My Sugar Free Sweet Life

By the time you read this, I'm probably in Bohol already. Woot! Yup, it's another step to a dream come true. The mole on my sole compels me to be hungry for travel. My dream is to visit different places in the Philippines as much as I can. I bet it will take me a lifetime to even visit three-fourths of the 7,100 islands of this archipelago. It's better than none at all, don't you agree?

I'll by travelling with my husband and son, my parents, and my mother-in-law. I'm glad that our budget permitted us to tag our parents along. What makes it extra special is that we are celebrating two wedding anniversaries in the family - our 10th and my parents' 35th!

We're flying via Cebu Pacific again. It's my airline of choice because it's the budget airline that is stationed at the NAIA Terminal 3 which is very big and convenient. Although some friends had problems with Cebu Pacific and I've also read some complaints about hidden charges and all, I still chose Cebu Pacific. I won't need an insurance quote anymore as the ticket fares already included the travel insurance fees.

Make sure to check my future posts about this travel experience!

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I believe that different scents can affect our moods. There are scents that are calming and there are those that wake all the other senses up. For me, there are certain scents that bring back memories. Like when I remember my grandmother when I smell even the faint scent of a roll of cigar. Or when I remember the place we lived in when I was little when I smell the scent of ylang-ylang flowers in the air. Scents are indeed powerful.

I am such a fan of aromatherapy. I have oil burners positioned in different parts of our home where I burn essential oils depending on the effect I want to have. I only mix two to three drops of essential oils with water and it's enough to last for two hours. You can do this at home, too.

Basically, I recommend that you have bottles of these:

• Lavender - Burn lavender oil before going to sleep to relax and calm the nerves. This is not recommended for pregnant women and people suffering from low blood pressure since the scent can induce blood flow.
• Citronella - Burn citronella oil from late afternoon until night time to ward off mosquitoes.
• Eucalyptus - I burn this oil when my nose is clogged. It's like inhaling Vicks.

You won't need to buy all essential oils at once. Start with two or three and build your collection as time goes by. You can also mix different essential oils. Don't be afraid to experiment. Lastly, just enjoy the experience!

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Metro Manila and the entire Philippines were caught off guard last September 26, 2009 when Typhoon Ondoy suddenly struck. It was recorded to be the Tropical Depression with the worst rainfall to hit Manila, leaving hundreds and thousands of people without shelter, food, and clothing.

Right after Ondoy & Pepeng, thousands of volunteers from all walks of life gathered together to aid and assist those in need. Women were first to respond. Evacuation centers, packing centers and soup kitchens quickly filled with women who were armed and ready to help in every which way they can. It was their love, care and kindness that inspired more people to come out and help too.

But despite this initial outpour of concern, 57,000 families are still living in evacuation centers scattered all throughout Luzon. More than 30,000 of the displaced are women. Christmas and New Year have come and gone, and life in the evacuation centers have worsened. Their health and well-being have suffered tremendously, having poor and limited access to water, shelter, health care and clothing.

Inspired by that first wave of women volunteers, Modess is taking up the challenge for continued care for our displaced sisters in need. 30,000 comfort kits – much needed packets of feminine care - will be distributed across the 220 evacuation centers still in operation.

Modess has set up a Facebook group where female volunteers can sign up for a comfort kit to be given in their name. Every sign up means one more comfort kit donated.

With only its first month in operation, the Modess Angels group page has already reached more than 30,000 Angels, and will continue to grow in the next days. The Facebook group has also become a hub for more information on the evacuation centers, a support system for women volunteers and an all-around community of of sisterhood, sharing, fun and love. After all, the need for female empowerment & volunteering never ends. The Modess Angels are women who make a difference, not only during these troubled times, but with her self, her family and her community as well.

It doesn’t take an army to rebuild a nation. It takes Angels.

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Sad to say, but I am still coughing after two months from the moment it started. I contracted the virus from Rap before the start of December last year. He was given antibiotics to cure his colds and coughing and, as soon as he got well, I started to have the sniffles.

I was also given antibiotics after a week of not being cured by over the counter medications. After I finished all my capsules, the coughing lessened a little but it didn't go away. I tried everything from drinking hot calamansi to taking lagundi syrup. I think this is already an allergic reaction. It might be our mattress. I guess it's time for me to buy an allergy bedding set. Or it could be just because of the changing weather. Whatever the cause is, I decided that I will not take antibiotics again for my system to rest.

