An OFW Family's Key to Survival.

Skype: Bridging the distance of 1,627 miles.

How we cope with the homesickness and the loneliness. Thank goodness for Skype. We probably couldn't have make it through without you.



Linking up with BPC, Wordless Wednesdays,  Wednesday Whites, and Thankful Thursdays.

Online Exclusives from BDO!

Shopping online is now more rewarding than ever. Get exclusive perks and privileges when you use your American Express Credit Card or BDO Credit Card in the following websites.

Promo runs until February 29, 2012.

For more details, visit the promo page of BDO's official website.

WWE | It's in the Blood!

Today marked the silver anniversary of the Royal Rumble, one of WWE's biggest pay-per-view events. Twenty five years - the same length of time that I've been hooked to this sport. Or sports entertainment, for that matter.

Photo credit: Bleacher Report

Greatly influenced by my grandfather, who was a huge wrestling fan himself, my siblings and I grew up watching these professional wrestlers battle it out in the squared circle. I hardly missed any of their pay-per-view events, to the point that I'd skip school or take a leave from work just so I could watch. I share the same passion with my cousins, who would even shell out money and go to live events.

California girls Reina and Rachel hamming it up with Hornswoggle.

My London-based cousins, WWE Raw Live Event at the O2 Arena, September 2011.

Reina and Randy Orton at WWE Summerslam, August 2011.

Of course, we collect their merchandise, too.

Woo woo woo in Walthamstow!

They don't come cheap though, since we buy the licensed goods.

My brother with Edge's Limited Edition shirt.

Oh, the profits Mr. McMahon has made from our clan!

Slam cards that I painstakingly collected from 7Eleven. (2007)

That being said, it's no surprise that my little man is part of this madness. I watch Raw and Smackdown religiously, so Yue has also been watching these shows before he could even talk. Now don't chide me about the action and violence issue, because my son watches the telly with parental guidance. I'm a stay-at-home mom, after all. Besides, Yue has learned a lot of neat stuff from WWE - like counting from one to ten, and discerning good from evil. (Trivia: One of Yue's first names is actually Austin, which was taken after Stone Cold Steve Austin. He's my husband's favorite wrestler.)

Also, it's no surprise that my son is a John Cena fanboy, because almost all little wrestling fans are. My only gripe about his choice of wrestler (besides the fact that there are better ones out there like Chris Jericho or my all-time favorite, Bret Hart) is that John Cena's merchandise are the most expensive. See that cap? That costs more than a CM Punk adult shirt! Cena = cash cow, haha!

Birthday photoshoot, November 2011.

He loves Cena so much that we even had him as the main concept of his third birthday photoshoot. So don't you dare say bad things about Mister Fruity Pebbles in front of the little man. Unless you want to see him get  all worked up.

Kudos to Moren and the staff of Studio Photographia for always doing a wonderful job on Yue's annual photoshoot.

And in case you wanna know, Sheamus won this year's Royal Rumble match. Now it's only a matter of time before Wrestlemania - the grandest stage of them all. Woo woo woo, you know it!

Linking up with BPC, Blue Monday, and Rednesday!

Ohh, Baby Baby Giveaway Hop | Open for Signups!

Ohh, Baby, Baby Giveaway Hop sponsored by The Shopping Duck is taking signups now. This blog hop event will take place from April 1, 2012 to April 15, 2012. Come join the fun!

There are two ways to join:

FREE – Post about the giveaway hop on your blog using this button, and the text mentioned at the beginning of this blog entry.

$5 Grand Prize Fee – send $5 to ebay@losito.net via paypal. You can then choose one social media option to be included in the grand prize giveaway. This will be listed in The Shopping Duck's blog.

Take note of the following:

Dates of event: April 1 12:01 PM EST to April 15 at 12:01 PM EST (All links must be posted by 10 AM on April 1st. All other links posted after the said time will not be included.)

Minimum Prize: $25 – (Special mention for prizes worth more than $50.)

This giveaway hop is for baby, maternity, and related products. 

Link up here once you've blogged about the giveaway, or have sent the joining fee. All emails about the event will come from cecilepryor@yahoo.com. Sign-ups will close on March 20, 2012.

Project BB Cream, Beauty Haul, and No Makeup Look.

My fascination for anything Korean has gone beyond watching dramas and listening to Super Junior. It has now invaded even my vanity kit and train case.

The shopping bug bit me last week, and I went on a frenzy at eBay. These arrived on my doorstep the other day.

Skin Food!

If you can recall from my previous posts, I have developed an addiction to face masks and mud packs. And my makeup ritual is in need of a primer.

Masks and primers.

I've also been obsessing about my eyebags and dark undereyes, which look horrendous - thanks to my incurable insomnia and those addicting Kdramas.

Etude is Love!

