Nails of the Day: Etude House Matte Real

Matte goodness.

Yesterday I bought Etude House's Matte Real top coat. It costs 198Php - a bit steep for my wallet but I couldn't resist.

First I tried it on Bobbie Lush (Regular), but it got ruined so I had to repaint my nails. I used Bobbie Vodka On Ice (Glaze). A few hours later, I got bored so I did a french tip using Bobbie Kohl (Regular).

The top coat was easy to apply, it can do with just 2-3 strokes and it dries out fast.

Nails of the Day: Grey with Glitters

Yesterday's nails were ruined today because I did the laundry, so I re-did my manicure. The same style, but different colors. I used the following:

Bobbie Vodka on Ice (Glaze). This is a light grey colored polish. Easy to apply.

Bobbie The Big Bang (Glaze). Glitters. :)

Of course, always use a base coat to protect your natural nails and a top coat to protect and prolong the polish.

Nails of the Day: Nude with Glitters

So this is a pretty classic style of nail polish, except for the glittered one. I used 3 nail polishes to achieve the look of the ring finger nail, and 2 nail polishes for the rest.

Bobbie Italian Nude (Regular). This has a light pinkish-brown tone to it. After applying a base coat, I had to apply 2 coats of this polish so that it covers the entire nail.

Bobbie I Do (Glaze). This is a sheer glittery yellow color. When used alone, one should apply 2-3 coats to achieve the color you see in the bottle. I used only 1 coat of this just to give the manicure a yellowish shiny tinge.

Bobbie The Big Bang (Glaze). Here come the glitters. I'm absolutely crazy about glitters right now, but so as not to overdo it, I only apply it to my ring fingers' nails.


I applied a top coat to protect the nail polish, especially the glitters.

Hope you liked it! :)

Our Lost Dog and our Manipulative, Extortionist, Dognapper Neighbor

Our Wacky when he was a bit younger. Ain't he adorable? <3

 

So today, our dog, Wacky, the friendliest of our dogs (only barks/yelps happily when he sees us, doesn't even bite strangers), somehow got out of our gate without us noticing. 

I only noticed that he was gone when I was on my way out of the house in the afternoon to go to my job interview. Somehow no white dog came up at me and tried to lick my pants.

Since I didn't want to risk being late for my interview, I left without looking for him, knowing that he would return when he gets hungry and just wait outside the gate until one of us comes back.

To my dismay, when I got back home, he wasn't there. I thought it was a lost cause since this wasn't the first time he got lost (a person from the street next to us kept him in their backyard, lied about seeing Wacky when my brother asked if he's seen the dog. My brother didn't believe his lie since a security guard saw that Wacky was taken by the same person, so he called out, "Wacky!" That's when our dog came out of the house/gate of the person who took him.)

It so happens that my sister went home earlier than I did and she immediately went searching for Wacky. When she passed by this house near the baranggay hall, she heard a familiar yelp, and sure enough, there was Wacky.

Wacky was chained and the person who caught him even put a padlock on the chain. Imagine the weight the dog had to carry for the whole day. When my sister asked her to release the dog, she didn't want to give Wacky back. Their reason was "baka mangagat" (he might bite) and "bawal ang nakakalat na aso sa daan" (dogs aren't allowed to stray).

One, they wouldn't have been able to put him on a leash if Wacky bites. He is a big dog and you can't just chain him if he bite. Two, I often see the same dogs astray in our street. Why didn't they catch those dogs?

Maybe she wasn't sure that my sister was one of the dog's owners. She even called a "baranggay tanod" to have the "problem" settled. This "tanod" then proceeded to side with the neighbor, that my sister should "tubos" (give ransom) so that they would release Wacky. They freakin' wanted to EXTORT money from my sister to give us back OUR freakin' dog.

As far as I know, nobody but the dog pound has the right to catch and confine stray dogs until the owner comes and takes the dog. They don't even ask for a fine for the first 24 hours the dog stays with them. So why was this neighbor and "baranggay official" asking for money from my sister?

I don't understand how these people can be so cruel. I would understand if they weren't our neighbors because then they would have no idea who the owners of the dog were. But our gate being a screen gate, one could see our dogs whenever one passes by our house, even from afar. It's impossible that this neighbor doesn't pass by our house when she goes to the grocery.

It was also obvious that the dog knew his owner, since he was looking at her the whole time she was there, seemingly asking her to take away the chain that was holding him back.

