There are some weeks when days bleed into each other, and I need to remind myself to stop and breathe. So today, this is my break for the week. I know it’s only Tuesday, but who says there’s a deadline for pausing to catch your breath?

What better way to spend this midday break by counting my blessings?

♡ starting a new book (I finally finished the jessica darling series after struggling to finish the fourth book). joan didion’s the year of magical thinking is teaching me a lot about my own grief.
♡  binging through the three seasons of veronica mars in time for next week’s new season
♡  getting to see beautiful the carole king musical with mika and lou. I only see them once every few months, but it’s always so much fun. seeing a fantastic show was a bonus. the next time I see them, mika is getting married. omg!
♡  my new pair of day gloves because I really love my black ones
♡  making new ceramic wares for my make space today shelf
♡  though my work with spotjapan takes up most of my time, I’m glad I can still write about many different things
♡  sticking to a semi-regular exercise routine—if you know me, you know how much I hate working out, so these past 3 months are a major accomplishment for me
♡  pretty nail art (I really enjoy painting my nails!)
♡  my colored eyeliners! promised myself that I’m done buying them, hehe
♡  face time with friends IRL (: groupchats are heaven-sent but nothing beats face-to-face chika

There’s a certain kind of thrill when you finish something down to the last drop. I’ve accumulated enough empties to merit a post, so here we are. Sharing some beauty products on my shelf that have served me well.

Becca First Light Priming Filter

This was part of a PR package and I’ve since repurchased once my bottle hit the 1/4 mark. I love that I can just wear this without any foundation and instantly look made up. Under foundation, I feel like it brightens up my face even without highlighter. It’s got a slight fruity scent, so if you’re averse to fragrance, it might need some getting used to. It doesn’t really bother me though. I apply it after I’m done with skin care. I rub this between my fingers before applying on my cheeks and massaging it all over my face, including my eyelids.

I rarely retouch my makeup except for lipstick when I’m out, so I find that applying primer really does make my makeup last longer especially my blush.

Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal Extract Toner

This has lasted me a long time. It took a backseat when I was finishing other toners. But when I transferred it to a spray bottle (my old Glossier rosewater one when it ran out), I regularly started using it as part of my evening routine. I like that it’s alcohol-free, so it doesn’t dry out my skin. I spritz it on after double cleansing and I wait for it to sink in before moving on to serums and my nighttime moisturizer.

Not sure if I’ll repurchase this since it’s quite pricey, but it does last you a long time. Maybe when I run out of my other toners. I kind of want to try that COSrx gel to cream one first.

Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream Light

My brother got this for me in Germany and this really works better for our weather. The regular kind is way too thick and best for cooler climates. This one is lightweight and doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. It’s great under makeup (no pilling at all) or just on its own. No SPF though, so you need to apply that separately.

I was able to pick up the Quince Day Cream (which is supposed to be lighter than the regular Rose Day Cream) from Whole Foods. I’ll report back if it works better in our weather.

Nuxe Nuxellence Detox

I know some people don’t like their beauty products with scents, but I love how this smells. It almost feels like a spa experience every night when I’m applying this. I always pop by a Beauty Bar if they have this on sale, but they never do. Haha! I’m too stingy to splurge on it, so if you see it on sale, please let me know. 😛

Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

Got this from Beauty MNL after running out of it years ago. It’s currently sold out, but I don’t think there’s any other glossy top coat that’s as good as this one. I’m currently on a matte streak (don’t sleep on the Bobbie one which is under P50 a bottle), so I’m not stressing out about not having a bottle of this. Will definitely repurchase though once they restock.

What are your tried and tested beauty staples?

Music Monday

Is anyone else obsessed with checking their Discover Weekly on Mondays? I’m always curious if Spotify’s algorithm will churn out a playlist that’s very me. I also end up discovering (ha!) new (sometimes old) music.

Tasty Tuesday

It’s been a while since I got tapped by Yummy to do a video demo for them. They’ve asked me a few times, but our schedules wouldn’t match. I was so happy when they asked me to develop two recipes for them about a month ago.

