This Is It

Thanks, DJ, for lending me your copy of Lonely Planet's NYC City Guide, for tips on navigating the city and for all the other info.

It's not a part of this year's plans, but I can always count on Queen J's spontaneity to make things happen at any given time. Expect lots and lots of photo uploads when I return. See you all again soon!

Chic Hair Salon

My long, thick hair has been feeling heavy and looking shapeless, and a haircut is long overdue. I always dreaded getting a haircut here after one too many unsatisfactory results, i.e. layered too thin or no change at all, but "hair always grows back anyway" as Pin, who introduced me to Chic Hair Salon, quipped.

So off I went to get a trim from Selina, the female half of the haircutting duo in charge of the Korean salon. She's a little too serious and didn't bother with small talk as she was so busy going from one customer to the next, and this I loved. Small talk with hairdressers always made me queasy. She used a layering technique not unlike that used by hairdressers in Hair Do, the Japanese salon in HK where I normally get my haircut. She also seemed to know what she was doing, from cutting to blow drying. And the best part, the cut only cost Php 350. One downside in the whole experience was the uncomfortable shampoo station, but it's really a small price to pay to get a decent and affordable haircut.

Before:

After: Trim with some layers which was exactly what I wanted

Blow dry with volume and waves courtesy of Selina, who's too shy to have her picture taken

Chic Hair Salon is located in Unit 203 Continental Court Condominium, #47 Annapolis St., Greenhills. 7211359.

HR Lash Queen Mascara

Past experiences include:

L'Oreal Volume Shocking Mascara - delivers on the volume part but tends to smudge in hot weather

Chanel Inimitable Multi-Dimensionnel Mascara - better than OK but I looked around after I finished my first tube

M.A.C. Loud Lash, M.A.C. Splashproof Lash, Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara - zzzzz

HR's Lash Queen Feline Blacks mascara first caught my attention 2 years ago while walking around in Sogo. The luxurious leopard-printed matte gold tube with its own display space in HR's counter was really hard to miss. However, the HKD 280 price tag made me put off buying this for a while. After all, the Chanel mascara I had then only cost me HKD 195 before the price went up after that first splurge. Of course, after a lengthy period of contemplation I gave in. The HR Lash Queen promises length, volume and curl all in one tube, and it delivers on all three. I tried to look for more affordable substitutes but haven't really found one yet that compares to it. So far, the price has remained the same since my first Lash Queen.

HR Lash Queen Feline Blacks (waterproof) on the left and the Extravaganza edition I saw in Guam

The wand of the original Lash Queen is bigger. The smaller wand of the Extravaganza ensures easier, more precise application and less clumping. Both have the same effect on lashes, though.

My I heart Guam mini mug magnet made for a good stand.

Caffe Puccini

We re-visited Caffe Puccini in the Fort Strip, the older, well, strip of restaurants in the Fort before there was a Bonifacio High Street. I was surprised to find that many of the restaurants are still there despite the competition from the newer restaurants in High Street.

We first ate in Caffe Puccini three to four years ago, but even after all these years, the place still looks fresh and well-maintained.

Bread basket. The edges were crunchy but the middle part was still soft, the characteristics of good bread as described in Ratatouille.

Mushroom risotto. I loved how the rice was firm but not undercooked and how the different tastes of the mushrooms used was brought out in this dish.

Homemade pasta with black truffle and sun-dried tomatoes. This dish was the least popular as the best way to describe it was it tasted like Chinese style noodles, however, I found its lack of flavoring and cream or tomato sauce to be refreshing.

Half vegetarian, half mushroom pesto pizza. This pizza cooked in wood fire was a little different because the crust was neither too thick nor too thin, and its appearance and texture resembled a less greasy version of Pizza Hut's pan pizza more than that of other pizzas cooked in the same way.

The taste and quality of the food reminded me of Pagliacci in The Podium, the best Italian place I have tried so far, but I find the ambience in Caffe Puccini to be more relaxing. The service was also excellent.

I'm hoping to avoid Italian food for a while, though, to "re-format" my taste buds and be able to appreciate it more. Until then, I will have to remember to quit writing about pizzas and pastas.