#achieved!

It may not seem like I am working on my list because most of my posts lately are actually non-related to the "before I turn 25" title, but I really am. Here's my progress report:

The top news is that I am soon going to scratch  Take a yoga/pilates class off the list! I bought some vouchers from a group buying site last month and I am taking some pilates classes.  

I have previous knowledge on Pilates but that was 7 years ago, during my first sem, freshman year in college. I thought I needed some reviewing to do so I downloaded some Pilates videos from Youtube. I have been working out here at home for two weeks now.

The instructor in the videos I have downloaded is funny and inspiring. Meet the awesome Cassey Ho :

Photo from Blogilates FB page

The pilates workouts are really challenging, but she makes it so fun with her non-stop talking and the pop music, you'll just keep on doing them. It also helps that her videos are (mostly) just 10mins. long, so it's so easy to include working out in my daily schedule.

I discovered her videos in Youtube, but if you want to try them out yourself (please consult a doctor first before trying any workouts), I suggest you go to her blog. Let me know what you think, okay? :)

Second,  I have booked a flight to Laoag on January so Vigan will also happen very soon! If you have been there tips would  be greatly appreciated...

And finally,  I am finishing my first semester for MA. Just one more project to go. And yes, I actually have to go to a group meeting for that project.  Like now.

So there, I am really thrilled that everything's going well on my end. I hope you're doing great too, and of course, I would love to hear what you've achieved on your goals lately!

P.S. A dear friend of mine had just started a blog. He is a terrific writer, which he doesn't realize. If you've got some spare time, please visit his blog and give him some love. 

Thanks and have a lovely weekend!

Sunshine award 2011

 Thanks to Laarni of the jagged barn for giving me my first ever blog award!

Below are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award and write a post about it.
2. Answer the following questions.
3. Pass it to 10 fabulous bloggers and send them a message to let them know.

Here are the questions:

Favourite Colour: Red and Fuchsia. 

Favourite Animal: Dogs and Dolphins

Yes. These are our dogs. They're cutie-pies, right? :)

Favourite Number: My birthday number

Photo from here

Favourite Drink: Coffee-based frappes, Buko juice/shake

Facebook or Twitter: Facebook

Your passion: Reading and writing

Giving or getting presents: Both

Favourite pattern: Don't have a favorite.

Favourite day: Christmas

Photo from here

Favourite flowers: Sunflowers

Photo from here

Now, I'm passing this award to these 10 lovely bloggers:

1. The Average Jane
2. Aria of Sun, Sand and Stilletos
3. Sumi of The purple doll
4. Colleen of Sweet Home Designs
5. Mymy of  mybric-a-brac
6. Rosamond of Rosamond Writes
7. Rae of Scatterbraintures
8. C & M of .
9. Juhina of Juhina reads it all
10. Mar of Not your ordinary beauty queen 

And of course, my favorite Librarian blogger: Rita of Screwy Decimal.

Now, it's your turn ladies! Spread the love, love, love!

Love and other jobs

Saying what we hate about our jobs is as easy as ABC. Horrible bosses, slim paycheck, few promotional opportunities, internal politics, and the list goes on and on and on.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.- Steve Jobs  

The quote above made perfect sense, right? We spend most of our waking hours at work, so it pretty much consumes most of our time here on Earth. If you don't like what you do, if you don't see your work as important, then that's really depressing.


Last week, a student asked me if I like what I do, if I love being a librarian and I  answered yes. She didn't ask me why but it made me think what I love about it.

• Our library has a well-updated collection. I never run out of good books to read! yay!
• I get a sense of satisfaction when kids thank me because I helped them with a project, or when a parent or teacher thinks that I have magic with computers whenever I help them with their technical difficulties.
• Our department head is one great man. He is one rare specie. I don't think I can find a boss better than him.
• My direct supervisor might stress me at times, but she is actually good at what she does.
• I am well-paid. Enough said.
• I don't have to go overtime and I don't have to take my work home!
• Both our department head and my supervisor are forward thinkers. I don't have to worry about people adamant to change.

I remember reading from a book* that when you get annoyed with your partner, you should remember at least one thing that made you fell in love with that person. I guess we can also apply that to our work. Like when you wake up and have the urge to file that sick leave just because you're too lazy to go, just think of one thing that makes you want to go to work.

For most people, work is what they do in the office or in the field. Work for me is what you devote your time to, whether it requires you to go out or not. So as the work week starts, here's my challenge to you: think about the things you love about what you do, share it on the comments box and inspire me and other people!
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I think that's Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus by John Gray - Great book, you should read this!

