Hair Waxing

If hair shaving is not your cup of coffee :-) then maybe you'll consider waxing. Unlike hair shaving, waxing - when done properly- provides a cleaner look and has long lasting results.

Hair should be at least half of an inch long when waxing. This ensures that the wax have enough length of hair to cling to. Before waxing off your hair, take a warm, soapless shower. Because of the oils or fatty acids in soaps and lotions/moisturizers, using them interferes with applying wax. Hence, it's best to just wash with water.

Dry yourself thoroughly with a towel so the wax will stick properly.

If waxing your underarms and legs, lightly dust the area with talcum or baby powder to help the wax stick to the hair, thus, removing it more effectively.

To avoid irritation, wait for at least 12 hours before letting your skin get in contact with water. For this very reason, it is preferable to wax at night. (The same is true when shaving.)

Gas-saving Tip

With the ever increasing price of petrol these days (to my family, it seems that everytime we drop by the gas station and have our car filled, it seems the price of gasoline is way higher than when we had our last fill), we find it practical to –as much as possible- incorporate all our to-do’s in a single trip. Example, going to church also means a trip to the grocery to pick up all our household supplies (yes, it includes cat supplies). This way we can save on gasoline consumption.

Eye Liners

Although I don't always wear eye make-up, there are times when I find it necessary - especially since I have small undefined eyes. So here are tips I've been following when applying eyeliners.

I actually prefer liquid eye liners over pencil. But the pencil liner looks more natural than liquid eye liner. One only has to learn to apply it with a steady hand - so as to create perfect lines. If it gets too dark, lighten it with a dry tissue.

For the eyebrows, use a pencil that is a shade lighter than the shade of the brows. Use a brush to even the lines out.

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Not Now

A couple of days ago, my son who is ever adorable did something to our TV. I’m not sure what it is but the volume of the TV is affected. The surround speakers now are not functioning well. With this, my parents have been teasing me about buying a new TV. Of course, I know they are not expecting me to buy one but if I have the budget I’d get us a Plasma (gosh, it’s still so expensive here!) and a matching plasma tv mount (the higher the better) to go with it.

Travel Tip

Carrying your baggage by hand when traveling by air (as long as you adhere to airline rules and regulations about handcarry baggage) is more practical than checking your baggage in. It will save you the time waiting for your baggage during check-ins and check-outs.

If you’re traveling in the Nevada area, you might want to check in the Laughlin hotels.

Basic Nail Care

For this week, my subject is the nails and manicures. I am no way an expert of this but I found these tips practical and useful, so I'm sharing them with you.

1) For healthy nails, you may supplement your diet with royal jelly (because it is rich in silica, zinc and vitamin B) that will help strengthen the nails.

2) I didn't think that moisturizing the nailbed and cuticles are really important. Now, I have to think again since I've read that moisturizing nailbed and cuticles make the tips look better. Also, if nails are prone to breakage, putting oil around the cuticle moisturizes nail and reduces chipping, cracking and splitting.

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3) Leave cuticles alone (and that's why I really am not so into manicures). The cuticle is a natural barrier to fungus and bacteria. Removing them may lead to infection that harm the nailbed or cause nail damage.

4) Problem with brittle nails? Sun damage may be the reason behind this problem. When you put on sunblock , make sure that you include some for your hands and nails.

5) Always file nails lightly - just enough to shape and keep the layers even. Uneven nails have a tendency to peel .

6) Using the wrong nail file is one of the easiest ways to ruin your nails so it pays to be careful when choosing a file. Popsicle files are best for natural nails; metal files are great to leave edges smooth. Coarse files which are rough in texture are perfect for artificial nails.

7) Do you constantly get manicures? It would be fair to give the fingernails time to rest - at least a couple of days between manicures to allow them to "breathe." Frequent application of polish to nails can put a slightly yellow stain on them.

8) Avoid dry nailpolish that contain acetone as this dries out your nails, causing them to peel and chip.

9) When you're looking for a superior nail polish, look for the brand that contains ground herring scales. This ingredient is known as natural pearl and gives polish its extra shine.

10) Avoid air bubbles in the polish by rolling it gently between the palms instead of shaking the polish bottle before application.

