Cheap Stuff: Pure Beauty Perfect Cleansing Liquid and Pomenegrate Eye Cream

I promised myself I'd review my latest make-up love that I bought at a really cheap price at Watsons. Working girls have to put make-up (aka gunk) on their face every day, and have to remove it every night (unless you want break outs). So we always need a good, cheap make-up remover. I stick to washing my face and using a toner until I found Watson's Pure Beauty Perfect Cleansing Liquid.

The best part about this baby is that it's on sale at 99. I read other reviews out there and this thing was apparently released last year July, and it sold then for up to 400. NOW it's only 99! What sorcery is this?


Now to put it to the test!

Me with some eye and brow make-up.

Just some eyeshadow eyeliner, and brow pencil.

With the cleansing oil all over my face. Just rub it in like it's facial wash.

After rinsing with water.

Did it take out my...

• Light powder make-up (eyeshadow, face powder, powder blush-on)? Yup. Pretty easily.
• Waterproof make-up (waterproof liquid eyeliner, mascara)? Yeah, surprisingly. I'm sure it depends on your brand, but for the usual durgstore brands and for Covergirl, it works. I just rub gently a little at my eyelashes to take the mascara out.
• Lead/pencil make-up (eyebrow liner, pencil eyeliner)? Yes, and pretty easily, as you can see in the pics above. The only difficulty was getting the black liner out of my lower lash line/waterline, but no one simply gets that out easily.

It's pretty effective and is a steal at 99. I only put on light make-up so I'm not one to judge for those gals who put on super-waterproof and stay-proof make-up, but after cleaning my face with this, I used some toner just to be sure and found out that my toner didn't pick up any more make-up after I used this! Already amazing for me. AND there's no sting in my eyes when I used it to remove my eye-make-up! They also have Perfect Cleansing Oil for more stubborn waterproof make-up, and Perfect Cleansing Water for more sensitive skin (which you can use with cotton balls if you're a cotton ball kinda gal).

PROS:
I got it ultra cheap.
Doesn't sting the eyes.
Removes mascara and liquid eyeliner.
Comes with a pump stopper so you don't accidentally spill the product.
You can use it without needing cotton balls. (I hate having to buy cotton balls.)
A lot of product at 190ml.
Skin doesn't feel dry and tight after use. Rather, it feels soft and moisturized.


CONS:
You have to rinse it off with water after using it.

Another baby I got was the Pure Beauty Pomenegrate Eye Cream. It was on sale at buy 1 take 1 for 99. I swear not buying things just when they are released pays off.


It's actually pretty effective! I've used eye products like Garnier eye roll-on to reduce the fugliness of my eyes, and this baby actually does its work. I see the effects every day. And again... ultra cheap.


You don't just have to be a sale junkie. You have to be lucky to get actual good stuff.

Baking 101: Whole Wheat Cream Puffs

When I had a short internship in the commissary of a local restaurant/bakeshop, my job there was mostly about finishing, which included piping pastry cream into thousand of choux pastries for cream puffs. Since then, cream puffs had a special place in my heart. Just about as special as croissants or macarons or cheesecakes are to me. I was telling myself to try baking them at home for a long while now, but never really really tried because they seemed difficult to make.

What part of it seemed difficult? Well, firstly cream puffs seem so complex. Your choux pastry has to be crunchy and browned outside and hollow and soft inside. And secondly, I'm horrible with fillings and icings. I wouldn't hesitate to bake a cake but if you told me to make some buttercream icing I would faint and fail.

But I tried the other day, with some help from my brother. He actually gave me P100 to buy some butter and cream. Yay! <3 Jenro you rawk. It isn't as difficult as I thought it was. I picked up a recipe from joyofbaking.com which you can find here. I'll also post it in this blog post for your convenience.

The only adjustments I did was that I used whole wheat flour instead of normal flour since that's what I have on hand and my sis is into the 'healthy food' thing. What's also great about this recipe is that it barely has any sugar in it.

Whole Wheat Cream Puff with Whipped Cream.
Sorry for poor photo, my bro wasn't there to work his photo magic.

