Choir

I miss it.

Fall 2009

Things are going to be different. I've already talked to my manager about demoting from Assistant Manager to Senior Sales... I'll have more time to concentrate on school. I'm looking forward to becoming a full-time student. I'm taking 6 classes next semester:

1. English 1A
2. US History
3. General Psychology
4. American Government
5. Astronomy Lab
6. Public Speaking

I'm still hesitant about taking Public Speaking... I'm just soooo shy! It makes me nervous just thinking about that class! Maybe, just maybe, I won't take it this semester... and I don't think it's such a good idea to take that class with Brian and John John... they're just gonna make me laugh or make fun of me... waaahhhh! lol

New news: I just found out that our company is closing down our sister store Anne Klein which is a couple stores away from Nine West. On top of that, Erika is transferring back to our store!! x) I'm excited to have her back because it was fun working with her. But it's really sad news for the other associates..... =( It's also perfect timing I'm going back to school and my manager is 3 months pregnant -- we're going to need all the help we can get.

My Makeup Kaboodle

So, a few months back I found the perfect makeup "train case". I wanted a sturdy and cheap one... and I got this one from Walgreens for $29.99! I went to Target the other day and saw that they were selling this same exact one for $41!! Target prices are bullcrap (sometimes).

So this is how it looks when you first open it. On the left, I keep my q-tips, a tiny mirror, extra brushes that I bought from the Coastal Scents website, and my Laura Mercier eyeliner. On the right, I have my eyeliners, mascaras, scissor, lash glue, primers, and carmex.

Underneath the right side, I have my single MAC eyeshadows, Sephora lipglosses, and MAC lipsticks. I also like to pile my smaller palettes on top, but I'll show those later.

Underneath the left side, I have my makeup remover, face powders, one MAC blush, more single MAC eyeshadows, and my single Victoria Secret eyeshadows. Seriously though, I need to depot my MAC eyeshadows into a palette. They're taking too much freakin' space!

In the middle I like to keep all my brushes and larger palettes.

These are my brushes (from Cathrine - thank you again!!). I honestly don't know what brand the larger one is... they shed at first, but not anymore. I use these brushes on my models. The travel-sized brushes are Japanesque, which is a really good brand. I highly recommend Japanesque brushes because they're soft on the skin, and doesn't feel prickly. I use the Japanesque brushes for myself.. I don't use it on anyone else!!

Besides my brushes, I keep the rest of my palettes.

I finally completely my first MAC palette :)

These are my mini palettes that I love!

Aren't they pretty?!?!?!

Make-up is seriously an expensive hobby, therefore I felt this was blog worthy.

RIP Michael Jackson -- I've always liked him... even through all his imperfections and through all the rumors or hurtful truths. Mainly because I accepted the fact that no one's perfect....I know crazier people than Michael. My dad used to have videos of MJ performing live and my sister and I would always watch it with my dad... I would see people fainting at his concerts and how paramedics had to carry those people out... it showed a lot about his music. My coworker Mark went to one of Michael Jackson's concerts in the Philippines when he was little and that he'd dance to MJ's songs, lol. That was a fun fact about Mark. I used to find "Thriller" way too scary to watch, lol.... If I were to chose one of my favorite songs by Michael, it would have to be "Heal the World" because as a kid, I used to listen to that song a lot. I also like "Ben" and "You Are Not Alone." I personally like his slower songs because they were really touching lol. My brother can sing "Beat It," "Billy Jean," and other songs by MJ really really good. It's just too bad that he had to die so young =( Especially since he was one of the youngest out of all his siblings... I hope he's in a better place now. Since I couldn't watch the Memorial Service for Michael Jackson on TV today, I saw clips on youtube. I saw Paris' speech.... so sad!! :( I feel ya, girl!! To Paris, Prince, and Blanket: I wish you all peace, love, and strength.

Another video I saw was the opening performance by Mariah Carey.... mmaannnn, her voice has changed soooo much...it sounds extra husky and it's like she has trouble breathing correctly....but seriously, I still love her... She's still my idol. I love alllll her songs. She may have gotten off track when they started calling her "Mimi" (which I thought was a horrible attempt to stay hip -- like "J-Lo" -- EWWwww).... I still think she's a great singer. I just hate people who try bringing her down.

Anyways, more about my life....What's the scuttlebucket?

- Last Thursday, my dad came back from the Philippines. He's staying for 3 months this time :) I want to take my dad up Mission Peak, lol. I know my dad likes hiking so hopefully he can take the incline on this one! Mayumi is super happy that our dad is back. In fact, Mayumi called me the other day telling me how excited she was to have a new bike :) Yay to simple joys...

- My coworkers and I helped remodel our Nine West Store. Since the Nine West @ South Lake Tahoe closed down, the company gave our store Tahoe's wooden units and cash wrap. So it's not entirely new, but it's new to us.... Our store looks really pretty nonetheless... It takes a lot of getting used to, though. It's even more stressful since our DSM and RSM are here for the week..... lotsa brown-nosing going on, lol!

- This Saturday I will be doing Starleigh's makeup again for one of her photoshoots. She's helping me build my portfolio...and to me, I gotta start somewhere. I'm excited yet nervous at the same time! Last time, I was REALLY nervous because Starleigh was someone who I was never close to.... it was challenging! But FUN!! With all ego aside, it makes me happy to know that I have admirers of my makeup. I mean, I'm not the best make-up artist but it does help push me to become better at something I love doing. Especially my boyfriend, close friends, and family... they are the ones that believe in me and their opinions are what truly matters the most. I should really take the time to say thanks... so... thanx you guys!! I'm blessed to have supportive loved ones!

