#jjangbites

[shimmerjjang]

Random Life Updates: What I’ve been up to lately + 9월~10월 Playlist

And just like that, we’re almost at the end of 2021. Time flew by really fast and I couldn’t believe how I survived this year 95% of just being at home! There’s just too many things that kept me sane this year and I’m just really thankful, you know.

I’ve been loving the weather recently. Whether it’s rainy or super sunny, it brings a very feel-good vibe for some reason. I used to feel extremely down under certain weather conditions and I don’t know if that’s weird or what. But yeah, it used to be really bad. 😔 I’m somehow relieved that it hasn’t been like that recently for me.

Some days are sure exhausting but thank goodness I’m able to survive thanks to a number of things - including these drinks my sister bring me whenever she’ll visit. Everyone know how coffee and alcohol (in moderate amounts, of course *wink*) serve as my fuel to function kk~

And meet Snailey (or Gary in reference to Spongebob). Brother and I are still having a battle on which name to give. I call this cute backyard snail “Snailey’ kk~ It just goes around the house and we’ll randomly find it in some of our plants. My dogs have become friendly with Snailey too!

Now onto a different story, since I work from home, I kinda have the freedom to work at my own pace and so during my short breaks, it’s either I’m in language apps trying to learn Korean or playing random online games. I have always mentioned how I’m not really into games in general and I really don’t like having them in my devices because they take too much space. So I prefer just going to sites like solitaire.org when I want to kill time. I’ve always been so old school with games too haha so I find small joys in playing games like scrabble, word search, and pacman kkk~

Also, I’m one of those who got into Spotify really really late. I know, I know - you’re probably thinking, what is up with this girl! But yeah, I only got Spotify premium a few months ago and now I don’t think I can live without it. Here’s what’s in my 9월~10월 playlist. 

As I’m writing this post, I just noticed how random Ed Sheeran’s song is placed there, surrounded by K-artists. haha! Well, any English song recommendations to accompany poor Ed in my playlist? 😆

[shimmerjjang]

Goodbye, My Twenties! And a Quick Look at my 10 years into blogging

2021 - the year I bid my 20s goodbye. And now that I think about it, a very huge part of my 20s revolved around my life as a K-Beauty & K-Pop blogger.

Well, I feel like this writeup is long overdue. I’ve been wanting to write about this last January as the year 2021 began but failed miserably to put all my thoughts in words. I have so much to say about my blogging journey but I guess, to kind of sum it all up, I can say that being a blogger taught me so much. When I discovered Tumblr in 2011, it became my safe space for the most random things I’d like to write or share. My little Tumblr blog gained a bit of popularity in just a few months after creating it because of the K-Pop and Visual Kei stuff I reblog and post. There’s very little content about Miyavi and The Gazette that time so if you’re into any of them, there’s a huge chance that you’ll stumble upon my blog.

Here’s how my 2011 blog archive looked like! kk~

At around this time, I have already been very into K-Beauty. I started exploring the K-Beauty world in 2009 and when brands like Etude House reached the Philippine shores. It’s like I’m shopping for something new every week that my friends and colleagues noticed. They kept asking me what’s this and that for, how it worked for me, yadah yadah..~ So I thought, instead of answering all the questions over and over again, why not just write about it and link them all up to my blog? And this is where my blogging journey began.

How blogging fueled my fangirl life

My blog has always been a place where I pour all of my interests in; mostly K-Beauty, K-Dramas, and K-Pop. So as more and more people start reading my blog, brands related to those three I mentioned began sending me emails about partnerships, as well as event invites. I never really thought that there’s this whole new world behind blogging. It opened so many doors for me and also became a pathway for me to meet my favorite stars! I would constantly attend Hallyu-related events, concerts and press conferences for me to write about!

My 20s was filled with so much fangirling and it has reached such level of insanity because my blog spoiled me so much on all things I love and for that, I will always always be super thankful.

