My favorite things (well, some of it!) for 2012

   It is official, December 2012 is here! And in hopes of starting a new tradition here, I will share some of my favorite things.  This will give you a glimpse of the kinds of things I like, buy, use and enjoy.

   I do not do hauls on this blog (I do not post what I buy or what I had amassed throughout the year) but for a change let me share what works for me and what I think are really worth the money (hard earned). I am not saying you will like them like I do, but give it some thought if you are looking some quality items to give to friends (girls) and for yourself should you want to splurge, a bit.

   Let me start with an all-time favorite room deodorizer. I love the Bath and Body Works concentrated room spray, the 1.5oz Signature Collection. They made a lot of scents on their limited edition room spray but I only liked 2 of them. Namely, Japanese Cherry Blossom and the Black Amethyst. It is just so ME! I love the staying power of the spray and yet it is never overpowering if you just give the room a quick one spray; no more than that. I have reserves since they discontinued this the very next year they came out with it. And so far, nothing of their recently released Collection caught my fancy.

Now, we come to my favorite part, cosmetics.

  

Okay, what you see here are my GO-TO products for 2012. Since I have been living out of a suitcase most of this year (travel alot) most of these are travel sizes and TSA approved measurements and quantity.

Let me list them: Murad SPF-30 travel-size sunscreen, 2 MAC lipsticks (one creme, the other a VIVA GLAM), MAC lustreglass, REVLON limited edition lilac lipgloss, Burt's Bees lipbalm, Covergirl LASHBLAST mascara, limited edition KATE lipstick, MAC Zoom Lash Mascara travel-size, STILA limited edition lipgloss, NIVEA (blue tin, original ones made from Germany) moisturizer,  L'Occitane hand cream, AVON limited edition quad-eyeshadows, Concealer by Benefit (Erase Paste) and the ever present in my purse Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Eau de Parfum 7ml travel size rollerball..

I have other faves but these are the staples that I travelled with this year. I try to change things abit every year to keep them fresh and new to me, especially the parfum part. I like to surprise R with some new ones everytime I am with him. Sometimes he likes one more than another. Right, R?

Well, I have given you a quick peek into my makeup kit and you know tomorrow, being officially December, I might just change things around and by the end of the year, I am sure I will have new faves for 2013.

Stay safe everyone and so far November has been a blast for me. I love letting you in and see my world (or a little of it). I am a girly-girl no doubt. I like things that remind me that deep down, I like true beauty from  within but it never hurts to look pretty outside and smell very good as well. And feeling pretty is just a bonus.

Have a great weekend everyone and see you in December! That's tomorrow...

Maybe next year I will post something that will tell you where in the world (exactly) I am at this time..well,maybe...

Have fun. Be safe.

Until tomorrow for it will be another day......

  

My lunch with Sister

   Today was a special day for Sister and I. We haven't seen each other in close to 12 weeks and there is alot to tallk about. Sister stuff!

   We always start with a nice meal, then coffee, then more talking until she has to go back to work. And I head home.

    So today, we had a change of venue. We had planned to go to another favorite place but that place was closed due to renovation and no parking for me. So we opted for another place - good choice! Good burgers. (see photo)

Sister had the House burger topped with coleslaw, a side of fries and we both had a can of coke.

I had the cheeseburger topped with mushroom sauce and mushroom bits, a side of fries (very good!) and I had a can of coke because sadly, they did not have Pepsi.

I will not speak about what I had with my coffee for the muffin was so good I forgot to take pictures!! What?!! Yeah, I gobbled that thing up so fast, I forgot to reach for my camera.

Enjoy. I hope you like the photos. I had fun consuming this burger.

Happiness is a state of mind

   I have been feeling my heart smile more, lately.
  

  There are days that I still feel down and blue but they are now so rare. I try and make an effort to be happy, each day. It is never easy when I remember how raw I felt a few months back, but I am certain the road to recovery is paved with bright smiles and lighter heart. I am so blessed to have TRUE friends around me when I feel like I am spiralling down the "dark road" again. It helps to have people to remind me that to avoid any trigger factors is the best way to go.

   Hope is a very good thing, maybe even the best thing. And good things never die.

   There are wonderful things in my future and I would like to focus on those. But inevitably since healing a broken heart is not just an on-off switch, some days are still tougher than others. Tears are elusive now, and I am grateful to some very good people in my "new" life. I am so forever grateful and thankful for the "new" me. I did not think I had it in me to be the person I am now. I underestimated the power of self in me. And I like it. I feel lighter each day when I wake up and I tell myself, this is the best day of my life.

