Jessa Herbal Beauty Soap (Bicol)

     It was September 2013 when my father suffered a major stroke. As the family was coping, my good friend Kevin sent some herbal medicines for my dad along with some bars of a certain herbal beauty soap. That’s how I was introduced to Jessa, an all natural carrot-papaya herbal beauty soap manufactured by REJANE Marketing and exclusively distributed in Luzon and Visayas by Living Way Projects Mercantile Corporation. More than a year later, when things are starting to be normal for my family, I inquired about the soap and have learned from Kevin that there’s more to Jessa than meets the eye.

Thanks Marflin for sharing your Jessa Herbal Beauty Soap experience with us. ☺

Jessa?

     First, let me tell you how Jessa is not just a beauty soap but also a health soap that’s good for the entire family. Here's the official content of our flyer:

Zip Line Adventure at Embarcadero

     Hey guys, what's up?! I updated this blog 6 months ago? Whattt?

     Anyways, two weekends back, my friend Kevin and I tried Embarcadero de Legazpi's Zipline adventure and guess what? IT. WAS. AWESOME. There are other zipline facilities in Albay but what makes this one unique is the water below the zip-line making it a bit more challenging. The 350-meter Embarcader zipline begins from the lighthouse of Embarcadero Mall (30 meters above ground) and descends down the breakwater across Legazpi Port basin. The water will make you a bit apprehensive but when you're down the cable to get to the other side, there's nothing but at least 55 seconds of amazing Mayon Volcano view and a cool new perspective of the city of Legazpi. It's quite fortunate that I was able to capture the whole thing on video. Watch:

     We wanted to do more but there's just so little time. We'll also try the zip-line at Lignon Hill, heard that one's quite good too. Anyway, sorry the vid's a bit jerky 'cause I was too excited. Thanks Kev for editing the vid and making it a bit more bearable to watch.

     Some photos:

#OOTD Update

     It's fun to have a blog that nobody reads. I know this for a fact because my recent posts have very few pageviews -- and if they do have pageviews, most of them are mine, hah! Now I can write about anything and not be embarrassed at all. And since nobody reads my blog anymore, no fear posting some more of my photos now. ☺

     I've been busy with stuff and one of the things I do to avoid burn out is eat out with family. But with my dad's stroke last year, even dining out has lessened because now we're being careful of what we eat. Anyway, because I've become less occupied,  I've decided to visit restaurants in Legazpi City and the province of Albay (maybe in the future, Albay's neighboring places too) and feature them on my The Pinoy Wanderer blog. This is my way of helping out create awareness on the culinary destinations in my region. I ask recommendations from friends and see for myself if the restaurant deserves a spot on the list that I'm creating. At the moment, I'm starting to put up this list of worth-recommending restaurants in Legazpi City that offer eat-all-you-can dining option because buffets are the best way to indulge in food. How is that related with this blog? Simple, I'm no fashion icon but I will update you guys with how I look every time I go out on food trips. Oops, I meant to say, I will update myself (since nobody reads my blog anymore), haha! We can learn from each other, even from the mistakes we've committed, style included.

     With my brother in tow, we've already visited two restaurants in Legazpi City. If last year I was a bit fond of formal shirts (I pair it with jeans for a casual, care-free look), now I've returned to comfortable cotton tees, probably because of the weather. Here's what I had on when we visited Mr. Crab & Seafood Diner approximately 12 days ago. Click this LINK to read my review of that buffet experience at Mr. Crab.

Shirt by Hollister, vintage pants by Levi's, and shoes by New Balance.

     Then 6 days ago, my brother and I tried out Cosina de' Marina's buffet. Follow this LINK to read my review of our buffet experience at Cosina de' Marina.  And yep, here's a photo of me that day.

White shirt by Gap, polo shirt by H&M, pants by H&M, and my favorite shoes right now by New Balance.

     There you go, I'm done updating myself. If you happen to drop by this blog and you're not ME, I'm grateful. LOL! Have a great day!

A Few Of My New Favorite Things

For lack of anything to write, I am writing this post. LOL!

     Anyway, let me introduce you guys to my new favorite pair of pants. It’s an H&M skinny jeans that my brother bought from an H&M store in Seattle. Goes well with cotton tees and formal shirts but still looking very casual.

