Ethan celebrated his birthday in school. He invited the Older Preschool and Kindergarten classes. The food was simple: spaghetti, chicken nuggets, hotdogs and orange juice. After eating, all 20 kids did some kind of friendship bracelets and necklaces. Different colored beads of various shapes and sizes were presented to the kids for them to string. I guess they had fun for at the end of the session, each kid was wearing his/her own creation. My son took time off from school so he could be at Ethan's party. He made animal balloons or at least, tried to do animal balloons that kept popping and bursting.

Ethan with his Kindergarten Class

Ethan with the Older Preschool and Kindergarten

Busy stringing beads

more pictures......

The girls doing their glittery necklaces

I have no idea what they are doing

the Pabitin

Daughter #1 invited some relatives for dinner. I thought she invited 3-4 people only. I was surprised that about 25 people came so we had an impromptu party. It's good that I cooked enough food.

while playing guitar hero

Erin, Jester, Ethan, Jeshua, Minnie and Pixie

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Regular exercise keeps your weight down. It also relieves stress and makes you look and feel good. You can attribute the "feel good" sensation to the endorphins released during exercise. Make the effort to squeeze exercise time into your daily routine. Choose an exercise that you enjoy, one that you can share with a friend or with your family. Aerobic exercise is the best for it involves continuous movement and helps strengthen your heart and lungs. Here are some examples: brisk walking, jogging, aerobic dancing or step aerobic, hip-hop dancing, cycling, swimming, badminton, tennis, table tennis, football, basketball, hiking, kick boxing, and other. Note that for tennis and badminton to be aerobic, you have to run and retrieve/hit the ball instead of waiting for the ball to come to you. Pick your favorite ball game and go!

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I was watching re-runs of Sex and the City and I was reminded of the wonderful and fantastic clothes worn on the show byCarrie Bradshaw and her friends. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is fearlessly fashionable. She looks great, whatever she is wearing. Her style is uptown chic, whimsical, even daring and sexy. Thanks to SATC costume designer Patricia Field, the characters of "Sex and the City" turned into small-screen fashion icons and has sparked trends ranging from high-end designer bags to fabric flowers. Some of the favorite designers of the show are: Manolo Blahnik, Richard Tyler, Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabbana,Fendi, Chanel,Dior, and others. My favorite dress in the series was the pink frock by Oscar de la Renta given by Aleksandr (Mikhail Baryshnikov) to Carrie. I wish I could have that dress.

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Today is my last day for posting for my month's theme. Tomorrow I start with a new theme. Truth of the matter is I have no idea what my October theme will be. It's too early to think of a Christmas theme. Halloween theme? What's there to write about that topic? Maybe Halloween stuff and personal Halloween experiences - not much to write about. Think! What about my rants and rages for the past year? Not too good an idea as I'm always ranting anyway. Think. Any suggestions?

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Gosh! My Cable TV provider is really trying my patience. There's not a day that service is interrupted for as short as a few minutes to as long as half a day. Every time I inquire why the answer is always "we're doing service maintenance." The Cable TV company is doing service maintenance everyday and still the service is not up to par?! One thing more, my favorite cable channels are being taken out of the roster. I am not left with some 100 cable channels half of it not even in English. It is time to switch providers. I Googled Direct TV for I have heard of this company offers quality service.

The cable company rocks! It's premiere plan entitles you to 265 channels! Directtv offers a wide range of choices: from a Family oriented subscription of 45 channels to a whooping 265 channels - movies, family, HD programs, Sports, International, Business and News. Note that Directv offers 30 Movie Channels FREE for 4 months if you sign up now. Check it out now for more information.

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Many think they don't have the time to exercise. However, there are a lot of simple things one can do daily to help you become more active - hence, burning more fat. Here are a few examples you can follow.

Walk instead of riding whenever you have the opportunity. Don't use the phone to talk to the person in the next room. Get up and go over to his office instead.

Always, as in always, walk briskly. I just hate it when I'm with friends and they walk as if they're walking down the aisles. It's such a waste for me to saunter.

Take the bus or LRT or MRT instead of driving - saves you on gasoline and parking fees plus it's kinder to the environment.

Get off the but one stop away from your destination and walk the rest of the way. I used to do this way back in college. I get off about 1 1/2 block from my destination then walk up to the 7th floor of my school building.

Use the stairs instead of the elevator. You can easily handle 4-5 flights of stairs. When coming down, it won't matter how many flights. I just hate it when I see people using the elevator for a flight or two, up or down.

Make your housework more interesting and active by working to music. You'll find it more relaxing and you'll enjoy doing your chores.

Join your young kids in their play. Up to now, my kids and I still enjoy a game of kick ball and patintero.

Be more active and energetic. It's fun and slimming!

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I have bunch of wrist watches -some expensive designer watches, others are popular brand watches and the rest are real cheap ones. I love to match my watch with my clothes. If I'm all dressed-up, I use the real expensive gold or silver designer wrist watch given by my mother. If I'm wearing casual clothes, I love to wear the changeable-face-wrist-watch to go with the color of my clothes. I need a sports watch. I lost mine eons ago. I found a real great sports watch from Sector watches. This watch is to die for - a red sports wrist watch! Wow! I love it. Take a look at this beauty. Umm... wonder who'll buy it for me.

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Today is Ethan's 6th Birthday! He had a birthday party in school today. It was a fun-interactive party. Pictures and details to follow for right now I have to go socialize with some dinner guests. Yeah. Ethan's Birthday party - part two. Later.

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My bedroom, aside from the kitchen, receives the highest traffic in my house. My children seem to gravitate towards it. If they come home and find me not in my usual place (kitchen or work space), the bedroom is where they go look for me and chances are, stay a while to chat. My kids' bedrooms have televisions each but still, they prefer to cram themselves in my bed and watch television there. One time, I came home with my three girls in my bed. With them was their male friend lying side by side with them, also watching TV. I was surprised but did not get mad. I just pleasantly said that I should get other bedroom furniture for their use.

I like to think that my bedroom is my sanctuary. It's a place where I could lock myself in if I have the need to be alone. It's where many a decisions have been made while I lie on my bed, counting cracks on the ceiling. My bedroom is styled as a modern bedroom. The lines are minimal and color schemes quite neutral. No frills or frou-frou for me. I hate it when I have to move carefully in ones bedroom so as not to make a mess on the sheets and frilly pillows.I have always endorsed contemporary bedroom styles for they are easier to clean-up and maintain. Daughter #4, ever the inquisitive one, said that I should consider an Italian bedroom next time. Umm... not a bad idea.

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Got this idea from Real Age. Food fact: you can lose 10 lbs a year by cutting 100 calories in a day. Genius! It's staring us right smack in our faces and we didn't have an inkling whatsoever. Or, we just don't know how much is 100 calories and how does it look like. Well, I know for a fact that 1 cup of rice is 150 calories and 1 slice of white loaf bread is 75 calories. Here's a list on how to save 100 calories per day and lose 10 lbs. in a year.

From Lisa Young, RD.
Eat only half a candy bar or energy bar (both pack a lot of calories).
Use 1 tablespoon of salad dressing instead of 2 (toss the salad really well and you won't even notice the difference).
Choose small 1-ounce pitas instead of the larger 2-ounce size.
Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter instead of 2 on bread or crackers

Leave the last few bites of pasta on your plate.
Use one pat of butter instead of three on a baked potato.
Order a tall cappuccino instead of a grande the next time you visit Starbucks.

More ideas from RealAge

Scramble one egg for yourself, not two.
Make all your sandwiches open-faced -- omit the top slice of bread.
Skip the last three bites of any main course.
Snack on one fist-sized bunch of grapes, not two.
Grab five Hershey's dark chocolate Kisses instead of ten.
Choose a white wine spritzer over a 5-ounce glass of wine.
Have a 6-inch Roast Beef sandwich at Subway instead of a 6-inch Classic Steak & Cheese.
Order a small cup at Dairy Queen instead of a small cone.

Can you think of your own o how to save 100 calories a day? I have one. Take diet pop instead of the regular soda. Another one is, scrape off the mayo in your sandwich. Eat plain popcorn instead of buttered. There are several ways to cut down 100 calories a day. Put them to use so you may look and feel slimmer.

