MY STYLE

Here's a collage I made at www.polyvore.com

   It's sooo me! :-) Gotta admit, I love the dainty stuff. It's fun to make collages like this. I plan on making some more and posting them here. 

Until then,

X0x0!

RED

I tried to paint my fingernails red, but it was a disaster! It looked like blood on my hands and it's not a pretty sight!

Lesson learned: Don't apply nail polish by yourself anymore. :-P

ATTRACTION

Here's a thought-provoking message about attraction:

"You attract not what you want, but who you are."

"If you want to change something in your life, focus on the inner, and God will take care of the outer."

xOxO! :-)

HOTHA YOGA

I have been eating a lot of food lately. And so, to compensate for it, I decided to burn some calories by using a stepper, climbing stairs, occasional brisk walking and by doing some basic Hatha Yoga with a twist. It's kinda like a combination of Bikram Yoga (done in a heated room) and Hatha Yoga. That's why I named this post Hotha Yoga. :P

I'm loving yoga, by the way. Now, I understand why a lot of people love it. It calms the nerves, helps you focus, improves your posture, stretches out your muscles and teaches you a lot about patience and endurance.

 http://www.hathayogaillustrated.com/buy-hatha-yoga-illustrated/

Now, I hope to keep on doing it. And get better at it.

HOW TO FIGHT THE LONELINESS

Everyone feels lonely at one point or another, so here's a song by Wilco on how to fight it...

 LYRICS:

How to fight loneliness
Smile all the time
Shine your teeth till meaningless
And sharpen them with lies

And whatever is going down
Will follow you around
That's how you fight loneliness

You laugh at every joke
Drag your blanket blindly
Fill your heart with smoke

And the first thing that you want
Will be the last thing you'll ever need
That's how you fight it

Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time

(The painting is "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh)

I like the last part of the song the most. Basically, just smile all time. Think + and always pray to fight the loneliness. Ignore the part about lies though, 'kay? :-) 

FIRE TREE

Whenever I see this tree:

I am reminded of autumn because of its color. Apparently, it's called a fire tree. I thought it was a joke, but it's true. Its name actually suits itself because from afar, it looks like the tree is on fire. 

Flame on, fire tree! 

LUNA

I'm fascinated by the moon and I always look up to see it at night, checking if it's full or not. In line with my fascination with the moon is my curiosity about moon cakes. I've always wondered what it looked like and if it tastes good or not. So, finally I decided to try it. Here's some pics of it:

 

Hmm, it actually tastes good and is quite filling. :-)

So, I can now say that I reached for the moon. But, I didn't fail and land on the stars, I ate the moon instead! Hahaha!  :-P

 

REVIEWER # 2

I mentioned in a previous post that I love the smell of vanilla. So, I got this cologne:

It's from Scents and Blends and I l♥rrve it! It's the perfect light scent. It's sweet but not cloying.

Here is a summary of the pros and cons of Scents and Blends Vanilla Vanilla Refreshing Body Mist with Aloe Vera:

PROS:                                                   

- Light, sweet scent

- Long lasting for a cologne or eau de toilette 

- Affordable, especially for its size

                                   

CONS:

- N0NE!

MY OUTLET ONLINE REVIEWER RATING: 

 ★★★★★ out of 5

Until next time...

LE PETIT CADEAU

The Little Gift. That's what Le Petit Cadeau means. I found this adorable tea pot from way back:

And, it's the perfect size for my tea time. :-) It goes well with my cute china teacup and saucer. 

Of course, afternoon tea time wouldn't be complete without a cucumber sandwich, pastry or something to nibble on. This time, I paired my green tea with a strawberry cheese tart, which is divine. 

I had to choose between blueberry and strawberry, but opted for the latter because I usually pick the blueberry flavor. Sometimes, it's nice to try other flavors so you'll know which one tastes better. (FYI: Blueberry flavor wins for me)

It's amazing how a "petit cadeau" can be something that gives so much joy to me. It's not just a little gift, but a huge present.

So glad I found it! :-)

x♥x♥

THERE'S A POSSIBILITY

Or possibilities...

I found this wonderful and insightful message and of course, as always, I can't just keep it to myself. I need to spread it out to you guys. Here it is:

 "Life is full of possibilities."

"Don’t be discouraged by what seem like dead ends. Every moment in your life carries infinite possibilities, just waiting to be discovered. Like a vine finding its way even through the slightest openings in rock solid walls, so will you."

HTH! :-)

XOXO :-)

HOLD ON TO HOPE

I heard this and instantly fell in love with it. 

It's called "Hold on to Hope, Love" by Amy Stroup.

