The Air Climber 100 Days Challenge

I told myself TODAY is the start so I decided to have a 100 days challenge..

Before I already did this but I wasn't that into it so my challenge failed and I end up getting bigger and fatter and most importantly unhealthy.

I want to document everything so that I can see the progress I'm making. So I decided to do the Air Climber 100 Days Challenge.

Since its rainy season here I can't always go out and run in our neighborhood for me to lose some pounds. I bought 2 years ago this step machine that was on sale and I did used it a couple of times. But because I was a lazy butt :) I didn't enjoy using it although it really helped toning my legs, ankles and behind.

If I'm going to describe my body, I know that I'm not that big but I was really skinny when I was in high school and college and I miss that body of mine. I hope to go back to even just having a 24 inches waist since I have like 30 now.

I'm on my heaviest at 65 kg. and this is already heavy for a girl which stands only 5 feet tall. The doctor already told me that my frame is already large and he said that it will be harder for me to walk since all of the my weight is straining my feet.

I can't even run smoothly since I'm too heavy for my little feet and that's another reason why I can't run that fast. The Air Climber doesn't strain my feet and I only feel pain in the areas where I should feel it since its burning the fat.

So let's talk about the challenge. This is more on challenging myself to keep with the schedule and the routine. I don't have discipline on that so what I would need to do is think of something that will inspire me to stick with the routine.

My inspiration would be based on the things that I would like to do or the clothes that I would want to wear again when I lose the weight.

Right now its my Black Vest 

I can still wear it but I can't breathe when I try to close the buttons plus its not flattering. It also makes my arms look bigger. 

I've started to use the Air Climber and I already set my goals. For the First Stage, I have until the end of September to raise the steps up to 2,000/day. 

Awhile ago I already did 700 steps/15 minutes/100 calories.

I can do a thousand steps a day but I was doing it wrong. My body couldn't bare it so I had problems walking afterwards which is not what I want. I had to make my legs stronger so that it can endure the workout and give me better results.

As for food, I will need to be disciplined as well in waking up early to eat breakfast and prepare healthy meals. I hope this will work for me.

Every two weeks I will add pictures of myself wearing the same clothes. So I can see the progress.

 

I don't want to post the pictures but I had to.. This will make me challenge myself even more to get the body that I want.

Just by looking at the pictures you'll see that I have a lot of areas I need to work on.

Double Chin, Arms, Core, Thighs and Legs. That's about every part of a woman that needs to be slim and mine isn't.  You can also see the cellulite on the back of my thighs and it looks gross. 

Time to finish this. Will get back here after two weeks with new pictures and new developments with my weight and health!

Losing Weight: Discipline and Motivation

It's been a year the last time I talked myself to lose some pounds and I was successful for a few months. I did lose a lot of weight last year.


I was so dedicated because last December 2010 my best friend got married and I'm one of the brides maid then me and my fiancee went on vacation last February of this year and my body was bikini worth it! First time I wore two piece bikini but now all my hard work have been blown away thanks to my not so disciplined life-style.


Last June I decided to ask the doctors if they could run some tests so I would know if there's something wrong with my body. My metabolism just went down and slow like I wasn't even myself anymore. The tests went well and my sugar level is normal, my thyroid is working fine but I have high cholesterol. 


I must admit I eat a lot of fried foods especially the cold cuts. I don't know how to avoid that right now since I'm juggling from work to writing then I got no time to cook real meals. The doctor told me that I can lower my cholesterol by eating right and exercising. 


Sounds good and easy if I have the time left for me to eat healthy food or exercise a lot but unfortunately, I don't. Or I just don't want to do it all. I do have a lot time its just that I don't know how to plan ahead of what I'm going to do. But what hit me harder than knowing that I was jeopardizing my health for reasoning out that I don't have time is that my fiancee has something to tell me that could shock me to my inner core.


