My sound phobic Dalmatian

On December 28, 2009

My 3 yr. old Dalmatian’s name is Wade. He’s a handsome, loving, sweet, playful, loyal dog who happens to be a living oxymoron weighing more than a hundred pounds. When all the vets’ textbooks would say Dalmatians’ major problem is hearing impairment, Wade is sound phobic. He’s terrified at the sound of thunder, fireworks, and he would jump at sudden crash, boom, bang from God knows where. As the New Year’s Eve approaches, I’m getting more worried because he seems to be thrice scared than he was in the past.

Last week, the shopping mall a few blocks away from our home set up a 30-minute fireworks display and Wade was shaking, trembling, and salivating like he never did before. Of course all the vets I know are on vacation this week so I had to make use of the web to check what home remedies could help my poor little giant beast.

I was originally planning on giving him a shot of valium to knock him down but on second thought, who wants a scared dog that’s just too drugged to run away? As you can tell, it doesn’t sound right.

One food supplement called Melatonin is said to be helpful for dogs with sound phobia. Melatonin is a natural substance produced by our body that induces the feeling of calmness and drowsiness which transitions us to sleep. It’s available OTC which I’m going to try for my dog this coming Thursday and I hope it works if not for sleeping, at least for calming him down. If you can share some remedies you know for your sound phobic pets, I’d totally appreciate it... I might even let Wade lick your face as a sign of love and gratitude :)

Let me wring it here

On December 23, 2009

Yesterday was quite a mess but like a good trusty sponge, yours truly managed to absorb and hold it all up. But you know what’s next – we have to wring it somewhere! Let me share the suds while I squeeze away the ordeals that were.

To the woman who sat next to me wearing leather mini-skirt, fishnets, and Dr. Martens’ boots while waiting for the dentist: I appreciate that you asked if anyone was sitting next to me; but had I known that your perfume would give me the headache and nearly damage my health, I would have told a white lie and say ‘Yes’. How could a “perfume” be as nuclear waste-lasting as that you’re wearing? I know I don’t have the perfect olfactory system to judge but sweet potatoes, the odor made me really dizzy that I have to pop an Advil and see if it helps. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

To my friend who “accidentally” stepped on my all-time favorite black wayfarers: I wouldn’t mention your name because I am now doubting our friendship. Up to now, I’m still not sure if you did it in purpose either/or because of your love for me and your thing against wayfarers. In the past, whenever I wear them you tell me I look like one of the Blues Brothers and give me the giggles. The insulting giggles. You know by heart that I rarely wear those posh bug shades that you, Paris Hilton, and other skinny girls are fond of wearing. You know by heart how dear Rayban classic aviators and wayfarers are to me because I’m all about their androgynous flair. Alright, you said sorry and I accept it.

To my music player: Why of all the time in the world did you die on me when the office was as boring as a fat sleeping cat? All the good social network sites known to mankind are blocked and I didn’t have a laptop with me to support my regular time-wasting schedule. And dear me, why did you forget to recharge it at home when you know you aren’t allowed to do it in the office?!

There goes the top three things that made yesterday a major mess. On a lighter off-topic note, the domain “staceyavenue.com” is turning 1 year come December 30, 2009! Yey! Technically, this blogger blog turned 1 year last October 28, 2009 but because of my hectic schedule, I wasn’t able to celebrate it. But I did celebrate my 100th blog entry here: http://www.staceyavenue.com/2009/02/reaching-100-mark.html 

I’m still thinking about what to write for my domain name’s first anniversary so feel free to drop by at your own risk. I wish you all a good day.

Voice of reason

On December 22, 2009

I wish I didn’t know so I won’t have to bother dealing with it. Voice of reason speaks to me and I can’t win the argument. The fact that the universe conspired to make me aware of what it is and what it has become; there must be a reason and responsibility that accompanies it – to respond, to act.

Kabuki brush and four simple steps for a fresh-looking face

On December 22, 2009 

It must be a tool women have been using for ages but I never knew how amazing a kabuki brush is for applying face powder instead of a puff until recently, thanks to my friend Claudia. She is the best go-to person when it comes to beauty matters and I’ve been bribing her to make a beauty blog but she just doesn’t want to do it (because she's lazy).

Claudia knows how to make herself look naturally misty all day, and appear like she’s well-rested when in reality, she just had three hours of sleep. It’s great to have a friend who knows that kind of magic and shares it with you because it’s important to look kempt especially if you’re a working woman dealing with colleagues, business partners, clients, as well as stress everyday.

Last week, she gave me a pack of mineral face powder that comes with a thick kabuki brush applicator as a gift. I found out that kabuki brushes are made of animal fur, most commonly goat hair which sounds icky at first but dang; it’s absolutely soft and silky to touch! Jokingly, I asked Claudia if they only use Japanese goats because of the name “kabuki” which sounds really anime-ish to me. Regardless if they’re Japanese or not, I hope those kabuki brush makers don’t extort animals when collecting hair!

Here is Claudia’s trick for a sheer, natural, fresh-looking face all day:

1. Cleanse face and pat it dry with a soft, clean towel. 
2. Apply moisturizer (preferably with SPF) to the face. Aside from the benefits you get from a moisturizer and sunscreen, this serves as the bonding agent so the powder stays put. Some use concealer as the base if they need a fuller coverage; like if they have dark spots or blotches. 
3. Use the dry kabuki brush to collect an ample amount of powder, tap the excess pigments from the brush and gently apply to face in circular strokes to blend. 
4. Apply lip balm or sheer lip gloss for a final touch; re-apply as needed.

The result is natural flawless finish and it won’t take any more than three minutes to do. I’m a big fan of natural, low maintenance type of look, and I like this idea for its simplicity and effectiveness. Bottom line is you don’t need tons of makeup to survive the corporate jungle!

I hope this helps you and I wish you all a great day.

To where everything's a bargain

On December 21, 2009

This morning, I have nothing much to do so I went to a local thrift store to look around and see if anything tickles my fancy. Given that it's a Monday morning, there weren't that many people shopping which makes it even more convenient for me to loiter around.

The store isn't spic 'n span but it wasn't that bad either. It's a decent air conditioned mini mall with all kinds of really cheap finds. Without a specific aim in mind, I stop by from shelf to shelf, realizing they've got seriously good items. I couldn't believe that I got out of the shop with a bag full of stuff and here are just some of them:

 

 

Buy 1 take 1 leggings for P100.00, socks for only P9.00, tank tops for P39.00, powder brush for P15.00, and more! They even have bags, shoes, and tunic blouses at low, low price but I just picked out random useful things since I'm done shopping for outfits last week. 


Initially, I wouldn't expect too much quality from these items until I asked the store keeper why everything's so cheap. She said the store owner gets everything directly from overseas manufacturers, unbranded. Once the products are branded and distributed to the malls, that's when these are priced 10-100x more its original price! Wicked!

Not bad at all! I wish you all a great day with delightful budget-friendly finds!