An Online Order Gone Bonkers.

..so last Monday I ordered and paid for something online. Instead of going through traditional route of doing business with the seller directly, I opted to transact via site and paid using my PayPal as I thought it's safer that way. A huge mistake.

Now my order is put onhold because I need to verify my PayPal account (payment method of choice) first by:
1. scanning and forwarding 2 government issued IDs
2. scanning and forwarding the credit card attached to my PayPal account.

I'm not even sure if that's a safe thing to do, scan and forward through freakin' email your personal documents.

..and I was notified of this "verification" process AFTER the payment was posted. It was properly received by them the same day and was even acknowledged by them right after and was once again mentioned in their "verification" message. The order even reflects "shipping" on site, but it was now put "onhold". The amount was deducted against my PayPal account, as expected. I paid last Monday.

and today is Wednesday already.

and my order is worth 660Php only.

Sheesh.

I'm not going to name names now but if this won't clear up real soon, I will definitely blog about it just so people would know what to expect when they hit that big, friendly-looking "BUY NOW" button.

#pissed.bigtime.

Perfect Lippie Shade Project: Nyx Round Lipstick in Chloe

Please don't hate me for slacking on my blog updates, some crazy things happening in our household prevented me to work on my blog posts. Bad news is, I think these things won't go away real quick. Due to unexpected turn of events, I'll be busy for the rest of the year - which is actually a good news for me, yey! - but I'll try to update as much as I can every week ;) 

Moving on,  here below is NYX round lipstick in Chloe. As you can see, this stick is well-loved by me. For some reason, I like bringing this with me and sneaking a swipe or two when my husband is not looking. I just love that it is purpley and shimmery and a real stand out! Coverage is awesome too, as with any other NYX round lippie - which means if you have crazy dark, pigmented lips, this shade is for you, however please note that this shade is loud enough to scream "LIPSTICK!!!", so technically, this is not for the faint of heart.. It is creamy enough that it glides on the lips so it's a breeze to apply and reapply :) non-drying, as far as my experience with NYX round lippies is concerned. If the color gets overwhelming, I work around by blotting it with a tissue so I don't have to deal with the "shine" anymore. :)

NYX round lipstick in Chloe

NYX round lipsticks, in general, have this soapy smell/taste, which I admit, bothers me sometimes, just because I unconsciously bite my lower lip thus kind-of eating a good portion of the forgotten lipstick on my lips. But for the price and the quality, I'm willing to "unhabit" myself! lol :D

..and after a contouring-highlighting experiment, I was able to make my face appear slimmer on this picture. lol :D I'm wearing Chloe here. Please note that I'm still learning things about make-up so please, any violent/rude reaction that you may have right now, you can keep it to yourself, but I very much welcome tips on how to improve this look.

Bad hair day. sorry :(

oh! and this is not THE perfect shade, btw, I just happen to love wearing Chloe :)

#hubbyiscookingtinola.yey! :)

What Made Me Happy Today: HS Friends and Floral Flats!

I just got home from meeting up with my HS friends. I must admit, when I saw them, that was the only time I realized I truly missed them so yeah, it felt really good to be chatting *ahem, loudly* and having lunch with them - a lunch that sort of included merienda since the gang broke up at around 3pm already. lol :D

My friend D - yep, THE guest blogger-slash-awesome mommy D was with me as she is part of my HS group too as told here - needed to check on her pre-registration booth for some event in SM San Pablo so we tagged along as I was planning to get a foundie. We were with another friend, K, who is really based in Doha but currently visiting the Philippines with her lovely kids. I love K, we have never had an argument,  not even once, and I'm talking about 19 years here. and we share a certain kind of addiction: shopping. lol :D come to think of it, C and G, the other two who also made it this afternoon, I've managed to maintain very clean slates with, too. ^^

So just imagine, two long time shop-loving friends with nothing really important to do, in a mall. 

Yep, we bought matching floral flats. Hers, a size nine; mine, an eight.

And we plan to go to the next get together-slash-HS reunion wearing our babies. lol :D

Sole mates floral flats 299Php @SM malls. cute :)

Foodstop: TBS Blue Corner at Paseo de Sta. Rosa

What a tiring day/week/month! I wish I have more time to blog-hop, I miss my blogpeeps :((

Anyway, I know there are lots of food choices when in Sta. Rosa, specifically when in Paseo de Sta. Rosa area. However, TBS Bluecorner shouldn't go unnoticed even if it's located at the back of Paseo's wet market, making it a real hidden gem of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Okay, don't let the words "wet market" put you off, there's nothing dirty here, not even a faint smell of what a normal wet market should be.

