First Four Days of January

*** another photo-studded post ***

Recapping the first four days of my 2012...



Day 93
01 January 2012

As early as 11:30pm of 31 December 2011, us siblings were already out of the house to check out the fireworks put off by some of the people in the neighborhood. We don't really spend on firecrackers / fireworks, so we just got contented seeing the wonderful display up in the sky.

By midnight, neighbors came out to join the celebration - jumping, shouting, making all the noises one could possibly do. Our Canadian visitor Siegy was culture shocked to say the least, but he did enjoy taking videos of the fireworks and us going crazy.

Around 1am, it was time for Siegy and his fiancee to return to their hotel, and since it was my cousin's husband whose driving the car and he would return the car here at our place, most of them decided to come and go on a road trip. It was just us siblings and our cousin Jayson left at home - something we all laughed about; our parents were out at the wee hours, while us kids were at home. Times have turned upside down all of a sudden. :) Anyway, Mr. Pipoy and I had a nice talk - we just had an argument that afternoon 'til early night time - it was great to resolve issues and welcome the new year on a clean slate.


Come afternoon til dinner time, us close neighbors did our annual holiday party. Though we've been doing this since 2007, this year's party was sort of hazy to the point that all of us were wondering if this would push through or not. Well, since the neighborhood kids wanted to have a party, we just brought out certain dishes and played parlor games. The kids had a great time playing the games, but I guess it was us adults who enjoyed it more - taking pleasure on the feelings of being a child again. Us family participated in certain games... and all of us won! Mom got the biggest price - p100 (a little over 2USD), while us siblings got p20 (a little less than 0.50USD) each. It was my first money for 2012, along with the five p1 coins I got when our neighbor tossed some coins in the air.


I still wasn't able to update my food journal (the little notebook), so like what I did on my last recap, will just talk about the food image I shared.

Today, I had this little blueberry cheesecake and brownies for breakfast (around 9-ish in the morning). My overall food intake today included certain food items I am not supposed to eat - including a lick of Hershey's Reeses ice cream (which is good, I tell you), but considering the amount of food I ate, I think I did good today.



Day 94
02 January 2012

I met up with Mr. Pipoy today!

The last time we met was a few days before Christmas... I miss him so much, so I was over the top happy to be able to see him again. We exchanged gifts - I gave him a book and a little container of Oryspa Meditation Balm (the same one I used for my swollen ankle a few days back), and he gave me a jumping rope and a yoga mat. His gifts were totally unexpected, but I was really touched. He really wanted me to be fit and healthy and have a good quality of life, so he is doing his best to help me achieve my goals.

We also had a talk about re-assessing the fitness plans and goals. Our word was "commitment."

For lunch, we had another Italian food trip - this time eating at Sbarro (Ali Mall). He let me choose my own food, I went for the Penne Carbonara, but I didn't eat the ham slices. We also shared 1/2 slice of the pizza (the big pizza was cut into two; she shared one smaller cut). The other half he let me take home for my sister.

My family now knows about our relationship and my mom was happy about it, even gave me a hug when I told her Mr. Pipoy and I are already in a relationship. Mom was thankful that Mr. Pipoy cares about my welfare and he wishes for us to be together long enough to help and inspire each other.



Day 95
03 January 2012

I decided to go out and walk this morning... I still can't do any of my video workouts because our living room is still full of clutter and that Aunt Bing's family (well just her and her two daughters) are still here. Given the situation, walking is the only thing I could do and today I was happy to cross paths with Andre at Colinas Verdes. She and I are batchmates at the Singles for Christ CLP and we were part of the same household. I am not active in the church org anymore, so it's been so long since I last saw her. It's great to walk with someone and catch up on the old times!




When I got home, I was faced with a question: should I or should I not travel with Aunt Bing, her family, some relatives, as well as Siegy and his fiancee. Looking at the "fitness perspective," it will take out one day of morning walks, but looking at the "living life to the fullest perspective," this trip will allow me to see a new place and spend time with family. I did choose to travel with them, and I was happy with my decision.

