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Focus on Fitness

Have you ever experienced feeling bloated and lazy? Or are you often in an eating craze and too many drinking parties?

Do you want to get fit and lengthen your life? Do you want to live your life happy and full of energy?

Well, if your anwers if no, no and yes, yes to above questions, then why don't you start over, leave all of those bad habits behind, get into those athletic apparel and focus on your health and fitness today? At first, it may not be easy but if you think of the benefits of living healthy, then you will be encouraged to really fight for fitness.

Below are some of the unique benefits of regular exercise and getting fit:

1. Regular exercise reduces your risk of premature death. You avoid developing heart disease and different kinds of cancer, which are the main causes of premature death.
2. Your immune system is also strengthen with regular exercise.
3. You sleep better and it's what you need to feel relaxed and energetic the next day.
4. Even without a rigid diet, you tend to cut off those extra pounds.
5. You will even look younger than how you would normally would for your age!
6. Overall, you feel great and happy!

Now what could be better that all that?

I highly encourage you to take up regular exercise not as a daily chore but something that you are doing and will be doing not only for yourself but for your whole family. You may actually start off with just light exercise routines like walking or stretching. When you feel more comfortable with your body, you can do more aerobic exercise such as jumping, running, swimming. After you have managed to take control of your body and energy, you can move forward by adding some strength and muscle conditioning for your routine. With these, you can be fit in no time. Make sure you take nutritious meals and enough rest as well.

Now if you are like me who needs a little bit more boost than the rest, you can allow yourself to be enthused by buying some new clothes for your exercise activities. What I did for myself was to browse and buy through an online clothing store. I was able pick several polo shirts and other women's clothing that fit my body and boost my morale. Now, I am ready to start my exercise routines because I feel good about the way I look and I know in my heart that this is the best thing I can actually do for myself.

Vacation's Over

Vacation is over. Well, at least for me, of course. I was on quite a busy but memorable vacation for the past days with my family but inevitably had to go back to my corporate life, this time with a new company. Hopefully, I will find my stay in this company so worthwhile.

Speaking of work, one of the first emails I got in my inbox is an email from HR informing everyone about the annual vaccination program for the employees. Unlike in my previous job where you get one free vaccine for yourself, all of the vaccines to be availed here are to be charged to the employee, albeit at a lesser price. Nurses and doctors wearing hospital scrubs uniforms will come in at a given day to administer to the employees the vaccines which they've ordered. I'm actually thinking if I should also order at least a flu vaccine for my kids. Hmm. They are both due for that same vaccine anyway. Oh, by the way, this reminds me that I still need to do some research for a nurse-friend of mine looking for scrubs. I will tell her that she can actually find cheap but nice nursing or medical scrubs in this link http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original-Scrubs/. I am quite sure she will find what she needs there.

Ta-ta for now!

So, House Everything?

This blog has been an utterly neglected space in the world wide web. Huhu. But I think I'm about to do something about it now.

Find more interesting articles in the next minutes or so. I'm definitely back in the grind! Ha!

Love,
Vina

For Sale

My dad is finally decided on selling his ’96 Toyota Hilux truck. We really love this vehicle since it belonged to the family for so many years. Actually, all the people close to us know that we fondly call this truck as “Rex” since my dad bought this car through his writing projects with Rex Publishing.

Anyway, this truck is still in good working condition, "hindi na-Ondoy", still has original parts and paint. It has several nice accessories attached to it such as a chrome tailgate handle, new sound system, step bars, etc. It’s colored red plus the tires are extra big. It runs on diesel so it’s economical compared to gas-run engines.

Anyone interested? Drop me a line.

For PWDs

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

PWDs or people with disability are gaining so much advantage and benefits from NMEDA. NMEDA or National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association is a non-profit organization that is there to help the many people with any form of disability in terms of transportation and moving around from place to place.

