess what I’m trying to say is, that I have all the reasons to be grateful that I did not get to see the real face of war. 

What the world is facing right now is a different kind of war, and the enemy is unseen. When Covid-19 hit progressive countries really hard, it got me worried for myself, my family and my country. Never in my life have I experienced this kind of  fear because the moment I stepped out of our home, I am subjecting myself to the unseen danger. I have never felt a country enveloped in fear this much. It’s a ghost town out here, health workers have to wear safety suits to protect themselves from this infectious disease which I thought only happens in movies but all of it now is so real and surreal at the same time. 

As of this writing, the Philippines is already under a state of calamity because the number of confirmed cases and deaths are still rising although there are persons under investigation who have also recovered. You see, it’s not always bad news, there is hope no matter how difficult the situation is. Let’s just look at the bright side of life, maybe God would like us to take a break, to pause from our daily lives and take time to reflect on what is happening around us. It’s HIS way of telling us that if this whole virus thing will not happen, we will not stop from completely destroying our planet. It’s a WAKE UP CALL…maybe it’s time for mother earth to heal, she was abused, beaten and badly wounded, she needs to recover. We have nowhere else to go, there is no planet B, or any other planet that’s habitable. 


Let’s continue praying that this will all be over soon. Let’s stay informed and keep an open mind. Let’s continue looking out for each other and be optimistic about the situation. If other countries are able to recover from this virus, so can we. I believe in the Filipino spirit, WE WILL RISE AGAIN.

Spread love and compassion, not the virus. Keep safe everyone. We can do this! 

Love Month

Already? 

It was just like yesterday when I welcomed 2020, now it’s February…a new chapter. I know, crazy isn’t it? But everything just happened so fast, like a blink of an eye. My mind still haven’t processed what happened the previous month to be honest and still hoping for some good news. There’s the bush fire in Australia, eruption of Taal volcano, Iran vs US attack and just recently, Kobe Bryant’s demise and then the first confirmed case of Novel Corona Virus or NCoV in the Philippines. January is like the bearer of bad news, not a good start for the year of the rat I must say. 

I’m not being pessimistic or anything but what’s happening in the world right now is making me re-think about dooms day. Why is there so much chaos? People are living in fear, that today or tomorrow might be their last breath. I guess everything happens for a reason. On the brighter side, no matter how divided nations are, in times of crisis people are coming together. I guess bad things brings out the good in people. Maybe it’s God’s plan to let us all know that there is kindness in all of us no matter how bad we think we are. I will be such a hypocrite if I will say that I never questioned God’s will because I did, many times. I wonder why he let something so evil happen to those who do not deserve them? Why he take away the ones we love? Too many why’s and questions left unanswered until one day we will realize that he have reasons that maybe we refuse to accept because it’s not what we want. We ask God to lead yet we have doubts and fears at the back of our minds. I guess the hardest thing to do is to fully surrender. We worry too much and not trust the process. 

Here’s to a new month full of hope, the world will rise again and all the unpleasant things that is happening around us will only make us braver. Let’s spread love and not the virus. 

Breathe In

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Today is Chinese New Year and officially the year of the metal rat. 

A lot has happened this month already, not just in the Philippines but around the world. The devastating aftermath of bush fires in Australia where billions of animals were killed still has not fully sinked in, then came the eruption of Taal volcano last January 12. Just recently, a new virus called Novel Corona Virus or nCoV is spreading like wildfire in Wuhan, China and killing people from all walks of life. It’s rather scary and a lot to take in to be honest, 

I am not from Australia and I’ve never been there but seeing how badly the country was affected by this calamity is so heartbreaking. I can’t imagine leaving a place you’ve come to love and lived all your life just because you have no choice. I feel the pain of poor animals who are oblivious and confused of what was happening around them. Seeing everything turned to dust is just unimaginable, the place they used to call home is gone. 