I did consult Mr. Pipoy about it and he did allow me to decide. At first I didn't want to travel and just take the time to re-start the video workouts, something he supported. When I told him I will be traveling, he did supported my decision as well. I love his ways of letting me decide and support my decision as well as give his words of wisdom.


Our destination was the Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan. This trip has been planned (even before Siegy arrived from Canada), but even if we talked about this trip already, it seemed as is this was an impromptu plan. My Aunt couldn't decide what to do - making us run in circles until we decide on something. At first, they wanted us to stay at a hotel in Lingayen (another town) and just go to Hundred Islands early next morning, but when we were already in Pangasinan, they made the quick decision to just go straight to Hundred Islands and find a hotel to stay at.

While they were roaming around looking for an inn or a transient home, Alfon (the driver) and I were at the car tailgating at them. I told him I have a cousin (dad side; my companions for this trip are my relatives from mom's side) who's working at a hotel there, but I didn't bother sending him a message about this trip. What an awesome, awesome blessing that they entered a good looking building, which seemed to be a good choice of place to stay at, and when Alfon and I went down the car and join them, I was so surprised to see my cousin at the front desk! Talk about universe conspiring to my advantage!

Since he's my cousin and employees have the privilege to give discounts to certain guests), he gave us a wonderful discount that made us grab the deal. Siegy and his fiancee stayed in one room, us 7 relatives (Alfon is the husband of one of my cousins) stayed in one room. The place was more than what we expected it to be.


For dinner, we went at a nearby carinderia (road side restaurant serving already cooked dishes), and they ordered a lot of food! I went to eat one cut of fried chicken (drumstick), two squid rings (adobo), one small beef bistek cut, some milkfish belly, and a sip of my cousin's pinapaitan (a bitter soup made from beef's innards and bile). I also had a can of pineapple juice.




Day 96
04 January 2012

We brought a lot of cooked food at the lodge yesterday, which we didn't eat that dinner because Siegy wanted to eat at a restaurant, so instead of getting the free breakfast included at the room package, I just asked my cousin to serve us coffee because we will just be eating the food we brought. I didn't eat a lot as I know we will be out on an island hopping trip - my tummy might not react well.

Okay... so we went on an island hopping trip. The place is called Hundred Islands, but there were only a few developed islands for tourists to explore - most were little islands. I did enjoy the trip, but I felt time was so short for us to enjoy the experience. Well, I do understand that our Canadian companion was so used to cool / cold weather and being in a tropical country was melting him to say the least, but part of me was hoping he should've at least embraced the new world he's in.


A little over lunch and we're back at the lodge. Honestly, I didn't like the idea of staying inside the "air-conditioned" room during a trip instead of enjoying the outdoors, but like I said, I did understand how Siegy was feeling. Around 4pm, it was time for us to leave, but we did pass by the town of Binmaley to drop off Aunt Bing's husband and two daughters (they live there). I also had the chance to enter the church - first and the last time I was there was when Aunt Bing and Uncle Juaning got married in 1988; I was way too young to appreciate it. Entering the church - saying a little prayer of gratitude as well as taking snapshots made me love my decision of going on this trip more. I thank the heavens for allowing me to make a great decision.


Since our lunch was basically the same as our breakfast (way too many left over food), I didn't eat that much (again). While on the road back to Manila, I remember eating two barbecued chicken feet, which didn't give me much meat to eat... and Siegy did share his pack of cashew nuts, of which I had a few of. We weren't able to make a stop over to eat dinner, and since we dropped off Siegy and his fiancee at their hotel, it was around 10-ish in the evening when we (Alfon, Aunt Bing, cousin Rommel, and I) had dinner: at McDonald's. I went for the Fillet-O-Fish, my first time to try it. It was so delicious and I loved the tartar sauce and the cheese! Although I don't get to eat that often at MickeyD's, having this wonderful option to eat "healthier" was a ray of light.

We got home past 11pm, but I didn't sleep yet; got way too many pictures to transfer!