My fiancee told me a few months ago that although he loved me, he's not physically attracted to me. That was like a bus just hit me full impact! He told me that I do have a lot of time in my sleeves its just that I'm using them to sit in front of the computer updating my Facebook account, reading articles and news or just playing some games online.


He told me straight that I'm getting fatter each day and he's losing the girl he fell in love with 6 years ago. I promised to him that I'll keep my body tight and that I'll take care of myself not only for him but for me as well.  Looking good and feeling good is something that any person should invest in be it time or money.


I've spent so much time contemplating on other things while I'm ruining my body inside and out.


Now I want to make things right and I know that the key for me to change is to become disciplined and motivated. 


If you'll ask me if I know what's the word discipline, the first thing that comes out of my head is hard work and pain. This pertains to exercise. I HATE EXERCISE! I don't like the pain and I feel stupid when doing those poses I see on the DVD's that I bought that I watched like a couple of times only.


I sound silly but its true. That's my perspective towards exercising. I feel awful when someone's looking at me when I'm running near our pad. I'm scared that their looking at me and criticizing my body, the way I run, how I look like with all the sweat beading in my face.


I'm so insecure that I don't want to start on doing something for ME.


But I realized what will happen to me when I succumb to the insecurities I feel. What will happen if I got sick because I didn't do anything to lower my cholesterol? What will happen when my fiancee leaves me because he feels that I'm not putting effort in our relationship by keeping my promise?


So many what ifs and what wills but I haven't done anything for the past months. I just sit here in my bed watching countless online shows, reading articles that I'm not even applying to myself and wasting time doing nothing.


I need to be disciplined in order to get what I want and that's to look good and be healthy. My motivation should be my health and my body. God gave us only one life. One body. We need to nurture it and not simply let it go to waste.

Philippians 4:12-13
New International Version (NIV)
¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I'm going to start TODAY! Nothing will change if I keep on saying TOMORROW.


I want to do it the right way. I have a lot of time. I just need to be disciplined and motivated!

The Classic Savory Restaurant

The Classic Savory Restaurant

It was Christmas Eve and we decided to go to the mall and buy my mom some new clothes and to go to the supermarket as well to buy groceries.  My brother and I were so tired since we both came from work that time. Tired and hungry we looked for a restaurant that is near the supermarket area of the mall.

My mom pointed at the Classic Savory Restaurant and told us she wanted to try their savory chicken again as it’s been a long time she hasn’t eaten there.  I didn’t know that this restaurant was established so long that it’s even older than my mom.  So this is going to be my first time to eat a savory chicken.  I really don’t know the difference of this chicken from the ordinary fried or roasted chicken I normally eat at fast-food restaurants.

He ordered ComboA already good for two persons this meal includes ½ chicken, rice, savory shanghai rolls and long life pancit canton.  Next he ordered another combo meal which is Combo B1, the meal consists of ¼ chicken, rice, salt and pepper spareribs, special turon and tropical cooler.  We also ordered two extra rice and bottled water.

We were lucky to be just a few minutes ahead of sitting outside the restaurant since one Chinese family came and they were like 10-15 persons.  The restaurant is not that big and only has a few tables inside and outside.  I guess it can serve up to 30-50 persons and since it’s inside the mall and near the exit, a lot of people eat here and order take outs.

I was getting excited since I saw a man waiting for his ordered for takeout and he bought 10 boxes of whole chicken!  Seriously!  I was thinking maybe the chicken here really taste that good.

After 10 minutes our order came and the food was great I tell you.  The long life pancit canton was so good.  My mom is a mean cook and was a teacher in Technology and Home Economics. We have our own snack bar in our village and she cooks pancit canton whether it be fried or vermicelli noodles she’ll use and it taste very good but to hear her say that the pancit canton in this restaurant is good, it really is.

The fried chicken was good and the gravy was not what I’m accustomed to having paired with the chicken.  They said the chicken was fried and cooked in a low pot filled of boiling oil but it taste like it was roasted.  I thought of another restaurant that caters roasted chicken but the savory chicken is different.

