The Pink Life

5-pc brush set from Ellana Minerals

Cai — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:40:27 +0000

Yay I got a new set of brushes!

Earlier this week I ordered 5-pc brush set from Ellana Minerals and I received them last night. I decided to get brushes from Ellana because I trust their products. I bought a small face brush before and I have been using it ever since. So now I got a 5-pc set of brushes that comes with a very nice black compact pouch that I can take anywhere — a bigger powder brush I can use for loose foundation and blushes, an angled blush brush for contouring the cheeks, two flat brushes of different size that I can use for applying concealer, liquid foundation and even eyeshadow, and a brow and lash brush.

The brushes are made of synthetic hair so it’s perfect for you if you have allergies with natural bristles made from goat hair or horse hair. And believe me, the bristles are sooooooo soft even after you wash them for the first time. I’ve encountered such brushes before (when I first bought a 22-pc brush set made of natural hairs) that’s why I’m very wary now in selecting the brushes I buy.

So if it is your first time to buy brushes or something, I recommend that you get Ellana brushes from Ellana Minerals. It’s cheap but the quality is so good.

Coastal Scent Pink Kabuki Brush

American Idol Top 12 Sings The Rolling Stones

Cai — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:11:35 +0000

American Idol Season 9 Top 12 hopefuls are definitely on their game-on mode! Last night they took on The Rolling Stones and majority of the performances are awesome. Here’s a performance recap for you *and spoilers if you haven’t watched the performances yet*

Mike Lynche – Miss You
The performance was corny according to Simon and I couldn’t agree more. Also, I don’t really like Mike Lynche that much. Alex Lambert is definitely better than him.

Didi Benami – Play With Fire
There is this thing in Didi’s voice that makes me want to hear more from her. It’s so country-ish with a tinge of classic. Randy said Didi’s really on fire on her performance, while Simon noted that it was a solid *not brilliant* performance. What I can say? She’s totally hot. I can see her do a lot more weeks.

Casey James – It’s All Over Now
Before I saw Casey’s performance, my expectation was he’s gonna kill it because he can make a very hot rock star. But I was quite disappointed with what he did, it feels like it’s lacking something. Yea sure he plays the guitar like a superstar maniac but for me there’s no strong vocal in his performance. But the judges liked it, Kara especially haha. She said Casey’s a rockstar. Simon is not really hyped with his performance though.

Lacey Brown – Ruby Tuesday
Lacey just held things together with her performance, Ellen said it’s sleepy but she’s a fan. Kara said Lacey could have done better, and she can. The issue with Lacey for me is that she’s not consistent for the past weeks. And like what Simon said, Lacey’s like overthinking her performance, but there’s nothing wrong with her vocals. It seems Lacey got overwhelmed with Idol’s big stage haha.

Andrew Garcia – Give Me Shelter
I’m not a fan of Andrew, honestly. He’s like a Danny Gokey wannabe and I hate it that he got in but Alex Lambert didn’t. Oh well, bitter me. And because I don’t like Andrew, I didn’t enjoy his performance. So did the judges. Randy said it was pitchy everywhere, but for Ellen it was Andrew’s best performance.

Katie Stevens – Wild Horses
While Katie has a very powerful vocals, I don’t think she deserves a spot in the top 12. I thought the performance was boring, Randy said it was okay, Ellen likes it too, Kara said it’s getting better for Katie and Simon said the song choice was clever and the first time that Katie got connected with her choice. I still don’t get what’s awesome with Katie. For me she’s just a pretty face who can sing so-so.

Tim Urban – Under My Thumb
For me it feels like Tim has to always prove he deserves the spot in the top 12. Whenever he performs I really hang and wish he would do good, Idk. I kinda like him and I feel for him when he messed up Apologize weeks ago haha. This week, his rendition of Under My Thumb is quite amusing. I love listening to him and looking at him. The judges, however, didn’t get the reggae version of the song, they thought it was weird and they didn’t like it. But Kara would applaud him for bringing in the song differently. Simon said it didn’t work.

Siobhan Magnus – Paint It Black
Siobhan has this very unique tone in her voice, and it’s kinda weird because sometimes she sounds like she’s got colds or something. But, gawd, when you hear her belt, you’d feel the roof falling! Siobhan’s performance last night was really hot, the judges liked it. Kara said it’s like she’s seeing Adam Lambert all over again – with the drama, the stairs, the interpretation. Ellen said she rised above and Simon said it was the standout performance. I’ve always been a fan of Siobhan and I like what she’s becoming in the show.

Lee Dewyze – Beast of Burden
Another of my favorites, Lee sounded great in his performance. Ellen said it’s almost there, a little less than she expected. Kara said Lee is growing faster in the show, and showed a tremendous growth. And I agree with them, Lee is very likeable – the voice, the personality, the honesty. I hope to see more from Lee in the weeks to come.

Paige Miles – Honky Tonk Women
Now Paige is someone who didn’t get much exposure during the auditions and Hollywood week. She’s a powerful singer but with what he did last week before the top 12 cut was annoying and I wonder why she survived the cut. Anyway, the judges liked her performance because she got a problem with her voice but she hit big notes. *rolls eyes* Idk, but for me it was boring. Next please.

Aaron Kelly – Angie
Maybe Aaron’s performance is one of the most anticipated because he’s been a consistent favorite of the judges and fans. He got really strong comments from the judges. Randy said Aaron is born to sing. Ellen thought Aaron’s performance is also a stand-out. For Simon, the song choice is absolutely right, and it worked for Aaron.

Crystal Bowersox – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
She rocked the big stage last, as the old saying goes, Save the best for last. Haha. At first I didn’t really get Crystal but as time progresses I can really see what a creative and an awesome artist she is. Though it wasn’t the judges’ favorite performance, they still think she’s got great personality and great voice. Simon noted that Crystal should not be lax because she’s become everybody’s favorite. Kara said Siobhan beated Crystal that night.

What do you think of last night’s performance?

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Grande Island Subic – and why it’s not worth your money

Cai — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:33:26 +0000

Last month, our team had an offsite in Grande Island Resort, Subic. We stayed there for less than 24 hrs and we paid 13 000 for 5 rooms, each can accomodate 4 persons. Of course, the offsite was fun and that’s because my team never failed to have a fun offsite. The thing is, Grande Island is not much of a beauty like what we’ve thought it is.

GWEB at Grande Island, Subic

So here’s my break-it list for Grande Island Resort, Subic.

For a starter, the “island” doesn’t have a long and pretty shore that islands should have. So lower your expectations if you’re about to visit Grande Island.
There’s no exhilarating view of nature or whatsoever. Not that I’m being a cynic here, but hey I’ve been to beaches and islands and places like that, and I know how to appreciate natural beauty.
When you ask for water, you will be given tap water. And by tap water, it would taste like tap water. Rusty.
Banana boat rides will only last about 5 minutes, more or less. It didn’t go far in the water and it wasn’t fast enough to send all of us hanging, sliding and falling.
The infinity pool that they are boasting on their site is not even full when we got there, and in the morning after we arrived, considering there were at least 300 other guests coming in that next day.
They have ATVs but there’s no terrain to use that vehicle for. And it cost a fortune. A hundred for a 15-minute ride. Meh.
Yes they said they have wi-fi, they do, really. But hey, it’s not for free. You need to login and you need to buy the credentials from the front desk.
You can’t enjoy snorkeling because there’s not much to see under the waters of Grande Island but hundreds of little fishes (like dilis, only an inch bigger). No colorful corals and fishes and stuff like that.
On the other side of the island, there’s the waste drain straight to the water. That side of the island looks dead. And smells dead.
The ferry service that took us from Subic mainland to the island was scheduled two in the afternoon, and took us back 1pm the next day. That means we didn’t enjoy much the morning beach thing you would normally enjoy.

