Swagger with Swag! Gyaru Giveaways [*constantly updated for as long as I can get online]

If you are reading my blog, you would find that I am currently aspiring to be a gyaru. The best places to start research on it include Wikipedia, Ricoche, and the ever-expansive Gyaru Wiki (yay it's about time!), but you're better off lurking around Livejournal and blogs like the venerable ladies Cherrypop (sorry French only!) and Gal Factory, Gyaru-Raba, Chaigyaru, and Universal Doll off the top of my head. Of course, Google is your friend. Simply put, it's about being a sexy, stylish (post-)modern woman.

Of course, if gyaru fits your interests, you'd also know that it entails expenses. XD;;;

But fret not! There are many gyaru out there who are generous in spreading the love of sexy, stylish (post-)modern life. While sadly I'm not one of them yet, I think I can definitely point you in the right direction. ;P

Here are some blog sites which feature giveaways of make-up and jewelry to help kick-start your gyaru life.

Ann-Mich
Maintained by the lovely Singaporean twins Anne (older) and Michelle (younger), they have giveaways combining authentic Japan goods with their own personal creations almost every month. I love them not because they have tons of giveaways, but because their blogs are entertaining, they are creatively inclined (Michelle runs an Etsy shop featuring handmade jewelry, while Anne's shop showcases handsewn crafts), and they are genuinely interested in the fashion and beauty.

On their current giveaway (November-December), they are shipping out TWO (2) package prizes to two (2) lucky loyal blog readers!

Rundown:
Package A:
Authentic Anna Sui Pouches (New not used)
Beauteen Hair Colour Gel
Majolica Majorca Nail polish
Mirror
3 pieces of masks
Flower hair accessory (Hair rubberband)
*Package A open to international participants

Package B:
Authentic Hello Kitty pouches brought back from Japan
Nu Ren Wo Zui Da 女人我最大 TV recommanded Hair clip
Beauteen Hair Colour Spray
Majolica Majorca Nail polish
Mirror
3 pieces of masks
Flower hair accessory (Hair rubberband)
*Package B limited to Singapore-based participants because the spray might not be good for snail mail sending

More details at http://annie-michelle.blogspot.com/2009/11/7th-nov-7th-dec-blog-giveaway.html.

With these I wish you the best of luck in pursuing your gyaru aspirations! ^0^/

A Photoshoot for Work! <3

Hi all!

I guess I've missed my photoshoots with friends from Cosplay.ph pretty badly, because when it was announced by my colleague that we were doing a photoshoot for work, I really went all out. dXDb We had hired a long-time friend of the company who was a professional photographer, who in turn got us a shoot director and a very lovely studio with much room, great lighting and all-white walls, and began planning, though rather haphazardly, the two-themed shoot.

Unlike my earlier apprehension, when we did the first part of the shoot which was white (top) on white (background), we found that we didn't actually recede into the walls. Yay! XD Unfortunately, we forgot to have photos of ourselves as a group taken while wearing white tops. >.<000

In any case, our photographer was very kind to allow us to camwhore shamelessly inside the well-lit studio between and after the shoot. XDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I had myself made up to look like Sayaka from the defunct Es Poshh! Magazine, but that proved a bit difficult because my face is terribly round and my hair normally refuses to follow any curled style (unless I get it permed, which costs an arm and a leg). Not to mention that lately, my once-flawless skin is now susceptible to pimples. DDDDDDDDDX But thank goodness for an awesome hair and make-up team that was able to follow the look I wanted using mineral make-up and, of all things, a straightening hair iron. I love them so much! ♥ I am pleased to report that 4 hours later, my hair and make-up held up remarkably well, though admittedly the humidity had set in on my hair and reduced the curls just a bit.

We've already got our photos, but I haven't put them up yet because we're still in the process of editing the official shots. For the meantime, I'm putting up the products of our self-indulgence.

