Tuesday, July 31, 2007

We're on SALE!

One of two online businesses I run and manage is The Beauty Corner in Multiply. It's been around for a few months now and I'm really happy that we now have a steady string of loyal clients =)

We've marked down the prices of most of our remaining stocks before we finally phase them out. Here's a sneak preview:

GOLDEN SWIRL EARRINGS
Regular price: PHP 500
NOW ONLY 350


ABBY GOLD EARRINGS
Regular price : PHP 400
NOW ONLY 350


CARTER GOLD EARRINGS (also in silver)
Regular price : PHP 300
NOW ONLY 250


DOUBLE HAPPINESS Gold Chainlink Necklace
Regular price : PHP 800
NOW ONLY 600


SWIRL PENDANT Goldlink Chain Necklace
Regular price : PHP 800
NOW ONLY 600


SUN PENDANT Goldlink Charm Necklace
Regular price : PHP 800
NOW ONLY 600


Goldlink chain bracelets with SUN, SEAL AND SWIRL CHARMS
Regular price : PHP 600
NOW ONLY 450

We get all our unique accessories directly from HK suppliers. These are brought to Manila atleast once a month for selling here. The accessories aren't sold at retail, they're exclusively available at our online site which you can visit by clicking on this link: THE BEAUTY CORNER

Like what you see? You can place your orders/reservations by texting 0917 3571123 or leave us a message at the site and we'll get back to you ASAP.

Will be adding more necklaces to the sale items tonight =)


Monday, July 30, 2007

Skinny Flares

I've never liked flared jeans. First of all, I don't think I would look good in them. My legs are really thin and there's something about those wide hems that don't quite attract me. I have wide-legged trousers and those are fine, probably because of the material.

Skinny jeans are more my thing. Eversince this trend started, I've purchased quite a number for myself...from the unbranded/inexpensive, to local brands like Bayo, Lee and Jag to my pairs from Topshop (the Baxter skinnies are great...they just loosen up a bit after a few washes).

Fashion icon Kate Moss recently started wearing skinny flares and in fact, I think these are part of her collection for Topshop. I've been so intrigued about them. I'm actually half and half about buying a pair of these because of the flared ankles. Kate looks great in them though...


I like the ones on the left, mainly because they're more skinny than flared. The ones on the right are over the top for me.

Victoria Beckham's is a real glamorous take on the skinny flares. The wide belt did a lot to add that extra "oomph" to her outfit. But Paris Hilton's jeans are not for me...they're too "schoolgirl" for my taste.


The minute I have time I'm gonna run off to the nearest Topshop branch to see if skinny flares look good on me. Where to get the budget to buy them? Aaahhh...that is the million dollar question hehe!

Food Review: Gloria Maris

Had dinner with mi famille here last night at their Shang Mall branch. It's nice to know that the quality of the food hasn't changed since the last time we ate there.

Anissa specifically requested for CRABMEAT CORN SOUP


STEAMED SUAHE - we can't not have this everytime we have Chinese food


Yummy YANGCHOW FRIED RICE


STEAMED SCALLOPS WITH BROCCOLI


BEEF AMPALAYA



STEAMED LAPU LAPU SZECHUAN STYLE

I would have loved to order dessert (my default, Mango Sago) but I was much too full to do so. This restaurant has never failed to disappoint us (and my DF's high standards for food). I hope we can go to their Greenhills branch next time and have crabs!

Shang Mall 29 July 2007

Sundays are sacred for my side of the family. This is the one day in the week that we get together and it's been this way eversince DB and I were kids. Too bad he couldn't join us yesterday, too tired from work the previous night.

We went to our favorite Shang Mall for 6pm mass. While the grown-ups had coffee in Cafe Provencale, the kids went on the carousel. Big girl Anissa was begging her Lolo to choose CPK for dinner but my DF was bent on eating in Gloria Maris, to which I happily agreed (despite Anissa's wild protests).

