Palawan Paradise Escapade

My loving boyfriend traveled miles and miles to see me and we had a blastin' vacation together in the magnificent most beautiful place of Palawan, Philippines.

I lived all my life in the Philippines.
I am living inside the country, in the Queen City of the South we call CEBU.
I have been to the many great beaches here in our hometown (and still many to discover).
I have been to other islands - Bohol, Leyte, and Manila.
I have been outside of the country -  Japan and USA.
But still there is one place here in the country that I have been yearning for to explore.

Boyfie coming over is a great opportunity to discover and experience together the majesty of Palawan.
I spent days and days doing research and came up with the following itinerary:

Day 1: Puerto Princesa (the capital city of Palawan) day tour and Firefly watching at night
Day 2: Underground River (one of the Seven Wonders of Nature) and we also went caving adventures in Ugong Rock (was not part of the itinerary but the tour guide was generous so we went for this fun detour)
Day 3: Island Hopping at Honda Bay

Palawan is truly breath-taking but relaxing, full of adventures but still romantic.
Boyfie and I had a great time and couldn't wait to come back and explore El Nido, Palawan next!

Take a look at my vacation paradise toe nails (for my fingers, see above picture)!

Some scenery during our nature vacation...

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Trust me these doesn’t even give that much justice to the beauty of the place.

It is truly magical and we do hope you could get to experience them too!

Happy Valentines 2013!

Though I told my boyfie I don't like to be given flowers, he sent me a bouquet and chocolates just the other day.

It was 2days late because of the delivery cut-off.

We are on a long distance relationship for 7months now and just last month he came here to visit me and we vacationed the few days we have in the most beautiful parts of the Philippines.

I would like to share them here some time soon.

Anyway I hope you all have a beautiful and sweet Valentines!

Here are some of my recent nail works using the nail polishes given by the boyfie himself when he visited me. <3

The Clockwise Nail Polish: 250th Blog followers Giveaway

The Clockwise Nail Polish: 250th Blog followers Giveaway: Salut!! :) This is it, my first EVER giveaway!! :D It was supposed to be in Summer... but time moved on and I kept busy, sorry. The goo...

Getting a Student's Permit in LTO Cebu

Warning: Blog below is a mixture of English and Bisaya sometimes. ;)

One day, I was on an adventure trying to procure my 2nd student's permit (hereon referred to as SP) because now I am finally determined to learn how to drive.

I decided to apply for a permit in LTO Mandaue branch assuming there would be not so much people there since the location is not that accessible and not the main branch of LTO.

I arrive there 10:30am and the guard said that they already had their cutoff time of giving out SPs and I have to return tomorrow to come and get some.
I was like 'whattt?? BADTRIP!!!'

I came all the way there in the heat of the sun and it was NOOOO easy path. 
It was a long commute all the way from Consolacion.

Commute from Consolacion to LTO Mandaue:
Ride the UBOS jeepney (P9 fare) &gt; naog sa ST JOSEPH church &gt; sakay white tricycle (P8) and tell the driver you're off to LTO.

Sheesh so I decided to head off to LTO Cebu (the main branch here) to try my luck.

Commute from LTO Mandaue to LTO Cebu:
Avail of the TRISIKAD (P5) directly outside of LTO Mandaue &gt; sa eskina naog ka and sakay the Mandaue jeepney heading for SM Cebu (P8) &gt; From SM, ride Bulacao jeepney - 10H (P8) &gt; stop at CCMC (Cebu City Medical Center) &gt; walk a little and you are already there sa LTO.

I suggest you ask occassionally from people if you get unsure on where to next. 
That is all that I really did all throughout this adventure. 
Beforehand, I had no idea on how to get to these LTOs. ;) 
Asking for directions really got me to my destinations for the day! Wohoo! (patting myself at the back).

When I arrived at LTO Cebu, two women approached me asking if I would get a license. 
I said SP. 
And they told me that I need to have a drug test. 
I said NO. 
Good thing I researched beforehand on the requirements for applying for SP! 
Drug test is only needed for the license requirements which would be a month later after SP procurement.
Pwd ta ko mg drug test but murag gadali mn ko ato so y waste time nga I have all the necessary requirements for SP (Birth Certificate and mooooneeey).
By the way, also in LTO Mandaue, a lot of people would pester you before you would enter the gates. 
I think they are some sort of fixers or something. 
Just ignore and directly head to the LTO office.

