Feeling Lucy

Lucy Torres writes in Philstar regularly, imparting her beauty secrets. Actually allow me to fantasize that I too have beauty secrets, just a few, to share. Yep, you're right. Wala na naman akong magawa. I'm bored. Again.

1. Kaminomoto Hair Tonic

My hair is the most abused part of my body. I had it curled at the ends last year December (the Marimar look). April of this year, I had it curled again and cut to shoulder-length (the poodle look). Then barely two months later, just last weekend, I had it relaxed (a process milder than rebond) and layered (that's my boring look). Sheesh if my hair could scream with all the torture, it probably would have wailed loudly. One would expect that most of my hair must have fallen off by now because of too much chemicals. But no. I still have my precious locks in place. My secret? (Hahahaha feeling kaayo. Kilatan baya ko...) Kaminomoto Hair Tonic.

I discovered this product when I accompanied Steng to a LBC outlet. She was trying to smuggle a bottle for her father, which failed because LBC doesn't accept liquids. My usual curious self (in short, pakialamera =p) asked her what it was for. She told me that the tonic effectively promotes hair growth. Her father had tried using it on the bald patch of his head, it worked!

I really have very fine hair, as fine as corn's hair. So heavy falling hair usually alarms me. That time I was experiencing such condition. Every morning I noticed a handful of strands on my pillow maybe because of having had my hair tortured. (Heavy falling hair also occurs when one is under stress). I brought a bottle of Kaminomoto at Mercury, Glorietta (600php+ for 100mL). Using cotton ball I started applying it on my scalp. True enough, it's effective. I notice less and less hair strands falling. There are newly-grown/baby hairs on my scalp. And I think my hair is getting healthier, shinier... naks!

2. Issho Genki Squalene

I have asthma. I used to have asthma attacks, everyday. During the wee hours of the morning, I used to wake up gasping and grabbing for my Ventolin Diskhaler for a fix of the medicine (oo, parang addict). When I moved here in Manila, I expected my asthma to get worse because it's polluted here. I didn't expect it however to be cured. I can't even remember when I had my last attack. It's because I now take two capsules of Squalene everyday. Sa Cebu kasi one capsule a day lang ako since I couldn't afford pa hehehe.

Browse this site, it's even recommended by a pulmonologist and yes, Dr. Vicky Belo. This is also the secret of my glowing skin (hahahahahaha!). If you're interested to buy, don't go asking for it at the local drugstore, because it's retail price is 10php per capsule. You can contact me and buy it for as low as 7php per capsule :)

3. Face Shop Phytogenic All Control Pressed Powder

I used VMV face powder way back in Cebu. But I had to look for an alternative because it's price soared from 400+ to a whopping 1200+! Even if it now comes with a white-leather sosyal case, I still won't set aside more than 1k for a powder, no way noh. It's not Shu Uemera that it's understandable to pay that much for it.

I found a better alternative at the Face Shop (a Korea-based beauty store that have outlets in Glorietta, MOA, etc). Ria and I have fallen in love with this beauty find because it provides very smooth, natural and ultra-light coverage. Though I have very oily T-zone, to my delight this powder lasts longer than the products I used before - so it's tipid since I don't have to reapply it frequently. It also protects the skin from harmful UV rays because of it contains SPF10 PA+.

By the way, it costs 695php. And you might also want to check other Face Shop products because they are all natural. They don't only showcase wide array of beauty ka-ek-ekan for women but they also have a line of skincare products for men.

4. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

This little yellow tube works wonders on my lips. So far, it is the only cure to my always chapped lips WITHOUT the greasy feeling.

Many lip products on the market are made with petroleum, but petroleum dries your lips so you end up needing more. Burt’s Bees products are made with good stuff like beeswax, honey and essential oils. The Burt's Bees Beeswax lip balm is packed with protective ingredients such as ultra emollient lanolin and almond oil to help soothe cracked or chapped lips. It also leaves a peppermint tingle on your lips.

If you want to use a lip balm with tint, so you won't have to use lipstick, there's also Burt's Bees lip shimmer that comes in numerous shades. It's made from natural ingredients like vitamin E, coconut and sunflower oils to moisturize your lips.

Burt's Bees products are available in Beauty Bar shops (there's one in Glorietta and also in MOA). A tube of Burt's Bees Beeswax lip balm costs 250php (not sure of this though). It' s half the price in the US, so if you have friends there ask them to hoard for you. (paging Claire... paging Claire!)

I hope you'll also share your secrets/tips with me. I'll think of other products to add to this list.

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Georgia the Dreamer

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Ohhh Halo-halo

Right now I'm craving for Razon's (the original of Guagua Pampanga) Halo-halo.

