A feel of China

It was a spur of the moment. Raffy and I decided to have a walk in China Town.

We passed the jewelry shops that display all the gold earrings, necklaces, rings and other jewelries we could imagine.   It all glitters before our eyes.  Ahh! Gold!

We walk the pavement like two truant school boy and girl who were ogling at people, giggling and taking pictures.

At around 11am, we decided to eat in Wai Ying Restaurant.  The looks of it reminds me of the restaurants in Hong Kong; the type that wouldn’t really attract you. Braised beef were displayed on the glass window, and you will see the cook preparing the dishes as you entered.  Tables and chairs were the simplest; those that are made of plastics that would slide on the floor when you are sitted. There were no decors or whatsoever.

I was tempted to order a duck but I decided to go with something that my tongue and stomach were familiar. I ordered asado and chicken with rice. I am not sure what the green spices were but I appreciated its taste and contrast with the chicken.

Raffy ordered minced beef with egg and rice. Looks weird to me, it was like a hardened gravy.  It tasted better if you dip it in soy sauce.

What’s best with the meal?  Well, we have a serving of Hakaw.

A trip to this other side of Manila wouldn’t end unless you will buy hopia. They may be available in the grocery stores but there is a different feel in buying it there.  Where else should we buy? But in the famous Eng Bee Tin. I bought 3 delicious flavors – Hopiang baboy, Monggo and Ube.  

Blabbering on Love and Death

Did I ever say I love Milan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being? Well, several times probably.

Got inlove with it's poetry, it's depth and lightness.  I was disappointed with it is movie adaptation though.  But how could it make it at par with the book, when the story is really meant for reading? 

Anyway,  I saw the book lying on my dusty shelf.  Browsing through the tainted pages brought back the memories on how I felt when I read it.  It was an emotional ride of anxiety and happiness. 

One of my favorite lines in the book is:  People were hermaphrodites until God split them into two, and now all the halves wander the world seeking one another. Love is the longing for the half of ourselves we have lost.

Sound so beautiful yet sad.  How fortunate for people to find their so-called other halves.  But for the rest who haven't found it, never live in anquish.  Life is so short to dwell on that feeling.  There are so many better things to do than entertain that thought.  Having a dog as a lifetime partner ain't bad!  For sure he will be loyal to you forever.  OR how about the thought of travelling around the world, try all the cuisine and food you could possibly imagine and see the beautiful places with you and your SLR? that sounds fun. 

Happiness doesn't mean having a partner for crying out loud.

We came to this world without nothing, with no one...and when we die, we'll die alone.  With that, I guess, Milan Kundera was lying afterall. 

Unwelcomed guests: Pimples

My friend Will would often pick on me, saying that I have a resident pimple.  What am I to do?  Once a month, just before my monthly period, one big prominent pimple would grow on my nose.  Now is the worse, because there are more of them. They are all over my face. And I so hate it!

In my loneliness, I find this article from ivillage.

The Right Way to Pop a Zit

If you must, here's the best way to do it

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Here's some good advice: If you get a pimple, it's best to leave it alone. Squeezing a pimple can worsen the problem, forcing sebum and bacteria deeper into the skin -- leaving you with a zit angrier and redder than your original one. And if you're particularly vigorous at picking at your zits you risk damaging the skin, which can potentially leave you with scars.

A patient approach is best when dealing with the occasional zit (serious acne is another matter entirely and should be treated by a dermatologist). Over the counter treatments containing salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are very effective at diminishing the appearance of blemishes, and are definitely worth trying.

However, over the counter treatments need time to work (about 3 to 10 days), and the reality is that there are times when few of us can resist taking matters into our own hands. Dr. Kathy Fields, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California-San Francisco and one of the co-creators of Proactiv Solution, understands the temptation.

"We all pop zits. We are compelled," says Dr. Fields, "The danger is pushing too hard and long, creating bleeding into the skin and even more swelling (inflammation) and worst of all, scarring."

The first step in deciding what to do about a zit is to evaluate it to see if it is truly ready to pop. A pimple is ready once a white head has formed. Unless the pimple looks like it's ready to burst on its own, you must leave it alone. If it's not ready, attempting to pop it will make it worse, so hands off!

What should you do if your pimple isn't ready to pop but you need it to go away fast? Your best bet is to call your dermatologist and ask for an emergency appointment. Dr. Fields says that a dermatologist can "inject red nodules and cysts with a low dose steroid that will take the bump down in one day. Another option that dermatologists offer is laser therapy for pore cleaning and to reduce redness."

Here's a trick from Dr. Fields if your doctor can't see you in time and you need to shrink a zit quickly: "Apply Afrin nose spray on the pimple to reduce redness, then put on hydrocortisone 1 percent from the grocery store and layer on the Proactiv Refining Mask." You should see relatively speedy results when using this technique because you are treating the redness, reducing inflammation and fighting bacteria at the same time.

But what if you need to do something about that zit today? Perhaps it's your wedding day, or you have a big job interview and your pimple has formed a visible white head and is just begging to be popped. Let's be honest, there's no way you're just going to ignore that zit. So here's the safer way to squeeze:

1. Thoroughly wash your face and hands. You are dealing with an infected lesion on your skin and you don't want to introduce more bacteria to the mix.

