Bullet Journal Mini Haul

The first quarter of 2017 is over and I have been so bad at writing articles. The past term in school had just been so busy, I didn't have much time to breathe let alone keep up with the blog writing and stuff. I promise myself to do better this term, and hopefully, this Bullet Journaling thing will help me work it all out.

I first heard all about Bullet Journals in the latter part of December 2015 on Pinterest. There are loads of inspirations one can get in there. I got so excited about the concept that I decided to try it out as soon as the year 2016 started. Life took a turn though and I wasn't able to continue the journaling. At the time, I thought bullet journaling was not for me because of all the setting up I had to do before being able to journal (you know what I mean.)

Anyway, during finals week last term, I came across a this Plan With Me video by YouTuber Amanda RachLee and she just made things look so fun and pretty and by the end of the video I was dying to have my own bullet journal. So I planned to start my journal by April. I do have a couple of things that I needed to buy before starting to bullet journal (or bujo as they call it) like a new journal and stuff but I already have colored pens at home so I don't really need much more but I do have a few things in mind to pick up.

My friends and I had an appointment to watch "Beauty and the Beast" and, hitting two birds with one stone, I got to roam around Glorietta/Landmark/Greenbelt to pick up a few stationery items for my bujo.

First, we dropped by Daiso where everything is at a bargain price of PhP.88. I planned to get a fountain pen and ink since I heard they Daiso has fountain pains at a bargain price. They weren't selling one, though but I picked up this brush pen instead, and it's my first brush pen so I was very excited to use it.

Of course I had to drop by National Bookstore. I was thinking of picking up my journal there, sadly, none of the journals available at NBS Glorietta spoke to me as "the one." I may seem overly dramatic here, but I really am very particular with buying stationery products. This journal (although I'm just gonna be trying bujo out) has to be perfect. I did pick up this Best Buy set of 10 matte sticker paper for PhP.33.50 and Elmer's All Purpose Glue Stick for PhP.37.50.

I wanted to get stickers but the ones available at NBS were a bit childish in design and a little on the expensive side. I figured I'd just get pictures off the internet and print them out on sticker paper or on ordinary paper (hence the glue stick.)

Next stop was a store I've been dying to go to ever since they opened their first store in the Philippines at Robinson's Manila. Miniso Glorietta just opened and it was just heaven for us girls who love to shop. I was so proud to say that I limited myself to stationery shopping while in there since getting these stuff for my bujo is already way out of my budget. Anyway, I saw that they have cheap notebooks (around PhP.149 to PhP.199) that can be used as journals but the notebooks where covered in plastic so you wouldn't be able to see if they have lines or such - I was looking for one with dotted or blank pages. We were on a rush so I wasn't able to ask the attendant if the notebooks have lines or what (our movie is about to start in 15 minutes and we needed to pick up some popcorn). I was able to get their 3 for PhP.99 gel ink pens and one washable watercolor pen set for PhP.149.

I got the pens because they reminded me so much of the Muji gel ink pens (which are my faves) although the tips are thicker at 0.5. I got two black pens and one in blue. The watercolor pen set (I have no idea why they call this watercolor pens) was an impulse buy because I wanted to get brush pens. I thought they were really cheap at PhP. 149. I regret buying them though since the brush pens get frayed as soon as they touch the paper. I felt like I should have bought their dual ended brush pen singles instead.

Alas, I was able to get a notebook that I can use as my bullet journal at Muji.

I got this A5 notebook for PhP.165. It has 80 leaves and blank pages. And though it is a bit pricy, I didn't care cause it's from Muji (I'm a sucker for any Muji products.) And while I'm there, I decided to pick up two of my absolute favorite pen in the world: these are the Muji gel ink pens in 0.38. I just got the black inks though I wanted to get colored ones because the colors that have 0.38 are in shades of pink, red, or orange (which are not at all my type) and the shades of green and blue were only available at 0.5. I have tried their 0.5 gel ink pens before (I still have my green one at home) and I really prefer their 0.38 ones.

That is it for my bullet journal mini-haul. I didn't buy much since at the back of my head, I still have doubts if I'd be able to continue bullet journaling for a long time. I'm trying my best and so far so good. I'd be writing about my bullet journal set-up soon so watch out for that. 

Follow me on Instagram for more updates! xoxo

2017 Reading Challenge

I have officially failed at my 2016 Reading Challenge. By October I knew I was gonna fail, so I stopped trying. The thing was, I didn't really have a good enough excuse why I failed to finish the challenge: it wasn't the amount, for sure, since I listed about an average of one book per week so that's pretty much 'realistic'. I think the real culprit was just me and my overthinking. Last year was quite a challenge and it took me away from the things that I love (and that sure includes reading).

So 2017 is a good enough start (I'm working on my second book this year, though the first two aren't really in my reading list, but it's a good start) and I want to share with you my own Reading Challenge for myself.

