Giveaway is now over! Congrats to the winner!

We finally have a date for our wedding! F.B.'s parents were able to book the Manila Hotel for our wedding in December! His parents have booked the Champagne Salon, which is part of the Champagne Room for a buffet style dinner in the evening. We still have to set up an appointment with a judge, but we will probably have our civil ceremony at the hotel as well, earlier in the evening. We will also be staying 2 nights at the Manila Hotel, as a wedding gift from F.B.'s parents. So exciting!

And, because I've mentioned it before, I want to do a "wedding date" blog giveaway!

I just ordered a gorgeous necklace from KYM Jewelry on Etsy to wear at my cousins wedding & my own wedding. It's made with two gorgeous Swarovski pearls & a crystal spacer on a delicate chain. I chose white for my own necklace. I think it will go along nicely with my other wedding accessories & dress purse.

In celebration of our wedding; I would like to order & give away one of these lovely elegant necklaces for one of you. You can customize your necklace with the color pearl of your choice. ( Swarovski Pearl Color Chart Here.) The necklace is perfect for any special occasion.

To enter this giveaway you will need to do 2 things, by leaving a comment on this blog entry:

1. Guess the date of our wedding in December.
2. Leave the color pearl of your choice. (Optional)

Remember anyone can comment, you don't have to be registered on blogger!

Whoever guesses the correct date or guesses the closest will win the giveaway! In the event 2 or more people guess the same date. I will use a random number generator to determine the winner!

This giveaway is not restricted to the United States, so my international readers can enter! And, family & friends are not excluded from this giveaway- as they haven't been told the exact date yet either!

The deadline to enter this giveaway will be: November 7th, 2009

Our wedding date will be revealed, when the winner is announced!

KYM Jewelry also has another website here!

Edited to add: This post gets a ton of hits since it was written 5 years ago. I know it's not current anymore, and I'm sure there are a bunch of new malls in Philippines since I wrote this. 

F.B. and I hang out at alot of malls when I visit the Philippines, so I thought I would share some of the malls I've visited.

The malls are humongous in the Philippines! They stretch for several miles and are usually more than 4 stories. Supermarkets, Movie Theaters, Ice Skating Rinks, Arcades, Gyms, etc; are usually present in most of the malls. Some like Mall of Asia even have IMAX and musuems.

Shopping can generally be inexpensive (Peso to US Dollar) if you stick to Philippines products and not imported items. (USA, etc.) Electronics tend to be more expensive than the USA even though most are made over in Asia. (Which I don't really understand?)

Buying groceries and eating out are also inexpensive. A nice sit down restaurant like Gerry's Grill might cost less than $20 for two. Fast Food places like Chow King, Tokyo Tokyo can even be about $6 or less for two people to eat.

Clothing prices are not bad. I've seen t-shirts for P150 before ($3) and I bought a 'Pepsi' & 'Coke' t-shirt last year for about P400 ($8). Buying a Philippine magazine will usually cost around $2-3. Imported US magazines are much pricer.

Movie theaters are also less expensive. It's about $2 for an adult ticket. (Compared to $10-13 for a movie ticket in the USA!) F.B. & I see alot of movies when I visit!

Here are the top 10 malls I enjoy in the Philippines (Luzon):

1. Mall of Asia














2. Sta. Lucia East Grandmall














3. SM Marikina Mall














4. Market Market














5. Robinson's Place Metro East














6. Trinoma














7. Mega Mall














8. Glorietta Mall














9. Greenbelt














10. Greenhills














11. Robinson's Galleria















I'm really bad at math and not so good with currency conversion. But I find Peso Bills really easy to use. The exchange rate is usually around 46-50 Pesos to $1 USD. It always helps to check the exchange rate before traveling to know how much you will get for your money. Below are approxmiates of how much the Peso Bill is to the US Dollar.

50 Peso Bill = $1

100 Peso Bill = $2

200 Peso Bill = $4

500 Peso Bill = $10

1000 Peso Bill = $20 (Largest Bill)

Picture of some of the Peso Bills I still have in my wallet:















Yes I did put the word 'void' in transparent letters over the bills, silly me haha! Why? Because I didn't know if I should take a picture of real currency, lol!

There's also a 20 Peso Bill but that is like change. I'm really bad at using the coins actually. F.B. has tried to teach me several times but they work a bit different than US coins so I always get confused. I usually let him pay if we need to use the coins!

