text.

From my Dad.

"Lei and Aldwin, happy anniversary. kahit wala pang apo hehe"

Ayos! He used to campaign on the phone whenever we call them... then, in his e-mails... seems like he found a new medium hehe :0)

525,600 Minutes (of 2007)

How do you measure a year?

In daylights.

In sunsets.

In midnights.

In cups of coffee.

In inches.

In miles.

In laughter.

In strife.

How about love?

Measure in love.

How can you measure the life of a woman or man?

Let's celebrate.

Remember a year in the life of friends.

Remember the love.

Measure in love.

Seasons of love.

Happiness

"I keep remembering one of my guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (italics and emphasis, mine)

Awww.

Honestly, na-touch ako sa limbic system :0D

The Lovely Bones Movie

I read in Vanity Fair that Dreamworks was able to buy the movie rights for Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. And if that was not enough to get me excited, Peter Jackson is going to direct the movie!

I love, love, love this book! I remember first reading The Lovely Bones during a flight going to Fukuoka (Japan) . I finished the book even before we landed but would reread it again and again throughout the whole trip and even after that.

I love this book so much that I bought all of Alice Sebold's other books. Even though I like the others too, The Lovely Bones is still my favorite.

I am usually wary of movies based on books I like. Somehow, the big screen doesn't always capture the magic that the book weaves around you. With this one, I think I will reserve judgement. The Spielberg-Jackson team-up desrves it :0)

According to IMDb, the movie will be released Spring of 2009. Sigh, still more than a year of waiting. Never mind, I have NPH to look forward to next year hehe :0) (I also love Harold and Kumar 1. I'm weird like that.)

Black Friday Midnight Madness!

A background: This Midnight Madness sale wasn't the same thing as the ones I was used to in Manila --- those which start at normal mall hours and end at midnight. This one started at midnight and ends at 10pm (22 hours of retail therapy!!!).

So yeah, we were up and out of the house at 12:15AM this morning, making good time to the nearest outlet stores. I thought we were among a few crazy ones... NOT! Think Big Bang sa Alabang / Payanig sa Pasig crowds!!! At 1AM!!! It was surreal!!!

Mr.A and I parked a loong way from the crowd and just walked to the stores we wanted to check out. For a moment, the ambiance was like simbang gabi (uhh, was that blasphemous?!)... until you see all the shopping bags:0P

I got a COACH satchel at a really good price but these 2 pairs of Cole Haans (at almost half-price each) made the puyat worth it!

What can I say? I'm a shoe kind of girl :0)

Hello, lover.

It has been a long time since I felt this way about a pair of shoes.

33894

I bring to you a feat that was two years in the making.

Aside from character development, I also got this out of it:

A bling to celebrate my official entry to RPTness!

Courtesy of my wonderful hubby, of course :0)

Flashback

This is it.

Ok folks, wherever you are in the world, make sure you send good wishes/vibes my way tomorrow, July 29, 2007 at 6AM Pacific Standard Time.

For tomorrow, I will set out on a 13.1 mi adventure :0D

I am going to try my best to share this adventure with you. I will moblog (mobile blogging) as best as I can during the half marathon. (I am hoping that I still have the texting skills I used to have in college... we shall see :0P)

I still am crazy enough to hope that I finish it in under three hours... if not, I still intend to enjoy the experience as much as I can :0D

Crush ko si Optimus Prime.

Honestly, when I saw that Bumblebee became a Camaro in the movie, I was disappointed. I felt that the VW bug captured the essence of Bumblebee's charm. I was kinda dreading other changes they might have made to the other characters.

But after seeing the movie, I gotta admit, the movie rocks! Muntik na ako maiyak nung nag-mala-Gotham City-calling-Batman si Bumblebee... and when I first saw Prime.

"I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars: we are here, we are waiting."

Sigh.

I'm not sure who was more excited about the movie, ako o si Mr. A. What I'm sure of was ako ang mas nag-react during the movie (there was even a time when he looked at me and said "shh..." coz I kept saying f*ck, f*ck, f*ck nung natutunaw na si Megatron :0P).

On second thought, I think he was a teeny bit more excited than I was hehe :0)

Support us at the Napa Tour de Cure!

Whenever someone learns that I will be running this year's San Francisco Half-Marathon, the usual reply is: "Really?! Good for you!" usually followed by, "For what cause?" to which I (sometimes, shamefully) answer, "Uhh, myself?".

There are a thousand other causes I can run for and yeah, I feel selfish (at times), for not doing this for those causes but I promised myself that this first one is gonna be for me, to mark my 30th birthday.

Then came the chance to join the Napa Tour de Cure.

Tour de Cure is a series of cycling events held in more than 80 cities nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association. In California alone, there are 6 Tour de Cure this spring, including the Napa one, which will be on May 6, 2007. The Tour is a ride, not a race, with routes designed for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist. This is why Aldwin and I jumped at the chance to join in the fun.

Aldwin and I will be riding under Team Bio-rad (the company where Aldwin works) and will be doing the 25 mile ride. Aside from the promise of food and wine (it's Napa, after all!), we're doing this to support a cause we both believe in: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

Both of us have family and friends living with diabetes and we will be riding for them, and for the millions of other people who are hoping for a cure.

