Giving in to the cravings: Biglaang Bulalo

I just watched the viral video of the man who went ballistic because he was not able to eat his favorite bulalo. Apparently, the bakery he went to doesn't serve the hot soup he wanted so badly.

The story was featured on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Sojo tonight, and after watching it, I just can't help but think--how tasty must a bulalo be to make a man go on a rampage? 

So...

I got so curious, I asked my beloved to take me on a food trip and then we went around town finding a restaurant that serves this fantastical comfort food.

We tried the best restos in town first, but unfortunately, they don't serve the food we are craving for. So, we went around looking for cheap karinderyas, hoping we'll find the steamy fix we needed for tonight.

And tadaa--our search led us to this humble eatery at the side of ML Quezon Road, Angono, Rizal (Double Hi-way) near Scrapyard and 7-Eleven.

This eatery serves not only bulalo, but other famous Pinoy comfort food as well, such as beef mami, goto and tapsi meals. 

Of course, I ordered their special bulalo, while KR ordered the beef mami. 

The soup was oily and my taste buds told me there isn't anything special about it. It actually just tasted like a simple nilaga. The beef was very tender and well-cooked, though. And it really hits the spot on a cold night like tonight. So, I guess that's a plus. 

The beef mami was just as ordinary as it can be. It has the same broth as the bulalo, so their tastes were practically identical. The noodles were okay. They were just--well, ordinary noodles.

But they were so good because it was so cold tonight and we were having a craving for them, and so I guess our tummies' desires were fulfilled.

Ordinary can sometimes be extraordinary--especially if you want it really, really bad.

Just like the fanatical kuya who turned infamous because of his bulalo craving.

And again, my dears.

Thanks for reading.

REVIEW: Celeteque's Acne Solution Product Line is effective!

2013 was a whirlwind.

What a creative way of starting a blog entry. But I guess I just couldn't find a more suiting word for last year's (mis)adventures. I wasn't really proud of all the things I did last year, but there were things that I can really be happy about.

But I wouldn't talk about those things here. 

I am now writing here to talk about how Celeteque's Acne Solutions product line helped me keep my pimples at bay. 

If there is one thing I am glad that I did before 2013 ended, it was to buy all of Celeteque's Acne Solution products out of impulse. I was a Pond's girl back when I was still a student, and I pride myself with brand loyalty. If I like your creams, I'd probably like your toners, face scrubs and moisturizers as well. Before switching to Celeteque, I had been using the Pond's White Beauty line. The products were okay. It kept my face light and supple, it almost made me believe that it will truly give me a pinkish white glow. But--and here is the but. With Pond's, I have to always battle a monthly army of pimples and whiteheads, especially when I have my period. When this happens, I will switch to Pond's Oil Control facial wash. On my fourth year at the university, I completely stopped using any facial creams or products (READ: laziness and lack of money). The result is what my skin has become of now. 

When I landed a job, I tried using Pond's again. But sadly, it won't work for me anymore. My whiteheads won't go away and my pimples just turned bigger and uglier. I dropped it again entirely. I haven't used any product until the day I bought Celeteque.

I was having second thoughts about it at first, since I'm still heartbroken by the fact that Pond's, the ever-so-cheap but effective Pond's would not work on me no more. On my second week, there's still no progress on my skin. I still have the pimple marks from last month's period rage and the white heads on my nose were still very visible. (I am now cursing myself for not documenting this with pictures. I didn't know that I will write about it.)

It was after my January period that I realized what the Celeteque products have really been doing to my skin. I was so focused on getting rid of my pimple marks, I haven't notice that I don't have any new pimples at all! YES. No more breakouts for me, even during my menstrual period. You read that line correctly. No pimples on red days. How amazing these products are!

And that is when I truly understood the magic behind Celeteque's Acne Solutions line. 

It will not erase dark pigmentation or pimple marks on your skin, BUT it will surely prevent new pimples or acne from forming. I will write a review about each of the Celeteque products that I have been using for the past two months. I am excited to share these with you.

And since Celeteque is a bit pricy than others, I hope this review will help you decide if you will try the products or not. According to other online sources, Celeteque is one of the trusted drugstore products on the market. If you are still undecided, you can read other blogger reviews. :)

Anyway, that's it for tonight!

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Disclaimer: I cannot be sure that Celeteque's Acne Solutions will help everyone with their acne problems. Since each person has a different skin type, a product's effectivity is not guaranteed even if it worked wonderfully for others. I have read a few user reviews which stated that Celeteque products made their acnes worse than before, but I also read some that said it has worked for them, as it worked for me. Well, all I wrote in this entry are the truth of what really happened to my skin after using Celeteque's Acne Solutions for almost two months. And the results were positive.

Celeteque is effective for me! 

FOOD REVIEW: Salty Tamarind from Thailand

Being a tambay on Instagram turned me into a shopaholic.

It doesn't sound so good, but for me, I think it's just okay! Spending your hard earned money to avail things that will make you happy is a satisfying way to reward yourself for a job well done. As long as you are not doing it in excess ala Becky Bloomwood, then I think there is nothing wrong with it. ;)

Anyway, so much for the introduction. I'm writing tonight to tell you something about a product I have been seeing for quite awhile now but haven't been able to avail. Not because I lack funds (maybe?) but because it always gets sold out! This product sells like hotcakes. What is it? It's the very simple but truly addicting: Salty Tamarind from Thailand.