I had heard about Razon's Halo-halo from some friends before, I just didn't mind since I wasn't a halo-halo lover. But when my seemingly-kuripot seatmate raved about it, that's when I got really curious. I persuaded Steng and William to try it out last Sunday. We went to its branch at Greenbelt 1. It's beside Delifrance/Hen Lin.

At first glance, it's halo-halo doesn't seem as appetizing as Chowking's or MacJoy. I was a bit disappointed really when the waiter handed me my halo-halo. I said to myself, Huh eto na yun? Bakit di sya colorful? Halo-halo ba talaga to?

When I tasted a small chunk of the leche flan on top, I liked it. Maybe there's hope for this halo-halo after all, I thought. So I dug my spoon and make halo the halo-halo. After I ate the first spoonful, I nodded to Stella and William to convey my satisfaction. Razon's halo-halo lived up to my expectations after all. For someone who wasn't a halo-halo lover, I gobbled the whole cup to the last drop.

Like I said there's nothing spectacular about it. The ingredients are just banana chunks, macapuno, beans and leche flan. Nothing green or red nata de coco or gelatin. Maybe it's the way those ingredients are prepared. Or maybe it's the creamy milk (they say it's pure cow's milk). But whatever it is, the whole concoction is totally yummy. Promise! Try it!

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Lalala lalalala...

I'm literally paid to do nothing. And this is slated to last for another two months as we wait for the working permit approval. I was initially overjoyed when I knew about this arrangement because this means I can just surf to my heart's content and be paid to do that to boot! But that euphoria lasted for just two weeks because I'm running out of topics to google. Help! I am bored. Grrr...

I have turned to the blogosphere to search for something to read. But darn, I can't find anything interesting because most of my friend-bloggers are happy now. They have graduated from that state of nursing their broken hearts. They finally found their happily-ever-afters. One of my favorite blog has been renamed from Road Less Travelled to Happily Ever After. (Cheesy.) Another favorite blogger seems to have mellowed down in her rantings as she embarks the road to motherhood. She now resolves to a money-making scheme by writing ads in her blog. (Yawn.)

No more juicy blog entries. No more enlightening insights about chasing dreams, going where the wind blows to find oneself. No more funny stories as about their escapades in the pursuit of happiness. Now, what I read from their blogs are happy thoughts. I can even picture them with baskets of flowers hop-skipping on a field and singing lalala lalalala. Really guys, you're boring now :p

Actually just ignore this senseless rant because the truth is, I'm happy for you guys. To those who have found their happily-ever-afters, to those who have successfully gotten pregnant... cheers! Life is simply gorgeous, right?

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Weddings Unlimited

Last Friday, June 08, I attended the wedding of a previous Rendition colleague, Ryan Imperial. He was my crush before. Well, he's the crush ng bayan because he's tall and yup, good-looking. But when I found out he's into a relationship, he became off-limits and I decided to look for another crush-material. Buti na lang. Kasi napunta ako sa mas gwapo & naging boypren ko pa sya! (You bet. My bf is an avid follower of this blog =p)

here's the newlyweds: Ryan and Chai

with my Rendition colleagues - Tess, Juris and Teesha

the wide array of desserts was enough to keep me smiling the whole night

I’m thinking of keeping dresses in my wardrobe in each color of common wedding motifs (for example of powder blue, egg yellow, lavender & baby pink colors). So I can easily grab something to wear when I get invited to more weddings. I don’t want to stand-out by wearing a dress that’s not compatible with the motif when attending a wedding. Because every bride expends so much effort to make her wedding perfect. The least I can do, as a way of thanks for the free food, is to cooperate and blend in.

Maybe it's with this age. I've been receiving too many wedding invitations. Seems like there's a fad going on with my friends... and that’s tying the knot and entering the lifetime commitment of marriage. I’m not complaining. I do enjoy weddings. But it's a bit annoying that in every wedding I've been to lately, I've also been asked "kanus-a man ka George?" or "when are you going to get married, George?". And usually the inquisitors don't get contented with "nag-iipon pa kami" answer. Because they would reason that the ipon part becomes easy once we have set the date (yeah, right). I also now get reminded I’m of marrying age already (yeah, as if I need a reminder). And that I should worry about my biological clock (and those two words should be enough to send me to corner my bf to a shotgun wedding asap?). Darn, I’m not yet that old naman diba? I'm still a bridesmaid material. Like, really.

