A Weekend Well Spent

The past two Sundays before yesterday, we were always just at home because either we baked cupcakes or that my sister was so tired after working six days that she just wanted to stay in bed or catch up on television shows. Last weekend was a different story, though.


Saturday morning, us three girls traveled to Makati together, but my mom and I went to The Maya Kitchen while sister walked further to her work place. For this month's featured class at The Maya Kitchen, celebrity chef Fern Aracama treated the class to easy to make dishes, which can be served this Christmastime. One of the dishes really wowed my mom, and I think it will be something we will re-create this weekend.


After the class, mom and I walked over to sister's workplace and waited for her break time so we all could eat lunch together. This was my lunch - yeah I know it was a lot... but I didn't eat it all, some I gave to sister.


Sister had to go back to work, so it was time for mom and I to leave, but we passed by The Landmark first to shop for some things. I bought the spoon and spatula set as well as a pack of paper cupcake liners then I bought some nail implements. The Landmark is a shopper's heaven! They sell items cheaper than other malls, that's why whenever I pass by this mall I make sure I buy something to make it worth my time and bus fare. Anyway, I want to put spotlight on the nail polish remover. A month ago, I was "forced" to buy a new bottle of nail polish remover at a pharmacy because it was the only place I could buy what I needed and a bottle of Bobbie Nail Polish Remover 120ml was priced 46.50 pesos. At The Landmark, I first thought of buying the same kind and was surprised to see it was only 36 pesos. I told mom about it, and when I checked the bigger bottle - 275ml, we were more surprised to see it was only 49.50 pesos. Definitely, we bought the bigger bottle.


Sunday, mom and I woke up early because mom had to go to the Divine Mercy center where she and her friend attended a church service. Sister got home a little after mom left, and because she didn't sleep the entire night, she immediately dozed off and I thought this is going to be another laid back Sunday for us, but when she woke up, she asked me to prepare so we could go out and enjoy our time together.

We ate at the newly opened Manang's Chicken at the mall near our house, then strolled around - tried on some shoes, and spent time at Booksale where I rummaged through the books but didn't buy any because nothing caught my interest.


Before going home, we went to an HBC branch. At first, we just went there to check their products, but when sister saw this tube of BB Cream for only 149 pesos, she decided to buy and try it out. This was very cheap compared to her usual choice of BB Cream, so she is just hoping this would be just as good for her to save money. I bought the cheek blush because the one I am using already hit the one year mark.

Mom was already home when we arrived. While eating dinner, us three girls shared stories of how our day went... and because boxing news was so good (Manny Pacquiao won), part of our talkies was about that, too.

It was a great weekend, and a good opening to a new week.

* Jenn *

Boracay Weekend, Day 3

Time to wrap up our Boracay weekend.

With my mom staying with my sister Jenn, it was just I who ate breakfast. Sister suggested I walk over Real Coffee and try their Calamansi Muffin, but when I got there they were only accommodating orders. My guess was that maybe because it was an off-peak season, the Cafe didn't want to stock up on muffins that would only get lapse. I didn't have that much money, so I decided to eat at Andok's Manok and walked along the shore while waiting for sister and mom to arrive.

They arrived around 9:30AM, and told me that I needed to pack my things because by 11AM, staff of Southwest Tours would pick us up. They availed their services so we would have easy travel from Boracay to Kalibo Airport, to assure that we won't be late for our flight back to Manila.



We had early lunch at Lemon i Cafe, ending this weekend with a bang. Jenn and I both have Enjoy Philippines card, and we both availed of the voucher giving us the privilege to buy two main dishes for the price of one. It was a very heavy lunch, but something that sustained us for a long day again.


By the time we reach Kalibo Airport, we already feared the worst - that this would be another delayed flight, and we were correct. When we lined at the Check-In counter, we were told that our flight would be delayed. The plane that would take us back to Manila encountered a problem when it skidded on the runway. We were told that we just had to wait because our flight back to Manila would be determined after investigators give the plane a go signal.


