It's almost October, guys! And I don't want to be one of those annoying people who blast Christmas songs from the speakers as early as September... But I just can't help it! I would like to share what's on my Christmas wishlist as early as now so that the wonderful Universe can hear me and hopefully, fingers crossed, I get my wish ♥

My friends, please allow me to be materialistic for a bit here. This Christmas I do not wish for new clothes. Or bags. Or even shoes. This Christmas, the thing that would make me happy the most, is this:

 



 I have always wanted a Kindle, but when I got a Galaxy Ace I decided to make do with the Kindle for Android app (which you can download for free!) which quickly became my favorite app. I've already sold my Galaxy Ace but I also downloaded it on my Smart Netphone. Do you know I re-read the my favorite Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist and the entire Harry Potter series using the Kindle app? Not only that, I was also able to read Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Neverwhere with this. I also have the complete Lemony Snicket and Discworld series but I haven't started reading them yet. These days I have lots of idle moments in the apartment but I don't get bored as I also have LOTS of chick lit at my disposal. I cannot stress how much I love the Kindle app and how easy and convenient it has made reading for book-lovers like me!

Oh yes, I know a gadget cannot compare to how an old and loved book smells and feels, but for me who is on the go all the time, with lots of stuff-to-lug-around to boot, a Kindle is definitely godsend. Thank you, Amazon, for coming up with this nifty gadget!

I can't wrap my head around all the possibilities... Just think of all the books I can read! And because it now comes in full-color, I can even use it for comic books! And magazines! Gosh I need to breathe I think I'm about to hyperventilate!

With the Kindle Fire, Amazon has even made it possible to watch movies and play games!!! I want to cry. I want my own Kindle Fire!

I just don't understand all the fuss people are making, comparing it with the iPad. I mean, personally, I couldn't care less who manufactured a product, so long as I can use it and I get my money's worth. And I think that with the Kindle Fire, I will absolutely get my money's worth.

Dear Santa please Santa, I want a Kindle Fire for Christmas. You can skip giving me any presents for the next three years. Or maybe not. I just want to have my own Kindle Fire before the year ends. Or at least before my birthday next year :)

I really should start a Kindle Fire fund. Anyone there who would like to give me extra jobs? Will work for gadgets and books. Oh heck yeah.

PS: This is not a sponsored post. I really wish it was though.

PPS: Dear Amazon, is there any chance you can give me a sample so I can test it out? For purely unbiased review purposes, you know ;)

PPPS: I wish my relatives are reading this hahaha. I am now officially accepting contributions to the Krissy's Kindle Fund. Kidding.

PPPPS: Not really.

PPPPPS: But seriously, Christmas is less than three months away. Get on it.

PPPPPPS: "When you want something, the Universe conspires in helping you achieve it." - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This line has always been proven true to me. I hope you can hear me now, Universe :)

A long, long time ago I conceptualized a feature in my blog that I called Make Me Smile Mondays that aimed to make Mondays a little less dreary. I wasn't able to continue it though. I can make excuses, but I know you don't really need them so let's just skip that part hmm? ;)

Today is a particularly gloomy Monday because of a typhoon. Sooo I guess it's the perfect time to resurrect MMSM even just for today, yes? Now folks, I bring to you a list of things that make me smile, in the hopes that I get to uplift your spirits as well in the few minutes you're here. We all know we need a little bit of pick-me-up in this dreary weather, after all. Or, if the sun is shining brightly in your part of the world today, maybe my list can inspire you to make a list of your own so that you can keep it for a time when you would need it.

Happy nail polish

This is probably my cheapest pick-me-up. In the three years I've been living on my own, I have amassed quite a number of nail polish bottles already. Typing away on the keyboard feels more fun when there's a flash of color! I especially like bright and happy colors, or those with hints of shimmer or specks of glitters. The shade I'm wearing here is Bobbie's The Big Bang. One bottle costs P29.75 only! Look at the blinding combination of glitters in bold colors - very Christmas-y, love it!

Smelling gooooood

There's nothing more luxurious than a long bath or shower using yummy-smelling bath and beauty products! Seen in the photo is the entire set of the H Bella by Watsons: Rose & Mixed Berries that includes a body polish, body butter, body lotion, and hand cream. I use these everyday together with my Schwarzkopf Essensity Organic Shampoo and Sealing Lotion plus the Cyleina Organic Strawberry Soap, and I swear they are the best bath essentials EVER! I just love basking in fruity scents :)

Thoughtful gifts and pretty little things

This package was actually sent by Argie as a birthday present to me way back in April but I never got to receive it. It was miraculously delivered back to her house last month, with the courier saying they couldn't track my address! Wow! Just the thought that it was lost in the post for five months, yet she was still able to get it back, was already a feat in itself! She was finally able to hand it to me personally during a bloggers event last month where we got to meet in person for the first time. Sweeeet.