H&M pants, $29.95

A few things when wearing skinny jeans:

All About #Selfie - Part 2

This post is the conclusion of All About Selfie - Part 1.

One of the best entries I've seen in the ongoing "Selfie Olympics" on Twitter.

I had it edited to show my face instead. LOL! Original image from HERE.

     Hey guys, what have you been up to since my last post? Let me guess, taking more selfies? Haha, cool. Anyway, hope you're not bothering your friends will all those selfies. Though we are well within our rights to take selfie photos as much as we want, this does not mean that we also have the right to annoy our friends. We should not irritate our friends with photos that look the same, on the same setting, wearing the same clothes, and shot at the same angle. That's annoying. An article from The Huffington Post reported a study conducted in the UK which found out that excessive photo sharing makes almost everyone like you less. There should be at least some ground rules when posting #selfie photos in our social media accounts.

     Here are some guidelines that I adhere to when posting my selfies and perhaps you can use them too:

All About #Selfie - Part 1

In my opinion, this is my best #selfie so far. LOL!

     #Selfie have been around for ages before we even know what to call it. Wikipedia mentions a certain Robert Cornelius, an American pioneer in photography, who took a photo of himself in 1839, thus producing the first known selfie in history.^[1] Selfie photos just became more apparent with the advent of digital cameras and camera phones. The word selfie was first used in an Australian Internet forum (ABC Online) back in 2002 but it was in 2012 when the term truly became popular.^[1]

In 1839, Robert Cornelius took the first known selfie in history.^[1]

     Selfie, 2013's word of the year, have been defined by Oxford as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media site.^[2]" What qualifies as a selfie are photos of yourself (by yourself or with others in it) that you took on your own by holding the camera to take a direct photograph or a photograph of your reflection in the mirror.

     Here are some of my favorite and most memorable selfie photos that I retrieved from old media cards and from the hard drive of my old desktop. Don't worry folks, I've chosen the best ones and they're not a lot too, haha!

My first acceptable selfie back in 2004 taken by my first camera phone, a Nokia 3650.

This photo became my favorite Friendster profile pic. LOL!

Why I've Been Away From Blogging For Most Of 2013

     Hey readers, what's up? Sorry, been away from blogging for sooo long. Here are some good reasons why I wasn't able to post any update since April this year:

Behind me on the photo is Daraga Church, one of the churches we've visited before my brother left for the US.

Daraga Church, an 18th century Baroque church, is located on top of a hill above the busy town of Daraga, Albay.

     First, I got busy with this little business that my brother and I started late last year. I wrote about it on a POST published January 21, 2013. Thanks a bunch to all our friends who appreciated the board shorts and recommended it to their friends. You guys are awesome!

We Got Bored, We Started Designing Our Own Boardshorts

     That's it -- everything you need to know about this post is on the title, LOL!  And yes, the photos that you see on here are just some of our work. We have been designing and making board shorts for myself, my brother, and for some of our friends. If you're interested to get our services, read on.

One of our latest design which is part of the Summer 2013 Collection.

     I grew up with a mother who knows how to make her own clothes and a father, though carefree as he was, still looked good with his style. I'd like to think that their legacy, apart from genes and values in life, is the right judgment when it comes to what looks good and what doesn't.

A close up of one of our designs.  Our board shorts use the usual microfiber polyester fabric

that's quick drying, lightweight, soft to touch, and most importantly, comfortable to wear.

Floods, Heroes, Memories

The Floods

     It was September 26, 2009 when a flood of this magnitude has visited Manila and people blamed typhoon Ondoy for the properties and lives that were lost.  Almost three years later and several days of non-stop raining, Metro Manila is once again submerged in dirty, garbage-infested flood water.

This is the street right outside our apartment in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City
Second day of southwest monsoon flood / August 8, 2012, 8AM

My brother Jeb and our dog Yassu on the neighbor's roof  in our old address
in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City / 3rd day after typhoon Ondoy, September 28, 2009

The Sweetest Thing

     Hello beautiful people, what's up?  Sorry for not updating this blog lately but don't think even for a minute that I've forgotten about you, my awesome and most loyal readers.  Anyway, I've talked about friendship on this blog several times in the past, particularly on these posts:  (Go ahead, read them if you haven't yet).

