A Raconteur’s Story

Happy Independence day, filo-s! Since we have a long weekend going on at the moment, I decided to post this week's article.—'Archives : Revisited'. A series that I will do in this blog. Maybe some of you might know that I have been blogging for about... 3 years now. I've been jumping from one platform to another. I made this to commemorate posts that were once in my previous blogs.

I went to Singapore with my family last 2011; and went back again on 2013. I never really found photos on my 2013 trip (I pretty sure I did took photos, but I know that the quality isn't the best) Though, if I ever get to see them, I will surely post it too.

I look sooo different when I was in 5th grade. I got chubby cheeks and baby fat all over me lol! You're surely laugh at me haha!

We went to Sentosa to visit USS. It was a magical place and all, but I surely do prefer Disneyland more than that. Even so, I was very happy to see my favorite dreamworks films in their own amusement rides. I rode all the 'baby' rides last 2011 so I definitely rode 'big' rides last 2013. I went to the mummy ride. Which I enjoyed the most. The thrill of not seeing the things around you is exhilarating and fun at the same time.

The transformers ride is A MUST. The wait will surely pay-off. The effects and the whole thing is thoroughly planned to make you think that everything that you're seeing is real.

Check out the Jurassic Park! The Rapids Adventure is the most enjoyable ride in all of Universal Studios. Beware, though. You'll surely get wet on this ride. :)

If you're not a big fan of the thrilling rides, check out; Water World. The show is very very cool. I think I've seen the show a lot of times to remember each and every cue that the actors need to make. There are explosives in this thing. Which is cooooool. Tricks, old things, boats, jet-skis, a storyline—this thing is epic.

If you are still not convinced with my words, go inside 'Lights, Camera, Action' by Steven Spielberg. You'll get to hear (and see!) the powerful work of movie making. There are burning fires surrounding you, a windy hurricane and more. That ride is my personal favorite.

We stayed at Geylang Road. The hotels in there are pretty cheap. The downside are cockroaches in the hotel that we stayed in last 2011... let's not talk about that. haha!

If want to venture out into eating different meals, there will be a lot of signs on that road. Make sure that you know how to use a chopstick just in case hehe.

Their food is a mix of different races. I like the variation, too. They also have KFC's everywhere. But I must admit that their chicken tastes different than the ones here in the Philippines.

I actually have a horrifying story to tell you during my second trip in Singapore. I just got my braces the day before our flight. So during my second day there, the bracket that held my upper wiring in place, broke. That was located on the farthest right side. So the wire is up andddd, almost all of my brackets went loose. So I called my dentist ally he way from Singapore to Manila but she was already asleep. Soooo my cousin did what she does best and helped me with my problem. I didn't got to eat that night and it feels very painful. Thank ate yen for helping me.

We also hiked a peak that I forgot the name of. There was a giant Merlion there. Living in the skies.

On our first trip there, the Merlion was under construction... but luckily, it was already buit when we got there for the second time around.

Would I go back again?...

Probably, yes. But not in the near future. :) But overall, I surely enjoyed my stay in Singapore. I have left unfinished business there so.. I'll be back. :D

I know that this is not much of a photo diary because I explained a lot of things in this one. I only have a few photos for this one so I decided to add some content for the sake of the blogging purpose.

I have already created content for the nest few weeks so watch out for that! :) See ya!

Today, I have a lip and cheek tint review for you. I think that these can only be bought in the Philippines so.. I kinda feel bad for not doing an 'international-bought product' but I feel like there's a need for more reviews regarding local products so that Filipinos will be encouraged to try them out. So, here it goes!

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Let's check out the packaging first.. shall we?

Each product comes with a box that's 4.1 inches long which states the name, shade, description, ingredients, directions, some warnings and storage. It's simple yet, pretty.

The ingredients listed :

Water, Glycerin, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Tetrasodium EDTA, BHT, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

The product itself is inside a clear tube that includes a wand for easier application and this thing is very light and travel friendly. For ₱90.00 each with 11 grams of product, it's very affordable and worth for its price.

There are three shades available for purchase; named Stargazer, Cinnamon and Hibiscus. Take a look at the swatches I made below :)

As you can see, the two main colors are probably Stargazer and Cinnamon; and it got mixed up to make a hybrid named Hibiscus. All of the colors are very pretty and all of them smells the same. Its scent is sweet as if it was made with sugar.

The product is very blendable—it doesn't dry up too quickly. It gives you enough time to blend the color evenly across the apples of your cheeks. It has a bit of a flaw; you kind of need to build up the amount of product for the shade to show through. (like the ones on my swatches) But if you ask me, I like it that way because you are able to match the amount of product with your own liking and mix and match them, too.

The product is versatile. It can be used as a lip tint or a cheek tint. I personally use it for the cheeks because it tends to give me a really natural look that came from within. Another downside of the product is that it doesn't last long. The color fades in time so you need to apply it once in a while.

Its perfect for everyday use and it's clearly safe. If you came across a Natasha agent, I recommend you to check this out for yourselves. :)

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That's all for now! I'm kind of contemplating about the Iron Suit Project :/ because the file seems to be kind of weird... but I'm going to fix the problem when I can find the time and I'll let you know about it as soon as it gets fixed. I'm also thinking about doing youtube for quite a while now. Mmm.. we'll never know. Maybe you'll just see me posting a bunch of things on there haha :) We'll see.. We'll see :)

I have created this series on my blog which summarizes the things that happened to me lately. It's hard to think of a catchy name for this one, but I thought of the word Raconteur;

I may not be much of a storyteller in your eyes but, I can assure you that I am an aspiring, young, writer / speaker. I can pretty much speak a bit well on my own publicly, or through the paging system. A pang of anxiety hits me so hard when I film youtube videos and I hate myself when that happens. I will try my best to speak like a human being the next time you'll see me haha. I also create short stories, skits, and a few more things on wattpad—but that is an entirely different thing haha.

