Portland Woman Gives Bizarre Local News Interview

Local news is awesome because of people like her.

I feel that working on weekends is taking a toll on my social life and everything else I want to do besides work.


Since starting this weekend shift routine, I've never been more eager to visit museums, go to the mall, start sipping on grape at 3 in the afternoon, visit my friends, cook bacon and even iron my clothes. Basically I think of all the things I could be doing if I weren't stuck in an office, even though some of them wouldn't really have interested me if I weren't working on weekends in the first place.

Oh well. You always want what you can't have. And you can't always have what you want. And you always want to want what you have but can't. Okay.

I woke up to a gray Dubai and I loved it. I wanted to sleep in, but please, please, please forget about what I wanted. I'm now at my desk in the office, blogging about how I don't want to be here.

I should be on the sofa right now, my hair in a messy bun and my body entangled with the blanket, embracing a giant cup of hot chocolate with small heavenly white marshmallows floating on the surface.

Instead I threw on a dress, made the extra effort to cinch a belt around my (shrinking :D) waist, and skipped the shower. Yup. I'm gonna stink the place up with my bed smell.

5 Reasons I Should Quit Coffee

1. It's keeping me awake 24/7.

2. It makes me extremely jumpy throughout the day.

3. It's wreaking havoc on my daily budget.

4. It's got two of the worst ingredients ever - sugar and dairy. (I only drink latte.)

5. It makes me look super pretentious and corporate and all that shiz. (Except when I get my fix from McDonald's).

College & Electric Youth - A Real Hero (Drive Original Movie Soundtrack)

Looking for a nice restaurant for Friday night. Having a very difficult time.

How many overpriced Asian restaurants, same-same Indian dishes and "authentic" Italian menu items can we try in this lifetime?

I'm looking for something so unique my head will explode when I try it.

Cibo Matto - Working for Vacation

CIty Pulse 20 | My Dubai My City

CIty Pulse 20 | My Dubai My City

I want this Tadashi Shoji paillette embroidered lace v-neck cocktail dress. Now!

www.tadashishoji.com

www.tadashishoji.com

Cleanliness is next to insanity.

That's what it seems to me.
I had half a week to do something great while home alone, and I chose to do some redecorating, with the help of my friend Dardar, a superfudgingawesome interior designer.
And with the front room's new found coziness and functionality, I decided to clean the entire place, save for the balcony, which is still covered by a gross blanket of desert dust.

But the rest of the apartment? Spotless.
I dusted the shelves and cupboards and tables and wiped the sinks and counter to a shiny kind of  clean.
I picked my hairballs off the muddy floor before sweeping and mopping it until it was a gleaming light beige color again.
I had to tiptoe around the house to admire my work without ruining it.

And then I put away all the washed dishes, washed some clothes.
Folded some shirts.
Organized my closet by buying a hanging shoe pockets and a bunch of bleached teeth-white hangers.
Gave the mirrors a good wipe.
Cleaned the toilet, the tub, the door handles, the soap dishes.
Got rid of rotting stuff in the fridge.
Slapped the throw pillows to a perfect fluff.
Watered the plants.
Took out the garbage.
Cleaned the garbage bin.

Everyday for three straight days I would go crazy doing a couple of chores, and before I knew it, it was half past three in the morning.
Cleaning the place and seeing to it that it remained clean drove me nuts.
I ate like a member of the royal family. I carefully sipped my tea and put whole spoonfuls of food in my mouth to avoid any spillage.
It was driving me nuts and it had to stop!!!

When LBT arrives tonight, I will stop. And I'm guessing it'll take quite a while before I go on a psycho scrubbin' and sweepin' and huffin' and puffin' spree again.

Robyn - Dancing On My Own

Between waking up and hopping in the shower this morning, I spent a whole hour dancing to this song.

YouTube doesn't have a repeat function, so when the song finished, I just ran to my computer and pressed the replay button. Again. And again and again.

I would've carried on, but I had work.

Will do it again tonight.

Love Robyn!

