Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

I know, I know... I've been gone for too long. Blame it on my teaching career! Haha!

My first year and the succeeding months were tough, but slowly, I am getting the hang of it. They say many idealistic stuff about teaching (and I am an idealistic person, as one of our college friends said), saying that it is a noble job, the greatest of all professions, and blah, blah, blah... Once you get in the real "battleground" you'll see the reality of it all. I'm not saying that it isn't a fulfilling career, what I only mean is, it is an entirely different thing once you are in the real setup. So far, I am embracing it and still convincing myself that I am in the right track. I aim to provide my students the very best of what I could offer.

So, just as I have entitled this post, I have so much to share to you guys! So much that I don't know where to start...

Hmmm... why don't we start with this...

 

Yes! We are pregnant! Right now, I am exactly 20 weeks on the way. The first photo up there was taken when I was only about 8 weeks pregnant. The second photo was my very first belly shot, taken last January. I think I should take a more recent belly pic one of these days. 

So far, I am so joyous with this blessing because as early as now, our unborn baby has started to change our lives already. The husband is more caring and loving than ever. I mean, he's a bit more showy of his affection than before. I have so much to say about this whole pregnancy thing but let me take a break and put that in another post... hopefully. Hahaha!

Next, as far as teaching is concerned, I feel that I am taking the reins aleady. Slowly, but surely. This deserves another post. 

And last, but not the least, beauty-related concerns? I am still up to that but I am starting to feel left behind with some beauty trends and whatnots. Yet, I am still passionate with this craft. I'm still learning and exploring new things to improve my knowledge. Yes. I am still the family's official makeup artist! Haha! 

I'm hoping to be able to have more free time soon so that I could update my site with lots of things that goes on in my life. Also, I want to upload my latest beauty routine, some tutorials, and so much more! Let's hope that I'll be back to blogging for good. ^_^

Till then! Thanks for dropping by!!! ♡♡♡

Look Who Has Returned!

Why hello there! How are you all doing? 

I'm sorry for being gone for a long time. I've been terribly busy on my career and life in general. The year 2013 is a good year for me and the family. Might as well enjoy it. =)

The Return of the Jedi... Or Not! =D

A Jedi? Hahaha! How I wish! But I have to be a padawan first... =D

Anyway, this post has nothing to do with becoming a Jedi Knight or what. I just want to announce that...

I'M BACK! ^__^

If you noticed, I've been out of the blogging scene for the past two months. It was sad for me, but I had to stop for a while and take a break. With all the things on my plate now, I just have to take things slowly.

Last year, I've been contemplating on finally taking a big leap and apply in a public school. It had been five years since I graduated and I passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). I think I am done with my obligation to my family and It's high time that I practice what I prepared for, my dream of teaching. =)

From my Instagram Account

It's a big leap for me, because for five long years, I got used to working with and for Koreans. I must admit, I got comfortable with this kind of set-up. Go online, teach, make monthly reports at the end of the month. For almost three years of working from home, I finally made a decision of reaching for my dream of being called a "(Professional) Teacher". But I had to accomplish a lot of things before I could enter my target school. So, imagine me doing these:

Waking up at 3:45 am to assist the hubby

Going back to sleep at 4:00 am.

Waking up at 5:30 to prepare for my first class.

Class starts at 6:00* am.

Next class at 6:30 am.

Break for 30 minutes.

Classes resume. 7:30 am, 8:00 am, 8:30 am and 9:00**. 

Break at 10:00.

Run to PRC, NBI, etc to accomplish necessary documents.

Back before my 2:00 pm class.

Break for 30 minutes.

Class for 50 minutes at 3:00.

Classes resume at 5:30pm and finishes at 11pm. (yes, 5 and a half hours.)

Sleeptime at around 11:30 pm.

*Most of my classes lasts for 25 minutes. 