Anyway, when they realized that my sister wasn't leaving them without having the dog with her, they finally let Wacky go. My mom was very angry and she was actually planning to call the police if the neighbor didn't let up.

When Wacky came home, I sensed his relief to see his owners. My mom then bathed him to somehow calm him down since what happened was very stressful to a dog.

NBI Clearance at Robinson's Otis

I needed an NBI clearance for job application purposes so I went and got one. Other blogs said that Robinson's Otis was the best place to get an NBI clearance.

I reached Robinson's Otis at 6AM. There were already a few people waiting there. At around 7AM, the security guard had us lined up. I was expecting that they would let us in by 8AM.

8AM went by and still we haven't been asked to go inside the mall. The taho vendor kept telling us that the process will actually start at 10AM, by the time the mall opens. Some of us thought it was just a ruse so that we would buy from him.

But true enough, they only let us in at 10AM. By that time we were already exhausted from the heat outside.

The NBI Clearance Center was at the 2nd floor of the mall. They had us sit on the chairs used for Sunday mass while we filled up the application form.

Second step was the payment, which was P 115.00.

The third step was the having our fingerprints and photo taken. They already used biometrics so it was a breeze. However, they were still using a webcam to take photos.

Fourth step was to wait for the NBI clearance. I only waited for a few minutes before being called to get mine.

Waiting for the mall to open actually took longer than the actual process of getting the NBI clearance.

Apparently, the center at Robinson's Otis is only open from 10AM to 7PM. One can actually come there at a later time (around 8-9AM) and still be one of the first 50 persons.

Some tips:

1. Bring a pen. Honestly, I cannot figure out why some people (like the one beside me) could NOT bring a pen when applying for an ID. He brought a pocket book but he did not bring a pen. What's wrong with you? LOL.

2. Bring water, food, a fan, and hankies. There's a drugstore and a coffee shop that opens earlier than the mall but it would be better to bring your own food so that you wouldn't have to leave your place in the line.

3. Only 1 valid ID is needed. I don't know about the other centers though. I only used my birth certificate, and I didn't even have to show it.

***Update***

Due to the NBI's system upgrade (more like a downgrade), I got a hit when I applied for clearance this year (2014). It took a week before I got mine.

Also their encoder sucks. She didn't even let me check if there were wrong spellings in what she typed in.

Oh and the old man whose task is to print the documents? He asks for Php 5.00 from each person and gives them a measly small brown envelope - which by the way goes unused since most people bring their own plastic cases. No receipt. NBI (and BIR), maybe you can check on this?

Team Santiago vs Team Tulfo

So I just heard about the brawl that happened earlier at NAIA 3 among Raymart Santiago's group and Mon Tulfo. I know, late.

Anyhoo, I searched for the footage of this fight and it was clear that Raymart started it, even if their camp says different. In the heat of things, maybe they didn't realize that someone was already taping their performance.

If I were to take sides, I would take Tulfo's. Why? He was only doing his job as a columnist/reporter and this is what he gets. After all, it was a public place. If I were him, I'd also take photos/videos of an actress lashing out on an airline employee.

Raymart, if Mr. Tulfo did give the first punch, where is your bruise to prove it? He's a big guy, and even for his age, I think if he threw a punch, it would be a hard one. And if he did punch you first, it would be a natural reaction for someone who's cellphone is being taken away from him by somebody he doesn't know, is it not?

And Claudine, since you were very concerned about your children seeing such violence, why did you partake in it? It was clear in the video that you had a shot at punching Mr. Tulfo and you took it. Enough drama.

For those who want to watch the actual footage of the brawl, here it is:

You can also watch the GMA 7 interview here.

French Mani in Black, Etc.

So today I tried three different manicures.

First was the Christmas-y glittery green Bobbie Lush with Bobbie Candy Cane as top coat. Yes, I love Bobbie Candy Cane, that I try it with every nail polish color. Heh.

Since I'm not really a "green" person, I tried Caronia Cashmere (my sister's). It's a nice color for morena's like me. :)

But then I got bored and wanted to try french manicure. I tried applying Chic Love Orchid on the Caronia Cashmere but it was a mess. Sorry, no photos.

I gave up and had the idea of a black and clear french mani. First attempt! Surprisingly, my mani on the right hand looks better than my left. Heh.