Charging is Rewarding

This Citibank Promo has been going on for sometime now. Noy and I have used our charge slips mostly at Shell, but it was only this afternoon that we realized how wonderfully practical it is.

We headed over to the newly re-launched Rustan's Supermarket in Shangri La Mall after learning that SM Supermarket isn't putting Colgate Palmolive products in its shelves anymore.

We needed just a few items really because we've done some shopping at SM already. Not being so familiar with the promo mechanics, we gingerly asked the checkout girl if we could use one of our older charge slips. The ink fades in these charge slips, and it's wise to use them as soon as possible. It turns out checkout girl Joan is very accommodating one. She told us not to be shy about using these slips because it helps a lot. She even encouraged us to use one more charge slip, so much so that we paid for these

with just this-


- a staggering Php3.25 for two loaves of bread, lettuce, and a big tube of Colgate professional clean toothpaste.


Some things do live up to their words.

photos from 1)the Citibank Philippines website and 2) taken by my|phone t23 duo.

p.s.

Come visit the new Rustan's Supermarket in Shangri La Mall after it was hit by

fire in April. It now has a deli and hot dishes area which serves a lot of delicious meals on the go or for dining in. There are a lot of other new food stalls too!

photo from heart 2 heart online.

Some Vanity Secrets, and the One

With so many beauty and bath products these days, it's so hard to choose from a vast array of both local and imported products since most of them look, smell and feel so tempting. A year or so ago I've decided to veer away from makeup after receiving strong(!) confirmation from friends, colleagues, and strangers that my skin does look great these days. One acquaintance even asked me how much I paid for an intravenous glutathione session. I gasped, and admitted I used glutathione CAPSULES two months before my wedding and stopped. From then on it was just Vaseline. Really.

For my face, I wash with Dove white beauty bar and Olay Total Effects facial wash at night.

I moisturize with Myra E with SPF 15 on weekdays and Olay Total Effects with SPF 15 on weekends. Before it was just Olay all day all night, weekdays and weekends, but when I noticed that my skin was getting a little too white already, I stopped using it for a while. Then I discovered Myra-E, which is great because I don't have to put on a separate sunscreen (saves me time and money), but I still missed the powerful moisturizing effect of Olay, so I came up with such schedule and now Im happy =D

Okay so now the things that I felt made my skin look great aren't very secret anymore.

During a trip to Watson's to replenish my supplies, I noticed these pretty things sitting brightly on an otherwise drab corner. The pretty things happened to be bath and beauty products with the brand name One. The salesperson told me it's a US-based company whose products are formulated by a Filipina. The philosophy is right-on environment-friendly, but they take pride not just in their formulation but in the eco-friendly packaging. The girl was more than happy to show me their unique products, which really caught my eye, not just because of the cute packaging but in their very forms and names.

"Blast from the Past" for the anti-aging soap. This one has an invigorating berry scent.

This "hair biscuit" happens to be solid shampoo. It's applied to the hair several times, lathered up and rinsed. I'm intrigued, but opted not to buy this one since I'm being very careful about what I put in my thin hair. A lot of people in the US are so fascinated with this product it's been featured a lot in print and on TV.

The hair conditioner is solid, too. Perfect for travelling. Look ma, no spills!

Their bestseller is this hand and body lotion named Cloud 9. It has a soothing sweet scent. It's rich and creamy yet very light on the skin.

Another cool product is the lotion massage bar. This one, with red monggo-like seeds on its surface, named "Oh my gosh!" is supposed to melt one's stresses away, but I went for the smoother, calming one in blue packaging. It's supposed to erase my scars and stretch marks away. We'll see.

Other try-worthy products are the shea body butter in yummy variants, lip butter balm, and the after-shower skin conditioner. All products are quite pricey for my local taste, but after several tries I think it's fair enough. The more important thing is that these are all-natural products inside and out. The tin containers are very cute and would definitely serve another purpose after the product is consumed. It's also nice to be doing something good for the planet while keeping a naturally pampered body.

Be naturally gorgeous,

New World May Be Needing a Renaissance

Just got back from New World Hotel in Makati, where we spent the night in order to attend an event Noy considered pretty important.

One word: disappointed.

I've revered the place for several years now, what with the ultra prime location and huge glass fountains on the facade. It's Makati after all. And it's THE hotel right across Greenbelt.

So imagine our surprise when, at the event, they served coffee, but they didn't leave a condiment tray on the table. We had to put cream and sugar right after the waiter shoved the coffee in front of us, then waited an eternity before he got back to us after calling him when we've realized the coffee was a little too robust.

It's no disappointment we were checked in at a two single-bed room since we came late, it was understandable. But for them to deprive one of us a buffet breakfast coupon because the room was registered to only one name, we were outraged. Since when did a room have to be registered under two names in order to get two breakfast coupons? It's a shame we had to accept the fact that not all rooms come with breakfast for two people HERE. In this chic hotel where the facade is as fancy as the people known to frequent the Cinnabar.

Okay, it's not like I know hotels; I don't. But I do sense when something is outdated or lacks the capacity to be called a standard or to be satisfying. In our room, everything was pretty basic - beds, furniture, toilet. Adequate, but not elegant. I never felt I was sleeping in a famous building.

I may be disappointed but I do not forego with the compliments where I feel it is deserved.

New World veered away from providing guests with the generic toiletries. Instead they got Lather all natural soap, shampoo and moisturizer to liven up the otherwise drab bathroom. I loved the smell of mint and thyme the shampoo left in my very stressed-out hair.

The M2M (yes, after much talk Noy and I were both given breakfast coupons - I still could not believe I was bitching on the phone over some breakfast coupon! jeez!) is New World's all day diner. It's modern and contemporary, svelte and stylish. The buffet breakfast is laid out in a cool funky theme not just in tables but in open cupboards with elegant lighting and concept. I was still seething with anger by the time we came down so I wasn't able to take good photos but this one -

Their attendants are dressed in a practical modern garb with eye candy shades of aqua and orchid. By the way, New World staff aren't that bad. They're courteous and warm and helpful. I just wish they'd update their rooms and their reception system to complement their good-natured employees.

hey hey hey

It's been a crazy three weeks. Ive been busy -

- spending the long weekend in Bacolod to attend a fabulous wedding

- catching up with the demands of my "extra job" and ending up on TV for a noble cause (naks!)

- negotiating a serious mishap at work, which I am still on up to now

- dealing with a nasty viral infection, but I''ve recovered already

- comforting my best friend who just lost her father

- cooking up a Christmas feast in my mind, excited to come to Aklan for the Holidays.

I'm still alive and trying my hardest to stay happy, confident of God's love and that of my family's.