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Happy New Year!!


Dear 2010,

I must admit, you were so much better than 2009. There were no MAJOR financial screw ups, there were no deaths in my family ...

You were nice but really sneaky. I had so much hope for you, that things will be good finally. And then you gave me bad news. You broke my heart because you messed with somebody close to me. Somebody whom I love so much. After sometime, things were good. We were good.

But just as we were feeling better, you messed with my heart again. You just had to give me one more bad news before you leave. You just played with my emotions over and over again.

I can't say I hate you, no I can't do that. But I'm just relieved that you are leaving. That we can all still start over. Thank you, 2010 for making me stronger.

Welcome 2011. We're going to have a blast!


Pain, pain go away...

and don't ever come back. =(

This is the best illustration of the pain I feel on my legs. I'm guessing shin splints, but I don't know for sure since this is the first time I've felt it (when I started "running")... and I still haven't gone to the doctor to have it checked.

According to doctor Google, no running and go RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate). I bought calf compression sleeves just in case. 

With all the eating and celebrating.. I need to do something!! HELP!!


Crunching ....

...the numbers.

Just 5 minutes in the process, I'm already spacing out...

Have you heard of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Make Over? I'm giving it a try!




Present & Future Me

Just to give you an idea ...

217 lbs
I am now at 217 lbs (more or less).
174 lbs
This is my goal weight. To be at 174 lbs by May 2011. (and to be honest, I'm failing miserably... I'm waaaay behind schedule already. )

135 lbs
And this, this is my healthy weight. Someday I will be at 135 lbs.

fingers crossed.


Got 56 Seconds


My uber lame attempt at planking. Even with this "modified" plank, I had a hard time keeping my core steady. I was shaking the whole time. Hmmmm....

At least this is better than 16 seconds. =D

Here are some cool planking photos.

List Recap

Central Perk (Dubai)


  • How many items on the list were attempted? 10 items.
  • What did I do? 
    • Cross out # 22 : Lord of the Rings Marathon - I planned to watch it one after the other but it was just soooo long, I had to take a break. 
    • Cross out # 29 : Earn Extra - (earn extra from blogging, to be exact). I did not earn millions for a gig but I did earn something so I crossed it out. Maybe I'll discuss tips on how to earn from blogging next time. And this also helps with my # 10.
    • For #'s 8 & 9, I'm trying to get fit and ready for a marathon. I decided that I'll start with a 5K and work my way up. Unfortunately, I've been having lower leg pain for two weeks now. I've been getting different advises too. Don't run. Rest. Go run, it will go away... :p
    • For # 14, I've been checking music stores for cheap beginners guitars. Asked friends to tutor me. I'm planning to go full throttle on this after 3 or 4 months. (So if you're planning to give me something for Christmas or my birthday... this is it. *hint hint* - Samsung Galaxy Tab won't be a bad idea too.)
    • For #'s 26, 27 & 30, I'm happy to report that I'm almost half way done. Yey!!!
    • For # 32, I have started checking out gardening tools and stuff. I'll probably do this after we've decided if we are going to move to another apartment or not. 
I still have two slots on my list. I have so many things that I want to do that I still have not decided which one will be included in this little project. In fact, I might have to change some of these items.  I might have been too excited with my list that I didn't consider the time (and money) constraints. I might not have time to make all of these trips. Priorities, priorities...

I know I sound like a loser but it'll be more pathetic if I stick to this list and ending not doing them at all. For the sake of total disclosure and honesty, there will be changes in this list.  Sorry. =(

[edit: By the way, if you're also doing your list...please leave your link here or go to List-o-logy tab at the top of the page...please please please! Let's link up!!]

The good thing about ...


... not having a working elevator is that you get firmer glutes. =D



Anlene - Walk for Bones, The Experience

Walk for Bones was OK I guess. I just probably had a huge expectation.

We came on site around 0930. As expected, there were lots of people already lined up at the registration booth. Another long line for the free bone scan. A couple of more people lined up for something (later found out those were Organizations and Schools participating) One word came to mind, unorganized. They didn't have markers or something. Any new comer would definitely get lost.


We came in good spirits. After parking the car, we looked for the registration booth. We passed by the band (they were kids from Philippine School of Drums and Lyre). They were so cute with their uniforms on. I'm sure they prepared for this event.

When we got to the "starting point", we couldn't find the booth! Luckily a young volunteer gave us forms to fill in. Unluckily, we don't have pens with us. LOL!! A nice lady let us borrow her pen and as soon as we finished the forms, we looked for the booth again so we can get our shirts and caps.

We went near the stage to look for anyone who can help us. Finally a volunteer told us that we have to go back and check with other volunteers because they don't have shirts anymore. FRAK! So we went back to the starting point. We found a lady with boxes of shirts, so we hurriedly gave her our stubs....

"I'm sorry, but these are for our school/organizations only"  - she said. OMFG! So where are we supposed to go, really?

We went back to the booth near the stage where it was confirmed that the caps and shirts are no longer available. Bummer. That's a major disappointment but I'd rather not argue since it was a "free" event anyway. Plus all the going to and back is making me dizzy.


We settled in a corner near the stage where the host/fitness first instructor(?) was already doing the warm up exercises. In fairness to the host, he did a great job! He was able to make me laugh and even do the belly dance...well its more like a belly jiggle coz there was no room to move anyway.  He also pointed out that most of the participants were Filipinos. Woo hoo! REPRESENT!

After a few minutes, I saw people being handed out shirts. I figured they have a fresh batch so I went to the booth again. I held out the stubs and waited for the "nice" lady to attend to me. I understand that she's only a volunteer and that people can be pushy at times. They can be rude, even.

"Why are you people so RUDE?!!" - frowning-volunteer-lady said.

I was like... WHOA! She had a lot of moxie for saying that in front of a mob of people waiting for their shirts. I'm thinking, if they were more organized this wouldn't have happened. Another lady was telling her that she took two stubs and she gave only one shirt. The other claims that volunteer lady took her stubs and gave the shirts to the other lady. It was chaos, I tell you.

Finally, she took my stubs....STUBS. One for me and one for my companion, who, by the way, is just beside me. She grudgingly gave me a shirt. I told her she took two stubs and I needed two shirts. With a half frown-half evil smile, she told me, "We only give one shirt per person" .

I pointed to my cousin beside me and told frowning-volunteer-lady, "yeah, she's the other person."  She gave me another shirt, but looked at me first as if I was the devil.

Why did she take two stubs from me and only give me one shirt? Why is she showing me this kind of attitude? If she's bummed/tired and/or angry at other people, don't throw it out on me girl! I just arrived at the booth, I didn't do anything to you. I waited patiently for my turn and you give me attitude? You shouldn't be volunteering if you can't handle the pressure.


So this is us with our shirts, finally. Aside from that encounter with the "moody lady", I did enjoy the day. I met new friends (Who, by the way, had the same bad experience with the lady behind the counter. I wonder how many people complained about her...hmmm)

Spot the lady behind the counter!

This is Nikki and Steph with Gracey. This was after the 1 KM walk. Here's another thing: narrow path push plus hordes of excited people, not good. We had to leave the queue just so I can breathe. And also, the band was supposed to lead the way so we have rhythm. Not even half way through, the band was pulled out. People were asked to go straight ahead. We were so confused!

Later on I found out that people having breakfast at the nearby restaurants/cafe`s complained about the noise. What the?! Poor kids. They practiced for this event for sure. They dressed up and got there before everybody else and then they were stopped? Hay.

We lined up for the bone scanning next. My results were OK (-1.0) That's supposed to mean that my bone density is in between low and moderate risk. I was advised to drink more Anlene. (big surprise! But hey, it tastes great!!)


So after all of that, we went home and had a long nice nap. Yes, a long nice nap. We walked almost 5K after all!

1K - car park to starting point.
1K - starting point to 1k mark
1K - going back to starting point for bone scan
1K - going back to car park.
1K - walking around trying to find the booth for the shirts and the toilet. =P

Easy 5K! [edit: Come to think of it, I don't think the marker was at 1 KM.... did anybody measure?]

Now when is the next event?!

List within a List [part 2]

Watch Ten Best Movies Ever


To finish off my list of 10 movies ever, here's the other half: (part 1 here)

     6. Tootsie (1982) - Not a top lister, but always on AFI's top 100 list. Dustin Hoffman was brilliant in this!! I remember watching this with my parents. I was about 5 years old then. I couldn't remember the story so it was a nice treat for me.

    7. My Fair Lady (1964) - Again, probably not a top lister but it has been on AFI's 100 list. I picked this one out because for the life of me, I have not seen a single Audrey Hepburn movie. <insert loser icon here>. It was a nice movie, except it was Eliza Doolittle was too loud! But I loved it nonetheless.


     8. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)nominated for five Oscars without winning any, but the film has since been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, and placed number one on their list of the most inspirational American films of all time.


   
     9. M*A*S*H (1970) - believe it or not, I chose this because I saw the title in a dream. =)




     10.  Braveheart (1995) - Probably the only one not in  AFI's top 100. But according to my friends, it's a definite must watch. I have not seen this movie, I don't know why.  <again, insert loser icon here> Watched it last week and a sucker for historical films that I am, I enjoyed it immensely.


In my defense, I have watched The Godfather Trilogy, The Wizard of Oz, Silence of the Lambs and other great movies. I just picked out the ones that I haven't watched (the ones that I'm sure I'd want to watch)

As an extra treat, I would also watch Breakfast at Tiffany's, Robin & Marian and To Kill a Mockingbird.

So there you have it, my 10 best movies ever.

Today is Tuesday.

Full working day. NOT half, that's for tomorrow...


Got too excited. DOH!

Long Weekend Coming Up....

which means I can run run run!! Ok, that's exaggerating. Just to give an update, I still can't run a decent distance without having to stop and catch my breath. The farthest I can do is 300 meters. Three. Meters. FRAK!!

Homer, I feel ya!


It's going to be half working day today. I can finish my errands in the afternoon. Do some planks. Maybe cross some movies out from my movie list. Or do planks while watching.

Tomorrow, I'll "jalk". I need to increase my endurance level. Any suggestions??

Just the way you Plank

How Long Can You Plank?

asked Ben Davis of Ben Does Life. He made it to 86 seconds.  That's 1 minute, 43 26 seconds. Almost 2 minutes!!


Ben, planking it

What is a Plank?

The plank is a great exercise to retrain your ab muscles to work more efficiently. It is an isometric exercise for the stomach. "Iso" means "same", and "metric" means "length". Isometric literally means same length, or isometric simply means that you hold one position without moving.

You'd think that doing a plank is easy. Let me tell you, it's not easy! No kidding. Well, it wasn't easy for me, at least. I tried the plank last night and guess how long I was able to hold the position.

...

....

16 seconds. SIXTEEN! Yes, sixteen pitiful seconds. I'm such a loser, gaaah!

Anyway, I consulted Mr. Google about planking and I found a cool website called Plank Challenge. The goal is to plank everyday for 7 weeks (November 1 - December 19). Set a goal (for how long you will hold the plank pose) and you should be able to do it by December 19.

Hmmm, should I join?!


#30 Make our Family Tree

Don't you ever wonder who your ancestors were? Who were your parents grand parents and what they were like?

photo: mommylife.net

Last week I decided to add one more thing to my list. Make our Family Tree. It's fun because you get to know stuff about your relatives and actually know HOW you are related. For example, Gracey and I are related. We tell people we are cousins...but actually, Gracey is my dad's cousin only she's much closer to "my generation".

We have one more "cousin" who's still floating about our family tree. We are related but we can't find the connection, yet. This is so exciting!!

Right now, we are using www.geni.com. You add your details and you can invite your family, extended family, other relatives and even in laws! Once they join, they can update their own profiles, add their own "branches" and so on. You can also have a nice print out of your family tree (with a fee, of course)

I got this idea from watching Who Do You Think You Are?. This is extreme...going back in time and all. I'll settle for what I can dig up.

As of this posting, I have the names of my paternal great grandparents. I'll have to get more info on them.



Anlene - Walk for Bones

Anlene - Walk for Bones Event

This event is to help raise awareness of osteoporosis. Apparently, one in three women in the Middle East suffering from this disease.

1 KM Walk - Route

It's not much but I'm sure it would be fun. I get to exercise, get free check up and loads of goodies! (who wouldn't want goodies, right?!)

More info on Anlene Walk for Bones 2010.


Holiday - 5 days work free

In celebration of Eid, we had a 5 holiday. The first three days were fine. Went for a "jalk" [jog-walk combo] for two days straight. Timed my 100 meter and 200 meter sprints.

I can't say I'm happy with the results but I'm not complaining. The fact that I was able to run is good enough.

while waiting for Gracey...
What's also good about having a national holiday, I get to have more running buddies. Gracey is my cousin ... sort of. [I won't bore you with our genealogy]

Gracey...ready to run
Aside from the running track, the park also has warm up/exercise facilities which we used ... (for a while). I managed to do 5 push ups and 10 sit ups. Not much but I'm still going to put it out here so I can compare after a few months.

I decided to rest on Wednesday. My body started complaining.

On Thursday, I had to accompany Gracey to the hospital. We stayed there till Friday morning. When we got home, I finished the house chores and got everything ready for the work week. Today, Saturday, is the first day of work. I haven't run for four days now. I should really get my groove back. Hopefully tomorrow.



Tired

photo credit: mytreadmilltrainer.com
 
My body complained today. I was so tired and aching all over that I decided to just stay home and rest. For the first time since last week, I had eight hours of sleep. Then I had breakfast. Watched Dying Young. Had nice hot "goto and tokwa". It's a good day today.

Tomorrow I'll accompany my cousin to the hospital so I probably won't be able to run in the morning. I'll try to do it at night. I'll also post some photos and stats next. But today... today is a good day.



List within a List

Watch Ten Best Movies Ever


I had a hard time finishing this "mini" list because the ranking for the best 10 movies would change every year ... more or less. So I decided that I'll just pick the ten that I haven't really watched yet.

Here goes:

1. Casablanca  (1942) - consistently ranks near the top of the list of greatest films of all time.


 2. Gone with the Wind (1939) - another one of the greatest and most popular movies of all time. (why have I not watched this before? .. I really don't know)


3. Citizen Kane (1941) - often considered THE greatest movie of all time.


4. Schindler's List (1993) - ranked # 8 in the 2007 list of best American movies of all time. Now this one, I've seen before but I was not really paying attention to what I was watching. *laughs*


5. The Graduate (1967) - ranked 7th in AFI's 100 years ... 100 movies.


Continued here

*photos and info gathered from wikipedia.org*

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