Sambokojin

When I first thought of blogging, I considered making a food blog since I love cooking and eating. Later, I realized I am not really that adventurous with food. I like trying out things when I've read raves about the place or they're recommended by a friend. I rarely try new food because I don't like getting disappointed. I hate having to force myself finish something I don't find palatable. Another thing would be I know what I consider yummy and delicious, but I just can't go into details. I am not that good in describing things. So no food blog for me. I'll just occasionally post "reviews" of places and food I liked but please don't expect too much. :)

I first tried Sambokojin when my youngest sister received her first paycheck and she decided to treat us for dinner. We wanted to try a place with smokeless grill so we had to make a choice between Yakimix and Sambokojin. (We even had a poll in FB just to decide!) In the end, we went to Sambokojin because one of my aunts and my sister Reg were able to try Yakimix and said that it wasn't good. 

I wasn't able to blog about it that first time, but we went back there yesterday and I thought I should recommend  the place. Here's what I thought:

Cleanliness and Ambience

The photo should speak for itself, right? I also loved  that the grilling is basically odorless, you won't step out of the restaurant smelling like you have been cooked too. I'll give it a 5/5. :)

Food Choices 

food for grilling: seafood, veggies and meat

fried/breaded food: ebi and kani tempura. there's a lot more in there.

sushi heaven

I love meat, the boyfriend loves fish and the family loves seafood, so going here is such a joy for all us. I also love shrimp and it's like an ebi tempura heaven! They never ran out of tempura unlike Saisaki. :) I give this 4.5 just because they don't have enough desserts to choose from! (sweet tooth problem, you know. hehe.)

My food recommendations: fish teppan (cooked), marble beef (for grilling), asparagus wrapped in bacon (for grilling) and kamameshi rice. 

Good service

If you are like me, who's VERY particular to good customer service, then this place would surely delight you. Aside from good food, the excellent service is worth every peso I have spent here. From the moment we entered the place (where they greeted us with shaimase, paper mache or something. haha) until we stepped out with our very heavy tummies, the Sambokojin staff were all smiles, which made us feel so welcome. I give them a 5/5.

Price

Mon-Fri Lunch : Reg. price 595.00 ; No left-over price 495.00*
Mon-Sun Dinner : Reg. price 695.00 ; No left-over price 595.00
Sat-Sun Lunch : Reg. price 695.00 ; No left-over price 595.00
Children’s price : Reg. price 395.00 ; No left-over price 295.00 

*except holidays

As I've said, with good food and excellent service, the whole Sambokojin experience is worth every peso I have spent. You guys should try it yourself and let me know what you think. :)

Now it's your turn, dear readers. Drop a comment and share your great recommendations! :D

Chronicles of the sweet tooth problem V

Finally, here is the last of the chronicles. If it's your first time here, please see the previous posts:
Chronicles of the sweet tooth problem
How to know if it's really PMS and
Ways to relieve PMS

Chronicles of the sweet tooth problem IV

Below are the rest of the ways to relieve PMS :


16. Yoga

Yoga is an all-round antidotes of PMS as it has relaxing, calming and restorative effects in the body.  Nice, I'd be shooting two birds at one stone if I would try this : anti-PMS and cross-out number 2 in the  list. Rae  from Scatterbraintures suggested Bikram Yoga Manila, do you have any other suggestion, ladies?

17. Add DLPA

DLPA is short  for the amino acid  dl-phenylalanine. Unlike pain pills or anti-depressants, it leads a hand to our own hormones that act as natural painkillers or mood regulators by acting as its "bodyguard". 

WARNING: If you would like to try this, please consult your doctor. This should NOT be used by pregnant and lactating women.

18.  Try Homeopathy

Homeopathy literally means "similar suffering". It is based on the idea that taking a tiny dose of whatever's ailing you can be the best treatment for that same disease. This works as a cure not a remedy so one who is experiencing PMS and wants to try this should see a qualified homeopathic physician.

19. Aromatherapy

Certain scents can stimulate our brains and can affect our moods, stress levels, metabolism and libido.  This is the basis of the healing art of aromatherapy. See this link to know what oils work and how to use it. My favorite scent is peppermint.

20. Massage

When we're irritable, depressed and stressed out, a good massage is exactly what we'll need. Swedish and Shiatsu  (another name for acupressure) are best for relieving PMS symptoms as they emphasize relaxation and release of tension using pain-free methods. 

21. Acupuncture and Acupressure

Both are based on the theory that when the qi (life energy) if flowing freely, all is well within the body. A stagnation of energy occurs if the flow of qi is blocked and if the blockage happens in a meridian serving the female organs, PMS can be the unhappy result.

22. Reflexology

Reflexology is an excellent way to relieve tension, improve circulation, normalize both nerve and gland function and restore balance to the body. This will be helpful to PMS if the areas that correlate with the pelvis and female organs are stimulated.

