Giveaway Alert!

Hi guys! I’ll be having a back to back blog giveaway in celebration of reaching my first 100^th sale on Casetify and for reaching almost 2,000 followers in here.

I’ve been with Casetify for a year now and didn’t expect to reach this number of sales and earn as much as $400. I don’t promote my designs as much now compared before but I’m still having sales every month. I may not know the people who bought my designs but from the bottom of my heart, I wanna say thank you.

Also, I wanna thank my followers here and the people I’ve come to be friends with. For taking the time to read my posts, appreciate my art and for giving me pieces of advice and cheering me up whenever I feel down. I’ve been on tumblr for almost 8 years now, I’ve come across a lot of people and I’m thankful to have been able to meet such wonderful people.

This will start on Monday July 17 and will end on the 31^st. Winners will be announced on August 1. I’ll be having two separate giveaways, the first one will have 2 winners and the second one will have 1 winner. This will be my first major giveaway. Exciting prizes awaits you! Hallmark Philippines will be sponsoring some of the items and give away prizes that are yet to be released in the market so you’ll get a chance to have first dibs on them!

I’ll be posting the full mechanics and prizes to be given on Monday. So stay tuned! 🙂 Visit adayinthelifeofrie.co.vu and subscribe on my mailing list for updates!

Wednesdate

Went out last night with two of my college friends, Ynna and Clare. We bought gifts for our Christmas Party. I actually already bought mine last Monday. I ended up buying some make-up products instead. Nichido recently released their velvet matte lip pencil and I got the shade Dark Promise. I really really love it. I like it better than the liquid lipsticks from NYX. It’s now my new favorite. It really stays in your lips. Compared to the NYX suede lipstick that I’m using which by the way easily fades when you eat, Nichido’s lip pencil is nothing like that. By the way, it only costs 240php!! So yeah, I am happy with my haul. 🙂

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After roaming around the mall we decided to have dinner. At first, Clare wanted to eat at Bonchon because she wanted to try their matcha green tea bingsu. But Ynna is craving for Japanese food. And since we all love Japanese food, we ended up eating at Rosanjin. l ordered their sushi bento. It costs 370php and for me it was worth it. The bento includes Miso Soup, Chicken Karaage, Tempura, 4 pieces Maki, 1 pc Tamagoyaki, and 2 other types of sushi which I don’t know the name. Hahaha. There’s also pineapples, and 2 sides. And for the price I must say that that is a lot of food. It was good. I really love Japanese food.

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And yes, I know we already had a lot of food but who doesn’t love desserts? Hahaha. We had some gelato afterwards. The one I’m holding in the photo is the Sundae size worth 230php. It already includes a topping and 3 flavors of gelato. The three of us shared it and got to pick the flavor that we like. I chose Pistachio, while Ynna got the Strawberry Cheesecake, and Clare opted for the Chili Chocolate. At first I was kind of weirded out by the flavor. I’ve heard about the chili chocolate icecream flavor from Bicol but I’m not really into spicy food. The Chili Chocolate though was surprisingly good. At first bite you wouldn’t feel the heat but after a few seconds you’ll be able to feel it. Hahaha.

We were having such a good time that we weren’t able to notice the time. When Clare asked what time it is, I got shocked the moment I looked at my watch ‘cause it was already 11 o’clock. It’s fine though because the dorm is just a few minutes away. Wishing for more happy times like this with my friends. 🙂

Celebrating Hallmark Moments

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Some snaps from last Saturday’s event. We had our event held at U.P Town Center’s Amphitheater last Saturday from 6-10PM. It was an evening of music and poetry. We have invitated Words Anonymous’ Henri Igna, Indra Cepeda and Jihad Mambuay to share with us their spoken words. Reese Lansangan and Itchyworms was also there to perform.

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This was my second event with my Hallmark family. The first was last Valentines Day when we arranged a flashmob in Eastwood City. It has always been fun working with them. I was assigned to handle our Facebook account and give live updates. It was a first for me. If you are following us on our facebook account Hallmark PH I was the one posting photos and live videos. I wanted to go fan girling and have my photos taken with our guests but I cannot leave my station. Hahaha. Work before fan girling. Lol. It’s fine tho. I’m used to being the one behind the camera.

Clare (my officemate) and I made special edition Hallmark Hugot Cards which was only released for that specific event and was given to the first 50 people who was there. We also had them write in it to flash in our LED screen. Some lines from the cards which I wrote are “Ngayong Pasko… Sana Pakinggan mo naman ang tibok ng puso ko.” That’s the one with the heartbeat and earphones which I designed myself as well. Another one is the heart with a “YES!” and below it was a line saying “Sana ngayong pasko, makuha ko ang matamis mong OO.” There was also a contest on the best hugot lines and was given prizes c/o Nestle Philippines, BiC Stationery and ofcourse, Hallmark Philippines.