PinkUrinal is Going to Cebu

Pink Urinal runs 5km at Pinay In Action 2010

Cai — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:37:04 +0000

Yay! And so I joined the bandwagon of running! Last Saturday I ran my first 5km in Pinay In Action 2010. It’s an all-women-run held annually for five years now to celebrate women’s month. Proceeds of the event will support advocacies against Breast and Cervical Cancer, and Violence Against Women and Children. Refer to the poster above for more details =)

I went to the event with my friend Kaye, she picked me up on my place around 4:30am and we headed straight to SM Mall of Asia. We were quite early so we took our time to prepare for the run — Kaye was stretching and stuff like that, I was just sitting there like a bum haha

Blurred Kaye and Cai at PIA 2010, 5am while waiting for the race to start, shot using Kaye's new Samsung something phone haha, this is the only picture we have together during the event, so please bear the blurrrrr =)

And here’s the race map:

I still can't believe I was able to finish 5km AND in 40minutes. Woooot.

And of course, after the race, the photo opps with Senator Pia Cayetano (so I will have something to blog about hahaha)

Cai and Pia. Thanks Kaye for taking this piktyooor! <3 (and what's wrong with my right hand twisted like that? LOL)

Also, I’ve noticed that most winners of the 5km and 10km are young girls. Kewl. =)

After the 5k run in the morning, I went to the gym and I had a full workout. That sounds overkill, I know. But my fitness instructor said I’m gaining weight I should not gain =| So he made me a new program I have to follow religiously. And yeah, I have to refrain from eating sweets from now on. =| Amf unwanted fats.

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Unfortunately, things do happen

Cai — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:29:00 +0000

People make mistakes. Everyone does. Mistakes are just the things that either break one or make one. Most often than not, we’d like to forget the mistakes we committed. But sometimes, there are mistakes that just feel good in the most unusual sense.

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Weekend

Cai — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:18:29 +0000

Yeay! Finally, a weekend I can call relaxed and refreshing. It wasn’t the best weekend I had but I liked it much, well save for the fact that I went to the ER again last night after a long time because I was crying with a friggin headache and I was vomitting blood.

Anyway, what made this week so special? More special than the Subic and Boracay getaway last week? I dunno, maybe it’s the simplicity of things and the humblenesss of the activities I did this weekend. Or maybe because it was spent with the two most special guys in my life: the Boiffie and the Bestfriend.The whole Saturday was spent with the Boiffie, I accompanied him to his dentist because he’s due to receive his retainers. We went to the far land of Bulacan then back to Trinoma where we would catch I Miss You Like Crazy later that day. The commute to Bulacan and back is tiring considering that it was around 3 in the afternoon – the sun is stubbornly up and the time suggest a nice siesta sleeping in a hammock at the back of your house, under that big Langka tree, you know what I mean.

So Saturday was a visit to the dentist, stroll in the mall, dinner, frozen yogurt, I Miss You Like Crazy, and a visit to The Medical City. Doesn’t sound like a real fun day but it is for me. I got to enjoy one carefree day with my Boiffie, away from work, away from stress, away from my phone sending EGN messages* every so often.

Then came Sunday with the Bestfriend. Because of the visit to the ER, it took me million of years to got off my bed. I woke up past 2pm and it felt like I still wanted more sleep. But I have a worship to attend to so I needed to drag my lazy butt off and went to shower. Bestfriend and I had late lunch before going to church. Then we dropped by SM Marikina to buy some stuff and do a little grocery. We were screaming “Marikiks”* the whole friggin time. I don’t know but it’s was one helluva fun!

“Manong, dalawang Marikiks”, the Bestfriend said to Manong FX driver when he gave our fare. We kept on saying “Hello Marikiks” and “Buhbye Marikiks” and we laughed our silly lungs out.

Then I went home tired but still has the energy to cook the mother a kickin’ pasta. I made her Tuna Basil in Spicy Tomato Cheese sauce poured deliciously over a nice pile of angel hair pasta. I know that sounds really yummy. And I’m not kidding you when I said it’s kicking! I wish all of you can have a taste of it haha.