Behind-The-Scenes
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=124720&id=558573814
Multiply: http://ligayadiwata.multiply.com/photos/album/66/2009-11-03_VPRI_Photoshoot_Behind_the_scenes
Hair and Make-up: Ms. Toni Malabanan and her team
Photographer: Ms. Orthia Hernandez

EDIT: Official shots are out!
Official Photoshoot
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127961&id=558573814&l=2922191893
Multiply: (to be added as I left the HD with the originals at work =_=0)
Hair and Make-up: Ms. Toni Malabanan and her team
Photographer: Mr. Louie Aguinaldo

The 25 Wants: Hoping God & the universe hear me!

I want:
1) A credit card. No, seriously. Bringing so much cash is worrying. X_x Most likely the UnionBank EON account because it's PayPal-friendly.
2) BlackBerry devices with matching data plans. One for me, one for Mahal (especially so we can chat for hours on WiFi!) and one for Dad because it would totally help his business. Sorry Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Apple, this baby beats you in lightweight-ness and data efficiency hands down. Though those keypads can get seriously tiny...
3) A decent pair of shorts that I can fill out without riding up my crotch or simply just looking skanky.
4) MATCHING UNDIES!!! Because none of my bras go with my knickers, WTF. >_>0
5) More accessories, like necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Especially Victorian-era pocket watches, endless strings of pearls, and anything music-themed (piano keys, G-clefs and/or musical notes).
6) 1TB hard drive. Just for back-up. Seriously. So my computer can keep its games and pr0nz hahaha.
7) New wigs, especially those with FULLER POOFINESS! So I can be more gyaru and just go hair-crazy some days without worrying over my ever-increasing hairfall. T.T
8) A Sony Walkman with matching Bluetooth headphones. As much as I love Apple, the iPod has become seriously overrated and less fun. I want to go against the norm. ;P
9) Skins, decoden and rhinestones for my phones, lappy and camera. I kinda like my PC looking and staying black but if a gorgeous yet supremely monstrously functional case comes out of the PC manufacturers I may just change my mind. XD
10) Old issues of Es POSHH!, Ego System, Honey Girl, Vanilla Girl and all the lovely but sadly defunct gyaru magazines.
11) Volume 13 of the original Japanese version of the Ayashi no Ceres manga so that I can FINALLY complete my collection. XD
12) Work-out videos, particularly for Tae-Bo, Hip-hop Abs, Bellydance and anything to do with dancing and martial arts.
13) A tan, or a less-than-PhP1,000 artificial tanner, to even out my skin tone.
14) Sony Creative Software 2009 Editions, especially Vegas, the original of which is rare and hard to come by here where I live.
15) More make-up! Preferably mineral and hypoallergenic. (Sadly, the Shu Uemura testers my younger sister gave me caused some crazy breakouts that I never recovered from. X_x)
16) A perfume that comes thisclose to the bouquet of The Body Shop's Oceanus, which sadly has been phased out. T.T
17) DVD sets of all the following: Ayashi no Ceres, Sailormoon (all 5 seasons), Saint Tail, Inuyasha, Sugar Sugar Rune, Tsukikage no Ran, Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl, Candy Candy, True Blood, Peach Girl, Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden, Hana Kimi, Vision of Escaflowne (movie is optional), Flight of the Conchords, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Black Lagoon, Card Captor Sakura, Angelic Layer, Vampire Princess Miyu, CSI: Las Vegas (only the episodes with Gil Grissom in the lead though), Roswell, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Audrey Hepburn Collection, Sex and The City, Heroes, Oh My Goddess!, HBO Films' John Adams, and last but definitely not least Joan of Arcadia.
18) An upright piano and some starter music scores I can make use of to teach myself to read notes and play piano with again.
19) Piano, voice, street/hiphop/pole dance and clothing technology lessons that someone else will be willing to sponsor in my behalf. (For the music lessons, I'd rather take them at The Ryan Cayabyab Music School, BTW.)
20) Personalised calling cards for my own business purposes. Must make time for this.
21) A better laptop bag than the one I have now.
22) I still want the Chloe leather alligator fold clutch. Second-hand, or preferably someone can produce a version locally, one which doesn't have to be made of real leather. Close-up here.
23) Sexy black legwarmers with chains. (Granted, I COULD make them myself but I don't have the necessary skills to ensure they don't all fall apart after just one wearing. XD;;;) Photo taken from Royal Jelly Clothing, no longer in stock in that store though.
24) Music-themed anything! Whether it be this Forever 21 Melody hoodie jacket (alas, it's no longer in stock either, I really should've bought it during the holidays! DX) or this piano and musical-themed bag from the Japanese brand JUNKS, I am totally and madly in love!
25) These Kvoll strappy sandals with heart-shaped heels, sans ribbons. I first fell in love with Christian Lacroix wedges with heart-shaped cut-outs during the Lacroix exhibit 2 years ago at the Ayala Museum (thanks Ate! XD), and when I was in Taipei this past June I stumbled across another set of heels in this exact style. However I didn't have money at the time so I never got to buy them.

