Condominium Shopping

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porch.jpgThis beautiful ancestral house is inhabited by ghosts. No kidding! I’ve been ignoring the footsteps, the weird sounds, odors and the cat getting spooked for the past 8 years. We moved to Makati in 1998 and thought it was the best decision we ever made. Sure, it took only 15 minutes to my husband’s office. Luijoe was only 4 years old. He cried every night the first few weeks because he wanted to go back to our cute bungalow in Pasig City. He often said that “This house is not beautiful. Let’s go back“. He’d stare forlornly by the window sill.

In early 2000 we already knew that this house didn’t bring in good vibes. This led us to purchase a house and lot somewhere in Sta. Rosa , Laguna and thought of moving the whole family to the south. That meant looking for a new school for the girls and Luijoe. Unfortunately, Luijoe died May 27, 2000 and our plans got shelved aside. Moving out took a backseat because we were too stressed out in our bereavement. The house is being rented out to a Japanese family who want to hold on to the house because it gave them “good luck”. We can’t move in there yet. So I don’t know. Can a house affect good or bad vibes? I think so.

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Before and After : Weight Loss Photos

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It’s inspiring to see before and after photos of people who have lost weight. Take for instance Five stars who went to fat and back like Janet Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Anna Nicole Smith, Nicole Richie and Jared Leto. Janet lost a whopping 70 pounds:

Janet’s secret is not lipo, not starvation, not gastric bypass. A few months back, Janet signed up for a healthy gourmet delivery service called Fresh Dining, a company that is becoming Hollywood’s new thing.

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There’s a similar service in Makati that prepares the [tag]Southbeach diet[/tag] and delivers it to your house. I know of a couple who ordered this diet plan. It cost them 20,000 pesos (roughly $400) every 15 days. God, it’s way too expensive. The result. They didn’t lose weight and I think even gained some poundage. So much for Southbeach diet.

My weight management plan was based on South Beach diet which I prepared by myself. Nothing fancy or expensive. It worked combined with daily exercise at the gym. At the age of 48 years old and afflicted with diabetes, I ‘ve achieved a [tag]weight loss[/tag] of of 30 pounds over a period of 4 to 5 months. I have 10 more pounds to lose.

So here’s my before and after pic:

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Ali Sotto’s Special Mother’s Day Feature

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alishow.jpgI was quite apprehensive over the production of Ali’s Sotto Mother’s Day Feature. Ali’s talk show was launched late last year and I had never watched a single episode. What will be the focus? Will it sound sensational aka Oprah Show style? Or will they show some heart breaking dramatic effect? I was prepared for the worst.

ali show

Surprisingly, the episode was nice, touching and inspiring. The Ali Show featured mothers who have moved on towards a positive resolution of their grief. It’s not easy to narrate my grief and the events surrounding Luijoe’s death in public but I needed to share , if only to give hope to other bereaved parents. Most importantly, my son’s memory is kept alive through The Compassionate Friends which I co-founded with two other parents. (View Screencaps of the show)

* * *

When I woke up this morning, I received a few text messages about the show. The funniest of them all was a text message forwarded by my husband.

Hi Butch . Is Noemi a movie celebrity? I keep seeing her picture on TV. what show does she come out in?

haha, I don’t know if our new friend was kidding or not but I think he was referring to the preview of the show.

Sports in the family

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badmintonSports should have been one of the children’s activities. Yes, there were swimming classes but no volleyball, soccer, softball or basketball. Sure, L kicked her way to Kung fu lessons while M  took rock climbing and fencing during the summer. I think the reason I didn’t encourage contact sports was because I was also brought up that way. All of the siblings studied piano lessons and my mother didn’t want our delicate hands to be injured. So in the same manner, I also discouraged my girls to take up sports that had the highest risk of injury to their hands. “Sports is the only thing that we lacked.” Not that my kids are ungrateful. They appreciate me for the arts and crafts, ballet , piano, voice, theater and the light sports lessons. It’s just their bodies needed more physicial exertion.

Oh well , mommy is not perfect and besides they can always start something on their own like badminton or tennis. It’s never too late. The only consolation I can offer at the moment is membership at the fitness gym. Team spirit may not be present during the exercises but bonding with their mother and the other members can be just as rewarding.

