#lattenotions

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.

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.

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!

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!