Alma Jones

I am so busy that I can’t even sleep on time anymore. I sleep at five in the  morning and wake up before lunch time. I always feel, well, tired and sleepy.

Which brings me to my point: I am looking for writers for hire. Anyone who wants to earn an extra buck can start working for me.

I just hope I find enough writers to cover for all the tasks I have to do. Seriously, there’s just too much on my plate.

In other words, I have to start sharing my blessings! If you want to earn as a writer and need a writing stint, please drop me a message by commenting on this post. Or you may contact me here.

Good luck, to you and to my tired, weary hands! I wish I can have just one day with my hands not clicking away at my computer. And if you can write, please help out poor, tired me, because I will pay you!

Here’s my most recent musc album review for Fensepost. It’s about Ty Segall and his most recent album, Goodbye Bread.

Hope you enjoy the article! And if you need a blogger or a writer for hire, drop me a message and I’ll see what I can do.

Anyway, here’s the writeup for Ty Segall’s Goodbye Bread. Happy reading!

Holly’s Coffee is now in the Philippines! As they say, it’s all about location – and Holly’s Coffee in the Philippines hit jackpot when they set up camp beside De La Salle University in One Archer’s Place, Taft Avenue.

Holly’s Coffee is a new coffee shop franchise, founded in Korea. They boast of a romantic space, with cozy cushioned chairs and tables. They offer the usual coffee options such as caffe americano, cappuccino, and many others, whether on ice or served hot. However, they also offer a few Korean-inspired drinks, such as the Yuza Tea and the Sweet Potato Hollyccino.

Their food options include pastries, cakes, and sandwiches. One of their bestsellers is the Croque Monsieur, a ham and cheese sandwich, which I ordered.

The sandwich was prepared beautifully and sprinkled with herbs. It tasted sweet, but perhaps I have yet to learn to love Korean food. After all, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches were my favorite, but this one did not particularly capture my fancy. Maybe I should try their other sandwiches and find the right match for my taste buds.

Their coffee tastes great, which came as a relief. I was already falling in love with the store’s interiors, so I wanted their food to be something I wanted to come back for. Although the sandwich disappointed me, I am sure I shall find the menu option that would serve as the clincher for me.

Service was okay, especially with their beeping UFO gadgets. These gadgets beep and light up when your order is ready, making it convenient for customers to claim their orders.

I was hoping to get a free mug as promoted on their Facebook page, and I did! The mug is worth PhP220, being offered for free for the first 1000 customers. However, I’m one of the last lucky customers because they have run out of the mugs.

I am also waiting for the store to install their free WiFi. It’s going to be one of the things that coffee shop goers will be looking forward to, I’m sure. The store is laptop-friendly, with outlets available for those who decide to bring in their Macs and netbooks while sipping coffee.

Holly’s Coffee also has a second floor, offering more seats for customers. Sure enough, this new Korean coffee shop is going to be a hit. Holly’s Coffee in Manila should make it to the list of coffee shops to go to – it sure made it in mine.

In the previous post, I have discussed a few tips on how to lose weight for good, like eating breakfast. (Read the rest of the tips on how to lose weight.) Below are more tips on how to lose weight for good.

• When buying groceries, buy healthy options that you love. Buy fruits, vegetables, lean meat. Skip instant noodles and junk food. If you have to, just buy a bag or two. Don’t stock up on unhealthy food. Out of sight, out of mind.

• Do not be afraid of fatty food. Just because something has fat doesn’t mean you must avoid it. Fat makes you feel full as it helps keep hunger pangs at bay. Remember that “fat won’t make you fat” as long as you take it in moderation.

• Remember that extra protein & carbohydrates will also be stored as fat in the body. A lot of people eat too much protein, thinking it’s not going to be converted to body fat. A biochemistry book will show you that ANY source of calories will be converted to body fat if it is not needed by the body.

• Dissociate eating from all other activities. Do you love eating in front of the TV? Don’t. Learn to enjoy your food. Sip slowly... does it taste good? Savor the food... does it melt nicely in your mouth? Eating is a joy in itself. The more you focus on food alone and nothing else, the more you feel satisfied. You will no longer keep wishing for more.

• Skip the softdrinks or iced tea. A can of soda can give you as much as 150 calories – or up to 3 cups of vegetables! If you can’t do without, get the diet variety as they have zero calories.

• Learn how to read nutrition information. Yep, you find them in almost all food packaging. Don’t just look for the calories… the calories indicated there are those for one serving only. For example, the nutrition information in a medium-sized bag of chips shows 170 calories per serving. But that bag has more than 3 servings, so it packs up to 510 calories all in all!

Lastly, if all else fails, ask a doctor to help you. There are so many things outside of surgery that a doctor can offer you. Being overweight is now considered a medical condition; physicians can therefore come up with a treatment plan tailored especially for you.

Being overweight is not simply a problem about looks; it’s also a problem about health. Everyday, millions of people suffer from heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes, all of which are related to being overweight. Just being ten pounds overweight can greatly increase your risk for all the above diseases.

Stroke and heart disease used to be a disease of the old; now, because of the increasing incidence of obesity, more and more young adults have these conditions.

We should fight weight problems. I hear of stories about how other overweight people do not want to lose weight because they “love themselves.” Unfortunately, they are missing the point: it’s not about how they look; it’s about how they are risking their health.

The calculation of BMI and determination of weight problems were not established to provide a compass for outer beauty; they were instituted because beyond a certain range, the risk for heart disease or diabetes or stroke rises steeply.

Aside from weight, waistlines have also been in the limelight. Again, this is not because big waistlines are not pretty; it’s because studies have shown that abdominal girth, more than arm or thigh circumference, is significantly related to your risk for stroke or heart attack. This means that having a big gut will have a greater impact on your health than having big thighs.

