Enjoy the single life!

In the last couple of weeks, I have been very anxious because of the imminent changes in my life. I am turning 28 this September (I am not really one of those who worry too much when they get older, age is just a number), I am looking forward to some changes at work, new schedule, new team but it’s also bittersweet because I will be apart from people that I have spent years with. So, I think the anxiety has made me restless and I get to realize how single I have been. I am still far from my deadline to have a boyfriend but I don’t know, there’s this guy…. (haha, I really do not want to discuss him, how I feel for him, etc…), well, it’s not really about him why I think of this things, I guess the upcoming changes just made me think. Grabe, ang kalat ng isip ko in the last few weeks, ang dami kong inaalala na hindi naman dapat. Being the Catholic that I am, I prayed. I am one of those Catholics who strongly believe in saints’ intercession and over the past years, my favorite has been St. Jude but since I was so concern about my love life and my relationship, I ran to St. Anne, Mother Mary’s mum, she found Mary a man, she will find me to. Well, I was really just praying that the next guy that will be my boyfriend is my FOREVER, yeah, naniniwala ako sa FOREVER, no matter how many times kong ipagsigawan habang naulan na walang forever eh naniniwala ako dun. GOD is FOREVER, LOVE is GOD, therefore, LOVE is FOREVER, yan para sa mga Mathematician at Philo major, you have to agree to my logic, wala kayong choice.

So, there has been a couple of inspirations kung bakit bumalik na lang ako sa pag-eenjoy ng aking single life, I mean, it’s not that I did not enjoy it before or what but here’s the thing, totoo talagang nakakaattract ang mga babaeng confident at happy on their own kasi when I already come to terms na ok na ok ako sa pagiging single ko at wala akong dinedate saka naman naglilipana ang mga boys who want to date me. Boys talaga noh, ganda ko ‘teh. I think it’s really the personality that draws them in. Siguro dahil medyo busy sa work, I have no time to rest and for my extracurricular activities, I am starting to be miserable and overthink my life and I ended up feeling miserable. Anyway, I was reading this article sa Cosmo, I was so inspired by Laureen Uy dun sa article about her. Sabi kasi sa title, The Secret to Being Happy Laureen Uy, so syempre, babasahin ko ‘yan kasi nga malungkot na ako, lalo ko pa bang ilulugmok yung sarili ko sa negativity, siyempre, hahanap ako ng inspirational and motivational things around me. Haloooooo, mahirap na nga yung sitwasyon, demotivated na nga, lalo ko pa bang idedemotivate yung sarili ko? I love what she said about trying to love yourself when alone. It is a process, tama siya, ganyan peg ko last year eh, pero tanggap na tanggap ko na ang nangyari sa amin ng ex ko. You have to be happy on your own kasi you if you’re happy, you will attract the right one for you. Ganon talaga eh, hindi pa siya ang FOREVER ko. 

Isa pang nakainspire sa akin ay yung nabasa ko sa thepapist.org (here’s the exact post http://thepapist.org/st-anne-st-anne-send-me-a-man/), parang nagkaroon ako ng awakening sa faith ko kay God. Parang sinurrender ko na ang buhay ko at mga dreams ko kay God tapos alala pa ako ng alala para akong ewan. So, I stopped and pray again at nainspire ako sa naging message ng pari dun sa author ng post na enjoy lang ang single life kasi it’s your time to form yourself para ready na pag nagkafamily. You have to read the post. Now, hinihingi ko talaga yung intercession ni St. Joseph para maform na niya ang aking FOREVER at ni St. Anne para madiscern ko na ang aking relationships at future. To all single women out there, let’s not feel bad about the situation, it is never too late. It will never be too late, kung talagang raising a family or being a wife ang calling at dream natin, God will never fail us. He is just preparing the man that we deserve.  At sa mga mapang-asar na tropang guys, oo, minsan talaga nakakaapekto na yung pangungutya nyo na single yung mga dalaga niyong friends, instead of making them feel like it’s a big deal na wala silang relationship, why not be supportive sa mga endeavors nila. Treat them kindly and make them feel good about themselves and suppportahan niyo lang na tama ang choice nilang maging single. Yes, make them feel like being single is a choice and not because of missed oppurtunities or failed relationships or dahil may mali sa kanila. 