My obviously naughty 1 yr old baby girl, Sabine loving every minute on the carousel


One of Sabine's usual crazy moments, this time with big sister Anissa


DM loves my kids to death


DF is just plain nuts over this little one


I'm crazy about her myself


Mommy and her girls --- my pride and joy! (oops...Sabine not looking)


Dada and Mommy

Will write about what we had for dinner in a separate entry =)


Macbook dilemma

I can't seem to upload photos into this account whenever I use my Macbook.  I just noticed that today.  When I switched to my trusted desktop, I didn't have problems at all.

Can anyone educate me on this?

Are the rumors true?

Word's been going around that sellers' accounts in Multiply will be deleted without warning to its owners.  WHAAAAAT???

I have two online businesses, both of which hold "residence" in Multiply.  Both my sites are filled with so much information and photos and now I have to find them new homes.

I don't know how true these rumors are but I'm taking the safe route.  Looks like the next few days will be busy for me.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

I want white jeans!

Seems like I've been searching for the perfect pair of white jeans forever!

This is the only thing I need to complete my humble jeans collection. I can't live without jeans. I can wear them everyday, rain or shine. But I'm very particular about their fit, the size of the pockets, the width of the hem (I prefer straight or skinny nowadays), the rise --- heck, everything!

I don't know how many pairs of white jeans I've seen and tried. Sadly, I haven't been very lucky. I thought I found what I was looking for sometime last year when skinnies became a hit. Giordano came out with their version of the skinny jeans and I was told they had it in white. So I ran to the nearest branch as soon as I had time and tried on a pair. I left the store feeling frustrated because the fit wasn't quite what I expected and wanted. I kinda gave up on my search for a while because it was just too difficult to find what I was looking for.

Until I came upon these photos in People.com

My favorite is the one that Kate Middleton is wearing. They look just right. Hillary Duff's is a bit too tight and J.Lo's trousers are to wide (but I love her top!). Oh well...and the search goes on. I hope I find my ideal pair really soon.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Another shoe haven : D&C Trends

Argh...when will these people stop selling shoes??? I keep looking at this site. In fact, I look at their albums every single day to see what's new. I'm not sure where the shoes come from, I think mostly from the US. The prices aren't bad either.

The sad part (especially for shoe whores like moi who insist on getting what they want NOW NOW NOW) is you need to wait a while --- like a month or 2 --- for orders to arrive. The upside? No downpayment. Just pay when you're notified of your orders' availability. Look at some of the pairs I would love to purchase from them:

Ankle-strap Wedge Espadrilles - I like the black or red one

Silver Slingbacks - I'd get this for a formal function


Patent Peeptoes - these shoes make me want to go back to work! I love the stacked heels, so perfect with my wideleg work trousers and knee-length straight skirts.

I can't include my favorite ballet flats in this entry because they have too many styles that I like.  Their prices aren't bad for imported shoes, I don't think there's a pair that costs over PHP2000 in their line-up.  But I'm in no position to do any kind of shopping right now so I just have to salivate in the meantime, while waiting for DH to make that much-needed deposit to my pathetic bank account haha!

Click on the link to see more : D and C Trends


My Wetseal dresses are here!

Ordered these recently through my friend, JQ who is more popularly referred to as one of Marl's Angels hehe =)
Poplin Border Print Dress

Hanky Dress

I'm really so in love with the Hanky dress right now. Yellow is my all-time favorite color but the jewel green shade of the other dress is very difficult to resist. There's only one problem...both dresses are a bit loose. I need to take them to Alterations Plus sometime soon. Plus the back of the green dress is super mega duper LOW, I don't know how I'm going to wear it without catching a cold or getting in trouble with DH! That's the downside of online shopping, you never really know if the clothes (or shoes) will fit you well. Oh well, atleast the dresses are loose, not tight.

I'm doing my best to avoid looking at the Wetseal website for now. My wallet is currently as dry as the Sahara. =)

"I'm Not A Plastic Bag" wannabe


I saw these on Multiply earlier today. These are replicas of the famous and now hard-to-find Anya Hindmarch I'm Not a Plastic Bag

In blue...

brown...

and red

PHP850 a piece and she's giving out a 5% discount on orders. In the photos, they look like the real thing (especially the blue one). Would you?

