Monday Blues

What a way to start the week! We’ve been waiting for a cab for almost two hours! No use waking up early because that’s what we did as you’ll still end up being late!

I wonder what excuse I’ll tell my boss this time. Maybe I should try a different tactic.

Boss: Why are you late (again)?
Me: This is the government’s fault! If they have build wider roads and if the MRT is on its finest not that I’ll use it, no working person would be late on a Monday! Haven’t you noticed, it’s only during Monday do I report at half past or an hour past than my usual shift? It’s a conspiracy theory, I tell you. The government is doing this on purpose!

Or maybe, I’ll do bad cop vs good cop; it always works in the movies

Boss: you’re late again?
Me: excuse me, I am here for a minimum of 10 hours on a daily basis, sometimes even 14 hours but am I saying anything? No. If you ask me, no decent company will act as if its employees are slaves! Have you read the DOLE Labor code lately?
Boss: No.
Me: you should so you’ll know I’ll have every right to be late if you’re making us work past our bedtime.

Sigh. If only I could. Forgive me, we’re stuck in C5 again and the only thing moving is my imagination.

I’m really hoping for a great day today.

xoxo, Elle M.

 

TITLE INSURANCE

Taken from My Catholic: One Bread, One Body – Reflection for January 19, 2014

“Look! There is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.” –John 1:29

The Holy Spirit inspired St. John to pack his Gospel with titles of Jesus. Praying and praising Jesus by speaking His titles and meditating upon them is insurance against taking Jesus for granted. It’s a great way to deepen our relationship with Him.

Among other titles, John refers to Jesus as:

the Word of God (Jn 1:1) and Word-Made-Man (Jn 1:14),
“Lamb of God” (Jn 1:29),
God’s “Chosen One” (Jn 1:34),
Rabbi, (and also Teacher) (Jn 1:38),
“the Messiah” (Jn 1:41),
Son of God and King of Israel (Jn 1:18, 49),
“the Son of Man” (Jn 1:51),
“the Bread of Life” (Jn 6:35, 48),
“Light of the World” (Jn 8:12),
“I AM” (Jn 8:28; see also Ex 3:14),
“Lord” (Jn 9:38),
“Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11, 14),
“the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25),
“the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (Jn 14:6),
“the Vine” (Jn 15:5),
“the King of the Jews” (Jn 19:19), and
“my Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28)
There are many other Scriptural titles of Jesus. These titles combat deception and encourage truth. Praise Jesus by His titles.

PRAYER:	Jesus, Lamb of God, I worship You with my whole heart.
PROMISE:	“I will make you a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” –Is 49:6
PRAISE:	Praise Jesus, “the First and the Last and the One Who lives” (Rv 1:17-18).

MY REFLECTION: I am not sure why we are all tied up with titles. I am a nutritionist by profession (yeah, right, after posting my Weight Loss Fiasco post?) and really, it doesn’t hurt if sometimes, people forget. The truth is, when we finally meet Our Maker, you will be nothing. You can’t bring your riches, your cars, your clothes, or any of that crap in eternal life. So, what’s important, really? The priest’s sermon at today’s mass got to me. He said, “Be like the children – they are innocent, true, and pure; they are simple, not vain, and not judgmental.” I cried after hearing this because I often thought of myself as someone who’s child-like in nature. Who am I kidding? This blog can attest to that. I am pretty pissed off by so many things. All in a day’s work of a working mom – there I go again with the titles. I think I should stop and just go with the flow.

xoxo, Elle M.

 

The Weight Loss Fiasco

I feel so damn fat. I feel so damn ugly. Ugh. This needs to stop.

This would have never happened if I didn’t check the scales. Those damn, stupid scales.

Argh. Guess what I weigh now?! I am freaking 79 kilograms! This is so bad! I am at my worst weight. EVER.

clip art from random Google search

I used to think that maybe if I learn to love my body, I’ll be able to live with the fact that I can never be as slim as the people I see on the television. Well, not until I’ve met my mother-in-law who hates fat chubby big daughters-in-law.

I can’t blame her. She has a slim physique. But really, it hurts my feelings too especially whenever I hear her ridicule someone she knows who’s fat or not her size. I usually let it go but hey, sometimes, I am just about to burst.

Like today.

So, what will I do about it? This.

image courtesy of random Google search

Yes, I will continue to love my body but of course, I need to at least trim my weight down to 50 kilograms. Not just to be accepted but for my health as well.

My husband and I will have an executive check-up this January 30th. I don’t want to see my blood pressure or cholesterol or blood sugar on a hike.

