ECU

i was scheduled for an executive check-up today and i was anticipating that it's going to be one of those horrible days but surprisingly it turned out quite better than what i expected

...good thing i opted for MyHealth instead of Chong Hua (where i had countless bad experiences)...the staff was really nice and process was very effecient and comfortable...i wouldn't have any second thoughts the next time i'm up for another ECU

...the only better way to end the ECU is to have a Greek feast for lunch from my favorite Cyma...happy tummy, happy me :)

Instagram Anonymous

i am officially an addict - an Instagram addict that is...this app is eating 70% of my iphone's life but i'm not complaining..it amazes me how beautiful the world is captured though lenses and appreciate the beauty of everything random in life :)

if you have one installed in your Iphone or Android, please follow me: @iamkilcher :)

new toy

i bought an iPhone4s yesterday for the love of Instagram...my iPod touch is not doing justice capturing the beautiful things i see daily...and i hope this one gets me back to blogging as well..i know i've been dead in the blogsphere for quite a while :)

...cheers to Instagram flooding and more impromptu blog posts! :)

on a break

i'm on blog hiatus again and i know i made a promise to myself to blog more often but i just cant...the past 2 weeks were hell workwise and i need time to recover and take my mind off things

...i'll have another US trip coming in a couple of months and that's something to look forward to but for now, i'll go back to breeding dragons...and yes, i finally got to breed the coveted emerald dragon..yes! LOL!

a date with myself :)

...i can no longer remember the last time i had a date with myself so i decided to take some few days off from work and initially planned on going somewhere north like Dumaguete (i'm bad with directions so i'm not sure if it's north LOL)...the planned didn't push through and i ended spending my time within Cebu...i decided to go back to Shangri-la (after spending Easter Sunday with friends there) with just a book, a camera and some sunscreen :)

..i started off with a late lunch at Tea of Spring..i shy away from the tempting Tides lunch buffet coz i wanted something new and light...ordered some stir-fried udon in black pepper, freshly steamed shrimp dumplings (which is the best i've tasted by the way) and a serving of jasmine tea...it's a dimsum feast i don't mind doing more often :)



...after lunch, i went to my favorite Shangri-la spot (the big rock right in the beach front) and started reading the remaining chapters of "A Clash of Kings" while playing my beachfront playlist in my ipod (it's a combination of All Saints, Dario G, Moby, Madonna and few Hed Kandi remixes)..the only break i had was when i took a solo shot of myself to capture the moment :)



...around 3 PM, i decided to move to different spot to finish reading my book while stealing glances at beautiful strangers by the poolside - and i have the perfect thirst quencher to beat the heat while doing that :)



...i no longer waited for sunset as i needed to meet up with some friends for dessert...meet up with them in Dolce (which is a new happy place for me) and had servings of their famous butter cake paired with some Italian coffee



...after dessert, i decided to skip dinner - i needed a long shower more than anything else and went straight to sleep..it felt really good doing something spontaneous and rewarding at the same time and can't wait for the next one :)

lust beyond words

..i have taken my skin care a notch higher and took a short break from using everything Kiehl's (i only have the facial scrub and shaving cream left, because they were too amazing to give up)...3 weeks ago, i started using the Clarins Men product line starting with the moisturizer and the foaming cleanser...a bit pricey compared to Kiehl's but it works wonders and i've seen some amazing results :)



...the moisturizer is noncomedogenic which means it doesn't clog your pores, it's also light and non-greasy and easily absorbed by the skin..i was so happy with the result that i decided to get a toner from Clarins as well..funny thing was my Clarins attendant gave me some ab-firming lotions as freebies..either she was being sweet or it's her subtle way of saying i'm fat..i'll remind myself to always wear my Spanx when out LOL!



..i have also taken my perfume selection to a more upscale level by choosing CREED...it's way too pricey for a bottle of perfume but it's well worth it (one bottle is equivalent to the price of 3 Diesel/Issey Miyake)..i lean towards fresh, fruity scents so Royal Water is just perfect for me...this will be my scent for summer/spring 2012 :)



...i just needed one more thing before i get back to my usual spending budget, and that is to get this Oxford blazer from Zara..it was love at first sight and lust beyond words LOL!!! my friend from NYC is buying me one and i should be sporting this one off the rack come May..i can't wait!!



