I couldn’t think of a better title but after posting my skincare routine, I was asked to try a line of whitening products in exchange for a promotion or a review. I politely declined. For the record, I have nothing against whitening products and people who want to whiten their skin. Do whatever makes you happy.

As for me, I've already seen myself in my ghostly form. All thanks to my mom's phone that seem to shoot photos with a hundred layers of filters on by default.


But nah.

I still prefer my brown skin color over white for 2 reasons:

1. It is less prone to early signs of aging and cancer;
2. Home-based workers do not take baths daily, so having a brown skin is an advantage because dirt wouldn't be noticeable.

Of course, I'm kidding about the second.

Or maybe not.

#SunKissedPaRinMgaUlol

I am getting addicted to boots.

I find this funny, ridiculous, and stupid because I am living in a hot, humid, tropical country where boots are an abomination. And I got 3 pairs!

But before you raise an eyebrow on me for having 3 freakin' pairs that is more useless than a white crayon, let me tell you how it started.

I bought my first pair because I needed one for a Farm-themed party.

I got these ankle boots on sale for P899 (from P1,899). To save this from becoming a single-wear item like how most boots tend to be, I used this in my travels to Taiwan and Japan. It is not as comfy as any of my sneakers (duh), but it does not hurt my feet and that is important. It does well in long walks. The only thing that makes me want to take it off is the annoying tapping sound it makes everytime I walk.

Same shoes, different ways of styling.

My second pair is a brown lace-up boots. I got this online for only P500 (a Korean product, seller says). I expect nothing much with that price. I really didn't care if it's sturdy or not. All I wanted was to look legit in a Safari-themed party. It certainly did not disappoint and I loved it.

So I brought this to Japan with me because I thought this would be great for a 10°C weather (with my black boots as a backup just in case it falls apart). I wore it on concrete, dirt, rain, and snow. I walked for at least 60,000 steps for a few days with it. It kept my feet warm and surprisingly, it held up. It is even comfier than my store-bought ankle boots.

In Kyoto.

While I am all for high-quality shoes (read: expensive), this made me realize that sometimes, cheap is okay as long as it does NOT compromise comfort and durability. Lucky I got one because such is a rarity in life. (But I'll get my feet on those cherry red Docs someday.)

My third pair was bought not because I needed it. There were no events nor themed parties to attend to. I just find it really cute.
I bought this online for only P450. It is not as comfy as the lace-up boots but changing the inner sole with a softer foam that comes with a good support (from my old, unused shoes) did the trick. Will this hold up? I don’t know. But from the looks of it, it might. I really love the style and I plan to use this on my next out-of-the-country, fall season trip.

I think my love for boots was born out of my desire to travel to non-tropical countries. In case you haven't noticed, my boots are getting higher and higher. You know what's probably next? Knee-high boots. Talagang di na keri ng weather dito. But heck! Dahil dyan, pagsisikapan naming makakapunta sa Europe! What a motivation. Haha. Well, I think it goes the same for women who buy clothes that are a tad smaller to motivate them to lose weight. How about you? What motivates you to travel?

I just wish I have the makeup artist skills so I can transform my face into something better and more tolerable to look at every time I get fed up with my face that's as bland as the miso soup I made so I can leave my hair alone. Because, well, haircuts cannot be undone.

You know how I get perpetually bored with my looks that I would cut my hair on my own from time to time.

Don't try this at home. Scissors should always be below the fingers, not over.

I did it again and apparently screwed it up again.

If a hairstylist did this, I could sue. But since I brought the murder upon myself, I could only grieve.

In college, I learned about the 5 stages of grief. We go through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance to learn to live with the one we lost. But grief is not really on my mind. If anything, it could only be this:

Cutting your bangs has only one stage. And that is REGRET. Utter regret.

Come on, vamanos! Everybody, let's go!

Not only because it sucks but because, damn! I have to deal with these vengeful and murderous bangs again when they constantly poke my eyes and render me blind. And oh, don't even get me started with the strands grouping themselves when you sweat, leaving an awkward empty space at the middle of my forehead. Or the possible forehead breakout. Or looking like a Koreanang hilaw or worse, like Dora. Yes, words of regret you read right there.

When will you ever learn, Sarah?

At least, I look cute here.

The last time my name was printed on a local newspaper was in high school (about 16 years ago) when my football team won against a college team and the two scorers' names were mentioned. That was a huge deal back then.

