September Finds

No, you don’t have to wake me up! I’m wide awake the whole month of September. LOL! To those who do not get it, that is in reference to Green Day’s Wake Me Up When September Ends.

Third quarter of 2014 is over and we’re approaching the last quarter which is also the busiest (at least for me). The months of August and September were busy enough for me so what more when October, November and December come? I may not have time to fart anymore. LOL! Anyway, since it is the end of the month once more, it’s time for another "finds" post. Below is the list of my September finds:

1. Glamworks Charcoal Nose Strip. This isn’t my first time to use a nose strip and not even a first time to buy Glamworks since I have used the classic/original variant in the past. I find this charcoal variant intriguing so I went for it this time.
2. Epilady Speed Epilator. I have always wanted to get an epilator since waxing at home can be quite tedious. But finding an epilator in my city is almost like finding a needle in a huge pile of hay so it took me a long time to get one for myself. LOL! I had this for a month and have been using it almost every week.
3. Hair Fix Keratin Straight. I rarely use stuff such as this now because my hair have become less frizzy ever since I switched to natural shampoo and conditioner. However, I wanted to look a bit polished during the wedding of a friend so I got this hoping that it will make my hair more manageable.
4. Shawill brush. I wanted to buy a retractable brush for hygienic purposes (especially when I travel) but somehow wind up to getting this. I have used this less than five time only and I am not sure whether I love this or not. :D
5. GT Bleaching Soap. I was looking for an exfoliating soap but I also wind up to getting this, somehow - one of the many moments wherein I planned to buy something then end up buying a different thing.

Quote of the Month: Death and Regrets

Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it. - Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: 24 Stories

This quote is just fitting with my current situation right now. No, no one in my circle died recently. It’s just that it’s my only brother’s birthday tomorrow. He died almost five years ago. He was 25 when he died and is supposed to be celebrating his 30th tomorrow.

The pain of his sudden death was devastating that until now, I feel that I haven’t completely gotten over his passing. What is making me sadder is that, we had a little argument a couple of days before he died and we haven’t talked much since that day. I didn’t see this coming, no one in the family did. He was completely healthy and nothing seems off about him or something. He was his old self but all of sudden, my mother woke up to him snoring louder than usual and that’s it. He was rushed to the hospital but declared DOA (dead on arrival).

His death is the most painful event of my life by far, more painful than not winning that journalism contest I have been preparing for in high school, more painful than not passing that government scholarship in college and even more painful than cancelling my planned wedding and asking refund from the church and reception venue. I was devastated and mad at myself for not talking to him days prior to his death. I believe that is what made it more painful for me. That, at the last days of his life, I wasn’t able to make it better for him. I failed at letting him feel that I care about him.

TravelBook.ph and Booking.com: A Comparison

In one post, I talked about booking a hotel through TravelBook.ph and in separate post, I talked about booking through Booking.com. In this post, I will be comparing the two booking sites but I will only be talking about value for money, not the ease of booking as I already touched that area in each individual post.

It is normal for both sites to claim that they offer the best value for your money and that makes it confusing to most people including me. At first, I was torn between these two sites as I wanted to book through one site only. But the hotels in my shortlist are not available for booking through one site only so I didn’t had a choice but to book through two sites; TravelBook.ph for our overnight stay in Cebu and Booking.com for our 3-night stay in Panglao.

I am happy and satisfied with the booking I made with TravelBook.ph as it is indeed evident that I availed a discount. Let’s say the rate of hotel A based on the hotel’s website is Php 1000 for a standard room. TravelBook.ph offers 35% discount for that particular hotel/room so the cost is supposedly 650 but you have to pay for the 12% tax which is Php 78 (12% of Php 650) so the total amount that will be charged to my credit card is Php 728. Indeed, when I checked my account online (and also when the paper bill arrived), the amount stated when I made the booking is what appeared on my bill.

Whereas with Booking.com, they make you believe that you are getting a good deal but in fact, you will be charged with the same amount the hotel will charge you when you book with them directly. Take for example the hotel I booked with them. In the hotel’s website, my preferred room costs Php 1500/night. So for three nights, I will be paying Php 4500 (including taxes) if I book directly with the hotel. When I booked with Booking.com, my total room price is said to be Php 4017.87 (less discounts already). However, I failed to see the small text below the total room that says “VAT (12%) not included”. Being the first timer that I am, I proceeded with the payment only to realize later than the amount reflected on my credit card bill is “drum rolls”... Php 4500. The same if I booked with the hotel directly.  I felt bad for the confusion and felt worse when I tried to check TravelBook.ph for the same hotel a couple of weeks after. Check the comparison below:

Hotel rate via TraveBook.ph

Hotel rate via Booking.com

Booking with Booking.com

Before I booking our hotel for our Cebu trip this coming November, I already booked our Panglao hotel through booking.com. Prior to this, I didn't consider booking our hotel through booking.com much more consider Panglao Regents Resort as our home for our three day-stay in the island of Panglao. I later realized that the booking was my spur of the moment decision as I was swayed by the “discount” that can be availed through the site.

Like with TravelBook.ph, I didn't have an account with Booking.com so I created an account with them first prior to making my booking. Also, it is mandatory to confirm your email address before confirming any booking. Reserving your hotel with Booking.com is pretty straightforward.

First, you have to enter your trip details such as destination/hotel name, check in/ check out date and number of guests in the search box. After hitting the “search” button, you will be given the list of hotels available for booking through them. You can then categorize the listing by recommendation, prize, stars, location and review score. With the stars and review score, it isn’t difficult to determine whether the potential hotel is of good quality or not.

