Destructive And Narrow-Minded Me

I'm feeling really low tonight. I miss blogging. I miss my husband. I feel cheated. I keep on missing work. I'm Madame Worried née Paranoid. and I'm freakin' mad but don't have the energy to be mad so what does that make me now? sad, i guess.

I meant to put up something cheery, like a product review or something but this is what I came up with instead.

I guess this is what you end up with if you stumble upon someone-you-trust's secret blog, a person you have been sincerely rooting for even if it means blocking your own sister on Facebook, and finding your advice was once referred to or described by this person as "destructive and narrow-tinged"  (exact words)

I swear, no more FREE advice from me. From now on, I will charge by the hour. That way, a person who received my "destructive and narrow-tinged" advice will be reminded that they were the ones who sought it, not the other way around. I will issue receipts, no worries. for their record keeping.

and ladies and gentlemen, my trust meter has gone down two notches tonight. okay make it three. three entities who let me down just because I'm going through something difficult these days.

I will remember. I don't really forget things like this, you know.

An Afternoon With Friend D at Cafe De Soledad

I'm trying to clear up my drafts before I work on new posts so here's a super duper late post - think months-late post - and stupidly, i didn't write down the prices so I'll just do my best to remember them as I go on :)

so one afternoon, i met up with my friend D and she suggested this place near her house, Cafe de Soledad. so near, we didn't even bother bringing a car going there. we just walked. The sun was blazing but we were protected by her BEACH payong. yeah, it was that huge, I actually think it fits four. :D

Funny this place has been around for years but it was my first time there. My friend D knows the menu by heart and since I was clueless about what to order, she did the ordering and stuff.

While waiting for our food, I did a little snooping around.

We were seated out back - the al fresco/smoking area - so I wasn't able to get pictures of its interior. Since we attacked the place at around 3pm, we were the only ones there. Plenty of space to make kulit. lol :D

I'm impressed with their al fresco dining area. Even if there's a garden, i didn't encounter mosquito problems. I don't know about you but it's a major issue when I dine out. it's not a very pleasant experience to eat/dine while being bitten by mosquitoes, methinks. so that's a major plus. also, the al fresco part of the place provides certain amount of privacy, that's another cookie point for this place.

So here below are random shots i took while waiting for our food:

..and the food came..

I think this is their house tea, my friend D's drink. I ordered iced mocha (no pic for that, my babe accidentally deleted it from my camera roll)

..and here's Pizza Margherita, highly recommended by my friend D. i love!! :)

Please don't ask me the name of this chocolate cake , I just know that I liked it. it's super moist and i think it will compliment a good hot cup of coffee. :)

I like this place. it's cozy and you could spend XXX hours there just chatting and hanging around. the food is good. portions are just about right. prices are very reasonable - because if it's unreasonably high, i would remember. If there's something I would like them to improve, it would be their parking area. well, because it's almost non-existent. lol :)

so there, I hope you enjoyed my mini-review of Cafe De Soledad! 'til next time :)

Cafe De Soledad
Balagtas Boulevard, Barangay III, San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines, 4000

#iwillmisssanpablo.

Random Tuesday: Emo Gie, Avocado, Dreams, Boots, Steering Wheel and A Book

Every now and then, I question myself why I blog. I'm quite sure it's not for the money (last I checked, this blog earned $8 on adsense and payout is $100 so I still have 9 years before I could even ask for a payout. lol) and one blog post usually takes about an hour to complete - an hour better spent on other things like perhaps reading a book or playing with my kids or taking a nap. Obviously not popularity and recognition as I prefer to stay anonymous, if I can help it; case in point, I have 300+ friends on Facebook and only a dozen people know that I blog. 3 of them found the blog first before they were able to connect me to it. My social networks have different sets of people whereas if you find a person on my Instagram, don't expect him/her to be on my Facebook friends and even on my Twitter.

but still..

