Sunday, June 29, 2014

How to Remove That Stupid Price Tag Without Leaving a Sticky Mess

It’s the white smush of death.

A shiny cover. The smell of fresh ink on crisp pages that were bound just for you, just so you can sit back and read and weep and laugh and maybe snuggle under the covers and is that a cup of tea on the nightstand?

A new book.

Then you flip it over and there it is, that dreaded little rectangle, marked and barcoded and bearing the amount of money you shelled out for your new baby. That nuisance. That sticky mess.
That price tag.

And in an imperfect world where price tags are mercilessly stuck onto the book covers themselves, it is nearly impossible to remove this stupid sticker without damaging the cover of your book forever.

Life’s just not fair.


For years, I have been struggling to remove the price tags on my precious books without leaving that glaring trace telling me that something was once taped there by a bookstore employee. Sometimes, when the sticker is new, it comes right off. Oftentimes, I’m not so lucky. I either remove it in a flourish but it leaves an annoying rectangular mark where it once was, or worse, bits and pieces of the sticker remain on the book, haunting me forever.

Luckily, my MacGyver husband has a way of removing those pesky price tags without leaving a trace.

How to Remove a Price Tag and the Residue It Leaves Behind

Saturday, June 21, 2014

The Skinny Girl’s Guide to Surviving ToyCon

I’ve just finished scrubbing my wrist raw trying to remove the massive stamped ink on my skin.

Shaped like Batman’s head in honor of his 75th anniversary this year, the stamp on my wrist tells me that I am one of the elite, one of the ecstatic geeks who braved the crowds and survived the annual awesomeness that is ToyCon.

Every year, I buy myself a ticket to gain entry into this hallowed event, this holy haven for those of us with esoteric tastes. And every year, I wind up harassed and bruised, my feet swollen from all the people who’ve stepped on them, and my lovely lady lumps violated (inadvertently, of course).


Gone were the days when I could wear my casual cotton dresses with a trusty pair of Keds and move through the booths with such ease and comfort. Because more and more fans journey to this Mecca of geekdom that is the Megatrade Hall at SM Megamall, it is now impossible to be unprepared and come out of the crowds alive.

Still, I would never miss my annual pilgrimage to ToyCon. All I gotta do is gear up and charge into battle with all the right tools in my arsenal. How else would I be able to score that Fables deluxe edition graphic novel?

That said, if you’re a frail little lady devoid of any significant muscle tone just like me, how do you make it out of there in one piece?

The Skinny Girl’s Guide to Surviving ToyCon

Monday, June 16, 2014

How To Remove The Garlic Smell From Your Fingers

How do they make everything look so easy on TV?

In every cooking show, all the ingredients are lined up clean and neat and all you have to do is whip everything together and smile at the camera. And they make it all look so flawless, too. Nobody ever says that after sweating it out in the kitchen with all the mincing and trying desperately not to cut myself and inadvertently adding a hint of my own DNA-filled flavor into what I’m cooking, I’ll end up all smelly—and not the deliciously smelly kind.

It’s the garlic, really. It’s always been about the garlic.

I, for one, love garlic. But when they stick to my fingers after chopping and stay with me for DAYS, that’s an entirely different story altogether. The garlicky smell lingers on my fingers forever and haunts me in my sleep. Literally. I even feel like it could be stuck to my nose permanently and added to my sense of smell for good.


Sunday, June 15, 2014

"One last time." - Uncharted 4 Trailer from E3 2014

What the WHAT?

Now that E3 is here, I am once again in my annual state of excitement that quickly spirals down to depression in a span of a minute. With every new trailer, announcement, and gameplay sneak peek that E3 brings, I am filled with the burning desire to play, replaced in a blinding flash by the realization that the release dates are cruelly too far away. And as I sink down on my knees screaming “why god why” I resign myself to the fact that I will just have to be content with replaying the trailers over and over again until my husband tells me I need help.

The Complete Step-By-Step Guide To Getting Your Marriage License/Certificate in the Philippines (As Of 2013, For Catholics and Filipino Citizens)

So I’ve been getting a lot of questions from brides-to-be on how to get the ever-elusive marriage license.

Before I got married, I had no idea where to even begin getting the necessary documents to make our union legal and binding. There were just too many requirements and nobody to ask, being one of the first of my friends to get hitched. My hubby and I ended up going to different city halls, church offices, and even notary public centers for affidavits of our marital status. I tried to Google these things to no avail, and it always irked me that nobody ever posted stuff like this when this is actually one of the most important things to do in a wedding.

Why? Why had nobody ever thought about making a step-by-step guide for this?


And because I don’t want soon-to-be-brides to ever feel lost and confused again (you have enough on your plate to worry about; I know), here’s a comprehensive how-to for those pesky papers you just want to get out of the way (kidding).

The Complete Step-By-Step Guide To Getting Your Marriage License/Certificate in the Philippines (As Of 2013, For Catholics and Filipino Citizens)


Thursday, June 5, 2014

Not-So-Random Tips On Your Big Day

Being one of the first among my friends to get married, I had no clue what I was supposed to do.

Will I really fit into that gown? Do we even need a cake? What in the world is an arrhae?

License? WHAT LICENSE?

I was never the type of girl who had her wedding all planned out since she was 12, so you can just imagine my panic.


Still, my husband and I planned our wedding in 10 months, and thankfully, after the hectic schedules and the crazed trips to all the suppliers, we pulled it off and got hitched smoothly. It was a hell of a ride, one that isn’t without its flaws. Looking back, as we both fondly recalled everything that happened, we found some things that we could have done differently, if only we knew them ahead of time. Like if someone from the future went back in time and warned us and stuff. Or something not ripped off from every sci-fi movie in the 80s.

So, fresh from my first-hand experience, here are some not-so-random tips for your big day:


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

So you're married. Now what?

The very first thing I did when I got home was pee. Really.

I was filled with too much excitement just waiting to be released. I was stepping into a wonderful new life with a husband I love dearly, and I was filled with that “Just Married” aura, so much so that I just hadn’t snapped back to reality yet. There were just too many things to do, and so many burning questions that I had to find the answer to: how will our bathroom routine work? Which is his side of the bed? Can I keep doing freelance work in our room? Where will I put my Playstation 3?

The important questions.

Thankfully, I was coming home to my husband’s parents’ house—now my in-laws. So really, there wasn’t much to fix because everything already has its place. Some people might think that living with the in-laws is a big no-no, but honestly, it suits me just fine. More on this on later posts, though.

Image Credit: DaveShelton.com
So we unpacked for six days and tried to settle down. Even though it seemed like forever, we actually got the hang of our everyday routines. But two months came by like a blur—I honestly can’t remember the first few weeks of married life. All I know is that I was a lovestruck girl living in my happy little bubble.

Of course, that’s not always how it works best. So let’s get into the nitty gritty.

Congratulations! You’ve now begun a new chapter on the road to your happily ever after. You’ve snagged yourself an awesome man and he’s officially the luckiest man on earth. When all the flowers have wilted and when the wedding gown can no longer fit (hopefully not that fast though), you come home with your beloved hubby with stars in your eyes and your heart bursting with love and joy. You’re now left with a mountain of gifts (yay!) and with a new life you’re excited to begin. How do you start?