 Check it out:

Lyrics:

Hold onto hope, love
I searched high and low for you
For you
Each day gets closer
So hold on stronger to me
And you

Someday soon,
I'll find you
Someday soon,
I'll know you
Someday, ooooh oh
Yeah, oh

So hold onto hope, love
I searched high and low for you
For you
Each day gets closer
So hold on stronger to me
And you

Someday soon,
I'll find you
Someday soon,
I'll know you
Someday, ooooh oh
Yeah, oh

Someday soon,
I'll find you
Someday soon,
I'll know you
Someday, ooooh oh

So hold onto hope, love
I searched high and low for you
For you
Each day gets closer
So hold on stronger to me
And you

To me, ohh oh, and you
To me, ohh oh, and you
To me, ohh oh, and you

- Courtesy of lyricshall.com
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com

YOU HAVE 1 NEW MESSAGE:

 As always, whenever I find a great message, I can't help but share it with y'all. So, without further ado, here it is:

"Take everything that happens as coming from the hands of God, who loves you; in this way every trial will become a source of peace and joy since God is not a burden, but rather comfort, joy and cheerfulness."

:-)

FOGGY DAYS

I took this pic sometime ago and just wanted to share it with you guys.

 I love how amidst the fog and the haze, light shines through. :-)

FRESH START

I finally took off my sparkly nail polish. Although it made me happy when it was on, I wash my hands a lot and eventually, it chipped off.

So, it's a fresh start for my nails. I'm gonna give it a few more days before I start painting my nails again in a different shade. I'm thinking of painting them red. But, we'll see... 

 

OUTFIT

Hey there! I just wanted to post a cute outfit that I want to wear. It's a simple get-up that I put together courtesy of Polyvore  at http://www.polyvore.com

Check it out:

BLOUSE:

EMILIO PUCCI Lace Top in Ochre

 JEANS: 

7 For All Mankind Jeans Straight Slim Leg Dark Mid Blue Jean

 EARRINGS:

Factory Bubble Stud Earrings

SANDALS: 

SAM EDELMAN Glenna Leather Embellished Sandals

 

VERY CHERRY

I recently planted some cherry tomatoes and I'm waiting for them to sprout and bloom. I hope it will be soon. :-) 

I got the seeds from my dear aunt who loves to plant. It's funny I'm writing this post using words that rhyme. I guess it's my love of poetry seeping through.

Speaking of poems, I haven't written anything new for a long time. But, I will as soon as inspiration strikes. Right now, I'm just enjoying the moments of this day. :-)

I hope y'all have a great day too! I'll take pics of my cherry tomatoes as soon as I see them grow.

Tootles!

xoxo

FLORA

I love flowers! :-) They're just so beautiful, aren't they? 

Some flowers that I love are:

SUNFLOWERS

- I love how it's so cheery and sunny when I look at them :-)

GERBERA DAISIES

- I love the colors of these flowers, especially the hot pink and the light pink ones. 

FREESIAS

- I heard they smell great. They're usually added in perfumes that I love, so I guess they smell amazing too! :-)

 

PEONIES

- So pink and so pretty, right? :-)

 HYDRANGEAS

- Multi-colored petals that I truly adore. I love the arbor and the fence in the background too! :-)

STARGAZER LILIES

- Smells sooo good! And it lasts a long time too. But, apparently they're toxic to cats so it must be kept away from them.

FREEZE: VEGAN POLICE!

If the title of my post isn't familiar with you, it's from the movie "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World."(such a funny film!) starring Michael Cera.:D

Anyhoo, there's a funny scene there where there's a guy who is supposedly vegan, but he eats non-vegan stuff like milk and eggs and doesn't know that it's not vegan.(says things like, "Gelato isn't vegan?") You gotta watch it to see what I mean. So funny! :D

I can relate to that guy, so, vegan police arrest me now coz I have been eating meat lately, just some eggs, chicken, fish, seafood along with veggies. Anyway, it's just once in a while...

VANILLA THRILLA

One of the scents that I love right now is vanilla! It smells so divine. So, I got a vanilla fragrance oil from Papemelroti. It smells good, just a light scent that doesn't overpower. I was torn between getting the vanilla scent and the lavender scent. But, I decided to choose vanilla. 

The reed diffuser was a gift from my dear sister. How cute, right? It actually came with a different scent, which is rose. But, I used it all up. It smells great too! So, thanks sis! :-)

CELEBRATE!

Hi y'all! I found a great message for this day. Check it out! :-)

"There are times to celebrate."

"Now is one of those times. What do you have to celebrate? Give praise and thanks for all that you have been given."

So, celebrate good times, c'mon! :-)

 

KEEP CALM AND HAVE A:

Or better yet, cupcakes! :-)

                                                       Yum!

 Cookie Monster:

 

- Uber Yummy! Cannot be expressed into words. I'm sure if THE real Cookie Monster from Sesame Street ate this, he would be extremely happy! :-)

Chocolate S'mores:

    - tastes like the real thing. I felt like I was camping in the woods and roasting marshmallows. :-)

Peanut Butter Nutella:

- A classic! Always a winner! :-)

Thank God for these and of course, Sonja!

XOXO! :-)

GLORIOUS

What a glorious day it is! Let's all enjoy it. There is so much to be thankful for because of all the blessings we have and all the blessings we continuously receive from God. :-)

 

 

TINY BUBBLES

A message from a tea bag reminding me to relax and unwind...

