My ADVANCE day off and Footwear!

Thursday... And I am calling it advance day off because next week Saturday is supposed to be HOLIDAY and at the same time my normal OFF DAY. But then since the new manager decided that in spite of us achieving the target last month and will be able to achieve the target again this month, the best reward will be taking away our off day next week! With no plans of giving us an off set the following week or the next month. As in NADA! Officially we don't have work today because of the holidays but for me this is already rest day that will be taken away from us next week. And yes I am aware that with my way of writing I'm just going back in circles. Explaining the same thing huh! I'm sorry but I have to rant about it through blog. Through writing to let it off my chest. But at least today I feel much better than yesterday. It sucks that I won't be able to go out but at least I was able to enjoy myself in little ways. So it is not wholly a rant post. A mixture of a little rant and a little happiness. Life is one big drama so one must find happiness even in little ways. 

Yesterday afternoon until today I was able to catch up on watching the current teleserye in the Philippines called On The Wings Of Love. I'm just currently downloading the episode 32 and 33. Haha. Watching the series somehow makes me 'kilig' again. And I can say that it can compete with Koreanovela that the whole world goes gaga for. It has an element of drama but not so heavy. With a bit of comedy. Pacing is fast enough. And some scenes are in line with the current trends/situation. Like the Balikbayan Box issue. I think all Filipinos all over the world knows about this one. If I am not mistaken when Jig's mother came out as a lesbian it was also during the time that the same sex marriage has been approved in the USA. How they portray the lives of OFW's and their families back home is something almost all us can relate. That I find myself crying in some scenes when they were not even crying. Meaning it really touched me. It hit a nerve. I really hope they can sustain it until the end and if the story can't really go farther then finish it off rather that drag it. This is not your usual rich guy meet the poor girl ploy. 

And the lead stars James Reid and Nadine Lustre. I know they are not dating in real life but they have this strong chemistry. I would really love to see them grow as an artists. And have a longevity in their showbiz lives. And after this I hope to see them again in another series. And that's it for now as if I don't want to end up telling the whole story as I know some people/friends/colleagues who haven't seen it yet and I'm convincing them to give it a try. Even if I have to give them a copy of it. 

You pretty much have an idea now how my 2 days passed by. Haven't been able to shop items that I need like my current favorite snack Nutella On The Go or even bring my uniform to the laundry. I will be able to go out tonight just because I'm done watching. Because if there are still available episodes on my laptop I don't think I can have the willpower to move my arse from the bed. And speaking of footwear I realized that compared to 3 or 4 years ago I don't buy much of footwear anymore. These 3 pairs I have are purchased months ago. The wedge one is more than a year old but haven't got the chance to wear them. All are Brazilian brands of shoes and you can trust them. They are affordable (on sale I don't buy when there's no discount) and lasts for years.

I used to be some sort of shoe collector having too many pairs of high heels in my shoe cabinet. But then things changed. I don't have my own family yet but when I set my goal of leaving this place for good I know that I must save all the money I have. And when I do love for shoes is one of the things I let go of. Also at this point of my life and the current situation over here even if I'm not a shopaholic I feel that money is very hard to manage more than ever. So hard that I can't even bring myself to use these new babies. As I doubt I'll be able to afford a new one in the future. Not being pessimistic more on realistic. 

Need to go now. Hopefully one of these days I will be able to tell more about my life here in the desert and why I always say that life is very hard. Or do I still need to do that? I think in my previous posts I always say how salary is not align with the prices of the rent. Also I will try to take other photos of the shoes so I can post them again. Although I haven't much to say except the quality is really good. I would not be vouching for it if quality sucks. Ciao! 

My HOLIDAY and some shoes..

