That home-y feeling in an apartment

I love how spaces feel like home.

Too bad my old apartment that I wrote about before is just a one bedroom pad and I did not get to invite friends as often as I could because I am mostly too tired to entertain. I dream of having an apartment as cozy as this where my friends lives just right next door.

Like Monica Geller's apartment in FRIENDS:

I found this online. Someone made this replica of Monica Geller's apartment.

Isn't this kyoot? 

When I first decided to get a place of my own, my friend from work Chloe, encouraged me and gave me tips into getting an apartment. I cannot forget the first time I stepped into her apartment. It was a small one bedroom unit, but it really feels like home. She even made pasta for me and she was such a  good host. She came with me when I picked out my first plastic portable cabinet because I don't want to invest in wood like she did. We might have just the same 24sqm space but her place feels a lot like home. Mine really did feel like a big bedroom. Bff and I used to just watch reruns of Sex and the City all the time in the living room and order in.

My friend who migrated from Baguio to pursue her doctoral degree currently rents a 2BR, 2 storey apartment. Though there's no couch, no regular living room stuff that you regularly see, her place feels like home. I cannot recall how many times I passed out sleeping on her mat on the floor. It just felt really comfortable.

Home is regardless of furniture and whatever it is that you bring to decorate your pad. I've been to really nice houses but felt so stiff because it gives an aura of a museum.

The feeling of home emanates from the people who lives in it. I hope I can emanate that feeling too. :)

The Grad School Diaries: Episode 11 - Tatay would've been so proud

Last week, I took a day off work to study. Like for real. The Friday morning was spent reading notes, by afternoon of 1pm, I went to Baker Hall to give the stuff for donation for last week's monsoon that I wrote about. Expect no pictures of me donating stuff. Things like that are just not for display.

Anyway, I spent the rest of the Friday trying to relax. God knows I hardly know how to relax nowadays. My Blood Pressure is on borderline from all the stress (seriously) of my upcoming FINAL Oral major examination for graduate school.

I had  a pedicure, read my notes, ordered a club sandwich that I don't know how I was able to eat it alone and concentrated on my checklist. 

Monday, August 13 is the big day. I woke up at 5am and within 6:30 am I am already 5 minutes away from the college building for my 9am Examination.

I can hardly remember the last time I really felt this nervous. The night before the exam, I was sneezing all throughout the day and coughing. I am afraid to get sick because I really want to get this over and done with. I really don't want to go through these jitters once again.

I realized that I really just want to do this once, and even if I crammed the hell out, I really will just put up a big fight. I will not go down without a fight.

By 11am I was told that I passed the UP Graduate School Compre Exam! Forgive my ecstatic state of having the urge to really blog this. I was secretly telling myself that I do not want to be a statistic in failing and that I will only take this exam once. In UPLB Graduate School, you get to have a second chance but if you flunk again this time you're out.

Even if people keep on telling me that I will be just fine and that I will make it ,of course, at the end of the day, it’s still a battle with my self and I don’t want to be too complacent. I want to earn it fair and square.

God knows how much tears I’ve cried over anxiety and fear and how many tea light candles that I lit up because I really want to pass this so bad. Not really for me, but for my Tatay (Dad) who passed away last June 5. On the 39th day since he died, he spoke to me in my dreams telling me to finish my Master’s Degree. He must have felt that it doesn’t matter to me as much as before that’s why I was not really preparing for it even if I enrolled my self this semester.  

The last time I took an eligibility exam, I flunked. I remember calling my mom’s number to vent out that I ended up calling my father’s number. Then, unexpectedly, I broke down, crying uncontrollably over the phone. It was his first time to hear me get upset and cry over an exam (he always thought I am too happy go lucky).  He was the one who told me to pull my self together and I can always take it a hundred times. I did not go through taking the exam again.  This compre exam is the next, if not major exam, that I’ve taken since my thesis defense back in 2003, when I was still in college.

When I finally got it, I was expecting myself to be over the moon. I'm happy I made my parents very happy.  I know tatay must be really proud of me and I know I made him happy,  but it’s just isn’t the same as having the chance to see my father’s face once again when I tell him that I passed my exam on a first try.

Spice Girls Reunion: The London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

I was having breakfast this morning while watching the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremonies on cable when the sight of the Spice Girls about to perform made me jump!

I’m a huge Spice Girl fan since highschool! In fact I wroteabout their rumored reunion before. The sight of the 5 girls performing together was just really lovely.

