I’ve been posting reviews there for the past few days, so please mosey on over and hit Follow for more of my awkwardness :p Thank you!
Under Construction!
I’m slowly moving my review posts to a new URL, so I hope you will all bear with me as I move onto the new blog. I’ll still be writing the same awkward content that you know that I write (haha), but I hope you’ll all keep following me!
http://coffeeteaoryani.moon.nu/
xx Marianne
At last, some free time.
I don’t really have a set format or theme for this post.. this will be some sort of a feels dump, or a bit of therapy. I miss writing. I really do.
___
I. On midterms.
Our two-week midterm exam period is finally over.. but we can’t rest just yet: we’ve still got a moot court activity for our International Humanitarian Law subject, and this’ll serve as our midterm exam.
I was originally assigned to be a researcher, but because one of our 3 speakers/mooters had recently been admitted (and as of yesterday, discharged) for a health issue. And he assigned me to take his place – take note that I had already said no to our other speaker when she asked me to take her place earlier this week. To be honest, I don’t want to moot..
..but I guess I have no choice. /shrugs and sighs.
I’ve already prepared my speech, now I just have to get it checked and perhaps add a few more things..
I wonder how I’ll do tomorrow..
___
II. On reading old work.
I recently organized some files on my laptop and I decided to take some time to browse through folders which I hadn’t opened in quite a while.
I unearthed some unfinished stories (which have been untouched and unedited since around 2011-2012), and even some chapters from fanfiction that I had written.
In the earlier days of my fangirl self, I was quite active on Rocketboxx, the international fan forum for U-KISS, a K-Pop group that I was really crazy over (and still am quite fond of). In particular, I was active in the Dance Break thread – where a lot of fanfiction stories were written; some even a collaboration between multiple users.
I have always had a love of writing, mainly about things that I love, that I’m passionate about, or even just interest me. I feel that it peaked when I wrote fanfiction – mainly because I would usually write with myself as basis for the lead female character. Hey, a happy fangirl can always dream, right?
I never wrote smut or anything R-rated. The most I had written was what I would consider a PG-13 scenario – I just wanted to try writing something slightly more daring and somehow erotic. It was posted on a K-Pop confessions Tumblog a few years ago, and it got a surprising amount of likes. At least, I felt slightly validated that even if I tried writing in a style that I was foreign too, it turned out palatable for people.
I read through my old writings, and to be honest, I felt a bit melancholy. I felt like I was reading another person’s work. I don’t even remember my writing to be that full of description, so colorful with vivid images; like the South American authors I love so much.
Law school has dulled my writing skills, from a fantastic spectrum of color to text in strict black and white.
And so I feel like I lose a part of myself once again. Continue reading
Review: Colourpop Lippie Stix in Brink and Topanga
I’ve always been interested in buying Colourpop Lippie Stix. They’ve been raved on by beauty bloggers and makeup enthusiasts all over the world, so my interest in them only grew. I decided to buy a couple as a birthday present for myself.
I searched through Instagram for reputable makeup sellers here in the Philippines and stumbled upon Miss Glamorazzi (not to be confused with Ingrid Nilsen – Miss Glamorazzi, the beauty blogger). She had the least expensive price, not to mention I read up on feedback from her previous customers.. so I went for it!
I picked 2 Colourpop Lippie Stix – Brink, and Topanga!
I love getting packages!
Building up anticipation, hahaha!
They’re here!!!! /shrieks/
Review: MAC Face Kit by Rebecca Moses in Plum
Hello, lovelies! I finally got around to sorting out and watermarking photos, not to mention found time to actually write a bit. It’s a very welcome respite from the strains of law school life (sighs) so it’s nice to be writing about something of interest for once.
Today I’ll be reviewing one of my birthday loot bag presents from my dad: the MAC Face Kit by Rebecca Moses! I forgot where Papa said he bought this (I think at an outlet store?), but either way it’s nice to finally own a MAC palette.
It comes in a box sleeve.
Back of outer box sleeve.
The palette itself.
As with all my other reviews, I usually comment first on the packaging. So here goes!
The palette comes in a box sleeve with Rebecca Moses’ illustrations grazing the front, and detailed instructions on the back for a smoky eye look. When slipped out of the sleeve, I noticed that the cover was actually wrapped in FABRIC! But what I like is that the fibers are tightly woven together so there’s little chance of fraying or snagging. I personally would still be cautious every time I use this palette because it would seem to get easily dirtied!
A homecoming of sorts.
Last July 7, the day after my birthday, my lola (grandmother) on my mom’s side of the family passed away.
Lola Melding passed away in her sleep at the age of 93. The last time I saw her was a few years ago while she visited Dumaguete. The last time I was in La Carlota City (where my mother’s family hails from) was over 10 years ago.
I decided it was only proper to pay my respects and go to La Carlota for her interment and burial.