Check them out : THE PURCHASER

P.S. She has a lot of other nice stuff. Her shoes are very tempting!


Food trip: Taco Bell Supreme Nachos


My first time to try this because I remember ordering their Burritos the couple of times we ate in Taco Bell. I was deciding between this and the Plain Nachos with cheese dip but I was a bit hungry, probably from all the shouting during last Thursday's UAAP game. So I decided on this one instead.

For P85 bucks, it wasn't bad at all! In fact, I really enjoyed it in between screams to the referees and Ateneo players hahaha!

Movie review : PREMONITION


I borrowed this from my DM. She had several new titles with her when she came to visit us (rather babysit while DH and I watched the DLSU-ADMU game last Thursday) and this was the one I ended up borrowing.

It stars Sandra Bullock (one of my faves) and Justin McMahon (Nip Tuck and Charmed --- tell me...is it just me or does he have strange-looking, straight-as-an-arrow eyebrows?). Here's a summary:

Linda Hanson (Bullock) has a beautiful house, a loving husband and two adorable daughters. Her life is perfect, until the day she receives the devastating news that her husband Jim (McMahon) has died in a car accident. When she wakes up the next morning to find him alive and well, she assumes it was all a dream, but is shaken by how vivid it felt. She soon realizes it wasn't a dream, and her word is turned upside down as the surreal circumstances lead her to discover that her perfect life may not have been all that it appeared.

Intriguing right? I couldn't let go of it even if I started watching it at 1am and felt sleepy soon after. I recommend you all to see this when you have time.

Today, I'm thankful for...

  • A quiet day spent at home with the people I love most
  • My relaxing afternoon nap =)
  • Some quiet time with DH
  • Lunch: super yummy Breaded Pork Chops and Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
  • My 2-hour phone conversation with one of my bestfriends, AVM --- haven't done this in a long time. I miss you Banana!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

We could've won...argh!

We've been excited about the UAAP for months before it opened this year. DLSU was ending a one-year absence so you can just imagine how fellow-Archers and Archer fans have been feeling. When the UAAP opened a few weeks ago, we immediately began to source tickets for the first DLSU-ADMU game. Every year it just gets more and more difficult to find tickets to the games, moreso when these two schools are playing against each other. So as early as 3 weeks ago when we knew what the first round schedule was, Neal immediately made reservations for our tickets.

Fast forward to today...well, do I really need to say it? Yes I'm disappointed. Slightly angry. We went to Araneta in extremely high spirits. After all, we were playing against our biggest rival and any game played against ADMU is always intense. We were so sure our boys were psyched, especially after that disastrous loss to UE last Sunday!

The game tonight was much more than intense. To say that it was highly-charged seems to be an understatement. My throat is scratchy from all the screaming (mostly at those dumbass referees who either made the wrong calls or didn't call the very obvious fouls at all). From where we were seated (Patron section, behind the goal near the DLSU bench), we saw a lot of unfair calls from the refs. It was really frustrating! Uh take note...I understand basketball and so does Neal. We're not like other people we know who think all fouls called on their team are unjust.

Anyhoo...we lost to Ateneo. How sad. But there is nothing unfair about losing tonight's game. I just have to say, the Blue Eagles played really hard. Jai Reyes made 21 points --- 21 points! But I'm not here to write about the Blue Eagles (of course not!). The thing I'm so disappointed about is the fact that we could have won that game. The score was tied at 67, there were 13 seconds left and THE BALL WAS IN OUR POSSESSION. Spells victory, don't you think? NOT!!! The boys didn't take advantage enough of the time and the opportunity. Neal and I wanted to jump into the court and tell JV Casio to either throw the ball NOW or pass it to someone else. Before we knew it, there went the buzzer and we were going into overtime. Major opportunity thrown out the window! Just like that!

