Archives for July, 2008
Coffeedrinkers: Living the Healthy Life / Vanity Kit / Stripe & Yellow / Em’s Detour / Mind Bubbles / Something Purple / Mommy Talks | Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps | All Kinds of Me Stuff | Winding Creek Circle | InkBabyStudios | The Salad Caper | YOUR BLOG
Now, Im passing the award to wonderful bloggers. Like a strong brew, their passion in blogging is hard to ignore and they love coffee too! So, enjoy your cup : Litzie, Jacq, Peachy, Jacqui, Jody, Kathy and Toni!
My husband needs new clothes. Jeans and shirts wont work for him anymore because 1) He meets up and dines with doctors everyday as part of his job and 2) He has been steadily gaining weight over the past months. We cannot try to look fashionably young forever — sometimes, we can be classified as “trying too hard”. So I was looking for men clothing, specifically corporate clothing for men.
I think he would look so nice in a business casual attire. Here are some salient points I need to tell him (smart dressing tips):
Style demands:
* No denim.
* Shirts must have collars.
* Loafers are acceptable–skip the sandals and flip flops.
* A tie is not necessary.
* A sportcoat or blazer is a nice touch (especially for managers).
* Shirts should be tucked into pants.
Of course, shoes must also be chosen carefully. Having Gucci Authentic Mens Shoes Strap Loafers would bring such a strong statement in his clothing. Im going to send him the link to Career Dressing for Men, along with a clothing size chart, so he will know what to buy next time
I did not do good, eating-wise. Too much junk went into my mouth and we attended a party at night. However, I did good exercise-wise. We are currently staying at my parents’ and my Dad has a kick-ass treadmill. And I used it for 30 minutes. I cannot believe how out of shape I am, I was huffing and puffing 5 minutes into the exercise!!! It’s a good thing I was running in front of the TV (which need tv stands) so I didnt get that bored easily)
Treadmill:
Distance: 1.8km
Time: 30mins.
Weight Loss: 4lbs
Lifestyle Challenge: Was able to drink at least 64oz of water a day
Exercise Challenge: Was able to exercise (walk and run mostly) thrice a week
Im going to step up and work on portion control and exercising everyday this week.
I declared Day 7 (Sunday) my day-off. I allowed myself to eat more than what I have tried not to do for the past six days. I even drank soda (suprisingly not that much). We spent the day at my mom’s since a family friend invited us to a picnic (that didnt push through because of the rains!). So many yummy grilled stuff - porkchops, chicken, barbecue, tilapia.
The only thing I got conscious of is to really drink water all day. I managed to make do on it as I was still able to drink 64oz. That is far from my personal goal of 94oz, but that will do. I managed to squeeze lots of water in by sipping it while working in front of my laptop of reading some documents like term life insurance quotes sent to me by a friend.
Biore Pore Strips for nose blackheads? I havent had the chance to get any facials done for the last eight months (Uhmm, since 2008 started) and my nose is rough because of those clogged pores. My cousins from the US use them all the time and claim it works - they just have to put a hot towel over the nose for about 5-10 minutes to open up the pores before applying the strips. I get such a kick seeing so many blackheads on a strip after peeling (It may sound gross but Im really fascinated by it). Aside from blackheads, I need to have warts cauterized. We all have warts - some of are just too small to get noticed (like mine) — I want to get rid of them soon.
Alpha tagged me.
Let’s learn what blogger’s favourite meal (Breakfast) is. Simple straightforward meme and great for link love. Have a good Breaky!
*Start copy here*
The Longest Breakfast Menu List
Everyone likes to start their day with a comfort food for breakfast. What kind of food do you take? This would be a good way to find out your blogger friend’s favourite food for breakfast.
All you need to do is to put your name down, the country you are in and your favorite breakfast meal. Let’s see how we can have this breakfast ‘menu’ travelled all around cyberspace and learn what each blogger living in different country and what they eat for breakfast. This meme was created by a little lady with a penchant to spy around little baskets while marketing. Her favorite breakfast of the day is none other than Roti Prata, an indian flat bread. What about you? What is your favorite breakfast meal of the day?
1. Spymama, Singapore - Roti Prata 2. Janeth Vicy’s Life Journey, Philippines - Ham and Hotdog with Rice 3.As The World Turns, Philippines, Milk and Biscuits. 4.Just Me.. Eds, Philippines- Sausage and Egg with Garlic Rice/Fried Mash potato 5. Alpha, Philippines ~ McDonald’s Big Breakfast 6. Aggie, Philippines ~ Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich 7.Your Name, Country, Food
*End copy here*
Good thing I was tagged with this when Im on a diet - otherwise you will see coke and chocolate here.
Nowadays, I just have a filling PB&J sandwich with milk (but water is more likely) and water, water, water!
Steady.
I managed to meet my water requirement on both days. Drank more than 3L. Water is growing on me. I still drank soda though - but limited it to one glass (12oz) per day. It is hard to watch and control what I eat when Edil is around and when Im at my parents’ place. Im tempted to get cheap Phentermine pills to get me going but I promised not to wreak havoc to my already-beaten up metabolism 
Activity is limited as well. Even if I dont really “exercise”, I make sure I do an activity that requires more than shouting and/or sitting in front of the computer and typing ~ my fingers are getting quite the workout.
