girls talk: style icons

I was a bit excited about this week's Girls Talk topic because I think it's cute and easy enough to answer, but then I found myself stymied -- I don't really have a style icon pala, haha.   '.'   I can appreciate other ladies' fashion sense, but I don't really have someone that I look up to or emulate in terms of style.

I'm not much of a fan of sleek-and-streamlined garb that makes people appear like they're trying too hard to be celebrity-like.  I like how these gals dress (sometimes): 

Rachel Bilson often gets it right. Even when she's not dressed up for a shoot, she looks so effortlessly well-composed. She manages to look laid-back but still feminine and pretty.  The way she layers her clothes makes me wish it wasn't so hot here in the Philippines. 

Unlike Rachel, Victoria Beckham is more on the edgy side, but I like that too.  I love most of her hairstyles.  She often wears stuff that would only look good on her though.


And that's my contribution for this week's GT. :)

girls talk: black leather boots

For the first Thurdsay of September, we're Girls Talk-ing about something black.  Luckily I have a whole lot of black stuff (No, its not my favorite color, but I like buying things in black, white or cream so they'd be easy to mix and match).

I decided to show-and-tell about one of my current favorite items, a pair of black boots.  See poor-quality photo below:

I acquired them when I visited the U.S. a few months back; they're hand-me-downs from a family friend, but they're still good as new.  I hadn't dreamt of getting boots while I was there, but I seriously needed them because my feet were freezing from the cold.  Good thing these were just my size.  ^_^

I just love the way they look, they're perfect for covering up my unsightly feet.  It's a pity they stop being comfortable after about half an hour or so - they are strictly for porma purposes only, not for walking around.  :p

 Girls Talk is hosted by Beauty Queen Gene.

girls talk: latest word learned

This warm-weathered week, we Girls Talk about a word we recently learned. I agree with Ms. Kaye's former professor's advice - it's good to learn at least one word a day. Although I must admit, my memory is no longer as sharp as it was when I was a student. :p

Here is my new word:

macarism (n.)
taking pleasure or praising another's joy;
a beatitude or blessing;
the act of making another happy

Ain't it a lovely word with an unselfish meaning?

Its verb form is macarize which means to congratulate; to declare as happy or blessed.

As we go through Girls Talk, let's macarize one another for stretching our noodles a bit to learn new words. ;p

girls talk: favorite word

Glad to be back at Girls Talk after a long absence from the blogosphere!

Today is all about our favorite words. I had a bit of difficulty choosing because I have quite a few. Still I think today's topic is such a pleasant coincidence, because I recently met a word that quickly became my new favorite:

frisson
a brief moment of emotional excitement; shudder, thrill
Definition from Merriam-Webster.com

Ain't it cute? ^_^ I mean it sounds cute out loud, and it means something cute. I stumbled upon it while making my own crossword puzzle; I needed something that had an R, an I and double S, I asked Google and it gave me this. I fell in love with it and decided it will feature in my next poem.

I can't end this entry without mentioning my all-time favorite word: butterscotch! =D

It's one of those words that are delicious to pronounce. And it means a yummy thing too! Check out my easy butterscotch syrup recipe here.


Like words? Read about the other Girls' Talkers choices at Beauty Queen Gene. Thursdays in the month of August are reserved for discussing words, words words! ^_^

girls talk: other intentions for 2011

We've posted about our 2010 plans for health, work and love in the past few weeks of Girls Talk, and this week we're rounding up our resolutions month with life in general.

The overall purpose of making resolutions and setting goals for oneself, I believe, is personal growth and/or betterment.

Ever heard this practical piece of advice? - Don't compare (or compete) with others; just compare (or compete) with yourself. The bottom line is to be secure about yourself, but at the same time checking that you are growing. You don't have to be a perfect person. Just make sure you're a growing one. ;)

This is how I do it: Periodically I ask myself Am I a better person than I was this time last year? Follow it up with question along the lines of, Am I in a better place in my life? Am I better skilled at something? Have my relationships improved? Am I happier or more content now? And so on. I just want to be sure that my life is not stagnant and that I am constantly growing and improving.


Other areas I want to work on:

Relationships
Chat at least once a week with my Mom and my brother.
Drop by my mother-in-law's place weekly (or at least every other week).