Choux Pastry:

1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour  (I used whole wheat flour in the same amount)

1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, take this out)

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) (57 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup (120 ml) water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Glaze:

1 large egg

Whipped Cream:
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream(double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (NOTE: This says "PURE VANILLA EXTRACT". So please use that. Do not use the vanilla flavoring that we can buy for 5-10 PHP in le palengke. It will seriously ruin the taste of the whipped cream, trust me. Take this out if you don't have a good vanilla extract, or squeeze in some fresh lemon juice instead.)

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar, or to taste

Garnish:

Powdered (Confectioners or icing)sugar

PROCEDURES!

Choux Pastry: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter or spray the pan with a non stick vegetable spray.

In a bowl sift or whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.

Place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. (Make sure that the butter melts before the water boils to reduce the amount of evaporation.) Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until combined. Return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or use a hand mixer, and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough (about a minute). Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and then come together) and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon). Spoon or pipe 12 small mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. With a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the dough with a lightly beaten egg.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Continue to bake for a further 30 to 35minutesor until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry inside. Turn the oven off, poke a couple of holes in each puff and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells completely cool (and dry out). 

They'll keep on expanding and expanding in the oven. I used muffin pans to bake them so they have a uniform shape and aren't messy on a tray.

After they're baked, they look nice with all those little cracks on top that are distinct of choux pastries.

Choux Pastry is sorta hollow inside--that's why it has space inside for all that filling!

 

Whipped Cream: In a large mixing bowl place the whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar and stir to combine. Cover and chill the bowl and whisk in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. When chilled, whip the cream just until stiff peaks form.

To Assemble: Split the pastry shells in half and fill (or pipe) with whipped cream. Place the top half of the pastry shell on the whipped cream and dust with powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar. Leftover Cream Puffs can be stored in the refrigerator.

Makes 12 cream puffs.
Read more:http://joyofbaking.com/CreamPuffs.html#ixzz1r9MuYy2r

Fill them in with the filling of your choice and enjoy.

As I said, I used whole wheat flour and chose to bake these babies in muffin pans so they have a more uniform shape. The butter I used was the Ambassador brand (from President) and it works well with the flour. When I want a good but cheap butter/butter compound I buy that or Queensland. The butter you buy really has an effect on your baked goodies. Ambassador is good because it's unsalted and tastes neutral. Queensland or Magnolia Gold has a salty, savory, butter-spread that you put on your sliced bread taste. The Butterfresh brand has a distinct smell to it. 

The cream you're going to use for the whipped cream matters, too. I only ever use Nestle all-purpose cream, but their premium heavy cream is the best thing I ever used for ganache. But, as with the butter, the taste of your whipped cream will depend on the taste of the cream you use. Buy what you like.

As for the finished product, since I used wheat flour, my bro and I got the impression that this choux pastry will be better fit for a savory filling--like chicken or basil pesto pasta, or something similar. It's texture is great, though, just amazing. The whipped cream was not sweet and it didn't go so well with the whole wheat choux pastry. I'm contemplating cooking some pasta tomorrow to go with the whole wheat whoux pastries. I still prefer putting pastry cream into my cream puffs--like what they do in Dulcinea Restaurant--even if those are absurdly sweet.

Also, I played around with the temperature of my oven for this. I use a small, electrical oven so I always lessen the temperature and cooking time when I bake because if I follow exactly what's on the recipe, I almost always end up with something being burnt. Well, miraculously, nothing burned here. I thought I was burning it, but I found that I wasn't, so maybe I should have stuck to the real temperature, because if I did, I'd get those pretty cracks that choux pastries have on top and a crunchier outside. Will post again if I re-do this.

Have a great day! Feel free to ask or comment here about anything!

Baking 101: Oreo Stuffed Choco Chip Cookies w/ recipe

A few months ago was the 100th anniversary of Oreo, so an Oreo recipe made it to the headlines of Yahoo! News and I just had to try it out. The recipe can be found at Becky Bakes but I'll post it here too for your convenience.

Photo by my amazing brother.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookiesrecipe from the fantabulous Jenny of Picky Palate

2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE cookies.

(Above text is copied from here.)
Sad to say, I'm not in-love with these cookies yet. I love Oreos (especially with milk) but I find this recipe a little too sweet for my tastes. I find that replacing Oreos with Cream-Os work wonderfully, Cream-O isn't too sweet and is a lot less cheaper. Don't bake them too long or they'll be hard; you want a softer cookie here because there's still a cookie inside.

Starbucks Barista Application

Everyone's really here for my misadventures with job-hunting and job interviews. Here's a recent opening that I was called for: A Barista post for Starbucks. How to start with your application? You can start by grabbing one of their application forms in any of their branches (and grabbing a decaf cup of white chocolate mocha too, if you were me).

Here is a sample application form that you can grab in any of their stores. I got mine from SM Calamba. Click on the image to enlarge it. DO NOT download it an fill it up and pass it to them. I just posted this so you have an idea of what it looks like and what information it's asking for.


You can fill this up and submit it to the manager on duty. But if you're tech-savvy and prefer the internet to do things for you, just send a resume to the e-mail address provided in the brochure: 


people@rustancoffee.ph


You can also click on the link provided in their Facebook profile. For your convenience, you can also just click the link here.


If you get called for an initial interview, you'll be asked to go to their office at the first floor of Urban Building, located beside SM Cyber Two (which is beside the MRT Buendia Station.) Just hop on the MRT and you won't get lost. It's a group interview, so don't be shy and bring your game. If you make it through the first stage, they'll give you a "hooray you made it! Congratulations!" letter. Good luck!

Dirt Cheap Outfit Breakdown #1

You're a babe on budget like I am. Yeah, you probably are. I find clothes to be something I don't splurge on. I actually more likely see my money vanishing into thin air via buying pastries rather than via seeing the perfect fit shoe or skirt. If I see an article of clothing I LOVE but is otherwise expensive, I can always go Adele on it and say "never mind; I'll find someone like you" to the thing. So something wonderful but cheap will always be a treasure for me, or any college babe on budget.


This week I'm sharing the outfit that I wore to a recent event.

It's all retro-vintage-ish babe for me. Never mind that the event was a business/corporate event where people were in formal wear. The top part is made up of a sleeveless shirt underneath the red polka-dot shirt. They're from our family's new business line of clothing which will be out soon! I can tell you they're dirt cheap at P99 and of good quality. The skirt is garterized with yellow floral prints, something you can get in le tiangge for around 120 PHP. I also put on my trusty black stockings and black school shoes flats. The item around my neck is actually a timepiece on a bronze/copper guitar pendant. You can find a lot of cool timepieces like it in Quiapo starting at around 50 PHP.


My sis just pulled my hair up into a high pony. I call it "Marisa" hair, since it reminds me of a character from a video game who also has a high-pony.

As for make-up, I swear by my favorite Dream Girl BB Cream (Now P194 but only P124 when I bought it a year ago!). Then I put on some San-San Age Defying blush (P60) and San-San Eyebrow Pencil (P35). And then I use some black Ever Bilena Stargazer Eyeliner (P45). Of course I also use some CoverGirl Lashblast and some Marks & Spencer Lip Butter, but I didn't buy them myself, I don't think I ever will, they are bloody expensive and they are just the benefits of getting your heart broken your mom ends up buying you awesome stuff.


Ciao!

Broke Girl Cheap Stuff: NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose

If you want a cheap but quality imported brand, then you should know NYX from the US. While they don't have a shop here in the Philippines YET, many online sellers carry their stuff and you can also find them in make-up bazaars, like my sis did when she went to the last SuperSale Bazaar (and didn't bring me along!). I told her to try out NYX, so she came back home with NYX lippies in Indian Pink and Tea Rose.

On Left: Indian Pink

On Right: Tea Rose

Background c/o my awesome new Iced cookbook.

Plain lips with nothing on them.

With Tea Rose Lipstick.

Tea Rose is a very subtle shade, slightly pinkish in pictures but warmer looking IRL. The lipstick glides on so smoothly it reminds me of lip butter, but it's staying power isn't commendable--you have to reapply it after two hours or so. But these lippies are cheap, cheap, cheap, and they're good quality enough for their price. What you really want from NYX is that they have hundreds of colors to choose from--you can't not find your own personal lipstick shade fave!

