While my efforts aren’t of Extreme Makeover magnitude, I’ve steadily been fixing up my room. Last month I tossed out a mountain of old clothes I haven’t worn in years and reorganized my closets in an effort that would have made Martha Stewart proud.

Yesterday I gave my room a thorough cleaning and organizing that yielded dust bunnies galore and a stack of empty shoeboxes. After dusting off the tabletops, putting a fresh sheet on the bed, and de-cluttering my dresser, I once again have a tranquil space of my own. The last time I did something of this magnitude was back in 2006! (And what do you know? It was in July as well.)

Voila! I present to you, my sparkling clean room!

No “Before” pics. Those are the stuff of nightmares.

Since I use my room as an office when I write, it’s as though de-cluttering it also de-cluttered my mind. I feel so efficient and creative now!

And speaking of makeovers, look what arrived in the mail:

free samples and catalogue from Ellana Minerals

I ordered some samples from Ellana Minerals on Liz‘s recommendation. It’s just 50 pesos for the shipping and you get two packets of foundation (different shades) and one packet of finishing powder. I can’t wait to try them tomorrow!

Tags: Room Makeover

Did I tell you about the time a friend put my thoughts and picture into her article in Inquirer? It was about high school valedictorians and where they are now. No, I don’t think I ever mentioned it because when that article was published back in 2007, they printed the wrong photo under my name! (It was the author’s photo instead.) And even when the author told them of their mistake, they never rectified the error. Bah.

I bring this up now because I have an article in the Inquirer today (June 27) on pages C1 and C4. It irks me every time I read it, instead of giving me a sense of pride that I’ve finally been published in a mainstream broadsheet.

Okay, I know we’re all supposed to edit before we send copy to our editor, but they’re supposed to catch the small errors and fix them so that the newspaper maintains its grammar and spelling standards, right? They’re supposed to catch the missing article in this sentence: Add the mix local cosplay communities organizing their own conventions and contests, and you have a cosplay boom in the Philippines. It’s two letters. Sigh.

My biggest disappointment in this article is that I was asked to write a sidebar about places to acquire costumes and other accessories. I did my research and sent a beautifully-formatted document to them that clearly defined section headings and the entries under each section. When the article came out, my two costume-makers had been compacted into one entry and my wig suppliers had been placed under Weapons/Armor! That is just plain wrong, not to mention silly.

When I first was given this assignment, it was because I had knowledge about cosplay and the community and would write about the topic with the respect and intelligence it deserved, instead of a “parachute journalist” coming in from outside. Somewhere along the line towards publication, there was a disconnect between that objective and just getting it all into print.

Oh, Inquirer. I expected more from you. But maybe based on my first experience, I shouldn’t have?

Tags: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Erratum, Cosplay

BodyJam 49 poster

If there’s one thing I look for when I go out to the clubs, it’s the music. It has to be good, otherwise it defeats the purpose of why I went out in the first place: to dance. As long as the DJ has that perfect tempo and bass beat going, my body just follows, no matter what genre is playing. But it’s always great when it’s a song I know and love.

The best thing about BodyJam is that every three months we get new music to move to, and more often than not I find those songs playing in the clubs as well. This is genius, since Jam is being marketed to the club-going set: people who might not necessarily want to get fit in a gym dance class, until they hear the club bangers on the speakers.

More than the past releases, BodyJam 48 is attuned to the current club playlists. I have heard “Closer (Stonebridge Club Remix)”, “Krazy”, and “Where’s Your Head At?” every time I’ve been out dancing, and these songs always make the crowd go through the roof! BodyJam 49 promises to be even better.

The weird thing is most of my participants don’t go to clubs; they are moms who just want to bust a move, and are able to shed their inhibitions only on the gym floor. So they don’t necessarily understand the vibe from the songs on their first go, and it’s my job as an instructor to bring that club atmosphere to the gyms. So for my continuing education, I just go out dancing at the clubs. Ü

Whether by design or by accident I’ve always taken the simple approach to skin care. But when I got a chance to check out the Clinique way of doing things, I just had to try it out! Ü Read about my experience on Kikay Exchange: 3 Steps to Great Skin.

…I’ve started to experience my first fine lines under my eyes, dark spots on my face, and dryness and irritation on my forehead. Suddenly a multi-step approach to skin care seems very appealing. But how many steps do you really need? I paid a visit to a special Clinique counter last week to find out.

Tags: Skin Care, Clinique, Kikay Exchange

I just got back from a dental appointment with my uncle. You know, for most people (well, those who can afford to go), trips to the dentist’s chair aren’t so eventful. But if you haven’t been to a dentist since 2006, like I have, it’s definitely newsworthy.

Particularly when you find out almost all your molars have cavities. Not huge ones, but small pinprick holes in the biting surface. Sigh. So I’ve been going to my uncle’s office the past three weeks (excluding Holy Thursday) and we still aren’t done. He says the damage isn’t extensive and I’ve taken pretty good care of my teeth, considering it’s been three years… But it’s still a bummer. The high-pitched whine of a drill doesn’t entice. At least I don’t need to get teeth pulled, and for that I’m thankful. Ü

So, the lesson here, kids, is visit your friendly neighborhood dentist regularly to avoid plaque and tartar build-up, and stop cavities from forming.

Tags: Dental Appointment, Health