Let us just enjoy the moment, discover God's will and let's wait to be surprised. 

Clarifying Shampoo

Hindi naman masyadong uso sa pangangailangan nating mga Pilipino ang Clarifying Shampoo kaya naman when it was suggested for bleach shampoo, I was curious. Apparently, if you put a lot of products or swim a lot or you just have hard water for bathing, you have to clarify your hair. Whenever you feel na mabigat ang buhok mo or its dull, it maybe because of the products that you have been using. I felt that because of my hair coloring, hair treatment, I ought to try using a clarifying shampoo but where can I get one? I was lucky to find one in Shopwise, it’s from Suave. It’s about P150, I was like “that’s too pricey!” and then I did my quick mental math, it’s 355ml so compared to the regular shampoo that I usually buy which I buy in sachets, normally P30-P40 for 6 pcs, about 10ml each, medyo mas makakatipid pa nga ako. 

It’s marketed as something that you can use daily pero sabi, hindi naman advisable na gamitin siya daily especially if you have colored hair kasi the color will fade faster. In my third session of bleach shampooing I used 80ml of clarifying shampoo, 80ml of light violet clear shampoo from VO5, just to cancel some yellow in my hair, 20g bleach powder and 80ml oxidizing lotion that I purchased from Hortaleza kaya hindi ko alam kung siya ba ay 6%, 9% or 12%, naubusan kasi ng bleach powder sa hbc na nabibili ko ng P90, grabe, para talagang nabasag yung puso ko nung sinabi na out of stock yung bleach powder pero blessing in disguise ata siya kasi for about the same amount, mabibili mo pala siya ng P25 sa Hortaleza, P50 pag kasama yung oxidizing lotion na 120 ml. look at the result, it sort of toned my triple toned hair. Hindi na talaga ombre ang dating, it’s just bad bleach and color job by an unprofessional pero as I have said, using the purple shampoo and clarifying shampoo somewhat toned it. Hahahahaha. 

Last week's three toned hair

Ang dami ngang naimpress sa light ng hair ko. Pinagtitinginan ako ng lahat, malamang nawirduhan kasi rare ang blonde sa Pilipinas, hindi pa nga siya ganon kablonde eh. I think my sister was impressed with my colors na she is now begging me to color her hair. Super pa yung pagkakalight niya ngayon, if you are going to compare the difference of the first and second week of bleach shampoo sa difference ng second at third week of bleach shampoo, parang mas matindi yung effect ng paggamit ng clarifying shampoo. Kasi yung from first to second, parang 1 lift lang pero yung second to third parang 2 lifts.  Refer to diagram, parang yung 1^st week kasi ay level 5 tapos 2^nd week, level 6 and then 3^rd week, level 8.

See, parang kahit pano ngpantay-pantay na ng kulay

Different shades of blonde

I knew there were a lot of shades of blonde but I never thought that I have a lot to choose from. So here are some samples from celebrities, I knew with my skin tone, any shade will work to my advantage (well I strongly believe that) although my mind is so set to being ash blonde. 

PLATINUM BLONDE

Adam Levine

Christina Aguilera

Lena Dunham

Kesha

ASH BLONDE

Pink

Katharine McPhee

Drew Barrymore

Carrie Underwood

GOLDEN BLONDE

Madonna

Dark Golden Blonde: Hayden Panettiere

Light Golden Blonde: Amber Heard

Kate Upton

SANDY BLONDE

Cate Blanchett

Cameron Diaz

Diane Kruger

Katherine Heigl

HONEY BLONDE

Honey Blonde with Highlights: Ashley Benson

Hayden Panettiere

Giselle Bundchen

Beyonce

STRAWBERRY BLONDE

Blake Lively

Jennifer Morrison

Nicole Kidman

Jessica Chastain

CARAMEL BLONDE

Nicola Peltz

Victoria Beckham

Nicole Richie

Bar Rafaeli

COPPER BLONDE

Asley Tisdale

Bella Thorne

Blake Lively

Rachel McAdams

Photo Resources:

http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/hair/g965/ash-blonde-hair-color
http://hollywoodlife.com/pics/platinum-blonde-celebrities-pics/
http://therighthairstyles.com/50-phenomenal-blonde-hair-color-ideas-for-the-current-season/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/dirty-blonde-hair-color-photos_n_1683672.html
http://www.seventeen.com/beauty/hair/advice/g627/best-blonde-celebrities
http://www.ranker.com/list/hottest-women-with-strawberry-blonde-hair
http://www.youbeauty.com/beauty/celebrities-with-blonde-hair

My gift list!

