My name is Apple, a creature born without a manual to life. Follow my journey through Girl World, Geek World, Fantasy World and wherever my curiosity takes me. Much fun to be expected as I often ridicule myself. Will try my best to avoid posting at a specific time of the month when I am most prone to drama. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-47290730-1', 'tumblr.com'); ga('send', 'pageview');
Metal thing still attached to my wrist. I am still pretty much a cyborg.
Donning a new haircut. I feel like they've cut the part of my hair that stores some of my nega-aura. So its all good.
Eating through the period of unemployment. My sister, me and my cousin decided to form a weight loss support group where we talk about the trials and tribulations of having to portion our meals and what-not.
Unfortunately, it's bound to fail cuz the more you talk about food, the more you crave it. =/
Had a mini-mental breakdown during the weekdays at the same time SO-FAB shoe store was having a great sale. 2 hours later I was carrying 2 paper bags of shoes with an additional paper bag of guilt and remorse
Book Review: "The Fault in our Stars" by John Green
This book I cant even.
It hurts so good. Lemme tell you why:
It fills you with a lot of opposite emotions: hope and despair, love and hate, joy and sorrow.
It's unlike any cancer story you've ever encountered. It is raw and unforgiving in the sense that it covers almost all the fears and suffering of a person struggling with terminal illness without sugar-coating any aspect of it. One can easily tell it comes from a place of deep personal experience and not from shallow familiarity. I'm looking at you, Jay Asher.
The honesty of this book is almost too much to bear. After reading it, you'd feel a discomfort in your throat as if you've just swallowed a very large pill. This symptom along with a sharp pain in the chest will last for around 20 mins to 2 days.
Personally, I had to listen to KeSha songs straight after reading it to distract me from a sudden burst of acute depression.
5/5 would read and recommend.
PS: The movie will hurt just as much. Brace yourselves.
I was first place in women's division. Sadly i have no pictures to prove it
I had the 3rd best lap time in the team which is pretty darn cool considering more the half of the team is male
I felt stupid racing in corporate attire. Kinda failed to plan ahead
Didn't win the championship because I had a bit of an accident which was hilarious at first before I saw the damn x-ray result. A fractured wrist that needed surgery with a metal thingy attached to the flesh.
When I went home with a bandaged arm, my parents looked at me as if to say: Dafuq did you do this time? In response, I smiled apologetically as if to say: Don't judge meeeee!
I am now reading a book called "The power of positive thinking" by Norman Peale. : /
His name is Buster. Short for "Flaming Aces Buster Brown Florendo-Estrada". It says so on his birth certificate. He's the chum on the side bar picture. This was the day we broke the news to him that we paid someone to snip his pa-ding-dongs if you know what I mean. -- neutered.
Re-reading "Love is the higher law" by david levithan. I shall never return this book from its owner. EVER. Haha-di-haha! Just kidding, Svet.
Post birthday shopping spree.
Kung-fu movies. eg. Stephen Chow & the Ip Man series
Being followed by someone you follow on tumblr. It is such an honor.
Watching my boyfriend's basketball game. Congrats on winning the championship for the nth time. Don't you guys ever get tired of winning?
Wearing a 90's inspired outfit without looking tacky.
Brand new job title. I'm a senior, whaaat?
Listening to "Cool" by Gwen Stefani. Trust me.
I would like to say kudos to Camie of wild-spirit.net who invented this very unique and positive blogging habbit. Thank you for sharing your infinite brilliance.
Finally, my customized plates from papelmelroti are here! Whopeee! I just can’t wait to be inspired by these babies. I truly love how everything from that shop gives off positive jujus. Even the notebooks.
~~ Always Believe That Something Wonderful Is About To Happen
Potipot Gateway made my summer 2014% awesome. Even if it were only for 24 hours. Such a photogenic place! I mean seriously, you can take a photo of the floor and it would still look amazing. Plus, there is even a peacock roaming around the area, just cause. Tres magnifique!
And don't even get me started on the food. I am salivating right now just thinking about it...
Spent our time food-tripping, laying on the sand, drinking, vollyball-ing, and singing karaoke (well not me personally, cuz my voice sucks. But everyone else did).
If only i can spend the rest of my days being lazy in front of the beach, I would.
Stradivarius. Why is it so hard to remember the name Stradivarius? I keep thinking "strato-virus". Perhaps it is the Medical Technologist in me, I dunno, but it's easier for me to think of it as some sort of a virus.
I always pass by this shop [located in Glorietta] before going to work but I never went inside because the name intimidates me so...
STRADIVARIUS!
Out of curiosity and desperation, I checked it out yesterday hoping to find some summer type clothing to fill up my wardrobe because the climate is clearly going bananas.
One minute it is sweatshirt weather and the next, boom! The heat is cooking the soles of my flats. It's pretty alarming.
My boyfriend [aka fashion consultant] pointed out this checkered powder blue polo shirt which I absolutely adore!
I usually stay away from these types of clothes because I don't want to be associated with twilight fashion. But this one. OMG. Sheer, light, powder blue. It has summer written all over it! Best of all it's pretty cheap! Well not THAT cheap but I expected it to be more than 1000+ php
Guess what? It's only 850php! Weeee! I will gladly starve myself for the next few days to pay for it.