...and ow, before i finish this post, who's going to Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball in Manila? i know it will be awesome and it will be absolute love if i can join the party :)

#aphotoadayapril

...another thing i wanted to achieve this April is to complete a photo post in Instagram for complete 30 days..so far, i have already posted 3 pictures and it has generated positive responses from friends/followers...i am excited to get to Day #4, 13, 24, 27 and 30
:)



...here's what i have so far for the past 3 days :)

Day 1 - #photoadayapril #yourreflection - something vintage from Dos Palmas in Palawan :)




Day 2 - #photoadayapril #colour - yummy treats from the infamous Cafe Lalo in NYC :) this is the one of the locations for the movie You Got Mail and their desserts are to die for :) if you happen to visit NYC, this cafe should be on your list :)



Day 3 - #photoadayapril #mail - i have been with the AOL account for the past 6 years and had the opportunity to visit AOL's headquarters in Virginia last year..cheers to 6 more years LOL!!!



..i never thought doing something as trivial as this can be so much fun :)

on running and playlists

there's a lot of things i'm excited about April and kicking things off will be season 2 of Game of Thrones on HBO and i'm painfully counting the days to fly by to get to April..i have also been running, yes, it sounds unbelievable but i do though not the hardcore type..it's more of a leisure thing and it's the perfect excuse to create a playlist to listen to while running...here's my Top 10

1. Blood for Poppies by Garbage - yes, the goddess is back and hotter than ever!! Shirley Manson is divine and perfection in every inch!



2. Feel so Close by Clavin Harris
3. Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine
4. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People
5. Room for Happiness by Kaskade feat. Skylar Grey
6. Gangster Tripping by Fatboy Slim - it's a must to insert a classic piece and this one's way too good to be not on a running playlist
7. Wild Ones by Flo Rida and Sia
8. Collide by Leona Lewis and Avicii
9. Blue Jeans (RAC Remix) by Lana Del Rey - a current obsession
10. Walk by The Foo Fighters

..i got these babies on auto-repeat and follow it with the perfect cool down tracks which serve as a perfect finish to the entire run :)

1. Breathe Me by Sia
2. Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars - their Barton Hollow album is one of my current obsessions



3. Tomorrow Will be Kinder by The Secret Sisters
4. Lego House by Ed Sheeran
5. Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine

...what's in your running playlist?

the art of Draw Something

...when was the last time you got addicted to something? i have been sacrificing a couple of my bedtime hours for the last 4 days just to play everyone's new favorite game, the very popular app called Draw Something...the game's concept is very simple yet it's very addictive...if you haven't installed this in your Apple device yet, then you're missing on a lot of fun LOL!



...i don't have the talent when it comes to drawing (i'd like to think i'm the worst in the world) but it amazes me how my friends can still managed to guess my drawings no matter how abstract/obscure they looked LOL...take this one as an example - when i was starting to draw this, i was trying to draw an anchor and submitted it to a friend..she ended up very frustrated trying her hardest to guess what the drawing was and ended up posting the picture in her Facebook timeline for help LOL!!!



..i know it looked like more of a capital J than an anchor hahaha but that's the beauty of the game...it doesn't need a lot of skill or talent for that matter...all you need is a free imagination and some common sense :)

new found love

...i have spent the last few days finishing George R.R. Martin's A Clash of Kings and immensely enjoyed it..i can't wait for the new season to start this coming April 1 on HBO...my initial plan was just to wait for the tv series to start but i just can't help thinking about what came next after Daenerys gave birth to the 3 dragons..the book was so well written that i can't barely find time to stop reading it :)



...the only other thing that's keeping me busy these days aside from work is Champ..i found a new love for dogs and i'm starting to feel really comfortable around them...last Sunday, i took Champ out for a photoshoot but it didn't work out that well..Champ is the worst dog model in the world LOL! i can't manage to get a clear shot of his face...not a single one :(



...summer has officially started and the heat outside is just CRAZY...i'm still planning for a vacation mid-April but for now, i'm fine with a pint of Cherry Garcia to beat the heat :)

the Brit's "new boring" & the signature recipe

...i have been overplaying music from British acts in my ipod for the past 2 months to the point that it's already becoming an obsession...aside from Adele (which i have been a fan for the past 4 years), i have fallen in love with Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine and Ed Sheeran...these artists have been dubbed as the "new boring" by the critics and their music just bring total eargasm!



