❉ The Goodie Bag ❉

yummy tom yum soup!

2012-01-08T03:46:00.000-08:00

4 cans chicken broth

6-8 pieces raw shrimp, cleaned and sliced in half

Lemon grass stalk, sliced

container of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 shallot, sliced thinly

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

1/2 lime - squeezed juice only

1 or 2 cans straw mushrooms

1/2 block tofu, cut up into small pieces

*magic* ingredient (1 large heaping tablespoon) - see pic - can be bought from Pacific Supermarket in Waipahu

1-2 stalks green onion, chopped

Cilantro - chopped - add as a garnish after soup is done.

Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until tomatoes and onions soften and turn clear. Serves about 10-15.

DIY make up remover

2011-08-21T00:49:00.000-07:00

Thank You Adelyn for this recipe!

Makes at least 30 bottles of remover.

Ingredients:
1 C water
1½ TBSP Baby Shampoo (tear free)
⅛ TSP Baby Oil

Materials:
Mixing Bowl
Measuring cup/spoons
Bottle to put finished product in
(I used an empty medicine bottle; an empty baby oil bottle would work GREAT)
Small funnel (or improvise like me)

Whats in my goodie bag!

2011-07-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

Switching gears for a bit, I decided to post an itty bitty haul on this new travel size wax kit by Anastasia I just got from Sephora. Not intended for everyday use, this mini wax kit is designed for up-keep and maintanance for in-between professional waxes. Priced at only $12 I decided to give this a try. I'm not a big waxer, i've only gotten my eyebrows professionally waxedonly once and when I did my hair grew back within the next 2 weeks =( Since then I've been tweezing and shaving and just letting them grow out till I can muster up some dough for yet another professional wax. I'm hoping this kit will be most effective out shaping my brows and eliminating those annoying stray hairs in between.

Along with purchasing this kit I used my beauty insider card (to get points), and was pleasantly suprised when the cashier lady added in a free gift for my birthday!

Heres to celebrating early! I can't wait to try these out!

P.S- I have not been slacking in experimenting with yummy desserts and meals. Look for my review of the yummy tortellini stuffed with ricotta and spinach pasta i recently made with basil pesto sauce and what i added that gave it that certain kick! ^_~

Ciao!

Lets make Guri Guri! :D

2011-07-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Need a special treat to beat the heat this summer? Don't feel like standing in those long shave ice lines at your local candy stand? Then try this local D.I.Y dessert that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and will most definitely cool you down! Almost every local that lives in Hawaii knows about this special treat. The phrase guri-guri is thought to have orginatated during Hawaii's plantation days (starting in the late 1890s). This treat was supposedly sold to Japanese plantation workers as "goodie-goodie", who pronounced this as "guri-guri". Guri-guri is a treat that's a hybrid between sherbert and ice cream. If you happen to be around Maui Mall look for the famous Tasaka shop and stop in for their famous Guri Guri (one of the few shops that serve Guri Guri now in Hawai'i).

Ok, enough history. Lets make GURI GURI!!!! ^_^

Ingredients:

2 cans (12 ounce) strawberry guava juice*
1 can (12 ounce) 7 UP®
1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir vigorously. Freeze for about 1-2 hours, remove from freezer and stir vigorously again (repeat at least twice). Transfer to individual serving containers and freeze until firm, minimum 8 hour
s (preferrably one day or longer).
**NOTES**
-Instead of strawberry guava juice, you can use any flavor of soda or juice of your choosing. When choosing your base flavor, just remember that it will be combined with condensed milk.
-If you want, you can also use an ice cream maker. If so, you won't need to re-stir this after partial freezing.
どうぞめしあがれ!

Turkey Sloppy Joes ^_^

2011-06-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

I was ecstatic to actually cook dinner (be it incredibly simple) last night and have it turn out successful! I had bought 2 seasoning packets of Sloppy Joes by McCormick and just read the instructions on the back. I wasn't sure if using Manwich would've been better, but after tasting my yummy creation, i figured mine was probably more healthier. The right amount of spices you add to the ground turkey or meat make/break it. I used 1lb ground turkey for mine. Happy Cooking! (｡◕‿◕｡)

Cupcake Fever!

2011-06-23T02:47:00.000-07:00

I really want to make a delicous vegan french mint cupcake with mint buttercream frosting!!!!! YUM! What? Too much mint?! NEVER! Bmuahahahaha XD

French Mint Vegan Cupcakes Ingredients

1 6 ounce pkg non-dairy chocolate chips
1 c soft margarine (80% fat is best)
2 c confectioners organic unbleached sugar
1/4 c apple sauce
2/4 c soy yogurt
1/4 c blended silken tofu
1 t vanilla
1 t peppermint extract
nuts

French Mint Vegan Cupcakes Directions

Melt chips; cool and set aside.
Beat margarine, using electric mixer.
Add organic unbleached sugar.
Add cooled chocolate, beat 5 minutes.
Beat in apple sauce, soy yogurt, and tofu.
Mix in vanilla and peppermint extract.
Sprinkle nuts on bottom of 24 paper holders in cupcake pan.
Fill each cupcake holder half full.
Sprinkle with nuts.
Freeze for at least 3 hours.
Makes 24.

MINT BUTTERCREAM FROSTING Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mint extract
4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
In a large bowl, cream 1 1/3 cups sugar with 1/2 cup butter or margarine, and salt. Blend extract, 2 tablespoons milk, and remaining sugar into mixture. Gradually stir remaining milk into frosting until desired spreading consistency is reached.

April Athena7 cooking show!

2011-06-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit that after watching this girl's youtube channel I was inspired to...make my own crepes! (｡◕‿◕｡) hehe

This petite powerhouse packs a lot of cuteness and heart into her videos and actually makes cooking and baking fun to watch. I can't wait to try these recipes and review them for you all. Enjoy!

Yummy Trader Joes Banana Bread

2011-06-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

This summer I noted to make more of an effort to experiment with baking and cooking in the kitchen this summer. While on my Seattle vacation, I visited the Trader Joes and died a happy customer :) Not only do they have a delicious assortment of food selections, they offer them at super cheap prices! $_$ So I wanted to bring home a few goodies and one of the things I snagged was what appeared to be just a simple box of banana bread mix.

I made the bread for father's day this past weekend and it was DELISH! My parents both loved it as well. I guess what sets it apart from other banana bread mixes i've used in the past is how healthy it is, how simple it is to make, and how much flavor its packed with; not dry, but moist. ♥ Definitly a must try when you visit a T.J in the area!

A Future in the Mainland?

2011-06-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my awesome vacation from Seattle visiting friends and running a great and amazing marathon in the olympic penninsula. Taking this week vacation away from home couldn't have come at a better time for me. After a long and stressful school year and dealing with family and my relationship it feels so good to get away from the ordinary and explore different lands once in a while. While in Seattle, I stayed with my boyfriend's friends at their house in Edmonds (just 15mins outside of the city). The couple me and my boyfriend stayed with (Dale and Kristyn Bonilla) showed us such a great time around the seattle area and made my vacation extra special and exciting. They have such a beautiful town house, 3 daschounds (who they refer to as their children), and both work well paying jobs at Boeing. During my stay I kind of wondered what it would be like to have what they have- my own home, a well paying job, pets to take care of and call my children, a nice homely neighborhood not far from the city but still with a lot of resources around the area. Kristyn asked me where I would move to after I graduate from school. I said i wouldn't mind moving to San Fran, Portland, or Seattle, but not immediately. Thinking realistically about my future, I know its important to lay a foundation for my career in hawaii before going abroad. It would be harder to get my degree, fresh outta college, and up and move to a whole new state cold turkey (not to mention its expensive). But moving back to the mainland wouldn't be a bad thing at all. Talking it over with my boyfriend, I think he's willing to move to whichever city I happen to find work in. In the end, the mainland has more options. It would mean starting a whole new chapter in my life, which after college I intend to do. And the mainland is economically more stable than hawaii is. Looking at the bigger picture, the only way most people survive in hawaii is to live with family in one house because shit costs so much money and jobs don't pay well. At least in the mainland you get paid well for your hardwork and if you budget your expenses well enough, buying a home, and living resourcfully isn't hard to do over there. I think thats what makes the mainland more appealing to me right now.

Design Sabotage T_T

2011-04-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

The month of April has finally come. Projects are ceasing but BFA portfolio review is right around the corner, and the sad thing is I probably won't feel comfortable or at ease until I go through it. Many students in the Graphic Design program at my school are going up this semester (23 to be exact). Competition is high, anxiety levels are soaring, and paranoia is kicking in for a lot of the people in my class. How did school get this stressful?

Making every project good counts at this stage of the game. Impressing my design teachers is one of the goals of each project that i'm presented with and it drains me in more ways than one. Being a good designer requires independent critical, logical, creative, and analytical thinking. If you cannot think of designs on your own I recommend resourcing work from other good designers in books, NOT copying elements from your classmates. A girl in my design class (who also happens to be a co-worker of mine) recently tried to ruin me.

One of the big projects that my class had to work on for typography was a long extensive timeline of the activities, locations, and importance over a 5-day period. This project was probably one of the most tedious, yet ridiculously complex design problems I had to solve in the design program. I created a timeline that used a specific system of elements unique to my design and most people's timelines all looked very different from one another. Well, this girl started out with ok design ideas then fell absent for a week or so and had to catch up with the rest of the class. Having the convenience of my number locked in her cellphone, this girl texts me asking to see how my timeline looked. I was hesitant at first to show her because I tried for long hours to figure out how to design the structure of my timeline and just showing her how i did mine seemed kind of like a cheat on her part (considering i didn't have anyone else' s to look at for reference). I gave in just to be nice, and sent her a small zoomed out version of my timeline structure (small enough so she couldn't see my small details). After a few weeks of constant designing and revising my timeline, I noticed that the more she wanted to see my work; gawking at my screen in the design lab, telling me how nice my timeline looked, I noticed MY design system being copied into HER timeline! :O At first I thought that she would eventually modify it and make it her own, and she did in some parts, but its evident that she took my 24hr time structure design, my diagonal elements, my shifts, even my edges! >:-( Every time we would start working on our designs in class this girl would go around the room, look at what people were doing, come over to my computer, tell me what she did in her timeline, look at mine some more, then go back to her computer and change stuff around. Whats worse than being copied is being let down. Now, this girl i'm referencing is a generally nice person. I just think she banks on other people's ideas. The night before the timelines were due, i was scrambling to finish my timeline in the computer lab at school. I finally got my timeline printed at 12:45am, cut it to size, and brought it home to mount on black board. The only thing was....i found a HUGE error. >_< I had overlooked a detail that was critical and could not bear to show it as the final piece for my hard ass teacher to critique. So since this girl in my class is a labbie (has unlimited access to the lab), I texted her that early morning asking if she could do me a big favor and open the lab for me to reprint my corrected timeline again. NO RESPONSE. I texted her what time she will be on campus that morning. NO RESPONSE. I figured she was busy working on work or had fallen asleep and had gone to bed, so I figured I would just wait till 7:30am when I got to school. I texted her around 7:45am( knowing that she would probably reach campus around 8:30am or so because she had a morning class that day too) asking when she'll be on campus again.....NO RESPONSE. At that point I was desperate for a miracle that someone who was a labbie could open the lab and print my timeline for me. Low and behold a BFA design student had popped out of the lab and I caught her just in time! She was so nice and re-printed my timeline for me. I cut my timeline to size, got it mounted, and still had time to spare before my first class started ^_^ Although I barely slipped by with the skin of my teeth that day, I still could not believe that that girl in my class didn't answer my texts i sent her (she almost always responds to my texts). I think that either she felt like she couldn't tell me "no" she didn't want to , or she just wanted me to suffer and look bad for not being able to show anything for class. I just couldn't believe this person, someone who i had confided in since I started the design program, just tried to throw me under the bus! I walked into class with my timeline nicely mounted and peeked over to see her face; she didnt want to make eye contact with me and felt scared to be in my presence out of fear that I might have bitched at her for not helping me.