So, I searched the Google Internet to look for the best way to help me lose weight this year and hopefully, I’ll be able to maintain it.

And that’s when I stumbled upon this cute health buff blogger: The Fat Kid Inside.

The blogger’s name is Erwan Heusaff who happens to be Anne Curtis’ boyfriend and he used to be fat. I mean, he looks gorgeous sexy now so I guess, I can do too.

I’ll be following his Life Diet, which only shows you need to stick with it for the rest of your life. I hope I can do it though, it sounds really promising:

1. Always ask for salad dressings on the side (Olive oil and vinegar is your best bet)

2. Beware of Sugar, its everywhere

3. Brush your teeth right after dinner

4. Butter over Margarine

5. Carbs aren’t just necessarily Rice, Breads and Pasta. Carbs can come from veggies and fruits too

6. Chew your food

7. Dessert should be a treat not an everyday need

8. Don’t believe Fad Diets. Of course a diet is going to work if you starve yourself like they try to make you. Once you’re off it, you’ll gain it back.

9. Don’t overeat after working out

10. Drink 2 glasses of water before eating

11. Drink water while eating

12. Eat a variety of colourful veggies and fruits

13. Eat a vegetable and/or fruit with each meal

14. Eat breakfast

15. Eat what you require. You should be able to see the difference between what you eat on a workout day and what you eat on a rest day. If the intake is the same you are eating too much

16. Exercise 5 to 7 times a week. Some people react better to cardio, others to weights, others to sports. Always experiment and vary

17. First thing to do after you get up in the morning is drink a glass of water

18. Get most of your carb needs from fruit and veggies, this applies to athletes as well

19. Have 1 cheat meal/day a week and stick to it

20. If you aren’t sweating or hurting a little, you are not exercising

21. Include protein with each meal
22. Just stick to water, coffee and tea. Nothing added

23. Learn to read labels (important to keep an eye out for Portion Size, Sugar count sometimes disguised as Carbohydrates only, Ingredient List)

24. Limit your alcohol consumption

25. Meat over Sweets

26. No time to workout? Do 3 sets of 20 pushups, 20 burpees, 20 squats

27. Plan, Plan, Plan, all your meals as much as possible, so that you eliminate impulse and binge eating

28. Say no to anything with added sugar (yes honey, agave, maple syrup, …, are all sugars)

29. Say no to fried food

30. Simple Portion Hierarchy Veggies>Protein>Grains

31. Take Important Supplements: Fish Oils, Vitamins C, B, D, Zinc, Iron (if needed), Calcium, Magnesium. These are all available from NOW FOODS in Watsons, great, fresh and quality supplements

32. There is no such thing as targeted weight loss, workout your whole body

33. Time your food and have it compliment your workouts. Take a nutritous shake 30mins after. Eat a meal 1 hr 1/2 after

34. Try not to eat fruits at night (too much sugar content to process in your sleep, you don’t need the carbs to sleep)

35. Wake up earlier, sleep earlier

36. When and if you need starchy carbs, go for whole grain, low GI and high fiber

37. When eating out Always order protein with veggies

38. Workout in the morning (or at night, or both)

39. Sauces hide things

40. Ingredients are inherently healthy, so be careful how they are prepared, what’s added to them and what they are served with

41. No Time to eat? Grab an All Fruit Shake from JAMBA JUICE, its really just fruit. Great meal alternative when you are on the go.

I am a little bit (okay, fine, A LOT) intimidated by this list but hopefully, I can make it work. Wish me luck! I’m starting tomorrow. I think I’ll go to S&R to buy what’s on his list:

• Almonds
• Apples
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Barley
• Beans
• Beets
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Brown Rice Cereal
• Brown Rice in Moderation preferrably with exercise (1/2 c. once a day)
• Cabbage
• Canola and olive oils
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Chicken
• Chillies, Jalapeno, Habanero…
• Cinnamon
• Coconut
• Coffee (nothing added)
• Colorful Veggies
• Cottage Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Cucumbers
• Garlic
• Grapefruit
• Greek Yogurt (nothing added)
• Green tea
• Green Vegetables
• Lean red meat (pork or beef – organic and grass fed is best)
• Lentils
• Lettuce
• Milk
• Mushrooms
• Nut butters
• Onions
• Peas
• Pineapple
• Pistachios
• Quinoa
• Red grapes
• Rolled oats
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Spinach/ Kang Kong/ Kamote Tops/ Chard/ Chayote Tops/ Kale
• Strawberries
• Sweet potatoes or kamote
• Tea
• Tomatoes
• Tuna
• Turkey
• Turmeric
• Unsweetened, raw cocoa powder
• Water
• White Fish
• Whole eggs
• Whole grains in moderation preferably with exercise (breads, cereals… )

xoxo, Elle M.

