catching up with old friends

this past week i ran into and met up with a bunch of old friends and classmates from high school and elementary / middle school.

there's always a bit of trepidation when you're preparing to meet up with them. you always make sure you look your best as you prepare to regale them with a livelier version of the drabness, or well, the ROUTINE, that comes with growing up and being responsible. i mean seriously, outside of my closer friends, when someone asks me what i've been up to, do i really want to get into the finer details of what i've truly been up to the last few years?

then of course, there are times you run into old class mates and as you spend the few minutes chatting it up, your mind is at the same time sizing him or her up. you begin to compare what they look like now to what you remember them to look like back in the day. and you hope and pray you look better now than the last time they remember seeing you as well.

self insecurities ba? hahaha. actually, i pretty much believe this is basic human nature ;)

kind of connected to all this: i recently "found" the very first BIG love of my life (circa grade 6). actually, i stalked him for a few months and finally got the courage to invite him to be my "friend" :) i've actually known for quite some time that he was married and yet, the thought of speaking with him again created crazy butterflies in my tummy. i actually don't think those go away. parang the butterflies hibernate for years until you see that special someone again. that's when they wake up again and madly flutter and dance around your tummy.

ANYWAY, beyond all that though, seeing old friends is a real treat. i thoroughly enjoyed my years growing up and catching up with friends and reminiscing about days past is always a nice break from battling out (ok fine.. passionately living) life as we know it now.

i'm approaching 10 years since highschool graduation. grabe, ang bilis! i need to start saving for the get togethers i know will most likely happen in boracay and bali. jusko, not even done with my trip this august and there are new trips to plan for kaagad. ehm.. maybe steady income first noh?! :D

new goal etc..

after entering the shlumpy part of the "get healthy" cycle, i thought of a new goal last monday while doing my evening walk (with my rain jacket, golf umbrella, capri pants and rubber crocs to help me avoid the deluge! ok.. OA.. to help me avoid the drizzle of rain!) to help get me psyched for this next push: i'm going for another 20 pounds by mid-august.

oh the things your mind conjures up when you're out muni-muni-ing! i even benchmarked the dates to help guide me - that by this time, i should've lost this much, etc. it's about 2 pounds a week and i'm thinking rather doable if i really focus on it and not just meander through it like the last month and half (thanks to beach trips and cruises!).

i've also made up some new rules for myself (ie: no desserts till august!) to help push me during these next 2.5 months.

will also try to get in as much exercise as i can, which i feel maybe a little difficult with this wonky weather we're having. though i figure, if i can get away with jogging in place in my tiny apartment back in college when i couldn't go out, i can find some way to burn calories here at home. perhaps jump rope in the garage, or climb up and down the stairs. we have a stationary bike at home but the thing hurts my butt, so that's definitly out of the question! commuting (and being on a budget) has been a wonderful blessing in disguise actually. the walk from my house to the mrt station and back is an hour! so when i don't get time to walk around the village and i commuted that day, i feel a little bit more at ease.

i seem to be getting back on track with regard to shutting up that little blabber mouth in my head. you know, the one that comes up with all these reasons why i can't exercise (too busy, too tired, no time, etc). i just do it. takes more energy anyway to battle it out in my brain then it does to hoist me up and get me outside.

on the food intake, well, i go through these crazy cravings often. for the most part, i usually crave a big ass burger (meat or lamb), or japanese food. but recently it's been nachos - like the ones with a thick layer of melted cheese, jalepenos, sour cream and guacamole. eep!! i'd also like to spend a whole evening back at spirals.. just thinking about those mini home made choco chip cookies they have (with ice cream!) is making me drool. good luck na lang when i get pregnant. perhaps i'll be lucky and crave... carrots. ha! right...

trying to train my body to eat and the right times too. i remember when i was working, i'd go the whole day without eating, and not because i wasn't trying to eat but simply because i was busy running around. problem was, when i got home, i'd stuff my face at dinner. now i'm trying to stick with the basics: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

anyway, so far so good! i turned my nose up on some german chocolates today and am totally avoiding the dining room as there's a box of 4-cheese / peperoni pizza there calling my name.

will update again during major checkpoints within these next 2.5 months! oh and why mid-august? that's when i plan to leave for ny for 2.5ish weeks for a wedding. hopefully not to gain it all back :I

philippine love

due to the generosity of friends over the last two months, i've had the opportunity to do some philippine island hopping. because of this, i've fallen in love with the philippines all over again.

i remember my dad telling me years ago that i spend too much time traveling to other countries around the world, when there are so many wonderful places to visit in the philippines. not that i didn't agree, i just never got around to it for this reason and that. heck, i can't even organize a road trip to nearby provinces! but now that i've had the opportunity to see.. ok, rephrase, EXPERIENCE some of these places beautiful places, i'm hoping to be able to see more sooner rather than later.

the philippines really DOES have so many beautiful things to see. not just to see.. but to taste, hear, do, etc. getting out of the city is something everyone ought to do every once in a while. city living can really harden you. don't get me wrong, i love the city.. and honestly would probably pull my hair out if i had to live out in the province. in my last trip alone, i had to sleep under a mosquito net and get used to my eyes NOT adjusting at night because it was so dark (closing your eyes and opening them was the same experience.. outside of the light of a few fireflys, it was freaking BLACK out). i also trekked, half blind (ie: wearing the remaining half of my contact lens), through the inland jungle of one island in cheap flip flops while holding onto my snorkeling gear.. and mind you, there was a pseudo path already beaten out (if you call climbing up and down plains of f wet grass and slippery rocks a path..). half the time i was praying i wouldn't roll down a slope and the other time i was thanking God for being a city girl. regardless, the great experiences usually always outweigh the bad.

i've also had the chance to meet new people on these trips, many of them foreigners, backpacking through the country. seeing snapshots of photos they've taken during their stay is always interesting, because you see through their eyes the things that amaze them about our country. hearing them talk about their experiences so far is for the most part, a refreshing experience, and you really feel quite proud to be from this beautiful country they speak of. ironically, sometimes i think foreigners love the philippines more than we do!

should start planning my next trip. i'm excited to see more!

picture 1: jelly fish sunbathing on uninhabited island ( maosonon I, palawan)
picture 2: keeping safe month old sea turtle until they are ready to be released (pandan island, mindoro occidental)

The Long Haul

It's been few months since I started on this kick to get healthy by loosing weight. The novelty and excitement is.. unsurprisingly.. wearing off.