**50-minute class

Hectic? Super! Haha! I must admit, it was tiring but I found it fun! For three years of staying at home and rarely going out, I found it adventurous! Hahaha! Calculating the time, moving quicker than usual and going to places I've never been before made it very exciting! Add up the trysts that I had with my hubby! "Sneaking out" to meet him somewhere near his office after his shift or meeting him at the mall and having a meal with him is rewarding! =D So, imagine the adrenaline rush when my class time is nearing, like 1 hour or the most is 30 minutes before the class! =D

Look at those papers! I had more of them!!!

From my Instagram Account

Help me, Book of Virtues! =D

The day I was planning to search for a topic for my demo, I got a message that my interview and demo would be the next day! So much for preparing ahead of time, noh? Hahaha! My "plan-ahead-of-time" became "cram-ahead-of-time"... TT__TT

I ended up making two lesson plans. The first one was turned down by my grandma-in-law (who is a retired public school principal). Everything was good; objectives, motivation, activities... except the lesson itself. Wondering why? I got the lesson from the book above, The Book of Virtues. What's wrong with it? My grandma-in-law said that the lesson must be taken from a local book, one that is used in the public school. I felt a bit sad because the lesson was really good. Has anyone read the poem by Joy Allison, "Which Loved Best"? If not, let me share it with you...

Which Loved Best 

by Joy Allison

"I love you mother," said little John; 
Then, forgetting work his cap went on, 
And he was off to the garden swing, 
Leaving his mother the wood to bring. 

"I love you, mother," said rosy Nell; 
"I love you better than tongue can tell;" 
Then she teased and pouted full half the day, 
Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play. 

"I love you, mother," said little Fran; 
"today I'll help you all I can; 
How glad I am that school doesn't keep!" 
So she rocked the baby till it fell asleep. 

Then stepping softly, she took the broom, 
And swept the floor, and dusted the room; 
Busy and happy all day was she, 
Helpful and cheerful as child could be. 

"I love you, mother," again they said - 
Three little children going to bed; 
How do you think that mother guessed 
Which of them really loved her best? 

Which loved her best? The lesson is good, only that the resource is not a-okay. So, I had no choice but to pick another topic. I found Aesop's Fable, "The Lion and The Mouse" from one of the books of our house maid's Grade 3 daughter.

I had to multi-task big time so, I was thinking of activities while writing my lesson plan while teaching my students. After my classes. I had to get my lesson plan printed. That night, I told myself that I'd give myself only two hours to work on my visual aids. I failed. =D

From my Instagram Account

Vocabulary word number 1: Pleaded

It took me a lot of time working on my visual aids because I had to draw a lot. It was a story telling technique, so, I thought of drawing some of the important parts of the story. I have not practiced my drawing skills for a long time so my hand hurt a lot after all the writing and drawing my visual aids! =D

Truth is, I didn't have sleep when I had my demo and interview. =D


So, what better way to cover up those panda eyes and my shyness? Makeup!!!

FOTD 022613: Impromptu Demo and Interview 
I think this is the only FOTD I was able to take that day... Sigh!

Now, I gotta make a schedule of things to blog about. So many blog posts! The challenge now is, to be able to write about the backlogs during my free time. Why a challenge? Our nanny resigned. Because of that, I am obliged to look after the babies and help around the house chores as much as I can. We have a new (not new anymore, this is the third time she'll work for us) rehouse helper now, hope that helps.

I CAN DO THIS!!! =D

Wish me luck on my application, my dears! The result would come out this April 8th. Please, please, pretty please pray for me.


What do you want me to blog about? Do you have any requests? ^__^

See you around! Have a happy Monday!!! ^__^

Looking Back on my New Years Projects (Resolutions) for 2012

Hi there! Glad to be back! I will still be busy in the coming days but I will do my best to update my blog. This teacher application is eating up a lot of my time but I know it will be so worth it in the end. 

I'm just going to check if I was able to fulfill my so-called "Projects" from last year... Come with me and let's look back if I have improved... =D

1. Be a better person. Be a better wife in particular. A better teacher. Never fail to improve all aspects of life as much as possible.

I can't tell if I became a better person, but I tried. =D

As a wife, I did my best to fulfill my duties. You know, the usual... cleaning and perking up our tiny space, preparing hubby's clothes, ironing his clothes, waking up in the morning to help him prepare for work. Washing the clothes and cooking is out of the picture. Those are the helper's tasks. Hihihi... I tried to cook once in a while, that is, when I have the time. =D

What do you think, hubby? What is your evaluation? Hehehe...