Two weeks ago, Taal volcano erupted, that left thousands of homes and properties buried in ash. Even animals were not spared, thousands of horses used for tourism were left in Volcano island including all other animals. The lucky ones survived but I guess they were still not so lucky after all because they is no way that any living being will survive without food or water since everything was covered in ash. Our kababayans were brought to evacuation sites whilst the animals were left behind not because their owners don’t care about them, but for obvious reasons that it is not easy to transport animals that’s why the local government implemented window hours just so animal welfare groups and the locals will be given a chance to rescue these poor animals. 

Filipinos have a big heart and care about each other in times of need. No natural calamity can dampen our spirits. We still manage to smile even if we are uncertain of what the future holds. They say that the worse has yet to come. Nobody knows when Taal will release its anger in full blast. As of this writing, it appears a little calm based on the smoke coming out of it but who knows if it’s just really a “calm before the storm.” 

Climate change at its finest, geez…the world is getting hot! And I mean it, literally. One of the reasons why I became vegan is the environment, the earth. I know I cannot save the world overnight by going vegan, but, imagine reducing carbon footprint by not eating animal meat each day. Viruses coming from carcass of animals are being passed on to humans...I think it's animals way of saying "pay back time!" The earth is getting old, calamities here and there but it's making me think, we contributed to all of it, didn't we? This is all a wake up call... there is no second earth or any other habitual planet we can go. I hope and pray that it’s never too late for change.

BlogMas

It's 20 days left until Christmas...who's excited? The weather is starting to get chilly especially early in the morning. Everybody wants a white Christmas but for a tropical country like the Philippines, I think we're all set when the weather feels like it's going to snow as long as there's no rain.

I'm still not done with my Christmas shopping but I'm hoping that I will be asap before the holiday rush because I hate last minute stuff and I'm crossing my fingers that it won't happen, lol, but we'll see. 

I've been quite busy these past few months because I'm running my own online business plus two of our beloved pets were rushed to the hospital just few weeks apart. My sister and I brought our ginger cat to the vet because he had a "cat fight" and had his left hand and right foot severely damaged it was all stiched up and was on meds thank God he's fully recovered. Just when we thought that we have nothing more to worry about, our German Shepherd dog caught some sort of bacterial infection he was starting to get dehydrated so we rushed him to the vet clinic and was confined overnight. Our GSD is still on medication we're hoping that his follow-up check-up next week will turn out okay, it will depend on the result of his CBC (complete blood count). Having pets are like having extra family members and getting sick is not easy because it's costly but hey they are family and they also need a lot of TLC  (tender, loving, care). We've lost two dogs early this year and we cannot afford to lose another that is why we make sure to take them to the vet as early as possible when we feel like they need proper care. 

I guess that's it for now. Happy holidays wherever you are!

Happy holidays!

It's 68 days more to go till Christmas. My sister and I are done decorating for the holidays as early as September would you believe it? Nope, we're not that excited, lol. Our holiday theme this year consists of black, white and gold accents, we'd like a rustic Christmas for a change. We recycle our Christmas decors every year because buying new ones is not the most practical thing to do so I just buy a large can of spray paint and change the color of our Christmas balls and wreath as well. DIY-ing stuff is always a fun activity for me, it also gets my creative juices flowing. I thought about selling our old decors and just buy new ones but then again, why buy when you can simply DIY? 

Our rustic holiday table setting

Spray-painted our Christmas balls from last year
from silver and blue to black

These are all empty boxes for now.
For decorative purposes only

I put together this centerpiece for our living room
table

Our Halloween/Christmas wreath, lol.

While unpacking bale of clothes for my online shop, I also found real cute Christmas socks I thought what a coincidence because we really need them. My sibs and I really enjoy coming up with different Christmas motif each year, because why not? Christmas is not just the usual red, white and green but all the wonderful colors that brings about the holiday cheers right? 