Well happy holidays to all wherever you are in the world. Today is the first day of our supposed to be four days holiday. Do I sound happy? Naahhhh. Don't get me wrong please I don't have anything against the celebration but what causes my sadness is unlike some of you guys (I'm not too sure if I should share stuff like this in the internet but hey I'm disappointed) for us in the office it is like we only have one day holiday. Because next week our new manager will not give us any off day. Meaning we have to be at work by Saturday. Uhm, our business is doing well so we were expecting that we will have a reward by letting us enjoy the holidays but they love to do the opposite. The more money we bring in the more we lose our holidays because if we achieved 110% out of 100% target they want again to surpassed whatever we last achieved. Great just great. Whatever happened to the word quality time. Balanced work and life. Don't work too much that you forget how to live. Just great. Simply great. And top of it all I don't have a choice but to follow. 

In the UAE I think there are only 9 days holiday in a year and we don't get to enjoy them all. That I think it would have been better if there'll be no holidays at all for all of us. Sorry as that sounds selfish but at least that is fair for all. You'll feel this way too if you have a well deserved off day taken away from you. It is like this all over the world? That whatever is written in the labour law does not really matter? I'm just at home. Sulking. Doing household chores. Daydreaming that one day a chance to work somewhere else will come. Someday. I feel so helpless that in the end that is the only solution I can see. To be able to move away someday.

 

I was taking some photos while there is still light outside but then the camera's battery is about to die soon that I have to charge it. I may have a good camera but I don't like the shots it produces at night. Here's just one photo that I wanted to share with you. Some Brazilian shoes that I got. I love their quality. I'll be posting more photos as soon as I can. As these Brazilian brands of shoes are totally worth of every penny spent on them. I have this black slippers that I had been using since 2009. That's how great they are. But I rarely find my size. That's the only downside as I have a very small feet. 

I'll just watch some episodes of On The Wings Of Love before continuing household chores. Thanks for listening to my rants in life. And please don't judge it is not everyday that I am like this. There are just times. As I had been carrying too many burdens in life that I need an outlet to vent out. Ciao!

My Friday and some lipstick swatches

Every Friday I'm out of the flat. Eating out in some fast food chains and doing some window shopping. Then the weekly grocery shopping. But today it is different as no one will be with me. So I had to stay home. Before I went to bed last night I decided how my day will go. Will try to take some photos for this blog. Will pack some goods for my cargo this coming December. And clean up the room. Alas, the day is about to end I haven't accomplished much. It started when I woke up late. Woke up at 9 instead of 6 as I originally planned. I was dying to watch all the episodes of Aldub as well but then I overslept! And when I woke up ended up reading my favorite blog then watched some clips via YouTube. What a day.  

Here's the swatches of the lipsticks I own. Taken using aperture mode and during my lunch break last week. My Sony Alpha 6000 will be one year old soon and yet I haven't master it at all. I still suck. As of the lipsticks I planned to write each post but even that until now is just well a PLAN! But I will try. 

Photo taken when I placed my hand under the brightest light in the room. But the messy background is not a good sight for me to take photos which led me to my original plan weeks ago to clean up the room especially the floors and the corners! Hay buhay OFW. I always end up not doing it as every night I am too tired to do anything else. 

Clear photo because I used the Auto Mode of my camera and sadly I'll be using much of it. Sad because it means that I'm not improving at all. Well the day is not yet over but instead of sulking because I lack the photography skills I'll try to at least finish something before I go to bed again. Bye for now! Hope you are enjoying your Friday :)

I am always broke

I'm not really sure if I should write a post like this. But I just want to let it off my chest. And at the same time try to tell to my fellow Filipinos back home that being an OFW is not easy. And I hope time will come that the we will not be synonymous to rich. Yes this is about my life and my financial status but a lot of OFW's are in the same boat with me. First of all I did not come from a rich family. I used to think that we belong to the middle class but later on in life I start to question that. And just a month ago I had a discussion with a colleague as he was insisting that yes we belong to the middle class. And I strongly contradicts him by saying that even though we are OFW's we belong to the group of people living in Poverty. He says that people living in poverty line doesn't have anything to eat anymore. I think poor people are those people like me who has work but living on hand to mouth kind of life and those who doesn't have work at all and have to beg. In the end it is still all the same both don't have money in the pocket. So both are poor.

