After the tragedy brought about by Yolanda, the idea of celebrating much more spending thousands for firecrackers is improbable. But come New Year's Eve, the kids and the people in my community, my neighborhood in Cantubo here in Ormoc City, have started making the age-old traditional noise maker/home-made cannon or bazooka called LANTAKA, made from all the canned goods we've been receiving as relief goods from many generous donors. And I'm telling you, this is exactly how those tin cans can be recycled and there's quite a lot of cans just lying around here.


Okay, first things first. You need the following:

• Canned goods/tin cans for recycling, i.e. sardines, tuna, corned beef, etc.
• Plastic bottle
• Packaging tape or electrical tape
• Cricket electronic lighter
• Tools (hammer, knife, nail, scissors, etc.)
• Alcohol or Flying Tiger fluid
• Optional: Toy gun for trigger
• Imagination and creativity

If done right, you'll get something like this:

The closest thing I'll ever own to a grenade launcher! HAHA! XD

A word of caution: DOH actually bans the use of a lantaka or boga as it is commonly referred to in Luzon as it carries a risk of blast or burn injury. However, personally, I think is way better than firecrackers where you risk losing a finger or two, or maybe a whole hand if you're not careful. it's up to the user to be informed on the proper use of a lantaka which is not a toy by any means. it is not meant to be used an actual cannon where it fires something. It's for noise-making purposes only.

Watch this video we made demonstrating how to create such a device below.


Sorry I couldn't capture the "ACTUAL" (deafening) sound of the lantaka when fired. My phone, which I used to capture the videos, only has mono sound/mic I think. Whatever. It doesn't give the lantaka much justice. You'll have to see it for yourself in person to experience and hear the KABOOM!

It's really not that difficult to make one and if you grasp the notion on how it works, it's fairly easy to create different designs such as these:

It's fun for kids and adults alike! LOL!

Now truly excited for New Year's Eve! Not only did we get to recycle all those tin cans and save money from buying those dangerous firecrackers, we also got our community and neighborhood engaged in a sort of camaraderie to welcome 2014! I guess the more "urbanized" cities will have a normal NYE celebration but as for us here in the Yolanda-devastated province, we're just happy to be alive to welcome the New Year and most definitely this time with a LOUD BANG using our lantakas.

Keep the smile, leave the tears.
Think of joy and forget your fears.

Wishing everyone out there a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


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No, this is not a post about depression or stress brought about by the holidays, but this is to celebrate the color BLUE this season. Now, we know green and red are everywhere this time of the year, but for me there's always room for blues and violets.

Post by Avon Philippines.

Here's a fairly simple look created with AVON Glimmersticks eyeliner in Starlight Blue. Who says black eyeliner is the only thing that works?

It's a retractable, self-sharpening liner you can't go wrong with and gives a multi-dimensional finish. (Now on sale for P99 only. Reg. price is 250!)
Then I picked the blue stud earrings to match from Avon's Festive Decorations 6-pair earrings set (comes also in pairs of pearls, crystal clear, green, red, and silver) which is now only P99 for the whole set!

Post by Avon Philippines.

If you want to do full eye makeup to celebrate the season of love, why not give your eyes some shimmer and glitter? It'll be totally eye-catching during parties!


I only used three colors from the BLUES palette and I'm very happy with the result. There are still a lot of combinations I've got to try using these 8 lovely eyeshadows. I know it's quite tricky to use blue eyeshadows as one doesn't want to end up looking like a clown. However, the 8-in-1 eyeshadow palette contains very "blendable" powder eyeshadows so it's very easy to apply it and mix the colors all you like. Must experiment some more.


Swatched them at the back of my hand and it shows that the color payoff is good. I didn't even need to wear eyeshadow base and I'm loving the result. How much more if I used a primer to make the colors pop out some more?! The 8-in-1 eyeshadow palette also comes in METALLICS and GREENS. I'll do some more tutorials in the coming days so I can show you how absolutely adorable the colors are!

Post by Avon Philippines.

Avon Philippines is having a huge sale for the Christmas season so you might want to call your Avon lady ASAP and check out what they have to offer... or better yet, visit their website and check out their online brochure before the offers expire!