This year's list is inspired by something I've seen on the internet. One day I was struck by the fact that I stuck with YA books last year and while there's nothing wrong with the genre, I just wanted something that will challenge my intellect. Part of my goal in 2017 is to focus on developing my mind and reading up on books that are far from my genre comfort zone is one way to do just that. I came across a list of Top 25 books that will blow your mind and was a little bit sad that I've only read one of the books on their list. So this year I wanted my mind blown. Sadly, I was only able to get a copy of 19 out of the 25 books in the list, which for me was quite a low number for a reading challenge so I added a few books of my own.

(Updated April 6, 2017)

1. 1984 by George Orwell
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
3. Neuromancer by William Gibson
4. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
5. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
6. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 
7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
8. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
9. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
10. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
11. Think Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
12. The Stranger by Alber Camus
13. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
14. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
15. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
16. Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
17. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
18. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
19. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
20. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
21. Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
22. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
23. The Light in the Wound by Christine Brae
24. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
25. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

*Titles in bold are already read. :)

Follow me on Instagram and Goodreads for more updates! xoxo

RYOB Challenge: September Update

I'm doing really bad on this challenge, I know.

This month on my RYOB Challenge, I've manage to get just one book of my list. I have valid excuses though: exams and schoolwork and vacation (I have loads of other hobbies I worked on - like sleeping). Still, it makes me a bit sad to know that I wouldn't be able to win this challenge. I have a few months to go though so I'd probably get through a few books more before waving the white flag.

Anyway, so the lone book I've managed to read is Rick Riordan's Mark of Athena, the third book in the Blood of Olympus series. Part of the reason I was only able to read one PHYSICAL book this month is that I had to reread the Percy Jackson series and the first two books in the Blood of Olympus before I started on Mark of Athena. I've had to review the books because it was a long time ago when I read them and if you're also a fan of Rick Riordan's works, you'd know that each book is so action-packed. Even now that I've just reread them, I have a hard time recalling which events happened when. Not complaining though - I'm a big big fan of Rick Riordan and mythology in general.

Manicure Monday: SanSan Nail Polish in Red Gleam

September was quite a busy month for me, and as much as I want to be able rock chic nails on a daily basis, sometimes doing my nails are too much of a hassle. Still, whenever I can, I sneak in a mani-pedi session (which is usually on my off days while watching an Grey's Anatomy or whichever series I'm currently watching.)

Last August I wore different shades of grey and though I love the classy look, I really missed wearing bold, bright colors. Hence this bottle of San San Nail Polish in Red Gleam worked her way out of my cupboards.

RYOB Challenge: August Update

Is it only me or does it seem like time flies too fast this 2016? We may not be able to slow down time but what we can do is make the best out of it. My August had been slow at first with all the class suspension and all but we got loaded up with work as soon as we got back to school to make up for all the missed classes and it made me wish for more class suspensions.

Anyway, although I got a bit swamped with schoolwork and wasn't able to read any book for about a week, I still am proud to say that I finished three books this month. Read on to find out what my thoughts are on these. I must warn you that I will be giving my honest opinions of what I thought about the books so if you are a fan, please don't hate on me. Also, there may or may not be spoilers throughout the review, so you have been warned/

Manicure Monday: Shades of Grey

It's been a few days since August ended and I was not able to share with you guys last month's NOTDs. Better late than never, right? So, I would like to share with you guys my NOTDs for the month of August.

The past year, I've been really in to grey nail polishes. There's something about grey that makes it look classy and in the past few weeks, I've been searching for the perfect shade of grey to suit my skin tone. Unfortunately, the only accessible (and within budget) store to me is Watson's. Don't get me wrong though - Watson's is the best place on earth for budget beauty enthusiasts like me but this particular branch might be the smallest one I've ever been too, in short, they didn't have a large collection of nail polishes. They carried the typical cheap variants, which I totally love to loot, but the said variants do not have my perfect shade of grey. Still, a happy ending though, since I loved the polishes that I bought.

Product Review: Sophie Paris Fairness Peel off Mask

It's another cloudy day and I hope you guys are having a productive day like mine. Yesterday was a holiday here in the Philippines and I don't know about you guys but that was a much needed break from the craziness of the real world. On rest days, we all get the chance to find our center and balance things out - not to mention catching up on those much needed ZZZzzzs.

So today, I'd like to talk about one of my favorite products of all time: face masks. I love face masks since it makes me feel like I'm treating myself to a spa (for about a tenth of the actual cost of spas) and my face always feels refreshed and soft afterwards. I personally love mud masks and peel off masks but they do take time with all that soaking and rinsing. Sheet masks are okay by me for weeknights when I feel like my skin needs more TLC but I find that sheet masks are a lot more expensive versus mud masks and peel off masks since you can only use a sheet mask once.