A blink and a sigh, and summer is almost here again! What better way to welcome it than with a party sporting fresh and summery duds, yeah?

I'm so excited to announce that we are working with international fashion brand Penshoppe for the Exclusive Launch Party of their Spring/Summer 2016 collection, and I am loving every thing about the tropical and retro theme!

The party will be held at The Palace Pool Club on February 2, Tuesday, and aside from a fun and festive show, the guests will be the first ones to know who will be the newest member of TEAM PENSHOPPE all-star cast that currently already includes Asian pop sensation Sandara Park, It-girl and trend-setter Kendall Jenner, and supermodel Sean O’Pry. I actually know who it is already but my lips are sealed, hee.

Why you should get a Kindle

My Kindle turned three years old this week, yay!

Read the original post here.

When people ask about my Kindle (and sometimes, even when they don't), I always say that holding it in my hands for the first time was a huge "Where have you been all my life?" moment for me. I'm not kidding — when I'm old and gray and sitting on my rocking chair looking back at the life I have lived, it's one of the memories that will jump out at me. I remember the inner struggle I went through when I was deciding whether to get it or not, and I regret all those years I spent not having one. And yes, his name is Max because that was the first name that popped into my head the first time I held him. Hee.

{2016} Currently Vol. 4

LOVING

The new Maybelline Super BB Cream, my L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Lipstick in Pure Rouge, and the new The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Vanilla Almond Ice Blended drink. ♥ You can read more about the lipstick and the other shades in the Matte Reds collection here.

Here are the rest of my answers for the Currently questionnaire!

Review: L'Oreal Matte Reds

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin.

That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.”

― Gwyneth Paltrow

Valentine's Day is almost here*! I just have to ask: Have you found THE perfect red yet? Hitched or not, this Hallmark holiday justifies another trip to the makeup counters, and I am hard-pressed to think of anyone who doesn't find that exciting. (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

Today I'd like to show you the Color Riche Collection Star Matte Reds by L'Oreal Paris and tell you what I think about each shade.

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Collection Star Matte Reds
Pure Amaranthe • Pure Brick • Pure Fire • Pure Garnet
Pure Rouge • Pure Ruby • Pure Scarleto • Pure Vermeil 

Spoiler alert: I love them! I have had these lipsticks in my arsenal for quite a while now but never got around to posting this review. Look at my hair color in the photos and just imagine how long this has been saved in my drafts. I am so sorry about that, but the good thing is this collection has withstood my fickle heart and still belong in the Lipstick Army I rotate regularly.

Nate Ruess in Manila

My friends, it finally happened.

I finally heard Nate Ruess sing live at his concert in Kia Theater last night.

But if you were to ask me how it went, what I felt, or what happened, I probably won't be able to answer you.

{2016} Currently Vol. 3

I am seeing Nate Ruess perform live tomorrow.

Holy sh*t. I AM SEEING NATE RUESS PERFORM LIVE TOMORROW!

Everything that has happened in the last couple of years that I've been listening to him sing, watching his live performances and interviews on Youtube, and longing to actually watch his concert have been leading to this moment. I am going to see my dream concert tomorrow, my friends, and I am so excited I don't know how I am going to get any sleep tonight.

Here is this week's Currently!

How to write a romance novella in 60 days

I was supposed to begin this post with a short paragraph about how I am such a huge cheese-ball who loves romantic movies and novels, but news of Alan Rickman's death blew that introduction out the window.

I am gutted. Fuck you, cancer.

Rest in peace, The Half-Blood Prince.

"Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world."

- Alan Rickman

And then I was reminded of the original point of this post.

If you have always wanted to write a romance story AND publish it, maybe 2016 is the year you'll get to do it! 

You need to stop talking about writing and actually write something. The goal is to avoid the lonely land of undeveloped plots, so why don't you go and join Mina Esguerra's #romanceclass?

#romanceclass is a two-month workshop where participants are expected [but not required] to finish and publish a contemporary romance with a minimum of 30,000 words. The class has already produced a lot of indie-published books, and it's really been a delight reading them. Click here to visit the online catalog and support Filipino romance authors.

{2016} Currently Vol. 2

In my possession right now is the new Lenovo VIBE S1, which is Lenovo's first dual camera selfie smartphone. It claims to be the BEST selfie essential you'll want to have, thanks to its dual front cameras (8MP primary front camera and 2MP secondary front camera) that promise to deliver high-quality photos even at night or under low light. 

I will be road-testing it for the next couple of weeks and then come up with a more comprehensive review after. In the meantime, here is the first selfie I took using this phone:

First week down

The holidays have officially ended and the days seem to be whizzing by that I get disoriented and have to check my phone frequently just to see what date it is. 

Dear Ayala Triangle Festival of Lights, it has been been wonderful. See you again in December?

The first Monday back to work really made its Mondayness known. There were a lot of things to catch up on and new work tasks to attend to, but my body gave up and I had to go on sick leave the next day because of the flu. I am feeling better now although I wouldn't say no to more rest. We are transitioning and moving to a new office very soon so as expected there's really a lot on our plates right now. Everything's good, though. I'm looking forward to a new work space, but the commute to and from work? Not so much. I'll just have to cross the bridge when I get there, I guess.

{2016} Currently Vol. 1

Ever since I read it in Christian Living class when I was still in sixth grade, Invictus by William Ernest Henley has become my favorite poem of all time. I have committed it to memory and can recite it word for word, but I still make it a point to write it down on whatever planner I'm using for the year. (See it on my 2012 planner here.) "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul" became my mantra and battle-cry whenever I face challenges that seem like they're too big for me to handle.

For this year, it's one of the first things I wrote in my planner. Are there any poems/ fictional works that hold the same significance to you, too? Care to share?

As for me, I have more to share because I decided to continue my weekly Currently posts. Here's the first one for 2016!

The Happiness Jar

Let me begin this post by saying that I love Elizabeth Gilbert. Her book Eat, Pray, Love helped me immensely when I was going through The Major Heartbreak by forcing me to take a good hard look at how ridiculous I was being, letting me snap out of my funk and learn to rebuild myself. It is one of my favorite books and a go-to present to my friends going through the same thing I went through. I am also currently reading her newest book Big Magic and I am savoring every word. 

So yes, I guess you can say that I am a fan. Her Facebook posts never fail to cheer me up because they always feel sincere and authentic, like they came from a real friend who you can call up any time you are down in the dumps. This being the new year and all, I was  inspired to start my own Happiness Jar like the one she mentioned in her most recent post, and I believe this would be a big help to everyone reading this so I am sharing it here.

The post is quite long so I suggest you visit the link to read it in its entirety, but I am sharing an excerpt below.

You're the Worst is the best

I was looking forward to another How I Met Your Mother marathon but welp, my portable hard drive got busted. I've had Season 1 of You're the Worst for a while now that I've already forgotten where I first heard about it, so I thought of watching a few episodes just for the heck of it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

BEST. DECISION. EVER. You're the Worst is my new favorite thing on TV!

Hello, 2016!

New calendar, new beginnings, and a blank slate to fill with more stories and memories. Happy New Year, boys and girls! How did you welcome 2016? I hope it was with a lot of merry-making and joyous hearts.

One of my favorite things about welcoming the new year is jazzing up my chosen planner. 2016's planner of choice is the Giving Journal from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and I've already started putting my personal stamp on it using stickers, photos, sticky notes, markers, and, rubber stamps.

I don't really do New Years Resolutions, but I do write down things that will help me make the current year the best one yet.