This year, 2007--- Paris, Vienna, Prague

This year's destination, EUROPE!!! :-)

Since 2004, my friends (I think this started in 2002 but I only joined them in 2004) and I have been travelling to different parts of the world. Yes, God has blessed me with this chance of visiting different countries with my friends!

In 2004, we went to Cambodia and Thailand. In 2005, we ventured into the colorful and artistic world of India and Singapore. Last year, we toured Qatar for a day and visited the exotic country of Morocco. This year, 2007, we are going to the fashion capital of the world, France and the country with one of the best architectural wonders, Prague - Czech Republic.

As of today, we have booked and paid for our tickets with Singapore Airlines. Meine, one of my closest friends and travel buddy found the "Double the Miles" promo of Singapore Airlines. Now, we have a free trip to anywhere in South East Asia which we can avail upon our return. We've already decided that we are going to Yangon, Myanmar next year for a weekend. That's going to be another exciting trip! :-)

Unlike our other trips, we are not joining any tour groups. We'll be touring on our own. This is going to be exciting but we have to do a lot of research before we leave so we can go to the best places too. I'm in charge of researching on Prague so I better start! :-)

For accomodations, we are renting an apartment in Paris and we might also do the same for Prague. I'm just checking if we can do the same for Vienna. These would make our accomodations cost about 40% cheaper than staying in a regular hotel.

Preparing for our trips give all of us our natural high. We prepare for this the whole year and now that its only a couple of months away, it's getting more and more exciting!

Filipinos unite against Malu Fernandez

After reading the whole article, I felt like my blood was at its boiling point. I've always known the capacity of a human being to diss his fellow humans but I could not believe that this was published by Stargate Media.... in People Asia Magazine.

The person that I am, I wanted to find out what action has been done by Manila Standard Today and People Asia regarding this matter. So I called Manila Standard and asked if Malu Fernandez has been fired. According to the person I spoke with, Malu Fernandez is not an employee of Manila Standard Today. She is just a contributing writer for the paper (who has a column once or twice a month) so they cannot fire her. In addition, they said that the article did not come out in Manila Standard but in People Asia. The two are not connected in any way, he says.

So, the next question I asked is, "Will you still let her write in your newspaper?". The answer to me was "It would depend on the editors of the paper.". I guess the question that we are posting to the editors of Manila Standard Today is, Will you still let her write in your newspaper knowing the kind of person and writer she is?

Now, another question we post for People Asia, did you even read the article before publishing it? I hope that the editors of the magazine are not losing a sensitivity chip in their system and will make a statement not only the OFWs but to all the Filipinos who have been hurt by this article.

I think People Asia is the publication that we need to boycott for publishing this article (page1 and page2) and to boycott Manila Standard Today if they ever publish any articles by Malu Fernandez again.

If there's anyone who can give the number of Stargate Media, publishers of People Asia, that would be good so we can all give them a call and voice out our opinions and make a stand against this woman.

Walking under "Egay"

It might not be obvious from the photo I posted but the rains last Friday night in Makati was incredibly strong. Egay is to blame. Egay is the latest typhoon that visited the metro and it was so erratic. It would be raining so hard one minute and then drizzle the next.

Afraid that there will again be a flood at the back street of my condo, we decided to take the car to my office basement parking at 1:00 am. YES! We took the car to my office in the middle of the storm and walked back to my condo!

Needless to say, it was a really fun experience walking under one umbrella and enjoying the craziness of it all! hahaha! We were just laughing while the rain was pounding hard on our huge umbrella and getting us wet. Yes, we looked really funny in the photo but that 5 minute walk that we did that night was one of those unexpected dates that I'm so thankful I documented! :-)

Healthy Living Update # 2

I'm on my 3rd week of this new lifestyle and I'm doing pretty good. I find the weekend to be the hardest for me, mainly because of eating out and not a lot of good salad choices. I'm sure that there are good restaurants out there with good salads, I just need to find them. :-) I will let you know when I find them. If you know of any (other than Friday's grilled chicken ceasar and Cyma's Rota Salata [ugh! this salad is to die for!]) please let me know!

Here are the eating places I tried this weekend and my personal rating:

a. Indulgence (location: along Perea St. Legaspi Village, Makati)
-- My friends and I love this cozy restaurant. The owner is Ms. Ressa, who's is a super sweet lady. She (or her husband) is also very aristic and is into wonderfully created pottery. You can also buy the different pieces you see in the resto.

When we started hanging out there, the biggest come on is the tasty tinola and the super yummy desert. Those are really must tries. Last Friday, I just had a serving of their fish curry with rotti bread. It's filling but I'm not really a fan of tuna so this one is just so so for me. Their green salad with fish shreds was not available that night. For dessert, I tried their Brownie cheese cake. Very creamy but not sweet! I loved it! You must have it with a friend though coz its too rich to be eaten alone.