A lot has changed in the blogging industry since then. Brand partnerships and campaigns used to be simpler 5~10 years ago, since you can kinda just count the bloggers and Youtubers with your fingers. For some reason (based on my personal experience), the PR guys and bloggers back then just kind of understood each other. Like there are these unwritten rules that we all just know with just a few exchange of emails. But with the rise of a new generation of influencers, marketing campaigns have totally evolved. The scene has become a lot more competitive and I have to say that it definitely has its own pros and cons. But whether you’re old or new in the world of influencing, all I have to say is that you have to know your worth.

Meeting so many wonderful people

I guess I’d say it’s fortunate that I started quite early back when there were only a very few people who blog. This allowed me to meet a lot of amazing people in the blogging industry. Since there were only a few of us, there’s a bigger chance that we’ll see each other often in similar events. Through this, I have met influencers, bloggers, Youtubers, and even marketing (PR) people that truly inspired me to just keep my passion in writing and blogging burning.

If not for this pandemic, I may have had more opportunities to meet more amazing influencers especially now that the newer generation is thriving more than ever. While I've surely been in this industry for a decade, I know that I still have more to learn. So having said this, I’d like to try my best to keep on writing and writing without really thinking too much about my content. I’d like to go back to how it all started for me - to just keep on sharing everybody the things I enjoy the most.

[shimmerjjang]

...so what have I been up to? (2020 Update)

So, how are we all holding up?

I have been seriously MIA for months and my previous Nov 2019 post makes it more apparent than ever. This month of May marks one year since a life-changing experience came to me. Since then, I began to re-evaluate my life which drove me to the decision to take a break, give my mental and spiritual health more care and pursue for the ‘more important things’. 

Well hello, this is me with zero makeup on. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic cornered us into quarantine almost 2 months ago, my skin’s been free from all the makeup I used to wear. A lot of my palettes, cushions, eyeliners have remained untouched since the lockdown began. It’s both the lack of motivation and giving my skin a rest. haha!

I’m on the verge of forgetting what makeup feels like! Here’s my last photo with full makeup on and I think I took this late February? Here’s to hoping that I can go back to making beauty blog posts and videos. *glass clinks*.  You can see some of the old ones I uploaded on Instagram and Youtube!

And just when I thought I have all the time in the world during home quarantine, I personally felt like I (our entire household) got somewhat busier? It might be because of all the huge daily adjustments - from trying to do all types work and errands from my laptop to the intensely tasking grocery run. I’m sure a lot of you can relate.

Going back to how my go-to bag looks like before the pandemic, 70% of its content would be beauty essentials. Man, I even bring 7 lipsticks at once! But now, my go-to backpack consists of eco bags, bank card (very few cash because I want to minimize contact with the virus as much as possible), face masks, and a bunch of disinfectants! Before, there’s no way I’ll leave the house without my makeup kit, but now? I just don’t have any space for it. 

Oh, and that pink spray bottle there? It used to contain my super favorite body spray from Etude House, but that one now contains alcohol. 

LOL I know I looked like a joke, but this is how it is now every single time I go out. Even if it’s just to a mini mart that’s 5 minutes away. Grocery shopping used to be so fun and simple but right now, I’ve realized how I took so many things for granted. The lines would take hours, with every step there’s this worry that I might touch something that would infect me. It may seem like I’m really paranoid, but I spray disinfectants on the seats, the rails, the push cart..every single thing I could think of! I just can’t risk it. At home, we also have a table prepared by the garage wherein we disinfect every single product we purchased before we bring ‘em in. Whew, it’s extremely tiring.

So that’s why we’re gradually shifting to having more stuff delivered. I’ve always been into cooking so it’s not something I just started during ECQ. But the thing is, it used to be a hobby that I would do when I’m “in the mood”, otherwise we can all just eat out or get food delivered. When the quarantine started, it became a daily task! It's fun but girllll, the hardest part is to come up with a menu! Thank goodness I joined this FB Group called Quarantine Cooking wherein members share recipes. It also introduced me to Session Groceries, wherein I made one of the best fruit and vegetable purchases of my life haha Everything is so fresh! Hm, I think I’m going to blog about my cooking shenanigans here too!

Ahhh..

