2013 Balikbayan Visits

Majority of my relatives, especially in my mother's side of the family, are based abroad. Unfortunately, they only get to come home once in a blue moon as their lives are already there.

Early this year, my twin sister visited us with her family. Last time she was here was 6 years ago for my wedding. This time around, she not only brought her husband but her two adorable children as well.

Due to my faulty memory (and not being able to blog about it), I could not recall much of what we did. However, I did recall meeting up with them at Fun Ranch in Pasig where our kids bonded. I was also able to take this rare photo where the three of us sisters are together.

I also took a couple of days off for her and we went off to Manila Ocean Park among other places. She and her family stayed for almost 3 weeks. Hopefully, I will get to see her next year when we visit her.

This December, my dad's sisters also came over for a visit. It was quite bittersweet as it was supposed to be a reunion of sorts for all of them. It will be the first Christmas that all of my dad's siblings will be together in more than 40+ years. Unfortunately, my uncle passed away this October before that dream can be realized. Nevertheless, it did not stop my aunts (both who are dear to me--one is my godmother during my christening while the other is my godmother during my wedding) and my dad and their two other siblings here to have fun. Here's our Christmas Even party. This was the first time in more than 6 years where we had a party with my Dad.

I couldn't enjoy the party that much as my son developed a fever on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. We brought him with us but he mostly stayed in one of the rooms to lie down. Thank God for his love for videoke but I suddenly came down when we started singing. He then belted out his Rey Valera tunes much to the delight of my relatives.

The holidays are not over yet as we still have the New Year. This time around, we'll be spending it with my side of the family as my aunts want me to be with them. It will not doubt be another fun affair. I just hope my son cooperates though. He still has not gotten over his fear of the sound of fireworks.

I'll Drink to That

I don't consider myself as a "drinker" (manginginom in our vernacular). The last time I seriously drank alcohol was way back after I finished College. I celebrated my new found independence by going out with my friends every Friday night to drink tequila and what have you. Also, whenever we would go to Puerto Galera, we would while away the time at the numerous bars that is all over the beach and finish off pitchers and pitchers of Mindoro Sling and Long Island Iced Tea.

When I got older (matured), especially after I met my husband (who is also not a drinker and we sometimes have to share a beer), I stopped drinking altogether. Whenever I would find myself in an event where one has to drink, I usually just smile and say that I'm driving. I would then nurse a glass of soda or water the whole time while I watch my friends and colleagues have fun.

Recently, (as in when I joined my new company where I'm heading a 50 people-strong department), I went back to drinking alcohol as it's apparently, a way to bond with my team. Tonight, I could say that I'm seriously back.

Our office party started at 3PM and I was handed a half glass of draft beer. I finished the glass and was requested to sing a song. After singing, I quickly downed another half glass to calm my nerves. When I went down to my department, they were already starting on finishing the Fundador that was bought for them by one of my TLs. I was handed a full glass with Coke. I nursed that glass while going around and greeting everybody. I quickly topped up when it was half gone.

I was dragged (not reluctantly) to another part of the floor where they were finishing off a bottle of Tequila. I was given a half a shot which I readily downed. I was invited to take one more shot but I refused. I quickly went back to my team and switched to non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice (Chamdor and Welch).

When another department started their own drinking session, I readily joined them and was given another glass of Fundador with Coke. When my boss sauntered over with a half bottle of Johnny Walker Double Black, we were asked to take a shot each. I quickly downed my own shot and asked for another one and mixed it with the Coke that I was drinking.

After finishing the glass, I switched back to drinking soda to hopefully dilute the alcohol. To make us sweat the alcohol out, I started a game of charades with them. That was fun but everyone had places to go to so we called it a night at around 7PM. Thankfully, I was still lucid and made it home safe and sound. I think the point that I could still type this blog three hours after my last shot is an achievement itself. I guess it means I still haven't reached my breaking point. I don't think I would want to find that out.

Here's to an awesome 2013 and an even greater 2014.

Drink Tally: 1 glass draft beer (Pale Pilsen) + 3 glasses Fundador with Coke + 1/2 shot Tequila + 1 shot Johnny Walker Double Black + 1 glass of Coke with a dash of Johnny Walker + 1 glass of Welch + 1 glass of Chamdor = still standing.

