Make my not-so-interesting life more interesting

AI 10 Top 13 Studio Recordings

2011-03-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

Bringing this blog back to life. Download the American Idol Top 13 Studio Recordings here.

Typhoon Ondoy Updates

2009-09-30T21:46:00.001-07:00

I know I can't do much now that I'm preoccupied with both work and my review, but I would still like to help out in any way that I can. If up to now, you're still unaware of the tragedy that typhoon Ondoy brought us, then I don’t know what to tell you. Right now, I’m trying to accomplish as much work as I can so that I can be free to volunteer again tomorrow, but even though there’s a lot on my mind right now, I still try to keep up with what’s happening throughout the Metro through Twitter and Facebook. There’s no sense in RTing in Twitter though because I have very few followers anyway so I just thought I could post this here so that anyone out of my 53 followers :) can keep themselves informed so that they can help out in the relief efforts too.

Anyway, here are the people in Twitter who are constantly tweeting to announce updates on the relief efforts around the metro. By following them, I know which places need more volunteers and which ones are overflowing with them. You can also learn what relief goods are needed and general news about the condition of the Metro.

ABS-CBN News Break – http://www.twitter.com/abscbnnewsbrk
Tsiakhyie - http://www.twitter.com/tsiakhyie
Bianca Gonzales - http://www.twitter.com/iamsuperbianca
Divine Lee of Luca - http://www.twitter.com/divinemlee
Lia Cruz - http://www.twitter.com/liadcruz
Philippine Red Cross – http://www.twitter.com/philredcross
Jenni Epperson - http://www.twitter.com/jenniepperson
Enderun Community Drive - http://www.twitter.com/enderuncd
Sec. Gibo Teodoro - http://www.twitter.com/giboteodoro
Andi Manzano - http://www.twitter.com/andimanzano

I love what Enderun is doing. They prepare the donations to the evacuation centers so that they become ready to eat. They cook rice, canned goods, eggs and stuff and ask the Red Cross, the Army or other centers can bring them to whomever needs the food. Visit their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Taguig-Philippines/Enderun-Community-Drive/141968979310?ref=ts.

If you’re looking for ways to help out, Bianca Gonzales compiled a pretty good list in her blog at http://superbianca.blogspot.com/.

For those who still have missing relatives, you can refer to the database compiled by Ateneo volunteers, which you can access at http://ateneotaskforceondoy.misa.org.ph/.

Finally, there’s a concert happening from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM today at the Megatent in Meralco Avenue called Raise the Roof for the benefit of the victims of Ondoy. 45 bands will be playing so please support them if you can. Tickets cost just P100 or a survival pack with water, 2 canned goods, 2 cup noodles and biscuits. http://www.twitpic.com/jr9kv

Let's pray! There's another storm coming and I heard that CNN is calling it a super typhoon! That's it. Thanks everyone!

Got these in the mail today!

2009-09-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

I ordered the Peach Sake Pore Serum immediately because I couldn't wait after sampling it at the Skinfood store. I also ordered samples of the Gold Caviar Nutrition Mask, Honey Black Tea Jelly Foam, Black Sugar Mask Wash off and Avocado Rich Toner and Emulsion. I also got more samples for freebies! I got Missha Signature Radiance Foundation and Skinfood Apple Vinegar Fresh Foam. I haven't tried them but I'm really excited. I'll keep you posted!

P.S. Sorry for the crappy picture. I only used my webcam.

Want to win your own Ugg boots?

2009-09-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Christmas is just a few months away and although we don't have a true winter, I still enjoy wearing boots during that season. I've always been kind of drawn to Ugg boots because of their classic style and add to that how comfortable it must feel to wear them. What was new to me was that these boots have natural insulators that produce a constant comfortable temperature of 22 degrees regardless of the outside temperature. That makes these Ugg boots completely wearable for people living in tropical countries like us!

Now authentic Ugg boots do not come cheap so if you want to have a chance to win free Ugg boots, visit the Whooga Ugg boots website here. Whooga sells Ugg boots in the UK. Anyone with a website, blog or even just a myspace page all over the world is eligible to win. All they require is to display their widget in your blog and you'll be automatically entered to their monthly draws. Cool, right? Again, click here for more information. Good luck!

Contest Alert: Shen and Gem

2009-09-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Two contests ending soon!

First, Gem of Rare Vanity is giving away a couple of cool beauty items by simply reposting the prizes and leaving a comment on her contest mechanics post. You can win the following items!

Moving on, birthday girl Shen of Shen's Addiction is giving away these wonderful prizes to one lucky winner. View her contest's mechanics here.
Have fun and good luck to us!

Ranting about my skin problems :)

2009-09-17T05:38:00.000-07:00

Last year, my knowledge of makeup was close to none. My makeup "stash" (if you could call it that) only included lip balm, blush and pressed powder. To be honest, I'm also quite lazy when it comes to skin care. I'd get interested in a product because of good reviews or nice packaging, but after using it a few times, it would end up not being used up. It was just last year when my husband told me I looked pretty with makeup that I really made an effort. :)

Now, although I don't really have any of the expensive brands, I have enough stuff worthy of being called "stash". I just wanted to have the essentials and I think I was able to achieve that. I have the basic brushes, foundation, concealer, mascara, eyeshadows, eyeliner, eyebrow kit, eye primer, along with lippies, blushes and pressed powder. I try to wear tinted moisturizer and blush before I leave the house now too. Then I practice applying eye makeup on weekends. I'm still no expert, but at least I can manage most of these products.

Unfortunately, since my new found interest in makeup, I noticed some unwelcome changes to my skin. My pores are now more noticeable, I have a lot more blackheads and my skin's now oilier. It's a bit upsetting, but I guess that's just what happens when you put stuff on your face. I'm considering getting a facial treatment and see how that works out, but I'm more interested in having a better skin care regimen.

Just recently, I came across SkinFood again after dismissing it quickly early on because of the sky high prices, but I learned that they're much cheaper when preordered from various multiply and ebay retailers. The thing is, there's just so much stuff that I'm really confused about what I'm supposed to order. There's a serum, essence, emulsion... There's a cleansing foam, cleansing cream, cleansing gel... There's salmon, tea tree, seaweed, black sugar, tomato, white grape, green grape, rice white and so much more. It's just so confusing! I hope I can figure this out soon or at least before the preorder ends. My skin depends on it. :)

Blog Beauty Sale

2009-09-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I need to unload some stuff. Please support!

Urban Decay Primer Potion - 1100

Urban Decay Primer Potion SIN - 1200
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil VIP Set (travel size) - 1600

includes Zero (zealous black), Lucky (brilliant deep copper), Covet (peacock green), Electric (bright aquamarine), Lust (plush purple)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Duo Zero and Bourbon (full size)- 1500 (It costs $17 each when purchased individually.) I know someone who wants Zero lang so if you're interested in Bourbon, you can split the cost. Just let me know. Pero I don't want to split the pencils kung wala pang buyer for both eh.

ELF Studio Line
Small Angled Brush - 200
Angled Foundation Brush - 200
Complexion Brush - 200
Eyebrow Kit in Dark - 200
Translucent Mattifying Powder - 200

ELF Brightening Eye Color in Punk Funk - 80

Bath and Body Works Body Splash in Moonlight Path (travel size) - 200
Victoria's Secret Refreshing Body Mist in Blossoming Romance - 300
Victoria's Secret Refreshing Body Mist in Strawberries & Champagne - 300
Victoria's Secret Refreshing Body Mist in Vanilla Lace - 300
Victoria's Secret Hand and Body Cream in Strawberries & Champagne - 300

Wet N Wild Mega Eyes in Mojave Mauves - 200
Wet N Wild Ultimate Expressions in Paradise Cove 250

I will ship the items using Xend and the buyer is responsible for the shipping costs.

Contact me at gelsee@gmail.com for any questions or inquiries. Thanks!

New Elf Makeup Collections!

2009-08-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't get the ELF Mini Makeup Collection before because I was just starting to build my makeup collection and I thought I wouldn't be too interested in these things, but when I started to love makeup and other beauty products, I wanted one! Now I'm so glad I didn't get one because ELF came out with new makeup collections bigger than the original one they launched.

They now have a Medium Makeup Collection, which includes 64 eyeshadow shades, 8 lipgloss shades, 4 blushes, 4 bronzers, 1 lip brush, 1 eye brush and 1 face brush.They also have a Large Makeup Collection, which includes 84 eyeshadows, 36 lipglosses, 6 blushes, 4 concealers, 4 shimmer cream shades, 4 bronzers, 1 face brush, 1 lip brush and 1 duo eyeshadow applicator.

The Medium Makeup Collection retails for $30 and the Large Makeup Collection costs $40. I want the Large one really bad, but I'll wait for a good deal first. I'll be really patient. I love ELF!

My New Charm Brushes

2009-08-11T04:25:00.000-07:00

Got my package from Beauty and Minerals in the mail today. I've been trying to limit my spending because we had to pay for part of my hospital bill, but I couldn't pass this up. Beauty and Minerals is having a mid-year sale of their cute Charm brushes. I've been lemming for the retractable Kabuki brush for the longest time because I want something that I can easily pack in my bag for touch-ups. I'm not actually the type of person who does a lot of retouching, but I still feel like it's a must-have.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the bristles are white, unlike the picture on their website. My Suesh eyeshadow brush has white bristles and it got stained when I didn't wash it immediately after using it.
I also got their crease brush, because I have a small lid space and I thought having a smaller blending brush would work better for my eyelids.
I'm reserving judgment after I use it. I just got it today and I haven't washed it yet so I haven't had the chance to try them.

P.S. I'm sorry, but I can't get the last two pictures to rotate. :)

2009-08-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

I was in the ER twice last week. I went there to have myself checked last Thursday and to get my treatment started. Unfortunately, my fever was getting out of hand and it was consistently above 40 the whole day Friday so they decided to bring me to the ER again that night and this time to be admitted.

I stayed there until Monday morning, when I have been without a fever for more than 24 hours. I've never been confined to the hospital so it felt weird to be the patient. Since Thursday afternoon when my high fever started, I haven't been online and that went for almost four days. I know that's the longest time I haven't checked my email or used my computer. Haha.

