Angono, Rizal, Philippines with Tita Lilia

Just in case you missed,
Philippines 20th - 24th Jan 2017
Inang's 90th Birthday in the Philippines

Tita Lilia's place has a special dedicated blog post for our 2017 trip in Philippines not only because we got to visit her and cousin's house, her location was way up a hill with a wonderful view.

Even the trip to her house was a mini adventure. We had to take the bus and tuk-tuk up a steep hill. The place was filled greenery and air was fresh. Jhon told me there was an experience when the tuk-tuk he took rode on it's hind wheels due to the steepness!

We spent most of our day in Tita Lilia's house. Chit-chatting and we got to eat her delicious Pancit (something like Bee Hoon goreng). She was so sweet because the day before at Inang's birthday, I wanted to eat the pancit served there but there was pork. So we made one without just for me. hehehehe



Jhon was also close with his cousin, Laarni so there were plenty photos of young Jhon with the family.





After lounging around, we headed further up the hill to the top so enjoy the view. Laarni was actually heavily pregnant so kudos for her to climb further up with no problem. Pregnant woman goals.

I don't know if you can tell in the middle of the picture is the highest point of the hill and on top of it is a church. Laarni actually got married there.









Jump shot! Yea... I faked it though. lol I got my reasons...



Couple shots!






Photos probably does not do the place justice but believe me when I said the place is pretty. It's so nice to live in such an area and waking up to such a scenery but the trip out of the area is leceh though. haha

   

(Bourjois) Anti-Fatigue Foundation & Concealer?!?

sponsored review

What is better than a flawless coverage while applying make-up?
A vitamin infused make-up product that that erases all signs of fatigue for a
fresh and healthy-looking complexion.

Introducing, Bourjois Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue Foundation and Concealer!



Both foundation and concealer contains 3 types of vitamins to aid our skin towards a healthy-looking skin such as

Vitamin C - Anti-Fatigue Effect (for a fresher & rested look)
Vitamin E - Anti-Oxidant (for a natural & luminous skin)
Vitamin B5 - Revitalizing Action (to reveal the radiance within)

Featuring, my nude face for your inspection but don't zoom so close ah?
For someone turning 33, I think my skin is pretty okay. I barely have wrinkles or excessive blemishes besides the standard discoloration, dark eye rings, black heads, redness around the nose, random pimples or blemish. On top of that, I have fine varicose veins on my cheeks (something I had since young).



I had the Bourjois Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue Foundation in shade Beige (54).
To be honest, I don't always wear foundations. When I do, it's only for special occasions where I need to look more dolled up with long lasting coverage.

Bourjois's Foundations promises long-lasting, medium coverage up to 16 hours and it is semi-Matte, ultra-lightweight which provides a delightful, bare-skin sensation. It provides all day 24 hours hydration for maximum comfort throughout the day and gives 70% more radiance for a natural healthy-looking glow.



I am a big fan of matte make-up because my skin does get really oily. One pump of the foundation was actually more than enough to cover my face and neck and I love that it's lightweight so I don't feel like I have a thick layer of make-up on. The foundation clearly evens out all the discoloration on my face and even some blemishes. If you like light-weight, natural looking make-up like me, this the foundation to go to.

On top of the foundation, I applied Bourjois Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue Concealer in Medium shade on top of their foundation as that's the usual make-up sequence I normal do. On ordinary days, I just put on concealer and a cake powder/foundation for my base.

Bourjois' concealer has light-reflecting pigments for immediate radiance and undetectable finish. It also has spherical powders to blur and smooth your skin for a silky finish.



By the time I applied my concealer, the foundation has set, that's why a slight difference in tone and since the foundation itself had given me enough coverage, I didn't need much help in the concealer. This means my expectations for the concealer is quite high since I am expecting like real smooth coverage. Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of their concealer. It was really 'meh' for me, at least for my skin.


[Yes, I am very aware, my pictures are like real estate/ ID shots. hahaha]

Just to have a completed look, I finished my look with my everyday make-up by setting with powder, did my eyebrows along with eyeliner, mascara, blusher and lipstick on. I actually accidentally took a nap and went out for a dinner date afterwards. As I mentioned before, I have oily skin but it does not seem obvious and even after an oil-blotting session, my make-up still holds which I appreciate because I don't have to do any touch up.

There are plenty of shades to choose from and you can get your hands on both the Bourjois' foundation and concealer at S$29.90 and S$17.50 respectively at major Watsons and departmental stores.





For more info, check out Bourjois' Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BourjoisSG/
and SampleStore.com for more reviews http://bit.ly/2mgYzhB

   

Inang's 90th Birthday in the Philippines

Inang's (Grandmother's) birthday was the main reason of the trip in Philippines.
She was turning 90 years old and no matter what, we just had to visit and celebrate with her. As I've mentioned several times, she took care of Jhon during his childhood so they both have a soft spot for each other.