Finances
Now that the Hubby and I will be generating more income, we're glad we can set aside more savings. Aside from leaving a certain amount untouched in the bank, I want us to put P100 each in our piggy bank every payday.

Spiritual health
Spend time with God daily, and get back into the habit of making journal notes. I used to be a committed journaller, but I noticed that I've neglected journalling since I started blogging my thoughts.

Minstry
I intend to get myself more involved in our new church this year.

Intellectual / mental growth
I don't know how I should do this yet. In the past years, I've made it my goal to read a certain number of books for the year, but I'm thinking that books are ridiculously expensive these days, and if I want to save money I have to be a bit more practical.
Maybe I should do at least one crossword puzzle a week, to keep myself sharp.

Creativity
Keep blogging. ^_^
Be faithful with my 365 Project - one photo a day for every day of the year.


That's pretty much it. :) See other girls talk about their 2011 resolutions at Beauty Queen Gene:

girls talk: work-related plans and love-related ones

I'm doing two entries in one today since I missed last week's girls talk.

work

It's been nearly four years since my last day of working in an office setting. Between that time and now, I have cheerfully concluded that I am not the kind of person who would flourish in rigid office-type job and I should not work at an office again, hahaha.

I've been working odd online tasks, but I've been thinking about really working again this year. I definitely would like to have a more stable income. Though I can boast that I can successfully manage my time, I'm not very good at managing stress, so I want a kind of job I can enjoy, preferably a part-time one.

I am glad that these days, due to the boom of jobs online, I have the options to work from home. Just this week I submitted an application for a part-time English tutor. It looks fun and practical enough. The pay isn't that big but it's at least bigger than what I make now, and more importantly it's regular income. I'm hoping and praying I get accepted (hey, maybe you can pray with me too ^_^ ). If I don't get accepted, I intend to look for something similar.


love life

The Hubby and I will be celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary in June (I think we're old now, but I don't feel we're old, so I guess that's okay). We haven't really planned anything for the anniversary date itself , but we've been scheduling some trips this year.

Love isn't just in the big celebrations; it's also in the little day-to-day things. I therefore intend to do small, simple but deliberate gestures of showing my affection and appreciation for the Hubby every day. It's as easy as writing a random but purposeful note, or cooking some fruits into his oatmeal to make it special. I got this idea from Diana Hagee's book, The King's Daughter (a good read for every Christian lady); she calls it "one way every day". The point is just to intentionally show love in at least one way, every single day.

girls talk: planning for better health

I personally dislike making "New Year's Resolutions" just for the sake of having some at the beginning of the year, since resolutions usually fizzle out. I instead prefer to make practical plans. The former is an expression of good intentions, or things that should happen; while the latter entails definite, measurable, realistic objectives, or things I will make happen and how I will make them happen. The difference is that resolutions are vague and therefore have the tendency to fade into the background; plans and objectives are well-defined, time-bound and written and provide a referable "tracking system".

For the first week of January, we're girls talk-ing about what we hope for / plan for about our health.

This year I intend to get some physical exercise back into my routine. I used to walk on the treadmill regularly, but that all stopped when I noticed that our particular treadmill was too hard on the ankles (and then there was a convenient change in work schedules, so I decided to ditch walking altogether, haha). Recently though I noticed how much easier - and more fun - it is to take actual walks outside, especially with a good, comfortable pair of running shoes. I got the Hubby to be my "walking partner". We'll be walking at least twenty minutes, three times a week. After we get used to the routine, we'll increase it to thirty minutes, and then maybe to forty or an hour.

Health not only refers to physical health, am i right? With that in mind, I intend to maintain my emotional and mental health by continuing to do what I've been doing the past several years:

• Choose my friends. While anybody is welcome to be a friend, not everyone must be allowed in my inner circle. A woman's inner circle contributes to her personality, and I don't want anyone's negative vibes or misplaced values influencing me.
• Choose what I allow in my mind, because my thoughts shape my attitudes and so on. It pays to be discerning when it comes to simple things like books, movies, music and stuff. It's also good to be a critical thinker regarding the stories people tell, i.e., don't be an idiot.
  
