Digi perm 6th month update

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My hair has grown really long! I’ve only just noticed it because it’s always up in a bun, what with the really hot and humid weather. As expected, my waves have moved down and loosened, but still very much noticeable, especially after washing it. It’s true what they say that the curls do come alive again after showering.

My vanity fund (haha!) is getting drained fast by my constant use of Kerastase’s Oleo-Curl (a big dollop a day after shower). I use up an entire 150ml bottle in about two weeks! So I decided to look for a more affordable (but not cheap!) alternative. On one of our Sunday trips to Makati, I walked by Piandre at Greenbelt 1 and saw this new line of products in their window display. I must confess, it was the packaging that got me. The earthy look promised all-natural ingredients used in the product.

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Gmail Tip: Using + to organize your emails

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I still keep my very first email address at Yahoo! but Gmail is just so packed with incredibly useful added, often hidden, features that I use it every single day. I wrote this Gmail tip to introduce one of these features.
One very cool feature that I learned from a client of mine last year is the + trick. Gmail allows you to create an unlimited number of aliases for your email addresses, making email organization a lot easier.

gmail, 300x225, work from home

I can’t tell you how thankful I was when I discovered this. My work entails having to create web forms on a daily basis and I used to have to manually create several email addresses to test these web forms using different profiles. I no longer have to do that!

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Dealing with Dementia

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She’s been greeting my siblings “Happy New Year!” each time they call now. When I finally asked her today why she does that, she said that it will be New Year soon as Christmas is fast approaching. I gently reminded her that it’s just May. She slapped her forehead and said that she thought it was already November.

My Mom is 80 next year and she suffers from dementia. Her psychiatrist says that she is entering the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Her memory lapses are more frequent now and narrowly spaced. Just a few days ago we went shopping for her clothes and decided to have dinner in the same mall. I asked her if she liked the blouses that we bought but the question only brought a confused look on her face. It hadn’t been an hour since she’d been trying on the clothes at the store but she had no recollection of it at all. I showed her the bag and she gushed about how beautiful the tops were, as if she was seeing them for the very first time.

It does seem like she sees everything for the first time now. I guess it’s a good thing too because she appreciates every good thing each time and she never runs out of compliments . On our way home from Tagaytay on Mother’s Day, we stopped by the roadside flower shops so that she can buy flowering plants for her garden. She loves her garden. She got her green thumb from her Father. Although, there’s been a few instances when her plants die because of too much fertilizer. Yes, she forgets and re-fertilizes. And she never listens when reminded. Anyway, when she saw the flowers the next day, she was so curious as to where they came from but was genuinely happy at the burst of color her garden now has.

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5 Ways To Get Repeat Clients

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I don’t know about you, but I’d rather work with people that I have a proven good working relationship with rather than a constant stream of new clients who may or may not be easy to deal with.

Building a good reputation as an independent online contractor is not hard. Here are 5 ways to get repeat clients:

1. Be honest. There is nothing a person appreciates more than honesty, especially a business that deals with virtually unknown people halfway around the world. When you can’t finish a job on time, let the client know right away and always give an estimate of when you can complete it. Give recommendations.

2. Know your worth. You are an expert in your field that’s why people come to you. Knowing that, decide on and be firm about your rate. Look at what other contractors in your field are charging and gauge your skills against them. Be confident.

3. Fix your profile. Let people know what you can do. Be specific about your skills and the programs/software you use or are knowledgeable about. Highlight recommendations and feedback of other clients.
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5th month digi perm update

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I realize that it’s been almost a month since my last post. A LOT has happened since then, and I’ve been swamped with work (which is a good thing!).

Anyway, I thought I’d give you a 5th-month digi perm update after getting one last January.

I’m quite happy with how it has maintained its curls; my hair is longer now. I did switch hair products a month ago though because my scalp wouldn’t stop itching and seeing flakes alarmed me. I’d read positive reviews about the Human Heart Nature products created by Filipinas. So far, I’m pleased with how gentle the products are to my scalp. They are, after all, made from all-natural ingredients (most of their products are 100% natural). Rustan’s didn’t have the lush vanilla scent available for both shampoo and conditioner, so I tried their mandarin citrus conditioner. Both scents smell great. I had read that the scents don’t last long during the day but I haven’t really noticed that because I mostly stay indoors. I had just purchased the lush vanilla conditioner so now that’s the pair that I’m using on my curls. The 500ml bottles cost around Php 290+ each in select supermarkets. I have only found them in Rustan’s so far; not sure if Watson’s carries them but PCX definitely doesn’t. Beauty Bar only has their make-up line. Continue reading →

Summer Cebu Getaway

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I found out last January that my Mabuhay (PAL frequent flier) Miles were about to expire and I had not planned any trips yet to use them up. Since the husband had not been to Cebu before, I decided to make a quick booking there and just plan our itinerary later.