It's the Same Old Feeling

2013 is drawing to a close and it's time for me to recap the year that was.

It's supposed to be a happy Christmas as my dear aunts are in town for a vacation but I can't seem to enjoy myself. There seems to be something missing--maybe because I crammed my Christmas gifts--which I haven't done for the longest time. Usually, I'm done wrapping by the first week of December. This year, I was still wrapping gifts on the 23rd of December! That is totally unacceptable in my OC world.

Or it could be because my son got sick during Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day. I could not enjoy the happenings as I was worrying about him. Thankfully, he's better now.

We had our share of tragedies this year. I visited several wakes and one of them was an uncle. Cancer again took someone dear to us and it was quick this time around--less than a month after it's diagnosis. Maybe that's why the feeling of being unsettled is appeased when I see my Dad being happy with his siblings. After a tough year that they had, they deserve to have fun.

My dear sister also visited us this year--5 years since she was last here. This time around, she brought with her her husband and two kids. It was great seeing them and spending time with them. Hopefully, I would get to see her next year when we visit them for my husband's cousin's ordination.

I will write more (hopefully) in the next few days. Five day vacation coming up. Hopefully, I can use it to recharge and clean up our Christmas mess.

Old Friends Meet Again

Allan, Chris, Rico and Sunshine at Audric's First Birthday Party
at KFC Banawe

It's seldom that you meet friends who you would want to be friends with for a long time and if you do happen to find them, you try your best to keep them with you until you grow old together.

I am fortunate to have such friends. Our friendship has lasted for more than 20 years now--almost half of our lives. We were a bigger group before brought together by our love for gaming. (Actually, I knew nothing about it then but when one of them took me under his wing when I was a College freshman, I was hooked.)

That big group of about 8 have now trickled down to 4 (sometimes, 5). Some have moved to other countries while others have pursued different interests. I'm glad that we still have this core group that gets together during special occasions--such as the first birthday of Allan's youngest. We don't see each other as much as want, moreover since two of us are already married and with kids, but I always look forward to meeting them when time permits.

There are still 2-3 of them that still meets to play and someday, I hope we can have a spare day where we can have one serious role-playing game. I miss going on an adventure with these guys--even if the adventure is just in our minds.

Multiply Sync and Double Posts

To those who are first-timers to my blog, my apologies for some of the double-posts especially during the period of 2006-2008. When Multiply shut down, it gave us the option to merge our Multiply content to whatever site we have. Unfortunately, I've forgotten that I share some of my Blogger posts with Multiply and vice versa. So please give me time to sort things out. I have not been taking care of my blog as much as want this past year but I hope I'll have more time to do this soon.

A Good Manager Is...Part II

In 2008 when I was a unit head with another bank, my management skills were sorely tested then which you can read about here. Five years later, my skills were again put to the test. After the first incident, I knew that I can handle anything else but it never made it easier.

Back then, I had to make a decision to transfer people to another unpopular unit. This time around, I had to deal with an erring staff who went against our company's code of conduct. Fortunately, I had another colleague with me to help me through it and made the unpleasant task more bearable.

I love my team. I consider them my children--all 58 of them. Like all relationships, our work was based on TRUST. I trust my team to do their jobs and they trust me to take care of them. Unfortunately, this person broke my trust as he managed to find a way around the controls that we installed. Moreover, he still persisted even the previous times that we warned him. That what got my goat.

I asked him if I was lacking as his manager but even before he answered my question, I knew that there are some things that are out of my control which I cannot blame myself for. Nevertheless, that does not stop me from doubting my skills as a manager and think whether I'm good enough for my team.

I've always believed that a team is reflective of the manager. If the output of my team is trash and they are disorganized, it will reflect on me. That's why when I first came in, it was a dictatorship the first few months. I instituted different controls and check and balances. I was aiming for better quality of work and I truly believe that it should stem from discipline. I strictly monitored attendance and overtime and checked their process and productivity standards. I was known then as "The Hulk" as I was the type of person that you would not want to anger ("You won't like it if I'm angry"). Further on, I learned to relax and let go and accept that some things I cannot change. But this type of blatant disregard for company policies is something that I cannot tolerate.