Well for me middle class means you have an extra money in your bank account for other things. Or you have a budget for your every needs. But I don't even have an extra budget and therefore I consider myself poor. Yes I have work but the salary is just enough to pay bills and send home. I don't have budget for other things like clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, gadgets and vacation. If ever that I'm able to afford any of those things still it does not make me belong to the middle class. If ever here is what I do. Either I don't pay my bills on time or I just pay it partially. Or I take a loan. Second quarter of the year I purchased a lot of items that I need and wants. At the expense of my supposed to be ticket money so instead of going home for vacation I just stayed at home. This month I was able to hoard toiletries but then I used all my food money. Do people in middle class families to that?

There are far too many factors why I am broke and not only me but most of us. The salary is not equal to the cost of living. If I will rant about it and so the millions of people all over the world. I guess this is the way it is everywhere. Everything are so expensive nowadays. Both in the Philippines and in the UAE. And how can I not help my family when helping them was the main reason why I have chosen to work overseas in the first place. Well I'm the one who send one of the brothers to college and right now he's working. He got work after applying for companies for 6 months. And the other one is still studying and yes I am the one supporting him. He'll finish by October next year. Because of this I have to send up to 60% of my salary. And even if he finish studying it will not mean that my financial status will change. By then I will be paying whatever loans/arrears I'm having now. Not advisable but I can't avoid most of the time. Even if I am done helping my family here comes another factor. The cost of living here just keeps on going up. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

I don't know when will my situation (or every OFW's situation) will change. I don't know if there is still hope. One thing is for sure. Life goes on. As with it one must he happy in spite of whatever circumstances he is in. And that is what I am doing. Trying to be happy. Trying to be positive. But then at times I'm getting depressed. But I am fighting it. I just turn into writing so at least even once I can release the emotions building up inside of me.

Toners

Facial Toners. It is a liquid product meant to clean the face. The second step after the facial cleanser or make up remover. To make sure that whatever residue left behind by the facial cleanser or make up will be removed. But not all people uses Toner. Some says you can skip it as it is just a waste of time and money. Some says it is needed as extra care for the skin. As for me prior 2014 I don't have an exact skin care regime. Meaning I just clean my face with just about anything I can get my hands on. Soap. Eskinol. Any facial cleanser. RDL. I was young back then. Being young comes with a smooth and soft skin. When sun spots starts appearing along with thousand of whiteheads that is when I realized I should have taken care of my skin properly as early as possible. Now my skin is aging. And has been drier than before. Prevention is better than cure. I included Toner in my regime, hoping my skin will get better. Here are some of my facial toners:

From left to right: Avene Gentle Toner, La Roche Posay Physiological Soothing Toner, Botanics Cleansing Toner, Skinfood Peach Sake Toner, Byphasse Soft Toner Lotion and Olay Refreshing Toner. Inshallah if my busy schedule will permit me to do so I'll take up more photos and write a post for each product.

It has been more than a year that I'm using toner religiously. I can't remember anymore how many brands I tried. I am avoiding Alcohol Denat but then some of the brands I own have them. How's my experience with toners? Well none of them helps as far as sun spots and whiteheads are concern. But then none of them promised to be able to do so. With the current brands I own only 1 claims to have a brightening solution or effect and that is the Botanics Cleansing Toner but it will probably fall into the category of 'products I used to brighten/whiten the skin but did not able to do so'. As I have repeatedly said that I haven't found any brightening/whitening products yet that truly works. Somehow in a way it slows down the aging process of my skin. Not because it has components to fight off the wrinkles. But because of this step I became more attentive to my skin instead of just slapping my face with products. I observe my skin's reaction. I became gentle with my skin. I listen to it. But this post does not mean that I am relying only on toner. Toner is just a part of the regime. Sometimes I follow the Korean steps in applying skin care. Sometimes I just follow the basic.

I'll continue using toners as a way to give an extra pampering to my skin. But as of the brand I don't think I will shell out money again ever to expensive brands since all of them can clean the face properly. That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by to my page. Till next time, Ciao!

How can I afford to shop when I'm always on tight budget?