What I hate besides being sick that is, is the fact that I had to excuse myself from work and also miss a few days of my review. I'm glad my boss is very understanding, but I don't know how I'll be able to do well on my first progress test in Kaplan. For sure, it won't be a walk in the park. I have to try and make up for it by reading at home.

Anyway, I gotta get back to work so till next time! Thanks for reading guys. :) I really appreciate it.

My Kaplan experience so far

2009-07-14T04:03:00.000-07:00

It feels like a long time since I last posted in my blog. I got sick last week and then immediately after that, I started my NCLEX review in Kaplan. I've been going there almost everyday, although only for a few hours. So far I've been learning a lot and I really feel that it's very helpful, but I just have a few observations about the Kaplan Center.

I'm enrolled at the Kaplan Center in Buendia so all these things apply only to them. I don't know anything about the other centers except that they have the same course outline and materials as all the other Kaplan Centers outside the United States.

Basically, the Kaplan review involves watching a lot of VHS tapes and DVDs discussing and applying the techniques that they are teaching. You are also given a home study kit that includes 2 books (The Basics Book and Course Book) plus an extra booklet for internationally-educated nurses. There are also a lot of practice questions with rationale. They help you figure out how to analyze and apply critical thinking to answer questions similar to those in the NCLEX. You have to complete at least 160 or 180 hours before you can attend the live classes if you are enrolled for the full course. For now, I opted for just the lab and kit.

When I saw the lab, I felt like there were enough stations, but when I started on the course, I was very disappointed. A lot of their VHS and DVD players are faulty and even some of the TVs don't work. There were also a few tapes that I asked them to replace because they simply wouldn't play. I also find it hard that I have to leave my things outside and that I can't bring snacks and drinks with me. I don't know about the others but I need sugar to sustain my energy. As far as the material goes, I feel like I made the right decision when I enrolled in Kaplan. Their test-taking techniques are far better than anything I've read in Mosby or Saunders or learned anywhere. I've been going there for just over a week and I feel like I learned a lot already.

Ugh, I feel like I'm completely incapable of writing short posts. Anyway, I'll give more updates later this month when I start with The Basics Book. If you made it this far, thanks so much! I appreciate all my followers, especially those who take time to comment.

Contest Alert: Beauty for a Living

2009-07-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Another awesome giveaway by Beauty for a Living this month! She's giving away a bunch of gift certificates worth P10,000 from Aesthetic Science to one lucky person.

Prizes include gift certificates for a Diamond Peel, eMax Skin Rejuvenation, Body Scrub with Bleach plus Massage and Reshape for Abdomen or Butt and Thighs. Contest ends on midnight of July 3 so hurry up and post it on your blogs! Click here for more details!

Helper from Hell

2009-07-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this post as a warning to everyone. Please screen your maids thoroughly before entrusting your house to them. My parents went on vacation for three weeks and left the house to a trusted helper who's been with us for years and two other new helpers. Unfortunately, one of them was very problematic and did things we never imagined. She had a relationship with a jeepney driver who parked his vehicle just outside our village and would leave the house to spend the night with him for a few days at a time. She also emptied my parents' piggy bank, and I know, that might not have been a big amount, but I thought it's still worth mentioning here. She also used my mom's sandals and even played with her makeup! I just couldn't believe my ears when my mom told me about this. Nanay Lydia, our entrusted helper kept her mouth shut because she was scared of the guy she was dating so she didn't tell my husband when he called. They were alone in our house anyway.

When my parents came home and found out about it, they immediately sent her packing. Be wary of the helpers you're hiring and make the necessary precautions to avoid these circumstances. I'm pretty sure my parents learned their lesson and would never leave their room unlocked if they're planning to be away for a while. It might also be a good idea to ask your new hire to get a Police or NBI Clearance or at least take their picture so that they will think twice before doing anything bad. There you go, hope you learned something!

Review: C.O. Bigelow Vitamin Mentha

2009-06-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

Before we came home, we were in Valley Plaza, one of the few malls in Bakersfield to do some last minute shopping. Incidentally, it was the Semi-Annual Sale of Bath and Body Works and I was lucky enough to pick up a few things, particularly the discontinued Cool Citrus Basil line and my husband's favorite, Cucumber Melon. I was told earlier that they bring out some of their discontinued products during their sales and I wanted to take advantage of that because I really love how Cool Citrus Basil smells. I also picked up a few other scents that were on sale and I thought smelled good like Moonlight Path, Pink Grapefruit and Mango Mandarin. I knew they were difficult to bring home because they were kind of heavy, but I liked them too much so I got the small bottles. I have a few extras that I might sell in my multiply site so watch out for them.

Anyway, as I was checking out, I saw this fish bowl with some lipsticks and though I don't usually buy cosmetics when I haven't read the reviews, I caved because it was so cheap! It was $2 each and I thought it won't be so bad if it turns out to be a crappy product. Amazingly, it turned out to be really, really good. I got the C.O. Bigelow Vitamin Mentha Tinted Lip Balm in Vintage Rouge Mint. It's regular price is $7.50, which I think is kind of steep so I don't think I would buy this if it's not on sale, but I just love it. I like Soft Lips because it's minty and moisturizing, so I love this even more because I think it's double the minty effect of Soft Lips and it might even be more moisturizing. I also love the color. It's pinkish with a bit of shimmer and it really works well on my skin tone. I was even asked by a sales lady, what kind of lipstick I was wearing one time I was out. I sometimes wear it under a sparkly lip gloss to add some variation and it never fails to disappoint. Now, I'm kicking myself for not getting more of it and not trying out the other colors. Next time I chance upon a BBW sale, I'm so getting more!

Giveaway Alert: LOVEPINK

2009-06-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

I've been seriously slacking on posting just cause I'm kind of sad that my vacation already ended (haha) and I want to spend some time with my husband after being apart from him for an entire month. Anyway, I thought about sneaking in this giveaway alert for the few ones who follow my blog. :)

Lovepink has a big Mac giveaway and sale. And it's a lot of really good items that I wanna have so this is my entry and I hope you join too. :) These are the items that she's giving away.

It's ending soon so you better start typing! Again, visit her blog here.

Drooling over Aldo Rosenberger Glads

2009-06-08T04:34:00.000-07:00

I saw this pair in Aldo when we were in Union Square and up to this day, I still keep thinking about it.It's just so gorgeous! I love everything about it. It costs $75 and especially with everything I've spent this past month, I can't afford it. I just wanted to share how gorgeous this pair is. And I want it so much I'll be using The Secret to have it. :) Of course, it'd be easier if someone buys it for me. If anyone's kind enough to give this to me, I'll be forever in your debt. Thanks in advance! Haha :)

Review: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock

2009-06-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

During the Suesh workshop, Ms. Suzanne Tan emphasized the need for sun protection and although I already knew that, I realized I should start taking care of my skin now that I have a growing interest in makeup. I purchased Nivea Refreshing Fluid Protect SPF 30 more than a month ago and I was having a problem with it, because it was making my face oilier than usual. Almost immediately after application, I find myself reaching for oil-blotting sheets because of this sunscreen, which is why I was on the hunt for another one that's better suited with my combination skin.

I did some research using the ever-reliable Google and came across Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock. It has good reviews and it was also recommended by Ms. Suzanne so I immediately went to the drugstore to purchase it. I got the SPF 45 because I thought it would be lighter on the skin, but I was wrong. (Explanation later)I tried it on and it applied like a dream. It went on matte, unlike the Nivea. It lives up to its ad that it feels like you have nothing on. I also applied foundation on top of it and it worked well as a base. I also love the fact that it's waterproof and sweat-proof. Its formula is also PABA-free and won't clog pores because it's non-comedogenic. It's like all I ever wanted in a sunblock.

I recommended it to my aunt and grandma and they love it! My grandma bought the SPF 55, and it feels the same on the skin as the SPF45. I'm confident that it'll be the same for the higher SPFs and I might try the higher SPFs when I consume this tube. Neutrogena offers up to SPF 100+, which is great.

Overall, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock is my HG sunblock and I highly recommend it. It's available in Watson's in the Philippines, so it's accessible to almost everyone. If you're on the lookout for a great non-oily sunscreen, go ahead and try Neutrogena.

Another Contest Alert: Captchrystina

2009-06-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

Another awesome giveaway by a fellow blogger, Captchrystina. And this time, it's a couple of cool Nars products. Get four chances of winning by leaving a comment here, blogging about it, following her on twitter and twittering about this contest! Exciting? Hurry up and join! Contest ends on June 9.

Contest Alert: Mayaari

2009-06-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Mayaari is having a contest!

You can win either Pack 1 which has these cool items:
Whitening Sleeping Mask
Dariya hair sheets
mini Fresh Soy cleanser
Darkness lashes
NYX eyeshadow trio in Highlight/Brown/Suede
Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus
NYX Concealer in a Jar in Beige
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in Pacific, Slate, and Cottage Cheese
NYX Green Concealer StickOr the equally enticing Pack 2 which has the following:
Oil Control/Acne Sleeping Mask
Softymo Whitening Cleansing Oil
false eyelashes
NYX eyeshadow trio in Copacabana
Benefit Bad Gal mascara
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in Iced Mocha, Pots & Pans, Strawberry Milk
NYX Green Concealer Stick
...and 1 or two extras, since this has a mini mascara, no hair sheets, and no concealer.

Nice, right? If you're interested, you can see the contest rules here.

Urban Decay Primers and Another Batch of E.L.F.

2009-05-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a week-long trip with my family. We went to San Francisco and stayed at a house in San Raphael, a neighboring town for a few days and then headed to Mammoth Mountain for a few more days wherein all we got to do was take pictures, because of the bad weather. Anyway, it was still a lot of fun. We stayed in two beautiful houses and I kinda miss our family vacation. The last time we took a trip was after my wedding last year in Boracay and Palawan. The only thing I am bummed about is not having my husband here with us. He's stuck in the Philippines because he couldn't take time off from work.

Anyway, I was looking forward to coming back to Bakersfield because I ordered a couple more stuff from E.L.F. and a few more Urban Decay Primer Potions from Beauty.comsince I was getting a lot of orders for it. I got the original primer potions and a few in SIN.

And I'm glad they're all here! I got some E.L.F. Studio stuff like their Complexion Brush, Powder Brush, Angled Foundation Brush, Angled Liner Brush, Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder, Translucent Mattifying Powder and Eyebrow Kit that I'll be putting up for sale in my multiply account soon. I also might consider selling the Mini Makeup Collection. It looks so chic and it's really good for travelling. I just don't know if anyone would be interested in buying it since it would cost almost P1,000. What do you think? Should I order more of it?

