The History of "Our Dog"

This is really random and wasn't supposed to be part of my blog at all, but after doing errands with my makeup-less face (please excuse it), Syrena and I chilled in the garage and she decided to take photos of me. Since "our dog" is in it, I thought I'd tell a semi-funny story about "our dog" while I'm at it.

[grey Star Wars shirt from Uniqlo / boyfriend jeans from Forever 21 / purple sneakers from People Footwear]

So, originally, we took in this dog who was a breed of a Dachshund and something else (I forget what) and one day, he ran off into our village and wasn't seen for more than seven days.

A few more days passed and we were so sure that we had lost our beloved Butler (that was his name) forever.

But then, one day, I came home and I saw "our dog" sitting in our garage. I thought it was a bit weird, really, because our dog usually barks at me and jumps up at me whenever I enter the gate; but this time, he just sat there.

I approached him very slowly, squatted down and called out, "Butler! Butler! Come here, boy!" which usually gets him to jump up onto my legs. But he just sat there.

When I got into the house, my mom informed me that she had found "Butler" wandering around along President's Avenue (which is pretty far from where we live) and so she picked him up (but my mom is scared of dogs…?) and put him in the car (...and Butler would never go with my mom…?) and brought him home.

I was convinced he wasn't our dog, but my mom kept insisting that he was, so we sort of just took the dog in and accepted that it was Butler.

Funnily enough, when one of my best friends came over, he instantly noticed the difference, too. Normally, the minute he walked in, Butler would jump up at him and hump his leg. That time, "Butler" just sat there.

This friend of mine had a thing with dogs, by the way, and Butler would usually automatically get up on his leg whenever my friend sat down on a chair and Butler would hump his leg to no end. This "Butler" just sat there. It was the weirdest thing.

Did we seriously just steal someone else's dog and claim him as our own? While we will never know for sure (unless "Butler" starts talking and tells us the truth), I can say that I am warming up to "Butler". He's much more tame than the actual Butler and is much friendlier, too.

I still feel kinda bad, though.

Sabina: A Lingerie Brand That Goes the Extra Mile for Breast Cancer Survivors

I spent almost seven years of my life in Bangkok and within those seven years, I grew to love certain lingerie brands as any other girl would. Probably the only local Thai brand that I loved in terms of lingerie, though, was Sabina.

So, when I heard that they were having an event for their Sewing Cup, Sewing Heart campaign here in Manila, I jumped at the chance to be there - not only because I love the brand, but also because breast cancer runs in my family. My mom gets cysts ever so often and one of her sisters has already gotten a mastectomy.

In case you haven't heard of it yet, the Sewing Cup, Sewing Heart campaign is all about sewing bra cups for breast cancer survivors, so that they can use them to help them get back to their normal life after a mastectomy. It is only apt that we experienced the event during October, the official Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I had a lot of fun sewing bra cups for those in need as I love sewing, in general. However, it was also because it served as a reminder of the dangers of breast cancer and the struggles of the women who go through it.

The cups that were sewn at the event were donated to the ICanServe Foundation for the use of breast cancer survivors and to help breast cancer support groups in various parts of the Philippines.

Sabina has also launched its first Asian-made bra line specifically for breast cancer survivors called the Fill Up Bra collection. You can check them out at SM department stores, on their website (http://www.sabina.co.th) or on their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/SabinaPH)

Vivere Salon: A Salon You Can Actually Trust

I don't know about you, but I used to have major trust issues when it comes to my hair. You can't blame me, though. Hair salons have messed up my hair many a-time and as such, I have only gone to every salon that I have been to here in the Philippines exactly once. That's right. I have never re-visited the same salon because none of them ever made me feel safe or happy.

All that changed when I "met" Vivere Salon.

I visited Vivere Salon's branch in Festival Mall last month and to be honest, I didn't really have a dream haircut in mind. All I knew was that I needed a haircut stat because my hair color was fading, I was getting split ends and my hair was starting to fall off like never before.

When Sir Donnie De Guzman, my stylist for the day, asked me what I wanted, all I said was, "I just want to keep the length and I want some color?" And from there on out, he took complete charge.

To start, he layered my hair a little bit and then gave my hair a subtle red color. When it was done, he then decided to give me longish side bangs. Me! Miss no-bangs-ever-again ever since I once tried to cut my bangs myself (worst move ever!)

Surprisingly, I love them! I also love how Sir Donnie completely understood the struggle of maintaining bangs and keeping them out of your face. He also talked me through every step of the process and gave me great hair maintenance and beautifying tips for the future.

I also love that he didn't force curls on me like most salons tend to do. He just gave me a quick blow-dry and voila! I finally look like a human being again!!!

This is what the color looks like under the sun! :D

I was completely satisfied with the service, the ambience, the friendliness of the staff and the overall results at Vivere Salon. For the first time in my life since I moved to the Philippines, I actually believe I have finally found my go-to salon in the Metro.

Boyfie approves, too! :D

Do you need a hair makeover? I'm giving away 1 hair rebond and treatment to 1 lucky reader courtesy of Vivere Salon right here. All you have to do is fill out this Rafflecopter form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

They currently have a promo in case you want to avail of it before the giveaway ends, by the way: Premium Hair Rebonding + Advanced Hair Reconstruction Treatment from the US for only Php3,800 on weekdays from 10am to 2pm until October 30!

