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!

struggling with weightloss

i have been chunky most of my life. i couldn’t complain about it though, because i have been sedentary from childhood till early adulthood, except maybe a few summer swimming classes. and then i graduated from college and went on a month-long US vacation (which was when I was at my biggest. hello thanksgiving and Christmas and new year dinners! and NY pizza OMG!). since then i have always been struggling with weight loss. this is one aspect of my life that has been really holding me down. i've been going to the gym for a couple of years now, but i have only started seeing significant results a few months ago. what did i do differently this time? basically i got tired of the jokes and nasty comments and self-pity that i started making a plan to solve it (it’s called Project 2011 FIGHT! hahah!). here are my 6 personal pointers that helped me a lot.

1. Just do it.

-       When you're thinking twice if you should workout because you feel too tired or too lazy, think no more. The answer is "Just Do It". 5 minutes into your workout, you'll feel so energized, you'll thank yourself for getting your ass off the couch.

2. Indulge once, cut back five times.

-        I love food. I'd rather spend hours at the gym instead of controlling my food intake. But even if I exercise myself to death, I couldn't get significant results. So I started making a conscious effort to control my food portions. But after 2-3 weeks of cutting back, I reward myself with 1 Quickly Taro-Taro (ahhh heaven!) or a serving of ice cream. A treat once in a while is ok since it would stop me from eventually losing my mind and bingeing.

3. Get online help.

-       Sign up in weight management sites such as www.fitday.com (It's free!). You input the food you eat and activities for the day so you could monitor your calorie intake versus the calories burned. There are also features wherein you could set your weight goal and then the site would compute what your calorie deficit should be. It really does help because 1) it makes you more aware of what you're eating/doing everyday, and 2) it helps you familiarize yourself with the approximate calories of your food. I did this religiously for 2 months. Now I do rough estimates since I already know how much to eat everyday.

4. Get motivation and inspiration anywhere you can.

-     You need your personal motivation in order to keep going with your weight-loss journey. But it doesn't hurt to get motivation from others too.  Read success stories and be inspired. Utilize your desktop wallpaper. Watch The Biggest Loser. Take a look at your "goal clothes". Looking for a challenge? Make a bet. Have fun working out with your friends (luckily I have this workout-addict friend who made me level up my workouts. LEVEL 5 RAWR!! Now I have my BC batchmates as well YEY!!). Pray.

5. Have concrete goals.

-       You can't just say "I want to lose weight." That's too vague. You have to be specific with what you want and you have to have a timeline (a realistic one, please). When i started going to the gym a few years ago, i had general goals. But I only started to really lose weight on when I said “I want to get back to my college weight. I want to be able to wear good-fitting, trendy clothes. I want to have more defined cheekbones and jaw lines. I want to be able to do higher and more powerful roundhouse kicks. I want to be able to do 8 or more consecutive muay thai jump knees with ease. I want to have stronger arms and legs, all in 6 months." I have less than 2 months to go! Next in line: 5lbs lower than my college weight, push-ups on toes, stronger core, all in 2.5 months.

6. Make time for it.

-       It's all about priorities. When I need to go to the gym, that timeslot is taken. Unless there are special occasions or emergencies, I will be unavailable when it is time to work out. There was a time wherein we had to be at the office until midnight, so I could not go to the gym during my regular schedule which is after 6pm. So I worked out during lunchbreak instead. If you want to do it, there are no excuses.

I haven’t met all my goals yet (and I still get the occasional fat joke)… but i'm street brawling and side-kicking my way to achieving them all. FIGHT!

me, myself and i

i have been focusing on myself this past few weeks. earlier this year it was work work work. now i go to the gym more often. although still not as much as i want to. gusto ko 4-6 hrs a day, parang biggest loser level! haha! i'm serious. i also started cooking my own food -- for dinner, at least (thanks to one of my former officemates who inspired me to cook). my tiny refrigerator used to have water/soda and chips. now it has water, half a bag of chips, juice, the occasional soda, chicken, fish, veggies (o ha!), yogurt, cheese and 2 bottles of GPS (for emergency purposes only. ahahah!) still stuck on doing easy dishes though.

i've been cleaning the house and doing the laundry and rewarding myself by enjoying wwe (wooh orton! and omg john morrison! high flying moves plus newly seen submission holds? love. hahahaha!) and the biggest loser asia. (go nai! wooh!) 

