A week in expenses (also, down with flu)

So, my last money challenge was a bit of a fail. After 3 days of consistently taking the bus to work, I gave in during the last 2 days and took a cab/drove the car lol. Today is a new challenge, I'm cutting down on coffee expenses... kasi grabe that's ₱140/day din pala I'm spending on coffee I could've just prepared at home if I only wake up earlier diba hahaha. So yeah, conscious effort tayo! And because I found that parking at Greenbelt 5 is more affordable, I'll try to make sure I wake up early enough to arrive there with at least 20 mins allowance before my shift starts, because looking for a slot is a bummer and I still have to walk some 10 mins to the office.

Monday (Oct 22) - ₱260

○ Parking at the office building - ₱260

Today I failed to avoid parking at the office lol, but I did make sure not to spend anything more than the parking fee because I want to put a ceiling on my daily expenses. ₱260/9hrs is too hefty for parking alone.

Tuesday (Oct 23) - ₱110

○ Parking at Greenbelt 5 - ₱110

Our office had an event so I was able to score dinner yay!

En route to work I spotted this new Toyota Innova side by side (almost) with a Fortuner. And can I just say, Innova na talaga dream car ko ngayon hahaha. It's so beautiful hahaha and the rear side almost has that Fortuner appeal. I love it.

Wednesday (Oct 24) - ₱262

○ Cab going to the office - ₱122
○ Cab going to home - ₱140

My manager updated my schedule to 4PM-1AM after seeing how many lates I've incurred this month. I personally wanted to stop him and just ignore my lates, I'll just face the deductions, but I think it was in his goodwill to offer so I agreed and apologized. So now, my brain is wired to think 4:59pm is the new late and it sucks haha. Huhu.

Thursday (Oct 25) - ₱95

○ Parking at Greenbelt 5 - ₱70
○ Eggpie form the pantry - ₱25

My head feels so heavy right now, I almost didn't want to come to work. Aaaaand, I gave in. I took a half day sick leave today because I really couldn't bring myself to focus on my work anymore. I was so sick from... flu I guess? I don't know what it is exactly but I have colds, my throat hurts, and I'm feeling feverish. I knew I got it from my husband 'cos he was sick last week, and for some reason a lot of my officemates were sniffing like crazy too.

I tried to rest at our office's sleeping quarters but failed to get even a minute of quality sleep because the room was full and two girls were snoring loudly lol. I was hoping to let the heavy traffic pass but I have no place to rest in the office so I just left early.

Friday (Oct 26) - ₱245

○ Jollibee - ₱150
○ McDo - ₱95

Today I spent the day trying to recover. I filed another sick leave. My eyes are so frkn heavy. Remind me not to take nasal decongestants anymore, I think I'm good with just paracetamol. And because I have no strength to cook, I decided to eat out. Grabe this day, I'm super weak but I drove myself out to eat fastfood hahaha. I have no appetite but I knew I had to eat something, pero hindi ako nabubusog, alam nyo yon?! Kaya super lamon ako today argh. Thank God my husband stayed at home din... to work, but also to take care of me lol.

I missed the Halloween Night at the office because of this frkn flu. Sayang free food haha.

GRAND TOTAL = ₱972

Hooray for spending less than 1k this week!

Money Diaries: A week in October

Random photo of the week lol (SkinStation Shangri-la Plaza)

Last week, I made an effort to spend less after noticing how easily my wallet thinned after just a week of failing to prepare baon. Root cause would be my waking up late every day. It eats up time I could've spend preparing food. I also always end up rushing to work and choosing to take a cab or bring the car which can be expensive. So yeah, here's how my week went with this personal challenge!

Monday (Oct 15) - ₱218

○ Bus going to the office - ₱14
○ Coffee! - ₱140 (I have a new favorite, Costa's Iced Mocha! Ang tapaaang even with milk, I love it!)
○ Kalamay - ₱50
○ Bus going home - ₱14

I love watching the baristas at Costa Coffee prepare my favorite iced mocha. The beans are fresh, they grind some upon order (or baka madalas ko lang sila naabutan na walang grounds haha), press it and pass it through their espresso machine. Then they mix the espresso with chocolate syrup then shake it with ice crystals. Then they fill my primo cup halfway with milk, then pour the coffee mixture in. My cup would be brimming with coffee and yet walang natatapon?! Even when they cover it with the dome lid hindi talaga tumatapon yung maguumapaw kong kape. Amaaaazing hahaha

I love it!