I truly hope that everything will be settled for everyone soon--including me. There's a local saying that goes, "Trabaho lang". But I am still a person who still feels emotions and I cannot help but feel pity for the person.

Oh yeah, I will never take CCTVs for granted ever again.

My New Hobby

Since only recently, my answer to the question "What is your hobby" can be somewhat generic -- reading, watching movies and TV series and internet surfing. Though it can be justified that they can different forms of learning, they are not as productive or would give me a sense of accomplishment. My EQ was quite low and I am for immediate gratification. However, that can only get me so far.

Early this year, I rediscovered my love for cross-stitch. Since Christmas season is fast approaching and since I'm on "tipid" mode, I entertained the thought of giving out some of my cross-stitch pieces as gifts. However, I'm not as prolific as I want. Ever since February this year, I only finished one complete piece and I sent this to my mom in the US as my birthday gift for her. I started a piece meant for my mother-in-law but I'm not even halfway done. If I want to at least make a dent on my Christmas list, I need to come up with a DIY project that can be easily duplicated and replicated and which will not make a big dent in my pocket.

Enter, Pinterest (look for me: sunshifairy). My office colleagues introduced me to this wonderful site and I never ran out of craft ideas. I started my crafting a month ago and I never looked back. I was able to jazzify some wooden pegs (see picture at the left) which can serve as an alternative to foldback clips or even paper clips. They also make nice clips for attaching gift tags on presents. I even placed magnets on some of them so they can be placed on metal surfaces to hold pictures and what-have-you.

However, this type of gifts can only be appreciated by girls. I still have to look for DIY projects for the guys in my team. I found another one in pinterest which I can hopefully replicate. If ever I am successful, I will definitely post it as I will top any craft project I ever made.

Habagat

It's that time of year when monsoons abound and flooding is now becoming a norm in the Metro.

It all started in 2009 when Typhoon Ondoy happened and I shared about my experience here. From then on, flood after flood hit our country with the recent one just last year--also during the same month as this one.

In 2009, Marikina was badly hit. In 2012, Habagat caused a landslide at Commonwealth and flooded Roxas Blvd most especially that swanky hotel in the CCP Complex. This time around, it's Cavite, Laguna, Las Pinas and Paranaque that took the brunt of the habagat brought about by typhoon Maring.

It has become a running joke (although some people are beginning to take it seriously) that everyone should buy rubber boats and keep it for emergency purposes. Even for areas that are not usually susceptible to flooding are no longer spared. I dread the time that even our area, which is quite high, would also be submerged. If that happens, all of Manila should already be underwater.

This morning, I woke up at 3AM with rains literally pounding our roof. My staff began to text me one by one that they will be unable to report to work due to floods. I still got ready for work and began to monitor the flood situation through @SkywaySOMCO (and witnessed Lady Gaga's and Perez Hilton's twitter war at the same time). I usually take the "At Grade Level" of SLEX but after reading conflicting reports about flooding, I took the Skyway and arrived in the office within 30 minutes. My colleagues started to arrive in trickles and we began to hear of other offices and banks that called off work. By 8AM, our president suspended operations but most of us stayed letting the floods subside. I went home a couple of hours later after doing a bit of work. I freaked out when I saw in my FB and Twitter feeds about the flooding at the Sta. Rosa area of SLEX and hoped that the tail end won't reach Alabang. Fortunately, I made it home in decent time.

I've made it a habit of keeping an extra change of clothes, slippers, water and crackers in the car whenever typhoon season starts. I do not want to be caught unprepared again although I hope to have an amphibious car someday if  global warming should continue.

Midterms

I'm stuck here in school waiting for my class to finish two midterm tests. Yes, I'm proctoring for the other teacher as she's still on bed rest. I'm feeling a wee tad guilty (just a little bit) as my bonus question is harder than the actual exam. But well, I guess that's the reason why it's a bonus question. I guess it's my way of making my class listen in the future as they always tend to become talkative whenever there's an ongoing recitation. My bonus question is based on their recitations and if they are listening to me instead of discussing some side issues with their seatmates, that question will be very easy.