The 25s (Possible-to-reach) Needs: Hoping God & the universe hear me...

I need:

1) At least US$10,000 added to EACH of my bank accounts (BPI savings account, Banco Filipino savings account, and the one I plan to open in Standard Chartered) so I can finally get that long-delayed trip to see Mahal again without worrying about rainy STORMY days.
2) A USB cable for my Sony T-20 Cybershot (pamana ni Inay/inherited from Mum). Okay, I forgot I DO have this already, so instead of my old number #7 I would like some better-quality silicone cases for my mobile phones. My Sony DSC-T20 Cybershot camera, which I lost during an event at the Peninsula Manila last 23rd September. >.<
3) Better quality silicon cases for my mobile phones.
4) A new set of eyeglasses with ultra-thin, multi-coloured transitional lenses (L: -6.00 + astigmatism, R: -3.50). I prefer thin, coloured rims as horn rims don't work for my facial structure at all.
5) Diksyunaryo ng Wikang Pilipino (Dictionary of the Filipino Language) by UP Press. Or, failing that, a decent, comprehensive, one-stop Filipino-English dictionary, which we SERIOUSLY lack in this country.
6) A miniature (portable?) electronic sewing machine complete with implements.
7) A decent pair of jogging/jazz/workout pants/shorts that don't split when stretched out at the crotch as I can get surprisingly involved and malleable during my exercises.
8) Board shorts especially for summer days.
9) Dress forms and/or mannequin bodies for my costumes and for my sister K's fashions.
10) Original Windows 7 OS and Microsoft Professional applications for Windows XP and 7 - preferably not overpriced by PhP1,000 the way they sell it here, and with full multilingual and app support.
11) The latest Adobe Creative Suite, all-original and with full multilingual and app support.
12) The latest McAfee Anti-Virus system, all-original and with full multilingual and app support.
13) A new case for Anthy, my PC, who looks so shabby because of all the holes my Dad carved into her casing so we could fit more fans in. (As it turned out, all those fans contributed to her constant overheating, and the solution was newer, better fans.)
14) Lots of belts (especially narrow, not thick belts) and shoes. I can never have enough. XD; Although I DO need belts because most of my trousers and some of my skirts keep falling (curse of the half-size), and shoes because I wear them out so easily (curse of ginormous yet strangely half-size feet, grossly disproportionate to my body). Brand is not important, but build and durability are.
15) Calling card keepers for work and personal use.
16) Lots of bags for daily use and special occasions alike, but most especially a formal yet theft-proof purse.
17) 4D-size batteries for emergencies, especially after Typhoons Ketsana and Parma hit us.
18) BlackBerry Storm charger for work, which I lost on early September after I brought it back to work. DX
19) Clear books & clear sheets for the old cutouts and clippings that I really, REALLY want to save.
20) OFW SIM and matching mobile phones for Mahal & me (sana BlackBerry!!!).
21) VISA and TWO-WAY tickets to the USA and back here to see Ate, Jannie and Mahal!!!

OMG OMG OMGGGGGGGGGG!!!