I can't wait to get back to the Philippines to sell these items. I have complete confidence in these products because I use them myself so I'm pretty psyched about making them available at least to some people. That's all for now. Thanks for taking time to read and to those who comment, I really appreciate it!

Six Flags Magic Mountain Experience

2009-05-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, my brother GJ, my cousin Deryck and I drove about two hundred miles south of Bakersfield to experience the famous roller coasters of Magic Mountain. I really wasn't looking forward to it cause I feel like I'm past my thirst for adventure stage. And the last time the three of us went to a theme park, I was gasping for air trying to catch up with them. But after a bit of urging from the family saying it would be a nice experience and it won't be fun for them if it would be just the two of them, I gave in heavy-hearted.

On the way there, I was really dreading the roller coasters, but at the same time praying it won't be so bad. I've rode a few of them growing up and I remember enjoying it quite a bit, but this was different. They had freakishly huge rollercoasters that I'm not sure I can handle. I've been hearing about this ride called Superman, which is probably the most popular ride there. From their site, it says:

Live the legend of DC Comics’ Superman by accelerating from 0 to 100 mph in seven seconds before shooting straight up a 41-story tower.

I was completely freaked out about going there precisely because of this ride, but that's not even half of what Six Flags has to offer. According to the guide we were handed, it's just one of the moderate thrill rides. They have nine max thrill rides to choose from and right when we got there, GJ wanted to head to Goliath. I almost puked just looking at it, but at the same time I wanted to know if I could handle it or not so I just followed the two boys, checked our bags in the lockers, hung in tight and closed my eyes. It was really quick and there was a lot of cursing going on, but it was all over before I knew it. Although I was a bit dizzy after just seconds of being in the air, I felt a sigh of relief after realizing I could actually handle it. I bravely followed the two to The Riddler's Revenge for another max thrill ride which is said to be the world's fastest and tallest stand-up roller coaster. Phew. It wasn't that bad. But going from one ride to another involved a lot of walking under the sun and it was like a hundred degrees outside. I felt like I was gonna have a heat stroke so I sat down while they trekked, as in literally trekked up the road to Superman. I had an excuse to skip it.

When they got back, we had lunch then rode Goldrusher, a moderate thrill ride which was kindy corny to us but the kids enjoyed quite a lot. We headed to Tatsu, which had a pretty long line but was worth the wait. It's the fastest, tallest and longest flying coaster on earth, according to their site. We were suspended ninety degrees with our feet hanging in the air. And then off we went to Viper, with the world's tallest vertical loop, two other loops, a four-story corkscrew and a double-barrel boomerang turn. Lastly (for me), we waited in line for more than an hour to experience X2, which in my opinion was the best out of all we experienced. It had 360-degree rotating seats and head-first, face-down drops. It was amazing. It's probably the only ride which gave me a real high afterwards. I really recommend it. If there's one roller coaster you're gonna ride in Magic Mountain, it has to be X2. I was so beat that I decided to skip Deja Vu and just wait for them to finish since the park was about to close down anyway.

I was honestly so tired and couldn't wait to come home. I'm pretty sure I said more curse words that day than this year and last year put together. But it was okay. I'm glad I can say that I conquered a lot of their max thrill rides, but you probably won't see me there at least in the next five years. Once is enough for me. If you're looking for the most adventurous rides you can find, Magic Mountain is the place for you. But if you're a scaredy cat like me, you're better off shopping at the outlets nearby. Oh and I'm sorry I don't have pictures. I was too busy being hustled to rush to the next ride by my two companions to take a moment to take pictures. :)

Miggy's Honor Banquet

2009-05-18T22:39:00.001-07:00

I just came home from Hodel's Country Dining to enjoy my cousin Miggy's honor banquet. Food was pretty blah. Only a few choices. And you get to sit with people you don't know because only two guests were allowed, but it was cool. It was all about the honor roll and I'm proud of my cousin for making it there for four consecutive years. That's every single year since they moved to the US.

My cousin wore something really casual. He wore a simple polo and blue jeans. He didn't want to dress up like the other kids. The girls were in pretty dresses and some of the boys wore long-sleeved shirts, but some kids opted for more comfortable clothes and a few brave ones even wore shorts.

Miggy or Marco as his friends call him is part of the GATE Program or Gifted and Talented Education Program and they're subjected to stricter and much higher standards than the other kids. For instance, the other kids get twenty-item exams, they have to answer fifty. Despite this, he has maintained his honor status for years. I'm really proud of him.

Tomorrow, my other cousin, Miggy's brother Mikey will be attending his first honor banquet. He's in the fourth grade now and that's the first level wherein they give actual grades. I'm happy he's doing well in school too despite his playful manner. He loves games and toys and he's not as intense as Miggy, but he still managed to achieve good grades this year.

Congratulations to tita Joy and tito Mark for having such smart and good kids! Keep those grades up, Miggy and Mikey!

EDIT: Pics uploaded :)

IN-N-OUT Burgers!

2009-05-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

One of the places I was looking forward to visiting here besides Papa John's Pizza is IN-N-OUT. They make really great burgers and fries that really make my mouth water just thinking about it.
They've only got a few items on their menu. Mostly just burgers and fries. Actually, there aren't many varieties either. It's just the hamburger, cheeseburger and double-double. That's two burger patties and two cheese slices. But it doesn't matter. It's just really good stuff. I don't go into the habit of removing stuff from my food like in pizza and burgers. I don't remove tomatoes, onions and others. I want to enjoy everything in it and these burgers don't disappoint. We ordered two double-doubles for my brother and cousin and one cheeseburger for me.
What do you think? Doesn't it look yummy? I only took a picture of the burgers but the fries are equally great. If you happen to pass by California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, you shouldn't miss having a sumptuous meal at IN-N-OUT. Trust me.

Review: Softlips

2009-05-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

My skin has dried up so much since I arrived here in the US last week. I'm constantly reapplying lotion and moisturizer and some parts of my skin are still peeling from dryness. More than that, my lips dried up almost instantly when I got here. This place is just the opposite of uber humid Manila. The intense heat during the day hasn't helped either. After hearing a lot of good things about Softlips from youtube makeup guru xteeener, I decided to get one for myself when we hit Target. I got the Softlips Limited Edition Vanilla and Peach Mango duo. I've only tried Vanilla because it didn't make sense to open both up at the same time. I've had bad experience with regular Chapstick before so I was a bit skeptical. I don't know why, but I feel like my lips dried up even more if I don't reapply often enough and I'm just not the "retouch" kind of girl. I like to get ready and hope that my makeup lasts throughout the day or even at least a few hours. Anyway, this wasn't the case for Softlips. I love that it has SPF 20 because the sun here has been so harsh! I swear it's reminiscent of Manila. I apply it alone or under my lipstick or lipgloss and it keeps my lips moisturized for hours. It does need reapplying sometimes but I feel like it does it's job of moisturizing and protecting my lips somehow. Applying just lipstick or lip liner dries up my lips sometimes but when I layer Softlips underneath it, it doesn't chap up. I also love the Vanilla scent and how it tingles when I apply it. Unless something comes up, I'm gonna keep using Softlips and its other varieties. I'm also eyeing the Softlips Tinted Lip Conditioners. Might pick it up on my next trip to the drugstore!

Mini E.L.F. Haul

2009-05-17T00:11:00.001-07:00

I hurriedly ordered a few pieces from E.L.F. immediately after I arrived here in Bakersfield, because I was scared the coupon for the free Mini Makeup Collection after a $10 purchase would expire soon.

I picked up some stuff from their studio line particularly an Powder Brush, an Angled Foundation Brush and an Eyelash Curler. I also got their Blending Brush because I didn't have one yet. I chose these items because I read good reviews of these products in some of the beauty blog sites that I constantly follow. Unfortunately, I didn't get the free Mini Makeup Collection even though my coupon went through. I was so surprised and upset that I sent an email to complain (respectfully) right there and then! I hope they really do something about this because I think it's just so unfair! They sent me a Candy Shop Lip Tin in place of the Mini Makeup Collection. Come on! A dollar-worth item instead of the fifteen dollar-worth item in my coupon? I could have used a 50% off coupon if I had known I would just be getting a Lip Tin. Anyway, I sent them a query and I'll give you an update once I receive word from them.
I tried out all the items earlier except for the Angled Foundation Brush and the Candy Shop Lip Tin and I'm liking what I've tried so far. The Eyelash Curler holds my sparse and short lashes and gives me a nice curl when I tried to use it. The Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder worked well. I was able to do some contouring with it using my own Suesh Blush Brush, although I think the bronzer might be too dark for me. I'm still gonna give it a chance though. I might've put too much of it on my face. And I love the Eyebrow Kit a lot. I feel like the gel part holds my eyebrows together and makes it look well-groomed and the powder it comes with is just the perfect color to fill my brows with. I just love it. All the brushes that I got are really soft and evne though I've never used a Blending Brush before, I felt like a pro using it and it wasn't scratchy at all. I was blending the eye shadow into my crease with no problems. The Powder Brush also amazing. I like that it's a flat top brush and it can be used with both powder and liquid foundation. It's super soft and it's just a great brush for the $3 price tag.

I spent a little over $20 on all these items and it's actually a pretty good deal already but I knew I could have gotten a better deal if they didn't mess up my order. I love all the items that I got and I'm gonna order a lot more if I don't find them in Kmart. For those in the Philippines, it might not be possible to order from their websitehere.
But you can find the regular line at malls for P129 if I remember correctly. The Studio Line isn't locally available just yet but I'm hoping they can bring it in soon because I'm hearing so many good things about it.

I'll be doing more reviews later so please keep checking in here. Thanks for reading!

Stuff for Sale!!

2009-05-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

I'm selling a bunch of stuff I picked up here in the States when I get back! Please take a look at my multiply site for more info. Please support, guys! I'll add more if the response is good! Just an overview, I have the following items:

Nyx Diamond Sparkle Lip Glosses

Nyx Eye Shadows

Urban Decay Items

Revlon Items

Thanks everyone! Again, you can view the items here.

Just Arrived!

