First of all, can I just say HELLO?! Not just to you, but to my blog itself! 😛 I know I’m not as active in the blogging world as compared to last year and the year before that… but here I am again! I already owe my blog seven entries (if I were to follow my “personal” blogging rule), so let this be one down and six more to gooo!

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to write about two brands — Snoe and Suelas — I’m patronizing for quite some time now. And then I watched Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo? in the cinemas that I decided to include local movies on my list. Why? I know that they’re all not making sense as of now but if there’s one thing they all have in common, it’s that they’re all PROUDLY PHILIPPINE-MADE! 😀

♥♥♥

local movies

As mentioned earlier, I just recently watched Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo? and boy, was I glad I did! It wasn’t just the laughtrip galore that I loved, it was also the locations they used — which are very dear to me. 😉

Let’s start with the first restaurant where Sandy (played by Kim Chiu) met up with his boyfriend Gardo (played by Kean Cipriano). That restaurant is named Lola Cafe + Bar. Just a piece of trivia, that exact same place was also where I spent most of my childhood Christmases, summers, and whatnot — only then, that whole restaurant used to be my late grandparents’ house in Quezon City. It was then decided that the place would be open for rent so it’s a looong story why it is what it is now but yeah, you can say that it’s a house-turned-restaurant. I just can’t believe that the place where me and my cousins used to play hide-and-seek is now a movie setting. Honestly, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Like I said, it’s a looong story. Haha.

On the other hand, another place that was featured was Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. I’ve been a Nuvali “native” during the weekends for more than a year already, and Nuvali has been a frequent hangout for me and my family. It was just so funny that the two places were shown one after the other, considering that the former is in the North and the latter is in the South! Talk about an evening taxi road trip for Kim Chiu‘s character!

Anyway, this won’t be a review per se but I just want to say that the movie succeeded in what it was supposed to do: ENTERTAIN. And my point is that whether it’s mainstream or indie, I enjoy watching local films that I actually find it sad when people say that they’re just “a waste of money.” Okay, sure. There may be some titles that are only worth-watching on DVD or your local cable channel, but at least don’t overgeneralize. Just because one wasn’t made in Hollywood, doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be valued any less. Movies are made to entertain and inspire. To some extent, it’s a form of escapism. If the one you watched failed to give you at least one of those things, then sorry. But that doesn’t mean that you should write off local films completely. Ba’t mo sasabihing “corny” kung mag-eenjoy ka naman? Ang pagiging corny ng isang bagay ay nakapende sa tao. If a movie made an impact on you in any way, that’s not corny. Trust me, there’s a number of foreign films I’ve watched that I’d completely trade for a few kilig seconds of Xian Lim Ramon Bautista on the silver screen! Hahaha!

Just give local movies a try. And NO TO PIRACY. That’s all.

Suelas

Moving on, my love for Suelas first appeared on my blog more than two years ago. That was the time I had my first pair and from then on, I just can’t get enough of it! Of course I had to “overuse” my first pair before I decided to buy a replacement. But after my second purchase, I’ve always been a loyal follower of the brand’s official website and Facebook page — always on the lookout for new styles that’ll tickle my fancy. You see, there are a few reasons why I love this brand so much: it has my size (I’m a size 10!), it’s stylish but also very comfortable (it’s foldable, too), it’s a Cebu-based business that now has several branches in the metro, and most of all, it’s “promoted” by one of my personal idols, Patty Laurel-Filart. Hihihi. Fangirl mode din ‘pag may time! 😛

And oh, before I forget! The Suelas team has always been very accommodating. I prefer ordering my pairs online and whenever I have a transaction with them, it’s always smooth sailing. In fact, I recently had “an unfortunate event” with one of my pairs and when I reported it to them, they didn’t think twice about repairing it — FOR FREE! So yeah, consider me one very satisfied customer. Can’t wait for my next pairsss! Mwahahahahaha! 😀

Snoe

Last but not the least is a local beauty brand I just discovered a few months ago, which I now totally swear by its effectiveness and quality! ♥ And because of my support for the brand, one of my posts even got featured on their official Facebook page:

From bath essentials to cosmetics to skin care, there’s something for every Filipina at Snoe (pronounced as “snowy”). Aside from the fact that their vintage-like packaging is very eye-catching, their products truly deliver.

I’ve already tried some of their products (and I’m not finished yet!), but my top three purchases are the Hair Heroes Drunken Master shampoo, Rouge Deluxe lipstick in Chili Pepper, and Body Ritual Recipes fragrance in French Macaroons.

What I like about the shampoo is that it uses unusual ingredients (beer hops, anyone?), yet it doesn’t have a strong smell. I actually consider it as the best clarifying shampoo I’ve ever tried in my life. No exaggeration! After every wash, it just really makes my hair feel soft, light, and clean. If you have colored hair, this shampoo will just make your crowning glory all the more vibrant.

For the lipstick, I’m thankful that I discovered it at a time when I was in the hunt for that. perfect. red. shade! I like the fact that it complements my skin tone and it doesn’t dry my lips. Best of all, the color doesn’t come off easily — which is a good thing because I don’t have to reapply every now and then.

And the fragrance? Who can resist French macarons?! The scent is truly unique, sweet but not in the annoying way that you’d actually think of it as a dessert.

I’ve to admit though, Snoe‘s products are a bit pricey for a local brand (the shampoo alone already costs almost P600) but I think it wouldn’t hurt to try them once in a while. If you can spend on international brands, I’m pretty sure you can afford to support our homegrown products too. In fact, it’s the goal of Snoe to be internationally-recognized in the beauty industry, just like the Korean beauty brands we see popping just about anywhere we go these days. Besides, they say that “you get what you pay for.” Well with Snoe, I say you get what you pay for… and more! At least I did. 🙂

♥♥♥

Sooo. If there’s a theme for this post, that’d be PATRIOTIC. Or maybe it was shopping? Haha! Kidding aside, I felt strongly obliged to write about these local brands simply because I want others to know that things made in the country can also be high in quality. Nowadays, being patriotic doesn’t necessarily equate to wearing our baro’t saya and answering in Filipino when you’re asked in English. Of course it still pays to be respectful to our national language and traditions, but you can now show your love for the country in different and simple ways (i.e., support local brands, yes? HA HA HA).

Anyway, that’s all I can give you for now. Just always be proud of being a Filipino and make the Philippines proud anywhere you go. That — that’s patriotic enough for me. 😉

P.S: I have another featured traveler at the end of the month, so I hope you’ll visit my not-so-abandoned blog anymore again by then! Mabuhay! Wahahahaha!