Source: SunStar Davao

We still have a little more than three weeks before our next out-of-the-country trip and I've already packed. Excited? Yes! And that is an understatement. In fact, I am too excited that I almost forgot I'm in the middle of wedding preparations that I left everything on pause since we got our visas approved. Hashtag that, priorities. Duh.

Packing semi-winter clothes for a first day of spring trip.

Just so you know, I used to pack a day or two before the trip. I took pride of my light packing skills. I can fit everything I need for a 4-day trip in a small backpack. But now? I have to ask Jan to get us a check-in baggage because all my clothes won't fit in a medium-sized luggage.

Yes, I have unfortunately gone to the dark side.

You see, I am more excited about my outfits than our first snow experience. Okay, I'm kidding. But I have prepared and thought about my OOTDs thoroughly more than our itinerary. I wouldn't even be too sure if I can slay sh*t. But it doesn't matter because I am really really really loving the process of learning how to dress better and creatively.

Now I understand why my friends pack too much for an overnight trip. Nothing feels more liberating than being able to express myself through style (with a breathtaking scenery on the background to boot).

I wouldn't call myself a fashionista. I am, however, slowly discovering my style. I thought I was already confident because I can drag myself to the mall even when I totally look like a hobo. But I realized that I am more confident now that I've gone out of my comfort zone—trying to slay outfits I have only secretly wished to wear. And honestly, it does make me feel so much better.

Jan and I went shopping for down jackets at Uniqlo yesterday. We were quite pleased that they got almost everything on sale.

He scored an ultralight down jacket for only P1,990. Not bad, I must say. And he was quick to shop. Unlike me, I was torn between colors that it took me quite some time to choose. Picture this, if we were in the battlefield, Jan already got his target acquired with a sniper and his finger on the trigger. I, on the other hand, will be killed before I even got to choose what weapon to use (mind you, by standards, I shop faster than 90% of girls).

The women's jackets were also down to only P1,490. But I never really thought both excitement and frustration can occur to me at the same time. While almost everything was on sale, the jacket that came in my favorite color was still tagged at a regular price (P3,490). Bummer.

There's no way I'm going to buy a 3k worth of item that I could use probably once or twice in every two years. I was about to settle halfheartedly for the cute red one (don't get me wrong, I love red) when I, like any other female, hopped from one rack to another at the risk of buying more things I don't apparently need.

And I'm glad I did.

I found the same jacket in my favorite color at the kid's section for only P990!


Yes, folks. It's definitely a steal. It does pay off to fine-comb every rack inside the store sometimes (Jan should take this as a hint that from now on, shopping may take a little more time than they used to). I was on a roll that I also bought two HeatTech long sleeves for only P290 each (this is worth P790-990 at the women's section).

I am so happy with my purchases. Everything fits me well. Jan paid more with his down jacket than my jacket and two thermals combined. Tikasan (cheat) was all he could utter. Haha!

I took a day off from work last Monday so I could dedicate my day for the visa and wedding preparations. What I planned was to get my PSA birth certificate (BC) in the morning and meet with our coordinator and photographer in the afternoon.

Three of my friends told me it only took them two to three hours to get their certificates at PSA. So I took the shot of getting the BC myself since it's also the cheapest way. I only had three things on my to-do list, I figured I can still do some shopping for crafting materials since I have the entire day for myself.

Unnecessary and irrelevant, no filter but with good lighting selfie. Also, shameless plugging because I'm getting lots of compliments about my skin lately. Thanks to MySkin Origins!

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. It took me the entire day to get a BC, not to mention, 30 minutes was wasted driving around just to look for a parking spot. The entire PSA ordeal drained my battery and mobile data, all the positive energy in me, and brought my productivity down to -100.

I postponed the meeting with the photographer. I finished the meeting with the coordinator at half past 8pm. Which means, I haven't eaten my dinner yet. The last decent meal I had—an instant cup noodles—was at 2pm. Hunger and exhaustion do not really go well together. I was definitely pissed off and muttering angrily to myself (why I hesitated to pay extra because I could've done it online and I've done it a number of times already, and why I had to do it on a Monday) didn’t help at all.

Thankfully, that was the worst of it.

