#ReliefPH

We have been cooped up in the house for the past three days. Since coming home from seeing The Dark Knight Rises on Monday, we’ve only stepped out onto the road yesterday morning, Wednesday. After lunch, torrential rain poured again and we got flooded in very quickly. In 15-20 minutes, water level was back to about 4 feet or so inside our compound.

Thank you so much to all who have left comments on the blog. I am safe. The flood has receded, but cleanup has not yet restarted. I guess people are still charging up and gearing for a full day ahead. Thank you also to all who have extended us help during the worst of the flood, and while we were cleaning up yesterday morning too.

I was posting flood pics on Instagram and Facebook the other day, but I’ve since stopped. It’s just happening all over again. You can view some of the pics over at The Newbie Photographer. We were cleaning up all the mud and debris away on Wednesday morning, only to see the creek overflow so quickly after lunch.

The good news is Mom and Dad finally made it home. Smile

For those who want to know how they can help, checkout ReliefPh.Com. They have a list of evacuation centers, emergency numbers, and also donation and volunteer information.

Although we didn’t lose electricity, cable and Internet, I hardly spent time on the computer. Any update I’ve done was through my phone, which also thankfully did not lose any service. So if I wasn’t trying to make conversation with whoever, and not moving around furniture, or cleaning up, what have I been doing?

I’ve been getting acquainted with Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

On hindsight, I could have used the time to start redesigning and re-organizing my blog. I could be announcing an all new look for Verabear.Net next weekend, just as the site for Radial has been updated to look better. They’ve added nice icons that make navigating the site a breeze. I checked what Radial multipin connectors are, and the only think I can think of are the multi-head pins for connecting monitor to PC and PC to printers Smile

Anyway, I doubt if I’ll get any blogging work done before the weekend. We’re still expecting rains, but hopefully no more flooding. Clean up starts in an hour or two.

You all stay safe and warm!

Flash Flood

Looks like I’m skipping work today. I haven’t slept yet, can’t really sleep until the rain stops or the flood waters recede.

Yesterday I missed work because of the floods. I thought today would be different but it’s actually worse. The only good thing is that I didn’t have to wade through the flood today.

That there is my left slipper. It’s pair was claimed by the flood. I was sound asleep at 930PM last night when my mom shook me awake. The water was nearly at the gate. Both cars were still out there. Dad gave me the key to the RAV, he took the Civic’s. Outside it looked like the water was probably an inch away from getting inside my car. I waded through water that was probably a foot deep and got in through the passenger door of the Rav, losing my slipper in the process.

We got the vehicles to safety and then walked back home. I was barefoot. We were gone 10 minutes tops (not even) and already, the water level had risen significantly. I was wearing my favorite violet shirt and my striped Forever21 skirt. I put on one slipper, held an umbrella on one hand, and used the other to keep my balance. I followed Dad closely. I didn’t want to fall or step on anything, uhm, that I wasn’t supposed to step on. This is dirty flood water. Hello tetano and leptospirosis!

The deepest was maybe 3 feet high? I’m not good at measurements. I had to hike up my skirt. Soon as we got inside, I washed up, changed, and then used a LOT of my Human Nature Juicy Burst Sanitizer. And I kept spraying it on my legs through the night.

The people at the store next door were semi-apologetic about not sounding the alarm sooner. They too were taken by surprise. I guess it’s why these things are called flash floods. My cousin who lives nearest the road was also shocked.

As we drove home earlier tonight, we decided to leave the car on higher ground seeing that the creek is about to overflow again. Called my parents and told them about the situation. They were still at the supermarket. By the time they were ready to come home, the road was no longer passable.

The water is probably thigh-high inside my cousins’ units now. Last time water reached this level, it didn’t stop until water reached inside our house. That was during Ondoy. I hope this isn’t a repeat performance.

Water stopped rising in the past hour. But it also hasn’t subsided. The rain continues to pour. And Pag-asa predicts 2-3 more hours of rainfall.

The dogs are quiet now (not ours). Probably exhausted from running around, swimming, barking, and whining. Poor dogs. They’ve been enduring this since last night too. We can’t take them inside because they’re both wet, and too big for our house. Sad smile

So that’s what’s happening right now.

The silver lining? We have electricity, water, cable, Internet. And we are still warm and dry. We are still luckier than other flood victims. I hope I can still say this a few hours from now. 

Crazy July

July was a crazy month! I wish I could say that it was because I had so much fun celebrating my birthday the whole month, but it’s mostly because things have been super at work. And when I mean SUPER – it could mean both good and not-so-good.

The highlight of the month has to be my birthday. I didn’t get the family picnic I had wanted to celebrate this year, but that’s okay. I had my family with me and all is well. There was this crazy idea of taking our growing family up to Tagaytay for a nice picnic. It would be a nice outing for our Beloved Prince, I’m sure he’s missed running on grass.

Why didn’t we go? Dad went on a business trip to Barcelona that week and his flight back was due in that Sunday afternoon. It would have been a logistical nightmare to get him to join us in Tagaytay in time for dinner. Another consideration was the weather. July has always been a wet month and this year was no exception. The creek overflowed two Saturdays in a row, including on the day before my birthday. Picnic on the grounds while raining? No can do.