   Work keeps me busy. People keep me busy but I always make time to be with family and friends when I am in the mountains. They keep both my feet firmly planted on the ground when they say things as they see it, and never tiptoe around issues about me. There is one friend in particular and she knows who she is. I am one to dispel coincidences and I believe she came back in my life after years of absence because she makes a big difference in the way I see other people. One can get jaded about life when your heart has undergone some black and heavy clouds.

   Happiness is a choice. I used to believe happiness is where one is when things are just going great and going one's way. But I know now that there is happiness in everything, even during the worst of times. When after a bad situation you learn a new thing or two about yourself that good times will otherwise not provide you, there is a reason to rejoice. Happiness is not something another person can give you. You make yourself happy and spread happiness. You can only be happy if the people around you are happy. When you get to be my age, happiness is in little things. Happiness is when R and I are two-gether, when my father stops coughing, when the farmwork is running without a glitch, when a little member of my family calls me by a term of endearment, when the sunshine is bright and the day is not so hot, when an old friend come to visit, little things.

   Some people might say, that happiness is a goal but they are never really willing to make the sacrifices nor invest the effort then it is a long and cold way to get there.

   I live for the people I love. And that makes me happy. During tough and dreary times, I tell myself being unhappy never solves anything. One might have a problem but never let the problem have you, I say.

   The holidays are upon us and I would like to encourage everyone to help and cheer up those that are less fortunate than us. There are people out there that have more problems and almost helpless to do anyting. We cheer them up and the spiritual reward of that is a soul fulling happiness. And I am not talking about just presents.

   At times when we forget that happiness is now not something that we will get delivered tomorrow.

   Happiness is looking at the glass as half full never as half empty.

   Think about it...

   Have a safe weekend everyonne.

  

  
  

  

  

     

Miso Kitchen in Narita Airport (Japan)

   In Narita Airport Japan, after disembarking from the plane to catch my international connection, I had to go through an inspection to transfer from one terminal (arrival) to the next one (departure area). This is done without leaving the airport. It was a very short walk to get to the series of gates for my assigned boarding area. My flight from LAX arrived late in the evening but the Duty-free stores were packed with customers.

   After locating my assigned gate area, I took a short walk around the terminal and found a quaint japanese restaurant. I could swear this place looked alot like the japanese restaurant where R and I would frequent in California. The place was semi-filled with people. People having a beer, some ramen or just like me, having a glass of soda. Be warned, the prices here are high. In everything, but since I promised R that I will not have anything to eat (without him) I opted to just sit there and nurse my soda. The server and cashier were so nice.

  Before I walked into the Miso Kitchen restaurant, I looked at their display window of the dishes that they offer. Mostly ramen and typical japanese dishes..you name it they had it. The window samples were made so life like that I thought the slices of pork on top of the ramen were steaming.

   I have posted the pictures I took to share that part of my trip with you all. Japanese food, I will miss that for awhile, but I have these photos to look at should I want to torture myself (hehehe...)

The menu...

                                       Window display of the dishes Miso Kitchen offers

A closer look of one of the combination plates in Miso Kitchen

The ramen did look very good and tempting. The edamame (soy peas) looked so real (though I knew they were plastic).

  

   I loved taking these photos in hopes of sharing it here on my blog. The best part about travelling with a very good and handy phone is that I take pictures then and there and I get to post it here and once in awhile someone sees it and appreciates them as much as I did.

   Have a good week everyone.

  

Japan Airlines (JAL)

   Allow me to sing my praises for such a fantastic airline, Japan Airlines.

   I love everything Japanese. Having said that, I do not need to qualify such statement. Really, what is there not to love. They have the best cuisine, their sense of beauty in simple things in life and nature leaves me in awe, everytime. It never fails. They are the most courteous people I know and have met. They are so serene and calm in their manners. They make everything with a sense of pride and they draw beauty even in the littlest of things. Again, what is not to love. So when I had the chance to fly JAL, I took the chance and embraced it. I am posting this without any regret that I took this flight from LAX to Narita Airport Japan.

   First of all, customer service when I checked in my luggage was superb. I am exactly to be seated as my eticket confirmation said I would be, no surprises and no last minute changes. Thank you very much. Next, I was so kindly pointed to were I would be checking in my luggage. Again, the gentleman, thanked me for choosing JAL and for checking in my luggages. So far so very good!