  

About health - I was watching a rerun of "America's Next Top Model" last night, and the judges mentioned that true beauty lies in health. A truly beautiful person, they say, is really just a picture of good physical, emotional and mental health. With that definition of beauty, I aim to be a person who is beautiful and brings out beauty in others.

girls talk: apparel and accessories shopping

This week on Girls Talk: What I often look for in the apparel and accessories section.

Apparel. Right now I've got a thing for leggings. I'm so glad they made a comeback.

Leggings are like that perfect pair of jeans, but lightweight, more comfortable and much softer. They can go for different degrees of casual - from overly rugged to smart-casual. They can also make your legs look skinnier.

What I look for to go with leggings: A long-ish tunic or babydoll top.

I don't think too-short dresses or skirts are appropriate for someone my age (and size, haha). Since I'm now over 30, I don't want to dress like a teenager. Throwing on a pair of leggings under a short skirt / dress achieves the right look.

Accessories. I don't normally buy accessories, since I can make my own (A good rule to go by: "Don't buy anything you can make"). If I find a piece I like, I'd take a good look at it, and then make my own version at home. It saves me money and provides an outlet for creativity.

These days I go for chunky necklaces, statement necklaces and / or large dangling earrings (NOT to be worn at the same time of course).

So this is this month's last installment of Girls Talk. Check out other ladies' shopaholism at Beauty Queen Gene.

Looking forward to our December topics. ^_^

girls talk: health and beauty section

This week on Girls Talk: What do you usually grab from the health and beauty section?

Ever since I was a kid, I've associated Nivea with good-quality skin-care.
I'm a sucker for Nivea. Whenever an advertisement comes out about a new product, I'd get instantly intrigued and make a mental note to check a sample the next time I stop at Watson's.

Nivea's line is complete - they've got facial wash, various lotions and creams, deodorants, shower gel and everything. My favorite thing though is the lip balm / gloss, a.k.a. caregloss. I loove it; I make sure to always carry one in my purse.

While I'm loyal to Nivea, I feel the need to switch brands every few months when my skin starts to get dull. My other brand of choice would be Pond's.

Pond's items are also effective, and very affordable. The brand's range of products are not as extensive as Nivea's, but they've got pretty good facial care stuff. I like how they come in small sizes that are easy to tote around.

So that's what's in my shopping basket. Shimmy over to Beauty Queen Gene to see what's in other girls' carts.

girls talk: all-time favorite book

Just ONE all-time favorite? That would be hard. Alright, I'll just pick one random favorite of mine.



J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is easily at the top of my list of all-time favorite reads. Of all my faves, I've loved it the longest.

Okay, wait - I know that the instructions at Beauty Queen Gene said ONE BOOK ONLY. Well here's a bit of trivia: The Lord of the Rings is actually one whole novel published in three volumes, each volume further separated into two books each. So I'm not cheating. ^_^ This is still actually one book.

I first discovered LOTR when I was ten years old; I spotted a copy of the first volume in the Grade School Library. I borrowed it thinking my brother would like to take a look at it, and then I ended up falling in love with it. I was lucky to find the two other volumes in the same library; at that time no one as interested in them (I was the only one) so it was an easy task. They're not exactly easy reading for a ten year-old, but even if I didn't completely appreciate everything at that age, I developed an affinity with LOTR. It was for me a profound secret that hardly anyone else knew about, like it was something exclusive for the brilliant and special.

I re-read the books when I was older of course, and it was much easier to navigate through Midde-Earth with an adult vocabulary. ^_^

When the movies came out I sort of had mixed sentiments. It was definitely exciting to see my favorite fantasy lore incarnated on the big-screen, but a lot of director Peter Jackson's work - though impressive - turned out to be quite disappointing for lovers of the novel like myself (So while LOTR is one of my favorite books, the LOTR trilogy is not in my list of favorite movies. Furthermore, I felt like Peter Jackson just opened my exclusive little club to the whole world. I found it disgusting that fangirls watched the movie just to see Orlando Bloom, and not to appreciate the amazingly-crafted story. Har har, I'm a prick that way. :D ). Thankfully, the fuss over the LOTR movies eventually died down, and LOTR movie fans have moved on to new fixations.