Whatever. The one thing that pains me though isnt that she stole my design concepts, it isnt so much that she ignored my plea for help, its that she gets A's on her projects from my teachers and I'm left with measly B's. =-(:::::: Life truly isn't fair.

2010-12-27T01:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas rush is over. No work tomorrow. No school tomorrow. No parties. Is this actually the first real day of "me" time?! O: I think i'm gonna cry....of happiness =D

2010-12-13T03:57:00.000-08:00

Man! What a crazy hectic week it has past been! (lol I know, don't judge my island grammer)

Tues- Finishing research paper for Art History & then finish working on the last 3 pages for Geography of Hawaii paper

Weds- Finalize type posters and start working on process binders/notebooks for Design 1 and Type. MAD craziness in the design lab as all levels attempted to print out all of their projects last minute, which resulted in a he said/she said argument that eventually got back to the department chair and she threatened to fail those in the lab (luckiy i left just in time! phew!)

Thursday- 2nd attempt at printing my design stuff out for friday portfolio reviews. I pulled my all-nighter this day (and the thunderstorm outside didn't help much either).

Friday- Got all my shit turned in for design & typography! Left school early to go home and SLEEP. Woke up around 5:30pm and remembered that I had a runners dinner to go to that night, AND some of my classmates wanted to go out drinking to celebrate the end of design classes >_<

Saturday- Rest day. Then work for 3 hrs (not worth going in IMO)

Sunday- decided to run the honolulu marathon as a pacer for a sweet japanese couple (who happen to be celebrities in japan). Not sure exactly what they said they were...either Pharmacists, Journalists....something ending in "ists" lol Ran the entire damn distance and finished with them in 6hrs It turned out to be a great race experiencing what its like running in the back of the pack; greater support from the crowds I'll tell you.

So yeah, that was my week. I'm planning on doing some "me" stuff this week which involves holiday season celebrating, studying for my last exam, and cruising around :) Ahh, i love having no school!

Science behind sleeping partners

2010-12-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

Ok so this got me thinking last night: Can a person who is suffering from a health-related symptom feel better just by being close to/sleeping next to someone with soothing energy?

Yesterday I stressed myself into a headache/irrated state. I left work early and came home to rest and work on my homework. I didn't take Tylenol or any pain medicine, but did try drinking as much water as I could (keep hydrated). Then my boyfriend gave me some tylenol later and by this point i was getting fussy and...well...pretty much acting like a 5 year old in pain. I asked him to sit near me for a while (just because i was lonely), and we lied down together. I don't know what it is but within a few minutes having my bf hold me, my pain slowly improved and my entire attitude seemed to dissapate. So this got me into thinking about my theory: that a partner can relieve the stresses and pain of the other partner just by touching/ being in close proximity of one another (kinda like a mother caring for her children). I'm not saying that my boyfriend is my mom, but it does pose a good fact that the love and nurturing feelings that a person has for another can significantly make a person feel better. :)

2010-11-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't ♥ snuggle kisses?! ^_^

2010-11-19T17:24:00.000-08:00

Its middle of the month friday and I can't seem to decide on where to eat lunch. I kind of just want to pick up yogurt from yogurtland and try out there new holiday flavors :) But...as for the rest of my day I have no real plans. I packed my running clothes just for a little motivation for myself to do a run tonight. I kinda want to browse Target (Abunai!!! =O ), and idk, homework, homework, homework?

we'll see :O)

An extra + for pity?

2010-11-19T00:44:00.000-08:00

Who the hell gives a grade like a B++ ? Shouldn't it either be a B+/A-? As far as I've been in academia (which if you want to get technical is about 13 or so years), there has never been a grade that has existed such as a B++. After busting my ass for my rhetoric design poster, my teacher gave back our assignments and I was honestly hoping for an A-, however i see that she circled my final grade and it read B++. O_o Apparently my teacher adds an extra plus if she noticed that we showed extra effort on our assignment. But seriously lets look at the big picture. I believe that I had a good concept, I re-shot my picture 3x, and most of all my poster actually looked like it would be noticeble. A lot of people in my class (imho) had awesome posters, yet she gave them B's, B-'s, etc while the A- posters looked very bland and sorry to say a tad bit boring. My classmate/co-worker who sits next to me loves to play her designs safe. She keeps things simple in her work and doesn't like to take risks with her designs; she gets A-'s. I on the other hand love to take risks with my designs. I like designs that look somewhat dynamic, post-modern, and have personality to them. Design is all about catching people's eyes. So my point then goes to why my oddball teacher gives the grades like she does?

My teacher is so misleading. She'll boast about our posters and how nice they all look, and what a great job we've done on them (pretty much boosting our self esteem). Then she'll return our projects with a somewhat discouraging grade =( The several or so points that keep me away from attaining an A-/A for my poster is if I fix my gradient and text paragraph. OMG. My gradient doesn't look that bad. I can make it more gradual if thats what she wants (and i will because we are allowed to re-do our posters for a better grade averaged out) but it just goes to show that if I start to do simple boring designs I'll get higher grades. *Inside i'm screaming*

Breaking Point

2010-11-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

I know I should be typing out the rest of my research paper right now but I rather take a mental break and splurge here for a while.

This past wednesday I finally hit my breaking point. Every event that took place since the beginning of this week has been nothing but bad, so bad that I was falling apart at the seems. My last entry dealt with the demanding pressures of being in the graphic design program at my school, and as much as I'd like to say it all will come to an end in about a month..it won't.

Right now I have other classes outside of design that I really haven't given too much attention to and its biting me in the ass. So on weds, when I needed the help of my boyfriend to drive me to school because I had a ton of books to carry with me, he decided to bring up the fact that he didn't feel appreciated at that moment and felt that he should be getting equal treatment. I'm not sure he fully understands what I'm going through right now. Its not that I'm taking advantage of him, he said he wants to help me out however he can, and so when I take advantage of that favor he has offered i take it. I'm stressed out and can honestly use every bit of help I can get. I need more time. I need to prioritize better. I need to stop running races for a while. I need to cut my work hours. I need time to relax. -_-

I viewed the new course catalog for the spring semester next year and I saw that Design II is only accepting 18 students into the class. Only 1 section for design and typography. Only 18 students. Thats like taking one section out of the two existing ones! I obviously feel like 18 or mayb 17 students in the program want to continue on. The teachers have put us through so much grief and exhaustion that we are obviously fed up. I've reached my breaking point, and have gotten past it. I'm ready to take on whatever they got. I know I work hard, and I have the support of my fellow classmates.

I need a drink.

My oh my

2010-11-05T04:02:00.000-07:00

Good lord, is this thing still in existence?! Hmm... well i guess it is! Its exactly 1:05am, everyone in the house is asleep except me =( So..I thought I'd revisit this and splurge my mind for a while.

Nothing interests me anymore. I think school is really sucking the fun out of ordinary life. I'd like to admit that I expected the hard work, but what I didn't know was how much it would take a toll on me. Being in a graphic design program is tough shit! Ask anyone who is in it. The work a student churns out for the teachers either a) doesn't meet their standards b) is mediocre, yet not great or, c) why are you even taking graphic design? Because my program has a rather large enrollment, the faculty attempts to "plant seeds of doubt" in each student to make them feel shitty about themselves in order for them to drop out of the program and pursue something else. The teachers don't want to teach a large number of students (more work on their part; lazy bitches) and only want the dedicated and hardworking talented ones.

I don't like sucking up to any teacher I have regardless of whether they fail me or not. I know I am a hardworking student. I have good ideas! I just want to learn. LET ME LEARN DAMNIT! Why can't teachers nowadays give a shit about their students? I honestly think its a dog-eat-dog world out there, and that rings true in graphic design as well.

Good luck.

Down and Out

2010-08-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

I've said this before and I'm gonna say it again I HATE MONEY. Its bad enough having it depress me a little and the fact that I gotta somehow dig myself out of this "hole" I put myself in. A world without the need/want of money would be one of the happiest places on earth (F.U disneyland). I am looking for another job. Better pay, at least around the $9.50-$10/hr range. I'm still a full-time student and really honestly don't know when I'll actually have time to invest more hours in a job just yet. But in the mean time I've got bills to pay. I know its my fault for spending money on running races, running shoes/gels etc, iPhone plan, BananaRepublic clothes, and trips to the mainland.

My boyfriend and parents agreed to support me in the mean time. I know my mom is always gonna bail me out somehow, but I don't expect my boyfriend to. Apparently I'm too prideful to accept help from others, and this is true, i am. For the longest time I didn't want help from anyone because I was too shy to ask, but later on that turned into me not needing the help from others because I felt like I could figure it out by myself. I've always kept this independent part of me alive and accepting the help from a man, probably something i thought I'd never had to settle for. I blame my grandma for instilling that in me. She always said not to let a man carry you (financially). Be Independent! Be in charge of yourself! I love my grandma for being such a feminist :) But I do believe that us women need to lower our gaurds and actually put our ego's and pride aside when we really need it. I don't want to be baby'd or considered a gold digger. Until I can climb out of this "hole", then I can stand on my own again.

I can dream realistically, can't I?

2010-07-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

I feel the older I get, the more realistic my fantasy dream goals become. From being a 13yr old and dreaming of living in a luxurious expensive apartment/house in the city, to a 22yr old and wanting a small house in a good location that I can share with my partner, and maybe one day a family. So ideally speaking, if I live in hawaii for a while, I'd like to live near town, or manoa/makiki valley area. I would love to live in the mountains where its cool, good fertile soil for planting, safe neighborhood, and active community.

I was browsing the realestate listings online and found this cute house near UH in lower manoa area on Lanihuli Dr.

Its cute on the outside, and large on the inside! The landscaping is well kept, large backyard with a big tree, and cozy atmosphere, theres also a slight hill on the street so I can practice my hill running on it! ;) PERKS! Its only 1-story but I could make it work. Another con about this place is that there is an open 1 car garage. Its a 1940's built home, and I like old houses!

continually dreaming~

Becky

New and exciting adventures to come!