2009-05-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! We just arrived at my tita and tito's beautiful five-bedroom house in Bakersield, California. When they bought the house earlier this year, they sent us pictures but I never really got to appreciate it until today. I know my tita really likes styling the house and their house was always nicely decorated but I thought this house is just beautiful. They've got lazy boy seats on all their couches and this just reminded me of my husband a lot because I know how much he enjoyed it in Eastwood's Ultra 7 Cinema. The kids' rooms are all pretty and each of the rooms had different touches showing their personalities. And the master's bedroom was huge! It was like the other rooms that I saw before where the bathroom has no door and open to the room, but it's just really cute.

We were all so tired when we got home because we just had a 14-hour flight and had to drive for another hour and a half to get here but we were all so excited to see them and open our pasalubongs. My mom and dad will follow us here two weeks from now and we can all go to Mammoth Lake and San Francisco. I will update this blog as much as I can so I that I can share our experiences and the places we will visit. Thanks for reading!

Tag: Eight Things

2009-05-11T02:17:00.000-07:00

Jhaney of My So Called Life tagged me! :)

1. This US trip!

2. Take and pass the NCLEX exam J

3. Get petitioned to the US with my husband

4. Learn a new language

5. Have kids

6. For my husband and I to buy or build our own house

7. Be financially stable

8. Have a successful and fruitful career

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Took out the aircon and heater from our old place

2. Bought last minute bilins at the mall

3. Exchanged my cousin’s shirts for a bigger size

4. Spent time with my husband before I left

5. Bought cake for my mom

6. Celebrated mother’s day

7. Hopped on a plane to the US with my brother and tito

8. Watched Confessions of a Shopaholic in flight

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Speed Read and have better retention

2. Understand and memorize everything I study after just one run-through

3. Travel to Europe

4. Go on an all-out shopping spree

5. Buy gifts for my family and friends

6. Get a bikini body without

7. Never worry about money again

8. Watch the American Idol finale live and meet Anoop Desai, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Grey’s Anatomy

2. Heroes

3. Lost

4. Prison Break

5. American Idol

6. The Mentalist

7. Fringe

8. Criminal Minds

Eight’s so not enough to cover all the TV shows I follow religiously! J

People I Tag:
1. Myra

2. Gaile

3. Iya
4. Golden
5. Whoever wants to do it

Limited Edition Mika Hearts Shu Uemura Portable Brush Set

2009-05-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Shu Uemura released a limited edition four-piece portable brush set in a gorgeous brush case made from the famous Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa's works of art.

The set includes a goat brush for the face, a pony and squirrel brush for cheeks, a sable and kolinsky brush for eyes, and a sable brush for lips.

The best part is Beauty for a Living is giving one away! For a chance to win it or other fabulous prizes, Check out the contest details HERE.

A More Extravagant Movie Date

2009-05-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

My husband Trix has been waiting for X-Men Origins: Wolverine ever since I can remember and since we were already in Eastwood Mall, we decided to watch it. What I didn’t know was that he bought us P350-worth Ultra 7 movie seats, the Philippines’ "first twin-seater La-Z boy couch in a movie theater". The cinema is also equipped with Dolby Digital Surround-EX which supposedly gives excellent quality sound. The frugal person in me just wasn’t comfortable spending P700 just for a two-hour movie but since he already got the tickets, there wasn’t anything else I could do but accept it. I just figured it was gonna be a one-time thing and at least I can say that I experienced it. It was supposedly a good movie anyway.

I’m not even gonna talk about the movie itself because I don’t know a lot about the comics, the past movies and the individual characters. I mean I’ve seen it on TV and a couple of characters are familiar to me and sure, I’ve watched a few of their installments but I don’t know, it just didn’t stick. I just have a really poor memory. I heard Trix and my brother GJ talking about it not being true to the comics version and stuff like that and I don’t think I’m knowledgeable enough to discuss it so I’ll just leave that to the boys.

When we got there, an attendant took our orders for drinks and popcorn. It turns out that part of the package was unlimited drinks and popcorn. Cool. They would just serve them on our seats. Nice. I chose the Sour Cream popcorn just because I haven’t tried it before and Trix ordered the Barbecue flavor. When we got inside the theater, a couple of people were already comfortably seated with their legs and feet raised. Hmm. It was looking pretty good. There were only a few seats inside and the lazy boys were pretty good. We took our seats and played with them a bit. You can almost lay flat on them. Trix wants one for himself. Haha. Popcorn and drinks were served by courteous attendants and except for the part where they only serve Pepsi products (I’m a Coke addict. Not the illegal powdered substance. Just the equally-addicting soda.) and that it was way too cold inside, it was quite a pleasurable experience. Worth P350? I don’t know. I still find it way too steep. Although I know you gotta pay even more than that to see a movie in a normal theater in the US, it’s hard not to object when you can watch the same movie here in SM for half the price. But it’s definitely a good experience. Maybe just to try it out? What do you think? Is it worth it?

Red Mango's Green Tea Frozen Yogurt

2009-05-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

I was able to try the infamous Red Mango frozen yogurt yesterday in Eastwood Mall with my friend Madel. We just had some lunch but I was eager to try their froyo after reading some good reviews. I had the green tea frozen yogurt with mangoes and mandarin oranges as my toppings. I really wanted strawberries and kiwi but they were out of stock so that was a bit of a letdown. But the yogurt was pretty good. I don’t usually tolerate the sourness of yogurt, although I’ve only tried the Nestle ones from the grocery. And I didn’t actually taste the green tea flavor. I don’t know if that’s just me. The mango toppings were also a bit sour. With that being said, I’m still gonna give it another chance because I liked how their yogurt tasted. Maybe I’ll get some chocolate and nuts as toppings instead to be safe. Or maybe I’ll try the other yogurt places instead. Maybe I’ll find a better match with them.

P.S.

Sorry, I wasn’t able to take pictures again because I forgot my camera. I always miss taking photos because writing on this blog is always an afterthought, but I promise I’ll try to do better next time!

Contest Win and Suesh Makeup Workshop

2009-05-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday was so eventful and really exhausting, but I had fun. That morning, I woke up to a pleasant surprise. I checked my email and found out that I won a Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara courtesy of www.Beautifile.com and Maybelline Cosmetics. It was just one of those random raffles that I joined and I was so glad I won because I haven’t won anything in a while. Check their site out. It’s full of reviews of so many beauty products. Anyway, I also had a Suesh makeup workshop scheduled at Eastwood with my friend Madel at 9 AM and my husband and I were rushing to get there on time. It was really nice of him to take me since I know how much he enjoys sleeping in on weekends and I’m really grateful he takes good care of me.

The Suesh workshop started a few minutes late but it was okay. It turned out we had lots of extra time anyway. Suzanne Tan, head makeup artist of Kanebo Cosmetics discussed the basics of skin care and makeup application. The atmosphere was light and we all had the opportunity to ask questions and clarify some things that we wanted to know. We were also given the chance to try applying makeup on ourselves using the techniques she taught us. She demonstrated how to apply basic daytime eye makeup and smokey eye to create an evening look.

I’m really a newbie when it comes to this so I just tried to the best of my ability, to follow the steps and made a mental note to practice them later. While we were trying it on ourselves, she went around the roo

m and helped us do it on one side of our face so we can follow what she did and recreate it on the other side.

The makeup workshop was packaged with their brush sets so it was priced P4000 with their 12-piece luxury brush set, P3500 with the 16-piece set, P3000 with the 10-piece set and P2500 with the 5-piece set. I was the only one in our group to get just the 5-piece set because Ididn’t want to get a huge collection of brushes that I don’t know how to use. I do plan to purchase and try some brushes from Coastal Scents, E.L.F. and even Loewe-Cornell. I actually already have a list. All in all, I learned a lot from Suzanne and I can’t wait to try the techniques she taught us on myself. Now, I've gotta buy me some makeup!

Photohunt: Walking

2009-05-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

PhotoHunt

This is my photohunt entry for the week.

It was taken three years ago as we were walking out of in Las Vegas, Nevada. My family and I just had a hefty lunch at their Carnival World Buffet and my brother took this photo of us as we were walking to the car. I just found it pretty interesting. I'm the one in the middle with the hooded jacket.

Photohunt: Protection

2009-04-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to utotmopink for tagging me. This is a picture I took from our short visit to Vietnam. Our itinerary covered a Cu Chi Tunnel tour wherein we were able to experience going down and walking through some of the tunnels made during the Vietnam war. Those tunnels which I thought was already tough to pass through were widened to accommodate tourists. Shown in the picture is an actual tunnel they used as a hiding place for protection during combat.

PhotoHunt

Nursing Wishlist

2009-03-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

The oathtaking is just a few days away and I would have approximately one month of free time after that before our long-awaited U.S. trip. There are a lot of things in my wishlist pertaining to nursing so I'm trying to figure out how I can best make use of my free time. I finished my Basic Life Support training from Red Cross QC last month so that's one thing to cross off my list, but there's still a lot of stuff that I wanna do particularly Lung Center's IV Therapy training, CCNAPI's ECG/EKG Interpretation, ACLS training and URC's Comprehensive NCLEX Review. These trainings do cost a lot so I'm also prioritizing which ones I really need and those I can hold off.

The NCLEX review I feel like I really need because passing the local board or NLE definitely does not equate in doing well in the NCLEX. I do wanna take this exam as soon as possible so this is one of the things I really MUST do. I can take their month long review before I leave but it might be difficult to hold everything in while I'm vacationing with my family for an entire month so I might hold off on this. Plus it costs a whopping 18,000, not including the Final Coaching.

The IVT training is next on my list. I was initially gunning for a slot in Philippine Heart Center but after googling it, I learned how difficult it is to get a spot. People actually stay overnight and end up not getting in. LCP handles more classes so I'm hoping I can get a slot there. It costs 1,700 for 3 days lecture and practicum. I might do this first and hopefully, I can complete the required number of cases too.

CCNAPI's ECG interpretation costs 1,500 for members and 1,700 for non-members for 2 daysand the ACLS training costs 3,500 for members and 3,700 for non-members for the 3-day workshop. Rates I mentioned are applicable only if you sign up more than two weeks before the scheduled date. Membership fee costs 300 I think. You can choose to be an associate member if you have no critical care nursing experience, but already an RN. CCNAPI requires the ECG interpretation workshop before the ACLS training so if I really want the ACLS training, I gotta take the ECG interpretation. They're kind of pricey though so I might decide to forego both and maybe take an online ECG tutorial seriously instead.

