February: Finished!

Things I’ve Recently Finished: *

1.     Avon Breathlessly Sunflower Lotion: This is a good option if you’re on a budget. It has a very nice scent (sunflowery? - very feminine) that lasts and hydrates the skin well enough. It’s actually a thin lotion so it's best to use it during summer, or use it as a quick hand lotion. I don't feel very guilty using a lot of this product since it's not that expensive.
2.     Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleansing Foam (a real review here): It was nice while it lasted.
3.     Colgate Fresh Confidence with Strips of Whiteness: I like this toothpaste because it leaves my mouth with a minty feeling that's not as strong as some of the other toothpastes I've tried. I like the "strips" but they're more like little pieces of rock candy for me, the texture is nice but what does it do? I didn’t see a difference in the whiteness of my teeth; I’m not actually sure this is a whitening toothpaste, but it markets itself as if it were. Have you noticed that Colgate keeps saying that all its toothpastes whiten teeth, freshen breath and fight cavities? I did not see any effect on my teeth. As I am an avid coffee and tea drinker, I did not actually expect any whitening, but my teeth actually seem yellower now (so I wouldn’t count on it being whitening at all). This toothpaste has 1450 ppm and no triclosan.
4.     Pantene Pro-V Nature Care Conditioner: Another blah conditioner.  First three ingredients (because I’m lazy) are Water, Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone and Stereayl Alcohol. Nothing very natural to me; the “blend of naturally derived ingredients” are low on the list, though it doesn’t have any parabens. I think I didn’t like this conditioner very much because the color reminded me of mucus (when you have a slight infection). It’s a light green color… but at least it washes of easily enough (I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that most conditioners list water as the first ingredient).

On another note, have you tried Clara Ole’s dressings? I’m quite fond of the Vinaigrette Pesto. It’s 200 kCal per serving (2 tbsps) and is oil based, but I love pesto. J

-SS

*No pictures. Lack of decent camera woes, as usual. Plus I’m lazy (see my name).

Thoughts: Taxation of Association Dues (ToADs)

A Taxing Society

It’s not exactly a recent event, but for those who don’t know – the BIR has decided on taxation of association dues – we’ll call it ToADs for short. Now, I don’t know if this is a response to the weakening dollar, but this income generating project (for the government) seems ridiculous at best and terrifying at worst.

In case you’ve never lived in a condominium: association dues are a pooled fund used for the maintenance of the building, including the salaries of the staff. The amount given is based on a value set by the homeowners’ association multiplied by how much space you have. In short, it’s the combined resources of several families for upkeep of their homes.

Now, I’m no lawyer but I can see how unreasonable that is because if you think about it: Homeowners earn money via salaries which are taxed (income); this money is used to pay off utilities (which will now also taxed via e-vat) and personnel, who will also be taxed (income). The BIR will acquire a slice from all ends. So why is it that the government has decided on ToADs? There is nothing earned in the collection process (no work was done), it is simply a way to handle the expenses of a large amount of people at one time. As such, this tax seems to be an expression of greed - as a child eyes another’s dinner, knowing that he has his own. I don’t know if ToADs is legal, but I know that it’s not right. A government that allows – even encourages – such a thing is reprehensible because it both discourages its people’s comfort and disparages group organization.

There are two things in this world that are constant: the first occurs only once in one’s lifetime, while the other permeates nearly all aspects of today’s existence. Is it no wonder that I find the former less disturbing than the latter?

-SS

Student

Shi Lin

Just some more food porn for this weekend. Shi Lin is a taiwanese restaurant that has several branches, this one in Podium, Mandaluyong.  We had 3 different types of noodles:

 

The triangular bowls were actually the most interesting thing about the dishes. However, the beef tasted the best of the three. 

And a serving of pork siomai and xiao long bao. 

The siomai was actually better than the xiao long bao...

How was your weekend?

Art Circle Cafe

Have you guys tried Art Circle Cafe in the University of the Philippines, Diliman?

I had a few pictures but it seems my lappy and phone are incompatible (and I can't figure out how to send my files since the email is screwy). Anyway's it's a small cafe inside the Alumni Center in Magsaysay St. Quezon City.

Try their hazelnut coffee: P110 for 2 cups (comes in a french press or cafetiere). It's air conditioned inside so you can take a break from the heat (it's January and it still gets really hot here in the Philippines).

I tried their tablea cake as well but it did not really appeal to me.

Happy New Year!

To everyone around the world
Peace be to all on earth



I'm going back to school on the second (way too early) and am seriously not prepared for it. Good luck to future me and to future you.

