latte notions

I’ve always been the anxious type. To be vulnerably honest, I tend to worry about so many things and get really nervous each time I imagine the worst case possible. When I was in college, whenever I feel really off, I would go on special trips to Starbucks to get my Matcha fix. Anxiety is there but Matcha surely helped a lot in making me feel a little better. Crazy to think from an instant Matcha Frappe cravings lead to Ceremonial Grade drinking obsession. All thanks to this never ending quarantine gloom that brought the curiosity in me.

The art behind the Matcha tea ceremony really made me intrigued. Trying to focus yourself in the now, whisking the Chasen carefully in a zigzag motion while enjoying every step of the way. It looks fun, but when I tried to recreate the Matcha tea ceremony for the first time, it made me realize how simple some things are but the action you take is the one that could change the outcome. Every whisk and turn is an effect of how you deal with things. If you under whisk, there would be clumps. If you overdo it, it wouldn’t taste the same. The only time you’d know if it’s the right one for you is when you get to finish it and see the result. 

Trying out your luck and finding out which way to go is like immersing yourself in a Tea Ceremony. It takes a good while finding the right tea, the right brand, and the right actions to get to where you would find it taste best. The moment you begin in yourself, is the time you’d be able to choose better decisions so you wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.

For instance, I’ve lost count of the days where I never felt so over and done with. This pandemic ruined a lot of possibilities for me. Having those problems made me yearn for the never-ending desire to wake up from this long overdue nightmare. 

 However, instead of dwelling into the loneliness of living and longing for the unchangeable, I had made terms with the fact that no matter how many times I stress myself over and over, I couldn’t change the truth that there are some things beyond my control. It might seem frustrating but that’s how it is. Being imprisoned with the great “could haves “ wouldn’t help you move on. Our past shouldn’t dictate what our future holds. It’s okay to feel sorry, to apologize, and own up to all your mistakes but we must also learn to deal with it with zero excuses. Forgive yourself for all your imperfections. Instead of dwelling with infinite “what ifs”, just stay strong so you may continue to move forward and change for the better. 

 Realizing that all our flaws shouldn’t just be another sorry but instead, recognizing that we’re already adults, we’re old enough to be held accountable for all that we’ve made. 

 Always remember, “Don’t rush but never settle. Don’t quit but never lose your patience”. Somehow, someday, it will all make sense. If it doesn’t, it isn’t the end yet. Keep on holding, keep on breathing! Life goes on. 

 Happy 2021! Cheers to all imperfect human beings who strive to be better! 🥂

Love always,

Since it’s pandemic, travelling isn’t an option. What better way to learn further is through researching more online! Today, we’ll be trying to learn Nihongo. From my 1 week experience, I get to learn a bit about their culture. I know it isn’t much and I’m still on a long journey towards being able to speak decent phrases, but for now this would do. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t easy.

For instance, learning Korean had made me realize that there’s so much more interesting things other than what we got accustomed to here in the Philippines.

Comparing the similarities and differences make you realize how important it is to learn and immerse in other country’s culture before even considering on booking your roundtrip ticket. At some point you’d find things you might probably never heard of, or even believe some of your discoveries to be undeniably bizarre. It’s like trying different blends of coffee and cigarettes in which it would always seem different depending on where it came from.

Koreans are also known for their iced cafe lattes, Japanese are known for their Americanos. It’s different but a good kind of different where you’d seem to wonder where and how it all started.

Join me as I learn more about different cultures!

Aloha, friends! It has been a while since my last post and I wanna apologize for the inconvenience brought to us by the blackout that happened. Please let me know if you want to find out more about the cafes I featured on my Baguio Vlogs so we can further more talk about it! It would really be a fun topic to chat about since I absolutely love each one on their own.

If you follow me on my instagram, you probably know that I started to become conscious of my surroundings. Meaning, I also try to lessen my trash and began to use metal straw. We also started patronizing safer, more natural products/brands.

(We obviously started switching to natural products from shampoo, conditioner, body scrub to feminine wash)

So when I found out about Human Nature‘s story, I started to love their products even more. They not only use safer, cruelty-free, and more natural ingredients, but they also are giving more jobs to Filipinos, and donating some of their proceeds to Gawad Kalinga.

Basically, you aren’t just helping yourself and the environment. You are also being a great help in eradicating the poverty.

Last Saturday, we took a pledge to Save Our Seas aka SOS! In lieux of saving our environment, we should also help in saving our seas. In our own little way, we can also be part of it!

Just recently they finally launched a sunblock for kids and adults which contains natural ingredients that avoid harmful chemicals such as Oxybenzone, which is an ingredient commonly found in our sunblock that bleaches the coral reefs. 

This sunscreen is perfect for people who always go to beach, pools, and for those who are always outdoors.

(L-R  Sunscreen: for babies and kids, Adults)

In addition, Human Nature also launched their mouth wash, which promises to have 0% Alcohol, and absolutely free from Synthetic Dyes, and SLS/SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate/ Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) which are common ingredients found in Mouth Wash to artificially color the liquid, and make it foamy. 

