From CosmoGirl to Good Housekeeper?

A few months ago, I was known in the office to be "The CosmoGirl" as I won this first ever celebrity dating game on Cosmo.ph and I went to the office after the makeover-con-date looking like this:

For the first time in my life, my hair was set-curled, I went to the office fully makeup prepped, wearing a formal dress with matching purse, three-inch heels and a bunch of bangles. And then I earned that title.

Everything has now changed: I am the excited mom-to-be and is now busy browsing babycenter.com and smartparenting.com.ph and soon, I won't be surprised if I grab that Good Housekeeping magazine off the rack! haha

Yesterday, I realized that it's not easy to shop for maternity clothes. I needed to consider comfort, the weather these days, looking not-so-casual in the office, and most of all, I need to get used to the idea that my tummy is getting bigger. I was only able to buy an off-shoulder top, a pair of leggings and a nice dress. Good thing is that it's not really as expensive as I thought. There are some shops that are on sale as well but I thought I'll just check it out when I'm shopping with Prince. I wish I can look as hot as Heidi Klum while she's pregnant..

..and I wish I can achieve the look in an hour or less! haha

One of those [little] disappointments..

Eversince I started living by myself in this new pad, I started getting used to eating out, instant noodles and take outs again. I haven't got much time in buying my stove and other cooking utensils to prepare my own food yet but trust me, I'll be getting one ASAP after series of incidents that involve food that I didn't personally prepare.

One thing I don't like about eating out is that you don't have any control of your budget. When you go out and look for a restaurant, you'll always consider first is 'what do I want to eat today?' so if it's going to take you to the cheapest karinderyas or the most luxurious feasts of buffet around the metro, only your feet knows and a meal can cost you between Php50-Php400.

Another thing that I don't like about eating food that I don't personally prepare is that I sometimes find it hard not to imagine how it was prepared. Don't get me wrong, I love street food and I wouldn't say no to eating fishballs or balut but there's something about meals [usually rice meals] that I'm not really a huge fan. A perfect example would be this really nice old woman in our neighborhood who sells really cheap lunch and dinner in front of her house. One time that I ate there, I can see her kitchen from where I sit and watch her wash the dishes that were used by other customers. It wasn't thoroughly washed as I noticed when I looked at my spoon that there's still greases on it, I almost puked. Another example is something that just happened tonight. I went to get a KFC famous bowl [mashed potatoes, chicken strips, corn, cheese and gravy] and had it to go for dinner. One thing I liked about KFC is that they don't try too hard to imitate Jollibee or McDonald's. Instead, they innovate a more healthy menu that is rather unusual for most fast foods. When I reached home though, I noticed that the container's contents were spilled and it looked really awful I lost my appetite.This is definitely far from how the KFC famous bowl that I'm used to having when I dine in to any of the KFC branches everywhere.

When I cook my own food, I only blame myself if I am not satisfied with what my lunch, dinner or snack is but when I eat out, I have an expectation that what I bought with my money will be worth spending for.

The CLUB8 Experience

Indiepop is one of the nicest thing to listen to - it's not overrated, it's melodic, it's light and most of all, it doesn't get abused on airplays. It is such a great thing that Lily Stars Production, with the help of bunch of sponsors, was able to bring Club8 here in the Philippines. They played last Friday night at the SM Mall of Asia SMX Convention Center and Saturday they were off to the beautiful island of Cebu to give another exciting night to our Cebuano music lovers.

I always adore Karolina Komstedt's vocal style so when Prince told me that Club8 will be here few months ago, it became one of the 'things-to-look-out-for-this-summer' entry. We're one of the first people who bugged the staff of Sarabia Optical in SM Cubao to buy tickets on the day it became available. They gave away free posters [and Antonette, one of the busiest people who organized this event, gave us lots of postcards last night, too] and the tickets looks really cool - read: not the usual plain, white, boring 'ticketnet' tickets - that looks like a mini-poster. We eventually had the tickets and the postcards signed by Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård themselves because they're really nice enough to stay after the gig for autograph signing, picture taking and some small talk. Everyone had a great night and it's a priceless experience.

Kudos to the organizers, the venue is just perfect so everyone can just sit down and be feel comfy on the floor while watching the bands who did the front act - The Camerawalls did an amazing set! The food is not that bad and the beer is cheap, hehe. Prince and I finally got identical shirts as we gagged at the merchandise table and grabbed our Club8 shirts.

The band did a couple of songs from the old albums as well as the new one and the crowd loved it as everyone who's in the floor got up to their feet. Prince went to the front row to take this shot while I stay in the middle of the crowd.I went to the loo and found out it's so much better to stay at the back as it provide 'head-less view' [read: you won't have to go through different heads of the people in front of you to get to see the stage] so we decided to stay there as they sing these lines:

‘Cause everywhere I go

Everywhere I’ve been

And everywhere I’m going to...

I only go with you..

Test Results, Pregnancy No-No's, Cravings, etc.

I visited my OB-Gyne this morning and asked if 'feeling sick and weak' is normal during pregnancy, she said it is due to hormonal changes that's been happening to my body. She even said that the positive side of it is that these hormonal changes means that the baby is developing as it should. Sometimes women who encountered miscarriage thought that their doing okay because they don't feel nauseous or anything that could indicate these hormonal changes without knowing that the baby inside the womb doesn't have any heartbeat anymore.

All the tests that was done - CBC, Urinalysys, HBsAg, VDRL and transvaginal ultrasound just gave great results. I'm just glad that the minor operation to remove a cyst in my neck didn't give any complication to this little fetus that's about two or three weeks at that time.