I found out from one of my trusted sellers in Multiply that she's offering a personal shopping service from Japanese stores. Now that I'm leaning heavily towards the gyaru style, I'm going nuts because this is the chance to own something, ANYTHING by Cecil McBee, Gilfy, Swordfish, Ego System, Liz Lisa... OHMYGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

Unfortunately, I still owe some other sellers money. And I just finished investing quite a heavy sum in retail treasury bonds, so I have absolutely skint. DX

Not to mention that I feel incredibly guilty since there are so many people out there currently living worse off than I am due to Typhoons Ketsana and Parma, which attacked our part of the country in the last 2 weeks.

I just want to go for it SO badly though...! T.T

God, please, I would like a windfall right about now. Please? I've been really, REALLY good! T_____________________T

Conflicted/Word Vomit 2/? [To be transliterated in Tagalog]

Hmm, my thoughts have become disjointed and incoherent and are going EVERYWHERE. I guess it's because I think based on emotions? This makes it so much harder to write them down.

So let's see... where did I leave off?

Oh yes. Now changing an entire mindset, which is perhaps the domino which will start the whole betterment and positive development movement, is the hardest to do. Mental conditioning is difficult to effect especially in the adult years, and it doesn't take a scientist to see that.

The Filipino is notorious for having amnesia of both long-term and short-term memory. We take the proverbs "Forgive and forget" and "Start fresh, start clean" a little too seriously. This is one of the saddest things about being Filipino - we, as a nation, forget too soon the grievous sins committed against our people and our country, whether by foreign parties or (and this is where it gets worse) fellow Filipinos ourselves. For starters, we suffered exactly 333 years of tyranny under Spain; today, Instituto Cervantes and the Catholic Church are still around (as much as I believe wholeheartedly in Christ Jesus, it is very sad that many figures in the Church have done things contrary to His teachings through the ages), IBM's Philippine unit hires and trains Filipino call center agents for accounts based in Spain and Latin America, many land, labour and governance problems rooted in politicking Spanish exiles and their way of "running the country" continue to plague us today, and I haven't even mentioned the controversial "Filipinas" biscuits which were said to have tasted good, save for their Oreo-like premise of dark cookies with white filling. Have the Spanish insulares and naturalised Filipinos originally from Spain helped the Philippines? Not really - the capitalist Zobel de Ayala family, for instance, have contributed to the rapid, technologically-driven Western-style development of Makati City, but they have also popularised mall culture and San Miguel Beer to new heights. No-one had heard a peep from them the moment the Ondoy/Ketsana hit, and one friend who found herself stranded in one of the low-end Ayala malls in Taguig City told me that the Ayala personnel were extremely lacking in compassion at the height of the storm.

Oh, alright, I take back my hatred of San Miguel Beer, but then again, I was never a beer drinker as I find it too bitter.

This kind of mental condition could only be sheer stupidity at best. But that is how my brain is conditioned. There is no avoiding it; after all, while my late grandparents fought in their own ways during the Japanese occupation during World War II, I can only be described as a rabid J-Pop fan who is a virtual slave to gyaru fashion. Except I refuse to forget, or at least I grasp at straws and devise ways to keep everything in my memory.

Trust me, it's not fun to focus on the negative like this. But the Filipino likes focusing more on the happy and pretty things than the sad and ugly ones. I know I prefer sleeping in the car than staring the greasy-skinned child wearing tattered clothes begging me to please buy a sampaguita garland, and I know I will much rather read my magazines, newspapers and books in English than the longwinded vernacular.

Conflicted/Word Vomit 1/? [To be transliterated in Tagalog]

Wow, it's been a while since I was last here, hasn't it?

After the catastrophe that was Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana), I've been thinking again. A lot.

And as we all know, the products of my thoughts will most likely be tiring to read as they are to write. Please bear with me; otherwise, you've been warned.

First, I regret sincerely that I was not more committed to the environmental effort. This was Mother Nature's epic bitching and ownage of the Filipino people, who I must admit have an attitude of being nice only when it works to our advantage. It used to be in our nature to live in total synchronicity with the environment's habits, but endless colonialisation and hurried industrialisation (the latter having been introduced to us by the Americans) have made myself and my countrymen inconsiderate of our surroundings and the other creatures that live in it.