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Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa naka-imbento ng food delivery. Nitong nagdaang Byernes kasi ay ika-10 taong anibersaryo ng kasal namin ng aking kabiyak. Como nga ika-10 taon, nagplano naman ako ng munting salu-salo para sa aming pamilya. Nung una'y binalak namin na kumain sa labas at manood ng sine kasama ng aking anak at biyenan. Kaya nga lang, noong araw na iyon ay kinailangang pumasok ng aking asawa sa trabaho at ginabi na ng todo. Ang pagkain sa labas ay naging sa loob na lang ng bahay. At dahil nga hindi na ako nagluto ng hapunan dahil nga balak naming lumabas, nagpa-deliver na lang ako ng pizza, pasta, at chicken. Bumili naman ang aking kasambahay ng beer at vodka sa kalapit na grocery. Ayun, nakaraos din ang aming munting salu-salo. Nagustuhan pa ng lahat? Oo naman! At sa tingin ko'y mas naging masaya pa kaysa kung kami ay natuloy lumabas.

I am indebt to whoever invented food delivery. Last Friday was our 10th wedding anniversary and we were supposed to celebrate by having dinner in a restaurant and watching a movie. However, my husband had to go to work that day and had to stay late in the office. All our plans of going out were cancelled. I called a restaurant nearby and had pizza, pasta, and fried chicken delivered. My houseboy went to the supermarket nearby to buy a bottle of vodka and some cans of beer. We had dinner as soon as my husband arrived. Did everyone like our celebration? Yes, of course! And I think what we had was even merrier compared to what we could have had if our plan pushed through.

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I had started the habit of drinking Del Monte Fit n' Right before Christmas last year as an alternative to drinking regular fruit juices. I have a glass during my mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. I only stick to a glass a day since the juices are not sugar free. Presently, I am in love with the pineapple orange and watermelon flavors.

L-Carnitine is formed in the human body by the formation of amino acids lysine and methionine. It becomes an effective fat burner since it uses fats as an energy source. What's good about me taking L-Carnitine is that the amino acid can help me managing my weight and lessening my risk of having heart disease. This is already
aside from the fact that L-Carnitine may also protect the body from developing diseases of the liver and the kidneys.

So far, I find Fit n' Right effective for me. My weight graph in my Wii Fit Plus profile showed that I lost 0.27 in my BMI from the last time I worked out before leaving for Naga to the day I got back to training after the holidays. And to think that I really ate a lot! I'm now thinking of taking in L-Carnitine capsules, too.

How about you? Have you tried taking L-Carnitine? How did it work for you?

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I do. Although there are days when I forget taking my multivitamins, I still rely on them especially when I'm stressed out and not feeling that well. I take a multivitamin brand that has ginseng and Deanol and it has been my brand for the past ten years already. It has helped me combat stressful days and has made me more immune from common colds.

While some parents are already content on giving vitamins only to their kids, I believe that we should be having some for ourselves, too. Shouldn't we be as strong and healthy as our kids? Who'll take care of the little ones when mom or dad is sick?

How about you? Do you still take multivitamins?

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Which makes me feel very bad about myself. Junin, my trusted all-around houseboy, cooked his yummy version of Chicken Curry and I wasn't able to resist savoring dish with hot rice. Bad... bad me! But I'm only human, hahaha!

You see, I always make it a point to resist having rice in the evening. At dinner, I only have some meat and lots of veggies. If there are no vegetables, expect me to not eat at all.

To pay for this "sinful act", I firmly resolve to going up to the next level of my current daily calorie goal. I would probably need to burn more than 500 calories a day now. It's fine with me. At least, I wouldn't need to pop in a weight loss diet pill in my mouth. I know I will reach my weight loss goal in time with exercise and diet alone.

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Last Friday, I was blessed to have witnessed the partial solar eclipse that was also seen in different parts of the world. I was already content with my view from my work area at home. I was able to take nice shots. Some of my online friends were sending tweets and plurks about how beautiful the view was from Roxas Boulevard fronting the Manila Bay. I agreed even without witnessing what they saw. I know that the Manila Bay is the best place in Manila to view the setting of the sun at the end of the day. I can just imagine how the partial solar eclipse looked like during that afternoon. I bet that it was breathtaking.

It reminded me of a feature article I read about the best places in the world to view a sunset. Included in the list are the following:

• Sentosa Island, Singapore
• Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro
• The Maldives, Indian Ocean
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Grand Canyon, Arizona
• Great Pyramids, Egypt
• Serengeti, Tanzania
• Taj Mahal, India
• Santorini, Greece
• Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles

Of the ones in the list, I think I may only get to reach Sentosa Island and Taj Mahal in the near future. We may go to Singapore in May just in time for my son's 10th birthday and I will surely include Sentosa in the list. My mom had been to Taj Mahal more than a decade ago but I'm not really sure if she was able to witness a sunset over there. My husband, on the other hand, had been to the Grand Canyon already. Who knows? I may be able to find cheap cruises that can bring me to South Africa and Greece in the distant future. Probably, my husband and I can do this once our son has finished college already. For now, I'll be content in watching the sunset at one of the many seasides of the Philippines.

