Friday, April 29, 2011

Shu Shopping

Went to the Shu Uemura Fanatic Membership Launch and returned home with these babies.


Face Architect Liquid Foundation # 734
PhP2150, 50ml

Shu Face Architect Fluid Foundation 734
Excited to try this one out


High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil 
Original Price PhP1700, 150 ml
Got this at 40% off. Limited stocks available and on sale only until April 30. 

Shu Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula
Cleansing Oil-Aya Takano Collection


Depsea Hydrability Lotion and Moisturizer
Lotion: PhP1600, 150ml
Moisturizer: PhP2400, 50ml


Shu Uemura Depsea Toner and Moisturizer
Gift to mom for Mother's Day 

Brightening Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula
50 ml
Answer one of their trivia questions correctly and you get to pick a prize.

Shu Brightening Cleansing Oil
My trivia prize

Skincare Travel Kit
Be one of the first five (5) new members daily to get this nice set.

Shu Uemura Travel Kit
Skincare Travel Kit

The travel kit I got contained some products from their Phyto Black Line.

Shu Uemura Travel Kit Phyto Black
Lots of freebies!!!

Me let loose in a mall. Not a good idea. Now it's time for me to starve until the next payday.



Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Shu Fanatic Membership Launch

Happening on April 29 - May 7, 2011 at the Shu Uemura boutique at the Powerplant Mall.
Purchase any product on these dates and be an instant member.

Visit their Facebook page for more details.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I "Heart" Barcelona

I have a friend who is going all the way to Spain for her Nadal-fix. She's gone to China two years ago to watch him play. And to Bangkok last year to drool over him court-side. She's a stalker. She's crazy. Anyway, I digress.

Spent 6 days in Barcelona in the Summer of 2009. Weather was around 30-34 degrees but then I come from a tropical country so it wasn't really that bad.

Decided to stay in a hotel in the La Rambla area called Hostal Opera Ramblas. It's a budget hotel located along an alley a few meters away from the Opera and the Liceu metro station. A night's stay cost us around 55-63 euros. The hotel is located right smack in La Rambla which is a 1.2km-long street in central Barcelona that's very popular with both tourists and locals.

La Rambla Barcelona
Walking up La Rambla
Everything is walking distance from this area--the city beaches, the Boqueria, Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila (by Antoni Gaudi), countless bars, restaurants, hotels and even the shopping district.

Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria Barcelona
Entrance to the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria Barcelona
La Boqueria bursting with colors
Sagrada Familia
Sagrada Familia ceiling (taken while waiting for the lift)
View of the city from a Sagrada Familia tower
View from one of the towers of Sagrada Familia
Casa Mila by Antoni Gaudi
Casa Mila by Antoni Gaudi
Since my travel companion and I aren't the artsy-fartsy kind, we only spent 2 days doing the normal touristy stuff and decided to spend the rest of stay hanging out at the beach, both inside and outside the city. Beaches outside the city are a mere 10 to 15-minute train ride away with Castelldefels and Sitges being the two closest and most popular. If going to Sitges, the right beach is where gays mostly  hang out and the left beach, right behind the pink church, is where families and straight couples mostly go.

Cafe at a Barcelona city beach
Cool cafe at one of the city beaches
Sitges Beach
Sitges Beach
Restaurant by Sitges Beach
Lunch at a Restaurant by Sitges Beach
La Rambla is littered with restaurants so foodies need not fret. On our first day, we decided to eat at Pinotxo, a really tiny stall inside La Boqueria, which I've read so much about. The place doesn't have a printed/set menu so whatever they feel like cooking that day are the only ones available. Would do you good to know the Spanish words for chicken, pork, beef and seafood. Food was good, ingredients fresh and the caña cold.

Estofado and cana at Pinotxo Bar
Estofado and a Caña
While some of the restos along La Rambla are tourist traps, I strongly recommend having a bite at Cafe Viena which is just past La Boqueria. Order their Flauta d'Iberico d.o Jabugo. It only has 3 ingredients: jamon iberico, flauta (like baguette) and a juicy tomato that's rubbed on the bread to give it a bit of moisture and flavor (no tomato slices included in the sandwich!). So simple yet tastes so divine!
The.Best.Sandwich.Ever. Mark Bittman totally got it right on his article.

Flauta d'iberico at Cafe Viena Barcelona
Flauta D'Iberico d.o. Jabugo
Photo from here
Another thing not to be missed in Barcelona is the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. It truly is a spectacular display of color, light, motion, music and water acrobatics. It's not open the whole year so better check out their site for opening schedules. Highly recommended.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic Barcelona
Watched the Magic Fountain of Montjuic show...