F.B. wrote me a list before of the coins though it's still confusing to me!

.05 = 5 cents (Little Coin)

.10 = 10 cents (Little Coin)

.25 = 25 cents (Little Coin)

1 Peso = 1 Peso (Big Coin)

5 Pesos = 5 Pesos (Big Coin)

10 Pesos = 10 Pesos (Big Coin)

NOTE: To see blog posts similar to this one check out:

Foreign Food Cravings
My Favorite Philippine Products

I ordered this gorgeous wood engraved frame from Personalization Mall.com. I also ordered a few more as gifts for family. I think it's absolutely gorgeous! (They shipped out my order fast too.) The frames were only $18 each and you can customize it with whatever text you want. The wood engraving turned out beautiful!

I chose part of the love verse for mine:

I also ordered 3 cute t-shirts for my Philippines trip from Aeropostle. I love the smile face tee!
Smiley Face Graphic Tee
Stacked Logo Graphic Tee
Fleur-De-Lis Graphic Tee
In Philippine updates: F.B. & his family are slowly getting the house cleaned up & back to normal. F.B. says the house is like a puzzle right now, that things aren't in their places. He went to Dad's Ultimate Buffet for his 30th birthday (Which is also part of Saisaki buffet.) I told him to eat alot of sushi & tempura for me, hehe! I love Saisaki Buffet! Their California Roll has mango in it! So good, yum! We got to talk on the phone on his birthday. And Sunday he was at Mall of Asia again at an internet cafe so we got to talk online again too around 1:30am (Philadelphia time).

F.B.'s father is supposed to come home November 15th. His father is a ship captain & is only home a few months out of the year. He brings shipments of fruits, veggies, flowers, cars, etc; to other countries, (USA included.) Earlier this year he was taking shipments of fruit from Coasta Rica to Philadelphia. But because of the strict rules, he wasn't allowed to leave the ship yard so we didn't get to meet up.

I had the craziest dream last night. I dreamed I arrived in the Philippines and pretty much forgot to pack anything & everything! I opened my suitcase and there was a few clothing items scattered around in my suitcase and I turned to F.B. and went, "I don't know how this happened... but I forgot to pack pretty much everything!" In my dream, I ended up calling my Mom with a list of things I needed and told her to use my credit card to ship my clothes & stuff to me. What a weird dream! I don't think I've ever forgotten to pack, and if I did forget something I could always buy it in the Philippines!

Happy 30th Birthday Baby, I love you! I wish I could be with you on your birthday this year, like I was last year. (I'm sure you'll appreciate me sharing all these pictures of you being dorky too, haha!) It was nice talking on the phone with you. *MWAH* I love you.

A little humor! I've taken six 15+ hour flights now, so I'm used to it. But there are little annoyances on every flight. I'm sure anyone that has taken a flight, can relate.

1. When you've been up for 24 hours already and the person next to you decides they want to be chatty while you want to sleep!

2. The person next to you that keeps poking you when the flight attendants come by with snacks or meals even though you have a blanket & sleep mask on!

3. Having to pee during a 15+ hour flight when you have a window seat & your seatmates are sleeping. (Believe me by the time you've flown a 15+ hour flight 6 times you'll be elbowing people when you have to pee!)

4. Finally waking up your seatmates to go pee as soon as the SEATBELT sign comes back ON and the Captain tells everyone to remain seated!

5. Trying to figure out how to work the toilet & sink in the bathroom. And trying to move around in there without hitting your elbows on the wall.

6. Trying to cram your carry on bag in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you.

7. Having beer being spilt all over you by your seatmate and hoping customs won't think you're the one intoxicated. (All while wishing you were intoxicated!)

8. Really hating the 3-1-1 rule because they won't let you bring water on board at the airport in Hong Kong, China (even past security!) And those little plastic cups of water the flight attendants give do not begin to quench your dehydration...

9. Being on the runway for 3 hours because the air conditioning unit fell off the plane...

10. Looking through the Sky Mall catalog 5x's before you even take off.

11. Delays, Delays & more delays. Weather, Snow, Mechanical, etc...

12. Turbulence.... while you are trying to eat the airline meal!

13. Trying to take off or put on your shoes & tie the laces while the person in front of you has their seat reclined.

14. Falling asleep only to wake up 8 hours later & realize you're still on the plane and there's at least 7 more hours to go!