* off topic: i loved wwe's video on its Make A Wish foundation. i wish all the wwe superstars would smile more often. it makes them more gwapo. hahah!

i also have been looking for and going to events/sales/bazaars/exhibits. my favorite venue so far is the megatrade hall, basically because i could just take a 10-15 minute walk and i'm home :) i don't necessarily have to buy anything. gusto ko lang maiba, hindi puro department store/boutiques ang nakikita ko.

unfortunately, i'll have to put in more effort to squeeze in this "trying to be healthy and happy" regimen for the coming weeks. yes, you guessed it -- starts with 'W" and rhymes with pork. this is it pancit! crunch time! so please Lord, give me the discipline and will power to keep this up. please please please. i NEED this po. because i feel that i am not good enough unless i do this. thank you po.

let's go sago!

PS. sana mag Christmas na! one HAPPY Christmas please! Amen!

sizzlers' blends can do formal events too!

reunions, seminars, birthday celebrations and meetings have been held in Sizzlers' Blends (located at the Mezzanine Level, Victoria Towers, Timog cor Panay Ave., Quezon City). for your gatherings, you can call them and reserve the place :)

they do formal events too, such as debut celebrations. several options are available, whether having a buffet table, or serving the courses per table. meals can be customized as well, depending on your budget.

call up (02) 239-3477 for more inquiries!

yogurt vs ice cream

what's the difference between yogurt and ice cream? 

for me it is this: aside from yogurt being healthier, when you eat yogurt (even the frozen ones) every single day, there will come a point when it would feel/taste yucky after the first teaspoon. nakaka-sawa. i would like to go back to having froyo, but my taste buds and stomach won't let me. ice cream, on the other hand, oh you could have tons everyday and you'd never get tired of it.

so i was ecstatic (o ha. "ecstatic"! haha!) when i learned about Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt Ice Cream. i tried the Strawberry one. omg. heaven! it really does taste like ice cream. but it's yogurt. like ice cream. but yogurt. best of both worlds. yum! 

i think they come in mango and vanilla flavors too :) but i haven't seen single serving cups though.

enjoy awesome meals for less than a hundred bucks!

only at Sizzlers' Blends!

thank you VisualCore for the photos & layout :)

'spro ftw!

since i have discovered coffee shops years ago, i realized that creamer is just no good for me. in order for me to enjoy a cup of coffee, it has to have milk.

naturally, my fave drink would be a cappuccino, which is an espresso-based drink with steamed milk, frothed milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. and then on special occasions (like when i need to feel some extra TLC), i just spice it up with extra hazelnut or mint syrup.

(image from kitchenproject.com)

today i tried a different kind of coffee - brewed coffee plus milk. and then i realized, brewed coffee is no good for me either. i have to have espresso! 

ok, quick overview:

brewed/drip coffee - coursely ground coffee beans, hot water, let water drip through coffee.

espresso - finely ground coffee beans, hot water, let water pass through coffee quickly by using pressure, result is concentrated coffee with crema.

brewed coffee is not really bad. i mean, it's still coffee :) the taste between the two is just different - and Spro definitely suits my taste :D

sunday randomness

i treated mom and danny and ronel and ate ditas to yoshinoya for lunch today. thank you danny & ronel for cleaning my vacuum and my industrial fan! thank you thank you! now my vacuum is ready for more bad-ass dust obliteration! bwahaha!

i spent the afternoon in megamall. i bought a ticket to the sherlock holmes movie. but i was about 2 hours early, so i went to powerbooks and got myself a new book to read :D ok, so it's not a political or philosophical or some deep sh*t book. i got a light romantic fiction - Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern. but at least i'm reading haha! the 3rd fiction i've purchased in half a month :)

then i went to the foodcourt and had a snack. i got taro naicha bubble tea and a ham & cheese on wheat wrap from plato wraps. both i haven't tried before. hmm... good discoveries, i should say!

then the sherlock holmes movie. it was... ok. not quite avatar-astig, but it wasn't bad either.

on my way home i passed by toy kingdom and they had this cute barbie display. of course i remembered my fellow evils and toy collectors ate ja & mik haha!

then i passed by 7/11 to get my coffee. they have a new flavor - banana cappuccino. weird, i know. hmm... weird talaga ang lasa. i still prefer my usual french vanilla. oks! time for some book reading!

hep hep hoo!