Tea Rose is a good everyday lipstick, natural-looking enough for everyday life. I can't wait to try other shades! The Indian Pink shade is for my sister to review.

My sister bought there lippies for P120 from the online seller here when they were at the bazaar. I realize they're being sold at P140 each if you order online, so if you want a cheaper option, try here, where you can get if for as low as P100 each. If you're from the US, I hear these lipsticks go for 1USD each! Must ask for some from my dad!

Our Favorite Resort: Doña Jovita Resort

Recent pictures from our Doña Jovita trip go here.


If you want a to go on a summer vacation where you can swim in either cool water or hot spring-waters, be one with nature and go on a hike, and have a lot of wonderful photos, you have to go to Doña Jovita in Laguna. It's our favorite getaway, easy to reach if you live in Calamba (like I do), and fairly inexpensive--you get the quality for your money. Recently they have also improved their site to be able to accommodate weddings and such. My family and relatives have been going to Doña Jovita for almost seven (?!) years now. We make it a habit to drop by once a year.


TIP: If you want a peaceful, quiet atmosphere, don't go there at April or May. Be a boss like me and my aunt and go there on February, or early March. We were, literally, save for the staff, the only people in the resort.


How to get there:
From Calamba, ride a jeep that will go to UP Los Banos. Say Dona Jovita and you're set. Tell the driver to drop you off.

Doña Jovita has 6 or 7 pools--some are cold water, and some are 'hot spring' water. (And there are various 'mini pools' and jacuzzi-like pools, too!) It's good because when the weather is cold you can choose to jump into a pool of hot water instead. (I prefer hot water myself)

This one is a 'mini-pool' against a stone wall. They have water running down the wall too, to make it look like a waterfall.

More scenes and pictures from Jovita:

If you're looking for pretty rocks and greenery, this resort has it.

Beside one of the pools. This one is has hot water, and is my favorite among all their pools.

You can hike up these steps on a hill quite a distance from the resort to reach a "grotto".

Many years ago, we slept over at this resort, renting one of their awesome cottages that will remind you so much of nature. Of course, we brought our own food, too!

Me and le aunt got hungry after all the swimming and waddling around and the sunbathing, so we ordered some food from the resort restaurant and asked it to be served to our table (which was conveniently one step away from the pool. We moved it there because no one else was around anyway. -_-)

The order was for some Pancit Bihon. It tasted home-made and good, not like those ridiculous instant things. With that being said, you'll also have to wait quite a while for the order to arrive. Later my aunt also ordered some cappuccino, which she remarked was good, but half the cup was just foam. Haha. XD

I highly encourage everyone to visit Dona Jovita. And I'm not even getting paid to do this. It's a beautiful place where you can swim in whatever water you prefer, hot or cold, and be one with nature as well, and take a lot of amazing photos!

And here is a picture of me sunbathing in a bikini:

No, I'm just kidding. XD

Click Here to See Dona Jovita's Facebook page and More Pics

Great Find: 'Iced' on Sale

You know it's your day when you go shopping for innocent things like lemons and then you come back from the grocery trip with a thick book that you got for P75 instead of P429.50. I got the book "Iced" which is a collection of around 180 ice cream recipes, from traditional vanilla ice cream, to Italian gelato, to more exotic recipes like wasabi ice cream and even our own 'halo-halo'.


The great thing is that these recipes don't exactly require that you have an ice cream maker! If you didn't know, you can make homemade ice cream without the machine. The book touches up on that, too, and I'll quote it here. Another good thing is that the ingredients here aren't uber rare, and that the measurements are written in grams and their cup equivalents. Couldn't anything be more convenient?

It was only 75 and it was pretty thick and heavy. And so many beautiful pictures!

Cappuccino ice cream cakes! Awesome. I want to try this out. They have a recipe for the cake and the ice cream.

Anyway, for those curious about homemade ice cream without needing an ice-cream maker, I quote the book:

If you don't own a machine, good ice cream can still be made. Put the chilled ice cream base into a large metal bowl that allows for room for expansion and freeze for about an hour and a half, or until the edges start to freeze. Using a wire whisk, or electric beaters set to slow speed, whisk the mixture to break up crystals and also aerate the mixture--these two processes are what a machine does mechanically and they are responsible for the soft, scoopable texture of the ice cream. Repeat this procedure at least twice more, freezing the ice cream for an hour and a half between beatings.

Each recipe had an instruction for what to do when you have an ice-cream maker, and for when you don't. This is a great book indeed. Will start making some homemade ice cream soon and will share them here when you do this. 

When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Lemon Bars

Last Sunday I made Lemon Bars by request of my brother. He now declares them his 'favorite'. He loves desserts that have a touch of fruit in them--his other favorite, so far, are my mango bars, and anything with strawberry in them.


To bake, I used a recipe from Joyofbaking.com which uses easily accessible ingredients and is very easy to make. Here is the resulting product:

Photo editing care of my brother. He loves them so much he did this for me! :3

I didn't garnish them with the powdered sugar, so they look a little different from the ones at joyofbaking.com but they taste wonderful! It's tart and tangy, and just right. The lemon flavor and smell really comes through. I can't wait to make more!

Everything you need for this recipe can be right at your own home, and for Filipinos who don't store lemons at their homes, lemons are around P50 for three pieces at Puregold. For this recipe, you'd only need 2 lemons anyway. I'll quote something from joyofbaking.com about buying lemons:

When choosing lemons look for ones that are fragrant with brightly colored oily yellow skins. The best ones are firm, plump, and heavy for their size. Don't buy lemons that have blemishes, soft spots, or are hard and wrinkled. 

Read more:http://joyofbaking.com/LemonCurd.html#ixzz1oLODBfGK

It's important to use fresh lemons instead of imitation lemon juices--fresh is best. With that being said, I can't wait to buy fresh vanilla someday.I also can't wait to make lemon ice cream. :3


xoxo
Xarin


PS: While making these, my brother helped me with squeezing the juices from the lemons. And then he asked me, "Why do fanfictions say 'lemon'? What does lemon in fanfic mean?" I told him, "Smut." And so he laughed and said, "Ooh, we're making smutty bars! Yum. They taste smutty."

All Things Starbucks Here

All things Starbucks-related go here.


I don't frequent Starbucks because we all know it's pretty expensive for a middle-class student. If I want coffee or hot choco, I'll always go to cheaper alternatives, like McDonalds' (they have awesome hot choco) or Country Style (where you can get a cup of brewed coffee + free refill for only P40). And besides, my last experience drinking a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks ended up in me getting palpitations.


But I met friends who worked there, and also, my aunt loves going there, and so we would always cap our mall trips this vacation season with going to Starbucks to get some coffee or tea for her, hot choco for me. It was almost a once-a-day ritual during our stay at Calamba, where we were in SM Calamba almost every day.

9:45 AM , at Starbucks SM Calamba. Just got off the bus and was so hungry I just dove into everything, forgetting to take a picture. Fail.

I always order their Hot Choco. I prefer the Classic one as opposed to the Signature one.

White Chocolate Mocha Latté. Decaf. Yummy. I should order all my coffee decaf from now on. It's sweet and light, oozing with the white choco flavor.

Le Aunt Merle enjoying her Mocha Latté.

The staff at the store in Calamba were also very nice, open, and smiling, good to you even when you asked them ridiculous questions. Save for one woman who was upset over something and yelling at the other employees. My friends who worked at Starbucks would be angry to hear that. They always told me everyone in Starbucks stores are nice, from the Barista to the Managers. Meh.

Cheers to the Starbucks SM Calamba store for putting up with us. From Jakilyn Chipeco. 

Cakes at Chocolat

Went out with my cousin and my aunt to window shop at Mall of Asia--bad idea when we were there and it was packed  with people because of the fireworks competition that was going to happen later that night. You'd barely enjoy window shopping when you'd bump into someone in an attempt to just walk. We walked around hoping to find something good but then just gave up and decided to eat something. My cousin wanted to eat cake and so we ended up eating that at Chocolat. The place was packed and we barely had anywhere to sit. When that was resolved, though, we ordered our cakes.

