For Homecare Products, #VotePC2019.

It was way back in 2004 when I first became acquainted with the brand 'Personal Collection'. One of my colleagues from my previous job was a registered dealer, and she would often bring brochures and product samples, and encourage us to try their products. I remember how she would wheedle us into buying the toilet bowl cleanser, but I was more interested in lipsticks and body lotions back then.

Recently, I have been reintroduced to Personal Collection and surprise, surprise! The toilet bowl cleanser that my colleague used to promote and sell aggressively is still in existence! Turns out, this was Personal's Collection pioneer product, and is still one of the brand's bestsellers. Talk about steadfast and being able to stand the test of time!

Homecare products from Personal Collection.

Tuff TBC is a toilet bowl cleanser formulated for maximum cleansing and disinfecting. Its Killer Virex Formula guarantees 99.99% percent protection from disease-causing germs and bacteria.
A versatile product, Tuff TBC can also be used in other areas of the bathroom such as the walls, the floor, the shower area, and the sink. It comes in a sleek and innovative bottle, and is available in Lemon and Classic Fresh scents.

Tuff TBC (1 liter), Php 285.

More than 15 years in the business, Personal Collection now has a wider and more impressive range of homecare products. These include laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dishwashing liquids, and insect repellents.

Sof & Mmmmm Concentrated Fabric Conditioner (1 liter), Php 285.
Tuff PLD (800 grams), Php 179.

Tuff PLD is a powder laundry detergent which removes tough stains, restores dingy whites, and protects colors from fading over time. It now comes in the same floral scent as the Sof & Mmmmm Eternity Fabric Conditioner, which makes your clothes smell fresh and fragrant. One other thing that I like about Tuff PLD is how gentle it is on the skin. I used it to handwash my underwear (because I'm old school like that) and thankfully, my hands did not feel itchy afterwards. Now that's tough and gentle at the same time.

Sof & Mmmmm Fabric Conditioner.

On the other hand, the Sof & Mmmmm Fabric Conditioner not only softens fabrics it also protects it from stretching and fading. It reduces wrinkles on clothes, which makes them easier to fold. You can even skip ironing for cotton tees and polyester fabrics. 

Infused with Perfumed Micro Crystals, this fabric conditioner has a long-lasting, luxurious floral fragrance. The scent may seem overpowering at first, but the strong smell becomes gentle when mixed with water and used on clothes. Our clothes smell exceptionally fresh and wonderful after soaking them in Sof & Mmmmm Fabric Conditioner and drying them out in the sun.

Tuff DWL (270 mL0, Php 99.

Now for the kitchen, Personal Collection has the Tuff DWL, the country's 'most powerful direct selling dishwashing liquid brand'.  With its Germex Formula, this product kills 99.9% of germs, takes away the remaining soap from your dishes, and leaves it with a subtle scent of lime. It's quite concentrated, so a small drop goes a long way. It easily cuts through grease, and makes your dishes squeaky clean. Tuff DWL is very economical, which is a come-on for us budget-conscious moms. 

Target Multi-insect Killer (600 mL), Php 329.

Insect issues? Personal Collection also has a solution for that and it's called Target - an aerosol spray that effectively kills both crawling and flying insects. This CFC-free (chlorofluorocarbon) multi-insect killer eliminates insects fast and leaves no offensive, chemical-laden odor in the air, making it the better alternative for asthmatics like me.

So overall, what makes Personal Collection a great choice for homecare products? To put it simply, they're cost-effective, and they get the job done. They're the same traits that make a great leader, aside from being honest, trustworthy, and diligent.

And when you vote tomorrow (because it's Mid-term Elections here in the Philippines), I hope you vote wisely and vote for those who put the people's interests above everything else. You can never, ever go wrong with someone who puts service above self.

To know more about Personal Collection, visit their official pages:
Website: https://www.personalcollection.com.ph/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pcdsiofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcdsiofficial/

My Althea Easter Haul!

For the first time ever, we skipped this year's Easter activities because my son - now in his 'tweens' - insisted that he's too old for bunny ears and painting eggs and stuff like that. So instead of hunting eggs on Easter Sunday, I found myself hunting for (more) K-beauty products at my favorite K-beauty shopping website, Althea. I had a few more Rewards Points in my account anyway, so might as well spend them all before they expire.