I'm hooked to BB creams, too. I call them my wonder worker, because of the miracles they do for my skin and my abominable eyebags. I challenged myself to test as many BB creams as I can, until I find the one that would suit me best. And for the sake of beauty blogging, too. Really now, which makeup junkie won't go gaga over this breakthrough product?

An assortment of BB creams! I smile just looking at them.

And I finally got my hands on this.

By golly, Tony Moly!

I've been wanting to try this product for the longest time, mostly because of Kim Hyun Joong. Haha! He used to be a Tony Moly endorser; now he's the pretty boy of The Face Shop.

Excited to play with my new toys, I tried out some of them yesterday.

Fresh from the shower, absolutely no makeup.

See what I told you about the eyebags? Blame Lee Jun Ki, whose name appears on every other entry in my blog, haha. I chose the Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream first.

Photo credit: Missha.net

I actually bought two variants of this, the shade #21 and shade #23. I went for shade #21 in this photo.

BB cream on my face. Just BB cream. :)

I'm amazed at how a tiny drop of the Missha M could go a long away. I squeezed out just a few teeny drops from the sampler and voila - medium to full coverage! It has a nice, mild scent to it, too. (I'd be deterred to use it if it smelled funky.) I also love its dewy finish, and how it gave my skin a nice glow. It gets even better once it has set on your face. After a few hours of wearing, it didn't cake, nor did it break out. 

FYI, I have sensitive skin. My face is not usually dry and flaky though, unlike most people with sensitive skin. Mine is supple, but looks very flimsy - like an onion. (Trivia: I skipped regular CAT in high school and went on light duty instead because of my skin. My fellow LD cadets would call me 'Powder' - as in the movie character - because of that.) And that is why I love this BB cream all the more - it's hypoallergenic! Pure organic ingredients, paraben-free, non-chemical, mineral oil-free, GMO-free, triclosan-free, benzophenone free and alcohol-free - whoa, beat that!

Now using it with the Tony Tint and the Avon Lip Gloss that I purchased just recently, I got this effect.

Hardly any makeup look!

I'm so pleased with the Tony Tint! I got the #1 Cherry Pink, which is just the right shade of pink for me. With the right blending, a tiny dab of the doe foot applicator can give your cheek a really nice blush. This has got to be the best liquid blush I have ever used.

As for the lip gloss, well, you know I'm not a fan of lip gloss per se. The Avon lip gloss barely gave color when I spread it on my lips, considering how pink its container looked. But it works fine when you're aiming for the no makeup effect. 

Swatches from L-R: Missha M Signature Complete BB Cream # 21, Tony Moly Tint #1 Cherry Pink, Avon Lip Gloss in Tangerine Sparkles.

Would I consider getting the Missha M in its regular size? I might, since it worked great on my skin. And I don't mind if its just SPF 25, since I don't go out in the sun too often.

What would deter me from buying it? The price, perhaps. A 45g tube costs a whopping Php 1,400! That's almost double the price of my favorite Etude House Precious Minerals BB cream, and almost four times the price of my Avon Healthy Minerals BB cream. And if you're wary of the SPF properties, there are other cheaper brands that have higher SPF. (Laneige has SPF 40, while Skin79 has SPF 50 BB creams.)

I still have a few more BB Creams to try, so I'll make the final verdict once I've experienced them all. Of course, I'll be chronicling them all here. And in case you're wondering, I bought all of these from bhappywithme. :)

Sharing with BPC and Yellow Monday. :)

Project | Jung Il Woo.

I'm finally done with my Project Lee Jun Ki! Yay! I can move on to another actor and a new drama!

This time I'm doing Jung Il Woo. I've seen him first in 49 Days, where he played the role of the Scheduler. He characterized this role with much pizzazz, thus landing him a spot in my favorite Korean actors list. I watched My Fair Lady next, but I wasn't too impressed with his acting in that drama. Because actually, that drama remains to be the worst I have seen so far. (It breaks my heart saying this because I'm a Yoon Eun Hye fan.)

Flower Boy!

Now I'm working on Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, his starrer from 2011. I've mentioned in a previous post about the rave reviews this drama has received. As far as the first episode goes (I watched it just moments ago), I'm off to a good start. Looks like Flower Boy Ramyun Shop will not disappoint me, even if the plot seems a tad cheesy. After all the suspense I've had with Hero, a sappy feel-good plot sounds good to me.

And I don't mind all the winking and smirking that Jung Il Woo does here. He's got the face to back it up, after all.

Linking here.

Macro (and Bokeh) is Love!

Seems like each time I look at our garden, there's always something new, something pretty, and something picture-worthy going on.

Today I found these pretty little things.

Pretty in purple!

I'm not sure what they're called, but their butterfly-shaped leaves were simply amazing.

Profile shot. :)

And they make for a great bokeh, too, considering I'm using a point-and-shoot.

Butterfly bokeh!

Take two.

Bokeh fun!

Now for a fancy focus.

:)

And I just had to squeeze this in, just because.

