Thursday, January 31, 2019

January 2019 Recap + update on no buy and savings

January saw me making a lot of choices. I had to choose between sentiments, love of things, mental space, and the need for physical space in my home office.


End of 2018, I saw that my efforts to declutter was finally yielding great results. The house was finally being rid of clutter slowly but surely and my home office finally had more space. In fact, it now has more than enough space for a carpet to be placed in the middle of it.

I've also chosen to do a no-buy year when it comes to cosmetics, skincare, and shoes. When I shopped my stash, I realized that I had too many shoes, too many cosmetics, and too many skincare. I need to stop accumulating more of these things because a lot of the cosmetics and skincare have expired and it's just wasteful.

I've also started my journey on zero-waste which I've come to realize is REALLY HARD. There's so many things that we use that has plastic on it and the fact is, I'm so used with how things are that it's been a struggle to go about things. I do worry about the state of the environment and I believe that we can all contribute even in small ways.

I've went to only 4 events this month. This was another choice that I made to put a balance in my life. I covered Smart Amazing, ONE, Crimson, and Inside Shape. It was a conscious decision on my end because going to a lot of events caused too many stress due to traffic and energy spent.

Now, my focus is mostly improving how the house looks like, the content of my blog, and finally  focusing on the content of my YouTube channel. I realized that my decision to attend less events and focus more on the things that I actually want to do has cost me some brands and PR but I am thankful. I know now who truly values me for my content and who just needed me as a warm body.


Onward to February and better things.

I was also able to upload one video on my YouTube channel so if you have time, feel free to watch it and if you like it, give it a thumbs up.


As for my no buy year, I was able to keep my spending on make up and skin care to a ZERO. YASSSSS! I did not buy any make up and skin care for January. Whoohoo!

I was also able to save up an extra 1000 from my food and transpo allowance so that's definitely a YAY ME moment.

As for family and my partner, things have been going great and I hope that it stays that way. :)

If you haven't subscribed to any of my social media, I hope you do. Links are below.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

3 Ways to be more Productive when you are a Mom


Becoming distracted can be so easy these days. We have our smart phones, Spotify, Netflix, along with so many ads at the tip of our hands that one has to wonder at times how anyone can get things done. To be honest, I have days like these.

I have days where I have so many things that needs to be done and yet, there I am, watching my 5th video on YouTube. Procrastination at it's finest if I may say so. So, how can we be more productive?

ME TIME

You may be saying "what? Isn't that what I have been doing when I procrastinate?"

When I say set aside time for yourself, I meant, wake up 15 minutes early so you can have time with just yourself. If you are a Mom like me, this is a rare moment and one that we need the most. You may think, I'd rather sleep 15 minutes more and if that works for you, then well and good but you can also try doing my recommendation and see how it benefits you.

15 minutes for yourself improves your mental health. A little peace and quiet that helps remind you of who you are helps your mind become more organized and adds a boost of productivity. When you set aside time for yourself, you are actually setting aside time for your mind to reset and get back on track.

DUMP EVERYTHING 

When I say dump everything, I mean that put everything that is in your head on a note or list. It can be in digital form (better so that we can save more trees) or paper form if you are old school. What matters is that you list down everything and then you start to sort things out.

You can categorize everything into things you need to accomplish ASAP, things that can be done tomorrow, then weekly, then bi-weekly, and finally monthly. This way, you can have a look and see how much time each task need and to clump together everything that you can accomplish together in one go.

As a Mom, this is very important because you can forecast your schedule as well as that of your kids. 

BLOCK EVERYTHING 

When I say block everything, I mean that you need to block time for things in your life and you need to honor that blocked time. When you set specific time for yourself, for the people around you, and then you enforce it, people will learn to respect your time which will leave you to be more productive because there will be less disruption especially when you are a Mom.

Block time for your kids and let them know that this blocked time for them is meant just for them. Work will not disrupt it. When you have blocked time for work, your kids also need to know that unless it's really important or an emergency, they need to respect that time for work and not disrupt you.

