First Club

I meant to post this last Sunday, but I figure that I’d be making too many posts that day. So now it’s a couple of days late, but I need to post this, because…well, anniversaries need to be celebrated, right?

So last June 20, 2010 was my first year in Fitness First. :)

*insert cheers here*

It’s been a long journey, and whenever I see pictures of myself before I started working out, I realize how much I haven’t been taking care of myself then. Okay, fine, I realize how fat I was then, and how okay I was with doing that and not doing anything physical. I can’t exactly remember how I felt then, but I knew I’ve never felt better than I do now. I have better coordination, I run faster, I don’t get tired easily, and I feel a whole lot confident now than I used to.

It’s not just working out per se, but just taking responsibility for myself and aiming to be better. You know?

Okay, enough of the fancy schmancy stuff — you can read my testimony here. Today, I’m going to share everything that I did that worked. It may or may not work for you, of course, but you can try. :D

Before and After

TINA’S WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY: WHAT WORKED:

  • Exercise at least 3-4 times a week. When I was starting, I tried my best to work out for 5 times to make the most out of it. Now that I’ve gone a bit of a long way, I made sure to go 3-4 times a week instead. One hour is usually enough, but sometimes when I feel like it, I exercise for about 2 hours — 2 classes equivalent.
  • Cardio + strength training. Never skip strength training. The other day I saw a reflection of my arm a few hours after I worked my triceps off, and saw there was definition. Hee, vain moment. But building muscles supports weight loss, so don’t ever skip that!
  • Food diary. I realized that the weeks I gained the most weight are the weeks that I don’t log my food. I don’t know if it would work for everyone, but really, logging food helps me keep track of what I eat, and I know when I can allow myself to eat more or stick to veggies when I ate too much.
  • Offsets. On days I knew I ate a lot, it means one thing: I need to burn it off the next day. Seriously burn it off. I remember one particular week when I knew I ate a lot but ended up losing weight for the week because I managed to offset my eating with exercise. Eat a lot, sweat a lot. Sweat a lot, eat a lot. We exercise so we can eat the food that we want. :)
  • Variety. Since I’m a gym rat instead of a sports buff, I seek more variety for my routines. That’s why I run, that’s why I always try to attend classes. Variety is good for the body, and weight loss. :P
  • Eat your veggies. And fruits. But yes, always eat your veggies. I’ve learned to like veggies especially broccoli…ampalaya, I’d have to learn how to love you yet. :P
  • No deprivation. I used to be very, very strict at what I eat, but now I allow myself to eat what I want. Not always, though, but I give myself more space now, just as long as I keep on working out. Ice cream and chocolates — not a problem. :)
  • Lots of sleep. Sleep builds muscles. Muscles burn calories. See where I’m going? :P

TINA’S WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY: WHAT DIDN’T REALLY WORK:

  • Weight loss supplements. Never tried, will never try. I like the way I do it.
  • Tea. This didn’t work for me because I really never liked the taste of tea, so I don’t drink it as often.
  • Being too hard on myself. Never ever be too hard on yourself. If I gain weight one week, then it’s okay, I’ll just work harder the next week. Just as long as I don’t go back to how I was before, then it’s okay. :)

I wanted to make a longer list, but it seemed like I’m out. Like what I said in one interview I wrote for work — this isn’t just a diet or a routine, it’s a lifestyle. Long-term weight loss mean a lifestyle change, and I can definitely testify to that. :)

Oh, and let me tell you: the last ten pounds are still the hardest to lose. :P But don’t let that discourage you.

So cheers to one year!  Hello, First Club! :P

Papa

I wrote this reflection for Didache for March 11, 2009. I don’t think I shared it here yet, but I think today is the best time to share it. :)

SERVICE

“And if you want to be first, make yourself servant of all.” – Matthew 20:27

He started out in the lowest rank of the company, just like everyone else who just got accepted. I don’t how much he was paid but I was sure it wasn’t that much compared to the salaries people get right now. He did his job diligently, never complaining since he needed the job. Pretty soon, he got promoted and he made his way up the corporate ladder, earning a managerial position.