11) Due to age, polish has the tendency to thicken. If the polish has thickened, add a bit of polish thinner or remover to revive it.

12) For longer staying polish, apply one base coat, two coats of polish, and then finish it off with a top coat. This will prevent polish from chipping off easily.

13) While artificial nails can make hands look more lively, putting these can seriously damage your own nails. Stick-on variety usually causes the nail surface to get stripped away when they are removed. The glue may also cause allergic reactions.

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Home Theater Seats

The furniture I was talking about in my previous post doesn’t look like this one.

But wouldn’t it be wonderful to have these HOME THEATRE SEATING furniture to grace in your entertainment room? I definitely think they are great-looking pieces and they surely looked comfortable and soft. Don’t you think so too?

Great Buy

Do you know that bidding on some of our company’s used and serviceable office furniture has saved me a considerable amount of cash? Yes it did. I acquired our outdoor set of tall tables and chairs (ala bar style) from our regular office furniture disposal for a very minimal amount. These pieces, which are still in good shape, now graced our veranda-cum-garage.

Rewards of a Packrat

As promised here, here's the latest treasure I got from collecting plastic wrappers.


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Early-Hour Occupation

I haven’t participated in the Wordless Wednesday meme for quite sometime but today, I’ll be participating. I have taken pictures of things around the house – some toys I have been repairing, some tools I have been using (not high-end air tools though), the loot we recently got from a diaper company, and some shots during a birthday celebration.

Right now, I'm in the process of selecting which one I’m going to post for my entry.

Toy Cleaning/Storage Tips

This is my formula to some peace of mind. Lol. Well, what can I say I'm a paranoid mom.

1) Before storing toys, make sure to wipe or wash them.

2) When washing toys, it is safer to use dishwashing liquid/soap than using detergent on them. Bottle cleansers (which can also be used as fruit/vegetable cleaner) are also ideal for toys. I used to clean my son’s toys with bottle cleansers.

3) After wiping with a damp cloth or washing, make sure to air dry toys before storing in a box. This will prevent molds from growing on the toys.

4) To ensure cleanliness, toys may also be sterilized. I have been using a chemical sterilizing liquid for this purpose.

Simplicity Is The Key

Are you going to a job interview or having a business meeting with an important client?

In times like this, because it is hard to judge a person's personality for barely an hour appointments, one is "judged" by first impressions. Thus, presentation of oneself plays a vital role in creating impressions. You can either make it or break it. (Very recently, our bosses turned down an applicant -much to our dismay- because she doesn't look strike as a technical person but looks like the perfect customer care officer. How discriminating can that be but that is reality!)

With that, I think care should be given on how your present yourself. Opt for a simple and minimalist look. If you use make-up, use it to your advantage. Unless you are applying for a spot in a make-up company, aim for a natural and barely-there look. Choose neutral shades. Accentuate eyes and lips since these are also your communication tools.

Crisp white shirts look immaculate and connote an air of "no-nonsense." Bright and colorful clothing may be worn only IF you know how to downplay their effect.

Stick with nailpolish of subtle colors or one with matches and compliments your attire and make-up. Clear nailpolish is a safe and perfect choice.

For accessories, it is sensible to pick non-flashy pieces of jewelries like pearls (there are a lot of affordable freshwater pearls nowadays).

On Insurance Quotes

Before closing the deal and saying the awaited “yes” to your insurance agent, it would be wise to get price quotes of the plans you wanted i.e educational plan prices, life insurance quote and the like. The rationale is very simple really. It just like buying a shoes – appliances. It’s always wise to compare prices of the goods before buying them. This way, we can see what could work for us – in terms of budget and goods.

Crayon Stain Fix

My son is learning to use his crayons these days. Despite my constant crayon-is-to-paper warnings, we know it's just not as simple as that with kids. Sometimes, warnings just won't work. *Sigh*

Okay, few days ago I found black crayon lines etched on our walls. Now, who did that? *arms akimbo* (But if I were to jog up my memory, I did the same thing when I was younger)

Anyway, I tried to remove them by carefully rubbing a damp cloth (plain water to cloth) on the site without much success. Then I remembered that crayons are made of paraffin wax (and dye for coloring). So it's really like hardened grease and removing them with oily substance might (I'm applying the concept that "like charges repel" here: see Coloumb's Law) just help. I actually used petroleum jelly, applied it on the wall and gently wiped off the stains. And boy did it work!

