I Wanna Be A Producer

"I wanna be a producer, With a hit show on Broadway
I wanna be a producer, Lunch at Sardi's every day
I wanna be a producer, Sport a top hat and a cane
I wanna be a producer, And drive those chorus girls insane"
- Leo Bloom, the Producers

Alright, so being a producer is a little way beyond what I have in mind of accomplishing as of now, but it's a possible goal to aim for. Yesterday, my dear friends, I've finally pushed through with my long pending resolution to enroll in a musical workshop - yes, I've enrolled in Repertory Philippine's acting workshop, and I am really hoping that it was a good investment, P 6000 bucks for 8 weeks of strenuous acting, soliciting, socializing, etc.

Like how Leo bloomed and became a successful producer under the tutelage, guidance and partnership of/ with the twisted Max Bialystock, I am hoping I can move out of my shy and introverted self and become a more confident and assertive individual through this course. Our mentor for the duration of the course will be theater actor and director, Mr. Robbie Guevarra. By the end of the course, we are expected to put up a play to showcase all the lessons we attained from the said class. I am really looking forward to a fulfilling and a "healing" summer ahead.

Although I tell many that this is my first acting workshop, I must confess that I've attended another acting course back in the summer of 1996, if I'm not mistaken. I think I was just 10 years old that time and was at the shady dawn of teenage maturity and rebelliousness, if not flirtatiousness. I really cannot recall completely - but there was a particular event that occurred during that workshop that have somehow crippled my confidence to bloom. I've never spoken about this little incident with anyone, until recently. Perhaps now that I'm trying to face and overcome the demons of my past - it would be appropriate to let it out.

During the course, we had an exercise where we were divided into two groups to brainstorm and come up with a good presentation for the other team. There was a man, around 23 years old, not handsome (must emphasize that point with exclamation points if possible), brown-skinned and of relatively medium to large built. I cannot completely remember what we were talking about, but he began chastising me, infront of our group..

Guy: "Bakit ba ang landi landi mo? Ang bata mo palang ang arte mo na."
Me: "Huh? Anu ginawa ko?"
Guy: "Di ba katoliko ka?"
Me: "Oo."
Guy: "E bakit ang arte mo ha? Di ba masama yan sa mata ng Diyos. Tawag mo sarili mo Katoliko pero ang landi mo. Kala mo kung sino kang maganda."
Me: "...."

I never understood what triggered that, and I can surely say that wasn't acting. Looking back, a 23 year old should have more brains than to embarrass a lousy 10 year old - I'd call him an immature and pathetic jerk, he should know better and just ignored the little pest - to add fuel to the fire, he had to bring in religion. Until this day although its almost 12 years back, I still bear this frustration and anger in my heart. I take pleasure imagining him wallowing in the pit of eternal recession, fancying his immaturity would find a way to haunt him into becoming a perpetual failure.

Okay, now it's time to heal... and let go..

La Luz Beach Resort, Batangas

La Luz Beach Resort
March 22-23, 2009
4 out of 5 stars

In all our years of togetherness, this is the first time our group braved to go out of the comforts of Manila and head off to get a good tan in a beach. Being the first beach outing, I am hopeful that this is the beginning of many other out of towns to come.

Permit me to walk you through our experience last weekend...

DAY ONE:
Chapter One: Getting there

It was a four hour trip from Manila to our destination, the La Luz Beach Resort, following the map provided to us by the resort. Mid-way, we decided to ditch the directions and head off following my friends' previous experience and knowledge of Batangas streets. To those heading to the same beach, please note that you don't have to go out of the Tambo exit, although that would be the most convenient, we recommend that you exit to Lipa City proper - that will surely save you a lot of gas expense.



Just for the record though, we understand that there might be a lot of first timers who need to find their way to La Luz, so posted above is a copy of the map the resort provided us.

While on the South superhighway, we had a curious sight, as a parade of vintage cars were running down the said highway. You can find the pictures in my Multiply album.

