Fun, Frivolous, Fabulous, Shallow and Short for 2011!

Ahoy! I'm back from a blogging hiatus! I wanted to start the year right with fun posts, but alas, my procrastinating tendencies got the best of me. I have such a long list of food establishments and spas to write about already and I'll be doing my best to catch up after I achieve a specific objective that I have set for this month.

So 2011 isn't quite like the bed of roses that I imagined it to be. Socio-political issues left and right, health troubles in the family, and well, a colony of personal problems that multiply faster than bacteria (geeky, I know). Things are not yet looking up for me, but I think I need a place where I can freely have fun, so I decided to keep this small part of my world light, frivolous and shallow!

From this time on, I would only be posting happy stuff that make life a fairy tale. I don't care if I appear naive and shallow anymore. After all, life is beautiful, just like these hot satchels I'm currently lemming for, but can't afford just yet:

You can have them personalized too! Source

I wish I can get my hands on one before our Singapore adventure come March, but gah, they are just so pricey! Now, I'm hoping there's a Summer Santa out there who can give me one for free! I still can't decide on the color though. Red is stunning, yellow is fun and brown is smart. I want them all!

To the very few who actually read this blog, watch out for more fun, frivolous, fabulous and SHORT (yes, I will TRY to make shorter posts that people might actually read) posts in the days to come! 

Now, say goodbye to the dark, boring, serious and twisted me! Let's keep it light this Rabbit Year, everyone!

My Weekend in Photos

I wish I had more weekends like this. 

Saturday

Met with workmates at Greenbelt to plan for our upcoming Singaporean holiday. Speaking of which, can somebody please be a sweetheart and recommend a decent bed and breakfast/guest house in SG? No fancy hotels, please. We are just humble backpackers on a shoestring budget.

Starbucks and Fuzion at Greenbelt.

Engaged in retail therapy by scouring Landmark for bargain finds. Don't you just love Landmark's collection of quaint and quirky stuff?

The simplest things make me happy.

Random buys: 1) silver lace and pearl accessory, 2) Max Factor Pan Stick, 3) In2It powder foundation, 4) key chain with a Cinderella shoe that doubles as a bag hook 5) white ear bones for my earphones, and 6) a red voodoo doll. I also bought some gift items for Christmas, but I cannot post the photos here for obvious reasons.

Also, home improvement stuff for my rented room in Makati. My need to declutter is increasing in geometric proportions.

Only Php 150 each (approximately $ 3)! 

Did some catching up with some of my awesome friends from college. Had dinner at John and Yoko and desserts at Mr. Jones. 

This is my definition of a good time.

Sunday

My mom's 54th birthday! I treated her and my sibs to lunch and gave her some Royce chocolates for the occasion.  Unfortunately, my dad was not around for work reasons, but my mom had a Berry Banapple Birthday this year nevertheless.  

I super love you, Mama! May you be blessed always!

They really rock my world, these little blessings I get (like having the weekends off)!  Hope your weekend was as awesome as mine. Please stay tuned for food reviews! 

Hong Kong Series: Ngong Ping Cable Car, Citygate Outlets and Ladies' Market in Mong Kok

Our third day in Hong Kong was supposed to be our do-nothing-specific-and-bum-around day, but what the hell? It's not everyday that we get to be in Hong Kong. Why waste a beautiful day bumming around when we can do that any time we want in the Philippines?

Making the most out of Hong Kong's Summer Spectacular!

I wanted to go someplace where I need not walk long distances because my feet were still sore from all the walking that I had to do in Macau. The Ngong Ping Cable Car ride seemed like the perfect idea, as I can sit suspended in air while I see Lantau Island, bird's eyeview style for under a hundred HKD. It was also an absolutely divine way to help the boyfriend conquer his fear of heights. We just chose the regular cabin though, as the crystal cabin's glass bottom might be too scary for him.

No crystal cabin for him!

The weather was absolutely perfect that day, with just the right amount of clouds and sunshine for a relaxing cable car trip. We rode the MTR to Tung Chung, as the cable car terminal was readily accessible from the last station of the Tung Chung Line.

Vending machine for earphones and Ipod accessories.
Whatever happened to good old sodas and candy bars?

Riding the MTR was absolutely a breeze. I wish our transportation
 system in the Philippines is as efficient!

Welcome to the Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal!

Hey Big Spenders!

In preparation for our upcoming HK-Macau trip, the boyfriend and I went mall hopping to shop for some travel "essentials." I wonder if what we got were really essentials though. The wallet damage is severe, I tell you.

To start off everything, we filled ourselves silly with food at Cajun Red Rock, Megamall.

Look, free buttered popcorn as you wait!

Not so tender Chicken Tenders.

Bountiful Platter Feast. It's all Pork! 
Breaded Porkchop with bland Alfredo sauce,
 nice and creamy Pork Steak and
 sweet Bourbon chops. Filling, but forgettable.

Yummy hashbrowns with herbs and spices!

Total wallet damage for pre-shopping food: Php 800.00 (approximately $17)

We hardly finished the food and had no room for dessert anymore so we proceeeded to buy the things that we would be needing for the trip.

I know that I would be doing a lot of walking in HK and in Macau so I looked for a comfy pair of shoes as he looked for some camera equipment. I wasn't planning on spending much on shoes, but I couldn't resist the comfort of Italian made leather shoes so I got this very comfortable pair from Pab Der uomo.

Basic, but comfy shoes for everyday wear.

Total wallet damage for comfy Pab Der uomo shoes: Php 2780 (Approximately $60)

Shopping with Dad!

I went home from an exhausting trip to the mall all excited to blog, but lo and behold, we have no internet!  So here I am typing my heart out in notepad and saving the upload part for later. The rather  poor service of PLDT couldn’t dampen my spirits though. I am in such a post-dork-shopping-frenzy-state with all the books my dad and I bought at Chapters and Pages! I am too lazy to enumerate the titles, so just look at the photo below for details. 

Great stuff for Php 49.50 ($1) each, yes? Pre-loved books are love!

A trip to the mall wouldn't be complete without visiting the bath and beauty department. Although I have enough products to last me a year, I just couldn't resist the temptation of trying out new products every now and then. For this trip to the mall, I got the following:

Likas Papaya soap, Pond's Flawless White sunblock, Carmex lip balm, generic shower cap and Olay Natural White cream

I have had terrible experiences with Pond’s (breakouts!) and Olay (oil depot on my face with their tinted moisturizer), but I was in a very forgiving mood a while ago so i decided to give these brands another shot.  I know it's beneficial to wear sunblock all the time even when it's not the summer season, but I just couldn’t find the perfect SPF that would not break me out.  I'll be using the Olay whitening cream on my elbows, nape and knees anyway, so I guess my face won’t be in danger of an oil spill anytime soon. Heh.

I also bought a Carmex lip balm and Likas papaya soap because I read very good reviews about them in the internet.  Carmex lip balm is rather smelly, but I'm loving its minty feel on my lips. I have never tried papaya soap before as I am quite satisfied with my skin color. However,  I’ve recently noticed that my arms  look extremely dark compared to the rest of my body, so I figured that I might need some rescuing by a trusted brand of papaya soap. 

 Cute notebook by Yeah, Maybelline eye and lip make up remover and ELF Corrective Concealer Kit

I was attracted to the ELF Corrective Concealer Kit because of its packaging, which was classy for something worth Php 250 (around 5 dollars). I'm also hoping that it's a good dupe for Red Earth's All-In-One Concealer Kit, which I could not find anywhere these days.

I'm super excited to try my new stuff out! I'll post some reviews when I have the time.