2. Be more productive. Quit playing Facebook games. They don't do anything good. Blogging is better than playing games. I'll try to blog more often this year… ^__^

I was successful in quitting Facebook games! Yay! I'm proud to say that for 2012, I had a total of 133 posts, as compared to when I started, 2010, I only had 78 posts, while last 2011, I had only 51 posts. =D

I am hoping that I'd get to blog more and more this year. ^__^

3. Start writing product reviews. Trying out products and writing about them would help other people learn about my own experiences about a certain product. Nowadays, reviews contribute a lot in a consumer's decision whether to get a product or not.

Check! I may have not written a lot of reviews but I can proudly say that I worked hard on each review I made. I am OC. I always want to see to it that I got everything covered and documented - at least! =D 

That OC-ness won me an award from Krave Minerale Cosmeceuticals. It was my very first award as a blogger. Will write about it soon. ^__^

Curious about what that review is? Click here. ^__^

4. Learn new things. Learn to cook, sew, play the piano, make new crafts and more. Never miss a chance to learn something new. More importantly, learn new ways on how to be a better wife and teacher.  =)

Hmmm... Let me recall what I learned... Well... I learned a few things about making collages and fancy invitations using Photoshop. I also tried to use some animated gif files on some of my blog posts. I'm glad I was able to learn a lot of things last year. If I name all of them, this blog post would become so lengthy! Hahaha! =D

5. Revamp closet. Time to ditch the old stuff in my closet! =D

I was able to ditch SOME of the unused clothes that has been laying in my cabinet for a long time. I was able to buy a few pieces to replace the old ones. ^__^

Now that I am preparing for the "world" (of teaching in a classroom setup), I need to invest in more clothes, shoes, bags and accessories! (Thinking about it excites me a lot!!! Hahaha! Jagi, prepare!!! Bwahahaha!) =D

6. Try to be more healthy. Health is important, especially if I really want to be a mom soon. =)

Uhmmm... Big X! Hahaha! I wanted to workout but I was too busy. =D

Maybe this year... Anyway, I have started a kind of an exercise. Baby steps... Baby steps... =D

7. Be more vain. There is a notion that women tend to lose themselves because of tiring housework. Add up the stressing career of teaching. I want to break that kind of mentality. I don't want other people to think that I have neglected myself ever since I got married; which explains the reason why I want to always look good when I go out - even when I'm only going to Divisoria (a local market in Manila).

Big check! It was a success! I did my best to see to it that I swipe a lippie or powder up when going out.

This year, my goal would be a blemish free skin, so I won't need to wear "too much" makeup. ^__^

8. Make use of skills. If there's a chance, I'll use my makeup skills to earn. Why not, right? =D

So-so. I was able to practice my skills for FREE. But I'm glad because my "victims" were contented with the outcome. Nevertheless, I felt satisfied to see them with their happy, pretty faces. ^__^

9. Buy and Read more books. I'm a teacher. I need to invest in more books. Not just books of my specialization, but books of other categories as well. =)

Buy books: YES. Read: A LITTLE. 

I spent time reading articles (and blogs) online. And downloaded the infamous Fifty Shades Trilogy (Yes, yes, I read them.) out of curiosity. I wouldn't have read it if not my Aunt recommended me to do so. She only wanted me to have an idea of what the book was about. I cringed when she gave me a hint that it is "not what any normal couples do". So, like what a English Major who has a background in Literature (naks!), would do, I read it and critiqued it in my mind. I wanted to write about it but I changed my mind. Oh well, maybe I could still make a review on it next time. =D

10. Drink more water. Gotta stay rehydrated for that clear skin as well as clean internal system… ^__~

Triple check! ^__^

In fact, I got so giddy when we got a pitcher set during our traditional exchange gift last New Year's Eve! =D

11. Give blog a make-over. Yep! New Year, New look!  I'll try to give my hand a try in making my own blog designs. Photoshop noob here! Hahaha! *^__^*

Blog makeover? Well, I made a few changes. I changed the background and header. Same with my Tumblr blog. I hope this year, I get to learn more about HTML (Calling, calling Brother-in-law... Teach me or lend me a book, please! =D) More time, also!!! ^__^

Things I need to learn more for the sake of my blog: HTML, Photoshop layout and new blogging techniques... ^__^

There... I still have not thought well of my 2013 Projects. I'll reflect and jot them down later. 