• A Piece of My Thoughts
• Some Thoughts on Friendship

[L-R]: Bespren Kent, bestest JayB, MPC Yvette, Me, best friend Tokzzz and sexy AJ

       And so, please allow me to write about the topic once more...

Angels Brought Me Here

     They say music is the language of the soul.  It is a universal force that celebrates with our joy, laments with our sadness, calms our anger and sometimes, it gives us wisdom when we need it.  It's amazing how music can explain and relate to what we feel when nobody else can.  It is music which keeps us company when everything in this world seems most unbearable and when life feels just so hard to live.  Indeed -- music is life's gift to us all.

     The song 'Angels Brought Me Here' by Guy Sebastian was once someone's song for me.  Well, that was actually years ago.  I got attached to the song because it's just a wonderful feeling when someone tells you that you are an answer to their prayers -- that you are a miracle in their life.  Well, life isn't perfect and even the most beautiful relationship can crumble.  Even so, the past still holds beautiful memories and it deserves to be remembered even if it's just to learn and gain wisdom from it.

     Here's the video I made and I dedicate this to the person who told me once that I am her life's greatest miracle.  And perhaps, you can also dedicate this to someone whom you feel is life's miracle to you.  Enjoy!

Angels Brought Me Here
Artist:  Guy Sebastian
Album:  Just As I Am

My BICOL VACATION

     This is an updated version of the old post:  I'm Going on VACATION!

     To my fellow bloggers, friends and supporters (ahurm -- clears throat) thank you guys for your continued support and patronage.  My two blogs  Show Me Your Look Today and The Pinoy Wanderer are nothing without YOU.  Even while I'm away on vacation from January 4 to January 18, some of you folks still kept my blogs alive.  I sincerely thank you, and please know that I am deeply grateful.

     I'm updating this post because tweet random, well, randomly tweets my old posts and it's kinda hard to explain to my twitter followers that I'm already back from my vacation specially with this post's old title.  Haha!

     As I've said on the previous version of this article, I took a two-week break from blogging to spend time with my family in the province.  My flight for Legazpi City was last January 4 at 6AM, and talking about that flight -- ehrrrr -- we missed it.  I knowww, right?  So then we had to take the next flight (which was two hours later) and naturally, spent extra bucks for our new set of tickets.  

At this point, none of us were aware that the last call for our flight
have been made several minutes ago.  Pffttt!

Rose Scented Rosary From The Vatican

     Life is something that's bigger than all of us -- and for me, it's important that we believe and hold on to something so that life can have meaning and direction.  Sometimes we call this faith, other times, the lack of it.

     Hey guys, what's up?  2011 was certainly a great year.  It was not a seamless ride but the bumps along the way were just proof that life, with all its contradictions, is a great life.  It's a journey which presents us with valuable lessons as we strive to find true love, peace, happiness, and as we struggle to give meaning to our existence.

     For the year that has just ended, I shall remember the days with a thankful heart.  I have received countless blessings, and though for most I feel that I am not worthy yet they were still given to me.  I am blessed with many things but most of all, I am blessed with my faith -- for with my faith, I feel that life has a purpose.

     Talking about faith, I am deeply grateful to my best friend tokzzz for sending me these gorgeous rose-scented rosaries from the Vatican which are blessed by the pope.  I got two of them -- one I will give to my mom, and another I will give to Mamats.  They are two of the most wonderful women that I have the privilege of knowing and loving.  I feel that they rightfully deserve to have these rosaries.  Tokzzz is one of my few friends who acknowledges that there is something bigger than all of us -- that there is a God.  Among his many traits that I admire most is his spirituality.  Thank you tokzzz for being a really good friend.

Rose-scented rosary from the Vatican, blessed by Pope Benedict XVI.

     And so, let's begin this year with strong and unfaltering faith.  But though we look forward to the days ahead, let's not forget to look back and learn the lessons of the past because from the past is where we get maturity and wisdom.  To the years before me, I say THANK YOU.  And to the years ahead, I say BRING IT ON!

     Have a prosperous 2012 everybody!

Stuff That Annoys Me

     Last year on my birthday, I had a guest post written by a good friend.  It was exceptionally overwhelming getting to know myself from another person's point of view.  And so, though it's been more than a month after my birthday, I want my most loyal friends (those who take the time to read my posts) to know some stuff about me that's from my own point of view.  

