Do you frequently get headaches? I do. I have this nasty cocktail of headache inducing traits and activities:

• bad eyesight — grade + astigmatism
• blog on the go (while in transit en route to the office or home)
• love reading for hours off a tablet or PC
• off-working hours — my shift’s from 12mn ’til 9am
• travel daily during broad daylight after being enclosed in a dark freezing room

Overtime, I got over acute and frequent pangs. Some say I should be thankful but today, whenever I get a headache, it’s already borderline migraine. I’m usually immobile and nauseous. I tear up so bad and couldn’t possibly think. Can you imagine who wins when headache strikes at work? #wawaface

I’ve tried plenty of OTC medicine over the years and while they work, they usually take forever to take effect or they make me fall asleep. Roughly two years ago, one of my managers from London asked me to try this headache medicine from Bayer called Saridon. It claims to cure headaches as fast as 15 minutes. Begging for the lights to be shut off, I popped a tab of Saridon (versus leading brands where you need to take 2 for immediate effect) and hoped for the best. I timed Saridon and it did live up to its promise: it worked as fast as 15minutes, I didn’t feel sleepy, and I didn’t get a recurring headache the latter part of the day. Instant win! Imagine how giddy I was when I found out that it’s now locally available. :) No need for pabilis abroad!

spot Saridon in my Coco Beach toiletries and 911s

Saridon (Triple Action) is an analgesic specially formulated to treat severe headache in as fast as 15 minutes.Each Saridon tablet contains Paracetamol, Propyphenazone and Caffeine, a unique combination that provides effective and long lasting pain relief.

Generic: Caffeine, Paracetamol, Propyphenazone

Indications: For the relief of mild to severe headaches, relief of pain such as headache, toothache, menstrual discomfort, postoperative and rheumatic pain, and for pain and fever associated with colds and flu.

Recommended Dosage: Adults: 1-2 tablets single dose. Adolescents 12-16 years: 1 tablet single dose. If necessary, 3 doses may be taken within 24 hours.

 

Today, I won’t say I’m addicted to Saridon but let’s just say I don’t leave home without it. It’s also my team’s headache drug of choice whenever the uncalled for happens at work. With numerous service levels to be met on a daily basis, we can’t afford operations to be impaired due to a nasty headache! :)

Going back to my question — do you frequently get headaches? Tell me and answer the questions beneath the cut to win the following:

a versatile Avon Manzinni tote (I love this to bits I got you one too!)

…and a gift pack from our friends from Bayer :)

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Plana FORMA, the newest and most effective workout that hit Manila recently hosted a well attended cocktail party for its VIPs, loyal clients, and the press. Just before dusk hit the Taguig City last July 21, Plana FORMA also introduced its newest ambassador, KC Concepcion.

I know what you’re thinking. KC Concepcion’s face is everywhere. When I saw the rest of her photos from the Plana FORMA site I thought — her equally stunning body deserves to be everywhere too!

For someone who seems to have a massive amount of work on her plate, I have to say that her body says otherwise. Some get too thin, others balloon up. Checkout how well-proportioned her body is!

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BIG truth: I was filled with hope when I accepted the Listerine Total Care Challenge. Hopeful but not too optimistic. I thought that my oral health’s already okay so what can a new mouthwash do to turn things around, right? Boy I was in for a surprise!

We culminated the six week challenge last 09 July (backlog busted!) by getting our post-challenge dental visit at our chosen Villareal Dental Clinic. I must have broken several bones on my hands, crossing my fingers for good results since we’re supposed to publish our charts. I don’t want to be the guinea pig who failed the challenge! LOL

facing the moment of truth

Ready to see the results?

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Apart from looking presentable, my jobs requires me to have fresh breath 24/7. Having bad breath’s always a deal breaker so I make sure that I watch what I eat, never puff a cig, BFR, and gargle after a huge mug of java. :) Without awesome fresh breath, I bet I wouldn’t have the guts to come up to these three masters I absolutely look up to!

Chef Ming Tsai

Bobby Chin

Yuko Yamashita

I’m curious — are you super conscious of your breath being minty fresh too? Spill the beans and let me know how far your fresh breath took you. Share your most memorable experience where fresh breath played a big role in the comment section below and win one out of 2 Listerine Total Care Gift Packs. The winning stories will be selected on Friday, 15 July 2011 and announced the day after. The prizes are available for nationwide shipping via MC Express. Good luck and share those stories ASAP! :)

Listerine challenged me two weeks ago to show you a video of how many Jawbreakers I can break in a minute. I was ready with my props and all but I encountered a very bad sore throat that I was asked to stay off sweets ’til I get my voice back. Now that I’m back on track and ready to shoot, my camera’s low batt naman! Excuses aside, I’d like to share with you the results of this challenge through some snaps. :)

Uhm no. These aren’t marbles. These are candies I need to crush with my teeth.

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Let me share a little secret. Once upon a time, I had big bunny teeth. By big bunny teeth I mean my mother despised it every time I pose for the camera like this:

It’s cute and nutty for a while but naturally, as soon as I hit junior high, it became unwanted. It’s not screaming huge and protruding but it’s just wee big for my face. When I turned 15, I wore (for 3 months) this blue schwartz orthodontic appliance to expand my smile line, got my two front teeth finely and precisely cut, and got 6 brackets on my front teeth to seal the deal. Two more months wearing Invisalign and here’s the result.

