Strong & Healthy Living

hair, please grow faster...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:09:00 +0000

I was looking at old pictures during my Denmark days lastnight and after seeing this photo, I suddenly wish for my hair to grow faster, so I can have a very long hair once again, just like the one I had in the photo. I'm really excited to have a very long hair again, so I can experiment new hair styles with it. :) Aww, so I can bother the ates to experiment new hair styles with it, hehehe. And the curling machine that I got from Ate Carol will be so useful with a longer hair.

But I so think that the hair is growing slower compared before. Or maybe it's just me being impatient that I haven't notice the fast growth. Please hair, grow faster so I won't resort to using hair growth shampoo. Hear me out hair!

2am...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:04:00 +0000

Arggggggggg, I went to bed at 2am lastnight coz I got carried away "facebooking" and I was disappointed for doing so even if I know already that it's not good for my health to always sleep so late. Tonight, I'm not going to do it anymore and I really need to be fierce to myself when it comes to my sleeping schedule. Yeah, gotta be fierce, just like ANTM models! heheheh

Dry skin...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:39:00 +0000

Me and the ates are all having dry skin since the start of winter and it's irritating us. I put lotion to my skin everyday and since the winter, been putting more lotion into my arms coz they're so dry that the skin gets flaky! Yuckss!!! I so hate it coz I'm not used to having this dry skin. I don't have it during my Denmark and Norway days and to think that it's colder there than here in BCN. It came to my mind that maybe it's because I'm always wearing a jacket here while working, so the arms are not getting enough air to freshen the skin. So now, I seldom wear the jacket when I'm inside the house. I bought a body oil about 2 months ago and applied it every night especially to my arms to moisturize the dry skin. But before I bought the body oil, I showed my arms to one of my ates and she said that it might be eczema. Ohhh my, I was truly horrified that I applied excessive amount of oil to my arms since then. And thanks goodness, the body oil works and the skin in my arms are no longer flaky and it's not eczema at all. If it was, I would have gone to sleep weeping about it. :)

waking up automatically....

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:37:00 +0000

I slept on Saturday at around 1am and out the alarm for 11am, so I'll have enough time for our 12:30 appointment at the Church. We have to go early to prepare the venue for our 1:30pm CLS. But so weird and I already woke up at 9am, 2 hours before the alarm and wasn't able to go back to sleep anymore. It seems that the system is no longer used to sleeping longer, so it automatically wakes up after 6 to 8 hours of sleeping. Actually, 8 hours of sleep is already so long for me. For the past week, I always get up at around 6am even if the alarm is set for 7:40am. grrrrrrrr. I know, it's not normal and I have to try my best to make the sleeping habit normal once again. I'll be sleeping in a little while. I'll just make a new note on my fb account and then I'll doze off. But before doing so, I'll check first the cool exit signs at exitsignwarehouse.com. I already looked at some of the designs earlier, but I'll look at the rest before finally going back to facebooking. :)

fruits instead of toasted bread...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:21:00 +0000

About a month ago, I always buy integral toasted bread (low fat and low carb) every weekend and I bring it to my employer's place for the working days. But I changed plan. So on Saturday, I bought fruits (apple and plum) instead of toasted bread coz it's healthier. And I'll be eating one fruit a day at around 11am, about an hour before I'll take my first cup of tea for the day.

Ohh, let me tell you a story. I was so hungry at around 7pm this evening that I got so weak and was scared that I'll collapse while making the food for the children. I keep on wating small pieces of bread to regain the weakness. I was still so hungry and glad that I didn't pass out while working. If Ii'll experience the same tomorrow, then I'll device a plan to prevent the hunger strike from occuring at 7pm. :)

pigging out...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:00 +0000

I went to the children's school yesterday with my employer and we went there early coz she has a meeting with the eldest child's teacher. I went to buy fish for dinner and I brought my book along, so I can read something while waiting for the time to pick up the boy. I also brought some money to buy some stuffs at the grocery store nearby. And I ended up buying biscuits and nuts with honey (with high fats and carbo contentes, argggg)! And here I am in my room, eating the junks while blogging. And I am so disappointed, how I wish the barcode scanner didn't read the items well, so they made a sound on my way out of the store, so some people will stop me and just decide to return the items.. Now, the junks are almost gone and the stomach is feeling bloated. grrrrrrrrrrrr!

