the very late christmas gifts ideas post

A disclaimer, to start this post with: Human Heart Nature did not sponsor this. I'm really just a huge fan of their products since they first started.

A very quick veering off of topic here: I'd been lazy with blogging all of November, last month, due to catching up to a lot of TV content. Mostly, it's just me re-watching old shows I love like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, even Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius and my current addiction, MTV's Teen Wolf. I'm really late on the latter, I know, but I'm so, sooo stuck on seasons 4-6 and it's mostly thanks to Liam Dunbar---I love Liam and Hayden too! They remind me of Jimmy and Cindy somehow. Lol. I'm also following a lot of classic, really old movies that are likely on loop on TCM but sadly, the cable provider took this out of our subscription package. It would be nice to have HBO Max and TCM in there. Even HBO Go. I'm a huge HBO nutcase, yep. I need my daily dose of HBO shows like True Crime season 1, Big Little Lies, to name a few. I'm not really all that fond of Netflix and consider it a waste of money but I really wish we have Hulu here, so there's that. ....and let's steer ourselves right back to this post's topic...hmn...?

So...have you shopped for Christmas gifts yet? I have. I'm probably still lacking a few others. My grandparents' gifts mostly. Although this is because I have no earthly idea what to give them... But I'm close to completing my gifts to people around me. Immediate family, including a cousin, mostly and my closest friends. The sweetest thing about gift shopping this year? I didn't have to go out much to get them. I mostly shopped online. It comes with the quarantining at home territory for most of us. 2020 showed us that a lot can be done at the comforts of our home including gift giving. You'll know more of this as you read along.

Every month, I get at least 1,500 Php's Human Heart Nature products to keep my 25% off dealer privilege or so, so I figured, it was only right I stocked up on giftable stuff around the beginning of this month. I was able to get the items and a good number of gift boxes, gift bags and christmas gift cards around last week. It's now only a matter of me putting them under the plastic christmas tree that we have downstairs. I think I'll do this sometime middle of this week. I have yet to write stuff on the gift cards.

That all said, brick and mortar stores, we all know and love, migrating online definitely didn't have much an effect on the likes of me who has a strong dislike of crowds. Going slightly off topic again, I was at the malls a couple of times last week to see if my ancient Samsung J2 Prime, that died on me last week of November or so, could still be fixed---I ended up getting a new phone, a Samsung Galaxy A21s which I'm quite settled and content with---and to take advantage of about one of five of the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's double stamps promo days to finally get my 2021 planner...and I was horrified to find a lot of people flocking Centrio, for one, around 3 in the afternoon onward for god knows whatever they are there for as if there's no pandemic around. News flash, in case people have forgotten, there still is the pandemic and people are still losing their lives in the hospitals to it, both health care professionals and not. I only really go out to the mall when I need to do so or lately, for some late-ish Christmas shopping due to some sales here and there. Otherwise, I'm better off just really just ordering things online.

If one follows local news on and off, we should at least be aware that a ton of unpleasant things have happened from a trio of storms wreaking havoc up north to our government here, still not knowing how to deal with this pandemic that they fail to secure cost-effective, very reasonably-priced anti-COVID 19 vaccines because the people in there's bff seem to be China and Russia's leaders much like USA's Trump...so...well... To soften the blow, we're royally f*cked here in the Philippines until further notice. ....and going back on track, all I can probably say is that Human Heart Nature offering ways to help people by their feeding program or really helpful kitchen, Kusina ng Kalinga and their new feature on the online store that allows people to send gifts to others' homes're a relief to know of today. Not a lot of stores do this and so far, all I know is, Human Heart Nature is the first to do so, so I kind of hope there'd more doing this to make the difficult 2020 life easier. At least there's something good like this in 2020. Hopefully more stores would do something like this. Things like these're exactly why I love Human Heart Nature aside from how I like their products are made for Pinays' skin and all. More of this, you'll know of later too as you read on.

So, without more of my beating around the bush here...here are some of my Human Heart Nature favorites to give people this Christmas, this year:

All of these, when purchase on the shop site, comes with a box or a bag and a Christmas gift card already. I didn't really use this feature because I could still afford to meet some friends in a maximum of 2's at least once a month anyway and I don't have that much close friends here to begin with. So, now, let's take a closer at my favorites among them, shall we?