LTO Cebu is not really that easy to identify since they don't have a signage or anything outside of the building. 
I just knew that it was before the South Bus Terminal. 
Good thing the terminal has a good signage for it alerted me that I already went past the LTO.

LTO Cebu is directly beside the South Bus Terminal so f maabot na gni kag terminal, meaning ana nilapas nka. 
Adto kas pikas bldg nga naai gamay agi-an sa kilid. 
D ka mawala kai naai mga manong/manang dha mgcgeg pangutana kng mglukat ba ka ug license. 
Again, just go directly to the office and don't entertain them.

Ika sulod nmu naai duha ka offices. Adto kas left side na office naai guard ddto. 

I arrived there mga 12:30 noon.
I was expecting that I would have to wait until 1 p.m. because of the lunch break.
I was surprised they don't have lunch breaks!
They also have a signage inside the office "NO LUNCH BREAKS".
Well just my luck!
And BRAVO LTO CEBU for the "NO LUNCH BREAKS"!

When I arrived sa office ubay-ubay ra ang taw not that crowded jd versus to what I have expected also.
Pag-adto nko kai ang guard ngasikaso ug check sa mga requirements nmu gidala.
I think the incharge person was on break.
You will be given the application form for you to sign up. 
Badtrip na naman ko kai kalimot kog dala ug ballpen! 
So I tried to borrow ballpen from the guard but arte mn xa kai SIGN PEN dw iya basin ma BLOT dw.. hmph! 
So I secretly borrowed a ballpen from the desk of the incharge who was on break (I returned it naman!)

When filling up, take a look at a sample form posted on the wall near the side tables as well as the corresponding kgs for every lbs (know your weight because it is needed in the form, as well as your height ;))

I had inputted my TIN number in the form (just following the TIN written in my company ID). 
And when I submitted the form to the guard he said I must have my TIN ID photocopied. 
Abi pd nko same ra ang TIN ug SSS so akoa gipa photocopy kai akoang SSS ID. 
Good thing pd kai naa rai canteen directly tapad sa office na naai photocopier and wa kau taw (P2 per copy). 
Pg photocopy na ingon kog HALA, SSS mn d.i ni.. 
So I told the guard of my mistake and just showed him my company ID where the TIN was written. 
So he told me to have my company ID photocopied too. ARGGG 
At this time I was super tired already. 
I think a photocopy of your birth certificate (which I already have with me) would already suffice as this was the case of my friend who had hers just last month too. 
I should have not written my TIN number! ARGGH!

But anyway, after the guard, everything went on smoothly and fast enough that I was out of there in less than 30mins.

Here is what followed after guard's approvl:
1. Guard gives you another form.
2. Head to the window number the guard said you should go and give your forms and requirements.
3. Wait for a while and when your name is called, have your picture taken.
4. Wait for another while and when your name is called, pay up.
   I paid P318 (actually 317.63 automatically rounded off!).
5. Wait for your name then your SP is released. WHOOPEE!

Now I am ready for my driving lessons in BEST driving school. ;)

BTW, here are some things you should bring before heading out to LTO:
1. Ballpen - kai naa kai ifill up na form
2. Some money greater than P318 (exact change is better) - bayad sa SP processing
3. Photocopy of your Birth Certificate - requirement nila
4. If you are employed, photocopy of your company ID (back to back) - apparently, requirement sa guard

For more info, visit http://lto.gov.ph/

PINK+GREEN Experiment

This was a failed attempt at doing feather nail art - teeeheee!

That pink blob on my thumb nail is not nail polish but actually a feather.

My expectation was that the feather texture can be seen on my nail but I guess I just don't have the skill. haha

But it look alright I guess...

To lighten the fail a little bit, I decided to put on these shiny little green hexagons.

Now it looked kinda OK. :)

I enjoyed putting on these "hexies" that I also placed some on my pointy finger. :)

As you can notice, I still am a noob in nail painting.

And argh I have to go to a nail salon to have my nails cleaned and shaped (simply because I have no idea how to do this).

I need to clean up the nails a lil bit to avoid these somewhat embarrassing messy looks when I apply on nail polish.