I myself have experienced this in my family when my Dad's mother-in-law was still alive. She had her lower leg removed due to complications of her diabetes and had to live with this disability for many years. And although she was given an artificial leg which is attached for her to be able to walk around the house, it was still hard especially when she needed to be brought out. What was extra hard is to bring her in and out of the car. You see, their car wasn't made for this kind of situation. Anyway, she had already passed away two years ago.

Now you can see what a benefit it would be for families of people with disabilities such as my Ninang's family if their means of transportation had a special feature that would enable the person to be brought in and out of the vehicle without the many hassles. Well, NMEDA is definitely there to promote this advocacy.

On Grass and Lawnmowers

When I was young, our house had a beautiful lawn with Bermuda grass, some coconut-like trees and many flowery plants. I still remember those memories from my childhood when we would play hide and seek behind the bushes in our garden or play “luksong tinik” (I don’t know what’s the English translation of this) with our friends.

Among all those things, what was very memorable really for me is the grass that we had back then. It was lovely. If we still have it now, it would have been great especially with the kids around. I particularly love the smell of morning dew and freshly-cut grass. Well, who doesn’t? I still remember being asked to cut the grass manually using big garden scissors (I got calluses from that, oh dear). But you know, now there are great mountfield lawnmowers that can do the same job for half of the time. A mountfield mower looks efficient and easy to maneuver. If only I can recreate the garden we had back then somewhere in our new backyard, then I would be so tempted to buy a mountfield petrol lawnmower to do the grass-cutting for me.

Chapel Renovation

Our village chapel is going to be renovated soon and we are gearing up to find the funds for its much-needed face-lift. I heard that the plan is make the façade into something like an old Spanish-styled church. By this, they will need to redo the front window box planters and replace it with a planter that is of a different style, like something with bricks and rust-colored paint. And of course, the decorative planters need to be placed high above the ground since with our recent experience with the Tyhpoon Ondoy, all the ornamental plants in front of the chapel were all swept away by the high flood water. Tsk. Tsk.

In addition, I also heard that we will need to replace the chapel’s old roof. The existing one already has so many holes in it, thus, it needs to be changed too so that when the rainy season comes, there won’t be so many leaks here and there.

Oh, so many plans and so little resources! Please send financial help if you have some extras. For sure, your assistance will go a long, long way.

Kitchen Renovation

My friends who recently migrated to Canada are starting anew with their growing family in this new country. They left their jobs in the Philippines to seek greener pastures as immigrants. For starters, they recently got a new house and are trying to do a renovation to suit their family’s needs. And since they are rather new and are not so familiar with the goings-on about general contractors, they are looking for ways to get the best deals. Good thing, the internet is helping them a lot in their search for a good, professional and reliable Calgary Contractor who can do the work for them.

First on their list is to tap a contract with kitchen renovation Calgary. They want a kitchen which has sturdier and space-saving cabinets and a place for their dishwasher and oven-top. Plus, they would want to be able to have ample working space for them to still cook up their favorite Filipino dishes even while in a far away country. Cool!

About Narcissism and the Small Pleasures in Life

There are just some things that money can’t buy, as the saying goes. Our happiness is not dependent on the things we have and own but in our disposition in life. As such, it does not matter if we can’t afford to buy most expensive things around. What’s important that we live in unity with our beliefs and are one with God. It does not necessitate that we be rich to be happy. If God makes us rich, then well and good, but if not, let us not feel sad.

Sometimes, or rather, many times, with the strong influence of media and the world, we forget this and fall into this narcissism, a failure that, sadly, we also bring upon our own children. My vision is to lead by example in our family so that my kids would not grow up to be materialistic, concerned only about themselves and have that me, my, mine attitude. I don’t think this is the way to bring up good and responsible kids.

In line with this, I read this wonderful article yesterday about the 101 small pleasures you can enjoy everyday. And since small pleasures are my thing, I was inspired to come up with my own random, albeit shorter, list that is based on my personal experience.