The road going to La Luz is generally smooth until the last few kilometers where you're car will be challenged by some bumpy, rocky paths and a steep and scary climb - but rest assured that it would be worth it. So in short, I'm just saying to bring a decent and dependable car that can withstand such road conditions. In addition, it is advisable to have some nice music or a noisy person around since some roads may just run endlessly to the point of ennui.

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Chapter Two: Checking In La Luz


We arrived at 12.30 noon time. Check in time in La Luz is 1.00 pm so we took our sweet time to hang around. There were several cabanas for guests' use - these are free and is on a first come, first serve basis. There are also cushions for the cabanas, these are also on a first come, first serve arrangement.

We reserved a Premier Loft, which can accommodate a maximum of 10 people. The room has two floors with three single beds on the 2nd floor, one single bed and a double bed on the ground floor. The bathroom is decent.. and I am happy to say it's enormous and clean - it could probably fit all of us together taking a shower, but that won't be prudent anymore.

All the guests who will be staying overnight in the resort are required to avail of the 1,050 pesos (per person) food package buffet. This package includes lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and breakfast.

Their food schedules are as follows:

Breakfast 07.00am - 09.00am
Lunch 12.00nn - 02.00pm
Afternoon Snack 03.00pm - 05.00pm
Dinner 07.00pm - 08.30pm

Their meals are generally the stuff you have plated for you at home - the typical fried fish, soup, rice, pancit, roasted chicken, etc. It's not a gourmet feast for the palette but it's bordering on the not bad line. Take note though to try to attack the buffet table as soon as the food's available since they may change the viands for the next batch. Also, they don't serve ala carte meals, which means what's served on the buffet table are your only choices for that time. If you'd like to avail for an extra buffet meal, that would be an additional 300 pesos per person.

The attendants are very accommodating and would gladly service you with whatever needs you require. And that is a good mark in my book. I will illustrate this later in my story telling.

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Chapter Three: Looking Around


We took a little siesta before our afternoon snack to avoid the scorching heat of the summer sun, after which, we decided to explore a little bit - figuring out the nice spots in beach where we can wade, take photographs and the like. The beach isn't really as sandy or as white as I'd like it to be, it's more pebbly and rough on the feet, but something that I can consider bearable. Those who are more sensitive can opt to wear Aqua shoes, which the resort is selling for 300 to 450 pesos.

The water has already receded by the time we hit the beach, around 4 in the afternoon if I'm not mistaken. Although I'd like to say the beach is pristine, I cannot deny that there are still lurking litterbugs amongst us as there are some floating tetra packs and shoes and stuff on the water. Thank God there aren't any floating napkins and diapers, that would surely turn me off.


There is a note worthy rock formation at one side of the beach, where a lot of the folks are having their photographs taken. It's quite slippery though, and the water is observably deep. Barnacles have already clung to many of the rocks which makes most of them sharp and painful to touch on impact. There though, we found different crustaceans (some have already dried up and died), slugs, hermit crabs, fishes (I forgot the names) and starfishes.

After our little tour, we got ready to hit the waters. The area near the rock formation, we learned, is the resort's snorkeling area, and is not meant for wading and swimming. This lesson came about after one of our friends got into an accident and had his foot cut against a sharp rock in the water. It was a relatively deep cut and I had to quickly call for aid and assistance. Promptly, one of the attendants brought a guy to help apply medicine to clean up the wound. He had to go back to our room to let the cut heal up. Getting cut against the rocks there seems to be very common since we saw a woman on our second day with an enormous cut on her leg, watching aimlessly at her companions frolic and play in the water.

Another friend encountered another problem as she was enjoying the cool waters. A jellyfish passed by her leg and stung her thigh. This can easily be remedied with a spray of vinegar, according to the attendants. She too had to return to our room to rest.

A little note to consider, the water is already deep less than a few feet away from the shore - my definition of deep here is that I can't stand or even tiptoe or touch the bottom anymore, and I'm 5'4" in height. The resort is lending life savers or floating devices to its guests so swimming won't really a problem. There is a little raft in the middle of the water, which we would usually try to venture to - but a little close to six in the evening, we found jelly fishes lurking near the said raft that we immediately swam back to shore like crazy.