2. Wet a clean washcloth with warm (not boiling!) water and place it very gently on the pimple. (You may need to do this a few times.) Usually, this is enough to loosen the white cap and the pus will start oozing out on its own. If that's the case it's time to stop -- your work is done.

3. If the white cap is still there after applying couple of warm compresses the next step is to sterilize a sewing needle -- use rubbing alcohol.

4. Carefully and gently poke the white head once. The pus should begin to come out on its own.

5. Now is the time to apply pressure, but keep your nails away from your face -- we want to minimize the risk of scarring! Wrap your fingers in clean tissue and apply gentle pressure on the skin around the pimple. Don't press on the pimple itself.

Dr. Debra Jaliman, a Manhattan board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, recommends using "a comedone extractor to pop the pimple while applying even pressure so that the structural integrity of the pore isn't broken." Dr. Jaliman warns, "When popping a zit with one's fingers there is a high risk of leaving a scar because of the uneven pressure applied."

6. Stop once pus stops coming out. If you see blood, you've gone too far.

7. Apply a clean warm compress and let the pimple rest for a bit. It's best if you don't apply any makeup until it has healed completely.


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Blabbering

“We are just humans.” What a cliché!  That is our excuse for making mistakes, for falling in love repeatedly, for hurting someone so badly, and whatever stupidity we make in life. And with that, we never desire for perfection; convincing ourselves that perfection is impossible and boring. And we just let our emotions dominate us, never consulting what is Godly and logical. There goes the cycle, we create mistakes and never learned from it.

Is it really better to be unemotional, impassive or stolid person? To look at things at the logical side? That is difficult to most of us.  I salute people who decide and act objectively; who gives science on what he or she does.

At this point in my life, when most of my closest friends are gone, when women of the same age have already married and have children, when elders had gone to their grave, I have decided that I should come into good terms with myself.  If there is somebody in this world that I should be in good relationship with, that would be myself; well, next to God that is. I need to be comfortable and be happy with myself. And I’m sure things would come into place.

I really don’t need to verbalize or express my feelings to other people. Some things are better left to ourselves. We don’t have to burden other people with our personal stuff.  I’m sure they got issues too. I should learn the art of hiding emotions. Yes, it is an art. Sometimes, it is like having 2 persona at the same time- showing that you are okay, when in reality you are hurting so much. Well, it doesn’t really have to sound that bad though.

When I feel like talking but I know that it wouldn't sound right, I'll remind myself to shut up.

Pasta Perfect

I am a pasta lover.  I love it in red sauce, white sauce or simply with olive oil.

Pasta seems to be in my daily menu. It started last Sunday when I was invited for lunch.  Two types of pasta were served – one in red sauce and other in olive oil.  Of course, I ate both.

As if I haven’t eaten enough yet, I bought 450g of spaghetti noodles for myself.  And I planned to have it for a week.  Sounded ridiculous but honestly, I am so in-love with my cooking that I eat it for breakfast and dinner; and I even brought some to the office. I shared it to my colleagues. And they love it too! I was truly happy. It validates my personal belief that I cooked a delicious pasta.

The recipe is actually very simple.  You just need spaghetti noodles, olive oil, bacon, garlic, green bell pepper, carrots, basil leaves, salt and pepper.

Cooked the noodles al dente. In a frying pan, use the olive oil to sauté the chopped bacon. Add the garlic (I add a lot of garlic). Then you can throw in the chopped green bell pepper and the carrots. Add more olive oil if needed.  And I add the chopped basil until I could smell the aroma. You can now turn off the stove at this time.  Then add the noodles.  Put salt and pepper to taste.  And that’s it! So easy!

If you are truly a pasta lover, you can try this recipe. I bet you are going to like it too.

25 pounds plus

Just recently, me and some colleagues started to do a morning jog. Since we are nocturnal people, we work like crazy at night and sleep by  morning.  And with this new activity what we are actually doing is jog before we jump to bed.  It's a bit crazy though because after jogging, my energy level would goes up.  And I have hard time sleeping. 

What motivates us to do this? Health reason of course.  And by looking at the pictures I have years and years ago and looking at myself now, no need for an elaborated explanation -- I know I needed change.

Jogging is just part of the plan.

Since this would take discipline which I barely have, I am not sure on how long it is going to take.  But I will surely try my best., surely push myself harder. And perhaps shed the 25++ pounds I have gained for the last 5 years.

me way back 2004

me choosing a gelato icecream. This was taken mid this year.  25++ pounds heavier.

Whatta Tops

In my search for something chocolatey, when Red Ribbon or Goldilocks were simply too far away, I found Whatta Tops in a store at my convenience. It's a chocolate cupcake, with chocolate toppings and a vanilla cream filling that taste like marshmallows.

The cake is soft. Unlike other cup cakes, it's not dry and it doesn't stuck in your throat. My taste buds says its okay.  It makes a perfect partner to a hot coffee or tea.

For P50, you can buy a pack of 10's. Sufficient for a week of craving. Whatta treat!