In fact, too lovely that I had unexpected tears welling up in my eyes. So this must be what a huge fan girl feels like! 

Source

Here they are praticing before the 2012 Olympic Closing ceremony:

Source

I watched it past 7am and now, seven hours later, it's still Trending on Twitter! :)

This really made my morning! :) 

Of mundane things, gratitude and paying forward

I saw this in our garage yesterday. This is probably one of the nicest bird nest that I've seen. The weave seems sturdy. Luckily our dog did not decided to stamp on it because when I peaked inside, I saw eggs!

First time I saw eggs and I asked my sisters to go outside and check it out. Too bad, I think the eggs are broken due to the typhoon. There's actually some small spots of blood at the nest, my sister placed it back to the tree, just in case Momma Bird came looking.

Other news: My sister's blog, Aprille Araguas Designs'turned one year old and she made this home made brownie fudge:

She said this was so easy I can make one myself (my-can't-cook-for-shit shelf).

Last Tuesday when the classes/work were suspended, I went to the doctor for a follow up on my check up. I really hate hospitals and I really don't like waiting around waiting for the tests/procedures to be done and I dread waiting for the results, but thank God, everything's fine I just needed a little medication (and need to start losing weight soon, o sha Franco, let's mag ma-Fit na talaga!). I'm really finding so many things each day to be thankful for.

Last night I was watching the news while reviewing for my upcoming exam, I get a little anxious about my exam but then I thought, this is nothing compared to what I am seeing on TV. And if I were in their place, I would really want someone to help me too (maybe more on that in my coming posts) so, I texted friends and encouraged them to donate:

Me (and my loved ones who live nearby) are really lucky to be living in elbi and I keep thinking that if this would happen to our area, I would really be devastated. We would be devastated. Why wait for first-hand experience of flood before realizing that people need to help each other?

So if you're from UPLB and wants to take part in this drive, please donate and help spread the word!

This isn't about our individual selves anymore.

Review: FX Curls Up Curl Reviving Mousse

Since I got my hair permed September 2011, I've always been obsessed on the look out for curl defining/enhancing/reviving hair products. I don't really care if it's in the form of a serum, lotion or mousse, as long as it works fabulously with my curls, I'm on it! I'm not really adventurous when it comes to hair products but I've been having fun trying all these stuff for hair. Perming my hair is the most practical thing that I did regardless of weather and it definitely saved me a lot of hair stress. I don't think I will be going back to my old hair soon.

I remember my first review that I wrote before, then came the Alberton VO5's hair mousse showdown and finally I've tried a curl defining milk lotion , got disappointed, then I went back to using finesse curl defining hair mousse in between of trying other products.

My sister went on a trip to the city and I asked her to just get any curl defining product from the beauty section and this is what she got for me:

Image Source

Product Name: FX Curls Up Curl Reviving Mousse
Availability: LandMark, Trinoma, Quezon City
Price: Php299.00

They have a range of curl defining products that includes a spray and another product that specializes in curls. Maybe I'll pick that up myself when I have the chance to go to the city. I don't really like spending money on something that I do not feel confident about. (That's why it's a good thing that Monea Curl Defining Lotion only costs Php99.00, because otherwise it's going to be such a complete waste).

Now on with the review:

The Pros:

• The Price is affordable.
• Cute Packaging.
• It really does a great job in holding my curls. I think this one can really replace the dependable Finesse Curl Defining Mousse that I always use.

The Cons:

• Not available in regular supermarkets unlike Professional Touch and Finesse.
• Once dispensed, the mousse is not too foamy like the regular mousse. You would think that it's water based. 

Tips on how to work well with this mousse: 

• This works best if you put it on a still wet hair, not overly towel dried. Just squeeze a healthy amount of excess water out of your hair.
• Turn over your hair, apply the mousse and work on your curls by scrunching it upwards to pump up the curls.

Would I buy this again? Absolutely! I just wish this is available at all Watson's Drugstore and Regular Supermarkets like Sm, Robinsons and Pure Gold.

I think I found the one that can replace the Finesse Curl Defining Mousse that's been saving my curls all these  months!

The Grad School Diaries: Episode 10 - Even the cards says it so

Unlike majority of my friends in graduate school, I went to graduate school out of a whim. I used to reason out that it’s probably to cure my quarter-life crisis, take a break from city life, figure out and decide what I want to do in life while getting additional education, nurse a broken heart and so on. Two years later, I finally know why I moved back.

