bethgstories

Let's get the pretty started! It's been two years since the last time I posted about makeup , and god, how I missed it! I do not have a lot of things in my make up bag - I successfully downsized the makeup products I own to the ones I only use on a regular basis. I think as you get older, you'll develop the habit of keeping it basic, buying just the things you need and stop wasting money for stuff that won't kill you not to have (or maybe this is just me, idk). For how long I can keep this, I don't know - because soon there's a package somewhere full of make-up on its way to my doorstep. But for now, here are the make up products I use everyday.  Face I categorise sunscreen as a skincare product so it's going to appear on a different entry (please watch out for it) and I only use primers when I feel so extra in the morning, or to make sure that my make up stays in place for when I have somewhere else to go after work . I was never the foun...

Time flies by when you're having fun - this is what I always say whenever I feel like I am running out of time to meet deadlines, or catch myself wondering where the days have gone. Another decade has come to an end, yet oddly, it feels like it was just yesterday when it began. I was going thru my drive the other day in an attempt to delete unnecessary files when I came across pictures that depicted how the past ten years unfolded. Some of them were blurry (phone cameras sucked 7-10 years ago) and most of them were raw and filter-free. Looking back, I felt nostalgia and longing - those were the good old days frozen in time where I can never go back to, yet I'm glad because they happened. 2010 July 2010 It's my fourth year in the BPO, which meant I had been spending 3 Christmases and 3 New Years at work. It was around this time when I discovered eyeliners and the wonders they could do to my eyes. Hoop earrings were also my thing, along with mini-dresses, denim jea...

If there is one thing I regret doing in 2019, it's all the time I spent scrolling mindlessly on my social media apps. Baler, April 2019 2019 was supposed to be a year of adventures, new discoveries, and accomplishments. I wanted to meet new people, visit new places, sit on a new table dining, and try to do things I've never done before. The first weeks of the year were full of excitement and hope, as I thought of the stories I'd be sharing about the new things I would learn. But I guess I wasn't meant to do all that. Instead, 2019 became a year of self-discovery, discernment, and cultivating my existing relationships with other people. Work peepz. Only two people in this photo are still in the company. Guess who! College friends, February 2019 I've read somewhere that if you do not have the need to filter the words you say, it means you're with the right people. I proved this to be true, on so many levels. I learned to accept the fact that I...

There's not much that I know about the Himala film of 1982, except for one, the main lead was Nora Aunor; two, it was written by Ricky Lee; and three, the film is constantly played in local TV stations during the Holy Week. When I saw the poster of the musical I got thrilled, and told myself that I should see it after 2 musicals slipped off me. Plus it's a Ricky Lee classic. So I got myself a ticket to one of the shows during the opening week. Turns out, it's going to be one of the best things I forced myself into.  The venue isn't that huge - I suppose the PowerMac Center Spotlight can hold not more than 500 people. The audience surrounded the stage, kinda like what they did in Si Saldang, Si Marvin at ang Halimaw ng Gabi that reminded me of the classroom-held plays back in high school. The performers didn't require lapels and microphones, and there was only a single piano that accompanied their powerful theatrical voices. They didn't have makeup (m...

Right Where You Left Me is my latest release to date – I introduced it to the world in April last year, two days after my birthday. It was supposed to be for a workshop but I wasn’t able to finish it on time. While I must say that I had so much fun writing this book, needless to say, the making of this book was actually more challenging than doing all my other books combined. The inspiration Just like If I Knew Then, some people in this book exist in real life. Dan Almendras is based on Dr. Danni Diestro, the neurologist behind my successful battle against myasthenia gravis. He gave me full consent to do this, provided insights on a day in the life of a resident doctor and even gave me the permission to use one of his adorable graduation photo as the book cover, courtesy of the UPCM Collective. Sahara Sevilla is based on the female lead of that random Thai romantic comedy movie I saw on Facebook (yes, on Facebook) one lazy, rainy afternoon. The lady was an ESL instructor an...

If I Knew Then is my first self-published book in print – it was released back in October 2016. After almost 3 years, I can still remember the euphoria that washed over me. I mean, it wasn’t the first book that was published in print under my name, but it’s definitely one of the projects I did that required me more energy, sleepless nights and midnight coffee. You know that feeling of giddyness and excitement and butterflies in your stomach when you finally see the successful fruition of all your hardwork along with the blood, sweat and tears spilt? That feeling. Amazing, right? The new cover. Photography by Nathan Hill featuring his wife, Nicole Hill. The inspiration I wrote this book in honor of my high school girl friend Nicole, who became the official beta-reader of all my books eversince I started going indie. I’ve always talked about writing a story based on her character, as most of the stories I wrote when we were teenagers featured me, my crushes and the people I hate ...

Kasie West has to be one of the contemporary young adult authors who writes interesting plots. I read The Fill-In Boyfriend a couple of years back, and that’s why I picked By Your Side as one of the items to complete my NBS Thank You Sale book haul. I just knew this decision would never let me down. And yes, it didn’t. What is it about? The plot couldn’t be more typical at first until the conflict unfolds in just a few more pages. 17-year old Autumn Collins got trapped in the public library on a long weekend. No phones, no computers, no means of communication to the outside world. How this no-communication-to-the-outside-world thing happened is kind of unfathomable, given the fact that she’s in – technically – a research facility. Apparently it happens and the reasons for this were actually well-established. The second game changer is that she discovers she wasn’t alone. Dax Miller , a guy that no one knows but goes to her school was also trapped in there. He’s dark and mysterio...