On Indefinite Hiatus

no more negative vibes

it is true. God truly has a way of shifting things around and moving your life. i can attest to that. there are times when circumstances make me feel bitterness, although in my mind i really want to feel happiness for others. there are times when my self-confidence have almost gone down the drain. times when i felt that i gave everything i've got, and got zilch in return. these are the moments when i ask myself "am i good enough?"

aside from sending me friends & family, God has sent me helpful strangers who eventually became new friends. then it would seem that the universe is aligning itself correctly and everything just falls into place. and then you realize, everything that gave you those negative emotions - frustration, sadness, losing heart - are actually blessings in disguise. and something more amazing is waiting for you. all you have to do is say "God will provide" and hang on to Him until the storm is over.

as what Mr. Rocky Balboa said, "It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!" 

no more negative vibes! SMILE EVERYONE!

self-induced facebook ban

everytime i login at facebook, i get mixed emotions. thankfully it's mostly positive. but i don't like the negative vibes i get once in a while. so i'm trying to be facebook free for one week. let's see what happens after facebook detox :)

taking it easy

this week has been quite different. i'm used to being on the go, keeping my schedule busy. 

unfortunately, last tuesday, my body said "take a break". i scraped my knee. i could not bend my knee very well, so i could not go to the gym for the whole week (can't do Body Balance! waaah!) then i got a fit of major dizziness (i was already at the office by this time). everything sounded far away, like there was something blocking my eardrums. then i perspired a lot. so i had to hail a cab and get my ass back home to rest.

so my tuesday was basically this - went to the office, got sick, went back home, slept for 3 hrs, woke up at 1:30PM, ate instant noodles (my first meal of the day), ironed some clothes (see? i could not not do anything! i have to do something), made some microwaveable fudge brownies with cream cheese, slept for 2.5 more hours, had dinner (BON CHON!), did some groceries, did my manicure, vacuumed the house, watched Naruto on cartoon network, then went back to sleep.

for the past weeks, i've been doing a lot of pondering. too much mental and emotional stress can wear me out. so my bad day is like a wake up call to me. it reminded me to take it easy. that the Lord will provide for me. if it is meant to be, it will happen. if not, then i'm still thankful. either way, i have crossed out one item from my bucket list, and that's something to be damn proud of :D

for now, i'm happy watching Naruto (gah astig talaga! sana mag shippuden na!) and reading fiction (a hardbound book from one of my fave authors that i got for Php99.00! yahooo!) while sipping my 50% sugar Taro Pudding Milk Tea with Extra Pearl, and meeting up with friends. YEAHBAH!

favorite-est band

when it comes to music, i really appreciate almost all kinds of genre. i can listen to rock, alternative, hiphop, pop, jazz, ballads, etc. i have a lot of favorite artists too. i listen to 30 seconds to mars, alicia keys, breaking benjamin, korn, my chemical romance, james morrison, jennifer lopez, justin timberlake, linkin park, steve tyrell, michael buble, just to name a few. locally i like pinoy bands (bamboo! wolfgang!) 

but there's one band that has really emotionally moved me with their songs - the red jumpsuit apparatus. their lyrics are just always spot on. one of their songs already brought me to tears. another one almost did (again). plus of course, i love how ronnie winter sings the songs (ok, biased remark. i'm on fangirl mode, so please let me indulge haha!)

i can still remember when they performed in glorietta. talagang effort ako to get tickets! sobrang saya nung performance na yun! and during the cd-signing, that was the only time i got starstruck EVER. i literally could not speak when ronnie was in front of me. all i did was smile hahaha! darn it. but he shook my hand!! woooohoooo!!

can't wait for their new album! c'mon august 30!

"so will you be my valentine for forever, not one day

cause when this day is over, know my feelings haven't changed."

