My New Boyfriend :-)

Finally, my dream came true after so many years :-) I bought it recently when I went home for vacation and it was another adventure with my UST friend Mika to Hidalgo.
This means, I will seriously learn more photography tips and tricks. How i wish there are also photography class/session/seminar/trainings here. I named the camera "Derek" to poke H :-)

The Lingo of Expiration Dates

In this part of the world, it's hard to find certain food items and ingredients that are not locally produced or locally patronized. There are lots of food items that you need for certain cooking or baking or even for your sudden bout of cravings but will not be readily available as they are imported goods. Most of the imported goods are not consistently available also, so sometimes if you see something, you just have to grab and buy it or miss the chance next time and who knows when are you going to see that food item again in the groceries or in the market.

I already experienced this things, that's why I'm a hoarder. Sometimes it's good but then there is also a downside because sometimes I end up with expired items and will just have to throw them away with a heavy heart as I didn't get the chance to use or try them. Really, when is a canned food/processed food safe to consume and when it is time to toss them away?

There is a difference between "Expiration Dates", "Best Before Date", "sell by date" and "Use by date". The first three, if I understand it correctly are more of "manufacturer's code" so that they know when are they going to pull it out from the grocery shelves as the quality is not at its peak anymore. After all, you should always give the best quality to your customers, so you have to know when a product is not at its highest quality anymore. Best before" is advisory (the food is best before that date, it's up to you if you want to eat it after that). while "Use by" isn't advisory, it's "throw it out after that date, you shouldn't eat it".

The following are some guidelines from this site

Food

Beer
Unopened: Starts to lose flavor after 110 days.
It’s best to store bottles in boxes, and then in dark place.
Stronger alcohol and higher levels of hops might extend the shelf life of a beer.
One example is Michelob Craft Specialty beers, which are often at their peak with 180 days.
(Source: Budweiser support)

Brown sugar
Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moisture proof container in a cool, dry place.

Chocolate (Hershey bar)
1 year from production date

Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated

Coffee, gourmet
Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container

Coffee, instant
Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month

Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)
Unopened: 3 months from "best by" date.
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.

Dried pasta
12 months

Frozen dinners
Unopened: 12 to 18 months

Frozen vegetables
Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month

Honey
Indefinite shelf life

Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)
Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days

Ketchup
Unopened: 1 year (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Maple syrup, real or imitation
1 year

Maraschino cherries
Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated

Marshmallows
Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months

Mayonnaise
Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Mustard
2 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Olives, jarred (green with pimento)
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months

Olive oil
2 years from manufacture date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Peanuts
Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container

Peanut butter, natural
9 months

Peanut butter, processed (Jif)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months

Pickles
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.

Protein bars (Power Bars)
Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check "best by" date on the package.

Rice, white
2 years from date on box or date of purchase

Salad dressing, bottled
Unopened: 12 months after "best by" date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated

Soda, regular
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from "best by" date
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected

Steak sauce
33 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Tabasco
5 years, stored in a cool, dry place

Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package

Tuna, canned
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can

Soy sauce, bottled
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Vinegar
42 months

Wine (red, white)
Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines
Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked

Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 5 to 10 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened: 2 years

Household Products

Air freshener, aerosol
2 years

Antifreeze, premixed
1 to 5 years

Antifreeze, concentrate
Indefinite

Batteries, alkaline
7 years

Batteries, lithium
10 years

Bleach
3 to 6 months

Dish detergent, liquid or powdered
1 year

Fire extinguisher, rechargeable
Service or replace every 6 years

Fire extinguisher, non-rechargeable
12 years

Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered
Unopened: 9 months to 1 year
Opened: 6 months

Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)
At least 3 years

Miracle Gro, liquid
Opened: 3 to 8 years

Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble
Indefinite

Motor oil
Unopened: 2 to 5 years
Opened: 3 months

Mr. Clean
2 years

Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years

Spray paint
2 to 3 years

Windex
2 years

Wood polish (Pledge)
2 years

Beauty Products
All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer's customer-service number.

