Big Eyed Gal

I can't help but feel that as each year passes there is something in the market that would make us more lazy. It started with remote controls for the television. Though I must admit it is one of the greatest inventions ever because if you could just imagine channel surfing and there's no remote. It would be like doing a light workout while going in front of the TV from the couch or bed when switching channels. Another is having a Linksys router. Having everything wireless makes it super easy. Now instead of getting up and sitting in front of the computer table to go online, all I have to do now is get my laptop at my side table and I can surf while I'm still in bed. I wonder what other things would become wireless in the near future?

I can't help but feel sad and angry at the same time at what I saw in the mall the other weekend. This is what happened...

I wasn't feeling well when Aris and his mom decided to make a short stop at the supermarket before we head home. I decided to sit at this area with all the chairs where some customers (specifically those with kids) would rest while waiting for their companions in the supermarket. So I was sitting there minding my own business when two boys (ages roughly 9 and 5) with their yaya sat at the two chairs beside mine. The yaya was trying to put a small towel at the back of the youngest kid because it was what their mom asked her to do. The kid kept on fidgeting and the older boy was showing his little brother how to kick their yaya. Being a complete copycat at that age, the little boy kicked the yaya on her shin. I almost felt the pain. The yaya then reprimanded the older boy and told him not to teach his little brother those things because he only copies him. The older boy then answered: "Eh syempre yaya gagayahin niya ako, kasi kapatid nya ako!!!" The yaya then patiently replied: "Kaya nga, wag mo yan pakita kasi masama yang ginagawa mo." The next reply of the older boy left my mouth hanging. He said: "Wag mo nga ako pinapagsabihan. Katulong ka lang namin! Wala kang karapatan!" As I was looking at the kid, he looked so mean. Parang sa pelikula ko lang naririnig or nakikita ang ganyang asal sa bata. Grabe!! After that, the older wasn't contented with what he said and he punched the yaya on her belly. Todo na ito! He was so mean to the yaya. I can see the yaya in tears.

And then it all became clear to me when I saw the parents come out of the supermarket. Once they saw the yaya, they dumped their shopping bags at her and expected her to carry everything plus the stuff for their kids. The mom then approached the older boy and asked what he wanted. The older boy then switched to 'baby talk' and said that he wanted ice cream.

I don't want to make any assumptions nor pass judgment. But based on what I saw, it is clear that what the parents do, the kids will imitate. They treat the yaya like some slave so that's how the kids treat her. I feel awful for the poor girl. I think she's even underaged. Tsk tsk tsk... I was fuming mad at the kid that whenever he'd look at me, pinandidilatan ko sya ng mata ko! LOL!

I never thought doing a general cleaning of our house could be that difficult. I started out early hoping I could get things done before dinner time. I was so wrong. I should have given myself at least a day or two to finish everything. There were a lot of things to throw away like old lamps, shipping boxes and old magazines and newspapers that are just collecting dust in our storage room.

This is where my problem begins. I am one of those that have a hard time throwing away things. I always feel that the object that I am going to throw away will have use for me someday. That is why I seldom throw things. But this time, I have to be firm and should learn to let go. If not, our house would never be free from clutter.

I know I've been "out of touch" for a week. I miss my blogging days wherein I was able to blog and bloghop everyday. *sigh*

There are three reasons why I was unable to update this blog:

First, I was busy with school. Before, there were only 2-4 classes in a week but now that we are in the intensive stage of our semester, we sometimes have classes the whole week. We have exams left and right so obviously I have to study for them (naks!).

Second, I am busy updating my other blogs, not to mention my 4th. Yes, I now have FOUR blogs on my hands. I haven't revealed anything here because it was still in the works. I guess now you guys can visit it too and hope you would frequent it like you do in this blog. My 4th blog's name is Wapsicle Popsicle (http://www.wapsicle.com). I wish you would add this to your blogroll as well.

Lastly, my third reason is that I got sick last weekend and was hospitalized for a day. It started last Saturday when I had the fever until the following day. I was rushed to the ER last Sunday night to have my blood checked for Dengue. I was cleared. Whew!!! Come Monday morning, I was awakened by my grumbling stomach. And this is when diarrhea started. After feeling weak from all the "stuff" I "EVACuated" from my body, Aris's mom and I decided to go back to the ER to have another checkup. At that time, I was unable to give a stool sample as I drank Imodium before going to the hospital for fear of doing #2 in the streets of QC during transit. Haha! I was discharged after they gave me something for the pain and was asked to rehydrate myself with a hydrite solution. The evening came and I was having severe abdominal pain and diarrhea plus my fever was a high 39 +. I was so weak and was really feeling dehydrated and dizzy. For the third time, I was rushed back to the ER and was immediately given an IV for rehydration. I was under observation and a stool sample was really needed to check what is causing my condition. My gas abelgas! It was so hard to do #2 with an IV hooked to my left hand and get a sample of my stool. Eeew! It's a good thing I requested for gloves from the nurse. Hehehe!