If you love using mouth wash, I highly recommend this product. It is safer to use because of nicer ingredients without sacrificing the quality. It also doesn’t have artificial coloring which makes the liquid colorless when you pour it.

They also released this Cooling Body Cleanser alongside the Powder Cool feminine wash which are both great for summer!

(Got too, too stoked. Already used the product before taking a pic. Hence, the tiles bg from our bathroom, hehe)

Last but certainly never the least, is this Sunflower body scrub. Also my fave in the newest bunch! Why is that so? I just took a bath this lunch and my body felt smoother, and my stretch marks became lighter. If you are the type of person who dreams of smoother, cleaner skin, then this product is perfect for you!

If you wanna purchase/know more about Human Nature, feel free to message me and I’d be more than willing to assist you!

Every morning, my daily routine consist of mixing my own coffee. Whether it be brewed, 3-in-1, or a teaspoon from heavily-thought packagings of bottled beans from overseas. All of them are different, but in a nice way.

While I was creating my own blend today, I have thought about things. 

Some days, I would get bored waiting, but most days I would enjoy the waiting time for freshly boiled water that would be poured upon my daily mix. I don’t really have a secret recipe, or sorcery ingredient. Just whatever I think feels fine. I also have noticed that every single day, there was a slight difference in how it taste. I often ask myself was it ever like this every time? Perhaps, I could only think of infinite “maybes”.

Different is not always seen negative. Or at least, in my perspective. If you were born to be uncommon, you could always try to embrace your traits and seek for happiness in whatever that makes you feel better. Whether it was that new deep violet shade but everyone tells you that it doesn’t compliment your skin undertone. Or that Large tank top but the people say you must definitely get the Medium. Go, get what you like. Just go with what makes you happy.

One of the things that I realized growing up is this, no matter what you do there would always be someone out there that wouldn’t want you. Instead of spending too much energy dealing with unfavorable gestures, just focus in living your life. It might be difficult but just like most of you, I am also a product of overthinking. I find it uneasy to manage my thoughts and how I react to whatever life is throwing. Although I’m still on a process of improvement, I try to encourage myself everyday.

Admittedly, my life isn’t as astonishing as the The Blend 114 from UCC. Some days it would be kinda okay. But there are these days, where I couldn’t help but wonder why.

Here’s the odd reality, just because someone looks physically fine, doesn’t always mean they are just the way they are. It’s also a little difficult to figure whether we’re right or just assuming things based on what we see on social media. I’m still hoping we could make this world a better place by being a little more kind. It wouldn’t hurt to be nice because you’ll never really know what they’re going through.

Life is getting harder as we age. Problems would never leave us, but we could manage how we react. From there and then, we would meet unfortunate circumstances that would measure our grip. Some days, it is normal to let lose. BUT it would be better to take care of ourselves by prioritizing our mental health rather than always getting a win at everything for our “pride’s sake”. It isn’t just about getting a revenge. It is about focusing on what’s better than minding those annoyances that surround us.

So now, y’all might be rolling your eyes wondering, “wth is The Blend 114 now, Bea?” 

Japanese greentea shop says, it is a coffee with a soft taste and rich flavor. The beans were also made from Brazil and Ecuador.

If you would ask me, I would say it taste mild and the flavor is soft. A little milder than the yellow Maxim’s coffee from South Korea. Both taste interesting, but if you prefer the milder one, I’d say go for UCC. 

Coffee breaks doesn't just exist for no reason. I personally believe it makes us feel so much better. It isn’t just about the craft that our favorite barista, or even our good ol’ homemade brew put us into. It is beyond that.

As a starter, I would like to begin this first post (title) where I got this inspiration from. It’s from the bestselling novel by Sophie Kinsella, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. Except of course, this is about coffee  + so much more.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been into a coffee shop, BUT...

I still remember the first time I’ve smelled the good aromatic buttery scent of my lola’s instant coffee mix from the province. I know it was a cheap coffee, but everytime I smell the same scent, it gives me infinite nostalgia about our modest life back whenever we stay in Bulacan for summer. This is how everything began. When I came to Manila, I have tried different coffee shops but everytime I sip, the flavor and aroma aren’t the ones that stood up the most. You might probably think I’m crazy. Well, this isn’t a Gordon Ramsay blog. But as you can see, the memories stood up the most. Whether it was good or not so, everything somehow, taste better with coffee. 

Growing up, I was also a victim of waiting in the café to kill time kind of gal not until the moment where I was a broke college student where I spent most of my money purchasing iced coffee from McDonald’s or Jollibee. 

Some of the things I had contemplated upon are the underlying moments where we get our fave drinks, and chitchat about anything under the sun with people we are meeting up. I realized from these things, sometimes, the value of the beans are great, don’t get me wrong. BUT the conversations, and or the moments are what we keep on coming for more. Coffee isn’t just an experience. It’s also a flavor that touches our personal soul with every sip. You don’t always have to be with people to enjoy your own drink (though that would be great too, of course!). You don’t also have to spend a lot from your daily allowance (if you can, then that’s great too) to fulfill that cravings. It’s a matter of how you live in the moment. Life isn’t just about the overpriced venti or over iced or even frappucinnos. It’s how you spend it--well.