Rudimental's "Not Giving In" was shot in the slums of Manila

It's so nice to know that London-based Rudimental shot one of his music videos in Manila.
According to his website, the whole concept was inspired by the life of friend, a Filipino B-boy who moved to London after being homeless at the age of eight.
Pretty incredible story. And the music's not bad too.
Got the info on www.spot.ph.
Here's a link to the website, and the vid:
http://www.onepointfour.co/2012/10/19/flip-out/

Girls Season 1 (HBO)

In my early 20s, I remember thinking to myself many many times a day: 

Who the fudge has this life? I'm a college graduate, I'm really nice to everyone and I smell okay, but I'm still stuck in a sucky job, I have no money to support my smoking habit, a very, very cheap vice - which gives you an idea of how poor I was - and I seem to have done something wrong to a guy in my past life because I'm feeling the karma and I'm sure the gods of love and romance and serendipitous encounters put a curse on me so that I may remain miserable in the dating department for. ev. er.

Also, I remember deciding in my head that I was Carrie in Sex and the City, while drinking wine I stole from my landlord's stash. Because like me, Carrie was unhappy and she turned every single thing into a dramafest.

I got it all wrong. Life is no SATC, because I didn't wear stilettos to coffee with friends or get a pap smear or get wined and dined by a handsome businessy type jerk during that period in my life. There was none of that glitz and glamor that came with being a conflicted, frustrated, sad woman. 

Where was Hannah and this super awesome series that seem to tell the story of every forgotten young woman who has nothing to show for but has a lot to offer the world? The world doesn't care about them. High school and college stories of struggling to pass exams and getting caught making out with a stranger by mom and dad are told all the time. So do tales of the tough chick who wears high heels to work and can afford 5 skinny lattes a day and can easily buy a Hermes bag without sweating or looking like she worked hard for it. But Hannah? Me in 2006? Not a single sign of support from the universe.

Sure, there's that occasional story of the 20-something shopaholic who's addicted to designer brands and  klutzes out every other minute, but there's usually a twist. She either lands a great job as an fashion writer by writing a stupid article about how women are like expensive shoes, or meets the man of her dreams who helps her straighten out her life.

But Hannah' story is different. As the plot thickens, reeking realities that were once swept under the rug are exposed to the whole world unapologetically, butt cellulite and all.

That is why my body is shaking with nostalgia and pride from having survived the horror of my early twenties as I watch every episode of Girls Season 1. High five, 23-year-old Zins.

I was Lena Dunham. I'm sure you once were, too.

Back to the show.

Shreds

A song I wrote twelve years ago in college.

You got away with what is yours

What's mine is still unknown

How can you not know?

You cost me my patience

I've never seen your shadow, never walked through your door

I've never seen you happy or sad

I don't know what you have

But you tear me down to shreds

and I like it

Confetti in your mind, that's what I am

I will shower you with me

Would that be all right?

I don't get tired of you

When you're not aware of me

You gave me too many daydreams

 I can't relate to life

I cannot see what is beyond your eyes and hands

But I do know there is a way

So how long will I have to wait?

Because you tear me down to shreds

and I like it

Confetti in your mind, that's what I am

I will shower you with me

Would that be all right?

And if you let me in your dreams tonight

Do I have the right to stay tonight

And never wake you up?

Because it feels so right

Doesn't it feel all right?

Feels all right

Closer by Dido

I miss you!

And I am letting you know how I feel by posting this overused Warhol-esque picture of yours that you didn't even know I took.

Friday evening with Fifi

Fifi made this! Salmon and seaweed salad.

I made this! French onion soup and baguette with gruyere cheese

Tea time Z time

Listoting

Crazy hair and crazy face

We skyped with Kath. Happy birthday Kath!

Friday morning make up madness

Friday mornings in Dubai are spent on a couch, watching brainless TV and usually either in a coma resulting from a heavy breakfast, or taking a quite moment right before getting ready to go to a grapey, bubbly, hops-y brunch.

But not me. Today, as early as 9 AM, I got all dolled up. My hairstyle was the masterpiece of a gentleman named Dani, one of the best stylists at Nicolas & Jean Salon at Media One Hotel. I did my make up, and I'm gonna talk you through it.

