Life of an Independent Woman

My own place, my own car, my own bed, my own time. Man, if only I could tell my old high school self on how my life turned out, she would be so ecstatic. All I ever wanted back then was having to not ask permission if I wanted to go out, having to go out with boys and friends until the wee hours of the night and most of all, not having to dodge my Dad around the house 'coz I got a mediocre grade on my English subject. It happened only one time and I definitely didn't want an encore of that...my allowance was totally frozen for 2 weeks. He knew my weakness, good thing my Mom took pity on me and told the nanny to send food in a tupperware during lunchtime at school. I had chicken nuggets with rice every day, talk about lack of variety! Ha!

Photo credits  www.parents.com

I'll have you know that I've now upgraded from chicken nuggets to Wendy's drive-thru and Thai food take-out, thank you very much! =)

As much as I'd want to endlessly rave about the advantages of independence bliss, I cannot deny the realities of which I have to face everyday for claiming independence and becoming my own Republic of Pears.

Bills. They come every month, not one day sooner nor one day later. How many bills can a person really have? There's the bill for the monthly rent, bill for gas (home), bill for electricity, bill for cellphone, bill for cable and internet, bill for credit cards, bill for car insurance and the list could go on and on. Good thing some geek out there was smart enough to think of creating online banking, it makes my life so much easier. I can actually be anywhere in the world and still be able to pay all my bills on time.

I don't know about you guys but did you notice that most of the bills sent through regular mail are SO freakin' complicated to read? It's like, dude..just tell me how much I owe in bold numbers and let's be done with it. They send you like 3 pages of nonsense when you know you're only going to look at the first page 'coz that's where they put the balance and the due date. I eventually got tired of it so I opted to go paperless billing for all my bills as well as setting up recurring payments so I don't have to wake up at 3 AM in the morning because I just remembered that something needed to get paid.

Imagine how many trees were killing because of all these bills piling up?

Chores. Yey! I'm now an independent woman. Now what? I can start off by doing the laundry, vacuuming the carpet, cleaning off the counters, cleaning the bathroom, feeding the dog, walking the dog, throwing out the trash and doing the dishes. Well, at least that's what I'm supposed to do..I end up doing laundry only until I'm down to my last clean shirt, just as I do my dishes only when I'm down to my last fork. Times like these, I really really miss having a nanny and I have learned to appreciate what they do for us. For all I know, all these chores that I do could be considered child labor in some countries.. tee-hee.

On a serious note, we should really say NO TO CHILD LABOR

Non-depedence. The worst part of being independent is in fact, the non-dependence of others. For example, if I have to be away from home, it's so difficult to find someone to help me watch over my big monster, Sky. Even just doing simple things like taking out the groceries is difficult since I have to make at least two trips back to unload everything. Sometimes I wish I could attach a wagon on Skyler so he could bring his own groceries.

I can get him one of these...

Okay so once I've dealt with the chores and everything else, being independent ain't so bad. Actually, it's really fun to be on my own. I come and go as I please, I don't have to eat at a specific time, I don't have to fight for the TV remote, I can lounge around the sofa all day and no one will nag at me for it, I can enjoy coming home to peace and quiet after a long day at work and most of all..NO MORE ASKING PERMISSION TO HANG OUT! WUHOO! (sorry that was my high school self talking)

I'm not a feminist or anything like that but it feels good to know that I made it on my own without having to always depend on a man to take care of me. Here's to independence and sleeping in on our day off! 

Viva La Revolucion!

Mirror, Mirror

If it was raining at all in your side of the world, that was probably me shedding all those tears watching the HBO documentary focusing on different issues and stories about dogs in the U.S. I gotta warn you, this will probably be one of the most serious posts that I will ever write but I really, really need to get this off of my chest.

About 2 million dogs are put to sleep annually in animal shelters due to a surplus of stray dogs as well as "surrendered" dogs. When I say surrendered, it means that the owners willingly send their pets to the shelter and leave them to be (hopefully) adopted by other people or euthanized, if no one wants to adopt them. Do you know that some shelters still use gas chambers to "euthanize" dogs and cats? I've honestly heard about these gas chambers before but actually seeing a footage of dogs being dumped in one small container and getting gassed to death...that is another thing. It will change you, it will change how you see humans. That 60-second footage (edited by HBO) will change your life, I know it changed mine.