I also have told Edil that I joined the Biggest Loser challenge online with a group of scrapping friends and he was neither optimistic nor pessismitic about it. We will see. I cant blame him for not expecting though. He has already been disappointed quite a few times.
I think that’s what I will reward myself when I hit my 20lbs weight loss goal in 6 weeks. It may not be a weekend stay at the Outer Banks rentals but it will be just as nice. Im pretty sure it will be in Tagaytay but Im not sure what place yet. Edil is not really keen in staying at a hotel where we are just 20minutes away from the area but Im trying to at least convince him to have a getaway (food, spa, relaxation) even for just the whole day. I know what you are thinking — Sonya’s? Maybe
We are trying to save enough money to open up a small business to augment our income. We are currently living on one income as I have decided to stay at home to take care of the kids for now. If we were given a small business opportunity, I think I would go in getting a food cart - sell hotdogs, fishball, french fries or even fruitshakes. I have a friend who has a shawarma food stall and an officemate who recently franchised a Fruitas stall. Both are doing good but they also say getting a prime location is the most important thing to consider. In our area, I dont think food carts will sell as there are already stores here who sell those for cheaper prices (We live in the suburbs). A spot in the mall would be nice but Im sure the rent will be a killer. *sigh* It’s so hard to think of something that is relatively risk-free. I guess we need to think some more.
Can I get a collected WOOT! WOOT! there from y’all!
I finally did it.
I made my body sweat and made my heart pump faster.
We went to my mom’s with the intention for me to get on the treadmill but boo - there was a blackout which lasted until 5PM. What I did was to walk around the huge hectared-property twice, that took me 15 minutes and my heart felt like it was recovering from a track race (that’s how out of shape I was!)
Plus, thanks to my daughter’s interest to High School Musical we were able to dance for a solid hour - just dancing with my mp3s (soundtrack from Step Up2 and some Madonna singles - mostly 4Minutes on repeat). I was dancing nonstop for 20 minutes but generally moved around for an hour. I personally like dancing over any other form of exercise or sport. All you need is music and move your body. No memorizing of routine nor lugging of sports equipment ~ like golf equipment (and finding space to play and a playmate of course!) around.
So:
15 minutes walking
20 minutes dancing
I hope I can keep this up.
Small steps. Big leaps.
(I also guzzled more than 3L of water yesterday!)
Im going strong with the Lifestyle Challenge so far (Drink Water). I think if I keep this up for eight weeks, I can definitely be able to give up soda. No craving at all, if ever I have one, Ill tell myself I can drink soda after I drank 500ml of water. By the time Im done drinking water, I dont have the craving anymore or Ill just take one sip of Coke and no more.
It still is a struggle not to start the day without sweets. Each time I wake up, the first thing I grab from the ref are either juice or soda, then Ill grab sweet pastries from our bin then turn on my lappy and work. All this while making sure Matthew eats breakfast and prepares for school.
So lately, instead of heading straight for the ref, I go to the toilet, pee and then make myself drink one tall glass of water. This fools my stomach into thinking I have eaten and then I check e-mails. After Matthew goes out to meet his school bus, that is when I allow myself what to eat. Usually, Id just eat bread with peanut butter. I drink another tall glass of water before eating.
Think of your body as one car with auto parts (your organs) ~ you need oil (water) to keep them going and in tip-top shape.
This satiates me until we eat lunch. Usually, I also eat breakfast when Martha gets up at 9AM (so now you know why I got so big, two breakfasts in a day!). I also keep a 1.5L of Coke Zero filled with water and a mug so I can drink water while infront of G all day.
The next hurdle for me is to exercise.
I think I’ll stick to Grey’s, ER and House to get my daily dose of doctor fix (I have a thing for men in white in a clinical setting - I think it comes with my own frustration of not being able to get into medical school).
I think I haven’t blogged about it before, but my husband works for a pharmaceutical company and would often deal with doctors to push their medicines (Yep, he sells drugs). This involves more than the usual courtesy call at their clinic, since some doctors think they deserve more than free samples of the products to recommend quality and affordable medicines to their patients (Can you feel my sarcasm drippping in droplets?) Believe me, I have some horror stories to tell.
One doctor wanted champagne gift baskets to give away for Christmas to his relatives, so the husband obliged. From getting a free dinner, a sponsorhip to a medical convention, or even asking flat out for a flat screen TV with DVD player, doctors have asked for it. But the most asked for item are champagne gift baskets. These are nice gifts to receive and send everybody to - relatives, officemates, employers (or someone superior), and people who generally do not need anymore stuff.
The Toast of California wine basket is the most popular and requested among all the champagne gift baskets and champagne gifts Edil has even given. It is composed of two premium wines from the wine region outside of San Francisco (Lodi) and gourmet delicacies that complement the wine taste. Chardonnay is included as well - which is the only wine that I remember because this was what we had during our wedding day I personally like the Champagne and Chocolate offer :). I always choose the Dom Perignon.
