Faced with choices this coming new year (2012)

The last time I felt this way was when I was thinking of retiring from the corporate world after 10 years of hard work. I didn't know what I'd do with my life then. But one thing is for sure, I was fed up with the system and I knew that there's still life after being a corporate slave for so long.

I bummed for a while and after three months, a lucrative kind of job that I can do from home landed on my lap. This was at a time when VA / virtual assistant jobs weren't prevalent nor popular yet.

After four years of experiencing doing all kinds of gigs online, I am once again facing another crossroad. Do I continue living this way? Or do I pursue another path? Now that my hubby is earning a little bit more, perhaps I can start pursuing my passions. After all, I gave him the same opportunity to pursue his dream as I became the breadwinner of our little family for several months. Maybe I can pursue mine this time.

Proactive Strategies for a Better Life

Have you been wanting to live a healthier and better life? I started it a few years ago when I practiced The Secret to manage my stress and live my dreams. I also went for a more vegetable-based diet and now, I am being more cautious about it by going alkaline --- no oil, no salt, limited sugar, no acid, and sometimes almost raw but frequently baked or grilled food.  I call it my sexynomnom diet. A diet like this makes me healthy and generally gives me more energy to do the things I want.

Another thing you can do to achieve a better quality of life is by becoming more proactive. Don't wait for something to happen before you react to it. Make things happen no matter how small.

I know that doing the right thing is usually hard. There are just so many temptations around and most of the time, it's easier to just succumb to your natural desires, proclivities and impulses. But if you are focused on what you want and you are committed to getting it, then nothing ought to stop you. 

Below are some of my personal strategies to help me keep on track.

Fight the urge to hibernate.

Whenever the yuletide season comes in, I'm always hit by the hibernation bug. I feel lazy, I like to sleep all day or watch DVDs... I basically like to hide in my cocoon and be as lazy as I can be [enter Bruno Mars The Lazy Song]. Maybe it's the cold weather (although lately it's more wet than the typical December cold).

But for someone who's a workaholic like me, being bitten by the hibernation bug is actually like being forced to a much-needed vacation. Perhaps, it's my body's way of saying that I need to rest and take a break.

However, as I am becoming more conscious of my health, I am no longer allowing that to happen. Being an Aquarian, I can be  quite extreme. I either sleep all week, or I don't sleep for a month at all! I can't do that anymore. I love myself too much to fall into that trap once again. Yes, I still do rest. I sleep 8 hours a day now and take catnaps when necessary but I don't do my usual hibernation mode anymore, nor do I plaster myself in front of my PC, slaving away all day. I need to be active. I want to be active. I have to be active.

And so, the moment I felt that the hibernation bug has bitten me (after sleeping for 8 hours, I still wanted to sleep for 8 more), I forced myself to get up and break out a bit from my usual routine (which is to make sure the house is orderly and clean, exercise, prepare a healthy meal of oatmeal with cinnamon, apple cubes and honey + Vita Plus vegetable drink, shower then work). Peter and I this time, went to the park again, jogged instead of walked, and played some badminton. (And once this rainy spell is over, I plan to take out my bike too.) 

Thank God for HP Plus! I saved Php10k on my Medical Lab Expenses

Yep, that's right. It was the assistant of my doctor who suggested that I go to HP Plus, just across Asian Hospital, almost beside Mercury Drug because all their lab tests are priced so low.

True enough, when I went there yesterday for my liver, gallbladder and pancreas ultrasound, it only cost me Php1,000.

Ultrasound was only Php1,000 at HP Plus

The results were good. I have no gallstones, my pancreas and gallbladder are healthy. It's my liver that has certain moles in it and in order to fully check what they really are, if indeed, they're just HEMANGIOMA, I need to have a CT scan. But before I can get a CT scan, the doctor needs to know if my blood is clear. So a blood test was ordered. I fasted for almost 12 hours and at 5:30 this morning, my husband and I were already at Asian Hospital.

Change in Lifestyle

 

It all started last weekend when Danes, Tina, Radz, Peter and I went to Lake Caliraya to windsurf our Sunday away. I forced my body to change its body clock which has forever been in U.S. time. It was successful! Well, sort of... I now sleep at around 6:30-7:00 pm and I wake up before 3 am. I'm slowly moving my sleeping time to 9:00 pm at the latest so I can wake up at 5:00 am. At least now, I'm awake during the day. Plus, I don't travel feeling zombified anymore. Yay!

For the first time, I was able to windsurf all the way to the middle and other end of Caliraya lake, for an hour, without rest!

Remember when I said that some things will have  to take a backseat as I change my lifestyle a little bit? I didn't mean to but it seems like my blogging has naturally been included in that list.

