Novak takes his 3rd Australian Open title

Well, what do you know? He may not be the most loved player but he is definitely the best player in Rod Laver arena Sunday night!

Congratulations Novak Djokovic for winning your third Australian Open title. You're the man!

I love this photo which I swiped from australian open website.

It was a great match against Nadal and when I thought Djokovic had it in the bag, he slides and makes you sit at the edge of your chair.

I was even annoyed because our old TV was not cooperating. The picture suddenly turned grainy! It must have been the cord cover or something.

Our sofa has been battered that day by me pouncing on it every point Novak makes or every mistake he makes. LOL!

I think it's Novak's time now! You cannot deny his grit, determination and stamina. He's a man of steel indeed.

It maybe too early to say but I am looking forward to him winning the three remaining grand slam this year. If it doesn't happen this year, maybe the next. I am waiting with bated breath.

Go Nole!

Goodbye Smallville

I know this is late considering the TV Series had its final episode last May 2011. But hubby and I just finished watching the final episode last weekend.

Hubby was laughing at me because even before the start of the final episode I was already crying. I am such a cry baby. LOL!

The last episode is everything I want it to be. I am not saying I wanted it to end but in my opinion, they couldn't have made a better ending to one of my much loved TV series.

I am planning to watch the whole series again. But I am not sure I could watch the very early episodes. I just don't like Lana Lang. Of all the characters in the series, she's my least favorite.

Speaking of favorites, mine are Clark and Lois, of course. And Chloe and Oliver.

Tom and Erica are such cuties! I love them.

I am wishing there's some sort of spin-off after this series. Or even a movie. C'mon Tom! Please do a Superman movie. Hehehe.

I will be watching you again and again Smallville.

up, down plank by Kelly Rowland

Last weekend, I gave myself a treat. I bought a January issue of Health and Fitness magazine with Kelly Rowland on the cover and a new cookbook which was on sale.

I am so happy with my purchase. It turns out, one of Kelly Rowland's workout is now my favorite abs exercise.

I am too lazy to scan the magazine so I swiped this picture from Health and Fitness website.

Here is up, down plank. It's doing wonders to my abs. Seriously.

Up, down plank
Reps: 60 seconds
Sets: 3
This move is great for your shoulders, arms and abdominals. Keep your core engaged the entire time and squeeze your glutes to tone your bum.
• Start in plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart.
• Lower your right forearm on the floor with your hands flat down in a fist. Follow with your left forearm, lowering it to the floor.
• Pause in a forearm plank for a few seconds, then push through your forearms, placing your right palm flat down on the floor, and raise your body back to the starting position, one arm at a time.
• Engage your core as you return to the starting position and repeat, but this time lowering down with your left forearm.

The first time I tried this, my arms were shaking halfway through the routine. Today, I was able to finish the set without much shaking of the hands. LOL! And just like I said, it really works the abs.

Try it!

to inspire

Last week, hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We've been married for six years now. When everything is perfect, you don't notice the time. That's how it is with hubby and I. Of course, we do have hiccups along the way but I believe they're normal and serve as a spice to our marriage.

Anyways, I wore a tube dress I got at a bargain from Mango.

Me in a tube dress? I did not think I would be able to wear something like this. But thanks to my smart healthy eating habits and exercises, I have been able to wear this size small (US) dress.

Did your eyebrows raise after that statement? Well, that was my bragging rights. LOL! Seriously, if I could encourage or help motivate just one person by my posts here, I will be very happy. I am not posting these pictures of me because I am a narcissist (okay, a little maybe. LOL!) I just want to show proof of my hard work and like I said to encourage someone out there.

Anyways, for our anniversary I gifted hubby with d'addario strings for his guitar. I thought he would appreciate it. And he did. He's now playing his guitar again almost everyday.

What did he give me? Nothing! LOL! Just kidding. He gave me something I really really want and need at the same time. Priceless! Thank you so much Hon for everything. You're the perfect husband and bestfriend a girl could have.

P.S. I did not wear spanx under that dress =)

directing my energies into these things

We're already in the middle of Australian Open 2012! But I can't believe I haven't watched a single game! Not even of Novak Djokovic!

I don't know. I am not really agog over tennis lately. I have so much on my mind. It's like I am racing against something unknown. LOL!

Kidding aside, I am so focused lately with some of my projects this year.

