My new facial love - Pond's Deep Cleansing Facial Foam

A few months back, I won blogger friend Rowena's blog contest and the prize I got was several pieces of Pond's Deep Cleansing Facial Foam. Rowena herself swears by it and she has been telling me that she loves its feel on her face.

(photo courtesy of Pond's Philippines site)

I gave some away to family to try but kept about six for myself. At that time, I still had half of another facial foam cleanser so I did not get a chance to use Pond's Deep Cleansing Facial Foam till last week. Here's what happened...

Two weeks ago, two pimples suddenly appeared on my nose. Now this was very unusual. I have not had pimples in years! But these two were bright red and looked really awful. I applied skin antibiotic ointment and in the next few days, the pimples subsided. But one flared up again and worse, a third pimple on the side of one nostril was beginning. It was like teen-aged nightmare all over again!

I thought I'd stop using my current facial cleanser and look for an alternative. I picked up Pond's Deep Cleansing Facial Foam to see why Rowena was all praises for it. The ingredient "activated carbon" intrigued me. I know activated carbon is used in many ways to adsorb (not absorb) toxic chemicals and poisons. It's found in activated carbon filters of air purifiers, is used to adsorb foul smells (like baking soda), used in water purification and many others. Take a look at this article that talks of the benefits of activated carbon. Here's an excerpt from that article:

Activated charcoal can do these various things because of its ability to attract other substances to its surface and hold them there. This is called “adsorption” (not absorption). Another one of the benefits of activated charcoal is that it can adsorb thousands of times its own weight in harmful substances.

The British medical journal, Lancet, discusses the amazing ability of the human skin to allow transfer of liquids, gases, and even micro-particles through its permeable membrane and pores, by the application of a moist, activated charcoal poultice and compress which actually draw bacteria and poisons through the skin and into the poultice or compress!

I was hoping the activated carbon in Pond's Deep Cleansing Facial Foam would draw out whatever was infecting my pimples.

On my first use, I think I overdid it. I was used to other facial cleansers where I had to put a lot on the palm of my hand. I put as much of Pond's facial foam on my palm and the lather it made was just so thick! So, next time around, I only used a pea size of the foam and it was good enough to work up a very good lather to cover my entire face. Very economical!

This is all you need to lather up your entire face!

True enough, after using it twice a day (morning and night) for several days, all my pimples began subsiding and now, it's almost gone from my face. After every use, my face also feels so extra squeaky clean too. The activated carbon must be drawing out all the toxins and grime from my face!

I'm loving the feel and effectiveness of Pond's Deep Cleansing Facial Foam! For now, this is my skin care partner!

Pao Pao Xiao Chi: A flavored fruit tea and Taiwanese snack place in San Juan

A stone's throw from Xavier School is this flavored fruit tea and Taiwanese snack cafe that serves the students from the nearby schools as well as the surrounding community, offering a menu at very reasonable prices. One late morning, I joined several other food bloggers upon the invitation of Alvin of Cheftonio's Blog. 

Jerome Tan, one of the proprietors, said they opened in San Juan City late 2009. I do remember seeing this place as I go to and from my gym but never really got a good look at it till we went there to try their food fare and fruit/milk teas.

The word Pao Pao when translated stands for “very full” and the word Xiao Chi means “small snacks”.

Our food adventure began with servings of their flavored fruit teas and specialty drinks. Mind you, they do not use flavored powder. Their fruit teas are made from fruit puree and are kept in modern cylindrical dispensers that actually look like fashion decor. And all their teas come in 20 oz. glasses compared to 16 oz. ones in other fruit tea shops.

Modern dispensers containing fruit puree for drinks

Taro Milk, Php 50

Green Apple, Php 45

Strawberry, Php 50

Add-ons for your drinks, Php 5-10 each
(Clockwise: Egg pudding, Chocolate, Sago,
Almond jelly, Strawberry)

Healthy food tripping and more at Yummy Eats 2011

I brought my 2 boys to Yummy Eats at NBC Tent. It was an opportunity to get them out of the computer and into something that they loved doing - EAT!

An FIC ice cream truck was parked right in front of the venue, serving free ice cream to registered visitors.

The winning flavor for the day - LEMON CRUMBLE!

There were a lot of people at the food fair at NBC Tent. We registered, got our tickets plus a directory to help us locate the food stalls we wanted to try.

What impressed me with the choice of stalls that Yummy Magazine featured was this -- there were a lot more of them offering healthy eats. I even found a vegetarian stall! I would have wanted to try the samples from each and every stall there but having arrived almost mid-afternoon, I had to saunter through some of them.

Before anything else, let me just give some space to one of the most creative and fun stalls I saw at Yummy Eats -- themed cupcakes from Little Miss OC Kitchen! It's not only children who'd love to have these in parties. If, like me, you've got Angry Birds and Plants vs Zombies apps in your device, you will too!