As soon as the overtime period started, I immediately knew we had very little chance to redeem ourselves. True enough, Ateneo beat La Salle. I'm too disappointed to even remember what the final score was. I'm not sure whom to blame, all I know is that game could have been ours.

Jai Reyes and Chris Tiu of ADMU have their futures in the PBA all carved out. These boys really know how to play basketball. The Archers better be ready for the second round and they better be watching out for Jai and Chris. I hope they learned their lesson tonight. If it's painful for us mere spectators, imagine what the players are going through at this exact moment.

Nevermind, guys! LEARN from it and move forward. The season has just begun! My heart still screams

ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

P.S.
To my friends from Ateneo...congratulations from my broken heart. It was truly a well-deserved win. Your boys worked really hard to win this for you. But enough of this crap --- I hope we beat the hell out of you in round 2 HAHAHAHAHA!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Hopefully the last...

Note: Here's why I didn't get to blog at all last Thursday and Friday. Lifted from my MULTIPLY site.


Warning...this may seem like a major rant fest I'm about to get into. I'm getting sick and tired of having to deal with bad news, but that's just what I've had to do lately. So I'm really really really hoping I won't have to do this again. But really...my purpose for writing these thoughts down is to share not just my hurts but more importantly, the lessons I've learned. Hopefully, when you find yourselves in desperate situations you too will face the music with eyes wide open so you can see that GOOD things CAN happen in the WORST situations.

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS...I've lived and breathed these words in the past weeks. Inspite of it all, I've managed to stay upbeat. It's hard especially when all you want to do is break down and cry. But I've had to stay strong, not just to preserve my own sanity (or what's left of it) but to make sure that Neal gets all the support he can get from me. After all, what other kind of support can I offer? Definitely not financial because I've been out of work for more than a year now. And frankly my dears...I would rather be able to contribute financially. Emotional support is so much more difficult to share when times are tough.

Just when I thought the storm had passed --- BAM!!! It happened just the other day and we were both caught offguard. No more details please. Too painful to recall. I'm just writing about it now because I want to make sure that I can read back on my experience in the future when all's well. Doing so may bring back some of the hurt but I want it to remind me of what it was like so I can keep my feet firmly on the ground and tell myself again that I was once on the losing end and I know what it's like.

For as long as I can remember, I've always lived by the golden rule. I strongly believe in the rules of karma, which is why I always make a conscious effort to not step on anyone's toes, even if it sometimes means having to sacrifice my personal interests. I always tell myself...it's okay, it will all come back to you tenfold, the sacrifice will pay off and a reward in some other form will present itself when the proper time comes. It's worked very well for me, especially in a society where people are so caught up with trying to be better than the next person. I'd rather be unpopular but know in my heart I haven't done anything to hurt anyone intentionally.

This recent painful experience I'm referring to has a lot to do with BETRAYAL. I'm a Scorpio and if there is one thing you don't want to do to a Scorpio like me is to stab us in the back. We're very trusting, extremely understanding and patient. I may appear to be tough on the outside but I'm nothing more than your regular softie. I cry about everything. I cry when I'm angry, happy and sad. If you ask for my forgiveness with all sincerity, I have no problem accepting. But the one thing I can never ever accept is betrayal, most especially when it's done so underhandedly that it literally puts me in a temporary state of shock. Once I recover from that, there is no turning back.

Amazingly though, inspite of this long streak of bad luck, I still have so much to be thankful for. It's really true. GOD doesn't sleep. He works doubletime even in the face of adversity. Sure He throws you nasty curveballs every now and then but He makes sure it's all worth it for you. How can being betrayed by someone so close to us be a worthwhile experience? Well...we may have lost a lot by going through this experience (materially and otherwise), but the gain far outweighs the losses. We've gained nothing monetary. In fact, nothing tangible at all. And although it may be hard to see the benefits at a time when there seems to be very little to be happy about, God made sure I saw everything clearly.

