Let't take it back a notch to vintage

Vintage jumper; so tooty fruity.

Semi-leopard sunnies.

Feather hoop earrings.

Owl ring and trinket bracelet.

Goodwill never goes unnoticed

I have such great surprises for you guys! I promise they will be posted :)

Thrift color tags: Purple AND yellow

Today was a once in a blue moon where they had two different color tags go for $0.99 each. Too bad I was running low on cash so I only bought a total of $6.22 today :( But that is still six items, woohoo! Almost coming to the end of the month so lets see if I can pull off a whole post dedicated to my "promised post" with all the things I bought from thrift this month and a few outfits.

Quick bath towel tips

Hate stinky towels? Well, so do we. 

• After shower, hang towels spread wide open and open and windows to let it air dry. 
• Buy 4 pieces of bath towels for everyone in the house (sounds a lot huh?)
• Change bath towel once a week; ALWAYS! (This avoids putting germs and stinky back to you.)
• Once a month wash ALL towels at once in hot water temperature.
• Use oxiclean or tide. (It'd be a great bonus if you buy ALL white towels for everyone.)
• Hang and let it air dry. 

See how the 4 piece for each member in the family comes handy :)

Rid your face nasty pimples

Okay, we all know we can't get rid of them over night and worst; ALL at once! AHH.
I used to struggle with tons of acne all over my face, neck, back, and chest since I was in 6th grade up to 8th grade. I was thankful enough that it had calm down by the time I entered high school but they were still my worst enemy. My parents paid money almost every 6 months to take me to the dermatologist over and over and I think I tried just about every bar of soap, technique, acne medications and certain diets. When I started taking Proactiv, it seems to have killed the huge boogers and I was starting to feel better about myself and it truly was a confidence in a bottle. Once the acnes subside to more than 80% I got off the product and started taking care of myself more and since that day I hated soda and chocolate and never crave or bothered to eat them. My dermatologist told me that it is not always about hygienes, it is also connected to family history. If someone in your family had the same acne problem then that's where you could have gotten it from but also if someone has asthma which my grandpa have and I know it can't be the problem skin because my sister, mom, grandma, and great-grandma all happen to have porcelain skin. I am grateful though that I only inherited the acne because no one should be suffering asthma :(

Anyway, enough about my story but I just thought I'd let that out because I know people out there feel the same way I felt growing up. Today, I am more strict about what goes on my face and I want to make sure I don't aggravate any nasty bacterias under my pores. It takes discipline so listen up soldiers, hehe.

1. Wash your bedsheets, blankets, and pillow cases once a week in hot water temperature. (I use oci-clean or tide and stick to white bedsheet sets because it feels fresh and I don't have to worry about the colors running or getting stained especially with hot water. Hot water kills the bacterias and gives you the fresh feeling after the wash.)
2. Discipline yourself and limit to NO sodas, salty fries, and chips! (Those sound good right about now but your face will show how happy they are but your confidence won't.)
3. If you must scratch your face, use the back of your palm because your finger tips touches EVERYTHING!
4. If not, avoid touching your face constantly. It wouldn't hurt to tell others to not touch your face other, okay?
5. Wash your face with luke warm water twice a day to open up your pores. Proceed with washing it with a face wash with acne killing ingredients, exfoliate, and wash with cold water to close the pores again. Pat dry, never rub!
6. Don't forget to moisturize morning AND night.
7. Drink plenty of water; don't substitute coffee, soda, and energy drinks for a good old H2O.
8. Don't stress so much. (I probably crossed this off my list a long time ago but try to give yourself 30-60 minutes a day to just relax.)
9. Sleep at least 6-8 hours.

Invest on a really good face scrubber, please. I don't prefer loofas because they can still be a little rough for my face and I don't like the texture of it. Rather, I invested about $40 on the new Olay professional scrubbing tool and I LOVE IT if I might say so myself. It is very gentle and it really cleans my face. I use toner twice a day and I noticed that my cotton pad don't seems to be brown and icky anymore after each wash. One time, I totally forgot I had my MAC foundation on with my blush and the rest of my face icings, took a shower, and I was surprised that my brush had turned brown (don't worry, it is very easy to clean off). I realized then that I have forget to use my makeup remover but I proceed using my toner anyway. I was so shocked because my cotton pad was TOTALLY clean! No trace of foundation or any dirt. I also notice that one of my dark spot from a stubborn acne scar of 4 months had disappeared. I gush when it comes to this tool haha. Worth the money. I found a deal from amazon which is half the amount I paid for retail, so I think it's best to get that $26 deal :)

Respect our planet

Walter and I have a long day of work tomorrow and gah, it's almost Monday meaning school. I want to share this video that I found on youtube that made me smile left and right. I love how touching her speech was. With that, educate yourself :) There's only 1 earth and billions and billions of us. Make it work!

Tips: Thrift Store shopping

I never understood why people liked second hand clothes so much and just this past weekend I realized why. But I did however find out why it's not always the best environment to shop. It's second hand clothes and you don't always know if all the items are washed before donating them and the place can be a bit dirty. Just a week of visiting thrifts stores and I feel a bit of an expert now bwahaha - okay maybe not but still I gained a few knowledge about it. I found out today that I actually prefer to shop at the Goodwill because they have a 2 days a week $0.99 sale!!