It’s pretty insane to think that this mini online home of mine used to publish almost every day back when I started in 2011. But things have changed. I can’t seem to completely wrap my head around the fact that things have changed so much through the years. The world has changed. I have changed. It’s a thought that makes me sigh. At this point I’m beyond grateful that God gave me an opportunity to heal before all of this happened. Regularly reading uplifting articles truly helps me during these trying times.

I hope you're also doing your best to stay strong. Hang in there! You’re not alone <3

‘til our next blog post. :)

[shimmerjjang]

#JjangBites: Because This Is My First Life

Hello 안녕안녕 shimmers~! So... it’s been a year since I wrote something personal under #Jjangbites. I’m currently feeling like I’m about to go insane without writing something so let’s do this!

I’ve been sick for days. While I feel like I’m slowly getting back on track, I still don’t have enough strength to do my usual routine. I had to take a break from working because apparently, it was extreme fatigue that took me down this time. On and off fever, intense muscle pain, nausea and asthma attacks - this is what happened to me after spending weeks without sleeping! I relied on coffee too much. 

So I was in bed for days and I was advised to pause all the work I need to do and get a ton of sleep. I had to stop writing for a couple of days because my mind wasn’t functioning very well. If you guys know me, I have troubles sleeping but Zion T. helped me sleep well. My JBL Bluetooth earphones made his songs sound much much better.

And because I have so much free time, I decided to move on with my favorite K-Dramas. I’m currently on Episode 8 of “While You Were Sleeping”. As you all know, I’m a huge LEE JONG SUK fan. Loved him ever since Secret Garden and I will continue to love him forever and ever. lol That’s enough reason for me to see this drama!

But then after seeing Episode 8, I had to stop in the middle and just drop it. I’m bored. Like seriously, it got really boring. I don’t know, I just go super tired of the scenario where the girl chases the guy desperately trying to be cute and all that stuff.. It got old honestly.. The plot became a bit dragging too. You know when the characters make unnecessary decisions even though they already know it’s gonna turn out real bad? Nakakawalang kilig.. huhuhu sorry Jongsuk :( 

So yeah, I decided to just drop it at Episode 8. I probably would go back and watch it again someday when I have nothing else to watch. Or I’ll probably just watch the last two episodes out of curiosity but for now, all I know is that it just died on me. If you guys wanna watch While You Were Sleeping ( 당신이 잠든 사이에) with English Subs, check out this website.

So over the weekend, I re-watched the Korean psycho film “Monster” with mom and sister. It’s a really good (insane) film starring Lee Min Ki and Go Eun (Goblin’s bride!!). Lee Min Ki is one of my favorite actors ever since his 2006 drama “I Really Really Like You”. I remembered that he just finished his military service so I had to look for his new projects.

Tadaaaaaa!!!! 

BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST LIFE (이번 생은 처음이라) ~!!

I found this and watched its trailer on YouTube just to get an idea what the plot is all about. I saw Lee Min Ki with a cat - I’m watching it!!!

I binge watched 5 episodes in one day and I’m telling you, it’s a lot of fun!! This drama is very modern and a lot of us mid-20s to early 30s can totally relate to it. It’s not the usual girl-chases-boy story but while the plot is pretty fresh, you can still feel the classic K-drama vibe in it. It’s kinda like the classic Korean drama “Full House” minus the rich, famous guy. Instead, it’s “Full House” with loans, career struggles, adults forcing you to marry because you’re 30, and a lot more fun stuff you can easily relate to... Oh, and did i already mention about Lee Min Ki being so devoted to his cat in this drama? That’s enough reason for you to watch it.

The drama airs on tVN every Monday and Tuesday so expect complete English subtitles on Wednesdays! I watch Because It’s My First Life (이번 생은 처음이라) with English Subtitles here.

I can’t wait to watch the next episodes! You guys should give it a try as well. Just start with Episode 1 and tell me you’re not hooked. haha

Well, I’m writing this blog entry out of boredom. I won’t even bother editing it haha so I’m sorry if some of my sentences don’t make sense. I promise to go back on beauty blogging as soon as I’m fully-recovered. For now, I have to stay home and just rest until I’m 100% back. 