15. Sleeping through the on board movie only to wake up after it's over and see the plane on the map is still flying somewhere over Antarctica!

16. Trying to sleep even though you can't stretch your legs out fully... (Thank god for sleeping pills!)

17. When you're sleeping & your seatmate decides to turn on the bright @$$ overhead light. (Always bring a sleep mask!)

18. Babies. Crying on 15+ hour flights. Enough said...

19. Looking out the window, seeing the sun & the moon and then the sun again all while you're still in the air!

20. During landing the lights go off & on, the luggage in the overhead bins slams around and the man across the aisle crosses himself.

21. Finding your luggage is on a later flight to Philadelphia from Chicago. (Hey! At least you made the plane!)

1. Avon Glimmersticks Eyeliner: Blackest Black

I think I've spoken about using Avon glimmersticks eyeliner before. It's the best! I've been using it for a few years now & this stuff doesn't budge. I love it! I recently ordered from Avon & I stocked up on more of these.


2. Hollywood Lights Lip Gloss: Berry Premier

This is a fun new product. My cousins got me a similar one from Victoria's Secret last year, but I haven't been able to find it again. I think they stopped making it. Now Avon has one called, Hollywood Lights Lip Gloss! Besides the little flashlight built in, it's got a convenient mirror on the outside. Which is one of the reasons I love this product. I find I like the Avon version better because the lip gloss is thicker & moisturizes better.

3. DuWop Venom Flash: Silver

First of all, I love this stuff. But why is it so SMALL?! It's an itty bitty 3.5 ml! Aside from the size, I do love it. I like the subtle silver sparkles. I actually thought it would have a stronger cinnamon flavor. I love the tingle. I have sensitive skin & lips, but this didn't bother it at all. It does plump slightly, but I love the clear glossy shine to it best. Sometimes I layer this over my lip gloss.

4. Wet 'n' Wild, Wild Shine Nail Polish: Lavender Creme

Ooooh! You have to see this color in person to love it. It's a gorgeous hot pink with a slightly purple tone to it. I can't explain it. But it looks great on toes in the summer! And I'm always a girl that either has pink or red on her toes when wearing sandals. It stays on pretty good and doesn't chip easily. Plus you can't beat the price, it's less than two dollars!

5. Clean & Clear Invisible Shine Control Powder

This is a hard product to find! All the drugstores near me used to carry it & now they don't anymore. I was lucky enough to find them for $3 each at Five Below recently and believe me I stocked up! I love this product. It's a small compact with a built in mirror. And the powder is great at controlling oil. The powder may look blue in the compact, but actually it evens out your skin tone & reduces redness. I usually use a makeup brush & apply it after my foundation & powder, as sort of a finishing powder. You can also use it throughout the day whenever your skin gets shiny.

6. Johnson's Baby Bath: Vanilla Oatmeal

I just started using this about a month ago. It's incredible! My skin feels super soft & smooth 2 days after using this product! I couldn't believe it. Plus it's got a really nice vanilla scent to it. I've used it for shaving & I've even used it on my hair. It's gentle on sensitive skin with oatmeal & aloe. Plus for less than $5 it comes in a huge bottle!

7. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Creme Serum Overnight Repair Formula

For awhile I was growing out my hair & it changed texture slightly. It became frizzy & even dry. I don't know why. Besides my shampoo I use, I decided to try this product because alot of conditioners & products leave my straight fine hair looking oily. I like that I can put this in my hair at night time when I go to sleep. You do have to wash it out in the morning, but it leaves your hair soft, smooth & moisturized and controls frizz. Love it!

8. Noxzema Original Deep Cleansing Cream

Back to basics. For awhile I was using all Clinque products on my face. But because of the cost, I've switched up my facial products lately. I used to use Noxzema alot when I was a teenager. I love the smell. It smells nostalgic to me. I guess because I remember my grandmother using it when I was a kid. This still takes makeup off quickly and leaves my skin feeling clean & refreshed!

9. Jergens Skin Smoothing Moisturizer

I've used this lotion for about 2-3 years now. I usually use it on my face. It's got a great fruity scent & little exfoliating beads of jojoba oil that moisturize the skin. I've found it evens out skin tone & fades redness when you've been using it awhile. I was using Jergens Naturals Lotion: Soothe on my face for awhile, but now I've switched back to this.

10. Curve by Liz Claiborne

Besides my signature scent PINK, I also use Curve. I just love the scent. It's light and refreshing without being too flowery.


