Personal Collection By Christinchen (Online Seller)

Source: One of the forwarded emails I'm sharing..


Carrot + Ginger + Apple - Boost and cleanse our system.


Apple + Cucumber + Celery - Prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and eliminate stomach upset and headache.


Tomato + Carrot + Apple - Improve skin complexion and eliminate bad breath.


Bitter gourd + Apple + Milk - Avoid bad breath and reduce internal body heat.


Orange + Ginger + Cucumber - Improve Skin texture and moisture and reduce body heat.

Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon - To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidney.

Apple + Cucumber + Kiwi - To improve skin complexion.

Pear & Banana - regulates sugar content.

Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango - Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidization .

Honeydew + Grape + Watermelon + Milk - Rich in vitamin C + Vitamin B2 that increase cell activity and str engthen body immunity.

Papaya + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin C, E, Iron. Improve skin complexion and metabolism.

Banana + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin with nutritious and prevent constipation

You can have a complete beauty makeover at home for just a fraction of a buck - everything you need is right in your kitchen!

Expensive face masks, moisturizers and designer shampoos can be replaced by whipping up beauty recipes using simple, inexpensive ingredients like gelatin, eggs, bread crumbs, vinegar and fresh fruits.

"I call my beauty recipes Cosmedibles,"says Riquette, president of Riquette International of Beverly Hills. "You'll look and feel much better knowing you have the equivalent of a 100 dollar wrinkle cream or skin treatment for under a dollar. You'll be a gourmet chef of beauty!"

Sharing to you readers a few beauty recipes from Riquette's International Beauty Secrets..



Wrinkles. Prick three capsules of vitamin E and drain into a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of plain yogurt, one-half teaspoon of both honey and lemon juice and apply to your face with a pastry brush. Leave on for ten minutes, then rinse.

Acne or troubled skin. Believe it or not, kitty litter is pure clay so it makes a wonderful face mask. Just make sure you use the litter before your cat gets to it, she jokes. Put one cup in a blender and grind into a powder. Then mix with water and apply to your face for five minutes, before rinsing off. This is excellent for oily skin, enlarged pores or acne.

Instant eye-lift. Blend one carrot into a pulp and add 1/4 cup castor oil. Refrigerate for an hour and apply. Before application, dot plain castor oil under the eyes. Apply, leave in place for 30 minutes, then rinse.

Instant face-lift. Combine a handful of strawberries, grapes, one-half pear, one-half apple and 1 ounce orange juice in a blender. Then, apply a thin layer of honey to your face and apply the fruit mixture over it with a pastry brush. Leave on 30 minutes, then rinse.

Dark circles. Place potato slices under eyes for a few minutes. Rinse.

Oily hair. Beat one egg white until it's foamy and add to 5 tablespoons plain natural yogurt. Apply to hair with a pastry brush in small sections. Leave in for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Damaged hair. Mash a well-ripened avocado and blend in 1 tablespoon avocado oil and one egg yolk. Apply to hair. Cover with a shower cap and leave on for ten minutes. Rinse well and shampoo first with cool then warm water.

Damaged ends. Beat one egg and 2 tablespoons of whiskey, blending thoroughly. Apply only to the ends. Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Dull hair. Make it shine with 1 cup apple cider vinegar blended with 1 cup distilled water. Use as rinse.

Soften Your Body with Avocado

Take a ripe avocado, remove the pit and skin, and mash it up in a bowl. Slather it all over your body, let it sit for 20 minutes, then rinse off. Your skin will be so soft because avocado is a natural moisturizer.

The biggest complaint that doctors often hear from patients is a lack of energy, or the constant feeling of fatigue. Due to these types of complaints, it really isn’t a surprise that people want to know the best types of vitamins and supplements they can get for energy. All vitamins are ideal for staying healthy, as well as keeping your body performing in top shape.

Among vitamins and supplements, one of the most common for energy is folic acid. Folic acid is a B vitamin that has been proven to increase energy levels. Even though you can look for vitamins that provide energy, it would be in your best interest to find those that can be effective with fighting fatigue as well. There are vitamins, nutrients, and supplements that are great for fighting fatigue and helping the body stay alert.