2010-07-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hello all! This entry won't be reviewing or discussing any product/health idea but will just be a quick update on whats been going on!

Summer so far, has been quite interesting for me this year. I've been running, working, and relaxing with family and friends for most of it. This past June I traveled off island to go to Kona to run in the Kona marathon! It was such a delightful treat (even if it was only for the weekend)! I got to stay at a somewhat pricey but AMAZING condo, sightsee a few places accompanied by my boyfriend, and of course, run 26.2miles the day before leaving ^_^ Although Kona was a very low-key area with hardly any nightlife, hot days, and tons of dried lava fields for miles, I was sad to leave because of all the things I didn't get to see. My next adventure is planned for October where I will be flying to San Francisco to run in the Nike Women's Marathon! I think this will be the highlight of my year; even though I signed up to run the half marathon :( having the opportunity to be in the San Francisco city is all worth it (again just for the weekend). And your probably wondering how I've managed to finance all these races and fly to these various destinations? Heh, well lets just say I'm dipping into my account for the time being -_-; I will most definitly try to save up from now till October and accrue hours at my minimum wage job just so that I am prepared to take the big hit for my bank account. >_<

Why am I investing in races? Well, besides my love for running, I believe races test my limits, strengthen my mental focus, and give me courage to try new and adventurous activities. Running marathons costs money, and I am willing to do as many as I can (in the U.S and internationally) before age starts creeping up on me. I'm a little island girl who hasn't had much opportunity to travel many places. I'm in my 20's. I'm in that decade of my life where now's the time to go places, have these amazing experiences, and build myself up into the person I want to become; all before I feel the need to "settle down" lol. My running ohana has even shined light on expanding into triathalons! Now, I'm no triathlete, but after partaking in a mock triathalon a week ago, I am inspired to work on my swimming, and buy a bike of my own to ride for fun :) I never thought my excersises would expand out to swimming and biking, but I'm willing to give it a try!

Thanks for reading! Get out there and do something active today. A body in motion, stays in motion.

New site!

2010-06-09T00:44:00.000-07:00

I will still be continuing my blogger here, however I created another blog through wordpress focusing on art, fashion, sustainability, health, and nature.

Satori808

Thank you so much! :D

Hair tips that I learned along the way in life ^_^

2010-05-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Do you suffer from hair frizz? Is your hair naturally fine, straight, or thin? Well if it is and you have this predicament, I have a solution that may fix that problem! (haha, i sound like an infomercial) A long time ago I remember looking up how to stop hair frizzi-ness online; throughout high school I always encountered hair frizz and I never found out the exact root of how it all started! Well, on one of the online forums, someone asked how to get rid of hair frizz, and a responder said NOT to towel dry your newly washed hair by rubbing it too hard! *BING!* It all made sense to me! One of the first things I used to do after coming out of the shower was to towel dry my hair, and to speed up the drying process, I vigourously rubbed the towel through my hair (I've seen it done a million times on t.v). So the solution I found was not to rub the towel, but to pat the hair dry instead :) Believe it or not, that little routine did the trick! Now it may not be the same for everyone because there maybe other factors involved due to frizz, but give this a try. The towel static (like a balloon being rubbed on your head) will cause a friction like response and...voila! FRIZZ D: I've also stopped blow drying my hair & straightening it as much too, and believe me when I say, that my hair feels and looks healthier than it has ever been in a LONG time. The best part though? My split ends are almost non-existent! :D Doing the drying process au-natural benefits in the end. From time to time styling with product and heat are okay, just not in excess.

Thank you for reading!

Summer outlook

2010-05-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

I hate end of the year bottlenecking! You know, everything is scheduled around the same time as everything else. *~* But on the positive side, summer is right around the corner and its good to finish spring off with a lot of hard work and pressure so you can release and enjoy summer so much more! ^_^ So, my plans for the summer? I plan to travel to Kona to take part in the marathon at the end of June, and register for a lot of other local runs as well (keep active!), celebrate my 22nd birthday (don't exactly know what i'm doing yet), I'll still be working at Banana, and I think summer would be an ideal time for me to start my little garden! :D I won't be taking summer school this year, because I kinda have my free time set aside for my running endeavors right now. I'm also working on a wedding scrapbook! My ideas so far are documented on my tumblr account here. I think planning a special occasion is a great hobby to do with your girlfriends during the summer, isn't it?

On a more conscious awareness note, i've been craving to go on a shopping splurge lately! Yet, I've maxed my money spending on all my running trips and such so far =( But! The bright side of it all is that I could still indulge in my current obsession by ROSSin it one of these days, or frolicking on over to goodwill/salvation army to look for knick nacks! ahhh, i love turning a dark idea into a bright one!

✺❄❂☆Have a wonderful May! ☀❣✤

Update!

2010-04-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Its been a while since the last update. Things are coming down to the wire for school and its soaked up a big chunk of my time; that and work. :-/
I think I've learned more this semester than any of the other classes I took in the fall. Small class sizes and more hands on work is the best way I learn :) I can register for my classes for Fall 2010 around May 4, and got all my advising taken care of and got the big OK from the Graphic Design chair, so I'm FINALLY embarking on my concentrated major!!!
I'm so thankful to have gotten into an art class this year because I've met and learned a lot from many very interesting people. One of my fellow classmates from my Buddhist art class Sheri, has made a major impact on the way I view school. She's such a role model that I look up to, and I'm thankful to have developed such a good mutual friendship with her thus far. She's a undergrad BFA painting major and recently displayed some of her artworks in the current UH BFA show Between. She also won an award for her digital imaging piece she designed as well, and was chosen for the Kosaki Award for her research proposal for her graduate thesis. She's smart, intellegent, creative, and optimistic; all the elements that I want to better myself on. I hope to collaborate with her in her research in the near future.

In the meantime here are some of the pictures I took of the artshow this past weekend!

Short update on my new job

2010-03-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

So to follow up with that past post I did about BR, well I booked the job! My position is sales-support and I pretty much assist the sales associates, cashiers, stock, etc all multi-tasking at the same time. I work at the mall so the amount of traffic we have coming into our store is really big (especially on weekends). I'm slowly getting the hang of how things work, luckily our clientel are pretty understanding when it comes to alotting me time to figure out how to do certain things. The managers are all nice, kind of all over the place (literally and mentally), and the rest of my co-workers are nice and helpful. I can't say that this is my dream job, because its not. I don't want to do retail for the rest of my life. Going from selling active apparel to business forward fashion at luxury prices is a big change. I'm not thrilled, just content that now I have a means of being financially secure again.

China Glaze Nail Polish

2010-03-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to review my new China Glaze's that I just recently got!
I purchased this set of 3 through e-bay for a good price of $9.99. I've been pining over these nail polishes for a while because of the great reviews its been getting and the quality it delivers. I've also recently aquired a new personal hobby~ nail art!

The three colors I got are: (L-R) Hybrid, Solar Power, and Unplugged. I currently have on Solar Power and I've already gotten nice compliments on it! I usually like wearing sheer/neutral light colors on my nails, but really love the colors that this brand puts out. China Glaze apparently is an offshoot of the O.P.I nail company (so i've read) so you can be sure it is good quality. The consistency is a lot thicker than most polishes i've used before (the drugstore polishes tend to be a little too thin/watery). I apply two coats, and a clear top coat right over it. The best detail that these polishes are known for are that they do not chip for weeks! A major plus, especially when you work with your hands a lot. ;)
. Because the polish is a bit thick, you need to work it out on your nail in a way so that it doesn't get too gunky or unmanageable. Overall, I give this polish a 5/5. It met my expectations and I can't wait to try all the other wonderful colors n_n

Job

2010-02-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

I have my 2nd interview with BR today. I feel...indifferent. I have my questions prepared and all, but the fact that they took so long to get back to me, kinda makes me see their company a little differently. But I heard that they take their sweet ass time getting back to everyone in the GAP company, so i'm not suprised. Anyway, all i can really hope for now is actually having a job. I shouldn't be picky when I am in need of money, right? Wish me luck!

What's up with your face?

2010-02-22T14:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a great article from Yahoo Health that explains a lot about the way we look from the way we feel inside n_n

What Your Face Reveals About Your Health~
By Dr. Maoshing Ni - Posted on Fri, Feb 19, 2010, 10:52 am PST

What do you see when you look in the mirror? According to Chinese medicine, your face is a window to your health. Your forehead, nose, chin, right cheek, left cheek: Each of these five face zones gives you clues to what is going on inside your body--if you know what to look for! Read on to decode what your face reveals about you.

How Traditional Chinese Medicine Reads the Body to Detect Disease:
Most people don't realize that their face provides information about what's going on beneath the surface. Your body speaks a unique language to communicate the imbalances within it. Chinese medicine has mastered the art and science of reading the body's language over its five thousand year practice. Each part of your face reflects a different element from the Chinese 5-Element network (fire, earth, water, metal, and wood), which in turn, corresponds to a particular organ grouping. Your reflection offers visual cues to what may be happening within your internal systems--such as your heart, stomach, hormones and even your mind and spirit.
In some situations visual cues will immediately alert you of an issue, and you can take measures immediately. But the real value of self-inspection is in detecting subtle imbalances and dealing with them preventively through diet, herbal supplementation, and lifestyle practices. By reading your body, you can take care of small problems before they become big health issues.

The Forehead
According to Chinese medicine, the forehead corresponds to the fire element. This is associated with the heart and small intestine organ network, as well as the mind and spirit.

Forehead: Fire Element - Heart/Small Intestine

When examining your forehead, look for redness or small blood vessels that appear as discoloration, which could indicate a heart problem. Skin discoloration could also be caused by a recent emotionally-charged experience, such as a breakup or loss. It is common for people whose emotions are regularly in turmoil to have a constant furrow between their eyebrows. A heart attack can often be foretold by a subtle bluish-green hue on the forehead. If you have discoloration on your forehead accompanied by heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, and tingling or pain in your left arm, schedule an appointment with a cardiologist or visit an emergency room, if necessary.

Your Nose
Your nose corresponds to the earth element, indicating a connection to the stomach, spleen and pancreas network.

Nose: Earth Element - Spleen/Pancreas/Stomach

Symptoms of internal discord typically show up as a pimple on the tip or side of your nose. Think back to your meals from the previous day. Did you eat a lot of spicy, deep-fried, fatty, or rich foods? How about chocolate? If the answer is "yes," your choice of cuisine could be the problem. As a result, you may suffer from indigestion,constipation, or diarrhea. Broken capillaries or redness across the bridge of the nose could reveal alcohol abuse, or it may simply mean excessive worry and stress, which taxes your earth element network. Calm your nerves using healthier techniques such as meditation/relaxation exercises.

Your Chin
The chin area is related to the water element, which is internally associated to your kidney and bladder organ network, including the hormonal system and glands.

