My boyfriend playfully (and I use the term loosely) scolds me whenever I look back at grievances other people have done to me, saying I should stop living in the past and memories shouldn't hurt me anymore. But I can't help it if certain things affected me so much that I can still remember - vividly - the feelings I felt when I first felt them, months (and years, even) after. They're not all bad memories, anyway. There are a lot of good memories too, but I guess pain leaves deeper marks than happiness.

Whew, what an emo introduction. Whatever. I'm getting cheese fries. 

I don't know, but I guess now is a good time as any to remember my favorite TV show in the world.

Happy 11th Anniversary, you guys. ♥

I'll make this short and sweet since I've written about How I Met Your Mother a LOT of times already (I even have watercolor paintings inspired by the show, of which this one is my favorite), but I just wanted to highlight here my favorites.

My Manila International Book Fair 2016 Haul

This week left me feeling drained and exhausted, and I seriously couldn't wait for the weekend. Not to rest, though, but to be in the company of books. ♥

The 37th Manila International Book Fair started last Thursday but because of work my boyfriend Miah and I only got to go yesterday.

Joker and The Flash went to MIBF2016 to hoard books
Thank you for my new shoes, bb ♥

As expected, SMX Convention Center was PACKED! I didn't even get to take photos because I was too preoccupied balancing my stack of books and making sure I don't bump into anyone. It was a total workout!

Making a wish on a sticky note

Remember when I wrote two short stories last year that were published as part of two separate ebook anthologies? Remember when I said I would expound on them and write the continuation to turn them into novellas? And as for the case of A Sky of Wishes, write more stories in the same universe? Remember when I even showed you the cover of the print edition of Once Upon a Sticky Note? I had such high ambitions, envisioning pages with illustrations and hand-written notes.

Such wishful thinking. Such lofty dreams.

The Manila International Book Fair 2016 officially started today and it's taking all of me to not up and leave everything so I could go to SMX Convention Center and hoard books that I don't really need right now because I'm basically drowning in a to-read pile that's taller than me.

I'm actually feeling a bit downtrodden today because I could have had the chance to sell my books at the Indie Publishers booth together with my #romanceclass and #StrangeLit classmates, but I wasn't able to grab it due to the fact I still haven't been able to finish polishing and creating the artworks I wanted to create for them.

Look at these beauties
Photo by Chi Yu Rodriguez who wrote The Bye-Bye Bouquet which you should read

I am so jealous of them right now. They're all busy women with careers and/ or families to take care of and have so much going on with their lives yet they were able to do it, and I didn't. What's my excuse?

I put it off in my quest for perfection that I ended up with nothing. 

That's not to say I'm not happy for my peers' successes, of course. I am so glad and grateful that local authors are being given this opportunity thanks to Mina Esguerra who paved the way for romance writers and readers to find one another and introduced us to the world of indie publishing. I love being part of this community!

15th

Today, my boyfriend and I celebrated our 15th month as a couple. ♥

Coincidentally, today was declared a regular non-working holiday in observance of Eid'l Adha so we were able to go out. Because we were starting to get sick of our usual date haunts and were craving for something new, we went all the way to Banawe in Quezon City for Chef Robert.

And we were rewarded.

We have been planning to go for a while now but it was only that we got the chance. I hope you're not hungry when you read this post because I'll surely whet your appetite, heh.

Review: Maybelline ColorSensational Creamy Matte Browns

Whew. All those car talk on this blog, my Facebook, and my Instagram made me want to reach in to my drafts and finish a lipstick review, hence this post.

The '90s have made a comeback, as trends are wont to do. Makeup brands left and right have released numerous shades of brown and of course Maybelline has its own interpretation. Following the success of the first batch of Maybelline Creamy Mattes (I have Touch of Spice, Vibrant Violet, and Ravishing Rose in my stash), Maybelline brought their Creamy Matte Browns to the Philippine shores, and I was waiting on the wings ready to lap them all up.

Here are my swatches of and clear notes on the four most popular shades in this collection: Burgundy Blush, Clay Crush, Nude Nuance, and Touch of Spice. 

Out of all Maybelline products I have tried (and I have tried a lot!), the Creamy Matte lipsticks are my favorite because they're extremely pigmented even with just one swipe, they stay on for hours, and they don't leave my lips feeling dry. I love them! A word of caution, though: they have the US formula so they melt easily. Best to leave them in a cool place or "depot" and put them in a lipstick palette instead.