Never skip on your SPF!

My friends and I took a long drive up to Bolinao, Pangasinan over the weekend for a nice dip into Patar Beach. Unfortunately, the heavens decided to be uncooperative and chucked down a lot of rain on us.  The result is this --

I love the contrast of this shot!  

(Hey, nobody said you can't fall in love with your own talent. :P )

As the sun was tucked away in the clouds, we all skipped on the sunblock and frolicked about thinking it won't do any damage.  The thing is, our skin colour still turned darker than normal.

What happens when you skip on sunscreen, anyway?

Well, this --

This man was a truck driver for 30 years.  We're all familiar with driver's arm, which is when our left arms get sunburnt when we go for long journeys on the driver's seat, but this man was doing his profession long enough to have the left side of his face also affected by sun damage.  Not a pretty sight, especially if you're only 69.

I hate being out under the sun, not only because I don't want to get any darker, but to also avoid making my wrinkles worse a lot quicker.  Everyone gets old, but I prefer to push aging back as much as possible.  It might sound too anal to use sunblock when I work at home, but all my moisturisers contain some kind of SPF, anyway, just to be safe.  So should yours.



Source: What Sun Damage Looks Like

Absinthe Salon, Sydney

Note:  The Australia trip happened a looooong time ago. Thankfully, though, this is the last post about it -- now I can start with the Euro ones soon! Yeah, I'm not a very effective real-time travel blogger. Things will always be ultra-retrospective here. 


In this last installment, I'm going to tell you about absinthe.  Before coming to Sydney, all I ever knew about it is that it's a kind of alcohol and that a club (now closed) in Makati was named after it.  All my previous knowledge of absinthe came from this scene from the Jude Law version of the movie Alfie--



 I've learned considerably more about the drink when I visited Absinthe Salon.  Watch out, I'm going on lecture mode in a bit!  




Absinthe Salon is a quirky little place tucked away on Albion St in Surry Hills and quite easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for (happens to me all the time).  It serves all kinds of absinthe and only absinthe.




Absinthe is a highly alcoholic spirit that became popular in Europe during the late 1800's.  Unfortunately, it became so popular that it was claimed that drinking too much of it will lead to hallucinations and general madness.  They say it will make you do unspeakable things, i.e. murder and other violent crimes.  That's why absinthe is also known as The Green Fairy.  It was, therefore, banned in many countries such as France and The Netherlands in the late 19th century.

Absinthe regained its popularity during the 1990's and the bans on the drink have been reviewed.  Although still restricted, the policies regarding production and sale of absinthe are now more lenient.



There is definitely a quaint and gothic feel to Absinthe Salon and is run by a nice couple named Joop Van Heusden & Gaye Valttila (yes, I've done my research).



I want to wear a corset to work someday, too.  So jealous!



Sitting in the salon is like being in a time warp.  Was this how people like Aleister Crowley, Oscar Wilde & Vincent Van Gogh drank absinthe?  I feel sophisticated and creative already!

In the clip above, Susan Sarandon's character poured absinthe into glasses and burned sugar for it.  Gaye said that's not the right way to do it and that the absinthe is probably Czech, which is not authentic absinthe.


So how do you drink absinthe?



You will need a fountain or carafe of iced water, a small glass and a slotted spoon for the sugar cubes.



A dose of absinthe is poured into the glass.  The liquid starts out clear or green depending on the kind of absinthe.



As the water drips onto the sugar and on towards the absinthe, some kind of reaction happens between the herbs and the water.  The liquid turns cloudy and this process is called louching.  When there is enough water in the glass (about 3-5 parts), the absinthe is ready to drink... slowly.  No burning sugar here.




There are now various kinds of absinthes from all over the world to choose from.  Absinthes contain between 42-74% alcohol -- that higher end of the bracket is a LOT of alcohol.  It is widely considered that you're only allowed to drink between 2-3 doses of absinthe each time.  It is not proven that drinking too much causes hallucinations, but of course, too much of anything is bad for you and absinthe is still alcohol.  So just assume you'll get the same effects as binge-drinking.

Absinthe Salon promotes the 2-3 dose advice and they actually close at 10pm (this shocked me).  I don't recommend going there for a night cap.  Rather, pay a visit when you want to get in the mood to hit the town.



