(Review) Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring

It’s been almost seven months since I had my hair dyed dark brown. Since I have my hair trimmed every other month, I can’t honestly expect my hair color to last for a year. I debated between two options: (1) grow out my black hair, or (2) have my hair dyed again. I went for the second option. My next dilemma was to have it done at a salon or I’ll do it on my own.

Having those dilemmas in mind, I chanced upon several Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring reviews. It’s not your usual “mix several cream and apply” type but it’s a “mix several solutions and apply bubble” type. YES. BUBBLES. All the reviews I’ve read said the product was great so I decided to try it out for myself.

Etude House Hair Bubble Coloring in Natural Brown.

I bought the #3 shade (Natural Brown). The box contained a cape, gloves, a bottle with a pump, and two sachets (one was the coloring solution, I guess, and the other was a conditioner treatment). There’s also an instruction leaflet but it was written in Korean so there was no use trying to understand. Thank the hair gods there were pictures included in the instructions.

Contents of the box.

So, how did I apply this thing on hair? After wearing the capes and the gloves, I poured the solution from one of the sachets to the solution in the pumping bottle, “swooshed” the bottle gently, then pumped bubbles from the bottle and applied it to my hair evenly. I left the bubbles in my hair for almost an hour then rinsed my hair afterwards.

Dear Santa

Christmas is just around the corner. Contrary to what I thought earlier, my Christmas wish list apparently does not only contain the Paolo Coelho planner (which I already bought by the way) but tons of other stuff.  Please don’t be shocked. Here it goes:

1. Laptop

 One with an i5 processor, please? I don’t really need one with i7 processor…yet. Pete (my laptop’s name) is turning 5 next year and don’t you think it’s high time for me to have a new pal? Pete already gave up on my watching and gaming habits and I am afraid he might die already anytime soon.

This is enough to pacifiy me. =)

2. Running shoes

Coz I need to get back in shape ASAP. A pink or red Adidas or Nike wouldn’t hurt.

3. Paolo Coelho’s Aleph

Or any of his books—minus The Alchemist, The Winner Stands Alone, and The Zahir. I find his books enlightening and inspiring. They help me have a better outlook on life. Who knows after giving me one, I might realize I don’t really need the items above. *wink* *wink*

There’s Reprieve in Going Back

Oh noes! I cheated on my Post a Week 2011 challenge! I’ve been quite buay the past two weeks that I barely managed to think about other things apart from life’s basic necessities of eating and sleeping. I was literally all over the Luzon the past two weeks.

I managed to squeeze in a six-day vacation in my schedule. I was in Iriga City from October 28 to November 2, 2011. However, I can hardly call that a vacation since our house was in chaos for that entire period due to the All Souls’ happenings. My family lives in the ancestral house so during long vacations, our relatives literally camp in our house. It’s fun having the entire family in the house but the household chores associated with feeding and entertaining ~20 people can be nerve-wracking.

In my so-so hours, I managed to do some nature encounters. LOL. I love taking pictures of things I find fascinating. Look at some of my discoveries. I also took pictures of the sky since I rarely see this kind of blue in the skies of Metro Manila.

Black termites. Have you seen one?

Fantastic Bicol skyline.

Dear November

November is just around the concern and what does this mean? Trip to Bicol to visit those who have already gone ahead of us. For working people like me, it’s like hitting two birds with one stone as I get to have some vacation too.

There was a time when I totally loathed November. Why? Because it’s the month that one of the most important people in my life was taken from me. November is a painful reminder of what I’ve lost and how my life has turned upside down. But time is kind. Wounds heal. Pain subsides. People mature.

Nowadays, I am looking at November with more optimism. It’s because I’ve also received so much blessing during this month the past years. My mom celebrates her birthday during November. I have enough reason to thank God for giving me such a good mom. November 2011 will also mark my 2nd year at PCHRD. While I feel I am getting farther and farther from where I initially imagined myself, I could not ask for better workmates.

So November, come fast! I can’t wait for you to come.

Share a Photo: Feed Your Eyes

Because I have nothing to share. Because all day I’ve done nothing but to eat. LOL. Die with envy. 🙂

Affirmation vs. Tinkering

A phrase I’ve read from Francis Kong’s Three Little Words on Life, On Love, On Laughs recently made me think a lot. Here’s the phrase:

 “Positive affirmation is not enough. There’s should also be positive tinkering”.

How does affirmation differ from tinkering? Affirmation is the mindset, tinkering is the action. I’ve read so many self-help and inspirational books and they’d always point out how positive affirmation can change the outlook of a person. However, I seldom encounter book which focuses not only on the person’s mindset but also on his actions. Thankfully, Kong’s simple phrase made me realize how some of us don’t fully achieve the personal stability a positive attitude can give us because we stop at thinking. We forget about the action part.