Contented with my latest purchase, I was preparing to leave said store. Then I turned to my left and saw one of the greatest sweatshirts available in a third world country like this one.
I died.
Thank goodness I was already broke when I saw it! It could have easily been on my irrational buying list of 2014. Until the next payday, precious.
My no-nonsense list of must-haves. Carefully and strategically chosen for hassle free and drama free traveling.
Carry On Luggage:
Long Champ Le Pliage bag - foldable, chic, spacious and light. It also claims to be waterproof which I had, indeed, proven to myself to be quite accurate while riding the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios.
Lippies - I suggest using Revlon Kissable Lip Stain/Balm. Serves a dual purpose of moisturizing as well as providing a long-lasting pigment for the lips. You can also bring a separate lip balm but make sure it has spf protection.
Scarf and socks.- to keep you from freezing during the flight
iPad. - Necessary especially for long haul flights to keep you from dying due to boredom. Fill it with ebooks, games, movies, podcasts, music, hypnosis apps etc.
Eyebrow pencil - I will throw an adult tantrum if I forget to bring one. It keeps my eyebrows from waging war against North Korea. It can also double up as an eyeliner and a nose contour device. Seriously.
Makeup wipes - Removes makeup, subtitute for a hand sanitizer/alcohol and a substitute for wet wipes.
Moisturizer - Doubles as a hand cream and a facial moisturizer. Airplane flights will suck the life out of your skin cells. Only pugs can carry the raisin look well.
Hankie - Can also be a sleeping mask in case you forgot to bring one.
Portable CC cream or BB Cream - Mine was the compact CC cream from the Face Shop. It has a mirror which is very handy and it finishes matte so no need to follow up with powder. It also has a decent spf with UVA and UVB protection. With light to moderate coverage
Concealer - in case the cc/bb cream isn't doing it for you.
Benzoyl Peroxide - Dab a pea sized amount on an upcoming lurker and it will snip the disaster in the bud. It also works on existing lurkers as well. I've used it during a 4 hour flight before and it saved me.
This morning the postman came to my door. He knocked, not knowing the package in his hands contained words of divinity, enlightenment into our existence and the world around us. I thanked him, I took the package and after taking a deep breath I carefully opened it.
Lo, a light shone from within the MeetThePugs, pearly white envelope. A tear trickled down my cheek and I wiped it away frantically, trying desperately not to let my emotions get in the way of this momentous moment. The moment that will lead to my life becoming 2014% awesome.
And there it was. Kanye and Pugs. Kanye and Pugs. KANYE AND PUGS!
I carefully lifted the cover to cast my eyes on the glory of January, and there it was. Words to inspire my January. Words with Kanye West and Pugs.
I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t say I am a genius.
I could feel the wisdom pouring into me, filling up my being. I blew my nose because it was a little bit clogged up from being outdoors in the cold before all of this happened.
Warning: Every review from this blog is written with brutal honesty. *Spoilers ahead*
I will try to refrain myself from changing the title of this entry into: "The 13 reasons why I want to throw this book at Hannah's head."
You might probably guess by now that I did not enjoy reading this book. If you are an avid fan of this book, I suggest you turn away from this review right now. But if you want my honest opinion about the matter then keep reading....
1. It is a New York Times Best seller.
2. The cover is screaming with raves from the likes of The Chicago Tribune and The New York times.
3. The general idea of this book, a girl who committed suicide passes along a set of tapes to people she deemed responsible for her untimely demise, is unique and intriguing.
4. Fangirl and Eleanor & Park are sold out in almost all the bookstores I've been to.
The main reason why I bought this book is because its general concept is bold and daring. I say bold because suicide books are often hard to write because the writer must justify properly why a person must resort to death as their only option.
The only successful suicide book I've ever read is "Veronika decides to Die" by Paolo Cuelho. VDTD engages the readers in such a way that you actually feel what it is like to be in Veronika's shoes.
This book however, does not. Hannah fails to capture my imagination in any level. And while the entire book is an explanation of why she died, I finished the book with the question in my head: "So why did she die again?"
Meanwhile in VDTD, Veronika only had a 5 page long explanation for suicide and it justifies her actions genuinely. Even I had to take some time to re-assess my life after reading those pages.
In fairness to The New York Times, it was certainly of "Thriller-like pacing". The writing is also good for the most part.
The downside is, the main character is so hopelessly flawed and extremely self indulgent that the only satisfaction I got from reading that book is from knowing that Hannah is fictionally dead.
Why do I say this?
Because she didn't put enough effort to better her situation. She tried to reach out for the last time and when that failed her that specific event ultimately decided her fate? She depends solely on the actions of others and then blames them when they fail her.
Whatever happened to accountability and being in charge of one's destiny? I mean, all of the reasons indicated in this book doesn't even scratch the surface of true suffering.
Not to mention some of the misfortunes she encountered, she brought it upon herself. And I can't help but feel bad for the fictional characters taking the blame for her lack of common sense .