My birthday is like a month from now. So, here are some ideas for the people who love me.

1. A good box of blonde hair color or Manic Panic Cotton Candy.

2. Tennis outfit and tennis balls.

3. Minimalist or barefoot running shoes.

4. Tortoise

5. Nanny pack or running waist bag.

I'll just update this every now and then and bahala na kayo kung ano ang gusto niyong ibigay sa akin.

My Macau Trip

Hello! This has been a long overdue. Anyway, I still wanted to share with everyone what I have done and where I have been during my stay in Macao. I was there in June. So, they speak a different kind of Chinese, I did not understand a word that they speak but I just thank the people that I encountered who tried to communicate with me in English. I am forever in gratitude with you. Anyway, if you really want to do something, you should never let a thing called language barrier stop you from doing it. People even come and work there and eventually learn the language so why let that be a hindrance. That’s tip no. 1 on how to live an amazing life. Never let silly things stop you from your dreams. So, tip no. 2, be a tourist but do not act much of a tourist. Only ask trustworthy people, I asked a traffic enforcer, the English-speaking staff of the hotel that I was staying in, a walking by police officer and Filipinos that I met. Just for your own sake, do not act too scared, too dumb and too nervous during your travel, you are a highly target for those who do not mean well if you do. I have not tried commuting in Macao before; I did not know anything but I knew my family was relying on me so I have to be the rock. The internet is handy resource but when you are actually there, it is a different world but I have great news for you, once you learn how their bus system works, you would not need anyone to tell you how to go to places, just be prepared with a lot of coins, the bus does not give out change.

Where have I been while I was in Macau?

-Venetian

Yes, natupad na rin ang pinapangarap kong makasakay ng Gondola! Wah! It was like 512MOP for a private ride. I was with my family. The gondolier, if that’s what their called, that we had was a Filipina-Italian. Her name is Anna. She grew up in the Philippines, her mother is a Filipina and her father is an Italian. She had a great voice and she sand to my parents the Filipino song that her mother used to sing for her father.

-Old Taipa Village

Mejo malayo-layong lakaran to pero nung nakita ko na yung walkalator, ok na rin siya. Mga apat na walkalator yun, amhabang lakaran talaga yun sinasabi ko sa ‘yo. There is nothing much to see sa Old Taipa Village, maybe because late na kami nakarating dun, sarado na ang maraming establishments. Namili na lang ako ng souvenir sa munting souvenir shop dun. Hehe. Balak ko sanang magfood trip pero wag na lang. I changed my mind.

-Macau Tower

The following day, ito yung una talaga naming pinuntahan, mejo late nagigising ang mga tao sa Macau, sa standards ko ah, kasi 8 na, wala pa rin masyadong nagcocommute or bukas na establishment. What do I know, messed up ang oras ko kahit dito sa Pilipinas. Ang dami mong magagawa sa Macau Tower. Puro picture. Hahaha, sumilip sa digital interactive telescope, iovercome ang fear of heights sa paglalakad sa glass floors. Pwede ka ring kumain sa lounge at ienjoy ang wifi nila. Sa mga may extrang moolah, which I did not have. At hindi ko talaga pinaghandaan kasi I made up my mind na hinding hindi ako magbbungee jump, siguro, yun na lang ang gagawin ko pag nakaexperience ako ng midlife crisis.

-MGM

Dahil big fan ni Mama si Marianne, pupuntahan niya kung san nagpropose si Dingdong, sa Butterfly Dome but when we got there, ibang exhibit na ang nandun, ang Valkyrie Octopus. Ang daming fish! Wah. To my future husband, please if magpopropose ka, here is an idea, dun sana sa maraming birds kasi bird lover talaga ako eh.

