Your Mascara Reports For Double Duty

Being a totally frugal beeyotch, I look for items that has multiple uses. Sometimes I look beyond the item's conventional use in order to stretch my hard earned peso (believe me, it's hard to ask for money when you're still a student at 26 years old). When my brain is too fried in the scalding cooking oil that is medicine, I rarely get creative so I have to check the trusty old Google search for ideas.

Pinterest is a great place to look for these ideas and I have been a pinner for quite some time now. One of my favorite pinners is The Beauty Department because that's where I get beauty tutorials. Not only that they also share tips about stretching your make-up's use. There's this pin that I was so thrilled about that I felt the need to share this:

Swell stuff

I tried it on using my trusty Etude House slanted eyeliner brush. Though I didn't apply mascara on my lashes, it did look ok. It has the consistency of a cream eyeliner, similar to the one I saw in Bloom at Beauty Bar. Since I still have a tube of mascara, looks like I won't be buying liquid eyeliner anytime soon. Woohoo! More for the Wanderlust Fund. Hrhr.

I'm a make-up noob. Please bear with me.

For more amazing tips and ninja make-up skills, you can visit The Beauty Department's official site or check out their Pinterest page.

Tutotrial photo from The Beauty Department.

EDIT: I must be that high because it's the first time I shared a make-up tip. Lol.

If You're Not Really On A Budget...

...you could try Mr Punch Restaurant and Winebar in the Mint Museum of Toys at Seah Street, behind the Raffles Hotel.

My Ate Richie and Kuya Joseph had their solemnization (wedding) here and I really don't know the cost. It looks sharp in here so I guess it kind of falls into the not-so-light-on-the-pocket category. But whatevs, the food is great and I think their contact person (whose name I forgot...again!) did a wonderful job in organizing and coordinating the staff. In short, sulit ang bayad. That's why I had to like their Facebook page and share it to you guys! :)

Friar's at Universal Studios Singapore

Spending S$12 (Php330) for a chicken wrap, crisscut potato fries and drinks seems ridiculous for me so I had to categorize this here. However, you will not regret buying it when your teeth sinks into the soft dough that holds the crunchy veggies and the flavorful chicken inside it. I underestimated the power of the chicken wrap. My cousin, Gomer does not eat vegetables but when he tasted the wrap, he did not mind the greens inside it. Auntie Guritte said that it's that good if Gomer ate the veggies. Not only it's delicious, it's also a heavy but healthy lunch that's enough to keep you filled until your next meal.

Edit: For a not-so-light-on-the-pocket-but-totally-worth-it pasalubong, go for Garrett Popcorn. I already made a review here in one of my previous entries. Prices range from S$4 (Php134) for a small bag to a whopping S$320 (Php10,7970) for a 6.5 gallon can. We usually buy the 1 or 2 gallon tin can to take home to the PH because the popcorn can stay crunchy for up to a month when unopened and can last for 1 week after it's opened. They had a promo for S$25 (Php843) wherein there are two small tin cans were sold along with the popcorn.

These are my top two recommendations. Let me also direct you to a tea party at TWG, steak feast at CUT by Wolfgang Puck, sossy dinner at Capella para ubos ang pera. Loljk. These are just the most popular fine dining restaurants in Singapore that's worthy to mention since it has high reviews among the travel blogs and travel websites.

Eating in Singapore...On A Budget

In relation to the "Hopefully I'll be able to whip out and entry or two" post, here are some of my recommendations about the best places to eat when in Singapore in a budget. This post is also in response to a couple of emails I got from Pam and Sandy. I already reviewed IKEA Restaurant so here goes the new batch of recommendations:

Maxwell Food Center

This is located in Chinatown, near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. After checking out all of the souvenir shops and splurged almost all of your Singapore Dollars, Maxwell Food Centre is the place to be. There are lots of food to choose from over a hundred stalls. This is the biggest hawker center I've been to. Food prices depend on the serving size but from the food that we ordered, it only ranges from S$2-10 (Php67-337). The drinks do not go higher than S$5. Must try dishes are the Hainanese Chicken Rice, Kuay Teow, Chicken Satay and Oyster Cake. Mind you, the servings are huge enough for sharing. Before ordering, ask the Uncle or Auntie that's manning the store about the serving sizes so you won't load up that much.

This place is also famous because Anthony Bourdain of the "No Reservations" fame visited this place. Among the stalls he visited is the Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake and the Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. These stalls are among the most popular so when you drop by to visit, just be patient with the queue.

Wuerstelstand

Also in Chinatown, stands "The Last Sausage Kiosk Before The Equator" wherein they serve authentic German sausages that's made by an Austrian chef named, Erich Sollbock. For as low as S$1.50 (Php50), you can have a frankfurter that goes heavy in your stomach. Not only that, they also sell Austrian style bread. I forgot how much it costs but I liked the onion bread because it's soft and tasty. You can find it at Trengganu Street, corner Sago Street. If you are in doubt, go look for a place that has a lot of Austrians and you'll know you're in the right place. May araw na medyo masungit si Chef pero keri lang naman, magpakabait ka na lang. Haha. To know more, check out Chef Sollbock's blog.

Inside Paco Park

When I was a kid, Paco Park is one of the places usually mentioned in History class because that's where our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal was buried right after his execution in 1896. Fast forward to present times, I've been living in the Manila area for quite some time now and I still haven't been to this place. To add insult, it's just a few blocks away from the place I live.

So one day, my sister, Charmaine and I grabbed the camera and decided to head off to Paco Park. From our place, we just walked a few blocks to get to the park. 

Historical marker outside the park

Paco Park is originally a cemetery that was built by the Dominicans in 1814. It is popularly known as the burial site for those who died during the cholera epidemic that hounded the city in 1820. Interment was stopped in 1913 and most of the niches were emptied. In 1966, it was declared as a National Park by President Diosdado Macapagal.

My sister, Cha, standing in front of the arch leading to the inner cemetery

Laguna - Quezon Road Trip

In a miracle of all miracles, I was able to have a long weekend off, thanks to FCH rotation. In order to make the most out of my free time, I decided to take a little adventure by going someplace we have never been to. We wanted it to be somewhere near so we decided to look for that place in our own province. I read about Bato Springs in Brgy. San Cristobal in San Pablo, Laguna so we decided to go there on November 3, 2012.

We set off at around 6AM in order to avoid traffic and the crowd. We easily found the place because Mommy knows how to get around San Pablo. Bato Springs isn't that popular but I must say that the place is amazing and the view is spectacular. Not to mention, the place is clean and the atmosphere is so serene.

Note the entrance fees

Cottage area by the modern, tiled pool

The tiled swimming pool

The place is perfect for family and barkada outings. As you walk along the area, you'll notice how clean the water is. We were told that the water used in the pool came from a stream that originates from Mt. Banahaw so expect that the water will be really cold. 

One of the biggest cottages in the area

The waterfall that doubles as a massager

Pardon the blurry photos because the camera's lens kept fogging up when it's submerged underwater. Also our hands were trembling because it was cold.