Thursday, November 20

200+ FB Likes and Counting



Travelling nowadays means carrying a powerbank to capture and share those wonderful travel moments!

With that and as a way to say thank you for a very warm welcome, I am raffling away a 2600mAH Powerbank!

For the mechanics, just follow instructions below. Powered by Rafflecopter

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Ronin



This restaurant is easily in my list of most memorable places visited.  From the Yardbird group, Ronin, an Izakaya style modern Japanese restaurant, located at On Wo Lane in Central offers the best fresh food based on availability for that day.

The place is hard to find. The entrance looks like this:

Unassuming entrance devoid of any sign of commercial activities

Wednesday, November 19

Hongkong Birthday Trip Day 1 (Continuation)



As soon as we landed, we were greeted by Rayo's mom, Tita Fe. What's nice is she has been there for 25 years or so. Hence, going around was a breeze.

Tuesday, November 18

Caring for The Skin Round The Clock


On Site Rates: PHP 2,900 for Non Members, PHP2,500 for Members


Please join the Philippine Society for Cosmetic Science, Inc.'s 4th Technical Series, "Caring For the Skin Round The Clock" on November 19, 2014 at the New Horizon Hotel from 8:00AM to 5:00PM.

Sessions
1. Baby and Ageing Skin And Its Care, Dr. Heidi Chan
2. Trends on Fragrances, Mr. Ry Feliciano, Account Manager,International Flavors & Fragrances
3. Trends on Color Cosmetics and Skin Care, Ms. Mara Ceguera, Marketing Manager, Eurochem
4. Soap Making Applications: Traditional Soaps, Ms. Emil Ricaforte, DOST

See you there!

Monday, November 17

Hongkong Birthday Trip Day 1



If I have the time and money, birthday celebration means travelling.  This year, Rayo and I went to HK!

November 8, 2014: Taking the early flight out to HK, the scents and sights of NAIA T3:
Of Breakfast: Tapa Flakes from Tapa King = SCENT BLEH
How sad that there aren't that many choices after immigration.

Photo grabbed from http://tapaking.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/tapaflakes.jpg
  • toasted meat note - I think the tapa was overcooked
  • rancid oil - yeah, pretty much strong
  • sour & spicy acetic acid - your typical sawsawan
  • sweet and sour pickled tomatoes with onions - the only thing that saved this meal


I was very much hungry hence the rating. It could have been Scent Agnostic. I should have opted for a pandesal from Bo's Coffee instead.


Of NAIA Terminal 3: SCENT BLEH
  • of cold concrete and metal
  • dusty, earthy note mixed with faint coumarin-tobacco note
  • morning dew

Photo grabbed from Wikipedia

 This airport is cold, lonely, sad. It's not giving you that happy vibe, that feeling when you go on a vacation. It is poorly lit and ventilated. The commercial spaces are still vacated. I wonder why nobody's renting. It should be good business now since SQ, Delta, Ana and I think even Emirates are already there. Plus the fact that the PH tourism industry is growing.
Of My Scent: Lanvin Avantgarde = SCENT NEUTRAL
I got this fragrance from the Gilt app. I had no idea how this smells like until I received the package. I don't think it is a good travelling fragrance. For party, night events and something formal, this fragrance would be perfect.


  • oriental woody fragrance
  • warm and sensual
  • heavy sweet mixture of woody and ambery notes
  • with citrus spicy notes of bergamot, pepper and nutmeg

When travelling, I recommend something light, fresh, citrusy fragrances or light floral fruity fragrance for women and fougere green fruity fresh or woody aromatic fragrances for men.

Of 5J 108 Flight: SCENT NEUTRAL
We took the earliest flight out to HK from Manila via Cebu Pacific flight 108. For me, Cebu pacific is super fun when the FAs start offering items for sale - "for sale noodles, chips, coffee, tea, premium items". The tone, diction, delivery - very consistent to all the flights I had with them.
  • Heady mixture of perfume aroma - Woody, tobacco, whiff of floral fruity note and strong amber and sweet citrus (I think I was smelling myself more than the fragrance of other passengers, LOL)
  • Industrial scent of jet fuel, carpet and seat cleaner
  • Garlic savory noodles with beef and chicken notes
  • Brewed coffee
  • Synthetic leather



Up Next........
Scents and sight of Hongkong International Airport

Scent of Smell and Scent of Taste



When we were kids, oftentimes, moms would pinch our noses when we are forced to drink our medicines - be it antibiotic, vitamin supplements or even for diarrhea. There is logic behind this.

Do you remember this?
Photo from: http://earlyyearschildcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bad-tasting-kids-medicine.jpg

Try this out. Pinch your nose then chew on a mint gum. After several seconds, release your fingers and observe what happens.

Chew this.
Photo from http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/iStock_000003107516-mint_6.jpg

Suddenly, you feel that burst of flavor rushing through your mouth. And that is why the nose pinching, so that we taste nothing to easily swallow the meds. Yes, the both senses are important for us to enjoy our food.

Remember in elementary science courses, our tongue can only distinguish 4 kinds of taste - sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. (There are some ideas behind umami as the fifth kind of taste but I cannot validate.)

