Checking In

Hi guys! I know it's been a while since I have posted an entry to this blog. I want to blame my work for it but of course, that is not really true :p Aside from work, I am also busy with my dogs and of course, my husband.

However, I do feel guilty because I manage to focus on work and the dogs but not on the husband. I hope I can think of something to make up for lost time soon because his birthday is coming up. I don't have an idea on how I can surprise him! Yes, me! LOL!

I guess this is because most of my ideas requires me to spend a certain amount of money that we currently don't have. We are saving up so that we can do the finishes for our home. We got this very nice place down South and we want to start living in it! Like right now!

It is not going to be easy but we are determined to relocate some time this year. I hope we will meet our target date. Okay, my time is up to stay in this blog. R has already prepared dinner so I need to say bye for now.

Let me leave you, my viewers, a cute photo of my cute Shih Tzu, Herb. Smile!

Hi to my mom's friends :) 

Worklife is a piece a cake if...

You got a super supportive husband! =) 

When my husband said that we have to pack our bags to come back here in the Philippines, my first question in my head was, will I get work there? It took a while for me to adjust being a working girl to becoming a full-time housewife. 

I knew I was not born to just bake and cook so I thought of pursuing what I want to do and that is to write. I applied for writing gigs online hoping to just take it easy and work from home. 

Little did I know that working from home is no different when you work in an office. Since I was without work for a year, it took a while for me to get into the groove of things. I get so stressed with the deadlines and workload. It was a lot of pressure for me that I got sick on my first work week!

I knew I had to shake it off and my husband's sister recommended taking Fern-C as a vitamin supplement. Vitamin C? Hmm.. I am acidic so I was not really keen in drinking it until I found out that since it is not Ascorbic Acid but rather Sodium Ascorbate! I decided to give it a try and noticed a few changes after a week or so. I felt like I got an immunity boost. 

For a few months of taking Fern-C, I noticed that I am not sickly anymore. Also, my focus on my work is better though there are still days when I feel stressed especially when you are given a lot of articles to write. 

What I do is I plan my day ahead. I make a list of what I want to accomplish for the day so that I am focused to complete the task given to me. Since I work from home, my source of inspiration is just nearby, my husband. If I feel too stressed and would want to have a bit of a time-out. I will just ask him for a "power hug" and I feel energized again. 

My ever supportive husband!

Weird as it may but it really boost my energy level from zero to full charged. Of course, any kind of power hug will not protect your body from pollutants and bacteria lurking in or outside your home which is why I have Fern-C to thank on that. 

Hope you can try out Fern-C today because Worklife ay Easy with Fern-C! I am a testament to that and I can say talagang subok na! 

Need or want to know more about Fern-C? Follow their social media accounts 

FERN-C Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fernconline/
FERN-C Twitter: https://twitter.com/FERNCOnlineFERN-C Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ferncofficial/ 

Oh my Papa!

How are you planning to spend Father's Day this year? I am not sure as well. You see my dad met an accident just last week and he is still recovering from it (can't show you a picture because he does look terrible but in case you have a vivid imagination, think about a panda and then look at his eyes, that's what my dad looks like right now).

Just to give you a picture of what my dad looks like (photo grabbed from marketingtechblog.com)

However, if we were to spend Father's Day, we would definitely be having a feast! My dad loves to eat and he does really have a big appetite. He actually does not say 'no' to any type of food at all (unfortunately, I am not that adventurous).

Luckily, my online viewers in the World Wide Web, SM Supermalls have something in store for dads out there. If your pop is just like mine, a Foodie Dad well, from June 17 to 19, you can surprise your dad by taking him to a culinary journey within the walls of any SM Supermalls. There will be a wide variety of restaurants and food stops that will offer family packages and special treat to the man of the house on his special day.

If your dad is a beer enthusiast, World Brews will be the best place for him. This is where premium beers and liquors from around the world will be available. Enjoy the vast selection of food at the SM Foodcourt while your dad enjoys the discounted brewskies that various establishments have on offer!

Now, if you're dad is a die-hard Fast and the Furious fan, he can have a chance to view the cars in the City Motor Show in the SM Supermalls. Fast cars, vintage automobiles and concept cars will be part of the showcase.

For dads who are into gadgets better known as Techie Dads, they will have a chance to win cool prizes by posting their funniest #DadJokes and #DadQuotes. 

For every kind of Dad, there's a perfect activity for the whole family to enjoy and remember for a long time afterwards. Because this June, it’s all about Dad this Father’s Day at SM Supermalls!

With all these treats, my dad and I will try to see if he can go out with his sunglasses on. LOL! 

Happy Father's Day Pa! My favorite photo of us

For more details, visit www.smsupermalls.com and follow its social media accounts at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

What's in your Kikay Kit?

I have been seeing a lot of Facebook articles and Instagram feeds of friends about what's in their beauty kits. I had to stop and ask myself, do I have one?

If my memory serves me right, I did get curious about astringents, lipsticks and blush on when I was in my tweens. Unfortunately for me, the internet was not a sensation just yet. We did not have all these YouTube videos giving you instructions on how you can have a "barely there" make-up or how to do those cat-like eye liners (I still can't perfect mine. Bummer).

Eventually, life went on and I got stuck with just using a pressed powder and lipstick. Lucky for me, I did not have any acne breakouts! It is convenient for me because I am always, always late for meetings even on coffee dates! So not having to worry if I am made up or not is not really a big deal for me.