Plants vs Zombies

Yeehee!!! ANGRY BIRDS!!!

Pigs and Plants!

Despicable Me!

Little Miss OC Kitchen

Contact: Anna Sarmiento / Aleth Ocampo

Mobile: +63920 9512343

Email: littlemissoc@yahoo.com / alethmapa@yahoo.com

Here are some of the stalls my kids and I sampled:

Farm n Deli Enterprises

My kids and I love tinapa. I buy them at S&R most of the time. So it was a delight to see bottled tinapa. The proprietress, Cynthia Torres, spooned out samples on salted crackers for us to taste. Sarap! Their bottled tinapa is on the spicy side, though (a warning for those who may not like spicy food) but that is okay for my brood who actually love spicy food.

Farm N Deli Enterprises

Contact: Cynthia Torres

Mobile: +63917 5548180

Email: cntorres3466@yahoo.com

Carrier launches its Designer Series airconditioners

Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Company (CCAC) has long been a known name in air conditioning. At a recent launch I was invited to, I heard the Carrier executives explain why they decided to open up a designer line and what its intelligent features were.

For the longest time, airconditioners came in just one color - silver. Then in recent years, some brands came out with shell-white framed airconditioners. After doing a customer survey, Jojo Concepcion (CEO of CCAC) said that they were surprised to find out that for women, the color of choice was....BLACK!!! 

Well, I'm not surprised. Fashion-wise, black is THE color you see for daytime and nighttime wear. Whether worn in a casual gathering or in a formal occasion, black does look nice. Why not have an airconditioner that comes in black? It would look good and add class to the ambience of modern homes.

Midnight Black, Twilight Silver and Winter White are the colors of this series.

But not only do these designer airconditioners look good. They come with features that not only cool all the nooks and crannies of your home but also comes with an 8-in-1 filter (whoa!) and is supposed to save you energy costs because of its built-in intelligence.

Here are some of those features:

1. 8-in-1 filtering system - I only have 1 3M filter now in one airconditioner while with the others, I regularly take out and wash the filter that comes with the unit. But these designer series units have not 1 but 8 filters!

• Anti-mold filter that prevents molds and other fungi from causing allergies, infections and toxicity
• Zeolite filter/activated carbon filter - a natural earth mineral which remove volatile organic compounds and bacteria
• Vitamin C filter - neutralizes free radicals and converts active oxygen to oxygen, preventing the increase of melanin which is the cause of dark spots on skin
• Catechin filter - a bioflavonoid in green tea with antiviral/antioxidant qualities
• Super sterilizer filter - harnesses the power of the 3 other filters (Sasa, Bio-Enzyme, Gingko Extract) to alleviate allergies and keep your family safe from harmful germs
• Sasa - a bamboo extract with bacterial and viral deactivation properties
• Bio-Enzyme - helps eliminate bacteria, viruses and molds
• Gingko Extract - reduces agents that cause allergic reactions

The Tour of Hope 2011 - 500: Going the Xtra Mile Against Cervical Cancer

As a woman with 2 daughters, I am well aware of the dangers of cervical cancer, a silent killer and now the number 2 killer of women worldwide.

So I enjoin you, if you are an avid biker or just own a bike which you use for leisurely exercise around your village, to come and support The Tour of Hope 2011 which aims to save 500 women from cervical cancer.

Organized by Bravehearts in partnership with Team David's Salon and GlaxoSmithKline, this year's tour aims to provide cervical cancer vaccinations for 500 women during its 5-day tour.

The tour will cover approximately 500 kilometers with stopovers in 5 major towns where, at each stop, 100 women (identified by their local officials) will get their first cervical vaccination. Beyond just giving women the vaccines, at each stopover there are going to be lectures to the local community about how to take care of their health.

This year's Tour of Hope will kick off from TriNoMa Mall in Quezon City on May 28, 2011. From there, the tour will take bikers to Tarlac City, Tarlac on its first stopover, then to San Fernando, La Union where the renowned La Union Botanical Gardens is located. The third stop will be Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, home to historical churches and ancestral homes. The fourth stop is Laoag City, Ilocos Norte where tourists often go to visit the Juan Luna Shrine and get a glimpse of the Spolarium painting. Finally, the tour ends up in Paoay where bikers get to see the unique blend of Spanish and Chinese architecture at Paoay Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To add glitz and excitement to the tour, several celebrities have pledged to join in as bikers including known names such as Matteo Guidicelli, Sen. Pia Cayetano, Marvin Kiefer, Rovilson Fernandez, Troy Montero, Aubrey Miles, Will Devaughn, Richie Hardin, Richard Herrera, Janna Victoria, Jeena Lopez, Gem Padilla-Thomas, Anthony Pangilinan and David Charlton. Tessa Prieto-Valdes is also currently working on a special project that will help raise funds for cervical cancer prevention.

