nailed it

Ah, vanity. When it strikes, no one is safe -- not even this self-proclaimed non-conformist.

One vain itch that I don't particularly like but sometimes give in to is the impulse to paint fingernails. I firmly stand by the belief that clean, natural nails are the prettiest. Besides, wearing nail polish makes me feel like I can't use my hands as much, and that sucks.

But yeah, I do give in to the occasional impulse. But when I do, I make sure it's as far from girly as it can get. Yup, that means wearing only dark colors. More specifically, black.

green heart

Living on my own in a rented space has made me crave for hobbies. Not that I don't already have gazillions. I guess it's the homebody in me that started to itch for a cute living creature to take care of.

Unfortunately, I've proven to myself that I cannot take care of mobile living creatures. Firstly, I travel at least twice every year -- that's why my two goldfish, Popoy and Basha, had to gulp their last breath (at the hands of a caretaker). Besides, I realized that I can't really bear to hold animals captive in such a tiny bowl. Secondly and more importantly, I do not even own this house and cannot control things that happen when I'm away at work -- that's why I cannot own a bubbly, carefree little puppy, either.

The idea of keeping a mini-terrarium has appealed to me for a while now (what better way to use Popoy and Basha's bowl!). So when I saw a mini-flower shop stand set up at Divisoria for Valentine season, I swooned. I went right ahead to look, not at the flowers, but at the potted bonsais.

And imagine my joy when I found this little fella waiting for me on Valentine's Day! Thank you, Dan!

Camiguin love

I've been totally psyched to see great photos in the Camiguin Tourism Office's Facebook page. Having been born and raised in this island, I never fully realized how beautiful Camiguin is until I went away for college and my friends were like "You are so lucky!" Needless to say, living in the city made me really fall in love with my homeland. I can say without a doubt that Camiguin is my favorite place in the world.

It's not because of the tourist spots (well, not totally). There's a quiet charm to this island, something that feels so homey and just plain nice.

Probably it's the fact that we can just go on a boat ride on any given summer day and it's instant heaven.

Happy World Nutella Day!

February 5 is World Nutella Day!

Nutella is pretty much like heaven for a breadivore like me, so I couldn't pass up the chance to try out some simple goodies using this well-loved spread for brunch.