Whew. Sure costs a lot to do all these things. I'll give an update once I get my schedule fixed. Thanks for reading!

R.N. na ko!

2009-03-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

I've been so caught up with a bunch of stuff that I haven't been posting. Two weeks before the results came out, there have been blog posts about the board already in quarantine and that anytime, the results would already be out so a lot of people, myself included have been squatting in Pinoy R.N. or PinoyBSN so they would know if they passed or not before everyone else did. Although the future for Filipino nurses may not be as bright as we had hoped, everyone's still hoping to put the local board in the past and move on to the other exams.

After talking to Tita Joy, I decided to go to school and get my documents ready so that I can send my application to California Board of Nursing. I've filed for these documents since November last year and I expected them to be done since it has been two months. Unfortunately, there were still problems with it and the guy in the accounting office asked me to grab something to eat because they had to revise my transcript. I just got a can of Coke and immediately went upstairs because I was in no mood to eat alone. I was prepared to sit there doing nothing when Len called me and told me that the results were out! I had to go the internet cafe far from our school and wait for a long time because they didn't have Adobe Reader, which was required to view the results from Inquirer. But, after seeing that I passed, I was just so relieved. I don't know why but it wasn't really joy that I felt. It was just pure relief. I guess it was from all the waiting. It's been almost three months. I was determined to be positive about it and I was the one who kept bugging my friends about maintaining a positive attitude but after months of waiting, you start to become paranoid about it and question if all your preparation was enough and self-doubt just starts to consume you. I'm just glad that it's all over and I could start thinking about my career plans.

Anyway, Len, Pau, Veron and Marge also passed and this did make me happy. I just thank the Lord for helping me get past this and I hope and pray that everything would fall into place. Now, it's time for some BLS and First Aid, as well as IV training! Congratulations to all the new RN's!

Our Experience at the AXN Big Challenge

2009-02-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Len, Ivy and I participated in the AXN Big Challenge at the Mall of Asia compound. We sent an entry a day before the deadline and since we didn't have time to meet up and get a better picture taken, I just cropped one of our Vietnam pictures. A week and a half later, about 4 days before the actual challenge took place, Len got a call from AXN and after answering a bunch of questions, their representative informed her we were going to be part of it. She told me immediately and I think I almost screamed when I heard the news.

I knew it was a long shot that we'd win something that involves physical endurance since we were all far from being fit, but just being part of it was already an exciting opportunity for us. We arrived a few minutes before the call time and were asked to come up with a team name. We ended up settling with the name Underdogs. The organizer gave us a booklet/passport containing all the challenges that we needed to perform so we can plan the sequence by which we will do them. We read the challenges and though we were unclear about how some of the challenges are supposed to go down, we decided to do the ones at the San Mig Bay area. The first challenge we did was the VitWater challenge that involves getting inside inflatable ball, tapping it to the other edge of the pool, having another member of your team blindfolded, have a sip of a VitWater variant and guess the correct flavor. This video of Sam Y G (The Boys Night Out joined the challenge for fun since 89.9 Magic is one of the sponsors) is a little like how it went, although I took much longer because I couldn't get it to tap on the edge of the pool.

We did get the best score possible since Len guessed the correct flavor right away. A few challenges in the Bay area did pose some difficulties for us including one called Chuck's web, particularly to me. In this challenge, we had to team up with another team and try to pass through a web of strings from one side to another with a maximum of four touches per pass. I had to go through it a few times making the others repeat the process all over again but eventually, we still got the best score for that challenge as well. We also had to start a fire, which we never got to do. We were able to produce some smoke, but that's all we were able to do. We ran into 2 teams while trying to start the fire and they weren't able to do it either. I'm not sure any of the teams were able to accomplish this.

There were two challenges in the parking area including convincing people to have their car washed by us. We can get 50 points for a Volvo, BMW, Benz or Porsche. But we settled with a Pajero, which got us 40 points. We also had to assemble a bike in 12 minutes, which we didn't get to do. We also incurred a penalty for that.

We then headed to the Music Hall to complete a few more tasks. A few of them that stood out were the Merrell challenge, where Len had to climb up the ropes and count the number of balls hidden on top and the KFC Challenge where I had to rappel down and get pictures of the components of the KFC set that I picked. Ivy also did a difficult challenge, wherein she had to climb up and jump and tap a ball in mid-air.

In the end, it was disappointing that we weren't part of the top 3, but we all experienced great satisfaction at the fact that we tried our best to complete all the challenges and we all stepped outside our comfort zone to accomplish specific tasks for the team. The AXN Big Challenge was a one-of-a-kind experience that I'm glad to have spent with two of my best friends. We didn't get to take home a PSP, an ipod or an expensive watch, but we came home with not just a bag of AXN goodies but a great experience we'll remember for a long time.

How I learned to ride a bike

2009-02-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

Today, I woke up at 6:30 in the morning, got dressed and headed to Quezon Memorial Circle with my friend Pau to learn how to ride a bike. At 25 years old, I never really got to learn how to ride a bike. My parents never bought me one growing up, not even those with training wheels. I’ve never actually given it a good try because by the time I realized it’s one of those things that almost everyone knows how to do, I was too old and scared and there wasn’t an available bike for my size to try with.

I’ve always enjoyed watching and DREAMT of joining The Amazing Race or The Amazing Race Asia but I knew that biking was something that almost all of them require. When my friend Len called and told me we were one of the 24 teams participating in the AXN Big Challenge, I thought biking could be part of it and took this as an excuse to learn how to ride a bike.

We got there early but didn’t know where to go. It was drizzling as we asked the manong where we could see the bikes for rent. When we were almost there, I told Pau that it will stop raining and I will learn how to ride a bike. Slowly, the rain started pouring less and off we went to rent a BMX. I told Pau I’ve read some online tips and I wanted to try without her holding on to the back of the seat. We were only a few steps from the bike rentals when I almost ran over a man. Pau was scared that I would fall but I told her I’d be okay if I fall. I was ready. After trying to balance for a foot at a time, the man we came across with ran back and asked me if I really wanted to learn. He said the only way was for them to hold on to the back of the seat. He helped me balance for a few minutes while he was running to keep up with the bike. He would steer the handles whenever I lost control. He and Pau happily cheered me on as I tried to balance and then a few minutes later, I could do it on my own. I was so happy with what I’ve achieved even though I still couldn’t go far alone. A few minutes later, they were running after me. I was doing it alone. I was so overjoyed with the sense of achievement I felt at the time. I missed out on it for 25 years!

A little bit after, the man introduced himself and we talked for a short while. He said he was out of shape and I gave him a workout.  I was so thankful to him because he was such a good teacher. I’m no expert at it but I learned in just a few minutes. After Pau and I had some breakfast, I told her I’d leave her to go around the track for a few minutes and she said yes. I felt bad that she didn’t want to join me because I thought I might have made her feel like a chaperone. I biked around the track a few times alone and it felt so good. It still wasn’t that easy and I almost fell a few times but I was doing it. At times I even felt like I was cruising. The challenge was balancing at the start when I start to put my feet on the pedals, but when the bike was moving I had a bit of control. I will never forget that hour and a half that I rented the BMX hahaha. I hope I can go back and have a bike of my own!

What Makes An Empowered Nurse

2009-02-01T01:51:00.000-08:00

Nursing has evolved from the time we were only there to carry out the doctor’s order. Our role has long gone past the curative aspect, but has advanced to promoting health and wellness, preventing illness and caring for the dying. Our responsibility and accountability has become a lot bigger too. While performing our numerous functions such as caring, counselling, teaching and many others, a few of us are exploring the expanded role of the nurse. These roles are what has given us more independence and autonomy like never before. These roles are what make us empowered nurses.

Nurses nowadays can choose to be more than what they thought they could ever be. We can be clinical nurse specialists and provide our expertise in advancing the nursing practice of fellow nurses and improving outcomes after enhancing programs of care. We can be Nurse Practitioners and diagnose and manage disorders and chronic diseases, as well as care for pregnant mothers during and after delivery, prescribe medications for patients and even perform minor surgical procedures without doctors around! Truly, nursing has evolved and we are here for the long haul. While demands for nurses everywhere are increasing, we can still choose our own path depending on our own needs, wants and loves; this is not what we initially signed up for but we’ll take it!

The advancement of your nursing career is all up to you. Whether you choose to follow a different career path or decide that you’re happy where you are right now, it’s undeniably comforting to know that us nurses have a choice!

I wrote this article as a test task for a potential buyer but unfortunately, I didn't get the job so I thought of posting it here instead so all the effort wouldn't go to waste.

Ultraslim by Philosophy Salon and Spa

2008-06-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

I went to Philosophy last Friday to avail of their Ultraslim Treatment to help speed up my weight loss. I wanted to start before the consultation because I was told that they only do consultations after lunch and I had an appointment in the afternoon.

I entered a room with 2 beds and a shower. The first thing they did was take my measurements and sign on it because they promise a minimum of 2 cm loss from each area. After that, they gave me a quick body scrub to open up my pores. After rinsing it out, they turned on the steam and let me stay there for 20-30 minutes. They applied a solution on my skin that helps burn fat and detoxifies the body and used a machine that's said to make the skin absorb the solution better. They were "massaging" it to my skin to the point that it was painful. I didn't mind because I've undergone a similar treatment before and I think it might be necessary to break down stubborn fats. They used another machine that again "massaged" the problem areas and they said it was for body contouring. They applied a firming mask to my skin and wrapped me with plastic and an abdominal band on top of it. They sent me to another room so that I can lay on their Mesolite infrared capsule for 20 minutes. It's used to burn fat, speed up the metabolism, promote blood circulation and boost the immune system. After removing the plastic wrap, they used another machine to firm up my tummy, thighs and arms after breaking down the fats. I believe I lost about 2 cm in almost all areas and 4 cm in my arms. I asked them to concentrate on my arms because they're my main problem area. I dont know if it's noticable because they're still big but every little bit helps. :)

The treatment costs P5, 880 and P25,000 if you sign in for 5 treatments. I don't know if I'll come back because P25,000 is a lot of money for me, but I thought the P5,880 was money well spent. There was even a point when 3 attendants were working on me. Ultraslim is a healthy and non-invasive alternative if you want to achieve your goal weight.