I wish I have taken photos but then if you are in my shoes you'll understand why each time taking a snapshot is the least in my concern. Every June there is Dubai Summer Sale in all malls and almost all the shops are participating. It usually runs from June to July. But this last June I do not know what happened it didn't last until July. But some shops started their sale price last May. I just got lucky enough that I was able to persuade my friend to visit Outlet Mall before June ends and voila! Outlet Mall has still an ongoing sale especially Splash. Imagine Lee Cooper jeans for only 30AED and with further discount upon payment! And that my friends is the answer to the question 'how can I afford to shop when I'm always on tight budget?'.

When I came to this country some 9 years ago my waist line back then was just 24. And I was able to maintain my figure for at least 4 years? But then by the time that I was about to hit the big 3-0 seems that my metabolism slows down. No. So whether I like it or not from 24 I became 26. And I'm not sure if it is the same size with Philippine brands of clothing. As sizes back home are slightly smaller I think. My arms got bigger. I'm dieting and I'm exercising but then I guess a woman's body structure will eventually grow big as time goes by then go back again to being small in old age. Actually I don't mind my waist line but another part of my body that seems to be growing are my thighs. So because of big thighs and big arms I find myself buying often clothes than I did when I was younger.

And it is no secret that I don't have an overflowing money in my bank account so I am always budget conscious. Because of that I take time to look around at all shops I could to check and compare their prices and to know what is the cheapest that I can get. And some people are surprised whenever I tell them my budget range and yes I'm able to purchase within that range. My jeans usually costs around 30-35AED and sometimes lower. Levi's are the only jeans I would buy for more than 100AED. But I am not really after the brand. My tops often costs me around 15-25AED only. With this prices I could spend at least 100AED per month on clothing. I get many clothes but without making my pocket cry. In case you are wondering where to I shop since all the prices in UAE just keeps on going up, here are the store names:

New Look ~ almost all the malls have New Look branches and if you will look hard enough you can find sale items between 10 to 20AED only. But this year I can't find jeans anymore that would cost only 30AED.

Forever21 ~ I used to ignore this shop as their place is so big and I get tired easily looking around but then when I started seeing signs showing up to 70% off and I get to buy items for only 10AED to 15AED; this became my favorite shop. With this price I wouldn't mind exploring the whole store. 

H&M ~ finally they now have a branch in Ajman. Sale price starts at 15AED. Not bad. The secret in shopping in this place if you are petite like me? Go straight to kids section. 

Splash/Centrepoint ~ this is my favorite of them all. The only place where you can find a shirt for only 5AED if you are patient enough to dig and search among the sea of clothes! 

There are more shops in this country but I don't take time anymore to visit them. Because of the prices these 4 shops can offer when on sale I can't bring myself anymore to shop at a slightly higher price. As of the quality of clothes? So far no complaints from me. Promise to take photos to share some other time. Ciao!

Of makeup and whiteheads

Here I am again with my favorite topic. Whiteheads. Maybe I should rename my blog to something like "Chronicles of my Whiteheads" or "The girl who rants about Whiteheads". For weeks now I had been patiently reading blogs and articles about whitehead. How to cure them. As well as using different products. Sadly I don't think it's possible to be completely whitehead free once you have them. The nose will keep on producing oil whatever the weather is and whatever product you use. The same way our body will keep on producing sweat whether it is summer or winter. But at least it is proven and tested that having a 'botox' in underarms will prevent you from sweating. Whereas there is no such treatment for the nose that will stop it from producing oil. Oil control products can hold off oil only for a few hours then the nose is back to normal again. Oil. The root cause of whitehead.

The other day I watched Nikki Tutorials on YouTube. She's amazing. She put on makeup only on half of her face to see the big difference. Sometimes I wish I can do the same but then I lack the skills to do so. Second video I watched was about Filipinas makeup common mistakes which left me scratching my head and  a little ashamed of myself as I was guilty to some of them. Nikki said that there is no rule in makeup. Do whatever look you want to aim for. While this Filipina who made the video pointed out (which she learned from another make up guru) that one must not use eyeliner in the eye line if you will not put it also in your eyelids. So I am doing it wrong whenever I use an eyeliner then? Which is easier to give up and eyeliner then. Easy to give advice especially when the person giving an advice has a hooded eyelid. But then after watching these videos make me think.