The vitamin known as NADH is very powerful for energy, although many people aren’t aware of it. People who use vitamins on a regular basis would find themselves very impressed with the boost NADH provides. It is often used with chronic fatigue, although the way it works can be quite complicated indeed. Other vitamins that are great for providing energy include the msm supplement and gingko biloba.

If you happen to be on a blood thinner, such as aspirin, you should always consult with a doctor or other trained specialist before you take gingko biloba, as it is a blood thinning agent. Even though it is considered to be an energy vitamin, if you use it with aspirin it can thin your blood down a bit too much. If you get your blood too thin, it may lead to medical problems later on in life that can prevent you from doing the things you love.

With any vitamin that you take as a source of energy, you should always consult with your doctor. If you have any type of heart or other serious medical condition, you may not be able to take the vitamin you are interested in. For this reason, you should always consult with your doctor and ask for his advice. After a few tests and exams, your doctor will be able to tell you what type of vitamins you should or shouldn’t take.

In the world of vitamins and supplements, there are many alternative sources that you can take for energy. Whether you are a senior citizen looking to do more activities or an athlete looking to get more energy, there are many different vitamins out there that can give you what you need. Before you rush out and explore your options though, you should always consult with your doctor first and see if there are any vitamins you shouldn’t be taking.

When you feel stressed and need to calm down, try listening to this. Feel refreshed after a few minutes!

I'm sharing one of the Filipino songs that stir up my feelings for the Philippines and everything Pinoy (Yes, this Filipino-German loves the Philippines sobra-sobra)

Dakilang lahi
na sa 'yong tangi
pag-ibig ko Inang bayan
Isinumpa ko
O Pilipino gagaling ang sugat
ng iyong nakaraan
Nang pahiran ko
luha ng 'yong puso
ay natayo muli
ang karangalan mo

O ang pag-ibig ko'y sa 'yo
Inang bayan
Ikaw ang s'yang dalangin ko
Sa Diyos kailan pa man
Kuminang na
ang iyong bituin
at sumikat na'ng araw
ang kalayaan mo'y sinisigaw
Ang bukas ay tanging sa'yo nakalaan
Kayumanggi ang kulay mo
Dugo't pawis inalay mo
'di ka na maaapi ngayon o kailanman
Pag-ibig ko'y sa 'yo inang bayan

Dakilang bayan
Kapayapaan
Iyo'y muli nang nakamtan
Tulad noong araw
bago inagaw ang kayamanan mo
Ang 'yong kalayaan
Nang pahiran ko
Luha ng 'yong puso ay natayo muli
ang karangalan mo

O ang pag-ibig ko'y sa 'yo
Inang bayan
Ikaw ang s'yang dalangin ko
Sa Diyos kailan pa man
kuminang na ang iyong bituin
At sumikat na'ng araw
ang kalayaan mo'y sinisigaw
Ang bukas ay tanging sa'yo nakalaan
Kayumanggi ang kulay mo
Dugo't pawis inalay mo
'di ka na maaapi ngayon o kailanman
Pag-ibig ko'y sa 'yo inang bayan

Kahit na gaano kaliit ang tinig ko
Buong lakas akong magtatanggol sa 'yo
Ang bukas ay tanging sa'yo nakalaan
Kayumanggi ang kulay mo
ang buhay ko'y alay sa 'yo
'di ka na maaapi
Ngayon o kailanman
pag-ibig ko'y sa 'yo inang bayan
pag-ibig ko'y sa 'yo inang bayan

This picture makes me happy without gaining an ounce! I just thought of taking this picture when I was getting shutter-happy one afternoon. That's the bottom of a Cadbury box my children received from their aunt, when she came home to the Philippines.

Thank goodness I'm alive and self-declared on the way to better health...

Weeks ago, I actively participated on Facebook though I've had a profile for a year now. I think its' great and even so much better than the leading social network in the Philippines.This thing has connected me with people that I haven't seen in 19 years.

Anyway, an aunt sent me a third party application called, "The True Age Test." I thought it was a psychological quiz which I would later laugh about, so I agreed to participate. It asks questions like how much sleep do I get, has an immediate family member ever had heart surgery/diabetes under the age of 60, how much sleep I get on the average and do I eat breakfast. Well, after I completed the 30 questions, it reported that my "true age" is ooh... 47 years old!!!***...How AWFUL and SCARY!!!!