DISCLAIMER: I did not pay nor got paid for this blog post. The products were given to me since I am an AVON PR Blogger Partner and a member of the AVON Makeup Council. I received no incentive to offer a favorable review and the only compensation I get is to experience and try out the products for myself so I can share with you an objective review and hopefully help my readers make an informed decision before buying.

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She always wanted to celebrate her wedding on the beach. She loved the ocean, the sand and the air. The beach was the perfect place. Being born and raised in San Francisco, she was familiar to how famous is The Golden Gate Bridge in the San Francisco Wedding Photography, as it is used as a background so many times by couples for their photo shoots. It was always nice and she did not think about it as a boring idea or place as it is used already by hundreds or maybe more people in their photographs.

After browsing through my blog entries over the years, I feel really accomplished right now. From a lost little girl to a rebellious twenteen, a social butterfly turned solitary then to bouts of anger and depression and manic moments, all of these dramas and adventures make this blog my most treasured memoir. I highly encourage everyone to start a blog or write a private journal if you're the shy type. Trust me, after a decade it's going to be worth it!


📓 Thanks to @BDJBUZZ! To celebrate my 10th anniversary, a decade of blogging and online presence, let's prepare ourselves for 2014 with the queen of all planners, the #BelleDeJourPowerPlanner! 📖 

If you've known me since 2003 (or even before that), you know my blogging resulted when I decided to take my journals online. 📚 From Friendster and MySpace blogs to Xanga, LiveJournal, and eventually settled on Blogger, this is where you can best get to know me and even read about the most mundane details of my so-called life. ☺️ Not that they're all epic and fun all the time, you can skim through archives and read about my colorful puberty and how I kinda f*cked up my adolescence (didn't we all?) Tee hee. Now happily married with a doting @mrnoodleboy and a lively little @Noodlelito, I'm still living my life like an open book. 😊

For the FIRST ROUND of my 10th Anniversary Blog Giveaway, I'm raffling off one (1) highly coveted and best-selling BDJ 2014 Power Planner plus a Lifestyle Card. Why this? Because 2014 is going to be our year. We can do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING if we put our minds to it. It's all about planning. ;)

Photo from belledejourpowerplanner.com.

Want to win it? It's so easy, just join via RAFFLECOPTER below. Make sure to follow the instructions to qualify! I'll pick one random lucky winner on New Year's Day and announce it on all my main social media accounts! So be sure to follow me on FB, Twitter, and Instagram! I'll ship the prize for FREE as long as you have a Philippine address. That's it! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!

UDPATE 01/01/2014: And the winner is...

UPDATE: 01/15/2014 - NEW WINNER!!!

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Back in October, way before the supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) ruined my Christmas plans, I was in the market for an iPhone 5S. I actually applied for a new Globe postpaid subscription (though recently changed my mind about getting one from SMART instead). However, this Christmas wish will probably be put on hold until we get to recover from the mess that Haiyan (Yolanda) made.

So in the meantime, I'm going to share with you an infographic on the "Latest Mobile Phones Sales Statistics & Usage Trends". Here's hoping this will help you decide on on what to get (or ask Santa to bring you) this Christmas season.


This Infographic is produced by Coupon Audit (provides Express coupons) and Basta Igat Sikat.

 <br /> <img style="max-width: 100%;" src="http://www.couponaudit.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Android-Dominance-And-Consistent-Increase-In-Overall-Smartphones-Usage16.jpg" alt="Latest Mobile Phones Sales Statistics & Usage Trends" /></p> <p> </a></p> <p> This Infographic is produced by <a href="http://www.couponaudit.com/coupons/express">Coupon Audit (provides Express coupons) </a> and <a href="http://www.bastaigatsikat.com">Basta Igat Sikat</a>. </p> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;">
Feel free to copy/paste the code above to share the inforgraphic on your blogs and html pages. 

Looking at the images and charts, it's pretty obvious that Android OS and Samsung is leading the market. I, for one, will not be getting an Android device and even one from Samsung. Why? 'Coz you know I'm an Apple fan girl. LOL. No really, I am comfortable with iOS and I got tons of paid apps that I don't think I can live without.