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With a big family, in terms of number and size, going out as one unit has always been a problem. When my kids were just daughters # 1, 2 and 3, my old trusty Toyota and hubby's Mustang have been sufficient as means of transportation. When daughter #4 came, we fit rather tightly in my car so we decided to exchange my car for a station wagon. The station wagon was alright especially the foldable back seats. We can fold the seats in case we needed more space for luggage or for the kids to lie down. Came kid #5 or my one and only son. I told hubby that he may keep the station wagon but I needed a Toyota lite-ace. The girls were getting taller and bigger and I needed the extra space for my baby boy's car seat. Lite-ace it was. For a while the lite-ace was fine until the kids all shot up to high heavens in terms of height and girth. I thought I needed a bigger van. I told hubby about it and he said that I should just buy a bus and ply a route in my off time. I did! Well not really, but my new van can sit 12 people easy and I'm not up to "plying" a route.... yet.

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I have associated egg with dieting. As a matter of fact, I eat eggs when I'm on a low-calorie weight loss diet. Why? Egg is a quite filling food low in calorie. A boiled or poached egg contains only about 75 calories. A recent study indicated that egg is a real "friendly" choice for those in a low-calorie diet. A study of people on a low-calorie weight loss plan who ate two eggs and unbuttered toast with jelly lost 65% more weight than dieters on bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. It's not hard to figure out why. Eggs are more filling and keeps you more satisfied longer than carbs do. You tend to eat less later too. Have your fill of eggs in the morning. However, make sure that you don't overdo it. Keep in mind that the study included a low-calorie diet meaning eating eggs for breakfast helps if you watch what and how much you eat for the rest of the day.

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I was at the mall the other day and I saw on display my dream car, a Mitsubishi Montero. I want that SUV! I have read that thinking positively sort of pushes you in the right direction. Think good thoughts - that car will be mine. To reinforce the positive chi, I started to browse on personalized plate numbers online. My new Montero can't just have a regular plate number! The plate number should be one of those cherished number plates - personal and unique. Okay, I found one at http://www.northumbrianumbers.com - Y888 LLS - triple 8 with my initials! How lucky and cool is that!? The site has a wide range of personalized plate numbers: ageless numbers, names of persons, car brands, and others. What I did was just type in the initials and numbers that I wanted, and presto! My very own cherished plate number. Check it out.

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China's toxic milk scandal has escalated. More and more Chinese imports that are milk-based are being recalled due to contamination. The milk is said to be contaminated by melamine, a chemical used in producing plastic. An ongoing investigation by the Chinese government indicates that two milk wholesalers are watering down the milk and adding melamine to enrich its protein content and to hide it's diminished milk properties. Death and sickness of infants taking contaminated baby formula have occurred. Here is a list of products that are being recalled.

1. BAIRONG GRAPE CREAM CRACKERS
2. DOVE H/NUT ALM & RAISIN CHOC
3. DOVE HAZELNUT CHOC
4. DOVE MILK CHOCOLATE
5. Dreyers Choc Cake Ice Cream 887m
6. Dreyers Cookie & Cream Ice Cream 887ml
7. Dreyers Mint Chip Ice Cream 887ml
8. Dreyers Rocky Road Ice Cream 887ml
9. Dreyers Strawberry Ice Cream 887ml
10.Dreyers Toast Almond Ice Cream 887ml

11.Dreyers Vanilla Ice Cream 887ml
12.Dutch Lady : Banana, plain, choco, strawberry, honeydew
13. First Choice crackers
14. Ginbis Animal crackers
15. Koala cocoa biscuit
16. Kraft Oreo Wafer stick
17. Lotte Koala cocoa funpack
18. M&M's
19. Meiji
20. Mentos
21. Moonmilk Dairy Products
22. Jolly Cow Milk

OMG! Jolly Cow is Chuck's brand! Check your pantry and throw out said food products produced before August 6, 2008. It's never bad to play it safe.

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Losing weight is easy for some but hard on others. There is no one way to lose weight but here are some tips on how you can save calories on food that you eat.

1. Try mixing brown rice with polished rice 2-3 times a week.
2. Cook noodles in soup rather than frying them.
3. Trim all visible fat and remove skin from chicken and other poultry when cooking. As much as possible, do not eat internal organs.
4 Eat lentils, beancurd or dried beans as meat substitute.
5. Use skim milk and other low fat dairy like cheese and butter.
6. Fill up with vegetables to increase volume of food. Use oil-free or fat-free salad dressing.
7. Make consommes (clear soup) instead of creamy ones.
8. Use polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils like cor, soya or sunflower. Use oil sparingly.
9. Use non-stick pans to cut down on the amount of oil that you use in cooking.
10. Cut down on alcoholic and soda drinks.
11. Chew your food slowly.
12. Take smaller servings when you start a meal.

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Had a real long day. Got home at 11:00 p.m. CRAP! De La Salle lost to Ateneo. Yup! Ateneo got the crown in UAAP men's basketball. I was there. I'll tell you all about the game later, as it's already 12:40 a.am. Time for me to sleep.



DLSU Lost!

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I started working out way back in 1986. I was not into enrolling in gyms or fitness programs though. At that time the only fitness or rather slimming salon in the Metro was Joanne Drew. Well, I definitely could not afford the services of Ms. Joanne Drew. Good thing my friend Susan has a "new" video workout of none other than the first and ultimate fitness guru- Jane Fonda. In the mid 1980's Jane Fonda was in her 50's. But gosh! you would think she was in her 20's with the kind of lean and sculptured body she had. Susan, myself, our church deaconess, and 2 more youth from church, decided to tackle the workout of Ms. Fonda. Everyday from Monday to Friday at 10:00 a.m. we converged in Susan's living room, re-arrange the sofa and table, turn on the TV and VHS player, feed the tape on the player then proceed on the hour-long workout. By the time we finish at past 11:00 a.m. we were all sweaty and hungry.

Those workout days proved to be real helpful and useful. First, it started me on keeping fit by working out. I eventually enrolled at Slimmers' World. Second, the time spent on the floor doing abdominal exercises and some pilates served as the window of opportunity for Susan, the deaconess and I to plan on putting up a pre-school in our church. We did! The first batch of nursery students included daughter #3, the dentist. That was in 1987.

Thanks to Jane Fonda. The church school was conceptualized and materialized. The school has about a thousand students now from nursery to 4th year high. Susan is the directress.

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Everybody wants to make money online. In one hand, bloggers work hard to update their blogs on a daily basis. They write topics of great interest trying ever so hard to hit the jackpot in SEO and keywords maximization. All for what? - to get that sometimes elusive PR or page rank on their blogs to get more paid blogging opportunities. On the other hand, advertisers scour the net for the best way to market their products or services. Blog marketing seems to be the answer.What now? Snapbomb is the answer for both bloggers and advertisers in search of answer to their concerns.

For advertisers, your needs will be met by bloggers highly qualified to do a buzz of your products or services. For bloggers, your rate will be in accordance with your blog's calculated monetary value according to Snapbomb's system. This blog, for example, has a monetary value of $6.28 to $25.12. How cool is that? Opportunities will be available to qualified blogs so no need to constantly be on the lookout for opportunities. Check the site out - blog marketing at its best.

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I can't get The Time Traveler's Wife out of my mind. The story keeps on running over and over in my consciousness. I am trying to dissect each and every part of the story line, the time-travel to the past and present - desperately trying to find one mistake by the author in the sequencing and continuity of the story line. None. So far. Perfect. As of now. I am left in awe and in a sad state of regret for "what could have been" or "what should have been" - much like what I feel every time I watch Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story or The Notebook.

The movie The Time Traveler's Wife is slated for release on December 25, 2008, in the US. There is no other scheduled international release as of now. I wonder when it will be released in Asia - I hope in January 2009 right after the Manila Film Festival. The movie stars Eric Bana as Harry DeTamble and Rachel Adams as Clare Abshire. The movie started its first shoot September 2007.

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There was one summer, I enrolled all my five kids in a fitness program. For that one summer my kids and I worked out everyday - resulting in a slimmer, flexible, agile and stronger "us". But that was years ago. Now, with school and work, we just can't seem to find the time to spare 2-3 hours working out in a gym. It's just not possible unless we're all willing to go to the gym at 8:00 p.m. Never mind. Solution. Buy workout DVDs so we can all workout in the comforts of our home. So I did. I bought the taebo series. Daughter #4 also bought her own because she prefers the hip-hop series. Daughter #3 bought her own Pilates DVD. Daughter #2 is into kick-boxing so she bought her own DVD too. My son said we're all crazy because we only have two DVD players and we all want to work out in a similar time frame thus, eliminating two exercisers in the process. What to do?