Cuddle Buddy (CB)

This is a term I've been introduced to only this year. According to R, a cuddle buddy (CB) is the female version of a fuck buddy (FB) - which seems kind of sexist but a bit true when you think about it. A FB is someone you go for no-strings sexy times; A CB is someone you go for no-strings cuddle times. Both may or may not be successful. That is, it might actually have complications with regards to the feelings of one or more parties.

With regards to either generally and to CBs specifically, there are some questions I have in my head  and should be in the minds of those who are looking for one!

Is it better to have a friend or a stranger as a CB?
- If the former, a close friend or someone closer to an aquaintance?

Would you ever go on a site looking for one? (granted, I'm pretty sure there isn't one in my area)

What are the risks involved?

What can you do to protect yourself for these risks?

I love strawberries

Hungry? Have a quick snack of strawberries and cream :)

A Quick Tip #3

Happy Holidays!

(Greetings to whatever type of celebration you guys are having)

It's a time for eating! I love eating, and I always end up gaining weight at this time. While there are some tips to lose weight out there, the tip I'm giving now is for bloating - how to avoid that excess water weight. Whenever you eat salty foods, drink water and coffee (or something high in caffeine) afterwards. Salty foods make you thirsty, which is why you drink water and therefore bloat. If you don't drink water, you'll end up taking it from places you shouldn't be getting it from. But adding coffee afterwards prevents your kidney from reabsorbing salt! It's also a diuretic  which means you end up excreting the water with the salt.

Hope this helps :)

Starbucks: Rekindle the Joy

For any of those interested, Starbucks is offering a raffle on its facebook page (Philippines) as an app*. I clicked the link and saw that it required some sensitive information, which disappointed me - which you would understand if you read my recent post on virtual identity.

One of the prizes was a starbucks planner. Since I already have the planner, I'm not too torn up about it. However, I really am disappointed at the way things are turning out.

*I'm not going to post the link because I'm not sure if it's proper for me to do so.

Review: TWG at Greenbelt

Hi M! This post today is care of my friend M who treated me out to a wonderful girl's day out at TWG in Greenbelt 5! Since we were trying to be poshy-posh (and succeeded) in the restaurant, we did not take any pictures. Because pictures are for tooles and we ARE LADIES!! :D

We got there at 4 pm wherein we were told that reservations were only accepted from 12 to 1 so we decided to walk around until 5 pm. When we came back we were seated relatively quickly (because time for low tea was over) and spent 30 minutes deciding what teas to get.

M's impression of TWG: "Gold and Gilded."


What we ordered:
1. Chic Set Menu - P500
Includes:
2 Scones with clotted cream and jam (apricot?)
3 Assorted sandwiches (cucumber, turkey ham and shrimp)
Snow Mountain Tea +100 (not a normal tea)

2. Imperial Set Menu - P650
Includes:
Creme Brulee Tea
Pastry (we had a strawberry tart)
3 Croque Royale (salmon cheese thingies)
3 Macarons

3. Christmas Lights Tea - P195

Very obviously, we decided to have high tea instead ^^ We spent several hours eating. Let me tell you, even with the small, dainty servings, we were able to stuff ourselves mostly because of the teas!

Snow Mountain Tea: neither of us liked this very much. Needed to commit to sugar (a lot of it) in order to be palatable. They say this was a citrus but tasted like the "floweriest of flower teas."

Creme Brulee Tea: when they poured it into our cups, you could smell the scent of strawberries wafting in the air. The first sip was a disappointment tough, but it got better with the second sip. M discovered the sugar on this and made it really good. Half a teaspoon would work.

BTW, the sugar in this establishment/tea house was not in real cube format - aka lumps! M says they could still be considered cubed because of their shape but I do not consider them valid sugar cubes (Sorry M!). So no lumps of sugar for us.

Christmas Lights Tea: M's favorite because it matched the desserts we had perfectly. Didn't really need sugar but tasted good with it. The Creme Brulee tea didn't complement the food while the first tea was horrible.

Morrocan Mint Macaron: Yummy! Tasted like mint. Enough said.

Bain de Roses Macaron: Flowery and ok.

Blackcurrant: Sweet. "Too fruity, lacking substance."

The Macarons cost P50 per piece. I would definitely consider buying the Morrocan Mint Macaron again, though maybe not the other two. I could see myself buying their other flavors to try. While the macaron's were not very elegant, missing the cookie to filling 1:1 ratio, they were sufficiently crumbly and chewy.

I really enjoyed my time there with M. Unfortunately, financial incapabilities prevent something like this from happening as often as I wish.

