Harmony Soap Review

My discovery of this soap was accidental. It was offered to my mom by her friend while she was at her store. My mom bought it for PhP 12.00 (0.24 US$) because she was fully aware that I love trying different soaps. This soap especially appealed to her because of its strong yet pleasant fruity smell. It has many variants but she chose the strawberry because it stood out among others. Then, when I arrived home that day, she showed it to me at once and, true enough, I fell in love with its look and smell.

It’s very rare that I see transparent and translucent soaps. I actually have not seen personally a transparent soap yet. Harmony soap is almost translucent and it’s shiny and smells like a strawberry candy.

The Jeepney Royalty

Riding the Public Utility Jeeps (PUJ) or jeeps has been a part of my daily life. I would ride on it every single day whenever I travel. Of course there are other vehicles that I would ride as well but jeeps have been the most frequent. It is never comfortable and I wouldn’t want to actually ride on it, given the chance. It’s hot during summer, wet during the rainy days, smoke would enter the “always open” windows, and the seating is horrible especially when the driver squeezes in the maximum number of passenger even if some of the already seated are overweight, which consumes extra space. But I don’t have a choice. Financial difficulties have declared my fate and I had to learn to love the jeeps. I still don’t.

A typical Philippine Jeepney

Photo courtesy of aboutph.com

Manila in Retrospect

I have strong interests on everything that is old. Old houses, old pictures, old things, even old music (heck I so love opera!). I like seeing things or souvenirs that have survived the tests of time and I am very eager to know their stories, why they are like that, and how they survived. I am not a fan but I like going to museums to have a closer look on the preserved artifacts that relate their own stories to us just by looking at them.

So I joined this tour that I saw in Facebook. It was headed by Rence Chan, a 20-year stamp collector and an employee of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost). It has been his advocate for years already and he has been doing this for FREE! Pre-registration was necessary because permits were needed to be asked and an exact number of participants must be determined. I initially asked my best friend to join but unfortunately she wanted to pursue other things on that day. So I asked my officemate to join who registered at once and was equally excited as I am for the tour.

Rence, our tour guide, is the one in green shirt. ;)

The Philippine Star's My Icon, My Hero 2010 Entry

Below is my essay entry to the 2010 contest of The Philippine Star's My Icon, My Hero. And it did not win. Haha. But that's okay. I would like to share it to you anyhow.

THE GIFT

I have never met my icon personally. But that did not prevent me from looking up to him. He is not someone that you would see dancing on the stage, or waving at people, or even doing talks on television and newspapers. He is someone whom I haven’t heard of; until I received his gift of knowledge.

My icon died long before I knew him. Yet, his legacy and advocacy to improve the life of every Filipino continues. He helped the youth realize their dream of a better future. He was trying to erase the notion that poverty is forever and further education is impossible for people who are undergoing financial difficulties.

The Unexpected Book Signing

I went to Greenbelt 5 on February 18, 2012 to do something else: to buy an olive variant of Savon de Marseilles. However, upon arriving on their store and asking the sales lady about the item I was looking for, I was totally devastated to know that the soap I have been contemplating on buying for months was already sold out! And the only one left is the Palm variant which is not an original variant. It is original and from the same manufacturer, but I mean Olive is the very first and original variant that they produced.

So I walked out of Greenbelt 5 pissed off because I travelled all the way from San Juan City and I would be traveling all the way again to Fairview in Quezon City to get home FOR NOTHING!

The Good Times of Tambalan in The Morning Rush

Radio has been part of my mornings since 2010. I would wake up and open my radio and listen to the wonderful music being played and to the witty conversations of the DJs. I would often laugh with the jokes and learn from the pieces of advice being thrown by the DJs. Upon leaving the house, I would put the earphones to my ears and listen to the radio while traveling until I arrive in the office. The radio helps me ward off boredom and annoyance brought about by the heavy traffic that I am dealing with everyday.

There used to be two radio stations that I listen to every morning: Good Times of Magic 89.9 and Tambalan of Love Radio 90.7.

Good Times provided me intellectual humor, latest news in the country and abroad, life lessons via pieces of advice, amusement via the contradicting opinions, and, in my opinion, the best music of today. Mo Twister is the head of the team. He would often come up with topics that will be discussed in the entire show. His co-DJs were Grace Lee, Mojo Jojo, and Angelicopter. I started listening to Magic in 2010 due to my boss’ requirements because we were advertising in that show. I, however, did not regret listening to the show and I was actually hooked. It actually opened me to listen to new songs again after I was stuck with listening only to the songs that I heard during my high school years. I would listen to the show from 6AM to 9AM without transferring to any other radio station. Until the three other DJs left and only Mo Twister remained. I know it is still a good program and Mo for me is still a good, funny, and intelligent host but the feeling and satisfaction that I was getting was different whenever I hear the four of them talking on air. It was hilarious and sometimes deafening especially when they talk simultaneously. I actually miss it.

 

Photo Courtesy of Good Times Facebook Fan Page