Currently at 135 lbs (06/18/2011)

Goal : reach 120lbs in 2 months

Hi Blog,

As much as I don't want to make this into a weight loss diary/ journal, I have now lost around 3 pounds since starting gym 4 weeks ago. I know this is still quite little when I know I could've lost more. But dieting is my real enemy here. There was one time, I ate a whole pack of cookies and Nagaraya when I could never finish those myself before when I didn't go to the gym. Workouts make me more hungry.

But I've already given up some things. Like soda, and Milo at night. I've trained myself not to crave for soda. When eating out, I ask for water instead of any other drinks offered. I've also become more cautious since even fruit drinks/juices when bought outside are more sugary than healthy.

And Milo..., I love Milo! But now I drink and savor it in the morning and have stopped drinking at night. It's one thing I probably can never give up.

My exercise regimen consists of working out at the gym around 2 to 3 times a week. I have started looking forward to it since I see myself becoming stronger in a sense I can do more sit-ups and more numbers of repetitive machine workouts. I also love using Cardio equipment especially the elliptical. Well so there I hope I can lose a lot of weight and hope that you can share with me your miraculous weight loss stories cause I badly need a miracle right now :)

Have a good day friends!

Traffic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talagang minsan sobrang nakakaasar bumiyahe dito sa Maynila. 6:30 out sa office, 9:30 na nakarating sa bahay! Talo ko pa ang lumuwas, eh Metro Manila lang naman ang iniikot ko. Hay nako! Simulan nyo na ang the Fort Bus. "Less Stress" daw ang motto nila, pero dapat may statement sa ilalim na, "Less Stress... During non-rush hours... otherwise, megastress!" To think na, pumipila yung mga tao, bumababa lang sa mga designated bus stops, pero mas mahirap! Bakit parang mas madali pang makipagsikuhan sa Coastal bus stop area going to Edsa kung saan walang sistema sa pagpila kaysa sa the Fort Bus Station na disciplinado ang sistema. Wahhh, only in the Philippines! Truly, it defies reason.

Isa pa yang FX station sa Makati. Talaga namang walang mas reasonableng dapat sakyan kung hindi ang mga vans nila na dederetso sa lugar nyo. Pero grabe, kung magmahal, limang piso agad. Akala mo naman may nagimprove, halos maloka pa rin ako sa kakahintay ng FX. Shems, iuwi nyo na kami, please!

Basta talagang grabeng grabe ang traffic dito sa Maynila. Hindi naman ako nag-O.T. pero parang sana nag-OT na lang ako. Kumita pa sana. Alam nyo pag traffic nagiging masungit ang mga nasa paligid ko o kasama sa pila. Nakakunot mga noo, nagtsk-tsk sila, tapos umiikot yung mga mata parang may invisible na kaaway. Hahaha. Ewan, kakaiba ang epekto ng traffic sa mga tao. 

Kanina lang sa van, nakatulog ka na't lahat pagkagising mo halfway ka pa lang. Close na nga kami nung mga pasahero e. Sa tagal ng stay namin dun, rinding -rindi na kami dun sa usapan ng driver at ng mga kakosa nya sa walkie-talkie. Masakit na yung pwet at pati mga tuhod stiff na kasi matagal na naka-bend. Inis na inis na rin ako sa magboyfriend na nag pi-PDA sa harap ko.  Hay... inis na inis na nga ang beauty ko, iniinggit nyo pa!

Pasok sa eksena ang favorite motto ko -- "Dadaloy din ang ginhawa". Patay na, may digging ang Maynilad! Grabe, patong patong na, halos dalawang lane na lang ang dinadaanan ng mga sasakyan. Dagdag pa sa traffic! Ganito rin ba sa inyo?

***

Sana may magawa ang MMDA tungkol sa traffic sa Maynila, although kung ako rin ang taga-MMDA, hindi ko rin alam kung pano. Grabe sakit sa ulo yung nata-trap ka everyday sa paghintay na makauwi ka na, sobrang hirap sa pagcommute, nako! Kung araw araw ganito nakakapagod rin. Ano, magiimplement na naman sila ng mga pahirap na rules tulad ng number coding sa public buses? Nako, isip naman kayo ng mga rules na hindi general commuting public ang nahihirapan. Kita mo nga ngayon, matraffic pa rin naman ah.

