Alone For A Week.

It has been a long time since I last traveled alone... Alone as in no Hubby, little boy or family.  When I learned that I would get back to the "business trip business" with my new job (yes, I have a new one), it was a welcome thought for me.  And I would be traveling within Asia so this it would be a good break-in.


I try my best to travel light, not because I would want to be business-like.  I do it... just in case... I... buy a lot.  All in one medium-sized bag for a one week trip.  I never forget my goodies for overseas contacts, of course (Curly Tops and Mango Balls!).
First time to travel with another airline from Manila.  I have been a loyal PAL fan because of family... but this time, I flew Cathay.  And because of that, hello again to Terminal 1.
I never remembered Terminal 1 having tissue paper in the Ladies' Room.  They have now.  They even have bidet!  Hooray for airport surveys!
The Boeing 777 liner is a nice plane.  Each seat has their own touchscreen TV and has a port to charge the Apple stuff.
Food was not as great, though.  I still like the hot meals of PAL.
Hongkong, finally.
But, I was not done yet.  I took the Airport Express to Kowloon Station.
Took the Airport Express Complimentary Shuttle to Hung Hom Station.
Then, took another intercity train.
All the way to Guangzhou... my first time in China.
The photos, I took inside the cab.  Ended up in the hotel at around 9:30pm after a 12-hr journey from Manila.  It was a great adventure but glad that was done. (More to come in my next posts!).

My New Toy.

Oooh... I have a new toy.  Boy, am I excited.


I decided to retire my ever reliable 5 year old Canon Point-and-Shoot.
Not because it has become unreliable but because I wanted to have a bit more advanced camera to keep up with my growing boy.


Experience tells that the best deals would be in the US.  My Mom and sister had their rendezvous in the States so I took the opportunity.  Since I have been a loyal Canon user, the obvious choice was also a Canon.

And so I got the Canon PowerShot ELPH 320 HS in black.


Pictures can go as high as 16.1 megapixels, 5X zoom lens and has full HD capacity.  It is touchscreen so it has a large display and limited buttons to click.



Another thing I like about it is that it tells you what those functions are for.  For a non-photographer like me, this is a great help.
But the best-est thing is its WiFi capability.  I do not have to pop it open to get the SD card.  I just have to connect it to the computer to transfer pictures and videos.  Sweet!
Here are some shots using some of the non-photographer friendly features.

Using the Auto function.
The Toy Camera for a sort of Instagram effect.
The Miniature Effect which blurs the top and the bottom.
The Poster Effect.

The whole camera plus an 8GB SD card cost me USD281.  Using PHP42 as the conversion rate, the price in local currency is around PHP11,800.  If I keep it for 5 years (which I normally do), it's like paying Php2,300 per year.  My sister said it was on sale when they bought it so considering that this was released only in February 2012, it was indeed a good buy.


Now, lemme buy a nice camera bag this weekend.

Day at the Museum.

One Sunday, hubby and I decided that it's time for the little boy to experience going to museum.  Guess which museum we decided to go to...
Yes... it's the Mind Museum located at the Bonifacio Global City.
Where 'Science Comes Alive!'
We first met Aedi.  She was cute.
I found The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments interesting.  They were basically the breakthroughs that changed the world.
Then, we were off to the Universe gallery.  Was not a good idea to start with it.  The little boy got scared of the dark.  We missed the film showing.  So, I guess he will not be an astronaut in the future.
He started to loosen up at the Earth gallery.  He loves dinosaurs, that's why.
Love 'em, too... as long as they won't eat me.
Next, was the Life gallery which talks about the Human Brain, basically the different parts of the body, the cell and my favorite, the genes/DNA (I still remember the Punnet Square from High School.. hehe).

The Atom gallery was the little boy's most favorite.  There were interactive displays.  Electromagnetism started all the fun.

This was no fun for hubby and I... but the Table of Elements indeed brought back memories of Chemistry.  I did hope it was more student friendly just like this...

The second floor housed the Technology gallery.  This exhibit showed the quick look to the different technological eras of the world.

Our last stop was the Science Park which is a bummer because it would have been best if we went there during daylight.  Not much of a wonder at night plus my phone camera did not cooperate.  Additional lights would have made it more fun.

And oh, we went back inside... to the museum store.  The store completed the modern-museum-abroad feel.  The little boy did not go home without a souvenir, of course.


A 3-hour tour that costs Php600 for the adults and Php450 for the kids (Php150 for public school pupils) is a bit on the pricey side.  It would have been lovelier (and more value-for-money) if there were more awesome interactive displays like those in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC (which, if I remember correctly, is free).  


But, yes, this museum is a great start.  Bringing forth more avenues for learning is what our growing country needs.  I forgot to mention that the architecture of the building was a standout.  Let this not be that last one.

Foyer Done.

It is a project that has a moving target completion date.  I guess it will take some more months (perhaps, years?).  The more important thing is that there is progress.


I am happy to tell the world that our foyer is now complete.

Our house is not big so don't be surprised if the foyer I am talking about is just one wall.  This took 10 months to finish.  See...

The sunburst mirror I got from True Value in the Powerplant.  Sunburst mirrors are said to be lucky because they symbolize glowing or bursting energy.  Damage was Php5,000.

Elephant figurines also help bring good luck especially if their trunks are pointing upward.  They also say that the figurines should not face the door else luck will escape.  Got my set from Mandaue Foam and costs Php800.

The two picture frames we got as gifts while the wooden piece was from the Home Market at the Market! Market!.  It was made from Bulacan and costs Php180.

All of these from Mandaue Foam.  Damages were Php1,000 for the bowl and Php200-220 for those round stuff.

The console table was a great find from the Home Market at Market! Market!.  It was from Ilocos, made of Mahogany and costs only Php2,300 (after bargaining).

The nice slim jar was from Mandaue Foam and costs Php1,600 (I think I need to put some twigs in there to address that bare part of the wall).  Notice the obsession for things that look like bursts.  For me, they symbolize positivity and energy.

Total cost of this wall was Php11,540.  That's like saving Php1,500/month for the 10 months that we were here and having these savings invested on stuff that make our home even more cozy.

Now, I need to save again for the next wall... er... portion of the house.

Tita Racel's Treat.

The best thing about relatives coming home is family get-togethers.  And family get-togethers mean sumptuous food!


It has been Tita Racel's tradition to treat everyone to a Dampa lunch before going back to the States.  Her recent visit brought us to Shylin Restaurant and Seafood Palutuan at the Seaside Market in Macapagal Blvd.


Cousin Me-an, being our ever reliable photographer, made sure she got the best shots of the food served.  One word... YUM!


Pork Sinigang...
My favorite PUSIT (squid).
Buttered shrimps... fresh and delish.
Pinakbet... as expected, not as famous as the others.  I had my eyes on the Okra.
Green Mango salad complete with tomato, onion and bagoog.
Shrimp Tempura.
Divine Chili Crab!!
Grilled Fish.
I would have to protest a bit because our cousin-photographer was not able to capture the best of them all... Inihaw na Liempo (Grilled Fatty Pork).  Yes, that was the best part of the lunch... 'bestest' because of Pepsi Max but could've been better with Coke light.


Thanks, Tita Racel!  It was a great lunch... hoping for another round that next time you visit.

Frustrated MUA.

I have always been fascinated with make-up.  I remember watching my mom prepare for office, her sitting in front of her dresser applying make-up.  My most favorite part then was when she was putting her lipstick because it made her made up face complete.

Then, thanks to Ricky Reyes and "her" Beauty School Plus show in RPN9, I got even more interested.  I was no longer interested with the lipstick... I was hooked more on coloring the eyes.

While I was growing up, I never had money so whenever I needed to put color on my face, I would raid the collection of my Mom.  I did put into practice Mama Ricky's lessons so I do not remember having to go out with a disastrous mix of colors.

I started to work and it was just unfortunate that the world I was in is boring finance.  Boring in a sense because this part of the organization is not into make-up... unlike marketing, sales or customer service.  Make-up was, thus, not part of my budget... not even a lipstick... well, okay.. I did include a lip gloss.

Fast forward to now... weddings have become super commercialized, YouTube is here to stay and people have insisted on trying to find themselves.  Make-up is now a form of art and a source of passion.  Make-up in my budget has now more than ever been validated.


Presenting my loot.
(Plus, the Suesh Brushes from hubby.)


But no... it's not a loot of expensive make-up.  Remember, I am from Finance so I watch my budget closely.  I stick to the Maybelline/Cover Girl level.  My MACs are courtesy of my generous cousin Joy D, who is, by the way, a guru in make-up.


And, as they say, one slowly builds up her make-up loot.  So, here are my latest additions.


Make-up primer from Missha.
Another lipstick from Face Shop.
Eyeliner from Face Shop, I think.
Hello Kitty mascara by Maybelline.

My next step is to deal with my frustration.  I hope to enroll in one of the make-up courses.  I just need to find the time and save up for it since the classes are pretty darn expensive.  Who knows... I might have a second career as a make-up artist.  Loving what you do and earning from it is a very nice combination.