I already started to get that fuzzy feeling after the first dose.  After one more, I was definitely drunk  Apparently, you should start drinking low alcohol absinthe first, then work your way up.  There's method to the madness, after all!

Interestingly, the effect absinthe gave me is that I'm drunk, but more aware of my surroundings.  It's strange, when I'm used to alcohol clouding my head and I usually can't see straight.  I haven't decided yet if lucid drunkennes is for me, but I'm definitely going to buy myself the whole fountain-glasses-spoons set one day and maybe do my own absinthe salon at home!

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Darling Harbour, Sydney

Note: The Australia trip happened several months ago.  This is the second to the last post in this series.


You know how some people attach stories to a particular place?  That's what I try to do now that I've started to get around so much.  I have realised that if I don't have any photos or anything to remind of where I've been, I seem to forget them.  I usually use happy stories, but I've given Darling Harbour a sad one.

If you know Paulo Coelho's book By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept , my story reminded me of that.  I'm not going to go into details, because it's too personal.  However, the lessons are  universal.



By Darling Harbour, I sat down and wept... after I took noisy nightscape photos that I didn't know how to shoot in the first place.



Life is like a river.  No matter how hard you try to keep things from changing, they will.  And life will change you -- in little ways that you'd hardly notice or in such a big way that you'd hardly recognise yourself.  Darling Harbour is definitely not a river, but any body of water is ever-changing, and this reminds me of that.




Hold on to your insecurities and wallow in your miseries, but only for a short while.  There is always something to be thankful for, no matter how small.  Cherish them and let them inspire you.




If you're lonely, you can find love anywhere -- you just have know where to look.  <3




Nothing is certain in life.  Know that what you have now may be taken away from you at any given time.  Make the most of them.



Have dreams -- at least one.  That is the beacon of light that you will need to guide you through this crazy world.

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Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour

Note:  The Australia trip happened several months ago.


If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I'd say that I really had no idea why I decided to go on a trip to Sydney.  It seemed like a very expensive spur-of-the-moment decision (although wanting to see U2 so badly convinced me to make that foolish decision).  A friend asked if I wanted to see the place and I said yes after a U2 concert was dangled in front of my face, like a carrot to a horse.  Sheesh. 

If there ever was an award for Lost Soul of 2010, I would have won it hands down.  

Does one ever need a better reason for traveling other than just simply wanting to be in that particular place?  I say, yes and no.  If it involves visas and a large chunk of one's savings, then I guess the answer should be "yes."

For most of the year, I was all over the place -- literally!  If someone asked me if I wanted to go anywhere, I was already there loooong before they'd even finished the sentence.  I felt as if I was flailing about, not knowing where exactly I wanted to be, like some kind of homeless person.







Walking towards the Sydney Opera House along Circular Quay   









Walking towards the sea-facing end of the opera house



You can see the Botanic Gardens from this side



Harbour Bridge






I'd taken moody photos, haven't I? hahahaha


When night has fallen...





 






Looking at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House photos now, they seem very sad to me...






And when I noticed that all three of us were facing the sea, it's given me a profound revelation.  The sea symbolises an unknown future, which is a predicament I had suddenly found myself in.  The thought was overwhelmingly daunting and scary.  I had been traveling to literally escape thinking about it... 

... Or maybe I was simply heartbroken.

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Flying in Style

We all have our lucky days.  The day I flew back home to Manila is one of my luckiest ever.

I was nervous checking in at Heathrow Airport in London, as my luggage is overweight (about 12 damn kilos over).  I was trying to check in 2 suitcases (incidentally, the smaller one was filled with shoes -- no joke!  I'm Filipino and definitely Imeldific to a degree).  For my hand luggage, I hid my netbook in my handbag and my SLR was slung over my shoulder.

But instead of asking me to pay over $400 dollars for the extra kilos in my luggage, the ground staff told me that I could just take my shoe-tcase (suitcase, geddit? lollll I crack myself up), to the cabin with me.  Excellenttttt!  Maybe it was because I was early, or maybe it was because I'm petite and it wouldn't have made a difference weight-wise on the plane, but who the heck cares?  As long as they didn't ask me to pay or take stuff out my luggage, I'm perfectly satisfied.

Imagine my surprise as my plane took off for Hong Kong that my seatmate didn't arrive.  Yay! More room to stretch in during that gruelling 12-hour flight!

As I was walking out of the plane and towards the terminals in Hong Kong airport, several Chinese ground staff were hollering for people taking the next Manila flight.  I then noticed my name printed out on a bulletin board behind them.  I became nervous for a moment, because I'd thought I'm going to be questioned by Immigration or something.  It's a paranoid thought, I know!

Imagine my shock when one of the ladies handed me a new boarding pass which had BUSINESS CLASS stamped on it.

Oh happy day!!! I'd been upgraded!

So how does flying business class feel like?  Let me just show you.



The best thing about it is the privacy and the amazing leg room.  *sigh*  All you can see are your neighbours' feet, though.  Not exactly a pretty sight, but so what, eh?




And your seat may be customised in a myriad of ways through buttons on the bottom right corner of the photo.  I've never seen such a complicated chair in my life!




I guess you'd be too comfortable to even bother looking out the window -- because you can't.




You get proper glasses, napkins and cutlery during mealtimes, unlike the cheap plastic ones you get in economy.





And you can put  your feet up the whole flight.  Blisssss.

The trouble is, the flight from Hong Kong to Manila only takes less than 2 hours -- which is barely enough time to enjoy the whole experience.  Bummer, I know.  I can only wish this happens every time I take a long-haul flight!

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B & B: Birmingham and Ballet Flats

The last time I've been to Birmingham was nearly four years ago.  I think it's the capital city of the Midlands (the middle bit of England).  Unfortunately, I don't know enough about it, except that it has one of the biggest shopping centres I know -- The Bullring.  One goes to Birmingham from my neck of the woods (the West midlands)  to shop and eat --  I, therefore, did both!



One (meaning myself) has to take the train to get there, so my day trip starts off at Rugby train station.




I'll be getting myself on a Virgin (the train, you naughty little thing! hahahaha)


When I arrived at Birmingham, I totally got lost on the way out!  I didn't have a clue where I was, but I saw the Bullring as we pulled into the station and just followed the streets towards that direction.  I went all around the area and called my friend to say I'll be waiting for her at the Starbucks in front of Selfridges.  My friend then tells me I must have a built-in homing device that would take me to any Starbucks wherever I am in the world.  That was hilarious, because it's probably true!!


Was supposed to meet my friend for lunch, so we decided to go for a Pizza Express meal.  Seeing this again is making my mouth water.. 




Just to prove that I was actually there... *snigger*




 
Our day will not be complete without a trip to Starbucks -- the strangely-designed Selfridges department store in the background is a Birmingham landmark.

 My friend's train arrives an hour earlier than mine.  So left to my own devices, I'm very susceptible to impulse shopping.  I hate shopping, but when I'm alone and bored in the shops, I tend to spend all my money!!!

I seem to have a penchant for metallics on that day --



  This is my favourite perfume.  I can't stop smelling myself when I wear this.



I told you I'm addicted to ballet flats! Hahahaha

Crawling out of the rabbit hole

Wow, it's been over 2 months since I've last posted! I've obviously been busy... actually living my life. That's not to say that regular posters don't have a life, just that I had prioritised going out and doing stuff over writing about them here.  I'm ashamed, honest.

But there's no point keeping all the fun to myself, really, being the wonderfully generous person that I am. Hehehe. But playing catch up over everything that has happened to me in the last couple of months would be tedious. So instead, I'll just share what I'm up to in more recent times.

I arrived in England last week and will be staying here for nearly 3 months. Yes, I've become a travel junkie and now I'm nearly bankrupt.

I had to stay up all night before my flight out, because my plane leaves at half 6 in the morning. It was tiring, but seeing the sun rise from my window seat was awesome.

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Can you believe those clouds?!

The photos would've been better if I could get rid of the grotty window marks, but you can't have it all, right?

Getting cheap flight tickets also mean you get cheap seats. But at least I got to save some shopping money.

Unfortunately, my global roaming didn't activate on its own when I landed in Heathrow. Which means I've become incommunido from home for a few days. Sheesh. At least I arrived safely, though.