How was your week?

Been a while since I blogged about something other than a product or restaurant so here I am beginning what's left of my weekend with this long overdue entry. Yes, I only have a little over 1.5 days left before the work week begins again. I went back to fulltime corporate work just last week, after an almost 2-year stint as a consultant. I miss my 3-day work week, my flexible schedule and the work-from-home scenario.

I miss Plurking and Facebook-ing during the day and being able to run personal errands whenever I want. I miss being at home with Sabine the whole day and being home when Anissa gets off the bus from school. I miss having to stay up late, especially waking up lazily on a Saturday morning because I have half-day work on Saturdays. Now it's back to those all too familiar bouts with evening rush hour traffic (mornings aren't bad at all for me). Thank God for the family driver because I can take cat naps in the car and not be mainit ang ulo when I get home. Now it's back to making endless phonecalls to the house just to check on what's going on and finding it hard to put the phone down all the time because Sabine wants to talk and talk. Now it's back to coffee breaks and praying for 6pm to come so I can leave work and be with my loved ones. Now it's back to having mini fashion shows in the bathroom at night, picking out what to wear to work the next day. I can look at this as a huge setback and say, "Bummer!!!". Yeah I can. But I won't because that's just not how I see it. Sure I miss a lot about my old life, I really do. But I don't dwell on that because I feel extremely blessed to be in the situation I'm in right now. At the ripe age of 40, how many of us can brag about a career opportunity such as the one that came to me, without my even looking? I feel like I'm at the final stretch of my life as a careerwoman. In a few years, the opportunities will just stop coming and I don't want to live out the rest of my years thinking about the ones that I allowed to get away simply because I ignored them. A friend told me, it was a really brave move on my part to go fulltime again. Corporate life can be very draining and she's right. I guess it was really so brave of me to have gone back, after living such a simple and quiet life for the past how many years.

But like i said, I would rather have no regrets later on. If (knock on wood!) this doesn't work out, then I can atleast say that I gave it a try. At the moment, I feel like I'm at the top of my game. This past week, my first back at work, was a truly exciting one. I'm being trusted with this huge responsibility! I have a total of 49 people in my team, with a few more scheduled to be hired. I'm part of the company's Executive Committee, which means that once a week I'd find myself inside the board room sitting at a long table with about a dozen other people, some my Dad's age! I can look at this with much intimidation, after all, they're obviously a lot older than me and so much more experienced at what they do. Instead, I consider it an honor that I was handpicked for this position and am now in the company of seasoned executives. How many of us can say that? I go around the building and everyone calls me "Ma'am"...something I need to get used to because I prefer being called by my first name, even by rank and file employees. But the hotel/travel industry is different this way. The courtesy that hotel guests receive from frontliners is something that even top management and people in the back office are trained to give. We are all one another's customers. But I'm getting derailed here...

Saturday's almost over and I didn't even feel it. I fell asleep soon after I got home from work at 2pm and woke up just before I wrote this. Tomorrow will go by just as quickly I'm sure. Then it will be Monday again, but that's okay. I'm in my best element and I'm happy to be feeling this way despite the challenges that loom in the distance. I know there will be lots of stressful days ahead...I can already feel it. But again, that's okay. This blessing just totally outweighs all the odds.

Oh and before I forget...I'd like you to meet my temporary office. They said I should have a bigger one. I'm hoping they give me a couch so I can take catnaps at lunchtime hahaha!

Notice that my in-tray is half full and it was only Wednesday when I took this photo!

My constant companions...Malaysian coffee and cookies to munch on when I'm deep in thought or simply needing a short breather.

On my very first day last Monday
Have a very happy weekend everyone! Hope you're all counting your blessings too!

Save or Splurge? Both!

Yes, I did both today. I splurged on one thing and saved on another.

This is today's "save". ELF Cosmetics' Contour Blush and Bronzer. This is from ELF's Studio Line. Their regular products sell for $1 each. Those in their studio line cost $3 each, this blush/bronzer set included. If you look closely at the blush, you'll see gold flecks, which remind me of NARS' Orgasm blush. This one's just a tiny bit lighter in the pan. The bronzer looks too dark though, so I'm thinking of using it on my eyes instead. I love the packaging because it makes the product look more expensive. See the big mirror? That's a big plus for me as well. For approximately PHP 150, how can anyone complain?

Up next...my splurge!

I've been debating with myself on what NARS blush shade to get because there are so many interesting shades to choose from! I'm tired of the famous Orgasm (but I do like it, don't get me wrong) and wanted to try others. I placed an online order for Deep Throat and that's coming next month. Today though, I couldn't resist dropping by the NARS counter inside Essenses in Glorietta and after trying 3 or 4 different shades, I ended up with this

NARS blush in Madly. It looks mighty scary in the pan but on my medium warm skin with yellow undertones (I use MAC Studio Fix Foundation in NC35 or 40, depending on the time of year), it looked surprisingly natural! I forgot to do a roadtest first before purchasing this out of too much excitement. I'm acidic so I need to spend an hour, sometimes 2, going around with makeup on to see if I still like the way it looks on me once it sets.

Makeup junkies everywhere know that in terms of staying power, NARS has the best blushes in the market. NARS blushes now cost PHP 1,350, just a bit more expensive than MAC's which cost PHP 1,200 each.

Photos of me wearing these to come soon!

