Double Exposure

I have been a fan of double exposure portraits for so long. I love how dreamy, surreal and whimsical they are.

After longing for so long to learn how to do double exposures I finally found the courage to try. I've been wanting to make double exposure portraits but I never tried. Always wishing and planning but never trying and actually doing. It's like wanting to win the lottery without buying lottery tickets. How foolish! Now, I don't know what's been stopping me. :)

The Pugs of Westeros

I don't watch Game of Thrones but these pugs are so adorable! :)

Keira Knightley - Lost Stars (Begin Again Soundtrack)

I had no idea Keira Knightley could sing.

Begin Again

Last night, the boyfriend and I went to see a movie. We were supposed to watch Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, but then we saw this movie poster beside it with Mark Ruffalo and a guitar in it (with Keira Knightley, though she was not the deal breaker for us) so we thought it must be good. Because come on - Mark Ruffalo. We had no idea what this movie was about and if it's any good. We haven't seen any trailers or reviews of it. We went in just because of Mark Ruffalo and the guitar. And. It. Was. Good. We fell in love with it. I left the cinema with all these feels in me. I felt enchanted with the story, happy, and hopeful. There are not many movies that do this to me. The most recent one was How To Train Your Dragon 2. Haha!

And the music. It's now on my playlist. On repeat. 

Skintelligence + Skinthusiasm

When the year began, I mentioned that I am resolved to take care of my health better than I did before. That included applying sunscreens everyday even when I usually stay indoors. The OR lights also cause photo aging. 😓

I used to think that using moisturizers with SPF is enough. Plus, I have really oily skin so I did not want to use additional sunscreen because they make my face shiny. Five years ago, tiny sun spots started to appear on my face and I was only in my 20's. I tried various BB creams and lightening creams, but I was not really satisfied. The sun spots remained and even started to multiply. So last month, as part of my resolution, I started to use VMV Hypoallergenics Illuminants+ Skin Regimen followed by Armada Face & Body Shield 60 which also protects against skin darkening and melasma. Just what I needed. It's only been 3 weeks, but I can already see a lightening of my old acne scars and my skin tone's more evened out. I no longer use foundation to even out my skin tone. 😉

I wasn't paid to say these things. I'm just really happy with the results I'm having. I believe it's worth sharing. 😊

I Don't Know - Med School Parody of "Let It Go" from Frozen (University ...

This is so hilarious! Reminded me of clerkship. :)

App Appreciation: Litely

I've been putting off updating this blog for a while since I was reviewing for my written diplomate examination for General Surgery. I had it last Saturday. Thank you for the prayers and support. :) So now, while waiting for the results, I'd like to finally write something about an app I've been using for a month now. Let me just clarify, this is not a review. It's been out for a month now that there are a lot of beautifully written reviews out there already (complete with an interview with the maker himself). This is more of an appreciation post. :)

This app is Litely. It's a set of presets for editing photos. "Subtle tones. Made-well." It's designed by photographer Cole Rise. At present it's only available for iOS, I don't know if a version for Android is in the works, maybe? (Before the app version, Litely's been around for Lightroom, Aperture,  Photoshop and Camera Raw. It's similar with VSCO.) 

I love how beautifully made this app is. The design and interface looks so clean. I adore the minimal design.

Here are some of my own photos edited with Litely. :)

Subtlety is longevity. ~Cole Rise