Coffee Shops in Ortigas

Ages and ages ago, I posted a tiny little thing about Subspace Coffee House, a coffee shop of a different breed from Starbucks long before the term "Third Wave" hit the country. Since then, I've tried different cafes without fully committing to any, cards not withstanding. I haven't been back in the shop for the past few years until recently. Ortigas, in particular, has a lot of coffee shops without even including the Kapitolyo area. Some notable sources of caffeine:

• Craft Coffee Revolution at Podium*
• Starbucks Reserve at Sapphire Rd
• Mr. Parks Bread and Cake at Garnet Rd
• Subspace Coffee House at Emerald Ave
• The Breadery at Emerald Ave
• Tully's Coffee at Exchange Rd
• Toby's Estate at Ruby Rd

*While Craft is located inside a mall, which is major minus points for me, it has very good coffee.

This used to be a longer post with a little something about Subspace Coffee House. I've since decided to split and link my previous Ortigas coffee shop posts here instead.

Rainy Day Exfoliation Session

When it rains, I prefer to sleep in and relax with a hot beverage, but sometimes I get a strange urge to do otherwise… Sometimes, I like exfoliation. Why is this strange? Because exfoliation, by the very act of scrubbing, is an invigorating activity that makes me more alert and ready to meet the outside world. Something that doesn't usually happen, period.

As I am a slothlike creature, I am not a regular exfoliator by any means, but when I do, this is how it goes.

Psyllium Fiber: Fibrolium vs Watsons Brand Supplement

In an attempt to kill the urge to eat between meals, I decided to try 2 pysllium fiber supplements and settled on Fibrolium and Watsons brands because they were the cheapest and most expensive brands available in my local, well, Watsons.

Fibrolium Psyllium Fiber Supplement

Psyllium is a fiber whose foremost effect is to help you do the number 2. It helps with water absorption in the colon, creating softer stools while stimulating those pipes. It helps retain a feeling of fullness without flatulence and can help with those cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In supplements such as these, only the ground husks are used.

Watsons Psyllium Fiber Supplement

How did they match up?

Avalon Organics Lavender Luminosity Facial Cleansing Gel

In trying to work through some of my (mostly drugstore) samples, I found a couple of Avalon Organics Lavender Luminosity Facial Cleansing Gel 4ml samples and decided to try it out.

I've used Avalon Organics shampoos and conditioners in the past and was curious regarding their skincare products. Avalon Organics, originally available from Healthy Options only, was one of the first organic lines that were available in the Philippines even before the organic movement hit the country.

Commuting to CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines)

A lot of people seem to think that CCP is only accessible via car or cab, and while I can't deny that those are convenient options, it is possible to commute to the area.

To commute to CCP, first try to get to Ocampo Street. This is usually a short walk from the LRT or a jeep to Vito Cruz Station along Taft Avenue. If you're not going through Taft Avenue, you can also choose a jeep that goes to Harrison's.

From Ocampo Street, you can take the orange jeep which will pass through CCP. It will also pass by the Folk Arts Theater, PICC and the Coconut Palace. You can also walk the 16 minutes google maps estimates. I prefer walking myself, but I allot around 25 minutes walking time since the crossing at Roxas Boulevard can take a while.

Google Maps: Vito Cruz to CCP

If walking along Ocampo Street, choose the the side closer to BSP, Harrison's and Rizal Memorial. While Manila streets aren't that pedestrian friendly, that side is a lot better than the other.

Going back after is, admittedly, a bit more difficult for a gala performance: the jeep going back comes by rarely and is often full. It's also not a good idea to walk the Ocampo-Taft area at night time unless you are in a group.

Human Heart Nature

With Human Heart Nature being so accessible, either online or through several stores in malls nationwide, I'd never thought I'd want to visit its flagship store. Located at 463 Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, it's not the easiest places to go to, but I went because Human Heart Nature has their Switch to Goodness campaign which gives you a 30% discount of their products when you trade in clean containers of the same product type.

That was a really good incentive.

I got there and inside was something completely unexpected.