Please note I am in no way generalizing the United States of America and its people, as well as the Philippines and her people. I am well aware that both countries have their own strengths, and that indolence and irresponsibility know no race, no religion and even no gender. It's just that... somehow, I wish we Filipinos were able to figure out what the Americans were so good at doing, and then do one better by surpassing them instead of just following their lead, or worse, bickering among ourselves. Those are two Filipino traits that peeve me - bickering and blaming, especially because we Filipinos are happy to always rely on other people to take on the tasks that we ourselves should be doing and are natural debaters when we find an opposing perspective. More on this later.

Anyway, it used to be that we in the Philippines had natural treasures, "likas na yaman", that we were very proud of as a people - tall, swaying coconut trees that reached to the sky, crystal-clear bodies of water, wide-eyed tarsiers on Chocolate Hills. After all, we have always been the Pearl of the Orient Seas. But the concern that many of us have these days is to be rich through any means possible - even if that entails making colleagues look bad in front of our bosses, cutting more trees to build more living (as opposed to livable) spaces, and throwing our trash just about anywhere because we're in a hurry to get to work. In fact, immediately after the onslaught of Ondoy in our metropolis, my friends retold in Facebook how the drivers who made public transportation possible were mindlessly throwing their trash outside their windows. It's a shame, considering I actually did join an environmentally-driven organisation. Of course, since I wasn't passionate about the cause (I've always been more civic-minded), I hardly got anything done. I did practise proper disposal and segregation of waste, but I've always been queasy around animals. Even now I'm not exactly a pet-friendly person. To be fair, my fast-paced working gal lifestyle doesn't allow for pets at all; I hardly even have time for myself these days. But I admit that privately, I always held much disapproval and disappointment for people who spend so much to groom and even dress their animals in human-like clothing when so many people outside were dying of hunger and lack of shelter and medicines. What's worse are those people who like keeping animals and yet do not take care of them responsibly - and make no mistake, we have a lot of them here.

I honestly think that many of my own people, myself included, really do not have a sense of responsibility. I do not bother to reduce the clutter of my own room because I am lazy, because I know that I can always rely on my mother, who prefers to see everything tidy, to clean everything up for me. (I'm very sorry Mum, I will get to that long-awaited clean-up once I'm done with this entry.) I do not lobby for more tree-lined parks and pedestrian lanes in Makati because I leave the planning for these to our city government, which has many staffers who admittedly do not have the foresight to see the benefits of these things. I do not complain about the massive logging in my mother's mountainous hometown of Rizal, Laguna, because again that's the provincial government's work; besides, we're based in Manila now, and there are some greedy relatives there who we'd rather not see.

It won't be easy, but I will have to change my mindset and make myself accountable for causing the floods brought by Ondoy to a certain extent.

PS this show of mercy and accountability to the environment will not be extended to mosquitos, flies and cockroaches though. They're disgusting and carry diseases on them no matter what they do. Ugh. XP

Tayo na, tayo na!

Partida tayo may nakaalala pa nito. d^_~b



Honestly, while the late Rene Villanueva was a most disagreeable man and a disappointment for youngsters who loved his TV show, everyone from my generation agrees that Batibot was one of the best things ever shown on Philippine television. ♥

We need a revolution...

We need a revolution...
Originally uploaded by Ligaya Diwata.

Yes, I was in the rallies leading to the 1986 EDSA Revolution. I'm the tiny kid in yellow. My mum, in pink, is holding me, along with our nanny at the time. The other young girl is my older sister. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where this is, but according to the writing at the back of the photo (my mum's) this was somewhere near EDSA.

It also sucks that we lost all the other photos taken no this date. Lesson to future parents: Never, EVER, let your kids take your original photos! It's a good thing we now have digital photography and digital storage - like Flickr! - at this day and age.

Uploaded to commemorate the 26th death anniversary of Senator Benigno Severino "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. on 21 August 2009. This event became the catalyst for the 1986 EDSA Revolution.