(Lesson learned. Next time, pay for the convenience and do all transactions online as much as possible)

I talked with Jan over the phone the entire time on my way home (although I was quiet most of the time). I can sense that he was careful not to piss me off further but honestly, I was already feeling a little better the moment I heard his voice, I was just being extra dramatic just because. Haha.

Plus, the meeting with our coordinator/decorator went well and I'm pretty excited about it. I just told her what I had in mind, showed her a photo or two, and she proposed me her ideas—which is exactly what I wanted.

I was pissed off and exhausted but the wedding plans simply got me stoked. And I hope all this planning will remain smooth until the big day.

Well, that's all for now. Life hasn't really been that exciting. But I have few DIY wedding projects and I'm excited to share it with you. Have a great weekend everyone!

I got hives and the itch is really killing me. But I'd take the hives any day than spend 15 minutes in Facebook where my blood pressure can shoot up to an alarming level from all those political posts on my feed today.

But before the hypertension turns into brain cancer because I can't seem to get myself off Facebook, I'll share with you the weekend that has really been crazy.

I was invited to a La Germania roadshow last Saturday and in the middle of our activity, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook our city. The event had to be discontinued and we were all asked to evacuate the mall.

Since Jan and I parked our car at the basement, we had to wait outside until everything is cleared and safe.

Para walang badtrip, magpicture-picture!

We waited two hours before we were able to get our car. It was too humid and we're hungry. And just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, heavy rain started to pour accompanied by lightning and thunder, followed by flood causing heavy traffic anywhere in downtown. Not to mention, a minor fire incident happened inside the mall just a few minutes after we left.

Hello everyone! I haven’t updated in two weeks, which is not very like me. I've attempted to write sensible and relevant entries twice and on both times, I didn't get to hit the Publish button. None of it was good enough. I try to balance my entries between relevant and nonsensical write ups. But I'm on a writing slump.

So maybe today, I'll just talk about my short hair because blogging about things that do not help the society in any way sure as hell beats scrolling down Facebook aimlessly for hours (I'll leave Facebook one day and move to Reddit, I promise).

I was born with a naturally straight, super fine, no volume hair. And for three years, I've been cutting my own hair because it didn't matter if I looked shaggy or not. Sometimes, I wish I had that grunge hair or I can pull off that messy bun. But my hair simply just untangles and tames itself before I could even say "comb".

I never really had a bad hair day until I saw this:


Not that I have a problem with this except, it does look like I just got out of bed. Unless someone smells me (which I know you wouldn't lest you want a surprise punch from me) and realize I don't smell funky at all, one would think I have not even bothered to take the shower. I never really thought this is how my hair looks from behind because it's pretty from the front, see?

This entry was supposed to be for the color run I was too excited about, but that didn't happen. And that's not even the worst part yet. There was a bit of lashing from disappointed and frustrated participants and we, the bloggers who promoted the event, were somehow caught in the crossfire. I would have loved to talk shit about it since my pre-event post has convinced a fair few people to join. But as a courtesy, I'm keeping my mouth shut until the organizer issues a public official statement - to which as of this writing is still zero, zilch, zip, nada!

This is why I preferred keeping this blog clean from sponsors and ads. Somehow I took the bait and now I feel a little pressured to consistently update this blog with POSITIVE content. I definitely miss those times when I had tons of shit to say without feeling a single ounce of guilt or worry. But right now, that's not going to happen.

So before this entry turns into a pretty useless rant, I think I'll just share a pretty useless outfit post.


I was invited to the Preview and Book Launching of the Belgium Exhibit of famed Davao artist Victor Secuya at Waterfront Insular Hotel. Dress code was smart casual. I decided to look a bit mature and went for neutral colors (mostly black) since the event was at night.

What I wore: Bottom, ukay-ukay Php 40 | Top, bought online, Php 79 | Footwear, some Korean brand | Bag, Parisian (gift from the mom)

I'm beginning to like mixin-n-matchin outifts. I never really thought about it as an art until my creativity was challenged to make do with what I can draw from my closet. And since I'm fairly new to this, expect nothing but basics.

That's it for now. I think I did a good job on pulling off a smart casual look on a budget, didn't I? Well, I don't know what is worse, not being able to rant about shit or me joining the bandwagon and losing the battle against outfit posts.

Anyway, I might be under stress lately (be it good or bad), but I have exciting things to look forward to this weekend. My friend's out-of-town wedding, for example.

See ya!

It's my birthday and I plan on not doing anything today. Blogging is not even on today's agenda but I feel a dire need to share this because I have never looked this good.