Did you look back to your 2012 New Years Resolutions? How many have you accomplished? ^__^

The coming days and probably months would be extremely busy for me. Stay with me, please? =)

HOTD 011813: Hair on Top

Does pop art/comic book look good on me? =D

My Flawless Beauty Transformation

Who wouldn't want to be flawless and gorgeous? Let me first tell you a tale of a girl who dreams of becoming flawless...

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was born to lovely parents and every one adored her.


She had a pretty face but...

 Are you angry, baby?

 Bleh!

Keep reading after the jump! ^__^

My Christmas Wishlist + Firmoo Giveaway Winners

Christmas is around the corner!!! Yay!!! The wifey (me) is super excited for my long weekend. For people who work in this kind of industry, we all rejoice in rare holidays like these. Usually, we follow Korean Holidays, and the only non-Korean Holidays that we have are Christmas and New Year. So, I'm really looking forward to a long weekend with the hubby. Oh, I forgot! Hubby has to work on the 24th, I am just lucky that our boss gave as a break on that day. So, I'll go to hubby's office on Monday and we'll go straight to our relatives after his shift. Or maybe go on a date first, since our family reunion starts in the evening. ^__^

There are only a few days left before Christmas! Wow! Time flies so fast! Anyway, let me share with you stuff I want for Christmas...

Photo Credits

Charm PRO Makeup Brush Set

Photo Credits

Charm Travel Pro Set

This has been part of my birthday wishlist this year. I got a Beauty Cosmetics Travel Brush set already, one that I won from Jannah's giveaway. I want to have any Charm Brush Set to be able to compare the two. =D

Photo Credits
Samsung Galaxy Camera

Photo Credits

Samsung NX1000

I really want to own my own camera, one that could take really crisp shots of anything. Also, it would be an advantage if I get to own one that could capture the real condition of my skin, for product reviews. =)

For now, I shall rely on my trusty smartphone camera and I'll just borrow my sister-in-law's digital camera if I'll need take sharp photos. ^__~

Photo Credits
Jeffrey Campbell Lita Shoes

I've been bugging the hubby to get me these shoes. We saw a similar one at SM but I got kinda disappointed since the heels were made of PVC plastic. =(

Hopefully, we could find and buy a few good pairs like these.... =)

Photo Credits
Satchels

I want to use these kinds of bags when I start teaching next year. These bags look sturdy and roomy, good for teachers like me. =D

Photo Credits
Kindle

I like reading. I have lots of E-Books sent by Ms. Dee of Skye Avenue. So plenty that I don't know what to read first! Haha! Hubby gave me the idea of owning a Kindle. I was already contented reading books from my smartphone, until he asked me "Do you want a Kindle for your e-books?" and it sparked my interest in owning a this gadget... Hehehe... =D

Photo Credits
Starbucks 2013 Planner

Photo Credits
Random Cute 2013 Planner

Being the OC between me and the husband, I want things done on time (or even before the deadline). Really. I don't know if he noticed it, but I started despising cramming. =D

I want to start the year right by planning my actions and jotting them down. It will help me both as a blogger and a teacher. Honestly, I want more than one planner! Maybe not another planner, but a sketchpad (yeah , I'm a paper monster!). =D

Photo Credits
Classic Bike

I know how to ride a bike but honestly, I can't ride it in the streets! =D However, I want to conquer my fear and be able to exercise as well! If hubby would get me one (which is impossible), I'll ride this every Thursday morning, going to church. By the way, church is just at the other street, near our house. =D