23. Let there be light!

Because lack of light causes lack of serotonin, which causes worsening of PMS symptoms. Light therapy will help improve the mood of PMS sufferers. The simplest way to do this is to go outside, walk in the bright sunlight for about ten minutes, preferably in the early morning.

24. Get enough zzZs

Each of us knows how it feels when we didn't get enough sleep, right? Depressed, tired, irritable, distracted, moody, suffering from headaches. That's because too little sleep exacerbates PMS and PMS causes sleep problems. It is a vicious circle and we wouldn't  like to be caught in it, so log off on your facebook, shut down the computer and sleep early, ok? :)

25. Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative

Click to enlarge

Anger, frustration and negative thinking all encourage the body to produce stress hormones and we don't like that. Focus on the good things in your life: love, fun times, good jokes, your achievements in life. Appreciate the beauty around (look in the mirror, beautiful!) and look for the little things to be happy about in your life.

That is definitely a nice way to end the list, right? With positivity, we can surely win over PMS.

In all the 25 ways, massage, sleep, yoga, exercise and being optimistic are my favorites. What are yours?

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Reference: Taylor, N. 25 ways to relieve PMS (2002). Chicago : Contemporary Books
Photos above are not mine. If you find one of your photos here and you would like to have them taken down, please message me. 

Chronicles of the sweet tooth problem IV

I know this is long overdue. I actually made a draft a few days back and when I went back to it yesterday, it's gone! :(

If it's your first time here, please see the previous posts:

Chronicles of the sweet tooth problem
How to know if it's really PMS and
Ways to relieve PMS

Now, if you're done with that, let's move on!
There are 20 more left in the list so I'm dividing them to two entries. Below are the first ten:

6. Eat more fiber

• It helps decrease excess estrogen  (which is one of the most likely causes of PMS)
• It helps improve glucose intolerance (many women have trouble with fluctuating blood glucose levels during PMS phase)
• It reduces the the urge to binge
• It helps the body fully utilize progesterone

How to get it? Eat nuts, cereals, fruits and veggies!

7. Eat the good fats -- GLA and Omega 3

Gamma linoleic acid is involved in the metabolism of prostaglandins that regulate pain and inflammation in the body.  Excellent sources are evening primrose oil, black currant oil and borage seed oil while Omega 3 helps  decrease inflammation, stabilize blod sugar, fight acne (no to zits!)and increase production of endorphins. We can get this from fat or oil of cold water fish such as anchovies, tuna and salmon.

8. Phytoestrogens

In layman's term, plant estrogens. These are not chemically identical to the ones our body produce but it can function like it. This is good for those whose estrogen levels are too high or too low. How to get it? Eat a diet rich in plant foods and eat a couple of servings of soy-based foods each week.


9. Vitamins & 10. Minerals

We know that we all need vitamins and minerals and yes, we can just get those commercially available ones that says complete from A-Z. But what are the specific vitamins and minerals that will be most useful  in treating PMS symptoms? See links 1, 2 and 3.

11. Exercise

I think I don't have to say much about this but just to emphasize, regular exercise is particularly helpful in relieving symptoms related to depression and tension, such as  mood swing, fatigue, irritability and cramps.

12. Natural Progesterone

 Seventy-five percent of women affected by PMS appear to have too little progesterone so it actually makes sense to give a supplementary to fill the lack. Water retention, breast tenderness and insomnia are just some of the symptoms that this hormone can help ease. While there are several forms of natural progesterone, many experts recommend the topical cream because it's easily absorbed and  it mimics the ovaries' natural release of the hormone. To know more about this click here.

13. Herbs

There were ten herbs mentioned in the book but there was just one that (I think) is easy to find : Chamomile. Primarily, chamomile tea is used for its relaxing qualities but it actually exerts a number of positive effects on the body  because it has natural anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal ingredients. For PMS, it can be used for symptoms triggered by tension or stress.

14.  Avoid Xenoestrogens

These are man-made substances that are structurally similar to estrogen, so it has the ability to bring on excess of the hormone. We can get this from nail polish, nail polish remover, bleach, cleansers and detergents. I know we can't completely avoid exposure to these things but we certainly can achieve a certain amount of caution, right?

15. Reduce Stress

The connection between Stress and PMS is just very simple, when one is really stressed, symptoms of PMS gets really worse. What to do? Exercise or try something that helps you slow down, calms your body and mind and relax. Now I'm thinking of a warm bath, foot spa, a book or movie marathon.

Please see next post for the rest...
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Reference: Taylor, N. 25 ways to relieve PMS (2002). Chicago : Contemporary Books
Photos above are not mine. If you find one of your photos here and you would like to have them taken down, please message me.