Usap May Asawa: Pag ang Luto Nya ay..

..kasingsarap ng sa nanay mo, ay,

..true love na yan forever. 

#cookingpapa 

Usap May Asawa: Why Praise?

Last week while in a coaching sesh with one of our newbies, the newbie asked, "CL, married ka na ba?"

G: "yes. 14 yrs. 2 kids"

N: "wow 14 yrs? Swerte mo"

G: "hindi din."

N: (nganga) @.@

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with my marriage. Never pa ko nakaexperience ng karimarimarim na issue na usual sa mag-asawa. Hindi naman nya ko dyinombag ever, usually ako pa nga ang nakakasakit pisikal *hagisera kasi ako ng gamit* Hindi pa naman sya nambabae, awa ng butiki. Responsible naman sya as a husband sakin and a father to my kids. Hands on din sya sa mga anak namin.

Pero never ko icclaim na swerte ako sa marriage. Hindi ko matatanggap na ang pag-aasawa ay swertehan dahil sa totoo lang..

Pinaghirapan yun.

Pinaghirapan ko. Nya. Naming dalawa. Ang totoo nyan kakatapos lang namin mag-away. Ang dahilan, kasi lagi nya ko nilalait. Lahat na sakin pangit. Damit ko, makeup ko, mga taba ko, lahat na lang. Shempre masakit sakin di ba, sino bang asawa ang hindi masasaktan pag asawa mo na mismo ang nagsabi sayo na ampanget mo. 

Ang siste, sa kanya pala, biro lang yun. At kaya sya galit sakin kasi nagagalit ako sa biro nya.

Biro, e ang sakit?

Shempre sinabi ko. Sabi ko, try mo sabihin yan sa nanay mo. Pag hindi sya nasaktan, sige ako na mali. 

E di natahimik sya. Napag-isip isip nya siguro kung san ako humugot ng galit. Nagsorry sya at nung nafeel ko naman na naintindihan na nya, nakipagbati na ko. Simula nun, conscious na sya sa mga sinasabi nya sakin. Nung isang araw lang, sabi nya sa wacky picture ko, "ganda mo dyan" *lol sa wacky talaga :D

Ang point lang dun, sa mag asawa mahalaga yung pinupuri nyo yung isa't isa, hindi puro nalang masama ang nakikinig nyo sa isa't isa. Para ano pa at nageeffort ka kung wala namang pupuri sayo. At ikaw na asawa, kung hindi mo maaappreciate ang asawa mo, sino ang appreciate dyan? Ibang tao? Ok lang syo?

Ano ba naman yung sabihan mo lang, "oy ang bango mo ngayon", "pogi/ganda naman", "sumeseksi ka na", "bagay yan sayo (outfit)", "maganda ka sa Yellow", "sarap ng luto mo ah" eto mga simpleng bagay na hindi naman mahirap sabihin di ba? madali mo nga lang masasabi sa ibang tao yan e.

Siguro nga kung araw araw kayong magkasama, napakanatural lang na mawala yung ligawan, at napakadaling maging komportable sa isa't isa hanggang sa point na parang bestfriend na lang ang turing mo. Ok lang naman, ako nga naniniwala na ang pinakamatibay na foundation ng marriage ay friendship. Pero isipin mo din, hindi naman kayo nag-asawahan ng dahil lang sa friendship di ba? Kasi kung ganun, hindi sana sya ang asawa mo. 

Kung walang wala man, isipin mo lang ang basic na panuntunan ng tao bago ka magsalita ng hindi maganda sa asawa mo..

Respeto.

Krispy Kreme's Baked Krispy Kroissant

..so here's Krispy Kreme's Baked Krispy Kroissant. Baked, so that's good right? (: and much cheaper too, 70php each, 350php box of 6.

Thanks to my hub, he not only waited for me to finish gym, he bought me this as my, erm, recovery food? Haha anyway, it's good but I would like to try the ones with fruit jam on top. 

Grab one fast, they serve it as early as 7am or soon as they open, and gone in about 2 hours after. This one here was the last piece and the hub is a "regular" so the kind manager reserved one for him #perksngmalababoylifestyle (;

#bestpairedwithcoffee

DQ's Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich

Sweetness is my weakness! I love Oreo and I love ice cream and I love DQ so this is just perfect!!