Tuesday (Oct 16) - ₱168

○ Bus going to the office - ₱14
○ Costa's Primo Iced Mocha - ₱140
○ Bus going home - ₱14

Argh. I arrived late (for the nth time this month) to work again. Pinilit ko talaga mag-bus eh kahit ang tagal mag abang! Huhu. I had two meetings today at work, both of which are about gathering potential test cases for RPA. I realized how much I sucked at presenting and getting all the important information in a meeting. I should learn more. Thank God for my senior!

Wednesday (Oct 17) - ₱168

○ Bus going to the office - ₱14
○ Costa's Primo Iced Mocha - ₱140
○ Bus going home - ₱14

I arrived late. Again. Grabe ang lala ko na argh. Anyway. The kiosk manager at Costa Coffee recognizes me and my usual order now haha. Primo Iced Mocha forever!

Thursday (Oct 18) - ₱309

○ Cab going to the office - ₱155
○ Costa's Primo Iced Mocha - ₱140
○ Bus going home - ₱14

Took the cab today because I can't afford to arrive late to the office again! Aaaargh.

Friday (Oct 19) - ₱250

○ Parking at Greenbelt 5 - ₱110
○ Costa's Primo Iced Mocha - ₱140

Late parin ako ano ba namang buhay to. I brought the car to beat the time but when I passed by Dela Rosa I got thrilled at the sight that GB5 parking is still not full. So I went in and parked there instead. I totally forgot I was supposed to be not late today. Jusko huhu.

Also today, I passed an application for parking slot in our building. Hopefully it gets approved fast.

GRAND TOTAL - ₱1,113.00

That means on the average, I spend ~₱220 per day. Coffee is to blame eh no? I could've slashed 700 off my weekly expenses if Costa wasn't so tempting lol.

Maybe I'll try that next week. No coffee at work ganon. After all, I used to drink coffee before heading to work, but because of my effed up sleep schedule I've been missing on out my coffee "mornings". Let's see next week!

5 Baby gifts you'll love from Lovingly Signed

Personalized baby items are the best as it adds sincerity and warmth to any gift. If you're looking for baby items to give to one of your friends, or if you yourself is looking to getting cute baby items for your own little one, then you have to check out Lovingly Signed. Lovingly Signed is a unique online shop that specializes in personalized baby gifts. Just wandering at their website will make you all warm and fuzzy. The clean layout, the color palette and easy navigation all work to make your stay on their online abode a welcoming one.

If you want to get ideas on the perfect items to get, read on!

Luxury Towelling Robe

Towel robes are a baby essential you'll come to value more as time goes by. Unlike clothing items that can be outgrown so fast, robes may be used for more than a year. Have it embroidered with the baby's name and let Lovingly Signed do all the work. They'll package it in a luxurious box and get it delivered for free (Singapore only). Rest assured your package will arrive safe and sound right at your doorstep.

Knit Blanket

Blankets are yet another of those baby essentials you shouldn't miss. And having it personalized with your cutie pie's name is definitely a great touch. The high quality, 100% cotton knit blankets comes in different pastel colors like baby pink, powder blue, silver grey, and plain white. Your baby will definitely sleep soundly wrapped in this soft, cottony, warm, and fully breathable blanket.

Gift boxes

If you're looking for something more exquisite, a luxury gift box containing a cute plush toy would make a wonderful gift. Lovingly Signed gift sets come in different themes. You can get a rabbit, unicorn, bear, or a piglet plush, along with either a bath set, towel set, blanket, or snuggle set. The cute packaging, and carefully curated items inside a the lovely box will surely elicit a gleeful squeal from your little one.

Personalized Toy Storage

Organizing your kid's toys can be made of nightmares to a lot of parents. If you've got more than 1 kid around, it gets even messier and harder to deal with. A personalized toy hamper from Lovingly Signed will take care of your storage issues for you with style. With the toy baskets embroidered with your kid's name, it would be easy to sort items. And because the baskets look super cute, they won't be an eyesore to your home!

Baby Books

Aside from baby clothes, books are also nice items to give babies. Lovingly Signed offers cute and educational books that your children will surely love exploring. The books are adorably pretty, with elements your baby would love to play around with like furry tails, textured pages, and beautiful illustrations.

These are just some of the things you'll love at Lovingly Signed. All of their products are made from the finest quality, and the packages are arranged beautifully. They offer free shipping for Singapore addresses and their products are also affordable. Do check them out and let me know what you think!

All photos are taken from Lovingly Signed website.

