Spring-ngaling-ding-dong!

04/03/13

SPRING SEASON officially started here in the United States last March 20th. And for someone like me, who got used to a very hot weather in the Philippines, spring is just so perfect!

According to people here, spring time is the best season of the year - a bright sun plus cool breeze. What could be better? :)

Having this lovely season really made me happy. But, another thing to be happy and thankful for is the success of my latest giveaway! We had over a thousand entries and new followers as well. So I must say THANK YOU to each and everyone, especially to those who spent some minutes of their days tweeting and sharing the giveaway post!

So, here are the lucky winners of the Nyce Finds accessories:



 

CONGRATULATIONS!

KARLA SHANE ORINOCO

and

HELEN GATBONTON



As what I've said in the giveaway post, I will only give the winners 48 hours (2 days) to contact me thru my email. Failure to do so would mean another winner should be picked. Also, since there are 2 winners for this giveaway and 2 different sets of items as prizes, the first winner to contact me will be given the privilege to choose the set he/she wants.

So the winners get to choose between the LOVE necklace or the bracelet.
and
1 of these rings:

 

 

Congratulations to the winners! And for those who didn't win, fret not, for a spring-summer giveaway is on our way! Stay tuned and thank you for your support <3

Happiest Place on Earth

03/13/13 - 03/15/13

Happiness, for me, is the greatest treasure no amount of money can buy. We all want to be happy, but we can't be all the time. :)

As a kid, I believed in fairy tales. I always believed that in my own kingdom, I am a princess. I always believed that bad guys around me are the "evil witches" who wanted to trick me and poison me so I can be in my deepest slumber. I always believed that my parents' friends are my fairy godmothers who give me gifts during special occasion and that they are always there to grant my simple wish of having a new toy. I always believed that somewhere out there lived my prince, who will someday come riding on a beautiful horse. And that he will come for me.. someday. Just by reading fairytale books (with illustrations ofcourse) and watching princess movies, I make myself happy. :)

 

The last day of my February was worth-remembering. The day was perfect - sunny with cool winds. And it was a "happy day". I was "adopted-for-a-day" by the Baetiong family. We drove from San Diego all the way to Anaheim, California. On that day, one of my greatest dream since childhood came true. I went to the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland.

Photo taken at the Ariel's Grotto, where we had our lunch with the dazzling Disney princesses! <3

 

The ticket we purchased was a one-day two parks pass. That way, we can hop from Disneyland to Disney California Adventure and vice versa, in a day. It wasn't the family's first time, but they love going back there for almost every year. It's also kinda good that I am with "non first-timers" because they are already familiar with the place and the different attractions there.

 

That day, I had my different FIRST-TIMEs. First, it was my first time in a Disneyland theme park. And then, in my whole life, it was my first time to ride a roller coaster (haha!). As in the really long roller coaster ride (not just the 3D simulation rides that I've had in the past). I was always afraid of riding things like that. But I was challenged to take the ride for the California Screamin' in California Adventure because Nang Nene encouraged me to do so. She said it is best to give it a try so that even once in my life, I'll have that experience. So I gave it a try, and it was crazy. The name California Screamin' really fits the ride! You need not ask me why.

 

It was also my first time to ride the Ferris wheel. You may be staring at the computer screen now and mocking me, sayin "loser!" but it's true. When I was a kid, I have always wanted to try to ride a Ferris wheel but Papa won't let me. And so I've always thought it's a bit scary and dangerous. But the Mickey wheel isn't scary-looking at all. However, we tried to take the "swinging" ride for the wheel. It's the twist, because our gondola doesn't just go up like any other wheel rides, it swings to and fro while going up and down the circle of the wheel. And that made me kinda dizzy. @_@ But still, I enjoyed it! No regrets!

There's the Mickey wheel over there! ;)

After the rides, we had our yummy royal lunch at the Ariel's Grotto. It was a good thing that we already had a reservation because there. I saw lots of cute little girls dressed up in different Disney princess costumes/gowns. They were all lovely. Would you imagine even a little 2 year old is portraying Cinderella too? :)

Meet my yummy food for lunch *nomnom*

Then, off to the other park - Disneyland! :)

This is what welcomes the guests upon entering the Disneyland park :) Mickey's face!

Just like in California Adventure, I also had some rides, but no scary or dangerous ones this time. I am quite aware that Disneyland is more child-friendly than the Cali Adventure. Hehe. I never wasted time going around anywhere in Disneyland.