Yumm! This is different from DQ's own ice cream sandwich, this is Oreo-cookie-crunchy so it's really good! Mura pa, only 45pesos *i think* :)

#saraaaap

Kenji Tei's Miso Butter Corn Ramen. Yummm :)

Oh that ramen bug..

I gave in earlier today. And it was not even a rainy afternoon. Hayy. I skipped gym btw. Ayy bad :( Noel will surely demand giant sets back to back tomorrow to make me pay for this buttery *yummy* mess

It's worth it, I dare say! I'll ask for extra egg next time though *i forgot. Hihi*

#ramenbug

Army Navy's Soft Tacos

Nakakasira ng diet. Tsk. 

#pagbabayaranbukassagym

Despicable Me 2 Moviedate With My Loves :)

Last week we went to see the film Despicable Me 2 as requested by *wait for it* yep, my other half. Haha :D

..and for the pre-requisite dark, movie house photo: 

I tried to do a pano to get us all in one photo but it was too dark 

Anyway, here's a photo of our baon:

I miss taho, the one sold by peddlers, warm with super sweet arnibal and bazillion tiny tiny sago pearls! This one has tapioca pearls and kind of not really the same as my beloved taho haha but Mr. Bean's taho is super silky and creamy, I love! 

Those donuts didn't survive the movie. #rip

Despicable Me 2 is a must-watch! I laughed *the loudest* all throughout the movie. And, it didn't put my Chino to sleep, so that's good :D He usually falls asleep halfway a movie especially if it is not too interesting for him *and when the aircon gets too lamig* (my anak, mahanginan lang ng malamig, tulog na! Haha)

#sanpabloboundlater

Starbucks Pudding Drinks :)

..so here's my super amateur-ish, unfiltered photo of the new Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Frap from Starbucks taken just yesterday.

Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino®

I think they forgot the choco powder on top. Baah. 

This came out July 16 (I think) along with the green tea one BUT LQ kami ni hub kaya yesterday lang nakapagsweet-sweetan :D hehe bati na kami.

My verdict, eeh, it's good but nothing spectacular. I was expecting the white chocolate pudding to be extra creamy but naah, sakto lang sha. 

..and it's a little bit pricier than regular fraps. Just 20 pesos difference lang naman, won't hurt if you want to try :)

I dunno about the green tea okay? I'm not really into green tea whatevers. I like my green tea just hot or iced. So nah, not me, I'm not going to try that green tea frap with pudding but do share here if you find it enjoyable ;) green tea frap links are welcome *wink wink* haha :D yaah, I just want to know if masarap ba talaga ang green tea whatevers :D

#karekareforlunch :)

Photo Memories: Ice Cream Cone

Yesterday, a local supermarket was having an ice cream sale. The hubby went home with 6 pcs drumsticks for only 100Php. Shempre naloka ang mga kids!

Almost three years old, this little boy here begged to hold his own cone. I used to feed him but just recently he started practicing doing things on his own so i told him yes BUT walang amos dapat! So, concentrate sha not to make a mess while eating his ice cream. I like looking at him when he's all serious about something so I took a photo of him.

I'm happy to report that he succeeded in not making a mess. Not really. I mean no drips anywhere but his face was half-painted with ice cream. Ha ha. :D

#icecreamnose.

Free iOS App Alert: The Sims Medieval

My daughter and I, we're absolutely addicted to The Sims! So this got me excited earlier today:

Free The Sims Medieval App :)

For both iPhone and iPad! Yay!

Hurry! Get them now as these are free for limited time only ^^

#moviedatewithmyloves.mwah.

Photo Memories: Firetruck

..and here's a photo of my son. We're turning three in two months *sniff*

..I love you babe.

Channing Tatum and Blogger App

..so after watching Dear John and The Vow back to back and staring at *drooling* *ogle ogle* Channing Tatum all the way, moms join me in saying "yummmmmmm"

..anyway this is also a test post. Google updated the Blogger app on iOS and I think it's now working. Like, finally finally working. I've been installing and deleting  and reinstalling ever since I discovered the app, I hope this time the update is good enough to stay. Would be nice to post using my mobile thingies. I imagine short, nonsense posts from my phone which I've been conveniently doing on Tumblr since January ;) 

Well, we'll see ^^

#gymdaytoday.ugh.

Review: Hair Heroes Intense UV And Thermal Barrier Shield

Hello, hello! here I am with yet another hair product review. This time it's the Hair Heroes Intense UV And Thermal Barrier Shield from a local brand Snoe.

