Month: April 2024

I hope you realize your own beauty

There’s nothing wrong about getting enhancements if it makes you happy.

At some point in my life I wanted to get a rhinoplasty mainly because I was tired of not just other people but my own friends and family bullying me with my big nose. It was my greatest insecurity until I realized that I am beautiful despite having a big nose but it took me two decades to accept everything I was born with.

Accepting everything you have is not easy especially when your brain was wired by your environment that you fully trust since day 1.

You are fortunate if you have an affirmative surrounding telling you that you are enough and nothing is wrong with you however this is not always the case.

I thought I was the ugliest and felt like life was not fair. But, the universe allowed me to see the world in a broader perspective and that changed how I see myself now.

Life brought me to a place with a very diverse culture. People across the globe who lived their lives way different than me and found how each of us are uniquely beautiful. These people never pointed out that my nose was big but made me feel that I am enough and beautiful. And for that I will forever be grateful.

The people I have been meeting made me feel secure and accepted. I am thankful I didn’t end up changing anything in my body.

But again, it’s ok to have physical enhancement but I think what’s more important to improve is our personality, character, values and knowledge. Stay true to yourself, kind and loving to yourself and other people. Crave to know more. Think before you speak. Try to see different angles of where things are coming.

And I hope when you find out how beautiful you are, you can also be a medium for others to see their own beauty.

That was me 10 years ago and the way I see myself now has changed a lot! I know now that I am beautiful even with my big nose. 😉

Do I need a CFO if I have a J1 visa? (Philippines to USA)

YES! YES! YES!

YES, you need to have a CFO!

A CFO sticker from them!

If you answer yes to the questions below, then YOU MUST have that CFO sticker/paper with you:

Do you have a J1 visa?

Is it your first time to go to the US with a J1 visa?

Again, if your answer is yes to those two questions, then regardless of your category YOU MUST APPLY at the CFO office to get one.

I am a government employee and returning after 5 months from an exchange program, do I need a CFO?

YES! YES! YES! Regardless if you are working in the government or private office in the Philippines or even if you are unemployed, you will need a CFO before your departure.

In some cases it takes a week or two to get an appointment with CFO or for your sticker/paper from CFO to arrive to you, so make sure to plan ahead of time on getting yours.

And, if you are so close to the date of your departure before realizing that you needed one, go straight away to the CFO office in Quezon City because calling them is a bit of a challenge but getting one from their office will usually take less than a day if you have complete documents. They are only open Mondays thru Thursdays, 7am-5pm.

The CFO has an assistance desk at NAIA Terminal 1 that is open from 5am until midnight Mon-Fri except regular holidays, but you will have to call them 2-3 business days before your flight.

My kaBOBAhan mistake: How to cook white tapioca (BOT BANG) pearls?

I grew up buying cooked boba or tapioca pearls in the market so this was my first time cooking it and I thought I was smart enough since I cooked brown tapioca pearls before perfectly!

Wait, let me defend myself a bit. There was no instruction on the packaging! But my inner self was screaming — you should have searched it! Internet is free!

Boba is a Tagalog term for stupid girls which I brought to life when I did not cook the white tapioca pearls correctly. LOL.

Here’s the thing. The white vs the brown tapioca shares similar and different things when cooking them. Similar in terms of putting them in boiling water but different on the duration that you will have to simmer them.

Below was the disaster I made which was dissolved white tapioca pearls:

Please DO NOT put yet the tapioca pearls unless the water is BOILING!!!

LET THE WATER BOIL FIRST!!!

Then, put your pearly white raw tapioca.

Reduce the heat and let it slowly boil for 30 minutes.

Unlike the brown boba, with white tapioca pearls you should let the pearls sit in the water until it cools.

You should see mostly translucent pearls and few opaque like the photo below. If you see a lot of opaque, you need to BOIL the WATER again and cook the half cooked pearls for 10-15 minutes and let it sit in the water until it cools for 10-15 minutes.

After this time, you should see that most of the pearls are translucent.

Wash them to remove extra slimey coating of the pearls.

Then you can cook them in sugar syrup if you want them sweet!

Beginners’ snowboarding guide: lens from a tropical grown first-timer gal

Ok. I grew up from the Philippines. the 3 decades of my life was spent in a country that never gets snow and has two season – rainy and sunny. Seeing a snowfall is a goal for people who grew up in places that never gets snow – you can ask them. LOL.

And, doing snowboarding is more than I could ask for. It was already a full circle moment for me who’s from a place that does not snow and never thought that she could ever ride a plane.

Anyway, I did my first snowboarding and let me tell you some of the things I learned that could guide you on your upcoming trip.

It is not cheap but can be manageable

If you are like me who wants to enjoy life but does not have all the resources in the world, then I am telling you snowboarding is not cheap especially if you will do it in Colorado, US. But, do not let it stop you from going. With timely hotel reservation, finding a cheap gear rental place and free place to snowboard then your $450 will be enough to go on a 3-days-2-nights snowboarding (excluding the travel cost) below is the cost breakdown:

Hotel (100 per night) = 200

Snowboard complete gear for 3 days = 150

Food = 50-100 (will be enough if you will bring most of it)

Lift = free in school zones but if you want to try the gondola and the mountain snowboarding, prepare extra 230 per day

It is not easy on your first try but do not give up

If this is your first time, prepare that you will get your body sore as you hit the ground several times. You may get frustrated but do not give up. It will be fun eventually. As in any cases, learning a new thing may seem impossible at first but then you will realize that you made it!

Be prepared – body, mind and soul

Plan ahead. It may look sunny in the morning but will be cold and windy, do not be complacent and bring your stuff. It may be too windy so the lifts may be closed so you will have to stay in your hotel. Also, bring water bag suitable for snowboarding because you will sweat a lot and you will need to drink water or water with salts like gatorade this will help you out quenching your thirst and on managing altitude sickness.