It’s officially less than a month before I finally set foot in the famous and multi-awarded Boracay Island! For those who don’t know, Boracay Island is located in the Philippines. The island itself and its beaches have received highly coveted awards; the most recent is being declared as the second best beach (out of 25) in the world in the “Travelers’ Choice 2011″ by TripAdvisor.

Yep. That place is THAT dreamy. ^_^
Frankly, since my friend Jehan and I booked our 5-day trip to Boracay for March last November, I’ve been busy preparing for it. Let’s see… diet mode for sexy abs – ongoing; flawless skin – almost there; attractive swimwear – still looking; day and beach dresses – check; sunblock – check. That’s the essential ones for now.

Contrary to most people, I actually don’t like being sun-burnt, simply because I don’t like the peeling sensation afterwards. Still, I like looking like I came from the beach. Yep. Tan lines. They’re simply sexy. Especially the ones that can be seen when you wear a backless or off shoulder dresses. Then again, with today’s wonderful technology I can always have that much desired tan in a can. No need to peel!

So, to solve my dilemma, I decided to just get that tan the professional and safe way – buy one of those airbrush tanning kits or maybe book a tanning appointment. I’m still deciding though… What do you recommend?

For some people, whenever they go to the mall, their instincts pull them into the department store. They end up buying something they never planned to buy. For me, my instincts pull me to a different part of the mall – the home depot area. It feels like I’m in a toy store when I am in that area. Everything I love is in there: gardening materials, paints, clamp tools, hammers, air compressors, etc.

Some friends of mine think it is weird, but come to think of it, I got it from my Mom. You see when I was young, she was the one doing all the home improvements. So most of the time, I went with  her to the home depot. I know it is not usual and all but hey that’s me.

Oh almost forgot to mention, sometimes the coolest gifts I give come from the hardware store. Like last time I got my friend a Swiss utility knife for his birthday. He said that it was the best gift he received yet. See?

While watching TV, I saw this shampoo commercial wherein one of the line of the actress there is this, “You know what my mom always told me… look your best always, you’ll never know who you’ll run into….”

Well guess what? You should want to look your best not only because you might run into someone you know (e.g. the apple of your eye), but also because your appearance affects the way you think and how others reacts to you. You see, based from one of the best books I have recently been re-reading (The Magic of Thinking Big)…

”Your appearance talks to you and it talks to others. Whenever someone looks at you, make certain it says, ‘Here is a person who has self respect. He’s important. Treat him that way.’”

Especially in this era wherein you pretty much have everything and anything customized, you do not have any excuse for not being able to look your best. Even the “I’m vertically challenged. I can’t find any clothes that fit me.” is no longer an excuse. With all the stores out there, it’s guaranteed you will be able to find a gorgeous plus size party dress that is flattering to your built.

Moreover, when you LOOK your best, you will THINK and ACT your best. This helps you start your day right. So before you go out of your house tomorrow, check yourself in the mirror and ask yourself this, “Am I looking at my best today?”

While reading various articles on the wonderful world wide web, I found out that 5th wheel insurance isn’t just as simple as buying another wheel and attaching it to the back of your car and hitting the road.

As much as people assume, auto insurances do not exactly cover what people need. So most of the websites that I have browsed recommend getting a specific insurance for your fifth-wheel trailer that can help you in any valid situation while you’re out traveling with your family and friends.

It helps a lot– reading articles from the world wide web! Haha, I found out a lot of things about things that I normally just overlook or disregard. I highly recommend you guys to start browsing the world wide web. Information has never really been this easy to access to everyone. My friends even used to joke around and say things like, “Why do we need to study when everything we need can be found on the internet?”. Hahaha. It is a good point, but mostly just said for humorous purposes. Haha!

I went passed the DIY Store (not the adult shop but the hardware store) and noticed a big sign saying: “metal detectors on sale“.
I thought, why would anyone need a metal detector right?
And so I went home, unpacked my things and turned on the TV to watch the news.
“Headlines: Woman shoots Ex-Boyfriend inside a mall”. I went “what the ..”. That was the same mall I went from earlier! As expected, the mall security was blamed for this because they did not have metal detectors on each entrance to detect Firearms brought by customers.
So there’s the answer to my question “why would anyone want a metal detector”. Come to think of it, I just might consider getting one now to install in my office. I just hope it is still on sale after what happened. Ya know, higher demand from publicity.

Since we’re on the topic of tornadoes and preparing for them, I’m a bit worried about Irene and the effect it gave on people in the United States.

How common are tornado shelters in there? How do people prepare for tornadoes? I’m at a loss because I don’t believe we’ve ever had tornadoes here in my country. The worst thing we’d get would be typhoons and tropical storms.

And we’d prepare for those by buying groceries that would last for two months and buy candles, flashlights and batteries.

I’ve seen some funny experiences on television regarding the aftermath of these typhoons. People drove straight into the flooded areas and then face palm after they realize that their car is sinking into the water. They would rage at police officers right after and blame them for their stupidity.

It really is better to be prepared than to be scared, don’t you think?

The best thing about quality kitchen equipment is that they live long. I mean, sure they are expensive if you buy them brand new, but they will last for a very long time even if you use them every day. I think of them as investments, that is because I am planning to build a restaurant business someday.

However as I have said, these equipment are insanely expensive. A single quality chef’s knife, for example, could cost you as high as 200 bucks. Good thing there is a cheaper way to get quality equipment at a very low price – By getting them in second hand stores.

Used commercial kitchen equipment are sold almost everywhere. These equipment have been used commercially by establishments but most of them still look brand new. I recently bought an entire kitchen utensil set for a third its price on the mall. It was a branded kitchenware set used by five star restaurants. When I first laid my eyes on them, I instantly fell in love. Now they belong in my kitchen and everyone who goes there always check them out.