So, what can possibly annoy me?

One Important Thing About Me...

     I try limit my expression of negativity because I believe that when we speak of it, it gets stronger.  However, I don't deny the truth that when we face and treat negativity as our enemy, there's the bigger chance that we can defeat it.  I still express my dislike, but I try to talk about it in a positive light.  And so on this post, I will introduce few of the things that I find annoying, but only because I'm thankful to be in the company of people who are just the opposite of what I'm about to discuss. 

What I Do...

Add ME on Facebook!

      Hey everybody, how are you all doing today?

     It's been a busy weekend for me and I'm still trying to get my thoughts organized before I publish another post.  For the meantime, though it's absolutely not important, I'd like to let you know that I've made a new Facebook account specially reserved for new friends that I will meet through the Internet.  So, if you have Facebook and you would like us to be FRIENDS, don't hesitate to add me.

My FACEBOOK ACCOUNT.  Add me up!

     You can do it several ways (make sure that your Facebook account is open!):

I Am Blessed, I Am Grateful...

     I celebrate my birthday today with a thankful heart and a humbled spirit.  Words cannot fully illustrate my gratitude and to bespeak them will always be an understatement.  I live not a perfect life but I have made it my rule to always look at it with positivity and deal with circumstances with sincere optimism.  It doesn't make me complacent nor less vigilant, instead, I acknowledge imperfections for what they are.  And then I take the challenge without losing sight of what's truly important.

     We have things to learn from each moment of life and yes -- even from the darkest of hours.  To face it with optimism requires nothing less but courage and character, and at the end, for what we have lost, we also have gains.  We gain truth from the pain, strengths from the weaknesses, realizations from the shortcomings, maturity from the experiences, acceptance from defeat.

Life is Beautiful!

Last Sunday (October 16, 2011) after having dinner at Conti's in Serendra
and on our way to Starbucks to get our dosage of caffeine, we saw these
really cool Christmas trees.

Myke's (Recent) Mis-Adventures Part 2

     Ready to be bored even more?  Show Me Your Look Today is back for the conclusion of my own mis-adventures.  Let's get it on!  ☺

Me at Dads.  Read on to find out the whole story...

     Two weeks after I got back here in Manila, one of my really nice friends, Elle, texted to see what's up.  Do you know when she last checked on me? More than a year ago!  Haha!  Good thing I did not change my mobile number.  I've been using the same Smart number since my Globe was snatched back in 2005.  Was able to revive my Globe number twice, but eventually lost it -- twice too.  My mobile number now is actually my mom's which I borrowed and it got stucked since it's the number which I seem not to lose.  Going back, we arranged to meet on her rest day which was a Sunday.

Myke's (Recent) Mis-Adventures Part 1

     Hey fellas!  It’s been more than a month since I got back here in Manila and just what have I been doing lately?  Mmm, not much really.  Let's just say I'm just having so much fun!  *insert mysterious smile here* Haha!

     This time, Show Me Your Look Today will just BORE you with my whereabouts.  So if you've got nothing better to do today, read on! ☺

Post-Birthday Post...

     It's been weeks since my birthday but I'm still getting a few greetings here and there.  Thanks a lot for the warm birthday wishes!  Special thank you to my guest writer who wrote a truly touching article about me.  That was one birthday gift I shall never forget! 

I also wanna say thank you to my little sister Hannah for the cake!

     Uhm... what did I do last November 4?  I was still awake at 12 midnight, got some greetings from my really close friends who always remember every year to greet me the moment the clock strikes 12.   I slept for 8 hours and I started my day around 10AM.  While drying my gel, I responded to some greetings on facebook, on twitter and on here.  My parents texted me and a few friends who knows my mobile.  At 3PM I went to Pasig church to hear mass and thank the Lord for all the blessings.  When I got there, there's a funeral going on and I was wearing black -- how convenient!  So I made a quick prayer of thanks, made a U-Turn and promised myself that I will go to church on the Sunday that will follow.  I went to the mall to buy some stuff for myself...  watched 'the social network' while munching on some pizza and sipping on a monster coke float... and had some coffee at Starbucks on my way home at around midnight.