Though when there are special events, like when my boss decided to get married, I usually go to a salon to have everything done - my hair and make-up. Easy peasy. *giggle*

I looked through my stuff and this is what I have in my beauty kit (or also known as kikay kit). My current fave, Maybelline White Superfresh Powder.

photo grabbed from http://www.anneclutz.com

I have been using this for quite some time now. I saw this in one of the TV commercials and I think it was on an introductory price (Php 299). I like the fact that it does not make my face look oily after a few hours. 

Proof:- 

It was extremely hot that night but no signs of me being oily teehee

Next item on my list is Happy Skin's crayon lippie. 

photo grabbed from Happy Skin's official website

This lippie really is a lip saver! Looking at the photo, it looks pale but when I have it on me, I think it blends well with my lips (just go back to proof photo, I was using the same lip crayon there). 

When I was still in Dubai, I would use a lip and cheek tint to serve as a blush on but now, since it's hot and humid here, I do not need to apply it. 

Oh! Lastly, this is my go-to scent. 

photo grabbed from Avon's website

This was actually a surprise for me. I knew Avon was selling perfumes and all but I did not expect to like their scent. I also do get a lot of compliment with this scent. Even my mom was surprised to know that the perfume I was using is from Avon. I think Zalora do have a whole page dedicated for Avon products. Click here to shop for Avon at ZALORA.

That is what's in my kikay kit. Surprised? Well, I don't really like bringing big bags so I try to minimise what's in my bag and just bring stuff that I really, really need. 

How about you? What's in your kikay kit? 

Hope you can write a post about it too so that I can see what's in your kit :) 

I skipped a month!

So a lot of things have happened (imagine I skipped a month without blogging).

Some of them were good (like my aunt coming home for a short vacation), some were bad (my puppies died of Parvo) and some were exciting (got a job).

If I have to describe how April and a bit of May went? Wild.

Yes, that is my word.

Hope you can wait up on me while I try to figure out how to blog all about it (mental note to self: I think I still have a few more stories that I wanted to share... Need to get a notebook to list them down).

Also, I am thinking of revamping the look of my blog. A lot of things on my list (that's good) but I hope the weather cooperates because it is way too hot :/

Your Kindle Needs an UPDATE!!

Since I am obsessed with books and I was literally hoarding them (background story: when we were still in Dubai, I would go to different bookstores or secondhand bookshops to purchase at least one book in a week. Also, I am updated whenever there would be any book sale).

Welcome to the Alarcon's library.. Secretly tucked in a cabinet!

A photo posted by R@chiel (@rach_alarcon) on Jan 8, 2011 at 11:09am PST

R was very forgiving about this obsession that I have. I think he doesn't seem to mind because it feeds the mind and always makes me preoccupied on days when he wants to go mountain biking with his friends then.

To be honest, I can be left alone in the house and I can read all day.... yeap, all day.

Over the years, I think I have accumulated close to a 100 books in my then 7-year stay in Dubai but most of them accumulated for 2 years really *gulp*.

R had to kindly ask me to send my books home because for the remainder of our stay in Dubai, we have been moving a lot. We kind of find it a bit difficult to pack our stuff because of my books! I understand the situation so instead of getting more books, I thought of getting myself an ebook hence I searched and a friend suggested that I get a Kindle.

Back then it was not that easy to buy a Kindle because first off, it was not readily available in Dubai. Only a few shops cater to the device because I guess, they too do not see the benefit of having an ebook reader on stock.

Fire, 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black

Slowly, it has slowly gained its popularity and I was able to secure one for me (thanks R, again!).

I used it to its maximum capability until I got myself a tablet. The Kindle and I parted ways.

I kept it in its box up until I saw series of emails from Kindle and also reminders from web articles online about the need to update my Kindle device or else it will not be use at all.

So, today I got reunited with it. We actually had a bit of a hiccup awhile ago because it was not booting and I was only getting the "empty battery" page. Fortunately, it still is alive and kicking! :p

I have now updated my Kindle device and rather than keeping it in the box, I have decided to use it again. This is so I do not get distracted from other apps which is very tempting when you are using a tablet.

You still have until March 22 to do your update, Kindle lovers. You can read about this article from Good Housekeeping on how to update your Kindle.

**Note: You can also click here for another news link related to the Kindle upgrade 

Update: 52 week challenge

So, it was during this month last year when I have made a decision to take up the 52 week challenge (see my post here).

I initially thought it was easy but....*drum rolls please* I failed. Initially I was diligent in putting money in the pouch where I have kept the monies. However, I have noticed that I am getting delayed in remitting my challenge and would at times, do a one month deposit so as not to miss out.

I guess the inevitable happened, I was not able to deposit anything at all :(

It made me think of how I manage our finances and made some alterations to also accommodate this challenge but still all plans went in vain :(

In the end, I was not able to continue with the 52 week challenge. I think I was only able to save up a few thousand pesos which I was slowly using to pay off our snacks when we go out or some of the groceries, etc.

Now, I am determined to do the 52 week challenge again. I am still thinking if I should retain what I have decided as a contribution. I will re-start on the month of April.

I realised this exercise is like keeping your New Year's resolutions. You are so psyched to start and then determined to keep your resolution only to realise at the end that you have completely forgotten about it.

Let's do this 52 week challenge! :)