To see the first Bath & Body blog I did a few months ago: CLICK HERE!

(Nope, not getting paid to recommend these products! I just wanted to share them, because I love them!)

More Articles!

Bath & Beauty Products 1

Bath & Beauty Products 3

Saturday night I was finally able to relax; take a break and hang out with my cousins. We had Chinese food for dinner (General Tso's chicken, yum.), watched a movie (Coming to America- Eddie Murphy.) & had some drinks. (Stoli Blueberry Vodka & Sprite and Rum & Coke.)

Around 12 midnight F.B. texted me & said he was at Mall of Asia at an Internet cafe and if I wanted we could meet on messenger. Yay! So I finally got to talk to my boy for over an hour on Yahoo Messenger and then he even sent me email too. I'm going to share the email because it has details about the flooding in it:

Hi baby. I miss you. It was nice being able to chat with you. As you know, I'm in MOA right now. Mom and aunts met up someplace and I just didn't tag along with 'em anymore. Had lunch at the food court here at MOA. Had some grilled squid. I'm really getting addicted to squid. haha. Wish we could hang out. I miss your company.

Anyway, I'll just tell you about the recent flood. That was Saturday morning and we chatted the night before. I remember telling you about the rain and hoping that it wouldn't flood. Though flooding was almost expected, we really weren't prepared for the amount that came on that day. There was water in front of the house already when I got the cars out. I brought 'em to one of mom's friends in the village. The water was rising really fast though and when I was heading back home. I almost had to swim through the flood. It was really tiring wading through that flood.

So when I got back home most of our stuff was kinda soaked already, but I still tried to save some stuff while I still could and put stuff on my upper shelves like the computer, laptop, our albums, etc. Mom, Ate, and Lady have been raising up stuff too while I wasn't around. But everything just happened so fast. So you can't help but panic sometimes, and you just kinda lose some common sense and don't know what to do.

We realized that we had to abandon the house since the rain just wouldn't let up. When we did go to the house next door, the flood was about chest high in the garage alone. It's good that our neighbors took us in. We're very grateful for that. The flood came down around Monday morning so we were able to go back to our house to see what happened. Everything was a mess. Furniture was everywhere, the fridge was laying on the floor face down, the cabinet in the dining room where the TV was fell over too and of course the TV on it. The dining table was still standing though it was in a different position. I guess it might've floated. Anyway, you get the idea. So it took a while to clear a path around the house taking out the furniture and stuff.

I had a tough time entering my room too cuz my bed was blocking the door and it was tough to push the bed through the little opening. and there was other stuff too since we did try to put stuff to save on the bed too. I eventually managed to squeeze in the little opening in my door though. Everything was just muddy and that mud really stinks too. Anyway, throwing out lotsa stuff like vcds. Was glad I saved your letters and albums baby. and the laptop and comp. seems ok, though haven't really tried em yet.

Got back to the house around Thursday night and we're just sleeping in one room. That room where Ate Malou sleeps. We just use comforters on the floor. My bed is the only thing left in my room. It still seems ok. Just needs a new mattress. We all need new mattresses. The flood did get about chest high in my room. You can see through the marks of the water and mud on the walls and stuff. My cabinets had to go already since they were pretty much destroyed.

Ya know, we're still kinda lucky though since other places got their houses flooded in fully and some of our neighbors on our street weren't able to get their cars out of the flood. The first time we went out of the village to buy some food and other supplies, it was really crazy. Everything was muddy and dirty, and the traffic was even worst than usual. Plus there was alot of cars lined up on the streets that got flooded in. Really crazy stuff. But like I said we're still lucky. We still have our lives, our home, and even our cars, plus some material stuff were saved too even if it's not too many.

Thanks for calling and texting btw. It's nice to hear from you especially at a time like this. Just been busy lately and it's nice to have some sorta break even for a while. I'll be getting offline soon. Been here at the net cafe for almost 3 hours now. Maybe I'll still have some time just to walk around and stuff at the mall. Take care. I love you Sarah. *mwah*

Your F.B.

They are still putting the house in order. He said alot of the furniture was in the garage & in the covered garden outside right now while they are cleaning up. He also said he thinks his PC will work because it didn't get wet or get mud on it. Good news. I'm just so thankful that F.B. & his family are okay & now they can begin to move forward.

P.S. A cute blog entry by my future sister in law.