Tosca 2015

Last Sunday, I was lucky enough to watch Puccini's Tosca at CCP. This was the first time I was able to watch a staged opera in real life, and it was amazing: While the stage wasn't as lush as expected (as seen on television) both the music and the singers were something to hear, especially the titular Tosca.

My only complaint was that I wish the 3rd act was a bit longer.

Unfortunately, Tosca is no longer running. The last time it was seen before this was during the Marcos era. Still, it gives me hope that more of the like will be shown in the future.

Romeo and Juliet 2015

Tonight was Ballet Manila's first Romeo and Juliet for October 2015. At first I wasn't quite sure about it as the dancers, especially the danseurs, were very badly synced: some too fast, others too slow.

Fortunately, as the show progressed, I found all leads to be strong with some interesting choreography going on. My only qualm by that point was the balcony scene: while well done, I felt that the levels between Romeo and Juliet could have been played with more. But that's just me.

Special mention to how expressive Juliet's face was.

All in all, I enjoyed the performance. The only true sour point was seeing bits of the audience leave early. It was a good performance and to leave like that is disrespectful.

Ballet Manila will be performing Romeo and Juliet until this Sunday.



A

Erwin's Gastrobar

Last month was a great month for theater for me. Another good thing was I got to try out new places to eat that I haven't been to. One of these places was Erwin's Gastrobar at the City of Dreams, Manila. Since Solaire was so close, our party decided to go there for the first time.

While being a gastrobar, none of us drank alochol. The board was pretty cute though!

St. Ives Green Tea Gel Cleanser

Life, for the past few weeks, has been super crazy. It's winding down again but I know it's gonna happen a lot in the future. How crazy? I've considered it a luxury when I am capable of washing my face and brushing my teeth twice in one day.

My skin has been faring poorly from a month previously because of this, but it's not as bad as I've been expecting. One of the reason's why is St. I'ves Green Tea Gel Cleanser.

St. Ives Green Tea Gel Cleanser

I originally bought this since I already foresaw that my current cleanser, while great for my everyday life, wouldn't be able to keep up with turbo mode. I needed something that would keep those big zits from coming out even with a super hectic lifestyle. Thus, my choice was an oil-free salicylic acid cleanser.

Purederm Make-up Cleansing Tissues

One year ago, Nivea's facial wipes exploded across news feeds everywhere. However, I found them too big and too expensive to store in my bag for daily use. Luckily, I saw some smaller and cheaper alternatives in Watsons. One of these were Purederm's Make-up Cleansing Tissues.

I was, at first, hesitant to purchase this (over the in house brand) because of my previous experience years ago with the Make-up Remover Cleansing Tissues of agest past. For those who've never tried it, the originals were soapy and required water to remove. I'd always get a residue even after using quite a bit of water and would end up using another cleanser (this was way before oil/double cleansing was popular). 

Fortunately, this is extremely different from before.

August Round-up

August 2015 was a great month for me because I was able to watch a lot more shows than I usually do in a month. Of course, that leaves me with too few funds for daily needs such as food and skincare, but I wouldn't change a thing!

Therefore, in lieu of an empties post (and with an empty wallet), I've decided to rank the shows I've watched instead.

Listed by overall enjoyment:

1. Hamlet (play) - simple but great acting.
2. La Cage Aux Folles (musical)  - the power of a single star outshining everyone.
3. Singing in the Rain (musical) - not bad, needs polishing.
4. La Cenerentola (concert reading, opera) - great music, dismal direction.

I surprised myself, writing that list: I'd have a very different list if I were looking at how "good" I found each performance compared with others of its ilk. However, this has shown that a great experience in the theater, no matter what type of performance, doesn't just depend on the work of those on stage. Part of this burden rests with management and with the audience itself.

Hamlet, August 2015

Yesterday, Sunday (August 24, 2015) CCP's Little Theater, better known as Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, was host to Hamlet. This was the work of Terruno Espressivo and Shakespeare's Globe.

For a little background, the goal of this tour is to hit all 205 nations in 2 years, marking the 450th year of Shakespeare's birth and the 400th year of his death. Thus, unfortunately, the Philippines only had 2 shows marked on the same day at CCP.

What do I think? This play was very much worth it, even for those who aren't big fans of his work (in general).