Meet Mikko Vincenzo aka NoodleLito, our bundle of joy and a bright ray of sunshine in our lives. He is now a toddler with a gorgeous mane and lovely curls that any girl would die (dye) for.

Quite the active little tyke he is and it's so difficult to get a decent photo of him these days.

Natural hair color and natural curls!

Back in 2011 after I gave birth to this handsome little fellow, I dyed my hair with this particular shade of Ash Blonde from HBC/Hortaleza as soon as my OB/GYNE allowed me to. Ugh. Pregnancy and ammonia. Anyways, I wanted to achieve the same color so I bought the same stuff to do it all over again. I'm surprised they haven't raised their prices and I'm so glad it's still affordable. This tube of hair color would last me 2-3 sessions since my hair is now so short.

This only costs Php125.00

12% developer for that sweet, bright shade

Do it yourself hair color at home!

I prefer to use the 12% oxidizing lotion because I don't like my hair color to be just subtle, plus the brighter the color, the better it looks in photographs. I was expecting the color to turn out yellowish but it seemed to be quite on the orange-y/rust/bronze side. Should I have bleached my hair first? I don't really know why it's not the same color as before, but I'm guessing it must be because I previously dyed my hair a shade of Medium Blonde when I did the Ombre Hair a few months ago.

Click to see larger photo.

So what do you think? Now I look sort of Korean with this hair... but not the Ulzzang one I was hoping for. I look like a KPOP singer from one of those boy bands. LOL! I love it though. It's a whole new look methinks.

Taken indoor with ambient lighting.

Taken outdoor with mid-afternoon sunlight.

Do you guys have any favorite hair colors from HBC/Hortaleza? Let me know so I can check it out and try that next time around. ;)



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If you have been following this blog for the past decade, you would know that my friends and I go on summer vacations and spend Christmases together. I only missed the getaway in the summer of 2011 because I was pregnant at that time and in 2012, all of us were still busy becoming parents. But now, all our kids are all growing up so fast that we managed to go out on an escapade for the day and spend summer like we used to.


This year's destination is no other than Kalanggaman Island. I've known about this quiet little islet for a long time but since it wasn't developed and I have issues with Mother Nature calling that it never occurred to me to go and visit. Friends of mine have been there when there were no cottages nor toilets in existence. However, since Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez supported and helped get a grant for the eco-tourism of Palompon (in the northern part of Leyte, a good hour and a half away from Ormoc City), Kalanggaman Island has become quite the popular summer/tourist destination.


The sandbar is really beautiful and the water is so inviting. No worries about getting stung by jellyfishes or stepping on sea urchins. I did find one starfish while we were swimming. You can also rent kayaks and a water bicycle and go snorkelling or scuba diving. As for me, I was content to just go off mommy mode for a while and frolic with my good friends.



I recommend that you bring lots of ice. Our 2 bags of ice were gone by 2PM because it was scorching hot (and maybe because the boys already finished 3 cases of beer). You can spend a night in the island provided you have a tent with you or you can just sleep in one of the cottages not forgetting to slather enough mosquito repellent. There's a solar-powered charging station in the canteen if you need juice for your batteries.


Because we do have babies and kids to go home to, we got off the island by 4 in the afternoon but the day was enough to get some minor sunburns in spite of the generous application of SPF 50 sunblock lotion! Although, you know me, I'm never the one to hide from the sun. Let the tanning begin!



Noodle Boy's skin is so unfair. He just got red and never darkened. Ugh.


The Palompon Eco-Tourism Office can be reached at (053) 555-9010, (053) 338-2094 or (0917)303-7267 if you are ready to pay the entrance fee (per person), hop on a 15-seater pumpboat or a speedboat (whatever floats your boat!) for a 45-minute ride, and be on your way to soak up the sun at Kalanggaman Island.

Kalanggaman Island tour rates

Paradise awaits... It really is more fun in the Philippines! So how's your summer coming along?




P.S. Don't forget to join my BIRTHDAY/SUMMER GIVEAWAY at http://www.bastaigatsikat.com/2013/04/bastaigatsikat-birthday-summer-giveaway-2013.html.



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Last Halloween (10/31/2012), Noodle Boy was game enough to go on a fun photoshoot with me and the costume I decided to don for our Trick or Treat that night with the kids from our neighborhood/district (Hey, I'm making up for all the lost Halloweens in my childhood!).

It's really not very unique but considering the pieces of clothing I gathered from my old closet (which amazingly fit me once more!), I say it was a real success in pulling off a Red Riding Hood costume.And I didn't have to spend a single centavo for it!

The hood is actually a vest with a hood in it which I wore over a white tunic and I got my old Mango black corset and wore it over both. I borrowed a plaid skirt worn over my old black leggings and chose my white 1914 Doc Martens to complete my look. Got my mom's basket of poinsettias and an old checkered tablecloth for props.

I was afraid the flowers would look too Christmas-y but heck, I couldn't find any French bread in my town!

Take one lucky guess where we had this photoshoot! This was at the Ormoc City Cemetery. Yup, if you look closer, you'll see a couple of tombstones in mausoleums. Anyway, I didn't get the chance to blog this because I got caught up with work and I had this annoying eye infection (which the oldies said was due to the photoshoot in A CEMETERY! Pfft!) so sorry about the delay. This would have been a really cool Halloween post. Better late than never, yeah?

Halloween Special from RameNoodles (RamenGirl NoodleBoy) ... 

 
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