A few days ago, Jenn was upset that our flight got delayed, even blaming herself for the hassle. This time, she said that even if she was upset, she didn't feel guilty at all because even if the cause of the delay was the plane that would take us back to Manila, all airlines were delayed - meaning, even if booked at a different airline, we would still be stuck at the airport.

We arrived at the airport around 2PM, and it was only around 9 or 10PM when the airline provided us with food. It was difficult to sit on the floor (as the airport was full of people) - waiting for people to vacate the seats so we could sit properly, but we were actually okay. Sure it was upsetting, but with so many people to look at, it was also like given front row tickets to the many facets of people.

By 11PM, the boarding area of the airport started to clear out. We laid out our bags across the bench so mom could lie down and catch up on sleep, while sister and I drain our batteries playing games.



It was 3AM when we finally boarded the plane - a different one. Most people on our flight already purchased different tickets from different airlines. We decided to stay as we don't have anything to do anyway, and honestly, we already stayed there for a long time, what's the trouble of waiting for more time?

By 7AM we were already home. We were very thankful to be home, safe and sound.

It wasn't the best of all trips, but I loved it. I loved the feeling of seeing Boracay, and I loved the experience despite of the many setbacks. I am encouraging mom and sister to travel there again, but the next time we do, I am praying it will be a great trip.

* Jesz *

Boracay Weekend, Day 2

Yeah, it's been months since our Boracay weekend, but my sister couldn't find the time to draft a blog post, so I decided to write it for her.


It was already past 1am when I went back to my room from the hotel/resort, and by 6am I was already up. The bed was very comfortable, but even if I would love to stay and enjoy the warm sheets, I knew this was the only full day we had in Boracay and I had to make the most out of it. I fixed myself and went out - walking around the big compound of the resort.

I had my breakfast alone as my mom and sister were together at a different resort, but by 9am, they were already with me - taking the free shuttle provided by the resort. Sister won't be staying with me at the resort, so she wanted to enjoy a little bit of the experience there. Then, us three took the shuttle back to the main beach area of Boracay, and stayed in my sister's hotel/resort for a while before we went to the nearby beach.



It was a rainy weekend and I admit I was saddened at how the beach looked like. A few months ago when I was there the beach of Boracay was one of the most beautiful I have seen - no waves... it was like a massive salt water pool. On this day, the water wasn't clear, the waves were strong, and I felt bad that my mom and my sister's first Boracay experience was like this.

The clouds stopped crying for a while, allowing us to enjoy the beach. I told the girls I wanted us to go island hopping since boatmen were offering services for only 1500 pesos - a big drop of fee from the 5200 pesos offered to K and I when we were there just two months before. However, the winds and waves were strong that we decided not to push through with it. As much as I was happy to be experiencing this with my mom and sister, I just couldn't help but be sad that we couldn't do anything but cope up with the ever changing weather.

My mom said it was okay, that the important thing was we were there - we set foot in Boracay, and being there was reason enough to make this a worthwhile trip. My sister understood how I felt, but told me she still found the place very beautiful and would want to go back again. Despite the rain and the chilly wind, she considers Boracay a paradise.


After eating lunch, we stayed in sister's room, watched TV... and by 3PM we went out to have some refreshments and check shops to buy souvenirs. Time went by so fast that time - we were just checking shops and already it was time to eat dinner... then walking by the shore for a while and it was already 9PM. Mom and I stayed with sister 'til midnight - taking the last shuttle service back to the resort where I stayed at.

- * - * - * - * - * - * -

I am sure by now you already heard about the destruction typhoon Haiyan brought to my country. Recalling my holiday with K last June, we had plans that didn't push through, and both of us were wondering, had we had our holiday in November like our past holidays, weather might have been better. When Typhoon Haiyan happened, K and I were thankful that our holiday wasn't scheduled for November because if ever we were in Iloilo or Boracay when the typhoon struck, for sure it would send both our families in panic. For a while, Boracay didn't have any ways of communications, while places in Iloilo were affected as well. On the other hand, had we scheduled the holiday this month and we were together when this happened, then we would be one of the volunteers. In a way, K felt a little helpless because he wanted to help but he was halfway around the world far away. Good thing his country is also one of those that extended help and he just sent his donations through it.

