Curbside Stories

Photo from yahoo.com. After 36 years, the curse has finally broken and the Philippines finally won the blue crown. The first ever Filipina to win Miss World is Megan Young, the 23-year old actress and model from Pampanga. She bested Miss France (First Runner-up) and Miss Ghana (Second Runner-up) and the other 123 candidates today in Indonesia. This is one momentous event for the Philippines. Everyone is proud right now just knowing that the beauty, talent and intelligence of a fellow Filipino was recognized internationally. Congratulations, Megan Lynne Young!

Honestly, what do you think of this photo? I took this photo earlier this day from a photo shoot for an upcoming advertisement using my iPhone 4S. The photo that will be used for the actual advertisement was shot by a professional photographer. I showed this to him because this is the shot that I want for the advertisement. This photo makes me want to buy a DSLR... Do you think I will have a career in photography?

I have a new manicure that is perfect for summer. I rarely wear nail color but since I am on vacation for 5 days, it wouldn't hurt trying on one. It is 32 degrees outside and all I could think of is having an ice cold drink.  Got my bangs back. 

After my much needed whole body massage yesterday, I went to Nail-A-Holics Nail Salon and Spa to give my feet a little pampering they deserve.  I was impressed at how the salon looked. It was my first time to go to the place but the moment I walked inside, I immediately felt at-home. The ambiance is perfect for a brief relaxation experience. The walls were painted with turquoise accented by white, green and brown... pretty much like your are staying inside a house overlooking the beach. There is also a mural of the beach to complete the feel. The very friendly and courteous lady who cleaned my feet. I actually didn't feel ticklish. I chose to have Water Drift Spa Pedicure. As soon as I was seated on their couch, a lady handed me three pillows for me to comfortably sit as if the couch wasn't comfortable enough. And then I was offered fashion magazines--which I enjoyed reading--to keep me busy while waiting for the whole process to end. A basket full of...

I need not go to Chicago to have my hair blown by the wind. Where I am right now is enough for me to experience the wind. It has always been like this in the Philippines when the snow from other parts of the world starts to melt and the Northeast monsoon gushes towards the Southeast. If I could no longer bear to shower directly from the shower head, it is already a sign that I should stock up on products with moisturizers and thick clothes to keep me warm and moisturized 24/7. A lip balm to lock in moisture thus preventing chapped lips. Burt's Bees nourishing lip balm , $2.99 at Small Flower. If you look pale without lipstick, here is Lip Fusion  Balm by Fusion Beauty . It will give your lips color and then moisturize it up to 6,000% if you use it continuously for 4 weeks. That's a lot of moisture! Get this at Beauty.com for $22. The face needs as much moisturizing as the lips. Try this Sephora instant moisturizer , $20 at Sephora. This has HydroSenn+ that not only...

I will turn a year older in just a few weeks and I am already making plans on how to celebrate it. My initial plan is to celebrate my son's birthday on my birthday since his falls on a weekday and mine is on a weekend. I am excited already. I am not going to have a big bash, I just wanted to celebrate it with my loved ones. And since it is my birthday, I think I deserve to at least make my very own birthday wishlist. I love reading books and one of the books I would like to have is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series . I went to the bookstore yesterday but they do not have a stock. So, hopefully before this month ends, I can get my very own copy. You see, I would like to go back to being a child every once in a while. =) This is a weird item to have on a birthday but I love to cook so if I get a new cookware set , it would be highly appreciated. Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue is my most favorite perfume of all time. A refill would be nice. Haha! I have been using ...

I had a day of pampering and I love it! I think I should do it more often. I left the house at around 1PM after my Aunt took my son to their house to be a nanny for a day. I left 30 minutes after.  My hair before the liberating and much needed hair cut. It is dryer than the Sahara. It was not my plan initially to pamper myself from head to foot, I only planned to have a haircut. But, the moment I sat on the salon chair and a salon assistant gave me a back massage while waiting for the stylist, I said to myself I need to have a good body massage.  I am wearing my favorite cropped pants. The salon has a comfy chair, I can sit on it all day . The stylist snipped 6 inches of my hair... it was a liberating moment for me. Imagine having to dry my waist long hair each day... tedious! I could not understand why some people cry over cutting their hair short. Anyway, after 30 minutes of sitting in the salon, the stylist said I am good to go. My hair is still long but has laye...

This week's office Kris Kringle is something sticky.  I haven't done shopping yet but I am eying these items as possible gift for my Monita. Sephora Apple Pomegranate body collection , $30.  The set contains body butter, body scrub tube, body wash and bubble bath. Lancome Juicy Tubes set , $29.50 at Neiman Marcus.  The set contains 6 various lip gloss colors from you favorite color palette--Sparling Pinks or Shimmering Neutrals. Benefit De-puffing Action eye gel , $28 at Macy's. I wonder what I will get on Friday.  I'm excited.

My mom always tell me to never leave the house without wearing at least a lip gloss.  I am pale, I look pale, so it all makes sense to me that  wearing hints of color will make me look healthier and not as if I recently recovered from leukemia.  This Fall, it is all about red and kiss me-luscious lips.  Why not visit Sephora to shop for the most vibrant red lipsticks from different brands?  Aside from making you look beautiful and kissable on the outside, you  will also feel beautiful from the inside because every $1 of your purchase will go to the Beauty Bus Foundation .  It provides in-home beauty treatments to terminally and chronically ill patients and their caregivers. 

Do you hate bras with underwire?  Do you like wearing body hugging tops, tube tops and halter dresses?  Are your girls uncomfortably and oddly lopsided?  Do you feel that nature and gravity is taking its course on your precious girls?  If you answer yes to any of the questions, BraStick is the product for you!  Each pack contains 6 push-up adhesives and 6 nipple covers to lift and make your girls perkier than it ever was.

Many critics said that it could have been a more glorious moment for the Philippines if Venus Raj presented a more concrete and confident answer to William Baldwin's rather easy question: What is your biggest mistake in life and what did you do to make it right? Miss Philippines answered it in all smiles with: Thank you so much Sir for that wonderful question.  You know what Sir, in my 22 years of existence, I can say that there is nothing major major, I mean problem that I have done in my life because I am very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving me.  So, thank you so much that I am here, thank you thank you so much. It isn't easy being on the spotlight so, let us just be proud that after so many years, a Filipina has made her way to the Miss Universe top 5.

Congratulations to Miss Philippines Venus Raj for being the 4th Runner-up in the recently concluded Miss Universe 2010.  It was another proud moment for the Filipinos worldwide.

I plan to do a lot of things, including going back to school and learning new skills.  My friend suggests that I start with what I love to do and already have an idea to begin with so that learning would be easier for me.  After a few seconds of contemplating about it, I said I have enroll to a beauty school .  I like to experiment with makeup and  I am an artistic person, although I do not know how to paint, I think mixing colors on a blank face is the closest thing to painting. Aside from satisfying my creative side, I can also use my new skill to earn extra. I can not wait to sign up.