Frosty the Snowman

Holly Jolly Christmas socks

My Rainy Day Survival Tips

Rainy days are here again and it's here to stay. With class suspensions here and there due to inclement weather plus a lot of experimenting going on to alleviate traffic, we must be ready to brave anything or everything, pretty much. If you're a commuter, imagine the hassle of having to go to school despite the bad weather just to learn that after a few hours classes will be suspended. It would be totally chaotic also for those who go to work because they have to go through the same hell over again just to get home. So what's the solution for all these? "Patience" and I mean lots of it. I use to be a commuter myself (I work from home now) so I know how it feels to get stuck in the middle of traffic, get stranded and all. Well, you just really have to find a way to calm yourself amidst it all or stress yourself which does not solve anything, to be honest. 

Let me share three (3) rainy day survival tips especially when you get stuck in traffic. As we all know when it pours, expect heavy traffic anywhere in the Philippines.

1. Rain gear 

What better way to protect yourself but to wear rain gear? A raincoat will not just prevent you from getting soaked, it will also protect your bag and everything inside it. Make sure to wear rain boots as well for health reasons. You wouldn't want your feet soaked in dirty waters you might catch athlete's foot or even worse leptospirosis and other communicable diseases. 

All geared up for the rainy days

Waterproof backpack

Rainy days call for extra space in your bag but I assure you it would be worth it. A waterproof bag is ideal but if you don't have one, then that's no problem at all because you can always wear a raincoat to cover it or you can use any plastic. If you're not comfortable wearing rain gears then you can always bring an umbrella. In my experience, a single fold umbrella is more reliable since it's more resistant to strong winds because it does not flip easily compared to the three-fold ones. But if you tend to be forgetful like me, I suggest carrying an umbrella that you can easily tuck inside your bag just make sure to cover it with plastic so everything inside your bag will not get wet. I do this all the time because I do not want to leave my umbrella in the umbrella rack at my workplace as I get paranoid it might get lost. I would rather have my umbrella inside my bag in the locker so I can have peace of mind. Let's just say that my stuff has sentimental value to me.

The classic big umbrella

Three folds umbrella

2. First Aid Kit 

First aid kit is not limited to medicines, water, and light snacks alone but extra clothing (including undergarments), towels and hygiene kit as well. Make sure to waterproof them properly because there is no point in bringing all the extra stuff if it will be soaked too. You can put all your important belongings including your gadgets and power bank in ziplock bags or any other waterproof case if you're trying to reduce plastic usage to help save mother earth. Make sure to charge your phone, power bank, and other gadgets for emergency purposes. Your first aid kit is not just a lifesaver during rainy days but also in case of other natural calamities.

First Aid Kit

Hygiene kit

Bring extra clothes in case you get wet

3.  Chill

Do not leave home without saving tons of your favorite music, TV shows or movies on your phone or tablet. This not only relieves stress but helps kill time as well. Time flies when you're pre-occupied as long as you have a power bank to back you up when you run low on is battery, then you're good to go. When you're stuck in traffic you can still try to be as productive as you can. You can listen to relaxing music or stream movies from your phone/tablet, eat, hydrate yourself or even get a nap because when traffic hits you hard you can't really fight sleepiness. I'm not really comfortable sleeping inside public vehicles but there are times that I really cannot control myself especially when I'm very tired. Our body needs time to recover from a long day but make sure to wake up when somebody needs to alight to avoid annoying other passengers.

Stream

A power bank should always come handy

Eat

Get a nap

Just remember to always expect the unexpected and it's better to be safe than sorry. Make sure to keep R.F.C. in mind: Rain Gear, First Aid Kit and to Chill, be optimistic because everything will pass, just like the rain.

What’s Up With Faceapp?

FaceApp is a mobile application for iOS and Android developed by Russian company Wireless Lab which uses artificial intelligence to generate highly realistic transformations of faces in photographs. The app can transform a face to make it smile, look younger, look older, or change gender (source: Wikipedia).