Photo taken 2 years ago...
Skinfood Aloe Sun BB Cream

I've tried a lot of BB Creams out there and I must say, this is still my HG BB Cream. I want to reunite with it soon... =D

Photo Credits

I am hoping to get to teach in the school next year. I hope to be a good, if not the best, teacher my students could ever have. ^__^

Photo Credits

Of course, I want to have lots of love next year! ^__^

Photo Credits

I want to be a successful teacher, blogger and most importantly as an individual. =)


Thank you for reading along my wishlist. ^__^


By the way, since I only gathered 95 entries for my Firmoo giveaway, I'll consider all of the participants winners! ^__^

Here are the lucky ones:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Andrea Celestial Noroña

Ella Dalistan

Cristiane Cleofas

Ally Matute

I shall e-mail you for the details. ^__^


Thank you every one! I hope every one participates on my next giveaway. Don't worry, I'll make sure it'll be fun! ^__^

How about you? Have you made your Christmas wishlist already? Or, should I say, are you ready for the holidays? ^__^

This is going to be a long weekend! Woot!!! =D

My Two-Year Old Sister-in-Law (Featuring her Pinkbox Clips and Outfit Shots)

Hello loves! Have you participated in my giveaway already? If not, go here and join! ^__^

Some of you might have seen my adorable little sister-in-law, and I think some of you might have mistaken her as my daughter. Actually, I pray to have a very pretty daughter like her! ^__^

This is a post dedicated to my cute and kikay two-year old sister-in-law...

She was only a year old in these photos... =)

 On Izza: SM dress (not sure about exact name of the brand), Darlington black stockings and Sugarkids shoes

Hairstyle by me! ^__^

That's our nephew, my sis-in-law's then one month old baby. =)

First Pinkbox clip of the day: Pinkbox bow clip in black

The bow clip was used to secure her hair.

Second Pinkbox clip of the day: Pinkbox bow clip in checkered blue

She's really showing off her clip! =D

 Oh... That cute, round face! ^__^

 Blue

 She's pouting at her elder brother... =D

Ang gandang bata!!! (Such a pretty child!!!)

 Emotera! =D

 Are you hungry, little girl?

 Feeling model... model ng lata (tin can model)! XD

Can she pass as a TV/Print Ad model? =D

 She loved her milk... loved, because she doesn't like it anymore... She now drinks Lactum Choco...

 Emotera talaga!!! XD

 She's excited. It will be a long day for this baby because there's a party in the afternoon...

It's Marc Justine's birthday party that day. He's known for his role as "Wally the Wonder Walis" in GMA 7's "Alice Bungisngis and her Wonder Walis". It was his big break. ^__^

And I'm proud to say that he's my hubby's uncle's talent. ^__^

So... We had to go get him a present for his 7th birthday party, which, I became the official photographer! Haha! =D

 Izza and I at the giftwrapping section...

 The camera loves her... and she loves it, too! Mana sa akin! Joke!!! Hahahaha!!! >__<

Third Pinkbox clip of the day: Pinkbox bow clip in pink

Fringe braids for the little girl...

 Hairstyle by me again! =D

 Styling babies can be tricky, you gotta work fast, especially on their hair, so they won't get bored.

Let me kiss you!!! - Izza

 Arte lang! Izza and her elder sister

 Peek-a-boo! I see you!!!

 Naks! Outfit shot!!!

I'm unfamiliar with her clothes here, I'll check them later...but her shoes are from Snoopy.

Hala! Patayin sa sindak si Izza? 

I think she saw the clown here... But she's not actually scared of clowns because she had clowns during her 1st birthday. ^__^

Hayzt... My little sis-in-law... She's so pretty! She's also talented! I can foresee that she'll be a good singer and dancer. I wish that my future baby girl would be as pretty as her! I especially love the shape of her nose! Who agrees with me?

I was about to share you a video clip of Izza... While searching my smart phone, I noticed that the video I'm going to share is gone! 

Suspect: HUBBY! -__-

Oh well!!!

What are your weekend plans?

This weekend, it's going to be our Thanksgiving. I shall attend the Sunday service. ^__^


I'll try to take outfit shots. =)