I had the Chocolate Caramel cake (P82) with some ice cold chocolate drink

My cousin Kiss had the Chocolate Hazelnut cake (P88)

My aunt had a cup of cappuccino.

Kiss and I taking a pic together before eating.

Chocolat seems to make their cakes in the same area, because there are staff making cakes by the counters and icing them as we ate. The cake slices are priced at around P80-P120, which is the price range you'd expect for cake slices in other cake shops and bakeries too.

The cake tasted good enough. The cake was moist and the chocolate flavor not too sweet; just right. Its a bit filling after a slice or two. I like it but it doesn't haunt me and make me want to immediately buy another one. Maybe next time I'll try another flavor? Red Ribbon still has my favorite cakes.

Revisiting Intramuros

My aunt and I walked around a place both dear to our hearts recently--Intramuros. We grew up here. She grew up here in her youth and I did, too, for almost ten years of my life. Every now and then we take it upon ourselves to go back to where we all originally were from. We love seeing the changes, the improvements, and the things that haven't changed at all.
One big change that wasn't there four years ago when I still frequented Intramuros because of studying there was The Bayleaf Hotel.

The Bayleaf is associated with Lyceum of the Philippines University, where I studied for a good two years, too. The school, by the way, is nice--you have great facilities but not so stressful studies, and LPU has a good name that you'd want on your CV. But that doesn't save you from crappy teachers. You'll still have them. Maybe more of them in a school like this than in a smaller school.


It seems that they accept job applicantions too, but I doubt you'd have a good chance if you weren't a graduate of LPU yourself.


All this stuff really reminds me of a long-buried-should-be-dead-desire to finish my studies in a decent school.

Max's Resto Day 3 Interview

Is this real? Is this a fantasy? The final interview for Max's Resto finally arrived after what seems like an eternity of interviews. After exams and the three interviews, the final one has finally arrived. We were told to be there by 3PM, but interview only started at what? 4:15PM? Whiled the time away by sketching, thinking of food, and chatting with the other applicants. There were only around twenty of us now and we were pretty familiar with each other, so it was a cool atmosphere and even got pretty noisy at some point. It was cool how we were all rooting for each other, despite that we were all practically fighting over who gets the job here.


At around 6PM I got interviewed since they started interviewing the supervisors/managers/kitchen applicants first and the dining area applicants later. The chinese franchise owner in Valenzuela, with his wife, was doing the interviews.


When it was my turn to be interviewed, it was pretty laughable because the interviewer was asking me why I was applying for waitress when my experiences were more solid in the kitchen area. I almost facepalmed laughing. He made a good guess and asked me if I wanted to be a waitress or if someone just put me there. I laughed a little and told him that the previous interviewers at Max's told me that I'll only be considered for waitress and that was all I was qualified for (despite their advertisements saying otherwise). I laughed at the irony of it all as we talked about food and cupcakes and good practice in the kitchen. The lady interviewer (the chinese guy's wife?) told me that I shouldn't show interviewers my hands because they're one thing that make interviewers doubt that I actually cook, they don't look like they're suited for work. That realization hit me just then.


Just be yourself with these Chinese entrepreneurs. They're pretty cool. I went to SM North EDSA, my fave shopping spot, after the interview to get some sandwich and then go home.

Mark's & Spencer Swiss Chocolate Reviews

My sister brought home Swiss Chocolates last January for us to taste test, and it's about time I reviewed the stuff I ate, and I figured it's timely because Single Awareness Day (aka Valentine's) just passed and we're all, hopefully, eating chocolates. My sis already did a post on this which you can read on her blog. She has more photos, too.

Here are the chocolates included in the Mark's and Spencer Swiss Chocolate box:

Picture too big for my lay-out, pardon the resize

I didn't get to taste everything, but from the stuff I tasted, my top three is Sienna, Noblesse, and Arabia. I'm a fan of strong flavors and the coffee flavor of Arabia just does it for me. Sienna is a more subtle chocolate with pistachio filling, and is not too sweet but not too bitter. Noblesse is my top favorite among all of them, simply because it has a whole hazelnut inside and the caramel and cream filling is done to perfection.


You can grab these goodies at Mark's and Spencer shops near you.

Eating at Impressca

To make the most out of my trip to my second interview for Max's Resto, I decided to stop by SM North EDSA (one of my fave shopping places) and do a little window shopping, and looking around for good foodstuffs. The Block is one of my fave places to try out foods, because they have restaurants and small food carts and kiosks that you won't find anywhere else. It was around 5PM so I wanted to get a light before-dinner snack. I wanted a sandwich. Sandwiches are my fave things to eat. I debated over going to one of my favorite sandwich places, The Sandwich Guy (2nd floor of The Block) or trying out something new. I walked around The Block some more and saw Impressca. They were supposed to be mostly a salad place, but heck, they had sandwiches. Ordering sandwiches from a salad place could be a good idea if it meant they were using better veggies.

Located at 4th floor of The Block

I ordered their Chicken Salad Panini (or something like that) which cost P85 and came with free iced tea or coffee, your choice.

This is what I got. Exactly what I was expecting because it was only P85, after all.

Upon closer inspection.

Tasted the sandwich and it tasted like I could've made it myself, at home. And it's never good to buy something that you can make yourself at home. The only redeeming factor of this is that the white onions were so good, but that's only because I'm a white onion person and love eating them.

The brewed coffee is simply brewed coffee; a little less strong than most brewed coffee out there though.

Will I recommend this place? No. Will I eat here again? No. If you're craving sandwiches and burger like I usually do and you're at The Block, you'll get a satisfactory HBLT sandwich at The Sandwich Guy for nearly the same price (P88) or you can choose from a wide variety of burgers at Slammer Burgers for P85, or you can be like me and prefer to add a few pesos and go to Country Style and just order a Triple Decker Sandwich (P130) which already comes with iced tea.

Day 2 Max's Restaurant Interview

It's the second day of my now-long leg of interviews for Max's Restaurant.You can read the first part of my interview here. 


Don't you just hate it when you have to come back three or more times for a job (which will only pay you minimum wage and around 6-8k a month)? Max's has to thank God they're a good name in the local industry when it comes to restos, or else this would discourage a lot of applicants. 


And the second day... It's pretty uneventful. Had to sit down with all the other applicants (which are still around 30+ in number) and wait to be called to be interviewed by the owner of the SM Valenzuela franchise of Max's. But while he was interviewing, another lady was interviewing, too, and she is, if I understand correctly, also part of the Max's team. She was doing group interviews, while the owner was doing one-on-one interviews.


Well, we had no idea what was going on with two people interviewing, and pretty soon I got called in for an interview with the lady. Quick questions, basic stuff, the quintessential "tell me something about yourself" jig. She also, interestingly, told me that I'd be considered for the waitress position despite the area manager giving me hopes the other day that I can work for the kitchen, and even suggested I try out for the bar. This is what happens when I put on make-up and try to look nice.


And then she told me to come back on Friday. I'm like, "okay".


...And then, "Whut the hell I just used up P200 for this."


A few of us applicants chattered outside as we were going home, and we were like, "Now I'm thinking thrice if I really want to be employed here."


But no pain, no gain. Sadly.

Should I Study in Culinary School?

I've been debating with myself if whether or not I'm going to enroll in culinary school. Should I enroll in culinary school? How much will it cost me? What school should I enroll in? ...And all those questions. But monetary questions aside, I've also the question if it's practical at all for me to enroll in it or just pursue my degree in HRM, since I'm only a graduate of its associate version, HRS.


Why I DON'T think it's practical to enroll in culinary school


Firstly, if you're looking for local employment, you hardly need a culinary diploma to be hired as a kitchen staff. You'd be amazed of how many cooks and head cooks and head chefs I know that have not studied culinary at all. You'd be amazed how many bakers I know who went abroad and have made a fortune and have not studied in culinary. My ex himself is now a chef in a cruise ship, earning dollars, and he went to the same school that I did, graduated from the same 2-year-course, and never went to culinary.


He's only 24, by the way, and he started working in a fine-dining resto since he was 23, starting out as a dishwasher and then eventually getting promoted for his enthusiasm. Everytime he finished doing the dishes, he'd go make usi with the cooks and chefs and help them with finishing and garnishing and ask around and ask to be taught. It wasn't long before he got promoted to assistant, and then to a full-time cook. He's always a strong, living proof to me that you don't need to have the damn culinary diploma.


You'd be amazed that fine-dining restaurants and some hotels in the Philippines hire kitchen staff that are never culinary graduates. I've interned in a few and worked in them. I was a kitchen hand myself and learned from these men, and while they want to study culinary themselves, there are things I learned from being there and working with them that I know I would never pick up from school.


Whether or not you graduate from a culinary school, you'd still be applying for the same entry-level position as everyone else, the same position open for HRS and HRM graduates, and if they have actual experience in it, they have the upper hand.


If you want to study culinary, first consider if you can get a kitchen-related job that doesn't require you to have that culinary diploma. If you're male and in your twenties, you'd find that there are a lot out there. And try to get into a resto with a good rep--try fine dining. If you can't get into fine dining yet because they prefer workers with experience, try casual dining restos, they're usually more lenient with who they hire, and then move on to fine dining restos. After gaining experience there, you can easily apply for abroad or for cruise ships.


It's a hard climb, but it's been proven possible by countless cooks and chefs that I know.


Why SHOULD you enroll in culinary school, then?


If you're female and still kinda young, like I am, chances are you will hardly be considered for a kitchen-related job by any resto at all and passed over for a male. Sometimes I feel like I want to enroll in culinary school so employers don't belittle me for my gender. In the Philippines, the commercial kitchen is still dominated by males. A few restos and reputable coffee shops will specifically want to hire a female for pantry/cold kitchen positions, but they would want those with more experience. Males have stronger chances of an onward and upward climb without needing a culinary diploma, lucky guys.


There are also lot of things you learn from school, that even seasoned cooks that I know still want to enroll so they could expand their knowledge.


And if you want to major in Baking and Pastry, I'm afraid you might have to study Baking and Pastry arts, because there are hardly any entry-level jobs in that sector of the food industry that don't require skills and experience. I'm a home baker and I can bake, but without that diploma, I will never be qualified to be employed as one.


Why do you want to study in culinary, anyway?


If you're reading this, chances are you're probably thinking of enrolling in culinary, too. Can you tell me why you want to? Is working in the kitchen your dream or goal? Or do you think it's a profitable career?


Let me just tell you these things:


The food industry isn't as glamorous as many people think, or as media makes it out to be. It can be dirty work. If you expect yourself to be a chef immediately after you graduate from culinary, you're in the wrong train of thought. An instructor at MIHCA (or the Magsaysay Culinary school, whatever the acronym stands for) even said something about it. I quote him when he says that their students or potential students shouldn't expect to be immediately chefs. Everyone starts at the beginning, as line cooks, so they train their students to be efficient cooks and be able to handle real problems that happen in the kitchen.


And don't expect to not do any dirty work; we clean up after our own stations and scrub our own pots and pans, and even go to the grocery or wet market to shop for ingredients. If you're appalled by the thought of being sweaty, this probably isn't for you.


I suggest everyone think carefully. Try a hand at it before doing anything that cannot be altered (such as paying P200,000 for a few months of culinary school). I always dreamt of being a baker and working in a kitchen ever since I was small, and all I ever saw of it was what I saw on TV and what media made the profession look like. But getting and internship in the kitchen and actually working for a few and knowing others in the same path made me realize that this is a difficult job and it isn't exactly how media portrays it. I suggest you try out being a kitchen hand/helper to see how the real world is, or if you can, apply as an OJT and asked to be put in the kitchen. You get experience, and you make connections, and you can get endorsements from chefs--it's a win situation, and who knows, if you work hard, they might even hire you. If you are friends with a resto manager, ask to help out for a few days in the kitchen if possible, just so you get a view of how it is before you make a big decision.


If your love stays strong even if you see the realities, then you truly know that it's your calling.


As for me, I'll weigh my options some more.