After a few decades in his job, he encountered some problems with some of his higher-ups but he still did not complain. Instead, he continued to do his job well. After some time, another company offered him a higher position. He accepted it, said goodbye to his old company, without any hard feelings at all.

My dad is now the general manager of an insurance company abroad. Even if he is already in a high position, he still continues to serve his company, his employees, his family, and most importantly, God.

Happy Father’s Day to the most awesome dad in the world. :) This is an old picture of us (like, six years old already, wow!), and this just made me realize that we don’t have too many pictures together lately. We must remedy that the next time you’re here. :)

I love you, Papa. ♥

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads (whether you are in awesome riding boots or not) out there, too. :)

Book Giveaway at One More Page

My book blog is six months old and to celebrate this, I’m hosting my first book giveaway. :) Feed is one of my favorite books of the year so far, and when I heard that Fully Booked had copies, I immediately reserved two so I can give away the other one. Share the love and all, you know? They don’t need to give me club flyers to promote this book — I would have given away more if there was and if I can afford them. :P

What’s Feed about? Here’s the blurb, and related links:

Feed by Mira Grant
Book # 1 of the Newsflesh Trilogy
Published by: Orbit Books

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

→ Read my review of Feed at Pinoy Pop
→ Read an excerpt of Feed

Zombies + blogging = all sorts of awesomeness, and there’s not even a lot of gore. :) And would you just look at that bloody RSS logo on the cover? :)

How to enter the contest: just leave a comment on this entry (not this entry at Refine Me, but that entry on my book blog okay?), with an answer to this question: What would be your weapon of choice in the case of a zombie apocalypse? (I am serious about this question, I want to know your answers!)

To get an extra entry, just share this contest on Twitter (see that retweet button on that entry?). Leave a comment with the link to your tweet, or just include my twitter handle in your tweet — @tinamats .

More chances! Blog about this contest and leave a comment on this entry with the link to your blog! You can answer the zombie apocalypse entry there, too, if you want. :D I’d love to read your entries.

The contest will is open up to June 30, 2010. This contest is open to residents of the Philippines only (because international shipping is a bit too steep for my funds).

Zombies and blogging: how can you resist that combination?

Junk, Joy, Jesus

AND IT’S FRIDAY!

For the first time this week, I woke up and did not feel stressed. How about that. I really think getting through the call last night turned the tbales around for me. My to-do list is long for today, but I don’t mind — I can do it in 9 hours. I think. I can, of course!

So yes, I’ve never been happier that it’s the weekend, and the call is over. I have a feeling we might have more of that sometime soon, but at least I know I can handle it. Scratch that, that God and I can handle it. I couldn’t have spoken that fluently if it weren’t for God’s grace. :)

To put another positive note on this Friday (yes, let’s keep on being positive), I thought of doing something that the guys of In Between Sundays do with their podcast. They call it the 3 J’s, or the Junk, Joy and Jesus moments. With the 3 J’s, they’re supposed to give their Junk, Joy and Jesus moments during the week. I thought I’d do the same thing too, and regularly, to put things into perspective (because we all need to have the right ones, right?).

JUNK.

My junk moments this week is mostly the stress. I’ve been so stressed and depressed early this week that I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. :( I just wanted to lie down and read and do nothing, accept no responsibility whatsoever. Ah, don’t you hate it when that happens?

Another junk, at least for now, is the new shift that I seem to be having a hard time adjusting to. It’s only semi-permanent, but staying at work up until 1am got me really tired, and I feel rushed all the time. Plus it’s wrecking all kinds of havoc on my circadian rhythm, and now I fall asleep at 3:00am. Not good. :/ I end up reading and surfing for random things online like new books and activities and treatment for eczema, it’s crazy.

JOY.

Okay, joy. I guess  my joy is finishing the call last night, and rewarding myself with new books. :D I’ve been resisting Amazon’s Kindle store but drooling to get new books for review, and at the end of the call last night, I got myself Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce and The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell.

So now no more buying, not yet. I need to make a dent in my reading list first.

JESUS.