I THANK MY FAMILY : my Dad and Mom and my brother, for being my most loyal supporters. They have stood by us and never left. Their concern doesn't stop with me, it spills over to Neal as well and that is something I'll always be grateful for.

MY BESTFRIENDS whom I haven't been spending time with lately but who, at the single touch of a button on my mobile phone, were immediately there to lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on.

MY CLOSE FRIENDS AND COFFEE-MATES. I haven't been able to join our regular coffee dates but thanks to technology, I'm able to keep in touch via e-mail. Even if I don't see them, I feel their concern like a warm blanket wrapped around me. Their words of comfort and wisdom never fail to make me feel better.

OTHER FRIENDS whom I did not ask or expect at all to come to my aid but didn't wait to be asked (these people know who they are). I call them my "impromptu" blessings. It is so heartwarming to know that there are those who are more than willing to take friendship to a higher level without expecting anything in return. These people simply amaze me!

MY KIDS who remain to be my primary source of strength. They're perfectly healthy and happy and to me, that is the biggest most important blessing I can receive.

THE LITTLE SURPRISES that came unexpectedly the other day. Sudden calls from my headhunter friends, telling me of job prospects which they feel I am so right for. How wonderful is that? There I was, right in the middle of a crisis and I got not just one but TWO calls about work. God really has His ways.

NEAL...my other source of strength. He is just as weak and depressed as I am at the moment but I thank him for being there just the same. There's nothing like knowing that there is someone who can help you carry your burdens. Years ago I would have been alone in all of this but now, I have him. This is a partnership and this crisis helped me see the true value of being in one.

The heaviness in my heart hasn't really left me completely. Atleast not yet. It's all still pretty fresh. In fact, something happened tonight that made all the pain and anger rush back. I guess it's normal and only time will heal everything. I'm trying my best to look beyond all the negative feelings and begin to move forward because now I'm almost sure things can only get better. I know because I can feel it in my bones!

And on a final note, here are a few words which my dear Dad shared with me today via SMS:

In the end, what would matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got but what you gave; not your success but your significance; not what you learned but what you taught; not your competence but your character; and not how long you will be remembered but for what. CHOOSE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS.

If you can't have the best of what you want, learn to make the best of what you have. Happy people are thoe who don't have many things in life, but they know how to make the best of the few things they have.

My newest discovery

I recently heard about NAILS AT HOME, a home-service salon that's been around for the past 2 years. I was surprised they've been in business that long and never knew of them before. Anyway, yesterday was really so TOXIC for me and up to very early this morning I was still running around like a headless chicken. So when I got home at lunchtime, I felt like every ounce of blood had been drained and my body was just screaming for some good old pampering. I remember saving their number in my cellphone so I called hoping that I could still set an appointment. Luckily, they had a vacant slot at 5pm. Goody! I had time to take a nap so that's exactly what I did.

At 10 past 5, Angie of NAILS AT HOME rang the doorbell and I ushered her in. She had this huge plastic box with wheels and a long handle that contained all her paraphernalia. The TV room on my 2nd floor is the quietest room in the house. We also had the windows insulated to make the room really dark and cozy (Angie had a desklamp with her so I didn't have to turn on the main lights --- what a girl scout!). Our ever reliable La-Z-Boy sits in that room so it was the perfect place for me to get that much-needed pampering.

I asked for a manicure, pedicure and footspa and boy, did I LOVE it! She asked me beforehand if I wanted nail polish and I said yes. They have Essie, Opi, Revlon, Sally Hansen among others so I told her which shade and brand to bring. I opted for a very deep red shade from Opi this time. Angie is good! I don't have any knicks or those small wounds you normally get from technicians you're not familiar with. Application is really clean as well.

You won't believe how much I shelled out for all of that AND in the comforts of my very own home. Just 550 bucks (exclusive of tip) for all three services. In the salon I've been frequenting, I pay the same amount but I have to drive to get there, of course. This was my first time to have all of these done at home but I can see this is one habit I'm going to have a hard time kicking.