...aside from listening to British music, i have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen experimenting on some pasta dish..i wanted to create something that will become my signature dish and after a couple of trial and errors, i have perfected my own pasta dish - a killer combo of cream dory and shrimp with a tomato cream sauce infused with some chili pepper flakes for that extra kick :) the picture doesn't do any justice to it (blame it to my poor Blackberry camera) but it tastes way better than it looks :)



...lastly, i've been looking for a new scent for summer/spring...i still got my ever dependable CK Shock whenever i need a fresh scent but i need something lighter and one with a citrus base...after a couple of choices, i have decided on ordering Prada's Amber Pour Homme Intense 2012..i can't wait for this baby to arrive and get added to my collection :)



..what's your scent for summer? :)

the art of working weekends

...i have been very busy for the last 3 weeks and spent most of my weekend in the beach (one in Bantayan and one in Camotes - all work related by the way)...i am now sporting a much darker tan and i think it will take more than a month to get back to my natural color but i don't really mind..i even want to have another dose of sun lovin' while doing this post and feel infinite all over again :)



i had more fun in Camotes and enjoyed it better than Bantayan...Camotes is such a charming island and i was instantly captivated...i like the fact that it's not too commercial yet and it's more laidback compared to other islands in Cebu...the view is breath-taking and it's the perfect way to kickstart summer and a perfect backdrop to do some color blocking ala summer/spring 2012 LOL!



...i have also spent most of my free time raping the mic to do some karaoke (and yes, i made my own Whitey tribute and i feel i did her justice LOL!)...i think that by the time we left the island, peace was restored and Camotes regained its mystique charm LOL!



..i want to talk more about my fun working weekend but i still need to get back to my Sims game...i have been playing it for a couple of days now and i'm on my way to building an empire with few romantic relationships on the side :)

toxicity

...the past 2 weeks went by so quickly and the next thing you know, it's already the end of January...there was the super busy but very fun Sinulog weekend, a quarterly business review that came a week after and a few client visits coming up in the next few days..i don't even know how i managed to keep up :)

...the extra time that i get is spent playing with Champ - our French bulldog :)



...and ow, this app that i just downloaded for my new iPod touch is so addictive...i have been cutting few hours of my sleeping time just to get going with this game and it's well worth it...Temple Run is love :)

turning 2012 around

...the start of my 2012 may not be promising but that doesn't mean that i can't turn it around...i have realized that my pessimistic view for the new year was just because of the German measles where i felt like i was literally on my deathbed but now that i've recovered, i feel like an Energizer bunny bursting with energy :)

...few things will keep me busy for the rest of January...my close friends including my BFF are coming over for Sinulog...i'm planning to take some time off from work so i can get enough rest for the weekend parties (last year was a BLAST!)...i haven't seen my bestfriend for a long time and this one is extra special coz she is now preggers with her 2nd baby and i can't wait to spend time catching up with her :)



...i will also be flying to Manila a week after for a quarterly business review in Makati...performance for Q4 is not that stellar and i think i may have a bit of a hard time for this review (wish me luck!)...one good thing about it is that it coincides with the premiere of Mamma Mia in Manila which is something that i really wanted to see...it creates the perfect timing for me to catch the show and cross it off from my bucket list :)



..there's still a lot of things i'd like to talk about but it's time to take Champ for an exercise (yes, i'm now starting to become a dog lover, this is sooo not me , i know! LOL!)

paradise

i've spent the weekend with my mom and my evil sister in paradise...a post bday treat for them and for myself :)

enjoy your weekend friends...have a wonderful Sunday morning...here's a breathtaking view to inspire you :)

SSB - the Sunday shower routine

...i remember about one episode of Sex and the City where Carrie was talking about SSB (Single Secret Behavior) which she defined as an action or habit that one indulges in only when alone...this is the reason why i always love Sundays' - it paves the way to do my own SSB...i know most SSBs' put out there in the show were downright embarrassing but mine is i think worth something sharing LOL!