3 Halloween costume ideas you'll love

Halloween is just around the corner and you bet, everyone's all about looking for the right costume. Aside from dressing up your home to look lit and up for the season with cute decor and tapestries (click here), you also want to dress the part and be strut the best costume in town. Here are 3 halloween costume ideas you'll love!
Be a pretty witch

A witch costume is one of the most popular choices out there. It's timeless and classic and overall speaks halloween on every angle. Get this dress from DRESSLILY if you want to look pretty and elegant with powerful spells to cast!

Be a superhero

Superheroes will never be out of tune when it comes to dressing up for halloween. Everybody's got a favorite, so it's just a matter who wears it best. Be creative when choosing your costume. Get your family's participation in it, better yet, why not dress up to be a superhero family. Try The Incredibles, or Justice League!

Be a monster

Nope, not the real bad ones who cast evil vibes all over. Some people like to play it safe by looking pretty and glam this halloween, but some want to dress the part of being scary and be a monster on that special day. There are a lot of scary costumes you could consider. You can be either a zombie, a scary nun, or an alien ala predator. It takes a lot of effort to acquire realistic costume and prosthetic but it's every worth the scream you'll get once you start knocking on your neighbors doors!

3 Dresses you should have in your closet

It was too late when I realized that dresses are one of the most practical things you can have in your closet. They're easy to wear, and give out an instant complete look. For the longest time I avoided wearing dresses because I have ugly legs and I'm too ashamed to bare them. But heck, I realized that nobody really cares about my dark and unshaven legs so I gave in and tried wearing dresses more often.

If you wanted to try wearing dresses too, here are the top 3 dresses you should have in your closet. Read on to see more details:

Black dress

Having a black dress is a basic thing in your closet. It's simple and elegant and you can wear it anywhere. Check out this black dress from ROSEGAL.
Cocktail dress

This one's a bit formal, but every girl should be able to pull one when she needs 'em. A cocktail dress is good for a lot of semi-formal events. Say a romantic date night or a wedding. And if you're familiar with wrap-around dresses like those? You should definitely get one! Check out this cute wrap dress from Rosegal!

Floral dress

Here's another cute dress that you should have. Floral printed dresses, or just any printed dress is a complete outfit in itself. You don't have to worry about lacking an earring or a bracelet, because this dress is already good in itself. Just carry a simple bag and simple shoes and you're good to go on your next event!

The Sunday Currently (vol. 25)

I guess this is the first time this year I'm blogging on a Sunday. My last Sunday Currently was December 2017 can you believe it? Anyway, I still use this format in my Life Lately's so it's not like you haven't heard from me haha.

What's up?

Reading:
Nothing

Writing:
This and some pending articles about travel and buying furniture in Miami.

Listening:
To the faint sound of vehicles passing by.

Thinking:
About the things that transpired a few weeks ago til this week, work wise.

Smelling
Nothing, my nose is clogged.

Wishing
We had 3-day weekends. As in. I need 1 day for myself, 1 for my family, and 1 for church. Then I'd go window shipping to buy nice clothes. Like these stylish sweaters from ZAFUL (click here).

I need a more regular me time. Time to get my nails done, my eyebrows threaded, time for spa and time to window shop! How I wish!

Watching
Still Love in Moonlight when I'm alone, Designated Survivor and Kim's Convenience when I'm with my husband!

Loving
That I was able to score three cute tops yesterday at Fishermall and I was able to conquer my fear of parking along the gutter. Going out was hell though but thank God for daddy Larry for patiently guiding me through it. Jusko babagsak gulong ko my goodnessss!

Wanting
Some guidance on my career goals lol

Needing
To lose weight, as always!

Feeling
Thankful about the recent happenings.

Life Lately and a bunch of nothings

Reading
Nothing. Still halfway through Dan Brown's Inferno. I can't remember when I last left off that I had to Google the title of the book kasi limot ko na, and alam ko lang Dan Brown, jusko hahaha. I updated my GoodReads and tagged it as Currently Reading ALTHOUGH, we all know how close it is to being tagged as DNF (Did not finish). There should be a GoodReads category for that.

DNF would be a purgatory where books either get forgotten for good, or re-read and finally finished. But they could also be stuck in a limbo of being read over and over but never finished. Yikes. But of course, what kind of reader would throw a book in limbo.

Writing
Nothing, but I have two pending articles about how to learn crossfit and how to stand out among your friends lol.

Listening
Nothing lol. Maybe I should write this off as "Life Lately and what to do next" no?

