Mold and Mildew

Ah...the monsoon is back. What I utterly hate is when the rain builds up humidity and leaves a trace of mold on my stuff.

Especially my bags.

I have to take care of my bags because I consider them my investments, aside from loving them as my personal collection. I acquired them bit by bit over the past two years.

I had been using one regularly and decided two weeks ago to rotate so that I could give her a rest. So I cleaned her, then put her inside my cabinet.

Two weeks later, I was looking for my lipstick and remembered that it was inside the bag I had hidden in my closet. When I opened my bag, there was a green layer of mold in the interior! I was surprised because in the past, it usually built up on the outside. I was fuming because the inner lining was cloth and even if I tried wiping it off, the residue of mold remained.

I brought my bag to the boutique where I bought it from this afternoon. The SAs weren't really helpful so I was quite disappointed. They just told me things I already knew.

I inquired with a bag spa and they said it would cost at least $35 to have it cleaned. I asked what method they would use but they haven't replied. I read somewhere that vinegar can kill off mold but I'm hesitant because the interior might bleed and smell acidic.

In the meantime, I'm airing my bag and hopefully the smell will at least go away.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser Review

So I bought this today at Watson's, partly on impulse. I was looking for a decent facial cleanser that could clean my face well especially on weekdays when I wear makeup. I was choosing from Cetaphil, Celeteque and a few other brands but I chose this one because of the 'deep clean' promise to clean my pores and that it could 'improve my complexion.'

I have combination skin...oily on the T-zone and dry on the cheeks. I usually apply toner (Etude House's Moistfull Toner) to balance the dryness. I skip the moisturizer on most nights because I feel that it isn't easily absorbed by my face. I use Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair under my eyes at night hopefully to prevent wrinkles.

I tried this when I came home. It doesn't lather at all so if you are used to products that lather to get that 'deep clean' feel, this doesn't work that way. I focused on working it up in my T-zone since my nose tends to get pretty oily with some occasional whiteheads. Looking at the mirror, my face looks cleansed.

I am hoping that over time, this will not dry my skin nor break me out. I've had some experience with Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap and after a few days, it broke me out like crazy. I still regret spending a lot of money for that product.

I will update this review in a few days. Hopefully, with a positive one.

Bread of Salt

It's interesting how far a bag of bread can take you.

I bought a bag which consisted of ten pieces of pandesal (salt bread) last night. It wasn't borne out of craving or need. I just needed some spare change so I had to buy something from the supermarket. Seeing that the queue was too long, I decided to just buy something from the bakery. The pandesal seemed like the smartest option because I knew I could eat it anytime, anywhere.

True enough, I packed it to work this morning. I usually go to work early at around 5:30 am to avoid the heavy rush hour traffic. I skip breakfast and usually eat what I have stored in my office pantry a.k.a. my office drawer. Twenty minutes into what I was doing, I felt hungry. Thank goodness for the bread that I had bought the night before! I opened the bag, took a morsel of bread...it tasted really soft and good. Not indulgent-tasty...but satisfying-tasty. Just-right tasty. The kind of tasty that makes you feel that what you bought was of good value.

I ate the pandesal for breakfast. I ate it again for lunch.

I never thought a bag of bread could give me such satisfaction. :) It feels good.

Monday morning

Sunday went mostly as planned but there were some compromises. Although mostly I didn't want to, I spent more for transportation than I would have wanted and incurred extra expenses. It did make me feel better to stay longer although I feel that it probably wasn't altogether necessary.

Anyway, we had a great time watching movies...You Again with Kristin Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver was surprisingly hilarious! So was Bridesmaids...it started off a bit slow but it was likewise funny in its own dry-humour kind of way.

To cap off the night, we watch Sherlock Holmes and was the reason I extended my stay. Next time, I'll keep it to two movies tops.

I got an email from my best friend which I read this morning so that brightened the start of my week :) So happy to hear she is doing fine. I'll post more later. Going to have breakfast first.

Sunday surprises

A pleasant Sunday to you all :) I'm preparing to go to my friend's house to enjoy a day of lounging about and just watching movies. I'm planning to buy one whole chicken (which will probably last us until dinnertime) and I've cooked quite an amount of rice. Picnic-time!

Post on a Saturday Night

Okay, it's a Saturday night. So far, so good. I have curbed my urge to go and dine out with friends just to make myself feel that I've made the most out of the weekend. I made myself busy by doing chores in the morning and then watching movies at home to entertain myself. The monggo soup recipe I tried this morning was a successful experiment so I might try that again next week. However, I am thinking of more healthy recipes to add variety to my menu.

I've been thinking of recipes I could make using monggo, bean sprouts, and other meat-substitutes rich in protein. I'm not  (yet) a big fan of tofu. I'm thinking of non-meat protein sources that are inexpensive yet filling. The search continues...

Recipe No. 1: Ginisang Monggo (Mung Bean soup)

Waking up early on a fine Saturday morning does have its perks :)

For one, I was able to do my groceries early without the rush of other shoppers and long queues, and I was also able to drop by the wet market to buy some vegetables I couldn't find in the supermarket.

I've been hankering all week for some ginisang monggo because to me, it's comfort food. Not only is it warm and hearty, it's also good for you. It's power-packed with protein from the beans and the added malunggay (moringa) leaves for a Vitamin A boost.

This is a recipe my friend taught me and this is my first attempt at making it. Here we go!

I prepared the monggo beans by boiling them in 7 cups of water. It took less than 5 minutes to get a rolling boil. After 15 minutes, I put in a beef bouillon cube to add taste to the broth and beans. I let the pot boil for another 25 minutes, checking every ten minutes or so. It helped that the casserole I used had a glass top with a tiny hole for the steam so that I could see how fast the soup was boiling.

Once the monggo was ready, I set the pot aside and proceeded with the ginisa to add flavor. Ginisa or sauteing is a common way of cooking that Filipinos use to infuse flavor into dishes. You start with a dash of oil, then put in some garlic, onions and for this dish, tomatoes. I used pre-prepared garlic in a bottle as a shortcut and used one medium tomato. The kitchen smells pretty good when you're sauteing :) After that, I put in a tiny slice of pork just to add some flavor. I'm thinking of omitting the pork in the future for a healthier dish.

When the sauteed garlic, onion, tomatoes and pork are ready, I poured this into the first pot with the monggo soup. I boiled the mixture for around five minutes under medium heat then added the malunggay leaves. I just let this simmer for 2 minutes then it's ready :)

You have the option of flavoring the soup with patis or fish sauce, but I opted to do away with it. Tastes more natural and just as flavourful :)

Here is the complete recipe:
1 cup monggo beans
7 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 matchbox size of pork, for sauteing
few strands of malunggay (moringa) 

First day of the rest of my life

As I begin on this new lifestyle, I decided to document what I do on this little blog to share my thoughts with everyone. I'm gradually trying to adapt a healthier lifestyle despite the constraints of time and other resources. As they say, health is wealth and the earlier we invest in it, the better. So let's begin.