F.B. texted me this morning with the following news:

We're ok here.heard d storm has changed its path.thats good news.had dinner out.i miss u.i love u.mwah

Typhoon Pepeng (international codename Parma) has changed direction. Metro Manila & nearby provinces are no longer under threat!

Please continue to pray for the families effected by the flooding as they try to move forward after this horrible tragedy.

Also don’t forget, Philippine National Red Cross is now accepting overseas donations through Paypal!

Sarah Lynn: I cant sleep Im so worried. the new storm was upgraded to supertyphoon. supposd 2 hit Sat. plse keep in contact. I love you. in my prayers

F.B: I know.i saw in d newspaper.mite b more wind tho.but hopefully rain wont b as much.startin 2 stink up in village cuz of trash.i miss u.i love u

Sarah Lynn: Miss kita. now they r saying Laguna de Bay level 2 break 90yr record may flood metro manila & nearby provinces. I love you.

F.B: I kno.hopefully this comin typhoon wont have as much rain & just pass by quickly.my room's pretty much cleared out.been a busy day.quite tired.i miss u.i love u

Sarah Lynn: keeping every1 in my prayers- I just wish it was Nov already & we were 2gether. need kita. I love u. stay safe get sleep soon.

F.B: Thanx 4 your prayers baby.btw,d electrician checked d dvd player & it works again tho d screen's dead.oh well.we mostly watch on tv anyway.hehe.i love u.mwah

Sarah Lynn: thats sum good news baby. glad your room is almost cleaned up. I love you. Im thinkng bout you. *mwah*

F.B: Well,kinda clean i guess.i just have my bed here w/c still seems pretty good.its quite durable.minus d matress.& have my dry stuff up on d shelves.i love u.mwah

Sarah Lynn: Thats sumthng at least.It will b bak 2 normal sooner than u think.I kno its exhausting tho.good 2 keep dry stuff high up on shelves! i love u

Please contine to keep everyone in your prayers. Besides the new typhoon threat there are fears the water level in Laguna de Bay will overflow and flood metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Philippine National Red Cross is now accepting overseas donations through Paypal here! I donated already & I hope others will too!

I've been able to speak to F.B. 3 times on the phone since the flooding happened in the Philippines. Today I was able to speak to him for almost half an hour. They are now back in their house. They are all staying in a room off the dining room while they clean up the rest of the house. They also have power again. My future sister in law has been able to get to computer & has updated her blog about the flooding. You can read about the aftermath here. Thank you for all your thoughts & prayers, they are greatly appreciated.

There is another typhoon approaching the Philippines that will possibly hit Saturday, so please continue to keep everyone in your thoughts & prayers, that this new storm will not cause more damage or complicate rehabilitation efforts in the areas effected by the flooding. (Update: New storm has been upgraded to super typhoon)

I will still be leaving for the Philippines November 24. And F.B. & I will still be getting married some time in December.

In other news, I finally got an evening purse for my cousins wedding & to use at my own wedding. I really love it. It is silver & beaded. It will go along with my other accessories nicely. (I got the purse here.)

I woke up around 5am and checked my phone. F.B. finally sent me a text message!

He said: Sorry didnt txt.bad signal & no recharge.we're ok but house is nuts.flood pretty much half d house.dunno if comps ok.stayin at house nxt door.i miss u.i love u

I decided to try calling him again and it finally went through & he answered. He said they are still without power, so I didn't keep him on the phone for a long time. I heard sirens in the background. He said sometimes the water in the pipes comes on & other times it's off. They are still staying with the neighbor, He said the house is a mess. And they are still staying with the neighbors next door while they are cleaning up. The neighbors have a 3 story home. (Their home is 1 story.) He said during the flood the 1st floor of the neighbors house was completely flooded. He sounds okay, better than I expected. But I think still in shock somewhat at everything that is happening.

I know he's upset about the computer. He told me he doesn't know if it's going to work. The thing about our relationship is we rely on technology so much that when everything fails for us, we feel cut off from each other. It was so hard not hearing from him for several days because every day we are in contact somehow, email, chat, text, phone. He says he may try emailing me from an internet cafe in the mall at the end of the week. If his PC is shot, we may have to just rely on that communication for awhile until they are able to afford a new one. It won't be as nice as being able to chat with each other in real time but it's something. And I've already recharged my phone card so I can call him frequently. It was just nice to hear his voice and hear that he is okay.