The same can be applied for time with family, your partner, friends, as well as yourself. When you learn to practice time blocking, you will increase your productivity tenfold. 

Do you have any productivity tips? Let me know. I'd love to hear about it.

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Sunday, January 27, 2019

Anker Products you need in your Life

Now that I am all about using only quality products in my life, I have become more choosy of what I buy and what I use. I've been dabbling with gadget reviews for the past two years so by now, I have a fair idea of what is a good investment and what is just hype.

Anker Products, just like ASUS, is what I would call a good investment. Here are 5 items that I recommend you have to make your digital life easier.

ANKER SLIM HUB

This is important to have if you have multiple hard drives or USB that you use all at the same time which is the case with me. Sometimes, I need to transfer files between two hard drives and a USB as well as my phone.This saves a lot of time when transferring files between hard drives and phone.

POWER CORE LITE


This slim powerbank is made of dreams. It's powerful but light and can easily ng a huge fit into the back pocket without causing a huge bulge. It's fashionable and functional. It can also charge 4x which makes it really useful when I am out the whole day and can't charge my phone in wall sockets.

 POWERDRIVE SPEED 2


This is one car charger that is a definite must. It's quick charge and can charge two phones at the same time. It can also be used to charge the dashcam and a phone when needed. It also looks very stylish which adds to the aesthetics of a car.

PowerPort+ 5 USB-C with Power Delivery



This is a definite must have especially when you travel abroad. You can't bring all of your plugs with you because of luggage limitations as well as the fact that if you are staying inside a hotel, there's a limited number of sockets. This allows you to charge several gadgets while using up only one socket. Compact, functional, and definitely a must have.

Soundcore Mini 2


This bluetooth speaker may be small but it can produce big sounds. It's also water resistant. IPX7-rated water resistance ensures that a splash, spray, shower, and even complete submersion are not a problem. Since most phones now are water resistant, your speaker should be too.

This is definitely something that you can bring when you go on vacation and when you hang out with friends or family on an awesome staycation.

I don't plan on buying things that do not add value to my life but these things definitely do so it's a definite yes for me. All of these are functional, durable, and stylish too. What more can I ask for?

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Friday, January 25, 2019

4 Simple Ways to try and Stay Healthy


Sometimes, it's just really hard to stay healthy. Too many temptations are around us and if you belong in the creative industry like I do, chances are, you also sleep late, drink too much coffee, and don't get to exercise often enough.

So, how can one stay healthy?

I've come up with some simple steps to help keep you healthy. Now following these steps does not guarantee that you will be healthy but it will help to keep you healthy and these "hacks" are simply based on my own experiences.

You see, everyone in my house got hit with fever, cough, and cold. For some reason (and thank God for that) I wasn't. I figured, I must be doing something right in the middle of so many wrong things. I figured, might as well share it here with you guys.

Drink water 

Trust me, I don't like drinking water but I've realized that the more I drink, the less I actually crave rice and sweets. Also, drinking 8 glasses of water has always been the most recommended. Now, I personally have a hard time drinking 8 glasses so now, my goal is to just drink as much as I can.

I no longer feel bad when I don't reach the 8 glasses. What I do instead is cheer myself on when I get to drink 5 glasses coz that's still 4 more than what I'm used to drinking. You need to celebrate the small wins so that eventually, you get to reach the goal.

Walk as much as you can 

I've had bad days. I've had really bad days where I barely made 100 steps. THAT BAD. So now, what I've learned to do is to go up and down the stairs as much as I can and then I clean my room as much as I can. Those little steps can add up to a lot and 1000 steps is better than 100.

You see, I work mostly from the house so I rarely go out. This means that the only movement I get is when I go down to get water or coffee, eat, or if I clean my room and house. Since I don't really have the chance to walk inside the village, I walk around the house and do the chores. Upside is I get to hit two birds with one stone.

Eat your greens

I cannot stress this enough. I know that a lot of people hate veggies but veggies really help you when fighting off a lot of sickness. If you eat veggies on a frequent basis, it helps your immune system and at the same time, it makes your skin brighter and smoother.