But as for myself, I'm still a huge fan of Tolkien and his books.

And here's another trivia tidbit: J.R.R. stands for John Ronald Reuel.

So yeah, I'm a geek. ^_^ I'm not the type that goes around in costume or spews Elvish words, but I suppose I can ace a test on Arda-lore.

girls talk: humorous reads

I like this month's Girls Talk topic because I love books. This week we're doing funnies.

Do comics count? At the top of my list would be The Book of Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley, and Gary Larson's The Far Side Gallery. They're very easy reading.


But yeah, I have some favorite funny books too.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a compilation of five novels by Douglas Adams. It maps out the outrageous story of Arthur Dent's survival through space after his home planet, Earth was demolished to make way for the construction of a hyperspace bypass. Brilliantly funny; mocks science fiction a bit with dry Brit humor, while it attempts to explore the answer to life, the universe and everything. The answer, it says, is 42.


Arthur Dent's adventures were made into a BBC television series sometime in the '8os I believe. The first of the five books, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, was made into a movie a few years ago.

Another set of humor books I absolutely enjoy are The Sacred Diaries of Adrian Plass.


British author Adrian Plass has a humorous take on Evangelical Christianity, through his eyes as a church member and later as a preacher.

It's nice to have books that poke fun at life, the universe and everything (I'm quite inclined toward witty, brilliant and/ or dark humor though; I don't like slapstick or green jokes). It's good to laugh, and I particularly enjoy laughing out loudly.

Other ladies share what's in their library. Click the badge to read about their choices:

girls talk: going green

Whew! It was a bit of a challenge for me to find something for this week's GT - I realize i don't own anything green. Anyway, I finally managed to find something to share. I might be cheating a bit, but it's still all the right color. ^_^

First off, I live in a home with a garden (garden = green, right?). Instead of flowers and ornamental plants, we have herbs:


I love adding herbs to my cooking - they add that richness to the flavor and fragrance. I am absolutely glad that I can pick them fresh from the garden - not only do I get to save money (herbs at the supermarket are usually pricey), but I also have an option not to put unnecessary additives found in instant flavorings.

Among my loves in the garden are basil, oregano, rosemary and mint.

And while we're on the topic of green, let me share about my fascination for vermarine. It's one of my favorite materials when making fashion accessories:


Vermarine is a semiprecious stone, a mint-green colored quartz. Natural vermarine is rare, but the cheaper, lab-enhanced kind is produced by heat-treating amethyst (purple quartz). This here is a photo of a choker I made using unnatural vermarine and amethyst.

Find more green-mindedness at ...

girls talk: purple

Being a non-fan of purple, I always thought I didn't have any purple things -but when I went around the house to look for one I realized I had quite a few. I picked the most interesting one for this week's Girls Talk.

This here is a stuffed animal with a bit of sentimental value. It was given to my by the Hubby ten years ago when he was courting (in his words "trying to get to know me better").

It's a Snoopy doll that was distributed at McDonalds to commemorate Peanuts' 50th anniversary. We and a bunch of friends used to have weekly after-church dinners at McDonald's, and the Hubby (formerly known as the Boyfriend) would get me the promo toy if I thought it was cute.

It was very slightly annoying that he kept giving me all these cute-but-useless things, but I thought it was really, awesomely sweet of him.

It's faded a bit and caught a lot of dust, but couldn't get myself to get rid of it yet. I've already thrown away or sold a lot of our unwanted stuff, but Snoopy stays. It's been with me for a decade now, so it might as well stay forever. ^_^

girls talk: something red

I hadn't been able to join Girls Talk last month since the Hubby and I were busy with some stuff; the topic was about movies I think - It would have been so fun to join, too bad I missed it.

Anyway, I think I'll have more time this month, so here I am with my red object for the first week of September:



This is one of my favorite necklaces. The elaborate red pendant is originally from a choker my cousin made for me several years ago; I decided to save it after the choker got worn out. I made a new double-strand short necklace - I was going for an antique-ish look, something stunning and unique but not too "loud", a piece that would fit in the movie Moulin Rouge but not so fancy.