We need a work out DVD that would encompass the aerobic quality of hip-hop dancing, the strength training of taebo and kick-boxing and the grace and flexibility of Pilates. Is there such a thing as a 3 in 1 exercise DVD? XFLOWSION is the only exercise program that gives you all the benefits of martial arts training, power yoga and dancing in one DVD. Developed by ERIC PASKEL, a well-known fitness guru in Hollywood, the workout promises to bust your weight plateau - the last few stubborn pounds will definitely be off. The workout boost of a continuous fat-burning and muscle toning effect. Wow! This is one powerful Triple Training workout. Better get one now for only 3 payments of $19.95. Hurry! Get your copy now.


sponsor: XFLOWSION

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Daughter # 4 insisted that I read the book The Time Traveler's Wife. It's a 2003 novel by Audrey Niffenegger. I did not want to read it because first, I just bought some mushy-romantic-books on sale at a bookstore, and second, "time traveling?".. please!! Daughter # 4 was adamant. Mom you've got to read the book. The movie stars Eric Bana and it will premiere in December. Still, I did not read the book. I was browsing her multiply site when I chanced upon exchanges between daughter #4 and some members of Cullen's Coven. The gist of the written exchanges was that they cannot wait to see TTTW movie and, as a matter of fact, are more excited to watch TTTW than Twilight. What? How can that be? I was intrigued and borrowed daughter #4's copy.

It took me a longer time than usual to finish the novel. I had to turn back pages and look for specific dates and ages of Henry and Clare. I finished the book a while back. Is the book any good? Suffice to say I cried and felt so much regret in the love story that was Henry and Clare. Here are two links that you might find useful. Link one is a no-nonsense summary of the book. Click HERE. Link two is a book review. Click HERE. What can I say? Audrey Niffenegger is a genius.

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I will never ever finish cleaning up my work space. It's just taking me too long. There are lots of books, old floor plans, old picture albums, old report cards, medals, and the kids' old school projects and drawings all over the place. I just don't know what to keep and what to throw out. I was looking over some old pictures and I found one of hubby's with his mistresses: his BMW bike and Harley-Davidson bike. These two bikes were his babies. The blue bike is the BMW while the partially covered red bike is the Harley. It was hard maintaining the Harley for parts were not available locally. Hubby even used to order Harley parts from his brother in New York. It was fun riding those bikes. Looking at old pictures sure brings back memories.

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Here's a wonderful mouth-watering fat-burning main dish. If you're wondering what the heck is a fat-burning meal or food, scroll down or click here and here.

Chicken a la King

1/3 cup water
1 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
2 T finely chopped onions
2/3 cup APF
1 cup cold skim milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 t salt
pepper to taste
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
a can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained and coarsely chopped
1 T chopped piminetos
toast, biscuits or cooked rice

In medium saucepan over medium heat, place water,peas, peppers and onions. Cover and cook 5 minutes, or until peas are tender. Drain, saving liquid.

In same saucepan. blend flour and milk until well blended: stir in reserved cooking liquid, broth or bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil stirring constantly. cook 1 minute. Add cooked vegetables, chicken ot turkey, mushrooms and pimientos. Heat through. Serve over rice, toast or biscuits. Makes 6 serving.

Nutritional values per serving: 178 calories, 17 g. protein, 3 g fat, 18% calories from fat, 39 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, 1113 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

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I am so dead! I have not even started doing the schematics for a client's office. There are two clients, actually, for they are siblings - a doctor and a dentist. The two sisters have just acquired an office space for their clinic in a newly constructed tertiary hospital off -Manila. The hospital is not yet operational and most doctors - who were fortunate enough to buy rights to practice in the hospital - are now busy in finishing the interior of their offices cum clinics. The space for my clients is big enough to contain the requirements they specified: a dental chair, two derma chairs and 2 sinks and a lavatory. They want the best yet not outrageously expensive faucets for their sink and lavatory. I am planning to install Hansgrohe faucets. Great faucets - beautiful and of high-quality. I'll just browse online for the latest offers. The doctors will surely love the new designs.

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Fat-burning foods are food that burn more calories than the calorie content of the food itself. The book Fat-Burning Foods summarizes 10 basic Do's on how to lose weight by eating fat-burning foods. First, eat a much as you want of the 30 fat-burning foods. Eat complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and grains fro these foods should provide 65% of your daily calories. You should eat from 30 to 40 grams fiber daily. Eat no more than 20% t 30% of your total daily calories as fat. If you can, avoid FAT! Up to 10% to 15% of your daily calories can be from animal protein, however, eat no more than 5 ounces of animal protein in a day. Too much red meat is not good for the body. To determine the percentage of calories from protein, multiply the grams of protein by 4, divide that number by the number of calories and multiply by 100. Here is a sample menu of fat-burning foods.

Breakfast:
1 cup orange juice
1 slice melon
1 ounce prepared cereal with 1/4 cup skim milk
1 oatmeal muffin

Lunch
1 pasta meal
1 sliced tomato
1 muffin

Dinner
curried chicken salad
brown bread
1 slice upside-down cake

Snack
1 cup air-popped popcorn

Quite yummy, actually. Now if only we could combine the eating man's diet and fat-burning foods diet, that would be pretty perfect.

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I got the cutest award from pink-glamour.

I have not done a cutesie postie for quite a while so here is the
award that I got. Cute!

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My son's face is full of zits, again! I have told him countless times that his diet has a direct effect on his acne breakout. I read that acne has some relationship with nutrition. However, there is no concrete link or proof as to what food group causes acne. Oily skin has a tendency to have acne breakouts than normal or dry skin. Well, saturated fats can contribute to oily skin so better stay away from fat it you are prone to pimples. What about chocolates? Many believe that there is a direct connection between eating chocolates and increased acne. Isn't chocolate full of fat? There's the connection. A high protein intake and salty food also contribute to acne lesions,I read. So I asked my son, "what have to been eating this past week?" - he stays in an apartment near school, that's why. "Chips, soda, chocolate and instant noodles", quipped my son. Gosh! Junk food! No wonder.

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I took to tidying up my mini-library cum work area last night. I just realized how much books I have not counting the more than 2 big boxes of books that I just have to throw out because they got wet in a freak flood incident in my basement years ago. Wow! how's that for a running a sentence. Anyway, I found this book about Fat-Burning Foods by Judy Jameson. Umm...and I never even realized I have this book. The book says that food high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat are natural fat-burners. Why?

Scientist aren't really sure why but your body seems to handle complex carbohydrate differently than other types of food. Food high in complex carbohydrates seem to raise the metabolism of overweight people. Studies show that the body easily converts complex carbohydrates into energy while dietary fat are converted into, well, body fat. Aside from raising your metabolism complex carbohydrates also serves as your fuel or energy for they break down into glucose. So what are the food high in complex carbohydrates? Here is list of the 30- fat burning foods.

apples, corn, peas, bananas, cranberries, peppers, beans (all), grains and grain products pineapple, bread (plain), grapes, potatoes, broccoli, jam (sugar-free), root vegetables, cabbage ,leeks, spinach, cauliflower, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, melons, waffles and pancakes (lowfat), citrus fruits, mushrooms, pasta (Low-fat), zucchini.

There you go. Enjoy eating these fat-burning foods. Burn, baby, burn!

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September is a busy and expensive month for me. I have received four invitations for a children's birthday party, two invitations to a christening and one invitation to a young adult's birthday party. Gifts! I need to buy gifts! I enjoy buying gifts. I put my heart and soul in choosing the right gift for the intended person. I hate it when friends buy items in bulk for gifts. That seems so blase and impersonal. I prefer to buy gifts that suit the recipient's needs and personality. Finding unique baby gifts is a talent of mine. I don't actually buy expensive gifts but I make sure my gifts are well chosen and thought of. Which reminds me, I have not even started on my Christmas list yet. A crisis in the making!