This is what we do. This is what we, precious humans do to helpless, healthy dogs. These dogs never hurt anybody, never killed anybody, never lied, never cheated nor stolen but we kill them anyway. Let me ask you a question..who the f*$&#* died and made us humans the ones to decide on who lives and who dies on this planet?

This overpopulation of dogs is caused by puppy mills ( unlicensed/ unregulated breeders who over-breed dogs under the most extreme living conditions for the sole purpose of PROFIT-MAKING) and irresponsible pet owners who don't spay or neuter their pets. You may call me an irresponsible owner because I haven't had Sky neutered yet. But it's only because he is the only dog in the household, he lives in an apartment so there's no way for him to jump out of a backyard and run away plus I do want puppies from him later on. Trust me when I say that I'll keep ALL of the puppies if I have to. I won't even second guess it.

A photo taken of a typical puppy mill

The reality is that people treat animals like merchandise. If you don't want them anymore or change your mind about them, you can always send them to the animal shelter. Oh, I had to move to a different city or state and I can't take the dog with me. Oh, it was getting too expensive to maintain a dog. Oh, I just don't have the time to take care of a dog anymore. Oh, I didn't know that the dog was going to grow that big. Are you f*&$#*^* kidding me? Once you take an animal into your home, it is your duty to take care of that animal until they die. If for some really valid, good reason that you REALLY cannot take care of the animal, it is your duty to make the effort to find them a new home.

 My dear readers, I beg you. Don't take in an animal just because you thought that a cute puppy would be such a great gift to your girlfriend/boyfriend or your daughter/son. That puppy will eventually become full grown and it takes a lot of time, dedication and effort to take care of it.

If you don't believe me, watch the same footage that I couldn't bear to watch anymore. Press play if you dare. I cannot even hold back my tears as I remember the sick, inhumane and downright cruel act of putting animals in a crammed up box and killing them through carbon monoxide. The video is old but the method is STILL shockingly used by some shelters up to this day.

"Non violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all living beings, we are still savages." - Thomas A. Edison

..ergo, we are still savages.

Pears vs. Zombies

Unless you're a hermit, you've probably heard of that crazy guy who supposedly got high off on "bath salts", a synthetic stimulant, and chewed off some guy's face in Miami. It wasn't necessarily a real zombie attack but with all this crazy stuff happening and people trying to snort everything up their noses, it's best to expect the worst and be prepared. After watching all-too-familiar zombie and the living dead flicks, you'd think you know what to do by now if we did have a zombie outbreak. So the question is... do you? Where would you go and hide? How are you going to survive if there wasn't any electricity or water? How are you going to protect yourself from getting infected? And most importantly... what will be your zombie-killing outfit?

Nobody does it like Milla Jovovich a.k.a. Alice of "Resident Evil". I figured after a couple of weeks, I can get my fat hiney to fit into that daring outfit since there would be a shortage of food and I'd be constantly running away from zombies who want my thick thighs for dinner.

What about weapons? There's no way in hell that I'm just going to rely on some kungfu moves to beat a zombie 'coz we all know how it's gonna go down... no matter how many flying kicks and uppercuts you throw, you always end up getting bit. So I'm thinking of a good weapon that I could use from a good distance and I'm leaning towards a rifle, like an AK-47. I've never held a gun before so I don't know how I'm going to even handle a powerful rifle but I know that all those sleepless nights wasted on playing Counterstrike with the boyfriend will finally pay off. Fire in the hole!

Photo credit : http://counterstrikesourcedownload.com

When the zombie attack starts, there are going to be countless options on a getaway car once everyone has fled the city. We're trying to run away from zombies, not stroll around Beverly Hills... so exotic cars are out of the question. I'm thinking big, spacious and bullet-proof. If I can't get a military tank, then this will do...

This baby right here is a Conquest Knight XV. It's a fully armored SUV that runs on bio-fuel with ballistic run flat tires, night vision camera and get this..it comes with a flat screen Satellite TV and a mini-bar. Who says you can't plow through the living dead in style?