  Next I was at the Gate for boarding and a JAL lady walked around the seated passengers reminding us that this was flight for JAL and that we would be boarding shortly and to have our passports and boarding pass ready to make the boarding easy and coordinated. There were no cutting in line and for once I stood in line without people talking so ever loudly. I was loving this so far and by golly we have not even boarded yet.

   As we were boarding there were stewards and stewardesses welcoming us, just like other airlines would. People tend to help others so not to block the flow of aisle traffic. Very nice. So civilized.

   So we get to the best part. The seats were clean and the covers were surprisingly clean. After having been used to beat up seat covers on other airlines, it was a breath of fresh air to see - clean seat covers and the headrest was comfortable. The seats are spacious ( I have shorter legs!) for me. I have enough "wiggle" room. And my handcarry was stowed right above me for easy access. The pillow was clean and the blankets were freshly laundered (sealed inside a plastic wrap). I was on 18C, aisle seat, just how I like it.

   Food was very good and it kept coming and coming and coming. I have never eaten so much in one 10hour flight. And boy was the food great. It was great. And the dessert..well, look at the photos and judge for yourself. Let me mention that I ate the Haagen Daz so fast I forgot to take a photo of it. It was my favorite flavor - rum and raisin! Sorry for the oversight, I just got so excited, I gobbled it up and forgot to take a picture. But I am sure the rest of the photos will make up for this faux-pax of mine.

Enjoy the photos.

15minutes into the flight, we were served drinks and this rice cracker. I opted for hot green tea and water.

First meal included miso soup. I requested that mine be placed in a paper cup (as seen) rather than in the cup. For an airline miso, it was very, very good. 

Main course, I chose the beef stroganoff with pasta. The beef was very tender and the sauce was just right with slices of mushroom, and steamed carrot slices and brocolli. Also seen here is a small tray of fruit slices, pineapple, honeydew and cantaloupe.

Salad was served with balsamic vinaigrette. Butter and a roll was included. And on the top left portion is a tray of salmon gravlax, a slice of lemon and the ever so delicious japanese potato salad. Also note that JAL use silver cutlery. I almost clapped my hands when I saw these!

Real cutlery. I felt so spoiled and pampered.

This was a winner combination. The gravlax was so juicy and delicious with the savory potato salad. Yummy! Just thinking about this makes my mouth water again.

This meal was so good and the quantity was so much but then the best part was yet to come....

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!!! What a treat. I ended up having two of these in the duration of the flight..one for after dinner and then one after lunch..aside from the Haagen Daz..
Google THREE TWIN ice cream and you will discover what a great choice JAL made for giving their passengers ORGANIC ice cream. This is Madagascar Vanilla. Heavenly good! Each tub was more half a pint. And this size was made especially for JAL. Did I say it was delicious? Because it is!

So as you can see it was so much good food..JAL did not disappoint. For dinner, since I was so stuffed from lunch I chose the lightest meal they had..beef yoshinoya served with rice, a tray of almond gelatin for dessert...instructions came with dinner.

Also, pickles was served with this.

All in all, food is very good and good quality with Japan Airlines. If you have an opporunity to fly with JAL, I hope you get the same experience I did. I loved every minute of this flight. Needless to say, I slept so well on the plane the rest of the way. And let's be honest, no one really sleeps well in the plane after a bad meal, am I right?

I had such a great couple of meals I had to skip breakfast..and it is so unlike me not to have breakfast on the plane when I am travelling. I live for simple breakfasts.

My aim here when I posted this is to share a good thing when I see it. JAL is one airline that pays attention to details, and I love that they do.

 Thank you JAL.

Travel

   Travelling has always been a great love of mine. I have been having this love affair with travelling as long as I can put two sentences together.

   It would take a long post to go back to my first series of travels but lately, I have been enjoying the "results' of my travels. I come from Southeast Asia and I travel domestically via plane or even by long drives. I travel alone or with friends and with the much younger generation members of my family. But most of all I love to see new places and meet new people with R. We love to try new food and shop for the best of everything that we think we might like. He is the best travel companion ever, hands-down.

   The travels I make here coming from the mountains are just locally of course, I take 2 hour drives to see friends from either side of the island or cross a small strait to visit another set of friends nearby. I f I fly domestically it is also to see friends from highschool, south of the island I am in. Usually I am with "Sister' when I do this trips. I love the idea of packing, believe it or not. And to be able to function with less than what I am accustomed to at the comfort of my own home. Travelling reminds me that I do not need 20 shades of eyeshadow or three colors of foundation for my makeup kit. I travel light as much as I can. And I do, I can do it. I like the fact that travelling is one way for me to "roughing" it.