I've met her before and she is definitely one of the most loveliest grandma I've ever met. She exudes charm, tolerance (she's a devout Catholic and she accept me with no judgement), friendliness and love! There was so much love and sincerity from her that I felt welcomed immediately!

Our trip from Pasig to Bataan is 3 hours but since we left earlier than planned, the trip was cut shorter. We rented a van and the entire family, except Paul (1 person had to take care of the house) and Pa's sister and her son. The van was packed but cosy.

View to Bataan was beautiful as always with the beautiful landscape of mountains and fields. You will see more of it when I eventually edit the vlog.

We had a quick visit to the nearby market to buy some seafood for the party, pharmacy to buy Ma's medications and we crept into the house through the back to surprise Inang.

[Loi and Ma baked the cake and cupcakes. We didn't get to taste it because it disappeared in a blink of an eye]

Surprised she was.

I had all her reactions caught on my videos. She was so happy, shocked and had to sit down. It was only the first of many surprises for her because as the day passed, more and more people attended and for the first time, 98% of the family attended.









The party was actually entertaining with no dull moment especially for a newly added member like me. There was a karaoke machine which I obviously avoided like the plaque, plentiful of food (everyone kept us updated which food has pork etc), party decor, abundance of cakes and basically everyone was welcoming. Everyone would engage in conversation with me, share stories and such which honestly, I hardly get when I'm in Singapore. lol

Inang would do her rounds making sure everything was okay and of course chit-chatting. She would smile, grin and sat with me, telling me how truly happy she was and about her family.









This was the moment when majority of her grandchildren sang and cheered Happy Birthday to her. She was so overwhelmed that she fainted! I panicked but everyone got it under control. She is 90 after all. Her poor heart got a sensory overload. She recovered well and fast though.












I absolutely love the family vibe. Cousins had everything planned which includes a mini-dedication, speeches and party games. It was simple and well thought of with everyone crying overwhelmed with appreciation of Inang's love.





















Present opening time was a hoot too!



I had the entire party recorded and towards the end, I was totally tired and so was everyone else. Eventually, we all went home which took longer because of the peak period. One thing about Philippines is that once you are caught in the traffic, yeah, that's it. Time to camp. It was not THAT bad though because I ended up falling in and out of sleep on the ride home.

I am so grateful that I got to be part of the celebration and officially introduced to majority of Jhon's relatives on his paternal side. I wish Inang nothing but good health, happiness, long life and love.

   

Philippines 20th - 24th Jan 2017

I went to Philippines again but this time, as Jhon's wife.  It's Jhon's (and now mine) yearly visit to his family and this year is extra special because we are also celebrating his grandma's 90th birthday. The grandma who has been taking care of him during his childhood. They are so close that it would be shame if we missed it.

Our trip fell on 20th to 24th Jan 2017. It's considered as a 5 day trip because our flight there was at 12 midnight. Frankly speaking, the entire trip was mostly a family bonding trip in a sense there were no sight-seeing like the trip we had years ago.









It's more of a spending time at home with the entire family just like what Jhon would do when he visits by himself. I didn't complain because I was not in a mood to roam so much either (this will make sense eventually). We did go out everyday but in the late afternoons to the malls nearby though. We got our shopping mood on, mostly buying stuff for Jayden and the kids in Singapore besides a couple of snacks.



This is the family's mini shop. It looks squeez-y but if you are at an average size, it's actually just nice and comfortable. Their shop opens day 'till night selling random items from snacks to top-up cards to alcohol. Yes, it was tempting to just reach in and grab something for ourselves but Mr. Jayden seems to have no problem doing so without guilt. He is a kid after all.

Even now, the words "Pabili" still resounds in my ears because that's what everyone would say at the shop saying that they wanted to buy something.



Akira with cropped Coco because I don't like her. HMPH!



I love to see the kids playing old-skool. Things like these, you will only see in old Singapore. Not in the new Singapore with fancy gadget and indoor playgrounds.







It was really nice to spend time so simply with Jhon's family. Since day one, they have always been nice, lovely and accommodating. The family dynamic was amazing and it was almost like watching a commercial of a perfect family. I was constantly reminded where Jhon gets his amazing character daily. I truly hope when we make our little family, it would just like his.

I'm not going to blog so much about the trip since like I said, it's not a trip filled with sight-seeing adventures. We just have some pictures taken randomly.









I will write an entire special post about Grandma's or Inang's birthday party because there are plenty of photos and she deserves it.

Oh, Jayden has been such a charmer. They way he calls out for everyone or even when he says "no". He is absolutely cute. Granted, he has his cranky moments but other than that, he's an angel. I can't even go upstairs to my room without him getting upset. He would randomly hug and kiss me and not to mention wants to sit and play with me as much as possible.





Saying goodbye to the family was sad, of course. Ma kept clinging on me as we walked to the airport from the carpark. She didn't want to let me go even though I felt was not very hands on but I've must've done something right. Hehe