If you’re not feeling K-Dramas to fill your week, then how about movies? You know, just Asian films in general. My article on April Magazine is now up and I listed Asian classics to fill you with immense #girlpower! Take a look at it ^^

Ahh.. Just a bit of advice, if you’re tired, rest. Don’t let stress take its toll on your health! And while coffee is yummy, it’s not water, rice and veggie. Stop making coffee your breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert you crazy banana!!!

Bye.

[shimmerjjang]

Error 404: Shimmerjjang not found

Writing this post without drafting and proofreading. If some parts seem like they do not make any sense, then it's probably because of that. Okay well, it's not like I'm totally gone. I'm still all over Instagram and Twitter (kinda). But as you can see, this very pink blog which you guys know as "Shimmerjjang" for the past 7 years, didn't have a new post for the entire month of August. I'm not even sure if my July post is even a valid justification that I did not miss July, at least. But well, I still consider it fortunate, managing to squeeze one full write-up (and a video) during a very difficult month. I do not wish to dive in to the full details of my drama because believe me, it's boring. 

Anyway, all drama aside, one reason why I haven't been updating our blog as much as I used to is because Tumblr is starting to die on me. Yep, if you guys came here after shimmerjjang.tumblr.com happened, then here's news for you. My entire blog (shimmerjjang.com) is hosted on Tumblr and the platform is starting to get annoyingly glitchy. My photos were resized without mercy and the codes were kinda messed up. Even the dashboard loads forever! Well, it seems like the rest of the world is moving forward and my granny blog isn't having it lol Because seriously, who uses Tumblr these days? For now, I have backed my posts up and started moving everything to Wordpress.

At this point, I'm still not sure about the moving and all. For some reason, I'm kinda sad of the thought of leaving Tumblr. This is where my blogging life began. I used to be a notorious reblogger and to be honest, I've gained most of my Tumblr following because of that. Like, when you search for 'Bigbang', 'Ulzzang' and 'Uruha', you will most likely land on my Tumblr blog. Then I started sharing photos of my K-beauty hauls there + short snippets of my reviews which eventually led to my "Ask" section flooded with messages from strangers asking for K-Beauty recommendations. I even made friends in the process and the rest is history! 

But yeah, it feels like Tumblr isn't going to be here much longer. Or maybe it won't go anywhere, but the glitches will annoy the shh out of me. I'll carry on posting here since I still have a year more under my custom domain. I'll be importing everything to Wordpress though, so if things fail here, you know where to find me (shimmerjjang.wordpress.com) 

Ah and also, I've been working a lot. Like, A LOT. I've been enjoying my work more and more so I tend to spend more time for it more than ever. It really makes a huge difference if you're in love with what you do, yea? I'm gearing up for new things ahead so, wish me the best please. :) See you in my next review. Meanwhile, let's catch up on Instagram!

[shimmerjjang]

#JjangBites: New Instagram Home!

Hello hello! This huge huuuge screenshot is from my NEW Instagram account! Yoohoo~  ♥ ♥ ♥

It must be a bit confusing - but no, I didn’t erase all my old photos. It’s just that I have moved my username to this new one and changed the old one to @88shimmerjjang88.. I am still using the old one though it’s now set to private. The new one is open to public with all my blog-related posts!

Plus, I’m experimenting on new filters! I’m not really particular on having a very neat feed - being the messy human being that I am - I just wanted to make my feed sorta magical in terms of blending candy colors. Like unicorns, little twin stars, cotton candy and yeah. Spending so much time on these filter apps it’s addicting haha!

Though my color transitioning and grading is of course, crap. But, what to lose? Nobody cares but myself. lol

My new Instagram home is kind of like my beauty playground. Updates about my new blog posts, hauls and my gel nail adventures..

oh and okay,

plus my “occasional” fangirling will all be there. ♥ 

These days, aside from my obsession over these unicorn filters, I am relentlessly discovering new designs that I want to play with my gel nail polishes with. I found tons of lace and glitter stickers at Landmark, Trinoma and made sure I hoarded some for my nail playtime.

