Droppin' by

Ugh my posts are kind of a mess lately. I was actually planning to have an organize set/series of posts (eg. beauty/skincare series for a week or a month, then fashion, then some inspirational quotes or something) but unfortunately what's happening is the total opposite. Maybe there's just a lot of things going on in my head and around me and I just don't have time to organize them all. Whatever I feel for a particular day, I just write it down and post it. What goes around, comes around. Anyway, I just want to drop by here today. I have a looming deadline for my manuscript. So yeah, I better get working!

No more time to waste 

#second chances #make the most of it

*even shut off FB, will get back to it once everything's A-ok

Since Christmas Is Just Around The Corner

Ramblings & Paranoia

• must submit the revised manuscript on Thursday but up to now I still haven't figured out/started the revisions
• someone told me that I am so thin and I told her I was so stressed with my thesis defense and manuscript. You know, lack of sleep and unhealthy eating habits. The comment lingered in my mind for days, until now, and paranoia struck me.
• my hands and arms seem so thin (well, they are really thin even before and I like them but having a double look at them now, they look so freakin' thin) which is making me all the more paranoid and makes me think that I have some sort of disease. I already have a diagnosis for myself, googled the suspected disease but I will not tell it here because it'll just make me a lot more paranoid.
• since I am a paranoid kid now, I cannot focus on other things, even with the urgent manuscript submission
• bottom line: stressed out me once again=(

God, please help me. Please don't let me have that disease. Please let me concentrate on working with my manus. Amen.

P.S. Since I am so paranoid and skeptical now, I also looked at pictures in the internet of skinny arms and hands and realized that I am not the only one experiencing it (refer to this thread). And I've also seen some models with skinny arms and hands... Oh, but of course, they are models! So maybe I can just be a model. So maybe my arms can have a modelling career then. Hehe! Just kidding. I just need to lighten up my situation.

I can see my arms and hands in hers.
 (image from Current/Elliott)

Based on the thread that I read, I think I really should focus on gaining weight. I don't want to be so big, I just want to have a normal and healthy body. I also don't want to have big arms and hands. Again, I should say that I like my arms and hands but some people (and now, I also) think that they look unhealthy so better start doing the necessary thing: LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE!

Breaking Dawn Part 2

Finally, I get to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. The previous installments, I just watched them in my laptop but the final film, well since it's the last one, I decided to stash some cash and watch it in the big screen. And I must say, it's all worth it! It's definitely a wonderful and heartfelt movie. Aside from the fact that The Twilight Saga's central theme is Bella and Edward's love story, in the final film it's not just about their love for each other anymore, it's also about their love for their daughter, Renesmee. Bella, Edward, Jacob who has imprinted on Renesmee, the Cullens, and the other vampires have one goal -  to prove that Renesmee is not an immortal. All of them plus the wolf pack are prepared to fight and risk their lives to make sure that Renesmee will live.

At the end, Alice has seen the future of Jacob and Renesmee, them being together. Seriously, I feel like I wanted to see how their love story unfolds (another movie please?). Bella then showed Edward her thoughts, their memories together (with the the collection of clips starting from the first movie & Christina Perri's A Thousand Years playing in the background, which is so perfect!) and telling him how much she loves him. Aww, isn't that sweet?


Talk about fashion. I am loving the dress Bella wore during her and Edward's honeymoon.

image source here

image source here

It's so simple and neat and Bella clearly looks so polished and put together in that dress. It gives the right amount of maturity and sophistication. Waaah, I want that dress! Since they say that it's a one-of-a-kind vintage, I am therefore planning to have something like that made/tailored when I get back home. If my grandmother is still a bit younger, I know she can make this one. I suddenly remember when I was in Grade 4, I wanted to wear the pink jumper of my barbie doll for our class' christmas party and my grandma made and sewed a jumper (exactly the same as that of barbie's) for me. Really wish I can also sew just like her but I think I haven't inherited that trait well.

Dreaming Of The Holidays...In This Dress

A Wear

The holidays are just around the corner. And this simple and classy dress paired with gold strap sandals is just perfect for the coming dinners and parties with family and friends. Can somebody please give me this gorgeous dress as a Christmas gift? Please? Hmm, wishful thinking?!? Or maybe Santa can drop this at my door. That would be wonderful!☆

'Tis The Season To Be Sparkly

Modcloth

Whistles

TFNC

 ♫  Fa la la la la  ♪ ♫ ♪   la la la la  ♪ 

Beauty and Skin Care Journey

Admit or not, every girl has something to say about how she looks. Every girl has an opinion on what beauty means and all other things that are associated with it. Every girl has her own journey when it comes to beauty and skin care.

Well, here's my journey.

