Beauty Stash: Human Nature Products

This was something I picked up during our visit in Manila last year. I plan to share my other beauty finds when we were there but for now, I believe these Human Nature products deserve its own blog feature. 

What attracted me to Human Nature products? It's organic, reasonably-priced and has pretty packaging. I also like that they have a great website where you can learn about their company and products and shop online too. 

These are the products I've tried so far:

Calming and Rejuvenating Massage Oil. I suffer from frozen shoulder (stiff shoulders due to cold weather, lifting heavy items, computer stress, poor posture, etc) during cold season and I found that massaging oil on my shoulders and back helps in preventing this to occur. I massage some oil on before bedtime and it keeps my shoulder and back warm at night. I like the smell of both variants, it really calms and rejuvenates, and at the same time moisturises my skin. 

Natural Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner (with Soothing Aloe). I'm not very lucky when it comes to organic/natural shampoos and conditioner because sometimes they still make my scalp dry. Thankfully, these ones from Human Nature feels gentle to the scalp. I noticed too that I have less hair fall when I use these. 

Sunflower Beauty Oil. I've read on HN's site of the many uses of this wonder oil before deciding to buy it. I love this oil and I'm so glad I gave this one a try. I use it as a moisturiser before bedtime. After a few days of use, I noticed the size of my pores have minimised and my skin has become less oily. My breakouts have lessened too and it brightened my skin. I normally use a different moisturiser during Summer season but even if this was made of oil, it's still perfect for Summer as it's not sticky. It's the perfect moisturiser for the whole year. 

If you're in Manila, visit one of their stores (locations list) or if you would love to do some online shopping for natural beauty products, check out Human Nature's website (http://humanheartnature.com/buy/index.php/).

Afternoon Tea At The Choc Pot (Burwood, NSW)

One of my girlfriends, Chloe, had some free time last week so we met up after work for some afternoon tea. Chloe discovered this chocolate cafe in Burwood and when she shared photos on facebook, I requested that she take me there soon. And so we did went to The Choc Pot for a delightful afternoon filld with chocolate desserts.

We had Genmaicha Tea (Japanese Green Tea with Brown Rice) to partner with our chocolate desserts, which we found were both our favourite.

Our choices that afternoon:

Crispy Topdeck Mousse, white and chocolate layered mousse topped with chocolate-covered rice crispies, whipped cream and strawberries. Creatively placed inside a glass, the chocolate was smooth, light and not too sweet.

Chocolate Souffle with Salted Caramel and Ice Cream. The chocolate souffle is light and fluffy on the outside but rich and oozing with melting chocolate on the inside. 

The best part was pouring the sticky salted caramel on top of the souffle. Soooo good!

Grateful for the delicious chocolate desserts and fun catch-up with Chloe.

The Choc Pot

7/1 Railway Parade

Burwood, NSW 2134

Breakfast At Baroque Bistro (The Rocks, Sydney)

A french restaurant that serves delicious breakfast was a great choice during my morning walk with Mom at The Rocks last year. I'm glad that I got to try dining in this restaurant with her.

"Bienvenue!" means "welcome", the sign on a bike at the entrance of Baroque Bistro. 

The rustic interiors of Baroque Bistro were dark and sexy, in hues of black and red. The huge windows gave great light to anyone taking a photograph.

My Mom had hot chocolate which she enjoyed and I had a cup of long black coffee which was comfortingly strong on a Friday morning. Just what I needed!

Raw sugar in cube form = love.

Eggs and Bacon Cocotte. Smoked speck, mushroom, tomato, garlic, hollandaise, served with grilled Sonoma sourdough. It smelled wonderful and tasted more beautiful than this photograph. 

Eggs Benedict in Baroque Style. Serrano ham, tomato, basil, hollandaise, toasted brioche bun. Eggs were perfectly poached, Serrano ham was divine and the hollandaise sauce was light and tasty. 

Baroque Bistro is also known for their pastries, bread and macarons. Our breakfast was very filling, hence, we had no room for dessert. Maybe next time, I'll come back for afternoon tea or dessert.

Baroque Bistro

88 George Street (corner Hickson Road)

The Rocks, Sydney

Phone: 02 9241 4811

Easter 2014

Over the years, we've somehow made a few family traditions during Holy Week and Easter celebrations.  It all starts with Palm Sunday mass which we attend on Sunday morning. This year, our parish priest, Father Peter's message was, "As we begin the celebration of Holy Week and place a small palm across our homes, let us be aware of the need to weave the cross through our experiences".

Good Friday was devoted to attending the Stations of the Cross. After that, we got together with relatives and had lunch together. Once lunch was over, we went back home and spent the rest of Friday and Saturday at home. The time spent at home was a chance at rest, reflection and some quiet time. 

On Easter Sunday, we left home early to hear the Sunday mass at St. Peter Julian's Church. It was our first time to celebrate Easter in the city. To celebrate, we had breakfast at Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe. 

For lunch, we met up with our friends at Chinta Ria where we had a sumptous Malaysian lunch. We spent a few hours sharing good food and great company.

In the evening, we met up with relatives once again and had dinner together. Easter Sunday was a long day for us but we enjoyed it with people we love. 

Easter Monday is still a public holiday in Australia. We stayed at home just resting and getting ready for the work week ahead. Easter won't be complete without Hot Cross Buns so we had a bun each for afternoon tea. We got our hot cross buns from Adriano Zumbo this time and it was very thoughtful that they included a small block of Lurpak butter with our purchase. Zumbo's hot cross buns had a lot of raisins and apricot bits but quite heavy on cinnamon flavour.

It was an amazing four-day Easter break.  One of the best we've had. A time for God, family, friends and myself. All I have is gratefulness in my heart.

Hope you had a great Easter break too!

Food Find: Haagen-Dazs' Sakura Ice Cream

I'm seeing a couple of photos of friends having a great time in Japan under lovely Cherry Blossom Trees. And because of that, I just want to give friends a heads up about Haagen-Daz's Sakura Ice Cream.

Based on an article from Japan Daily Press, Haagen-Daz Japan has gone pink this year and in celebration of their 30th anniversary in Japan, they came out with two floral ice creams: Sakura (Cherry Blossom) and Rose.

We were fortunate that we visited Japan towards the end of Winter, hence, we encountered a couple of food and drinks in relation to Spring. In one of the many nights we passed by a convenient store on the way back home, I found the Sakura Ice Cream. 

The ice cream consisted of a jelly-like layer on top which tasted like cherry. The base ice cream was vanilla and it had swirls of raspberry and Sakura powder. It tasted more fruity than floral to me. The Sakura flavour was subtle. 

Over-all, it was a good tasting ice cream. I'm quite fond of cherry and vanilla so this was something that was worth a try for me.

If you're in Japan and love Haagen-Daz ice cream, have a try of their Sakura flavour.

March on Ibyangram

Ibyang + Instagram = Ibyangram

While my instagram photos are shared on my twitter page and sometimes on my tumblr and fb page, I would like to have a monthly dump of ibyangrams on AWCL too. It is thru instagram that I share everyday moments and random finds. I use instagram as my real time mini-blog. Every end of the month, I'll be choosing a couple of photos from my instagram and share it here because I have something more to say about a certain ibyangram.

While my instagram photos are shared on my twitter page and sometimes on my tumblr and fb page, I would like to have a monthly dump of ibyangrams on AWCL too. It is thru instagram that I share everyday moments and random finds. I use instagram as my real time mini-blog. Every end of the month, I'll be choosing a couple of photos from my instagram and share it here because I have something more to say about a certain ibyangram.

March seemed to passed me by so quickly. Maybe because it was a month of transitioning back to our normal routines in Sydney. The month of March was filled with unpacking our stuff,  sorting things out in the home, getting my rhythm back at work and seeing loved ones too. Then there's getting over our wonderful Japan adventure. We miss Japan. We miss travelling. Instead of daydreaming, the Husband and I used our time creating photobooks out of our Instagram photos (I'll share them soon). 

A few highlights on my Instagram feed:

Art inside Narita International Airport. The first day of March meant the end of our two-week holiday in Japan and going home to Sydney. Our flight was scheduled at 2pm but we went to Narita Airport in the morning. We had breakfast and lunch there and went around the shops before we boarded. The flight back home made me a bit sick because it was stuffy (something must have been wrong with Korean Air's plane's airconditioning) so when we had a layover at Incheon Airport, I was kind of out of whack and can't wait to arrive home.

Back home in Sydney on the second day of March. Loved ones welcomed us with a delicious lunch and then capped it off with Tim Tam & Adriano Zumbo collaboration flavours. 

Going thru a few keepsakes from Japan as we have coffee (we missed our Nespresso!) and biscuits.

A little treat in the middle of a workweek. Marshmallow Pops in Nutty Sea Salt Caramel, a delicious find in Hunter Valley.

Received our first IG photobook which holds our Kyoto, Nara and Osaka photos. Here's the Husband who's very happy to see the results of our creative efforts.

Tried to be creative by turning this pretty washi tape into a border and pasted a "happy birthday" cutout in the middle.

Australia celebrates Harmony Day - a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home. The message of Harmony Day is Everyone Belongs - from the traditional owners of this land, our first people who represent a continuous living culture of more than 60,000 years, to the 300 cultural groups who have recently made Australia their home.

Phoenix dinner with the Husband. My fortune on top, Husband's fortune at the bottom.

On a Friday off from work so I get to have proper breakfast: Chicken & Spinach Arrozcaldo, Omelette & a cup of Nespresso Decaffeinato.

The best way to get rid of travel blues is to see dear friends. So glad that our social calendar were pre-occupied due to special people having their birthdays.

85th Birthday of my Grandma. A whole day of celebrating the life of my Grandma with family.

We've done well, month of March. Hello, April! :)

Discovered Inspirations: Shine Like Sunbeams

One of my words for this year is SHINE and I found the right quote to inspire me in living a life that exudes positivity from within me. 

“If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” - Roald Dahl

(image source)

It's not always easy to think good thoughts all the time. Like any other person, I sometimes worry or come across a negative thought. But it helps to acknowledge that I have such thoughts so I can decide to let it go and fill my thoughts with something positive again. I also find that prayer is helpful in having the right state of mind.

Every thought of ours have merit. In my book, a thought of worry may also be a thought of caution. What's important is that we are aware of every thought we have, acknowledge it and never let it consume us. 

Happy start of April, everyone! May our thoughts be filled with positivity all the time.

Related Posts:

My Affirmation Today: Focus On Happy Thoughts

The Happy Quote Book (And My Thoughts On Being Happy)