It's just that the world now provides more opportunities for women careerwise that some of us have decided to put off, postpone getting hitched. It's not at all that I don't want to have a family. Believe me, nothing will ever make me feel complete than to become a wife and a mother. It's just that... not now (sinaw). I just want to grab the opportunities thrown at my way recently. I don't want to have what-ifs in the future. I want to travel, go to London to see the queen... nyehehehe. And heller, wala pa kaming one year ni Harley noh. Mama, I wish you're reading this. Promise, I will get married before that darn biological clock stops ticking...

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Claire's Preggy

A week or more ago Claire said, "buntis ko, nagpositive ako PT. pero ayaw sa saba unya na kung sure ko. " or "I'm pregnant. My PT result is positive, but don't tell anyone yet unless it's sure."

I wanted to shout the good news to Ria, Mau.. to anyone! But since I made a promise, I struggled to keep my mouth shut. Finally, I was given the go-signal to broadcast it yesterday. And also Claire has already released her official press statement (parang artista... hehe) in her blog, click here.

The couple had been on the actively-making-a-baby status since last year. So I am really elated of this development, to find out na hindi pala tamad sperms ni Darrix, hehehe. Congrats!

I want to see with my own two eyes how Claire will manage her baby. Claire is hopelessly absent-minded so I won't be shocked if she'll accidentally leave the baby inside the washing machine. Claire don't go epidural, okay? (Epidural is an anaesthetic injection into the epidural space of the spinal cord during childbirth and it's side effect is temporary memory loss). Because since you normally suffer temporary memory loss from time to time, how much more if you actually undergo epidural? Haha, scary! =p

Now I have to figure out how to get to US to attend the baby's christening sometime on March 2008? Sana kamukha ni Claire. Oo sana talaga kamukha ni Claire...

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The Wedding of the Year

June 02, I witnessed the Wedding of the Year... Ria and Dan tied the knot.

Lizette and I stayed with Ria the night before at Marco Polo. Due to lack of time, I wasn't able to fit my gown again that afternoon. I just claimed it from Dong (the designer) at Glorietta and hopped on the plane. The first time I tried it on was when Lizette and I arrived at Marco Polo. To our great disappointment, we both had to make adjustments to our gowns. Mine was too loose at the middle, it didn't accentuate what little curves I had (darn!). Lizette also had to tighten the strap of her halter gown. So while Ria was sleeping soundly, Lizette and I were trying to tap what little sewing talent we had to remedy our dresses. Fortunately, the makeup artist Ria hired was so skilled. He was able to hide under layers of foundation my terrible eyebags due to lack of sleep.

The wedding took place at St. Paul's, the church Ria attended since she was a little girl. The ceremony started almost promptly around 9am (I meant almost because the bridesmaids were a bit late.. just a bit.. hehehe =p)

I can still remember the moment Ria walked on the aisle. At first, she was smiling, almost goofing around. But when she saw her Dad, she suddenly sobbed and rushed to embrace him. The music, the church - the solemnity of it all touched her to the core. And she wasn't alone. Her mom, Tita Arlene, as well as her aunt were dabbing the sides of their eyes.

Good to see these guys again after NEC (esp. Otep, Ma'am Ana and Lizette)

The newlyweds with the family of the bride

The reception was held at the Grand Tulip ballroom, just a few minutes away from the church. The place was transformed beautifully. It was so pink, so Ria :) It was Japanese themed. Little pink umbrellas hung on the ceiling. Pink fans decorated the back of chairs. There was even a Sakura (Cherry blossoms) tree standing proud at the stage. It was every bit how Ria dreamed it to be. It was perfect.

The reception

Although obscured by the flowers, Sir Gonz and Ma'am Ana were ninong and ninang, respectively.

Looks like a real Sakura. Kawaii desu ne!

The maid of honor (the one with the tiara, hehehe) and the bridesmaid (bridesmaid ka lang!)
a.k.a... receptionists

The masters of ceremony were a deejay of Davao's local radio station and Petite, Ria's bridesmaid and was crowned Mutya ng Davao in the past (she's now a lawyer... grr! how can anyone be so blessed?!). Their tandem was good, there was never a dull moment. The deejay even brought his own mic. Well, he didn't disappoint us, his mic wasn't just for a show.


The wedding singers (from the Ateneo choir) entertained us with their own rendition of famous love songs while we had our fill of lunch.

Oh diba.. naka-pink din sila!

Instead of the traditional Money dance, Ria and Dan opted for the wishing well, where every guest could just drop their monetary gifts discreetly. Nice idea right?

