Last Days of Vacation

You've got to get yourself together
You got stuck in the moment
and you can't get out of it
- U2, "Stuck in the Moment"

Day 102
10 January 2012


I woke up late today.

I don't know what's with the cold weather, but I just feel so sleepy and lazy! In the afternoon, I got to chat with K and aside from the usual "what's new" messages, I told him how lazy I feel today. I told him I'd go back to exercising tomorrow, and he told me, "Why not now? Go and walk... even for just 30 minutes." Well, okay... walk I did - going to the market it took me about 45 minutes walking around. Sure felt great not to sit at home, but I still feel lazy.

Gaah!


Day 103
11 January 2012


When I woke up, Aunt Bing was already here - invading the living room. She just got back from Pangasinan and because her flight going to Canada will be tomorrow, she decided to stay at Siegy's hotel so they can go to the airport together. I planned to exercise today, but with so many of her things scattered around, it seemed impossible.

After eating breakfast, brother told me our neighbor just walked his Siberian Husky puppy. I quickly got out of the house to see it and it was soooo cute! It's a female dog - just 2 months old. Well, I am often times afraid to come near dogs, but the owner told me Sheba's a very sweet puppy, so I went near and played with it. She sure still is a baby... when I tried to carry the puppy, Sheba didn't hesitate at all! I can't wait to see this cute one grow big, but I hope the time Sheba's adult enough, she'd still allow people to touch her.


From one cute thing to another...

I found out where Mommy Teddy gave birth! It's normal for cats to give birth at the strangest places - this mommy kitty happens to give birth at the storage room this time. Only one kitty this time (she usually gives birth to three), and it's 90% white, 10% orange. Mr. Pipoy named it "Cream-O" (because we already have Oreo), and I just hope this little one will grow up to be one healthy cat - Mommy Teddy being 4 going 5 years old (in human years), it will be difficult for the mother cat to take care of the offspring - her last three batch of kitties died even before they opened their eyes. Since we already lost Orange-y, I hope this kitty will complete the space Orange-y left.

- * - * - * -

This afternoon, I gave myself that quality time I needed. A time to give myself that one-on-one talk. My approach? To use my worn-out notebook. I am aware of how lax I am since the last week of December - that even if Mr. Pipoy has given me strongest of all motivations, I still feel half-hearted about continuing this journey. I haven't given up; I just see myself walking at a very slow pace, and it is wearing me down.

I asked Mr. Pipoy's help, and he gave it right there and then. I truly am blessed to have him as my partner in life - he gave me a very powerful piece of motivation that shook me up. He is right, I have everything laid out for me - the only missing piece is me... that commitment to push further.

One thing more that's bothering me - "Mia" is visiting me more and more. I never really had any eating disorder, but while I am very certain I won't become anorexic (as I don't love the feeling of empty stomach), I have the tendency to become bulimic. First encounter with Mia was in 1999/2000, when I would eat as much as a whole family can eat then feeling guilty, I'd make a quick trip to the toilet. Was able to overcome it when I spitted blood after throwing up the undigested food I binged, but when Mia visited me last day of 2011, she hasn't really left me since. I am not binging everyday and throwing it up right after, but as difficult as this is to admit, Mia was with me for the last two nights. My pattern has always been this: I'd eat a lot for breakfast, then eat little (or not eat) for lunch, then binge again for dinner. Since I am now used to eat portioned food, eating more would make my tummy feel heavy and I'd feel dizzy about it, so a few minutes after eating dinner, I'd go to the toilet. Worse, I find myself sort of emptying my tummy just so I won't feel the heavy feeling.

Our neighbor Ria is a psychologist, but I never wanted to consult her about this. I was thinking of sending an old boyfriend an email (he's a psychologist, too), but I feel he'd be more personal (attacking me) instead of helping me. I never wanted to write about this - as I know Mr. Pipoy reads this blog and this will stress him more (I surely don't want to give him more stress as he is already stressed at work and I feel I am sort of a burden if I tell him this), but I need help. One episode with Mia last year, three this year. That's a bad sign. I need to get rid of Mia. Help!

I didn't exercise today; instead, I used my time to contemplate and trace my steps. I have been good the past three months, and I am aware that this journey to wellness is for a lifetime. I just need to find that little link that put me back on track.

Nobody said it was easy,
no one ever said it would be this hard.
...oh take me back to start.
(Coldplay, "The Scientist")

This will be my last day of bumming around.
As difficult it may seem be, I will carry my weight and get back on track.

08 and 09 of January

Day 100
08 January 2012


Us three girls (mom, sister, and I) went to the tiangge to shop for clothes and other stuff. In Philippine calendar, Christmas season starts on the first day of September and ends on the first Sunday of January. This day being the last day of Christmas season, this is basically the last day to buy affordable goodies as stall owners will pack up by the end of the day. It was raining - the tarp they used as roof for shoppers had holes that us shoppers tend to get wet, so I decided not to take random pictures anymore.

Anyway, we were able to buy some clothes and some home items. The home items were quite heavy, so even if sister and I wanted to visit the salon and get a haircut, we decided not to anymore. Maybe on sister's next day off, we can finally get that much needed haircut.