Good luck! And don't forget to like Vivere Salon on Facebook and to follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @viveresalon :)

The Beauty in the Unexpected

I have never been much of a planner. I used to be. I used to plan everything down to a tee weeks in advance. I'd pencil in dinner dates, nights out, coffee sessions and brunch with my girls well in advance until one day, in my 20s, I noticed that my plans started to not follow through more and more.

beige sweater from Uniqlo / dragon egg necklace from Fandom Trinkets / brown leather boyfriend watch from Fossil / floral skirt from Forever 21 / black leather owl bag from H&M / black strappy heels from Zalora

I used to just adapt to the changes that happened, but after I got pregnant, my entire life's plan had to change and that's when I started scoffing at everyone who bothered to ask me, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Guess what, honey. It doesn't matter because no matter what you envision for yourself in 5 years, it ain't gonna happen.

Now, I don't mean to be a party pooper here. On the contrary, my point is actually quite the positive one: if plans don't push through, don't sweat it. Better yet, don't make any plans at all and just take life one day at a time and each day one hour at a time.

Nowadays, whenever someone asks me, "What are you doing tomorrow?" Most of the time, my answer is, "I don't plan that far ahead." Because I really don't. Anything could happen. You could get a fever out of nowhere. You could unexpectedly get stuck in traffic. You could run out of phone battery. And then all of your plans will have to change or vanish.

Ideally, your mindset should focus more on having fun and enjoying each moment as opposed to planning everything out to a tee. Be prepared for change because it could come at any time. Be flexible enough to go with the flow because you never know what might come up.

My boyfriend Vincent is a planner. He has been since we started dating. Funnily enough, though, every single thing that he has planned throughout our relationship has never pushed through. When I pointed this out to him just yesterday, he denied it and then sat there for a while trying to think of a plan of his that pushed through. He couldn't think of a single thing.

And that's my point. These outfit shots of ours? Completely spontaneous. The road just happened to be close to empty and I thought it would make for a nice backdrop for some photos. The result? A lot of laughter and unforgettable moments. And those are the things that you should focus on and strive for in life: the good times, the giggles, the priceless memories that you make when you aren't stressing about your plans.

Sometimes, life just won't hand you a bone. Be okay with that. Once you learn to accept that plans just don't always happen the way you want them to, you'll live a much more stress-free life. And trust me: you'll be smiling a whole lot more, too.

Nailaholics Paraffin Package: Do You Love the Heat?

I have quite a few guilty pleasures in life: High School Musical, siopao binges, long roadtrips, and extremely hot showers. In fact, I love hot showers so much, I stay in the shower until all the mirrors fog up and I can feel my skin sizzle and almost burn.

So, when I heard that Nailaholics had a paraffin package sale, I rushed to the nearest branch, SM Southmall, to indulge in some heated goodness for my own personal pleasure. <3

Nailaholics' current promo will give you 20% off of an Atlantic Sea Moist Package, which includes a scrub and a paraffin manicure and pedicure.

The package starts with a regular foot spa true Nailaholics-style: with the Mentos-looking stones in them that I am still convinced are Mentos. :p

It is then followed by a scrub that will make you look like a mutant. :p (The semi-massage that came with it is divine!)

And then comes the best part: the actual paraffin. The best way to describe it would probably be pouring candle wax all over your legs and arms. Candle wax is another weird guilty pleasure of mine!

Aside from moisturising and softening your legs, feet, arms and hands, paraffin treatments are also said to provide relief from pain and arthritis.

Paraffin treatments can also improve blood flow and relax the muscles. So, if you walk, type or workout a lot, or even if you are simply tired; this would be a great treatment option for you!

The cutest part, though, is right after the treatment when they wrap up your legs and arms with plastic and then make you wear cute lil mittens like the ones you make newborns wear so they don't suck on their thumbs. Hihi.

Vincent admittedly wasn't too fond of the paraffin treatment (he doesn't like the heat), so it clearly isn't for everyone, but if you want to try the treatment yourself, I've got a treat for you!

Yes, yes! In partnership with Nailaholics, I am giving away a paraffin package for 2, so you can experience the same heat-delicious experience with a friend at your Nailaholics branch of choice! :) All you have to do is fill up this Rafflecopter form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! And don't forget to like Nailaholics on Facebook and to follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @_nailaholics :)

M&G Global Ads: Get Help with Your Blog Logo or Design

Are you starting a blog? Are you having trouble coming up with a name for it? Are you stuck trying to think of a logo to associate your blog with?

Karl Lagerfeld said it perfectly when he said 'Logos and brains are so important. In a big part of the world, people cannot read French or English - but are great in remembering signs.' This holds true for blogs, too.

Whenever I see the front of a jeepney, I can't help but think of When in Manila. On that note, whenever I see a diamond, I can't help but think of David Guison. This is also the reason why so many people tag me on social media whenever they see anything remotely Wonder Woman-related.

Bloggers always have different reasons as to why they choose a certain name or logo to associate themselves with. In case you didn't know, I used to write for a newspaper in Bangkok when I was still in high school and to hide my underaged identity, I hid under the alias 'Wonder Woman' - and I've pretty much been Wonder Woman ever since.

If you are having trouble with your blog's branding and image, you might want to consult some professionals in the field to help you out. Signage maker M&G Global Ads actually has a great team of graphic design experts who will be happy to work with you and come up with the best design solution for your signage or signage design needs.

Here is some of their work that you might already be familiar with:

They also offer acrylic signage, stainless signage, restaurant signage, LED signage and more signages. Visit their website at http://mgglobalads.com to find out more.