 These past weeks I’ve been in limbo precisely because of this reason. I’m so good at affirmations but I suck at tinkering.  I write a list of things I should, but I end up not doing them because of so many excuses. I want to try different food but I end up not doing so because I am afraid of how they might taste. I want to save more money but I can’t because I am an impulsive buyer. See my point? I’m so good at thinking and deciding what I want to do but I actually don’t have the courage to take a step forward at realizing such thoughts. I remain in limbo because I choose to sulk and just wait for things to happen.

 So what have I learned from my recent bout of self-realization?

1. Our actions are the product of our thoughts. However, it doesn’t follow the formula action = thoughts. Instead, it follows this: thoughts + decision-making = actions. There is always the critical ‘decision-making’. This will dictate the direction of our life which is either up or down. If we can’t make a decision, then we will find ourselves in the most unwanted situation: limbo.
2.  Sulking aka bitterness is for the weak and the undecided. Oh yes, we can sulk every once in a while. We can blame the world for our miseries every now and them. BUT… we can’t stay in that phase for very long or else we remain in limbo again. While I acknowledge that there are circumstances in life we can’t control, how our  life will proceed is still largely dependent on our actions. We live for the world. It’s not the other way around.

What to do? Set our minds on our goals. Pool our energy. Translate our thoughts into actions. Try and try until we succeed but in the process we shouldn’t lose patience, and more importantly ourselves.

In parting, I’m sharing this quote:

(from http://leilockheart.tumblr.com/)

Cheers to productive life! 🙂

Share a Photo: Until We Meet Again!

(Credits to khuntorialurve @ tumblr)

 

To my one and only OTP, I will surely miss you. Saturdays will not be the same without you. Thank you for all the  cringe worthy moments, smiles, laughs and most of all…love. I am praying that in the future I will just be surprised that you two are together again. =)

After exchanging our last good byes and crying,
After hugging each other for the last time,
As we exchanged regrets and apologies,
We wiped each others’ tears away

After time passes and feelings fade away,
We told each other to meet again as friends
And be by each other’s side
And with those finals words and a hug, we parted

Because the sun is so bright and warm
My tears dried, a lot faster than I thought
At first I thought I would die, I really couldn’t breathe
But the sun was so bright…
That it made it all right.

-Afternoon Separation (JYP ft. Sun Ye)

The Vague and the Unspeakable

I hate talking about it because it’s the inevitable. It’s man’s ultimate destination. I’ve seen and felt it six times but still don’t fully understand how it fully works. Maybe, I will never understand it… unless it actually happens to me. But then again, there is no use for that happen since I will have no way of communicating with world of the living.

Vague, isn’t it? Yes. It is supposed to be vague and you will never get me unless you’ve seen it yourself. You don’t know it if it is going to be sudden or slow. Sudden can be so shocking. Slow can be so excruciating. Either way, it’s bound to be very painful. How you will come in terms with it is entirely a different issue. It will depend on how forgiving and prepared you are.

You can probably get by now what I am talking about. The next questions is, why be like this? Because I hate the feeling of waiting and knowing that you can’t do anything… that at the end of the day it all boils down to acceptance. I respect people who can readily accept. It means they already have that maturity to understand how life really works.

I had a very hard time accepting the first time… and sadly, after six times, I still don’t have the maturity needed to deal with the vague and the unspeakable.

It will trickle until it is no more.

Instant Retro Pictures Using Your Android Phone

I’m having a penchant for pictures with vintage and retro feel .  Sadly, one of the downsides of having an Android phone is having no access to Instagram.  Thankfully, I found an interesting app in the Android Market called Retro Camera. The app lets you choose among five “cameras” and bam! You have an instant retro picture.

 Been playing with it and look at the pictures the app generates:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Not bud huh?

On a brighter note, seems there’s an app claiming to be the Instagram for Android. It’s called Stream Zoo. The app was release just recently and is steadily gaining users. I’ve downloaded it already but haven’t tested it yet. I really hope it is some serious competition for the Instagram because as much as I stray away for Apple products, I love love Instagram.

Guilty of Hoarding!

Gah. I’ve been thinking lately where all money goes since that I am not the type who buys pricey stuff. I looked around my room and realized I have tons of stuff which I don’t really need at all. Conclusion: I am no different from a person who spends his money on designer stuff. I may prefer mid-priced things but since I keep buying them in quantities, I end up making myself poor.

Remedy: Enough of the hoarding and impulsive buying. I’ve known since college I exhibit symptoms of mild hoarding but I somehow I never bothered to fix this problem. Now, I am facing the problem of where to put my shoes, clothes, magazines, books, DVDs, bags and lately cosmetics, make-up and accessories. Yes. I “hoard” all of these stuff. >_> Can anyone cure me?