1. Happy Helping Hands - we have the global pandemic to be wary of and be really cautious with---it's best not to contract the novel Corona Virus at this time, yes---so this duo of pocket-friendly hand soap and hand sanitizer is the basic anti-COVID 19 starter kit to gift people that matter with. I love Citrus Burst's tangy, refreshing scent as much as I do Pomelo's really sweet one so this is a double win in my book! Price at somewhere not going above 250 Php, this is a good deal already and very useful to people who're receiving it.

Human Heart Nature hand sanitizers are CDC approved and have a plant-derived alcohol content of 60%. It makes it as potent as regular alcohols and other such topical disinfectants in killing bacteria, viruses, other harmful microscopic organisms that make their way into our skin on a daily basis. That is, if we're the type to go out for work or otherwise, often.

This duo is definitely handy to have in one's bag at all times. I know so because I, at least, have one of them in bag. Mostly, it's the sanitizer but I do have the liquid hand soap too, from time to time.

2. Zesty Pomelo Party - the sanitizer has been established in number 1 to be a daily necessity. The hand and foot salve I have yet to try, however, can prove useful to people who work in an airconditioned environment 24/7. If you know people who are the kind who can't work from home without the ac on at least 8 hours a day or so, then this is a great gift to give them. The salve keeps the skin from chapping or going dry and soothes a lot of aches and pains away, too, when it counts.

3. Minty Floral Yule - a bar soap, along with the sanitizer, isn't a bad gift to give to people. It's a bit like numbers 1 and 2 except the soap can be used either as a bath soap or a hand soap. It's entirely up to the one receiving this gift bundle now. 

I've yet to try the Lavender Mint scented bar soap as I love the Peony and frangrance-free ones the most but seeing as I currently have a thing going on with energizing and relaxing minty stuff from Human Heart Nature---I love the cooling body cleanser to shower with after a day of being out and about lately---I'm likely to give this one a go soon.

Yep. As with numbers 1 and 2, this is a great gift to give people too. 

4. His & Hers Plastic Bottle-free Joys - they're plastic-free! They're environmentally friendly and they're for him and her! What more can you ask for? 

I'm really looking forward to trying the shampoo bar for women since it came out but I'm still stuck on Human Heart Nature's vanilla scented moisturizing shampoo so... But like their Lavender Mint bath/body bar soap, I'll get there one day soon. I just have to finish the remaining bottle of moisturizing shampoo I have left in the bathroom.

If this package isn't to your liking, you can always customize like I did and replace either one of the shampoo bars with the men's charcoal body cleansing bar for the gents in your life or the other with the fragrance-free cleansing body bar. Both my favorite fragrance-free and shampoo bars for the ladies here are plastic-free too. They use paper wrapping instead of the usual plastic these bars come in with. I think the exfoliating bars, the lavender mint and lemon scented bars are still using the plastic wrap and I'm not entirely sure but maybe the charcoal body cleansing bar for men may be plastic wrapped still, too. 

5. Pocketful of Peace - the very tiny and handy eucalyptus balm is really useful for when one has headaches and other such body pains to contend with in the middle of a work from home or the office day. I know so because I always kept 10g of this within easy reach on my cubicle's desk when I was still working from the office. I've worked from home since around May this year until my eventual resignation around September but I still have this thing in my make-up bag to-go.

People working in the office or ac-ed rooms 24/7, be they at home or in the office, will be forever thankful with this one, I'm sure. I know I will be. 

All of these 5 gifts are priced below 350 Php and are hardly really break the bank. I spent a good 2K Php for these I'm gifting people with but I'm seriously all good! Like, really all good. I just have to figure out what to give to my grandmother and grandfather and I might have to give them the his and her shampoo bars I still have left somewhere just to get over this agonizing hunt for what to give them. 

I've been encouraging a lot of people donate to victims of the three typhoons up north through my fandom slash real-life rants and all twitter account but my preferred way is to actually purchase stuff from Human Heart Nature. They have Kusina ng Kalinga that's a regular feeding programs for kids. You automatically donate to them when you purchase the ones with the red balls with a ribbon on them. Options 4 and 5 here have them. You can also check on others on the gifts page here for other such gifts that can feed kids through the said kitchen. They're likely going to be more expensive now, however. The more items in the gift bundle, the more expensive they are. It's just the way retailing goes. Simple logic. Lol.