The only bad news is... it costs $629,000 a pop and they're only making 100 units of this bad boy. So that means there's probably only one available per first world country. Time to stalk the basketball players or the loud-mouth Mayweather... he'd most likely get something extravagant like this.

Last but never the least, don't forget that we can never ever survive the zombie apocalypse without the help of sunflowers, peashooters, melon-pults, wall nuts and our other plant friends! =)

If you think this post is ridiculous, well guess what? I understand.

...and apparently they ate your sense of humor too.

Toodles! =)

Skin Deep

It's a known fact that women spend countless hours and money in primping themselves to be as flawless as their Photoshopped pictures on Facebook. If you think about it, women spend too much money on make-up alone... and that "natural look" that they're going for? That's really the result of a concoction of primer, concealer, color corrector, foundation, luminizer, blush, setting powder, mascara, eyeliner, eye brow pencil, lipstick and lip gloss. I know some people who painstakingly put all this stuff on their face as early as 5AM in the morning... EVERYDAY. At 5am, I'd still be drooling on my pillow, dreaming about being able to  spend the whole day at the buffet in Vegas.

As much as I adore make-up and how it can easily transform you to the va-va-voom version of yourself, or an underpaid hooker (depends on the mood you're in that day)..there's nothing better than looking great WITHOUT IT. Nobody wants a coyote ugly and you definitely don't want to be at the receiving end of that statement. To simply put it, make-up on your face should look like paint on a fresh, blank canvass. So instead of investing a lot on camouflaging your blemishes and look like you just got slapped with a sack of flour, you might as well invest in taking care of your skin.

For years, I've had tons of friends (men and women) asking me on how I take care of my skin and what involves in my skin regimen. I've tried different brands such as Clinique, L'Occitane, Kiehl's and even the ever famous La Mer. As much as they were really good products, my skin didn't really look and feel like I hoped it would be..

Until..

I totally swear by this skin care brand. SK-II pretty much markets their product line based on the most important ingredient which they call Pitera, a naturally-derived liquid from a unique yeast fermentation process. I love all of their products but these are the ones that I cannot live without:

Facial Treatment Essence - The consistency of this liquid is just like water. I put only a couple of drops on my palm and pat it on my face. The skin absorbs it quickly and it leaves my skin soft. I think that this is what really makes the difference.If you travel a lot, the essence can help your skin cope with the changing climate and lock moisture in without leaving your face either oily or dry.

Facial Treatment Lotion - It's a great toner and what's even better is that it's ALCOHOL-FREE. You won't feel that dry, tight feeling that you get from other toners that do contain alcohol.

Skin Signature Cream and Eye Cream - By far, the Signature Cream is still my top pick for my daily moisturizer. La Mer couldn't stand a chance with this one, at least for the moisturizer. The texture is light-weight, it's fast-absorbing and a jar could last you probably 6 months or more. On the other hand, the eye cream is good but my under eyes are still having issues so I don't know if it's just my stubborn genes or maybe I just haven't found the eye cream of my dreams. Although maybe lack of sleep contributes a lot to my problematic under eyes..(no shh, Sherlock)

Facial Treatment UV Protection - Think Signature cream but with SPF 25. It's amazing how this cream never lets me down, especially when I travel to Asia. I was out and about in Hong Kong in the scorching heat and I didn't get a hint of sun burn..to think I only applied a pea-size amount all over my face for the whole day.

Cellumination Deep Surge EX - I use this to help tone and prevent my skin from showing my real age. I'm in my last year of my 20's and these pesky dark spots are popping out of nowhere like gophers, except that gophers are annoyingly cute.

I do have good news for the boytoys out there! SK-II just recently launched their skincare line for MEN!

I don't mind Miguel's scruffy face when he skips shaving for two days but it wouldn't hurt to try these out... who knows, it might make him look like Keanu Reeves (A Walk in the Clouds or Speed era). Here's to wishful thinking, anyway.

Image by http://beautiful-pics.org

Hotter than Tabasco sauce. Yes, you are.  

Okay so before I get distracted again by hot boys...

Here's a little background about my skin:

- I have Normal to Dry skin.