Then the word Rundown—as a synonym of the word 'summary'. (I have to make it an 'R' to make the words more catchy for the blog. lol) So, expect more of these posts in the long run.

During these past few weeks, I learned a lot about myself and discovering a few of my worst fears. Let's start from April 1st, shall we? :)

[ 1 ]

We went to a secluded paradise—just a few miles away from Tagaytay's busy streets. I was amazed by going through patches and patches of rice fields and end up cruising a mountain, gaining a nice view of the private beach.

There were rentable bikes, man-made lakes, shops, game rooms, courts for playing sports, pools, a country club, a beach club, shuttles that goes around the area, trees, lilies, nice employees and towers named after exotic birds.

We stayed in the Jacana tower and we met my cousin's boyfriend and his family. They were so nice and they cook amazing dishes that I couldn't get over of. We stayed in Pico De Loro for three days; all I did was play with a kid, ride bikes, play wii and swam in the warm waters of Nasugbu.

During cold nights, we got out and walked a few blocks to the shore to look at the twinkling stars, bright moon, boats exchanging morse codes using their signal lamps to the nearby lighthouse and a faint sound of a band playing in the beach club. I buried my toes in the sand while listening to Ed Sheeran's recent album. It was from this Hamilo stay—that my current obsession with snapchat grew like a wildfire. (ADD ME! "arapostrophe" is my snapchat username)

[ 2 ]

If you have been following me on my twitter account; @AraCesista , you might have an idea about my broken phone. My phone lived 2 years (and still counting) before breaking down. (I hope it won't break down tho)

I can see through my phone's sides and I can peek a little closer to see its white back-light. I don't know if this thing is just about a 'bloated battery' problem... orrrr the screen has some issues.

My parents replaced it with a new phone that I'm happy about. Its battery life is AMAZING. I never had a phone that could do that. (or it's just because I don't use my phone that much..?) Its camera is awesome and those graphics. Damn.

[ 3 ]

My love for midnight / early morning strolls grew. Our current village isn't really 'Night Stroll' material.. So I don't go out at night even if I'm itching to do so. Whenever I'm in a new place, I will take 30 minutes and reserve it for long walks.

I currently had a long midnight stroll in QC Circle.....in nude pumps. (As a girl, I really need to practice walking in high heels or else I wouldn't be a lady. lol.

In my observations, there are tons of people working-out in the vicinity. There's someone who jogs, walks, runs and most of them just used the metal equipment made by the government that can be used for working out sessions. (The QC government really did a great job on that thing) Sooo if you live close to the QC Circle and you want to tone your body, go ahead and spend a day there. :)

Me and my friends got out in a morning stroll for multiple purposes. It's nice to go out early in the morning to take in the fresh air and the quiet environment to go with it.

[ 4 ]

I discovered a really old place that is located somewhere in Makati City. Once you come in, there is an old grocery that has been closed down for years and years. It's connected into a newer building that has tons of ukay-ukay shops, old bookstores, gadget stores, some salons, a pawnshop, restaurants, a chapel, a new grocery, audio shops and a lot more. You wouldn't expect a lot from it when you see it from the outside.

I also discovered a firing range deep in the building's basement. My dad told me to try it and so I did. I just used a 9mm gun because I might not like the recoil of the other guns as a beginner. I think I did a pretty great job. Haha. Take a look on my shots below:

We came back to Makati yesterday and we came back there. I looked at dresses and bought books that I will talk about in a short while haha.

We brought my tita and two cousin's for dinner in a restaurant across from the building. We went to this area called 'Little Tokyo' and ate in a yakiniku restaurant.

[ 5 ]

One of my circle of sisters— 'thrill' decided to have a slumber party in one of our friends' house. So we did that. We played a lot of rounds of truth and dare. All of us ended up being wet and some— a few different consequences.

The next day, we went to SM Megamall to try to ice skate for the very first time. It was hard at first; but now, I got a new obtained goal that I'm very happy about :) (Special shout-out to Reg Abbariao! :D I love you, girl!)

[ 6 ]

I have this scary nightmare.. of reading the classics. Haha. I never thought that I will be into Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, Caroll, Doyle and a few other ancient authors. I was once amazed by Mr. Darcy's letter to a maiden named Elizabeth from Austen's Pride and Prejudice. My fascination grew because of this certain fan fiction that I read in wattpad a few weeks ago.

I was out yesterday and decided to find Austen's Pride and Prejudice in an old bookstore in Makati. I couldn't find it anywhere. I was about to get Sense and Sensibility—another great book from Austen; when I saw Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth and Hamlet—with a modernized english version beside the old english script. So I bought Shakespeare's AMND and H instead. Haha.

So now I'm currently reading AMND and just focusing on the old english side. When I need a little help, I will just take a look on the right side of the page to see the modernized one and highlight the words for future reference.

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After the gun shooting stuff and the ice skating trial, my body as been going down on the ground. I have multiple problems with my muscles and it's hard to put my arms up. But luckily, It's all good now. I'm just dealing with a skin fungal infection, but it's slowly healing now.

I think that this will be all for the very first Raconteur's Rundown. I will post a blog coming up soon. Once this thing is up, I'm currently editing the vid. :)

This is my 30th post! *squeals* We've made this far! haha :) Thank you for still keeping up with me.