2018 Mid Year Updates

And there’s so much to report since the last time I have posted.

I must have left town at least thrice since then.

School 

It’s not that I’m procrastinating, but thinking about school lately makes me feel overwhelmed. Now I’m wondering if enrolling this semester was a good idea. Though I sort of feel consoled knowing that I'm not the only feeling this way since most of us in class are trying to keep up with the demands of researches and also discussions in class. For my part, I also have to keep up with midterm requirements. 

ADZU LRC Building

Travel

We took advantage of the Holy Week and went on a road trip to Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin Island. CDO is my mother's family's hometown so it's always great to catch up with family and also partake in scrumptious meals in cowboy country. Baby back ribs always brings up beautiful, delicious memories. 

Mantigue Island, Camiguin

Naked Island, Camiguin

As for Camiguin Island, it's a place for leisure and island hopping for the summer. Because of beautiful and preserved places like Mantigue Island and Naked Island, it creates a sense of pride and joy in me discovering nature's beauty and grand design. It also pays to have family in the island to enjoy local life. 

The Great Wall, Beijing Station

For the last half of May, I went to China to attend a training and had the opportunity to visit major cities and famous sites such as The Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the gates to the Forbidden City while in Beijing. I also went to Shanghai and toured around, indulging in crowds of tourists and savouring all the sights and sounds. The rest of my photos and videos are in Instagram and it just only fed my need to travel and see places all the more. 

Tianjin Eye

Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai

Also in May, I turned three decades old. It was a beautiful day for me having been surrounded by friends and family who celebrated with me. I did say that this is my year. I'm keeping an eye on major milestones up ahead, such as finishing school and also completing projects. In the meantime, looking back the past six months, I can say that I've been blessed and feel so grateful for all that's come my way. 

Still, I have so many dreams and I'm slowly working towards them. 

I may be coming on here on and off, but I believe that I'm growing in other aspects. In the meantime, I'll be working on finishing school, investing and improving on myself. Who knows where I'll be a few months from now (sans the acne which appears when I'm stressed out). 

Another international travel is in the works, but will be revealed as some of them are in place. As of now, it's time to hustle and then look forward to an opportunity of relaxing as soon as all the work is over. Knowing work, it sure has a way of not going away. 

I'll see you when I see you. 

I Got A Surprise for Mom's Birthday + Her Thoughts on the Pampering Gift Set

It's not really a good idea to let my Mom wait until her birthday to open her present. Once she finds out that she has presents, she opens it and there goes your pretty wrapping paper.

Originally, I bought her an October BDJ Box and hoped to get a bouquet of pink roses to go with it. But since I already scouted the contents of this month's BDJ Box, I decided to give her this one instead.She isn't really a fan of makeup, but this pampering box just hit the right spot and she is happy.

I got this really pretty ONE Naturales Forget Me Not gift box from Granton World for only Php 560. I paid with Paypal on a Monday and it arrived on a Saturday. It's my first time to shop in the said site and for every purchase, my account gains rewards. As for this first purchase, I got credited 1100 points already which I could exchange for future rewards items in the site. Not bad. Not bad at all.

You can tell why my Mom is really happy with this surprise. It's organic and has four pampering products inside. She really liked the box that is a cross between a crate for fresh produce and a cigar box. It's cute alright! Looking at it, one can get the feeling that there is an assortment of fresh goodies inside. 

Well, at least it's something similar to fresh produce. The labels on these cuties can testify! 

   

A closer look, here's something new that I am glad to have discovered today: Sweeten My Skin After Shower Skin Conditioner Bar. Instead of sticky lotion, all you have to do is use this. It smells of shea butter and the scent is really mild and refreshing. It's great for getting ready in the mornings. 

The body soap is really sweet smelling. No wonder because it's made of sweet honey. It's also said to be safe for sensitive skin. Mom doesn't have sensitive skin, but at least it won't cause her skin problems. At first whiff, she already told me she's afraid to use it because it might use it up in no time!

And to complete the box, there's body butter in Shea My Body and a body scrub in Citrus Peel. I took a peak before giving this to my Mom and it smells so darn goooooood. It's thick as far as creamy is concerned! As for the body scrub, the scrub makes use of sugar, so one would know that it makes use of organic and premium ingredients, but it's too runny and spills all over the place. It has a sharp, citrusy scent to it. 

I wish I could include a smiling photo of my Mom with her present but she is too shy. But it works for me that I went with my gut and switched presents instead. Mom is happy. =)

Crimson Portia, Hello October

I have never dedicated a post to anyone before, but I think it is  about time that I did.

Today, my grandmother is celebrating her 80th birthday and so the whole family is together, including the rest of the senior citizens in our family, to wish her a very happy birthday. Because her favorite color is red, I thought of doing my nails in red.

Red is her favorite color and I even used red on most of her invitations and labels. Thus, today's color is for her, Portia.

Here are the red, crimson red and not-so-red that I have in my vanity.

I used San San's basic transparent coat (which is fast running out) for the crimson theme, and there is Cherry Blossom and Vamp (Regular) both from Bobbie. For the more glittery version, there is the Face It Gradation Nail Kit in Very, Very Red from my Pretty Fix Collections Haul.

This is what Bobbie's Cherry Blossom looks like. Up close it looks more like a deep pink that has lots of shimmer. I've never gone to see cherry blossoms in person, but if the petals were are dark, and microscopic, I think that's what they would really look like.

As for Bobbie's Vamp in Regular, it's kind of a bit messy to apply, but hey I did it. I had to get the help of cotton buds dipped in polish remover to clean up the sides. (Admittedly the glitter takes away the attention of the messy application.... Alright you can shoot me!)

This is what Face It Gradation Nails will look like if you had short nails like me. The first polish acts as the base coat and it is more of a sheer pink than red. There is the "gradation" from itty bitty glitter, to medium sized (as seen in the middle) to the bigger sized glitter as on the tips. One thing's for sure, the Gradation Nails Kit definitely did not miss out on all the glitter. 

That's it for Crimson Portia, I am officially welcoming October on a more positive note because Mom's birthday is also coming up. Can you keep a secret? I got her a beauty box and I yet have to see how she reacts! =) 

Have an awesome weekend! 

I'm currently putting together some stuff for a giveaway and all you have to do is stay tuned so you won't miss out! 

Clown Cake

This guy was wiped out shortly after dinner thanks to my cousins

Getting up on Sunday is supposed to be one of the pleasant feelings all week. However, yesterday was my birthday and I greeted my new age with contentment and pride knowing that I still have a home with a family and a bed to return to at the end of the day. 

It took that clown cake to be finished four hours after it was baked. Mommy really put in some effort just to celebrate my birthday with butter cake base and fluffy icing. And it made me feel like I was seven years old again. What a delight! 

Sometimes, I want to crawl back in bed and not just step outside. That's how pitiful life has turned out to be for me. But still, I manage to get up. 

I also discovered something really interesting in the Blogosphere. If you're tired of ads being placed irrelevantly in blogs, this awesome lady can help. I love the fact that she is not afraid to use teal in her color palette and she knows how to redesign using minimalist themes. Hmm, perhaps a commission to redo my current theme? Nothing beats a clean layout really.

To add, she has a very generous giveaway, and one of the prizes is a blog makeover. Isn't that just generous of her? I'm joining, just in case I get to snag that giveaway. 

Have a good Monday everybody!