I’m going to have to repeat myself now because my Jesus moment is also my Joy moment: the success of the call last night. It felt like I passed thesis again. :P Plus, it was nice to hear that our clients appreciated my work, and I have to remember that if not for God’s grace, I wouldn’t be able to do all that. So credit goes to Him, always. :)

Hm, now that I think about it…Jesus moments are always Joy moments, right? :)

There you go. I really think I’ll do this on a weekly basis to remind myself of the more important things.

And now I need to get started with work. :P Or at least, get ready for work. Have a great Friday everyone!

The Positives (1)

Sooooo, I realize I’ve been posting slightly depressing posts lately. Not good, not good. Let’s try being positive this time.

In one of the journals I kept back in high school, I try to end each entry with a list of things I was happy about in the day. It helped me put things in perspective, and be thankful of the blessings that I get even if the day was bad. Of course, I eventually got tired of listing things because I didn’t have the time, and sometimes, I admit it’s easier to just wallow and be sad and all that. But I can’t deny the positivity that it brings when I try to recall all my blessings.

So I think I’ll make this a weekly thing, as a pick-me-up post. I figure we all need to find something to be thankful for, right?

Okay, bring on the positives!

  1. I ran 5k today. I usually try to run at least 5k every time I try to run, but I don’t always get to do it. Stress on the legs, side stitch, and all other excuses. But today, I was about to give up at 3k when I got my second wind and ran a full 5k. :) I love it. My time: 32:30. My fastest 5k yet. (Its on the treadmill, but still :p)
  2. My call last night got moved tomorrow. I was supposed to have a client call last night and I was all nerves. Around 10 minutes before the call, my client sent me a message and moved the call tomorrow. I was kind of miffed, but then I realize this means I have more time to prepare, and my boss would be with me during the call. So yay.
  3. I got paid by some of my hostees. Money is kind of tight this month, so payments from my hostees were definitely welcome.
  4. I got to attend a meeting at EDSA Shangrila earlier. Our company had this meeting at EDSA Shang earlier, and I was privileged enough to attend. While I kind of reeled with all the financial talk, I was happy to be a part of that and see how blessed I am to be where I am working. Oh, and free food is always a plus.
  5. Fully Booked was extremely helpful to me. I heard that one of the books I’ve been drooling over is already available here, so I was planning to drop by Fully Booked at Shang to get it. However I didn’t get the chance to, so I called them and was directed to the Fort branch. I called, and managed to get the last two copies of the book and have it sent to the branch near my office. :) This means I will finally have a copy of that book, and I can host a giveaway at my book blog!
  6. I dressed up today. Since I had a meeting at Shang earlier, I needed to dress up, so I wore this new black dress I got from Cache Cache. I love dressing up to work nowadays, and it was really nice to get so many compliments at how different I look. :)
  7. My new shift gives me time to sleep in and stay at home. I’m on a 4pm to 1am shift right now, and it’s been a while since I stayed this late at work. I was complaining about it last week, but I realized, this gives me more reasons to sleep in.
  8. It didn’t rain today. Rain is good, but I still kind of freak out about the rain. I’ll get there. I know I will.
  9. This picture makes me smile (via loveyourchaos):
  10. I’m taking my first steps to grad school: asking around. Target: January 2011. Pray for me?

Now that wasn’t so bad? Even if my discount shades broke today (huhu, bye shades from Human), this day wasn’t so bad. Maybe I just really need to focus on the good things, you know? Optimism and all that — I miss being positive. Life shouldn’t get me too down to be positive.

What about you? What are your positives today? :)

Fragile Things

And just like that, the three-day weekend is ending.

Let me just sigh and be sad about that.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot like this box here (photo credit from sxc.hu, by the way). See those signs there? I feel like that…except maybe for overnight. I feel rushed. I feel fragile. I should be handled with care. I don’t know why, and I’d really like to just keep on blaming my hormones for all these melancholy, but…sometimes that just has to stop. I can’t keep on doing that.

But lately I’ve been thinking. It’s the second half of the year. What have I accomplished? What are the things I can cross out from my 2010 Declarations? What goals am I only focusing on? What are the things that I really need to look at?