Diaper Wrappers Brought in A Loot

I never really thought that buying diapers and COLLECTING their wrappers could bring in much loot in our household. But as it happens, the company of a diaper brand (which my son is fortunately using) rewards its patrons with items using a point system (where specific points –which depend on the bulk of the package - are found in the wrapper).

So far, I was able to redeem the following items out of disposable diaper wrappers: a carry-all sling bag, a baby bag, 2 Baby Bathtime Sets (consisting of a foot rag, bedroom slippers, bathrobe and a matching sponge for each set) and 2 Baby Garden Sets (consisting of a table, a chair and an outdoor umbrella for each set). The Garden sets were from our recent points redemption (pictures to follow soon).

C - Carrots

As I've mentioned here, I recently bought a product made out of carrots (carrot oil) and which I love not only because it is 100% natural but because it doesn't bother my olfactory nerve (which is usually my concern).

So in today's TT, I will tackle the vegetable Bug Bunny loves to eat - carrots. Here are the few trivia bits about it - most I didn't know.

1) The carrot belongs to the parsley family which includes celery, parsnip, fennel, dill and coriander.

2) Carrots were first grown as a medicine not a food.

3) Of all vegetable, carrots have the highest content of beta carotene (vitamin A).

4) You only need 3 carrots to give you enough energy to walk an equivalent of three miles.

5) There is as much calcium in 9 carrots as there is in a glass (250ml) of whole milk.

6) Its flowers are alternately called Birds Nest, Bees Nest or the Devils Plague.

7) I thought that carrots are always orange in color but I was wrong. Some carrots are purple, red, yellow or even white!

8) In 1990 Crayola added neon carrot colour to its range of crayons colors.

9) Strips of carrots -especially when frozen- make excellent baby teethers. I have tried this with my son during his teething stage.

10) Carrot is a symbol for fruitfulness.

11) The Anglo-Saxons included carrots as an ingredient in a medicinal drink against the devil and insanity. I wonder how true this is. :-)

12) Dreaming of carrots means prosperity and health. But it is believed that if a woman dreams of eating carrots, it means she will marry at an early age and and be the mother of several hardy children!!


13) And I'm tickled with this: According to French popular wisdom (!), eating carrots makes people nice and gives them blushing thighs.

More of carrots can be found here.

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California Truck Accident Statistics

Do you know that in California, the frequency of fatal truck accidents is 400 per year –which means that in a day, there is one or more truck accidents that take place? Boy, that’s frightening –especially since according to statistics, occurrence of these accidents is equally distributed in the rural and urban areas (which explains the availability of quite a number of truck accident lawyers in the area).

I’m not sure if my cousin Gay who currently lives there knows about this but I will drop her a line so she’ll be extra cautious when driving around.

The New Philippine Passport Photo Guidelines

For all of you who wants to renew or apply for a Philippine passport, I learned very recently that passport photo specification has been revised (much to my chagrin because it would mean another studio trip to have my son's photo taken).

As of June 2, 2008, the guidelines for Philippine passport photos are as follows:

1) Size: 35mm x 45mm (pieces).
2) Head size should be bigger than 3 cm
3) Photo background should be Royal Blue
4) Attire: Collared shirt/decent attire
5) Both ears should be shown in the passport photo. Women should not wear large earrings and men should not wear any earrings.

Defensive Is My Way

Working during nighttime or the graveyard shift is not easy (I'm speaking from experience here). Safety is the prime issue and the risk is higher when you’re in the metropolitan area (where crime rates are significantly higher compared with the suburbs).

But the good thing is, nowadays there are institutions where one can enroll for self-defense lessons - which could be physically beneficial not only in the sense of self-protection but in terms of exercise. Also, there are numerous self defense products already available commercially. While these measures may not prove to be 100% safety, I personally think it’s better to be ready than be sorry.

Caring for Knitwears

To prevent knitted blouses and sweaters from getting deformed, always stash them in cabinets folded. Always remember not to hang them as this may put them in a bad shape.

Putting a piece of acid free tissue inside a folded knitwear will also prevent fading and help keep its shape.