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What do we eat then? Eat a balanced diet - from the three food groups- as much as possible. Under carbohydrates we have noodles, rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and other starchy food. My son loves to eat pasta with rice and mashed potato. I keep telling him that he's overloaded with carbo to which he replied, that's the point mom. He needs carbo loading on occasions because of his varsity training. Be sure to include protein in your daily diet. Protein being beef, pork, mutton, beancurd, dried peas and beans, fish, poultry, milk and eggs. Ethan does not like to eat pork, beef and chicken. He only eats fish, which is fine by me. The third food group that you should be included in your daily diet are vitamins and minerals- fruits, vegetables. Since my son, daughter #2 and Ethan do not eat most vegetables, I make sure they take their daily dosage of multi-vitamins. The important thing is you should eat a wide variety of foods for a healthier eating choices - makes eating a lot more interesting too.

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It has been an old-age practice and mistake to go on a starvation diet when trying to lose weight. The most common mistake is skipping breakfast and eating the first meal of the day at lunch. By lunch time or close to it, the large intestine is eating the small intestine or vice-versa. Or, gastric juices are freely flowing in your tummy causing a lot of gurgling sound and a lot of gnawing hunger pangs. By lunch time, you are so hungry you actually eat more than you usually eat - breakfast and lunch combined. The point is: avoid crash dieting no matter what. Rapid weight loss is almost always followed by a more rapid weight gain plus extra. Sudden gains and losses in weight are disruptive to the body's metabolism. Therefore, use a diet plan that you can maintain and stick to even after you've reached your long-term weight goal.

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Crap! I almost fell down on my face last night while I opened the front gate for daughter # 2. It was drizzling so the pavement was quite slippery. That was not the problem though. The problem was the lighting outside - the whole perimeter of my yard. There was not a single outdoor light working except for the one in the terrace and by the front door. All the outdoor lighting fixtures conked out! It was so darn dark, I couldn't see past my nose.

I have told hubby time and again to fix the electrical wirings so the light fixtures would stop overloading and extinguishing. Of course he would not do it at once -later, he would say, which could well mean never. To avoid further aggravation and stress, I decided to do it myself. First, I have to look for outdoor lighting fixtures. I happened upon the outdoor lighting fixtures by Fine Art Lamps and may I say wow! The design of fixtures has a Renaissance/Baroque sort of impact. Beautiful craftmanship. I also liked the Kichler lighting fixtures as the desings are sleek and modern, with a sort of an Oriental feel. Now, I can't decide what to get. Help?

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Back when Robert Redford was the hottest male star, I found a diet book on sale at National Bookstore. The book was titled Eating Man's Diet. Of course I bought it for I was intrigued by its title. Ever the perpetual dieter, the book held a lot of promise for me. Eat and Diet at the same time sounds really promising. The book was written by Thomas Sharkey. I Googled the name and found a Thomas Starkey who is a boxer, a biochemist, an artist, a sailor and one who has been missing since 1999. So there. I cannot say for sure the who and the what of the book's author. One thing, there is actually a used copy of Eating Man's Diet on sale at Amazon.com for $1.77. The book helped me to lose weight. How?

The basic principle of Sharkey's book is that you can eat anything, as in anything that you like to eat. There are no restrictions. Of course, knowing full well that fat and empty calories are not good, it is well if consumption of these food is limited. Anyway, Sharkey's diet plan goes like this. First you have to set a weight goal. Let's say a small framed 30 year old woman stands at 5'3" and weighs 150 lbs. Based on the the height and weight table for women her ideal weight is from 111-124 lbs. Let's say her target weight is 115 lbs - meaning she has to lose 35 lbs. The daily caloric requirement of a woman that age, frame and height is from 1,800 to 2,000 calories.

To lose a pound of weight you have to burn 3,000 calories. Here's the regimen. The woman has to eat 1,800 - 2,000 calories every other day: say Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, her caloric intake must not exceed 900. On Sunday, she starts again with 1,800-2,000 calories and so on. On the low-calorie-intake days, the subject saves or burns 900-1100 calories or more. If she exercises on top of her dieting, then more calories would be saved. Losing a pound per week is attainable with this regimen. Work your eating days to coincide with parties or events so you would not feel cheated. If you fail in your non-eating days, cheer up! Start all over again. This diet works. I should know. It worked for me.

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My friend called me yesterday. She is an insurance agent from one of the top international insurance companies that is currently having problems with its finances. She presented a term life insurance quote to daughter # 1 in April this year and because I know the value of having an insurance policy, I prodded my daughter to get one. The problem is in Canada, not here, my friend said. What can I say? Daughter #1 had made two payments already. I don't know if I should advise my daughter to terminate her policy now or just wait a while. What do you think?

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courtesy of Hillcartoons

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Can drinking green tea help one to lose weight? Hundreds, maybe thousands of articles has been written extolling the virtues of drinking green tea. Studies have shown that the caffeine and polyphenols in green tea increase thermogenesis - or the rate at which our body burns fat which translate to faster body metabolism. Using green tea can therefore increase the metabolic rate of the drinker which in turn will burn more fat that will eventually lead to weight lose. Studies also show that drinking green tea block conversion of energy into fat and help your body absorb less dietary fat.

Drinking green tea also suppresses appetite. However,for green tea to act as appetite suppressant, you would have to either drink green tea constantly or consume tea extract at higher levels than the market commodity. Now, you just can't eat all you want then take loads of vitamin c and gallons of green tea to lose weight. Sorry, it does not work that way. You still have to watch what you eat and still do some exercise to lose weight. Green tea will do increase your metabolic rate but only in terms of fractions. A study revealed that green tea increases metabolism by 2.9% and 4% and fat burning by 12% and 35% respectively. This would mean if you burn 1,500 calories a day this would mean a saving of 60 calories a day or 7 lbs a year. Not bad for 2-3 cups of green tea a day.

picture courtesy

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Plasma television. It's all the craze now. You have got to have a big-flat-high-technology plasma or LCD television set to meet your "viewing" needs. A construction trend among new homes today is incorporating an entertainment area into the floor plan - where the sole purpose of the room is not to entertain guests but to house all the video and audio gadgets of the home owners. Thus the entertainment area could well be called a mini home theater complete with a set of home theater furniture and the latest in video-audio gadgets. Great! I think it's time to convert the music room into video room.

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Vitamin C helps burn fat. You've got to be kidding me?! Nope! That's the truth. A study showed that our body needs sufficient amount of vitamin C to help burn fat - and we all know that burning fat is the key to losing weight. A comparative study of people who have low concentration of vitamin c and those who have adequate vitamin c was done. Those who were low on vitamin C burned 25% less calories in the treadmill than those who have adequate vitamin C in their systems. So, before you take that brisk walk, or before you hit the gym, pop some vitamin C to up your body's fat burning level.

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I was watching a re-run of the Olympic Equestrian Dressage event and I just can't help but be in awe to women equestrians or equestrienne. These athletes are so graceful yet so in command of their horses. A flick or twitch of the reign, and the mistress and the horse are completely one and in-tune. This sport may well be one of the most expensive of all sports. I had a niece who was just dying to learn how to ride a horse. Her parents are members of an exclusive polo club and equestrian lessons were also being offered at the club. My niece tried everything to have her mom say "yes" but my cousin never wavered in her decision. My cousin rationalized that she does not have the extra money to buy a horse, have it housed and fed, buy other horse supplements , not to mention a groom and a trainor. Well, I said, how much does a horse cost anyway. $20,000 for an "ok" horse, answered my cousin. Oh! I guess my niece just have to chose another sports.

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Have you walked a bit now before you slumped in front of your monitor? No? As I've said in my the other post, for busy and non-athletic persons, walking might be the best exercise for you. For most people, walking 10,000 steps a day is enough for fitness and weight loss. Just how "much" is 10,000 steps? Roughly, 10,000 steps is equal to about 5 miles or 3 km. Now, now, don't get over excited and say "How can I possibly walk 5 miles a day?" For the next hour or so, monitor how many steps you've taken. If you're like me,(slumped in front of the monitor) the answer would be "none". I know it's not possible to log in 10,000 steps a day just doing your normal job. However, if you have an active job such as a waitress or a nurse, 10,000 steps a day is peanuts. Most people achieve the 10,000 steps a day by adding brisk walking or jogging into their routine. If you can't integrate the additional steps into your normal routine, maybe it's time you switch jobs (nursing or waitressing). Remember, 2,000-2,500 steps is equal to a mile. Walking a mile burns 100 calories for a 150 lbs. person. What are you waiting for? Put on your walking shoes!