1. Cover Girl foundation applied using a wedge sponge. It has a minty feel to it, so it helps wake me up.
2. Mac Cover-up Concealer used to highlight the areas under the eyes, above the nose, above the lips and the chin.
3. Mac Mineralize Powder in medium dark patted on the jawline, collarbone, temples and around the forehead. Whole face set with Mac Studio Fix powder in NC35.
4. Mac Shadows.Sketch from the Velvet collection applied on lids, and Carbon on the outer corners.
5. Bare Minerals Eye Shadow on the center of lids. I don't remember the color, but it's a glittery bronze shade. All three shades blended well.
6. Mac Technakohl Eyeliner in smooth blue applied thickly on upper lid, starting from the inner corners, and ending on the outer corner with a modest cateye.
7. Drugstore eyelash curler, followed by 100 coats of Bobbi Brown mascara.
8. Cheeks and nose contoured with Bare Minerals powder foundation in medium dark, or darker.
For contouring techniques, check out this video from my favorite makeup tutorial YouTube channel:

 
9. Mac blush in the most versatile shade - Pink Swoon, blended with the medium dark powder on cheeks.
10. Lips moisturized with Carmex lip balm, topped with Mac Lipstick in Taupe and Victoria's Secret lip gloss.

And that's it. I spent about half an hour transforming myself into a diva, and only 45 seconds to wipe my face clean, thanks to baby wipes.

Don't Stop Believing....

We haven't! That's why this video exists, despite everyone's judgment.

Things I'd Love to Have But Don't Need

www.fredflare.com is awesome if you have a few extra hundred dollars to spare. Unfortunately, not all of us think it's practical to own a doodie mug. But if I actually won the lottery, it;s one of the things I would purchase online in a heartbeat. And then there's other stuff...

doodie mug

puppet gloves

iJuke box speakers

lipstick flask

Predict-A-Pen

Prescription beer holder

saw cake cutter

thinking cap

toilet mug

5 songs that comfort me

Woke up to bad news and it was all I needed to turn my anxiety button on. Aside from staying away from caffeine, keeping busy and waging a mental war against paranoia, there was nothing else to do but listen to some music to calm my nerves.

Never fails. So friends, let me share with you five songs that I like to listen to when I'm down and out or possessed by "worst case scenario" demons.

Tell Me Where It Hurts by Garbage.

 Video by India Arie.

Be OK by Ingrid Michealson

You're the Storm by The Cardigans

Bright As Yellow by Innocence Mission 

Mediterranean Snack's Baked Lentil Chips give me hope

. . . that I can still snack idly while watching pointless YouTube videos without expecting my hips to blow up tomorrow.

Gluten free, fiber-rich, and 70 per cent less fat than regular potato chips. That's what the label says.

It's 110 calories, versus Lay's Baked Potato Chips' 180. With a low-fat yogurt dip and lots of water, I should be able to carry on snacking without feeling a tinge of guilt.

www.recmend.com

10 Things I Like About Being Employed

Every time I find it hard to get up at 8 AM and hit the shower ...
Or whenever I grumble about the smallest glitches at work ...
Or when finding parking becomes impossible ...
Or when I decide that I have the hardest life in the world ...

I always go back to one thought and truth and that comforts me: I have a job.
I get paid every month, and people are happy with my work.
And having a career and a regular income is something I am very, very thankful for.

And along with that realization, I list down things I like about  being employed:

1. I always have something to do. My brain's always working. I learn. I grow.
2. I meet different people. And some of them turn out to be great friends and colleagues.
3. I am able to save up. I've even made an investment. I have a house!
4. I am able to help my family. I have made it possible for my sister to pursue a good education.
5. I can travel! I've been to different parts of the world, and I'm saving up for more holidays.
6. I get spoiled rotten. Once in a blue moon, but still! Free dinners, gift baskets, trips, make up. Love it.
7. I  have a sense of pride. I've worked non stop for eight years, and I've built a career I am happy about.
8. I have some dough to spend. I don't have a lot, but occasionally, I treat myself to a nice meal or a dress.
9. I feel secure. Twenty years from now, I'll have a bit of savings and can think about retirement. Hopefully.
10. I'm able to do some charity work. Fifi and I have a yearly volunteer and charity activity. And a fraction of my salary enables my altruism. Now that's something to be grateful for.