And then I spent the rest of my Sunday doing my “me” thing: I watched episodes of American Idol, played a bunch of games in FB, scribbled a little on my private journal, downloaded stuff (movies, mp3’s, ipa’s, games) and blog.

I am glad I had this weekend. It reminded me of:

the small things I used to enjoy – and I still, like reading a book and committing to finish it, cooking a random dish for my mom or the Boiffie or for my friends, strolling around the kitchenware area of a department store wishing for the pretty glistening stuff to have on my own kitchen someday, finishing a story or a film (I haven’t made a film for almost two years already, and I haven’t written anything since I graduated college) and how I missed out on those things recently and how I wanted to get back in doing those stuff again.
how lucky I am to have these people around me who care for me so much, and should I say they GENUINELY care about me because really, in one’s life or another, there’s a bunch of people who just pretend to care, I know some and I tell you..
the raw talents people believe I have, and how I think it’s all gonna go to waste if I don’t do anything about it, that’s why I’ll be going to LIRA this year and maybe enroll in SOFA or Sinelab or I dunno, any way I might utilize and most especially improve on the stuff they believe I am good at, because really I’m finding it hard to find something I know I am good at

Me wants to have more weekend like this one. Aja!

See you guys around =)

*EGN messages – work-related stuff, Marikiks – SM Marikina

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Setting goals for 2010

Cai — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:13:50 +0000

I know January is the time of the year where people are crazy over scheming resolutions, setting goals and planning their lives. Well, I am never different.

So while I have already set my goals for 2010 privately, here are some of the items that I would like to (and I can) share with you:

Be fit. This would include becoming physically fit by working out regularly and choosing what to eat religiously, becoming mentally fit by catching up with new technologies that would be generally helpful later on in my chosen career path (for present and future roles), and becoming socially fit by interacting more with hoomans and engaging in different interpersonal encounters, relationships and whatnots.

Be wealthy. While reaching my first million is still an impossible feat for this year, my definition for being wealthy would mean no debt of any sort. No credit card statements and no late or unpaid bills. My emergency fund should equal half of my annual salary, my monthly residual income should be able to sustain my monthly expenses. Also, having the liberty to be random in shopping and spending would be a mark wealth. And it should also mean that I can survive 5months of being unemployed.

Be popular. Not that I crave for a 2minute fame for American Idol audition or something (but it would be nice, come to think of it LOL). What I mean here is I should establish my online presence (again) like it’s 2007 once again. Reclaim the fame wtf! But seriously, for the lack of better term what I mean with popular here is to increase my readability – generate threads of conversation through my posts and get involve in supporting at least an advocacy.

Be a linguist. I know it would take time that’s why I should start now. People who can speak more than three languages fluently really amaze me. So this year I will be on my way to being a linguist, and the first language I would like to learn is Korean, in preparation for next year’s visit in Seoul.

Be a jet-setter. Going to places is one my passion. I am lucky that it is also one of Boiffie’s interest. Last year we went to places and we would love to travel more this year. We have already planned this year’s vacations and I hope we can pull off all those trips given that we have limited resources.

Be pretty and happy. And my success in these fields really depends on how I control the variables. Being pretty is never only about soft curls or flowing black hair, or soft and smooth skin, or wearing makeup and being fashionable. Most of the time, being pretty is just being confident and comfortable. Most days I can pull off a lazy outfit but can still feel very pretty. Happiness also is a controlled variable – everyday you wake up and you decide that it’s gonna be a happy one, and like magic it will be. So to achieve being pretty and happy, I must decide to be pretty and happy

That would be all. =) See ya soon.

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2009. The year that was.

Cai — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:15:04 +0000

So here goes my not-so-late goobye 2009 post. =)

I know this wouldn’t be the last time I would look back to 2009. It wasn’t the first and it wouldn’t be the last. 2009 wasn’t as crazy as 2008 but it’s wonderful like all the other years in my life. The people I met and have been friends with are invaluable.