Sweet tweets, messages and emails

I do not own all those gadgets haha, only the HTC ChaCha and Smart Netphone are mine while the HTC Desire and Wildfire and Samsung Galaxy Tab belong to my friends Poly and Mich. It always brings a smile to my face whenever my phones ping with a new sweet message or email. Even invites to events never fail to excite me heh. I really appreciate all of them, thank you!

Having my own "billboard" LOL

I took this photo at the MANELS branch in Megamall last month so I'm not sure if it is still posted there. Anyway, my photo is up there as a Featured Fashion Blogger. Would you like to be featured as well? All you have to do is take photos of yourself wearing your favorite MANELS item and send it to them ;)

I have been broke for a couple of months now so I have been resisting going on major shopping sprees. But then again, we all need something pretty and glitzy as a "reward" every once in a while, so I ordered these connector rings from Anagon Collection. The best part is they're super affordable at only P150 a pop! Not bad, eh? Order yours now! Ana still have a lot of different designs in stock!

How can your heart not melt after looking at that cutie little furry baby? I cannot keep furry animals as pets because the kiddos here at the 'rents all have asthma, and I don't have the heart to leave them in my apartment as I am almost always out, so I just look at their photos online. Awww.

I mean, it's already pretty obvious in this blog's color scheme what it is, right? :) I just love how fresh and pretty these colors look together. I wish I can find pieces of clothing in this color scheme.

Not this particular pair maybe, but I chose it because it has all the elements I love: pink, peeptoe, bow, and polka-dot prints :) Nothing brings a smile to my face and a jolt to my heart than a pair of shoes that jumps at me the moment I step into a store. Sweet, sweet love. My favorite pair of wedges gave up on me after two years of using it, so I wish I can get over this state of being broke soon so I can go hunting for another pair again.

Last Saturday was a reunion of sorts for me and my friends who I haven't seen for so long. After work I went to my bestfriend Jerome's house to help him on a new project he's working on, and then I went to my close friend-since-Elementary Dianne's house where our other barkada went for a night of catching up, laughter, and Tanduay Ice. I really love these get-togethers with my friends and each one is cherished as they have become few and far in between because work and other young adult matters always get in the way.

One awesome website I've come across lately is Emotional Bag Check. Are you feeling crappy lately? Just go to this site and check your baggage, and someone is sure to listen. Feeling cheery and have some happiness to spare? Go to this site and help someone lighten their load, carry their luggage by suggesting a song that you know is perfect for what they're going through. Whoever checked the luggage will receive your response and hopefully, feel better that someone has taken the time to share with them whatever it is they're going through. Neato, huh? Never underestimate the power of music :)

And since we are on the subject...

Corinne Bailey Rae's Put Your Records On is my wash-the-blues-away-and-smile song. Really, it never fails to lift the corners of my lips. I just love how light and breezy the feel of the song is. Perfect pick-me-upper! Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams. Just go ahead let your hair down ♥

I hope my list chased the gloominess of this rainy Monday away. If I didn't make you smile, I hope I at least inspired you to make your own list that you can put up on your planners, phones, corkboards or even your bathroom mirror so you can consult it anytime ;)

I am feeling much better now! And oh, Mr. Rain? I have a message for you...

Hmm there seems to be a Thai theme going on around here no?

After I blogged about Thai actor Mario Maurer yesterday, let me blog about something just as yummy haha - Thai food!

Last Wednesday night, my fashion blogger friends and I went to Mango Tree Bistro in Greenbelt 5 to try out their dishes.


I am not going to lie. I eat a LOT, but I am not adventurous nor experimental when it comes to food as I tend to prefer "tried and tested" dishes. I have never eaten Thai food before so this is a new experience for me. As I've said on the few restaurant reviews I've posted here, describing food is not really my forte so I hope the photos and short descriptions (and local dishes they reminded me of) can aid me. Feast your eyes on these:

THE FOOD

Som Tum Thai Classic fresh spicy Thai green papaya salad with dried shrimps, peanuts, tomatoes, yum sauce

Unfortunately I didn't get to try this as (Random Trivia #8703) I don't eat papaya. Ana said it was good, though!

Tom Yum Goong Spicy and sour soup with mushrooms, shrimps kaffir, lemongrass, galanggal and fresh herbs

This reminded me of our local dish sinigang. I liked this one; it's a bit sour with a surprising kick of spice.

Thod Mun Goong Deep fried fresh shrimp cakes with sweet chili dip

I loved this! This was sooo good that I lost track of how many I was able to eat! If you will visit Mango Tree Bistro make sure you'll order this one, okay? ;)

Talay Prik Thai Dum Stir fried seafood with black pepper sauce

I also liked this one. It reminded me of chop suey, but instead of vegetables, it had more seafood in it.