Chin: Water Element - Kidney/Bladder

Blemishes, discoloration and dark patches of skin around the chin and mouth could indicate problems within the kidneys or bladder. Recurrent acne breakouts around your chin may signify a hormonal imbalance. The problem is most often due to the body producing excess estrogen or testosterone and tends to be coupled with irregular menstruation in women and prostate symptoms in men. Be sure to also look at your philtrum, the indentation just above your lips. This small area relates to the uterus and ovaries in women and the prostate and genitals in men. Horizontal lines, blemishes or discoloration across the philtrum may indicate infertility issues due to problems such as endometriosis or uterine fibroid cysts. According to Chinese medicine, people who have a small chin are genetically predispositioned to weakness in their kidney and bladder network. However, this doesn't mean that small-chinned people will develop kidney disease. The information is simply an alert that a tendency may exist, and patients can choose to make lifestyle changes to prevent the development of a condition.

Your Right Cheek

Your right cheek corresponds to the metal element, meaning this area of your face is connected to the lung and large intestine network.

Right Cheek:Metal Element - Lung/Large Intenstine

Problems in the lung and large intestine network present themselves as discoloration, blemishes and skin problems on your right cheek. A mild acne breakout, eczema patch or slight redness may mean a cold is coming on. Lung illness or upper respiratory ailments also trigger visual symptoms on the right cheek.

People who are prone to respiratory allergies or asthma have a tendency to have a reddish, scaly eczema, a slight rash or slight bluish-green hue along the right cheek--showing too much heat or inflammation in the respiratory system, or a lack of oxygen from bronchial constriction.

Your Left Cheek
The left cheek corresponds to your wood element, or the liver-gallbladder network.

Left Cheek: Wood Element - Liver/Gallbladder

Broken capillaries and redness, especially up next to the bridge of your nose, indicate heat, inflammation or congestion of toxins in the liver. Bulging veins, redness, and rash sometimes signal high blood pressure and pent-up anger. A yellowish hue under the left eye may indicate gallstones or high triglycerides or cholesterol, which are processed by the liver-gall bladder network. Problems in this part of the face can also reveal emotional issues, such as anger and depression, since the liver and gallbladder network includes the nervous system.

Please keep in mind that there are many ways that your body alerts you to imbalances. As you learn this visual method, you'll want to be able to confirm your findings from one body part with observations from others, such as the eyes, tongue, and nails. Keep all five elements healthy and get a whole body tune-up with a balanced combination of 44 traditional Chinese herbs that support healthy function of the bodily systems, the Five Elements of Health Formula.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

Review: Suave Professionals 2 in 1 Plus shampoo

2010-02-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

I initially wanted to post a survey poll on what shampoo's you all consider to be good for everdyday use; I forgot to post that poll, and instead ended up doing some research on the web, and MUA(makeup alley.com) and read that some of the best shampoo's to use were the CHEAP ones! I've tried the mainstream drugstore shampoos such as Pantene, L'Oreal, Garnier, and John Frieda and they all were ok. I've been back and forth between cheap and expensive shampoos and I can honestly say that there isn't too much difference between the two except the $ price difference. So I searched the most reviewed and would buy again stats and the shampoo that happened to come out on top was Suave! Suprised? I sure was! I've known my dad to use Suave for many years and haven't really heard many good things about it. Apparently they've increased their product line to include different varieties and one that is called the Professionals shampoos that claim to be salon worthy of using. I went to my local department store, browsed the different shampoos, saw the Suave brand and looked around at all the many choices that it had to offer.

I needed a shampoo that could do the following:

-be used everday (not just a clarifying shampoo)

-contain both a shampoo + conditioner (to save money and space =) )

-not gunk up my hair throughout the day

-be used on my hair-type (combo oily + thick/fine)

-provide a nice clean finish

-smell nice

-be able to last several days without making my hair super oily

I ended up picking the Suave Professionals 2 in 1 Plus Shampoo that containes a pH balance to cleanse and condition the hair. I didn't remember seeing a review on this, but just thought I'd try it out because the brand itself got a lot of positive reviews.

I used this after I went for a run (my hair oily and sweaty). While lathering it into my hair, the smell of it smelled really nice! After I showered i didn't notice any much difference because my hair was still wet. But once it dried throughout the day....WOW. My hair felt soft, extremely clean, smelled good, was manageable, and most importantly felt healthy!

The Break-down:

Price- very affordable! I bought mine at around $2 from Don Quijote (they mostly retail for about the same at Wal-Mart too)

Quality- silky, much like a lot of the shampoos i've used before like Pantene Pro V, lathers well into your scalp creating a nice foaming sensation releasing the shower clean aroma smell. The bottle contains 14.5 FL OZ.

Packaging- no fancy packaging, its a flip-top cap, in a slender teal plastic bottle. FYI the picture of this shampoo above is different from the one I have (they must've changed the design recently)

Effectiveness- like I mentioned earlier, it gave my hair a refreshing clean that lasts for several days until I wash my hair again. You begin to see results once your hair dry's off, and I believe for me, repairs my dull, flat, hair and gives it more body and shape! I have a tendency to touch my hair a lot when its soft and that usually ends up making my hair oilier too soon, but I don't get that with this shampoo.

Final thoughts-

overall I really like this shampoo. It comes made with conditioner and can be used everyday! If your the type that doesn't wash their hair everyday, this shampoo will make your hair feel awesome and clean for several days. It also has that pH balance that gets your hair back to its original chemistry; being exposed to the pollutants and chemicals in our atmosphere throughout the day can really effect the look and feel of your hair. You can use this shampoo for any hair type as well, you don't need to pay so much on a small necessity that gives the same results (or better) than expensive brands. I give this shampoo a 5/5 :D

Drugstore SHOCKER. Women pay up to 50% more on similiar items than Men

2010-02-14T12:37:00.001-08:00

Drugstore Items are Costlier for Women

Men pay up to 50% less for very similar products

By ConsumerReports.org

Roam any drugstore and you'll see products that seem to be twins, except for one thing: One is for women, the other for men. We discovered that products directed at women — through packaging, description, or name — might cost up to 50 percent more than similar products for men.

Shaving cream

We found Barbasol Original or Soothing Aloe for men at 15 cents per ounce, Barbasol's Pure Silk for women at 26 cents per ounce. "Pure Silk costs about 30 to 40 percent more to manufacture," says Jill Crumbacher, product manager for Perio, the company behind both. "Because 80 percent of women shave in the shower, we wanted to make a can with an aluminum bottom that wouldn't rust like the Barbasol container." The Pure Silk can also costs more to manufacture because it is "tall and thin rather than short and squatty," she says. And the women's product has more fragrance.

Antiperspirant

Degree men's and women's products have the same percentage of the same active ingredient, yet spokeswoman Gloria Delgadillo, of Weber Shandwick, a public relations firm for Degree, says, "They are completely different formulations." At the stores where we shopped, women paid a slight premium: For $3.59, they got 2.6 ounces; men got 2.7 ounces.

Pain reliever

Each "express gel" of Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Complete Menstrual contains 250 milligrams of aspirin, 250 mg of acetaminophen, and 65 mg of caffeine. But Excedrin Menstrual cost 50 cents more at Walgreens. Julie Masow, spokeswoman for Novartis Consumer Health, Excedrin's parent, says it was Walgreens' decision, noting the suggested retail price for the products was the same.

Eye revitalizer

"Makes tired eyes look refreshed," reads the label on Neutrogena's Hydrating Eye Reviver for men. Its doppelganger, Ageless Essentials Continuous Hydration Eye, has some of the same key ingredients but takes a softer approach: "Refresh the delicate eye area to reveal healthy, luminous, younger-looking eyes." Asked why our eyes saw a $5 price difference, public relations director Leila Meresman downplayed any similarity. Ageless Essentials is a "water-in-oil" emulsion; Hydrating Eye Reviver is an "oil-in-water" emulsion. "These emulsion technologies have distinct skin feel attributes resulting in different aesthetics to satisfy demands of different consumers," Meresman says.

Body wash

Nivea for men comes in mint or menthol. Bottles are labeled "Cool," "Energy," and such. Nivea women's washes include "Touch of Happiness" and sell for $2 more at Walgreens. "Our women's product," says Thurid Kahl, marketing manager for Nivea maker Beiersdorf, "has skin-sensation technology, which is costlier to make. Women told us they wanted a foaming action, and we developed a formula that nicely foams rather than clumping together."

Schick Quattro razor blades

The basic blades for both genders are virtually identical in performance and features, a customer service representative said. They should be priced similarly, says Jackie Burwitz, a spokeswoman for Energizer, Schick's parent. Still, we found a four-pack of replacement blades for women selling at CVS for 50 cents more than the same four-pack of blades for men.

Bottom line

Try ignoring gender labeling and buy the cheaper version. "You're paying for the perceived value of the package," says Allan Gorman, owner of Brandspa, a company that helps make brands more desirable. "Can you really tell the difference? Most of us can't."

The Alternative Baking Company (ABC)

2010-02-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Imagine biting into the most delictable, soft, sweet cookie you could ever imagine. Mmmm...nom nom nom :D Well imagine that cookie didn't contain any dairy, egg, trans fat, hydrogenated oils, or any animal ingredients! What kind of cookie is that?! That, is the new alternative cookie made by the Alternative Baking Company! A California corporation established in 1995, they are dedicated to helping make the dairy and meat industries obsolete by providing gourmet quality, vegan alternatives to traditional baked goods. They have a line of wheat-free cookies as well, use all things organic, and make them in small batches to deliver quality fresh tasting cookies that are good for you :)Their cookies are available in thousands of health food stores across the country, and also in many mainstream grocery stores, convenience stores, and coffee shops. Probably the best thing about these cookies is the variety of flavors they come in: Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Decadence, Espresso chip, Lemon Poppyseed, Peanut Butter Persuasion, Phenomenal Pumpkin Spice, Outrageous Oatmeal Raisin, Cranberry Orange, Mac the Chip, and Snickerdoodle! My favorites are the poppyseed, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, and chocolate chip (of course). But all of them are equally satisfying. I've never been disapointed by any of their products.
I believe in their mission to abolish the meat industry and believe in creating food made from all-natural, organic, no pesticides, animal-anythings. Our generation has lapsed into consuming food that has either killed us, or released a slew of infectious diseases. Choose a different way of living. Eat smart. And look toward the alternative :)

A razor that has the "Edge"

2010-02-12T01:55:00.000-08:00

I've gone through so many bad shavers in my day, and honestly didn't know if there was one good razor made for women! The Venus Gillette shavers I've used sucked ass (pardon my wordage), and I always thought that a man's razor would be too harsh on my skin. But after having to shave, and shave, and shave, day after day, the stubble just wouldn't go away! And all I was left with (and still have) is bad razor shadow :-( I was highly considering investing in an epilator after seeing Pursebuzz's video on it, but couldn't bring myself to spend $60-$100. A couple of weeks ago I read on a blogger's site that one of her favorite shavers to use was the Gillette Fusion razor! I was puzzled that she was using a "mens-preffered" shaver. But after thinking about it, I decided that using a guy's shaver wouldn't be so bad. So I purchased the Gillette Fusion razor at my local store for the sale price of $7.99! I took a shower when I got home and used this razor. OMG only one swipe on my underarm and it gave me the closest, cleanest shave I've had in SO long! I was speechless. This razor comes with two shaver re-fills, and a stable dock to hold the razor when your not using it. The colors were very appealing and there were other colors that this model came in as well; I just picked the blue and silver one. If you like the vibration of a razor, this model does come with a battery-operated version as well! So ladies, its okay to experiment with a guy's razor if you feel that you aren't getting an adequate shave from your little daisy dispensable razor. :P And a close shaving razor is a major plus if you have body hair that grows fast.