-Kun Iam Statue

Wala naman masyadong special dito, aircon siya so nakapagpahinga kami habang nagpapanggap na nagbabasa sa mga exhibit dun. Haha, kidding, I learned something about Kun Iam and she amazes me, she is a woman of devotion and basta search niyo na lang sa internet.

-Senado Square

Marami kayong pwedeng pamilhan dito saka andito ang karamihang mga historical or cultural buildings dito. Unfortunately sarado yung St. Dominic for inspections and maintenance, yung House of Mercy, hinanap ko at akalain mo sandamakmak na beses ko siyang nadaanan without me knowing. Finally, I went to Ruins of St. Paul, sobraaaaang habang lakaran at on the way there, maraming nag-ooffer ng samples sa ‘yo kahit wag kang bumili, please lang, kumuha ka. Hahahaha, naumay talaga ako saka nahiya na rin. Hindi ko pati naintindihan kung ano yung mga kinakain ko, mamaya tao na pala yun or something na allergic ako. Hahahaha. Pupunta pa sana ako sa fortress nearby pero tinamad na ako at napagod, so bumalik na lang ako sa Senado Square along with my waiting father for my mom and sister who were shopping.

-Lord Stowe’s egg tarts

Hindi ako pwedeng bumalik sa Pilipinas ng wala ‘to. The original store is in Coloane ata but I settled to get my egg tarts in Venetian. Nagpatuloy sa pag-ikot ikot sa Venetian since we were able to leave our baggage sa baggage counter nila, it was like 10MOP per baggage and they are very nice even if they do not speak English well tapos tuturuan ka pa nila kung san ka pupunta, kusa nilang iooffer yung services ng Venetian shuttle even if you are not staying in the hotel, siguro kasi sabi ko magcacasino ako. Tinransfer pa nila sa harap ng hotel ang mga baggage naming para di na kami bumalik dun sa may West Lobby kasi dun kami sa harap sasakay ng Shuttle papuntang airport eh.

May mga hindi ako napuntahan na gusto ko sanang dalawin such as the Museum and Ah-Ma Temple pero eto ang alam ko, babalik ako ng Macau at sa pagbabalik ko pupuntahan ko ‘tong mga lugar na ‘to at magbubungee jump na ako. Wah!

The Wonders of Bleach Shampoo

It has been about 2 months since I’ve been DIY-ing on hair color and hair care and so far, I thank God that my hair has not been too damaged. It has improved without me spending so much money and having the gift of time. I mean seriously, with DIY, you follow your own schedule, you do things from the comforts of your own home and you feel that you have overpaid with a result that you are not too happy. I mean, my old stylist is known here in Muntinlupa and he is really good but I just have to be practical and I am starting to be more expressive and adventurous with my hair color. Maybe with my hair cut, I will still have him work on my hair but to be honest, I miss my long hair so I am growing it out but maybe I’ll get it cut, whatever.

I was so afraid to bleach my hair because my hair is damaged enough and bleaching it would result to those straw-like ands and I just cannot live with that so I have been researching and reading blogs and I bumped into bleach bath or bleach shampoo. It is a much safer way to lighten your hair, it may take more than one session for you to get the shade that you want before you go blonde or something but it does wonders to your hair. My hair was softer after the bleach bath and it did lighten my hair! But if there’s anything that I can complain about the bleach bath is that it’s not even. Boo! I believe it is because of the mixture of bleach powder, oxidizing lotion and shampoo, you can mix them as much as you can but you cannot get an even mixture of each component in the whole thing so there will be parts that has more bleach and they will give that part of the hair lighter shade, usually this is the bottom part of the bleach shampoo since the bleach powder do not dissolve in the mixture, it is heavier and goes to the bottom of the container so you have to do this near your roots if your roots are dark. They say Asians do not have black hair, most just have dark brown that appears to be black but I have really black hair so dyeing it makes it impossible for me to get the color in the box if I do not lighten my hair.