Panang Nua Panang style red curry with beef and kaffir lime leaves

This was very spicy, but still palatable! This reminded me of kaldereta.

Pad Thai Jay Stir fried noodles with bean sprouts, egg, tofu, peanuts, chives

This dish is probably my favorite from the lot. Just looking at the photo now makes me crave for it. Darn, why does Greenbelt 5 have to be so far from my place?

Gai Ta Krai Yang Mango Tree signature grilled lemongrass chicken with Northeastern Thai dipping sauce

This is another dish that YOU.JUST.HAVE.TO.TRY. I was pleasantly surprised that the meat is very tender, unlike other grilled chicken from other restaurants. Seriously, this was the bomb.

Khao Niew Mamuang Imported fragrant sticky jasmine rice with coconut cream sauce and mangoes

I've seen this dessert at another Chinese restaurant but it looked different. A perfect way to cap the different flavors your taste buds feasted on :)

Lemongrass Iced Tea

This is an excellent "partner" to your Thai eating exploits at Mango Tree Bistro, but you should try the Thai iced tea, too!

We were also served with Khao Suey (steamed jasmine rice). That night was definitely food coma night for me ;D

THE AMBIENCE

You know how much I love chandeliers, right? :)

I think Mango Tree Bistro is the perfect date venue for couples looking for somewhere extraordinary, or for groups of friends who want something different. The restaurant serves traditional Thai dishes, yes, but the aesthetics of the place is very modern. Chandeliers and crystal curtains lend a cozy yet extra-special feel to the over-all ambience while soft music plays in the background without being too distracting - perfect for great conversations over great food.

THE FRIENDS

I was fortunate enough to have spent the night with these precious people:

With Aie, Ana and Sarah

Tracey, Bjorn, Vern and Aisa

With Keigh and Chef

Co-owner Joe Chua He was such an excellent host! He made lots of funny jokes and really made us feel at ease :)

Big thanks to Connect especially to Jon, Carina, and Cholo for inviting us. It was such a fun and relaxing evening ♥ I just love sharing good food with great friends ♥

Cheers to the good life!

Visit Mango Tree Bistro at Greenbelt 5 now! They also have a branch in TriNoma (where I am always at, so I can see a lot of visits there in the immediate future) and will be opening a branch in The Fort really, really soon so watch out for that!

Is there even anyone here who hasn't seen the Thai movie First Love (Crazy Little Thing Called Love)? Is there even anyone here who hasn't been charmed by Nam and P'Shone's love story? And of course, is there even anyone here whose heart didn't swoon for the ultra good-looking Mario Maurer?

I love going to bloggers events because they are perfect avenues to learn something new and expand my network. I am actually very shy in person and tend to just stay in the corner and try to look busy, but through these events I've started to practice to be more social-savvy. (Also, it doesn't hurt that we are always served yummy food ;))

Yesterday's event definitely belongs to my list of my favorite bloggers events I've attended as beauty bloggers Liz, Shen, Jheng, Kira, Alex, Jill, Argie and I were treated to natural and green beauty moments care of Jane Iredale Mineral Makeup - accompanied by a lavish vegetarian champagne merienda.

After a short talk by Ma'am Judith Barran, President of True Scents and Minerals, Inc., exclusive distributor of Jane Iredale cosmetics in the Philippines, we were able to try out the many products in the collection and see for ourselves why the brand has received many raves and accolades.

Jane Iredale has an extensive collection of mineral makeup like foundations, concealers, blushes, bronzers, shadows, mascara, liners, lipsticks, brushes, and mist sprays. I will blog about these other products in my next posts so watch out for that :)

Testing the products and swatching them on my hand, it is not difficult to see why it is the preferred brand of well-known celebrities including our very own Isabel Roces. The formulation is very light yet gives really nice coverage for your problem areas. And because it is mineral makeup, it has amazing qualities that traditional makeup can never give, like: being non-comedogenic, having virtually no allergy risk, UVB and UVA protection up to SPF30, anti-inflammatory, and complete coverage for skin conditions (like acne, rosacea, and redness following treatments). It also contains NO talc or parabens. Most importantly, Jane Iredale cosmetics are 100% cruelty-free and no products have been tested on animals. With all these benefits for the skin, I am not surprised it is also called The Skincare Makeup. You literally can sleep with your makeup on - like I did last night - without the fear of break-outs!

Miss Tess gave us an instant makeover using Jane Iredale cosmetics, and here is what I looked after:

I admire vegetarians for their will-power to resist lechon (like my soul sister Ana) and whilst I don't think I can be converted into being one in the near future, I really enjoyed the sumptuous meals served to us. I wasn't able to snap a photo of my meal plate, but here is my dessert plate:

The Starter Kit contains two PurePressed Bases SPF20 (Warm Sienna and Golden Glow), Dream Tint SPF15 (Medium), Circle/ Delete Concealer (#1), PurePressed Blush (Whisper), LA Just Kissed Lip Plumper, and three makeup brushes (Base Brush, Concealer Brush, and Blush Brush). It contains everything I need for the perfect "no-makeup" makeup look, like the one on the photo above :) Aside from making me look pretty, I know my skin would also love me for it. Ah-ma-zing, yes?

