powering up

Let me tell you about this new energy drink that has been helping me to stay awake for about a couple of weeks now. I seriously need a boost everytime, & I can't depend on coffee & chocolate anymore for that. Despite my power naps at my day job every weekday, sometimes I can't help but rake up sleep debt, especially when I'm really swamped with other things to do. (Which reminds me, that's the reason why I haven't posted anything for a long while, because I got caught up with so much other crap to engage in, & now I'm doomed. But don't worry, I'll be more self-centered from now on. Take that any way you would.) So, to keep myself afloat, I tried this strawberry-flavored energy drink from the makers of Pepsi called Sting, thanks to my coworker Don, whom I'd usually have breakfast with, with 4 others. (We've called ourselves The Breakfast Club, btw, in homage to that fantastic classic 80's movie, & because all we do is eat after every shift, unless, of course, I need to dash back home to catch up on my beauty sleep. I'm telling you, my sleep debt's THAT bad.)

So I liked how strawberry Sting tasted on my first go. Even the Gold Blast (rather fruity, but with some weird aftertaste, that also would remind other people grotesquely of piss because how it's so, uhm, yellow) wasn't so bad, compared to all them energy drinks I've abused in the last 2 years (like Bacchus, for starters). I have to stop myself from grabbing another bottle everytime because it feels like I'm only downing some strawberry-flavored softdrink, yay! Doesn't taste like cough syrup at all! Aside from that, energy drinks leave me more brain-dead than ever at the end of the day, so I really better take it easy. I can't find any decent information about the product online, though, except for this link to its crazy commercial (which I'm not posting, I'm sorry, LOL).

So what else's so special about it? I'm not really sure. It's only P18 at 7-11, btw, for 330mL, & it has the usual power-up essentials: Vitamin B3 + B6 +B12, ginseng extract, taurine, & inositol, which is supposedly for preventing fat build-up in the liver, helping alleviate certain psychological problems (e.g. bulimia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsiveness, depression), & promoting hair growth. Whatev. Then you have all sorts of other chemicals enumerated in the nutrition information list, & you can only wonder how much are the odds of you intoxicating yourself compared to actually nourishing yourself with the stuff, among other critical factors in your environment & diet. All I'd think about then to make myself feel better is that I need to take the stuff pretty early so I'd stay awake for the entirety of my shift, & I'd be more productive & rule-abiding (as I can't be caught dead sleeping on the job, yo!) as a result.

Anyway, I think everything local that has graffiti or tattoo art on it nowadays is rather overrated, but I really could care less about the packaging or bottling at this point. I just want my strawberry Sting real bad everytime I want it, & I go practically mental when I've to settle for something else.

on Gaia worship

So I'm supposed to be posting about food today (or at least about this fizzy strawberry-flavored energy drink that's been keeping me up this week) but I got way too excited with these new bath products which just got delivered to my doorstep today. I bought them a couple of nights ago online, because my some of my esoteric friends were raving about their local + organic discoveries. Who wouldn't want products that are organic; ergo, environment-friendly, chemical-free, not to mention fresh-smelling — & most importantly — homegrown? Plus the prices are actually pretty affordable, come to think of it, for organic stuff! I got especially curious with the mango body butter, conditioner, & hair mask because I'm a sucker for ripe mango anything (except for Estee Lauder Pleasures Exotic, which only left me nauseous for hours, to the point of getting confined) but I forgot the body butter amidst the excitement, as I'm not really too keen on slathering lotion or creams on my horrendously sensitive skin to begin with. I got the lemongrass body scrub, though, & I was thinking I really wouldn't have a need for it, since it has cocoa butter, & usually products like my favorite Aqua Mirabilis bar make me feel like I don't really need an after-shower lotion. However, serious (no matter how gentle) exfoliation requires moisturizing after, & I totally regret the blunder. I don't mind! I'm all the more excited now to get everything else from Human Heart Nature!



For starters, I got the 50ml bottles of shampoo & conditioner, & the 50g tub for the hair mask, & the 100g tub for the body scrub. True enough, just a little of each goes a long way. I got different variants for my hair for kicks, because I like the whole mix-&-match hoopla.

I got the cucumber strengthening shampoo (for a silky, smooth finish supposedly) with pearl powder, aloe vera, & virgin coconut oil (an essential ingredient in all their shampoos & conditioners). Upon use, the shower room smelled like I had a freshly sliced cucumber in there, & it was really earthy. Like I just picked one straight from my backyard garden or something, & it wasn't really to my liking. But I liked how the shampoo was easy to rinse, how it didn't weigh down my hair, & my how my hair felt okay after. As in, no hair fall or broken strands! So far, so good. I'll try the peppermint variant next, then maybe even the guava & mandarin orange bottles for my chemically-abused tresses, while I can't splurge yet on my designer hair care spree.

Then I had the mandarin orange nourishing conditioner with mango butter, & this one takes the cake! I left this on for as long as possible (while I used the lemongrass body scrub) & the whole shower room smelled divine when I did. My hair felt divine, too, when I rinsed it off! Again, it was so easy to rinse, there was no icky residue, & my hair felt nicer than ever. No wonder it's the bestseller on the website. A lot of people already swear by it. Because of this, I so want all the more now to try either the guava or mandarin orange-scented shampoo. Hooray for aromatherapy!

