Happy Birthday Daddy!
It’s my dad’s birthday today 
We originally planned to go to Festival Mall to have lunch but we decided to just have a small party at home. I’m not even sure if “party” is the right word. (How many guests need to be there before it’s considered a “party”?)
Anyway, it was just the four of us, Kurt, his grandma, his sister, my uncle and Vesma. Brinks was also supposed to come but she decided she’d rather have shoes than cake and went with Aprille to go shopping XD
It was a very simple celebration. We sung the birthday song, ate palabok and watched Noy’s inaugural speech on TV.
I don’t really have much to say except
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST DAD IN THE WHOLE WORLD! I love you Daddy!!!
(EZRA) 24/52 : Study Hard and Play Hard!
Ezra’s portrait two weeks ago which I also forgot to post. She sorta looks like me in this picture, doesn’t she?
We cheated, this was taken a week late. We had relatives visiting the week before so we didn’t have time to shoot her portrait.
I love her notebook ^___^
Her description:
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New notebook for school. It doesn’t look like it should belong to a graduate student, but I still decided to buy it because it’s just too cute.
I never really liked studying, but it’s something that I need to do. I do my best to balance my study and play time (although I fail to do so a lot of the time (hehe).
Thanks a lot to my sister for taking my picture and editing it!
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Week 24/52 : Close your eyes and dream what I see
Self portrait two weeks ago which I forgot to post here.
It took me forever to get this right. Most of the time, the camera clicked after I landed on the ground. To improve my hang time, I stacked some books up and used them as a platform to jump off of. It helped a bit, but it still took me a couple of tries before I was satisfied. It probably would have been easier if I had my sister to help me out with the timing, but she was with Kurt (and I wanted to see if I could do it myself).
I wish my right hand looked more graceful. (I was holding the remote)
Title is from the lyrics of the song “Cool Whispers” by Ike Yoshihiro
China Picts (part 1 of 3) : Jade Museum, Ming Tombs, Great Wall and Silk Museum
Since we didn’t know anyone in China who would be willing to show us around, we decided to join a tour group which lasted for two days. I’m too lazy to write about all the places we went to so I’ll just spam you with some pictures taken during the first day of our tour.
JADE MUSEUM
This was supposedly one of the biggest jade museums in China
We saw lots of displays and a workshop where students and masters craft the jade into works of art
The guide taught us the proper way to distinguish real jade from fake jade. The first way is by lightly hitting it with a hard object and listening – real jade should produce a high tinkling sound, similar to when you tap a crystal goblet. Another method is by holding it up to the light – fake jade usually allow light to pass through while real jade should block it.
Shopping for souvenirs
Pasalubong Diaries : Korea (More Etude House goodies!)
My parents arrived home yesterday from their 4-day trip to Korea, where they attended a conference for work. Ezra and I wanted to go with them, but we couldn’t afford to miss any of our classes. Anyway, the presents they got us show how much they really know us. We didn’t ask for any of these when they left, they found them all on their own (well, mostly).
My mom got me this Dear Darling Lip Tint from Etude House, yaaaay~ I tried it today and its pretty similar to the Lip and Cheek Stain from the Body Shop. The only thing I don’t like about it is the smell. It sorta reminds me of cough syrup.
She got this Dear Darling Lip Gloss for Ezra. This one smells really good.
My dad didn’t really know what to get us, so he texted me that night to ask if we needed more BB creams since they were cheaper over there, LOL. (I was surprised he knew what BB creams were and how much they normally cost). I told him we still have some left, so I asked him to look for other Etude House products that we’ve been meaning to buy. They went back to the shop the next day to get them for us.
He got me this Dr. Oil Solution Shine Free Finish Pact. I saw this on my last visit to Etude House about a month ago. I haven’t read that much reviews about it since it’s still fairly new (I think), but I wanted to try it. The words “oil solution” caught my attention (I have oily skin), hehe.
(EZRA) 23/52 : Back to School
Forgot to post this last week.
Ezra’s very short description:
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School started this week. It’s my first semester as a graduate student
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P.S. That’s not really a uniform. We’re free to wear what we want to our classes ^___^
Starry Night : Nail art
As soon as I got the chance, I tried out the new nail polish and french manicure tip guide I got on my last visit to Etude House.
Nail art stuff. (I ended up not using the black nail art pen)
Pretty silver nails
Used my favorite nail stickers. They were the very first set I bought from Etude House
Lastly, I added black nail polish to the tips with the help of the french manicure guide.
I love the results, and it didn’t take that long to do. The silver nail polish is really pretty and the french manicure tip guide was easy to use.
Etude House Festival Mall : mini haul
I was at Festival Mall last month, so I decided to check out the Etude House that they have over there. I’ve been to the Megamall branch countless times, but I’ve never had the chance to drop by the one in Festival Mall before. I was surprised to see that the Festival branch was bigger than the one in Megamall. I expected it to be smaller for some reason.
I wasn’t really planning on buying anything, but the thrill of a new store got me high and I ended up getting a few stuff. I didn’t need any more makeup so I mostly bought nail art materials:
Two new bottles of nail polish. I love how sparkly they are.
More nail art stickers. I already have the one on the right, but in gold. I decided to get silver this time.
French manicure tip guides. I’ve tried doing French tips freehand before, but they always come out messy, so I decided to try these.
Toycon 2010
My third convention this year, wow!
This is Ezra’s and my 4th Toycon. “Toycon” is short for “Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention”. This year is their 9th event so far. Its normally lasts two days, during the Father’s Day weekend. Ezra and I usually go on the first day but this year we both have Saturday classes, so we went on the 2nd day.
Ezra and I arrived at Megamall around 12:30pm. We grabbed some lunch at Bubble Tea before buying tickets for the convention.
Going up to the convention with Ezra, Kurt and Cyrus. (This is the first convention I attended with Kurt where he’s not in costume, haha.)
Tickets
Ckloy arrived at around 2pm. He had the flu, but he still came.
I cosplayed as a flower from Plant vs. Zombies, LOL. Just kidding. The hat belongs to Cyrus. He bought it at the convention. (I cosplayed as Ezra as usual, LOL. Everything I wore belonged to her, except for the boots.)
I can haz piggy rabbit? (My ToyCon haul)
Ever since I saw Hwang Tae Kyung make a pig rabbit for Go Mi Nam in the K-drama “You’re Beautiful” I’ve been looking for ways on how to get one for myself.
Go Mi Nam with her pig rabbit
I found some being sold at Yesasia.com, but they cost $50 (~PHP2320) each plus shipping – I wasn’t willing to spend that much on a plushie. I tried looking for local sellers and found one on Multiply that was selling it for PHP1800 (shipping not included). It was about PHP500 cheaper, but still too expensive for me.
Anyway, Toycon 2010 was today (blog entry to follow), and of course Ezra and I had to check out the JE booth. I was browsing through the magazines they had on sale when Ezra pointed out the pig rabbit plushie they had on display. The guy at the booth told me it costs PHP1700. I wished it was cheaper but at least there was no shipping fee. The guy told me that they still had 5 pieces left, so I said I would think about it and come back if I decide to buy it.
By that evening, I had already made up my mind not to buy the pig rabbit, until saw a girl carrying one as she walked around the mall. Ckloy must have seen the way I looked at the plushie, so he offered to pay for half of it! Yaaaaaay~
When we went back to the booth, we saw that there were only two pieces left, and that they lowered the price to PHP1650 because it was the last day of the convention and it was getting late. Lucky~
Thanks for my pig rabbit Ckloy! Mwaaaaaah~
Sakura nails
A few weeks ago I realized that I have a bottle of white nail polish and some nail stickers that I’ve never used before, so I decided to play around with them
White nails look good in the picture but I think they make my hands look too dark. (That’s Hyun Joong and Shin Ae in the background. I was watching We Got Married while waiting for my nails to dry, hehehe)
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Applied some pink nail polish on the tips. It took me forever because I have extremely shaky hands.
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All done! 
I was finally able to use my pink sakura (?) stickers. They were one of the very first nail stickers I bought but I never had the chance to use them until now.
I liked how it turned out, but sadly they didn’t last very long. Kurt’s little sister saw my nails that night and she found the pink flowers so pretty she decided she wanted them for herself, so she peeled them off. She looked so cute doing it, so I let her. I only see her a few times a year anyway, hehe.
Goodbye pink sakura nails~
Week 23/52 : “Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems.”
Quote by Scott Adams
Summer break’s over 
We had our first day of class this week. Hope the new semester will be good.
I know, I have really messy handwriting.
I’m wearing the skirt that my mom got me from Thailand. The cap is Ezra’s and the vest/blouse was a gift from Ckloy for our monthsary. He also bought me this adorable top:
Thanks baby <3
Out of my comfort zone
Today, I conquered the SLEX (South Luzon Expressway)~
I’ve been driving for almost 8 years now, but I’ve always been confined to mostly driving around LB. My dad is extremely over protective – he doesn’t really like the idea of me driving alongside extremely fast cars. I don’t like making him worry, so I’ve always stayed away from the expressway.
This morning, Brinks asked me if I wanted to watch Sex and the City 2 at Festival Mall in Alabang. Aprille agreed to be the driver, but since her car wasn’t available Brinks suggested that I let Aprille drive my car. However, when I picked them up, Aprille announced that I would be driving and she would just be there to guide me. She figured that it’s about time that I spread my wings a little.
I must admit, I’ve wanted to try driving on the SLEX for a while now, so I was pretty excited. I probably would have done it sooner if I wasn’t so scared. Aprille and Brinks assured me that I would do fine and that if I couldn’t handle it, Aprille could always take over. Of course I agreed – I could never say no to these girls XD
Brinks and Aprille. They were willing to get in the car with me behind the wheel, so I figured I should trust myself a little as well.
I’m glad to report that we made it to Festival Mall and back safely with no problems at all. Aprille was a great teacher. She guided me and gave me plenty of encouragement.
My passengers, safe and sound. (Ezra, Kurt and Raffy tagged along to watch Prince of Persia.)
When I got home, I told my dad that I was the one who drove, and surprisingly he was fine with it, phew~ He just asked if I had any problems and told me it was good I had someone guiding me.
Thanks Aprille for being an awesome teacher!!! Mwaaaaaaah!
Fly Me to the Moon – played by Lui
It’s been a while since I last saw Lui (or “Marvin” – that’s what his friends call him now). I used to see him a lot since we live in the same area and we had the same piano teacher. I used to pick him up from his house so we could attend our lessons together. But ever since he started college, I don’t really see much of him anymore.
We ran into each other the other day at UPD and he showed me around the College of Music. We found an old piano so he played a few songs for me
Thanks Lui!
Pasalubong Diaries : Thailand
My parents went to Myanmar last week for work. On their way back to the Philippines, they stopped by Thailand to do some shopping. They arrived today with presents for me and Ezra
My mom got me two new skirts:
Blue school uniform skirt, hehe. She got me one exactly like this two years ago, but in black.
And a gray plaid one. I love it! The little bows are so cute~
I don’t really wear skirts that much, but my mom keeps buying them for me whenever they go to Thailand.
Ezra asked my mom to buy her one in every color (that she doesn’t already have).
Thanks Mama~
My parents also got us some of our favorite Thai treats:
Jelly fruit thingies(?) Ezra loves them.
Yummm~ Marshmallows with chocolate filling (the one on top has other flavors – banana, lychee, melon and strawberry)
Giant bottle of Yakult or whatever it’s called over there (my dad drank half of it already)
Plus some noodles, desserts and other stuff I wasn’t able to take pictures of. So much for my diet, haha.
Anyway I’m glad they’re are back. I was a bit worried because of all the riot that was going on in Bangkok last month. I’m happy my parents got home safely
Happy Birthday Kim Hyun Joong (PICSPAM)
(I know I’m acting like an obsessed teen, forgive me.)
It’s Kim Hyun Joong’s 24th birthday today! We’re now the same age (at least until September). Some think that 24 is a bit too old for me to be fangirling, but I see no harm in it. It’s not like I’ve deluded myself into thinking that I’ll be marrying any of my idols in the future.
In the past I used to make fanart for my favorite idols (Yamapi and Ryo) on their birthdays, but I don’t have much time to draw these days so I’ll just dedicate this entry to my newest obsession. Here are some of my favorite pictures of Kim Hyun Joong that I found on the internet. Enjoy!
killer smile
BOF faves <3
From his CF with Park Shin Hye
From the same CF/ad
When I first saw this, I thought it was Yamapi, lol
This too XD
(EZRA) 22/52: The rain cleanses the world
Ezra and I had fun shooting her portrait this week. We were in the middle of an outdoor shoot when it started raining. Instead of stopping, we decided to take a few shots of her playing in the rain.