This app is crazy.

But of course, you know what's really underneath the filter.

Back then, I thought duck faces were the worst thing that could ever happen on the internet, until the dog filters got out of hand. If I ever I saw you on the internet with a cat or puppy ears, you were automatically sorted into Class B Attention Whore category (Class A is for those who show boobies captioned with deep, irrelevant quotes).

There were no exceptions about it. Even my friends were not spared from my silent but brutal judgement (I told you, I can be a jerk sometimes). And sadly, most of the people I judged too quickly are actual attention whores.

But it wasn't until yesterday when I started doing the unimaginable. I hopped in to the bandwagon, downloaded Pitu and voila! Cat ears, boobies, duck face, 12 layers of filter that will deem you unrecognizable, and some random quote from the internet written in Comic Sans? You got yourself a Class S Attention Whore:

What you see...

Geez, I should stop judging people by what they put online because I eventually turn into one of them.

P.S. I'm a year older and no Fs will be given to whatever shit thrown at me today. Also, the internet is full of idiots, attention-whores, and lies. Stay away from it.

...is not what you always get.

"Miss, may bigger size kayo nito?"

"Ilang taon po ang susuot, maam?"

"10."

I lied.

The shirt was for me.


I can't believe that I'd still fit in kiddie sizes. I'm 5'3" with a 34 bust and 25-27 waistline (depends on how many dishes of baba ganoush I've eaten). I wish I have known about this years ago. Kids' clothes nowadays do not necessarily scream "for kids only"- you know, all that glitter and tacky stuff. In fact, some are way cooler than adults'. And the best thing about it? You get it half the price its adult counterpart.

Go ahead and poke fun. Kids' clothes are now welcome in my closet because my lame ass is broke. And the next time you see me browsing through the children's section, don't think it's for my son.

Me right now. (Image via tumblr)

One thing I hate about driving is getting through traffic. So I rely on music to stretch my patience and keep my cool. Right now, if there's one thing I get excited about driving, it's going to be this:

 

90s boy bands on my playlist FTW!

I'm afraid the regulars that have been on my playlist since forever  - you know, Queen, Keane, Air Supply, Mr. Big, Better Than Ezra, Blind Melon, Gin Blossoms, Tonic, even Jack Johnson, and all other bands that are "cool" ('cause I'm pa-cool like that) - will have to take the backseat until I get over this recurring jologs phase. And I say that with no shame. But until then, Jan will have to survive the torment of being ear-raped every time my jams come on. Haha!

My 3rd year high school Math teacher forced me to join our school's Math Olympics for two reasons:

1. I detest Math and/because I'm bad at it.
2. And he knows it.

Right after the competition, when I went up the stage, the faculty head who pinned the gold medal on me uttered, "Congratulations, future Engineer!"

Found this little devil while cleaning earlier.

I gave a wide grin like I really am going to be a future Engineer and replied, "Thank you". Well, after the competition and all the pressure I had to go through, I concluded that Math is evil and I'm never going to be an engineer.

But I'm not going to talk to you about my glorious days in high school because actually and academically, I only had one - and this was it (I was better with the extra-curricular activities). But what I'm trying to say is (even though I'm also subtly bragging para ingnon brayt), I can put my heart and soul into something and pretend to be really good at it. For a moment there, everybody thought I was really into Math.

But I'll never be into Math. I'll never be good at Math. But I love counting my money.

You know what's funny?

It's when you know you can write a 2-page, single-spaced in-depth analysis of the space-time continuum with your eyes closed but you have to turn to Google to help you compose a single line on how to accept an invitation.

This is not my first time to be invited to such events.

Other details were cropped out.

I spent around 30 minutes staring at the blinking cursor not knowing how to reply. Unless you're writing an incident report or a perfect "sick" leave excuse, then that's a ridiculous amount of time to spend to come up with a better way to say, Yes, I'm going.

I think it has something to do with social withdrawal. Being isolated cracks me up sometimes. I may have forgotten how to talk to humans that I had to ask Google how to do it properly to make sure I'm not replying with a caveman language.