As an update, my department chair requested me to take on the class previous to my time slot. It seems the professor is experiencing a delicate pregnancy and would not be able to make it to class the rest of the term. I don't mind the additional income although I'll be learning the subject from scratch. Good thing I have some sort of background knowledge on the subject as it's mostly about my job but on a different perspective.

Reading through my post yesterday, I'm glad I made the conscious decision to be happy today. I remember walking in the mall yesterday telling myself that I will be happy and I'm glad I did. I do not like feeling depressed or wallowing in self pity. I finally took to heart the pep talks that I've been giving myself yesterday and it finally did the trick.

Prayers are still welcome. :)

Happiness is...

Whenever I hear the word "happiness", a song from Charlie Brown (which was also sung locally by Lea Salonga and her brother Gerard in one of their concerts) comes to mind:

Happiness is finding a pencil.
Pizza with sausage.
Telling the time.
Happiness is learning to whistle.
Tying your shoe for the very first time.

Happiness is playing the drum in your own school band.
And happiness is walking hand in hand.
Happiness is two kinds of ice cream.
Knowing a secret.
Climbing a tree.
Happiness is five different crayons.
Catching a firefly.
Setting him free.

Happiness is being alone every now and then.
And happiness is coming home again.
Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and night time too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That’s loved by you.

Happiness is having a sister.
Sharing a sandwich.
Getting along.
Happiness is singing together when day is through,
And happiness is those who sing with you.
Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and nighttime too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That’s loved by you.

And if you want to sing along, here's the song:



I've been in the doldrums lately and I've been repeating the mantra "happiness is a decision and not a feeling". I want to decide to be happy but extenuating circumstances are forcing me to rethink that decision. It could be the reason why I'm keeping myself busy to keep myself from facing it.

There's also "God has a plan for me" and "God's timing is always perfect" which I posted in my timeline. I know these things but it's so hard to keep them to heart when you're being battered by negativity. I cannot afford to break and I know that I'll be back to my old jolly self in a few days time.

In the meantime, please pray for those who would need more prayers than me. I know my concerns are insignificant compared to those who are struggling with life-threatening illnesses or those who are struggling with their lives and relationships. However, if you can still say a small prayer for me, it would be a big help.

Rocking the Ages

My husband's cousin-in-law contacted me about the tickets that they were selling for their block show of Rock of Ages. I realized that it has been a LONG time ever since my husband and I watched a musical. I think our last one was Spring Awakening and I just gave birth then!

My love affair with the musicals started way back in High School when Lea Salonga became the star of Miss Saigon. My classmates and I memorized all the lines of the whole musical and we would sing them during our breaks. My dad, who also loved music, bought the cassettes of Miss Saigon and even threw in Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera which we would listen a lot at home.The music was just so beautiful.

When my college friend, Joelle, invited me to watch Rent at Music Museum in the late 90's/early 2000's, I did not hesitate twice and watched with her--more than once, I think. I remember crying everytime (or maybe that was her and I just cried in reaction to her tears. :P). Since then, I was hooked. Since my friend got into the side-business of buying block shows, I would be updated with whatever musical was in town.

After Rent, there were Jesus Christ Superstar which Basti Artadi of Wolfgang headlined (I remember shouting, "I LOVE YOU BASTI!!!" during the encore--and on a side note, my son was named after that show's star), Miss Saigon (this was the one that Cameron Mackintosh brought to the Philippines and which Ms. Salonga starred in at CCP. Since I was a struggling young professional then, I was only able to afford the balcony tickets which was so high up that Lea was just a small dot on the stage),  Proof (but then, this was not a musical but a play but I am a fan of Lea Salonga that's why I watched it), Avenue Q (first time I saw Aiza Seguerra in a musical), Hairpray (I was on my last month of pregnancy. My husband was nervous in bringing me to Aliw Theater all the way in Star City as the traffic was so bad due to the Christmas season. But never underestimate the hormones of a pregnant woman.), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (which the audience participation amused me) and Spring Awakening.

