...

kumuha ng mga batong ipupukpok sa ulo.

DIY quilted wallet

i made this the whole afternoon based on a pattern 

from Modern Quilting magazine. download the magazine for free here.

my cards fit! yey!

but my handstitch sucks!

Coron Palawan days 2-3 (rain and isolation)

first stop, Kayangan Lake

i was ready to jump into the water...

but wait, this is just the docking station!

view from the top

and this is Kayangan Lake

so calm and beautiful. swordfish everywhere.

mylene prayed that it would rain so she wouldn't get a tan.

i wished for sun and isolation. isolation and rain granted!

at Skeleton Wreck. beautiful fishies!

lunch at Banol beach. see the dark clouds over there? 

isolation and rain again!

 off to the Twin Lagoon we went

we went under that small opening in a balsa. the water was deep.

i thought sharks. mylene thought crocodiles. we stayed in the balsa

while our boatman dragged our balsa. i paddled with my hands. 

no picture inside the Twin Lagoon but it was so beautiful and isolated

 (yes there were just the 3 of us) that it was quite scary. 

our boatman securing the balsa before we left

last stop, Siete Picados. see the fishes?

again, isolated but no rain. the sun showed itself for a few minutes.

but it was so deep where the boat was anchored

and it was too shallow in the coral reef that it was hard to snorkel

so we left after 30 minutes or so. we were back in the hotel by 3pm. 

the boat is rented until 5pm but they can only bring you to 5 places

and we already reached our quota. 

how i wished we stayed for a while in Kayangan Lake. 

hands down my favorite place in Coron

DAY 3

breakfast at Manneken Pis 

short stop at Maquinit Hot Springs before doing our souvenir shopping.

make sure to buy cashew at Coron Harvest

and buy dried danggit in the market. 

you can also try Lamuyo, their fresh danggit. 

it was raining more during our last day. Typhoon Karen was on its way to Manila.

good thing our flight wasn't canceled. 

i would have enjoyed Coron more if it was sunny 

but if only for Kayangan Lake, it was worth it.

Coron Palawan day 1 (squealing pigs, howling winds)

DAY 1

I woke up early the day of our departure to go to the mall. there were a few things i still needed to buy like insect repellant just to make sure, waterproof sandals and swimsuits.

our flight was almost cancelled but thanks to Zest Air and its brave pilots. Cebu Pacific was airborne for almost an hour but decided to just go back to Manila instead of landing because of limited visibility. i don't know how Zest Air did it but we landed smoothly.

this is our junior suite in Coron Gateway, 

originally 7k+ per night but i got it at 4k+ because of the Metrodeal promo.

i love the size of the room

the market was right beside the hotel and i could hear the pigs squealing. 

didn't bother me though. 

especially the bathroom. it's soooo big!

this is the view from our room. the boat station is just a few steps away. 

at night, we just had dinner at Coron Gateway's restaurant. 

i didn't like the liempo i ordered and Mylene's stuffed squid. but i loved the leche flan!

then we were off to Maquinit hot springs. we rented a trike for P350. 

the entrance fee is P150@. the pictures below were taken on our last day 

when we came back to take pictures and to see the bakawan in daylight.

to be continued...

venice fashion in my opinion

di ako mapakali sa gown na 'to. 

especially that ugly fabric covering her cleavage. 

it should have matched her skin color and not sticking out like that.

it should appear invisible.

she's a sexy actress anyway. if i were her, i would just get rid of that fabric in front.

and that huge drape which actually hides her shape and the lovely lace of the gown underneath. 

her gown is not even as low cut as this gown that Hilary Swank wore in 2010.

imagine this with that same ugly fabric on Mercedes's gown, only in gray. pangit di ba?

if she decided on wearing a low cut gown like that, dapat pinangatawanan na niya. 

---

on the other hand Lovi Poe looks pretty too.

i like her skin color (and Mercedes's too) but...

balot na balot siya! para siyang suman. 