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As promised, I will take you to a 6 week journey on how Listerine will help me positively overhaul my oral health. The first challenge is very simple: see the dentist to find out if I have hidden plaque (yikes!).

I went to the Villareal Dental Clinic at the St. Luke’s Medical Center, Global City. Going to their clinic brought butterflies to my stomach because it took me back to second grade when I first saw one of their dentists at their Medical Towers Makati branch. I was then my mom’s dental plan dependent and I always looked forward to Saturdays when she’d bring me to the clinic for a checkup. It would’ve been awesome if their clinic back then had this to keep me entertained (instead of peeking under the swing doors to snoop over the other patients hehe):

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Last March 18, I had a very hearty lunch way up North (that is, for a southern gal like me) at Thaipan. It seemed to me that Thaipan’s an old house that was transformed into a restaurant that burst with a lot of rustic feats and its own flavour of beauty.

photo source

I had 2 rounds of the pomelo salad and chicken satay with peanut sauce because it’s so good. Apart from good food and beautiful ambiance, I must say that I also spent the afternoon talking about beauty, lifestyle, and fitness with of the country’s top billing actors, Iza Calzado.

dress by LUCA, shoes by Charlotte Olympia

I can’t believe I’m saying this but Iza and I have something in common: we’ve hard-battled teenage excess weight. When she was a teenager, she nearly weighed 200 lbs. Me? I was playing 140-15o lbs. In order to shred so much weight before I hit college, I had to monitor everything I eat, drink, and snack on. I also got into field hockey and swimming which definitely made my cardio rounds easier. Iza shares: “I became fit by running, weight training, and occasional dance classes and pilates.  If I have time I’ll try any activity at least once to get a feel of it.” She also tries to have as much vegetables as she could and is currently trying kettlebell (or girya) to further define her figure. Today, Iza spends most of her time working, shooting, taping, recording or rehearsing. We had to ask: how do you find time to squeeze some workout in?

Iza casually answers: “It’s all about finding time to do it, having no excuses whatsoever.” She further explains that having the correct mindset helps a lot. Some people look at the task (working out) as something they can’t do before they even try. She exclaimed “It’s all about the I-can-do-it attitude!”. I couldn’t agree more.

Working very long hours in the evening, shooting under harsh indoor and outdoor lighting, and waking up a little too early in the morning takes quite a serious toll on one’s skin even with regular workout and balanced diet. Seated less than 4 feet away from Iza left us in awe as we stare at her skin’s tip top condition. When we asked her the secret behind her young, creamy complexion, she shared: “I have a very simple skin care regimen. Too simple, actually. I just use a simple cleanser (AM/PM) especially if I put makeup on for work followed by toner and moisturizer. That’s about it! Just water, water, water the entire day, vitamins, take as much rest as I could, and of course, workout.”

Apart from her high-rating primetime TV soaps, print and TVC shoots, and month-long hosting stint at Eat Bulaga, Iza surprisingly still finds time to support Gawad Kalinga. She compassionately said “I have so much faith in their cause.  I believe that their vision is possible and could be one of the best things that could happen to the country when it comes to fruition.” Apart from GK, Iza also supports kids with cancer. “I’ve always had a soft spot for kids with cancer because I feel that they get so much hope from every person that reaches out and helps them.”

Iza and her showbiz friends at a Gawad Kalinga site
photo source

Apart from her beauty that goes more than skin deep, this long and growing list of credentials earned her yet another title being the new face of Myra 400E. Iza without a doubt embodies the epitome of beauty Myra 400E stands up for — the kind that of beauty that radiates from within.

We asked something pretty juicy: did she really try Myra 400E prior to endorsing it?

She said yes and after continued use, people just started compliment her that she’s glowing and blooming. She mentioned something about Myra 400E that interest me the most: this antioxidant is not synthetic but natural vitamin E (D-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL). This is good news for us because natural vitamin E like Myra 400E stays longer in our bodies therefore can continuously renew the cells from within giving us longer lasting beautiful, younger-looking, and glowing complexion. Apart from great skin, d-alpha-tocopherol’s antioxidant effects also help protect against atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disorders and improve nerve functions and help prevent onset of neuromuscular degenerative diseases. I clearly reckon these hard to pronounce terms from my neurologist when I was checked in a hospital a couple of years ago due to stress that caused me to collapse and ultimately not function at all. Stress is definitely part of our daily routine and it’s good to know that there are antioxidants that can help us fight it from within.

Photo by Jerome Ascano/NPPA Images

To close our interview we asked her some beauty-slash-makeup related questions. We found out that like most of us, she loves MAC makeup and NARS blush in Orgasm. While she’s a big fan of the natural, post-gym flush, she also loves Allison Rafaelle’s Inner Glow Gel Blush (I personally use the shade called WITTY). She shared that ultimately, she believes that she’s constantly blooming because she hydrates herself the entire day with nothing but good old H2O, surrounds herself with positive vibes, loves and is loved by her beau to the brink, and lives a healthy and fit lifestyle which includes her daily dose of Myra 400E.