Thinking
About what to do if we had won the Ultra Lotto 6/58 Jackpot yesterday. It was our first time to place a bet, just for fun. I asked my sister to place some numbers for a single draw. The digits came from my husband's dream where he saw the figures 24% and 6,000. It's not that straightforward so we tried to piece the numbers to see if it would give us 6 figures. Lo and behold, what came out of our pag-pupumilit maging prophetic and panaginip were the following numbers:

02-06-14-24-40-50

And of course it didn't win (otherwise you woudn't hear about this), but we had fun daydreaming about how to spend that insane amount of money. The pot was at 900M. 

Smelling
Nothing. This question doesn't really appeal to me, what should I replace this with?

Wishing
I had parking privileges in our office. Today's commute was so bad. It rained so hard when I left and by the time I was able to hail a cab I just got my second shower. My pants were completely drenched I could wring a handful from it. I should've brought the car but the uncertainty of a parking space kept me from getting the keys.

Watching
Alone: Love in the Moonlight (re-watching 'cos I didn't finish it last time)
With my husband: Designated Survivor Season 2 and Kim's Convenience (when DS gets too heavy lol)

Loving
Hello Panda Matcha Green Tea biscuits

Wanting
To get a full body massage before my period kicks in this week, aaaand manipedi!

Needing
To lose weight. The past few weeks have been so indulgent.

Feeling
Useless at work. It could be just my lack of proactivity but I don't feel like I'm doing something major at work. :(

Life lately and fully loaded weekends

The past two weekends have been incredibly eventful. Soooo muuuuch foooood!

Weekend at The Manor

Last weekend my teammates and I went to Baguio for our long overdue team building! We stayed a night at The Manor at Camp John Hay. Ate a hell lot, laughed a whole lot, and found a new favorite cake (Vizco's Strawberry Shortcake is the best!). I want to go back to this place someday! It's the perfect Baguio staycation! <3

Weekend at Sofitel

The previous weekend naman, my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary at Sofitel. We booked 2 nights, dined 3x at Spiral (2 breakfasts, 1 dinner), and further indulged in Frankie's chicken wings when we got home. Such a gastronomic delight!

Hotel staycations are the best. Wish we could do this more often, but we don't always have money to spare lol!

Uhhh that's it hehe

Staycation at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Jeckie and I celebrated our first anniversary at Sofitel, mainly because we wanted to eat at Spiral haha. Dinner there costs ₱3,500 nett per head, so that's ₱7,000 for the two of us. A room, on the other hand costs around ₱7,500 with breakfast at Spiral included, so you know?! Nagbook na lang kami. Sulit din naman haha. Btw, we booked via Trip.com. I've been to Sofitel a couple of times before with my parents. I wasn't too impressed on our last time there because the rooms look super old na as in the furnishings and carpeting look so outdated. But now?

Ganon parin. Charot! The rooms look updated, and it smells super nice, like when you pass by a Mia Maison kiosk haha. Yass there's some aromatherapy going on in our room and I love it kasi pag pasok mo parang amoy bago lagi kahit ang kalat sa loob hahaha.

The room smells clean and everything looked neat and polished. I gathered that most hotel layouts look this way: closet, minibar, and bathroom along the entrance hallway, then opening up to the main area is the bed on one side and a long TV desk that continues as a work desk on the end. There's also a small chaise nook beside the bed. I love this layout! Truly master bedroom goals!

I'm I'm not mistaken all guest rooms at Sofitel have a balcony. Ours is overlooking the old Manila Film Center and this newly built dampa market called Seascape Village. We tried to see what's going on there the next day but we were disappointed by the lack of variety. It's a seafood haven, and most of the restaurants are Chinese, some of them aren't open for business yet.

Our view on the right is Manila Bay. Great sight, bad scent.

Back to the room...

So, they've got a closet with a bathrobe, disposable slippers, iron and ironing board, and a safety vault. Note that the balcony door is equipped a some sensor that turns off the AC when it's open so make sure to always close it! Also, what a nice energy-saving feature!

The minibar has some complimentary treats like coffee, tea, and water. Althaus tea is good! I gathered that you can always order for some more water and you're allowed to bring snacks in, they won't mind. On our second night we ordered through KFC delivery. They're not allowed up so we had to meet them at the parking lot.

The bathroom is also super nice and immaculately clean. It's a decent size with a spacious enough shower and vanity area. Their toiletries used to be L'Occitane but now they've changed to Lanvin. I personally prefer the former haha. As usual, hotel bathrooms are definitely goalssss.

They've got shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, body lotion, toothbrush set, shower cap, nail file, cotton rounds, and earbuds.