Magic Fountain of Montjuic Barcelona
one Summer night. AWESOME!!!

My feet are itching to go back!

I love Barcelona


Cafe Viena
C/ La Rambla, 115
08002 Barcelona, Spain
+34 933 171 492

Pinotxo
Mercat de la Boqueria, La Rambla
Barcelona, Spain 
+34 933 171 731

Hostal Opera Ramblas
C/ Sant Pau 20
08001 Barcelona, Spain
+34 933 188 201
www.operaramblas.com

Sagrada Familia
Plaça de la Sagrada Família, Mallorca, 401, 
08013 Barcelona
+34 932 073 031
For ticket info and opening hours, visit the Sacred Destinations page.


Monday, April 18, 2011

Wingman's Classic Buffalo Wings...

is the only reason why I go to The Collective. I love their classic wings. The best I've had in the city so far. 

Wingman at the Collective


Wingman Classic and Teriyaki Buffalo Wings
Classic (hot) and Teriyaki Wings 

Suite B, The Collective
7274 Malugay St., San Antonio Village
Makati City
(02) 478 6770

Beer Before Liquor, Never Sicker, Liquor Before Beer, Never Fear.

No partying this week. Hopefully. And I won't be touching Jack Daniels for a long time.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Forever 21 Now in SM Makati

Forever 21 SM Makati Branch
Photo From Forever 21 PH FB Page

People from the south need not head all the way to SM Megamall Ortigas to buy reasonably-priced clothes from the popular retail brand. Great for me since I've always been too lazy to travel all the way to that area. Such a hassle if you're coming from Taguig without a car.

Passed by around 3PM last Friday from a meeting and I was surprised to see the store teeming with people. Lines to the dressing rooms and cashiers were a mile long considering that it wasn't even a payday.

Forever 21 Branches:

2nd Floor, SM Megamall Building A
Tel. No.: (02) 477 2733

Ground Floor, SM Makati
Tel. No.: (02) 553 0448

TGIF!

The boss is in town so it's been meetings after meetings after meetings. For the past four days, I haven't had enough time to read people's useless status updates about what they had for lunch, where they went, what quiz they took and what his/her child's most recent accomplishment is. Plus, my cigarette breaks for the week have significantly decreased.

After three meetings today, he's finally leaving. Thank God it's Fly Day!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Next Generation Tampons

I thought tampons only differ in levels of absorbency like light, regular and super. What I didn't know until now is that they also come in scented and chlorine-free variants.

7th Generation Apple Tampons



Chlorine Free Tampons

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Google's Gmail Motion

On April 1st, Google introduced their first attempts at next generation human computer interaction. Now you can compose and reply to messages using your body. All you need is a computer with a built-in webcam. The movements, which are designed to be easy and intuitive, are detected by Google's spatial tracking algorithm. It then translates the motions into characters and commands.



Gmail Motion Guide
(click for a clearer image)

Try Gmail Motion Beta NOW!



Happy April Fool's!

Euro Country Seeks Bailout

C.Ronaldo and Portugal Flag
Photo from OleOle.com

Greece asked for a bailout in April last year, then Ireland in November.
Now it's C. Ronaldo's country. Portugal.
Wonder which European country will be next.

Read the article on CNN.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Coachella Bazaar at Rockwell

Coachella Bazaar at Rockwell

Head over to the Rockwell Tent in Makati City on April 8-10 from 12PM to 12MN for the Coachella at Rockwell--a bazaar of unique finds and summer beats with over 85 booths selling shoes, clothes, accessories, summer essentials and more.

All major credit cards are accepted.

Monday, April 4, 2011

El Nido Resort - Lagen Island Getaway

Enjoy a 3D/2N getaway for 2 at the world-class El Nido Resort - Lagen Island.
Deal Grocer is offering this package for only P27,500 instead of the original rate of P55,000.

Deal Grocer El Nido Resort Promo

Package includes:

Forest Room accommodation
Roundtrip boat transfers to/from El Nido airport
Daily buffet breakfast for 2
Massage for 2
Use of snorkeling gear and kayaks

Grab this deal now as there are limited vouchers left.

Travel period from April 4 to June 30, 2011 (except Holy Week). Subject to availability.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Enough of Kris Aquino Please

Her face is plastered on several billboards along EDSA. She's on TV either hosting a lame ass show or endorsing some brand together with her kid and his yaya. And she is almost always in the news not because of some philanthropic work she's involved in but because of her crassness and inability to keep her mouth shut about things trivial.

She's everywhere. Even on my blog. Sigh.

Kris Aquino Photo