Golden Year: 28 on the 28th

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Today, I turn the same age as my birthdate which makes this year as my golden year. I never knew about this until my cousin told me a couple of days ago that that’s what it’s called and it all just clicked — this year has been really good to me so far. I know the first quarter of 2022 is only about to end, but I really felt that 2022 is going to be a year of redemption for me! I know that whatever it is that’s happening in my life right now, my successes and happiness is a result of everything I’ve worked hard for in the past years, but it’s still nice to think that the universe is conspiring enough for me to be as happy as I can be. Continue reading

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Skincare Talk #1

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I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the skincare product(s) that I use, so I decided to make a post about it here on my blog! I started investing on skincare in 2015, and I’ve tried a lot of products since then. I have tried using a lot of different brands over the years until I found the products that works best for my skin.
If you’re a newbie, it is very important to determine what skin type you have as some products tend to cause irritation and breakouts if they are not suitable for your skin type. My skin type is a combination of oily (on the nose and chin area) and dry skin, so the products that I use are best recommended for people with the same skin type.

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The Dusty Diary #3

Hi, hello. Here I am again, back at this corner of my website to talk and rant about the stuff that I’ve been going through in the past couple of weeks or so.

In a span of three weeks, I’ve had so many realizations about my life that it just seemed a little overwhelming and scary. The realizations started when I had to undergo an out-patient medical procedure (which I’ve gone through back in 2019), it was scheduled on March 2020, but COVID happened and lockdowns were imposed. I’ve been so bothered by the number of cases and deaths at the time that I didn’t want to go to the hospital nor risk going outside in general, so I postponed the procedure. Eight months later, the virus is still here but cities are slowly trying to open up again and we kind of discovered a way to go around it by using masks and shields and just being extra extra careful, so I decided to go on with the procedure because it’s been long overdue — I still didn’t want to go to the hospital so I opted for a clinic instead for just a little bit less possibility of catching the virus and adding up to my current condition.

A few days later, I got my result and it didn’t turn out good. I’ve cried a lot and started to look back on my life — the result scared me out of my wits. I felt devastated and the worst part is that no one seemed to be taking it seriously, so I basically didn’t have anyone to confide in who understands me. The days that followed was either, I didn’t get enough sleep or I sleep the whole day through.

What I hate the most are those moments in the wee hours of the night when I am alone with my thoughts. I was just there — lying in bed and staring up at my ceiling trying to shut my mind. Then I looked back in the past two years and realized that in my almost 27 years of existence, I’ve only started to feel alive in 2018. The past 2 and a half years, even with a lot of pressure and stress, have been the best years of my life. It scared me even more because I wanted to spend more years living that way, I wanted to be able to do things with the person I love — to break rules, to go out of my comfort zone, to go places, and to learn new things.

It’s funny because there were so many times in my teenage years where I just wished that I wasn’t born or that I wish I didn’t have to live a long life so that I can just stop being here. Now, I just wanted to live despite all the stress and problems that I may or may not go through along the way, I just want to live and see for myself. All our plans for our future, I don’t want them to be just plans — I want to actually be in that future, in that moment.

Update: So this week, I decided to go to the hospital and have them do the same procedure on me and the findings turned out to be different from the one that I go back in December. I am so relieved and grateful.

High Hopes for 2021

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I’ve said it a million times this year, you all said it, too — 2020 was not our year. There were so many challenges: The Taal volcano eruption, COVID-19, typhoons, etc. We’ve been through so much this year. It wasn’t easy, heck, it’s the hardest year for all of us. Personally, the pandemic took a toll on my mental health and it has been a struggle for me to wake up every morning and find the courage to go on and face a new day. It felt like I don’t have any goals, the days were repetitive and I feel like I’m living in a loop. It’s suffocating because I don’t get to go out because of the virus — honestly, the whole year just sucked.

But, hey, we survived, didn’t we? That counts for something. Wait, scratch that — it’s the most important thing we did in 2020, we survived and continued to push forward despite everything. With that, I hope that the coming year will be better for all of us and may the whole world be COVID-free in 2021.

Despite the year being more stressful than the previous years, I would still like to allot some time listing the things that helped me stay sane:

  • Because of the pandemic, we are all advised to stay at home and follow quarantine measures so as not to catch the virus which gave me more time for reading. That being said, I was able to read 42 books (as of writing) this year which is equivalent to 13,468 pages!
  • I was also able to take care of my skin more. Since I don’t go out a lot anymore, my skin is not exposed to invisible dirt, smoke, and other stuff that may cause breakouts. So my skin is more softer!
  • I learned how to cook a little and prepare my own meals! I learned how to make lasagna, flying saucer (which bread stuffed with lots of cheese), homemade pizza, and my own guacamole recipe!
  • I was able to save more money since I didn’t get to spend it on lunch outs and impulse-buys. I did buy a lot of books, yes, but I learned how to manage my money.
  • I read outside of my comfort zone; I started to love mystery/thrillers!
  • I got a work promotion!