   I am a people person, R can attest to that. I smile and talk to everyone. I mean EVERYONE!! I love engaging people in conversations and that broadens my understanding of the world. I love the interaction. The shock in some people's eyes when I tell them, I am not what they think I am, nationality-wise. I get a kick out of debinking their thoughts about where I come from. The smile and glee people bring me is way more than the giggle I elicit from them when they say "Oh, really! I thought you are from (name of country), You dont look like you are from there." Being in a new place always allows me to find out some character me in that I don't know I had in me. I learn and I love learning new things about other people and most especially about myself.

    I love the inconvenience that travel presents me. I see it as a challenge to my constitution as a person and as a woman. I never turn my back on any challenge. I try to make do with what I have and if I forgot something, hey, it is always a good reason to shop!

    Food, is another advantage of travelling. Trying new things and tasting new flavors teaches my palate the variety life in other countries have to offer me. I love eating good food. Bonus points when it is organic and delicious. I just exercise the calories off when I get back home.

   Lately, I travelled to the Golden State for family reasons, since they are on both sides of the pond, I revisit old haunts that I know I like what they dish out and since there are favorite places and cuisines I like, I visit and visit time and time again when I am there. And when it was time to go back home, I passed by Tokyo, Narita Airport, I liked the idea of a short break before another long flight home.

   Tokyo airport is a place I love to spend a couple of hours in. I love the food in there and the shops, so this time I am posting photos of my short stint at the Narita airport. I walked and walked in there before my connecting flight home.

   Enjoy!

Remember what Henry Miller said, "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." True!

 At the Los Angeles airport gate, boarding JAL...

Miso Kitchen at the Narita Airport...I promised R, no ramen for me. I just had a glass of soda.

The restroom was very clean. On the arm of the toilet seat is a control panel, it plays music. No kidding!
Travelling is a good thing. There are only so many things you can learn in the classroom. The world can teach you more when you step out of your home, so much more than you can ever imagine. Travel when you can and take someone you love with you.

Back in the mountains..so to speak

   I am posting this from Southeast Asia.

   I left the Golden State after a stint of a few weeks. I was missing the people I love so much even before I set foot inside the plane that would take me back to my work in Asia. My stay with R is as always a testament to our enduring love and committment to make this relationship as good as it can be. I loved every moment of my stay in the US of A this time. R knows I am doing I can to make every moment we share together. I can withstand the rigorous travelling as long as it is best for the both of us. Our relationship needs some nurturing and we are both dedicated to doing our share to ensure it longevity and sustainability but keeping it fresh and pure in the process. I loved every moment of it!

   Shopping, hugs and kisses, dinners, photos, food, cooking, wine and beer and all the good things and feeling in life one can possibily imagine, I experienced this time. All good. The laughter and early morning giggles together with afternoon side by side laying in bed - glorious short moments. We like cuddling (who doesn;t, right?) Sweet! I also got to tend to my plants in my mini garden that I love. I watched R tie some flies for his fishing trip. I loved our lunches at the Mexican taco place or the Thai food restaurant close to his work or our girlfriend-boyfriend dinners by the bay. My heart is assured that he loves me very much and cherishes our love and with this it affirms my love to him.

   Reality is I have work waiting for me here in the farm. So back to the farm it is then..back to the mountains! It is not as hot now because being November and all, the weather is more tolerable because we get scattered rainshowers that addresses the dust and cooler temperature because December is in the air. I feel so blessed to have family on both sides of the Pacific. We can never have enough people to love and loves us in return.

   I left the Golden State via LAX Tom Bradley International Airport. My next post will include the airline I took, the food that were served and other hodgepodge of  "stuff " I saw along the way home. It will include trip tips.

   My mini-vacation with R was great. But for now, I am back to work for there are people relying on me to get some work done. It is good to be here at this time.

   Have a safe weekend everyone.

Salmon-colored roses

    Don't we just love roses?

    There a about a zillion colors for roses and I love them all. In my own strip of garden here in California, I have yellow, sweet smelling and just beautiful roses. I got the plant on Mother's Day. Today, it has some fully bloomed flowers.

    I see clusters of these beautiful roses wherever I drive around my neck of the woods. I see white ones and all colors imaginable. But two days ago when passing by a bed of roses, I saw the most attention grabbing salmon colored roses. I saw a bud and the fully bloomed ones were even more spectacular.

   This weekend, I am posting these said roses. Enjoy!

The camera does not do these flowers justice. It comes out as reddish but take my word for it, nothing is ever as salmon colored roses as these one.

    See you guys tomorrow...