1. Always bring hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. (Wipe hands on basket, door knobs, and cart. Sanitize your hands after shopping.)
2. Wear comfortable clothing and no jewelries. (Jewelries can get caught and thrift stores don't always have AC. Too much clothing and jewelries will be more complicating to try on. Leggings and a tank top would be a great outfit.)
3. Keep hair up in a pony tail or better yet, a bun. (Like I said, it can be dirty so you don't want your hair flying everywhere touching them and smacking you in the face.)
4. Check their daily clearance color tag. (Goodwill has colored tags and routinely change the 50% off mark down.)
5. If possible, ask an employee if they offer DOLLAR DAYS and when. The Goodwill I visited today have Mondays and Thursdays as their $0.99 clearance on a certain color tag. This would be the day they are mostly busy.
6. On crazy clearance day, either go early in the morning when they open to avoid over crowding or go just 3 hours before closing time. (In between is usually the craziest!)
7. To avoid confusion on at the register, make sure you double check any sign about their daily sales and the rules. (My Goodwill offers $0.99 for blue tag items today but not for $8.99+ blue tags item, instead they are 50% off.)
8. Always try out the clothes. Just because it's cheap, it's still money and you don't want to waste it. 
9. If you see an outfit but it has a stain, don't bother buying it. Don't assume you can try to remove it, just don't buy it.
10. Double check the item for any damage such as holes, rip etc.
11. Don't purchase swimwear from there, please. I don't even have to explain! :$

After shopping Tips

1. Never lay on your bed or anywhere in the house once getting in. Always shower and change clothes. Yes that includes your bra! Change it!
2. Don't bring in your bag of items in any room, rather sort it out straight in the laundry room and wash them as soon as possible. It's best to wash them with warm water and fabric softener. Don't be stingy; add an extra rinse. DON'T FORGET TO CHECK ITEM LABELS ON LAUNDRY CARE!
3. Hang them to air dry if possible, but dryer would be best. Heat can kill bacterias and the rest of the thrift store smell. But check label first. 
4. Iron cool would be a bonus but you really don't have to. 
5. Now look thru your "new" clothes and create an outfit :)

I never knew how much I would enjoy thrift shopping but I really do! Not only are they super cheap, helping the environment by recycling and reusing, but you can buy a one of a kind piece. It's a thrift shop and there's no two of a kind in there; well just maybe once in a while. 

M.I.A.

I have been out of the blogging world and why is that?! Registration for school and I totally got hammered with hours of work after another. Yucky, I know. I do want to share my new addiction starting this week and I'm a total Ross bargain junkie so to get into this new place is an even better thing. I am officially into major vintage one of a kind deal!! Yes I am talking about thrift shops!

I searched all over for the best thrift shop on Oahu and found that the one located at Pearl City, Hawaii is the BEST! It is huge compared to any other thrift stores and they have the loads of clothes. If you love vintage and if you're in Hawaii, you need to hit up this place. I never knew how fun it was especially when I got 8 things in total today plus discounts for red tags, WOOHOO!

I am more happy to be shopping there and saving more money and I just might add a new category "Monthly outfits"; as much as I'd like to do a weekly or daily outfit, I know my schedule won't budge so I have to compromise on it. But I did find some goodies today and I will try and get back to youtube OR just post pictures on here.

It would be pointless to do a haul for you because thrift stores have one of a kind clothes since they are donated but I will do a "share haul". Check out my next post, I feel the need to give a few tips about shopping at a thrift store. I had to prep myself the second time I went which made the shopping trip easier.

Ciao :)

Cabbage soup diet

• 6 large green onions (also called “spring” onions)
• 2 green peppers
• 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 3 carrots
• 1 container (10 oz. or so) mushrooms
• 1 bunch of celery
• half a head of cabbage
• 1 package spice only soup mix (In the US, Liptons is a good choice)
• 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
• 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
• Season to taste with pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc. (Little to NO SALT!)

Directions:

Slice green onions, put in a pot on medium heat and start to sauté with cooking spray. Do this until the onions are whiter/clearer in color (about 4-6 minutes).

Cut green pepper stem end off, then cut pepper in half to take out the seeds and membrane. Cut the green pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.

Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.

Clean carrots, mushrooms, and celery, cut into bite size pieces and toss them in. Add tomatoes now, too.

If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.

For seasonings, you can use a spice soup packet of your choice (no noodles!) or use beef or chicken bouillon cubes. These cubes are optional, and you can add spices you like instead (make sure not to add much salt, if any at all).

Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the 48 oz of V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup simmer for a long time – about 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Source link: Original Ebook

This is nothing new for those who have tried or heard about it but for those who haven't this is a must to give a try. I found two type of soup for this diet; a super spicy and tomatoey soup and this clear cabbage soup. I can honestly say that this cabbage works better for me because I can actually gulp it down compared to the spicy tomato one. This cleansing diet is not best for those who don't like vegetables and I suggest you to not do the diet if you are planning to add any meat or chicken in it because you MUST follow the exact recipe in order for it to work. If you know anything about cabbage you should know that they are bland and this recipe don't call for salt. NO SALT is one of the rule but you can use knorr cubes which has some salt like taste and if you can swallow that then you wouldn't look for salt at all. I personally love cabbage because they have a slight crunch even after they have been boiled and a faint sweet taste to it so this don't bother me much. I just finished cooking my batch and ready for this Friday. I had to post pone because I had a grad party to attend yesterday and it was buffet haha. 

You must do the diet for a full 7 days and be sure to check your weight before and after that 7 days to see your weight loss result. Check out the link to see the meal plan but I must warn you, it seems easy and simple enough but it can be a bit hard if you're thinking about how much soup you have to eat. The key is to eat as much soup as possible; the more soup you eat the more weight you will lose. It is recommended to only do this 7 day cleanse with 2 weeks gap. If you follow each meal plan the right way and no cheating you can lose at least 8-10 pounds within that 7 days period. 

I will keep you all posted starting Friday and a day-to-day basis until the last day. Join me on my journey to start up a healthy diet after this 7 days. Hopefully more healthy meal rather than heavy creamed pastas and loads of carbs meals haha. 

Would you consider this diet to cleanse you and to start up your diet plans?

Nocturnal again

I do not know why I am up so late and I did not even take a single minute of a power nap today. It's 3 in the AM Hawaii time right now and I feel so wide awake but my eyes are starting to shut down. Walter's busy with his xbox elite and I'm stuck in a cozy room with Patron snoring and farting away behind me. I received some secret good news today but let's just say I have more space around the house now; when I am happy I like to shop -- just a little. I headed down to walmart and bought me a new microfiber floor mop which I am excited to use tomorrow, bought the new Olay professional which I think I over used since I got home, and some nail clippers for Patron since I'm a groomer at home now. I am not a professional and I don't claim to be but it's okay to tell my own self that I am indeed the best out there -- on this block anyway. It has been so hectic around at home that I can't seem to find the perfect time to get away from it all and blog like I used to do. I am so caught up with everything, chores, work, school registrations, saving money, and all these other things that I don't have a category for. I will start fresh when July comes and did I tell you yet? I am gonna go on a diet for awhile so all these junk foods will be a big NO NO!

Give me a week and I will do a review on the Olay Professional brush and I will tell you if it's a go or a nay so check my BEAUTY category for the review and my two sense. Ciao.

-Elysia

Watch Youtube and save money

I'm changing up my schedule because school is starting soon and I need to change up everything specially my spending or I will be broke in no time once school begins.

• If you're a pet owner, grooming every 2 months will add up. Average for me is $70 every 2 months including tips. That's $420/year and it don't seem much but it is to my little tiny wallet and budget. Check out youtube and search for grooming tips for your type of dog and buy yourself a cheap set of clippers, nail clipper, and shear scissor for dogs. You can splurge a little on a groom table if you'd like but use a tall table up to your waist to save money. 
• Search youtube on how to trim your hair because like dog grooming, it should be at least 6 weeks to keep healthy hair from getting split ends. I pay about $40 including tips just to get a trim and that's about $360 a year so if you own a dog plus your trim, that's a whopping total of $780/year.  Shear scissor and some hair ties and you're set. Go for it!
• Buy some $1 herb seeds and built a wooden box from scraps, fill up with miracle grow and you have fresh herbs on hand whenever you need them. That saves your trip to the store and tax free! Added bonus, grow some tomatoes since they can be used in a lot of different dishes, eggplant, and some leafy greens.
• Check out youtube on how to make your own shirts or how to fix up old clothes to invent something new rather than throwing away everything and going shopping. 
• Use coupons whenever you can and as much as you can. It sounds so frugal but it will thank you later on. 
• Check out new recipes online rather than buying cook books because they are a waste of space when you think about it and that would be a waste of paper and money. Why not save your money and use it to buy ingredients for a meal right off of the internet. 

Saving money from now on

Just a quick blog since I haven't done much in awhile and everything has been so hectic. If you follow me on twitter, you will know that I have announced couple of weeks ago that I am heading back to school for a business management degree *pat self on the back* so everything shifted. My spending budget to my at home schedule which includes work and my social networks. Education is not cheap but you get what you paid for at this point. I'm cutting back on a lot of things and adding more things to my home remedies and MAJOR budget control. Here are a few of the things I have organized together for my routine and trying to prepare for school.

• Eating out less.
• Using coupons more than I already do.
• Bought the furminator and scaredy cut to groom Patron at home.
• Making a short grocery list and sticking to it!
• Never buy groceries on an empty stomach.
• Spend on bills and rest goes to savings account.
• Going out to shopping centers less.
• Cutting up old bath towels for at home rags.
• No splurging on cosmetics and beauty care.
• Using baking soda for skin essential.
• Buying vegetables, poultry, and meat from the farmer's market rather than bulk.
• Checking out Craigslist's FREE categories for DIY products. If no luck, don't be tempted to look elsewhere. 