We had no choice though but to give our gift to Ria personally, we just couldn't fit it in that one those small envelopes... We're able to pool around 30k and since tig-500 hundred, ang kapal! Thanks to Ria and Dan's friends from other parts of the world... Hahahaha, taray ang rich nyo! :)

The speeches given by Dan's parents and Ria's Mom were so surprisingly entertaining. Here's the following quotes that almost made us gag with laughter:

Dan's Mom: We have five children. The eldest is Christine, she's over there.. (napalingon kami kung nasan si Christine). She's a doctor, by the way! And (after a long pause)... she's still single! (Wahhh poor Christine, yumuko na lang, hehehe)

Dan's Dad: Cedric brought home a girl two years ago. (Mau then asked me, Diba geng wala pa maabot sila ni Ria og two years? Hala so ang ex niya?) We waited for the engagement but it didn't come. When Cedric told us they broke up, we were shocked when he said that he already had another girlfriend...(Nakow! Naparami yata inom Papa ni Dan. Rule #1 in a wedding, never talk about an ex :p )

Dan's Dad: We asked Cedric what will be our participation for the wedding. He told us that we will just have to attend. That's how prepared he was. He didn't ask for a single centavo. So kayong mga kapatid ni Cedric, gayahin nyo kapatid nyo! Your Mom and I are not saving money for your wedding... (Toink!)

The beauteous mother of the bride, Tita Arlene, entertained us with her meaty speech.

Ria and Dan also veered away from the throwing of rice tradition. Instead they had a big balloon tied at the ceiling, gathered all the kids around it and they popped the balloon (palo sebo style). The kids then excitedly scrambled to get the goodies.

See, not only the grown-ups enjoyed, but also the kids.

The bouquet toss was different. Single ladies were gathered at the middle and instead of trying to get the bride's bouquet, Ria threw single-stemmed flowers. Each flower tied with a ribbon. The one tied with the special ribbon was said to be the "next" bride. Petite got it.

The garter toss was also different. Single men were each given a plastic balloon. They were told that whoever managed to create the biggest balloon would "win" the garter. During the judging, they were told that the rules changed - that instead of the biggest balloon, it became the smallest balloon. It was so obvious that Bani, one of Dan's close friends, had the smallest balloon, so he got the garter and earned himself three kisses on Petite's neck. Swerte! Ang pretty pa naman ni Petite...

Ria had a surprise in store for Dan. She wrote a poem and asked Cathy (her singer-composer friend) compose a song using it as lyrics. Dan was obviously touched when Cathy sang it during the reception. They had the song recorded into a CD (one of the giveaways, limited copies only, too bad I didn't get one). "I can't wait for my happy ever after with you", was the song's last line... truly the sentiment of the bride and groom as they didn't waste time to tie the knot.

Taking advantage of Otep's photography skills


The newlyweds with their parents


Sinira ang decor... tsk tsk!


Mas malala si Ma'am Ana, pinatanggal yung payong from the ceiling. Sumbong nga natin kay Ma'am G...


My only solo pic with the newlyweds.. sayang naman o, bakit parang overexposed, digicam naman to? :(
Sige lang, obvious pa rin naman ganda ko :D

Parang gutom yata ang bride? Hehehehe

To date, it was the best wedding I have attended. Even if the preparation was just 1 and a half months, everything flowed flawlessly: from the ceremony, the pictorials after the wedding and the reception. It was made possible by ONeil (Ria's wedding planner). He was like a master puppeteer at the background, making sure everything went perfectly. And it did! He even took care of our breakfast that morning, personally went to Jollibee for breakfast meals takeout! Oh ONeil, I wish there's someone like you in Cebu.. (sa Davao na lang kaya ako pakasal?)

Presenting, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Cedric Delima! We're so happy for you guys :)

Here are more pics by me and Otep.

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Excited for Ria and Dan's Wedding!

7:30 tonight is my flight for Davao to attend Ria and Dan's Wedding. I'm so happy for my friends and I'm so excited to witness their dream come true as they exchange vows and start a lifetime commitment blessed by God. I know many of you who are the couple's friends from other part of the world really like to come, but simply can't because you're at the other part of the world (hehe, sorry na lang =p). Don't worry we'll keep you updated with pictures.

Ria and Dan's Wedding Invitation

As for my murdered dress, I'm not going to wear it - no way, heller! We discovered a designer, Dong, who just charges 2500 for a rush gown. He's an authentic designer and I expect his work is much better than that of Aling Fe because their shop (Carmen Lazaro of Vonticar Bridals) is registered in the Philippine Wedding Summit. Their shop is in Glorietta 2, Goldcrest Bldg. Lizette also has her gown made there, I picked it up last night, I looks great! I still have to claim my gown this 4pm. I demanded to have it altered because during the fitting last night the bodice was too low. My boobs might spill out (baka magreklamo si Ria, matatalbogan ko sya). Fingers crossed, I hope when I fit my gown again this PM, it's kagalang-galang...

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