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I am on the look-out for a chef school. It seems like every other person that I talk too is seriously on the band wagon of the cooking craze and are looking online for highly creditable culinary schools. Oh there are cooking schools and there are real cooking schools. But I am not into enrolling in a full course. I am more interested in taking courses in cake, desserts and pie. I better check out this culinary school specializing in Baking and Pastry. Who knows? I might be the next great Pastry Chef!

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So all of us know we should exercise more, but many of us don't. This is a health mistake we consciously make! And why is that? Simply because we refuse to admit the damage we are causing to our bodies by not working-out. A number of people only start working out once they've experienced a warning signal. Don't wait for a heart attack or a stroke to happen before you decide to opt for a lifestyle change. Make the change now. You don't need to train for the marathon to be in top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a world of difference to your health. You could then increase this to forty minutes, four times a week - and you're all set. If you haven't exercised for a week, you're making a mistake. Go! Stop blogging for a moment and go do some stretching and walking.

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My son has been pestering me for money. He said he needs to upgrade his laptop for it to have a bugger memory. I countered that his laptop’s memory is more than enough to store all his school and personal files. Daughter #4 butt in and said that her brother needs a bigger memory for all the anime and hentai that he downloads on weekends. What’s with the anime craze? I found a personal website that is all about anime - BangBangAnime. Just like my son, the blog owner is into Bleach,Naturo and Shakugan no Shana. I have actually watched some anime and I did find them interesting. I am definitely intrigue by Ichigo Kurosaki ‘s powers! If you want to check out and get some free anime, music and video downloads, click any of the above links.

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Never, ever skip breakfast. Remember, when you wake up in the morning it's been around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now, more than at any other time. Eat a heavy breakfast or if you can't, at least drink milk or eat cereals or fruits. You will then be busy through the day, and the calories will get expended quickly. If you are trying to diet, eat a light dinner and please, lay low on fats and sweets.

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As of July 2008, there are 70 million listed blogs in the blogosphere. The number is quite staggering. I can’t even imagine where those 70 million blogs are – floating in cyberspace I presume. One can just imagine the strength of blog advertising if we consider the number of blogs active online. In the past year, there has been a proliferation of sites that offer blog advertising. This is basically done by inviting bloggers to sign up in their program. As a member of paid blogging websites, you will get compensation to blog about the advertiser’s products, website or service. These advertisers will pay the blog advertising agency directly and you’ll receive a predetermined rate when you agree to take on a specific assignment.

Bloggers Review is one such site. The main thrust of this blog advertising agency is to provide the best possible service to its clients, the advertisers, through its bank of highly competent bloggers. Potential bloggers sign up, then submit their blogs, as much as three blogs, for approval. Once approved, the blogger can then look for assignments that he is qualified to write about. Bloggers are fairly compensated for tasks done. Website advertising is the current trend for most businesses and sites, big and small. If you are an advertiser, create a buzz for your products, services or websites through Bloggers Review. Create your campaign with Bloggers Review according to your budget and needs. There is a blog, hence a blogger, that meets a client’s requirements for advertising at Bloggers Review.

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Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly.
Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile.

How's that for thoughts for the day? Life is really short so eat to live and not live to eat. Get my drift? Eating out is not bad but eating out often is. There are oils that are high in cholesterol, and oils that cause little harm and are better for your heart. However, no matter how light the oil is, it is never a good idea to eat too much of it. Oil is still, well.... oil.

Avoid fried foods. Yesterday we had lunch in a restaurant serving Filipino dishes. Our host ordered fried calamares, grilled pork belly, shrimp in butter, tuna panga sigang, grilled tuna, and deep fried alimango (king crab). Yup! I felt like a tub of lard. I had a hell of a headache an hour after lunch. The food has so much monosodium glutamate ( vetsin) and oil. I had to miss dinner yesterday. My tummy needed to rest.

Limit outdoor eating unless you know that you"re getting served light and healthy food.

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I am on the lookout for household and garden items. Being an architect means being on top of almost all the latest on building materials, household gadgets and knick-knocks, furnishings, appliances, outdoor and garden tools and decors and others. The advent of internet technology had made this seemingly hard task of looking for the latest in materials and gadgets rather easier.

What made browsing easier is the genius that is ShopWiki. I only got to know about this site through other blogs that I read. ShopWiki is not an online store, rather it is a site that presents all online stores. This means that a shopper or browser like me can find and buy anything and everything that is being sold in the web through ShopWiki.

The site is a veritable field of information on any subject that you care to know about too. I wanted to know more about the different tropical flowers that will thrive in USA and I was taken to a page discussing such including thousands of online stores where the flowers are available. I needed to find a post hole digger for planting bulbs. One click brought me to a page discussing the different garden tools anyone can possibly need. Clicking on the specific tool brought me to a page where I can avail of the specific tool dependent on the price range that I've set myself. Great site! Truly helpful.

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One Value Meal #3 please.

Would that be "go big"?

Yes. "Go Big" please.

Fast food restaurants are offering meals that are super-sized. Portions today are bigger than in the past translating to more calories for the consumer. More and more fast food restaurants are offering biggie meals for just a few cents more. Customers, logically, super size their order for the bargain. Super-sizing adds about 50 -150 calories per meal. What's the big deal? An additional stored 10 calories a day equals to a gain of a pound a year. An extra 100 calories a day equals to a gain of 10 lbs. a year. Ok. Now you know where the extra pounds are coming from.

A small serving of french fries packs 210 calories. Super size it and you'll have an extra 400 calories on fries alone. A 12 oz soda has 150 calories. Get the biggie and you'll add another 250 calories to your meal. A biggie hamburger meal would be equivalent to 1500 calories -and that is only one meal. People are now used to big servings. A research shows that consumers buy the large bag of just about anything. We have been conditioned to eat what is served us - no matter how big the portion is. The end result of eating big portions is overeating that leads to unwanted weight gain.

Next time you have the urge to "go big" on your meal, think of the extra calories you'll be consuming.

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Breast augmentation, breast enlargement, breast enhancement, mammoplasty enlargement, augmentation mammoplasty or the colloquial term boob job, is prosthesis or an artificial extension to enlarge a woman’s breasts. There are probably as many reasons to have breast augmentation surgery as there are women. The top reason why a woman is willing to go through a breast augmentation surgery is to have large breast! But let me further qualify that. There is only one category on why a woman is willing to go under a knife for breast enlargement: aesthetics. I can safely say that women who have had mastectomies often chose to have mammoplasty for aesthetic reasons too. Under aesthetics, some women opt to go under a knife to balance their uneven breasts and lift sagging breasts to make them look firmer.

I am quite vain, sometimes, but surgical breast augmentation was never an option for me. Going under the knife for purely aesthetic reason is not for me. There are various reasons why it is not safe to have a “boob job”. According to the National Institute of Medicine, 25 to 40 percent of women who get breast implants end up needing another corrective procedure. Botched boob job! What could be more frightening than that? There are studies that prove that 27% of saline implants have to be taken out again due to side effects and some implants even leaked and deflated in a span of three years. Who would not want firmer, bigger, lifted breasts? Not me! But really, there must be a safer way to get one.

I chanced upon www.breastenhancementguides.com. The site reviews natural breast enhancement products that are safe and unobtrusive to use. I read that there are actually breast enhancement pills that can be taken to have firmer and bigger breasts. The pills stimulate and reactivate the mammary glands thus safely enhancing the breasts. The key word here is “safely”, no life or “breast” is put in danger. The breast enhancement pills used in combination with breast enhancement cream is the best therapy. The product manufacturers claim an increase of 3-5 cup sizes in a span of 1-2 months. The manufacturers suggest a 6-month use to maximize breast growth and firming. It is not a problem to avail of such products. The problem lies in finding products that actually work. The site boots of an impressive list of leading breast enhancement pills and creams manufacturers. I suggest you check out the site for complete information on the available products.

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According to the chart that I am now reading, based on my height, age and target weight, my daily calorie intake should be (must be?) 1,750 calories. Umm... let me count the calories that I've "eaten", so far, today. For breakfast I had 5 small pandesal, a slice of cheese and a cup of sugar-free coffee. For lunch, I took Ethan to Wendy's where I ate a serving of macaroni salad and a medium size cup of light Coke. When I got back home, I started to blog and in the process ate a cup of mixed nuts and (again) a full glass of light coke.

