SNS tends to prevent us from living the actual moment

My Kuya has always been telling me since last year that too much of the internet is bad for you. Last year I also learned that majority of people use SNS (Social Networking Sites) as venues and as a subconcious creation of their own reality where love stories are perfect, where happiness is being announced, where everyone supports one another and it also have some major disadvantage such as cyberbullying and online bashing.

I’ve been addicted to these SNS and I learned that when I feel sad, I open SNS to see what is out there.  Last semester, during my gathering of literature for my Thesis for graduate school,  studies show that those who spend a ridiculous amount of time logging in on SNS such as facebook, having the need to constantly update their status like it’s fast becoming an online diary are those people with low self-esteem. It occurs mostly on teenagers and young adults.

Source

When I learned about this, I started going out more and seeing more of my friends so most of the time I do my catch up face to face, and not “screen-to-screen” or in facebook language “wall-to-wall”. And really I am thankful that I get to actually talk to real persons, laugh with them instead of typing the awkward “LOL”.

My kuya told me about the wedding he recently attended and during the reception, the new couple rushed to get their laptop, updating their status from “engaged” to “married”.  Is that really what facebook has done to us? There is this unimaginable need and urge to update your facebook status, during your own wedding? Can’t it wait?

 It’s...your...wedding! It’s your moment?! Why the need to log in on facebook and let the whole world know you just got hitched when you can enjoy the moment and feeling of a newly wed? 

I vowed to make sure that my life off the cyberspace is more “happenin” . I admit I am more of a twitter addict because I get ideas and news from the site and it helps me get through writer’s block. But honey, I really have to blog because this is therapy for me. But thank God for Blogspot’s feature, scheduled publishing, that I can assign which date a certain post will be published... and I can go live my life off the internet while blogspot will do the publishing for me. 

Blowing out Birthday Candles

If I can remember correctly, it was one summer night of this year when I was supposed to go jogging with my friend but I was late so I opted to jog around the UP oval alone  at night with the rest of the joggers who seemed to be doing their own thing.

If I can remember correctly I was listening to my ipod, Lady Gaga on full blast repeat mode, but my mind is some place else. Though I wrote before that I don’t jog, I brisk walk, that night, not only I jogged but I ran, and I ran like my joints are going to disconnect, like my bones are going to break.

I ran like I am running after my life, running after something that I’ve always wanted and just when I was about to make that turn, the lamp post’s light went out and I stopped running, I got my hands on my knees, I stopped to catch my breath and I started to cry.

Source

Lord, I'm still like a kid who still believe in birthdays and birthday wishes. And I thank you for my second year that I do not have those birthday blues.  

And though probably by the time this post is published I'm probably out celebrating with my loved ones, that same thing that I asked for during one summer night that I held on to my knees to catch my breath, it’s still the same thing that’s on my mind as I blow out my birthday candles.

And I’m holding on to my faith that you will give me what I wished for because when time comes, I know I really have deserved it.  Plus, I just have this feeling that it’s already on it’s way. There maybe a delay but it’s already on it’s way and all this waiting will be all worth it... and when it comes, I’ll make sure to show my gratitude. 

Thank you Lord and Thank you Universe! <3

Peace & Love,

K

28 things I learned before my birthday

I've been updating this list in preparation for the auto-publishing feature of blogspot. I've been trying to list down the top 28 lessons I learned but out of so many (and so private) so I just chose the ones that I always remember the most.


I really ransacked my brain for this and chose the 28 memorable lessons that I learned. As much as I would like to share the details to make it more "understandable"... we'll, I'd still like to keep my privacy.

Source

 (1)Everyone comes with their own manual.

Just because someone got married at 25 it doesn’t mean we would all be going down the same road. And just because a certain “formula” worked for others, it doesn’t mean it will work for me. While it's tacky to steal someone else's thunder/spotlight, if it's not for you, it will never be yours. I had someone who traced my footsteps but it never worked for them because it's not really who they are.

(2)I am a lucky recipient of “Pay it Forward”.

I will be forever thankful that I’ve been a recipient of Pay it Forward so therefore I will vow to do the same. Every favor that I’ll get I’ll pay it forward to three or more people.

(3)Forgiveness is actually letting yourself off the hook.

