Heaven on Earth

This is the Amaryllis cottage in Dahilayan Gardens. I've stayed here twice in the last 6 months. It's HEAVEN! It's my happy place!

Yesterday, Feb 20, we were gonna spend overnight here again, R&R with my boyfriend and our friends. Reservations were made.

But in Tuesday, Feb 19, we had to move our trip next week as my friend have to attend this very important business meeting (and he promised to pay for everything, pampalubag luob).

And then egad! NPA took hostage in that same area and attacked the nearby Del Monte plantation. They're still lurking in the area of Dahilayan and the military is on the hunt.

Will we ever stay in Amaryllis again without the fear of danger?

thank you for your service

Today is the day i bid farewell to my iPhone 3g. It served me for almost 4yrs now. It was my source of pride, flashing it when appropriate. But it got ooold. Apple completely abandoned it. Can't update iOS, can't download most of the apps, and the photo quality is obsolete...and i got a bit envious when my brother got himself a newer iPhone hee hee hee

What I have is the 4s. (No, not the 5). No sour graping at all but the height of iPhone 5 is too masculine for my liking. If i can embed its tech features to the 4s, I'd have it.

Anyhoo, i'm waiting for it to finish erasing all data and settings...then it's off to the next user to give it some love 💖

PLAY by Comme Des Garcons

I was a Zara tee mistress for years...but when i purchased my first Play by Comme des Garcons tee, I was an instant convert. I suddenly have this urge to buy more. Picture below is my first CDG tee. A week later, I purchased my second CDG tee in black. I wear them every chance i get. In fact, I'm wearing it as I'm writing this blog  ♡♡♡

*no, i did not buy my CDG tee in Denmark hee hee. just for illustration*

CDG is a Japanese brand. Their PLAY line became a hit here when Filipino celebrities started wearing them (e.g. Zanjoe, Vice Ganda). They are known for their heart eyes logo.

❤ our 40th month ❤

It's December already! wow! Upon realization, I sent a text to E:

*Pasko na sinta ko*

E gamely replied:

*hanap-hanap kita*

I giggled like a teenager. I am completely and utterly smitten.

Yesterday was our 40th monthsary. Grateful it's a holiday, E and I had our lunch in Dahilayan. An hour and a half away for cool temperature and crispy pata. Since our destination is in the boondocks, i.e. less traffic, I put my driver's licence to good use. I manned the steering wheel while E  incessantly gave unsolicited directions (gear, turns, clearances). I know how to drive. He knows I know how to drive. But still, E is ever commanding and worrisome.

When i made a tight overtaking, E absentmindedly stepped on his imaginary brake. His nerves were all over the place! hahaha A joy to watch!

Our dinner was take-out KFC while watching Air Supply LIVE! Yep, they were in our city last night! Soon as I knew they're coming back here, I hauled E and bought us tickets, hahaha. I love their music. I have an Air Supply playlist in my iPod. Their lyrics I know by heart....and it's not like Beyonce and Bruno Mars ever come to our city!

I was belting their songs with them, clapping, shouting, swaying  with E, melting....I was in a happy place! ✿❤

tittle-tattling

E had just accepted a job offer as TERMINAL OPERATIONS HEAD from Gothong Southern (cargo side of the business). The offer is not all vanilla sky but he decided to take on this new challenge and left his position as OIC in an International Shipping Line. So from working in an International Container Terminal just 3 minutes from where he lives to working in a Domestic container terminal in the city 40 minutes away. The only upside is we get to go to work together(i work in the city) and home too if he's not tied up with work after 5.

I feel that he has this nagging feeling he might not have made the right decision switching companies. Salary is the same but cost is much higher working far from home. Although Gothong provides gas allowance (and a BB phone to boot), it's never enough. His mom just got him an SUV (Ford pick-up) on his 32nd birthday and it gargles gasoline like water. Gothong also has vessel operations 3x/week in contrast to 1x/week from his previous company. It would mean long hours at work and more to and from home trips. Gasoline issue again.

I kept encouraging him. Who knows, maybe after his probationary, better compensation (i.e. higher gasoline allowance) will be provided.

We went to work together this AM and after the hugging and kissing, soon as I got off his truck, my heart sinked. Later tonight he'll be leaving to Cebu for his training. I can only count in one hand the times we did not see each other for more than 2days. The longest was six weeks when I was working in Cebu. Even when he would go to Davao for their quarterly meeting, he won't be gone for over 2days. He would even sometimes tag me along.

We see each other every day and we do things together, from massages to shopping and even running small errands. We laugh and cry together, too. E and I are connected at the hip like that.