So anyway, my lab results checked out normal and was diagnosed with Acute Gastroenteritis. Sheesh! I've had this before and it really wasn't pleasant. Every time I had to go to the bathroom I was wishing that I had dengue instead. Hahaha!

There you have it. I hope I am excused from my absences. Hehe!

Gracie tagged me with this lucky seven post. I sure hope it brings me luck... :-)

the rules:
a. list these rules on your blog.
b. share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
c. tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. you’ll have to read on for my 7 facts and see who i tagged.

I may have done similar tags like this so I might be repeating some of the info... hehe!

1. I am a Nursing Student. I'll be graduating (hopefully!) next year and I hope to pass the local board exam and NCLEX in one take. I plan on becoming a DR nurse someday. Naks!

2. I am O.C. at times. I cannot study when my room is a mess. When I tie my hair, it takes me 10-15 minutes just to make it perfect. I don't want any strands sticking out kasi! LOL!

3. My first ever favorite chocolate bar was Nestle Crunch. I then became addicted to Snickers (until now), KitKat and Hershey's with almonds. I am not a chocoholic! :-)

4. I am a frustrated singer, musician and painter.

5. Like Gracie, I am a crazy driver. I am a different person when I am behind the wheel. The horn is my bestfriend. Hehehe!

6. I do what I want and say what I want and not think of what others would say. As long as I am not hurting anyone, then... go!

7. You don't want to see me angry. I don't want to see 'me' angry. Scared din ako sa sarili ko pag galit. LOL!

I'm not sure if you guys haven't done this (it's worth a try!): Jan, Enday, Gracie (Blog District) and Tony.

Oh yes, I am still alive, barely that is (will post why). And though this may be a delayed post, there is still a need to change the Song of the Week.

This week, the song is entitled Give it to Me from the queen of pop's new Album, Hard Candy.

Despite my previous post a month or two ago, I still have no news if Madonna would still push through with her concert here in Manila. I don't want to sound too much of a pessimist here but I guess it's not gonna happen because for sure if it's already planned, then rumors of it would be widespread already. Still, I'm hoping even if it's moved for next year. I don't mind as long as she performs here in Manila.

So anyway, this song I would like to dedicate (naks parang radio lang! LOL) to my friends Jas, Hes and Mother. :-D

The Song of the Week is from Alicia Keys' latest album. The song's title is Teenage Love Affair.

This is one of my favorite songs at the moment. It is unfortunate however that I wouldn't be able to watch her concert tomorrow at the MOA open grounds. *sigh*

Anyway, the version of the song is the one on her music video. Hope you guys like it!

Happy Monday everyone!

I hate to admit it but there are times that I just can't help but feel O.C. (obsessive compulsive) about certain things. We all have our quirky side and this is one them..

A good example of this is when I need to study for an exam. Before I bring out my books, markers, pens and whatever is needed for my study session, I would have to make sure that the room I'm in is mess-free. Otherwise, my eyes would get distracted and I would have a hard time concentrating on my studies. The O.C. in me also kicks in whenever I'm in the supermarket. I get a bit annoyed when I see certain things that aren't in their right shelves. Like when I see a bottle of shampoo placed on the shelves together with acne cures or when someone "inadvertently" leaves a bag of chips on the shelves of laundry detergent. It makes me feel restless to the point that I would pick up the bag of chips and put it in my cart so when I pass by the chips aisle, I can bring it to it's proper shelf. Haha! Sometimes I try to ignore it but in the end I tell one of the staff that one of their items was misplaced.

I know I'm not the only that acts this way. Come on now, I know you're out there. Care to share your quirky side?

I have a confession to make. A few of you may know about this and for sure most of my friends know this fact about me. I am not good with numbers. I hate math, always have and (I think) always will. Actually, it's the problem solving or the analysis is what makes me all confused. I would rather memorize all the terms and formulas but never ask me to analyze and solve a math problem. Even the simplest problems would leave me staring blankly as long as they require analytical thinking. LOL! I remember accompanying my friend as she discussed with her agent their term life insurance quotes. The whole time they were discussing the computation for her insurance and I was just nodding in unison with my friend. As if I understood what the agent was talking about.

So there, now you know one of my secrets. *sshh*

I was tagged by Em to do this. Thanks Em and thank you to whoever started this post.

Prayer for the MV Princess of the stars fatalities and survivors.

