Skin whitening, opps, lightening

The desire to have whiter complexion is not uncommon to most Filipino women, in fact, my daughter who is blessed with such beautiful dark complexion is no exception. But I guess I have always been different. Never did I wish to have whiter skin, no way! I love my skin color to bits! But of course, I have always wanted to have smooth and very even skin tone. That, I was blessed to have in my younger days. But when I became older, I noticed that my bikini line and groin areas as well as my knees and elbows have gone darker than my natural color. I hate that, so I turned to whitening products to lighten my skin color in those areas. I’ve tried a lot of products but did not see significant results, or perhaps I did not try hard enough because the products that I’ve tried are laden with harmful chemicals and I was hesitant to slather them on my skin.

So my search for natural lightening (take note, it’s lightening, not whitening) products continued. And my diligent search brought me to Venus and Mars Naturals. V&M claims to be the first true emu oil skin care line in the Philippines and their products are made of safe, organic, pure natural ingredients. Alright, it was my search for Emu Oil that brought me to the V&M website. I’ve read very good feedback about their products so I ordered a couple to try - Bare it all (BIA) cream, CPC+G Whitening serum, Lulur soap and two bottles of milk spa body scrub (vanilla and mango variants)! BIA cream claims to smoothen and whiten the roughest and darkest skin areas. Hmmmm, I gave it a try. My verdict? POSITIVE! Oh, I so love their products! They don’t only smell heavenly, they are effective, too. Okay, this was in 2009 and after one order, I just forgot about lightening products by V&M or any other company, though I continue to use Emu Oil but I don’t order it from V&M since theirs is pricier compared to their competitors.

 Photo credit goes to V&M

Fast forward to Summer 2012, a time when any beach lover would prefer a proper swimwear over t-shirt and shorts but hesitant to wear one because of a dark secret, lol. Since I stopped using any skin lightening products, my groin areas have turned darker again. And so I was back to my search for an organic, natural solution. Not surprisingly, my search led me again to V&M! This time I ordered a new product called Bikini Bomb Peeling Balm together with their famous BIA cream (I ordered the un-mentholated variant) and CPC+G whitening serum.

What can I say? The products work wonder on my skin! The BIA cream did not only lighten and moisturize my groin, it also helped reduce my bumps that are already spreading towards my knees. I had this chicken skin condition since I got pregnant with my twins and it worsened in 2010 when my son was hospitalized for more than a month. Stress must have aggravated it. I only had it at the back of my thighs but towards the end of 2010, it started to appear on the front of my thighs spreading towards my knees. I also noticed a couple of bumps at the back of my upper arms and my upper back. I hate this skin condition! Goodness, I used to have such beautiful legs and smooth upper back! Now, I don’t think I will ever be able to confidently wear short pants, short skirts or a backless top without being so conscious about my bumps and dark spots. Oh yes, these bumps leave you with dark spots that do not go away with scrubs or lightening products. They seem to be embedded down under your skin. So the best thing to do is stop the bumps from spreading, or if you have the resources (which I don’t, lol!), go to a good dermatologist and have her removed your dark spots through chemical peeling or some other modern means. 

And because I love natural and organic skincare products, V&M is now a staple in my bathroom along with my favorite oils (rosehip oil, coconut virgin oil,  grapeseed oil, lavander essential oil and jojoba oil) from Botany Works and other natural products from Human Heart Nature - my shampoo, hair conditioner and feminine wash all come from HHN - and no Sir, these are not whitening products, lol.

(Disclaimer: I am not a paid endorser of V&M, Botany Works or Human Heart Nature. What you read here is written based on my personal experience using these products)

The adventurous side of me

I equate adventure with risk or naughtiness. And a typical good-girl, risk-averse person like me is obviously always reluctant to doing adventurous activities, activities that are not normal or common in my pretty neat little world. But from time to time I stop myself from being too careful (or too fearful?) and take risks and enjoy some adventure.

What risky activities have I done in the past? Ahhh, very few...Let's see:

1. I went para-sailing in Thailand. This was really fun. I have fears of height but I conquered that fear by deciding to go up there in the sky and fly like a bird. Would I do it again? Yes I would!
2. I ate crocodile meat - Ewwww! But hey, it was really good. It tastes like chicken, and its meat is white, so yeah, it even looks like chicken meat.
3. Driving long distance on my own - Wooooo, this was something I did not think I could do. Driving long distance with friends, yes... But on my own? Uh-oohh! But I did it! And I was proud of myself, I still am, lol.
4. Zipline riding - Wohoo, this I'd say is one fun-thrill activity that I first thought was really scary. So yeah, I guess I have partially conquered my fear of heights.
5. Binge drinking - This is really something I won't forget. We had an out-of-town planning/meeting but the night before the meeting, my colleagues and I decided to go out for a drinking spree. I went back to the hotel so intoxicated, I was sick and vomiting like crazy. I was so worried I would not be able to join the meeting the following day. Haaah, it felt so bad. It never happened again, though. I still drink occasionally, and never to the point of collapse, hehehe. I have children to protect, you know, lol.

These are the out-of-the-normal activities at the top of my head right now, hmmmm... five? I can only come up with five? Heller, very few indeed!

There is one thing I'd call a really big adventure that I thought I would do in July or August this year - but I guess, it's not going to happen anymore. I thought it is something that might be good for me and I really looked forward to it. But things happen and I don't argue with nature. Things happen for a reason and if I plan it and it doesn't happen, then it's not meant to happen.