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Chapter Four: Night Fall

As night descended on us, we laid down on the beach chairs and contemplated in silence as we watched the myriads of stars fade into visibility. The sky was covered with blast of white and red freckles, some moving, others appearing immobile on the wide black canvas of the universe.

A bonfire was lit after dinner, where we stayed nearby as the cold of the eve begins to envelope us. The dancing flames played wildly in front of our eyes. Afraid that we'd run out of cabanas, I left the group to reserve a hut for our evening drinking and story telling.

Three of our companions requested for massage services which is 250 pesos each. The rest of the group were huddled in one of the cabanas sharing ghost experiences and stories waiting for the relaxing three to return. The guys didn't bring much to drink except for a bottle of white wine and Bailey's and three different juices. The resort sells beer though, which our room availed once the other drinks ran out. Note: There aren't any corkage fee for bringing in drinks in La Luz, which is a good thing.

During this session, stories and confessions were exchanged, opinions opened, some were refuted, some marinated in our thoughts. Two humongous lizards, a male and a pregnant female, watched from above the cabana overhearing all the gossip finding tongue. Of course the details won't be disclosed in this blog post.


We did have an encounter with the, quote and quote, third kind - as one of the other guests, a gay, took a fancy on one of our companions. Repetitively returning to our cabana and offering drinks or greetings. Apparently, the guys aren't too pleased with his display of attention, but it surely evoked a big laugh out of us, girls.

Our group settled around 3 in the morning, drunk with stories and alcohol. Some were a little too drunk compared to the others, but nonetheless, most of us dozed off a few minutes after lying down - slightly excited of what lies ahead later that day.

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DAY TWO:
The Morning Rush

We all woke up at 8 in the morning, did our routines and had breakfast. We were planning on renting snorkeling gears, but the fee is 100 per three hours and our check out time is 11 in the morning. With so little time left, we decided to do our own snorkeling by sharing the three goggles we had. Two of our guy friends are seasoned swimmers and found no difficultly mocking our amateur skills. They headed off farther into the waters compared to the rest of us, but generally the bottom seems uniform and no significant differences could be observed from where we were treading and where they were.

One irritating bit about the water though is the sea/sand mites which bit us endlessly in every exposed part of our body. The felt like pinching ants in the water, and often times we would mistaken them for jelly fish attacks and would panic.

We got back to shore around 10.30, rushing to wash up and get dressed because of the 11 am check out time. I did speak with their office though, and they permitted us to stay until 12 in the noon. That was a big sigh of relief. We finished up, had lunch and took photographs before leaving La Luz - keeping them in digital and neural memories.


In my opinion, this is one of the most memorable group outings we've ever had. Surely something meant to be repeated in the near future.

Analog Soul T-Shirt Design Competition

Everybody wants to have something to call their own. While surfing Multiply, I just learned that Analog Soul will be having a t-shirt design competition, wherein a winning design gets printed on Analog Soul shirts and sold to the public.



Of course, to aspiring artists, competitions like these are perfect opportunities to sort out those creative ideas, whip them up into something cool and plunge them to public appreciation or humiliation. It's pretty nice that for this competition, the artists retain full copyright of all their submissions.

The contest commences on March 23, 2009. Submission of entries will run from then to May 30, 2009. People can vote for their favorite designs starting the April 15 all the way to June 15. Winners will be announced by June 30, 2009.

There will be two winners for this contest:
(1) The True Analog Soul design - will be featured in an Analog Soul shirt; and the artist will receive a cash prize of Php 6,000; and
(2) The Soul On-Demand design will be featured in an Analog Soul or Soul Rebel shirt; and the artist will receive a cash prize of Php 4,000.

To learn more about the details of the contest, click here.

First Driving Day

My dad can be the most inspirational person in this whole planet.

After calming me for my competition by comparing my singing to the Sex Pistol's drugged antics. (Listen to how f*cked up those dudes are, and they made it big - you can do it too!) Dad has a new trick up his sleeve.

Today, I officially had my first driving lessons at F1 Driving School, near our place. According to what I've read online, their services are very professional, not to mention cheaper too.