When we were in the US last 2011, I was so desperate to watch The Book of Mormon which recently won Best Musical in that year's Tony Awards, but the lines were too long and I did not have the foresight to buy tickets before we went to the US. Les Miserables was also having their 25th Anniversary tour but the only show in the US that time was in Los Angeles but we were only staying in NYC. So we went home without me being able to check off that one item in my bucket list (watch a broadway play or Les Miserables which is my favourite musical of all time).

Going back to Rock of Ages, Atlantis Productions was able to get Mig Ayesa, a Fil-Australian guy who rose to fame when he made the finals of  Rockstar:INXS last 2005, to play Stacee Jaxx, which was played by Tom Cruise in the movie version. Vina Morales played Sherrie, the waitress and wanna-be singer from the country and Nyoy Violante played Drew, the barback who wanted to be a rockstar. Rounding off the other cast members were Jett Pangan as Lonny (whom I did not recognize until the end of the show. Boohoo! I wanna watch again), Calvin Millado as Hertz (he was so unrecognizable as his physique has undoubtedly changed since his Rent days more than 10 years ago), Aiza Seguerra as Regina (pronounced as Re-jaaay-na...yes, which sounds like the female reproductive anatomy and she brought the house down when she wore a tangga) and Rachel Alejandro as Justice (I like her low tones).

The music was wonderful and my favorite song (thanks to Finn singing it in Glee), "I Can't Fight this Feeling" was sung by Lonny and Dennis. It helped that all of the songs were the famous ones in the 80's--the decade where I spent much of my youth in. I found myself rocking with the music although the audience was a bit stoic. My only gripe with the musical, was the lack of chemistry between Vina and Nyoy. Vina really needs to work on her diction and she's completely overshadowed by the more competent members of the cast. I did enjoy the moments that Mig Ayesa took the stage. His abs really made up for the musical's other shortcomings. Also, Aiza and the guy who played Hans (I was not able to buy the program and I can't find his name online) chemistry was better than that of Nyoy and Vina's.

Will I watch it again? Yes, so I could watch more of Jett Pangan and Calvin Millado who are really talented. If they can find someone to replace Vina then so much the better. I think Rachel could play her character in a beat. Don't get me wrong, Vina's great as a singer and I saw her perform live at the wedding of a common friend but she really needs work harder if she wants to make it in musicals like her other co-stars. As for Nyoy, he really hits the high notes well. I saw him first at Hairspray and I knew then how bountiful his talent can be. But as I said, there's something missing between him and Vina to make their pairing acceptable for me.

Last day of the repeat run is today. If you can still catch it, please do watch it.

Cross the Stitch

Angel of Hope, finished May 19, 2013

I learned how to cross-stitch when I was in grade 4 when our home economics class made us accomplish our respective samplers based on the different cross-stitches taught by the teacher. But my sisters and I really got into it when we were in college/working already but stopped when it became too much for us to maintain.

I started the piece on the left towards the end of 2008 when I was nearing my pregnancy term and re-discovered it when I was nesting. It took some time before I was able to finish it as I stopped for awhile as I went back to school and was busy taking care of my son. However, I recently discovered my cross-stitch stuff early this year and resolved to finish it. I finally did last May and it was a great achievement. Actually, the point I finished something is an achievement already. I've always struggled with "Ningas Kugon" while growing up so finishing something means a great deal to me.

When I posted this pic in my facebook page, my mom asked for it and I readily gave it to her. She told me that she already has a place of honor for it in her house and will no doubt make a good conversation piece for her visitors. My mom has always been proud of my crafts and I remember her displaying that doilies that I did back when I was in high school.

This somehow encouraged me to try other pieces and to be not content in just stitching relatively small pieces. I then searched for my next project.

I read that DMC partnered with the estate of Amorsolo and painter Baldemor to transform their artworks into cross-stitch patterns. The pattern on the right caught my eye as it's quite colorful. It's a painting done by Baldemor of the famous Pahiyas festival at Quezon province. The colors are just so vivid and it definitely translated itself well in the threads that are to be used. When finished, the whole thing will measure 26.0" x 20.0" probably my biggest piece so far.