This is the first time I got to develop recipes from scratch for them, so I was excited (and nervous). But both recipes turned out great and I’ve already made the coffee banana bread multiple times. Now if only strawberries were affordable, I would probably make this for breakfast every single day.

Wishful Wednesday

In my last post, I mentioned that I recently joined the Spot Japan team. At the start the month, I got to explore Fukuoka (my first time in Japan!) for work. It still boggles the mind how things somehow always fall into place. My hope is that I continue to get opportunities that allow me to not only thrive but to grow and learn new things every day.

Another venture I’ve had the privilege to be part of also finally opened this month. Make Space Today is a creative co-making space in Malingap, Quezon City that has a retail incubator; a shared space for makers; and a skills program that aims to help members improve their craft in so many ways.

I’ve always been a QC girl and though I’ve moved cities, it’ll always be home to me. It was a no-brainer for me when my friends Mikko and Alessa asked me if I was interested in getting involved. The open house weekend just ended, but we open officially on Tuesday. You can find out more on the website or swing by to see the space for yourself. It’s beautiful!

Oh, and I’m going to facilitate a workshop about creating content for newsletters and blogs in September. So if that’s something you’re interested in, please do sign up!

Thoughtful Thursday

My friends at my old office are currently planning for next year. I’m reminded that around this time 2 years ago, I was sitting in a hotel room, thinking I was planning for another year. Plot twist: I was not. Flash forward to 2 years later, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I’ve survived the freelancing life. While I know my life would be so much easier with a steady job and a regular paycheck, I’m relieved it hasn’t been too impossible to make this work. Here’s hoping the path I’ve chosen stretches onward.

Fashion Friday

I’ve got shelf space at Make Space Today (currently, I have some Prima clips on display there) and it’s sorely lacking merch. I just glazed a new batch of Hey Kessy Jewelry clay earrings. Here’s hoping they turn out alright after firing. I’ve also been playing around with a few designs for new hair clips and another jewelry line. Crossing my fingers I get to do both! What do you think I should make next?

And just like that, we’re done with the first half of the year. Isn’t that crazy? Hello, July.

Music Monday

I’ve seen Jason Mraz almost all the times he’s been to Manila (first time I saw him was in 2004 at the Aliw Theater, where I got a photo of his…ear, lol). This time around, it wasn’t until a week or so before the show when Chinggay asked if I still wanted to watch. So on my dad’s and Mira’s birthday, I watched with her and Koko and I’m glad I did. His feel-good vibes will always have me falling in line to catch his concert.

And because of my earlier obsession with everything To All the Boys related, I ended up seeing Lauv in concert this month, too. I couldn’t sing along to most of the songs haha but I was so happy to hear “Paris in the Rain” live because of this single edit.

Tasty Tuesday

The only thing I remember trying this month and absolutely loving is Manam’s Ube Sago drink. Haha! I always get tempted to order it whenever it gets served to a customer at another table. But since I eat so much at Manam (read: no more space in my tummy for drinks other than water), I’ve never really gotten a chance to try it. So when I met up with friends at Ooma in Greenhills, which shares a space with Manam, I ordered it. No regrets! It was delicious and so refreshing on a sweltering afternoon.

Lots of meet-ups with friends this month, though, involved eating. Glad I got to spend some time with friends who were in town, too.

Wishful Wednesday

I recently joined the SpotJapan.ph team as a freelance editor and it’s been a month of getting into a rhythm that works for me. It’s been a while since I handled a website as editor in chief, so it’s almost like starting from scratch. It’s been fun so far, and we’re heading to Japan this week. Ecstatic that I get the chance and I’m excited to travel again. Here’s hoping we have a stress-free trip. Send me all your Fukuoka recos!

Thoughtful Thursday

We’re already almost halfway through 2019. I haven’t written down any goals this quarter. I feel like I’m floating in between phases but a recent impromptu reading by the beach (by my fave Practical Magic) gave me a much-needed jolt. I already know what I’m doing, so I need to set aside my doubts and just push through. Whatever happens, I’ll come out okay in the end.