The pendant looks like an intricate wood carving, maybe even coral or red jade. Upon close inspection though, you will notice that it's just dense plastic. The black beads are just cheap glass ones, but if you put them all together they make a nice piece of "jewelry".

I like wearing this with simple black tops - it adds a pop of color and personality, maybe even a bit of a mysterious, artistic look. I've worn it with ragged clothes, I've worn it with formal wear and it works either way.

My favorite colors are white and silver, but I love red. ^_^ Red is so full of vigor and fire.

Hop over to Beauty Queen Gene to see the other ladies' cherished red objects:

girls talk: i love the spiritual and mental side of me

I didn't have time to participate in Girls Talk last week, so I'll be inserting the I Love Me Mentally below too. I'll try to make this quick as I have to head out pretty soon


I Love The Spiritual Aspect of Me

I am a follower of Christ, and I'm proud of it. I am not the religious type - I'm a bit of an asker, a rebel of sorts, admittedly not a very nice person.

But I love God immensely - though imperfectly.
I love church - though I must confess I don't go every Sunday.
I love the Bible - but I admit I don't read it daily.

Following Christ is really not about tradition or "the things we've gotten used to". I personally prefer a more practical, relevant and honest faith. A meaningful religion is about knowing the Lord and growing in him. It's about loving God above all things and loving your neighbor as yourself. I'm not the poster girl for this (i.e., I've got a lot of flaws and stuff), but in some way God is still able to use me to bless others.

I love that I am imperfect, because it makes me see how much I need God. Don't get me wrong though - I don't settle in my weaknesses; if i had my way, I'd slake all my imperfections off. It's just that I celebrate God's grace daily, not having to pretend to be someone I am not.

There's more of my brand of spirituality in my other blog, the (ir)reverend.


I Love The Mental Aspect of Me

When it comes to the mental part, I am what I call an aberration - and I am proud of it. I happen to be bipolar: I was born with a chemical imbalance that causes cyclical shifts in emotion and energy levels. People think it's a psychological disorder, but it's actually a biological one - kind of like a disability that has no cure.

Wait- it's not as tragic as it sounds. :D I quite think it's a blessing. I look normal and act normal; bipolars aren't "crazy". In fact we tend to be very talented and brilliant. A lot of artists, musicians, poets, politicians, theorists and history-makers are bipolar. This will seem like bragging, but I'm just stating a fact: because of this condition, I happen to be very intense and genius-prone.

Most people either left-brain dominant (logical, analytical) or right-brain dominant (artistic, emotional). I happen to be both, being able to switch as needed. I also have this capacity for abstract thinking - something that is rare among women.

The downside is that all this giftedness comes with mood swings, nasty thought patterns and a general challenge in managing life. :p

I discuss more about being bipolar in my other blog, Soul Marmalade.


And that's it for now. To check out what the other Girls Talkers have to share, shimmy over to Beauty Queen Gene.

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girls talk: i love me money-wise (i love the financial side of me)

This week on we're sharing about how we love the money side of or lives.

I never thought I'd ever say that I love the financial side of me. I'm not earning as much as want to, but I'm keeping things positive and finding the silver linings. ^_^

For one, at least the Hubby has a good job. We're not deep in debt, not starving, and we are still able to buy our needs and some wants. We can sometimes afford to share with others.

I've been working from home for some time now, but there's a bit of an ouch there because the online job ended just yesterday (It's a long story I'd rather not go into, because I'd rather keep this blog positive, hee hee).

Still, things are good because I have a little hobby-turned business of sorts. For those who haven't read yet, I make unique fashion accessories and sell them online. I right now have a "shop" on Multiply. I have another one on Artfire that I hope will attract buyers from other countries, but I still have to study shipping rates and stuff. I've also made an account on Etsy but I haven't posted anything yet.

So far so good. ^_^ I make the most sales are around Christmas and Mother's Day.

Recently I looked into earning through placing ads on my blogs. I've been checking out a couple of advertisers and taking my time to read the Terms and Conditions / Agreements, and I want to thoroughly think things over before clicking on "I Agree". I still haven't agreed to some because I want to make sure there isn't any catch. Still feeling things out. I have no problems so far, but I haven't made anything yet either, haha :p . I know there's supposed to be a strategy to that, but I haven't been doing it long enough to give it much thought, so I guess I'll learn as a go along.

real women

I quite enjoyed Girl's Talk yesterday. ^_^ I mean, I always enjoy Girls Talk but yesterday was especially refreshing because it was so nice to hear from real women about what they loved about their bodies.

