>London!

>Some of the snapshots I took with my Nikon D60.


H&M Taxi

The Underground

Sign
On the train to Manchester
The Manchester Eye

I like the mix of old and new

cool bear masks

The National Gallery


Topshop heaven

Yup. AA in LDN.

cider

On the way to see Prince Charles

That’s his blue jaguar. The lady in front knew he was coming. I didn’t.

>Late Travel Journal pt 1

>It’s been 4 months since I got back from my 7 week European vacation and I still haven’t written about it. I’ve been meaning to blog about it or hopefully even have it published (if it’s decent enough) in some travel magazine, but after uploading a whole lot of photos from the trip, I haven’t been able to gather enough steam to type my thoughts out. So here is my attempt at recording the Eurotrip 2009 experience, for the sake of my poor long term memory.

Why go on this trip anyway?
It’s a tradition for my parents to give their daughters one year off after their college graduation to travel and bum around before starting to work. It’s a great offer that I wouldn’t pass up. My only problem initially was a lack of travel companions. The one year of bumming started with me going on a 2 month US trip, first with my parents then the rest with me staying with my sister in LA. That was June-July 2008, the perfect time to go to Europe, but instead I spent it in the US. I couldn’t find anyone who could travel with me, until I went back to the States in November that year. I stayed with my cousin Janet in New York while I studied Makeup in Soho. As luck would have it, she was actually interested in going to Europe, and at that time, she was unemployed with all the time in the world! No plans were finalized yet, but at least I had a potential travel buddy.

That’s one of the big factors that could make or break a trip. I wanted a travel buddy that I’d be comfortable with, I’d have fun with, and wouldn’t have a hard time getting along with after being together 24/7/6.

>The beginning of the rest of my life.

>I start going to work tomorrow. Not a makeup shoot or a hosting job, but an 8-5 going to the office sort of thing, and the truth is, I’m pretty excited.

My default answer for the past how many months was, “I don’t want to start working yet.” After this weekend I feel like I’m ready to start something new.

I went on a retreat from friday to sunday that helped me rest, refocus and listen to God. I have this great sense of calm and steadiness, compared to the worry and anxiety of before.

Today, I woke up early and played golf with two of the funniest guys I know and had a great lunch afterwards.

Tomorrow will be a good day. this month will be a good month. this year is my year.

>In my mini makeup kit

>One question that I get asked a lot ever since I became a makeup artist is “What cosmetics do you recommend?”

Here’s what I keep in my personal cosmetics kit, the stuff I use on a daily basis.

Base: Cinema Secrets Cream Foundation and Larenim Powder Foundation

I haven’t tried a lot of foundation out there, but I’m completely happy with how Cinema Secrets performs. It can go from full coverage to as sheer as you like it. Just mix it in your moisturiser for a light tint if that’s all you need.


Cheek and Lip: NARS blush/bronzer duo in Orgasm/Laguna, Benefit Benetint, Bobbi Brown mini face blender brush.

I absolutely LOVE this blush/bronzer duo. It flatters all skin tones and is pretty much foolproof.


Eyes: Smashbox eyeshadow trios: Twilight and Beam, Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara, L’oreal Kohl Black Eyeliner, In2it clear brow gel, Bobbi Brown mini eyeshadow brush, Tweezerman tweezers, and Shu Uemura eyelash curler

These two trios are so basic, everyone should have a version of it in their makeup kit. I usually fix my own brows, so the tweezers are a must.

I also usually have lip balm/gloss, but that’s already in my purse. My makeup kit doesn’t go with me everywhere. I make sure I have blotting papers too.

>What’s in a name?

>

I first learned about Cory Aquino’s passing in Facebook. It’s the first thing I check in the morning, and along than sadness, I felt this sense of relief. I knew she was sick for quite some time, so her passing meant that she didn’t have to suffer and feel pain anymore. I really believe that she was ready to join God in heaven. She prayed so much and showed so much faith in Him. That’s definitely something I try to emulate.

My parents were there in EDSA in 1986. They did their part in the revolution. My uncle was very active in the opposition. Though we are not big art collectors, a Manny Baldemor painting depicting the EDSA revolution hangs in our dining room, reminding us everyday of the Laban days.

