Thursday, May 16, 2019

I'm Back!

So it's been a year and a few months since I left the Philippines. I promised myself I'd keep this blog active so I can document the whole thing and also keep the posts more "personal". The goal was basically hitting two birds with one stone, I get to easily update everyone about my life AND maintain my blog how it was before---less ads more original content. Win-win situation. Sounds great, right? 


But lots of things happened and I wasn't able to what I wanted to do. I've been working two jobs non-stop like crazy. Picture this - I used to work 14.5 hours a day before! My only "personal time" was limited to biphasic/polyphasic sleep and dinner. It realized it was THAT bad when I had to choose between a taking a cat nap, having lunch or a quick shower. I was burned out, lack of sleep and fatigue was the norm for me. I knew I had to stop when I realize I was breathing very audibly, found it difficult to breathe and had more chest pains than usual. Really scary. 

Fast forward to now, I think I'm doing a lot better. 

Reasons Why I Was on Hiatus:
1.) Lack of time - I don't have two jobs anymore so I'm not as busy as I am now.
2.) Slow unreliable laptop - I bought a super powerful gaming laptop last year yay!
3.) No local events to attend - I figured I can make my own content without it, not a problem.
4.) Creative block - I'm in desperate need of a creative outlet right now.

Basically, I ran out of excuses as to why I'm not blogging anymore. I think it's a perfect time to come back. 

For now, I don't have much to share mainly because I have no idea where to start. Seriously. Some of the things that I'm still working at most of the time is purely adjusting here. From what I've been told, California isn't as bad as most states in the East coast. However, growing up in a tropical country... everything seems to be cold to me. Really.

Like I said in a previous post, I don't get to use the things I've accumulated in the Philippines just for the reason. So when I got back here again, I left behind a bunch of stuff there. Ended buying new things that I thought might suit the weather here better (a perfectly valid excuse to splurge lol). Here's some of the things I'm currently trying out:


Skincare Products

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

The Ordinary Buffet & The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

Anti Aging Peptide Eye Cream By Alana Mitchell

Organic Rosehip Seed Oil by Sky Organics

USDA Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Dead Sea Mud Mask & 100% Pure African Black Soap by Spa Organics

Foxbrim Organic Castor Oil


Contact Lenses

Hubble Contact Lenses

O-Lens Bling Some in Coral Pink & O-Lens Symphony Green

Waldo Contact Lenses

..............................................................................................................................

I have more stuff I'm currently trying out but these are the ones I like so far. Someone please cancel my Amazon Prime subscription or at least hide my cards! Just kidding! Hahahahaha. Not sure if there's people still reading my blog. If you're reading this, thank you so much for the support! I'm just so happy to be back!


-------------------------------------------------

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Is Social Media Giving Us Unrealistic Beauty Expectations? What is the Impact?


Nowadays it’s pretty impossible to find someone who isn’t on at least one kind of social media. The unique combination of Filipino culture, where everyone knows everyone else and sharing information is as natural as breathing, meeting with smartphones and data plans means that social media connectivity thrives in the Philippines.

In fact, Hootsuite and We Are Social’s Digital 2019 report shows that Filipinos typically spend about 10 hours and 2 minutes on the internet on average every day— more than any country in the world.

All this time spent online has its effects, and not just on your phone bill. Admit it, sometimes scrolling through your Facebook and Instagram feed brings a twinge of emotion, and not always good. In between pictures of someone’s dog or birthday party, it’s likely you’ve seen your friends living lives that look more exciting than yours. Bustle quotes a study by French researchers that reveals that spending more time on social media comparing ourselves to others is more likely to make us more depressed.

According to studies compiled in this essay on Medium, only thirty minutes of media can change the way a girl perceives her body. In the Philippines, where people spend an average of 10 hours, the impact of social media on self-esteem might be even more extreme. Young girls looking at beautiful women online might feel even more insecure about themselves than ever before.


If you’re on Instagram, you’ve probably heard of the term “social media influencers.” These are people becoming celebrities online who are quickly changing the landscape of what’s hip or cool, and they’re as accessible as a quick tap on the ‘Follow’ button. This BNY Jeans post on ’50 Instagram Influencers to Follow in the Philippines in 2019’ shows just how many top influencers there are in the Philippines, and there are probably thousands more.

Looking at the perfect, glamorous lives of these influencers as they travel around the world has a definite impact. Younger and younger girls are beginning to use makeup, and more boys feel insecure about their bodies. When faced with so many ideals of beauty and wealth on your phone, it can be hard not to feel like you’re not up to par. That’s why more young people now are spending more money so they can mimic the lives they see online— whether it’s flying around the globe, buying tons of makeup, eating at expensive places, or buying the latest pair of sneakers, you can be sure that the cause is something along the lines of, “I saw it online.”

However, if social media has its downsides, it does have its silver lining as well. Due to the “democratization” of information, and how easy it is now to set up your own accounts, some influencers out there are challenging beauty standards. This Women in the World article rounds up just five influencers who are changing the idea of what it means to be beautiful, but there are sure to be many more.

What we see on our phones isn’t always the reality, and sometimes we forget that these posts are actually carefully curated to show all the ups of life without the downs. It takes hours of undocumented effort to get that perfectly made-up, stylish shot, and no one really looks that good just getting up. So with all things, take what you see on social media with a grain of salt. You might not realize it, but you’re actually doing just fine.

-

Check out the rest of Pinay Buzz for more articles on beauty, lifestyle, and adventure!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...