Fashion Friday

I will forever dream of looking like a Madewell girl. I love looking at their feed and channeling the outfits with what I have in my closet. Couldn’t help myself though when I saw these cute striped Vans slip-ons on their Instagram page. I want to wear them with everything!

Sharing a few more photos from our spring trip over two months ago. I’ve got a bunch of pictures sitting in my hard drive. And as you may have seen on my Instagram, I’ve been posting a lot of them belatedly.

We spent two weeks mostly in Los Angeles and here are some of our adventures from that time.

My cousin Kookee who used to live in LA was also in town from New York. She took me and my brother Manu around, driving us to our requested spots (well, mostly mine, haha). Before my shopping spree (lol), she took us to Sweet Chick, where we shared an order of mac and cheese and fried chicken and waffles. The flavored butter that came with the waffles was so good! Manu’s breakfast burrito was so big, he had to take half of it home.

Dragged them to the Sondre Lerche show as I’ve already mentioned previously. We couldn’t leave LA without having some tacos, of course. Ate these in the freezing cold by the road after the show. Delicious—even if my tongue was already burning after a single bite of the al pastor.

We hit up most of the grocery stores for pasalubong and personal shopping. My cousins were wondering why I had drugstores on my list. Hello, we don’t get the same beauty products as you, I told them. I’m sad that most of the snacks I bought are gone. Must figure out how I can stock up on Trader Joe’s Toasted Coconut Granola because it’s so yummy.

At least three people told me to go to Abbot Kinney Boulevard when I asked for LA recos. Did not disappoint! I loved the shops and all the good eats. We tried the pizza from Gjelina, coffee from Blue Bottle, doughnuts from Blue Star Donuts, and ice cream from Van Leeuwen. We also stopped by the Venice Canals where my brother took lovely photos of my Hey Kessy Jewelry/Pottery clay jewelry. Before heading home, we met up with Kookee’s friends and had dinner at Maximiliano. Stuffed ourselves with cacio e pepe, burrata, and calamari amidst the heating lamps in their outdoor area.

Of course the reason why we were all there in the first place: Gail and Eric’s wedding. I was 8 when I last saw Gail and the rest of her family in the States. They’d come home to the Philippines and we’d take a couple of quick trips but I never got to go back to LA until this trip. So happy we made it happen. Loved how intimate their wedding was and they had such good music! It was also nice to hang with our US-based cousins at the reception. Some of them we only get to see at our annual reunion (if they even come to the Philippines for the holidays).

I’m definitely missing the cool weather and all the fun things we did on the trip. For now, I shall just keep posting and remembering them until I can plan another vacation.

Check out my photo diary of San Diego here.

Feeling quite disappointed with the outcome of yesterday’s election, but stories like 29-year-old Vico Sotto winning against a 27-year-old dynasty in Pasig still gives me hope. Something he said in an FB Live interview struck me. The people like those in his precinct (Valle Verde 5) still won’t be affected whether or not he wins—they’ll survive and it probably won’t matter who is in office. But there are so many people without that privilege clamoring for change and they’re the ones who rely so much on the government’s policies. These are the people he met and reached out to on his campaign trail and he promised them a change in politics. Because it’s true that the government is not just for one faction, it’s for every single one of us. If only this is how all our lawmakers would approach their job—whether they’re from the administration or opposition—can you imagine what kind of Philippines we would be living in? Hopefully this isn’t just wishful thinking because if it happened in one city, surely it can spread to the whole country, right? On a day like today, I think it’s even more important to count our blessings and look on the bright side. Tomorrow is another day to be better.

♡ my right to vote for the leaders I think my country deserves
♡ a pretty smooth voting experience. my brother and I headed to our precinct at 7 in the morning and we were having pancakes and waffles for breakfast less than an hour later.
♡ finally getting my hands on the jessica darling series by megan mccafferty (currently reading charmed thirds)
♡ finishing terrace house: opening doors part 6 and finding out they featured fukuoka in an episode—currently mapping out an itinerary for this city so I was thrilled to see this
♡ getting to see jason mraz in concert again (I’ve seen him almost all the times he’s been here. I guess there’s no stopping us?)
♡ moving into a new place and slowly turning it into a home
♡ seeing my friends more than just once a month (thanks to balikbayans and new babies)
♡ painting sanrio characters with mira and her asking if she could take home the part I drew on so she has a copy of my drawings, too
♡ the best compliment about my cookies ever
♡ filing taxes for a new quarter, a new year (can you believe this is year 2 of freelancing already?)

