Last night I went to my friend Dianne's house for Niel's birthday celebration. Dianne's house has been our official go-to place for group projects, rehearsals, sleepovers, mini parties, and just plain hanging-out since high school, and it's good to know that even after all these years, some things never change.

Most of our other friends weren't able to go because of work, pretty understandable as it was a Monday night. Anyway, we craved for different kinds of food so we called for delivery then went outside to buy more.

We stayed up all night until almost 3AM just reminiscing, talking about a lot of things and catching up on what's new with our lives. I really cherish moments like this, not only because they have become few and far between, but because these people are the friends who've always been - and will always be - there for me no matter what. They keep me grounded, and I know that whenever things get a little bit too crazy I can always run to them for extra support and a tight hug. But if something happens and I'm the one at fault, I can also depend on them to tell me the cold hard truth and at times, to tell me off and talk some sense into me. 

During these crazy changes and transitions that are happening around us, we need true friends to remind us where we've been and where we want to go. A lot of of 'friends' can steer us towards the wrong direction so, as my other good friend Ed said, it's important to have a core group of people you know will be there for the long haul. I found this from an article in Thought Catalog and related too much with it that I share it with my friends/ chums/ acquaintances when the situation calls for it:

I sometimes ask my friends jokingly why they update Facebook very rarely and don't have Twitter accounts, and then I realize that our friendships have started waaay before these social networking sites were even invented so I shouldn't let the fact that they don't update me with every minutiae of their lives bother me that much. I read somewhere that the more social networking sites there are, the more lonely and disconnected we feel. I don't know about you but I've been feeling this more specifically these past couple of weeks. I'm not saying that Twitter-friendships can't be as good as see-each-other-in-real-life friendships, but you have to admit it is sometimes hard to discern other people's intentions if you just see that online persona they've created. (Of course I am blessed to meet some great and awesome people online, whose friendships I will be forever thankful for. But there are some instances wherein that's not the case.) Simplest example off the top of my head: I could type "LOL" here now and put dozens of emoticons but you wouldn't really know if I'm giving even the slightest hint of a smile. LOL.

I know my posts sound morose these days. I am not depressed, but the past two months have been riddled with lots of changes for me and the people around me so I'm just trying to ride these waves out and come out standing in the end. That, or maybe life has been full of epiphanies for me lately, on who I was and who I am becoming. Life is a constant case of figuring things out, and as long as I am with true friends while I'm in this journey then I am good with that.

Please know that there are much better things

in life than being lonely or liked

or bitter or mean or self-conscious.

We are all full of sh*t.

Go love someone just because,

I know your heart may be badly bruised,

or even the victim of numerous knifings

but it will always heal,

even if you don't want it to

it keeps going.

There are the most fantastic, beautiful

things and people out there,

I promise.

It is up to you

to find them.

(via)

Rest here. For a minute. It's okay.

I don't know if it's just 'old age' starting to creep up on me, but I feel like I've changed a lot within the last couple of weeks. I don't know, maybe I am just [as always] reading too much into it and I am just exhausted (•ิ_•ิ)? I am looking forward to having some much-needed rest and relaxation tomorrow and on Tuesday.

Here are some of the things that made the first half of my July extra-awesome.

I hope the rest of July will be awesome! Anyway, with The Dark Knight Rises showing this week, I'm sure it will be. I hope the rest of the month willl be amazing for you, too! ヽ(∀゜ )人( ゜∀)ノ

At 26 years old, I do get asked by some relatives about my plans to settle down and have kids. Thankfully I am quite skilled in brushing these questions away and steering the conversation to another topic because, umm, aside from the glaring fact that I don't have someone to start a family with, the thought of having kids scares the bejeezus out of me! It's not only the cost of diapers and milk that scares me; what I'm afraid of is the idea of bringing someone up in this big, scary world. It's not like I can easily give up after realizing my parenting skills are not at par, is it? Having kids is a HUGE responsibility and [of course] it's something that, when it comes, I want to be ready and mature enough for. I am still learning to take care of myself so I don't think the 'skills' I learned in the number of hours playing house and role-playing as mommy to my dolls when I was a kid plus my three years of living independently are enough to pull me through taking care of a baby.