It does taste good at first but while I’m eating it, it’s better off with the gravy than without it.  The chicken meat was bland and not that juicy.  I’m not that disappointed with the restaurant yet because I love their pancit canton.

Then I ate the shanghai rolls and well honestly it’s not good at all.   It taste as if it was only half cooked.  My mom and brother didn’t eat it all since they didn’t like the taste of it as well.  I tried a little of the salt and pepper spareribs and it was okay as well.  Nothing much to say about it since it tasted like all the other spareribs I’ve tried on other restaurants.

The food wasn’t pricey so I guess we got what we paid for.  We paid like $15 for the whole meal.  The food was pleasant but not that great.  Only the long life pancit canton will hold a place in my heart for this restaurant as their chicken didn’t meet my expectations.

Service was, it was fast but the waiter we had was rude and non-accommodating at all.  When my brother was giving our orders he keeps on interfering every time my brother says something.  Good thing my brother was in the holiday mood or he’ll say his piece to this waiter.  I would love to give a low rating for this restaurant because of their waiter but I wouldn’t because one of the waitresses looked for us after we left the restaurant to give my pressed powder that I accidentally left in the table. 

I’m a food enthusiast.  I experiment with food and eat out a lot that is why I’m disappointed with this restaurant.  It’s my first time to eat a savory chicken but it doesn’t mean I don’t like it.  I love chicken from fast food fried chickens to the roasted one.   Not being satisfied with what I ate puts a big NO mark on my list on that restaurant.  But I wouldn’t mind ordering their long life pancit canton for take out. 

Leisure 18 Slimming Coffee

I tried this product for almost three months and bought 3 boxes since I was desperate to lose some weight because the last time I got a full check up the doctor told me I was already on my way on being obese. My 5 foot frame is holding 63 kg. and it’s not healthy and I’m having difficulty in going up on stairs or walking long distances.

I was never the athletic type of person although I love swimming and can go for 3 hours of non-stop free styling back and forth on a regular size swimming pool. Unfortunately because of my weight and I guess fat building up on my chest, I can no longer stay that long in the pool or under the water and it’s making me very frustrated and upset.

Let’s start with the information of this coffee; the ingredients are consisted of Brazilian black coffee and Garcinia Cambogia (HCA) which they say are used on other parts of the world in losing weight. In one box you will get 18 sachets that you will need to drink before breakfast.  Thinking that since it’s made of natural ingredients, this prompted me to buy this coffee and try it. I did lose a lot in just a few days of trying this and everyone was noticing it but I did pay dearly for the attention and losing that quickly.

I normally drink this before going to work and then travel to work.  At least an hour already passed and I could eat when I arrive at work.  For the first box what I normally do is mix it with 3in1 coffee.  The first two weeks, I’m doing okay but when I’m almost finished drinking all 18 sachets I got a painful thump on my chest and I almost fainted because of how painful it is. Then I got irregular heartbeats and when I consulted a general physician he said I had cardiac arrhythmia.

He said it sometimes happens but could lead to heart attack and I was so scared that I didn’t try to use this product again for a few months. The doctor told me it could be due to the coffee or because I was mixing two kinds of coffee in just a little cup that makes it too strong for me.

I lie low for awhile and waited for my health to be okay.  When we had our annual physical examination and nothing wrong was seen I tried it again without using 3in1 coffee and just drink it plain and it gave me a better result.  Although it will really make you thirsty and it also made me lose my appetite.  I swear I’m a big eater and when I’m hungry I could really eat a lot but because of this coffee, it halted my binge a lot.

If anyone who read this wants to use this product let me give you an advice. Make sure first to research for the ingredients and consult your doctor especially if you’re not a coffee drinker.  Then only buy from a respected and trusted retailer so not to get the fake one. 

It doesn’t mean that you bought a cheaper one you had a bargain, you did but you bargained your health for it.  The price of this product ranges from $7-$9 so something cheaper than that is kind of suspicious.  It won’t hurt if you read on blogs or discussions from where or whom the others bought theirs.