 

Sarsa Kitchen+Bar

I’ve noticed that recently, I am only able to write blog either on a Thursday or a Friday. Crap, this is what I have always been bumming ranting about! Looking back on what I have written on my Belle de Jour planner, I am not sure I am doing it right:

Tsk. I mean, really. It’s already the 17th and I haven’t done anything! I feel like shit crap.

After lunch…

[EDITED]

Okay, so maybe I am being overly dramatic. You can’t blame me (nor can you do anything about it because this is where I usually lounge to take a breather).

Just for fun, we had a two-hour lunch break today. Well, not that we are being rebellious or anything (okay, fine) but for goodness sake, we have work tomorrow! Yes, I am still grudgingly hoping it will be canceled.

Anyway, we went to this great new place on 7th street. I heard from the grapevine that it’s owned and operated by Chef Jayps (of Master Chef Pinoy Edition)

photo courtesy of MasterChefPH

Don’t crucify me but I have never heard of him — okay, maybe because I have not seen the show. I am an avid Master Chef Australia and US, heck I even seen the Jr. Australian edition but this show, I was not able to catch.

But, dining at Sarsa Kitchen+Bar made me regret my stupidity “not being able to watch the show”. The food was a delight and yes, purely Pinoy.

From what I have gathered, this restaurant wants to serve modern version of traditional Filipino and Negrense dishes. At first glance, you’d think it’ll only be about “INASAL” because that’s what I thought when I entered the joint, but once again, I was deceived.

They served a variety of mouth-watering treat. We had the batchoy special, tortang talong with crispy sardines and kesong puti, chicken isaw, bangus belly salad with grilled vegetables and crispy cheese (which, forgive our ignorance, we thought was unwittingly dirt), pancit palabok (I was craving for this, really), banana tsokolate turon, and mango jubilee.

I am really poor at food blogging so this is the best picture I can manage. Oh, I also had the green mango shake so yeah, I was a happy camper after lunch.

The biggest surprise we had was, after all that we’ve eaten (and oh boy, that was a lot), we only paid less than two thousand pesos! Yup, it was worth the money as well.

The downside though there is always a downside, deal with it, you’d have to wait for your turn specifically during lunch time. The crowd was superb. Good thing we went there at around one in the afternoon or else, I know of a certain someone who wouldn’t be happy.

I’ll bring my husband here next time; he loves inasal.

xoxo, Elle M.

 

GIVE IN

Taken from My Catholic: One Bread, One Body – Reflection for January 12, 2014

“Give in for now. We must do this if we would fulfill all of God’s demands.” –Matthew 3:15

The first words of Jesus in the New Testament are: “Give in” (Mt 3:15). Usually, when we hear this command, we are being stubborn, selfish, and rebellious. However, when Jesus told John the Baptizer to give in, it was in a different context. Jesus told John to give in and baptize Him, that is, to do something John was not worthy of doing. In a similar context, Jesus commands us to give in. For example, before we receive Holy Communion, we say: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive You” (see Mt 8:8). Then we give in and receive Communion despite our unworthiness.

Jesus calls us to follow Him in bringing justice to the nations (Is 42:1), opening the eyes of the blind, bringing out prisoners from confinement (Is 42:7), and healing all who are in the grip of the devil (Acts 10:38). We feel inadequate and unworthy to accomplish these great plans the Lord has for us, but the Lord tells us to “give in.” We may not feel like much, but the Lord commands us to give in and believe we are children of God, loved and favored by Him, and empowered by the Holy Spirit (see Mt 3:16-17). On this last day of the Christmas season, give in and renew the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).

PRAYER:	Father, I believe deeply that You are my Father and that You love me. May this faith change every detail of my life.
PROMISE:	“Here is My Servant Whom I uphold, My chosen One with Whom I am pleased, upon Whom I have put My Spirit.” –Is 42:1
PRAISE:	Alleluia! Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Christmas! Alleluia!

MY REFLECTION: Today, I have realized that if I keep on resisting what the Lord has to offer, I will end up being miserable and down. No matter how hard or challenging His tests may be, I know He’s doing it to hone and make me the best person I can be. Life is unfair, that is true, but if we let the Lord guide us, it’ll all be for the best.

xoxo, Elle M.