In a nutshell, 2009 was a year of:

travel
opportunities to explore new things
frequent hospital visits
getting in touch with friends and old classmates
happiness and love
love-hate relationship with **
and a whole lot of learning

January last year I got to be a lead actress on a film Kuya Bunso made by my dear friend Mica. It was the first time that I did a role and woah! Was it really hard! I already directed three films in my young life and never had I imagine how difficult it is to act. Before I would always get frustrated when my actors won’t deliver what I wanted for the film, but now.. I know.

Mica, Jehz and Cai at the set of Kuya Bunso, Platinum 1000 rooftop

Also, January, I met an accident. I got hit my a flying bottle.. a broken soda bottle.. on my right knee, and I have to undergo surgery so they can remove bits of glass on my knee cap. Ouch, I know. I was confined and wasn’t able to walk properly for a week. Aaron that time wasn’t the boiffie yet but he took care of him. Really sweet, ayt? My bestfriends Mitch and Louis were there too.

: Mica, Aaron, Jehz, Louis, Winston and Me on my not-so-flattering pose LOL

February was an exciting month at work. I had my first project and the results was great. Also, Boiffie took me to a wonderful (and pricey) V date – we dine at Pepato GB3, watched Push, grabbed coffee at CBTL and went to party with Mica and other bloggers at a Single’s Party night somewhere in Makati.

The first time Boiffie and I went out of town was on the first weekend of February. We went to Baguio to relieve the stress and trauma brought about by the accident I just had. The long bus ride to Baguio, the time we spent there, and the ride home brought Boiffie and I closer together. =’>

Then March came and we conquered Mindanao. Boiffie and I had a 4D3N Camiguin-Cagayan De Oro trip with his college friends. It was the first time I was able to travel by air, by land, and by water all in the same day! Camiguin white beach is really a beauty! It was the highlight of the trip for me! Unfortunately, on the last day I got really sick so I wasn’t able to enjoy the rapids that is white water rafting in CDO.

April Boiffie and I had another trip somewhere in Northern Luzon. We conquered Pagudpud, Laoag and Vigan. The beaches in Pagudpud can rival the beaches in Boracay. I lubbit!! We went to Paoay Church in Laoag, hitched our way to Cape Bojeador (and lost my wallet while taking pictures), beach bummed in Saud and Blue Lagoon, ate at Cafe Leona (Vigan’s finest), had a walkin-after-midnight at Calle Crisologo and a lot more.

Paoay Church, Laoag. We got there almost sun down.

Cape Bojeador, Burgos. And because Boiffie and I were just backpacking, we hitched our way up to the lighthouse. Cheap and practical. Wooot.

Calle Crisologo, Vigan.

"I waited. And waited. But you didn't come." LOL @Calle Crisologo, past midnight.

May was full of anxiety and not much at all exciting. It was the month I presented my results and achievements for the first six months of my stay in the company. June was also uneventful, or maybe it was, I just can’t remember it right now haha. But seriously, other than the Boiffie’s birthday, this month was uneventful.

Boiffie’s birthday was memorable. It was the first time I went greater lengths with regards to efforts and surprises. I prepared a series of surprises for Boiffie and I almost made him cry.. poor little guy, he had no idea what I planned for his birthday.

Aary J Fat. LOL

Then came July, the getaway to Palawan with my teammates.

: GWEB. My HP family. =) woooot

And then August! My birth month! Woooot this time it’s Boiffie’s turn to make my birthday a blast. And he did! He gave me a classic Anne Klein wrist watch and a weekend getaway in Tagaytay: Spa at Sonya’s Garden, dinner at Buon Giorno, party at Kontiki bar, picnic in Picnic grove, roadtrip to Caleruega, lunch and cheesecake at Bag of Beans. Melai and JC were also with us that time.