It took me a while to understand what this is about until I was told that if I don’t forgive someone, I will still be connected to that same person. And in order for me to be disconnected, I forgave someone/people (who is not even asking for forgiveness)  not to let the person off the hook, but just so that the person will no longer be connected to me. Sometimes you need to be the bigger person to make a grand gesture to fix things and be mature enough to make those decision not because you want to get involved with each other again but to separate peacefully.

(4)Be kind because you don’t know if the other person is fighting a harder battle.

I had this bad feeling towards a person who talked behind my back but little did I know that she was fighting a huge and harder battle compared to my own.

(5)There are not only financially, but emotionally abusive people.

When they wanted someone to listen, you gave your ear. When they got your ear, they want your whole head. When they got your head, they asked for your hand, and when you gave your hand, they still requested for your arm. It’s like until they get your upper limbs (and who knows).  Whatever you do, it’s not enough. I had to put a stop to being emotionally abused. I was told I get emotionally attached and involved with my friends' lives that there are times that I've been in the ring with them fighting with them in their battle. I got abused because in the long run, these people will not see which point is enough. I have accepted that there are givers and there are takers. 

(6)Do not count your eggs...yet.

I have seen two major events this year who counted their eggs too early (one is Boxer Marquez).  I think we all know what went on that road. I was deeply humbled by what I have seen.

(7)It’s the lifestyle that you live.

I figured out that changing lifestyles is doable. I changed my lifestyle from taking cabs to walking, from heels to flipflops and flats. From going out to staying in, from bars to intimate house parties. I am making less of what I used to make before but I've never been happier.

(8)There are really, genuinely good people.

At first, I really cannot believe this one. You just have to know where to look. And in order for you to have really good friends, you have to be one. And it is never too late to make new friends. I am very thankful for these good people who have kept me grounded.

(9)Misery loves company.

This sounds like a cliche but those who appear to be too available and too visibly close for comfort are actually the ones in need (of attention).

(10) The truth will always come out. True colors will eventually show.

This is actually one of the most important highlight that I've learned hardly a week before my birthday. I learned that I do not have bad judgment and that I am only human. But the biggest surprise I got was someone finally felt exactly what it is like to walk in my shoes and see things from where I am standing.

(11)Humility.

I have such high respect for those successful people who remain humble. I am inspired to keep my self grounded.

(12)Be careful whose advice you buy.

I have not really found role model for me, but I just take advice from wise people that I look up to. I do get unsolicited advice, and I have admit, I did ask for advice from unreliable sources just to hear and see what they have to say, but at the end of the day, I have learned to listen to those who really "brought it". While I don't really have a role model, I have a model for "Don't".

(13)Weed out toxic people. (in my case, Emotional Vampires)

How do you really determine these “toxic people”. When they suck the energy& positivity out of you. Almost.Every.Single.Time. (Sometimes without them knowing it) I rummaged through my list and slowly weeded out some. I did not really burn bridges but regardless of how short or how long you’ve been together, there are some people in our lives that even though it seems painful, you really have to let go and you know you will not regret it. It’s better to cut things now than be strung along with all the negativity, drama and mishap all for the sake of consideration of the amount of time invested through the years. There are some people/friends who are worth letting go. People not only change, they also get tired. Friendship, is also a relationship. It takes a lot of work. Like any other relationship, they tend to break up as well. Someone once told me that you will know who your true friends are by the time you reach 30 and you will be surprised to see that they are only a handful. Friendship also needs an upgrade. You need to grow up and mature together, even the petty things that tests your friendship should no longer be in the same line with the petty things you fought about years ago.

(14)Being polite will get you what you want.

I have not been known for being the polite person but when I was told about this and unconsciously have incorporated this in my personality...it did work. Being polite have changed the way I am treated from jeepney drivers down to the big bosses. Sometimes it's really the way you ask.

(15)Keep a positivity Diary.

I’m not exactly known for being positive and optimistic but once I got hold of being optimistic, I vowed to never let it go. Everyday I keep a diary where I list everything that I am thankful of for that day and it works.

(16)It always appear that the grass is greener on the other side.

But little did we know what really goes on with the entire garden. The ultimate competition is not really who is skinnier, wealthier, prettier but it's whoever finds his/her genuine passion and happiness.

(17)Just because someone are frank, tactless and likes to tell the truth, it doesn’t mean they can handle their own truth.

