mar - tyr
-noun
1.  a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her own religion.
2.  a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause
3.  To inflict great pain on; torment.

I had to stop and think about what Apostle Paul wrote,

Romans 15:20 (NASB)
And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already
named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation; but as it
is written, "THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND." 

Ever since Lulu, an elderly resident of La Mirada Vistas approached me
and gave me her whole collection of magazines titled The Voice of
Martyrs, having a loud and clear voice for the Gospel has been hanging over my mind.  Reading many articles about the torturing of Christian missionaries in hostile nations and having a fearless voice for the Lord Jesus Christ puts my own attitude about how I freely worship, here and now.  In one of the magazines, one Christian who was baptized and commissioned to go back to North Korea bravely said, "If I perish, I perish,"  just like Esther from the Bible.

This survey came from pandamills. 

1)How do you like your grilled cheese?
American with paremesan, butter on whole wheat bread.  The recipe came from beetifulbug!  YUM!

2) Where did you go on your last vacation?
Las Vegas and Houston

3)Who are your godparents?
I have 2 sets of wonderful godparents.  Ninang Gerri (Mom's sister) and Ninong Dey,  Ninong Homer (Dad's brother) and his wife, Ninang Gloria.  Ninang means godmother, Ninong means godfather in Tagalog. 

4) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
All done with school, and hopefully married with kids. 

5) Where are you at noon everyday?
Teaching writing in my classroom to a small group of kids.

6) How many speeding tickets have you gotten?
I speed, but I have never been caught me speeding. 

7) What is your favorite movie?
Groundhog Day

8) What is the last thing you said out loud?
Can't remember, I think it was something to Chewie (my dog).

9) What do you think of the iPhone?
It's beautiful!

10) What do you think of winter?
I like it, but I love, love, love summer.

11) What do you do for relaxation?
Read books and magazines.  Pedicures.

12) Where did you get your couch from?
I got my couches from a furniture wholesale place.

13) Do you use a plan book?
Yes, a lesson planner for teaching.  But I use Google calendar for everything else.

14) At what age do you plan on having kids?
I like kids.  I want kids of my own, I want to be a mom.  I trust that God will let motherhood happen when it's the right time.

15) When was the last time you swam?
The beaches this past summer '07.  The Bellagio swimming pool in Las Vegas.

14)What do you order at Subway?
Italian BMT, no mustard.  Hate mustard!

17) Do you keep your closets organized?
Yes.

18) How do you make headaches go away?
I seldomly get headaches.  Headaches come from dehydration, mostly.

19) Have you owned a beta before?
No. VHS yes.

20.) If you moved out of state where would you go?
Germany, I loved it there.

21) How old is your best friend?
30

22) Did you attend preschool?
Yes

23) What do your shower curtains look like?
Beige

24) Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
No

25) How do you make eggs?
Sunny side up, I love egg yolk!  Who cares about cholesterol.

26) Where do you wash your clothes?
Washing machine

27) Which parent do you look most like?
Face, they say look like my mom--but my mom is way prettier than me when she was younger.  Petite build--well that I definitely take after my dad's side.

28) Who are the neighbors who live to the right of you?
I don't know them.  This is LA, where you don't care who your neighbors are.

29) What are your thoughts on Tom Cruise?
I think he was great in Top Gun.

30) What is the next vehicle you wish to buy?
Wishing on a BMW, but I came down from those clouds really quickly!  In fact I fell off...

31) Do you pay bills online or by mail?
Mail.  I like my checks recorded on my bank statement.

32) What would be the best gift someone could get you right now?
A nice LCD TV.  Maybe that would get me to watch more TV again.

33) What is something stressful you will deal with next week?
Parent conferences.  I really need to become more fluent in Spanish!  Either that, or these parents better start working on becoming more fluent in English!  I don't understand why everything has to be translated in Spanish.  When I get Filipino students, there's no one there to translate anything in Filipino?!?  What the heck?  This is America, LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH!

34) What is something in your home that you collect?
Hello Kitty ceramic and porcelain coin banks. 

35) What did you do last night?
Clean out my junk drawer, upload pictures, clean the house.

36) Who did you last see?
Church friends

37) How do you take your coffee?
Light with cream and sweet with sugar, Filipino style!

38) What is the oldest thing in your fridge?
Thanksgiving leftovers

39) On your keyboard what key is wearing out from pressing it so much?
This keyboard is pretty new.

40) Where do you put your keys when you come home?
On top of the dresser, inside the big Pepperdine University ceramic mug.

41) Where do you go for Thanksgiving?
At my parent's house.

42) How old will u you be in 2010?
33, Lord willing I reach that age!

43) What actor/actress would play you in a movie?
Vanessa Hudgens to play a hotter version of me!

44) How much cash is in your wallet?
$80 with some pennies

45) Would you have a one night stand with your favorite movie star?
NEVER

46) What color is your house?
Beige with dark brown trim

47) If you were starving to death would you eat a pet?
Not my Chewie...maybe the neighbors?

48) Ever been to Alabama?
Nope

49) What kind of accent do you have?
I don't have an accent, but you can tell I'm from Los Angeles from the vernacular.

50) What kind of alcoholic drinks are in your fridge right now?
I'm not a lush, but since I am challenging the National Boards I feel like I'm entitled to a good drink after work.  Couple of Heinekens, Smirnoff, and an already opened bottle of white zinfandel.  It is always fully stocked for those crazy afternoons with the kids and the National Boards.  Cheaper than happy hour!

Today, I found out that my mom's head nurse called her to tell her that she doesn't have to work on Thanksgiving Day.  Sometimes my mom is scheduled to work at the hospital during holidays, and it kind of feels different whenever she's not around.  My brothers and I learned to acknowledge that taking care of the people in the hospital who are very ill is part of her job, especially around holidays.  This is what she would tell us when we were kids.   I've grown to appreciate how my mom takes great care of her family and has a really caring heart for other people.  Sacrificing her time with her own family to help others, now is something I clearly understand.

Today she's off, and I'm so happy about that!  My family will be gathering together later on tonight for dinner.  Noel, my brother came over to Elmer and Karen's place to get the turkey and ham baked.  Meanwhile, I'm over here at my parent's house helping them with the rest of the food and getting ready for our guests to stop by. 

It will be a good day for all of us.  We have so much to be thankful for as a family.  Countless, countless, countless blessings!  God is always so good and generous, and we can't ever outgive Him!

You've probably already seen this one, but I

thought this cartoon of Sesame Street was too funny!

thanks·gi·ving   /thangks-giv-ing/

-noun

1.  the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, esp. to God.

2.  an expression of thanks, esp. to God.

3.  a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness.

4.  a day set apart for giving thanks to God.

My lovely cousin, Ate EmmyLou (who now lives in Orlando, FL but still talks with a thick New York accent whenever I speak with her on the phone)
loves to email pictures, fun questionnaires and inspiring passages to
me.  She is the youngest of 4 sisters, so she knows the value of
Sisterhood.  She emailed me a nice passage about Sisterhood earlier
today.

A
young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking
iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As
they talked
about life, about marriage, about the
responsibilities
of life and the obligations of
adulthood,
the mother clinked the ice cubes in her
glass
thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance
upon her
daughter.

 

'Don't
forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea
leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more
important as you get older. No matter how
much you
love your husband, no matter how much you
love the
children you may have, you are still going
to need
Sisters. Remember to go places with them now
and then;
do things with them.'

 

'Remember
that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your
girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other
women
relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always
do.'

 

What a
funny piece of advice!' the young woman
thought.
Haven't I just gotten married?
Haven't I
just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married
woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely
my husband
and the family we may start will be all I
need to
make my life worthwhile!'

 

But she
listened to her Mother. She kept contact
with her
Sisters and made more women friends each
year. As
the years tumbled by, one after another,
she
gradually came to understand that her Mom really
knew what
she was talking about. As time and nature
work their
changes and their mysteries upon a woman,
Sisters are
the mainstays of her life.

 

After more
than 50 years of living in this world,
here is
what I've learned:

 

THIS SAYS
IT ALL:

 

Time
passes.

Life
happens.

Distance
separates.

Children
grow up.

Jobs come
and go.

Love waxes
and wanes.

Men don't
do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts
break.

Parents
die.

Colleagues
forget favors.

Careers
end.

BUT........

 

Sisters are
there, no matter how much time and how
many miles
are
between
you. A girl friend is never farther away
than
needing her can reach.

 

When you
have to walk that lonesome valley and you

have to
walk it by yourself, the women in your life

will be on
the valley's rim, cheering you on,

praying for
you, pulling for you, intervening on

your
behalf, and waiting with open arms at the

valley's
end.

 

Sometimes,
they will even break the rules and walk

beside
you...Or come in and carry you out.

 

Girlfriends,
daughters, granddaughters,

daughters-in-law,
sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,

Grandmothers,
aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended

family, all
bless our life!

 

The world
wouldn't be the same without women, and
neither
would I. When we began this adventure called

womanhood,
we had no idea of the incredible joys or

sorrows
that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we

would need
each other.

 

Every day,
we need each other still. Pass this on

to all the
women who help make your life meaningful.

I just did.

After the language arts assessment finished 2 weeks ago, I began a new unit in astronomy and tied it in with the Age of Exploration in social studies.  One of the teachers came to videotape me and my students collaborating in their small discussion groups.  I asked each group of 5 students to create a persuasive 2-minute oral presentation to convince their sponsor of what they need in order to have a successful time exploring the New World. Altogether the taping took only 21 minutes, but it wasn't the greatest video.  I really need a special microphone to amplify their voices.  I did the next best thing, which is to transcribe the dialogue. Then I spent the week drafting the nature of my class, the lesson plan itself, the analysis of the video recording and my reflection about the lesson.  I have to say everything I did in 12 pages, which sounds like a lot of writing, but that's not enough room to do a thorough job!

If I have enough time this morning after polishing up my draft, I want to hit the gym.  I have so much anxiety and I feel super tired from concentrating too long on this draft.  I figure that I need to be alive and refreshed for the study group meeting.  I'll be doing 2 on-demand writing entries today, starting from 8:30am until 9:30 (30 minutes each writing prompt).  I need to clear my head so that I can tear up those assessments.  Sixty minutes of cold, quick-writing!  I'm really strong in the general area of language arts, reading, social studies (US and World), math and science (physics and biology).  I might not be as strong or effective in science (chemistry) because I just don't have enough content knowledge in chemistry to do a thorough writing job.  I hope I don't get anything chemistry related like I did the last time!  Ugh!

I'll be at my NBC study group from 7:30am-5pm!  We always meet once a month to share what we've written and show what we've videotaped in the classroom. 

***Oh, Eman!  If you're reading my blog, I'll be meeting you at Orchid.  Hopefully my energy will be refreshed after I have submitted my draft entry and receive feedback from my study group.  I look forward to having a fun night of singing karaoke at Orchid with friends!  Happy Birthday to You!

I'm up late just booking the remainder of my trip to the East Coast for winter break.  My winter break begins December 14th until January 4th.  I resume teaching on January 7th.  If I wasn't trying to finish drafting my portfolio entries for the National Boards, I'd love to stay longer.  My family isn't having a Thanksgiving, and they aren't having a big family Christmas celebration this year either.  I think it's because a lot of my relatives took time off to go to the Philippines this year.  They are scheduled to work in the hospital for the holidays, and that leaves us with no big family gathering this year.  It's perfectly ok!  I have made other plans to do some sort of traveling and spend time with my friends for a change.

My friend and old college roommate, Tia just had her baby this past October.  Since my friends and I live in all parts of the United States, we couldn't give Tia a baby shower.  Besides, Tia and her husband just relocated from living in Atlanta to living in Reston, VA because her husband is now completing his medical residency program.  We wanted her to settle in her new home and get adjusted to being a mommy before she invites us to come over.  Tia sent me new pictures of Jolie, her new daughter.  She is so pretty, just like her mommy!  I asked Tia if she will be going back to work after her maternity leave is over, and she left her job to be with Jolie.  I'm really happy to hear that Tia enjoys being a stay-at-home mom.  She is not rushing to return to work, and I don't blame her.  I probably wouldn't want to either.

Bazi, my other old college roommate and I will be flying into Washington DC on December 15th.  She is coming from Denver.  We were on the telephone trying to coordinate our flight times to arrive within the same hour so that poor Tia wouldn't have to drive to the airport more than one time to pick us up.  Our friend Georgetta and her daughter will be meeting us in DC as well.  I've seen Bazi and Georgetta last February.  However, the last time I saw Tia was at Bazi's wedding in Buffalo, NY in 2003.  We've managed to shoot some emails and phone calls in between, but I can't wait to see her and the rest of the girls. 

Another mommy who I want to see is Marisol.  She is pregnant with a boy and is searching for a name that begins with the letter "R".  The last time I saw Marisol and her family was when I came out to Washington DC, after spending a long week and a half in Virginia in 2005.  It was the summertime and I was there in DC with Marisol, suffering through the humidity and heat wave!  Marisol is now living in a nice suburb of Maryland and I'm so happy that her family has settled in to a nice home.  I am really excited to see her too, this winter break because she has been diligently working on clearing all her IEP's and finishing her responsibilities with her teacher's union before her 3-month maternity leave. 

After visiting Marisol, the last stop I will be making is down to Orlando, where I will be staying with my cousin Ate EmmyLou (Iruguin side of the family).   She has 2 children, stay-at-home mom, and she is a co-owner of a brand new gym that's been getting a lot of attention in Orlando.  Her husband is a physical fitness trainer and owns the gym.  Every year I do a marathon for a charitable health organization, Ate EmmyLou and Kuya Mitch are my biggest contributors.  I will be staying with my cousin's family for the remainder of my time in the East Coast.  It will be so much fun just to get caught up with my mom's side of the family.  I love talking to Ate EmmyLou and if you see me online at 4am, I'm probably online chatting with her.  I enjoy talking to her especially on the telephone, because I poke fun of her New York accent (because she grew up in NYC).  When she talks to me over the telephone, her accent is so distinct you can't miss it!  Speaking English with an accent is so cool!  Dude, I wish I had an accent.

So that's pretty much the winter break that I will be looking forward to after

• Thanksgiving Break
• Parent Conferences
• Report Cards
• Unit Assessments
• Holiday Winter Program
• Video taping for Entry 2 and 3
• Drafting a written response for Entry 1, 2 and 3
• Planning for the Staff Holiday Party
• Mom's birthday
• Planning for the Astronomy Party with the Astronomy Society
• Submitting other applications

If you ask me what my favorite time of the school day is, I am just like the students in my classroom.  My favorite time of the day is outdoor PE!  I get every kid in my classroom involved in having a fun time during the last 40 minutes of the school day.  I know that I'm pretty demanding in the classroom, they have no time to mess around!  I do have high
expectations when it comes to
their academic progress, so I do my best to make up for that outside when we play
games and sports. 

If we're not dancing, we are engaged in playing a game or a sport.  Playing with the kids is the only moment I really get to bond and laugh along with the children in my classroom.  I honestly think that playing with the kids is my friendship with them begins, and I hardly ever get behavior problems in my classroom because of all the moments we spend playing together.  I also don't ever worry about kids forming cliques in my classroom because playing team sports is a great way to get kids who wouldn't normally interact with each other to cooperate in a team. 

Last week I gave my entire class a Fitnessgram pre-test.  The kids came to school in their tennis shoes, sweats, brought towels and bottled water.  The kids each picked a work-out buddy who will encourage them to maintain a Fitnessgram Log.  My kids will not move their biscuits unless I model everything for them that I can do it too!  They ran a mile, sit-ups, push-ups, flexibility measurements and core strength testing.  My students are not too bad with the one-mile run because a lot of them play soccer.  I have 4 students who have asthma, and they still did fine.  Flexibility was good.  Sit-ups were terrible. Push ups were atrocious.  I think the kids really like having a workout buddy.  I overheard their conversations that their muscles felt sore the next day, but they'll keep on trying to practice at getting better.  Great!  I'm glad!

For the past 4 years, I've worked as the Health Education Program Coordinator for my elementary school.  It's an adjunct assignment that I really enjoy organizing and planning activities for the entire school and involving the community.  I am really proud to share about what my elementary school has accomplished in health education.    I'm so grateful that my principal is a surfer and avid soccer player.  Because of his athleticism, he willingly supports all my endeavors to promote kinesthetic learning, health, nutrition and physical fitness.  I'm also glad that I have built a network of health advocates within my elementary school community and from the Los Angeles area. 

American Heart Association
Every year I lead a school-wide Jump Rope for Heart campaign for the American Heart Association.  Over the past couple years the number of staff members and students who participate in the annual "jumpathon" has increased significantly.  We have held a successful fundraising campaigns consecutively and my elementary school has been listed in the Top 100 schools to collect contributions for the American Heart Association in the nation. 

Nutrition Network Program
The LAUSD Nutrition Network Program targets the low income area schools to teach children and parents about improving nutrition.  Each month our school is introduced to a "Produce of the Month" and the kids are able to study and sample fresh produce such as pineapple, strawberries, cabbage, and persimmon.  I especially enjoy the days when a chef comes to our classroom to teach the kids a new healthy recipe and enjoy having a healthy feast in the classroom.  This year the Nutrition Network coordinator is working on getting grant money to have an artist paint a mural at our school in honor of health and fitness.  I am also helping the Nutrition Network coordinator to lead a campus-wide Nutrition Fair for the community.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention
The Red Ribbon Week is a nationwide campaign held on the last week of October.  We join all the schools in the nation to promote anti-drug and alcohol abuse education.  I mobilize the Student Council (which I am advisor for) and we create Red Ribbon Week theme days for the whole school to participate in.  The Red Ribbon Week pledge drive is really successful because we send home a pledge card that encourages parents and children to have a positive discussion about drug and alcohol abuse prevention.  When the pledge forms are signed and completed, the students receive a Red Ribbon Week bracelet.  It is so popular that even staff members and parents ask me for extra bracelets.  I also have the Student Council run a door-decoration contest and winning classrooms receive health-related prizes.  The teachers are quite cooperative and creative in coming up with artwork to promote Red Ribbon Week.

Ready, Set, Gold! Fitness Program
My elementary school is one of the 30 fortunate elementary schools in Los Angeles to participate in the Ready, Set, Gold! Fitness Program.  We have an Olympic athlete who competed for the US Womens Volleyball team.  It's an honor for her to come to work with the kids at my elementary school.  The kids gain an understanding of self-discipline and make good choices regarding their health. 

Computer Lab Web Quest
The new computer lab is a great resource for teachers to introduce kids to health and fitness exercises.  Here's a list of notable websites for health and fitness for children that I've prepared.
Action for Healthy Kids
Communicating Food for Health Newsletter
Children's Nutrition Research Center--Baylor College of Medicine
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
Nutrition Explorations
Nutrition for Kids
Nutrition.gov

Nutrition and health sites for teachers:
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classrooms
Healthteacher.com
Healthy Kids Challenge
Healthy Start
Teachfree

Do you remember this really old saying?