Here’s one cool nail sticker I found! The photo isn’t really picking up the glitters but these aztec inspired nail stickers are really shimmery! My nails look like superstars! kkkkkk~ I badly want to visit Divisoria to look for more nail art materials, but the holiday rush scares me from having to deal with a huge crowd.

Another random update: I’ve been trying this new slimming drink that Vida Nutriscience sent me 2 months ago. I only got the chance to try it now because I wanted to incorporate this to my new “diet”. Not that I’m letting go of meat and chocolates, but I’m trying to minimize my food intake because I’m gaining a lot of weight. I’ll try this drink along with the dietary supplements they gave me and let’s see how it goes. I’ll review it as soon as I get results!

Alright then! I’ll see you in my next post! Meanwhile, let’s see each other on my new Instagram >>  @shimmerjjang  ♥ 

[shimmerjjang]

#JjangBites: I Drown in Food

Ooh! Haven’t posted for my sorta diary-ish segment here in my blog for a while. Last post for #Jjangbites was last April! Shame shame.

As much as I want to make a larger personal space here in my blog, Instagram takes over as my photo diary coz obviously, it’s much easier (and I’m on my phone most of the time). 

Anyway, this one I feel like it’s really worth sharing. Everything that talks about friends and food is a topic that can never go wrong!

Kristine of RealAsianBeauty.com and I spent some time to explore the wonders of Maginhawa street on a cloudy, Saturday afternoon for some food tripping. She wanted to make another Food Vlog for her channel coz we had so much fun with the previous Korean Eating Challenge we did months ago. (Watch our Korean Meokbang Video HERE!)

Maginhawa Street is a very popular spot in Quezon City, Philippines for foodies like Tin and I. A lot of cafes and restaurants there are pretty Instagram-worthy for its unique interiors. Plus, they offer so much good food for very good prices!

So to make it more fun and exciting, Tin decided to make a challenge out of it. Enjoying the streets of Maginhawa for only 500php (that’s just about $10)!! All complete with the appetizer, main course and dessert. Hmmmm... Possible?

Well, I, on the other hand, just kept thinking about all the food I’m about to eat. 

First Stop: ISCREAMIST 

What we ate: Dragon’s Breath S’mores (75php for 4pcs.)

My Thoughts: Pretty cool if you’re after a weird and unique visual experience. The taste though? Nothing special but it’s not bad at all. Think of putting an oreo inside the freezer for 24hrs and eating it the very next day. Yep.

HAHA! Well the lights in Iscreamist is so matchy-matchy with my nails so let me show it to you coz I’m kinda proud of it. lelzzz

Gel nails using Etude Hous Enamelting Gel Polish in #9 Air Show. The stickers aren’t really stickers, those are actually body tattoos (Etude House Style Me Body Graffiti) haha! Coz seriously, what am I supposed to do with colored body tattoos? 

Second Stop: FRIULI TRATTORIA

What we ate: Marinara and Margherita Pizza (205php) & Tuna Spaghetti with Mushroom in White Sauce (120php)

My Thoughts (Pizza): OMG ASDFGHJKL!!! The pizza is freakin delicious, especially Margherita (the one with Garlic and Tomatoes)! Holy guacamole I can’t believe how cheap it is for such scrumptious pizza. Tin and I really enjoyed it so much and it made us really full. Marinara is pretty yummy too, but I guess I’m too overwhelmed with the other flavor. Took home some and my dad loves Marinara a lot. Kewlsss! 

My Thoughts (Tuna Spaghetti): It’s quite delicious as well. I love how it tastes so creamy and rich which kind of balances out the saltiness of tuna. I love it too, but it’s definitely no match against my mom’s tuna carbonara. HAHA

(wasn’t able to get a decent photo of the pasta so just please watch the video..kkkkk)

Third Stop: MAGPIE CAFE

Our last stop was this Korean-inspired cafe. Prior to this, Kristine and I walked around for like half an hour trying to find Artsy Cafe and The Nook cafe. Both cafes are ridiculously full and since it’s already 8pm that time, I decided not to really wait for so long anymore. We ended up staying at Magpie Cafe which we found earlier!