And I learned this the hard way. Not all people can appreciate honesty and sometimes it is better to just wait for them to figure it out and find it out for themselves. Even if it means allowing them to look stupid. Also you have to accept that there are some people, no matter how you explain in the most logical and simple way, they will never figure it out for themselves. 

(18)Quarter-life crisis.

I wish someone could’ve told me that there is a thing called Quarter-life crisis. It’s the phase in your mid-twenties where you feel trapped with what you want to do with your life and long to go back to school. You feel like everyone is moving on except you and you start to hate your job, etc. I cannot offer an advice how to get out of it, because I just got out of the phase and starting all over again. Quarter-life crisis is a crucial stage, but if you have felt this in your mid twenties and you don't have mouths to feed, consider yourself lucky. Quarter-life crisis, when seen in a positive perspective, is actually a breather to take time off and figure out who you and what you really want.

(19)I am in love with the idea of being in love.

I love being in love but it doesn’t always mean that I am in love. I feel genuinely happy to those who got hitched, engaged, just got into a relationship because I admire their guts on taking such risk.

(20)Too much of Social Networking Sites can sometimes be bad for you.

Studies show (and yes I read and studied them) that the majority of those who spends too much time on social networking sites have low self-esteem and cases of depression. Social Networking sites give people a chance to create their own reality that’s why love stories are perfect, everyone supports a fighter, the weak suddenly has something to say and cyberbullying accumulates.  So if you are feeling depressed, step away from the computer and go to a real person. It’s never a good idea to wash your dirty laundry online.

(21)What is bound to happen will happen.

You can actually end up upsetting someone or getting upset by someone even without any effort your part, without lifting a finger! It may be in a form of phone call or a surprise visit. If you’re bound to have a fall out, there might be some delay but it will definitely happen. If you're bound to be together, no year or 12 years can really set you apart.

(22)Accept that even the most treasured people in your life can be ungrateful for everything you have ever done for them. 

One flaw can blow up a huge mess, disregarding everything that you have ever done for them with and without their knowledge. I learned to make emotional space and allowance for these incidents and learned to detach myself from getting upset. Acceptance really do the wonders because it can take a huge load of disappointment of your shoulders. We never lose by giving, we lose by holding back. If you have so much to give, consider yourself lucky.

(23)“Hindi Hagip ng Utak”

Means there are educated people without common courtesy, good judgment and common sense, despite their good background. It’s a matter of how they were brought up and what they believe is right. Some people don't know what is inappropriate given a certain scenario. 

(24)Time is the master.

Not only time heals all wounds, but you can be with the perfect person at this very moment but when you're not ready...you are not ready. If it’s not yet time, it will not happen.

(25)Satisfy your intellectual self.

Because when you do, everything else is mundane. You don’t really need that much gadget, that much shoes, that much make up and so on. You don’t really need to be seen in this place... and so on.

(26)I made peace with my self and found balance.

This year I have seen a what I call "so beautiful and so sad". I used to be so insecure about myself before but this sounds very cliche-y, once I have accepted my self and embraced my limitations, I found peace. 

(27)The Law of Attraction.

Visualize what you want and you will get it. When I was 20 years old, I envisioned my self in a corporate world, attending meetings with the big bosses, shopping for shoes, living a fabulous social life and having my own apartment and living alone then pursuing graduate school. And I did and had all that by the time I am 26.

(28)You always have the option.

I have the option to open Pandora’s Box or Not. With one click I could get upset...or not. It is always important to always decide today what you want to happen. I want to be happy, I will have a good day, and by declaring this before the day starts, the Universe will work it’s way around with what you want and you will have a good day like what you ordered. And it did work for me.

Source

My 2010 year was all about doing a life-over haul. I was wondering what I did with my life this year and I asked a close friend of mine and she said:

What you did, it is called cleansing.

And I did, from my closet, to my eating habits and vices... and down to friends. I have to go put back my running shoes on because there are more roads to come.