I guess this can be something like quarter-life crisis, yet again. This time last year, I’m having the same problem. This time last year, I wonder what I’m doing and where I am heading. I’d like to believe I know more this year. I’d like to believe that I have a clearer grasp on life now as compared to last year. But sometimes I think I know less, and I am flailing more. I don’t know where I’m going and it’s scary, and I feel like I’m wasting my time.

Ever felt that way?

I keep on working, but what am I working for? I do things, but do I do it because I love it? What’s going to happen to me in a few months, in the next year? Will I ever have enough confidence to drive? Will I be financially stable sometime? Will I be able to handle graduate school and work? Will I ever fall in love? (Yes, I just have to ask that)

Yes, I’m sort of panicking.

If only those were easy to answer. I don’t know, really. I can only see what’s directly in front of me, and maybe that’s the right thing. Maybe I’m not supposed to know. Maybe all this panicky feeling is here because I’m supposed to trust.

Yes, trust. Trust the One who knows better. Trust in Him who loves me and has my best interests at heart.

Sometimes I wish all I worry about are the shallow things like homework and hand dryers and stuff. But where’s the fun in that?

Hay. Growing up, you are hard. But I will get through this. By God’s grace, I will.

But seriously, I need something to look forward to. Even just for a while?

Anyway. Enough rambling. Back to the real world tomorrow later! I start my new shift later (this is why I’m still up), and I have a call with some clients…so prayers would be appreciated. :)

Happy Independence Day

I meant to blog more this week. There was this other thing I was supposed to blog about, but after some events that happened and things I did today…well, it didn’t seem appropriate. And I am just not worthy to write about that…not now, not yet. Maybe next time.

Like tomorrow.

But on another note. Today is the 112th year of the Philippines’ independence. People would say we were never really free, and other people wonder why our foreign captors left us when we could have been better with them ruling us. Me? I’m happy we’re free. We’re not free in a lot of ways, and there’s so much more our country needs to be free from — corruption, poverty, to name a few — but we’re still free people. I wouldn’t want to be in a country where we can’t learn our own language, we can’t read what we want to read, or believe what we want to believe because the government or other external powers say we can’t. It’s just how we will use this freedom to help our fellow Filipinos that would make help the country truly be free.

I’m not sure I made sense there. Did I?

As with this holiday, it’s another long weekend. My plans fell through because of people getting sick, and I was supposed to be out earlier but work called. I wasn’t supposed to, but because I wanted to be sure everything will be okay on Monday and to lessen the workload for myself on Tuesday, I logged in, did some work and ended up not finishing it because the software I was using went under maintenance. Oh well.

So there’s no more plans this weekend, except read and write and read and write. So many thngs to read and write. I’m not complaining. Sometimes I wish I could read and write for a living, but honestly I think I’m too chicken to do so. This is reason why I’ve never had the courage to go to writing school. I realized just lately how my ego takes it. Case in point: I’ve been writing for The POC for the past few weeks, and sometimes I feel like I’m pulling teeth with my writing. I feel insufficient, I always feel like I lack the words to convey what I want to say. And I call myself a writer? Ugh. My editor is always nice when he returns edits, but sometimes I feel like I’m such a lousy writer that my articles are a pain to edit.

Pressure much? What’s funny is I’m an editor for something at work, too, and I do a lot of revising for articles other people do. And…well, I guess this gives me a chance to feel how it is on both sides.

Or maybe I’m thinking too much about it.

Feedback is always good, I just have to remember that. Maybe one day I’ll have enough courage to go to writing school. Or find enough time to keep on writing. And writing. And writing.

On a more cheerful note. Wedding plans for my brother is going under way and I’m excited. :) They talked to the caterers last week and talked to me about the flowers (which I will be sponsoring). Next week it’s fitting time. I’m not a bridesmaid so I don’t need to bring bridesmaid gifts, but I am a part of the entourage (that is what they call it, right?). My future sister-in-law just gave me the perfect excuse to get myself red shoes. *rubs hands together* Awesomeness. I don’t know if I can carry stilettos though…but red shoes! Red shoes! I like. :)

But then…once my brother gets married, I would really need to get to be more independent. Sigh, more growing up. Like driving…which I still haven’t practiced. *headdesk* Sometimes I wonder if I should have tried to move out and live on my own just so I can see how I can handle being totally independent…but at the same time, I think I’ll be too homesick. And I don’t know if I will be able to afford my lifestyle if I do that. They say everything will be just enough, but I don’t really see a need to move out. Not yet, anyway.

Ah so many thoughts on Independence Day. Freedom. How I wonder.

I end this post with Google’s doodle for today. :) I like how they did the sun.

Happy Independence Day, Pilipinas. :) Here’s to hoping that I see you rise in my lifetime. :)

Podcast Mondays

Mondays, Mondays. Why do we always hate Mondays?

Okay, I don’t exactly hate Mondays, but sometimes it depresses me, especially after a particularly good weekend. I’ve been feeling that lately, and I still blame PMS on it (TMI). But Monday is a fact of life, no matter how much we want to deny it, it will come. It will come. It will come.

It doesn’t mean I have to succumb to Monday blues, of course. Sometimes I worry that I’d need prevera if I keep on having the Monday blues…but I found a solution for it just recently: Podcast Mondays!

Old school much?

I think I started listening to podcasts right after Switchfoot in Manila. Wait, I correct myself: I didn’t start listening, I started watching, since it was Switchfoot’s video podcast. Then I subscribed to some of Lifeteen’s podcasts, and I find myself downloading faster than I could listen! Not that I mind, though, because podcasts are kind of fun — brings me back when I used to listen to the radio all night. :P

So why Podcast Mondays?

I don’t know. Maybe it’s because Mondays is the best time to listen to them, since I’m trying to psych myself up for the week?

Oh wait. I thought of an explanation earlier. Most of the podcasts I listen to are Catholic podcasts, and I find that listening to them on Mondays makes the day feel like an extended Sunday. I don’t know if that made sense. Listening to them on Monday helps me to start the week right and uplifts my soul, somewhat.

Here are the podcasts I listen to:

  1. The Mix (Lifeteen) – one of my favorite podcasts of all. The Mix contains different reflections, music, interviews and talks from Lifeteen, and they always, always hit the spot. I love it, and I wish they’d produce more of this because I learn so much from this. I love this because it brings me back to my YFC days, and it’s almost like I’m in the talks with them.
  2. Love Life (Lifeteen) – This is a favorite, because it talks about what it says: love life. Dating questions, love life questions, all in the Catholic POV. Some of them are for the younger people, though, but it’s still relevant. If you’re looking for love life advice, be sure to listen to this podcast.
  3. THE 171 (Lifeteen) – I haven’t listen to this podcast for so long, but I still download them out of habit. THE171 sounds like a college course, because it sort of is. It answers different Catholic questions — Apologetics, in some sense, but in the teen language. I like it because I get to learn more about my faith. :)
  4. Catholic Movie Reviews (Lifeteen) – It is what it says: movie reviews. They don’t review only Catholic movies, though — they review most of the hit movies in a Catholic POV. I don’t really agree with everything since I’m kind of lax when watching movies, but it gives me good insight to know what to watch out for.
  5. Busted Halo Cast (Busted Halo) – They have been podcasting for so long that I can’t listen to them all the way from the start, but it’s always fun listening to them. It’s kind of like THE171, but more fun because it sound like an actual radio show. The priest answers some questions, throws questions to the other one with him, and there’s also other fun stuff like church search and all that. Of course, church search is only in the US, but information is always handy. :P Oh, and Fr. Steve Dwyer’s laughter — the best. :D
  6. Boundless Show (Boundless.org) – Of all podcasts I listen to, this is the most like a radio show. There’s an actual panel, interview and a question after, and there’s always a fun banter in the show. It’s not a Catholic podcast though, but a Christian one (but remember, Catholics are Christian, too!), and they always have good points on love life and all that. :)
  7. In Between Sundays – I’ve only started to listen to brothers Nick and Pat, and I love them. It’s like Boundless Show, only by Catholics! I love the advice they have, and the fun segments in the show, especially the 3-J’s. :) The show is always relevant, especially for young adults. Like they say: it’s a podcast for the other 6 days of the week. I totally agree. :D

There’s also the Sunday Sunday Sunday podcast by Lifeteen that I get every Sunday, and I download Podrunner every now and then to help when I run. I used to listen to Grammar Girl too, but stopped…although I think I should listen to her again.

So yeah. Podcast Mondays. Good way to start the week. :) Any other podcasts you might suggest?

Five People Moment

Lazy Saturday, sort of. Went out to work out (must not forget that ab workout!), then waited for my mom to do some groceries. Now planning to do some writing, and I’ve been procrastinating for almost two hours already. What gives.

But first, a post. I’m having a moment. In Mitch Albom’s book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the first person Eddie meets in heaven is the Blue Man, who Eddie barely remembers. The Blue Man almost hit him with his car when Eddie was playing when he was still a kid. The Blue Man ended up crashing into another car, and dying of a heart failure because of his anxiety. I remember being awed at the connection The Blue Man had with Eddie, and it taught me that everyone and everything is connected. Things don’t happen just randomly, and you don’t meet people randomly as well.

This has taught me to appreciate all those random moments and people I meet, no matter how brief, because you never know what kind of effect they’ll have in your life and him in yours.

So let me take this time to honor someone that everyone who’s studied in Taft has known for the past few years.

Rest in Peace, Jenny.

I can’t remember who told me about him first, but Jenny’s been a fixture in Taft when I was in college. He’s known to be the richest and most popular beggar in Taft. Now, I admit to be kind of wary with beggars in Taft, so I never had much time to chat with Jenny. It wasn’t until he sat with us in McDo one afternoon to talk to us. He told us about how we should be careful in commuting because he heard a girl got raped somewhere. He told us about where he lived, and how hot it was so he slept without his shirt. He was cheerful, and he wasn’t scary at all.

Jenny is an icon, an institution. Was. When news of his passing spread in Twitter and Facebook last week, I didn’t want to believe it. It was too sad, even if I only had a handful of minutes in college talking to him. Jenny’s presence in Taft is a constant, a fact, just like how the LRT and University Mall and McDo is there. You just know he’s there.

And now he isn’t.

It’s hard to imagine that he’s not there anymore. That freshmen will no longer see him, or have the chance to give him coins. It’s hard to imagine that he won’t be there anymore to lend an umbrella so you could cross the street, or to join a table in McDo and tell you stories. Taft Avenue will never be the same. :(

Rest in peace, Jenny. You’ve made a lot of students in Taft smile. Your kindness and honesty is truly something, so thank you for that. I’m sure you won’t have to beg for coins in heaven anymore. :)

Related links/sources:

On another note: I miss school all of a sudden. :|

Time Freeze

This is one of the days that I kind of wish would last for a long time. This was such an easy day — no too much work, no work issues, and just a general feeling of lightness in the day. I was having a hard time writing a review earlier, but now all is good. I got a massage, too, and I’ve never been more relaxed than…I can’t remember when. A good massage is better than the best wrinkle cream, yes?

I should be sleeping now, though. But I’m not.

I’ve been trying to think of something to blog here for the past days. It’s hard when you’re not pressured to blog. I wonder how other people do it.

On another, but slightly related note: I’ve been thinking of a way to revamp this site again. I’ve had tinamats.com for the longest time, and I figured out a way to transfer these posts there and still start anew. Of course, revamping means a new layout, and my graphic design and web programmng and CSS skills are rusty. So it’s going to take a while, I guess. I need to arrange some stuff first, anyway.

So many plans, so little time. I also want to be able to write more in my book blog, and finish my 2008 NaNoWriMo novel, too. I’m probably halfway done with the latter, now if only I can get to sit down and write and not mind what I’m writing. If only, if only life were so easy.

And speaking of easy…I’m taking it easy this weekend. Being broke means I only get to go to the gym and stay home after. I’ll write and read and do other things that I should have done before this weekend. Yes? So help me God.

Good night world. :) I promise to blog something more interesting next week.