List of hotels that can be booked through Booking.com

Uses of Baking Soda… for me!

Ever since I discovered the many uses of baking soda, I haven’t been without it. I have used it in more ways than I expected and I’m gladly sharing it here:

For the hair

Dandruff. Back in the day when dandruff is ruling my world, I used baking soda to wash my hair and scalp after soaking them on calamansi. It lessens dandruff and prevents itching for up to three days.

Clarifying Shampoo. Each time I feel like my hair is suffering from product build up, I use baking soda to wash my hair instead of shampoo. Hair feels clean after washing.

For the skin

Exfoliate. I admit my skin is not as smooth as I want it to be and when I see the need to exfoliate, I prefer using natural remedies whenever possible. I add a pinch of baking soda to my facial wash/soap to exfoliate my face and a little more when exfoliating my body like my underarms. Given that it comes in small particles, it is less abrasive compared to other exfoliating products with huge beads/granules.

For health.

UTI. We all know that girls are prone to UTI given our body’s structure. I do not suffer from it often but there are times when I feel like it is about to develop. Each time I get the early signs of the infection, I would usually take a glass of water mixed with a teaspoon baking soda. The mixture taste awful but for me it is better alternative to taking antibiotics for 7 days. It gives faster relief too! A couple of hours after taking the baking soda and water mixture, I no longer get that burning sensation during urination and I no longer feel the need to urinate every five minutes. Just make sure to drink plenty of water after taking the mixture to encourage urination and eventually cleanse your bladder. One dose is enough to stop the infection from progressing, however if you are already suffering for days, it is best to see your doctor for proper medication.

For cleaning.

Combs and makeup brushes. Shampoo or lactacyd baby bath mixed with baking soda.

Household appliance. I mix baking soda and dishwashing liquid to clean our oven, refrigerator, etc.

Bathroom, sink and toilet bowl. I usually let baking soda sit for at least 30 minutes before brushing.

Stain remover. Some of our plastic wares have stains from green leafy vegetables so I sometimes soak them in water, dishwashing liquid, calamansi and baking soda mixture. The mixture may not leave our wares spotless but at least it lessens the stain and it is a better alternative to using bleach.

Odor-remover. I sometimes sprinkle our trash can with baking soda to lessen the smell.

Apparently, baking soda is an all-around household stuff for me and I’m thankful that it is not difficult to acquire. It can be bought from various grocery stores and not expensive either. Hurray for natural remedies! :D

Do you also find baking soda useful?

Dandruff be gone with Lactacyd Baby Bath

I started suffering from mild dandruff early this year. Since it is mild and I'm not a big fan of expensive chemical-filled products, I decided to treat it with natural remedies. During weekends, I would usually massage my scalp with calamansi and let it soak for at least 30 minutes. Afterwhich, I would rinse it with water mixed with baking soda and then finish it off with conditioner as baking soda is very drying to the hair. With this remedy, my hair remains itch-free for at least three days so in other words, I need to do the procedure twice a week to ensure that my scalp remains itch-free throughout the week. That is not convenient to me given my workload so I started looking for something else. I have tried using a couple of organic shampoos (Nanny Rose’ Gugo & Lawat Shampoo and Lauat Herbal Hair Treatment Shampoo) available in department stores but seems like they are not enough to help me with my problem so my search continues until I remembered reading the label of Lactacyd Baby Bath that it is recommended to those with seborrhea (dandruff).

I bought a small bottle and put it on trial right away. I ditched my shampoo and wash my hair with this paying attention to my scalp. I let it stay for around a couple of minutes, rinse and then apply conditioner while avoiding the scalp. Take note that this is not a miracle cure so result may not be seen after one use. The result is actually gradual. It takes a few washes before the result is seen and it even took more than one small bottle before I became dandruff-free.

Hotel Booking through Travelbook.ph

Since the first time I traveled in which all my reservations and bookings were done online, I became hooked; both to traveling and booking everything with the help of internet. Every year from then on, I make it a point to travel to at least one city or province or major tourist attraction in the country. Of course that doesn’t include a few weekend getaways to neighboring islands or towns. I just love how a lot of things can be done online and that includes booking for a flight, hotel reservation and tour packages. It isn't even impossible to tell if a hotel has good reputation or not due to lots of reviews available online.

And being one of the group’s trip organizers (have experienced organizing a trip for 17 people); some would expect that I am expert when it comes to this and must have tried various booking sites, apps and the likes. But that is not the case with me. It was only recently when I started using sites such as booking.com and TravelBook.ph to book my hotel. I check these sites from time to time to read reviews and compare rates but I haven’t booked through them as I prefer booking with the hotel directly.

TravelBook.ph homepage

August Finds

August! You ended too fast! I just love that this month is over, not because it is deemed as ghost month but because this month has been overwhelming for me. A couple of my major life’s milestones took place last August thus explains my busy-ness. Additionally, I never thought that I will be trying new stuff this month because I never had time to shop around but when I shopped for some essentials, I found some that caught my attention. Here they are: 

1. Human Heart Nature Strengthening Shampoo. Actually, this is not an impulse purchase as I have been thinking of buying this since I love the conditioner from the same line. I have been using this for a little over a week already and so far it’s working ok.
2. Human Heart Nature 100% Natural Premium Deodorant. This is the first impulse purchase. I have read a few negative reviews about this but being a stubborn girl that I am, I decided to give it a try since it isn’t expensive anyway.
3. Human Heart Nature 100% Healthy Lotion. I found this near the counter while paying for the other stuff I bought. It’s on sale at that time so I immediately grabbed a bottle and include it in my purchases. Watch out for my review in the coming days.