Featuring the beautiful Disney castle!
Photo by Michelle Marimon

 

I have always dreamed of seeing that castle for so long.. <3 At last! :)

 

Nang Nene and I take a pose at another wonderful Disney attraction - It's a Small World. Too bad it was closed that day :(

Roaming around the Disney parks reminded me of how happy I was as a kid. It reminded me that I was indeed a "normal" kid, who gets mad with the tiny little things and enjoys even the most nonsense TV shows of animes and cartoons. Disney has been a great part of my childhood - is, and will always be a part of me. Now, who wouldn't want to visit the happiest place on earth? :)

I can't actually narrate everything here on a single blogpost (which I actually plan to publish today). And I have more photos to share! Grr. Maybe I'll have the other features on a separate post. *fingers crossed*
The So Lovely & Nyce Giveaway is still accepting entries! Please click HERE to join! :)


All photos (unless otherwise stated) and text contained in this blogpost is © Gayle Yu. 2013

So Lovely & Nyce! (A Giveaway)

02/25/12

It's been a while since we had our previous giveaway. And if you can remember, I wrote HERE that I'll be having giveaways for this year 2013. And I won't break that promise. The first for this year is finally here!

But before I give you the mechanics, lemme ask you first this: How was your February? Or, should I say, how was your love month? :)

Well as for me, I honestly admit that I got a bit sad. However, I'm just super thankful that there are people who cares for me and that they care about my happiness as well. Talk about the little gifts you get -- enjoying the tiny bits of sweets, pinks, and pretties. Minus, the cough and colds I got. Plus, the beautiful places I went to (which wouldn't be possible without, again, the people who loves me). For a total of still, happy love month! Well, that should have a 'so far' because it's not the end of the month yet.

 

Another reason for all of us to be happy about this love month is our GIVEAWAY! This is lovingly sponsored by an online shop from my province, Bohol. I know the shop owner personally. She's my batchmate (nursing school) and friend, as well. The shop was named after her. Our sponsor for this giveaway is no other than, Nyce Finds!

 

The prizes, as seen on the photos, are:
* the "love" necklace; and
* cross bracelet
* PLUS! rings (photos to follow)

These are from the Nyce Finds February Accessories Collection. As for the mechanics.. Unlike last giveaway where I enumerated the mechanics in words, this time I'll just let you follow what's on the Rafflecopter widget (because they're the same anyway). Should there be any questions/clarifications regarding the giveaway mechanics and entry options, please feel free to send a private message to the So Sweet Suzette fanpage. So please wait for the rafflecopter to load. And submit your entries here:

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

This giveaway will run from today until March 25, 2013 (at around 12 noon Philippine time), which is basically month-long. This giveaway is open for Philippine residents only, regardless however of age or gender. No dummy accounts allowed. I will check your entries, so NO CHEATING PLEASE. :)

 

There will only be 2 LUCKY READERS who'll win these accessories. One will get the love necklace + ring. Then the other will get the cross bracelet + ring. I will announce who the lucky readers are  few days after the giveaway ends (after validating the entries, etc). The announcement will be made here on my blog. However, updates will still be posted through our So Sweet Suzette fanpage (be sure to like & subscribe). The winners must contact me within 48 hours after my announcement. Failure to do so would mean another winner/s will be picked. Nyce, the shop owner, will be the one to ship the prizes to the winners, since I'm out of the country.

 

So, submit your entries now!

Goodluck sweeties!

<3



I Skate!

01/31/13

Today's the last day of the first month of the new year. And what's next to January? It's the LOVE month, February! <3 Oh, how fast time can fly. Anyway, before we head towards Spring season and bid farewell to Winter, lemme share to you the exciting experience I had last Monday.

 

It was last week when we found out that my nephew would be having an Ice Skating Party as part of their school's activities this week. I have never tried ice skating before, and even roller skating (street skates with roller blades). And I've had several chances before to try ice skating but I never dared to. This time, I said YES to my sissy when she asked me if I wanted to go with my nephew.

 

I didn't skate before (about a month ago) at a highland here in San Diego because it's an outdoor ice skate rink and it's superdooper cold! We just went to that place because we wanted to do some shopping, actually. Then we saw there was an ice skate rink, I kinda thought of going for a try. But I backed out because I was chilling. Think about being on top of the ice, outdoor, in the middle of winter, and I have just arrived from a tropical country (I haven't adjusted well with the weather yet). So, I gave it a NO.

 

But no, it wasn't a NO. It was actually a NOT YET. :)

 

However, last Monday's scenario was different. It was an indoor skating center. And I think, I am excited to try. I wanted to brave enough to try. I want to toughen myself. Though I am aware that there is fear - Fear of failure.. fear of falling on my butt, to be specific.

 

So after I changed my shoes to ice skates, I slowly got up and walked towards the rink. I was feeling kinda nervous because there is actually quite a big number of children and adults skating on the rink. Making me nervous? Yes. Because it increases the possibility of me bumping into another skater. Or worse, knocking us both down.