I like the lace design but it's already too elaborate 

that she doesn't need any accessory to wear with it. 

i want to yank that lace off her neck! is that part of the gown? 

i'm not too crazy about the bottom ruffles too. 

and the neckline, i'm not sure if it's flattering on her. 

please take that lace off your neck!

sama mo na rin yung hikaw

but i love this dress by Veejay Floresca. 

and she accessorized just right with her hair down. 

looking pretty. 

color suits her but i'm not too crazy about this

especially those shells

but well, she still looks pretty anyway.

go pinays! 

ordertaker!

someone ordered from me through Multiply! 

this is my first shipment containing fabric and paper tapes.

it's exciting! 

repackaged using recycled plastic

i'm still not used to using Multiply for e-commerce. 

i only saw her order today but she paid early this week pa :( 

i included a free Kurashiki washi tape hoping she will forgive me.

with a love note in an origami butterfly.

fabric tape - Tiny

fabric tape - Enfant

Cavallini Paris Paper Tape

i hope she enjoys her new tapes! 

---

my mother is good in business being half-Chinese. she can sell anything.

even paper mache boxes which she just learned last month (i taught her the how-tos)!

my usual stand when it comes to selling is this: 

kung ayaw mo, wag mo. kasi akin na lang hahaha!

that's why i can't be a good businesswoman. lugi agad!

i also realized it's important for me to love and believe in the products i'm selling.

quality is first and foremost.  

i can't just sell any notebook or pen. i have to like them and use them too. 

  if my products don't sell, i won't mind it that much 

because if worse comes to worst, i can use them myself!  

but i do hope they sell so other people can also use such beautiful cute things :) 

and i hope this craft business grows and Filipinos start to improve themselves 

by using their hands to make something handmade

instead of playing tong-its and drinking at Aling Nena's store. 

loaded

i have so many things planned that i don't know where to start first.

it's a challenge as i'm not that organized.

so i just started with the simplest...

this is going to be a sheep.

while it is drying, i'm listening to this over and over again.

mapapansin kayaw sa dami ng yowng ginagawaw...

and trying to write at the same time.

For crafters in the Philippines

click HERE to answer the questionnaire.

thank you!

my end goal

my sister has been asking for my advice. she just can't choose between a prestigious chocolate company and a small cheesecake bakery who are both offering her work.

Haigh's hired her to be a chocolate decorator which means she'll apply the designs on the chocolates per piece. the swirls on this chocolate maybe?

she has been in charge of packing for 3 weeks now which made her so restless that she entertained another company wanting to hire her as baker. Cheesecake company is much like Red Ribbon. it's a franchise cake shop all over Australia.  she is expected there next monday and she'll be tasked to bake all the cakes! plus she'll be in charge of customer service. she'll practically run the whole bakery much like a chef runs a restaurant. she'll be the chef and restaurant manager in one. 

she's confused because on the other hand, she can't let go of the prestige that Haigh's is offering. plus the paid leaves, the not-so-demanding work hours which Cheesecake can't offer. 

i could tell she wanted the Cheesecake job from the start. and i wanted it for her too. Haigh's may be prestigious but is she really needed there? anybody can do her job decorating those chocolates. in fact, she can leave everyday on the dot because someone like her will just continue where she left off. 

like i told her, it's like an assembly line. and she's a factory worker. yes, she wears the white cap and the white uniform too!

there's only one thing that you really have to consider when making a decision especially when it comes to work and that is your END GOAL. 

in her case, her end goal is to have a bakery of her own. if she stays with Haigh's, what will she learn aside from decorating chocolates? seriously, she can learn that in a month or two. after which, she's sure to get bored. both jobs will help her save money but in the end, Cheesecake will teach her the business skills needed to run her own bakery someday. plus she will get to practice and hone her baking skills everyday. 

---

speaking of end goals, i don't have one! it's not in my personality to have goals really. i always cross the bridge when i get there which is not a very good thing. even short-term goals will help you focus and i'm starting to train myself to have little goals like what i need to accomplish the next day. 

i can only think of one end goal right now. i want to have a craft store of my own which offers craft supplies not available here right now.  it should also feature locally made fabrics. quality should be first and foremost when choosing the supplies to be sold here. i don't want to sell fake washi tapes just like those sold in Multiply. if ever they will be sold as paper tapes and only if i like them. i would support locally made products as much as possible if they pass my quality control. 

i want the store not too big, with wood interior and glass windows so people can see the interior and will want to come in.

 i want a much smaller version of this  

men should also want to accompany their wives and girlfriends inside. there should be a sitting area for them. but the market is largely the women and kids.  eventually, ladies can gather here to unwind, have light snacks while they knit, weave, sew or do any craft in the store for free. then all the crafts they make can be sold through the store too so they can earn too. 

i'll be happy to stay here all day. it won't feel like work at all  :)

now how much do i need to save up for this? 

UPDATE: my sister is staying with Haigh's. family comes first.