Our main source of entertainment is Netflix. Sofitel doesn't have it, but they have strong free wifi and we brought a laptop and an HDMI cable so voila, we were able to Netflix and chill.

Surprise!

I didn't expect this kind of welcome but their staff gave us a small token in celebration of our anniversary. Sweet!

And when we dined at Spiral that night, they also gave us this freaking delicious cake! Huhu. I did mention in my confirmation email with them that we're staying for our anniversary, but I never expected them to actually take note. What a nice gesture!

Dinner (and breakfast haha) at Spiral will be a whole different story, wait for it on my next post! Ang masasabi ko lang, it's the beeeeeest buffet restaurant in Manila.

Top 3 Reasons Why Socks Make Amazing Gifts

Photo from Pixabay

There are a lot of people who say that they do not want to get socks. That is, until they are in a situation wherein they realize that they do not have any socks anymore. Socks have the tendency to get lost very easily. Even if you do not lose both, you might lose one sock. This makes the lone sock unusable. Unless, you are creative and you can do something with the sock or you love wearing mismatched socks. Some people genuinely love socks and would ask for socks from the people that they know for different occasions. The gift-giver would greatly love this for sure. If you are not convinced yet whether you should give socks this Christmas, these are just a few details to remember:

1. Socks are inexpensive.

You know that you do not want to spend too much money on gifts. The economy is not at its best right now. You want to have enough money for your needs. You can check the best sock of the month club for the best socks that you can purchase right now. A lot of the items that they will list down will be inexpensive but lovely.

2. They are needed.

It was mentioned earlier that most people do not realize that they need socks until they realize that they want to have socks immediately. You would look for socks when you are feeling cold and you would like to keep your feet warm. Socks are also needed when you need to wear your favorite rubber shoes. If you want to learn more details about the latest socks for women, check out women’s sock of the month club.

3. They can be worn by people of all ages.

There are some items that will not be age appropriate anymore to people of certain age. For example, large hoop earrings may not be recommended anymore to women over the age of 60. Some would still wear it but in smaller sizes. Socks can be worn by anyone no matter what their age is.

Do you agree that socks can become amazing gifts? You can sign up for men’s sock subscription to learn more details.

Unleash your inner champ with Taiwan Excellence gaming rigs

If you have ever imagined a gamer's dream room, it would possibly look like a hub full of enormous action figures, dramatic led lights, and multiple wide gaming monitors. There are no rules on how cyber athletes should decorate their corner, but setting up a comfortable and modern playground helps you sharpen your competitive edge further. If you haven't had the chance to remodel your gaming space into its best version, Taiwan Excellence brings the most advanced devices that can help you unleash your inner champion within.

Take gaming experience to the extreme. The Acer Predator X27 monitor is equipped with HDR ultra technology, which gives the darkest blacks and brightest lights for a more realistic game. Whether you are inside a cave or atop a mountain, the monitor’s stunning pictures help you clearly see the gaming terrains for a more immersive battlestation.

Couple your premium monitor with Gigabyte's TOP Gaming Motherboard. With Smart Fan 5, you can seamlessly juggle three games at a time, or play while listening to the music without overheating the processor. 

Bring the adventure outside. MSI introduces its GE63VR Raider, a high performance gaming notebook you can use anywhere. It has 120Hz panel with ultra-fast 3ms response time that allows the device to keep up with rapid movements. Moreover, it has enormous surround sound speakers that provide a wraparound feel as the action starts.

On top of these, MSI also crafted the VR One - the Virtual Reality (VR) backpack PC. This helps gamers avoid tangled cables, and distract them for their battles. 

Approved by NVIDIA, a market leader in the design of graphics processing units, this equipment is exceptionally suitable for gaming scenarios such as theme parks, cockpit simulations, and military trainings. Due to its unmatched performance, it has been selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a training equipment for astronauts, and by Sony and Bandai as the go-to option for their VR projects.

Redesign your gaming station with Thermaltake's View 31 Tempered Glass Edition Mid Tower Chassis. This processor house features a dual durable 4 mm thick tempered glass window with colorful led lights to set your mood. Aside from its stylish front, it has a powerful dual graphics processing unit (GPU) that ensures crisp visuals.

Channel your inner beast and conquer your enemies with these Taiwan Excellence-approved gadgets. These innovations are carefully evaluated and sealed by TAITRA with the guidance from the Bureau of Foreign Trade to promote Taiwan's revolutionary products.

For more information about its accredited products, visit taiwanexcellence.org, or like Taiwan Excellence on Facebook.