However, I can still assume the role of a loving, much older cousin to Baby Gabriel who is now 3 months old ♥

Just like his mom, my Aunt Jean, I want the best for him. I'm thankful to KinderCare for giving me some products that are great for growing babies like him.

Do you know that KinderCare is the only mass-market local brand focused purely on performance and function? When bottles containing Bisphenol A (BPA) were found to be potentially harmful to infants, KinderCare chose to retain only 100% BFA-free bottles in their line.

Why go BPA-free?

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound used to make many plastics, including the kind used in other baby bottles. Recent studies have found that BPA has properties that mimic estrogen in the human body which could lead to health issues specially in the brain and behavior. Separate studies have also linked BPA to irregular reproductive development, thyroid disruption, increased cancer risk and irregular body weight. Researchers also believe that people may be more sensitive to BPA's effects during their infancy and early childhood.

I saw the prices of the different baby products KinderCare carries and I am happy to tell you that at the range of P50 - P150 for baby bottles, cups, plates, etc., and P500 - P1,300 for baby carriers, they are very affordable and reasonable :) KinderCare products are also available all throughout the country so check the department store or baby specialty store nearest you to check these products out.

Thank you so much, KinderCare and ARC PR! My aunt Jean and (obviously from the photos) Baby Gab really appreciate them :)

Who knows, maybe starting a family won't be too hard when I find the right person *hinthint*winkwink*nudgenudge* Universe, get on it! Haha. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Or: This is how I justify my book purchases.

After much debating with myself, I finally got around to using a chunk of my PayPal funds by indulging my number one addiction: books.

Before I started fancying shoes and bags and clothes and other pretty little things, I have always been addicted to books. I started reading at an early age, using the old Tagalog comics my grandma used to buy (remember Eknok and Planet Op Di Eyps from Funny Comics?) as motivation to learn how to. Our old house was filled with different kinds of books I received from my parents and relatives as a kid, and my father would always tell everyone that the reason I was so skinny was because I chose books over food all the time.

I learned about Book Depository two years ago and was impressed at their 'free shipping to anywhere in the world' service. My heart did a yay because a solution to my #BibliophileProblems (eg. rare and hard to find books) has come. I visited this site - together with Amazon and Good Reads for reviews and recommendations - frequently and ticked a lot of 'Add to Wishlist' buttons, but never got to the 'Checkout' point because of my fickle mind and indecisive heart. Those, and/ or finances.

Until today, that is.

It's not that I have lots of money in my PayPal account to begin with, but since the funds came from some mini online gigs I did before, I figured I won't be spending cash that would be better spent elsewhere (like food or rent, for instance). Besides, I found myself trawling local online shopping sites more recently so I was afraid it would just be spent to buy shoes that will just end up unused and/ or sold at a much lower price.

I am now $29.96 poorer because of my incessant love for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Greek mythology ♥

You already know Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is my ultimate favorite movie of all time (read my heartfelt write-up about this film here) and how my first and only experience with eBay US is to get myself an original DVD of this after my long-time search of it in local video stores proved futile. It's just logical that my next purchase from an international shopping site is to get myself a book of the shooting script with the complete screenplay(!!!), movie stills, production notes, and complete cast and crew credits, right? Right.  Anddd I totally love books, movies, and books made about how movies are made (sorry if that sounds a bit confusing hehe). Besides, it has been in my Book Depository wishlist for so looooong, not to mention the reviews about the book are great, too. This purchase is totally justifiable.