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This is Gabby, our one-year old niece who came home with my sister-in-law and her family from the United Kingdom. She was born there las July and it was her first time to see us all. But see, this baby is a darling! She loved it when relatives surrounded her and showered her with attention. Hands down, this little girl is the most adorable!

Yesterday's the last time that we spent together as they are already returning to the UK on Tuesday. I'm glad the my sister-in-law actually allowed Gabby to sleep over in our place last Saturday night. I think I gained muscles from carrying her that I wouldn't need muscle gain supplements anymore, hahaha! Nevertheless, I will surely miss this baby. She'll be a toddler already when she comes back for a vacation. Until then, we will have to content ourselves with photos and webcam chats again.

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When I started my work-at-home job, I was still using my trusty 8-year old desktop. It's performance was slow and the hard drive needed upgrading. Instead of upgrading my desktop, we bought a laptop. After a few months, I won a netbook in a blogging contest and I use this when I am mobile. Now, we have 2 laptops, 1 netbook, and 1 desktop computer. I never though we'd end up with all of these gadgets

Once in a while I still work on the desktop as some of my files are still saved in its hard drive. I also have files save in the netbook's hard drive. I am now thinking of a way of linking these three computers so I can access the files I need with ease. I read that a KVM switch can enable a single keyboard, video monitor, and mouse to control more than one computer at a time. I wonder if this can work on my gadgets? What do you think?

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Is it possible to use diet pills without side effects? I think not. Honestly, I think that the problems I have with my liver now are partly caused by the various diet pills I took in since puberty. I tried Phentermine, fat burners, and Orlistat. Yes, they helped me fight the fat but, when I stopped taking them, I gained more fat than what I lost.

I am not proud that I took diet pills. I was already aware of diet pills side effects but all I cared about then was getting slim. If only I knew better back then. Now, I set all of them aside and resolved to a healthy diet and regular exercise. I hope it's not too late for me yet.

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This has been a laughing matter between my husband and I over the week. We're celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary today, you see. But really, the proposed 10-year expiry on marriage contracts is not funny.

The proposed bill was put forward by women's party list group Isa-Ako Babaeng Astig Aasenso (1-ABAA). Several lawmakers have already expressed disapproval upon the proposal and among them are House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Rep. Ruffy Biazon.

I am also expressing my sincere disapproval on this proposal. I am concerned about how it will affect families and our society itself should this be passed. The sanctity of marriage is bypassed. I think that there are better ways on how 1-ABAA can help women in empowering themselves and this is not one of them.

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Living in a tropical country makes me ignorant to ski holidays. I have never seen snow in the flesh, yet. This is one of my dreams in life. And while I am still waiting for that opportunity, our Wii game console gives me the opportunity to play a winter sport. My husband bought the "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" disc and it's where I play skiing and snowboarding.

Skiing vs.snowboarding, is one better than the other? I have been somehow engrossed in the sport since I starting playing the Mario & Sonic game. Of course, the real thing will be as doubly harder than the Wii game. I enjoyed it so much that I had to make some research. Here are some of the thoughts I gathered:

Skiing gives each of your leg a ski which means you have more control of your movements through a snowy terrain. Snowboarding makes both of your legs strapped to one board. Leaning forward and sideways are the ways you can control your descend.
Snowboarding gives more chances for exhibition moves than skiing. This is the reason why the sport is preferred by the more adventurous skier. Skiing is best for skiers who want a relaxing glide down the snowy mountains.
Skiers can get on and off lifts immediately. Snowboarders need to unstrap their boards first.

With all of these in mind, I think I'll be better off skiing than snowboarding. The again, I still have more time to decide on this. Probably, this will be possible when I get the chance to visit my relatives in Canada or the United Kingdom. For now, I'm gonna train my ski legs playing Mario & Sonic.

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Back in October, I wrote about the pain in my tummy and how it was linked later on to having a fatty liver. The laboratory tests and blood work done on me revealed that, indeed, my bad cholesterol level (LDL) is way above what's normal. I got 4.74 mmol?l when the normal range should only be within 0.0 to 3.3. I was advised to take one 20 mg tablet of Simvastatin daily for two months. I was supposed to go back to my doctor but I haven't visited her yet. We'll have a repeat of the lab tests and blood work to see if my LDL has gone down.

With the exception of the times I ate during the holiday season, I honestly made it a point to stay away from a high fat diet. I toomy my prescription pill religiously and I think that it worked. The pain in my tummy is lessened. Sometimes, I don't feel it all. Now, aside from staying away from fatty foods, I also exercise regularly at home.

Upon browsing the internet, I discovered that there are actually other cholesterol treatments available other than the Simvastatin that was prescribed to me. Most of the ingredients in cholesterol supplements are natural herbs and extracts. I still need to do more research about their link to lowering bad cholesterol levels in the human body. I probably won't be popping one into my mouth as I'm decided to the battle plan I made in October.

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