i am woman, hear me rawr!

Since I hit 30, I noticed that my skin was not as good as it used to be. Yes, I know that that’s a typical sign of aging, but for some reason, it was only in my 30′s that I had to deal with pimples, blackheads and all sorts of skin problems that are usually associated with adolescence. Througout my younger days, I really never had those concerns and even though I had ugly hair and was overweight, one thing I was proud of was that I had good skin.

So anyway, for the longest time I was trying to find a good product to use for my face. I’ve always been a soap-and-water kind of gal, but now it wasn’t working. At first, I tried the new products in the market, such as Celeteque, but I was not hiyang to it. I also tried Cetaphil, but was not satisfied. I splurged on a Neutrogena wave, and that worked at first but later on I think my skin got irritated with the vibrating pulses of the wave and it became kinda oily and shiny. I swiped a bar of Dove from my lola’s closet and that worked fine, but not as good as my latest discovery…Olay Body Bars.

From the first time I saw the ads for Olay body bars, I knew I wanted to try it but cheapskate me as always was hesitant to buy something I had not tested (especially since compared to other soaps, it’s a bit more expensive). I even joined the Olay contest on Facebook so I can try it, but sadly, I was not able to claim my Olay loot. Lucky for me, a kind hearted blogger friend of mine, Meikah, shared her stash with me and I discovered the perfect match for my skin care woes. Now that I know it suits me, I will definitely purchase this next time I go to the grocery. I hope that when I do, the Buy 2 Take 1 sale/promo of Olay will still be available!

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I can’t wait to find out who Agent Salt really is!!! The Internet has been abuzz about this secret agent and I really am looking forward to uncovering the secret behind her. Since the first time I saw the trailer of this latest Angelina Jolie flick, I knew it was one to watch out for.

The story revolves around CIA officer, Evelyn Salt who’s oath to duty, honor and country is compromised as her loyalty is tested when she is accused to be a Russian Spy. To clear her name, she goes on the run, making good use of all her training and years of expertise as a covert operative to prove her innocence. But is she really who she says she is? Exciting premise, right? This is definitely the kind of flick that’s right up my sleeve

Thanks to Columbia Pictures, I will finally get to find out who Salt is next week!

SALT opens on July  28, 2010 and is presented by Columbia Pictures in association with Relativity Media a di Bonaventura Pictures production. The film is directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, and Andre Braugher.

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Whenever I travel, I get a lot of flak from my companions because I can never travel light. In fact, even for just a short overnight trip, I often lug around one of those travelling bags with wheels. I blame this on the fact that I have to bring along my pillow and blanket wherever I go, especially since I get allergies to some hotel pillows (even though they’re clean!). This is why when I came across a promo by my favorite movie snack, M&M’s (yes, this is the perfect partner to my popcorn fix while watching movies!), I knew I had to collect M&M packets to nab my very own M&M’s foldable blanket. I bet this will lessen the commentary my friends give about my over-packing and instead, I will hear the “oooh’s” and “aaah’s” about how cute my blanket is.

Other cool travel goodies you can get from the world renowned chocolate that “melts in your hand, not in your mouth” are as follows:

• M&M’s luggage tags (7 points)
• M&M’s Sling cum Messenger Bag (40 points)
• M&M’s Foldable Blanket (80 points)
• M&M’s Backpack (130 points)

Points are earned by simply purchasing participating M&M’s products. Points earned are as follows:

• 1 point for any of the following:
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Milk Chocolate 40g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Peanut 40g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Crispy 34 g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Mini 30.6 g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Milk Chocolate 47.9g
  • 1 pc. M&M.s Peanut 49.3g
  • 1 pc M&M’s Orange 34g
• 2 points for any of the following
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Milk Chocolate 100g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Peanut 100g
• 5 points for any of the following
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Milk Chocolate 200g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Peanut 200g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Milk Chocolate 232.5g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Peanut 232.5g
• 8 points for any of the following
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Milk Funsize 202.5g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Peanut Funsize 202.5g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Milk Funsize 267.9g
  • 1 pc. M&M’s Peanut Funsize 264.8g

Keep in mind, however, that the products must include the BEST BEFORE DATE dated 2010/2011, so your any old bags you may have kept for whatever reason cannot be included in the promo which runs from July 15 to October 15,2010 J

Be sure to keep your wrappers and tubes! If you’re not gonna keep ‘em, throw it my way! I really want that blanket!!!

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By now I’m sure many of you have already seen the Christopher Nolan flick, Inception which stars Leo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page. It was definitely one of the most visually stimulating, mind-blowing and jaw-dropping films I’ve seen this year (and I’ve seen a lot! 28 to be exact!!!). It reminded me a lot of activities we did in a Hypnotherapy class I took years ago, where we did a lot of guided imagery exercises. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about the whole concept of altered states of consciousness, hypnotic suggestibility and the like, but after learning more about it, and even trying it out for myself both in class and in therapy sessions, I began to realize the power of hypnosis.