It will be daddy's birth anniversary the day after this, but because it will fall on a Monday and that sister's shift at work will be from 11am-8pm and that I will be attending an event on that day as well, mom told us we will just eat dinner today. That dinner turned out to be a heavy snack (around 4:30pm) and we decided to eat Mang Inasal. I only ate a piece of chicken with rice and some Sardines Spring Rolls and didn't eat dinner (or midnight snack) after that food trip.

Now comes the "problem." Lately, I see myself eating a whole lot for breakfast (exceeding my usual 1/2 cup rice) then come lunch time I won't have the appetite to eat. For today, I ate heavy breakfast then the heavy snacks at Mang Inasal and that was it. Not really healthy... and I need a very serious self-contemplation to help me get back on track.


Day 101
09 January 2012

Another lazy day for me - thanks to the morning rain showers. I told myself I will use this day to help myself get out of the rut and get back my blogging on track (my two photo blogs weren't updates for days possibly weeks now). I was about to cancel my date with my friend Ethel, when Mr. Pipoy called me around 2pm and asked if I would like to meet up with him before his shift at work. I was a bit hesitant because he had the flu this weekend and I felt he needed all the rest he can get before he stormed another work week, but when he asked the question, "Yes or No?" I quickly said yes. After that call, I quickly got myself ready to meet up with Ethel first before meeting up with Mr. Pipoy. Monday will be a great day, for sure!




It was around 4pm when I arrived at our meeting place. Ethel (the one in blue) was already waiting for me and after the initial "Hi, how are you now?" line, we just started talking about different things about life and the people around us. She sent Sam (the one in black) a message saying we were together and after an hour, she arrived. Sam has been a friend of mine - both at the forum and on Facebook - but we haven't personally met yet. Last 30 December, I was supposed to meet both Ethel and Sam, but I had to be with family. It felt great to finally see them!

Since it was just us three and we were outside Starbucks (both of them smoke), we couldn't find someone to take our pictures. We couldn't find that balance to have us three at the center of the frame, so we decided to just wait for Mr. Pipoy to arrive so he could take a picture of us.

Mr. Pipoy and Ethel got to "meet" first at the forum before I met Mr. Pipoy, but as fate allowed it, Mr. Pipoy and I became much closer and eventually entered the relationship. Ethel was the very first person at the forum who knew about my relationship with Mr. Pipoy, because being a woman, I needed that friendly woman's advice - as Ethel has been into several relationships, and I knew I could learn a lot from her. True enough, her words did help me be confident about being a girlfriend. Best advice she has given? "Always treat yourself above every woman. You being the girlfriend meant you've got something that all the other girls don't have."

Thanks, sis.




A little after 6pm, Mr. Pipoy arrived. After the initial introductions and two pictures taken by Mr. Pipoy, we quickly bid Sam and Ethel goodbye. Well, he and I only have 5-6 hours together before his shift at work, we have to maximize that time together.

I wasn't able to take a picture of our dinner, but we had KFC tonight. I went for the hot and crispy chicken with coleslaw and he had the the chicken a la king rice bowl, then we shared a large container of the fries. We took the food out and ate it at our "home away from home" - and it was so funny that we didn't have the bag didn't have coleslaw, but it did had another rice bowl. We were pissed about the coleslaw (I love pairing my h&c chicken with coleslaw), but seeing two rice bowls made us laugh about it.

I loved my alone time with Mr. Pipoy tonight. We didn't talk much about my fitness goals... we just shared the love, most of the time we were together.

If only the walls could talk.
*winks*


part two is my most favorite;
some sensitive topics used.. please watch at your own risk

More reasons to be happy for this day:

• Ethel gifting me with the 2012 Starbucks Planner (Cherry)
• Ethel saying, "You sure lost a lot of weight."
• Mr. Pipoy allowing me to eat chicken thigh.
• Massaging his aching head.
• A whole lotta lovin'.
• Watching Jeff Dunham's "Spark of Insanity - Walter" act via his iPhone- I can say this would be our first "movie date."
• Hearty laughs.
• Getting home safe.
• Keeping the lights on.

05, 06, and 07 of January

Saying "I have a lot of backlogs" is an understatement. I still haven't fully found that state where my blogs are all in-sync, so for now, another multiple days recap.

Day 97
05 January 2012




A few days before 2011 ended, I received a message from Janese, asking if I am available on 05 January for some food tasting with fellow bloggers. I have received different invitations before related to food and blogging, but this one would be the very first event I will attend for 2012, so I immediately said yes. Coming home from Pangasinan late at night yesterday sort of made me second guess if I can attend this, but reminding myself that this will be the very first event of the year, I woke up early to prepare for this.

There were 7 of us bloggers for this food trip - Janese, FPJjr., JayL, Flow, myself, and Aylin (check the second picture to put the faces behind the names). Jinkee was there, too, but she left early, so she wasn't part of the "class picture." Anyway, none of them are close friends of mine, but I have attended several events with them in the past. Food trip happened at Teacup located along Mother Ignacia in Quezon City. We were able to meet with the owner of the cafe, and yes... the food we ate are "on the house."