Sizzlers' Blends, now open!

Hi guys!

Sizzlers' Blends is now open to serve you!

Affordable dishes are available, plus have a taste of our coffees and mocktails :)

See you at the Mezzanine, Shoppes @ Victoria, Timog cor. Panay Ave., QC.

hot (and icy) stuff, coming through!

watch out for it, people! :D

yihee!

i would just want to acknowledge our awesome employees at SD. first off, i'm impressed on how fast they work. sobrang galing :) even if there are dozens and dozens of people lined up at the counter, hindi sila nagkakagulo, mabilis parin. plus, we're actually not a fastfood restaurant. there's still some cooking to be done before we serve the food (yes sir, we serve fresh food, not left over food from the day before). but in fairness, SD serves fast.

second, i am really amazed by their loyalty. imagine, there are people who offer to pay them a good sum of money if they give away our gravy's recipe. haha! it's cool i guess, in a way. it means people notice and like (and want to imitate) our gravy, right? and our crew already know what they have to say when people ask them that mwaha! :D then, when a new resto was about to open up, they were pirating our SD boys! :-o "kung gusto mo ng mas malaking sweldo, just contact me" sabay abot ng calling card. well, that calling card is with me now. hahah! sabi nila "ma'am, kinukuha po kaming crew dito." and it's a way bigger company too, compared to our meager foodcourt outlet. hahah! it's funny, but it made me go 'awww' too :)

so thanks a lot guys! GO SD BOYS!

green tea yogurt, anyone?

for dinner today, i decided to have my favorite Medium Green Tea Swirl Yogurt with mango at California Berry (Level 4, Robinson's Galleria).

when i placed my order, the cashier said they ran out of mangoes. so i said ok, i'll have a Medium Banana Split instead (yogurt with banana, strawberry and white chocolate thingies). and they ran out of bananas and strawberries too. 

then something weird happened. i usually get pissed when this happens ("ano nalang ba pwede kong orderin?"). but today, i felt happy. hahah! happy for them actually. that means more people got to taste their yummy yummy yogurt! hooray!

(photo from www.clickthecity.com)

i super love california berry. you can choose from the original yogurt, coffee, green tea, coffee swirl (coffee + original yogurt) and green tea swirl (green tea + original). and you can choose from chocolates and fruits for toppings. they also give free tastes (a spoonful of yogurt). plus, it is frozen yogurt. the texture is almost like ice cream, not like the usual liquid-y yogurt you buy in groceries. and my friends know that i have this weakness for cold concoctions (smoothies, shakes, ice cream, frappes, halo halo, etc.. you get the picture). so it's like having a huge nice treat of healthy guilt-free non-sweet ice cream! awesome :D AND, it's only 8.8 calories per serving! :-o

the goodness of fresh pasta

i luckily discovered this little store in robinsons galleria. it's called Ravioli, located in the middle of the food court (it's a small kiosk, not like the usual food court stores). ravioli is actually a kind of pasta. it's square-ish with fillings (either meat or cheese or veggies or whatever).

(photo from www.i-taly.org)

anyhoo, Ravioli's dishes are YUMMY! yes, it's a bit more expensive than the usual jolly spaghetti, but man! super sulit! when you see your order, at first you'd think it's bitin because the serving looks small. but it really is very filling! plus they make their own pasta (i saw one of their cooks actually preparing it), so no easy-cook pasta stuff. the sauce is really rich in flavor, and they even sprinkle fresh herbs. o ha? if you taste the dish, you'd think that it's from a resto, not a food court kiosk. their chorizo and tomato ravioli is the best!

what i noticed though is they have a limited number of menu items. less than 10 dishes, i think. i just don't know if it's because of the small kitchen space that they have, or they're just trying to specialize in certain dishes. hmm... well, i guess it's better though, than serving dishes that aren't really well-developed/prepared, right?

this little kiosk definitely gets a two thumbs-up from me :)

the perfect cup of cappuccino

just the right amount of froth.

a little pinch of cinnamon.

milk that soothes your tastebuds.

espresso that tingles your senses.

aroma that makes you go 'aaah..'

the cup that gets you through a rough morning at work.

the cup that makes you go 'oooh, hello sunshine!'

the cup that somehow relaxes your tired muscles.

the cup that calms your stressed brain.

the cup that helps you focus during crunch time.

wooh can't wait to get my cappuccino fix!