Parang pre-nup lang, LOL. Thanks Melai for making the collage =D

September I went home to Cebu for the first time in ages. Woooot excited much to see the grandfolks. Also I met some CBS people. It was also a getaway with Mica, Ada, Jehz, Winston, and Van and my first time to travel alone by air.

The folks at the airport when I arrived. =)

Lolo.

The Big Cai and the Little Cai.

: Nyok! at Cebu =)

December Last getaway before the 2009 ended: beach bumming and food tripping at Canyon Cove in Nasugbu Batangas and at Leslie’s in Tagaytay, with Boiffie, Paolo and Mark.

Boiffie, Cai and the Lady with hat LOL

And then the rest of the year was history – days in between days.

Excited much to create new experiences for 2010. =)

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Scrapbooking Delight!

Cai — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:31:26 +0000

Few months ago, I crammed a birthday card for my friend Melai. I went through my old scrapbooking materials and I came up with this:

Scrapbooking love!

I feel inlove with scrapbooking when I was in grade school. I have invested a lot on my materials since then. Some of it I can still use until now. Some I just keep for memento. In the picture is my small shoe box with recent materials. I’m collecting stationaries, different sorts of buttons and beads, colored and glittered glue, stickers, colored strings of different kind, markers, colored pencils, metal trinkets, ribbons, and a lot more!

And if I have all the time in the world, I would still do this because it makes me feel free and happy. It unleashes my creative side and the colors are just wonderful I can get lost in scrapbooking for a whole day.

In college, when too messy won’t work good for me, I tried digital scrapbooking. It’s obviously like the usual paper scrapbooking but you do it on your computer. All the materials you could ever need is downloadable everywhere. I usually go to ShabbyPrincess.com to either shop or grab their freebies. Then you would need a simple (or complex) editor like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Element, Scrapblog, PhotoMix or ScrapEase to put the creative elements together and you’re off to go. There’s a lot of digi scrapbooking tool online, you can play with them and choose anything that would suit your taste.

And when you’re all done making pages, you can either print it or just let it sit on your hard drive.

While I really enjoyed digital scrapbooking (mostly because materials can be downloaded for FREE), I would still prefer the old way of scrapbooking. It’s different when you can smell the papers, when you feel the texture of your materials, when you get your hands really sticky with glue or shiny shimmering splendid with glitters, and when you clean up the mess after you produced a beautiful page.

Included in my year-end task is to put-up a bulletin board and to buy more scrapbooking stuff. I am excited to go shopping for the materials next week.

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Suesh Pink Vanity Box

Cai — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:13:16 +0000

Yeay! Boiffie and Bestie (and myself) got me a pink vanity box!

Dimension: 306x220x245mm; Price: Php2500 @http://suesh.com

I saw this one from Suesh and I fell in love instantly. I forced my bestfriend and my boyfriend to pledge 1000 each so I can buy this. Hahaha it feels good to be loved! Thanks guys, I lubbyoo!

Two weeks ago, Boiffie and I dropped by Suesh’ showroom in Greenhills to pick up the box. Unfortunately, they’ve already closed when we arrived. We were just a few minutes late then, and I cursed the traffic in Greenhills, and I was really frustrated. The next day, I asked the Bestfriend to pick up the box somewhere in Timog and he gladly obliged. (Uhmm okay, to be honest, it took me a lot of pleading to get him get the pink box hahaha) That was a Sunday, and after church we met and I was giggling like a little girl all the while!

I was so hyped when I saw my pink vanity box at last! It’s perfect for my little collection of brushes and cosmetics. There’s still plenty of room and it’s like begging for more products to be put there LOL Hello makeup shopping soon!

Wooooooot!

The Pink Life

5-pc brush set from Ellana Minerals

Related Posts:

American Idol Top 12 Sings The Rolling Stones

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Grande Island Subic – and why it’s not worth your money

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Pink Urinal runs 5km at Pinay In Action 2010

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Unfortunately, things do happen

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Weekend

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Setting goals for 2010

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2009. The year that was.

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Scrapbooking Delight!

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Suesh Pink Vanity Box

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