On the brighter side, I am not messy hoarder. I am in fact an OC hoarder. All my books are properly covered and arranged according to size. My magazines are arranged by issue date. My clothes are arranged by color. My shoes are placed in their respective boxes. My DVD’s all have cases and arranged according to genre. So what the hell is my problem? Though I may be an OC, nothing changes the fact the fact I am a hoarder. Bow.

(Credits to rofldoctor @ tubmlr)

Save me!

Share a Photo: Reminds Me of Home

I just came from Bicol and because I miss home, I am sharing a picture of an ornamental plant which my mom loves.

(Credits to my cousin, Ate Norie for the picture)

The plant belongs to the genus Euphorbia. It has a lot of varieties and colors. My mom has tons of them and she wouldn’t trade them for anything.

What reminds you of your home?

Share a Photo: USBs

What are gadgets without them?

Where are You, Filipino Values?

I was sitting comfortably in the MRT last Friday when a middle-aged woman walked in front of me. I contemplated on whether I should I give my seat but I ended up offering my seat since I can barely stand watching her wobble while the train is in motion. She got off earlier than I did but when I was about to reclaim my seat a mother and child came in. I offered them my seat again.

While standing and enduring the long ride from Trinoma to Ayala, I resorted to my usual habit of observing people to kill time. I sad realization struck me. Young people these days, especially the female ones, barely exhibit the “mapagbigay” attitude. Almost the MRT riders were scramming for a seat. Some barely recognize other people who might need the seat more than they do.

Upon arriving at Ayala, I saw a family of four. I think the two kids were around 5 and 7 years old. They were talking to their parents in English and they sounded very demanding. I thought back to the days when kids use po and opo and their mouths were firing Filipino dialects and not strutted English statements.

When I got home, I looked for my aunt “para magmano”. I thought again, “How many people still do this?”

Pagbibigay, po, opo and pagmamano. Where are you, precious Filipino values? It seems the improvement of this country is inversely proportional to your existence. Is it inevitable? As people improve, do they care more and more about themselves and less of other people? As much I love advancement, I miss the days when people do not stare at me pag nagmamano, when offering a set was not a second thought, and when the use of opo and po was a subconscious habit.

The more we advance, how many more precious Filipino values will become extinct?

Post 16: My Views on Mainstream Music

And so… I decided to continue the 30-day post challenge which I started ages ago but I somehow mutated it to a 30-post challenge. I can barely update once a week so how much more on a daily basis?  Anyway, the challenge for post 14: my views on mainstream music.

Before anything else, how do you define mainstream music? Wiki says ‘it is music that is familiar and unthreatening to the masses such as pop music and pop rock’. Genres such as alternative rock, hip-hop, punk rock, etc. have been classified as music of the subcultures. Hmm. It’s a vague and limiting definition.

Nowadays, I think mainstream music is not limited to pop music alone. RnB, alternative rock, and hip hop have found their way into the mainstream scene ages ago.  In essence, mainstream music is any music that founds its way to the general consciousness of the people.

Do I enjoy mainstream music? Yes and no. You see… I don’t have a clear picture in mind how mainstream is mainstream and how indie is indie. Music is a form of art but if I always take music that way, I would hardly enjoy any song. Therefore, I take it face value. It does not matter if it a song is popular or not, if I love it, I love it.

I also don’t limit myself to a certain language, artist, or genre.  I believe music transcends those boundaries. I don’t like a song just because somebody told me it’s good. We all have difference perceptions of what good music is. At the end of the day, I love a song because it entertains me and I feel a certain connection to it.

How mainstream is mainstream? I still don’t know but this I leave in parting. Music is the product of our interests and we also take it because we find it interesting. 😉

The Bleary Plight of Pisay Scholars

I’ve been bothered by a post of a friend in FB regarding the contract of Pisay students that it prompted to me to write this.

We were always told in high school that being a Pisay Scholar is a privilege. A lot of students dream of entering the school and only a few pass the rigid entrance exam. Privilege. I agree. Being in Pisay has a lot of perks: the stipend, the free books, the free use of dorm, etc. What I valued the most is the advanced level of learning the system uses and it certainly helped me in making my college years less thunderous.

Of course the privilege comes with heavy responsibilities and consequences. We have to take a science and technology course and we are not allowed to migrate while we are in the process of completing the course. Before we enter Pisay, we sign a contract  agreeing to these terms and in addition we have to reimburse the amount of the scholarship in case we violate the terms of the contract.  Unfortunately, we sign the contract at the age of 12, 13? So, our parents have to sign in our behalf as our legal guardian.

Now here comes the problem. What if… what if… a student realizes science is not really his inkling and he doesn’t want to pursue a science course in college? Whether he withdraws while he still in Pisay or even before/during college, he will pay the same consequences. Furthermore, he will also be placed under the DFA watchlist. Yes, we are on the DFA watchlist and we have to get a clearance before we can go out of the country. The same condition applies to all DOST scholars.