Human Heart Nature is pro-environment, pro-Filipino, pro-poor and they ARE always for their people's and others' good and to me, that's money, hard-earned cash well-spent. Not only do I give people useful items to have this really scary time of the global pandemic, but I get to help my fellow Filipinos too! I've chosen to become an adovate solely for this reason and of course, because I love their products. Haha.  

With this local Filipino brand, you can skip the dreaded Christmas shopping rush in the malls or the markets and choose to send gifts to others on the online shop site, too! I, myself, was beyond livid to find so much people out and about in the nearest public market here last week---I didn't go but the public transport I was at passed by there and...you get the picture---so yeah, I'd really rather not be there even when their wares are likely more affordable and their choices, quite as extensive as the ones online. I do understand that most people prefer to see the goods in person but we still have COVID 19 lurking around so... Anyway, going back, Human Heart Nature has a 'send gifts' option you can click here on the shop site so you don't have to personally meet up with friends and family to send them gifts. You can find the option encircled here below to make navigating the site easier:

You can also get more discounts if you become a member. To become one, simply click on the encircled option here once you're in the online shop site or page and register. It's at the top of the page like the 'send gifts' option is, yes. 

I know. 2020 sucks. Like, A WHOLE LOT. 

Christmas parties have gone online as did a lot of other things. Trade fairs, concerts, even city and town fiestas have gone online. A lot of things are online. I was in a virtual concert not too long ago, maybe three or so months back to be exact so I understand how people are experiencing work-from-home, being online all the time fatigue at this time. But there's really not much we can do about it when even our own government can't handle COVID 19 and its spread decently. It's not entirely helping that we're frequented by typhoons getting stronger by the year---thank you, global climate change crisis! global warming! *insert sarcasm here*---either. I envy New Zealand so much. They have such an awe-inspiring leader in there and I can only wish ours were the same but he's not. For the rest of us, this pandemic has only revealed how ugly politics, socio-politics and especially real life can be.  

And, like, heck, my closest friends and I are definitely having our Christmas pajama, home sets, ugly Christmas sweater party online on facebook messenger (one of our friends do not have Discord, unfortunately, and is quite busy with her growing family these days) and Discord this weekend after Christmas Day so believe me, I. KNOW that 2020 sucks. 

The least thing we can do now, however, is to grab onto what little hope we can and try to survive and keep living amidst this pandemic. Even better is if we can do what little part we can to help out as what this post seeks to steer people into doing so here. 

I've actually done very little shopping for myself although, well, you can say it's quite an understatement when I've shopped for undies from Bench last week. It's not my fault though. They were on sale and I needed them because I was running out of functional ones. Heh. And I did spend on ankle boots and flipflops from Rubi on Zalora PH's sale not too long ago. I don't think they'll be seeing the light of day soon. We'll see. But I'll blog about this and my couple of purchases from essentielmanila, a new favorite online store of mine that carry a ton of work-from-home basics, sets mostly and yummy, fun sets at very, VERY affordable prices I just really couldn't help myself. I'm a humongous clothes lover and the more options to play with, the better. I might have to gift away some of these things I've shopped to some others one day. We'll see. But it still really stands that these purchases aside, all I've been keeping on the regular is stocking my instagram shop (it also has a facebook page with the same name) a monthly basis and trying my best to curate its contents as much as possible in a way that it's benefits not only me but my soon-to-be local suppliers, too. I'm curating Treasure Chest of Sorts really carefully. I'm filling it with locally made products I actually swear by so that it does not become just another run-of-the-mill 'sari-sari store' type of online shop we have an abundance of nowadays. I need something to make it stand out in my locale and hopefully, one day, I can even open a brick and mortar store for it, too. I can dream anyway. I'm keeping myself ridiculously busy and preoccupied with A LOT of things aside from tv shows marathoning and a music tripping on spotify, yes. It's a terribly trying time but somehow, I manage and I'm pretty sure all of us can and will get over all of this, too.  

The most important thing, as we continue to struggle and figure things out even with the COVID 19 global pandemic hovering around us, is to do what little we can to keep this matter light between us and others. It can be by supporting and buying local or maybe going more sustainable? Donating to causes we love, too, should be a good thing. I would do so as an animal lover, yes. I have an indoor cat I take care of aside from myself, of course, so animals are another passion of mine. ....all of these mostly because, even if we already have 1 to 2 cost-effective and somehow tried and tested COVID 19 vaccines now, it's really still, just a trying time for a lot of us. 

