Timeless Beauty

And I'm back at work! It's a relief to know President GMA has declared January 2 as a non-working holiday. I don't have to return to work for Friday when everyone else is nursing a hangover from the holiday feasting. By the way, I plan to party til the break of dawn on December 31. I wanna welcome 2009 with my newest hobby: partying! Me and my roommates will welcome the Year of the Ox with drinking and debauchery. Wahahaha!

Too many nights spent dancing, smoking, eating and drinking will surely take a toll on one's skin. The oil in pulutan, the drying effects on skin from smoking and drinking, and that haggard appearance from lack of sleep will certainly encourage the growth of acne on one's skin. Having acne when you need to party and meet people is a terrifying prospect! Good thing we have many options to prevent the appearance of acne on our party skin's appeal: 1. Always wash away makeup off your face before going to bed. No matter how tired, drunk or sleepy you are, leaving makeup on your skin all night will clog pores and increase oil production. Wash with a mild facial wash, preferably made with milk. Then pat dry with a soft towel. Please do not rub vigorously. 2. Avoid using facial and skin products with harsh chemicals. The tightening of the skin after a facial scrub or application of astringent is no indication you are doing the best thing for your skin. Follow up with a...

Just got back from a satisfying vacation leave. Almost two weeks of rolling around in bed (with or without a mate) is heaven! Also it was such an opportune time for me to party like crazy. Got two salary dates, a 13th month pay and a wonderful holiday bonus from the boss. The next personal post you'll get from me will probably be next year in January.

With the increase in shopper populations in malls this Christmas season, it's inevitable that security agencies and mall personnel become concerned with the security of shoppers while inside the malls. Bombing incidents and rampant pickpocketing have been recorded in the past, and everyone expects these will happen again. To ramp up the security force many security agencies have taken to hiring new personnel to keep up with the demand of malls for more security people to help watch out for people exhibiting suspicious behavior. Bags and packages are strictly being inspected at mall entrances. A background check for new personnel is actually a standard operating procedure. Security checks can include a criminal check on possible past offenses. A criminal background check will prevent terrorists and criminal syndicates from infiltrating mall security during the holiday season. In fact, one of the biggest malls in Iloilo City took it a step further by asking military personnel and ...

Christmas season is usually associated with children. Images of happy kids lining up to whisper their Christmas wishes in Santa's ear, and kids waking up on a Christmas morning to find gifts lining up under the Christmas tree. In my family, we always have a get-together dinner with cousins, aunts and uncles. We send SMS and emails to those who happen to be far away and unable to come home for the holidays. Then we'd gather round the dinner table for the Noche Buena (Midnight Dinner) to welcome the birth of Christ with a celebratory mood. This Christmas I will be buying some sweet red wine and queso de bola (ball of cheese). My sis and mom will take care of the salad, spaghetti and the fruits. My uncle will take care of the lechon manok (roasted chicken) and the liquor for the adults and the softdrinks for the kids. But take care not to over-eat and over-indulge in liquor. After the holidays you will have to deal with the extra calories you have consumed.

Christmas Day is nearing and I haven't got to shopping for my friends and family yet! I already know what they wanted for the season of gift giving but I haven't gotten around to purchasing them yet. I was thinking of buying on December 21 after the second half of my salary comes in. But really... Doing your Christmas shopping so near the date is inviting disaster. No worries though. I am halfway through the shopping list. I have already bought the gifts for the kids. It's the adults I'm worried about. Kids are easy to please; adults require a bit more persuasion. For my boyfriend who is a gadget freak, I was thinking of buying him a new DVD player, but opted for a home theater carpet instead. It's better he buys the gadget he likes. He has preferences on what features he wanted from it. For my sister, I already bought a sexy black shirt made with silk. It will look good on her hourglass figure. For my mom I will be buying a native handbag for her. There...

Ever since I've set up the company wish list at the company forum, I've been receiving a lot of posts on wishes for techno gadgets: flash drives, earphones for ipods, ebook readers and lcd monitors... Wouldn't it be better if we switched to green gifts instead? I saw great possible gifts at the trade fair at SM City. Handmade bags and fans, handcrafted paper, lamp shades, gift and jewelry boxes, native food delicacies and woven cloth are just a few of the cottage industry products being exhibited and sold at the fair. And they all won't pollute the environment because the materials used for making them come from natural resources such as bamboo and abaca. In fact, I saw a beautiful handbag made from woven abaca which costs only P126 and will go nicely with any outfit - either casual or formal.

I am so happy I have just received my order of Sophie Coleur 3-in-1 Concealer. It only costs P215 pesos which is about 4 or 5 dollars. It's small at only 3 grams net weight, but highly useful when you need to cover up a few blemishes or dark circles under the eyes once in a while. Sophie Coleur Concealer consists of 3 colors: 1 bright color, 1 dark color and 1 green color to cover freckles and facial blemishes. Light Color – Conceals dark circles around the eyes. Green Color – Blemish concealer that conceals blemishes and red patches on the skin, such as those caused by pimples. Dark color - To shape the face. Apply sparingly beneath a concealer that matches your skin tone. I have dark areas under my eyes. I'd be happy to see my eyes blemish-free sometimes. I read somewhere that dark under-eye circles are caused by the swelling of blood in thin capillaries under our eyes. The skin under our eyes is delicate so any swelling underneath is easily visible. The color of blood darken...

The company is trying to save money on electricity costs so we don't have any indoor lighting for Christmas. It's a bit sad Christmas lights are nowhere to be found inside the office, but at least they decorated the office with Golden Balls. Hehehe... For everyone's fun and convenience we had posted a wish list at the company forum. It's funny to read some of the posts. Yeah, it's a wish list. Sometimes wishes don't come true. So we don't have to expect too much from it. Let us be thankful we get to celebrate Christmas with people we love and care about and with abundance in spirit and food. Happy Holidays!

Well, the company Christmas party is scheduled on December 20 at Emilion at the JD Roadhouse along General Luna Street. I haven't got a dress to wear yet and no shoes and no handbag... But I'm already excited! Because of the door prizes! First prize is a microwave oven where we can cook pop up tv dinners at the office. Second prize is a 3g phone from Motorola (really cool!). Third prize is a 16GB flash drive which will really be useful for anyone working in the IT industry. The consolation prizes are company shirts custom-made just for the event, so it's still a rare and valuable opportunity to get one of those babies.

I have a certain fanatical preference for fur lately. Considering I am living in a tropical country whose Christmas season is beginning to feel like summer (it's been so hot outdoors even when it's already December), this obsession is totally absurd. But I just can't help it you know. I just had to have that soft furry goodness in my closet.