If you want to have a girly day enjoying high or low tea, then this is the place for you. If you're on a budget, just buy two pots of tea (one per person - it's a rule they have) and enjoy. Expect to spend at least P200 per person, excluding tipping if you don't want to get any food.  While one tea set may be sufficient for a group of two if you just want to experience low tea (I'd recommend the Royal set as it seems more appropriate for low tea), you won't be satisfied if you don't buy at least one dessert per person.

The only negative point of the experience: the servers, while being very nice, polite and helpful, did not seem to be trained to pronounce the names of their products properly. Also, M would prefer that they be capable of recommending teas for your palate/preferences - or give a basic tea test (like you do wine). Hmm... that's an idea, a tea tasting event for TWG! (HEHE, MY IDEA ^^).

Unfortunately, the teas in TWG seem to be VERY EXPENSIVE and the list is overwhelming. I wouldn't trust the tea guide they gave because we found Snow Mountain to be misleading (or was it just us).

THANK YOU M FOR THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY EVER! I LOVE YOU!!

TWG is at Greenbelt 5. Their tea sets are available from 3-6 pm.

Reflections: Virtual Identity

It is 2012 and I've been thinking that the world has changed so much from the advent of the first computer - and more importantly, of the internet. Nowadays, we are so connected by our machines: desktops, laptops, tablets and phones - almost all of which have some connection to the internet. We use facebook, twitter, instagram and the like to chronicle our lives - mundane or otherwise. Before, each entry into one's virtual life was a matter of creating a story, a thought. Now, a simple or even incomplete sentence will do as we have the power at our fingertips to talk to anyone, anywhere.

Virtual identity. It is now possible to take part of, and steal, other people's lives because we have established a part of ourselves in this digital world where codes create our realities. Everything is now online, or at least available in it such that to lose such a connection becomes akin to losing a limb. I have tried to limit myself, but in vain. I cannot go a week without some device to connect me to this ever expanding web.

But who am I? What I find comforting about this new age, this new landscape, is the ability to create multiple selves with a few clicks of the button. I may have a copy-self: the me who exists in the real world. The one who frets about the lack of privacy, the fear that eventually my every step will be recorded and that this copy would define and overwhelm the me that exists in the physical world... I do not understand how some people are so comfortable of bringing their entire self into this domain. Where they would freely give personal information to a bunch of strangers such that it is normal to give the minutiae of one's life to the horde of friend-aquaintance-stranger and the keys to one's kingdom to service providers that can store this information infintely and sell it to multiple bidders.

It's kind of insane, now that you think about it. Today the tablet (iPad for those able to afford it - especially in the most affluent nations, societies, strata), the smartphone (iPhone, again), the computers (MAC)- ah, truly it is the age of the apple! - when once nobody, or very few people, could even dream it. I'm sure there are other events such as what I feel now that may be even more important - the industrialization comes to mind - but this is what I see now. This is the changing of the world from the century that preceded, if not the millenium.

 I am interested in how this will turn out. Will it get better? worse? Must the self that exists on the net be a full copy of the self that types these letters on the keyboard? Will the world change such that only one's avatar becomes acceptable in exploring a domain that becomes more regulated with each passing day?  But now, while I have the chance,  I will enjoy the little comfort the anonymity of this blog affords.

Movie Review: Rurouni Kenshin

For all of you guys who still haven't watched - why haven't you?- or just want to talk about the movie: here it is. A short review on Rurouni Kenshin: A movie that should have been here ages ago.

I don't need to tell you guys about WHAT Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai X, is about right? It's a live action film now!

Yays

• Cinematography! Loved the way they brought it into reality. It's hard to make something that's set both in the past and is set in anime-world into something that is semi-believable. On that note, kimono!
• The characters - because I grew up loving them and I can't help but love them more now. Points for the way they were able to emote *coughKenshincough* ... KAWAII!!!! ^^

Nays

• Kaouru's final lines... urgh... made em way too long...
• Subtitles! Too low on the screen to be watched well

Heys

• Sit in front or in the balcony area so you can actually see the subtitles.
• Watch with friends

What's your ideal body weight?

So I've been calculating what I'm supposed to weigh, ideally. The BMI isn't very accurate so I've been using Tannhauser's Formula instead. 

For Caucasians:

Ideal Body Weight (in kilograms)  = height (in centimeters) - 100

For Filipinos

Ideal Body Weight (in kilograms)  = height (in centimeters) - 100 - [0.10 x ( height (in centimeters) - 100 )]

I'm still a bit overweight, given this method. I hope I'll be able to diet and exercise this christmas season.