I gathered all the foundation, bb cream and cc cream I own. No matter how good it is or even if it says to be oil free and non comedogenic still it can't help that some of it will aggravate the whiteheads on my nose. Which made me vow never again to purchase any of those. Also I will avoid the SA's more than ever. As I recently purchased Rimmel Nude Foundation as I was stupidly persuaded by the SA when all I wanted to buy was the Rimmel Makeup Base. An impulse purchase as I was trying to find a brand that can replace Essence All About Matt Oil Control Makeup Base which is hard to find. Persistent SA and me are not a good combo.

And now I can see myself eventually giving up makeup soon. I'll just finish whatever I have. Foundation and the likes are no no for my whiteheads. No eyeshadow. No mascara. No eyeliner. I'll just finish the ton of blush on and lip products I purchased when I was on shopping spree for those. Seems to me that only those are safe enough for me to use.

Why I stopped watching makeup tutorials at YouTube

I just watched a YouTube tutorial about 'strobing' as I have been seeing it over social networks. Silly me only now I realized what is the reason why I never learned how to do a full make up or at least use a make up properly. And why on earth did I stopped watching make up tutorials when they are so great and fun to watch. Well I still use make up but it's very limited. One or two shades of eyeshadow. Nothing fancy. Sometimes I use sponge tip applicators ~ old school I know. And my eyeshadow is not even on daily basis. Then followed by a blush on that is usually cream but now I'm trying to use powder type. Then lastly a lipstick or a lip gloss depends on my mood on that day. And that's it!

My 'whiteheads' always get in the way. That is my main problem. Over the years I have used a lot of products. Tried different techniques but to no avail. For example if tonight I will be using a nose strips to remove my whiteheads there will still be some left (used different brands/products are the results are always the same nothing can take it all away 100%) so the next day if I will put layers of make up in my nose it will look unsightly. That's why my BB Cream, CC Cream and Foundation takes forever to finish as I don't use them everyday because of this. And it drives me crazy that whenever I just want to look around the make up shops the SA would always ask me to try their foundation or if I want a foundation. There are days that I want to be rude and shout at them to 'leave me alone' as yet need to find a product that will make my whiteheads disappear for good!

Then after the whiteheads my next issue is at my age I already have a dry skin but except on T zone. As well as those fine lines. Products around my eyes usually ends up being cakey. When I say products it means concealer and the likes. Sadly at times even the eye cream. So in the morning after I put on layers of skin care products followed by a layer of make up that usually leads to chaos on my face. That is why I usually prefer liquids. As they are unlikely to turn into lumps in my face. And the beauty gurus I'm watching are young. There is a huge difference between a young and aging skin. Young skin all products seem to glide on smoothly. Nothing would cake up. If it looks good on them it looks horrible on me. I should start looking for tutorials based on my skin type. I hope I will find some. And I will be sharing them here for those girls out there who are in the same boat like me. 

A lot of good make up gurus I have seen on YouTube are mostly white girls. I heard that there are now Filipinas YouTubers but I haven't check them out. Those beautiful hues that looks gorgeous with white girls ~ for example the Mac Cremesheen Nude? I have seen a lot of white girls rocking it fine. But I look like an extra in The Walking Dead wearing it. You know when they are in between just dying and turning into zombie. Plus my eye lids (the hoods) are so small so one time I tried to put a eyeshadow followed by an eyeliner. The result? The eyeshadow won't peek through and the eyeliner sticks up to the upper lid (or it is called crease?). With that experience whatever eyeliners I have are tucked away in somewhere in my drawer. 

And the brows!!!!! Am I the only girl on earth who doesn't pluck her brows? I'm not against women plucking her brows. To each her own. But just because they do, must I? I will try to see if I can find woman my age who gives make up tutorials and I wish that woman will also have brows like me. 

This is not a rant post. Just me writing down my thoughts. My experiences regarding make up. I now have ample collection. And I wish to be able to use them all at least before I reach my 40's. And now off I go to look for tutorial videos. Wish me luck!