One is the on-going weight loss. Well, actually it's not so much more about weight loss now because I am just 0.3kg from my goal. Today I weighed in the morning and the scale read 55.3kg. I am concerned now about toning my abs. I can see results already but I want to see a concrete one. Tomorrow I will post another one of my favorite abs exercise.

Second thing I am focused with is my blogging. I want to earn a decent income from now on. I have been blogging for five years now and I am just earning a tiny fraction of the blogging money from the blogosphere. So my goal this year is to find out what where the money is and how to direct it to my blogs. LOL!

Another thing which takes most of my time is advertising my brother's condo unit which are for rent and our own as well. My diligence (or is it luck) paid off because all our units are currently occupied. I am hoping my diligence (or luck again) will be extended to my brother's unit.

So there, I have three reasons I am not watching Australian Open 2012. But rest assured, I will be in front of our TV when Djokovic is on the finals! Wooohoooo!!! LOL!

my healthy lunch

I've read somewhere that it takes at least a month to form a habit.

Since I have decided to go the healthy way over four months ago, it's become a habit already to prepare healthy meals.

Here's what I had for lunch yesterday.

wholewheat spaghetti with sardines and vegetables (eggplant, tomato and green bell pepper)

Honestly, this was really filling and tasty too. I added dried chili for some kick and it was good!

I usually have fruit snacks at mid afternoon but I was not hungry until dinner time.

I love making pasta lately because it's so easy to prepare and I can just toss in any veggies I like. I actually like to put some greens like spinach or even petchay. Sounds weird but it tastes good and I feel healthy too.

What's your favorite healthy dish?

give in to your cravings once in a while

I wish I could say that my will power is strong. In as much as I would like to eat all healthy food, I sometimes also crave for the sinful kind.

Last week, my craving for Oishi was really so intense. I had no choice but to give in. LOL!

But before you throw the first stone and castigate me, I ate only a few pieces.

I think it is important to give in to our desires or cravings once in a while. Because if you don't, it will all build up and the next thing you know, you'd be eating one whole pack or even worse two packs of chips. I know, because it happened to me before.

I realized that by giving in once in a while, it's actually doing me some good. I don't feel deprived so when I have a few pieces or a few chips I feel satisfied already.

So if you feel like having a cake or an ice cream, have it! Have it guiltlessly. But don't eat one whole round of cake or one whole gallon of ice cream. There's such thing as having too much.

Done and on to the next

I am glad I have finally finished editing some of the gadgets at home which we haven't used for a while or those which we have rarely used.

I have sold one of our iPad2 last weekend at the expat yahoo group here in Cambodia. The minute it was published I already got two inquiries and before midday I already sold it.

We bought our iPad2 32gb wifi+3g last August for seven hundred twenty nine dollars. But since we did not use it as much (we had three iPad2), I decided to sell it. I lost almost two hundred dollars in the process but I did not think of it that way.

If I did not sell the iPad2 right away, I would have lost more because of depreciation and the usual tear and wear.

I also sold my old canon ixus 100. It was hubby's gift to me three Christmases ago. I used it a lot in the beginning. But since hubby gifted me with the iPhone4 two Christmases ago, I haven't used the camera often. I used the iPhone instead for everyday pictures.

I still haven't sold our old PSP. I am hoping I'd be able to sell it soon. Plus the
vanilla dutches that hubby has been keeping away from me, which I found out anyway. LOL!

After the gadgets, I think I need to edit our furnitures at home and my bags which hubby has temporarily convinced me to just keep in the mean time.

I feel so good that I have done something about this. My goal this year is to have less material things and more money in the bank in the bank.

There's something poetic about early morning rain

Good morning! A very early one, actually.

I woke up at 3:30AM because of the loud thunder. I thought I was just dreaming. It was real. Then the rain came. Heavy rain. And it's still raining heavily at 4:30AM now. I think this is our first heavy rain. Last Saturday, it drizzled but only last a few minutes.

Anyway, I am already up (obviously as I am blogging this now, LOL!). I just feel so blessed to be able to enjoy this moment. A moment of stillness and the rain. So poetic and romantic. Yup, I feel that way. Hahaha!!!

Yesterday, I was a little sad because I thought the dry cold spell we're having was gone. It was hot yesterday the whole day. But today, it looks like we're still going to have some cold weather albeit with the rain. That's super okay with me.