It’s not a lot and everything I’ve listed are probably just little things but they are important to me and they’re the ones the helped keep my head above water.

Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s all hope for the best. ❤

Christmas 2020

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Merry Christmas, everyone! It seemed like only yesterday when I was writing my Christmas 2019 post. I can’t believe the year is coming to a close already! I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything, to be honest, because I had so many plans set for 2020, but we ended up being stuck at home. Hopefully, the coming year will give us more chance to go on adventures and explore new places!

When this post is published, I will probably be at my grandparents’ house in Tagaytay where we usually spend Christmas at. This year, we’re going for another Samgyupsal-inspired feast with a touch of the classic Filipino dish called Relyenong Bangus which we ordered from a seller from Malabon before going here. My grandfather couldn’t eat properly because he recently had to of his teeth extracted, that’s why we had to mix our Samgyupsal meal with some soft food.

Anyway, I’m sharing with you guys my Christmas 2020 outfit! Haha I took a photo before we left so that I can include it in this post. The dress I’m wearing is the one I bought from Zara in November and it’s really comfy and loose! The print is also very simple yet festive. I absolutely love it.image

I will most likely write another blog post specifically for this outfit. In the meantime, I hope you are all enjoying the holidays and your Christmas Eve feast.

What about you? How are you spending your holidays?

What I Wore #7: After 8 Months, I Went Out

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Since the pandemic broke out and most of us were advised to stay at home, I haven’t really gone out of the housed except for those grocery runs I had to do with my mom which we managed to do only once or twice a month. Recently, quarantine measures were beginning to ease and a lot of people are starting to cope with the “new normal.” Since there are no check points anymore, my family decided to visit my grandparents’ house in Tagaytay because we haven’t visited since March and there were lots of cleaning to do.

We went during the recent long weekend in the Philippines (November 28 to 30), after a bit of cleaning we decided to do some groceries for the holidays because we will be spending Christmas there, too. Before that, we had lunch at Gerry’s Grill. It’s been a long time since we last had lunch outs! Pre-COVID, we usually eat out every Sunday. Continue reading

November Favorites

Hello, everyone! I know I haven’t been posting a lot lately, it’s just that I haven’t been in the best mood. For the third time since March, I feel trapped and helpless being in the confines of our house, but I don’t have a choice but to stay indoors because that virus is still out there and it hasn’t been getting any better in my country.

I haven’t bought any books until the last week of November because I was saving money for the online Manila International Book Fair only to be disappointed because most of the books are already out of stock, so I just bought three books from one of the Facebook book shops that I’ve transacted with a couple of months ago. I also bought other stuff during the 11.11 sale on Shopee and Lazada! And this post is about that. Today, I am going to share my favorite non-bookish purchases in this month:image

  • Zara dress
  • The Stitchery stitched scrunchies
  • Celeste Cardcaptor Sakura-inspired necklace
  • Celeste Key Heart necklace
  • Happeee Thoughts Currently Reading plate
  • Happeee Thoughts customized plate (dustypromises)

The name plate, Cardcaptor Sakura pin, and chibi pin are freebies!

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I am so happy with these purchases because they are absolutely adorable! I also can’t wait to get out of the house and be able to go places so I can wear my necklaces and dress. I am positive that next year everything will ease out and slowly go back to normal.

How about you? What is your favorite November purchase?

Dustypromises Turns 11

Hi! A couple of weeks ago, I posted on my Instagram that I am celebrating my 11th anniversary in the blogosphere; that was on October 8th. I’ve been meaning to write something here, it’s just that I can’t find the time and I haven’t been in a “writing mood” lately. But I have some free time right now, so here it is! ♡

Honestly, I can’t even believe it’s been that long since I started this little corner of mine in the internet. I was young — 15 years old! — and all I wanted was for someone to listen to me and a place where I could vent out all of my teenage angst. I found out about blogging, did a couple of research, registered for so many platforms until I settled down on Tumblr where I met so many people who share the same sentiments as me. There I talked about daily life, my thoughts on random things, etc. Dustypromises have been a place where I find comfort throughout the years. Continue reading