- I only get to sleep an average of 6 hours a day.

- I'm not a very healthy eater. Unfortunately, I consume alot of fast food and processed food (I do eat veggies when available..meaning, if someone else is cooking. Ha!)

- I don't take in internal skin supplements. (I think I should really start doing so. I'm pushing 30 and my skin ain't like a baby's bottom no more)

- I have direct contact to sun light around 50 mins. everyday (walking my dog in the morning) with sunscreen.

- I only have facials probably once or twice a year (when I visit the Philippines) or when I get the chance to go to my dermatologist here in LA (costs a leg, an arm and one of my  kidneys)

After about 3.5- 4 years of using SK-II, this is how my face looks like without any trace of make-up, (no Photoshop either)

It's not flawless, no. But it's not bad at all considering the lifestyle that I have. I'm practically finishing this blog at 2:00 AM.. tee-hee! ;p

*Please note that I'm not a dermatologist nor a beauty expert. All the products that I review are from first-hand, personal experience. I do have a lot more amazing products to share and talk about but no matter what brand you use, don't forget to exfoliate at least once a week and remember that you can never use too much SUNCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN! =)

P.S. I get my SK-II stash from Saks Fifth Avenue. http://www.saksfifthavenue.com and they have it available in Bloomingdale's as well. =)

My Father's Daughter

Strict. Intimidating. Passionate. Tough. Relentless. That's how people usually see the man whom I simply call... Dad. I'm 29 years old and I'm not ashamed to say that I still don't mind holding my Dad's hand when we take a stroll at the mall or just lounge around with him on the rare occasion that he gets to sit on the sofa with us, while he flips the channels from one news channel to another. CNN. Fox News. BBC. Oh how I dreaded those channels when I was a teenager. I mean c'mon...so what if they're talking about nuclear warheads in the news? We have to focus on issues that are totally relevant..like how am I going to convince my Dad to convince my Mom to let me go to that birthday party without having the nanny tag along? My parents are experts when it comes to entrapment. Oh yes, you can go but...you have to take the nanny with you. Say Huuuwhhaattt?

My Daddy-yo is a lawyer so he travels a lot. It comes with the territory and I've grown accustomed to it since I was a young, innocent, angelic (just go with it) child. My favorite part was when the world weather report came on and featured the capital cities... I'd ask him if he's been to this city, or that city and he would simply smile and nod to most of them. Move over, Dora. Looks like you got more exploring to do.

Photo from nickjr.com

During the peak of his constant travels, we got into the tradition of dropping off and fetching Dad at the airport and it didn't matter if he was going to be gone for a couple of hours, days or weeks..I'd still be there sitting at the back of the old family van, waiting for him to emerge from the arrival area with his briefcase in one hand and a big, familiar smile on his face.

I can't tell you how many times I used to get owned by Dad when I was younger..you know, that stage when kids would annoyingly ask random questions, every minute of everyday? Dad, why is it called like this? Where does this come from? What does this do? What is it made of? To my surprise, Dad would shoot down my questions with answers one by one.. How the heck does he know these things? Google didn't even exist yet. From then on, there was only one thing to conclude..My dad is a walking encyclopedia.

Photo from britannica.com

Now that I'm older and wiser (like I said, just go with it), I realize that Dad wasn't there to build a tree house for me nor was he there to teach me how to ride a bike. No..he was there to teach me more viable things than that. He taught me to be respectful to others in order to gain respect. He taught me that books are windows of the world,you don't need to travel to learn so much. He showed me that even when you think you own the world, you don't. And when all else fails, pray.

I wish I took care of this picture better. Dad looks like he's got big holes on his trousers. Ha!

Dad never tried to be a friend to me, he was always a father and I'm thankful for that. I needed someone to discipline me and prepare me for what's to come. He's the living proof that good guys and REAL men do really exist. In fact, he's the reason why I'm not a man-hater. Everyday he goes to work, comes home to his wife and kids, has no vices, doesn't go golfing or waste money at the casino's even though most men of his stature do. Despite the fact that he has attained much success in all aspects in his life, he has managed to remain a simple, grounded man. You can imagine my delight when I started dating Miguel and realized that he has a common, if not, similar disposition just like my Dad. Now if only my boyfriend didn't look like a terrorist, then he would have been just like my Dad. Oh well, we can't have it all, can we?

