REVIEWER # 1

Remember my earlier post about patience? Yeah, I'm proud to say that I'm still patiently waiting for some files to be available for download. :-P 

And, since I've been waiting for like, an eternity, I decided to blog some more to pass the time. Or else, I'd go mad! 

I noticed that I haven't posted any reviews of products which I have used. Ergo, this post would be the first of many. 

And the first product to be reviewed at My Outlet Online is...

 KIEHL'S DELUXE HAND & BODY LOTION 

with ALOE VERA & OATMEAL (GRAPEFRUIT)

 I l♥ve it! It's a really lightweight, moisturizing lotion that has a faint grapefruit smell. At first, because the scent is barely-there, I didn't like it so much. I am into grapefruits and I was hoping that this lotion would have a distinct grapefruit-y scent. Maybe because I'm so used to lotions that have strong fragrances. 

After a while, I liked it because the scent is mild. It's not overpowering and doesn't clash with my perfume. And, it's better for my sensitive skin which was a bit irritated due to harsh soaps. It didn't aggravate it. So, plus points for that.

Here is a sample of the KIEHL'S lotion:

As you can see, it is milky white, but it disappears when you rub it in. I also l♥ve the fact that it is not at all greasy.

Here is a summary of the pros and cons of KIEHL'S DELUXE HAND & BODY LOTION with ALOE VERA & OATMEAL (GRAPEFRUIT):

PROS:                                                   

- Moisturizing                                    

- Non-greasy

- Doesn't irritate sensitive skin

CONS:

- Faint scent (almost undetectable). For those who like to use their lotions as their fragrance, then this is not a good choice for you.

MY OUTLET ONLINE REVIEWER RATING: 

 ★★★★ out of 5 

HTH! (Hope that helps) FYI ;-)

Until next,

 

 X☺X☻!

PATIENCE, MY CHILD!

Patience IS a virtue... that I do not have (sometimes!)

I thought I was patient, until something happens that tries my patience for the nth time. I mean, compared to others, I don't easily blow my top when something bad happens, or when I encounter something annoying. I think I have a high tolerance for these things. But, the problem is, whenever you try to tolerate such things, there is a risk of the annoyance building up inside you. And then one day, you'll just blow up at the silliest thing, which isn't even half as annoying as the previous ones you've encountered!

I have been learning a lot about patience lately. For one thing, it takes a great deal of patience to actually BE patient. And, it is easier said than done. Plus, if you think you've been patient before, then wait for another instance when you have to be even more patient. At least, I know that I'm becoming patient as I age hahaha! 

My life right now consists of moments where I  have to do a lot of waiting around and seeing what happens. Not entirely by choice, but because of circumstances that have arisen in my life which I have no control over. I mean, try as you may, you really can't control everything in your life or plan it to the minutest detail. Something will eventually go awry and something's gotta give. So, I sit and patiently wait. 

I'm not gonna lie though. It is frustrating! That's why whenever I have to wait for something to be done, like waiting for files to be downloaded, I make sure that I do something else while waiting. It doesn't necessarily have to be the most productive thing. Sometimes, I just read a chapter of a book I've been dying to finish. Other times, I just watch some show, surf the internet or listen to music. I just make sure I sneak in something to do while waiting, even, daydreaming, just to fill the time. That way, I feel as if I didn't completely waste my time. And, it keeps me from becoming bored or impatient because I am a bit distracted with another task. Pretty soon, the waiting will be over and I would have barely noticed it, wondering where the time went. 

For annoying things, like finding your cat's hairballs in unexpected places and having to clean it up, then I am still learning to be more patient about it. But, like anything else, you get used to it. What else can you do but clean it up right? And then, have your cat checked at the vet. No use getting angry at your cat because it's an accident anyway. My cat actually looks so sorry after he has a hairball episode that he hides from me, afraid that I'll get mad. Good thing, I never do. Lucky cat! hahaha. I guess I love him too much to punish him for something that is also beyond his control. I even try to go to him afterwards just to pat him and assure him that I'm not mad and I forgive him because I know he didn't mean for it to happen. Yeah, I'm weird. So sue me! :-P Hahaha! But, it works, you know? My cat seemingly understands and is reassured. After that, he goes about his usual business as if nothing happened. Typical cat behavior! 