TheTongue
Photo from: http://puertoviejowines.com/wp-content/uploads/tongue.jpg


The sense of smell is important for us to "taste" other things - vanilla, milk, coffee, mint, chocolate, etc.  That's why when we are sick or have colds, we seem to think that all things we eat are just bitter or sour or sweet and nothing else in between. This demonstrates that our sense of taste is dependent to our sense of smell.

Hence, sometimes, when we describe the food we eat, we normally use the sense of smell to describe them - tastes like pepper, like herbs and spices or, worse, like fart.

Remember this? Harry Potter's Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans
Photo from: http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100908161406/harrypotter/images/a/ac/Jelly_belly_bertie_botts.jpg

Olfactive Meter / Rating



Throughout this blog, I will be using the following Olfactive Meter:

5 - Sensorial Overload
  • wonderful, awesome, must-try, must-eat, must-do
4 - Scentsational
  • Interesting, for your consideration, great but not quite

3 - Scent Neutral
  • neither here nor there, can't say, not interesting but not annoying
2 - Scent Bleh
  • Boring, not interesting, don't even bother
1- Scent Agnostic
  • Pass, move-on, totally not worth your time

Friday, November 14

Understand the Smell of Bravery

Would you want to know the smell of bravery? Or the smell of safety and awareness? Or the smell of guilt-free and worry-free?

Know your HIV status by having yourself tested for FREE! Get your free HIV Test for Men on November 29, 2014 at Victoria Court North Edsa from 12nn to 9PM.

Just sign-up through this Google Form link here (http://go.loveyourself.ph/protectandlove)

(Photo lifted from the Google Form link)

Thursday, November 13

The New Logo

Here is the new logo for The World I Nose!

Versace Bright Crystal Absolu

Picture grabbed from www.fragrancesoftheworld.info


I went fragrance smelling during my recent trip to Hongkong. I came across Versace's Bright Crystal Absolu in one of the Sasa stores in Kowloon.

 This fragrance is a follow-up to Versace Bright Crystal and, as expected, it smells very similar to Absolu. Except that it smells slightly more metallic and cold (crystal nga e) than the original. The light floral-fruity fragrance is very feminine and sheer. Very light that my impression is that it won't last long, especially in a very humid Manila weather.

 The lightness sparkles with floral-fruity mixture of yuzu citrus, pomegranate and strawberry fruits mixed with magnolia white flowers. Soft musk and mahogany with sweetness from amber highlight the base of the fragrance.

 Do I recommend it? Yes, if you are into light-won't-interfere-with-my-life kind of fragrance especially if you've liked D&G Light Blue and Cool Water for women. Perfect for day-to-night use.

 However, if you like Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, then I recommend you stick to these brands. Versace Bright Crystal Absolu will just be too light for you.

 Available at Rustan's for P5,700 per 100ml.

Video grabbed from YoutTube

Wednesday, November 12

The Olfactive Sense Explained

Basically, we have olfactive nerves inside our nose that triggers the brain. Series of biochemical processes signals the brain to associate it with something we have smiled before. Hence, our sense of smell is directly connected to our memories.

The Olfactory System
Photo Grabbed from http://www.neurosurgerypa.com/anatomy/anat_br_nerv_olfactory.jpg


Example. Remember that scent when your mom bakes your favourite cookie - sweet, vanilla, dough, flour like. And when you smell that in a candle, automatically you are reminded of that event in your past.

Photo grabbed from Getty Images


The power of our olfactive sense will not work if you cannot associate it with something that you have smelled before.  On the other hand, your memory will only be half-full if you have not exposed yourself to the scent.

This blog will try to persuade you to go there and experience yourself to fill that memory bank.

To recap:

  • the scent molecules triggers your olfactory nerves to send signals to your brain
  • your brain processes these signals and connect to your memory bank
  • Our scent of smell is connected to our memories

The World I Nose, An Introduction

Finally, it is running.  Combining the two things I like - fragrances and travelling, let me share with you my life as a traveler and as a professional in the fragrance industry. Through the sense of smell, I will leave behind scent trails that you will hopefully enjoy.

By the way, this might be the first and last to post a blog that is not bulleted or itemised.  I personally do not like reading long blog entries. I want something straight to the point, less sentences and very readable.  I have attended a 2-day seminar in SG about action writing and how things should be very easy to read. Hence, from this day forward, you'll see bullets.

Also, as I manage to improve the blog, an olfactive meter will be setup very, very soon - graphics, details and ratings will be explained in a separate blog. Watch out for that!

As starter, may here are some of the things you'll expect here:

Objectives of The World I Nose

  1. Follow my scent trails - scent description of my destinations, food I ate, and activities I did.
  2. Connect the audience to the things I like and will discover through the olfactive sense.
  3. Provide useful information about the world of fragrances
  4. Travel and change the world one scent at a time (LOL)
I have been in the fragrance industry for 8 years. I do know more than most people. I am not a scent designer, fragrance evaluator or perfumer. Hence, please bear in mind that I may not use the right words or even molecule names to describe the scent I smell. But I know how to connect the scent to common consumer knowledge on fragrances.

This is The World I Nose.
Copyright © 2014 T On Things