Mother’s Day Special for Bereaved Mothers

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interviewIt’s not that I’m vain. That’s a test shot. I checked to see if the makeup artist placed too much cake on me. Okay, I’m vain. I was invited as one of the guests for the taping of a Mother’s Day Special for Ali Sotto-Bsaies’ talk-magazine program (light public affairs show aptly titled “ALI,”). I expected it to be over in 30 minutes. It was difficult for Ali to do this episode. Our interview reached two hours due to frequent crying breaks and retouching of makeup. Miko Sotto‘s birthday was just last May 10 then there ‘s Mother’s Day. Anniversary dates, holidays, birthdays, special days will come and pass, each with their sting of pain. I felt really sad. I don’t know what will come out of my episode. Just see for yourself on the outcome of the interview. Other mothers featured are Agnes Prieto, Alma Miclat , Vilma Dy and Ali Sotto herself. It’ll come out on May 16, 2006 ABC Channel 5 at 11:00 PM.

I’ll talk more about this when the show airs next tuesday.

More TV shows are showing a mother’s loss this month, like Maalala Mo Kaya and Magpakailanman

I’m exhausted.

Belly Dancing Mama and Daughter

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bellybells1.jpg I told my daughter , Lauren ” Did you know that [tag]belly dance[/tag] was taught by mothers to their daughters for easy childbirths?” She raised an eyebrow. I added, “At least you’re learning it now while still single“. Lauren rolled her eyes. She decided to tag along with me last week for belly dancing . Ahh, we had so much fun. After the belly dance session, she went to the “Girl Shoppe” at Market! Market! and bought me red hip scarves with coins while she got the purple for herself. This morning was our second session. The second time around is so much easier . Belly dancing reminds me a bit of the “hula” or “hawaiian dance” which was the craze for pre-teens in the late sixties. I know how to sashay my hips like a graceful hula dancer. But belly dance is different.

The dance’s movements teach you to focus on moving one part of the body, and make muscles and limbs toned yet flexible. One learns to control body movements, restricting them either to the upper or lower body. In “shoulder shimmies,” for instance, only the shoulders, arms and chest should move, not the waist or hips. Source

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Disabled for 6 months

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If I narrate the whole story on how I fractured my leg, perhaps “Maalala mo kaya?” (weekly TV drama series in ABS CBN) might get hold of my story. Hah, as if. A few close friends and family know the bittersweet story of how I fractured my leg. During those days, my life was like a series of sappy TV soap drama. Anyway, ten months ago on July 2005, I fractured my right leg (the tibia) and dislocated my ankle. I tripped in a pavement which curved irregularly. I slipped and then heard my ankle crackle (literally sounded like firecrackers) and broke my fall on my hand. My foot dangled like it was a separate appendage from my leg. The ankle protruded. The first thought that entered my mind was “there goes my exercise”. I held on to my leg with excruciating pain and tried to align my dislocated leg to my ankle. Although I had a car, it was useless for me to drive. Alone, I brought myself to the ER of Medical City. How naive I was! I thought a cast up to my thighs would fix the fracture in no time. That freaking cast was so heavy that I had to lift it in order to move around. In so much pain. Two days later, I was whisked to the emergency room because an operation was needed immediately.

I seriously thought I would die. Being diabetic and with a heart condition, the operation was delayed until I was cleared for operation. Around 8 screws were nailed into my ankle and tibia. It felt so much better although I was still in pain. Do you know how hard it is walk with one foot? I wasn’t allowed to put weight on the right foot for 6 weeks. I had to learn how to use the crutches before leaving the hospital. We bought a wheelchair and built some ramps around the house. Taking a bath involved 2 monobloc chairs: one for my casted foot and the other for me to sit and bathe myself. Fortunately , my husband is the type of person who knows how to take care of the sick. He doted on me like a sick baby, not complaining if I had to wake him in the dead of the night to get the bedpan.

