Latest Posts

Day 10 – Something yellow

Published by Justine

Pardon me, it’s been a month since I last participated in my blog challenge. 2015 is about to end and I can’t let it pass by without completing this!

rubberducky

Snapped a photo of this cute rubber ducky while I was soaking in The Henry Hotel’s bathtub when I had that staycation with my friends a few weeks ago. I wouldn’t mind another staycation again.

Things I Love Thursday, #7

Published by Justine


I am resurrecting this blog series from its 7 month hiatus! So many things have happened since I wrote the last TILT. There were more things I loved and have probably forgotten, but in an attempt to enumerate all the things/experiences I recently loved, here’s one resurrection entry.

MAC Eyebrow Crayon in Delineated

This self-sharpening crayon is a brow product I’ve come to love so much.

According to MAC:

Self-propelling, self-sharpening, brow-defining. Confidently adds what you need: shape, colour and/or density in one streamlined tool. Like a pen, creates its own just-right point for striking arches. Easy to tote around – no sharpener needed.

I’m a bit scared because I’ve only had it for about 2 weeks and I can feel like I’m using it up already. I’ve always been against pencils and pens in general when it comes to brows because I’m so used to gels and powders, but this has made me a convert and I will continue to repurchase this as long as I have the money to buy brow products.

4Fingers Chicken

My colleague took me to 4Fingers in ION during my recent Singapore business trip and I loved it. I’ve always been a fan of Korean chicken but BonChon just doesn’t cut it for me, you know? My chicken experience in Seoul was so great but whenever I eat BonChon I feel like I’m eating fake chicken (SORRY!). I initially thought 4Fingers would be the same when it was introduced to me, but bam. It had so much flavor that BonChon falls flat in comparison. I’m even craving for it right now.

Boost Singapore

I want to try everything! Their juices are so great. I’ve always been going to Smoothie King but when I tried Boost it was just so much better for me that it’s becoming another not-in-Cebu SG craving. I also found out my cousin who studies uni there works in Boost part-time! Can’t wait to get free juice when I get back. We don’t even have Jamba Juice in Cebu. Sadface.

Grandfathered

I’ve been enjoying this show more than I would have liked. I admit I do have a soft spot for Josh Peck because I was such a huge fan of Drake & Josh that I’ve silently followed their career path after that show. I also admit this is the first time I’ve really paid attention to John Stamos. He plays his character so well. I’m going to keep watching until I get bored, or whatev. The good thing, the show just got a full-season renewal, so yay for that!

Starbucks x Moleskine

As a fan of Moleskine products, I was excited about the Starbucks SG x Moleskine collaboration this year—mostly because it also meant I could easily get it. Last year it was Starbucks Korea x Moleskine and I never got the chance to get it because shipping fees would be a bitch if my Korean friend mailed it to me, and with the whole PH Post Office dud stories I figured it wasn’t worth it. My colleague got me the SG Moleskine planner and it’s what I use for work notes and meetings now. I love it! When I found out that Starbucks PH also collaborated with Moleskine in not only one but 2 editions, that made me looked forward to it too. I mean, drinks and a Moleskine in comparison to just buying an actual Moleskine has so much more value to it, right? Just agree with me.

—

I’m actually excited to be bringing back this series again!

Friday’s 10 Happy Things, v9

Published by Justine

Seems like this is all I ever do because the week is so filled I usually only have time to blog on the weekends, so there’s FTHT and TSC posts. Heh.

  1. New music week! What a great week for pop music. Adele’s Hello, 1D’s Perfect, Justin Bieber’s Sorry, then DNCE’s EP dropping, and Drake’s Hotline Bling music video making waves all over the interwebs. Makes me proud to live in this era, tbh.
  2. This week’s You’re the Worst – Season 2 Episode 7: There Is Not Currently a Problem. This episode really moved me in more ways than one. It was such a strong one, I ended up crying more than I would have wanted. I put it in the happy list because I was so moved at how they portrayed someone suffering from clinical depression. Even while reading the LA Times article about the episode, it made me want to cry even more.
  3. A stressful work week. Lots of “phwoar!” things happened at work this week so this wasn’t initially a happy thing for me but after a lot of introspection I realized that an absence of a stressful work week would mean that I would have to be alone with my thoughts for a much longer time (aka not good) with less productivity levels. That’s not a good thing for me at all. As much as I love the lazy life when my brain isn’t working (like literally working on work mode) I become somewhat crazy. I have a job that I love that I can do anywhere (remote ftw) that gives me good, challenging stress and money! What’s not happy about that?
  4. Tuesday yoga. I took my sister with me to Tuesday’s yoga class and it was kind of a struggle for her that she said, “Why would you pay for something that gives you torture?” I embrace yoga’s torture, wholeheartedly. It’s probably the only torture I don’t mind and completely accept because the return of investment is so quick and fulfilling. I feel much better, I sleep better, I eat better. I know I’ve probably said this countless times but yoga really is life changing for me.
  5. A bit of time to catch up with 2PM‘s activities. I hate Japan for taking them away but I had a few hours to spare this week (also to alleviate stress) so I used that time to catch up with what 2PM’s been up to. I miss being a full-time fangirl!
  6. Fulfilling my cravings. I think I’m about to get my period (I HOPE SO) because I’ve been craving all kinds of salty food lately. Probably not good for my health and diet, but I ate all the salty things this week. And it made me happy.
  7. Rock Salt & Cheese milk tea topping. Another one of them cravings that I fulfilled!
  8. Gerald Anderson guesting on this week’s PBB. Shock! Me talking about local showbiz? I was such a huge fan of his season almost a decade ago when I was still in early college and seeing him back in the house brought back all these happy feelings out of nowhere I just had to point it out here.
  9. Revlon’s Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde. I colored my hair lighter last week so I had to look for a lighter brow product that wasn’t in my usual range of price or brand. Truthfully I was almost going to buy the Stila All Day Brow Gel but my good friend said, “No Rustan’s for you. We will go to Watsons!!” and I was grateful for that. This also made me break out of my comfort zones with brow bowders and brow gels because the Revlon Brow Fantasy is a pencil product! I’m still getting the hang of it but it’s been a good learning experience so far and I am finally mastering the art of the brow pencil. I use this product for my overall brow, then my current Tarte Amazonian Clay Brow Mousse for my brow tail so I give it more emphasis. Yep, in case you didn’t know, I take my brows seriously. That’s what happens when you have nonexistent brows.