They served us two kinds of rice meals: Beef Salpicao and Chicken Cordon Bleu. FPJjr. was late, so at first there were just six of us, three (including me) got the Beef Salpicao plate, the other three got the Chicken Cordon Bleu plate. The picture above was what was left on my plate - I only ate two small cubes of the beef and a slice of JayL's chicken (the end part), just so I could taste it. They also served us Meaty Lasagna and I only took an inch thick slice, and a few sip of the coffee and iced Assam Milk Tea. For desserts, we were served Chocolate Fudge Cake and Ube Halaya cake, and again, I only tasted it, so that I have something to write about on my blog.

We left Teacup around 2pm... I was hoping I could meet with Riveria today, but she was busy, so I decided to head home so I could give sister the Oatmeal Cookie they gave each of us as a parting gift.


Day 98
06 January 2012


Today was a lazy day. So lazy I sort of forgotten what happened today.

I really need to go to the bookstore and buy that executive planner so I could have a place to write in the things I did for the day.

Just one memorable thing happened - I took selfie pictures with "Resolution" as a prompt. Well, not that awesome of a photo shoot, it sure was risky stepping on the scales with 2-inch high sandals. :)


Day 99
07 January 2012

Having been able to set foot on Hundred Islands for the first time a few days ago, I think I am starting to love this "Live life to the fullest" mantra. Today, I visited another new place: Wawa Dam in Rodriguez, Rizal.

This trip has been planned for sooooo long. My friend Nathalie and I have planned to go there since last year (or maybe last last year), but we just couldn't find that day for us to go. When I got to chat with another friend from the blue board (Jeff), he told me he could tour us around. It started a much serious planning, but because our schedules would not permit it, the trip was always put on hold. Late last year, I got the chance to chat with Jeff again and I told him this trip has to push through January of 2012. When Nathalie opened the topic a few days ago, I sent Jeff a message to ask his schedule. Well, I told him Mr. Pipoy and I have plans to meet on the 15th, and Jeff is celebrating his birthday a week after that, so the only time available was the 7th and the 29th. We immediately made the decision to push through with this trip on the 7th, since all of us are available.

Jeff is one of first few people I got to be friends with at the forum. Even then, he and I have treated each other like siblings - I call him "kuya," he calls me "ate," but we are of the same age. We have planned to meet personally since then - as he is a forrester and he wanted to help me with taking pictures of nature, but all were plans - of course, he still has to ask their office for approval. Anyway, going back to our trip... all of us met around 8am then we quickly traveled to Rizal. Weee!!!


After a short chat with people from DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), we made a short trek then took the bamboo raft to help us get across the river. Forrester Susi and two guides from the local baranggay were there to assist us, and before we checked the actual dam, they took us first to Pamitinan Cave.


Getting to the cave required us to climb uphill. Well, it wasn't a new experience for me - I have had much strenuous treks before this, but of course, I still had to ask assistance because I was wearing flip flops and it was difficult to balance myself on the rocks with wet feet. As always, getting to the entrance of the cave felt priceless, and I truly enjoyed the climb!

Nathalie asked to be left outside the cave as her shoes were wet and slippery, and that the oxygen level inside the cave may not be good for her respiratory system. I didn't bring any flashlight (as I couldn't find any), so Jeff and our guide Ogie acted as my light as we explored the cave. The Pamitinan cave wasn't as enormous and dramatic as other caves I have entered (like the Callao Cave in Cagayan), but I was in awe of its glittering (because the walls of the cave glisten) beauty!


We didn't explore the cave that much, but asking Ogie, he told me somewhere inside the cave is a spring. I told him next time I come here, I would take a look at that spring and dip my feet in it. :)

As we head back to the "main land," we saw kids happily playing in the water. I loved how carefree kids can be, and I sure hope I'd be as carefree as them. I guess that is something I need to teach myself.


Of course, the only thing left to do is see the Wawa Dam! Seeing it up close reminded me of the one in Villa Escudero... I can't wait to see this place during summertime as they told us there were huts at the foot of the dam during summer. Oooohhh! Considering how easy it is to reach this place, I don't see any reason why I won't visit again.

I'll tag along Mr. Pipoy next time, that's for sure!

Nathalie and her husband Benj left after taking pictures of the dam as they still had an event to attend. I stayed for a while longer because Forrester Susi still had a few more things to say, something about a little partnership - them helping us see the place (and we can come back anytime) and us helping them promote the place.


For lunch, we ate a roadside eatery near the DENR office. Us three (Forrester Susi, Jeff, and I) shared three dishes and I loved the squid! At first we were teasing the owner of the eatery if the squid was the canned type (because they were small), but when we tasted it, it surely was better than the canned type. :)

After a few more chit-chats, Jeff and I bid Forrester Susi goodbye - well, Jeff brought along his car, so I hitched a ride 'til we reached Commonwealth Avenue (Litex area), then I took the jeep home from there.

I was so tired, but it was fulfilling. I realized, it truly is much easier to trek minus the 24lbs.

Big, big thanks to Jeff, Nathalie and Benj for traveling with me. Sa uulitin!