So, I read from an article that you have to do this twice a week for three weeks if you’re planning to go blonde and so far I am starting to be scared with how light it is but I was like, well, if I am going to be blonde, I might as well just endure this and see how my life will change. Haha. So how to bleach bath? This goes in a ratio of 1:1:2 for your bleach powder, oxidizing lotion and shampoo. What do I use and where do I buy my things? Bleach powder and oxidizing lotion is from hortaleza. I use the 12% oxidizing lotion in which the sales lady did not argue when she saw how my roots are dark and how my supposedly red hair turned to red violet, thank you dark pigments. She advised me though that one pack of bleach powder is equivalent to 2 60ml bottle of oxidizing lotion. With experimentations, I ended up using half of the bleach powder pocket, 60ml of 12% oxidizing lotion and 80ml shampoo. For the shampoo, during the first week, I first used L’oreal ColorVive Shampoo (120ml for the first session) and Pantene Total Damage Repair Shampoo (80ml for the second session). So I did it twice, the first one I did it Friday around 1am and then on Saturday 9pm. Apply on wet hair. After application, I put on shower cap and then leave on hair for 20-30 minutes. I followed each session with Hortaleza Keratin Treatment, I used one sachet.

Tips: Wear gloves because they say that bleach burns you or something, I did not want to experience it firsthand. Wear clothes and use towel that you did not care for too much.

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored or endorsing any of the products mentioned above.

I apologized because I did not have any pictures of the actual process, it was really difficult with the gloves, me timing myself because I was scared, it was my first time and it’s not like I know what I am doing!  Anyway, here is the before and after picture. 

Red violet-ish after I used HairFix Hair Coloring Shampoo

After I bleach shampoo! It is brown, the red pigments left my head already and see how my hair is so soft!

I am starting to have that copper brown head. Hmmmm, interesting and weird.

This one is taken outdoors!

Ang light na niya! Wah! This is after the second session of bleach shampoo-ing for this week.

Update: As mentioned, the bleach bathing should be done for three weeks. So here are the pictures, for the second week, I am planning to add deep conditioning and I used the deep conditioner from Human Nature. Here are the results:

The first session for the second week of bleach shampooing

When I went outdoors for a run the morning following the bleach bath

Natural light outdoors! This is after using the deep conditioner from Human Nature, as you can see, my hair is less frizzy compared to the picture above. 

Update: I realized that even after you bleach shampoo, your hair still gets lighter as days pass by, I am not sure if it's because of the hair ritual that I had acquire to ensure the health, moisture and strength of my hair. I only use shampoo on an every other day basis, I condition my hair daily and I also use deep conditioner on an every other day basis, on days that I use shampoo. Anyway, for my third week, I used clarifying shampoo for my bleach bath so I think that helped in lifting and lighting my hair. Here is the result. 

HairFix Hair Coloring Shampoo- Rich Auburn Review

Please see updated post here

After 5 weeks of sporting my red hair from L’Oreal Excellence Fashion, it faded to a brown brassy color. Well, it was not that brassy but it was no longer red. So, I decided to re-do my red, this time, I did not want to spend so much on hair color and being a fan of coloring shampoo, I decided to give it a try upon seeing it in Watsons and reading some reviews online. It was easy to use, I just did not like the gloves being too cheap looking, it was literally plastic! Oh well, what do you expect sa P69 na pangkulay?! There was a little stinging but it was bearable. I just did not like the smell, masyadong amoy parlor, the smell stayed on my hair for 3-4 days kahit na nagshampoo na ako ng bonggang bongga. So here is the result, I shall be comparing the results with the Spicy Red and the HairFix.

I just applied the HairFix Hair Coloring Shampoo!

This was taken with flash after I rinsed the shampoo off. 

I used L'Oreal on this one, this was the morning, hours after I colored my hair, see how awful my hair was.

This is using HairFix, it may not be as red as the Spicy Red but it is a decent red and if you will notice, the hair falls more natural and not that dry. It is actually softer. If I did not bleach bath my hair, I think the color would have lasted longer.

Parang within a week after I used HairFix, this one is taken with flash and as you can see, mejo red violet na yung peg niya so ayan. Hindi na ako sa Jean Grey, ako na si Black Widow. Haha. Choz!

In summary, I like this because it is affordable, it is easy to use, it leaves your hair smooth and healthier. I just do not like the smell and the few color options. I still maintained this red with Pantene Color and Perm Shampoo and Conditioner. I am not sponsored nor endorsing any of the products mentioned in this article