I now focus on things that make me happier and when I get tired, I rest. Blogging does make me happy but I can only do it  when I really have the extra time. I got a couple of posts to finish but I no longer stress about them. I've noticed that other things make me a lot happier now like:

Building a New Vision Board

As I was reviewing Jack Canfield's Success Principle #7, which I blogged about in KickingPinay.blogspot.com, Unleash the Power of Goal Setting, I took notice of my 12 year old vision board which I started building when I was just in college, the same time that I discovered Oprah. I actually first learned about this whole thing from her, and with the help of my course, AB Psychology, in Ateneo, I was on my way to healing my broken psyche and building wonderful dreams.

 my 12 year old vision board and my longtime mantra

Moving forward, it's been more than a decade and everything on that vision board has already come true as I mentioned in my previous post. Yet, it's still this particular vision board that greets me every time I enter my office.  It's located on a side wall, just above my computer, so it's really hard to miss. It's no wonder that I get more of the same every year and I'm not complaining.

However, perhaps it's about time that I make a new vision board with images of things, places, situations that I want to come true / I want to go to / I want to have.

If you're also journeying towards a better you, a better life, a better new year for you, join me in this process. Let's take some time this weekend, maybe this Saturday, to stop, sit down, and meditate on the things that we really want to happen and have in our lives. Is it good health? Is it the ability to overcome certain fears? Is it to travel the world? Is it to finally get that job you want? Or maybe letting go of your current job and pursuing your real passion? Or maybe you want lots and lots of money, or a brand new home and car? Whatever it is, jot it all down. Then gather images that will convey all these goals you have for yourself.

Windsurfing and my Journey to Better Fitness

Oh hi there dear travel blog. You've taken a backseat for so long and I'm sorry. I've just been so caught up in my own workaholic world coupled with some health issues (GERD and other emotional issues) which I needed to take care of, plus you know how much time it usually takes me to post a travelogue here --- 4 hours! Yes, and that's just the minimum. Perhaps, I must learn how to chunk my posts into bite-size pieces so I can update you more.

Weekend of Healing, Passion and Discovery

I went through a lot a couple of weeks ago but through the help of my husband's continuous loving support, care of my friends, and my own will and desire to battle the rut I was in, things have been getting better and better.

Just like these vegetable plants which I have grown from when they were just seeds despite the many typhoons and cold weather they have braved since day 1, (they are now growing so beautifully and standing tall against our balcony window -- a sight I always behold first thing when I wake up and last thing I check before I go to sleep)...

... I, too, have grown a lot the past few weeks. Like my plants which need to be transplanted to bigger pots soon, for them to bear fruits and continue to grow, I, too, need to be uprooted from my comfort zone so I may take root in a bigger, wider, and more fruitful enterprise that I am really passionate about. *crossing my fingers* It would of course take careful planning, organization, determination and a lot of hard work. I need to invest my time, energy and resources to building this thing and some of my other lesser passions may need to take a backseat.

To Be or Not To Be Pregnant

Here's a litte excerpt and back story about that time I thought I was pregnant, how I felt before, during and after finding out about this possibility...

I've done a lot of scary things in my life: I married my first true love with zero money in our pockets; I've jumped off a 15-meter water fall; I did zip lining thrice (one in Lignon Hill in Albay, one in Club Manila East, and one in an Eco Park in Misibis Bay); I almost died while surfing; and lots more. But I think walking into the bathroom this morning and taking those two pregnancy tests were the scariest of them all.... Ready or Not

To my surprise, it was my hubby who got a little disappointed with what happened. And he was astounded with his reaction too. Perhaps someday we could do it all right if we really want to. Unfortunately, I have my own conditions that need to be met first. There's the beach wedding that I've always wanted since day one; there's the desire to be able to pay for our house and car mortgages in full without depleting our entire savings; there's the trust fund that I want to put up for our future kids if ever we do come to that point.

I know it all sounds "Are you for real?" And yes, I am. I want to be practical. Peter and I were both products of unplanned marriages and pregnancies and I'm speaking for my life which hasn't been very easy. If we ever do plan to raise a family of our own, I'm not wishing for it to be perfect because nothing is, but at least, I want our children to enjoy life and not worry about living the way I did.  

How are you, Jen? (a diary entry on GERD, stress and happiness)

This is an entry that I thought long and hard about sharing here. Some things are quite secret and some information are quite sensitive.  Then I figured, not a lot of people can handle a very long post so I guess not a lot of people will really know what has been going on....