  10. Dancing the night away. Because of everything that’s been happening the past few months I haven’t had the time or energy or the will to go out partying at all. The whole revelry life has really worn me out but last weekend I was inside the club again and danced to my heart’s content. Without alcohol. I didn’t think I’d be able to do the whole no alcohol thing, but I did and a million fuck yeahs for that.

The Sunday Currently, v15

Published by Justine

FEELING
Pretty good. My weekend in itself was pretty eventful, and I’m looking forward to conquering another week. Plus, I got a haircut today! A haircut is always a good symbolism of a “fresh start” or an excuse for one, heh.

READING
Single, Carefree, Mellow by Catherine Heiny. I started reading this before boarding the plane and I’m still halfway through it. The good part about reading a book of short stories is that it’s such a breeze to go through, but since it’s too short you don’t get too attached with the characters that it’s easily forgettable. The stories have been more enjoyable than not, so that’s a plus factor.

WEARING
Black top and pink shorts from earlier today.

WATCHING
I’m trying to pick between these 3 free pilots I downloaded from iTunes last week. Preferably a show where I don’t have to think too much.

LOVING
OS X El Capitan and the San Francisco font. For my deteriorating 4 year old MBP, I admit upgrading was a bit of a nervous activity. Coming from Yosemite that was super buggy and slow and gave me a lot of beach balls, El Capitan is actually giving me hope that I can save a few more years with this. My previous MacBook lasted a good 4 years with me as well, and I’d like to break that cycle and hopefully not upgrade until it super conks out (HOPEFULLY NOT IN THE NEAR FUTURE).

HOPING
For a good upcoming week and a good turn of events. Even if things don’t happen the way I imagine it in my head, I hope that I’ll be able to realize that the universe has other plans for me that’s why things didn’t necessarily happen. Whatevs, let’s go with the flow.

THINKING
About work that’s starting to pile up for this week! Lots of things to do and tasks to complete. Work always makes me happy anyway so I am looking forward to it.

WISHING
1. My new haircut won’t fail me once I wash it off.
2. Time for a color this Wednesday (hair related, again).
3. Time for a good yoga session.

NEEDING
Ultimate strength and extra resilience.

Friday’s 10 Happy Things, v8

Published by Justine

    1. Singapore business trip (literally just got home from the airport). I was there for the whole week for work, meeting clients, getting the hang of how our Singapore HQ does stuff and just being exposed to it all. I admit it was pretty overwhelming to me because SG has always been a country where I would relax and unwind but it was the total opposite this time. It was lots of work and no shopping and sightseeing this time but don’t get me wrong, I LOVED IT!
    2. Less haze. The weekend during my arrival, the haze hit an all-time high. When I got out of the apartment on Monday morning, it was still damn hazy and really bothered my throat. I even had a fever during my first day of work! Good thing it gradually reduced and the PSI went way below 100 the past few days. Hope it continues!
    3. Sephora Black Card. They finally upgraded me because I kind of hoarded during my visit last April. I had it delivered to my cousin’s so I didn’t get to see it until last night.

    4. Boost. Why don’t we have Boost in the Philippines? I don’t even like Jamba Juice all that much. Boost is the shit. I had the Skinny Dip which was so good. Now I’m craving for one.
    5. Getting a few hang hours. My trip mostly consisted of work, eating, a little bit of sleep and super limited time up with family and cousins while I was there. Despite the limitations, glad I got to make it work a little!
    6. All the food trips. My bosses and SG girls (co-workers who I have come to really love in such a short span of time) made sure I was well fed and eating all the food didn’t really matter, I would walk it all off anyway. Vietnamese, to the famous chicken rice, all the kaya toasts, and yummy food prepared by my boss’ house help. So good.
    7. THAT ONE HOUR OF SHOPPING. I had to run like mad buying the things I had to buy. It wasn’t really a happy thing when I was panting around Orchard last night but in retrospect it meant that I only had time to buy things I really needed thus totally saving me a good couple of hundred bucks. YAY.
    8. Starbucks SG x Moleskine Planner 2016. My co-worker it to me and I couldn’t be happier. It’s more of a notebook than a planner but it’s so pretty. It’s supposed to be 2016 but I’ve already written so much because of all the client meetings I attended which had a lot of notes.
    9. First-world internet speed. How could I let this slide? It’s self-explanatory.
    10. Body on Me by Rita Ora x Chris Brown. This song has been on repeat non-stop the last week. Won’t even hide it anymore!!!!