 

And yes, I fell down on my butt.. so hard, it still hurts until now (about 3 days after the fall). The first fall was a few steps away from the sides.. just when I have just begun to let go of the sides. And it was one hard fall. But, I never gave up! :) I stood up. And I tried to skate again. Just slowly. There were countless times that I felt like I'm about to lose my balance, I just kinda swing my body so I'd be in control. I fell down again. But I don't cry, I smile. Stand up. And try again. Until I learned how to do it. Just the neophyte-kind-of-skating. It's actually more of walking. Haha! But it's fine, at least I can move thru the ice now. *winks*

 

Photo captured by my bro-in-law :)

 

Falling down can cause pain. But it helps one to be stronger, braver, more determined. If by the first time you don't make it, try again. Maybe the second try would be better. Well for me, learning the thing was difficult. I fell hard. I got hurt. But it was worth it. In the end, I am happy.

 

Let's skate through the ice of life! :)

It Ain't the End of the World

12/22/12

Warning: this not a formal article or whatever, this is a chika blog post. So you better Enjoy! ;)

Okay so I know I've been gone for more than a week now (blogging-wise). And I apologize, especially to the readers who visit my blog regularly (as if there are. Haha!). I didn't have much time to sit in front of the laptop and spend hours writing a blog post, plus editing, etc. I hope you get my point. Teehee. And even now, I just did the laundry. And I have to sleep because apparently, it's already 2 in the morning. By the way, I'm not a Philippine-based blogger now, but still a Boholano blogger by heart. Char <3

Actually, I really wanted to blog about so many things and share them to you guys! There are so many to the point that I can't anymore tell what to write about first. But I still have to consider the time I have and will be having for the next few days. Luckily, the world didn't end earlier today. Or yesterday, in some countries' case, like the Philippines. Well, I really hoped it wouldn't yet. I still want to do a lot of things and I know most people do too.

And yes, I still have to write a dozen of blog posts here! And still planning to host a giveaway in the coming year, 2013. Now wouldn't my readers love that? *winks* For now, I just really want to cuddle my pillow and take a rest, wear a sweater and hug the comforter, for it's really a cold evening. Do you remember I mentioned on my previous post that I'd be spending my Christmas with my sister's family in her place? Well, I'm here. Alive and lucky. *smiles* And I'm just so grateful a heater is warming us all up here. The cold air outside really chills me to my bones, literally.

And I so wanted to add a photo here, just one though. But I don't know how to upload a photo using this web browser Safari. I just borrowed my Sissy's iPad, and I'm such a noob. Hehe. So I might just upload photos next time. Though, I'm not really sure when that'll be. Hmm. We'll probably be busy til after Christmas. :)

Enjoy your presents. Eat a lot (forget about how much you weigh). Laugh, sing and dance!

Merry Christmas and have a sweet new year ahead! Give love! <3

It's a PerPINK Fit!

12/2/12 :)

This is a VERY LATE post. Apologies. :)

Last September 29, a Saturday, my poging cousin Neilboy celebrated his 21st birthday. It was his debut celebration. This blog entry is supposedly an outfit post, but I wasn't really able to wear a bonggang-bonggang outfit. In fact, I forgot to wear the accessories I prepared! Haha! I actually left them inside my big bag, which was there in the hotel room where we changed our outfits. Just please bear with the simplicity of my outfit because I'll be posting the photos here, anyway.

And here are some of the photos: (courtesy of kuya Rodel Ryan Yana)

The simple ME + ENGINEER paraphernalia.
Do they look good on me? :) Bagay ba?

It's me and the birthday boy himself! Talk about sharing the baby crib before with this dear cousin :)

Photo imported from my other blog, as seen on the watermark. Hihi ;)

So there! There are actually more photos.. lots of them. But I just want to show you I looked like during that event, or that night. I actually found this pink dress at a boutique in Cebu City. Honestly, I didn't find this, my Mama did. And she forced me to try this on. Then ta-dah! She said it looked good on me. And she bought it for me. Thanks, Ma. <3

My shoes? They're from my Sissy (in the US). It's a Jessica Simpson pair. Very lovely, indeed. And I should also say thank you to my ever supportive cousin-in-law Kuya Rodel Yana, for taking the photos. :)

It's the second day of the last month today. Few more days before Christmas. And I've just realized that when I saw the 1st candle of the advent wreath lighted at the church. Today is actually the first Sunday of Advent. Whew! I think I need to do a Christmas wishlist sometime soon, you should too sweeties! :)

Sweet Wishes Do Come True: 1st Giveaway

WISH. One word which is worth thousands of smiles. And surely, the definition of this differs from person to person. Each one of us has a wish. Some with simple ones, and the others grand. Whatever that wish may be, I am pretty sure the person who has her/his wish come true, smiles.