Check out this link to read more about NAILS at HOME

P.S.
They serve the San Juan, Mandaluyong areas and (parts of) Quezon City.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

My day in bullets

Too tired and too lazy to blog properly

  • I hate it when my plans get flushed down the toilet at the last minute. I was supposed to go to the salon for a MUCH-NEEDED (that still sounds like an understatement) mani-pedi/footspa then go to Dome in Shang Mall to meet up for coffee with my girlfriends but all that didn't happen.
  • The good thing about it is I had time to bond with Anissa after I picked her up from school. Went to Podium to kill some time...bought her favorite Cinnabon and then sat in Cafe Breton where I had an Iced Cafe Mocha (lovely!). Had lots to talk about
  • Brought her to McDonald's in El Pueblo for her bestfriend's brother's birthday party --- she specifically told me on the way there NOT to stay too long after saying hello to the celebrant's Mom and to just "come back for me but not before I text you that it's okay to get me na, okay?" Awwww....she's ashamed to be seen with me! Bruha! Haha!
  • Went back to Podium for some window-shopping. I don't know whether to be happy or frustrated that I tried on a total of 6 different tops in Bayo and Topshop/Dorothy Perkins and not one of them fit me right (BTW, Bayo still has some stuff on sale...mostly underwear, racerback tanks, some jeans and big-sized tops)
  • Discovered some really good-smelling colognes in BENCH but decided against getting them when I saw the label bearing Kris Aquino's name haha! I'm PMS-ing
  • I SAW AN EX! But he was about a gazillion pounds overweight compared to the time we were together so I quickly turned and walked the other way so I wouldn't have to say hello --- BAD!
  • Spent a good hour and half going home (that's just from Ortigas Center to Mandaluyong) because of the strong rains and the expected flash flooding in the Mandaluyong area, 5 minutes from where I live. Only in the Philippines!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

In bullets

I'm too lazy to blog properly. I'm sleepy and (im)patiently waiting for the masahista from Green Leaf to arrive argh!

  • I was hoping to get some rest today but that didn't happen!
  • Thank you but I am happy and content with 2 kids --- 'nuff said =p
  • RJ's Bulalo in Mandaluyong is still as good as ever (290 for the "special" which is a whole lot of Bulalo)
  • I didn't get to watch the chismis shows on TV today. I was waiting for the story on Martin N.'s Katrina O. Been wondering how she's doing. It's been a LONG time since I last saw her. Got to see a glimpse of her son though and he's a cutie!
  • It's still nice to hear mass in Cardinal Santos Hospital
  • FRESKA along Katipunan Ave. (past Blue Ridge) serves good Ilonggo food. I'm glad DH thought of having our Sunday family dinner there.
  • Bumped into my cousin MM outside this place called BANAPPLE also along Katips (across the street from Freska) and she said she's a regular there. Wanna try it out soon.
  • Although a bit hesitant at first (being 100% loyal to Starbucks), I actually find UCC's Iced Cafe Mocha quite good.
  • Sabine is getting to be a handful. She's feisty, impatient and quick-tempered. Hmmm...wonder where all of that came from =p
  • Anissa really tried my patience again tonight. The same question asked over a million times (exaggerating a bit, of course but that's how it felt). The funny thing is, I think she really enjoys annoying me.
  • I WANT MY 2-HOUR SWEDISH MASSAGE --- NOW!!!

Another Havie Get-together

Our dear dear friend (and my business partner), SS is here from Asia's fashion capital where she resides...so another get-together was organized. Our favorite hangout/pigout place in Shang Mall (also our favorite mall), CYMA was again last night's venue for this uber brief but enjoyable-as-always gathering. Too bad a few others couldn't make it.

Our guest of honor, Smiley

With her pretty daughter, Dannielle

That's me and my sungit Sabine

The Havie gang's all here!

Another reason for the gathering --- we wanted to take a group photo of us wearing our Havaianas Foundation bangles hehe! In this pic with Pao and VLS, the masters behind Baubles, Bangles 'n Beads