Not a lot of salad choices but they still have a few choices for non-meat dishes.

Rating: ***

b. Cafe Meditteranean (location: Power plant mall, Rockwell)
-- I think Ed and I indulged ourselves too much in this resto! :-) We ordered the fish kebab pizza (good for 2 people) which is really tasty! It took about 20 minutes to prepare but its so worth the wait. Ed also ordered the vegetable soup (I forgot the name of the soup!) which he really enjoyed since he's also in the vegetable and seafood diet.

We also ordered my favorite chicken kebab! It's grilled so there's no oil! Always super yummy! Eating this with the garlic sauce and extra tabouleh is the bomb! :-) Try eating it with the whole wheat pita bread! Yummy and still healthy.

Rating: ****

c. Legaspi Village Orangic Market (location: Behind the Corinthian Plaza Bldg near GB1)
-- My family got very curious about my stories of going to the Salcedo Saturday Market that they decided to go around the Legaspi Village Market and decided to have lunch there. This one is not as big as the Salcedo Market but it also has its share of interesting greens and food. If you are used to the Salcedo Market as a big grocey, this one will look like a small sari-sari store for you. :-)

One thing I like here is the fresh chinese lumpia that they are selling and the japche noodles. :-) Also, you can get the greens and bring it home for an organic lunch! :-)

Rating: ***

d. Di Marks (location: Greenbelt 3, Makati)

- Big disappoint this weekend is the meal in Di Mark's in Greenbelt. I tried their tossed salad... WWAAAHHH!!! I wanted to cry. It was full of really sour and unpalatable italian dressing. The Mushroom Pasta in Tomato sauce was not something you would want to order. To top it all, the Roasted Garlic and shrimp pizza had 5 or 6 slices (note: not pieces but very small sliced shrimps!) per slice! Never again will I go back to that restaurant!!! It might have been really good in the past but they have not been able to keep up with the restos in their same market.

Rating: 0

e. Heaven 'n Eggs (location: Glorietta 4, Makati)
-- This is my Dad's new favorite restaurant! He loves the Fish Taco which he made me try. Not bad! Not much dressing which gives more flavor to the fish and enough vegetables to fill you for a snack.

Next time, I'll try their Baja fish dish and their salads. I was too full from the lunch to eat more than the fish taco. I'll also try their salads. They sounded interesting from the menu.

Rating: ***

f. NYPD (location: Greenbelt 3, cinema area)
-- Ok! Ok! I know that this is not a restaurant but after the meal in Di Mark's, I needed something else to eat. This place actually surprised me. They have 3 to 4 choices of salad, from Steaks and Greens to Ceasar Salad! Not bad for stall in a mall. They also serve pasta which is only around P100 to P200.00/ serving.

I will definitely try their salad soon.

I have only tried their mushroom soup which was good enough to get me through the night after the unappetizing Di Mark's experience!

Rating: soon...

Since it's a holiday today, I decided to cook lunch and prepare the stuff I would need for my meals this week. I just got the August edition of Yummy magazine and I tried a couple of there recipes. What I enjoy about this magazine now is that they have a good portion for non-meat eaters and healthy eaters that I can try!

The first recipe I tried is the Pasta with Mushroom. I also used whole wheat spaghettini. (That's my find for the week!) I thought it would be grainy and very different from the regular semolina flour spaghetti but it was surprisingly GOOD! They also have penne and a couple of others on sale in SM Makati Supermarket. Check out this page to find the recipe for Pasta with Mushroom.

Lunch today had Mixed Greens with a choice of Herbed cheese dressing or Orange Zesty dressing.

I've also been able to maintain my work-outs almost daily, 3x a week minimum. Doing pretty well and excited to get to my third week!

Find for the week:
1. Wholesome Moisson "whole wheat" Spaghettini - Found it on sale in SM Makati Supermarket. P49.95 per pack.

Healthy Living Update # 1

It's been a week since I really put myself into this new lifestyle and I'm enjoying it. :-) I realized that I can make it exciting for me too. Finding new substitutes for my old unhealthy food is fun! It's not as bad as I thought it would be.

The only downside of it, food is not as cheap as the normal unhealthy food. A usual rice and viand can cost around P40.00 to P70.00 from Mc Donalds or the jolly jeep. Salads from KFC, Mc Donalds and Wendy's range from P70 to P100.

Variety is also the key for me so I can continue to enjoy my new lifestyle. Different kinds of salad dressings excite me now. I've tried the Honey Mustard Dressing of Gourmet and its pretty good but I'm sure there are so much more bottled dressings out there that's equally good.