I was so disturbed, that all I could think to do, is gobble oatmeal everday and stock up on pineapple juice...and catch up on much needed sleep (this I'm doing now)...

How did I get a bad rating?
Because
- I sleep 6 HOURS or less. Believing the lie that if I watch my online business more hours I'll earn more and if I don't all of us here will suffer.

- I don't exercise enough. Just occasionally when my back is on its best. But most of the time I'm just a couch potato or mouse potato

- I am truly overweight with a blood pressure alternating between 140/90 (the new normal) and 120/80. My diet is erratic, either I eat or skip breakfast then later at dinner time I binge. No one can take me away from the table. To make it worse, we eat typical fat, refined.... thanks to my hubby's cooking. ooh-hooh, reminds me what HIS true age will be!

Though 47 is the result, it doesn't mean it's permanent. There is always a BIG room for improvement. At least there are plus points that kept me from getting a result of being 67 years old...

Thanks that I quit smoking more than 5 years ago though I live with a smoker or mingle with a bunch of smokers. Thanks that I'm happily married. Thanks that I enjoy my work and the fruits of my labor. Thanks that I have good friends, thanks more to my blogging friends who keep me company when I'm a mouse potato.

Wish I can copy/paste the code for the True Age Test here, but alas! I can't find it. Guess you'll have to join me on Facebook too! (Click on my sidebar!)

***The result is on my facebook but I cheated on that. The actual result when I first answered was 47 years old ;o)

Watch Riquette Hofstein sharing her beauty recipes.. I personally really like her and she makes everyone laugh too. This video clip is quite old but her beauty tips are sensible given these tight budget times.

This is London. West London.

That is the exact place where I stayed in the UK for five months. When I speak of my UK experience I am quiet about it, I can't say much. I went there too soon at the very wrong time. Anyhoo, I learned a lot there. I lost weight there, that's my blog topic for now

I lost weight there more than I've ever done in my entire life. It wasn't based on the diet alone. It also had to do with walking long stretches daily and of course the demands of my job, which is "miniscule"

I wake up at 6:30 to 7:00 AM (normal lang po yun) and get ready for work. I eat breakfast ( which may be: 1- one small packet of oatmeal mixed with H2O, 2-two slices of toast with margarine, 3-leftover rice with Mcdonald's nugget sauce, 4- a bowl of cornflakes. I think those were the usual choices. And definitely hot tea with milk (English beverage)

Then I walk from Richmond Avenue to the Hillingdon Tube Station. After the commute, I'd walk again from Hammersmith Tube Station to the Skinsense Salon at the Charing Cross Hospital where I work as receptionist.

Lunch, it would then be.. either 1. 2 slices of toast (3 if I'm lucky), or rice with McDonald's ketchup... or if occasionally I can't bear no longer, I'd go up to the 5th floor of Charing X Hospital and grab lunch worth 2 pounds ( that's worth Php200.00 to me)

After work, between 6:30 to 7:00 PM, I'd walk again from CXH to Hammersmith Tube Station ( which isn't THAT far). After the commute I'd get off at the Hillingdon Tube Station and walk again from there - from Long Lane Ave to Windsor Ave to Richmond Ave (all that would take 4 minutes by bus ride, 30 minutes walk for me)

Then for dinner, ahh, this is the good part... because during Mondays and Wednesdays, may kanin, yeheyy! On the other evenings, whatever will be the fancy na lang of my employer/housemate. Kaya masasabi ko iba talaga and Pinoy basta may kanin ok lang ang buhay

Why ganun? My fault is basically I'm kuripot, that's how my mind works when it comes to the British pound-to-Philippine peso conversion rate.

To conclude, I lost a lot of weight just as Fay Weldon's character Ruth (The Life and Loves of a She-Devil) said when asked by Mr. Ghengis, and I quote, "... you have got thin, haven't you! How did you do that?" "By keeping away from men" said Ruth.

Aiiyks, size 12 is not fat! size 14 is not fat either!

Hoping I can diet that way again.Kasi ngayon my diet is SEE FOOD diet : SEE food, EAT food.

Enjoy life na lang po!