New 7 Wonders of Nature

2008-06-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Just helping out.. 4 of our tourist destinations are candidates for the New 7 Wonders of Nature voting: Tubbataha Reef, Chocolate Hills, Subterranean River National Park in Puerto Princesa and Mayon Volcano. The first 3 places I mentioned are already in the Top 7 and Mayon Volcano is ranked 10th.
Please continue voting to support our country's candidates. Just log on to ww.new7wonders.com and register.

Follow-Up to Shopping Challenge

2008-06-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting to write these past few days because I'm trying to catch up with work and rushing to prepare our wedding at the same time. I had to pay for a ton of wedding expenses, as well as get a few things in order. The wedding's only thee months away and there's still so much I need to do. Trix is busy with work so he can help out only on weekends, except for the occasional VLs. Meanwhile, I'll leave you with this video I got from Liza of the Singapore Tourism Board. Hope you enjoy it. :)

Team Philippines Won the Singapore Shopping Challenge!!

2008-05-26T04:46:00.000-07:00

After three grueling hours of running and hunting for the best bargains in 3 malls in Singapore, my mom and I won the top prize in the Great Singapore Shopping Challenge! Together with the fabulous Tim Yap and fashionista Jenni Epperson, we carried our flag and competed against 17 other international teams including comedians from Indonesia, models from Korea, celebrities from Vietnam and media teams from Hong Kong and Malaysia.

The challenge was last Saturday and since we arrived Thursday, we've been scouting for the biggest sales and mapping out our strategy in preparation for the race. I think read all their brochures and booklets to help us find good deals. It was my first time in Singapore, but I wasn't able to go to their famous tourist spots except for Sentosa since we spent almost all our time preparing. By Friday night, my mom and I couldn't walk anymore and were experiencing muscle pains all over our bodies. We both had a thirty-minute foot massage to help us unwind before going to bed. By Saturday, we had our shopping list ready so we knew where exactly we were going and what we wanted to buy. We budgeted our money very well and ended up spending SGD999 of th SGD1000 we were given. We saved SGD$6300+ on the things that we bought and luckily, we had the biggest savings out of all the teams! Australia came in second and saved SGD5000+ and Germany came in third with SGD4000+ worth of savings.

I do not have the official pictures yet but I'll post them as soon as I get a copy. It was a really incredible experience and Jenni and Tim brightened it up a whole lot more. They were so down-to-earth and really funny. They happily posed with us with the check and cheered loudly when we won. Thanks to Singapore Tourism Board and the panel for choosing us!

My Nursing Graduation

2008-05-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, May 8, 2008 was our graduation ceremony. It was supposed to start at 2:00 pm but they had us wait outside for more than 2 hours before they started the march. But I didn't really wait that long. I took a couple of pictures outside with Marge and my mom and quietly lined up.

I came inside half past 3 because I couldn't take it anymore. I had my hair and makeup done and it was so hot outside that it was all ruined by that time. When it was almost 4, my dad, mom and brother wanted to go home and it hasn't even started. :) We took a couple more pictures inside and decided we would leave 6pm, whether it's done or not.

I saw Pau and Kat and took a picture with them too.

I called Len so we can have our picture taken and lined up in front of them so we can be together during the program.

After the long march and speeches, it was already 6:00 pm and we made our move to leave. They tried to stop us and even wanted us to make an excuse letter but my dad said no and told the guy we had to go.

Later, we met up with Mama Aida and had a wonderful dinner at my favorite Fish&Co and I even had a free cake from them. Yey!

Great Singapore Sale International Shopping Challenge 2008

2008-05-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

I am so excited right now. This morning, my mom woke me up really early because her friend told her she saw our picture at the Philippine Star. I had an idea that it would be about the Shopping Challenge because I think I read it in the ad but I wasn't sure. My mom had our helper buy us the newspaper and there it was! A half-page ad saying

An Extra Happy Mother's Day to Mrs. Judy See!

Congratulations to Gelyn See, whose entry has bested all other entries to win the opportunity to represent the Philippines in the Great Singapore Sale International Shopping challenge in Singapore on May 24, 2008. They'll have a chance to win SGD10,000 (approximately Php 310,000) in this exciting competition.

Good luck, Judy and Gelyn, and happy shopping!

Yey! This is so big for me. I never imagined I would be representing the Philippines in ANYTHING! My mom's equally excited too. I think she told everyone about it, including their company president. Anyway, I saw the ad at the Inquirer one day and I told myself I had to join. I love challenges and games. I sent a 100-word article saying why my mom is the best and why we should be the representatives of the Philippines in the challenge. I got a call last Thursday saying a group of people would be interviewing me about the article so they can choose the winner. What I didn't know was that they were going to interview my mom as well. They called us up and the panelists asked a couple of questions about the article and my mom and I. I know I could have done better, but I was so nervous especially since the first panelist was Tim Yap. I know my mom answered their questions sharply though, so I know we had a good chance.

From what I read, what will happen is that we will be given SGD1,000 to spend on the list and SGD50 transportation allowance. We would be given 3 hours to shop for all the items and do a couple of cultural challenges and whoever makes it on time with the most dollar savings would win the top prize. Fun, huh? We will be given time to prepare for it so I think we'll have a fighting chance. I hope I can get tips from the past representatives though. We need all the help we can get.

Whew! I feel so blessed! This is my 2nd free trip this year! Internalizing the principles of The Secret, I know we'd win. I think I'm getting to accept the truth of the book more and more each day. So to those who haven't read, seen or heard it, do yourself a favor and get a copy! Who knows, you might win an even better prize. :)

Won Another Contest!

2008-05-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

I'm one of 29 grand prize winners in 2nd Avenue's Destination 29 promo. I went to Makati today to claim my prizes. I got a binder, a bunch of pencils with their shows' logos, an Adidas cap, a pair of Italian shades, a sporty Dunlop watch, a Microtel gift certificate and a Bubba Gump gift card. One thing I was looking forward to getting was the Red Box gift certificate that's supposed to be one of the prizes, along with Amezcua Wellness Spa gift certificates. I don't know why I didn't get one, but I'll ask the next time I go back there. We're also getting exclusive movie premiere invites of 2nd avenue sponsored movies for 1 whole year! Yey! I'm so happy I won. I really expected to win this one. I'm practicing the principles of "The Secret" whenever I can. Hehe :) I hope I get another free trip next time.

Another Exciting Week in Survivor Micronesia

2008-05-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this season of Survivor. For two straight weeks before last night's episode, the person having the hidden immunity idol got voted out. They were so good at blindsiding that the people having the immunity idols didn't think they needed to use them. This week, pretty much everyone except Parvati told Amanda they were writing her name down. With James ot of the game because of an infection, all she has left on her side is Parvati. She requested the challenge winner Alexis to send her to Exile island and since nobody else wanted to go, she readily agreed. She followed the clues which told her the idol was back at camp. What she did was, she emptied her bag in front of her tribemates the minute they got back to make them believe she didn't have it and she didn't! At least, not yet. She struggled to convince her tribemates during the discussion with Jeff not to vote for her, but everyone was dead set on voting for her. Cirie said she and Erik were the strongest physical threats and Natalie said she's the strongest jury threat because she has done no harm to every single person in the jury. Moving on, after they all voted, Jeff asked if anyone had the hidden immunity idol and wanted to play it and she pulled it out! Everyone was shocked and got nervous because as per Survivor rules, all votes casted to the person who played the hidden immunity idol are invalid and the person with the 2nd highest number of votes goes home. So Alexis, with her busted knee got voted out. It was just genious how this episode was edited. The fact that Amanda had the idol wasn't revealed until it was time to play it, it just kept me at the edge of my seat! I really can't wait for next week. I just wished it was Natalie, but I guess I'm gonna see her for at least another week.

American Idol and Survivor Goodbyes

2008-04-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

Two interesting eliminations happened this week. In American Idol, Carly Smithson got eliminated. She's one of the strongest singers in the competition and I'm honestly disappointed she got booted out. Although she's not one of my favorites, she's fun to watch and she's got a really bright personality. Sorry to Brooke's fans, but I've been waiting for her to get eliminated each week. She's just not at the level of talent the other contestants are. I know people love her because she seems nice and all, but I don't know.. I wish she goes home next. Going back, my favorites this season are David Archuleta and Jason Castro. David A's the favorite to win this season and I understand why. He's one of the best singers in the competition and he's so cute on stage. I've loved him since the start of the competition, but when Jason sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", he won me over. I like his reggae-ish style, if that's a word. I hope they both make it to the finals. I love them both!

On the other side of the world, Jason got eliminated in Survivor. I felt bad for him but I honestly think he's just so innocent to play the game right. It doesn't help that Natalie, Parvati and the other girls are such b******. He's been fooled by the fake immunity idol Ozzy planted before and he was again deceived into throwing the challenge just to fit in with the group. This week, Natalie sent him to Exile Island after she won the privilege during the Reward Auction. When he got the immunity idol, they tricked him into believing he's part of their alliance and that they sent him there so he can get the idol. The poor guy easily believed her. He's just so naive and I feel sad he's going because of that. I guess that's just how the game goes.. It's Outwit, Outplay, Outlast anyway, right?

New Game Find: Airport Mania

2008-04-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

I love playing arcade games because their simple and easy to complete. After trying out a lot of new games, I found a new one that I really like. It's Airport Mania: First Flight. You're supposedly an air traffic controller so you control the landing, unloading and loading of passengers and departure of planes. Later, you'll be asked to make repairs and refuel the planes as well. It's just a fun game and the graphics are great. I've downloaded tons of games since Sally's Salon and now I found a good one to keep me preoccupied again. I download my games from www.reflexive.com but I'm sure you'll also find it in other game providers. Try it and hope you'll have as much fun with it as I did!

Veron and Len's Birthday Celebration

2008-04-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Now that school's out, everyone seems to be so busy and it's so difficult to gather everyone for this party. There used to be 12 of us and only 4 of us made it there. Ate Mitch has been out of the loop ever since she switched to another group, but she's experiencing some serious problems right now that's fit for another post. The 3 oldies, ate Joy, ate Zen and kuya Rodil were not able to make it. They're all working and I really didn't expect them to come, but it would have been nice. Kat, according to Pau came home to Ilocos already and Icy, who along with Pau is taking the board exam this June was rushing to pass her documents to the PRC. Marge suddenly couldn't make it, because her mom didn't let her and Pau backed out at the last minute to go out with her aunt who's going back to the States the next day. Sigh. That leaves 4 of us. Veron, Len, Abby and I. I'm just so happy that the 2 celebrants were able to make it. After 1 lrt ride and 1 mrt ride, we walked to mama and tito's new place.