A product of S&P, this marvel is shipped to the Philippines and is distributed by a friend of mine who happens to own an online shop. She sells all sorts of goodies, and she also runs her own restaurant. (click here to see her Instagram account!)

I got the Salty Tamarind from her for only 350.00 php. I think price varies on different online stores.

APPEARANCE:

As you can see, the Salty Tamarind looks like typical handmade candies. It is very soft to the touch and has a gummy-like consistency. It also has a coating of a powder-like ingredient, probably tamarind powder for additional flavor. But I can't be so sure.

SMELL:

Aside from its appearance, the first thing I noticed is the smell. I think it is always the first thing I notice when I try to review something, especially if it's something I put into my mouth or something I put into my skin. The smell is reminiscent of champoy-- the ones that are not candy-like, but the traditional Chinese champoy you can buy at Chinatown or any other store. I like them, so I think that is a plus for the Salty Tamarind.

TASTE:

Oh wow. How do I describe the taste of it without falling short of what it deserves? The taste--is very simple, I think. It tastes like processed tamarind (duh?), but you can easily say that it is truly made from 100% real tamarind fruit. My expectation is that it will taste very similar to Moniegold, but no. I am completely wrong.

The Salty Tamarind is a whole new experience, compared to its hard candy counterpart. Although Moniegold is pretty delicious too, the Salty Tamarind is on a higher level.

It tastes much like a real tamarind and the chewy consistency is a big plus. No need to worry about it getting stuck in your teeth. Also, it doesn't have a sawa factor. When you start eating, you'd want to finish the whole jar.

OVER-ALL:

4 out of 5 ratings. This is a must-try product! I absolutely loved it. The Salty Tamarind is a kind of candy you'll be willing to eat over and over again. 

Appearance ★★★★☆

Smell ★★★★☆

Taste ★★★★☆

Price ★★★☆☆

Over-all ★★★★☆

OVERVIEW: Pasjel products, Cherry Tender Night Facial Cream and Everbright Blue Body Cream

My PasJel products arrived today! I am so excited to finally try these products, since a lot of buzz were already made on the Internet by these uber-cute beauty creams from the Land of Smiles.

I discovered PasJel by accident while scrolling through the popular page of Instagram. As curious as I was, I opened the link and found PasJel Manila's account (@pasjelmanila). After a few minutes of checking out their products, I felt like this is the exact beauty cream I was looking for.

I have been using Celeteque's Acne Solution line for about two months now, and I can proudly say that I am happy with the results (see: LINK). Although Celeteque delivered what the Acne Solution products promised to deliver (SEE: no breakouts even I'm on my period), they weren't able to provide the flawless and scar-free skin that I have always wanted.

I think I harassed my skin too much when I was still in the university. I didn't take care of it and left it exposed to the sun too much without any kind of protection. Now that I am trying to regain a beautiful skin, I was apprehensive to use another brand of beauty creams, because I feared that it might counter the effect of the Celeteque products (paranoid alert). BUT--everything changed when that serendipitious moment happened to me: the day I discovered PasJel.

Apparently, I was late in learning about PasJel. Since I wanted to know more about it, I searched for reviews and found a lot. So, I guess PasJel is quite effective, because there are so many testimonials around the Internet. I just became more and more curious about it.

PasJel products. All promises to give you back your baby smooth skin. 

So, right after payday, I ordered the PasJel product I wanted to try, which is the Cherry Tender Night Facial Cream. This cream focuses on erasing unwanted marks on your face, such as pimples, pimple marks, melasma and freckles. To say it plainly, it promises the solution to my very need. The perfect product for my abused skin!

Pimple problems? PasJel Cherry Tender Night Facial Cream
promises to help you erase all that. For 795.00 php only.

The Cherry Tender Night Facial Cream is available online for 795.00 php (price varies on different online shops), but PasJel Manila is now having a bundle sale on their products. If you avail the New Skin Bundle, you can get the Cherry Tender Night Facial Cream for only 650.00 php and the Everbright Blue Body Cream for only 750.00 php, which is originally 895.00 php. So much win!

After placing my order, the products arrived just one day after PasJel Manila confirmed the payment. The transaction was so smooth, and the owners of the shop were very helpful and accomodating. And did I mention that they are one of the authentic distributors of PasJel here in the country? They also offer other Thai beauty products such as Bee Venom and Hello Sunshine. Double win!

Anyway, I received the parcels today and got so excited, I opened them right away. I already knew that the products will be very small, but I was a bit disappointed by the size, to be honest. It was--simply put--too small for the price I paid. 

But okay, let's give PasJel the benefit of the doubt. If their products are truly the wonder creams they advertise it to be, then the size of the container doesn't matter. It's what inside that is more important.

And what's inside will truly turn you upside down.

I opened the canister of the Cherry Tender Night Facial Cream first and then suddenly... the smell of bubblegum and cherry and all things sweet and delicious washed over me like a wave of fragrance from a freshly baked pastry, still hot from the oven. I am being overly poetic, but the smell was just so fabulous.

Next, I opened the Everbright Blue Body Cream and the same fleeting sensation filled up my nostrils, but this time, it was the smell of powder and soap. It actually reminded me of Johnson's baby wash and the time when my grandmother washed me after taking a bath on the garden. If you ever used a baby soap when you were a kid, then this cream will bring you back to your childhood.

Alright! So there, I got so excited about receiving the PasJel products. I will start using these right away, and then maybe after two weeks or a month, I will post another review about the products effectivity.

Thanks for reading guys!