Breaking the Antibiotic Habit

I've always been very cautious popping medicines - and much more if it's an antibiotic. Maybe if that's not too obviously conveyed in this blog, then I don't know how to (hehe). I've always love researching alternatives -may it be for the health or for whatever purpose.

And this morning I found a gem online. It's a book entitled Breaking the Antibiotic Habit: A Parent's Guide to Coughs, Colds, Ear Infections, and Sore Throats by Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician specializing in infectious disease medicine, an internationally known expert on vaccines, immunology and virology.

I'm really interested in getting a copy of this book, I might just order online.

Yogurt For The Hair?

I have heard so much about using yogurt on the hair but I have not tried using it before. However very recently, I found an unfinished yogurt in the fridge and decided to try it - at last.

So I had the chance to try it. It's less greasy than mayonnaise (but because it's a dairy product, I'm getting enough moisturizer for my hair) and it smells good on the hair. I actually went to work with my hair smelling strawberrilicious!

Cleanse Inside-out

Detoxification, a process of getting rid of toxins from our body, is essential to promote general well being and good health. Because of this, I’m listing down foods that are helpful in cleansing the body. Most of these are fresh vegetables and fruit juices and here they go:

Carrot juice

Pineapple

Tea

Water

Apple Juice

Whole Grain/Bran Cereals

Basmati Rice

Prune/Prune Juice

Blackberries

Lemon Juice

Papaya

Spinach

Broccoli

Also, I’ve read that there’s a product out in the market that also helps cleanse the body inside. It’s called Dual-Action Cleanse. I have not tried it but it’s a colon cleanse formula that helps eliminate toxins from out body.

With natural ingredient such as beet root, turnip, garlic etc., Dual-Action colon cleanser promotes proper digestive function and promoting 2-3 bowel movements per day, thus eliminating toxic build-up. If you want to find out more about colon cleansing, just click the link.

For My Next TT

I love carrot juice - my son also loves carrot juice but I have stopped from giving him this because I noticed that his palms were turning yellowish. And so was his skin. When I visited the pedia, I raised this concern and she said that it's definitely not jaundice. It must be Carotenosis.

Anyway, there's another by-product of carrots that I am using and certainly loving now. It's actually for the skin and it's a bit expensive but I'm seeing good effects of this product already.

So next Thursday Thirteen, I'm going to post trivia about about carrots which I researched.

Acne Treatment

If I remember it right, I have written a post about emergency remedy for an angry red bump on the face also known as zit. Or pimple. Or acne. That remedy? It’s ice, ice baby. No kidding.

One way to decrease the inflammation is by applying ice on a pimple. I have tried doing this and yes, cooling definitely reduces the inflammation.

Another one, which I recently found out, is to put drops of eye drops. I have yet to try this though –since I’m lucky my skin seems cooperative to my whim these days. (Okay if truth be known, I do not want to try this because that would mean having a zit on my face)

Get Back Atcha

It's been awhile since I last posted here. I have even missed some of my favorite Memes. I hope to get back on my regular Memes next week. But for now, I'll just have to re-schedule some post.

Socks Atbp.

I love to sleep with some socks on. And on my feet now, (because I really am set to sleep already if blogging has not taken sidetracked me), is a Winnie The Pooh dsigned socks which I bought 10 years ago! Can you believe that? Well this is 10-year old socks which I somehow lost but found again. Very comfortable, I might say.

And tonight, I found a site that showcases a wide variety of socks – from knee-high to sheer stockings. And they all come in cool designs and colors. If like me, you love to wear socks, you might want to take a peek of their merchandise

Stockings Survival Tips

Because stockings are made to blend with one's skintone, they are made thin and flimsy, hence, delicate in structure that a slight snag could cause run.

A trick to strengthen and make a stocking last longer stocking is to apply hairspray on it before putting it on.

Another old school trick to strengthen the stockings, and one which I always do, is to put them in the fridge to "freeze" a couple of days before putting them on.

When you acquired a run on your stocking or pantyhose, a quick remedy is to dab some clear nail polish on it. This would help prevent the run to get longer and cause more embarassment.

If you're in the office and no clear nailpolish can be found, a thin application of an office glue (which becomes transparent when dried) will do.

Picture credit.

Wordless Wednesday

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