I have to admit, all these are sort of hard to stick to but you learn once you keep in mind that you can't be spending money you don't have. Self control is all you need and if you don't have it, find other ways because I know there are loopholes but I am to scared to take risk on it. 

Life of a future college girl and always on the grind - TOUGH!

Machi over for the weekend

My grandparents are spending their yearly anniversary out of the island for the weekend and guess who came over? Machi boy has to be baby sat because he's a super naughty when my mama is not home plus he is very spoiled. Not at his sissy's house he's not because he has to obey my mom's rules . Don't worry, he has a lot of attention and he has me as a playmate but he always bark at me and growls. He was being naughty and biting at me any chance he got so my mom tried to fit the muzzle on his tiny snout. Sent this photo update to my mama and my mom got a huge lecture from her about how sad and pleading his eyes are haha. So two more days with this little 2 pounder and no more naughty house "rat". Please Mama, hurry and come home because uncle Machi is not very nice to me :( But don't worry I still love him. 

Love, Patron

BBQ Event at home

Hawaii's Dave's Ice cream has been around for awhile and I always have to buy me some of their frozen chocolate covered grapes. I had to try out the strawberries but they weren't as good as I thought it would be because they were super sour and it's $1.25 for one. I was very disappointed because the berries were very small and they were EXPENSIVE! I will probably end up making my own and sharing with you, bloggers and I will really go all out for you.

Right next door to Dave's ice cream is Foodland and if you ask anyone around here, they will tell you exactly how their fresh pokes taste like and they will most likely say that they taste very ono. Top: fresh Ahi poke -- Bottom: California poke -- both paired with some roasted ritz veggie crackers. It might sound kind of weird but it's like those fancy appetizers at black and white parties except Hawaii style. I can even eat these raw babies with mountain of rice haha. 

We decided to BBQ the other day since we haven't done in awhile due to.... you guess it; BUSY! Plus we wanted to see faces we haven't seen in awhile and Walter's bestfriend just got back from a five months work in Africa so what better way than a few "pupus" and drinks. We started the grill 2 hours early so we wanted to make sure we can taste the mushroom wrapped in bacon before anyone arrived and some fresh steak. 

Boy, did Walter do a great job or what?! This is what you call a juicy medium rare and the picture don't lie, look at all those juices flowing off the slice of meat and how beautifully done it is outside and inside red, juicy, and super tender. My mouth is watering just looking at how fantastic he had done it. I wish we still had some in the fridge but it's long gone. 

He always know when we have some cooking going on. Here is Patron waiting patiently for me to drop some crumbs and giving me his "I'm begging, Mom on ALL four knees" pose.

This is so random, I had to finish the night with some twisted extra cheesy cheetos.  Great BBQ, awesome food, and company. When you have the chance, go on and give yourself a break and have a get together with friends and share some laughter, it's great for the soul and for your tired sole. 

Oven baked chicken & home-made sauce

 

I really wish I could share the recipe for this bad boy but Walter is very proud that he made his own "secret sauce recipe"so i don't think I can give out the recipe for it. But I can tell you one thing, it was the first thing he ever made from scratch and I would hate to burst his bubble. 

We actually had a peaceful 3 days weekend and we wanted to have a little time to ourselves since we're always running busy doing this and that. He brought home a hundred dollar champagne from California and we had a few glass and it made the meal even more fantastic. It really brought out the taste of the baked chicken and it was super mm-mmm-mmm. I can tell you a little trick I do with boneless and skinless chicken thigh to make it crispy. Cover up the top of the chicken pieces with bread crumbs right before you pop it in the over and you will have a nice "crusty skin" and it's more healthier. Please don't forget steam veggies :)

Thank you Mom & Dad

It was one of those "just-because" kind of present. Thank you Mom & Dad, you didn't have to but I don't mind either haha. I love you. This is a beautiful black pearl set with the slight hint of diamonds. It's a very sophisticated look that could go with anything but I'm just like my Mom and will only wear these for such special occasion haha. 

Filipino sweet longganisa

Walter loves these things and he goes crazy for them anytime of day with TONS of white rice and his side dish of tomatoes. I love buying them at our local farmer's market down the road because they sell 2 pounds of these for only $7.25 and if I was to buy just a pound of these elsewhere I know I would be paying $6 for it. You have to love the farmer's market because they are all fresh, cheaper, and you can get it tax free if the vendor is nice enough. 

These longganisas are sold either sweet or vinegar flavor and both goes well with anything and tons of rice. I'm Filipino so anything with fermented fish sauce, fresh tomatoes, chopped fresh ginger, and raw yellow onion; pop it in the fridge til ready to serve just to let all the flavors mix together. Serve, enjoy, and be a Filipino for a day! MABUHAY!