Although ‘Inception’ was not really about hypnosis but more on dreams, the whole premise rang similar bells for me. I loved how the film portrayed the world of dreams and how it does give the world of the dreamer a more “real” feeling. As I wrote in my review of Shutter Island, I am not really a big Leo fan but after seeing him twice this year, I think I am beginning to change my mind. I loved Ellen Page in this film though And it was nice to see a grown up Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whom I loved in ’10 Things I Hate About You’ and from ‘Third Rock from the Sun’ from years before.

Inception is definitely one of those must-see movies, and no, a DVD copy is not good enough! Do see it in the big screen, IMAX if you can. Although it is not featured in 3D, the wider screen and the IMAX technology does make the dream so much larger than life.

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For my second Serial Sevens, I am listing 7 bloggers or blogger groups who I want to thank. They have helped me immensely in my journey through blogging and exploring my creative side. It is also through them that I have changed in so many ways. With no further ado, here they are:

1. My blogger guru’s Mommy Rubz, Iris, Jen and Jeff, and Earth. They were the ones who taught me how to optimize my blog, get income generated and how to finally become a friend of the sheriff!
2. Noemi, Chats and Cess, my POC editors. They have helped me fulfill my dream of becoming a writer. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to hone my craft under such supportive and encouraging bosses
3. My  Movie Blogger partners (Jori, Flow, Earth, Ohms, Iris, Sire, Cathy, Cher, Lace, Az, to name a few) and our sponsors Watching movies without you guys is not the same, I swear!
4. My Blog Anniversary Sponsors for making my first anniversary contest a success.
5. My new-found cousin (Cuz Sis as she likes to say) Ryan (a.k.a. Fedoran) for making my blog adventures even more fun.
6. My first blogger friends and hosts, Az, Lace, Jonel, and Ed
7. My Plurk buddies for making my daily existence so much more fun. Thanks for listening to the rants about my you-know-what’s and you-know-who’s. Hehe.

Here’s to you my dear friends! I’d send you some wine and cigars (as are customary congratulatory gestures in some places) but since we’ve gone virtual, let’s settle for some cupcakes topped with chocolate wine and cao cigars!

“wine and cigar” , c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

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The coming week is shaping up to be an exciting one for movie lovers like me! Three big flicks are set to open and it would definitely be hard to choose which to see first.

The first big movie set to open is one that I’ve been waiting for for quite some time, Inception, starring Leo de Caprio and Ellen Page.

Since the first time I saw the trailer (if I’m not mistaken some time last October/November) I knew I wanted to watch it. The tag line for the film goes “Your mind is the scene of the crime”. Being a psychologist, the tag line got my curiosity peaked. The movie revolves around a skilled thief, Dom Cobb, who does what no other thief can do: extract valuable secrets from one’s unconscious. Interesting, right?

Another one I’m looking forward to is Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. I’ve always enjoyed films that deal with magic, sorcery and the like so this is definitely going to be interesting. The film stars Nicholas Cage, Alfred Molina and Jay Baruchel.

The last one I am looking forward to is a local film, Cinco. Much as horror and suspense flicks, especially Filipino made ones, used to be corny, predictable and “fake”, this one looks quite interesting and even the cinematography and direction looks as if it really has made a lot of progress since the days of Shake, Rattle and Roll. I want to see how far our technology has gone and if the film can really keep up with foreign ones. I know the Philippines can, we’ve seen it, but in this genre, I want to see it happen to. Sadly, I don’t have a photo to upload

This is going to be an exciting week in the movies, let’s go!

Inception photos courtesy of Warner Bros., The Sorcerer’s Apprentice courtesy of Walt Disney Picutres

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As I have gotten older, falling asleep early seems to have gotten more and more elusive. I often find myself battling sleeplessness every single night, no matter how tired I am. It’s like there’s so much going on in my head that even though my body is shutting down, my mind is still running. I guess it’s because I’m doing so many things and that I have to work on better time management skills. Also, I guess I have to lessen my coffee and tea intake so as to help me get to bed early. It’s no wonder no matter how many solutions for acne I try nothing works. I used to have flawless skin, I swear, but now…IT’S BAD!!!! *sigh*

Lemme go to bed now…

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Every once in a while, when I get frustrated with life as I know it here in Manila, I think about migrating. Moving To California, for example, is an option I think about every now and then. This becomes especially vivid when I watch Private Practice (yes, I know it’s a show!) and see how fabulous it would be to live by the beach just like Addison Montgomery. I love how the beach is right outside her house and lounging by the beach is something I really love doing. If I could, I would uproot myself and relocate myself to some deserted island where I could just write and explore that side of who I am.

The thing is, I know I won’t survive in such an isolated existence. While I do like being alone, I still like the hustle bustle of the city, which is why LA may be the way to go.  If ever, I bet there are California International Movers who can accommodate a transfer from here.

One thing that keeps me from really checking out California Moving Companies is the fact that I love my life here. It can just get boring from time to time My sister is one of those California Movers, or those who migrated to greener pastures, and I honestly applaud her for making such a tough decision. As for me, I don’t mind staying put. For now, I will just dream California Dreams

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