O sige na masyadong napahaba na 'tong sinulat ko. Naglalabas lang naman ako actually ng sama ng loob sa naranasan ko today.

Okay good night and good luck.

Baclaran Day tomorrow.

Yours sincerely, Flor.

Smiling on the left... but... still smiling

Bell's palsy is a neural disease we learned about as students in nursing school. The singer Frenchie Dy, is known to have acquired it and everyone thought 'what bad luck that among the hundreds of diseases out there, this rare one actually gets her'. That's what I think everyone felt. It's actually quite an issue with Frenchie since she's a performer and therefore must have a face that always looks good in front of an audience.  My sister thought this form of facial paralysis can be had when you overexpose yourself to a fan or airconditioning. She swears that two of her classmates, who always placed a fan on one side of their faces,eventually acquired paralysis on that side. My friend told me that she had a friend once, who, when her boyfriend left her, instantly got Bell's Palsy.

So much for all the theories and urban legends surrounding the very mysterious Bell's Palsy.

Why am I even blogging about it anyway? That's because I have it.

Well today is Day 11 of my recovery from Bell's Palsy. It feels normal actually. I don't feel any fever coming in nor am I suffering from an insurmountable amount of pain. Just that I noticed in the beginning of last week, my eyes were becoming very uncomfortable,a little bit painful and itchy. That's when I realized that my right eyelid does not close properly which is reason for it to feel uncomfortable and compensate by being teary-eyed. I also felt pressure at the front and back of my ear and our house was on full no-direct-contact alert because we all thought this was the highly transmissible Mumps. I am thankful it's not mumps cause that's more painful and scary. I still was able to go to work although my eyes still kept tearing up. Then the middle of the week came and suddenly my entire right face could not move.Only one eye blinks. When I try to close it, the eyelid only closes a little halfway. The right eyebrow does not rise or frown. The right nostril does not flare and that looked kind of funny. What's more obvious is the mouth part. It's really unnerving when I speak or laugh or smile, my mouth moves on one side so I tried hard not to smile during the next few days.

Day 5 photo: The dreaded palsy has struck a nerve-- my facial nerve
or cranial nerve VII. (enough with the medical jargon please!)

I was so lucky to have bosses who were also health care practitioners and easily noticed that a cause of my sudden inability to move my facial muscles could be neural in nature. I  was terrified at first because I thought anything connected to nerves is a major issue. Immediately on the day after onset, we went to a neurologist and she explained to us that a virus attacked my system and was 'eating' my facial nerve. She  confirmed this condition to be Bell's Palsy. I am thankful that my case was mild. She prescribed Prednisone/ or an anti-inflammatory agent to lessen any swelling that may also be affecting the nerve and Vitamin B complex for neural repair (amazing!). She told us that a common cause of Bell's Palsy is stress and puyat (or spending time awake during normal sleeping hours). I have a talent for pagpupuyat. I love it. And now it has now taken a toll on my body which made me realize how I should value my health more.

Our neurologist explained that this was more common that most people think. More of her Bell's Palsy cases happen around the holidays when people are more prone to stress, partying and staying up late. Well, anyway, so much for all these explanations and causes. We've all now proven wrong all the previous urban legends about Bell's.

Day 11 photo: more teeth can be seen

Well now as an update on Day 11,... my eyes, they say, blink together. I can see more of my teeth on the right side when I smile. My eyebrows are still worrisome since they still do not  frown or rise as willed. But with my family and friends' faith and prayers on my side, I am so much better. Eleven days after and I look so normal barely no one noticed the small imbalances on either side of the face. Other patients (reference: youtube) still have the major symptoms for several weeks or months on end. The end goal here is to get all muscles to return to normal at the same pace and avoid therapy. My personal goal is to get my smile back :)

I hope that what I've shared with you today would increase your insight about your health. I never would've known how much my chronic pagpupuyat could affect me and so could it affect you. Stress is a major underlying cause in many diseases today so let's all be careful about our health and lessen the abuse we inflict on our bodies.

Take care, you.

sincerely, Flor.