My dad and grandfather used to give me some basic driving trials - letting me try out the car in the cemetery whenever we visit my grandma's tomb, but that practice eventually stopped when they realize that they panic more than I do, and won't be able to teach me well enough in that sort of state.

Last Sunday, my dad showed us this video. And boy, was it ever motivating.

Now I'm determined to listen to the instructor's lessons and make sure I don't foul up... but then again, I can always resort to the "I'm a girl, so it's expected for me to be such a crappy driver" reason.

Make Up 101

The moment I told my boyfriend I was going to try and learn proper make up application, he raised his hands up in the air and said, "At long last, that's the single greatest decision you've made in your entire life." (I think he forgot to count the time I agreed to be his girlfriend.)

Why the sudden interest in prettying myself up? To be honest, I don't know - with money to spend, I believe it's my way of learning, experiencing and experimenting as much as I can, while I still can.

I asked our local hairdresser, Ester Garcia, to help me out and she agreed. Ms. Garcia is one of the trainers in the Ricky Reyes institute and has served as a judge in many local and even international hair and make up competitions. She even conducts seminars, training people to do their hair and make up. Her salon is in our barangay, which makes her parlor very accessible to me, in addition to the fact that we've been her customers since even before I was born - so the relationship is already there.

(Click here for an article of one of her latest endeavors - she is the judge wearing the orange top and khaki mini skirt)

So this is how our course went.
She started the session by instructing me to wash my face - it is vital to wash one's face before applying make up. After that, she began teaching me the basics. She painted half my face and instructed me to copy what she had done for the other half. Of course with different hands, I have strokes of my own - not to mention I'm not as adept to the art as she is. She consoled me by telling me that with daily practice I can refine my skills. Once I've completed doing my half, she let me rest for a while before asking me to wash my face again and do my whole face all by myself. I think I did pretty well, though I don't have pictures to prove it.

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Let me share some of the basic pointers she taught me.

1. First and foremost, wash your face before applying your make up. You want to start with a clean face.

2. Put on your sunblock and let it dry before applying foundation on your face. The good thing about make up is that is shields your face from the unwanted effects of the sun and your environment, just make sure that the brand you're using works well with you. You can apply your concealer at this point too.

3. Put on your foundation. I used a cake foundation today, so a wet sponge is needed. Whenever using this type, you'd have to bear in mind that the rest of the make up you'll be applying has to be wet so that it would stick to your face. There are other kinds of foundations out in the market though, like the creamy foundation, with this kind, you don't need to dampen your other make-up to paint your face.

4. Foundation is applied using an upward stroke, taking note of facial crevices like the nose and under the eyes.

5. Lightly powder your face a brush, also with upward strokes to "lift" the face. One of the strokes I notice Ms. Garcia used starts from the nose bridge then swoops towards the temple then follows the contours of the chin going down on both sides of the face.

6. Using eyebrow shadow, begin outlining your eyebrows. Brown is more youthful, black makes one look more mature. Make sure your eyebrows are plucked clean so that you'd just have to follow the curve of the eyebrow, emphasizing the height of the brow and ending it with a fading tail.

7. With regards to application of the eye shadow, paint the arc of the eyeball first (from out going in), then with rainbow strokes pull the color out until it fades and blends with the skin tone. Don't forget to clean excesses with the sponge.

8. Apply black lining below and above the eye.

9. Powder the face again lightly with an L stroke from the top side of the nose making an L as it goes under the eye area. (The stroke is in going out)

10. Putting on the blush, keep in mind that once you've started with earth tones, stick with earth tones - once you've gone with violets, stick with colors playing along that line. In putting on blush, start with the cheeks, going up the temple. The emphasis has to be more on the temple side of the face, not on the cheeks.

11. Apply lipstick, lip gloss then lip liner. In putting on lip liner, make a big Joker smile to spread out the lips and make it easier for you to outline.

12. Curl your eyelashes, then put on mascara. Mascara just needs to be on the tips, giving your eyelashes more volume and emphasis.