Since I am on a diet on food, Ill just binge on gadgets. I have quite a list of wants that have turned into needs. Somehow, I always end up not buying them as we have no extra budget. However, with things changing, Im trying to argue with the husband that since we no longer have a budget for soda and all junk food - perhaps we can channel the budget to my geeky stuff.
Here are “schtuff” I really need:
1. An external hard drive = a 500GB one would be the best. If not, Ill settle for 320GB. I have been backing pictures to DVDs and deleting the ones I “think” I wont need and it’s driving me crazy. An extra 8GB flash drive would be awesome.
2. A computer chair. Sitting in an Orocan Chair all day is not good for my back obviously. I saw a red one at Home Depot and it retails for 2 thousand bucks. I might be getting that.
3. A laptop table - Id prefer one which can be bought into bed (like a breakfast in bed tray) but the one on the left will be good too. I take G (the name of my lappy) everywhere in the house because of work and this will be much better for my back.
4. An mp3 player. So I can listen to music while working without waking up the princess. And that I can dance and do my workout in peace without waking up the princess.
I only have four “needs”. See? Im reasonable!
I have a soda addiction - make that Coke addiction.
Ever since I was diagnosed with PCOS, I switched to Coke Light. When Coke Zero came out, I fell in love. I can guzzle down up to four cans a day (if not more). It’s zero calories anyway, right?
Boy was I so wrong.
Recent studies have shown that diet sodas can make people gain more weight. Psychologically, people tend to eat more because they reason they are drinking diet soda and physically, when you drink down liquid that is not water, your stomach reacts by secreting more gastric acid, which in turn, makes you hungrier.
And dig this: Those who guzzle down diet sodas tend to gain more weight than those who drank regular.
Sodas are also bad for the teeth because of its phosphoric acid content. I have one sensitive tooth already because of it.
And here I was admiring Coke’s new plastic design bottles and thinking custom boxes for them would come in handy for the future.
Resources:
WebMD:Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight?
Can Diet Soda Make You Gain Weight?
A friend and I talked yesterday over YM and we were just discussing how hard life is today and if there are things we would have done differently when we were single. We both had the same regret: We spent too much on useless purchases using our credit cards and now we are stuck paying its high interest rates. Whenever I think about how huge my credit card debt was and how much of it could have gone to savings, stuff for the kids, investments, I cringe. It certainly was a wake-up call for me. Credit Repair was an option I can take back then but thankfully I was able to pay and close my cards. Im now just riding purchases on my Dad’s card or Edil’s (but I have to pay for it within its billing cycle).
What I am stuck with forever is getting blacklisted I think with financial credit unions. Bad Credit Repair is still unheard of in our country, and Id really like to find out Credit Repair Services that can help people get back on their feet.
I was saddened by a post of a mom in our mommy group about her home loan being declined because of negative credit standing due to her credit card debt (which she has settled already) five years ago. Why pay for wrongdoings for such a long time when you have paid already? I understand financial institutions need to be cautious of their approval on loan applications but they still have to take into consideration the changes in standing of a person’s lifestyle.
We badly need an institution here that can repair credit like the ones in the US. It will do all of us a lot of good.
I considered it bad because, for one, I only drank 2L of water yesterday (I need to drink 3L according to my body size). Two, I drank soda (coke zero) when we went to my parents’ place last night. But I didn’t eat too much (as is always the case).
I also wasnt able to exercise as I have planned. I need to get my b*tt into gear so I can meet the required thrice a week exercise to earn points for the Biggest Loser.
I also have been breaking out along the lines of my eyebrows and hairlines - zits are painful when you accidentally brush them off, and I have a habit of scratching my eyebrows when thinking of something (which I do a lot). It alarms me because I have never had a break out ever - I have good skin and it is turning bad - I might even need to buy some acne cream for myself *sob*!
I think this is all because of hormones and bad diet, which I attribute to me being obese. All the reason for me to lose weight.
Oh wow, what a great motivation. LOL
Have you ever eaten balut?
Balut has been a native delicacy in our Pinoy culture. Many a Filipino have gone to the streets waiting for a street vendor to come so they can buy it. I havent eaten balut in a loooong time. I was traumatized by my last balut eating :). I think I saw chick feet and it was too much for and I puked. From then on, I dont eat the balut innards, I just get my usual kick sipping the balut soup 
Balut has been the “shocking” topic of some television shows because of its taboo nature in some Western cultures. In two episodes of Survivor: Palau and two episodes of Survivor: China, separate challenges featured attempts to eat this Asian delicacy. Similarly, Fear Factor frequently uses balut as a means of disgusting contestants. Recently, contestants of The Amazing Race Asia 2 had to eat 8 baluts as a team before receiving their next clue. The Travel Channel show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern also featured Balut, where the host pronounced 18-day-old balut one of the strangest foods he’d ever eaten in his life, but far better tasting than he had expected. The members of the rock band Switchfoot ate balut on stage at their concert in the Philippines. Episode 28 of the Switchfoot Podcast shows video footage of this occurrence.
Most foreigner head straight to the toilets when they see what balut looks like inside and find out it’s a little chick
Subscribe