Summer house....

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:43:00 +0000

We are going to the summer house in Calafel this afternoon. The house there is huge and we haven't been there for about 4 months now, so it means that it's so dusty and dirty. :( I just hope my runny nose won't get worse there. The employers said that we'll go to the winter house within this month and it will be our last visit there. Yeheyyy!

a new vacuum flask

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:27:00 +0000

Few months after I started drinking tea here in my employer's place, it came to mind the want of buying a vacuum flask or a thermos, so I can make my tea earlier to make sure that I'll make the tea before the they put the alarm on. But I always set aside the plan coz I was busy buying clothes, shoes, bags, etc!hehehe. Yeah, I'm a shopaholic, but I'm already slowing down now.:)

Yesterday, during my day off, I didn't go shopping, but instead I went to the store where the vacuum flask that I've been eyeing for for months already is displayed. I bought the 500ml version and I already started using it now. I already made my tea for the night and I'll drink it after checking the life insurance link at lifeinsuranceagency.com.

breaking the diet...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:21:00 +0000

Almost every Sunday, the diet is abandoned since we have an ongoing seminar in out CFC FFL community and there's a free lunch being served every session. I always gave in to the delicious meal on the table, but atleast the food I consume in every meal is not just like my huge consumption before. It's just a little bit more than the usual portion that I'm having on weekdays. But it's ok coz I am still aware that I have a goal of losing weight.

earlier now...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:20:00 +0000

Yeheyyy, I am so glad coz been sleeping earlier this week, around 12:30 am or just before 1am. Yes, that's already early to me since I'm used to sleep at 2 to 3am.:( Been using the eye mask too and I really love the cool, soothing feeling that it's providing me. I'm already a bit sleepy now, but I still have some things to do for tonight. So, I'll hold on a little while and continue working and remember to visit the business insurance link that I saw before finally dozing off.

55 kilos???

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:25:00 +0000

I was window shopping yesterday with a friend. We had fun talking and teasing each other. We've been to several pharmacies looking for a facial scrub for her and she finally bought one at the last pharmacy that went to. But before we went inside, I weighed myself since there was a weighing machine outside the door. I inserted 20 cents and after few seconds, the receipt was printed and I was shocked when I looked at it coz it says: 55 kilos! Arggggggggg, I was 54 kilos and it urged me to diet to reduce and I felt that I am already losing weight and the friends observed the weight loss too. so, how come I weighed 55 kilos? Grrrrrr. Maybe it's because of the clothing that I was wearing. I was wearing boots and a wool trenchcoat. The friend told me not to weigh myself coz it will be unreliable since I was wearing thick clothing, but I insisted. So, that was the price of being hard-headed, heheh. I'll weigh myself again in that machine, but next time I'll wear light clothing and I hope it wouldn't be 55 kilos again.

Anyways, I got text message from my Mother telling me that a smart cable agent came to our house and offered her acable subscription that can be payed thru installment basis and it will be free for 3 months. She already said no, but the agents were very insistent and just wouldn't leave the house coz they'll wait for Mama to say yes. So, she ended up saying yes for the subscription. Hayyy, I'm not so happy with it coz it means that the kids will be watching a lot of tv since there will be a lot of channels available already. And besides, I already told her to make the internet connection a priority coz it's more important. But what can I do? It's her money so she can spend it the way she wants it. But I think, it's way better if she availed of a car insurance for her new multicab instead of a cable subscription.

cancelled appointment...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:19:00 +0000

I canceled my dentist's appointment yesterday after hearing stories that public dentists here in BCN are not reliable. My landlady said that her son was writhing in pain during the extraction of a tooth coz there was no anesthesia injected and then one of the ates told me too that she met a filipina in the train who shared to her her bad experience at the public dentist. And the stories were just enough to convince me to cancel the appointment. Yes, I am a coward and I don't want to take the risk. I better pay for a private dentist than suffer such fate. :)