Local deluxe breakfast

Walter and I enjoy this breakfast whenever we get the chance and yesterday was one of them. I always have to have my mocha frappe anytime of the day which is probably a bad thing because it is loaded with calories haha. The local deluxe consist of scrabbled eggs, rice, spam, and local sausage and the portion is very generous. In Hawaii, we LOVE our rice and spam and I mean with a passion and we won't expect any rice serving less than 2 scoops haha. It's not the best diet but trust me, more rice with your spam and sausage and sprinkle some black pepper all over with a drizzle of soy sauce "shoyu" will make your breakfast even better. If you're down here, wake up early and grab yourself a plate and head to the beach for a sunny morning :)

I have gone mobile meaning I can blog ASAP without having to wait YAY :)

Pet groomer at home

Hair care:
If you have a super shedder dog like my pomeranian, Patron then you know how much they shed and how annoying it can be. But the hair is probably not as annoying as the price you pay every 6-8 weeks to have them groom. I love my boy and I will do every single thing he needs, vet check ups, medicines, toys, treats, groom, etc. But these really adds up and lets not forget that super furry dogs are about $60 and up for my small dog, imagine a chow chow breed?! I seen a lot of reviews on this Furminator and decided to give it a try. I will do a separate post with the end result of Patron after his next week shower.
Let me tell you, the result was so crazy. I think Hawaii was snowing with brown and red fur, it was amazing and funny. This furminator helps lessen the hair flying around in the house and lessen the hair that goes on your favorite black dress.

I also found another thing that made things easier around the house with Patron; walking like the prince that he is. I also purchased Scaredy Cut which doubles up the duty with the whole grooming process. You will feel like a pro, bathing, deshedding, AND cutting; you don't even have measure anything. It comes with a few sizes of detachable combs that attaches to a shear scissor. Just comb thru the fur and any extra hair sticking up the opposite way, you cut.

Paw care:
I cut Patron's nails every 6 weeks when I groom him or you can use pedipaws but I've tried it before and it didn't really work for my pomeranian. He didn't like the sound of it and it freaked him out. He's okay with paw handling but he couldn't take the buzzing sound.

You can take a buzzer or use shear scissors but please be careful. Don't forget to buzz those fur that sticks out under the paws because it can matte and can make your dog slip.

Dental care:
People think it's very hard but dogs do need daily dental care like us. I love those long double sided toothbrush, meat flavor toothpaste, breath fresheners, and breath MINT. Yes they have all these things for dogs. Patron really loves the meat flavor paste which makes the whole process way easier to do twice a day, spray the freshener, and reward him with a breath mint made for furry babies. This helps stinky breath! Whew.

Small investment on the nail clippers, scaredy cuts, and furminator will be well worth it. Your wallet will thank you for it and it's a great feeling knowing that you are saving a bundle!!!!

Long and healthy hair

Sometimes it's pretty pricey to manage hair to look their best and it seems complicating but home remedies, cheap products, and teaching yourself a thing or two.

• Avocado and mayo hair mask
• Chi products
• Prenatal vitamins
• Youtube videos
• Lessen the use of heat tools
• Lessen coloring hair especially bleaching!

I don't do much with my hair because the more products I use, the more it will make my hair heavy, damage prone, and money being wasted. I've tried the avocado and mayo mask and it works well.

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado (for medium hair, depends on the length and amount of hair you have)

1 cup mayo

Instruction:

Scoop out avocado and cut in small pieces, add to blender and blend at low speed. Add mayo and blend to mix. Do not puree, make sure it's still a bit chunky, thick enough to stick to hair. 

You don't have to use a blender but if you don't want big chunks of avocado getting stuck in the drain then I suggest you to or mash really well with fork and hand. 

Apply to dry hair, make sure to cover every inch of your hair and you can cover with a shower cap or plastic bag just to avoid dripping on the floor. 

Keep on for about 20-30 minutes and wash off. Shampoo and condition as usual and let it air dry. 

***You can use this as a monthly hair mask to keep your hair in check, silky and smooth.***

Chi keratin mist

I like this bottle very much, it strengthen my hair and helps keep split ends out of the way. Honestly, ever since I bought it a year ago, I haven't gotten any split ends PROMISE! Spray on your damp hair after every shower, tussle a little, comb, and let it air dry. 

Prenatal Vitamins

Do you ever wonder why when women get pregnant they have that nice healthy looking hair? Those prenatal vitamins were doing a wonderful job with all those vitamins packed into a small pill. Take it once a day after a meal and drinking a glass a milk a day plus the prenatal will also benefit your nail growth. 

Youtube:

You can learn just about anything now a days with googling or youtube. Check out how you can cut or trim your hair, buy yourself a pair of shear scissors and chop it away. You can be trimming your hair every 6-8 weeks and this saves you money every 6-8 weeks. 

Lessen tools & coloring

Thank goodness I'm such a lazy when it comes to blow drying and hair iron that I thank myself for it. But for those who love their tools then I recommend to lessen your use of it. Too much really damage the hair even if you use heat protectant. Lessen your use of hair coloring too, but if you must I recommend trying out hair dyes from Lush.com

Do you have any remedies that you would like to share? How do you keep your hair in check? Care to share?