Her description:
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Rainy season is finally here! I love it. It’s been so long since I last played in the rain. I had so much fun in the shoot even though I looked like a drowned rat in the last few shots.
The title was inspired from a quote from the anime “Boys Be.”
Thanks a lot to my sister for taking the picture and editing it!
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Outtakes:
“Ate are you seriously going to make me pose here?”
“It’s cold!!”
She didn’t know what to do at first, but after a while she started enjoying herself
I have a lot more funny outtakes and bloopers from this mini-shoot but Ezra forbids me to post them, lol.
Week 22/52 : Trace of a Dream
I’m running out of ideas~
School’s about to start again. Registration started last Tuesday Summer break just flew by! I wish it was longer. I’m too lazy to go back to school.
My sister and I were supposed to do an outdoor shoot but the weather didn’t allow it. We only managed to take a few shots before it started to rain so we ended up taking pictures inside the house.
Thanks Ezra for lending me your boots and for taking the picture.
(Title is from the Kanon OST)
Hello straight hair!
Last Sunday I went to the parlor to get my hair straightened. It’s been over a year since I last had it done, and my hair’s been a mess these past few days, thanks to the heat and humidity. I was supposed to get it straightened last October, but I decided to have my hair dyed brown instead. Ate Cecil (my favorite stylist – she’s been doing my hair since 2002) told me that I couldn’t do both because I’d risk damaging my hair. She told me to pick one and to come back after a month (to give my hair time to rest), but I didn’t get the chance and soon forgot about it.
I was born with curly hair but as I grew older they slowly developed into waves. Normally I like wavy hair, but I have really thick strands, so even the slightest texture can make my head look enormous. Ever since I discovered the art of hair straightening, I’ve always made it a habit to get my hair done at least once year.
I’ve tried a few different salons in the past, but Metrohair has always been my favorite. I discovered it back in college when it was still fairly new. They had a lot of promos, so their prices were much lower than what others offered. I remember that other parlors charged about P500-P600 for hair straightening back then, but Metrohair only charged P440. Not a huge difference, but P60-P160 is still a lot for a student on an allowance.
(EZRA) 21/52 : Crossroads
Ezra’s portrait for last week. She’s been busy spending time with her boyfriend lately so we didn’t have time to take proper pictures. We just shot this quickly at the mall yesterday.
Her description:
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This picture was taken at Festival Mall in Alabang. They have a mini train ride there, and it’s also the only mall I know which has a roller coaster inside the arcade. The roller coaster is quite small, but it’s still fun to ride.
Thanks a lot to my sister for taking my picture and editing it!
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Week 21/52 : Fragments of Memories
For DIP-it-Thursday : Childhood
When I was younger I loved video games, but the only time I got to play them was when we visited my cousins. My parents didn’t want to buy Ezra and me a gaming console because they were worried it would distract us from our studies. We begged for a Gameboy or a Family Computer but we never got it. Finally, when we reached middle school (Ezra was in the 6th grade, I was in the 8th) my parents surprised us with a Sony Playstation.
The first games I remember buying were Tekken 3, Crash Bandicoot, Mortal Kombat 4, Coolboarders 2, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Dance Dance Revolution and of course Final Fantasy 8 ^__^
As soon as I saw the opening segment of FF8, I fell completely in love with the Squall x Rinoa pairing. I used to pretend that I was Rinoa and that Squall would fulfill his promise one day and come for me (Don’t judge me, I was 14 XD).
Anyway, all my friends knew about my obsession for the game, so they gave me lots of FF8 presents. I’ve gotten posters, shirts, cards and fanart from different people. This Squall poster was a gift from my sister’s boyfriend on my 18th birthday (Thanks Kurt!). Even though I’ve outgrown my obsession for the game (sorta), I still enjoy getting FF8 goodies from my friends. (Ena got me this mini Squall figurine when she went to Japan 2 years ago ^__^)
Title is a song from the FF8 OST
The blouse I’m wearing one of the three that Moy gave me for doing the Elbi Chic shoot with her.