Bourjois Wish List

Bourjois is a French brand of drug store make up. The same company who created Une. I love Bourjois because in spite of being French (let's admit when France comes to mind it is usually associates with words like: classy, elegant and expensive) it is affordable. And from time to time Centrepoint across UAE is having a sale. Lifestyle and Centrepoint are shops that carries Bourjois in UAE.

Even though Bourjois is inexpensive I find myself steering clear away from it because I found a much more affordable brand in the name of Essence from Germany. But it doesn't mean I will not buy anything from Bourjois anymore especially when they have new and interesting products.

This is not my photo (Source).I came across this brand through Social Media when I was looking for cream blush. Bourjois 12 Hours Aqua Blush. Unfortunately this is not available in UAE market and Bourjois Middle East is not sure if it will be available here in the future. Available in 4 shades:

01 Inge-Nude

02 Cocoricoail

03 Pink Twice

04 Berry Nice

And because I am still addicted to blushers I want them all. I hope they will come to UAE soon and Centrepoint will include it in their sale!

My life with whiteheads!

This is a rant post. Since I hit puberty I always have whiteheads. Mother told me because I am not scrubbing my nose with towel properly. But I did and I still do. It has nothing to do with cleaning the face anymore. And I am even following the tips I get from the internet.

Nose strip. It is something I cannot live without. It is a very affordable solution in removing whiteheads. But unfortunately it can only do so much. No I am not going to bash nose strips as it has always been a big help. But it has a limit. For example after using one strip I can see that there are whiteheads removed and sticking in the strip. But even so there would still be some on the nose. I can't use immediately another strip as it is not recommended and might dry out my nose. It will prompt the skin to just release more sebum that in the end I'll just get more whiteheads. 

I clean my face twice a day.

I use facial toner.

I use moisturizer.

I use oil free products.

I'm staying away from products with Lanolin.

I always look for Non Comedogenic products.

I scrub my face.

Tried various exfoliators.

I am using charcoal mask for nose.

I am using iWhite mask for nose.

Is there anything I missed? There's only one more product I haven't tried yet. I hope it is affordable. I hope it is available in UAE Market. Here it is:

Not my photo.

Will hunt this product soon..

Time to STOP hoarding products!

Only last year when I started buying different skin care products and make up for various reasons. Less than a year and it already made a huge dent on my bank account even though I don't buy high end items. It is worth it if something amazing is happening with my skin but unfortunately there's no drastic changes and I don't think there will ever be. So in that case I will be making my final haul and then stop. Since I already have enough supplies that will last up to 2 ~ 3 years. And afterwards I will just go back to basics and enough of testing products. 

Sun spots ~ they appeared on my face 5 years ago. Last year I decided to try items that promises to lessen them then eventually make them go away. And now what? I still have them on my face until now. I just have to accept that they are here to stay. It cannot be undone. All I can do is prevent having them all over my face. 

Whiteheads ~ I have this all my life. Tried and trying products that promises to make them disappear or make them less. But then again no such luck for me. I should have just spent my money on stocking up nose strips. At least with nose strips I can really see that it takes away those horrible nasty enemies of my nose. 

Pimples ~ it doesn't bother me big time as I have them once in a blue moon and only one or two. Tried products that's supposed to be working against them. Again if those products are working then why would a pimple or two will still pop up on my face then? I feel like that they are not really a big help on my face. Just adding up to the layers of creams that I am putting. I should have just spent the money on facial wash. 

Uneven Skin Tone ~ even before 2014 unintentionally I'm using products that promises to whiten the skin or even out the skin tone. Like making black spots whiter so in a way they'll be the same with the rest. The color of my skin is still the same as ever as well as the dark spots in my body. I should have just save the money spent on whitening products and go to the dermatologist.

Large Pores ~ why did I ever fall for products claiming that they can shrink my pores???? As long as I have whiteheads I will be using nose strips. As long as I am using nose strips there's no way that my pores at nose will ever become small again, ever. But what is done is done anyway. I already spent money so I'll just finish those products.

Whatever skin care products or make up I will be posting are my purchase from last year up to May of this year. And I already have enough. I'm writing it all down as this blog is my online diary. Also it reflects about my a portion of my life here in UAE as an expat. 

Lotus Biscoff Speculoos

Was it 2012 or earlier when Speculoos Paste became popular? Well this photo of mine was taken 2 years ago. It's 2015 and sadly Speculoos Paste is still not available in UAE Market and never will be. I don't know why. Pork is allowed and yet so many snacks from around the world no matter how popular they may be can't find their way here. Used to buy it from online seller who of course sell it on a high price. Can't blame them though. They have to pay for the shipping and all the hassles of bringing it over here. This is my favorite brand of Speculoos ~ Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Spread.

Tongo's Super Tuyo

Tongo's Super Tuyo ~ One of the Philippine Products I love. I met this last 2013. I'm not sure if by now they are already available nationwide in the Philippines. And how I wish they'll export also. Super Danggit is my least favorite as I prefer Danggit to be crunchy no matter what. But I so LLOOOOVVVVVEEEE the Super Tuyo and Secret Sauce! Really must try. Super Tuyo ~ I miss you now!

Lamy Nexx

Lamy Nexx Fountain Pen ~ Got this from Bookworld Kinokuniya Shop in Dubai Mall for only 115.00AED 2 years ago, maybe? My first and only Fountain Pen. In spite of being in digital age I still prefer to write. I own several pens and notebooks while most of the people I know and even at the restaurants are already using tablets :) I stopped using this one as the ink is not water proof and I need one in writing down the recipes I'm getting from the internet. And seeing this photo makes me miss my Nikon1 J1. Good mirrorless camera but sadly lasted only for 2 years or so..

Homemade Kimchi

So far I was able to make my own Kimchi twice. But I can't say if they are close to the real thing. I have never been to South Korea. I have never tasted a kimchi made by a Korean. Mine is salty and I am not sure if that is the way it should be. I used the Barrio Fiesta's Spicy Bagoong as a substitute for Anchovies. For those who wants the recipe please visit Maangchi's Blog. A Korean Blogger.

Nissin UFO Instant Yakisoba

Nissin UFO Instant Yakisoba ~ for the price of 13.75AED so far this is the priciest instant noodles I ever had in the UAE. As can be seen in the photos above everything's written in Japanese except the small sticker at the side. And what I like about it just like their other products is the sensible packaging. Seems like they got everything covered. As of the taste yes this is delicious. I don't remember eating any Japanese noodles that I don't like. Instant noodles is definitely a no~no in my diet but then I just can't help it especially at times that I don't have energy anymore to cook lunch. Definitely a comfort food for me.

Moleca Shoes from Brazil

Forgive the messy background :) Purchased this lovely Moleca flat shoes for only 69.00AED at Safeer Mall. Moleca is a brand of shoes from Brazil and of course made in Brazil. A quite affordable line of shoes. They have so many lovely designs and colors to choose from. Soles are soft that makes walking easy. This is not for me though but for my little sister as I am not a big fan of suede. I find them hard to clean.

Safeer Malls offer many other brands of Brazilian shoes with almost the same price range as Moleca. But the downside for me being a woman with a very small feet not all the time I can find a size that would fit me. Sometimes size 33 is fine and would fit perfectly. Other times size 33 is quite big for my feet.

If you are looking for affordable and stylish foot wear then go ahead and check out what Safeer Mall has to offer. Thanks for dropping by!

Bulldog [Tonkatsu Sauce]

Bulldog, a brand of Tonkatsu Sauce. One of the items I purchased at Dean's Fujiya. Price of 17.00AED for 500ML. Japanese items are usually expensive in UAE ~ but then are there items that comes cheap in here? Maybe only Daiso. But comparing prices from Dean's Fujiya to Carrefour, it is quite higher in the latter. It used to be available in Carrefour but not anymore. As the title suggests this is a sauce for Tonkatsu or Deep Fry Pork. Or any other fried meat. Highly recommended by me :)