~Happy Shaving! n_n

Update

2010-02-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

Ok. This layout is pretty much what i'm set on. I don't know why i always have this urge to change my layouts around all the time?! I'm still discovering the new layout/template formats that are new to Blogger; I like switching things up from time to time so I don't lose interest in my blog :)
Yay! I'm still working on the little details to this site, so please be patient. Other than that I'll have some more fun interesting posts coming soon!

2010-02-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

I'm going through some site maintanance right now. In the process of installing a new layout for a new look. Please return soon for more updates!

~Becky

2010-02-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

Here's an article from Yahoo that I found pretty interesting. I always knew the FDA never cared about anything other than making money rather than our personal health. *i fixed my Acai Bowl pic in my Lanikai blog post. Sorry about the theft lol.

Don't be misled by these food label tricks

By Dan Shapley

Posted Wed Feb 3, 2010 11:40am PST

Related topics: Health, Food and Drink, Shopping

Made with whole grains

You're standing in the grocery aisle, faced with a choice. On the one hand, there are the Thomas' English Muffins of your youth: White and filled with nooks and crannies practically screaming to be filled with pools of melted butter. On the other: Thomas'Hearty Grains English Muffins, which are "made with the goodness of whole grains." You reach, somewhat grudgingly, for the healthy option, since experts tell you that 50% of your grains should be whole grains.

What you don't realize is that unbleached wheat flour is the main ingredient; whole wheat flour is the third on the list, "indicating that the product contains relatively little," according to the CSPI.

Once again, one truth -- the presence of whole grains -- masks another, that whole grains make up an insignificant portion of the food.

Some products that trumpet their whole-grain credentials (like Keebler's Zesta saltine crackers) use caramel to mimic the brown color that results from the use of whole grains. In fact, the CSPI notes that these crackers have almost as much salt as whole grains. Other purportedly healthy crackers have more sugar than whole wheat.

So much for healthy whole grains (or truth in advertising).

Ingredients

What could be more straight-forward than ingredient lists? So you might think, but there's a lot of room for deception and misdirection in the average ingredient list, which lists ingredients in order from most to least.

Exhibit A from the CSPI: the Tasty Living Mocha Cherry Double Chocolate Layer Cake. The first ingredient is enriched wheat flour.

This cake must be sort-of nutritious, since it's mostly made out of nutritious wheat flour, right? Sorry, but the biggest ingredient in this cake is sugar, as the CSPI points out. How is it possible?

Just add up all the sugars that go by different names: sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and white grape juice concentrate. Boom! This cake is nearly one-third sugar.

The CSPI argues that U.S. nutrition labels and ingredient lists should be more consumer friendly. By grouping major ingredients and separating minor ingredients, we'd all be better able to make smarter purchases.

Which can of diced tomatoes is 60% tomato and 40% water, and which is 70% tomato? How much fruit is actually in that fruity-looking "health" bar? Right now, there's no way to know ... without a chemistry kit.

Serving size

A 20-oz. soda fits easily in your hand, fits easily in your car's cup holder, and might even come free with a sandwich at the local deli. But even if a reasonable person might perceive that bottle as a single-serving delivery system, there are 2.5 official servings in there, meaning 100 calories per "serving" ... but 240 calories per bottle.

While major soda bottlers have begun spelling out this single-serving conundrum to the junk food-consuming public, most serving-size calculations are based on standards developed decades ago!

Just try to remember the size of the sodas and popcorn customarily dolled out in 1977 at the drive-in, compared to today at the megaplex, and you get a sense for how much our sense of portion proportion has gone out of whack (er, changed) in the last generation.

And yet, the serving-size data on our foods reflect a ~~slimmer~~ more restrained era, when an 8-oz. soda was a weekly treat, not a single glug between fistfuls of Cool Ranch Doritos (serving size: 11 chips).

How many people do you know restrain themselves to 11 chips? Or to a 1/2 cup of ice cream? Or a single cup of cooked pasta?

Omega 3

Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential component of a healthy diet, but that doesn't mean every product emblazoned with the word is a healthy source of it.

The FDA allows certain foods that are rich in two of the omega-3 fatty acids to advertise that they can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, but only if they're also low in saturated fats or other risk factors.

Which is why many eggs and some walnuts use this bit of marketing misdirection: The packaging has the phrase "omega 3," but nothing specifically about heart health, according to the CSPI.

The FDA specifically prohibited eggs from carrying the "qualified health claim" linking omega-3 fatty acids to heart health because eggs are high in cholesterol; it ruled out walnuts because the omega-3 fatty acid found in the nuts isn't one of the two that has been linked to heart health.

These products, and others, dance around the truth and the law by simply stating that they contain omega 3s, which bathes the food in a healthy light they don't necessarily deserve.

Made with real fruit

Hey wow! That candy has real fruit in it. It must be good for my kid.

The marketing around "real fruit" is so egregious that, for many shoppers, it doesn't pass the sniff test. But we all get weak-kneed when faced with something potentially yummy, so let's take a look at some of those misleading marketing techniques.

Case-in-point: Gerber Fruit Juice Treats for Preschoolers. Its package blooming with pictures of ripe oranges, raspberries, cherries, peaches, grapes, and pineapple, its only fruit-like ingredient is fruit juice concentrate, which the Dietary Guidelines for Americans considers just another form of sugar.

Not surprisingly, the primary ingredients are also sugar and ... well, sugar (corn syrup). It's candy.

Similarly, Betty Crocker Strawberry Splash Fruit Gushers says it's made with real fruit, but the only thing approximating fruit is pear concentrate (sugar) with Red No. 40 for "strawberry" color. Overall, the gushers are half sugar (a.k.a., candy).

Bottom line: If you want real fruit, buy real fruit. If you want candy, buy candy.

(And watch out for the same tricky marketing used on supposedly vegetable-rich products like Knorr Pasta Sides Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine. As the CSPI points out, there's more salt than broccoli in this pasta dish. Of course, it isn't called Chicken Salt Fettuccine ... because presumably no one would buy it.)

Zero trans fat

Like some kind of Frankenstein's monster, we stagger down the grocery aisles, arms outstretched, growling, "Trans fats bad!" And yes, they are bad.

After numerous studies showed that these fats boost "bad" LDL-cholesterol levels and lower "good" HDL-cholesterol counts (they've been called "the most potent type of fatty acid in terms of increasing the risk of coronary heart disease"), the U.S. required companies to disclose trans fat content in their foods.

But it's marketers who made our modern Frankenstein mutter: While some companies reformulated their products to reduce the use of risky fats, many just replaced trans fats with saturated fats.

These reformulated foods are basically just as bad, but they scream one truth: "0 trans fats!" to obscure another: "Still bad for your heart!"

Free range eggs

Ah, the idyllic red barn. The rays of sunshine streaming over the hillside. You feel good buying those "free range" eggs knowing that the chickens tasked with producing those little protein-filled shells lived happy cage-free lives. The sunny label says so.

But the few extra cents you plunk down for the "free range" eggs might be paying a savvy marketer, rather than an ethical farmer, because the government doesn't regulate the use of the phrase "free range" or "cage free" on eggs.

Legally speaking, it's meaningless, according to Consumer Reports' Eco Label Decoder.

The Department of Agriculture does have rules for use of the term on poultry. It means chickens must be granted the luxury of exactly five minutes of "access" to the outdoors everyday, a token prize for a short dirty life that can also include an unceremonious severing of the beak, wing-to-wing crowding in a shed that's more hangar than coop, and more chicken poop than you ever want to contemplate while planning a meal.

Those eggs you buy may have been raised ethically, with room enough for hens to roam the yard and peck contentedly at the dirt. But there's no guarantee in the "free range" label.

Fiber

Fiber is fiber is fiber. Right? Who would have any reason to think otherwise?

You might if you knew the fibers advertised in many foods are mainly "purified powders" called inulin, polydextrose, and maltodextrin, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

These "isolated" unnatural fibers are unlikely to lower blood cholesterol or blood sugar, as other fibers can, and two of the three won't even "help with regularity," says the CSPI.

"Currently, fiber is being added to foods such as ice creams, yogurts, juices, and drinks so that manufacturers can brag about their fiber content," the group contends. "But these products do not contain the traditional sources of fiber associated with a variety of health benefits."

There may be nothing harmful about maltodextrin, (made from corn, wheat, rice, or potato starch), polydextrose (made from glucose and sorbitol), or inulin (a carbohydrate derived mostly from chicory roots and other plant roots). But these ingredients act more as low-calorie filling agents (and high-value marketing agents) than proven health agents.

For the real thing in fiber, look for foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans.

Tastes like medicine!

Food isn't medicine ... or is it? Certain micronutrients, after all, can prevent diabetes, cure cancer, make you smarter, improve your sex life, polish your furniture, and more...

In truth, the FDA allows food manufacturers to make certain pre-approved "qualified health claims" about the health benefits of nutrients in food, but only if those foods meet a range of healthy criteria, like low fat, cholesterol, and sodium content. But, according to the CSPI, marketers have stretched this inch into a long mile.

For instance, food makers can't say that their product "helps reduce the risk of heart disease" without FDA approval, so they say that it "helps maintain a healthy heart." That's why several public health groups, including the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, have voiced concern about this trend.

In the most famous recent example, the FDA stopped General Mills from labeling Cheerios with cholesterol reducing claims it wouldn't allow on some prescription drugs. Another, which the California attorney general helped stamp out, was the Kellogg's claim that its children cereals "support your child's immunity" because, even though some are 40% sugar, they are fortified with vitamins.

"While a severe deficiency in those vitamins could interfere with the proper functioning of the body’s immune system (and any other system), there is no evidence that Cocoa Krispies actually improves a children’s immune status or wards off disease," CSPI argues. But Kellogg's is far from alone.

Even as Kellogg's stopped that line of marketing, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice, Juicy Juice Berry Beverage, Nestlé's Carnation Instant Breakfast, and Kraft's Crystal Light all make similar claims.

Other foods make claims about boosting your kid's intelligence (Juicy Juice), protecting healthy joints (orange juice), and improving heart health (Quaker Cinnamon and Spice Instant Oatmeal, which is almost one-third sugar).

Bottom line: Food is food, not medicine.

Lanikai Juice!

2010-02-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Where fruit is concerned Lanikai Juice is king. We have pioneered the juice bar industry; serving up the freshest, most delicious and nutritious smoothies, bowls and juices on the Island for Hawaii and the world.

