Couple Spa

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spa.jpgFriday and saturday were stressful days for us. Butch and I commemorated our son’s 6th death anniversary by embarking on a new mission which will unfold in the days to come. After we had settled with our new mission, we thought of exercising at the gym and then having a massage together at a [tag]couple spa[/tag]. Romantic bonding moment. The couple spa is also a perfect retreat to replenish our body , mind and spirit. The kind manager offered us a complimentary milk bath after the massage.

The masseuse started with our session. Hmm, I loved the citrusy aromatic oils while the chirping bird music in the background lulled me. Butch seemed to be drowsy too. This is relaxing, so I thought. Then I heard a faint “meow” sound interpersed with the tweeting sounds. “GROAN” Stupid message ring tone (the actual meow of our Siamese cat). I forgot to turn the cellphone into silent mode. It “meowed” 4 more times. Never mind the text messages but the meowing sound stuck to my head. Almost throughout the massage session, I imagined a cat meow together with the bird’s chirping noises. So much for relaxing. I forced myself to zone out of the “meow sound” and just let it be.

spa1.jpgThe massage invigorated our bodies but we didn’t have enough time for a milk bath. The tub looked inviting. Maybe some other time, right? We sipped mint tea and just sat together to enjoy the ambience. I always make it a point to have couple time every week whether we’re stressed out or not. It’s not cheap but that’s the price we pay for love.

Cook for Mom day

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koreangrill3.jpgkoreangrill.jpgThe love of my children are enough to see me through any day. A kiss and their love greeting is a wonderful gift. I managed to survive all these years inspite of losing a son because I still had to take care of 2 girls. During those bleak days, they somehow were a reminder that I had to live for them . In honor of Mother’s Day, I was spared the job of cooking for lunch. Butch went to the grocery to buy some meats and vegetables for our [tag]Korean Grill[/tag] lunch. Even if it’s not [tag]Mother’s day[/tag], my husband does the marketing. He loves doing this task every sunday.

The beauty of using a portable oven on the table is a lot of conversation as one cooks their meal. It takes longer to eat the meal due to the cooking time involved. Ingredients used for the Korean Grill are : sesame oil, Kikkoman soy sauce, shrimp, beef, garlic, mongo sprouts, onions, green onions, mushrooms, and more. Really good dish. It’s also a great way to entertain visitors. So now, I have to go to the gym to exercise and pamper myself.

21st wedding anniversary

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married for 21 yearsTwenty one years ago, I married my boyfriend of 7 years. We’ve had 21 years of [tag]marriage[/tag] and 28 years as a couple. Inspite of the catfights, diverse personalities and the death of our precious son, we are still together. How did we do it? I don’t know. It must be the hopeless romantics in us that keeps us together. I credit my husband for never giving up on me during those times I gave up on him. We celebrated our [tag]wedding anniversary[/tag] with a simple dinner at Via Mare with our 2 daughters. Before dinner we attended the book launch of “Journey beyond the Great Wall” at the National Bookstore , Shangrila Plaza Mall.

oystersFor appetizers, Butch ordered oysters. I whispered “aphrodisiacs” .

” But I can’t eat them“.

Too bad, Butch suffers high uric acid. I ended up eating 5 oysters.

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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?

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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?

Happy Resurrection Day

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“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John11:25,25)

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I’ve written this many times before. My 6 year old son placed so much faith in eternal life. A month before he died, he bounced up and down on his bed and yelled out loud. With joy and excitement…

“When I die, I will be alive again”

It gives me hope that one day Luijoe and my family will be reunited in heaven with God. [tag]Resurrection day[/tag] or [tag]Easter day[/tag] reminds us that we will have life after we die – a resurrected life in heaven for eternity with Jesus!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

Do you believe in eternal life? Do you believe that our life on earth is a temporary place and our real home is heaven?

May today remind us not only of our Lord’s resurrection but also that of our precious children. Happy Resurrection Day!