A piece of pandesal has 70 calories, a slice of cheese, 100 calories, a cup of sugar-free coffee, 20 calories. The macaroni salad has about 290 calories, light coke is 0 cal, and the cup of mixed nuts is equal to 300 calories. The total is 1,060 empty-carbo-loaded calories! I should have not eaten 5 pieces of pandesal as 3 would have been fine. I should have ordered the green salad instead of the macaroni. I should have not placed the 1.5 kg can of Planters mixed nuts conveniently near for me to reach out and take a handful while blog hopping. Nuts are actually good for the us, but a cup full? - that's uric acid to the max!

Daughter #4 is calling me now for dinner. It would only be her, Ethan and I at the dinner table tonight. Even if I want to I cannot skip dinner for the sake of appearances. Anyway, I can still eat 690 calorie-worth of food.Coming!!!

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I grew up in a family (my mother's side) that loves to eat. We eat when we're happy, sad, mad, lonely, afraid, bored and all other emotions. Occasions are celebrated lavishly... with food. It was no wonder I was chubby, if not real fat. My dear-departed Tiya Viring loves to cook food swimming in oil: adobong baboy (pork adobo), binagoongan baboy (pork stew in anchovies), pritong liempo (fried pork belly), chicharon (pork cracklings) and more. Thinking about these cholesterol-laden food makes my mouth water. The picture on your left was me at 10 years of age. This was the time that I started to gain weight due to over eating.

The high-fat diet of my relatives on my mother's side eventually took its toll. Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions and even cancer were contacted by some of my aunts, uncles and cousins. It is imperative that we moderate our fat intake. It is better to broil and grill than fry. It is better to go slow on salty and sweet foods too. Moderation is the key in food intake if you want to stay healthy.

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Daughter #4 is in her last trimester of school. Hopefully, she will graduate this December with a double degree in BS Applied Economics and BS Management of Financial Institutions. It has long been assumed that she will further her education by getting into law school. After 5 years of intensive studying, she said she feels the need for a year off school. She said she wants to experience working in the corporate world even for year. Currently she and some of her batch mates are now receiving offers of jobs in business establishments and corporations. Good sign, right? I hope that she opts for the job that has the most to offer in terms of time flexibility in the event that she goes back to school.

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In my 9th month of my 5th and last pregnancy, I tipped the scale at 160 lbs. My doctor was quite upset then because I started showing signs of pre-eclampsia. Anyway, I was able to deliver my baby boy safely but I had to have a double epidural since the first round did not take effect. This post is not about my pregnancy. This post is about the fat (and grime?) that my body readily accumulated during my child-bearing years.

I weighed 100 lbs. when I got married. I actually gained 4 lbs in the course of preparing for the wedding because my pre-engagement weight was 96 lbs. When I gave birth to my first child, I was 125 lbs. heavy. Not bad. I was able to shed off 20 lbs in no time at all. With each pregnancy I progressively added, then lost some weight. Two months after my last delivery, I weighed 145 lbs. I.WAS.FAT! My waistline was 35 inches! I had to do something. I have to lose weight!

Luckily, I have a lifetime membership at Slimmers World. I sought my doctors go signal then immersed myself into serious weight lost program. In 1990, SW was not a healthy place to be. Their diet program borders on starvation. I remember starting-off with a 7-day soup and water detox period, then veggies and fruits week, then progress to matchbox size meat serving, half cup rice or a slice of bread. No soda or alcohol. No sweets. No "patis" and "bagoong" -fish sauce and anchovy. No life! I don't know how I did it but I was such a good dieter that I lost 25 lbs. in two months. In six months of dieting and exercise, I trimmed down to 105 lbs which went down to 96 lbs then stabilized at 103 lbs. From 1990 up to 2003, I was a gym buff. My mornings were spent at the gym - working out: weights and cardio. At this point I was eating regular food but I seriously cut down on rice, fat and sweets.

What is the point of this post? The point I'm trying to make is that dieting and exercise go hand in hand if you want to lose weight. OK. That was meant for me.

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Are you in need of a quick financial fix, just this once, to tide you over? Do you need a credible company that offers personal loans? Afsloansonline.com, known as Accommodative Financial Solutions, is a leading research and loan consulting company that can help you get personal loans in no time at all. No collateral. No application fees and hidden costs. You can avail of unsecured personal loans amounting from $ 10K-$100K within 24-48 hours. Check the site out.

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This picture was sent by a friend. At yesterday's Wowowee Show, the host, Willie Revillame was looking for the Rexona girl for the day. The Rexona girl -Rexona being a deodorant- should obviously possess the less blemished armpit. There were various contestants - women of varied ages. When Willie asked the contestants to show their blemish-free armpits, lola (grandma, old woman) did! This was on live national television.

The incident sort of made me feel sad, for lola. In her want to win some cash prize, she forgot - or did she? - that she was braless!  Even if she was wearing one, raising her blouse to show her armpit would have  make her look like an old-saggy-bold-starlet-desperately in need of money! I am a lola !! Will I regress and be like that one day? Heaven forbid! - I will need a bust-lift!

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Being in debt is one of the leading social problems in the developed world. It has been reported that consumer debt, in personal loans alone, has reached the billion dollar mark. Indebtedness is one of the leading causes of stress. Worrying about ones debt can affect the health of the person concerned. Stress can also lead to marital problems and other relationship problems. Most find talking about debt and debt related issues hard to discuss. Some lose sleep and the zest for life due to financial problems. It is important to discuss and face money problems before it shoots out of hand. Do you want to get out of debt and lead a totally debt-free life? NetDebt is the answer. NetDebt is a company that will help you rid of debt. NetDebt can help you get out of debt quicker It can teach you how to lower monthly payments or help you with other debt-related concerns. Check the site out for more information.

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What the crap is wrong with my Firefox browser? I can't login to Entrecard using Firefox. I have been experiencing this problem for the last 3-4 days. Today I used Maxthon to login to entrecard. I was able to login and even drop a few but the process was really taking so loooooong, I almost fell asleep waiting for the pages to open. Is anybody out there experiencing the same thing with Firefox and Entrecard? Must be. My entrecard droppers "dropped" in numbers translating to less visitors. Is it me or my firefox or entrecard? Help!

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The pinch in economy is experienced more by the average Joes. The average Joes are those employed by a company or an establishment. Blue collar, white collar.. it does not really matter what type of job you have. Times are hard and finances are tight. There are those who are now living from one paycheck to the next. Sometimes, when emergencies arise, waiting for the next paycheck is just not possible.

There are online sites that offer unsecured Personal Loans to meet your emergency financial need. All loans are unsecured and collateral is not even needed. Afsloansonline.com offers from $10 -$10,000 loans within a 24-48 hours period. There is no need for you to wait indefinitely for approval for your free application will be processed immediately. Check out the site for more information.

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What you eat is what you are. This quote is not from some health or diet guru. It just popped into my head and it kinda sounded nice and appropriate. The amount of energy of each type of food that we eat varies. Take for example fat. A kilogram of fat is equal to 9 calories while water, no matter how much, is zero calorie. Black coffee is zero calorie too. I used to drink 5-6 cups of black coffee when I was at the peak of my dieting ( 20 years ago?). The coffee suppressed my hunger but freaking kept me awake half the night. That was no problem though then because I used to keep really, really late nights ( 20 years ago).

Anyway, foods that contain a lot of fat and sugar like oil, fatty meat, cakes, ice cream, french fries, contain a lot more calories than foods which are mostly water and fiber e.g. fruits and vegetables. Alcoholic and pop drinks are also laden with calories. If you can't make it through the day without a soda, try diet pop. I do.

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The advent of digital cameras made it easy for me to store or file pictures in my hard drive. The increase in saved files and pictures decreased my computer's memory that I had to transfer the files to my USB. On the downside, digital pictures cannot be viewed on a whim. You have to turn on your computer and open your file to look at the pictures. In the end, I sometimes still prefer the old-fashioned way of printing and developing films then putting them in picture frames or albums. Oh well, goodbye to old and low technology.

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My friend, Dr. Kim Pascual, is head of Operation Blessings Philippines an affiliation of The 700 Club. She told me that a matinee show of the currently running West Side Story at the Meralco Theatre will be for the benefit of OBPhil.

Would you like to come and watch? Kim asked.

Okay. Who will be playing Tony and Maria? I asked

Christian Bautista and Joanna Ampil.

Oh, so Christian Bautista does Broadway now. With daugthers # 3, 4 and Ethan we went to Meralco Theatre yesterday to watch the show. I saw several acquaintances from Taytay and we all exchanged greetings. As the theatre dimmed, I had mixed feelings regarding the show. Somehow I know that the direction would be good because of Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Gerard Salonga. Joanna Ampil would no doubt deliver too for she is a veteran of several Broadway shows abroad. Whar about Christian? I have not even heard one full song of his even on the radio and TV.

Christian Bautista as Tony was perfect! I was pleasantly surprised by the range and timbre of his voice. His youth and enthusiam as Tony was projected to the audience. I just love the way he sang Maria and One Hand, One Heart. If a voice could carress, his did. His acting was believable.I am now a converted Christian Bautista fan. Joanna Ampil was just great! I didn't know she was a coloratura soprano. She was hitting her high G's, A's and B's in perfection. She showed such virtuosity in her craft. We went backstage after the show and caught on Christian for pictorials. My daughters and I were introduced to Christian and I said a lot of la-di-da-bla-bla and made beso-beso ( kiss cheek to cheek) ! LOL! We had the OBPhil official photographer for the shoot so I'll wait for the prints. We talked some more then we had to say bye-bye for he still needs to rest for his gala performance. Christian said West Side has about 20 more shows scheduled. As we left the backstage Kim said that Christian is the OBPhil ambassador and that he has been active in helping out the organization. Nice guy, actually.. talented too. Wouldn't mind him for a son-in-law.

BTW, you just have to see West Side Story. It is running at Meralco Theatre until October.

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Fine! I might be able to show a "Poker" face but I can't play that particular card game even if my life depended on it! Okay, that might be an exaggeration. Seriously, I've been taught over and over again the rudiments of the game but due to lack or no practice playing the game, I, naturally, suck!

Believe it or not, Poker had its beginnings in the 15th century and form then on the card game has progressed into what it is today. My "amigas"(girlfriends) are having a joint birthday next week and we are going to play poker, so they say. I.do.not.know.how? Google. I checked out some sites and one site caught my attention. www. Flopturnriver.com. The site has tutorials and forums for newbies. You can even play for money if you want without actually shelling out dough.

Interested? Go to the site and type PokerStars Marketing Code to avail of the 150% deposit bonus. You can then use the PokerStars Bonus Code for depositing money on your account. Now, if you're into big time, be sure to check out full tilt poker, the largest online poker gaming room. If you're into it be sure to use the Full Tilt Referral Code to join.

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I am a keen gardener. I love to have greens and flowers and trees in my garden. As an architect, I pay a great deal of attention on my client's garden preference. Through experience I know for a fact that most people prefer flower gardens - orchids, daisies, mums, and gerbera. I constantly keep up with the latest in garden stuff. In one of my online searches I came upon this great site that sells garden decor. The site has everything to decorate your garden with - wind chimes, hanging decor, animal planters, weather vanes, wacky garden arts and more. I love this site to pieces! Check it out!

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We all know that our body needs energy as in food (glorious food) to function. From breathing to thinking to jogging to getting mad to laughing to sleeping to repairing worn-out tissues to digestion to texting to blogging ... name the activity - we need energy to do it. All this energy comes from the food we eat. To have a real healthy and ideal weight you need to balance your energy intake (food, glorious food) with your energy output (physical activities).

Note: any energy that you don't use is stored as fat. Ergo, if you consistently take in more food that your body can burn, the excess energy will create more fat which will ultimately, without a doubt, result in you becoming overweight.

Is there a way for you to know how much energy you need to consume to maintain an ideal weight? Sure! I will discuss that and more in my future posts.

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My kids call me crazy, but I don't care. They think I'm quite wacky for doing person searches online. Oh yes! I have this obsession to go look for long-lost-friends and classmates on sites offering such services. It's funny though that when I was able to locate an ex-boyfriend I did nothing about it. Anyway, if you too are looking for someone or would like to access Criminal Court Records of associates, www.courtrecordssearch.net is the best site for this type of inquiry. Click on the link to search.

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Summer has come and gone, and still, I'm not slim enough to look good in a swimsuit. Since I missed my target weight last summer, I'll set my hope of finally losing the last 8 lbs before Christmas. Okay now. Walk with me. Here are some tips that you and I need to follow in order to lose weight.

First do not deprive yourself of 7-8 hours of sleep. Sleeping releases serotonin and dopamine, the two feel-good brain chemicals. If you are sleep-deprived your body will crave for the feel-good chemicals and there's an easy way to do that. NO! not drugs, sweets! Notice how you feel like stuffing yourself with sugary food once you lack sleep.

Next, do something. I do not mean run the block or go up and down the stairs for the sake of moving. I mean keep your brain and hands occupied. Surfing the net or blogging or playing computer games is actually better than you watching TV. If you do cross-stitch or you knit, hey these are two more ways to keep brain and hands busy. Next time you feel like opening the fridge, turn on the computer instead.

Avoid too much food choices. Too much choices mean too much eating. Decreasing choices decreases temptation. If you have to eat grilled chicken and salad every lunch, so be it.


RealAge

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Have you ever felt so cold your teeth chattered? I did! I was in Vancouver one spring and being springtime, I was dressed quite light. The temperature suddenly dropped and there I was in my skimpy shorts and sleeveless blouse, blue and violet with cold. I immediately went inside the car and turned on the heater, thinking I should have equipped the car with a blanket just in case.

Cabin Cuddler is a 6-in-1 travel blanket available online that is a perfect travel companion. Lightweight and hygienic the may be the ultimate answer to a traveler’s quest for flight, car or bus trip,or train travel comfort. It comes with an inflatable pillow and blanket that folds into a tote bag. The blanket is available in red or black. It packs real nice and easy and hassle-free to store for it fits on a standard luggage. The contour-cut of the blanket leaves no part of your body uncovered. It even has foot pocket and shoulder wrap to keep you snug even in the comforts of your home or office. I definitely have to get one of these. I can use this Cabin Cuddler travel blanket just about anywhere, anytime.

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Exercise program for people over 50

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you'll find that you c an hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple weeks, move up to 10-lb. potato sacks. Then try 50-lb. potato sacks. Then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb. potato sack in each hand, and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level!)

Once you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each sack.

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I love to browse online looking for great stuff to buy from books to Halloween costumes. There are just so much stuff available online that it's mind boggling. You don't even need to get out of your house to do your shopping. About a year ago, daughter #4 asked for a laptop. There were so many generic brands available locally but the quality was highly questionable. Branded laptops cost just too much. My only option was to buy one online, from the USA. I found a branded laptop for a real good price. The only thorn was, the company will not ship to my country. I had to ask my brother to buy the laptop for me, had it delivered to his home in New Jersey then shipped here. Double shipping. Double expense. Double the time.

It's good that now there's MyUS.com website to answer to this dilemma and more. Some US retailers cannot or would not ship internationally. MyUS.com will ship to 225 countries at competitive rates. They will receive packages from retailers for you then have all the items shipped to you. Some US retailers only accept US credit cards. MyUS.com can buy the items for you with their Personal Shopper service. They also accept major credit cards from international banks and accepts wire transfer. How convenient is MyUS.com? Very! Hope to the site and get your own MyUS.com address in America.

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As you look at yourself in the mirror, you just can't figure out how you added pound after pound after pound. From a size 4, you ballooned to a size 14! You might rationalize that the "fat" genes run in the family. True, you might have inherited the medium and large frame from the gene pool but really, you cannot inherit the "fat" genes. It is more likely that you inherited the bad eating habits of your family.

My maternal side has the worst eating habits ever. That side of my family eats as if there's no tomorrow. You guessed right! I was overweight until my mid teens. I was not aware of calories and stuff. There were no gyms for me to workout nor pills to pop. What I did to lose weight was - eat less. We all know that teens are constantly on the move and has a totally high metabolic rate that I need not exercise then. In two months I lost 23 lbs. I felt fine and wonderful and not bursting in my clothes.

Going back to the question - how did I get to be so fat? Dear, the answer is plain and simple. You just ate too much!

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I planned on baking a banana bread yesterday, diet forgotten. I've been meaning to try the recipe given by a fellow blogger. I started to take out my baking utensils- mixing bowls, spatula, measuring cup, sifter - check. Then I started to line up the ingredients on the counter- banana, sugar, baking soda. I got my stash of flour from the cupboard on my left. As I started to measure the flour, I noticed tiny holes on the package. Whaddaaa?! My flour was infested with pantry moths! Time to clean out this cupboard and maybe finally get that moth traps I've been reading about online.