When I say real women, I mean us regular people who aren't surgically-enhanced, airbrushed celebrity goddesses.

I've gotten tired of the daily media barrage of the made-over Angelinas, the Marians and the Next Top Models reinforcing the lie in our minds that beauty is necessarily 1 : 1.618. Real women are beautiful too - including their stretchmarks, c-section scars and a few extra pounds here and there.

It was very pleasant to even read about how the Girls Talkers appreciate even their imperfections, and how the people they love appreciate them too.

Women are made beautiful by their confidence, their kindness and how they touch other people. And as I've come to believe, sexy is an attitude. I'm loving the Dove campaign that feature ladies of different shapes and ages and show them all as beautiful.

TV and the movies might want to stereotype "ordinary-looking women" into supporting or comedic roles - but we are the leading ladies of our own lives, the celebrity goddesses of our own husbands and children.

girls talk: i love me (i love the physical part of me)

I love how in Girls Talk this month we're appreciating ourselves - a "counting of blessings" of sorts. This week it's about what I like about myself physically.

I don't usually celebrate my looks, but I suppose there's got to be something about me that I love. Hmmm.

Let's put up a picture for fun.


Well. ^_^

I love my eyes. They're expressive and large and they've got that nice almond shape that make them fun to get all made-up.

I appreciate that I'm a bit on the chubby curvy, full side. I'm glad the Hubby likes that too.

And love my height. I'm not exactly tall, but I'm glad that I'm neither too tall nor too small.

girls talk; what's in my bag

Another fun topic for Girls Talk this Thursday. ^_^


This is my bag. It's a relatively cheap but durable locally-made thing that I bought as a birthday gift to myself two years ago. It's not that big but I can magically squeeze a whole lot of stuff in it.

The secret: I use a bag organizer.


I absolutely recommend every lady to have a bag organizer. It not only keeps your things neat, but it makes it easier for you to switch bags - all you have to do is transfer your organizer.

I have my vanity kit and my wallet of course, which I already shared about in previous posts.


And then I have everything else:


First Row:
Hand sanitizer.
A small pouch.
A travel toothbrush and a toothpaste.
Nivea Caregloss and lip balm (I love Nivea!).
A flask of cologne.
A small tube of lotion.

Second Row:
A bag hook - another practical thing for every lady to have. It's so you don't have to put your bag on the floor or on the back of your seat whenever you go out.
Tissue.
Wet wipes.
Oil control film.
Mirror.
A small case where I keep my allergy pills, Advil and dust mask (because the nasty allergic rhinitis acts up sometimes), and my keys.

Third Row:
A small notebook and pencil.
A book. I am currently reading JRR Tolkien's Unfinished Tales.
A small, compact Bible.
A handy instamatic Camera. I always bring a camera so I can snap photos for my 365 project.

And oh - one very important thing - my cellphone. I was not able to take a photo of it because I left it on my bedroom sidetable.

... And that's about it! :D

Find other Girls Talkers here

at Niko's cute blog,

girls talk: what's in my wallet?

This is my wallet ...


It was a gift from my mother in law two or three Christmases ago.

And these are what's inside it :

• An expired identification card and my SSS i.d.
• Several of my business cards. It's nice to keep them handy.
• A small sewing kit and a few safety pins. I think it's a good idea to carry a sewing kit every time I leave the house. Sometimes there could be emergencies involving hanging hemlines, wayward buttons or surprise rips that need to be fixed.
• My community tax certificate or cedula - I just realized, it's from last year! I didn't get a new one this year, hahaha.
• A bunch of Band-aids. I haven't had the need for them in a while, but it kinda comforts me to carry some in my wallet.
• A forgotten raffle ticket and old receipts.
• A cut-out drawing from a young friend.
• A game card from another young friend.

... And that's it! I hope you enjoyed going through this entry as much as I did working on it. Cheers, everyone!

This was another fun, girly topic at

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