I'm completely mystified by Snoe products. kakaiba kasi. they offer so many interesting things na when I see their product displays, kulang mga one hour kakatingin! Yay ^^ ..and their SAs are usually very friendly, hindi ka mahihiya magtanong! e kung nahihiya ka naman, here's their website, check it out: http://www.snoebeauty.com/

*hep, hep. this is not a sponsored post okay? I paid for this product and this is my honest opinion so those of you thinking I review products just because they were sent to me etc etc, go ahead and face the wall and don't forget to wear your cone of shame*

Bonggang bongga ^^

So this little guy here saved me from having uber-dry hair kasi nga nagpadigiperm ako di ba? e medyo shunga-shunga pa ko sa aftercare. I nearly died when I saw *horror* split ends a couple of weeks after digiperm. Sige imagine mo, curly hair + split ends. ampanget lang.

I was looking for something na hindi oily *of course* but super moisturizing and as much as possible, with heat protection *kasi ngaaaa, di ba, tumatakbo ako sa umaga. choz*

Hair Heroes Intense UV And Thermal Barrier Shield 249Php

That bottle lasted me only a week (generous amount when you apply, 4-5 pumps and pls take note, my hair is really really thin) but yep, I noticed the difference naman in such a short time.

BUT, BUT the smell, i don't like too much. A little too strong for me.

I didn't repurchase because:
1. The smell. It doesn't really smell bad, I just don't like the smell, the smell stays strong all throughout the day and once it even overpowered the cologne I was wearing. lol
2. The size. While the size is travel friendly, I don't think I need to tout this around since once (application) is enough for the whole day. I really don't like the idea of going back and forth every week just to buy a bottle of this.

Still, this is just perfect for hair begging to be CPR-ed. It has these two:
Argan Oil, Moringa Extract

Winner!

Just one bottle and my hair was cured! well, not really since I followed it up with OA amount of hair spa treatments. hehe. still, this is a good addition to your hair care regimen if you are trying to revive your dry, porous and brittle hair. Remember that it is also a heat protectant which is important if you style your hair everytime you go out.

so long, talong!

mwaaaah :*

PS our house help told me that if I notice a couple of ipis flying around, it means it will rain some time later. Whatever. rain or not, flying ipis is definitely not cool.

MAC Lickable [Swatch] ^^

..picked up a couple of things at MAC - ATC a few weeks ago. I was only looking for Pro Longwear Concealer and also the brow set because they were OOS the last time I visited Glorietta. Good thing they opened in Rustan's - ATC, this is much more convenient for me than going to Makati.

..and so of course, I swatched a couple of lippies while my favorite person from MAC - Glorietta, who was transferred to this new MAC ~ I literally "happy-danced" when I saw her! ~, went to find the last piece of concealer in my shade.

MAC Lickable

I fell in love with Lickable ^^ It's a cute shade and it suits my skintone very well ~ I'm NC25, by the way (: It's perfect for everyday use since this is not "in your face" pink and doesn't look weird at all when worn (: As per MAC, this is "bright clean blue pink". Cremesheen, so it's not drying *love*

Lickable is definitely not new and it is not LE, best of all, Lickable is available in the Philippines, but I wasn't looking at pinks the last time I visited them. and I was eyeing the one from NARS then which I hesitated getting as I felt it won't match my skintone and I won't be able to comfortably pull it off.

#toolazytodoanythingtoday.ugh.

My Cookie Butter Story

Cookie butter this, cookie butter that. Did you know that a jar of this Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter costs around 450Php <average> online? No wonder my friends who have great/kind/nice/uto-uto family members abroad opted to just request them to be included in the next balikbayan box. Hah!

My panties actually weren't really in a bunch to try this and there's no way I'm going  to ask friends and relatives to send me a jar from abroad, for this ~ maybe for other more important things, like limited edition MAC lipstick or perhaps that cute mouth/teeth pacifier which my son won't use <just because he loves my nipples a little too much. Yes, we're still breastfeeding. he's age 2 and half>

But of course, if opportunity presents itself, like when one day while walking in the supermarket, looking for Nutella, these two jars hello-ed. They were eye-level, Nutella was knee-level. I took it as a sign.

*find price scanner. quick*

Tada! it's only $7something (288Php) Obviously I took both jars (the other one I brought home for my BFF whom I stood up prior to this trip) I also bought a loaf of bread.