This is how it looked outside our gate on July 21st (photo courtesy of my cousin Che):

july21 flood

In July I also went a little crazy with the shopping. This year I’ve been a little better when it comes to prioritizing what I spend on, but with everything going on, I think I felt like I deserved some retail therapy. Christmas in July indeed!

That’s my Super Sale Bazaar loot. I didn’t get to do a reveal post (I still might!), but that big paper bag held Alfred’s gift for me this year:

The other bag held my Erzullie finds. A plus-size brand was the last thing I thought I’d discover in that big bazaar, but it was a welcome discovery indeed. I went home with a peplum skirt, a plain blue blouse, and flattering blazer. Hello outfit!

Before the month closed I had spent time with two friends with dragon babies in their bellies. We also attended a bittersweet reunion with old work friends. I had read two books, and even got to see movies (read all about them in Between the Covers). I also had a haircut, but two hours after the salon visit, my hair looked just like the way it did before I went there.

I had blogged 56 goals for my 101 in 1001 challenge. Not proud to say that I haven’t accomplished any of them yet, though this is the beginning of having a monthly review on the blog. SmileDropped 171 comments all over the blogosphere, 29 short of my 200 comments goal.

Before the month ended we also received fantastic news: Alfred has been promoted to the Team Lead role! Yay boyfriend! I am very proud of him, and wish him all the best in his new role. Of course, I’ll be here to help him in any way I can.

What were you up to in July? Link me up on your round up posts will you? Smile

 

The first day of August isn’t even over yet, but it’s already shaping up to be another amazing month. Looking forward to much more.

Zalora Loot

I’ve been spoiling myself just because it’s my birthday month. The day before my birthday, I used my Zalora birthday coupon for P250 off to purchase these:

matryoshka

Meet Maty and her sisters. Yes, she’s a matryoshka doll. Pop it open to reveal her sisters:

matryoshka33matryoshka

Aside from utter cuteness, do you know what else makes this set awesome? It’s actually a set of measuring cups. Yeah-huh. My new measuring buddies. Smile

I also got two bottles of Orly nailpolish. Matte Couture and Basket Case.

orly

So now I have pink nails! Smile

It was a smooth transaction with Zalora. I love that they have the COD option for payments. They’re the only online seller I know who accepts Cash on Delivery, unless you consider meet-ups as COD too (which I guess, in a way, is no different).

I was quite surprised to receive a confirmation call within 15 minutes of ordering. I would have loved for delivery to have happened the very next day, but on the third day isn’t bad.

What do you think of my Zalora birthday loot? Do you like painting your nails? I don’t do it too well,  hihi Smile

4 STEPS TO NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL SKIN

*Text and photos for this post are from the Human Nature Facebook page.  I can personally attest to the Elemi wash, Purifying Facial Scrub, Moisturizing Night Cream and the Sunflower Beauty Oil because I use all of those. Once I finish my current tube of BB cream, I’ll be switching over to the Day Fluid and get either the face powder or the foundation from the mineral make up line for coverage. Will also switch to the Balancing Toner once my big bottle from Forever Flawless is all used up. Let’s go natural and organic, let’s patronize Filipino products, Let’s go Human Nature!

Leave a comment with your contact details if you wish to order directly from me, or click on the image of my 10% off voucher that I’ll be posting at the bottom of the post to order directly from the Human Nature website.

Every day, our skin is assaulted by dirt, grime, pollutants, and toxins. This means that a daily skin care regimen is important to keep your skin clean, nourished, and glowing with health.
But first, it’s also important to know which products will suit your skin and bring out your natural glow. Not sure what your skin type is? Take our mini quiz to help you figure out your skin type so you can get the line that will bring out your skin’s beauty best!
Once you’ve determined your skin type, click on to the next photo to learn more about the face care line that best suits your skin.

skintype

1. CLEANSE: Purify your skin by removing dirt, oil, and excess make-up accumulated throughout the day. Alternate the Nourishing, Balancing or Hydrating Facial Wash with the Purifying Facial Scrub twice to thrice a week to gently exfoliate your skin and reveal smoother complexion.

2. TONE: Toning removes deep seated dirt that may have been left behind by the wash. Plus, it primes your skin for easy absorption of moisturizer. Use the appropriate toner for your skin type: Nourishing, Balancing, or Hydrating.

balancing

nourishing

hydrating

scrub

3. MOISTURIZE: Moisturize your face with 100% Natural Moisturizing Day Fluid before applying make-up. This helps your make-up last longer and blend well with your skin. Before going to bed, apply 100% Natural Moisturizing Night Cream to help the skin increase its ability to regenerate newer cells and replenish moisture.

moisturize

4. MIRACLE CARE: Apply a few drops of our 100% Natural Sunflower Beauty Oil to areas that need special care and attention, such as under eyes, uneven skin tone or pigmented spots.

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So what are you waiting for? Take care of your skin, take care of yourself. Clear skin can sure boost confidence. Here’s a discount coupon for 10% for your first purchase!

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