- On July 25th, I made plans with friends to go to the Garlic Festival in Gilroy. I'm not really a "garlic fan," but apparently Brian and a few of my friends are. I'm just tagging along, y'know... gotta make the most out of my summer... lol.

That's pretty much it.... until next time, stay tuned :)

Simple Things in Life

Most of the time, I like to appreciate all the little things in life. Those are usually the things that make my day..I find that the simple things in life keep my sanity in check.

- Waking up to sunlight shining in my face
- Playing with kittens with a piece of string
- Massaging Brian's temples and then watching him slowly fall asleep
- Driving with all the windows down rather than using the AC
- Seeing a brand new box of crayons lol
- Taking a nap in a comfortable bed after a long day at work
- Eating ice cream on a cone
- A brand new white chocolate Kit Kat bar
- The smell of newly cooked rice
- Finding a vibrant flower in the middle of no where
- Seeing the guys' reactions as they play Street Fighter IV
- Doing someone else's make-up/hair
- Blue skies with fluffy white clouds
- My car after it has been vacuumed, dusted, and washed
- Mayumi's artwork
- Brian's artwork
- Seeing people GLOW because they're happy
- Getting off work
- The view from on top of Mission Peak
- Laughing with Brian in the middle of the night, in the dark
- When the skies turn orangish/pinkish/purplish near sunset
- Saying "Choos-day" instead of Tuesday or "Shushi" instead of Sushi lol

ya'll get the picture.... :)

I want to buy a Nikon or Canon camera. You know, those big ones that you can adjust... I feel like if I had one, I can capture the simple things in life....I'm not really looking to get into "artistic" photography at all... I just wanna capture those meaningful moments..

New Makeup Part II

Top: Gold Rush, Espresso Lane, Plum Crazy
Bottom: Hot Ginger, Bronzinger, Crystal Ball

Today I went to Victoria's Secret during my lunch. I wanted to see if they had the "Starry Night" eyeshadow but had no luck.. Thankfully, they had other cute eyeshadows on sale... 6 for $20! That means they were $3.50 a piece! Victoria Secret eyeshadows are VERY pigmented (and I thought I was done buying eyeshadows-- I guess not!! LOL). These were too cute to pass on.

Another thing, I saw these two dumb girlies opening the packaging and trying on the eyeshadows like it were theirs...even though there were samples in front of them! AND they let 5 of them drop on the hardwood floor! I was getting soooo mad at their dumbasses. I was about to bitch slap them! I was thinking, where the hell is that "You break, you pay" sign?!

ART

My, OH MY. This photo is so beautiful! I found it online while trying to browse other makeup artsy stuff. I've been noticing art like this for a really long time now, and I know I can do this type of makeup. I figured, since I'm already into drawing/painting (I won't say I'm the best at it, but I consider myself GOOD at it), I could incorporate the two. I've been browsing and learning all these makeup techniques and for quality brands. Here's a few I want to buy but requires saving a few more extra bucks: Kryolan, Mehron, and Graftobian. I'm done buying eyeshadows...I think I've got every color, and if not, mixing eyeshadows into a new color works. I'm more interested in pigments, facepaint palettes, and airbrushing. Airbrushing is going to be exciting! I'll buy an airbrushing set soon...

Helloooo~ June!

Grades are in :) I took three classes this spring semester and this is what I got!

Spring '09 Semester:
Asian Roots & Culture - A
Music Appreciation - A
International Films - B

I'm proud of myself. I saw myself improve through the years. When I saw my unofficial transcript, I was able to see when my life was going down hill because it reflected through my grades. Last last semester (fall 08) I went back to school after taking two years off.

Fall '08 Semester:
Health and Lifestyle - A
Human Heredity & Disease - B

Seeing A's and B's are B-e-A-utiful! <-- LOL that was corny. John John also got good grades this semester! He went to school with me @ Mission and I really pushed him this semester...well, sorta.

Here's what John John got (I felt that this was worth posting):
Asian Roots & Culture - A
Human Sexuality - A
International Films - B
Human Heredity & Disease - C

He did a good job! I'm so proud of my younger brother!! Great job, John John!

Other news: My mother taught me and Mayumi how to crochet. Honestly, she's a bad teacher because she kept saying "okay, you do it like thiiiis" and then she'd show me hella fast. On top of that, she was explaining it to me in tagalog! Hahah... I mean, I could understand a few words but sigh... I still felt lost in translation. Mayumi gave up HAHA. In the end, I finally got the basics down - yay for me! I'm going to check youtube if they have any crochetting tutorials *crossing fingers!* I'm going to make scarves, and when I get that down, I'll make cute bags...and then when I get that down, I'll make beanies....then when I get that down, I'll make a sweater. Whoohoo! Well...that's just the plan for now though. I might just get frustrated along the way and give up. We'll see...

Me and my mom also signed up for a Costco membership today in Fremont. $50 bucks for two people for a whole year! I went there today and I couldnt believe my eyes... Cetaphil moisturizers are BIGGER ANnnnD CHEAPER than in drugstores! aklsjd;afioah JACKPOT! In drugstores they range from $12-13 bucks and they're in smaller containers. At Costco they sell them for $10 bucks in larger containers. I was truly, truly amazed. Seriously. And please take me seriously when I say that (hehehehehe).

Since it's going to be officially summer soon, I'm looking forward to Music in the Park this year. I'd like to be outdoors under the sun more... I need a tan!!