What time is it?

Time for change.

Tomorrow is the inauguration of the new President of this island nation.

He is the hope we have for change (although I voted for someone else)-- I sincerely hope he does good for the country.

Change is also in my agenda. I have been too nice for too long... (to my workers, suppliers etc) and honestly, they are bringing out the worst in me. It seems like you are nice and they REALLY take advantage of you. I have been  pissed off for about two days. What for? A lot to do with stupidity and people not doing their jobs right.  ARRGG!!!

Ok. (counting 1-10) .... I missed writing in this blog. I was away a bit and been busy.  I have neglected my MAFIA in facebook a bit too! lol. 

Tomorrow is a new day... (and it's my Dad's birthday). I will start my exercise regimen tomorrow. Maybe I'll look like this next independence day.  hahahahahahaaaa..



 

The thrill of it all

They delivered the frame of the main door. It's beautiful.!! Maybe I am over reacting but I am finally seeing the house come together. They also chalked the place where my "fake" fireplace will go.

I am a crazy person. REALLY. (making a fireplace in a tropical country.. what do you call that???)
This is how it will look like.. (more or less) --- (giggle)

My door will look a bit like this. (but I guess it will be a bit bigger).  Then, I will have my english garden on the side of the the house... (ha ha ha ha... somebody called me an eccentric already) with a walkway and climbing vines. It would be interesting to see how everything will turn out.

Housebuilding is an adventure!!!

Run.. Forrest.. Run!

Life is like a box of Chocolates....you never know what your gonna get (or so, the character in the movie Forrest Gump says)

Running has been "in style" lately. I have at least 5 friends who have taken to the sport and joining marathons.

Let's not even talk about those who JOIN triathlons. I can't even phantom swimming in open water. (The cold murky water, crowd diving in... ) really scary stuff. Biking on the other hand... I can bike (give me BMX one though) quite easily but biking for several kilometers on a racing bike... that's another story. Haven't tried it but I don't think I'm built for it. (racing bikes that is) I think it's the concept of being hunched over for minutes at a time and the hard seat on my soft bum that I can't wrap my mind around. Sorry! !
But get me on a regular bike and have me pedal around a nice park (especially ones with flowers and nice weather-- 20C) and I would gladly bike for hours. So, KUDOS and HATS OFF to triathletes out there. Its just INCONCEIVABLE to me how you do it.

Speaking of cycling, I saw an article on yahoo about Lance Armstrong...he's 38??? I thought he was over 40.

Is this what 38 looks like?
 Maybe it's the sun exposure I don't know... but hopefully, (gulp) I don't look that way to other people...

So,... getting back to what I was saying, I think I could manage a marathon if I really tried to train for one. Running is the IN thing right now. Last summer, we had several company sponsored marathons (Century tuna, san miguel beer, etc).

I think I can... I think I can... I think I can...


Maybe if I repeat that over and over, I can get my big butt over to the gym and start pounding on that treadmill.
As for my yoga sessions... I stopped for awhile. Why? well, that's another story. The story of the stalker yoga dude. (lol)

The long Writing Road

As I have blogged, I have been quite busy lately. I haven't written anything significant other than this blog. Hopefully, I might get some inspiration from joining the travel writing workshop this coming Saturday. My writing, honestly, is in a rut.

We would be doing a walking tour/travel writing workshop of Intramuros, the Spanish Walled city in the heart of Manila. The added bonus is that I get some tips on photography too. I was trying to learn basic photography principles before my camera died on me... (it's still in the repair shop).

One of the blogs I follow always has AMAZING pictures. (see blogs I follow- moments of perfect clarity).  I recommend anyone who is into photography to check out her blog.

Thinking about getting the new olympus PEN  camera (they say its like a DLSR but half the weight)...
but I will see if I learn anything from the workshop first!

Has anyone noticed? HALF of the year is already finished. (shucks!). Time really flies when you are busy.

It finally got me.

cough, cough....

I started having the sniffles about two days ago. I quickly ate some medicine and drank tons of tea. However, last night, I could feel the cold turning viral and sneaking down to my lungs. You know the feeling like something is clutching you at the chest and you find it harder to breathe?

That was how it got me.

I think maybe the constant traveling and working plus the heat combination finally downed my immune system. I looked like a sick dog.

I had a hot compress on my chest, took some medicine... It's just horrible being sick.

Through out the night I kept coughing up gooey globs of mucus. At one point, I though I might cough up my lungs from the way the mucus was sticking hard to my lungs cells. When morning finally arrived, I lost my voice but my chest felt lighter (mucus expelled by the medicine I took).

Went to work today but I think the cough is getting better.. although I try not to talk too much. No rest for the sick.. too much work to do! 

a house is not a home...

Until its built.....

Yep, my travails in building our dream house. It's 6 months later and we are currently in the plastering stage. That is, cementing the walls. The windows are not up yet and it's starting to rain. Thank goodness we have a roof already.

After months and months, I am down to the last leg of my assignments. (tiles- check. faucets and sink- check).. I still have to deal with the kitchen and cabinets.. (sigh....)

I really hope the house turns out great. I think it will be a quirky house though.. I will have a fake fireplace.. (note, we don't have winters as we live in a tropical country) and a roundish main door... (ala the hobbit house from Lord of the rings)-- It WILL be something to talk about.... hahaha

Keeping within my budget is nerve wracking. Running to and fro is making me stress eat. Yup. my clothes are getting tighter. (groan...) I wish I had the motivation like  Nicole, the girl whose blog I am following (let them eat lettuce)... she has lost 40 pounds! http://letthemeatlettuce.blogspot.com. She is such an inspiration.

The kids are back to school (school here is from june- march.. summer is march - may, rainy season june- oct/nov). Maybe waking up early can get me to go to the gym and hit that darn treadmill.

Something Fishy

Sentosa, Singapore

The purpose of this trip was to actually visit UNDERWATER WORLD. The aquarium inside Sentosa. My curiosity was piqued at a sign by the entrance that announced "fish reflexology"

I left my family waiting for the dolphin show and made my way to try the fish reflexology they offered

http://www.sentosa.com.sg/hotels_spas/spas/spas.html

Package B (50-min) - S$52* per session
Includes:
Spa Fish Pool Dip - 20 mins (preparation up to 5 mins)
Foot Reflexology- 20 mins
Head & Shoulder Massage - 10 mins




I chose the above package because I wanted the try the whole deal. I even got a 10% discount for using my American Express Credit Card. 


Before I entered the fish pool, they asked me to wash my feet at a common area and change into their house slippers. They then directed me to the pool area where a few people were already seated.  On both sides of the pool area were the couches like LAZYBOYS where they perform the foot massage.


The receptionist asked me if I preferred the small fish or the big fish. The small fish pool had 3 people already while the big fish pool had no one. Hmmm.... 


The girl added that you can feel the big fish more.. (more teeth???).. being the adventure gal that I am, I opted for the big fish pool. 

I slowly lowered my feet into the pool and the fish just attacked my feet. (maybe they were hungry). I had to keep myself from jumping because I could really feel their bites tickling my skin. The most ticklish was on the soles of my feet.  They even nibbled in between my toes! Their teeth felt like needles pricking my skin. I just kept wondering, Is this how it feels to be eaten alive?? I kept thinking what if they become like piranhas from the amazon....


They say fish reflexology helps in circulation and removes dead skin cells... I was glad to help feed the fish! hahaha.....  


After 20 minutes, I transferred to the couch and this old man (maybe 60ish) came over to give me a foot massage. It was my first time to have a man massage my feet (aside from my husband) and his massage was not as painful as the foot massages from Thailand that I have had. It felt weird at times though.. old man and my feet... hahaha 


The head and shoulder massage was not fantastic. I think if you plan to do this, skip the head/shoulder massage. I'd rather stay with the fish.

I got another opportunity to do the fish reflexology at a fish spa at a mall. It was a bit more expensive, the fish were smaller and I think they did not like me that much.. not so much fish nibbling at my feet... the pool was actually visible from the outside and people walking past could see our feet being nibbled at. There were several who stopped and took pictures..(Good thing I had a pedicure...)