Trader Joe's Speculoos Crunchy Cookie Butter

Lemme tell you this, a tip from one mom to another, let's skip this and go look for something really worth your money, unless of course if you can get this for 288Php or less. Sure, it's interesting BUT it's not headbanging sarap. <2 weeks after> my sad looking jar is still sitting there undisturbed, begging to be used. I even bribed the kids with Timezone money just to eat it with their pandesal instead of Cheez Whiz. 

As for the taste, it's just a wee bit less sweeter than peanut butter, but tastes more or less the same, and since I got the crunchy kind, well, that surely helped a lot because it added a little "oomph" to eating experience.

choco ensaymada + cookie butter

Pair it with something else other than your boring Gardenia white bread. It's better that way ;)

Find them at Royal Choices (Subic, Zambales)

#hungry.again.bye

Quick Review: Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser

Just a quick post/review about this pore eraser from Maybelline ~ my very recent discovery. Yay!

Basically this is a primer and if you're in the Philippines right now, make primers like this your BFF ~ it's freakin' hot out there! well, inside our house too. sheesh.

Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser 299Php Watsons

I've been using this since uhm, Monday, and so far no complaints. I've been testing it under various conditions and yeah, still satisfied. It's lightweight, no smell, just soft and silky skin after application. and it does stay that way too for a long time. I even got my primed face wet and it's still there. *oh, just primed, not with makeup, okay? I forgot I already primed it when I decided to wash my face. lol*

My ultimate test for primers is when I take off my makeup before going to bed. There should be a respectable amount of makeup to take off, if not, the primer obviously didn't work right? This one passed.

That one time I wore it under heavy undereye concealer then I had to take it off to test another concealer *brand* (for skintone matching), the kind lady handed me a cottonball with makeup remover and we were both amazed how much makeup/concealer I was able to take off both eyes. I am not going to give credit to the concealer because I'm dumping it. it's useless ~slides and vanishes to nowhere! Gahhh! Only with this primer it was able to hold. But bye, bye concealer, this girl is moving on!

Anyway, selfies are more fun with this primer. bye bye large pores and fine lines. Hello baby skin *even without Camera360's Magic Skin filter* Hah! ^^

so there. give it a try. won't break your wallet too, only 299Php although I recommend skin testing first before buying since this primer has silica in it (just in case you are allergic to it) I'm not, and I'm comfortable using it too ^^

#ineedcoffee.iced.

Current Hair Favorites: Hair Loss Conditioner and Curl Sprays

First off, let me just tell you that I have extremely fine hair {think baby strands} and have been combating hair loss since.. uhm.. childhood? :D this is the reason why I chose to have it digipermed {fine hair part, not the hair loss part}

Honestly, my idea was to have it digipermed *voilà* all my hair woes solved! Obviously I was wrong, since I now have to deal with its aftercare which I would consider as a blessing in disguise since I am now more interested in haircare products than before.

*i still love my curls though. never going back to straight ;)*

minus limp, lifeless hair problem that digiperming was able to solve, my hair concerns now are: hair loss and digiperm aftercare.

For hair loss, I found this excellent hair loss conditioner {NaturVital hair loss conditioner, 495Php} at Beauty Bar just last month. It is a leave-in conditioner and it really does work - I've been using it for 2 weeks straight, applied immediately after washing. It passed my hair fall tests - that being how much hair strands falling when washing and how much on pillow in the morning - so that, for me, is a good enough sign that the conditioner is doing its job. It provides heat protection which I find helpful since I run mornings and it worries me when I expose my hair to the sun too much. I do think this is also a good product for digipermed hair since I didn't lose my curls even when used alone. not sticky at all. very light. i *love*

a friend recommended Pregroe shampoo as she is currently having a success in using it. I have yet to give it a try.

This one from Nature Republic is a hair essence {NATURE REPUBLIC Professional Pro Curl and Volume Boosting Water Hair Essence, 330Php} which I use to freshen up when traveling since it is small enough to fit my travel bag/baby bag. However, this is a bit sticky when worn especially when it's hot and humid outside.

Now my ultimate favorite! Yay! 