Team David's Salon with Tessa Prieto-Valdes

Some of the bikers who will join the Tour of Hope 2011 at its launch

Do you need to bike the entire 500 kms? NO. Since this is open to anyone who loves biking, you choose how far you want to go and at what pace you wish to go.

To join the Tour of Hope 2011 on May 28, 2011, please email Joyette Jopson at joyette.jopson@gmail.com or contact her at 0917-8827352.

How (and how not) to activate a prepaid Smart Bro micro sim on the ipad

Please click here to read the post on my new domain - philippinebeat.com

California Crunch Cassava Chips

When you hear the word "cassava", what comes to mind?

For me, it has always been cassava cake or bibingka cassava, a cassava-based cake topped with a coconut milk and egg yolk custard and finished off with cheese toppings.

So when I was asked if I wanted to review a new brand of chips made of cassava, I immediately said yes. It piqued my curiosity since I could not imagine what chips made of cassava would look or taste like.

This is what the cassava chips looked like when it was sent to me.

The pictures of the ridged chips on the front of the packaging reminded me of Pringles. And sure enough, that is what it actually looked like.

We opened the Sour Cream & Onions pack first since that is one of my favorite flavors. The chips are slightly thicker than Pringles. Unlike Pringles which tend to break apart with a slight bite, it takes a bit more bite to break the cassava chips. But that's okay for me as it gives a crisper crunch experience. 

Human Nature's Feminine Wash and Deodorant

I recently went to an intimate dinner with the Human Nature team, including Camille Meloto (daughter of Gawad Kalinga's Tony Meloto).

Human Nature was a natural discovery by Anna Meloto-Wilk, her husband Dylan Wilk and Camille on a trip to the U.S. where they saw how natural and ethical beauty products were penetrating the market and they wondered how the Philippines' rich, natural resources could produce such beauty products but at a much lower cost.

The story of Human Nature is, in itself, something amazing. The people behind it emphasize that its goal is not simply profit since they are a social enterprise. They live by 3 principles: PRO-PHILIPPINES, PRO-POOR AND PRO-ENVIRONMENT.

Those 3 principles are strictly observed in the development of new products. All Human Nature products are 100% sourced in the Philippines unless there is no availability of certain required raw materials. Gawad Kalinga residents and communities are the targets of livelihood by Human Nature. Where the raw materials are available, communities are taught how to extract these for production and these are bought at fair prices (sometimes, even above market price) by Human Nature in order to encourage the residents to continue providing their raw materials. And lastly, being aware that they are stewards also of this planet, Human Nature products from the raw materials to the packaging are closely researched and examined to ensure that at every step of production, the materials are naturally derived and do not cause environmental toxins in the different processes. Recyclable bottles are used for packaging.

You probably know already about their very popular and always-out-of-stock Citronella Bug Spray which is DEET-free and very effective as far as keeping those nasty mosquitoes off you. And friends have recommended their Hand Sanitizer to me so much so that on my next shopping day, I bought a couple of bottles to start off.

Two new products were introduced to us: Human Nature Feminine Wash and Human Nature Deodorant.

Human Nature Feminine Wash

I am very particular about what feminine wash I use and get for my girls. And why not? it cleanses a very private part of yourself. I want to be sure that I am not introducing toxins into my body when using this. This is why I was happy to find out that Human Nature had come up with their own feminine wash product.

Yummy Eats: A cooking and eating fair this May

(click to enlarge image)

I love good food but before I try out restaurants, I always check my foodie friends for recommendations and feedback. Now, here is a painless way to try good food because everything under the NBC Tent, Fort on May 21, 2011 will represent the best food finds specially chosen by Team Yummy of Yummy Magazine.

Yummy Eats is a cooking and eating (I love that combination!) fair that will run from 10am to 6pm. Not only will you get to check out Team Yummy's recommended food but there are activities running throughout the day.

In fact, I got a Facebook invite from LowCal Cafe to Yummy Eats just today as they are one of the best food finds. LowCal Cafe is behind those sugar-free but still delish dessert concoctions which even diabetics can take. I am actually hoping they will have their Sansrival at the fair. Their Sansrival is sweetened with Suchero (coco sugar) which I tried at the Suchero event some time back and I tell you, it tasted just as good as the sugar version (my post on Suchero is HERE).

I am looking forward to a day of eating because I am sure I'll bump into my foodie friends there as well as get to taste some of the best food in town. And yes, I'll do my workouts before and after this event.

The entrance fee is Php150 but pay only Php100 when you present the May issue of Yummy Magazine at the door.

Kudos to my neighbor and foodie friend, Fran of frannywanny.com who is the force behind this event.

Hope to see you there!