It has side effects and it depends on the person who’ll drink it.  Drink at least 20 glasses of water a day. This helps me in eliminating the toxins and will start the fat removal very fast and effectively. I ate 3 times a day even if it’s just small portions since I’m really not hungry after drinking Leisure 18 coffee. 

I drink shakes substitutes for solid food so that I will still get the vitamins and nutrients I should get.  I also eat lots of fruits especially the ones with lots of water. I love pears and this fruit sustained me when I decided to finish two more boxes of this coffee.

Remember that everything that is too much will definitely kill you.  I learned it the hard way but now I’m doing great and exercising a lot instead of just drinking slimming agents.  Although I tried two more brands of slimming capsules that I’ll do a review of.

I like this product since it does what it promises to do.  It did slim me down and made me lighter and I did went to my doctor after I finished all of the boxes and he told me that the results came out normal and there’s nothing wrong with my heart or my body.

Villa Anna Private Resort

Location: Dhalia Street Solemar del Pansol Subdivision, Pansol Calamba City, Laguna Philippines


My relatives from the US and Singapore went home last February 2010 and we celebrated their homecoming in this resort, Villa Anna Private Resort located in Solemar del Pansol Subdivision, Pansol Calamba, Laguna. One of our friends introduced this resort to us so we thought that everything will run smoothly according to plan but end up getting disappointed when we got there at around 7pm.


We rented the place from 7pm until 5 pm the following day and were expecting that once we arrive in the resort the kids will be able to swim and enjoy the rest of the night while the old ones prefer for the later dinner but we were wrong. When we arrived 1 of the pools still doesn’t have water in it and the other one not even half way full.


The adults got really angry because how can we wait for a few more hours for them fill the pools with water while we paid for the time we spent there to swim and be merry and we end up not enjoying the experience at all. The kids are also getting impatient and instead of playing in the water they keep on asking the adults when the water will be filled and if they’ll ever be able to swim before bedtime.


One of the pools got filled before 10 pm so most of the kids already retired to bed upset as well as the adults. Only the young adults have stayed for a few more hours and good thing is that they already filled the Jacuzzi with water and we squeezed their and having fun for what it’s worth.


The resort can be rented up to 10 rooms, 1 kiddy pool, and 1 pool with Jacuzzi, billiard hall, function hall and kitchen. We rented 5 rooms fully air-conditioned in total, 4 rooms near the billiard hall and the other room above the function hall.


It has great landscape but we didn’t go there to see this but to swim and take pleasure in the rest of the day. We asked them why the fountain designs on the one of the pools are not turned on. We wanted to take pictures of it and swim under it so that the water falls on our head.


They said that it was not working and not yet fixed and we should have informed them that we wanted to use it. The nerve of the caretakers of this place! Such a beautiful place but people running it lack customer service knowledge! The adults got angry that they told the caretakers we’re not going to pay the rest of the rental fee if they don’t fix it.


So they fixed it and within 30 minutes it was working. I taught what is wrong with these people? I mean customers pay a lot just to stay in their place and yet it’s as if we owe them because of this. Seriously, everything in this resort is not worth paying for.


And to top it all up, the comfort rooms are horrible! Not clean and doesn’t function at all. One of my cousin needed to fix it himself so we can use the flush properly. There’s a lot of private resort that we’ve went to in Calamba, Laguna but this is the first worst private resort I’ve ever encountered.


Our families laughed about it after we went home but in no way we’re going back to Villa Anna Private Resort because of this incident. I only enjoyed their pool (after we waited for ages) and the scenery nothing more. By no means will I recommend this place to other people to try. The subdivision where this private resort is located has other beautiful resorts for rent with low prices and great view.

Lavandera Mo-Panda Laundry Shop

This laundry shop changed it name from Lavandera Mo to Panda Laundry Shop just before the end of 2010. I don’t know their reason why they changed it but one of the staff told us its for a new start for a new year.


