Lash Extensions

Okay, I said I would officially move and archive my Inquirer pieces to their new cyber-home, BeautyintheBigApple.com. But maybe I do need some form of time management course to tick off everything on my to-do list. That or I just have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew "at any ti-i-i-i-me... Ooh, feel freeeee..." (cue: Alanis Morissette). So until I successfully block off some time to tend to my worldwideweb concerns, I'll restore the link list on the left hand side of this page, and from time to time post snippets like below. (P.S.—Lash extensions are fun!)
image courtesy of Xtreme Lashes

BEAUTY IN THE BIG APPLE The lowdown on lash extensions
By Mariel Chua Philippine Daily Inquirer (First Posted 06:27:00 03/27/2009)

WHEN I SHOWED THE GIRLS in my dad’s house my newly elongated lashes, one of them exclaimed, “Just like Pokwang’s!” referring to the massively entertaining mainstay of “Wowowee.”

“But hers are orange,” they added.

read the rest of the article

Hotspots

Lately I've made it a point to find a spot outside the house to work on my writing and editing deadlines. I find that when I am indoors, I am more inclined to procrastinate, sleep (or both), or tinker about and nitpick a la Martha Stewart.

Since I'm on deadline and strapped for a more eloquent blog post, I'll let these pictures do the talking. I must say my four-year-old Sony Cybershot is still mighty dandy when it comes to lovely snaps of this wonderful working vacation.

As you can see, I've finally retired (sort of) my almost-seven-year-old iBook (sniff!). It still works, but can no longer be toted around because the batteries (main one and internal) are dead. I'm quite happy with my new Acer Aspire One netbook. The 8.9 screen is a little modest and not the best thing for navigating huge Excel documents, but the 160gb hard drive, three USB ports, card slots, and all that technical garble make it absolutely delightful. And the best part is, it's the size of a clutch and fits perfectly inside my roomy bag.

I recently had lunch with family in Balducci at The Fort, and it was delightful! So scrumptious it was that I went back for dinner there with my dear friend, Frances. Try the salmon and caviar pizza with mascarpone cheese (pictured), tuna carpaccio with lemon, olive oil and capers, and creamy ravioli stuffed with white cheese and spinach. These all have Italian names on the menu but I don't remember any of them.

That's Frances at dinner before the Kérastase Nuit event in Serendra. Check out her lovely outfit! And you should have seen her shoes. Before the event, we went around High Street to look at some heels and sandals at Charles & Keith and Nine West. I must say I've been good lately: I've gone back and forth to several shoe stores (mostly different branches of Charles & Keith) but haven't bought anything so far :) I am eyeing these bejeweled gold sandals and a lovely pair of brown booties—the latter being quite a steal considering there's no winter here.

Speaking of Serendra and Bonifacio High Street, lately I've been a frequent turista of the area. I love how one can walk around and window-shop while soaking up the heat, wind, and humidity—made bearable and enjoyable by regular and frequent bursts of finely-misted water from gigantic fans outside the air-conditioned stores.

Now, if it gets way too hot, this huge rock installation—that doubles as a water fountain—may be an open invitation to shower in public :D

I've also been dealing with a serious craving for Pasta a la Carlo from Figaro. My former boss, Maya, is actually friends with the dish's namesake. I am this close to begging for the recipe. Ordering it three days in a row is not good for the wallet.

I am pretty sure this dish has the following: olive oil, garlic, capers, olives, tomatoes, tuna (or anchovies), parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes. But I am also quite certain I've missed a key ingredient—or maybe more. Carlo Tanseco: You don't know me but if you are reading this, I hope you could share the recipe. I promise I won't profit from it, just my kitchen and hungry belly :)

Last but not the least, I've been spa-ing and salon-ing at the rate of a true blue beauty bee. In my line of work, it's sometimes a challenge distinguishing a deadline-related errand, or shameless, honest-to-goodness pampering on my end. So I've been hitting two birds with one stone and erring on the safe (and paranoid) side by cruising anonymously in beauty hotspots, asking questions like a typical nosy client, paying at the counter, and leaving with a polite, chirpy, 'Thank you,' all the while forming some sort of critique in my head. Whether it's a massage, facial, lash extensions, haircut, I've been finding this nondescript road-testing and quiet traipsing-around-town the perfect strategy for enjoying my stay while actually getting some work done.

Recession Proof

Image courtesy of http://filipinolifeinpictures.wordpress.com

Despite the relatively “poor” conditions in the Philippines, I am still happy to be here even just for the time being.