13. Check your face for any corrections, then lightly powder your face again with a brush and you're good to go.

Future Wedding Planning

Last Saturday, I accompanied my friend and her mom to a Wedding Expo at the PICC Forum, CCP Complex. Of course, the place was packed with couples canvassing for their perfect wedding suppliers. The main question we learned early on is that people will always ask who's getting married, and the second question, when?

Since none of us are tying the knot soon, I agreed to be the searching bride of the pack, and thus was overwhelmed with brochures and offers. When asked when the date will be, we would respond.. "The groom hasn't asked yet." That must be a real downer to the enthusiastic salesladies who thought they already have hooked a deal. Some of the stall owners would kid that they're open to reservations and would gladly just move the reservation when the groom is ready to pop the question.. Uhmm.. talk about pressure.. hahaha

The stalls were all offering a discount package if the couple would book during the expo, and I learned that most weddings are planned one to even two years ahead. There were a lot of things that have to be considered - first of which is, will you be hiring an events coordinator? If so, then you're generally easier off; but if you are stingy and highly meticulous, then feel free to plan your wedding on your own. Think about church location, wedding receptions, invitations, strings, caterers, gowns, the wedding car, souvenirs, photographers, videographers, program flow, program host and a whole heck of other things, not to mention the emotional whirlwind going inside your head and the constant worry if you're doing things in accordance to etiquette and tradition.

Whether or not my groom would approve, I've already set my mind on Lito Sy as my wedding photographer and videographer - no questions asked. I've seen his works in many of the weddings I've attended before and confess that they completely take my breath away, not to mention, they are professionally taken and beautifully retouched, if ever. His photographs always has a hint of elegance and flair that doesn't look overdone.

Going to the wedding expo, I've settled for a second option which is Smart Shot Studio. Their photographs are a bit more common, and a little crass compared to Lito Sy's portfolio, but at least they have some photographs that get my attention - though their website doesn't show off the ones I liked on their brochure. I am just drawn to their Trash the Dress segment, although of course, I can't help but think how inconvenient some of the shots are.

My wedding date is still far away in the future, but I guess since we're already hitting our 4th year anniversary, I think it would be cool if I can start doing my budgeting and forecasting, as well as planning so as not to incur too many problems when the time comes. Weddings are a million dollar business, according to a friend of mine, so I better be ready with my cash when my time comes.

Hon, I'm not pressuring you! :D

Depression Cooking with Clara

While surfing the net a couple of days ago, prophecies of a really bad 2009 seems to be abuzz - it is the return of the great depression. Here in the Philippines, the depression has long been in existence so the economic downturn in the US is not as dramatically felt as in other bigger nations around the globe, or so I'd like to think. Aware of this years unfavorable tides, people are finding ways to tighten their belts and generally be as cost efficient as possible.

Being the master of bringing in overnight superstars, the net got everyone hooked on a unique cooking show that would really draw you to love, respect and adore your chef. Reminding you of your old sweet grandma, 93 year old great grandmother, Clara Cannucciari is now teaching the world some simple and basic recipes she learned from the great depression of the 1930s. Forget about those fancy indecipherable and unheard of ingredients in cookbooks, Clara teaches recipes that are generally kitchen staples, like potatoes, onions and eggs. Clara entertains and shares with everyone not only her frugal and nourishing meals, but also with her stories and warmth. I heart watching her shows on YouTube now that I learned about it - she reminds me of my grandmother, and oh how I miss her.


I also learned that you can even add her up and be a fan or friend in facebook, and that totally got me stoked. I added her up in a jiffy.

Her grandson is very lucky to have thought of recording his grandmother's long kept knowledge and memories. Sometimes I wish I could still have my grandmother backing me up and teaching me the many recipes she used to want to pass on to me.

Pamper-Me Sunday

Every once in a while, we all seek some time for ourselves and try to get some much needed pampering - but I recognize that I am not all that happy-go-spending; throwing my money to the next spa salon I see, especially during this economic downturn. Trying to experiment, I bought myself Melissa Pinzana-Cruz' "The Home Spa" (from Powerbooks), an interesting book where she lists down several recipes using some of our common, natural ingredients - sure to be found in many of our kitchens.

