Friday, March 25, 2011

The Skinny on Sunblock and Sunscreen



I'm no beauty guru. I'm not even sure if there's a difference between a lip gloss and and a lip shiner. Most people tell me those are the same. Some argue it's not. However, I was raised by a mother who believed in treating the skin right. This was part of my upbringing. It was like learning how to brush my teeth (up and down, never sideways!) or learning how to spell my name. So, while make-up and hair products are not my forte, I can tell you that there's a difference between a sunblock and a sunscreen and these two should never be substituted for the other.

Sunscreens are lighter and less visible on the skin. While it protects the skin from UVA and UVB, it doesn't block all of it and can allow some of the harmful rays through. Sunscreens need to be reapplied every couple of hours because the ingredients weaken after prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Sunblock, is perhaps, the best option. This is a bit heavier (or greasier) but blocks almost (if not all) of the sun's UVA and UVB rays. The main components are zinc oxide and titanium oxide. For those who are lazy, you don't really have to reapply every few hours. Zinc oxide and titanium oxide in sunblock work like a mirror, used like wall on your skin. They block the harmful rays by scattering and reflecting light to stop entry.

Years ago, the strongest there was was SPF 30. Now, there's SPF 85 and even SPF 100! I can't decide which is better but I swear by VMV Armada Sport SPF 70, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 100 and if I'm just indoors, Spectraban SPF 60.

At age 13, I was the girl who refused to go out without it - even if it meant not being able to play with friends. At that time, it wasn't for fear of wrinkles. I simply didn't want my mother's never ending tirades and tiresome lectures on sun damage.

I recently came across some old photos of my mother when she was in her 40s. She's pushing 60 now but there's hardly any difference!

Politically Zombified

Calling Max Brooks a genius would be the least that I can do. His second book,World War Z, is perhaps, one of the best books ever written. While tagged as a horror novel, it has everything a surreal enthusiast could ever ask for. If you're drawn to desperation, hope, and action, this book is for you.

Geroge Romero's zombies might just be out of a job soon.

A Start


It was a Saturday in November. I was horribly late for work and to make matters worse, I couldn't find my car keys, my wallet and my cell phone. Now, I know these things occasionally happen to most people. But not me. In fact, never. If you've seen my pedestal and my work station you'd understand what I'm talking about. My friend Graeco always commented on how disgustingly organized I was - pencils should be in the baskets and markers go in the blue box. My books are arranged by genre (never by title!) and I know that funny biographies like Jenna Jameson’s How to Make Love Like a Pornstar should not in any way mix with philosophical novels such as Pascal Mercier’s Night Train to Lisbon. So not being able to locate the top three essentials was alarming to me. It all happened at the same time and at that very moment I realized that I didn't belong anymore. Something was not right.

I went to the office and even before I could clock in, I was done typing my resignation letter. It took me less than 10 minutes to type the whole thing. It was an easy decision. To say that is ironic since I loved everything (well, almost) about my job and for the longest time, I thought that it was something that I could do forever. They pay was generous and the benefits were something that I can't complain about. The best part was you could never ask for better colleagues.

But, here I am. Four months after the letter and two months after leaving the corporate world (after almost a decade), I became a journalist-turned-corporate junkie-turned-cake designer and baker.

While I grew up watching my mother in the kitchen, I never really paid any attention and was never interested in flour and eggs or what happened after it came out from the oven. I regret this but my mother has kept all her recipes and I thank her for that. I don’t have any formal training but what my mother has shared and given me is something that a pastry school can never offer me.

Three years ago, my husband, who often travels, brought ridiculously priced cupcakes from Missouri ( I had to convert it to peso – I can’t help it). They were rightfully good and I decided to bake some using my mother’s recipes. I gave some of it to friends, they liked it and before I knew it, I was running home from work for orders. I found my calling.

I realized that with cakes, you can incorporate art and designs. Nothing is impossible and everything can be done. After the modest success in cupcakes, I ventured into cake decorating and carving. It was as natural as learning how to walk. I love color and patterns. While other kids learned how to drive a bike or roller skate, I was busy painting, coloring, and molding. Books, crayons, paints and clay were my favorite things and I didn’t care much for Rockstar Barbie or Care Bears.

A lot of people told me I was crazy to leave my job. Maybe. But sometimes, you don’t really have to chase after what you want. It finds you and then it defines you.