Don't buy sachets

It is probably only in the Philippines that almost any product exist in sachets. In other countries, sachets or little bottles serve as samplers and freebies. Here, it's a booming industry. (My marketing teacher back in college mentioned that Rexona Mini Stick is being exported to other countries as a giveaway promo.)

Anyway, if there's one thing I hate, it's shampoo sachets. It's super hassle when you have to open it while you're already in the shower. Of course some would argue that you can open the sachet before getting wet. But most of the time we tend to forget that.

Moving on...Today I bought colorful bottles for my toiletries. I plan to buy whatever products I use in big bottles and just transfer them to designated bottles when I need them for travel, sleepover or what-have-you.

Let's try to lessen our garbage. Ok? I'm not saying you do what I just did. Just do your part. :)

p.s.

For the bottles, you may contact Sir Mike at litromanila.multiply.com He's very nice. :) There are also available bottles in the personal care section of department stores and in Watsons but the prices are wild if you compare to litromanila's rates. Their prices is at least 200% more in these stores so if you're buying quite, sulit to buy from Sir Mike.

SHOCKING!

I try to take care of my skin and am not quite successful at it. I get the breakouts from time to time despite religiously cleaning my face twice a day. Unlike mareng Fa who, thanks to genetics, can sleep without washing her face when she's dead tired but never wakes up with breakouts! If I sleep without washing my face, waking up is a nightmare. One time in our last year of college, she had a pimple and told everyone about it coz she hasn't had one ever since she was in high school (if I remember it right.)

Today mom and I tried a new skincare line and one of their dealers chitchat a bit with mom while I check their products. Imagine my horror when she told us about their clinical tests on popular brands such as Clinique and Olay. Clinique positions itself as 'ultra safe, allergy tested, and suitable for all skin types. Of course the best litmus test for that would be the using the products on super sensitive skin a.k.a. my mom. She's allergic to it so she never used any of their products since trying them 10++ years ago.

In my case, I use Clinique eye makeup, makeup remover, and their bronzer especially when Lola brings home lots of goodies from the States. Recently lola gave me a tube of Clinique foundation and I converted it into a tinted moisturizer since I'm not comfortable wearing liquid makeup.

Anyway back to the lab test, the result of the Clinique soap was, to quote Ms. Hazel 'para ka lang nag Safeguard sa mukha mo'. Kalurks! I don't even use Safeguard for my hands (I used to bathe with Safeguard white because the scent is good but it's super drying). She also mentioned Clinique toners are flammable, meaning it's alcohol based. Toners are supposed to be alcohol free (and astringents are the alcohol based ones). Boo. Clinique has mineral oil which is a by-product of petroleum. Would you want that on your face? Also, Ms. Hazel's mother has been using Olay for 15 years (her father who is a seaman would hoard Olay for her mother back in the 90's when Olay was still called Oil of Olay and was not available locally). She told her mom 'Ma, sa 15 years mong pag gamit, diba dapat mukha ka pa ring youthful?' *I silently panic because I use Olay!*

To verify her stories,I researched harmful ingredients on personal care products as soon we arrived home. Clinique did have mineral oil. Olay also contains mineral oil and glycerin which supposedly locks in moisture on the skin. NOT. Fact is mineral oil creates an oil film on the skin, suffocating it and preventing the skin to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide.* While glycerin absorbs moisture in the air keeping moisture in creams and other products. When applied on your skin, it'll absorb your moisture, drying you inside out.*

Now I feel so bad I have to ditch Olay and find a safer moisturizer. I like Olay. It wasn't sticky, the scent is light, it has SPF. But the long term effects of its ingredients are just too damaging. I'm also replacing my tinted moisturizer made with Clinique with a Neutrogena base. I looked it up and it's safer.

I'm not super OA with organic stuff- I still eat fast food and GMO. (KFC and McDo, yum!!!!) I still use medicated gels for breakouts. But when it comes to skin, it helps to take extra precautions. Last year I switched to mineral makeup thanks to Fa, and early this year organic soaps. When I get back I'm paying Healthy Options a visit to grab some bottles of 'safe' shampoo and conditioner.

I'll use Olay as a body lotion nalang so I can finish my bottles. Which reminds me I still have unopened bottles of Olay in stock. Oh noes!