Anyway I am so excited, the boyfie's gonna be here next week after a long long time of not seeing each other (LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP has some ups and downs).

And he's bringing a handful of polish cuties and beauties that I would really really like to try on as they aren't anywhere found here in the Philippines.

So excited to kiss the boyfie much! MWAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! :*

Happy 2013!

2012 will be missed.

But on to the new year everyone!

Giraffey

After countless attempts times at nail stamping, I finally, finally succeeded! *YIPYIPYIPEE!*

My First Nail Art Stamp

I was very happy when the pattern actually got stamped on my nails for the first time ever!

It was very exhausting at first to actually get this done successfully.

Probably you guys have gone through with my predicament and almost gave up with nail art stamping!

But don't fret!

Here are my notes to remember to nail art stamp success:

#1 Picking the right nail polish is VERY important. 

The polish must be opaque at one application on nails, otherwise it will NEVER work.
Here in the Philippines we have our local nail polish brands like Bobbie and Caronia.
So far my collection of these nail polish brands DO NOT work. :(
Bobbie is a very faint nail polish collection, while Caronia dries up too fast and would even curdle. *YIKES!*
In the end, I tried NYC nail polish and it works amazingly!

#2 Scrape off excess nail polish in a diagonal direction.

One thing that is really bothering during nail stamping is scraping off the excess nail polish.
Most times, after I scrape off (horizontally/vertically), all nail polish goes off too.
Whatevs!

Then accidentally I tried scraping off diagonally.
Viola! The nail polish stayed! It actually did!

Note: I am using a laminated card instead of the scraper from the stamping kit.

#3 Clean your scraper and stamping plates from time to time.

I used tweezers to pick up the cotton balls and swab it on the scraper and plates.
You don't want to ruin your nails so this one here is a good tip I got from some blogs I've read along the way.

#4 Lastly, it is best to watch nail stamping tutorial videos.

You can find some good vids in YouTube.
Just use the keywords "nail art stamping tutorial".

OK... Now you'll be good to go with these things on mind!
For all those who are exasperated with nail stamping, I hope this helps and I wish you all the success.

Don't give up! You should get it right one day I'm sure.
I can attest to that. *winkwink*

Success!

Mini Balls

I found these gorgeous mini balls (as I'd like to call them) in 5 different colors in the department store of grocery shop one day (FOODA consolacion cebu).

They are so pretty that I am so excited on trying on the so-called 'caviar' nail designs.

I tried on the silver balls and purple nail polish combination on one hand.

Silver Balls and Purple Nail Polish

And the other the blue balls and silver nail polish combination.

Blue Balls and Silver Nail Polish

As usual my nail application is kinda messy but I was happy with my embellished ring fingers.

I received a handful of compliments on my nails so I guess it was a success even when it is noob-looking.

I was surprised that it was easy to put on these balls on the nails.

They are lightweight and go together like silver dust so you can just easily sprinkle away these balls on your nails.

Tweezers are kinda essential when doing this design if you want your whole nail to be completely filled and arranged.

You must sprinkle these balls right away when your base nail polish is still wet.

The nail polish are enough to act as adhesives.

And finally for the magical touch - the swabs of top coat.

Hope you'd enjoy your first caviar nails as I did!

My First Nail Art

I am currently a budding nail art enthusiast.

Though still a newbie at that.

I obsessed with various nail colors and designs that sent me hours and hours browsing through blogs and tutorials of creative nail artists.

My personal favorites: 

http://thenailasaurus.com

http://thebeautydepartment.com

thenailasaurus.com's nail art are perfectly clean and gorgeous (which are so hard to come by on my own unfortunately).

Take a look at my DIY first ever nail art:

Used frosted scotch tape and colored it first  with nail polishes red, blue, and yellow (Philippine flag colors - tehee!)

Patience and perseverance are needed to cut the tape into small rectangle lines and triangles.

Base white color is from ETUDE house polish collection.

Base color should be completely dried up first before putting on the tape shapes.

Sticking them on the nails is relatively easy.

The main secret of this nail art is the top coat.

You gotta swipe ample amounts of it on top of your design for it to stay put for days.

Getting them off is A-easy.

I just swiped on acetone and the tape just dissolved together with the polish.

Got this tutorial from http://thebeautydepartment.com/2012/04/sticky-situation/ (amazing DIY ey?)