The (Doubled) Price of Beauty

My favorite pastime is browsing cosmetics online. I frequently lust over all the new collections and lament the fact that not all those products get to be sold in local stores. That said, I've paid close attention to price

What's In Their Bags?

Aside from food, beauty stuff is my universal conversation topic, although it's mostly reserved for talks with girlfriends. I always ask people what things they're using now, then I am often shown the contents of their makeup kits. It's fun to see what products they love, not to mention that it's also very telling of their personalities.

If you look inside my kikay kit right now, it'd take you forever to get through all the stuff. I tend to carry a lot of makeup with me, since I always want to have touch-up items at hand. The only two things I rarely bring along are my eyelash curler and mascara.

 

Lunching at Lunch Lady

Want to eat the freshest veggies while on your Asian vacation? Vietnam's the place to be. In a more formal dining room or at a roadside eatery, the herbs and vegetables don't disappoint. It's amazing to consistently see all that vibrant color and wondrous crisp every mealtime. Refreshing!


At the top of my must-eat list was a stop at Lunch Lady, a simple outdoor dining place that's 100% true to its name. Only available for the early lunch rush as the soup runs out in a snap, this hidden soup "cart" caters to plenty of locals and tourists in its daily operations. A kindly-looking Vietnamese woman does the buying and cooking of all the ingredients. I know that because I discovered Lunch Lady through Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="498"] Lunch time![/caption]

It took me 2 tries to finally find her! The first day, we arrived a bit late from our exploration of the city. No dice. Lunch Lady had already packed up and left. We were told by other vendors to come back earlier the next day. Well, day 2 almost never happened as the cab driver wasn't familiar with the address I gave. After never-ending turns and multiple attempts at asking for directions, we miraculously arrived, smack in the middle of lunch service.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="498"] Lunch Lady in action[/caption]

From what I've read in my research, Lunch Lady has a daily menu roster. There's a different kind of soup and side dish every day. No need to browse through any menu. Upon sitting, a man comes and counts the people at the table and brings the right number of soup- and side-of-the day. We were able to effectively communicate our drink orders through gestures and pointing to the display case.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="498"] Soup du Jour (think it's called Canh Chua Tom)[/caption]

A seafood-y noodle soup was served, complete with the ever-present herbs for extra texture. It's an explosion of flavor, really. I say 'seafood-y' as there are many other components to the soup such as tripe and okra. The taste is comparable to a mild version of Tom Yum: a little sour and super fragrant.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="498"] Spring Rolls[/caption]

Along with it comes a plateful of Vietnam's famous spring rolls. Again, FRESH sums it all up. The shrimp was cooked perfectly.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="374"] Rau ma (Pennywort)[/caption]

As for libations, I ordered a glass of Rau ma, which I can only describe as resembling wheatgrass. My companions, on the other hand, preferred the more familiar avocado drink.

The bill is reasonable. For around PHP200, there's noodle soup, drink, and side dish. Try to get a complete meal that's this fresh in Manila for that price. I dare you.

One thing is for sure, this healthy lunch is a FULL and balanced meal with its carbs, proteins, and veggies. A month of this, I'm guessing, is the equivalent of a cleanse.

Scouting for this venue was well-worth the frustrating search on-taxi, but here's a little tip: To avoid the hassle of going in circles, it's best if you had a google map image of the area saved on your phone to show the cab driver.

Lunch Lady -  23 Hoang Sa St., District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Clean Air Act?

The outdoor areas of Eastwood City are death traps of pollution. Yeah, it sounds a little extreme, but it sure feels that way. Before the smokers of the Philippines hasten to defend their preference, I want to point out very clearly that I don't really care whether or not a person smokes. WHERE they smoke, on the other hand, proves more of a concern.

I love Eastwood City. It's a great late-night hangout with just about everything in it. Even during the mornings, it's abuzz with activity. However, there is a HUGE failure in implementing rules on proper smoking areas. I've seen all the signs that indicate where to take cigarette breaks, but it's so obvious that very few pay heed. This, of course, worsens on workdays. I've seen guys walking through crowded public areas while puffing away, completely oblivious to the people behind them who are subjected to their smoke clouds.

What ever happened to consideration for others?

 

When in Napoli...

Meaty (literally!) and satisfying Italian food right in Quezon City is what Napoli offers.  The quiet restaurant has been in operation nearing a decade, and I've spent some happy birthdays and enjoyable mealtimes there.

Last week, I had to drop by ABS-CBN with my mom for an errand I had to do ASAP (no pun intended). Somehow, my Chinese food-loving mom started to crave Italian, so we walked all the way to the Scout roundabout (rotonda) in Tomas Morato for some pizza and pasta.