In less than a couple of weeks, it'll be 2021. But first, we have Christmas and the day of gift-giving (hopefully everything good) to contend with before we try our best to festively, gayly usher in the new year. Now, Christmas isn't really my favorite time of the year to be honest. It hasn't been since about three years ago or four due to tragedies that I've gone through that seem to happen this latter half of the year. My favorite time of the year actually is Halloween for this and several other reasons. So yes, let's make this gift-giving season good by gifting people that matter the GOOD and spending it with them, too. (I'm really not all that sure if we can all go home to our grandparents this Christmas weekend but seeing as their place is close and only less than a 30-minute drive from here, we'll see...)

So, happy Christmas, happy holidays and let's remain kind and good to ourselves, our environment, our fellow country men and basically just anyone, everyone and everything else...even if the world isn't that kind to us at this time. One day, this will all be over and one day, it'll all get better.

And if it helps those who feel everything is grim moving onto 2021 and onward, you can go and feel free to slide on my DMs (direct messages) on my fandom and personal-ish twitter for a random chat/conversation or...to see and empathize with how pessimistic and very real I can be on there. Lol. My tweets are very telling of how normally grimly realistic I am on there. I'm actually more of a pessimist than a jaded optimist nowadays and this is reflected on said twitter account. But I make do with what I am given. I can still afford a tiny bit of positivity or optimism. Somehow.

PS

I know this post is already a very long read as it is but is it just me or has everyone else migrated from blogging to either vlogging (I'm not too into this however and nor do I like a lot of vloggers...only a good few, I'm ever really into) and especially instagram? I dunno. It's just a feeling. The blogging world hasn't really been all that teeming with life lately. I miss the days back when it was livelier in here. Don't you?

daily routine and news, the good and the bad, in this global health crisis

my favorite corner of the room by Michi Dumlao

Sleep -> Work -> Lunch with the TV on, on national news (ANC - ABS-CBN News Channel) -> Work -> some more news via ANC or some other on TV, mostly on TVN -> Sleep...rinse, repeat. 

And sometimes I just stick to the computer or phone, youtube and a lot of downloaded stuff I watch and re-watch on and off and some fiction and fanfiction writing on MS Word.

Dull, easy to get sick of, highly repetitive routine...yes. I've been operating this way for a while now. Some people may, too. Maybe more. It's hard to tell. But it seems to be the usual thing now with so much to keep tabs on, especially on the news lately. And with most news contents being on the negative, they're definitely quite stressful to think about and to ponder upon. It's just one bad news after another as the global pandemic problem rages still. Much of the world try to get back on their feet and open themselves to some semblance of normality but something always seems to hit and blow those tiny strides away, somehow. Now, old normal is even more out of reach, the familiar normal we know can just never anymore be. A New Normal is, instead, forced upon us although transition to it continue to be unpredictable, unstable and shaky still---all of which are hinging at this moment on how the virus dictates things in every community, every nation all over the world. This pill is just so difficult to follow for someone trying to settle into this "new normal" to the likes of me who's just here to mostly watch the news when I can to make sense of the world around me.

But the news contents aren't all bad. Most headline are, however, disappointing. There's a glimmer of light and hope sometimes, that tuning into the news brings. News of people innovating, helping each other out, still moving, striving to keep themselves afloat and these, THESE, for one, keep me going and keep me still on my toes. Resilience. It's not the time for us to give up and lose hope. Somehow.

Poetic opening? I tried.

I'd meant this post to talk about what I'd been doing lately and what had changed overtime. Or more like, what really didn't change because there are a number of things on this front as well. 