Faceapp has become very popular on social media because of its cool filters. Everyone, even celebrities, went gaga over this app. How it works is, you simply have to download the app for free. It is available for download to both Android and iOS users. It’s pretty straightforward and not complicated at all. You can either take a selfie or upload a picture from your mobile phone and voila! You can start playing with different filters already, simple as that. Everyone seems to enjoy Faceapp until recently, privacy issues started surfacing the Internet. 

According to news, Faceapp might have unauthorized access to users personal camera roll or that photos were being stored in the cloud and then transferred to Russian servers, where they could be accessed by Russian state security agencies. People on the Internet began to panic that Russians might be able to share any user data they wanted. Another issue raised by FaceApp users was that the iOS app appears to be overriding settings if a user had denied access to their camera roll, after people reported they could still select and upload a photo even if, for instance, the app not having permission to access their photos.

FaceApp added that they “might” store the photo users have chosen to upload in the cloud for a short period, claiming this is done for “performance and traffic” — such as to make sure that a user doesn’t repeatedly upload the same photo to carry out another edit. Furthermore, Faceapp mentioned that “most images” are deleted from their servers within 48 hours from the upload date. It also claims no user data is “transferred to Russia”, even though its R&D team is based there. According to Faceapp founder Yaroslav Goncharov that: “We don’t sell or share any user data with any third parties.”

So how do users delete their data? If you are worried and would like to completely get rid of all your photos on FaceApp, the only way to do it is by sending delete requests via the mobile app using “Settings-Support-Report a bug” with the word “privacy” in the subject line. 

Just recently, Faceapp releases a statement for its users’ peace of mind. Here it is in full:

We are receiving a lot of inquiries regarding our privacy policy and therefore, would like to provide a few points that explain the basics:

1. FaceApp performs most of the photo processing in the cloud. We only upload a photo selected by a user for editing. We never transfer any other images from the phone to the cloud.

2. We might store an uploaded photo in the cloud. The main reason for that is performance and traffic: we want to make sure that the user doesn’t upload the photo repeatedly for every edit operation. Most images are deleted from our servers within 48 hours from the upload date.

3. We accept requests from users for removing all their data from our servers. Our support team is currently overloaded, but these requests have our priority. For the fastest processing, we recommend sending the requests from the FaceApp mobile app using “Settings-Support-Report a bug” with the word “privacy” in the subject line. We are working on the better UI for that.

4. All FaceApp features are available without logging in, and you can log in only from the settings screen. As a result, 99% of users don’t log in; therefore, we don’t have access to any data that could identify a person.

5. We don’t sell or share any user data with any third parties.

6. Even though the core R&D team is located in Russia, the user data is not transferred to Russia.

Inclement Weather + Online Shopping

Here comes the rain again. I'm no girl scout but due to the inclement weather, I never leave the house without my rain gear. Rainy day sucks for the most part but what can you do when you live in a country where the only seasons available are wet and dry, plus blame the rest of it on climate change. My cat has been sleeping a lot lately so I can tell that it's cuddle season once again. 

Rain, rain, go away...

Bed weather for Atari cat

Rainy season comes with a lot of delay in terms of parcel deliveries, thank God I got all my packages already. I used to shop on eBay a lot but it takes a month or two before my parcel arrives because majority of the shops are virtually located abroad so I opted for something local although these days I heard that even orders coming from overseas no longer take forever to arrive in the mail but still, I prefer to shop from local sellers just to be sure in case a problem arises. I would like to be able to talk to someone I can understand. I thought I will stay with eBay for the rest of my life until I discovered Shopee maybe three or four years ago (this is not sponsored btw). I am so far still satisfied with their service because I am able to receive my packages in less than a week. Of course, I had my share of order problems in the past but it's nothing major and was resolved in no time. I still enjoy online shopping for over a decade now I guess because I am vigilant enough to know if a seller can be trusted or not. I suggest checking buyer feedback on items that you are looking to purchase first to make sure that it's legit and always opt for online sellers with high ratings and good reviews. It's better to be safe than sorry.