Going back in time
When I was in high school, acne started to invade my face. That's the time I started using skin care products. I used Pond's, Eskinol, Clean and Clear, and many other products which I saw in TV that promises to clear your skin of pimples. But unfortunately, nothing worked for me. So, I just went back to my regular soap, Safeguard. When I entered the university, unlike other female students, I was never the type who would buy lots and lots of beauty products and make-up simply because I know that they just don't work for me. And due to my hectic schedule, I just didn't have time to prettify myself so I just went to my classes with a face powder and a lip balm on. Those were the only products that I used after washing my face with a cleanser. For my cleanser, I tried Cetaphil, Olay, St. Ives, and other random cleansers that you find in the grocery store or drugstore. For the face powder, I specifically used Johnson's Baby Powder. That's the only product I stick on for a long time because if it's good for baby's skin (meaning it's gentle), I know it's definitely good for my skin too. By the way, my skin type is combination (oily T-zone and dry cheeks), acne-prone, and sensitive. For my lips, it easily gets chapped, especially on the colder months, so my lip balm from Nivea always comes to the rescue.

                           




However, after graduating and finally getting a job, I started to allot some time in improving and taking care of my physical well-being. Since I was having acne troubles (well I still do until now), I decided to go to a dermatologist. So  I started to get facials and other treatments, such as Light Peel, and used the skin care products from my derma. So yeah, I was indeed alloting time for my derma appointments, alloting time for applying the skin care products every morning and night...and alloting money also. Part of my salary was devoted in maintaining my skin care but no regrets, everything paid off. Little by little, my acne started to lessen. You might wonder, why do I still have acne until now? Well, blame the hormones and stress and the genes. But during that time, my derma and her products were doing wonders for my skin. I was still not into make-up though because my skin was so sensitive and if you put a product on, it'll easily result to acne. But if there's a special event, I did wear a little make-up (Revlon foundation, Maybelline blush & lipstick).

Fast forward
Almost two years ago, I arrived in Korea. Oh boy, I was just overwhelmed with all the beauty products. They're literally everywhere! From the low-end/"for high schoolers" - The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Inisfree, Skin Food, Etude House, Holika Holika, Mischa, etc. (You may ask, why for high schoolers? These brands, although they have different product lines, most of the customers that you see when you walk in their shops are usually high school students.)

warning: don't be deceived by the claim in the above picture

to the middle/somewhat high-end brands - Laneige, Mamonde, etc. Actually, there's a blurry line between some of the "middle" brands and high-end ones when it comes to pricing. One word, expensive.

The high-end brands - Amore Pacific, Iope, (both are owned by Amore Pacific Co.), etc.

Gosh, looking at the pictures above, with the brand models and their perfect looking skin, makes me want to have a skin as beautiful as theirs. And the shops? They're on every corner in the city! So ever wonder why Koreans have that beautiful, healthy, glowing, smooth skin? Now you know the answer. And I should add, it's also in the genes.

At present
So yeah, since I am just in awe, I couldn't help but try the Korean products. Up until now, I am still looking for that perfect product for my skin type. And for my future posts, I'll be sharing some of the Korean products that I bought and tested and my experience/review about them.


More to come!



Image sources: Johnson's Baby Powder, Nivea Lip Balm, The Face Shop, Skin Food, Etude House, Laneige, Mamonde, Isa Knox, Amore Pacific, Iope

For more information about Korean high-end products, read here.

Thesis defense, you're done!

After several days of preparation and cramming and praying...

three consecutive nights of sleeping at 4 or 5 or 6 in the morning...

two cups of  mocha caramel & vanilla frappe and tons of instant coffee mix...


finally my THESIS DEFENSE is over! Hooray!
(insert big smiley)

haggard look, i know. hehe.

I am so grateful, first and foremost, to God for giving me the wisdom and the courage; to my family for never failing to encourage and support me (suddenly remembered those skype sessions we had while I was in the lab for my "all-nighter-moments"); to my friends who wished me good luck; and, of course, to my professor and senior for guiding and helping me in my experiments (though we had difficult and trying times in the lab). Thank you, thank you very much!

One down, one more to go. Last one. Hello manus-writing-mode!

 From now own, I will stand up for my right.  

I.Want.You.

Zara velvet slippers with embroidered mustache

Last Weekend: On Being an Emo

12:42 AM. Yes, I am writing this entry at the most convenient time and place - past midnight, straight from the laboratory. These days, I am spending most of my time (well, most of my life literally) here in the lab. I just go back to my apartment to eat lunch and dinner and to sleep. So now, since I am still waiting for the incubation of my samples, might as well be productive and write a post. So yeah, after attending the Jeju conference, my life was back to normal, well, except for one thing: I noticed that I am in hot water with the people here in the lab. I just didn't know what exactly is the reason. Maybe because of my mistakes, which seemed like really blown into something big. And then, I get those raising of voice scenario. I wanted to answer back like this, "Raising your voice would not help, seriously." But of course, I didn't do it. I just told myself that it's only gonna be a short time, just be patient and be calm in front of them. There's this point, I think it happened last Friday, that I wanted to cry but I gathered all my strength not to show my emotions. I really don't want them to see that I'm so affected emotionally on the way they're treating me.This is not to say that they're so bad or something (maybe a little, haha!) but probably times like this just happen. However, I should say my situation right now, it still has a good effect on me though by making me more and more focus on my experiments. I'm just putting all my energy in my experiments because, honestly, it's easier than dealing with people.