On July 11 I left for La Carlota aboard the 1am Ceres bus to Bacolod, along with my younger sister and cousin. We arrived at the crossing (the buses to Bacolod don’t pass through La Carlota, so you would have to get down at a certain crossing/junction) at around 6am, and we were picked up by an uncle soon after. Aboard my uncle’s van, I had some time to think and just look at the sugarcane fields that whizzed by. It was somewhat surreal, thinking that the last time I had visited my Mama’s hometown was when I was still a little girl. It had been way too long.
We arrived at our Tito Joelu’s house, and after settling down a bit and placing our things in the spare room, we went to the cathedral (which was a lot nearer than I thought it was) to wait for the casket. It would be brought in from Bacolod, where it had spent the past few days in a funeral parlour; many visitors and relatives coming in and out to pay their respects. The casket arrived at around 8am, and it was only when they brought it in that I was able to see the lifeless body of Lola, all decked out in a Filipiniana-type ensemble, face made up nicely, rosary in hand. It felt surreal. It always does, seeing someone you know already in a casket.
My cousins and I went for breakfast together at Jollibee, then returned promptly to the church. The mass for Lola would still be at 1pm, so we were permitted to go back to Georgina (Tito Joelu’s house.. I don’t know why they called it that) to rest for a while. It was a good thing – I had barely gotten any sleep on the bus ride, not to mention I had not slept the night before.
After a good nap, we had to get ready for the memorial mass. As we went back to the cathedral, there were a lot of people already seated among the pews. I think it was my first time to be at a Roman Catholic mass for the dead. (Mama grew up in a Catholic family, but converted eventually to Protestantism after she married Papa.) I was told that I would be participating in the offering, that I would be carrying a bottle of wine. It was entirely new to me, but I figured I would just follow my cousin in front of me.
The mass was quite short. After the readings, Manang Gaita, who is the oldest cousin in our generation/Lola‘s oldest grandchild gave some words in memoriam. I don’t think there was a dry eye in our family, or at least in my pew and the pews in front of me. The way she talked about Lola made me feel a little envious that I did not get to experience that. I think by the time I would have been more conscious of spending time with her, she would have already been having memory loss. But it was nice to at least hear how she was as a grandmother to Manang Gaita. Two of the clergy (there were about eight priests during the mass) even shared their memories of her, because she was such a devoted member of the church. Tito Boboy, the youngest son of Lola, also gave thanks to everyone for attending the service.
After the mass, the casket was loaded onto the hearse and then we had a procession towards the cemetery. I was surprised at first that we would be walking, but then I was told that it wasn’t too far. It was bearable, though it was hot. The hearse played some Josh Groban songs that really lended to the somber atmosphere. Once we reached the cemetery we were allowed to look at Lola one last time, before the casket was closed and loaded into the niche in the Jalandoni family grave. We threw flowers into the niche before it was sealed. There was a lot of crying.
We had merienda at this place across the church, and everyone was invited. I was able to meet some of my younger cousins, as well as aunts and uncles that I had only heard of but never actually met. It was really nice to be around family.
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22– plus 2: My 24th birthday!
Last Monday, 6 July, was my 24th birthday! To be honest I wasn’t expecting much; it was a school day after all.
I decided that I would celebrate it on Sunday instead with my younger sister and nephew. We had a late lunch at Gabby’s Bistro (which I forgot to take photos of.. sorry!), then we were supposed to have dinner at Shakey’s at Robinson’s Dumaguete.
I was supposed to just have dinner with Lucille, so when I arrived at Rob I texted her and told her I was going to withdraw money first, then go to Booksale (I like a good rummage through their stock). She kept texting me saying there were no seats, just a big table for around 10 people. I told her we could just stay at an end. It was a bit of a hassle, honestly.
..until I found out it wasn’t just her who was there! Papa had arrived as a surprise!
Papa was here! Plus Tito Ed too. (They are kind of a package deal HAHAHAHA)
(Papa is the one in the checkered shirt. Tito Ed is sitting beside me, haha!)
We had a yummy dinner of pizza and chicken at Shakey’s – it’s one of my absolute favorite places to eat. Their recipe hasn’t really changed in what seems like forever, and I like the consistency of it. Always nice to come back to favorites!
Papa also had a HUGE bag of treats for me – he called it my “birthday loot bag”. You know when you attend a kids’ birthday party at Jollibee/McDo/wherever and you get a little loot bag as a souvenir for attending? I got something like that – but it came in a giant Duty Free shopping bag! He went to the U.S. last month for an alumni gathering and I had asked him to buy me a few things, he added some other nice things as well since it was my birthday after all.
Needless to say I was a very happy kid.
Expect at least 2 posts for today!
Apologies again for the massive delay. A lot has happened in the past week..
A sudden Bacolod weekend.
{ PHOTO HEAVY! Also, a very long post! }
Well.. I seem to have a horrible habit of not posting regularly on here anymore. But I suppose, it’s not too late to post. I don’t really expect to have a regular readership or a hefty amount of subscribers.. so if you are still here, reading this, then thank you! I’m glad you think that my haphazard style of writing is still worth your time!