I just don't want a super cold one where I have to wear thick jackets already, like ski jackets. LOL! I am all for moderate temperature.

Lemme get my cuppa first. Will blog again in a jiffy.

A great Tuesday morning to you all.

Today I am..

..fifty five point seven kilos.

First, let me say that at this point in my quest for a healthy me is not anymore about numbers. What is important to me right now is that my metabolism is great, I am stronger, I feel great and I have lots and lots of energy.

Second, let me say wow! LOL! Seeing the numbers go down is a great motivation for me to keep working hard. It's one thing to feel great about how you feel inside, but seeing is also believing. To see the numbers on the scale become less, that's a great validation for all the hard work I have put into this goal.

My wedding anniversary is this week. It's a perfect time for me to wear something that will show my hard work. Naks! Hahaha!!!

To be honest, I think my weight now is even less than my pre pregnancy weight. I don't remember being this healthy.

I still have less than 1 kilo to shed off. But it's really no biggie anymore. I think I'd be able to do that by end of this month.

My main focus now is to flatten my lower abs and slim down my thighs. That will require hard work, I know. But I am motivated, so we'll see.

~~~

I saw a friend the other day in the grocery. She asked me how I lost weight. I told her, I improved my metabolism by eating 5 small meals in a day. And my usual snacks are fruits. Plus, I multi task every chance I get. I squat while ironing or washing dishes. I do short crunches or bicycle exercise while watching TV. I even do little exercises with my legs while blogging this. LOL!

Every movement counts, guys!

My favorite abs exercise

My abs still needs a lot of work but I am happy to say it's quite firm now.

My biggest challenge is actually the "puson" area, the lower abdomen. It's not big as it used to be and it's definitely not jiggly anymore but it's still a little bit round.

My upper abdomen on the other hand is already flat. Take it as me bragging but really I am just proud of the result of all the exercises I have done these past few months.

I have lost more than 5 inches off my waist and it's all because of diet, physical work at home and exercises routine.

Let me share with you my current favorite abs exercise.

Bicyle Maneuver from Self.com

Lie faceup with knees bent, calves lifted and parallel to ground. Place hands behind head, fingers unclasped.

Contract abs and bring left knee toward right shoulder as you lift right shoulder blade off ground while extending right leg to 45 degrees without locking knee. Switch sides to complete 1 rep, and continue to alternate in a rhythmic, controlled motion using abs to do the movement. Keep hips on the ground and elbows in line with shoulders so you don't rock from side to side.

This exercise really works my abs especially the lower abs. I have been doing this for a week now and I hope I'd get results after a month.

What's your favorite workout for the abs?

Leo in the house

Do you ever check your horoscope? I do. Well, not regularly. I usually just read my horoscope at the start of the year and almost always at the start of a Chinese New Year.

My 2012 does not sound too bad according to my Zodiac sign.

"This year there will be lot of new arrivals. Past two years you would have been under the Saturn, now it is the time to rejoice. The influence of Uranus will give you more energy to move on this year. You may seem to be emotional throughout the year. If you are creative, it is high time you start concentrating on your creativity. The year 2012 will help Leos to re-actualize the innovations which will emerge in your life. As per Leo Horoscope 2012, you will be able to concentrate on work more. Though you may come across few household problems, you will be able to concentrate on work. You will have a tough time handling pressure at work place after the middle of the year. The last two months you will be able to get more profit and get the result you want."

The horoscope is actually in line with my goals this year - to work more. And the last sentence made me smile. But I do wish I'd get the profit or the result earlier that what it said above. I don't want to wait until the last two months of the year. LOL!

Have you checked your horoscope? If you haven't yet, go ahead and find out what's in store you this year.

Don't take it too seriously though.

Money Idol: Zooey Deschanel

I came across a yahoo article yesterday about Zooey Deschanel. No, it wasn't a gossip or news from her recent split with her husband. But it was about how she handles her money.

I have to say, I am pretty much impressed! If I am earning that much amount of money, for sure I'd be spending more than what she's spending on shopping. Take a look at how much she earns, spends and saves:

Salary from TV show "New Girl" -- $95,000/month
Dining-out expenses -- $500/month
Clothing expenses -- $2,000/month
Laundry/cleaning expenses -- $600/month
Cell phone and email expenses --- $300/month
Charitable donations -- $1,500/month
Credit card debt -- $0
In the bank -- over $1.5