Special thanks to Miss Jenny Yrasuegui for the invite. Big thanks as well to Nikki and Lexi. And of course, big thanks to Ma'am Judith :)

Visit Jane Iredale's website here. Visit Jane Iredale Philippines' website here. Jane Iredale cosmetics are available at Rustan's Makati and Rustan's Alabang. Visit their showroom at Unit 103 Evekal Building, 855 Arnaiz Ave. Legaspi Village, Makati City to see their products firsthand (and have a makeover heehee). Call them at (02)5193905.


*The photos I included in this post were all taken using my HTC ChaCha. I will upload more high-res photos with the pretty beauty bloggers tomorrow when I get home to my parents' house.

Happy Wednesday, guys! I hope everyone's having a fabulous week! ♥

Allow me a moment of vanity here, will you? ;)

You may remember my visit to FAB Salon when I - with other beauty bloggers - was invited to try out their services last month. After being treated to the ultimate pampering experience, we were also given gift cards so we can avail more of their services aside from the ones that were done to us during the said visit. I decided to give the gift cards to my Mom so, together with my younger sister Kyla, we went there last Monday, and we had a great time! I loved that the staff still remember me and looked really pleased to see us. They welcomed us warmly and were very accommodating. That alone was already worth the two hours' travel time to Resorts World from our house in Navotas! ;D

My Mama wanted to have her hair colored and highlighted, so my sister and I just browsed some magazines and went around Newport Mall while she was having the treatments done. I cannot post "Before" and "After" photos now because I'm just using the computers in our office diner, but maybe I can update this when I get home.

While we were there, Sir John (the stylist who cut my hair during my first visit to the salon) saw me and suggested a haircut. I told him I'm still okay with my current hairstyle but he said it has gotten a bit long already so I just agreed. I was given the most relaxing shampoo and head massage by Charles, and then it was off to the stylist's chair for me. While having my haircut Sir John and I talked about our respective visits to Singapore :) And then, after cutting my hair, I was surprised when he said I do not have to pay for it any more! Wow :)

My Mama was also very pleased with her new hair color and highlights. The treatments done to her cost a total of P2,900 but because of my gift cards we only needed to pay an additional P1,900. Not bad, eh? Especially if the service was that great and personalized, I actually wouldn't mind paying more :) (If you remember the first time I had my hair colored three months ago, I actually paid the same amount, and that was only because I availed of FIX's month-long 50% off promo for color treatments).

By the way, here is a photo of what my hair looks like now after my haircut and the blonde and red highlights I availed during Revlon Professional's Makeover Weekend event last Saturday:


Please excuse my eyes that I had to cover because they looked ready to be eaten by eyebags LOL. Don't you think my "shades" look snazzy? ;D

I really, really love my current hairstyle and hair color/ highlights. I hope the color doesn't fade away anytime soon. Or if it does, maybe I can try blonde and pink next...

I'm sorry if this talk bores you. It's just that if you know me personally, I've never been one to be excited about my hair, and maybe that's because I didn't think it can look this good. Not that I'm saying it's perfect now and it's the most beautiful hair ever, but I hope you get what I mean when you look at old photos of me in this blog... Haha now I'm just embarrassed when I see them and think why the heck I didn't decide to have this hair makeover sooner. Admit it or not, you know I look depressed and older than my age in my old hairstyle (it's too thick, wavy and long!) It's just that, I used to firmly believe that having not-so-beautiful hair is okay so long as I have pretty shoes. I realized just now that it does bring wonders to one's self-esteem :)

Enough talk about my hair. HOW ARE YOU? I hope you're doing great! Only two more days before the weekend, YAYYY! :D

I eagerly wait for September each year because of one thing: new seasons of my favorite TV shows! I rarely watch TV except the ones I like - especially now that I don't have a television set in my apartment - so I am thankful for torrents heehee. The only downside of this is I that I am not familiar with the new faces in the local entertainment scene (I haven't even seen a single scene of My Binondo Girl where my crush David Chua is a part of), but with the quality of acting our local "actors" churn out these days I don't think that's a bad thing after all. I use the term loosely for "actors" whose ticket to showbiz was joining reality shows. Excluding Mart Escudero (who was brilliant in Zombadings), I have yet to come across someone from these so-called talent shows who have real talent to speak of.

Anyway, this post is not meant to bash anyone. I just want to share my excitement for new episodes of my favorite TV shows! I am really looking forward to: