no fuss, no frills

No frills, no fuss

A Home From Home With Andrei Felix…

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
February 5, 2014

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Minimalist and pragmatic, the home of TV personality Andrei Felix is a stark contrast to the gilded furnishings, stunning arches, and marble glass lobby of the European-inspired Grand Palazzo condominium tower in Eastwood.

The 57-sq.-meter unit Andrei has been living in since 2008 embodies a typical bachelor pad. It has the perfect home entertainment set up for watching basketball games, movies and playing video games, and enough cozy ambiance for an intimate date night.

The unit accommodates only the basic necessities, no frills, no fuss. Not that it was devoid of luxurious trappings, he treasures his collections of shoes, watches, caps, movies, and Marvel action figures.  His pad houses the basics – a couch and a TV in the living room, a bed, a refrigerator, a dining table, and of course, his ever reliable microwave oven.

Photography by Noel Pabalate

“I cook bacon; but using the microwave. Tinatamad na ‘ko mag-luto. Tapos, malapit din naman bahay ng lolo ko, so minsan nagpapaluto ako doon. Or pa deliver or takeout. Kaya love na love ko ang Eastwood, kasi it is very accessible,” Andrei says.

His carefree lifestyle reflects his choices of gadgets, appliances, and furniture. “I only buy what I need,”

His carefree lifestyle reflects his choices of gadgets, appliances, and furniture. “I only buy what I need,” he shares. His furniture pieces are either inherited from their old house (his family is now based in the States) or domestic influences of past relationships.

It’s not surprising then that Andrei, with his angelic and clean-shaven look, is a typical guy. In fact, he relates himself to Hollywood actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character in the movie Don Jon. He quotes his favorite line, “There are only a few things I care about in life, my body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls…”.

Like the character in Don Jon, he says cleaning the mirror with a brush and soap is the only household chore he enjoys doing besides sweeping the floor. “But I wish I also have his (Don Jon) patience na maglinis ng buong bahay,” he says.

He would not need a house helper though. The house keeps up with its owner. He cleans only when there is a visitor (he cleaned his house and shaved his beard before this interview). But nobody minds.

“I am alone in the house, I don’t have visitors every day and nobody sees it in a daily basis. So I don’t need to clean,” he explains with a sheepish grin. Well, previously, his simple abode gets constant tidying thanks to his past relationships, but now that he is currently single, the cleaning part takes a backseat.

So does a home reflect the personality of its owners?

It takes a long conversation to notice that beyond the messy setting, despite the undomesticated set up, (which is typical of any single guy), you’ll find a comfortable home. His dwelling was casual and inviting. The chaos grows on you. Simply put, amid the heaps of unfolded clothes, piled up collection of shoes, and disorganized DVDs and CDs, is a good-natured man living the life and enjoying his space.

He treasures his collections of shoes, watches, caps, movies, and Marvel action figures,

Minimalist and pragmatic

Don’t let food labels fool you!

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
February 4, 2014 (updated)

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The careful scrutiny of the nutritional labels seen on the back of food package is the second best solution to healthy consumption next to eating freshly picked veggies, fruits, and sea food. Apparently though, making sense of the food packages is not as simple as you may think. Do not be fooled for there is an art behind it. Here’s how:

Read the serving size first

“Look at the serving size. This is where a lot of companies get you because you think and look at the label and see that, “Oh this bag of chips only has 40 calories. That’s perfect!” and then you read closer and figure out that it is only for eating two pieces of chips, which is not the way you eat your chips especially when you are in front of the TV,” Millie Davis of Tagaytay’s medi-spa Nurture Wellness Village explains.

Here is another example. A 16 fl oz (473-ml) soda says that it only has 96 calories. But then again, you will see that the serving size is 8 fl oz (240 ml) and the servings per container is 2.0, which means that calories will be doubled if you plan to consume it all.

Analyze the calories

On average, men need 2200 calories per day while women need 1,800. This being said, the next thing to do is look at the calorie content. Look for low calorie and low sugar content food because the sugar goes directly to and stays on your hips—forever, unless you exercise and trim down your calorie and sugar intake.

On artificial ingredients

“The more it looks like a chemistry lesson the more you should avoid it. If you cannot pronounce the ingredients anymore avoid that because it means it is highly processed,” Davies adds.

The order of the ingredients used is in proportion to their amount.

Brown is our best friend

Stay away from white (rice, sugar, bread, pasta etc.) and go for the unrefined and healthier option—brown food.

Imperfectly perfect fruit

Oftentimes, we choose the unblemished fruit thinking that the flawless one is the most nutritious. Think again! Apparently, a perfect fruit may have undergone chemical treatments hence its perfection. “The ugly banana is perfect in its imperfection,” Davis says. So the next time you are at the market, choose the spotted fruit instead because it means that it is organic.

Fats 101

Not all fats are bad for you. We need a small amount of fats because they coat the heart and our blood vessels. Mono and poly unsaturated fats are good; consume them in moderation. The trans fat and saturated fat are the worst enemies! Below is a helpful mnemonic you can memorize:

Why wellness doesn’t suck!

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
February 4, 2014

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Did you know that giving in to your favorite chocolate mousse is okay? But it only becomes healthy and satisfying when you share your favorite dessert with your friend and partner it with water and fruits.

Unfortunately, a whole lot of Filipino food is unhealthy and Americanized, leaning toward the oily, fried, and fatty food choices. In fact, stress and sluggishness, dubbed by experts as the Black Death of the 21st century, may be attributed to one’s food preference. But then again, leading a healthy lifestyle is a conscious effort and choice. It does not mean restricting your diet to mere salad and water and starving yourself from your comfort food. It is all about balance.

Nothing beats a refreshing kale juice mixed with lemon, malunggay, and water. (Photo by Rudy Liwanag)

“Go ahead, eat your sisig, but don’t eat it 100 percent,” health and wellness coach and specialist Catherine Brillantes-Turvill says. Incidentally, she is also the owner of the Nurture Wellness Village, a destination spa in Tagaytay (Pulong Sagingan Brgy. Maitim II West).

The Nurture Wellness Village offers the Work Well Project, which focuses on helping people, especially the young and working class, to live a healthy lifestyle. The project injects hip, fun, and doable activities one can apply at home or in the workplace.

The project banks on the growing cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cancer because of sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy food choices, and tobacco and alcohol abuse. Most of the victims of the NCDs are the working class aged 20 and above. The World Health Organization says that more than nine million of all deaths attributed to NCDs occur before the age of 60 and 90% of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, including the Philippines.

Let’s do the happy dance! (Photo by Rudy Liwanag)

The lush green forest, fresh air, and bucolic setting is perfect for a corporate teambuilding location. (Photo by Rudy Liwanag)

Work Well Project

“We are a hospital in many ways but we advocate more on the prevention. We want to take away the negative notion that health and wellness is baduy (outdated) and for the oldies only,” Turvill says.

The nilaib massage, the Pinoy version of the hot stone massage, uses pouches with sand and herbs to relax the muscles and ease any tension. (Photo by Rudy Liwanag)

Some of the activities one can do when in the village include a five-minute happy dance, which, despite the Tagaytay gentle wind that enveloped our body, made one sweat and pant in a therapeutic way.  Also, the lush garden and scenic view was the perfect setting for a Tai Qi Gong, a traditional Chinese exercise, which improves health by increasing the energy flow through graceful repetitive movements.

For the tired and weary mind and body, the village offers traditional massages and a simple head and shoulder massage, which can be practiced in the office or at home.

Despite the craving for a hot bowl of bulalo to perfectly complement the chill weather, we consciously chose a healthier and organic food fare thanks to the healthy food preparation demo, including the fruit and vegetable juicing. Throw in any favorite fruit and vegetable in a blender, add water, and voila! — a healthy and cheap concoction.

Kale: the super veggie

Among all the fruits and veggies one can juice, kale perhaps is the best option. Kale, dubbed as the wonder veggie, is closely related to cabbage and broccoli. It contains vitamins A, C, E, K, magnesium, calcium, iron, B6, potassium, and omega 3, among others.

Aside from these, the leafy vegetable is also a good anti-oxidant to fight skin problems and a good cancer protection thanks to its organosulfur compound, which is said to reduce the risk of cancer.

Add kale to your diet by injecting it in your malunggay-lemon juice combo or in your favorite soup.

Healthy at home and work

But if you don’t find yourself visiting Tagaytay any time soon, here are some easy-to-do tips for a healthier lifestyle you can apply while at work or home:

• Have a five-minute breathing exercise before going to work

• Bring a healthy baon

• Bring water jug

• Walk or stand up every one hour

• Use the stairs instead of the elevator

• Juice your favorite fruit and vegetable

• Eat in smaller plates

• Only eat when you are hungry

• Control hunger pangs with apple or bubble gum

The Nurture Wellness Village offers team building events, wellness packages, and wedding reception among others. For more information you may visit www.nurture.com.ph.

coffee brews new roles

Coffee brews other roles

8 new home uses for old coffee grounds

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
January 29, 2014

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The “3-in-1” in coffee has seemingly taken a different meaning thanks to the environmental and pragmatic benefits one can gain from the well-loved drink. Did you know that the old and unused coffee grounds turn off the ants and thus shoo them away from your food? Here are other exciting and innovative reasons why you should be buying, drinking and recycling old coffee grounds.  

1. Lightens cellulites and soften skin

Various spa and aesthetic centers are now offering cream-based concoctions made from coffee grounds. Besides its aromatic smell, coffee grounds are good natural exfoliants that when used often lessens cellulites, or those nasty dimples found in thighs, arms and abdomen.

2. Deodorize fridge

Can’t take the smell of your foul fridge? Don’t fret because the old and unused coffee grounds are there to the rescue. Place them inside a small plastic bag and let their natural therapeutic aroma take away the stink in your freezer.

3. Give papers antique look

If you are an old soul who loves collecting and writing vintage love letters, amp up your style by soaking your plain and white bond papers in coffee solution. In no time, your cookie-cutter stationary pad will look personalized. It will smell good too!

4. Soil fertilizer

Coffee grounds are said to add minerals, nutrients and balance the PH level of garden soils. According to the test, “The Starbucks Coffee Compost Test”, published in the Sunset website, the Starbucks coffee grounds improve the soil structure such as the availabilities of phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, and copper.

5. Help eliminate smells of garlic and fish

Just as coffee grounds deodorize our fridge, they also eliminate smells of garlic and fish in our hands.

6. Natural hair dye

If you want to dye your hair light brown, used coffee grounds is the way to go!

7. Hair conditioner

Did you know that coffee makes the hair shiny and soft?

8. Remove wood furniture scratches

Sprinkle coffee grounds on your furniture scratches and let them sit for at least 10 minutes. Watch as your furnishings go from ho-hum to oh wow after wiping the coffee grounds off.

health and hands

Clean hands for good health

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
January 21, 2014

Not washing one’s hands after going to a bath room is synonymous to touching genitals in public, graphic Japanese illustrations show. But unlike the hygiene-savvy Japanese, Filipinos seem to blissfully regret their sanitation.

“We lack the culture of safety. Besides, Filipino hygiene is not internationally-standard,” Department of Health Undersecretary Dr. Teodoro Herbosa says. Most Filipinos hardly wash their hands with soap and water from time to time. He further sites samples of men spitting anywhere and barrio midwives’ lack of hygiene, among others.

It turns out that even hospitals seemingly forgo hand washing, not because of lack of sanitary senses but because of lack of time and opportunity. This is where the recently concluded symposium on hand hygiene and patient safety comes in. Guest speaker and renowned Director of Infection Control Program Professor Diddier Pittet, MD says that every hospital bed and facility must have an alcohol near the patient zone.

According to him, doctors and healthcare workers should practice proper hand hygiene before touching a patient, before doing a procedure, after a procedure, after touching a patient, and after touching the patient’s surroundings.

Where is he coming from? Apparently, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) the failure to perform proper hand hygiene is still considered to be the leading cause of Healthcare Associated Infections (HIA) in both developed and developing countries. In fact, approximately 1.4 million patients get infected in hospitals. Hand hygiene has also been a significant contributor to the spread of multi-drug resistant organisms and other outbreaks in the hospital setting. Samples of HIA are malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and measles. The reduction of the measles outbreak boils down to proper hand hygiene.

Philippines’ Department of Health Undersecretary Dr. Teodoro Herbosa (right) shakes hands with Director of Infection Control Program Professor Diddier Pittet, MD.

ALCOHOL 101

Pittet advocates the use of alcohol especially in hospitals because of its convenience and efficacy. Alcohol in addition, is much accessible and cause lesser skin irritation. He adds that alcohol in gel, foam, or spray type does not matter as long as the anti-bacterial property is high.

“If water and soap are not available use alcohol, but I am not telling you to replace it with alcohol,” Pittet says. What is important is one’s sense of hand hygiene regardless of what he or she prefers to use.

It turns out there are also different kinds of alcohol. Pittet says that alcohol must have a 75% or higher isopropyl concentration and 80% or higher ethyl concentration to be effective.

The problem seemingly boils down on our fluctuating hygiene regimens. Remember the alcogel-keychain that was once dangling on everybody’s bag? That was the fad back on the days. Now is the perfect time to resurrect it.

Herbosa aptly concludes that Filipino cleanliness must root on our conscious change of the system, culture, and behavior.

Oiliness is next to poverty?!

Oiliness is next to poverty! — or not, experts say dewy skin is in

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
January 7, 2014

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Actress Valeen Montenegro gets a dewy look from makeup artist Pong Niu

According to experts, the next beauty trend is the “no-makeup” makeup look, which means well-groomed eyebrows, a hint of blush on and lip color, and a dewy finish. However, for the regular Pinay, the “dewy” look is synonymous to oiliness and ugliness.

“The majority of the Filipinas like the matte finish, which is the opposite of the dewy and glowing look. They think that it is hard to pull the look because they associate oiliness to ugliness. Oiliness is next to poverty!,” renowned makeup artist Pong Niu says in jest.

However, dewy skin is not oily skin. Some women are scared of the dewy and moist look because they have the tendency to end up like they ate a whole lechon and wiped off the excess grease on their faces and lips. But on the contrary, the dewy look means a healthy, radiant, glowing, smooth, and well-moisturized skin.

But the barely-there makeup can only enhance one’s beauty. The true foundation of beauty should begin from having a blemish-free skin just like those of the babies. And it all starts with having the right moisturizer.

THE QUEST FOR THE BEST MOISTURIZER

Moisturizing is one of the basic steps to achieve a flawless and glowing skin. However, not many know it, according to a survey, one out of three Filipinas are not moisturized.  Perhaps, owing to having sensitive skin, women and men would rather not slather products on their face. Furthermore, the dilemma of choosing the best and most effective moisturizer among the crowd gets in the way of having a stunning skin.

Honey, palm oil, shea butter, olive oil, and soy bean are some of the natural face moisturizer.

But if you are on the go, there is one moisturizer in a bottle that works wonders just as the natural and organic ingredients do—Physiogel. Unlike other moisturizers that work temporarily, Physiogel has the revolutionary Derma Membrane Structure (DMS) technology, which resembles the natural building blocks of the skin to effectively repair the skin and prevent the loss of moisture. Furthermore, Physiogel hydrates the skin by copying the natural lipid composition of the skin. The moisture lasts for up to three days even without washing or taking a bath.

Physiogel moisturizers and cleansers are lightweight, mild, and hypoallergenic.

BEAUTY TREND: GOOD SKIN

Aside from the “no-makeup” makeup look, beauty enthusiasts and makeup artists have also set the sensual look for the holiday season trend. The seductive look highlights the cherry lips and bold eyes.

But then again, the best beauty trend that would withstand all seasons is having a flawless and well-moisturized skin.