So glad that everyone enjoyed our event. Looking forward for more events. It’s really nice to see the smiles on people’s faces having such a good time with their family and friends. It’s also nice to see the faces of our ex-officemates. Even though they have already resigned, they still made time to support us and go to our event. Being able to work with these people are on of my best #HallmarkMoments! 🙂

Black Friday Sale!

Sale on going at casetify! 🙂

What are you waiting for? Grab yours now and get 20% off for $70+ orders and 16% for $30+ orders. Just use the promo code: BLACK2016

Shop now at casetify.com/riepanini

Below are my best selling cases 🙂

99 peso sushi?! Say what?!

I’ve been wanting to try Ta Ke Ho Me Sushi Stand ever since I read an article about in on spot.ph. Cos’ who doesn’t love sushi right? I’m a big fan of Japanese cuisine, there’s just so much art and craft in it. I like how it is presented in such a beautiful way, how the chef’s handle each ingredients with such care and delicacy and how they really take time to create each and every dish.

Ta Ke Ho Me Sushi Stand is located in 52 Seargent Esguerra Avenue, South Triangle, Tomas Morato in Quezon City. It’s open from 11AM to 9PM. The name’s brilliant! It just literally mean take home sushi. Hahaha. My friend and I was able to try it out last Saturday, after our web design class. If you’re not familiar with the area, you can take a tricyle and ask the driver to drop you off at abs-cbn’s main building, it’s just in front of it. It’s just really a small place and there aren’t much seats inside. There are still seats outside though. Love their grafitti wall! 🙂

So here is their menu. Look at how cheap it is!! I seriously wanted to try out every single thing on their menu. I usually eat Japanese food once or twice a week. And the Japanese place I’m eating at serves 8 pcs of sushi rolls for a price of 165-200 pesos. So when I saw this 99-peso sushi rolls I got really excited and happy.

We ordered 8 pieces of their TKHM Roll, 8 pieces Migori and Kani Salad. I really loved the migori with that torched salmon. It was good, I must say. The size are not that big but the taste is there. I just kinda hated the fact that it was not rolled that tightly so sometimes the insides are falling out. I mean for a 99 peso it sure is good. You get what you pay for. The food doesn’t look crappy and is still presented beautifully. You can order their 24 and 40 pieces sushi and choose an assortment of sushi. They also serve sushirrito (sushi in burrito style), rice balls, and sashimi’s.

I’ve read a few reviews and comments on their zomato and facebook page. I’d say that most people gave them an average rating. I’d probably give it a 4 or 4.5 out of 5 stars tho. I mean what do you expect for a 99-peso sushi? You get what you pay for and to me the food was worth it for 99 pesos. It’s not as big as what they serve in your typical sushi place but it was good. Would still definitely come back to try out their other sushi’s.

 

 

Sundate

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Last Sunday’s sundate with my childhood friend and his girlfriend.

Been craving for Korean food for months!! We were suppose to eat at Woori Gohyang in Matalino Street. Idk if they moved somewhere else or closed down cause it was not there anymore when we checked the place. I hope they didn’t close down because it’s my fave korean resto around the area.

We ended up eating at don day instead which is along Kalayaan Avenue. Cess and I decided to avail the unli pork + buffet for 399 and marion opted for the unli beef for 499 + buffet. The place is actually big and pretty spacious. There’s actually a variety of food to choose from. Although I do not know some of the food we were eating. They should’ve placed a name so people can identify the food. It’s like you have to get and taste it first for you to know what it is. I was kind of disappointed though because they didn’t have gimbap and ddeokbokki 😥

It was still worth it. They had kimchi, dumplings, japchae, bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), seawood soup, there’s actually 3 other kinds of soup in there but I am not familiar with the names, myeolchi bokkeum (spicy stir-fried anchovies), bulgogi and a lot more. They also had desserts and variety of fruits which I loved. Overall I’d probably give this place a rating of 8/10. I enjoyed their food but I wish there was more. Hahaha. Lol. And I wish they’d name their food.

After eating at don day we drove back to fairview. Cess had to buy something at fairview terraces and before going home we decided to drop by at jco to have some coffee and donuts. At this point I was still feeling a litte bit full but I badly wanted to have coffee. I ordered a hot jcoccino and paired it with a grean tea donut. All I did was just to eat and eat. Hahaha. That’s what I’m good at. Ohhh, and also, ruining my friends’ diet. Hahaha.

Won a blog give-away last September hosted by abitofglueandpaper for her shop’s 1st year anniversary. You guys can check it at www.abitofglueandpaper.ca [love the fact that you already changed the look. It’s not dark anymore 🙂 ] There are handmade cards and some notebooks on her shop that you can purchase. 🙂

I haven’t really had the time to drop by our post office and claim my parcel due to my busy schedule. Plus, I only get to go home on the weekends. Last Friday, I was on leave and finally had the chance to go to our local post office. I already had a second notice delivered to our house and I’m worried that I may not be able to get my parcel anymore. Plus the name on the parcel was my nickname so it won’t match the name on my IDs. I forgot to inform Sarah to put April as my first name since that’s my real name and the one written on all of my IDs. The girl in the post office was helpful though. She just asked me a few questions and then handed me my parcel afterwards.