I've decided to try a new recipe every week - dubbing every Sunday, a "Pamper-Me Sunday", starting today. So what did I do to myself today? I tried out three home-made spa recipes namely: Sugar Foot Scrub, Egg Yolk Hair treatment and Egg and Honey Mask. Dimming my room, I laid an old towel on the floor and one on the bed and prepared all the stuff I needed. I then popped my Cool Sexy Jazz CD into my laptop and had it begin playing some nice soothing music. Let the pampering commence..

The foot scrub is a simple combination of sugar and baby oil, which I used to rub and scrub my footskies, after which I washed the mixture off then pat dried my feet. It left my two feet soft and smooth.

Although the recipe for the Egg and Honey mask is meant only for the face, the quantity was much more that I even got to coat my whole body with the mixture. I lied down on the towel I placed on my bed and waited for fifteen minutes. As expected the mask was very sticky that I couldn't wait to get to the shower after my timer began ringing. Honey, as you all should know, is known to have healing abilities, not to mention a popular humectant.

I got into the shower and washed off the Egg and Honey mask only to apply the Egg Yolk hair treatment - a mixture of egg yolk, shampoo and water. Left it on for five minutes before rinsing.

Generally, I'm pretty happy with today's little feat although I am not sure if I did the recipes correctly or if it would have a substantial effect on me, but what I liked most is the feeling of being pretty after all that quote and quote, pampering. Sure left me a little tired though, think I'd like to lie down now and get some sleep. :D

Eyes 03.2009

After work yesterday, I headed to an eye clinic to have my eyes checked again. Actually, I was more than prepared to shell out the cash for my eyeglasses. I informed the doctor that I had a complete night's rest but my eyes were still tired from a day of computer exposure. We had the testing done and the result - my left eye is still in perfect condition, but my right eye seems to be showing a grade of 75. He suggested that I return the next day and redo the examination to get a more accurate result.

Following doctor's instructions, I returned to the clinic and redid the whole examination. My left eye passed, but my right eye still has a low grade of 25, astigmatism. I inquired if it would still be possible to correct my sight and he did assure me that it is still possible. He wasn't really recommending a pair of glasses to me, but since I was so adamant to get my perfect eyesight back, he said it is possible to give me a pair to fix my right eye's current problem - 6 months until the next check-up.

I'm just going to pick up my current eyeglass frame at home and have them checked - maybe I can save myself the pains of an extra 900 Php cost. My dreams of being a stewardess is not yet dead!

Special Celebrity for Disney!

OMG OMG OMG! I just couldn't believe this is actually happening! :D

BIG SMILE ON MY FACE!

100 Days of Solitude

Today marks the 100th day since my grandma first passed away and the general family has gone to Manila Memorial (Dasmarinas, Cavite) to pay their respects and perform the obligatory rituals. I wish I could go, but since I had work, my family advised me not to absent myself. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if she were still here. *sigh.

Digital Make Over

Let's not be hypocrites, no matter how pretty we are (whether or not you believe it), sometimes we don't feel as pretty as we ought to be. An unflattering camera angle can highlight or hide one's human flaws and since photographs usually bear big memory-lane weights, we want to make sure that the picture either goes unnoticed, gets forgotten or gets fixed. With modern technology, your prayers have been answered.

I saw this earlier while surfing online. More reason not to patronize those Barbie magazine cover girls.

Vanity. Vanity. Vanity.

Of course, aside from the fact that I have to make sure my hair's not a mess when my picture is being taken.. I'd have to think about the pose. Yup, summer's just about here and that means - outings, which means - pictures! So I surfed more and found this! haha

Dogs. Rabies. Money.

Dogs are man's best friends, but that is only after their anti-rabies vaccination. Unless you have almost 10,000 pesos to spare, don't get bitten by a dog.

Yesterday, trying to intercede two of our fighting dogs, my sister was accidentally bitten on her arm. There wasn't any blood, no grave visible injuries, just a small mark of its teeth on her skin. We brought her to several hospitals which pointed us to San Lazaro hospital - a government hospital that specializes in animal bites.