My Althea Easter haul (officially my fourth beauty haul from Althea) arrived over the weekend, and here's a glimpse of what I got:

I went hunting last Easter and this is what I got. :)

Petitfee Gold & Snail Hydrogel Eye Patch (Php 420).
Watching K-dramas has never been better ever since I got a Smart TV. And because we're on a school break, I now have more time to binge-watch currently airing and recently concluded K-dramas... and less time for sleep. Lol. Thank goodness for sheet masks and eye patches to help me not look like a sleep-deprived zombie.

Petitfee Gold & Snail Hydrogel Patch.

The Petitfee Gold & Snail Hydrogel Eye Patch is a daily pack for sensitive eyes and wrinkles, which contains gold powder to help with blood circulation for brighter eyes, and snail secretion filtrate to hydrate the skin and reduce puffiness under the eyes. It provides moisture, increases elasticity, and reduces wrinkles around the eye area.

Missha Layer Blurring Primer Pore Cover (Php 290).
Although I really don't have issues when it comes to enlarged, visible pores on my face, I ended up buying the Pore Cover variant of Missha's Layer Blurring Primer line because the other variant (Long Lasting) is taking forever to be restocked on the Althea website.

Missha Layer Blurring Primer Pore Cover.

The Missha Layer Blurring Primer Pore Cover is formulated to even out skin tone and smoothen rough pores, fine lines, and rugged areas on the face. It's infused with sebum-controlling ingredients to keep facial oils at bay and make the skin soft and seamless. It preps the face for makeup by refining the rough texture of the skin and 'blurring out' skin imperfections.

A'pieu Oil Remobong (Php 230).

Even though I've been using makeup and applying them on my face on an almost daily basis for years, I still make mistakes every now and then. When that happens, I usually rely on the Etude House Eraser Show Line Remover Stick to help fix my makeup blunder. 

A'pieu Oil Remobong.

The A'pieu Oil Remobong works the same way. These plush cotton swabs are filled with olive oil to easily and quickly remove any stray makeup while keeping the skin moisturized. They’re gentle on sensitive areas like the eyes and lips, and are easily disposable for convenient, hygienic use.

Innisfree Jelly Cheek in 02 Fresh Peach (Php 470).
Curious about the formulation and still very much obsessed with blushers, I got the Innisfree Jelly Cheek in shade 02 Fresh Peach. A relatively new product (I reckon these blushers were launched early this year), the Innisfree Jelly Cheek is a long-wearing blush with a soft, jelly-like texture. It comes with a mochi-like applicator which helps create that natural flush on your cheeks.

Innisfree Jelly Cheek in 02 Fresh Peach.

Tony Moly Pureness 100 Mask Sheet (Php 40).
My favorite Tony Moly Pureness 100 Mask Sheet is back in stock, yay! I bought the Hyaluronic variant back in February and loved the moisturizing effect on my skin, but nothing compares to the hydration and glowing effect that the Snail variant gives.

Tony Moly Pureness 100 Mask Sheet in Snail.

Did any of these products catch your eye?
You can purchase these at Althea and get a 20% discount on your first order using my referral code. Shipping is free for orders worth Php 999 and above.

7 Best Playstation 4 Games for Kids.

For the longest time, I had been against my husband's idea of buying a gaming console for our son. 'I don't want gaming to affect his studies' and 'we don't need another addictive gadget at home' were my usual reasons for refusal. Yue didn't seem to mind that I wasn't buying his Dad's idea, until he discovered all these 'cool games' (as he puts it) through videos on YouTube. That includes Fortnite, the insanely popular action survival game played by his favorite YouTuber, DanTDM, and most of his friends at school.

Since then, he became hell-bent on having a console, even coaxing his grandmums (my Mum and my aunt) to buy him one - lol. My Mum, who has great negotiation skills, struck a bargain with Yue - if he maintains his 'high honor' status by the end of the school year, she'll buy him a console. Yue did just that and more - he even won first place in Reading Comprehension and got two bronze medals in his first national karate tournament. And with that, Yue finally got what he wanted and what he deserved - his very own Playstation 4.

All smiles! He finally got his reward from Grandma. :)

So what comes next after finally owning a game console? Choosing video games appropriate for my son's age. The games that came with the PS4 Hits Bundle are all rated M (Mature 17+), so it's imperative that I buy new games suitable for my 10-year-old. Although majority of the PS4 titles are geared towards adults, there's also a great deal of kid-friendly games playable on Sony's console. Here are some of them:

Minecraft.
Recommended for age 7+

Minecraft 
One of the most popular games to date, Minecraft is a virtual sandbox that gets your creative juices flowing. The gameplay in Minecraft is whatever the player wants it to be - a world trying to rebuild after a zombie apocalypse, or a kingdom inspired by your favorite bedtime story. Players customize their worlds and the creatures in it and how they choose to interact. There are infinite possibilities, and your only limitation is your imagination.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
Recommended for age 7+

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
This game brings back a lot of childhood memories - after all, Crash Bandicoot was one of the first few games that my sibs and I enjoyed playing on our Playstation 1. Now, our favorite marsupial is back with a remake of his first three adventures - Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot Warped. These classic games from the 90s have been 'modernized' with colorful graphics, streamlined animation, and updated gameplay, but you'll still be hit with a wave of nostalgia as you go through the tricky levels. More often than not, you'll be asking yourself, "How did I go through this when I was a kid?"

Lego Worlds.
Recommended for age 7+.

LEGO Worlds

Like Minecraft, LEGO Worlds allows players to build constructions in a 3D procedurally generated world. Players can create anything and everything one brick at a time, or use large-scale landscaping tools to create vast mountain ranges or tropical islands. It's like building Lego creations without the fear of stepping on actual Lego bricks.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes.
Recommended for age 10+.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes features an original story where players take control of Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine and many other Marvel characters as they unite to stop Loki and a myriad of other Marvel villains from assembling a super-weapon capable of destroying the world. With the entire Marvel universe contained in this Lego-fueled action adventure game, this game guarantees hours of fun for both kids and kids at heart.

Overcooked 2.
Recommended for age 7+.

Overcooked 2

If your kid has a knack for cooking, then Overcooked 2 is the perfect game for your chef-in-the-making. Like the original Gourmet Edition (aka Overcooked 1), this second course is a fun and family-friendly co-op game that requires you to serve as many dishes as you can under time pressure. With new ingredients added and new recipes to choose from, Overcooked 2 guarantees twice the fun and the challenge as the first installment.

Just Dance 2019.
Recommended for all ages.

Just Dance 2019

Work up a sweat and groove to the beat with the latest release of the 'ultimate party game'. Just Dance 2019 comes with 40 hot tracks - from chart-topping hits to family favorites, and even K-pop songs such as Blackpink's 'Ddu-du-ddu-du' and Big Bang's 'Bang Bang Bang'. Players get a more personalized gaming/dancing experience with the latest addition to the Just Dance franchise, as the game learns your dancing habits and suggests songs that you might like. You don't even have to buy a PS Move to play this game - all you need is your smartphone and the Just Dance Controller app and you're good to go!

Hasbro Family Fun Pack.
Recommended for all ages.

Hasbro Family Fun Pack

Family time, fun, laughter, and learning are some of the reasons why board games are important. With the Hasbro Family Fun Pack, classic board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly become more exciting with the 3D experience, and more interactive with new game modes and online PVP options. It's a great way to fire up your competitive streak, get your neurons working, and bond with your family.

You might be wondering why I didn't include Fortnite in this list. In case you're not familiar with it, Fortnite is an online third-person shooter game in which 100 players parachute onto an island, and the last player alive wins. You need to kill the other players to survive, though there isn't much blood and gore in the animation, and the violence is 'cartoon-like'. The game is actually recommended for ages 13 and up so technically, it's not age-appropriate for my son. I only let him play it under my supervision, just to be sure that he doesn't come across weird strangers online.

Fortnite: Endgame, available for a limited time only.

Do your kids play Fortnite, too? What video games do you and your kids play?

Childish Outbursts vs. Crime and Community.

Here in the Philippines, and perhaps just about any other country in the world, the primary function of the police organization is to maintain public order, ensure safety and security, and prevent and investigate crimes. But through the years, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has gone beyond their traditional task of policing and crime control, gearing towards a community and service-oriented policing system. With the help and cooperation of local government units and the community itself, the PNP is slowly but surely reinventing its image to something more congenial and 'people-friendly'.

Police mascot.
Photo credit: Tayo Na, Valenzuela.

But what happens when local executives turn their backs against the police force for seemingly trivial reasons? It's mayhem, of course, with the safety and security of the community, and people's lives at stake. Case in point, this controversy between the police and Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro.

PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde criticized a local chief executive for withdrawing the city government's support to the local police. Albayalde did not drop names, but National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director, Police Major General Guillermo Eleazar confirmed later on that the local official in question was Mayor Teodoro.

Police Major General Guillermo Eleazar and PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde.
Photo credit: Philippine Star.

According to Albayalde, the issue began when the former chief of police in the city was promoted to the next higher rank and moved to a different post. A new chief was then assigned to the city, and the mayor apparently got angry, perhaps thinking that he was kept in the dark while all this was happening.

Under the law, local chief executives have the prerogative to choose the chief of police in their cities or municipalities. However, Albayalde pointed out that there are instances when the PNP has to temporarily assign an acting police chief in their areas if the post has been vacated.

As a result, Albayalde said the mayor withheld assistance funds for the local police, told them not to attend flag-raising rites at the city hall, and went so far as to remove all hotlines of police stations around the city. The PNP chief called these acts 'childish', which is exactly what it is.

PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde.
Photo credit: Philippine Star.

The Mayor is pissed that he was not kept in the loop. I get that - he has jurisdiction over the matter after all, aside from the fact that he is the highest governing body of the city. But to express his anger and retaliate by canceling the gas assistance for police mobiles and cutting off the hotlines in police stations is a little too much.

How are the cops supposed to respond to calls for help when the people can't even get in touch with them? How can you mobilize the cops when their patrol cars are running on empty? Who suffers the consequences of this 'childish' dispute? Certainly not the mayor. Not the police chief. Not the cops. It's the people who will experience negative repercussions for somebody else's actions. It's the people whom the police vow to serve and protect, the people who voted for the local officials, the people for whom the government exists.

In this day and age, the last thing we need are childish outbursts and trivial tantrums from people who should be governing in wisdom.

How to Target Fat By Coolsculpting in a Vancouver Clinic.

We all know that a healthy lifestyle, eating right, getting plenty of good quality sleep, and exercising enough help to maintain a healthy body. Unfortunately, a healthy body doesn’t always translate into the slimmer body that so many of us are really after - particularly as we head further away from our teenage years and gravity starts to have more effect on our life than we would really like. It is about this stage that you might be starting to follow Facebook groups dedicated to liposuction holidays or clever contouring to hide a double chin. One of the relatively new options which is rapidly gaining in popularity might seem straight out of a sci-fi movie, but ‘fat freezing’ is very real, and FDA approved.

Natural and non-surgical.

 What Is CoolSculpting?
Also known as fat freezing, CoolSculpting is a non-surgical method that helps to reduce body fat in specific areas allowing your body to be ‘sculpted’ to the way you want it to look. It is often used in areas like the double chin, muffin top, pot belly and underarm flab, and areas that are difficult to tone even with appropriate exercise and diet. The treatment is available at an approved Vancouver coolsculpting clinic generally under the licensed name of “Cryolipolysis”.

The theory behind the treatment is that fat cells are damaged by cooling, so when low temperatures are applied to areas of the body that have excess fat bulges apoptosis (cell death) occurs, which is where the idea that coolsculpting literally kills fat cells. This isn’t quite accurate, but close enough for most laypeople, however the results may take several months to become noticeable as the fatty tissue layer is reduced.

Adverse Effects
Coolsculpting is obviously not something that you want to try at home. DIY efforts can easily lead to frostbite, if they have any effect at all. Generally, you may notice a little redness, bruising or numbness around the area of the treatment, and a little sensitivity is also normal. However, although this is a relativity new technology initial studies and research undertaken showed no permanent negative results (there has been a reduction in fat tissue of course).

How the coolsculpting process looks like.

But It’s Banned!
Cryolipolysis was briefly forbidden in France in 2011 as part of an overall ban on certain lipolysis techniques. However, that ban was amended to allow for the non-invasive coolsculping technique, as well as certain non-invasive laser and ultrasound options. As long as the procedure does not penetrate the skin, fat freezing techniques are considered to be safe for use in the hands of experienced practitioners. In some areas, qualified surgeons are allowed to use invasive laser techniques, but for most people this is not an extreme they need to head towards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_removal_procedures#Cryolipolysis

What Is the Recovery Time?
When most people think of procedures that target particularly areas to reduce fat, they think of surgical procedures that may take weeks of post-operative care and time off work. With fat freezing it is similar to getting a facial, you have your consultation, schedule your appointment, have your treatment, and head back out again. Although there may be a little tingling or numbness (as indeed there can be with a facial) you shouldn’t be hindered from your normal day to day activities. If you are involved in an activity that is particularly strenuous after treatment talk to your practitioner about any potential concerns or precautions.

It Must Be Pricey
Surprisingly not, considering that generally treatment will take 30 minutes – 1 hour, and obviously pricing will vary depending on your location and the area you are having treated. It is a treatment that is becoming increasingly popular around the world (click here), so although prices vary, so will the quality. Prices will generally start at around $750, but for most people, only one treatment will be required, making it a significantly better investment than surgery or alternative treatments that look at water reduction to give the appearance of fat reduction.