I was in my neon-green fibercast with heels for 8 weeks but I managed to entertain myself by going to the malls or restaurants. Most of our malls are disable-friendly and of course, I got a special parking place. I frequented Shoemart Makati because the 7th floor parking area of Park Square leads straight to the Ladies Section. Supermarkets like Metro Supermarket in Market! Market! even had wheelchair cart. Moving around in a wheelchair wasn’t that bad at all so long as there is a caregiver and driver to bring you around. People threw sorry glances but it didn’t bother me. I knew my disability was temporary. Whenever I visited Medical City’s Rehab Center , I notice a lot of patients who suffered serious nerve damage such as stroke victims. I knew I was going to get well so I focused on my physical therapy.


By November 2005, I was using only one crutch. The scar on my right leg looks unsightly but it is a reminder of God’s divine intervention. Today, I have a slight difficult in going down the stairs but I can walk for longer distance now. Looking back at my disability, it was an opportunity for me to take care of myself. Even if I could not walk without crutches, I continued my stationary cycling for cardio exercise. I lifted weights to strengthen my arms. I followed a healthy diet. I worked on a new online business that gave me income opportunities. Meditation kept me in a serene mode. I turned stumbling blocks to stepping stones in improving myself . It was during this period of my life that positive changes in our family life evolved.

Sometimes pain can enlighten us. This pain leads and guides us into better choices for our future.

Getting a Globe 3G Mobile Broadband with HSDPA

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button_coveragearea.jpgAs an anniversary present to ourselves, we availed of the latest 3 G capable phone promo from Globe Handyphones. This promo started May 5 and ends on May 12. So why not? GLOBE has to make their 3G capable phones affordable so that it available to as big a market as possible. Anyway, the Nokia N70 can be bought by upgrading to a 2500 peso plan or a zero interest plan for 6, 12 or 18 months using your credit card. Of course we opted for the cheaper method which was the 18 month plan. The cost of the unit with VAT included is 21,992.04 pesos ($431) or 1221.78 pesos month for the next 18 months. The video call cost the same as the regular voice call rates. I don’t know if that same rate will continue on. The rates are valid till May 30, 2006. Aww. So far, 3 G calls are just Globe to Globe subscribers. We haven’t tested the video call yet because it takes 3 days for 3 G services to be activated.

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In fitness and in health till…

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fitness firstButch signed up at Fitness First today. One disdavantage of having a lifetime membership is one gets complacent and postpones visiting the gym. That’s what happened to my husband’s lifetime membership at Slimmer’s World. He’s been a member since the early 1990’s and barely uses it. I’ve been a member of Fitness First since May 2005 and I visit the center everyday. It’s like I have to take advantage of the services and facilities because I pay 2,300 pesos ($45) every month .

After we kissed and made up after our spat, he thought of transforming his negative energies into physical workout. I think he got envious of my transformation and happier disposition. He also noticed that my arms are stronger now. Hehe, I wonder how he noticed. Was it because I carried more grocery bags?

fitness first
After our workout, I feel refreshed and bubbly. He seems to be eager to go out of the gym because of his hunger pangs. I never get hungry after a workout.

hubbyHe grins at me because he has a craving for “Gonuts Donuts“. His silvery hair glistened as I took this photo. Hubby has premature gray hairs inspite of the fact that he is two years younger than me. I barely have any white hair. He reminds me of American Idol contestant , Taylor Hicks. Unlike Taylor Hicks, hubby only got his premature gray hairs in his mid -thirties.

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Anyway, “Gonuts Donuts” have a lite version which contains 1 gram of sugar and lesser fat. Hubby orders 3 lite donuts for me. How sweet. My sweet tooth is always wrecking havoc on my weight loss management. I still think they contain evil carbos which stimulate my fats to become even more resistant to weight loss. How can I resist?

Swirling my way to Belly Dancing

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TurqSpin.gifI’ve been dying to join a [tag]belly dancing[/tag] class ever since my daughter first introduced the idea to me four years ago. Finally after signing a petition, Fitness First The Fort launched “Belly Dancing” wednesday classes. I was late for the 10:00 AM class and ended up watching the women move their bodies to Egyptian music. How exotic.

I caught up with the teacher at the locker area and she said that I can still catch up. She’ll bring colorful hip belts next week for only 700 pesos ($14.00). It costs 750 pesos in Market! Market!

I was brimming with excitement and teased my husband.

“And once I learn the rudiments, I can practice belly dance in front of you.

My second daughter overheard me and shrieked, “I didn’t hear that! How disgusting!”

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