City Pulse 19 | My Dubai My City

City Pulse 19 | My Dubai My City

Health is skin deep.

It is. I've been finishing big bags of potato chips all my life without realizing that the real savory taste I've always craved could be found in the skin.

We made a batch of potato skins. Well, LBT did. He sliced each potato in half, scooped out the yellow part, drizzled a bit of olive oil on the whole bunch, and let them sit in the oven for half an hour.

They were golden brown, crispy, super tasty and healthy. We made a ketchup-mustard dip and voila! Another great idea.

They look like kamote-Q, but that's neither a plus nor a minus, I've decided.

My first poached egg

While many women my age post complicated recipes involving ingredients from the other side of the world on their ad-laden food blogs, I revel in making my very first poached egg.

The trickiest part was scooping it out of the saucepan and putting it on top of my granary toast. But I got through it. Whew!!!

Nicki Minaj, my BFF

Nicki Minaj from head to toe

Nicki Minaj - Halloween 2012

Fantard

Nicki Minaj and her make up artist

Nicki Minaj with Maggie, the sushi girl (pic from Maggie's FB)

Fifi went to the Monster Halloween Party at Nassimi Beach as none other than the one... the only.... Boombooroomboom... Nicki Minaj!

I did her make up and lent her my puffy pink skirt and blue tights. Proud BFF!

Kristen Schaal and President Obama in "Diary of a Blueberry"

This is the greatest idea in the world! Kristen Schaal started a non-profit group called Story Pirates, and they produce animated versions of children's original stories. How cute! 

Atis in da House!

The whole world calls it custard apple, but this sweet and juicy exotic beauty will always be atis to me.

I have not had atis in ages! Every year when I fly home, I ask Mama to buy me some, but they're not in season in December. It's literally been years since I've had one.

I'm waiting for this Egyptian giant to ripen. It's probably going to take at least a week before I finally sink my teeth into it.

Oh well. I've waited years already. What's seven more days?

Serengeti

It's a place where you can see cats and dogs of the vicious, wildly exotic kind. It's a vast grassland dotted with creatures you can't see anywhere else - from the tiniest, most colorful birds to the biggest, most ferocious beasts on the planet. It's the perfect holiday for everyone: adventurous backpackers, retired couples, honeymooners, animal lovers, and the list goes on.

I left everything behind and cleared my mind in Serengeti. I fell in love with this piece of wildlife paradise.

Serengeti is mainly located in Tanzania, and extends to Kenya. It is VAST. It took us at least four hours to drive from Tarangire to the gate that demarcates Serengeti National Park from the rest of the grasslands in that part of northern Tanzania. And then we drove for hours more before seeing any signs of life. I think the first animals we saw were Thomson's gazelles. We drove around for a few hours more and ended up dropping our jaws every single time we had a rare sighting.

Here are some of the pictures we took. Too bad neither of us is a proper photographer. But let's leave all the nice pictures to the NatGeo crew. Here's some of what we have:

A lazy cheetah

It got up and stretched for a bit, delighting everyone. But it buried itself in the grass again after a few seconds.

That's right, we went glamping. Our tent had three beds, a nice shower and a toilet.

Water was rationed though. We had to call some guys whenever we wanted to use the toilet or the shower.

The sun rise from the endless plains of Serengeti. Breath taking.

The "hotel lobby" and dining area in our camp. It was literally in the middle of nowhere.

A puzzled hyena. It looks very different when it's not chowing on carcasses and laughing evilly.

At one of the educational centers in Serengeti

It's also where the skulls of elephants and buffaloes are kept on display.

A bunch of hippos cooling down. They are the cutest! And deadliest.

A male lion. It actually roared when we tried to get closer. I think we were three meters away from it.

A small pride hanging out.

A few other lions were resting on a kopje, an elevated part of the grassland. Similar to a small hill.

It looks fierce. But it also looks extremely indolent.

Back to back, giving all safari holidaymakers several angles from which to snap away.

LBT's attempt at an art shot. Love it.

We said goodbye to our favorite lion family.

The male one rulez. He just exudes pride and power and potency. A real papi.