Welcome Tish from the Philippines!

NAME: Tish

LOCATION: Manila, Philippines

AGE:  22

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGING FOR:

I’ve had quite a handful of blogs in the past but was never able to keep at least one for more than one year. The trend is that when I lie low from blogging for a short while for whatever reason, I eventually lose my momentum to continue writing. Hopefully this won’t be the case with Practical Vanity, a beauty blog that I have been struggling to keep since the start of the year. So far I’m doing okay with regard to keeping up with posting, but nothing I’m too proud of at the moment.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION THE MEDIA GIVES OF WOMEN:

I don’t know much about how it’s like in other countries (well, aside from the idea that women have to be pin-thin to be called “beautiful”) but in the Philippines, women are fed the image of the Caucasian beauty --- fair skin, sharp nose, waif-like figure, among others --- instead of complimented for whatever their skin color is. We are daily bombarded with unhealthy images of women with enviable porcelain skin drenched in all their skinny glory. Such drive both men and women to scour the metro for the best and most effective whitening products available to help them achieve that fairer skin they’ve always dreamed of having. They would most willingly donate their savings account to cosmetic surgeons just to have a reconstructed face and/or body that they hope would make them look an inch close to looking like Jessica Simpson or whoever they deem as beautiful. It’s a sickening and insulting notion, I’d have to say. It makes me wonder why people, regardless of gender, just can’t love the skin that they’re in. I hope there’s a cure to this disease.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU THE MOST:

I draw inspiration from the simplest things I see or from the most insignificant events I witness. The air that I breathe is more than enough inspiration for me to keep reaching for what’s ahead.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING IN YOUR SPARE TIME:

Since I always have my hands full with more stuff than I can handle at one time, I usually spend my time relaxing, burying my nose in some good material, blogging, shopping, sleeping (it’s a luxury!) or de-stressing with my beloved.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS BLOG:

The simple fact that women from all over the world gather to lift up one another in their own simple ways is one of those things that drove me to write a yes-I’d-love-to-be-part-of-it-email to Carly. More so, I believe that this is a place where everyone is welcome, regardless of age, race, religion, or whatever it is that divides most people. Here at World Women’s Magazine, you have a voice, whoever you may be.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE DISH:

 If there’s one dish I wouldn’t mind eating until my last minute, I’d have to say pasta at a drop of hat. I know that sounds somewhat strange coming from someone from the east where rice is considered as the “staple food,” but really, I just have no fondness for rice (not even when I eat Japanese food). Oh, do ice cream, vegetables and fruits count?

YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO SPEND TIME:

 There are only two places where I love to spend some time at. The first would have to be nature. I feel at peace when I’m surrounded by beautiful flowers, sky high trees, chirping birds, calm waters, or anything that has to do with nature. The other place I love to be at would be wherever my beloved is.

WHAT MAKES YOU PROUD TO BE A WOMAN:

I have every reason to be a proud woman. Every conceivable thought is a reason to be a proud woman. Everything that I am is enough reason to make me a proud woman. Most of all, I have a God that made me how I should be and that makes me more than proud to be a woman.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED WAS:

 I’m not the most optimistic person you’ll meet, but if there’s one advice that I’d pass on to other people, that would be for us to be thankful for everything regardless of what life throws us. You may not look like Sophia Loren or Audrey Hepburn but you can still be thankful for having two complete set of limbs, eyes that see, ears that hear, etc. You may not have as much dime as Bill Gates has but you can still be thankful for having enough to get you through each day. You may not live in a mansion like Hugh Hefner’s but you can still be thankful for that house you live in, be it a simple “nipa hut” or a studio type apartment You may not have the most beautiful clothes to adorn yourself with like every Hollywood celebrity has but you can still be thankful for the clothes you wear, no matter how worn out they may appear to be. A thankful spirit makes the world a much better placed to live in. If you know how to be thankful for the littlest things that you have in your possession, then you will learn to appreciate life more and the beauty that it brings. Remember that appreciation comes only after we learn to be thankful for the things that we have and don’t have.