My Shopee haul (L-R): Macbook Air 11 case, 16cm Studio Ring Light & my cute Cat Coffee Teaspoon

Not All That Glitter Is Gold

I love anything that shimmers from makeup to nail polish, but it never occurred to me where that shine actually comes from until after watching The Dark Secret Behind Your Favorite Makeup Products, a documentary that exposes child labor on Mica Mining, the dark side of beauty is that, not all that glitter is gold. 

So what exactly is Mica? It is a naturally occurring mineral dust often found in foundations, as filler in cement and asphalt and as insulation material in electric cables. Mica is pretty much everywhere, so to speak, it is used in construction materials that require the use of protective gear and masks when exposed, as prolonged exposure may cause lung scarring. Mica can be found in Russia, China, Finland, U.S., and Canada but India is the largest producer of this mineral. 

Mica is mined by children as early as four or five years old because their hands are small enough to fit into the tight crevices where it is commonly found. Imagine the children in remote villages of Jharkhand and Bihar who risk their lives every single day going inside dangerous caves without protection because there is no vital means of livelihood in the area. Children have died in collapsed mines but those who survived still kept coming back because they are left with no choice to sustain their lives. According to Responsible Mica Initiative that about 25% of the world production of mica comes from illegal collection in North-East India where more than 20,000 children are working in extremely harsh conditions to support their family (source: https://www.responsible-mica-initiative.com/the-mica-issue.html). Mica being linked to child labor is known to the cosmetic industry but laxity is the problem that is why even vegan makeup brands have no guarantees that it is cruelty-free for children. There are makeup brands, however, that are working towards ethically sourced mica such as Sephora Collection, Revlon, Estee Lauder Companies (which includes Bobbi Brown, Becca, Smashbox, Tom Ford Beauty, Clinique and Too Faced), L'Oreal Companies (such as Urban Decay, Maybelline, Essie and NYX) just to name a few (link to source here).

The mica miners of India

As a vegan, it hit hard me that supporting cruelty-free brands is NOT enough. Yes, animals are the most abused living beings on this planet but it does not mean that humans especially children do not experience cruelty as well. The ugly truth about the beauty industry is child labor. Slavery is very rampant not just in the beauty industry but pretty much in every industry and the only way to make it stop is to discontinue support for brands that continue to enslave and take advantage of helpless human beings just for profit. 

A little bit of compassion goes a long way so please, take child labor out of your cosmetics. 

Back to School + Positive Reinforcement on Animals

It’s Back to School 

It's back to school season again. June is the start of a new academic school year for most schools in the Philippines, but not yet for my niece who's an incoming grade six student because the start of classes is not until August. It was just like yesterday when she’s in grade three, time flies really. It’s only three more weeks until the new school year begins. She’s pretty much ready for school, she’s got new set of books, uniforms and we’re also done shopping for school supplies. I guess what I'm excited about is that she will get to see her old friends again and hopefully meet new ones. 

I thought the main reason for moving the start of the school year from June to August is just because it's the start of the rainy season in the country, but also to align it with the international academic calendar. According to sources, the Philippines and Thailand are the only countries that start their classes in June. To be honest, I did not notice a huge difference at all because the rainy season does not end in June, it's pretty much until the end of the year actually so there's still a lot of typhoons and class suspensions. 

Positive Reinforcement on Dogs

I’ve also been training our pets basic tricks for four years now. Jagger, our three-year-old German Shepherd just recently learned to catch food. I’m no pro when it comes to training animals but I believe that it is necessary for them to at least learn basic tricks like sit, stay, lay down, etc. Animals are more disciplined when they are taught basic tricks at an early age and they also learn to become patient and tolerant. Positive reinforcement on dogs and other animals works like a charm. We have three dogs and a cat in our household and I’m proud to say that all of them knows a trick or two. Animals will do anything for food so I make sure to reward them for a job well done. No matter how challenging it is to train pets, it’s always a rewarding feeling to see them learn something new. 

Positive reinforcement means adding something immediately 
after a behavior occurs that makes the frequency of the behavior go up.