For 2 people eating dinner, what we ordered was a bit too much. But if there was a 3rd member, it would have been enough.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="464"] Cream of Tomato Soup[/caption]

Their Cream of Tomato Soup (PHP150) is simply lovely. I'm a fan of garlic, so I appreciated the zesty blend of garlic and tomatoes. So savory and so fulfilling. The soup is served with a cheese topping, though I only took a photo after I dug in. What makes the PHP150 price worthwhile are the bits of shrimp in this soup. Plus, that one order was big enough for 2 as we had the servings split.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] All Meat (left) and Taco (right) Pizza[/caption]

Next up for us was pizza (of course)! Did you know that you could order 2 flavors in 1 here? They charge half the price of each flavor. We had a combination of Taco and Meat Lovers (around PHP270 for the small size; cut into 4 slices) to balance out the flavors. I found Taco lighter and, therefore, friendlier to my tummy. The meaty overload was too filling. I like a seriously cheesy pizza with simple toppings.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Seafood and Asparagus Fettuccine[/caption]

Finally, there was Seafood and Asparagus Fettuccine (PHP330) that was meant for 3 people. It was too much! The pasta had curry powder in it, which I didn't much care for, but the asparagus and seafood (squid, crab stick, mussels) bits were nice and plenty. The only other thing I didn't like was that the mussels hadn't been de-bearded. I'd try the Carbonara with Chicken next time. Even with pasta, simple but rich i the way to go for me.

What else to order? The hero sandwiches have gotten mentions from local celebrities. Personally, I've never eaten past their pizzas and pastas, but I'm very tempted to try it out.

Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante - Imperial Palace Suites, Tomas Morato, Quezon City (right by the Scout roundabout)

The Tracy Anderson Method of Exhaustion

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="480"] Metamorphosis[/caption]

Here I am, having tried one of my two chosen workouts as promised. The “winner” for last night’s sweatfest was Tracy Anderson’s Metamorphosis series. It’s a multi-part set that comes with dance cardio, “transformation” exercises, and some literature to help support the program. Ideally, the series is recommended to be done for 6 days a week, following a strict diet plan.

The daily session is composed of 30 minutes dance cardio followed by 30 minutes of one of the transformation (i.e. toning) exercises. The dance cardio remains constant, while the type of toning workout changes every 10 days. Thus, the number of transformation videos included.

“A Study in Ropeless Jumping” would be an apt alternate title to Tracy Anderson Method’s 30-minute cardio workout. I’m now officially a believer that anyone is capable of losing weight from the cardio alone, simply because of the non-stop jumping. Tracy’s video has no warm-ups. She just gets right on moving at a dizzying pace. I felt like vomiting a few times. It’s definitely bloody murder on first-timers, unless you’re Manny Pacquiao.

After the initial half hour of nearly collapsing, I forced myself to continue with the transformation video. The first 10 days are devoted to arms, abs, and ass: Triple A. And the girl just doesn’t quit. She does one movement and repeats it for an eternity, exhausting the entire right side with a variety of specific movements. Then it’s the left side that gets beat up. No wonder she doesn’t have an ounce of fat!

I can tell you right now that this workout WILL work you out. But I can also tell you that I won’t be doing it for 6 days a week, unless I plan to get sent to physical therapy really soon. Maybe once a week of this is good enough for me. I plan to switch this up with other instructional videos per session. Thank goodness for that.

Costly Fitness

Joining a local gym is sure to break the bank. I love a good workout, especially when I've already gotten into the habit of exercising regularly, but the price I've literally been paying is ridiculous. In a utopian world, I'd be making the most out of the monthly fees by hitting the gym daily. But realistically, thrice-a-week trips are the most I can commit. It doesn't help that the transportation fees  are slowly killing me.

The best I could do was to cancel my membership and try to figure out my next move from there. Trust me, that's the last thing I ever wanted. Most of the classes I've attended turned out quite fun to do. The variety also kept the workouts fresh. But the rates were ridiculous, especially for a person with very humble monthly earnings.

What now? Well, I'm in the process of weaning off gym classes and transitioning into other (cheaper!) athletic activities. The most inexpensive being a home workout program. Yes, that's where it all began anyway. Back when there was one well-known gym in Manila and it was way too expensive for a young high school or college student, the next best thing was to sweat it out at home.

I'm beginning to realize that "working out where you sleep" isn't such a bad thing after all. However, it does take a certain amount of motivation and discipline to keep me working out (instead of sitting around) where I sleep. And so, I'm going on the age-old quest of finding engaging exercise instructional videos that won't piss me off or bore me to death.

I've yet to try them out, but here are my discoveries so far:

1. Tracy Anderson Method



Tracy Anderson immediately brings to mind the names Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. It's all about having a toned, feminine dancer's body. From what I've heard and read, you'd have to be psychotic about doing her routines (e.g. 2 hours doing the workout, six times a week) to get to top form. There's even a meal plan that has to be strictly adhered to during the initial 90 days.

While I'm positive that 2 hours is above and beyond what is called for, I'm interested in the changing  workouts. If there's one thing I hate, it's a boring routine. Let's see if her vids can keep me on my toes. (Hopefully, not literally.)

2. Zumba



A gym favorite, Zumba is non-stop movement to fun music. I've never been much of a dancer, but the instructors of the classes I've attended were good enough that even senior citizen ladies (seriously) got the moves down pat. After the initial self-consciousness wore off, it was actually a blast.

~~~

I'm trying one of the two videos out tonight. Let's see how it goes...