The One with Suprise Pre-Wedding Party

Despite of our decision to have our wedding in Indonesia, there was a gap in my heart knowing that I didn't get to celebrate with my loved ones here in the US and to not have a garden-theme wedding like I had always wanted (outdoor wedding is tricky during September to December when it's rainy season in Indonesia). On the back of my mind, I thought of throwing a little party for ourselves with our close friends, making it simple and intimate. Yet, with Ocep's new job, our new home, and the wedding prep in Indo, the thought was shoved right where it started, on the back of my mind.

One day, one of my dear friend, Cecyl, texted me asking me and Ocep to go to dinner with here this past Saturday. She said the location was a surprise, and it was to send me off to Indonesia since I am going to go back to Indo real soon. She didn't tell us anything else other than to dress up for it was a fancy dinner.

Saturday came, and we got ready in time when Cecyl said she would pick us up. I had Ocep to put on a black bow tie to match his black suit, making it real fancy. I decided to go with my favorite floral dress that I wore to a wedding not too long ago. You may have seen it from this post. When Cecyl arrived, and as we were going out of our door, she told us that our other friends, Fenny and Marlene, wanted to join us  at the last minute so we had pick them up also. When we got to their place, Cecyl told us to stay in the car since she was just going to knock at their door and let them know that we were there. She then came back to the car telling us to wait inside since they were still getting ready. I kinda knew where the dinner was going to be at that point =).



The Surprise
I rang the door bell, Ocep was behind me. The door was opened, and all of our close friends were there shouting, "SURPRISE!" The night just got better and better from then on. I was smiling all night until my jaw hurt. They turned Fenny & Marlene's backyard to a fancy garden party, complete with the pretty lights and center pieces. There was even a two-layer Indonesian cheesecake as the wedding cake made by our dearest friend.

All-Drugstore Makeup Starter Kit - Products that Work!

I've started experimenting with makeup about 5 years ago. I've tried, discovered and also been disappointed with so many things from drugstore makeup. When I just started, I didn't really know where to start. I just started grabbing products that caught my attention from the counter.
Despite of the affordable prices, when I started on trying a bunch of products that didn't work, it added up and it wasn't affordable anymore. Nevertheless, my fondness of makeup drove me to continue trying out new things, and I enjoyed the process.

Now, if you are like me, you may enjoy all the experience of trying out new and shiny makeup. I hope you get to try any of the products below or if you've tried them, let me know what you think! If you just want to know what works, at least for me, then keep on reading!

Face
Primer: Rimmel Stay Matte primer
I've featured this several times in my blog posts. I used this on my friend when I did her makeup for her engagement photo shoot. She told me that her makeup didn't budge all day. It stayed through out the day, even after being all out under the sun. I love this primer, I no longer have this just because I've had so many others I need to use up, but I totally recommend this again and again.

Foundation: Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation
I looked at my foundation drawer (yes, I've hoarded so much that I have a drawer dedicated just for foundation) long and hard. This is not an easy decision, but I decided to go with my old time favorite that I know it works and is loved by so many people. The coverage is amazing, and it gives naturally foundation. (The one I have on the picture is the old packaging).

Best Under Eye Concealers

I never really had a problem with my under-eyes until I tried under eye concealers. Haha. Isn't it ironic? It's like the saying " You never knew what you have until it's gone", but in reverse! I tried on under eye concealers, and I just like the way it looks on my so I never put on my makeup without it anymore! If you've been following my blog, you may have known this already, but I still want to sum up all the ones that work for me. These are all tested and approved by yours truly.

Amazing Concealer Corrector
I've talked about this time and again. I first saw it on Tati's video, and I couldn't wait to try it out myself. It comes in two different shades, one is pinky salmon aka the corrector, and the other is yellow aka the brightener. When I first put on the corrector, it looks kinda cray. The consistency is so thick, it cancels out any darkness or discoloration. The brightener does what exactly it's supposed to do, it brightens under the eyes. One thing that I want to point out is that since it's so thick, it can get cakey pretty easily. Make sure to smooth out under the eyes and blend blend blend!

San Francisco City Guide: What to Do + Where to Eat

I still remember the very first time when I saw the Golden Gate Bridge for the very first time. It was almost 8 years ago. Time surely does fly. We live about an hour away from the city, and we like to come up and visit new places every time we go there. I can't say the same about food, though. We always end up sticking with the food we have tried and loved, just like the wings and diced chicken from  San Tung Restaurant. You'll find more recommendations below. Ocep is very good in finding out new places for us to explore. Even though we feel like we have visited all the spot there is, there's always more and there's always new things to go to, like the annual Cherry Blossom Festival at Japantown in April. I recently posted a video of some of the places mentioned below!

 If you're visiting SF for the very first time, you should go to all the places mentioned in any SF travel guide because they are the landmarks, but I'm trying to steer away from the typical tourists attraction like Pier 39, Lombard Street or the Golden Gate Park in this post. Below, you will find my recommendation on all of all the places I've been to and all the food I've had!

Things to Do

- If you want to see a lot of things at once, you can try riding the SF signature Cable Car. I believe it has 3 different route, but the one I've been on is from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf. You can pay one all-day ticket and hop on/off anytime you'd like. There's also an option of 3-day,7-day and 1-way ticket.

-Visit the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for a bite to eat, or more! This place is perfect especially for my foodie friends. Just like typical farmers market you may find at your local area, but bigger. It has different kind of food, from the kinds you find at the grocery store (aka fresh and organic produce) to ready-to-eat food like porchetta sandwich from Roli Roti. The area is located by the pier, so it's always nice to walk around and enjoy the view.

-If you're not afraid of putting out some sweat, go to Muir Woods National Monument. It's located just less than an hour away up north of San Francisco. I've been there a couple of times, and I love it! The national park gives you great view of beautiful redwood trees. Since it's surrounded by tall redwood trees, the hiking will be pleasantly protected from the sun. The trees form natural shade to the visitors. The parking is quite tight, so be sure to get there earlier. The two times I've been there, we always get there around noon, and even though we got parking space at the end, it was not fun finding one during that hour.

Muir Woods

- Another option of exploring and exercising at the same time is to go to Lands End. We started from the top with this amazing view of the ocean and the remains of what used to be an indoor public pool aka Sutro Baths. We then worked our way down and find ourselves a giant cave where you can go inside and hear the sound of the ocean water against the rock cave. Then, along the hike, we finally got to the Labyrinth which I just found out was destroyed last year due to vandalism (ARGH!). Fortunately it was already rebuilt as we speak. Let's hope it doesn't get destroyed again!