June 12 here in the Philippines is Independence Day. and since it falls on a Friday this year, it automatically makes the holiday a long weekend. I had been planning to go to Bacolod for a while, because my friends Gax and Chesra had suddenly bought tickets to Bacolod a couple of months ago and I was eager to tag along. Hahaha! (Even though I knew I have classes on Saturday. Yes. The life of a law school student..) I thought of it as a last hurrah for summer.
So, here goes.
I took the 3am Ceres aircon bus to Bacolod from the Dumaguete station. Why 3am, you may ask? Mainly because the trip takes SIX HOURS: 2 hours from Dumaguete to Mabinay, 2 hours from Mabinay to Kabankalan, and 2 hours from Kabankalan to Bacolod. If you check a map of Negros Island, it’s pretty much going from the southeast (Dumaguete) to northwest (Bacolod), cutting through numerous towns and cities, plus traversing a mountain road. Yes. A mountain road full of dizzying curves and turns and unpaved portions (because they were repairing the road).. ah. My friends were set to arrive around 1030am, and I thought better early than late, right?
Also, I couldn’t fall asleep anymore so I decided to just hop on the next earliest bus I could catch. Hahaha!
Me, at 3am. Hahaha!
I managed to stay awake for a few hours as the bus sped through the coastal road, though there wasn’t much to see because it was still dark outside. I ended up looking at signs and buildings, and only then I realized how far Bais City was from Dumaguete. (The current Bais mayor is actually an aunt from my mom’s side [Jalandoni] of the family. I’ve been meaning to visit her but well.. time.) By then the sun was barely beginning to peek out from the clouds.
As the bus veered left to go up the Kabankalan-Bais mountain road, I sighed heavily as I tried to prepare myself for the dizzying ordeal. I’d say it was like sitting in a rocking crib, swaying side to side while just outside were fairly steep drops in places where there were barely any people around. Like literally, you could count the number of houses on one hand. There are also parts of the area where there’s no cellphone reception.. (this sounds like a horror story trope, can someone write about that–)
The sun was slowly rising, and I could see the sky and the surrounding hills and valleys. It’s quite a pretty sight, especially through the early morning fog. Though, of course, it did kind of look like another horror movie sight at times..
My current hair care routine!
Yes yes, another super delayed post since I’ve been enjoying my time back home for vacation!
So you lovelies know that I had my hair coloured a dark ash blonde last month – and we all know colour processing damages our hair. But what you may not know is that I also have a dry scalp – so my haircare needs are slightly varying and may not always work with each other. Lately, my hairfall’s been less because vacation has me relatively relaxed, but it’s still quite a problem.
Today, I’ll be telling you what shampoos and conditioners I use to take care of my hair!
Shampoo & conditioner:
1. SNOE Hair Heroes Super Fresh 5-in-1 Conditioner
This, honestly, is a GODSEND for me! My Ate Imee gave this to me for Christmas and I used it over the holidays, but forgot to bring it back to Dumaguete with me. But using it now that I’m home for summer holidays is such a delight! It’s a 5-in-1 product: a cleansing conditioner, after-shampoo rinse out conditioner, head massage stimulant cream, deep treatment mask, and leave-on conditioner. I personally use it as a cleansing conditioner; which means I use it without using shampoo because it leaves my hair and scalp fresh and clean! The smell took me a while to get used to, but I’ve come to love it. Not to mention it gives such a cooling sensation on my scalp!
It contains the following lovely ingredients (grabbed from Snoe’s website:)
Sage Oil- proven to boost hair growth. It soaks up excess oil and makes dirty hair fresh. It helps in reversing hair loss problems, promoting hair growth, and it thickens and strengthens compromised hair shafts for better manageability and shine.
Australian Tea Tree- will help unblock hair follicles while moisturizing your scalp and keeping it free of bacteria and fungal problems.
-Treats hair problems like persistent dandruff and itchy oily scalp.
-Rid the hair and scalp of buildup from styling and environmental exposure.
Peppermint- Balances pH level of scalp to put a stop to oily hair. Treats dry scalp and dandruff. Relieves itching. stimulates hair follicles and hair growth. Leaves hair feeling fresh all day.
Hexamidine- Antimicrobial with a wide spectrum of activity against bacteria, fungi and yeast. Helps minimize oily scalp, irritation, acne and dandruff.
2. Etude House Silk Scarf Hair Treatment
I first discovered this product when I dyed my younger sister’s hair with EH’s Bubble Hair Dye – it came with a small packet of Silk Scarf Hair Treatment for the rinse. I decided to buy the full-size bottle after hearing my sister rave about how nice her hair smelled. Haha!
Using this hair treatment, my hair becomes instantly soft and smooth while rinsing – much like a silk scarf! The floral scent is rich but somewhat delicate at the same time, and not overpowering. Also, it rinses out very easily and doesn’t leave any residue on my skin.
The Adventures of Marianne R. 