Anyway, here are some adventurous activities I intend to try in the future:

1. Water adventures (water balling, water rafting, jet skiing, diving, wake-boarding, etc)
2. Sky adventures (hot air balloon, paragliding, skydiving?)
3. Travel abroad, alone

Woman of faith

So now I am thinking… Really, how do men see a woman of faith?

Is she someone to be pursued, or someone to be avoided?

Is she someone men find exciting, or boring?

Does she reflect beauty, or ugliness?

Does she bring spectacular colors to a man’s life, or just shades of black and gray?

Is she sincere, or cunning?

Is she simple, or complicated?

Who knows???

But one thing I know is that, a man who finds a woman of faith boring without getting to know her deeply is not only shallow but also arrogant and a coward.

A woman of faith is humble and honest.  A man who does not understand humility is arrogant and a man who doesn’t appreciate honesty is a fool.

A woman of faith kneels down and prays when in trouble or in doubt, a faithless man belittles the power of the Divine and relies on his own strength.

A woman of faith always finds ways to surface a man’s sensitive side and a man who is afraid to show this beautiful side of him is a coward..

Work and Holidays

I know I promised myself I will not talk about work but I am such a workaholic, so how can I help it? Ha-ha!

Life is a roller coaster ride for me these days and I expect a much faster ride in the next two weeks. With my time divided among activities that include helping with the preparation for our summer outing (that’s fast approaching, by the way), preparing for a 5-day training that immediately follows the summer outing, adjusting to the changes in our loan approval structure giving me sole approval authority for some loans and mentoring an understudy (for a month!), my head is already spinning! 

During the long holidays (the Season of Lent, weekend, and National Heroes Day) I consciously refrained from touching my work-plate. I chose to spend my five glorious days resting, praying, meditating, and having a good time with my children, my parents, siblings and relatives. We celebrated Easter Sunday at the beach- swimming, playing volleyball, grilling fresh fish, talking, laughing our hearts out, eating, eating and eating. It was a once in a blue moon gathering that I truly cherish so I really stopped myself from doing any work. Did the 5 free-from-work-days pay off? Yes Sir, they did! I have never felt so peaceful and so rested in quite a while.

Now am back to work and my reality is staring at me straight in the eye. After the long break, things have piled up and I feel like am back to square one, but who cares? I guess am still not THAT busy, because you see, I could still squeeze in a few minutes of my time to blog about my holidays, lol.

A night with my sisters

I had a good time with my sisters last night. It doesn't happen always.

My younger sister, the one next to me, accompanied her son to take the university entrance test at one of the universities here in Davao City and while at it, they went around the city to introduce my nephew to his new place. I can't believe my very handsome nephew is very shy. Well, am not really surprised, he has always been shy and always been very behave. I just thought he has outgrown his shyness.

I was on my way home when my sister called to inform me she was in town, grrrrrhhh, I was very close to home already! But what the heck, I wanted to see her so I said I was going to meet with her and our youngest sister. I went home and picked up my girls and drove back to the city.

We had dinner at Dimsum Diner in Abreeza. Food was not really good but the company was great. My sister's husband and our cousin joined us, as well as our youngest sister and her husband. They all decided to stay with me for the night instead of staying at a hotel. My youngest sister and her husband went home to pick up some stuff and then headed to my home which is 15kms away from the city.

I could not ask for more than what we had last night. It was a good time spent with my sisters. We had good conversation, good laugh, good food, too! And we slept at 1am! - So I was groggy this morning when I woke up and prepared to go to the office.

Hah, it was only for a night but I enjoyed it so much and I am hoping we can repeat the experience and spend more time together.

Thank you God for giving me wonderful sisters, and thank you for times like this!

In my daughter's eyes

I have always loved the song "In my daughter's eyes" by Martina Mcbride. And I recalled the song when I saw scribbles at the back page of my notebook made by Kim, my second daughter. I don't know how long it has been there, I just discovered it yesterday. I was so touched. And I remembered, too, what she said to me when she was three years old - I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said with joy and excitement in her voice and a twinkle in her eyes, "I want to be a mommy! I want to be like you mommy." And right away I knew that I was doing a good job at raising my children.

Going back to the song, I was misty eyed when I first heard it. I know I am not the only mother who loves this song and can relate so much to its message.  There are so many mothers out there who know that their daughters are brought to this world to make them become better persons. I heard of so many stories of mothers who found their peace and directions in life because of their daughters (or their sons). Mothers who strive to change their lives so they become role models to their children. I am no different from them.

I have two daughters aged 17 and 14. They are poles apart but they both make me proud. No matter how different they are from each other, I love each one no less than the other.  I realize my worth, my strength, my potential, through their eyes… They are my number one critics, too, no holds barred. They say what they mean, and they mean what they say.  They look up to me but I don't make them feel like I know everything. I listen to them, I consult them, I talk to them, I even confide to them.  They see me with so much trust and faith and pride in their eyes, and I tell myself, there’s no way I am going to disappoint these angels of mine. 

With my two wonderful daughters, Kai and Kim

They are daughters to me but they are my friends, too. We are like sisters, and am like their older sister. But of course, when they are with friends and classmates, they prefer that I become more of their mom rather than their friend. But I just smile when I hear them brag to their friends how cool their mom is. They tell me they want to become like me someday.  But in my heart of hearts, I just sincerely wish and pray they will become who they really want to be and be completely happy. 

To Kai and Kim, this song is for you. I love you both, so much.