My doctor reminded me to be very careful not to be around people with colds, cough, etc. Drink lots of water, go to the restroom right away when I need to pee [to avoid UTI which pregnant women are prone to have], avoid junk food, take only one cup of coffee if I really need to, maximum of one can of softdrink per day, not to have any hair treatments, no massages, stay away from crowded places, get enough rest and avoid exercises that's focused on abdominal muscles.

It's quite a lot but I think I can bear with it. I am more excited for our baby. These days I noticed a couple of cravings but not the hardcore hard-to-find ones. I always want green mangoes with shrimp paste. Last night I asked my brother who visited me here in my pad to buy sisig for dinner. This morning and afternoon, I've been feasting on Burger King's Whopper burgers.

It's been a while since I last ate at Burger King. I remember that they used to have a promo for free refills of any drink that you order so my friends in high school can just hangout there and refill our cups for three hours, haha! I used to love their onion rings  but for some reason, their onion rings these days is far from what I was used to having. It used to be perfectly fried golden rings that tastes really good with or without anything to dip them on. This one just tastes like crunchy bits of flour and the onion rings are deformed and overcooked. I wish they could do the same quality onion rings as before.

We are all hoping for the BEST!

The Philippines just had the first automated elections last Monday, May 10, 2010. Everyone is looking forward for a change, a good change that is. Everyone is hoping for a better future in our nation.

As of the last time I watched TV, around 10:30am today, 89% of the total number of votes says Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III will be our next president. Majority of  the presidential candidates already conceded. We can only pray that the next elected president will have the LOVE FOR OUR COUNTRY and do his job as a PUBLIC SERVANT.

Congratulations Philippines! Another chapter of our country's history will now be published. Once again, we will now have a chance to make a change.

Lessons I've Learned

1. Be humble. No matter what you've accomplished, there's always Someone higher than you that can just take everything away in an instant.

2. Stick to what you believe in but be open for more opportunities to learn new things that might give you a better view about certain ideas. Facts are not always something you will agree on but acceptance is a good start.

3. Good things will come to those who see it. Blessings come in different packaging, it's not always looking frizzy and fancy.

4. Self-pity is the last feeling you'd like to entertain. Great things were planned for you before you were even born, it's pointless to dwell on something that is not worth your time. Life is meant to be celebrated everyday.

5. There's a reason why things happen. Stay positive and trust that everything will be fine.

*This is a partial list. ✌

Moving on, today is election day in the Philippines. I am staying safe at home but I'll be praying that whoever the next president will be, could lead everyone into providing a better future for every Filipino. I am hoping that the next president could be someone strong and smart as Ferdinand Marcos minus the corruption of the people around him. Someone who can establish good governance once more and be able to put the Philippines back to a respectable place in the map.

The Wicked Kitchen

It's casual dining with a twist. I have huge appetite these days and Wicked Kitchen located in front of the ABS-CBN is just one of the perfect places to pig out. They serve in a non-traditional-looking bowls, huge plates and the dishes are mouth-watering.

The Crispy Bagoong Rice is one of the most extraordinary things that you can try in this restaurant. It's rice topped with bagoong-flavored pork with strips of crunchy green mango served in a cool, simple bowl.

Their version of Chicken Teriyaki is not really something different from the other restaurants except for the dried seaweed used as garnishing. It adds another flavor to one of Japanese favorites.

I'll be biased to say that the Braised Lamb is the best way to have a lamb cooked. You will say the same thing when you try this one at the Wicked Kitchen. It's a generous amount of tender lamb meat in mushroom sauce served with mashed potato. I finished the whole thing and I can't get enough!

Lastly, I have to warn everyone who dare get this dessert called "Gluttony". They put the term 'single serve' to say it's good for one person but this is something you might wanna slow down on. Gluttony is a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie topped with whip cream and ice cream garnished with chocolate syrup.Looking at this serving makes me want to ruin every diet in the world. Beware because there were three of us sharing this 'single serve' and we can't imagine how the next size will look like as it is good for 5 persons - tempting enough to sin!

Feeling and Being Beautiful

The incoming motherhood idea is overwhelming. At times, I would feel like vomiting, dizzy, my hips feel painful, my chest feel weird and it would hurt and it's not very often that I feel dolling up and do my hair and makeup and I look sick.

For the past days that I've been  going to work, my officemates would say that I look pale and unhealthy. I know I've not been putting effort on how I look lately and it's bringing my confidence down. Maybe this is one of the mood swings of these hormonal changes in my body but I think I need to feel and look beautiful again so I decided to have a haircut and go shopping for a few beauty items.

My friend recommended for me to try Tony & Jackey and so I did. They have talented Korean hair specialists and Helen, the one who did my haircut is simply chic. She made my super thick hair look thinner and it now feels very light. Since their branch just openened few months ago in this newly renovated SM North Edsa [3rd Floor Annex], they have this haircut promo - Php500 for Ladies, Php300 for Men - that's definitely worth it!

Maybelline is having a 20% off sale on all their products until tomorrow  at the SM North Edsa department store. The famous Mineral Foundation that usually costs Php599 is now only Php470+ so it's a perfect time for me to try this on since I already tried the Mineral Blush, still using it and it's great. I used to use L'Oreal foundation as it's not that costly but Maybelline is cheaper and the quality is still good. It comes with Kabuki Brush just like the blush that feels light on my face and it doesn't feel cakey even when you're under the sun. SPF 25 makes it perfect for I will start going day shift next week. ☺

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOMS! We all deserve to feel beautiful all the time no matter how difficult situations sometimes try to tear us apart. Some things are just so much to handle and it's good to treat ourselves into things that we love doing to make us feel better.