Drink your fruits 

For some people, eating healthy can be quite hard. I suggest drinking your fruits. It's easier and faster to consume Fruits provide great benefits to our body and helps us fight off sickness and diseases. Fruits like apples, avocado, and banana give us a lot of vitamins which is necessary to fight off colds and coughs.


There are so many tips given out there and a lot of them feel unattainable which can discourage people. This has been the case for me until I decided that I will do what I can and take the baby steps needed before I can do the plunge.

I'm not the healthiest person on Earth and I still need to work on a lot of things but at least I'm doing something about my state. It's better than nothing and as I would always say, it's better to do something no matter how small it is rather than to completely do nothing.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2019

VORASHE, Asian Dining and Coffee - INCONSISTENT SERVICE


We passed by this place a couple of times and have been curious about it. A nipa hut that boasts of coffee and Asian dining, my interest is definitely piqued.


It even has a parking lot which is impressive.


The interiors of Vorashe is a mixture of old and new. It is a nipa hut with pretty modern interiors. It is also air conditioned which is good because our city can be pretty hot especially at noon. 


This is the menu. The price point is reasonable especially because the serving is pretty good.



M took this photo of me while we were waiting for our food to be served.


I had the malunggay pesto pasta which was amazing. It was really, really good. I ate every last piece of the malunggay pesto.


This was M's order. He ordered a clubhouse and I had to say that it was also good. The sandwich was crispy and the lettuce was fresh as well as the tomatoes. This clubhouse sandwich can only be described as being FRESH to a T.


The coffee we ordered was the least impressive. Maybe because we ordered it cold but it just felt blah.


Overall, I'd still recommend Vorashe. It's a new concept, service was great, and the food was good too. Maybe I'll go and try the coffee hot next time then let you guys know if still blah or it's finally redeemed itself.

UPDATE:

I ate here last February 7, 2019 and IT WAS A COMPLETE FLOP.

Service was awful. There were 4 tables occupied including my friend and I but our food took 43 minutes to get to our table. We followed up 3x and it was only when we had the owner called that they told us they accidentally placed our food on another table.

The sisig was TASTELESS and the calamare was crispy to a fault. IT WAS DISAPPOINTING.

On this note, I AM NO LONGER RECOMMENDING this place. Ugh.

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Diamond Painting Projects

I've been doing diamond painting for a couple of years now. I've even gotten my son to do it as well and he has proven to be better at it than I am. In fact, I believe he's finished more than I have or if  not, it's almost head to head between us now.

The first two diamond painting projects are mine. I made both for my Mom.



 The next 4 are all made by my son.





Diamond painting is soothing and calming. If you feel stressed and needs something to calm you down, I'd suggest this. It takes a little bit of concentration but the finished product will surely take your breath away.

UPDATE as of August 2019



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ONE Championship: Hero's Ascent

USE CODE MSKATHYKENNY for 10% OFF WHEN YOU BUY FROM THE ONE CHAMPIONSHIP SHOP

The first Manila bout of ONE Championship will be happening this Friday, January 25, 2019 at SM MOA Arena. The main bout will feature Geje Eustaquio, Danny Kingad, and Honorio Banario of Team Lakay.

Now we all know that last week, Team Lakay suffered losses back to back with Edward Kelly and Joshua Pascio. This should drive Eustaquio, Kingad, and Banario to do better and make up for the losses that Team Lakay suffered but the question is, will they be able to turn things around?

KINGAD vs WADA

BANARIO vs TYNANES

EUSTAQUIO vs MORAES
 This will be the third time that these two top Fly Weight martial artists will be going head to head. The last match they had was a classic 5 round fight which was so close but the Filipino Geje Eustaquio came up victorious with a razor-thin split decision.

Here's the complete list of fights for January 25, 2019 for ONE Hero's Ascent.


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Tuesday, January 22, 2019

mark. by AVON Liquid Lippies

I just detashed 3/4 of my lippies but the ones that remained are the ones that I love. One of the brands has the most number of lippies left with me are the ones from AVON. I was left with 70pcs.

Imagine my happiness and surprise when I received this from the mail.