What we ate: Hazelnut Frapuccino (120php) & Chocolate Bingsu (150php)

My Thoughts (Frapuccino): Meeh.. Pretty expensive for a “frappe” so bland and grainy. It reminds me of the cheapo choco shakes I used to buy in front of our school when I was in grade school. Like it wasn’t well-blended so the texture of the powder/coffee grains are still present. Oh wells.

My Thoughts (Chocolate Bingsu): The taste was okay. It’s not bad but it’s definitely far from the best Korean bingsu I have tasted. The biggest turn off for me is the styro bowl they used to serve it. (lol para akong bumili ng 10pesos na goto kay aling Nene)

The cafe itself looks pretty though. I really like how artsy the glass walls are! Looks great on photos. :)

Watch the full video of our food adventure here:

Went home super full! It was so fun not only because of all the food I ate, but also because I only spent around 450php! Tin and I totally won the challenge. haha! wooohoo! Ahh! And I’ll definitely list Friuli as one of my favorite restaurants. :)

What cafes and restaurants should I visit next?

[shimmerjjang]

#JjangBites: Sweet November

We're on November's second week and I just have to say that the weather here in Manila is just the best ever. Sweater Weather, honey. This chilly breeze makes me want to drown myself in bed the entire day. 

Despite loving the weather, I still had rough times to get over with. I've been feeling kind of down coz of reasons I don't even wanna remember. haha! But what can ever go wrong when someone sends you loads of sweets to cheer you up? 

Thank you so much DJ for sending me yummy treats from Made in Candy. I swear I felt like I was my 8-year-old self again, getting all her candies to keep. 

Last week, I went to the Mesoestetic Beauty Bar Product Launch at Shangri-la. I was with my blogging buddy Kristine (RealAsianBeauty) and since it's a Friday night, we had all the time in the world! Endless KPOP and Beauty-related conversations, you can imagine. kkk~ Since I know she's into Fashion, I knew I had to bring her to my favorite shop, Yhansy.

Have you guys tried visiting Yhansy's boutique at Shangri-la? They've got tons of fashion accessories, and yes they are Philippines' official distributor of Dollywink.. Make-up and Fashion heaven is just so real right here.

One more reason I love the shop is because they've got beautiful interiors. Oh me and my love for posh interior designs! Thank God we were allowed to take photos. kk~

We got ourselves a couple of trendy accessories. Wooh! ♥

We also stopped at some of my favorite stores at Shang, one in which I have found something very sinful. It's such a sin I think I wanna break the laws of human beings and marry this pair of shoes.

*swoons*

Ahhh~ the perks of having plus size feet!! Yeaaah, I can fit in Men's shoes! This pair is from Givenchy's fall/winter Men's Collection. It is irresistible, I needed it.  Many of the people I know won't ever understand why I love this. But..Givenchy is one of G-Dragon's favorite brands and he has this pair. He OWNS a pair similar to this and therefore I don't really have to explain why I must have this. #FangirlFact

photo from RealAsianBeauty. I love this stolen shot, Kristine. haha! I believe I was seriously contemplating about my life choices in this photo (and that I'm still in a daze with that Givenchy pair) kkkkkk~

Healthy drinks. Sinful Meal. I've been trying to lose weight, like really. But when you wound up in situations like this, when awesome food is being brought to your table, why say no?

Good food is always shared with good company. 

(Restaurant: Spatzle Euro Market Cafe @ East Wing Shangri-la Plaza)

Certain situations happened that left me feeling like a mess this month, but for some (tons, actually) reasons, I've got so many things to be thankful for!

See the bright side of everything, meet awesome people, treat yourself and happiness is on your way, love.

How sweet is your November?

[shimmerjjang]

#JjangBites: No KPOP...

..for me, as of the moment, at least.

Did I just quit loving KPOP? 헐.. Gee no no. Never would I ever imagine getting tired of listening to it. It's one of the few things that made a huge influence in my life! What I meant by my title is that, well, for the first time in 5 years my playlist doesn't have so much Korean songs in it. Yeah I'm pretty shocked myself. KPOP's been so messy recently. I don't want to enumerate all these KPOP adversities, I suggest if you don't know what I'm saying, visit Allkpop.com or Soompi or Koreaboo. First 10 pages would sure be about all the KPOP mess. It's somewhat becoming Hollywood-ish, if you know what I mean.

Okay fine. Well, I kind of lied. I still have two songs there from one South Korean artist. But hey, I don't really consider Beenzino KPOP, he's one of those underground hiphop artists I like and well..he's just not..KPOP.. Justified! 

So yep I am on a KPOP break, I can't find new KPOP songs to like these days so most probably, I'll go back listening to it again once BIGBANG comes back. So they better..make a comeback before 2015 ends. YG you swear! ^^ (Uhm well, yesterday, Epik High released "Born Hater" and yeah I like it. Not posting the song here though, I believe I have young readers. I don't encourage swearing kkkk~)

Yesterday, I went to several events and so I can say my Saturday was pretty tiring but FUN. I went to Sangobion's Go Love Life Event (I'll make a separate post for that) and dropped by to the Beauty Fair 2014 at Elements by Centris to see awesome people and of course, SHOP.

There were too many booths and brands but I couldn't take a photo of them all coz I was all too frantic choosing what good stuff to take home. ^^

Today, October 19 (Sunday), is their last day! If you're from around Manila, you should get your bums right there coz stuff there are CRAZY AFFORDABLE. Like no kidding, and there are freebies too! Happening at Elements @ Centris, Quezon City!

Makeup shopping aftermath. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

Yesterday's OOTD. I don't post OOTD photos a lot but yesterday a have an awesome girl with me to help me take photos. Thank you Kim! *hugs*

This month's fashion inspiration? (YG K-Plus) Men's Wear. Comfy, Oversized and not so much skin. ^^

And wooot I finally got eyeglasses very similar to my WINNER Mino!! 

Yep. How I looked like after seeing this pair of eyeglasses I've been searching for since YG's WIN.. Now I need floppy hats, where to get?! Tell me please and I will love you with all my heart. kkk~❤ 

[shimmerjjang]

#JjangBites: My short Love Story with Ed.

Before everything else, I wanna share you my favorite Black Top I got from Cleocat Fashion. People have been asking me where I got it and I just have to post it here! ^^ Shipping is fast as I got mine in just 8 days. 

(Specs: Sunnies by Charlie; Top: Cleocat Fashion; Belt: SM Dept. Store; Skirt: Zara; Wedges: Payless; Bag: Celine)

I've been missing in action lately, yeah? I couldn't stop telling you guys about it so I believe at this point, you already know why.

One reason why I was absent is because I was in the process of healing my wound. I underwent a minor surgery to take my mole off (the one beside my nose). My dermatologist did a great job having it removed and apparently, talking me out of fear too. I was super scared!

Imagine a knife carving a piece of your skin! And my mole wasn't that small, okay? It's pretty scary but I ended up realizing that I was scared for nothing. It was totally painless! I wore a mask afterwards coz I have to keep it protected, but then a day after, I just had to put a little bandage. I felt like Nelly for a week.

Yo! It's gettin hot in here..

Here's my first ever selca after my mole removal. I feel pretty weird and I'm not used to seeing myself without it! My scar is still healing and like what my doctor told me, it'll take a month or two to heal totally. Thank you to my beautiful dermatologist, Dr. Ria Lizardo of Skin 101! You can also visit her at St. Luke's Medical Center. ❤

Second reason why I have been MIA is that I've been terribly busy about this huge project which explains why I am a common face in the University of Santo Tomas campus. 

Oh geez I miss being a student, but well, that's life, we all grow old. Just like how our problems grow [bigger] as well. haha! The photo above was taken during the university's emergency drill, and I was literally trapped for an hour and a half with one Korean professor inside the campus as nobody was allowed to go out during the drill. I remember the scorching hot weather trying to burn my skin off.

Eeek.. Find me! I am so proud to say that the Philippines is totally a great place to study English. The professors are very effective and the student teachers that help my little babies [well, not really little babies coz most of these Koreans are awesomely tall.].. are a bunch of happy faces and they will truly make great teachers in the future.. 

"With great power, comes great responsibility." -- Oh wait, it doesn't apply to me entirely but it seems kind of like it. It's not like I've got great power, but it's definitely a huge responsibility! A big project like this required so much of my time. I love it though! The people of UST and the Korean students along with their professors were all awesome. I have learned so much from them, yeah. ^^

On the other side of the story, I encountered many troubles and lots of stress this month. Work, my relationships with people, schedule and well, life is just too much sometimes and we all get troubled and sad for no apparent reason.

But someone saved me.

Ed never fails to give me proper relaxation. His songs lift me up instantly especially when I listen to "Photograph" and "Thinking Out Loud". I can relate to most of his beautiful songs [but not to  "Don't and "Bloodstream" LOL] This might be one reason for me to actually start learning guitar again..Mayyyybeeeee---

When I feel like crying coz I miss my life's number one woman, my grandma, I listen to "Afire Love". Ed Sheeran makes great songs and they truly touch my soul. Oh how talented and awesome is this ginger cutie?

I actually missed buying Western albums! That's why whenever I buy one, I'm always like "Where the heck are the singer's photos!". It's all lyrics or maybe it's just because I didn't get the Deluxe version. Oh look at how KPOP changed me. HAHA.❤

#OOTD: I've been sporting the "Manang" (old lady) look lately. I try to look as professional as possible whenever I am in meetings! HAHA. I had to skip my Jeremy Scotts and my weird-looking oversized tees just for this. Talk about sacrificing comfort for work!

Well, now.. I can say I'm back! I don't have much work these days and I am going to prioritize stuff for my blog. I changed my blog's domain from blog.shimmerjjang.com to http://shimmerjjang.com/ so Mr. Google is still having a hard time finding my site. Please bear with me!

*hugs* I missed you all.❤

[shimmerjjang]

#JjangBites: Shoo! Nerve-wrackers!

I started using Tumblr just because I wanted to reblog photos of Bigbang and Uruha. Back in 2011, before all the beauty blogging started, what you'll see in shimmerjjang.tumblr.com are just reblogged photos and some sneak peaks of my personals. Tumblr was my Instagram and Twitter in one.

Now I feel like I need a little breather, so I decided to bring some of my personals back in this blog. ^^ kkk~ This is the kind of blogging I used to do back in my high school days, with Friendster blog and Xanga. Geez I had a Xanga blog, unbelievable.

During lean season (at work), I usually spend my weekends shopping, dining out or watching movies. But then June isn't part of the lean season I was talking about, so my weekend these days is pretty much about staying at home..working. I've been extremely stressed for the past days to the point that I seriously can't eat and all I can take in is coffee. STressed over deadlines, misunderstandings, money, pressure, you name it!

Here to add more gloom is this rainy weather. It's such a downer! I don't know if it's just me though, but I am seriously not a fan of this sad sad weather. The past two weeks, it's been raining all day! From the moment I wake up 'til my work ends. I wish I can just be stuck in bed the entire day.

How do I survive stress, you say?

Aside from reading bible-based literatures and drinking coffee, my pet dogs save me. My mood boosts up, in just a snap, I am filled with euphoria when my dogs are around. They mess around the house a lot, they poop here and there, bites of my favorite stuff, but I love them as if they are all my babies! kkkk~

Oh and I mentioned about coffee relieving stress, but hey honey, I gotta note this to you. Coffee isn't advisable to take when you're too stressed. It depends on people, but in my case, it makes me feel better. But yeah there are scientific facts that it can make you feel more troubled when you take caffeine while stressed! Noooooo~

Watching fun shows is my other way of coping with stress. My week isn't complete without watching SBS Roommate! It gives me a nice dose of laughter and if you're not seeing this yet, you should go try seeing it. It's fun! #BODONG

But nothing compares with sharing laughter over dinner with these two ladies in my life.My sidekicks since birth! kkkk~

One of our all-time favorite dining places is Yabu! Well, because it's very affordable and yummy. Ah yeah, and they have great lighting (for selcas!! kkkk~)

Now I am heading to another week. I still smell stress coming, but bring it on!!

How do you deal with stress?