Now, I just need some bubble bars from Lush. I love that they're vegan, reusable and has no additional packaging. I'm eyeing these babies:

THE MUM:

 

 CARROT:

 SUNNY SIDE:

Images taken from:  http://www.lushusa.com/Bubble-Bars/bubble-bars,en_US,sc.html

I hope these are available at our local Lush stores. Here's to a relaxing bubble bath soon! :-)

UPDATE: 

I visited a Lush store yesterday and although I saw the carrot and the mum, I decided to try out this one:

KARMA:

It even came in a cute package:

I'll just try the others next time. :-)

CROSS

 The Cross is an important symbol that reminds us about Jesus' sacrifice. I just wanted to remind you guys about it by posting this pic and by posting a familiar biblical verse below it:

HUMILITY

Here's another loverly message. This time about humility:

"You are strongest when you are humble."

"Only the weak act with arrogance. They put their pride on display so that others may think they are powerful. But those with great strength are humble because they have no need to prove it." 

So very true! Don't you think so?

T.G.I.F.

Thank God, it's Friday! :-) As I was perusing the web, I stumbled upon this beautiful message:

 "Be as simple as a child: always see the best in everyone and with good intention, excuse the one who hurts you, seeing whatever harm he does as the result of some temptation."

"What destroys community is judging other people's actions while losing sight of one's own."

I hope this message will inspire you as much as it inspired me. :-)

IT'S BLISS

 After my last post about grief, comes another post, this time about bliss. I found this message:

"Bliss is a constant state of mind, undisturbed by pain or loss."

This is so true! I know, it's easier read or said than done. But, it is very helpful especially for people who are sad, depressed or in pain. 

Be blissful and joy will abound.  :-)

 

D.A.B.D.A.

When I started out this blog, I meant to really pour out my feelings here and I have been doing that. My goal is to inspire people through the messages I come across with, think of, or just through the snapshots that I randomly take.

 But, it can't all be fine and dandy because I experience sadness and grief too. 

I learned D.A.B.D.A. from a few friends of mine who are nurses. Apparently, this acronym means Denial, Anger, Barganing, Depression and Acceptance. These are the 5 stages of grief introduced by Ms. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. 

I won't go into detail in explaining this, but learning about this has really helped me to better understand my feelings as I go through these emotional stages of grief.

I learned that it's okay to not be okay and to feel all these feelings. It's okay to cry and be sad or even angry. But, the important thing is not to dwell on the anger and the sadness which can lead to depression or something worse. Just think positive and know that this too shall pass...

 

SO FAB!

What a nice message from a teabag:

 

Yep, you betcha I will! :-)

Here's to feeling fab!

Cheers!   

BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES

Ah, bonfires. They remind me so much of camping and hanging out at the beach at night, listening to the ebb and flow of the waves that seemingly kiss the shore again and again... Except I haven't done any of those things, so when I saw this at an outdoor concert, I was happy. :-) It doesn't compare to the beach or to camping, but it's close. And, there was great music too!

 

US

I lurve this song from Regina Spektor, which is simply called "Us." It was featured in the soundtrack of the movie "500 days of summer." Just wanted to share...

 

HIC ET NUNC

Hic et Nunc is Latin for Here and Now. A simple phrase that reminds us to live in the moment, to learn from the past but not let it hinder what is happening now and what will happen tomorrow. Just take it one step at a time, one day at a time, moving forward but also taking time to breathe, relax and have fun. Then, we can live out all the days of our lives with joy and peace.

FAITHFULLY

As I opened up my email today, I read this inspiring message:

 "Faith in yourself will see you through."

"You are strong and can deal with anything that life throws at you. Take a deep breath and be filled with the knowledge that you can deal with all things."


Another reminder to keep the faith! :-)

Definitely something to keep in mind all the time. :-)

  

GLITTER GALORE

I don't usually wear nail polish nowadays, but once in a while I do succumb to its allure.

I decided to paint my nails a dark, navy hue and then top it off with some colorful glitters.

   
I used Cutex nail polish and topped it all off with Sally Hansen base and top coat.

Reminds me of a  beautiful night sky filled with sparkling, brilliant stars :-)

CUPCAKERY!

I love cupcakes! :-) I know it's sweet and I shouldn't indulge too much in it, but cupcakes make me happy, especially if paired with green tea. :-)

My family and I actually had some good ones with flavors such as vanilla caramel, banana nutella, strawberry shortcake, cookies and cream and butter toffee.

I gave a red velvet cupcake to my sis. I hope she likes it :-)

In the excitement of it all, we forgot to take pictures of it. It's funny, we each chose what flavors we wanted to eat, but we couldn't resist sharing with each other so that we could taste the other flavors as well.

Until next cupcake extravaganza! :-) I'm eyeing another one with sugarfree versions so my dad can eat with us too. 

Oh, here's a pic of the store:

    
It's so cute and dainty, right? :-)


L<3ve it!