Thousands of steps literally & physically taken, couple of pounds lost (20 to date), number of flattering compliments / words of encouragement received from people I know.. and unsurprisingly.. I am starting to drag my feet.

I am becoming relaxed about my eating habits. Exercise is becoming a chore and no longer stimulating. The weight loss is happening a little slower. Yes yes I know.. whine whine whine. But seriously, this is kind of where I'm at right now.

Isn't it supposed to be getting easier?! I've been doing so well building up my will power and discipline. But in the last week - I literally had to ask my family to kick me out of the house so I could exercise. And when I saw a snickers bar in my sisters bag? I almost stuffed the whole thing in my mouth, wrapper and all.

The good news is I am still freaking out about fluctuations in weight, or excessive eating of sweets. And every time I "mess up" - my rebound time is still pretty fast. The moment I start not to care then I should REALLY be worried. And this is something I've been mentally preparing myself for as I know there is always a shlump after a high, something I was able to extrapolate given that I've been trying (and failing!) at healthy living for say I dunno.. all my life?

Mental battle is upon us. Crunch time is now!

chair love

while staying with friends in SFO last year, i fell in love with an IKEA chair they owned that sat quietly beside their silver-satin sheeted bed.

in true IKEA fashion, it was a simple chair with clean lines. didn't look like anything out of the ordinary. but once settling your tush into it, you would NEVER want to get up. firstly because you needed to exert extra effort to hoist yourself out of it due to its shape, but more importantly, because it was just so damn comfy. perfect for reading or typing away on a laptop (when i still had mine *sob*).

i was obsessed with getting one for myself and day dreamed about it. no need to punch-in-shape the tower of pillows supporting your back while reading in bed, or sweating up a storm (ew) in a plush leather lazy boy (though i'd like to get me one of those one day too) to icky for Manila weather, or tossing and turning on any other chair to get into the right position. i remember a night months ago where i scoured the net looking for it and figuring out ways to get it into Manila at a decent cost. i had let it drift away into my wishlist of "i-wants" and forgot about it as other curios and daydreams quickly replaced it in my head.

driving (ok.. not driving.. hitching) to rehearsals with a friend the other day, we drove by a small side shop where my friend said in passing "oh look.. a new store selling furniture...". i looked out her window as the stoplight turned green.. and saw an "IKEA furniture" sign stuck on the door. WITH MY BEAUTIFUL CHAIR SITTING PRETTILY IN THE DISPLAY WINDOW. i flipped!

needless to say, i stalked them online yesterday in hopes that they would have web presence and to my delight, they did! i got a response and pricequote from the sellers today and am pleased that it wasn't as extravegently priced as my interior designer friend had ceiling-ed, and much closer to the price i estimated.

i have since then, reshuffled my list of priorities of things to purchase when my income becomes steady and abundant.

excited!!!!

pride on the line!

back in february, a friend and i had a sarcasm-laced exchange about smoking.

while the initial phase of our friendship literally evoke smoke-filled days of bar-hopping and hanging out with cigarettes and booze in tow, we were at that very moment, non-smokers.

he went almost ten years before lighting up again. and after another half year of smoking heavily, stopped again.

i on the other hand, have had a more erratic relationship with smoking. i've started and stopped smoking almost as much as i've started and stopped dieting - which is, ALOT. just in the last year, i've stopped and started 3 or 4 times? and this isn't just holding out for a few days then breaking down and lighting up.. i've stopped for months and even years at a time, before again, breaking down and chain smoking like crazy. not that it makes too much of a difference, but i do feel the length of time one can stay away longer says, well, a little bit more about your will power. just a little bit more :)

long in the short, he doesn't believe i've stopped for good. in fact, he doesn't believe i'll last three years. me and my smug attitude pushed it to five. while there's a small amount of money at stake, my pride is on the line!

all of THAT aside though, i've totally convinced myself that i've stopped for good, as a result of my declaration to live a healthier life this year. so far so good - 6 months and counting with no cravings.

check in on me again if you know i'm harrased at work, or partying on some beach somewhere.

wish me luck :)

cupcake crazy

i was channel surfing recently & i chanced upon this lady guesting on martha stewart. she has this book called "hello cupcake" and was showing martha some of her creations. they're basic cupcakes but they create things using other candies ontop of the cupcake base. perhaps i'm going crazy due to sweets withdrawal but i was super tickled when i saw it, that i had to google it myself. i'd buy the book just to see the pictures! CUTE!!! kinda like "ace of cakes" for cupcakes :)

if my products weren't in danger of being eaten before being sold, i would totally do this as a business!

(photos credited to Alan Richardson of Hello, Cupcake! www.hellocupcakebook.com)

SUNFLOWERS


POPCORN


RETRO GAMES: MARIO & PACMAN


TV DINNER


SEASIDE THEME


HORSIES


YORKIES


ALIENS & CORN on the COB


SLUMBER PARTY


STARRY STARRY NIGHT


(right photo): BAGEL with LOX & CREAM CHEESE


SPAG & MEATBALLS