Challenge # 1

I'm currently sick and very bored right now so I spent my rest day watching new episodes of my favorite series, and reading Google reader- most of them food blogs. So I came up with this idea of a challenge.

We shall call it The 200-peso food challenge. Everytime I dine alone for a month, I will have to keep each meal within this budget. I know two hundred bucks can feed a family (heck, the government claims a family of 4 can be fed on a budget of 175 pesos each day). But that's not the point of this challenge. Lately, I noticed my meals reach up to 500 pesos. That's fine from time to time. I mean, all good things come with a price. But I hardly make an effort to spend wisely when it comes to food so this should be a fun change!

 

I'll try to document it and rate my meal! Shall post it on Instagram. Challenge starts January 14 when my parents are be back in the province and I'll have to feed myself. haha

Random tips

Just posting some random tips.

For the home:

Sticky labels? Use masking tape to peel them off the surface. You can also use masking tape to pick up lint on clothes or glitters on the floor.

Moldy shower but hate scrubbing? Mix Domex (this stuff is amazing!) with water (around 2:1) and spray it on the moldy surface. Leave for a few minutes. The dirt will drip with the mixture. Also works on shower curtains and kitchen tops.

Add some essential oils to baking soda and place it in your bathroom or shoe cabinet to absorb odor and moisture. If you're sensitive to scents, skip the essential oil.


Kikay tips:

Dry lips? Scrub your lips with sugar and some honey.

If you're a hoarder like me, store your extra creams and mask sheets in the fridge.

Full-coverage foundations are more flexible and more value for your money. Add to moisturizer to make tinted foundation, or thin out its coverage by spritzing water on your makeup brush/ sponge before application. An extra layer on target areas will also eliminate the need for concealer.

Fix your brows. SERIOUSLY. If there's anything I wish I knew in college, it would be this. The brows frame your face. It's the best instant 'makeover' you can do.

Revive your hardened gel liner by popping it in the microwave for 5 seconds. Make sure it's in a glass pot. Don't forget to remove the cap. haha

Dab your lipstick with your finger instead of swiping it. Color stays longer if you dab.

***

That's about it! Hope I've helped!

Bring it on!

Here's my game plan for 2013.

This year, I'll invest more. In the beginning of 2012, I started building my stock portfolio. I am happy to report that my money grew by 20% at the end of 2012. That's bigger than ANY savings account bank can offer. Of course, in actual value, I still won't be able to buy a house or a car if I cash out my portfolio. Besides, there's no way I'm cashing out. The PH economy is on a roll!

I will travel more. Last year, I visited Siem Reap and I had a blast! I booked Beijing too but had to skip the trip because of the stricter visa requirements. This year, I'm skipping countries with visas to recover from the horror of China visa requirements. I'll stick to our friendly South East Asian neighbors. I'll also welcome local trips. Roadtrips will also count! I think I have Baguio in February. I hope it pushes through because the first and only time I was in Baguio was for a wedding back when my age was still a single digit. I hear Baguio is sooo different now.

I will make this house brighter and more homey. For most of the year each year since college, I live alone here in Lola's house. It's not huge but it's still difficult to keep everything neat when you have to do everything. When my mom and dad are here, that's easy because they love cleaning. (I think it's a parent thing?) Anyway, I plan on upgrading some stuff and adding a few DIY upcycle projects here and there to prettify the place.

Quality over quantity. It has been said over and over but I gotta put it into action. You see, I love trying new products. I have literally hundreds of different products on my dresser and in my bathroom. My gosh, sometimes it's a nightmare! To give you an idea, I have 5 different bottles of body washes in the shower, four different soaps, four kinds of toners, three different face masks, three facial washes, and a ton of lotions. That's not all. Don't make me count the makeup I have. Safe to say I have at least three brands of any product. Grabe. This year I'll try very hard not to buy new stuff unless I finish the old ones. I should do a 'hit the pan' or 'finish a tube' project. Yes, I think I should.

Also this year, I will continue doing crafts. The year 2012 felt like a craft revolution for me. I'd like to think I was crafty as a kid. I got it from Mom. She'd make handmade Christmas tree ornaments, home decors, headbands and hair clips that I would wear to school. But she got older, she had to tend to her (demanding) kids. As for me, I guess Internet and adolescence happened and I stopped. haha But some years later, thanks to the Internet (ha!), I found a bunch of local blogs by people who are into handmade things and DIYs. Little by little, I tried their tutorials and I started buying craft materials whenever I could. And I'm so happy! I can spend a day away from my laptop and make a mess on my bedroom floor with all the paper and paint I have. It's like when others lose themselves in a good book. That's me and crafting.

I will learn more about my job. Working in a business your father started isn't easy. It's hard to have your dad as one of your bosses, and live up to the expectations of everyone. But in the past year, I just started not caring about their expectations. What I did was I took advantage of my age- I'm the youngest in the office- and and just started learning everything. Being the youngest allows more room for mistakes, and buys you extra patience when you can't understand what your bosses are telling you. I am just thankful to have my other boss, "Tito E". He answers my questions patiently, even if it's the third time I asked in a week. This year I just wanna be like a sponge and learn what I can. Most of the time I feel like it's a routine, what I'm doing. I get bored every so often that I have actually considered resigning a hell lot of times. HAHA Then again, I'm still here. It's all a matter of perspective. I mean, who goes to the office twice or thrice a week and get paid for a five day work week, right? That's a lot of extra time in my hands. Which brings me to my next plan.

Find something or someone to keep busy with. Hahaha I love having free time but I hate not having something to do! Farrah tells me I should date a haciendero because hacienderos have a lot of time in their hands (aka maraming oras mag date). Sucks that I don't know a lot of hacienderos. HAHAWhile destiny is working on the 'someone' part, I can focus on the 'something'. I'll learn and hopefully master a new dish each month. That and my craft projects should keep me happy during my free time.

One last but important thing. CARE LESS (about what others will think)AND LOVE MORE. I really love people who at the risk of getting hurt, still keep giving love. (Okay, that's a lot of love in once sentence. haha) I kinda see myself in them. I think I'm like that. I have this theory that if I keep giving love to everyone in my life, it'll bounce back ng bonggang bongga. I have yet to prove that theory but I will let you know once I have proof. For now, let the love overflow and I'm sure one day, we'll get the love we really deserve.

Anyhoo, this is me talking to myself. Right now I just really wanna have an awesome, crazy year with my friends and my family. I want to laugh as much as I can, live life as amazing as I can afford (not literally), see more places, meet lots of people, create lasting memories, and just enjoy each day. I have been a grumpy bitch to my family most of the time but I have my moments too. I hope I'll have less grumpy days and more fun days with the folks. They're getting older. I should make each day count.

I'll review this before 2013 ends. I hope the first two days of 2013 has been good to you guys. All my love!

New year. :)