According to my dad, being bitten by a dog under the waist would mean a week-long incubation period for the rabies disease to manifest. While a bite above the waist would mean that the person has less than a day to find treatment else would have higher chances of going bonkers and dying on that same day.

Another trivia to know: the rabies virus is smaller than a dot on a piece of paper or a pinhole, which means even the most harmless looking bite can prove fatal - so unless the dog has been vaccinated, you are going to be splurging on your treatments for the next month. Aside from paying for an expensive ERIG treatment, PVRV and some anti-tetanus, you'd have to return to the hospital four more PVRV shots to make your system immune to the virus for a year or two. The doctor will be providing a schedule when the patient has to go back for her next shot - follow it religiously because missing one shot on the prescribed date means going back and starting from the beginning. Is it costly? read the first line of this post.

A last pointer which I learned - you can actually try to ask the doctor if the prescription for the patient can be halfed, compared to purchasing a full vial - then you can find someone who'd be willing to share the other half with you in order to save some money. A full vial though is recommended especially if the dog can no longer be traced or has died, as a safety measure - so keep in mind what the dog looks like, and if it would be possible, try to keep an eye on the dog that bit you until you finish your shots - according to my gramps, once the dog goes crazy, you're bound to go rabid soon after.

Can we tell if the dog has rabies? You can bring it to a center to have it tested. If it's positive, the answer is yes. If it's negative, it can be a false negative. Do the math. So you have to still go through the treatment? As if you have a choice.

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Have your dogs vaccinated with anti-rabies as soon as possible rather than go through all these unnecessary processes we have to go through now.

Going Back to Nature

Back in third year high school, I was using an ointment for my pimples - it's a Chinese whitening for-external-use ointment that's supposed to help clear up my face and give me a more oriental beauty glow given to me by my grandma. Because I was so desperate to get the pimples off my face, I layered the ointment onto my skin and the result? My skin got burned. The ointment kind of made big red spots on my face which lasted for weeks, that was more horrendous than just a constellation of pimples.

What did I do during that time? My grandma suggested I try using egg whites onto my face everyday to heal it, she also told me not to use the ointment for the time being. She used the same ointment every night, but kept it as thin as possible onto her face. I am not sure if the egg whites really helped, but it sure did make my face feel tightened.

On other occasions, when my face was already back to normal, she would suggest combining egg whites with calamansi and use it like a facial-slash-toner since I was complaining that Eskinol really stings my skin and dries it up.

Earlier this year, I found a friend selling organic products in her online site, called Earthly Delights, and was intrigued. She guarantees that her products are 100% ORGANIC, 100% PHILIPPINE INGREDIENTS and 100% NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS. Our family was always a big fan of organic stuff - from organic rice to organic eggs to organic I-don't-know, so I took the liberty of purchasing some of her items. By some I mean - organic shampoo, facial wash, toner, night and day treatment, lotion, etc.


Pictures were lifted from Earthly delights site and was slightly Photoshop-ed.

I tried most of the products I bought, a couple of nights ago and I attest with an extremely big grin on my face that - they work. I got the egg white and aloe vera shampoo and tried on my dry, brittle hair (yes, my shampoo right now are just those recycled hotel shampoos from my grandparents' many trips abroad - so you can imagine). It resulted to a softer and fuller head, a result similar to the time I tried to put mayonnaise on my hair but without the irritating mayo smell or the oiliness that goes with it.

I also tried the Calendula facial, then Tomato toner, followed by Royal Jelly (Day or Night), and I am really impressed and can really boast that it made my skin feel so much softer. It does give a feeling of refreshment too.

My happiness meter is full with regards to my purchase. Definitely a good buy, not to mention, they're pretty cheap too! :D Why harm oneself with chemical concoctions and weird unheard of acids and bases when natural products are available at reachable prices? Just saying.

*UPDATE: I tried to pry a little more and learned that the products are from a group called Human Heart Nature. This said group is spearheaded by the daughters of Gawad Kalinga's Tony Meloto and is geared towards making this world a better place through patriotism and environmentalism by selling and distributing organic products.