1. Discovering your vocation
2. Finding your soul mate
3. Getting the best teachers
4. Having a good cup of coffee made by hubby
5. Creating an original poem
6. Hugs and kisses
7. A clean house
8. Finishing my prayers before I’m too tired to do so
9. Pasta
10. Garden flowers
11. Free access to the playground
12. Aerobics with neighbors
13. Breast milk
14. A pat in the back
15. My kid learning to spell
16. Love letters
17. Good friends
18. Comfy robes to make you look decent enough to go down for breakfast at home. (I also love those soft bathrobes available in hotels, not that we always get bath robes in hotels since we seldom make trips now).
19. Three-day weekends
20. Pregnancy

On the Side...

I had been fairly interested on commercial and personal insurance lately. It's because I recently really met some nice people who are in the home insurance business. Actually, their company is an offshore IT unit of a big company involved in home insurance in New York, among other things.

Anyway, my interest led me to do some background check. So I looked at the site of the Insurance Information Institute to do some research and be able to learn more about their status of their company. In fairness, I think they are stable enough as an organization since their are currently in expansion mode and off-hand, I think that's a pretty good sign.

Now, that leaves me to wait if my plans will push through. :-)

For the Seniors.

Do you remember the movie “The Notebook”, taken from the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks? Except for some “adult parts” (which I always skip and move to fast-forward), I love the way the movie was told. The lines in the movie and the actions of the characters kind of draw the fire in your heart and bring out the tears in your eyes. Anyway, it’s one of my favorite movies because it talks about the conditional love between husband and wife. And regardless on how many times I’ve watched the movie, I also end up sobbing like crazy. Maybe partly it’s because I see how my parents loved each other and how their marriage was a great one until the end just like that in the movie.

It was told in the story that the main woman character in the movie had a medical problem which consists of forgetting the things that had happened to her. But in spite of that, her husband never left her side. They lived in their old house which was converted into a nursing home and the people there help them live a normal life even in their old age.

Anyway, speaking of nursing homes, in America, I think more and more siblings and their families are searching for nursing homes where they can put their elderly parents. This often happens when siblings live in different parts of the country and they cannot contribute much in giving care and emotional support to their aged parents. And in order to help these kinds of families, there are now assisted living communities which are there to provide facilities to elderly people. This kind of senior independent living promotes the welfare of the old and gives them the attention and support they need in this time in their lives. Assisted living facilities are available in many different states and are quite easy to look for.

Owning a Home

Owning a residential property is every family's dream. It is my dream and maybe your dream too. And we all know that achieving this dream, unless you were born with a silver spoon, is harder than you think. It takes a lot of work, sacrifice and effort in order for a family to afford owning their very own home. Lucky for those who are just rich or who are born with an inheritance of land and home, they do not need to pay all those long-term loans and amortizations with the bank in order for them to buy and live in a house and lot of their own.

I know of folks who lived all their lives in an apartment which they rent until forever. And you all know how inconvenient living in an apartment could be. The space is cramped and you sometimes have to deal pesky neighbors, you know. Anyway, they never really had gotten the chance to buy a single, detached house even if they wanted to because of the cost of purchasing a house. And if some did get to buy a house, the design and structure of the house may not be in tip-top condition as they had dreamed about.

The good news is that, nowadays, those who want to buy a house can choose from manufactured homes which are now available in the market. There is less the hassle of hiring an architect, setting up of floor plans or buying construction materials and all that. All you need is give the supplier of manufactured homes for sale a call, visit their model units and then they will deliver the house in no time. New manufactured homes for sale are quite economical too. They are sturdy and easy to install and in just a short period, your new house could be up and running.

Daydreamin'

I have always been a traditionalist when it comes to home design and interior decorating. Maybe it’s because I had not much choice because the house I live in was built and designed (and owned!) by my parents.

