My life's little lessons

When craving for chips, go for it. Just buy the smallest pack.
I do have the lowest EQ and when a pack of chips is in front of me, I could not resist it. I almost always finish the whole pack. Now, I have learned my lesson. When those carb cravings attack, I am ready. Small pack is harmless enough. At least that's what I think.


Sometimes you have to turn your world upside down to see things clearly.
After cleaning the house this morning, I did my exercise routine. While doing the downward dog yoga pose, I noticed several dirts on the floor on several areas of the living room. And I though I cleaned the whole place properly!


Give. Not because someone is looking at you but because you really want to.
With so many disasters around the world and so many people needing help, a little something always goes a long way, however it was given. But sometimes I am pissed off with people pushing other people to give just because they gave. It's not a contest! Give freely. No strings attached. No broadcasting to the whole wide world.


Exercise.
It stops you from aging so fast.


Drink green tea daily.
It keeps you full throughout the day. It fuels your metabolism and prevents certain cancer from occurring. In short, your body will thank you for it.

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Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

Four more sleeps

I am just so happy today even if it's a busy Monday! Just a few more days and we'll be on our way to a 23-day vacation in the Philippines. Wooohooo!!!

With a long list of things to do, a floral arrangement, aircon repair, school hunting for our son, etc etc, I still found time to do my fitness routine.

Well, I have to!

I am preparing myself for a 3-week food feast and possibly no exercise at all. Will my flat tummy come back to Cambodia flabby? That I have to see.

I am actually dreading the outcome already but at the same time I am also excited to see how disciplined I have become. Will I ever be able to refuse stuffing myself silly? Will I find time to do a 15-minute workout daily?

Hmmm..possibilities.

But whatever happens, I plan to have fun and enjoy the moments with my family and friends. Not to mention enjoy the limitless shopping options. LOL!

Have a great Monday, everyone!

The Amazing Jessica

I am still not watching American Idol on TV.

Don't get me wrong. It's not because I don't want to or I am busy. It's just that our TV's reception of Star World, which airs the American Idol show is very bad.

I get my fix of the American Idol show through youtube and by reading news online.

Last week's performance of the top 7 Idol were all good. I can't say I have seen a group of talented individuals on AI before.

But of course, Jessica Sanchez still stood out for me. Did you see her perform? I have never heard of Stuttering before but she made me hum along with her. LOL! Really!

Jessica Sanchez sang Stuttering during the Top 7 Performances on American Idol

I really love her voice and the way she performs! She had a scare last week when she had the lowest vote among the Idols. Thank God the judges save her.

AI is a singing competition but we all know that the best singer does not always win. I hope Jessica will captivate the American audience this week. Maybe she needs to use an instrument, a Gold Star Banjo, perhaps? LOL! Just kidding.

I can't wait to hear her sing. I hope and pray she will go on to win the whole thing. But then again if she doesn't, I am sure her singing career will still go a long way.

Go Jessica!

My trusted camera

I told my husband, if ever my iPhone 4 gets broken I want another iPhone 4 or iPhone 5 (if available) as replacement. Thank you in advance. LOL!

My iPhone 4 is already one and a half years old. I am not looking to replace it at the moment because it is still working perfectly well. I just gave hubby a warning or an advance notice just in case. Hahaha!!!

To be honest, my iPhone 4 is overworked. I use it for a lot of things. I use it to pen down grocery items, calendars and events. I use it for texting, calling, fb-ing, twittering, surfing the net, etc, etc. I even use it for blogging sometimes. But the most important thing it does for me is capture images and videos.

I already sold my digicam and I do not regret doing so. My iPhone 4 is more than capable of capturing the moment.

Yummy afternoon snacks, one fine day taken with my iPhone 4

They say, the best camera is the one you have in your hand. It's true! You may have the best SLR in the world but if you don't have it with you to capture the moment then you really don't have the best camera, do you?

My phone is with me all the time, making it very convenient to take pictures whenever and whatever.

I sound like an apple fanatic now. Maybe I am. But I don't care. The important thing is that I know we get our money's worth with the apple products we've bought.

Hmmm...when is the iPhone 5 release? LOL!

Dreaming of a Coffee Plantation

Literally.

I dreamed I was the owner of a huge coffee plantation in the Philippines. The coffee plantation in my dream looks similar to this picture below.

It was such a happy dream! I woke up smiling.

Now I got to thinking....what if?

I read that coffee produce in the Philippines are down. Way back during the end of Spanish colonization, our country was a top exporter of coffee. Due to urbanization and lack of support from government among other things, our coffee production has dwindled.

Coffee farmers have cut down their coffee trees and replaced it with other crops, other have put up metal building, tall buildings, etc.

It is surprising to note though that some of our regional neighbors like Vietnam and Indonesia have a great coffee production. Hmmm..maybe we should learn a trick or two from them.

Being a coffee lover myself, I'd love to see Philippines producing our own top of the line coffees and maybe export it again to the world someday.

Let me research more about this. Maybe this is where I will get rich. LOL!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Flatter abs you can get

When hubby saw me exercising my latest sets, he said, are you torturing yourself? In some ways, I can totally relate to the question. LOL!

These latest exercises I got from self magazine are not for the beginners. They're really intense! But these are what I wanted to challenge my muscles and to get the results I want. Hopefully!

I already did these last week. This week I am going to change the set so I can rest those muscles affected by my insanity. LOL! If you want to challenge yourself, do these set together with skipping rope in between. I am sure it's going to get you a good sweat session.


WHITTLING WALK
Start in plank, then bend elbows to bring forearms to floor; move right hand to left elbow and left hand to right elbow. Lift right arm over left, placing it in front of left on floor (as shown), as you walk toes 1 step forward. Repeat with left arm, then reverse move to return to start, for 1 rep. Repeat. Works abs, shoulders, biceps.


SIZZLING SWING
Start in reverse plank: wrists under shoulders, fingers forward, legs extended (as shown). Drop hips and swing them back between arms, sliding heels and keeping legs straight. Return to start for 1 rep. Repeat. Works abs, shoulders, triceps.

GET-LEAN LIFT
Start in plank, then lift hips, coming into Downward Dog, as you raise left leg to ceiling and bend left knee behind you, foot flexed (as shown). Return to plank. Switch sides to complete 1 rep. Repeat. Works abs, shoulders, butt, legs.


PERFECT PIKE
Start in plank with a folded towel under toes. Engage abs as you lift hips and slide feet toward hands, keeping legs straight, so body forms an inverted V (as shown). Return to start for 1 rep. Repeat. Works abs, shoulders, butt, thighs.

This last exercise is really a killer! Every time I am about to do this, I pause and contemplate if I should really do it. Hahaha!!! My knees wobble and my hands shake even before I finish 5 reps. My husband said I will probably need a knee walker by that time I flatten my abs. LOL! How dare he? Bwahahaha!!!

Whatever! I am going to do this set again next week. I know I will have my desired abs soon!

Golden Shower Tree and I

Cambodians are celebrating Khmer New Year. The holiday started last Friday the 13th and ends today.

Last Friday, hubby and I went around town by foot. Well, half of it anyway. What a joy it was!

Phnom Penh's road was virtually empty of huge cars and motorbikes. The weather was perfect and the sidewalks were made pretty by these beautiful golden shower tree in bloom.

This was taken at BKK1 area.

I just love this tree! I noticed that these trees, golden shower trees (found the name after googling) are in bloom starting late March. Phnom Penh becomes a sea of yellow around this time. And it's really beautiful, isn't it?

Aside from the pretty flower, I love the picture above because I look tall and slender. LOL! Someone said if I could recommend them safe diet pills that work, thinking that I have gone that way to lose some of my weight.

Instead of being offended, I just thought of it as a compliment, bizarre as it may sound. LOL!

Seventeen years ago

I had a really good laugh looking at this photo on facebook.

I was 16 years old here. That's 17 years ago! LOL!

My cousin posted this photo on her facebook wall and tagged me. I almost did not approve it because I did not recognize myself. Hahahaha!!!

This was taken during our foundation day celebration. I was Ms. SMS '95.

This gown was copied from a magazine ad. We brought the magazine to Surigao City and had the gown copied. It turned out surprisingly good.

I don't know where this gown is now. I wished I took care of all the costumes I had back then. It would have made a good souvenir of that era.

High school days...ahh..nothing like the high school days!

A little bit of OC-ness

I have compiled three sets of exercises and put it in my journal. There are 8 routines for every set. I need one more to complete the whole month.

I did this because I want to concentrate on a certain area every week. If I don't write it down, I am sure to forget some of the exercises and that will cause me to waste precious time.