I did not hesitate in buying the complete set and though it was rather pricey, I did not mind as I do not relish going back to the craft store buying threads. There's no store near our office or house so hopefully the threads I bought are enough.

Here's a recent picture taken of what I have accomplished so far. The pattern is divided into 9 frames and this is barely half of the frame that I'm doing right now. I estimate that this will take me almost a year to do considering I only have an hour or two everyday just to do this. I returned to teaching and that will take much of time already.

I still have to figure out what will I do with it after I'm done. The lady at the craft shop said I can sell it. In fact, one was sold for P10K! Not bad considering the initial investment on the materials is P2K. But the labor that will be put into it is price enough. I should probably price it to what I earn per hour and compute the total number of hours I spent making it. I have probably invested more than 12 hours based on the recent picture (sigh). I doubt though that somebody will buy it based on that computation. :) 

Make-up Love Affair

I never thought I'd say this but I love make-up. When I was in my formative years, I abhorred the idea of slathering on make-up. I would find it a waste of my time in sitting down in front of a mirror prettifying myself when I can spend that same amount of time reading a book or playing games. Even when I started working, my beauty regimen would consist of moisturizer and if I remember to do so, sunblock.

I would say that I only started my love affair with make-up was when I left my job at a multi-national company and started work at a local bank. One of my colleagues was a former schoolmate in high school and apparently is a big fan of cosmetics. I would sit with her watch her as she puts on her daily make-up early at work. I would spend more time with my high school bestfriend where she further enhanced my basic make-up education where she passed off the stuff that she learned with me. The rest I learned from youtube and constant practice.

Nowadays, people at work would find it an oddity if they catch me without any make-up on. I also managed to work up the courage to put on my own make-up in some of the formal events that I attended. Fortunately, it brought on positive comments but I would still find something lacking when I would look at the pictures. Suddenly, the hours that I spend in the front of the mirror seem worth it.

Here are a sample of my works. Of course, I can only put make-up on myself but still lack the courage on trying my skill on other people.

Leader's Night 2013 Make-up (Feb 16, 2013)

First picture on the right was my most recent attempt. It was taken last February 16, 2013 for an office event. I still have to master the contouring thing as my nose still looks huge. Also, I was trying a different style for my eyes to have that dramatic effect that I saw in youtube but I can't seem to copy it. At least the outcome was not half as bad as I thought it would be. I had to make do as I was running out of time. Good thing the event was just 5 minutes away from our village. But my colleagues who lived further was there already and was looking for me.

For base, I used Revlon Photoready compact make-up. Based on the picture, I think the name lives by its reputation as it is photoready. :) To set the base, I used Revlon Photoready powder compact. As usual, my eyebrows needed more work and I still have issues with the contouring on my nose and jaw. I highlighted my eyes with ivory eyeshadow under my eyebrow.

Everyday make-up Beaufort (Dec 7, 2012)

Next picture is a sample of my everyday make-up. This was taken December 7, 2012. Actually,  I've already reduced my daily make-up regimen to eye primer, eye liner, mascara, eyebrow powder, cheek tint and lipgloss. But for the make-up below, I  used my Revlon foundation (which I truly love) and mineral powder to set it (also Revlon). I used ample eyeliner to highlight my rather small eyes and maskara. I still have to master my eyebrows but I'm getting there. I remember using lots of beige eyeliner under my eyes to liven it up to detract attention away from my eyebags. I don't think I got enough sleep that night.

Co-Evangelista wedding (Jul 28, 2012)

Next picture on the right was on Mark and Jen's wedding on July 28, 2012. I had my regular stylist at David's Salon here in Alabang do my hair and I applied my own make-up. I think I went heavy on the eye make-up but I justified it saying it was an evening event anyway. However, I was not very satisfied how I looked. Either I used the wrong foundation or I was too heavy with the blush. I loved my dress though. It was quite short and the heels were highly uncomfortable but I enjoyed being with my friends at work.

It would be remiss of me if I don't showcase make-up that was done by the professionals. I hope that someday, I will be able to copy their output.

H&MU by Maribel @ Piandre Greenbelt (May 26, 2013)

Picture on the left was taken at the baptism reception of the son of one of my friends. Actually, I was attending a wedding afterwards but due to time constraints, I was forced to have the make-up done early in the day. Good thing they had a  photographer at the reception and my husband bought a copy of the picture when I already left.

