Happy Lunar New Year!

새해 복 많이 받으세요!!! 

Saehae bok manhi baduseyo!!!

Gong xi fa cai! Xin nian kuai le!

Happy Lunar New Year!

He's a Small Wonder.

A few days ago, I heard my son singing this out of the blue, "Naega jeil jal naga... naega jeil jal naga!" This means "I am the best", which is the chorus of 2NE1's hit song, I Am the Best. I was astonished, of course, because as far as I could remember, he heard this song no less than five times before. 


And then the other day, while we were at Bench shopping for my Super Junior shirt, the little man began belting out, "I love you, Baby I'm not a monster, Neon al janha ireoke kajima!" 
That's from the chorus of Big Bang's Monster, with the Hangul part meaning "You know me so don't leave like this." While he hears this song quite often - from the MYX Daily Top 10, at Arirang's Pops in Seoul, and from my 'Still Alive' CD - I never thought he'd be able to decipher the lyrics considering it's a Big Bang song.


My son has a pretty good memory - something I discovered even before he turned two. But I never expected his memory to be THIS amazing. 

He could already be working on his undergraduate thesis for all I know, lol.

Today, I came across an article from Austega, which gave me a better understanding of giftedness in my child. Looking at it from a broader spectrum, a gifted child exhibits exceptional ability in terms of the following:

• general intellect
• specific academic aptitude
• creative thinking and production
• leadership
• psychomotor
• visual and performing arts

A detailed list of characteristics can be found in this article.

The Circle of Moms simplifies this with an easy-to-understand checklist. The '20 Signs of Giftedness' are listed below:

1. Has early interest in words and reading
2. Has exceptionally large vocabulary for their age
3. Learns rapidly, easily and efficiently
4. Is curious about objects or situations, asks provocative questions; enjoys exploratory activities
5. Has an unusually strong memory, but is bored with memorization and recitation
6. Is flexible in thinking patterns; makes unusual associations between remote ideas 
7. Is independent
8. Has a wide range of interests
9. Demonstrates unusual reasoning power
10. Likes structure, order and consistency
11. Show unusual degrees of originality, concentration and persistent hard work on projects that capture their interest and imagination
12. Is perceptually open to his or her environment
13. Has an advanced sense of humor
14. Is sensitive to the feelings of others
15. Shows more interest in creative effort and new activities than in routine and repetitive tasks
16. Shows an intense interest and aptitude in an artistic activity, such as drawing, singing, dancing, writing, or playing a musical instrument
17. Is intellectually playful, interested in fantasy, imagination 
18. Acts as a leader among children of their own age
19. Tries to excel in almost everything she does
20. Senses when problems exist; always trying to adapt or improve things

*Note that no one gifted child exhibits all of these characteristics.

Highlighted in bold are the traits which we have observed in my son so far. And by 'we' that means I, my siblings, Yue's kindergarten teacher, and even the school directress.

Feel free to refer to this list as you discover and nourish the giftedness of your own child. As for me, I'm looking forward to being further amazed and astounded by my little progeny. :)

Not from Joseon, Not a Joseon Man.

"Is your husband Korean?" 
"Is your son half-Korean?"
"Have you been to Korea before?"

These questions I've been asked one too many times before. My ears have actually gotten used to it. I usually get asked by new acquaintances, distant relatives whom I've reconnected with through Facebook, or even strangers that we meet at the mall, the fastfood chain, or at the doctor's clinic.

Perhaps its his alabaster skin, doe eyes, Hallyu hairstyle, or his ability to speak a bit of Hangul that makes people think Yue is Korean, or has a Korean dad. I find it funny, at times flattering, whenever people refuse to believe that my husband is a Filipino, or that Yue is a full-blood Pinoy. I get the most interesting reactions from people each time I tell them they have it wrong.

My most interesting encounter, by far, happened just recently while at the supermarket. Out of habit, Yue and I would always swing by the imported goods section and check out the Korean food items on the shelves. (I was hoping I'd come across some instant jjajangmyun or instant bibimbap.) As the little man exclaimed at the sight of a Pororo milk drink, a very Korean-looking ahjumma (elder woman) came from behind and began speaking to me. In Hangul.

Happy penguin Pororo!

"Annyong haseyo!" she greeted. "Odiso oshiosoyo?" (Hello! Where are you from?) In my mind I was like, 'Oh freak, she thinks I'm Korean?! Because of Pororo???!!!' 

Sure, I understood what she said, and can carry out a decent conversation in Hangul. But of course, my knowledge of the Korean language is limited to the basics - most of which I've learned by watching Kdramas and the Arirang channel.

"Annyong haseyo! Chonun... pilipin... esseo wasseyo," (Hello! I'm from the Philippines.) I greeted back with a smile. At the back of my mind I was summoning the image of Lee Jun Ki in his Let's Learn Korean instructional video.

"De?" she asked. (Huh?) I was worried that I might have said the wrong word, or my pronunciation sounds funny.

"Uh... Yogi... Chonun... Pilipin-saram," (Uh... here... I'm a Filipino.) 'Jeez, my banmal is a mess!' I thought.

The ahjumma gave me a bright smile. "Oh! Kure, kure! Arasso, arasso!" (Oh, right! I understand.)

"Mianheyo, Hanguk-mal jogeum..." I said sheepishly. (Sorry, I speak little Korean.)

"Kokchongma, Hanguk-mal choa!" (Don't worry, it's good.) She glanced at Yue and said, "Adeun minami!" (Your son is handsome.)

"Omo, kansahmnida!" (Oh, thank you!) I bowed my head a little and was thinking if I should do it ninety-degrees ala Super Junior.