Theres nothing like indulging in an awesome organic and fresh made smoothie to cool you off in Hawai'i. Luckily this Kailua establishment is now available in Kahala! If your looking for some extra energy to boost you up for a pre-workout, or looking to cool down after one, come visit the store! There are many awesome variety's to choose from. They don't only serve smoothies, but are well known for pioneering the Acai Bowl tradition in Hawai'i (yeah that's right, even before Jamba Juice). Here is the menu! A few of my favorites are the Kailua Monkey, Strawberry Shaka, Ginger Ono (for those days you kind of feel under the weather), and of course the Acai Bowl.

Lanikai gives you a lot more product for your money. The fruit is always fresh, hand-picked by the store owner Pablo Gonzalez, and extra sweet. If you've stopped by the Niketown Run Club in Waikiki before, you will probably know that all the post-run refreshments were donated by Lanikai Juice! I instantly fell in love with the sweet pineapple..mmmm =D

AND for the month of February, the Kahala location will be offering 20% off discount specials on smoothies, juices, and Acai Bowls (except the Extravaganza Bowl)!!! Yay for discounts! This will be going on Mon-Fri 7am-9am & 2pm-5pm. Exclusions apply (No substitutions, modifications ie: extra granola/honey,etc) Don't miss it. Do something good for your body, and enJoy the experience of FRESH PURE HAWAIIAN goodness :)

Watch the KHON t.v special on the new Kahala location here

My First LUSH Experience!

2010-01-09T22:37:00.000-08:00

If you've ever been to Ala Moana center mall and have walked on the ground level near the food court or Slipper House side, chances are you've smelled an interesting, yet poignant smell lingering in that area. Its not a bad smell at all, just pretty overwhelming because its coming from the soap store called LUSH. Known for being an enviromentally friendly, vegan, all-natural, handmade soap company, this store prides itself on delivering amazing bath & body products made from the most simple of ingredients. When I walked into the store I honestly had no idea what to expect when I noticed the wide range of bar soaps, jar soaps, bath bombs, gift sets, glittery-looking dessert inspired soaps, and the sale (buy1 get 2 free) that was going on. I glanced over at the home-made jar soaps and the sale associate was enlightening me with her LUSH knowledge. I was looking for something as a gift for my boyfriend's friends, and I wasn't sure what soap or scent she would like. I was impressed with how some of the soaps were made; what some of the ingredients do for your skin, and I actually loved the smell of some of them. I spent a LONG time deciding, and finally settled for the sale items: 3 subtly sweet apple scented bath bombs, and 3 soaps that were sale items: Porridge, "Ice Blue", and Almond Frosting?.
I was soo excited to try out one of the bath soaps I reserved for myself ( Ice Blue ). BUT, when i opened the package...the sales associate packed me the WRONG SOAP! I knew something didn't smell right when I smelled the package because I was expecting to smell the minty scent from the Ice Blue, but I ended up with some creamy scented bath bar =( Part of me wanted to exchange the soap for the intended soap i wanted, but a part of me also wanted to give my current soap a try. I'm ok with the smell, it makes my skin all nice and soft feeling, and in the end, i guess i'm content with how everything worked out.The next time i visit the store, i want to get the cherry blossom scented bath bomb- Sakura Bomb, and facial cleansers, and I'm also interested in trying out one of those jell-o looking soaps that you can use as shampoo!

The prices are a little high, but if you take advantage of the sales and consider that all the ingredients are all natural and homemade, its worth the price in the end.
Go check out the website Lush.com and visit the nearest store in your area

~Thanks for reading and have a great day :)

REVLON mini Haul!!!!

2010-01-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

So my first cosmetic purchases of 2010 are BOMB! I am in love love love with this new eyeliner!!!!

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen

I was scoping out Longs Drugs store (Ala Moana) the other day and noticed a massive price reduction on all REVLON items. I saw this eyliner pen for at least $2 cheaper than normal price and contemplated REALLY HARD if I should have gotten it. I've heard good things about this and I saw EmilyNoel23 on YouTube use it and it looked awesome, so i gave in and bought it. OMG , before putting it on my eyes I tested it on my hand and 1) it didn't smudge, 2) glided on smoothly (kinda like a sharpie), and 3) dried quickly. The tip isn't flimsy or messy, if you make a mistake it comes off super easily with just water, AND it's waterproof! Ahhh, my dream eyeliner I've been waiting for!!! ^_^ ***** I give this product a 10/10. Try it!

In addition to the eyeliner pen, I picked up two REVLON nailpolishes that were also on sale!

This coral looking peach color in Make Mine Mango 920

and a darker deep violet color in Bewitching Bordeaux 906

I haven't tried out these yet, but I recommend Revlon nailpolishes from past colors I've used.

SALE Alert!

KMart Nimitz has a bunch of stuff on clearance! Cosmetics as low as 50% off!

Ok. Thats all I got for now! I already splurged the day I bought these, and then some. So till I get more money or something awesome comes around I'll keep you posted. My next post will be on the new LUSH soaps I purchased! Keep checking back for more updates!

~Mahalo Nui Loa~

Try these foods

2010-01-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

One of the more popular new year resolutions that people tend to make for themselves is to lose weight and eat healthier. I believe that eating healthy should ALWAYS be priority if you care about your health. But weening off those holiday sweets can be a little difficult, so I have some tips to share in or order for those of you out there working hard at getting in shape and losing some of that excess weight :)

Lemon Water

Lemon peel contains pectin, a soluble fiber that has been shown to help with weight loss. Add an ounce of lemon juice and some zest to each of your eight daily glasses of water (which will help you feel fuller).

Red Grapefruit

One study found that people who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost 3.6 pounds over 12 weeks, while those who drank grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. The red variety has more of the cancer-protecting antioxidant lycopene

-Women's Health Magazine

Muscle Recovery

Starting to excercise again after a long hiatus can be both invigorating and painful. Your working muscles and re-awaking ones that haven't been stretched in a long time. So how do you help your sore muscles recover after a long hard workout? Muscles need adequate rest and protein in order to feel normal again. Eating protein at least 30mins after you excercise will aid in helping muslce fibers re-build itself, as well as give you a little energy boost! I recommend eating any lean meat (chicken, fish, turkey,etc). So before you go driving over to the nearest Jamba Juice to get a post-workout smoothie, make sure you eat something that isn't so full of sugar. ICE. No, no, not the drug, the kind you freeze out of water. This will speed up your recovery time for any painful muscle discomfort or ailment. Just grab a frozen pack and place it on the effected area for 15-20mins. Or if you still want to get a cardio workout in, but you feel too sore to do anything on land, resistance training can help! Jump in a nice cool pool or ocean, swim or aqua jog! The cool water will help your body recover and its great for those with sprains or fractures that need to stay off their feet as well. ^_^

~ Good luck*

2K10

2010-01-01T23:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2010

Ahh, another year has come and gone, and now we all get a new start, another chance, a new beginning, a new year. I hope 2009 gave all of you new ideas, gifts, memories, and opportunities. I didn't make a list of resolutions for this year because to me I feel that if I can't keep them I let myself down, and it becomes a total waste. So what I do is just make a mental note of things that I want to get done, things I want to do and still haven't done yet, try something new, meet new people (i always hope for this every year), and hope for prosperity and see my relationships grow with the ones I love. ^_^

So far I've been channeling my 'adventuresome' side and have been engaging in active adventures with my new adventure buddy Charlene! Last week we kayaked out to the mokes (mokuleias- tiny islands off the shore of kailua) hiked around the entire island (very risky, but awesome stuff), played some vollyball, chilled out on the sand, and got some long over-due tanning taken care of. I've been dying to kayak to the mokes ever since I graduated high school and unfortunatey its taken me this long to do it! I had a blast that day. Today me and Marlon hiked up Koko Head all the way to the top, and got a great view of the east side of the island. This hike was a challenge if your not that in-shape. Marlon is scared of heights, so it filled me with such happiness to see him overcome it so well and make it all the way to the top. It was a great way to spend the first day of the new year :) Next up I am hiking up Stairway to Heaven! I'm so stoked to be doing all of this cool stuff lately. I need this kind of adventure and motivation in my life and luckily I found it in a new friend. I'll try out my surfing skills, get my long runs back on track, maybe go camping, and possibly get a new job. 2010 looks like its going to be a cool year of adventures and excitment. Yay! From my family to yours, happy holidays*

The top of Koko Head overlooking Hawaii Kai

2009-12-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

Online shopping & some favorite sites of mine :)

2009-12-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

So the christmas season is upon us! Lots of holiday shopping is being done and I'd say I'm about 40% finished with mine. I still need to get my bf, his family, my family, and some little side stuffers just in-case I miss anyone ;)

Ugh, so whats been irking me about the online shopping lately is how gay the shipping rates have been on some sites that I've been browsing. Take for example Beautycrunch.com. Great site for discounted beauty products from top brands like Stila, Two-Face, Pixi, etc But, since I live in Hawaii, the shipping charges are bound to be more than the continental U.S, I just didn't know that this site would add a surcharge of $25 to it! $25 just for ground shipping! Absurd! If you live in places like Hawaii or Alaska, its definetly NOT worth it to buy from this online company; you end up paying the REGULAR PRICE if you buy it online. Its not a deal if you think about it. :-( Bummer

Tips for online shopping

*Check the shipping info first before adding items to your basket/shopping cart. It eliminates getting your hopes up finding out that shipping costs too much, or they don't ship to your country/state.

*Site security. VERY IMPORTANT. You want to check if the site you are purchasing from is secure and legit before giving your credit card information online. There are a lot of hackers and scammers out there so be careful to note if there is a little Site Security Lock tag visible on the page and if the little 'lock' icon comes up on the corner of your page.

*Browse clearance items before the regular priced items. You never know what good products just got reduced!

*If you have a coupon code, use it.

°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤øº¤ø¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ø¤º°¨¨¨°º¤ø¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø,º¤ø ¸„ø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø ø¤º°¤ø ¸„ø

Some fun sites that I like to look at a lot

Tofugirls

really cute site; similiar to Tokidoki

Pursebuzz

Such a cute woman! I love watching all of her videos and browsing her site. She has been such a wonderful inspiration to a lot of girls that now do their own beauty tutorials on youtube. Check her out.

Makeupalley

What can I say, every girl's must go-to review site on all things beauty and fashion =-)

Real Simple

I first glanced at this magazine at Barnes and Noble bookstore and I just couldn't put it down! This publication and website have some of the best ideas for salvaging your odds n ends. Many great ideas and tips , recipes, fashion, entertaining,etc. I recommend you take a glance at this when you have the time.

Thanks for reading! Happy holidays ^_^v

Top foods for healthy skin

2009-12-04T00:12:00.000-08:00

Having beautiful skin starts from the inside-out. You can buy the most expensive facial and skin care products in the world, but your inner health is what will ultimately make, or break you out. lol

Olive Oil

Olive oil has a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidative substances. Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against heart disease. Because it is less processed, Extra Virgin Olive Oil contains higher levels of antioxidants and vitamin E.