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The simplest way to decide if you are overweight (or not) is to take a good, long, honest look at yourself in the mirror. Oh, so you think you look fine? Pinch the skin at the side of your waist or over the back of your arm. If the fold of the skin that you pinch is greater than 2.5 cm (1 inch)then there's a probability ( a big one!) that you are overweight.(Unless you rationalize that you have soft muscles).

Fine! I'm overweight, what now? Well, you then have to know what your body type is. Apple or Pear? Apple is typical of overweight males - wider at the waist than the hips. Pear type is when you have more fat around the hips and thighs - typical of women.

Check if you're an apple or a pear by measuring your waist's and hip's circumference to arrive at your waist-hip ratio (WHR).

WHR = abdominal circumference at level of belly button
____________________________________
maximum perimeter of hips

The normal ratio for male is 0.92 or less: for female, 0.75 or less. A WHR of 1.00+ means you're a high risk for getting diseases associated with being overweight. You can also opt to get your body mass index or BMI.

BMI = weight (kg)
_________________
height (m) x height (m)

more than 20 but less than 25 = within range
more than 25 but less than 30 = overweight
more than 30 = gross!

But then again, these are just numbers. Gauge yourself according to how you feel and how you look. If you think you're fine with your weight in spite of all indications telling you you're seriously overweight, what can I say? Be happy!

I can't rain on your parade.

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With five children to photo-document, I have, literally thousands of pictures all waiting to be filed, someday. I have thought of scanning each and every picture then load them in my computer then hop over to Roxio Extreme Digital Makeover for help. Roxio had assigned two of its most competent photo diva and video guru to help people on the nitty-gritty of digital cameras and videos. Zoe and Chris will show you the ropes on how to make the most of your digital lives. I was able to view A Walk in the Park episode where the two spiced up the digital lives of regular people they met in the park by fixing their digital dilemmas.



If you, an organization, a school, a company, a family or to whatever group you belong to have a digital problem that needs fixing, hop over the site and enter the contest. The Makeover Crew might just pick you for the next show and win prizes too.

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Well, are you?! By overweight I mean are you more than 10 lbs your ideal weight? Oh, so you don't know your ideal weight. Umm.. let's see. Before you look at the table, make sure you know your body type. Are you small, medium or large? Find out.

Quick Reference to Find Your Frame Size.

To calculate your frame type place your thumb and index finger around your wrist. If your finger overlaps the thumb, your frame is a "Small Frame". If they touch, your frame is a "Medium Frame". If they do not touch, your frame is a "Large Frame". Keep in mind that this is a far less accurate measurement method.

Height and Weight Table for Women

Height Feet Inches	Small Frame	Medium Frame	Large Frame
4' 10"	102-111	109-121	118-131
4' 11"	103-113	111-123	120-134
5' 0"	104-115	113-126	122-137
5' 1"	106-118	115-129	125-140
5' 2"	108-121	118-132	128-143
5' 3"	111-124	121-135	131-147
5' 4"	114-127	124-138	134-151
5' 5"	117-130	127-141	137-155
5' 6"	120-133	130-144	140-159
5' 7"	123-136	133-147	143-163
5' 8"	126-139	136-150	146-167
5' 9"	129-142	139-153	149-170
5' 10"	132-145	142-156	152-173
5' 11"	135-148	145-159	155-176
6' 0"	138-151	148-162	158-179

Height and Weight Table for Men

Height Feet Inches	Small Frame	Medium Frame	Large Frame
5' 2"	128-134	131-141	138-150
5' 3"	130-136	133-143	140-153
5'' 4"	132-138	135-145	142-156
5' 5"	134-140	137-148	144-160
5' 6"	136-142	139-151	146-164
5' 7"	138-145	142-154	149-168
5' 8"	140-148	145-157	152-172
5' 9"	142-151	148-160	155-176
5' 10"	144-154	151-163	158-180
5' 11"	146-157	154-166	161-184
6' 0"	149-160	157-170	164-188
6' 1"	152-164	160-174	168-192
6' 2"	155-168	164-178	172-197
6' 3"	158-172	167-182	176-202
6' 4"	162-176	171-187	181-207

Okay. That was tedious. I'll probably continue this topic tomorrow. The important thing is now you know if you're overweight or not.

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I love to cook. I am always on the look out for new recipes to try. I have various cooking books on just about any dish that it would have taken me a lifetime to cook them all. Still, I can't help but look for new dishes to try. Since my husband's heart attack two years ago, I have been partial to cooking low fat and low cholesterol dishes. I have more or less have more affinity to cooking seafood dishes now than before. Nothing to complain about because, honestly, I love seafood. My children do to! One of our favorites is marinara sauce with seafood - I call it garlic seafood marinara. For my pasta, I use penne. Yummy!

I constantly browse the net for seafood dishes. Good thing I stumbled on www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com where great seafood recipes are available. I am highly intrigued by the seafood dish Texas Gulf Shrimp by chef Mark Holley of Texas (of course). The dish is a meal by itself for it has protein (shrimp), carbohydrate( hominy arepas), vegetables (tomatoes and beans) and nuts (peanuts). The recipe was captioned as: Texas Gulf Shrimp over hominy cakes with heirloom tomato relish drizzled with prickly pear gastrique. The caption itself is delicious enough to eat! Cooking this recipe will not be a problem since ingredients are locally available. Maybe I'll invite some friends over and then we'll have a cook off! That would be fun! Meanwhile why don't you go check out the site for recipes and maybe even have the chance to win a trip to New Orleans.

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I got this award from Wena and Eds. Thank you girls for the award.

Now, I'm supposed to make a list of the blogs I read. I can't do that! Why? I read all the blogs that are linked to me. So, everyone in my blog roll, please get the award.

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Putting up a business is hard in the sense that it is almost always difficult to secure business loans without selling your soul! Most small business owners and entrepreneurs need capital in order to succeed. EZUnsecured.com offers small businesses their needed cash flow without hassle. Go check the site if you need unsecured business loan today.

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At first I was in a state of denial but when I tried on an old-formal-slacks and found that it was 2 inches short for its ends to meet no matter how much i pull, I finally conceded. I am fat!

Where did all the excess fat, weight, poundage, come from? When? Five years of no exercise, tons of junk food, 912.5 kilos of rice ( that's half a kilo a day for 5 years ) added milligram per milligram, that progressed to gram, then to kilogram per kilogram to my body mass. ( Yes, I use metric, for the English system has been replaced since the 70's )

I used to maintain a weight of 98-105 lbs. (Hahaha. I use pounds here for it's easier to visualize lbs than kilos. I could have used metric and it would have read like this: I used to weigh 44.4545-47.7272 kilos... no impact). My daily physical activities then usually consisted of aero/gym, jogging, tennis and ballroom dancing. I was freaking fit!

I was so fit I used to get all the gold medals in the annual Rotary Olympics.I was so fit I joined aero marathons. I was so fit I was able to run after my husband's pick-up truck, climbed up the back, pry open the sun roof, got hold of my husband's hair and that of his companion, bonked their heads together, and lived happily ever after.

I must weigh about 53 kilos now (118 lbs). I do not want to be fat. I do not want to pass the half century mark in Metric and the century mark in the English. What to do?!

There's this famous person (I forgot who) who said that it is alright to be overweight as long as you feel comfortable and confident being in that state. Crap to the max!! How can one feel comfortable if you have layers of your stomach all bunched-up somewhere in the vicinity of your "supposed" lower abs? How can you feel confident if your silhouette looks like a top or a pear?

If you are cozy and positive with your present weight and at this very moment believes that you are the essence of gorgeousness and healthiness, then, good for you. I just hope that what you feel is how you look.

I just trust that you are not one of those who insist on wearing tight-body-hugging shirts and butt-wedging shorts or uber-short-skirts. Nothing wrong, actually, in wearing these types, as long as you are not related to Heimlich. (You don't know Heimlich?)

My ideal body weight, counting height and body built, is 98 - 110 lbs. There were times that my weight plummeted to 96 lbs from my usual 103 lbs. ( Major contributing factor for the weight loss: stress; not advisable)

I totally admire those who despite their added girth (read: being overweight) are confident and happy with themselves. Kudos to you! As for me, I will continue to rant about my excess mass. I will envision that I can lose the excesses and be a 98 lb-tonemuscled-unlinedface grandma!

What?!...... I can dream, can't I?

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