I put the word poor in quotation marks because the term is debatable, and again, relative. It’s true, countrymen are struggling, if not more than ever. And when one takes photos or videos around town, it’s not 100 percent picturesque because of the gritty truth of people living in the slums, child beggars weaving through traffic, and so forth. But Manila at this time is uncannily refreshing and truly uplifting simply because life seems… normal, for lack of a better word.

The first thing I noticed (and enjoyed) was seeing the malls and coffeeshops (and yes, also Starbucks) brimming with people working with the Wi-fi connection on their zippy laptops; high-rise residential buildings with construction in full swing; and pricey hotel breakfast buffets filled up, lines long. I will go far as to say that Manila these days is more bustling than Las Vegas, compared to the last time I was there.

In the words of a friend, the Philippines doesn’t seem as hardly hit by the recession as its neighboring super-countries like Singapore or Japan, since it never really took off in terms of vast economic development. So the dip feels a bit slighter, and the people seem as jolly as ever.

The last couple of weeks leading to this vacation was a bit depressing: Who would’ve thought a country like the United States would face the day when big retail stores like CompUsa and Linens ‘n Things would experience an untimely demise? Even worse, driving through main thoroughfares, one is met with quaint stores closing at a mouth-clucking rate. Turning on the tv, one is greeted with that widget-like broadcast of the latest unemployment statistic, plus disturbing news on people who will now work for food. I just had to escape, hoping that the rays of the Third World sun, its glorious beaches, jolly fellowmen, and belly-busting cuisine will help me recharge for America once again.

On another note, I’ve always had a soft spot for people who peddled their wares on their bikes. I just find it so heartwarming how much honor and pride these grown men have, toiling the day away, making a living, peso by peso, piece by piece of whatever’s for sale. Yesterday, we bought a few pieces of sweet corn from a guy on a bicycle along Congressional Avenue. Each steaming-hot mais was Php 12—that’s one dollar for four pieces! I get misty-eyed realizing this, and thinking about how many of those he has to sell in one day, in order to make a decent living. I wondered, How many kids does he have? Are they in school? How does that huge basket of corn stay steaming hot throughout the day?

Cue: Jaiho!


Original version by A.R. Rahman


Version by the Pussycat Dolls

Write Right

Breakfast al fresco: seedless orange slices, molasses toast with cheese,
mustard, and black pepper.

I woke up today a little starved, and perhaps subconsciously perplexed because I still have to figure out how I'm going to finish all the deadlines I've brought upon myself, and at the same time, have the vacation I came here for.

A few years ago, I'd promised I would never turn down writing and hair and makeup gigs, for fear of seeming ungrateful (and also of incurring the wrath of my grandmotherly-nice landlady). This resolution also included giving up my then-daily Starbucks habit, as a young editor zipping about town going from shoot to shoot, event to event. (The transition to green tea worked, by the way: I'd lost about 12 pounds in the course of a year.)

Anyway, I can't make this entry too long now because I have to get to work... so I also don't end up feeling guilty and ethically unreliable by the time my beach plans come to fruition. I still have yet to blog about our FANTABULOUS family reunion/Lola's 85th birthday celebration; lots of cool pics from there.

Meanwhile, check out this yummy yummy treat I had the other day called Anmitsu, from Kozui—a green tea cafe along Tomas Morato in Quezon City. It's like Japanese halo-halo (our local shaved-ice dessert), served in a huge bowl with chewy Dango balls, green tea jelly, red bean, taro, and delicious green tea soft-serve ice cream.

Bowl of love: the Anmitsu from Kozui.

M is for Makeover!

Say hello to the new NyMinuteNow.com: beefed-up and turbo-charged!

I still have to add a couple more things here, but for now I like how this looks. Part of my blog makeover is moving my Inquirer pieces to a new home, BeautyInTheBigApple.com (coming soon), wherein I will properly archive all the beauty articles I've written for the broadsheet—so I could focus on other things here. Watch this space please, and I'll keep you all posted.

This lovely new template is courtesy of blogger-templates.blogspot.com. I have a newfound respect for people who are extremely good at coding (or even just know how to do it). I've had to unearth the modest HTML that I know to get this Mmmakeover up to par. I've also had to create a backup blog in case I totally messed up and lost a year's worth of entries!

I remember in the early days of Blogger, you had to figure out how to add photos and links and all that. Back then it was already a big deal if you were able to add pictures to your posts. My, how blogging has come a long way, eh? I'm pretty thrilled. I just wish I could be more diligent and enterprising. But I'm happy with what I have now. In the words of one of my magazine/beauty/fashion mentors, "There's lots of room for everybody"—which I think is in the same vein as "There's always room for improvement" a.k.a. "There's always time for a makeover!"