Anyhow, before this post turns into a novel, I will cut it short. You guys might not have enough patience to continue reading about patience anymore. :-P

So, farewell for now! And please God, help me to become more patient... NOW! (hahaha! Sorry for being too demanding!) Guess I need some MORE patience after all. ;-)

THIS BLOG IS MY DRUG

What started out as a simple means to express myself has turned out to be a passion, dangerously bordering on addiction! I am talking about this blog. Just as I feared, blogging would turn out to be totally addicting! Happily, it gives me a natural high! On one hand, it's good because it is an avenue to vent out random things about my life and thereby lighten my load. On the other hand though, it can be distracting, especially when I'm working. Granted, blogging is similar to my work because it involves writing, I fear that my love of blogging will make me penniless. I know I talked about simplicity and living within one's means before, but not to this extreme. Sadly, I have some bills to pay which actually require money. I also know that there are ways to monetize one's blog, but I am not currently doing that. Maybe next time I can be a full time blogger and actually earn from blogging, but since I haven't explored that possibility yet, my work and my hobby are currently separated by salaries.

The odd thing though is that, I look forward to blogging more than working. Despite the fact that I earn nothing from blogging, I actually enjoy it more. Maybe because it allows me more freedom to express my thoughts and choose any topic I want to write on. With work, I do have choices on what topics to write about, but they are still limited. So, if I can't see one that I am drawn to, I have to settle with one that is so-so.

Don't get me wrong, I love my work. It allows me to do the thing I love most, which is writing and I get compensated for it. Some days though, I just wanna blog. This is one of those days. I meant to work, but ended up blogging! Ack!

What else do I love about blogs? Of course, the pics! Taking pics, posting them on my blog and sharing them with an audience is part of the pleasure I derive from blogging. I don't know, it's just so much fun to do so. Plus, it makes my blog look better. A blog without pictures is quite frankly, boring IMHO (In my humble opinion, in case you were wondering what it means). No offense to text-only blogs! (Peace ☮ut!) 

Plus, I don't have a shortage of topics to write about. On the contrary, I am having a hard time choosing what particular topic to blog on because I have a LOT of ideas! Sometimes I just see something, eat something or experience something that I must absolutely have to blog about it. And, the ideas are piling up! I have to restrain myself from writing multiple topics in one sitting! Although, I am really tempted to do so.

Sometimes, I can't help but feel guilty for taking the time out to blog, instead of actually working. I feel that I am just wasting my time, you know? But, then I'd always remember this quote:

And I would feel so much better afterwards. Oh well, it is not wasted time after all. Besides, I don't just write about nonsensical things (although I am guilty of doing so). I think I write about meaningful and thought-provoking stuff as well. Or at least, I'd like to think so. You guys be the judge of that. Nevertheless, I do try. I hope that some of my posts have in some way inspired you guys to be or do better. Or at least, it somehow entertained you even for just a bit.

If that's the case, then I guess I have done a good job then! Even if it's not actually my literal job. (hahaha)

Okidoki, this has been sufficiently long-winded. And without further ado, I must bid y'all farewell. For now...

Later, alligator!

MUGGY DAYS

mug·gy

adj \ˈmə-gē\

- Warm and extremely humid.

As what the name and the definition listed above suggests, my days are currently muggy. You can just imagine how extremely uncomfortable that is. But, because I have experienced many days like this and I am used to it by now, I guess it has become bearable. Some days are better than the rest, and some days are worse. I am not complaining though. Because while I prefer cooler days, those usually precede rainy days, thunderstorms and floods in our area. I'd take the muggy days over that thankyouverymuch. Now, if only I can move out to a better and less flood prone area, it would be an entirely different story. But alas, the cards aren't right for that to happen anytime soon. 