Maybe it's the feeling of being able to write down pieces of my life, like breadcrumbs on my trail so I won't get lost and I will be able to come back when need be. Be able to help other people to decide on things -even as small as where to eat or what best to pick up for a cleansing oil - just by writing. I made new friends through this blog, appreciative friends who are willing to share their lives with me as well. I will  be forever thankful for that :) and there's something more to it that I cannot really explain. maybe someday, I'll be able to put them to words, for now I'm just enjoying the feeling and bliss. 

so, I am now turning my *emo* mode off and on with my cheery blogging self :)

I really think avocados are the most versatile fruit ever, don't you think? I love them chunky with milk and ice. I dig avocado shakes too. they taste good on Mexican dishes. Avocado and honey make a good facial mask - very hydrating! Anyway, below is my hubby's version of avocado dessert: chilled avocado, condensed milk then sprinkled with sugar. yummo! :)

Here's a snapshot of our dreams coming true. I truly hope we make it. Wish us luck!  lots and lots of it :)

..and then my mother's gardening boots. I hate to hand these boots to my father, I would like to keep them, together with my mom's things I've been keeping in a special box since she went away. I know these boots were the closest to her heart. She literally walked in them.

after 3 long years, this steering wheel - and the rest of its car parts. lol - and I were reunited! I first drove on my own with this baby. we felt right for each other. ;)

If you're a mom who feels harassed with house/family chores all the time, please take time to read this book. it is not in any way profound but the main character, Eva, is very easy to relate to. Let her humor you. :)

so that's it! I wish everyone a nice week! :)

#Aug8isthebigday! :)

Nature Republic Soothing Moisture Aloe 80% Toner Review

I meant to review this a long time ago but my camera sucks so I had to hijack my hubby's phone to be able to get better shots. ;)

This is my default toner because it is very mild and did not trigger my skin allergy. I love the smell too :)

Nature Republic Soothing Moisture Aloe 80% Toner

*lookie! it's almost gone ;)*

Okay, it doesn't do anything special but for me, its mildness is a big plus. My skin cannot stand too strong toners; I won't break out (pimple, acne etc) but as sure as the sun will come up tomorrow, hives will come out - in FULL force!

One word of caution though, people with oily skin, please be careful when using this, as I think it encourages oilies to come out (perhaps it's the moisturizing component of this toner) :( in my honest opinion - and I'm a combi -  oilies will come out in 3-4 hours after application (this is wash-tone-moisturize only). doesn't matter though if you will use it under a mattifier (that is if you prime prior to makeup application)

It's 290Php from Nature Republic Festival Mall branch

so that's it! :)

#mustbemyshortestreviewpostever.

Perfect Lippie Project: Wet N Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 514A Cherry Frost

So who wants juicy lips? 

Here is a lipstick that made my lips look so much juicier and yeah, fuller *methinks*

Wet N Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 514A Cherry Frost is crazy pigmented, color payoff is really amazing and it is quite true to its tube color. The swatch below is just one swipe, I don't think I'll need more.

Wet N Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 514A Cherry Frost 

I bought this for 119Php at SM Southmall. I was looking for Wet 'n' Wild #521A Fuschia w/ Blue Pearl but it was OOS so I just picked this up since its swatches looked good. I wasn't expecting it to be THIS red and I kinda like it. It's my kind of red ;)

This is not a long wearing one, but it's a dream to apply and it stains a bit.

Anyway, WHAT I DON'T LIKE about this product is the packaging. This was the last 514A and I didn't like the other colors available so I took and paid for this even if the cap has a tiny crack :( Also the lipstick itself doesn't go all the way down as seen above, top middle photo, which is very hazardous to clumsy ladies like me. lol :D Just be careful when replacing the cap so you won't mess up the lippie, or if you own a lip brush, might as well, depot ;)

Cherry Frost on me :)

#mustlovered.

I *heart* Original Carmex Jar!

So last April *hehe.. now you know how late this post is!* Carmex PH sent me a goodie bag for review. I got 2 click sticks, 1 squeeze tube and the original jar as seen here.

Truth be told, I wasn't in a real hurry to try Carmex as I was a fierce Alba Botanica lip balm fan and since I realized, it's not possible for me to go through all four Carmex products within, say, a year, I decided to give one of the click sticks to my BFF mommy T and the squeeze tube to my daughter, for review. lol :D The original jar and the Cherry click stick went straight to my purse. haha.

I really find the original jar interesting even before the goodie bag especially when I heard it works well with insect bites. Mommy mode on, Carmex can be used as antiseptic for minor cuts, burns and insect bites - and that's according to their site: Carmex website

It also claims to work on relieving the "itchies" caused by athlete's foot, for drying your pimples in record time,  and as a cuticle softener. Yeah, works on elbows and knees too. I cannot confirm these claims for now as I'm not sure if I would want to try Carmex on those areas but we will see. Perhaps if I buy a separate pot for body parts since I'm already using my current pot on my lips. *hello? from my lips to your athlete's foot?*

I think I started using this pot early June when I got this nasty sore in the corner of mouth and it was hella painful!! The BFF told me that her Carmex click stick worked well on his son's chapped lips so I gave my tin pot a chance. I'm so glad I did because I instantly felt good after applying it on my lips and to my surprise, it did more than sooth my lips; it definitely made it smoother! think happy, gliding lippie and you'll get what I mean :)

so, yeah, I'm a convert. hehe

In my book, Carmex is a medicated balm so it's definitely not your ordinary balm. I tried it on an insect bite and yes, it did something to it too (the sting disappeared after applying a thin layer on it) I like applying it to my lips before going to bed then a quick gentle lip scrub in the morning while taking a bath. Soft, baby lips the whole day, love! I now use this everyday, this tin pot, and the click stick is sitting pretty inside my bag :)

definitely purchasing another one as mine is already halfway down.

Oh, as it is a medicated balm, expect the "medicated" smell as well, like a Chinese balm but trust me, it's so good, you won't mind the smell. You'll get used to it anyway.

Thank you CarmexPH for this opportunity to get to know your products! I'm loving them :)

#lovingtheweather! :)

A "What's in My Makeup Bag" Post

..err, i think that should be "pouch", not bag. Bag sounds too big for my makeup things. lol :D

Anyway, I'm going to do a really short "makeup bag" post just to amuse my friends who constantly raid my bag - that's what girlfriends do right? This is my on-the-go, everyday makeup pouch and I think I'm only missing my eye brushes here - which may have been mistakenly placed in my other makeup BAG - yeah, she deserves to be called as bag since her size justifies it. ^^

Note that I don't usually bring with me stuff that I'd hate to lose. I'm pretty much known for losing my things when I'm out especially when with the baby. So here it is, the things that made it to my "makeup bag":

E.L.F. Eyelash Curler
Tony Moly Backstage gel liner #11 Diva Gray
Beauty Credit Lovely Eye Color in Hot Pink
Kiehl's Marvelous Mineral Mascara
Etude House Line Nuance Duo #3 Miss Coral and Cubic Pink
Etude House Soft Touch Auto Lipliner 4 Real Rose
Ever Bilena Advance Perfect Eye Concealer C01 Light
NYX Matte Lipstick in Merlot
NYX Round Lipstick in Spellbound
Alba Botanica Terra Tint SPF8 in Blaze
Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals BB Cream
In2It Eyebrow powder
Tony Moly Tony LIP/CHEEK Tint #02 Red Apple

The green mesh pouch, I got as a freebie when I bought Garnier's eye cream (i think?) which unfortunately, didn't work for me. Oh well, at least I got something out of that purchase. lol :D There's an insert in the photo showing how the pouch was able to fit everything perfectly and as fickle-minded as I am, the mesh-part helps a lot when I want to replace a product or two in there.

so there, I hope you enjoyed this post as well. Have a nice day everyone!

#lunch@3pm :(