One of my favorite moments in my entire high school life is our English classes in senior year because we got to discuss Greek mythology. I can't even begin to tell you how much I want to go to Greece because of this rich and colorful part of their culture asdfghjkl. I have amassed quite a number of books on this subject that I guess I can call it a mini collection already, and I just couldn't stop. One of these days I will do a show-and-tell of them books, but now I am so excited because I will be adding another item to this treasury: The Mythology Handbook: A Course in Ancient Greek Myths. I know it looks like it's better suited to tweens, but I bought it as well because it's from the Ologies series. I have a copy of Wizardology: The Book of the Secrets of Merlin resting somewhere in my room Serenity in Chaos, and it's one of the most awesome and dazzling books I own so it was really easy for me to decide that I must have this, too. Plus, maps! Stickers! Greek gods! Goddesses! Reviews say it is not that in-depth, but if I want more high-brow Greek mythology-lovin' I could always take out my copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology, right? Right. This purchase is, as the first one, totally justifiable.

According to Kira who has tried buying from the site before, their service really is exceptional. I will receive them separately in 7-10 working days and I can't wait! This transaction left my PayPal account almost penniless but it's okay. I now find myself crossing my fingers for more online writing gigs so that my time spent in the interwebs can generate more income. More income = more money for books, and I still have more than a hundred in my wish list wanting and waiting to be granted ;p

I've always joked that I don't care if my future house won't have a kitchen as long as it has a chandelier, a photobooth, and a library. I'm just kidding about the kitchen part of course, but I am definitely looking forward to having my own well-stocked library. ♥

PS: This is not a sponsored post. I used my own money to buy these books. :)

A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty,

because somebody will always be in it,

taking books off the shelves and

staying up late reading them. (via)

When I received gift cards to spend in Red Mango I knew straightaway I didn't want to use everything on myself even though I love their fro-yo so much. A giveaway sounded perfect because I knew this was a great opportunity to meet some of my readers ♥ Kira also went along with my idea and we made plans to hold the date at the same time.

We had our Red Mango date in TriNoma yesterday and I had such a great time talking to new friends over yummy dessert!

And because I was still hungry even after my Medium serving of fro-yo and a cupcake from Sunshine, we ordered this:

We spent hours just talking about different topics. The hours slipped by so fast; I don't even remember some of the things we talked about anymore (aside from careers, how I love going to concerts, blogging, and my utter lack of a lovelife) but I do remember Kira and me exclaiming a lot of "you're so young!" to them haha. I am officially a dinosaur. Ana, Pax, Paul and Dani also passed by after coming from another event in the same mall :)

What I loved about yesterday afternoon is realizing how easily I let my guard down to people. You see, I met most of them for the first time only earlier in the day yet I was willing to share TMI stories with them already (including my dream sequence in meeting The One). I am a very transparent person - what you see is what you get. If I appear charming (ahyeah) and nice online, that's also how I am in real life.

So sweet of them to prepare gifts for me ♥

Thanks for coming, guys! I hope you enjoyed it too! See you all again soon! ♥

I rarely wear make-up. During regular days, all I need are pressed powder and a swipe of lipstick or gloss and I'm done. I used to fuss with mineral blush but I find it too messy (and I never got to buy a replacement for my mini kabuki brush that was stolen last year) so I only use it during special occasions. Most days, even when attending events, I make do with just foundation and powder. Anyway, modesty aside, my officemates have always complimented me for having rosy cheeks even when barefaced thanks to Nivea Sparkling White facial wash ♥

After going to the opening of The Body Shop PULSE store last month though, I found one product that made applying blush fun again heehee.

Please note that I don't usually do beauty reviews so forgive me if this would look too amateur-ish when compared with other well-known beauty bloggers ;p

The Lip & Cheek Dome is a cream-to-powder color for lips and cheeks that's easy to wear and easy to blend. I admit the first time I saw it, I thought the pink part is still part of the cap. I was surprised when I unsealed mine and I saw that it is actually the blush itself. Here are some photos to show you how it's applied. Aside from powder I am not wearing any other product in here so please be kind haha. Photos were taken using my HTC ChaCha and no editing whatsoever was done.

I cannot underestimate the power of blushes and how they instantly give a unique glow! I love how a hint of blush is an instant prettifier during those days you just need a little bit of color. It pinched me pink, indeed!

Each Lily Cole Lip & Cheek Dome costs P850. It also comes in Crazy for Coral and is available at all The Body Shop branches for a limited time only.