- Valentine

image from thisismyfloor.com

image from canyouseethesunset.com

random sweaty stuff

for the past months, i have been buying workout stuff instead of the usual casual/office clothes, and i have discovered a few cool items fit for the gym.

first, the best thing that has happened to energy drinks -- getting themselves powdered! presenting, gatorade thirst quencher powder! now isn't this more convenient than buying and bringing a bottle of gatorade everyday? just put a scoop of this in your water bottle and add cold water when you get to the gym :) plus, it's cheaper too! you get the whole container for around Php290.00 and can make around 7 liters of gatorade. that's just about Php21.00 per 500mL! if you buy the 500mL bottle, it costs around Php 32-35. thanks florian for introducing this to me!

second, revlon colorstay liquid pen. the good: it really is smudge-proof! it stays on even after a Body Combat class with all the sweat and hot lights. i can even line my lower lashes without looking like a zombie an hour after. the pen tip makes it easy to apply too. the bad: is there really liquid in there? you have to shake shake shake the pen before a good amount of color can come out. but all in all the pen is pretty good. although for non-workout days, i still prefer my revlon kohl eyeliner (syempre revlon parin haha!). it's a lot more pigmented and it makes my eyes pop out more :D

third, everlast PINK handwraps! need i say more? LOVE!

aside from the cool purchases, what else have i been up to recently?

- BODY COMBAT 48! kicks, kicks, and more kicks! one of the most challenging releases yet. booyah!

- once launching season is over, i can't wait to try the new release of Body Balance. from what i have seen/heard, it looks freakin hard. WOOOHOOO!

- strength training. ok, so REALLY don't like weight training. i prefer cardio any day. or yoga. unfortunately, i need it. kelangan magpa-lakas. but i don't know anything about it. good thing my strength-training-addict friend, mik, is now training me! we've had 3 sessions so far, and MAN do i feel the burn!

- i started painting my nails again! neon pink, then dark blue, then maroon, then coraly-blue-green :)

- i really really really need to continue writing. i should make time for this :(

- i became a year older! :) thank you Lord for another year. for the blessings, family & friends, for the progress, for Your guidance. i am praying that You would continue to shower me with your blessings, and that You would take to where i need to be. saka po sana yung iba ko pang request, Lord. hehe alam Nyo na po yun :) Amen.

Body Combat, anyone? :D

my writing has taken a backseat for a while (my reading too, actually). it feels like haven't written for so long! 

fortunately, i do have an excuse for that. my hands have been busy punching instead of writing/typing and my brain has been busy memorizing instead of brainstorming for ideas.

so far, this year has been quite a ride for this Little Lady. you see, since late january this year, i have been slowly treading a new path - becoming a Body Combat instructor. 

my friends know that i have loved this class for YEARS. this was my stress-release. my break from hours of sitting and thinking and typing at the office. my chance to live my superhero childhood imagination. but i never thought i would have the chance to become an instructor. i mean, yes my officemate/combat-buddy and i have talked about this years before. how it would be awesome to be on-stage and share the class with gym members. how "work" would mean doing something that you really enjoy doing. but i never imagined that it could actually happen in real life. how come, you ask?

because the only "work" that i knew how to do meant endless thinking and analyzing, not moving around and breaking a sweat. because as i have mentioned in my previous post, i have been quite sedentary for most of my life. for years i have been on the heavy side. i wasn't strong. so being a fitness instructor was definitely not on my mind.

well apparently, with the help and intervention of a few people (you guys are angels!), i discovered that being a fitness instructor IS possible. you really just have to work hard for it. myself especially, given my previously un-fit lifestyle and having no martial arts background at all. plus, it's not just your physical strength and endurance. you have to think while moving too. it's physical and mental work. so for the past months i have been busy training, practicing, trying to get the hang of it - on top of my day job.

honestly, i feel good with what my body has achieved. i mean, it's a far cry from what i was a year ago. i have accomplished 90% of the fitness goals that i've set last year. BUT given this new responsibility, i feel like i have to take my fitness level a notch or two higher. i still need to increase my endurance and strength, and i could do with losing a few more pounds. so yeah, i do celebrate what i have achieved so far (yey to new clothes!), but at the same time, realize that there's a lot more room for improvement. i'll be setting up my game plan for the second half of the year soon. wish me luck! KIYAH!

PS. special thanks to the following: my mentors - teacher ben, kerwin, mark, jon. your comments are very much appreciated and welcome. the one who started it all - winnie :) fellow evils, BC47 batchmates, combat-buddies, friends, mom and dad for the endless support :)