Last night I made a Creamy Garlic French Dressing which is pretty good. I've also started to prepare the salad toppings so I will have a variety of things on my salad so I won't get bored! From feta cheese to hard boiled eggs to marinating chicken... the fun never stops! :-)

The organic market in Salcedo Village, Makati every Sunday can also provide you with a lot of salad dressing choices. I noticed that they have different varieties of dressings from Gourmet that they don't sell in grocery stores. I also tried the Strawberry and Orange dressings of (Oh no! I forgot the name!), that's when I realized I'm not very fond of fruity dressings. Maybe not at the moment. I'm looking forward to Saturday so I can get the Herbed Cheese Dressing and Garlic Dressing of Gourmet!

I want to share with you my new product findings in the market that you may also find yummy, affordable and healthy!

a. Fruit Juice Yogurt -- my favorite is the Strawberry flavored one! Super yummy and gives me energy when I'm hungry in the middle of the day. This only costs P10.00.

b. Nestle Fruit Yogurt 0% Fat free -- I like the strawberry and the mango. I have yet to try the Berries flavor. This is also one of my energy food. This only costs about P32.00 each. They have different flavors too that I'm sure are as yummy as my strawberry.

c. Nestle Fitness and Fruit Cereals - I don't want to sound like a Nestle fan but it seems like Nestle's products are very helpful for people like me who are shifting to a healthier lifestyle.
This cereal is made of whole wheat grain and its really tasty and crunchy. It also has dried fruits that makes it tastier. I normally eat this in the morning with Skim Milk and chocolate syrup. Perfect way to start my day! This costs P149.50 per box.

d. Alaska Skim Milk - Yes, it's 98% fat free but its still tasty and you can still taste the creaminess of the milk without the over powering fat content. This costs around P58.00 per box.

e. Hershey's 50% Lite chocolate syrup - Yes... I still indulge on this or I won't be able to eat cereals with just milk alone! :-) One bottle is about P140.00.

f. Village Gourmet Whole Wheat Pandesal - A perfect substitute for white bread. I bring a couple of these with me to work everyday so I can snack on them. I tried it with Saranggani Bangus in Olive Oil! YUMMY!!! A pack of of 8 or 10 is about P68.75.

Partnered with yoga, pilates or lite cardio work out daily, I'm enjoying the benefits of this new lifestyle. I've also quit smoking so I can breathe better and my body feels lighter. It's a big plus that I look good in my clothes too! :-)

I still indulge in pizza, pasta and rice once in a while but I don't overwhelm myself with them now. If there's a better choice, I would opt for the healthier option. :-)

More updates later...

A Healthy Living Lifestyle

Funny thing about a medical scare is that it presents different ideas for you to change your whole perspective on how to have a healthier life.

A week ago, during an unscheduled doctor's visit, my doctor felt a lump on my right breast. After a few more tests, i have decided to have it taken out by August 25. They said that its a minor procedure but this is my first operation ever so I'm nervous about it, but... it is all in God's hands. I claim that with God's grace, my lump is benign and God has a wonderful future in store for me.

Well, this early detection can be a great blessing in disguise for me. First, I've always wanted to have a healthier lifestyle but have always put it off for one reason or another but I think its about time for me to be serious about it.

All my family and friends know me as the most unhealthy eater in the group. I don't eat vegetables and I love fatty foods! A stick of cigarette and a cup of coffee kicks off my day. I love carbs, ok, ok... I love rice. I can eat two cups of rice with fried pork and a lot of fat anytime of the day. HAHAHA! Ok... so I'm pinoy. What can I say?

The change all started when I had to go through an emotional stage in my life. You know those sad, depression stages that leaves you with no appetite! OH!!! I love the effect of not eating. It made my tummy smaller and I lost weight drastically! People noticed that I became skinny which, in my eyes, is perfect!

Well, the problem with losing weight that way is that its easy to gain it back. If you don't watch what you eat, you can easily gain the pounds back. So, like what they said, eating healthier is the best thing to do.

In addition to staying fit, I'm using my medical condition to start having a healthier lifestyle. Hahaha! It really has to take one major beating for me to really decide on this. Hopefully I can keep it up.

I resolve to:
a. Excercise at least 3 times a week
b. Have salad at least twice a day
c. Enrich myself with protein together with my salad
d. Lesser rice and more of whole grain bread and pasta
e. Lesser junk food
f. Lesser soda
g. Quit smoking
h. Healthier snacks like yogurt and fruits

This is not going to be easy but if I look at it as difficult from the beginning, I know that it will be something that I will always think of as a challenge. I should think of it as a decision and a choice that I made. To live a healthier and happier life.

Ok... I will post more updates as the days go by!