What Hasn't Changed: Love for Everything Local
I'm still steadfast in my advocacy of staying sustainable and supporting our own. It's very much...no...rather, it's very direly needed right now that we have the global health crisis that's only been going from worse to worst with every high number of active cases added to an already sky high number with each passing day. Right now, I believe what we need is to have have faith in our countrymen, the local industries that use local resources (the least non-local resource used, the better applies here) in production processes resulting to our own local produces to keep our economy beating...breathing, rather. This health crisis does affect the economy greatly here and all around the world. And if we care to look into the international news reports, we'd have heard of a lot of countries and these many countries' economies plummeting to the red at an alarming rate and them, closing their doors to outsiders coming in as we, collectively, as one Earth, continue to figure out how to have less lives lost to the SARS-COV-2 virus that's right about everywhere now. There's just so much uncertainty around us right now and we don't even know how long this pandemic will be with us. Years maybe, decades even, or a century or two as it is with most virus-caused diseases. What really matters now is that we're wise enough to support one another and supporting the local businesses we have now is the most I can think of. I've been an advocate of Human Heart Nature products for so long now for this reason and even if I weren't, I'd still continue to patronize their products.

In line with this, I've been playing with the idea of putting up a shop of only locally made skincare and beauty products, think, make-up that are organic and vegan, that I try to source and edit tirelessly from everywhere in my country, the Philippines. I have tirelessly been working on this on work-free weekends. Now that my last day of work at my current employment is fast approaching, it's going to be on August 7 so...yeah! I'm soooo excited to share this one with all of you. YAAAYYYY!!! Well, I don't have an online store yet for this one and I'm looking at opening one but yes, it's coming along fine on three social media platforms I currently use: my facebook page: @treasurechesofsorts; my official instagram: @treasure_chest_of_sorts; and my twitter: @kristagrace_s. Also, if you notice, I've been advertising my mum's Oatmeal Malunggay Cookies as well on the page because it's such a huge seller these days. I'm also going to add some other food and beverages here and there on these three platforms along the way. This is another thing I've been playing with along with the skin care and beauty stuff. I'm soooo thrilled, so excited with all of these, are you? I sure hope so.

Resilience and patience and focus---these three things are some I'm looking to put into practice once I'm free-er in 5 days, starting Monday next week. I've always liked the idea of social enterprises and social enterprising in general. In my opinion, it's a highly sustainable model that can thrive even now that we're very much affected by the global pandemic on all sides.

So if anyone asks what my advocacy is: it's being sustainable all throughout and while helping other people, fellow countrymen whose products have integrity and whose products are, above all, trustworthy. Simply put, social enterprising.

Aside from this shop I'm trying to put forth into real fruition and one that I want to keep going for a long while---at least while I still have more free time to spend on it as I also try to apply for another current career-related job (which is really even more on teaching)---I also have other moneymaking ideas in mind. Yes. It's good to be busy and distracted the whole duration of this global health crisis going on.

What Has Changed a Bit or What Will Change More

I'm still a homebody and at times a home maker beside my mum and a reliable house help and often times, sister figure. 

This pandemic had made me re-focus on a lot of things, namely...that I want to be more hands-on in home making which mostly are cooking and baking or non-baking and just food making or creating because I'm really too lazy to really learn how to use the oven and I'd rather just throw things together and call it that: food, or beverage. That, and I also like to blend things together, maybe may get used to throwing stuff together in a food processor and assembling them to form an attractive, sumptuous dessert or some other edible kitchen-created thing. Boiling, broiling and stir-frying are probably the most basic things in the kitchen I can do so I'm hoping that with more free time, I can explore more on cooking techniques and maybe expand more into baking. I did touch on this one earlier in the previous section seeing as I have a family member that bakes stuff. 

And yes, for more context, my mother bakes...A LOT lately. I re-sell the healthy Oatmeal Malunggay (Moringa) Cookies that she bakes to my co-workers and other acquaintances in and around the neighborhood, or the city in general. Also, a handful of my co-workers and friends also bake or cook when they're stressed or when they feel like and they make really good stuff to sell to others in the work place and out. So I'd like to take up the mantle in guise of providing food and drinks culled from the office homemakers I'd like to modify to serve the tastes of vegans and vegetarians. Reason being---and I'm not YET full vegan, mostly just flexitarian now with an obsession with vegan and vegetarian concoctions of sorts---that vegans and vegetarians are the least catered to when it comes to food and beverages in our city. And we're even far from Manila, the National Capital Region and Cebu City where those are more abundant and easily accessible. Maybe this will push me more to embrace the vegan or even just the vegetarian lifestyle all the more! I'm excited for this. I've also devoted some of my free time over the weekend, really away from work, into sourcing products to be used for these things I have in mind to share and sell to others all the same. In no way do I think I'll ever be good at baking however or close. I don't see being a master baker being included in my resume anytime soon. Although I would like to try baking vegan dark chocolate cake one day soon.