This is the complete collection of the mark. by AVON liquid lipstick from AVON. It comes in two different finish: MATTE and SHINE. The shade range is also wide because it goes from NUDE to BURGUNDY RED which is one of the darkest reds out there.


Here are 4 shades that I tried on.

DARK and STORMY, IT GIRL, HEAD TURNER, and ROSY FLUSH

These are the shade that I decided to keep for myself.


PROS: It's easy to apply and it's flexible. You can put on one coat if you want something light and two coats if you want something more intense.

It does not have an overpowering smell.

The shade range is amazing.

It's easy to take off and does not dry your lips.

It's not expensive. 

CONS: It's not stay proof. It does not easily transfer but it does transfer. 

1 con against the many pros has made me a fan which is why instead of just keeping one, I chose 4 to be part of my collection. Now since I've been in a sharing mood, I would like to share this happiness with one person.

12 LIQUID LIPPIES
This is how it looks on me.

HEAD TURNER

NUDE TUDE

FLUSHED

ROSY FLUSH
Go ahead and click on this link, watch the video, and join the giveaway. I am going to be giving away 12 liquid lippies to ONE SUBSCRIBER!!!



Would I recommend this? Definitely yes. Watch the video to find out why.

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7 Things that I Let Go during my 3 Year Declutter

Yes, you read that right. It took me 3 years to truly declutter my stuff. IT WAS THAT BAD.

The good news is that I ACTUALLY DID IT!

So if I can do it, you can do it.


Now it's time for me to talk about what I let go in the last 3 years that I slowly but surely decluttered my life.

1. Happy Meal Toys

I had over 1000+ happy meal toys. I've been collecting since I started making money and I had a few from my childhood. I let go of some initially but then I kept an entire megabox to myself. However, seeing that it was still untouched for the next 3 years finally pushed me to give it away.

Besides, I didn't see myself buying a house big enough to fully showcase it. Imagining the cleaning it would require also scared me so that had to go.  

2. Clothes

I have accumulated clothes because I kept getting bigger and bigger then I was in denial and thought that I'd trim down again. So for years, the pile of clothes that were still great but did not fit continued to grow. Eventually, I had 5 megaboxes of clothes.

I finally gave 4 megaboxes away and kept only one. These are the clothes that I really wanted to keep but I am also setting a year end deadline. If I still don't wear any of these clothes, they will have to go by end of the year.

I gave away to the helpers, to the construction workers near our home, the women's shelter, the church, and the baranggay center. I figured they needed it more than I ever did. 

3. Shoes

I tossed over 30 pairs of shoes in a span of 3 years. I finally learned not to buy those that look cute but would kill my feet or those that are simply in fashion but would leave me feeling like a cuckoo months later and asking myself why did I buy that?

Now I go for the classics and the comfort. 

4. Notebooks

I started collecting when I was a teenager. 20 years later, I had two megaboxes of notebooks. I finally gave away most of it to a public school and kept less than 20pcs. I've also made it a point to actually use the notebooks that I have. 

5. Books

I had 600 + books. I gave away over 500 to different people and different schools. I kept less than 100 and those are the ones that I plan on displaying in a mini library when I finally get one.


6. Scrapbook Materials

I had 2 megaboxes of scrapbooking materials. Yesterday, I finally let go of 90% of it and just kept the ones that I will be able to use for my daily journals. These went to public schools and a baranggay center. 

7. Tokens from Events

These were given away as gifts to friends, family, relatives, and even random strangers.

Now, I feel lighter, better, and simply ready for what 2019 has to offer. I don't need those things anymore and it makes me happy that I was able to make so many others happy simply because I chose to let go of my excess stuff and give it to those who actually want it and need it.

PS. I also gave away some of my bags but mostly to the help and to relatives. 

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Monday, January 21, 2019

Android Pie on my Zenfone 5

I've had my Zenfone 5 for almost a year now. I love it.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Zenfone 5 though sometimes, it can be a pain to deal with because of the bloatware but overall, I love my Zenfone 5.