Soft kissable lips

No one wants cracked lips and I know for sure that your partner don't enjoy it either. Everything needs to be exfoliated and moisturize and lips are included. I heard of those honey and sugar remedy but why not double the duty when you brush your teeth? Yes, put your tooth brush and toothpaste to another use. Once a week, exfoliate these babies and moisturize EVERYDAY. 

Items needed:

Tooth brush

toothpaste

Instruction:

Wet lips with water just a little. Slab on a thin layer of toothpaste and let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute. 

Wet tooth brush and gently scrub your lips until the toothpaste work a lather. Scrubbing for at least a minute and wash off. Pat dry and don't forget to moisturize.

***Save on those expensive tube of lip balms and buy yourself a tub of Vaseline. A small $2 tub totally last me a long time, I'm not even half way and it's been 2 years since I bought it. Just dab some on and you're good to go. use vaseline twice a day to keep your lips hydrated and don't forget lots of water.***

Teeth whitening remedy

I don't have a bright sunny teeth or anything but I do like to have pearly whites because I'm very obsess with coffee lately and some not so good habit. I never had a problem with stain teeth and my dentist always compliments how white and straight my teeth are. I still would like to do my best to never lose that semi-annual compliment and whiten my teeth. My sister was obsessed with those crest whitening strips but they were too pricey for me and when I did try it, it made my teeth super sensitive which is one of the side effect BUT I hated the feeling. Now I stick with home remedy to save money for less chemical use. I keep tabs on all my weekly and monthly beauty care to keep myself in check.

Enough rambling but I use the most common thing, baking soda!


Items needed:
1 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
water

Instruction:
In a small container, add salt and baking soda. Slowly add drops of water until mixture is paste like.
Use toothbrush to scoop up and brush as  you normally do. Do not swallow and rinse well. Rinse with mouth wash, brush teeth with regular toothpaste, floss, and rinse.

I recommend using this baking soda mixture once every 2 weeks; nothing more. It can be harming and ruin your mouth enamel if used too often.

Chopped off my layers

Another random day and oh boy did boredom struck me good today. I decided to cut my layers and give me a little trim. My hairstylist of 4 years was beginning to get a little expensive for my common layer trim and since my bangs were a success last night, I decided to go with that confidence. Please don't ask how I chopped it, I have no idea. I had a shear scissor, mirror, a sink, hair iron and voila, a trimmed hair. What do you think? Have you ever chopped your hairs off at home before? Care to share?

Crooked bangin hair

I have been wanting to chop off my bangs like the Fitch twins from the UK show Skins. I tried explaining to my stylist about the bangs but he could not seem to understand it; maybe because he's Korean? I don't know what the reason is but it made me want the hair style even more. At 10 PM tonight, I went to my bathroom and started chopping away. I don't even know how to cut hairs to begin with but I did it anyway. 

Please don't ask me to explain how I did it because I did not follow any steps, no videos. It's probably the most bold thing I have ever done to myself this year. I'm only trying this out and will probably go shorter like the Fitch twins have it. One step at a time, please. 

It's already 12:30 AM and I'm too excited to not show you the finished product right away. Serve it while it's fresh out of the over, right? I'm planning to attack my hair tomorrow; thank goodness I grew it out so I have a few to play around with. 

Did something bold this year? Care to share with me? I'd like to know. Let's inspire one another. 

White squash "Upo" recipe

My father-in-law has a garden full of it and they grow really fast which means we have endless source of it. Great! We need to find ways to cook it but surprisingly, we never get tired of it and my parents loves it because it's sweet. I cooked it the most simplest way I knew how. Give it a try when it's in season.

Ingredients:

3-4 Tomatoes

2 teaspoon fish sauce

salt and pepper for taste

1 medium size upo, cut into thin strips

1 garlic clove

1/2 pound pork

Directions:

• Heat pan to medium. 
• Saute garlic and pork together. Once pork is brown in color add in tomatoes and fish sauce.
• Cook together for 7 minutes.
• Add upo, salt and pepper.
• Cover, stir occasionally. 
• Done when all upo is soft.
• Serve with hot rice.

This was our Memorial day dinner. 

Happy Memorial Day

We didn't do much today because we woke up late plus Walter had to work and I pretty much blog the whole day. I'm a bit upset that I didn't have the chance to go to the Lantern Floating Ceremony at Magic Island, Ala Moana this evening and put out a lantern for my late Inang. I'm hoping to make it next year and I can show you guys what it looks like and how crowded it gets every year.

On the bright side, I got a chance to wash one load of laundry, bake some not so round chewy brownie cookies, and cooked white squash "upo" with pork for dinner. Today was a good day; well spent with you my fellow bloggers. I did some postings on here and a few on Twitter. Which by the way, don't forget to follow US and sub/follow for our Blogspot. Hope you all had a good Memorial Day everyone.

ALOHA :)

Simplify my life, extra please

Most of us are on the go nowadays and to add stress from home is another story. Don't you wish that when you come home, a meal for the entire family is prepared, the dog is fed, laundries are folded and put away? All you need to do is pretty much shower, change, eat, relax, and sleep? Unfortunately not everyone is gonna have this without people depending on YOU! I learned to multi-task times 1000. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing things 50 mph haha. I'll break it down for you; how one person can do everything in record time.