Music Monday

Not even 24 hours after arriving from my 2-week trip, I had to fly out the next afternoon to Singapore. My friend Patty snagged us tickets to John Mayer’s concert and I was excited. Though he didn’t play “Daughters,” the set list was a pretty good mix. Did not expect him to play “In Your Atmosphere,” so that was a pleasant surprise.

Tasty Tuesday

Got to eat a lot of my faves this month. Old reliables plus new ones. Hoping to explore the kitchen again now that we’ve moved homes. Trying to do menu planning so that we don’t eat the same thing every week.

Wishful Wednesday

Like I mentioned, we moved into a new place this month. It still feels kind of strange to be in a completely new neighborhood. I’ve lived in houses all my life, so this new setup will take some getting used to. On the bright side, our bedrooms all face the sunset so there’s always this golden glow just before dusk. Here’s hoping we make happy memories in this new space.

Thoughtful Thursday

My friend Em invited me to attend an event hosted by Belle de Jour and Neutrogena. Loved that they invited Trixie Esguerra to give a vision board workshop to the attendees.

Em was the one who introduced me to setting intentions and taught me to always ask for “this or something better.” I’m a big believer of manifesting the things you want and learning more about vision boarding made me excited about setting goals this year.

I got a kick out of seeing one of my bylines in one of the magazines we were given as material for the vision boards. Here’s to taking dreams and making them reality.

Fashion Friday

Who knew that at 36, I’d still be taking OOTD photos and posting them online for all to see, lol. It was hard not to with such pretty backdrops, so I turned those photos into an article. Haha! Thanks to the Preview team for always indulging me and my pitches.

I say never say never. There’s always a first time for everything and who knows, maybe you’ll find that it’s actually worth trying.

I talked about my trip briefly in the last post, but wanted to share a few photos from my vacation. Honestly, I’m just missing the cool weather, everyone I got to see, and all the places we got to visit, so I’m just looking for an excuse to reminisce. Haha!

On the day I arrived, my half (we’ve always been mistaken for sisters or twins when we were younger) Binky picked me up from my aunt’s place. She planned a weekend trip to San Diego, so she could take me around. We had to leave her youngest Ella with her in-laws but I got to hang with her firstborn Enzo all weekend long!

Her husband Jay’s friend was celebrating his birthday that weekend, too, so it all just came together. Jay would have his boy’s weekend and I’d get to tour the city with Binky and Enzo.

Before we got to the hotel, we headed out to Ocean Boulevard with a view of the Pacific Beach. After a failed attempt at the PB Shore Club, we ended up in Duck Dive on Mission Boulevard for a late lunch. It was filled with college kids (I assumed) on spring break so everyone was knocking back drinks and/or in green. After the meals I didn’t finish on my first day, I decided to split a burger with Binky. Good decision!

After lunch, Jay drove us back to downtown and we checked into the Double Tree. They gave us complimentary cookies still warm from the oven. Mmm.

We checked out the playground in Harborview, where we had the most amazing view of the sunset. Before walking back to our hotel, they took me to Little Italy, which is a quaint little neighborhood peppered with restaurants, pubs, and bars. It was a chilly night (especially for this tropical girl), but we made sure to stop for pizza before heading back. We ended up at Landini’s Pizzeria where we got the daily special. Got a pesto slice with a Cherry Coke.

In the morning, we had breakfast at Cafe Gratitude, which I had pinned in my Google Maps list for places to check out on this trip. TBH, I only know about this place because of Jason Mraz (lol) but it was an interesting experience and I enjoyed everything we ordered.

After checking out, we drove to Old Town San Diego, which felt like something out of Westworld minus the murderous robots. Haha! I loved walking around and ducking into the stores, where the sales attendants were in costume. Got a few keepsakes for pasalubong, too.