After my successful flight booking, searching for a place to stay and what to do were next on my list. I looked back to the past brief stays I had in the city and apart from the usual trips to see the Mactan cross and the MacArthur monument, I was totally out of ideas. Where to spend three whole days to do nothing?

Bantayan Island, white sand, work from home

Bantayan Island. Photo from http://www.bantayanisland.org/.

I looked up beaches that were not too far from the city. Sure, Bantayan is fantastic but I doubt the husband (or I!) would have the patience for the long trip to go there, plus we’d need at least a week off to enjoy it. So I figured we’d need some place that did not require a boat ride and just 2 hours tops from the airport. I looked at beaches with good reviews online and narrowed down my choices.

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My Lenten Reflection

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While most of Metro Manila is out either in the provinces or to resorts to spend the rest of the Holy Week, the husband and I decided to stay home like we do each year. We’d rather be here than spend hours traveling and braving the traffic going in and out of the city. Also, the peace and quiet during these few days makes us feel like we’re not in the city anyway.

We spent most of Holy Thursday cleaning up the room downstairs that we use for storage. About 8 medium-sized boxes were used up to fill with junk that are going to be thrown out, and 2 boxes for clothes, books and shoes to give to charity. Cleaning is always a good therapy for me – it allows me to think clearly and reflect.

Today, Good Friday, we took the two dogs, Ava and Bishop, with us to Bonifacio High Street where we did the Way of the Cross. The roads were almost empty but I was surprised that a lot of people were at BHS. Well, I guess only half-surprised since it was the only mall that was open (only partially because the restaurants were and the shops weren’t). I liked how the stations of the cross were laid out across the compound, and there were acts that accompanied each station. The warmth and humidity didn’t stop people from following the age-old Catholic tradition.

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New Additions to My Kimmidoll Tribe

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I love kokeshi! I’ve been collecting Kimmidolls for two years now and the new dolls always make me want to have more!

As soon as I saw the post by Kimmidoll Philippines about the March 2013 dolls, I knew I just had to have one! I loved Kyoka on their photo, because she’s garbed in just white with blue lines and is so different from my other dolls’ striking colors. Plus, Kyoka means “happiness”!

Kyoka – Happiness

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Giving and Accepting Compliments

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I can’t remember when I had ever held out from complimenting anyone for their nice appearance or a job well done. For me, giving compliments is equal to thanking a person for bringing beauty and order to my life. I know how it feels to be thanked, and I like people to have that same feeling so I am never stingy with compliments.

I remember one particular morning before we went to work when my then housemate emerged from her room looking especially radiant and I was genuinely taken aback by her glow. I immediately told her, “wow, you are very pretty looking like that!”. She looked so surprised that someone had paid her that kind of compliment, but I could tell that what I had said had brightened up her day. She was all smiles and was especially cheerful the rest of the day.

When our helper first came to work for us, she wasn’t an experienced cook yet cooking was one of her tasks. Maybe because her father was a cook and the talent was in her genes, but her dishes were really good. I, of course, praised her a lot for it. The compliments must have really boosted her confidence because she started to call and ask her family for tips on cooking and began scribbling down recipes from cookbooks she had found around the house. Oftentimes, she would ask me if she could try a dish that she had read about and I’d encourage her even if I had never heard of it. I loved her enthusiasm.

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Cody, Our Persian-Himalayan Cat

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It’s my birthday today and I thought I’d write about this one precious gift that was given to me 5 years ago.

Prior to having our pets now, I was a given a puppy by one of my best friends a few years ago as a birthday gift. I also had an aquarium full of red cichlid fish at the time (I had seen the movie Nemo and fell in love with fish so I went out and bought them as soon as we left the cinema. I couldn’t find any clown fish.). The puppy’s name was Buster and he was really adorable. I had a hard time caring for him though and actually didn’t know a thing about caring for a pet. Good thing my housemate’s aunt adopted him and took him home with her where he can play with other dogs. While I had Buster, my fish died one by one. It was actually strange how they died because it seemed like they each committed suicide. We found them dead on the floor of our apartment. After my dog went away and all my fish were gone, I had more fish when I moved to a condo unit by myself. They lasted for about 8 months before they also died. I felt that I was probably not cut out for caring for animals… yet.

I then met my soon-to-be husband who, along with his entire family, was an animal lover. When I met him his family had around 2 cats and 4 dogs at the time. This was very interesting to me because I grew up in a house in which dogs were merely guard dogs and cats were strays who only came by our kitchen to feed on scraps. Our dogs were always kept on chains and stayed underneath our home. I think my brothers played with our dogs when they were younger, but during my time, I never got to play with them because they had seemed too wild for me. We never adopted the stray cats either, although I do remember vividly one afternoon when my Mom came home with a kitten in her hand. She said that it followed her home from the other end of the block and wouldn’t go back where it came from when she tried to shoo it away. The cat didn’t last long. Our helper at the time wasn’t too fond of cats and she threw scalding water at it until it ran away and never ever came back.

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