I hope it will do them good since I will not pay for their services anytime soon because of the disappointment I had with their cleaning techniques. I’m living in a condo type building near this laundry shop and since the information on their advertisement said they’ve been in the business for more than 5 years makes them the most trusted laundry shop in Makati area. I later found out their not.

The Lavandera Mo/Panda Laundry Shop wasn’t our first try on laundry shops in the area. My partner and I have tried 2 laundry shops before switching to them. We thought that since their a few bucks expensive than the 2 shops we’ve tried, they have better service and our clothes will be cleaner and the smell of the clothes doesn’t stink or change after a few days.

But again another laundry shop that failed our expectations. Okay I know I shouldn’t expect that much but their fee is higher than the rest of the other laundry shops in Makati area plus they don’t have any special fees for towels, linens and curtains. Wait, now I’m thinking I should have thought of that as a warning sign since the other laundry shops does have special fees for special clothes or linens.

What they’ve accomplished to do to our clothes was beyond my understanding. They ruined almost all of our clothes color plus turned our black jeans into acid washed jeans and they won’t pay for the damages caused. Some of my older clothes have torn fabrics and our towels doesn’t smell that good.

When my brother visited us and saw the curtains I borrowed from our mom, he was shocked how it became dark pink. My mom told me to bring it back to our house for her to wash it and after a few days the result was a huge sigh over the phone and I asked her why she did that. She told me that she run the curtains 5 times in our washing machine and still the water turns black. She wonders how my clothes would be when I bring them home and wash them.

That was the last time we tried this laundry shop. Never again will I trust them with my clothes. The summary of my experience with the Lavandera Mo now called Panda Laundry Shop was awful than the 2 Laundry shops I’ve tried before.

Why? Due to the fact that their pricey and their way of washing the clothes fades the color and also the staff of this laundry shop were not helpful. It’s like their paid robots to say yes or no. No emotions on their faces and they don’t even smile or greet you when you enter their shop.

Jeanne Lanvin Perfume for Women by Lanvin

I fell in love with this perfume when I was staying in Dubai last 2008. My cousin was a perfume sales agent and when this perfume was introduced to the market, she was one of the agents who tested it to customers at a local mall.


I tried this and can’t get enough of it! Even though I was only given a tester I told my fiancée that I want to buy this perfume but unfortunately last 2009 this perfume wasn’t introduced yet in our country when I got back here so I taught that I’ll have to wait for my cousin to come home from Dubai after two years.

But to my surprise, my fiancée’s brother knew a perfume retailer and he got me this Jeanne Lanvin Perfume. I was ecstatic! And my fiancée can’t take his nose off of me because he said that I really smell so good.

The perfume was a combination of Soft Musk, With Notes of Peony, Peach Nectar, Candied Rose and Red Berries. That’s why the more it stays longer in my body the smell goes stronger. I don’t spray too many when I use this because well it’s expensive that time and was like it was ordered 3 months ahead of my birthday luckily it came just on time a week before my birthday.

It stays so long in my clothes that even after a week when I get my clothes out of the laundry bin its still smells like I just sprayed on it. It smells sophisticated and ultra-chick. I feel so womanly and pretty when I smell this perfume. When I apply it I don’t like the smell first but when it settles a few minutes the musk, floral and fruity smell of it envelopes me. I feel warm inside.

And this perfume is kind to my nostrils. As I have an allergy to a few scents and I’m sensitive to smells this perfume doesn’t cause me to sneeze or scratch my nose after spraying it all over my body. I use other kinds of perfumes or colognes but this is a mainstay and for keeps. I’m very picky with the perfume that I wear and smell. It also comes with a beautiful and big bottle.

I normally finish a bottle for 3 months but this perfume, I used it a good half a year because I don’t to spray a lot just to the right spots like the neck area or wrist and a few sprits on my top and hair and off I go.

All in all for me this perfume infuses the right combination of every heavenly scent I could think of. This will always be my main perfume every time I go to gatherings and special occasions. In fact even if I’m just going to work I use this!