Dear God,

We pray that you comfort each bereaved family everyday as they grieved for their loss, we pray that you will supply all their needs, we pray for the survivors
that they may have a good life after the tragedy, that you will bless them and let them know in the deepest part of their heart that in spite of what have happened, you LOVE and CARE for them. This we pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. I encourage everyone to keep the prayer going. LET’S P.U.S.H. (PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS).

We prayed: 1. Through The Rain 2. God’s gift 3. The Adventures of Dong and Jing 4. Me, Myself and I 5. malditang bunso’s journal 6. Underneath It All 7. 100% Kelly 8. My Colorful World 9. Living the Healthy Life 10. Em'sDetour 11. VanityKit 12. MindBubbles 13. SomethingPurple 14. Stripe&Yellow 11. Big Eyed Gal 12. Chronic Shopper 13. Vital Sighs 14. Wapsicle Popsicle
Let's all continue praying for the victims and their families. Please join in the prayer: raft3r, Marie, Andrea, Gracie and Sendo.

I was watching something on cable last night and I almost jumped off my seat when I saw a teaser of the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. I've looked for links that would give more info about this movie and the dates that I saw when they were posted were from late last year. Sheesh! Where have I been? It's a good thing though that it will be shown some time next year. I'm really excited about this movie.

Read more about this in my other blog.

When I was a kid up until I graduated from college, I have always been on the slim side of the spectrum. I ALWAYS fit in free sized tops and dresses. Medium and large is not part of my wardrobe vocabulary. The only problem that I usual have was buying pants because my hips are normally big so it's hard to find the perfect pair of pants.

I started working for the embassy in 2001. Slowly, I noticed that my body was changing. I've been gaining a few pounds here and there but whenever that happens, I see to it that I go on a crash diet and go crazy doing crunches and yoga. After being employed there for six years, I have gained a total of 15 lbs. But that's just half the story. When I resigned and started going back to school, I noticed (yet again!) that I've been gaining weight. My clothes don't fit anymore and even my favorite ring that I've had since high school seems to feel a bit tighter on my finger. WAA!! And it dawned on me. Having no exercise and control on what I eat, plus reaching the big 3-0 all contributed to my "condition" right now. I am getting somewhat depressed and a bit frustrated because I can't seem to shed off these excess "baggage" that I have in a couple of weeks time. Before, it was easy. I just eat cereals for breakfast; salad and chicken or fish for lunch and soup or salad for dinner for a week or two and it's bye-bye 5 lbs. *sigh*

That's why my friend Em and I came up with a challenge. That is to regain our Pre-embassy weight before September. So that means, I would have to lose a total of 15-20 lbs. Pressure!! LOL! This is how I should look come September.

This is me and Em when we were still in our "slim days". I'm the one in yellow. The dog's name is Sugar (FYI, she's raft3r's dog).


This is me in 2006. This time I have long hair and I'm the one in the sky blue top. Ick! My top matches the color of the bench. LOL!

So for me to look like myself in the above photos, I would have to strictly follow ...
The Weight Loss Program that Em and I share:

I. EXERCISE: A minimum of 30 minutes/day (only during busy days) and a maximum of 1.5 hours/day. This would include cardio and muscle toning targeting problem areas. My problem areas include: my thighs, tummy and arms. Sheesh!

II.MEALS

BREAKFAST: (6:00-8:00am)
OPTION 1: oatmeal (plain, with milk or sliced fruits), a cup of coffee, tea or orange juice.
OPTION 2: 2 slices of toast with light butter, jam or cheese, a cup of coffee, tea or orange juice.
OPTION 3: --->can only be eaten 2-3 times a week: egg (unsalted but can use spices/garnish), 2 slices of plain toast, a cup of coffee, tea or orange juice.

LUNCH: (11:30-12:30 nn)
1/3 cup of rice and 1 viand (preferably not fried)
soup or stew with a slice of bread
pasta (non-creme based sauce pls!)
WATER WATER WATER!

DINNER: (7:00-8:00 pm)
Salad (oil and vinegar-based dressing ONLY!)
soup or stew
sandwich: turkey, grilled tuna or chicken with veggies (light mayo)
WATER or Red Wine

IN BETWEEN MEAL SNACKS: (3 hours after a meal)
a piece of fruit
crackers
'dry' cereal
water, fruit juice, cup of tea

NO SNACKS AFTER 9PM

III. OFF DAY: Only 1 day in the week is off day. It is preferable to choose either Saturday or Sunday as it is usually family day which connotes "feast" day. :-)

I've stacked up on healthy snacks like raisins, crackers and cereals plus I bought my one week supply of veggies for my salad. Well, wish us luck everyone! I'll keep you posted on my progress.