Thanking on Thanksgiving

I honestly have stopped (not really a hundred percent though) thinking about the things that I do not have, but instead I have (almost always) keep on ticking my list of the things (and people) that I am thankful for. Such as:

• Waking up from a comfortable bed.
• My inay making me breakfast regardless if it’s just bread and butter toast.
• My parents taking me to work, my tatay taking me to school on weekends.
• I spend the entire day working but no one bugs me and my boss let’s me do my own thing.
• I have flexible working schedule that allows me to accommodate work and graduate school...and sometimes lunch and coffee dates with friends.
• I go home at night and tell my mom about my day.
• I get a welcome woof from our dogs Gucci, and I feed Drake his food.
• I have more time interacting with people than catching up via internet.
• My life is more active off the cyberspace (though I really love to write/blog almost very often because it has always been something that I’ve been passionate about).
• I have friends who have kept me grounded. I have specific persons on speed dial (when I want a self-esteem boost, someone to laugh with, someone to talk to about growing up, etc.)
• I go home at night with my family, safe and sound.
• I can see, hear, touch, taste, eat, smell and my body is still complete.
• I lie in my bed after a warm bath and still have the chance to read a book.
• I fall asleep without knowing.
• I wake up to my inay’s voice the very next day.

And that’s just to name a few.

I have not exactly been an optimistic and positive person all my life but it surely feels nice not be so friggin’ negative all the time.

Yes, I am literally counting all my blessings. And Lord, I know I don’t always to talk to you that much but I know you know how completely grateful I am for everything you’ve given me and for never forsaking me no matter how difficult I’ve been. 

Hello Readers & Blogwalkers!

Last night I spent the night at my grandma’s and had dinner with my cousins. We were catching up while hanging out in her bedroom when she, another online junkie, showed something to me:

A friend of hers (who doesn’t know me at all) shared my blog!  This morning my cousin tweeted me the screenshot: 

I have shameless kilig when I find out that I have readers (and accidental readers) pala since my blog’s main purpose is just for me to have something to write on and share. I find writing very therapeutic and it has always been something that I am very passionate about.  (No, I did not start a blog just to have a venue to rant on, I have my tried-tested-trusted friends for that)

Anyway, it sure is nice to know that’s someone’s been reading. At least I got good news this time, because last semester I was plagiarized. Below is my entry (that was originally posted in FB notes, so you can imagine how many scholarly, academic and artist reactants that I got when they read it.)

Date written: August 20, 2011 @ 2:53pm: 

Something quite funny happened this morning. I want to think that it's funny until it happened to me.

A Filipino classmate of mine was presenting his policy paper this morning. It's about the traffic in Los Banos Laguna. It actually sounded familiar because I did a policy paper on that same topic and that same scope and limitations.

The opening of the presentation was quite good, because he greeted everyone in different language translation of "Good Morning" (We have several classmates from all over Asia). He was the only one who was prepared enough to prepare a power point presentation to present his policy paper topic to the class.

After slides, I saw a glimpse of something familiar. I had a similar photo. I immediately told my friend Aya, who's my classmate & seated beside me, that the picture looked really familiar. I have pictures of that same angle in my blog.

In fact, I took a photo of the exact same angle while standing at Robinson's townmall gathering evidence for my data, some while eating at Jollibee then some more when I walked my way home. I remember my friend JLa was with me when I took it, because we had just gone from a mani-pedi session then. The security guard from Robinson's saw me taking photos and asked me to stop. So I did, after 5 more clicks til I get the shot that I want.Then the next slide came. There are encircled things in the pictures. The kind of stuff that I do with MS paint program. I just had to interrupt the reporting and ask.
 Kea: Excuse, but where did you get the photos?Classmate Reporter: Oh from the internet.Kea: I see. Because those pictures are from my blog and I did your exact same topic last semester.

I have not had a good proper reaction to surprising things. I almost find it funny, until it happened to me.

What are the chances that the pictures you've taken from the net happens to be owned originally by one of your audience? There was no introduction that the pictures gathered were from the internet. He presented it in a way like it was some data he gathered. If I don't happen to ask where the pictures came from, I doubt if he'll really say that it was from the net.

I understand the borrowing of the pictures, I do the same thing with my blog but I make sure that I have a source where it is linked.

I even have an open note for my blogwalkers:

OPEN NOTE TO BELOVED BLOGWALKERSAll the photos in this blog are not to be used without the permission of the blog owner.Majority of the borrowed photos used in this blog links back to its original source or the blog cited the photo's original owner. If you wish to have your photo taken out of the post, or if you see your own photo that was not credited, please leave a comment in the specific post's comment box so the author edit the post with proper credit. *** If you wish to leave a message for the author, please identify yourself , leave a message, email address & contact number (if necessary) to the specific post's comment box

I had the same incident before when I took photos of the Philippine Azkals in UPLB. Someone sent me a message in my blog saying they borrowed photos from me and cited my blog as source. And I did check if they gave credit and they did.