I myself wished once. Wanna know what that wish was? I wished for a generous online shop to sponsor a giveaway for my blog. And today, that wish is coming true! I have already mentioned HERE that a giveaway is coming our way. And yes, it's here, finally.

So this wish, which came true, is not just for me. This is also for my dear sweet readers. And I want to say my unending "thank you" to our giveaway sponsor, White Poppy Wishes! :)

To make you more excited, here's the photo of the prizes:

Photo courtesy of White Poppy Wishes :)

The prizes are:

 * A pair of feathered earrings - which I think is so fab, I mean, look at the colors! Parang balahibo lang ng peacock, di ba?

 * 2 pairs of handmade earrings - 1 red, the other with a very unique style. Both danglings. And both are awesomely cute! And as what I said during my feature, they are carefully made and handcrafted with love <3

 * A vintage necklace - Bird's cage :)

 * A vintage ring - flowerpower.

Before I will give you the giveaway mechanics, lemme show you first my fab haul from the shop. But of course, I've already bought some things before. Will be featuring them soon here on the blog. So, here are my items:

Photo courtesy of White Poppy Wishes :)

Aren't they lovely? Haha, parang favorite line ko yan. :) Anyway, here are the mechanics:

MANDATORY

1. Like the So Sweet Suzette fanpage.

2. Like the White Poppy Wishes fanpage.

3. Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect. Click "Join this site" on the sidebar.

4. Follow @sosweetsuzette on twitter.

5. Follow @ainyxi on twitter.

OPTIONAL

1. Add White Poppy Wishes - Admin as your Facebook friend, only if you want to. :)

2. Tweet about the giveaway. You can do this daily for more entries.

3. Share the news about the giveaway on your FB profile. You can do this daily for more entries.

4. Leave a comment. Browse the White Poppy Wishes (the FB account or the fanpage) albums and choose one (1) item you love the most. Post the link on the comment box and give a reason why you love that item. Kindly include your Complete Name & Email address.

Note: Make sure the name you used to log in here in Rafflecopter is the same name you used in leaving the comment. However, if that's not the case, then please also leave your FB name on the comment box.

5. Recommend this post on Google+

6. Recommend my feature about White Poppy Wishes on Google+. However, if you do not have a Google+ account, then you may choose to just share it on FB.

IMPORTANT! Please submit your entries thru the rafflecopter widget below. Well, I chose to have this giveaway with the help of Rafflecopter for easy reference. Please wait for it to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will run from today until the end of this month (November 12 - November 30, 2012 at around 12 noon). This giveaway is open for Philippine residents only, regardless however of gender or age. No dummy accounts allowed. I will check your entries, so NO CHEATING PLEASE. :)

There will only be 1 LUCKY READER who'll win these lovely prizes. I will announce the winner on the first week of December here on my blog. Updates will also be posted through my fan page, So Sweet Suzette (so be sure to like and subscribe). The winner must also contact me within 48 hours after my announcement. Failure to do so would mean another winner will be picked. White Poppy Wishes' shop owner will be the one to ship the prizes to the winner.

So, what are you waiting? Submit your entries now!

Goodluck sweeties! :)

thankyou Redhunt!

Sorry if I haven't posted any blog entry last week. I've been busy for our fiesta. Visit my other blog for more deets.

And since I promised you that I'll be posting my product reviews and my online contest prizes here, then I'm giving you this post. :) Well, I want to share to you a short story first. (Short lang talaga. haha!)

I won a raffle giveaway during the last week of August. It was one of the first giveaways I joined, and the first one in which I actually won. I was just a little surprised and thankful at the same time for winning. I considered myself to be "lucky" because I was able to join just when it was already less than 30mins before the cut-off time! Though aware of that small chance I got, I gave it a shot not for anything else but for the cool prizes at stake -- Redhunt shirt and shorts!

The prize was supposed to be claimed at their bazaar during the ETC Fashion Flea Market, but since I'm from Bohol, the owner suggested to just have the items shipped to me. However, I had to pay for the shipping fee. But no worries, because the fee is totally worth it!

And as soon as my package arrived, I took several shots:

The unwrapping, featuring the official Redhunt sticker

The shirt's wrap is just cute.

The shorts and the "Stoked" shirt

And here's how the items look when worn, in my "parang baliw lang" pose. I wore a pink tube as under-piece for the Stoked shirt, since it's a little revealing. Haha!

Aren't they cool? Now, that makes me cool too. Ha! I just wore the clothes for photo purposes, so I can post them here. But the clothes can be used as everyday-wear. They're made of cotton, which makes them comfy.

If you wanna get hold of exactly the same items as I am wearing, you can visit Redhunt's FB page.

I am part of the pack, are you?