Finding Peace in Cebu

This is probably one of the my best and most memorable vacations ever and it happened right here in our country. This is definitely a memorable first for us since this is the only time that we boarded a plane AS A FAMILY!  It was almost New Year back then, and my family just waited for me to come after work in the morning and we boarded the plane ASAP. No time to rest, no time to shower, or even eat a meal... We were all so excited to be headed to Cebu.

"Peace I give unto you" -- Taoist Temple, Cebu City
Finding Inner Peace in Cebu, 2009
Sulit.com.ph and Trajet Tours and Travel promote tourism in the Philippines and abroad. Find great travel deals at Sulit.com.ph, the leading online classified ads website in the Philippines.

Well, this is us, visiting the beautiful Taoist Temple near downtown Cebu City. 'Beautiful' is such an understatement, actually. The temple was so breathtaking in the beauty of its structures, flowers, gardens, and fountains. I also loved the huge gong which reminded me of the big temples I only see in movies in distant China. I felt like a foreigner in my own country. The Philippines is known for it's beautiful natural tourist destinations but this one is man-made which really amazed me. I never would've believed that such a building that can be visited without a fee existed . I'm really just proud of it. I hope this picture gives it justice. I think everyone must have time to visit this temple even if you're a from a different religion or sect. My siblings and I sat there and felt contemplative and peaceful once we were inside. Here's a place where you can do some serious soul-searching. We've visited almost all the tourist spots in Cebu --  the Mactan shrine, Mountainview Top, Magellan's Cross, to name a few, but this wonderful building really has a place in my heart and will always be a place where I found a little bit more of serenity and happiness amidst the bustling city of Cebu.

Sincerely,
Flor

Anyhow

Kung hindi ka pa ba naman matakam. . .




photo from http://lutongkapampangan.blogspot.com/

Anong Meron sa Bulacan?

Isang nagmamadaling Flor ang naglakad papunta sa mall nung isang araw. May isang boy/girl na pumara sakin tapos biglang bati na "hindi naman ako masamang tao". Fine! Defensive sya agad kasi nakitang nakakunot na yung noo ko.

"Pwede bang humingi ng pamasahe?, kailangan ko lang pauwing Bulacan"

Nagbigay naman ako ng sampungpiso.Parang ayaw nyang tanggapin kasi mukhang kulang pa ang pamasahe papuntang probinsya. Pero sorry, sir/maam nagmamadali ako.

May isang mag-ina pa ulit na pumara sakin pero talagang late na ko e. 

***

Isang nagmamadaling Flor ang umuwing bigo galing sa job interview sa mall nung parehas ding araw. Yung mag-ina na pumara sakin nung una, nakita ko sila ulit. At syempre pinara din nila ulit ako. 

"Pwede bang humingi ng pamasahe?, kailangan ko lang papuntang Bulacan"

"Pwede na ba ang sampungpiso?" sabi ko. 

pero this time at least, hindi sila parang naiinis na sampungpiso lang ang bigay ko. Nagpasalamat pa talaga. Nung una, inisip ko na joke ba to? Magkababayan lang ba sila nung naunang ma'am/sir na pumara sakin?

Nung huli ko na lang napagisip isip na ano bang meron sa Bulacan at parang lahat ng pumapara sakin e pupunta dun? 

Naloko yata ako! Garrr.

New Brand of Beauty

All men and women these days highly value beauty and skin care. It's always crucial to keep our appearance in check because this is how other people create their first impressions about us. We have to make sure that we use the right type of products that would improve our skin. Whenever I buy skincare products, I always look for certain qualities. They should contain antioxidants, have sufficient sun protection, and most importantly, they have to fight signs of aging. Anti-aging has become an increasingly in demand quality in leading skincare brands.

Oxis International carries a line of skin care products that are based on powerful natural substances and are made of potent antioxidants. According to http://www.oxis.com, one of the compounds of their products, Ergothioneine, is made up of the popular but beneficial ingredient, glutathione, along with vitamins C and E. Thus, detoxification is one of the major benefits of Ergothioneine. This super anti oxidant helps eliminate harmful free radicals in our skin.

To know more about their skincare brand, Oxis penny stock investments and more, check out Oxis on facebook, or follow Oxis on Twitter.

Have a beautiful day!