          "Good, better, best,
          never let it rest,
          until your good is better,
          and your better is best."

Superlatives are everywhere, especially in my teaching experience this year.  Good?  Better? Best?  This has been the most challenging school year for me since my very first year of teaching.  I've always had English Language Development learners in my classroom, however, I feel that this year's batch of students come to my class with severe needs in reading, writing and mathematics.  I also have a couple of students from other classes who come to my class for Resource Special Education.  After the first round of quarter assessments in reading and math, I see just how deficient the prescribed district curriculum is targeting all their academic needs.  I also have more students this year that have been identified with slow learning disabilities (SLD) and I am constantly revising my teaching strategies to help the kids overcome their hardships by incorporating multi-sensory (kinesthetic, visual, auditory and tactile) opportunities to gain access to for them probably feels like a "hidden knowledge". 

I've realized how important it is to "teach to the highest" and to look at who is sitting in my classroom.  I think that because these students consistently score low, I see how most teachers would probably opt to "dumb down" the curriculum and let the kids just answer worksheets and workbooks all day long and get away with it.  That's not giving a child an education, that's busy work!  I also feel that these students have been accustomed to heavy amounts of spoon feeding, and they wait for the teacher to always show them the answers instead of relying on their own newly acquired knowledge to take risks in proving their answers correct.  The students have developed a habit of being passive learners because the curriculum is taught passively. 

I've been trying to undo what has become habitual for my students.  Teaching to the highest is a better avenue to take because when I do it this way, there is plenty of room to scaffold for the kids who don't "get it" and still plenty of opportunity for the more advanced students to feel challenged.  I have to "divide and conquer", conferencing with kids individually, partnering them and putting them into small groups.  I have to know these students really well in order for me to prescribe something that the kid needs to practice until they can take ownership of their own learning.  My energy is zapped out of me, but it's alright.  There's no way to live and work in ease.  This is how it's going to be until June 19th, 2008.

One of the hottest buzzwords in the world of education is metacognition, or the awareness of a student's own thinking process.  I know that as a teacher, I was dead guilty of not soliciting enough reason to assess a student's metacognition.  I tend to call on students and question their reasoning when they give me a wrong answer.  The ones that answer intelligently and correctly, I leave them alone and they sigh with relief.  It's not like that with me anymore.  Everyone is subjected to questions because I want the other students to hear the thought processes (metacognition) that wrapped around their reasoning--whether it's wrong or right, the correct solution will be funneled down the filters eventually.  What I have observed is that when I question a student about their correct answer, "Do you think your answer is correct?  Why do you believe so?", guess what they do?  They change it to the wrong answer!   It was like that in my classroom, but lately I've been seeing some of the students think aloud and support their complete answer.

Also, another thing that I do not acknowledge in my classroom discussion is speaking in incomplete, single-word responses.  I just don't move away from the discussion question until the student has elaborated their response with enough reasonable words.  With the use of thinking maps (concept maps), I chart every response down down on colorful butcher paper because there's not enough space on the whiteboard and not enough ink from dry erase markers to help the kids understand the connection between listening, reading, speaking and writing.  The kids have to constantly see that there are structures and patterns to the English language, and by the end of the day my whole classroom is wallpapered with words.  I take them down each day, and start the whole process again the next day.

It's Wednesday.  It is the "next day" and I'm starting the whole process again.  You will probably cower if you see just how much I do in my 6 hours of teaching, 2 hours of planning and reviewing for the National Boards.  My calendar today says that I squeezed in 2 parent conferences.   Tonight, I also have art classes and I won't be home until 7pm.  It's a 12-hour day for me, but I'm growing used to it.  I wish I could take an easier work load, but that is not an option for me. 

Also I have to come to work with a "mindful eye" as a teacher, and this verse in 2 Chronicles highlights how God's eyes scopes out widely.  I think this is a key habit for any teacher, to have a wide-view lens for seeing the needs of all students!
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...

And in closing, I'll just let God's Word stand on itself and let change my heart to be able to carry out these daily classroom tasks.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NASB)
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in
vain in the Lord.

Perfume
Today I treated myself
today to a brand spankin' new perfume instead of a pedicure and
manicure.  Since the holiday season is here, you maybe shopping for
gifts.  The best time to buy fragrances is around the holiday season
because they come in sets full of freebies. 

I made a list of 5 fragrances that I love the most.

This is my #1 favorite scent: Daisy by Marc Jacobs.  I love the cute perfume bottle.

Daisy immediately replaced the glass bottle of Lovely, by Sarah Jessica
Parker.  I still love the scent, but it reminds me too much of the
ex-boyfriend (eew, yuck!) who gave this bottle to me as a Valentine
gift. 

#2 Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker

Usually my mother and I do not share the same taste in fragrances. 
However, we both love Amazing Grace by Philosophy.  When I worked at
Sephora part-time, I would spray Amazing Grace on before I clock in to
work.  This product would always sell out!

#3 favorite perfume Amazing Grace by Philosophy.
 

There's also another scent that I grew really fond of.  It's called
PINK, and it's by Victoria's Secret.  Again, this was the
ex-boyfriend's birthday gift to me.  Me, sentimental?  Heck no, but I
give him props that he knew his perfumes, being a guy!  I just like how
PINK smells! 

Pink by Victoria's Secret is #4.



Indian Gardenia by The Body Shop is #5 on my favorite fragrance list. 
Sarinna gave it to me for Christmas.  It's too bad that this item has
been discontinued.  At least I still have my bottle!


Hair and Cosmetics?
For a Filipina chic, my hair actually is very wavy and curly.  I am super jealous of those Asian ladies who have jet black, silky straight hair.  I have to blow-dry it and straighten it out with a hot flat iron every day.  My hair stylist loves to experiment with my hair because she says that I have a small heart-shaped face and it's fun cutting it all different lengths.  I will never again go 'boy short' because short hair is way too high maintenance.  It requires gooey hair products and wearing more make up.  No thanks!

Essential Tools:  pointed eyebrow tweezers, MAC eyeshadow brush #217,
Sephora kabuki brush, Shu Uemura eyelash curler, Clean & Clear
oil absorbing sheets. 


What I wear for work:  Laura Geller Pressed powder (medium), Laura
Geller Blush N Brighten (pink grapefruit), Laura Geller lipstick
(safari glaze), Urban Decay eyeshadow (whatever color I feel like
wearing), black mascara and sometimes eyeliner (but seldomly, I don't
want wrinkles!).

What I wear for going out:  Everything the same thing, except I wear MAC Fluidline as black eyeliner.


What I will NOT wear on my face/do to my face and hair: 

• Any liquid or powder-cream foundation.  Yuck!  I hate, hate, hate it how fake it looks and how it smears on clothes! 
• Fake eyelashes
• Mascara or lipgloss with uber-glitter.  That's so teeny-bopperish!
• Brown lipstick.
• Pluck eyebrows pencil-line thin
• Wear blond highlights.  I did the blond streaks back in college, the late 90's.  First of all, I can't afford paying for the $100 upkeep at the beauty salon.  And I don't want to look "dated".  I want my future kids to say I look the same then as I do now, and not "Geez, look at your hair. HAHA! That was so 90's!"

Warning:  Youthful appearance is caused by using Shiseido sunblock, eating lots of vitamin-rich foods, regular exercise, enjoying hobbies, laughter (a whole lot of it), and most important of all--having peace in life.

I'm wrapping up these secret beauty insider tips.  Now it's your turn to please share yours with me!