Classic!!!

OMG I love this video! Ladies in my generation, didn't you just LOVE the Tigers when they were still a popular group during the Penthouse Days? I have to admit, they really were so good. Here they are practicing with Michael V. and the late Francis M. for a spot number on EB. Come to think of it ... MJ and FM up there dancing a storm? Must be one hell of a party!

Luk Foo Cantonese Cuisine

Our first time here, at the branch in front of the Duty Free store in Paranaque. Tired from shopping, we were all so hungry and this was the nearest place we could grab a bite. There are actually two of them side by side : the other one is the Luk Foo Hot Pot Resto.

Roast Duck on Rice

Lapu Lapu with Tausi on Rice

Sweet n Sour Pork on Rice

Yang Chow Fried Rice --- walang kamatayan

Crispy Noodles with Seafood

Pork Siomai
Har Gao

AND MY ALL TIME FAVORITES...

Hot and Sour Soup and Steamed Spareribs with Tausi!!!

Would I go back? Yes, I would!

Simply the GREATEST

I can't think of any other word to describe the person and his music. My recognition of Michael Jackson began in 1979 when his album OFF THE WALL was released. I was 10. And I've been a huge fan since then. My copy of OFF THE WALL is kept in tact in my childhood home, my iPod is filled with all of my favorite MJ songs which I listen to almost on a daily basis. People all over the world can't believe he's moved on. I join the rest of his fans in saying that MJ's music will live on, despite his absence.

He will never be misunderstood again.

You're in NEVERLAND now, MJ --- for real.

MAC Love

I think I've finally found it. The perfect MAC lipstick-lipgloss tandem, one that works for me! I've been a loyal MAC fan (especially of their face powders and lip products) and on my recent trip to HK, the SA at the Ocean Terminal counter was really patient with me while I chose the stash I was to take home. My "go to" MAC lipstick shade these days is
Viva Glam V...

But I was having a difficult time finding the right shade of lipgloss to top it off with. One that won't drown the color on my lips. Until the friendly SA suggested these...

MAC's Plushglass in Ample Pink (on top) and Fullfilled (bottom)

The girl really knew her MAC lippies well! On hindsight, I should've given her a commendation for her readiness and eagerness to help. These are my HG lipgloss shades from now on.

Here I am wearing Viva Glam V lipstick and Ample Pink Plushglass. Now if only I remembered to get a lip pencil!

False Advertising?

I'm sure you guys must have heard about this promo which ended yesterday. My SIL is a Citibank credit card holder so she was one of the many who was attracted by this deal. She went to two stores : Bass and Ecco. At Bass, she was told they had run out of items on sale. That's acceptable, I guess. Since the promo didn't state that everything in the partner stores was included. But she was surprised when she went to Ecco. The SA's reply to her was, "Ma'am wala ho kami nyan".

First off, the store is part of the Store Specialists group. Secondly, the details of the promo as seen HERE clearly state that Ecco is a participating store.

So what was up with the SA's reply? Did anyone else encounter the same problem?

7 Days to Go!

The UAAP Season (72) is opening on Saturday, July 11. I can't believe how fast time flies! This year will be hosted by Far Eastern University. PLEASE tell me you'll be responsible about ticket allocation! Last year was a killer!

This year's theme, "One Color, One Goal" is represented by the Sarimanok whose colors are those of the different competing universties. I'm going to miss seeing JV Casio play but I'm sure he'll be present at the games somehow. Are the Archers ready to fight it out this year? I'm hoping Arvie Bringas (our prized rookie) lives up to everyone's high expectations. I hear he was most sought after and is really good.

See you at the Araneta on Saturday!

ANIMO LASALLE!!!

Photo credit : Biag Ken Siak on Wordpress

Shoe Love!

My love affair with shoes seems to just go on and on. I chanced upon this beeeyoootiful pair at the Duty Free store here at ... GUESS WHAT ... half the price! Being a seasoned bargain hunter surely goes well with the shoe hag tendency. Regular price was $95 so at 50% less, wouldn't you be jumping at the opportunity, too?

Those 3 1/2" stiletto heels may look daunting at first glance but the footbed is so soft, I'm almost sure I can last one whole day in these at work.

So proud of myself for snagging another great deal!

The Search is Over

It didn't take long before I decided which one to get. I immediately scrapped the idea of getting the LX3 or the G10 because of the price difference (about HK$ 1,800 over my set budget). The G10 was great, but I'm really basically a point and shoot person. The less I have to do, the better. So it was down to two Canon models as I previously blogged about : the Canon Ixus 100 IS or the Canon Ixus 110 IS. While the latter is newer, I didn't really like the feel of it in my hand. ERGO...

Meet my new baby! This is the Canon Ixus 100 IS. 12 megapixels, 3x zoom lens with optical image stabilizer, 2.5" LCD screen and a viewfinder (rather unusual for a compact digicam). It's tiny, measures only 18.4mm thick. I originally was eyeing the red one but in person it didn't look as attractive (wayyyyy too bloody for my taste). So I went for the gold. It's actually a bit coppery in color and I love it!!!

Here are a few test shots:

We bought it from Fortress which is Neal's preferred store when purchasing small gadgets in HK. I got a generous amount of freebies too : camera case, mini-tripod, 4GB SD card, flashdrive, extra battery (this was a big plus for me).

I know I made the right choice!