And then an ahjussi (elder man), standing at the end of the aisle, shouted "Yobo!" (wife). He was waving his arm, signalling for his wife to come over. I was relieved. I might run out of Hangul if she presses on for a full-blown conversation, haha.

"Kabwa! Kumapta!" (I'm going. Thank you!) And with that smile that never left her face, she sauntered off towards the ahjussi.

I was a bit dazed from what just happened. "Anak, anyare?" (Son, what happened?) I asked Yue. The little man, who was so engrossed with Pororo the entire time, answered, "Sabi nung ahjumma annyeong daw." And then he began singing "Annyeong ne sarang, annyeong ne sarang" - the theme song of Smile You.

Pororo and my little kkonminam.

I chuckled. "Tara na nga, at baka mamaya eh Hapon naman ang kumausap sa kin dito!" (Let's go now, or a Japanese might come next!)

Oh this association with all things Korean! Miccyeoseo miccyeoseo! (Crazy crazy!)


Note: Joseon is what Korea used to be called in the ancient times. This refers to South and North as a whole.


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Project BB Cream | Skin Food Good Afternoon Rose Lemon Tea

When I went cosmetics crazy a few weeks ago, I was actually taking a shot in the dark with some of my purchased items - particularly the Skin Food ones. Save for the fact that its endorser is Lee Min Jung, and its one of Des' favorite brands, I practically have zero experience / knowledge when it comes to Skin Food. It's a good thing bhappywithme sells testers. I can try as many items as I want without worrying too much about the price and the effectiveness of the product.

Rice Mask + Rose Lemon BB cream.

First up, the Rice Mask Wash off, described as such in the Skin Food website:

A wash-off mask containing rice extract that moisturizes skin and brightens tone. With its texture of ground rice, it leaves skin bright, soft and lustrous.

I had to check online because the text at the back of the pack is written in Hangul. My reading comprehension in Hangul is limited to words such as Lee Jun Ki and Super Junior, lol.

A tiny glob of the Rice Mask.

Anyway, back to the Rice Mask. As pictured, it's white and creamy and embedded in it are exfoliating bits of grain. It has a paste-like consistency comparable to glutinous rice - this is a rice mask after all. It has a mild scent to it, which reminded me of Johnson's Baby Soap.

Since the consistency isn't as thick as mud packs, you can spread it heavily or lightly on your face. I chose the latter because I don't want to consume the whole packet in one sitting. I've used this twice this week, and my face did feel softer after. There's also a noticeable brightness to my skin, though the product is really meant to whiten. Perhaps if used long term, it might.  Also, I didn't experience dryness or any allergies after each use. 

I'm happy with the results, but not too thrilled to buy a full-sized one. A 100g tub of this Rice Mask retails around Php 455. It's pricey by my standards since this worked more like a facial scrub rather than a facial mask to me.

I feel otherwise for the BB cream, which I used in this look. The Rose Lemon is just one of the five variants in the Good Afternoon Tea BB cream line. The entire range is listed below.

Rose Lemon Tea BB - Hydrating & Fitting

Honey Black Tea BB - Moisturizing & Glowing

Peach Green Tea BB - Oil-Controlling & Mattifying

Apple Cinnamon Tea - Whitening

Berry Berry Tea BB - Anti-Wrinkle

The Rose Lemon was the only one available when I went eBay shopping, which is why I ended up with it. Little did I know that this was one of those water drop BB creams - the type that releases water drops once it comes contact with your skin.

Squeezed a small amount out of the packet.

My first reaction when I opened the packet was, "Weh?! Ano, to? Bakit parang powder?" ("Huh? What is this? It feels like powder?) Now watch what happens when you spread it out.

Start spreading the news. Err, BB cream.

It doesn't look like crushed chalk anymore! I may have spread it out a bit too much in this photo; there's only one tiny 'droplet' left in the middle of the BB cream-covered area.

A little more spreading does the trick. 'scuse me for my parched skin.

There are two color options for this BB cream, by the way. I got mine in 01 Light Beige. The other is 02 Natural Beige.

One remarkable trait of this product is its scent of lemon and rose extracts - aromatic, and very pleasant. Thumbs up to this BB cream for invigorating my senses. 

Coverage is light, (compared to Missha's medium to heavy) but a tad too light for me. Even skin tone, achieved. Skin imperfections, still noticeable. I'd recommend this to those who don't have much too hide on their faces (read: my abominable dark undereyes), as this BB cream does improve skin texture and gives the face a natural glow.

Because of its hydrating feature, the Rose Lemon BB cream didn't sink, crack, flake, or break out on my face. This one has relatively low SPF. If Missha's was low with SPF 25+, this one is even lower with just SPF 20+. It's not something you can use if you're spending an entire day under the sun.

Photo credit: Theskinfood.com

The Good Afternoon BB creams come in 30g tubes only, and retails around Php 400-450. For an imported brand, it's really affordable - as compared with Avon's 18g  SPF 20+ BB creams which cost Php 399 already. Had the Rose Lemon BB cream gave me better coverage, I could have bought a full-sized tube in no time. 

I'll try to get hold of the other Good Afternoon variants; perhaps the other tea 'flavors' might work for me. Also, I have yet to try my Skin 79 Hot Pink Super Plus Triple Function Beblesh Balm - the BB cream with the longest name known to man. And no, that's not a typo. It's really Beblesh.

Repeat after me, "Beblesh!" One more time, "Beblesh!" Again, "Beblesh!" 

Ahhh, chincha! Naega micyeosseo! (That's Korean for 'Really, I'm going crazy!')