In the tapes, she claims she tries her best to reach out but the truth is, she puts more effort in making revenge tapes than actually reaching out for help or making a true effort in helping herself.
I fear that the sensitive kids who read this book might find an inspiration in Hannah. Even if her reasons are not that legit.
To combat that, here are a list of things that would potentially pass as a legitimate reason to kill one's self:
1. Having your entire family die in a tragic accident / famine.
2. Dealing with prolonged anxiety due to childhood abuse
3. Being trapped inside a coffin 10 feet below the ground for more than 30 days with maggots
4, Being forced to watch a 4 minute Justin Bieber music video in Youtube
FInal Thoughts: If you are a bully, buy this book and read it. If your going through something, I suggest you read "Veronika Decides to Die" instead. [or "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green]
Sweatshirt Obsession: First Sweatshirt of the Year 2014!
That moment when I realized 80% of my wardrobe falls under the sweatshirt category.
But that didn't stop me from buying yet another one just a while ago. My first clothing purchase of the month turned out to be another damn sweatshirt. Shocker.
Normally, I wouldn't buy anything from bayo unless they are on sale. Mainly because their outfit ideas are more on the generic side. However, they managed to produce this sweatshirt that truly caught my attention.
[Price:1,045php -- Luckily, it was on sale, 10% discount. So it was probably around 940php.]
There were a few other sweatshirt variants available in the store, each of them were all very pretty. But I decided I had to go for this one because:
a) This matches the color of my blog
b) This matches the color of my iPad case
c) I don't have any money left to buy the others.
Hopefully, This will be the last of my irrational sweatshirt buying. I only have a few months to prepare for summer. I don't want to be forced to wear a sweatshirt while baking under the hot summer sun for Pete's sake.
In the beginning of the year, I was quite stagnant. I didn’t have a job, I was broke, I had so much free time. In short, I was stuck in a miserable pathetic rut.
Then all of a sudden… BOOM!
Life exploded so hard that it set my entire universe in an acute fast-forward pace. Got a job as a software developer, booked a plane ticket to Singapore, opened a a milk tea shop, became a part-time barista, enrolled in French lessons, joined the campaign for Barangay elections, lost the campaign for Barangay elections and decided to write a blog in less than a year.
I felt like I was driving a turbo-charged porsche at 1am in the morning along Edsa at speeds of up to 200km/hr. Whilst blindfolded, intoxicated and stoned all the same time.
Naturally, I was restless. Grumpy even. Despised my lack of free time. I was drained physically and mentally. I needed a break. At one point out of sheer exhaustion, I just burst out crying while waiting for my urine results in Capitol Medical Center and the staff thought I was in great pain and should be taken to the Emergency Room immediately.
Then I had an epiphany. When I didn’t have work, I prayed for work. When I had work I prayed not to have work.
Funny isn’t it? Oh, the irony of life!
When I think about it, everything that has been happening to me now is nothing short of a bloody miracle. I prayed and he answered. I just wasn’t grateful enough to see the good in what I have in the moment.
RELAX —> something we can all do regardless of how busy we may be.
BE GRATEFUL —> for being a bum, for being busy, for having no work, for having work, for every calorie gained for drinking milk tea.
Perhaps you’re not that good from the beginning. People has their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s all about the effort. Maybe one’s not naturally gifted, but I believe those who ‘commit to the things they love and push themselves to extreme’ are what we called ‘a genius’.
I’ve been hearing a lot of raves about the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque from bloggers and youtube gurus alike so I thought I’d make a review about it. I bought mine at Healthy Options in Mall of Asia [MOA]. Honestly, the thing that drew me most to buy this product was the price. Imagine, you get 226.8g [8 oz] of product for less than $6.50 or 350 Php! I was like: I need me some of that!
It says on the tube:
Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment developed by a dermatologist that helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores.
Caution: Avoid contact with eyes
The Good News
- Cheap
- Overwhelming amount of product for its price.
- Minty [It feels like you’re literally putting toothpaste on your face which is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. Personally, I find it a bit amusing.]
- Didn’t cause me to break out
- It acts as a prevention product. If you have an emerging pimple and you put this stuff on, it discourages further any growth. However if the pimple is already fully grown I observed that it does not reduce in size after application.
- Absorbs excess facial sebum
The Bad News
- Its hard to wash off
- Did nothing for my existing blackheads
- Did not shrink my pores
After reading the stuff written on the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque tube, I had high hopes that this product would cure my constant breakouts. But after a month of using this, I was slightly underwhelmed. At first, I thought that I had witnessed its pore shrinking power but then I eventually realized that my pores had not shrunk in size at all. You see, what happened was that when I washed off the masque from my face, tiny particles [in small green powdery form] still remains. So when my face dried after washing the Mint Julep Masque, It seemed like my pores were slightly smaller than it really was [Like putting loose power onto your face].
The Verdict
Is it a holy grail product? Probably not. But for its price, its a such great find! You get so much amount of product for this single purchase. Keep in mind that if you choose to buy this, prepare to be a little underwhelmed. False alarm, Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque not a miracle acne cure. But it is a reasonably priced QUALITY face mask sans the hype. I highly recommend it to people with oily skin and acne prone skin.