Anyhoo, anyhow, my days are also muggy because I am currently using this:

And, what the heck is this, y'all ask? 

Well, this is (drum roll, please):

 My not-so-new mug! 

Muggy days, get it? ;-) Yeah, probably corny but totally apropos for this post, methinks.

So cute, right?!!! I just love it! I love that it has a really nice quote on it from Desiderius Erasmus who was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, teacher, theologian, Catholic priest and social critic. (yeah, I looked it up, so sue me! :-P) Basically, he's an extremely brilliant guy. So, naturally what he said back then made sense, and this is one of his sayings:

"The better part of happiness is to wish to be what you are."

So true! But, admittedly, so difficult to do. Sometimes, we just want to be anyone but ourselves. But, instead of wasting our days wishing to be someone else, it would be simpler to just accept ourselves as we are, warts and all, while striving for overall improvement. Not because we are not content to be ourselves, but because we want to be the best versions of ourselves.

Okay, enough serious talk. Back to my mug. I also love that it can hold a teaspoon(which comes with the mug) on its handle. That way, I'll always have my own spoon near my mug, making my life easier altogether. 

Not to mention, its color, which is predominantly white, with accents of pink (my fave!). It also has a cute vine-y + flowery accent which is so dainty! Perfect for little old me. ;-)

Remember my old post about tea time? While I loved using my tea set, I am usually pressed for time nowadays and it's inconvenient for me to set it up and wash it all afterwards. So, I have been using this mug for my tea time.

Here's what it looks like with my tea in it:

I know it's not as beautiful as my tea set, but it still is pretty, right? How much did it cost me to get one? A grand total of 0! I actually got it for free! :-) It came with a product that my Dad bought and he gave it to me. Actually, I asked for it hahaha! He has another one, which is similar, except that it's colored red. There are other colors and my sister hopes to get the blue or the green one next time. Pretty soon, the whole family will have all these mugs, one for each person. Let's just hope we get mugs with different colors!

So yeah, while I am enduring muggy days, this mug is making it easier to do so. I know it sounds hokey, but it is true. Apparently, happiness is not only rooted in contentment, but also in simplicity and finding the beauty in seemingly ordinary things.

Oh and after days of drinking ginger tea, I am drinking my beloved mint green tea again! Yippee-ki-yay! :-)

Until next,

Arrivederci! ♥

CLUTTER BUSTER

I have been struggling with clutter recently! I mean, everywhere I look there's clutter. No matter what I do, it just creeps up, even if I stay as organized as I can possibly be. I guess it doesn't help that I live with litter bugs to begin with, but still! 

In an effort to clean up, I have been segregating clutter into piles. I separated it into things that should be thrown, kept or given away. I didn't include a pile for stuff that should be sold because let's get real, I wouldn't be able to get rid of those anytime soon for lack of buyers. And because I am all so anal about it, I even segregated the stuff to be thrown into paper, plastics, biodegradable, non-biodegradable and recyclables - WHEW! You're probably thinking that is a lot of work just to throw stuff out! And you're right! But, it does make things easier to sort out in the long run. 

So anyhoo, after categorizing all of the clutter, you'd think it would look a little less clutter-y, but no!!!! It's still cluttered because it's just THERE! Except for the biodegradable stuff, I haven't gotten rid of everything yet! And, it's annoying!!! I just want to haul everything out of the house, you know? But, I have to patiently wait for the paper guy and for the plastics guy to come by our house, not to mention the garbage truck which just comes by once a week! 

In doing all of this cleaning and organizing, I have realized that there really is a lot of stuff lying around the house that are not used. Some things that are in storage are slowly forgotten with time. And I feel that I have to get rid of some of them for my sanity. I need to free up space. I also need to give these things to other people who might actually use it. Instead of letting these things gather dust, someone out there surely needs one of the things I have, so I need to give them away. The saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" rings so true in this case.