I had my make-up done at Piandre but it was more than 7 years ago during the wedding of my brother and the output was wonderful. It was the nearest salon to the reception and since the wedding was an hour after the lunch, I decided to have my make-up there as I had no time to do it myself. Good thing my gamble paid off. I asked for natural make-up and Maribel exceeded my expectations. She used false eyelashes and it removed the need for heavy eyeliner to make my eyes pop out. The lipstick that she used complimented my outfit and my make-up. I wish I can find that shade as I didn't know it would look good on me. I will definitely be returning to her when I have an event in Makati again.

Hair by Rene at David's Salon Alabang; Make-up by Tryx
Syjuco (Feb 2, 2013)

I got the contact of Tryx Syjuco from our local village magazine. She has been offering make-up classes but I have not had the privilege of joining one. I love her studio as it's just located within the village and inside an art gallery at that. This was for the wedding of my friend Agnes. She asked me to be the host of reception and since I don't trust my make-up skills for this event, I asked Tryx to do my make-up and I'm glad she was able to accommodate me.

I'm very happy with what she did to my face. Again, a natural look suits my profile best. These make-up artists really have the uncanny ability to match the shade of my face with the rest of my skin. I wish I could learn how to do that some day.

Hair by Rene at David's Salon Alabang; Make-up by
(+)Rene Joaquin (Apr 3, 2011)

The picture on the left was taken after the wedding of my good friends, Marvin and Mai. Hair was done by my usual hair stylist at David's Salon. Make-up was done by Rene Joaquin who was a former colleague who pursued his dream of being a make-up artist. Unfortunately, he passed away last December due to sudden sickness. It was a sad loss as his talent definitely abounded. :( I'm glad I was able to immortalize his talent with these pictures.

Again, we went for the natural look and somehow, he managed to highlight my cheekbones wonderfully. I wish I'll be able to do that. This was taken afterwards so the make-up has faded somehow but nevertheless, it still looked beautiful.

I hope someday I'll be as good as these make-up artists. I guess it's true when they say that practice makes perfect.

What Happened, 2013?

Oh my gosh, I can't believe the first quarter of 2013 is up and gone. I don't know whether to be embarrassed or disappointed that I did not even have one post for the first quarter of 2013. When 2012 ended, I know I swore to myself that I will strive to write on my blog more often but I fell short on that promise.

Too many things in my mind, apparently. Some of them too private to share or I've somehow fallen into the trap of editing my posts to fit into the shorter character requirement of Facebook or Twitter.

I had to search through my Facebook timeline to recap what has happened to me the first quarter. Probably the highlight of which was my twin sister's visit to the country since she was here 5 years ago. This time around, she's with her two very cute children. It was an opportunity for us to bond and for our kids to finally meet each other.

As we were short with funds, we just opted to stay in Manila while they had a short jaunt in Batangas for a quick dive. When they returned, I took them around the Metro to see some malls and sites. Probably the most memorable of which was our visit to Ocean Park and our spa moment together.

I really miss my twin sister. We're not really close-close but she's a comforting presence to me. Our personalities are polar opposites but there are underlying similarities--there should be considering we shared a womb for almost 40 weeks.

My other sister also gave birth to a new baby boy. I'm now a new aunt and godmother. My nephew was born a hefty 8.5lbs, I believe. Heavier than his older brother. During the baptism, he was really so heavy. He definitely does not look like a newborn.

Down at the home front, we spent the first quarter of the year looking for Basti's big school. Because of the new K12, the schools would not accept my son as a kindergarten student. We tried getting him into pre-kinder in a school which is a kilometer away from the house but for reasons which we still can't comprehend, they do not want to accept him. My son can read and write better than a grade 1 student and they don't want him. We resolve to put him in another school also within the village but one that accepted him with open arms. Maybe when he's in grade one, we can reconsider putting him in that school. After all, it's my husband's Alma Mater.

There are still 8 months left for the year. I don't want to assume that I know what will happen but I hope I'm prepared for it.