I always say that I owe graduate school so much. And even though I only took it out of a whim ( because majority of the people I know wanted to get the degree to get promoted), I found my self drawn to it.  Right now, I really want to earn it and finish the degree, because I feel that, after the personal turmoils that I’ve encountered this past few months, it’s one of the only thing that I can call my own. It gives me a sense of ownership that as much as I want to get the degree, I also want to stay. I like being a student. I like juggling work and school, I like rushing to school and attend classes, see and meet new friends.  Everything that I did not do while I was still in college I was able to do it in graduate school. I never wanted to be in a school newspaper in college, before I knew it, I was the culture editor of UPLB Perspective last year. I don’t like being one of the class officers because I like having my own life, before I knew it, I am already the secretary of a graduate school association.

Lots of things are happening beyond my control. Being in graduate school taught me how to be patient and how to let go and let things fall right into place. My journey from the time that I got my letter of admission to graduate school two years ago until now is a clear proof of how if you will only let God, he will take care of you because he knows better.

The [REAL] Anna Banana? (A video reply from the PLDT MYDSL Commercial)

Remember the PLDT MyDSL that I blogged about before? Apparently, the REAL Anna Banana came around and dropped a line to my old post with the link to her allegedly video reply to Derek's Anna Banana I love you a bunch song...

I am not sure if this is part of "testing the waters" of some advertising team/agency, but after watching the video here's what I thought:

• This is too staged. Too scripted. Even the word/name ANNA in the background is too strategic. It didn't come natural. Or adorable. 
• Song: The words are eaten up, I did not even understand that the first part of the song is a rap. If that is a rap, then I didn't recognize it.
• I felt exhausted watching this girl sing "I'm not your friend but I'm still hot, hot, hot, hot"
• The lyrics obviously smacked down the little boy Derek Lorenzo Song for the girl who he claims is the most awesome in class. But for someone who doesn't like Derek - it was an effort on "her" part to write a song, in the same melody, perform that gesture/steps with her hand or whatever that is and go around the world wide web promoting the video.
• If this is for publicity, Bad publicity is still publicity.

The positive:

• I personally think the girl in the video is pretty. But I think if I were really to think this is for real life, it seems she's a year older than Derek.
• Cute bedroom. If I was her age I would love to have a room like hers.

Over-all:

• If according to rules in Advertising in the Philippines where you cater to the "still" conservative mindset, I doubt if this will make it, because commercials are supposed to show and promote good values. (Remember the old McDonald's commercial that got sacked? It promoted bribery for it showed the Dad handing out French Fries to the cute little kid in exchange for her to answer questions in her Daddy's favor.)
• I know it's just a video, but it's not just about the video. It's the message that the video delivered. You know when they say if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say it? We'll if you don't have anything nice to say don't film and promote it.
• There's just too much negativity on the internet. Enough said. 

If you've seen this video, what do you think? 

**UPDATE***

Here's the UPDATED Video. It turned out to be the a teaser and it's really the video used in the commerical. But the entire video was not shown in the commercial. Here's the TVC:

Review: Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse

I cannot believe I blogged this so late. Because I've been asked a lot about curl defining hair products I've been obsessed with finding which works best without the cost of an arm and a leg.

Last January, my friends and I went on a camping trip and on our way home, we dropped by at Pure Gold/Duty Free in Subic to pick up some chocolates and other kinds of Pasalubong to take home. 

Hair Product: Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Defining Mousse
Purchase Place: Pure Gold Subic (yeah, you read it right it's that-far-Pure-Gold-and-Duty-Free Subic)
Price: almost Php200. ( I think I got this for Php 198.00 and I can't believe it either)

What I love about this product:

• The color purple (because it's my favorite color)
• Light weight and slim
• Easily disposes mousse.
• Works well with wet hair and holds the curls til it's dry.
• It's very affordable. In fact, it was so affordable I wanted to get two but my Kuya Stew who was with me when we were shopping made fun of me and my being such a girl.

What I don't like about this product:

• It's not readily available everywhere. If you have a really good product but can't get again, then it's frustrating.

The Over all:

I would really love to get another one, but it's too bad it's not always available. I would definitely recommend this. This product is probably one of the really good purchase-out-of-a-whim that turned out to be really great.

Can anyone tell me where can I get this within Calamba-Alabang-Makati area?