I went to the private dentist that they referred me. An Indian dentist who studied dentistry in Baguio and knows how to speak Filipino. But unfortunately, the dentist is in Manila for vacation and will be back on the 2nd or 3rd day of March. So, I have to wait for 2 or 3 weeks more. And I am here in my room, having a toothache once again. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

1:30am

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:05:00 +0000

Arrggg, I know I wrote last ngiht that I'll be dozing off in a little while after my post at around 12 mn or something, but too bad and I end up sleeping at 1:30am. :( The culprit? I was carried away in looking at the many pictures that I have in my computer, hehehe. I have tons of them divided into several folders and I opened the folder one by one. grrrrrrrr! I just missed my family and friends, so I was reminiscing a bit,heheh. I'll not do it again tonight. I really have to sleep early this time or else, I won't only be dealing with dark circles under my eyes, but also of choosing which wrinkle crème to use on my skin. Wahh, I don't want to use any wrinkle cream as much as possible!

eye mask....

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:01:00 +0000

I'm loving my blue eye mask now and I started using it lastnight. I had it since I was still in Norway, but I seldom use it there coz I don't like it pressing into my eyes. But last weekend, I remembered it and looked for it among my things coz I want to use it again in the hope of minimizing the dark circles under my eyes. I had it here since Monday, but I only remembered it lastnight, hehehe. I'll definitely use it every night now coz I like the cool and soothing sensation it's giving to my eyes. I really hope that it can help remove the dark circles under my eyes.

Toothache....

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:17:00 +0000

Arrgggg, I have a toothache right now and it's so bad! I had it just after eating dinner. :( I already have a pain reliever ready, just in case I can't handle the pain anymore. I had it prepared ever since, but until now, I haven't taken it coz I don't want to take medicine as much as possible coz I don't want my system to get use to it. Because if I take pain reliever everytime I have pain, my system might get use to it and time might come when it wouldn't take effect anymore during the time that I need it most. So, I'll only take one when the pain is unbearable already. Anyways, I am still thankful coz it's not my joints that are aching coz I don't have an idea where to get joint pain supplements. Atleast in PI, when my joints ache, I have my Mom to massage me until I doze off and forget about the pain. :)

stop the bad sleeping habit....

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:57:00 +0000

I sleep around 1:30 to 2am most of the time and I know that it's not good for my health. I need to sleep early to replenish the energy used during the day. But too bad and until now, I am still a failure in trying to sleep earlier than 1:30am. :( But I think, it's really time to be serious about it since I already observe deark circles under eyes and I know it's already a clear sign that I need a longer sleep every night.

Green tea vs. Black tea

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:41:00 +0000

I already mentioned before that I've been drinking tea frequently since I came here in Spain. And as part of my weight loss regimen, I am drinking tea, 3-4 cups everyday. I am using green tea in the boarding house, but black tea most of the time here in my employer's place. My employer is the one buying my tea and she buys me black tea most of the time. I heard that green tea is better than black tea, so, to get some answers, I googled it a while ago.

I found a good explanation at professorshouse.com, one of the health sites in the blogosphere. According to the article, both teas come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis, but just underwent different processes. Both teas are of huge health benefits, though different. Green tea is loaded with a powerful anti-oxidant known as EGCg. While black tea is rich in flavonoids, which can lead to the reduction of stroke and heart disease risk because the flavonoids help to reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol) that is associated with helping to cause these two diseases.

dental appointment

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:30:00 +0000

It will be my day off this Monday again and I have a dental check up at 3:45pm. One of the reasons why I was so eager to meet my doctor here is to get a dental appointment too. I have a bad tooth and I want it removed coz the hole is already big. I don't want it to stay and ruin the other teeth as well. I might end up seeking for a bad breath treatment if I'll let it stay longer. So, I'm so glad that it will be taken out this Monday. Yehey, bye bye tooth decay!

A month of dieting!