If you are not from around here or not really familiar with the area, I doubt if you would venture this way searching for a place to eat. Like I said, it's basically within the wet market area albeit in one corner and out back, away from the wet market action. I won't say though that the place is not popular among the high-end crowd as I often see not-so-cheap cars parked here and there as well as English-speaking toddlers running around while their parents eat in peace. lol :D I heard TBS Bluecorner is also popular with the call center crowd which explains the beer-drinking sessions morning, noon and night. Don't worry though, they are very tame and not so loud when drinking and they sit away from eating families :)

TBS Bluecorner is "turo-turo" style but you can also order from their waitresses roaming their designated areas. Just be careful when sitting and ordering; take note that there are two other carinderias just beside TBS and if you happen to sit on one of their benches, you are automatically THEIR customer.

pwede ang"kain-kargador" dito ;)

My hubby was the one who discovered TBS. He played ball in one of the villages and was brought here for dinner. He then brought us here and we enjoyed the food which led to another visit. then once more.. and again.. and again..

Gutom na, my mag-ama.

Service is fast and their waitresses are very attentive. You don't even need to call them twice. Average waiting time is  no more than 15 minutes.

TBS menu (prices included)

I like that their prices are very affordable and there is something for everyone. When in TBS, don't forget to order their Bulalo. It's goooood. However, if a bowl seems big for you, fret not, free soup when you order. :)

I fell inlove with this baby the first time I laid my eyes on her. Meet my sweetheart, sizzling blue marlin. :)

..and this is my hubby's favorite, sizzling pusit. she's good too. i love :)

My daughter is a picky eater and would rather die hungry than eat something that is not fried, especially if it's not pork. Here, she makes an exception. Although not fried, she loves their sizzling liempo :)

I honestly think it's the sauce. Whatever it is that makes their dishes really special, I'm giving them 5/5 as overall rating.

#chasingbadvibesaway!

Random Tuesday: BK Joe Frost, Toast Box, Spidy-donut, Carmex, Pili Nuts and Fruit Bat

I wasn't able to blog last week. I've been doing a lot of soul searching these days which involves a lot of quiet time - if that's even possible especially that my little boy has been growing molars hence much ruckus around the house. And, I went back to my books. Happy to report that I was able to finish two novels in a week. Yey me! ^^

I am slowly rediscovering my love for coffee. Here below is Burger King's Mocha BK Joe Frost (Php85, i think) tbh, I like Jollibee's Coffee Float better. I find BK's a little too sweet and I could barely detect the coffee in it. I was hoping the coffee would be a little stronger than Jollibee's considering it's a BK Joe but, uhm, no.

I love Toast Box! For 150Php, you get a toast (this is Chocolate toast, they also have peanut butter, floss and french toast), 2 eggs and coffee or tea. Simply add 15Php to make your drinks cold. I chose iced milk tea ;)

..and this is their sinful, sinful Milo Dinosaur (105Php) i love, love this!!

This Spidy-donut from Krispy Kreme is soo adorable! As soon as Mr. C, my son, spotted this, he almost threw a tantrum just to get me to buy him one. I did. Yeah, I tend to spoil the little guy sometimes. Okay, a lot. :D

Alba Un-Petroleum Lip Balm with SPF 18 Cherry (149Php at Healthy Options) is my default lip balm. I like it because it is not waxy and it has sun protection and it works well with my matte lippies but I must admit, this Carmex in a tin pot came as a pleasant surprise. As I was battling mouth sores last week, Carmex was there to hold my hand and made the ordeal a little bit easier to endure. Guess I'm now a convert ^^

The hubby came home with pili nuts the other day and it was gone in less than an hour. I took this picture as a  way of remembering its passing. :D

Then our home was invaded by this crazy fruit bat one night, didn't stop flying around, moving from one room to another, until we were out of breath from lots of running around and screaming at the top of our lungs. and crazy fruit bat chose a nice night when the man of the house aka hubby was out playing ball somewhere. The kids and I were scared out of our wits the whole time!

#nowbacktowork.groan.

Perfect Lippie Shade Project: Nyx Round Lipstick in Eucalyptus

I'm not in a very nice mood today. I'm on a forced diet (got my dental braces adjusted yesterday and it hurts like hell to eat today) and I hate it. -.-

Anyway..

In my never ending quest for the perfect raspberry lipstick, I was introduced to the fun, fun world of fuchsia pinks! I get really *kilig* when I get to use this shade since it's a strictly no-no when hubby is around. lol :D

Nyx Round Lipstick in Eucalyptus

I like that it is bold and bright. It is frosted and of course it has shimmers and even if it looks obscene on me, I love wearing it. It's a grab-and-go lippie, something you should wear when out without anything on (doesn't apply when you're in your birthday suit, btw) 

NYX Eucalyptus is a blue-toned, bright pink lippie that settles into a satin finish. It is creamy and very  much pigmented so it's a delight to apply. Stays on for a decent amount of time (2-3 hours) but transfers easily when you start doing things with your mouth - okay, that doesn't sound right, but yeah, this is something you need to reapply after eating/drinking/whatever. Doesn't fade but I think it stains a bit. I would easily give this shade a 5, I bet it's a Zero if you ask my husband. lol :D

NYX rounds sell for 150Php a piece, online and instore.

#NYXisaddicting!kisses! :)