On Yue: Ben10 shirt from BHS, Plaid shorts from Old Navy, Spiderman sneakers by Reebok.

Linking up with i Heart Macro, Purple Saturdays, Kids' Style, Scenic Sunday, Oh Snap! and Weekend Flowers. Happy weekend everyone!

Hey, He's Mr. Simple!

After almost two months of sporting the Leeteuk hair, I've decided it was time for Yue to have his hair styled anew. So last Tuesday, we made a beeline to the barber shop before heading to the mall.

Snip snip snip!

Yue has always been this well-behaved whenever he gets his hair done - no wailing, no screaming, no temper tantrums. Which is why Manong Barbero (Mister Barber) is really fond of my little man.

I showed the barber this photo - the basis of Yue's next hairstyle.

Captain Choi!

It's Siwon, alright. From one Super Junior to another. LOL.

Mallrat with his new haircut.

I think Manong Barbero did a great job with Yue's hair.

Oh, that funny face!

Now we're both pogi (handsome) again - in a Kpop kinda way. Haha!
I wonder what Lee Jun Ki's hair will look like once he makes his comeback. And yes, you're sensing it right. That'll be Yue's next hairstyle. :)

Linking this up with Mommy Moments, PhotoStory Friday, and InstaFriday. :)

Foodie Goodie | Pork Teriyaki.

Because I spent most of the morning doing the laundry and cleaning the house, lunch was served a bit late today.

Pork Teriyaki + Steamed Rice.

Yue loved what I cooked, so I guess it was worth the wait. :)

Zoom in for a closer look.

The teriyaki strips were sauteed in butter, garnished with onions, carrots, bean sprouts, and bell pepper, then seasoned with oyster sauce.

Sharing the munchies on Food Trip Friday, where my entry from last week is currently being featured. Thanks, FTF! Also linking this up on Food Friday and Yummy Sunday. Happy weekend eating everyone!

Haul | Pretty Pinks from Avon.

I paid a visit to the Avon outlet in our area the other day - something I usually do at least twice a month. And because there are a lot of great buys in this month's catalog, I didn't leave the store empty-handed.

Latest Avon haul.

Being an Avon Franchise Dealer (aka Avon lady) sure has its perks. For one, you get to try their latest products before they're made available to the public.

Strawberry and White Chocolate Lotion and Shower Gel.

The Strawberry and White Chocolate variant is the latest addition to the Avon Naturals line. They're also included in this month's Advanced Try Me Offers, giving FDs a chance to stock up on items before they appear on the next catalog. The lotion and shower gel are priced at Php 99 each or Php 189 if you get two. Next month, they'll be priced at Php 109 each or Php 199 for any two.

I'm a sucker for anything strawberry or chocolate, so I'm totally sold with this product. The lotion is lightweight, not sticky nor greasy, and gentle on the skin. Same goes for the shower gel, which doesn't leave the skin dry. I love the sweet, yummy scent most of all, and how it lingers on your skin for hours. (Quick tip: Layer your scent so they'll last longer on you! Use a shower gel, lotion, and - if possible - a perfume of the same product line.)

Avon Style Essentials - the logo and packaging is just so posh.

Another new item is the Colored Eyelash Curler, which is part of the revamped Avon Style Essentials line. The curler is currently on sale at Php 89 (actual price of Php 179), with any purchase of Avon Style or Simply Pretty product featured on the catalog. And that's the reason why those two items are pictured together. I bought that lip gloss just so I can get the eyelash curler.

Pretty in pink eyelash curler!

And I got that eyelash curler just because it's cute. It's made of steel and the handles are made of plastic. Nothing too exceptional about it, except the fact that they look pretty. Heck, even the box is reeking of prettiness.

Simply Pretty Shiny Liquid Lipgloss.

If you've noticed from my FOTD posts, I don't use lip gloss that much. Check my train case and you'll see that I own just one lip gloss, the MAC Clear Lip Gel. This Avon lip gloss now makes two.

Tangerine Sparkles.

I didn't even give much thought when I chose this color. I just chose the one which doesn't look too light or too dark, then headed straight for the checkout counter.  I'm not sure why, but I'm not really comfortable wearing lip gloss. They feel heavy and icky on my lips - like I'm wearing molasses or something.

And they call this tangerine.

Did this Php115 lip gloss made me think otherwise? Not really. I'd rather have the conventional lipstick, thank you very much.

Now another advantage of being an Avon FD is the discounts. (This is the profitable part of being an Avon lady. If you take this business opportunity seriously, it could be very lucrative.) That's less 25% on all purchases, including sale items. This haul barely cost me Php300. 

And the best part? It's on credit. I can pay for this next month! So if you're itching for some makeup fix but budget is tight, then Avon is the way to go. Just don't forget to settle your balance on or before the due date as there are penalties for late payments. Now lemme mark that on my planner. :)

Sharing this post with This or That Thursday, Pink Fridays, Pink Saturdays, and Blog Photo Challenge. :)