I actually had cut-outs before from magazines. But now, most of my routines are new and I don't have cut-outs anymore. So I thought I should just write and draw it in my journal. Perfect!

I showed it to hubby today.

Never mind the handwriting and the drawings. Hahaha!!!

Hubby was amused that I had to write it all down. LOL!

Well, I am a little OC. I can't work if it's messy. And this way works well for me. So mind your own business. Hahaha!!!

Are you a OC in some ways too?

Rewarding yourself

I believe in working hard. And I also believe in rewarding oneself. It applies to the whole aspect of my life.

Some people may think I am extravagant. Yes, I have several luxury bags. Yes, I buy branded clothes. Yes, I stay in 5-star hotels. Yes, I travel 4-5 times a year overseas. Yes, I eat in nice restaurants. Etc, etc, etc.

But what people don't know is that I also work hard to be able to buy or experience those things.

Don't get me wrong. I don't do these things because I want to impress other people. I do these things as a way of rewarding myself for every hard work I have done.

I do believe in splurging once in a while. But I also believe in saving for the future. It may look like I spend way too much but believe me when I say that I also know how to save. In fact, we have been saving 50% of our income ever since. Saving and rewarding are equal in my vocabulary.

Save, so you can enjoy the future.

Reward, so you have energy to work harder.

Work hard, so you have something to save and a reward to look forward to.

Don't scrimp on the vital things in life. Travel. Relax. Enjoy. Life is short. You cannot save everything for last because you never know when is your last breathe.

With that said, yes, we are going to stay in a 5-star hotel two weeks from now when we are in the Philippines.

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Happy Easter! =)

Toning your trouble zones

I've got new exercises I want to share. I got them from www.shape.com.

These new set of exercises will target your trouble zone or those areas you want to improve on. Mine are inner thighs, arms and love handles.

I have to say my arms are not so flabby anymore but I still want them to be toned and firm. I tried doing these exercises today and they're great. I am hoping to have sexy legs by end of this month. Nah, just kidding!

For the complete exercise, please visit shape.com.

PROBLEM: LOVE HANDLES
SOLUTION: T-ROTATION BALANCE
Strengthen all the little muscles that line your waist while you improve your balance and coordination too.


How to do it:
Start standing on your right foot and extend your left leg behind you. Bend your right knee and reach both arms straight out in front of you, palms pressed together. Bend forward at the waist, lifting your left leg up as you lean your chest forward, creating a straight line from your foot through your head (forming a 'T' shape with your body).

Slowly open your right arm, rotating it up to the ceiling, turning your chest to the right, and looking up to your right hand.

Slowly and with control, try to lower your right arm and return to the 'T' shape without lowering your left leg. That's one rep. Do 15 reps on the right, then 15 reps on the left, repeating for a total of 3 sets on each leg.

PROBLEM: INNER-THIGH BULGE
SOLUTION: SIDE AND CROSSOVER LUNGE
This move targets your inner thighs from a variety of angles and positions for maximum muscle toning. As an added bonus, you'll also challenge your butt and core.


How to do it:
Start standing with your feet together, arms down by your sides. Take a wide step to the side with your left foot (your right leg should stay extended) and bend your left knee, pushing your hips behind you. Keep your back flat, eyes looking straight ahead, and reach both arms on either side of your left foot, touching the ground with your fingertips.

Push off the ground with your left foot, standing back up, as you cross your left leg over your right foot (think of stepping your left foot to the left corner of an imaginary box on the ground in front of you) and immediately bend your knees and reach both hands to the floor on either side of your left foot.

That's one rep. Quickly stand back up and push off your left foot, bringing it back out to your side and repeating the side lunge again. Do 15 reps on the right, then 15 reps on the left, repeating for a total of 3 sets on each leg.

PROBLEM: ARM FLAB
SOLUTION: RECLINING TRICEPS PRESS
Don't be fooled by the word "reclining"—this move is anything but relaxing! You'll challenge your triceps muscles to tighten up the backs of your arms, while engaging your core muscles at the same time.



How to do it:
Start seated with your knees bent, feet flexed, and heels on the ground. Keeping your abs tight, lean back and lower yourself onto your elbows, keeping your spine straight (your back should remain off the ground) with your hands facing your body, palms flat on the floor.

Push through your hands to extend your elbows and lift your body off the floor, maintaining a straight spine the entire time.

Bend your elbows and lower down until your arms (but not your back) touch the floor again. That's one rep. Do 3 sets of 15 reps total.