The Classmate said that he saw the note posted in my site. But he did not mention that he left a message for me to ask permission. So I checked my blog account, there was no message or note left asking for my permission. But it was a good thing that he seemed to be nice (I hope) or else I would have been really bitchy. He did not come off to me as some kind of a douche bag so I let it slide.

Still I don't get it. All photos are from me. Even the idea, the topic, the scope and limitations are same as my paper.

I do not know how to put watermarks back then. This is like the 3rd or 4th time that this happened. So I didn't put one on my photos posted. Now I got a software where I can put watermarks on my pictures all 200 of them (or more) at the same freakin' time. It was just a little tacky compared to the fancy ones my sister does to her pictures on her website. I need time to write and don't have much time to integrate watermarks one by one. So now I'm going to exert extra effort to put it in the middle, yes, it's goin' to be tacky, but what the hell? It's freakin' mine!

It's a good thing our professor is a lawyer, after the presentation we all got a lowdown on Plagiarism.

Accdg to Wikipedia:Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous boundaries. The modern concept of plagiarism as immoral andoriginality as an ideal emerged in Europe only in the 18th century, particularly with the Romantic movement, while in the previous centuries authors and artists were encouraged to "copy the masters as closely as possible" and avoid "unnecessary invention."

While imitation (oh baby it all comes it all forms! trust me!) is the sincerest flattery, it is still terribly annoying.

And all my artist friends KNOW that!

P.S. Here's the blog entry I'm talking about: http://keamistry.blogspot.com/2011/03/traffic-in-los-banos-progress-problem.html

 Thank you cousin Karin for the screen capture and Thank you readers! :) 

Ayala Triangle Garden’s Lights and Sounds with @joyjarumayan, Ate Mia & co. :)

Makati City (Philippines) is probably one of the most influential cities is pumping up the Christmas Holiday Spirit. I’ve lived in Makati for 6 years and the city lights never fail to light up the “emo” Christmas spirit that I used to have.

Last year (if I am not mistaken) they gave the old park, Ayala Triangle Gardens a make over by creating the Ayala Triangle Garden Lights and Sounds show to attract tourists to showcase the park.

I’ve been to Ayala Triangle before but have not watched their Lights and Sounds so when my friend Joy said that we’re going, I’m really excited to go! 

On our way to Ayala Triangle Gardens

City Street Lights

First Look of the Lights and Sounds Show

The Most Active and Happy Baby I've ever seen !

Napaka kyooot ni Hammie! 

Ate Mia, Joy and Hammie

Holy Family and the three kings

Additional info:

• Lights and Sounds show comes with 30 minutes interval
• There are food establishments strategically located whithin the area
• Parking is very challenging especially on weekends
• Entrance is Free

Thank you to the fabulous Jarumayan sisters ( and the ates, including Hammie) for the invite! <3

Cheap Thrill: Affordable Cute Loafers

 My sister got me these two smart-cheap shoes:

I love loafers

I love how women's shoes are way more affordable than those of men's.

These two costs a little over Php500.00 and this is perfect as my work shoes because it feels like I am walking with socks on!

I want to get all colors, even ridiculous ones to match with shirts. I really love how comfortable they are. I do not recommend to wear them in the rain though because it's made up of fabric.

But hey, not bad! <3

Touch What for Ten Grand?!

I was invited  last year by my friend Sam Pasia (then Fraternity Bossman) to watch Upsilon Sigma Phi's event Touch My Car last year but due to schedule conflict, I was not able to attend. Last year, when my friend Jla attended and told me stories about the Touch My Car event, I decided this year I am going to make time for it and watch how it goes.

This post is dedicated to JLa for the stories and Sam for the reminder and invite.

Sam and JLa

Touch My Car is Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity's annual event where they invite participants to touch the car for as long as they can and the one who made it will get Php 10,000.00 in cold cash.

Rules:

• You only have to use one hand. (you decide which hand)
• Your hand is not allowed to move around the car.
• Not allowed to sit either.
• When one requests for water, all contenders will drink water.
• There are some twists in the game (like dancing while the hand is still in place or one hand will hold a bucket of ice)

Last year, Jla told me stories how some of the contestants vomited and peed in their pants because they are not allowed to take their hands off the car. This year I am excited to see some action so I took photos of the event. 

Contemplation over Planners for 2012

Last Saturday I was able to check the planners at Starbucks and I really like how eco-friendly it looks like and how it's not as big and bulky as before.

Source

But I don't want to consume all that frap (though I've been missing my favorite Peppermint Mocha lately...that's going to be a whole lot of Peppermint Mochas...). I've had my share of Starbucks Planners and I've always loved the first ones that I got. The one with many freebies and buy 1-take 1 coupons for every Philippine holiday.

Then my second favorite planner, Belle de Jour Planner 2012 is already out:

Source

But I've had good three years with the Belle de Jour Planners that I think I am now ready to move on.

Last year, Joy and I received this really cute planner from "The-resident-mommy-of-our-highschool-barkada", Tita Beth:

Witty will save the world's 2011 Planner

Source

I really had  a good laugh reading the witty lines inside the planner, but you have to be "Pinoy" to get the joke and the witty lines.

This year, I am looking for a smaller planner with the following characteristics:

• Small but not a pocket planner
• Very handy, light and easy to carry around
• 1 page per day
• Hard cover and with no label of "2012 Planner"
• Must be Moleskine Resonably Priced 

I saw one at National Bookstore but I forgot to get it thinking I might get a better one. Then, a few weeks later I came back and it's gone! It only costs like Php178.00.

Now I'm on a quest to search for my perception of a perfect planner for my lifestyle. I can really see myself searching for that planner like a maniac.

The last book to complete my @JaneGreen Collection

I remember my friend Faye telling me that her choice of books never really fell under the mainstream bandwagon. I have the same issue. Yes I did have other books like the Twilight saga, but I’ve been searching for Jane Green Books  in Book Sales specifically, beause it feels more like a treasure hunt rather than just going to a nearby bookstore and paying the regular price.

My friends (who are my fellow Booksale addict) kept texting and calling me up whenever there is a Jane Green book but most of the time I always reply with “Oh.. I have that already!”

Can you imagine how wide my smile is when my Kuya Stew finally handed over the latest Jane Green Book that I’ve been lusting for since last year?

This is what my Kuya Stew got me! YEY! 

The promises to keep version is the US version but I specifically asked for “The Love Verb” because I know I could not find that version in the Philippines and I always have this strong feeling that I might find “Promises to Keep” in Booksales (though it’s super available in NBS, Fullybooked and Powerbooks)

So to be honest,during the Pacquiao rounds, I keep on opening that brand new softbound cover and carefully running my fingers through the pages, while trying hard not to smell the paper. (Addict!)

Anyway, while he was out I immediately covered the book with plastic cover because is some liquid will get spilled on it and it’s not even a day old in my hands, I’m really going to be so pissed!

I can now say that I have the complete set of books by Jane Green. Thank you so much Kuya Stew! 

But wait... I just heard Jane Green's new book "Another piece of my heart" is coming out on March 13, 2012.


Okay, I'll wait before I make another request again. LOL!

Most "Sulit" Styling Mousse for Curly hair

I've been wearing my curly hair for a couple of months now and I must admit that it made my life a lot easier  but got me a new obsession: Finding the best and most affordable hair styling mousse product.

Sulit is a Tagalog word (Filipino term) that means getting more than what we paid for. Since I love Sulit products I went on this quest to find the most sulit styling mousse for curly, especially digitally permed, hair like mine.

Like all the ladies who are pro at donning the curly hair, the basics of having a good curly hair day is:
1) Pile up on the conditioner.
2) Towel dry.
3) Put on some styling mousse.
4) Scrunch hair til you like it.

Product: Finesse Curl Defining Mousse

Price: Php 329.00

Available at: Watson's, Department Stores, etc.

Comments: Smells nice, non sticky, the nozzle disposes the mousse well, good packaging, kind of bulky, makes and leaves hair soft. It kind of leaves the hair a little limp.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Up Next >> I was supposed to get this:

But I got this by mistake:

 I just remembered the VO5 weightless volume mousse, I forgot the "Extreme" label part.

Product: Alberto V05 Weightless Volume Mousse

Price: Php 217.00

Available at: Watson's, Department Stores, etc.

Comments: I was actually expecting too much for this product, after all it sounds very pro... Alberto! But... I don't like the nozzle of the mousse, it looked like it's a whipped cream for baking. Just ordinary. 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

And my third hair styling mousse so far:

Product: Professional Touch Salon Styling Mousse

Price: Php 126.00

Available at: Watson's Deparment Stores, Supermarkets

Comments: I was not expecting that this will really do the wonders. It has the same nozzle as Finesse, it is slim in size, appears chic and the best thing about this is it has a great hold on my hair. There's even a time when after towel-drying my hair, I just put some mousse, scrunched it for a minute and left it alone and it turned out to be really great and not by chance, because I often do that now. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Products I haven't tried yet: White Rain, Dove (yes, they have a styling mousse and I heard it's good but it's super hard to find locally) and Suave.

But Professional Touch Salon Styling Mousse is going to top my list. ( Not to mention that everywhere I go, it's available!!! ) I just decided to give it a try (even without recommendations) and went ahead with my instinct so it turned out that it's my new product discovery. 

UPDATE: Read all about my post re: digi-permed hair and hair products HERE.

Pinoy Pride at America's Next Top Model: All Stars

Georgina Wilson's been trending on Twitter last week saying that she's going to be in ANTM All Stars episode shot in Greece.

I sort of wish that I hadn't stumbled upon Cecile Van Straten's Blog. I really waited for Georgina Wilson's participation as a guest model/stylist.

( Important Note: photos from Chuvaness.com unless cited)  

WARNING: Contains spoilers 

While Georgina was dressing up a particular model, Shannon Ratliff, who doesn't want to wear "underwear",  she said:

"No offense but it's easier to change the model than change the prototype"

(Way to go Georgie!) 

Now for the photos:

Best Photo of the week: Dominique

Runner up for Best Photo: Allison

Angelea

Lisa

Isn’t it confusing that the reason Shannon Ratliff refused to wear the “underwear-that-looked-like-swim-suit” because she’ sticking to her brand which is TRUSTWORTHY but yet she posed like this with “panties” on?

Source

In the end, the one that got eliminated was Shannon Ratliff, not because she did not wear the underwear (therefore there was not photo to present at the judges) but she was the only one who never had a best photo among the rest of the remaining contestants. I admire how fair Tyra is.  She explained to Shannon that the judges reviewed all the photos and did not base it on the fact that she refused to wear what she is required to model.

I’m secretly hoping that either Ben Chan or Georgina Wilson will be the guest judge, but the Photographer, Nikos Papadopoulos got bigger guns.

But yey for Pinoy Pride! 

Bad Pacquiao-Marquez Hang Over

I don’t think I’ve seen my Kuya Stewart get so emotional during a Pacquiao fight.

Source

Amidst the comfort of home and finished up cans of his favorite beer that my mum got him, I was sitting near him watching his red face concentrating on the screen.

I was more looking forward seeing who will sing the National Anthem and who gets to sing the USA National Anthem and was surprised both singers have Pinoy Blood.

During the Mexican National Anthem, pre-fight, majority, if not all, Mexicans were singing along the National Anthem, while Pinoys were listening intently to Maria Aragon (hopefully not waiting for her to mess up) who sang our country’s National Anthem

I am not really a boxing fan. I don’t like it that much because I really get emotionally involved ( Just like how I am with friends, according to another friend. :D)

In fact, this is the second time I slept during the middle part of the fight. The first one we watched it at the Cinema and the second one right at home. But I always, always wake up during the good parts.

After the fight, we went to a nearby bar to talk about the fight, then kuya said:

“ Manny’s the most pressured boxer I know because most fighters after boxing in the ring, win or lose, they just go back to their old lives (or get suicidal like Hatton- that’s from me)but for Manny (on top of giving away money, being a Congressman and a family man with a few controversies on the sides – again that’s from me), I can feel the pressure people’s put on him...”

Few minutes ago I just heard the radio declaring that Manny Pacquiao’s no longer the World’s Greatest Boxer due to the luster of yesterday’s boxing performance, and Mayweather’s the one because he easily beaten up Marquez during his time.

I think this is a wake up call for Manny because thing’s just becoming too comfy for him. And for Coach Roach too.

But Kuya said that there will never be another PacMan again, well not atleast in our time. It’s goin to take a whole new long while now have another Great Pinoy fighting in behalf of each and everyone of us.

And I get emotionally involved again. I (Yes, OA, affected) am turning off this radio. Now.




This is bad. I am not even a boxing fan.