In Stocks -- about $1.6
Property --$700,000

Aside from being money-savvy, what I like about her is that she also shares her money thru charitable donations.

I am also a little bit ashamed of our dining out expenses. It's listed that Zooey spends $500 on dining out. But we (family of three) spend roughly about $300-400 per month.

I need to do something about that. I think we need to eat less outside and I need to cook more. That's it! I am going to include this in my goals this year. Lessen our dining out expenses so we could save more.

How about you, how much do you put into savings from your salary?

Reminder about the past

I have finally put away my big clothes. Well, its still in the house but they're not in my cabinets anymore.

I have always delayed putting them away. I don't know why. It's not like I am hoping I will grow big again. Silly me.

You know how when you gain weight and your old clothes won't fit you anymore? You don't want to donate your "small" clothes because you're hoping you'd lose weight and fit right back in. Or sometimes, you just want them right in your cabinet to remind you of your "fit" days, right? So the small clothes stay in the cabinet and just occupy space without them being used.

That's what's happening with my old clothes. I guess I am sentimental about stuff. Or maybe the old clothes were there to remind me that I once was a size 10, sometimes 12 size.

But yesterday, I finally put the still in good condition clothes in our box labeled for give away.

Now my cabinet has plenty of space!

It's perfect timing because Mango Phnom Penh is on sale! LOL! And I can finally use the abercrombie & fitch coupons I received from my friend last Christmas. Yay!

I bought a new dress and I was thrilled I could fit in a small size. Wooohooo! It's unexpected but totally welcome.

Now I am more inspired to be healthy and fit.

Revamping this blog

Hello Sunday!

I woke up today with a lot of ideas in my mind for this blog. Yes, I have four active blogs and two more for my jewelries and condominiums we are renting out. But sad to say that this blog, which bears my name, is the least of my priority.

I promise to rectify that soon. I am planning to revamp this blog. I want to focus on topics which I have personal experiences and to be honest those that help in bring more visitors to this blog.

One of my goals this year is to be able to increase our savings. It's not enough to just save more. I think I also need to generate more revenue. And one way to do that is to earn more income from my blogs. I think it is time to maximize the potential of my blogs.

One topic which I have a lot of experiences (and which I hope will bring in random visitors and random clicks in my google adsense lol!) is about trying to lose weight. If you have been following this blog, I guess you can fairly say, it's about 50% of the things I talk about here. LOL! I am happy to say that right now, I am enjoying this process of losing weight. I have lost more than 20lbs since August last year. I am currently 56kgs but I am trying to lose 1 more kg. It's getting difficult because I think I have reached my plateau but I want to overcome that. Anyway, I'd like to start really documenting my progress and the things I do to help me lose weight and eventually reach my target.

Another topic I want to explore more is about money matters. Money is not everything, I know that. But to be able to live comfortably well, we need money too.

I am not an expert on money matters but I try hard to learn more about it. Since one of my goals this year is to be able to increase our savings, I would like to look for ways I could save more and earn more and then share it here.

Of course, I'd still be writing about things I find interesting and about my ideas and opinions but I want to focus really on two things, a healthy body and a healthy bank account.

If you find it superficial, then sorry. I am sure there million other blogs you can spend your time reading =)

I am energized. I want to get started. Oh wait, I have already started by writing it down here. LOL!

Have a healthy and blessed Sunday everyone!

My list

Happy New Year! How was your celebration?

Ours was spent at home only. I wanted to go to a hotel for the countdown but with the high prices ($150++/person!!!) of the NYE gala dinner and with a kid who we think couldn't stay awake until midnight, we decided we're better off celebrating at home.

So anyhow, have you made any new year's resolution? Mine is always the same every year. LOL!

Seriously, I have a few resolutions which I hope I will be able to follow:

1) Be healthy and encourage hubby to be healthy too. I am now eating well - more fruits, veggies and fish. I hope I could make this a habit. Not just a yearly resolution.
2) Save more and spend less. Avoid unnecessary purchase (meaning bags! LOL!).
3) Prioritize investments over travels. This year, we'll have one trip to Philippines (okay, maybe two trips!) and one trip to a new country. And that's it! No more spontaneous trips. I promise!

That's it, pancit! And oh, maybe spend less time in social networking sites. Hahaha!!!

Again, Happy New Year and have a splendid 2012, everyone!