...every Sunday afternoon, usually right after the clock hits 4, i lock myself up in the shower and spend an hour and a half date with these babies...my SSB shower essentials :)



...i always start off with Kiehl's Ultimate Man Body Scrub soap (not shown in the picture above for obvious reasons)...this soap scrub is made out of bran and oatmeal which perfectly works on those rough areas (the elbows and heels) and it smells very invigorating...i call it the "Fatigue Scrubber"



...Kiehl's Amino Acid shampoo comes next..this baby creates a smooth lather on your hair and made out of coconut oil and amino acids (i usually don't like the smell of coconut oil but i made an exemption on this one)



...every man needs a good shaving cream and Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream is the best i've tried so far..i said goodbye to the other shaving cream few months ago..this makes the whole shaving process less of a work and less manly LOL! and leaves your skin moisturized :)



...Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Face Wash is something that i have been using for a long time and i like the cool feeling it has on my face (it has to do something with the caffeine and menthol in the mixture)...true to its name, this one leaves you feeling refueled, reenergized and refreshed :)



...the 2nd half of this lengthy shower routine goes back to doing another scrub...i bought 3 bottles of salt scrubs when i was in San Francisco and it became the perfect addition to my shower routine..this salt scrub is infused with bamboo, rainforest and citrus/basil oils which made the 3-layer salt scrub combo DIVINE!!! :)



...Philosophy's Cinnamon buns is the perfect finisher for this routine...after putting in a lot of refreshing wonders, i like to finish it off with something sweet, silky and ridiculously smooth...this shower gel/bubble bath/shampoo combo smells like freshly baked cinnamon buns..it's sooo good that i literally want to eat myself when lathering it on my skin :)



...after all that, the cherry on this routine is Kiehl's Facial Fuel SPF 15 which i have been using for the past 3 years (it's something i give credit to for my clear, flawless skin LOL!!!)...it has the same refreshing effect with the special wash but only better because of its SPF :)



...this is a not a blog about Kiehl's by the way (but i wouldn't mind getting something from them for whoring them out LOL!)...i know this shower routine is nothing out of the ordinary and may not come close to what girls do on a daily basis but it's something i have been doing to recharge myself and get me pumped-up for work the day after :)

..what's your SSB friends?

red velvet love

...i attended a friend's birthday party last night and had some red velvet cupcakes for dessert (which i think is the perfect way to cap a meal after having so much of that roast beef LOL!)...i have been a fan of red velvet cupcakes for the longest time and whenever i get the chance to visit Sonja in Serendra, red velvet is definitely on top of the order list

...and since we're on the topic of red velvet cupcakes, the best that i had so far was the one from the famous Magnolia bakery in NYC



..the place was packed as usual but i didn't really mind the long line coz i know it will be worth it plus the cupcakes displayed in the rack looked so sinfully good that you just want to eat them all and just forget the fact that they can do so much damage to your hips LOL!



...Magnolia's red velvet cheesecake has a chocolate cookie crust for its base followed by a red velvet cheesecake layer and topped with whipped vanilla icing..just describing it makes me want to grab one right now!!!



...comparison is easily done once you had a taste of perfection...in this case, i will be waiting for another trip to Magnolia to get a little piece of that cupcake heaven :)

on halloween and costumes

...each time halloween comes close, my mind is flooded with a lot of costume ideas but i never get to materialize them...i'm not the shy type, i can tell you that but there's always something in me that holds me back everytime i want to pull off something major for halloween...i think i will stick to what i do best - giving treats to kids who couldn't even pull off a trick :)



...with that in mind, i have updated my bucket list to make sure that before i hit 30 (2 more years from now) i will fulfill my dream of dressing up as Rogue of X-Men LOL!!! now all i need is a fab wig and a good pair of white gloves

..enjoy your halloween parties friends! :)