It's been 4 years since I started practicing The Secret. That was late 2007. Prior to that, I've been an emotional wreck (since my adolescent years actually) and I was always stressed out, if not in school (all the way to taking my master's in U.P.), then at work, which is why I like to write about my life be it in a notebook or in my online diaries that are my blogs. Writing has always been a form of catharsis for me.

The Power of Friends, Exes and a Smashing Good Time

Who would've thought that I'll be having a "date" with my husband and my ex-boyfriend all in one day? And no, they're not the same person. Teehee.

It all started out with the plan that my husband will accompany me to the doctor to check up my GERD symptoms that have been exhibiting since last month. Unfortunately, I also had a VTR to go to for a TV commercial. I rarely go to these things nowadays but since I'll be in Makati the whole day, I might as well try my luck. I didn't get the part but I was happy to see an old friend, Maricar, who has always been active in the TV commercial business. She's done a lot of TV and print ads already that I can no longer count them.We go way back since our Etelecare days in 2001 and those Embassy, Blue Onion party nights up until 2008.

(That's me and Maricar on the left and me and my hubby on the right... lots of waiting time involved when going to auditions and VTRs)

Early Christmas for the Juans

So how was your Halloween and the second long weekend that followed? I've been off the grid for some time after our Halloween Party, and it's all because of the "early Christmas" season we've been experiencing at home. To think I haven't even put up our Christmas decors yet and I'm not even sure if I'm gonna put them up at all. Unlike Halloween, Christmas is now my least favorite holiday season so I'm not that motivated to waste electricity and money on Christmas lights and decors... but who knows, maybe I will. Teehee.

So what is this "early Christmas" season I'm talking about? You probably know this already if we're friends on Facebook, Twitter and Plurk but here it is again:

Manila Halloween 2011 Events, Philippines

Though we're hosting a Halloween Party at home with our friends this Saturday, I keep searching the net for other activities Peter and I can do. After all, it's a long weekend holiday here in the Philippines and we gave up a trip to Camsur CWC to celebrate Halloween in Manila to the fullest, the Sexynomad and Mordo way. (^_^)

Youthful Makeup - Physician's Formula Mineral Wear

With the frequency of my beach travels and time under the sun, the idea of me aging not so well is something that I've accepted a long time ago. Although as much as possible, I use sunscreen and lotions to balance out the harmful UV rays of the sun, use great skincare products like Nivea, Garnier and my all natural jelly soaps,   I have accepted the fact that I may be wrinkling sooner than expected.

Relaunching My Homemade Soaps and Spa Products - Jelly Soap Giveaway!

Since January, I've been busy making my own homemade soaps. It actually started back in 2003 when I got featured in the Philippine Daily Inquirer for manufacturing my own homemade spa products. I made body and facial scrubs, lotions, astringent, lip balms... the works!

My Smart Netphone 701

My 2-year contract with Smart Gold is about to expire and I've been thinking of downgrading my plan since I no longer use my phone for text messaging and calls as much as I used to before (like those years I got plan Php3,000-5,000). But then if I do that, it means that the free phone I'll get won't be as nice as my previous phones. So to solve this dilemma, I  stuck to my plan of downgrading my subscription but I also got a new phone separate from my plan and I chose Netphone 701 by Smart!!! Weee!!!

My new Smart Netphone 701 is still in the box. I haven't had the time to open and tinker with it yet but I am excited!

House of Dreams - Living In My Childhood Dream Home

I grew up living a simple life. There were times I felt extremely lucky (thanks to my grandfather who is rich enough to help out my parents financially) and there were times I felt extremely hungry and sad (coz my dad didn't really have any stable job and my mom is working for the government until now). All I wanted was to finish my studies (thank God to my scholarships) so I can live the life I've always wanted, which means, have a place I can call my own, decorate it any way I want to, and be able to do what I want (like walk naked if I want to... which I used to do a lot of times even as a young kid inside my own room. Teehee. I remember one summer, I was 15, my cousins and I took a photo of ourselves naked. My dad was the one who developed the film and he went ballistic on us! Teehee. ^_^ Those were priceless times!).

Anyhoo, I've always wanted to live in a nice, cozy house with glass doors, and surrounded by beautiful things... my beautiful things. I'm fortunate enough to say that I've been living my childhood dream for a few years now. Thanks to Popsy, to Peter, and to God's infinite blessings! And recently, my hubby and I had some parts of my childhood dream home renovated --- I had the front yard fenced to stop the kids from turning it into their afternoon playground, I had the plants taken out since I don't know how to take care of them anyway, I had my bathroom tiles changed coz they were breaking away due to the extreme heat, and all those extra white rocks that were left, I decorated the balcony with. Now I realize that all the things I could ever need are just here at home. So don't blame me if I'm always lazy to leave the house (except when we go on out of town trips). Hihihi.