In the spirit of fighting obesity, here are more tips to help you in your weight management scheme:

• Download a food exchange list. Study it. Study it like you’re preparing for an exam, because if you pass the test, you lose the weight. Knowing how many calories are in one teaspoon of oil, or remembering how many calories are in one slice of pork, is going to help you lose weight. Hey, it’s worth the effort. You did it to pass highschool; why not do it to get that weight you’ve always wanted?

• Stay away from fast food. Although fast food chains are now showing us healthier choices, the truth is, most of what you’ll want to eat from them are the unhealthy ones. So what if they serve a salad if you’ll still order a double cheeseburger with large fries?

• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables have a lot of fiber, which give bulk to food without packing in calories. In other words, it may look like you’ve eaten a lot, but you’ve only consumed a few calories. A cup of rice can have the same calories as 5 cups of greens! A cup of vegetables has around 50 calories.

• Learn how to cook. Home-cooked food can be a lot healthier than takeout food. You are in control; you know how much oil is in that bowl of soup; you know when to scrimp on mayonnaise or when to give it more. You also get to cook more vegetables in a healthy way, because takeout vegetables are usually stir-fried for convenience.

Click here to know what to buy from the groceries and to read more tips.

Marylin Monroe struck gold; she wasn’t reed-thin but she caused quite a commotion because of her figure. Sadly, nowadays, being curvy doesn’t seem to be as much of a hit. Very few people are happy about their bodies and the pounds of fat that come as “age baggage.”

To cater to weight issues, a lot of diets have sprouted like mushrooms, some of which have been the cause of serious complications like hypoglycemia and metabolic acidosis.

There is no short-cut to a great figure. Crash diets are exactly what they claim to be; you crash after you diet. Right after you shed the extra pounds, you resume your bad habits and ignore the guilt as you reach for another bag of potato chips. This brings us to the all-important question: which diet is the best?

To help you make your own diet plan, here are a few tips. As they are based on studies, not fads, they will help you lose weight effectively without putting your health at risk:

• Eat breakfast. The satiety center, that part in the brain that tells you you’ve had quite enough, responds well to a big breakfast. Despite packing in a lot of calories, a big breakfast makes you eat less the entire day because you won't crave as much. With a protein-packed breakfast, you snack less and eat smaller portions the rest of the day. Studies have shown that once you make this a habit, you lose the weight – and it stays off.

• Find a realistic diet, one you can stick to for life. Crash diets do help you lose weight. But you will regain what pounds you’ve lost, and perhaps even more, once the crash diet ends. Your diet should be capable of sustaining you, not sending you down the road of low blood sugar. Read: it should be a well-balanced diet. Now, there is an undeniably wise tidbit of weight loss.

• Stay on a diet that does not deprive you of what you want. Life is all about happiness. Who cares if you’re slim if you don’t get the pleasure of having a piece of white chocolate melt in your mouth? A good diet should teach you to eat a balanced diet, with allowances for sweets and what-have-you.

• Portions, portions, portions. Yes, a successful diet allows everything – but in moderation. Don’t hesitate to head for the buffet with the sinfully greasy pork rinds but just get a slice or two. It will satisfy your craving without having your caloric intake go overboard.

• Learn to count your calories. Sure, this may take a little effort. Although using neurons everytime you eat your meals may seem unappetizing, remember that you will lose weight when you "think before you eat." Besides, once you get the hang of calorie-counting, you can tailor your diet based on whatever is on the table and you won’t need actual recipe-like diet prescriptions. You get to eat anything. And I mean anything.

• Do not forget your vitamins and minerals. It’s not just about having everything that’s low-fat or low-calorie or sugar-free; it’s also about getting enough vitamins and minerals. Once you get vitamin or mineral deficiencies, you tend to suffer from cravings which may be hard to curb. Having a diet that’s rich in magnesium helps you stay away from chocolate cravings. Enough chromium helps you say no to dessert desires. Lastly, adequate iron helps put a stop to burger fever.

People are genetically equipped to survive droughts and famines; thus, it is rather easy for us to gain weight and slow our metabolism. It is vital for smart & savvy people like you to learn to keep our weights and appetites in check. Thanks to science and research, these tips can help everyone lose the extra pounds the fun and healthy way – and you will lose them for good.

From the previous jump, the definition of important words, such as non-comedogenic and Isobacter Technology, were laid down. (Read the definitions HERE. ) Now, let’s see what L’Oreal Pure Zone Deep Purifying Gel really does for your skin:

• This is a product that works in oil control. And I mean it really works. Just make sure you use an oil-free non-comedogenic moisturizer after you use this L’Oreal wash.
• Since it reduces oil production, it may help in acne control. Remember, oil production is just one factor that may bring about pimples.
• This is not for people with dry skin. This product is so effective in oil control that people with normal or dry skin may end up looking like they belong in a desert.
• You must not leave this product on your skin for a long time. Ten to fifteen seconds is alright, but it may start to sting if you leave it on longer.
• Depending on how oily your skin is, you may use this once in the morning or twice a day (once in the morning, then again before going to bed). Do not overwash your face. Again, overdrying your skin may trigger your skin to produce even more oil.
• Make sure you rinse off this product thouroughly. If you get an afterfeel that makes you think there is still some product left on your skin, then rinse some more.

To sum up, here is my evaluation:

• Oil Control: 5/5
• Acne control: 4/5
• Hypoallergenicity: 0/5
• Honesty in advertisement: 5/5
• Ease of rinsing: 3/5
• Available research: 3/5 (no recent researches not being funded by the company)
• Overall satisfaction: 4/5

I hope this article helps you the next time you go shopping for a facial cleanser and find L’Oreal Pure Zone Deep Purifying Gel. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them!