Green Tea / Black Tea

Drinking green tea lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol and improves good (HDL) cholesterol.

Soy

Soybeans and soy foods contains high levels of important nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin B , fiber, and high quality protein,
You can reduce your risks of breast, colon, lung, prostate and several types of cancer if you eat soy regularly.

Ginger

Ginger is known to aid circulation by helping the body sweat, why else do people recommend ginger for colds and flu? Studies have shown that Ginger helps reduce heart disease. If you have nausea or if you are vomiting, take some ginger.

Garlic

Garlic (especially aged garlic ) has a powerful antioxidant effect. Antioxidants are known to protect the body against damaging "free radicals".

Cranberry Juice

Cranberry juice is known to treat urinary tract, bladder and kidney infections. It has high doses of natural vitamins and minerals, dietary fiber, antioxidants and nutrients that helps to protect you against heart disease and cancer.

Oats

Oats have the highest soluble fiber than all other grains. Some of the benefits include lowering cholesterol and helps sooth the digestive process.

Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash is rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Vitamins A and C are powerful antioxidants that remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals are chemicals that damages cells.

Cherry Tomatos

They're tiny, but are jammed packed with vitamin C and vitamin A and fiber and are fun to snack on.

Milk

A delicous way to get your daily dose of calcium, vitamins, and protein without the high contents of fat and cholesterol. Soy milk can be just as nutritious, just be sure the company fortifies it. And don't forget yogurt!

Broccoli

Broccoli is packed with vitamin C, vitamin A , calcium, and fiber. Also, broccoli is a great substutite for people who do not drink milk. It may not have as much calcium as milk, but it's better to receive small amounts of calcium than no calcium at all.

Salmon

What makes salmon so good for you? The omega-3 fats , it can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. Fatty fish like salmon that is caught wild has less contaminants than farmed salmon.

Crisp Breads

Crisp breads or whole grain rye crackers are loaded with fiber and are fat free.

Brown Rice

White rice is nutritionally weak because it has been processed and refined. When the grain is refined, you lose the fiber, magnesium, vitamins E, vitamin B-6, copper and zinc that are in the whole grain.

Orange

A delicious way to get your daily dose of Vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber. Vitamin C helps your immune system!

Blueberries

Yummy and rich in Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidents. Also a great addition to your morning breakfast!

Spinach

Spinach is packed with vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, magnesium, iron, and many more goodness for your health.

And don't forget!

Drink water!

H20 will aid in flushing out unwanted chemicals, hydrate your entire body, and make you more alert during the day. Carry a portable water bottle around with you and take frequent sips. This is especially important if you live in a warm climate. Re-fill your water bottle as needed and you won't get dehydrated :)

Cheers, to beautiful and healthy looking skin!

2009-11-24T22:42:00.000-08:00

Hey, sorry I've been so MIA lately; Its close to finals week, and its the holidays, so it's been a little crazy.

HAHAHA LMAO! Ok, omg this girl that I happened to stumble upon on youtube who does make-up stuff is HILARIOUS. Not trying to be mean or anything, I acknowledge that she is a racial kid growing up in the sticks somewhere in the south, and I know she's not doing it on purpose, but DAMN is she a kick! Just watch some of her videos (the skincare routine one is pretty good) Her accent is too funny!!! XD Check her out here. Good stuff. She's pretty good at putting on makeup, and very entertaining as well.

Maybelline Reviews

Full n Soft waterproof mascara

*I was really looking forward to purchasing this mascara after watching Michelle Phan's drugstore review on it. The main things that I need from a mascara are: lightness, some lengthening, no clumping/flaking/smudging, no brittle feeling, and some good seperation between the lashes. I did not get all of those things from this mascara. For the longest time I didn't want to buy mascara's because they did all of those things to me. I hate having smudged eyeliner/mascara at the end of the day (who doesn't). But after I apply my eyeshadow, i feel like I'm missing something. So I apt for using a clear mascara, but missed out on the color.

*The wand is really nice. When I first applied it on my lashes, it instantly did its job at seperating, lengthening, and not smudging. It also made my lashes feel soft and not hard and brittle! I LOVED that part of this product hearts;

*Taking off the mascara isn't too bad if you have a good eye makeup remover

Rating: 5 out of 5

Will use again: Yes

Color Sensational Lipstick

I picked up the one in Nearly There (part of the naturals collection) and overall I enjoy it. I'm not too picky when it comes to lipstick/lipgloss, just as long as they don't dry my lips out I'm fine with it. I like to pair this lipstick with my Maybelline lipgloss in Toffeelicious? ; a similiar shade, just to make my lips more bright and wet feeling. I don't think this lipstick lasts all day for me, so you might need to reapply it throughout the day. The smell however is really strong. I personally don't have a problem with waxy, chemical smelling cosmetics, but if your nose is really sensitive to these types of smells, I don't reccomend this lipstick. It almost sort of smells like...playdough.

Rating: 4/5

Will buy again?: sure, maybe (I'm pretty open-minded at trying different lipsticks though)

2009-11-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

I'm flipping through a new Avon book I happen to have recieved in the mail today, and I come across a page for colored mascara. They show a black n white view of someone's eye and the colored mascara shown in its true color. The only thing that came to my mind was that "I hate colored mascara". I think its okay when your going for a super hyped up look, but for everyday casual use, I don't think it works so much. Sorry, just voicing my opinion. =) no hate.

Ok, so I purchased the Maybelline Full n Soft waterproof mascara and a Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Nearly There. LOVE THEM BOTH. They were a BOGO 50% off at Walgreens. I’m going to put an in-depth review of them on MUA and probably a short review on here.

Mini Haul

2009-11-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

As I wait for my mild fever to subdue, I thought I'd take a few products that I got yesterday, and review them! ^_^

E.L.F Studio Powder Brush

This taklon brush is AWESOME. I give em two thumbs up! d^.^b I couldn't stop stroking the bristles on this thing since I opened it. I used it this afternoon with my Physician's Formula setting powder and it worked amazing. By far my favorite, I'm glad I don't have to scavange for a good brush, and this costs only $3.00.

Wet n Wild Tinted Moisturizer in Sun Kissed

Thank you katie for pushing this tinted moisturizer on me :) I was hesitant on purchasing a tinted moisturizer because I didn't know which one would be the best for me (and if it would give me adequate coverage), but at such a great deal, Wet n Wild's tinted moisturizers work very well! I used this today and was pleasantly suprised on the coverage it gave me, how light it felt, and how evenly it matched my skintone. I am becoming kind of tired of my Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation already, and thankfully, this is a great shift into me using something different and a whole lot better. It didn't come off, I had coverage for hours (even after taking a nap), and my face doesn't feel oily at all! YES! This usually costs around $3.99 at your local Walmart, but i'm sure you can get one for much cheaper for a swap.

Sephora's Super Shimmer Lip Gloss in Precious pink

Part of the Super Shimmer Lip Gloss trio from Sephora, I really loved the smell of this. It kind of smells like fruity candy, there are tiny glitter specks in this, small tube, and when applied, it gave my lips a super wet look. Its okay as just a regular lip gloss. Nothing long lasting, need to re-apply throughout the day, but the color looks really cute if your into pink shades.

Okay I still need to review a few more things. But I'll review those in a later post (I need to try it out a little longer). I hope your having a wonderful Sunday weekend, but before I go here's my happy picture of the day! Enjoy.

As she headed for her dreams, she realized she would have to learn about patience-- because this was obviously going to be a long, long journey.

-created by Pretty Day-

2009-11-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Ahh.. so many new products me and HappyGoGirl discussed today! I can't wait to share my reviews on my collection (in a later post). =)

On an inspiration note, here's my happy picture of the day created by Pretty Day

"Your adventure is waiting. Be brave and set sail!"

Beauty Survey!

2009-11-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since i've done one of these. Heres one for beauty and cosmetics ^_^
*FYI, some of these were INCREDIBLY hard to answer

1. what's your favorite beauty store ? Sephora
2. what's your favorite beauty (one for hair, one for makeup) brand ? currently Mop organic shampoo & NYX cosmetics
3. what product do you never leave home w/o ? Body spray or deoderant
4. what's more important : your hair or your makeup ? probably Hair (i hate greasy deshevaled hair)
5. if you could only use 5 products (total not each) for your hair & makeup, what would they be ? Foundation, shampoo, concealer, eyeliner, and my Frederic Fekkai glossing cream
6. which celebrity would you love to have the same hair as ?Alessandra Ambrosio
7. which celebrity would you love to have the makeup as ? Angelina Jolie (her makeup seems really natural and simple)
8. what's the most you've ever spent on one product ? Around $30-$45 ?
9. what's the most you've ever spent at one time on more than one product ? Around $50
10. what color & style (straight, curly, etc.) do you wish your hair was ? Chai chestnut brown & Straight, yet flexible

This week went by sooo fast

2009-11-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

Man I’m so tired. Got done with my second to last anthropology test of the semester, and feel just …ok about it. I honestly don’t know how to study for that class. I got my essay back on cell phones as well, and he claims that I was being fague about my interviews with people, thereby knocking off 4 points and giving me somewhere around an A-? So shitty. I know my expectations seem kind of high right now, but I really want to do well my first semester and my goals are to pass anthro, english, and religion. My art history class is a breeze, so that’s really the least of my problems when it’ll come down to finals time.
Ugh. TIRED. Serves me right for watching He’s Just Not That Into You at 2am. But none the less, it was a pretty good movie (happy ending). Have not purchased any beauty materials lately, mostly been pricing stuff out and christmas shopping in my head of all the items I would like to buy for people. Ahhh, the holidays are almost here!!! I can’t wait to take my long awaited trip with my severance money soon. Gah, I need a vacation after all this school stuff. I really don't want to go to my second class. ::knocks head on table:: This is what happens after you get a holiday during the week and have to go back to school the next day =(

Follow up on NYX cosmetics and Merlot

2009-11-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

After using those amazingly beautiful NYX shadow palettes and the Blush, I am a happily satisfied consumer of the brand. As with many other eyeshadows, I think that the brighter NYX shadow palette colors appear more vivid if wet, when I use them dry, I don't get the full effect (I've mostly used the bright colors during the evening hours/if I'm wearing something that will definitely match it). As for the NYX blush in terra cotta... LOVE IT! I've been searching for the perfect blush for my skin tone, that isn't overly rougey but subtle. The terra cotta color is perfect for me. I'm so happy with it, I have no plans of switching to any other blush at this point in time :D

*UPDATE* As of 11/7 Don Quijote has marked down all NYX cosmetics to 30% OFF! Go get em quick before the sale expires.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Merlot

The famously reviewed moisturizing cream with grape seed extract that's anti-aging, antioxidant, SPF 15 is actually pretty great! Like most reviews of the product state, I've been using this cream for about several weeks right after I cleanse (morning and evening) and it makes my skin so soft and supple and great for applying under my makeup. I think it also has helped in my complexion as well! I don't have much darkness from lack of sleep forming around my eyes as much anymore; it's given me a fresh, clean look that hydrates my skin from the wear n tear of chemicals in the air, plus mine came with the extra 25% more travel size jar, so it does last for a long time. I hope you are enjoying yours as well!

