Foodie Goodie | Salmon Rice Bowl.

Lent officially began two days ago (March 5), on Ash Wednesday. For Catholics, this means forty days of penance which includes abstinence from eating meat on Fridays during that period. And with that, my no-meat Friday begins today, with this fish dish that we'll be having for lunch.

Salmon Rice Bowl

Ingredients:
Long-grained rice, cooked
4 pcs skinless salmon fillets
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced
3 teaspoons sugar
1 piece red chili, chopped
8 whole garlic cloves
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 kirby cucumbers, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Procedure:
1. Using a mortar, pound the ginger with the sugar, chili, and chopped garlic to a coarse paste.
2. Transfer the paste to a bowl, stir in with 1/4 cup of water, lime juice, and fish sauce. Add the cucumber.
3. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
4. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the salmon to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
5. Turn the salmon and cook over moderate heat until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes.
6. Mound the rice in bowls.
7. Top with the salmon, garlic cloves and ginger-lime sauce with cucumber strips and serve.

As seen on Food and Wine. Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday. 

Pandora Spring 2014 Collection | Of Flowers and Butterflies.

Flowers begin to blossom and fill the air with their fragrance as Spring comes again with a promise of joy and new beginnings. Butterflies emerge from their cocoons and start to stretch their wings as they flutter from garden to garden, celebrating their new-found beauty. The young girls come out to enjoy the heat of sun as the breeze blows past their lacey dresses. Ah yes, Spring has definitely sprung.

PANDORA’s Spring Collection 2014 celebrates the season with their collection of elegant and classic designs. Pastel shades of  my favorite colors - lavender, pink, purple, and blue - bring life and a touch of femininity to the intricate pieces of this season. The collection features figures such as silver dangle butterflies with cubic zirconia, silver daisies with white enamel and butterfly charms with Murano glass, keeping up with the growing botanical trend. PANDORA also continues the success of their pavé charms with lavender and pink pavé balls.

The intricate silver butterflies perched on pastel-hued cubic zirconia
reimagines that of butterflies on blossomed flowers on spring.

With the timeless and intricate designs that come with the adorned charms and jewelry that PANDORA’s Spring Collection 2014 offers, PANDORA invites you to celebrate femininity and delicate elegance this season.

The hues of pinks and lavenders in the cubic zirconia bring a feminine touch
to the popular silver pave' ball charms.

The Pandora spring collection will be available in stores starting March 13, 2014, and can be found at Adora Greenbelt 5, Glorietta 4, Bonifacio High Street Central, Newport Mall at Resorts World Manila, The Podium, Shangri-la Plaza East Wing, Megamall Building D, Elemento in Aura Mall, and Century City Mall (opening March 2014).

Spring has sprung at PANDORA.

ABOUT PANDORA
World-renowned for its high quality and hand-finished jewellery at affordable prices, PANDORA designs, manufactures and markets modern jewellery made from genuine materials. Inspiring women to embrace their individuality and express their personal style, PANDORA’s romantic and feminine jewellery captures the unforgettable moments of life. PANDORA’s unique and detailed designs combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology are sold in more than 70 countries across six continents through approximately 10,000 points of sale, including more than 900 concept stores.

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, PANDORA is publicly listed on the NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen stock exchange. For more information, please visit www.pandoragroup.com or be inspired at www.pandora.net.

Wordless Wednesday #74 | Spaghetti Monster!

Spotlight | Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.

It's sweltering hot outside, and today's temperature burgeoned to a whopping 32 degrees Celsius. And guess what? It's not even summer yet here in the Philippines. At least that's what the weather station said on the news.

And with this kind of weather - scorching heat and all - I'm wearing less makeup and more sunscreen. These days, it's just CC Cream and concealer on my face, plus eyeliner and mascara, a bit of blush, and some light lip color. Oh yes, the eyebrows. I groom my eyebrows, too.

Speaking of blush, this Cristal Blusher from Tony Moly is my current favorite. Yes, it's spelled Cristal. With an I.

Tony Moly Cristal Blusher.

This blush was one of the gifts that I received from Tony Moly Philippines last Christmas, and I'm glad that they sent me such a lovely shade. This one is #3 Pleasure Peach. It comes in a transparent, glass-like case that allows for easy shade reference.

#3 Pleasure Peach.

Pink-based with a hint of orange, this shade gives your cheeks a natural flush and gives your complexion a quick boost.

Crystal imprints on the blush. :) 

The blush has very fine shimmers in it - so fine that they're hardly noticeable. And once applied on the face, the finish is actually matte.

Very fine shimmers.

Color is buildable, although you might need to swipe it a few times for the color to really pop.

Matte finish.

Staying power is pretty good, too - at least six hours on a hot and humid day like today. 

Pleasure Peach on my cheeks. :)

And the best part? They sell for only Php 298 (about $6) a pan, with ten different shades to choose from.

Ten shades to choose from!

What I love:

- Easy to apply.

- Transparent, glass-like packaging.

- Crystal imprints on the blush.

- Peach shade is complementary to most skin tones.

- Gives the cheeks a natural flush.

- Buildable color.

- Matte finish.

- Different shades to choose from.

- Affordable price.

What you might not like:

- It doesn't come with a brush, which I personally don't mind. I'd prefer to have more of the blush than the brush. :)

Products Used:
FACE: Tony Moly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream,
Missha Under Eye Brightener.
EYES: Ever Bilena Eye Brow Pencil in Brown,
Tony Moly Lovely Eyeliner Pencil in True Black,
Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.
LIPS: Double Hit Lip in Red Alert.

Have you tried the Cristal Blusher? What's your shade of choice? :)

Could happiness be just the thing to put a spring in the elderly’s step?

If you ask anyone of any age what they really want from life, the answer is likely to be 'happiness'.

And it seems that many Brits are well on their way to achieving this blissful state with recent research from the Office for National Statistics revealing that the average Brit rated their life satisfaction at 7.3 out of 10. This puts Britain in eighth place as the happiest place to live in the ranking of 27 countries in the European Union and also places it ahead of countries such as France, Germany and Italy.

Oxford Street in London.

The state of happiness is associated with a number of benefits for overall health and well-being, including helping to guard against conditions such as heart disease.

And the good news is that the benefits that happiness can provide aren’t limited to one particular age group. In fact scientists believe that being happy could be the key to staying healthy in your latter years.

Researchers at the University College of London have found that those people that enjoy life end up being happier and more physically active when they get older. Conversely those who were unhappy were at risk of a whole host of health and mobility issues. This group were also twice as likely to end up suffering more serious conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and arthritis.

The study of 3,200 people over the age of 60 found that happy pensioners didn’t have as much trouble carrying out daily tasks, such as getting out of bed, getting dressed or showering. The researchers also found that people that are happier throughout their lives do not decline in physical function as quickly.

Reaching later life
The research offers a ray of hope to those who are looking to take a proactive approach to their health as they age, and indicates that just having a real zest for life could put a spring your step as you enter your twilight years.

Whether you are 15 or 50 years old, it’s never too late to start making changes. Doing something different, such as joining a club, starting a new sport or travelling more could all have a huge impact on your quality of life later on.

Implementing even the smallest of changes whether you are in your 60s, 70s or 80s, such as those outlined by Action for Happiness, could all contribute to a happier, healthier new you – whatever your age. 

Homelift.

Increasing the amount of physical activity you do, as well as enjoying everything that life has to bring could have untold benefits for your well-being. Mobility aids such as home lifts from Stannah, could also help to ensure that you still have the energy to remain active and are able to move around your home freely. 

Ultimately, maintaining a positive attitude, making small changes to your lifestyle and getting the right support for your needs could all help to set you on the path to happiness and independence as you age. You never know, 60 could indeed be the new 30!