Prostyle Fuwarie Curl Styling Mist {Beauty Bar, 450php} is an excellent styling/setting mist. Since it provides heat protection too, it works well with curling irons. I don't really use curling irons, although I am a tiny bit interested in purchasing one, since I have a hubby who nags when I spend too much time preparing myself when going out. So, I just apply this styling mist, scrunch my curls real good then go. Believe me, the curls last all day - and *bouncy, bouncy* too! My curls have this nasty habit that when I leave them alone, they will all be straight by the end of the day, except for the ends which freakishly always flip to the wrong side! gaah! I love that it is not sticky when applied and doesn't weigh my hair down. also, not stiff on hair. Overall, great hold, not stiff, natural looking, bouncy curls. pretty awesome :)

NaturVital Hair Loss Leave-In Conditioner, NATURE REPUBLIC Professional Pro Curl and Volume Boosting Water Hair Essence, Prostyle Fuwarie Curl Styling Mist

#needcoffee.bye.

Wet 'n' Wild Silk Finish Lipstick Swatches

I spring-cleaned my makeup collection the other day, throwing out old ones and setting aside the ones i barely use as well as the ones I haven't gotten around to using yet - so they'll be ready when someone interested to give them a new home comes by. In order to use everything I have in my collection, I actually do a monthly "makeup rotation". FYI, my makeup collection isn't that big - I'm more of a "skincare" girl and I'm not really into buying makeup these days but I'm happy with what I have FOR NOW ;) 

When I was still testing out shades to know my "best" shades and "safe" shades, Wet N' Wild and NYX were my best pals - and Makeupalley.com. lol :D WnW Silk Finish, in particular, was my favorite line because it is not drying on lips and coverage is usually good. well don't expect them to be long lasting because 1) they are creamy and 2) they are cheap - around $2.50 each :D like I said, they are good for testing out a shade and you can just toss them in the trash if they didn't work, sans guilty conscience ^^ 

My good research skills served me well because these three shades actually worked on me ;)

Wet n' Wild Silk Finish in 521A, 520E and 514A

Just for reference, I am NC25 {MAC}, 520E Hot Paris Pink {pink} and 514A Cherry Frost {red} looked good on me while 521A Fuchsia w/ Blue Pearl {fuchsia}, hmm, not really, but on good days, yes. 520E Hot Paris Pink and similar shades are my everyday go-to pink lipstick shade, they compliment my skintone well :)

521A has blue shimmers while 514A has gold shimmers however no need to be scared wearing these because those shimmers are so tiny - barely noticeable, and look really really good on photos. three swipes to get the kind of intensity as above swatches which only goes to show that these lipsticks are buildable.

These babies are so cheap! 119Php. SM-Watson's carries WnW brand but popular shades are usually OOS. I bought 521A and 520E online for about the same price.

#lunchtime :*

Foodspotting: Isang's Pansit Malabon

Here's a small bilao of Isang's Pansit Malabon

Isang's pansit malabon (200Php)

Tastewise, it's very good but could have been awesome if thin slices of pork were used instead of pig ears :( 

and no, it's not gross but i do not eat pig ears so..

Bulacan's pansit malabon still holds the crown in my foodie book ;)

I'm new here and there's not much info about Isang's but I do know that they operate a small stall in front of WalterMart *the one nearest to Enchanted Kingdom* so that makes it Sta. Rosa - Balibago Rd, Sta. Rosa, Laguna right? lol. roads and directions make me dizzy, you know. :D It's right beside Atoy's Porkchop *our favorite porkchop place*

#mommymodeon.bye :*

NARS Hot Pink Lipsticks [Swatches]

Please bear with me and my quickie posts. I've been running around like crazy these days because I was stupid enough to accept another part-time work when I already have enough on my plate. Oh well, I shouldn't complain. More work means more $$$ yes? ^^

Anyway, may I entertain you with some NARS hot pink lippie swatches this morning? I'm torn between Schiap and Carthage. What do you think? Funny Face is deeper, leaning towards red, Schiap is a cult favorite and a true hot pink (both are semi-mattes) while Carthage, a pure matte, is quite coral-ly to me which I like. There beside Schiap is a dab of NYX Addis Ababa just for comparison. Is it a dupe? Maybe. But I find NYX soft mattes too drying on lips so I'm not picking NYX up even if the shade is gorgeous.

NYX Addis Ababa, NARS Funny Face, NARS Schiap, NARS Carthage

These are all available in the Philippines. I swatched this at Rustan's Alabang Town Center. NYX Addis Ababa is available at Pop Culture [2nd floor, beside food court] 300Php a piece. NARS pure mattes will set you back 1,450Php while semi-mattes for 1,250Php

#timetogonowbye :*