Anyway, ika nga ng Nido CHECK THE LABEL! haha :)

source: *http://www.healthy-communications.com/harmfulingredients1.html

Nothing

What is the only broken thing that works?

Can I just say?

My gay crush is apparently not gay and I'm so happy for him because he's in love again. I love him in a way that I don't want to marry him. I'm so fond of him and I'm happy he's my friend. I just can't believe I once liked him, then concluded he's gay so, channeling Samantha Jones from SATC 1 I filed him in gay crush files and now I have to take him out and move him to my male crush files. haha nothing. Just wanna write this memory down.

The inspiring Bacolod weekend

I spent the weekend in Bacolod with my family. The main purpose was to visit an account that we have there and the rest of the weekend was for going around and just spending time away from home.

Upon checking in our hotel, dad and I walked to the building next door to the office of our account. Dad introduced me to some of the employees. One thing about being in sales is you really really have to remember people. It helps you get to the priority lane when doing transactions or making appointments with the boss.

After a little chit chat, Lolo D* arrived. It was the first time we met but he and dad knew each other ever since my dad was a patpatin employee of Shell some decades ago. Dad calls him Mang D. Shortly after our quick introduction, Lolo D began asking me about UP and CBA. Thing is, his late wife which they call Inang, is also from CBA. A few minutes of exchanging UP stories later, Tita R*, Lolo D's daughter arrives and greets us.

Tita R is also from CBA. Upon graduation, she got shortlisted in SGV and P&G among others. She, however, opted to work in the family business. The Agro side of their business was left on her hands while her sister handles their hotels (including that where we're staying). She was COO (child of owner), yes. But she was not treated as such. She went with their field personnels everyday for training. She even joked 'mas mabilis pa nga ako maligo sa mga ahente namin!' And 20 years later, their company, under her leadership, would then be the 'Mercury Drug' of Agro products in Negros and Davao.

Here are a few things I got from no less than a CBA graduate who made it big. Some of it may sound like a cliche to you (to us, actually) but coming from her, I'm taking it!

You have to find what motivates you.

You have to love what you do or learn to love what you do. In her case, she learned to love it.

"I cannot work with an ill motive at the end of the line." - never let go of your principles

"Loyalty, respect and self-worth. Madali lang yan itapon ng iba" she says.

You have to want to learn.

Always be a step ahead. - VISION is very essential in any business.

You have to work with a heart.

Speaking of heart...she's not all about making money. She tells me she never puts money in her head. It was never something they were greedy about. "Lumaki ako na ang pera ay pang kain lang namin, pambili ng kailangan. Nothing more." And the biggest proof of their heart is the foundation of their late mom. Around 10% of the company's profit goes to the foundation. They've already built a school (which is very nice ha!) on a portion of one of their rice fields. It was the last project of their mom before she passed away in December 2009. The school is open and free to preschool kids but will eventually expand to higher levels as the kids 'graduate'. Along with enrolling is a feeding program to ensure that the kids get to focus on school and not be distracted by a hungry tummy. Tita R tells us the vision of their mom was a university. And she mentioned it with much certainty that it will happen.

We also visited their farm/resort. It was Lolo D's birthday and he invited to his party. It wasn't just any farm. It's a resort- rooms, pool, function halls. And THEY HAVE RICE TERRACES OKAY?

Photo taken by my brother Joop.

As if Tita R wasn't busy enough, she also handles another business- this time it was something she and her husband Tito P put up. Tito P is the scientist and Tita R is the marketeer in their business. They took us to a tour of the laboratory. I WAS AT A LOST FOR WORDS. Photos not allowed so I can't prove I was there but I swear, it was wild. State of the art equipment, GMP standards - the works.

The trip was inspiring- career wise and life in general. Now I have a new found 'struggle' to live simple. I guess not super simple but it wouldn't hurt to lessen material wants. Pretty ironic though that I had to see it through the eyes the rich. Can't wait to work with Tita R in the near future!

*initials only. baka i-Google niyo! hahaha

I died.

How would you feel when the guy who was once (and, somehow still is) your dream boy asked if you have or ever had a boyfriend?

And because you said no...He asks...

"Pero naghihintay ka pa rin?"

I replied 'Yeah, kung meron, di okay! Kung wala, di okay lang rin.'

photo from EmilyO. via flickr

But I was close to saying 'You're taking too long. Six years to be exact.'