Cooking/Kitchen:

• Feed the pets before preparing dinner. By the time you're reading to start cooking everything, the dogs will be done. 
• Pre cut all your ingredients early in the day and place in fridge. When you are ready to cook, all you need to do is throw everything in. 
• If you work the next day, you can also precut everything the night before. 
•  Marinate anything that needs to be the night before. 
• Mix any sauces you need to use for any meals. 
• Cook early or after you get home from work. 
• Cook rice before anything else. 
• While the main ingredient is cooking which most of it takes at least 5 minutes or so, wash dishes you've already used. Let is drip excess water, wipe, and put away. (This will lessen the dishes that needs to be wash AFTER dinner. Full tummy plus loads of dishes don't feel so good.)
• Serve meal course in small serving bowls and wash dishes that was used and put away. 
• Once done using the stove, let it cool and just before dinner, clean right away to avoid stains, ants coming for a visit and you don't have to worry after dinner. 
• Enjoy your meal, now you're only left with the bowls, plates, utensils etc. to wash. Smaller dishes right and those big pots and pans out of the way. 
• Have everyone throw any plate scraps in the trash and put their dishes straight in the sink to help you out. 
• Wash all dishes when done and let it dry on rack.
• Just before bed, wipe and put away dishes. 

***Key thing is to prepare everything ahead of time to cut your cooking time in half. Wash bigger dishes while waiting on the dish to cook to save you time after dinner.***

Cleaning:

• Try to wake up early in the morning on your day off and do as much as possible. 
• Wash laundry before anything else. That will usually take 20-30 minutes. 
• With that time you can sweep the floors and mop it. 
• If you hang clothes, while your floor is drying up go ahead and hang those clothes. If using dryer, put the laundry in and you can start the new load. 
• If floors are still wet, you have spare time to rake outside, water your plants, clean that rabbit cage.
• Once floors are completely dry, you can bathe your dog (if inside dog) and dry him up. After you use the bathroom for his bath, you can go ahead and sweep and mop your bathroom. Let it dry.
• Hang second load of clothes and so on and so forth.
• Once dry, clean toilet, wipe down sink, clean shower area. 
• Fix bed once you wake up. Put everything away to wherever they belong to lessen any mess. 

It was a boring day

My mom was running here and there with her chores and was so busy. Which means I was super bored. I didn't get much belly rubs; a few head scratch here and there because she always knew when I needed a little touch for the itch. She was out for groceries and came home and gave me TWO strips of beggin strips, and boy was I a happy camper. Thanks mom, with this you let me know you don't forget about my afternoon treats. I love you. I think my mom cooked some pork with white squash (upo), I can smell it and do I see brownie cookies fresh baked on the counter. YUMMY! She loves you guys too and I know she will show you her messy BUT delicious cooking. YAY. Okay, Mom said it's my dinner time now. WOOF WOOF!

Shokudo Japanese Restaurant

My friend and I couldn't make it to one of our bestfriend's gap and gown ceremony due to our schedules so we tried to make it up to her by doing a dinner reservation at Shokudo Japanese Restaurant in town. Thank goodness she eats sushi and thank goodness for my other bestfriend, they served plain rice, sodas, and fried chicken katsu. I pretty much will eat anything these two eat, except eggplant, chocolate, and way too much sweets. We ordered 7 different meals and they were all good; so good that I think my mind is still full and can't think of the names. I know we had some fried noodles, sushi pizza, rainbow sushi, chicken katsu, mixed tempura, honey toast, and tortilla chicken for appetizer. I would recommend trying their tortilla chicken, it is very delish and some of their green tea shake. I think I had 2 of these babies and I was over the top stuffed.

A great night spent with these two but then again, it's always a happy random kind of day when I'm with them. You can't go wrong with a simple get together with friends and be sure to go with them on an empty stomach. Great food and company brings happiness to everyone. Congratulation again, Ping-pong. I love you :)

We would like a proper intro

The blog is coming so well together and I wanted to brag to Walter about it and he pouted and asked that we share a blog together. I mean, why not, the dog has one, right?!

We're two couples trying to make ends meet and getting our life together. We try to make our tiny place as comfortable as possible and stick with a strict budget. It's hard but we'll manage. He's a UTI graduate while I'm still figuring out what I really want to study. We work, pay bills, eat, and be lazy together. That's how things roll in this household.

We're cuckoo and we're fine with that. We're strange but that's what makes the relationship work. We just celebrated our 4 years anniversary together and damn, has it been long (just kidding) but when things are running smooth, you don't notice the time passing by.

No kids at the moment but we do have our 2 years old pomeranian, Patron and that's our son. I say he counts as a child; he needs financial and emotional needs so therefore he is a household child. I think I'm secretly too selfish at the moment to be a mother but I admit, I do wish to have one.

For now, our energy, love, and money all goes to each other, Patron, hobbies, and our tiny place. Sounds good to me.