The mango butter with peppermint & natural Vitamin E intense moisture hair mask felt so good, too! The peppermint was cool & soothing enough to leave on my scalp, but I left it on for only 5 minutes or so, because I was excited to finish my bath & blab about my findings. The verdict? Yep, really nice & manageable hair (even if I have a jagged mullet, haha) & a lighter head. Again, it was pretty easy to rinse, & I can't wait to get the 200g tub soon. I'm also excited to give my culture vulture friend this product for her birthday for her curly mane!

Now the lemongrass body scrub with cocoa butter & brown rice beads was rather tricky. Sure, I've always liked lemongrass in my mom's cooking, hehe, & I only got to appreciate its energizing effects via aromatherapy lately (as my current day spa getaway uses lemongrass essential oil as one of its main picks for massages), so I was thinking, mmm, this should be lovely. I'm currently using a warm, spicy, delightful green tea body scrub for everyday use with lemon, peppermint, & caraway; but oh, what the heck, a quasi-corporate drone like me exposed to stress & pollution every week could never have enough body scrub formulas for an instant pick-me-up whenever necessary. My face's all blotched & parched, but I tend to be more irritated if the rest of my body's not conditioned. Anyway, the body scrub's gentle enough to be used everyday but potent enough to get squeaky-clean all over, but the scent's actually cloying, & for a while I thought I was going to hurl or something while I was applying it all over. I could smell the sweet, earthy hints of cocoa butter & brown rice but maybe those really don't go well with lemongrass, so, bleargh. It also smelled faintly like there was honey in it. Yum. I could really feel the cocoa butter, though, while I was doing so, & finally rinsing it all off felt marvelous. Well, this one was rather hard to rinse off, however, as my arms & thighs were rather sticky, but oh God. It does smell & feel so much better after I've washed myself clean, because only then did I realize that it felt like I've just stepped out of a spa. I smelled overall good enough to eat, haha, & I felt recharged. I was so pleased to the point of exhilaration that I hardly got any sleep today! Dammit. I wonder if I'll keep myself up. Maybe another shower should do the trick. But I'll stick to my soap du jour lest I'd end up sick to go back to work.

Nevertheless, I'm in love, & I can't wait to try everything else. My lifeless coif & horrendously sensitive skin have found instant relief, & the fact that I'm contributing to a very good cause by advocating this particular local + organic fare is giving so much more hope for mankind & this godforsaken country.

so much for intros

I might as well come up with a separate blog to post my thoughts about products & services I come across with. I can't help but babble about stuff I like in my old personal LiveJournal & even in my New Age blog, sometimes to the point of obsessing & going off-topic. It's high time I'd be more organized with my posts & talk about my preferences (or otherwise) in detail. I may be a bit stuck-up with my choices, no matter how cheap or bland they can be for you, & that's why you really don't have to take my word for it everytime.

For starters, let me share what I personally love & will forever rave about, as long as they don't get phased out or deteriorate in terms of quality:

1) NIVEA Lip Care Q10 Lip Effect - Because my lips chap real bad, to the point of wounding & bleeding, I need something heavy-duty, & believe me, I've tried everything. This one takes the cake. Ah, finally. Now if only I can remember to apply this at least once a day, because I'm pabaya like that...

2) Orly Nail Polish in Monroe's Red - I have a bottle of this & I've been using it since last year. The brand claims to have no formaldehyde, & that's good to know. This is even better (& cheaper) than Essie, but I'd want Essie in Long Stem Roses just the same, which is the best blood-red shade I've tried so far. I also love Orly's Masquerade Collection, at least Enchanting & Belle of the Ball. Yep, I want bottles of those, too. What I like best about the Orly brand is that even if my nail polish is already chipping, whatever's left on my nails still looks shiny, & people at work ask me what stuff am I using & where do I get my nails done! But yeah, don't remind me, chipping nail polish = unkempt. Sigh.

3) Dove Night Calming Bar - I've been using this for quite some time now as well, because I'm prone to breakouts with other soaps & shower gels, & I hate slathering lotion (even if it's Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking, which is super-light, non-greasy, & hypoallergenic). This works like a charm & isn't that drying nor too hard to rinse off, but it melts rather quickly, & which reminds me, I should get more of this tomorrow, argh.

4) Apivita Pedi Care Relief Gel - The best product ever for my feet. One of the best gifts anyone can give me, especially this Christmas. I hate aching feet, that's why I splurge on foot spa treatments, & this gel is a lifesaver! My brother thinks it smells funny, though. He's hard to please anyway, to begin with, dammit, no thanks to his Virgo nature.

5) Lush Cosmetics Aqua Mirabilis Body Butter - It's actually more apt to consider this as a solid body scrub formula, rather than an actual topical, off-the-shower moisturizer. Whenever I need major exfoliation without the abrasion from the usual salt body scrub, this does the job nicely. Hooray for squeaky-clean & at the same time smooth skin. Too bad, though, because users need to consume the bar quick, not longer than 2-3 days, for it to remain fresh. I don't like it when I have to throw it into the fridge. Ugh. But hooray for organic!


I'm still looking for the perfect eye cream, btw. & I would love to have more of this superb cleansing oil, even if I don't wear makeup, save for a bit of lip gloss, because I'm cursed with horrendously sensitive skin & my eyes are too watery. Anyway, more items to blab about in a bit. For now, let me leave you with this online quiz that I first took 4 years ago, & my score has gone 8 points up from that time!

You Are 52% Girly

You're a little girly, a little boyish, and probably a whole lot indie. You have your own unique style, and it pretty much defies gender lines.

How Girly Are You?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written
By Bored 12 Year-Olds