The items that I got are the following
1. Alphabet and shape stencil
2. Sticky tabs, message card and note strips
3. Staple-less staplers, planner band, stickers, washi tape
4. Paper clips

I love all the items inside. And I can’t wait to use them!! I especially love the staple-less staplers. It was the first time that I got to see and use one. They’re very handy and I liked using them more than the regular type of stapler. Thank you Sarah of @abitofglueandpaper for these cute items. 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

Book Haul

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Yesterday’s Book Haul

Got all these books for only 120php!! Huhu still can’t believe it. I don’t really read much. I actually have lots of pdf books on my laptop and phone that I haven’t read yet. But lately, I’m so in the mood to read. I’m currently reading Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I’m almost half of it and the story is really interesting. I haven’t seen the movie though.

Can you believe that I got those 3 novel books (2nd photo) for only 20 pesos each. The price ranges from 5 pesos to 500 pesos. You just really have to be patient in looking and browsing shelf per shelf. I’m actually planning to go back and buy some more books. You guys should definitely check the place as well. It’s from Anvil Publishing House located in West Capitol Drive in Kapitolyo, Pasig. You can check out their facebook page. They have posted a photo of a map there.

They have lots of books in there. From literature to novels, history, law, medicine, accounting, tourism, marketing, programming, web design, photography, graphic design, fashion, children’s books, textbooks, and a lot more.

Here are the list of books I was able to buy:

• Waking the Dead and other horror stories – Yvette Tan (5 pesos)
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (20 pesos)
• Inferno (A verse translation by Allen Mandelbaum) (20 pesps)
• Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare (20 pesos)
• Spooked – Rosario P. Nem Singh (5 pesos)
• Gapo – Lualhati Bautista (20 pesos)
• Riding in Tandem – Nina Tolentino (10 pesos)
• I Like You to Love Me – Carlyn Lanuza (10 pesos)
• A Song 4 U – Carlyn Lanuza (10 pesos)

I do like horror stories so I grabbed some books and I also read pocketbooks. I wanted to grab more books of author Lualhati Bautista but some doesn’t have pricing yet so they didn’t let me get those 😥 Hoping that it will be out with a price the next time I go back.

P.S please don’t judge me by my book choices lol

Pinto Art Museum

My roommate and I have been planning to go to Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo for weeks. And finally, last Sunday we were able to visit the place. To get to Pinto, you can ride a jeep going to Antipolo and tell the driver to drop you off at Ynares Center and from there you can already take a tricycle. There is a 200php entrance fee and backpacks should be left in the bag counter. So I advise you just bring a small bag with you. Also, its better if you go there on a weekday. Weekends are kind of jam packed with people.

We first had our lunch at their cafe. They have different types of cuisines on their menu. They have Italian, Japanese, Thai etc. We decided to order their Vigan Longganisa Pizza (as per the server its one of their best sellers, I ordered a California Maki (sorry can’t resist Jap food), and Pink Lemonade. The food was great actually. It’s just that we had been waiting for quite a while before we got our food. And there was even a confusion with the table’s orders.

The place is pretty big actually. It has 6 galleries inside. The place is so “instagramable”. A lot of people were taking pictures. It’s so lovely and the entrance fee you’ll pay will be so worth it. I love each and every piece inside. Would definitely go back there. It’s not just full of painting but some other types of art with different kinds of media used.

And since the place was beautiful I wouldn’t miss the chance of having my photos taken. Hahaha. Excuse my face tho. I am not very photogenic. Lol. I actually grabbed some “reference” photos so I can do some poses like what does blogger does. Hahaha.

Also took some shots of Ynnah and Ate Kim. I’ve more photos on my phone and camera that I want to upload. But this will do for now. You can check out my instagram account @riepanini for more photos. We actually stayed there for almost 4 or 5 hours. I kind of got tired roaming around the area. And we haven’t actually checked out all of it. Were planning to go back again with our other friends maybe. You guys should definitely check out Pinto Art Museum.

Work Anniversary

Yesterday marks my 1^st year anniversary at work.

Time indeed flies so fast especially when you are having such a good time doing what you love. A year ago I was feeling depressed and down. I was frustrated and sort of losing confidence. I was confused whether to be practical and stick with my current job or follow my heart and do what I really love. Something that will fill my soul and will fulfill me. And here I am a year later, finally got to pursue my one true passion. It’s been such a great year. I’ve had my ups and downs, made mistakes and learned from it. Glad to have such understanding supervisors and bosses that really appreciates me and my works.

Its amazing to see that in a span of 1 year I’ve grown so much not just as a person but as an artist as well. I know in myself that I’m good and I have the skills. But I still have so much to learn. I will continue to enhance my skills and hone my craft. I just love art so much. I live and breathe for it.