My mom and dad would tell me stories of those times, how they could have migrated abroad after Ninoy was assassinated and the country’s future was so uncertain but they chose to stay here. They are both very nationalistic, which I think rubbed off us kids.

I was told that when I was born in October 1986, my parents were thinking of giving me a name relevant to the times. I’ve heard recently of someone named Revolution or Revo for short. In my case, they were seriously considering naming me Liberty (dictionary meaning: the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior or political views.)

My older sisters objected to this name, since Liberty was also a brand name of a popular condensed milk. So I was named Bertha, after my dad. Growing up, my nickname at home was Tata. Now friends call me Bertha, Berts, Bert, or Ta.

Thinking about it some more, Liberty would have been an uncommon name to have, plus it stands for something so ideal. I’d still be called Berts/Bert for short. However, I’m still glad they named me Bertha (meaning: bright one). I’m still the only one I know with my name, although I know someone named Alberta and Berta, so it makes me feel pretty unique.

>Life update.

>I’ve been out of college for 15 months now, and since graduating on April 27, 2008 I:

1) Traveled to Hong Kong with the whole family, and Bangkok with just my sister.

2) Spent 2 months in the US, mostly in LA in May to June.

3) Hosted “A Round of Golf”, a golf lifestyle tv show on CS9. For this job, I had to go to various golf courses in and around Manila and featured their best holes.

4) Helped my sister Donna with her wedding in August

5) Attended a one week course at the Asian Institute of Management. It was their Management of Family Corporations seminar. I took it with my parents and two sisters. Being in a classroom with them for a week was weird at first, but funny and interesting as it went along. I recommend it to families who have (duh) family businesses.

6) Spent 6 weeks in New York city, attending a Makeup Artistry course from Make Up Designory for a month. (November-December 2008)

7) Almost didn’t make it home for Christmas… Thank God I did.

8) Became a spectator in the UAAP Football tournament for the first time. I played all my four years in college and saw it from the sidelines this year.

9) Started practicing Ashtanga Yoga. I took a 10 class Intro to Ashtanga at Yogamanila Alabang.

10) Went to the driving range.

11) Did several makeup jobs here and there.

12) Went to Boracay for a weekend in March

13) Saw the Eraserheads with my sister

14) Played futsal in the Palms.

15) Played in 7 a side football tournaments.

16) Attended a weeklong football coaching seminar.

17) Attended a Broadcast Performance workshop in IIFA. To satisfy my courtside reporter ambitions.

18) Attended a Basic Photography Seminar at PCCI. Finally learned how to use my Nikon DSLR.

19) Applied for my US, UK and Schengen Visas.

20) Traveled to Korea with the whole family. I love korean food and paper products. And all their other cute knicknacks.

21) Hung out with friends, do more yoga, play more futsal, went to the driving range.

22) Traveled to Europe for 2 months. (May-June 2009).

It’s been really different from being in school and having a set schedule and defined tasks.

I haven’t started a desk job like a lot of my friends, but at the same time I’m done with school. So I’m in this in-between stage.

I’m living like a bum on most days, but for now I still like it. But then again, I am starting to get bored, being on facebook all the time. I have to upload so many pictures from Europe, and I’m too lazy to delete the bad ones.

I’m excited to start doing new things, I just don’t know what they are yet. For now, I shall wear the makeup artist hat and try to get back into shape. I’m joining a team for an upcoming football tournament and I want to be in fighting form.

>Write some more

>I’ts been more than a year since I wrote on this blog and it’s the same for most of my journals. I start then I don’t open it for months then sometimes I just can’t put all my thoughts down to paper…

With facebook blogs and multiply blogs, it’s dizzying to have all these options for self expression/promotion but then I got inspired by my sister, Sheila and her dedication to her website.

Memphis Dining

Ribs at Silky O' Sullivans

This is the ribs that I ordered at Silky O’ Sullivan’s in Beale Street.  I loved the seasoning shake that they put on top and the bbq sauce you can squeeze on to you liking.

They also have good bbq shrimp

And they have just one item for dessert.

The Fried Cheesecake wrap with chocolate syrup.