Thank you Dad, for giving me a happy childhood. When I grow up, I want to be just like you..after all, I am my father's daughter! =)

Photo by Jon Tolentino Photography

Happy Father's day to all the Dad's, whether they may be soon-to-be, newbies or the expert Dad's who've been around the block or two! Cheers!

Life's a Beach

While I sit here in my little apartment, my mind usually tends to wander back to the Philippines..to my hometown, Cebu. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a city close to awesome, awesome beaches that my standards are relatively higher than those who aren't frequently exposed to the sandy shores.

I mean, a couple of hours from my town and you get this...

Bantayan Island via http://www.bantayanisland.org

I don't mean to be a snob but sometimes when people brag to me about their recent trip from (insert BLAH beach that they just went to), I sometimes nod in approval but deep down inside..I just want to say Hello? I'm from Cebu. Go figure! *snap* (don't forget the snap, it's crucial)

Our beautiful, white sand beaches all over the Philippines are quite affordable..well, at least most of them. Don't believe me? Ask the locals from Cebu..they are ALWAYS at the beach. Heck, at the rate they're going, I wouldn't be surprised if they develop gills from staying too long in the water.

As Cebu being my number one biased choice, I'd like to explore the rest of the world for the craziest, unbelievable, powdery white sand beaches that this planet has to offer. And since I am allowed to day dream, here are my top picks on the beaches that I would most likely be seen running amok..someday..if I win the lottery.

Pristine white sand beach fronts...clear blue water...secluded islands combined with luxury amenities..

Get ready for your jaws to drop..

Amanpulo Resort, Palawan, Philippines

via www.amanresorts.com

 Shangri-la Villingili Resort, Maldives

via www.shangri-la.com

Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

via www.lwh.com

Constance Lemuria Resort, Seychelles

 

via http://lemuriaresort.constancehotels.com

Whitehaven Beach, Australia

via www.allbestbeaches.com

via www.travelontheworld.com

These beach resorts are so secluded, you wouldn't have to worry about how you'd look like in your teenie bikini or tight speedos...and yes, even with your cottage cheese legs and saggy hiney.

Did you notice that I didn't put any descriptions at all on each resort? There are no words that can do justice! *sniff*

Okay. I need to snap out of it now. My carpet needs serious vacuuming from all that fur that my dog is shedding off and the dishes are piled up higher than the Eiffel tower. Alas, it's back to slavery!

Toodles!

Heart Break Hotel

While engagement announcements, weddings and ultrasound pictures grace my Facebook page daily, there are still some good friends of mine who are currently braving the cold and brutal games of dating. It's actually funny that I sometimes look for the feeling of heart ache once in a while, just to be able to relate to heart break songs. Trust me, before I went off to La La Land with Miguel, I had my own fair share of heart aches and sleepless nights.. staring at the ceiling, wondering if THAT GUY would at least send me a text message. I keep checking my phone just to make sure that I didn't miss the text message alert go off. Sometimes I even think I hear the beep go off but nope, no new message. I wonder when he's gonna text me. Should I text him first or is that going to make me look desperate? Wait. What if I call him, hang up and text him "Oops sorry I think my phone dialled your number by accident" and see if he'll reply. That way, it'll look like I'm NOT DESPERATE. 'Coz I'm not. Right? Right.

I tell my boyfriend about how I strangely sometimes like to humor myself by reminiscing those good ol' days of dating and all that drama, it's like living in a soap opera. Who's chasing who? Love triangles are never exciting enough compared to love quadrangles. One guy likes the other girl who likes another guy who actually likes the girl who's with the guy who's in love with the other girl. WHAT?!

I love how movies like these encourage children to skip school and turn into a vampire instead or  better yet, a wet dog... I mean wolf. Nice.

Oh snaps! She didn't just post a Twilight picture on her blog. Uh-uh. *snap* *snap*

I salute my friends who stay true and vigilant in finding true love despite being left with bruises and battle scars. But for now, let's crank up the volume, spike that juice and use them vocal cords. This one's for the single ladies (and gentlemen) who've been through or are still going through heart aches,who haven't found true love...and for those who have, just shut your pie hole 'coz nobody likes a party pooper sing along anyway. Cheers!