In behalf of my fellow countrymen, I am extending our deepest gratitude to everyone who extended their help and thoughts.

* Jenn *

Bobbie Premium Nail Creme | Blue Flash

I remember back when I first shared a swatch of Bobbie Premium Nail Creme, I checked their website and saw bottles with transparent labels. The image was of their Glitter Collection, and since Christmas is just around the corner, might as well share the collection, even if I still haven't found one of its shades.


There are two shades of blue in the collection, so let me start with one. Blue Flash was an instant favorite because even if I am not a fan of blue, I loved just how rich it was. The glitters are of silver powdery kind, and it gave the liquid sand feel... making this somewhat different from the rest of the collection.

The lacquer was very pigmented, but the formula was a little liquidy and has the tendency to pool on the cuticles. I think the formula was typical for this brand, but I do love that it was easy to work with.


On my nails are three coats of Blue Flash - one thin coat and two thick coats, allowing the second coat to dry overnight before applying the third coat. These images didn't have topcoat because I wanted to have the grainy texture on my nails, but a day or two after I applied top coat just to try it out. It was just so interesting - without top coat it was grainy, but when I applied the top coat it dried really flat, as if the glitters were part of the color and not just added on the lacquer. Also, adding a topcoat highlighted the glitters more, making it look like powdered minerals or gems.

Blue is not a choice of color for me, but this is just so pretty that I think this would make top 10 nail polishes I have tried this year.

* Jenn *

The Happies and the Crappies

taken from the jeepney last weekend

As soon as I woke up today, I immediately turned on the television to hear news about the Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name - Haiyan). Goosebumps all over my body and my tears just fell without warning upon seeing its wrath... and I could only whisper a prayer for all the people affected by the typhoon. This one's very strong - it almost covered the entire country, and I just feel sad with all the things this country had to endure - war, string of typhoons, massive earthquake.

So okay, let's start this post with the crappies.

• Receiving a statement of account from my Internet provider, even if my account has been disconnected. Well, the bill stated I owe them ZERO pesos, but it was a little irritating that after a staff of their office told me it was indeed disconnected, I learned that it wasn't permanently disconnected yet. I will be visiting their office to request for permanent disconnection this weekend.
• Heartburn. I ate fried food yesterday and today... and now I am feeling a lot of discomfort.
• Sniffles and coughs. 
• An old lady bullying me while I was at the nearby supermarket. What's irritating was that this lady owes my mom some money and she had the nerve to speak ill of her. 

Even with the crappies, there are still reasons to be grateful.

Taking time to walk, and enjoy the beauty of nature.


Baking cupcakes using the oven toaster.


Receiving the Starbucks Card I won from a giveaway hosted by The Peach Kitchen. Sister was happier than I am because she loves Starbucks and she was the one who told me about the giveaway, and to up the chances to win, I joined, too. I told her that if I win, I will give the card to her, so when I finally received it, I immediately gave it to her.


Book happiness! One week ago, me buying three bottles of nail polish caused me not to buy two books from Booksale, and when the family went back to the mall a few days after, I was really thankful that the books were still there... and I also got to buy a book costing just 5 pesos! Yesterday, I finally received the books I ordered from a seller I met through Instagram... and I am very happy that my Fifty Shades books are now complete! :D

More random happies:

• My mom supporting our crazy ideas. I painted my nails blue, sister asked me to paint her nails white. We thought it would be nice to have our pictures look like the flag, so I painted my mom's toenails red. Hehehehe.
• The scale said I lost one pound. :D
• K sent me an e-mail sharing pictures from a family member's wedding... it makes me happy that he treats me as part of his family by sharing personal images from home. Congratulations, N & T!
• After a week of taking my Biotin Multi supplements, I am starting to feel its good effect - my hair is becoming stronger and fuller, and my nails are becoming stronger, too.

It's been raining here since this afternoon. It's not heavy, but it's not stopping as well. We here may not feel the typhoon's wrath, but our heart and prayers goes to everyone who are affected.

* Jenn *