I also realized that I need to be a minimalist. To prevent future clutter, I need to be as simple as I can possibly be, only buying essential things that are necessities. If it's something that I want to get just for the heck of it, and if I can live without it, then I don't have to buy it. I learned that the hard way and I have been living with it day by day. Besides, being simple doesn't mean being boring. It just means being wiser and prioritizing needs over wants. Plus, it's way more economical!

It is easier said than done though. I must admit I had a hard time sorting things out because my emotions came into play. I wanted to keep some of the things that I don't really need for sentimental reasons. But, at the end of the day, I had to be realistic. I have kept it for long and I will remember the memories but I must learn to let go of the keepsakes that could still be used by others.

I am very thankful to have a lot of blessings and to be given numerous gifts. But, I feel that I shouldn't let it stop at me. Instead of keeping these gifts to myself, I think it would be better to share it with others. That way, the gifts that I received will keep on giving. Especially to the unfortunate ones who need it most.

So, I guess cleaning up is good for the soul after all. It makes things easier at home and other people can benefit from it. Not to mention the lessons of cleanliness, discipline, generosity, gratitude and simplicity that I have learned while being a clutter buster. Who would have thought I'd get all that from cleaning, huh? ;-)

And to think I hated cleaning before because I am so allergic to dust that I always ended up being sick afterwards! (I now use a dust mask to prevent allergies)

I set out to clean the house, but I'm glad that I ended up cleaning my heart, mind and soul at the same time. :-)

I'm sorry that this post is way too long, but I hope it somehow inspired you guys to:

be:

and:

X♥X♥!

REMEMBER SEPTEMBER

is here! And just like that, August disappeared... But not without a bang! It actually ended with a Blue Moon! (see previous post)

So, I'm singing a different tune nowadays. Last night it was ♫ Once in a Blue Moon...♫ , but now, I am singing ♫ Wake Me Up When September Ends...♫

Oh, if only I could sleep my way through a month hibernating like a bear... And then wake up in October looking like Sleeping Beauty...

September means colder days and longer nights. It's the perfect weather for sleeping in. But, I can't do that because I vowed to be more productive in September. You know, more working, less sawing of logs and forty winks. ;-)

August was unproductive because it felt like one big holiday month. There were lots of birthdays to celebrate, one after the other. Add to that several non-working holidays and you got a recipe for lazy days.

But, I'm not complaining because come October there will be a grand celebration! :-) I'm actually very happy and thankful for that! What a huge and unexpected blessing! Thank God! :-)

So until then, I will wait and work a bit to pass the time and keep busy. Don't worry, I'll blog about it! For now though, my lips are sealed.

I guess I should change my song to ♫ I'm so excited and I just can't hide it...♫

Auf Wiedersehen!

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON...

So, last night there was a Blue Moon! Unfortunately, it was too cloudy in my place so I wasn't able to see it :-( Bummer! I was looking forward to it all day and I was hoping to take a picture of it. I was even planning on breaking out our telescope to get a better view (yeah, sorry my geeky side is showing :-P).

Silly old me actually thought that a Blue Moon is a moon that is colored blue! Apparently, it isn't so!

Here's the tricky part, there are different definitions on what is considered a Blue Moon. One is that a Blue Moon is the second full moon in a month. This definition applies to last night's moon because the first full moon was last August 1, 2012.

The other definition of a Blue Moon is the third of four full moons in a season. This is said to be the original definition. The first definition was a misinterpretation of this meaning. Before it gets any more confusing than it already is, I'll stop. 

Here's an illustration of Blue Moons from www.space.com. If you still don't get it, just Google Blue Moon for further info ;-)

 

Here's a pic that I found of the Blue Moon last night:

Hmm, and they said it wasn't actually blue! :-P

The next Blue Moon will be on July 2015. Guess we'll have to wait until then to see another one. Oh well, better luck next time.