At any rate, if I had the budget and the liberty to build our own family home, I would consider making it a functional house with a modernist look. By modern, I mean that you incorporate all those contemporary furniture plus add in the latest appliances and gadgets that make life easier. I would purchase a high tech stove and convection oven, a stainless steel mailbox (buying blomus stainless steel mailboxes online would be on the top of my list!). My bathroom would be a fabulous place with the best jacuzzi and a modern shower room. I would also add a powerful little laptop and put it on top of a dashing office desk with a sleek design. I would also shop for blomus stainless steel fireplace accessories for my German-engineered portable fireplace and put all of it in a room where my husband, kids and I could snuggle up in the warmth of the fire. Lovely, right?

Well, it’s not so bad to aim high. Dream and you dreams will fall short.

Do you have a truck?

I just discovered this wonderful site selling good quality truck accessories. Now we can buy any truck accessory we like through this particular site. For example, there is a truck ladder rack and some car splash guards that does not only beautify the car but are also very functional and useful for truck-owners.

Here is a sample truck rack that can be found at Real Truck.

Having a truck rack is very handy for our family especially that my Dad often travels from the province to the city. With the rack, he can load lots of stuff on top of the truck. For example, there was a time that he brought us dozens of coconut (buko) from the province because it's way too cheaper to buy it from the province during the holidays compared to when you purchase it here in the city. The cost is almost double! Also, the rack is also perfect in bringing home our portion of milled rice coming from our land in the province. You see my maternal grandparents own a sizeable portion of land in the province and every so often, we are lucky enough to benefit from it by getting some rice for our personal consumption.

So if you own a truck, check out Real Truck and get the best deals on truck accessories.

It's hard.

It's hard not having a car.

As you may have read in my blogs, we were Ondoy typhoon victims last September. And although we were saved from any severe damage in our home, our car was not spared from the disaster. Many of the parts of the car needed to be replaced and so far, we already have spent loads of money trying to bring it back to a good working condition again. So far, we already are status quo in the repairs because the major work that still needs to be done (the transmission and electrical) would require us to shell out a huge amount of money.

Without an efficient car, I have to commute to go to work everyday now. This means I have to wake up very early so that I don’t encounter the long lines waiting for a service to bring me to Makati. Sometimes, when I don’t get to wake up as early (mea culpa), I have to wait for an hour or so falling in line, risking being late for work. After work, it’s the same story. I also again need to line up to get a ride home. I’m trying to get used to it because I have no choice. I just need to learn to offer it up.

Anyway, last month, we were a bit lucky to temporarily use my Dad’s pick-up truck for more than a week. You see, my Dad was driving for our relatives to go to the province when he discovered that he was driving without a license. As a result, he decided to leave his truck at our home and just take the bus going back to Batangas instead of risking being apprehended by the traffic authorities.

With the truck, our social life became alive again. We were able to attend parties, drive our relatives to places they would like to go, reach longer distances and bring the kids wherever we liked without us having to commute. (Our damaged car could only travel short distance otherwise it would overheat.). But then just when we thought our happy days were to last for at least month, my Dad had to take back the truck because he needed it to go to the province again.

So good bye for now to the truck, its husky liners and ladder rack. We also temporarily bid adieu to the truck’s tonneau cover and its big wheels.

I guess we just have to wait until our car comes back to life again and until happy days are here again.

Buying Cabinets

Building a house could be one of the family’s ultimate dream. However, for those who do not have the right contractor or the right supplier, it could be a nightmare.

In our case, we found our previous contractor quite disappointing when it came to our bath cabinets and bathroom vanity cabinets among other things. It’s because the quality of the cabinets were not at all at par with the price that we paid for it. In a matter of a couple of months, our cabinets were falling apart and the handles had already been glued back a million times. What a waste of money it was! If only I have followed my gut instinct to buy kitchen cabinets from a reputable store from the very start instead of having it made by the contractor (for obviously, this was not their expertise). Then I wouldn’t have to pay again for repair or buy a replacement for our cabinet accessories.