Review score out of 5- 4.4/5 *the packaging for this isn't so sanitary, but this same product does come in a squeeze tube as well.

Have a great day!

30K and more beauty products!

2009-10-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had my long awaited anticipated 18miler race as part of my marathon readiness series. Luckily...I survived! It comes as a big suprise that I enjoyed myself the entire time too. The 15miler that I ran in kailua back in september was excruciating! So for this race I didn't want to feel so shitty like that again. A big helper that boosted my energy the entire way was my iPod touch! I really don't listening to music while I run (it seems to slow me down), but i decided for long runs like these, it's really a BIG help for fighting boredom. I equiped myself with my touch, my visor, a couple of endurance gels, my sunglasses (for when the bright morning sunshine comes up), and my handy-dandy water bottle. The only mistake I made was my choice in shoes. I chose to wear my Nike Pegasus' +25. HUGE mistake because they were a 1/2 size too small, and I knew it. I just wanted to run in them to see how they would feel, and they honestly felt really great and I'm highly considering wearing them in the marathon, but that 1/2 size makes a huge difference. About around the 9th mile or so I could feel the pain beginning to effect my foot, and by the 12th/10th miles of the race I thought my toenail was going to break off. I was scared to take my shoes off afterwards because the thought of blood gushing everywhere was not to0 exciting. But there was no blood, my toenails are still intact, I only got a water blister on my left big toe, but I actually think that that toenail might come off pretty soon. My body is still sore; it hurts to walk, thankfully my personal masseuse (aka- mar) helped get the tightness out of my muscles and they are slowly repairing themselves. Unfortunately, i have my last and final race (13miles) coming up next week saturday *starts to cry* I have no idea how my foot is going to feel, considering its current condition. I think I'll do pretty good in this half because I've race longer distances and maybe i'll push myself a little harder for this one.

_________________

MAKE-UP TIME!!!! ****

So, I've been splurging on cosmetics this past week. Here's what I got:

-Ecotools bamboo blush brush & eye shading brush from Walgreens

-Sonia Kashuk Barely there loose powder foundation in Flesh, and a contouring brush from

Target

-Merlot Natural Grape Seed Moisturizer Antiwrinkle, Antioxidant, SPF 15

- Physicians Formula translucent powder

*-NYX For Your Eyes Only 10-color eyeshadow palette in For Eye color Brown

*-NYX Caribbean Collection 5 Color Shadow set in I Dream of St.Lucia (weird name)

both from Donquijote

I am in LOVE with my new NYX shadow palettes! I swear I spent a good 1hr 1/2 in that store just drooling over the huge variety of NYX cosmetics that they now carry. I'll review all of these in a later post but for now, pictures! :D

Ninniku-ya & Walgreens make-up reviews

2009-10-20T02:55:00.000-07:00

Oh dear god help me! It seems as though the older we all get, the more we eat out; whether it be with family or friends, there is always some kind of gathering happening every week. On sunday, i joined marlon and his friends at the garlic restaurant Ninniku-ya! :D Scoring big points in Honolulu Magazine's review of the top restraunts in hawaii, I read that the prices were a little pricey but the food was good. When you first walk into this restaurant the look of the place is the first thing that attracted me. The garlic house is actually a renovated old house that they re-did and extended the lawn to include their outdoor seating area decorated by neon lights and lots of palm trees, it makes you feel like your at a cross between a resort restaurant and Tommy Bahamas. Looking at the menu, the prices WERE VERY PRICEY. The menu consisted of pastas, fish dishes, garlic rice, appetizers such as crab cakes and calamari. Me and marlon decided to share a dish (which is a smart idea) of the Mushroom pasta and I paired that alongside a glass of their California Zifandel wine for the cheapest price of $6.50. Please note that the very steap prices that I mentioned are actually priced reasonably. When we all got our dishes, the portions were VERY GENEROUS. Pretty much everyone who ordered their own thing had to take it home to finish, while me and marlon finished all of ours :) wasting no money at this place. The wine i had was deee-licious! I've never had a zifandel that tasted that sweet! I recommend taking a look at their wine menu because the wines that they serve are some of the best you'll ever taste. The calamari was good, the seafood risotto was awesome, my mushroom pasta was okay, i wish the garlic sauce didn't dry it out so much though, but none the less our server gave us free garlic bread to go with our meal and that bread was awesome as well. The desert menu was fabulous of course! But next time i have more room in my belly maybe i'll try some of their homemade sorbet or kona coffee ice cream/cheesecake! mmmm ^_^

My ratings (out of 5)~

Food: ****(*) 4.5

Ambiance:***** 5

Price:**** 4

Service: **** (*) 4.5

Would try again: ABSOLUTEY

_________________________

Walgreens make-up reviews:

I've just been dying to buy some new stuff after watching xteener videos and reading about what other people have been getting, I saw a BOGO 50% off advertisement for walgreens and thought that it would be the perfect opportunity for me to finally get some of those things i've been wanting for so long!

I don't know why, but if I go to look for cosmetics the first thing that I dash straight to is the eyeshadows. I'm a big Loreal H.I.P fan, so I purchased one in Flare (recommended by katie). The thing I like about this shade is that the orange-ish color is warm and neutral (a look i usually go for most of the time), and the ivory cream-like shade makes for a great highlight color or inner eye effect. I also purchased the H.I.P jelly balm in Plush to tryout. I love this shade! Besides smelling incredibly candy-sweet, I love applying it, and it makes my lips really soft afterwards. It does require re-applying every so often. It just like any other lip balm; there's no long lasting wear for this, so if your looking for a lip balm that can last up to x-amount of hours, then this may not be what your looking for. Go for either a gloss stick or one of those color-stay products. I purchased a bronzer by Wet n Wild in Sunkissed. This shade is WAY to warm for me. It makes my cheeks look sunburned. I am still looking for a great bronzer that is neutral yet shimmery. I like MAC's bronzers, but with lack there of money, I need to look for other options. Lastly, I decided to buy some eye liners. I got a Almay black eyeliner pencil(comes with sharpener) and a Almay liquid liner. The pencil isn't that bad (don't store this in a hot car, or warm area...it'll melt the tip) but the mistake I made while getting these was that they are NOT smudge/ water proof. So it was a MAJOR dissapointment to me. The liquid liner is probably the biggest regret I made though. The handle is too long to manuever, the packaging of the liquid liner is a seperate bottle, and the brush tip of the applicator doesn't glide that smoothly. =-( Boo.

Ok thats all for now. I purchased more walgreens stuff last night, but will review that in a later post. Till next time!

*~Becky *

2009-10-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Man, yesterday was such a trip. Me and Marlon went to the Food and New Products expo at the Blaisdell. It was pretty cool looking around, sampling foodsies, getting items for cheap kine prices, and seeing new stuff i've never seen before. There was a sampling table for Kai Vodka, so me,mar, and his friends decided to try the lychee and regular flavors. I thought the lychee had a weird after taste, but the regular flavor went down smoothly and would highly recommend alongside other vodka's such as greygoose :) Little later we ventured to Hale's macrobiotic table where Marlon got a Kombucha drink (it had the fermented flavors along with a strong tast of ginger,for kick). I had some of the kombucha and a little later i felt kind of woozy. I dont know, maybe it was the vodka + the kombucha mixtures that didn't settle, or it could've been because i really didnt eat anything that morning and i was in an enviroment with a lot of people. Anyway i felt nauseated afterwards with a linger headache from the day before.

After the expo we all decided to go to cpk for lunch. Me and marlon decided that it would be in our best interest if we split a pizza (thereby splitting the cost), but i guess there was a miscommunication disagreement that happened and I thought he didn't want to eat pizza, so he ordered a sandwich, and i ordered my pizza, asparagus soup, and a peach iced tea. Little later he started yelling at me for not being able to afford all the food i got, and having to cover for me because i short-changed the table and him. I had no idea he was mad the whole time at lunch. But its not his responsibility to always pay for me! I'm independent and am well aware of the fact that money is tight for us both right now, but if i want a peach iced tea and a cup of soup for my lunch DAMNIT I'M GONNA GET IT! I know i have expensive taste now and then, but its my responsibility to pay for my own things/foods. If i need someone to cover for me for the bill, let me know how much i owe u so i can PAY YOU BACK! I really didn't see why he needed to yell or overact about the whole situation. Things like this could've been settled more calmly. But whatevers, we cleared up the whole thing and moved past it. We're supposed to go to Ninniku-ya for dinner tonight. I really don't know how good the food here is (its a garlic house), but i heard prices are on the pricey side. :-/ maybe i'll just get tea and soup. lol.

My employment ends this week friday and afterwards i think i'm gonna file for unemployment. Last night i was up till 1:30am filling out an application for The Body Shop online. IT WAS A WASTE OF MY TIME. I was so dissapointed that after all the information i had to type in, and the dumb personal assesment portion, i got a screen at the end thanking me for applying....HOWEVER they decided to look for more suitable candidates that better fit the position. WTF?! I didn't even get to explain my answeres to an actual LIVE person. Since when does a machine dictate the fate of a potential applicant? :-( Oh well...just wasn't meant to be i guess. The next morning i went onto the nike careers website to see where there are openings around the mainland (not like i'm going to apply there), and saw that Cole Haan (a company that Nike owns) is hiring for seasonal/part time sales help at ala moana center. I applied online as an internal candidate and really can only hope for the best.

2009-10-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hi! Yay! Welcome to yet another one of my handfuls of blogs that I create but have decided to make more public than the rest. I kind of miss having feedback on a blog. Its kind of been a while since I've been on blogger but its nice to vent/write out my thoughts of the day and see what else you all are up to! Hope your doing ass-tastic! lol. Go see the new movie Couple's Retreat, starring Vince Vaughn, Kristin Davis, and many other funny actors. I went to see this last friday and I would give it a 9/10 stars. Great movie to own on DVD if you don't want to fetch out $10 for a movie ticket.

Hmm.. so lately i've been keepin busy; school is manageable, just have term papers to write as of now, other than that it pretty chill. I've been slacking in my running lately. My 30k(18miles) run is next week sunday and i need to prepare for it somewhat. I've pretty much been going into these races unprepared having not done too much mileage beforehand, so my goal for this week is to bust out a long run either 10 or 16 miles from kapiolani to hawaii kai and back before the end of the week.

Last week i attempted my co-worker's yummie blueberry mochi. It tasted really good when she brought it into work one day so i had to ask for the recipe! I made it; still hot, i ate 3 pieces. It was ono! The only bummer was that after only several days (when you refrigerate it) it becomes gritty and urgh, yucky-ish. I want to bake/cook more, but i'm a little rusty getting back into the kitchen.