If you would like to help and support us in this worthy cause, you can make your donation online at my or Aldwin's personal Tour de Cure website. You can also mail in your contribution (please make all checks payable to American Diabetes Association) to our home address (e-mail me at lgsaldua@gmail.com if you don't have it). Any amount (as in kahit $5 lang) will be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and Aldwin's company will match the amount that the team can raise so your (tax-deductible, for people here in the US) contribution will go a long way in helping the fight against diabetes.

Again, click on these links to donate online:

Leah

Aldwin

Our thanks in advance for your help and support! :0)

3.1.71

Today, she had a thought... what if she'd never met him?

What's in my kikay kit?

I don't really know that much about make-up, what I do know though is what looks good on me and on others. I am actually a little scared about experimenting with make-up and looking weird, that's why I stick to a couple of basics that have been tried and tested.

Here are my present kikay kit favorites which I always bring with me:

For the face:

MAC Studio Fix in NC43
This seamlessly blends into my skin without the heavily, made-up feeling while providing enough coverage for minor blemishes. The key is finding the right color for your skin tone and applying it with a fluffy brush.

The Body Shop Pearl Bronzer in Bronze
I read somewhere that bronzers are so last year already but I don't care. This particular one comes in little pearls, in different shades of bronze. It never fails to give me a sunkissed glow. Plus the pearls ensure that just enough product gets into the brush to avoid 'clown cheeks'.

For the lips:
(I usually focus more on my lips when I do my 'everyday' make-up -- I use a balm, a liner, then lipstick and finishes with gloss.)

Chapstick in Cherry
My husband and I actually buy this in bulk at Costco because we keep it everywhere -- our cars, our dresser, our bathroom vanity, my kikay kit, my gym bag, even my desk at work! The medicated one is best for winter days but the one shown here is enough color for me on days when I'm too lazy to put on my 'face'.

Sonia Kashuk Lip Definer in Maple
MAC Cremestick Liner in Plum Soft
I always make sure to keep two lipliners in my kikay kit, one 'day' color and one fancy enough for a night out just in case I don't get the chance to go home and change.
The Sonia Kashuk one is 'nude' enough to use for work but not sickly pale. The MAC one is in a berry shade, perfect for night-outs yet laid back enough to use for day too.

MAC Lustre Lipstick in Russe
I was really surprised to find out how versatile this color is. It changes from prim and proper to sexy and alluring, depending on what color liner and gloss you use with it. On its own, it's very sheer with enough moisturizers to keep lips supple.

MAC Lipglass in Corps-de-ballet
Nivea Lip Care Caregloss and Shine Tinted
Like lipliners, I also tend to have two kinds of gloss. The Lipglass one is a little heavy for me for day use but it provides a sexy shine to complete my evening attire. The Nivea one I love, alone or layered with other lip products.

For eyes:

Neutrogena Skin Soothing Eye Tints in Honey Shimmer
MAC Eye Shadow Veluxe Pearl in Jete
The Neutrogena Eye Tint is usually enough for my daily use. It glides on very sheer but does a lot in brightening eyes. The cooling sensation is a plus for tired eyes.
My eyeshadows usually depend on my outfit, but in instances when I can't get to my stash at home, the MAC one is presently my default 'night' color. It's just a brighter sheer, a perfect backdrop to berry lips.
(In my experience so far, MAC shadows seem to stay on a lot longer than others I've tried.)

MAC Fibre Rich Lash in All Black
Again, I usually keep it simple when it comes to my everyday eye make-up so I rarely wear mascara and eyeliner; however, during those times when I feel like I need an additional pick-me-up, MAC mascara does a great job. I like how the brush separates each lash making the over-all effect a lot thicker.


Sonia Kashuk Travel Brush Set
Of course, it goes without saying that all these products are nothing without the proper tools to put them on. There are a lot of very nice and very expensive brush sets available today. I use Sonia Kashuk brushes because they are very affordable without sacrificing quality. I keep a travel brush set in my kikay kit (I have a bigger set at home) which includes small and medium eyeshadow brushes, a mini blusher for my bronzer and powder and an eyebrow comb/brush to tame my brows and lashes.

Wow?

I'm enjoying using Windows Vista but the wow factor, I still have to see.

A word from our sponsors...

This post brought to you by our new customized HP Pavilion dv6000t with:

- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T5200(1.60GHz/2MB L2Cache)
- 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950 - Core
- HP Imprint Finish + Microphone + Webcam
- 2048MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 80GB 5400RPM
- 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth
- 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

;0)

Love's in the air.

So yeah, there I was, feeling smug, in a very ang-haba-ng-hair-ko-lolah way, thinking that I just had the best Valentines ever when my sister called and totally trumped me up... SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!!!

But that's not to say that I didn't have the best Valentines ever :0)

The dozen red roses I was kinda expecting and that, I got.

I was also expecting sushi-to-go and probably a quiet night of American Idol and Criminal Minds. Instead, I got this:



Balloons, confetti, streamers, love songs. The whole shebang.

And this:



A candlelit dinner.

And this, too.



Just in case you missed that, yeah, I got another dozen roses, but really, I was talking about this:



My very own Ipod shuffle. In a very fashionable copper tone.

Sigh. My husband just keeps on raising the bar (sorry, cingular).

No wonder I love my husband more than I love shoes (wonderful, wonderful shoes!).

:0D