You see, I haven’t seen the daylight lately. I've withdrawn myself from going out, karaoke nights, hohols, group outings, or any non-virtual social interaction that requires eating out or chipping in. I spent my days butt-glued on my seat, scrolling my way deeper and deeper into Facebook, reading every detail of my friends' personal lives - from their most ordinary to the most intimate to their deepest darkest secrets to the things you wish you could unsee. It's all in there, you know. It sounds pathetic, but at least, it gives me an eye-rolling entertainment to get me through the day without a single cent spent.

No milkteas until wallet has been replenished.

Soon you'll understand why I've been penny-pinching this whole time. I wish I could fast forward the days to my birthday. But for now, I'll keep myself butt-glued and just dream about finishing all the laundry that has been piling up since two weeks ago.

Sigh. Some dreams don't come true, do they?

I know it's totally against my character to watch sloppy action-fantasy shows but I can't believe I have finished two seasons of Shadowhunters in two days which just shows what a big loser I am. I know it's quite a bummer but at least it frees up some of - what I'd like to believe - my unproductive time.

Well, I am never really a TV or movie person. So you could easily say that I don’t have the best taste when it comes to motion picture or anything in general. In fact, my preferences go from being too cliche to too corny to too mainstream. My all-time favorite movie? Mean Girls. My all-time favorite band? Backstreet Boys. My all-time favorite series? Riverdale.

Okay, I'm kidding about Riverdale. Seriously, kids having adult problems trying to solve town murders isn't exactly binge-worthy. But with Cole Sprouse a.k.a. Jughead in tow, that was enough to make me look forward to new episodes on Netflix.

Anyway, I am not here to talk about my guilty pleasures. But on a second thought, there's really nothing to talk about. I am too broke to go out and do something exciting. I'm afraid I'm going to sink so low to be updating this blog with something as mundane as what I've watched today. But until the next pay day (which is approximately 20 days from now), I'll try to keep this blog alive even if it's going to draw the loser out of me.

Here's an irrelevant photo to make this post interesting.

I wear lipsticks now just so I won't be mistaken as a boy. I guess, I should blog about this too.

P.S. If you're considering about watching Shadowhunters, don't. It sucks. Or at least pretend you didn't hear from me.

Yesterday, I took Bill to the casa* for a PMS and I remember having this kind of conversation with a friend:




For the benefit of my non-Bisaya friends/readers, here's how the conversation goes:

Her: Have you left Meek? I'm PMSing.
Me: I'll leave in a few. Is the casa still open at this time?
Her: Wait, I'll be back. Casa? What casa?
Me: What PMS? I thought you were referring to PMS, like, in a car. Preventive Maintenance Schedule? Or is that a girl thing?
Her: Hahaha. I'm on my period.

And that, my friend, is the 87th reason why I really think I'm not a woman.

Bill getting ready for new adventures!

*casa - where car dealers actually make more money than selling cars. Also a "talyer", but five times more costly.


Anyway, if you're in Davao and looking for a space to work or study, you can never go wrong with Meek Coworking Cafe.

How many hair disasters will it take for me to stop messing with my hair?
This is Bogart. She's a terrier mix. And yes, Bogart's a she. Her hair is all over and it covers her eyes. If her hooman, Jan, does not cut the hair around her eyes, she cannot see. Or at least, that's what we think.

I've seen quite a number of posts from different bloggers where they show contents of their bag. I got intrigued with my own and decided to spill goo too. And also, this was suggested by a dear reader. :)

I know I've been yapping non-stop about Bill. Well, this is my blog and I will write whatever the hell I want to write since I don't have the nerve to speak elsewhere. You see, I've never posted about Bill on social media. Nobody else on my friends list, aside from a few close friends and those who have actually seen me, knows about Bill.

You see, in social media, everybody can inadvertently see what you have posted. But if you blog, nobody knows what you're up to until they visit and actually read your blog. Here, you enter at your own risk. If my stories get me loyal readers, great! I really appreciate that. If it loses me readers and rakes in haters, I'm not really concerned.

So if anybody thinks nagmamayabang ako, well, you are right about that. I really am, but not with the intention of making anyone jealous. This is one part of my life that I want to document. This blog exists for me. If that makes you feel bitter or if you are bothered about that, there's nothing I can do for you, buddy. You are free to stay away from this blog dahil baka masasaktan ka lang. Dahil magyayabang at magyayabang ako dito hanggang sa may ipagmamayabang ako.

Anyway, ayan o, baka sakaling gumaan ang pakiramdam mo. Wala pang 2 months, nadamage ko na. And I bet, there would be more to come. Haha.