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:11:00 +0000

I just checked my journal for the official start of my dieting. It was on January 11, so it's more than a month now. It's been hard slowly saying goodbye to my voracious way, but I'm glad I did it and still doing it. :) I am already very determined to continue losing abdominal fat for my own good. And now that I am already noticing some effects, as well as my friends, there's no way that I'm stopping with my goal. I just hope that eating less will be soon a lifestyle, so I won't be going back to hoarding and pigging out over food. :)

Prenatal vitamins

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:26:00 +0000

I just stumbled into www.prenatalvitamins.net a while ago, and it reminded me once again of my "vitaminless" childhood. Yes, we (me and bro) didn't have the luxury of taking vitamins due to poverty. Mama was not even taking prenatal vitamins during her pregnancy since they were really broke that time. Both Papa and Mama were still studying that they can't hardly afford anything, let alone prenatal vitamins for Mama and me. But I'm not bitter at all coz I still turned out to be a healthy and smart (according to my family,hehehe) kid even without vitamins. Thanks God!

I didn't pig out!

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:20:00 +0000

Our CFC-FFL community here in Barcelona had our Heart's day party last Sunday (February 14) at WOK Restaurant in Urgell. We all had fun during the party and the food was so yummy! And we had an ala Oscars red carpet entrance. It was so cool, we all liked it! I had my hair curled for the occassion and we all loved it. They said I look great with curly hairs and I agreed with them, hehehe. Anyways, I am so happy coz I didn't pig out at the party! I was able to control myself and I didn't give in to the hoarding temptation. Yeheyyy! And the friends commented that I am slimmer compared before. Hmmm, so the dieting is already showing some effects. :)

food conscious!

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:20:00 +0000

I find it so funny that I suddenly turned from a voracious girl into a food conscious girl! Food conscious in a sense that I automatically look into the food labels to see the nutrient contents (calories, carbohydrates, fats, etc.) before deciding the quantity of food to consume. I must be so determined of losing weight for acquiring such a new habit, :). The idea came to mind after surfing for diet tips. And then, I stumbled into a site suggesting to cut-off carbohydrate, calorie and fat intake, thus, looking at the food labels to determine the nutrient contents. And aside from decreasing the food intake, the site implies too that exercising atleast 30 minutes a day is also essential in losing weight. And it's in this suggestion that I got a problem coz I don't have much time, especially that I am a stay-in here in my employers' place. I just wish I have an elliptical machine here in my room, so I can still exercise without leaving the house. But for sure the machine is expensive and I can't afford it, so I better think of another way to exercise without spending a dime. Think, think, think!

batiriday.com

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Finally, my personal blog, batiriday.com, is up and running now. Well, it has been up for more than a month now, but I only announced it here now coz I haven't posted there much before, hehehe. I made the blog, so I can post all my personal thoughts there. :) And this blog will be devoted to health and other topics related to it. Some personal issues will still be dealt here as long as it somehow related to health. So, see you in my personal blog too!:)

Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:44:00 +0000

Yeheyyy, it's weekend once again and I'm excited to go home to my boarding house tomorrow, hehehe. I'm supposed to attend a bday party of one of the ates tomorrow evening, but she sms me telling that the party is postponed coz she's sick and she can't prepare the food. Anyways, the winter sale is still going on in Barcelona and I'll try to window shop tomorrow if I can go home earlier. Yes, only window shop coz I already did my real shopping last Monday and I spent a lot, so it's strictly no shopping for me anymore. Maybe, I'll accompany Ate R. tomorrow to the computer shops to look for laptop computers that will fit her taste and budget coz she's planning to buy one so soon. It will be a busy weekend as usual, but for sure, it's also fun.

Happy weekend everyone!

no tea lastnight...

noreply@blogger.com (julai) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Wahh, I felt so uncomfortable lastnight coz I was not able to drink my usual cup of tea. I was still praying at around 10:30pm when the alarm of the house already made a sound. It means that my employers were already upstairs, ready to sleep. They usually go to bed at 11:30pm or 12 mn. I was really disappointed hearing the alarm. So, I went to bed feeling incomplete coz of the missed cup of tea.:)