Oh well, next time I know.

My Best Friend's Wedding

London-based Cleo, one of my dear best friends, recently got hitched to her boyfriend of 3 years in a very simple church ceremony. I'll say that in spite of the rush preparation (it's so hard to plan when you're an overseas bride), the wedding was actually nice.

We arrived just in time for the bridal procession. She was wearing the mid-length gown which I bought the night before (yes, you read it right, I bought the gown the night before). Anyway, her bridal bouquet was lovely. And of course, her bag is cute (coz it's mine!). Haha!

The priest who solemnized the wedding was a fairly new and young priest. He's been a priest for less than a year, I think. Anyway, during the homily, he associated a marriage with chopsticks. With no pun intended for Cleo's being partly Chinese, he depicted the similarities between the two. It's quite simple really. The key is really to work together to make the marriage work.

With all its simplicity, let me just note that I love a wedding like this. This is a real marriage with wedding vows done by the couple in front of Our Lord and all His Saints (well, as opposed to weddings that are officiated just by a civil authority). There is no need for grand entrances or ostentatious flowers or gowns. As long as the form and matter are present, it is a sacrament, a valid marriage.

So here is the happy couple.

After the mass, they hitched in a shiny black car going to the reception in Makati.

And here's us. Oh well, I look at myself here with a little cringe. If you notice, I haven't gotten back to my old (often dubbed as pre-pregnancy) weight yet. My tummy still has that sort of pregnancy pouch that doesn't seem to come off. If only I could, I'll fly to the States and have a plastic surgery travel and undergo a california cosmetic surgery to lose all those pounds I gained from giving birth. Do you think it's already safe to have a procedure done like a tummy tuck in Beverly Hills? Well, I'll have to ask my OB first.

Anyway, going back to the wedding, the reception was at Conti's in Greenbelt. I sort of know one of the persons who own the place so I recommended them to the couple. Well, apart from a small glitch with the reservations, the food was glorious (okay, there goes my diet again!).

My warm wishes for a lasting marriage to you guys! May you find yourselves together soon in London (as planned). Cheers to lots of cute babies in the future!

For Tonight...

For tonight, we will be having dinner out with our US-based relatives. Since they only have a few more days left here, we invited them to dine with us in Greenbelt. I have been craving for the delicious pizza and pasta at Capricciossa so probably that’s where we are going to eat tonight. I can’t wait!

All-in-all their vacation here is for about a month. And since they’ll be away for so long, I think that they are already beginning to wonder how the weather is in Chicago and how their house is doing. Well, we all hope everything is alright. We actually talked about installing a Home Security System for their home since there are times during the year that they are abroad. They know that among the many choices, ADT provides the best Security System for homes. Anyway, I hope my cousins (their sons) can check their house once in awhile so that they will feel secured that things are okay.

Flowers on My Mind

The hopeless romantic in me is getting pretty excited about this upcoming Valentine’s Day. I have been browsing through dozens of pictures of flower arrangements and chocolates for the past few minutes of already. (Well, not that I expect to receive any of those from my husband on V-day. A warm kiss and hug are all I need from him!). Anyway, I particularly drool over those flowers I saw at the Martha Stewart’s shop. She really seems to come up with the loveliest styles, if I may say. Sometimes, I wish I have the same talent as hers. But of course, I don’t.

Speaking of flowers, my thoughts bring me to old memories when I was young and my grandma maintained several window boxes at the front porch in our ancestral house. On one side she had a window box which contained beautiful sunflowers. At the other end, there were blooming white roses. Such lovely flowers! During the summer, we would sometimes help out in watering the flowers. It was a nice and quite an enjoyable chore to do. Plus, what's so great is that we didn’t need to buy flowers outside anymore because we already have it right in your own window box!

Well, you can check out these window boxes planters online and see how these can beautify your home.

Here are some samples: