Physical Preparation Update

I am getting better!

I can jog around the park two times now without panting that much. Last time I did, I carried Samantha on my first round. I didn't mean to. She wanted to join me so I took her with me to the park. She was running well... until the halfway: Mommy, I (can) not walk! She said. So I had to carry her to continue with my jog.

I am happy coz I am getting better. The first time I ran/jogged, I panted after 100 meters! So I had to combine jogging and walking. One thing I learned last time was not to stop jogging when you get tired. Just continue to be mobile and walk. Then jog again... and walk.

Also, we have started using our club (Sunway Lagoon Club) facilities again. While hubby and kids enjoy themselves in the pool, I would go and use the gym. I walked 2 kilometers with a recline of 15 at first. The second time I did, I walked on recline 15 for 1 kilometer and did one kilometer of resistant (8) cycling. it's good for knee exercise. I would then finish off my exercise with a steam sauna. I never felt so healthy!

The only thing is... hubby is going to Thailand tomorrow for 8 days. That means no gym and sauna for 8 days. Well, the park and our stairs will do. Have to really persevere so we would be able to enjoy our climb.

Everytime we tell friends about our forthcoming Mt Kinabalu expedition, they would ask us whether we have started doing physical exercises already because it's not an easy climb. Sometimes I would doubt if it's worth doing it... one month of exercise only to do the climb once. But hubby always reminds me that our exercises are worth it... with or without the climb. And of course, he is right. Always. LOL.

Anyways, I've been reading a lot of blogs about Climbing Mt Kinabalu... and they all stress the importance of physical preparation at least a month before the climb. So... continue with the prep, I will.

Another thing I learned from other people's experience: Never underestimate a mountain... any mountain. That one I will keep in mind. Have to.

it's me,

Schenker's Drama

I have posted in my other blog that Schenker has started going to a drama school at Helen O'Grady Drama Academy. Here's one of the sessions that he has attended so far:

Like what I said in my other blog, they are given a situation... and then they act on it. He's the youngest in class of aged 5-8. We just couldn't wait for next year to register him because he is just so ever ready to learn how to do drama. And besides, he's considered 5 years old according to Malaysia's education system.

it's me,

Things to Bring to Mt. Kinabalu

I am really excited. We have made a booking... we have bought our tickets to Kota Kinabalu, and we have booked our hotel as well. Now is the preparing stage and getting to know more about the climb. There are things to bring with us during the climb.

THINGS TO BRING:

• Suitable walking shoes/warm clothing/wind breaker/long sleeve shirts/change of clothes
• Drinking water/high energy food (chocolates, nuts, raisins, glucose)
• Headache tablets/sun block/lip gloss/deep heat lotion/plasters/insect repellent
• Binoculars/camera with extra memory stick/video with extra video card/water proof bag for camera/torchlight
• Extra socks/towel/gloves/hat mask/tissue paper/toilet roll

Looks like we have a lot to carry. Oh well, hubby could carry all those so we don't need a porter.

it's me,

Feeling Stressed

Today I am especially feeling so stressed out. Not sure what and how to decide now. Since last year, hubby was already suggesting I go with him to Cambodia for a very important meeting. I thought since I could leave the kids already, why not? And so hubby had the tickets booked already. However, we're going to Kota Kinabalu as well. It's not really a problem... we already asked my parents-in-law to take care of the kids during our climb to Mt KK. It's just that the traveling period in between is so short and mum-in-law has to take care of the other kids. So now, I am thinking twice. I called my sister from the Philippines and asked her whether she could come and take care of the kids... but since she's waiting for the US Embassy to call her for an interview (or something like that) she couldn't make travel plans until then. I feel sulkier more than ever. At a cross roads now. Should I just let go of the Cambodia trip?

Anyways... feeling stressed is normal for people who are at the cross roads or when facing difficulties. What's not normal is when you don't deal with it. Then you will be depressed and it affects everything that surrounds you. Sometimes, the natural tendency is to take medication as a stress reliever, right? But the good news is that there is already a device made to erase the stress and it's called StressEraser. No need to take medication! This is a better way for a stress relief. You just need to calm yourself down. Take a deep breath, put on your finger on the top of the gadget. Then you can watch your heart waves on screen. You wait until you see the heartwave and then you start doing some breathing techniques. It's really a healthy alternative to stress medication. You might wanna try it.

The irony is that before I could finish this post, husband called me to let me know my brother-in-law is sending his kids to Terengganu until we come back from Cambodia. How cool is that? All this while I was having unneccessary stress. But of course, if you ever get stressed, the best thing to do is give them all to God. He always have the best solution.

it's me,

Scenic Sunday - A View from Promthep Cape

One of my favorite places to go in Phuket was in Rawai, Promthep Cape. This is a view you can see from the cape. When hubby and I visited Phuket last December-January, we made sure we visited Promthep Cape.


it's me,

Paid Blogging

It has been a year since I started paid blogging. It started when last year, in December, we were a bit tight with our finances. I thought of ways of helping my husband generate income. I was already blogging then. And I knew about people who get paid to blog. I searched about it and was excited to know I could do it too. I told my husband I wanted to do it. He was apprehensive. So he said no. I didn't insist. I thought I wouldn't do it without his blessing. So I kept quite. The next day, he asked me to tell him more about it. Then I explained to him all the things I learned (from other people's blogs) about earning money just for blogging. He gave me a go signal. And I started with it. I never regretted my decision. Although my aim was to help augment our income... it so happened that after he said yes to me, we had a financial breakthrough. So I didn't use my earnings for family necessities. Instead, I kept it. And used it for other things. And I kept some more because I wanted to do some traveling when the kids become more independent.

And so, the time has come. I am now doing trips with hubby, courtesy of my bloggy earning. I am also planning a trip to China with friends... and decided to take my family and in-laws as well. That means I need to save some more. Good thing I have found another company that pays you to blog. The signing up is easy. Approval is fast as well. Now with Paying Post around, I can save some more and do trips more. How is that huh? Would you want to get paid to post too? Raise your hand if you want!

it's me,

Preparing to Climb Mt. Kinabalu

We have finally booked our place at Laban Rata. It is a place where climbers stay overnight for dinner and rest. They say the hardest part in preparation to climb Mt. Kinabalu is to secure a place in Laban Rata. Hubby tried contacting a tour agent... but they said there's no available place on the date we wanted to do the climbing. So I searched and searched the internet about accommodation and finally google took me to Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. Hubby called them and finally bot a booking for a night at Laban Rata.

I just started doing the physical preparations. As friends told me it's necessary to strengthen and tone my thighs and knees and ankles a month before the climb. I have now another motivation to exercise. That is a good thing. When hubby and I decided to go to Phuket and I knew I was going to wear my swimsuit, that was a cue to start exercising... which I did. And eventually didn't need some fat burners to burn those fat abs. That was easy, using tae bo and pilates simultaneously.

But this time... oh my... I didn't know what I was getting into. But all the blogs and forums that I have gone into say it's worth doing all those exercises to make the easy climb. And I believe them. I started with jogging. A friend says it's not enough. Stamina alone is not enough. Had to tone those thighs as well. So I started stair climbing... and I could die in pain lah!

Today is my second day of 5-minute stair climbing. My legs and thighs are burning. But I am motivated to continue. After all, I'm climbing one of the most famous mountains in the world, the Mt Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia!

The image above is my motivation to exercise. I'm gonna climb that for 8 hours on the first day, stay at Laban Rata for a night, wake up at 2am, continue climbing (3-4 hours) until we reach the Low's Peak, the summit and see the sunrise. I hope I can do all these. Keeping my fingers crossed.

it's me,

Busy as a Bee

I had been super busy since the onset of the year 2009. I feel that I didn't have enough time to prepare for the kids to start the school year. What with the year-end vacation... who would have time to prepare for the New Year? Lame excuse, I know. I really need to do something about my time management. Last Sunday was the busiest time of my life since 2009. I spent the whole day preparing kids clothes and uniform and hubby's work clothes. I haven't been folding washed clothes since we came back from Phuket, thus, clothes has been piled and now it's right up to the ceiling. (exags - hehehe)... until last Sunday coz I decided to finally organize the kids' closet and iron the clothes needed for this week and fold the remaining clothes. Just by organizing closets and folding clothes alone took me one whole day. But thank God everything is in order now. At least I know where to find the kids' socks. LOL.

My hubby, sensing that the wife was busy with clothes, decided to just buy lunch and dinner. No need to cook, he said. And so he spend time with the kids and while they're playing, he was cleaning up our living room as well. I was really glad to get a voluntary help from him.

By dinner time, I came down and was surprised because the living room had candles all over and and the whole house was smelling lavender. It was sooo relaxing. I sat on our old coach and found myself wishing for a new modern furniture. But then I reminded my self that we only have 7 more months to live in this house and it's not good to be buying a new furniture now. Oh well...

Had thosai for Dinner. It is one of those indian breads that you can easily buy from a Mamak (muslim-indian) stall. And after dinner, we prepared the kids for bed. Had to wake up early the next day for school. Then I tried finishing The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

And I was amazed that this world-famous book (by a world famous writer) didn't interest me at all. My eyes started to drift off by second chapter. I lasted that long hey? The first chapter was read in between ironing of clothes, actually. I thought I was just too tired to open my eyes to read the book. So I put it down and went back online.

Today, I finally finished the book. The first Paulo Coelho's novel that I have read. It didn't interest me. Yes, he spoke of things like reaching for your dreams... and that sometimes, we even have gone through great lengths just to fulfil that dream only to realize that the dream can be found right on our doorstep. True. A very simple and yet profound writings... yet I wasn't interested. So, from now on... I'm gonna forget about Paulo Coelho. I might quote him from time to time because a lot of his ideas are very philosophical and gives meaning to life. But it only glorifies human beings... not the Creator Himself. Bye Paulo Coelho.

At least one item in my to do list for this year is scratched off. Less burden. Less pressure to finish a task. I know I'm still going to be busy. There are lots of things waiting for me to do this year. Things that I have neglected to do for the sake of my kids. I was busy the past 5 years... I will be busy this year.. but busy with different things.

Busy as a bee, I am, indeed. What about you? Do you have list of things to accomplish this year? Or is it just going to be another year... to go on with life just for the sake of going on?

And why do I sound like Paulo?

it's me,

How To Snorkel

1. Choose the spot where you want to snorkel.

You are responsible for your choice, so quite sure about what you are doing. I chose Racha Island. I've been there a few times before and I knew where the best snorkeling spot was. We didn't have to go with the group, acually.

2. Find out how to snorkel.

Although it's very easy to snorkel, you need to find out how to use the snorkeling equipment. You will be using your mouth to breathe all the time because your nose will be covered. Also, it is better to use body float and flippers, especially if this is your first time... and especially if you don't know how to float or swim yet. You swim faster if you're using flippers.

3. Learn from someone who has been there before.

In my case, I've been there a few times. So it's not bad after all.

4. Dangers, seen from close to, are uncontrollable.

You need to know the danger signs, i.e. jelly fish season. Jellyfish could be dangerous... so you need to know when they come in the snorkeling area.

5. Respect your body and soul.

Snorkeling can be very tiring, but not when you're in the water. You could be floating and snorkeling for hours you wouldn't realize the time you spent looking at all the colorful fish and corals and other marine lives. Your legs could get cramped too. So once in a while, go back to the shore and rest.

6. Be prepared to go the extra mile.

Sometimes, when you go deeper, that's when you see more. When I decided to go into the deeper side of the water, that's when I saw an octopus! It's amazing to see it gliding among the rocks... but quite scary too. It's different when you see them in the aquarium, at least you'd be protected by the glass walls. But here, you're actually swimming with an octopus! It's awesome!

7. Be joyful when you see something interesting.

After seeing an octopus, I swam back to the shore. I wanted to talk about it! I wanted to laugh! And I just wanted to share how I felt when I saw an octopus gliding through the rocks!

8. Make a promise.

Now that you have seen interesting things, make a promise to do it again. Or better yet, go to another snorkeling spot. You never know what lies there. Maybe you'd see a shark! LOL.

9. Take pictures (my version).

You can use digital cameras or if you wanna show people what you saw, you can use underwater cameras. I didn't have this one. So I can't show you the octopus I saw.

10. Tell your story.

I have a blog that tells of my adventures at Places and Memories. I call my Phuket trip: Reliving Memories. You might wanna check out what story I have to tell!

This is an adaptation from Paulo Coelho's "How to Climb Mountains."

it's me,

Paulo Coelho and Me

There are two things Paulo Coelho and I have in common. He writes. I write. He plays archery. I used to play archery. Of course he's a lot, lot (way lot) better than me in these two areas (but he's also a lot lot older than me), in fact he is one of the most famous writers in the world.

I brought two books with me when we went to Phuket for a break. One is all about women's issues: Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge and Paulo Coelho's Thoughts and Reflections. My sister told me long tima ago about his book, The Alchemist, and that it's a good read. But I never bothered buying any of his books... until I saw one of his at MPH that cost 9.00RM. If it wasn't that cheap, I wouldn't have bought it. Sorry, Paulo.

Anyways... when we were at the Immigration control at the Malaysian border, there was a huge mass of people coming out of the country because it was a day after Christmas so everybody's either going for a holiday or going home to Thailand. We were in a very long queue. So I pulled out a book and it was Paulo's. I started reading. I was dumbstruck. I let Peter read one of his articles. He said it himself. Paulo Coelho writes like you? Ahem ahem. (just hoping my words here won't get blown by the wind coz the wind is becoming too strong here). Hehehe.

I am an average writer (5/10). He is excellent (11/10). But I can be like him in the future, can't I? At least I know I have a future in writing. But of course, I'm not that well-traveled as he is... (that's why he could write a lot of things)... and I am not well-read. But it's not too late, is it?

So from now on, he's my inspiration. In writing. I am going to read the rest of his books... just to get ideas. And continue blogging. This would help me improve my writing skills. Maybe later in my life, I could publish my own: Janet Nambiar: Expressions and Thoughts. LOL!

Oh by the way, the man in the image above who is wearing eyeglasses is Paulo Coelho himself.

it's me,

Samantha Goes to Q-Dees!

Yes, you heard me right. My little girl (that still looks like a baby) now starts going to school. I was worried on the first day because she might not like to be left alone. But I was proven wrong. She was a brave little girl. And a lot different from her brother who cried his lungs out on the first and second day of school. There are factors why she's fine being left in the school. She has been there many times so she saw her Kuya being left behind inside the room. Good exposure, I may say. Another thing is, she's a girl. LOL! That's a joke guys, so if you're a guy reading this, please excuse my reason.

Today is the third day of school actually. They have 2 hours of school for the first 3 days. Next week, it will be 4 hours already. This week is just for them to get acquainted with the classroom, teachers, and their classmates. She's in En Picasso class by the way and my boy is in En Mozart class. Interesting class names, hey?

The doting father chronicled her first day of school:

entering the gate of Q-Dees

Going up to her classroom - En Picasso

She straight away headed for the lego blocks. She loves playing Legos.

The pinning of school badge.

So now, what do I do at home without kids? I actually have one more hour before the school ends. Have to prepare breakfast for hubby. Woaahhhh... there so may things I wanna do before the kids come home! I need to finish my working assignment on searching about term life insurance at Wholesale Insurance and what it offers. So I better do things in a hurry.

I am just glad that Samantha is okay with going to school. The church scene which I blogged about sometime ago was because of her teething and because I just started weaning her off from nursing... It never happened again, actually. She was fine when I left her with my mom in law for 3 days... and last month for 8 days. And now, she's in school. She's a different girl. A lot different from her Kuya.

it's me,

On Dela Paz and Pangandaman Dispute

I have blogged about this in my other blog: a glimpse of me. But I feel the urge to post my opinion here too. If you're a Filipino and a blogger, you might have heard about this already as it has been circulated in the blogosphere about "Mauling of a 56-year old dad and his 14 year old son over a dispute on golf etiquette by a publ. Apparently, the daughter, Bambee, who was with them playing golf, blogged about the incident. The story has spread like a wild fire and all attention is now on the case: Mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, son of DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform) Secretary, along with the bodyguards, beat up the 56-year old de la Paz and his 14-year old son Bino.

The first time I read her blog, I was appalled... how could a public official hurt a common people. But then again, I only read her side of story. There could be more. Actually, reading the comments sickened me more. stereotype. lots of them.

So... what's my take on this? This was what I wrote in my other blog:

A yahoo group member forwarded an email about Bambee’s blog entry about what happened to her family at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo. I read the story and I felt sorry for the family of de la Paz. I feel sorry. But it doesn’t mean I am taking their side. I am not taking the side of the Pangandamans either. And because I don’t take sides, I am not gonna give you any links. Oh well, you can google about it if you want.

The de la Paz and Pangandaman story was an issue between pride and power. Both parties probably would have learned their lessons by now. Pride and being overwhelmed with power could get you nowhere. Pride for the de la Paz and power for the Pangandamans. Both barked at a wrong tree, in a wrong way. Both sinned in the eyes of God. The choice now is on the lesser evil. And people take sides… and yes, on the lesser evil.

Yes, people are taking sides… Some even haven’t heard the complete story yet. They judge according to one’s own point of view… according to her incomplete story. And because the offending party was a politician, they make a noise out of it. Of course, it was wrong to hurt a defenseless 56-year old and a 14-year-old. But who instigated the matter, anyway? Of course, it was fatally wrong when a public leader hurt the common people… but who insisted on the fight?And because the offending party was a politician and a cabinet member (Mayor of Lanao del Sur and Secretary of Agrarian Reform who also sits in the panel of peace negotiating party - both father and son), it has create a big sensation over the tabloid.

I am, indeed, not taking sides… after hearing about the reputation of the elder de la Paz… no matter how appalled I was by the reaction of the Pangandamans.

Having said these, I believe that the Pangandamans should pay for what they did to the old man and to the minor. On the other note, may this incident be a lesson for thede la Pazes… to be more humble next time.

I am not taking sides. Why am I blogging about this? Simple… to express my opinion. I am a blogger, after all… exercising my right as a responsible blogger. And above all, to create awareness so we all could pray for the situation. God is just and he sees to it that justice prevails.

Hopefully, something good comes out of this. I commend Bambee for being bold and brave... for standing for her family... it's just that... her father shouldn't have taken the risk. It's irresponsibilty on his part that he would instigate a fight and his children were with him. Bambee could be hurt too... and glad she wasn't.

it's me,

Our Birthdays

One of the amazingly common things I have with hubby is our birth dates. We were born on the same date... but he's one year older. So year after year... we celebrate our birthdays by going out for dinner. This year, we invited my parents-in-law but only peter's mom was available. Since she was taking care of my nephews, we took them our for dinner too and later my sister-in-law joined us. My kids and their cousins, Joshua and Joel just like each other so everytime they're together, they have a blast... with or without a party!

Samantha slept throughtout the dinner

The staff and the crew of TGIF came to sing birthday song for us after the main course.

Indian tradition of feeding of cakes during special occasion.

Samantha woke up for dessert -at Swensens. My sister-in-law's treat.

Joshua enjoying his share of ice cream.

The four grandkids. Samantha is the only flower... THE princess... for now.

And of course, what is a mall without her "boots?" She's torn between red and black. But of course, we were not planning to buy her another pair... so she didn't get any.

I am thankful to God for giving me 31+ years of life. Whatever the remaining numbers... I wouldn't tell. I stopped counting when I turned 31! LOL! So please don't give me headache by counting how many more years after that. But of course, for Chinese people, they would know straight away if you say you were born on the year of the Ox. OOppsss.. that's a huge hint.

And oh, please don't ask me what happened to Samantha's hair. I asked the same thing too when I arrived from my 8-day holiday in Phuket! Now, that's what we call a real surprise.

it's me,

New Year, New Page Rank?

Google has once again, caught eveybody by surprise. He visited on the last day of 2008 and gave away (and taken some away) page ranks... but not for this blog, though. It has maintained its pr0... same with my other blog at our family story... it hasn't taken a notch. But my parenting blog (which became a general blog due to paid blogging) at wordpress has gone down from pr3 to pr1 and my places and memories blog has gone down from pr2 to pr1 (which I have started earning money from as well. - just last week, while holidaying, an advertiser from sponsored reviews bought a review for 30US! I couldn't believe it... but I took it as a blessing from God). Two of my other blogs has gone up from pr0 to pr1. Yey. That's one thing to thank God for. I am amazed to realize I have maintained 6 blogs for this year! LOL. And well, at that. They say you don't put all your eggs in one basket... because once it falls, all your eggs will surely break. That's why I'm spreading all my "eggs" in different "baskets." I don't think I'm doing some of it unnecessarily coz I would blog about it anyway... it's just in a different platform... or different blogs.

Blogging continues for the year 2009, with or without page ranks.

And yes, I have a lot of catching up to do. Will visit friends' blogs soon. miss hearing from them already!

it's me,

Cagayan de Oro Flood

We got home this morning at around 4 am. Slept in the house again coz I didn't sleep at all in the bus. When we woke up, we got an sms from a friend that their house in Cagayan de Oro was under water, about 6 ft deep. Hubby and I prayed... Please pray for them, too. Lalaine's sisters, according to the message were stuck in the house... but Lalaine and family escaped. Please pray for their safety. Also, please pray that they will be rescued (the sisters).

it's me,