What will be more of a norm in this new normal? I'll be spending more time in the home kitchen when no one else is using it. LOL. Most days, especially on the busier Sundays (also, market trip days) that we're entertaining some guests from next door, the kitchen's always a busy place.

Radical Changes

Aside from my plan to move from a private career or profession to a more public-related one, nothing has really radically changed. Slow and mindful change is a better fit for me.

This global pandemic or rather, global health crisis has definitely put a lot of those from the side to the forefront for a lot of us and it's made us appreciate more those that we tossed aside and proceeded to ignore during the older normal. This, of course, includes family. It's important to be with family at this time. This health crisis has either brought out the worst of people or the best of theirs.

Slow and mindful and definitely quite calculated changes make living and surviving in times of crisis feel just much more worthwhile nowadays. It ought to help us keep a lot of things in check.

*****

And now, a considerable amount of good news aside, I'm going back or circle back to one other point I had been trying to make...

I think it helps then, to stay updated whether the contents of the news are disappointing at worst or inspiring at best. It's not the time to ignore it altogether just because well, it's stressful. News and other such useful, relatable, inspiring TV shows should keep us on our toes and keep us motivated enough to keep ourselves alive in these trying times. it doesn't really matter if they are good or bad.

If it's bad news, we can try to assess where we can enter and help make a difference and if it's good news, we can use the strength we get from it to keep going, growing and improving as a person.

Now, one of the saddest thing for me to happen this pandemic is our government shutting down a TV station that has been with us through thick and thin and continuing to perpetrate and promote the trampling of human rights and human dignity and the stifling of our freedom of expression. Shuttering down the voice of the free press. Yes. It's a sad time and a scary time all the same. So the other point I had been trying to make on this post is, we should continue to be resilient, patient, vigilant (to the news and realities happening around us today) and useful to one another today moving forward because this SARS-COV-2 virus is very likely here to stay along with others like the Ebola virus, the HIV and more. It, right now, is only amplifying the bad that's in the news daily and the bad in people. This is of course, not to say, that it doesn't also amplify the good in others. It does. And for the nth time this post, yes, there are good news even though it looks like there are more bad news to go around.

At this time, however, it would really help if we functioned like the normal, compassionate, sane and logical---equipped with good, basic common sense---human beings that we are. People with good and sound judgement, too. Yes, there's room to go crazy once in a while but more than that, we should be aware of and be empathetic to people's, especially the underprivileged's daily dilemmas, sufferings and plights. I think this is one that's lacking greatly these days every time I watch the bad on the news.  

Yes there are changes and there will be more as we continue to move to the tune of the virus that's dictating on us right now but we have to be aware of reality and be really grounded too. This means to be aware of current events, happenings, good or bad. We have to know what's best for our people, our own nation and more importantly we should be very critical and careful when it comes to the lot of things going on right now. Even more important nowadays is, WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED. We are contributing individuals in this society too so it would really help that, with everything going on right now, we side with the people, the great majority and not the select few that actually have no other plans than to goad a lot of us into more anger and ire and who think of nothing but to do things that serve only their selfish means, their self-interests.

I think it's also the best time we reconsidered and rethought a lot of things regarding this one. And for all the disappointing, frustrating things I see on TV during lunch time, it pays for me, for one, to stay angry and to call for calling out these callous people in power that do more harm to the nation and it's people than good. Just as it also pays for me to be inspired and motivated by the movers our country has that are eager to share their newest findings to all of us, for our own collective betterment. 

a late start for 2019, an I'm still alive post

Forever21 bodysuit in white via Tops in Ayala Centrio, vintage shorts and shirt (2nd hand Pull and Bear) as jacket, So Fab heels via Zalora.ph, Coach mobile phone pouch, sunglasses from Bench ph

This bodysuit is heaven sent. Bodysuits are heaven sent in general, I think, that when I saw this hanging on a corner at a store or boutique in our own city's Ayala Centrio called Tops, I just knew I had to get it. Also, I got it for about less than 200 Php so it was quite a deal.

I've been meaning to do this post since we got these while randomly going around Limketkai Mall on a random...err...holiday a few weeks ago. Chinese New Year's holiday, February 5, to be exact. So basically speaking, this is a very, VERY late post.