After a quick walk around and taking tons of photos at Old Town, we headed back to LA, where we picked up Ella before heading to Alyn’s place for her husband Joe’s birthday.

We spent the rest of the evening eating, catching up, and watching Enzo score goals with his ate KK. Really wish I had more time with Alyn and Binky, but I’m glad we were able to find a common weekend to hang out. Infinite thanks to the Aquinos for welcoming me into their home and taking me out to San Diego. Can’t wait to see you guys back here in Manila!

Easing myself back into normalcy after a 2-and-a-half-week break. I figured maybe this post will help me jump-start my writing.

Music Monday

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I had the most incredible fangirling moment in Los Angeles when I caught Sondre Lerche’s show at Largo at the Coronet. As luck would have it, he had a show scheduled on the day we got back from a quick trip to Vegas. After a quick consult with my cousin (I let her listen to “After All”), I bought us tickets to that night’s show. He came out to meet fans after the show and I told him I was so happy to have caught the show since I was visiting from the Philippines. 😛

Here’s an attempt at recreating the playlist (although he played a couple of new songs at the start, so I couldn’t add those on Spotify).

Tasty Tuesday

This isn’t everything but I only had a few minutes during my trip to paint. Memorable dining experience was at Cafe Gratitude where they had a unique way of ordering. Of course I played along and told the server, “I am marvelous and I am vivid.” Haha! After which, he shared the Question of the Day to inspire our discussion at the table: “When are you most at peace?” Safe to say, any time I’m on vacation, I am totally at peace.

Wishful Wednesday

After getting our visas approved mid-February, everything about this trip just went by so fast. From booking our tickets to flying out and figuring out our daily itinerary. I had to tell myself to slow down and enjoy each moment.

I’m just grateful for all the people I got to spend time with on this trip and everyone who made sure we had an amazing time. Wishing for more rackets so I can plan a next one!

Thoughtful Thursday

Still learning how to balance my wins with my losses. I think I’ve gotten better at accepting rejection. These days, I don’t take it to heart especially when I know that it’s not a right fit. Not everything is for me, and that’s okay.

Fashion Friday

Even before flying out, I was doing a survey on whether or not I should purchase this bag. (Everyone I asked told me to buy it, btw.) I guess I was hesitant because I’ve never really purchased anything so pricey. In the end, the decision was ultimately mine. I told myself that if the color I wanted was not available, it was going to be a no. When we got to the store, the pleated buckets weren’t even on display. So, I quietly went up to the sales attendants to ask if they were available. One of them said, “Of course.” And then the magic words, “Only black and blush available.” And I guess the rest is history. LOL!

The lesson here is: It’s totally okay to spend your hard-earned money on something you really want. You deserve a treat once in a while. You can always earn it back. Plus, my bag is so cute. Heh. So buy the damn bag.

I keep thinking to do this list every Tuesday, but I wake up and it’s Wednesday and I shelve it for another week. Today, I remembered because I’m currently procrastinating while waiting for people to get back to me. I have one more major article to finish before a two-week trip and I can’t wait to turn my to-do list into a ta-da list. In the meantime, there’s a lot to be grateful for, so here we go.

♡ giving a short talk on feature writing to first and second graders—so lovely to see them furiously writing on their notebooks after interviewing each other
♡ booking jobs—big and small—that keep me on my toes
♡ making big girl decisions and real world investments (ahhh!)
♡ getting back into writing after a couple of months of not doing it. some favorites in the past couple of weeks: a cover story for gma news online; something to enable the barrette-obsessed people everywhere; that time I dressed like tarot cards for a week; and this lesson on herstory and street signs
♡ making a new font and launching a new jewelry collection
♡ getting together with my friends and celebrating milestones (birthdays, baby showers, and everything in between)
♡ getting our visas approved, booking tickets, and finally making this trip happen
♡ snagging tickets to a panel featuring one of my favorite tv shows, yasss
♡ getting our piano fixed after years of not touching it—and still remembering how to play
♡ hulu! I’ve finished watching pen15 and grown-ish, and now I’m going through the bold type

Back to work until it’s finally vacation time!