Robyn- Dancing On My Own Sounds so good but it hurts so bad.

Cake- I Will Survive Awesome cover by one of my favorite bands. Originally sung by Gloria Gaynor. This is like the ultimate "dust yourself off" song ever. Non?

One Republic- Apologize Don't you love it when you get the chance to say TOO LATE? Game over, baby! 

Whitney Houston- It's Not Right, But It's Okay..."Don't you dare come running back to me" You tell 'em girl! *snap* Whitney's got the baddest leather dress ever!

Fleming and John - Ugly Girl This song will never get old. Doesn't it make you wanna dress up and strut your stuff around your ex and that ugly girl? Ha!

 

All is fair in love and war..so hit 'em where it hurts.. =) 

Who Wears Short Shorts?

The sudden gush of love is finally over and we're back to serious business. Spring is about to meet it's end and summer is showing off some heat in my side of the world, which brings me to the topic of why I do fear the summer season.

The scorching heat (plus humidity in tropical countries) is the culprit of all things evil. It gets people cranky, sweaty and not to mention, STINKY. Like wow-you-need-to-bathe-in-muriatic-acid-to-get-that-stink-off STINKY. Like did-you-use-garlic-and-onion-and-dog-poop-as-your-deodorant STINKY. I think it's safe to say that you guys kinda get the idea of what level of stink I'm talking about.

Unfortunately, the sweet stench of summer is the least of our problems. Summer brings out the freedom in people. They throw their cares away, put their hair down and just be care-free... but there lies the problem.

Maybe we've had too much for the holidays and never got to burn the lard we consumed but hey! It's hot, it's the summer time and we wanna have fun and show everyone what our mama's gave us. Let's wear some shorts... not only regular shorts... but the shortest shorts to show all that cottage cheese and saggy butt cheeks.

via heatworld.com

Ladies, PLEASE! Por favor! Cheeky shorts is just NOT ATTRACTIVE. This only works with supermodels who have been photoshopped. And while I am on the subject of legs, I myself, am struggling with the fact that I cannot see how the back of my thighs look like. Maybe you've just been sitting too much on the couch and haven't worked out. Maybe you've just been letting yourself go..but that is why we have siblings, boyfriends and bestfriends..to tell us that it's getting a little lumpy on the backside or we are developing what I simply call COTTAGE CHEESE. If you just want to be a  smart ass, it's properly referred to as CELLULITE. Still don't get it? Go to the fridge, get some cottage cheese then put them side by side with your legs and if you can't tell 'em apart then... well...

First thing to do is to not panic, keep calm and put that sour cream-flavored chip down because apparently, that chip is not only going straight to your hiney, it's spreading to your legs too.

Is there a remedy? Yes. Maybe. It might not work for everyone but it did help my legs stay cottage cheese-free.

Bliss Fat Girl Slim Firming Cream

According to Bliss' Fatgirlslim's packaging, it:

• energizes the skin

• stimulates skin surface to firm and contour with caffeine

• visibly reduces the appearance of excess fluid retention in skin layers

I tried this out since it had good reviews and had a decent price as well. I think this product works if you are active enough. It's no miracle cream, it won't do anything if you're not ACTUALLY doing something like leg exercises, etc. If you work out, it'll help you boost and tone whichever area you need that little extra oomph.

If money is not an issue,  here are other toning/smoothing creams that I have tested and they get the job done as well:

Clarins High Definition Body Lift

 

L'Occitane Almond Shaping Delight

Always remember that these products do not permanently solve that cottage cheese problem. They mostly just help lessen the appearance by toning and smoothing the surface of the skin. In short, get your lumpy saggy butt off the couch and walk your dog or play with your kids or run away from a stalker.

*All the products are actually available on Amazon.com. Just click the link on the right side panel of my blog for more info!* (They offer slightly cheaper prices than the regular prices sold in stores)

Don't forget..Cottage cheese belongs to the fridge, not on your thighs!

Now..who's hungry?