As for the heels, I got these last year for a company party---the year end, Christmas party in one thing that I have been thinking I'd abstain from next year since I'm not exactly a huge fan of events with huge numbers of people. The free stuff gifted by the company I work for is just too good to pass up, however.

I find myself super busy lately. But the good kind of busy. It's not so much as the work but it's more of me going back to doing my thing, the things I'm best at and these are, well, a number of pretty interesting-ish things. I'm back to the thrifting and shopping game although I still keep it controlled. I'm doing shopping for an online shop on Instagram however. I'm thinking of making it a treasure trove of everything fun for the sunny, summer days comin' up. So yes, the comfiest tees and tanks, the smallest and prettiest as well as roomiest sun dresses of every kind and brand... big things for this are coming, yes, and I am pretty excited about this one. I've been amassing these things little by little and even as I travel, I'm looking forward to getting more for the shop as well.

Aside from getting back into the thrifting game which is something I've loved since eons ago, I'm also ecstatic for a lot of travelling this year. Tomorrow, I'm going to the Greater Manila for one. I was supposed to be there to watch Years and Years' concert at the former Kia Theater in Cubao with a really good friend on LiveJournal, Twitter and even Instagram slated on the 25th, on Monday which is a holiday because it's the EDSA People Power anniversary... But Years and Years announced on Twitter that they've cancelled all concert dates in South East Asia: Hongkong, Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore and Manila (Philippines) a few days ago. So we're left on the limbo---such a good thing we haven't purchased the tickets yet as the friend was looking to buy it in person from the ticketing office at the concert venue but there were others who already bought them so...---and instead resolved to chilling around the city and doing nothing super productive in particular instead. I'm on leave from work on the 26th so I come back to work on the 27th. Other upcoming trips include a summer trip to Siquijor Island with a couple of co-worker-now, really, really good friends and the two best friends since young/high school and college, in April. We will be there during the Holy Week this year since it's a really long weekend then. The last one is a trip to Davao City for a close friend's wedding. This one is for the room mate and best girl friend from when I was in Dumaguete City, the loveliest island city-town hybrid I so miss as of late. I'm sure there'll be more trips along the way, yes. I also am attending my little brother's graduation from college in the month of May so that makes four...or five. I've lost count. I sincerely promise a lot of pictures, outfit pictures, travel pictures and guides after every trip, yes.

There was a planned Tokyo trip but I don't think I'm making it. I need to get the existing, now-opened for anytime travel air tickets to and from Tokyo, Japan but this one might take a while to retrieve so... It's been missing around the house since last year-ish. I'll think about Seoul, South Korea next year instead as tickets there are definitely waaayyy cheaper than Japan's.

Fandom...? I'm still as obsessed as ever. Latest targets: Japan's Da-iCE and Cube Ent's BtoB or Born to Beat, especially rapper Jung Ilhoon. I think I'm slowly easing back to Jpop. It's my first fandom and it'll remain still the best for me outside of my latest wandering around the kpop realm. Anyway, meanwhile, some of my favorites from Ilhoon. Yes.

Yep, I'm still quite the same after all these months. Although I've been working more and more, I guess, I've been learning to take the time off on weekends and holidays and well, to take the time to just do my thing. I have more plans for the coming 2020 especially big ones...I really want to move abroad soon so yes, that's in the works too,...so that one, I'm sort of excited and thrilled for although I'm also, at the same time, quite scared of it. I've such big plans for 2020 that I don't know if I'll be able to sustain the momentum until the next few years or I'll end up burning out like I did intermittently two to three or even more times in the past so...I'll take care not to overwhelm myself by then. 

Anyway, I'm more active on the fangirl account on Twitter and am semi-active on the selling account on Facebook... I'm also always lurking around the selling account in Instagram and sometimes switch to the personal blog Instagram account so I'm not all that hard to miss. I still limit Facebook usage because I don't see myself getting over hatred for Facebook due to their lack of good security measures. I'm also quite active on posting on the Tumblr account as it's linked to my blogging Twitter account so... you know where to find me. Just really, email me or message me on Twitter or Instagram (avoid Facebook as much as possible, please) if there's anything you'd like to let me know or so. I'm always checking on there so it's not hard for me to reply to emails and SNS messages then. 

And until the next post! I still have to pack up...yes.