I am sad already. He will be in Cebu until the 18th. Although I will be joining him this weekend, I still feel miserable.

❀❀ price of pretty ❀❀

I'm in an unending quest of finding the right foundation. It's robbing me. They cost over 2,000 per bottle. A few years back, I was content with pharmaceutical brands like Maybelline, Revlon, and Loreal. I remember feeling superior then owning "branded" cosmetics. I can be naive, I know. I've seen the white light so I'm now more inclined to owning the real branded cosmetics like MAC, Smashbox, Nars, Shiseido, and Lancome.

My skin type is a bit special, that's why. I'm acidic and prone to hormonal acne. So it has to be TRUE (no false claims) non-comedogenic. I also buy shades one or two tones lighter than my skin tone because of my acidic skin. I have nooo idea what's the cause of that. Also, I have yellow-ish skin so most Smashbox foundations (I've tried 4 kinds) works well for me. But their products don't cope well with acid and their shades are sooo limited.

So far, Lancome Macqui Blanc is my better choice. It's made for Asian Skin. I wear this all day at work and it never cakes, though it fades just a tiny bit. No breakouts. The only disadvantage is that it's not as yellow-ish as Smashbox.

I haven't found my personal demi-god of all foundations yet. The search continues...I still have to try Shu Uemura, Laura Mercier, and Chanel. With all my might, I will afford them with my meager income. I'm ambitious (or vain?) like that.

game changers

Badminton wasn't exactly my forte until of late. I play, yes. But it was more for leisure than anything else. I had no intentions whatsoever of improving nor have enough care to own the right gear.

Not until i received these...my game changers!

I used to be content with my 100-peso badminton racket. I only realized lately that it's the culprit behind my shoulder joint dislocation. It's heavier than the acceptable weight. Imagine my cost every time my shoulder joint needs to be adjusted...Per visit to the chiropractor is 1,300 and i made several visits and add up the fees of the manghihilot. With that total I'd have bought a high-end racket.

But I'm putting all those behind now. I have this shiny new racket given to me with love! It's not the best but is nice enough for a beginner like me. This PHP2,000 racket is a big leap from my PHP100 racket. We had it strung to its maximum 20lbs. It's so light I no longer worry about straining my arms. It changed my game and my attitude towards the game. Plus, I got this new Nike frees. Again, given with love! E spoils me! We now play badminton every Wednesday and I'm determined to better myself every time.

vacation lag

I have endured countless meetings at work. During the first few, I was always pen-and-paper ready, poised for serious note-taking. I do the obligatory nods on key points and wrinkle my forehead as if comprehending something so complex. But today, I was just not up to my usual pretensions. I tried to blend into my chair and not attract any attention at all. I heard nothing and willing my eyes to stay open required Herculean effort. I missed my bed.

What i feel is like a vacation lag of sort. I had too much fun last weekend that going back to work today felt like a punishment. It's only Monday, whatever will happen in the next five(!!!) days? Oh my Lord!

☀ sunshine in a dress ☀

I bought this H&M flowy maxi dress in H&M Singapore. Cost me about SGD90. I love it too much I want to marry it!

~A fond memory~ When E and I started packing in SG, bound for home. Since I have more clothes, he helped me fold. All of a sudden he exclaimed, "unsa ni, kurtina?" He meant my maxi dress. We laughed so hard. He's so clueless!

When E and I were in Singapore, a huge chunk of our shopping allowance went to H&M. I've been dying to shop in an H&M store. Zara, Promod, and H&M are my goto brands. I used to be all Forever21 but i've grown out of it. It's cheap alright, but you would of course get what you paid for. Too flimsy. Except the accesories, though. Love them!

Georgina

Georgina, the new baby in our growing family.

We share the same birth day, April 14. I'm already looking forward to her 1st birthday. Free food for myself and my visitors, hahaha ツ

Every Sunday, the family gathers at home for dinner so we only get to see her once a week. We'd all hover around our little Georgina. Such a joy.

erstwhile

October 2008. My brother's civil wedding. With my sister.

Our 36th

It's our 36th month today. E and I didn't really make any eatout plan as we want our pockets to breathe. Oddly, his brother invited us to dinner with his girlfriend. Double date. A first. The relationship they have is not as open as ours so we're kind of glad that they're sort of coming out of their shells, at least to us.

I hope there will be more "bonding" moments like this one. I know it makes E one bit happier to have his brother finally opening up to him...and we're sensing she's going to be the sister-in-law soon :-)