What about you guys? Are you a die-hard Apple fan, too? If not, do leave a comment below with your current mobile phone brand and model then try to convince me to switch to Android or any other kind of smartphone. *wink*



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By now you can tell that I love challenges.  It's one way of proving that anything can be accomplished if you got the determination. Back then I was the type of girl who would not finish what she's started and always made a mess out of things because of "unfinished businesses". Now that I'm quite mature, I think I have a firm grasp on things and kissed my mañaña habit goodbye!

I now give you my November BDJBOX 7-day challenge using new products and my review on each one that I've tried. Here we go...

DAY 1:
For me it's one of the most natural blushes you can wear, if that's what you're aiming for. The color is very subtle and the powder is finely milled. Comes in a small compact case to carry anywhere, meaning it's perfect for touch-ups and also coz you won't end up looking like a clown with layering all that #blush. 😊👍 I love it! This one retails for just P390.

DAY 2:
It's actually weightless and not the usual icky-sticky gloss that I anticipated. And the color payoff is amazing! Just one swipe and there's so much color! Such a huge plus that it contains antioxidants (almond oil & vit E) that keeps lips conditioned and improves lip texture. No more dry lips! Honestly it's like one of the best lip glosses I've ever tried. Good job, @revlon! 💋💋💋💋💋 

DAY 3:
As of writing this, I've been using this for approximately 1 month now and I can absolutely attest to its anti-aging effects. Even my breakouts have cleared up with using this facial wash on top of it making my skin look youthful with a silky glow. Cross my heart! 💗 Only a pea-sized amount and it thoroughly cleanses the face! Smells really good, too! Kinda reminds me of Givenchy. 👍👍 Strategically priced at P345, you get a high-performance cleansing foam with marine collagen that encourages the skjn's renewal process. 💖 My fellow millennials, you sure are gonna love this one, too! 

DAY 4:
Believe the hype... It's out of this world. Yayyy for Argan trees in Southwest Morocco! 👍 Aside from being used as a hair treatment (I use only 2 squirts!) it can also be used as a facial moisturizer because it's quite a potent antioxidant! There's the good stuff in it -- Omega 6, vit E, & essential fatty acids. Naturally with continued use, it certainly restores the natural tightness of the skin as well as prevent signs of premature aging! Perhaps it's the next best thing to finding the fountain of youth if you ask me. ☺️

DAY 5:
Wait 'til you try showering with this sweet smelling bath cream with goat's milk from the Netherlands and 100% active botanical extracts. It's truly like dessert for your skin. I got the one with Acai Berry and now I look forward to bath time coz this bath cream leaves skin feeling velvety smooth! I love milk baths but most ones I've tried takes a while to wash off; however, this rinses off easily but still leaves skin ultra moisturized and really soft. Did I mention it smells so yummy I had to restrain myself from tasting it!? ☺️ Tee hee! 👍👍

DAY 6:
When I put it on, it smelled so heavenly and reminded me of Angel's Breath but better and more mature. 🍏🌼 I love the fruity and floral scent combo which makes you feel fresh instantly. It's made from green apple, Egyptian jasmine, peach blossom (one of my fave!), as well as Virginian cedar, amber and musk. I wish you could smell it and agree that it's absolutely divine! ☺️ I'm also wearing #revlonph ColorBurst in Bordeaux on the lips. 💋 Apparently, it's my go-to lip gloss these days. 👍👍 

DAY 7:
Ladies, listen up! This feminine hygiene is perfect for sensitive and irritated skin which soothes and softens mucosa and is something you should try. Clinically tested. Doctor recommended. Soap and paraben free! Need I say more? Oh yeah, it's best used by working it into a foam then rinse well under running water. Great for everyday use and it smells good! 🌺

So there you have it! Challenge accepted and completed! Whew! And I must say it was good to do this as it gave me some diversion from all the Yolanda-related stress I had had to endure. Still recovering and will be doing so in the next couple of months. Which means I may not be doing a lot of beauty related posts for a while because I'll be busy looking for moolah to cover the expenses from this calamity. It's so huge, it's not even funny. To think I may have to sell a kidney! But then again, the Filipino spirit is weather-proof so we will not be swayed from our goals. It's all about your outlook in life and as BDJBOX aptly reminded us for the month of November: ALWAYS BRING YOUR OWN SUNSHINE.





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