Waipahu's Poke Stop

I haven't eaten this in so long and it's not my go-to place either. It's a bit pricey but this meal makes it super worth it. This is called their "Tempura roll" with toss salad and their homemade sauce. Very fresh and tasty. It's simply made, crunchy on the outside but soft and sweet inside. If you put it in simple form, it's a fresh ahi fish called "poke" rolled with rice and wrapped with nori and top with some fish eggs. I like to call it, Hawaii's local sushi!

Family Jewels be gone

May 25th on Wednesday, my mom decided to wake me up super early for an hour drive to Hawaii Kai. Boy was I excited when she took out my leash and put it on me, I knew I was going for a walk or something - maybe shopping :) Then she give me to some lady and she disappeared for a super long time. She did come back around 8:00 PM, that was super late. I missed her so much and I could tell she missed me, too because she hugged me! She told me that I no longer have my family jewels. What does that even mean? Then I felt a few pain and I was feeling super sleepy. I LOST ME JEWELS! Now I know. It's okay mom, I forgive you. She said she's only trying to look out for me and keep me healthy. Plus, she read somewhere that getting me fix will help with my "marking" problem and it will benefit me in the long run. Getting fix means I will not have the risk of getting cancer. So thank you mom. I know you just wanted me to live longer with you; not selfish at all because I want to live long with you, too.

Thank goodness mom bought me antibiotics and some pain meds because I was running a fever that night. But my mom stayed up and woke up everytime I cried. Mama Pat was so nice, she gave me a really huge bed to be put on the floor so I can sleep while mom cranked up the AC for me. But daddy took too long to come to bed so I took over his space on their bed and laid next to my mom. Basically, he ended up sleeping on the floor with the bed -- for the past 4 nights. He said it's okay because he loves me and I should get better.

I'm not complaining though, mommy hand feed me because this white funnel like thing is blocking me from everything. We even went to the tracks where my daddy play with his electric toy car with his friends while mommy and I stay in the car. We eat and listen to music and just relax under the shades. To my advantage, I get to have my own food. Mmmmm I love me some BIG pork hash and my very own char siu manapua and cold cold water. Thank you MOMMY!

To all furry mommies out there, please get your furry babies fix. They will be healthier. Furry babies, don't be sad. You can do it, plus you will be extra spoiled, TRUST ME :)

I'm Patron & I'm a pomeranian!

Patron R. Tangonan
Bday: December 19, 2008
Breed: Pomeranian fox terrier mix
It's a BOY
Fun fact: I was adopted on 2009 Valentine's Day. I picked my mom with my charming eyes and tail wags. I secretly like pink!

Woof Woof = Hi everyone! My mom thought it'd be a great idea to make me my very own blog. But honestly, I think she's just obsessed with me hehe. Keep up with me and my tail wagging days. Grab your "kids" and have them get to know me. I promise I'm a very good boy and I always listen to my mommy & daddy *smirk face*. I get along with everyone and I love treats. Do you happen to have any beggin strips lying around you somewhere? I'm turning 3 years old this year and these past years were the best. Tons of treats, belly rub, and so much toys. I would write more "about me" but I promise to blog often to let you know my day. Oooh I am so excited *wag tail*.

Foot theraphy

Exfoliating and moisturizing goes for the feet too, ladies. Don't forget to care for these babies who take you wherever you need to go. I just finished mines and thought I'd share my care routine with you. I try my best to get to them once a week or on Sundays but sometimes I'm running wild and so busy and tired etc. As I write this blog, I'm touching them over and over; I can't get over the fact that it is so soft even though I've experienced it before, haha.

Items used:
Sally Hansen Salon Ultra Smoothing Foot scrub ***
Sally Hansen Saloon Mineral Foot Soak
Sally Hansen Salon Intensive Callus remover ***
A foot paddle
Lotion




















Steps:

• Fill a foot basin (or in my case, a bucket) with warm water about a gallon. Put a capful of the Sally Hansen Saloon Mineral Foot Soak in. Place feet inside and relax for 10-15 minutes. Let is soak and this time you can read a magazine, tweak on your phone, or just lay back and relaaaaaaxxx.
• After soaking, take a teaspoon of Sally Hansen Salon Ultra Smoothing Scrub and run in circular motion to both feet for 1-2 minutes each. Don't forget between the toes and up to the ankle. I love this because it turns into a great lather. Using Sally Hansen foot paddle, scrub each foot for a minute. Rinse off. 
• Put a thin layer of Sally Hansen Salon Intensive Callus Remover to both feet. Cover entire bottom of feet and let it sit for a minute - NO LONGER THAN A MINUTE! Wash hands right away. 
• Using foot paddle to scrub and rinse off with warm, soapy water. Pat feet dry and apply lotion. 

It wasn't so bad, right? Easy and you can do this at home. No line waiting at the salon or spending tons PLUS the tip. Try to do this once a week to keep your feet soft and ash-less free. 

***Tip: You can use the Sally Hansen Salon Ultra Smoothing Foot Scrub every day in the shower along with your foot paddle. Sally Hansen Salon Intensive Callus Remover can be used 1-2 times a week only.***