Bar soap
18 months to 3 years

Bath gel, body wash
3 years

Bath oil
1 year

Body bleaches and depilatories
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 6 months

Body lotion
3 years

Conditioner
2 to 3 years

Deodorant
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 1 to 2 years
For antiperspirants, see expiration date

Eye cream
Unopened: 3 years
Used: 1 year

Face lotion
With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years

Foundation, oil-based
2 years

Foundation, water-based
3 years

Hair gel
2 to 3 years

Hair spray
2 to 3 years

Lip balm
Unopened: 5 years
Used: 1 to 5 years

Lipstick
2 years

Mascara
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 3 to 4 months

Mouthwash
Three years from manufacture date

Nail polish
1 year

Nail-polish remover
Lasts indefinitely

Perfume
1 to 2 years

Rubbing alcohol
At least 3 years

Shampoo
2 to 3 years

Shaving cream
2 years or more

Tooth-whitening strips
13 months

Wash'n Dri moist wipes
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Good until dried out

Beauty Supplies Expiration Dates

Anti-aging and acne treatment
Three months to a year. Antioxidants are easily oxidized, so be on the lookout for any changes in color.

Bar soap
Up to three years.

Bath oil
One year.

Blush/Bronzer
18 months after first use

Body lotion
Two to three years, particularly if it’s in a pump container.

Concealer
12 months after first use

Creme eye shadow
6 months after first use

Creme blush
12 months after first use

Deodorant
Up to two years.

Eye and lip pencils
Three to five years. Sharpen them before each use as a way to preserve them and keep them clean.

Facial Moisturizer
12 months after first use

Foundation
About two years. Most bottles are designed to last that long. And if you don’t use it, chances are you didn’t love it to begin with.

Hairstyling products
Three to five years. Most are alcohol-based, which helps preserve the formula.

Lipstick and lip gloss
18 months after first use

Liquid eyeliner
3 months after first use

Liquid Foundation
6 months after first use

Mascara and liquid eyeliner
Three to four months. Make sure you’re diligent about replacing these items to prevent contamination and infections.

Nail polish
18 months after first use

Perfume
About two years. To get more mileage out of a perfume, resist the temptation to display a pretty bottle on your vanity. Instead, stash it away in a cool, dark place.

Shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel
About three years.

Shaving cream
About two years.

Skin care products
6 months after first use

Sunscreen
6 months after first use

Some additional reads you wanna check:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Nutrition-Health-Food-Labeling-646/food-expiration-dates-faqs.aspx
http://ask.metafilter.com/17339/When-to-toss-canned-food-out
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjan05.htm

So, now, I have to do some spring cleaning :-)

Eid Mubarak

The long holidays are over. It’s back to work again but unlike the previous years, I’m not that eager to go back to work not because I still want to vacation but because I dreaded the new management. I don’t want to dwell too much on that here.


The past few days were quite uneventful. Due to uncertainty in the company, I have to save whatever I can just in case the job will not work for me anymore, thus, I spend the holidays here instead of going out of the country like what I did last year. Last year, I went to Cambodia for the Eid holidays with my friend. It was the first travel I awarded to myself since I started working. Aside from the excitement of travelling, the other purpose of that was to stay away from H and give him space that he once mentioned to me. Prior to that trip, we faced so many changes that were getting into my nerves already, and I needed a break.

it's not the regular tour, we took a photography tour thus we have more scenic shots than the usual touristy pictures. I rode an elephant for the first time, ate a spider and even let it crawl on my arm, hike a mountain and walk a lot with a sprain foot


The trip turns out to be a refreshing, very memorable and enjoyable trip, and yes, the purpose was served. From there on, my friend and I decided that we should plan and dream to have one trip a year, but because of the uncertainty in the office, I have to back out this time but I’m hoping we can go on Eid Ul Adha somewhere.


For the long holidays, I have my “Things-to-Do”. At first, I don’t know if I will be able to do everything as all the things that I want to do require time and attention. Aside from the long sleeping hours (I’m still deprive of sleep), I was able to do all the things I want to do even if it’s just a few and bits of that.

1. i finished reading a book in between all the other things

2. spend some quality time with the boys playing Wii and movie marathon, apart from the endless bickering and poking and as always the victim is me

3. was able to do one scrap out of the gazilion scraps that i'm planning to make, it's part of my photo-journal project. With all the changes in the office, I want to chronicle my 3 1/2 years in pictures via digiscrap

4. i'm creating my own tradition :-) like the previous eid, i always bake or make a cake or cook something new... last eid, i was in cambodia, i wasn't able to bake a cake but i was able to cook an authentic Khmer food. For this Eid, i didn't bake a cake from scratch but used a store bought cake mix. Tried making an icing too :-)






5. As promised, I took a picture of the moon on eid... isn't it lovely? My next purchase will be my Nikon D5100.....


And last, got the time to write this latest blog entry :-)Holidays are over, it's back to reality again tomorrow. I hope vacation leave will be approve also :-)