Dove Damage Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner

On the way to get Skyflakes crackers, my mother and I saw a shelf full of Dove products in the supermarket. The shampoo and conditioner bottles caught my attention because I did not know that Dove is already making shampoo and conditioner (because we all know the brand is famous for its soap).
Mom told me that the new products are already being advertised on TV. Since I hardly ever watch the local channels anymore, I was not aware about such commercials. Still, out of curiosity, we decided to buy sachets of the shampoo & conditioner so we could try them out ourselves. I picked the Dove Damage Therapy line because I think that's just what my hair needed.

Using Dove shampoo and conditioner
Both the shampoo and conditioner are creamy. Upon squeezing out the shampoo from the sachet, I was surprised how few the contents were despite the sachet looking quite plump. However, it lathers very well. The scent of Dove shampoo also reminded me of the soap. As for the conditioner, I was surprised how much content the sachet has and it was just enough for my somewhat long hair. Like the shampoo, Dove conditioner's scent reminded me of the soap. The conditioner spreads well on the hair, and you have to leave it on for 1 to 3 minutes before rinsing it off.

It has been 3 hours since I washed my hair. The Dove soap scent is still there and my hair still feels soft, smooth, and non-frizzy. So far, I'm giving it a 7.5/10, because I'm not such a fan of the scent.

What it promises
Dove Damage Therapy Intense Repair shampoo and conditioner is being marketed as "Advanced care and repair for beautiful hair". To achieve those, it contains patented micro moisture serum and fiber actives. The back label states that fiber actives are proven to reconstruct hair deep inside, while the patented micro moisture serum strengthens and nourishes hair from roots to tip. The result? Hair is straightened and resilient to future damage.

The claims are based on lab tests using Dove Intense Repair System versus Non-Conditioning shampoo after 3 washes; so I guess I have to wait 3 days to find out if Dove can be true to its promise with its shampoo and conditioner.

Onigiri by Nodasho Japanese Restaurant

I have always wanted to try making and eating onigiri but never had the chance to actually make one, so when I saw it listed on the menu of Nodasho Japanese Restaurant in Little Tokyo during a family lunch on March 2011, I just had to order it. The serving was quite large so it is great for sharing, and it was rather affordable (I guess that couldn't be helped when considering the simple ingredients and the creation process involved). The onigiri we ordered had salted salmon in it and the tasted complemented the seaweed, yet the saltiness of the entire onigiri was just right for my preference.

A single onigiri was enough to make me full, so I guess that's why it's great to bring with you as packed lunch when you're already in a hurry but would like to have a complete and filling meal that is easy to eat especially while on-the-go.

Starbucks Planner: Poplar

I initially bought a Belle de Jour 2012 planner around early December, but I still insisted on collecting stickers to get myself a Starbucks planner. I chose the Poplar design not because it seems to be almost always in stock at all Starbucks branches, but because of the colour, which appealed to me. The name also reminded me of Popura Taneshima, a character from the anime, Working!!. Some fans spell her name as "Poplar", and I guess that's how you translate her name if you'll make it more western-sounding and easier to pronounce especially you are not used to the Japanese pronunciation.

Popura Taneshima. (image from Wagnaria Wiki)

So now you might be thinking what in the world would I be doing with 2 planners? For one thing, the Starbucks planner is more convenient to put inside my bag because it is smaller and lightweight, while the Belle de Jour planner is bigger, bulkier, and heavier, so I leave it at home. Basically, I use the Starbucks 2012 planner as a food journal where I can jot down the food I eat everyday for breakfast, lunch (if I remember or manage to eat lunch), and dinner... and snacks. It also contains ramblings about things that are stressing me out for a particular day.

First Impressions: Inu x Boku Secret Service, Brave 10, and Thermae Romae

It's been a while since I last posted here, but I thought that if I really want to keep this blog active, I shouldn't be lazy when it comes to talking about things that interest me. So here, I'll attempt to blog about anime because it's one of the things that I love ever since childhood.

I started watching anime for winter 2011-2012 around the first week of January. I have not seen most of them yet (and I'm sure there's more to come based on the titles I've seen here and here), but so far, I already like quite a lot of them. A few hours ago, I was able to watch 3 titles: Inu x Boku Secret Service, Brave 10, and Thermae Romae. My thoughts on each of them:

Inu x Boku Secret Service

Image from AnimeNewsNetwork.Com

The characterizations may seem a little cliché including the lines, and some of the characters reminded me of characters I've seen before in other anime, but I have got to say that the story line is quite intriguing. As for characters reminding me of characters from other anime, take the lead Ririchiyo Shirakiin. Looking at her reminded me of Kuroneko from Oreimo and Yamada from Working!!. Meanwhile, Soushi Miketsukami reminded me of many other guys like Aki from Kamisama Dolls, Kaworu Nagisa from Evangelion, and Takumi Usui from Kaichou wa Maid-sama (and possibly more guys whose names I couldn't remember anymore). Even Nobara Yukinokouji made me think of Nino-san from Arakawa Under the Bridge.

I also checked out the list of seiyuu (voice actors) for Inu x Boku SS, and I'm impressed with the lineup. One of my favourites, Mamoru Miyano, will be there as Zange Natsume, and Tomokazu Sugita (another one of my favourites) is Kagerou Shokiin. I'm also thrilled that Kana Hanazawa is also there as Karuta Roromiya, and that Yuichi Nakamura (Gray Fullbuster in Fairy Tail) is actually playing Soushi Miketsukami. So I guess even if the story becomes confusing or incoherent later on, I'll most likely continue watching this because of the seiyuu.

Brave 10

Image from Metanorn.Net

I initially got intrigued with this anime because of its lineup of seiyuu, which included Daisuke Ono, whom you've probably heard before as the one helluva butler Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji, as well as Koizumi Itsuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara!!, Jun Sato from Working!!, and lately, Shuukuro Tsukishima from Bleach. Mr. Namikawa plays the main hero of this anime, Kirigakure Saizo. To make me more excited to watch this anime until the end, there's Toshiyuki Morikawa (Dante from Devil May Cry anime, Kaname Tousen from Bleach, Conrad Weller from Kyou Kara Maou, and many other awesome characters), Tetsuya Kakihara (Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail and Jin Kisaragi from Blaz Blue), Takehito Koyasu (Excalibur from Soul Eater, Sister from Arakawa Under the Bridge, Takasugi Shinsuke from Gintama, Zechs Merquise from Gundam Wing, etc.), and Takahiro Sakurai (Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7, Izuru Kira from Bleach, Yuuri Shibuya from Kyou Kara Maou, etc.).

As for the story, an acquaintance Plurked about this anime the other night, so I asked him about it and he said something about the first episode being in the likes of "boy-meets-girl but with a Sengoku Basara feel". I am usually iffy about typical boy-meets-girl kinds of stories, but upon watching Brave 10 myself, I just have to say that this anime definitely begs to differ from that perception. I like that the female protagonist, Isanami, is not very much like the irritating, whiny, and helpless heroine with the cliché hairstyle and tsundere personality which I've pretty much gotten tired of seeing already. I actually like her, and I hope she doesn't end up becoming whiny and irritating as the series progresses.

Thermae Romae

Image from AnimeNewsNetwork

 When this anime started, I almost wanted to stop watching it because of the quality of the animation, which you might easily dismiss as lazy and effortless. However, for some reason, the style caught and retained my attention. Well, I'm glad that I ended up watching Thermae Romae until the very end because it eventually turned out to be a funny one which gave me a lot of laughs.

On the first episode, you would think that Lucius (the protagonist. That blond guy in the picture) experienced what happened to Yuuri Shibuya (from Kyou Kara Maou) because of the drainage thing and getting transported to another world. While Yuuri got flushed down the toilet and ended up in Shin Makoku or the Great Demon Kingdom, Lucius got sucked into the drain of a Roman Bathhouse and got transported to modern-day Japan. I will not elaborate on what happens next anymore. Just go see this anime for yourself.

I would recommend glancing at the people in the background while watching this anime. For the giggles.

Panciteria Lido

Panciteria Lido is one of the oldest and well established names among Chinese restaurants in the Philippines. It claims to be home of pugon (oven)-roasted asado and it has been in business since the humble days of 1936. A branch of Panciteria Lido recently opened nearby, and my uncle was the first one to check it out among our family of food lovers. He told my mom about it, so we decided to check it out and order food to-go.

We ordered chami and shrimp balls. I instantly loved the chami the first time I tasted because it was simply delicious.

That serving of chami is supposed to be good for one, but for those who are used to eating little, it would be okay for two. As for the shrimp balls, there were 7 in one serving, which seems to be enough for 2.

Panciteria Lido's shrimp balls were delicious, too, especially when dipped in sweet chili or sweet & sour sauce. The taste of shrimps is distinctive, so you get all the shrimp goodness you like.

While we still have yet to try the signature dish of Panciteria Lido (which is the asado), I'm already satisfied with the food so far. The service is also okay because the attendants were attentive and they specifically followed my mom's instructions not to put MSG (monosodium glutamate) on the food. There was no MSG because I didn't feel high or dizzy after eating, but while there's no MSG added, the food still tasted great and not bland.

Looking forward to eating at Panciteria Lido again.

If you want to find out more about Panciteria Lido, check out its official website or like its Facebook page.

Home Tablets vs Internet Tablets

While searching online for a good Archos tablet PC to buy, I came across Archos 70 Internet Tablet, a 7-inch tablet PC that can rival Samsung Galaxy Tab, and while hunting for its price, I came across another Archos tablet PC called Archos 7 Home Tablet. At first glance, they may seem similar in some aspects, but there are huge differences that can affect your tablet PC experience. Apart from the obvious difference in the name, here are the other factors which make internet tablets differ from home tablets.

Why an internet tablet is better, faster, smoother

Internet tablets perform much faster, enabling you to browse the internet, run apps or play your media at speeds 3 times faster than home tablets. This is because an internet tablet's processor is an ARM Cortex A8 @ 1GHz and its processing power is 24000 DMIPs (million instructions per second), while a home tablet's processor is an ARM 9 @ 660 Mhz with a processing power of 800 DMIPS.

Tablet PCs should have a user-friendly interface and that should start with the screen. Internet tablets have multitouch screens so they are easier to use, while home tablets may be resistive. An internet tablet's graphic coprocessor is also faster, so the Android interface is more fluid. Furthermore, you can play 3D graphic games and view your content horizontally or vertically because of the accelerometer that lets you turn the internet tablet at a comfortable viewing angle.

Internet tablets also have the latest version of Android, such as 2.2 Froyo on Archos, which is best with Adobe Flash. That way, your viewing experience is similar to how you view online content on your PC. As for the body, an internet tablet is lighter and thinner, has improved WiFi/n connectivity, has bluetooth, and can have 3G.

Playing and displaying media – Internet tablets for the win!

If you want a tablet PC for watching movies and playing music, internet tablets support more types of video and music files that are commonly used nowadays. With the right codecs, you can play AVI, MKV, WMV, MP4, and FLV videos on your tablet on higher resolution. And if you are using subtitles with extensions like .sub, .smi, .ssa, or .srt, can display them well with your internet tablet.

Internet tablets also support more audio formats including OGG Vorbis and AAC. For viewing pictures, an internet tablet can have a Photo Frame which is 3D animated and capable of displaying your pictures directly from Picassa, Flickr, and Facebook with a WiFi connection. You et perks like a camera, and you have the option to us an HDMI cable to link your tablet to a TV as well.

Additional perks

Home tablets have limited capacities at 8GB but you can expand it with the right micro SDHC, whereas internet tablets give you options between 8GB and 250GB capacities, enabling you to expand the capacity with a micro SDHC, too. Content can be streamed from your PC because an internet tablet has shared folders like UpnP and SAMBA. You can also program your internet tablet for a dual boot and buy optional peripherals for it such as a keyboard and USB host mouse and connect them via USB or BT for ease of use.

What users are saying

Of course my search for a good internet tablet won't end without looking at reviews. I've read reviews about Archos 70 Internet Tablet  and Archos 7 Home Tablet from sources like LaptopMag.Com, YugaTech, and CNET, and I also came across some forums where members were trying to compare or ask for comparisons between the two Archos tablet PCs. I found that most users mentioned that Archos 70 Internet Tablet is much better than Archos 7 Home Tablet.

source for info regarding Archos' products: Archos' Compare Grid

Tea Tree Oil - Best Pimple Remedy

Tea tree oil is one of the best pimple remedies I've ever tried. In fact, I have been using it to treat pimples ever since one of my uncles gave me a small bottle of tea tree oil when he came home from Australia. That was in the early 2000s.

I managed to consume up to 3 bottles of pure tea tree oil. I do not remember the brand anymore, but it had a yellow label on a very dark brown bottle, and there's a tree on it. It performed really well in getting rid of nasty pimples, especially the cystic and pus-filled ones. However, my supply of tea tree oil from Australia eventually ran out, making me rely solely on Panoxyl's Benzoyl Peroxide.

Last December, I had another case of the darn cystic pimple on the chin, which was really an eyesore because it wouldn't go away. Fortunately, while doing one of my many episodes of Christmas shopping in Trinoma, I entered The Body Shop and saw that they carried a line of products that have tea tree oil in them.

I ended up buying these two: 

They're quite pricey but really worth buying if you want a natural pimple remedy that works.

First, you wash your face with The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash. If you let the suds linger on your face, you'll have that nice cool feeling on your skin, which I liked especially during hot, humid days. After drying your skin, you can put The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil directly on the pimple and let it dry.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash

The product claims that it "Lifts pore-clogging impurities and excess oil without over-drying skin. Breakouts are minimized with regular use."

The potent ingredients of The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash include tamaru, lemon tea tree, and Community Trade organic tea tree oil. For the eco-friendly, you'll love that it the ingredients are organically grown at the foot of Mount Kenya, so no harmful pesticides and chemicals were used.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil

The product contains 15% Tea Tree Oil, which you apply directly to affected areas. It usually takes at least 3 days before you notice that large pimple shrinking, and even ads/posters on The Body Shop's stores say that. However, based on experience, it can work overnight especially if you applied it on a pimple that is just starting to grow or come out.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil is in a tamper-proof bottle. To open it, you have to press down on the cap and then twist to open. Even the nozzle where the oil comes out requires effort from the user when you are trying to pour or shake the oil onto your finger. Just shake carefully and keep your finger capped on the nozzle while shaking the bottle until oil comes out, so you lessen spills.

But because it is oil, I do not use it during the daytime unless I don't have to leave the house. I never use it before applying makeup. Instead, I use PanOxyl Benzoyl Peroxide Acnegel. I do use The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil at night whenever I have a pimple or unwanted blemishes, or whenever I sense that a pimple is starting to grow.