Inspiration

Five Valedictorians. Sir Roni was a second-year resident when I was an intern. On my duties I was always paired with another resident, but J spent a lot of his Neurosurg rotation with him and holds him in high regard; somewhat of a role model. Brilliant mind, brilliant teacher. It was this rotation that cemented J's decision to apply to a Neurosurg residency. It's no surprise to find out that Sir Roni was his high school's valedictorian. What is amazing is that so are his four other siblings. This is the kind of family you wish every Filipino home had. Not the struggling part obvs, but the hard work and determination that reap results and inspire others.

Having just celebrated 30 years of marriage last December, my parents stand proud with one UP doctor and two UP engineers, all cum laudes, with two more engineers on the way. While debts remain to be paid, life is beginning to change for our family. [...] we no longer have to fret about having to divide 1 liter of soft drink or the meat pieces in the sinigang equally among us children.

Some wise and not so wise advice for my last 3 1/2 years in this decade: 21 Ways You Should Take Advantage Of Your 20s.

Food

Preparing for independent living, yo -- 18 Microwave Snacks You Can Cook In A Mug.

23 Insane Things You Should Know About Snack Foods -- All I got from this is that eating is pleasure and that the louder chips crunch, the better they taste (TRUTH).

Photography

This article on how to take a great passport photo also applies to portraiture of any kind, including self-portraits. Check out the workspace photo; all you need to know right there.

Beauty

A great piece on 10 glowing beauty lessons by Lisa Eldridge.

Make-up is so marketing heavy these days, it’s all about the new palette, and the new this and the new that, and actually, there’s the basics of make-up which is to do with knowing your own face and learning what works for you.

An insightful look into why (luxury) lipstick is so expensive. (Basically it boils down to the packaging and the brand name.)

Great glossy by Olivia Wilde, and how different hair colors influence the way people perceived her.

I will only ever touch up lipstick in public. And I agree: this is a no-no in business meetings -- Beauty Etiquetter: The Lowdown on Public Touch-Ups In Public

Days after I was looking into the mysterious NMF ingredient in the Celeteque cleanser, The Beauty Brains comes out with this informative article.

Something on my drugstore wishlist for the coming trip: Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Eyeshadows. I love my palettes but I want a single in my kikay kit for that quick wash on my lids while on the go. These (as well as the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows) look perfect for that. The Maybellines are limited edition, if I'm not mistaken.

The Naked palette is on also my wish list but a look at this LORAC Pro Palette is seriously making me reconsider my choice. Look at those mattes!


Sources: @divasoria, The Dalaga Project, my click-fu