C: Kimovil
 I've dropped it more than 10x I kid you not and every single time, it lets me breathe a sigh of relief because it stays intact. There is no scratch and it is just durable which is important for someone like me who is extremely clumsy.

Around last week though, I got an update on my phone and it promised me better performance so I went ahead and updated my phone's firmware. After a few minutes, I am ow on ANDROID PIE.

So what?

Well, here's a few things that I noticed.


Better Application Management – it seems that with the Android Pie, my icons have been rearranged so that the ones I frequently use are the ones at the forefront. I don't need to scroll anymore just to get to the ones that I most use which saves a lot of time. 
 
    1. Adaptive Battery – My phone has finally learned all about battery usage and ot now prioritizes the allocation of the energy that I use on the right app that I need.
    2. Adaptive Brightness – automatic brightness adjustment according to my usage. I used to have an app for Bluelight but I've actually deleted it yesterday when I realized that I no longer have a use for it. I can now easily use my phone in my room even at night and not hurt my eyes. YEY! 

       
Intuitive Navigation – The redesign of the navigation system makes it simpler to use for faster switching of apps. This one has been really important to me because when I do mobile banking, I sometimes have to switch between apps to get the account number and the improvement has been truly wonderful. 

Performance Improvements – The Android Pie 9.9 provides better user experience, support for the latest OpenGL and Vulkan APIs for better gaming and heavy-app performance so any mid-level gamer who may be using the Zenfone 5 for gaming purposes will be extremely pleased.

If you haven't updated your Zenfone 5 to Android Pie, you really, really need to.


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Saturday, January 19, 2019

Shop your Stash, a crucial step to having a No-Buy Year

2019 so far has been about how to save money, deciding on a no-buy year and taking the 3 steps to start my no buy year while decluttering and making sure that I am able to maintain my decluttered life. 

Now that all the necessary steps have been taken, I still had to do two more things, one of which was to shop my stash and take an inventory of what I have in storage and the other is to do a pan project.

For now, what I finished is the shop your stash project. Here is the result of my inventory.


This is my toiletry stash.

9 PCS of SHAMPOO

15 CONDITIONERS

1 FACIAL WASH, 4 SHOWER GEL, 1 BODY SCRUB 

21 BATH SOAP 

MISCELLANEOUS

MAKE UP STASH 

Looking at my stash, I feel like I won't be buying any more toiletries except for tampons. The rest, I have more than enough to last me the year but we shall see. I do have a younger sister I share my stash with so we'll see how we hold up for the rest of the year.

Here's a recap of what I have overall.

TOILETRIES:

9 Shampoos
4 Shower Gels
1 Facial Wash
1 Body Scrub
15 Conditioners
21 Bath Soaps
1 Spray Net
4 Toothpaste
6 Colognes
2 Deodorants
2 Body Lotions
4 Hair Serum
4 Toner
10 Hand Sanitizer
4 Perfumes
10 Hand Lotion
4 Roll on Parfum
4 Essential Oil

MAKE UP:

5 Palettes
3 Strobing Sticks
7 Mascara
2 Concealer
4 Blush
7 Highlight and Contour
1 Bronzer
11 Eyebrow Pencils
8 Eyeliner
4 Eyeliner Pot
54 Lipsticks

Overall, I have 212 items which I believe is more than enough. I've already given away what I could part with and these are the ones that I want to use for the year of 2019.


And these are what I use. The upper layer ismine and I have the Tresseme shampoo, Luichel Snail Facial Wash for when I don't wear make up, the Clean It Zero facial wash when I do wear make up, the Winter Wonderland Body Scrub, a Lavander Facial Scrub, and the pH Care Feminine Wash.

The bottom layer is for my son. He uses the Dove Pampering Shower Gel, the Nature Republic Aloe Vera Facial Wash, the St. Ives Blackhead Wash, Palmolive Shampoo and Conditioner as well as the Body Basics from Echo Store.

Now that I know I have over 200+ items in my stash, it's a lot easier for me to not buy more because the goal is to use up what I have and cut down on what I already have stocks of.

I think that I am off to a good start.

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