Generation Net:First Filipino Kids in the Internet

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Who were the First Filipino kids in the internet? My daughter dubbed these kids as the Generation Next, Generation Net in 1998:

A decade ago, the world was totally different. Nail polish were red or pink, those little peace signs were everywhere, everyone were wearing flowers all over their clothes and the Beatles rocked the house. Now, nail polish are in practically any colour, smileys are everywhere and Boyzone rules. Now the people from the last decade says we’re the generation next. Is it true? It sure is. And we’re not just the generation next but the generation net.

Today, these generation net kids are in their early twenties.

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The rebirth of a stage mother

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Gone are the days when I’d wait patiently by the lobby of the ballet studio, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Folk Arts Theater or wherever my 2 girls performed piano, ballet, voice recitals or a choir performance. Ohh, how enthralled I was listening or watching them on stage! Tying their hair to a neat bun, dabbling with their makeup or lugging their costumes were now a thing of the past. Those were my stage mother years. My hubby thought I was this frustrated mother who used her girls as a tool for her unfulfilled ambitions. Haha. Funny. My maternal instinct sought to develop the God-given talents of my daughters. I cannot for the life of me, carry a tune or tap my toes so there were no ballerina or opera singer dreams.

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Losing weight after 40

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According to this article, on Childhood obesity problem:

“Global fattening” poses an equal threat to global warming, according to obesity specialists.

Overeating has resulted in 20,000 children suffering from so called “adult onset” or type-2 [tag]diabetes, not previously seen in children, while more than 400,000 have impaired glucose tolerance, a pre-diabetic stage which puts them at sharply increased risk of the condition.

A year ago, I was borderline obese at 163 pounds. Today, I’m 129 pounds. I lost 34 pounds in seven months. Aside from health reasons, I decided to lose weight because I love my girls. I don’t want to set myself as a role model of a mom who turns obese in their forties. Most of all, I don’t want them to acquire diabetes.

I sound like some advertisement of a weight reducing salon or [tag]diet pill[/tag]. Hehe.

So at 163 pounds , I looked like this :
(don’t you just love before and after pics)

I’m not too proud of the fact that I became borderline obese but if you’re struggling with overweight problems at past 40 years old, there is hope. I’m just showing these pics so that you won’t give up.

At 163 pounds, May 5, 2005 at our wedding anniversary
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If I don’t look too fat there, here are more fat pics of me


At 129 pounds November 2005
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What did I do?

1. Enrolled at Fitness First. I go to the gym almost everyday.

  • 30 minutes of treadmill or cardio activity
  • 30 minutes weights

2. Southbeach diet with a twist. I ate whatever was served on the table.

  • High protein diet for 2 weeks
  • Ate only fruits and natural carbohydrates after 2 week period
  • Avoided breads, cookies, cakes and desserts

3. Since I am diabetic, I take snacks in between meals. Snacks are usually high glycemic foods such as nuts.

Let me tell you how frustrating it was to lose weight during the first few weeks. Inspite of the strict diet and exercise, I lost only a measly 3 pounds for the first two weeks. The fat cells just refused to burn. The forties are indeed the troubled years because for some reason my body doesn’t want to obey me anymore. After the birth of my two girls, and in my early 30’s , I lost the pregnancy weight gain in a few weeks.

But I thought eventually these fat cells would start burning. My concentration was focused on having a healthy body. I also decided not to weigh myself until someone would say:

oy, you lost weight.

And that didn’t happen until 3 months later. I was excited. I squealed with delight. Finally someone outside the family (your family won’t notice because they see you everyday) noticed. When I weighed myself, I saw that I had lost 20 pounds. Finally…

Now there is a twist to my weight loss story. I fractured my leg on July 2, 2005. But I’ll talk about that in another entry.

My endocrinologist wants me to lose 10 more pounds. Ahh! That is my next project because losing the next 10 pounds is even more difficult without getting hypoglycemic.

And I’m not exactly in my early 40’s.