I called Abby and we prepared the 2 small birthday cakes I ordered and surprised the 2 girls! It's great that even with such a small group, we were able to do something nice for them. It's sad we missed the company of our other friends but we had to make the most out of it since I doubt we'll be able to do it again in a while. We enjoyed the pansit that mama made and the 2 cakes and we went downstairs to the pool. We just chilled since they couldn't swim. They just wanted to stay on the sidelines. I actually had fun still. I taught Veron how to do bubbles, because from what I remember, that's the first thing they teach in swimming school. She found it a bit difficult, which surprised me a little but figured out it's because she's never done it before. We talked about our plans and career moves and their wishes and snapped some pictures.

After that, we went upstairs to take a shower and ate again. My friend from a previous job, Paulo got there and shortly after, Trix arrived. Paulo's an old friend that I haven't seen in years. I thought he still lived in Makati so I asked him to come over. We just talked and caught up with each other. Trix is my boyfriend (or fiance). We just talked and kept eating until people started leaving, then Trix took me home. Overall, even if I was a little bummed that I couldn't get the whole group together, I had a lot of fun. I knew Len and Veron appreciated everything and that's what's important. I just love my PC friends because with our different qualities, both good and bad, I feel like we understand each other. No judgments. Maybe we'll all see each other on our graduation. I hope.

Sun Cellular P10 Call & Text Combo

2008-04-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sun Cellular is once again giving their subcribers the value for their money. They're now offering P10 Call & Text Combo where you can convert P10 of your load to 10 texts to other networks, 10 minutes sun-to-sun calls and 40 sun-to-sun texts. I think this is so practical because it really stretches the peso. Now that I'm trying to save my money and am not getting allowance anymore because classes have ended, I'm really trying to find ways to stretch the peso and this is a big help to me.

I wasn't able to take down the information before and I've been having a hard time looking for it in the internet. The ad's so small in the Sun Cellular website that it's practically impossible to understand the code you need to text. After some digging, I saw this post showing the code: http://www.symbianize.com/showthread.php?t=33027 It seems that this promo's been ongoing since January. Too bad I didn't know about it back then. Anyway, the code's *230*2*15# then press send. You'll be prompted to load the pin to your number or send it to someone else. Press answer and 1 if you want to load it to your number or 2, otherwise then press send. That's it! I particularly love this promo so I'm sharing it with as many people as I can! Enjoy!

Spa Services

2008-04-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

Since my wedding's fast approaching, my mom and I have been going on spa sessions in preparation for it. I had a glycolic peel on my back because I thought I was feeling some bumps, but the attendant told me that some of them were warts. I didn't know I had any, but after she checked them out, I had them cauterized immediately after. It turns out I have more on my stomach. The following week, I had my pits lasered. My mom had her first session about a month before and she told me I'd feel a little pinch each click. What I felt was exactly that. It was a bit more painful than the cautery, but I felt good later knowing I wouldn't have to worry about it every other day. I would have to go back after a few weeks for another treatment, but after a few more, I only need booster shots once or twice a year. I hope that's what would happen because I've been reading people complaining that it went back to how it was before after only a short span of time. We had it done at Let's Face It in SM Fairview and spent P3150 each for their Buy 1 Take 1 promo.

An Old Man Won P279 Million from the 6/49 Lotto

2008-04-01T02:01:00.000-07:00

I just heard the news from Andi9 and Joey in Magic 89.9 that someone won the 279 million peso jackpot. He's so lucky! Everyone's probably wishing they were in his shoes. 279 million pesos can definitely change someone's life. Let's just wish nothing bad happened to the ticket. He hasn't claimed his winnings, but it's probably because he knows the media's camping outside PCSO waiting for him. Haay... I wish I'd win something as big as that. Or rather, I know I'll win something as big if not bigger than his prize. Thoughts become things... Thoughts become things.. Thoughts become things...

Fish & Co. Really Does Make the Best Fish & Chips in Town

2008-03-31T04:23:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Trix treated me to Fish & Co. in Shangri-La Mall and we both had a really sumptuous meal. We're not very adventurous when it comes to picking out places to eat so we stick to our favorites and Fish & Co. is one of them. For those who haven't gone to Fish & Co., I suggest you head out to the branch nearest you. Both Trix and I are not big fans of fish but we were easily converted after we had a taste of their dishes.

I can't emphasize it enough that they really do make the best fish and chips in town. They use dory fish, which is perfect because it's not "malansa" (or stenchy? I don't know if that's the right term). They serve it in a pan with either fries or seafood rice. They also have another variant called New York Fish & Chips, which is pretty much the same as the other one, except it's stuffed with cheese in the middle. If you go to Fish&Co. in Trinoma, you'll find other variants like Philadelphia Fish & Chips. That's their specialty but their seafood platters, pasta and other dishes are really good too. Their steak's actually not bad. It's my dad's favorite. Trix ordered their seafood curry last Sunday and it was so delicious. I plan to order it next time.

I have to warn you though that the prices are not that easy on the pocket. We'd be there more often if it didn't cost that much. But the taste and serving sizes make up for it so it's better to go there with a group of friends so you can sample their dishes. Oh and Fish & Co. Shangri-La has a lunch and dinner buffet from Mondays through Fridays so you might want to check it out.

You can find Fish & Co. in Shangri-La Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 3 and now also in Trinoma Mall.

Us Girls 2nd Anniversary Fashion Show

2008-03-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

I was one of the lucky few who were able to watch the US Girls 2nd Anniversary Fashion Show at the Trinoma Activity Center up close last night. Okay, it wasn't exactly that close, but we were invited in. It was just a bit annoying 'coz a lot of the shots I took were blocked by the heads of people in front of us. That's what we get for not coming early.

It was a night filled with tips on how to look gorgeous this fabulous summer season. The show featured the summer collections of accessory designers Tweetie de Leon-Gonzales, Happy David and Arnel Papa and fashion designers Hindy Tantoco-Weber, Veejay Floresca, Louis Claparols, Patrice Ramos-Diaz, Puey Quinones and Frederick Peralta.

They also showed the latest summer hair and makeup looks from fashion experts from Kiehl's and Center for Aesthetic Studies. I loved the curly and wavy styles they showed especially Chesca's hair. She looked like a doll!

The show also featured performances by the Kitty Girls and Richard Poon.

The show ended with Iya, Chesca and Angel strutting the runway wearing Frederick Peralta creations.

It was my first time to witness a fashion show and it was fun! It's just a shame my friend Ivy and I forgot to take picture of ourselves during the event. Well, at least we'll know next time. Ivy's boyfriend AJ treated us to dinner at Yellow Cab after. It was a fun night! Hope I can go to events like that more often.

My New Boss is an Actor

2008-03-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

It's funny how oDesk gives you an opportunity to meet so many different people. I have a new buyer now who apart from being a web designer, director and standup comedian also works as an actor. It's just exciting for me being a TV fan to view his reel and see clips of him in some of my favorite TV shows like Charmed, Nip/Tuck, CSI Las Vegas and Miami and Without a Trace. I mean okay he's not exactly Wentworth Miller but it's just a happy thought for me knowing he's worked with some of my favorite TV stars. I just want to ask him how it felt working with these great actors but he's my boss and I'm just afraid of making small talk. Anyway, just wanted to share my excitement. See yah later!

Certified TV Junkie

2008-03-26T03:52:00.000-07:00

All my friends know that I almost can't survive without Coke. Yah, it's pathetic. But besides this insane addiction, I'm really a TV junkie. I watch and religiously follow a lot of popular American TV series and I try so hard not to miss a detail so I can understand every little thing about them. The downside is that my memory's really bad and I have to repeat what I've already watched if it's been a long time. I prefer TV over movies because I like that the story drags on to more episodes rather than immediately concluded after only 2 hours. I can watch an entire season on dvd on one sitting. Besides the popular Lost, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, House and Heroes, I thought I'd recommend some of the less popular ones.

Dirt - The story revolves around a tabloid editor named Lucy Spiller (Courtney Cox) who has the power to manipulate the lives of popular celebrities by choosing to expose their secrets or hide them for future gain. I like it because it's bold, it's new and it's interesting how Courtney as the producer turns things around being on the other side.

Damages - Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) is the attractive, young lawyer who becomes the protege of big shot lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). She later discovers that Patty will do whatever it takes to win, even with people's lives at stake. I like it because it's exciting and always leaves me wanting to watch the next episode. I honestly can't wait till next year for the next season.

Jack and Bobby - I thought I'd give it another recommendation even if it got cancelled after just 1 season. I mentioned it in one of my posts and how it moves me and makes me think.

I hope you guys give these shows a try and I'm pretty sure you'll get hooked like I did.

From: http://gtbloggin.blogspot.com/2008/03/project-blog-1.html

Catching up on the last 7 days

2008-03-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

It was kind of difficult for me to try and use the computer last week because my brother was home and since he's paying for the internet connection, I couldn't insist on getting more time with the computer so I spent most of my time doing work. The last few days were just so busy that I couldn't find time to post. I have 2 new buyers for a total of 7 and although not all of them are currently active, some of them gave me projects that are on a deadline. I earned the most I've ever earned in a week because of the new assignments. I am just saving up for a laptop and browsing the internet, I think I need about $1000 for both the laptop and the accessories. I know it'll be a while, but after last week, I'm just so excited about work knowing that every hour I work will be contributing to my goal.

Besides work, my relatives on my dad's side and I went to Laguna last Saturday so that the kids could go swimming. The place wasn't that special. There was just a pool, a jacuzzi a videoke machine, a few room upstairs and a kitchen. The kids had a lot of fun playing with each other and enjoying the jacuzzi. The older ones sang and played tong-its and pusoy. The weekend was simple but we had a lot of fun.

Also, we had Operating Room duty last night from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am at Ospital ng Maynila. It was hard staying up but since my friends and I haven't seen each other in a while, we had fun spending time together catching up. The thing is, no patient came in. It was just pathetic. We scheduled OR completion since we all needed OR cases as part of PRC's requirements before we can take the board exams and not one patient came in. We paid P600 each so we can get a slot and it's just sad that we couldn't get our cases. The PRC deadline is nearing and it just doesn't look like we'll be able to make it. It's okay. I've accepted it. We'll take and make the exams on November na lang. :)

My friend Len invited us to their province for their fiesta and I'm so excited! I hope everyone can come though. It'll be a while before we can all hang out together since school's over. I don't know about them but I'm going with her on April 5th at Batangas. I'll update you later.

Lastly, I created a thread in GT so that I could have a support group for bloggers and it turned into a blog ring. Check out http://gtbloggin.blogspot.com/.

Freelancing Job Opportunities in oDesk

2008-03-18T04:52:00.000-07:00

Last month, I came across a thread in Girltalk talking about oDesk. I didn't have any idea about it at the time but became curious because of the number of pages it has reached. Most of them were freelancers providing services for different buyers, including writing, web design, virtual assistance and web research. Knowing it's a long shot for us to be able to take the board exam (NLE) on June, I quickly took interest and registered at the oDesk website.

There, you have to fill in your profile (sort of like an online resume) and take tests on different subjects to show the buyers your capabilities. After doing all that, you can start applying to different assignments posted on the site. You have to send a cover letter to the buyer and bid on it considering your credentials, feedback from previous buyers, the skills required for the job and the oDesk fees. oDesk takes a percentage of your earnings, which is fine because they guarantee payment on most of the tasks. Then you just wait for him/her to initiate an interview. These are usually done through Yahoo Messenger or Skype (if you have one). Others just jump in and hire you for a trial period without an interview. Buyers are able to monitor their providers through screenshots whenever they log in. This minimizes slacking on the part of the provider. When you're done with the assignment, you or the buyer can end it and provide feedback to each other.

Since I started, I haven't earned that much because I've spent very few hours online. I don't know. I'm just always sleepy. :) But I'm planning to put in at least 5 hours a day now so I can save up for a laptop. I know it's gonna take a while because of my newbie rate but I honestly can't ask for more, having free food here, no transportation or wardrobe costs and all that.

I currently have 5 buyers, with different assignments. One VA job, one blog writing job, one web content writing job, one web researching job and a buyer who's made me do so many things from saving archived pages to deleting parts of html codes to article rewriting to product promotions. Seriously, this keeps me busy and I'm having so much fun with it because I get to do so many different things and interact with different types of people. It's so fulfilling to complete tasks and get good feedback as well as get invited to be interviewed when you didn't even apply.

I also have two jobs coming in tomorrow. One buyer recommended me to his brother-in-law to do more web research and another one interviewed me a while ago and told me he'll hire me tomorrow morning. Yey! The next couple of days are going to be busy but I'm happy about it. I just need to keep myself awake for a few more hours each day and even with my low rates, I'll have myself a new laptop in no time.

You can also sign up by clicking on the oDesk link on the left.

Busy, busy weekend!

2008-03-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't had time to post because I've been so busy these past few days.

Saturday: Last week, my aunt told me to be one of her "models" for her final practical exam. She took a course on Makeup at the Center for Aesthetic Studies by Franck Provost located in Jupiter St. Makati. She needed seven people to be her models and do different looks for each of them, including bridal and everyday looks. I met with her on Saturday morning so she could practice what she was going to do to my face. After lunch, Trix picked me up so we could pass by another designer for our entourage gowns but unfortunately, she couldn't meet us that day. We decided to just check out her shop anyway. Her assistant was there but she couldn't answer any of our questions so we just settled with looking around and told her we'll set an appointment for next time. Lastly, we went to Fernbrook [our wedding venue] to meet with Cherry, an Account Executive. It's my first time to go there now that it's operational. I don't want to elaborate because we want it to be a surprise so I'll save it for later. We were able to meet with one of their accredited florists, Bing and Rey? Montes of Scenta. We liked their vision and the only reason we didn't book them already, was because we didn't know we'd run into them so we didn't bring enough money. It was already 8pm when we left the place so on the way to my house, we passed by Heaven N Eggs in Eastwood to grab a bite. I didn't have much fun with it, although I admit I was the one who suggested it. I was so tired and went straight to bed when we got home.

Sunday: I wanted to squeeze in some work before the photoshoot so I woke a bit earlier. Ate Oma picked me up a little earlier than what I was told so they had to wait a bit. There was no traffic at all so we were there after only 30 minutes from my place. Tita Gina told us to eat at Max's Jupiter first before going there. Yum! Camaron Rebosado and Spring Chicken :) After that, we proceeded to their school and were made to wait for quite a while. It was so funny because the hairstylist had to set my hair first because I had limp hair and told me to go back after my tita's done with my face. It was kind of embarrassing because I had to wait about 2 hours before tita worked on me, so I had Cyndi Lauper hair the entire time I was waiting. I almost fell a sleep waiting for my turn. But tita Gina was able to finish my makeup really quickly so we headed straight to the studio and had a few shots of me taken. He made me close my eyes and open them at the count of three for a fresher smile. :) I enjoyed that short moment, although I knew I was really awkward. Trix later picked me up and we watched 10,000 BC in Megamall. It was a fun movie, but I liked Apocalypto a lot better. They had some similarities but I found Apocalypto a lot more exciting to watch and it was shot very well. After that tiring day, we headed to Saisaki for some dinner. I know. We really have no self-control. We obviously had fun munching on our favorite sushi and sashimi, Tempura, Lengua and a lot more.

Monday: I have a lot of backlog because of the weekend so all I did today was work. There's a lot more to do, but I really want to rest so I can start my day fresh tomorrow. My weekend was jampacked! I need to recharge a bit so see y'all later!

'Jack and Bobby' made me rethink my religion

2008-03-14T04:01:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, I get conflicted about my religion. I'm Roman Catholic and sometimes I feel like there can be so much more to my relationship with God than just a one-hour a week outing.

For those of you who have never watched the show Jack and Bobby, it talks about two brothers, one of which will be President of the United States later in his life. The format uses fast-forward interviews of people around him while he's making the toughest decisions concerning not only the US, but the whole world. It shows their experiences growing up and how they affect his decisions later on in his life. I haven't seen the whole show, just a few episodes. But I loved it because it made me think.. about how I live my life or make my own decisions, though hardly as heavy or significant as those of a President.

In one episode, Bobby confronts his mom about why she never took him to church and told her that he wanted to be Catholic like his father. Grace later takes him on a religious field trip to give him a taste of different orientations so he could later choose for himself what he really wants to be.

Sometimes I wonder about the Protestants because of the people I know who belong to that religion. I just feel like they have a very close relationship with God and are more conscientious about other people. They're also friends with the people they go to church with, unlike where we go. They not only recite prayers but make up their own so that it's more personal each time they do it. One of my good friends Veron is one, and she's just the classic example of what I want to achieve in terms of my relationship with God and becoming a better person in general. She inspires me just by being herself and by caring enough about others to teach us what she knows without being pushy.

Like I said, I get conflicted about my religion for all the reasons I mentioned, and wonder if I'm really at the right place. I'll probably just sleep on it tonight but I wonder if I'm the only one who feels this way.

Be careful of some makeup artists that studios hire

2008-03-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to school to have my graduation picture taken. There was only one makeup artist available when I came in so I immediately sat on his chair. I found out later that it was a really big mistake going there without my friends because no one was able to watch him do his thing. He also didn't have a big enough mirror for me to be able to see what he was doing to my face.

First off, he commented and laughed about my unmatched eyebrows, saying he's not going to touch them anymore because he's afraid he'd just make it worse. I was fine with that because they're just naturally thin and most makeup artists working on my face are able to pencil them in easily. Also, the whole time I just felt so uncomfortable because of the way he held my head and face and how he applied the makeup. He just didn't have the touch others naturally do. Even when he brushed my hair it was just so painful, not only because of the manner he did it but also the material of the brush. In the middle of it all, I made the mistake of opening my eyes when the liquid eyeliner was still wet, ruining the makeup he's already done on one eyelid. I apologized and after giving me a hard time, he told me not to open them until he tells me to. He then proceeded to work on my eyebrows.

I sat silently even if I really wanted to slap him because I just wanted to get it over with. After it was all done and I've gone home, I washed my face only to realize that he shaved my eyebrows too damn thin. I was just so mad! I didn't even realize that he shaved them because my face was wet with makeup and my eyes were closed the whole time! Ugh! I really wanted to go back and confront him when I woke up but I know it's not gonna change anything.

Okay. I know. It's gonna grow back, but my eyebrows are already naturally scarce on the sides and I'm afraid it's not going to grow back soon enough. Haay... I just wanted to let it out so I can move on with my life. So there. I'm over it.. I hope.

Lucky Girl

2008-03-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog. I hope you have fun wasting your time reading about me. I think it’s just appropriate that I share this story as my first post. I’ve been feeling lucky these past couple of weeks. Before it all started, I don’t think I’ve ever won a thing in my life. But last month, to keep myself preoccupied, I started joining contests and raffles. You see, after our Revalida, all I ever did was watch TV and surf the internet. Strangely enough, I won really cool prizes along the way.

The first thing I joined and won was the Closeup Lovapalooza diamond necklace. I know, it’s ‘baduy’. But I really wanted the necklace and I thought it was highly unlikely I’d win so I joined anyway. I found out the mechanics at the last day and it required a picture of Trix and I kissing. All I could find was one with me kissing him on the cheek from one of our prenup pics at the W@W party, so that’s what I sent. A couple of days later, I got a call from someone from Closeup telling me that we were one of the 100 couples who had won and we had to attend the party to get the necklace or it would be forfeited. I told Trix I’d kill him if he didn’t come with me and with a lot of resentment, he did. Here’s the necklace.

A few days later, I got a call from an anonymous number. This is how I recall it.

girl: Hi, I’m Aine from Studio 23 and I just want to tell you that we’ve already chosen the winner of the Studio 23 Barkada Gimik Promo (pause) and Congratulations, we’re sending you and two of your friends to Vietnam!
me: Ha? (screams)

I’m not going into detail how I reacted to that call because frankly, it’s embarrassing. I’m sure ate Aine gets more or less the same reaction whenever she notifies the winners. I’ll tell you guys more about the trip later but for now, watch the post-event plug, courtesy of ate Sarge.